Announcement TN the publication of this magazine it is the -^ intention of the editor to have The Chef become a welcome necessity in every American house- hold, as well to the housewife of modest means as to the mistress of the wealthiest home :-: :-: :-: ^ It will be made indispensable as a culinary teacher of the hygiene of the kitchen and its econ- omies, particularly to the young woman, the housewife to be, whose education in this branch is much too often neglected :-: :-: :-: :-: :-: :-: ^ It will contain recipes from the most distin- guished Chefs in America, with menus for all occasions, also the latest menus from Paris :-: :-: i i y ■/ V I V i X V n HIS MAGAZINE being intended as a teacher in cooking, as well as pre- senting new recipes to those who are now efficient, there will be found among its pages recipes in which we enter into all the details of each operation, and while to the novice these recipes will appear quite long and complicated, they will be found to be simple in practise and successful in results, therefore it behooves our readers who desire to become efficient to follow the details honestly and they will thereupon produce the desired results for their reward. To our readers now efficient in the Art will be found recipes without the necessary proportions being given, as practise has accomplished this for them. However, atten- tion is called to the fact that these recipes are the inventions of our best "Chefs." I Volume 1 FEBRUARY, 1910 Number 1 . . . TABLE OF CONTENTS . . . PAGE. A Word About Food Products, the Kitchen and Cooking 3 Every Man Master of His Own Stomach 5 Starving Dervish Discovered Coffee 6 Menus for All Seasons 7 Beef Soup 3 Eggs a la Bash Bish q How to Use a Left-Over of Boiled or Roast Beef 10 Mussels Au Gratin J0 Sardines Prepared Country Style IO Parsnips with Brown Sauce n Rustic Soup j j Poulard (Capon) a la Napolitaine I2 Recipes of Noted Chefs T r Poulet Etouffe Brevoort. By Bernard. Filet of Sole. By DuBois. Noisettes of Lamb. By Balard. Tartlettes of Rooster Kidneys. By Balard. How to Live a Hundred Years x 6 How to Prepare a Quick Breakfast T 8 How Pate de Foi Gras Is Produced x 8 A Curious Find at the Hotel Brevoort ICj Old Time Living Expenses 20 Fishes That Travel Overland 20 The Extravagance of Lucullus 21 A Pie with Noah's Ark Tendencies 22 Poor Baby 22 The King of Old Casks 23 More Water Sold Than Liquors 23 $200,000 For a Sack of Flour 23 Definitions of "Home" 2 t, This Swan Was a Bird 24 Similes 2 , Rather a Tough Dinner 2 , Flashes of Royal Repartee 25 Before the Fork Was Thought of 2 6 Sugar Plums the Patriarch of Candies 26 Iron Rule of Hindoo Husbands 27 A Table d'Hote Menu 28 Recipes. By Prosper Grevillot 2 n Eugene F. Vacheron, President. J. B. Sabine, Treasurer. H. Herbert Vacheron, Secretary, 225 Fifth Ave YEARLY SUBSCRIPTION, $1.50 SINGLE COPY, 15 CENTS Copyright, 1910, by "The Chef" Publishing Co. Trade-Mark Registered Published Monthly by "The Chef" Publishing Co. Address all Communications to "The Chef" Magazine 225 Fifth Avenue, New York Entered at the Post Office as Second Class Mail Matter. THE CHEF OUR CONTRIBUTORS SOME OF The Best Known French Chels In New York Mr. Eugene Lapperruque Che tt Emile Bailly tt « J. Balard it n E. Gigoux ii u Leony Derouet ii u J. Colombin it ii J. Bent ii it Jules Biron ti ii Prosper Grevillot ii a Henri Rosier it n X. Kuzmier tt it Henri Dousseau ii tt Lucien Bernard it ti Teilliaud it u Negre a tt Valta u a Drederick u tt Adams u a Rhiel it tt Ribeyre u tt Labeille a Chef Plaza Hotel, N. Y. St. Regis Hotel, NY. Cafe Martin, N.Y. NewGrandHotelN.Y. Grand Union Hotel, New York Belmont Hotel, N. Y. Cafe del'Opera, N.Y. St. Denis Hotel, N. Y. Delmonico's For 35 Years, New York Windsor Hotel, Montreal, Canada Gotham Hotel, N. Y. Metropolitan Club, New > ork Hotel Brevoort, N.Y. of Col. J. J. Astor, New York of D.O.Mills, N.Y. M.OrmeWilson,N.Y. of George Widener, Philadelphia of Robert Goelet of Clarence Mackay of H.McKayTwombley of Mrs. Sloan "THE CHEF" MAGAZINE Vol. 1. No. 1 FEBRUARY, 1910 15 CENTS A WORD ABOUT FOOD PRODUCTS The Kitchen and Cooking OF all the subjects susceptible to tempt the pen of the French writers none have been more so than that of the subject of food products, the kitchen and cooking, and the number of such works, treating on the above subjects either in part or as a whole, form volumes too numerous to mention. Many have made food products a study of the greatest importance from the standpoint of economy, both philosophical and social, while others have started and stopped at the inception of all its ramifications, "the kitchen," while others again in prose and verse, have with the old gaul spirit sang the praises of a good table, which is the philosophic essence of the kitchen. And whatsoever may be the intrinsic value of each of these works, we must arrive at the one conclusion, that taken as a whole, they constitute and irrefutably establish the preponderant part that has always been taken by France in the development and intent to per- fect the art of eating well and properly, and which, it is not paradoxical to say, good eating has always followed, and even sometimes led in the march of human progress and of civilization. Each of these works are a signpost marking the years that have passed, the history and the aspirations of an epoch, the tastes of a generation. And yet, as numerous and various as are these works, there can never be too many, and the more of these works there are produced, the greater will be the emulation to study and spread their scientific teachings, which should be a balance wheel for a reasoned out treatment of food product, and much sooner then will the procedure of practical cooking become common and more firmly will be established the desire for progress, and a general knowledge of the utility of food products in all its branches. And while these works are very often dry read- ing and difficult to understand, yet we find the public interested in them because in their study are recog- nized a necessity, and the subject which they treat, most predominant and necessary for the existence of all, be they rich or poor. THE CHEF And therefore as the function of eating is of such vital importance, and which culinary science has en- deavored to make a pleasure, let us bow to culinary art and its promoters and recognize in them the civil- izer and most invincible factor of our social life. "To Dine" is the goal of all human actions, so has said an old humorist, and Rabelais, in his most en- ergetic language has stated that it was "The tyrannic power of 'Mester Gaster.' " We all may plan as we will ; we may have very high ideals, and such fads as would make us look with disdain upon or forgetful of all that makes up the charms of our existence, but it nevertheless re- mains a fact that the best and greatest of us must respond to the imperious call of the dining room: We must eat. And besides to what purpose tends this continuous, eternal and never weakening strife of ours ! This persevering in our efforts for success ; is it not for food? And again if you stop for an instant and ex- amine the multiplicity of industries engaged in the manufacture of food products you will find that they outnumber other industries and professions one hun- dred to one which verifies at once, if by no other way, the statement that food is the "ALL" and "ONLY" of life. Therefore this question of food is justly consid- ered life's prime factor, inasmuch as it alone assures with the refection of dispensed forces, the suppleness of the muscles, the vigor of the body, the balancing of the mind. But to realize the problem of the culinary art you must necessarily understand the properties good or bad, contained in food to be cooked. That you may connect and treat them following the hygienic and practical rules of culinary practice you must also un- derstand the proper value, and usages of the different seasonings and other condiments which are an indis- pensable adjunct to nutrition and without which can- not be obtained a savory dish. Where find this necessary information? These precise and certain processes sanctioned by practice, which joined to scientific ideas, permit one to discern without effort how to prepare food to meet the .tastes and temperament of the majority, according to climate and season? It is in the study of good books, of which it is our intention to make this one, wherein will be gathered the best receipts, formulas, advice and precept, plac- ing before the reader all that is used in the art of maintaining good health by proper and tasteful nour- ishment and who will appreciate from reading these pages the "utile duke" (the useful with the agreeable) of the good Horace and other Greek writers. The Chef will endeavor to give to its readers from time to time all the most useful and interesting matter connected with this subject; we will endeavor to make it the "Yade Mecum" (the constant com- panion) of every household, be the same modest or wealthy. In life everything is relative. While the ordinary or common household is not to be compared with the wealthiest, it is certain, however, that the same care must be taken in the preparation of food, which in the former case may not be elaborate as to variety but by knowledge and care can be as tasty. It is said that the body is compared to a boiler of which the combustibles therefor are good and proper nourishment. If that is a fact, all that remains for us is to properly prepare the nourishment required to feed it. It is therefore extremely necessary that our readers understand the fundamental truths of eating, beginning with the understanding of the why and wherefore of the raw materials, of which this maga- zine will treat from time to time. It is a natural conclusion that this magazine will be more for women than for men, but ultimately for their benefit, but it is our intention to particularly interest the daughter of the family, young girl to-day, to-morrow housekeeper in her own home, either do- ing her own work or supervising others, but in either case be convinced that the young wife who can cook or who can directly assist her cook does not lose caste by giving such time as may be necessary in her kitchen ; on the contrary there is nothing more noble in the housewife, than she who has the discernment to watch over the welfare of her home, as she does while supervising the cooking of that which is to be eaten by her family. And the wife with these qualifications perforce must have a happy home. Show me the unhappy home and in nine cases out of ten I will show you the poor cook. Therefore it behooves every young woman to prepare herself to dignify the position of wife by learning how to cook. Is it not true, that around the well set table, the appetizingly served or well cooked dish or dishes, we find a cheerful and contented family engaged in the most spirited conversation and story telling, it is around such tables that the destiny of nations have been amicably settled and it is the clever house wife that has always made it attractive by that exquisite delicacy of taste of which she holds the secret ; by her charming manners, her instinctive intuition of arrangement of what is most beautiful and good, to tempt the palate of her family and their friends. THE CHEF 5 EVERY MAN MASTER OF HIS OWN STOMACH Instinct Best Determines What You Should Eat, So Eat What Your Normal Instinct Tells You. IN that series of compromises which we call life there is no compromise more perplexing than the compromise with the stomach. No problem requires more earnest thought than the food problem. It is the stomach that makes men work. There would be no produce exchange were it not for the stomach — no yellow fields of wheat and corn, no grazing herds of cattle, no fleets of white-sailed fishing-vessels. Clothing and shelter are secondary demands. The stomach is master ; and, as is ever likely to be the case with autocrats, it is selfish — wherefore we humor it — we hold out crutches to it — we offer it tempting inducements to be lenient with us. A sense of relief, therefore, is produced by reading Dr. Woods Hutchinson's article, "Some Diet Delu- sions," in McClure's; for therein is advanced the doctrine of "intelligent omnivorousness." Says Dr. Hutchinson : "Every imaginable experiment upon what would and what would not support life must have been tried thousands of years ago, and yet our most striking proofs of how highly men value their 'precious right of private haziness,' as George Eliot shrewdly terms it, are to be found in the realm of dietetics. The 'light that never was on sea or land' still survives for the most matter-of-fact of us in the memory of 'the pies that mother used to make,' and nowhere else do we find preferences so widely accepted as evidence, and prejudice as matters of fact, as in this arena. In fact if we were merely to listen to what is said, and still more to read what is printed, we would come to the conclusion that the human race had established absolutely nothing beyond possibility of dispute in this realm. WHEN THE DOCTORS DISAGREE. "Every would-be diet-reformer, and we doctors are almost as bad as any of them, is absolutely certain that what nine-tenths of humanity find to be their food is a deadly poison. One philosopher is sure that animal food of every description, especially the kind that involves the shedding of blood, is not only abso- lutely unfit for human food, but is. the cause of half the suffering and wickedness in the world. Another gravely declares that the only thing which above all things is injurious is salt. Another takes up his par- able against pork. Still another is convinced that half the misery of the world is due to the use of spices ; and one dietetic Rousseau proclaims a return to very first principles by the abolition of cooking. "Another attacks the harmless and blushing to- mato, and lays at its doors the modern increase of cancer, insanity and a hundred kindred evils ; while Mrs. Rohrer has gently but firmly to be restrained whenever the mild-eyed potato is mentioned in her presence. "There is almost an equally astonishing Babel when one comes to listen to the various opinions as to the amount of food required. Eighteen grave and rever- end doctors assure us that overeating is the prevalent dietetic sin of the century, while the remainder of the two dozen are equally positive that the vast ma- jority of their patients are underfed. One man preaches the gospel of dignified simplicity on one meal a day and one clean collar a week, while the lean and learned Fletcher declares that if we only keep on masticating our one mouthful of food long enough, we shall delude the stomach into magnifying it into ten, and can dine sumptuously on a menu card and a biscuit. INSTINCT FAR SUPERIOR TO REASON. "Fortunately, when it comes to practise, philoso- phers, reformers and doctors alike have about as much influence here as they have over conduct in other realms — and that is next to none at all. The man in the street follows his God-given instincts and plods peacefully along to his three square meals a day, consisting of anything he can find in the market, and just as much of it as he can afford, with special preference for rich meats, fats and sugars. "Here, as everywhere, instinct is far superior to reason, and a breakfast diet of sausage and buck- wheat cakes with maple syrup and strong coffee has carried the white man half round the world; while one of salads and cereals, washed down with a post- prandial subterfuge, would leave him stranded, gasp- ing in the first ditch he came to. "All the basal problems of dietetics were, by the mercy of heaven, settled long ago in the farmhouse kitchen, in the commissary department of the army in the field, in the cook's galley amidships and in the laboratory. "There is little more room for difference of opinion upon them than there is about the coaling of engines. Simply a matter of size of boiler and fire-box, the difference in heating power and ash between Welsh and Australian, and the amount of work to be got out of the machine, multiplied by the time in which it is to be accomplished." Dr. Hutchinson proceeds to give reasons why spices do not heat the blood, why pork is a most excellent food, why fish is no better for the brain than other things, why vegetarianism is a mistake and so on. His principal caution is not to eat in a hurry; his THE CHEF principal advice is, virtually, to eat whatever seems to agree with you. All of which brings to mind the story of the old dyspeptic who, after a long term of misery, one day apostrophized his stomach thus : "I have humored you for many years. I have coaxed you, coddled you, petted you. I have gone hungry to please you. I have swallowed bad-tasting medicines on your ac- count. I have been your servant — but now I am through. "From this time I will eat what I please and drink what I please. If you protest I shall ignore you. Hereafter you are the servant, I am the master. Xow make the best of that!" This brave man's stomach, we are told, was so thoroughly cowed by the words that it never again demanded a milk diet. STARVING DERVISH DISCOVERED COFFEE History of the Favorite American Beverage Is Surrounded by Legendary Lore of Ages Ago THE discovery of coffee is surrounded by many legends. In 1285, so one story runs, Hadji Omar, an Arabian dervish, when almost dying of hunger in the wilderness, stumbled upon some curious- looking berries growing on a small shrub. He pulled some of them, and, removing the outer shell, he began to eat them, but finding they were bitter, he quickly desisted. As a last resource to satisfy the pangs of hunger, he made a fire and roasted some of the berries and tried to soften them in water. Finding this too tedi- ous, the dervish eagerly drank the water, and to his great surprise found it both nourishing and refresh- ing. Returning to Mocha, in the district of Yemen, on the Red Sea, he told the wise men of his discovery, and after brewing and serving some of the wonderful beverage he was feted. So popular did his discov- ery cause him to become that he was made a saint. Another legend is that five hundred years ago a ship from the Indies cast anchor off the shore near Mocha and sent a boat ashore. On the beach the crew met a hermit named Sheik Schoedeli, who of- fered them a dark-colored liquid to drink. It was the first time they ever had tasted coffee, and thinking that they had found in it a cure for the plague, they took some of it with them when they returned to the Indies. Later, other voyagers came to get some of the berries that warded off disease, and thus the use of coffee spread to the East Indies, and then, gradu- ally, over the whole world. There is an old story that coffee was introduced into the West Indies by Chirac, a French physician, about 1723. It is said that this man gave a single coffee-plant to an army captain named De Clieux, who was on his way to Martinique. During the voy- age a fierce storm arose, and the ship was delayed so long that the water-supply began to get so low that it was dealt out in rations. De Clieux, who seemed to have formed a peculiar fondness for the little coffee-plant, shared his allow- ance of water with it. In this way the plant was preserved, and when the ship reached port De Clieux planted the shrub, and at the end of a year gathered two pounds of coffee from it, which he distributed among the inhabitants to plant. From Martinique, coffee was taken to other islands, and soon it was grown extensively in the Indies. Still another legend has it that about the middle of the fifteenth century a poor Arab who was travel- ing in Abyssinia paused to cook his mid-day meal, and finding no fuel at hand, he cut down a small tree with which to start his fire. As he heaped the twigs on the blaze he found that they were covered with berries, from which, as the fire burned them, arose a fragrant odor. Gathering some of them in his hand, he was examining them, when they slipped from his grasp and fell into a can which contained some wa- ter. The color of the water at once changed, and touching it to his lips, the Arab found that the liquid was most refreshing. Taking some of the berries with him, he set out for Aden, where he announced his discovery. The stories of the origin of coffee are so conflict- ing that it is difficult to determine just when ii was first used ; but in all probability it originally was taken to Arabia from Africa about 1470 A. D. Shortly after it was introduced, the Mohammedan^ employed it to keep them awake during their long religious services. Later, it was coi>;idered an intoxi- cating liquor, and hence belonging to the class of bev- erages prohibited by the Koran. Still it continued to be used, however, and though it took a long time for its use to extend outside 01 Arabia, it finally came into favor at Constantinople, where coffee-houses were opened in the sixteenth cen- tury. Attempts also were made to suppress its use there, but in spite of them, the berry held its own, and in 1652 the first coffee-house in England was opened by a Greek named Rossie. Down to 1690 the only source of coffee supply was Arabia, but in that year Governor-General Van Hoorne, of the Dutch East India Company, received a few coffee-seeds from traders who plied between the Arabian Gulf and Java. These seeds were planted, and grew so well that the industry of coffee- growing in Java was at once started, and one of the first plants grown there was sent to the governor of the Dutch East India Company. It was planted in Holland, and seeds from it were sent to the West Indies, and then to other parts of the world. THE CHEF MENUS FOR ALL SEASONS From Well-Known Hotels MENU & j* Huitres Buzzard Bay Potage Consomme Orleans Barsch a la Polonaise Hors d'oeuvre Radis Olives Celeri Poisson Aiguillette de Bass au gratin Pommes Duchesse Releve Chapon farci aux marrons Ponds d'Artichauts, Mikado Entree Asperges nouvelles, Sauce Hollandaise Sorbet Young America Roti Becasse au Cresson Salade Alma Entremets de Douceur Glace Fantaisie Gateaux Assortis Fruits Fromage Cafe Cigars MENU Canapes de Caviar Moscovite Essence de Tomatoes Excelsior Radis Olives de Lucque Celeri Xoix salees Eperlans a la Mantoue Pommes de terre Persillade Quartier d'Ours Lithuanienne Celeri-rave au jus Champignons sous cloches Cailles a la Caprea Salade Laitue et Avocats Omelette Souffle en surprise Petits fours Bonbons Fruits Cafe MENU Oysters Soups Consomme Sevigne Green Turtle Sherry, Amontillado Side Dishes Timbales Rothschild Celery Olives Radishes Fish Aiguillettes of Kingfish, Meuniere Marquise Potatoes Piesporter Cucumbers Remove Saddle of Canada Mutton, Colbert Stuffed Tomatoes Entrees Breast of Chicken, Genin Fashion French Peas Champagne Terrapin, Baltimore Sherbet with Maraschino Roast Canvas Back Duck Fried Hominy Currant Jelly Cold Small Aspics of Foie Gras ChirTonnade Salad Liqueurs Sweets Fancy Ice Cream Assorted Cakes Cheese Coffee White Rock MENU Huitres Bluepoint Potages Consomme Renaissance Bisque de Homard a la Peary Hors d'oeuvre Mousse de Jambon a la Viennois'e Poisson Pompano au vin blanc Pommes Duchesse Concombres Releve Filet de Boeuf Forestiere Endive braise au jus Entres Ris de Veau a la Toulouse Petits pois Framcais Artichauts a la Florentine Sorbet au Kirsch Roti Poussin farci aux marrons Salade Kuroki Entremets de Douceur Glace Half Moon , Petits fours Pieces montees Cafe THE CHEF BEEF SOUP Known by the French Housewife as Pot-au-Feu and Being the Most Economical and Healthful of All Soups HOW TO USE SOUP BEEF, BETTER KNOWN AS FLAT RIB OR PLATE. T N the first place it is known that many housewives -*-who make beef soup, throw the beef away after the soup has been made and I assure you, the house- wife that does this does not know how to make soup, and curious as this may seem, this will be found to be done more among the laboring and middle classes than by those of more wealth who have and do take more pains to economize than the former. This being due probably to the fact that the wealth- ier class study economy much more than those who find it hard to make both ends meet. It is nevertheless a fact, that they who have studied economy in the matter of making beef soup have dis- covered what the housewife of France has long known that many palatable dishes can be made from the self same soup meat. Of course it must be remembered that one must begin right to obtain the best results and where is the housewife, young or old, who does not wish to please the palate of her husband? They are, in my mind ; but very few and far between, and how pleas- ing it is to a husband to find in his home that treasure, economy. However, let us begin and see what we can do with our soupmeat. First we will start right and make the soup. We will begin, this being for four persons, by purchasing about four pounds of what is commonly known as plate or flat rib. Of course here you must begin to use judgment. You must not take a piece that has too much or too little fat. You must get a piece about half and half, or not less than one-third fat and three-fourths lean. Either will do. After having obtained the same, wash it well in a pan of cold water, that same may be clean before using. You then take your meat and place it in a fairly good sized cooking pot (have an iron or earthenware pot if possible), that will hold at least six quarts of water. You cover the meat with about one gallon of water which is placed on the stove and permitted to boil, and after it has boiled for about fifteen minutes you then place it on the back of the stove where the pot is uncovered and you proceed to skim from the top the scum that has been brought there by the boil- ing. You then recover the pot leaving it over a slow heat, to cook slowly, in other words, simmer. I might here mention that the best beef soup made takes about five hours to cook. In other words, if you are to have your dinner in the middle of the day set your beef on to boil at 7 A. M., and let it cook slowly or simmer until 12, or if you have dinner at night, set your meat to cook at 1 o'clock and allow it to cook until 6 P. M. This will seem giving a long time for a plate of soup, but then when it is ready it will be soup and you will be well repaid for you will also have saved your meat, which will then be an excel- lent and tasty piece of boiled beef. To continue : After having placed your beef on to cook you then begin to prepare your seasoning. Oh, you say, How about breakfast if I must do this at 7 A. M.? Well, go on and get breakfast and have it too. No harm will be done by leaving your meat cook as above, but immediately after breakfast, which will be probably about from one-half to three-fourths of an hour from the time you set your meat on, begin by peeling an average sized onion around which you stick four cloves, peel a turnip which you cut lengthwise in four or six pieces, a carrot which you likewise cut. Then take six or eight sprigs of parsley, two or three sprigs of celery ; called celery for soup when you buy it at the grocers ; one average sized leek, one-half of a small cabbage and one bay leaf. You now have your seasoning all ready with the exception that you should take your parsley, celery and leek and make a bouquet of them by tying them together with a piece of white thread so that when you put them in the soup they will be easily taken out when your soup is cooked. You will now have had your meat cooking for about an hour or more. You uncover the pot and you again skim a light brown scum which will again appear. After having done this thoroughly you will have taken a minute or so, then take your onion, turnip, carrot, cabbage and bouquet composed of parsley, celery and leek and place them in the cook- ing pot with the meat. Then you leave the whole cook together slowly or simmer until the end. How- ever, you may skim it occasionally, in fact as often as it may seem necessary which will be as often as you find any scum or particles floating on top of the water. Also before taking the pot off the stove you must with a spoon take off some of the fat which will be floating on the top so that your soup will not be too rich in fat. It is now 12 o'clock and all that re- mains for us to do now is to salt the soup. Judgment must be used in the quantity of salt necessary which can only be done by tasting, not putting too much salt at the time. Our soup is now done and we re- move the pot from the stove and we proceed to remove the meat which we set on a cutting board or platter. We then remove the bouquet, which can be thrown out, it having served its use. We then take out the cabbage, turnip and carrot, placing them on another platter. Let us replace the soup on the back of the stove for a moment, while we turn again to the meat. We proceed to take away the short flat bones, which THE CHEF are always a part of flat rib, proceed to cut your meat in slices about one-half inch thick, lay them nicely and tastefully on a platter containing the cabbage and garnish the platter with your turnip and carrots around the edges which will look appetizing, and put it where it will keep warm until you have eaten your soup. Now take your soup and strain it through a soup strainer into a soup tureen into which you have cut about two slices of toasted bread into eight pieces, upon the accomplishment of which you are ready to sit down and eat a most delicious soup after eating which your meat is served which you will find like- wise delicious and to which can be added horse-rad- ish or tomato sauce if desired. However, eaten with mustard it is just as good. Upon having eaten your boiled beef with your vegetables to which may have been added four or five potatoes which you have boiled on the side you will have had a most delicious, healthy, invigorating and enjoyable dinner for four persons all for the sum of not more than 45 cents. Of course, if you are more in the family, you might use two pounds more of beef, another carrot and turnip, a whole cabbage instead of a half, etc. But remember the chances are that you will have soup left for to-morrow, which having been strained and placed in a cool place until next day and which before being used again the fat which has settled on top hav- ing been removed, the soup upon being warmed and a handful of rice added thereto, which you leave boil until the rice is cooked, will give you a delicious con- somme with rice. In the event that you have taken a larger piece of meat than you could finish at one meal, you will then have "a left-over.'' In the next issue I will tell you just how to use this in making the most palatable dishes pleasing to your husband and fit for a king. As a final let us sum up the proceedings as follows : 4 to six pounds of plate or flat ribs. I to ^> gallons of water. z / 2 to 1 cabbage. 1 or two turnips. 1 or 2 carrots. 5 cts. worth of soup green (parsley, celery, leeks). An onion with four cloves. One bay leaf. Cook slowly. (Let simmer 5 hours). EGGS A LA BASH BISH ' I v HIS style of cooking eggs, though not quite new -*- in French families, is certainly an excellent style, and much enjoyed for a lunch, but it must be said among the many styles of cooking eggs there are none better than the following one which will tempt the most particular, and while there are many who dislike onions, which are used in preparing this dish, the able housewife eliminates their taste by her able man- ipulations of the several ingredients used. PROPORTIONS FOR SIX PERSONS. 9 or 10 eggs. 3 onions, medium sized. 3 oz. butter. 1 oz. flour. 1 pint boiled milk. 3 or four branches parsley tied together. Salt, pepper, nutmeg. Time necessary to cook, from 50 minutes to 1 hour. SUMMARY OF OPERATION. Peel, pare and cut onions in thin slices, bleaching them in boiling water. Let brown in butter for about twenty minutes. Add flour, then the milk, cook slowly for twenty minutes. Boil the eggs until hard, remove the shells, cut in round pieces about six pieces to each egg- BLEACHING THE ONIONS. After peeling, cut in half and pare from each end the thickness of one-eighth of an inch, thereby re- moving the hard root end and the thin stalky end. Cut into as thin slices as possible the rest of the onions and set them into a casserole containing about three pints of water which set to boil while preparing the onions. Salt the water with about one-half oz. of salt, there should be sufficient water to cover them, which will prevent the air reaching them and thereby turn- ing them black and which would result in giving the gravy a bitter taste. Allow to boil well for about eight minutes, to be counted beginning from the time the boiling recommences, after having placed the on- ions in the water. Thereupon pour them into a col- ander, drain them well, let cold water run on them, shake the colander well to remove as much of the water as possible. Then spread them out on a dry cloth and proceed to dry them as completely as pos- sible. (The older the onion the more necessary it is to bleach them as above, this being clone to remove the bitterness that onions always contain). So long as we have new onions this bleaching is not necessary, but must be done from the moment that the onion has matured, when the juice of the onion has become bitter, which is one of its characteristics. Then place them in a low casserole or frying pan into which you have melted the butter over a moder- ate fire (the butter must be melted only, not browned), and stir them with a wooden spoon for four or five minutes, which will completely evaporate their sur- plus humidity. Now set the casserole on the side of the stove, cover it and allow the onions to cook slowly, simmer in the butter, carefully stirring them from time to time with a wooden spoon, not letting them brown, however. For this cooking take about twenty minutes. THE SAUCE. The onions now being about cooked, or nearly so, that is to say well softened with the butter penetrating same throughout, sprinkle with flour (1 oz.), stir them for a few moments with the wooden spoon over 10 THE CHEF a slow fire for the purpose of slightly cooking the flour, in fact just enough to take away its raw taste. Then add the milk, little by little (particularly if it is boiling), and stir vigorously with a spoon or with an egg beater, to avoid lumps forming. The milk can have been placed to boil while preparing the onions, or even before, but under no circumstances use the milk unless it has boiled. Then season with a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper and the least bit of nutmeg. Then set it on again until it comes to a boil, without ceasing to stir it with the spoon, then add the bouquet of parsley, then re- move the casserole to the side and so place it that it will continue to boil very slowly for twenty minutes. THE EGGS. As soon as this is done, set the eggs to boil, first being assured that there are none cracked. When it is possible, it is best to set the eggs in a cup-shaped skimmer, or any other receptacle which will allow depositing the eggs to boil at one and the same time, thereby having them all cooked equally well, which is not the case when dropped one after the other, with the chances of breaking. After having set the eggs to boil, as soon as the water resumes to boil, which has been cooled by the eggs, count ten minutes therefrom and remove. Cool them in cold water, enough to handle, remove the shell carefully and place them in a casserole or tureen containing lightly salted hot water. TO SERVE. Five minutes before serving, remove them from the salt water, dry and cut them in pieces ( six or seven pieces to each egg). Remove the parsley bouquet from the sauce, add then the eggs, shake the casserole so that the sauce mixes well with the eggs, and let them simmer over the fire for a few minutes. Then when ready to serve, pour the whole into a vegetable dish which has been previously warmed. Serve. MUSSELS AU GRATIN Gratined Mussels for 4 Persons r~V\KE about four dozen mussels, clean the outer -*- shells thoroughly in cold water. When cleaned place them in a pan of cold water, into which put two good handsful of salt, leave them stand about one hour. This will tend to make them disgorge and become sweet, this being done set them again into clean fresh water, changing the water three or four times. Drain them by pouring into a colander. Set a small casserole on the stove into which you place a tablespoonful of butter, which you allow to melt over a slow fire, to this add a tablespoonful of finely chopped shallots (a species of onion of the higher grade), and stir for a few moments until the shallots and butter are well mixed, thereupon add the mussels, about one-half teaspoonful pepper and one tablespoon- ful of chopped parsley. Then cover the casserole and set it on the open fire and allow to cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, in the meantime the shells will have opened and the mussels will drop into the gravy. Then take a small casserole into which place a tablespoonful of butter, to which, when melted, add two tablespoonfuls of flour, moisten with about one- half pint of the gravy which is taken from the casse- role containing the mussels, and mix well by stirring with a wooden spoon, until it has thickened. Then add a pinch or two of chopped parsley, with the juice of one-half a lemon, or in place of lemon a teaspoonful of vinegar. Then take a small earthenware casserole the bottom and sides of which are buttered into which pour one-half of the sauce, into this set the mussels, which have been freed of their shells, cover with the rest of the sauce on the top of which sprinkle with dried rolled bread crumbs or cracker dust, on which place five or six pieces of butter the size of a hazel nut. then place in a hot oven until the top has become a light brown. Then serve. Another way to serve them is to place them, divid- ing them equally, into large shells, shells which come for that purpose and which are large scallop shells. and after preparing them as above, serve a shell so prepared to each person. This latter way is prefer- able for its daintiness. HOW TO USE A LEFT OVER OF BOILED OR ROAST BEEF Vinaigrette of Beef CUT the beef in small oblong pieces of about one inch, and let it lay in a marinade made as follows: In a fairly large bowl or salad dish place one-half teaspoon of English mustard, one large tablespoonful of vinegar, two tablespoonsful of olive oil, add salt and pepper, a good pinch of finely chopped parsley and the same of taragon if the same is at hand. Add the pieces of beef, mix thoroughly, and let stand for about one-half hour before serving. There can be added, according to the taste, chopped chives or gherkins. SARDINES Prepared Country Style CHOP fine two or three onions which cook in boil- ing water for about three minutes for the purpose of bleaching. Drain off the water, add a tablespoon of butter and cook until they become a light brown, add a bay leaf and one glass white wine. Let cook for about 15 minutes on slow fire. In a frying-pan in which has been placed one-half tablespoon of butter add one-half can ( 1 pint) of to- matoes which have been strained to avoid the seeds, ami cook on open fire for about five minutes, stir vig- orous!)' with spoon. Then add this to the casserole THE CHEF ii containing the onion, and allow the whole to cook for about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and pour into a platter, around which arrange about a dozen large sardines. Sprinkle with dried rolled bread crumbs, mixed with cracker dust and with about one dozen pieces of butter as big as a hazel nut strewn on the top. Place in oven until it browns, then serve. PARSNIPS WITH BROWN SAUCE PEEL three or four medium-sized parsnips, cut them lengthwise in four or six pieces, if very long cut these in halves, place them in a casserole contain- ing sufficient cold water to cover them, and into this put a tablespoonful of salt. Boil until parsnips be- come fairly well cooked. Into another casserole place a tablespoonful of but- ter, to which add the parsnips, and set on slow fire, and when the butter is well melted sprinkle with a tablespoonful of flour, stir slowly and carefully until the flour is browned, then moisten with one glass of hot water, season with salt and pepper and what would be equal to a pinch of nutmeg. Set aside on the stove on slow fire and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Place in a vegetable dish, sprinkling the top with a little chopped parsley and serve. REAL PHILANTHROPIQUE ART THE Societe Culinaire Philanthropique of New York will hold their forty-fourth annual ball on Thursday, February 3, 1910, at Terrace Garden, Fifty-ninth Street, New York. The proceeds of this ball are devoted for the care of the widows and orphans of the society. On the afternon of this day at the above hall, be- tween the hours of 2 and 6 P. M., there will be the annual Culinary Exhibition, which will consist of beau- tiful made dishes and artistic pieces made by the best cooks of America. This will really give one an idea of what is meant by Culinary Art in its fullest term. RUSTIC SOUP r^HIS is not such a soup that requires the use of -*■ every cooking utensil at hand in its making, but it is a soup absolutely simple and healthful, the ingredi- ents used therein retaining their rustic characteristics. PROPORTIONS FOR EIGHT PERSONS. 1 pint of lentils. '4 lb. carrots. 54 lb. of onions. Small bouquet of celery, parsley; 1 laurel leaf. !4 lb. fat salt pork. Va lb. lean bacon. 2 oz. toasted pieces of bread. 2 quarts water. Salt and pepper to suit. Time necessary to cook, 2 hours, not including soak- ing of lentils. SUMMARY OF OPERATIONS. Cook the lentils in water, with carrots and onion, which are first boiled in the salt pork, then add the bacon, also the small kitchen bouquet. - Remove the bacon after three-quarters of an hour of cooking. Strain the lentils and vegetables in fine strainer, serve with toasted pieces of bread, and bacon cut in small oblong or square pieces. THE DIVERS PREPARATIONS. (1) Take a pint of lentils, spread on table and proceed carefully to sort therefrom small stones, which, due to their manner of growing, are usually picked up in the gathering thereof. Place them in a dish and cover with luke warm water and allow to soak for about twenty-five minutes. To soak them use soft water, as water containing too much mineral sub- stance is apt, in fact does, harden the lentils in cooking.' (2) Remove tlie rind from the bacon, set it in a casserole and cover the bacon well with cold water. Set it on the stove and have it boil slowly for about one-half an hour. This will remove the excess of salt and smoky taste from the bacon before the same is set to its final cooking. (3) Take the salt pork and chop as fine as possible. (4) Cut the carrots and onions into small pieces of about one-fourth inch. (5) With three or four branches of parsley and celerv. one laurel leaf and a small piece of thyme, tie all together and have the kitchen bouquet for sea- soning. COOKING THE LENTILS. Take the lentils from the dish pan with your hands, which will tend better to drain them, and set them in a casserole with about one quart of water, add salt to suit taste, and allow it to come to a boil. Skim from off the top a scum that has been produced from boiling, draw the casserole to one side of the stove where it can continue to boil slowly and evenly, in fact almost imperceptibly. Set in a frying pan on the open fire one-half of the chopped salt pork, also the carrots and onions, and allow them to fry until they become lightly browned, remove the fat from the carrots and onions, which can be done by pouring it off from the frying pan while holding and pressing the vegetables with a skimmer, this done, pour the vegetables into the cas- serole containing the lentils. At the same time add the other one-half of the chopped salt pork to the lentils, also the bacon and the kitchen bouquet. Cover the casserole and con- tinue the cooking as before on slow fire for about one and one-half hours, that is to say until the vegetables are well cooked. At the end of about forty-five min- utes remove the bacon, which should not be cut until it has slightly cooled, which will tend to retain its firmness. 12 THE CHEF GARNISHING THE SOUP. This is done with the toasted pieces of bread and the bacon. While the lentils are cooking, cut four slices of bread in small squares the size of a dice, place them in a frying pan with a little butter, set on the stove and allow to brown. Cut the bacon in squares, same size as the toasted bread, and place them in between two hot plates to keep them warm until used. TO FINISH THE SOUP. The lentils and other vegetables now being well cooked, remove the kitchen bouquet, then remove the lentils with a skimmer into the colander, together with other vegetables which is reset on the casserole con- taining the soup, and with a potato-masher press the lentils, etc., through colander back into the casserole containing the soup. Stir well, add about one pint of water, set on stove until it comes to a boil. In the meantime stir vigorously, taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Pour the whole into a soup tureen, and add the toasted pieces of bread and bacon and serve immedi- ately. The whole has produced a nourishing, appetiz- ing and healthful soup for eight people at a total cost of not over thirty cents. POULARDE A LA NAPOLITAINE or (Capon, Neapolitan Style) THIS recipe which is given hereunder wnile not very well known, is very apt to attract the atten- tion of the "gourmet." This entree constitutes a dish which is both substantial, appetizing, and presents an agreeable and tasteful appearance when set on the table. In its preparation there are many details re- quired, which are not necessarily irksome to those who have a taste for cooking. To give you an idea of this dish let us imagine a plump young chicken, nicely browned a golden brown, filled with macaroni, sweetbread, etc., and the dish when served decorated with prettily moulded timbales of macaroni, equally filled with an appetizing morsel. PROPORTIONS FOR EIGHT PERSONS. A capon, weighing from four to five lbs. I quart of bouillon or gravy. V2 pint tomato (canned). 1 gill white wine. 1 carrot. I onion. 1 thin slice salt pork. 1 vegetable bouquet, composed of a little thyme, I bay leaf, 1 sprig of parsley, 1 sprig of celery. 1 teaspoon corn starch. Proportions necessary for the minced meat to be used for filling the timbales : l /z lb. uncooked veal. 2 oz. flour. Y?_ glass water. Yt lb. butter. 2 egg yolks. 1 whole egg. Proportions necessary for the chicken dressing, part to be used for filling the timbales : 1 sweetbread. l /> lb. macaroni (small size). 54 lb. cooked ham. J4 lb. box mushrooms. 2 oz. truffles. J /4 lb. cheese. % lb. butter. Salt, pepper and nutmeg to suit taste. I teaspoon cornstarch. 8 small croquette moulds. SUMMARY OF THE OPERATIONS FOR COOKING THE ABOVE. Preparing the hashed meat, cook the macaroni, cool it, drain, set one half aside, the largest ones to be used for the timbales, cut the other half in pieces about an inch and a half in length. Cook the mush- rooms, also the sweetbread. Prepare the dressing. Place one-half of the bouillon in a casserole, which is reduced slightly by cooking, after which add one-half of the tomatoes, and add the cornstarch to give it consistency, set aside about one gill of this sauce, in the rest add the butter, mush- rooms, truffles, ham, sweetbread, the small pieces of macaroni and as a binder add the grated cheese and allow the whole to cool. Prepare the chicken, fill it, sew and tie it, and place the slice of salt pork on the breast. Place in a casserole at the bottom of which has been placed small pieces of salt pork, about two ounces each of carrot and onion, which has been cut in round pieces, cover, allow to cook slowly, then add the white wine, the rest of the tomato, put in the oven and allow to cook for 50 minutes, basting fre- quently. During the cooking of the chicken prepare the macaroni timbales. The chicken being cooked place on a dish, strain the gravy and after remov- ing the surplus fat therefrom, thicken or bind with cornstarch. When the moment arrives to serve the chicken, place it on the platter, around which set the timbales which have been removed from the moulds. Pour part of the gravy on the chicken, and serve the rest in a gravy dish. Time necessarily spent in the preparation of the above, two hours maximum. PREPARATION AND COOKING OF THE MINCED MEAT FOR THE TIMBALES. Place to boil in a small casserole one-half glass of water with about one oz. of butter. As soon as it comes to a boil, draw the casserole aside, then imme- diately and at once pour in two ozs. of sifted flour, then with a wooden spoon stir vigorously to obtain THE CHEF a perfect blend. Thereupon place the casserole on a slow fire and continue to stir the mixture until it is comparatively dry, and neither attaches to the spoon or the bottom of the casserole. This takes in all a matter of three or four minutes. Thereupon it is spread on a plate the bottom of which has been but- tered to prevent it from sticking, and proceed to butter the top, which will prevent it from becoming hard upon cooling. This preparation constitutes that which is called a Panade. While this is cooling prepare the veal. Begin by removing carefully all fat and ten- dons or nerves. Cut in small pieces and run it through the chopping machine, cutting it fine. Place this minced meat in a bowl and with a spoon work it well for a few moments, add the Panade, which must be cold, and work the whole as before that same may be thoroughly mixed. Then add the butter, then the two egg yolks, then the whole egg in the meanwhile mixing the whole as before. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Set it aside in a cool place until ready to use. THE MACARONI. Inasmuch as the macaroni should be almost cold before using for the dressing it is therefore necessary to give immediate attention to its cooking. Place about three quarts of water to boil in a fairly good sized casserole, add a tablespoon of salt. The maca- roni, which will serve for the outer part of the tim- bales, should be quite long or unbroken, as they are to be placed first in the mould in the shape of a tur- ban, care therefore should be taken not to break them. Therefore take four or five sticks of macaroni at a time, plunge one end in the boiling water and little by little as the action of the boiling water softens them, curl them in around the casserole ; it is very easily and- quickly done. As soon as the water boils again, which has temporarily cooled while inserting the macaroni, remove the casserole to the corner or side of the stove and cover it, allowing it to cook slowly without boiling for about 25 minutes, after which turn them into a colander, which you plunge into cold water and drain well. Then proceed to spread one-half of the macaroni on a dry, clean cloth which has been folded and placed on the table, taking the longest and laying them out straight that they may not assume irregular forms. This portion will be reserved for the timbales. Cut the other half in pieces about one and one-half inches long, this being reserved to add to the dressing for the chicken. PREPARATION OF THE DRESSING — COOKING THE MUSHROOMS. Clean them carefully, place them in a casserole with three tablespoonfuls of wafer, a piece of butter the size of a walnut, the juice of one-half of a lemon and a pinch of salt, cover the casserole, cook on open fire 13 for about four minutes and remove them, placing them in a bowl and keeping them warm. THE SWEETBREAD. Soak well in water and clean thoroughly, after which place it in a casserole in cold water enough to cover. Place it on the fire, allow to boil for three minutes which is sufficient. Remove and plunge the sweetbread in cold water, allowing it to remain for a few minutes. Cut in three or four slices and place in a frying-pan with a piece of butter the size of a walnut, after the slices have become a light brown on each side, remove them, place them aside after having lightly salted and peppered them. THE SAUCE. Place in a casserole, one pint of bouillon and allow it to boil until reduced to about three gills and add one-half of the tomato sauce, binding the whole with a tablespoonful of cornstarch, adding a small quantity of the mushroom gravy. This being done on a slow fire, and being stirred with a spoon to avoid the for- mation of lumps, when so done set aside on stove and keep warm. Reserve in a small casserole about one gill of this sauce, which will be used to bind the filling for the timbales. THE FINAL MIXTURE. ,. Now we gather together the mushroom,, truffles, ham and veal, one-fourth of which we set aside for filling the timbales, and we then .proceed as. follows: ... The three-fourths which is now left are for the chicken dressing, proceed to cut these into pieces about one-half by one-fourth inch and set aside eight pieces of truffles, which have been cut in rounds for the pur- pose of garnishing the bottom of the timbale moulds. In the sauce which has been set aside and kept warm add one-quarter lb. butter, divided in small pieces. That it may melt, shake the casserole well while on the stove to produce a complete mixture of the butter in the sauce. Then to this sauce add the chicken dress- ing, and allow the whole to simmer for not more than three minutes. Add the macaroni which you have already cut in small pieces. Then the grated cheese, which acts as a binder. This dressing should remain well dampened with the sauce without, however, be- ing covered thereby. Then set it aside to cool. PREPARATION OF THE CHICKEN. The butchers, as a rule, being quite accommodating, it is just as well to have the chicken cleaned by them. However, it should be stated to them the purpose for which it is to be used, to wit : for roasting with dress- ing. After receiving the chicken so prepared, you pro- ceed to fill the chicken with the prepared dressing. Then sew both ends and tie the legs and wings with string that it may retain its shape while cooking, and on the breast of which a piece of salt pork has been laid. M THE CHEF THE COOKING. Place the chicken so prepared in a cooking pot, in the bottom of which you have placed about ten small pieces of salt pork about an inch square, the carrot and onion which has been cut in their rounds, and the bouquet composed of thyme, bay leaf, parsley, etc. Place the cooking pot over a slow fire and cover and allow same to cook slowly, shaking the pot occa- sionally but gently to disengage the fowl and vege- tables which might be apt to adhere, and to prevent it likewise from burning. Upon the vegetables begin- ning to simmer, sprinkle the fowl with a glass of white wine, and allow the whole to cook until the wine has been reduced to about one-half the quantity. Thereupon add the rest of the tomato and pour the rest of the bouillon or gravy over the chicken, allow same to cook again until it begins to simmer. Then place the cooking pot in the oven, and from time to time baste, the oftener the better, which will give the chicken a golden brown color which is so appetizing. Give about 50 minutes to cooking from the time it has been placed on the stove until taken from the oven. When nearly cooked remove the salt pork which has been laid on the breast that the breast may likewise become browned. The chicken being then cooked, re- move carefully from the pot, inasmuch as it is a young chicken and is naturally tender, and from the nature of the dressing it is particularly so. Then being so re- moved, and the strings tying the wings and legs hav- ing also been removed, place it on a dish and keep warm either in the open oven or otherwise. Strain the gravy through a gravy strainer into a small pot or casserole, removing therefrom the surplus fat which will float on top. Place on the stove and add one-half tablespoon of cornstarch and a small quantity of the mushroom gravy which has been set aside. Stir well and you will have produced a gravy that will be both clear and succulent. THE SMALL TIMBALES. Prepare Filling While the Chicken Is Cooking. The one-quarter of the sweetbread, veal, ham. mushrooms, etc., which was previously set aside, we now take and cut into small dice-like pieces of about one-fourth inch square, place this in the small casse- role, in which we have the sauce, which we had like- wise set aside, and mix well together. TO MOULD THE TIMBALES. Now take the moulds, which must be well buttered to avoid sticking, at the bottom of each mould insert a piece of truffle cut thin and round, and covering not more than three-fourths of the bottom. Take a maca- roni, shake it gently to make sure that there remains no water therein, and proceed to roll it against the sides of the mould (in the shape of a turban, pressing it gently in -;o doing, that the macaroni mav adhere to the buttered side). If one macaroni is not sufficient to cover the sides, use as much as necessary to com- plete, but carefully connecting the joints to make it look well when served. All the moulds being com- pleted as above, proceed with a knife or the handle of a fork and apply against the sides of the macaroni about one-half an inch thick, the preparation of minced meat, prepared for this purpose. This opera- tion can be completed much easier by wetting the knife or fork in cold water from time to time. This now leaves a hollow, which is then filled with the filling of veal, ham. mushroom, etc., which has been prepared in the small casserole. The timbales being so filled to within an eighth or quarter inch from the top. Add the rest of the minced meat on the top. which completes same and makes a finish. The macaroni are therefore well held in place by the hashed or minced meat, likewise the filling. POACHING THE TIMBALES. Set the moulds in a baking or roasting pan, pour boiling water to within one-fourth of the top of the moulds. Place the roasting pan into an oven moder- ately hot, cover same, not to tight, however, so that the steam may escape, a very good way is to butter a piece of brown paper lightly and place over moulds instead of covering otherwise. During the poaching care should be taken that the water does not boil during the time of cooking, which requires from 30 to 40 minutes, but that it continually simmers or near boils. The poaching being completed, remove the moulds and allow them to stand two or three minutes before removing the timbales from the moulds. TO SERVE. Now set the chicken on an oval dish, around which you arrange the timbales. sprinkle the chicken with part of the sauce, pouring the rest into a sauce or gravy dish and serving the whole at once. TO SERVE THE CHICKEN CARVED. Remove the wings, which include part of the breast, remove the legs, which includes the second joint. Cut each of these into three pieces, from the remaining part you have four pieces of breast, or white meat. Set the dressing in the centre of the dish surrounded by the chicken alternating with pieces of wing, white meat and leg. sprinkle each piece with part of the sauce, around the whole set the timbales and serve with rest of the sauce in the gravy dish. To many these dishes may appear "fussy," but the housewife with ambition and the love of home and family at heart, will find herself well repaid for the pleasure she can give by the preparation of a de- lightfully appetizing dish which has not taken more than two hours to prepare, and the cost of which, as in this case is but slightly over that of simply "shoving a chicken in the oven, trusting to fate, and letting it go." T.HE CHEF 15 RECIPES OF THE NOTED CHEFS BALARD-BERNARD-DUBOIS POULET ETOUFFE BREVOORT Chicken Brevoort Style By Lucien Bernard. Chef Hotel Brevoort. TAKE a nice fresh chicken, cut in six parts, sea- son with salt and pepper. Into a stew-pan pour melted butter, set on stove and when the butter has become hot, place the pieces of chicken therein, to remain until they have become nicely golden brown on both sides ; then set aside tem- porarily. Prepare onions, carrots, celery, leek, green peppers, one fresh tomato and small quantity of lean ham, cut these into small dice-like pieces, add one laurel or bay leaf, a little thyme and a small fragment of garlic, and parboil the whole in the stew-pan containing the butter, and from which the pieces of chicken have been removed, moisten with chicken gravy if some is at hand, and add ten small potatoes cut in the shape of an orange section. And when parboiled turn the whole, including the pieces of chicken into an earthen cooking dish (cocotte en terre), and set in a hot oven to cook 15 minutes, remove from oven, sprinkle finely chopped herbs, pars- ley, etc.. over top. and serve in earthen dish in which it was cooked. NOISETTES OF LAMB "Favorite Style" By Balard. Chef Cafe Martin. LAY the noisettes on toast, on each noisette a small escalope of fresh foie gras saute in butter, on the foie gras a nice slice of truffle. (iarnish the center of serving dish with asparagus tips, around which set the noisettes, over which pour lightly of well reduced half glazed (demi-glace) sauce. FILET OF SOLE Admiral Style By Alex DuBois. pi-ACE one dozen filet of sole in a casserole, at the -*■ bottom of which the trimmings of the fish have been placed to make (a fond de poisson). -Moisten the filets with a glass of good chablis wine, add a small quantity of essence of fish, and a handful of mushroom peels, and a kitchen bouquet. Poach ; then cover the casserole, place in a hot oven three minutes. Strain the gravy, reduce to one-half. Add a spoon- ful of lean veloute, one pint of thick cream, the add- ing of which will thicken and reduce, pass through a strainer, and finish the sauce by adding perfumed shrimp butter with a small glass of brandy (fine champagne ) . TARTLETTES OF ROOSTER KIDNEYS a la Mont Rouge By Balard. 1)OACH the kidneys and allow to drain on a dry cloth. Cover each tartlette oval with a puree of mushroom. Lay kidneys on each tartlette, and to each add a cock's comb and a slice of truffle. Moisten the kidneys on each tartlette with a sauce supreme, cover same with grated cheese, place in hot oven to brown (to become gratiner.) Serve on a napkin. THE COOK "The master likes to call himself "The Host.' But who beside the cook may rule. The Roast." Pay court to me betimes ; 'tis I that can Purvev the food that cheers the inner man. l6 THE CHEF HOW TO LIVE A HUNDRED YEARS BY ALLAN L. BENSON Many Scientists Have Declared that Our Normal Length of Life Should Not Be Less than a Century— Few Agree in Their Directions for Attaining Longevity. An original article written for The Scrap Book. AGAIN we have the word of a scientist for it that man should live a hundred years, and that so far as he falls short of the century-mark, he has been cut off before his time. This statement, so often made by scientific men. is repeated by Sir James Crichton-Browne, a well-known London physician, and an official of the Royal Insti- tution. "In my opinion," says Sir James, "every man is entitled to his century, and every woman to a century and a little more, for women live longer than men. Every child should be brought up impressed with the obligation of living to a hundred, and should be taught how to avoid the irregularities that tend to frustrate that laudable ambition." But Sir James differs from all other scientists who have expressed similar vie\vs concerning longevity, in that he believes the physician to be practically help- less. He believes the statesman and the political eco- nomist must do their duty before the doctor can do his. In other \vords, Sir Jahles finds that modern condi- tions are not conducive to long life. The struggle for existence, especially in the cities, is too hard. Nearly everybody is worrying about something. Nerves are stretched to the breaking-point. All of which consti- tutes an invitation to death to come — to hurry. Yet the physician's hands are tied. "Certain great measures," says Sir James, "that lie beyond the scope of medicine are first of all neces- sary if we Would prolong the days of the masses of the people. Regular employment must be secured and poverty diminished by our statesmen and economists, so that we may no longer have among us thirteen mil- lions on the verge of hunger and dying in multitudes before their time." ' THE NO-BREAKFAST THEORY. While hygienists agree that the average duration of human life is Unnecessarily short, there is the greatest diversity of opinion among them concerning the best methods of prolonging life. The late Dr. Edward Hooker Dewey, for instance, of Meadville, Pennsyl- vania, attained a following on both sides of the Atlan- tic by advocating the fasting cure for disease and the no-breakfast plan for maintaining health. Dr. Dewey contended that in case of sickness the digestive or- gans are in no condition to perform their natural func- tions ; that the introduction of food into the stomach at such a time merely results in the creation of poi- sons which retard the work of nature; and that feed- ing the sick "to keep up their strength" is therefore not only a delusion, but almost a crime. Dr. Dewey advocated the no-breakfast plan on the theory that upon arising in the morning the system has the benefit of all the stored-up energy from the evening meal of the day before, and that until this energy has been exhausted the eating of another meal burdens the digestive organs, brings on headaches, and leads to more serious diseases. Dr. Dewey's views were accepted, in whole or in part, by many educated persons on each side of the Atlantic. Dr. Andrea Rabagliati — who is an English- man, in spite of his Italian name — in an exhaustive work on "Air, Food and Exercises," repeatedly speaks in the highest terms of Dr. Dewey's theories, and in writing the introduction to one of the Meadville phi- losopher's books, George F. Pentecost, the well-known American preacher and author, testified that both he and his family had practised the no-breakfast plan and the fasting cure for many years with good results. Nevertheless, the fact remains that Dr. Dewey's theories did not enable him to live to be old. He died of paralysis, in 1904, without having quite reached threescore and ten. A FOE OF "DRUG DOCTORS" AND "sTUFFERS." Another American physician who has original views concerning the maintenance of health and the cure of disease is Dr. J. H. Tilden, of Denver. Dr. Tilden believes that the volume of food consumed by the av- erage individual should be reduced, and therefore sym- pathizes with the no-breakfast plan, or any similar plan that promises to bring about such a reduction. Dr. Tilden also agrees with Dr. Dewey that little 6r no food should be given during sickness. He is very bitter against what he calls the "drug doctors" and the "stuffers" — names by which he designates the physi- cians who prescribe medicine and food in copious quantities for the sick. As the best method of keeping well, Dr. Tilden advocates, first of all, fresh air. He says no person should ever sleep in a room in which one large win- dow is not wide open — and this at all times of the year. He holds that sleeping thus almost in the open gives practical immunity from colds, provided woolen un- derclothing be not worn. Wool, he thinks — thereby differing from many other authorities — irritates the skin, holds moisture, and is unsanitary. Linen under- clothing, according to the doctor, should be worn both in winter and in summer. THE CHEF 17 Concerning foods, Dr. Tilden is not an extremist in any direction, unless it be in the value that he attaches to raw vegetables. Cooking, and particularly boiling, harms most vegetables, according to this Western phy- sician, who would steam such vegetables as were not prepared in the form of salads. And there is this to be said about Dr. Tilden — he has a large following throughout the United States, who declare that ex- perience has taught them the value of his theories ; and he himself is hale and hearty, though nearing seventy. THE FAMOUS CASE OF LUIGI CORNARO. But no one who has ever consciously gone about it to solve the problem of how to live long has ever met with the success that came to Luigi Cornaro, a Vene- tian of the fifteenth century, who was a physical wreck at forty, yet lived to one hundred and three. Cor- naro's story, of course, has been told and retold with more or less accuracy for more than three hundred years, but it never becomes old, because in so many respects k is still, abreast, or indeed ahead, of the best hygienic thought of the day. Cornaro was wealthy, and until he was forty lived the life of the rich Italians of his period. He ate too much, drank too much, and slept too little, with the result that in his prime he was suffering intensely from various ailments and seemed about to die. At this point, his physicians told him that his only chance lay in the adoption of the "temperate and orderly life,' to use his own words. Cornaro adopted the sugges- tion, and at the age of eighty-three wrote a pamphlet telling about it. At eighty-six he wrote another ; at ninety-one another, and still another at ninety-five. Nothing more vital exists in all the history of hy- gienic effort than this year-to-year narrative of an intelligent veteran, noting down the means by which he had built up his body and kept it alive. His first step was to confine himself to such foods as invalids might eat, and to take these only in small quantities. Incredible as the fact may seem, he says that at the end -of a year he found himself cured. Then he began to experiment to find out what kinds of food-agreed with him, as he wished to eniarge his diet. On testing the proverb that "whatever tastes good will nourish and strengthen," he quickly discov- ered that the palate is a poor guide. Cold wine, cold melons, pastries, pork, and many other things tasted good to him, but distressed his stomach. Gradually he eliminated from his fare everything that disagreed with him, and he always made it a point to leave the table with his appetite both for food and drink not quite satisfied. Cornaro believed it important to guard against ex- tremes of heat and cold, never to become excessively fatigued, never to remain long in a poorly ventilated room, and never to permit anything to interfere with the enjoyment of a proper amount of rest and sleep. He also believed it best to avoid melancholv, hatred and anger, though he admitted that he was not always able to keep calm. CORNAROS STURDY OLD AGE. Cornaro's belief in the immunity that he enjoyed because of his temperate life at the table carried him to ludicrous extremes — at least in one example. He believed that accidents could do him little damage, and told of an occasion when he was seriously bruised about the head and body in a runaway. On account of his age — seventy — the physicians were convinced that he could not live more than three days. They gave it as their professional opinion that bleeding or purging offered the only possibility of saving the old man. But Cornaro, firm in the faith that moderation in eating and drinking had made him immune against the effects of so trifling an accident as a runaway, re- fused either to be bled or purged, with the result that he quickly recovered, much to the amazement of his physicians. The Venetian sage was strong in body and mind and composed in soul when he wrote his last treatise at the ag^'tif ninety-five-. Speaking of those who held old age to be useless, and the desire for it a mistake, Cornaro said : "I never knew the world was beautiful until I reached old age." In his last treatise, he made the humorous statement — though it was uttered in all seriousness — that be- cause he was born with a "poor constitution" he did not expect to live much more than a hundred years. As a matter of fact, he lived three years beyond his century, dying peacefully at his home in Padua, April 26, 1566. Cornaro's wife, who survived him, died al- most at the same age and is buried beside him. An interesting fact in Cornaro's family life shows one advantage that he derived from his great age. Cornaro's first and only child — a daughter — was born when he and his Wife were approaching old age. Yet they both lived to see this daughter grow up and become the mother of eleven children. THE GOLDEN RULE OF MODERATION. So it will be seen that in this case, as in many others, the "doctors disagree." What, then, is the proper course for one who wishes so to regulate his habits that he will reach the full measure of his years? Pos- sibly no general advice would be more likely to be correct than this : . Be temperate in all things pertaining to diet ; never permit anything to worry you. unless what you are worrying about is worth more to you than your health ; ventilate your sleeping-room so well at all seasons of the year that the air in the room will be approximately as pure as the air outside ; take a reasonable amount of moderate exercise ; be cheerful ; and avoid extreme plans of all kinds either for maintaining or recovering your health. It may seem like leaping into the chasm of dull .18 THE CHEF mediocrity to advise against extreme measures when one's health is at stake. It is of course true that most of the progress in medicine has been made by ex- tremists, but it is not true that most of the extremists have contributed to the advancement of the science of medicine — if it be a science, which some will dispute. The middle course is probably more nearly safe ; don't be a vegetarian, or exclusively a meat-eater. Use your common sense. Eat meat moderately in winter, when such food is needed to enable the body to with- stand the cold : and the rest of the year heed the sug- gestion of Nature, and live mostly on the fruits, vege- tables and cereals that she provides in such abundance in the spring, summer and autumn. Probably you will be wise to eat three times a day, not because much food is required to keep up your strength, but to keep you from becoming so hungry that you would over- load your stomach at any one meal. And whenever your stomach is distressed by anything you have eaten, find out what that thing is and eliminate it from your bill of fare. HOW TO PREPARE A QUICK BREAK- FAST, LOOK NEAT, AND HAVE EVERYBODY HAPPY. WHAT a wonderful thing is system ! "Why," said the inexperienced young housekeeper re- cently, "I can get my breakfast and dress at the same time without the least inconvenience." This is how the clever planner works out her scheme : She and her husband live in the suburbs of a large city, and the head of the house must leave for busi- ness at 8 o'clock in the morning. Incidentally he does not approve of negligee costumes outside of the bedroom, so no time saving in easy dressing can be indulged in. Milady's way of getting around the difficulty is to array herself in a dressing gown as soon as she gets up ; then she goes to the kitchen, puts the kettle on to boil and returns to her room to dress. When her toilet is almost finished she slips into a dressing jacket and returns to the operation of getting break- fast. By this time the kettle is boiling, so she puts on the oatmeal, using the inner vessel of a double boiler. It takes five minutes for the oatmeal to cook sufficiently to permit of the upper portion being put into the lower part of the boiler. Then while the upper portion is cooking on the direct heat she pre- pares the fruit for breakfast and lays two places at the table. That done, the double boiler goes on the heat, and the young housekeeper returns to the duties of her toilet. When next she gets to the kitchen, in about ten minutes, the oatmeal is usually done, and, thanks to its jacket of boiling water, she can remove it and still have it hot. Then she makes the toast by putting a few slices of bread on the hot iron. When they are off the kettle goes on again for the eggs and tea. The latter part of the work takes not more than six minutes. The fruit, of course, is on the table when the mas- ter of the house sits down to table, and when they have finished eating the fruit she takes away those plates and brings in two dishes of oatmeal. After she removes these dishes the eggs are brought on with the toast and tea. The voting housekeeper discovered the other morn- ing that it took but five minutes longer to cook bacon, to fry instead of boil the eggs, and also that to scram- ble eggs is the work of only three or four minutes. The whole process of breakfast and dressing at the same time by actual count of time was found to be just seven minutes longer than is necessary for dress- ing alone, with the result that her appearance made her husband happy. HOW PATE-de-FOIES-GRAS IS PRODUCED. Geese Are Bound to Slabs of Stone and Crammed With Specially Prepared Food Every Two Hours. FEW persons who regard pdtc dc foics gras as one of their favorite delicacies appreciate the fact that it is the product of a series of tortures that are almost diabolical. They know, of course that pdtc de foies gras consists of the fattened livers of geese, but of the method of production they are, for the most part, ignorant. When the geese are about nine months old the}' are taken from the pastures and placed in a cellar, where broad, slanting slabs of stone are arranged in rows. The birds are bound to these stones with their wings and legs spread out so that they can move only their necks. As may be imagined, they struggle with all their might against this stretching, until, after days of vain endeavor to free themselves, their pow- ers of resistance are overcome and a dull resignation, broken only by their low cries, takes possession of them. The birds are meanwhile crammed with dumplings made of buckwheat, chestnuts and stewed maize. Every two hours, six times a day, they receive from three to five dumpling pills, which in time become so welcome to the tortured creatures that they stretch their necks to be crammed. The most difficult task is to determine the right moment for death. Those who die of their own accord are lost to the liver-factory ; therefore, a kind of study is needed to see when the cup of agony is brimming full and the liver is ripe for taking. The bodies of such ripe ones are like pumpkins. Where ordinarily fingers are buried in flesh and fat, nothing but skin and bone are found. The livers have ab- sorbed all the strength and juices. The cook thereupon takes these livers and proceeds with great care, much time and many operations to make a cruelly expensive delicacy. T H E C H EF »9 A CURIOUS FIND AT THE HOTEL BREVOORT (Formerly The Brevoort House) A MENU OF NOV. 7th, 1867 WHILE renovating the Hotel Brevoort last fall, there was found in a box snugly fitted in the wall, several coins and newspapers, also the follow- ing letter, and menu, dated November -th, 1863. Old New Yorkers knew then how to eat, and that their taste in that direction has improved can best be attested by a call at that renowned hotel, and com- pare the present menu card with this one. To Mr. Raymond Orteig, the present proprietor, we are in- debted for the privilege of publishing these old papers : BREVOORT HOUSE, Fifth Ave... Cor. of Clinton Place, jn New York, ^.l..V.ML.'.. 4 J... 186 1 BREVOORT HOUSE. DINNER. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1867. Mill Pond, Blue Point and .Massachusetts Bay Oysters. Ris de Veau a PAUemaude. Mock Turtle. Printanier. SOUP. Ox Tail. Julienne. Green Turtle. Terrapin. Pea. Consomme aux Macaroni FISH. Clams, Crabs and Lobsters stuffed. Filet de Sole au Vin blanc. Bass aux fines Heibes. Salmon, Lobster sauce Brook Trout, Hollaudaise sauce. Codfish, Egg sauce. Smelts, Tartar sauce. Scollops. Eels. Blue Fish. ENTREES. Beef Marroiv on Toast. Petites Bouchees a la Victoria. t'uisses de Volaille en Canetons a l'Orldans. Ris de Veau pique a. la Financiere. Venison Steak on a Chafing-Dish Frog's Legs sautes aux fines Herbes Filet of Canvas-back Duck aux Champignons frais. Cotelette a, la Maintenon. Broiled Squabs with French Peas. Fresh Mushrooms, stewed or fried on Toast. Roast Turkey, Cranberry sauoc. Lima Beans sautes a la Lyonnaise. Lobster. MAYONNAISE. Salmon. Chicken. GAME. English Partridge. Red Head Duck. Quails. Grouse. Cauvas-back Duck. Partridge. Squabs. Mallard Duck Woodcock. VEGETABLES. Boiled Rice. Preserved Asparagns. Oyster Plant. Fried Parsnips. Fried Sweet Potatoes. Spinach. Stewed Parsnips. Sweet Potatoes. Stuffed Egg Plant. Stuffed Green Pepper. Fried Egg Plant Cauliflower. Lima Beans. Sweet Corn. Boiled Onions, Cream sauce. Beets. Turnips. Squash. Stuffed Tomatoes. String Beans. Irish Potatoes. Sl*wed Tomatoes. French Peas. Flageolets. Potatoes a la Paiisienne. Potato Croquettes. Succotasu Celery. SALAD. Water Cresses. Chicoree. Lett uoe. COLD DISHES. Game Pie. Terrino de foie gras. Boned Capon with Truffles. Chicken. Roast Beef. Tongue. Corned Beef. Ham. RELISHES. Spanish Olives. Sardines. Anchovies. Pickle*.. CHEESE. Roquefort, Neufchatel, Gruyere, Stilton, and Cheshire. PASTRY AND DESSERT. Squash Pic Apple Tart. Whortleberry Tart. Quince Tart. Indian Pudding, Brandy sauce. Farina Jelly. Cream aauoe. Tapioca Pudding. Pouding dc Pommes glacv. Raspberry Jelly. Vanilla fXisses. VanHla. Chocolate, Pisiacue, Coffee and Napolitain Ice Creams, Biscuit glace. Tutti Frutti. Orange, Lemon and Straw berry Water Ices, and Roman Punch. Preserved Peaches, Strawberries, Raspberries, and Uuinces Baked Apples. Apple sauce. Cranberry sauce. Brandy Peaches. Stewed Prunes. Stewed Pears. Bananas. Apples. Figs. Raisins. Nuts. Hot-house Grapes. Havana Oianges. Duchess Pears. Malaga Grapes. Catawba Grapes. An no Wines can be told on Sunday, Guests are tequetted to order them/or that day on Saturday 20 THE CHEF OLD-TIME LIVING EXPENSES. Figures Which Must Convince the $10-a-Week Clerk That He Came Too Late— Had He Flourished in England Several Centuries Ago He Might Have Cut as Wide a Swath as a Present-Day Millionaire IT makes the ordinary, hard-working householder envious to see the luxurious display of fortune's favorites. He finds it hard enough struggle to get the necessaries of life without any of its delicacies, and to keep the cost within his income. Nor can he look back into the days of long ago for consolation. It only increases his discomfiture to compare his ex- pense account with those of his ancestors. If a man had a quarter in his pocket in the days of the Plantagenets. for instance, he could keep his fam- ily well supplied for a week. With that amount of money he could smile at the butcher, bow openly to the grocer, and look the rest of the world as squarely in the face as did the village blacksmith. If he lived in England seven hundred years ago and wished to regale his family on mutton, he could buy the finest of fat sheep for twenty-four cents, which would almost allow him to give a banquet on a penny- worth of mutton. A cow was more expensive, but one dollar and a half would buy the best he could find in the market, while for a fat hog he need only part with eighty cents. In the fourteenth century, two cents would buy a pair of chickens, and a' nickel for a goose fit to grace any Christmas dinner-table, and a penny would pur- chase a dozen new-laid eggs ; while for two cents the brewer was compelled by law to sell three gallons of beer, the equivalent of forty-eight glasses. • Wheat sometimes fell as low as forty cents a quar- ter, though after a great storm, or in a time of "grie- vous famine," it would rise as high as four and five dollars a quarter. Still, at these prices a good many pounds of bread could be bought for a penny. Pasture and arable lands were ridiculously cheap — two cents an acre for the former and twelve cents an acre for the latter being considered a fair annual ren- tal. Draft-horses were a drug on the market at sev- enty-two cents each, and oxen at one dollar and twenty rents. In the days of the second Henry fifty dollars would have equipped a farm with three draft-horses, half a dozen oxen, twenty cows, and two hundred sheep, leaving a balance of two dollars toward the payment of the rent — about five dollars a year. As for. labor, three cents a day was deemed good wages for an ordinary laborer, and even at harvest- time four cents a day was the highest sum expected. • House rent was so absurdly small that the Lord Mayor of London paid only four dollars and eighty cents a year to his landlord ; and the Chancellor, with an annual salary of one hundred and ninety-two dol- lars, seemed poorer than many a cook of our own time. When a father sent his son to a university six centuries ago, four cents a day was considered a com- fortable allowance, with a margin for such luxuries as wine at eight or twelve cents a gallon. Twenty-four dollars a year was a munificent sal- ary in those days. It was the exact sum paid to the assistant clerk of Parliament, and more than the aver- age priest, with cure of souls, received ; while the pension allowed by Edward III to his apothecary was only twelve cents a day, and King Edward IV's al- lowance to his daughter was but four dollars and eighty cents a week, with an additional two hun- dred and forty-seven dollars and sixty cents a year for the maintenance of her eight servants. In the reign of Queen Elizabeth prices were still exceedingly modest, and, it is only fair to add, wages low in proportion. From a household book of 1589 we take the following typical prices : Beef, two and a half cents a pound ; a neck of mutton, twelve cents ; twenty-eight pounds of veal and a shoulder of mut- ton, fifty-six cents ; cheese, four cents a pound ; wheat, three dollars and eighty-four cents a quarter ton. FISHES THAT TRAVEL OVERLAND A Variety of Perch in Asia Will Desert Falling Streams and Travel Over Dry Ground in Search of Better Watercourses A S much out of place as a fish out of water" is a phrase that comes about as near expressing the acme of incompatibility, so far as environment is concerned, as man' "has 'ever been 'able' to coin. Des- pite this fact, however, there are several varieties of fish which, arfe much more at home out of their nat- ural element than any species of the human race are in water.-, -„ •. The climbing perch (Anabas scandens) is a remark- able example found in Asia. This singular creature appears much like other perch, but is endowed with an extraordinary power of leaving failing streams, climbing banks, and proceeding over dry land in quest of better filled watercourses. Hundreds of them have' been seen at a distance of fifty or sixty yards from a pool just abandoned, and traveling, though the ground Vas so rough that this distance must have required sufficient muscular exer- tion to take them half a mile over level ground. Some writers even assert that this fish is capable of climbing the rough stems of palm-trees. The fish- ermen of the Ganges, who subsist largely on climbing perch, are accustomed to keep them in dry earthen pans for five or six days after catching, and they live this strange life without discomfort. THE CHEF 21 THE EXTRAVAGANCE OF LUCULLUS From Plutarch's "Lives" Plutarch was a Greek of noble family who. lived during the first and second centuries after Christ, at a time when the Roman Empire was at the height of its magnificence. He had been highly educated and had traveled extensively. Of a genial nature, he made many friendships and was regarded with great favor by the emperors Trajan and Hadrian. But Plutarch best loved the quiet life of his native town — Chaeronea, in Boeotia — where he held a priestly office and where he could devote himself to the cultivation of literature. He himself educated his four sons, and with them the sons of his friends and neighbors, all of whom forkned a group of attentive and eager listen- ers while Plutarch taught them, in an informal and most delightful way, history, philosophy and the other subjects of which he was a master. For these young hearers he originally prepared not only his moral essays but especially the famous biogra- phies, which have never been equaled in the interest of their treatment and in the sureness of the human touch that he imparted to them. These biographies, to the num- ber of forty-six, are mostly arranged in groups of two, one celebrated Raman and one celebrated Greek, so that Plutarch might compare and contrast their lives and char- acters. He had an intimate knowledge of human nature and an unequaled power of delineating character by a myriad of little touches, all of which went to make a com- plete and living picture of the individual whom he por- trayed. His influence is traceable in all subsequent writers of biography, and Shakespeare, in particular, owes much to him. Lucius Lucullus, from whose biography the accom- panying passage is taken, was a Roman commander of great ability who won many victories for the Roiman arms, but whose indolence and love of luxury led him to prefer a life of ease at Rome to the hardships of the camp. He was enormously wealthy, owned magnificent villas, and was famous for his lavish hospitality. He was not, how- ever, a mere sensualist, but a man of high cultivation, pos- sessing a fine library, which he opened to the public, and numbering scholars and philosophers — of whom Cicero was one — among his friends. The translation given here is by the great English man of letters, John Dryden (1631 — 1700), and is a good ex- ample of his easy, vigorous prose: UCULLUS'S life, like the old comedies, presents -*— 'us at the commencement with acts of policy, and of war, at the end offering nothing but good eating and drinking, feastings and revelings, and mere play. For I give no higher name to his sumptuous build- ings, porticos, and baths, still less to his paintings and sculptures, and all his industry about these curiosities, which he collected with vast expense, lavishly bestow- ing all the wealth and treasure which he got in the war upon them ; insomuch that even now, with all the advance of luxury, the Lucullian gardens are counted the noblest the emperor has. Tubero, the Stoic, when he saw his buildings at Naples, where he suspended the hills upon vast tun- nels, brought in the sea for moats and fish-ponds round his house, and built pleasure-houses in the wa- ters, called him Xerxes in a gown. He had also fine seats in Tusculum, belvederes, and large open balcon- ies for men's apartments, and porticos to walk in ; where Pompey, coming to see him, blamed him for making a house which would be pleasant in summer, but uninhabitable in winter ; whom he answered with a smile : "You think me, then, less provident than cranes and storks, not to change my home with the season." When a praetor, with great expense and pains, was preparing a spectacle for the people, and asked him to lend him some purple robes for the performers in a chorus, he told him he would go home and see, and if he had got any, would let him have them ; and the next day, asking how many he wanted, and being told that a hundred would suffice, bade him to take twice as many ; on which the poet Horace observes, that a house is but a poor one, where the valuables unseen cind unthought of do not exceed all those that meet the eye. Lucullus's daily entertainments were ostentatiously extravagant, not only with purple coverlets, and plate adorned with precious stones, and dancings, and in- terludes, but with the greatest diversity of dishes and the most elaborate cookeryy, for the vulgar to admire and envy. It was a happy thought of Pompey in his sickness, when his physician prescribed a thrush for his dinner, and his servants told him that in summer- time thrushes were not to be found anywhere but in Lucullus's fattening coops, that he would not suffer them to fetch one thence, but observing to his physi- cian, "So if Lucullus had not been an epicure, Pom- pey had not lived," ordered something else that could easily be got to be prepared for him. Cato was his friend and connection, but, neverthe- less, so hated his life and habits that when a young man in the senate made a long and tedious speech in praise of frugality and temperance, Cato got up and said: "How long do you mean to go on making money like Crassus, living like Lucullus, and talking like Cato?" It is plain from the anecdotes on record of him that Lucullus was not only pleased with, but even gloried in, his way of living. For he is said to have feasted several Greeks upon their coming to Rome day after day, who of a true Grecian principle, being ashamed, and declining the invitations, where so great an ex- pense was every day incurred for them, he with a smile told them : "Some of this, indeed, my Grecian friends, is for your sakes, but more for that of Lucullus." Once, when he supped alone, there being only one course, and that but moderately furnished, he called his steward and reproved him ; who professing to have supposed that there would be no need of any great 22 THE CHEF entertainment, when nobody was invited, was ans- wered: "What, did not you know, then, that to-day Lucul- lus dines with Lucullus?" Which being much spoken of about the city, Cicero and Pompey one day met him loitering in the Forum, the former his intimate friend and familiar, and. though there had been some ill-will between Pompey ami him about the command in the war, still they used to see each other and converse on easy terms together. Cicero accordingly saluted him, and asked him whether to-day were a good time for asking a favor of him, and on his answering, "Very much so," and begging to hear what it was, "Then," said Cicero, "we should like to dine with you to-day, just on the dinner that is prepared for yourself." Lucullus being surprised, and requesting a day's time, they refused to grant it. neither suffered him to talk with his servants, for fear he should give order for more than was appointed before. But thus much they consented to, that before their faces he might tell his servants that to-day he would sup in the Apollo — for so one of his best dining rooms was called ; and by this evasion he outwitted his guests. For every room, as it seems, had its own assessment of expenditure, dinner at such a price, and all eke in accordance ; so that the servants, on knowing where he would dine, knew also how much was to be expended, and in what style and form the dinner was to be served. The expense for the Apollo was fifty thousand drachmas, and thus much being that day laid out. the greatness of the cost did not so much amaze Pompey and Cicero, as the rapidity of the outlay. One might believe Lucullus thought his money really captive and barbarian, so wantonly and contumeliously did he treat it. A PIE WITH NOAHS ARK TENDENCIES It Contained Geese, Turkeys, Ducks, Woodcock, Rab- bits, Snipe, Partridges, Pigeons, and a Few Other Things r^HE gastronomic tendencies of our forefathers' ■*- seem to have inclined to quantity rather than quality, as the following account taken from the New Castle Chronicle of Jan. 6th, 1770, goes to show: "Monday last was brought from Howick to Bewick to be shipped to London for Sir Henry Grey Bart, a pie, the contents whereof are as follows, namely : Two bushels of flour, twenty pounds of butter, four geese, two turkeys, two rabbits, four wild ducks, two wood- cocks, six snipes, four partridges, six pidgeons, two neats tongues, two curleys, seven blackbirds. "It is supposed to be a very great curiosity. It was made by Mrs. Dorathy Patterson, the housekeeper at Bewick. It is nearly nine feet in circumference at the bottom and weighs about twelve stone ; it will take two men to present it to table ; it is neatly fitted with a case, and four small wheels to facilitate its use to every guest who inclines to partake of its contents at the table." POOR BABY Customs in Foreign Countries— Babies Salted and Buttered, All but Cooked, and Yet as Contented as Our American Sterilized Ones SALTED and buttered babies are just as much mat- ter of fact as is the sterilized, hygienic baby of civilization, and it is doubtful — could the little mites of all creeds express an opinion on their treatment when they enter the world — which custom would re- ceive the most compliments. When a baby is born in Guinea all sorts of funny things happen to it. Its mother buries it in the sand up to its waist so it cannot get into mischief, and this is the only cradle it knows anything about. The little Lapp infant is cradled in a shoe — its mother's. This is a big affair covered with skin and stuffed with soft moss. This can be hung on a tree or covered up with snow while mamma goes to church or to any place where babies are not invited. The baby of India rides in a basket which hangs from its mother's head, or from her hip or in a ham- mock. In some parts the baby's nose is adorned with a nose-ring, and in others its face is wrapped in a veil like its mother. The Chinese baby is tied to the back of an older child. The Mongolian infants travel about in bags slung on a camel's back. In some parts of Europe and Asia there is a peculiar custom of salting new-born babies. When a baby is born among the Armenians of Russia the nurse takes the infant and covers the entire skin with very fine salt. This salt is left on the baby for three hours or more, and then the child is washed with warm water In Asia Minor there is a tribe of people living in the mountains who do even worse than this. They salt their new-born babies and leave the salt on them for twenty-four hours. The modern Greeks sprinkle salt on their babies. This practise of salting babies is an ancient cus- tom. It has its rise in superstition, of course. The mothers think that salting insures their children health and strength, and that it will keep evil spirits away from them. Even in some parts of Germany salt is still used on the child at birth. In some countries the mothers lay their babies where a stream of water falls on their heads. This is to make them tough, which it does unless the babies die as a result of this treatment. Another mother cov- ers her baby's head with paste, while the Tatar baby is covered with butter. The worst fate of all falls to the lot of the newly born children in Bulgaria. Their mothers put a hot omelette on the little ones' heads, to make them solid and protect them from sunstroke. THE CHEF 23 THE KING OF OLD-TIME CASKS More Than Two Centuries Old, It Measures Twenty -Six Feet in Diameter, and Three Years Were Spent in Building It THE craze for doing things on a gigantic scale is not altogether American, nor is it peculiar to our da}- and generation. One of the greatest things in the world was built nearly two hundred years ago at Konigstein. This is an enormous cask which was be- gun in 1722 and finished in 1725, under the direction of General Kyau. The bung diameter of the cask is twenty-six feet. When completed it was filled with six thousand quintals of good Meissen wine, which cost £6,000 sterling. It contains six hundred and forty-nine hogsheads more than the well known tun of Heidelberg. The top of this cask is railed in, and affords room sufficient for fifteen or twenty persons to regale them- selves, and several sorts of large goblets, which are called "welcome cups,'* are offered to those who de- light in such honors. Upon one of the heads of this enormous cask is an inscription in Latin, of which the following is a trans- lation : "Welcome, traveler, and admire this monument, which, in order to exhilarate the mind with a cheerful glass, was in the year 1725 dedicated for festivity bv Frederick Augustus, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony — the father of his country, the Titus of the age, the delight of mankind. Drink, therefore, to the health of the sovereign, the court of the Electoral family, and Baron Kyau, Governor of Konigstein ; and if thou art able, according to the dignity of this cask — the most capacious of all casks — drink to the prosperity of the whole universe. So farewell!" MORE WATER SOLD THAN LIQUORS r"\ ESPITE the formidable statistics that temperance -*— ' reformers are continually presenting, there is more money paid for water in a single day than is paid for liquors in a week. "Few people," says Tit-Bits, "are aware of the wa- ter they pay for. "A ten-pound turkey, for instance, is but three pounds solids and seven pounds water, and there is six pounds of water in ten pounds of pork, while the percentage of water in beef or mutton is about the same. "Salmon and mackerel are half water, though other fish contain a greater proportion of fluids. "Sixty-five per cent, of an egg is water, and there- are about two ounces of water to one pound of butter. "Vegetables run from forty to eighty per cent, of water, and even dried peas contain a small percentage of liquid matter. "Taken at an average, fifty-five per cent, of all ex- penditures for food is paid for water." $200,000— FOR A SACK OF FLOUR An Election Bet Which Brought This Sum, Was Paid Over to the Civil War Sanitary Commission ' I V HERE is no question about flour being a vital •*• necessity to man, but $200,000 for one sack does seem a bit high. That is what a sack once brought, however, and no one had been manipulating the wheat market either. It is an interesting tale of an election bet and its payment, out on the Pacific Slope. R. C. Gridley, of Austin, Nev., in April, 1864, made a bet with a friend on a local election, the loser to carry a bag of flour on his shoulder for a certain distance. Gridley lost, and on the 20th of the month paid the bet by carrying this flour sack, ornamented with rib- bons and flags, while a band played "John Brown's Body," as he was a Democrat. There was a great throng present, and when the end of the journey was reached Gridley proposed that the flour be turned to account for the sanitary com- mission. Somebody present suggested that it be made into cakes and sold, but Gridley declared that the whole bag should be put up at auction with the understand- ing that the purchaser return it to be sold again. Gridley himself was the first purchaser, at $300. and after that it was sold again and again to those present. From this beginning there came a kind of rage for buying that sack of flour, and Gridley went about from one town to another selling it, until he had sent to the commission over $200,000. Gridley kept the sack as long as he lived, and his family preserved it after his death for a long period. They were at one time reported to be in actual want, and what finally became of the sack and its possessors is a mystery. DEFINITIONS OF "HOME" THE golden setting in which the brightest jewel is "mother." A world of strife shut out, a world of love shut in. An arbor which shades when the sunshine of pros- perity becomes too dazzling; a harbor where the hu- man bark finds shelter in the time of adversity. Home is the blossom of which heaven is the fruit. Home is a person's estate obtained without injus- tice, kept without disquietude ; a place where time is spent without repentance, and which is ruled by jus- tice, mercy and love. A hive in which, like the industrious bee, youth garners the sweets and memories of life for age to meditate and feed upon. The best place for a married man after business hours. Home is the coziest, kindliest, sweetest place in all 2 4 THE CHEF the world, the scene of our purest earthly joys and deepest sorrows. The place where the great are sometimes small, and the small often great. The father's kingdom, the children's paradise, the mother's world. The jewel casket containing the most precious of all jewels — domestic happiness. Where you are treated best and grumble most. The centre of our affections, around which our heart's best wishes twine. A popular but paradoxical institution, in which woman works in the absence of man, and man rests in the presence of woman. A working model of heaven, with real angels in the form of mothers and wives. Having offered a prize for the best definition of "Home," London Tit-Bits recently received more than five thousand answers. Among those which were adjudged the best were the definitions which are printed above. THIS SWAN WAS A BIRD A DEVONSHIRE man sent his club, on about ■*• *■ Christmas, a fine large swan in a hamper. The hamper was addressed to the Secretary, who notified the club members of the treat that was in store, and a special swan dinner was arranged for the 23d. The swan came on, at this dinner, looking magnifi- cent — erect and stately on a great silver-gilt salver. But tough ! It was so tough you couldn't carve the gravy. A few days later the sender of the swan dropped in at the club. "Got my swan all right, I hope ?" he said to the society. "Yes, and a nice trick you played us." "Trick? What do you mean?" "Why, we boiled that swan for sixteen hours, and when it came on the table it was tougher than a block of granite." "Good gracious ! Did you have my swan cooked ?" "Yes, of course." The other was in despair. "Why, that bird was historic," he groaned. "I sent him up to be stuffed and preserved. He had been in my family for 290 years. He had eaten out of the hand of King Charles I." SI MILES "^HE following interesting lines, of which the com- -*■ poser is unknown, but which have long drifted about in the newspapers, contain all the stock compari- sons most frequently used in conversation, arranged in such a manner as to rhyme. The poem, if it can so be called, has been rescued from oblivion by Miss Carolyn Wells in "A Whimsey Anthology": As wet as a fish — as dry as a bone ; As live as a bird: — as dead as a stone; As plump as a partridge — as poor as a rat ; As strong as a horse — as weak as a cat; As hard as a flint — as soft as a mole ; As white as a lily — as black as a coal ; As plain as a pike-staff — as rough as a bear; As light as a drum — as free as the air ; As heavy as lead — as light as a feather ; As steady as time — uncertain as weather; As hot as an oven — as cold as a frog; As gay as a lark — as sick as a dog; As slow as a tortoise — as swift as the wind ; As true as the gospel — as false as mankind ; As thin as a herring — as fat as a pig ; As proud as a peacock — as blithe as a grig; As savage as tigers — as mild as a dove ; As stiff as a poker — as limp as a glove ; As blind as a bat — as deaf as a post; As cool as a cucumber — as warm as a toast ; As flat as a flounder — as round as a ball ; As blunt as a hammer — as sharp as an awl ; As red as a ferret — as safe as the stocks ; As bold as a thief — as sly as a fox ; As straight as an arrow — as crook'd as a bow ; As yellow as saffron — as black as a sloe ; As brittle as glass — as tough as gristle ; As neat as my nail — as clean as a whistle ; As good as a feast — as bad as a witch ; As light as is day — as dark as is pitch ; As brisk as a bee — as dull as an ass ; As full as a tick — as solid as brass. RATHER A TOUGH DINNER Authors compelled to eat their books WITH the exception of minerals it is difficult for one to find on the earth's surface substances that do not tempt the appetite of some sort of animal. The list of queer articles of diet includes the earth, which is munched with satisfaction by the clay-eater, and the walrus hide, which the Eskimo relishes as much as does John Bull his joint of beef. It is not generally known, however, that men, as well as mice and bookworms, have eaten dinners that have consisted only of books. This tendency has been described as "bibliophagia," though the word has not yet gained scholarly approval. An interesting account of some of these extraordinary meals appeared in a recent issue of the Scientific American, and is as follows : In 1370 Barnabo Visconti compelled two Papal delegates to eat the bull of excommunication which they had brought him, together with its silken cords and leaden seal. As the bull was written on parch- ment, not paper, it was all the more difficult to digest. A similar anecdote was related by Oelrich, in his "Dissertatio de Bibliothecarum et Librorum Fatis" (1756), of an Austrian general, who had signed a THE CHEF 25 note for two thousand florins, and when it fell due compelled his creditors to eat it. The Tartars, when books fall into their possession, eat them, that they may acquire the knowledge contained in them. A Scandinavian writer, the author of a political book, was compelled to choose between being be- headed or eating his manuscript boiled in broth. Isaac Volmar, who wrote some spicy satires against Bernard, Duke of Saxony, was not allowed the cour- tesy of the kitchen, but was forced to swallow them uncooked. Still worse was the fate of Philip Oldenburger, a jurist of great renown, who was condemned not only to eat a pamphlet of his writing, but also to be flogged during his repast, with orders that the flogging should not cease until he had swallowed the last crumb. FLASHES OF ROYAL REPARTEE WHILE there is no royal road to cleverness, the real road, such as it is, frequently is traveled by royal feet. In these days the functions of royalty are not of a nature that is likely to develop merry dispositions. Rich in sly humor was the reply of Henry IV of France, who one day reached Amiens after a pro- longed journey. A local orator was deputed to harangue him, and commenced with a lengthy string of epithets : "Very great sovereign, very good, very merciful, very magnanimous " "Add also," interrupted the weary monarch, "very tired." The same king, who appears to have been a constant sufferer from the stupid orations of these wordy windbags, was listening to a speech in a small coun- try town, when an ass brayed at a distance. "Pardon me, gentlemen," said the witty sovereign ; "one at a time, please." Henry's minister, Sully, was a Protestant, and hap- pening to hear that a famous physician had quitted Calvinism for Catholicism, the king said to him : "My friend, your religion is in a bad way — the doc- tors give it up." GEORGE Ill's READY WIT. George III was the author of many clever sayings. Meeting Lord Kenyon at a levee soon after that em- inent justice had been guilty of an extraordinary explosion of ill-humor in the Court of King's Bench, the king remarked to him : "My Lord Chief Justice, I hear that you have lost your temper, and from my great regard for you I am glad to hear it, for I hope you will find a better one." Having knighted a gentleman named Day at a levee held on the 29th of September, his Majesty said, "Now I know that I am a king, for I have turned Day into Knight, and have made Lady Day at Michaelmas." On another occasion, when coming out of the House of Lords after opening the session, he said to the Lord Chancellor: "Did I deliver the speech well?" "Very well, indeed." was the reply. "I am glad of that," said the king, "for there was nothing in it." ROYALTY HAD WORST OF IT. George II, on being informed that an impudent printer was to be punished for publishing a spurious Royal Speech, answered that he hoped the man's pun- ishment would be of the mildest sort, because he had read both, and, as far as he understood either of them, he liked the spurious speeech better than his own. The laugh, however, has not always been upon the side of royalty. When the Prince Bishop of Liege was riding to battle at the head of a fine body of troops he was asked by a spectator how he, a minister of religion, could engage in the iniquities of war. "I wage war," said the prelate, "in my character of prince, not of archbishop.' "And pray," continued the interrogator, "when the devil carries off the prince, what will become of the archbishop?" Decidedly the worst of the exchanges did an east- ern sovereign receive, when, having bought several horses from some merchants, he gave them a lac of rupees to purchase more for him. Soon after they had departed, he, in a sportive humor, ordered his vizier to make out a list of all the fools in his domin- ions. The vizier did so, and put his Majesty's name at the head of them. The king asked why. The vizier replied : "Because you entrusted a lac of rupees to men you didn't know, and who will never come back." "Ay, but suppose they should come back?" "Then," said the vizier, "I shall erase your name, and insert theirs." In the answer which a German prince was given there seems to be a rebuke for his misgovernment implied. Having in a dream seen three rats, one fat, the other lean, and the third blind, he sent for a cele- brated Bohemian gipsy and demanded an explanation. "The fat rat," said she, "is your prime minister, the lean rat your people, and the blind rat yourself." COURT LAUREATE TOO FRANK. One of the Shahs of Persia was more anxious than able to acquire fame as a poet. He had just com- pleted a new performance in very "peculiar meter," and summoned the court poet into the royal presence to hear the poem read. The laureate, when his opinion was asked (in theat- rical language), "damned" the composition. The Shah, enraged at this uncourtly criticism, gave orders that the court poet should be taken to the stable and tied up in the same stall with a donkey. Here the poor sinner remained until his royal rival had perpetrated another poem, when he was again 26 THE CHEF commanded to appear before the throne and submit to a second infliction of sovereign dulness. He listened in silence while the new poem was read, and at the conclusion, his opinion being required, he fell upon his knees and significantly exclaimed to the royal author. "Send me back to the donkey!" SUGAR-PLUM THE PATRIARCH OF CANDIES It Was First Made, and Called "Dragati," by the Romans, a Hundred and Seventy-Seven Years Before the Birth of Christ T HE most ancient kind of candy is the sugar- plum. It was the invention of Julius Dragatus, a noted Roman baker and confectioner who belonged to the family of Fabius. According to the New York Herald, it was in 177 B. C. that he made the great discovery which for twenty centuries has done so much damage to teeth. These bonbons, called dragati, after their inventor (dragecs, in French), remained the exclusive privilege of the family of Fabius. But at the birth or marriage of one of that family a great distribution of dragati took place, as a sign of rejoicing. The custom is still observed by many of the nobility of Europe. The pastille is of far later origin, having been in- vented and introduced into France by an Italian con- fectioner, the Florentine, John Pastilla, a protege of the Medicis. When Maria de Medici married Henry IV of France, Pastilla accompanied his sovereign to the French court, where his bonbons had a tremen- dous vogue. Everybody wanted the Florentine's pas- tilles, which were excellent. He made them with all kinds of flavors — chocolate, coffee, rose, violet, mint, wine, strawberry, raspberry, vanilla, heliotrope and carnation. Burned almonds are purely of French origin, owing their inception to the gluttony of a certain French merchant. One day Marshal Duplessis-Pralin, an old gourmet, sent for Lassagne. who had already invented many a toothsome dainty, to concoct a new bonbon for him. Lassagne searched, reflected, combined, until finally he conceived a delicious bonbon, which he bap- tized gloriously with the name of his master, Pralino. the French for burned almonds. BEFORE THE FORK WAS THOUGHT OF FINGERS DID WORK THOROUGHLY The Elegance of Dinner Parties and the Daintiness of the Hands Must Have Suffered Consid- erably, However T7IXGERS were made before forks and used in- *- stead of forks until a comparatively recent period ; indeed it is evident that forks have not even now su- perseded them altogether, though there is no doubt about there being a great improvement in the manner of eating since the days when the fork was unknown. The Greeks and Romans, as well as other ancient nations, knew nothing of any such implement, and meat was commonly prepared in stews. Eating was hardly a dainty operation under such circumstances, and we should probably find ourselves overcome with disgust if we were obliged to take a meal in the com- pany of our ancestors of even three hundred years ago. Each man had his own knife, and at dinner seized the joint with his hand and cut off what he wished. The dish was then passed on to the next, who did the same. The knife then cut up the portions into small pieces, which were put into the mouth by the fingers of the hand unoccupied by the knife. In many parts of Spain, at present, drinking-glasses, spoons and forks are rarities; and in taverns in many countries, particularly in some towns in France, knives are not placed on the table, because it is ex- pected that each person has one of his own — a custom which the French seem to have retained from the old Gauls ; but, as no person will any longer eat without forks, landlords are obliged to furnish these, together with plates and spoons. None of the sovereigns of England had forks till the reign of Henry VIII. All, high and low, used their fingers. Hence in the royal household there was a dignitary called the ewery. who. with a set of sub- ordinates, attended at the meals with basins, water and towels. The office of the ewery survived after forks came partially into fashion. About the first royal personage who is known to have had a fork was Queen Elizabeth ; but, although several were presented to her, it is doubtful whether she used them on ordinary occasions. Forks were employed only by the higher classes in the middle of the seventeenth century. About the period of the Revolution ( 1688) few English noble- men had more than a dozen forks of silver, along with a few of iron or steel. At length, for general use steel forks became an article of manufacture at Sheffield. At first they had but two prongs ; and it was only in later times that 4he three-pronged kind were made. As late as the early part of the eigh- teenth century table-forks were kept on so small a scale bv the country inns in Scotland (and perhaps in some parts of England) that it was customary for gentlemen traveling to carry with them a portable knife and fork in a shagreen case. The general in- troduction of silver forks into Great Britain is quite recent. It can be dated no further back than the termination of the French War in 1814. THE CHEF */ IRON RULE OF HINDOO HUSBANDS In India as in Ancient Rome, the Wife Who Fails to "Love, Honor and Obey" Has an Exceedingly Sorry Time of it TO love, honor and obey," as the ancient form puts it, is a phrase of picturesque sound with a very frequent and convenient lack of real, weighty meaning to the woman who, in this enlightened land, promises so to do. American wives speak lightly of the "lord and mas- ter," with hardly a thought that in any part of the earth there is a spot where the term has actual sig- nificance. Let them read and ponder the Hindoo husband's creed, as given in an English newspaper, and then stop and consider how lucky they are to be Americans instead of Hindoos : "A man, both day and night, must keep his wife so much in subjection that she be by no means the mistress of her own actions. A woman shall never go out of her house without the consent of her hus- band, and shall not eat until she has first served him with victuals (if it is medicine, she may take it be- fore they eat) ; a woman shall never go to a strang- er's house, and shall not stand at the door, and must never look out of the window. If a woman, following her own inclinations, goes whithersoever she chooses, and does not regard the words of her master, such a woman shall be turned away. "If a man goes on a journey, his wife shall not di- vert herself by play, nor see any public show, nor laugh, nor dress herself with jewels or fine clothes, nor see dancing, nor hear music, nor sit at the win- dow, nor ride out, nor behold anything rare or choice, but shall fasten well the house door and remain pri- vate ; and shall not eat any dainty victuals, and shall not view herself in a mirror ; she shall not exercise herself in any agreeable employment during the ab- sence of her husband. "If the wife have her own free will, notwithstand- ing she is of superior caste, she will go amiss." Even the advanced women of ancient Rome do not seem to have recieved anything like the consideration that is vouchsafed American women, and there is ev- ery reason to believe that the Roman wife was com- pletely under the control of her husband in the early davs of Roman history. The Roman idea of a family made the father a despot, with power of life and death over his children, who could do nothing without his consent. This was the case in regard to male children, even after they had reached a considerable age. Women, according to the opinion of the early Ro- mans, were always children. They required protec- tion and guidance during their whole life, and could never be freed from despotic control. Accordingly, when a Roman girl married she had to choose whether she would remain under the control of her father or pass into the control, or, as it was called, into the hands of her husband. It is likely that in the early ages of the city she always passed from the power of her father into the hands of her husband, and the position she occupied was that of daughter to her husband. She thus be- came entirely subject to him and was at his mercy. Roman history supplies many instances of the des- potism which husbands exercised over their wives. The slightest indiscretion was sometimes punished by death, while men might do what they liked without let or hindrance. "If you were to catch your wife," was the law laid down by Cato the Censor, "in an act of infidelity, you would kill her with impunity without a trial ; but if she were to catch you she would not venture to touch you with her finger, and, indeed, she has no right." Wives were prohibited from tasting wine at the risk of the severest penalties. The conduct of Igna- tius was praised, who, surprising his wife in the act of sipping the forbidden liquid, beat her to death. The same sternness appears in the reasons which induced some of the Romans to dismiss their wives. Sulpicius Callus dismissed his because she appeared in the streets without a veil ; Antistius Vetus dismissed his because he saw her speaking secretly to a freed- woman in public, and P. Sempronius Sophus sent his away because she had ventured to go to the public games without informing him of her movements. And yet the woman of to-day thinks she is not emancipated, and clamors for her freedom. 28 THE CHEF Cafe Martin's Table d'Hote Menu JANUARY 1st, iqio Balard. HuiTRES BLUEPOINTS. Celery. Salade d'Anchois. Creme de Volaille Mireille. Consomme Messaline. Medaillion de Saumon Polignac. HOMARD FARCIE MePHISTO. Contra Filet a la Godard. Pom me Helene. Agneau de Printemps Aux Panaches. Endives a la Clementina. Spaghetti Napolitaine. Dinde Farcie — Cranberry Sauce. Caille Roti. Cold — Jamboneu de Pintade Carmen. Mince Pie. Plum Pudding. Petits Fours — Biscuits Glace Noisette. THE CHEF 29 RECIPES By PROSPER GREVILLOT Chef Delmonico's TO TRUFFLE POULTRY ' I v This operation consists of brushing and peeling *■ the truffles, cutting the wrinkled surface off as thinly as possible. The size of those chosen must be in proportion to the bird that is to be truffled, for in- stance, take larger ones for a pullet, a partridge and so on. Pound the truffle peelings adding about the same quantity of fat pork as there are peelings, and continue to pound till it forms into a paste, then add the same quantity of very white raw chicken livers. Pound again altogether and put in half the weight of fresh butter, salt and pepper ; mix all thoroughly. Take the forcemeat from the mortar and mix into it the peeled truffles in the following proportions : A twelve pound turkey will take two pounds of truffles, a six- pound capon one pound of truffles, a three-pound chicken half a pound of truffles, and so on according to the size of the bird. Line the inside of the neck with a slice of fat pork, cover this with broad slices of truffles, and insert the above prepared truffles half into the neck part, and the other half into the rump part, truss for roasting. The neck part must be well stuffed so that the breast has a plump appearance, and sew up the apertures so that none of the dressing can escape. HALF GLAZE (DEMI-GLACE) SAUCE Put into a sauce pan half a pound of clarified butter and half a pound of very dry flour, make a roux not too dark, and dilute slowly with four quarts of not very hot veal blond, proceeding the same as when making an espagnole ; it should consequently be some- what lighter than this sauce and especially not too deeply colored. Boil it up, and if found to be any way lumpy, then strain it through a fine strainer, return it to the sauce pan, boil it again, then set it back to a cooler part of the range to cook slowly for two hours, skimming off the fat. Fry with butter in a sauce pan, one-half pound of carrots, four ounces of celery root, four ounces of onions and four ounces of lean ham, having all these cut up into squares. Pour the sauce into the sauce pan adding four gills of good white wine, a quarter of a pound of mushroom parings, very little salt and some crushed pepper-corns. Stir till it comes to a boil, then set the sauce pan one side where it can boil, but on one side only, so that it can be prop- erly despumated during two hours ; lift off all the fat from the top and strain the sauce through a fine strainer or a tammy. Put it back into a shallow, wide, thick-bottomed sauce pan, boil once more and reduce while stirring all the time, detaching it from the bot- tom with a metal spatula and incorporating slowly some good veal stock and some good white wine. After the sauce becomes succulent without being too thick, strain it again through a tammy and pour it into a vessel or double-steamer sauce pan to keep it hot. TO MARINATE ROEBUCK OR WILD BOAR Spread out the meat to be marinated in a long, narrow vessel, dredge it with fine salt and a little pepper, add a few bay leaves, as much thyme and a few parsley sprigs, then pour over oil and good vine- gar, this to be added to its own quantity of water, cover over with a heavy sheet of paper. There should be enough vinegar to have the buck partly immersed in the marinade. It must be turned over several times during each day. The proper time to leave either roe- buck or wild boar in its marinade is four davs. THE FIRST BRAND IN THE WORLD EVERY DROP A COMFORT EVERY SIP A DELIGHT USENIER'S ELEBRATED OR DIALS 30 THE CHEF To be had at all Clubs, Hotels, Cafes, Restaurants and Bars throughout the United States. CONF1SEUR Patisserie Classique Chocolates French Bon-Bons Ice Cream Complete Service For Buffets, Teas, Receptions, Suppers, Banquets, Dinners and Weddings Menus and Estimates Furnished 67-69 West 44th Street, New York Telephone 4278 Bryant Mail, Telegraph and Telephone Orders Receive Prompt Attention THE CHEF 3i TELEPHONE 4900 CHELSEA A. Silz Poultry and Game '- . mm 'j-^-. ■ . CABLE ADDRESS SILZ - NEW YORK hotels Clubs Restaurants and Steamships Supplied 414-416-418 WEST FOURTEENTH STREET NEAR NINTH AVENUE NEW YORK C. PERCEVAL Charcutcrie and Ccmcstiblcs ■WHOLESALE AND RETAIL Importer of French Table Delicacies SOLE IMPORTER OF ELITE CAMEMBERT CHEESE Served in all the Principal Hotels and Restaurants fiotcls. Restaurants and families Supplied 100 SIXTH AVENUE NEAR EIGHTH ST. - - NEW YORK Telephone 3804 Gramercy Branch, 767 Sixth Avenue, near 44th Streit Telephone 1552 Bryant Hotel Brevoort (OLD BREVOORT HOUSE) FIFTH AVE. AND EIGHT i STREET NEW YORK CITY European Plan An Unexcelled Cuisine Situated in the most delightful part of Fifth Avenue RAYMOND ORTEI3 Proprietor Cafe Lafayette (OLD MARTINS) UNIVERSITY PLACE AND NINTH ST. NEW YORK CITY New York's Famous Restaurant RAYMOND ORTEIG Proprietor 3 2 THE CHEF MfGfirCo. mm % is stamped like this- eonlyby LALANGEr # & Oysters, Bluepoint Huitres Lynnhaven Soup Potage Cream of Asparagus Tortue a 1'Anglaise Side Dishes Hors d'oeuvre Celery Radishes Olives Amandes Sale Celeri Radis Fish Polsson Cutlets of Sturgeon, Madeira Sauce Alose Grillee, puree d'oseille Small Boiled Potatoes Releve Remove Pate-froid de Saumon, a la gelee Cold Lobster, Ravigote Sauce Entree Entrees Choux-fleur, Sauce au beurre Filets of Flounder, with Mushrooms Rotl Roast Perches, roti au four Planked Shad Lettuce Salad Entremets de Douceur Blanc-manger au Fruits Gateau Fanchette Sweets Fruits Apple Charlottes, Vanilla Sauce - Cheese Coffee Fruits Frontage Cafe IO THE CHEF THE BALLAD OF BOUILLABAISSE By WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY A certain part of Thackeray's verse has taken a perman- ent place in the treasure-house of English poetry — and none more justly than the poem printed herewith. It is less the whimsical character of the subject than the subtle blending of convivial gaiety with a deeper note of poignant sorrow that makes "The Ballad of Bouillabaisse" unique and inimitable. "Who else could have written it?" asks Trollope. "Who in the same moment could have been so merry and so so melancholy — could have gone so deep into the regret of life, with words so appropriate to its jollities?" The poem has the pathetic interest of commemorating happier days. It was written during the novelist's pro- tracted stay in Paris, after the painful tragedy which closed the chapter of his domestic life; and the subject of the poem was closely associated with the tender and inti- mate memories of his early months of married happiness. Thackeray was married to Miss Shawe at the British Em- bassy in the summer of 1836, and immediately took apart- ments on the Rue Neuve St. Augustin. Each afternoon, his day's work for the Constitutional finished, the young couple would stroll off through the busy, crowded Passage Choiseul, at the farther end of which they would come out on the New Street of the Little Fields; and at No. 16 was the restaurant of Terre Jeune, immortalized in the ballad. An old Parisian guide-book of the period states that the house was noted for "Spanish dishes and for good wines, and more especially for the Marseilles dish, bouillabaisse." \ STREET there is in Paris famous, ■*■ *- For which no rime our language yields ; Rue Neuves des Petits Champs its name is — The New Street of the Little Fields. And here's an inn, not rich and splendid, But still in comfortable case ; The which in youth I oft attended. To eat a bowl of Bouillabaisse. "Oh, oni, monsieur," 's the waiter's answer; "Quel riii monsieur dcsire-t-il?" "Tell me a good one." "That I can, sir — The Chambertin with yellow seal." "So Terre's gone," I say, and sink in My old accustomed corner-place ; "He's done with feasting and with drinking, With Burgundy and Bouillabaisse !" This Bouillabaisse a noble dish is — A sort of soup, or broth, or brew, Or hotchpotch of all sorts of fishes, That Greenwich never could outdo ; Green herbs, red peppers, mussels, saffron, Soles, onions, garlic, roach and dace — All these you eat at Terre's tavern. In that one dish of Bouillabaisse. Where are you, old companions trusty Of early days, here met to dine? Come, waiter! Quick, a flagon crusty — I'll pledge them in the good old wine. The kind old voices and old faces My memory can quick retrace ; Around the board they take their places, And share the wine and Bouillabaisse. Indeed a rich and savory stew 'tis ; And true philosophers, methinks, Who love all sorts of natural beauties, Should love good victuals and good drinks. And Cordelier or Benedictine Might gladly, sure, his lot embrace. Nor find a fast-day too afflicting, Which served him up a Bouillabaisse. I wonder if the house still there is? Yes, here the lamp is, as before ; The smiling red-cheeked ecaillere is Still opening oysters at the door. Is Terre still alive and able? I recollect his droll grimace. He'd come and smile before your table, And hope you liked your Bouillabaisse. We enter — nothing's changed or older. "How's Monsieur Terre, waiter, pray?" The waiter stares and shrugs his shoulder: "Monsieur is dead this many a day." "It is the lot of saint and sinner ; So honest Terre's run his race !" "What will monsieur require for dinner?" "Say, do you still cook Bouillabaisse?" There's Jack has made a wondrous marriage; There's laughing Tom is laughing yet ; There's brave Augustus drives his carriage ; There's poor old Fred in the Gazette; O'er James's head the grass is growing; Good Lord ! The world has wagged apace Since here we set the claret flowing, And drank, and ate the Bouillabaisse. Ah, me! How quick the days are flitting! I mind me of a time that's gone, When here I'd sit, as now I'm sitting, In this same place — but not alone. A fair voting form was nestled near me, A dear, dear face looked fondly up, And sweetly spoke and smiled to cheer me — There's no one now to share my cup ! I drink it as the Fates ordain it. Come, fill it, and have done with rimes ; Fill up the lonely glass and drain it In memory of dear old times. Welcome the wine, what'er the seal is ; And sit you down and say your grace With thankful heart, whate'er the meal is. Here comes the smoking Bouillabaisse ! THE CHEF ii A FEW FACTS ABOUT FISH With Recipes for Lent Fish when fresh are hard if pressed by the ringer — the gills red — the eyes full. If the flesh is flabby and the eyes sunken, the fish are stale. They should be thoroughly cleaned, washed and sprinkled with salt. Before broiling fish, rub the gridiron with butter or cottolene to prevent it from sticking. Lay the skin side down first. The earthy taste often found in fresh-water fish can be removed by soaking in salt and water. Most kinds of salt fish should be soaked in cold water for twenty-four hours — the fleshy side turned down in the water. Fish should be fresh and always well cooked. Never soak fresh fish in water, unless frozen. Clean, rinse and wipe dry ; in warm weather lay on the ice until needed. In boiling put into cold water, to which add a little salt and vinegar, and allow eight minutes to the pound. If boiled whole do not remove the head and tail, and serve always with a sauce. TO FRY. Dredge with flour, dip lightly in beaten egg, roll in cracker crumbs and fry in very hot lard. Serve with lemon slices. TO BROIL. Rub over with olive oil ; cut in pieces or broil whole, as preferred ; when done sprinkle with pepper and salt, a little lemon juice, a little chopped parsley and si ime melted butter. TO BAKE. Stuff with a dressing as for poultry, and stew it up ; lay strips of salt pork over it, sprinkle with pepper, salt and crumbs, and bake in hot oven ; baste open ; have the oven of the gas stove well heated by lighting the gas three minutes before placing the fish in the oven. BAKED FISH. Stuff it with plain dressing; put in a pan with a little water, salt, pepper and butter. Baste while baking. A fish weighing four pounds will bake in an hour. Gar- nish with hard-boiled eggs and parsley, and serve with drawn butter or egg sauce. BOILED FISH. Sew them in a cloth, and put into cold water, with plenty of salt. Most fish will boil in thirty minutes. STUFFING FOR FISH. Take about half a pound of stale bread and soak in water, and when soft press out the water ; add a very little chopped suet, pepper, salt, a large tablespoonful of onion minced and fried and, if preferred, a little minced parsley ; cook a trifle, and after removing from the fire add a beaten egg. FILET OF FLOUNDER WITH GREEN PEAS Dip filets of flounder in melted butter, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and the juice of lemon, fold in centre, and place same in a baking-pan, cover- ing the fish with boiling stock. Place in oven and bake about 10 minutes. Remove the filets, place same in circle on round dish, one filet overlapping the other, and in the centre, place the green peas that have been cooked and to which a small piece of butter has been added. Gar- nish with chopped hard boiled egg and serve. The stock for the above should be prepared by tak- ing about one-half pint of soup stock or bouillon, setting same in a casserole and adding thereto one onion, one-half dozen allspice, one bay leaf, one carrot and allowing same to boil for about 20 minutes. Then straining same, and pouring over dish before placing in oven, and add three tablespoonfuls of flour and blend slowly, adding two cups of milk while so doing. Cook for about 10 minutes on a brisk fire, season with salt and pepper and set on side of stove for a few moments until ready to use. Butter a baking-dish at the bottom of which place about one-fourth of the above sauce, then a layer of the cold, cooked fish and more sauce, and again a layer of fish, so alternating, and cover the whole with buttered crumbs in a moderately hot oven and serve. OYSTERS AU GRATIN After the oysters have been opened replace them in their deep shell. Take a baking-pan, the bottom of which cover with about i l /\ inch of salt. Set the oyster shells in the salt, which will tend to keep them steady. On each oyster add one or two drops of lemon juice; enough dried or fried bread crumbs to cover each oyster lightly, over which pour a little melted butter, and on top of which add a small piece of butter the size of a hazel nut. Set in a very hot oven for about 6 minutes and serye. TINNED SALMON CUTLETS PUT the contents of a tin of salmon in a basin, taking care to pour off all the liquid, mash, and add a little stale crumbled bread, pepper, salt and two eggs. Mix well, form into flat cakes, and dip first in flour and then into a beaten egg. Fry the cutlets in boiling oil or lard until they are golden brown in color. Drain on kitchen-paper, and serve hot or cold, garnished with parsley. 13 THE CHEF OYSTERS, BECHAMEL SAUCE QUANTITIES NECESSARY FOR TEN PERSONS. 3 pints of oysters. 3 tablespoonsful of butter. j tablespoonsful of flour. I small carrot. i small onion. i bay leaf. i sprig of parsley. 3 gills of cream. 3 egg yolks. I cup of soup stock or bouillon. Salt and pepper to suit. Heat flour and butter together in a sauce-pan, add the soup stock, bay leaf, salt and pepper, and one-half of the cream, and let the whole cook gently for about 20 minutes. Then strain into another sauce-pan. Place this sauce-pan on the stove over a slow fire, and add the egg yolks well beaten with the rest of the cream. Allow the whole to come to a boil and let same boil for one minute, stirring continually, and add the oysters, which have been prepared in the meantime, as follows : While the sauce has been cooking clear the oysters of any small pieces of shells that may be contained thereon. Place them in a stew-pan, and over a slow fire bring them slowly to the boiling point. Skim them well and after straining them they will be ready to add to the (Bechamel) sauce. The Bechamel sauce used in this recipe is known as the "Lenten" Bechamel sauce, because it does not con- tain the veal usually used in making the above sauce. FRIED SALMON STEAKS Cut slices of salmon one inch thick, dry each piece thoroughly and on each side sprinkle a pinch of salt, dip into egg which has been well beaten, sprinkle with flour and place in a frying-pan containing hot drippings and fry a golden brown. Place on a platter, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and garnish the dish with slices of lemon and serve. TURBAN OF HALIBUT AND POTATO BALLS Two slices of boned halibut makes eight filets. Dip in melted butter, sprinkle over with juice of half a lemon, and a little onion juice, salt and pepper, roll into turbans, fasten with buttered toothpicks and bake in oven for about 20 minutes. Arrange on a dish fill- ing the centre with buttered potato balls. Garnish with parsley and serve with holland sauce. BOUILLABAISSE A LA MARSEILLAISE FISH STEW. For six persons, use about 4 pounds of any fresh fish, such as striped bass. weak, torn cod, white fish, etc.. and a small lobster. Cut the fish into slices, and put them in a deep casserole, with the lobster which has been split through the middle and crosswise, with the claws making 6 pieces. Add 2 small onions, the white part of 2 leeks, one tomato, fresh or canned, 3 cloves of garlic well crushed, a good pinch of chopped parsley, a good pinch of saffron, 1 bay leaf and 4 tablespoonfuls of oil. Add cold water enough to cover the whole, then season with a pinch of salt and one of pepper ; set to boil over a brisk fire for about 15 minutes. Prepare a round deep dish by placing 6 pieces of toast thereon, over which pour the fish, decorating with the pieces of lobster. Serve. SMELTS— SPLIT AND GRILLED The smelts should be opened down the back from head to tail, and the spine removed therefrom, which with care can easily be done, and without any waste. Season them with salt and pepper, pass them through melted butter, and sprinkle lightly with flour, and set on hot grill. Take a long dish which has been previously heated, and cover the bottom thereof with slightly browned butter, to which has been added the juice of one-half lemon. Lay the smelts therein, arrange sliced pieces of lemon around the dish and serve. ROYAL OMELET Cook a shad roe until firm in boiling salted water, to which add one teaspoonful of lemon juice. Drain, dry and roll the roe in a little flour and fry in bacon fat or butter until it is nicely browned. Cut in small pieces in the shape of small dice, mix with one-half cup of chopped canned mushroon, two tablespoonfuls of highly seasoned tomato catsup and one-fourth tablespoonful of paprika and keep this hot while preparing an omelet. PREPARING THE OMELET. Break six eggs into a bowl, add a pinch of pepper and a pinch of salt and beat the eggs for about two minutes with a fork or one minute with an egg-beater. Into a sauce-pan into which has been placed a piece of butter the size of a walnut and which has been allowed to melt, pour in the beaten eggs and set the sauce-pan over a fire and allow to cook slowly, and wdiile cook- ing stir three or four times with a fork. When the eggs have begun to harden slightly place the mixture of the shad roe and mushroom in the centre of the ome- let. Fold the omelet and roll same on to a hot platter around which pour a white cream sauce. Garnish with parsley and serve. A TASTY POTATO SOUP Boil 6 or 8 medium-sized potatoes, set them in a 4-quart soup pot, mash them with a potato-masher, adding about 2 ounces of butter and seasoning with a pinch each of sugar, salt and nutmeg; then add about \y 2 quarts of boiling water, if there should be any bouillon on hand, add it in place of water. Set the pot on the stove, and as soon as the con- tents begin to boil add the yolks of 3 eggs and 1 pint of milk. Serve. THE CHEF 13 THE SACRED CODFISH AND ITS MAKER The Famous Emblem of the Massachusetts State-House Comes from Colonial Days and is an Emblem of the Old Colony's Fisheries A CODFISH, carved in wood, hangs on the white ■*■ *• mahogany wall of the Massachusetts Hall of Representatives in the State-house, in Boston. Be- tween two classic pillars it occupies a place of honor, directly opposite the desk of the presiding officer. This wooden fish is the renowned original sacred codfish of the Old Colony, and it has assisted at the deliberations of the lawmakers of Massachusetts for more than a century and a half, gathering sanctity year by year. It is a relic of the old building which preceded the present State-house, and great is the dignity of this souvenir of Colonial art and industry. The following account of its origin is given in the Boston Budget and Beacon: Captain John Welch, of Boston, was the creator and carver of the celebrated fish. He was a wood- carver of renown for his time, and in 1747 established his business in Dock Square. He belonged to the An- cient and Honorable Artillery Company, and after- ward became its captain. He was called upon to contribute to the decoration of the Colonial Assembly Hall ; and as, at that period, codfish was the colonv's main article of export. Captain Welch conceived the idea of immortalizing the king fish of the Massachu- setts waters. When completed, the carving was fin- ished off and colored so as to be a facsimile of life, and was hung on the wall of the Assembly Hall. THE OYSTER BUILDS ITS OWN HOME IT IS NOT ASLEEP ALL THE TIME With Its Beard as Its Only Tool, Each Year a Story is Added to Its Wonderful House ' I MI FRF seems to be very little chance for poetry -■- to linger around the luscious bivalve, yet Keats vividly conjures up the pale silence of the ocean depths with his reference to the "poor, patient oyster where it sleeps." Patient, indeed, and immovable in its ocean bed, yet not always sleeping. The body of an oyster is a poor, weak thing, appar- ently incapable of doing anything at all. Yet what a marvelous house an oyster builds around his delicate frame. For some unknown reason he always fixes himself on his round shell, never by his flat shell, and being once fixed he begins to grow ; but he only grows in summer. Inspect an oyster-shell closely, and it will be seen that it is marked with distinct lines. As the rings we observe in the section of the trunk of a tree denote years of growth, so do the markings on an oyster tell us how many years he has passed in his "bed" at the bottom of the sea. The way in which an ovster grows his shell is a pretty sight. The beard of an oyster is not only his breathing organ, — i. e., his lungs — but also his feeding organ, by which he conveys the food to his complicated mouth with its four lips. When the warm, calm days of June come, the ovs- ter opens his shell, and by means of his beard, begins building an additional story to his house. This he does by depositing very, very fine particles of carbon- ate of lime, till at last they form a substance as thin as silver paper and exceedingly fragile. Then he adds more and more till at last the new shell is as hard as the old shell. When oysters are growing their shells they must be handled very carefully, as the new growth cuts like broken glass, and a cut on the finger therefrom is often dangerous. EAT LESS, CHEW LONGER TF people would chew their food properly, the -•-supply of food would exceed the demand and prices would come down," said Mr. Horace Fletcher, whose ideas on eating have become known as Fletch- erism, when he arrived here a few days ago from Europe. Mr. Fletcher left here early in December to spend Christmas at his home in Venice. He returns now to lecture on his theories of proper eating. When told .that Mr. James J. Hill had said that the trouble in the United States was not the high cost of living but the cost of high living, he replied : — "That's correct to my mind. If a person would eat less and masticate more he would grow in health and purse." THAT SOUFFLE TURNOVER "I have cooked a little surprise for you, dear," said Eleanor — "an almond souffle. I got the recipe from the new cookery-book." Arthur smiled doubtfully, and took a mouthful. "Can't say I like it!" he spluttered. "Out"! Sure you got the instructions right?" "Oh, yes !" responded Eleanor. "I can say them by heart from the book. Just hear me." And she reached down the volume: "Take half a pound of grated almonds ' " "Quite right!" interrupted Arthur. " 'One pound of castor sugar ; mix well with white of three fresh eggs ' " "Correct!" said her spouse. " 'Add a pinch of white pepper ' " "Pepper! Great goodness!" exclaimed Arthur, as he turned over the leaf. ' 'Two large carrots, a spoonful of mustard, four chopped onions, and ■' " "Stop — stop!" roared Arthur. "You're muddling up almond souffle with Irish stew ! You've forgotten to cut the leaves of this blessed cookerv-book !" Sauerkraut, served with sausages and bacon, is said to be the favorite dish of the German Emperor. 14 THE CHEF POULET SAUTE CHASSEUR— POULET STEWED HUNTSMAN'S STYLE An Entree Perraut, Jr., Paris "Saute" means cooking in fat, in a shallow pan. Poulet Saute Chasseur, is one of those dishes which, when eaten in a restaurant, is found to taste better than that which is prepared at home, which is due principally to the fact that in the home kitchen there is oftentimes some particular thing or things left out by the cook which are absolutely necessary therein to obtain the desired taste, and the leaving out of which often causes a failure in obtaining the desired results. Therefore it is necessary to follow a recipe as directed or not try it at all. Then again, in carving a chicken to be stewed, if it is badly cut, when served, does not appeal to the eye, nor to the taste, as it is well known the eye often- times governs the taste. Again, Poulet Saute Chasseur is often confounded with poulet au champignons (with mushrooms), albeit that the principal elements of these dishes are the same. The difference is quite apparent, particularly to the epicure. In Poulet Saute Chasseur the mushrooms are browned in the fat of the saute or stew, and the condi- ments used are shallots, tomato, cognac, etc., while in poulet au champignons it is simply a chicken stew to the sauce of which is added mushrooms. Then again, in restaurants and the kitchens of wealthy homes, there is always found on hand sauces or gravies, being the extract of cooked meats, which is a foundation for sauces of the particular meat to be cooked. Therefore, to take the place of these sauces which are not already prepared and to be found in the com- mon household, we give herewith a recipe which will tend to give such results as will be satisfactory. The following are the proportions required for six persons : i Poulet weighing about 2 lbs. 54 lb. of fresh mushrooms. I ounce of shallots (about 3 medium sized). i small liquor glass cognac (burned). 1 gill white wine. y 2 pint of veal juice, or bouillon instead. 2 tablespoonsful of tomato juice. 1 teaspoonful of chervil and taragon, chopped fine, i pinch of parsley, coarsely chopped. 1 i teaspoonful of flour. 2 ounces of butter. 2?4 tablespoonsful of olive oil. Salt and pepper to suit. Time necessary to cook, 35 to 40 minutes. Attention is called to the following: 1st. Tomato, shallot, chervil, taragon, are the spe- cial condiments used in all preparations made and called "a la chausseur," or Huntsman style, and there- fore none of these can or must be omitted. 2d. The veal juice herein mentioned to be used is preferable to bouillon, as it always combines better with chicken, and it is very easily prepared, it being sufficient for the purpose to use the veal trimmings or small scraps thereof which, being browned in a little fat on a slow fire and to which is added a small onion and carrot cut in small pieces, cover with about a pint of hot water and let it cook slowly until it is reduced to the quantity desired, from which remove the fat, and you have a good veal juice. 3d. The oil indicated for the cooking is indispens- able, because it can stand the heat necessary without burning, while butter alone would turn black, smell of burned meat and would give a bad taste to the prepa- ration. 4th. Remember that the characteristics of a well- stewed or sauted poulet is the perfect browning of the meat, which should be done to a dark brown, and further the poulet should be completely cooked dur- ing the browning thereof ; and it is here then, that the chicken is thoroughly cooked, on a brisk fire, without the addition of any liquid whatsoever, and this proceed- ing or operation is called "saute," be the meat veal, beef or mutton. We sum up the operations as follows : Clean and cut the poulet in pieces. Chop the parsley, shallots, chervil and taragon, set them so chopped on a plate in separate piles, except the chervil and taragon, which can be mixed. Take the mushrooms, wash them, clean and dry them, after which cut them in thin slices. "Saute," that is to say cook the chicken in butter and olive oil. Draw the casserole with the poulet on side of stove and add the garnishing. Replace the casserole with the poulet to cook with the garnishing for a few minutes. Arrange on platter at the moment of serving. PREPARATION AND CARVING OF THE POULET BEFORE COOKING Inasmuch as the drawing and cleaning of poultry is done by our butchers, we will omit the process. In the first place a good kitchen carving knife must be obtained, with a blade of about 10 inches in length. With a knife of this kind better and quicker work can be done, also have a table that sets firmly on its legs. Take the poulet and pass it over an alcohol flame to singe the pin feathers which are usually found on poul- try. Alcohol is preferable to paper as a flame, as it does not blacken the poultry ; if paper must be used, wash the chicken thereafter. THE CHEF *5 Now proceed to carve the poulet the same way as would be carved a roasted one, that is to say, pass the knife between leg and the carcass and cut down to the articulation; turn the leg toward you in such a fashion to disjoint it, and with a cut of the tendon it will become separated from the carcass ; proceed likewise to detach the other leg, set both on the table with the cut side up and with the back of the knife strike a swift hard blow, thereby breaking the joint between the leg and second joint, which will thereby flatten this piece. Continue cutting, the same as on a roasted fowl ; place the knife between the second joint of the wing and carcass, cut straight down and it will easily be- come freed from the carcass. This leaves us with the breast or white meat only. This is removed carefully from both sides, and the skin on the edges of each piece trimmed with a kitchen scissors, to give it a clean cut appearance. The carcass is then split lengthwise through the cen- ter and these two pieces cut crosswise, giving thereby four pieces or eight pieces, including the whole. to "saute" the poulet. Before proceeding to saute the poulet chop the pars- ley, chervil, taragon and shallots, and clean the mush- rooms. However, in cooking, this can be done (by one efficient) after the poulet has been set to cook, care in the meantime being given to see that the poulet is not being overdone ; however, for the amateur the manner first mentioned is the safest. Take a shallow copper casserole, the inside of which is tinned, and which is called "sautoir," (stew pan). Into this put the butter (about one ounce), half of the olive oil (J4 tablespoonful), set on the stove to heat over a fairly good fire until it smokes lightly, then lay the pieces of poulet therein skin side down, and which have been previously sprinkled with salt and pepper. It is understood, of course, that each piece is laid one beside the other, and not too close, that the fat may circulate freely between each piece. Do not cover the casserole. In about five minutes raise one of the pieces with a fork without sticking the prongs in the meat, which would tend to have the juice run out, and it will be then seen that if the pieces are sufficiently browned they can be turned over, and the other side allowed to brown as before. On account of the thickness of the leg pieces, they will require a few more moments to brown than the others and it is therefore necessary to let these cook longer. Therefore, as soon as the wings are browned, remove them and set them in a soup plate, covering them with another, and setting them in the oven. Three minutes after remove the white meat and set this also in the covered plate. However, it must be seen that each piece is well browned before doing this. It requires about seven or eight minutes longer to cook the legs and pieces of the carcass. When thor- oughly cooked, the steam from the casserole will ap- pear whitish instead of a rosy tinted steam which un- cooked meat always emits. These pieces being cooked, remove them also from the casserole and put them with the others. It is well to observe here that in browning each piece, they are also being thoroughly cooked in the butter and oil, which again repeating is called "saute." Therefore, the poulet now being cooked, we keep the pieces warm as above directed until it becomes time to place them in the casserole containing the sauce, which we pro- ceed to make. the sauce or huntsman garnishing By the efficient cook as above stated the garnishing for the sauce can be prepared while the chicken is cooking; with the amateur it is better to prepare it after. First take the mushrooms, clean them thoroughly and dry them well ; otherwise they will be difficult to brown. Cut them lengthwise in thin regular slices. This is called "emincer." This is done by laying them on the table and using a moderately long thin-bladed knife. The pieces of poulet having been removed from the casserole the rest of the olive oil (i/4 tablespoons- ful) should be added therein. Heat it until it smokes lightly as before and throw in the sliced mushrooms, and allow them to become slightly browned. Then add the chopped shallots, and again allow the mush- rooms to brown a little more. This being done, re- move the casserole from the stove for a moment and remove all the fat possible that will be floating on the top. Now take the flour (1 teaspoonful) and sprinkle same over the mushrooms ; mix well, set the casserole in the oven for two or three minutes to cook the flour. Replace the casserole on the stove, add the cognac ( 1 small liquor glass, which has been previously burned to remove the alcohol, and is done by simply lighting with a match while in the glass). The white wine (1 gill); the veal juice or bouillon {]/ 2 pint); the tomato juice (2 tablespoonsful) ; a little pepper, no salt. The veal juice or bouillon being salted, allow the whole to come to a boil, stirring it in the meantime with a wooden spoon. This done remove the casserole to the side of the stove ; cover and let the whole simmer slowly for about six or seven minutes, after which take the pieces of poulet and place them in the casserole again, and al- low to again simmer slowly for five or six minutes more, that is to say, long enough to warm the chicken thoroughly (care must be taken here not to allow boiling, which would tend to toughen the meat). The poulet is now ready to serve. i6 THE CHEF TO DRESS THE PLATTER TO SERVE Take a round platter which is nicely warmed, in the center lay the two breast pieces, on each side of these the wings and the four pieces of the carcass; on this lay the two legs, crossing the ends ; on the opposite side to the wing ends, which are likewise crossed; then set the platter in the open oven, to keep warm only while finishing the sauce. FINISHING THE SAUCE Place the casserole on the open fire, and allow the sauce to boil briskly that it may become reduced to about iy 2 or 2 gills. Remove the casserole to the side of the stove, and add the chopped chervil and taragon mixed (1 teaspoonful) and the rest of the butter (1 ounce). It is well to divide the butter into small pieces that it may melt quicker. Taking the casserole by the handle, shake it for a minute or so, allowing it to remain on the stove while so doing, this being done to expedite the quick melt- ing and mixing of the butter. Then taste it to see if there is sufficient seasoning. Pour the sauce over the poulet, over which sprinkle the chopped parsley and serve. MUTTON FRITTERS TO use up the remains of a leg of mutton, cut the meat into finger-lengths. Flavor some salad-oil with lemon-juice, onion-juice and pepper, and with this brush the meat. Next beat up an egg, season with a pinch of ground allspice, dip the fritters in this, and shape them in breadcrumbs. Fry in deep fat un- til a golden brown ; drain, and serve very hot. STUFFED CABBAGE Take a medium-sized, round-headed cabbage, par- . boil it and allow it to cool. Then slightly open out its leaves and insert between them raw or cooked mince meat, which has been seasoned with chopped onion and parsley, salt and pepper. After which reconstruct the cabbage, wrap l / 2 dozen pieces of bacon around it and tie it. Braise it gently for 3 hours, basting it often. When ready to serve drain the cabbage from the gravy, remove the string and bacon, set the cabbage on a platter and cover it with the gravy, which in the meantime has been allowed to reduce and become thickened. LYONNAISE POTATOES Slice peeled plain-boiled potatoes in round slices, and place them in a frying-pan containing half butter and, half lard, which has been allowed to melt. To this add one onion which has been sliced fine and which has been browned in another pan ; add them to the potatoes, allow them to cook together for about 10 minutes and serve with chopped parsley over top. BREAD, BREAD, BREAD! THE great rise in the price of bread, consequent upon the market machinations of the American "Wheat King," made people think a bit. Each coun- try has its own kind of bread, and it would be worth considering whether, in such times of emergency, it would not be possible to substitute one of these. There is cassava bread, for instance, eaten in Brazil and Paraguay. For convenience in baking, it is al- ways made in thin, wafer-like cakes, and, taken with coffee, is the staple diet of the natives. The Norwegians have a peculiar hard-tack bread of unmilled rye. The rye-grains are soaked, mashed by pounding, then lightly baked in circular, plate-like discs, about 12 in. in diameter, and % in. thick. In its centre is a hole, and it is stored by packing away oh thin poles. The Italians have a nearly similar disc-like, hole- centred bread, known as macaroni "pene duro," of a light-yellow color, brittle and with a glutinous taste. Blackest of all breads is "pelt brod," of Lapland, northern Scandinavia. Russia, and the far north of Siberia. It is a kind of rye-bread, and is regarded as highly nourishing — as, indeed, it must be, when reindeer sleigh-parties subsist on it and unsweetened brick-tea for weeks together, with an occasional dish of fish. 20 CENTS A DAY FOR FOOD Harvard Professor Says It Is Enough for a Workingman BOSTON, Mass., Jan. 20. — Arguing that a work- ingman can easily live on 20 cents a day and avoid meat, Dr. Franklin White, Harvard's expert on dietet- ics, to-day said : "It is not only possible to live on 20 cents a day, but to do it would result in better health. People are complaining of the high cost of food, but it seems as if most of us forget the really cheap food. Take cornmeal, for example, which costs 3 cents a pound. A third of a pound, or a cent's worth, of cornmeal will make a large quantity of mush, probably more than the average appetite demands. With oleomargarine and some cheap syrup it makes a satisfying, nourish- ing meal. Two cents' worth of syrup would give the sugar element. A man could do hard labor on such a meal, the entire cost of which would be about 4 cents. "Another cheap basis for a full meal is the potato. To be sure, the potato by itself is not appetizing enough, but a man can use boiled potatoes and get his flavor from smoked herring. It is not generally appreciated, I fear, that a herring is a better value for one's money in flavor and food value than is a more expensive fish, such as cod. A herring can be pur- chased for a cent, and in some places herrings are sold at two for a cent. As for the flavor, a couple of herrings with boiled potatoes, oleomargarine and salt will make the meal really appetizing." THE CHEF 17 BANANA RICE CUSTARD A LA ELEANOR This dessert is neither difficult or complicated to prepare ; only care should be given in its preparation that the best results may be obtained. This most delicious dessert is composed of bananas, apricot jelly, rice (flavored with vanilla) and whipped cream. The whole can be prepared quite some time before using, which is always an advantage to the cook. At any rate, the rice must be ready at least three hours before using, or even earlier, as long as it is there- after kept in a cool place. One of its advantages are that no ice is necessary in its preparation, but simply serve it cold, which in this season is not very difficult. The rice and fruit being prepared separately, are combined only when about to be served. However, let it be here understood that any other fruit and jellies may be used with the rice if desired ; for instance, pineapple which is very agreeable, instead of bananas. The following are the proportions for eight or ten persons : 6 ounces best rice. 2 ounces best butter. iJ/2 pints milk. 3 ounces block sugar. 4 ounces powdered sugar. 1 J/2 gills of thick sweet cream. 4 egg yolks. y 2 ounce gelatine. I small piece of vanilla bean, or extract. Proportions necessary in preparing the fruit: 6 or 8 medium size bananas. V/z gills of water. 6 ounces of block sugar. 1 liquor glass of good rum. 5 teaspoonsful of apricot jelly. We sum up the operation as follows : Bleach the rice, flavor the milk with vanilla and sweeten. Prepare cream custard, and allow to cool. Prepare mould ; whip the cream, fill the mould ; keep it in a cool place. When ready to serve, remove from the mould and set in center of dish, into the center of which pour the fruit. HOW TO PREPARE THE RICE It needs about x l / 2 hours in its preparation. There- fore, it is well to prepare this part of the dessert first, after which it must be allowed to cool for about three hours. In the first place it is necessary to use the best rice, for the reason that in cooking it does not crack. Therefore, there would be no economy in purchasing a cheaper grade, which would tend only to spoil suc- cessful results. In preparing the rice place in a two-quart size casserole (a copper casserole is preferable), with suf- ficient cold water to cover the rice. Place on a mod- erate fire, and permit to boil slowly for about five minutes. (This is called bleaching the rice.) Thereupon pour the rice in a colander, and let cold water run over it until it is cooled. (This is termed refreshing the rice.) Drain it well, in fact, spread it on a cloth which will tend to absorb all the moisture. PREPARING THE MILK WITH VANILLA While the rice is bleaching and being drained, set the milk to boil, having measured sufficient thereof, to allow for the evaporation, so that the quantity left will be the quantity required, to wit, i} 2 pints. As soon as it has boiled, and while still boiling, add the vanilla ; cover the pot, and remove from the stove. If the vanilla bean is used for flavoring, allow the bean to remain in the milk for about 15 minutes. COOKING THE RICE Replace the rice in the casserole, add the 3 ounces of block sugar ; of the flavored milk add only 1 pint thereof and a pinch of salt. Set on stove, and when it comes to a boil, add the butter (2 ounces), cover the casserole, remove on side of stove to simmer very slowly. In that manner the liquid will penetrate the rice, absorbing the milk, and swelling the kernels of rice. Otherwise, should the rice be allowed to boil quickly it would not cook the rice any quicker, but would tend to evaporate the milk before the rice was ready to absorb it, and which would therefore require adding more milk. (It is small matters that destroy the value of recipes, and discourage a cook, who does not follow details. Follow proportions and directions and you obtain re- sults.) The casserole may also be placed in the oven if de- sired, and the rice therein will, with heat all around it, cook even better, and the liquid will be absorbed better also. Should the oven be too hot, in that case have the oven door open or partly open, in fact any way, as long as the rice in cooking does not more than simmer slowly. It is expressly directed that as soon as the rice has begun to boil, not to touch or stir it with either a spoon or fork ; in other words, do not touch it. Time necessary to cook the rice is about 35 to 40 minutes. However, judgment must be used. It has reached the desired point when upon being pressed between the fingers the kernel is absolutely soft. It will be found if these directions are properly fol- lowed, that when the rice is cooked, that each and every kernel will be separable from each other. i8 THE CHEF PREPARING THE CREAM CUSTARD In a small casserole place the (4 ounces) powdered sugar with the 4 egg yolks. Mix the whole with a wooden spoon until it appears like a mayonnaise, and has a pale yellow tint. To this add little by little the ]/ 2 pint of milk, that is left and which has been kept warm, stirring same continually as it is being added. Set on a slow fire, continuing the stirring until it begins to thicken slightly, to a degree where it ad- heres to the spoon. Due to the fact that there being but a small quantity of milk and a larger proportion of egg, much care must be exercised that this cream does not boil, as in that case the eggs would curdle. Therefore, it necessitates placing the casserole over a slow fire, and stirring continually with the wooden spoon, against the sides and bottom of the casserole. For the amateur cook, it would be well to add a teaspoonful of cornstarch when mixing the eggs with the sugar before setting on the stove ; this will pre- vent curdling should the mishap of boiling take place. This is absolutely not necessary as a binder to thicken the custard, but simply to protect the eggs from curd- ling, and neither will it have any action to destroy the flavor of the custard. As soon as the custard adheres to the spoon add the gelatine (1 ounce), which a few minutes before must have been soaked in water to soften it. After the gelatine is well dissolved in the cream, which is done by stirring, remove from stove, and strain it through a linen cloth into a bowl. To avoid becoming lumpy, stir it frequently until ready to mix with the rice. PREPARING THE WHIPPED CREAM It is necessary in the first place to have sweet, thick cream (1 gill), which must be kept on the ice or in a very cool place until ready to use. Pour it into a deep dish, and with an egg beater com- mence by beating it very slowly, without removing the beater from the cream each time it is beaten. Inasmuch as cream when beaten doubles in amount, 1 gill will give l / 2 pint of whipped cream. However, discontinue beating the cream when you see that the wires of the beater leave their impression, otherwise you risk beating it into butter, particularly if it is cream over 24 hours old. THE MOULD Procure a crown shape mould of a size to contain about 1 quart, and having a diameter of about 8 inches. Oil the interior of the mould carefully with oil of sweet almonds, using a small brush therefor. MIXING THE CUSTARD, WHIPPED CREAM AND RICE, AND THE MOULDING THEREOF The rice having been cooked as directed above pour it into a terrine, and with a fork stir it carefully to separate the kernels without crushing them. Then pro- ceed to add the custard which should be cool, at any rate not more than lukewarm, and mix gently. When mixed add the whipped cream, which should be laid on the rice, and with a confectioner's knife mix it most gently to preserve the lightness of the cream. This being completed use a large spoon and proceed to place the mixture in the mould, striking the mould frequently to settle the contents. When filled, set it aside in a cool place for three hours, or set it in the ice-box for two hours. WHEN READY TO SERVE Reverse the crown shaped mould containing the rice on to a round platter; if the mould has been carefully oiled the contents will become disengaged without effort, otherwise strike the mould gently. PREPARING THE BANANAS Pick out 6 or 8 nice bananas not over ripe, nor over large, a medium-sized banana being the best, having the finest pulp ; before peeling commence to prepare THE SYRUP which must be thoroughly cool before adding the fruit. In a small casserole containing water {\y 2 gills) add the block sugar (6 ounces) and let the same dissolve; when dissolved set the casserole on the stove, and allow same to cook for 3 minutes after it has begun to boil ; thereupon take the bananas and after peeling same, cut them with a silver plated knife into slices about y± inch thick, and place them into a small deep dish, over which pour the syrup, which must be cold, and from time to time shake the dish that the syrup may soak into the fruit; set this aside in a cool place until the moulded rice is ready to serve. BEFORE SERVING Take 3 teaspoonsful of apricot jelly and strain through a fine strainer, forcing the jelly through with a wooden pestle or a spoon, into a bowl ; to this add the syrup which is in the dish containing the bananas, leaving the bananas remain therein. In a bowl containing the apricot jelly and syrup add the rum (a small liquor glass), stirring with a silver spoon. Place each of these dishes, that containing the ba- nanas and that containing the jelly and syrup, in a cool place until ready to use. SERVING THE DESSERT The moulded rice having been placed on a round platter, proceed with a spoon and lay the slices of bananas in the center of the crown ; the syrup that re- mains in the dish from which the bananas have been removed is poured into the bowl containing the apricot jelly and syrup and mixed with it, and the whole is poured upon the sliced bananas which have been laid in the crown. Care should be taken in doing this, as it would spoil the appearance to have the syrup dropped upon the rice. THE CHEF 19 A DELICIOUS, SIMPLE AND QUICKLY PREPARED DESSERT Line a glass dish with slices of oranges and bananas, sprinkle with sugar, and over them when ready to serve, pour a soft boiled custard. QUEEN CAKES FOR TEA AN ENGLISH DESSERT. 4 oz. butter. 4 oz. granulated sugar. 4 oz. currants. 3 eggs. l / 2 lemon rind, grated. 1 teaspoonful baking-powder. 8 oz. of flour. Beat the butter to a cream, adding the 3 egg yolks thereto, and then add the sugar, currants, lemon-rind, baking-powder and flour. Beat the white of the eggs to a stiff froth, which is added to the above. Grease either gem or muffin pans ; one-half fill them, bake in oven for 20 minutes. PRESERVED WHOLE ORANGES TO preserve oranges whole, take twelve of the Seville variety, and prick them all over with a long needle. Then place them in strong salt-and- water for twenty-four hours, and afterwards boil them gently until tender. Boil five pints of water and four pounds of lump sugar for thirty minutes, then add the oranges and boil for an hour. Place the or- anges in a stout jar, pour the syrup over them, and cover with paper till next day, when syrup must be boiled again and repoured on. This syrup re-boiling must be performed regularly every day for a week. Finally, let them stand for a week and boil up the syrup again. The process is then complete, and the contents of the jar ready for use. If well corked down they will keep for a considerable period. LA MEUNIERE BUTTER SAUCE Put a tablespoonful of butter in a sauce-pan over a slow fire and let the butter acquire a very light brown or golden tint. Thereupon add a few drops of lemon juice, and pour this over fried or baked fish when very hot. This is one of the best fish sauces known. "Yes," said Airs. Higson to the lady caller, "our little four-year-old Freddy is a great comfort and help to me. Why, he takes care of his baby sister as well as any nurse. He's in the next room now playing with her. Freddy !" "Yeth, ma." "Are you taking care of little sister?" "Yeth, ma." "What are you doing?" "Oh, I'se playin' I'se a barber, that's all. And I'se shavin' her wif papa's razor." HOLLANDAISE SAUCE For one pint of sauce use three-fourth pound butter, the yolk of three eggs, pinch of gray pepper, pinch of salt, one and one-half tablespoonfuls of vinegar. Put the salt, pepper and vinegar with one and one- half tablespoonfuls of water in a small sauce-pan, and by boiling reduce it to about three-fourths the quan- tity, this being done set the sauce-pan to the side of stove, add a spoonful of cold water and the egg yolks, stir the whole with a wooden spoon until the yolks thicken to the consistency of cream, then gradually add the butter, which has been melted, while briskly stirring the sauce. By this time it should be firm ; if not, add a few drops of water. While still stirring finish the sauce by adding three or four drops of lemon juice, MAYONNAISE SAUCE Put the yolks of three raw eggs in a bowl, season with about one-half ounce of salt, the least bit of cayenne pepper, pour one gill of vinegar gradually on the eggs while beating them briskly. After the vine- gar is well beaten with the eggs add about one pint of olive oil very slowly, in fact, allow it to run into the bowl as slowly as possible, stirring the whole thor- oughly and continually until all the oil has been beaten in, add the juice of one-half a lemon. By the addition of a spoonful of hot water the sauce will be prevented from curdling, allow to rest in a cool place for about 15 minutes before using. DUMPLING AND PUDDING PASTE Take about 8 ounces of beef suet chopped fine. Sift 1 pound of flour onto the mixing-board, hollow it out, and place therein ]A ounce of salt, i l / 2 pounds of sugar, Yi pint of water and the chopped suet. Mix the various ingredients, and by degrees com- bine the flour with them. Mass the paste together, without kneading it, and put it aside in a cool place until ready to serve. BECHAMEL SAUCE Put about two ounces of butter in a sauce-pan over a slow fire, and when melted add about two ounces of flour which is stirred and mixed with a wooden spoon. Mix well, but do not allow it to brown ; then pour about one quart of milk into the sauce-pan, mixing it thoroughly so as to avoid lumping, then let it come to a boil. In the meanwhile about two ounces of lean veal should have been cut in small pieces and set in another sauce-pan and fried in butter, together with a minced onion. After the veal has fried so as to appear dried without being browned, it is added to the sauce in the other sauce-pan, and to this is added a pinch of salt, one of pepper, one of nutmeg and one small sprig of thyme. Let the whole stew slowly for about one hour, pass it through a fine strainer into a gravy-dish. During Lent omit the veal. 20 THE CHEF QUEER FOODS USED IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES SOME EPICURES LIKE PARROTS Rats, Dogs, Snakes and Lizards' Eggs May Be Eaten by the Unsophisticated Traveler Who Is Not Vigilant THE list of queer foods eaten in different part of the world reminds us very forcibly that one man's meat is another man's poison. The intercourse be- tween nations leads very often to the adoption by one of another's favorite dish. Thus snails, always so popular in France, no longer offend the American palate, but, indeed, are relished highly and eaten bv many persons in this country. Why they should be rejected by the man who likes oysters is truly a mys- tery. The Medical Register names some of the articles of diet which are popular among various people. In Canton, rats sell for fifty cents a dozen, and dogs' hind-quarters command a higher price than lamb or mutton. Fancy eating birds' nests worth thirty dol- lars a pound ! This is what a mandarin revels in. In the West Indies baked snake is a common dish, where the reptiles abound, and it is a good way of getting rid of them. But when it comes to frying palm-worms in fat, one would think the stomach would rebel. It is not so, however, though, by a strange inconsistency, stewed rabbit is looked upon with disgust. On the Pacific Coast the Digger Indians eat dried locusts, and in the Argentine Republic skunk flesh is a dainty. Our own favorite bivalve, the oyster, is very dis- gusting to a Turk, while the devil-fish, eaten in Cor- sica, is equally so to us. We cannot understand, either, how the inhabitants of the West Indies and the Pacific Coast can eat liz- ards' eggs with a relish ; still less, how the eggs of the turtle and alligator can become a favorite article of diet. The Brazilians eat ants, probably to get rid of them, for they literally infest the country, and are of an enormous size. Parrots are eaten in Mexico, while roasted spiders are considered a delicacy in the New Caledonians. Silk-worms are found delicious by the Chinese. Ca- terpillars are to the African like reed-birds on toast, and bees are eaten regularly by the Sinhalese. Geophagy, or the habit of earth-eating, is men- tioned in the Medical Nctvs as being very widespread. Stone butter is a fine clay used upon bread in place of butter in many parts of Germany. Earth is baked in bread in the northern part of Sweden and on the peninsula of Kola. It is also sold in the open market in Sardia and in parts of Italy, while the Persians use it in the manufacture of sweetmeats. In Nubia it is used as a medicine and to many primi- tive tribes its use has also a religious meaning. The habit is general over almost all of India, and the grav or drab-colored shale, which is the favorite in north- ern India, and which is excavated mostly at M'eth in Bikanir, is exported to the Punjab at the rate of two thousand camel loads a year. In different districts different varieties of clay are eaten, but if the natives have at one time a taste for a special kind of mud, as the habit increases the de- praved appetite soon becomes satisfied with bricks and broken pots. White ant soil, with the nests and ants themselves, is a great delicacy. The reasons given for indulging in the habit are classified under the following heads: i. A peculiar fascinating odor and taste in the clay, rendering it a delicacy. 2. An unnatural craving due to disease. 3. To satisfy hunger. 4. Force of example. 5. Sup- posed medicinal virtues. A university graduate confessed to a friend that the bland earthy odor was a great temptation to him, and the thought of it made his mouth water. Probably the most remarkable of all appetites is the alleged Mexican taste for dynamite. The story has not been verified, but it was published by a reputable New York daily newspaper which is not usually classed with "yellow" publications. The taste is con- fined to a certain Mexican locality where the people break off the explosive, roll it into a pill, dissolve it in a glass of mescal and drink the liquor, the result be- ing a delightful and vision-engendering intoxication. POINTS IN PHILOSOPHY The fatted calf never thinks kindly of the black sheep. But for our troubles we wouldn't be able to appre- ciate happiness. No one admires yet envies sincerity so much as the confirmed hypocrite. On the sea of matrimony, Cupid doesn't always go with the "tied." Even when a man proves himself a woman's supe- rior she doesn't believe it. The man who depends upon luck will soon have nothing else to depend upon. We blame Providence for our poverty, but give ourselves the credit for our wealth. First Male Thing. — "I threw a kiss to a girl the other day." Second Male Thing. — "What did she say, then?" First Male Thing. — "She told me that I was the laziest man she ever saw." A shoal of herrings is sometimes five or six miles long and two or three miles broad. THE CHEF 21 COAL EIGHTY DOLLARS A TON How a Federal Cruiser, During the Civil War, Ran Out of Fuel in the South Atlantic, and Had to Pay a Fancy Price for a Supply THE value of coaling-stations in war-time is something that the American navy has not often had a chance to learn from actual experience. Dur- ing the Civil War, however, there were times when the commanders of Federal cruisers discovered what it means to be dependent upon casual purchases for the fuel that is the very life of a modern steam fleet. Among the naval traditions which have not risen to the dignity of written history there is one that re- counts an adventure of the U. S. S. Vanderbilt, one of the old side-wheel steamers impressed into the government service and sent out in pursuit of the Confederate commerce-destroyers. After a long cruise in the south Atlantic, she made the tiny island of St. Helena. Here she had to stop, for her bunkers were just about empty. Fortunately, a wharf was in sight from the deck as she dropped anchor, loaded with the desired coal. It was a welcome sight to the worried commander. He breathed easier, and thought, no doubt, that he had come upon a windfall. Coal-heaps could not be found, in those days, at every landing-place in out-of- the-way seas. It seemed almost as if the supply had been held specially for the use of the Yankee tars. This supposition, moreover, turned out the exact truth, in a sense that gave the Vanderbilt's captain something of a surprise. A boat was immediately lowered away and rowed straight to the wharf where the coal was stored. An officer stepped ashore. He found a sandy-headed Scotsman sitting near the heap of fuel, and reading an old newspaper. The man said that His coal was for sale, and the officer asked the price. He was not in a mood to sit down and spend time dickering, but the owner's answer staggered him. "Thirty dollars a ton, sir." As the price of gold in Federal paper money was then about two dollars and eighty-five cents, the quo- tation meant that the coal would cost Uncle Sam, in his greenback currency, more than eighty dollars a ton. The officer spent some time trying to beat down the seller, but it was no use. The Scotsman was firm. The bargain was broken off, the dealer — per- fectly friendly, though firm — insisting that while he hoped that the North would win, he had been hold- ing that coal there a long time, waiting for an Amer- ican vessel, and, as the owner of the only supply on hand, he intended to take what he considered a fair profit. The commander of the Vanderbilt denounced the price as outrageous. "Up anchor!" was the order; and, firing up with part of the few tons of coal that remained, the ship put out from the harbor. The Scot was still on his wharf, reading his newspaper, as be- fore. If weighing anchor was tried as a bluff, it had not stirred him. A few hours proved that he had no need to fear losing his prize. Contrary weather blew up, and the Vanderbilt was soon flung back into the port that she had so recently left, now with the last bushel of fuel gone. She was at the mercy of the financier of the coal heap, but he did not raise his price, nor did he lower it. The Van- derbilt took a round thousand tons at thirty dollars, gold, per ton. If a sandy-haired Scot returned to his native town soon after, a made man for the rest of his life, and a source of wonder to home-keepers who had never been out into the world we know that the lucky individual won his gains less unfairly than some larger capital- ists. Moreover, he had incidentally given the United States government a practical and valuable lesson. FIRST AID TO THE NEEDY Hints for the New Year When a man rushes into your office hurriedly and says : — "By Jingo, Dawson, I hate to speak of it, but I need $100 like the very old dickens to-day !" Answer. — "What a singular coincidence, Binks ; I do, too!" When the lovely young maiden to whom you have been paying court for months shakes her head violently and says : — ■ "No, Mr. Blithers, I cannot imagine any circum- stances under which I could be induced to marry you." Answer. — "Thanks, Miss Jones — this is a great re- lief. I was afraid you had misconstrued my atten- tions, and, of course, desired to live up to my implied obligations." When you run face to face with your tailor upon the street and he turns a cold, beady eye upon you and says : — ■ "Excuse me, Mr. Bump, but what have you to say about my little bill?" Answer. — "I don't think I have met your little Bill, Mr. Shepperton. Indeed, I didn't know you had any children at all." While he is recovering from this, jump into a taxi and proceed to break the speed laws. "My wife is getting awfully strenuous." remarked Whiffles. "Yesterday she broke a plate over my head. What would you advise me to do?" "Well," replied Sniffles, "you might buy cast-iron plates." 22 THE CHEF EGGS OF EXTINCT BIRDS The Man Who Is Fortunate Enough to Have One That Is a Legacy From the Great Auk Can Cet $1,000 for it -There Are Only Sixty- Eight Now in Existence An original story written for The Scrap Book. THE eggs of extinct birds have a value to the scientist and collector that is enormous. Probably the great auk, or garefowl, is a more familiar name to the majority of persons than any other among the list of extinct birds, its eggs being on exhibition in several museums. According to a list compiled very carefully in England some years ago, there are in existence sixty-eight of their eggs. There is one at the National Museum in Washing- ton, which was purchased in 185 1 for about one hun- dred dollars. This has increased to ten times that value since. A private collector in North London is said to have paid the largest price yet given for one of these specimens, the amount being close to one thousand five hundred dollars. Many of these eggs have interesting stories con- nected with their discovery and sale. In 1879 two were purchased at a sale in Edinburgh for four dol- lars each ; they sold a little later for two thousand four hundred dollars. Another specimen which was bought for two hundred dollars went into the hands of an American collector for the sum of eight hun- dred dollars. The great auk lived in several parts of northern Europe, in Labrador, and off the southwest coast of Iceland, where it bred in quantities on the garefowl skerries. Audubon says that it was tolerably plentiful also in Newfoundland and about Nahant. Massachu- setts. It measured about three feet in length, was black on the back, white underneath, and had a large bill. Its wings were so small that they were abso- lutely useless for flying, though they gave a valuable aid to their owner while swimming. The eggs were about five inches long by two to three inches wide, and weighed about three pounds. The moa was a gigantic bird of New Zealand which probably became extinct about the time Columbus dis- covered America. The legends among the Maoris regarding them and the discovery of their remains first became public in 1838. One of the eggs was found in the grave of a Maori, where for centuries it had lain unbroken and perfect. It measured six and a half by ten and a half inches, and was greenish color. The value of such a find is absolutely beyond any price which could be put upon it. The bird commonly referred to as the roc was the sepyornis, and is sometimes confused with the moa. Just how long it has been extinct is not known, though it is not thought to have survived to the time of man. Its habitat was Madagascar, where many of its huge eggs have been exhumed from the drifting sands of the southern portion of the island. They are about nine by thirteen inches in size, or double the size of the eggs of an ostrich, which the aepyornis probably resembled. There is a specimen in the British Mu- seum. Like the egg of the moa, it is impossible to estimate the value of such a rarity, as they are not offered for sale and, therefore, have no market price. The eggs of the white booby are highly treasured by collectors and are very rarely seen in the salesroom, most of them having been acquired by museums. This bird lived off the coast of Newfoundland, and has long been extinct. The eggs are valued by authorities at from four hundred and fifty dollars up. The aptornis is another New Zealand bird which has become extinct within a comparatively recent time. Its eggs are rare and a specimen would fetch from one thousand dollars up, if one could be found for sale. BELASCO BAITED BABY By the Judicious Manipulation of a Stick of Candy the Manager Scored a Triumph of Stage Realism IN his early years, when David Belasco was stage manager and playwright of a theater in San Fran- cisco, he was as eager for realism in his effects as he is to-day. 1 le was explaining the other night to some friends how he once managed the "baby act/' A child in arms was needed for a play, and this, being obtained, Belasco supplied himself with a stock of peppermint candy. Before it was time for the in- fant to be carried on he held up a stick of the sweet- meat before its eyes, let it suck on it for an instant, so as to get the taste, and then withdrew the dainty. His next move was to pass the candy to the man who had most to do with the child in the piece. The moment of entrance arrived, the baby was carried on, the man, according to instructions, held up the stick of candy, and the infant, its lips smeared with the stuff, instantly stretched out its arms for more. "What a clever baby !" the women in the audience would whisper to one another. "It actually knows candy by sight." And a round of applause was the stage manager's reward for his trick. It was during this same California period that one of the players in the company handed Belasco, as he supposed, a "hot one," to use the vernacular of the Rialto. During rehearsals of a new piece this actor had to speak a line containing Biblical phraseology. He had trouble with it. and began to kick at the author. "Who wrote this thing anyhow?" he demanded. "Why, David, of course," he was told. "Don't you know ■" "That explains, then." he burst out. "I always said Dave Belasco was a punk author." Visiting Relative. — "How aristocratic your father looks with all that gray hair !" The Naughty Son. — "Yes, and he's got me to thank for it, too!" THE CHEF 23 WHO ATE ROGER WILLIAMS ? The Root of an Apple Tree, Like the Tentacle of a Mythical Monster, Invaded the Grave of the Founder of the Colony of Rhode Island and the Body Disappeared THE memory of Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island, was long neglected. He died in 1683, after a long and active life, but for a long time his grave lay unmarked. In 1856 the Rev. J. H. McCarty contributed to the Ladies' Repository a series of articles on Roger Will- iams, in one of which he told the following interest- ing story of the discovery of the dead Puritan's grave, and hinted at the unconscious cannibalism of the neighbors. During a period of one hundred and eighty-three years not even a rough stone has been set up to mark the grave of the founder of Rhode Island, till the precise locality of his grave had been almost for- gotten, and could only be ascertained by the most care- ful investigation. Suffice it to say, however, the spot was found, and the exhumation was made a short time ago — though there was little to exhume. On scraping off the turf from the surface of the ground, the dim outlines of seven graves, contained within less than one square rod, revealed the burial- ground of Roger Williams. The easterly grave was identified as that of Mr. Williams. On digging down into the "charnel house" it was found that everything had passed into oblivion. The shapes of the coffins could only be traced by a black line of carcenaceous matter, the thickness of the edges of the sides of the coffins, with their ends distinctly defined. The rusted remains of the hinges and nails, with a few fragments of wood and a single round knot, was all that could be gathered from his grave. In the grave of his wife there was not a trace of anything save a single lock of braided hair which had survived the lapse of more than one hundred and eighty years. Near the grave stood a venerable apple-tree, when and by whom planted is not known. This tree had sent two of its main roots into the graves of Mr. and Mrs. Williams. The larger root had pushed its way through the earth till it reached the precise spot occupied by the skull of Roger Williams. There making a turn, as if going round the skull, it followed the direction of the backbone to the hips. Here it divided into two branches, sending one along each leg to the heel, where they both turned upward to the toes. One of these roots formed a slight crook at the knee, which makes the whole bear a close resemblance to a human form. There were the graves, emptied of every particle of human dust ! Not a trace of anything was left ! It is known to chemistry that all flesh, and the gelat- inous matter giving consistency to the bones, are re- solved into carbonic-acid gas, water and air, while the solid lime-dust usually remains. But in this case even the phosphate of lime of the bones of both graves was all gone ! There stood the "guilty apple-tree," as was said at the time, caught in the very act of ''rob- bing the grave." To explain the phenomenon is not the design of this article. Such an explanation could be given, and many other similar cases adduced. But this fact must be admitted : the organic matter of Roger Williams had been transmuted into the apple-tree ; it had passed into the woody fibre and was' capable of propelling a steam-engine ; it had bloomed in the apple-blossoms, and had become pleasant to the eye ; and more, it had gone into the fruit from year to year, so that the question might be asked, Who ate Roger Williams? FRENCH MILLIONAIRES OF OTHER CENTURIES. GREATER EXTRAVAGANCE TO-DAY. Prior to the Seventeenth Century No Frenchman Had an Income That Touched the Seven- Figure Mark. T ALES of the magnificent extravagances of France under the Louis's have led a wondering later age to think that never since has gold been lav- ished upon luxury with so free a hand. But a French writer, the Vicomte Georges d'Avenel, has taken the trouble to make comparisons, and he has found that the incomes of to-day are relatively much larger than they were one, two and three hundred years ago. The New York World has summarized from the Revue des Deux Mondcs M. d'Avenel's discoveries: For purposes of exact comparison M. d'Avenel estimates al fortunes and incomes of bygone times in terms of their equivalent value to-day, not as mere nominal sums. Up to the end of the sixteenth cen- tury, he shows, no one had an income of $1,000,000. Louis IX in the exceptional year of the crusade of 1251 spent $775,000. After the Hundred Years' War, in 1450, Charles VII's budget was $212,000. In 1516 Francis I, noted for his taste for luxury, had only $259,000 for his person and his court. Napoleon Ill's civil list amounted to $5,000,000, but Louis XIV had less than $4,000,000 for all expenses of an extravagant court. Richelieu and Mazarin derived tremendous incomes from their privileges, Mazarin leaving by will nearly $40,000,000 to the king, who refused it and let it pass to Mazarin's eight nephews and nieces. Except these three no persons up to the time of the Revolution enjoyed an income of $1,000,000, and the revenues of Richelieu and Mazarin were subject in fact to charges really connected with the state. Mme. de Maintenon. during the twenty years of her reign, received $14,000,000, but did not leave enough to pay her brother's debts. Most of the roval princesses from the thirteenth to 24 THE CHEF the fifteenth century received dowries of only about $130,000. The daughter of the President Jearmin, whose daughter had the greatest marriage of Paris in the latter part of the sixteenth century, received only $84,000. Among the nobility similar sums were very rare. The conclusion of this investigator is that the very rich to-day are six times as rich, or those of equal fortune are twelve times as many, as the richest men of the old regime ; and they are ten times as rich, or twenty times as many as the rich princes of the feudal period. CHASING THE CHEESE THERE are many curious customs still observed in connection with Whitsuntide in England. At Birdlip, near Cheltenham, the cheese is rolled. A large-sized cheese, of suitable shape is set rolling down a very steep hill, and the villagers pursue it. The prize in the race is the cheese itself, and much fun is caused by some of the runners involuntarily following its example and rolling down the hill. The roads and paths round Corby, a village in Northamptonshire, are all closed on Whit-Mondav. Then, any stranger passing must pay toll. Should he refuse, he is made to sit astride a long pole, and is then carried in triumph through the village. Possible visitors to Corby at this season will be glad to hear that this custom only occurs once in twenty years, the next date being 1913. In the more rural parts of England, Whit-Monday is a great day for match-making, the village fairs and fes- tivals bringing young men and maidens together. The day of processions, dining and general rejoicing usu- ally ends in an open-air dance, which gives a great opportunity for ambitious swains. Two pavement artists were boasting about how they could paint. "Do you know," said one, "I painted a quarter on the ground one day and a beggar nearly broke his fingers trying to pick it up ?" "That's nothing to what I did," said the other. "I painted a leg of mutton on a stone, and it was so real- like that a hungry dog ate half the stone before he found out his mistake." "Excuse me, mum," said the fashionable lady's new Irish cook, "but would you moind, now, if I had this address printed on me card?" "Why, not at all, Bridget." replied the fashionable mistress. "Of course, it is unusual, but this is your home now, and if you have a card it is perfectly proper for you to put your address on it." "Thank ye, mum," said Erin's brawny daughter. "An' I noticed ye had printed on yer cards, mum, 'At Home on Thursdays,' Would it be proper for me, mum, to have printed on moine, 'Tuesdays oflf?" " EPIGRAMS ON WOMAN WOMEN are a new race, recreated since the world received Christianity. — Beecher. Woman is the Sunday of man. — Michelet. The best woman is the woman who is the least talked about. — Old Proverb. It is love that makes time pass, and it is time that makes love pass. — Old Proverb. We should choose a wife with our ears rather than with our eyes. — Old Proverb. The desire to please is born in women before the desire to love. — Ninon de l'Enclos. A fortress that parleys with you and a woman who listens to you are both ready to surrender. — French Proverb. Let a man pray that none of his womankind should form a just estimation of him. — Thackeray. There are more persons who wish to be loved than there are who are willing to love. — Chamfort. It is not easy to be a widow ; for she must resume all the modesty of maidenhood without being able even to pretend ignorance. — Mine de Girardin. When women have been deceived by men, they wish to marry them. This is as good as any other kind of revenge. — Beaumanoir. A women is seldom so tender to a man as when she has just deceived him. — Anonymous. A woman is easily managed when a man takes her hand in his love. — La Bruyere. Love your wife as you love your soul; but shake her as you would shake a plum-tree. — Russian Proverb. A short absence quickens love ; a long absence kills it. — Mirabeau. Nature is in earnest when she makes a woman. — O. W. Holmes. Women forgive injuries, but they never forget slights. — Haliburton. Women see without looking ; their husbands often look without seeing. — Des Noyers. Wherever women are honored, the gods are satis- fied. — Hindu Proverb. A woman who has given her lips has given every- thing. — Anonymous. What is civilization? I answer, the power of good women. — Emerson. Shakespeare has no heroes ; he has only heroines.— Ruskin. Love never dies of starvation, but often of indiges- tion. — Ninon de l'Enclos. A woman with whom you discuss love is always ex- pecting something. — Poinselot. There was never yet fair woman but she made mouths in a glass. — Shakespeare. The love of a bad woman kill others ; the love of a good woman kills herself. — George Sand. THE CHEF 25 PRINCELY SPENDTHRIFTS When a Man's Desires Are Reduced to the Dire Extremity of Keeping Pace With His Accumulation of Wealth, the Value of Money Often Plays Second Fiddle to the Value of Notoriety THE society man of all ages has amused himself and gained notoriety by freaks of extravagance of many kinds. Where there is nothing to do but spend money, it becomes absolutely necessary to invent new and startling ways of doing so, otherwise even this delightful occupation would grow tiresome and existence become a blank. Since the days of the extravagant Roman Empire there have been many famous spendthrifts, some of them of royal blood, and others with no shadow of claim to such distinction, whose fetes and entertain- ments have set their contemporaries' tongues wagging even as the tongues of the modern people are loosened by a mask-ball or an up-to-date dinner. It is probably to the Prince Potemkin that the palm must go for extravagant fancy. When he was travel- ing in the Crimea with the Empress Catherine of Rus- sia he caused to be passed around for dessert at dinner a dish full of what looked like small yellow plums, but which proved to be pearls. Each guest, as it was handed to him, helped himself with a spoon — and it was not a teaspoon, either. The above is no canard, but a historical fact, which is to be found chronicled in Meakin's "Travels and Studies in Russia," as well as in several other stand- ard works of a similar high character. It proves, if proof be needed, that extravagance of living and os- tentation are not the sole prerogatives of the modern "Smart Set," in spite of all that has recently been said to the contrary. For the instance is not an isolated one. On the contrary, the history of court life in Russia, as well as in other countries, abounds with similar incidents, all well authenticated. There is, for example, the famous case of the Comte d'Artois, who spent twelve million francs (approxi- mately two million four hundred thousand dollars) in entertaining the queen for a week at his chateau of Bagatelle. Probably more than half of this immense sum, however, it should be explained, was expended in renovating and refurnishing the chateau in anticipation of the queen's visit. LUCKY BEGGARS. The eccentric Charles de Rohan, tired of lavishing money on royalties and titled dames, collected ten beggars from the highways and lanes adjacent to his estate and entertained them for ten days in his castle of Rohitsch. During the whole of this time they fared sumptuously, and were clothed every morning in costly habiliments, while a series of most magnificent masques, tournaments and other similar revels fol- lowed one another in quick succession day by day. At the end of their visit his guests were dismissed with a money gift equivalent to about two thousand seven hundred and fifty dollars, reckoning in our cur- rency and allowing for the difference in the value of money then and now. They also bore away with them the whole of the beautiful costumes they had been wearing, together with the jeweled buckles, buttons, etc., that adorned them. The cost of this exhibition of freak hospitality was colossal, but its effect was to make De Rohan the most- talked-about man in Europe for the time being ; and this, he is said to have declared, more than repaid him for his outlay. One unwritten law the smart sets of days gone by adhered to strictly, which was that, while it was good form to flaunt one's wealth in the faces of one's fellow men, it was unpardonable not to affect a profound in- difference about money as money. KING OF SPENDTHRIFTS. Thus, that king of spendthrifts, the Prince de Sou- bise, consistently declined to have so vulgar a thing even mentioned in his presence, and quarreled with one of his most intimate friends for disregarding his wishes in this respect. Yet he once lavished no less than one million two hundred thousand dollars on a single fete ; and another time he laid out four hundred thousand dollars on entertaining Louis XV one day and overnight in his country-house near Versailles. On this latter occasion it was the king himself who was the offender. "I hear," said his majesty to his host, who owed millions, "that you are in debt." The prince frowned, then yawned ostentatiously, and it was only after a lapse of several seconds that he deigned to reply. "I shall inquire of my steward and inform your ma- jesty," was his very leisurely reply. At another fete, given about the same time by the pleasure-loving Prince de Conti, a lady won a ring in a danse des dames. Knowing her host's reputation as a libertine, and fearful of raising the whisper of scan- dal against her fair fame, she stipulated that it should not be jeweled. The prince promised ; but, while keeping to the let- ter of his pledge, he broke it in spirit, for he caused to be mounted in the ring a miniature portrait of him- self, over which, in place of ordinary glass, was a large diamond ground very thin. This the lady promptly returned ; whereupon the prince had it ground to pow- der, which he used to dry the ink of the note he wrote her on the subject. 26 THE CHEF A CHEERFUL DIAMOND-LOSER. Nor must it be supposed that similar ostentatious- ness in extravagance was unknown in Britain during these same periods. The "great" Duke of Buckingham, as is well known, delighted in covering himself from head to foot in diamonds and other precious gems, and these he wore so loosely attached to his clothing that in dancing they frequently, many of them, became detached and rolled upon the ballroom floor, to be there scrambled for by the gay ladies who thronged the court of the Merry Monarch. At a later date the immensely wealthy William Beck- ford, famed as the author of "Vathek," made the smart set of his day and generation mad with envy by his extravagance and ostentation. The stories told of him in this respect are innumerable, and many of them are most probably apocryphal. But one, at least, is certainly true ; that, namely, which relates to his bizarre attempt to build upon his Fonthill estates a duplicate of what he fancifully imagined Aladdin's palace — as described in "The Arabian Nights' Enter- tainment" — to have looked like. Marble, porphyry, jade, lapis lazuli, gold, silver, ivory, ebony — everything, in fact, that is most costly in building and decorative material — were used in the erection of this gorgeous specimen of freak architec- ture. Many wild tales were told of the barbaric splendor of its interior furnishing and fittings; but Beckford kept curiosity very keenly alive by denying admission to everybody. Then, when at last the public grew weary of the subject, its owner set all the fashionable world agog again by announcing its sale by auction. Never be- fore or since was excitement so keen in such con- nection. Eight thousand catalogues at five dollars apiece were disposed of. The sale, which lasted thirty-three days, was at- tended by more than one hundred thousand people, most of whom had to camp out in tents, as there was no accommodation anywhere near for anything like that number. The gross sum realized for the build- ing and its contents was one million six hundred and fifty thousand dollars, about one-third of what it cost. GOOD BUTTONS MADE OF POTATOES Only Experts Can Detect the Difference Between Bits of Bone and Ivory and Chemically Treated Pieces of the Homely Tuber DO you button your clothes with potatoes ? Well, well, well, there's no use in getting ex- cited about it ! No offense was intended, and the question is not as impertinent as it appears. Thou- sands of persons button their clothes with potatoes. A large number of the buttons now in use, purport- ing to be made out of horn or bone or ivory, are in reality made out of the common potato, which, when treated with certain acids, becomes almost as hard as stone. This quality of the potato adapts it to button-mak- ing, and a very good grade of button is now made from this tuber. The potato button cannot be distinguished from others save by a careful examination, and even then only by an expert, since they are colored to suit the goods on which they are to be used, and are every whit as good-looking as a button of bone or ivory. CAMELS ARE OUTDONE BY OTHER ABSTAINERS Rivals of the "Ship of the Desert" Make Him Look Like a Heavy Drinker When Comparisons Are Indulged in WHILE the camel has been receiving all the glory and advertisement for its remarkable abstinence from liquid refreshment, there have been other crea- tures living in obscurity which, in comparison, make the "ship of the desert" look like a heavy drinker. There are sheep in the southwestern deserts, for in- stance, which go from forty to sixty days in winter without drink, grazing on the green, succulent vege- tation of that season. Peccaries in the desert of So- nora live in little dry hills where there is no natural water for long periods. They cannot possibly find wa- ter, in fact, for months at a time. The only moisture they can obtain comes from roots and the fruits of cacti. But the most extraordinary case is that of the pocket mouse, one of the common rodents of the desert. This little creature, by the way, has a genuine fur- lined "pocket" on the outside of its cheek. When it is hungry it takes food from this pocket with its paws. OUR LANGUAGE ONLY TRULY DEFINES HOME The Sentiment and Ideas Which It Expresses Are Lost in Other Countries' Substitutes IN no cither language, according to the London Tele- graph, is there a word expressing the ideas and as- sociations which are aroused at the sound of the simple yet heart-touching word "home." A Frenchman once translated Cardinal Newman's hymn, "Lead, Kindlv Light," and in his hands the beautiful line, "The night is dark, and I am far from home." became "La nuit est sombre, et je suis loin de mon foyer," the translator having been obliged to use for home the French word which describes hearth. The Italian and Spanish "casa," the German "haus" — their "heim" is too general to have any particular value — and the Russian "doma," all refer to a build- ing of some kind or other, and have none of the memories and associations that cluster round the precious British word. THE CHEF 27 PURSUIT OF A HUSBAND BY THE MODERN WOMAN After All, Says the New York Times, It Is Doubtless Better for Man to be Chosen Than for Him to Choose TAKING up a discussion inaugurated by the St. James Gazette, of London, the New York Times says what it has to say on the subject of choosing wives. v The English paper said frankly that the title would better be, "The Choice of a Husband," inasmuch as the male, though unaware of the fact, is generally not the pursuer, but the pursued. This condition, however, is by no means to the discredit of woman. As the Times remarks, "A young woman whose in- tentions are both serious and honorable has nothing at all to be ashamed of in endeavoring by all womanly means to acquire the man whom she believes she can make happy and knows that she means to try to." In America and England there is objection to the man who marries for any other reason than being in love. Yet the mariage de coin enance is not altogether without legitimate recommendations. To quote the Times: If one is really bent on making a marriage of rea- son instead of waiting for a "call," excellent recipes may be given to him. A wise man once advised his son, who had shown some disposition to choose instead of waiting to be chosen, to "look for a good woman's daughter." It would be hard to find any better basis for a happy union. In general, of course, mixed marriages, whether the mixture be of religion or of country, would be viewed by a wise adviser with apprehension, although Lord Curzon's experience is only one of very many as to the possible happiness of marriages between persons of different nationalities, much more alike as are the nationalities of Lord and Lady Curzon than any other two nationalities. Dr. Johnson's famous saying that marriages would be happier if they were arranged by the Lord Chan- cellor, due regard being paid to the ages and conditions of the parties, has never been accepted as a working rule in his own country. There is the wholly "rea- sonable" and extremely circumspect Count Boni Cas- tellane, whose marriage of reason has so lately been shown to be so far from a success. There are quite enough more failures of the same kind to offset the unhappy marriages of romance. It is of these, of course, that Burton declares that matches are made in heaven, though matches of the sulphurous kind, of which all of us know some in- stances, suggest a very different place of manufacture. THE MARRIAGE OF REASON Swift's saying that the reason why so few mar- riages are happy is that "young ladies spend their time in making nets, not in making cages," is doubly outrageous. In the first place it is an outrageous begging of the question. The testimony of less cyni- cal observers in our day and country is that most marriages are entitled to be called happy. In the second place it outrageously puts the whole blame for unhappy marriages on the female partner, contrary alike to probability and to fact. But at least as many of the marriages are failures in which men "choose" their wives, or think they do, as in cases in which men become the prey of their own imagina- tions. And there is this to be said from the point of view of reason in favor of marriages with which rea- son has nothing to do. In the first months of married life there are necessarily very many differences to be adjusted and small incompatibilities of ways of think- ing and feeling to be reconciled. That, as all experi- enced spouses know, is the trying period. Marriage is like life in that it is a school wherein whoso does not learn must suffer. Now, to diminish the friction of this trying time no better lubricant could possibly be provided than the romantic love, which cannot be expected to last forever, but which may very probably outlast this greatest necessity for it of the early connubial period. When the glamour of the romance "fades into the light of common day," and a real man and a real wom- an take the places of the creatures of each other's fancy, and passion cools into at best the tenderest of friendships, b6th parties are better off, and will ac- knowledge themselves to be better off because the romance has been. "In erring reason's spite" all man- kind will continue to love a lover, and justly so. ARE YOU SUPERSTITIOUS? It is unlucky to be kicked in the back by a piebald horse on a Sunday. When cycling in front of a green motor-'bus, it is unlucky to skid and fall off. All the luck of an iron horseshoe is lost if, when picking it up, you are inadvertently run over. When traveling by rail, it is distinctly unlucky to be alone in a carriage with a homicidal maniac. If on your wedding-day the clergyman forgets to ask you for his fee you may consider yourself very lucky indeed. If at dinner you upset your soup-plate five times it is a sign that you will not be asked again. You are unlucky. 28 THE CHEF BALZAC'S VIEWS OF WOMEN. Honore de Balzac (1799-1850) has been pronounced by many eminent critics the most truly great of all the wri- ters of fiction that France has produced. This judgment has been questioned at times by admirers of Hugo and Dumas, but on one point all students of French literature agree — that as an analyst of human character Honore de Balzac never has had a peer. As might have been expected of such a profound student of human nature, Balzac on various occasions attempted to analyze the character of woman. Many millions of men had essayed this task before Balzac's time and had failed, as millions of other men have been failing ever since. Philosophers have been the first to despair, for they contend that no woman ever thoroughly understands herself or any other member of her sex — in short, that -.he is to be understood only by the angels. But it is gen- erally believed that Balzac came nearer the truth in his estimate of woman than any other novelist has done. Na- turally his views were conflicting. WHEN a woman pronounces the name of a man but twice a day, there may be some doubt as to the nature of her sentiment — but three times ! In courting women, many dry wood for a fire that will not burn for them. No man has yet discovered the means of success- fully giving friendly advice to women — not even to his own. A man who can love deeply is never utterly con- temptible. Wornen are constantly the dupes, or else the victims, of their extreme sensitiveness. A man must be a fool who does not succeed in mak- ing a woman believe that which flatters her. A woman when she has passed forty becomes an illegible scrawl ; only an old woman is capable of di- vining old women. The mistakes of a woman result almost always from her faith in the good and her confidence in the truth. Woman is a charming creature, who changes her heart as easily as her gloves. The man who can govern a woman can govern a nation. In the elevated order of ideas, the life of man is glory ; the life of woman is love. Marriage has its unknown great men as war has its Napoleons and philosophy its Descartes. The Indian axiom, "Do not strike even with a flower a woman guilty of a hundred crimes," is my rule of conduct. Most women proceed like the flea, by leaps and jumps. When women love us, they forgive us everything, even our crimes. When they do not love us, they give us credit for nothing, not even for our virtues. Marriage should combat without respite or mercy that monster which devours everything — habit. There is one thing admirable in women ; thev never reason about their blameworthy actions ; even in their dissimulation there is an element of sincerity. £5 FOR A PLATE OF GOOSEBERRIES SOME were enthusiastic collectors of old almanacs ; others were passionately fond of children's white mice. And all were willing to pay any price for the satisfaction of these crazes. "Name your figure," said the candidate. "Is a pound too much?'' asked the voter. "Nonsense, man, you have no idea of the value of these things !" cried the candidate, and, scorn- ing to take advantage of the voter's ignorance or simplicity, he added, "Here are two guineas for you!" Is it any wonder that on such an exciting occasion candidates should be flustered anil prone to absent- mindedness? At any rate, in a certain contest one of the candidates seemed to suffer from an extraor- dinary lapse of memory. He forgot his umbrella in almost every house he visited, and when the little girl or the little boy of the elector ran after him with it, how profuse were his thanks as he slipped a half- sovereign into the child's hand. "I carried the con- stituency with my umbrella!" was his boast in the smoking-room of the House of Commons. Indeed, the generosity of candidates knew no bounds. At a Sudbury election in 1826 a candidate gave a greengrocer a £5 note for a plate of goose- berries. He paid the butcher and the baker, the printer and the billsticker at equally extravagant rates. At Great Marlow an agricultural voter got a sow with a litter of nine for a penny. And Brinsley Sheridan was so fond of peas during his successful contest at Stafford in 1784 that he insisted upon buying them at £2 12s. 6d. the quart! SHE HAD KEPT HIS SECRET They were discussing that old, old accusation against woman, that she cannot keep a secret. A lady had listened attentively to the discussion, then at last she said : — "A woman can keep an important secret as well as a man. The secrets she reveals are slight and harm- less ones, such as any man would reveal. Where is the woman who ever tells a secret that reflects on her husband or on her own children ? "I know a man who one day refused to tell his wife the outcome of a business transaction, in which, quite naturally, she took a deep interest. ' 'No,' he sneered, when she asked him about it. 'You women make me tired; you can never keep a secret.' ' 'Roger, my dear,' replied the wife, in quiet, even tones, 'have I ever told the secret about the solitaire engagement ring you gave me eighteen years ago be- ing paste?' And then he told her all about that business trans- action, and he did not omit a single tiny detail, either." It is unlucky to be the thirteenth guest at a dinner- table which is laid for twelve only. The better course is to wait until you receive an invitation. HOW TO USE COLD SALMON, COD OR HALIBUT. Fry lightly, but do not brown, one slice of onion and a sprig of parsley in three tablespoonfuls of butter. Remove the onion and pour sauce over fish. THE CHEF 29 JOKES ON THE DIRECTORY Though Men With Indolent Minds May Think It as Easy to Extract Sunbeams from Cucumbers as to Get Humor Out of the Solemn Register of Gothamites and Their Places of Residence, the Task Is Not so Formidable as it Seems A DIRECTORY is not the kind of book a person would take up and peruse as an antidote for the "blues," but with a fair amount of patience and a sense of humor much entertainment can be got out of one of those dry-looking volumes. If a man is going to make puns on other folks' names, and a good many of us aren't always able to resist the temptation, the directory is the best place in which to do it, because there are plenty of names to choose from, and he can make a butt of Mr. Mark, or Mr. Goodfellow, and avoid people like Mr. Savage and Mr. Kick. Also, any man with a few friends can keep them more easily if he will only go to the directory and pick out the name of some stranger to pun with, when the fit is on him. The New York City directory is a peculiarly rich field for such opportuni- ties. Says the pun expert of the New York World: "Take, for instance, our own city directory. That it has more names than its immediate predecessor, and that this indicates that New York has grown just as much in population in just such a time — these things go without saying. "But what reference is made in the direction to that great matter of Love, which has ruled the world for no one knows how many years ? Go through the book, dear reader, and you will find that it contains forty-seven Loves, one Heart, and one Lover. There are twenty Spooners, two Huggers, sixty-one Darlings, three Dears, five Petts, three Sparks, six Kisses, three Smacks, and ten Hugs. "A study of the directory shows, too, that, despite its boasted democracy, New York is endowed with five and one-half columns of Kings, twelve Queens, one column of Princes, twenty-four Dukes, thirty-eight Earls, and eighty-two Lords. There are sixteen Cas- tles for all this royalty to dwell in. "The spiritual welfare of the city ought to be well looked after, also, for we find listed sixty-three Popes, four Cardinals, one hundred and thirty-two Abbots, nine Abbeys, eleven Priests, twenty Parishes, two Chapels, thirty-eight Elders, one column and three- quarters of Parsons, two columns of Deans, twelve Deacons, one column of Churches, forty-eight Sextons, twenty-eight Christians, and eight Bibles. "It speaks pretty well for New York's sobriety and general good character that notwithstanding the vast number of people whose names are in the directory there are only two Lushers, one Bum, fourteen Bunns, thirteen Batts, four Lushes, fifteen Stills, three Lodes, and one Booz. In the matter of smoking, great tem- perance is shown, too, for there is listed but one Smoker, one Pipe, and one Smoke. "Father Knickerbocker's barber shop is well filled. It has sixty-seven Barbers and five Shavers. Quite a bunch to look after only thirty Beards and one Hair, but it has one Pole out and is ready to do business. "There are four and one-half columns of Bakers, fourteen Rolls, one Cakebread, and one Pies, and he is a Harlem baker, by the way. "That New York is still a young town is shown by the fact that there are seven columns of Youngs and only six Olds. The comparison of seven Fatts as against one Skinney doesn't constitute a bad show- ing, either. "The first name in the directory — the Abou ben Adhem who leads all the rest — is Jacques Aa, and the last name is Louis Zyss. There are twelve names that begin with X, nine columns of Joneses, thirty-five col- umns of Smiths, two columns of John Smiths, and nineteen columns of Browns." George C. Engel Co., WHOLESALE DEALERS AND DIRECT RECEIVERS OF Meats, Poultry, Foreign and Domestic Game 99 BARCLAY ST., NEW YORK 3o THE CHEF ITJouquin DOWNTOWN : 20 Ann St. and 149 Fulton St. near the Post Office UPTOWN : Sixth Avenue and 28th Street The Most Popular French Restaurants in New York *~ ICONFISEUR Patisserie Classique French Bon-Bons Chocolates Ice Cream Complete Service For Buffets, Teas, Receptions, Suppers, Banquets, Dinners and Weddings Menus and Estimates Furnished 67-69 West 44th St., New York Telephone 4278 Bryant Mail, Telegraph »nd Telephone Orders Receive Prompt Attention THE CHEF 3* TELEPHONE 4900 CHELSEA CABLE ADDRESS SILZ - NEW YORK MZ% - § ' ' && A. Silz Poultry and Game Hotels Clubs Restaurants and Steamships Supplied 414-416-418 WEST FOURTEENTH STREET NEAR NINTH AVENUE NEW YORK THE FIRST BRAND IN THE WORLD EVERY DROP A COMFORT EVERY SIP A DELIGHT USENIER'S ELEBRATED ORDIALS Hotel Brevoort (OLD BREVOORT HOUSE) FIFTH AVE. AND EIGHT rl STREET NEW YORK CITY European 1 Ian An Unexcelled Cuisine Situated in the most delightful part of Fifth Avenue RAYMOND ORTEIG Proprietor Cafe Lafayette ( OLD MARTINS) UNIVERSITY PLACE AND NINTH ST. NEW YORK CITY New York's Famous Restaurant RAYMOND ORTEIG Proprietor 32 THE CHEF EL1E J. MONEUSE, President ESTABLISHED 1852 LOUIS H. HUOT, Vice President DUPARQUET, HUOT & MONEUSE CO. MANUFACTURERS OF FRENCH COOKING RANGES and COOKING EQUIPMENTS of every description for Hotels, Restaurants, Clubs, Families, Institutions, etc. Layouts and Details, Also Catalogues, furnished on Application 43-45 WOOSTER STREET, NEW YORK BRANCH HOUSES : 1420 Penn Avenue, N. \\\, WASHINGTON, D. C; 88-90 North Street, BOSTON Mass. The World's Richest Legacy. Immured in an Asylum, a True Son of Nature Who Had Won Distinction at the Bar Wrote a Will, Which Only the Divine Surrogate Can Set Aside, Bequeathing Priceless Possessions to Mankind. CflfltlfjS 'HoitUSbcrtp, being of sound and disposing mind and memory, do hereby make and publish this, my last will and testament, in order, as justly as may be, to distribute my interest in the world among succeeding men. That part of my interest which is known in law and recognized in the sheep-bound volumes as my property, being inconsiderable and of none account, I make no disposition of in this, my will. My right to live, being but a life estate, is not at my disposal, but these things ex- cepted, all else in the world I now proceed to devise and bequeath. Item: I give to good fathers and mothers in trust for their children, all good little words of praise and encouragement, and all quaint pet names and endearments, and I charge said parents to use them justly, but generously, as the needs of their children shall require. Item: 1 leave to children inclusively, but only for the term of their childhood, all and every, the flowers of the fields, and the blossoms of the woods, with the right to play among them freely according to the customs of children, warning them at the same time against thistles and thorns. And I devise to children the banks of the brooks and the golden sands beneath the waters thereof, and the odors of the willows that dip therein and the white clouds that float high over the giant trees. And I leave to children the long, long days to be merry in, in a thousand ways, and the night, and the moon, and the train of the Milky Way to wonder at, but subject, nev- ertheless, to the rights hereinafter given to lovers. Item : I devise to boys jointly, all the useful, idle fields and commons where ball may be plaved ; all pleasant waters where one may swim ; all snowclad hills where one may coast; and all streams and ponds where one may fish, or where, when grim winter comes, one may skate, to have and to hold these same for the period of their boyhood. And all meadows, with the clover blossoms and butterflies thereof ; the woods with their appurtenances, the squirrels and the birds and echoes and strange noises, and all distant places which may be visited, together with the adventures there found. And I give to said boys each his own place at the fireside at night, with all the pictures that may be seen in the burning wood, to enjoy without let or hindrance, and without any encum- brance of care. Item: To lovers, I devise their imaginary world with whatever they may need, as the stars of the skv, the red roses by the wall, the bloom of the hawthorn, the sweet strains of music, and might else they may desire to figure to each other the lastingness and beauty of their love. Item; To young men, jointly, I devise and bequeath all boisterous, inspiring sports of rivalry, and I give to them the disdain of weakness and undaunted confidence in their own strength. Though they are rude. I leave to them the power to make last- ing friendships, and of possessing companions, and to them exclusively, I give all merry songs and brave choruses to sing with lusty voices. Item: And to those who are no longer children, or youths, or lovers, I leave memory, and I bequeath to them the volumes of the poems of Burns and Shakespeare and of other poems, if there be others, to the end that they may live the old days over again, freely and fully without title or diminution. Item : To our loved ones with snowy crowns, I bequeath the happiness of old age, the love and gratitude of their children until they fall asleep. GENUINE SWISS MILK CHOCOLATE If you have never eaten Cailler's, you cannot realize the true meaning of the "Cailler taste." Cailler's Genuine Swiss Milk Chocolate is the most toothsome of confections — made from th ! choicest cocoa, the purest sugar, and rich, creamy Swiss milk in Mr. F. L. Cailler's model factory at Broc, Switzerland. Net one of the imitations has the fine flavor, the delicate smoothness, and th'e rare satisfying quality of Cailler's. Learn the " Cailler taste" by sending to-day for a free sample to J. H. FREYMANN General Agent for United States 60 University Place New York CAREY FRE?S. N. V. «IAR 2S fS»t> Read What "THE CHEF" Says: (HIS Magazine is an instructor for every household, and must be appreciated by every woman who desires to further the happiness of her home. James J. Hill, the great financier and rail- road builder, says: "That for the want of good cooking, more homes are broken up and more divorces result, than from any other cause." There is no doubt of the truth of this statement, and this can be remedied to a great degree, if women will attract the Father, Son, Husband, or Brother, to the home, where he can anticipate, not only a neatly set table, but tasty food, prepared by his Mother, Wife, or Sister, or under their direction. 'The Chef" will help you do this, our detailed recipes will do this for you, and our columns are open to our readers. We will gladly answer any questions for information sought in the cooking line. Subscribe now, and become an efficient and economical director of the culinary department of your household. SUBSCRIPTION $1.00 PER YEAR The Chef Magazine 225 5th Avenue, New York Cbc CM magazine Volume 1 APRIL, 1910 Number 3 . . . TABLE OF CONTENTS . . . PAGE. Portrait of Prosper Grevillot Cover Articles of Animal and Vegetable Origin that Form the Diet of man 3 Prosper Grevillot's Career in America 7 For the Want of Good Cooking Many a Home Is Broken Up 7 Subject of Thought for the Economical Housekeeper 8 New Wine Made Old 9 Food in Cold Storage Plant 9 Recipes in Detail : — Kidney Saute with Mushrooms 11 Eggs a la Campagne — Suburban Style 12 Pineapple Fritters 14 Cauliflower — Polonaise Style 16 Three-Fish Dinners Always in Season 17 Friday Luncheon 18 Canape of Kippered Herring 18 Veal May Be Served in Various Ways 18 Brunswick Stew 18 Soups and Vegetables : — Split Pea Soup 19 Corn Starch Tomato Soup 19 Baked Split Pea Puree 19 Baked Bean Puree 19 Carrots a la Maitre d'Hotel 19 Sweet Potatoes — Georgia Style , 19 Egg Plant Sicilienne Style 19 A Toast 19 Mabel's Cake Recipes : — Mabel's Black Layer or Loaf Cake 20 Fine Pound Cake 20 Tasty Muffins 20 Chestnut Patties 20 German Mardi Gras Cake 20 Fig Almond Paste 20 Cocoanut Butter Drops 20 Filling and Icing 20 Toasts 20 How the Japanese Strengthen the Stomach 21 New Use Found for Grape Fruit 23 A Toast 23 Some Jokes on Royalty 24 Sheep's Coat Made Man's in Half a Day 24 Some Things Useful to Know in Every Household 2^ Things. Not What They Are Called 26 International Menu for a Dinner Party 26 Drink Two Quarts of Water Every Day 27 Man Will Be Forced Back to the Farm 28 Is the Family as a Unit Passing Away 28 Is High Cost of Living Due to Woman 29 Prices Too High, Says Cardinal Gibbons 29 The Average Age of Animals 29 Eugene F. Vacheron, President. J. B. Sabine, Treasurer. H. Herbert Vacheron, Secretary, 225 Fifth Ave. YEARLY SUBSCRIPTION, $1.00 SINGLE COPY, 15 CENTS Copyright, 1910, by "The Chef" Publishing Co. Trade-Mark Registered Published Monthly by "The Chef" Publishing Co. Address all Communications to "The Chef" Magazine 225 Fifth Avenue, New York THE CHEF OUR CONTRIBUTORS S O'M EOF The Best Known French Chefs In New York Mr. Eugene Lapperruque Chef Plaza Hotel, N. Y. " Prosper Grevillot Delmonico's For 35 Years, New York " Emile Bailly " St. Regis Hotel, N. Y. " J. Balard " Cafe Martin, N. Y. " E.Gigoux " NewGrandHotelN.Y. " Leony Derouet Grand Union Hotel, New York " J. Colombin " Belmont Hotel, N. Y. " Lucien Fromente Cafe de I'Opera, N. Y. " Jules Biron " St. Denis Hotel, N. Y. " Henri Rosier " Windsor Hotel, Montreal, Canada " X. Kuzmier " Gotham Hotel, N. Y. " Henri Dousseau Metropolitan Club, New York " Lucien Bernard " Hotel Brevoort, N.Y. " J. Gancel " " Belleclaire, N.Y. " Louis Seres " Holland House, N.Y. " Henry Pauchey Hotel Gramatan, New York " Teilliaud " of Col. J. J. Astor, New York " Negre " of D. O. Mills, N. Y. " Valta " M.Orme Wilson, N.Y. " Drederick " of George Widener, Philadelphia " Adams " of Robert Goelet " Rhiel " of Clarence Mackay " Ribeyre " of H.McKayTwombley " Labeille " of Mrs. Sloan (gCI.B2<>923 1 "THE CHEF" MAGAZINE Vol. 1. No. 3 APRIL, 1910 15 CENTS A Cooking School in the Mountains. ARTICLES OF ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE ORIGIN THAT FORM THE DIET OF MAN OOMETIMES this term includes also spices, vine- ^gar and similar articles which, strictly speaking, are not foods, but are more properly called food acces- sories or condiments. A study of food and the feed- ing of the body, i. e., nutrition should include knowl- edge of the requirements and the chemical composi- tion, the laws of energy and of the metabolism of matter. Account must be taken of methods of prepar- ing and cooking foods, of the hygiene, the compara- tive pecuniary value, the quantities of foods eaten, etc. Some of these subjects require investigations by specially devised methods ; others are carried on by help of physiological chemistry, bacteriology and other related sciences. From the standpoint of nutrition, food may be defined as substance that builds tissue or yields energy when taken into the body. The most healthful food is that which is best fitted to the needs of the user; the cheapest food is that which furnishes the largest amount of nutriment at the least cost. In general, the best food is that which is both the cheap- est and the most healthful. The substances that nourish the body are very similar in chemical composition to those that compose it. There are from fifteen to twenty chemical elements, the most abundant of which are oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus and sulphur. The elements are combined in a great va- riety of ways in the compounds of both the food and the body. Five general classes of these substances are made as follows : Water, mineral matter, protein, fats and carbohydrates, the first two of which are called inorganic, the other three organic. In addition to material supplied in food, the body requires oxygen of the air for the oxidation of nutrients and the pro- duction of energy. INORGANIC CONSTITUENTS. Water is the most abundant of the substances men- tioned. It is a component part of all the tissues, and forms over 6o per cent, by weight of the body of the average man. Though very important physiologi- cally, it neither builds tissue nor yields energy. Other THE CHEF food ingredients which yield little or no energy, and yet are indispensable to the body, are the mineral matters, i. e., those substances that remain as ash when body or food tissue is burned. They consist mainly of phosphate of lime or calcium phosphate, the mineral basis of bone, and numerous compounds of potassium, sodium, magnesium and iron. They form only five or six per cent, by weight of the body, and are found chiefly in the bones and the teeth, but are present in the other tissues and also in solution in the various fluids. ORGANIC CONSTITUENTS. The organic compounds are so called because they occur principally in the organic, i. e., the animal and vegetable world. They all contain carbon, oxygen and hydrogen in varying proportions. Some also contain nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur or other elements. The protein group includes all compounds that contain ni- trogen ; for example, the lean and gristle of meat, the white of eggs and the gluten of wheat. Protein forms about 1 8 per cent, by weight of the body of the average man. Among the protein constituents of foods, the albuminoids, being the true tissue-formers, are the most important. Protein is the organic basis of bone, muscle and other tissues, and is essential to the body structure. It is also used as fuel — that is, burned in the body to yield energy — and is to some extent transformed into fat and stored in the body, but these are its less important uses. The protein compounds are most abundant in some of the animal foods, as lean meat, though the cereals contain them in considerable, and dried peas and beans in large proportions. Fats occur chiefly in animal foods, as meat, fish, butter, etc., but in considerable quantities in some ce- reals, notably oatmeal and maize (whole kernel), and in various nuts. They are also abundant in some vegetable products, such as olives and cottonseed, from which they are expressed as oil. In our bodies and in those of animals, fats occur in minute particles scat- tered through the various tissues and in masses under the skin and in other localities. The amount of fat in the body varies greatly with food, exercise, age and other conditions. When more food is taken than nec- essary for immediate use, part of the surplus may be stored in the body. The protein and fat of food may thus become body protein and body fat ; sugar and starch of food are changed to fat in the body and stored as much. When the food supply is short this reserve material is drawn upon for supplementary fuel. Fats form about 15 per cent, by weight of body of an average man. CARBOHYDRATES. Carbohydrates, which include such compounds as starch, different kinds of sugar and the cellulose or fibre of plants, are found chiefly in the vegetable foods like cereal grains and potatoes form only a very small proportion of the body tissues, less than one per cent. Milk, however, contains considerable amount of milk- sugar which is a carbohydrate. Starches and sugars, which are very abundant in ordinary vegetable food materials, are important food substances, because they are easily digested and because they form an abun- dant source of energy. They may be, and often are, transformed into fat in the body. To a greater or less extent, the different nutrients can do one another's work. If the body has not enough of one kind of fuel, it can use another. But while protein may be burned in the body in the place of fats and carbohydrates neither of the latter can take the place of the albuminoids in building and re- pairing the tissues. By being consumed themselves, however, they protect the albuminoids from consump- tion. REFUSE. Food as it is bought at the market, or even as it is served at the table, contains more or less of materials — such as the bones of meat and fish, the shells of eggs and the skins and the seeds of fruits and vege- tables, which we cannot and do not eat, and which would have little or no nutritive value if we did eat them. In discussing the chemical composition of foods such portions are usually counted as refuse, but they make an important item when we consider the actual cost of the nutrients of food. The materials grouped together as refuse contain, in part, the same ingredi- ents as the edible portion, though usually in very different proportions. Thus bones are largely mineral matter, bran of wheat has a high content of fibre of woody material. THE BODY AS A MACHINE. Blood and muscle, bone and tendon, brain and nerve, all the organs and tissues of the body, are built from the nutritive ingredients of food. With every motion of the body, with the exercise of feel- ing and of thought, material is consumed and must be resupplied by food. In a sense, the body is a su- perior machine, and like other machines it requires material to build up its several parts, to repair them as they are worn out, and to serve as fuel. In some ways it uses this material like a machine ; in other ways it does not. The steam engine gets its power from fuel; the body does the same. In the one case coal or wood, in the other food, is the fuel. In both cases the energy, the potential energy, which is latent in the fuel, is transformed into heat and power. When coal is burned in a furnace, part of its potential energy is transformed into the mechanical power. The mechanical power is employed for muscular work. The heat is used to keep the body warm, and when more is generated than is needed for that purpose, it is wasted as in the case of the engine. However, the body is much more economical in the use of fuel than any engine. One important difference between the THE CHEF human machine and the steam-engine is that the former is self-building, self-repairing and self-regulat- ing. Another is that the material of which the engine is built is very different from that which is used for fuel, but part of the material which serves the body for fuel also builds it up and keeps it in repair. Furthermore, the body can use its own substance for fuel; the steam-engine cannot. The fuel value of food may be readily determined by burning samples in a bomb calorimeter, in an at- mosphere of oxygen to secure ready and complete combustion. The heat given off passes through the walls of the bomb, and is taken up by a known vol- ume of water of known temperature. From the in- crease in the temperature of water the amount of heat liberated is calculated. The unit commonly used to express the energy value of food is the calorie, i. e., the amount of heat which would raise the tempera- ture of some kilogram of water i°C, or what is nearly the same thing, one pound of water 4°F. In- stead of this a unit of mechanical energy, the foot-ton, for instance, may be used. This represents the force required to raise a weight of one ton to the height of one foot. One calorie is equal to nearly 1.54 foot- tons ; that is to say, one calorie of heat, when trans- formed into mechanical power, would suffice to lift one ton 1.54 feet. Taking our common food mate- rials as they are used in ordinary diet, the following general estimate has been made for the energy fur- nished to the body by one gram or one pound of each of the classes of nutrients: Protein, fuel value, 4 calories per gram, or 1,820 calories per pound. Fats, fuel value, 8.9 calories per gram, or 4,040 calories per pound. Carbohydrates, fuel value, 4 calories per gram, or 1,820 calories per pound. When we compare the nutrients in respect to their fuel ; that is, their capacities for yielding heat and mechanical power, it will be seen that a pound of protein or lean meat or albumen of egg, is just about equivalent to a pound of sugar or starch, and a little over two pounds of either would be required to equal a pound of the fat of meat or butter or of body fat. DIGESTIBILITY. Not only is composition considered in valuing a food, but digestibility also. Digestibility is a term used to indicate the ease or difficulty with which a food parts with nutrients to the body in passing through the digestive tract. The changes which food undergoes in digestion are brought about by ferments which are secreted by the digestive organs. ALIMENTARY SYSTEM ; ORGANS OF DIGESTION. The ptyalin of saliva in the mouth changes insoluble starches into sugar. The food does not remain in the mouth for a long time, but nevertheless the action of the saliva is considerable. Saliva also helps to pre- pare the food for the stomach by moistening it and making its texture such that the gastric juices of the stomach may readily act upon it. The gastric juice acts upon protein, the pancreatic juice of the intestine upon protein, fat and carbohydrates. All the digestive juices are assisted by a fine division of the food in chewing and by muscular contractions, called the per- istaltic action of the stomach and intestine. These lat- ter motions help to mix the digestive juices and their ferments with the food. The otherwise insoluble nu- trients of food are rendered soluble by digestion. The digested food finds its way through the walls of the alimentary canal, and in this passage and later under- goes remarkable changes. When finally the blood, supplied with nutrients of the digested food and laden with the oxygen from the lungs, is propelled from the heart all over the body, it is ready to furnish the organs and tissues with the materials and energy needed for the various functions. At the same time it carries away the waste which the exercise of these functions has produced. The living body tissue has the power of choosing the necessary materials from the blood and building them into its own structure. Just how this is done cannot be explained. That por- tion of the food which the digestive juices cannot dis- solve, or which for some reason escapes digestion, is periodically explained as faeces. This material in- cludes not only indigestible material and particles of undigested food, but also the so-called metabolic pro- ducts, i. e., residues of the digestive juices, bits of the lining of the alimentary canal, etc. The digestibility of any food may be learned most satisfactorily by experiements with man, although ex- periments are also made by methods of artificial di- gestion. In the experiments with man both food and faeces are analyzed. Deducting the amounts of the several nutrients in the faeces from the total amounts of each nutrient consumed shows how much of each was digested. As a general rule, carbohydrates are more com- pletely digested than protein and fats, and hence are more fully available for use in the body ; and protein of animal foods, as meat, fish, milk and eggs is more digestible than that of vegetable foods. Fats are prob- ably less digestible than most forms of protein and carbohydrates. Other things being equal food fur- nishing nutrients which can be most easily and com- pletely utilized by the body are the most desirable, since they will not bring unnecessary exertion to the various organs. Many kinds of food which in their natural state hold the most valuable nutrients in such form that the digestive juices cannot easily work upon them are so changed by the heat of cooking that they become easily digestible. Thus the importance of proper cooking can hardly be over-estimated. Things which please the palate stimulate the flow of the diges- tible juices ; for this reason food should be made ap- petizing. An attractive diet pleases the aesthetic sense : hence refinement in food habits is as desirable THE CHEF as in any other phase of our daily life. The sense of comfort and satisfaction produced by even the ap- pearance of food well cooked and served is of indis- putable value. Fortunately such satisfaction is within the reach of almost all. EASE AND QUICKNESS OF DIGESTION. The terms digestible, indigestible, etc., as used above, refer simply to the food which is or is not available for the general nourishment of the body af- ter the process of digestion is completed. In common parlance, however, they are used more loosely as re- ferring to the ease and quickness of digestion, and to the general wholesomeness of food. One kind of food bread, for instance, is spoken of as "simple" and di- gestible. There is often much practical truth behind such statements, though little is definitely known con- cerning the time or labor required to digest different kinds of food. Food does not ordinarily pass from the stomach into the intestine until it has been re- duced to a liquid or semi-liquid condition. The length of time required for different foods to leave the stomach has recently been studied by Penzoldt, among others, with healthy men. He found that the amount and consistency of food have a marked influence on the rate of digestion in the stomach. According to his investigations, fluids leave the stomach more rap- idly than other materials. Hot drinks do not leave the stomach more quickly than cold ones, nor does the quantity have much effect. Solid matter in solu- tion or suspension delays the passage of fluid from the stomach somewhat. The consistency of solid foods thus seems to have more effect upon di- gestibility than the amount consumed. The quantity eaten increases the length of time the material remains in the stomach, but not proportionally. To select a few examples of the time required for food to leave the stomach: Two eggs (raw, poached, or in the form of an omelet), seven ounces of sweet- breads, ten moderate-sized oysters, seven ounces of white fish or three and one-half ounces of white bread, cauliflowers or cherries, each required two or three hours to digest. Eight and one-fourth ounces of chicken, nine ounces of lean beef, six ounces of boiled ham, three and one-half ounces of roast veal or beef- steak, five and one-third ounces of coarse bread, boiled rice, carrots, spinach, radish or apple, left the stomach in three to four hours. Nine ounces of smoked tongue, three and one-half ounces of smoked beef, nine ounces of roast goose, five and one-third ounces of string beans or seven ounces of pease porridge left the stomach in four to five hours. Generally speaking, the most readily digested ani- mal foods were materials of soft consistency. White meats, for example (chicken), leave the stomach more quickly than red meats or dark meats — for instance duck. The method of cooking also exerts a very marked influence on stomach digestion. Fresh fish was found to be more readily digested than meats. As regard vegetable foods in general, the consistency and the amounts of solid material were again the prin- cipal factors affecting the time required for digestion in the stomach. Mealy potatoes, for instance, were more easily digested than waxy potatoes, and mashed potatoes more readily than potatoes cut up in pieces. Fine bread was more quickly digested than coarse bread. There was not much difference in the time required for bread-crust, bread-crumb, toast, new bread and stale bread to digest in the stomach, pro- vided all were equally well chewed. It must be remembered that digestion continues in the intestine, and that the total time required for di- gestion and absorption of the nutrients in any given food material is not shown by such experiments as those just mentioned. They find their chief applica- tion in prescribing a diet for invalids and in such cases it is often desirable to require of the stomach only a limited amount of work. AGREEMENT OF FOOD WITH INDIVIDUALS. Digestibility is often confused with another very different thing, namely, the agreeing or disagreeing of food with the person who eats it. Different per- sons are differently constituted with respect to the chemical changes which their food undergoes and the effect produced, so that it may be literally true that "one man's meat is another man's poison." Milk is for most people a very wholesome, digestible and nu- tritious food, but there are persons who are made ill by drinking it. They should avoid it. Some persons have to avoid strawberries. Indeed, cases in which the most wholesome kinds of food are hurtful to indi- vidual persons are unfortunately numerous. Every man must learn from his own experience what food agrees with him and what does not. How much harm is done by the injurious compounds sometimes formed in the body from ordinarily wholesome foods is sel- dom realized. Physiological chemistry in revealing the fact that these compounds may effect even the brain and nerves and that some forms of insanity are caused by products formed by the abnormal transfor- mations of foods and body material. METABOLISM EXPERIMENTS. As already stated, a knowledge of food and its uses in the body is obtained from studies of composition, digestibility, etc., and from complicated experiments in some of which the balance of income and out go of matter and energy is studied. The latter are called metabolism experiments, the balance of matter being measured in terms of nitrogen or of nitrogen and carbon, and sometimes other elements also, and the balance of energy being measured in terms of heat. In determining the balance of income and outgo of nitrogen, special attention is paid to the amounts of this constituent in food, urine and faeces. When the balance of carbon is also taken into account a res- piration apparatus is very convenient and almost nee- THE CHEF essary. This apparatus permits of the measurement and analysis of the respiratory products since these contain a large part of the carbon (as carbon dioxide) excreted from the body. Various forms of respira- tion apparatus have been devised within the last fifty years, among the most important being those invented by Pettenkofer and Voit, of Munich. They consist of metal-walled chambers, large enough for the sub- ject (sometimes a man, sometimes a dog, sheep or other animal) to live in comfortably for several days, and are furnished with devices for pumping air through, and measuring and analyzing it as it enters and as it leaves the chamber. With such an appara- tus it is possible not only to measure all the food and excreta, but also the materials given off from the lungs in the breath, and to make accurate determina- tion of the matter entering and leaving the body. A still more elaborate apparatus, by which not only all the matter passing in and out of the body may be measured, but also that the heat given off from it, is called a respiration calorimeter — that is, a machine for measuring both the respiratory products and the heat given off by the body. It is like the respiration apparatus, except that it is furnished with devices for measuring temperatures. Several have been built, the majority in Europe, within the last twenty years, among the most successful being those of Professor Rubner and Professor Rosenthal, in Germany, and that devised by Professors Atwater and Rosa in the United States. The latter form, which represents a great advance on any previously devised, was elabor- ated at Wesleyan University in connection with the nutrition investigations carried on under the auspices of the Office of Experiment Stations of the United States Department of Agriculture. Its main feature is a copper-walled chamber, seven feet long, four feet wide and six feet four inches high. This is fitted with devices for maintaining and measuring a ventilating current of air, for sampling and analyzing this air, for removing and measuring the heat given off within the chamber and for passing food and other articles. It is furnished with a folding-bed, chair and table, with scales and with appliances for muscular work, and has a telephone connection with the outside. Here the subject stays for a period from three to twelve days, during which time careful analysis and meas- urements are made of all material which enters the body in the food, and of that which leaves it in the breath and excreta. Record is kept of the energy given off from the body as heat and muscular work. The difference between the material taken into and that given off from the body is called the balance of matter, and shows whether the body is gaining or los- ing material. The difference between the energy of food taken and that of the excreta and the energy given off from the body as heat and muscular work is the balance of energy, and if correctly estimated should equal the energy of the body material gained or lost. With such apparatus it is possible to learn much of the real nutritive value of foods, and what effect different conditions of nourishment will have on the human body. In one experiment, for instance, the subject might be kept quite at rest, and in another do a certain amount of muscular or mental work, with the same diet as before. Then by comparing the results of the two the use which the body makes of its food under the different conditions could be de- termined. An improved form of this apparatus has been devised by Atwater and Benedict in which oxy- gen is supplied to a volume of air circulating through the chamber to replace that used in the body, and the income and outgo of oxygen are thus measured di- rectly. PROSPER GREVILLOT Chef of Delmonico's ONE OF NEW YORK'S FAMOUS CHEFS PROSPER GREVILLOT, whose portrait appears on the front page, has been a student of the cul- inary art for the past thirty-five years, most of this time being spent with the famous house of Delmonico. That he has become renowned in his profession is due to his untiring efforts and application in a suc- cessful endeavor to please an American public who recognize good cooking. Born in France, he came to this country in 1873, when seventeen years of age, starting at the lower rung of the kitchen ladder. His energy and willingness to learn attracted the attention of that most famous chef of America Eugene Lapperruque, now of the Plaza Hotel, who was then chef of Delmonico's, and when the Twenty-sixth Street house was opened in 1876, took Grevillot with him as larder cook, and ad- vanced him until in 1880 he became chef "entre- metier" in The Brunswick Hotel, where he remained for three years. Grevillot in 1883 returned to Delmonico's as out- side parties chef, and remained in that position until 1891, when he became chef of Delmonico's Broad Street house, and so remained until 1893, when the house was torn down. He then became assistant chef to the great "Ren- hofer," chef of Delmonico's Forty-fourth Street house, who died in 1899, and from that time Grevillot has been the chef of that famous house until the present writing, practically thirty-five years' continual ser- vice, a great record for one of New York's most fam- ous cooks in one of New York's oldest and most famous restaurants. However, who will say that it is not the cook that makes the house famous. Van Antler : "I think we are sure of a good din- ner to-night. You know my new butler does the en- tire catering for the household." Grubb: "Can you rely on him to ?" Van Antler: "Not always, but this evening I re- quested him to send us up something from the kitchen table." THE CHEF SUBJECT OF THOUGHT FOR THE ECO- NOMICAL HOUSEKEEPER. Losses in the Cooking of Vegetables. IN their natural condition the texture of most vegetables is hard and resistant, and they require some treatment which shall render them fit for food. This treatment is found in the application of heat, usually either by boiling, frying or baking, the first being the method most commonly used. Vegetables contain a large amount of water, or as it is frequently called "juice." Dissolved in the juice are considerable amounts of soluble inorganic com- pounds of salt, and more or less soluble organic sub- stances, such as sugar, and soluble protein (nitrogen- ous) compounds. The solid matter of vegetables consists largely of microscopic cells filled with starch grains. The walls of these cells are composed of cellulose or woody fiber, which resists the action of the digestive juices so that these cannot get to the starch contained within. It for this reason that the raw vegetable is, as a rule, unfit for food. When, however, heat is applied the starch grains absorb water from the juice, swell up and finally burst the cell walls, so that the texture of the vegetable becomes soft and the nutrients are easily attacked by the digestive juices. During the process of boiling vegetables there is, of course, more or less opportunity for nutrients sol- uble in water to be dissolved out and lost. Indeed, much of this matter is already in a state of solution in the juices. The nutrients which would be liable to suffer such loss are, as mentioned above, some of the protein compounds, some of the mineral constitu- ents, such as salt of potassium and sodium, and espe- cially the sugars. The starch would suffer no appre- ciable loss in this way, owing to its insolubility. It might, however, be removed mechanically from the soft cooked vegetables under certain conditions. Of the protein compounds, those which are of the most value to the body are coagulated before the boiling point is reached, and thus rendered insoluble, behav- ing like the white of an egg under simliar conditions. The loss of the more valuable portion of the protein would therefore take place before the water got suffi- ciently hot to cause coagulation. Some nitrogenous substances are, however, soluble in water at all tem- peratures, and would therefore be liable to loss during the entire process of boiling. Sugar is present in con- siderable amounts in some vegetables, as for example, beets and carrots. In some cases the loss of nutrients may amount to a considerable fraction of the original nutritive value. Some interesting experiments have been recently made at Middletown, Conn., in connection with work on food and nutrition, carried on in co-operation with the United States Department of Agriculture. In these experiments vegetables were boiled under differ- ent conditions, and the loss of nutrients determined. The first series of experiments was made with pota- toes, which were taken as representative of the class of vegetables known as tubers, and in fact, as the most important tuber in common use. These were boiled under different conditions and the loss determined. When peeled and soaked for several hours before boil- ing, the loss amounted to 52 per cent, of the total nitrogenous matter and 38 per cent, of mineral sub- stance; when the potatoes were peeled and cut into cold water, which was then brought to a boiling point as soon as possible, the loss was much less, amounting to about 16 per cent, of the nitrogenous matter or protein and to 19 per cent, of the mineral matter ; potatoes peeled and placed at once in boiling water lost half as much nitrogenous matter as in the preced- ing case, although the loss of mineral salts was prac- tically the same ; when, however, potatoes were cooked with their skin on, there was but a very trifling loss of matter, either nitrogenous or mineral. The char- acter of the water; i. e., whether "hard" or "soft," has but little influence on the result. In none of the experiments was there any appreciable loss of starch other than that resulting from the abrasion of the peeled potatoes when, during the latter part of the boiling, they had become soft and mealy. At times, however, this loss amounted to nearly 3 per cent, of the whole nutritive value of the potato. When boiled with the skins on, it was almost entirely avoided. In order, therefore, to obtain the highest food value, potatoes should not be peeled before cooking. When the potatoes are peeled before cooking, the least loss is sustained by putting them directly into hot water and boiling as rapidly as possible. Even then the loss is very considerable. If potatoes are peeled and soaked in cold water before boiling, the loss of nu- trients is very great, being one-fourth of all the albu- minoid matter. Experiments were made with carrots under much the same condition as those with potatoes. These were taken as likely to show the possibility of loss during the cooking of roots, such as beets, parsnips, etc. The carrots used in the experiments were cut in wedge-shaped pieces, averaging about four inches in length. Some pieces were cut larger and some small- er. The loss was greatest with the small pieces, amounting to 30 per cent, of the total food material, or, more especially, to 42 per cent, of the nitrogenous matter, 26 per cent, of the sugar and 47 per cent, of the mineral constituents. It seems to make compara- THE CHEF 9 tively little difference whether the water used was hard or soft, or if it were hot or cold at the start. The mediurn-sized pieces lost the same amount, of. sugar as the small pieces, but less nitrogen and less mineral matter. As was to be expected, the least loss ! occurred when the large-sized pieces were used, but even then it amounted to. one-fifth of the total nutri- ents, one-fifth of the nitrogenous matter, one-sixth of the sugar and over one-fourth of the mineral constitu- ents. When it is considered that carrots really con- tain as much water as is found in milk, it is readily seen that with the loss of from one-fifth to one-third of the whole nutritive matter there is no great food value left in the cooked carrots. The loss of sugar during the boiling of carrots is equivalent to nearly one pound of sugar in a bushel of carrots. It appears, therefore, that in order to retain the greatest amount of nutrients in the cooking of carrots (i) the pieces should be large rather than small; (2) the boiling should be rapid, in order to give less time for the solvent action of the water to act upon the food and ingredients; (3) as little water as possible should be used ; (4) if the matter extracted be used as food along with the carrots, instead of being thrown away the loss of 20 to 30 per cent., or even more, of the total food value may be prevented. Taking cabbage as a type of pot herbs in which the leafy portion is the part eaten, experiments similar to those with potatoes and carrots were made. From the results of these tests it appears that the kind of water (hard or soft) has more effect on the loss of nutrients than the temperature of the water when the cabbage is placed therein. In any case the loss of nutrients was found to be very great, amounting to one-third the total nutrients when "soft" water was used and two-fifths when the water was "hard." The loss of the more valuable albuminoids was compara- tively small, although the total loss of nitrogenous matter ranged from 32 to 46 per cent, of the total. More than half the mineral salts were removed, and from 28 to 42 per cent, of the carbohydrates. In a cabbage weighing three pounds there are but four ounces of dry matter; the remaining two and three-fourths pounds is water. Of this four ounces from one and one-fourth to one and three-fourth ounces may be lost during the cooking, leaving as much nutrients available from a three-pound cabbage as would be contained in about two heaping table- spoonsful of sugar used. This is frequently the case when it is cooked with corned beef. The losses which occur in cooking potatoes, carrots and cabbage vary with the different methods of boil- ing followed, ebbing quite considerable in some cases. These losses must be taken into account in computing dietaries, and made good by adding other materials to supply the nutrients lost. When the loss is not so great as to render it imperative that people in com- fortable circumstances should abandon methods of preparing these foods which they consider make them most palatable, there are very large numbers who cannot afford to permit even the comparatively small waste of food observed in these, experiments. The purpose of such investigations as those de- scribed above is to learn what actually takes place in the process of preparing food by the common meth- ods. Those having charge of preparing food must determine how far it is desirable under individual circumstances to apply the information obtained. NEW WINE MADE OLD. TO age wine by keeping it in wood or glass ties up capital and entails a loss by evaporation. It has been discovered that a similar improvement can be accomplished by exposure to oxygen. One ap- proved process consists in the introduction of oxygen, and its transformation into ozone in the interior of the mass of wine. A tubular electrode connected with an oxygen tank and an induction coil is inserted into the cask, and a portion of the oxygen thus introduced is converted into ozone by the electric current. The operation is continued for a period varying from twenty to ninety minutes, according to the quality and quantity of the wine. For distilled spirits it may be necessary to continue the treatment six hours. This rapid treatment must be followed by natural aging for a short time, but new Bordeaux wine acquires by this method, in from forty to sixty days, the quality of wine kept for many years in bottles. FOOD IN COLD STORAGE PLANTS. ALBERT M. READ, secretary of the American Warehouse Men's Association, which include^ thirty-two cold storage and refrigerating plants in various parts of the country, issued a statement en- deavoring to show that foodstuffs were not being hoarded in the cold storage plants and that no at- tempts were being made by the warehouse men to conceal the quantities they had on hand. Mr. Read asserted that the butter and eggs stored in twenty of the cold storage plants in the association belonged to 2,446 different persons or firms, which, he says, indicates there would be great difficulty in cornering those products. Mr. Read's statement of the products in storage in thirty of the houses shows 15,000,000 pounds of but- ter in storage on February 1, 1910, as against 23,000,- 000 pounds on February 1, 1909. There are, how- ever, 134,000 more cases of eggs in storage this year than there were on February 1, 1909. According to Mr. Read's figures, there were more than 500,000 cases of eggs in storage January 1, and there were but 183,000 there on February 1, showing that more than 300,000 cases were taken out of storage during January. IO THE CHEF MENUS FOR ALL SEASONS By "The Chef" MENU MENU j* j» •£* «3* Cocktail au clam Caviar Imperial sur Canape Potage Puree a la Reine Hors d'Oeuvre Canapes de Homard — Saumon Fume Polsson Filets de Basse-royee au gratin Entree Supreme de Poulets, pointes d'Asperges Rotl Dinde au Cresson Salad Chicoree Entremets de Douceur Pouding Souffle, a la Vanille Petits Fours Fruits Fromage Cafe Potage Bisque d'Ecrevisses Hors d'Oeuvre Olive Radis Amandes Sale Celeri Poisson Aiguillettes de Kingfish Pommes Persillade Entrees Mignon de Boeuf Petits Pois a la Franchise Roti Poussin Roti a l'Americaine Salad de Celeri Entremets de Douceur Gelee au Citron Charlottes russe au Chocolate Fromage Cafe MENU MENU J> > jt jt LUNCH Consomme in Cups Oyster Cocktail Cream of Celery Salted Almonds Radishes Olives Eggs divorcons style Planked Shad Tomato Salad Ravigotte Sauce Sweet Breads Saute French Peas in Butter Spring Lamb Chops Fresh Mushrooms on Toast Roasted Guinea Hen Currant Jelly Baba au Rhum Endive Salad Cheese Fruit Coffee Ice Cream Petits Fours Fruits Camembert Cheese Coffee Crackers THE CHEF II KIDNEY SAUTE WITH MUSHROOMS A la Windsor NOTE.— The following Three Recipes are so detailed that they may be as successfully cooked by the novice as by an expert. IN the preparation of kidneys, be they mutton, veal or beef kidneys, the following rules must be ob- served : ist. Conduct the operation of sauteing the kidneys very rapidly. 2d. Never allow kidneys to boil in the sauce into which they are added, because they are not added to the sauce to complete their cooking, but simply to heat them again, their cooking having already been com- pleted in the first instance, by sauteing, and kidneys which have been previously sauted or cooked when placed in a sauce which is allowed to come to a boil, will become tough. Without further preamble we will proceed, giving all the details which are necessary and useful as we go along : PROPORTIONS FOR SIX PERSONS. TIME NECESSARY, 25 MINUTES. 10 mutton kidneys, or 2 veal kidneys, or I small beef kidney. Take your choice. About 6 ozs. of mushrooms, fresh or canned. 4 ozs. of butter. 4 tablespoonsful of olive oil. y 2 oz. flour. 1 gill of bouillon. 3 tablespoonsful of Madeira wine. Salt and pepper. One pinch of chopped parsley. PREPARATION THE KIDNEYS. The choice of kidneys is left to the taste. As to the weight of the different kind of kidneys, the mutton kidney weigh about i l / 2 oz. each, or about 10 to the pound. The veal kidneys weigh about one-half pound a piece or two to the pound. The weight of a small beef kidney weighs about one pound to one and one- fourth pounds. Their freshness can always be detected by the very thin skin which covers all kidneys, which, if not torn, indicates that they have not been handled much and are fresh. TO CUT KIDNEYS. Mutton Kidneys. — Cut them in half through their thickest part, remove the skin, likewise the fat grizzle that is found on the interior, and proceed to cut each half diagonally into five pieces, making ten in all. Veal Kidneys. — Remove the skin which envelopes them, split them lengthwise, remove the fat substance found in the center, and cut each half into small pieces about one-half inch thick. Beef Kidneys. — Remove the skin and split them lengthwise, remove every and all particles of fat found in the center, then split each half, making four quar- ters and cut each piece into small slices of about one- half inch thickness. A beef kidney is known to be fresh by its color, which should be a light red, a kidney having a dark red color is one from an old animal and can also be detected by its strong smell of ammonia. While most beef kidneys smell more or less of am- monia, this is removed as follows : Place the kidney cut in small pieces in a colendar and plunge in a pan containing boiling hot water for about one second, shake the colendar well to drain the water therefrom, and spread the kidneys on a dry cloth and dry them well. Attention is called to the following : Beef kidney after being sauted and placed on a dish will be found to give a reddish liquid or juice, this should not be used, as it usually has a strong ammonia taste which, if put into the sauce later with the kid- neys, will tend to give it that flavor. This, however, is not so with either mutton or veal kidneys. There- fore, when removing beef kidney from the sauteing- pan, it is best to put it into a strainer or colendar until ready for further use. PREPARING THE MUSHROOMS. Use medium-sized mushrooms (6 oz.) whether fresh or canned. If fresh mushrooms are used, remove the earthy end, and wash them quickly in two baths of cold water and dry them thoroughly. If canned mushrooms are used, drain and dry them thoroughly also, for the reason that to properly saute mushrooms these should not be wet or damp when put in the fat. After being dried as indicated, remove the stems from the mushrooms and cut them in half, and pro- ceed to cut the mushroom ball into four or six parts, according to the size of the mushroom. COOKING THE MUSHROOMS. In a saucepan heat one oz. of butter and two table- spoonsful of oil until it begins to smoke lightly, there- upon add the mushrooms, and with the saucepan on the open fire, let them cook until they acquire a light brown color, remove the saucepan to the side of the stove, where the contents can be kept good and hot, and just before using the mushrooms, reset the sauce- pan on the open fire, and saute them again. SAUTEING OR COOKING THE KIDNEYS. Note. — While it is well known that repetition is monotonous, in this instance it is beneficial, therefore 12 THE CHEF we again call attention to the definition of the word "sauteing," which means cooking with fat in a shal- low saucepan, and also calling attention to the fact that in cooking, if copper utensils, which are all tinned on the inside, are used, then there are no chances taken of burning the food, being cooked therein, therefore we advise as much as possible the use of copper utensils. As soon as the mushrooms have been set to cook, in another saucepan heat one oz. of butter and two tablespoonsful of olive oil until it begins to smoke, season the kidneys lightly with salt and pepper, place them in the saucepan, which is placed on the open fire, so that they will cook quickly, or as might better be said, "sauted" quickly, and which will not take more than five or six minutes, in which time the pieces of kidney assume a hardened appearance. Then take them out of the saucepan with a skim- mer and deposit them on a platter (if beef kidneys, set them in a colendar), cover them over with a reversed soup-plate and keep them hot. PREPARING THE SAUCE. Now remove the fat, butter and olive oil from the saucepan from which the kidneys were taken from, and put one oz. of butter therein and place it on the stove on a medium fire, add the flour (one-half oz.) and stir with the wooden spoon until the flour has at- tained a light brown tint. Then add the bouillon (one gill) , which is poured on the flour little at a time, stir- ring continually with the spoon while so doing, and while so stirring let it come to a boil. Quickly then remove the mushrooms from the sauce- pan which contained them into a strainer, for the pur- pose of draining the fat therefrom, and add them to the sauce and let the whole boil again for about five minutes. Then add the kidneys, with the blood or juice that has escaped therefrom while on the platter while waiting to be used (but not the juice of beef kidneys), also add the three tablespoonsful of Maderia wine, cover the saucepan and let them stand in the sauce for about two minutes, with the saucepan still on the fire, but do not let them boil, the reason for not doing so has been given above. Then add the rest of the butter (one oz.) which is broken in small pieces the size of a bean, that it may melt quickly, and taking the saucepan by the handle agitate it briskly, giving it a circular motion, which expedites the melting of the butter and its mixing with the sauce. The seasoning must be done by tasting the sauce and adding more salt and pepper if necessary. TO SERVE. Pour the whole into a deep dish, care being taken to have the dish warm, which can be quickly done by pouring hot water therein before using and drying is thoroughly. Sprinkle the chopped parsley over the kidneys and serve. Baked potatoes served with this dish leaves nothing more to be desired. EGGS A LA CAMPAGNE. Suburban Style. ' I ''HIS style of preparing eggs is considered very ** simple, in other words, it is not classed with the grand recipes, but it comes from the good country housewife's recipe-book. It takes over one hour to make, but it is worth all of that, and there is only one recommendation to make concerning it — Use good, fresh cream, the best butter and Swiss cheese. Again we say, follow the proportions and directions, and the best chef in the world will not get better results : PROPORTIONS FOR SIX PERSONS. TIME NECESSARY I>4 HOURS. 9 eggs. 12 ounces of potatoes (weighed when peeled). 2 large onions (weighing together about 8 oz.). 2 tablespoonsful of rice. 2 gills of bouillon, uncolored. 3 ozs. of butter. 2 gills of cream. 3 tablespoonsful of grated Swiss cheese. i J/2 tablespoonsful of grated toasted bread crumbs. Salt, pepper, nutmeg and powdered sugar, as will be indicated. ORDER OF PREPARATION. With the onions, the rice and the bouillon prepare a thick concoction called puree (and this puree being called "soubise"). Cook the potatoes, as later directed. Cook the eggs, peel them and keep them hot. Fin- ish the puree of potatoes and the puree of onions. Lay the eggs on a platter, put them in the oven, cover with grated bread crumbs and brown, "gra- tines." Note. — "Puree" is pronounced puray, and is usually applied to a thick pea, bean or potato soup, and very often to creamy mashed potatoes, therefore, anything of a more or less thick consistency, thicker than a cream, in the vegetable line, is called a puree. A puree of onions and rice, or practically any sauce the foundation of which is onion, is called a "soubise," pronounced "suebiz." Gratines is pronounced "gra- tinay," and is usually applied to any dish which is completed by sprinkling grated bread crumbs, crack- ers or cheese over the top and set in the oven until browned. PREPARING THE PUREE OF ONION (SOUBISE). This preparation taking the longest time, we will commence with it first. BLEACHING THE ONIONS. Chop the onions very fine, lay them in a saucepan THE CHEF 13 with sufficient cold water to cover them well, set the saucepan on the stove, boil them for eight minutes. Pour them then into a strainer and drain them thor- oughly. The boiling or bleaching as above is done to remove the butter or acrid taste which is common with the onion, and particularly with the winter or late onion. COOKING THE ONIONS. After being well drained, restore them in the sauce- pan and set it on the stove, add one oz. of butter, and let the onions stew for about ten minutes, stirring them frequently in the meantime. (The stirring is done so that they will not attain any color while stewing). Then add the rice (two tablespoonsful), the bouil- lon (two gills), a pinch of pepper, a small pinch of nutmeg, a small pinch of powdered sugar. Let the whole come to a boil, cover the saucepan and put it in the oven, watching, however, that the boiling continues slowly for about forty minutes ; that is to say, until the onions and rice are well cooked, which will take about that time. When this has been done, pour the onions and rice into a fine strainer and with a small wooden pestle or potato-masher, proceed to quickly force the rice and onions through the strainer in a platter, and we now have the puree. Set the puree in a small saucepan, which set on the stove and add about three-fourths gill of cream, let it come to a boil, stirring it continually, remove the saucepan from the stove and add one ounce of butter, then set it on the stove to keep warm only, until it is to be used. Under no circumstances must it now be allowed to boil. PREPARING THE PUREE OF POTATOES. This puree should not be prepared more than one- half hour before its use ; in other words, it must not be left to stand too long. Therefore, with a little judgment, the puree of potatoes can be timed to be cooked just when ready for further use, which can be done by slow boiling. Peel and cut the potatoes in quarters, set them in a saucepan with enough cold water to cover them well, season with about one-third of an ounce of salt to a quart of water. Let them come to a boil and let them boil until soft which can be ascertained by the slight pressure of a spoon under which pressure they fall apart. And when so cooked, turn them into a colendar, shaking it well to drain the water therefrom thor- oughly. Then turn them into a strainer over a platter, and with a small wooden pestle or potato-masher, force the pulp through onto the platter ; do this quickly, and while the potatoes are hot, as it tends to facilitate the operation. Thereupon restore the potatoes (which is now called puree) into the saucepan, set it on the stove over a moderate heat, and- work the puree for about three minutes with a wooden spoon which will tend to make the puree very light. Then add a pinch of salt, a small pinch of pepper, a small pinch of nutmeg and one oz. of butter. Con- tinue to work it with the spoon until the butter has been well mixed, then add the rest of the cream (ij4 gills) little by little while stirring the puree, and leave it on a warm part of the stove. Note. — This puree has not the consistency usual with potato puree, it being made a trifle thinner for this purpose. Also, should it be found unhandy to pro- cure cream, it can be replaced by reducing milk by boiling, which tends to partially thicken it; however, the puree would not be as fine as with cream, but would be much better than using poor cream. THE EGGS. Generally, two eggs are a portion for one person, but when hard-boiled eggs are considered and with a rather copious garnishing, one and one-half eggs should be found sufficient. Set the eggs in boiling water, which will naturally stop to boil when the nine eggs have been placed therein, due to their cooling effect on the water, and when the water has begun to boil again, count ten minutes from that time, if the eggs are extraordinarily large, allow one and one-half minutes longer. Remove them and place them in cold water for two minutes, remove the shells and place the eggs in warm water until the last one is shelled. PREPARING THE EGGS TO BE "GRATINES." Drain the water from the eggs, cut them in half lengthwise. Pour the potato puree in a round or oval moderately deep platter, set the eggs close together on this puree, the yolk side down, pressing them lightly, to sink them in the puree. Then cover the eggs with the puree of onions (sou- bise), over which sprinkle the Swiss cheese (three tablespoonsful, grated) with which has been mixed the grated toasted bread crumbs (one and one-half tablespoonsful). Divide in small pieces the rest of the butter which is laid on over the top of the cheese. Then set the platter in the oven to brown the top, which is done in about two minutes. The "gratin" being created by the combination of the cheese, bread crumbs and butter. A gas oven is very good for this purpose ; in fact, it is the best for this kind of "gratin." It is very essential that the "gratin" should take, place quickly, otherwise the heat will tend to dry the contents, therefore, see that there is a hot oven to "gratin" quickly. However, when it has attained a rich brown color, remove the platter from the oven and serve. 14 THE CHEF PINEAPPLE FRITTERS With Filbert Cream THE fritters as herein prepared, make an excel- lent dessert, on condition, however, that the de- tails of their preparation are followed as directed. While attention and care is necessary in these de- tails, it does not follow that they are complicated nor difficult. To a finished cook, this recipe could be given in probably from fifteen to twenty lines, but as we wish to reach the novice as well as the master of the art, we are therefore particular in details that the same results may be obtained by both. In this recipe particular attention is called to that part, where the pineapple slices are to be enveloped in the cream, also to their proper covering of batter: PROPORTIONS FOR EIGHT PERSONS. One can of sliced pineapple. To soak the slices, use : 2 tablespoonsful of powdered sugar. 4 to 6 tablespoonsful of kirsch or brandy. To make the cream, use : zyi ozs. of flour. 2 l / 2 ozs. of powdered sugar. i whole egg and 3 yolks. 2 l / 2 gills of milk. 1 inch piece of vanilla bean. 1 oz. butter. To prepare the filberts, use : I oz. of powdered sugar. 1 oz. of shelled filberts. To prepare the batter, use : 6 ozs. of flour. 2 tablespoonsful of melted butter. 1 egg. 1 pinch of salt. 1 pinch of sugar. V/ 2 gills of water. To sugar coat and glaze the fritters use very fine powdered sugar. ORDER OF PREPARATION. Prepare the batter three hours before using. Im- mediately thereafter prepare the almonds. Two hours before serving set the slices of pineapple to soak, pre- pare the cream, and when cool, cover the pineapple slices therewith. In about fifteen or twenty minutes, dip the cream- covered slices of pineapple in the batter, and fry them. When fried, powder with sugar, set them in the oven to glaze. PREPARATION OF THE BATTER. After sifting the flour (six oz.) place it in a bowl, hollow the center of the flour, and place therein the salt (one pinch), the sugar (one pinch), the melted butter (two tablespoonsful) and the egg. Using a small wooden spoon, proceed to mix the whole together, adding little by little, about a spoon- ful at the time of water {i]/ 2 gills), mix thoroughly, but carefully, without working the dough or batter more than necessary, until it has become smooth. A good thing to remember is that when batter is worked too much in the mixing, it is very apt to be- come tough and have an elasticity that prevents it ad- hering to that which is dipped into it ; however, where it is to set for some time before being used, even should it become so when worked, it will lose this elasticity ; however, it is better to mix it as above directed. The quantity of water mentioned herein may vary from one to two tablespoonsful more or less, there- fore, a little judgment must be used. Simply note that the batter is of sufficient consis- tency to adhere to the slices of pineapple when dipped therein. When finished preparing the batter, cover the bowl and let it stand until wanted. PREPARATION OF THE FILBERTS. The quantity necessary must weigh one oz. when shelled. And when so shelled, must be placed on a pan in the oven for about from three to five minutes for the purpose of drying them to facilitate the re- moval of the skin, which can easily be done by wrap- ping them in the corner of a towel and rubbing them briskly, whereupon the skin should drop off. Thereupon take a small saucepan or casserole into which put the powdered sugar (one oz.), place it on the stove and let it melt slowly, and as soon as the sugar has become a light brown, add the filberts and leave them stand in the sugar on the stove for about one minute. Thereupon pour the whole contents upon a pie-plate or similar utensil that has been previously but very lightly oiled with sweet oil, to prevent sticking. Upon the mixture becoming cool, proceed to crush it with a pestle or other similar utensil, until it has become quite fine, then pass it through a sieve, rub- bing it through until all has passed, should there still remain any particles in the sieve, renew the crushing process until the whole has gone through the sieve. Leave this stand in a bowl until required. PREPARATION OF THE PINEAPPLE. Remove the slices from the can, and dry them thor- oughly, lay them on a large platter, sprinkle the pow- dered sugar (two tablespoonsful) over them, and add the kirsch or brandy (four to six tablespoonsful) and allow same to soak, while preparing the cream, turn- ing over the slices three or four times in the mean- while so that the sugar and liquor may soak through thoroughly. THE CHEF 15 PREPARATION OF THE CREAM. Boil the milk (two and one-half gills), and when boiled add the vanilla bean (one-inch piece) and let it stand for about fifteen minutes. In a medium-sized saucepan put the sifted flour (two and one-half ozs.), the sugar (two and one-half ozs.), the whole egg and the three yolks, and with a small wooden spoon mix the whole thoroughly for fully ten minutes. Thereupon add the warm milk slowly, mixing con- tinually. When this is done place the saucepan on the stove on a slow fire, and while continually stir- ring let it come to a boil. Care must be taken not to allow the cream to stick to the bottom of the saucepan, and particular attention is called to the fact that while stirring same, to keep the cream agitated on the bottom and sides of the saucepan to prevent it burning. When it has reached the boiling point allow it to boil for about two minutes, always stirring it. Then remove it from the stove, remove the piece of vanilla, and immediately add the prepared filbert sugar and the butter (one oz.). Thereupon allow it to cool, leave the spoon stand in the saucepan, as it will require being stirred every three or four minutes to avoid a skin forming on the cream. TO COVER THE SLICES OF PINEAPPLE WITH CREAM. While the cream is cooling take the slices of pine- apple from the platter, lay them on a towel and dry them well. This is done for the reason that were they wet the cream would not adhere to the slices when dipped therein. Now prepare a large platter, which is very lightly oiled as before. It might here be mentioned that sweet almond oil may be used, if handy, for that pur- pose instead of olive oil. The cream being cooled, or almost so, proceed to dip each slice of pineapple in the cream, and that they may be covered thoroughly it may be well to lay them in the cream and remove them with a fork and lay them on the platter prepared for that purpose. This is an operation that requires great care to do properly, and is also important for successful results. COOKING THE FRITTERS. In the general household, the utensil used for cook- ing crullers and fritters is usually of medium size, therefore, it is best to cook half the fritters at a time and thereby obtain the best results. However, it is best to use an iron pot of about three- or four-quart size at least, into which there should be sufficient lard that when melted and hot and the fritters placed therein they can easily float. When the lard has become quite hot and begins to smoke, take the slices of pineapple, which are covered with the cream, using a fork, or even two, if neces- sary, and one after another dip them cream and all into the batter, taking pains to see that they are well enveloped in the batter, and drop them carefully into the hot fat. The reason that particular pains should be taken to see that they are well enveloped in the batter is that the cream would escape through any opening left, when put in the fat, which would tend to spoil the fritter. Otherwise with a complete covering of batter, upon being dropped in the hot fat, the batter quickly forms a crust and retains the cream and juice of the pine- apple which is the success of this dessert. However, when the fritters are in the fat, to turn them over use a skimmer only. And when they have become nicely browned, remove them with the skim- mer onto a dry cloth which will drain them of all fat. Return the pot to the stove, and again let the fat get hot until it smokes, and renew the operation as before. When the fritters have all been cooked, place them on a large flat dish and glaze them. TO GLAZE THE FRITTERS. Sprinkle the top of the fritters with the finest pow- dered sugar possible, the finer the sugar the better the glaze. Set them immediately in a hot oven, but watch them continually until it is seen that the sugar has melted, leave them for about two minutes after that and remove them. Take a round dish on which a napkin has been laid and set the fritters on the napkin and serve. Sixteen slices of pineapple can be used with the above ingredients if desired. Should a less number be used, very little waste will have resulted. However, it is well to mention here that a fresh pineapple can be used as well as the canned, and can be sliced into as many slices as desired. TROUBLE FOR HUBBY AT a recent tea-party, where the fare provided could not, by any stretch of courtesy, be termed palatable, a guessing game was instituted, and the lady who won it was asked to say what she would have as a prize. She greatly flattered her young hostess by request- ing a slice of the cake with which some of them had desperately struggled at tea-time. "Why did you ask for that stuff?" a disappointed and still hungry youth asked her. "You know very well it isn't fit to eat." "I have a definite purpose in view," answered the young lady, carefully placing the piece of cake where there would be no possibility of her forgetting it. "I mean to make my husband eat it — if necessary, to force it down his throat, crumb by crumb, and thus con- vince him that somewhere in the wide, wide world there is an even worse cook than he imagines his in- experienced young wife to be." i6 THE CHEF CAULIFLOWER A LA POLONAISE Polonaise Style CAULIFLOWER, prepared as will here be ex- plained, is more suited for a lunch dish than for a dinner dish; however, for a family repast it will not make much difference if served for either meal, as it is a vegetable that is always appreciated. PROPORTIONS. For 6 persons. Time necessary to cook, 35 minutes. 1 cauliflower, devoid of the leaves and weighing about 1 pound. 3 hard boiled egg yolks. ]/ 2 tablespoonful of chopped parsley. 1 tablespoonful of fresh bread crumbs. 3 ounces of butter. The juice of J4 lemon. Salt and pepper. COOKING THE CAULIFLOWER. Particular attention should be given in choosing a good cauliflower. In the first place the flower should be entirely white, compact and firm. Should it not be so it will show it to be 'an old flower, and will fall to pieces in cooking. And then again, a cauliflower having a yellowish appearance, while it might be fresh, will have a very strong and displeasing taste. When having removed the leaves from around the flower, proceed to sepa- rate or part the flower into pieces in sizes as equal as possible. This will be indicated by the stems, the many of which form the whole flower. Proceed to remove with a small knife the stringy covering of the stems and also all the small leaves that will be found protruding in between the stems and the flower. When this is accomplished lay the pieces of cauli- flower in a basin or bowl of water into which a table- spoonful of vinegar has been added to each quart of water. About five minutes after the last piece of flower has been in this water, drain off the water, and put them into a pot of boiling water on the open stove and to which has been added one-half ounce of salt, and when setting them therein the water will cease to boil, but after a few moments it will resume boil- ing and from that moment count at least twenty-five to thirty minutes in which time the cauliflower will be cooked ; it is, however, better to have them firm than overcooked, which can be ascertained by prick- ing with a fork. PREPARATION OF THE EGGS, PARSLEY AND BREAD CRUMBS. THE EGGS. Cook the eggs in boiling water for ten minutes, then set them in cold water until entirely cold ; remove the shell, split them, take the yolk only and chop it fine, set it aside until needed. THE PARSLEY. Chop the parsley and mix with the egg yolks. THE BREAD CRUMBS. Crush about one ounce of very old, stale bread (excepting the crust) and pass it through a moder- ately fine sieve, of which use about a tablespoonful. SHAPING AND SERVING THE CAULIFLOWER. The cauliflower having cooked while preparing the eggs, etc., drain the water off, then take a bowl and commence by laying each piece around the side of the bowl and finishing by filling the center, which will tend to give the cauliflower the appearance of being whole and not having been cut, thereupon drain the water from the bowl, and then remove the cauli- flower on to a round platter, the bottom of which has been well buttered, being careful that the cauliflower retains its shape, to appear as a whole cauliflower. Season the top with a pinch of salt and one of pepper. Then sprinkle the top with the chopped egg yolks and parsley, which were previously mixed. This being done, put the butter (three ounces) in a saucepan on the stove, and on a slow fire let it melt until it assumes a very light brown color, and care must be taken here not to let it burn. There- fore, as soon as this color is obtained, add the bread crumbs (one tablespoonful), and stirring the sauce- pan for about three seconds the crumbs will become a light brown, then pour the whole over the top of the cauliflower and serve immediately. REDUCED TO DRINK WINE. Queer Plight of French Schooner's Crew —Made a Fair Exchange. A SHIP'S crew who exchanged casks of claret and cases of champagne for a few barrels of plain drinking water and were exceedingly glad of the bargain was that of the French schooner Argus, from Dieppe to Marseilles. After fifteen days' hard battle with contrary winds and waves the Argus had only struggled as far as Cape Finisterre, the stormy northeastern corner of Spain, when she fell in with the British liner Oceana, bound for Bombay. The schooner signalled "Short of water. Want doctor." For three days the crew had not had a drop of water to drink, and had been reduced to living on champagne and claret. These temporarily stimulat- ing beverages of course tended to heat up the blood and create more thirst, and in the absence of water the sufferers had to drink more wine. The consequence was that most of the men were disabled through acute gastritis and fever. In ex- change for water, the Argus gave away a large quan- tity of wine to the crew of the Oceana. "We are tired of it," the Frenchmen said. THE CHEF I7 THREE FISH DINNERS ALWAYS IN SEASON Must Be Cooked Carefully, and Served Temptingly— Salmon, Bluefish and Weakfish Can Always Be Found at the Market T^ISH to be prime must have three considerations — -*- first, it must be absolutely fresh ; second, it must be properly cooked in the manner prescribed in the recipe chosen, and, third, it must be properly dished and served daintily to be not only appetizing but acceptable. There is no other food so dangerous to take into the human stomach as fish that is not fresh, it being pe- culiarly poisonous under adverse conditions' There is nothing so uninviting as underdone or improperly cooked fish, either, and there is no food that looks less tempting than badly broken or mussily served fish. Here is a good fish menu: — Little Neck Clams on Half Shell. Clam Bisque. Broiled Bluefish. Baked Potatoes. Asparagus Tips. Endive Salad. Roquefort Cheese. Apricot Pie. Whipped Cream and Coffee. The clam bisque is made in the usual way, the richer the milk the better the bisque, and unsalted butter should be used if possible. In broiling the bluefish be sure that it is wiped dry and have the broiler well greased with good suet. Have the serving platter hot and cook it over a moderately hot but even fire. Gar- nish it with sliced lemon and watercress. The aspar- agus tips serve on toast with a rich drawn butter. The potatoes may be scooped out of the skins, seasoned with butter, pepper, sale and a little rich cream and placed back in the skins and heated if the cook has the time to do them. The salad bowl must be lined with crisp white lettuce leaves well chilled, then the endive cut in small pieces, a green pepper cut into thin strips and a piece of Roquefort cheese crumbled through the endive. Just before serving add the French dressing. The apricot pie is excellent, made of dried apricots, soaked and stewed, cooled and tucked into the puff paste flaky crust. A second menu shows other methods of fish serving that are quite as acceptable as the first: — Oysters on the Half Shell. Fish Chowder. Boiled Salmon, Sauce Tartare. Glazed Sweet Potatoes. Panned Spinach. Cream Cheese Salad. Pineapple Shortcake. Coffee. The fish chowder is made from three pounds of fresh codfish. In the bottom of the kettle place a few slices of salt pork that have been fried a delicate brown, then a layer of finely minced onion and a layer of the fish. Sprinkle with a few bread crumbs and a layer of thinly sliced potatoes. Season well and cover with water and cook slowly ; when done add two quarts of hot milk and scald up once all together and serve. The salmon, the king of fishes, should be boiled 'in a linen cloth and carefully drained. Garnish it with the white rings of hard boiled eggs with parsley drawn through them. The potatoes are first boiled, then put in a pan with butter, sugar, pepper and salt and a little water to brown and glaze. The spinach is boiled and drained, then browned in a pan with hot butter. The salad bowl for this salad is lined with crisp cold lettuce leaves and one package of cream cheese is put through the ricer over it, then the French dressing is added. The shortcake is made in the same way that the strawberry ones are, and whipped cream may be put on it if liked. The cake is best of the biscuit dough if it is light and soft. Now for a third dinner, and it would certainly seem to the proverbial onlooker — the man up a tree — that the devout should not grow gaunt and thin upon a fish diet of this sort, but rather wax sleek and fat. The menu : — ■ Caviar on Toast. Scallop Saute. Stuffed and Baked Weakfish. Potatoes au Gratin. French Peas. Lobster Salad, Cheese Straws. Iced Rice Custard, Whipped Cream. Turkish Coffee. To saute the scallops, mince a shallot fine and put it in the porcelain saucepan with two tablespoons of butter. When all is melted add the scallops and keep turning them lightly. Add a wine glass of sherry, pepper, salt and a gill of cream, to which two egg yolks have been added, and a little finely chopped parsley. When the scallops are done serve immediately, over the most delicately toasted slices of bread with the crusts cut off. The fish stuffing should be savory and highly seasoned, and when basting the fish a little melted butter and a trifle of white wine add a delicious flavor to it. Garnish the fish with hard boiled egg, sliced, and sprays of parsley. Make the lobster salad with the usual heavy mayonnaise. Be sure, in making the custard, to have it firm, but also very rich and creamy, and a few finely chopped nuts may be added to the whipped cream to serve over it if it is not too rich. Hot biscuits are particularly nice with all sorts of fish and may be added to these menus. Parker House rolls and the raised biscuits are the greatest favorites. Relishes may also be added — those that are the best liked — such as olives, radishes, celery, devilled eggs, pickles, beets and other sweet or sour pickles, salted nuts and sauces. Cocktails, wines or any of the dinner wine cups or punches that may be favored, can also be i8 THE CHEF included. Very few sweets go with the serving of fish dinners, as a rule. A FRIDAY LUNCHEON Appetizing and Healthy TAKE three small eels, cut into pieces less than two inches long, wash, and while they are drain- ing put two tablespoonsful of butter into a saucepan, and in this butter brown a small onion cut up very fine. Slightly salt the eels, throw them into the saucepan and let them stew gently for about ten minutes. Into this stew pour a tin of green peas, add some parsley choped fine, salt and pepper to taste and stew gently for another half hour. Serve very hot and with it serve baked potatoes. For the dessert bake Indian meal mush — the po- lenta, which to the Italian is what rice is to the Oriental — slightly flavored with ginger (and sprinkled with tiny dabs of butter) in individual pudding cups, and serve with cream and sugar. CANAPE OF KIPPERED HERRING Pick out all bones, skin and mash through a colan- der ; then mix with whipped cream to proper thick- ness, add Maderia, pepper, salt, if necessary, and a suspicion of onion juice. Serve on fresh made thin toast. VEAL MAY BE SERVED IN VARIOUS WAYS. Cheaper Than Beef— Must Not he Overlooked by the Housewife— How it Is Best Cooked. A GREAT deal is said by scientific dieticians for and against the use of veal. In spite of its supposed qualities that lack nutrition, are relaxing and prone to give the too frequent eater indigestion, the good qualities are too many to afford overlooking by the home cook. A famous French cook once called veal the "chame- leon of the kitchen," for it is subject to so many metamorphoses. Then, as it comes to market plenti fully, its prices are less, but as its keeping qualities are not so great as those of beef it has to be watched most carefully. From March to October veal is prime ; the rest ot the months it is fair, and the whiter the meat the better it is. The usual manner in which veal is cut for market is in four quarters, with eleven ribs to each forequarter. The large pieces are the roasting pieces, such as the fillet, the knuckle and the loin. The breast of veal is favored for stews. Calves' feet, besides being used for the daintiest of jellies, are boiled after having been "frenched," and are served with parsley and butter for a luncheon dish, or fricassed, after boiling and boning, they. are dipped into a rich butter and fried in hot lard. The sweetbreads are a most toothsome delicacy, and may be prepared in a number of ways, combined with mushrooms or peas, and are a great favorite addi- tion in the chafing dish cookery. The calf's head is used for the famous mock turtle soup, and the tongue is used in it diced. The brains make most excellent fritters. They are first boiled in salted water, which is thrown off once ; then they are blanched and the large veins cut away, and then they are chopped for the batter. The shoulder boned and stuffed with a savory dressing and roasted is fine when it is hot, but is even finer still when it is cold sliced thin down through the dressing and all. Or the slices may be placed on a plate on a steamer, and when it is hot covered with a rich tomato sauce. All remnants of roasts are left overs, and may be chopped fine, be well seasoned, adding bread crumbs, butter and eggs and made into croquettes or a veal loaf and baked. A little bit of cold boiled ham chopped with it adds to the flavor. The white veal bones are specially used for bouillon, white soups and sauces. As veal is quite mucilaginous it is always easy to jelly any of the dishes. Veal cutlets, plain broiled, breaded or baked, are always liked, also cooked in casserole with butter, parslev. sherry, a slice of lemon, juice of an onion and one clove. Calves' liver may be larded and roasted, delicately broiled and served with butter, pepper and salt, or fried with good bacon. It is also occasionally boiled and chopped fine and made into hash served on toast as a breakfast or luncheon dish. The famous veal and ham pie is usually made from the cutlets, thin slices of pink ham and light, flaky puff paste. Veal croquettes and veal sausages are also excellent as luncheon dishes. The home menu may be most varied by taking any- one of these suggestions and working it in between more expensive meat dishes. Any of the dishes given will prove to be economical, tasty and not in the least unwholesome. While veal is not considered as an aristocrat of the meat market, its sweetbreads are to be found compos- ing some of the daintiest dishes served to the most exclusive inner circle of the smart set. BRUNSWICK STEW Cut in small pieces about five pounds of gray squir- rels, one-half pound of fat salt pork into dices, brown well together; remove the fat, add two tablespoonsful of flour, mix well and let brown a little while in the oven; moisten with veal stock; let boil a few minutes, then add six sliced raw potatoes, six sliced raw toma- toes, two sliced raw Spanish onions, two chopped green peppers ; season to taste and let simmer for a half hour. Then add one pint of shelled lima beans, six raw corn cut off the ears; let simmer again for a half hour. Remove all the fat before serving. N. B. — If you cannot get the squirrels, use hare or chicken in place. THE CHEF 19 SOUPS AND VEGETABLES SPLIT PEA SOUP. Otherwise Known as Puree of Peas. CLEAN by washing one pint of split green peas, put them in a three-quart size saucepan, with one quart of fresh water, two pinches of salt and about one-half pound of raw ham. Set to boil on a good fire, and when it has boiled for about fifteen minutes, add (chopped in small pieces) one large size carrot, two small onions, a large branch of celery, a sprig of thyme, one bay leaf, a pinch of sugar and salt to suit; set to cook slowly until the peas are of a thick creamy consistancy. Pass through a strainer, replace in the saucepan, and add about one quart of boiling hot water and about two ounces of butter. Let it come to a boil and serve, with or without, small dice-like squares of bread that have been browned in butter in a frying-pan. BAKED SPLIT PEAS PUREE Soak a pint and a half of split peas over night, pour off the water and put over the fire in cold water to which has been added a pinch of baking soda. Boil until soft and rub through a colander to a thick puree. Stir this up well with a teaspoonful of celery salt, a tablespoonful of melted butter and a tablespoon ful of hot milk. At the very last add the whites of two eggs beaten to a stiff froth. Pour into a pudding dish and bake in a brisk oven for fifteen minutes until a rich and golden brown. Serve hot. CARROTS A LA MAITRE D'HOTEL ' I V AKE small new carrots, of an size equal as -*- possible, set them in a pan containing salt water enough to cover them, and let them boil for about five minutes ; remove and drain them and set them into a saucepan and sprinkle them with about five to eight tablespoonsful of uncolored bouillon, about one ounce of butter, a good pinch of salt, a tiny pinch of sugar. Set the saucepan on the stove and let them cook until the bouillon has reduced about one-half ; remove the carrots to a vegetable dish and add to the sauce about one teaspoonful of corn-starch and about one ounce of butter, which is added little by little while the sauce is being stirred, and when well mixed pour over the carrots and serve. CORN STARCH— TOMATO SOUP. Otherwise Known as County Fair. PLACE one ounce of butter in a two-quart sauce- *■ pan, and fry therein one ounce of bacon which has been cut in small dice-like pieces, add also a small carrot, or the one-third of one of ordinary size, a pinch of thyme and one bay leaf. Allow this to fry until the bacon has become absolutely crisp. Then add one-half can of tomatoes (about one pint), a pinch of sugar and one-half pint of boiling water or beef broth, if any is at hand ; let it come to a boil, and cook for about five minutes after which remove and pass through a fine strainer, replace the strained liquid in the saucepan, add one quart of boil- ing water and about one ounce of corn-starch dis- solved in cold water. Let the whole boil for about five minutes, then add one-half pint of cold milk, and serve, with or without, small dice-like squares of bread that have been browned in butter in a frying- pan. SWEET POTATOES, GEORGIA STYLE Have the sweet potatoes well boiled, peel and form them in a banana shape, fry in butter until a nice golden color, lay them in a deep silver platter, pour crumbled chestnuts over the potatoes, add a liberal quantity of Jamaica rum, set on fire and serve. EGG PLANT, SICILIENNE STYLE Slice an equal quantity of egg-plant and fresh toma- toes. Put them in layers into a deep baking dish, season with salt and pepper, add a little fine chopped shallots, moisten with a good chicken broth, put some fresh bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese on top, add a few small pieces of fresh butter and bake for twenty minutes. BAKED BEAN PUREE AFTER soaking in cold water for an hour or two, thoroughly boil pint of dried white beans until perfectly soft; rub through a colander into a thick puree. Add parsley, thyme or celery salt, pepper and salt to taste and fill into a pudding dish. Moisten the top with a very little milk or cream, and cover with a thick layer of cracker crumbs well sprinkled with tiny dabs of butter. Set into a moderate oven and bake to a rich golden yellow. Serve hot. A TOAST "We may live without books, — what is knowledge but grieving ? We may live without hope, — what is hope but de- ceiving? We may live without love, — what is passion but pin- ing? But where is the man who can live without dining?" 20 THE CHEF MABEL'S CAKE RECIPES MABEL'S BLACK LAYER OR LOAF CAKE PROPORTIONS. H cup butter, i cup sugar, ij^ cups sour milk. 2 egg yolks. i teaspoonful cinnamon, i teaspoonful ground cloves, i level teaspoonful of baking soda. J4 teaspoonful cream of tartar. I cup chopped raisins. 2^2 cups flour. Cream the butter and sugar, then add the egg yolks, sift in the flour with the baking-soda and cream of tartar, add the spices and raisins, then the milk ; stir thoroughly until well mixed, and bake either for layer or loaf. FINE POUND CAKE PROPORTIONS. Y 2 lb. butter. i lb. pulverized sugar. 6 eggs. 1 lb. flour. i heaping teaspoonful of baking powder. i cup of milk. Cream butter and sugar until very light, beat the yolks of the six eggs until light and add them with the creamed butter and sugar, mix thoroughly. Then add milk a little at a time while mixing. Sift the flour and baking-powder five times and mix with the above, beat the whites of the eggs until they become very stiff, which are also added, and with flavoring extract preferred, the whole is stirred and mixed thoroughly. Bake for one hour in a mod- erate oven. TASTY MUFFINS PROPORTIONS. y 2 cup butter. 2 tablespoonsful sugar. 2 eggs. 2 cups flour. i J4 teaspoonsful of baking-powder. 1 cup of milk. 2 pinches of salt. Mix the butter and sugar, and add the two eggs well beaten, sift and add the flour, salt and baking- powder, mix well, then add the milk and mix lightly. Bake in muffin-tins in a hot oven. CHESTNUT PATTIES Beat together until smooth one egg and one cupful of pulverized sugar. Add one cupful of chestnut meats that have been put through a meat grinder, five tablespoonsful of flour and one teaspoonful of baking-powder. Beat lightly, then drop by spoonsful on buttered tins. Dust with pulverized sugar and cinnamon and bake in a quick oven. GERMAN MARDI GRAS CAKE Half a pound of flour, three tablespoonsful of sugar, four tablespoonsful of butter, a teaspoonful of salt, two eggs and the yolks of two others are worked into a dough, then cover with a cloth and let stand for three hours in a cool place. Roll out to the thickness of a knife-blade and with a pastry wheel cut into strips four, inches long and one inch wide. Bake in briskly boiling lard to a delicate light brown, sprin- kle liberally with sugar and cinnamon and serve while still warm. FIG ALMOND PASTE Pick over and chop fine a pound of choice figs, cover with boiling water and simmer until very soft, then drain off the water and boil it down to a cupful. Rub the figs through a hair sieve and return the paste to the water with the addition of three pounds of gran- ulated sugar. Simmer until the paste is so thick it cannot be stirred, being careful not to let it scorch ; then pour into pans lined with oiled paper and stud the top with split blanched almonds. When nearly cold cut the paste into inch squares with an oiled knife of into three-inch strips. COCOANUT BUTTER DROPS To make cocoanut drops take one cup of sugar and one-half cup of butter and thoroughly blend them. Add two eggs, one-half cup of milk, one teaspoonful of vanilla, two level teaspoonsful of baking-powder sifted with two cups of flour and, last, one cup of shredded cocoanut. To have a very palatable change you could add cinnamon and ginger. Drop the mix- ture by spoonsful on a buttered tin and bake in a good hot oven. FILLING AND ICING Take one and one-half cups of sugar, boil in one- half cup of water until it hairs or becomes stringy, pour the sugar on the beaten whites of two eggs and beat the whole until cold, flavor with any extract preferred. Lemon is considered the better. "I drink to one, and only one, — And may that one be she Who loves but one, and only one,- And may that one be me." THE CHEF 21 HOW THE JAPANESE STRENGTHEN THE STOMACH. A Healthy Stomach the Basis of All Strength— What the Japanese Eat in Summer and in Winter. T N the opinion of the samurai of old Japan the first *■ step to the upbuilding of the physical body lay in the direction of choosing a sound, sensible diet. This did not mean a diet in which meats and condiments figured largely. Unlike the Chinese, the Japanese sel- dom cared for meat, even when they could well afford it. In fact, meat has but little vogue among the na- tives of Japan to-day. In 1899 the Emperor appointed a commission to investigate for determination as to whether it would be advisable to take steps that would bring about taller and bulkier physique among his subjects. The Japa- nese are notably smaller than their brethren of Europe and of America ; and the Emperor had a passing no- tion that his race might be improved through attain- ment to greater size. One of the questions that his Majesty propounded to the commission was as to whether the successful encouragement of a partial meat diet would be of advantage. The report of the commission, when its long and arduous labors had been completed, was to the effect that no material advantage could result from increase in height or weight. So far as meat diet went, the commission reported that the Japanese has always managed to do without it, and that their powers of endurance and their athletic prowess exceeded those of any of the Caucasian races. Japan's diet stands on a foundation of rice. This is prepared either by boiling or steaming. This grain as it is prepared by the Japanese house- wife, bears no resemblance to the sodden mess that is placed occasionally on American tables. The grain comes to the table — which in Japan is usually the floor — soft, steaming and a palatable food that requires no condiments to make it highly acceptable to the stom- ach. When the rice is boiled it is never stirred. When the rice is steamed it, of course, requires no stirring. Of late years an attempt has been made to introduce white wheat flour into Japan. While a few of the natives have added this to their diet, wheat flour is still unpopular. The Japanese find rice more pala- table, more healthful and productive of greater strength and energy. When these little people crave something in the semblance of bread or cake they make most delicious little "pats" with rice flour as the basis. In one form or another rice finds its way to the Japanese table — or floor — at every meal. Of late years potatoes have found their way into Japan. These tubers are to be found in the markets of all the large cities, but if the Japanese eat them at all they do so mainly as a matter of curiosity. Rice still continues to take the place of white wheat flour and of potatoes. It is the essential thing in the diet of the people of the "Land of the Rising Sun." When making phenomenal marches Japanese troops often carry no food except a small bag of rice. When practicable, barley and beans are issued in small quantities, though this is done only for the sake of adding variety to the diet. A small handful of rice thrown into boiling water over the camp-fire furnishes a meal that gives ideal nourishment — that is, the sus- tenance that brings endurance without reaction. A traveler approaching the Japanese coast will see so many junks that he cannot be blamed for conclud- ing that every family in the Empire must own at least one of these odd, serviceable craft. There is not a point along the inhabited coast where a fleet of junks is not to be seen. One globe-trotting wag of a naturalist has declared that in the Japanese wa- ters there are forty thousand varieties of fish, all but three kinds of which are edible. He added that there are something more than forty thousand ways of pre- paring these fish. There are nowhere in the world such prolific fishing-grounds as are to be found around the shores of Japan. The fish are caught in such numbers, and with so little difficulty, that naturally they form an important item in the Japanese diet and apparently with the best of results. Very often the fish is served raw, either in a nat- ural state or in very mild pickle. When the fish are boiled no condiment but salt is used. Broiled fish is not often met with, but in the wealthier families it is served with a dressing of melted butter. By far the commonest way of preparing fish is first to dry it, and then to boil it with a little salt. Dried fish is served, either with or without, boiling over rice. A bowl of this grain and a handful of fish is considered an ample meal for the coolie who is called upon to perform ten or twelve hours of hard manual toil in a day. Vegetables and fruit form a most important part in the diet of the Japanese. While rice comes first of all in their estimate of nourishing properties, vegetables play a second part, with fish a good third, and fruit fourth in the scale. With the exception of potatoes the Japanese have an abundance of all the vegetables that grow in the United States. They are fond of lettuce, and especially so at night, their claim being that these green leaves serve excellently as a sedative to the nerves. As nervous disorders are seldom en- countered among these little people, their claim is en- titled to some respect. Tomatoes and carrots are held in high esteem, and although the Japanese are un- 22 THE CHEF doubtedly the most polite people in the world, few of them let a week go by without eating two or three dishes of sliced raw onions. There are some features of the Japanese cuisine that are sure to seem odd to the American housewives. While onions are never served in the cooked state — as the Japanese contend that heat destroys their food value — cucumbers are boiled and served hot. Radishes are boiled and of- fered in a very mild pickle. Celery is served in this same way. Fruit is not often seen at table. It is eaten generally between meals. Upon first acquaintance a Caucasian who glories in his "three square meals" is not likely to be satisfied with the meals that are served in a Japanese house. A very good idea of the ordinary diet of a Japanese laborer may be gained from the conversation with a native coal-heaver on a ship in Nagasaki harbor. A coal lighter lay alongside. Native men, women, boys and girls were working like beavers. The coal was shoveled into baskets, the weight of these loaded bas- kets running anywhere from thirty to fifty pounds. These baskets were passed up through an open port, the Japanese standing close enough to each other to toss and catch the baskets, which in this manner ar- rived at their destination in the ship's bunkers. From the chattering and laughter of the heavers one would have fancied that it was all play — but it was down- right hard work. At noon word was passed, and all the heavers of both sexes and of all ages clustered on the deck of the lighter. Accompanied by a Jap- anese friend, I crossed the plank to the coal-laden craft. None of the laborers resented my very evident curiosity as to their noonday hour. Few had begun to eat. Approaching one stalwart-looking little man whom I had already picked out as the Oriental Her-> cules of the crowd, I asked : "Have you no food?" "Oh, yes," he answered, smilingly, and held up a little fragment of dingy blue cloth in which something was wrapped. He opened the bundle to display his noonday meal — an apple, a tomato and an onion. "Is that all you have to eat?" I asked. "Why, yes," came his reply. "I would not care to eat more just now. I have five hours more of work to do this afternoon." "How about your friends here? Have they brought no more to eat than you have done?" "Perhaps." came the smiling, shrugging response. "They will show you." A woman near by had in a little tin something like three heaping tablespoons ful of cooked rice. Another produced from her bundle two raw tomatoes and a thin rice cake of a diameter of a little more than two inches. A child had two similar cakes and an apple. And this gives a very fair idea of what these hard- working people found sufficiently nourishing food on which to do five hours more of work of coal-passing. Returning to the man whom I had first questioned I inquired : "What did you eat for breakfast this morning?" "Oh, something very nice — a bowl of rice with a few strips of dried fish." "And what will you eat to-night when your day's work is done?" "I do not know. That is for my wife to say. Prob- ably she will give me some boiled fresh fish, some let- tuce, tomatoes, onions and cucumbers or radishes. But it will be dark before we reach home, for as soon as we leave here we shall go on to the baths. You know we people who handle coal all day long must be very dirty at night." I inquired of the man if there was not something I could get him from the ship. He replied that he would be very glad to have some water, and handed me a bucket in which to bring it. I returned to the lighter with distilled water that had passed through an ice- packed worm. My man thanked me, took a sip of the water and spat it overboard. "Too cold," he remarked, "I will set it in the sun for a little while." That same evening I had the good fortune to be invited with my native friend to the house of a well- to-do and liberal Japanese merchant. My host, his wife, two sons and a daughter, my friend and myself seated ourselves in a circle on the floor, while three trim little maids set out before us the evening meal. Just as nearly as I can remember it to-day the menu of the repast ran as follows : First a bowl of fragrant tea. The tea was renewed through the meal as often as a bowlful had been con- sumed. The first dish consisted of a rather tiny bowl of fish chowder. Then came rice with more fish. With this were served lettuce, tomatoes and onions accompanied by boiled cucumbers and celery. A little dish of chopped raw carrots came to each guest. A small dish of some preserved fruit was served with dessert, and with this well-browned cakes of rice flour. Still more tea was brought on, and the men lighted cigarettes. Fearing that my Caucasian tastes in food might not be satisfied, the host asked, early in the progress of the meal, if he should not send one of his people to the hotel for a steak or a cut of roast beef. But the meal was so dainty and appetizing that to have tainted it with meat would have seemed like a desecration. It will be noted in Japan that milk is seldom found in the diet. For this there is a very good reason. The people so seldom use meat that there is no profit in keeping cows. Butter is often met with, but this is usually tinned butter imported from the United States or from Australia. Practically the only differ- ence between winter and summer diets is that in the former the food is used to obtain heat, hence more fish is used in winter. Rice is more frequently served in baked or toasted cakes. The fruits are dried for winter use. Hard-boiled eggs are much eaten as heat- ing food. The amount of food is slightly increased in winter, but at first the beef-eating Caucasian would THE CHEF 23 find any Japanese meal too light. The Japanese be- lieve that at all seasons we eat too much, give the stomach too much work to do and therefore cannot develop the utmost strength. Undoubtedly they are right ; at least they have proved the value of their own system of feeding. Meat is not used as a heating food even in the cold- est days of winter. Neither are potatoes. The Jap- anese do not heat houses. If they are cold they dress to meet their requirements of the outside weath- er. On rare occasions they light hibachi. These are little charcoal stoves that do not add greatly to the heat of a room, and are used principally as a means, of lighting pipes or cigarettes. The Japanese do not believe in artificial, external heat as a means to health in cold weather. Here are sample menus of the food eaten by a healthy adult person in a Japanese family where the cost of living is not a troublesome consideration : SUMMER. Breakfast. — Fruit, a bowl of rice, a small portion of cooked fresh fish and a bowl of tea. Luncheon. — Very often nothing is eaten but fruit, sometimes augmented by a little rice or vegetables in small quantities, either alone or a little rice are taken. Dinner. — Rice with fresh fish, and two or three vegetables such as tomatoes, onions, carrots, radishes, celery, lettuce, turnips, cabbage (raw) and spinach, either cooked or boiled. Tea of course is part of the meal. WINTER. Breakfast. — Rice with fresh fish or more often with dried fish, possibly a hard-boiled egg or two and browned rice cakes, with tea. Dried fruits, either uncooked or stewed, are often served. Luncheon. — Rice cakes or boiled rice with stewed fruit and tea. Dinner. — Boiled rice and fish, stewed dried fruit, hard-boiled eggs, more rice-cakes and tea. This is the diet of the Japanese — the kind of food that kept the samurai in the best of health, in phe- nomenal strength and with muscles that defied strains that would be appalling to the average Caucasian. If any hearty eater among the white races believes such a diet would prove weakening let him try it for a few weeks, and he will discover that his strength is on the increase. Such stomach troubles as indigestion will have disappeared. The man who goes to Japan with a dyspepsia cure, unless he can find trade enough among the foreign residents, is sure to fail. Ouericus. — "Who is the happier, a man who has £100,000 or one who has seven daughters?" Rabbi.— "The latter." "Why?" "The man with the £ 100,000 wants more ; the other doesn't." NEW USE FOUND FOR GRAPE FRUIT. An Agreeable Salad. MRS.- NEWHOME met her neighbor, Mrs. Old- erone, in the new market in Main Street yester- day morning. Mrs. Olderone was talking with the greengrocer about grapefruit. A large one had been cut open and was on the glass case before her, and she was saying, "You may send me a box just like that one." Her new neighbor then exclaimed, "What fine looking grapefruit. We do like them so much. But they are expensive — from fifteen to twenty cents each. And they are so poor this year. They are dry and thick skinned." "So they are, my dear," responded Mrs. Olderone, "if you don't know how to buy them. You know that there are two kinds. The Florida grape fruit is very different and far superior to that which comes from California. I always make an effort to get those from Florida. They are thin skinned, full of juice and have the genuine flavor of Catawba grapes. "Of course, you know that the usual way to serve grapefruit salad is either with French dressing or mayonnaise, but we have discovered that such concoc- tions are rather rich if served every night with other heavy food. "The other day my sister came to take luncheon with me, and knowing her aversion to olive oil, I prepared the grapefruit in a different way and called it 'grapefruit relish.' I'll give you the recipe: "Peel and slice thin two russet apples. Pour the juice and pulp of one large grapefruit over the ap- ple and set away in a cold place. Chop very fine one root of celery, using all of the green top as well as the stalks. Add to this one dozen English walnuts chopped, and season the two with a little salt, add to the fruit and serve with the meat course. It takes the place of pickles and makes a delightful relish. "There is a certain flavor about grapefruit which no orange has, and it makes a delicious dessert, sprin- kled with sugar and served with home-made sponge cake. "I don't feel as if I could keep house without a box of grapefruit. They are far ahead of medicine." A TOAST TO A LOST LOVE. Who wins his love shall lose her; Who loses her shall gain, For still the spirit wooes her, A soul without a stain, And memory still pursues her With longings not in vain, He dreams she grows not older The land of dreams among; Though all the world wax colder, Though all the songs be sung, In dreams doth he behold her Still fair and kind and young. 24 THE CHEF SOME JOKES ON ROYALTY Even the German Kaiser With All the Majesty that Hedges Him, Cannot Overawe the Funny Man Who Sometimes Trifles With His Dignity. RULERS do not always escape the practical joker, although royalty, as a rule, is impatient of trifling and sensitive to ridicule. Even the Kaiser is ruffled, now and then, by an irreverent jest at his expense. What makes these jokes the funnier to the world in general is the fact that the joker has to beware of diverse and dreadful penalties for lese majeste. The monarch himself may not notice them, but there are always obsequious officials who think to recover the royal dignity by pursuing the humorist. A couple of years ago a German paper, presumably for a joke, published a paragraph to the effect that the favorite flower of the Kaiser was a red carnation. The paragraph was copied in almost every paper in the country, and when, a few days later, the emperor visited Aix-la-Chapelle, all those deputed to receive him wore red carnations in their buttonholes. The Kaiser frowned angrily, but no one knew why until next day, when some one, a little wiser than the rest, informed them that the flower was the emblem of his pet abominations, the Social Democrats. One of the most extraordinary hoaxes on record is said to have been played upon the Dewan Lalla Mool- raj, a native potentate of the Punjab, during the sec- ond Sikh War, in the winter of 1848- 1849. The British army, commanded by Sir Hugh Gough, had shut up the Dewan and his forces in the fortified city of Mooltan. One day the besiegers were amazed by the thunderous sound of a most extraordinary cannonade, followed, not by shot or shell, but by an assortment of miscellaneous provisions in a very fragmentary con- dition raining into the British lines. The Sikh chieftain, it was afterward discovered, had found in the city a large store of canned meats, of the nature of which he was completely ignorant. A native spy in British pay gravely informed him that they were powerful explosives, and, hence, for some days the British camp was greeted with showers of Strasburg pates and other more or less mangled but perfectly eatable tinned food. SHEEP'S COAT MADE MAN'S IN HALF A DAY A Remarkable Manufacturing Record Established Ninety-six Years Ago Has Yet to Be Beaten TO ECORDS are made and broken with such fre- -*■ »-quency that it is difficult for them to live more than a day or two, yet there are a few achievements, hoary with age, which still remain unbeaten. One of them, which has reached the ripe age of ninety-six years, is the making of a coat from the growing wool between sunrise and sunset. The scene of this remarkable record-making was the village of Newbury, in Berkshire, England. In the year 181 1, John Coxeter, a well-known manufacturer and mill-owner, remarked to Sir John Throckmorton that he believed, with the machinery lately introduced into his mill, he could take the coat off the baronet's back, reduce it to wool, and turn it into a coat again. This led to an argument, and finally to a wager. Coxe- ter assured Sir John that it was possible to make a coat from the raw wool between sunrise and sunset of a summer day. A short time after this conversation, Throckmorton laid a wager of a thousand guineas that at eight o'clock on June 25, 181 1, he would sit down to dinner in a well-woven, properly made coat the wool of which formed the fleeces of sheep's backs at five o'clock that same morning. The accomplishment of the feat was entrusted to Coxeter, and shortly before five o'clock on the morn- ing stated the early-rising villagers of Newbury were astonished to see their worthy squire, accompanied by his shepherd and two sheep, journeying toward the mill. Promptly at five o'clock, operations commenced, and no time was lost in getting the sheep shorn. All implements to be used were placed in readiness on the field of action, and the smallest actual operations in the making of the coat were performed between the hours mentioned. The sheep being shorn, the wool was washed, stubbed, roved, spun, and woven, the weaving being performed by Mr. Coxeter, Junior, who had been found by previous competition to be the most expert workman. The cloth thus manufactured was next scoured, fulled, tented, raised, sheared, dyed, and dressed, being completed by four o'clock in the afternoon, just eleven hours after the arrival of the two sheep in the mill- yard. In the meantime, the news of the wager had spread abroad among the neighboring villages, bringing crowds of people eager to witness the conclusion of this extraordinary undertaking. The cloth was now put into the hands of the tailor, James White, who had already got all measurements ready during the operations, so that not a moment should be lost; and he, together with nine of his men, with needles, all threaded, at once started on it. For the next two hours and a quarter the tailors were busy cutting out, stitching, pressing, and sewing on buttons — in fact, generally converting the cloth into a "well-woven, properly made coat" — and at twenty minutes past six the coat was presented to Sir John Throckmorton, who put the garment on be- fore an assemblage of over five thousand people, and sat down to dinner with it on, together with forty gentlemen, at eight o'clock in the evening. Prosecuting Attorney (Frozen Dog). — "Your hon- or, the sheriff's bull pup has gone and chawed up the Court Bible." Judge. — "Well, make the witness kiss the bull pup, then. We can't adjourn Court for a week just to hunt up a new Bible." THE CHEF 25 SOME THINGS USEFUL TO BE KNOWN IN EVERY HOUSEHOLD THINGS WORTH KNOWING HOT SALT BAGS THREE thicknesses of heavy unbleached cotton made into a liberal sized bag and stitched twice around will hold any sort of salt without sifting. A bag with a draw string made of some bright canton flannel adds to the comfort of handling and the at- tractiveness of this homely appointment. If you have an aged friend who suffers with cold feet make her a present of such a bag and you may be sure of its value to her. The use of such a bag of hot salt will greatly relieve in case of a chill coming on in an attack of disease. EFFICIENT DISINFECTANT A solution of chloride of zinc, which can be obtained at any druggist, used in proportion of one pint to four gallons of water, forms a most efficient deodorizer and disinfectant, promptly neutralizing noxious effluvia and arresting animal and vegetable decomposition. As a cleansing and purifying agent for sink spouts, water closets, etc., it is invaluable. SWEEPING IN SICK ROOM How the Carpet Can Be Disinfected as Well as Cleaned 1 REAT care should be used in the cleaning of car- ' pets, particularly the carpet of a room used by a person who is ill. The carpet should be disinfected, swept thoroughly, and at the same time no dust should rise when this is being done. An excellent way to accomplish this is to tear news- papers into bits and soak in a solution of creolin and water. Wring out the superfluous water from the fragments, and scatter them on the floor. Then sweep the room in the usual way, and if ordinary care is used little or no dust will rise. The carpet will have been thoroughly disinfected as well, and the water will have given it a fresh appearance, bringing out the color and pattern. STRING BEANS seasoned with mint are delicious served with roast lamb. Jelly cake should have the edges pared off care- fully to make it roll easily. Whole peppers are better for seasoning soups and sauces than ground pepper. Instead of using barley and rice for thickening soup, try oatmeal occasionally. A teaspoonful of vinegar put into homemade candy keeps it from being sickly sweet. A few minced nasturtium leaves sprinkled over an omelet give a snappy flavor. Baked stuffed tomatoes or peppers will be much improved if brushed over with olive oil. Fresh mint may be always at hand for cooking purposes by growing it at home in a glass of water. Butter will keep sweet much longer in a crock jar with a tight fitting cover than in any other way. Chopped preserved ginger, added to the sauce served with cottage pudding is a delicious accompani- ment. The small end of a potato should be pricked be- fore it is placed in the oven to bake to keep it from bursting. Lard is much better to grease cake pans than but- ter. Butter will burn and cause the cake to stick and char. Bananas that are not quite ripe may be baked in their skins for from 20 to 30 minutes and served hot with cream. When cooking tomatoes to strain and use for to- mato jelly, the flavor will be improved by a bay leaf and a piece of mace added. When milk, soup or other foods boil over on the stove, cover the spot quickly with salt. It will do away with any unpleasant odor. Corks may be kept in bottles when traveling by sticking them in with adhesive plaster, such as sur- geons use. Gold edged glass ware should not be washed in strong soapsuds. The soap will in time make inroads upon the gilt. A clean cloth dipped into hot water and then into a saucer of bran will speadily clean white paint with- out injury. When bleaching linen or lace keep it in the bright sunshine. To keep dust out of the bowl, place a piece of glass over it. Never keep paraffin in an uncovered receptacle. It gathers dust. A tin box with a tight fitting cover is best for the purpose. Old loose kid gloves worn while ironing will keep the hands in good condition and free from calouses. There is nothing in a drug store that will relieve the pain of a bee sting quicker than a handful of mud. Faded plush may be brightened by brushing it lightly with a clean sponge dipped in chloroform. Witch hazel and rose water, half and half, is good for wind tortured complexions. Wood ashes mixed with kerosene will remove rust from iron. TO SAVE THE BARREL To keep a barrel or pail of water from bursting when out of doors where it will freeze up in cold weather put a piece of board slanting in the barrel and a stick in the same way in the pail. 26 THE CHEF TO TRIM LAMP WICKS When Frau Muller, our German flat neighbor, at- tends to her lamps she always cuts her straightest duplex burner wick with her nail scissors, thereby getting them beautifully round and entirely avoiding the sharp and protruding corners which are bound to make the forked lamp flame so destructive to lamp chimneys. TO REMOVE INK STAINS Use citric or tartaric acid, which are quite harmless and will not injure the most delicate fabric. It can be used even on books, for it does not injure printer's ink, because it has no iron in its composition, al- though all writing ink is made with much iron be- cause the black color is dependent on the iron. TO PROTECT COMPLEXION To protect the face when sweeping or doing other dusty work smear cold cream on face and neck gen- erously and dust talcum powder over it. This saves the pores of the skin from getting clogged with the dust. THINGS ARE NOT WHAT THEY ARE CALLED Wrong Names for Every-Day Things Are Common, but We Use the Words So Often That We Can't Stop to Change Them "^TOTHING succeeds like mistakes. Fasten a -*■ ^ wrong title to a thing, and the name will almost outlive the language. There is the case of Irish stew. It is no more an Irish dish than American or English, and the term "Irish stew" would not be understood in the Emerald Isle ; but the name is bound to stick. No more does "Prussian blue" depend for its supply on the output of the kingdom of Prussia. Its name is derived quite otherwise, from prussiate of potash. Nor is there anything specially German about "German silver" The alloy can be made, like Irish stew, anywhere you will. India ink is unknown in India, while the turkey is really a native of the New World, and has no more reason to be called by his present name than a bad guess on the part of Englishmen, when he was newly imported, that he came from the realm of the Sultan. Rice paper is not made from rice. Catgut is not levied from the domestic cat, but from the compara- tively silent sheep. Galvanized iron is zinc-coated, but no longer by the process of Galvani. The copper pen- nies which form a part of our small change are not made from copper, but from an alloy more properly termed bronze. It is among the little articles of dress and personal use that the false names are most plentiful. Dogskin gloves rob few dogs, and kid gloves fewer kids. As with catgut, the sheep again supplies the material; the other animals do nothing except to furnish the name. We can be pretty sure that our linen — collar, shirt, and cuffs — is cotton. Even our sealing-wax is waxless. INTERNATIONAL MENU FOR A DIN- NER PARTY Seven Dishes Represent Seven Countries OEVEN dishes characteristic of seven nations were ^the features of a dinner given in the Hotel Astor. The host gave the order in ample time, so that the chef could arrange a menu which would be compli- mentary to the guests from each country. The name of each dish was written in the language of the coun- try in which it represented. The menu was : — Caviar d'Astrackhan (Russia). Green Turtle Soup (America). English Sole (England). Selle de 'Pres' Sale (France). Giant Asparagus (Germany). Canvasback Duck (America). Bisqua Tortoni (Italy). Malaga Grapes (Spain). The "Royal Smile" cocktail, lately introduced at the Astor, was part of the decoration, which also included pink roses. AMERICAN AND CONTINENTAL A N hotel visitor had taken his dinner elsewhere ■* *-with a friend. When, on coming to pay his bill, he found himself charged with a day's board he pro- tested vigorously. It was explained to him that the American plan adopted there was based strictly on a day rate, and that if he chose to eat elsewhere it was his own lookout. The man, however, refused to be pacified, and paid the bill under protest. Then, to everyone's surprise, he asked if dinner was "still on." He was informed that it lasted till nine in the evening. "I've eaten one dinner," he exclaimed, "but I'm go- ing to get my money's worth out of this house if I suffer all the torments of dyspepsia!" He rushed into one of the dining-rooms, seized a bill of fare, and ordered everything he could think of. When he finally reached his limit the waiter handed him a bill for a good round sum. "What's that for?" he demanded. "Your dinner, sir." "But I have already paid for my dinner in my bill," protested the unfortunate man. "I am staying here on the American plan." "Then you should have gone into the other dining- room," said the waiter. "This is the restaurant part of the hotel, and the terms are strictly cash at prices on the card." FOR THE WANT OF GOOD COOKING MANY A HOME IS BROKEN UP- SO SAYS JAMES J. HILL JAMES J. HILL, the railroad builder, who is con- tinually urging the farmers along the line of in- creased production of crops, but who turned his atten- tion to cooking when visiting the National Corn Exposition in Omaha. He told the director of the cooking school that for the want of good cooking more homes are broken up and more divorces result than from any other cause. THE CHEF 27 DRINK TWO QUARTS OF WATER EVERY DAY By W. R. C. LATSON, M. D. Here Is a Simple and Inexpensive Way in Which to Keep in Perfect Health npHREE-QUARTERS of the earth's surface is ■*■ covered by water. The body of a man is about four-fifths water. Even your teeth, the hardest and densest tissue of the body, contain about four per cent, of water. The bones contain from eleven to fourteen per cent, of water ; the muscles are three- quarters water. The blood varies from four-fifths to seven-eighths water. Water makes up ninety-seven per cent, of the gastric juice, ninety-eight per cent, of the perspiration and ninety-nine per cent, of the saliva. The vital processes are carried on very largely by means of water. As one authority has expressed it: "Water is a very important food element, as all the physiologic changes take place in a watery solution. Water is the medium through which the body is nour- ished." That is to say, digestion, circulation, assimi- lation — all these are possible only as a result of the presence of water in the body. Without food a man can exist sixty, seventy or eighty days, as has been demonstrated by experience, but if deprived of water for five or six days he dies. In the prevention and treatment of disease the elim- ination of waste is by far the most important factor. In many diseases it is only necessary to increase elimi- nation in order to cure the case. Disease, as a rule, is merely an effort on the part of the body to rid itself of impurities. To secure proper elimination the most important measure is the free drinking of pure water, water which shall wash the system as water poured through a sponge would cleanse it of all its impurities. There are very few people who drink enough water to insure the elimination of the poisons which the body is constantly making. For the removal of these poisons the two or three glasses of water daily which many people drink is absurdly inadequate. Fluids such as tea, coffee, wine, beer, milk and so on will not act upon the system in the same way. In the first place, all such fluids, with the exception of milk, contain impurities, if not actual poisons. Coffee contains caffein, tea contains thein, wine and beer con- tain alcohol. Not only, therefore, do they poison the system and disturb the operation of the vital organs, but they impose upon certain organs the added task of separating the solid from the fluid matters before the liquid can be used by the system. It must be understood that the only liquid which the body can use in its activities is water, and that other fluids taken are useful only because they con- tain water which may be filtered out by the appropri- ate organs. This act of filtration, however, imposes a certain strain upon the system — a strain which in many cases leads to direct and incurable disease. An insufficient supply of water in the system is one of the most frequent and far reaching causes of dis- ease. As a practical physician, the writer has found that in the vast majority of cases, lack of fluid in the body was an important factor in the causation and maintenance of the patient's disorder. And in every day practice it has become a routine measure to pre- scribe an increase in the quantity of water taken. Lack of water is nearly always a factor in the pro- duction of such disorders as indigestion, constipation, rheumatism, gout, catarrh and biliousness. In consti- pation especially the free drinking of water is often the only treatment needed for complete cure. Water is better than any combination of drugs — better than pills or other concoctions, which act only by irritating the delicate membranes of the stomach. In indigestion the difficulty is generally due to an insufficient supply of gastric juice, combined with in- activity on the part of the stomach. Both of these conditions are traceable to a deficiency of water in the system. In such cases the free drinking of pure water acts helpfully in several ways. It tones up the stomach and cleanses it. It increases the volume of blood and thus conduces to increased secretion of sa- liva and gastric juice. It is not intended, of course, to imply that water drinking alone is sufficient to cure every case of in- digestion and constipation ; but it is the firm convic- tion of the writer that without an abundance of pure water as part of the treatment all other measures, such as diet, exercises and drugging, adopted for the relief of those other troubles will fail and must fail. For a person in average condition it would seem that the system needs about two quarts of pure water daily. In cases of disease this amount may reason- ably be increased to three, four or more quarts of water. To one unaccustomed to the free drinking of water it is not always easy to form the habit. Some self- education is necessary. A good practical rule is to make it a habit to drink ten or twelve tumblers of water every day. This water should be taken on ris- ing, on retiring and between meals. Little or no fluid should be taken at mealtimes nor during the period for the half hour preceding and the two hours after the meal. • "A little change of heir," remarked the old man as he altered his will, cutting off his nephew in favor of a distant relative. 28 THE CHEF THE TWO PIES RUTH, who has been married just two weeks, lives in a little flat on Congress Street, and there keeps house for her lord and master. She has read a little and is wise beyond her nineteen years. On Sunday, after their dinner had been served by the wife, she went to the kitchen and returned with a pumpkin pie. "What's that?" asked the L. and M. "I made a pumpkin pie yesterday," his wife an- swered, timidly. He attacked the confection with a knife and fork, but could not make much headway and was about to declare himself when Ruth announced : "I have another in the pantry, dear. Your mother sent one over yesterday." She then produced the sec- ond pie, which was as tender and appetizing as the first had been tough and unsavory. "That's something like it," he said, patronizingly. "Of course you couldn't expect to become expert at once, my dear." The girl laughed. "You're eating the one I made now," she said. And in her diary for the day is written : "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." MANY WILL BE FORCED TO GO BACK TO THE FARM T TUNGER will eventually prove the solution of the *■ A problem of high prices, by driving the people out of the cities and back to the farms, in the judgment of Secretary Wilson, of the Department of Agricul- ture. "It will be the loss of the three square meals," he said, "which will send laborers to the farmer, who is now doing the best he can without them, and equalize the production and consumption of farm products. We have been educating the young man away from the farm and into the city. They have made doctors, lawyers, dentists and clerks. They have not been taught practical farming. As the result the parents, left alone in the country, have turned their farm over at a rental, and it has deteriorated. To-day the sup- ply of farm products does not equal the demand." IS THE FAMILY AS A UNIT PASSING AWAY? Boys Once Built Things, But Now Can't Hammer in Flats— Big Machines Now Do the Work That Formerly Kept Household; Busy on the Farm. TTVOCTOR LUTHER HALSEY GULICK, direc- -L-'tor of the Department of Child Hygiene of the Russel Sage Foundation, believes that the family, as a unit, is passing. "The house at present, particularly in the city," Dr. Gulick says, "has been stripped of its individuality. To take the simplest thing, the tools are gone. My boy does learn to use a hammer, but under the pro- test of the neighbors. It is unconventional to have pounding in an apartment house, and the conventions must be observed. "The home no longer contains the interesting things for the boy and girl to do, so play also is leaving the home. The home was always the center of children's play. It is yet in the case of little children, but it is no longer a center of activities, and children want to be where something is doing. We have taken out of the home the social life, more so in the city than we have in the country. "The school is a far more interesting place, for there things are happening — things can be done and there is companionship. The city home is too small to permit many children to come in and play. The old-fashioned, large hall, with its fireplace, we no longer have. Think of making a Harlem kitchenette a center of social life." Dr. Gulick calls attention to the fact that the many functions of the old family are now being performed by the community in other and, in the main, better ways. "The first important change," he says, "is in refer- ence to work. The home used to be the place where the work of the world was done. All the activities which were there carried on by the father have gone forever from the home. Our great-grandfathers nearly all of them lived on farms. Each farm was a complete unit. There was made the clothing from the backs of sheep, and all tasks involved in provid- ing the food were performed for the family by the various members of it. The members of the family not only furnished their own meat and vegetables, they made their own tools and harnesses, they shod their own horses. "Even the preparation of food has largely gone outside of the city home. So much of our food is prepared by machinery that only a small part of the cooking is done in the home. Our cakes, pies, bread and much of our meat are cooked outside of our homes, and the preserving of fruit is rapidly becom- ing a lost art, so that a woman who can do this now is able to command high prices for her product. "Everywhere the family is ceasing to be the center of the activities of the world. In the West the steam gang plows sixteen furrows. There is no place for the boy to take the lines of the horses and act with his father in the operation of breaking the soil. And with the woman the same change of relation to the home can be seen. The girl no longer is prepared for a woman's work by co-operating with her mother. The chances are that her mother's duties, whether the family is in the city, village or country, have so changed that such co-operation is impossible. "It was through these activities that the children of the world got that moral development we call char- acter. And for this development nothing in the world can take the place of work — straightforward hard work. THE CHEF 29 IS HIGH COST OF LIVING DUE TO WOMEN? Dr. Patten Gives Some Reasons for Present Conditions, the Chief One Being That Industry Is Lacking in the Home T N an article on "The Crisis in American Home -■■Life" in the current number of the Independent, Professor Simon N. Patten, Ph. D., LL.D., of the chair of political economy in the University of Penn- sylvania, discusses the subject of the high cost of living in an original and startling manner. Dr. Patten says we are so used to pounding mil- lianaires and denouncing trusts that the underlying fact of the lack of capital is overlooked. Families with incomes of $5,000 a year have set a new stand- ard of liberality in expenditures. The constant pres- sure to keep up appearances, along with a decay of the moral instruction emphasizing the benefits of fru- gality and saving, has taken from industry the peo- ple who formerly were the great source of its capi- tal. Because the day laborer still saves we assume that all classes above him are likewise saving. The new standard of living has cut down on the amount of saving as it has likewise cut down on the number of children per family. Small families and small sav- ings are two effects of one cause, a high standard of living. The family with no children is also the fam- ily with no saving. Another cause which Dr. Patten finds in the present crisis is in the new status of women. Forty years ago a man could live comfortably on $1,000 a year. Under the magic of the wife's hand this $1,000 be- came $1,500 or $2,000. The wife created more value by industry in the home than her husband did out of it. In her hands cloth became clothes, flour bread and fresh fruits the winter preserves. Now all things are done outside the home and must be purchased with the $1,000 income. The wife no longer contributes to the family income by creating value, and with the increased standard of elaborate dressing, she is often its chief burden. "There is nothing striking about this," says Profes- sor Patten, "except in the emphasis that is placed on the need of capital. When religious scruples are no longer checks to extravagance and the Quaker, Puri- tan and Scotch-Irish have ceased to exist, we shall realize, if we do not before, that the essential condi- tions of home life cannot be neglected without bring- ing prosperity to a standstill and putting discord and rebellion in the place of peace and harmony." There had been a domestic squabble at breakfast. "You monster !" snapped the matron, who was al- ways scolding, "you are not like my two former hus- bands. They were tender men." "I never doubted that they were tender, Maria," ventured the meek man, "when you kept them in hot water all the time." THE AVERAGE AGES OF ANIMALS Elephant Holds the Record for Longevity if We are Content to Regard the Whale, With His Thousand-Year Possibility, as a Fish LfLEPHANTS are probably the longest-lived -*— 'members of the animal kingdom, averaging be- tween 100 and 200 years. It is said that when Alexander conquered India he took one of King Porus' largest elephants, named Ajax, and turned him loose with this inscription, "Alexander, the son of Jupiter, dedicated Ajax to the sun," and that this elephant, bearing this inscription, was captured 350 years later. As a general rule, it may be said that there is a direct relation between the duration of life and the time required to develop fully; but to this there are exceptions. The cat is mature before it is a year old, and may live twenty years. Size also seems to have a certain relation to lon- gevity, the elephant and whale being the longest lived of mammals, but here again we have the little beaver with a life more than twice as long as that of the rhinoceros. The average ages of other animals are as follows : Years. Ass 30 Bear 20 Beaver 50 Camel 75 Cat 15 Chamois 25 Cow 15 Deer 20 Dog 14 Fox 14 Goat 12 Guinea-pig 4 Hare 8 Hippopotamus 20 Horse 25 Hyena 25 Years. Jaguar 25 Leopard 25 Lion 40 Monkey 17 Moose 50 Mouse 6 Ox 30 Pig IS Rabbit 7 Rat 7 Rhinoceros 20 Sheep 10 Squirrel 8 Stag 50 Tiger 25 Wolf 20 While the average age of the whale is somewhere between one hundred and two hundred years, Baron Cuvier, the celebrated French naturalist, asserted that it was probable that some whales attain the age of one thousand years. PRICES TOO HIGH, SAYS GIBBONS Cardinal Declares Cost of Living Altogether Unreasonable ' TV/TOST of the prices for food products are -L~A c i ear ]y out of all reason," said Cardinal Gibbons recently, "and the people cannot go on paying such prices when they are not earning any more than they were some years ago, when prices were not so high." The cardinal was unable to give a reason for the high prices, but he said: "Something evidently is wrong, when many of the commonest necessities in foods are priced at such enormous figures." "Something must be done soon," said the cardinal, "to put the prices of foods on a reasonable basis, and any method which will bring this about I endorse." 3<3 THE CHEF EVERYBODY DRINKS L~! To be had at all Clubs, Hotels, Cafes, Restaurants and Bars throughout the United States. m o u q u i n DOWNTOWN : 20 Ann St. and 149 Fulton St. near the Post Office UPTOWN : Sixth Avenue and 28th Street The Most Popular French Restaurants in New York J^ 7 "^ ICONF CONFISEUR Patisserie Classique French Bon-Bons Chocolates Ice Cream Complete Service For Buffets, Teas, Receptions, Suppers, Banquets, Dinners and Weddings Menus and Estimates Furnished 67-69 West 44th St., New York Telephone 4278 Bryant Mail. Telegraph ind Telephone Orderi Receive Prompt Attention THE CHEF 3i TELEPHONE 4900 CHELSEA CABLE ADDRESS SILZ - NEW YORK A. Silz Poultry and Game Hotels Clubs Restaurants and Steamships Supplied 414-416-418 WEST FOURTEENTH STREET NEAR NINTH AVENUE NEW YORK George C. Engel Co., WHOLESALE DEALERS AND DIRECT RECEIVERS OF Meats, Poultry, Foreign and Domestic Game 99 BARCLAY ST., NEW YORK Hotel Brevoort (OLD BREVOORT HOUSE) FIFTH AVE. AND EIGHTH STREET NEW YORK CITY European Plan An Unexcelled Cuisine Situated in the most delightful part of Fifth Avenue RAYMOND ORTEIG Proprietor Cafe Lafayette (OLD MARTINS) UNIVERSITY PLACE AND NINTH ST. NEW YORK CITY New York's Famous Restaurant RAYMOND ORTEIG Proprietor 32 THE CHEF is stamped like this- iBIby LAL£NCIBBiiE>SJE&K Bffl ELIE J. MONEUSE, President ESTABLISHED 1852 LOUIS H. HUOT, Vice President DUPARQUET, HUOT & MONEUSE CO. MANUFACTURERS OF FRENCH COOKING RANGES and COOKING EQUIPMENTS of every description for Hotels, Restaurants, Clubs, Families, Institutions, etc. Layouts and Details, Also Catalogues, furnished on Application 43-45 WOOSTER STREET, NEW YORK BRANCH HOUSES : 1420 Penn Avenue, N. W., WASHINGTON, D. C; 88-90 North Street, BOSTON Mass. OU CAN become an efficient and economical cook for $1.00 per year. Can you invest a small sum to greater advantage, and with better results? You can find health and happiness in this investment, and a continually cheerful home. UNLIKE the majority of magazines, "The Chef is a reference book, and is not discarded; its recipes are good forever; it will be a teacher for your children, as well as for yourself. WE will gladly send our subscribers menus for particular occasions, and recipes for particular dishes. WE want to place "The Chef in every household, in every State, County, City, Town and Village of the U. S., and any person desiring to procure subscriptions for 'The Chef," liberal arrangements will be made with them. SUBSCRIPTION $1.00 PER YEAR. The Chef Magazine 225 5th Avenue, New York If you have never eaten Cailler's, you cannot realize the true meaning of the "Cailler taste." Cailler's Genuine Swiss Milk Chocolate is the most toothsome of confections — made from th ; choicest cocoa, the purest sugar, and rich, creamy Swiss milk in Mr. F. L. Cailler's model factory at Broc, Switzerland. Not one of the imitations has the fine flavor, the delicate smoothness, and the rare satisfying quality of Cailler's. Learn the "Cailler taste" by sending to-day for a free sample to J. H. FREYMANN General Agent for United States 60 University Place New York CAREY PRESS, N. Y. WAY 3 1910 READ WHAT "THE CHEF" SAYS: /^HEERFUL homes are those where the housewife knows how a good meal should be prepared, during the eating of which there are happy discussions, creating healthy digestion. l¥E who eats slowly, eats well, which is al- ways a compliment to the cook, therefore it behooves every woman to study to please. rCONOMY is an art, home is the school, the kitchen is the primary class, and ex- perience the teacher, 'The Chef" is the primer. PORTUNATE is the man whose wife prides herself on being, and is a good cook, what a happy home she makes for both! "THE CHEF" MAGAZINE 225 Fifth Avenue - • - New York SUBSCRIPTION $1.00 PER YEAR Cte 0KT magazine Volume 1 MAY, 1910 Number 4 . . . TABLE OF CONTENTS . . . PAGE Portrait of Justin Ealard — Chef Cafe Martin Front cover Our Contributors 2 The Spring Wedding Breakfast — Rose Standish 3 A Spring Table. Courtesy of Mrs. McNally, Wanamaker Store 5 A Course from Trimalchio's Dinner. Gaius Petronius 5 Banquet of French Cooks — Illustrated 8 You Can Live to Be 120 Years Old o Table Linen for All Occasions — Lily Haxworth Wallace 10 Old Woman's Fancy. — A poem — Laurana W. Sheldon n Valuable Detailed Recipes — For Novice and Expert — "The Chef* — Braised Beef — Flemish Style i 12 Plain Omelet 14 Mushroom Omelet 15 Eggs With Codfish — An economical dish 15 Soup Julienne — Onion Soup 16 Fish — - Trout — Boiled, Fried, Baked, Collared 17 Sauces for Trout, Dutch Sauce for Fish 17 Vegetables — Stewed Rhubarb. Artichokes Boiled and Fried, Stuffed and Braised Lettuce 18 Asparagus Boiled, French Method, Green String Beans, Potatoes, Black Butter Sauce, Dressed Cabbage 10 Egg Plant. Chicken with Peas, Lamb Steak, Left-over Meat Pies, Eggs Divorcons. . . 20 Foods for the Month of May 20 Desserts — - Strawberry Chartreuse, Strawberry Cream Ice, Rhubarb Pie, Rhubarb Tart 21 Rhubarb Fritters. Ribbon and Mildred Cakes, Marrow and French Puddings 22 The L T se of Cheese 23 Original French Recipes— in French — by noted Chefs — Trout, Spring Chicken, Ar- tichokes, Asparagus, Strawberries 24 Nutritive Value of Foods 28 Thirjgs Worth Knowing in Every Household 31 Felines as Food , r Flaxseed Meal Breeds the Moth 32 Potpie for Everybody * 2 Discusses Causes of High Cost of Living -,-, Eugene F. Vacheron, President. J. B. Sabine, Treasurer. H. Herbert Vacheroh, Secretary, 225 Fifth Ave. YEARLY SUBSCRIPTION, $1.00 SINGLE COPY, 15 CENTS Copyright, 1910, by "The Chef" Publishing Co. Trade-Mark Registered Published Monthly by "The Chef" Publishing Co. Address all Communications to "The Chef" Magazine 225 Fifth Avenue, New York THE CHEF OUR CONTRIBUTORS SOME OF The Best Known French Chefs In New York Mr. Eugene Lapperruque Chef Plaza Hotel, N. Y. " Prosper Grevillot Delmonico's For 35 Years, New York " Emile Bailly " St. Regis Hotel, N Y. " J. Balard " Cafe Martin, N. Y. " E.Gigoux " NewGrandHotelN.Y. " Leony Derouet Grand Union Hotel, New York " J. Colombin Belmont Hotel, N. Y. " Jules Biron " St. Denis Hotel, N. Y. " Henri Rosier Windsor Hotel, Montreal, Canada " X. Kuzmier " Gotham Hotel, N. Y. " Henri Dousseau Metropolitan Club, New Y ork " Lucien Bernard Hotel Brevoort, N.Y. " J. Gancel " " Belleclaire, N.Y. " Louis Seres Holland House, N.Y. " Henry Pauchey Hotel Gramatan, New York " Teilliaud " of Col. J. J. Astor, New York " Negre " of D. O. Mills, N. Y. " Valta " M.Orme Wilson, N.Y. " Drederick " of George Widener, Philadelphia " Adams " of Robert Goelet " Rhiel of Clarence Mackay " Ribeyre of H. McKay Twombley " Labeille " of Mrs. Sloan > ©CLB810S00 "THE CHEF" MAGAZINE Vol. 1. No. 4 MAY, 1910 15 CENTS THE SPRING WEDDING BREAKFAST By Rose Standish For the repast, the following is a suggestive menu : WHILE the character of the wedding breakfast naturally depends upon many circumstances, and especially upon the number of persons who are to be invited to partake of it, the very fact that it is a breakfast pre-supposes that it is not to be an especially elaborate repast, and that the list of guests will be confined to the more intimate friends of the families. Of course, it must be remembered that, although the repast bears the name of "breakfast," it has little in common with the informal meal with which we ordinarily begin the day. On the contrary, the formal breakfast assumes more of the characteristics of the luncheon, except that it is served an hour or two earlier in the day, and upon a table set with hand- some napery instead of with luncheon cloth and doilies. MENU. Fresh Strawberries, French Style, or Clam Cocktails. Consomme, in Cups. Small Fish, with Green Sauce. Lamb Steak, broiled, with Sauce Bearnaise. Chicken Cream Loaf. Potatoes Souffles. Asparagus Tips in Cream. Spring Salad. Roquefort Cheese, Water Crackers. Coffee. While such a menu might prove too elaborate for THE CHEF an ordinarily formal breakfast, it presents about the proper choice of dishes for such a "special event" as that of the wedding. Moreover, while apparently an extensive, and somewhat costly repast, those who adopt these suggestions will be surprised to discover how easily the dishes may be prepared and how cheaply such a menu may be served. Thus, if strawberries are not too high in price, they should be served — not with sugar and cream, as at the informal breakfast, but in the style that the French affect. This simply means that the unhulled berries are piled attractively around a small mound of pow- dered sugar which fills the center of the plate. In eating them, each berry is lifted by its "hull" and is dipped gently in the sugar before being transferred to the mouth. If the strawberries seem impossible, there are other dishes that will answer the purpose satisfactorily. The clam cocktail can scarcely be improved upon as a delight to the palate. If the Little Neck clams are hard to procure, let the cocktail be made with canned lobster, the meat being cut into dice-like pieces before the sauce is added. Serve the cocktails in small, thin glasses, sur- rounded by ice, and with a sauce that has the tastiest of tomato catsup for its foundation, and with lemon juice, tabasco, salt and a few drops of onion juice as additional seasoning — not too much onion juice, but just enough to faintly suggest its presence. The consomme, being made the previous day, calls for but little attention on the morning of the break- fast, for it simply requires to be reheated and freshly seasoned to the point of perfection. Trout, when nicely broiled, makes the ideal fish course, but if this particular fish is not obtainable, select some other small and tasty variety, but be care- ful to choose one that can be broiled, that it may not prove a discordant element when served with the green sauce that should accompany it. To make this, prepare an ordinary tartar sauce — the recipe for which may be found in any good cook-book — and color it a delicious spring-like green by the addition of spinach that has been boiled thoroughly and pressed through a fine sieve. As the meat dish — the piece de resistance of the breakfast — spring lamb naturally suggests itself, but as it would be ridiculous to serve a roast at this re- past, have the lamb cut in the form of steaks that cannot fail to tempt the palate when served delicately browned by the coals over which they were broiled. Salt the meat, after it has been cooked to taste, and pepper it lightly, if you will, but remember to omit the butter that the steak may be served with a delectable Bearnaise sauce. There are many recipes for this sauce, but as some of them are not as good as others, I will give the for- mula that, though tried with many a test, never yet has failed: Put a teaspoonful of minced onions to cook in a saucepan with half a gill of tarragon vine- gar, and half a gill of cold water. Cover the pan tightly. When the mixture has been reduced one- half, let it cool ; then blend it with the well-beaten yolks of four eggs, and return to the fire. As it heats, season with salt and mignonette pepper, and add, gradually, three ounces of melted butter, stirring the sauce constantly until it has attained the thickness of a mayonnaise. Just before serving, strain the sauce through a sieve and garnish with chopped tarragon and minced parsley the moment before it is to go to the table. Such a repast always seems incomplete without a cold dish — served almost simultaneously with the meat — and, for this purpose, it would not be easy to find anything more inviting than the chicken loaf. In making it, an ordinary aspic is first prepared, well- seasoned chicken stock being used in combination with the gelatin. If two regulation molds, or one very large one, will be required, half a box of gelatin should be taken to two large cupsful of the stock. When this has jellied, it should be whipped to a froth, after which two cupsful of whipped cream are added, and into this is folded two cupsful of white meat of chicken, chopped fine and .well seasoned and two cupsful of cold boiled rice. Place this in a mold to harden near the ice, and serve cold. In preparing the potatoes for the souffles, they should be cut in slices about half an inch thick. As they are sliced, drop them into ice water and let them lie for about half an hour. In the meantime, arrange two kettles of frying fat on the fire. Let one be ordi- narily hot, and the other hot enough to fry quickly. Place the potatoes, first in the ordinarily hot fat, let- ting them cook slowly until they are tender ; then, af- ter they have dried for a few moments, drop the fry- ing basket into the hotter fat, and stir them con- stantly with a long handled spoon until they have browned thoroughly. Serve piping hot, salting them to taste just before serving. To prepare the asparagus, use only the tender tips, and cut these into pieces each about one inch in length. Boil them then gently in salted water, and as soon as they are done, drain them and let them cool. When the time for serving them approaches, toast the neces- sary number of thin slices of bread delicately, and spread them lightly with butter. Place the aspara- gus in the frying pan with a little butter, but as soon as it has heated through, cover with a cupful or two of cream, and just as the latter shows signs of coming to a boil, pour the result over the toasted bread and season lightly with salt and paprika. To be in harmony with such a repast, the salad, too, must be redolent of spring, and, of course, this is an effect that is easily attained. The basis of such a salad should be the tender inner leaves of freshly picked lettuce, but with the latter should be mixed a little endive and escarole, and if not objectionable, fresh dandelion leaves add another delicate touch. Over this bed of green spread thin slices of cucum- THE CHEF ber ; add a tomato or two cut into small pieces with one green pepper chopped fine, and let the finishing touch be a few small, crisp radishes cut into attractive shapes. For such a salad, only a French dressing should be used, although a spoonful of minced chives will add a flavor that would be missed if it were to be omitted. A SPRING TABLE THROUGH. the courtesy of the John Wanamaker store, the preceding half-tone cut represents a spring table arranged by Mrs. McNally, who is in charge of both the New York and Philadelphia Wana- maker restaurants. The spring table is set in Royal Doulton china, pink and white rosebud design, and imported thin glass. Decorations were in Richmond roses and lilies of the valley and pink and white sweet peas, maidenhair fern. The center-piece was a forced crab-apple tree in bloom; little French dolls, cut candle sticks with imported pink silk shades. The dinner, menu of which was as follows : Compote of Fruit. Puree of Tomato in Cups. Pink Almonds and Bon Bons. Creamed Sweetbreads in Cases. Spring Lamb Chops. Bermuda Potatoes. Peas. Chicken Salad. Philadelphia Cream Cheese, Bar le due Wafers. Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream. • The bread sticks were tied with pink ribbons and placed on a handsome napkin. The dining room suit is a faithful reproduction of the one designed and made by Thomas Sheraton about 1790. He was one of the most skillful English cabin- et-makers and designers of the eighteenth century. He was born in Stockton-on-Tees in 1751, and died in London in 1806. The suit is executed in fine Span- ish mahogany and inlaid with box wood stringing. The sideboard terminates in a dull brass rail, charac- teristic of the Sheraton period. A dozen of fine Irish linen scallopped tea doilies were used ; 40,000 peasants in the Island of Madeira are employed in doing this exquisitely fine solid and open work embroidery. The demand has become so great for this class of work that it is almost impossible to supply the demand. The doilies are fourteen inches square, scalloped all around with beautiful designs in one corner. A marvelous twenty-five piece luncheon set of all French needlework costing $375.00. A twenty-seven-inch center-piece, twelve plate doil- ies and twelve glass doilies comprising the set. The four virtues are represented in seeded needle- work outlined with open work embroidery in the cen- ter-piece. Minstrels, knights and royal ladies are ex- quisitely embroidered on the doilies. The basis of the set is fine sheer French linen. The dinner service is of Royal Doulton. The plate is encrusted with a delicate relief of gold. The bor- der has a strong Empire feeling and is in conjunc- tion with a rosebud festooned edge. Sir Henry Doul- ton was a famous potter of the eighteenth century. He was born at Lambeth, London, Southwest, in 1820, and in 1846 he commenced the manufacture of porce- lain. In 1848 his works grew to be the largest in the world. To him is mainly due the revival of art pot- tery. He reproduced many fine examples of Dutch and German porcelain, principally Dresden. He died in 1897. Furniture description from Mr. Quinn. Linen description from Mr. Moore. A COURSE FROM TRIMALCHIO'S DINNER. By GAIUS PETRONIUS. Translated from the Latin by Harry Thurston Peck, Prof, of Latin, Columbia University. \X 7E had already taken our places, all except Tri- » " malchio himself, for whom the seat of honor was reserved. Among the objects placed before us was a young ass made of Corinthian bronze and fitted with a sort of pack-saddle which contained on one side pale green olives and on the other side dark ones. Two dishes flanked this ; and on the margin of them Trimalchio's name was engraved and the weight of the silver. Then there were little bridge-like struc- tures of iron which held dormice seasoned with honey and poppyseed ; and smoking sausages were arranged on a silver grill which had underneath it dark Syrian plums to represent black coals, and scarlet pomegran- ate seeds to represent red-hot ones. In the midst of all this magnificence Trimalchio was brought in to the sound of music and propped up on a pile of well-stuffed cushions. The very sight of him almost made us laugh in spite of ourselves; for his shaven pate was thrust out of a scarlet robe, and around his neck he had tucked a long fringed napkin with a broad purple stripe running down the middle of it. On the little finger of his left hand he wore a huge gilt ring, and on the last joint of the next finger a ring that appeared to be of solid gold, but having little iron stars upon it. Moreover, lest we should fail to take in all his magnificence, he had bared his right arm, which was adorned with a golden bracelet and an ivory circle fastened by a clasp. As he sat there picking his teeth with a silver tooth- pick, he remarked : 6 THE CHEF "Well, friends, it was just a bit inconvenient for me to dine now ; but, so as not to delay you by my absence, I have denied myself a considerable amount of pleasure." While we were still eating the hors d'ceuvres, a tray was brought in with a basket on which a wooden fowl was placed with its wings spread out in a circle after the fashion of setting hens. Immediately two slaves approached and amid a burst of music began to poke around in the straw, and having presently •discovered there some pea-hens' eggs, they distributed them among the guests. Trimalchio looked up during this operation and said: "Gentlemen, I had the hens' eggs placed under this fowl; but I'm rather afraid they have young chickens in them. Let's see whether they're still fit to suck." So we took our spoons, which weighed not less than half a pound each, and broke the egg-shells, which were made of flour paste. As I did so, I was almost tempted to throw my egg on the floor, for it looked as though a chicken had just been formed inside ; but when I heard an old diner-out by my side saying : "There's bound to be something good here," I thrust my finger through the shell and drew out a plump reed-bird, surrounded by yolk of egg, well sea- soned with pepper. I was unable to eat another mouthful ; and so, turning to my companion, I tried to draw as much information out of him as possible, and to get the run of the gossip of the house, asking, in the first place, who the woman was who was darting here and there about the room. "Oh," said he, "that's Trimalchio's wife. Her •name is Fortunata. She has money to burn now, but a little while ago what do you suppose she was ? Your honor will excuse me for saying so, but really in those days you wouldn't have taken a piece of bread from her hand. And now. without any why or wherefore, she's at the top notch and is all the world to Trimal- chio — in fact, if she should say it was night at noon- day, he'd believe her. As for Trimalchio himself, he's so rich that he doesn't know how much money he's got ; but this jade has an eye to everything, even the things that you wouldn't think about yourself. She •doesn't drink, she's as straight as a string — in fact, .a really smart woman ; but she has an awfully sharp tongue, a regular magpie on a perch. If she likes any one, she likes him way down to the ground, and if she doesn't like him, she just hates him! Trimal- -chio's estates are so large that it would tire a bird to fly over them, and he has heaps on heaps of cash. Take his silver plate, for instance. Why, there's more of it in his janitor's office than most persons have in their entire outfit ; and his slaves — well, sir, they're so numerous that I don't think a tenth part of them would recognize their own master. In fact, when it comes to money, he can buy up any of these chumps here ten times over; and there's no reason for his paying out money for anything at all, because he pro- duces everything on his own place — wool and cedar wood and pepper — why, if you were to ask for hens' milk, you'd get it. To give you an instance: He found that he wasn't getting very good wool, so he bought some rams at Tarentum and changed the breed of his sheep. Again, because he wanted to have Athenian honey right here on his estate, he imported bees from Athens, and incidentally these improved the breed of the native bees also. Only a few days ago he wrote and ordered mushroom-seed to be sent him from India. He hasn't a single mule on his place that wasn't sired by a wild ass. Just see how many cushions he has here. Every single one of them has either purple or scarlet stuffing. That's what I call being rich. But you're not to suppose that his associates here are to be sneezed at, for they've got plenty of rocks too. Just look at that man who has the last place at the table. Even he has to-day his little eight hundred thousand, and yet he started out with nothing. It wasn't very long ago that he was a porter carrying wood on his back through the street. But, as the saying goes, he found a fairy wishing-cup. I never grudge a man his good luck. It only mean? that he knows how to look out for himself ; and this chap over here not long ago put up his shanty for sale with this sort of an advertisement : " 'Gaius Pompeius Diogenes will let this lodging from July first, having just bought a large house for himself.' "Now take the case of that other man over there who has the freedman's place at the table. How well off do you suppose he is? I don't know anything against him, but he's seen the time when he had his little million ; only, somehow or other, he went wrong. To-day I don't imagine he has a hair on his head that isn't mortgaged, and it isn't his own fault either, for there's no better man in the world ; but it's the fault of his confounded freedmen who made way with ev- erything that he had. You know the saying, 'Too many cooks spoil the broth,' and the other saying that 'He who loses money loses friends.' And what a fine profession he had, too, just as you can see him now! He was an undertaker. He used to dine like a king on wild boar with pastry and birds, and he had cooks and bakers by the score. They used to spill more wine under his table than most men have in their wine-cellars. In fact, he was a fairy vision rather than a man. When his affairs got into Queer Street and he was afraid his creditors would think that things were in a bad way, he wanted to raise some monev on his goods and chattels ; so he advertised an auction of them in this fashion : 'Julius Proculus will hold an auction for the sale of his superfluous prop- erty.' " After this course, Trimalchio left the room for' a few minutes, so that, feeling a certain freedom in the THE CHEF absence of our master, we began to draw each other into conversation. Dama, first of all, calling for a goblet, remarked : "A day is nothing. Night comes before you can turn around. That's why I think there's nothing bet- ter than to go from your bed straight to the dining- room. It's a cold climate we have here. Even a bath scarcely warms me up. In fact, a hot drink is my wardrobe. I've had several stiff drinks already, so that I'm loaded for bear ; for the wine has gone to my head." At this point Seleucus interrupted him, remarking: "Well, for my part, / don't take a bath every day. The cold water nips you so that when you bathe every day your courage all oozes out of you. But after I've swigged a toby of booze, I tell the cold to go to the devil. But I couldn't take a bath to-day, any- how, for I was to a funeral. Chrysanthus, a fine man and such a good fellow, kicked the bucket. I saw him only the other day — in fact, I can hear him talking to me now. Dear me ! we go around like blown-up bladders. We're of less consequence than even the flies, for flies have some spirit in them, while we are nothing but mere bubbles. But as to Chry- santhus, what if he wasn't a total abstainer? Anyhow, for five days before he died, he never threw a drink in his face nor ate a crumb of bread. Well, well, he's joined the majority. It was the doctors that really killed him, or perhaps just his bad luck; for a doctor is nothing after all but a sort of consolation to your mind. He was laid out in great style on his best bed, with his best bedclothes on, and he had a splendid wake, though his wife wasn't sincere in her mourn- ing for him. But I say, what if he didn't treat her very well? A woman, so far as she is a woman, is a regular bird of prey. It isn't worth while to do a favor for a woman, because it's just the same as though you'd chucked it down a well. But love in time becomes a regular ball-and-chain on a man." He was getting to be rather boresome when Phi- leros chimed in : "Oh, let's think of the living. Your friend has got whatever was his due. He lived an honorable life and he died an honorable death. What has he to complain of? From having nothing, he made a for- tune, for he was always ready to pull a piece of money out of a muck-heap with his teeth ; and so he grew as rich as a honey-comb. By Jove ! I believe the fellow left a cool hundred thousand, and he had it all in cash. I'm giving you this straight, for I have a rough tongue. He was a man of unlimited cheek, a tonguey fellow, and he always had a chip on his shoulder. His brother was a good sort of chap, a friend to a friend, a man with an open hand, a generous table. At the start he had a hard row to hoe, but his first vintage set him on his legs again, for he sold his wine at his own price. But what es- pecially kept his head above water was this, that he got hold of a legacy, and waltzed into a good deal more of it than had been really left him. But this friend of yours, because he had quarreled with his brother, left his fortune to some outsider. I tell you a man has to go mighty far to get away from his relatives! Unfortunately he had slaves who babbled all his secrets and harmed him. A man makes a mis- take who trusts others too readily, especially if he's a business man. Nevertheless, while he lived, he en- joyed what he had." After Phileros had finished, Ganymedes started in: "All this talk of yours isn't the least bit to the point. No one here seems to care about the high price of grain. By Jove, I couldn't get a mouthful of bread to-day ! And how the drought keeps on ! We've had a sort of famine for a year. Confound the officials anyhow, who are standing in with the bakers! 'Scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours,' as the saying goes. So the public has to suffer for it and their jaws get a long vacation. Oh, if we only had those roaring blades that I found here when I first arrived from Asia! I tell you, that was life! If the flour sold wasn't equal to the very best, they used to go for those poor devil officials as if Jupiter himself was angry with them. I remember Safinius. In those days he used to live down by the old archway, when I was a boy. He was hot stuff ! Wherever he went he used to make the ground smoke ! But he was perfectly straight, a man to rely on, a friend to a friend, a chap with whom you could safely throw dice with your eyes shut. In the court-room, too, how he used to make things hum ! And he didn't talk in figures either, but straight to the point, and when he was arguing his voice used to swell like a trumpet. How affable he was. In those days, I tell you, grain was as cheap as dirt. If you bought a loaf of bread for a penny, you couldn't eat it up even if you hired another man to help you, whereas nowadays, I've seen bulls'-eyes that were bigger than the loaves. Dear, dear, every day things are getting worse ! The town is growing backward like a calf's tail. And why do we have a mayor who's no good and who thinks more of a penny piece than of the lives of all of us? He has a soft snap in private, for he takes in more money in a day than most of us have in our whole fortunes. I know one source from which he got a thousand gold pieces. If we had any spunk he wouldn't be so stuck on himself. But our people are lions in private and foxes in public. As far as I'm concerned, I've already eaten up my wardrobe, and if this sort of a harvest keeps on I'll have to sell my shanties." The thing had gone to a disgusting extreme when Trimalchio, sodden with drink, hit upon a new sort of exhibition, and had hornblowers brought into the dining-room. Then having been propped up on a number of pillows, he sprawled himself out upon the lowest couch and said : "Imagine that I am dead. Play a nice tune over me." The hornblowers blew a funeral march ; and one 8 THE CHEF of them, the slave of the undertaker, who was really the most respectable man in the crowd, blew such a tremendous blast that he roused up the whole neigh- borhood. The police who were on duty in the vicin- ity, thinking that Trimalchio's house was on fire, sud- denly broke down the door and rushed in with axes and water, as was their right. Seizing this very fav- orable opportunity, we gave Agamemnon the slip, and made our escape as hastily as though we were really fleeing from a conflagration. T BANQUET OF THE FRENCH COOKS HE forty-sixth anniversary of the "La Societe MENU. Culinaire Philanthropique" was celebrated by a banquet at Cafe Martin on March 14, 1910. The committee of the banquet, at which more than 150 chefs of New York attended, could not have chosen a more beautiful dining hall, nor could they have bestowed more justly the honor which they did on Chef Balard, in choosing him, one of their col- leagues, to prepare the menu, which did honor to the culinary art of the cooks of America. Mr. Gigoux, chef of the New Grand Hotel, and president of the society, made a most beautiful wel- coming speech, the inspiration of which was certainly inspired by the beautiful decorations of the dining room and tables in which the French and American flags predominated. New York City can well be proud of its cooks, of ■ which there is not a more intelligent class in any profession. Following is the menu served as prepared by Chef Balard, and enjoyed by 150 chefs: DUBONNET Celeri Amandes Salees Olives Artichauts a la Grecque Huitres Blue Points GRAVES SUPERIEUR Casserolette de Homard a l'Americaine Consomme Armenonville FLOIRAC Filet Mignon saute Durand Pommes Virginie Petits Pois a l'fituvee Sorbet au Kummel Poussin de Bruyere a la Liegeoise Salade Lorette Coupe Thais Mirliton de Rouen Cafe Liqueurs Clysmic Water CAFfi MARTIN THE CHEF YOU CAN LIVE TO BE 120 YEARS OLD Dr. Van Doren, of Norwalk, Expects to Live as Long as He Likes A GE will not begin to wither the cheek of the -**-Rev. Dr. De Witt Talmage Van Doren, of Nor- walk, Conn., until he is at least 120 years old, and even then he does not expect it to stale the infinite variety of his beliefs. He is pastor of the Norwalk Baptist Church, where for the last twelve years he has been giving out his ideas of healing through the mind, and he has begun to take thought as to just how long he intends to remain on this earthly sphere. "As for me," said the clergyman in his latest ac- count of his faith and works, "I am alive and I intend to stay alive as long as I wish. I do not intend to think myself old at sixty, seventy, eighty, ninety, one hundred nor yet no years, but at 120 I shall be- gin to think of being aged. Most persons are inclined to be lazy, and that is why the higher mind is not thoroughly developed." Those desiring to see themselves in the centenarian class should remember that the solar plexus is not in- tended as the objective point for horny fists. It is the center of the subconscious mind, thinks Dr. Van Doren, and it is still at work after the other parts of the system have had a knockout blow. "There is a spot there," continues the cleryman savant, "which after all the rest of the body is cold in death remains warm for a considerable period." According to the valuable receipt of Dr. Van Doren a man is then no older than his solar plexus. Dr. Van Doren declares that the solar plexus is about as large as the hand. Continuing further, he avers that the subjective mind is in every part. "How do I know that it is there?" he continues. "The same as I know that the brain is in the head. I can feel the power that runs from this spot to the spleen, and I think that the spleen is the reservoir of this power. I can feel this like a tremendous power as it passes. You are conscious of a shock or of a sudden access of joy. It is the subconscious mind on which the hypnotist acts. No man can ever make a subject murder or steal or do anything against his normal will. In the cataleptic state he sees and hears other things not visible to you." The Rev. Dr. Van Doren is quite sure that one will not be any deader when he is dead than when he is asleep, as the subjective mind has in death merely left the body. "It is," he says, "a good thing to get acquainted with your subjective mind. Your actual power com- pared with what you use is as 1,000 to 1. The most intellectual men use only the surface of their brains. Shakespeare and others got down into a lower layer." According to the testimony of the minister, his pa- tients are always in touch with him, for he can tell when they are about to telephone or write. He be- lieves that mental telepathy will develop as did wire- less telepathy, so that ten years from now it will not be necessary for anybody to write letters but just think what they would transmit to relatives and friends. JUSTIN BALARD Chef of Cafe Martin, an Artist in Culinary Art JUSTIN BALARD, whose portrait appears on the front page, is recognized by his colleagues in the profession as being one of the foremost chefs in America. Born in France, where he finished his apprentice- ship, he was employed prior to coming to this coun- try at the Chateau Madrid, the Grand Hotel, at Big- nons, and Brebants in Paris. He came to New York in November, 1887, and was here but a short time when that Prince of "Res- taurateurs," Jean B. Martin, with his usual sagacity, again seized the opportunity to please his public by engaging Balard as his chef. That his judgment was good is evidenced by the fact that since April, 1888, Justin Balard has been the "chef" of the Cafe Martin, beginning in the old place, Cafe Martin in University Place, and continu- ing until the present time at "Cafe Martin" at Fifth Avenue and Twenty-sixth Street, a continued service in his one and only position in America of twenty- two years. This continued service speaks more for his ability than anything that could be written. While it can be appreciated that a good chef like Balard is the making of a house, credit must be given Jean B. Martin, the genial proprietor of "Cafe Mar- tin," for surrounding himself with the best talent to be found, regardless of cost, as long as he can please his patrons. Therefore, when Jean B. Martin secured Justin Balard, two great men met. of which the New York public are reaping the benefit. "Here's to our wives, sisters and sweethearts! Here's to love, honor and fame ! Here's to the girl we think of, but — The girl we never name !" 10 THE CHEF TABLE LINEN FOR ALL OCCASIONS By LILY HAXWORTH WALLACE WHEN the table is being prepared for guests, or just for "home folks," its covering and general arrangement are of the utmost importance for the care and time spent on the foods themselves will not be fully repaid if the table is not immaculate in its appointments. By "immaculate" we mean clean linen, well chosen, well laundered, carefully spread, and glass and silver properly cared for and polished. Foremost in consideration is the table padding — "silence cloth." or asbestos mat, whichever may be preferred — which goes under the tablecloth, and which serves three purposes : first, it makes the table service quieter ; secondly, it saves the table from be- ing marred by hot dishes, and thirdly, it adds at least fifty per cent to the appearance of the tablecloth by giving thickness and body and preventing the flat look always so apparent where no such padding is used. The silence cloth may be of heavy felt, bound on the edges, or of quilted muslin-covered cotton. Of the two the quilted material is to be preferred be- cause it has a smooth surface, whereas, with felt, it sometimes happens that the fluffy surface sticks to the polished table-top owing to the heat of the dishes placed on it. Knitted table padding has the advan- tage of being heavy yet soft, and of retaining the softness after washing. All the fabrics named may be secured in varying widths to fit almost any table, be they round or square. Asbestos pads are made to fit oval, round or square tables, but must be purchased the exact size of the table top, while the softer silence cloths should be sufficiently large to hang several inches over the edge of the table on all sides. The asbestos pads are made in sections and are covered with Canton flannel. Luncheon mats are also made of asbestos for use on a polished table when doilies are used in place of a tablecloth. These mats are slipped into plain, or em- broidered, linen covers when in use. In every case table linen should be the best the housewife can afford, for the extra wear will more than offset the increased cost. Where economy is an object, cloths with small patterns should be bought, as these wear best. All tablecloths should be large enough to fall fully ten inches over the edge of the table on all sides. When buying cloths for daily use get them a little longer than is really necessary, as with this precaution their time of service may be con- siderably lengthened, owing to the fact that a cloth first shows signs of wear at the edge of the table, and by cutting a small piece from one end of the cloth this thin spot is moved to the top of the table where it receives less wear, and a stronger part falls at the table's edge. Weight, not fineness, is the standard in buying table linens. They should weigh not less than four and a half ounces to the square yard. German linens are the most durable, and are best for hard wear, but the German cloths lack the daintiness of design of the French and Irish damasks. They are also rarely of as fine texture, or as highly bleached, as the Irish or French cloths, but where it is possible to bleach them at home, it is an economy to buy them for every day use. Good linen and damask are of an elastic texture, and when found to be stiff and "crackly," it is safe to assume that they have been stiffened to make them appear better than they really are. For the ordinary sized family two dozen napkins should be purchased for each cloth ; these may be of two sizes, the smaller for breakfast and lunch, and the full sized ones for dinner service. For better use, "Pattern Cloths;" that is, cloths having a border all round and not only on the sides, and each cloth com- plete in design, are daintier than those made from linen bought by the yard. They cost a little more, but it is money well expended from the personal sat- isfaction it gives the housekeeper. Hemstitched cloths and napkins, on the other hand, while beautiful in appearance, are anything but economical, as the stitching soon breaks with washing, and it is almost impossible to repair. Carving cloths are a great economy, and when buying tablecloths, it is an excellent plan to get a little extra linen and make two or three carving cloths to be used with each tablecloth. Being of the same design, they will be hardly noticeable on the table, and being small are easily laundered when the carver meets with an accident. It is becoming quite common in these days of light breakfasts to use either small doilies or table runners in the morning instead of a tablecloth. These may be of white or natural-toned linen, or of heavy linen crash, and are placed on the table crossing each other at right angles. Especially in summer they are dainty in appearance and thev materially reduce the laundrv bill. Centerpieces are larger now than they have been for some years ; and while sometimes embroidered in colors, they are infinitely more dainty in appearance if the needlework is done in pure white. They may be as richly embroidered as the taste and pocketbook of the owner permit, but are always in good form if left severely plain with, perhaps, an initial carefully worked in Old English a little to one side of the cen- ter. Where a tablecloth is initialed, or rhono- grammed, it is now correct to have the work in such a position on the cloth that it may be seen a little distance from the edee of the table when the cloth THE CHEF ii is spread. Some have the monogram repeated at diagonally opposite corners of the table. Where doilies are used on a polished table at lunch- eons, or little suppers, there is ample scope for the display of individuality. They may be perfectly plain hemstitched, or of filmy drawn-work, or edged with cluny lace, which always seems specially appropriate for this use. They may be made at home according to the owner's fancy or purchased in sets from a very reasonable price — suited to a limited pocketbook — up to almost any price one chooses to pay where the decoration is handwork or real lace. They are gen- erally sold in matched sets of twenty-five pieces — one dozen plate doilies, the same number of small tumbler doilies and a center-piece. Finger bowl doilies may be included in the set, but it is not necessary for these to match the other linens, and they are frequently , seen in "odd sets," every one- a different design. It is interesting to note that this word "doily" has come to us from the Dutch, and is corrupted from their word "dwaele," meaning a towel. Some judgment should be used as to the suitability of the doilies used at different functions. While the lace and embroidered ones would be perfection at a gathering of debutantes, or a luncheon of grand dames, they would be entirely out of place at a feast of kindred souls revelling in Welsh rabbit, or a Bo- hemian spread of the good things served at the witch- ing hour of midnight out of the useful chafing-dish. Then the plainer linens are best and may even be made from Russian crash, which can go into the wash tub, or boiler, and come out fresh and clean, a treat- ment which would spell ruin to the dainty confections of lace and needlework. It is well to have at least a dozen small squares of fine linen, fringed or hemstitched, and plain or mono- grammed, which may be used as napkins at afternoon teas, or when ice cream and cake, or sandwiches only, are being served. Many a young housekeeper's cour- age has failed her after a gathering of her friends when she sees a pile of her best napkins which must be "done up" the next day. The small squares serve every purpose and are easily laundered. The laundering of table linens requires great care. Tablecloths may be very slightly starched, but only very slightly, for the gloss on well laundered linens is secured by ironing them while damp with very heavy irons, and continuing the process till the cloths are absolutely dry. There should be as few folds as possible in a cloth ; absolute perfection demands one fold only down the middle of the cloth, which should not be folded crosswise, but rolled on a heavy stick or roller. The same applies to tray cloths. Napkins must be ironed so that the edges are per- fectly even. They must be folded into an exact square; never at any time into fanciful forms. Fringed doilies and napkins must have the fringe well brushed with a whisk broom to separate the threads and make them soft and straight. All em- broidered articles must be ironed on the wrong side, on a well padded board, that the design may stand out clearly. SHERLOCK IN THE LAUNDRY / I v O comply with the woman's request seemed so ■*■ much like giving away State secrets that the laundryman confessed himself "up a stump." "I want to know," said she, "how many shirts, col- lars and cuffs John Billings has in the wash every week." "Are you a relative of Mr. Billings?" he asked. "Yes," said she. "That is, I may be some time. He wants me to marry him and I am making up my mind. I want to assure myself first of his personal habits. Is he neat? Is he clean? He always looks so when he comes to see me, but nothing but his laundry bill will show whether he is always so or not." The laundryman produced Mr. Billings's laundry list with alacrity. "Four shirts," he said, "six collars, five pairs of cuffs, four union suits and six pairs of socks, and Mr. Billings's wash runs a little below the average this week. Are you satisfied?" "I am," said she, and John Billings's fate was sealed. OLD WOMAN'S FANCY. By Lurana W. Sheldon. JUST a quaint, old-fashioned teapot with a figure on its side Of a quaint, old-fashioned woman, garbed, I fancy, as a bride! Just a quaint, old-fashioned fancy of a woman's thoughtful mind — Was she really very happy or just patient and re- * signed ? Just a quaint, old-fashioned woman gazing at her tea- pot there With time's shadows on her features and time's silver .in her hair. Was she truly, truly happy, this quaint bride of long ago? Strange, indeed, that I should ask it — that I even wish to know ! Ah, my quaint, old-fashioned teapot, little do you dream, my friend, Of the solemn thoughts and fancies that your fading pictures lend ! Was she truly very happy, this quaint woman that I knew? Was she happy to be wedded on the day one gave her — vou ? 12 THE CHEF VALUABLE DETAILED RECIPES -FOR NOVICE AND EXPERT BY "THE CHEF" Braised Beef, Flemish Style (Boeuf Braise A La Flamande) Note. — This recipe for Braised Beef, Flemish style, is diversely understood, in its details at any rate, be- cause the culinary world knows it always as being a piece of beef partly boiled, partly braised ; but most always entirely braised, and garnished with cabbage, carrots, turnips, potatoes, bacon and small sausages. In other words, it is known as a very substantial dish. In some family households, to avoid the work at-» tending the use of too many cooking utensils, the housekeeper will oftentimes half braise the beef, and will then garnish it with the vegetables and set the whole to cook together and finish it in that way, and call it braised beef, Flemish style, which is not proper, as that would be more of the style known as the "farmer style." While we know that in the preparation of a recipe there are many who proceed according to their way of thinking, by modifying and simplfying the recipe according to their respective tastes ; still, however, it is best if you conclude to make a dish known by a cer- tain name, to follow that recipe correctly and as ad- vised, and thereby obtain proper results and also satisfy the appetite of those who have prepared them- selves to eat a dish prepared and known by its name, which dish can only be prepared one certain way. The advantage of the real braised beef, Flemish style, prepared as hereunder indicated, is that in the garnishing with the vegetables aforementioned, each vegetable retains its particular flavor, because each vegetable is cooked separately, and they, for instance, who do not like the taste of cabbage, are not com- pelled to get that taste while eating some of the other vegetables. Therefore do not consider it of any moment to use one or two extra saucepans in the preparation of this recipe. Its execution is divided into two distinct parts. The braising of the beef and preparing the garnishing. PROPORTIONS FOR THE BEEF FOR 8 OR IO PERSONS. TIME, 4% HOURS. 4 lbs. of brisket or rump. I medium sized carrot. I onion. 1 kitchen boquet (leak, parsley, etc.). 2}4 tablespoonsful of skimmed gravy fat. 3 ounces or thereabouts of bacon rind. 2 gills of white wine. i quart of thin veal juice, or bouillon instead. Vi oz. of corn starch. PROPORTIONS FOR THE GARNISHING. TIME ?y 2 HOURS. iV± lbs. of cabbage. Y2 lb. ot carrots. S medium sized potatoes. Vi lb. of lean bacon. i sausage (servelat) weighing about 6 or 8 ozs. i quart of unsalted bouillon. 2 tablespoonsful of skimmed gravy fat. lYz ozs. butter. Y2 oz. sugar. THE OPERATIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS: FOR COOKING THE MEAT. Color the piece of beef in the oven for about fifteen or twenty minutes. Brown the carrots and onion in a saucepan. Set the beef in a casserole with the carrots and on- ions, the bacon rind and bouquet. Add the white wine ; let it cook until it is most entirely reduced ; add a little bouillon, and let this again reduce to about one-half. Then add the rest of the bouillon and put the casserole in the oven. Let it cook slowly for about three and one-fourth hours. Then glaze the meat in the oven for about fifteen minutes. Strain and remove the fat from the gravy, and bind with the cornstarch. FOR COOKING THE VEGETABLES. Bleach the cabbage, and mould them into small balls ; cook the cabbage slowly with the bacon and sausage for about one and one-half hours. Remove the sausage after about thirty-five or forty minutes' cooking. Remove the bacon after about one hour's cooking. Bleach the carrots and turnips. Cook them with bouillon for about forty minutes. Cook the potatoes for about twenty-five minutes. Set the beef on a large platter, surrounded by the garnishing. Serve the gravy in a gravy-dish. THE PIECE OF BEEF TO BE USED. The piece to be used should be either brisket or rump, and which the butcher should cut so that the piece will be of about equal thickness throughout, which is a material help in cooking it evenly. The weight suggested is that of the meat ready for the oven, and while six lbs. is more than is really necessary for ten persons, still it has the advantage of cooking better than a small piece, and also of cut- ting up better in serving, and then again there will be THE CHEF 13 sufficient left over for another meal, wherein it can be served either cold or warmed over in a brown sauce. Therefore it is not entirely necessary to limit the piece of meat to a strict weight either one way or another. THE COOKING OF THE MEAT. To facilitate the handling of the meat it is advisable to tie it with a string wrapped three or four times around the piece, which tends to keep it firm. Lay it in a roasting-pan, sprinkle it with a table- spoonful of gravy fat. Put it in a very hot oven, when it will have become colored a nice brown color, turn it over on the other side until it becomes browned also. This will take from fifteen to twenty minutes. While the beef is browning take a shallow saucepan or a frying-pan, in which put what is left of the gravy fat (one and one-half tablespoonsful) and to which when hot add the carrot and onion which have been sliced about one-fourth inch thick, place the pan over a brisk fire and brown the contents. This will take about ten minutes. Now the reason the above is done in two opera- tions is that due to the large size of the meat, it would be rather difficult if not impossible to brown both the meat and vegetables in the same utensil, for while the meat would be browning the vegetables would burn. Therefore it is better to color the meat in the oven and the vegetables separately before put- ting them together in the cooking pot. FOR BRAISING THE MEAT. Take a cooking pot that will just about contain the meat, at the bottom lay the bacon rind, the car- rot and onion that have just been browned, and on this lay your piece of beef that has been removed from the oven ; on the meat lay the kitchen bouquet and add the white wine (two gills). Set the pot on a brisk fire, but do not cover it, and let it boil until the wine entirely boils away. Then add about one and one-half gills of the veal juice or bouillon and let this boil down, not entirely, but until it has boiled thick or to a syrup state, say to about two or three tablespoonsful. Now add the rest of the veal juice or bouillon ; that is to say enough of same so that it will come even with the top of the meat. Let it come to a boil, then lay a piece of buttered paper on the meat, cover the pot, remove it from the stove and set it in the oven so that the liquid will continue to boil constantly, slowly and evenly. Note. — Slow cooking, evenly regulated is one of the conditions that are essential in the preparation of any braised meat. If from any cause the ebullition should stop, do not have it resume briskly with the hope of gaining the time lost from its stoppage, but let it start over again slowly, because quick and violent boiling is equivalent to a quick roasting, it toughens the meat, and further- more, the juice of the meat then becomes limpid and soggy, and it spoils its taste also. Neither is it always as important to watch the cook- ing pot as it is to watch your fire. To keep a good fire to get an even heat it is very bad policy to fill it with coal to the brim, keep add- ing a shovelful of coal when needed and you will obtain a steady fire and even heat, with the aid of the stove draughts, which must be attended to with care. Therefore a cook must always understand the stove on which they cook, which is one of the reasons that precise time in cooking anything depends as much on the stove as the cook, who must use judg- ment. However to continue, from the time that the meat is put in the oven, you can count on from three to three and one-fourth hours until it is cooked. After cooking about two hours the liquid will have become reduced ; therefore it is advisable to fre- quently baste it. We will return later to the finishing touches neces- sary before removing the meat from the oven, and while it is cooking we will give attention to the pre- paration of the vegetables. THE VEGETABLE GARNISHING. The Cabbage. — Pick out two small good hard cab- bage, which will weigh together when ready for cook- ing not less than one and three-fourths nor more than two lbs. Cut them in half, remove the heart, remove the withered leaves and wash the cabbage in cold water. Drain them well, and throw them into a pot of boiling water containing about six quarts and which has been prepared by adding about one-fourth ounce salt to each quart of water, after which when the water resumes to boil, let them remain therein for fifteen minutes. Remove them then, drain well and place them in a pan containing cold water, change the water two or three times, let them stand in the water for about two minutes and remove and set aside. The Bacon. — Remove the rind, put the bacon in a saucepan with enough water to cover the bacon, set it on the stove, and as soon as the water begins to boil, count from about fifteen to twenty minutes' time to bleach it ; that is to say, to unsalt it. After which set it aside until ready for further use. The Carrots and Turnips. — Cut the carrots in lengthwise into slices about one-fourth inch thick and divide each slice into from three to six pieces, de- pending on the length of the carrots, place them in a pan of cold water. Proceed the same way with the turnips, but do not mix them with the carrots, in view of the fact that they must be bleached separately. Put the carrots in one saucepan, and the turnips into another, with water enough to cover them. Let the water come to a boil, and count from ten 14 THE CHEF to twelve minutes for their bleaching, after which re- move them, place them in turn in a colander, let cold water run over them, drain them and set them aside. Note. — When new, fresh vegetables are used, it is not necessary to bleach them as above, but it is in- dispensable in the case of old vegetables. COOKING OF THE CABEAGE, BACON AND SAUSAGE. The cabbage being well drained, remove about fif- teen or twenty leaves therefrom and set them aside. Lay the rest of the cabbage on the table, and strike them with the back of a large kitchen knife simply for the purpose of loosening the leaves, season them with salt and pepper, and divide the cabbage into eight or ten equal parts, envelope each part into two of the leaves that were previously removed and set aside, and which will form a small bunch, which pro- ceed to form into a ball as follows : Place one of the bunches in the center of a cloth, gather up the ends and twist the center containing the cabbage. This will act as a strainer and remove the water left in the cabbage, unwrap the cloth and the cabbage will be found to be a tight little ball. Proceed in this way with the rest of the cabbage; if desired, forcemeat can be put in the center of each ball before laying in the cloth. That remains with the cook as to whether they desire to take the additional pains. Now then take a saucepan (a copper tinned sauce- pan is best if you have one) large enough to contain the eight or ten cabbage balls laid side by side, with the bacon and sausage in the center. Pour a pint of bouillon over the whole and let it come to a boil, place then a piece of buttered paper, the size of the saucepan, over the whole, cover the saucepan and set it in the oven in a heat that will let it boil slowly. Leave it boil this way for about one and one-half hours ; at the end of about thirty-five or forty min- utes remove the sausage, and in about one hour re- move the bacon. THE CARROTS AND TURNIPS. About thirty-five or forty minutes before serving, put the carrots in a saucepan and add about one-half pint of bouillon ; the sugar (two lumps) and three- fourths ounce of butter. Let it come to a boil, and then set the saucepan on the side of the fire so that the boiling will continue slowly, whereby the carrots will cook and at the same time that the juice will be reducing the carrots will have been cooked when the juice will have become thick and syrupy. Then set them aside, keep them warm until ready to garnish the dish with them. Proceed the same way with the turnips with the ex- ception that no sugar is to be added. THE POTATOES. Peel and cut the potatoes in quarters and throw them in a pan of cold water. It may be said here that the potatoes can have been previously prepared, but not set to cook before the time needed, about twenty-five minutes before serving, boil in water into which has been added a good pinch of salt. Note. — The carrots, turnips and potatoes can be pared into round, oval or any other shapes that may suit the fancy. This always helps to make the dish more appetizing. FINAL OPERATION, GLAZING THE BE»F. About fifteen minutes before serving remove the beef from the oven and set it on a platter, and re- move the string with which it has been tied. Strain the juice or gravy through a very fine strainer, and let it stand so that the fat in the gravy may come to the surface, remove it with a spoon as completely as possible, and take about two table- spoonsful of the gravy, sprinkle it over the meat which is on the platter and set it in the oven. Do this two or three times more at two or three minute intervals and this will finish the glazing, which is ex- plained as follows: The gravy or juice, which has thickened in the cooking, when poured over the surface of the meat as above directed, becomes caramelized by the heat of the oven and therefore gives the meat a glazed ap- pearance. SERVING THE DISH. Place the beef in the center of the dish. At each end place the cabbage balls, four or five at each end. And on each side of the meat place the carrots, turnips and potatoes, one-half of each on a side, in distinct piles, and between each pile place a piece of bacon and sausage which has been cut for that pur- pose. Serve the gravy separately. Serve hot plates. PLAIN OMELET Note. — A Plain Omelet can be used for Breakfast or Luncheon \ II 7 HY it should be found difficult by some to make ^ ' so simple a dish as an omelet is often due to the fact of overpreparation, which is done by beating the eggs more than is necessary, which tends to make the omelet light and without consistency And then again oftentimes too much butter is put in the omelet pan, which, when the eggs are added, becomes more of a soup than an omelet. But if attention is given to quantities and care taken in the cooking, the best results are obtainable, and with this end in view, let us proceed and make an omelet as it should be made. In the first place we will take it for granted that this omelet is for lunch, and will be the main or only cooked dish. We will therefore use two eggs for each person. THE CHEF 15 and as springtime gives us eggs at a very moderate price, we will therefore have a very good dish at a very moderate price. We will proceed to make an omelet for four persons : PROPORTIONS FOR FOUR PERSONS — TIME, IO TO 15 MINUTES. 8 eggs. 1 oz. butter. 1" tablespoonful milk. Salt and pepper. 1 sprig of parsley. Break the eggs into a bowl, and with a wire beater (whip) beat them, counting fifty strokes, add the milk (one tablespoonful), and beat again three times, add the salt and pepper and beat again three times. Now prepare your omelet pan (in case you do not have an omelet pan, use a medium size fry-pan), set this on the stove over a fire that is not too brisk, in the pan put the butter (one oz., or about an even tablespoonful), let the butter get hot and become very lightly colored, thereupon pour in the eggs, and while cooking agitate the pan from time to time so that they will not burn or become too dry. When it is seen that the eggs are beginning to cook through, re- move the pan from the stove, and with a knife or spatula, begin to fold the omelet by holding the pan rn a slanting position as if about to turn it out, and when folded, still holding the pan in the above posi- tion, turn it out of the pan into a platter which has been kept warm, garnish it with the sprig of parsley on top and serve. MUSHROOM OMELET / ~T~ V AKE a quarter of a one-pound box of mush- ■* rooms, cut each mushroom into thin slices, about six or eight slices to each mushroom, put them into a saucepan into which about one-half ounce of butter has become heated a light brown, leave the mushrooms cook for about five minutes over a brisk fire, make a split in the omelet, which has been made as above, and pour the mushrooms into the split, and serve. EGGS WITH CODFISH An Economical Dish THE preparation of this dish will be found easy and economical to prepare, being very simple and making a good luncheon: PROPORTIONS FOR SIX PERSONS. TIME TO PREPARE, FORTY-FIVE MINUTES. Eight eggs, 1 pint of sauce, for which is needed : 1 ounce of butter. 1 ounce of flour. 1 pint of milk. 2 ounces of minced onion. 1 pinch of salt. 1 pinch of pepper. 1 pinch of nutmeg. 2 sprigs of parsley. ]/ 2 lb. codfish. 2 tablespoonsful of grated Swiss cheese. 1 tablespoonful of toasted breadcrumbs. 1^/2 ounces of melted butter. THE OPERATIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS: Pick the codfish when cooked. Prepare the sauce with onion, butter, flour and milk. Boil the eggs hard. Reduce the sauce by boiling and mix the codfish therewith. Split the eggs in two and remove the hard yolks. Mix the minced egg yolk with the codfish. Fill the hard whites of the eggs with filling. Lay the eggs so filled on a platter and cover them with the breadcrumbs and cheese. Put in oven to brown for seven or eight minutes. PREPARATIONS. THE CODFISH. Should you have a left over of codfish it can be used for this purpose to the greatest advantage, and for the use of this recipe it will only be necessary to pick it carefully, removing all the fish bones and any fragments of skin. Otherwise purchase a piece of fresh codfish weigh- ing about one-half pound, or should it be necessary to buy salted codfish it must be put in a pan of cold water for seven or eight hours to unsalt it, which should be done over night. To cook it, place it in a deep saucepan after hav- ing cut the piece of fish in two, cover it with cold water, and the instant the water begins to boil, re- move the saucepan to the side, so that it may con- tinue to simmer for about twenty minutes. There- upon drain the fish, lay it on a platter and proceed to pick it into small pieces, removing bones, etc., as above directed. THE SAUCE. As soon as the fish has been set to boil, put the butter (one ounce) in a small saucepan, and add the minced onion and let them stew slowly for five or six minutes in the butter without letting them brown ; then add the flour, stirring it with a wooden spoon for a few seconds, then add the milk (one pint), which has been previously boiled. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg ; then let the sauce come to a boil, stirring it continuously; then add the parsley (two or three sprigs tied together), and leave it to boil very slowly for about twenty-five minutes. THE EGGS. One egg for each person is sufficient (two halves filled), but, however, it is better not to limit yourself to that number, one or two more than are really nec- essary will do no harm, particularly if there are some of the guests who desire another helping. Place the eggs in boiling water, which will be i6 THE CHEF cooled when setting in the eggs, and when the water begins to boil again, leave them boil for ten minutes from that time ; remove them and put them in cold water until they are cold ; in fact, they can remain in the cold water until they are ready to be used. THE GRATIN. On a plate mix the grated cheese and toasted bread- crumbs, and have ready the melted butter, which is set aside ready for use. FILLING THE EGGS. Remove the parsley from the sauce, and pour about one-half pint of the sauce in a small saucepan (setting aside the rest for further use). Set it on a brisk fire, and stir it until the one-half pint has been reduced to about one and one-half gills, or reduced one-fourth ; then to this sauce add the codfish, remove the saucepan over to the side to keep warm only. Peel the eggs, split them lengthwise, remove the yolks and chop them coarsely. Scoop out the white halves at each end that more room may be had for the filling; chop the white so removed, add it to the chopped yolks and add the whole to the fish, stirring the whole to mix well. Now take a deep oval platter, which can be placed in the oven before serving ; at the bottom of this platter pour the sauce which remained and was set aside for this purpose. Fill each half of the white of the egg. called a boat, heaping with the codfish. Place each half on the plat- ter in the sauce, one close to the other; when all are on the platter sprinkle the grated cheese and toasted breadcrumbs over the top, and with a small brush or a large feather paint the top of the cheese and bread- crumbs with the melted butter. Then set the platter in a hot oven to gratin or brown the top ; that is to say, the cheese and bread- crumbs prepared as aforesaid with the butter will form a crust in about eight minutes, sometimes sooner, depending on the heat of the oven. As soon as this occurs, remove the platter from the oven and serve at once. SOUP JULIENNE THIS soup is considered one of the most healthful soups made, and one of the most strengthening. The vegetables therein can be had at all seasons, though many make this soup with canned vegetables, known as "canned Julienne," which can be bought at any first-class grocery store. However, it is much better to use the fresh vege- tables at all times where possible, only using the canned vegetables in an emergency for a quickly pre- pared dinner. PROPORTIONS FOR SIX PERSONS. I large or, 2 medium-sized carrots. I potato. I small turnip. i leek. I small onion. i branch of celery. I branch of parsley. i or 2 leaves of cabbage. Cut the carrot, potato, turnip and cabbage leaves into thin slivers. Chop finely the onion, leek, parsley and celery. Into a saucepan place a piece of butter the size of an egg, and one lump of loaf sugar. Set the saucepan on the stove over a moderate fire and let the butter come to light brown. Then add the vegetables, cut as above indicated, and to the whole add a cup of bouillon, salt and pepper, and let it simmer gently for about two hours, at which time add one and one-half quarts of bouillon, let it then simmer again for about fifteen minutes. If the soup is too light in color add a little caramel to brown it, which is done by burning a lump of sugar in a spoon on the stove, and adding it to the soup. Serve hot. ONION SOUP T70R persons not having objection to onions, this -■■ is one of the most delicious and cheapest of soups. It is eaten to a great extent by the Frenchmen, par- ticularly where they have had an elaborate dinner the night before, and it is being much appreciated from the same point of view in this country, but on the whole it is relished by all those who eat it. There is undoubtedly great virtues in the onion, as can be seen from that sturdy little race, the Japanese, who are great onion eaters. PROPORTIONS FOR SIX PERSONS. V/2 quarts of water. 2 medium-sized onions. % lb. of bread. About 1 oz. butter. In a shallow saucepan or casserole brown the onions (which have been cut in thin slices) in butter about the size of an egg, and when the onions are nicely browned, add one and one-half quarts of water, salt and pepper, and let it come to a boil, and when it has boiled about two minutes, pour in a soup turreen in which slices of bread have been cut, and serve hot. With this soup there can be served grated Swiss cheese, which can be added to suit the taste of each person. THE CHEF 17 TROUT, FRIED EMPTY, clean and dry fish thoroughly, cut the fins and gills, but leave the heads on. Rub them over with flour, and fry them in plenty of hot fat. When they are brown on one side, turn them carefully upon the other. Lift them out, and drain them on blott- ing-paper before the fire. Serve on a hot napkin, garnish with parsley, and send plain melted butter or any other suitable sauce to the table with them. If desired, the flour may be dusted off, and the trout may afterwards be dipped in beaten egg, covered with breadcrumbs and fried as before. Time to fry, six (6) to ten (10) minutes. TROUT, COLLARED WASH, empty arid dry the trout. Cut off the head, split the fish open, and take out the bones. Sprinkle a little pepper, salt and powdered mace over the inside of each trout, roll up separately and tie with thread. Lay the fish side by side in a baking- dish, pour over them equal parts of beer and vinegar sufficient to cover them, and add two (2) or three (3) bay-leaves and a dozen whole peppers or more into the liquor. Tie a sheet of buttered paper over the dish, and bake the trout in a moderate oven. When they are half done, turn them over that they may be equally cooked all through and baste them once or twice with the liquor. Time to bake one (1) hour. DUTCH SAUCE PUT four ounces of butter, three well beaten yolks of eggs, a teaspoonful of flour and a dessert- spoonful of lemon juice or vinegar into an earthen- ware pipkin, or stir it very gently over the fire in a bain-marie. As the butter melts, stir constantly, and take care it does not curdle, which it will do if it is allowed to boil. A few drops of vinegar may be added 1 just before serving if thought necessary. This sauce has a pleasant sour flavor. It is especially adapted for asparagus, cauliflower, sea-kale, arti- chokes, boiled fish, meat or poultry ; in fact, anything requiring a delicate sharp sauce. The leaves picked from a bunch of parsley pounded in mortar to ex- tract the juice, simmered for a few minutes and added to half a pint of bechamel sauce, with a little salt, cayenne pepper and the juice of half a lemon stirred in just before serving, make what is called "Green Dutch Sauce." Simmer until thick. DUTCH SAUCE FOR FISH BLEND together two ounces of butter and a small teasponful of flour, put it into a stew pan with equal quantities of water and tarragon vinegar (two tablespoonsful of each) , stir for a minute and add the beaten yolks of two eggs ; keep up the stirring until the mixture thickens. It must not boil, and when ready to serve pour into it half the juice of a lemon. Make this sauce in a gallipot, placed in a saucepan of boiling water. TROUT, BOILED AFTER having emptied, scaled and washed the fish, have some boiling water ready into which put the trout with a good handful of salt only, but no vinegar, as it spoils the color of the fish. When it is done, drain it well, and serve ,it upon a napkin with parsley. Send up lobster sauce separately in a boat or Dutch sauce. The length of time it should boil is left to the judgment of the cook; the size determines the time, but keep in mind that when the fish remains long in the water it loses its flavor and quality; for this reason take care to boil it pre- cisely at the time it is wanted. TROUT, BAKED CLEAN and dry the fish, and season them inside and out with a little salt and cayenne pepper and a pinch of powdered mace if desired. Put them in a baking-dish and lay little pieces of butter here and there upon them. Baste occasionally with the liquor that collects in the pan. Baked trout may be served hot or cold. If served hot, the fish gravy should be mixed with a little good melted butter, and sent to table in a tureen. When it is a convenience, several trout may be baked together. They should be put into a dish in layers, and a little sprinkling of chopped parsley, pepper and butter should be placed between each layer. The trout are done enough when the flesh leaves the bone easily. SAUCES FOR TROUT ANY of the following sauces may be served with boiled trout: Plain melted butter, anchovy sauce, shrimp sauce, parsley sauce, Dutch sauce, ravigote sauce or a sauce prepared thus: Boil half a pint of melted butter with two table- spoonsful of thick cream. Mix the yolk of an egg with another tablespoonful of cream, and stir the thickening into the sauce, first letting it cool for one minute ; add the juice of a lemon and a pinch of salt, and stir the sauce over the fire until it is on the point of boiling. Lift it off, and stir into it an ounce of fresh butter until it is dissolved. Serve the sauce in a tureen or poured over the fish. Another good sauce is as follows : Bone and skin an anchovy, and pound the flesh in a mortar with a tablespoonful of chopped parsley, a tablespoonful of chopped chives, or a dessertspoonful of flour and a piece of butter the size of an egg. When the mixture is quite smooth, stir it into a pint of liquor in which the fish was boiled. Let it boil a minute or two and send it to the table in a tureen. Fried trout is very good served cold with a salad sauce. PACED TOO RAPIDLY. "Waiter, ask the orchestra to play something dif- ferent.'' "Any particular selection, sir?" "Something slower. I can't chew my food proper- lv in waltz time." i8 THE CHEF RHUBARB RHUBARB comes into season in the spring of the year, just as apples are going out, and before fresh fruit comes in. It is therefore a most useful production, and it is appetizing as well as wholesome, and is excellent for purifying the blood. The parts of the plants used are the foot-stalks, and when these are very young they require only to be wiped with a damp cloth, and afterwards cut into suitable lengths before being cooked. When the stalks are fully grown and thick the skin should be peeled off. Early forced rhubarb, or champagne rhubarb as it is called, is especially prized for its beautiful color. When rhubarb is grown in the garden this variety may be easily cultivated by placing an empty cask over the plant at the beginning of the winter. As rhubarb possesses ,the quality of imbibing the flavor of any- thing with which it is cooked and imparting its own flavor very slightly, it is most useful for mixing with other and more richly flavored fruits in making pies and puddings. STEWED RHUBARB STEWED rhubarb is of two kinds. When it first comes into season it is small, tender and of a bright red color, and when stewed makes a very pretty dish. The red rhubarb should be cut into little pieces about two inches long. Very little water will be required, as the rhubarb contains much moisture. The amount of sugar added depends entirely upon the taste. The stewed rhubarb should be sent to table unbroken and floating in a bright red juice. When rhubarb is old and green it is best served mashed or like a puree. Old rhubarb is often stringy, and can with advantage be rubbed through a sieve. It is no use attempting to color old rhubarb red, but its color can be improved by the addition of a very little spinach juice. ARTICHOKES, FRIED WASH, trim and boil the artichokes as directed in the recipes for boiling. Remove the chokes and outer leaves, leaving only the most tender. Cut them into about a dozen pieces, then dip them in bat- ter, fry in hot olive oil or drippings until they are lightly browned, drain and serve with fried parsley. Time to fry, five (5) or six (6) minutes. ARTICHOKES, BOILED SOAK the artichokes and wash them in several waters to expel any insects. Cut the stalks even and trim away the lower leaves and the ends from the upper one. Boil them in plenty of salted water with the tops downwards, and let them remain until the leaves can be easily drawn o.ut. Send a little Dutch sauce to the table with them. Boiled arti- chokes form a separate dish. The leaves should be pulled out with the fingers, dipped in the sauce, and carried to the mouth. Time, if young, about half an hour; longer if old. STUFFED LETTUCE T?OR six persons, take from three to four solid ■*• heads of lettuce, according to size ; remove the very green outer leaves, which are thrown aside, and pro- ceed to wash the head in cold water, changing the water three or four times, after which drain them thoroughly. Then plunge them into boiling hot water, which has been salted with about one-fourth ounce of salt and let them cook for about three or four minutes. There- upon put them in a colander and let cold water run over them until they are cooled. Drain them well, ami split each head partly through, separating each head sufficiently to insert in each head one-fourth pound of cooked force meat, the place therefore being made by removing from each side so much of the heart of the lettuce as may be necessary, close the halves together, thereby forming the whole head again, and tie with thread to keep together ; set them in a pan the bottom of which has been lightly buttered, sprinkle with a little bouillon, cover the top with a piece of brown paper, which has been previ- ously buttered ; set in a moderately hot oven for about twenty minutes. Then remove them from the oven, set them on a round platter, over each of which pour a little veal glaze and serve. Yeal glaze is made by cooking scraps of veal and veal bones, and reducing same to about one-third of the original amount. BRAISED LETTUCE TAKE five or six heads of lettuce. Remove the outer leaves and wash carefully the balance : bleach them by putting them in a cooking pot with THE CHEF 19 enough water, lightly salted, to cover them ; when the water comes to a boil remove the heads immediately, place them in a colander and let cold water run on them until they become cool, then drain them thor- oughly, and sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper over each head, and tie each head that it may not sepa- rate in cooking. Set them in a deep saucepan in the bottom of which has been laid from four to six slices of bacon, a small carrot cut in slices and one-half pint of bouillon, and which has cooked for about fifteen minutes. After the lettuce has cooked for about twenty min- utes over a moderate heat, remove the lettuce, drain them to free them of all the fat possible, and which can be done between a dry cloth, and set them on a platter. Take the yolk of an egg and beat it thoroughly, add a teaspoonful of corn starch and about a gill of bouillon, and beat the whole thoroughly, add to the gravy in the cooking pot, let it come to a boil, and pour the whole over the lettuce and serve. ASPARAGUS, BOILED CHOOSE bunches of asparagus which have the cut fresh and the heads straight. If the cut end is brown and dry and the heads bent on one side the asparagus is stale. It may be kept a day or two with the stalks in cold water, but is much better fresh. Scrape off the white skin from the lower end and cut the stalks of equal length. Let them lie in cold water until it is time to cook them. Put a handful of salt into a gallon of water, and let it boil. Tie the asparagus loosely in small bundles and put them into it. Toast a slice of bread brown on each side, dip it in the water and lay it on a dish. When the as- paragus is sufficiently cooked, lay it on the toast, leaving the white ends outwards each way. Send melted butter to table with it. Time to cook, about twenty minutes. Fresh asparagus cooks more quickly than stale. ASPARAGUS, FRENCH METHOD WASH and boil the asparagus about twenty minutes ; then drain them and cut off the heads and about two inches of the tender part of the stalks ; mince them small and mix with them an onion also chopped small. Add the well beaten yolk of an egg, salt and pepper. Make it hot, put a slice of toast upon it and pour a good sauce over all, or sippets of toasted bread may be placed under it. Allow fifty for mx (6) persons. GREEN STRING BEANS farmer's wife style. QTRING the beans, wash them, break them in half, ^and put them in a pot of boiling water which has been slightly salted, let the beans boil about fifteen minutes, remove them then from the boiling water into a colander, let cold water run over them until they become cool, and then restore them in the pot containing the boiling water and let them cook again for about ten minutes. Take a deep saucepan into which place a heaping tablespoonful of butter, allow the butter to melt, add salt and pepper and a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, remove the beans from the boiling water, drain them well and put them in the saucepan containing the butter and stir them slowly for about five minutes and serve. POTATOES WITH BLACK BUTTER SAUCE TJ OIL about six medium-sized potatoes, peel and ■■-* cut them in small squares, and place them in the center of an oval dish, and around them place four or five branches of parsley that have been previously fried in butter, which takes about one minute. Then over the whole pour the brown butter sauce, and serve. BLACK BUTTER SAUCE. The black butter sauce is made as follows: Put about one gill of vinegar in a saucepan with a good pinch of salt and pepper, and after it comes to a boil, let it boil for about two minutes. In another saucepan put one-half pound of butter and heat it until it becomes very dark brown, almost black, let it stand then for about five minutes. Then mix it with the vinegar, and keep it warm until ready to pour over the potatoes. DRESSED CABBAGE T_)LACE a medium-sized cabbage in a deep cooking ■■• pot, cover it with cold water, and let it boil for fifteen minutes, after which remove it from the cook- ing pot and let cold water run over it until the cab- bage has become cool. Then proceed to carefully separate the leaves of the cabbage, and between each leaf insert as evenly as possible a small quantity of force meat. Should the leaves have been entirely separated in performing this operation it will not materially matter, excepting it will take more work to reshape the cabbage into its original form, which, when accomplished, should be tied to keep it in shape. Put the cabbage back into the cooking pot, at the bottom of which have been placed small pieces of bacon, about one-half pound, and about one ounce of butter, cover the cooking pot, and over a medium slow fire let it cook for about one hour, and sprinkle the cabbage with one pint of bouillon ; remove the cabbage ten minutes thereafter, and set on a warm platter, over the cabbage pour the gravy from the cooking pot and serve. 20 THE CHEF EGG PLANT PEEL an egg-plant, split it lengthwise, cut it in slices and sprinkle each slice liberally with salt ; let the salt remain thereon for about five or six minutes, pass them through cold water and drain the slices, and with a cloth dry them, powder them with flour and dip them in egg batter, thereupon place them in a pot of boiling fritter fat that is ready, and when they have attained a golden brown color, remove them and set them on a platter on which a napkin has been previ- ously laid, salt them and serve immediately. CHICKEN WITH PEAS FRY the remains of a cold roast chicken in two ounces of butter until they are a good brown. Have ready on a plate a lemon, flour, chopped pars- ley, pepper, salt and pounded mace. Mix these ingredients well, and turn each piece of fowl as it comes from the frying-pan in the mixture. Place the stew pan over the fire, with half a pint of broth, or gravy. Use a pint of peas, and a teaspoon- ful of sugar ; into this put the chicken and stew .until the peas are tender. Serve the peas in the center of the dish, and ar- range the pieces of chicken in a circle around them. STEAK DAGNEAU MADRID lamb steak, madrid style. By Balard. This steak taken from the leg should be sauted in olive oil to which add one-half glass of white wine, a small piece of shallot and well reduced veal gravy. To serve, set the steak on a hot platter, with a few fresh mushrooms. Also sauted in the center of the steak and around the steak garnish one end of the dish with peeled tomatoes, well seasoned with salt, pepper and paprika, at the other end French-fried potatoes. Pour the sauce around the steak and serve very hot. FOODS FOR THE MONTH OF MAY FISH. WEAK FISH, striped bass, sea bass, flounders, eels, mackerel, smelts, trout, perch, herrings, sturgeon, salmon, lobsters and crabs. MEAT. Beef, mutton, veal, spring lamb. GAME AND POULTRY. Fowls, guinea hens, pigeons, squabs, pullets, duck- ling and chicken. VEGETABLES. Asparagus, peas, beans, cabbage, carrots, turnips, cauliflower, sorrel, spinach, rhubarb, lettuce, radishes, new potatoes, onions, parsley, chervil, chives and tarragon. FRUITS. Musk-melons, cherries, currants, strawberries. EGGS, DIVORCONS STYLE By Balard. Take medium hard-boiled eggs from which the shells have been .removed, lay each egg on a piece of toast which has been previously dampened with a supreme sauce, and set on an oval dish. Garnish one end of the. platter with a boquet of asparagus tips, and the other end with small French peas. Serve hot. LEFT-OVER MEAT PIES Economical Luncheon Dishes— Old Recipes FOR a good and satisfying luncheon dish there is nothing more desirable than meat or game pies. They are hot and tasty and also economical, for they may be made to certain extent out of left overs. The principal thing required is to have the pastry for the crust light and not too rich. In England the pies are always made without the under crust, but the New England housewives use the crust, also the small in- verted cup in the bottom of the pie, which drew the gravy into it and thus did not soak the crust while it was cooking, and it was lifted to release the gravy just before it went to the table. All meat pies, and more especially game pies, require a large opening of the crust on the top in order to allow the escape of the gas, which if confined by a close crust is con- sidered injurious, in fact almost poisonous to delicate digestive organs. The crust for the pies is all the same, varying only in the richness, be it puff paste or plain pie crust, and the pies are in most instances quite good cold for late suppers as well as hot, especially those of chicken. GIBLET PIE. Clean a set of duck or goose giblets and put them in a stew pan with a pint of water, one onion, pepper, salt and a few sprigs of savory herbs. Simmer for one and' a half hours, take them out, cut them into small pieces and let them cool. Line the shallow pud- ding dish with the crust and have one pound of rump steak cut in small pieces. Put a layer in the bottom, then a layer of the giblets and so on ; then season with pepper, salt and some lumps of butter and add the strained gravy in which the giblets were boiled. Cover with a top crust, leaving a round hole in it, and bake in a good oven about one hour and a half. The crust may be covered with a piece of writing paper to keep the crust from getting too brown. If the cup is used in the pie it is put in the bottom and must be not larger than the hole in the crust so that it may be fished out easily. This is a very cheap and very tasty pie. CHICKEN PIE. Joint carefully a fresh, fat chicken, boil it in fair water, adding an onion, a bunch of herbs, pepper and salt until it is very tender. Take from the fire and while hot strip out some of the largest bones, and when slightly cool arrange in the pastry lined dish the chicken pieces, add a few slices of hard boiled eggs. THE CHEF 21 and, if they are liked, a few truffles. Then strain over it as much of the water the chicken was boiled in as will fill the pie, put on the crust, leaving the opening at the top, and bake it three hours, covering the crust as before so that it does not get too brown, This pie is rich and when it is cold the gravy is jelled beautifully. VEAL AND HAM PIE. Cut two pounds of veal cutlet into small pieces and put a layer in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle over them a mixture of pepper, salt, a dash of nutmeg, two tablespoons of savory herbs, a strip of lemon peel finely chopped and the yolks of two hard boiled eggs. Cut two pounds of boiled ham very fine and add in alternate layers until the dish is full, the top layer to be of ham. Add a half pint of water and the top crust and bake in a fair oven from one to one and a half hours. When it is removed from the oven pour in through a funnel at the top a pint of rich hot stock sufficiently rich to jell when it is cold. This pie may be made even more toothsome by the addition of mushrooms, sweetbreads and oysters. BEEFSTEAK PIE. Cut three pounds of rump steak into small pieces two inches square. Arrange in layers with seasoning, salt, pepper, thin slices of carrot, butter and the juice of an onion. Half fill the pie with water and cross two thin slices of bacon on top. Leave a hole in the crust and bake one and a half hours. PIGEON PIE. Cut one and a half pounds of rump steak into small pieces and line the bottom of a pie dish, seasoning with pepper and salt. Clean two or three pigeons, rub them with pepper and salt inside and out ; put a lump of butter inside of each and lay them on top of the steak, and a slice of ham on each bird. Add the yolks of four eggs and half fill the dish with good stock. Cover with the crust and bake in a good oven the usual time. Other game pies are made in the same way and are served with currant jelly. Sweetbreads, oysters and such pies have the bread crumbs added, with a dash of white wine or sherry to give a savory flavor to the filling. DESSERTS STRAWBERRY CHARTREUSE ' I V AKE a charlotte mould and line it with a lemon -*■ jelly flavored with any liquor ; then slice some fine strawberries and cover the jelly with them. Any dried fruit or another color may be used in addition if desired. Fill the center with a cream made in the following manner: To each half pint of thick cream allow a quarter of an ounce of gelatine, a gill of lemon jelly and a quarter of a pound of strawberries cut up and sweetened a little, or soaked in a little maraschino or other liquor. The whole should be mixed over ice and then put in the center of the mould when beginning to set. Set the mould on ice and turn out when firm. This may also be made by putting the cream around the mould and the fruit in the center. STRAWBERRY CREAM ICE piCK the strawberries, bruise them with a wooden *■ spoon and rub them through a fine hair sieve. Take one pint of the juice thus obtained and stir into it until dissolved five (5) ounces of powdered sugar. Dissolve half an ounce of gelatine in very little wa- ter, and add this to the Juice. Let the basin contain- ing the juice stand upon rough ice, and stir its con- tents without stopping until they begin to set. Whip a pint of cream and mix it lightly with the iced straw- berry juice. Turn the whole into a hermetically- closing ice-mould. Put a little butter round the open- ing to keep out the water, and place the mould in the ice-pail with pounded ice and bay salt around it at least three (3) inches thick. Let it remain until the cream is thoroughly frozen. When it is to be served plunge the mould for one instant into a basin of hot water, turn it upside down upon a glass dish when the ice will in all probability come out in a shape. If, however, it will not come out, dip it quickly into hot water. Time to freeze, about two hours. RHUBARB PIE T)EEL the rhubarb, and if it is very large, divide -*- it into two or three strips, and then into short lengths. Fill the dish as full as possible, sprinkle some sugar over it, add a small pinch of salt, and if desired, mix with the fruit a flavoring or grated lemon-peel and ground ginger, or a little nutmeg grated. Line the edges of the dish with pastry, moisten these with water and lay a cover of pastry over all. Press the edges closely together and orna- ment them, then sprinkle a spoonful or two of cold water over the pie and dredge a little white sugar upon it; bake the pie in a well-heated oven until the pastry loosens from the dish. Serve either hot or cold. Time to bake, half an hour to one hour, ac- cording to size. RHUBARB TART f~^ UT the large stalks from the leaves, strip off ^-^ the skin, and divide the fruit into pieces half an inch long. With a pint of these pieces put half a teacupful of water, half a teacupful of brown sugar, a small pinch of salt and a quarter of a nutmeg, grated. Stew the fruit gently until it is quite soft. 22 THE CHEF then beat it with a wooden spoon until it is smooth. Line some small dishes or tartlet-pans with pastry, and spread on this a layer of the stewed fruit a little more than a quarter of an inch deep. Roll out some pastry, brush it over with yolk of an egg beaten up with a spoonful of milk, and cut it into strips a quar- ter of an inch wide. Lay these across the tart. Lay a band of pastry round the edge of the dish, trim it evenly, and bake the tart in a well-heated oven. When the pastry loosens from the dish it is done enough. Time to bake, half an hour or more. RHUBARB FRITTERS PARE five or six rhubarb stalks and cut them small. Beat a pint of flour to a smooth paste with half a pint of water, add a pinch of salt, a pint of milk and two well beaten eggs, then stir the rhubarb into the batter. Put a large tablespoonful of lard or sweet dripping into a thick-bottomed frying-pan. Melt the fat, and when it is boiling hot put in the batter by spoonsful, and keep each spoonful separate. Flatten the tops of the fritters a little and when one side is brightly browned turn them over upon the other. When they are done enough drain them, and serve them on a hot dish with a little piece of butter, a grate of nutmeg and a teaspoonful of sugar over each. Time to fry, three or four minutes. RIBBON CAKE MIX well together half a pound of butter, one pound of castor sugar, half a pint of milk, four eggs, one pound and a half of flour, a teaspoonful of cream of tartar and half a teaspoonful of carbon- ate of soda. Divide the mixture into three parts. To one part add a cupful of raisins picked carefully over, two tablespoonsful of golden syrup, a quarter of a pound of chopped lemon-peel and a teaspoonful each of ground cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Bake each part in a shallow round tin, and when they are done, and while still hot, place the cake with fruit in it between the two others, putting white of egg be- tween them to make them stick together. Sprinkle white icing sugar on top. MILDRED'S CAKES PUT two ounces of fresh butter into an earthen jar, with one pound of best molasses. Place the jar over the fire until the butter is dissolved. Pour the warmed liquid upon one pound of flour, add a tablespoonful of powdered ginger, and a piece of pearlash the size of a nut, and the juice of a lemon ; beat the mixture until it is smooth, then put it in a cool place until the next day. Roll it out thin, cut it into small squares and bake it in a buttered pan in a moderate oven. Time to bake, twenty minutes to half an hour. Cost about twenty cents. MARROW PUDDING A LA BARTHOLDI Grevillot UNNERVE, chop, pound and pass through a sieve six ounces of marrow or beef kidney suet or else half of each ; work it with eight ounces of pow- dered sugar, the yolks of ten eggs and add twelve ounces of breadcrumbs soaked in a gill of rum and half a gill of cream ; salt six ounces of candied apri- cots, cut into eighth of inch squares, six ounces of cherries cut in four, and two ounces of angelica. Mix well and stir in ten very stiffly beaten egg-whites. Butter and flour a dome-shaped mould, pour in the preparation and cook in a baine-marie for one hour. Unmould and pour a Bichoff sauce over the pudding prepared as follows : Two gills of white wine, two gills of syrup, lemon and orange peel, cut into Juli- ennes, shredded pistachios, nine ounces of Malaga raisins, currants and Smyrnas softened in water. Heat without boiling. FRENCH PUDDING SHRED four ounces of beef suet very finely, and mix with it an equal weight of finely grated bread- crumbs. Half a saltspoon of salt, four tablespoonsful of moist sugar, half a saltspoonful of grated nutmeg, the grated rind and strained juice of a lemon or a bitter orange and six large apples chopped small. Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly, then add very well whisked eggs and a tablespoonful of brandy. Put the mixture into a buttered mould, which it must quite fill. Tie a floured cloth over it." Plunge it into boiling water and let it boil quickly until it is done enough. Put three tablespoonsful of apple jelly into an enameled saucepan with two tablespoons- ful of brandy. Stir them gently until the jelly is dis- solved, then pour in gradually one quarter of a pint of thick cream and stir the sauce briskly until it is on the point of boiling. It is then ready for serving. If preferred, this pudding may be baked instead of boiled. Time to boil the pudding, three hours ; to bake, one and one-half hours. Probable cost about twenty-five cents, sufficient for five or six persons. A NOVEL WAY TO DINE Two men who are well-known in New York as the proprietors of an old-fashioned hotel set a new fash- ion in progressive dinners the other night. They entertained a party of guests at a different hotel for each course of the dinner. Beginning at their own hotel, the hosts provided the oysters, the party sitting down at a fully-laid table. As soon as the bivalves were disposed of the party took two taxicabs and went to the next hotel on the list for soup. A waiter tele- phoned to the next stopping-place, so that there was no delay. So it went through all the courses to coffee and liquors. THE CHEF 23 THE USE OF CHEESE Ways in Which It May Be Served Pleasant With Salads /"^HEESE of different sorts from different countries ^-^ brought over and introduced by strangers to this, their adopted home, have become quite a feature of the menu cards offered at the various public places and are finding their way to the home table as well. In fact, many of the foreign cheeses are preferred to the domestic ones of earlier acquaintance. A celebrated gourmand once remarked that a "din- ner without cheese was like a woman with but one eye," which saying proves conclusively the need of adding the cheese dish to the daily menu. It is a well known fact that some people are fond of cheese when it is in a state of decay ; others when it is "alive," so that there is no accounting for taste. The sandwich fad has brought forth the cheese product put up in jars, and the so-called cream cheeses that may be easily spread upon the crackers or bread. Then the demands made by the up-to-date salad course, requiring the cheese served that best fits each peculiar salad, has done much in making discoveries both tasty and valuable. For instance, endive salad is rarely served without Roquefort cheese, lettuce and tomato salad calls for the cream cheese, meat salads are usually accompanied by toasted cheese and hard crackers, while fish salads call for the highly seasoned cheese straws. With apple pie old English cheese or sharp domestic cheese is generally offered. For the making of the Welsh rarebit rich, crumbly cheese is the best, as it melts more perfectly than any of the other kinds. Cheese usually agrees or decidedly disagrees with people at once, which decides the question for each individual case whether or not it shall have a place in the daily menu. However, there may be "extenu- ating circumstances," and a cooked cheese dish may often be enjoyed by a person when the stomach has rejected it in its natural state. Milk and cheese taken at the same meal have been known to bring on the most violent case of indigestion. Sometimes cheese taken with wine or liquor has been known to have the same effect. While it is acceptable to nearly all diners at the end of the meal, those of sedentary habits should be wary of overindulgence in quantity. CHEESE STRAWS. The ever popular cheese straws are made in the following way : Two ounces of butter, two ounces of flour, two ounces of breadcrumbs, two ounces of grated cheese, salt, pepper. Cream altogether, roll fairly thin, cut in finger strips and bake on white writing paper in a fair oven. There is another way of making them that is also good, and that is with puff paste rolled thin and the grated cheese sprinkled over it. seasoned with salt and pepper. Fold the crust three times and then roll it and cut in convenient lengths. Bake a delicate brown. When cold pile log cabin fashion on a napkin to serve. The cream cheese salads are made by putting a package through the ricer over crisp, cold lettuce leaves and adding the French dressing a minute be- fore serving, so that the salad remains light; or by rolling the cheese into balls and pressing a half wal- nut meat each side like a walnut cream candy, piling them on the lettuce leaves and adding a light mayon- naise or French dressing. Again the nuts may be finely chopped and added to the ball in rolling it. Roquefort cheese is served with endive salad, and sometimes it is 'crumbled through the salad. WELSH RAREBIT. The following is one of the best known recipes for Welsh rarebit now in use: Shave into thin strips or slices two cups of rich dairy cheese. Put into a saucepan with enough ale or beer to moisten but not to make it too thin when it is melted. Add a small lump of butter and stir continuously one way until perfectly melted. Then add salt, pepper and a teaspoonful of English mus- tard. When all is melted take from the fire and add an egg well beaten, stir carefully, then turn the mix- ture over buttered toast on hot plates and serve. Parmesan cheese is made in Italy and of the skimmed cow's milk, and none is offered at market before it is six months old. The high favor of it is due to the rich herbage of the meadows where the cows are pastured. English Stilton cheese is often called the British Parmesan and is considered the finest of table cheeses. If a large quantity of cheese is purchased at once, part may be covered with thickly buttered white pa- per to keep it. Smaller pieces may be wrapped in a damp cloth. Cheese keeps best in a damp, cool place covered from the air. It may also be covered with cloths wet with good brandy, which adds rich- ness to the flavor as well as keeping it rich and moist. At a card party recently given where refreshments were restricted to the use of crackers, cheese and cof- fee alone the hostess made mysterious trips to strange neighborhoods, and upon the appointed night set be- fore her guests twenty-two different kinds of cheese and as many more kinds of crackers to eat with it. Most of the cheese, needless to say, were almost total strangers to the major portion of the guests present, and thus made a most novel feast. 24 THE CHEF TRUITE, POULET DE PRINTEMPS, ARTICHAUT, ASPERGE, FRAISE Actualities de Saison GANCEL LA TRUITE LA TRUITE a plusieurs varietes qui se caracteris- ent par des taches rouges irisees de violet. Le genre truite est le plus fin des poissons de riviere, le plus delicat, le plus aromatique, le plus facile a digerer ; mais aussi celui qui coute le plus cher et le plus difficile a conserver. La truite doit etre cuit en sortant de l'eau. Dans une agape bien construite Envisagez, assurement L'apparition de la truite Comme uns joyeaux evenement. Quelques-uns la demandent cuite Avec maint assaisonnement Pris aux recettes qu'on ebruite Je la veux frite simplement. Truites blanches ou saumonees D'Amerique ou des Pyrenees Poissons charmants, soyez benis ! Mais je sais les roches hautaines Ou se cachent vos souveraines : Salut, truite du Mont Cenis! Ch. Monselet. RECETTES TRUITE AU BLEU. APR£S avoir enlever les ouies de vos truites, otez les intestines en faisant une incision aussi etroite que possible pres du nombril, lavez les et humectez le limon ; ensuite posez-les dans une plaque a rebords, arrosz-les avec une cuillere de vinaigre sale et bouill- ant en operant vivement. Vous obtiendrez alors une teinte uniforme. Notez, que Ton ne peut donner a la truite cctte couleur franche que si elle est bien fraiche- Apres cette operation ne touchez plus vos truites avec vos doits. Versez-y votre courtbouillon apres l'avoir passe, laissez pocher quinze minuets sans bouillir afin d'eviter le froissement. Egouttez-les une par une avec precaution. Dressez les sur un plat, entourez-les de persil et tranches de citrons. Servez au beurre fondu ou avec sauce Hollandaise. POULET DE PRINTEMPS OETIT du coq et de la poule, de l'age de trois a -*■ six mois, avant trois mois il prend le nom de poussin. Les poulets specialement nourris pour etre tue, prenent le nom de poulets de grain ; le pois moyen et de une livre et quart. Depuis longtemps le poulet est considere a la campagne comme aliment de luxe et comme l'aliment par excellence des malades ; mais pour qu'il reunisse les qualites de sa reputation il doit etre surtout gras et avoir ete nourri a l'etat libre ou parque dans un endroit aere, rien de plus desegreable qu'un poulet etique dont le sternum lais- sent apparaitre le squelette decharme, il y'a done tout avantage de laisser engraisser les poulets avant de les tuer. Le nombre de preperations du poulet est consider- able, on en inventes tous les jours de nouvelles. parmi lesquelles la plus simple n'en est pas la moins bonne ; e'est a dire le poulet roti ou le poulet grille dont l'americain est si friand, et qui est toujours savoure avec plaisir par tout le monde, lorsqu'il il est prepare dans la regie. PAUVRES PETITS. Vous voir libres est ce que j'aime Si je vous plains, C'est qu'il vous faut tomber quandmeme Entre nos mains. Mais c'est un trepas enviable Je vous promets Que de vous servir a la diable A nos gourmets. Pourtant j'amais vous voir courir Petits et freles Quand la poule pour vous couvrir Ouvrait ses ailes. ACHILLE OZANNE. POULET DE PRINTEMPS GRILLE ET DIABLE APRliS avoir flambe votre poulet; fendez le par le dos, enlevez les intestines, croisez les ailerons, rentrez les cuisses en dedans, applatissez le legerment sans briser les os, essuyez-le, assaisonnez, beurrez et mettez le sur le gril afin de le raidir des deux cotes ; ensuit, enduisez votre poulet de bonne moutarde franchise additioner d'un peu de cayenne et passez le leg-erement a la mie de pain fraiche puis fait le griller tout doucement Quinze a vingt minutes. Servez sur une sauce diable ou bien separee. Decorez le plat avec des cornichons et des tranches de citrons. ARTICHAUT fruit PLANTE de la famille des composees, dont a la forme d'un gros chardon. Elle croit a l'etat sauvage dans tout le midi de l'Europe, dans l'inde et en Afrique. L'artichaut rentre dans la categorie des legumes THE CHEF verts, joue un certain role dans l'alimentation, on ne mange que la parti tendre des feuilles et la base du calice appelee fond en terme culinaire. Le nombre des varietes d'artichaut est considerable, les princi- pals sont celles de Laon, de Provence, de Bretagne, d'Angleterre, de St. Laud, de Genes, de Toscane et de Venise. L'artichaut est un aliment sain et agreable au gout, cru, il a moins de saveur et il est plus difficile a digerer ; cuit et prepare d'apres les regies de l'art, il devient tendre savoureux et leger. Comme un coeur d'artichaut, son coeur de vierge mure, Dur viscere barde d'une squameuse armure, Au moindre mot d'amour, se herissait hautain, Sans soupcon du desir, sans crainte d'entamure. Mais coeur q'on garde, tente ; a prude libertin Prise de force un soir et quittee un matin La vierge, froidment sans larme ni murmure Tout d'un coup, par besoin d'amour, se fit catin. De baiser en baiser, de vertige en vertige, Ce coeur apre d'orgueil, si ferme sur sa tige, Et qu'on aurait jamais cru pouvoir emier. Feuille a feuille, en sa fleur est alle par l'espace Se faner au contact du caprice qui passe, Et n'est plus que du foin qui fera du fumier. Paul Roinard. ARTICHAUTS FARCIS ENLEVEZ les premieres feuilles, tournez legere- ment le fond, coupez les cimes, faites blanchir de maniere a. pouvoir enlever facilement le foin, ra- fraichissez et egouttez. D'autre part, foncez une casserole avec lard, oignons, carottes, etc. ; emince, farcissez vos artichautes avec la farce suivante : Echallote, oignons, champignons frais haches et revenus au beurre ou a l'huile, ajoutez un peu de sauce espagnole et de tomate, laissez reduire, aj outer des fines herbes, un pointe d'ail, lors que vos artichaut sont garnis, couvrez les d'une bande de lard, faites pincez legerement, mouillez vin blanc et faite braiser. Passez la sauce et le beurre sur vos artichaut et servez. L'ASPERGE "DRIS dans le sans hygienique en general l'asperge ■*• est a la fois un aliment sain et savoureux, mais l'art culinaire, ici comme ailleurs, peut par l'applica- tion d'assaisonnements, par la methode de preparation, par ses condiments, ses sauces, ou par l'assimilation a d'autre elements donne plus ou moins d'influence a ce vegetal de premier choix. Pour les malades et les convalescent, c'est la sauce Hollandaise, ou le beurre fondu, que Ton sert de preference. LES ASPERGES. Asperges, dont la tete aux paleurs un peu verte Se rengorge en un col d'un ton rose de chair, Toi, qui sors, en poignard de terre entr'ouverts Avec l'apre fierte de qui s'estime cher ! Vegetal que pronait le frugal Hippocrate, Que cultivait Ravernne et cultive Montreuil. Que chante Monselet et qui a chante Socrate, Dresse toi, triomphal, je comprends ton orgueil! N'as tu pas une histoire aux annales Celeste, Toi qu'on servit, a la table des dieux? Si le Temps a tue les Immortels, tu reste! Du fumier des dieux morts, tu surgis, Radieux ! Si l'olympe est defunt, sa cuisine est rivante: On peut la retrouver chez quelqu un que je sais, Ou se mange une asperge en branche que Ton vaute Ce quelqu'un c'est Levy, grand cafe de la Paix. La des couples gourmets savourent bien a l'aiie, Dans le discret confort d'un souper fin charmant, L'asperge dresee a la Sauce Hollandaise Que reussit Lepy superieurement. Et la comme aux beaux fours des festins grandioses, Orgeuilleux Vegetal, gonfle d'exquisites Si tu meurs du baiser cruel des bouches roses, Tu meurs dans le sourire aimant des Deites. Qui faisons lui fete ! Legume prudent C'est la note honnete D'un festin ardent. J'aime que sa tete, Croque sous la dent, Pas trop cependant, Enorme, elle est bete. Fluette, il lui faut Plier ce defaut * Au role d'adjointe, Et souffrir mele, Au vert de sa- pointe L'or de l'oeuf brouille. Charles Monselet. LES FRAISES CE fruit exquis, puisquon l'appelle ainsi, n'a point de patrie, il est de partout et n'a aucune origine connue. II pousse spontanement dans les forets d' Amerique, comme dans les montagnes de l'ancien continent, C'est l'un des premiers fruits que la terre nous produise au printemps ; il fait les delices des 26 THE CHEF oiseaux, des abeilles comme celui de l'homme. La precocite, la fertilite, le parfum, la finnesse du gout, sont les qualites vers lesqueles doivent tendre les efforts des cultivateurs de fraises. Le nombre de varietes de fraises cultives est aujour d'hui incalculable et a chaque instant on en cree de nouvelles, soit par le moyen de semis, soit en les ameliorant par la Culture. Voici l'Avril ! Voici la Fraise Les amoureux Pourront la chercher a leur aise ; Toujours a deux. I'ls s'en iront avec prudence En tapinois, Faire la Cueillette en silence Dans les grands bois. Et nous,— puisque le printemps seme Le premier fruit — Faisons des mousses a la Creme De son produit! Que votre fraise soit quelque temps maceree, Au sucre ; puis, avec, faite une puree Qu'on obtient en passant les fruits dans un tamis Pendant que, d'autre part, vous avez deja mis Pres du feu se dissoudre un peu de gelatine, Qu'on verse sur la fraise a travers l'etamine L'appareil etant pret, bien ferme vous fouettez Une creme qu'aux fruits vous ajoutez, Ce melange produit une mousse bien rose ; Moulez-la ; puis qu'en glace une heure elle repose Vous aurez un regal d'une exquise saveur. Qui refraichit la bouche et rechauffe le coeur Voici l'Avril ! Voici la Fraise ! Cette reine des entremets Degustez-la tout a votre aise Heureux gourmets Voici la Fraise! ACHILLE OZANNE. FRAISES AU CHAMPAGNE Gancel A PRfiS avoir enlever les tiges de belles fraises, ■*■ *-les mettre dans un saladier avec une quantite suffisante de sucre en poudre, ajoutez une puree de fraises que vous aurez obtenu en passant au tamis vos fraises les plus mures. Sautez les fraises de temps en temps tout en les laissant macerer deux heures environ, afin d'obtenir un sirop tres sucre, n'oubliez pas de les maintenir sur glace pendant cette macera- tion. Au moment de servir, arrosez les de bon champagne mousseux suivant la quantite de fraises que vous avez. Remuez et servez de suite. FILET DE BASS A LA PARISIENNE Grevillot CE poisson vit dans la mer mais remonte ks rivieres au printemps pour engendrer par le frai. Apres la famille des saumons, c'est certainement le meilleur et le plus apprecie ; sa fermete, la blancheur de sa chair, son gout parfume. On rencontre de ces bass pesant de 30 a 40 livres. Lorsqu'elles arrivent a ce poids, ou au-dessus, elles sont coriaces. Les meilleures sont celles qui pesent de 8 a 12 livres ; leur couleur est sur le dos d'un bleu brun et argentee sur les cotes, et au-dessous egalement ; c'est un des plus beaux et des meilleurs poissons que Ton puisse trouver aux Etats-Unis. Filet de Bass a la Parisienne. — (Stripes Bass a la Parisienne). — Levez les filets de plusieurs bass de deux livres chapue ; enlevez la peau sur les filets ; coupez chaque filet en deux ; parez-les bien. Brisez les os de la tete et les aretes ; preparez avec debris et les peaux un court-bouillon au vin blanc ; assaison- nez de sel et poivre ; faites bouillir pendant seize minutes, passez et degraissez. Jettez les filets dans un plat creux beurre pouvant aller au four; jetez dessus une echalotte, un oignon et autant de champignons, le tout hache separement, et mouillez le court-bouillon dont il est parle ci-dessus. Poussez au four quinze minutes. Egouttez le poisson et mettez-le sur un autre plat ; couvrez-le et tenez-le au chaud. Egouttez le poisson de la cuisson ; degrais- sez la dite et ajoutez vin blanc ainsi que le reste du cou-bouillon. Reduisez a demi-glace, incorporez quatre onces de beurre en travaillant bien au fouet. Glacez a la salamandre ou au four tres chaud. La delicatesse du poisson depend du court-bouillon. MIGNONS DAGNEAU AUS EPINARD Grevillot Yj NLEVEZ les filets a deux selles d'agneau, parez- *~ ' les bien en enlevant la graisse ainsi que la peau et les nerfs, et, s'il est necessaire, servez vous des contrefilets. Coupez l'un ou l'autre en tranches, applatissezles a trois huitiemes de pouce d'epaisseur ; parez-les bien au couteau pour les arrondir. Salez- les et faites-les sauter sur un feu vif ; cuisez-les juste a point. Preparez des croutons en pain d'un quart de pouce d'epaisseur et d'un demi-pouce plus larges que les migons. Line fois cuits, faites-les frire au beurre. D'autre part, vous aurez prepare des epinards auxquels vous enleverez au prealable les cotes, puis apres les avoir lave a plusieurs eaux, vous les blan- chirez a grande eau salee. Egouttez-Ies, bien entre vos mains pour en extraire toute l'eau. Hachez les finement. Mettez-les dans une casserole avec un morceau de beurre. Mettez-les sur le feu, assaisonnez avec sel. sucre, muscade ; ajoutez un peu de farine et mouillez avec un peu de creme. Mettez une couche, d'epinards d'un demi-pouce d'epaisseur sur les mignons et masquez le tout avec la preparation suivante. THE CHEF 27 Champignons frais haches frits au beurre jusqu'a ce qu'ils aient rendu leur humidite. Mouillez-les avec de la bonne creme ; faites bien reduire et liez. Jetez dessus du parmesan rape, arrosez de beurre fondu et faites colorer a four tres vif ou bien a la salamandre. POTAGE DE POULET AU RIZ A LA MODERNE Grevillot METTEZ deux pieds de veau de trois livres chacun, scies en 4 dans une marmite avec huit litres de bouillon blanc ; ajoutez une livre de carottes emincees, une demi-livre de navets, une demi-livre de poireaux, un quart de livre de' celeri et un quart de livre d'oignons en grains. Ajoutez deux poulets brides pour entree, ecumez, faites bouillir. Quand les poulets sont presque cuits, retirez-les, enlevez les peaux et detaillez les en vingt morceaux chacun ; remettez-les dans une casserole avec le bouillon que vous passerez au tamis. Faites blanchir une demi- livre de riz, tnettez-le dans le potage et finissez de cuire en laissant bouillir pendant vingt minutes. Degraissez et servez. PIGEONNEAU A LA MORA Grevillot PRENEZ un pigeonneau desosse et farci avec farce •*■ a quenelles et foie gras, quelques truffes hachees et une petite truffe entiere dans le milieu de la farce; mettez dans un cercle, recouvrez d'une barde de lard et cuisez au four en l'arrosant ; dressez-le sur un risoto a la Mora. Garnissez de deux jolies pieces de champignons tournes et glaces ainsi que d'une crete de coq farcie aux fines herbes cuites, panees et frites. Servez demi-glace a part. Du Risota a la Mora. Preparez un risoto avec oignons frits au beurre ; ajoutez le riz lorsqu'il est bien chaud, mouillez-le avec du bouillon blanc et lorsqu'il est presque cuit a point, ajoutez des piments doux coupes en des, ainsi que du beurre, glace de viande et fromage de parmesan. Melangez bien le tout et servez separement du jus corse. OEUFS A LA VALENCIENNE BALARD PRENEZ une belle tomate. Videz-la bien. Assai- sonnez de sel et de poivre pour lui faire jeter l'eau en la passant 5 minuets au four. Garnissez le fond de la tomate avec un riz a la valencienne pas trop cuit et surtout pas trop sec. Casser un oeuf dessus, sel, poivre et saupoudrez de Parmesan. Faites cuir au four. Dressez sur une serviette avec persil en branche. HOW TO TAKE CARE OF SILVER. A Little Housewife Tells How She Keeps it Ready for Daily Use. The five were again assembled, and as usual the little woman again had something to say. This time it happened to be silver and its daily care they were discussing. She of the determined air remarked that she didn't believe in using solid silver every day. It only pro- voked theft and was a constant worry keeping it clean and keeping it from being scratched, and that it al- ways had to be locked up at night. "Well," said the little woman, "I use my silver every day. I have a large basket such as picnic luncheons are carried in, and it is fixed to hold all of my flat ware. I say I use it every day. Of course I don't use all of it, but it is there in the basket to be used if necessary. "I have made bags for all of it," she continued. "Dark green canton flannel bags, bound with dark green braid. The bags are made of a strip of the flannel the size required for the articles to be placed in them. The strip for my coffee spoons is about ten inches wide and twelve inches long. I bound one with the braid and turned it up four inches on the strip, making a bag four inches deep, with a flap of two inches. I bound this all round with the braid and then stitched it in sections an inch apart, one for each spoon. "In this manner I have made bags for my knives, forks, fancy spoons and forks, which are of a size, and all of my small fancy pieces, such as my sardine fork, my cream ladle and pieces of that size go to- gether in a bag. On the back of each bag is fastened a tape, and when the things are put away the tape is tied around the roll." "Most of my silver came in bags," said Mrs. Re- cently Married, "and I keep it in them. There is a bag for nearly every piece, except the knives and forks, which are in bags something like those you^have made." "Yes, that is very nice, if you have them all," said the little woman, "but in case of fire there is too much to be gathered together. Mine are so compact, and all being kept together in the large basket it could be picked up quickly. "What do you do with it when you are out for an afternoon?" asked the timid one. "That is usually the time sneak thieves help themselves." "I have several loose boards in the floor under my shirtwaist box in the closet, and I slip it in there with very little trouble and it is as safe as a bug in a rug. In fact, that is where it goes every night. It is never left in the dining-room." "Did you ever have thieves in your home?" said the timid one. "Only last week they broke into the Joneses' across the street from us." "Is that so!" said the chorus, and again the subject under discussion was forgotten. 28 THE CHEF NUTRITIVE VALUE OF FOODS Dietaries and Dietary Standards The information gained from a study of the compo- sition and nutritive value of foods may be turned to practical account by using it in planning diets for different individuals or classes of individuals, or in es- timating the true nutritive value of the food actually consumed by families or individuals. By comparing the results of many such investigations with the re- sults of accurate physiological experimenting it is pos- sible to learn about how much of each of the nutrients of common foods is needed by persons of different oc- cupations and habits of life, and from this to compute standards representing the average requirements for foods of such persons. The plan followed in making dietary studies is, briefly, as follows : Exact account is taken of all the food materials. ( i ) on hand at the beginning of the study, (2) procured during the study, (3) remaining at the end. The difference be- tween the third and the sum of the first and second is taken as representing the amounts used. From the figures thus obtained the amount of the different food materials and the amount of the different nutrients furnished by them is calculated. Deducting from this the weights of the nutrients found in the kitchen and table refuse, the amounts actually consumed are ob- tained. Account is also taken of the meals eaten by different members of the family or groups studied and by visitors, if there are any. From the total food eaten by all the persons during the entire period the amount eaten per man per day may be calculated. In making these calculations due account is taken of the fact that women and children eat less than men per- forming the same amount of work. The various fac- tors commonly used in the United States in computing the results of dietary studies are as follows: FACTORS USED IN CALCULATING MEALS CONSUMED IN DIETARY STUDIES. Man at hard muscular work requires 1.2 the food of a man at moderately active muscular work. Man at light muscular work, and boy 15-16 years old require 0.9 the food of a man at moderately active muscular work. Man at sedentary occupation, woman at moderately active work, boy 13-14 years and girl 15-16 years old requires 0.8 the food of a man at moderately active muscular, work. Woman at light work, boy 12, and girl 13-14 years old requires 0.7 the food of a man at moderately ac- tive muscular work. Boy io-ii and girl 10-12 years old require 0.6 the food of a man at moderately active muscular work. Child 6-9 years old requires 0.5 the food of a man at moderately active muscular work. Child 2-5 years old require 0.4 the food of a man at moderately active muscular work. Child under 2 years old requires 0.3 the food of a man at moderately active muscular work. These factors are based in part upon experiemental data, and in part upon arbitary assumptions. They are subject to revision when experimental evidence shall warrant more definite conclusions. The preceding table shows the average results of a large number of dietary studies made in the United States and other countries with persons performing different amounts of muscular work and living under different conditions. Using such factors as those re- ferred to above, the digestible nutrients furnished by the diet have also been calculated. As will be seen the American dietary standard ex- press the food requirements in terms of protein and energy only. This is done because of simplicity, and is permissible since, theoretically at least, the propor- tion of fats and carbohydrates is immaterial, provided both are present and in such quantity that the total energy supplied is sufficient. As the habits and con- ditions of individuals differ, so too, their needs for nourishment differ, and their food should be adapted to their particular requirements. Climate and other circumstances influence the character of the food con- sumed, and doubtless in large degree the quantity also. However, the amount of nutrients is determined, gen- erally speaking, by the age, size of the body and es- pecially by the amount of work performed, increasing or decreasing according as the amount of work is greater or less. It is not necessary that the food each day equal the amount called for by the dietary stand- ards. A deficiency one day is made good by an excess the next, and vice versa. It is believed, however, that persons are best nourished when through long periods the diet furnishes approximately the nutrients and energy which the standard calls for. What has been said applies to persons in health and under more or less normal conditions ; the diet of the sick, convales- cent, etc., is a subject which pertains to the practice of medicine. To learn whether any given diet conforms to the standard the amount of nutrients and energy (or what serves the same purpose, protein and energy), must be ascertained. To this end the weight of the differ- ent food materials provided for the day's diet must be ascertained, as well as the composition of each of the food materials. This may be readily calculated from the tables of percentage composition. The total protein and total energy is, of course, learned by add- ing together the amounts furnished by the different food materials. The amount per man per day, can then be learned by dividing the total amounts by the number of persons served. If the diet be deficient in protein or in energy, food materials should be added which supply protein or are especially valuable as THE CHEF 29 sources of energy (i. e., foods rich in fats and carbo- hydrates). If more protein or energy is provided than the standard demands, the food materials should be correspondingly deminished. In ordinary mixed diet, which seems to be the one best suited to man in health, the chief sources of protein are meat, fish and milk among animal foods, and the cereals and legumes among vegetable foods. Beans, peas and oat- meal are rich in protein, and hence are especially valuable foods. About nine-tenths of fat in the or- dinary diet is obtained from the animal foods, while the vegetable foods furnish approximately nine-tenths of the carbohydrates. Too much food is as bad as too little and occasions a waste of energy and strength in the body as well as a waste of nutritive material. Among people who have the benefit of modern comfort and culture the palate revolts against a very simple and unvaried diet, and for this reason the nu- trients are usually supplied from a variety of articles — some of animal, some of vegetable origin. With a varied diet it is also easier to secure the proper proportions of protein to fats and carbohydrates. PREPARATION OF FOOD COOKING. The cooking of food has much to do with its nutri- tive value. Many articles which, owing to their physi- cal condition or other cause, are quite unfit for naurishment when raw are very nutritious when cooked. It is also a matter of common experience that a well-cooked food is wholesome and appetizing, while the same material badly cooked is unpalatable. There are three chief purposes of cooking. The first is to change the physical condition so that the diges- tive juices can act upon the food more freely. Heat- ing often changes the structure of food substances very materially, so that they are more easily chewed and more easily and thoroughly digested. The second is to . make food more appetizing by improving the appearance, the flavor or both. Food which is attrac- tive to the taste quickens the flow of saliva and other digestive juices, and thus digestion is aided. The third is to kill by heat and disease germs, parasites, or ofher dangerous organisms food may contain. This is often a very important matter, and applies to both animal and vegetable foods. The cooking of meat not only develops the pleasing taste and odor of ex- tractives and that due to the browned fat and tissues, but it softens and loosens the protein (gelatinoids) of the connective tissues, and thus makes the meat more tender. Extreme heat, however, tends to coagulate and harden the albuminoids of the lean portions and also weakens the flavor of extractives. If the heat- ing is carried too far, a burned or charred product of bad flavor results. Meats lose weight in cooking. A small portion of this is due to escape of meat juices and fat, but the chief part of material lost is simply water. The nutritive value of a meat soup depends upon the substances which are dissolved out of meat bones and gristle by the water. In ordinary meat broth these consist almost wholly of extractives and salts which are very agreeable and often most useful as stimulants, but have little or no value as actual nutriment since they neither build tissue nor yield energy. The principles which underlie the cooking of fish are essentially the same as with meats. In many vegetables the valuable carbohydrates, chiefly microscopic starch-grains, are contained in tiny cells with comparatively thick walls on which the di- gestive juices have little effect. The heat of cooking, especially with water, ruptures these walls and also makes the starch more soluble ; without water it may also carmelize a portion of the carbohydrates and produce agreeable flavors in this and other ways. In breads, cakes, pastry and other foods prepared from flour, the aim is to make a palatable and lighter porous substance, more easily broken up in the ali- mentary canal than the raw materials could be. Some- times this is accomplished simply by means of water and heat. The heat changes part of the water in the dough into steam, which, in trying to escape, forces the particles of dough apart. The protein (gluten) of the flour stiffens about the tiny bubbles thus formed, and the mass remains porous even after the steam has escaped. More often, however, other things are used to "raise" the dough, such as yeast and baking- powder. The baking-powder gives off the gas carbon dioxide, and the yeast causes fermentation in the dough by which carbon dioxide is produced. This acts as the steam does, only much more powerfully. When beaten eggs are used, the albumen incloses air in bubbles, which expand and the walls stiffen with heat and thus render the food porous. PECUNIARY ECONOMY OF FOOD. Although the cost of food is the principal item in living expenses of a large majority of people, and although the physical welfare of all is so intimately connected with and dependent upon diet, very few of even the most intelligent have any ideas regarding the actual nutrient in the different food materials they use. In too many cases even those who wish to try to economize know very little as ,to the combinations which are best fitted for their nourishment, and have still less information as to the relation between the real nutritive value of different foods and their cost. There are various ways of comparing food mate- rials with respect to the relative cheapness or dearness of their nutritive ingredients. For instance, from the proportions of available nutrients and energy in dif- ferent food materials we may calculate the cost of the different nutrients per pound, and of energy per 1,000 calories in any given material for which the price per pound is known. Thus, for the different food materials when the price of any material is that given in the first column, the cost of protein and en- ergy will be as given in the second and third columns. These figures show the relative economy of the vari- 30 THE CHEF ous foods as sources of protein and sources of energy. Of course the amount of energy that would be ob- tained in a quantity of any given material sufficient to furnish a pound of protein would vary with the amounts of fats and carbohydrates accompanying the protein ; and on the other hand, the quantities of the different materials that would furnish 1,000 calories of energy would contain different amounts of pro- tein. The figures for cost of protein leave the carbo- hydrates and fats out of account, and those for en- ergy take no account of the protein. Hence the fig- ures for either protein or energy alone give a very one-sided view of the relation between nutritive value and money cost. A better way of estimating the rela- tive pecuniary economy of different food materials is found in comparison of the quantities of both nutri- ents and energy which can be obtained for a given sum, say ten cents at current prices. While in the case of certain foods as purchased, notably meats, some waste is unavoidable, the pecu- niary loss can be diminished, both by buying those kinds in which there is the least waste, and by utiliz- ing, more carefully than is ordinarily done, portions of what is usually classed as refuse. Much of the waste may be avoided by careful planning so as to provide a comfortable and appetizing meal in suffi- cient amount, but without excess. If strict economy is necessary, the dearer cuts of meats and the more expensive fruits and vegetables should be avoided. With reasonable care in cooking and serving a pleas- ing and varied diet can be furnished at moderate cost. It should not be forgotten that the real cheap- ness or dearness of food material depends not only on its market price, but also on the cost of its diges- tible nutrients. It should always be remembered that "the ideal diet" is that combination of foods, which while imposing the least burden on the body, supplies it with exactly sufficient material to meet its wants, and that any disregard of such a standard must in- evitably prevent the best development of our powers. HYGIENIC CONSIDERATIONS. Scrupulous neatness should always be observed in keeping, handling and serving food. If ever cleanli- ness is desirable, it must be in the things we eat, and every care should be taken to insure it for the sake of health as well as decency. Cleanliness in this connection means, not only absence of visible dirt, from worms and other parasites, but freedom also from undesirable bacteria and other minute organ- isms. If food, raw or cooked, be kept in dirty places, peddled from dirty carts, prepared in dirty rooms and in dirty dishes or exposed to foul air, disease germs and other offensive and dangerous substances can easily get in. Food and drink may, in fact, be very dangerous purveyors of disease. Experiments have clearly shown that fruits, vegetables and other foods may readily acquire undesirable or dangerous bac- teria if exposed to street dust. The bacteria of ty- phoid fever sometimes find their way into drinking water ; those of typhoid and scarlet fevers and diph- theria into milk. Thus sickness and death are brought to large numbers of people. Oysters, which are taken from the salt water where they grow and "floated" for a short time in brackish water near the mouth of a stream, have been known to be affected by typhoid-fever germs brought into the stream by the sewage from houses where the dejections from patients had been thrown into the drains. Celery or lettuce has been found to convey typhoid fever from having grown in soil containing typhoid germs. Food materials may also contain parasites, like tapeworms in beef, pork and mutton and trichinae in pork, which are often injurious and sometimes deadly in their effect. This danger is not confined to animal foods. Vegetables and fruits may be contaminated with eggs of numerous parasites from fertilizers used in growing them. Raw fruit and vegetables should always be thoroughly washed before serving if there is any doubt as to their cleanliness. If the food is sufficiently heated in cooking all organisms are killed. Sometimes food undergoes decomposition in which in- jurious chemical compounds, so-called ptomaines, are formed. Poisoning by cheese, ice-cream, preserved fish, canned meats and the like has been caused in this way. The ptomaines often withstand the heat of cooking. Food inspection is maintained in most States, and after several years of effort a National pure food law was passed by Congress in June, 1906. This law prohibits the shipment from one State to another, or to foreign countries, of foods, condiments, drugs, con- fectionery, liquor, etc., which are adulterated or mis- branded. The law is comprehensive and is specific in defining what constitutes adulteration and misbrand- ing. Its execution is largely placed in the hands of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, which is directed to maintain an inspection. Penalties are provided for infractions of the law, consisting of fine, imprison- ment, or both. "Physical culture, father, is perfectly lovely. To develop the arms I grasp this rod by one end and move it slowly from right to left." "Well, well." exclaimed her father; "what won't science discover? If that rod had straw at the other end you'd be sweeping." THE CHEF 3i A THINGS WORTH KNOWING IN EVERY HOUSEHOLD LITTLE salt taken when eating nuts will help to digest them. China silk waists can be washed, then starched in a thin starch and ironed while damp. This makes them look like new. Even when there is cream in coffee a stain can be removed by rubbing in pure glycerine ; leave for a while and then wash out with warm water. Test for Eggs. — Place one in a glass of water and observe its position. An egg if fresh will remain resting at the bottom of the vessel; if not quite fresh it will rest with the big end raised higher than the small end, and the higher the big end is raised the older is the egg. As an egg gets older the water contained in the white of an egg evaporates and this causes the empty space at the thick end of every egg to become enlarged. The larger the empty space be- comes the more the egg rises in the water, till in the course of time it floats. To Clean Velvets. — Invert a hot flatiron, place over it single thickness of wet cotton cloth, lay on this the velvet wrong side next the wet cloth ; rub gently with a dry cloth until the pile is well raised ; take off the iron, lay on a table and brush with a soft brush. To Improve Griddle Cakes. — Mix them with sweet cider, diluted about one-half with water. The flavor of the cider is not perceptible, but it makes the cakes light and feathery. Get the seed in as soon as you can, so as to have the plants almost ready to flower when planting time comes. Sow the seed in shallow boxes and place them in the hotbed. They will need transplanting into other boxes or into soil in the hotbed when they are an inch or two high. FOR REMOVING GREASE A good compound for removing grease spots, pitch, tar or paint from all sorts of woollen goods, or clean- ing coat collars, may be made by taking four and one- half pounds of castile soap (the older the better), one pint of camphor, one-half pound of saleratus and one pint of water ; cut the soap into small pieces and melt over a slow fire. Adhesive plaster put inside the tips of silk gloves will add greatly to the usefulness of the gloves. When overshoes are almost broken out their life and usefulness can be lengthened by applying strips of adhesive plaster over the break on the inside of the overshoe. For croup given an emetic and a warm bath, and apply a sponge wrung out of warm water to the throat to ease the breathing. A small whisk broom kept, in the kitchen sink is an invaluable ally in saving the housekeeper's hands. Wash all your pots and pans with it. It removes sticky substances much more easily than a cloth and makes it unnecessary to put your hands in the water during the process. When the sink becomes greasy, put a little paraffin oil on a piece of flannel and rub the sink with it. It will easily remove all the grease. The smell of paraf- fin can be removed by washing with hot water and soap and then flushing with cold water. At the same time this will also clean the pipes. When the ivory piano keys show signs of growing yellow sprinkle a soft damp cloth with very finely powdered whiting and with it rub the keys. Polish directly afterward with a soft dry cloth or an old silk handkerchief. One of the brightest and best, if not the brightest and best, brilliant red flowering plants for beds or borders is scarlet sage (Salvia splendens). Sandpaper may be used as a means of warning as to the nature of the contents of bottles. Notwith- standing every care, mistakes in handling bottles con- taining poisons sometimes occur. Sandpaper pasted on the outside of the bottle in such a way that it is im- possible to take up the bottle without bringing the hand into contact with the rough surface may be the means of preventing serious accidents through mis- takes made when groping for medicines and the like in the dark. A convenient form is to paste the sandpaper on the bottle in narrow strips. FELINES AS FOOD IT appears that workmen in breweries in Brussels have developed an appetite for stewed cats. It is not explained whether cats in breweries acquire a spe- cial flavor or whether the appetite originates in econ- omy. An old English authority, Topsel, was of the opinion that the flesh of cats can seldom be free from poison, "by reason of their daily food, eating rats and mice, wrens and other birds which feed on poison, and, above all, the brain of a cat is most poisonous, for it being above measure dry, stoppeth the animal spirits that they cannot pass into the venticle, by rea- son whereof memory faileth, and the infected person falleth into a phrenzie." But Topsel was prejudiced against the cat. The people of Savu, who lived the natural life when Capt. Cook visited them, preferred cats to sheep and goats. In Germany many a cat is sold for hare, and jugged cat has been relished there by foreign sojourners. The Swiss mountaineers are said to eat cats in the winter, when isolated by snow. 32 THE CHEF FLAXSEED MEAL BREEDS THE MOTH Must Be Thrown Away Before March to Prevent Them SOME of the neighbors who stepped in one morn- ing to call on Mrs. Hilldale were surprised to find her overhauling her medicine cabinet. "No," she said to her anxious inquiries if anybody in the family had been suddenly taken ill, "everybody in this house is in the best of health. I am just get- ting together all the little packages of flaxseed meal that have gathered here during the winter. I am go- ing to throw them away. Of course, like every other good housewife, I keep flaxseed meal in the house, particularly in the winter time, for poultices. Some- times a poultice for a wounded finger or a little in- flammation of the skin saves pain and doctor's bills. But, of course also, I am not going to have it in my hduse during March. "You never heard of throwing flaxseed away ! Why, my grandmother taught me to do it years ago. It is the most fruitful source of moths, and March is the month of moths. Therefore, yearly, before the begin- ning of March, or, better still, before the middle of February, I always throw away the flaxseed meal. Either that or put it into an airtight bottle. Even then I'm almost as afraid of it as I am of dynamite. "In March we begin to put away our furs and our winter clothes. That is the time when the moths fly. If any one wants to understand the danger of flax- seed meal in the house about these days let her open a package of it that has been allowed to remain in the house for a year. It will usually be found simply living with little moths. The sight is enough to turn any good housekeeper's blood cold and send a chill of apprehension down her spine. "The simplest way is to obviate all chance of their getting about the house and doing damage during the summer. That is, to pitch out the meal. It costs lit- tle, and if you simply have to keep some in the house for emergency, you can keep it in a bottle tightly corked. "I am not a believer in tying up a lot of clothes in moth balls or camphor and laying them away on the top shelf, particularly if they are clothes that may come in handy before the middle of the next winter. The way I do is to just tie them up in newspapers and put them in a closet. That is usually safe enough if you are careful not to leave a lot of stuff around that breeds moths. More clothes are ruined by the housekeeper who helps the moths multiply by leaving meal of various sorts about than are ever injured by not being carefully put away in a house that has none of these ravenous little winged pests. "Of course, when you put clothes away in that fash- ion you must keep an eye on them. Every few weeks go to the closet and take a peep inside. Look ovel some of the furs and woollens and flannels. The saf- est way in the end is to exercise everlasting vigilance That applies, so far as I know, to everything excepf sealskins if you happen to be so fortunate as to pos- sess any. "Not within my memory did I ever hear of any moth being found in a real sealskin coat or muff or neckpiece. For that reason, if you have insurance on your household goods it seems foolish to store them, unless they are so large that you need the room for other things. Some furriers say it is the dye that pre- vents the moths from attacking seal. I don't know, but they never touch it, at any rate. "If you want to be rid of the most prolific breed- ing place for moths throw away the flaxseed." POTPIE FOR EVERYBODY / "T~ V HE owner of a chain of restaurants has brought -*■ joy to many a hungry man by providing chicken potpie at an astonishingly low price. "I lose money on my chicken potpie every day," he said, "but I sell it cheap for sentimental reasons. When I was a youngster I got a chance to go into the town nearest my home about once in six months. Sometimes I went with father, sometimes with a neighbor. We always ate at a certain small restau- rant where chicken potpie was the cook's crowning achievement. "Between the ages of six and sixteen my supreme delight was a go at that chicken pie. We didn't have chicken potpie at home, even if we did live in the country. We were poor and what few chickens we did raise had to be sold or kept for laying. So from one town visit to another I cherished the memory of chicken pie. "But sometimes we had to cut it out. The proprie- tor charged a stiff price for his potpie, and we couldn't always afford it. Those were black days in my cal- endar, and I made up my mind then that if ever I owned a restaurant I would furnish chicken potpie at a price so reasonable that the meanest beggar in the land could afford to buy. As you see, I have kept my word." TOMMYS PRAYER THE Sunday school lesson had been on the effi- cacy of prayer, and the teacher had done her best to instill into the youthful mind the belief that our prayers are answered. There was one doubting Thomas, however, who insisted that he knew better. "Why, Tommy, I am surprised to hear you say you don't believe our prayers are answered," expostulated the teacher. "I know they ain't," persisted Tommy, doggedly. "What makes you think so?" asked the teacher. "I don't think it ; I know it," replied Tommy. "You know the angels brought a new baby to our house last week." "Yes, I heard about that," said the teacher. "Now, surely, that was an answer to prayer, wasn't it?" "It was, nit !" replied Tommy, disgustedly. "Why, for six months I've been prayin' for a goat!" THE CHEF 33 THE . . ROYAL Standard Typewriter is being adopted by ever increasing thousands of high=class business houses the world over, because it has established a NEW and HIGHER standard of efficiency and economy. Its simplicity, convenience, light action, fine work and durability dis= tinguish it among typewriters as THE REAL STANDARD OF TODAY Royal Typewriter Co. Royal Typewriter Bldg. - - New York A Branch in Each Principal City DISCUSSES CAUSES OF HIGH COST OF LIVING. ' I V HE Rev. William Barnes Lower, pastor of -*• Calvary Presbyterian Church, one of the import- ant congregations of that denomination in the subur- ban sections surrounding Philadelphia, commenting recently on the higher cost of living, attributed present conditions to half a dozen different causes. "No nation in all the world wastes as much as we Ameri- cans do," he said. "The provisions thrown out of our hotels and the homes of the well-to-do and wealthy families would almost keep the other and needier half. People eat better food than they did formerly. No other nation lives so well. "Everything we buy to-day is put up in more ex- pensive packages than it was formerly and the con- sumer pays the bills. The centralization of our peo- ple in great urban communities aggravates conditions. Hundreds of large and small farms lie untilled within thirty to forty miles of Philadelphia. The people de- mand more waiting on. The telephone makes order- ing easy and the smallest things have to be 'sent,' delivered immediately, and the consumer pays. De- velopment in taste and social wants is more rapid than the power of production. The laboring man, almost without exception to-day must have better things in his dinner-pail than twenty years ago." CANCEL'S ever compiled and published. Ready Reference of Menu Terms The most complete and concise glossary of over 5,000 names ^| f\f\ Price «PI.UU 1.00 $2.00 H\ 1%£\ u Kat The best cooking monthly ever lilt: V/llCi published. Our Offer to Subscribers By an arrangement with Joseph Gancel, one of the leading chefs in America, we offer his most valuable book, "Ready Reference of Menu Terms" in combination with "The Chef" for . . . $1-50 Gancel' s Ready Reference of Menu Terms has been compiled to familiarize the lovers of good eating, the patrons of our hotels and restaurants, with a satisfactory description of any dish on the menu. The housewife will find in condensed form helpful suggestions for the variation of her menus. I THE CHEF. 225 Fifth Avenue. New York City. ■ Gentlemen — I enclose $1.50 (check, money order or currency), for which send me. all charges paid, one copy I of Cancel's "Ready Reference of Menu Terms," and . place my name on your mailing list for a year's subscrip- I tion to "The Chef," beginning with the next issue. I Nan Address I (If book alone is desired, I alone, remit $1.00.) remit $1.00; if magazine 34 THE CHEF EVERYBODY DRINKS L To be had at all Clubs, Hotels, Cafes, Restaurants and Bars throughout the United States. mouquin DOWNTOWN : 20 Ann St. and 149 Fulton St. near the Post Office UPTOWN : Sixth Avenue and 28th Street The Most Popular French Restaurants in New York J^ 7 ~~ t CONF1SEUR Patisserie Classique French Bon-Bons Chocolates Ice Cream Complete Service For Buffets, Teas, Receptions, Suppers, Banquets, Dinners and Weddings Menus and Estimates Furnished 67-69 West 44th St., New York Telephone 4278 Bryant Mail Telegraph and Telephone Orders Receive Prompt Attention THE CHEF 35 CasselTs Great New Dictionary of Cookery Containing 10,000 Recipes, 1,165 Pages, Several Hundred Illustrations and Eight Plates in Color. Size, 7x954 x 3 in. ; weight 5 l A pounds. Price $4.00 "The Chef" The Foremost Magazine of Practical Cookery for the home in America. Subscription Per Year 1.00 Regular Price $5.00 Our Unprecedented Premium Offer: By an arrangement which we have just completed with the great English house of Cassell & Company, we are enabled to offer their monumental tf» j-v *T^ NEW DICTIONARY OF COOKERY in combination with a year's JJ>^.75 subscription for "THE CHEF" at the very special price of ^^ C asselFs New Dictionary of Cookery We deem it a stroke of good fortune for our subscribers, and a privilege for us, to be able to offer this splendid collection of over 10,000 recipes with "THE CHEF" at this special price. CASSELL'S NEW DICTIONARY OF COOKERY contains, without doubt, the largest and most complete collection of recipes that have ever, to our knowledge, been gathered and published in one volume. We recommend it unreservedly to our readers as a THOR- OUGHLY PRACTICAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF COOKERY- written by the best culinary experts of England, France and America, very carefully edited, and pub- lished by a great house. It is truly a monumental work; and if published in America it would cost at least $8.00 per copy. Only the reduced cost of manufacture /$< abroad has made possible the extraordinarily low price of the work. / ^ J y "THE «nrV l^li^f It is our ambition to place "THE CHEF" in every /$/ CHEF" •^ UC \_^I1GI household in this big, broad land. To-day, /&/ one p-f u when food prices have never been higher, when the cost of living has /^/ become the most serious of all problems to the housewife, "THE /£ / Avenue, CHEF" is a genuine necessity in every American home. It is /'if/ New York City the foremost practical magazine of household economy; and /^/ GmiUmtn 1 enclose $3 75 each issue contains a mine of suggestions for real and prac- /^y (check, money order or currency). tlCal economies in the kitchen, besides the USUal number /*/ 'or which please send me, all charges of carefully selected new recipes and novelties which /<