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Thirteenth Day: Potato

No. 170-POTATO CROQUETTES.

To every cupful of mashed potato allow a tablespoonful of melted butter, and beat to a cream, seasoning with pepper and salt. Beat up two or three eggs, according to the quantity used, and add this to the potato, with some minced parsley. Roll into oval balls, dip first in beaten egg, then in bread crumbs, and fry in hot lard. No. 171-POTATO RIBBON.

Choose the largest and soundest potatoes you can get for this dish; pare them and lay in ice-water for an hour. Then pare off a small continuous strip, round and round, with a small, sharp knife, or an instrument which comes the purpose. Handle with care and fry a few at a time, in deep lard; then arrange neatly upon a hot flat dish. "Oh, what a funny-looking thing that must be!" cried Rose. "Can we do it to-day?" "I'm afraid not. The potatoes are rather new yet for this purpose, and we should only waste our time, but in the winter it would be quite a curious experiment to see how well you could do it. And in the mean time, perhaps your mother will get a parer for you." "Shan't we need something else beside peach pie for dessert, Aunt Jane?" said Grace. "I was thinking of a chocolate meringue," replied her aunt,"such as you have a receipt for, No. 111. I think you might set about that immediately, and then it will have time to get cold. When it is done, you may make up the potato croquettes, and get ready the egg and breadcrumbs to fry them in. They won't suffer by standing two or three hours. Amy, you may take this delicate young cabbage that I found in market yesterday, and slice it with the cutter into fine shreds; then make this dressing for it."

No. 172-COLDSLAW DRESSING.

Beat two eggs in a bowl that fits in the top of a teakettle; add a gill of vinegar and water mixed, an ounce of butter, an even teaspoonful of salt and one of sugar; place the bowl over boiling water and when hot stir until it is thicker than boiled custard; then strain, and leave it until perfectly cold before pouring over the coldslaw. When the dish is served, sprinkle a little black pepper over the top. "Rose, you may make some baking powder biscuit for us, to be ready fully half an hour before lunch-we don't want them hot. And now I'm going to try an entirely new receipt, one that I cut from a newspaper, telling how to make such coffee as they have at the 'Vienna Bakery.' I don't know anything about it, but I think from its looks it must be good, and it will be a novelty to our friends, I am sure."

No. 173-VIENNA BAKERY COFFEE.

Make coffee in the ordinary way; then to one pint of cream heated over boiling water allow the white of an egg beaten to a froth; add three tablespoonfuls of cold milk to the egg and mix it well, then remove the cream, when hot, from the fire, and add the egg, stirring briskly for a few moments. Serve the coffee in the usual manner, adding this mixture instead of cold cream. When all had been accomplished that the girls had started on, they proceeded to set the lunch table, under Aunt Jane's direction. She showed them how necessary to symmetry it was to have every place, or "cover," as it is called, abroad, set exactly opposite another, and how the double supply of knives, forks and spoons must be made into a square around each napkin. A dish of fruit stood in the center of the table, with a lovely arrangement of flowers on each side of it, and some of the dishes and various relishes were also set on, but the most important of the instructions related to the manner of serving. "There musn't be any rattling and clattering of spoons and dishes when you are changing plates. Each plate that is to be used for pie must have a place by itself with a saucer on it for the meringue; then when you have removed the first set of plates, which must be done as quietly as possible, you must take one plate and saucer in each hand and set them before two guests; then go back to the table for two more. You will not need extra knives and forks and spoons, because all these are put on at first by each plate. Then for the fruit you must lay a doyley on each fruit plate, set the finger bowl on it, and carry them round in the same way. As it is probable that only forks will be used for the pie, the knives will remain on the table ready for the fruit; but you must look at each place, and if you see one without a knife, lay one down quietly at the right hand when you put on the finger glass." "Oughtn't the salad to be served as a separate course, Aunt Jane?" asked Grace. "For formal company it ought; but these are all friends who won't expect so much ceremony, and I think three sets of plates are enough for you little girls to handle. You must all move about as quietly as possible, and be especially careful not to run against each other while you are going around the room. When your mother is pouring the coffee, wait until she has two cups ready, then take one in each hand. Remove the plates in the same way, as soon as you see any two that are entirely done with. Have your eyes wide open to see when any one of the guests is in want of bread, or butter, or any other thing that ought to be handed, but be careful not to offer the same thing again to a person who has refused it once." "How can we tell, Aunt Jane?" said Grace. "You yourself may take entire charge of the bread and biscuit, and Amy of the butter and pickles; then you'll be able to remember. It is a great plague to have to say, 'No, I thank you,' over a dozen times while one is trying to talk to one's neighbor. Of course you don't need to be told that when you offer any thing which you keep in your own hand, it should be done at the left hand of the guest; when you set down any thing, like a cup or plate, it must always be done from the right hand." "I see why you should pass a thing at the left side, Aunt Jane," said Rose, "but I don't see why you shouldn't always do it from the same side." "Because when you are setting down anything before a person seated at the table, it is apt to bring your elbow inconveniently near her, unless you are constantly on the watch to prevent it, and it is much simpler to set things down always from the other side. You'll find it so as soon as you begin to do it."

Many more were the particulars into which this good aunt entered with her attentive and zealous little pupils, but we have not time to detail them now. We must go back to the kitchen, where the final cooking was still to be done. "Now the sweet-breads are ready for their last immersion, Grace. Just follow the directions and you can't miss doing them well. The croquettes will go over in about fifteen minutes, and the lard must be 'hissing hot' to be ready for them. Amy, you may take a large knife and fork and cut up the coldslaw a little, before you pour over the dressing. It is very unmanageable when it is in such long strips. Mix the dressing with it thoroughly in that common dish, before you lay it on the one it is to come to table in; we will use a flat dish and put a border of sliced tomatoes round the edge. Don't forget the pepper over the top. Rose, you will want a flat dish for your croquettes, not a covered one. Lay one row down first in neat order, then put another on it with one or two fewer croquettes; and so on, until there is only room for one at the top. It is just as easy to make things look pretty and attractive as commonplace."

The Vienna coffee was the only thing about which Aunt Jane had not felt perfect confidence; but she followed the directions, or rather Amy did so under her supervision, and the result was very gratifying. The amateur waiters carried out their instructions in a way that showed what close attention they had paid to them, and at the close of the repast, being joined by Mabel and Jessie, who had been prowling about for some time awaiting the auspicious moment, they all sat down together and ate their luncheon with capital appetites.