CHAPTEK IV

Better is a small fish than an empty dish. — Proverb.

U. S. SENATOR J. E. RANSDELL, State of Louisiana Louisiana Baked Fish

Take a fish weighing between 3 and 4 lbs. Boil fish in a little water, pour water off and pour over it sauce a la Creole and bake, after which slice several hard-boiled eggs over it. Serve hot.

Sauce : Take 2 tablespoons of bacon fat or lard in an iron skillet. When boiling hot cut into it 2 coarsely chopped onions. When this fries to delicate brown push it to one side and put in 2 tablespoons of flour. Stir this until it is a golden brown, then add a little water and 1 can of tomatoes, 1 clove of garlic chopped very fine, a little salt, cayenne pepper and black pepper to taste.

C. M. FREEMAN

American Consul to Sydney, Nova Scotia

Savory Shrimps

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and add 2 or 3 drops of onion juice; add 1 cup of cream and 1 cup of boiled rice. Shred 1 can of shrimps, which have been well washed in cold water, and add to mixture. When thoroughly heated add half of a cup of tomato catsup. Season with salt and pepper if necessary and serve on crackers or toast. (Cook in chafing dish or double boiler.)

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U. S. SENATOR H. S. NEW, State of Indiana

Chairman, Committee on Territories and Insular Possessions

Crab Creole

Meat of 1 large crab, or 1 cup flaked crab meat, 2 medium sized tomatoes, or 1 cup solid canned tomatoes, 2 onions, 1 green pepper, few grains soda, 2 tablespoons butter, few grains cayenne pepper, % teaspoon salt, I/2 cup heavy cream, buttered toast. Chop the tomato, onion, and pepper fine. Add the butter and simmer until vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes. Season, add the soda and cream, turn in the crab meat, let stand a moment to become very hot, and serve on the toast. This may be made in the chafing dish. If desired the mixture may be put in a buttered baking dish, buttered crumbs may be strewn over the top, and it may be browned in a quick oven.

BRIG.-GENERAL D. E. NOLAN

U. S. Army, Camp Travis, Texas

Fish Rarebit

One teaspoon butter, few drops onion juice, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, lA teaspoon salt, i/4 teaspoon paprika, 1 cup milk, % cup finely chopped cheese, 1 cup cold, flaked cooked fish, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, crackers. Melt butter, add onion juice, and then the cornstarch mixed with the salt and paprika. Cook a few minutes and then pour on gradually the milk, cheese, and fish, stirring constantly. When the cheese is melted, add the slightly beaten egg, and the lemon juice. Serve on crackers.

MR. W. J. CARR

Director of the Consular Service, Department of State

Codfish Balls

Soak or parboil boneless codfish. Shred i/^ cup and add to 1 cup of mashed potatoes, add 1 teaspoon of butter, dash of red pepper; beat white and yolk of 1 egg separately until

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very light, add the white last. Drop from a spoon into deep fat and fry a delicate brown. Drain and serve at once.

GOVERNOR H. J. ALLEN, State of Kansas Baked Salmon Loaf

One can salmon, 4 eggs well beaten, i/^ cup bread crumbs, salt, pepper and butter to taste. Mix all well and bake in loaf % of an hour.

GOVERNOR R. D. GARY, State of Wyoming

Mock Fried Oysters

To 2 cups of cold boiled rice add 1 tin of sardines from which the bones and skin have been removed. This will make a coarse paste. Roll this paste into flat, circular cakes and fry a delicate brown. Serve as you would fried oyesters with tomato catsup.

MAJ.-GENERAL R. L. BULLARD

Commanding General, U. S. Army, Governor's Island, N. Y.

Baked Halibut With Nut Sauce

Boil till tender 3 lbs. of halibut ; cut fine and bone. Add 1 pt. of cream and 2 cups of bread crumbs from inside of bread ; season with salt, pepper and paprika. Bake in a bread pan lined with waxed paper; put pan in pan of hot water and bake 1 to % of an hour. Cut and serve in slices with nut sauce.

Sauce : One-quarter to i/2 lb. of well chopped, blanched almonds, 3 large tablespoons butter; put in frying pan and brown nuts chopped in it. Add to this 1 pt. of sweet cream and season.

CAPT. RALPH EARLE

Deviled Lobster

Two lobsters, I/2 teaspoon salt, 1% cups white sauce, few grains cayenne, 1 teaspoon onion juice, % of a green pepper,

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sprig parsley, 2 teaspoons lemon juice. Cut meat of lobsters in cubes ; chop onion and pepper ; parsley fine ; mix and saute in butter; make white sauce, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon flour rubbed smooth ; add 1 cup boiling milk and stir smooth ; mix in all ingredients ; fill shells ; sprinkle with bread crumbs, dot with butter and bake.

M. B. KIRK

American Consul to Rouen, France

Crabs in Red Peppers

Eight red peppers, 1 pt. crab meat, 4 tablespoons butter, 4 tablespoons flour, 1 tablespoon onion, salt, pepper, paprika, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg, 1 cup cream. Parboil red peppers. Make a white sauce with butter, flour, cream and seasonings. Add crab meat, fill peppers with crab mixture, cover with buttered and seasoned soft bread crumbs, and bake until crumbs are brown.

BRIG.-GENERAL C. L. McOAULEY, U. S. Marine Corps Mrs. McCauley's Jellied Salmon

Line a brick mold with stock jelly made rather salty and ornamented with whites of eggs and truffles. Boil a piece of salmon nearly the size of mold, and when cold and jelly is set, put salmon in mold and fill up with more jelly. Place on ice and serve turned out on flat dish, garnished with chopped up jelly for border. Cut fish in vertical slices with very sharp knife dipped in hot water.

Sauce: Cut lemons in halves, scoop out and fill cups of lemons with sharp tartar sauce, which should be made green with spinach juice. Have same number of lemon cups as there are guests in order that each may have one.

H. L. WASHINGTON

American Consul to Liverpool, England

Baked Fillet of Fish

Two slices of halibut cut from middle of fish, salt, pepper, lemon juice, melted butter, 2 cups oyster stuffing. Wash and

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wipe fish. Place one slice on a buttered fish sheet, brush with melted butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover with oyster stuffing. Place second slice on top of oysters, season, and brush with butter. Bake 40 minutes, basting frequently with melted butter, turning pan often in order that the fish may be uniformly browned. Remove to hot platter; garnish with potato balls, parsley, and lemon; Hollandaise, tomato, or Bechamel sauce.

BRIG.-GENERAL R. L. HOWZE

U. S. Army, Ft. Bliss, Texas

Scalloped Oysters

Wash oysters, drain and dry on towl ; place a thin layer of stale, but not dry, bread crumbs in shallow baking dish ; put in layer of oysters; season with salt and pepper, a dash of powdered mace and dot thick with bits of butter ; repeat ; have top layer with bread crumbs with dots of butter. Do not moisten in any way. Do not use more than 1 cup of crumbs to 1 qt. of oysters. Bake in hot oven about 10 minutes or until the oysters just begin to shed juice. Serve very hot. You would never know it for the same dish as the pasty, wet, tasteless dish usually known as Scalloped Oysters.