The butter goes into the blazer as soon as the lamp is lighted. (The blazer is the pan that is used directly over the flame, when there is no need to cook over hot water.) As soon as the butter melts the onion is put in and fried for a minute, and then the ham goes in. The chafing-dish may now be covered and left to take care of itself while the eggs are beaten. They are broken into a bowl, without separating the whites from the yolks, and whipped with a fork until they are well blended—say for a minute and a half. By this time the ham should have begun to crisp nicely. If it has not reached this stage, it may be allowed to cook a little longer. Then it may be sprinkled with the mustard and pepper and the eggs turned into it. After this the stirring must be continuous. The eggs are very likely to stick unless they are kept constantly scraped from the bottom; but there is no danger of burning unless the dish is neglected. As soon as the eggs are firm the dish is ready, and the lamp may be extinguished. A pile of plates or saucers, with spoons or forks, should be in readiness, and a plate of crackers may be passed with the eggs.
Another excellent dish easily prepared is curried eggs. For these there will be required six hard-boiled eggs, shelled and cut into thick slices, a table-spoonful of butter, a table-spoonful of flour, half a pint of milk, a teaspoonful of minced onion, and a scant teaspoonful each of salt and curry-powder. This dish, too, is cooked in the blazer. The butter goes in first, with the onion, and when the butter is melted, the flour and curry-powder are stirred in quickly. As soon as these and the butter are well blended and begin to bubble, and before they have a chance to stick, the milk is poured in. After about two minutes' steady stirring the sauce begins to thicken. It should come to a boil, and then the eggs may be put in, the salt added, and all simmered about a minute and a half more before the lamp is put out.
A pleasant and profitable little entertainment may be given with a chafing-dish for any pet charity or mission. There is probably not a church in the country which does not contain one or more societies or guilds of young girls who are interested in some especial work. They may be "King's Daughters," or "Christian Endeavorers," or "Willing Workers," or anything else. Their object is always a worthy one, and their great desire is to secure funds for it. It is very easy, with a couple of good-sized chafing-dishes, to cook enough supper for from thirty to sixty people, when the hot dishes are supplemented by sandwiches, rolls, coffee, and cake. Each guest pays a fixed sum for his supper, and this secures him a portion of the product of the chafing-dish. If the cookery is done in the sight of the guests, and the recipes given at the same time, there is little chance that the entertainment will prove uninteresting.
FIRST LESSONS.
If such a dish as eggs and ham be prepared, a dozen eggs and half a pound of ham can be readily cooked in one chafing-dish, and this, judiciously served, should supply fifteen people. As soon as the eggs are cooked they can be turned out upon a platter, the chafing-dish can be washed, and a second instalment prepared. Creamed oysters or salmon or panned oysters are quick dishes for such an occasion. Panned oysters are unusual, simple, and very good. To prepare them, melt two table-spoonfuls of butter in the blazer, lay in twenty-five oysters, and cook these, turning them once or twice, until they grow plump and the edges begin to curl. Season them with pepper and salt, and serve upon toast, or, if this is not convenient, upon crackers or Graham-bread.
As a matter of course, four chafing-dishes are better than two at such an affair, if there is a numerous assembly, unless the dishes are unusually large. The audience on these occasions is, as a rule, good-natured, and quite willing to wait for the second or even the third relay of refreshments.
A pretty home lunch given by a young girl may have the principal items prepared in the chafing-dish. The lunch might begin with bouillon, served in cups. This, of course, should have been made in the kitchen. The first dish cooked on the table may be panned oysters or clams, served on toast. After this, the young hostess may broil lamb chops, or cook a dish of lobster or of creamed chicken, and with this a vegetable should be served. Should she desire, there may be a chafing-dish at each end of the table, and while she prepares the meat dish, her vis-à-vis may curry tomatoes, or cream potatoes, or sauté green peas.
STIRRING THE DESSERT.