Out of Kentucky Kitchens

Introduction

IT WAS SAID in the old days that if you had examined the contents of a Kentuckian's pocket you would have found: a bowie knife, the précis of a lawsuit to defraud his neighbor, and a copy of Paradise Lost. There would also probably have been a sheaf of invitations—to a ball, a New Year's Day Open House, a formal hunt dinner, a Derby breakfast or, in summer, a burgoo or barbecue party. For Kentuckians have always loved to entertain and have always been overly fond of good vittals.

Back in 1874 when the good ladies of the Southern Presbyterian Church of Paris, Kentucky, compiled the now-classic cook book, Housekeeping in the Blue Grass, they could boast in their introduction that the Blue Grass region of Kentucky…is celebrated for the fertility of its soil, its flocks and blooded stocks, and last, but far from least, for the hospitality of the people, and their table luxuries.

But today the Blue Grass, comprising such cities as Danville, Harrodsburg, Georgetown, Lexington, Paris, Versailles, Winchester, etc., is not the only region in the state where a distinctive cuisine is to be found. From Shelbyville through Louisville (Derby Town) on the Ohio, to Irvin S. Cobb's Paducah in the Purchase strip; from Bowling Green, home of the well-known gourmet, Duncan Hines, in the Pennyrile (Pennyroyal) district; taking in Corbin, Williamsburg, Pineville, Middlesboro, Pikeville and on to the Blue Ridge and the Big Sandy—in fact, all over Kentucky, whether in prosperous river valleys or mountain districts, are to be found many noteworthy dishes.

A few of these were probably the brain children of unknown culinary artists, others were brought by the early settlers, English and Scotch, French émigrés, Austrian and German refugees, African slaves, who came to Kentucke (Land of Tomorrow) to make their homes. Other recipes crept in with the Yankee traders, steamboat passengers, Southern planters, foreign dignitaries, who passed through the state or made protracted visits. But no matter what the origin, all these sources have combined to enlarge and enrich our culinary knowledge, so that today Kentucky cooking is a unique blend of many old-world cultures seasoned with native ingenuity, a cross section of American cookery at its best.

They tell a story here about a certain Louisville host who gave his annual Derby breakfast, a celebrated affair where business and professional men, dowagers and debutantes rubbed elbows with horse trainers, politicians and farmers. At this gathering, after plying his guests with that particular sippage which has made Kentucky immortal (Mint Juleps to the uninitiated), the host finally led them into the dining room, where, as they say in Victorian novels, a truly sumptuous repast had been spread.

The antique Hepplewhite table, decked out in its fabulous cloth of point de Venise, probably groaned as loudly as it ever did in its heyday in 18th-century England. Indeed, it is doubtful whether, a hundred and fifty years ago, it would have been possible to assemble at one season of the year such an infinite variety of hors d'oeuvres, canapés, pickles, condiments, aspics, green salads, entrées and sauces, smoked turkeys, country hams, ices, sherbets, cakes, pastries, fruits and cheeses as that Kentucky gentleman displayed.

The guests began to cram themselves with the tempting morsels—that is, all but one. Alone in a corner, the host spied a local farmer holding an empty plate. Asked if he were ill or if anything were wrong, the old man shook his head. You know I got to admit all these here vittals, pointing to the table, look mighty pretty. But now that I done seen these fancibles, I'm a-wondering whar's the fillables?

A representative collection of Kentucky recipes should contain an equal number of fancibles and fillables, and I have tried to do justice to both. Some of them have never before been written down but were passed from one generation to another by word of mouth. Others were discovered in old ledgers and copy books and have had to be adapted for present-day use. Still others are recipes I have published from time to time in various magazines, or brought back with me from my travels and incorporated into our family menus. With few exceptions I have tested and retested these dishes in my own kitchen. All are contributed by competent cooks of recognized ability. To them and to all the friends, neighbors and interested Kentuckians who shared with me their heirloom recipes I extend my gratitude. I wish also to express my appreciation for the kind words of approval from Duncan Hines, whose own cook book, Adventures in Good Cooking, offers further exciting adventures in good eating.

MARION W. FLEXNER

Louisville, Kentucky

Notes Concerning the Recipes

in This Book

C equals Cup

t equals teaspoon

T equals Tablespoon

F.G. equals few grains

Wherever possible, the number of servings has been given with each recipe. If a recipe serves 4 and you want only 2 portions, cut it in half. If you want 8, double it, and so on. Where the number of servings is not given, such as in the soup recipes, this means the recipe should be made up and kept in the icebox and served until it has been used up. It is not practical to cook small amounts of certain soups or cuts of meat (such as pot roast).

If a recipe in this book calls for an herb or spice you do not have, substitute another for it or leave it out entirely. There will be a subtle difference in flavor, but the basic recipe will not suffer materially.

The recipes that can be quickly prepared are marked (Quickie!).

Table of Measurements

SIZE AND CONTENT OF CANNED FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

No. 1 can equals 1 cups

No. 2 can equals 2 cups

No. 3 can equals 4 cups

STANDARD WEIGHTS AND MEASURE

F.G. equals less than teaspoon

2 teaspoons equal 1 dessert spoon

3 teaspoons equal 1 tablespoon

4 tablespoons equal ¼ cup

5 tablespoons equal cup

16 tablespoons equal 1 cup

2 cups equal 1 pint

2 pints equal 1 quart

4 quarts equal 1 gallon

8 quarts equal 1 peck

1 pound liquid equals 2 cups

1 pound white sugar equals 2 cups

1 pound brown sugar equals 2 cups (firmly packed)

1 pound powdered sugar equals 2 cups

1 pound cocoa equals 4 cups

1 pound wheat flour equals about 4 cups

1 pound cake flour equals 5 cups

1 pound corn meal equals 3 cups

1 pound nuts (chopped) equals 2 cups

1 pound butter or margarine equals 2 cups or 16 ounces

1 pound uncooked rice equals 2 cups (rice triples its bulk when cooked)

1 pound raisins or currants equals 3 cups

1 cup liquid equals 8 ounces

1 ounce equals 2 tablespoons

1 ounce or 1 square of Baker's bitter chocolate taken from a half pound package equals 3 grated tablespoons of chocolate

1 ounce flour equals 4 tablespoons

Juice of an average-sized lemon equals 3 to 4 tablespoons

1 pound ground meat equals 2 cups (firmly packed)

1 average-sized egg, beaten lightly with a fork, equals 3 tablespoons of liquid

9 average-sized eggs usually weigh a pound

1 egg yolk usually equals 1 tablespoon

8 to 10 average egg whites will fill 1 cup

A 2½-pound lobster will produce about 1 pound of meat

Unless otherwise noted, all measurements are level.

About Gourmet Powder

     (VE-TSON), MSG

(The Element of Deliciousness)

MANY YEARS AGO a friend of mine introduced me to Gourmet Powder. Put the tiniest pinch in sauces and gravie, she told me, and it will give them a subtle, intangible flavor. I accordingly bought a whole carton of small flat bottles of Gourmet Powder, each accompanied by a tiny silver scoop to measure out the precious powder, termed by the Chinese, who originated it, the element of deliciousness, Now this powder has been put on the American market under various trade names, called MSG by American chemists, short for monosodium glutamate, a salt of an amino acid made from high-protein by-products of wheat, corn, soy beans and sugar beet processing.

In an article about this magic powder in the Reader's Digest recently, it was stated that salt and pepper may become a threesome when American housewives learn the usefulness of MSG.

MSG looks like powdered sugar and has a slightly acid, salty taste. It so intensifies flavors that it has been claimed that if a drop of lemon juice is put in a glass of water, no one can detect it. But if a pinch of MSG is added to the glass, the lemon flavor will be slightly discernible.

Gourmet Powder or MSG has many uses other than those I've mentioned. It is said that if a small amount is added to vegetables which have been steamed or cooked too long, the fresh taste will be restored. Some use it in coffee, others in biscuits and hotbreads. If the tiny dispenser or scoop doesn't come with your bottle or can, an eighth of a teaspoon is about the right amount of MSG for a pint of gravy. You will have to experiment to see how much you will need to sprinkle on steaks or roasts, but I should imagine one-fourth of a teaspoon would be sufficient. You can use MSG either before cooking or afterwards, and it is said that freezing, baking, etc., will not affect its wonderful properties.

For That Real Kentucky Flavor

GRUB, VITTALS, AND REPASTS

(Suggested Menus for Everyday and Special Occasions, Using Recipes in This Book)

KENTUCKY FOOD is said to be divided into three classes: GRUB, or common fare such as hog jowl and greens, corn pone and ‘lasses or native sorghum, washed down with sassafras (spicewood) tea. VITTALS are a cut higher—for example, fried country ham and gravy, biscuits, greasy beans (beans and bacon cooked until beans are almost transparent and coated with the bacon grease), fried apple pies or sweet ’tater puddin’, coffee, etc. REPASTS constitute the top-drawer menus served for all formal occasions, from the feasts at the Governor's inaugural ball to receptions for visiting dignitaries, weddings, etc. Here follow a selection of menus for all three types of Kentucky meals.

KENTUCKY DERBY BREAKFASTS

Derby Day in Kentucky! To the uninitiated this phrase has little meaning, but lovers of horse racing all over the country thrill at the mention of the word. For the Derby is the most important race of the year. Thousands of visitors pour into Louisville just for this event, the first Saturday of May—the date when the Derby is usually held. Excitement is in the air, a spirit of carnival prevails, all roads into the city are crowded as the vast mob slowly wends its way in the direction of Churchill Downs.

The first race will not be run until about noon. What matters that? At ten the crowd has annexed most of the free seats in the grandstand and clubhouse. Many have left home at seven in order to be sure of a place from which to watch the show, carrying the traditional shoe box filled with hard-boiled eggs, sandwiches, and pickles. Surely no better place could be found for a picnic than beautiful Churchill Downs! But if the visitor has any friends in Louisville he is almost certain to be invited to a Derby breakfast.

Breakfast? he will ask his host, and at what time?

Ten-thirty.

Thank you, I accept with pleasure, but surely I misunderstood. Is breakfast always served in Kentucky at this hour? The host will shake his head, not knowing exactly how to explain this custom. He only knows that on Derby Day one always invites one's guests to breakfast, even though the party is a very formal one, the service Georgian, the china Spode, and the menu perhaps like one of these:

1.

Mint Juleps or Whiskey Sours

Canapes of Caviar, Anchovy Paste and Chutney

Chicken Croquettes                Sliced Old Kentucky Ham in

with Mushroom Sauce                Beaten Biscuits

Vegetable Aspic and Hearts            Shoestring Potatoes

of Bibb Lettuce                                   Black Raspberry Jelly

with Tarragon Dressing            Homemade Relish

Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream in Individual Meringue Shells

Mints            Coffee            Salted            Nuts

2.

Seafood Aspic in a Fish Mold

on a bed of Watercress

Herbed Mayonnaise              Toasted Crackers

Whole Country Ham, Parboiled and Baked

Grape Jelly                        Crystallized Cucumber Chips

Buttered Hot Rolls

Vegetable platter consisting of the following hot vegetables on a

round tray:

Boiled Whole Cauliflower in the center with Cheese Sauce

and Gratings of Yellow Cheese, surrounded by

Broiled Tomato Halves

topped with Buttered Bread Crumbs

Radiating from this, Asparagus Vinaigrette

General Robert E. Lee Cake                                    Union Cake

Coffee

3.

Old Fashioneds or Kentucky Whiskey Toddies

Avocado Cocktail with Foam Dressing

Italian Bread Sticks

Tennessee Spice Round, Fall Fruit Conserve

Scalloped Potatoes                                    Lettuce Steamed Peas

Buttermilk Biscuits                                    Butter

Woodford Pudding and Brandy Sauce

Coffee

DERBY BREAKFASTS, COUNTRY STYLE

Besides the many charming old Colonial mansions in Kentucky, there are quite a few glorified log cabins, furnished in pioneer style (with just enough modern equipment to insure comfort). There is a real treat for any visitor fortunate enough to receive an invitation to dine with the owner of such a home. The rough-hewn logs, stone fireplaces, quarteredoak floors, lend a picturesque background for a Derby breakfast, country style, and as is to be expected, the menu will be in keeping with the surroundings. The food will probably be served on an old cherry drop-leaf table, the cloth red-checkered damask, the plates pewter or Sandwich glass, the menu:

1.

Tomato Juice Cocktail

Country Fried Chicken with Cream Gravy

Apple Rings

Corn Cakes with Sorghum or Preserves

Coffee in large cups

2.

Jellied Tomato Bouillon

Hot Brown Sandwich

Bibb Lettuce with liberty Hall Maple Syrup Salad Dressing

and Fresh Green Asparagus

Iced Tea and Lemon

Transparent Pie

Coffee

3.

Fried Country Ham Steaks and Red Gravy

Batter Pudding                                    Green Apple Sauce

Green Beans and Jowl

Beaten Biscuits or Graham Gems with Butter

President Tyler's Puddin’ Pies (Individuals)

Coffee

4

Eggs Derby (Mary Shreve Long's recipe)

Tossed Green Salad with tart French Dressing

Garlic Bread

Fruit Cup with fresh Pineapple Water Ice

Butter Cookies or slice of Plain Cake

Coffee

JUDITH BONNIE'S MENU FOR THE DERBY BREAKFAST

Corn Meal Waffles topped with Turkey Hash

Sausage Patties                                                Fried Apples

Endive, Artichoke Bottoms, Tomatoes, Cucumbers

with French Dressing

(Maple Syrup on Waffles for Dessert)

Hot Coffee

THE MOST FAMOUS OF ALL KENTUCKY BREAKFASTS

A steak                                    A man

I quart bourbon whiskey      A dog

(bottled in bond)

The man throws the steak to the dog and drinks the whiskey.

(Yes, it's corny, but in case anyone hadn't heard it, I thought I'd better include it—just for record.

KENTUCKY EGGNOG, MULLED WINE AND WASSAIL PARTIES

(For Christmas or New Year At Homes or Receptions)

In Louisville, on both Christmas and New Year's Day, many people have open house in the afternoon and evening. Eggnog is usually given the place of honor on the refreshment table. Salted almonds, pecans and mixed nuts are stationed beside it and a large platter of Raggedy Britches or Christmas crullers. Rosettes—those wafer-thin wheels made of fritter batter and fried in deep, hot fat, then sprinkled with sugar—are constantly being cooked and brought to the table, for they do not last long once the guests have sampled their crisp and delicate goodness. Snowflakes might alternate for the rosettes if no wheel form is handy. These, too, are a fried light pastry—thin as gauze, golden-brown, only slightly sweet, well dusted with sugar. For by this time you have guessed that with eggnog, which is apt to be rich, a sweet cake is not in order, although there are some die-hards who insist that no other escort is fit for such a royal beverage as eggnog except a member of the fruit cake family. Some Kentucky hostesses will display slices of Jam Cake with Butterscotch Icing as superior to old-fashioned Fruit Cake, or perhaps they will offer you Kentucky Pecan-Bourbon Cake, a rich relative of the fruit cake clan, its sides a solid mosaic of pecan halves, seeded raisins and rich brown spiced cake batter, tipsy with bourbon whiskey. Many also offer hot Wassail as a contrast to the cold eggnog, and Wassail is at home with any of the cakes and pastries named. Sandwiches, cheese dips, etc. are not usually served at these parties, although country ham and hot homemade biscuits might make a belated appearance for those who do not have a sweet tooth. Kentucky Tom and Jerry and Champagne Punch often understudy the Wassail or Mulled Wine.

1.

Salted Almonds            Marion Green's Eggnog (cold)

Crullers or Raggedy Britches

Hickory Nut Cake                        Wassail (hot)

Kentucky Black Cake

Country Ham in tiny hot homemade Southern Biscuits

Coffee

2.

Not-So-Rich Eggnog (cold)

Mulled Wine (hot)

Rosettes or Snowflakes                  Kentucky Pecan-Bourbon Cake

Hot Sliced Capon in tiny buttered Whole Wheat Rolls

3.

Kentucky Tom and Jerry (hot)

Mixed Green                        Ground Chicken and Almond Spread in

and Ripe Olives                        Graham Gems or Rye Bread Rolls

Jam Cake with Butterscotch Frosting

Coffee

4.

Pendennis Club Champagne Punch or Cold Wassail

(Baltimore Fish House Punch)

Whole Sliced Country Ham         Hot Homemade Rolls, buttered

Hot Beaten Biscuits, buttered                        Whole Baked Turkey

White and Dark Sliced Fruit Cakes                    Salted Nuts               

Coffee

A LAVISH KENTUCKY COLLATION

In 1848 when Joseph A. Humphreys was making the grand tour he purchased in Prague, for the then outrageous sum of a thousand dollars, an etched, ruby-glass dinner service, made originally for Napoleon Bonaparte. This he presented to his bride when he returned home to Kentucky. The set created quite a sensation and on the 29th of July, 1856, the young Humphreys used all five hundred pieces of their prized glassware. The occasion was their entertainment for their good friend and neighbor, John J. Crittenden, ex-Governor of Kentucky and its newly elected Senator. Twenty-four selected guests sat down to a lavish collation—in the vernacular of the period. Each guest was given a printed menu; one of them is now the property of Sarah Buckner of Lexington, a descendant of the Joseph Humphreys. Here is the menu of the collation served at SUMNER'S FOREST, July 29, 1856:

SOUPS—Gumbo,    Boulli Soup

BOILED MEATS—Ham, Champagne Sauce

Brisket, White Sauce

Leg of Mutton, Caper Sauce

Pig's Head, Mint Sauce

BAKED MEATS—Beef á la Mode                             Roast Beef

Ham                                              Calf's Head

Ducks garnished with Olives      Brain Sauce

ROASTS—Saddle of Mutton            Shoat

ENTREES—Chickens, dressed with Mushrooms      Oyster Pies

Croquettes                                                Sweetbreads

Kidneys Broiled

VEGETABLES—Corn Pudding Boiled Corn  Tomatoes, Okra

Cucumbers     Potatoes             cooked and raw     Peas

Beans              Onions              Squash     Radishes

Cauliflower     Rice               Cabbage

PASTRY—English Plum Pudding        Apple Pie

Soufflé                                Cocoanut Pies

DESSERT—Iced Pudding                      Strawberry Ice

Meringues                          Cake

Sherbets                              Chocolate Ice Cream

Jelly

NUTS AND FRUITS—Almonds    Brazil Nuts       Pecans    Figs

Peanuts       Filberts                           Apples

WINES—Claret       Sherry    Champagne     Sauterne    Madeira

COFFEE

Most of these dishes are still served on Kentucky tables, although not at the same meal. Many foods were raised on the Humphreys’ plantation, I am sure, all except the figs, and those must have come up by packet from New Orleans, Mrs. Humphreys’ former home.

MODERN KENTUCKY MENUS WITH TRADITIONAL DISHES

I have worked out some modern Kentucky menus based on the above Gargantuan repast, and using the same dishes.

1.

Chicken Gumbo Soup with Rice

Crisp Corn Pones                        Dressed Cucumbers

Sweet Butter                        Spiced Ice Tea

Apple or Cocoanut Pie

2.

Ham Baked in Champagne or Ginger Ale

Corn Pudding                        Green Beans in Brown Sauce

Buttered Hot Rolls                                    Bread and Butter Pickle

(June Smith's)                                                 Nell Wolfe's

Tomato and Lettuce Salad

Piquant Dressing

Peach Ice Cream or Raspberry Water Ice

Iced Pudding (Plombière) and Marble Cake

3.

Leg of Mutton with Caper Sauce, Pickled Pears or Peaches

Cauliflower with Browned Buttered Crumbs            Hot Biscuits

Okra, Corn and Tomato Mélange                        Sweet Butter

Strawberry Ice

The 100-Dollar Chocolate Cake

4.

Chicken, Veal, or Oyster Croquettes

with

Mushrooms in Double Cream Sauce

Lettuce-steamed Peas (Green Peas)

Boiled Potatoes with Chives or Parsley Butter

Buttered Wedges of Kentucky Sally Lunn, Honey

Orange-lemon Wine Jelly

Sour Cream Spice Muffins with Cinnamon Icing

5.

Ducks Garnished with Olives or Ducks in Orange Sauce

Candied Sweet Potatoes         Purée of Squash or Cymlings

Graham Gems         Damson Preserves         Green Tomato Pickles

Chocolate Soufflé with Sweetened Whipped Cream

Flavored with Vanilla

Cup Cake

6.

Roast Beef with Brown Gravy and Horseradish Sauce

Batter Pudding         Creamed Onions         Browned Potatoes

Dill Pickles        Fried Green Tomatoes with Homemade Chili Sauce

Hot Biscuits and Butter

English Plum Pudding with Hard Sauce

Coffee

Canapés, Hors D'oeuvres

and Sandwich Spreads

THE OPENING bid for a good party is often an attractive hors d'oeuvres tray or platter of dainty canapés or sandwiches. Here follows a list we serve in Kentucky for cocktail parties, wedding receptions, formal dinners or, in fact, any affair where such a course would be indicated.

ALABAMA CHEESE BALLS (French Fried)

(For Cocktail Parties or with Salads)

To the cheese add the flour, salt, mustard, cayenne pepper, and paprika. Fold into the well-beaten whites of eggs. Shape into tiny balls, the size of a butterball. Roll heavily in cracker crumbs and fry in basket in deep hot lard, vegetable shortening or salad oil. If you have a kitchen thermometer, 375° is right. As soon as balls are golden-brown, they are done. Lower heat if balls begin to get too dark-brown. Remove from fire and drain on absorbent paper. Serve at once while piping hot. Some people stick a toothpick in each cheese ball.

ANCHOVY CHEESE CANAPÉ        (Quickie!)

OR SANDWICH SPREAD                     

Blend cheese with anchovy. Add other ingredients. Spread on toasted bread cut into fancy shapes, or plain bread fried brown in butter. This sandwich can also be rolled and toasted in oven.

Variation: A small can of domestic caviar mixed with the above spread makes a welcome addition. This is also a delicious stuffing for tomatoes, served with French dressing.

This filling is often stuffed into minute cream puffs and served heated, at Louisville cocktail parties or receptions. It is a favorite hot addition to the hors d'oeuvres tray, too.

                BEER CHEESE                        (Quickie!)

In the days when free lunches were served in Kentucky saloons with every 5-cent glass of beer, we were told of a wonderful Beer Cheese that decked every bar. Finally we found someone who had eaten it and who told us vaguely how to prepare it. So Dorothy Clark and I experimented until we had what proved to be a very tangy sandwich spread. It will keep for weeks in a covered jar in the icebox and is a boon to the busy housekeeper. It makes wonderful sautéed sandwiches, or it can be dumped into a double boiler and allowed to melt, when it makes a perfect understudy for Welsh Rabbit. But we usually put the jar of cheese on a tray, surround it with toasted crackers and let each guest eat his fill. We may not have unearthed the bartenders’ secret recipe, but ours is a concoction of which we're rather proud.

Grind the cheese (do not use processed cheese) with the garlic pods. Mix with this: Worcestershire sauce, salt, mustard and tabasco or cayenne. Put in a bowl in an electric mixer and add slowly enough beer to make a paste smooth enough to spread. Store in covered jars and keep in the icebox until needed.

BENEDICTINE SANDWICH SPREAD

(Quickie!)

This delicious spread was the brain-child of Miss Jennie Benedict, a beloved Louisville cateress of a generation ago. It is still a favorite at local cocktail parties and weddings.

Mash the cheeses with a fork. Work into them the grated pulp from a peeled, medium-sized cucumber, first extracting the juice by placing the pulp in a napkin and squeezing it fairly dry. Add the onion juice (more if a stronger onion flavor is liked), tabasco and salt and enough mayonnaise to make a smooth filling, easily spread. (Miss Jennie used mayonnaise made of lemon juice, real olive oil and egg yolks.) Last of all, add the green coloring—just enough to give a faint green tinge, for too much will look unappetizing.

BROWN HOTEL SANDWICH SPECIALS

(Quickie!)

These two sandwiches are specialties of Louisville's Brown Hotel.

BROWN SANDWICH (cold)

(1 serving)

This is an open-face sandwich. To make it, place the bread on the salad plate. Butter it lightly if you wish. Cover with the lettuce, then the meat, then the tomato (cut 1/2 inch thick). Frame the tomato with the egg circles. Surround with more Bibb lettuce leaves or shredded leaf lettuce. Pass Thousand Island dressing to douse all over sandwich. This is, of course, a meal in itself—an excellent luncheon or supper or after-theater dish. In summer we serve this with iced tea in which a scoop of lime or lemon sherbet has been placed.

BROWN SANDWICH (hot)

(4 servings)

For some reason, this sandwich seems to be more popular than the cold Brown Sandwich and visitors to the Brown Hotel will often order this without consulting the menu. I like it in winter or on a cold day, but I am still partial to the cold Brown Sandwich when the weather is hot.

Blend yellow cheese with cream sauce until cheese has melted. Place a piece of chicken on each piece of toast, and cover with ¼ cup of sauce. Place 2 strips of bacon (previously cooked) on each sandwich, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese. Place sandwiches in a pan under the flame until the cheese melts and becomes a golden-brown. Serve at once. This recipe makes 4 portions. If you have individual shallow baking dishes, either pottery or copper, use them. This sandwich should really be served in the dish in which it was browned.

                                   CHILI SPECIAL                     (Quickie!)

An excellent sandwich filling is this lovely, dusty-pink one:

Cream the cheese with onion, salt, pepper, and enough chili sauce to make a smooth paste. Spread thickly on rounds of bread. Top with second rounds of bread and fry until delicately brown, in a skillet where a small amount of butter has been melted. (Enough filling for 4 sandwiches.)

This is often made into open sandwiches, cut into any desired shape with your cookie cutters. Another popular way of serving the Chili Special is to pile it into a small bowl, place on a tray, and surround with potato chips.

FILLED CHEESE BISCUITS (Chester Cakes)

(A Canapé or Salad Accompaniment, or for Afternoon Tea)

Mix cheese with butter or margarine. Sift flour, nutmeg, paprika, and salt. Add the butter-cheese mixture to the flour mixture and crumble with the fingers until it is well blended, and mixture resembles corn meal. Add cream—the richer the better—and blend until the dough resembles rich pie crust. Do not get it too moist. Roll a little bit at a time, very thin (1/4 inch or less). A floured board and rolling pin are required. Cut out with a fluted or round biscuit or cookie cutter. Spread one round of dough thinly with deviled ham. Top with another round and prick three times with a fork to hold rounds together. Bake in hot oven (400° to 425°) until cakes are golden-brown. Takes 15 to 17 minutes. Serve piping hot. If desired, single rounds of dough can be spread with ham, folded in half, and pricked to form a turnover.

DATES IN CHEESE JACKETS

(A Variation of Filled Cheese Biscuits)

Roll the dough for Filled Cheese Biscuits very thin. Cut out with a biscuit cutter. Place a seeded date on each round and fold the dough around each date, pressing edges and seams together. Place, seamside down, on an ungreased cookie tin in a hot oven (450°) and cook until dough is golden-brown. This takes about 15 minutes. Serve hot as an hors d'oeuvre or with salads, or for afternoon tea.

MILDRED NOLAN'S GARLIC CHEESE ROLL

(For Cocktails)

Blend ground or grated Cheddar cheese with cream cheese. Add all other ingredients except paprika and chili powder, and work with fingers until a smooth paste is formed. Divide into 2 portions. Mix paprika and chili powder and spread thin on wax paper placed on table. Shape the cheese into 2 rolls, one at a time, making them about the diameter of a silver dollar or small round cracker, rolling them in the chili-paprika mixture, and completely coating the outsides with the mixture. Flatten the ends of the rolls in the mixture, also. Roll in clean wax paper and slip onto a flat pan—we use a cookie tin. Put in the icebox for 24 hours to ripen.

To serve, remove paper, place the roll on a platter, and surround with round crackers the same size as the roll. A thin slice of the cheese is put on each cracker.

GROUND CHICKEN-ALMOND OR PECAN SPREAD

Mix in order given. Serve in tiny hot baking powder or cream biscuits, or spread on rounds of bread sautéed on one side only, or put on a round of bread cut out with a doughnut cutter, minus the center. Top with a ring of bread from which the center has been removed. Put a sprig of parsley in the open ring and use discarded bread rounds to spread with another filling.

                                 HAM AN’ BISCUITS                  (Quickie!)

A Kentucky cocktail specialty is minute slivers of old ham, bedded in tiny, hot, buttered beaten or homemade biscuits.

SONIA URI'S ICEBOX COCKTAIL PÂTÉ

Sonia spent so much time in France, her table is more French than American—sophisticated food at its very best. We had this pâté at her house not long ago and since then I have determined to keep some in the icebox at all times for emergencies. It is simply delicious and Sonia says it is even better if a slice of genuine truffle is placed in the bottom of the mold or container before the mixture is chilled.

Mash all ingredients with a potato ricer and beat with a fork