A guide to modern cookery

yellow, thin, and smooth, and their pulp, which is white, more nearly resembles the water-melon than the melon in flavour. 362—MELON WITH PORT, MARSALA, OR SHERRY, &c. Select a Cantaloup or other melon of the same kind as the former, and let it be just ripe. Make a round incision about the stalk, three inches in diameter; withdraw the plug thus cut, and through the resulting hole thoroughly remove all the pips by means of a silver spoon. Now pour one-half pint of best Port, Marsala, or Sherry into the melon, replace the plug, and keep the melon for two or three hours in a cooler surrounded by broken ice. Do not cut the melon into slices when serving it. It should be taken to the table, whole, and then the piece containing the stalk is withdrawn and the fruit is cut into shell-like slices with a silver spoon, and served with a little of the accompanying wine upon iced plates. 363—VARIOUS MELONS France produces a large variety of melons, of which the principal kinds are the Sucrins of Tours, the St. Laud melon, the black melons of the Carmes, &c. They are all excellent, and are served like the Cantaloups. 364—NATIVES WITH CAVIARE This is a typically luxurious hors-d’œuvre. Cook some little tartlet crusts for hors-d’œuvre (No. 387). When about to dish up, garnish these with a tablespoonful of fine, fresh caviare; make a hollow in the latter and place therein a fine Whitstable oyster (cleared of its beard), seasoned with a little powdered pepper and a drop of lemon-juice. 365—SMOKED BREAST OF GOOSE Cut it into the thinnest possible slices, and garnish with very green parsley. 366—PLAIN OLIVES Olives of all kinds are suitable for hors-d’œuvres, and they are served plain. Three or four varieties are known, all of which are excellent, provided they be fleshy, firm, very green, and moderately salted. 367—STUFFED OLIVES For this purpose, select large Spanish olives and stone them, either by cutting them spirally, or by means of a special machine. In the place of the stone, put one of the butters or