Nine persons out of every ten with whom I con-verse on ordinary matters seem to be more exercised in their minds regarding their entrees than about the whole of the arrangements of their dinner put together. The really presentable side-dishes that the average Ramasamy can master may, as a rule, be counted, I am told, upon the fingers of one hand : and these are generally so well known that a lady is oft times at her wit's end to compose her menu. So precious, indeed, has the knowledge of a new entree become, that the happy mistress of a novelty might be fairly excused were she to refuse to divulge the secret to her dearest friend. It must be a humiliating sensation, I admit, after having eaten oyster patties with your friend on Monday, to be forced to bid him partake of the same dish with you on Thurs-day; conscious perhaps, that the pastry at your house is not a whit better than that which you thought so indifferent at his. The oyster patty, by the way, is one of Rama-samy's few art studies.

Now, I cannot but allow that the apprehension with which this part of the bill-of-fare is so generally regarded, is well-founded and natural. There are, of course, entrees and entrees. Though a few may be easy, some are beyond our reach in this country owing to a variety of reasons, and many, owing to the ambiguous wording of cookery book receipts, seem equally inaccessible. Then the task of ordering dishes from works composed for people with English cooks, kitchen ranges, and the best market in the world at their disposal, is far from easy. Even those who fancy themselves to be pretty good cooks find, every now and then, in the pages of their pet author, knotty points which require much consideration to settle. But if you will patiently follow me, not rushing to the conclusion that I only write for the benefit of a few enthusiasts like myself, I firmly believe that I shall be able to smooth down much that appears rugged; and help you towards the selection and accomplishment of many tasty dishes, which, if neither elaborate, nor very scientific, will still be found practicable, and generally worthy of a second trial.

First, let us divide entrees into three distinct classes :- the plain, the half-rich, and the fanciful.

In the first class I would place such dishes as the mutton cutlet (neck chop) grilled, fried, or stewed; the epigramme; fillets of meat, turkey, fowl, rabbit, or pigeon; grenadins; entrees of meat, that is to say, plainly cooked, accompanied by carefully devised sauces, or really good purees of vegetable.

For class the second, I would reserve all compositions of meat requiring the mincing machine and the mortar, - delicate combinations which demand attentive flavouring - such as cassolettes, croquettes, croustades, quenelles, boudins, timbales, rissolettes and mixed ingredients en caisses.

Whilst in the superlative class should be entered, I think, the supreme, the vol-au-vent, the kramoushy, the studied ragout, the artistic salmis, and any entree out of class the second when raised from its ordinary form to a higher level by treatment a la financiere, a la Reine, a la Perigueux, and so on.

Quite in a special parenthesis by themselves ought to be kept all plats which can be served cold, such as the chaud-froid, chartreuse, petits galantines, truffled cutlets, etc., for in a climate such as this an iced entree cannot fail to attract attention, whilst for providing contrast, and other reasons, I shall speak of presently, it is invaluable.

Having thus arranged the various dishes which come under the head of entrees in a systematic form, the task of selection therefrom must be governed by the sort of dinner you intend to give, the different items that compose your menu, and the capabilities of your cook. As a rule, you should generally, for the sake of contrast, select one dish from class one, and the other from either class two, or three; or an iced entree followed by one from either of the two richer classes.

I have already advised you never to attempt to give more than two entrees, and I repeat the advice now, be your dinner a banquet for forty covers, or a party of eight friends. The menu of the best mess dinner I ever attended in India (given to a late Governor of Madras whose taste in culinary matters was proverbial) contained but one iced, and one elaborate entree. These were, of course, served separately, and to provide against delay, there were (for forty guests) four dishes formed of each composition.

In ordering your entrees, you should carefully consider the amount of work your cook will have upon his hands at the critical time of serving them, and bear in mind that the more he has to do then, the more likely will he be to make mistakes. Is it not unfair to expect your cook to serve equally well two hot entrees demanding attentive manipulation up to the last moment? Select, therefore, for one of your side-dishes something that can be prepared beforehand, and be easily heated when required, so that your chefs attention need not be distracted from the other. On these grounds the iced entree is a grand invention. It can be made early in the day, and then set in the ice-box, ready to follow the fish or releve, as the case may be, without delay, and the sance can also be similarly treated. Dishes that merely require heating in the oven are a godsend to a cook, for he can compose them at his leisure during the afternoon, and put them aside till within a few minutes of the time when they are wanted, keeping their sauces nice and hot in the bain-marie pan. But the unhappy man who has (say) to turn out a delicately grilled dish of cutlets a la Maintenon, with kramouskys aux huitres to follow - independently of game, joint, sweets, etc, all needing a watchful eye - is surely to be pitied.

There is another point to watch when choosing your entrees, and that is their general relationship with each other, or with the other dishes that compose your menu. Artists in ordering dinners go as far as to say that nothing should be repeated. You must not give, for instance, a consomme de volatile, and presently follow it with croquettes de volatile, or even fowl as a rot. Mutton appearing in a side-dish must not be seen again in any form. Two white meats ought not to be introduced side by side. Though following this maxim to the best of our power, we cannot always rely on being able to carry it out thoroughly in Madras. The market supply is alas! too meagre, as a rule, for us to pick and choose as we might wish.