COPYRIGHT, ISX6, BY WHITE.STOKES.S ALLEN, PUBLISHERS , NEWYOF^K, j ClassXXZ^l Book_. M % _ PUDDINGS AND DAINTY DESSERTS * jtf tf THOMAS J^fyURREY Author of "Fifty Sozijs," "Fifty Salads," "Breakfast Dainties," "Salads and Sauces" and "Valuable Cooking Recipes" " Hallo ! A great deal of steam ! The pudding was out of the copper." " Oh, a wonderful pudding " — A Christmas Carol NEW YORK WHITE, STOKES, & ALLEN 1886 Copyright, 1886, By WHITE, STOKES, & ALLEN. CONTENTS. INTRODUCTORY, MISCELLANEOUS DAINTY DES- SERTS, . After-Dinner Croutons, 9 Almond Cake, 9 Angel Cake, IO Apricot Tarts, IO Biscuit Glace, IO Blanc Mange, II Brioche (French Paste) II Cocoanut Cake, 12 Deviled Almonds, 12 Deviled Chestnuts, . 13 Dominoes, .... 13 Eclairs, 13 Fresh Pear Tart, H Gateau St. Honore, ■ i5 Lemon Water Ice, i5 Macaroons, 16 Maids of Honor, . 16 Orange Water Ice, . • i7 Rice Souffle, *7 CONTENTS. Rhubarb Tarts, . *7 Sponge Cake, . . iS Sponge Drops, iS Velvet Cream, . 19 Vanilla Ice Cream, l 9 ARIOUS FRUIT DESSERTS. Apple Charlotte, • 1 9 Apricots with Rice, 20 Banana Charlotte, . . 20 Banana Fritters, . 20 Blackberry Short-Cake, . 21 Fresh Pineapples in Jelly, 21 Frozen Bananas, . 21 Frozen Peaches, . 22 Orange-Cocoanut Salad, . 22 Orange Salad, 22 Orange Sponge, • 23 Peaches a la Conde, 23 Peaches a la Suedoise, • 23 Peach Fritters, . 24 Peach Meringue, . 24 Peach Short-Cake, 25 Pineapple Fritters, . • 2 5 Pineapple Salad, 25 Plum Salad, . . 26 Raspberry Short-cake, . 26 Salad of Mixed Fruits, • 27 CONTENTS. 5 PAGE Sliced Pears, . . . .27 Strawberry Charlotte, . . 27 Strawberry Short-Cake, . . 28 Velvet Cream, with Strawberries, 29 CUSTARDS AND OMELETS AS DESSERTS. Cold Custard, 29 Cold Rice Custard, . • 2 9 Meringue Custard Tartlets, 3° Omelet Souffle, • 3 1 Omelet with Jelly, 3 1 Rum Omelet, . • 32 Tapioca Custard, 34 PUDDINGS. Apple-Manioca Pudding, • 34 Batter Pudding, . 35 Boiled Pudding, • 35 Boiled Rice Dumplings, Custard Sauce, . 35 Bread-and-Butter Pudding, • 36 Bread-and-Fruit Pudding, 37 Bread Pudding, • 37 Carrot Pudding, . 37 Chocolate Pudding, • 38 Cold Apple Pudding, • 38 Cold Cabinet Pudding, • 39 Cold Marquise Pudding, 40 CONTENTS. Cold Plum Pudding, Cold Rice Pudding, Cold Scotch Pudding, Green Apple Pudding, Indian Pudding, Lemon Pudding, Manioca Pudding, Meringue Pudding, Minute Pudding, Plum Pudding, Pineapple Cabinet Pudding, Rice a l'Imperatrice, Rice Pudding, Spanish Apple Pudding, . Spanish Fruit Pudding, Spanish Pineapple Pudding, Sponge Pudding, Steamed Peach Pudding, Tapioca Pudding, with Peaches, Vanilla Sauce, PIES. Remarks on Pies, Pie Crust, Puff Paste, Home-Made Apple Pie, Mince Pie, 40 4 1 4 1 42 42 42 43 43 44 44 45 45 46 46 47 47 47 4 S 48 48 49 49 50 5i 52 INTRODUCTORY. Quite a revolution has been created in the dessert of the American dinner-table. The time was when the array of sweets, creams, and ices would occupy half the menu of a private dinner-party, and the sight of these to guests already satisfied with good things was anything but agreeable. Happily these displays are seen no more in good society, for none but Mrs. Moneybags from the backwoods would think of presenting more than one or two choice sweets to her guests. For the daily dinner nothing can be more ac- ceptable than sweets combined with fruits, small light puddings, and ethereal trifles, such as souffles, whipped creams, etc. While many of these recipes are intended to supply this want, a few there are which will be found somewhat elaborate, and are intended for special occasions. Certain recipes given here might appear with equal propriety under either of several of the various general divisions of this book, but as an alphabetical index of each division is given, no confusion should occur. MISCELLANEOUS DAINTY DESSERTS. After-dinner Croti tons.— The hard water crackers being expensive in comparison with other crackers, I have adopted the crispy crou- tons as a substitute, and find them very accept- able. Cut sandwich-bread into slices one-quar- ter of an inch thick ; cut each slice into four small triangles ; dry them in the oven slowly until they assume a delicate brownish tint, then serve, either hot or cold. A. nice way to serve them is to spread a paste of part butter and part rich, creamy cheese, to which may be added a very little minced parsley. Almond Cake.— Blanch and pound in a mortar eight ounces of sweet and one ounce of bitter almonds ; add a few drops of rose-water, or white of egg every few minutes, to prevent oiling ; add six tablespoonfuls of sifted sugar and eight beaten eggs ; sift in six tablespoonfuls of flour, and work it thoroughly with the mixture. Gradually add a quarter of a pound of creamed butter ; beat the mixture constantly while pre- paring the cake, or it will be heavy. Put a 10 ANGEL CAKE. buttered paper inside of a buttered tin, pour in the mixture, and bake in a quick oven ; cover the cake with paper if the oven is too hot. Angel Cake.— This popular cake was invented by a St. Louis baker, who kept the formula a secret a long time. A discharged employee finally made it known. To four ounces of sifted flour add one teaspoonful of cream of tartar ; rub these through the sieve four or five times. Beat the whites of a dozen eggs until very stiff ; add to them gradually three-quarters of a pound of granulated sugar, and beat thoroughly while so doing ; flavor with a teaspoonful of vanilla extract ; add the flour to the egg foam quickly and lightly. Line the funnel cake- pan with un- greased paper, pour in the mixture and bake fifty minutes. When done, loosen the edges and remove from the pan at once. Cut into slices and served with a custard sauce, it forms an agreeable pudding. Apricot Tarts.— Prepare the tart shells as in recipe for Rhubarb Tarts (which see). Peel and remove the stones from a quart of ripe apri- cots, put them in the shells, dredge them with sugar, and serve. When the fruit is hard or unripe, boil it in a syrup made of one pint of water and one pound of sugar. Biscuit Glace.— Fancy paper cases, filled BLANC MANGE. II with a variety of ice-creams, water-ices, velvet creams, etc., are so called. Small families are recommended to purchase them already pre- pared from dealers in sweets and ices, but they are easily prepared. Half fill the cases with ice- cream or water-ice, and add a layer of Charlotte russe or velvet cream ; then put them in a covered receptacle, surrounded with ice and salt, until wanted. A top layer of beaten white of egg is sometimes added just before serving, and a shovelful of hot coals held over them a moment will color the egg nicely. Blanc Mange.— Blanch two bitter almonds with two ounces of sweet almonds, pound them to a paste, and by degrees add a pint of cold water. Let stand until settled. Strain off the almond milk. Put into a pint of milk five ounces of loaf sugar, three inches of vanilla bean, and boil in an enameled saucepan : stir until the sugar is dissolved ; then add an ounce of well- soaked "isinglass ; strain into a basin, add the milk of almond and a gill of cream. Remove the vanilla. When cold pour the mixture into individual moulds, and place in the ice-box until wanted. Brioche (French Paste). — Mix together eight ounces of sifted flour and half a pint of brewers' yeast, with lukewarm milk enough to 12 COCOANUT CAKE. make a thick batter. Cover, set near the range and allow it to rise until twice its original size. Sift together one ounce of salt and a pound and a half of flour ; add an ounce of powdered sugar ; cut up a pound of unsalted butter into pieces, and work it into the flour ; beat and add eight eggs ; whip three pints of cream to a light foam, and work it evenly into the mixture. Now add the first mixture (if risen) and knead them well together. Cut and knead again ; allow it to rise ; knead again ; put it into well greased molds and bake in a quick oven. The French usually make it into balls hol- lowed at the top by pressing the thumb into them ; beaten egg is then brushed over them and much smaller dough-balls are placed in the hollow part of each. Egg is again brushed over them and the whole is then baked. A richer paste can be made by using more eggs and butter. Cocoanut Cake.— Three-fourths of a pint of powdered sugar, one ounce of butter, half a pint of grated cocoanut, one pint of flour, one table- spoonful of baking powder, and milk enough to make a stiff batter. Mix, and bake in buttered pans ; sprinkle dry cocoanut on top. Deviled Almonds.— Blanch two ounces of sweet almonds in hot water, to more easily re- DEVILED CHESTNUTS. 1$ move their skins, and toss them about a few moments in hot butter ; sprinkle over them a pinch oi cayenne and salt. Deviled Chestnuts.— Peel the raw chestnuts and scald them to remove the inner skin ; put them in a frying-pan with a little butter and toss them about a few moments ; add a sprinkle of salt and a suspicion of cayenne. Serve them after the cheese. Dominoes. — Bake two thin sheets of sponge cake ; cover one of them with chocolate paste, and the other with icing ; put little dots of chocolate over the latter to represent the domi- noes ; place the cake on top of the chocolate and cut the cake through to pieces of the size of dominoes. Eclairs.— Put in a saucepan half a pound of butter ; whisk into it a quart of boiled milk and add gradually one pound of sifted flour, and a saltspoonful of salt. Stir the milk briskly with a wooden spoon, while the flour is being added ; allow the paste to stand on the range a few minutes to evaporate some of its moisture, then add one egg at a time, beating thoroughly, until the paste shows signs of becoming sticky instead of being smooth. No definite number of eggs can be prescribed to attain this result, as there is so much difference 14 FRESH PEAR TART. in flour, but from five to seven will be sufficient to produce the desired consistency. Put the paste in a funnel-shaped bag, having a tin tube in the small end, and squeeze it out on a but- tered pan, making the eclair three or four inches long. Then bake these forms of light paste for about twenty minutes. Prepare a cream as follows : Put two quarts of milk on the range and add to it half a pound of powdered sugar. Put together a quarter of a pound of flour and four eggs and one vanilla bean ; beat thoroughly ; when the milk boils add it to the flour and eggs and whisk lively. Set the mixture on the range ; let it come to a boil, and pour it into a bowl to become cold. When cold, stir into this cream a pint of whipped cream. Cut the eclairs on the side and fill them with the cream. They may be served plain or with a covering of chocolate, icing, or coffee fondant. Fresh Pear Tart.— Prepare the tart shell as in recipe for Rhubarb Tarts (which see). Peel, quarter, and core six pears. Put a pint of boil- ing water in a double saucepan, stir into it gradually half a pound of crushed sugar ; let it boil up ; skim until clear ; add the pears, let them simmer half an hour. Pour into a crock or bowl. When wanted, add three pieces of fruit to each tart shell and use the remaining GATEAU ST. HONORE. 15 syrup as a pudding sauce by adding a table- spoonful of brandy or other flavoring. Gateau St. Honore.— Prepare a pie crust as for custard pie, put it on a greased pie plate, and bake to a delicate brown. When done and cool, spread a layer of quince marmalade over it. Prepare a paste as for cream cakes, put it in a pastry bag and press part of it round the edge of a round cake tin, press out the remainder in balls the size of hickory nuts and bake. Lay the border on the edge of the pie crust and press it into the marmalade ; garnish the edge with the balls and sections of oranges, candied cherries, grapes, etc. ; fill the centre with Bavarian cream. Lemon Water Ice.— To a heaping table- spoonful of gelatine dissolved in two gills of cold water, add a quart of boiling water, twelve ounces of sugar, a pint of boiling water, and the strained juice of eight lemons ; mix thoroughly, strain and freeze. Freezers are indispensable in well-regulated kitchens. They need not be ex- pensive or elaborate, and will pay for themselves in a very short time, especially in hot weather, when frozen puddings, custards and ices are in constant demand. A good butter-tub will answer for ordinary use if one has good cans with tight covers. Pack the fine ice with alter- nate layers of rock salt around the can, pour in 1 6 MACAROONS. the prepared liquid and work it well with a wooden spade or spoon while freezing, which will prevent it from granulating. Do not draw off the water from around the can, until the cream or ice is finished, then draw off the sur- plus water, repack with ice and salt, and the frozen delicacy will be ready to serve in two hours. The proportion of salt to ice is one to five. When rock salt is scarce the water in the freezer may be poured in shallow tins and placed in a moderate oven with the door open, where the water will evaporate, leaving the salt in the bottom of the tin. Macaroons.— Blanch (a term used in cookery, meaning to scald, so as to more easily remove the husks or skins of fruits, etc.) and pound three ounces of sweet almonds with half a pound of fine powdered sugar ; beat up to a very light froth the whites of four eggs with an ounce of rice flour, a tablespoonful of dry sherry ; whisk it into the almond paste ; drop the mixture on paper in wafers about two inches apart, and bake in a moderate oven. Neatly arrayed round whipped cream they are used quite frequently. Maids of Honor.— Half pint each of sweet and sour milk, two ounces of powdered rock candy, one tablespoonful of melted butter, yolks of four eggs beaten up, and the juice and grated ORANGE WATER ICE. 1 7 rind of one lemon. Put the milk in a vessel, which set in another, half full of water ; heat them to set the curd, then strain off the milk, rub the curd through a strainer ; add the butter to it and the other ingredients. Line little pans with rich paste ; fill with the mixture and bake until firm in the center. Orange Water Ice.— Add a tablespoonful of gelatine to one gill of cold water ; let it stand twenty minutes and add half a pint of boiling water, stir until dissolved and add four ounces of powdered sugar, the strained juice of six oranges, and cold water enough to make a full quart in all. Stir until the sugar is dissolved ; pour into the freezing can and freeze (see lemon water ice). Rice Souffle. — Wash a pint of rice, put it in a saucepan and add a pint of boiled milk and a small piece of stick cinnamon ; boil until the milk is absorbed. Remove the cinnamon. When cold add the beaten yolks of four eggs and an ounce of sugar beaten together, to the rice. Have ready a quantity of stiff foam made from the beaten whites of six eggs. Whisk it into the rice and beat the mixture thoroughly ; pour it in a buttered dish, bake to a light golden color, and serve the moment it leaves the oven. Rhubarb Tarts— One pound of sifted flour, a quarter of a pound of lard, a quarter of a 15 SPONGE CAKE. pound of butter ; work the flour and lard together ; add water enough to make a dough, roll it out, spread a portion of the butter over it, fold and roll again ; add more butter, and so on until all the butter is used. When wanted, roll it half an inch thick, cut it into rounds with a fluted cutter, brush a little egg over the top edge and bake. When done fill them with rhubarb, stewed and sweetened. Sponge Cake.— Separate the whites and yolks of ten eggs ; beat the yolks thoroughly with one pound of sifted, powdered sugar ; add half a pound of sifted flour, a saltspoonful of salt and the grated rind of one orange and one lemon. Whisk the whites to a stiff froth, and beat it into the mixture thoroughly. Half fill your buttered pans with the mixture, and bake forty-five min- utes. Cover the cake with paper during the first half baking. Sponge Drops.— Separate the whites and yolks of six eggs and beat them thoroughly. Add to the yolks four ounces each of sifted flour and sugar. Beat in the whisked whites and two gills of rose-water; beat the mixture five minutes. Butter the baking tin, and drop the mixture by spoonfuls on it ; dust a little sugar over them ; let them stand a few minutes to absorb the sugar, and bake twenty minutes. VELVET CREAM. I 9 Velvet Cream.— Dissolve half an ounce of gelatine in a gill of water ; add to it half a pint of light sherry, grated lemon peel and the juice of one lemon and five ounces of sugar. Stir over the fire until the sugar is thoroughly dis- solved. Then strain and cool. Before it sets beat into it a pint of cream ; pour into molds and keep on ice until wanted. Vanilla Ice Cream.— Take four quarts of rich cream, two vanilla beans, split in two and cut small, two pounds of powdered sugar, and four fresh eggs. Beat the eggs thoroughly in a porcelain-lined dish ; add the sugar and stir well together ; add the cream and vanilla, simmer until near boiling point, remove and strain through a hair sieve. When cool pour into a freezer, and freeze in the usual manner. VARIOUS FRUIT DESSERTS. Apple Charlotte.— A home-made apple char- lotte is prepared as follows : Line the inside of a pudding- dish with thin slices of home-made bread, moderately well buttered on both sides. Peel, core and slice a quantity of sour apples ; put in a thin layer of apple in the dish ; spice moderately, and add a liberal quantity of sugar ; then add a layer of any kind of home-made pre- 20 APRICOTS WITH RICE. serves, and so on until the dish is really full ; put slices of buttered bread on top, and bake until quite brown and crisp on top. Apricots with Rico.— Wash a pint of rice thoroughly, scald it with hot water, drain and cool ; add to the rice a quart of rich milk, a quarter of a pound of sugar and a saltspoonful of salt ; simmer gently an hour. When done, beat it with a wooden spoon. Wet an oval mould with water, press the rice in it and keep on ice until wanted. Cut a dozen apricots in halves, remove the stones and boil the apricots in a syrup made of a pound of sugar, a pint of water, and the juice of two lemons. Turn the rice on a glass dish, arrange the apricots around it, pour the syrup over all (when cold) and serve. Banana Charlotte.— Line the sides of a quart mould with slices of sponge cake or brioche ; cover the bottom of the mould with thin slices of Aspinwall bananas; fill the mould with stiff- whip- ped or Bavarian cream ; set it aside in the ice- box until wanted ; then remove carefully from the mould and serve. Banana Fritters.— Remove the skin from four large yellow bananas. Cut the fruit in two crosswise, then lengthwise, in not too thin slices ; dip them in a batter, fry in hot fat, and serve BLACKBERRY SHORT-CAKE. 2 1 with a sweet sauce, flavored with kirsch or other liqueur. Make the batter as follows : Beat the yolks of three eggs and add a gill of milk, a saltspoonfull of salt, four ounces of sifted flour, and mix thoroughly. Blackberry Short-cake.— Prepare the short- cake as in the recipe for strawberry short- cake (which see). Examine the berries carefully ; reject all bruised or decayed ones ; arrange them on the lower piece of short-cake on their sides, but place them upright on the upper layer and dredge liberally with sugar. Fresh Pineapples in Jelly.— Procure a pint of calf s- foot or wine jelly from the grocer. Sur- round a small fancy mould with ice, keeping the opening end upward ; add enough jelly to cover the bottom of the mould ; when firm add a layer of diamond-shaped pieces of pine- apple, then add more jelly and pineapple until the mould is full and all the fruit is used. Keep it as cold as possible until wanted, then dip the mould quickly in hot water and turn out the form on an ice-cold dish. Frozen Bananas.— Cut six large, ripe, red bananas crosswise, in very thin slices ; add half a pound of powdered sugar to them, let them stand an hour, then add a quart of water and the grated peel of a lemon. When the sugar is dis- 22 FROZEN PEACHES. solved, put the fruit in the freezer and freeze as you would ice-cream. Pineapples, oranges and berries may be served in the same manner. A pint of cream, whipped stiff, maybe added if liked. Frozen Peaches.— Peel, stone, and quarter the peaches, put them in a freezing-can or crock in alternate layers, with an equal quantity of peach Sherbet and keep surrounded with ice until wanted. Orange-Cocoanut Salad.— Fruits served as a salad are most enjoyable ; served with a crispy crouton or quantity of little cakes they are very acceptable (see After-Dinner Croutons). Peel and slice four Florida oranges. Cover the bot- tom of a compotier with slices of oranges, and strew over them a layer of fresh-grated cocoanut ; add layers of sliced orange and cocoanut until the dish is full. Add powdered sugar, and over all pour a pint of champagne. Orange Salad.— In India, orange salad is served with a plain dressing of oil, vinegar, pep- per and salt ; but for Americans, the most ap- propriate dressing is of liqueurs. Peel and slice three cold oranges, remove the seeds, arrange the slices neatly in a compotier, dust powdered sugar over them and add two tablespoonfuls each of maraschino, chartreuse, and brandy ; let the dish stand an hour before serving. ORANGE SPONGE. 23 Orange Sponge.— Oranges are not only excel- lent at breakfast (which is the best time to eat them), but should be oftener served at dessert — as puddings, jellies, short-cake, etc. — than they are. A very nice dish is made as follows : squeeze out the juice and pulp of. three oranges into a bowl, add the juice of half a lemon, three ounces of sugar, one and a half pints of cold water ; let it come to a boil, then strain. Dis- solve two tablespoonfuls of corn-starch in a little cold water, rub it smooth and add to it the strained juices ; let it boil fifteen minutes to cook the corn-starch. Then set it aside, and when cold set it in the ice-box to become quite cold. Beat up the whites of three eggs to a foam, whip it into the corn-starch, and it is ready for use. It may be served in tart shells or fancy cases, or in meringue boats. Peaches a la Conde.— Peel and cut the peaches in two, and stew them in clarified sugar syrup. Fill an oval mould with hot boiled rice ; turn the form out on a dish, arrange the peaches around it, and decorate with preserved cherries, or other small fruits from the confectioner's. Mix half a pint of the syrup with a gill each of sherry and marmalade, pour it over the dish, and serve hot. Peaches a la Suedoise.— Cut a dozen fine 24 PEACH FRITTERS. peaches in halves, remove the stones and boil the peaches in white sugar syrup ; drain on a sieve and remove the skins. Cut a sandwich loaf of bread in two, lengthwise, trim off all crust from one-half of it and fry this in hot but- ter ; drain and cool ; put it on a flat dish, arrange the peaches on top of it, reduce the syrup a little and pour it over the peaches. Strew over the dish a quantity of deviled almonds, and serve. Peach Fritters.— Peel the peaches, split each in two and take out the stones ; dust a little powdered sugar over them ; dip each piece in the batter, and fry in hot fat. Put an ounce of butter in a saucepan, and whisk it to a cream; add four ounces of sugar gradually. Beat the yolks of two eggs ; add to them a dash of nut- meg and a gill each of cold water and rum ; stir this into the lukewarm batter, and allow it to heat gradually. Stir constantly until of a smooth, creamy consistency, and serve. The batter is made as follows : Beat the yolks of three eggs ; add to them a gill of milk, a saltspoonful of salt, four ounces of flour ; mix. If old flour is used, a little more milk may be found necessary. Peach Meringue.— Peel six ripe peaches, split or cut them in halves and remove the stones. Beat half a pint of rich cream in a bowl sur- rounded with ice, until it is three times its original PEACH SHORT-CAKE. 25 quantity. Place the froth on a sieve to drain, and keep it on ice until wanted. Dredge the peaches with sugar. Beat the whites of four eggs until very stiff, and add four ounces of powdered sugar gradually. Cover an oven board with white paper and drop the beaten eggs on it by table- spoonfuls, place them over the range for half an hour, then brown slightly in a slow oven, remove the soft part when they are cold and place half of a peach in the cavity. Place mounds of the whipped cream on top, and serve. The mer- ingues may be filled with the cream and half of a peach placed in the center. Peach Short-cake.— Prepare the short-cake as in the recipe for Strawberry Short-cake. Peel and slice the peaches, arrange the slices with sugar as fast as peeled, and arrange in the usual manner in layers on top of the short-cake. The top layer should be covered with a whipped cream to make it more palatable. Pineapple Fritters.— Peel and dig out the edges of the fruit, and then slice and cut out the hard core of each slice. Dip the slices in a bat- ter, and fry in hot fat. Add to half a pint of hot sugar syrup a tablespoonful of Kirschwas- ser, and serve with the fritters. Pineapple Salad.— Pare and dig out the eyes of a ripe pineapple ; take hold of the crown of 26 PLUM SALAD. the pine with the left hand, take a fork in the right hand, and with it tear the pine into shreds until the core is reached, which throw away. Arrange the shredded fruit lightly in a compotier, add a liberal quantity of powdered sugar, a wine- glassful of curacoa, half a wine-glassful of brandy. Alternate layers of shredded pineapple and fresh cocoanut, served with a sauce made of orange- juice seasoned with sugar and liqueur, is excel- lent. Plum Salad. — Large plums are excellent served as a salad. Split half a dozen plums in two, remove the stones. Put the halves in a compotier, skin side down, dust sugar over them and add a gill of sherry, a tablespoonful each of green chartreuse and of maraschino ; let them stand fifteen minutes, toss lightly, and serve. Claret may be used instead of sherry, and brandy instead of chartreuse. The object in using liquors with fruits is to prevent ill effects from overeating them. Raspberry Short-cake.— Prepare the short- cake as in recipe for Strawberry Short-cake (which see). Arrange a layer of berries on one- half of the cake, dredge with fine sugar, and place the other half on the berries ; cover the top with largest berries and add a liberal quantity of sugar, and serve. A mixture of whipped whit® of egg SALAD OF MIXED FRUITS. 27 and sugar is sometimes added to the top layer and it is placed in the oven a moment to set, but too much heat will spoil the berries. [The short-cake of the restaurants is not a true ' ' short- cake," it being made of layers of sponge cake.] Salad of Mixed Fruits.— Put in the center of a dish a pineapple, properly pared, cored, and sliced, yet retaining as near as practicable its original shape. Peel, quarter, and remove the seeds from four sweet oranges ; arrange them in a border around the pineapple. Select four fine bananas, peel and cut into slices lengthwise ; arrange these zigzag-fence fashion around the bor- der of the dish. In the V-shaped spaces around the dish put tiny mounds of grapes of mixed col- ors. When complete the dish should look very appetizing. To half a pint of clear sugar syrup add half an ounce each of brandy, maraschino, and curacoa ; pour over the fruit and serve. Sliced Pears. — Pare, quarter, and core four fine pears, put them in a^compotier, and pour over them half a pint of hot sugar syrup, cover and allow it to cool. Add a tablespoonful of brandy. Keep on ice until wanted. Strawberry Charlotte.— Prepare the char- lotte as prescribed in Banana Charlotte. Substi- tute strawberries for bananas and the result will be very gratifying. 28 STRAWBERRY SHORT-CAKE, Strawberry Short-cake.— Sift together half a pound of flour, a coffeespoonful each of salt and of sugar, and two teaspoonfuls of baking- powder. Work into this mixture a quarter of a pound of cold washed butter ; add gradually two gills of cold boiled milk, mix quickly with a knife ; dredge flour over the moulding-board and turn the paste upon it, toss with the knife until it is floured, pat it gently with a floured rolling- pin and roll it down to half an inch thickness ; put a plate on top of the paste and cut round it, grease a baking-tin, put the rounds upon it and bake. When done make an incision round the center of the edge and tear them apart. If not too thick they need not be divided. Wash the berries to remove grit ; arrange a layer of them on one-half of the cake, dredge with fine sugar, and place the other half on the berries ; cover the top with largest berries and add a liberal quantity of sugar, and serve. A mixture of whipped white of egg and sugar is sometimes added to the top layer and it is placed in the oven a moment to set, but too much heat will spoil the berries. A novelty in short-cakes is made of black and white Hamburg grapes. Large California or Malaga grapes may be used, if the seeds are not objected to. In our opinion grape seeds are a COLD CUSTARD. 29 constant source of trouble and cause many of the ills attributed to other sources. Seeds should therefore be rejected. Velvet Cream with Strawberries.— Half fill small moulds with fine strawberries, pour the cream on top and place on ice until wanted. (See Velvet Cream.) CUSTARDS AND OMELETS AS DES- SERTS. Cold Custard.— Wet a saucepan with cold water to prevent the milk that will be scalded in it from burning. Pour out the water and put in a quart of milk ; boil and partly cool. Beat up the yolks of six eggs and add three ounces of sugar and a saltspoonful of salt ; mix thoroughly and add the lukewarm milk. Stir and pour the custard into a porcelain or double saucepan and stir while on the range until of the consistency of cream, strain and when almost cold add flavor- ing if desired. Pour the custard in cups, which place on ice until wanted, or pour it into the freezer and freeze en bloc. After the eggs and cream have combined, it must not be allowed to boil or it will curdle. Cold Rice Custard. -Prepare a custard as in 30 MERINGUE CUSTARD TARTLETS. the foregoing recipe. Add to it, before pouring into the cups, half a pint of boiled rice ; mix and keep surrounded with ice until wanted. Meringue Custard Tartlets.— The deep in- dividual pie-tins, fluted tartlet pans, are suitable for custard tarts, but they should be about six inches in diameter and from two to three inches deep. Butter the pan and line it with ordinary puff paste, then fill it with a custard made as follows : Stir gradually into the beaten yolks of six eggs two tablespoonfuls of flour, asaltspoon- ful of salt and half a pint of cream. Stir until free from lumps and add two tablespoonfuls of sugar, put the saucepan on the range and stir un- til the custard coats the spoon. Do not let it boil or it will curdle. Pour it in a bowl, add a few drops of vanilla flavoring and stir until the custard becomes cold ; fill the lined mould with this and bake in a moderate oven. In the mean time, put the white of the eggs in a bright copper vessel and beat thoroughly, using a baker's wire egg-beater for this purpose. While beating, sprinkle in lightly half a pound of sugar and a dash of salt. When the paste is quite firm, spread a thin layer of it over the tart and deco- rate the top with the remainder by squeezing it through a paper funnel. Strew a little pow- dered sugar over the top, return to the oven, and OMELET SOUFFLE. 3 1 when a delicate yellow tinge, remove from the oven and serve hot. Omelet Souffle.— Beat separately the whites of four and the yolks of two eggs ; whisk the whites into the yolks ; add a tublespoonful of sugar and a few drops of vanilla extract ; turn it out on a shallow tin or plate, and bake about ten or twelve minutes. Serve immediately, and on the dish in which it was baked. An Omelet Souffle is an excellent and inexpensive sweet or dessert dish, and one that should be more often met with in private families. The secret of mak- ing it is to beat the eggs thoroughly and serve it the moment it is taken from the oven, other- wise it will be flat and worthless. Omelet with Jelly.— Put a small quantity of lard or oil into the pan, let it simmer a few minutes and remove it, wipe the pan dry with a towel, and put in a little fresh oil in which the omelet may be fried. Care should be taken that the oil does not burn, which would spoil the color of the omelet. Break three eggs separately ; put them into a bowl and whisk them thoroughly with a fork. The longer they are beaten the lighter will the omelet be. Beat up a teaspoon- ful of milk with the eggs and continue to beat until the last moment before pouring into the pan, which should be over a hot fire. As soon 32 RUM OMELET. as the omelet sets, remove the pan from the hot- test part of the fire. Slip a knife under it to prevent sticking to the pan. When the center is almost firm, slant the pan, work the omelet in shape to fold ; just before folding, add a table- spoonful of currant jelly ; turn it out on a hot dish, dust a little powdered sugar over it, and serve. Rum Omelet.— Sweet Omelets are very often substituted for other desserts and are appropriate in an emergency. As a rule, an omelet is a wholesome and inex- pensive dish, yet one in the preparation of which cooks frequently fail, owing to carelessness of detail. With a little attention the housewife can easily become the perfect cook in this branch as well as others. The flavoring and the ingredients of omelets may be varied indefinitely, but the principle is always the same : in making an omelet care should be taken that the omelet pan is hot and dry. To ensure this, put a small quantity of lard into the pan, let it simmer a few minutes and remove it, wipe the pan dry with a towel and put in a little fresh lard in which the omelet may be fried. Care should be taken that the lard does not burn, which would spoil the color of the omelet. RUM OMELET. 33 It is better to make two or three small omelets than one very large one, as the latter cannot be well handled by a novice. The omelet made of three eggs is the one recommended for begin- ners. Break the eggs separately ; put them into a bowl and whisk them thoroughly with a fork. The longer they are beaten the lighter will the omelet be. Beat up a teaspoonful of milk with the eggs and continue to beat until the last moment before pouring into the pan, which should be over a hot fire. As soon as the omelet sets, remove the pan from the hottest part of the fire. Slip a knife under to prevent sticking to the pan. When the center is almost firm, slant the pan, work the omelet in shape to fold easily and neatly, and when slightly browned hold a platter against the edge of the pan and deftly turn it out on to the hot dish. Salt mixed with the eggs prevents them from rising, and when it is so used the omelet will look flabby, yet without salt it will taste insipid. Add a little salt to it just before folding it and turn out on the dish. To make a rum omelet, prepare an omelet as has been directed, fold it and turn out on a hot dish ; dust a liberal quantity of powdered sugar over it, and singe the sugar into neat stripes with a hot iron rod, heated in the coals, pour a glass 34 APPLE-MANIOCA PUDDING. of warm Jamaica rum around it, and when it is placed on the table set fire to the rum. With a tablespoon dash the burning rum over the ome- let. Tapioca Custard. — Pick over carefully and wash one-quarter of a pound of small grain tapioca. Add to it a quart of boiling milk, two saltspoonfuls of salt, and boil slowly an hour and a half ; stir frequently ; when done, allow it to cool a little. Beat five eggs thoroughly, and add to them three ounces of sugar, an ounce of butter, and a dash of nutmeg. Gradually add the tapioca. Let the whole come to boiling point ; pour into cups or a mould, and serve hot or ice cold, as may be preferred. PUDDINGS. Apple-Manioca Pudding.— Put in one pint of milk four tablespoonfuls of manioca, and a saltspoonful of salt. Place these ingredients in a saucepan and after boiling pour into a dish, and add two tablespoonfuls of sugar, one pint more of cold milk, two beaten eggs, the grated rind of one lemon, and a saltspoonful of mixed spice. Line a baking tin pan with sliced apples, pour in the mixture, and bake in a moderate hot oven half an hour. BATTER PUDDING. 35 Batter Pudding,— Beat separately the whites and yolks of four eggs ; mix with them eight ounces of flour and a saltspoonf ul of salt ; make a batter with a little more than a pint of milk ; mix. Butter a baking-tin, and just before pour- ing the mixture into it, add a teaspoonful of baking-powder. Serve with vanilla sauce. Boiled Pudding.— Half a pint of chopped beef suet ; same amount of grated bread and same quantity of washed currants ; mix with two tablespoonfuls of sugar, a teaspoonful of lemon- peel, saltspoonful of salt and same of grated nut- meg ; whip up two eggs with half a pint of milk ; work the mixture to a light paste ; scald a few small pudding-cloths, wring them out, flour them, and tie a small portion of the mixture in each ; plunge them into boiling water, boil quickly half an hour, turn them out on a hot dish, dust sugar over them, and serve with the following sauce : Melt an ounce of butter, add two tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar, teaspoon- ful of grated lemon-peel, pinch of nutmeg and a wineglassful of sherry. Boiled Rice Dumplings, Custard Sauce.— Boil half a pound of rice ; drain and pound it moderately fine. Add to it two ounces of butter, three ounces of sugar, half a saltspoonful of mixed ground spice, salt, and the yolks of two 36 BREAD-AND-BUTTER PUDDING. eggs. Moisten a trifle with a tablespoonful or two of cream. With floured hands shape the mixture into balls, and tie them in floured pud- ding-cloths. Steam or boil forty minutes, and send to table with a custard made as follows : Mix together four ounces of sugar and two ounces of butter (slightly warmed). Beat together the yolks of two eggs and a gill of cream ; mix and pour the sauce in a double saucepan ; set this in a pan of hot water, and whisk thoroughly three minutes. Set the sauce- pan in cold water and whisk until the sauce is cooled. Bread-and-Butter Pudding.— Select a loaf of stale bread. Do not remove the crust. Cut the loaf in thin slices and butter them ; half fill a pudding dish with them and fill up with a boiled custard ; put the dish in a pan part full of water, and let it remain on top of the range an hour and a half, then place it in the oven to brown slightly. When done, serve with a sauce made as follows : Cream two ounces of butter, and add a heaping tablespoonful of flour, half a pint of cream, a tablespoonful of sugar, and two tablespoonfuls of sherry. Let it come to a boil, then place it on the back of the range. When lukewarm, whisk into it slowly the yolk of one egg, well beaten ; warm it slightly, and serve. BREAD-AND-FRUIT PUDDING. 37 Bread-and-Fruit Pudding.— Trim off the crust from a quantity of dry bread and grate the remaining white part of it ; add to a pint of it one quart of hot boiled milk, two ounces of butter, four ounces of sugar, half a teaspoonful of salt, and a heaping saltspoonful of mixed ground spice. When cool, whisk into it four well-beaten eggs. Peel and slice a dozen fine, firm peaches ; add them to the mixture ; pour it into a brown bread or deep pudding mould ; place it in a pot of hot water and steam three hours. Serve either hot or cold and with an egg or cream sauce, flavored with lemon or vanilla. Canned fruits of all kinds may be used when fresh are too expensive. Bread Pudding.— Soak a pint of grated bread crumbs in one and a half pints of milk. Beat up the yolks of two eggs with a tablespoonful of sugar, a little salt and the grated rind of one lemon, mix into the bread and place in an oven to bake. Whisk the whites of an egg with a tablespoonful of powdered sugar and the juice of half a lemon, and when light add to the pud- ding, return to the oven again and bake to a light brown. Carrot Pudding.— Americans, as a class, unfortunately do not appreciate the young carrot — either as a vegetable or as the basis of sweet 38 CHOCOLATE PUDDING. dishes — nearly as much as foreigners do. They are excellent served as fritters, and in puddings, pies, jam, cheese-cakes, soups, etc. A very nice pudding is made as follows : Half a pint of grated bread crumbs, one-quarter of a pound of flour, one-quarter of a pound of butter, half a pound of dried or preserved cherries, half a pound of crushed sugar and a saltspoonful of salt. Boil a dozen young carrots three-quarters of an hour, rub them through a sieve and add half a pound of the pulp to the mixture ; mix thoroughly ; pour in a buttered mould and steam two and a half hours ; serve with a sauce made as follows : Boil one-quarter of a pound of sugar in a pint of water ; skim off the surface until clear ; add a wineglassful of sherry ; when cool, beat an egg and whisk it into the syrup. Chocolate Pudding.— Add one ounce of grated chocolate to a quart of milk ; boil thoroughly ; flavor with vanilla ; set aside to cool ; then stir in the yolks of six eggs, well beaten ; bake in a buttered pudding dish until it stiffens like custard. Beat the whites of six eggs with a tablespoonful of powdered sugar, to a stiff froth ; spread over the top of the pud- ding ; return to the oven and brown quickly. Cold Apple Pudding.— Sift one pint of flour, add one-quarter of a teaspoonful of salt. Beat COLD CABINET PUDDING. 39 the whites and yolks of four eggs separately ; add the yolks and half a pint of rich cream, add a pint of strained apple sauce, six ounces of sugar, a pinch of cinnamon, and beat in the whites of the eggs. Pour into a very deep pan, or, better still, a deep mould, which place in a pan partly full of hot water ; let it simmer on the back of the range for three-quarters of an hour ; then put pan and pudding in the oven for about the same length of time. When done, it may be served hot if liked, or packed in ice and served cold with a rich cream sauce. Cold Cabinet Pudding.— Grease a quart pudding-mould and cover the bottom with pieces of candied lemon and orange peel, cut diamond shape. Between each four diamonds place a boiled seedless raisin ; cover the fruit with a layer of stale sponge cake, and add a layer of raisins or other dried candied fruits ; repeat with alter- nate layers of cake and fruit until the mould is full. Beat up the yolks of four eggs with half a teaspoonful of salt and three ounces of sugar. Whisk into them a pint and a gill of lukewarm milk ; pour this into the mould. Place the mould in a pan of hot water ; let it remain on the back of the range an hour, then set pan and all in a moderate oven and bake one hour. Let it cool. When cold surround it with ice, and when 40 COLD MARQUISE PUDDING. wanted, serve with a cold rich custard sauce, flavored with vanilla or sherry wine. Cold Marquise Pudding.— Open a two- pound can of preserved pears, drain them from the liquid, cut them small and rub them through a sieve ; add half a pint of white sugar syrup. Cut up two pineapples into thin slices, and then into small dice. Add their weight of sugar and a pint of water ; simmer half an hour, set aside to cool. Boil half a pound of dried cherries in half a pint of syrup and cool. Surround the ice- cream freezer with ice, put the pear pulp in it and work it until partly frozen ; add while working the pears with the spatula, the well- beaten whites of four eggs. Drain the cherries and the pineapple from the syrup and add them, and when nearly frozen, put the mixture in an ice-pudding mould. Surround it with ice and salt until wanted. If you can afford it, a pint of sweet champagne frappeed and served with the puddings as a sauce will be found delightful. Cold Plum Pudding.— Plum pudding is a winter dish, and is only tolerated in summer when served cold. As there is much trouble in preparing it we recommend the plum pudding of the grocer, for use in summer. Boil the pudding and cool it, put it in a mould, sur- round it with wine or brandy jelly and pack it COLD RICE PUDDING. 41 in ice. When wanted dip the mould in hot water an instant, turn it out, cut in slices and serve. Cold Hice Pudding.— The dish prepared according to rice pudding recipe may be placed on ice and served cold, but a richer pudding is more appreciated. Beat the whites and yolks of six eggs separately ; add four ounces of sugar, a little flavoring and salt to the yolks, and add cold boiled rice enough to make a stiff batter. Beat in the whisked whites ; pour the mixture into cups, set them in a pan partly filled with hot water, place on the back of the range for half an hour, then put the pan and puddings in the oven and bake forty minutes. When cold surround them with ice. A rich cold custard sauce may be served with them. Cold Scotch Pudding.— Soak a pint of grated oatmeal crackers in one and a half pints of milk. Beat the yolks of three eggs with a heaping tablespoonful of powdered sugar, salt- spoonful of salt and the grated rind of a lemon ; mix with the soaked crackers. Beat the whites of the eggs with a tablespoonful of powdered sugar, whisk into the mixture ; pour into small moulds (a little over half full) and set them in a pan containing warm water, place on top of range half an hour, then put the pan in the oven 42 GREEN-APPLE DUMPLING. and bake forty-five minutes. When cool set them on ice and serve with wine sauce. Green-Apple Dumpling— Fruit Sauce.— Wash and chop fine a quarter of a pound of beef suet, add to it half a teaspoonful of salt, half a pound of flour, a teaspoonful of baking-powder, and half a pint of milk, or enough to make a stiff paste ; roll it out, fold it and place on ice until wanted. Peel and core six green apples ; fill the center with a mixture of sugar, seasoned or spiced with a little ground cloves and butter (enough to bind it together), cover each apple with a thick layer of the paste, tie them in small pudding-cloths and steam them an hour and a half. Boil together a pint of raspberries, quarter of a pound of sugar and two gills of water, sim- mer gently, remove the scum as fast as it arises, strain through a small sieve, and serve. Indian Pudding.— Sift one pint of Indian yellow meal, add to it two ounces of chopped beef suet, half a teaspoonful of salt, and two gills of black molasses. Beat up two eggs and add to them one quart of milk ; mix and pour the paste into a small earthen pot. Set it in a pan of water and bake slowly three hours. Lemon Pudding.— Moisten half a pint of fine farina with a gill of cold milk ; add it to a pint of hot milk and stir well. Add a salt- MANIOCA PUDDING. 43 spoonful of salt and two ounces of butter, stir until quite smooth and thick, and allow it to become cold. Beat together four eggs, six ounces of sugar, the grated rind and juice of two lemons and a dash of ground cinnamon ; stir into this mixture the cold farina, a small quantity at a time, until used, then pour it into a buttered pudding-dish and bake forty minutes. It may be served hot, but is better when served cold, during hot weather. Manioea Pudding.— Three tablespoonfuls of manioca, one quart of milk, a little salt, one tablespoonful of butter, and two well- beaten eggs ; sugar, spice, or flavoring to the taste. Mix manioca in half the milk cold, and, with the butter, stir on the fire until it thickens, pour it quickly into a dish, stir in the sugar and re- maining milk, and when quite cool add the eggs, spice, and wine or other flavoring. This pudding maybe varied by omitting the eggs and substituting currants, chopped raisins, or can- died lemon, orange, or citron sliced. Bake half an hour in a moderate oven. It is also very nice served cold. Meringue Pudding.— To a pint of grated bread crumbs add a quart of milk ; mix together five ounces of sugar, three ounces of butter and the beaten yolks of five eggs. Grate the outer 44 MINUTE PUDDING. yellow rind of two lemons and with the juice of one mix all together ; flavor with ground mixed spice to suit your taste ; put the mixture in a buttered pan and bake twenty-five minutes. Beat the white of the eggs to a spongy froth with three ounces of fine sugar ; take the pudding out of the oven, add the Meringue, and when slightly colored, it is done. Minute Pudding.— Sift half a pound of flour ; add half a teaspoonful of salt and a tablespoonful of sugar ; make a batter by add- ing half a pint of milk ; boil the batter in boil- ing water five minutes, and pour off the water. Wet a few cups with cold water, turn the pud- ding into these, and serve with a sauce made of melted butter and water thickened with a little flour. Plum Pudding.— A very good plum-pudding is made as follows : Grate the inner part of a loaf of moderately stale home-made bread ; add to six ounces of it a pound of flour, a pound of beef suet floured and chopped fine, a teaspoon- ful of salt, half a pound of blanched almonds or walnuts, half a pound of sugar, half a pound of raisins stoned and chopped, half a pound of washed currants, two ounces each of candied citron, lemon-peel, and orange-peel cut fine, half a pound of chopped apple, half an ounce of PINEAPPLE CABINET PUDDING. 45 mixed ground spice, and a teaspoonful of fresh lemon-juice. Beat together five eggs and a pint of milk. Stir it into the mixture ; add half a pint of California brandy, and pour the mixture into a porcelain-lined kettle. Simmer gently and stir it well for fifteen minutes ; put the mixture in bowls previously scalded, and when cool cover them with well-washed muslin and put them away. When wanted, boil or steam four hours, turn out of the bowl, and put on top of it a few squares of cut sugar, pour on a little brandy, and set it afire. Serve with a thin custard sauce flavored with vanilla or brandy. But very little of this pudding should be given to young people, as it might affect them. The pudding will keep a year. Pineapple Cabinet Pudding.— This is an excellent pudding and can be prepared at quite reasonable cost at this season of the year. Pro- ceed as in recipe for cold cabinet pudding, using diamond-shaped pieces of fresh pineapple instead of dried or candied fruits. It may be served hot, but is better cold. Rice a l'Imperatriee.— Wash a pint of rice and boil it in a quart of milk until tender ; add three ounces of sugar, and stir while cooking, until the sugar is dissolved. Remove it from the fire and when cold add the well- beaten yolks of 46 RICE PUDDING. five eggs. Soak one ounce of fine gelatine in cold water until soft; add to it three gills of boil- ing cream and two ounces of sugar ; stir until dissolved, strain into a tin, which place in a wooden bowl surrounded with ice. When it commences to set whisk into it the whipped froth of three half- pints of cream, flavor with a few drops of extract, and work this into the rice mixture as lightly as possible. Put in the bot- tom of the moulds a tablespoonful of preserves or jelly, fill the moulds with the preparation and keep them on ice until wanted. Rice Pudding.— Wash two ounces of rice in two waters, then drain and add three half-pints of milk, an ounce of sugar, a little salt and a dash of nutmeg ; let stand three-quarters of an hour, then bake in a moderate oven until a de- licate brown. A rich rice pudding may be had by using eggs. Spanish Apple Pudding.— Cover the bottom of a pudding dish with a light puff paste, and lay on it a layer of thin slices of apples ; strew over them a tablespoonful of sugar and a salt- spoonful of ground cinnamon ; another layer of sliced apples sprinkled with a tablespoonful of sugar and a saltspoonful of ground cloves ; another layer of apples, sugar, and a saltspoonful of grated nutmeg. Cover with a top crust with SPANISH PINEAPPLE PUDDING. 47 a hole in its center. Mix together a gill of white wine vinegar with two ounces of sugar, pour it in the hole and bake thirty minutes. Spanish Pineapple Pudding.— Proceed as in the above recipe, using shredded pineapple instead of apple, and use sherry instead of vine- gar. Spanish Fruit Pudding,— Line a baking- dish with a light puff paste, add a layer of shred- ded pineapple and cover it with powdered sugar ; add a layer of sweet oranges sliced, strew over them a thin layer of sugar ; next add a layer of sliced bananas with sugar strewn over them. Repeat the process until the dish is full. Cover the dish with a light puff paste, and bake to a delicate brown. Sponge Pudding.— Sift together a quarter of a pound of flour and three ounces of sugar, mix two gills of cold milk, and work it into three half- pints of boiling milk ; stir over the range until smooth and thick. Now add two ounces of creamed butter and whisk into it the well- beaten yolks of eight eggs. Beat up the whites of the eggs to a stiff foam and work it into the batter. Pour the mixture into custard cups, set them in a pan of hot water and bake to a light brown ; serve with vanilla sauce. Steamed Peach Pudding.- Sift together one 48 TAPIOCA PUDDING WITH PEACHES. pint of flour, two heaping teaspoonfuls of baking- powder and two saltspoonfuls of salt. Beat together the yolks of two eggs with three ounces of sugar and half a pint of milk, add this to the flour. Beat the whites of the eggs to a froth and add it also. Cut six nice peaches, dredge them with flour and add to the mixture ; pour into a buttered pudding-mould and steam two and a half hours. Send to table with a creamy sauce flavored with a spoonful of brandy. Tapioca Pudding with Peaches.— Wash half a pint of small tapioca ; put in a double boiler, add a liberal quart of boiling water and boil half an hour. Peel and halve a dozen peaches, put them in a pan, add one quarter of a pound of powdered sugar, a saltspoonful oi mixed ground spice, four ounces of butter and the grated rind of a lemon. Pour the tapioca over the fruit, bake to a delicate brown, and serve — hot or cold — with cream or wine sauce. Vanilla Sauce.— Put half a pint of milk in a small saucepan ; when hot add the whisked yolks of three eggs and stir until it is the con- sistency of custard ; remove it from the (ire, and when it is cool add a teaspoonful of vanilla extract and the beaten whites of two eggs. PIE CRUST. 49 PIES. It is our firm conviction that the average pie of to-day is the direct cause of more ill-nature and general " cussedness" in mankind than any- thing else, and that there lurks more solid, downright dyspepsia in a square inch of baker's pie than in all the other dyspeptic-producing compounds known. The pie we desire to see upon the American table is one that is more the receptable for fruit than a blending of fruit with puff-paste so soggy that lead would digest almost as easily. When a top crust is used let there be but little of it, and so light and delicate that ' ' fairy footfalls" would break through it. We here present two recipes for making pies, which, to say the least, are not only original but are also healthful. The puff paste for these pies is made as follows : Pie Crust.— Sift together one quart of flour, a teaspoonful of salt, and a tablespoonful of Horsford's baking-powder ; add gradually three gills of milk ; work to a dough, divide into four parts, and roll out the desired size. This crust when eaten is not harmful. PuiFPaste.— A rich puff paste is not made without much trouble, and it requires much practice to make it perfect. Put in a bowl one quart of ice water, four pieces of ice, each piece 50 HOME-MADE APPLE PIE. as large as an egg, and a pound of the very best butter. Work the butter with the hands until of a waxy consistency. Should the hands become numb, dip them in hot water for a moment. Divide the butter into three parts and keep on ice until wanted. Sift together one quart of flour and a teaspoonful of salt. Chop one-third of the butter in pieces, and work it into the flour with the fingers. When thoroughly incorporated add by degrees half a pint of ice-water ; work the paste until it looks like minute pellets ; turn it out on a floured board, and dredge with flour. Now comes the troublesome part of the operation — the use of the rolling-pin, with gentle taps of which reduce the size of the paste until it is right for rolling out. When quite smooth and about half an inch thick, roll it out, covering as large a surface as possible. Dredge one of the pieces of butter with flour and pat it quite thin ; put it on the paste and fold, first the sides and then the ends ; press it with the palm of the hand, and roll out again. Repeat this process, using the third piece of butter. If you are not ex- hausted, roll out twice or three times more, then keep on ice until wanted. Home-made Apple Pie.— Line a buttered pie-tin with pie-crust, as above, or puff paste ; cut some of it in strips three-quarters of an inch MINCE PIE. 51 wide ; wet the edge of the paste in the tin, and arrange a strip around the rim ; cut the top of. the border slightly, and add another rim. Peel, quarter, and core a few of the best sour apples obtainable. Cut each quarter in three pieces ; arrange them neatly in the pie-tin, slightly mound-shaped in the center ; to each pie add a teaspoonful of grated lemon-peel, half a salt- spoonful of freshly ground cloves, and sugar — three ounces of which will make the pie moder- ately sweet, and four to five ounces decidedly sweet. Bake thirty minutes. While baking beat a pint of cold cream in a bowl surrounded with ice, whisk it thoroughly with a baker's egg-whip or beater until a substantial froth is formed, and keep it on ice until wanted. When the pies are done and have cooled, add a mound of the whipped cream, and when the pie is about to be served let the head of the family state emphatically to those at table that the under- crust is not to be eaten. Serve a spoon with this kind of a pie instead of a fork. When variety is required a meringue may be used instead of the whipped cream. In this case it should be returned to the oven a moment to color the top slightly. Mince Pie.— There must be a proper time to eat so hearty a dish as mince-pie, but it certainly 52 MINCE PIE. is not at the end of a heavy Thanksgiving din- ner. Even plum-pudding is, in my judgment, altogether too heavy to serve as a dessert after the numerous rich viands of a holiday dinner, and yet to ignore them upon such occasions would seem to be striking a blow at our long-estab- lished customs. If they must be served to bring back the pleasant memories of our youth, make the portions very small. The prepared mincemeat of our first-class grocers is recommended to small families, as its ingredients are more perfectly blended than when the compound is made in small quantities. If, however, it is desired to make it at home, do so as follows : Put into -a chopping-bowl half a pound of lean, boiled meat, a quarter of a pound of suet, three pounds of sliced apple, and chop all together very fine. Remove this and put in the bowl a pound of sweet almonds, blanched ; chop them fine with a pound of seedless raisins ; add these to the meat, and also add a pound of washed currants, half a tablespoonful of salt, the juice and rind of two lemons, a pound and a half of light C sugar, a tablespoonful of mixed ground spice, and a quarter of a pound of chopped candied orange-peel. Boil down a quart of good soup-stock two-thirds, and add to the mixture. Put all in a porcelain-lined stew- MINCE PIE. 53 pan, and simmer on the back of the range half an hour ; while warm add a pint of good brandy, and put it away in jars. Line the pie-plates with the crust or puff paste, add the mince, and put a buttered paper over them ; bake, remove from the oven, and add to the top of each the beaten whites of eggs made as for meringue ; return to the oven a moment to slightly color the top, and serve hot. The top crust being avoided and the under crust not being eaten, much of the terror of mince-pie is removed. Citron, or, in fact, any similar preserved fruits, may be substituted for the orange-peel. COOKERY BOOKS. By Thomas J. Murrey, formerly professional caterer of the Astor House, New York ; Continental Hotel, Philadelphia ; and other leading hotels. FIFTY SOUPS. Containing much valuable information concerning soups and soup-making, and fifty recipes for soups of all kinds, simple and elaborate. " One of the most charming little cook books recently pub- lished." — Christian Union. FIFTY SALADS. Contains fifty recipes for salads and several for salad dress- ings, etc., as well as remarks upon salad-making, salad herbs, etc. " A practical chef Mr. Murrey brings to his volume the experi- ence of many years in the leading kitchens of New York, and his recipes are those which have made the reputation of several famous restaurants." — Domestic Monthly. BREAKFAST DAINTIES. With many valuable hints and directions concerning breakfast breads, fruits, beverages and dainty dishes. Mr. Murrey's own recipes. Each one of the above is attractively printed on fine laid paper. Covers in colors, with original design, i6mo., boards, - 50 cts. Cloth, design in gold and color, - - 75 cts. VALUABLE COOKING RECIPES. A large collection of economical recipes personally tested by Mr. Murrey, forming a cook book of the best character. !2mo., 128 pages, cloth, neat stamping in gold and color, - - 75 cts. Any of these books can be had of your bookseller, or will be delivered at any address at publishers' expense, on receipt of advertised price, WHITE, STOKES, & ALLEN, PUBLISHERS, 182 Fifth Avenue, New York City. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 014 521 045 8 f m