This section is from the book "The Book Of Entrees Including Casserole And Planked Dishes", by Janet Mackenzie Hill. Also available from Amazon: The Book Of Entrees.
Probably the handsomest entrees are included under the head of cold entrees. The smoothness given by chaudfroid sauce, the high finish imparted by aspic jelly, the various shades of color, no less than the great diversity of colors that may be grouped artistically in garnishes, and the pleasing texture and shapes of many of the dishes have made this division of Entrées a source of pleasure to chefs and cooks of all times.
Have ready one or two sets of nicely braised sweetbreads. Cut them in pieces suitable for the molds that are to be used. Shell-shaped hors d'oeuvre dishes make attractive molds; failing these, cutlet molds or brownie tins may be used. Let a thin coating of aspic set on the bottom of each mold, and decorate with bits of cooked carrot, turnip, truffles, white of egg, or whole peas. Use one or more as desired. Sprinkle a few drops of jelly over each bit of decoration and when set, lay in the piece of sweetbread, preferably half of a sweetbread, cut laterally; border the sweetbread with a row of the vegetables used before, set each with two or three drops of jelly and finish filling the mold with aspic. Unmold and surround with chicken aspic, or with lettuce and chicken aspic, or, with lettuce and asparagus tips, seasoned with French dressing.
1 cup of double cream
2 or 3 tablespoonfuls of lemon juice
¼ teaspoonful of salt
¼ teaspoonful of pepper
1 cup of diced cucumber (fresh)
½ cup of diced pimento
To the cream add the salt, pepper and lemon juice and, with Dover egg beater, beat until solid to the bottom of the bowl. When ready to use add the cucumber, chilled in ice water and dried on a cloth, and the pimento.
Cut heart stalks of celery in thin (less than one-fourth an inch) slices, and cut these slices into two or three bits each. Cut cooked chicken breast in similar pieces. Take one cup of each. Season with salt and paprika, also, if an acid taste is desired, a tablespoonful of lemon juice. Mix thoroughly, then add three rounding tablespoonfuls, each, of mayonnaise dressing and aspic jelly just on the point of setting. Set the dish containing the ingredients in a pan of ice and water, and mix thoroughly, while the mixture begins to set. Have ready a can of artichoke bottoms, drained, thoroughly seasoned with salt, paprika, oil, and lemon juice, and chilled. When the celery and chicken mixture begins to set, dispose it on the artichoke bottoms, rounding it to a dome-shape and making it perfectly smooth with a silver knife. Press blanched pistachio nuts, split in halves, on the sides, with a few chopped nuts on the top and around the line where the mixture meets the artichoke. As soon as the nuts adhere to the surface, pour over the whole a little half-set aspic jelly, and let stand in a cold place until ready to serve. The quantity of salad indicated will fill eight or ten artichoke bottoms. Truffles or hard-cooked egg may replace the nuts, and egg or nuts the chicken. Garnish the dish with heart leaves of lettuce and two-inch lengths of celery, curled at both ends.
 
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