Get that in which the head is hard and compact. Lay it on ice, or in ice-water, until nearly time to serve; then break off the imperfect leaves, and throw them aside. Cut off the remainder of the leaves from the root, and look them over carefully; for lettuce is sometimes infested with green flies and snails. Wash them in two or three waters, and then arrange the leaves nearest the outside, in the bottom of a salad or other deep dish; next the more crisp and tender leaves, and the smallest upon the top of all. Allow two hard-boiled eggs for each head of lettuce. Have them ready, cold, to slice, and lay over the lettuce. Bits of ice may be put in here and there. Do not let it stand in, the hot kitchen, but send at once to the table, and serve with sugar, vinegar, mustard and the best salad oil.

Drawn butter and beef gravy are excellent substitutes for oil. Dip from the gravy tureen upon each plate of lettuce as prepared at the table.

Another Way

Prepare a head of lettuce as above, but cut each leaf in several pieces before putting in the dish. Make a dressing beforehand as follows: Take a small cup of vinegar, half a cup of oil or melted butter, a little made mustard, the yolk of a hard-boiled egg mashed fine, and mixed with the beaten yolk of a raw egg; also a small pinch of salt and a spoonful of soft brown sugar. Mix the egg first; then add the oil or butter, the sugar and salt; and, after stirring these a few minutes, put in the vinegar, and pour the dressing over the lettuce just before you serve it. If allowed to stand in the dressing some time, it will not be crisp. Add more vinegar and oil to suit your taste. The egg is not necessary, but is preferred by many persons. You may also dress lettuce with sweetened vinegar only.

The French use more oil than we; but it is of a better quality, having a peculiarly fresh, agreeable flavor. They cut and dress their salad very much as directed just above, and often place it around the edge of a platter of meat. They consider no dinner complete without salad, and have some delicate and pretty varieties not grown in this country.

How To Make Lobster Salad (To Serve At Supper)

Cut very small the meat of one good-sized lobster. (The hen lobsters are best for salad, because they contain the red meat, called "coral," which is desirable for garnishing.) Put it in a salad dish, reserving the coral for ornamenting the salad. Make a dressing as follows: Beat the yolks of two raw eggs with the yolks of two eggs boiled hard, and mashed fine as possible. Add gradually a tablespoonful of made . mustard, three of melted butter or the best of salad oil, a little salt and pepper (either black or Cayenne), and vinegar to your taste. Beat the mixture a long time. Use more or less oil as you prefer. Some persons like the addition of lemon-juice and a little brown sugar. Increase the quantity of dressing, as you may find necessary, according to the size of the lobster.

Just before serving, take one or two good heads of lettuce which have been on the ice for several hours, and cut up very small the crisp inside leaves only. Put them over the lobster-meat in the salad dish, first pouring over the lobster some of the dressing. Pour the remainder of the dressing over the salad; garnish with the coral cut fine, the white of the two hard-boiled eggs cut in rings, and two others boiled hard, and sliced. The salad is then ready to serve.

Lobster Salad (For The Dinner-Table)

Put the meat of the lobster on a platter, pouring over it a part of the dressing, made as directed above. Cut each of the lettuce-leaves in three or four pieces, roll them in the remainder of the dressing, and place them around the lobster. Sometimes lobster salad at dinner is considered a course, and should be served with rolls and butter, after the poultry and meat are removed.