A CHRISTMAS BREAKFAST.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume VIII, Issue 50, 12 December 1891, Page 687

A CHRISTMAS BREAKFAST.

The following menu is liberal provision for a company of twelve persons, with a good margin for additional guests, it such be found on this festival when people are supposed to gather in family parties. But as there are waifs who are belated in getting home, or who have no home to go to, if you wish to share. your Christmas cheer with them, have no fears ; there will be ample sufficiency, and the bill of fare is certainly very charming. MENU : Grapes. Strawberries. Oattlake and Cream. Hot Rolls. Fried Oysters. Watties. Cream Toast. Chicken. Potato Chips. Cucumbers Fried Sausage. Coffee. Rolls.—One quart of Hour, one heaping tablespoonful of butter, half a cup of fresh yeast, one cop of fresh milk, two eggs, salt to taste. Mix into a soft dough over night. Early in the morning knead the dough, mould into biscuit shape, though larger, Hatten with the hand or roiling pin. Set to rise again in a well-buttered pan. When light bake a nice brown, and semi to table hot. Oatflake.—One quart of oat Hake, three pints of boiling water, a level teaspoonful of salt, eook in a granite saucepan for half an hour, stirring constantly. Serve with rich cream. Waffles. —One quart flour, one pint warm corn-meal mush, one quart fresh milk, six eggs, beaten separately very light. Mix thoroughly. Bake in waffle irons. Cream Toast.—Slice white bread into even slices thieequarters of an inch thick, and neatly trim off the crust. Toast the bread a pretty brown, do not dry it up in the oven. Butter on both sides. Heat the cream hot, but not boiling, and pour over each side of each slice a tablespoonful. The toast must be thoroughly well-buttered to be nice. Put a pinch of salt in the cream. Serve in hot dish. Cold Chicken.—Roast a chicken the day before, ent it up carefully, cover with white sauce made of cornflour cream, a small piece of butter, pepper and salt : add dainty pieces of parsley round the edge of the dish. Potato Chips.—Peel, and slice very thin, eight large potatoes. Lay the slices in salted cold water for ten minutes. Remove and dry in a soft napkin. Have ready’ boiling lard, drop in a light handful at a time, keep them separated. As soon as they are of a pale brown, lift out in a wire spoon, drain and place on a hot dish. Fried Sausage.—Get the best article of genuine pork sausage seasoned with plenty of sage, black and red pepper, and salt. Mould into balls the size of an ordinary biscuit, flatten and fry in a hot fryingpau. Let them brown on both sides and'serve with their own gravy in a covered dish. Cucumbers a l’Espagnole. — Choose two or three fresh, young cucumbers, peel them, and cut each one in halves lengthwise ; next cut each half through the middle, thus forming four neat-shaped, equal sized pieces out of each cucumber. Take out lhe seeds, and dip the pieces in flour which has been highly seasoned with salt, pepper and a pinch of cayenne, then fry in hot butter, or good beet dripping, until richly browned. Drain the cucumbers carefully from the fat, and lay them in a saucepan ; cover with good brown stock, and simmer gently until quite tender, but not at all broken : then take up the vegetable, place each piece on a slice of hot buttered toast of corresponding size and shape, and arrange neatly on a hot dish. Stir into the stock sufficient brown roux to thicken it to taste, boil up, skim if necessary, |>oui over the cucumbers and serve at once.

Decorate the table with quantities of flowers; add glass dishes of different kinds of preserve and honey, also boiled eggs. Menus for dinner and tea will be given directly.