Coss-lettuce and blanched endive make the best salad, the green leaves being stripped off, and leaving nothing but the close, white hearts, which, after being washed and placed for an hour or two in cold water, should be wiped quite dry. To this should be added a head or two of celery, a couple of anchovies (which are far preferable to the essence), and several chives, or young onions, all cut small, while the lettuces should be divided lengthwise into quarters, and cut into rather large pieces.

The Mixture Or Dressing

For four persons bruise only the yolk of one hard-boiled egg (leaving out altogether the white), with some salt, and make it into a paste with two large teaspoonfuls of moutarde de maille; or, if obliged to use common mustard, add to it a drop or two of asafoetida, which will impart to it a slight flavor of garlic. Then add oil and vinegar in the following proportions, without using so much as to make the sauce thin, and taking care to have the finest Provence or Lucca oil, and the very strongest species of real French vinegar: namely, to every one spoonful of vinegar add two of oil; one spoonful of the vinegar being impregnated with chilis, which will add warmth to the salad, much more agreeably than cayenne. A little tarragon may be an improvement, and a spoonful of Quihi or walnut ketchup is not objectionable; but mushroom ketchup will destroy the pungency of flavor, and both may be left out without inconvenience.

When this is done, mix the sauce well, but lightly, with the salad, to which a few slices of boiled beet-root, and the white of the egg sliced, will be a pretty addition.

The excellence of a salad consists in the vegetables being young and fresh, and they should be prepared only a short time before they are wanted; the salad mixture being either poured into the bottom of the bowl or sent up in a sauce-tureen, and not stirred up with the vegetables until they are served.

In summer salads the mixture must not be poured upon the lettuce or vegetables used in the salad, but be left at the bottom, to be stirred up when wanted, as thus preserving the crispness of the lettuce.

In winter salads, however, the reverse of this proceeding must be adopted, as thus: the salad of endive, celery, beet, and other roots being cut ready for dressing, then pour the mixture upon the ingredients, and stir them well up, so that every portion may receive its benefit.

In doing this, it should likewise be recollected that the spoon and fork should always be of wood, and of sufficient size to stir up the vegetables in large quantities.*