ncBMBe nmrntratmememmssBemm Home CooK BooK I I Class / /7/cS Book T^"^' Copyright N" I r COPYI^IGMT DEPOSIT. EVERY WOMAN'S Home Cook Book An Economical, Practical Guide FOR THE TWENTIETH CENTURY HOUSEKEEPER CONTAINING A Most Complete Collection of the Best Culinary Receipts with Full Instruct- ions for Successfully Using Them COMPILED BY FLORENCE CROSBY PARSONS The L. W. Walter Company PUBLISHERS Chicago Copyright 1911 BY THE L. W. WALTER COMPANY Chicago ©CI.A3()o939 PUBLISHER'S PREFACE In offering the American Housewife and Mother, this New Receipt Book, we believe we are filling a demand. There are many works on this subject, but most of them contain receipts which are too expensive for the average home, and so this practical and economical guide will surely be welcomed. We have not attempted display; our only aim being to furnish wide counsel. It is a fact that there is a recognized need of a new book treating on Scientific and Hygienic Cooking; one that will prove an aid to health and happiness in each household: hence, the production of this volume. It has been prepared with great care. Every recipe has been tried and tested^ and can be relied upon as one of the best of its kind. It embodies several original and commendable features, among which may be mentioned a menu for each meal of the year, also for special occasions, thus covering all varieties of seasonable food. A department has been given to the uses of "The Chafing Dish," that useful adjunct to the lunch table, the small evening gathering, or light housekeeping. A treatise on Hygienic and Scientific Cooking. "Care of the Sick," "Marketing," "Carving," and all departments of housekeeping have received their due share of attention. The convenient classification and arrangement of topics and the simplified method of explanation in pre- paring the article in the order of manipulation enables the most inex- perienced to clearly comprehend it. Economical and modern methods of living have been paramount in the compiler's mind in designing and preparing this work, consequently, we have a trusty guide for those plucky housewives who must clothe, feed and house their families on a moderate allowance. To these housekeepers, these home-builders, it is that such books as this are dedicated, and among these it is that they find their welcome. Not sought in the home where there is no cook book ,for there their value is unktiozun; but in the home where there are many such guides it is that each nezo arrival comes as a herald of sojucthing better and more helpful in the realm of cookery . And meet it is that all possible help be given to those who feed our bodies, for thereby they strengthen and uplift our souls, also. Says Haryot Holt Cahoon: "Ask a woman what cooking means. It means the patience of Job, and the persistence of the PiJgrim Fathers. It means the endurance, the long-suffering, and the martyrdom of Joan of Arc. It means the steaming, and the stewing, and the baking, and the broiling, thrice daily, springs, summers, autumns, and winters, year after year, decade following decade. It means perspiration, despera- tion and resignation. It means a crown and a harp, and a clear title to an estate in heaven. From her judgment and reason tlie cook must evolve triumphs that depend upon salt and pepper, sugar and herbs. She must know how soon and how long and how much and how often. She must know quality and quantity and cost. She must scr\'e the butcher and the baker and the candlestick-maker. Then she must rise above it all and be a lady — a loaf-giver." To be able to cope with difficulties, should the necessity arise, is the duty of most women. Nothing will enable them to do so more certainly than a thorough knowledge of the general principles and methods and the carrying out of these in the preparation of the homeliest meal. THE PUBLISHERS. " Man cannot live by bread alone,** He wants his menu good. He wants a wife who's not above Preparing dainty food. The way, then, to the hearts of men (turn's not the only sinner) !s by a cleanly, well-set board, And by a weH-cooked dmner. '* Good cooks are born, not made," they say. The saymg's nK)St untrue. Hard trymg, and these prime recipes WM make good cooks of you. E. B. C. THE mottx) of the New York Cooking Academy is : •< Since we must eat to live, let us prepare our food in such a min- ner that our physical, intellectual and moral capacities may be ex- tended as far as desired by our Creator," and with this object in mind, bread, as the "staff of life," will be first considered, amd especial attention given to its great variety and the necesaary processes through which it passes in preparation for usa Flour made from wheat, and meal from oats and Indian com, are rich in the waste-repairing elements, starch and albumen, and man is necessarily dependent upon them to a degree much greater than commonly supposed. Wheat and flour contain gluten in diflferent proportion to the many varieties. Flour in which gluten abounds will absorb more liquid than that which contains a greater amount of starch, and is therefore stronger, that is, will make more bread to a given quan- tity. Gluten is a flesh, and starch a heat producer, in the nutri- tive processes of the body. Neither gluten nor starch dissolve in cold water. Gluten is a grayish, tough, elastic substance, and flour containing it in a fair quantity adheres to the hand when compressed, and shows the im- print of the skin, but starchy flour crumbles and lacks the adhe- sive property. Milk or water used in mixing bread softens the gluten and ce- ments the particles of flour, preparatory to the action of the car- bonic acid gas. In bread made from yeast this gas and alcohol are foimed by the fermentation of the yeast, combining with the 8 BKEAD, sugar in the flour as well as the sugar added to the flour. The expansion, caused by the efl'orts of the gas to escape through the strong elastic walls of the cells of gluten, changes the solid dough into a light, spongy mass. The kneading process distributes the yeast thoroughly through the dough, making the grain firm and even. In baking, the heat breaks the starch cells, renders the gluten tender, converts the water into steam, the alcohol into vapor, and increases the size of the loaf through the expansion of the car- bonic acid gas, though one-sixth of its weight is lost by this evap- oration. It is now "food convenient" for all. Opinions differ as to the comparative merits of fine flour, gra- ham, and entn-e wheat flour bread. That made from the former gains its whiteness and fineness at the expense of its nutritious properties, the part of the grain furnishing them being largel}' eliminated through the special manufacturing process, but bread made wholly or in part from the two latter varieties is proportion- ately nourishing, strengthening, and easily digested. The common or "straight" brands of flour are used by the great majority of families, and from each of them good, pdatable and uniform bread can be made. Good bread makes the home- liest meal acceptable, and there is no one thing so necessary to the health and comfort of a family. In selecting flour buy that of a cream tint, that will not work into a sticky mass when damp- ened by the fingers, that will not fall like powder if thrown against a smooth surface, and that will retain, as before stated, the im pression of the hand when compressed within it. Flour should be kept dr^^, cool, and entirely beyond the reach of vermin, big or little, for the tiny meal moth is far more to be dreaded than rats or mice. Buy at first, if possible, a barrel of flour ; the barrel will prove a good investment for the future, as all smaller purchases of flour can be emptied into it. Let it stand on four blocks of wood, thus ensuring a current of fresh air be- neath it. Do not buy less than one hundred pounds, for cleanness and economy's sake, unless obliged to use the flour and meal bins buiJt into many pantries of the modern houses. If so, buy a BREAD. 9 snnallcr amount, as these bins, being more difficult to care for, need frequent attention. Ever}^ receptacle of flour should be often and thoroughly cleansed, to guard against animal as well as vegetable parasites. Never put into the flour, for even a day, a roll of dough or pastry for later use. A single speck of mold, coming from any cause, will leaven the whole flour as rapidly and strongly as ten times its weight in yeast. All kinds of flour and meal, except buckwheat and graham — and graham, if very coarse — need sifting, and should be bought in small quantities, as they become damp and mustj' by long stand- ing. After sifting flour or meal, be very careful to empty the sieve before putting it back into the barrel or bin. Good flour, good yeast and watchful care are indispensable to successful bread-making. A large, seamless tin pan, with han- dles and a tight-fitting cover, should be kept for bread-making only, and thoroughlj- washed and scalded whenever used. A crockery bowl holding from eight to twelve quarts can be used, if preferred, but must be closely covered by a well-folded cloth. Bread should undergo but one, the saccharine or sweet fer- mentation ; if it passes to the second, the vinous or alcoholic fer- mentation, the larger part of the nutritious properties of the flour are destroyed ; if it reaches the third, or acetous stage, the bread is soured and utterl}^ unfit for use. Never use sour yeast. The temperature of the bread in rising should be blood warm ; if less, it is liable to sour ; if greater, it may be scalded, or become full of large pores and lose its firm, smooth grain. It is as important for the dough to rise as well after being made out mto loaves, rolls, or biscuits as before ; therefore allow a sufficient time for rising, and cover over the tops of the pans with a bread-cloth, removing it a few moments before baking. A good general rule to follow is this : If well kneaded down, let the loaf double its size in rising ; if only partially kneaded, let it rise but one-half. Much depends on the flour, the heat of the day and the previous rising, but personal judgment and experience must guide at this point as well as others. Before putting the loaves into the oven prick them in three places with a steel fork, that part of the gas generated in rising 10 BREAD. may escape and prevent the possibility of too great expansion in baking, which would make the texture of the bread coarse and open instead of smooth and fine. In baking, keep the oven at a uniform temperature, except that the heat may slacken a very little toward the last. The oven is of good heat if flour will brown in it at the end of a minute. The best pan for baking bread is made of Russia iron, which costs but little more than tin, and is much more durable. Let it be five by ten or twelve inches on the bottom, flaring a little to the top, and four and one-half inches deep. It should be well, though lightl}^, greased. One hour is the average time for baking, though much depends on the action of the stove. See that the fire is so regulated as not to need replenishing during the hour. The finest bread may be completely spoiled in the baking, and a freshly-made fire cannot be easily regulated. Open the oven door as seldom as possible, and close it carefully. If necessary, the pan may be gently turned around, after twenty minutes. The heat of the oven should be steady, but if from any cause it be- comes too great put a pan of cold water on the upper slide, or turn a pan over the loaf, or cover it with a piece of clean, brown paper. A slide, or a low, flat tin may be put under the pans. If bread or cake is well and sufficiently baked, there will be no sound of cracking in the loaf when quickly held to the ear ; a broom splinter passed into it will come out as dry and free as at first. A loaf can be held on the hand without burning the palm. The bread will also have the odor of fresh, sweet flour. On a clean shelf or table, near the window, lay a well-folded linen cloth, an old table-cloth will serve nicely, and as the well browned loaves come from the oven, either lay them upon it or slightly tip them, one just touching the other, and leave them un- covered till cool. If preferred, a cloth can cover them. Never, on any account, put the warm loaves on wood or stone. Should the bread be baked too hard, rub the loaf with fresh butter ; then cover it with a clean brown paper, laying a cloth over that. When thoroughly cool, the bread must be put into a close-cov- ered stone jar, or tin box, which should be well scalded and dried BREAD. 11 each baking day. If a jar is used tie a heavy linen cloth, twice folded at least, over the top, which should be some inches above the bread. On a hot, windy day in summer, having considerable unused bread on hand, take a cup of cold water, and sprinkle well the cloth, so that the bread maj^ be kept fresh and moist. If a heavy line of chalk is drawn around the jar, no insects will crawl over it. In cutting warm bread for the table, heat the knife, and it is better to replenish the bread plate than to have slices left over to dry or waste. Rolls and biscuit should bake quicklj^ Baking powder and soda biscuit should be made rapidly, placed in hot pans, and put into a quick oven. Let gem pans be well heated and greased. If stone cups are to be used, see that they are well greased and very hot. Be very careful to use the best baking powder, and always sif-t it with the flour. Use bi-carbonate of soda, not saleratus, in cook- ing. Take two parts of cream of tartar to one of soda, if sweet milk is used in cooking. Free the powder from lumps, and either sift well the cream of tartar and soda with the flour, or the cream of tartar alone, and dissolve the soda in the milk b}^ beating it for one minute. Soda should be dissolved in the same manner in sour milk. Alwa3's use yellow corn meal in every recipe where meal is called for, unless the white is specified. In measuring, a * table3poon is the size of an ordinary silver tablespoon. A teaspoon means a spoon rounded above, as the bowl is below ; a heaping spoon what can be added to the rounded measure, and a level measure is just even with the sides of the spoon. A half teaspoon divides the length and not the breadth of the spoon. A salt six)on is equivalent to one quar- ter of a teaspoon. One cup of yeast is equivalent to one yeast cake. •Whenever, in tliis })ook, the words cupful, coffee cupful, tea cupful, table* spooulul, etc., occur, the teruiiuation *' ful '^ is dropped, for tije sake of brevity. 12 YEAST. YEAST. Yeast is naturally a most unstable sort of commodit}^, but its main characteristic is that upon the very slightest proA'^ocation it will rise. During one week it contradicted its usual methods and shrunk in a most amazing wa}^ One Saturday it sold for twenty cents a pound, the next Monday it sold for five cents a pound, and in a few days rose again to twenty cents a pound. In- vestigation into the cause of the fluctuation in price revealed the existence of a double-riveted trust, which controls the price of yeast and holds it at a figure which pays the members of the trust a handsome profit. A pound of jeast cut into squares wrapped in tinfoil will make forty cakes, which are sold by the manufacturer at one cent each and retail for two cents. The consumer of this yeast then pays eighty cents a pound. The profit is sixty-eight cents, of which the retailer makes forty and the manufacturer twentj'-eight cents. Compressed yeast is made from whiskies, vinegars, and low wines, and could be retailed at fifteen cents a pound, with a fair margin of profit for manufacturer and retailer. It is econom}', therefore, to use homemade yeast. Here are a few good recipes : YEAST— 1. 1 quart sliced potatoes, 3^ cup yeast, 1 large handful hops, J^ cup sugar, 1 tablespoon ginger, ^ cup salt, 2 quarts water. Put hops and ginger in a bag to boil 15 minutes. Then take out hops, and add potatoes. Boil till they can be passed easily through a sieve. Mix with the salt, sugar and water in a Jar. When cool add j^east, tie a cloth over the top and set in a warm place to rise. This j^east will keep good three weeks in a cool place. YEAST — 2. 6 potatoes, medium, 3 tablespoons salt, Small handful hops, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 cup flour, 1 tablespoon ginger, 1 cup yeast. Water to make 2 quarts. Put the ginger and hops into a bag, drop into the boiling water ; let boil for 15 minutes. Cook the potatoes, mash, and mix YEAST. 13 tbem well with the flour to which has been added the sugar and salt. Over all pour the boiling hop water, and beat till the mix- ture is smooth. Turn into a stone jar, and when cool add ihe yeast. Set in a warm place to rise. This will be sweet and good for some weeks if kept in a cool, dark place. Omit the hops, use the boiling ginger water to scald the flour, and this rule makes a nice potiito ^^east. No other yeast is made with so little trouble as potato yeast Bread made from it keeps moist longer, and there is no danger oi injuring its flavor by using too much. YEAST — 3. 6 potatoes, medium, 1 tablespoon salt, X cup suj^ar, }4 cup yeast. Boil potatoes till done, mash very fine or press through a sieve, pour on the water they were boiled in, add the sugar and salt, and when lukewarm stir in the yeast. It should now be quite thin ; let rise, and keep in a cool place, but where it will not freeze. A lairge oupful makes eight or nine loaves of bread. YEAST 4. 6 potatoes, 1 tablespoon salt, Small handful hops, 2 tablespoons molasses, K c^'P yeast, 2 quarts water. Tie the hops in a bag and boil with the potatoes in 2 quarts of water. Take out potatoes, mash fine and pour the water over them ; add salt, molasses, and thicken with flour. When cool, add yeast or 1 yeast cake dissolved in water. Cover, and set near the fire. Keep in a jar in a cool place. This must not freeze. YEAST — 5. 6 potatoes, 1 handful hops, 2 tablespoons salt, 1 cup yeast, 1 cup flour, X Gup sugar, 1 quart water. Put the hops into a bag and boil 15 minutes. Pour the hop water over the flour, add the potatoes, having rubbed through a colander. Stir well after adding sugar and salt ; when cool, add 3'ea.st or a j-east cake, which has been soaked. This yeast keeps well two weeks. BECIPES FOR MAKINa BREAD. mother's bread. Put about 2 quarts of flour into a pan, and pour boiling water over it until nearly all the flour is wet. Stir the flour while pouring in the water. Now add 1 pint of cold water, and beat well. Let it stand until lukewarm, then add 1 cup of No. 1 yeast, butter the size of an egg and ^ teaspoon soda, and flour to make a stiff batter. Turn it out on the moulding board and work in more flour by slashing it with a sharp knife. Slash and add flour, and knead una) the dough is stiff and smooth. Too much flour cannot be worked into it. Let it stand until morning, then knead it down without removing it from the pan. After break- fast, turn it out on the board, and knead it for 10 minutes, then put it back and let it rise as much as possible without smelling like wine, then make it into loaves. When the loaves are light, they should be put into a hot oven, which is allowed to cool grad- ually until the bread is done. Bread made in this way will keep fresh a long time. BREAD RAISED ONCE. 1 quart water, 1 pint potato yeast, 3 quarts Hour, 2 teaspoons salt. To make 3 loaves of bread, sift the flour into the pan, add salt and pour in slowly the water, lukewarm ; afterward add yeast, stirring constantly. If hop yeast is used take 1 cup, or, if pre- f-eired, 1 cake compressed 3'east dissolved in tepid water. Mix 14 BREAD. 15 thoroughly, adding flour, until a stiff dough is formed ; place on the bread-board, knead vigorously for 20 minutes or more, flouring the board frequently to prevent the dough from sticking to it, divide into loaves of a size to suit pans, mould into a comely shape, place in pans, rub over the top a light coating of sweet, drawn butter, set in a warm, not too hot place to rise, cover lightl}' to keep off dust and air, watch and occasionally turn the pans around when necessar}^ to make the loaves rise evenly ; when risen to about double the original size, draw across the top of each lengthwise with a sharp knife, making a slit half an inch deep, place them in a moderatel}'' heated oven, and bake 1 hour, watching carefull}' from time to time to make certain that a proper degree of heat is kept up. Before browning they will rise to double the size of loaf which was placed in the oven, and pans must be provided deep enough to retain them in shape. Bake until well done and nicely browned, Nothing adds more to the sweetness and digestibility of wheaten bread than thorough baking. When done, remove from pans immediately, to prevent the sweat- ing and softening of the crust. BREAD RAISED TWICE. 4 quarts flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 pint milk, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 pint water, 1 tablespoon lard, 1 cup yeast. Measure out the flour, take out a pint in a cup, and place re- mainder in a breadpan. Make a well in the middle, into which turn sugar, salt, and yeast ; then mix in milk which has been made bloodwarm by adding the boiling water; beat well with a strong spoon, add lard, knead for 20 or 30 minutes, and let rise over night; in the morning knead again, make into loaves, let them rise 1 hour, and bake 50 minutes. Water may be used in- stead of the pint of milk, in which case use twice as much lard. BREAD RAISED THREE TIMES. 1 quart flour, 1 cup yeast, 4 pints water, }4 cup sugar, 8 potatoes, >^ cup lard, 1 tablespoon salt. In planning for G loaves, begin about 5 p. m. Take yeast, 16 BREAD No. 2, add the flour and tepid water, beat together thoroughly, and set in a warm place. This should rise in about 2 hours; and when nearly light, take 6 or 8 medium sized potatoes, pare neatly, rinse clean, and boil in 3 pints of water till well done mash very fine in the water while hot. Have ready a bread- pan of sifted flour, into which put salt, sugar, and lard ; then riddle the potato mash, hot as it is, through a sieve or fine colan- der into the flour, and stir into a stiff dough. This scalds about half the flour used in the batch of bread. This mass must cool till it will not scald the 3- east, which may now be mixed in and put in a warm, not hot, place for second rising, which will be ac- complished by morning, when the kneading may be done. Kneading is the finest point of breadmaking, and contains more of the art than any other ; it requires skill, time, patience, and hard work. Work in flour no faster than is required to allow thorough kneading, which cannot be done in less than 45 minutes, but should not be worked much over an hour. The working of the dough gives grain and flakiness to the bread. The douo^h should be soft, not sticky, and stiff enough to retain its roundness on the board. Put back into the pan for the third rising, which will require little time, and, when light, cut off enough for each loaf by itself, knead but little, and put into pans. If the first kneading has been well done, no more flour will be necessary in making the loaves. These must rise till nearly as large as they ought to be, and then put into a well-heated oven. From 40 to 60 minutes will cook it. If the yeast is set at 5 p. m. , the bread will be ready for dinner the next day; if in the morning, the baking will be done early in the evening, or 12 hours after, with good yeast and fair temperature. Bread made in this way will be good for a week, and, with fair weather and careful keeping, even for two weeks. HOP-YEAST BREAD. 3 pints warm water, 1 teacup yeast. Make a thin sponge of the yeast, water and flour, and let it re- main till quite light. Knead into a loaf before going to bed ; in the morning, mould into 3 loaves. When light, bake an hour. Bread made in this way is never soggy or heavy. To have BREAD. 17 fine, light biscuit, add the lard or butter at night, and in the morning make into biscuit and bake for breakfast. By this recipe bread is baked earl}', leaving the oven free for other articles. YEAST AND BREAD TOGETHER 1. On the evening before breadmaking day, peel and boil 2 medium sized potatoes ; mash them in the water in which they were boiled, and pour the mixture, boiling hot, into the breadpan into which has been put 2 tablespoons flour and 1 each of salt and sugar. The yeast should be as thin as gruel. Now strain it through a colander, and when it has cooled a little, add a small cup of yeast and set it in a warm place to rise. In the morning, sift flour into the breadpan, make a hole in the middle, pour in the yeast, and partially stir it into the flour. Add a quart of luke- warm water with a teaspoon salt dissolved in it, then stir until stiff enough to knead. Knead it 15 minutes, then put it into the breadpan, which must be dusted with flour ; put another pan over it, and set it where it will rise slowl}', as bread that has been hurried is not so good. If it becomes stiff on top before it is light, cover it with a cloth dipped in warm water. When light enough, the pan will lift easily and not as if it held a dead weight ; then it must be turned on to the breadboard, kneaded quickly and lightly into a long roll and cut into loaves. The less the loaves are kneaded and the less flour added, the better the bread will be. When the tins begin to feel quite light, the bread is ready to bake. The oven should be quite hot at first, and allowed to cool off grad- ually while the bread is baking, but the fire must not get very low until the bread is done, which will be in about 40 minutes. When the bread is baked, put a plate in a pan, turn the bread on to it and cover with another pan ; when it is cool, raise the pan, wipe off the steam, and replace it, keeping it there until used up. YEAST AND BREAD TOGETHER 2. Use about a pint of mashed potatoes ; strain them through a colander, with the water in which they are boiled, into a vessel cxjn- taining about a pint of flour. After this is well stirred, and cooled until lukewarm, add 2 tablespoons of the yeast and set the sponge in a warm place to rise. It will usually be light in about 18 BREAD. 6 hours, and should be made into a sponge in the regular way by adding warm water and flour. When this second sponge has risen, mix it into dough. This method takes a great deal of time, but makes the best bread. These directions are for white bread, but graham bread may be made in the same way, by adding mo- lasses, a little shortening, and graham flour instead of white when mixing the second sponge. Empty the mashed potatoes left from dinner into it, but do not stir it up until the 3'east is soaked. Let it soak until night, then stir it up and acid warm water, a tablespoon each of sugar and salt, and sift in flour enough to make a stifl? batter. Beat this well, and set in a warm place over night. Mix as early as possi- ble in the morning, and be sure to knead it a good while, 20 minutes at least, as tliat makes smooth, white bread. Grease the bottom and sides of a crock with lard, the same one the sponge was made in — use a crock, because when it gets warm it retains the heat better than any tin or wooden ware, and the dough does not d;y and form a crust on the outside — and let it rise, then knead agLiin. If kneaded properly the first time, so as to have the dough stiff enough, knead it a very little this time. Let it rise again, and mould into loaves, and bake when light enough. If homemade 3-east is preferred, it can be used just as well. By following these directions, good bread can be secured without the trouble of cooking potatoes on purpose, and having more dishes to wash. grandma's bread. Set the bread at night, and if kept warm it is ready to mix early in the morning. Knead down 2 or 3 times before put- ting it into the pans. Never take the dough from the pan when kneading it, but press it down gentl}^ to get out the gases, and, at the last, give a few "doubles " to pull in the edges, then turn it over. When putting it in the pans, cut off enough dough for a loaf, roll it with the hands until it is a foot in length ; roll this up and press it together in the shape of a loaf, and when it is baked it will be in la3''ers, light and feathery, and not full of tiny holes. Just as the loaves begin to brown, brush them quickly with sweet milk, and the crust will be tender and delicious. BREAD. 19 COFFEE BREAD. 1 quart flour, ^ sugar.cup white IX cups warm milk, }^ cup yeast, 1 cup stoned raisins, 1 egg, 5i cup butter, J^ teaspoon cinnamon. Measure the flour before sifting, then sift, add sugar, and rub in the butter. Mix in the yeast, add the milk, and knead for 15 minutes. Cover, and let rise all day. In the evening add the egg, well beaten, and knead thoroughly. Cover well, and let rise all night. Stir in the cinnamon and raisins in the morning. Make up, using as little flour as possible. Let rise to the top of the pan, and bake an hour in a moderate oven. This makes a large loaf. MILK BREAD. 2 quarts milk, 1 cup sugar, 3 quarts flour, }^ cup butter. Scald fresh, sweet milk, and, when cool, make a sponge of the flour in which the butter has been rubbed. If rolls are wanted, add sugar when mixing it. Let stand until light, add flour enough to knead thoroughly. Let rise again, work over as be- fore, and mould into the desired shape. If the dough is kept in an earthen vessel and covered with tin, it will not need greasing while rising. Always butter the top of the dough when it is put into the pans to rise, and do not cover with a cloth when baked. BREAD WITHOUT KNEADING. 1 quart milk, }{ cup yeast» 2 tablespoons butter. TVarm the butter in the milk, do not let it become hot, add yeast when sufficiently cool, stir in all the flour possible with a spoon. Beat well, pour into pans, let rise and bake at once. WINTER BREAD. To make light bread in winter, on the day before baking have mashed potatoes for dinner. When the potatoes are cooked, drain the water into a crock or bowl and set it away to cool. When dinner is over put a cake of 3'east foam, or as much dry yeast of any kind as used at a baking, in the potato water. 20 BREAD. RICE BREAD. 2K cups warm milk, 7 cups flour, 3^ cup butter, 3 eggs, % cup yeast, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 heaping cup boiled rice. If the rice is cooked in milk, use the same day and cool before using. If cold, and hard or lumpy, add a little milk and set the bowl into a basin of hot water on the stove, stirring until smooth. Do not let it become more than lukewarm. Eub the butter and sugar together, stir in the eggs, previously well beaten, 2 cups of flour, milk, and the rest of the flour ; then add the rice and yeast, and beat well together for 10 minutes. Cover closely, and let rise over night. This quantity makes two small loaves, and should rise in the pans about 1^ hours, or above the top of the pan. Do not have a very hot oven, as this bread browns quickly. / POTATO SPONGE. 6 potatoes, 2 tablespoons sugar, 3 cups flour, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 cup yeast, 1 quart tepid water. Boil and mash potatoes ; while hot add sugar, butter and flour. Beat to a smooth batter and stir in the yeast. Let rise over night. Knead vigorously for 15 minutes in the morning. Set away, and, when light, knead and mould into medium sized loaves. Let rise and bake. POTATO BALL BREAD. 1 cup mashed potatoes, 1 cake yeast, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt. Soften the yeast cake in as little water as possible, then add to the potato, with which the sugar and salt have been thoroughly mixed. It will be ready for use in two days in winter — sooner in summer. Keep it in a covered bowl. Mix bread sponge with 2 quarts of warm milk or water, and add half the potato ball. Let rise, and proceed as with other bread. To the other half of the ball, add a cup of potatoes, stirring thoroughly, and set away until the next baking day. If the sponge freezes it will not be in- jured. This method is pronounced a superior one. BREAD. 21 SALT RISING BREAD 1. Put 1 teaspoon salt into 1 pint water, stirring in enough flour to make a luin batter. Keep warm. If set at 6 a. m. , it should commence to rise about 11 o'clock. Let stand until it foams all over the top. Then add a pint of fresh milk warmed, and knead into loaves immediately. Bake as soon as risen, and you will not be troubled with any disagreeable odors. SALT RISING BREAD 2. }4 cup corn meal, K cup butter, 1 pint warm water, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 saltspoon soda, 1 teaspoon sugar, 3 quarts flour. The evening before baking, scald the corn meal with enough sweet milk to make a moderately stiflT batter. If set in a warm place this will be light in the morning. Add the water, soda, and sufficient flour to make quite stiflf. Place in a pan of warm water to rise. For 5 loaves take 3 quarts of flour; add butter, salt, sugar and the sponge with water enough to make a stiff dough. Mould into loaves, let rise, and bake 45 minutes. Much depends on keeping the batter warm and the stove properly heated. SALT RISING BREAD — 3. On the evening before baking da}^ pour about half a cup of boil- ing hot new milk on one tablespoon of corn meal, stir it well and let it stand in a warm place over night. It will not rise but will look light and foam}-. In the morning make salt rising as usual, and add the prepared meal to it. Place the dish in a kettle of warm water, and keep it at an even temperature until the sponge is light, which will be in about two hours. The bread can be baked before noon. BREAD WITH BUTTERMILK. The evening before baking, bring 2 quarts sweet buttermilk to the boiling point, or boil sour milk and tiike the same quantity of the whey, and pour into a crock in which 1 small cup flour has been placed. Let stand till sufficiently cool, then add yeast, and flour to make a thick batter ; the better and longer the sponge is stiiTcd the whiter will be tlie bread. In the morning sift the flour into the breadpan, pour the sponge in the center, stir in 22 BREAD. some of the flour, and let stand until after breakfast ; then mix, kneading for about half an hour, the longer the better ; when light, mould into loaves, this time kneading as little as possible. The secret of good bread is having good yeast, and not baking too hard. This makes four loaves and forty biscuit. BAKING POWDER BREAD. 1 quart flour, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon salt. Sift the baking powder and salt into the flour ; the sifting en- sures thorough mixing. Before wetting the flour, see that the oven is rather quick, that is, rather hotter than that required for bread ; if the hand can be held in the oven while 15 can be counted rapidly, the heat will be about right. Also butter the baking pan. These preparations being made, chop into the flour butter or good lard, and pour in sufficient water or milk to just moisten the flour. The tops of the loaves should be brushed with butter or milk ; no kneading is required ; as soon as the flour is wet put it at once into buttered pans, and bake it as rapidly as possible without bui-ning. As the rising of the carbonic acid gas which is freed from the wet baking powder is what makes the dough light, it is important to fix the dough before the gas can escape. The process of making light biscuit or bread from baking powder is purely a mechanical operation, based upon the formation of these air, or rather gas cells, in the dough. If, as the gas forces its way up through, forming the cells, they can be fixed with heat so that their shape is retained after the dough is baked, it cannot fail to be light. If, on the other hand, the gas is allowed to escape before the dough is fixed by heat during baking, there is no rea- son why it should be light. Let this simple statement of facts be remembered, and the dough made with baking powder be baked before the gas can es- cape, and there will be no complaint of heavy bread or biscuits. The flavor will, of course, depend upon the amount and kind of shortening used, and the brushing before baked. This recipe makes one medium loaf of bread. BREAD. 23 VIENNA BREAD 1. 1 pint milk, 6 or 7 cups flour, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 cup yeast, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt. Melt butter in hot milk. Measure milk after scalding and put in the mixing bowl with butter, sugar and salt. When cool, add yeast, and then stir in flour, adding it gradually after 5 cups have been put in, in order to be only stiff enough to knead. Knead till smooth and elastic. Cover ; let rise till light ; cut it down ; divide into 4 parts and shape into loaves. Let rise again in the pans ; bake 45 or 50 minutes. VIENNA BREAD 2. Take the same proportions of the preceding recipe, except that about one less cup of flour is used, and the dough is not kneaded. Mix it with a knife, cutting it through and turning and working it over until all the dry flour is mixed with the other materials. Mix soft enough to be shaped into loaves after it has risen. Scrape the dough from the sides of the bowl ; smooth the top with a knife ; cover and let rise. Shape into loaves, and when light bake 50 minutes. BOSTON BRCFWN BREAD 1 cup rye meal, 2 cups milk, 1 cup Indian meal, 1 cup molasses, 1 cup graham flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 dessert spoon soda. Use sour milk, if possible, and if necessary 1 cup of water can be substituted for 1 cup milk ; add molasses, New Orleans or Porto Rico preferred, soda and salt. Into this stir the meal and flour, pour into a well-greiised form or covered pail, put into a kettle of boiling water, and cook 3 hours. This may ap- pear too thin, but do not add an3'thing more. The bread should not fill the pail over two-thirds full. See that the water does not boil over the pail ; also take care that it does not boil entirely awa}-, or stop boiling. To serve it, remove the cover, set a few moments into the oven to dry off the top, and it will turn out in shape. 24 BREAD. BOSTON BROWN BREAD — 2. 3 cups sour milk, ^ cup molasses, 2 cups corn meal, 1 dessert spoon soda, 2 cups graham or rye meal, 1 teaspoon salt. Mix thoroughly and steam 3 hours. Brown in the oven. KANSAS BROWN BREAD. 1 cup corn meal, 1 cup sour milk, 1 cup white flour, 1 cup molasses, 1 cup graham flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon soda. Steam it 4 or 5 hours and set it in the oven a few minutes to brown. BROWN JO BREAD. 2 cups corn meal, 1 cup molasses, 2 cups white flour, 1 cup sour milk, 1 teaspoon soda, 1 teaspoon salt. Mix well and steam 3 or 4 hours, then bake half an hour. STEAMED BROWN BREAD 1. 1 pint sour milk, }4. cup molasses, 1 pint corn meal, 2 tablespoons melted lard, 1 pint wheat flour, 1 heaping teaspoon soda. Mix well and steam 3 hours. This is well worth trying. STEAMED BROWN BREAD 2. 1 heaping teaspoon soda, 2 cups sour milk, 3 cups corn meal, 1 cup warm water, 1 cup flour or rye meal, 1 cup molasses, 3^ teaspoon salt. Mix thoroughly together, and steam 3 hours, then dry it off in the oven. BROWN LOAF. 3 cups corn meal, 1 cup sour milk, 1 cup flour, yi cup molasses, 3 cups sweet milk, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon soda. Butter a deep mold, and steam 3 hours. This can be made the day before, then steamed for half an hour in the morning when wanted, which makes it as nice as if just made. Another good way is to mix, and set it in a very slow oven to remain all night where it will bake slowly. The fire must be turned off care- fully for the night, so that the oven will not get hot, but do not BREAD. 25 let it go out entirely. The loaf will be nicely baked for break- fast Be sure to remove from the oven, when you build up a hot fire in the morning. BROWN BREAD. 2 cups corn meal, 2}^ cups sour milk, 1 cup graham flour, 1 heaping teaspoon soda, hi cup molasses, 1 teaspoon salt. Steam 3 hours, and brown half an hour in the oven. CORN BREAD. 7 pints corn meal, 1 pint molasses, 3 pints rye flour, 2 teaspoons soda. Skimmed milk, 2 teaspoons salt. Let this mixture be stiff enough to drop compactly from the spoon. Dust rye flour over the top of the loaves and pat smooth. Bake about 4 hours in a slow oven. BREAD WITH MUSH. 2 quarts mush, 1 coffee cup molasses, 2 quarts flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 quart sponge, 1 teaspoon soda. Pour hot com meal mush, made as for eating, over the flour, wheat or graham ; whe cool, add sponge, molasses, salt and soda. Mix well together, add flour if necessary ; knead thor- oughly, make into small loaves, let rise and bake in a moderate oven. When done, rub over with butter, place on the side, wrap in a cloth, and when cold put in a jar or box. This recipe makes three good-sized loaves and keeps moist longer than all-graham bread. "ENTIRE wheat" FLOUR BREAD. Add 1 tablespoon sugar to 3 cups bread sponge and stir in ''entire wheat" flour, graham can be used if desired, until the dough is sufficiently stiff to put into a well-buttered pan. Let rise and bake 1 hour. This is a nice, easy recipe, and makes one loaf. TENNESSEE EGG BREAD. 3 cups buttermilk, 1 teaspoon soda, 2 cups corn meal, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon lard, 1 egg. Bake brown and quickly. 26 BREAD. GRAHAM BREAD 1. 1 pint graham flour, 1 pint bread sponge, 1 pint white flour, 1 teaspoon salt, Warm water to mix. Mix soft, put in deep round tins, well buttered, and when light, bake slowly. GRAHAM BREAD 2. 1 cup molasses, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 cup yeast, 1 quart warm water. Stir in enough graham fliour to make a soft dough ; pour it into well-greased pans, let rise 1 hour, then steam 1 hour, after which put into the oven and bake half an hour. This will make two medium-sized loaves. GRAHAM BREAD. 1 quart warm water, }4 cup yeast, K cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt. Thicken the water with unbolted flour to a thin batter; add sugar, salt and yeast, and stir in more flour until quite stiff. In the morning add a small teaspoon soda and flour enough to make the batter stiff as can be stirred with a spoon ; put it into pans and let rise again ; then bake in even oven, not too hot at first ; keep warm while rising ; smooth over the loaves with a spoon or knife dipped in water. QUICK GRAHAM BREAD. 3 cups sour milk, 3^ cup molasses, 2 teaspoons soda, 1 teaspoon salt. Dissolve the soda in a little hot water before stirring into the m!lk, add molasses, salt, and as much graham flour as can be stirred in with a spoon ; pour in well-greased pan, put in oven as soon as mixed, and bake 2 hours. BUTTERMILK GRAHAM BREAD. 1 pint yeast, 2 teaspoons salt, 2 quarts sweet buttermilk. Scald the buttermilk, sweet milk or water can be used if neces- sary, let cool, add salt, homemade yeast, and make the sponge with white flour. When risen, mix with graham flour, knead, let rise, knead down, let rise again, and knead into separate loaves. When risen to double its size, it is ready for the oven. Let it BREAD. 27 6ake 45 minutes. [Many consider bread nicer with less kneading, —Ed.] rye bread. 1 pint corn rneal, 1 cup yeast, 1 quart warm water. Thicken the water with rye flour and add yeast. Scald the com meal and when cool stir into the sponge, adding more r}'e flour until thick enough to knead. Knead but little, let rise, mould into small loaves, let rise and bake. Wheat sponge may be used instead of rye. RYE BREAD. Make sponge as for wheat bread, let rise over night, then mix In up with the rye flour ( not so stiff as wheat bread), and bake. RYE AND INDIAN BREAD. 1 quart rye meal, }4 cup molasses, 2 quarts Indian meal, 1 teaspoon soda, 1 cup yeast, 3 teaspoons salt. Scald the meal by pouring just enough boiling water over it to wet it, stirring constantly, do not make a batter, then add mo- lasses, soda, salt and 3'east. Make as stiff as can be stirred with a spoon, mixing with warm water, and let rise all night; then put in a large pan, smooth the top with the hand dipped in cold water, let it stand a short time, and bake 5 or 6 hours. If put in :he oven late in the day, let it remain all night. Graham flour may be used instead of rye meaL BBEAKFAST AND TEA CAKES. The << civilized man cannot live without cooks" and the wise, intelligent cook finds her opportunity in such preparation for the morning meal as shall conduce to the best results during the da}' ; the food should be as healthful and appetizing, as the table dainty and inviting in its appointments. Thought and care, waiting on knowledge, provide for these, though the purse be low and the materials few and coarse. A wide latitude is given in the oppor- tunit}' of selection, from mush to waffles, biscuits to johnnycakes, rolls to crullers, gems to pancakes, but there is onl}" one healthful way of preparation, although these articles vary in their respective Ability to nourish the body. Raised biscuit, rolls and muffins, 28 BISCUITS. being small, need to rise very light before baking, as the heat acts immediately upon them, and prevents but little further expansion from the confined gas. They require a hotter oven than is needed for bread, but not so hot as for soda or baking powder biscuit. Full directions are given in most of the recipes, but it will be help- ful to bear these general ones in mind. Handle soda and baking powder biscuit as little and as rapidly as possible. With sour milk use soda, with sweet milk baking powder, or soda and cream of tartar. For one quart of flour take three teaspoons baking powder, or one of soda to two of cream of tartar. Buy the pure bi-carbonate of soda and cream of tartar from a reliable drug store, and use the best baking powder. There are many powders on the market, but avoid those known to have alum, ammonia or such deleterious substances in their compo- sition. Though a little longer time is required when using soda and cream of tartar than baking powder, they certainly seem more in accordance with health. Soda, or raised biscuit, rolls, bread and cake, when stale, can be freshened by plunging them into cold water and putting into a hot oven for ten or fifteen minutes. They should be used immediately. Gem pans, muffin rings, pop- over cups and waflfle irons should be greased and heated very hot before using. The genuine English griddle muffin is never considered cooked until it has been split and toasted. A very delicious breakfast dish is the yeast muffin, baked in the oven and served imme- diately. This is the New England method. RAISED BISCUITS 1. 1 pint hot milk, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 quart flour, 1 saltspoon salt, 1 cup yeast, 1 egg. Dissolve butter in the milk ; when lukewarm stir in the beaten egg, salt, yoast and flour. Work the dough until smooth. If winter, set in a warm place ; if summer, in a cool one to rise. In the morning work softly and roll out one-half inch and cut into biscuit and set to rise for 30 minutes, when they will be ready to bake. These are delicious. BISCUITS 29 queen's biscuits. 1}4 pounds flour, 24 eggs, whites, IX pounds powdered sugar, 18 eggs, yolks. Crushed coriander seed. Make a soft paste of the flour, sugar, and eggs, adding a little coriander seed, also a little yeast if desired. Bake on paper in a moderate oven till they begin to brown. ROCK BISCUITS. 1 pound powdered sugar, 6 eggs, }4 pound flour, Currants. Beat the eggs till very light, add the sugar, then the flour grad- ually, and finally the currants. Mix well together, put the dough on the tins with a fork, making it look as rough as possible. Bake in a moderate oven from 20 minutes to half an hour. When cool, store them away in a dry place. SAVOY BISCUITS. 1 pound flour, 3 tablespoons water, 1 pound powdered sugar, 13 eggs. Beat the eggs with the water, adding gradually the sugar. When it becomes thick, stir in the flour. Mould into long cakes and bake slowl}'. SUGAR BISCUITS. IK pints flour, 1 tablespoon lard, X pint milk, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 2 teaspoons baking powder. Mix into smooth batter and drop into tins. Bake in a hot oven 8 or 10 minutes. MAPLE SUGAR BISCUITS. I 1 quart flour, 1 pint milk, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 cup maple sugar, 3 teaspoons baking powder or cream of tartar and soda. Whatever is used to lighten the biscuit, whether soda and cream of tartar or baking powder, sift it through the sieve with the flour. Rub the butter through the flour, so thoroughly that some portion of the butter touches ever}^ portion of the flour. The success of any baking powder or of a soda biscuit depends upon care at this point. Stir in rich, new milk to make a soft dough. At this period add the maple sugar cut into irregular dice about the size 30 ROLLS. of peas. Dredge a board; turn out the dough. Dredge floui over it and roll as quickly as possible till about an inch thick. Cut out the biscuit with a small tumbler or biscuit cutter, not over 2 inches in diameter. They will rise to the proper size. Bake 15 minutes in a very hot oven. Serve hot. These maple sugar bis- cuits are a delightful change. PARKER HOUSE ROLLS. 3 quarts flour, K tablespoon butter, 1 pint cold boiled milk, }4 tablespoon lard, }4 cup yeast, K cup sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 egg. If wanted for supper, rub the flour and butter together, boil the milk, and cool it the night before. Make a well in the flour, pour into it the milk, to which has been added the sugar, salt, well- beaten Qgg^ and yeast, but do not stir. Let stand over night. In the morning stir, knead, and let rise till near tea time. When very light, roll out and cut with a biscuit cutter; put a little melted butter on half the biscuit, and fold nearly over on the other half. Place in the pan about 3 inches apart. Let rise and bake. FRENCH ROLLS. 6 potatoes, K cup yeast, 1 teaspoon salt, K cup lard, 2 quarts water. Peel potatoes, boil in the water, press and drain potatoes and water through a colander; when cool enough not to scald, add flour to make a thick batter, beat well, and add j-east. Make this sponge early in the morning, and when light turn into a breadpan, add salt, lard, and flour enough for a soft dough ; mix and let rise in a warm, even temperature ; when risen, knead down and place again to rise, repeating this process 5 or 6 times ; cut in small pieces and mould in rolls about 1 inch thick hy 5 long ; roll in melted butter or sweet lard, and place in well-greased baking pans ; nine inches long by five wide and two and one-half deep, makes a convenient pan, which holds fifteen of these rolls ; if twice the width, put in 2 rows ; press the rolls closely together, so that they will only be about half an inch wide. Let rise a short time and bake 20 minutes in a hot oven ; if the top browns too rapidly, ROLLS. 31 cover with paper. These rolls, if properly made, are very white, light and tender. Or, make rolls larger, and just before putting them in the oven, cut deeply across each one with a sharp knife. This will make the cleft roll, so famous among French cooks. ITALIAN ROLLS. Work one-fourth pound butter into 1 pound of bread dough when it has risen read3" for the oven, roll it out half an inch thick ; cut in strips 1 inch wide by 7 or 8 inches long. Sift fine corn meal over them. Place on a sheet of greased tin, so they will not touch each other, and when light, about one hour, bake 10 min- utes in a quick oven. BREAKFAST ROLLS 1. Mix the dough in the evening, according to directions in the recipe for Bread Raised Once ; add a tablespoon of butter, and set where it will be a little warm until morning ; cut off pieces, and carefull}^ shape them into rolls of the desired size b}^ rolling them l)etween the hands, but do not knead them ; dip the sides of each into drawn butter when they are shaped, and place them in the pan ; the butter prevents their sticking together when baked, and they will be smooth and perfect when separated. Ilub them over the top with drawn butter, and dust with a little fine salt. Set in a warm place, and they will quickl}^ rise for baking. These are delicious. BREAKFAST ROLLS 2. 1 cup sweet milk, 2 eggs, whites, X cup butter, 1 teaspoon salt, }4 cup yeast, 2 tablespoons sugar. Flour for thick batter. Let rise over night, adding the eggs, beaten to a foam, and the sugar in the morning. Mould quickly, and let rise a little and bake. Ver}' nice. LONG BREAKFAST ROLLS. 3K cups sweet milk, 3-^ cup lard, 1 cup yeast, }4 cup butter, 1 egg. Take flour enough to make into dough ; let rise over night. In the morning add the beaten egg, knead thoroughly', and let rise 32 ROLLS. again. With the hands make into balls as large as an egg ; then roll between the hands to make long rolls, about three inches, place close together in even rows in the pans. Let rise until light, and bake delicately. DINNER ROLLS. Make dough as directed in recipe for Long Breakfast Rolls, make into balls as large as a medium-sized egg, place on a well- floured board, flour a small rolling-pin, three-fourths inch in diameter, press down so as nearly to divide each ball of dough in the center, place in pans without touching each other, grease the space made by the rolling-pin with melted butter, let rise until light, and bake. These rolls are so small and bake so quickly, that they have the delicious sweet taste of the wheat. Some grease the hands with butter while making the rolls. Bread dough, by adding the other ingredients, may be used for these rolls. TEA ROLLS. 1 pint sweet milk, Yz cup yeast, 1 pint warm water, * yi cup butter, 1 teaspoon salt, Yz cup sugar. In the morning make sponge with milk, water, yeast and flour. When light and foamy, add sugar, butter, salt, and flour enough to knead the dou^h without stickino; to the board. Let rise once, then with the hands mould into oblong rolls, about 4 inches long. Grease the hands when doing this. Place the rolls in greased tins, not quite touching each other. When light, or about twice their first size, put in a hot oven to bake. They should be done in thirty minutes. When done, place right side up on a clean towel, and then take a tablespoon nearly half full of white sugar, fill up with water, and with the finger moisten the tops of all the rolls. COFFEE ROLLS. 1. Work into a quart of bread dough a rounded tablespoon of but- ter, and a half cup of white sugar; add some dried currants, dredge with flour and sugar, make into small rolls, dip into melted butter, place in tins, let rise a short time, and bake. COFFEE ROLLS — 2. 12 cups flour, 1 cup yeast, 3 cups warm milk, '%. cup butter, 1 cup white sugar, % cup lard, 1 grated nutmeg, 3 eggs. ROLLS. 33 Mix all together and let rise over night. If -well risen in the morning, knead and set in a cool place until 3 p. 3i. , then shape into long rolls and let them rise nearly 2 hours. Bake half an hour in a moderate oven. When done, glaze with a little milk and brown sugar, and set back in the oven 2 minutes. CINNAMON ROLLS 1. Mix some shortening, an egg and a little sugar into a piece of light bread dough ; roll out to one-fourth inch thickness, spread with butter, and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon ; roll up, and slice off with a sharp knife like jelly roll. Place in pans like biscuit, let rise, and when light, put a lump of butter, a little sugar and cinnamon on each one and bake. CINNAMON ROLLS 2. Pie crust, Cinnamon, Sugar. Roll out the pie crust, sprinkle cinnamon and a little sugar over it ; cut in narrow strips, roll up tight, put in a well-buttered pan, brown nicely, and serve. GRAHAM ROLLS. 1 quart grahatn flour, 1 teaspoon salt. 1 pint buttermilk, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 teaspoon soda. Sift the soda into the flour ; stir salt, melted butter and flour into the buttermilk. Drop into roll pans and bake half an hour. EXCELLENT ROLLS. 1 pint new milk, ^ cup butter, }^ cup yeast, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 eggs, whites. Scald the new milk, adding to it when cool, sugar, 3'east, and flour enough to make a stiff batter. Let rise over night, and in the morning add butter, salt, and the beaten whites of eggs. Mix, knead well and let rise, then knead again and roll out until three- fourths inch in thickness. Cut with a biscuit cutter, spread butter on one half and roll the other half over it. Let rise until very light, then bake. CRESCENTS OR VIENNA ROLLS. Use recipe for Vienna Bread No. 2, adding 1 tablespoon butter. When very light, roll the dough until one-eighth inch thick; 34 ROLLS, cut into pieces 5 inches square, and then into triangles. Hold the apex of the triangle in the right hand, roll the edge next the left hand over and over toward the right, stretch the point and bring it over and under the roll. Bend the ends of the roll around like a horseshoe, being careful to keep in the folding. WINTER ROLLS. 3 quarts flour, 1 cup yeast, 1 quart buttermilk, 1 cup lard, 1 quart cold water, Salt. Put the flour into a jar, scald the buttermilk, add lard and pour all over the flour, beating it up well ; add water and yeast ; set in a warm place to rise over night. In the morning add salt, and flour enough to make a moderately stiflf dough ; when risen, knead and set to rise again. This time knead down and place in a large stone crock or bowl, covered tightly to prevent the surface from drying, and set away in a cool place. When needed, turn out on a bread board, take off a piece as large as you wished, roll out to the thickness of ordinary soda biscuit, cut, and put in the oven to bake immediately. Set the dough away as before ; it will keep a week in winter, and is very convenient for hot breakfast rolls. POCKET BOOKS. 1 quart new milk, 1 cup yeast, 4 tablespoons sugar, X cup lard, 2 eggs, V^ cup butter, X teaspoon salt. Warm the milk, add butter, lard, sugar, and the well-beaten eggs ; stir in flour to make a moderately stiff sponge, add the yeast, and set in a warm place to rise, which will take three or four hours ; then mix in flour to make a soft dough and let rise again. When well risen, dissolve a little soda in a spoonful of milk, work it into the dough and roll into sheets one-half inch in thickness ; spread with thin laj^er of butter, cut into squares, and fold over, pocketbook shape ; put on tins or in pans to rise for a little while, when thej will be fit for the oven. In summer the sponge can be made up in the morning, and rise in time to make for tea. In cool weather it is best to set it over night. KU8K. 35 RUSKS AND BUNS. Rusk is not the sweet hot biscuit so often called bj^ this name in New England — that is properly a bun. A genuine rusk is a slightl}^ sweet dried bread, which may be eaten as it is, crisp and delicious ; or it may be soaked in ice-cold milk, with an accom- paniment of berries and the richest and best of cream cheese. It is an ideal summer dish, served with cream and berries. There are two kinds of rusk, that which is sweet and that which is made without sweetening. GENUINE RUSK. 1 quart flour, Yz cup butter, 1 cup scalded milk, Yz cup yeast, 1 teaspoon salt, 3 eggs. Rub the butter into the flour, add the milk, beating it into the flour. It should form as thick a batter as can be well stirred. Add the well-beaten eggs, stirring them in one by one while the mixture is lukewarm, then the salt, and finally the 3'east. Beat the batter well. Let it rise 1 hours. Then turn out on a board dusted with flour. Dredge the risen mass with flour and knead until it ceases to cling to the hand. It will require fifteen or twent}' minutes' vigorous kneading. Let rise again, then roll out about an inch in thickness, and cut into small, round biscuit shapes. Place these on floured tins and let rise three-fourths of an hour before putting them in the oven. They should be well covered in the biscuit tins. Bake the rusks from 15 to 20 min- utes in a quick oven. Split while still warm and put into a slow oven or into the heating closet of the range till perfectly crisp and dr}^ through and through. They may then be put in a loose bag and hung up in a dry place to gain perfection. In two weeks they will be ready to use, though they will be delicious in three days. To make a sweet rusk add at least 1 cup of sugar to the above rule. These rusks should be evenly and regularly browned throughout. RUSK — 1. 2 cups raised dough, Yz cup butter, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs. Cinnamon. Rub the butter and sugar together, beating in the eggs, and add- 36 RUSK. ing flour to make a stiff dough. Set to rise, and when light, mould into high biscuit and let rise again ; sift sugar and cinna- mon over the top, and place in oven. RUSK — 2. 1 pint milk, 1 cup butter, 3 eggs, 1 cup sugar, 1 large cup potato yeast. Use flour to make a thick sponge ; in the morning stir down, let rise, and stir down again ; when it rises make into a loaf, and let rise again ; then roll out like soda biscuit, cut and put in pans, and, when light, bake carefully ; or make into rather high and nar- row biscuit, let rise again, rub the tops with a little sugar and water, then sprinkle over them dry sugar. Bake 20 minutes. CREAM RUSK. 1 pint warm water, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup rich cream, 1 cup yeast. Flour for stiff batter. Let rise over night and work down several times. When ready to bake, roll and cut in small cakes, put in a buttered pan, let rise and bake. Sprinkle with sugar when taken from the oven. LEBANON RUSK. 1 cup potatoes, 1 cup yeast, 1 cup sugar, 3 eggs, X cup butter and lard. Mash the potatoes, add the sugar, homemade yeast, and eggs ; mix together, let rise, and add the butter, lard, and flour enough to make a soft dough ; when risen again, mould into small cakes, and let them rise before baking. If wanted for tea, set about 9 A. M. BUNS. 1 cup milk, Yz cup yeast, 1 cup sugar, 1 egg, Yi cup butter, Currants, Cinnamon. Rub the butter and sugar together, add Q%g, milk and yeast, flavor with cinnamon; stir in flour to make a soft dough. Let rise till very light, tlien rjould into biscuit with a few currants. Let rise a second time in pan; bake, and, when nearly done, glaze with a little molasses and milk. Use the same cup, no mat- ter about the size, for each measure. BANNOCK. 37 SCOTCH CURRANT BANNOCK. 2 pounds raisins, 1 heaping cup lard and butter, 2 pounds currants, 1 cup yeast, 1 quart flour, 1 tablespoon caraway seed, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon finely cut orange peel. Clean seedless raisins and currants and leave in a colander over night to drain. Set a sponge in the evening as for two loaves of bread, using 1 cup yeast. In the morning when the sponge is very light, sift the flour into a large pan, and rub the shortening into it. Mix in sugar, caraway seed and orange peel, then add raisins and currants which must be perfectly'' dr}'. Stir all to- gether thoroughly and knead like bread, adding more flour if nec- essary, and put back in the pan to rise. When light knead down and put into a large, round baking pan. After rising bake very carefully for 2 hours at least, and in some cases longer as ovens diflier. If the top bakes too rapidly cover with a pie tin. The butter bannock for which Selkirk is noted is made by omitting the raisins, currants and orange peel. BLUEBERRY CAKE& 2 cups blueberries, 1 egg, 3 cups flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, lyi cups milk, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 teaspoon salt, 3 teaspoons baking powder. Mix the salt, sugar, baking powder and flour together. Stir in milk and melted butter, then the well-beaten egg^ and last the blue- berries. Bake in cups or gem pans. BREAKFAST CAKE 1. 1 quart flour, 1 tablespoon each lard and butter, ly^ cups milk, 1 teaspoon salt. Rub the shortening and salt through the flour, with the hands ; beat the eggs light, and add to them 1^ cups of milk ; stir this into the flour. If not enough to make a stiff dough, add a little more milk; knead well with the hands 10 minutes, roll into cakes about half an inch thick and as large around as a pie plate ; put on well-buttered pie plates, and bake in a quick oven. At table do not cut these cakes, but break them. 38 JOHNIsY CAKE. HOB CAKE. I plot corn meal, K teaspoon sail. Water. Pour enough boiling water over the meal to moisten it Add salt and let stand 10 minutes. Then add boiling water until lae batter will drop from the spoon. Bake in cakes on a hot griddle greased with fat salt pork. Serve hot with a piece of butter on the top of each cake. This was formerly a famous Southern dish. COTTAGE CAKES. 1 cnp sour cream, % teaspoon soda, 2 large cups flour, ^ teaspoon cream of tartaff }4 teaspoon salt, 1 egg. Sift the soda, cream of tartar and salt into the flour; stir in the cream and the well-beaten egg. Drop into buttered pans and bake in a hot oven 20 mmutes. NEW ENGLAND JOHNNY CAKE — 1. 2 cups milk, 1 heaping tablespoon butter, 2 cups Indian meal, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 cup flour, 3 eggs, }4 cup sugar, 3 teaspoons baking powder. Rub butter and sugar together ; add beaten yolks of eggs, and flour into which the baking powder has been sifted, then the milk, meal, and salt, and finally the stiffly-beaten whites of eggs. Mix quickly and bake in a shallow pan in a hot oven. NEW ENGLAND JOHNNY CAKE 2, 1 cup Indian meal, 1 eggj 1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt. 1 cup sour milk, 1 teaspoon soda, }4 cup sour cream, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1 tablespoon white sugar. Sift salt and meal, also flour and cream of tartar together ; add sugar, mix well. Dissolve soda in milk, beating 1 minute, add cream, and stir the ingredients together, beating 3 minutes. Lastly add the well-beaten egg. Bake in a shallow pan in a quick oven. GOOD JOHNNY CAKE. 2 cups corn meal, 1 teaspoon salt, 3 cups flour, 4 teaspoons baking powder, ^ cup sugar, 1 egg, 3 tablespoons melted batter. JOHNNY CAKE. 39 Mix meal, flour, sugar and baking powder together; break an egg into a pint bowl of cold water ; mix, add the meal and butter. Bake in a quick oven. JOHNNY CAKE 1. 1 pint buttermilk, 3 eggs, 1 heaping teaspoon soda, K teaspoon salt. White corn meal. Make a thin batter and bake in a quick oven. JOHNNY CAKE 2. 1 cup sour cream, 1 or 2 eggs, 1 cup Indian meal, X teaspoon salt, }^ cup flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 small teaspoon soda. Beat the egg and sugar, add salt and cream ; if necessary sour or sweet milk can be used in place of cream. If milk is used add 2 tablespoons melted butter, stir in meal and flour rapidly, and bake 30 minutes in a quick oven. With sweet milk use 1 J heap ing teaspoons baking powder. JOHNNY CAKE 3. 2 cups corn meal, 1 tablespoon cream, 1 cup flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 cups sour milk, 1 tablespoon shortening, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon soda, 1 teaspoon salt. Stir the sugar, cream and shortening together, and the egg, well beaten ; add the milk, in which the soda, dissolved in a little hot water, has been stirred. If the milk is very sour more soda will be needed ; add the meal, beating smooth, and stir in wheat flonr to make it thick. Bake in a hot oven. WHITE JOHNNY CAKE 4. 2 cups flour, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 cup white meal, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 1>^ cups milk, 1 teaspoon salt K cup sugar, 1 egg. Mix rapidl}', and bake in a quick oven. CRACKERS. 2 quarts flour, 1 teaspoon soda, 1 cup butter, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1 teat^pooQ salt, Milk or water to mi£ 40 CRACKERS. Beat well and mix in more flour until brittle, roll quite thin and cut in squares, prick with a fork and bake in a quick oven. EGG CRACKERS. IS tablespoons sweet milk, 6 eggs, 6 tablespoons butter, }i teaspoon soda. Mould with flour half an hour and roll thin. FRENCH CRACKERS. IK pounds sugar, % pound butter, IK pounds flour, 5 eggs, whites^ Before cooking brush over with white of egg and dip in sugar. EGO CRACKNELS. 1 quart flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 5 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 4 tablespoons butter, 4 eggs. Sift sugar, salt, baking powder and flour together ; rub in the butter and add the eggs, well beaten. Flour the moulding board, put the dough on it, and knead rapidly a few minutes. Cover with a damp towel 15 minutes; roll out very thin, about one- eighth of an inch, and cut with a biscuit cutter. When all are cut out have ready a pot of boiling, and a large bowl of cold water. Put a few at a time into the boiling water. When they come to the surface and curl over at the edges, take them out with a skim- mer and drop into the cold water. When all are done, lay on baking pans and bake them in a pretty hot oven 15 minutes. This is an old recipe. CRACKNELS. 1 pint milk, 2 ounces butter, 1 tablespoon yeast. Warm the milk and mix enough fine flour to make a light dough; roll thin and cut in long pieces, 2 inches broad. Prick well, and bake in a slow oven. CRUMPETS — 1. 3 cups raised dough, 3 eggs, yi cup butter, Milk. With the hand work eggs and melted butter into the dough ; add sufficient milk to leave it a thick batter ; pour it into a but- tered pan ; let it remain half an hour. Then put the pan over the fire and heat it so as to scorch the flour. Bake half an hour. CRUMPETS. 41 CRUMPETS 2. 1 pint milk, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 cup yoast, 4 tablespoons butter, 3 cups of flour, or more. Scald milk, and while warm, add salt and flour ; beat well and add the melted butter and 3'east. After beating thoroughl}^, cover and set in a warm place to rise. In 2 hours, if ver}' light, put into large, well-greased muffin rings placed on a hot griddle. Drop in the batter till the rings are half full. Bake brown on one side, then turn and brown the other. Take oflf, spread with butter and serve hot. If cold, these can be used by toasting on both sides, spreading with butter and serving hot. ENGLISH CRUMPETS. 1 quart warm milk, 1^ cup yeast, 3^ cup butter, Flour, Salt. Make a batter, not ver^^ stiff, of the milk, salt, j-east, and floiu*. When light add the butter, melted, let stand 20 minutes, and bake in cups or muflSn rings. FROGS. 1 quart flour, 1 tablespoon butter, Pinch of salt, 2 teaspoons baking powder. Mix all together thoroughly, then add sufficient flour to make into a stiff batter. Drop with a spoon into a pan and bake in the oven. GEMS AND MUFFINS. Few know how necessary care is in the making and baking of gems, and that often the recipes which they find unreliable would prove very different if they were rightly used. The harder the batter is stirred the better. Put the gem pans on top of the stove and drop a little lard into the bottom of each to keep the gems from sticking. When the pans have become piping hot, fill each half full of batter while on the stove, then put them at once into a hot oven. Make a hotter fire for baking gems than for any- thing else. If the oven is right, the gems will rise until about three times as large as when put into the oven, and but a few minutes will be required for baking them. Everything should be about ready for the table, for, to be very nice, gems must be 42 GEMS. served as soon as they are taken from the oven. These direc- tions appl}^ for muffins. BANANA GEMS. 1 cup sugar, K cup water, 1 cup flour, 3 eggs, 1 teaspoon baking powder. Make batter and stir in 2 bananas sliced thin. Fill cups half full and steam an hour. Eat with thin cream. CORN MEAL GEMS 1. 1 pint milk, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 cup meal, 1 teaspoon salt, % cup flour, 3 teaspoons baking powder, }i cup butter, 3 eggs. Beat the butter first alone, then add the sugar and beat to a cream ; add the eggs well beaten, milk, and flour with the baking powder, salt and meal, all sifted together twice. Bake in a hot oven half an hour, if in deep gem pans ; or 25 minutes, if in shal- low pans. CORN MEAL GEMS — 2. 1 cup Indian meal, 1 teaspoon soda, 1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt, }4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 cup sour milk, 2 eggs. Beat eggs and sugar together, and add butter and salt ; then the milk with soda dissolved in it, and mix with flour and meal. Sweet milk and baking powder can be used, if desired. Beat hard for a few minutes, drop from the spoon into hot buttered gem pans, and bake in a hot oven from 15 to 20 minutes. CORN MEAL GEMS 3. 1 pint buttermilk, 1 teaspoon salt, }4 cup flour, 1 teaspoon soda, 2 eggs, Corn meal. Make batter as stiff as it can be poured. Dissolve the soda in a little of the milk. Have the pans very hot, and fill them but half full. The gems will bake in 15 minutes. CORN MEAL GEMS 4. 2 cups corn meal, 1 teaspoon soda, 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons sugar or molasses, 1 tablespoon butter. GEMS. 43 Mix meal, flour and sugar with enough water to moisten and let stand over night. In the morning, stir thorough!}-, and add the dissolved soda, salt and butter. Drop the mixture in hot gem irons, and bake in a hot oven. GRAHAM GEMS 1. 1 cup sour milk, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon butter, H teaspoon soda, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 egg, % graham and X white flour. Beat the sugar and Qgg, adding salt and melted butter, then the milk in which the soda has been dissolved, and make a batter stiff enough to drop, in a soft ball, from the spoon. Bake 20 minutes in a hot oven. GRAHAM GEMS 2. 2 quarts buttermilk, 2 teaspoons soda, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 eggs. Use as much graham flour as is needed for a stiff batter. The harder it is beaten, the lighter will be the gems when done. GRAHAM GEMS 3. Make a stiff batter with 1 pint warm water, graham flour and 1 teaspoon salt. Fill the pans two-thirds full. Bake in a very hot oven. GRAHAM GEMS 4. 1)4 pints graham flour K teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon melted butter, 1 egg, Sweet milk for batter. Have the gem pans hot, fill them half full of the batter, and bake until nicely browned, but not sticky when broken open, in a very hot oven. ''ENTIRE wheat" FLOUR GEMS. IK cups sour milk, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons sugar, % teaspoon soda, 1% cups entire wheat flour, 1 egg. Beat Qcrcr with sujiar, add the melted butter, salt, the milk ki which the soda has been dissolved, and the flour. Bake in hot gem pans, well greased. This can be varied by using 2 eggs and 44 GEMS. less flour, also substituting sweet milk and baking powder for the sour milk and soda. GEMS — 1. 1 quart flour, 2 eggs, % pint milk, 1 teaspoon salt, yi cup butter, 3 teaspoons baking powder. Warm the butter in the milk, add the beaten eggs and salt, and last the flour into which the baking powder has been sifted ; have irons quite hot and fill ; bake in a hot oven. GEMS — 2. 1 cup milk, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 cup flour, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon baking powder. Beat eggs, adding the melted butter ; stir into the milk and mix with flour and baking powder. OATMEAL GEMS. 1 pint oatmeal mush, Salt, 2 tablespoons bread crumbs, Pepper, 2 eggs. Beat eggs thoroughly, add salt and pepper and stir with the bread crumbs into the mush. Then put it into well-buttered gem pans, and bake until a nice brown. It can be baked in one pan if desired and served as it comes from the oven. OATMEAL GEMS. 1 pint cold, cooked oatmeal, 1 Q^g, 1 pint hot milk, 2 teaspoons baking powder. Rub the oatmeal in the hot milk until free from lumps, and add the well-beaten egg, and the baking powder sifted into some flour. Make a stiff batter and bake immediately. RAISED OATMEAL GEMS. 1 quart flour, K cup yeast, IK cups milk, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 cup boiled oatmeal, 1 tablespoon sugar. 1 saltspoon salt. Let the oatmeal be warm, rub out any lumps in the hot milk. Add butter, sugar, and stir in the flour and milk gradually, adding the yeast last of all ; beat for 8 minutes. Let rise over night, and in the morning warm the pans slightly, butter, fill about two-thirds full and let rise 1 hour. Bake well in a hot oven. 45 VIRGINIA PONE. 1 quart milk, 1 teaspoon salt, 3 eggs, 1 tablespoon butter. Make a thin batter, adding the well-beaten eggs just before pouring into pans. Bake in a moderate oven. OAT CAKE. K pound oatmeal, % teaspoon salt, 4 tablespoons water. Mix all together. Roll as thin as possible from a stiff dough. Cut in rounds or squares and bake on ungreased tins. Prick with a fork and bake in a quick oven. POP-OVERS. These favorite breakfast and teacakes are made much the same way, except that some housewives prefer to beat the 3'olks and whites of the eggs separately ; both methods ma}' be tried, and the one chosen for future use which is preferred. The same pre- cautions are taken in preparing the buttered cups and a proper oven heat, in avoiding the opening of the oven at first, and in baking the little cakes until their sides are brown. The general proportions are equal parts of flour and sweet milk, a saltspoon of salt and 1 Q^g to each cup of flour ; the cups for baking are filled about one-third. One pint or two cups each of flour and milk will make two dozen pop-overs ; the number one can eat is limited onl}' by capacity. BUCKEYE POP-OVERS. 2 cups sweet milk, 2 eggs, 2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 saltspoon salt. "Warm the butter in the milk, add salt and stir in the eggs and flour. Bake in very hot cups or gem pans 20 minutes in a quick oven. POTATO CAKE. 1 cup mashed potato, 1 saltspoon salt, 1 cup sweet milk, 1 teaspoon baking powder. Add flour to make a stiff batter. Butter the spider well and 46 PUFFS. when hot put in the cake and cover closely. Turn it once and serve as soon as done. GRAHAM PUFFS. 1 quart milk, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 pint graham flour, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 pint wheat flour, 3 eggs. Beat eggs well, add milk, and pour on to the flour, to which salt and baking powder have been added. Beat hard for 1 minute, pour into hot gem pans, and bake in a quick oven from 20 to 30 minutes. PUFFS — 1. 1 teacup milk, 1 saltspoon salt, 3^ teacup flour, 1 egg. Mix flour and salt, and stir into the milk and egg. Pour batter into the gem pans and bake 30 minutes. PUFFS — 2. 1 pint milk, 1 tablespoon butter, K pint flour, 3 eggs, 1 saltspoon salt. Beat eggs thoroughly, add the salt and melted butter and stir in the flour and milk. Have gem pans or stone cups very hot, and bake in a quick oven 20 or 25 minutes. RAISED PUFFS. If the wheat bread is light enough for the oven at breakfast time, have ready some hot lard in a deep kettle ; with the thumb and two fingers pull out some of the dough quite thin, and cut it some 2 or 3 inches in length ; as these pieces are cut, drop them in the lard and fry like doughnuts. To be eaten like biscuit or serve in a vegetable dish with a dressing of hot cream seasoned with pepper and salt. BOSTON RICE CAKES. 1 cup hot rice, 3 eggs, 1 tablespoon butter, Salt to taste, 4 tablespoons flour. Boil a cup of rice, and while hot stir into it butter and salt. Beat the whites and yolks of eggs separately, and stir them into the rice. Thicken with flour, and bake in muflSn rings or on a delicately greased griddle. WAFFLES. 47 WAFFLES. 1 pint milk, 1 saltspoon salt, }4 cup butter, 3 eggs. Melt the butter in the milk, and when cool, add the well-beaten yolks and salt, stirring in the flour graduallj'. Beat well and add the stiflf whites. The batter should not be beaten after the whites are in. Bake immediately. CORN MEAL WAFFLES. 1 pint sour milk, 1 teaspoon butter, 1 cup corn meal, 1 teaspoon soda, 2 eggs. Scald the meal ; while hot add lard or butter, then the other in- gredients, and flour enough to make a not too stiff' batter. Bake over a very hot fire. QUICK WAFFLES. 2 pints milk, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 cup melted butter, 6 eggs, 4 teaspoons baking powder. Make a soft batter of the milk, butter, and flour with the salt added, add the well-beaten 3'olks, then the whites, and, just before baking, the baking powder. These are good with fewer eggs. PLAIN WAFFLES. IK pints cold milk. 1 saltspoon salt, 1)4 pints flour, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 4 teaspoons butter, 3 eggs. Melt the butter in the milk, put salt and baking powder into the flour, mix all well together; add last of all the eggs, very thor- oughly beaten. This recipe can be used for rice or hominy waf- fles b}' adding 1 cup of either boiled rice or hominy. Remember in the case of mufHns and waffles, as well as bread and rolls, that if moist flour is used, more must be added to the amount named. RAISED WAFFLES. 1 pint milk, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons butter, /< cup yeast. Warm the milk and butter together ; beat the eggs and add them alternately with the flour ; stir in the 3'east and salt. When risen, heat the irons and butter them, pour in some of the batter and brown on both sides. Butter and serve with or without sugar and cinnamon. An CKULLCRS* RICE WAFFLES — 1. 1 quart flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, 2li cups milk, 1 tablespoon butter, I cup boiled rice, 1 teaspoon salt, }4 cup yeast, 2 eggs. Melt the butter in the milk, add 1 egg, well beaten, with sugar and salt. Mix the rice very thoroughly, and stir in the flour and yeast. Beat well and let rise over night, or if set in the morning, all day. Add 1 egg, well beaten, before baking. RICE WAFFLES— 2. IK pints boiled rice, 1 teaspoon salt, 1>^ pints flour, 1 tablespoon butterf 1 cup sour milk, 1 teaspoon soda, 3 eggs. Beat eggs and sugar together, adding the melted butter, and rubbing in the rice and salt. Stir soda into the milk, and add with the flour. Mix well and bake immediately. CRULLEKS AND DOUGHNUTS. Directions for boiling fat. — Put into a rather deep kettle 2 or 3 pounds lard or beef suet, prepared for boiling. The article to be cooked must be completely covered. Test the heat of the fat. When it simmers, throw in a bit of bread ; if it browns directly, the fat is hot enough ; if it burns set the kettle on the back of the stove. Should there be danger of burning while cooking, drop into the fat a piece of raw potato. Doughnuts, like fritters, should cook in 8 minutes. If the bit of dough used to test the heat is slow in rising to the surface, wait till the heat has increased. Make the dough as soft as can be handled. When done, drain well in a skimmer and place in a colander, or lay for a moment on a piece of soft, thick paper. The use of eggs prevents the dough from absorbing fat. Doughnuts should be watched closely while frying. After using the fat cut a potato in slices and put in the fat to clarify it, place the kettle away until the fat settles, strain into an earthen jar kept for this purpose, and set in a cool place. Fry in an iron kettle, the common skillet being too shallow for the purpose. Crullers are better the day after the^^ are made. If lard is not fresh and sweet, slice a raw potato, and fry before put- ting in the cakes. CRULLERS. ^g PREPARED SUET. Use only beef suet, which is quite cheap, cleanly and healthy. Buy nice, whole, clean leaves, and cut them in small pieces, put into a pot, which will hold ten pounds, add a pint of water, and after the first hour stir frequently ; it takes about three hours with a good heat to render it Drain through a coarse towel, and if the suet is good it will require but little squeezing, and leave but little scrap or cracklings. Put to cool in pans or jars. It is cheaper and more wholesome than lard. Save also all the fat from beef, both raw or cooked. Put in a frying pan with just enough water to keep from burning. Cook over a slow fire till all is melted. After a few minutes add a few slices of potato, let stand 5 min- utes, take off the fire to settle, and strain it into jars. Fat pre- pared in this way will keep a long time, if covered closely after using from it. CRULLERS — 1. 5 tablespoons melted lard, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 4 tablespoons sugar, 3 eggs Powdered sugar. Beat the eggs with sugar and cinnamon ; add the lard, and flour enough to roll out one-half inch thick. Use as little as possible in preparing for boiling. Cut them in any shape desired. Drop carefully into the lard, turn them when ready, and as soon as cooked lay on brown paper. When dry, powder with sugar. These are very nice if not made too stiff. CRULLERS — 2. 1 cup sugar, 4 eggs, % cup butter, Flour. Rub butter and sugar together, add the well-beaten eggs, and flour ; make very soft, and roll out one-half thick. Make into anj^ fancy shape. Boil in the hot fat, and when dry sift powdered sugar over them. CRULLERS — 3. 2 tablespoons sugar, Pinch of soda, 2 tablespoons cream or butter, Pinch of salt, 2 eggs. Mix cream or butter and sugar, add salt, the well-beaten eggs and soda, flavor to taste, and stir in sufficient flour to roll out one- 50 DOUGHNUTS. half inch thick on the board. Use as little flour in handling as possible, and fiy immediately. CREAM DOUGHNUTS. 1 cup sour croam, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon soda, 3 oggrs. Beat sugar and eggs together, add cream and soda, salt, any spice desired, and Hour enough to roll out. Cut in circles with a double cutter, and drop into the boiling lard. COMMON DOUGHNUTS. 1 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons lard and butter, 1 oup milk, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 1 salt spoon salt, 3 eggs, Nutmeg or cinnamon to taste. Eub butter and sugar together, add milk, salt, spice, the eggs, well beaten, and just enough flour to roll out one-half inch thick. Cut in circles, or long pieces to twist and fry in boiling lai*d. DOUG HN UTS. 3 cups sugar, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 cup sweet milk, 1 teaspoon salt, 6 cups flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon. 3 eggs, 3 teaspoons baking powder. Beat eggs, sugar and butter together; add milk, spices and flour ; make sutru'iently stiff to roll out one-fourth inch in thick- ness ; cut in squares, make 3 long incisions in each square, lift up by taking alternate stilps between the finger and thumb, and ch'op into hot lard. riECRUST DOUGHNUTS. 1 teacup sour dough, 3 eggs, ^4 cup sugar, 1 saltspoon salt, }4 teaspoon soda, U nutmeg, Flour to make stiff dough. The sour dough used for wetting is prepared as follows: Save the bits of pie crust left from baking, add just enough sweet milk to cover, and put in a warm i>laee to become sour. When the doughnuts are mixed, rolled and cutout, let tliem lie on the board until they begin to rise, then fry in boiling lard. The dough must be as soft as can be easily handled. FRITTERS. ^i CANNED CORN FRITTERS. 1 ponnd canned corn, 1 teasiwon salt, 1 cup sweet milk, 3 eggs, 3 teaspoons baking powder. Beat eggs thoroughly, stir all the ingredients together, adding enough flour to make a stiff batter. Fry like other fritters. Serve without a sauce. CREAM FRITTERS. IK pints flour, 6 eggs, 1 pint milk, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 pint cream. Nutmeg. Beat whites and yolks of the eggs separately, add 3'olks to the milk, then the flour, salt, the whites, and lastly the cream. Stir the whole enough to mix the cream ; fry in small cakes. FRUIT FRITTERS. 1 cup flour, 1 tablespoon melted butter, 1 cup fruit juice or milk, 2 eggs, Pinch of salt. Beat whites and 3'olks of the eggs separately ; mix yolks with the flour and salt, stirring in milk and butter till a smooth batter the consistency of thick cream is formed. Then add the stiflfly- beaten whites. Dip fruit in this and boil in lard. Apples should be al)out half cooked before using, otherwise they will be but par- tially cooked when the fritter is done. HOMINY FRITTERS. 1 cup boiled hominy, 2 eggs, I cup flour, 1 saltspoon salt, K cup milk, 1 teaspoon baking powder. Beat eggs and salt, add the hominy and milk well mixed, and the flour into which the baking powder has been sifted. Drop in spoonfuls into hot lard, and fry to a rich brown. Serve with lemon sauce. LEMON FRITTERS. yz pound flour, ^ pound eggs, K pound sugar, 8 tablespoons milk, Juice and }4 grated peel of a lemon. Beat well the yolks of the eggs, add the flour and milk ; beat whites stiff with the sugar, lemon juice and some of the yellow peel grated off, or extract of lemon. Beat the whites well into 52 FRITTERS. the batter and proceed to cook. Have plenty of good lard, heated slowly; just as it begins to smoke, after bubbling, drop in. by spoonfuls enough fritters to fill the vessel without crowding. The cold batter will lower the temperature of the fat sufficiently to keep it at proper cooking heat. The fritters will begin to brown very quickly, and should be turned with a wire spoon. If they begin to color dark brown, check the heat immediately. If these directions are followed accurately, they may be lifted from the fat and laid upon a napkin or folded paper comparatively free from grease. Fritters bear a bad reputation, but when properly made, and eaten occasionally for a change, are quite as wholesome as many of the dishes recommended as food for dyspeptics. ORANGE FRITTERS. 1 cup flour, 1 tablespoon oil or melted butter, 1 egg, j4 teaspoon salt, }^ cup water, Valencia oranges. It is better to prepare the batter, except the whites of the eggs, on the morning before the day the fritters are to be made. Put the flour into a bowl, add the beaten yolk of the egg, salt, and oil or butter, with water enough to make a rather thick fritter batter. This part of the batter French cooks think improved by standing two or three days. Just before using, add the white of 1 egg, beaten as stiff as possible. Then cut the oranges across in circles ; remove the yellow peel and the seeds from each, but do not take the pulp from the inner skin ; leave the orange circles together in a dish. Coat each slice of orange completely in the batter, and plunge it at once in boiling fat. As soon as the fritters are browned well lift them out of the fat, with a wire spoon, to drain. Lay them for a moment on coarse brown paper, such as bakers use, to absorb the fat on the outside of the fritter. Dredge them with powdered sugar, and serve at once, with a little cut lemon and powdered sugar. ORANGE, PEACI OR PINEAPPLE FRITTERS. 2 cups flour, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 cup lukewarm water 'A teaspoon salt, 2 eggs. Melt butter, add to the vater with salt and the well-beaten FRITTERS. 53 yolks ; stir in the flour, and just before using add the whites beaten stiflT. Peel and quarter small, sweet oranges and lay in sweetened cream, add a little gi*ated orange peel to the batter be- fore frying. Peaches should be pared, pitted, and halved before putting into the cream. Pare the pineapple, pick in large pieces from the core and drop into the cream. The fruit should lie in the cream 1 hour before putting into the batter preparatory to fry- ing. Cover the pieces of fruit with the batter and drop into boil- ing hot lard. Fr}' till delicately browned. Take up on coarse brown paper, la}^ off on a platter, sift powdered sugar over them and serve at once. OYSTER FRITTERS 1. Make batter as for Plain Fritters and use the oyster liquor in- stead of milk. Omit the salt. Dip 03''sters in the batter, and boil in lard, sei-ving at once. Lay slices of lemon on them as served. OYSTER FRITTERS 2. Make batter as in No. 1, but chop oysters and mix in batter in- stead of frying whole. Less flour will be needed in the batter, for it must be quite thin. Cook and serve as in No. 1. PARSNIP FRITTERS. Scrape and lay in cold salted water half an hour. Put in salted boiling water, and cook till tender. Allow from 30 to 45 minutes for 3'oung parsnips, and from 15 to 30 minutes longer if old ones. If old, peel and split before boiling. When cooked cut in finger strips, dip in batter, the Plain Batter recipe is good, and fry till well puffed and brown in very hot and deep lard. The batter should be stiff enough to hold its shape when dropped from the spoon. PEACH FRITTERS. If fresh, peel, stone, and halve the peaches. Spread sugar over them and grated lemon peel if liked. Set away 2 hours in a cov- ered dish. Make batter for Fruit Fritters, using the juice or S3Tup from the canned peaches in place of milk. Dip the peaches singly in the batter. Cover well and fry in the boiliug fat. When a fine brown take out with a wire spoon and place on brown paper in 54 FRITTERS. the open oven. Serve with powdered sugar, or a fruit sauce. Either fresh or canned peaches may be used. PINEAPPLE FRITTERS. Pick or grate fresh pineapple. Spread over with sugar and set away 2 hours. Take juice of this, or syrup of canned pineapple for the liquid used in making the batter for Fruit Fritters. Stir pineapple into the batter and fry in boiling lard. Serve with a fruit sauce made of sugar, raisins, and sliced bananas. POTATO FRITTERS. 2 cups mashed potatoes, K teaspoon salt, K cup flour, 2 eggs, 4 tablespoons butter, }4 pint milk. Melt butter and mix with potato; stir all the ingredients to- gether, adding whites of the eggs last. Have a stiff batter. Drop very carefully into the lard so the batter will not break in falling. queen's FRITTERS. 1 cup hot water, 1 tablespoon sugar, yi cup butter, 1 slice of lemon, 1 cup flour, 3 eggs. Boil butter in hot water with sugar and lemon. After boiling a few minutes, skim out the rind and be sure that there is a cup of water left ; if less than that, add sufficient to make it up, and while boiling, beat in the flour. Stir until smooth ; take off the stove and when cool stir in the eggs, one at a time, without beat- ing. Drop the batter from a spoon into boiling lard. Fry to a nice brown. These will puff up beautifully, and are delicious with maple syrup. RICE FRITTERS 1. 2 cups boiled rice, 4 tablespoons milk, 1 saltspoon salt, 2 tablespoons flour, 3 eggs. Beat 3"olks of the eggs well, add the milk, stir in the flour smoothly, and add all to the rice, stirring it in well. Beat whites to a stiff froth and add last. Dip the batter up in spoonfuls and drop into hot lard. Brown well on both sides, take up with a wire spoon, and lay on brown paper or a wire sieve, for a moment, to drain off the fat. Serve hot, with sugar or syrup. FRITTERS. 55 RICE FRITTERS 2. 2 cups milk, 2 tablespoons butter, 2 cups boiled rice, 2 tablospoous sugar, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon baking powder. Mix the ingi-edients together, adding whites of eggs last, enough flour being used to make a stiff batter. Drop from a spoon into boiling lard and fry a nice brown. RICE FRITTERS 3. 1 cup boiled rice, 2 teaspoons butter, 1 cup flour, }4 saltspoon soda, 1 cup milk, % grated lemon peel, >^ cup Zante currants, 3 eggs, }4 cup sugar. Grated nutmeg. Mix, adding sugar to the flour and stirring in lemon peel, cur- rants, and a little nutmeg just before boiling. ALABAMA RICE FRITTERS. 1 pint milk, 1 quart flour, 1 cup boiled rice, 4 eggs, 3 teaspoons baking powder. Make into a batter; drop by spoonfuls into boiling lard, and serve with the following Sauce : 1 pound sugar, 1)^ cups water. Stick of cinnamon. Boil until clear. Serve. SQUASH FRITTERS. IX cups milk, }4 teaspoon salt, 1)4 cups winter squash, % saltspoon soda, 1 egg. Flour for thick batter. Mix as previously directed, add the smoothly mashed squash, just before the whites. Beat the mixture till very smooth. Fry as for other fritters. These are very nice. VANITIES. 2 eggs, Pinch of salt, y^ teaspoon rose-water. Beat eggs, stir in salt and rose-water, add sifted flour till just thick enough to roll out, cut with a cake-cutter, and fry quickly in hot lard. Sift powdered sugar on them while hot, and when cool put a teaspoon of jelly in the center of each one. Nice for tea or dessert. 56 GEIDDLE CAKES. CORN OYSTEES 1. 1 quart grated corn, 3 eggs, 3 grated crackers, Pepper and salt. To the com add the eggs and crackers, beat "well and season with pepper and salt ; have ready in skillet butter and lard or beef drippings in equal proportions, hot but not scorching ; drop in little cakes about the size of an oyster, for this purpose using a tea- spoon ; when brown turn and fry on the other side, watching con- stantly for fear of burning. If the fat is just the right heat, the oysters will be light and delicious, but if not, heavy and soggy. Serve hot and keep dish well covered. It is better to beat whites of eggs to a stiff froth and add just before frying. CORN OYSTERS 2. 1 pint grated corn, 2 eggs, 3^ cup cream, Pepper and salt, yi cup flour, K teaspoon baking powder. Stir cream into corn, add baking powder' and flour with salt and pepper to taste ; last the well-beaten eggs. Fry in butter, drop- ping the batter in spoonfuls. Serve very hot with meats. GRIDDLE-CAKES. Use, if possible, a soapstone griddle. Though more expensive than iron, it is nicer, as it requires no greasing. If an iron grid- dle is used, grease with a piece of fat salt pork on the end of a fork. Have the griddle hot before beginning to fry cakes. Beat griddle-cakes thoroughly to ensure their perfection. Separate the eggSj whipping the yolks to a thick cream, and adding the whites beaten to a stiff froth just before baking. Try a little of the bat- ter first, to be sure it is all right, and the griddle of the required heat. Allow one tablespoon of batter to each cake. Buckwheat batter may be poured from a cup, or dip out carefully with a large spoon, placing it when emptied in a saucer. If ^ the cakes are doughy inside, the griddle is too hot ; if dry and tough, it is not hot enough. Buckwheat cakes must be light, thick and spongy. Many prefer to bake them without stirring after the batter has risen. Never turn griddle-cakes the second time while baking. When done lay in a pile on a hot plate. GRIDDLE CAKES. 57 BATTEE CAKES. 3 cups sour milk, 3 tablespoons butter, 3 cups flour, 2 level teaspoons soda, 3 eggs, 1 teaspoon salt. Beat yolks of the eggs, add salt and melted butter, milk, and the fidur into which the soda has been sifted, and the whites just before baking. Sweet milk can be used with 3 teaspoons baking powder. This makes three dozen cakes. Less eggs and more flour can be used if desired. BATTER CAKES WITHOUT MILK. Mix either flour or cornmeal with warm water until of the con- sistency of cream, then put in a warm place where it will sour. Add bread crumbs from time to time, also dough left from cook- ing, bits of butter, and once in a while a little yeast. In the morning take as much as is needed for breakfast cakes, add salt, soda and enough flour to make the batter thicker than when eggs are used. These cakes are very nice. BUCKWHEAT CAKES. Buckwheat flour, when properly ground, is perfectly free from grits. The grain should be run through the smutter with a strong blast before grinding, and the greatest care taken through the whole process. Adulteration with r^'e or corn cheapens the flour, but injures the quality. The pure buckwheat is best, and is un- surpassed for griddle cakes, but as some do not like the simple flavor of the buckwheat a variety of recipes will be given. BUCKWHEAT BATTER. 1 pint warm sweet milk, 1 cup yeast, 1 pint warm water, 2 teaspoons salt, 5 cups buckwheat flour. Put one-half the liquid 'in a stone crock, add buckwheat flour and beat well till smooth; add the remainder of the milk and water, and lastly the yeast. Or use the same ingredients and pro- portions, adding 2 tablespoons molasses or sugar. Water may be used instead of milk and water. 58 TOAST. LEMON TOAST. 1 pint milk, 3 tablespoons flo«ir, 2 eggs, 1 saltspoon salt. Make dry toast. Dip the slices in this batter, then fry quickly on a oriddle. Put into a deep dish, wetting each slice with the following sauce, and pour the remainder over all. Sauce. 3 eggs, whites, Lemon jnice, K cup sugar, 1 cup boiling water. Beat the eggs thoroughly, add the sugar, juice of 1 lemon, and stir into the boiling water. Serve hot. MENNONITE TOAST. 1 pint sweet milk, Pinch of salt, 3 eggs. Beat the eggs well, add milk and salt ; cut slices an inch thick from a loaf of baker's bread, remove crust, dip slices into the eggs and milk, fry like doughnuts in very hot lard or drippings, till a delicate brown, butter and sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve hot. queen's toast. Add to 1 cup of sweet milk 2 tablespoons sugar, a little salt and a well-beaten egg ; dip in this slices of bread ; if dry, let it soak a minute, and fry on a buttered griddle until light brown on each side. Serve, if desired, with mixed cinnamon and sugar. This is a good way to use dry bread. scrambled toast. 1 gill milk, 1 teaspoon bntter, Pepper, 1 saltspoon salt, Parsley, 8 or 10 eggs. Put butter in a frying pan on the store, add milk, salt, peppec, and a tablespoon of minced parsley. When it boils, break into it the eo-gs. Beat, and stir them around until well mixed. Have gome slices of toast dipped in hot milk, salted, peppered and but- tered, and laid on a flat dish. Spread the scrambled eggs on top of the toast, and serve at onoe. THOUGH it is true of some oook^ that, like poets, they are "born, not made," it is equally true that the great majority must learn how to cook. While admiring the genius that from as much sugar as liked, a piece of butter, a few eggs, a little cream or none at all, a pinch of salt, a dust of spice, just enough soda> all the flour needed, evolves the most delicious dishes, do not try to imitate. Ordinary mortals must be content to follow- a given recipe exactly, provided it comes from a reliable source, and bring experience, common sense, education and observation to bear upon the making and baking of bread and cake ; in fact, use brains to direct in all departments of cooking, as well as in other work. General directions : Butter, eggs, and flour should all be fresh. Very salt butter should be cut into bits and freshened in cold water. The so-called cooking butter should never be used, as heat develops its bad qualities. Keep eggs in a cool, dry place. The whites and yolks of eggs should be beaten separately, the yolks till they become frothy, and the whites so stiff that they cannot slip on the platter or dish when turned on its side. This requires more beating than to turn the plate upside down while the whites do not fall. Shake a little salt orer the whites after separating them ; set in a very cool place, and the beating will be more easily and quickly done. Unused whites must not be beaten ; they will keep for several days if set in a cool place. Unused yolks will keep for several days if thor- oughly beaten and set in a cool place. The white or yolk of a medium-sized egg weighs 1 ounce, a fact that it is convenient to know, as sometimes the white or yolk of -1 or more eggs is wanted from several that have been put away together. Flour should al- ways be sifted before using, and it ought to be dry. In using new flour for either bread or cake-making, it can be ripened for use by placing the quantity intended for baking in the hot sun a few hours, or before the kitchen fire. More or less flour may be needed, 59 6U CAKE. according to the climate, or the kind of flour used : new-process flour requires one-eighth less than other brands. Soda should be dissolved either in a little boiling water, or by beating 1 minute in the milk. Cream of tartar and baking powder should always be sifted into the flour. Great exactness should be used in their measurement. Regarding milk, note this : Sweet milk makes a cake that cuts firmly, like pound cake ; sour milk makes a light, spongy cake ; baking powder, or cream of tartar and soda are used with sweet milk, and with sour milk onl}^ soda. It may be remarked in gen- eral, that anything that can be made with sour milk is better made with sour cream or buttermilk, using a trifle less shortening. Use powdered sugar for delicate cakes, and granulated or ' ' Cof- fee A " for all other kinds. These are the best and most econom- ical. Some advise brown sugar for dark cakes ; if used, buy the best in order that it may be as clean and dry as possible. Unless otherwise specified, the term "sugar" in the recipes of this book refers to granulated sugar. Wash raisins thoroughly in warm water, it will not injure them, and after draining, spread them out to dry. A large quantity can be thus cleaned and kept for use in a jar in a dry, cool place. To stone or seed them, pour hot water on, let stand a few minutes, and cut with scissors or a sharp knife. The process is quick, and the seeds come out clean. Citron should be cut in thin slices and short lengths. Wash currants in as many waters as necessary to thoroughly clean them. An easy way is to put them into a coarse sieve, and set in a large pan of warm water ; stir constantly until the stems are broken off and have passed through the sieve, and the water is clean from dirt. Eub in a cloth and spread on platters to dry, stirring occasionally. Blanch almonds by pouring over boiling water, let stand a moment, drop in cold water, and slip off the loose skins. Pound with a little rose-water to prevent oiling. Select only fresh, soft figs for cooking. In grating lemons or oranges, use only the yellow part of the rind. CAKE. 61 Cocoanut, either dessicated or the nut, should be very fresh. It is unfit for use otherwise. To prepare cocoanut, cut a hole through the meat at one of the holes in the end, draw off the milk, pound the nut well on all sides to loosen the meat, crack, take out meat, and set the pieces in the heater or in a cool, open oven over night, or for a few hours, to dry, then grate ; if all is not used, sprinkle with sugar, after grating, and spread out in a cool, dry place, and it will keep for weeks. Spices are much purer if ground in a spice-mill at home, but care must be used to thoroughly powder them. Choose a time of day for making cake when least liable to interruptions. Be exact in weights, or measurements, and careful that no in- gi'edient is omitted. It is as important to attend well to the baking as the making of the cake ; much, even more, depends on it. Have a steady fire. Use coal or hard wood. Ordinarily it will not be necessary if the fire is rightly prepared to add fuel during baking, but if it should be needed in a wood stove, add wood in small quantities, for if the heat slackens the cake will be heavy. Most cake requires a mod- erate heat ; however, in baking fruit cake, which requires many hours, the oven must be slow or the cake will burn. When a sheet of white paper browns delicately in the oven at the end of 5 minutes, the heat is right for sponge cake. Jelly and layer cakes require a hot oven in order to bake quickly. Careful attention is needed to prevent the edges from burning. Many test ovens in this way : If the hand can be held in from 20 to 35 seconds, or while counting 20 or 35, it is a quick oven ; from 35 to 45 seconds IS moderate, and from 45 to 60 seconds is slow. Sixty seconds is a good oven for large fruit cakes. The light or heavy plate of the stove affects the temperature of the oven, and 20 seconds in one oven may mdicate what would be 30 or 35 in another. Each cook must ascertain the qualities and capabilities of her own stove, in order to do good work. After putting cake into the oven do not open, at least for 10 minutes, except for layer cakes. Open as seldom as possible, and with some cakes, never. Be careful no draughts of cold air from open window or door strike in. Move 62 CAKE. cake very carefully if necessary to turn, and shut the door gently in order not to jar it. The directions given for regulating the heat of the oven in baking bread apply to cake. Do not try a cake to see if it is done, until sure it is done. Allow about 30 minutes for each inch of thickness if in a quick oven, and more time in a slow one. Test with a broom splint or knitting-needle, and if the dough does not adhere, it is done. Settling away from the pan a little, and stopping its singing, are other indications that the cake is ready to leave the oven. When removed, set the cake, while in the pan, on an inverted sieve to cool ; this secures a free circula- tion of air all round it, and cools it evenly. Set away, always right side up. A tin chest or stone jar is best to keep it in. Coffee cake should be put away before it is cold, and so closely wrapped in a large napkin that the aroma will not be lost. Before beginning to mix the cake see that the fire is well under way. Grease the tins thoroughly with a little lard or butter ; the latter has a tendency to blacken the surface. Line the bottom with paper ; for fruit cake use from 4 to 6 layers of paper on the bottom, and 1 or more on the sides of the pan, if tin or iron is used. Butter the paper next the cake. It is preferable to use a large earthen pan for fruit cake, and the turk's-head pan, the one having a funnel in the center, is especially desirable for all cakes requiring a long or very uniform baking. Prepare all the ingredients for use. Have ready a large earthen mixing bowl, which is much better than tin. Sift salt, baking powder, or cream of tartar and spice into the flour. Take a little of the measured flour and sift lightly over the fruit to be used. Have the flour browned previously for dark cakes. Break and separate the eggs and beat the yolks. Bub the butter and sugar to a cream with a wooden or silver spoon, or until it looks very light and is of a creamy consistency. If the bowl is warmed this can be more easily done, but avoid melting the butter ; add the frothy yolks, and a little flour, beating steadily, then one-half of the milk, if called for, more flour, the remainder of the milk, and the flour. Beat thoroughly, that is, till well mixed, then cut and fold in the previously beaten whites, so that they shall be well in- corporated with the mixture. There are 4 processes used in mak- CAKE. 03 ing cakes or working with eggs, and they are indicated by their names, stirring, beating, cutting, and folding. The last two should always be used where the whites of the eggs are particularly necessary either in cakes, creams or jellies. Though spice is mixed with the flour, flavoring, such as extracts or juices, should be added just before baking. Add fruit after all other ingredients. If but little fruit is used, it can be dropped in layers while putting the mixture in the pans. The pans should be filled only two-thirds full, leaving room for the cake to rise. Cookies, gingersnaps, jumbles and wafers require a hot oven to bake quickly. If they become moist by keeping, heat well a few minutes. To cut cake while warm, let the knife be hot. Ordinary unused writing paper, the clean side of a letter, the blank paper from a newspaper publishing oflSce, or smooth, light brown paper like manilla, not too heavy, are all suitable for lining cake tins. The usual kitchen measurement for a cup is a one-half pint, and it will be so understood in this book, except when otherwise indi- cated. angel's food. 11 eggs, whites, 1 cup flour, 114, cups granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon flavoring. Sift the flour 4 times, then add the cream of tartar and sift again, but measure before putting in the cream of tartar ; sift the sugar and measure it ; beat the eggs to a stiff froth on a large plat- ter ; on the same platter add the sugar, then the flour, beating lightly all the time. Add the flavoring last, and do not stop beat- ing until put into the pan to bake. A pan with a tube in the cen- tre should be used. Line with paper, using no greese, and fill not more than three-fourths full. Bake in a moderate oven about 40 minutes. Test with a broom splint and if too soft let remain a few minutes longer. Do not open oven till cake has been in 15 minutes. When done, turn upside down to cool. Take from pan when cold, and ice the bottom if desired. 64 CAKE. ALMOND, HICKORY NUT OR COCOANUT CAKE. 1 pound sugar, 1 teaspoon soda, 1 pound flour, K teaspoon salt, 1^ pound butter, 1 grated cocoanut, or 4 eggs, 1 pint hickory nuts, or 1 cup sour cream, 1 pint blanched almonds. Mix all thoroughly, grate in the white part of a cocoanut, or stir in 1 pint of hickory nuts, or blanched almonds pounded. BEAUTIFUL CAKE. 6 eggs, whites, 3 cups sugar, 1 cup butter, 3 cups flour, 1 cup sweet milk, 2 teaspoons baking powder, Flavor with rose or almond. BLACK CAKE 1. 13 eggs, 1 pound citron, 1 pound sugar, Yt. nutmeg, 1 pound flour, 1 teaspoon mace, 1 pound butter, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 3 pounds raisins, 2 tablespoons coffee, 3 pounds currants, 3 tablespoons rose-water, yi pound finely chopped fresh figs. Rub the butter and sugar together, add yolks of the eggs, part of the flour, the spice and whites of the eggs well beaten ; then add remainder of the flour, the coffee, rose-water, and fruit, ex- cepting citron ; mix thoroughly. Line sides and bottom of an 8 quart pan with buttered paper, putting 3 layers of paper on the bot- tom ; put in the mixture adding the sliced citron in alternate lay- ers. Bake 4 or 5 hours in a slow oven. BLACK CAKE 2. 6 eggs, 1 teaspoon mace, 3^ cup butter, 1 teaspoon cloves, 2 cups brown sugar, 3 pounds raisins, 3 cups flour, browned, 3 pounds currants, 3 cups sweet milk, Yt. pound citron, 3 tablespoons molasses, 1 teaspoon soda, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 3 teaspoons cream of tartar. Bake 3 hours. CAKE; 65 Caram.el, }4 pound brown sugar, }i cup milk, }i pound chocolate, scant, Butter size of an egg, 3 teaspoons vanilla. Mix thoroughly, cook till thick, adding the vanilla after it is taken from the fire, spread on the cake and set in the oven to dry. CHOCOLATE CAKE — 1. 7 eggs, yolks, 1 cup sweet milk, 1 cup butter, 4 cups flour, 3 cups brown sugar, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 9 tablespoons Baker's chocolate. This may be baked as a layer cake, making a white cake of the whites of the eggs, baking in layers, and putting them together with frosting, alternating the layers. CHOCOLATE CAKE 2. 2 cups sugar, 2)4 cups flour, 1 cup butter, 5 eggs, reserving 3 whites, 1 cup sweet milk, 2 teaspoons baking powder, This makes 2 flat cakes. Icing. 3 eggs, whites, 6 tablespoons grated chocolate, lyi cups powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla. MARBLE CHOCOLATE CAKE. White part. 1 cup sugar, 2 cups flour, large, }i cup milk, 4 eggs, whites, % cup butter, 2 teaspoons baking powder, Stir the sugar and butter to a cream, add the milk slowly, the flour sifted thoroughly with the baking powder, and last the whites of the eggs beaten stiff. Darh part. % cups sugar, 1% cups flour, %. cup butter, small, 4 eggs, yolks, K cup milk, lYz teaspoons baking powder, 7 tablespoons grated chocolate. Put in pans alternately 1 large spoonful of the white and daark. 66 CAKE. RICE SPONGE CAKE. 1 cup white sugar, 5 eggs, 1 cup rice flour. Flavor to taste. Beat all together 20 minutes, bake one-half hour in a moderate oven. SCOTCH CAKE. 2 cups butter, 4 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs. PHIL SHERIDAN CAKE. 16 eggs, whites, 1 cup butter, 4 cups powdered sugar, 1}^ cups sweet milk, 5 cups sifted flour, 1 teaspoon soda, 3 teaspoons cream of tartar. Dissolve the soda in the milk ; stir the sugar and butter to a cream, add whites of the eggs beaten to a stiff froth, the flour, then the milk and soda ; stir several minutes, and add the cream of tartar and flavoring. This makes a large cake. SNOW CAKE — 1. >4 cup butter, K cup sweet milk, 1 cup sugar, 4 eggs, whites, 1}4 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, Flavor with lemon. SNOW CAKE 2. 10 eggs, whites, 1 cup flour, 1}4 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, Flavor to taste. Beat the whites to a stiff froth, sift the sugar lightly over them, and stir well, add the flour and cream of tartar sifted together, and flavor. SNOWBALL CAKE. 1 cup white sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, % cup butter, Flour, }4 cup sweet milk, Flavor with lemon, 3 eggs, whites, A little citron sliced very thin. Cream the butter and sugar, add the milk gradually, stirring well, then the whites, beaten stiff ; sift the baking powder into 1 cup of flour and stir in slowly, then the citron and flavoring, and enough more flour to make nearly as stiff as plain cake. Bak© in lloaf. CAKE. 67 CARAMEL CAKE. }i cup butter, >^ cup sweet milk, 1 cup powdered sugar, 4 eggs, whites, IX cups flour, 1 teaspoou baking powder. Bake in layers. Filling, zyi cups C sugar, % cup cream, 1 tablespoon melted butter. The particular part is in making and applying the filling or cara^ mel. Boil all together in a clean smooth skillet, stirring only a little to prevent scorching. To ascertain when it is cooked enough, let a drop fall into a cup of cold water ; when it rubs to a pasty condition between thumb and finger, take from the fire and stir to the consistency of veiy thick molasses, when it may be placed be- tween the layers and over the top and sides, forming a most deli- cious cake. CHOCOLATE CARAMEL OAKE. IK cups sugar, 23^ cups flour, % cxi'Q butter, 3 eggs, K cup milk, 2 teaspoons baking powder. Bake in jelly tins. Caramel. 1 pint brown sugar, K cake chocolate, X cup milk or water, Butter size of an egg. Boil 20 minutes, or until thick enough, and spread between the cakes while warm. For the frosting of top of cake use: 2 eggs, whites, 1 teaspoon vanilla, \%, cups sugar, 3 teaspoons grated chocolate, heaping. CHOCOLATE CAKE. 2 cups sugar, 4 cups sifted flour, 1 cup butter, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 cup milk, 5 eggs. Resei-ve 3 of the whites for frosting. Bake in 3 layers in deep jelly tins. Frosting. \% cups powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 6 tablespoons grated chocolate, 3 eggs, whites. 68 FILLINGS FOR CAKE. FILLINQS FOR LAYER CAKE. APPLE JELLY. 1 large tart apple, 1 egg, 1 cup sugar, 1 lemon, juice and rind. Grate the apple and the rind of the lemon, add the other ingre< dients and boil the jelly about 5 minutes. CINNAMON JELLY. 2 eggs, yolks, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 level tablespoon cinnamon. COFFEE FILLING. 1 tablespoon cream, 3 eggs, 2 heaping tablespoons cornstarch, 3^ cup sugar, 1 cup strong black coffee. Add the cream and sugar to the coffee, and heat ; when boiling hot add the cornstarch dissolved in a little cold coffee, and let boil 3 minutes. Then pour slowly over the well-beaten eggs and stir rapidly. If not thick enough set over boiling water and stir till the eggs set a little, but not long enough to curdle. Spread be- tween the layers and ice with Coffee Icing. Use Mocha and Java coffee mixed. ICE CREAM FILLING. 1 pound almonds, Sugar to sweeten, 1 pint thickest sweet cream. Flavor with vanilla. Beat the cream until it looks like ice cream, make very sweet, and flavor ; blanch and chop the almonds, stir into the cream, and put very thick between each layer. PEACH FILLING. Cut peaches in thin slices, prepare cream by whipping, sweet- ening and adding flavor of vanilla if desired, put layers of peaches between the sheets of cake, pour cream over each layer and over the top. This may also be made with ripe strawberries. WHIPPED CREAM FILLING. Use any recipe for nice la3'^er cake, and put the parts together with whipped cream. ICING. 69 ICING. Keep the eggs in a very cold place. Break the whites on to a platter or large shallow dish. Allow one small cup or one- third pound of powdered sugar to the white of an egg. Beat the whites thoroughly before adding, gradually, the sugar. The length of time required for beating depends on the coldness and freshness of the eggs. Some experienced cooks advise putting the sugar di- rectly into the whites and beating all together. It is claimed, icing 80 made does not crumble easily. If a soft icing is desired add one-fourth pound of sugar, or ten teaspoons of spgar and one of cornstarch to the white of each egg. Cake can be iced while warm ; in the case of fruit cake, it is better to leave it until with- in a few hours before wanted, as icing will turn yellow by staniding. Allow the whites of two eggs for a large cake. Remove the loose parades from the cake with a cloth, and dust with Sour. Flavor tcing Just befbre using ; if lemon juice is preferred, estra sugar will be needed for the additional liquid. To color icing, use either cochineal, a red jelly or strawberrj'^ syrup for a pink, strong coflfee for amber, and the strained juice of an orange, in which has been soaked the rind, for a delicate yellow. There are fruit syrups and powders which give almost an}'^ color desired. Powdered or con- fectioner's sugar should always be used except for boiled icing ; for that the granulated is better. Remember to beat the eggs en- tirely in one direction, that is, from left to right, or right to left ; do not change the order while beating. It is as important here as in cake making. Put the cake on a smooth, flat surface, where it can be undis- tm*bed, with a layer of clean white paper under it. Drop a large spoon of icing on the center of the cake, and spread smoothly with a knife dipped in hot water to prevent sticking. Work as rapidly as possible to do it well. When finished set the cake in a cool place to harden. It is nice, when the frosting is almost cold, to take a knife and mark the cake in slices. Any ornaments, such as gum drops, candies, orange flowers or ribbons should be put o& while the icing is moist When dry ornament with piping, which te a stiff icing squ^esed through a pap^ funnel, and may be tinted with colored sugars. 70 icrN». ALMOND lOING. % pint powdered sugar, 3 eggs, whites, 3^ pint sweet almonds, 1 teaspoon lemon or vanilla. Blanch the almonds by putting them in boiling water, stripping off the skins, and spreading upon a dry cloth until cold ; pound a few of them at a time in a mortar till well pulverized ; mix cai-e- fully tJie whites of the eggs and sugar, add almonds, flavor, and dry in a cooi oven or in the open air when weather is pleasant. BOILED ICING. 3 eggs, whites, 4 tablespoons hot water, 1 large cup sugar. Boil the sugar and water briskly for 5 minntes, or until it threads when dropped from the end of the spoon. Then, with left hand, pour the boiling syrup upon the beaten whites in a small stream, while beating hard with right hand. This is an excellent frosting. If preferred, add one-half pound sweet almonds blanched and pounded to a paste, or 1 cup of hickory nut meats, chopped fine, and it will be perfectly delicious. This amount will froat the top of two large cakes. BOILED ICING FOR LAYER CAKE. 4 eggs, whites, % pint boiling water, 4 cups sugar, 1 teaspoon cream tartar, 1 teaspoon vanilla. Boil the sugar and water till clear as syrup and pour over the whites beaten stiff ; stir until it is a stiff cream ; add cream tartar and vanilla. This is nice for filling. BOILED ICING V7ITH0UT EGGS. }4 cup milk, 1 teaspoon butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla. Boil all 10 minutes, or till a little thick, and spread on cake. BOILED ICING WITH BAISINS. 1 cup sugar, 4 tablespoons water, % cup raisins, stoned, and chopped fine, 1 egg, white. Boil the sugar and water till it will thread from the spoon ; pour on to the beaten egg, and work with an egg beater till thick enough to spread on the cake. Take out enough for the top layer, and with the rest mix the raisins ; spread between the layers. ICING. 71 ICING — 3. 1 lemon, juice, 1 pound powdered sugar, 4 eggs, whites, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon sifted white gum arabic. Beat the whites stiff and add the powdered sugar, then the corn- starch, gum arabic, and lemon juice ; beat all well together and spread on cake. LEMON ICING. To the juice of 1 lemon, strained, add sugar till it is thick enough to spread well. Put on cake and dry in a cool place for 1 or 2 hours ; another layer can be added if desired. SIMPLE ICING. Measure out a cup of granulated sugar ; add 5 tablespoons of water ; stir the water and sugar together till the sugar dissolves, but do not stir afterward. Let boil till it ropes — that is, till a little taken up with a teaspoon forms a continuous string, instead of falling in drops like a thin liquid. Have the white of 1 egg beaten thoroughly. Let one pour the thick s^Tup into the white of the egg while another beats it. Beat for 2 or 3 minutes till thick and creamy. Pour instantly over the cake to be iced, as it will harden in a few moments after it is cold. TUTTI FRUTTI ICING. 3 cups sugar, K pound almonds, chopped fine, )4 cup water, % small cup large raisins, 2 eggs, whites, A little citron sliced thin. Boil the sugar and water till the syrup is waxy ; pour it over the beaten whites, and beat till cool j then add almonds, raisins and citron, and spread on the cake. WINDOM ICING. yi sheet Russia isinglass, 1 pound pulverized su^ar. }^ cup boiling water, ^ cup raisins. Bissolve isinglass in water, stir in sugar, then raisins, seeded and chopped. Beat weD. YELLOW ICING. 1 egg, yolk* 9 heaping teaspoons powdered sugwr. Vanilla to flavor. Use the same day as made, for it is nice only wh^i fresh. 72 COOKIES. COOKIES AND JUMBLEB. In mixing cookies avoid using mor« flour than necessary t© roll out the dough, as it makes them hard. In such a case woik in a little milk or melted butter. Flour the rolling pin, board and the cutter to prevent sticking. See that the dough is rolled out evenly, in order that the cookies may bake evenly. Bo not crowd them in the pan, that they may keep their shape. Let the pan be of sheet iron, or use a piece of sheet iron the size of the oven. Turn- it when the cookies are half baked. The oven should be hot. They should bake in 10 minutes unless rolled very thick; jumbles re- quire about 15 minutes. A nice " finishing touch" can be given by sprinkling them with granulated sugar and rolling over lightly with the rolling pin, then cutting out and pressing a whole raisin in the center of each ; or when done a very light brown, brush them over while still hot with thick syrup of sugar and water, sprinkle with currants and re- turn to the oven a moment. Graham cookies can be made by using the most valuable recipe, substituting graham flour where white flour is called for, and making them a little less stitf than usual. Use flour when rolling them out. Ada's sugar cakes. 3 cups sugar, 3 eggs, 2 cups butter, 1 teaspoon soda, Flour sufficient to roll. COOKIES. 1 cup butter, K teaspoon soda, 2 cups sugar, 2 eggs, 1 cup water or sweet milk, Flavor with lemon or vanilla. Just enough flour to roll. CHEAP COOKIES. 1 cop sugar, 1 tablespoon butter, }4 cup milk, K teaspoon soda, 1 egg. Flavor, Flour to roll. If desired 1 tablespoon of ginger or cinnamon can be added to this recipe. COOKIBS. 73 O&ISP CMX>EIES. 1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 3 eggs, 1 teaspoon soda. S teaspoons cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon nutmeg, Flour to roll. Spread a little sweet milk over each cookey, sprinkle with sogsu* and bake in a quick oven. CRISP COOKIES WITHOUT SODA. 1 pound flour, 5 eggs, 1 pound sugar, ^ pound butter. Flavor with nutmeg or lemon. Beat the butter and sugar to a cream, add the yolks, well-beateii whites, flour, and flavoring. Roll thin and bake in a quick oven. 2 cups sugar, 1 cup milk, 1 cup butter. EGOLESS COOKIES. X teaspoon soda. Flavor, Flour to roll. FRUIT COOKIES 1. 1}4 cups sugar, 1 cup butter, 1 cup currants, 1 cup raisins, chopped, X nutmeg, grated, Bake in a moderately hot oven. 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon allspice, 1 teaspoon cloves, 1 teaspoon soda. Flour to roll thin. FRUIT COOKIE S- 2 cups sugar, 1 cup sour cream, % cup butter, }4 cup raisins, }4 cup currants, }4 cup citron. 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon cloves, 1 teaspoon allspice, Flour to mould firm. Seed and chop the raisins, chop the citron fine ; roll one-fourth inch thick, and watch carefully while baking or they will burn. PREMIUM GRAHAM COOKIES. 3 cups sugar, 1 egg, 1 cup sour milk, 1 teaspoon soda, 1 cup butter, or lard, Graham flour to make a soft dough. EoU thin and bake in a hot oven. 74 ©INQER BREAD. ALUM GINGER BREAD IH pounds butter. Water to dissolve alum, ^ pound soda, Flour to make stiff, 3^ cap sweet milk, 3 tablespoons ffinger, if desired, 1 teaspoon alum, ( 1 egg, 1 gallon molasses or strained < An equal qvantlty of srvroet honey, ( cream. DissQlvG the soda in the milk, and the alum in just enough water to cover it, use flour to make dough stiff enough to roll out*, put the molafises in a votj large dish, add the soda and butter melted, then all the other ingredients ; mix in the evening and set in a warm placje to rise over night; in the morning knead it a long time like bread, roll into squares one-half an inch thick, and bake in bread pans in an oven heated about right for bread To make it glossy, rub over the top just before putting it into the oven the well-beaten egg and sweet cream, stirring cream and egg well to- gether. This ginger bread will keep an unlimited time. The recipe is complete without ginger, but it may be used. Over 50 years old, and formerly used for general muster days. EXCELLENT GINGER BREAD 1. 1 cup sugar, 5)4 cups flour, 1 cup butter, 6 eggs, 1 cup buttermilk, 2 teaspoons soda, 2 cups molasses. Ginger and cinnamon to tasta. BXOELLENT GINGER BREAD 2. 2 Qggs, }4 teaspoon gingea*, }^ cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamoa, 5^ 6up N. O. molasses, % teaspoon soda, % Qnp cream, Hot water to dissolve soda, }i ©up sour milk. Flour. Stir together the sugar and well-beaten yolks, add the molasses, cream and sour milk, and mix thoroughly ; add ginger, cinnamon, and enough flour to make as stiff as plain cake ; then stir in thor- oughly the whites beaten stiff, and the soda dissolved in hot water. This is more difficult to make successfully than plain cake. If it is too thin, it is liable to fall ; and if too stiff it is not so good. Bake in 2 deep tins, and serve while warm. GINGER SNAPS. GINGER DROPS. K cup sugar, 2 eggg, K cup butter, 2 teaspoons soda, 1 cup mol&ssea, 1 teaspoon ginger, 1 cup boiling water, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 2H cups flour, 1 teaspoon cloves. Dissolve the soda in the boiling water, add the egga, well beaten, just before baking. Baked in gem pans, or as common ginger bread, and eaten warm with a sauce, they make a nice dessert. GINGER SNAPS 1. 8 ounces butter, 2 teaspoons ginger, 4 ounces sugar, 1 teaspoon cloves, 6 ounces preserved orange peel, 1 teaspoon soda, 1 pint molasses, 2 tablespoons boiling water. 1 pound and 6 ounces flour. Dissolve the soda in the water, soften the butter and mix it with the sugar and molasses, add the spices, orange peel and soda, beat well and stir in the flour ; flour the board and roll the paste as thin as possible, cut in circles and bake in a very quick oven. This quantity makes one hundred and twenty-nine snaps, about three inches across. GINGER SNAPS 2. 1 egg, X cup boiling water, 1 cup molasses, 1 tablespoon soda, level, 1 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon ginger, 1 cup butter and lard mixed, Flour to mould out rather soft Roll thin and bake quickly. GINGER SNAPS 3. 6 pounds flour, 1 quart molasses, 13^ pounds butter, 4 ounces ginger, 1% pounds sugar, 1 nutmeg, grated. Cinnamon to taste. GINGER SNAPS 4. 2 cups N. O. molasses, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 cup butter and lard, 2 teaspoons soda, 1 cup white sugar, 3 tablespoons water, 1 teaspoon ginger, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1 teaspoon allspice, Flour. Mix all together except flour and sugar ; add flour to make stiff, then the sugar, make in a roll, cut off small pieces, flatten them 76 NUT WAFERS. slightly, place in tins 1 inch apart and bake in a moderate oven. When cold, put in a covered jar, let stand a few days and they are ready for use. MOLASSES COOKIES. 2 cups N. O. molasses, 1 teaspoon soda, 1 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon ginger, X cup butter, 3 eggs, X cup cold water, Flour to roll out. Do not roll too thin, bake in a quick oven. PEPPER NUTS. 1 cup citron, chopped fine, 1 teaspoon soda, 1 teaspoon ground pepper. Hot water to dissolve soda, 4 eggs, Flour to mould into small balls. NUT WAFERS. 1 cup brown sugar, X teaspoon salt, 1 cup nut meats, 2 tablespoons flour, 3 eggs. Beat the eggs thoroughly and add the sugar, salt, flour and nut meats. If not stiff enough to drop in a firm mass, add more flour, and drop in small quantities on well-buttered paper. Bake about 5 minutes in a quick oven. Confectionery THE '< sweet tooth" of the world has not only created a d». mand for candies, but requires them to be made from pure materials, and according to scientific methods. The secret of suc- cessful candy-making lies in understanding the action of heat upon sugar, and the effect of certain things on boiled sugar. A sugar boiler's thermometer is desirable in home work, if candy is to be frequently made and in a considerable quantity. The exact degrees of heat for producing certain results can then be easily as- certained. In order to help all who wish to make candy, the 5 degrees Fahrenheit used by confectioners will be given, and as far as possible, the directions for testing without a thermometer. 1st. The Smooth : 215 to 220 degrees F. 2iid. The Thread : 230 tc 235 degrees F. 3rd. The Feather ; 240 to 245 degrees F. 4th. The Ball : 250 to 255 degrees F. 5th. The Crack i 310 to 315 degrees F. The Smooth degree indicates a thick syrup ; dip the stem of a clay pipe into the syrup, and if it feels oily to the touch the degree is reached, and may be used for crystallizing purposes. The Thread is known when the syrup, taken from the pipe by the thumb and finger, parts quickly and hangs in small threads. The Feather is indicated by the greater tenacity of the thread, so that it can be drawn out in long, fine hairs, without breaking. Cream for chocolate candies and fruits is taken from sugar at this degree. The Ball degree is reached when on drawing the pipe through the sugar and dipping it into cold water, the sugar dropping from it can be worked like putty. This is used in makmg cocoanut can- dies, icing, and almost any variety of grained candies. The Crack must be tested in like manner; the sugar must leave the pipe clean, and when dipped in water, and bitten, must break oflP sharply without sticking to the teeth. The soft and hard Crack 77 78 CONFECTIONERY. are its fii'st and last degrees. Beyond this point the sugar turns yellow and rapidly crystallizes, and when tested in water shows softer, and more brittle. If allowed to boil to 320 deg. F. it reaches a point called Caramel, and must not be allowed to remain longer on the fire. Caramel is used for coloring candies, and mak- iug brown sauces and gravies. Sugar boiled to the Crack is used for making drops, rocks, toflSes, and all clear candies. Sugar boiled beyond 250 degrees will grain in a hard lump. Cream of tartar prevents this by cutting the grain. Its action makes the sugar easily worked while warm, and transparent when cold. One quarter ounce or two teaspoons of cream of tartar is sufficient to use with eight pounds of sugar. Let the fire be firm and steady, before putting on the sugar to boil, so as not to need additional fuel ; the quicker the boiling is through, the better is the color and durability of the sugar. If it should catch at the bottom of the pan, lift it off, and shake a few ashes over the fire. Dark sugars require longer boiling and are very liable to burn. Let the heat be applied only to the bottom of the pan ; otherwise particles may be burned on the sides and spoil the whole material. In making caramels, the hotter the fire, the lighter the color ; and the smaller the quantity, the finer the flavor. For a small quantity use a small pan in cooking, as there is less danger of burning ; it must be large enough to allow for the expansion of boiling without the con- tents running over the sides. Caramels are a delicate confection, and require careful attention. Fruit candies are much finer when made from pure fruit juices aud not from extracts. All color and flavoring, except chocolate and nuts, is put in after the boil is re- moved from the fire. In pouring candy on to the slab or platters, never scrape the pan or allow any of the scrapings to fall into the material. Avoid stimng or disturbing sjTup that is intended for clear candies. Grease plates or slab with perfectly fresh, sweet butter or the finest olive oil. For boiling sugar use a granite saucepan or one made of bright copper. For stirring, a wooden spatula is preferable to a silver spoon. Have a large hook placed firmly in the wall in a convenient place for pulling candy; also keep waxed paper in which to wrap caramels or other candies. Two confectioners' pouring plates, or a marble slab, will be a great CONFECTIONERY, 79 convenience, and improve the nicety of the candy. A pair of sharp scissors will be very helpful. The first step in the manufac- ture of all boiled candies is the same, and consists of cooking the sugar to such a consistency as will enable it to be easily handled, and used in any form desired. Unless otherwise indicated, granu- lated sugar is intended to be used in the accompanying recipes. The following is a good foundation recipe for all boiled candies, whether cream or clear : 2 pounds sugar, 1 pint water, X teaspoon cream of tartar= Put the sugar and water in a saucepan over a steady fire, and stir till well dissolved. If any impurities rise after passing thi'ough the first boil, skim at once, as great cleanliness is neces- sary to nice candy. Stir no more. Boiling a few minutes reduces the mixture to a perfect solution, which is called simple syrup and can be used for crystallizing fruits. To make rock candy, boil the syrup until it hangs in soft threads ; if allowed to cool then, crys- tallization will take place on the sides of the pan. If, instead, the boiling is continued until the syrup on being tested in cold water, stretches out in a long fine thread, or can be worked with the fin- gers, cream candies or cream can be made ; it must be quickly re- moved from the fire and either poured on a slab or set away in the saucepan to cool rapidly. When cool enough to bear the heat with the hand, work it with the spatula as fast as possible, until it becomes white, stiff, smooth, and shining. If taffy or clear candy is desired, add cream of tartar at the Feather point and continue boiling to the Crack degree. The greatest skill is required to bring the sugar to this point without allowing it to reach the cara- mel state. If the sugar, on testing in cold water, becomes brittle and snaps when bitten, it is done ; add the desired flavor, and pour out the boil on a well-oiled pan or slab, and when nearly cold mark in three-quarter inch squares with a knife, or a regular caramel cutter. If instead of a clear, a white candy is desired, when the mass is cooled suflSciently to handle, throw it over the hook, pull out, throw over again and again, taking a fresh hold each time and letting the sugar slide into the bulk eac/j time a fresh hold is taken- The sugar should be white and pcrous when done, and of go CONFECTIONERY. a satiny appearance. The fine color and nice appearance depend upon tlie rapidity of the operation. If the sugar sticks, dust the palms of the hands with a little flour. "Practice makes perfect" in this art. If the mass becomes cool and stiff, hold it near the fire until softened sufficiently to continue working. The bulk of candy is increased by working, though it weighs no more than the clear varieties. For clear stick candy, pour the mass, after coloring and flavoring, into square tins to a sufficient depth for the thickness of the stick. When cool enough to retain its shape, cut with a spatula, or a chopping knife, marking as desired. When cold a light stroke will separate it at the lines. For round sticks, roll the mass into a cylindrical form, draw down, pull out, and cut off at the desired length. To make drops, give the mass an oval shape, draw out, and cut off with a quick blow by a sharp knife, as fast as possible ; or pour the candy while warm, drop by drop, on greased tins. For white sticks, or drops, color the mass before cooking, but work the flavor into it when pulling, as it must go through that process be- fore cutting into the desired shapes. All pulled or worked can- dies are flavored during that operation. Butter is used in making ice-cream, milk or cream in caramels, and brown sugar in many nut candies. If confectioners' sugar is called for, buj^ the best, for though mixed with a little starch, because of its adhesive qual- ity, it is not harmful, but the inferior grades are badly adulterated. Gum arable is used in making marshmallow and other varieties of paste, also in gum drops. To candy nuts : first prepare and warm them, that they may be ready for the boiling sugar. Boil cream of tartar in the sugar, and take off a little under the Crack ; drop in the nuts, a few at a time, take out and lay on a cold plate till set. It is necessary to work rapidly. If a darker shade is desired, let the sugar pass the crack and begin to turn yellow. Work must be very rapid after this point. To candy fruits : take sugar prepared as for nuts, and use oranges, grapes, cherries, or any fruit from which the juice does not run too freely. Great care must be used in preparing them. CONFECTIONERY. 81 and discard any fruit aavina: the least break. Peel and quarter oranges, and let dry a few hours, so as to take out the seeds with- out starting the juice. Dip into the candy, and lay on an oiled plate. Break grapes into bunches of two or three, dip, and when well coated with the sugar, hang on a line, or treat as oranges. Cherries are prepared in a similar manner to grapes. Though the preference is given to the boiled sugar for creams be- cause of its finer quality and durability, full directions will be found for the uncooked creams. Many prefer this method as it is more rapid and easier than the boiling process. The basis of all uncooked candies is a cream made of confectioners' sugar. To the whites of two or more eggs, add exactly an equal quantity of water, and stir in slowly enough sugar to make a firm, soft paste, easily moulded by the fingers. Flavor to taste, mould into balls, lozenges, squares, or any forms wished, and la}'' upon waxed paper to dry. Part of the cream can be put aside for use with figs, dates, or nuts ; another part can be flavored with fruit juices ; some can be used with jellies, and melted chocolate will make the balls into nice chocolate creams. These are but few of the uses to which it can be put, and an ingenious worker can manufacture all the varieties desired. Flavoring extracts must be used in very small quantities. Cocoanut, if from the nut, should be prepared the day before using. Small quantities are more easily handled, and a second or third cream can be quickly made. COLORINa. For candies and other articles of food only harmless vegetable colors should be used. These can be obtained in paste form from many bakers and confectioners. CARAMEL. Put four ounces of sugar into an old iron or tin pan, which must be perfectly clean. Have the fire of good heat and stir the sugar with a smooth stick until it changes from a light to a very dark brown, and boils up vigorously. Draw to one side of the stove, stirring constantly lest it boil over. Add little by little 1 cup of hot water, boil slowly 4 minutes and strain. This will be a syrup and if diluted should give a clear brown color. When cold, 82 CONFECTIONERY. bottle for use. It will keep any length of time. Used to color candies, broths, sauces, etc. GREEN. Spinach green is perfectly harmless. Take a few leaves, wash thoroughly, drain off the water, pound in a mortar, and add a little salt to a cup of the juice ; put in a saucepan over the fire and stir till it curdles. Drain on a hair sieve. Press what remains on the sieve through it and mix with half the quantity of powdered sugar. Put away in a cold place. RED. 20 grains cochineal, 15 grains cream of tartar, 20 grains alum, 1 gill soft water. Mix the ingredients and boil in an earthen dish slowly 30 min- utes. Strain through muslin, or filter, and cork tightly. YELLOW. Put a little saffron into an earthen dish with a little boiling water ; let it stand on the back of the stove several hours ; when ready, strain, add sugar to make a syrup, and bottle when cold. Cream color is obtained by using a ver}" slight quantity of saf- fron. Brown sugars give a yellowish tint to candies in which they are used. Fruit juices make a nice coloring for icings and confectionery. TO CLARIFY SYRUP. Put the white of an egg into any muddy liquid or syrup, and on boiling, the impurities either rise to the surface or sink to the botr tom. RECIPES FOR CONFECTIONERY. BURNT ALMONDS. 2}4 pounds sugar, 1% pounds almonds, 1 pint water. Remove the shells but not the skins from the almonds and warm slightly before using. Boil the sugar to the ball degree, and stir in the almonds with a wooden spoon. Stir so as to keep the al- monds from sticking and detach the sugar fi'om the bottom and sides of the pan. Coat thoroughly with sugar, turning them over and over. When a crackling sound is heard, remove the pan from ^b"^. fire, and stir till the sugar appears like coarse sand. Turn out CONFECTIONERY. 33 the contents of the pan on a wire sieve, and cover with paper for 5 minutes. Then pick out the almonds, and return the sugar to the saucepan with only sufficient water to dissolve it. Repeat the first process and give almonds a second coating, being careful to keep them separated. If this should be repeated 3 or 4 times the almonds will have a thicker coating. In order to make them crinkly, boil 2^ pounds of sugar to the crack ; put the almonds into a pan and pour over them this syrup in two coats, stirring each time. Burnt almonds are often colored red. CREAM ALMONDS. Roast almonds till the meat is brown ; take cream made as for chocolate creams ; roll out in a sheet and cut into pieces 1 inch square by one-fourth inch thick ; wrap the almond smoothly in this cream. Put in a warm place to harden, and finish by crystallizing in syi'up, or, wliile moist roll in granulated sugar. GRILLED ALMONDS. 1 cup blanched almonds, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water. Dry the almonds thoroughly. Cook the sugar and water till it flies in long threads from the spoon ; throw in the almonds, cook them in the syrup, stirring occasionally. As soon as they begin to turn a pale yellow brown take immediately from the fire, or they will lose their flavor ; stir until the syrup has turned to sugar, and crystallizes around the nuts. This is a very nice French recipe. SALTED ALMONDS. 1 cup blanched almonds, 1 heaping teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sweet butter or oil. Dry the almonds thoroughly, put them in a bowl, and stir in the butter, melted, coating each one; mix thoroughly with the salt, lay on a tin plate, and place in a moderately hot oven. Shake and turn the pan occasionally. Take out when golden brown, pick out the almonds and throw away the4oose salt. Almonds pre- pared this way are delicious. POP-CORN BALLS. Boil N. 0. molasses, any quantity desired, to the soft ball; have ready freshly parched corn and put the perfect kernels into a larse tin pan ; pour over a little of the boiled molasses. Mix thor- 84 CONFECTIONERY. oughly mth forks or spoons, adding more candy as it is needed. The balls can be made of equal size by filling tightly a pint meas- ure; then empty and squeeze the corn into a firm ball with the hands. Set aside to harden when finished. CREAM BONBONS. i pound sugar, 1 cup water, Flavoring. Boil without stirring, after the sugar is dissolved, to a point be- tween the feather and the soft ball. Remove from the fire, let cool slightly, add flavoring, and rub to a cream against the sides of the pan with a wooden spoon. Roll small pieces of this cream into round or oval balls, and drop into powdered sugar before set- ting away to harden. CANDY OF ANY FLAVOR. 3K pounds refined sugar, IK pints water, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar. Mix in a vessel large enough to hold the candy when expanded by the heat ; boil over a brisk fire, taking care that it does not burn. The heat should be applied at bottom and not at the sides. After boiling 15 minutes, remove a small portion of the melted sugar with a spoon, and cool by dropping in cold water. Take a portion between thumb and finger, and if it forms a thread as it separates, the process is nearly done, and great care must be used to control the heat so that the boiling may be kept up without burning. Test frequently by dropping a bit into cold water ; if it becomes hard and brittle, snapping apart when bent, it is done and must be removed at once, and the flavoring stirred in. Then pour into shallow earthen dishes, thoroughly but lightly greased, and cool until it can be handled ; pull, roll into sticks or make into any desired shape. Or, omit the cream of tartar, and when the sugar can be worked like putty on being tried in the water, take from the fire, cool slightly, flavor, and stir to a soft but firm white cream. This can be made into bonbons, and chocolate or fruit creams. CHOCOLATE ICE-CREAM CANDY. 2X pounds sugar, 1 pint water, X pound butter, X teaspoon cream of tartar, X pound chocolate. Boil all the ingredients except the butter 10 minutes; add but- CONFECTIONERY. 85 ter ; the mass will begin to froth and will occupy double the pre- vious space ; boil to a soft crack, and pour on a well-greased plate or slab ; knead into it the powdered chocolate. When cool enough throw over the hook and pull, flavoring with vanilla while working. EVERTON ICE-CREAM CANDY. 1 lemon, IK pounds sugar, 2 ounces butter, 1}4 teacups water. Squeeze the juice of lemon into a cup ; boil the sugar, butter and water together with one-half the rind of the lemon, and when done, which may be known by its becoming quite crisp when dropped in cold water, set aside till the boiling has ceased ; stir in the juice of the lemon ; butter a dish and pour on about 1 inch thick. When cool, take out peel and pull till white. Draw out in sticks and check every 4 inches with a knife. The fire must be quick and the candy stirred all the time. ICE-CREAM CANDY. 2 cups sugar, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1 cup water, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar. Flavoring, Butter, size of a nutmeg. This must not be stirred while cooking. Boil about 25 minutes or until it hardens when dropped in cold water. Work as soon as possible after taking from the fire. Flavor while pulling. HOARHOUND CANDY. 2 ounces dried hoarhound, 3 pints water. Granulated sugar, Lemon juice. The proper method is first to make a decoction of the hoar hound. Boil 20 minutes, then strain and press off the liquid through a hair sieve. To each pint of this take 2 pounds sugar ; place upon the fire and stir till the sugar is dissolved ; when it boils add the juice of half a good-sized lemon. Boil to the hard crack, being careful to keep the sides of the pan perfectly free from the minute crystals deposited there by the steam from the boiling sugar ; this can easily be done by washing them occasionally with a wet sponge or cloth. As the sugar comes to the hard crack, pour it upon a cold, greased marble slab, and when cool enough turn in the edges and cut the batch into suitable bars or squares. A TEACHER in a well-known cooking school gives as her opinion that ever}' housekeeper should be able to make a ciitferent dessert for each dav in the year. "While a kuowledoe of thi'ee hundred and sixty-five rccipes for making desserts may not be quite as import^mt as she seems to think, there is no doubt that the majority of our cooks do not give tliat branch of their work the attention it deserves, and so great cai*e has been taken to maka this department very complete. CREAMS AND CUSTARDS. Ver}' few people know how great a variety of desserts maj h9 made from a simple combination of custard. The great se. cret in a baked, boiled or steamed cust:u"d is slow cooking. To /ittain this it is essential that the custard should be cooked in a ckish. set in boiling water, which completely ob^iates all danger of burning. The rule for custard is exceedingly simple imd need not be varied for baked or boiled custard. 1 quart fresh milk, 6 tablespoons sugar. Yolks of G oggs, 1 saltspooii salt, Flavoring. All the ingi-edients must be of the best and fi'cshest quality. The whites of the eggs can be added to the custai'd, but as they do not enrich it and are of no especial value in it, it is more eco- nomical to use them as a meringue or in white or delicate cakes. The process of making a custard is very simple, yet it is com- mon to see this dish put on the table wheyed or spoiled, because of a failure to attend to the especial minutiii^ in making it. The milk should be new and brought to the boiling point. The j'olks of the eggs should be beaten with the sugar and salt, and the boiling milk poured gi-adually over them and beaten into them, and it should then be strained. A flavor of nutmeg may be added, 86 DESSERTS. 87 or a stick of cinnamon, a portion of vanilla bean, or a little of the chipped yellow outer peel of a lemon may be boiled with the milk. For baking, pour the custard into earthen cups, set in a pan of hot wat(ir, and }>ake in a mod(;rat(}Iy hot oven; for steaming, cook fif- teen minutes over boiling water; or make into a boiled custard by stirring the custard in a double boiler till it thickens. This will take five or six minutes. The custard should be continually beaten all the time that it is cooking and until it has cooled. These custards may be made more ornamental by adding a meringue and brown- ing it lightly in the oven afterward. This is no addition, except to a lemon custard, which is nice served with a meringue flavored with lemon juice. Almost any fruit jelly or fine marmalade, or any fresh fruit, is nice served with custard. The number of delicious desserts that may be made with a foundation of cream is almost innumerable. There is something jrarticularly nice in whipped cream served with any kind of sweet fruit. Preserves of all kinds are excellent with whipped cream, yet it is comparatively rare to see them served in this way. Char- lotte Russe becomes the simplest of deserts when once the art of beating cream is acquired. This can be done with an ordinary egg whip, or a Dover egg-beater, but most persons can succeed better with a cream chum, which should be a cylinder at least three and one-half inches across, and about ten inches long. Cream can be rapidly beaten in such a chum. As the froth rises skim off on a sieve, and place over a pan to drip. There is always some cream in a quart that will not froth, and this will drain into the pan and should be used for coffee or some other purpose. It is not neces- sary U) beat cream to a froth in making ice cream, or in making desserts in which cream is used. An iced or cold rice pudding made with a mixture of whipped cream and boiled rice properly flavored is one of the best desserts made. Creams and custards should always be beaten in stone or earthen ware to ensure their essential lightness. When gelatine is used in creams, soak it for an hour in a little cold water or milk, set in a warm place ; it is convenient to place the bowl in the top of the boiling teakettle, and when dissolved, pour into the hot cus- tard just after removing from the stove. 88 DESSERTS. The ''zest" used in flavoring is the name given to sugar satur- ated with the oil of lemon or orange peel, obtained by rubbing the rind with lumps of sugar. ARROWROOT BLANCMANGE. 1 quart milk, 2% tablespoons arrowroot, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon rose-water, Salt to taste. Dissolve the arrowroot in 1 gill of milk, and heat the remainder ; when it boils add the arrowroot, stir in well and cook a few mo- ments before adding the sugar, rose-water and salt. Pour into moulds and set in a cool place. CHOCOLATE BLANCMANGE. 3 eggs, 5 tablespoons grated clioco.ate, % cup sugar, 1 quart milk, % ounce gelatine, 1 teaspoon vanilla. Soak the gelatine in 1 cup of the milk, and bring the remainder to a boil. Beat j^olks of the eggs and sugar thoroughl}^ and add first the gelatine, then the chocolate dissolved in a little of the boiling milk and stir all together rapidly. Pour the hot milk over the mixture, beat well and strain. Cook as for boiled custard, stiiTing constantly. When partly cool, add vanilla and the beaten whites. Pour into wet moulds and set on ice. To be eaten with plain or whipped cream. CORNSTARCH BLANCMANGE. 1 quart milk. Salt to taste, 4 tablespoons cornstarch, Cinnamon to taste, 4 tablespoons sugar. Jelly. Scald the milk and add the sugar, salt, cinnamon, and the corn- starch moistened with cold milk; boil 4 minutes, stirring all the while. Rinse in cold water as many cups as desired, and nearly fill with blancmange. Let them stand until cold, turn upside down on saucers or little pudding dishes, and on top of each place one -half teaspoon of bright red jell}', pour around them sweetened cream, flavored with lemon extract. IRISH MOSS BLANCMANGE. 3 quarts milk. Sugar, 1 small handful Irish moss. Cream, Wash the moss, soak 15 minutes in lukewarm water, shake dry, DESSERTS. 89 nad put into a custard kettle with the milk ; stir occasionally and cook slowly till it will jell slightlj^ when dropped on a cold plate. Strain through a sieve, sweeten to taste. Pour into a mould which has been rinsed with cold water, and set in a cool place for several hours. Eat with sugar and cream, and a little tart jelly. CHARLOTTE RUSSE — 1. X box gelatine, 3 eggs, ^ pint milk, 2 dozen lady fingers, 3 pints cream, Lemon or vanilla to taste, ^y4 pound powdered sugar, Jelly if desired. Split the lady fingers, or substitute slices of sponge cake, and line a mould. Dissolve the gelatine in the milk. Whip the cream to a froth, and set on ice ; beat the yolks of eggs, mix with the sugar and add the well-beaten whites ; strain the gelatine upon these, stirring quickl}'' ; add the cream, flavor and fill the mould. Let stand upon ice 2 hours and serve with whipped cream. The bottom of the mould may be lined with jelly. CHARLOTTE RUSSE 2. 4 eggs, whites, lj4 cups powdered sugar, 1 ounce gelatine, 1 pint thick sweet cream, 2 gills boiling milk. Rose-water or vanilla. Sponge cake. Dissolve the gelatine in the boiling milk, beat the whites stiff, whip cream to a froth and line a large mould with thick slices of sponge cake ; mix gelatine, sugar, cream and flavoring together, add lightly the frothed whites, pour into the mould and set away on ice till required for use. This is an easy and excellent mode of making this most delicate dessert. CHARLOTTE RUSSE 3. X pound powdered sugar, 2 eggs, whites, 1 pint rich cream, X teaspoon almond. Sponge cake, or lady fingers. Sweeten and flavor the cream before whipping, add the stiff whites and beat all thoroughly together ; pour into a mould lined with thin slices of sponge cake, or lady fingers, and set in a cool place till firm. 90 DESSERTS. APPLE CREAM. 1 pound cooking apples, 1 ounce gelatine, K pound sugar, 1 lemon, }4 pint cream, Little boiling water, Cochineal. Peel, quarter and core the apples, put into a stewpan with sugar and the rind and juice of 1 lemon ; set on the stove and let simmer gently. When the apples are quite soft, pass through a sieve into a bowl, put on ice till cold. Whisk the cream to a firm froth ; add gelatine melted in the water, and the apple pulp. If desired, color a little of the mixture with the cochineal, pour it in a mould and set on ice. When firm, add the white portion. Serve when cold. CHOCOLATE BAVARIAN CREAM. }4 box gelatine, l}i cups sugar, % cup cold water, 1 pint cream, ^i cup boiling water, 4 tablespoons grated chocolate, Vanilla. Whip the cream to a froth and keep cool ; dissolve the chocolate in a little boiling water; soak the gelatine in the cold water 1 hour, add the boiling water, sugar, and vanilla ; set on the stove to thicken, stir in the chocolate, remove from the stove, let cool, and beat in the whipped cream. Pour into a mould to stiffen, BOHEMIAN CREAMS. 1 quart cream, 4 eggs, yolks, 1 ounce gelatine, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 vanilla bean, or extract of vanilla. Dissolve the gelatine in water, whip one-half the cream to a stiff froth ; boil the other half with the sugar and a vanilla bean, or va- nilla extract may be added after it is removed from the fire. Add the gelatine, and when cooled a little stir in the well-beaten yolks. As soon as it begins to thicken, stir steadily until smooth, when add the whipped cream, beating lightly. Mould and set on ice until ready to serve. To flavor with strawberries, strain 2 pounds berries through a colander, sweeten to taste, add the dissolved gelatine, set on ice; when it thickens stir until smooth, add the whipped cream as above, and mould. To flavor with peach, boil 18 choice peaches, sweeten and strain DESSERTS. 91 through a colander, add the dissolved gelatine, a teacup of cream, and set on ice ; when it thickens stir until smooth, add the whipped cream, and mould. To flavor with pineapple, grate fine, boil with half a pound of pulverized sugar, strain through a colander, adding the dissolved gelatine, set on ice, and when it thickens stir until smooth ; add the whipped cream, and mould. Canned pineapples may be used instead of fresh. In all these never add whipped cream until the mass is cool and begins to thicken. BUTTERCUP CREAM. 2 cups cold milk, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 eggs, 1 tablespoon lemon, }i cup crystal gelatine. Dissolve the gelatine in the milk ; heat, and when boiling pour slowly over the beaten j^olks and sugar. Beat the whites stiff, flavor and whip into the custard, and pour into a mould. Serve with jelly. COFFEE CREAM. IX cups cream, }4 cup water, 1 cup strong, hot coffee, 3^ cup sugar, % ounce gelatine. doak the gelatine in the water till dissolved, pour it into the coffee, add the sugar, cool, strain and stir in the cream, which may be whipped or plain. Fill the moulds, and set in an ice box or cold place over night. HAMBURG CREAM. 1 cup sugar, 8 eggs, 2 lemons, juice and grated rind. Stir together the rind and juice of the lemons and sugar, add the well-beaten yolks of the eggs ; put all in a tin pail, set in a pot of boiling water, stir for 3 minutes, take from the fire, add the well-beaten whites of the eggs, and serve, when cold, in custard- glasses. ITALIAN CREAM. }i box gelatine, 8 eggs, \yi cups sugar, 2% pints milk Flavor to taste. Hoak the gelatine one-half hour in one-fourth pint cold milk, put the- remainder on to boil, and when boiling stir in yolks of the 92 DESSERTS. eggs well beaten, the sugar and gelatine ; when custard begins to thicken, take off and pour into a deep dish in which the whites have been beaten to a stiff froth ; mix well together and flavor to taste ; put in moulds, and allow 4 hours to cool. This cream is much more easily made in winter than in summer. ORANGE CREAM. ]4 pint cream, 1 lemon, 3 tablespoons sugar, 3 tablespoons gelatine, 3 oranges, K pint water. Squeeze the juice from the lemon and oranges, letting the rind of 1 orange soak in the juice of the oranges 1 hour ; boil the gela- tine in water and cool ; whip the cream to a froth, stir all together, pour into a mould and set on ice to cool. RICE CREAM. 1 quart sugar, K cup raw rice, 2 quarts whipped cream, Yz box gelatine, Yz teaspoon salt. Boil the rice in an abundance of water; when it has boiled 10 minutes pour off the water, add 1 pint of milk, put it in a double boiler, and cook for three-quarters of an hour with a little of the yellow rind of a lemon to give flavor; when done, remove the lemon peel, add the gelatine, which should have soaked 1 hour in half a cup of cold water ; add also the sugar and salt. Put in a pan of cold water and salt, and stir it till it is thoroughly chilled. Then beat in the whipped cream. The rice must be added lightly to the cream so as not to break down the froth. Pour into little cups or one large mould and set it away on the ice until it has hardened. It should be firmer than jelly. It is delicious served with strawberries and whipped cream, or a golden orange jelly and whipped cream. This is an especially ornamental dessert served in a large mould on a low glass platter, with strawberries or jelly and whipped cream wreathed around it, or if preferred, make a sauce with a cup of mashed strawberries, strained into a quart of whipped cream and properly sweetened. Let the white mould rise from the center of this sauce. DESSERTS. 93 ROCK CREAM» 1 cup rice, Jelly, 2 tablespoons sugar, 5 eggs, whites, 1 saltspoon salt, 3 tablespoons powdered sugar, Milk, 1 tablespoon rich cream, Flavor to taste. Boil the rice in a custard kettle, iu sweet milk, until soft, add sugar and salt ; pour into a dish and place on it lumps of jelly ; beat the whites of the eggs and powdered sugar to a stiff froth, flavor, adding cream, and drop the mixture on the rice. SPANISH CREAM. 1 quart milk, 4 eggs, }i box gelatine, 1 cup sugar. Vanilla to flavor. Soak gelatine in the milk for 30 minutes, heat, beat yolks and sugar together and add to the boiling milk, stir and cook until it thickens ; take from the fire, add the whites beaten very light, stirring them in thoroughly, flavor and put in a mould to cool. Or, a meringue may be made of the beaten whites, the juice of 1 lemon, and one-half cup of sugar; pour over cream and brown slightly in the oven. VELVET CREAM. yi box gelatine, }^ cup powdered sugar, }4 cup cold water, 2 cups cream, yi cup boiling water. Flavor ^yith vanilla or bitter almonds. Soak the gelatine in cold water, add the boiling water, stir till clear, and let cool. Have the cream very cold, add sugar and beat to a stifle froth ; whip it into the gelatine, flavor, put in wet moulds and set on ice. WHIPPED CREAM. To whip cream successfully, use good rich cream. Set it on ice several hours before using. Sweeten and flavor to taste, put in a large bowl and beat with an egg-beater ; as the froth rises remove to a second bowl, or if desired to be very stiff, place on a sieve and return all that passes through to the bowl to be beaten again. When the cream is not very thick, or it is difficult to whip, add to it and beat with it the white of 1 Qgg, or soak one-fourth ounce of gelatine for 1 hour in one-half cup cold milk, then set the cup of 94 DESSERTS. gelatine and milk into boiling water over a fire, and stir till dis- solved ; cool, and whip into the cream. Set it on ice or in a very- cold placCo It may be served in various ways. Baked apples, and fresh or preserved berries are delicious with it. Jelly-glasses, one-third full of jelly and filled up with cream, make a very whole- some and delicious dessert. APPLE CUSTARD — 1. 1 pint apples, 4 eggs, 1 pint milk, 1 teaspoon butter, K cup sugar, Flavor if desired. Stew tart apples and put through a sieve, mix in the proportions given and bake 20 minutes. APPLE CUSTARD 2. 8 or 10 large apples, 5 eggs, 1 quart milk, Sugar, Flavor to taste. Pare and core the apples and put in a deep dish ; fill the centers with sugar, add a very little water, and bake till done. Make custard with the eggs, milk, 4 tablespoons sugar, and a little cin- namon or nutmeg ; pour over the apples while hot and bake till the custard is done. Serve cold. ALMOND CUSTARD. 1 quart milk, 6 eggs, well beaten, 2 cups sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon extract, }i pound almonds, blanched and pounded. Mix these ingredients together and bring to a boil, take from the fire and stir till lukewarm ; put into cups or a mould to cool. If desired, cover with the whites of 4 or 5 eggs, well beaten, just before serving. BAKED CUSTARD 1. 1 quart milk, 5 tablespoons sugar, 4 eggs, Flavor to taste. Beat the sugar and eggs together, scald the milk and pour over the other ingredients, stir together well and pour into china cups. Set the cups in a pan of hot water, grate a little nutmeg upon each, or flavor with lemon or vanilla, and bake till firm. Eat cold from the cups. Or, add a little more sugar, pour the custard into a basin or pudding dish, set the dish into a dripping-pan of hot water and bake in a moderate oven. Try with a straw ; if milky DESSERTS. 95 it is not done. It should quiver like jelly when sufficiently cooked. BAKED CUSTARD 2. 1 quart milk, 3 eggs, 1 cup sugar, Nutmeg. Heat the milk, beat the eggs very light, add the sugar and nut- meg, stir all into the milk when boiling hot, strain and bake. BANANA CUSTARD. 1 Quart milk, 4 tablespoons sugar, 2 eggs, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, heaping, 3 bananas. When the custard is cool pour it over the fruit sliced thin. CHEAP CUSTARD. 1 pint milk, 4 tablespoons sugar, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons flour, Flavor with lemon or vanilla. Put the milk into a double kettle, let it come to a boil, beat the eggs and sugar, stir intx) the milk, wet the flour in cold milk, see that there are no lumps in it, then stir into the milk and cook 3 or 4 minutes. Flavor when cool. COFFEE CUSTARD. 4 eggs, 1 cup cold coffee, X pint milk, Sugar to taste. ^ook as for boiled custard. CORNSTARCH CUSTARD. 1 quart milk, 4 tablespoons sugar, 2 eggs. Butter size of a hickory nut, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, ^ teaspoon salt. Flavor. Wet the starch in a little of the milk, heat the remainder to near boiling, in a pail set in boiling water. The proper heat will be in- dicated b}" a froth or film rising to the top ; add the starch till it thickens, stirring constantly, then the eggs, well beaten with the sugar ; butter and salt ; cook, stir briskly, take off and beat well and flavor. Served with grated cocoanut it is very nice. HOMINY CUSTARD. 3 tablespoons hominy, Sugar, Salt, Flavoring, Milk, Jam or stewed fruit. To 1 pint of milk add hominy and salt; boil gently until it DESSERTS. thickens, then add more milk, cook until sufficiently thick ; add sugar, and flavor to taste. Pour into a mould and serve cold with jam or stewed fruit. ORANGE CUSTARD. 4 oranges, X cup sugar, 4 eggs, Powdered sugar, 1 quart milk. Peel and slice the oranges into an earthen dish. Sift fine sugar over each layer. Make a custard, using 2 whole eggs and the yolks of 2 more, well beaten, milk and the sugar. Flavor with vanilla ; steam until done and pour over the oranges. Beat the whites of 2 eggs and sweeten with fine sugar, pour over the cus- tard when cool and set in the oven 5 minutes. A little orange juice in the frosting improves it. If desired, leave out 1 egg and add 1 tablespoon cornstarch. RICE CUSTARD. }4 cup rice, 4 tablespoons sugar, 1 quart milk, 4 tablespoons powdered sugar, 4 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla, Pinch of salt. Put the rice in the milk and add salt ; steam until soft ; just before takmg from the fire add the yolks of eggs beaten with the sugar, and mix thoroughly ; flavor ; do not cook it any more. Pour into pudding dish and cover with the whites, beaten stiff with the powdered sugar ; brown slightly in the oven, and serve cold with tart jelly. SNOW CUSTARD. 3 cups sugar, 1}{ pints milk, }4 box gelatine, 1 lemon, juice, 1 cup cold water, 3 eggs, 1 pint boiling water. Vanilla. Soak the gelatine 1 hour in the cold water, add the boiling water, stir until thoroughly dissolved, add two-thirds of the sugar, and the lemon juice; beat the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, and when the gelatine is quite cold, whip it into the whites, a spoonful at a time. Whip steadily and evenly, and when all is stiff, pour in a mould, or in 1 dozen egg glasses previously wet with cold water; set in a cold place. In 4 or 5 hours turn into a glass dish. Make a custard of the milk, yolks of eggs, the remaindej DESSERTS. 97 of the sugar, flavor with vanilla, and when the meringue or snow- balls are turned out of the mould, pour this around the base. If desired, omit the beaten whites, and pour the jelly into the mould. Serve with the custard, or a whipped cream, or the whites, well beaten, and sweetened with 3 tablespoons powdered sugar. STEAMED CUSTARD. 5 eggs, 1 quart milk, % cup sugar, Vanilla or lemon. Put the milk over the fire in a double kettle ; when boiling, add the sugar and the eggs, well beaten. When it begins to thicken, remove from the fire, cool and flavor. Pour into custard cups and place in a steamer over boiling water. Steam until thick and firm ; cool and grate nutmeg over the top of each, if desired. STEAMED CUSTARD. Custard. 6 eggs, yofks, 1 cup sugar, 3 cups milk, % cup grated cocoanut, Pinch of salt. Steam and frost. Frosting for Custard. 6 eggs, whites, Sugar, Cocoanut. To the beaten whites add sufficient sugar and cocoanut to stiffen. GOOSEBERRY FOOL. Gooseberries, Cream, Sugar, Gelatine, Milk to dissolve gelatine. Remove stems and blossoms from gooseberries, stew to a thick pulp, sweeten to taste, and put through a sieve, if desired. Sweeten to taste and whip the same quantity of cream as goose- berry pulp, dissolve gelatine as for Whipped Cream, and add in the proportion of 2 tablespoons to 1 quart of whipped cream. Re- serve one-fourth of the whipped cream, add gooseberry pulp to the remainder gently, taking care not to break it down. Put into cus- tard glasses, and heap each glass with the whipped cream. Set on ice till served. PASTBY. As long as Americans have gained a reputation for being a pie- eating people, it is desirable that the pies themselves shall be well made. People mistake who consider pastry made with little shortening as parti cularlj^ healthj^ Crust which is tough and heavy is far more hurtful than that of a light, tender, and flaky ^imposition. Use the best materials in making pastry. Butter and lard should be sweet, fresh, and solid. Have the water ice-cold, and make the pie-crust in a cool place. It is much improved by the addition of a small teaspoon of baking powder to one quart of flour. Pastry is nicer to stand two or three hours in a cold place after making, before using, and it may be kept in a close-covered dish in an ice-chest for several days, and be improved. Some brands of flour, though better for bread, will never make good pastry, and regular pastry flour will be found cheaper as well as ncer. Brush the lower crust of the pie with the white of an egg to prevent its becoming soggy, and a sprinkling of flour and sugar before filling prevents the leaking of juices. Dredge a little flour over fresh small fruits, after adding sugar, before laying on the upper crust ; it is nicer than cornstarch, and is absorbed better in the pie. For custard pie, sift flour, one tablespoon to a pie, into the sugar, and mix well together before adding the beaten eggs. This gives the consistency desirable in serving, and does not affect the taste. The milk for custard, squash, pumpkin or lemon p?es should be hot when added to the other materials. Do not fill pies until ready to bake, and stewed fruit must be cool before using or the pastry will be sodden. Many oooks prefer in making pastry to omit some of the buttei 98 PASTRY 99 Jrom the general preparation, and cutting the paste into equal parts, roll the rest of the butter into one of them for an upper crust. Cut a piece from the other paste, roll from the center out, and cover the pie plate ; fit it well, and trim off the edges with a sharp knife. Cut off a piece from the richer paste suflScient for an upper cover, roll out and gently lay one half over the other. Cut through the fold five times near the center, in a slanting line. Fill the plate with the pie mixture, wet the top edge of the rim, lay on the upper crust, turn back the half that was doubled over, and fold the upper edges carefully over the lower ones, or press them lightly together. The edge can be ornamented with the in- dentations of a three-tined fork. Glaze a pie by brushing it over with the white of an egg before baking. Use tin, not earthen, plates in baking; dust them with flour, but never grease them. Slip the pies off to earthen ones as soon as baked to prevent the softening of the crust. A meringue is made in the proportion of one tablespoon of sugar to the white of an egg ; it should be spread upon the pie as soon as baked and returned to the oven to brown slightly. The oven is at the right heat for baking when twenty can be counted while holding the hand there, and the same temperature should be maintained throughout the baking ; this heat will give a rich brown color, and a flaky appearance to the pie. It is of great importance that the oven should be at the right and steady heat to obtain the best results for the money, time, and work expended in preparation. PUTP PASTE. — 1. 1 pound butter, 1 cup ice-water 1 pound flour, 1 egg. Wash the butter, and set on ice. Have the ice-water ready, and make the paste in as cool a place as possible. Weigh out the sifted flour, put into a large bowl, and break the egg into a hole made in the flour ; work it in handling as little as possible. Add the ice-water, making a soft paste, and roll out. Divide the but- ter into 6 parts, break 1 part into bits, and put on the paste. Dust with flour, fold paste from the sides to the center, and then in 3 layers. Turn the sides round and roll out thin j break another 100 PASTRY. part of the butter into bits and repeat the former process. In a similar way use the remaining parts of the butter, and after the final rolling and folding, set it in the ice box for 1 hour before using. E.0II the upper crust of the pie quite thick, and if a fiat earthen plate is used lay two narrow strips of paste on the lower crust around the edge of the plate. The pie will be as nice if a plainer paste is used for the lower crust. This recipe makes nice tarts and patties. All puff paste requires a strong, steady heat to bake it nicel3^ PUFF PASTE — 2. % pound butter, X teaspoon cream of tartar, 1 pound sifted flour, Ice-water. Free the butter from salt by working it in water, form it into a square lump, and place on ice to harden. Put the fiour into a bowl, and rub 2 ounces of butter very thoroughly into it ; use enough water to make this of the consistency of the butter. Place the paste on the board, dusting it under and over with fiour, and roll out in a piece 12 inches long by 6 wide; flour the butter well, and roll in a sheet 8 inches long and 5 wide. Place the sheet of butter on the paste, leaving one-half inch at the top and sides uncovered, and a large space at the bottom ; mix cream of tartar with twice the quantity of fiour, and sprinkle it evenly over the butter ; fold the large part of the paste not covered with butter over on the butter, fold the other part with the butter on it over that, to make 3 layers of dough and 2 of butter. Roll out to its original size, dust with flour, fold it as before, roll out again, dust with flour, and fold again ; repeat twice more, giving it 4 rollings and foldings ; when rolled for the last time, cut it through in 2 even pieces, and place one on the other, and the paste is ready for use. In warm weather it is necessary to place it in a cool place after every second rolling, in very warm weather after each rolling, and sometimes on ice. PUFF PASTE — 3. 3 pints flour, 2 eggs, yolks, 3 teacups butter, A little salt. Sift the flour ; make a hole in the center, add the well-beaten yolks and enough cold water to make a soft paste. Dredge the board with flour, roll out the paste, being careful to flour the roll- PASTRY. 101 fng pin and the hands. Lift the rolled paste to make sure that it does not stick. Knead the butter until it is soft and divide into 6 parts. Spread one part on the paste, fold the edges till they touch one another, roll out, spread on another part of the butter, roll again, and repeat until all the butter is used. Roll this up and lay it over ice until nearly frozen, or put it in a cold cellar. GOOD PASTE — 1. 1 cup lard, 1 cup butter, A little salt, 3 eggs, whites, 5 cups flour. Work lard and butter lightly into the flour, beat whites of eggs in the water used for mixing, add a piece of soda size of a small pea and mix. Handle as little as possible. For the upper crust, roll in a little more butter. GOOD PASTE — 2. 1 pound sifted flour, X pound lard, X pound butter, 1 cup water, 3^ teaspoon salt. Rub or cut the shortening into the flour, leaving out a little of the butter ; mix with a knife while adding the water ; roll out into a thin sheet, having board and pin well floured ; cut the remainder of the butter into little pieces and spread one-half on the paste, dredge with flour, roll up, and cut in halves ; divide one of these into 3 parts, roll these out and cover as many pie plates. Take the other half and dot with the bits of butter ; dust with flour, fold from the sides toward the center, roll thin, fold in 3 layers, and cut into 3 equal parts ; flour the ends, roll out and cover the pies. POTATO PASTE. 3 cups sifted flour, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 cup mashed potato, yi teaspoon salt, Ice-water or milk. Put the potato through a colander, and mix with the flour, but- ter and salt, adding enough liquid for a stiff paste. Roll out and use for meat pies. SUET PASTE. 2)4 cups sifted flour, 1 cup cold water, 1 cup suet, chopped fine, 1 teaspoon salt, K teaspoon baking powder. Put the salt and baking powder into the flour, adding the suel .102 PASTRY. fi'om which every bit of fibre has been removed. Kub all together with the hands, and add water sufficient to make a firm, soft dough. Roll out. Nice for apple dumplings or meat pies. APPLE PIE — 1. Select sound, tart apples ; pare and core without breaking them, allowing 4 for each pie. Put in a stewpan with a little lemon juice, a strip of yellow peel, some sugar and enough water to cook until they can be easily pierced. Quarter more apples, put them in another stewpan with lemon juice, peel, sugar, and enough water to cover ; stew these to a jam. Add a lump of butter and one- fourth the bulk of the apple in peach marmalade ; rub all through a colander. Line pie plates with good paste ; put on the bottom a layer of apple jam, set 4 whole apples in each pie, fill the cavi- ties in the apples and the spaces between with the marmalade. Put strips of the crust, one-half inch wide, in a lattice-work across the top between the apples, and trim the edge neatly with 1 or more layers of notched paste. Bake in a quick oven 20 minutes. See that it bakes evenly. Serve with cream. APPLE PIE — 2. Tart apples, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ^ cup sugar, Small bits of butter, 1 tablespoon water. Line a deep plate with crust, sprinkle with sugar and flour, fill with sliced apples ; add sugar, cinnamon, butter, and water. Cover with pastry, and bake from 30 to 45 minutes. Or, line pans with crust, fill with sliced apples, cover with paste and bake ; take off cover, put in sugar, bits of butter and seasoning ; replace crust and serve warm. It is delicious eaten with sweetened cream. Crab apple pie, if made of "transcendents," will fully equal those made from larger varieties of apples, but will require a full cup of sugar to each pie. APPLE COBBLER. 6 large apples, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, % teaspoon cloves. Pare and core the apples, and cut each into 8 pieces. Lay in a deep plate lined with paste, add sugar, spice and a little water. Cover with puff paste, and bake slowly for 1 hour. Serve with PASTRY. 103 cream, or a sauce. Peach cobbler is made in a similar way, but the spices are omitted. APPLE CUSTARD PIE. I cup sugar, Sour apples, 3 tablespoons butter, 3 eggs, 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Peel, core and stew the apples. Rub through a colander and to 1^ cups of apple add the other ingredients. Beat well together. Bake with only one crust, using the whites of the eggs with 2 tablespoons of sugar for a meringue. Brown nicely by returning it to the oven for a short time. Or, to 1 cup of strained apple add 1 cup each of sugar and cream, and 1 well-beaten egg ; mix in the given order. Flavor to taste, and bake 30 minutes in a mod- erate oven. DRIED APPLE PIE 1. Stew dried apples with a little lemon peel till soft, sweeten to taste, add a slice or two of lemon, put through a coarse sieve, stir in a beaten egg, add a piece of butter, and bake with 2 crusts. DRIED APPLE PIE 2. 1 quart dried apple sauce, 1 cup raisins, 2 cups sugar, 4 tablespoons melted butter. Flavor with nutmeg or lemon. Press the dried apple sauce through a sieve, add the other in- gredients, bake in 2 crusts and serve warm. DRIED APPLE PIE 3. % teacup mashed apple, 1 egg, 1 cup sweet cream, Sugar to taste, Flavor with lemon. Beat the apple and egg together 3 minutes, add the cream and sugar and beat 2 minutes. This makes 1 pie ; bake with 2 cruets. APPLE MERINGUE PIE. Cook tart and juicy apples, put through a colander, add sugar, and flavor to taste ; fill the crust and bake. When done cover the apple with a meringue made of the well-beaten whites of 3 eggs and 3 tablespoons sugar. Put into a quick oven till the meringue is "set," and eat cold. In their season substitute peaches for apples. 104 PASTRY. PUMPKIN PIE — 1 pint pumpkin, sifted, 4 teaspoons cinnamon, 4 eggs, 3 cups sugar, 3 pints new milk, 1 teaspoon ginger, A little butter, Salt. Warm the pumpkin, and stir in the salt, spices, sugar, and welL beaten eggs. Mix and add the milk heated sufficiently to melt the butter. This quantity makes two large pies. PUMPKIN PIE — 3. Yz pint milk, good measure, 1 ^^^^ 1 large tablespoon sifted pumpkin, X tablespoon flour, Yz cup sugar, ^ teaspoon ginger, Salt, 3 teaspoons cinnamon. Beat together the pumpkin, flour and spices ; add the sugar and well-beaten ^gg. Add milk and stir all together. This makes one pie. RAISIN PIE. 1 pound raisins, boiled an hour, Juice of 1 lemon, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon melted butter. Bake with 2 crusts. This is sufficient for two pies. The pies should be as juicy as apple pies when baked, and, if preferred, 2 tablespoons of flour may be added to the ingredients. RASPBERRY PIE 1. 1 pint raspberries, 2.^ cup sugar, A little flour, 1 tablespoon butter. Line the pan with good crust and fill with the berries ; spread over them the sugar, flour and small bits of butter. Wet the edge of the crust, put on the upper crust and pinch the edges closely to- gether. Cut holes in the upper crust to allow the air to escape. Bake one-half hour. RASPBERRY PIE 2. Line pie tins with plain crust, sprinkling flour thickly over the bottom, and if dried raspberries are used, they must previously be soaked in water until of the original size ; fill with the berries, dredge on flour, spread thickly with sugar, add a few bits of but ter, and cover with an upper crust. If a richer pie is desired, omit the top crust, and pour over 1 cup of whipped sweet cream. Bake quickly. PUDDINGS. 105 ROLLED APPLE DUMPLINGS. Peel and chop fine tart apples, make a crust of 1 cup rich but- termilk, 1 teaspoon soda, and flour enough to roll ; roll half an inch thick, spread with the apple, sprinkle well with sugar and cin- namon, cut in strips 2 inches wide, roll up like jelly cake, set the rolls in a dripping pan, lay a teaspoon of butter on each, put in a moderate oven, and baste them often with the juice. APPLE ROLLY-POLY. Peel, quarter and core sour apples, make a rich soda biscuit dough, or raised biscuit dough may be used if rolled thin, roll half an inch thick, slice the quarters, and lay on the prepared paste or crust, roll up, tuck ends in, prick deeply with a fork, lay in a a steamer and place over a kettle of boiling water, cook If hours. Or, wrap in a cloth, tie the ends and baste the sides together, put in a kettle of boiling water, and boil steadily 1^ hours. Cut across in slices and serve with sweetened cream, or butter and sugar. Cherries, dried fruit, any kind of berries, jelly, or apple butter may be used. With the last two add raisins. BANANA PUDDING. 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1 cup water, 1 heaping tablespoon butter, 2 teaspoons baking powder, Flour to make a thin, smooth batter. Bake in two deep tins. Slice 3 bananas, and place between with a sprinkling of sugar. Serve warm with thin cream. One- half of this recipe makes enough for a family of four. A slightly sour sauce flavored with vanilla is a substitute for cream. BATTER PUDDING. 2 cups milk, 4 eggs, 2 cups flour, Salt. 1 largo teaspoon baking powder, Sift the baking powder into the flour, add salt, and if liked a lit- tle melted butter, then the milk graduall}', stirring carefully, and the well-beaten eggs, yolks and whites separately. This will bake in 50 minutes. If the pudding is to be boiled, make stifl'er than for baking, and if fruit is used it must be very stiflf. It should not stick to the knife when served. Serve with a rich sauce. The batter is nicer if 6 instead of 4 eggs are used. 106 PUDDING SAUCE. PUDDING SAUCES. BUTTERLESS SAUCE. % pint powdered sugar, 2 eggs, %, gill milk, Flavoring. Put the milk into a double kettle ; when hot add the 3'olks of eggs beaten well with the sugar. Cook as custard, take off and add flavoring when cool. Just before serving mix the well-beaten whites lightly with the sauce. CARAMEL SAUCE. 1 cup sugar, Large stick cinnamon, 3 cloves, 1 cup boiling water, Lemon peel. Boil these together 10 minutes. Malie a caramel from 4 table- spoons granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons water. Cook it over a hot fire in an old tin pan ; stir with a smooth stick until the water evaporates, and it is a nice brown color. Strain the sauce over the caramel, let it come to a boil and remove from the fire. CHOCOLATE SAUCE. 1 cup milk, 4 tablespoons grated chocolate, li cup cream, 2 eggs, yolks, li cup sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla. Boil the chocolate in the milk; beat the eggs and sugar to- gether, and pour over them the hot milk ; whip in the cream, cook like boiled custard, and add vanilla after it is taken from the fire. CREAM SAUCE 1. 1 cup powdered sugar, % cup sweet cream, % cup butter, j^ cup boiling water, Flavoring. Rub the butter and sugar together, add the cream, the boiling water, and cook a few minutes in a double boiler or a pail set in boiling water, stirring constantly. Flavor when cool. CREAM SAUCE 2. 1 pint cream, }4 cup sugar, 3 eggs, whites, Nutmeg. Let the cream come almost to boiling in a custard kettle ; set off, add the sugar and grated nutmeg, with a little rose-water, if liked. Stir thoroughly, and when cool add the well-beaten whites of eggs. Set in hot water to keep warm till needed, stirring occasionally. PUDDING SAUCE. 107 GOLDEN SAUCE. 2 eggs, yolks, 3 tablespoons boiling water, 1 cup sugar. Lemon juice, Nutmeg. Beat the eggs and sugar until creamy. Set the bowl into a ket- tle of boiling water and beat steadily while pouring in the boiling water. When thick and foamy, remove from the fire, add the juice of 1 lemon, and grate nutmeg on the top of the sauce. The juice of an orange and half the grated rind may be used instead of lemon juice and nutmeg. HARD SAUCE. 1 cup powdered sugar, }i cup butter, Lemon juice, Nutmeg. Cream the butter and sugar and beat in the lemon juice. Place in a mould, set on ice, and serve when cold, grating a little nut- meg over it. This is made more delicate by adding the well- beaten whites of 2 eggs before setting away to harden. JELLY SAUCE. 1 cup boiling water, 14, cup cold water, 14, cup jelly, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 teaspoons cornstarch. Melt the sugar and jelly in the boiling water, and stir into it the cornstarch dissolved in the cold water, let it come to a boil and serve hot. LEMON SAUCE. 2 cups sugar, 2 eggs, 2 cups boiling water, 2 lemons, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1 tablespoon butter. Beat eggs, sugar, butter and cornstarch together, and pour over them the boiling water, stirring constantly ; strain and cook over boiling water until thick ; remove from the fire, and add the juice and grated rind of the lemons. MAPLE SUGAR SAUCE. 1 cup water, 4 tablespoons butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon flour. Melt the sugar in the water over a slow fire ; remove the scum ; add the butter mixed well with the fl.ourj boil 5 minutes, and serve with boiled puddings. lO.S PUDDING SAUCE VANILLA SAUCE. 1 oup milk, 1 large teaspoon vanilla, 3 eggs, 2 tablespoons sugar. Heat the milk in a double boiler, and pour over the yolks o:f eggs beaten with the sugar ; strain, and return to the kettle ; cook till it thickens, remove from the fire and add vanilla and the beaten whites of eggs. VINEGAR SAUCE. 1 cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon butter, 3 cups boiling water, 1 tablespoon vinegar, A pinch of salt, 1 tablespoon flour. Omit the water and beat the other ingredients well together. Add the boiling water, stir thoroughly and boil 10 minutes. Serve. mmiMmmi^mimimiMmimimmimimdiwiiiiimmimiiijm PURE water is the one necessary beverage, but desire or habit makes three others essential. Of these three, chocolate both nourishes and strengthens the system, and science claims that cof- fee is not only a gentle, natural stimulant, but nourishing in a small degree, while tea is stimulating and astringent. Many ob- ject to chocolate because of its hearty character, but there are various preparations which adapt it to the most delicate. Tannic acid, the injurious property in coffee and tea, is repressed or devel- oped in making. Do not make coffee in a tea-pot, or tea in one used for choco- late, but let each have its own vessel. Keep them clean, scald before using, and afterward wash in fresh water, rinse, and dry immediately. As the life of water is destroyed by long boiling or re-boiling, use only fresh-boiled water in making these drinks. Give the preference to soft rather than hard water for such purposes. Hot milk is a most refreshing and nourishing beverage, and one that cannot be too highly recommended. Directions for preparing it are given in the recipe. During hot weather, drinks made from fruits, or their juices in some form, are especially grateful and necessary to health. The acid of lime and lemon juice, and of shrubs, or the sub-acid of fruit juices, not only allay thirst, but cool the blood and supply a natural tonic greatly needed by the system. Two recipes are given for the old-fashioned root beer made by the mothers and grandmothers of the present generation. They will be found most palatable as well as healthful and invigorating. For an immediate effect when warm or cold, hungry or ex- hausted, drink is preferable to a solid food, as some time is re- 109 110 DRINKS. quired for the latter to affect the system. Cold water, not ice- water, in small quantities, is the best to allay great thirst. Hold it in the mouth close to the tonsils before swallowing, while keep- ing the palms of the hands wet and a wet cloth around the wrists. The best drinks for the other conditions are milk, chocolate and broth. COFFEE. To avoid adulteration, buy coffee in the grain, either raw or in small quantities freshly roasted. The best kinds are the Mocha and 0. Gr. Java ; mix the two, having roasted them separately, in the proportion of one-third of the former to two-thirds of the lat- ter. West India coffee, though of a different flavor, is often good. Roast coffee with the greatest care — here lies the secret of suc- cess in coffee-making — and in small quantities, for there is a pe- culiar freshness of flavor when newly roasted. Pick over carefully, wash and dry in a moderate oven, increase the heat and roast quickly, either in the oven, or on top of the stove or range ; in the latter case, stir constantly, and in the oven stir often, with a wooden spoon or ladle kept for this purpose. The cofrae must be thoroughly and evenly roasted to a rich brown throughout, and must be free from any burnt grains, a few of which will ruin the flavor. It must be tender and brittle ; to test it take a grain, place it on the table, press with the thumb, and if it can be crushed, it is done. Stir in a lump of butter while the coffee is hot, or wait until about half cold and stir in a well-beaten egg. The latter plan is very economical, as coffee so prepared needs no further clarif^ang. Keep in a closely-covered tin or earthen ves- sel. Never attempt other work while roasting coffee, but give it the entire attention. Grind fine, and only in the quantity needed, for the flavor is dissipated after grinding, even when covered. If properly roasted, coffee will grind into distinct, hard, and gritty particles, and not into a powder. Physicians say that coffee without cream is more wholesome, particularly for delicate persons. There is an element in coffee which, combining with milk, forms a leathery coating on the stom- ach, and impairs digestion. DRINKS. Ill PRAIRIE COFFEE. 1 pint corn meal, 1 pint wheat flour, }4 cup molasses, 1 teaspoon salt, Water for stiff dough. Mix, roll thin, cut out like yeast cakes ; put in a pan and dry in the oven. When thoroughly dry, brown very dark. To use, put 2 or 3 of the cakes and 1 tablespoon of the coffee in the pot, pour on boiling water, let boil and settle. RICH AND STRONG COFFEE. 1 cup best ground coffee, 1 quart boiling water, 1 egg, white, K cup cold water. Beat the white, mix with the coffee, add cold water, put in the coffee-pot and stir in gradually the boiling water. Boil 1 minute. Take from the fire and put on the hearth to settle. STEAMED COFFEE. Put coffee into the pot, pour boiling water on it ; place this pot, which is made to fit, into the top of the teakettle, and cook from 10 to 20 minutes over boiling water. This makes a clear, de- licious coffee. Some persons hold that by first wetting the coffee with cold water, bringing it to boiling point, and then pouring in boiling water, more of the strength is extracted. VIENNA COFFEE. Filter the coffee, allowing 1 tablespoon ground coffee to each per- son, and 1 for the pot. Put 1 quart of cream into a custard kettle or pail set into boiling water, where it will keep boiling ; beat the white of 1 Qgg to a froth and mix well with 3 tablespoons cold milk. As soon as the cream is hot, remove from fire, add the mixed ^gg and milk. Stir together for 1 minute and serve. Another method is to pour boiling water over the coffee, cover closely, boil 1 minute, remove to the side of the stove a few min- utes to settle and serve. Allow 2 heaping tablespoons coffee to 1 pint water. GOOD SUBSTITUTE FOR CREAM IN COFFEE. Beat well the white of an Qgg, and add a small lump of butter, whipping all together. Pour coffee over this slowly, stirring so it will not curdie. 112 n RINKS ICED TEA 1. Pi'epitre tea in the morning, making it stronger and sweeter than usual ; strain and pour into a clean stone jug or glass bottle, and set aside in the ice chest until ready to use. Drink from goblets without cream. Serve ice broken in small pieces on a platter nicely garnished with well-washed grape leaves. ICED TEA — 2. Iced tea should have no hot water poured over it, but be allowed to stand in cold water for several hours. It should be made very strong, then weakened with ice. Soft water should always be used for making tea. RUSSIAN TEA. Into freshly-steeped tea drop slices of lemon, without the seeds, in the proportion of 1 slice to 1 small cup of tea. It can be used with or without sugar, and is particularly nice if served cold with bits of ice in the cups. MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES. GINGER BEER 1. 2 ounces ginger root, 4 quarts boiling water, 2 ounces cream of tartar, 1 lemon, juice and rind, IX pounds sugar, }i cup yeast. Break the ginger root into small pieces, put in a large bowl or crock with the sugar, cream of tartar and lemon ; pour on boiling water, and when lukewarm, add yeast. Let it stand 6 hours, strain, and put up in self-sealing bottles. It should be kept in a cool place. GINGER BEER 2. 5 ounces ginger root, }4 gallon water 1 lemon, yellow peel. Ordinary ginger, tied in a bag, may be substituted for the root ; boil the ingredients one-half hour, then add 4 gallons water, ^ pound honey, 5 pounds sugar, 1}4 pints yeast, Juice of 4 lemons- MtrTiin when cold, add the well-beaten white of 1 Qgg ; let stand 4 days and then bottle. THERE is no food that contains so large a proportion of nutri- ment according to its bulk as eggs ; they are a meal in them- selves. Plain boiled, they are wholesome ; and it i* asserted on French authority that it is easy to dress them in five hundred dif- ferent ways, economical and palatable. They contain phosphorus, which is brain food, and also sulphur, which performs a variety of functions in our physical economy. That they are too expensive seems to be the excuse most often given for their non-appearance during the greater part of the year; but at twenty -five cents a dozen they are cheaper than steak at fifteen cents, or chickens at a shilling a pound, and much more healthful during the warm weather. As a food for children, eggs cannot well be excelled, as they contain in a compact form everything necessar}' to the growth of the youthful frame. Eggs are not only food but medicine. The white is very efficacious in case of burns ; and the oil from the yolk is quite a cure for bruises, cuts and scratches. A raw egg, if swallowed in time, will effectually detach a fish-bone in the throat, and the whites of two eggs are a sure and convenient anti- dote for the poison of corrosive sublimate. They strengthen con- sumptives and invigorate the feeble. Many elaborate inventions for testing the newness of eggs have been patented, but to the housewife of experience they are not neces- sary, and one lacking experience may very soon gain it. A piece of pasteboard five or six inches square, with a hole in the center, about an inch square, held in front of a strong light, is all the ap- paratus necessary for the purpose, especially for determining the freshness of lightrshelled eggs. Place the egg against the hole, and look through it ; if it is a new-laid egg it will be quite full, but after about twenty hours an air-chamber or open space can be seen at the larger end, and this gradually enlarges as the egg grows older. A bad egg will not only have a large air-space, but the contents will be seen to have a mixed appearance towards the cen- 113 114 EGGS. ter. Get a new-laid egg, and some of different ages, and look at them, and one such lesson will be sufficient. A piece of paste- board can be easily obtained, and if a lamp is not at hand, the sunlight will answer the purpose nicely, so the thrifty housewife need not pa}^ for good eggs and receive poor ones. A simpler way to examine them is to put them into a weak brine. A heaping tablespoon of salt dissolved in a quart of water will make it the right strength. Eggs that are not more than a day old will fall to the bottom of this brine ; if more than six days old they will float ; if very bad they are so buoyant as to ride on on the surface of the brine. To beat whites of eggs : Use an earthen dish, broader at the top than at the bottom, and the bottom deeper in the center than at the sides. Break the eggs gently, and allow the whites to fall in the basin while the yolks are kept in the shell. This is done by breaking the egg in the middle, opening slowly to let the white fall ; if some remains turn the yolk from one half to the other till the whole has fallen. Add a very small pinch of salt to prevent curdling, beat slowly at first, and increase the speed as the egg grows light. It is done when it will not slide on the inclined sur- face of the dish. There are few ways of preparing eggs that are really difficult, but these hints may prove helpful : A little pinch of soda should be added to all kinds of custard, and they will not whey so easily ; if hot milk is called for in a recipe, remember that it must be poured over the eggs, instead of stirring the eggs into the milk, or they will be found cooked in little strings, or have a curdled ap- pearance. This rule is reversed, however, in making soup of milk and eggs, when the stringy appearance is desirable. Where fruit is called for, be careful not to use too much juice, especially that which is stewed or canned. Try custard to determine if done by a clean broom straw or a knitting needle ; if it comes out smooth, remove the custard from the stove at once. A few directions for preserving eggs are given here : Eggs will Keep in salt or when put down in lime, but are apt to taste strong after a time, and the whites become thin and watery. The best way is to dip them in a strong solution of gum arable ; dry them, EGKiM. 115 dip again and dry thoroughly ; then wrap eacn egg in paper, and pack them in bran. Use only fresh eggs, and one will have fresh eggs in the winter when wanted. It is some trouble, but like many other things requiring time and patience, the end pays foi the work. Eggs may be preserved by rubbing them with a preparation made of equal parts of beef suet and mutton tallow melted to- gether. It should be soft enough to spread well when applied. Be sure that eveiy part of the egg is touched, and when all are greased, begin with the ones first treated, wipe them with a cloth, roll them in paper, and pack them in bran. A French method is to smear them with olive oil in which a little beeswax has been melted ; also to paint them over with varnish. Another tested way is to pack them firmly in dry sawdust, and keep in a cool, dry place. There has always existed a great dif- ference of opinion as to which end down eggs should be placed, in packing for winter use. W. H. Todd, the well-known Ohio breeder of poultry, gives what seems to be a sound reason for packing them larger end down. He says : ' ' The air-chamber is in the larger end, and if that is placed down the yolk will not break through and touch the shell, and thereby spoil. Another thing, if the air-chamber is down, the egg is not as liable to shrink away. These are two important reasons deducted from experi- ments, and they materially affect the keeping of eggs. " RECIPES FOR COOKING EOOS. BAKED EGGS — 1. Plain baked eggs make a pretty breakfast dish. Take a deep eai-then plate, butter it and break in the eggs, adding salt, pepper, bits of butter, and bake in a moderate oven. Garnish with curled parsley, and serve with buttered toast. BAKED EGGS — 2. 8 eggs, 3 tablespoons cream, Pepper and salt, Bits of butter. Break the eggs into a well-buttered dish, sprinkle with pepper and salt, add the butter and cream \ set in the oven and bake until the whites are set, or 10 minutes. Serve very hot. Grated cheese may be sifted over it. 116 EGGS. EGG BASKETS. Boil 6 eggs hard, cut nearly in half and extract the yolks ; rub these to a paste with some melted butter, pepper and salt, then set aside. Pound the minced meat of cold roast chicken, duck or turkey in the same manner, and mix with the egg paste, moisten- ing with melted butter, or with a little of the gravy. Cut off a slice from the bottom of the hollowed whites of the eggs, to make them stand ; fill with the paste, and put them close together upon a flat dish. Pour over the gravy left from the roast, heated boil- ing hot, and mellowed by a few spoonfuls of cream or rich milk. Set into the oven 5 minutes, and serve. birds' nests — 1. 1 ounce fowl or meat, Chopped parsley, }^ cup bread crumbs, Powdered thyme and marjoram, j^ pint stock, K lemon, grated rind and juice, 1 egg, 4 hard-boiled eggs. Mince the fowl or meat fine ; add bread crumbs, herbs and lemon juice, with the well-beaten egg to bind the mixture. Have the eggs warm, take from the shells and cover with the mixture. Fry them a light brown. Cut them in halves, and also cut off the end of the white, that they may stand on the platter. Have the stock hot, and well seasoned ; pour over the eggs and serve. birds' nests — 2. Boil eggs hard, remove shells, surround with force-meat ; cut in halves, fry or bake till nicely browned, and place in the dish with gravy. BOILED EGGS. Eggs cannot be too fresh for boiling, but a new-laid egg requires a little longer time in cooking than one three or five days old ; to make it particularly nice, slip it into a covered vessel of cold water, and when the water boils it will be beautifully cooked, the white delicate as a jelly, not tough and hard as when ordinarily cooked by putting into boiling water. The nicest way to eat a soft-boiled egg is from the shell. Place the small end of the egg in an egg cup. The large end should have the shell removed; then take away a small piece of the white and there is ample room for salt, pepper, and butter, which may be mixed with the egg without diflSculty. The serving, however, is a mere matter of EGGS. 117 taste, and many prefer the egg broken into an egg cup or glass. Or, send the eggs to the table in a bowl, and pour on boiling water. After 5 minutes drain, and cover with more boiling water. Serve in 5 minutes. This is a simple and healthy way of boiling eggs, and should always be used for invalids and delicate persons. Eggs for salads, garnishings, and to be eaten hard, should be boiled from 30 to 45 minutes. They are unhealthy otherwise, and the yolks when mashed will not be mealy or free from lumps. To shell them, drop into cold water a few minutes, roll on the table with the hand, and the shell will peel off easily. If they have been allowed to become cold, dip for 1 minute in boiling hot water, and proceed in the same manner. HARD-BOILED EGGS. Ham or dried beef, A little mixed mustard, A bit of butter, Hard-boiled eggs. Cut the eggs in halves, take out the j'olks, mix with the minced ham or dried beef, and season with salt and pepper ; add the mus- tard and butter. Stuff each half of the egg and stand on a hot platter. Serve hot with a Bechamel sauce. Sauce. }4 teacup sifted flour, 1 pint milk, }i teaspoon salt, 1 small onion, A little black pepper, A little parsley. Rub flour and milk smooth, boil slowly, adding salt, onion, pep- per and parsley. When thick, add butter the size of an egg and strain. Thin it with cream if necessary. BREADED EGGS. Boil 6 eggs hard. When cold, remove the shells, slice them lengthwise ; dip each slice in a beaten egg, then in fine bread crumbs, and fry in butter or boiling lard. Serve hot. EGGS BROUILLE. 6 eggs, 2 mushrooms, X cup milk or cream, 1 teaspoon salt, 3 tablespoons butter, A little pepper. Nutmeg. Cut the mushrooms into dice, fry 1 minute in 1 tablespoon of butter ; beat the eggs, salt, pepper and cream together, and put into a saucepan. Add the butter and mushrooms to these ingre- 118 EGGS. dients, stir over a moderate heat until the mixtui-e begins to thicken, take from the fire and beat rapidly until the eggs become thick and creamy. Have slices of toast on a hot dish. Heap the mixture on these and garnish with points of toast. Serve imme- diately. EGGS 1 LA CREME. Hard boil 12 eggs, and slice in thin rings. Butter well a deep baking dish, and fill with alternate layers of bread crumbs and egg slices. Sprinkle the layers with salt and pepper, adding bits of butter. Let the top layer be of bread crumbs. Cover with sweet cream and bake in a moderate oven. CURRIED EGOS. 1 pint stock, 1 cnp cream, 1 tablespoon curry powder, 2 onions, 8 hard-boiled eggs. Slice the onions and fry in butter ; add the curry and broth ; stew till the onions are tender, then add the cream thickened with rice flour and simmer a few minutes. Cut the eggs in halves or slices, lay in a deep dish, and pour over them the sauce. Set the digh over boiling water till the eggs are hot, and serve. DEVILED EGGS. 12 fresh eggs, ^ teaspoon mustard, }4 teaspoon powdered celery, Butter, size of an egg, 4 tablespoons vinegar. Boil the eggs, take off the shells and cut across in the middle ; take out the j^olks and mix them with the other ingredients ; cut a thin slice from the end of the white of the egg, so each cup will set firmly on the platter, and fill with the prepared mixture. Gramish with celery, lettuce or nasturtium leaves. Serve with thin slices of bread and butter. Or, cut the eggs lengthwise in halves, take out the yolks, mash fine and beat into them with a fork a mayonnaise or other strong salad dressing. Fill and round up each white cup with the mixture, and arrange on lettuce or cress leaves, serving with cold boiled ham. In preparing for picnics fill to the level of the sides, join the halves together, and wrap in waxed paper. RECENT investigation is said to prove that the value of fish, as a brain food, has been greatly exaggerated ; however, as fish contains little fat, a large quantity of nitrogenous matter, and is easily digested it should frequently come to the table. The abundance and cheapness of fish, also make it desirable. One of the most common objections to a fish dinner is that it is not as at- tractive as a meat one, but this may be obviated by care in cooking the fish whole, and by taste in garnishing. There are many deli- cate ways of serving fish which, with the peculiar kinds of vegeta- bles and sauces that accompany them, tempt the most fastidious appetite. Fish may be divided into two classes as follows : Salt and fresh water fish ; of which are red-blooded and white fish, rock and shell fish. These kinds may be procured fresh, dry salted, pickled or smoked. Salmon, mackerel, and blue fish, are oily and rich, and may be boiled without losing their nutritive qualities to the same degree as dryer leaner fish. Some parts of halibut, as the fins, are very rank and oily, and are improved by boiling in more than one water. Fish should never be used unless it is perfectly fresh, as some kinds are poisonous when even slightly decayed. To ascertain if a fish is fresh, press on it with the finger. If the flesh is firm, hard, and elastic, it is good ; but if the eyes are dull, and sunken, and the gills pale, it is unfit for food. The flesh of fish will often become soft, even when fresh, by keeping it in water or on ice. This should never be done unless the fish is frozen ; then it is necessary to thaw it in cold water. To keep fish cool and firm after cleaning, dry well, rub with salt, and lay on an open wooden rack, such as can be made at home, and place in a box or pan over ice, but not touching it j cover with 119 120 PISH. a box or pan to keep in the coolness. Do not put fish into the re- frigerator as it will taint the other food, especially milk, cream, and butter. Fish out of season will not be good. It is better to use something else. Of course it is impossible to name all the excellent varieties, as they differ with the locality. In the South is the shad, the sheep's- head, the golden mullet and the Spanish mackerel ; in the North the luscious brook trout, and the wonderful and choice tribes that people the inland lakes. Among the best of the fresh-water fish, sold generally in the markets of the interior, are the Lake Superior trout and white fish, and, coming from cold waters, the}^ keep best of all fresh-water fish ; the latter is the best, most delicate, and has fewer bones, greatly resembling shad. The wall-eyed pike, bass and pickerel of the inland lakes are also excellent fish, and are shipped, packed in ice, reaching market as fresh as when caught, and are sold at moderate prices. Both eastern and California salmon are shipped in the same way, and sold fresh in all cities, with fresh cod and other choice varieties fi'om the Atlantic coast, but the long distance they must be transported makes the price high. The cat- fish is the staple Mississippi River fish, and is cooked in various ways. Eels must be dressed as soon as possible, or lose their sweetness ; cut off the head, skin them, cut them open, and scrape them free from every string. They are good except in the hottest summer months, the fat ones being best. A fine codfish is thick at the back of the neck, and is best in cold weather. In sturgeon, the fish should be white, the veins blue, the grain even and the skin tender. Sturgeon is often put up and sold for smoked halibut. The skin of halibut should be white ; if dark it is more likely to be sturgeon. Smoked salmon should be fii-m and dry. Smoked white fish and trout are very nice, the former being a favorite in whatever way dressed. Select good, firm, whole fish. White fish is very nice broiled. Each of the above is better than herring. Fish should be dressed as quickly as possible in strong salt and water, and, to avoid the necessity of using much water about them, wash with a cloth wet in salted water. Wipe dry, and let lie in the cooler two hours, if possible. FISH. 121 To clean a fish, remove the scales by scraping with a sharp knife, or common iron card, from the tail to the head. Lay it on a smooth board, and scrape slowly, so as not to scatter the scales. Rinse the scraper often in a pan of water. If the fish is to be served whole do not remove the head and tail. Split it open from the gills half way down the body, and remove the entrails, scrape, and clean with a cloth. Be sure to remove all the blood near the back bone, and the sound. If the fish needs to be skinned, as do suckers, and some others, cut a thin, narrow strip down the back, removing the dorsal fin ; cut around the neck, insert the knife, and, by aid of thumb and fingers, strip the skin down toward the tail. If it needs to be boned after cleaning and skinning, begin at the tail, and run the knife up the backbone, scraping it clear of flesh, and be careful not to break the flakes. When both sides have been scraped clean, slip the knife under the large bone and remove carefully ; the small bones must be pulled out separately, leaving the flesh in shape on the board. Fish with many bones, as pick- erel, shad, herring, etc. , are not boned. A boned fish may be rolled up compactly from tail to head, and boiled, steamed, or baked. Large fish may be cut crosswise into steak. Salt fish should be soaked, at least over night, in clean soft water, skin side up ; and most salt and pickled fish are im- proved by changing water, and soaking six hours longer. Wash all salt fish thoroughly in warm water before soaking. All fish for boiling should be wrapped in a cloth kept for the purpose, and plunged into boiling water, except salmon, which should be put into lukewarm water to preserve the color, and mackerel and bluefish, which should be put on in cold water. Fish weighing two pounds should be cooked gently about twenty minutes after the water actually boils, and six minutes for each ad- ditional pound. Do not boil fish rapidly, as it breaks the flakes before the inside is done. Many prefer to steam fish, because steaming takes less from their nutritive qualities, but it requires more time. The juices of a fish are alkaline, therefore lemon, vinegar, and many of the sauces are excellent neutralizing agencies, and are often added in boiling. If one has not a fish kettle, a round of tin, pierced with holes like a colander to fit a kettle, may 122 FISH, be used. Skewer and tie the fish into the required shape. The letter S is liked, but the circle is more easily made by inserting the tail in the mouth. Lay on the round of tin, and tie all to- gether in a square of cheese cloth, or white netting, keeping the knot on top. Put into the kettle and boil the required time. A strong fork or hook under the knot will lift it out without trouble, and the fish may be slipped on the platter without breaking. To bake fish, one should have a similar tin to fit the baking pan. Put in something to hold it up from the bottom half an inch, and cover with thin slices of salt pork ; fill the fish with a dressing made as for goose, only a little drier, and sew up. Skewer and tie into shape, and lay it on the pork, place slices of pork on the fish and fasten from slipping with small wooden pins. Bake care- fully basting with melted butter, if very dry. When lifted, re- move all the pork, put on the platter, and dot with several small lumps of butter. Salmon or lake trout, shad, white fish, and pickerel are excellent baked. Oysters or white onions may be used in the dressing. Slices of lemon may be laid over the fish when it comes to the table. To broil fish, a good hard coal fire, or the coals of hard wood in a mass is needed, that the fish may not be smoked. One can cut off the head and tail of small fish and broil whole. Split in halves a fish weighing one pound or less ; cut larger fish in half, and divide crosswise to suit the broiler. Oily fish need pepper and salt, but dry ones, like white fish, need to be rubbed in olive oil or butter before broiling. Grease well a double wire broiler with pork fat, put in the fish, hold close to the coals, and turn often. The flesh side should be cooked brown. Small fish need to cook five to ten minutes, and larger fish fifteen to twenty. When the fish is very thick, to brown nicely, lay the broiler on a dripping pan and put into the oven till cooked through. The flesh will easily separate from the bones when it is done. Herrings are sometimes wrapped in buttered brown paper and broiled in a pan in a hot oven ; care must be taken that both pan and oven are very hot. Serve broiled fish with butter and pepper, and accom- pany with salad dressing and sharp pickles. Oily fish should never be fried. Dry fresh fish may be rolled \n FISH. 123 wheat or com flour, and fried quickly in plenty of hot lard. Tal^ out on a large wire receiver, and drain carefully over the pan ; add pepper and butter when it comes to the table. Frying in a bit of butter or lard is neither broiling nor frying, but partakes of the nature of both. Cook until the under side is brown before turning, or it will break. Few fish will fry in less than three minutes, and a thick fish requires considerably more time. Have fish thoroughly dry that the flour in which it is rolled may not become pasty. Stewed tomatoes or some acid sauce should be served with fried fish. Fish to be steamed should be prepared and served as if for boiling. Salt fish may be freshened, and broiled or toasted, and served with butter gravy, or simply as a relish, buttered and pep- pered. Smoked fish may be broiled or baked in buttered papers. Pickled fish may be freshened and boiled, toasted or baked. Mackerel and herring should be laid lengthwise of the platter, heads and tails alternating. Always garnish the platter, if it be with nothing more than a wreath of wild grape vine in summer, or leaves from cabbage sprouts in winter, made bright with bits of beet pickles, or slices of lemon. Fish is spoiled by waiting, there- fore remove all skewers and twine quickly and send to the table on hot dishes. One can easily select No. 1 salt mackerel, as it is marked by the dresser, at the time of putting up, with one slit with a knife at the right of the backbone inside. No. 2 has two slits, and if not marked at all they are of an inferior grade. FISH IN SEASON. Trout, white fish, pickerel, crabs, perch, etc. , are eaten the year round. Winter: Halibut, cod, haddock, flounders, white fish, smelts. September to May : Oysters, clams. May to September : Salmon. November to August : Shad, brook trout, lake trout. April to October : Mackerel, eels, lobsters. June to October : Blue fish. FISH. CLAMS. Fresh clams are heavy and their shells close tightly. To pre- pare clams for boiling place a peck of fresh clams in a bushel basket, sift well among them a pint of yellow corn meal, and cover the basket for the night. The next day dash over them a pail of clear cold water, give them another pint of meal and let stand an- other day. They will then be in fine condition for boiling, the feeding having very much improved them. Now place 2 quarts of boiling water in a kettle, wash the clams well and pour them into it. Let boil smartly until the shells are well open ; remove to a large pan, and when cool enough, take off half the shell and serve on the other half, with a little salt. This boiling is neces- sary in preparing clams for cooking in any way. A pair of sharp scissors are indispensable in removing the black heads, as should always be done in preparing them for stews, soups, scallops and chowders. SEASIDE CL^M BAKE. Have a level floor of stones for an oven, and pile on it seaweed and burn, adding as it burns out, until the stones will crackle when water is sprinkled upon them. Sweep off the ashes, and spread on a thin layer of seaweed. Have the clams well rinsed in salt water. Pile them on the hot stones, making them low in the center, and a ridge around, sloping off to the edges of the rock. Lay into the depression thus made halves of chicken, well di'essed, ears of green corn, potatoes, which have been thoroughly cleaned with seaweed or a rough cloth, and a nice bluefish or pickerel ; in fact, almost any young, tender meat, fish, or vegetable, is delicious cooked in the steam of the clams. Cover the whole thickly with seaweed, and over this throw a great piece of canvas to keep in the steam. When the shells of the clams in the ridge are thor- oughly open, which will be in about 45 minutes, the whole will be done. Have ready melted butter, salt, vinegar, pepper, and brown bread, to serve with this bake. One never gets to the dessert. THE value of fruits as food is far from being understood. They are more or less abundant in every part of the world, and nourish and refresh those who are wise enough to include them among the necessaries of life. Nature has provided under a variety of forms and coverings the sweets and acids, flavors and oils, essential to the sustenance of every portion of the body. First in importance and universality is the apple, and the grape follows; these have been called the king and queen of fruits. It has been quaintly phrased that ' ' in that case the berries might be members of the royal family, peaches, pears, and plums, members of the cabinet, and tropical fruits, the foreign ministers. " Fruits are first cousins to grains, and science has demonstrated that together they constitute a food which produces a well-developed, strong-limbed and clear-brained people. The athletes of ancient Greece were trained entirely on a vege- table diet. The boatmen of Constantinople, who live on bread, cherries, figs, dates, and other fruits, have a wonderful muscular development. The children of the desert exist for a long time upon a handful of dates a day, and travelers speak of raisins and parched corn as common fare. If this were a medical article manj^ authorities might be cited whose study and experience prove ' ' that there is scarcely a dis- ease to which the human family is now heir, but the sufferings therefrom would be greatly relieved or entirely prevented by the use of fruits which are now so generally forbidden" Or neglected. Particularly do the nervous American people need all that nature can give in this line to supply the waste of the S3'stem, and rein- force the vitalitj'. During the last ten years there has been a most gratifying in- crease in the use of fruit, and the supply has multiplied and im- 125 126 FRUIT. proved to meet the demand. Fruits are to be highly prized, whether fresh or dried, cooked or raw, as food or in beverages, and ought to constitute a large part of the daily fare. Wives and mothers are learning that a farinaceous and fruit diet is not only desirable for the children, but is one of nature's agencies to pro- vide a sound body and a sound mind, and aid in the formation of temperate desires and habits. Taste, and often genius is shown in the arrangement of fruit for the table. All varieties are apprDpriate breakfast dishes, and the season determines largely what can be used. Fruits should be carefully selected. Melons should be kept on ice, so as to be thoroughly chilled when served. Nutmeg melons should be cut in the grooves, and have the seeds removed before serving. Water- melons should either be cut across the middle and served in the rind in sections, or have the heart removed and brought in on the plates. Apples should be perfectly ripe and pared before eat- ing. From among the many varieties some can be found suited to almost every month of the year. Sweet apples are particularly nice baked and served with sweet cream. ' ' Bananas are destined to be the fruit of the future," says one importer, and no other fruit possesses such a large amount of nutriment. The increase of the excellency, and the cheapness of grapes, as well as their abundance in every part of the country, put them within reach of all. The imported varieties flourish luxuriantly in California, while the fine- ness of her raisins is giving her the precedence over the foreign trade. See that grapes are washed and drained well before serv- ing. Oranges are to the southern and tropical lands what the apple is to the temperate zone, but the facilities of transportation give each section the benefit of all. Our own country now rivals foreign ones in the cultivation of oranges, while California and Florida vie with each other to produce the finest variety. The sourer oranges of the market come from Valencia. The simplest of many ways to eat an orange is to cut a slice from the top and eat the juice and pulp with a spoon. Medical experts claim that a sour orange eaten daily before breakfast produces usually a condi- tion of almost perfect health. Peaches are not only a delicious fruit for food, but beautiful for table decoration. Apricots and FRUIT. 127 nectarines increase the variety with a delicate though peculiar flavor. Pears are more highly prized each year, and, combined with peaches, plums, and grapes, present a dish delightful to the eye, as well as grateful to the palate. The red or strawberry pine- apple is greatly inferior to the white one, though suggesting its de- licious flavor. The sugar loaf, one of the sweetest and best pines, comes from Havana, while some choice varieties are produced in Jamaica. They should either be grated, or picked with a fork from the hard core, and sprinkled with sugar a little time before serving. Buy cocoanuts cautiously in summer, as the milk is quickly soured by the heat. Of almonds the Princess is the best variety to buy in the shell ; of the shelled, the Jordan is the finest, though the Sicily is good. For cake or confectionery, the shelled are most economical. Many small fruits are used as long as the season allows. The fresh strawberry, raspberry and blackberry are in great demand on the table ; their fine flavor is lost in some measure by cooking. The white currant is a favorite for the table, and the red more commonly used in cooking. Red and white currants mixed form a pleasing dish. If berries are clean do not wash, but pick them over carefully. If they need to be washed, put into a sieve or colander and set in a large pan of water, allowing the water to flow around each berry. Drain quickly, and avoid mashing. CANNED FRUIT. * Broiled Pork Fried Potatoes Baked Potatoes Boiled Potatoes Roasted Rice Boiled Salmon, fresh *Boiled Sausage Fried Soup, chicken Boiled Soup, oyster or mutton Boiled Soup, vegetable. Boiled Spinach Boiled Tapioca Boiled Tomatoes Fresh Tomatoes Canned Trout, salmon, fresh Boiled or fried Turkey Roasted Turnips Boiled Veal Broiled Venison steak Broiled * To the R). 3 to 5 3 to 5 30 to 45 m. . m. . m. . 15 m 4 to 5 hrs . . 30 to 45 30 m . . . m. . 30 to 45 30 to 45 10 m. . . m. . m. . 15 m 3 to 4 hrs.. 3 hrs 3 to 4 hrs.. 20 to 30 m . . 60 m 20 to 30 15 to 20 15 m. . . m. . m. . 3 hrs 1 30 to 45 m. . 8 to 10 m. . H. M. 3 30. 2 30. 1 00. 5 15. 3 30. 2 33. 1 00. 2 00. 30. 25. 30. 00. 30. ft) oz. 1 quart sifted flour — 16 ounces Equals 1 quart sifted Indian meal 1 quart powdered sugar 1 quart granulated sugar 1 quart coffee "A" sugar 1 quart best brown sugar 1 pint closely packed butter 10 medium-sized eggs 4 cups sifted flour 2% cups powdered sugar 2 cups granulated sugar 2^2 cups best brown sugar Butter size of an egg 1 tablespoon of butter, heaped 1 pint of water or fruit juice 16 fluid ounces, or 4 gills, or 1 pint 1 cup water, or 2 gills 1 wineglass of rose water 1 tablespoon, or 4 teaspoons Luals 1 1 4 1 7 1 9 1 8 1 10 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 8 2 K 4 gills=l pint; 2 pints«=l quart; 4 quarts=l gallon; 16 drams (dr.) 16 ounces=l pound (lb.) 25 pounds=l quarter (qr.) 60 drops==l teaspoon; 2 teaspoons=l dessertspoon; 2 dessertspoons=l tablespoon; 2 saltspoons=l teaspoon, dry. AVOIRDUPOIS WEIGHT. 1 ounce (oz.) 4 quarters=l hundred weight (cwt.) 2000 pounds=l ton (T.) WEIGHTS OF ARTICLES. Apples, dried, bushel, 25 pounds. Flour, barrel, net, Beef, firkin, 100 Pork, barrel, 200 Beans, bushel, 60 Butter, firkin, 56 tub, 84 Peaches, dried, bushel, 33 Fish, barrel, 200 *' quintal, 112 196 pounds. Honey, gallon, 12 " Molasses, hhd., 130 to 150 gallons. Salt, barrel, 3>4 bushels. '* bushel, 70 pounds. Sugar, barrel, 200 to 250 pounds. Soap, barrel, 256 " ♦• box, 75 *' Tea, chest, 60 to 84 '* 212 .:i."\.v^ w. FOODS. HYGIENIC AND SCIENTIFIC At this age of applied science it has become the duty of every housewife to know something of the food with which she supplies her household. Most persons have had some vague ideas of the relative values of different foods, and of the changes they undergo in cooking. These theories they have probably learned from their mothers, gleaned from their neighbors, or read in some paper. Per- haps they have accepted them as facts, but at some time or other they read or hear something that contradicts them and then they are at a loss to know what to believe or what not to believe. At some time they have been convinced that people ate too much, at another, that meat was the all-strengthener, or they may have been afflicted with the vegetarian fad. Surely they would not have pinned their faith to one-sided diets if they had rightly comprehended the main facts of nutrition. In the following pages an effort has been made to present some- thing of the facts in regard to the composition of food, the part the different kinds of foods take in the nutrition of the body, together with something of the change that is effected by cooking and the process of digestion. Foods are classified by all leading authorities, excluding the oxygen we breathe, into five great classes. 1. Water, 3. Proteids, 3. Fats, 4. Carbohydrates, 5. Salts or mineral constituents. WATER. Water, in one sense is not a food, but it fills one of the most im- portant offices in the nutrition of the body. It constitutes about three-fourths of the weight of the body. It is found in the mus- 213 214 WOODS, cles and bones, but abounds in the blood and seci'etions. It holds in solution the important material they contain, and by giving the necessary fluidity to the blood transports this material to the dif- ferent parts of the body and conveys away that which has fulfilled its mission. Water is also the great regulator of heat, and by its evaporation reduces any excessive temperature of the body. Besides the water we take in the form of beverages, we obtain some in all of our solid food. The amount contained in them va- ries from 1 to 98 per cent. The vegetables, such as cabbages, car- rots, cauliflowers, cucumbers, onions, parsnips, squash, tomatoes and turnips, and also the different fruits, are mostly water. PHOTEIDS. The pre teids are also known as albuminous foods, and nitroge- nous or flesh-forming foods. The latter is the most significant and is so-called because this class of foods contains a large proportion of the element nitrogen. We find nitrogen in our muscles and muscular tissues. We also find it the product of their decomposition. Hence, if the wear of these tissues causes the liberation of nitrogenous compounds, this loss must be replaced by some food that contains nitrogen. The fats and carbohydrates do not. Besides this function, the pro- teids are considered as the stimulating foods, or those that impart a speed and energy to the organs above that necessary to perfect nutrition. The nitrogenous foods are derived from both the animal and veg- etable kingdoms and are found in eggs, lean meat, fish, milk, cheese, leguminous plants and the cereals. The different proteid principle of each is known as albumen, fibrine, casein and gluten. The digestion of this class of foods is not well known. In the mouth they should be finely comminuted, as the chemical action is rapid in proportion to the fineness of division. The first chem- ical change takes place in the stomach, and the agents are pepsin and the acid of the gastric juice. The two together render the nitrogenous substance soluble and capable of passing through a membrane. FOOI>S. 215 EGGS. [Rie proteid of the egg is known as albumen, from albus, mean- ing white. Eggs contain 73.67 per cent water, 12.55 per cent al- bumen and 12.11 per cent fat. They are considered by some physiologists to be the most easily digested of this class of foods. Phj^sicians say that they are as digestible raw as cooked. The raw white of an egg is a colorless, semi-liquid and viscous substance, soluble in cold water. If we place some in a glass tube with a thermometer and heat it, we will observe the following changes. When the temperature of 134^ is reached white fibers appear; at 160** the whole mass becomes white and quite opaque. It is now coagulated, and in this condition is a tender, delicate and jelly-like substance, and is easily digestible. Heated to 212® it shrinks and becomes hard. If it be subjected to a higher tern* perature it becomes a homy and tough substance quite indigestible. This experiment teaches a great deal that is little understood. It shows that the cooking temperature of albumen is not 212**, the boiling point of water, but 160**, and accounts for the indigestibility of fried and hard-boiled eggs. MXAT. Under this head is included the flesh of all animals used for food: beef, veal, mutton, pork, poultry and game. In the eating of animal flesh, man takes advantage of the work done by the animal in the preparation of vegetable food. If we examine a piece of lean meat we find that the red part is made up, first, of very tiny, sausage-like bags, or muscle fibers, as they are called, and in these are contained the precious proteid flavors, salts, and water, all mixed together; second, the muscle fibers are bound together by a connective tissue; third, floating in the j uices between the fibers and tissues is more proteid. By analysis of beef that is medium fat, we find it is 72. 25 per cent water, 21.93 per cent proteid, and 5.19 per cent fat. The lean of well-fatted animals contains as much as 20 per cent less water. One fact worthy of mention is that while the price of the tender parts of the animal is high, they contain no more nutri- 223 FOODS. ment than the cheaper cuts. Indeed, the price seems to be in ex- act inverse ratio to the amount of nutriment contained. In cooking meat the connective tissue should be softened and loosened so that the little bundles of fiber, which contain the nutri- ment, may fall apart easily when brought in contact with the fork or teeth; the albumen and fibrine should be coagulated, not horn- ified. By cooking a more agreeable flavor is developed. The albumen of the meat is identical with that of the egg. If lean meat is chopped fine and allowed to stand in cold water an hour, we will find that the water has become red. The water has dissolved the albumen, coloring matter, and flavors. If this liquid be heated, the albumen will coagulate and at a temperature below the boiling point. It should be recognized in the different methods of cooking meat that there are just three different results to be obtained : first, to retain all the nutriment in meat, as in broiling, roasting, frying, and boiling ; second, to extract it into the water, as in soups and meat teas ; third, to have it partly in the meat and partly in the water, as in stews. BROILING. True broiling is cooking directly over red-hot, glowing coals. The meat is cooked by radiant heat, and it is the hottest form of cooking. The object to be obtained is to keep the juices within the meat. How is it to be accomplished? We have seen that heat coagulates albumen. Have the meat cut in a slice, from an inch to an inch and a half in thickness, and placed in a broiler. Put it directly over the coals and very near to them. The albumen on the outside is instantly seared, and thus hardened presents a bar- rier through which the juices cannot escape. Before they have an opportunity of rising and passing out from the other side, we turn the meat and the second side is treated to the same process. Now, by allowing the meat to remain a few minutes over the coals tlie water inside is heated , to ISO''. The heat of the water coagulates the albumen, and the combined presence of liquid and heat softens the connective tissues. Some of the water is changed to steam and this gives the meat a puffed appearance. When these FOODS. 217 three things are accomplished, the meat is cooked, and when eaten it is found to be juicy, tender, and well-flavored. One other thing has been done, namely, the browning of the surface. This is due, probably, to the caramelizing of the albumen, and it is found to possess an entirely different flavor, but one that is very agreeable. Had the cooking of the steak been prolonged, the result would have been an ill-cooked specimen, tough, desiccated, shriveled and tasteless, due to the evaporation of the juices, the loss of the vol- atile flavors, and the consequent hardening of the albumen and tissue. As broiling is a very quick method of cooking, only meat of very tender fiber is suitable, as there is neither time nor moisture to soften that which is tough. Are not these facts forcible enough to settle the question as to whether meat is more digestible rare than well done? The preju- dice against rare-done meat is largely due to an erroneous idea of what is meant by that expression. Order a rare-cooked steak at any restaurant or hotel, and the waiter will set before you one that is raw in the inside. This is a raw steak and not a rare one. A rare steak is pink throughout, and not purple anywhere. ROASTING. Roasting is identical with broiling, except that we have the meat in a cubical form, and a smaller surface in proportion to the weight. The surface may be seared by a hot oven, in a frying pan, or by a bath in hot fat. BOILING. As in boiling we have additional moisture, and a longer time may be used in the cooking, meat of a tougher fiber may be ap- propriately cooked by this method. The imprisonment of the juices is accomplished by immersing the meat in the boiling water, which coagulates on the outside. After boiling for 10 minutes, the temperature should be lowered to 180^ as we do not wish the inside temperature to be higher than that. More or less of the nutriment finds its way into the water, consequently this liquid should be utilized. While on the subject of boiling, it will not be out of place to 218 FOODS. say something in regard to a fact which is not practically under- stood by cooks. We have learned by the preceding experiment that the cooking point of meat is not the boiling point of water. But many foods, especially vegetables, are best cooked at the boil- ing temperature. If a thermometer be placed in water while be- ing heated, the mercury will steadily rise until the water is boil- ing, or 212*^ is reached, when it will become stationary and remain so although much additional heat be applied, and the water be made to boil violentl}'. If this fact were understood and observed, much precious fuel might be saved. When the boiling point is once reached, very little heat is needed to keep it at this point. All the surplus heat is spent in changing the water to steam. For all ordinary cooking, gently boiling water is as effective as if it boils rapidly. FRYING. In frying, which is properly cooking by immersion in hot fat, the cooking medium is fat, instead of water as in boiling. The temperature of the fat should be about 385". As any escape of water into the hot fat causes great commotion, an additional pre- caution is taken by enveloping the meat or food to be fried, in a coating of crumbs, and eggs, or in the case of mixtures, as dough- nuts, the egg is added to the mixture itself. This also prevents the food from absorbing fat. The reason of this is obvious. SOUP-MAKING. In soap-making, a contrary result is to be obtained from that of boiling and roasting. The juices are to be transferred to the water. Meat that is so tough and coarse as to be undesirable for cooking by any other method, may be utilized by this one. We have seen that the juices and albumen of meat are readily soluble in cold water, and this principle should be applied by allowing the meat to stand in cold water for at least an hour, and in order that more surface be exposed to its action the meat should be cut into small pieces. It may then be heated to a temperature of 200", that degree being necessary to dissolve the gelatine of the bones. The skimming and clearing of soups should be avoided if a nutri- FOODS. 219 tious soup is desired, for by so doing we remove the coagulated albumen, STEWING. In stewing we eat both the meat and broth. It is a desirable method for cooking the tougher and cheaper parts of meat. Braiz- ing and pot^roasting are forms of stewing, and are methods with which every housekeeper should be familiar if economy is an item of consideration. PISH. Fish, because of its abundance, cheapness, and wholesomenees, is an invaluable article of food. It contains more water and less solid material than meat, is rich in nitrogen, and has an alkaline taste. Red-blooded fish, as salmon, mackerel, and blue fish, have the oil distributed through the body, whUe the white fish, as cod, had- dock, halibut and flounder, have it in the liver. The latter fish is very digestible when perfectly fresh. Fresh fish may be told by the fullness of the eye and the firmness of the flesh. CHEESE. Cheese is the coagulated casein of milk, together with some fat and sugar. The casein, the albumen of milk, is coagulated by an acid obtained from rennet. By allowing the cheese to ripen, a fer- ment is developed. The presence of this ferment is the reason that a small quantity taken with food aids in digestion. Milk cheese contains 48. 02 percent, water, 32.65 per cent, pro- teid, 8. 41 per cent, fat, and 6. 80 per cent, sugar. Comparing this an- alysis with that of meat, we find it to be much richer in proteids. This, together with its low price, makes it a valuable substitute for the more expensive meat. It is much used as such in many countries of Europe. It is not considered easy of digestion. GELATINE. Gelatine is a substance obtained from the bones, the gelatinous tissues of animal flesh, and from certain parts of fishes. If its nutritive value could be estimated by the nitrogen it con- tains, it would, indeed, rank high. Its value as a food, and the part it performs in nutrition, is not fully understood. Exagger- 220 ^"'C^ODS. ated ideas of its value have been entertained. Our grandmothers believed it to be highly nutritious, prepared it in the form of jel- lies for invalids, and estimated the value of their soups by the consistency of the jelly they formed on cooling, which thickness is due to the gelatine they contain. No doubt many a victim has died of starvation by the reliance of nurses upon this theory. It has been demonstrated that gelatine alone cannot sustain life, but it is now believed that if taken in conjunction with other food it is of some worth. Its inability to sustain life may be ac- counted for by the fact that it is not changed in digestion, so that it will pass through a membrane readily, and therefore only a small portion can pass into the circulation. Nevertheless it is not un- wholesome, and is a convenient vehicle for conveying food, partic- ularly to invalids. LEGUMINOUS FOODS. Under this head are peas, beans, and lentils. Beans contain 14.84 per cent, water, 23.66 per cent, proteids, 1.63 per cent, fat, 49.25 per cent, starch, and 7.47 per cent, woody fiber. Peas contain 14.31 percent, water, 22.63 per cent, proteids, 1.72 per cent, fat, 53. 24 per cent, starch, and 5. 45 per cent, of woody fiber. Observe the remarkable percentage of proteids they contain. The legumes are less stimulating and palatable than meat, but the pro- teid needs of the body can be supplied by them. One of the best ways of serving them is in the form of a soup, as then the hull is entirely removed. CEREALS. Under this head are included corn, wheat, oats, barley, buck- wheat, and rice. The following is the analysis: WOODY WATER, PEOTEID, FAT, SUGAR, STARCH, FIBER, per ct. per ct. per ct. per ct. per ct. per ct. Wheat, 13.56 12.43 1.70 1.44 66.45 2.66 Rye, 15.26 11.43 1.71 .96 66.86 2.01 Barley, 13.78 11.16 2.13 65.51 4.80 Oats, 12.92 11.73 6.04 2.22 53.21 10.83 Maize, 13.88 10.05 4.76 4.59 62.19 2.84 Rice, 14.41 6.94 .51 77.61 .08 Too much cannot be said in favor of these grains^ par ticularly of FOODS. 221 corn, wheat, and oats. They contain all the elements necessary for the complete nutrition of the body, and in wheat they are in the correct proportions. Corn and oats contain an excess of fat. The proteids of these grains are known as gluten. Their low price places them within the reach of all. They are prepared as a break- fast food and are ground as meal and flour. CARBOHYDRATES. This third great division of foods includes the starches and sugars. They, together with the fats, are classed as the carbona- ceous foods, because they contain a large proportion of the ele- ment carbon. The carbohydrates contain carbon, and the elements of water, hydrogen and oxygen, not as water, but in the same pro- portion as water, namely, two parts of hydrogen to one of oxygen. The carbonaceous foods are the great heat-producing foods, and just as the carbon and hydrogen of fuel unite with the oxygen of the air and produce heat, so the carbon and hydrogen of our food unite with the oxygen of the air we breathe and produce the heat of our bodies. Besides this office the carbohydrates are probably the great source of energy, and a portion of them may be depos- ited in the body as fat. They are of vegetable origin. STARCHES. Starch is a white, glistening powder, insoluble in cold water, and when heated with water, swells, and the starch grains burst, forming a thick gummy solution. When cool it stiffens into a pasty mass. Starch is eaten chiefly in the form of arrowroot, tapioca, sago, rice, potatoes, cereals, and the legumes. But from whatever source de- rived, the chemical composition is the same. Cg H^^^ 0^. The starches are the cheapest of the food constituents, and are there- fore apt to be in excess. They give the necessary bulk to our food. Starch, when heated to a high temperature, is changed to dex- trine, which does not differ from starch in chemical composition. Dextrine is a brittle solid and soluble in cold water. It has an agreeable, sweet flavor. It is produced in small quantities in the crust in the baking of bread and in the making of toast. In di- gestion the starch is changed to glucose. This is accomplished by 222 FOODS. the heat of the body and the action of the saliva of the mouth and the pancreatic juice in the intestines. SUGARS. The sugars are a more expensive form of heat-producers, and are used chiefly for their flavoring qualities. They are closely re- lated to the starches and nearly resemble them in chemical compo- sition. They are known by their sweet taste and are soluble in cold water and are capable of breaking up into alcohol and carbon dioxide. They are valuable for their preserving qualities. There are different varieties of sugar, but the most important to us are cane sugar or sucrose, and grape sugar or glucose. Su- crose, Cjg Hgg Oj^, is common sugars 'and is obtained from the sugar cane, sugar beet, and rock maple. It is the sweetest of all the sugars, and is soluble in one-third of its weight of water. Su- crose, when boiled in contact with air, and especially if an acid be present, becomes changed into two kinds of sugar; dextrose Cg H^^ Og , identical with glucose and levulose, Cg H^^ O^. Thus their chem- ical composition is identical. Both kinds are often called glucose. Glucose is found in grapes and is present in the sacs of flowers; it is the source of honey. Griucose can be manufactured from all kinds of starch and from cellulose, by the action of acids. It is quite an easy matter to change a cotton handkerchief into more than its own weight of sugar. Glucose has one-third less sweets ening power than sucrose, and this is the reason that when sugar is boiled with acid fruits it becomes less sweet. The changes that sugar undergoes in digestion are not fully un- derstood, yet it is certain that sucrose is not absorbed, as such, but is converted into glucose before it is assimilated. This change is probably effected by the acid of the gastric juice. FATS. This class of food is known to the housewife as butter, cream, salad oil, suet and lard. It is taken in the fat of meat, the oil of fish, in eggs, in the cereals and legumes. Fats are lighter than water and insoluble in it, but soluble in ether. They are of animal and vegetable origin. In whatever form they are known they are FOODS. 223 composed of but three different fats, olein, stearin, and pal matin or margarin. Olein is colorless and liquid above the freezing point. It is the principal fat of olive oil, but is found in the more solid fats to a greater or less degree. The solidity and liquidity of the different fats depend upon the proportion of olein they contain. Stearin is a solid fat and remains so at quite a high tempera- ture. Stearin is the chief fat of mutton, and it is this peculiarity of stearin that causes the mouth to become coated with fat when eating a mutton chop. It is also a constituent of suet. Palmatin resembles stearin, but is liquid at a lower temperature. It is found in butter. These fats are compounds of the fatty acids, olein, stearin, and palmatin, with glycerine. They are called acids, not because they have a sour taste, but because they unite with a base as acids do. Glycerine, the base, is the sweet principle of oil. B}^ further anal- ysis we find that the fats are compounds of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. They contain a larger proportion of carbon and oxygen to hydrogen than the hydro-carbons do. The difference in the taste of the different fats is due principally to the flavoring they con- tain. This, almost alone, makes the difference in their prices. The digestibilit}^ of the different fats depends mainly upon the readiness with which they liquify. We might be able to digest beeswax if it would become liquid at the temperature of our bodies. Cream is the most easily digested and butter follows next. The fats are unaffected by the juices of the mouth and stomach. In the intestines they are emulsified by the admixture of the bile, and can then pass through a membrane into the circulation. Besides the value of fats as heat-producers, for which purpose they excel the starches and sugars, they are deposited as adipose tissue, aid in the lubrication of the muscles, and, without doubt, are a source of energy. YEAST. Yeast is a plant of the fungus growth. It is found to consist of numberless minute rounded cells. Each little cell consists of an enveloping membrane containing a liquid. They grow by bud- 224 FOODS. ding and division. When they are provided with suitable food, | moisture and warmth they grow yevy rapidl}^ Eye and grapes are congenial foods, and also sugar or something that can be changed into sugar. It is supposed that these 3'east germs are present in the air. They are killed by the boiling and freezing temperatures. BREAD. The process by which the present bread is made light and porous is known as the alcoholic fermentation. Yeast is the agent used to accomplish this. In the mixing of the dough each little grain of flour is surrounded by a film of water and the yeast plants are scattered throughout the mass. Now, the yeast plants have food in the starch and the sugar ; moisture, in the water or milk, and warmth, as the dough should have a temperature of about 75®. They soon begin to grow. The starch of the flour is changed to glucose. Ce H„ 0, + H, + ferment = C, H,, O, starch, water, glucose. This glucose is quickly changed into alcohol and carbon di-oxide. r 2 Cg Hg alcohol, Ce H,, 0, = ] and (^ 2 C O3 carbon di-oxide. Carbon di-oxide is a gas and is commonly known as carbonic acid gas. It is the evolution of this gas that is set free from all parts of the dough which causes it to rise and increase in bulk. In the baking of a loaf of bread this gas is expanded and partially driven out by the heat. The starch cells are ruptured ; the cells which contain the gas are hardened ; the yeast plant is killed ; the alcohol is evaporated, and some of the starch of the crust, being heated to a higher temperature, is changed to dextrine. The tem- perature of the inside of the loaf does not exceed 212®. EVERY WOMAN'S LIBRARY Edited by Margaret E. Sangster, Dr. Emma E. Walker, Hamilton W. Mabie and others. Covers Every Phase oi Woman's Realm No book ever published contains so much value to the up- to-date woman as this set of Every Woman's Library. Each volume is full of practical, needed advise on Health and Beauty .Etiquette, Entertaining, Housekeeping, Cook- ing, Reading and Study, Home Life and Ways of earning money; and is written by the leading authorities on women's subjects. There are seven volumes in the set, and each volume is devoted to one subject as follows: Vol. I Beauty and Health, by Dr Emma E. Walker Vol. II Etiquette, by Eleanor B. Clapp Vol. in Entertainments and Games, by Clara E. Laughlin. Vol. IV House and Housekeeping, by Mary Eliza- beth Carter. Vol. V Home and Home Study, by Hamilton W. Mabie and Henry van Dyke. Vol. VI Ideal Home Life, by Margaret E. Sangster and Marion Harland. Vol. VII Woman's Ways of Earning Money, by Cynthia Westover Alden. Each volume is bound in uniform pea green cloth, neatly stamped design. Printed in good sized readable type on good quality paper. Each volume is 4 x 6i inches and con- tains nearly 300 pages. Each set of volumes packed in a box. sent prepaid for $2.00 or given free for securing only 6 yearly subscriptions for EVERY WOMAN'S MAGAZINE at 50 cents each. SEND ORDERS TO EVERY WOMAN'S MAGAZINE 149 WEST 36lh ST. 8 NEW YORK CITY CONTENTS PAGE Bread 7 Breakfast and Tea Cakes 27 Crullers and Doughnuts 67 Cake 58 Cookies and Jumbles 71 Confectionery 76 Cook's Time Table 209 Desserts 85 Drinks 108 Eggs 112 Fish 118 Fruits 124 Fruit Sauces 156 Fillings for Layer Cake 67 Foods — Hygienic and Scientific 212 Griddle Cakes 56 Ginger Bread ,. 7S Ginger Snaps 74 How to Carve Meat 184 Icing 68 Ice Cream and Ices 161 Meats ; 167 Nut Wafers 75 Pastry 97 Puddings 104 Pudding Sauces 105 Relishes 186 Salads : 189 Soups 196 Table of weights and Measures 211 Toasts 93 Vegetables 203 m 13 1911 One copy del. to Cat. Div. ^^C 13 j^^j LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 014 489 509 5 *