A typically Russian dish

• 6 cups chicken stock (or 6 packs MBT Chicken Consomme powder dissolved in 6 cups hot water)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed
• 3 boiled potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup sweet heavy cream
• 1 T flour
• salt, pepper

Combine stock, seasonings and cumin seed in a saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer 10 minutes.

Make a smooth paste of the flour and sour cream; pour a cup of hot stock onto it, beating until smooth, and add this mixture to the pot of stock.

Stir thoroughly, add the sweet cream and potatoes, and simmer 10 minutes over very low heat. Do not allow the soup to boil after adding the sweet cream.

Serve hot.

A Greek chicken-lemon soup, extremely simple to make

• 5 cups chicken bouillon (dissolve soup packets in 5 cups of water, or use tinned consommé)
• ¼ cup plain rice
• 2 eggs
• juice of a lemon
• seasonings (salt, pepper, paprika)

Bring the bouillon to a boil, add rice and simmer 20 min­utes. Meanwhile, beat eggs with lemon juice; add 1/4 cup of the hot bouillon and blend, stirring constantly.

Remove the soup pot from heat and combine with egg-lemon mixture, season with salt, pepper and paprika, and serve very hot.

This soup may be kept hot for a few minutes, but should never be allowed to boil again after the egg mixture has been added.

A very special richly delicious soup, to be followed by a chef’s salad, fresh fruit and coffee.

• ½ pound fresh crab meat—or 1 can cleaned Geisha crab meat
• ½ cup dry sherry
• ½ can condensed pea soup
• ½ can condensed tomato soup
• 1 cup heavy cream

Mix the crab meat with sherry and let it stand. Combine soups and cream and bring to a boil very slowly.

Reduce heat sharply, add the crab meat and sherry, and simmer for 10 minutes, adding a little extra milk or cream if the soup is too thick.
Serve in soup bowls with a tablespoon of dry sherry added to each.

• 1 celery root, scraped and cut in julienne strips
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 2 T tarrgon vinegar

Mix, cover tightly, and chill overnight

Sauce:

• 2 T heavy cream
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tsp meat stock (Bovril, Kitchen Bouquet)
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 1 phony of brandy (3/4 ounce)

Mix the sauce thoroughly. Drain the celeriac and add to the sauce, turning gently to coat each sliver.

To serve: place a lettuce leaf on each plate, top with a slice of ripe tomato, and cover with the celeriac. Dust with paprika.

A white bean salad, usually pea or Navy beans, but a quick substitute is chickpeas (also called Garbanzos beans).

• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• 2 white onions, peeled and very thinly sliced
• ½ cup Vinaigrette dressing
• ¼ cup finely minced fresh parsley

Place a layer of chickpeas in a dish, cover with some of the sliced onions and parsley, and repeat until all ingredients are used. Pour Vinaigrette dressing over the dish, and mix very thoroughly. Chill overnight in the refrigerator.

Includes many of the same ingredients used in Antipasto, but each is varied by the sauce. A traditional hors d’oeuvres includes:

• Hardboiled egg, masked with mayonnaise and decorated with drained capers
• Celery stalk and scallion, radishes, olives
• A small slice of Pate Maison Sardines and tuna fish, but put a dab of mayonnaise on the tuna fish and decorate with a strip of pimiento.
• Tomato slices
• Haricots Blancs (white bean salad)
• Vegetable Salads—any plain-cooked chilled vegetable, coated with Vinaigrette dressing
• Celeri Remoulade
• Artichoke Hearts
• Anchovy fillets

The essential dressings for an hors d’oeuvres are mayon­naise; and Vinaigrette, which is also the true French dressing used for salads.

For last minute preparation of hors d’oeuvres vegetables, a basic Vinaigrette is 1 tablespoon of vinegar to 3 tablespoons of good olive oil, plus salt and pepper to taste, and these may be sprinkled directly into a mixing bowl after which the gentle mixing and turning will suffice to combine the dress­ing.

A traditional molded chicken liver paste, to be used either as a cocktail spread with salted crackers or served in a small wedge as part of a hors d’oeuvres plate.

• 1 pound chicken livers
• 1 white onion
• ¾ cup rendered chicken fat (or melted butter)
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp mace
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• 1½ tsp dry mustard
• 1/8 tsp anchovy paste
• 4 T grated white onion
• 1 T cognac brandy

Step 1:
Wash livers, trim away any discolorations, place in a saucepan, add the whole peeled onion, barely cover with cold water and bring to a boil.

Cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Drain and discard the onion.

Grind the livers very very finely, using the finest blade of the grinder and putting them through a second time if neces­sary to reduce them to a smooth paste.

Add all the other ingredients, mixing very thoroughly. Pack in a straight-sided mold, cover with waxed paper, and chill overnight.

Step 2:
Unmold on a plate and slice thinly, for hors d’oeuvres— or serve in a ring of crisp salted crackers, for cocktail hour.

• 1½ cups flour, sifted
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup shortening
• 3 tablespoons cold water
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
• Pinch salt
• 2 drops vanilla extract
• 2 cups strawberries, sliced

Sift flour and salt together; cut in shortening; sprinkle with water until dough begins to stick together. Divide dough into six parts. Roll each to circle 1/8 inch thick. Line pans with dough; trim and flute edges. Prick dough with fork. Bake at 440°F. for 15 minutes or until golden brown. When cooled fill with strawberry cream.
Beat whipping cream until stiff. Add sugar, salt, and vanilla.
Mix until blended. Fold in strawberries. Spoon into individual piecrusts. Serves 6.