THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
GIFT OF
Martha Green
The
HANDY
COOK BOOK
With a Familiar Talk on Cookery
by
MARION HARLAND
Illustrated
C. S. HAMMOND & CO.
NEW YORK
PREFATORY AND FAMILIAR TALK
BY MARION HARLAND.
PRACTICALLY it is impossible to overrate the value of the
stomach to the human body.
Educate it aright and treat it well, and it is a stronghold
of reserved and active forces for good. Abuse or neglect it,
and you convert it into an enemy who will harass every
moment of your life.
JEsop told this story two thousand five hundred years ago,
albeit not accurate in the use of anatomical terms. If I had
to repeat the tale I should reverse the order of actors and
show what would come to pass were the Stomach in hot
mutiny against the Members.
It is in the power of this central force to withhold iron
and coloring matter from the blood, phosphates and marrow
from the bones, oils from the flesh, and gray matter from
the brain. All this and more it does not scruple to do
when irritated, ill-fed, or overworked.
It does not require a very lively imagination to picture
this all-important organ as a citadel built to guard the hid
treasures of life, usefulness, and happiness. Above the
gateway as we may style the diaphragm is some such in-
scription as was cut rudely upon the muzzle of " Queen
Elizabeth's Pocket Piece," the cannon mounted upon the
walls of Dover Castle and frowning across the English
Channel at the French coast, fifteen miles away:
" Aim me right and keep me clean
I'll carry a ball to Calais Green."
It follows, from even an imperfect statement of the many
offices performed by this much misunderstood factor in the
025 ' K
PREFATORY AND FAMILIAR TALK.
sum of human welfare, that it should be consulted 3utifully
by the possessor and treated with respectful consideration
at all times.
And since food to carry out the figure of the " Pocket
Piece " is the ammunition without which the citadel could
not be defended, it follows yet more naturally, that supplies,
sufficient as to quantity and of the best quality, should be
provided for the use of the valiant garrison that holds the
fort.
If the stomach be the fortified castle of the body the
kitchen is the head and center of the home. If there be but
one room in the dwelling that one room is the kitchen. The
family may sleep and sit and eat on the floor. Beds, stools,
and tables are luxuries. 'But one piece of furniture is a
necessity. That is the range, or stove, or open fireplace, or
brazier, or fire of sticks, or moss, in the middle of the wig-
wam, where food is prepared for the stomach.
The domestic staff of the household may be wanting in
chambermaid, butler, seamstress, and laundress. A cook of
some sort is a must-be.
These are not empty or didactic sayings, but a line of
argument which he who runs, or she who swings away the
hours in that nest of idle ease, the American rocker, may
read; which every woman should ponder and lay up in her
heart.
I write it down, without fear of contradiction, that there
is more excellent raw food-material spoiled in the United
States than in any other country marked upon geographical
charts as " enlightened." It is a waste of words to add that
the American dyspepsia is as familiarly known to the scien-
tific man of medicine as Asiatic cholera. From cradle to
deathbed, three-fourths of our population suffer from the
slow poison of their daily food.
The most hopeless part of the problem is that a mighty
majority of the unfortunates do not suspect that they are
poisoned. In other words, cooks, and those who consume
PREFATORY AND FAMILIAR TALK.
what is prepared by the cooks, do not know good foo'd from
bad.
Greasy soups, " fried things," reeking within and with-
out with fat; heavy, hot breads; badly cooked vegetables;
leathery or oily pastry, are swallowed (and regretted) in
crass ignorance that is not bliss, but sin and misery. j|
The " Spectator " of Addison and Steele suggested in a
serio-comic paper that no girl should be allowed to marry
who could not show a complete assortment of household
and body linen made up by herself in proof of her ability
to care for her household.
In all seriousness I assert that, were I a legislator, I should
introduce, and force forward, a bill to the effect that no
woman should be married until she had learned practical
cookery in all its branches. She should know how to mar-
ket judiciously, what articles of food are nutritious, and
what are not. She should be so well versed in the chemistry
of cookery and the structure and needs of the human system
as to understand how to adapt nourishment to the various
constitutions of those for whom she caters. She should
master the small economies that make the Frenchwoman
mistress of the art of furnishing her table daintily at the
lowest cost.
The old bachelor who married his maid-of-all-work be-
cause he could not afford to keep both cook and wife, and
could not do without a cook, was not such a simpleton
after all. Man needs aliment that will give him staying-
power in the day of battle, which is every day in this, our
land of push and competition. The woman who equips
him for the fray by sending him forth to his daily labor and
strife with a stomach comfortably lined with the sort of food
that, as -old-fashioned folk say, " will stick to his ribs," is a
genuine helpmeet.
Sympathy and sentiment are good as far as they go, but
they do not go nearly all the way. A faint stomach makes
a faint heart. Well-chosen, well-cooked, and palatable
PREFATORY AND FAMILIAR TALK.
meals, eaten leisurely and in gladness and singleness of
heart, are a bank from which one draws an assured income
of daily strength for daily needs.
Our housewife may be so well off that she can hire a suc-
cession of cooks all her days. If she have no practical
knowledge of their craft she is like a sailing-master who de-
pends upon first and second mate for his success in naviga-
tion. She is at the mercy of such winds and tides as are
represented by the moods and tenses of a guild whose tem-
pers are notoriously uncertain. It is not enough for her to
order three meals a day. She must know how each dish is
to be prepared, what is amiss should the cookery be un-
satisfactory, and how to right the wrong.
Her husband could not keep for one month the post of
superintendent of workmen who know their business better
than he. The woman who is her own cook, or could be
should need arise, has the whip-hand from the outset of her
housewifely career. Nothing else so commands and retains
the respect of the servant as the consciousness that her em-
ployer could do the hireling's work better than she herself
can, if she were obliged to undertake it.
If I speak in forceful earnest in commending the study
and the practice of the culinary art to every sensible woman,
it is because many years of experience and observation have
convinced me that no other accomplishment is so essential
to the health and happiness of husband and children, or of
whomsoever the housemother may be in charge of, tempo-
rarily or permanently.
If our national kitchen is to be redeemed from deserved
reproach it will be, not by cooking-school lectures or writ-
ten instructions, but by the intelligent, sustained efforts of
the woman who is her own cook.
MARION HARLAND.
SUNNYBANK, September, 1900.
Table of Contents
DOMESTIC COOKERY, 15
1. THE ART OF COOKING, i'7
2. SOUPS, SOUP STOCK, ETC 35
3. FISH, OYSTERS, ETC 46
4. POULTRY AND GAME 61
5. MEATS, 70
i. Beef, 70
ii. Veal, 76
iii. Mutton and Lamb, 82
iv. Pork, 85
6. VEGETABLES, 91
7. SALADS AND SAUCES, 102
8. CROQUETTES AND FRITTERS, in
9. EGGS, . 117
10. BREAD, BISCUIT, HOT CAKES, ETC., 126
i. Bread, 126
ii. Toast, 131
iii. Fancy Breads, 132
iv. Rolls, .>.... 134
v. Biscuit, Rusk, and Buns, 136
vi. Muffins and Waffles, 140
vii. Griddle Cakes 142
viii. Yeast and Yeast Cakes 145
11. PASTRY AND PUDDINGS, 148
12. CREAMS, JELLIES, AND LIGHT DESSERTS, 166
13. CAKES AND CAKE BAKING, 179
14. FRESH FRUITS AND NUTS, 201
15. JELLIES, JAMS AND PRESERVES, 207
16. CANNED FRUITS AND VEGETABLES, 219
17. PICKLES AND CATSUPS, 224
18. BEVERAGES, 234
19. CANDIES, 242
20. INVALID DIET, ;.......>... 248
GENERAL HINTS, , ... 254
DOMESTIC COOKERY.
rpHERE is a beautiful legend that tells how Elizabeth oJ
1 1 Hungary, having been forbidden by her lord to carry
food to the poor, was met by him one day outside the
castle walls as she was bearing a lapful of meat and bread
to her pensioners. Louis demanding sternly what she car-
ried in her robe, she was obliged to show him the forbidden
burden. " Whereupon," says the chronicler, " the food was
miraculously changed, for his eyes, to a lapful of roses,
red and white, and his mind disabused of suspicion, he gra-
ciously bade her pass on withersoever she would."
It would be well for some husbands if " their eyes were
holden " in such a way that food served them would seem
other and better than it really is. But the sense of taste is
a rebellious member especially in the men. It will cry out
against the best appearing dish, if its flavor is not of the
best. There is but one way to sure success. The house-
wife herself must be the angel who casts the spell about the
humble board and the lowly fare, and invests them with
forms and odors of irresistible attractiveness. This is the
true poetry of Domestic Cookery; and blessed is the
home where one presides who knows this art, and makes
each meal a feast, and every guest a glad participant.
16, DOMESTIC COOKERY.
But things do not always take so happy a form. For
instance : there was recently a brutal murder in Troy, N. Y.,
and a paper, reporting the case, clumsily said : " A poor
woman was killed yesterday in her own home, while cooking
her husband's breakfast in a shocking manner." Quoting
this statement, a contemporary remarked : " There are
many women who cook their husbands' breakfasts in a
shocking manner, but it is seldom that justice overtakes
them so summarily." The subject is a serious one to joke
over, but the turn given by the commenting paper is bright
and suggestive.
The fact is, that by skillful manipulation the plainest fare
may be transformed into dishes fit for kings, while by igno-
rance and inattention the best viands may be rendered unfit
for human food. Which turn should housewives attempt to
give their own culinary affairs? There can be but one
reply. But, be it remembered, that freaks of favoring for-
tune, such as came to Elizabeth, come only to those who
are zealously pursuing the line of helpful duty. There is
no royal road to success as a housekeeper or a cook. You
must " work your passage," but the way will be smoothed
by careful study of pages such as follow, provided the study
take shape in wise action.
Remember, too, that the ministry of Domestic Cookery
is by no means an unimportant one. It is worthy of the
best attention of any housewife.
" The stomach," says an eminent medical authority, " is
the mainspring of our system ; if it be not sufficiently wound
up to warm and support the circulation, the whole business
of life will, in proportion, be ineffectually performed ; we can
neither think with precision, walk with vigor, sit down with
comfort, nor sleep with tranquility. There would be no
difficulty in proving that it influences (much more than
people imagine) all our actions." Dyspepsia is a fearful foe
to the human race.
I THE ART OF COOKING.
'T^HERE is a science and there is an art of cooking. The
science tells what should be done and why ; the art takes
hold and does the thing, without, in most cases, knowing
any reason why certain methods produce certain results.
The one is theoretical, the other practical ; the one deals
with principles, the other with performances.
The science of cookery proceeds on the basis that man
needs certain elements of repair and growth for the various
tissues of his body, that these elements exist in nature in
various forms, and that the mission of the cook is so to
prepare these suitable substances that man may receive
them in their most enjoyable and assimilable forms, and thus
have his waste repaired and his growth provided for. This
basis is solid. On it the whole culinary system is founded.
But, from the merely utilitarian idea of repairing waste and
supplying force, cookery rises to the supreme height of
exquisitely delighting the taste while doing its most impor-
tant work of feeding the body. Indeed, the art of cooking
well, and of serving well-cooked victuals well, is " a fine art "
in the best sense of the term. There are artistes in
this line. Meals may be served artistically. They may
become a delight to the most refined natures and a real
benefaction to both body and soul.
The great aim of all cooking is to retain all the valuable
elements of the food, and to put them into such forms as
shall awake desire, stimulate digestion, and secure to the
eater, in the readiest and most pleasing way, all the nutriment
these viands afford. For instance, in cooking meats it is
desirable to retain all the natural juices. To this end, when
meat is to be boiled it should be plunged into hot water,
which at once renders the outer part measurably impenetraf
a 17
18 EVERY WOMAtf HER OWN COOK.
ble, ana so confines the juices. On the other hand, if the
juices are to be drawn out for the production of soup, it
must be placed in cold water, and gradually warmed and
slowly boiled, so as to allow the exudation of the juices.
On the same principle, broiling and roasting, by quickly clos-
ing the surface of the meat, retain the juices as well as the
odors, and make the meat both juicy and savory. The re-
tention of the fatty substances renders such preparations
somewhat less digestible, however, than boiled food or lean
meat.
High art in cookeiy, as elsewhere, demands high rates ol
expenditure. Instructions on that grade alone would not
meet the want of American homes. But high aims in this
department are equally commendable with high aims else-
where. So important a factor in domestic economy as cook*
ing cannot be ignored and should not be treated lightly.
Good food, well cooked and well served, goes far to make
home happy and its inmates healthy.
The chemical aspect of food and cooking may be left to
the chemist and the physiologist. They will perfect the
scientific aspects of the case. But the art of cooking, which
teaches just how and when to do the right things, is for us
to learn and to practice day by day. Such is the relation of
stomach and brain on the one side, and of stomach and
cook on the other side, that the cook becomes the sov-
ereign, to whom many a brain mightier than his own
bows in servile allegiance.
What cookery was practiced in the garden of Eden his-
tory does not tell. Vegetarians insist that permission to
eat animal food was not given until after the flood (Genesis
xi, 3, 4), when, by indulgence, man's appetites had become
abnormal. If vegetable food only were used in Eden, and
that mainly of the nature of fruits, but little cooking was
needed, and the simplest forms would suffice amply. Ancient
Writers say that cooking came into use immediately on the
TffE AKT OF COOKING. 19
discovery of fire, whenever that was, and that its introduc-
tion was in imitation of the natural processes of mastication
and digestion.
The first reference of the Bible to cooked food is to "a mor-
sel of bread" (Genesis xviii, 5). Sarah, in this instance, made
ready " three measures of fine meal," which she kneaded,
and of which she made cakes " upon the hearth." These
were, doubtless, the simplest form of unleavened cakes.
UNLEAVENED BREAD, ANCIENT AND MODERN FORMS.
flattened thin and baked upon a hot stone. A tender calf
was hastily dressed on this occasion also, but whether by
boiling or stewing, by roasting on a hot stone or by broil-
ing over the fire on the point of a stick, is not known. Cer-
tainly, the whole dressing required but little time and was
not very elaborate. For these same guests Lot baked un-
leavened bread, and, as the record is, " he made them a
feast," quite hurried and simple, no doubt.
When Abraham's servant, searching for a wife for Isaac,
reached her father's house, " they did eat and drink," un-
questionably in a festive way. Isaac was so fond of veni-
son that he became unduly partial to his son Esau, who
excelled as a hunter in capturing game for this dish. The
preparation of the meat was in some elaborate style, which
Isaac denominated " savory meat," and the eating of it so
pleased him that he spoke of it as the meat " that I love,"
and asked it " that I may eat, and that my soul may blew
20 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
thee before I die." Irreverent critics may say this was man*
like, but reverent ones will pronounce it quite human, and
all may conclude that cookery was taking attractive shapes
in that early day. So Esau thought, undoubtedly, upon see-
ing his brother Jacob with a pottage of red lentiles. He was
willing to sell out his birthright, with all its high preroga-
tives, that he might eat of this tempting dish. All these in*
cidents from the book of Genesis indicate that punctuality
at the table and systematic forethought for its proper service
were undeveloped arts at that time. Many later Biblical
references indicate a higher state of culture in these respects,
sumptuous fare and great feasts being matters of frequent
reference. In the ceremonial law many directions were given
concerning the killing and the cooking of animal food.
Ovens are often mentioned in the Bible. In the cities and
villages they were located generally in the establishments
of bakers (Hosea vii, 4), or in large private establishments.
Portable ovens were used by many who lived in a nomadic
way. The portable oven was a large earthen jar, widening
at the bottom, and having a side opening there by which to
extract the ashes and to insert the bread
or meat. These are referred to as the
possession of every family, in Exodus
viii, 3 ; though in time of destitution, or
scarcity of fuel, one oven answered for
many families, as Leviticus xxvi, 26,
shows. These ovens could be hastily
heated by a quick fire of twigs, grasses,
etc., whi^h fuel suggested the reference
ANCIENT V |GYPTIAN in Matthew vi, 30, to grass, which to-day
is in the field and to-morrow is cast into
the oven. Loaves or meat were placed inside, and thin
cakes upon the outside of these ovens.
The remote East, the land of spices, was the first to
develop cookery in its higher ranges. Carefully wrought
THE ART OF 1 COOKING. 21
and highly seasoned dishes were first prepared there. Many
curious notions are recorded of the various nations in re-
spect to food and cooking. The universal custom in Oriental
lands is to cook meat as soon as killed. It never becomes
cold, as with us. Goose is a great favorite with the Egyp-
tians. Plutarch says only one class of this nation would
eat mutton, and at Thebes it was wholly prohibited. Pud-
dings made from the blood of slaughtered animals were
favored by Egyptians but hated by Moslems. Egyptians
never ate the head of any animal. Pastry among them was
worked into the shapes of animals, and was always sprinkled
with caraway and anise.
The Greeks esteemed cookery so highly, that royal per-
sonages took pride in preparing their own meals. Homer's
poems contain many illustrations of such service.
Achilles once personally served up a great feast, its special
feature being that smaller meats were garnished with
entrails of oxen. It was common at great feasts of the
Greeks to dedicate certain dishes to certain gods, and then
to eat them in honor of those gods.
In the time of Pericles a class of professional cooks had
come into prominence who boasted that they could serve
up a whole pig, boiled on one side, roasted on the other,
stuffed with cooked birds, eggs, and other delicacies, and
yet the whole so neatly done that it could not be discovered
where the animal had been opened. Invention was then
taxed to invent a new cake, or a new sauce, and he who did
it was deemed worthy of high honor. One Greek distin-
guished himself by devising a new method of curing hams ,
another devised a cake which took his name and made him
famous. In Athenian dishes, assafoetida was a popular
ingredient, as were rue and garlick.
To compound one famous dish, certain uninviting parts of
sows, asses, hawks, seals, porpoises, star-fish, etc., were
used. One visitor to Greece, having eaten a celebrated
22 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
" black broth," said he had learned why the Spartans were
in battle so fearless of death, as the pains of death were
preferable to existence on such abominable food. A Greek
poet, Archistratus, traveled the world over to study the
gastronomic art, and then wrote a poem, " Gastrology,"
which became the standard among Greek epicures. Greek
cooks took special pride in so flavoring and disguising com-
mon fish and meat, that epicures even would be deceived by
their preparations.
Roman cooking surpassed the Grecian in the more solid
dishes, until the decline of the Empire began, when Roman
epicures and gluttons came to the front and soon surpassed
the world. Fishes, birds, and wines were their chief delica-
cies, and to secure those of rarest quality the known world
was laid under contribution. There is record of a single
feast at which were served peacocks from Samos, chickens
from Phrygia, kids from Melos, cranes from ^Etolia, tunny
fishes from Chalcedon, pikes from Pessinus, oysters from
Tarentum, mussels from Chios, dates from Egypt, and inci-
dentals from as many more points. Snails were fattened
for table uses till their shells would contain a quart ; fishes
and birds were fed on the choicest dainties to prepare them
for human food, while even hogs were fattened on whey
and dates.
Lucullus was in the habit of spending fifty thousand
denarii (about eight thousand dollars) on each of his sump-
tuous feasts. Galba's daily breakfasts were each of sufficient
cost to feed a hundred families. Vitellius made a single
dish of pheasants' brains, peacocks' brains, nightingales'
tongues, and livers of the rarest fishes. Its cost was one
thousand sesterces (about forty thousand dollars). On
another occasion two thousand choice fishes and seven
thousand rare birds were served by him. It is said his
kitchen expenses for four months amounted to twenty-five
million dollars.
THE ART OF COOKING. Q&
Heliogabalus had a favorite dish for his own suppers
made from the brains of six hundred thrushes. Pork was
the choice Roman dish at a later day. It was often served
in the famous style already referred to, being half baked,
ANCIENT ROMAN COOKING UTENSILS.
i. Sugar, or Vegetable Boiler. 2. Frying Pan. 3. Measuring Urn.- 4. Boiler, OB
Tripod.
half boiled, and stuffed with birds, eggs, etc. The process
of this preparation was long a profound and marvelous
secret. It was accomplished, however, by bleeding the
animal under the shoulder, removing the intestines by the
24 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
throat, and refilling by the same passage. The upper side
was then baked while the lower lay imbedded in a thick
paste of barley meal mixed with wine and oil. The paste
was then removed and the lower side boiled in a shallow
saucepan.
ANCIENT ROMAN COOKING UTENSILS, 1
i. Measure for Grain. 2. Kitchen Boiler. 3. Fire Grate. 4. Pitcher, or Um, far
Fluids.
Cooking utensils were elaborately made for the homes of
the rich. The finest grades were made of bronze, and
usually they were plated with silver. Some articles were
of brass, others even of silver. Kitchens were royal apart-
ments then, many of them having marble floors and being
decorated with costly paintings. Even the aspirations of
THE ART OF COOKING. 23
our modern " help " would have been gratified fully by the
kitchen appointments of those days. Schools of cookery,
under the most accomplished professional care, were nu-
merous at that time.
One of the most princely pieces of extravagance ever
brought out by good cooking was in the case of Antony.
When Cleopatra praised a repast he furnished, Antony at
once called the cook and presented him with a city. An-
other piece of extravagance was when Lucullus entertained
ANCIENT ROMAN COOKING UTENSILS.
t. Bowl. ^2. Soup Pot. 3. Grater. 4. Measure for Fluids. 5. Cook's Knife.
- 6. Hashing Knife.
Cicero and Pompey. They three partook of a little feast
which cost not less than five thousand dollars. Geta in-
sisted on as many courses at his state dinners as there were
letters in the alphabet, and each course was required to
contain every viand known, the name of which began with
that letter. Alexander the Great once entertained ten
thousand guests, all of whom were seated at the tables at
one time, and in silver chairs upholstered with purple. Pos-
sibly the most extensive " spread " ever made was by the
Karl pf Warwick when &s brother was installed Arch-
26 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
bishop of York in 1479. The record of its appointments is
as follows : 300 quarters of wheat, 300 tuns of ale, 104 tuns
of wine, I pipe of spiced wine, 10 fat oxen, 6 wild bulls, 300
pigs, 1,004 sheep, 300 hogs, 3,000 calves, 300 capons, 100
peacocks, 200 cranes, 200 kids, 2,000 chickens, 4,000 pig-
eons, 4,000 rabbits, 4,000 ducks, 204 bitterns, 400 herons,
200 pheasants, 500 partridge, 5,000 woodcocks, 400 plovers,
100 curlews, 100 quails, 100,000 eggs, 200 roes, 4,000 roe-
bucks, 155 hot venison pasties and 4,000 of them cold,
1,000 dishes of jellies, 2,000 hot custards and 4,000 of them
cold, 400 tarts, 300 pikes, 300 bream, 8 seals, and 4 por-
poises. The Earl in person was steward; 1,000 servitors,
62 chief cooks, and 515 under cooks and scullions offi-
ciated on this monster occasion.
After the fifth century it is said that " cookery, like learn-
ing, retired into convents." For several centuries religious
houses alone were the abodes of good cooking. In the
tenth century the art reappeared among the wealthier citizens
of Italy. Discoveries of new countries and the increasing
activity of commerce continually enlarged the field for gas-
tronomic delights. Italy, the leader in fine cookery in those
days, began to send her methods and her cooks into France,
where they received a hearty welcome from Catharine de
Medici and her royal spouse. Under these fostering im-
pulses several cities became famous for specialties in food ;
Hamburg, for example, for hams, Strasburg for sausages,
Amsterdam for herrings, Ostend for oysters, Chartres for
pies, etc., etc.
The ancient Britons and Saxons knew none of the refine-
ments of the culinary art. Their meal was simple bruised
barley ; their meat, half-cooked game. The Danes did
more at drinking than at eating, at brewing than at baking.
The Normans, however, introduced the better styles of food
and the cook again loomed up grandly. So great was
the excess of these times that the friars of St Swithin's com*
THE ART OF COOKING. 27
plained to King Henry II that three of their thirteen regu
iar dinner courses had been withheld from them by their
abbot. Cranmer ordered, in 1541, that archbishops should
be limited to six dishes of meat daily, bishops to five, and
lower orders of clergy to four, or three in certain cases.
The poultry to be used was also limited, and the fish.
After the Crusades the higher classes of England imitated
the luxurious methods they had learned abroad. Peacocks be-
came a favorite dish. They were usually served with the
tail feathers remaining and spread to their fullest extent. In
the reign of Elizabeth cooks reached the zenith of their
power, many classical scholars willingly espousing this pro-
fession.
The early inhabitants of France subsisted chiefly on roots
and acorns. After their subjugation by Caesar they quickly
took on the Roman methods, and later the Norman methods,
until in the fourteenth century they produced Taillevant,
the greatest cook of history. In the reign of Louis XII a
company was chartered to make sauces and another to cook
meats on the spit. These were the days when fancy cook-
ing ran toward the impossible. Eggs cooked on the spit,
butter fried, roasted, etc., were the surprising delicacies
produced by the masters of gastronomy.
In the days of Louis XIV cookery in France was at its
height of sumptuousness. A reaction in favor of modera-
tion then began to prevail. Cooks were out of employment.
Restaurants then appeared under their care, and they soon
found abundant patronage. Careme, of France, is con-
fessedly the greatest of modern French cooks. He has
exalted the science of cookery while he has nobly advanced
the art.
There are several national or provincial dishes which are
well known ; for example, the roast beef and plum pudding
of England ; the sauerkraut of Germany ; the salt beef of
Holland ; the fittau of Turkey (made of rice and mutton
28 EVERY WOMAN- HER OWN COOK.
fat) ; the macaroni of Italy ; the potatoes of Ireland ; the
oat-meal of Scotland ; the pork and beans and the pumpkin
pie of New England.
Books on the science and the art of cookery are
numerous. The oldest dates from the last half of the four-
teenth century. It is from a Frenchman, Le Sage, who has
blended moral maxims and culinary recipes in a wonderful
manner. The next in order is from Taillevant, already
referred to, dated 1392. Scappi, chief cook to Pope Pius
V, published a valuable book on cookery in 1570. So have
they been multiplied as the years have rolled by, and one
who is not an expert in cookery cannot lay his defect at the
door of authors or publishers.
But books are not sufficient to elevate a people. There
must be instruction, by which the text-books may be ex-
pounded and their lessons be illustrated to the masses. The
art of cookery must be learned, as are the other arts. There
are those who say that domestic cooking should be learned
in the home that the mother should teach the daughters,,
and that skill and knowledge should thus be handed down
from generation to generation. This is a splendid theory ;
but if the mothers themselves are ignorant and unskillful,
what then can be hoped for from the daughters ? Then, too,
a fixed set of culinary traditions would be handed down in
each family by this method, and the children would follow
the ways of the parents, irrespective of better ways practiced
by their next-door neighbors.
In the face of these facts, it was not at all strange that
schools of cookery arose centuries ago ; but it is strange
that these schools were not extended in their scope, to in-
clude others than professional cooks. They aimed merely
to provide skilled help for the kitchens of royalty and
Wealth. This they did to perfection, but the common people
knew nothing of the methods whereby their plain fare might
be made more toothsome or more beneficial, It has re-
THE ART OF COOKING. 29
mained for this later day, this utilitarian age, to establish
schools designed to furnish good, practical cooks for our
homes, and to develop them from our wives and our
daughters.
This " cooking-school " movement arose in England.
The working classes there were so sadly unskilled in
using provision, and provision was so enormously costly,
that the question necessarily arose, Is there no way where-
by these masses can use what little they have to better ad-
vantage ? How to make the most of what was in their
kitchens was the practical problem. Schools of domestic
economy then arose, under the patronage of benevolent per-
sons, to promote the practical solution of this difficulty.
The managers of the South Kensington Museum of Arts,
in West London, made the first organized movement in this
matter by establishing public lectures on the preparation of
food, with platform demonstrations of various culinary
operations. But the inadequacy of this course was soon evi-
dent. Exposition and illustration were good, but practice
was needed. Cookery is like music, in that the only way to
do it well is to do it well. Lectures on the capabilities of
the piano, though supplemented by brilliant illustration,
could never make musicians, and the course inaugurated at
Kensington Museum was not capable of making cooks.
Practice schools soon became an admitted necessity.
To found schools of this character was no easy task.
Public sentiment was not up to the need. Teachers, text-
books, and even pupils were wanting. It was unavoidably
an expensive method of education, and no great names stood
ready to back the movement. But the parties chiefly in-
terested were determined, and they moved onward. The
first organized classes for graded instructions and practice
in cookery were formed in 1874. These classes were open
to all, but especial encouragement was given to those pro-
posing to go out as teachers of this art, In this respect tho
30 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
work was a great success, and large numbers of cooking*
schools have been formed in England.
These schools employ a series of printed " lessons/'
suited for use in all the work in all the various grades.
These lessons contained a list of ingredients needed for each
dish, with their quantity and cost. Then followed a specifi-
cation of the several steps to be taken, each distinct in itself
and numbered. Nothing was assumed to be known;
nothing was here taken for granted, all was clearly specified
and, if need be, explained. As trial showed defects in the
several lessons, they were carefully revised, and at last text-
books were issued. Every pupil learned what to do in each
case ; then they did it ; then they kept on doing it until they
could do it to perfection. As at " Dotheboys Hall," he whose
turn it was to spell " scrub " was set to scrub the floor, etc.,
etc., so at these practice schools, she who studied " Irish
stew," made Irish stew, and capped the climax by eating it.
It is surprising that so diversified a company gathered in
these schools. An observer of the Kensington Museum
establishment says of the attendance : " There were cultivated
ladies, the daughters of country gentlemen, old house-
keepers, servants, cooks, and colored girls from South
Africa, together with a large proportion of intelligent young
women who were preparing to become teachers."
It may strike one who goes over these lessons that there
is a wearisome attention to trivial details* But it should not
be forgotten that the chief difference between good and bad
cookery lies just here* It is a prime point in cooking-
schools to make each item so prominent that it cannot be
overlooked. Strict attention to details is the corner-stone
of the culinary art.
Schools of cookery are now numerous in this country.
New York, Philadelphia, and all the principal cities have
institutions of this character. Text-books are numerous
top, EHza A, ypumans, Juliet Corson, and othwr
THE ART OF COOKING. 31
have nobly led the van of culinary artistes, and their man-
uals are standards for cooking-schools.
To illustrate the method of the cooking-schools, two
" lessons " are here added, both on the making of Cabinet
Pudding. The first is from the American edition of Lessons
in Cookery, the handbook of the London school.
LESSON : CABINET PUDDING.
Ingredients. One dozen cherries or raisins, and two or three pieces of
angelica. One dozen finger-biscuits and half a dozen ratafias. One ounce
of loaf-sugar and fifteen drops of essence of vanilla. Four eggs. One
pint of milk.
Time required, about one Iwur.
To make a Cabinet Pudding:
1. Take a pint-and-a-half mold and butter it inside with
your fingers.
2. Take a dozen raisins or dried cherries, and two or three
pieces of angelica, and ornament the bottom of the mold with
them.
3. Take one dozen stale sponge finger-biscuits* and break
them in pieces.
4. Partly fill the mold with pieces of cake and a half a
dozen ratafias:^
5. Take four yelks and two whites of eggs and put them
in a basin.
6. Add to the eggs one ounce of white sugar, and whip
them together lightly.
7. Stir in, by degrees, one pint of milk.
8. Flavor it by adding fifteen drops of essence of vanilla.
9. Pour this mixture over the cakes in the mold.
10. Place a piece of buttered paper over the top of the
mold.
1 1. Take a saucepan half full of boiling water, and stand
it on the side of the fire.
* To be had at the baker's.
| For sale at all large grocery -houses.
32 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
12. Stand the mold in the saucepan, to steam for from
three-quarters of an hour to an hour.
N. B. The water should only reach half way up the mold, or it would
boil over and spoil the pudding.
13. For serving, turn the pudding carefully out of the
mold on to a hot dish."
The other " lesson " is from Miss Corson's Cooking-
school Text-book. It is the method pursued in the New
York Cooking-school and its offshoots.
LESSON: CABINET PUDDING.
INGREDIENTS.
j^lb. candied cherries, ..... 20 cents.
2 oz. citron, .......4"
j^lb. macaroons, - - - '"" ' - ^ - - 15 "
Sponge cake, .-....-10"
I pt. milk, 4 "
% z. gelatine, - - - X 3 "
I lemon, 2 "
3 oz. powdered sugar, -....-2"
Total, ..... 60 cents.
(i.) Soak the gelatine in two tablespoonfuls of cold watei
until it is soft, and then put it over the fire in a saucepan
with the milk, sugar, and the yellow rind of the lemon cut
very thin, and let it heat thoroughly, stirring occasionally
until the gelatine and sugar are dissolved. (2.) Cut the
citron in thin slices. Butter a plain pudding mold rather
thickly with cold butter, and ornament the bottom and sides
by placing some of the fruit against them in some pretty
shape. (3.) Place the remaining fruit and the cake in the
mold in alternate layers, and then strain the milk into the
mold. Set it where it will cool and grow firm, which will
be in four or five hours, and then turn it QUt of the mold
and serve it cold" .
THE ART OF COOKING. 33
Every city has its leading caterer, who illustrates, when
opportunity offers, to what heights the gastronomic art may
be carried. On special occasions great " spreads " are made,
the cost of which will surprise the uninitiated. From two
to five dollars per plate is an ordinary charge for these en-
tertainments. Ten dollars for each guest is by no means
unusual. Twenty-five dollars for each guest, the wines in-
cluded, is a price often charged, and Delmonico, of New
York, furnished a dinner to ten persons, the cost of which
was estimated to be no less than four hundred dollars each.
The dinner was given by a distinguished yachting-man,
who insisted that the five men in waiting should be dressed
as sailors. He furnished the suits, new and elegant. The
guests drank, or tasted, every vinted liquor that has ever been
brought to America not that they drank every brand of
wine, but every grade was represented. They finished with
apousse cafe made of eleven liquors.
The bills of fare were a striking feature of the display.
Before each plate sat a cut-glass basin, about twenty inches
in diameter and four inches deep. Each was nearly filled
with water, perfumed with ottar of roses, on the surface of
which floated half-open pond lilies. In the basin a perfect
model of the yacht owned by the gentleman who gave the
dinner was placed. It was cut in red cedar wood, with
cabin, rail, wheel for steering, brass work, such as belaying-
pins, binnacle, etc., man ropes worked and trimmed with
sailor knots, scraped pine masts and booms, rigging of
silken cords colored as it would be in the prototype, and
sails of satin.
The sails carried the bills of fare. On the flying jib were
the words : " Compliments of ," naming the giver of
the dinner; on the jib the date and place; on the foresail
was the name of the guest who sat at the place where each
little vessel floated ; and on the mainsail was the menu. As
the guest had occasion to consult his bill of fare, he used a
a
34 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
little gold oar that rested on the ringers of a silver naiad
who peered over the containing glass, and held out both
hands to grasp the oar. After the dinner each guest either
carried away his bill of fare or had it sent to his home. The
bills of fare were supposed to have cost at least one hundred
dollars apiece. Of course, the viands spread at such a table
were the finest the markets of the world could afford.
An artistic conclusion to an elaborate luncheon in New
York is thus described by one who was there : " The last
course was quite classic. A Greek would have appreciated it.
It would have given him visions of Hybla and Hymettus, and
their luxuriant growth of wild thyme. Everything was
removed from the table except the ferns in the centre. A
glass jug, some small glasses, and a plate of water crackers
were brought in. The hostess poured out for each guest a
tiny glass of metheglin. Any one who had forgotten the
old reputation of this liquor and of what it was made would
have been enlightened by seeing the jug. It looked like a
honeycomb. Through the wax-looking cells painted upon
its surface the liquor appeared like yellow honey. On the
stopper was a black and gold bee. The caster, or tray, in
which the jug stood was of glass also, covered with white
clover and other heather flowers, which give the delicate
flavor to Scotch and French honey. Such a finale seems to
claim for America mention among those nations which
Shakespeare describes as * exquisite in their drinking.' "
n. SOUP STOCK, SOUPS, ETC,
GENERAL SUGGESTIONS ON SOUP STOCK AND SOUP MEAT, HOW
TO PREPARE THEM, HOW TO ENRICH THEM, THICKENING SOUP,
COLORING SOUP, FLAVORING SOUP, ETC. THIRTY-TWO RECIPES
FOR SOUPS AND INCIDENTAL PREPARATIONS.
THE first and great essential to making good soup is
stock, or good, fresh meat. To make stock, take the
liquor left after boiling fresh meat, bones large or
small, the large ones being cracked, that the marrow may
be extracted, trimmings of meat, bones, and meat left over
from a roast or broil, put any or all of these in a large pot
or soup-kettle with water enough to cover them. Let th^m
simmer slowly over a steady fire, keep the kettle covered,
stir frequently, pour in now and then a cup of cold water,
and skim off the scum. If it is fresh meat or bones, com*
mence with cold water ; if cooked, with warm water. Bones
are as useful as meat in making stock, as they furnish gela-
tine. A quart of water is usually enough for a pound of
meat. Six to eight hours will make stock fit for use. Let
it stand over night, then skim off the fat, put the stock into
an earthen jar, and it is ready for use.
Fresh meat should be freed from all superfluous skin and
fat, which make a soup greasy, rather than rich.
The glutinous substance contained in the bones renders it
important that they should be boiled with the meat, as they
add to the strength and thickness of the soup. The meat,
however, should be cut off the bone and divided into small
pieces. Place in cold water over a gentle fire and boil by
the long and slow process, that the essence of the meat may
35
36 EVERY WOMAN" HER OWN COOK.
be drawn out thoroughly. When it comes to the boiling
point, throw in a little salt to assist the scum to rise ; then
skim carefully to prevent its becoming turbid. When no
more scum accumulates, and the meat is softened so as to
readily separate with the use of the fork, it should be
strained, the vegetables put it, the seasoning done, and the
necessary amount of hot water added if too much has boiled
away.
All soup meats are better boiled the day before using, so
as to allow the grease to chill over night, when it can
readily be removed before putting over the fire again.
The following thickening is almost indispensable to all
good soups : A tablespoonful or more of flour mixed to a
smooth paste with a little water, and enriched with a tea-
spoonful of butter, or good beef drippings well stirred in.
If it be necessary to add water to a soup, always use boil-
ing water, as cold water injures the flavor. If making a
rich soup that requires catsup or wine, let either be added
just before the soup is taken from the fire.
Soup may be colored yellow by the use of grated car-
rots; red with the juice of tomatoes ; green with the juice
of powdered spinach ; brown with carefully scorched flour,
kept ready for use. Onions are thought by many to be a
necessity in all soups that their flavor must lurk some-
where, either defined or undefined. Their flavor may be
much improved if fried until nicely browned in hot butter
before being added to the soup. Potatoes should never
be boiled with soup, because they add nothing to its flavor
and are themselves injured by the long cooking. They
should be boiled separately, and then added.
A most desirable quality in soup is that no one flavor
predominate over the others, but, that by a careful blending
of the different ingredients it shall contain and harmonize
all flavors. Soups and broths should always be strained. It
SOU* 4TOCK, SOUPS, ETC. 3?
makes them more relishable as well as inviting to the eye.
A slight acid, like lemon or tomato, gives a peculiar relish
to some soups, as do many of the palatable condiments
prepared by such manufacturers as Durkee & Co., Annear
& Co., Cross & Blackwell, and several others, for this
especial purpose. With such helps and a sufficient quan-
tity of stock on hand, a choice, rich soup of any variety
may be gotten up in thirty minutes.
RECIPES.
Beef Soup. Boil a shin of beef, or a piece off the shoulder,
slowly and thoroughly, the day before desiring to use it ;
skim well the next day and thin the jelly, if necessary, with
water ; add a little brandy, a grated carrot, two tablespoon-
fuls of butter rubbed smooth in brown flour, a little vermi-
celli, and spices to taste. Two or three eggs may be boiled
hard, mashed smooth, and placed in the tureen before
turning in the soup.
Beef Soup, No. 2. Boil a shin of beef of moderate size,
crack the bone, remove the tough outside skin, wash, and
place in a kettle to boil with six or eight quarts of water.
Let it boil about four hours, until it becomes perfectly
tender, then take it out of the liquid. Add salt, one pint of
tomatoes, two onions cut in small pieces, two turnips cut in
quarters, one grated carrot, one large tablespoonful of sugar,
a little sweet marjoram and thyme rubbed fine, one red
pepper cut in very small pieces, also a celery top or a small
quantity of bruised celery seed. This soup may be thick-
ened according to taste either with vermicelli, macaroni,
noodles, or drop dumplings.
For an incidental side dish, take the soup meat that has
been cut from the bones, chop fine while warm, season with
salt and pepper, add one teacup of soup saved out before
38 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
putting in the vegetables. Pack in a dish, and slice down
for tea or lunch when cold.
Beef Sonp with Okra. Cut a round steak in small pieces
and fry in three tablespoonfuls of butter, together with one
sliced onion, until very brown ; put into a soup kettle with
four quarts of cold water, and boil slowly an hour ; add
salt, pepper, and one pint of sliced okra, and simmer three
and one-half hours longer. Strain before serving.
Corned Beef Soup. When the liquor in which corned beef
and vegetables have been boiled is cold, remove all the
grease that has risen and hardened on the top, and add
tomatoes and tomato catsup and boil half an hour thus
making an excellent tomato soup ; or add to it rice, or sago,
or pearl barley, or turn it into a vegetable soup by boiling in
the liquor any vegetables that are fancied. Several varieties
of soups may have this stock for a basis and be agreeable
to the taste.
Ox-tail Soup. Chop the ox-tail into small pieces ; set on
the fire with a tablespoonful of butter, and stir until brown,
and then pour off the fat; add broth to taste, and boil gently
until the pieces of tail are well cooked. Season with pepper,
salt, and three or four tomatoes ; boil fifteen minutes and
then serve. This soup can be made with water, instead of
the stock broth, in which case season with carrot, onion,
turnip, and parsley.
Mutton Broth. After the steaks have been cut from the
leg, the lower part is just adapted for a soup. The neck-
piece is also very nice. Boil the meat very gently in cold
water, adding a turnip, a carrot, and a spoonful of rice. All
the fat should be removed. Toward the last, add a little
minced parsley. Dumplings are an excellent addition.
Vegetable Soup. Take two pounds of shin of beef and two
pounds of knuckle of veal ; remove all the fat and break
SOUP STOCK, SOUPS, ETC.
the bones and take out the marrow ; put into a pot with five
pints of water ; add a teaspoonful of salt, and then cover and
let it come to a boil quickly ; remove the scum that rises,
and set where it will simmer for five hours ; one hour before
serving, add two young carrots, scraped and cut in slices,
half a head of celery, and a small onion cut into squares ; in
half an hour add one turnip sliced, and in fifteen minutes
one cauliflower broken in small pieces.
Bean Soup. Soak one and a half pints of beans in cold
water over night. In the morning drain off the water, wash
the beans in fresh water, and put into soup-kettle with four
quarts of good beef stock, from which all the fat has been
removed. Set it where it will boil slowly but steadily for
three hours at the least. Two hours before it is needed for
use, slice in an onion and a carrot. Some think it im-
proved by adding a little tomato. If the beans are not liked
whole, strain through a colander and send to the table hot.
Black Bean Soup. Three pounds soup bone, one quart
black beans, soaked over night and drained ; one onion,
chopped fine ; juice of one lemon. Pepper, salt, and Durkee's
Challenge Sauce to taste. Boil the soup bone, beans, and
onions together six hours ; strain, and add seasoning. Slice
lemon and put on top when served.
Tomato Soup. Take a knuckle of veal, a bony piece of
beef, a neck of mutton, or almost any piece of meat you
may happen to have ; set it over the fire in a small quantity
of water, cover it closely, and boil very gently, to extract
the juices of the meat. When nearly done, add a quantity
of peeled tomatoes, and stew till the tomatoes are done ; add
salt and pepper to your taste. This is a very cheap, healthful,
and easily made soup.
Tomato Soup, No. 2. Take one quart of tomatoes. When
boiling, add one teaspoonful of soda, two pulverized soda
40 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
crackers, one pint of hot water, one pint of milk, salt, and
pepper ; strain through a colander and serve hot.
Green Pea Soup. Boil the empty pods of a half-peck of
green peas in one gallon of water one hour ; strain them
out ; add four pounds of beef cut into small pieces, and boil
slowly for an hour and a half longer. Half an hour before
serving add the shelled peas, and twenty minutes later half
a cup of rice flour, salt, pepper, and a little chopped parsley.
After adding the rice flour stir frequently so as to pre-
vent scorching.
Dried Split Pea Soup. One gallon of water, one quart of
soaked split peas, half a pound of salt pork, one pound of
beef. Put over the fire, seasoning with salt and pepper,
celery salt, salpicant, curry powder, marjoram, or savory;
let it boil slowly for two hours, or until the quantity of
liquor does not exceed two quarts. Pour into a colander
and press the peas through with a spoon. Fry two or three
slices of stale bread in butter till brown, scatter them in the
soup after it is placed in the tureen.
Corn Soup. Cut the corn from the cob, and to a pint of
corn allow one quart of hot water ; boil an hour and press
through a colander; put into a saucepan an ounce of but-
ter and a tablespoonful of flour, being careful to stir well to
prevent it being lumpy, then add the corn pulp, a little
cayenne pepper, salt, a pint of boiling milk, and half a pint
of cream.
Onion Soup. Slice ten medium-sized onions and fry brown
in butter with a tablespoonful and a half of flour ; put into a
saucepan, and stir in slowly four or five pints of milk and
water (about one-third water) ; season to taste, and add a
teacupful of grated potato ; set in a kettle of boiling water,
and cook ten minutes ; add a cup of sweet cream and serve
quickly.
SOUP STOCK, SOUPS, ETC. 41
Mock-turtle Soup. Scald a calf's head and wash it clean ;
boil it in a large pot of water for half an hour, cut all the
skin off, and take the tongue out. Take the broth made of
a knuckle of veal, put in the tongue and skin, with one
onion, half-ounce of cloves, half-ounce of mace, half a nut-
meg, all kinds of sweet herbs chopped fine, and three
anchovies. Stew till tender ; then take out the meat, and
cut it in pieces two inches square ; cut the tongue, previously
skinned, in slices ; strain the liquor through a sieve ; melt
half a pound of butter in a stewpan ; put in it half a pound
of flour and stir it till smooth if at all lumpy, strain it; add
the liquor, stirring it all the time ; then put to the meat the
juice of two lemons, or one bottle of Madeira wine, if pre-
ferred ; season rather highly with pepper, salt, and cayenne
pepper ; put in a few meat balls and eight eggs boiled hard.
Stew gently one hour, and serve in a tureen ; if too thick,
add more liquor before stewing the last time.
Mock-turtle Soup? No. 2. Take a calf's head and about
two pounds of delicate fat pork. Put both into a soup-
kettle, with two onions, sweet herbs, celery, pepper, and
mace. Fill the kettle with water, and boil very gently till
the meat is tender. Take out the head and the pork, return
the bones of the head into the soup ; let it stew several
hours longer ; and, when cold, take off the fat, strain the
soup, and thicken; add the juice of a lemon and half a pint
of white wine. Cut up the head and pork into pieces ; warm
them up in the soup, adding some choice meat balls made
from finely minced, savory meat. The pork will be found
quite an addition to the soup and a substitute for the fat of
the turtle.
Gumbo Soup. Cut up two chickens, two slices of ham, and
two onions into dice ; flour them, and fry the whole to a
light brown ; then fill the frying-pan with boiling water, stir
42 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
it a few minutes, and turn the whole into a saucepan con-
taining three quarts of boiling water ; let it boil forty min-
utes, removing the scum. In the meantime soak three pods
of okra in cold water twenty minutes ; cut them into thin
slices, and add to the other ingredients ; let it boil one hour
and a half. Add a quart of canned tomatoes and a cupful
of boiled rice half an hour before serving.
Southern Gumbo Soup. Cut up one chicken, and fry it to
a light brown, also two slices of bacon ; pour on them three
quarts of boiling water ; add one onion and some sweet
herbs tied in a bag ; simmer them gently three hours and a
half; strain off the liquor, take off the fat, and then put the
ham and chicken (cut into small pieces) into the liquor;
add half a teacup of sliced okra, also half a teacup of boiled
rice. Boil all half an hour, and just before serving add a
glass of wine and a dozen oysters with their juice.
Julienne Soup. Scrape two carrots and two turnips, and
cut in pieces an inch long ; cut slices lengthwise about one-
eighth of an inch thick; then cut again, so as to make
square strips ; put them in a saucepan, with two ounces of
butter, three tablespoonfuls of cabbage chopped fine, and
half an onion chopped ; set on the fire and stir until half
fried ; add broth as you wish to make thick or thin ; boil
until done ; salt to taste ; skim off the fat, and serve ; it
takes about two hours to prepare this soup properly. It
can be served with rice or barley.
Macaroni or Vermicelli Soup. Two small carrots, four
onions, two turnips, two cloves, one tablespoonful salt, pep-
per to taste. Herbs marjoram, parsley, and thyme. Put
any cooked or uncooked meat and its bones in enough water
to cover them; when they boil, skim them and add the
vegetables. Simmer three or four hours, then strain
through a colander and put back in the saucepan to reheat
SOUP STOCK, SOUPS, ETC. 43
Boil one-half pound macaroni until quite tender, and place
in the soup tureen, and pour the soup over it the last
thing. Vermicelli will need to be soaked a short time only
not to be boiled.
White Soup. Boil a knuckle of veal for three hours. Add
a quarter of a pound of macaroni, and when done, a pint of
cream. Season with lemon-peel and mace.
Turkey Soup. Take the turkey bones and boil three-
quarters of an hour in water enough to cover them ; add a
little summer savory and celery chopped fine. Just before
serving, thicken with a little browned flour, and season
with pepper, salt, and a small piece of butter.
Chicken Soup. To the broth in which chickens have been
boiled for salad, etc., add one onion and eight or ten
tomatoes ; season with pepper and salt ; add Challenge Sauce
or Salpicant, if desired ; boil thirty minutes ; add two well*
beaten eggs just before sending to the table.
Lobster Soup. To boil a lobster, put it in a fish-kettle and
cover it with cold water, cooking it on a quick fire. Remove
the small bladder found near the head, and take out a small
vein found immediately under the shell all along the back
of the lobster, and use the rest. Two lobsters will make
soup for six or eight persons, and salad also. All the under
shell and small claws are pounded in a mortar to make the
soup ; when pounded, put it into a pan and set it on the fire
with broth or water. The meat is cut in small pieces, to
be added afterward. The soup is left on the fire to boil
gently for half an hour ; then put it in a sieve and press it
with a masher to extract the juice. To make it thicker, a
small piece of parsnip can be added and mashed with the
rest into a pan, so that all the essence is extracted in that way
from the lobster. When you have strained it put a little
44 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
butter with it and add as much broth as is required ; put
some of the meat in the tureen and pour the soup over it.
Clam Soup. Wash the clams free from grit; boil them in
a pint of water till they will come from the shells easily.
Take a small quantity of the liquor, add some milk, thicken
it with a little flour, and add the clams. Split crackers are
veiy nice added.
Portable Soup. Boil a knuckle of veal, also the feet, a
shin of beef, a cowheel or any other bones of meat which
will produce a stiff jelly, in a large kettle, with as much
water as will cover them. Let it stand a long time over the
fire before it boils. Skim it most thoroughly, until the
broth appears entirely clear. Then fill up the kettle with
hot water, and boil it eight hours, or until it has evaporated
so as to be somewhat thick. Run it through a hair sieve,
set it in a cool place where it will harden very quickly. Skim
off every particle of fat, and return it to a saucepan ; skim
and stir continually, so that it may not scorch, and all the
previous labor be lost, until it becomes a very thick syrup.
As soon as it can be no longer done in this way, transfer it
to a deep jar, and set into a kettle of water, hot, but not
boiling, until it jellies very thick. This will keep good
many months, if packed dry in tin canisters. This is the con-
centrated essence of soup, and is a most convenient article
of use, either at home in an emergency or in traveling, and
especially at sea. To make a pint of soup, cut off a piece
as large as a walnut, dissolve it in the boiling water, and it
is ready for use.
Fluid Bee Among the advanced preparations of the day
meat extracts are taking a high place. One of the finest of
these preparations is " Johnston's Fluid Beef." It contains
all the nutritive constituents of the beef, and is readily
available for soups, sandwiches, beef tea, etc. For medi-.
cal uses, traveling, picnics, etc,, it is very convenient. To
SOUP STOCK, SOUPS, ETC. 4$
use for soups and beef tea, add a teaspoonful to a cup of
boiling water and season to taste ; or as a sandwich paste,
it may be used on toast, with or without butter. Put up
in cans of various sizes, from two ounces to one pound,
which can be left open without injury to contents.
RECIPES INCIDENTAL TO SOUPS.
Meat Balls for Soup. Take fresh cooked meat or fowl and
chop fine ; season with pepper, salt, and herbs, and a little
lemon ; mix together with an egg ; roll in bread-crumbs,
and fry in hot lard.
Browned Flour for Soups. Dredge the bottom of a spider
well with flour, and shake it over hot coals, letting it brown
gradually, but not burn. Keep it in a dry place, in a tin
canister, without wholly closing the lid. It is very con-
venient to have it already prepared, although when used fresh
it is much nicer.
Home-made Noodlesa substitute for Vermicelli Wet with
the yelks of four eggs as much fine, dry, sifted flour as will
make them into a firm but very smooth paste. Roll it out
as thin as possible, and cut it into bands of about an inch
and a quarter in width. Dust them lightly with flour, and
place four of them one upon the other. Cut them in the
finest possible strips, separate them with the point of a
knife, and spread them on the pie-board so that they may
dry a little before they are used. Drop them gradually into
the boiling soup, and in five minutes they will be done.
Drop Dumplings. Take prepared flour, add a little beef
drippings or lard, well rubbed through, and moisten to a soft
dough. With floured hands pinch off very small pieces and
form into balls by rolling in the palm of the hand. In boil-
ing dumplings of any kind, put them in the water one at a
time. If they are put in together they will blend with each
other.
III. FISH, OYSTERS, ETC.
HINTS CONCERNING FISH TESTS OF FRESHNESS, HOW TO
HOW TO DRESS, HOW TO BOIL FISH, HOW TO BAKE FISH,
HOW TO BROIL FISH, HOW TO FRY FISH, ETC. FIFTY-THREE
RECIPES FOR COOKING FISH, OYSTERS, ETC., AND FOR INCI-
DENTAL PREPARATIONS.
FISH should be eaten as soon as possible after being
taken from the water. In every kind of fish, the
brightness of the eyes, redness of the gills, firmness
of the flesh, and stiffness of the fins are indications of fresh-
ness. Fish should be thoroughly cleaned as soon as prac-
ticable. Great care should be taken to remove every atom
of blood, to rinse carefully, and not to soak them longer
than necessary. Fish are dressed in a variety of ways to
suit different tastes boiled, baked, broiled, and fried. The
most ordinary methods are broiling or frying. In boiling,
large fish should be wrapped in a cloth previously floured
to prevent sticking, tied with a string, and covered with
from two to three inches of cold water already salted ; from
six to ten minutes per pound will generally be found suf-
ficient for boiling. Remove from the fire the moment it is
done, and place upon a sieve to drain.
In baking fish, cleanse and wipe dry ; fill to taste ; sew to-
gether ; place in a dripping-pan ; season with salt and pepper ;
add sufficient water to baste with, or if a filling of oysters
is used, baste with the liquor off them. The space between
the fish and the sides of the pan may be filled with slices of
raw potatoes one-quarter of an inch thick, and serve fish
and potatoes together, A large fish will bake in an hour.
46
PISH, OYSTERS, ETC. 47
For broiling, thoroughly cleanse and dry ; split open so
that the backbone will be flat in the middle ; season with salt
And pepper, and place on a buttered gridiron over a clear
fire with the inside downward until it begins to brown, then
turn over. When done, serve on a hot dish and butter lib-
erally.
Fish may be very nicely fried in hot lard with only a
seasoning of salt and pepper, and a little flour dredged
over it, or it may be spread with beaten eggs and rolled in
cracker or bread crumbs before frying. Challenge sauce,
Worcestershire sauce, and similar condiments upon fish will
be found to give a most delicate and piquant flavoring.
RECIPES.
Broiled Shad. Scrape, split, wash, and dry the shad on a
cloth; season with pepper and salt; grease the gridiron
well ; as soon as it is hot lay the shad on to broil with the
inside downward. One side being well browned, turn it.
It should broil a quarter of an hour or more, according to
thickness. Butter well and send to table hot.
Baked Shad. Many people are of the opinion that the
very best method of cooking a shad is to bake it. Stuff it
with bread-crumbs, salt, pepper, butter, and parsley, and
mix this up with beaten yelk of egg ; fill the fish with it,
and sew it up or fasten a string around it. Pour over it a
little water and some butter, and bake as you would a fowl.
A shad will require from an hour to an hour and a quarter
to bake.
Halibut Cutlets. Cut your halibut steaks an inch thick,
wipe them with a dry cloth, and season with saJt and cay-
enne pepper. Have ready a pan of yelk of eggs well
beaten and a dish of grated bread-crumbs. Put ornp fresh
48 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
lard or beef drippings in a frying-pan and hold it over thi
fire till it boils. Dip your cutlets in the egg, and then in
the bread-crumbs. Fry a light brown; serve up hot.
Salmon or any large fish may be fried in the same manner.
Baked Cod or Halibut Use a piece of fish from the middle
of the back, weighing four, five, or six pounds. Lay the fish
in very cold salt-and-water for two hours ; wipe dry ; make
deep gashes in both sides at right angles with the back-
bone, and rub into these, as well as coat it all over with, a
force-meat made of the crumbs, pork, herbs, onion, and
seasoning, made to adhere by raw egg. Lay in the baking-
pan and pour over it the drawn butter (which should be quite
thin), season with the anchovy sauce, lemon juice, pepper,
and a pinch of parsley. Bake in a moderate oven nearly an
hour or even more if the piece be large basting frequently
lest it should brown too fast. Add a little butter-and-water
when the sauce thickens too much. When the fish is done,
remove to a hot dish, and strain the gravy over it. A few
capers or chopped green pickles are a pleasant addition to
the gravy.
Boiled Halibut. Take a small halibut, or what you require
from a large fish. Put it into the fish-kettle, with the back
of the fish undermost ; cover it with cold water, in which a
handful of salt and a bit of saltpetre the size of a hazel-nut
have been dissolved. When it begins to boil skim it care-
fully, and then let it just simmer till it is done. Four pounds
of fish will require half an hour nearly to boil it. Drain it,
garnish with horse-radish or parsley. Egg sauce, or plain
melted butter, are served with it.
Boiled Rockfish. After the fish has been nicely cleaned,
put it into a pot with water enough to cover it, and throw
in salt in the proportion of half a teaspoonful to a pound of
fish. Boil it slowly until the meat is tender and easily sep-
OYSTERS, ETC. 4ft
Arates from the bones. A large fish will require an hour to
cook. When done, serve on a hot dish, and have a few
hard-boiled eggs, cut in thin slices, laid around it and over
it. Eat with egg-sauce.
WMte Fisk This fish may be broiled, fried, or baked.
To bake it, prepare a stuffing of fine bread-crumbs, a little
salt pork chopped very fine ; season with sage, parsley, pep-
per, and salt. Fill the fish with the stuffing, sew it up,
sprinkle the outside with salt, pepper, and flour, and bake.
In frying white fish, pour off the fat as it accumulates, as it
is apt to be too fat when served.
Broiled Salmon. The steaks from the centre of the fish
are best. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, spread on a little
butter, and broil over a clear but slow fire.
Smoked Salmon, Broiled. Take a half pound of smoked
salmon and parboil it ten minutes ; lay in cold water for the
same length of time ; wipe dry and broil over a clear fire.
Add two tablespoonfuls of butter while hot ; season with
cayenne and the juice of half a lemon; pile in a "log-
cabin " square upon a hot plate, and serve with dry toast.
Boiled Salmon. A piece weighing six pounds should be
rubbed with salt, tied carefully in a cloth, and boiled slowly
for three-quarters of an hour. It should be eaten with egg or
caper sauce. If any remain after dinner, it may be placed
in a deep dish, a little salt sprinkled over, and a teacupful of
boiling vinegar poured upon it. Cover it closely, and it will
make a nice breakfast dish.
Baked Salmon with Cream Sance. Butter a sheet of fools*
cap paper on both sides, and wrap the fish up in it, pinning
the ends securely together. Lay in the baking-pan, and
pour six or seven spoonfuls of butter-and-water over it.
Turn another pan over all, and steam in a moderate oven
4
50 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
from three-quarters of an nour to an hour, lifting the cover,
from time to time, to baste and assure yourself that the
paper is not burning. Meanwhile, have ready in a sauce-
pan a cup of cream, in which you would do well to dis-
solve a bit of soda a little larger than a pea. This is a wise
precaution whenever cream is to be boiled. Heat this in a
vessel placed within another of hot water ; thicken with a
heaping teaspoonful of corn-starch ; add a tablespoonful of
butter, pepper and salt to taste, a liberal pinch of minced
parsley, and when the fish is unwrapped and dished, pour
half the dressing slowly over it, sending the rest to table
in a boat. If you have no cream, use milk, and add a beaten
egg to the thickening.
Salmon Steaks or Cutlets Pried. Cu': slices from the middle
of the fish one inch thick ; wipe dry, and salt slightly ; dip
Jin egg, then in cracker crumbs ; fry very quickly in hot
butter ; drain off every drop of grease, and serve upon a hot
dish. Sprinkle green parsley in bunches over it. The
French use the best salad-oil in this recipe instead of butter.
Pickled Salmon. Soak salt salmon twenty-four hours,
changing the water frequently ; afterward pour boiling water
around it, a&d let it stand fifteen minutes ; drain off and
then pour on boiling vinegar with cloves and mace added.
Pried Perch. Scale and clean them perfectly ; dry them
well, flour and fry them in boiling lard. Serve plenty of
fried parsley round them.
Pried Tront Wash, drain, and split ; roll in flour, season
with salt ; have some thin slices of salt pork in a pan, and
when very hot put in the fish and fry to a nice brown.
Stewed Tront Clean and wash the fish with care, and
wipe it perfectly dry ; put into a stewpan two tablespoonfuls
of butter, dredge in as it melts a little flour, grate half a
FISH, OYSTERS, ETC. 51
nutmeg, a few blades of mace, a little cayenne, and a tea-
spoonful of salt ; mix it all together ; then lay in the fish, let
it brown slightly; pour over some veal gravy, a lemon
thinly sliced ; stew very slowly for forty minutes ; take out
the fish, and add two glasses of wine to the gravy. Lay
the fish on a hot dish, and pour over it some of the gravy.
Serve the rest in a sauce-tureen.
Pried Catfish. Catfish must be cooked quite fresh if pos<
sible, directly out of the water. The larger ones are gener-
ally coarse and strong ; the small-sized fish are the best.
Wash and clean them, cut off their heads and tails, remove
the upper part of the backbone near the shoulders, and
score them along the back with deep gashes or incisions,
Dredge them with flour, and fry them in plenty of lard,
boiling fast when the catfish are put into the pan. Or you
may fry them in the drippings or gravy saved from roast
beef or veal. They are very nice dipped in a batter of
beaten egg and grated bread-crumbs, or they may be done
plain, though not in so nice a way, with Indian meal instead
of bread-crumbs. Drain orT the lard before you dish them.
Touch each incision or cut very slightly with a little cay-
enne before they go to table.
Pried Eels. After skinning, emptying, and washing them
as clean as possible, cut them into short pieces, and dry
them well with a soft cloth. Season them with fine salt
and cayenne, flour them thickly, and fry them in boiling
lard ; when nicely browned, drain and dry them, and send
to the table with plain melted butter and a lemon, or with
fish-sauce. Eels are sometimes dipped into batter and then
fried, or into egg and dried bread-crumbs, and served with
plenty of crisped parsley
Fish Chowder. Take a fresh haddock, of three or four
pounds, clean it well, and cut in pieces of three inches
52 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
square. Place in the bottom of your dinner-pot five or six
slices of salt pork, fry brown, then add three onions sliced
thin, and fry those brown. Remove the kettle from the fire,
and place on the onions and pork a layer of fish. Sprinkle
over a little pepper and salt, then a layer of pared and sliced
potatoes, a layer of fish and potatoes, till the fish is used up.
Cover with water, and let it boil for half an hour. Pound
six biscuits or crackers fine as meal, and pour into the pot ;
and, lastly, add a pint of milk ; let it scald well, and serve.
New England Chowder. Take a good haddock, cod, or any
other solid fish, cut it in pieces three inches square ; put a
pound of fat, salt pork, cut into strips, into the pot ; set it
on hot coals and fry out the grease ; take out the pork, but
leave the grease in the bottom of the pot, and put in a layer
of fish, over that a layer of sliced onions, over that a layer
of fish, with slips of the fried pork, then another layer of
onions and a few sliced raw potatoes, and so on alternately
until your fish is all in ; mix some flour with as much water
as will fill the pot ; season to suit your taste, and boil for
half an hour ; have ready some pilot bread, soaked in water,
and throw them into your chowder five minutes before tak-
ing off; serve in a tureen.
Fish-balls. Two cupfuls cold boiled codfish, fresh or
salted. Chop the fish when you have freed it of bones and
skin ; work in one cupful of mashed potatoes, and moisten
with a half cup of drawn butter with an egg beaten in. Sea-
son to taste. Have them soft enough to mold, yet firm
enough to keep in shape. Roll the balls in flour, and fry
quickly to a golden-brown in lard or clean dripping. Take
from the fat so soon as they are done ; lay in a colander or
sieve and shake gently, to free them from every drop of
grease. Turn out for moment on white paper to absorb any
lingering drops, and serve on a hot dish.
FJfSff. 0*STKS, MTC. 6$
Stewed Oysters. Take one quart of oysters ; put the liqtior
(a teacupful for three persons) in a stewpan, and add half as
much more water, salt and pepper to taste, and let it boil,
Have your oysters ready in a bowl, and the moment the
A iquor boils, pour in all your oysters, say ten for each per-
json, or six will do. Now, watch carefully, and as soon as
it begins to boil take out your watch, count just thirty
seconds, and take your oysters from the stove. You will
have your big dish ready, with one and a half tablespoonfuls
of cream or milk for each person. Pour your stew on this
and serve immediately. Never boil an oyster in milk.
Maryland Stewed Oysters. Put the juice into a saucepan
and let it simmer, skimming it carefully ; then rub the yelks
of three hard-boiled eggs and one large spoonful of flour
well together, and stir into the juice. Cut in small pieces
quarter of a pound of butter, half a teaspoonful of whole
allspice, a little salt, a little cayenne, and the juice of a fresh
lemon; let all simmer ten minutes, and just before dishing
add the oysters. This is for two quarts of oysters.
Panned Oysters. Have ready several small pans of block
tin, with upright sides. Cut stale bread in thin slices, then
round them to a size that will just fit in the bottoms of your
pans. Toast these quickly to a light brown, butter, and lay
within your tins. Wet with a great spoonful of oyster liquid,
then, with a silver fork, arrange upon the toast as many oys*
ters as the pans will hold without heaping them up. Dust
with pepper and salt, put a bit of butter on top, and set the
pans, when all are full, upon the floor of a quick oven. Cover
with an inverted baking-pan to keep in steam and flavor,
and cook until the oysters " ruffle." Eight minutes in a
brisk oven should be enough. Send very hot to the table
in tins in which they were roasted. Next to roasting in the
shell, this mode of cooking oysters best preserves theii
native flavor.
54 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
Roasted Oysters. Take oysters in the shell; wash th*
shells clean, and lay them on hot coals ; when they are done
they will begin to open. Remove the upper shell, and serve
the oysters in the lower shell, with a little melted butter
poured over each, and season to taste.
Oyster Toast Select fifteen plump oysters; mince them,
and season with mixed pepper and a pinch of nutmeg ; beat
the yelks of four eggs and mix them with half a pint of
cream. Put the whole into a saucepan and set it over the
fire to simmer till thick ; stir it well, and do not let it boil,
lest it should curdle. Toast five pieces of bread, and butter
them ; when your dish is near the boiling-point, remove it
from the fire and pour it over the toast.
Cream Oysters. Fifty shell oysters, one quart sweet cream ;
butter, pepper, and salt to suit taste. Put the cream and
oysters in separate kettles to heat, the oysters in their own
liquor, and let them come to a boil; when sufficiently
cooked, skim ; then take them out of the liquid and put
them into a dish to keep warm. Put the cream and
liquid together. Season to taste, and thicken with powdered
cracker. When sufficiently thick, stir in the oysters.
Broiled Oysters. Drain select oysters in a colander. Dip
them one by one into melted butter, to prevent sticking tc
the gridiron, and place them on a wire gridiron. Broil over
a clear fire. When nicely browned on both sides, season
with salt, pepper, and plenty of butter, and lay them on hot
buttered toast, moistened with a little hot water. Serve
very hot Oysters cooked in this way and served on broiled
beefsteak are delicious.
Pried Oysters. Select the largest and finest fresh oysters,
put them into a colander and pour over a little water to
rinse them ; then place them on a dean towel and dry them.
Have ready some grated bread-crumbs, seasoned with
FISH, OYSTERS, ETC. 55
pepper and salt, and plenty of yelk of egg beaten till very
light ; and to each egg allow a large teaspoonful of rich
cream or of the best fresh butter. Beat the egg and cream
together. Dip each oyster first into the egg and cream,
and then into the crumbs. Repeat this twice, until the
oysters are well coated all over. Have ready boiling, in a
frying-pan, an equal mixture of fresh butter and lard. It
must very nearly fill the frying-pan, and be boiling fast when
the oysters go in, otherwise they will be heavy and greasy.
Fry them of a yellow brown on both sides, and serve hot.
Oyster Salad, see Salads.
Spiced or Pickled Oysters. Put into a porcelain kettle one
hundred and fifty large oysters with the liquor ; add salt,
and simmer till the edges roll or curl ; skim them out ; add
to the liquor one pint of white wine vinegar, one dozen
blades mace, three dozen cloves, and three dozen pepper-
corns ; let it come to a boil, and pour over the oysters.
Serve with slices of lemon floating in saucer.
Oyster Omelette. Allow for every six large oysters or
twelve small ones one egg ; remove the hard part and mince
the rest very fine ; take the yelks of eight eggs and whites of
four, beat till very light, then mix in the oysters ; season and
beat up thoroughly ; put into a skillet a gill of butter, let it
melt ; when the butter boils, skim it and turn in the ome-
lette ; stir until it stiffens ; fry light brown ; when the under
side is brown, turn on to a hot platter. To brown the upper
side, hold a red-hot shovel over it.
Scalloped Oysters, No. 1. Open the shells, setting aside for
use the deepest ones. Have ready some melted butter, not
hot, seasoned with minced parsley and pepper.- Roll each
oyster in this, letting it drip as little as may be, and lay in
the shells ; which should be arranged in a baking-pan. Add
66 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
to each a little lemon juice, sift bread-crumbs over it, and
bake in a quick oven until done. Serve in the shells.
Scalloped Oysters, No. 2. Cover the bottom of a baking-
dish (well buttered) with a layer of crumbs, and wet these
with cream, put on spoonful by spoonful. Pepper and salt,
and strew with minute bits of butter. Next, put in the oys-
ters, with a little of their liquor. Pepper them, stick bits of
butter in among them, and cover with dry crumbs until the
oysters are entirely hidden. Add more pieces of butter, very
small, and arrange thickly on top. Set in the oven, invert
a plate over it to keep in the flavor, and bake until the juice
bubbles up to the top. Remove the cover, and brown on
the upper grating for two or three minutes. Serve in the
bake-dish.
Oyster Pie. Line a dish with a puff paste or a rich bis-
cuit paste, and dredge well with flour ; drain one quart of
oysters ; season with pepper, salt, and butter, and pour into
the dish ; add some of the liquor ; dredge with flour, and
cover with a top crust, leaving a small opening in the
centre. Bake in a quick oven.
Oyster Patties. Put one quart of oysters in a saucepan,
with liquor enough to cover them, set it on the stove and
let them come to a boil ; skim well, and stir in two table-
spoonfuls of butter, a little pepper, and salt Line some
patty-pans with puff-paste, fill with oysters, cover with paste,
and bake twenty minutes in a hot oven. The upper crust
may be omitted, if desired.
Oyster Macaroni. Boil macaroni in a cloth to keep it
straight. Put a layer in a dish seasoned with pepper, salt,
and butter, then a layer of oysters, until the dish is full.
Mix some grated bread with a beaten egg, spread over the
top, and bake.
Oyster Sauce, see Sauces.
FISH, OYSTERS, ETC. 57
Boiled Lobster. If purchased alive, lobsters should be
chosen by weight (the heaviest are the best) and their live*
liness and briskness of motion. When freshly boiled they
are stiff, and their tails turn strongly inward ; when the fish
appear soft and watery, they are stale. The flesh of the
male lobster is generally considered of the finest flavor for
eating, but the hen lobster is preferred for sauce and soups,
on account of the coral.
To properly boil lobsters, throw them living into a kettle
of fast-boiling salt and water, that life may be destroyed in
an instant. Let them boil for about half an hour. When
done, take them out of the kettle, wipe them clean, and rub
the shell with a little salad-oil, which will give a clear red
appearance. Crack the large claws without mashing them,
and with a sharp knife split the body and tail from end to
end. The head, which is never eaten, should also be sepa-
rated from the body, but laid so near it that the division is
almost imperceptible. Dress in any way preferred.
Deviled Lobster. Procure a live, heavy lobster ; put it in
a pot of boiling water, with a handful of salt to it. When
done and cold, take out all the meat carefully, putting the
fat and coral on separate plates; cut the meat in small
pieces, rub the coral to a paste ; stir the fat in it, with a little
salt, cayenne, chopped parsley, essence of anchovies, and
salad-oil, or melted butter and lemon juice ; cut the back of
the lobster-shell in two, lengthwise ; wash clean ; stir the
lobster and sauce well together; fill the shells; sprinkle
bread-crumbs and a few bits of butter over the top ; set in
the oven until the crumbs are brown.
Stewed Lobster. A middling-sized lobster is best; pick
all the meat from the shells and mince it fine ; season with
a little salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg ; add three or four
of rich gravy m$ a srnall bit pf butter, If ypy
PpWlfwJs
58 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
have no gravy, use more butter and two spoonfuls of
vinegar ; stew about twenty minutes.
Lobster Salad, see Salads.
Lobster Croquettes, see Croquettes.
Lobster Sauce, see Sauces.
Lobster Patties. Proceed as in oyster patties, but use the
meat of a cold boiled lobster.
Terrapins. Put the terrapins into a pot of boiling water,
where they must remain until they are quite dead. You
then divest them of their outer skin and toe-nails ; and,
after washing them in warm water, boil them again until
they become quite tender, adding a handful of salt to the
water. Having satisfied yourself of their being perfectly
tender, take ofF the shells and clean the terrapins very care-
fully, removing the sandbag and gall without by any means
breaking them. Then cut the meat into small pieces and put
into a saucepan, adding the juice which has been given out
in cutting them up, but no water, and season with salt, cay-
enne, and black pepper to your taste, adding a quarter of
a pound of good butter for each terrapin and a handful of
flour for thickening. After stirring a short time, add four
or five tablespoonfuls of cream, and a half pint of good
Maderia to every four terrapins, and serve hot in a deep
dish. A very little mace may be added and a large table-
spoonful of mustard; just before serving, add the yelks of
four hard-boiled eggs. During the stewing, particular
attention must be paid to stirring the preparation frequently ;
and terrapins cannot possibly be served too hot.
Mock Terrapin. Take half a calf's I'Ver, season and fry it
brown ; chop it into dice, not too small ; flour it thickly,
and add a teaspoonful of mixed mustard, a little cayenne
pepper, two hard-boiled eggs chopped fine, a lump of but-
FISH, OYSTERS, ETC. 59
ter the size of an egg, and a teacupful of water. Let it boil
a minute or two. Cold veal will do as well as liver.
Scalloped Crabs. Put the crabs into a kettle of boiling
water, and throw in a handful of salt. Boil from twenty
minutes to half an hour. Take them from the water when
done and pick out all the meat ; be careful not to break the
shell. To a pint of meat put a little salt and pepper ; taste,
and if not enough add more, a little at a time, till suited.
Grate in a very little nutmeg, and add one spoonful of
cracker or bread crumbs, two eggs well beaten, and two
tablespoonfuls of butter (even full) ; stir all well together ;
wash the shells clean, and fill each shell full of the mixture ;
sprinkle crumbs over the top and moisten with butter, then
bake until nicely browned on top.
Soft-shell Crabs. Season with pepper and salt; roll in
flour, then in egg, then in bread-crumbs, and fry in hot
lard. Serve hot with rich condiments.
Stewed Clams. Chop the clams and season with pepper
and salt; put in a saucepan butter the size of an egg, and
when melted add a teaspoonful of flour; add slowly the
clam liquor and then the clams, and cook three minutes;
then add half a pint of cream, and serve.
Deviled Clams. Chop fifty clams very fine; take two
tomatoes, one onion chopped equally fine, a little parsley,
thyme, and sweet marjoram, a little salt, pepper, and bread-
crumbs, adding the juice of the clams until the mixture is
of the consistency of sausage ; put it in the shells with a
lump of butter on each ; cover with bread-crumbs, and bake
one-half hour.
Clam Chowder. Forty-five clams chopped, one quart of
sliced potatoes, one-half pint sliced onions. Cut a few slices
fait pork, fry to a crisp, chop fige, Put in fcettje $ JjjttJe fyl
60 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
from the pork, a layer of potatoes, clams, onions, a little pep*
per and salt ; another layer of chopped pork, potatoes, etc.,
until all are in. Pour over all the juice of the clams. Cook
three hours, being careful not to burn. Add a teacupful of
milk just before serving.
Scallops. Wipe dry; dip separately into seasoned egg,
then into cracker dust, and fry in hot lard.
RECIPES INCIDENTAL TO FISH.
Bread Stuffing for Fish. Take about half a pound of stale
bread and soak in water, and when soft press out the water;
add a very little chopped suet, pepper, salt, a large table-
spoonful of onion minced and fried, and, if preferred, a little
minced parsley cook a trifle, and after removing from the
fire add a beaten egg.
Bread Stuffing, No. 2. Bread-crumbs with a little chopped
parsley and pork, salt, pepper, and butter. Fill up the fish,
sew it closely, then bake.
Cleaning a Shad. Scale and scrape it carefully; split it
down the back and remove the contents, reserving the roc
or melt. Wash well and cook as desired.
Soaking Salt Fish. Very salt fish should be soaked several
hours in three or four changes of warm water. Place the
skin side up, so that salt crystals may fall away from the
under or meat side. Wipe carefully and clean, then soak
for an hour in very cold water.
Fish in Season. As a rule, fish are in best condition just
before they spawn, and many are so while they are full of
roe, as smelts, mackerel, and shad. As soon as spawning is
over, they become unfit for food, some of them becoming
positively unwholesome. In season, the flesh is firm and it
boils white ; when it boils to a bluish hue, the fish are not
in season, or are stale,
IV. POULTRY AND GAME.
REMARKS ON POULTRY AND GAME HOW TO SELECT,
PREPARATION FOR BOILING, FOR ROASTING, ETC. THIRTY-ONE
RECIPES FOR POULTRY AND GAME.
POULTRY should invariably be selected young, plump,
and well fed, but not too fat. If old and tough, fowls
are never as savory when cooked as if they be young
and tender. This applies especially to ducks and geese. The
flesh of young fowls will be firm and fleshy to the touch,
and heavy in proportion to their size ; the skin should be
clear, white, and finely grained, the toes pliable and easily
broken when bent back, the end of the breast-bone also
pliable. All kinds of poultry, turkeys especially, are im-
proved by hanging a day or two, unless the weather should
be exceedingly sultry. Dark-legged fowls are best for
roasting, while the white-legged ones should be chosen for
boiling.
In preparing fowls for boiling, some persons soak fowls
an hour or two in skimmed-milk and then sew them in a
floured cloth. This tends to preserve them of a nice color,
but it may be dispensed with by carefully skimming them
while over the fire.
In dressing poultry, care should be taken not to break the
gall ; a thorough cleansing in every part also is necessary.
The hairs should be singed off with a well-lighted piece of
paper, holding the fowl before a hot fire. All the pin*
feathers should be carefully and entirely removed, as also
the oil-bag at the end of the back. The legs should be cut
off at the first jpint aext tp the feet, The inside should b$
62 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
washed and rinsed several times in cold water, after every-
thing has been removed. Remove extra fat, as it tends to
make the gravy greasy. The heart should be slit open
and cleansed, also the gizzard, and both should be put by
themselves to soak in water.
Roasted or broiled poultry of all kinds should be thor-
oughly cooked and handsomely browned. It is not easy to
state exactly the time required for the different sorts to be
well done. Experience and practice are the only sure
guides.
RECIPES.
Roast Turkey. A young turkey, weighing not more than
eight or nine pounds, is the best. Wash and clean thor-
oughly, wiping dry, as moisture will spoil the stuffing.
Take one small loaf of bread grated fine, rub into it a piece
of butter the size of an egg, one small teaspoonful of pep-
per and one of salt; a sprinkling of sweet marjoram, sum-
mer savory, or sage, if liked. Rub all together, and fill the
turkey, sewing up so that the stuffing cannot cook out.
Always put the giblets under the side of the fowl, so they
will not dry up. Rub salt, pepper, and butter on the out-
side; put into dripping-pan with one teacupful of water,
basting often, turning the fowl till brown all over ; bake
about two hours ; take out the giblets and chop fine. After
taking out the turkey, put a large tablespoonful of flour into
the pan and stir until brown. Put the giblets into a gravy-
boat, and pour over them the gravy.
Boiled Turkey. Stuff the turkey as for roasting. A very
nice dressing is made by chopping half a pint of oysters
and mixing them with bread-crumbs, butter, pepper, salt,
thyme, and wet with milk or water. Baste about the turkey
a thin cloth, the inside of which has been dredged with
flpur, and put it to boil in cold water with a teaspoonful of salt
POULTRY AND GAME. 63
in it. Let a large turkey simmer for three hours, skim
while boiling. Serve with oyster sauce, made by adding to
a cupful of the liquor in which the turkey was boiled the
same quantity of milk and eight oysters chopped fine ; sea-
son with minced parsley ; stir in a spoonful of rice or wheat
flour wet with cold milk ; a tablespoonful of butter. Boil
up once and pour into a tureen.
Boned Turkey. Boil a large turkey in as little water as
possible until the meat falls from the bones ; remove all the
bones and skin ; pick the meat into small pieces, and mix
dark and light together ; season with pepper and salt ; put
into a mold and pour over it the liquor, which must be kept
warm, and press with a heavy weight.
Roast Chicken. Having selected your chickens in view of
the foregoing hints, proceed, in the matters of cleansing,
filling, and preparing for the oven, precisely as directed in
the case of roast turkey. As the roasting goes on, baste
and turn as may be needful to secure a rich brown all over
the fowls. Prepare the gravy as in the former case.
Stewed Chicken. Clean and cut the chicken into joints ;
put it in a saucepan with the giblets ; stew in just enough
water to cover it until tender ; season with pepper, salt, and
butter ; thicken with flour ; boil up once and serve with the
gravy poured over it.
Broiled Chicken. Only young, tender ehickens are nice
broiled. After cleaning and washing them, split down the
back, wipe dry, season with salt and pepper, and lay them
inside down on a hot gridiron over a bed of bright coals.
Broil until nicely browned and well cooked through, watch-
ing and turning to prevent burning. If chickens are large,
steaming them for one-half hour before placing on the grid-
iron will better insure their being cooked through*
64 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
Fricasseed Chickens. Cut them in pieces, and put in the
stewpan with salt and pepper ; add a little water, and let
them boil half an hour ; thon thicken the gravy with flour ;
add butter and a little cream, if you have it. Catsup is an
additional relish to the gravy.
Smothered Chicken. Dress your chickens ; wash and let
them stand in water half an hour to make them white ; cut
them open at the back; put into a baking-pan, sprinkle
salt and pepper over them, putting a lump of butter here
and there ; cover tightly with another pan the same size, and
bake one hour ; baste often with butter.
Pried Chicken. Prepare the chicken as for stewing ; dry it,
season with salt and pepper, dredge with flour, and fry
brown in hot butter or lard ; take it out, drain, and serve
with Challenge Sauce, or some other savory condiment, or
pour into the gravy left in the frying-pan a cup of milk,
thicken with flour, add a little butter, and season with Sal-
picant; boil once and pour over the chicken, or serve sepa-
rately.
Chickens Fried with Rice. Take two or three chickens,
cut them up, and half fry them ; then boil half a pint of rice
in a quart of water, leaving the grains distinct, but not too
dry ; stir one large tablespoonful of butter in the rice while
hot ; let five eggs be well beaten into the rice, with a little
salt, pepper, and nutmeg, if the last is liked ; put the chick-
ens into a deep dish, and cover with the rice ; brown in an
oven not too hot.
Chicken Pie. Line the sides of a deep pie-dish with a
good puff paste. Have your chicken cooked, as for a
fricassee, seasoned with salt and pepper and a little chopped
parsley. When they are nearly cooked, lay them in a pie^
dish with half a pound of salt pork cut into small squares,
some of the paste also cut into hatf-inch pieces; pour
POULTRY AND GAME. fl5
to a part of the chicken gravy, thicken with a little flour,
and cover the dish with the paste cover. Cut a hole the
size of a dollar in the cover, and cover it with a piece of
dough. When baking, remove this piece occasionally and
examine the interior. Brush egg over the top crust of the
pie, and bake in a quick oven. Should the pie become dry
pour in more of the gravy. Pigeon pie or any other bird
pie may be made by the above recipe.
Chicken Pot-pie. Cut and joint a large chicken. Cover
with water, and let it boil gently until tender. Season with
salt and pepper, and thicken the gravy with two tablespoon-
fuls of flour mixed smooth in a piece of butter the size of
an egg. Have ready nice, light bread dough ; cut with a
biscuit-cutter about an inch thick ; drop this into the boiling
gravy, having previously removed the chicken to a hot
platter; cover, and let them boil from one-half to three-
quarters of an hour. To ascertain whether they are done,
stick them with a fork ; if it comes out clean, they are done.
Lay them on the platter with the chicken, pour over the
gravy, and serve.
Pressed Chicken. Boil three chickens until the meat comes
off the bones ; then, removing all bones, etc., chop, not very
fine ; add a piece of butter as large as an egg, salt and pepper
to season well. Have about a pint of the broth, into which
put one-half box gelatine until dissolved; then put back tha
chopped chicken and cook until the broth is evenly ab-
sorbed. Press under a weight in a pan until cold. Veal
may be treated in a similar manner with very excellent
results.
Jellied Chicken. Boil a chicken in as little water as pos-
sible, until the meat falls from the bones ; chop rather fine,
and season with pepper and salt ; put in a mold a layer of
$
66 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
the chopped meat, and then a layer of hard-boiled eggs cut
in slices ; then layers of meat and egg alternately until the
mold is nearly full ; boil down the liquor left in the pot
one-half; while warm, add one-quarter of an ounce of gela-
tine, and when dissolved pour into the mold over the meat
Sit in a cool place over night to jelly.
Roast Goose and Duck. A goose should always be par-
boiled, as it removes the rank taste and makes it more
palatable. Clean, prepare, and roast the same as turkey,
only adding to the force-meat a large onion chopped fine.
Ducks do not require parboiling (unless very old), otherwise
they are cooked the same as geese.
Canvas-back Duck. Having picked, singed, and drawn it
well, wipe it carefully, so as to have it clean without wash-
ing. Truss it, leaving the head on, to show its quality.
Place it in a moderately hot oven for at least three-quarters
of an hour ; serve it hot, in its own gravy, on a large chafing-
dish. Currant jelly should be on the table.
Roast Pigeons. Clean, wash, and stuff the same as poultry;
lay them in rows in a dripping-pan with a little water.
Unless they are very fat, baste with butter until they are
half done, afterward with their own gravy.
Roast Snipe. Clean and truss, but do not stuff Lay in
rows in the dripping-pan, sprinkle with salt, and baste well
with butter, then with butter and water. When they begin
to brown, cut as many slices of bread as there are birds.
Toast quickly, butter, and lay in the dripping-pan, a bird
upon each. When the birds are done, serve upon the toast,
with the gravy poured over it. The toast should lie under
them while cooking at least five minutes, during which time
the birds should be basted with melted butter seasoned with
pepper. The largest snipe will not require above twenty
PO UL TR Y AND GAME. 67
minutes to roast. Or, dip an oyster in melted butter, then
in bread-crumbs, seasoned with pepper and salt, and put in
each bird before roasting. Small birds are especially de-
licious cooked in this way.
Roast Partridges, Pheasants, or Quails. Pluck, singe, draw,
and truss them ; season with salt and pepper ; roast for about
half an hour in a brisk oven, basting often with butter.
When done, place on a dish together with bread-crumbs
fried brown and arranged in small heaps. Gravy should be
served separately in a tureen.
Quail on Toast. Clean, wash, slit down the back, sprinkle
with salt and pepper, and lay them on a gridiron, the inside
down. Broil slowly; when nicely browned, butter well.
Serve with cream gravy on toast. Omitting the cream,
gravy, and toast, you have the ordinary broiled quail.
Pigeons, woodcock, and small birds may be broiled in the
same manner, and are delicious and nourishing for invalids.
Fried Rabbit After the rabbit has been thoroughly
cleaned and washed, put it into boiling water and let it boil
for about ten minutes ; drain, and when cold, cut it into
joints; dip into beaten egg, and then into fine bread-crumbs,
seasoned with salt and pepper. When all are ready, fry
them in butter over a moderate fire fifteen minutes ; thicken
the gravy with an ounce of butter and a small teaspocnful
of flour. Serve hot.
Roast Rabbit. Dress nicely and fill with a dressing made
of bread-crumbs, a little onion, sage, pepper, and salt, and a
small piece of butter ; tie a piece of salt pork over it ; put
into a dripping-pan with a little water in a quick oven;
baste often ; serve with currant jelly.
Broiled Steaks of Venison. Heat the gridiron, grease it
well, lay on the steaks ; broil quickly, without scorching,
08 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
turning them two or three times; season with salt and
pepper. Have butter melted in a well-heated platter, into
which lay steaks, hot from the gridiron, turning them over
several times in the butter, and serve hot with currant jelly
on each steak. It is well to set the platter into another
containing boiling water.
Game or Poultry in Jelly. Take a knuckle of veal weighing
two pounds ; a slice of lean ham ; one shallot, minced ; a
sprig of thyme and one of parsley ; six pepper-corns (white)
and one teaspoonful of salt, with three pints of cold water.
Boil all these together until the liquor is reduced to a pint ;
strain without squeezing, and set to cool until next day. It
should then be a firm jelly. Take off every particle of fat.
Then take one package gelatine, soaked in one cupful cold
water for three hours ; one tablespoonful of sugar ; two table-
spoonfuls strained lemon juice, and two tablespoonfuls of
currant jelly, dissolved in cold water, and strained through
a muslin cloth. Pour a quart of boiling water over the gela-
tine, stir for a moment, add the jellied " stock," and when
this is dissolved, add sugar, lemon juice, and coloring. Stir
until all are mixed and melted together, and strain without
shaking or squeezing through a flannel bag until quite clear.
Have ready several hard-boiled eggs, and the remains of
roast game, roast or boiled poultry, cut in neat, thin slices,
and salted slightly. Wet a mold with cold water, and
when the jelly begins to harden, pour some in the bottom.
Cut the whites of the eggs in pretty shapes stars, flowers,
rings, leaves with a keen penknife, and arrange these on
the lowest stratum of jelly, which should be thin, that the
forms may be visible. Add more jelly, and on this lay
slices of meat, close together. More jelly, and proceed in
this order until the mold is full. Set in a cool place to
harden, and then turn out upon a flat dish. A mold with
mooth, upright sides, te best for this purpose.
POULTRY AND GAM. 69
RECIPES INCIDENTAL TO POULTRY, GAME, ETC.
Gravy for Poultry. Boil the giblets very tender; chop fine ;
then take the liquor in which they are boiled, thicken with
flour ; season with salt, pepper, and a little butter ; add the
giblets and dripping in which the turkey was roasted.
Plain Stuffing. Take stale bread, cut off all the crust, rub
very fine, and pour over it as much melted butter as will
make it crumble in your hands ; salt and pepper to taste.
See also under " Roast Turkey."
Potato Stuffing. Take two-thirds bread and one-third
boiled potatoes grated, butter size of an egg, pepper, salt,
one egg ; mix thoroughly.
Oyster Stuffing. By substituting oysters for potatoes in
the above, you have oyster filling. See also under " Boiled
Turkey."
Stuffing for Boiled Chicken. One cupful of bread-crumbs,
one tablespoonful of butter, one egg, half a teaspoonful of
salt, and one tablespoonful of sweet marjoram. Mix well ;
stuff and sew in.
Capons. Young male fowls, prepared by early gelding,
and then nicely fattened, are the finest delicacies in the
poultry line. They may be known by a small head, pale
comb, which is short and withered, the neck feathers longer
than usual, smooth legs, and soft, short spurs. They are
cooked as ordinary chickens.
Keeping Game. Game is rendered more tender, and its
flavor is improved by keeping. If wrapped in a cloth satu-
rated with equal parts of pyroligneous acid and water, it
will keep many days. If in danger of tainting, clean, rub
well with salt, and plunge into boiling water, letting it run
through them for five minutes ; then hang in a cold place.
If tainted, put them in new milk over night. Always hang
them up by the neck.
V. MEATS.
I. BEEF.
HOW TO SELECT BEEF J CHOICE ROASTING PIECES, STEAKS, BOIL-
ING PIECES, SOUP PIECES, ETC. HOW TO ROAST, BROIL, AN
BOIL BEEF. NINETEEN RECIPES FOR COOKING BEEF.
beef may be known by its color. That of a
I y deep, healthy red, fine, smooth, open grain, veined
with white, being the best. The fat should be oily,
smooth, and inclined to white, rather than yellow, as yellow
fat is a sure sign of inferior quality.
The sixth, seventh, and eighth ribs and the sirloin are
considered the choicest cuts for roasting. The inside of the
sirloin and the rump are the most tender for steaks, though
here is a point where individual taste may be exercised.
By some epicures what is known as the pin-bone steak is
regarded as superior to any other. The round, buttock,
shin, or brisket may be boiled or stewed. The neck or
shoulder is generally used for soups, gravy, etc.
In roasting beef it is necessary to have a brisk fire. The
roast must be well seasoned with salt and pepper and
dredged with flour. Baste it frequently. About fifteen
minutes is required for roasting every pound of beef.
To broil meats well, have the gridiron hot and the bars
well greased before putting on the meat.
In boiling beef, or indeed any fresh meat, plunge it into
boiling water, that the outer parts may contract, and so
retain the internal juices. Salt meats should be put on in
cold water, that the salt may be extracted in the cooking.
In boiling meats, it is important to keep the water constantly
70
MEATS. ft
boiling, otherwise the meat will absorb the water. Be
careful to add boiling water only, if more is needed. Cold
water will check the process of cooking and spoil the flavor.
Remove the scum as soon as the boiling commences. Allow
about twenty minutes boiling for each pound of fresh meat,
and from one-half to three-quarters of an hour for all salt
meats, except ham, which requires but fifteen minutes to the
pound. The more gently all meats boil the more tender
they will be. Slow boiling makes meat far better.
RECIPES.
Roast Beef. The best roasting-pieces are the middle ribs
and the sirloin. The ends of the ribs should be removed
from the flank, and the latter folded under the beef and
securely fastened with skewers. Rub a little salt into the
fat part ; place the meat in the dripping-pan with a pint of
stock or water ; baste freely, and dredge with flour half an
hour before taking the joint from the oven. Should the
oven be very hot, place a buttered paper over the meat to
prevent it scorching while yet raw. When the paper is
used it will need very little basting. Or, turn the rib side
up toward the fire for the first twenty minutes. The time it
will take in cooking depends upon the thickness of the joint
and the length of time the animal has been killed. Skim the
fat from the gravy and add a tablespoonful of prepared
brown flour to the remainder.
Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding. Take a large rib
roast ; rub salt and pepper over it, and dredge with flour.
Place on a rack in a dripping-pan, with very little water,
until it is heated thoroughly; baste frequently. When
nicely browned on the upper side, turn and baste. About
three-quarters of an hour before it is done, take out the
meat, pour off most of the dripping, put the batter for the
72 EV2RY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
pudding in the bottom of the pan, allowing the drippings
from the beef to drop into it. When the pudding is done,
return the meat and finish roasting. Add some hot water
t the dripping and thicken with flour for the gravy.
For the batter of this pudding, take half a cup of butter,
three cups of flour, three eggs, one cup of milk, and two
teaspoonfuls of baking powder.
Beef a la Mode. Take a round of fresh beef, extract the
bone, and take away the fat. For a round weighing ten
pounds, make a seasoning or stuffing as follows : Half a
pound of beef suet ; half a pound of grated bread-crumbs ;
the crumbled yelks of three hard-boiled eggs; a little
bundle of sweet marjoram, the leaves chopped ; another of
sweet basil; four onions minced small; a large tablespoonful
of mixed mace and nutmeg powdered. Season lightly with
salt and cayenne. Stuff this mixture into the place from
whence you took out the bone. Make a number of deep
cuts about the meat, and stuff them also. Skewer the meat
into a favorable shape, and secure its form by tying it round
with tape. Put it into a tin bakepan, and pour over it a
pint of port wine. Put on the lid, and bake the beef slowly for
five or six hours, or till it is thoroughly done. If the meat
is to be eaten hot, skim all the fat from the gravy, into
which, after it is taken off the fire, stir in the beaten yelks
of two eggs. Minced oysters may be substituted for onions.
Spiced Beef. Boil a shin of beef weighing ten or twelve
pounds, until the meat falls readily from the bones. Pick
the meat to pieces, and mash the gristle very fine, rejecting
all parts that are too hard to masih. Set away the liquor in
which the beef has boiled till it is cold ; then take off all the
fat. Boil the liquor down to a pint and a half. Roll a
dozen crackers very fine, and add them to the meat. Then
return the meat to the liquor, and heat it all. Add salt and
pepper to taste, half a teasooonful of cloves, half a teaspoon-
MEATS. 73
ful of cinnamon, half a teaspoonful 01 parsley chopped fine,
and a little powdered nutmeg. Let it boil up once, and put
into a mold or deep dish, with a weight adjusted to press
it down. When it is entirely cold, cut into thin slices.
Savory Beet Take a shin of beef from the hind-quarter,
saw it into four pieces, put it into a pot, and boil it until the
meat and gristle drop from the bones ; chop the meat very-
fine,, put it in a dish, and season it with a little salt, pepper,
clove, and sage, to your taste ; pour in the liquor in which
the meat was boiled, and place it away to harden. Cut in
slices and eat cold.
Minced Beef Cut cold roast beef into thin slices; put
Some of the gravy into a stewpan, a bit of butter rolled in
flour, pepper and salt, and boil it up Add a little catsup,
and put in the minced slices, and heat them through, but do
not let it boil. Put small slices of toast in the dish, and
cover with the meat.
Deviled Beef. Take slices of cold roast beef, lay them on
hot coals, and broil ; season with pepper and salt, and serve
while hot, with a small lump of butter on each piece.
Curried Beef. Take about two ounces of butter and place
them in a saucepan with two small onions cut up into slices,
and let them fry till they are of a light brown ; then add a
tablespoonful and a half of curry powder, and mix it up
well. Now cut up the beef into pieces about an inch
Square ; pour in from a quarter to a third of a pint of milk,
and let it simmer for thirty minutes ; then take it off and
place it in a dish with a little lemon juice. While cooking
stir constantly, to prevent burning. Send it to table with a
wall of mashed potatoes or rice around it.
Beef Hash. Chop fine cold steak or roast beef, and cook
in a little water ; add cream or milk, and thicken with flour ;
season to taste, and pour over thin slices of toast.
74 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
Beef Stew. Cut cold beef into small pieces, and put into
cold water ; add one tomato, a little onion, chopped fine ;
pepper and salt, and cook slowly ; thicken with butter and
flour, and pour over toast.
Boiled Corned Beet Put four or five pounds of lean corned
meat into a pot with plenty of water. The water should be
hot. The same care should be taken in skimming as for
fresh meat. Allow half an hour for every pound of meat
after it has begun to boil. The excellence of corned beef
depends very much upon its being boiled gently and long.
If it is to be eaten cold, lay it, when boiled, into a coarse
earthen dish or pan, and over it a clean board about the
size of the meat ; upon this put a heavy weight. Salt meat
is much improved by pressing.
Stewed Shin of Beef. Wash, and set it on to stew in suffi-
cient cold water to keep it just covered until done. When
it boils, take off the scum, and put an ounce and a quarter
of salt to the gallon of water. It is usual to add a few cloves
and some black pepper, slightly bruised and tied up loosely
in a fold of muslin, two or more onions, a root of celery, a
bunch of savory herbs, four or five carrots, and as many
turnips, either whole or sliced ; if to be served with the
meat, the last two will require a little more than the ordinary
time of boiling, but otherwise they may be simmered with
the meat from the beginning. Give the beef from four to
five hours' gentle stewing, and serve it with part of its own
liquor thickened and flavored, or quite plain.
Boiled Tongne. Soak the tongue over night, then boil four
or five hours. Peel off the outer skin and return it to the
water in which it was boiled to cool. This will render it
juicy and tender.
Baked Heart Wash carefully and stuff nicely ; roast or
bake and serve with gravy, which should be thickened with
MEATS. 75
some of the stuffing. It is very nice hashed, with a little
port wine added.
Broiled Beefeteak. Have the choice steaks cut three-
quarters of an inch thick ; grease the gridiron and have it
well heated. Put the steak over a hot, clear fire. When the
steak is colored, turn it over, which must be done without
sticking a fork into it and thus letting out the juice. It
should be quite rare or pink in the centre, but not raw.
When cooked sufficiently, lay on a hot platter and season
with pepper and salt ; spread over the top some small bits of
butter, and serve immediately. Salt extracts the juices of
meats in cooking. Steaks ought not to be salted until they
have been broiled.
Beefsteak with. Onions. Take a nice rumpsteak, and pound
it with a rolling-pin until it is quite tender ; flour and season ;
put it into a frying-pan with hot lard and fry it. When
well browned on both sides, take it up and dredge with flour.
Have about two dozen onions ready boiled ; strain them in
a colander and put them in a frying-pan, seasoning with
pepper and salt ; dredge in a little flour, and add a small
lump of butter ; place the pan over the fire and stir the
onions frequently, to prevent their scorching. When they
are soft and a little brown, return the steak to the pan, and
heat all together. Place the steak on a large dish, pour the
onions and gravy over it, and send to the table hot.
Beefeteak and Tomatoes. Stew a dozen good-sized tomatoes
one hour, with salt and pepper. Then put in a pound of
tender beefsteak, cut in small pieces, and boil fifteen min-
utes longer. Lay buttered toast in a deep dish, pour on the
steak and tomato, and you have a most relishing and
healthful dish.
Staffed Beefeteak Take a rump steak about an inch thick.
Make a stuffing of bread and herbs, and spread it over the
steak. Roll it up, and with a needle and coarse thread sew
76 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
it together. Lay it in an iron pot on one or two wooden
skewers, and put in water just sufficient to cover it. Let it
stew slowly for two hours longer if the beef is tough ;
serve it in a dish with the gravy turned over it. To be
carved crosswise, in slices, through beef and stuffing.
Beefsteak Pudding. Prepare a good suet crust, and line a
cake tin with it; put in layers of steak, with onions, toma-
toes and mushrooms chopped, a seasoning of pepper, salt,
and cayenne, and half a teacupful of water before closing it,
Bake from an hour and a half to two hours, and serve hot.
II. VEAL.
CHOOSING VEAL, FOR ROASTING, FOR STEWING; THE HEAD,
FEET, KIDNEYS, SWEET-BREADS, ETC.; GENERAL USEFULNESS.
TWENTY-ONE RECIPES FOR COOKING VEAL.
VEAL should be fat, finely grained, white, firm, and not
overgrown. When large, it is apt to be coarse and tough,
and if too young, it lacks flavor and is less wholesome.
it is more difficult to keep than any meat except pork, and
should never be allowed to acquire the slightest taint before
it is dressed.
The fillet, the loin, the shoulder, and the best end of the
neck, are the parts preferred for roasting ; the breast and
knuckle are more usually stewed or boiled. The head and
feet of the calf are valuable articles of food, both for the
nutriment which the gelatinous parts of them afford, and for
the greater variety of modes in which they may be dressed.
The kidneys, with the rich fat that surrounds them, and the
sweet-breads especially, are well-known delicacies; the
liver and the heart also are very good eating ; and no meat
t* so generally useful for rich soups and gravies as veal.
MEATS. 77
The best veal is from calves not less than four, or more
than six weeks old. If younger it is not wholesome. If
older its character begins to change materially from the
calf's use of grasses and other food.
RECIPES.
Roast Veal Take a loin or fillet of veal ; make a stuffing
as for roast turkey ; fill the flat with the stuffing, and sew it
firmly to the loin ; rub the veal with salt, pepper, and flour,
and put it into a pan with a little water. While roasting,
baste frequently, letting it cook until thoroughly done.
Allow two hours for a roast weighing from six to eight
pounds. When done, remove the threads before sending
to the table ; thicken the gravy with a little flour. Veal
should be rather overdone.
Pot-roasted Fillet. Remove the bone and fill the cavity
with a force-meat made of bread-crumbs, a very little salt,
pork chopped fine, sage, pepper, salt, and ground cloves.
Lay in the pot a layer of slices of salt pork ; put in the fiL
let, fastened with skewers, cover with additional pork, pour
over it a pint of good stock, cover down close, and let it
cook slowly two or three hours ; then take off the cover
and let it brown. Serve hot.
Boiled Fillet A small and delicately white fillet should
be selected for this purpose. Bind it round with tape, after
having washed it thoroughly ; cover it well with cold water,
and bring it gently to a boil ; clear off carefully the scum
as it rises, and be veiy cautious not to allow the water to
become smoked. Let the meat be gently simmered for three
hours and a half to four and a half, according to its weight.
Send it to table with rich white sauce.
Veal Stew. Cut four or five pounds of veal into strips ;
peel a dozen large potatoes, and cut them into slices ; place
a, layer of sliced salt pork with salt, pepper, sage, and onion
78 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
on the bottom of the pot, then a layer of potatoes, then I
layer of the veal nicely seasoned. Use up the veal thus,
Over the last layer of veal put a layer of the pork, and
over the whole a layer of potatoes. Pour in water till it
covers the whole ; cover the pot closely ; heat it rapidly fol
a few minutes, and then let it simmer two hours.
Veal Hash. Take a teacupful of boiling water in a sauce-
pan, stir into it an even teaspoonful of flour wet in a table-
spoonful of cold water, and let it boil five minutes ; add
one-half teaspoonful of black pepper, as much salt, and two
tablespoonfuls of butter, and let it keep hot, but not boil.
Chop the veal fine and mix with half as much stale bread-
crumbs. Put into a pan and pour the gravy over it, then
let it simmer ten minutes. Serve this on buttered toast.
Veal Pie. Line a pudding-dish with good pie crust ; into
this put a layer of veal cut into small slices from the neck,
or other less valuable part ; make a second layer of hard-
boiled eggs sliced thin ; butter and pepper this layer. Add
a layer of sliced ham, or salt pork, squeezing a few drops
of lemon juice on the ham. Add more veal, as before, with
eggs, ham, etc., till the dish is nearly full. Pour over a
cupful of stock and cover with a stout crust. Bake in a
moderate oven for two hours.
Veal Pot Pie. Make a crust of a dozen mashed potatoes,
two tablespoonfuls of butter, half a teacup of milk or cream,
a little salt, and flour enough to stiffen it nicely. Fry half
a dozen slices of salt pork, then cut up the veal and boil
these together, in but little water, till the veal is almost
done. Peel and slice a dozen potatoes quite thin, and roll
the dough about half an inch thick and cut it into strips.
Now build in your pot a layer of crust, meat, potatoes ; then
sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then another set of layers,
and top off with crust. Pour on the liquor in which the
weat was cooked, and let all simmer for half an hour, or until
MEATS. 73
the top crust is cooked. Brown the crust by holding over
it a red-hot shovel.
Veal Loa Take a piece of butter the size of an egg, three
pounds of raw veal, one heaping teaspoonful of salt, one of
pepper, and two raw eggs. Chop the veal fine and mix all
together, and put in about two tablespoonfuls of water.
Mold this into a loaf, then roll it in eight tablespoonfuls of
rolled crackers, and pour over it three tablespoonfuls of
melted butter ; place in a pan and bake two hours. To be
sliced off when cold, and served at luncheon or tea.
Veal with Oysters. Cut the veal in small, thin slices, place
it in layers in a jar with salt, pepper, and oysters. Pour in
the liquor of the oysters, set the jar in a kettle of boiling
water, and let it stew till the meat becomes very tender.
Veal with Rice. Pour over a small knuckle of veal rather
more than sufficient water to cover it ; bring it slowly to a
boil ; take off all the scum with great care ; throw in a tea-
spoonful of salt, and when the joint has simmered for about
half an hour, throw in from eight to twelve ounces of well-
washed rice, and stew the veal gently for an hour and a half
longer, or until both the meat and rice are perfectly tender.
A seasoning of cayenne and mace in fine powder, with more
salt, should it be required, must be added twenty or thirty
minutes before they are served. For a superior stew, good
veal broth may be substituted for the water.
Veal with Peas. A quart or more of full-grown green
peas, instead of rice, added to the veal, prepared as above,
as soon as the scum has been cleared off, will make a most
excellent stew. It should be well seasoned with white
pepper, and the mace should be omitted.
Cutlets in Cracker. Pound the cutlet and season, cut the
edges into good shape ; take one egg, beat it a little, roll
the cutlet in it, then cover thoroughly with rolled crackers.
80 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
Have a lump of butter and lard mixed hot in your skillet \
put in the meat and cook slowly. When nicely browned
stir in one spoonful of flour for the gravy ; add half a pint
of sweet milk, and let it come to a boil. Salt and pepper.
Cutlets, Broiled. Trim evenly ; sprinkle salt and pepper on
both sides ; dip in melted butter, and place upon the grid-
iron over a clear fire; baste while broiling with melted
butter, turn over three or four times ; serve with melted
butter, or tomato sauce.
Pressed Veal. Put four pounds of veal in a pot ; cover
with water ; stew slowly until the meat drops from the bone,
then take out and chop fine ; let the liquor boil down until
there is a cupful ; put in a small cupful of butter, a table-
spoonful of pepper, a little allspice, and a beaten egg ; stir
this through the meat ; slice a hard-boiled egg ; lay in a
mold, and press in the meat ; when put upon the table gar-
nish with celery tops or parsley.
Minced Veal. Heat a cupful of well-thickened gravy to a
boil ; add two tablespoonfuls of cream or rich milk, one
tablespoonful of butter, pepper and salt, parsley to taste, a
small onion, and three eggs well beaten. When these are
stirred in, add the cold minced meat, salted and peppered.
Let it heat thoroughly, but not boil.
Veal Scallops. Mince the meat very small, and set it over
the fire ; season with grated nutmeg, pepper and salt, and a
little cream. Then put it into scallop-shells, and cover with
crumbs of bread, over which put bits of butter, and brown
at a quick fire. Serve hot, with catsup or mushroom sauce.
Calf's Liver or Heart. Cut the liver in slices, plunge into
boiling water for an instant, wipe dry, season with pepper and
salt, dredge with flour, and fry brown in lard. Have it per-
fectly done. Serve in gravy, made with either milk or water.
Calf's heart dressed in this way is also very palatable.
MEATS. gj
Broiled Sweet-breads. Parboil and blanch the sweet-
breads by putting them first into hot water and keeping it
at a hard boil for five minutes, then plunging it into ice-
cold water somewhat salted. Allow them to lie in this ten
minutes, wipe them very dry, and with a sharp knife split in
half, lengthwise. Broil over a clear, hot fire, turning when-
ever they begin to drip. Have ready upon a deep plate
melted butter, well salted and peppered, mixed with catsup
or Challenge sauce. When the sweet-breads are done to a
fine brown lay them in this preparation, turning them over
several times ; cover and set them in a warm oven. Serve
on fried bread or toast in a chafing-dish, a piece of sweet-
bread on each. Pour on the hot butter and send to table.
Stewed Sweet-breads. Parboil, blanch, and cut into small
pieces ; boil fifteen minutes in milk ; stir into this chopped
parsley, a little butter, and cornstarch to thicken. Serve hot.
Broiled Kidneys. Skin the kidneys carefully, but do not
slice or split them. Lay for ten minutes in warm (ngfc hot)
melted butter, rolling them over and over, that every part may
be well basted. Broil on a gridiron over a clear fire, turn-
ing them every minute. Unless very large, they should be
done in about twelve minutes. Sprinkle with salt and
pepper, and lay on a hot dish, with butter upon each.
Calf's Tongue. Of all the tongue preparations, calf's
tongue is regarded as best. To pickle them, use for each
a quarter pound of salt, one ounce of saltpetre, and a quar*
ter pound of sugar. Rub the tongues daily with this, allow*
ing them to lie in pickle for two weeks, after which they
will be ready for smoking or boiling. If used without
smoking, they require no soaking, but should simmer sev
eral hours till perfectly done, when the skin will peel oft
readily. If soaking is needed, lay them first in cold water
and then in tepid water for two hours each; then boil tiW
done.
e
EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
III. MUTTON AND LAMB.
CHOOSING MUTTON AND LAMB, FOR ROASTING, FOR BOILING J
CUTLETS, SUITABLE VEGETABLES, ETC. THIRTEEN RECIPES FOR
MUTTON AND LAMB.
THE best mutton is small-boned, plump, finely grained,
and short legged ; the lean of a dark, rather than of a
bright hue, and the fat white and clear ; when this is
yellow, the meat is rank, and of bad quality. The leg and
the loin are the desirable joints ; and the preference would
probably be given to the latter, but for the superabundance
of its fat, which renders it a somewhat wasteful part.
The parts for roasting are the shoulder, saddle, or chine,
the loin, and haunch. The leg is best boiled, unless the
mutton is young and very tender. The neck is sometimes
roasted, but it is more generally boiled ; the scrag, or that
part of it which joins the head, is seldom used for any other
purpose than making broth, and should be taken off before
the joint is dressed. Cutlets from the thick end of the loin
are commonly preferred, but they are frequently taken from
the best end of the neck and from the middle of the leg.
Lamb should be eaten very fresh. In the fore-quarter, the
vein in the neck should be blue, otherwise it is stale. In the
hind-quarter the fat of the kidney will have a slight odor if
not quite fresh. Lamb soon loses its firmness if stale.
New potatoes, asparagus, green peas, and spinach, are the
vegetables to be eaten with roast lamb.
RECIPES.
Roast Mutton. Wash the meat well, sprinkle with pepper
and salt, dredge with flour, and put in the dripping-pan,
with a little water in the bottom. Baste often with the drip-
pings, skim the gravy well, and thicken with flour.
MEATS. S3
Boiled Leg of Mutton. Cut off the shank-bone, trim the
knuckle, and wash the mutton ; put it into a pot with salt,
and cover with boiling water. Allow it to boil a few min-
utes ; skim the surface clean, draw your pot to the side of the
fire, and simmer until done. Time, from two to two hours
and a half. Do not try the leg with a fork to determine
whether it is done. You lose the juices of the meat by so
doing. Serve with caper sauce, or drawn butter, well sea-
soned. The liquor from this boiling may be converted into
soup with the addition of a ham-bone and a few vegetables
boiled together.
Mutton Dressed like Venison. Skin and bone a loin of
mutton, and lay it into a stewpan with a pint of water, a
large onion stuck with a dozen cloves, half a pint of port
wine, and a spoonful of vinegar ; add, when it boils, a little
thyme and parsley, and some pepper and salt ; let it stew
three hours, and turn it often. Make some gravy of the
bones, and add it at intervals to the mutton.
Broiled Mutton Chops. Trim off a portion of the fat, or the
whole of it, unless it be liked ; heat the gridiron, rub it with
a bit of the mutton suet, broil over a brisk fire, and turn
often until they are done, which, for the generality of eaters,
will be in about eight minutes, if the chops are not more
than half an inch thick, which they should not be. Add
salt and pepper with melted butter, and serve on a hot
plate.
Mutton and Green Peas. Select a breast of mutton not too
fat, cut it into small, square pieces, dredge it with flour, and fry
to a fine brown in butter ; add pepper and salt, cover it with
water, and set it over a slow fire to stew, until the meat is
perfectly tender. Take out the meat, skim off all the fat from
the gravy, and just before serving add a quart of young
peas, previously boiled with the strained gravy, and let the
whole boil gently until the peas are entirely done.
84 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
Irish Stew. Blanch three pounds of mutton chops by dip*
ping them first in boiling water, for two or three minutes,
and then into ice-cold water. Place them on the bottom of
a clean stewpan, barely covering them with cold water.
Bring them slowly to a boil ; add one teaspoonful of salt ;
skim clean ; add a little parsley, mace, and a few pepper-
corns. Simmer twenty minutes ; add a dozen small onions
whole, and two tablespoonfuls of flour mixed well with cold
water. Let it simmer for an hour ; add a dozen potatoes
pared and cut to about the size of the onions. Boil till
these are done ; then dish, placing the chops around the
edge of the plate, and pouring the onions and potatoes into
the centre. Strain the gravy, add three tablespoonfuls of
chopped parsley, and pour over the stew.
Boiled Leg of Lamb. Choose a ewe leg, as there is more
fat on it ; saw off the knuckle, trim off the flap, and the thick
skin on the back of it ; soak in warm water for three hours,
then boil gently (time according to size). Serve with oyster
sauce. (See Sauces.)
Roast Lamb. Wash well, season with pepper ana salt, put
in the dripping-pan with a little water. Baste often with
the dripping ; skim the gravy well and thicken with flour.
Lamb Stewed in Butter. Select a nice loin, wash well, and
wipe very dry ; skewer down the flap, and lay it in a close-shut-
ting and thick stewpan, or saucepan, in which three ounces
of good butter have been just dissolved, but not allowed to
boil ; let it simmer slowly over a very gentle fire for two
hours and a quarter, and turn it when it is rather more than,
half done. Lift it out, skim, and pour the gravy over it;
send to table with brown gravy, mint sauce, and a salad.
Saddle of Lamb. This is a dainty joint for a small party.
Sprinkle a little salt over it, and set it in the dripping-pan,
With a few small pieces of butter on the meat; baste it
JIB ATS. 35
occasionally with tried-out lamb-fat; dredge a little flour
over it a few minutes before taking from the oven. Serve
with currant jelly and a few choice early vegetables. Mint-
sauce may be served with the joint, but in a very mild form.
(See Sauces.)
Broiled Lamb Chops. Trim off most of the fat ; broil over
a brisk fire, turning frequently until the chops are nicely
browned. Season with pepper and salt, and baste with hot
butter. Serve on a buttered dish.
Breaded Lamb Chops. Grate plenty of stale bread, season
with salt and pepper, have ready some well-beaten egg, have
a spider with hot lard ready, take the chops one by one, dip
into the egg, then into the bread-crumbs ; repeat it, as this
will be found an improvement; then lay the chops sep-
arately into the boiling lard, fry brown, and then turn. To
be eaten with currant jelly.
Lamb Steaks, Fried. Dip each steak into well-beaten egg,
cover with bread-crumbs or corn-meal, and fry in butter or
new lard. Mashed potatoes and boiled rice are a necessary
accompaniment. The gravy may be thickened with flour
and butter, adding a little lemon juice ; pour this hot upon
the steaks, and place the rice in spoonfuls around the dish
to garnish it.
IV. PORK.
PORK REQUIRES CAREFUL CHOOSING; NEEDS THOROUGH COOk
ING. NINETEEN RECIPES FOR COOKING PORK.
T^ORK, more than any other meat, requires to be chosen
with the greatest care. The pig, from its gluttonous
habits, is particularly liable to disease, and if killed
and eaten when in an unhealthy condition, those who par-
take of it will probably pay dearly for their indulgencCi
Dairy-fed pork is the best.
86 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
If this meat be not thoroughly well-done, it is disgusting
to the sight and poisonous to the stomach. " In the gravy
of pork, if there is the least tint of redness," says an emi-
nent medical authority, " it is enough to appall the sharpest
appetite. Other meats under-done may be unpleasant, but
pork is absolutely uneatable."
RECIPES.
Roast Pig. A fat pig about three weeks old is best for a
roast. Wash it thoroughly inside and out ; chop the liver
fine with bread-crumbs, onions, parsley, pepper, salt, and
potatoes boiled and mashed ; make it into a paste with but-
ter and egg. Put this stuffing into the pig and sew it up ;
put in a baking-pan with a little water and roast over a
bright fire, basting well with butter; rub frequently also
with a piece of lard tied in a clean rag. When thoroughly
done, lay the pig, back up, in a dish, and put a red apple or
pickled-mango in its mouth. Make a dressing with some
of the stuffing, with a glass of wine and some of the drip-
ping. Serve with the roast pig, and also in a gravy-boat.
Roast Pork. Choose for roasting, the loin, the leg, the
saddle, the fillet, the shoulder, or the spare-rib. The loin
of young pork is roasted with the skin on, and this should
be scored in regular strips of about a quarter inch wide
before the joints are laid to the fire. The skin of the leg
also should be cut through in the same manner. This will
prevent blistering, and render it more easy to carve. In
beginning the roasting the meat should be placed at some
distance from the fire, in order that it may be heated through
before the skin hardens. The basting should be constant.
The cooking must be thorough and the meat well-browned
before removed from the fire.
Roast Spare-rib. Spare-rib should be well rubbed with
and pepper before it is roasted. If large and thick, it
MEATS. gf
f
will require two or three hours to roast ; a very thin piece
may be roasted in an hour. Lay the thick end to the fire.
When you put it down to roast, dust on some flour, and
baste with a little butter. The shoulder, loin, and chine are
roasted in the same manner.
Leg of Pork Roasted. Parboil a leg of pork, take off the
skin, and then roast ; baste with butter, and make a savory
powder of finely minced or dried or powdered sage, ground
black pepper, salt, and some bread-crumbs rubbed together
through a colander ; add to this a little very finely minced
onion ; sprinkle the meat with this when it is almost done ;
put a half pint of gravy into the dish.
Baked Pork Tenderloins. Split the tenderloin lengthwise
nearly through ; stuff with a filling of bread-crumbs, pep-
per, salt, and sweet marjoram. Tie a string around it, to
keep the filling in, and bake in a hot oven for half an hour,
basting well as the cooking proceeds.
Pork Cutlets. Cut them about half an inch thick from a
delicate loin of pork, trim into neat form, and take off part
of the fat, or the whole of it when it is not liked ; dredge a
little pepper or cayume upon them, and broil (or fry) over
a clear and moderate fire from fifteen to eighteen minutes,
sprinkle a little fine salt upon them just before they are
dished. They may be dipped into egg and then into bread-
crumbs mixed with minced sage, then finished in the usual
way. When fried, flour them well, and season with salt and
pepper. Serve with gravy made in the pan.
Boiled Ham. The soaking which must be given to a ham
before it is boiled depends both on the manner in which it
has been cured and on its age. If highly salted, hard, and
old, a day and night, or even longer, may be requisite to
open the pores sufficiently and to extract a portion of the
salt. The water must be several times changed during the
steeping. After the ham has been scraped or brushed as
88 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
clean as possible, pare away lightly any part which may b
blackened or rusty. Lay it into a suitable kettle and cover
it plentifully with cold water ; bring it very slowly to boil,
and clear off the scum, which will be thrown up in great
abundance So soon as the water has been cleared from
this, draw the pot to the edge of the stove, that the ham
may be simmered slowly but steadily, until it is tender. On
no account allow it to boil fast. When it can be probed
very easily with a sharp skewer, lift it out, strip off the skin,
and return the ham to the water to cool.
Baked Ham. A ham of sixteen pounds must be boiled
three hours, then skin and rub in half a pound of brown
sugar, cover with bread-crumbs, and bake well for two
hours.
Glazed Ham. Take a cold-boiled ham from which the skin
has been removed, and brush it well all over with beaten
egg. To a cup of powdered cracker allow enough rich
milk or cream to make into a thick paste, salt it, and work
in a teaspoonful of melted butter. Spread this evenly, a
quarter of an inch thick, over the ham, and set to brown in
a moderate oven.
Ham and Eggs. Cut the ham in very thin slices, and fry
long enough to cook the fat, but not long enough to crisp
the lean. A very little boiling water may be put into the
frying-pan to secure the ham moist and tender. Remove
the ham when it is done, break eggs gently into the pan,
without breaking the yelks, and fry till done, about three
minutes. The eggs will not require to be turned. Cut off
the uneaven edges, place the eggs around the ham, and pour
in the gravy.
Ham or Tongue Toast. Toast a thick slice of bread and
butter it on both sides. Take a small quantity of remains
of ham or tongue, grate it, and put it in a stewpan with two
MEATS. 89
hard-boiled eggs chopped fine, and mixed with a little but-
ter, salt, and cayenne ; heat it quite hot, then spread thickly
upon the buttered toast. Serve while hot.
Broiled Salt Pork. Cut the pork in thin slices. Put a lit-
tle water in the pan, and when it has boiled three minutes
pour it off; dredge the pork with flour and brown it.
Bacon Broiled or Fried. Cut evenly into thin slices, or rash-
ers; pare from them all rind and rust; curl them round;
fasten them with small, slight skewers, then gently fry, broil,
or toast them ; draw out the skewers before they are sent to
table. A few minutes will dress them either way. They
may be cooked without being curled. The slow cooking is
necessary that the meat may be well done without being
dried or hardened.
Fried Sausage. Sausages should be used while quite fresh.
Melt a piece of butter or dripping in a clean frying-pan ;
when just melted, put in the sausages, shake the pan for a
minute, and keep turning them ; do not break or prick
them ; fry them over a very slow fire till they are nicely
browned ; when done, lay them on a hair-sieve before the
fire to drain the fat from them. The secret of cooking sau-
sages well is to let them heat very gradually. If so done
the skins will not burst if they are fresh. The common
practice of pricking them lets the gravy out, which is un-
desirable.
Baked Sausages. The most wholesome way to cook sau-
sages is to bake them. Place them in a baking-pan in a
single layer, and bake in a moderate oven ; turn them over
when half done, that they may be equally browned. Serve
with pieces of toast between them, having cut the toast
about the same size as the sausage, and moistened it with a
little of the sausage fat.
Sausage Meat Many prefer to use sausage meat in bulk.
90 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
Small portions of the meat should be packed lightly b>
gether and fried slowly until nicely browned. When done,
drain through a hair-sieve. Do not pack hard. It will
make the sausages tough.
Scrappel. Boil a hog's head one day, and let it stand five
or six hours, or all night. Slip out the bones and chop
fine ; then return the meat to the liquor ; skim when cold ;
warm and season freely with pepper, salt, sage, and sweet
herbs. Add two cupfuls of buckwheat-meal and one cup-
ful of corn-meal. Put into molds, and when cold cut into
slices and fry for breakfast.
Boiled Pork The shoulder or leg are regarded as the
most economical pieces for boiling. They should be well
salted first, by about ten days' pickling. Boil precisely as
ham is boiled, but not for so long a time, about three hours
sufficing to thoroughly cook an ordinary sized leg of pork.
After it has come to the boiling point, let the process pro-
ceed slowly as possible. Peel off the skin when done and
spot the surface with dashes of red and black pepper, or
with allspice, or garnish with parsley.
Souse. Pigs' feet and ears may be soused by cleaning
thoroughly, soaking in salt and water several days, and then
boiling till the bones can be picked out with ease and the
skin peeled off. Cover the meat and gelatinous substance
with boiling vinegar, highly spiced with peppercorns and
mace. This may be eaten cold or the meat may be fried
after dipping in egg and cracker.
Pig's head may be prepared the same way, the meat being
chopped fine and mixed with pounded crackers. Mix with
herbs, spices, salt, and pepper to taste, and a small quantity
of vinegar. Press into a mold, or a jar, and cut in slices.
To be eaten cold.
VI. VEGETABLES.
rEGETABLES SHOULD BE FRESH HOW TO WASH AND PRESERVE--
HOW TO COOK WELL, AND IMPORTANCE OF SO DOING SUITABLE
POTS FOR COOKING VEGETABLES VEGETABLES SUITABLE TO
CERTAIN MEATS. FIFTY-FIVE RECIPES FOR COOKING VEGETABLES.
ALL vegetables should be used when fresh as possible.
Wash them thoroughly, and allow them to lie in cold
water until ready to be used.
Great care must be taken to remove gravel and insects
from heads of lettuce, cabbage, and cauliflower. To do
this, lay them for half an hour or more in a pan of strong
brine, placing the stalk ends uppermost. This will destroy
the small snails and other insects which cluster in the
leaves, and they will fall out and sink to the bottom.
Strong-flavored vegetables, like turnips, cabbage, and
greens, require to be put into a large quantity of water.
More delicate vegetables, such as peas, asparagus, etc.,
require less water. As a rule, in boiling vegetables, let the
water boil before putting them in, and let it continue to
boil until they are done. Nothing is more indigestible than
vegetables not thoroughly cooked. Just when they arc
done must be ascertained to a certainty in each particular
case, without depending upon any general directions.
Never let boiled vegetables stand in the water after com*
ing off the fire ; put them instantly into a colander over a
pot of boiling water, and let them remain there, if you have
to keep them back from the table.
An iron pot will spoil the color of the finest greeks ; they
should be boiled by themselves in a tin, brass, or copper
vessel.
92 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
Potatoes are good with all meats. Carrots, parsnips, tur-
nips, greens, and cabbage belong with boiled meats ; beets,
peas, and beans are appropriate to either boiled or roast.
RECIPES.
Boiled White Potatoes. Peel off a strip about a quarter of
an inch wide, lengthwise, around each potato. Put them
on in cold water, with a teaspoonful of salt in it. Let them
boil fifteen minutes, then pour off half the water and replace
it with cold water. When the edge of the peel begins to
curl up they are done. Remove them from the pot, cover
the bottom of a baking-tin with them, place them in the
oven, with a towel over them, for fifteen minutes, leaving
the oven door open. Then serve with or without the skins.
The use of cold water in boiling potatoes, as in this recipe,
is exceptional. Hot water is generally used, but for this
purpose cold seems preferable.
Roasted WMte Potatoes. Select the largest and finest
potatoes for roasting. Wash them thoroughly and put in
the oven with their skins on. Roast about one hour, turn-
ing them occasionally with a fork. When done, send them
to the table hot, and in their skins.
Potatoes Roasted with Meats. To roast potatoes with beef,
poultry, and other meats, peel the potatoes, lay them in a
pan, and cook them in the gravy. It is quite proper to
roast both white and sweet of potatoes in the same pan.
Mashed Potatoes. Steam or boil pared potatoes until soft,
in salted water ; pour off the water and let them drain per-
fectly dry ; sprinkle with salt and mash ; have ready hot
milk or cream, in which has been melted a piece of butter ;
pour this on the potatoes, and stir until white and very light.
A solid, heavy masher is not desirable. An open wire tool
is much better.
VEGETABLES. S3
Stewed Potatoes. Take sound raw potatoes, and divide
each into four parts, or more, if they be very large. Put
them into the stewpan; add salt, pepper, and a piece of
fresh butter; pour in milk, with a little cream, just to keep
the potatoes from burning. Cover the saucepan, and allow
the potatoes to stew until thoroughly soft and tender.
Fried Potatoes. Boil some good and large potatoes until
nearly done; set them aside a few minutes; when suffi-
ciently cool, slice or chop them ; sprinkle them with pepper
and salt, and fry in butter or fresh lard until they are of a
light brown color. Serve hot.
Saratoga Potatoes. Peel and slice the potatoes on a slaw-
cutter, into cold water ; wash them thoroughly, and drain ;
spread between the folds of a clean cloth, rub and pat until
dry. Fry a few at a time in boiling lard ; salt as you take
them out. Saratoga potatoes are very nice when eaten cold.
They can be prepared three or four hours before needed,
and if kept in a warm place they will be crisp and nice.
They may be used for garnishing game and steaks.
Potato Cakes. Mash thoroughly a lot of potatoes just
boiled ; add a little salt, butter and cream ; fry brown on
both sides, after making into little cakes.
Boiled Sweet Potatoes. Take large, fine potatoes, wash
clean ; boil with the skins on in plenty of water, but without
salt. They will take at least one hour. Drain off the water,
and set them for a few minutes in a tin pan before the fire,
or in the oven, that they may be well dried. Peel them be-
fore sending to the table.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes. Sweet potatoes are roasted in the
same manner as white, but they require a little longer time.
Fried Sweet Potatoes. Choose large potatoes, half boil
them, and then, having taken off the skins, cut the potatoes
in slices and fry in butter, or in nice drippings.
94 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
Stewed Tomatoes. Pour boiling water on the tomatoes to
be used, and then peel and slice them. Stew them gently,
without adding any water, fifteen minutes ; then add some
pulverized cracker or bread crumbs, sufficient to thicken it
a little, and salt and pepper to your taste. Stew fifteen min-
utes longer, and add a large piece of butter.
The thickening suggested is not essential. Many prefer
the pure tomatoes. Try both ways and adopt the more
pleasing.
Broiled Tomatoes. Cut large tomatoes in two, from side to
side, not from top to bottom ; place them on a gridiron, the
cut surface down ; when well seared, turn them and put on
butter, salt, and pepper ; then cook with the skin side down
until done.
Fried Tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes in slices without skin-
ning ; pepper and salt them well ; then sprinkle a little flour
over them and fry in butter until browned. Put them on a
hot platter ; then pour milk or cream into the butter and
juice, and when this is boiling hot, pour it over the tomatoes,
Tomatoes Baked Whole. Select a number of sound, ripe
tomatoes. Cut a round hole in the stem side of each, and
stuff it with bread-crumbs, nicely peppered and salted ; cover
the bottom of the pan with the tomatoes, the opened side
upward ; put in a very little water, dredge with flour, and
bake till brown. Serve hot.
Baked Sliced Tomatoes. Skin the tomatoes, slice in small
pieces ; spread a thick layer in the bottom of a pudding
dish ; cover with a thin layer of bread-crumbs, and sprinkle
salt, pepper, and a few small pieces of butter over them ;
add another layer of tomatoes, then of crumbs, etc., until
the dish is filled ; sprinkle over the top a layer of fine rolled
crackers ; bake one hour. Canned tomatoes, put up whole ;
may be used nicely this way.
VEGETABLES. 95
Tomatoes a la Creme. Pare and slice ripe tomatoes ; one
pound of fresh ones or a quart can ; stew until perfectly
smooth, season with salt and pepper, and add a piece of but-
ter the size of an egg. Just before taking from the fire, stii
in one cup of cream, with a tablespoonful of flour stirred
smooth in a part of it ; do not let it boil after the flour is put
in. Have ready in a dish some pieces of toast ; pour the
tomatoes over this and serve.
Boiled Green Corn. Take off the outside leaves and the
silk, letting the innermost leaves remain on until after the
corn is boiled, which renders the corn much sweeter. Boil
for half an hour in plenty of water, drain, and after fully re-
moving the leaves, serve.
Baked Corn. Grate one dozen ears of sweet corn, one cup
of milk, a small piece of butter ; salt to taste, and bake in a
pudding dish for one hour.
Corn Fritters, see Fritters.
Lima Beans. Shell, wash, and put into boiling water;
when boiled tender, drain and season them. Dress with
cream, or with a large lump of butter, and let the whole
simmer for a few moments before serving.
Snccotash. Take ten ears of green corn and one pint of
Lima beans ; cut the corn from the cob, and stew gently
with the beans until tender. Use as little water as possible.
Season with butter, salt, and pepper milk, if you choose.
If a few of the cobs are stewed in the succotash, it will
improve the flavor, as there is great sweetness in the cob.
String Beans. Remove the strings of the beans with a
knife, and cut off both ends. Cut each bean into three
pieces, boil tender, add butter when they are done, pepper
and salt, and serve hot.
Boiled Beans. Dried beans must soak over night in soft
water ; put them in a strong bag, leaving room for them to
96 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
swell ; let them boil in a plenty of water until done ; hang
up the bag that all the water may drain off; then season
with butter, pepper, and salt to the taste.
Baked Beans. Put the beans to soak early in the evening,
in a dish that will allow plenty of water to be used. Change
the water at bed-time. Next morning early, parboil two
hours ; pour off nearly all the water ; take raw pork, scored
on top ; put the beans in a deep dish, a stoneware jar is very
nice, the pork in the middle, sinking it so as to have it just
level with the surface. Add half a teaspoonful of soda, two
tablespoonfuls of molasses, and bake at least six hours. As
the beans bake dry, add more water, a little at a time, until
the last hour, when it is not necessary to moisten them.
Boiled Green Peas. The peas should be young and freshly
shelled ; wash and drain them carefully ; put them into fast-
boiling, salted water ; when quite tender drain, and add pep-
per, butter, and a little milk. Serve hot.
Boiled Asparagus. Scrape the stems of the asparagus
lightly, but make them very clean, throwing them into cold
water as you proceed. When all are scraped, tie them in
bunches of equal size ; cut the hard ends evenly, that all
may be of the same length, and put into boiling water.
Prepare several slices of delicately browned toast half an
inch thick. When the stalks are tender, lift them out and
season with pepper and salt. Dip the toast quickly into the
liquor in which the asparagus was boiled, and dish the veg-
etable upon it, the points, or the butts, meeting in the cen^
tre of the dish. Pour rich melted butter over it, and send
to the table hot.
Boiled Beets. Wash, but do not cut them, as cutting de^
stroys the sweetness ; let them boil from two to three hours,
or until they are perfectly tender ; then take them up, peel
and slice them, and pour vinegar, or melted butter, over
them, as may be preferred.
VEGETABLES. 97
Boiled Turnips. Pare and cut into pieces ; put them into
boiling water well salted, and boil until tender ; drain thor-
oughly and then mash and add a piece of butter, pepper,
and salt to taste. Stir until they are thoroughly mixed, and
serve hot.
Boiled Onions. Skin them carefully and put them to boil ;
when they have boiled a few minutes, pour off the water,
add clean cold water, and then set them to boil again.
Pour this away also, and add more cold water, when they
may boil till done. This change of waters will make them
white and clear, and very mild in flavor. After they are
done, pour off all the water, and dress with a little cream,
salt, and pepper to taste.
Pried Onions. Peel and slice fresh, solid onions very
evenly, then fry them in a pan of hot butter till slightly
browned.
Boiled Leeks. Trim off the coarser leaves of young leeks,
cut them into equal lengths, tie them in small bunches, and
boil in plenty of water, previously salted. Serve on toast,
and send melted butter to the table with them.
Boiled Squash. Remove the seeds ; boil till very tender ;
then press out all the water through a colander, and mash,
with butter, pepper, and salt.
Pried Squash. Pare the squash, cut in slices, dip in egg
seasoned with pepper and salt, then into cracker dust, and
fry to a nice brown.
Boiled Parsnips, Scrape thoroughly, then wash and boil
in a little water well salted. When done, dress with butter
and a little pepper, or drawn butter, if desired.
Fried Parsnips. Having boiled your parsnips, split open
the largest ones, season with pepper and salt, dredge a little
flour over them, and fry to a light brown, j
7
98 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
Pried Implant Pare and cut in slices quarter of an incli
thick ; sprinkle with salt ; cover and let stand for an hour.
Pour off the juice or water which exudes ; wipe each slice
dry ; dip first in beaten egg, then in rolled cracker or bread
crumbs. Season with pepper and salt, and fry brown in but-
ter. Serve very hot.
Pried Egg-plant No. 2. Put into water and boil until soft,
then cut in two and scoop out all the inside ; season ; take
a tablespoonful of the remaining pulp at a time, dip in egg
and bread-crumbs, and fry in hot lard. Serve hot.
Baked Egg-plant Boil them till somewhat tender, in order
to remove the bitter flavor. Then slit each one down the
side, and take out the seeds. Have ready a stuffing made
of grated cracker, butter, minced herbs, salt, pepper, nut-
meg, and beaten yelk of eggs. Fill with this the cavity left
by the seeds, and bake the plants in a hot oven. Serve with
well-seasoned gravy poured around them in the dish.
Boiled Cabbage. Strip off the loose or withered leaves, and
wash well ; then split in two, or if the head be very large,
into four pieces, and put into boiling water with some salt ;
let it boil slowly, skimming carefully and frequently. When
done, strain through a colander. Serve in a vegetable-dish
and lay inside, among the leaves, some bits of butter ; sea-
son with pepper, and serve while hot.
Boiled Cauliflower. Trim off all the outside leaves ; wrap
in a cloth and put into boiling water well salted ; boil until
tender, and then serve with drawn butter.
Cabbage a la Cauliflower. Cut the cabbage fine, as for
slaw ; put it into a stewpan, cover with water, and keep
closely covered ; when tender, drain off the water ; put in a
small piece of butter, with a little salt, one-half a cupful of
cream, or one cupful of milk. Leave on the stove a few
minutes before serving.
VEGETABLES. 99
Boiled Spinach. Boil the spinach in plenty of water, drain,
and press the moisture from it ; chop it small, put it into a
clean saucepan, with a slice of fresh butter, and stir the
whole until well mixed and very hot. Smooth it in a dish,
and send it quickly to table.
Boiled Greens. Turnip-tops, mustard-tops, cabbage-leaves,
beet-tops, cowslips, dandelions, and various similar articles
are much relished in the spring, boiled in salt and water or
with salt pork. When done sufficiently they will sink to
the bottom.
Stewed Celery. Clean the heads thoroughly ; take off the
coarse, green, outer leaves ; cut the stalks into small pieces,
and stew in a little broth ; when tender, add some rich
cream, a little flour, and butter enough to thicken the
cream. Season with pepper, salt, and a little nutmeg, if
that is agreeable.
Boiled Artichokes. Soak the artichokes and wash them in
several waters ; cut the stalks even ; trim away the lower
leaves, and the ends of the other leaves; boil in salted
water with the tops downward, and let them remain until
the leaves can be easily drawn out. Before serving, remove
the surrounding leaves, and send the remainder to the table
with melted butter.
Broiled Mushrooms. In order to test mushrooms, sprinkle
salt on the gills ; if they turn yellow, they are poisonous ; if
they turn black, they are good. When satisfied at this
point, pare, and cut off the stems, dip them in melted butter,
season with salt and pepper, broil them on both sides over
a clear fire, and serve on toast.
Stewed Mushrooms. Being sure you have the genuine
mushrooms, put them in a small saucepan, season with
pepper and salt, add a spoonful of butter and a spoonful or
two of gravy from roast meat, or, if this be not at hand, the
100 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
same quantity of good, rich cream ; shake them about over
the fire, and when they boil they are done.
Boiled Bice. Wash a cupful of rice in two or three
waters ; let it lie for a few minutes in the last water, then
put it into three quarts of fast-boiling water, with a little
salt ; let it boil twenty minutes, then turn into a colander,
drain, and serve, using such sauce or dressing as may be
desired.
Boiled Hominy. Soak one cupful of fine hominy over
night in three cupfuls of water, and salt to taste ; in the
morning turn it into a quart pail ; then put the pail into a
kettle of boiling water, cover tightly, and steam one hour ;
add one teacupful of sweet milk, and boil fifteen minutes
additional, then serve hot.
Stewed Macaroni. Break the macaroni into small pieces,
wash it, and put into salted hot water ; cook about twenty
minutes; drain, and put in a vegetable dish a layer of
macaroni, sprinkle with grated cheese, bits of butter, pepper
and salt ; proceed in this manner until the dish is full, but
omit the cheese at the last. Set the dish in the oven for a
few minutes, and let it get thoroughly hot.
Baked Macaroni. For baked macaroni, proceed as in
stewed, but, when prepared fully as above, pour a few
spoonfuls of milk over the top, and bake half an hour.
Macaroni with Tomatoes. Have water boiling in a large
saucepan ; throw into it macaroni, broken, but not too short ;
let it cook twenty to thirty minutes, pour over it some cold
water, and strain it quite dry ; cut an onion into small dice,
throw it into cold water and squeeze it dry in a cloth ; put
some olive oil, butter, or clarified fat into a saucepan ; the
oil, of course, is best. Throw into it the onion, and let it
sook, shaking occasionally, until the onion is almost melted
away. Have some cooked tomatoes ready to add to this
VEGETABLES. 101
sauce. If it is too thick, add some cold water by teaspoon-
fuls at a time. Let all simmer for ten minutes longer.
Sprinkle some grated cheese over your macaroni, which
must be piping hot, in a dish. Pour the sauce over this and
serve. A quarter of a pound of macaroni makes a large
dish, and takes about a third of a can to half a can of
tomatoes.
Sliced Cucumbers. Peel and slice the cucumbers as thin as
possible ; lay the slices in salted water for an hour ; then
pour off the water ; cover them with vinegar, half a tea-
spoonful of pepper, and salt as may be necessary.
Stewed Oyster-plant Cut off the tops of a bunch of
salsify, or oyster-plant, close to the root ; scrape and wash
well, and slice lengthwise or round ; stew until tender in
salted water ; drain and put in a stewpan, cover with milk ;
to one pint of salsify add a tablespoonful of butter rolled in
flour ; season with salt and pepper ; let it stew a few min-
utes and add a little vinegar, if liked.
Mock Pried Oysters. Scrape one bunch of salsify, and boil
until tender ; mash through a colander, add one beaten egg,
a small piece of butter, salt and pepper to taste; drop by the
spoonful into hot lard and fry brown.
VII. SALADS AND SAUCES.
SALADS DEFINED HOW DRESSED, COMBINED, AND SERVED.
SAUCES DEFINED THEIR USES AND COMPOSITION. HOW TO
PREPARE INGREDIENTS FOR SALADS, WHAT VEGETABLES TO
EMPLOY, FRESHNESS, EXCELLENCE, ETC. FORTY-SIX RECIPES
FOR SALADS AND SAUCES.
T TNDER the head of salads all preparations of uncooked
II herbs or vegetables is placed. They are usually
dressed with salt, vinegar, oil, and spices. Sometimes
they are combined with meat or shell fish, as chicken, veal,
lobster, etc. They are used chiefly as relishes with other
food.
Sauces are generally used to impart a relish to articles
of food. Sometimes vegetables are employed as the basis
of sauces, but they are compounded chiefly of savory con-
diments, that they may add zest to eating.
Meat or fish used in salads should not be minced, but
rather picked apart, or cut in pieces of moderate size. Cab-
bage, celery, asparagus, cauliflower, water-cress, and all
kinds of lettuce are the vegetables best adapted for use in
salads. They must be used when quite fresh and crisp, and
all the ingredients used In their dressing must be of the
best quality and flavor.
All condiments are in some sense sauces, but the term is
usually confined to those which are the result of compound-
ing a variety of articles.
RECIPES.
Ooldslaw. With a sharp knife, or, better, with a knife
made for the purpose, cut up into fine shavings a firm head
of cabbage ; sprinkle with as much salt and pepper as you
102
SALADS AMD SAVCES.
deem necessary ; beat up the yelk of one egg, add a lump
of butter the size of a walnut, a gill of cream, the same
quantity of vinegar, a tablespoonful of sugar, an even tea-
spoonful of mustard, and a pinch of bruised celery seed.
Heat these condiments together, without boiling, and pour
over the sliced cabbage ; then toss it with a fork until thor-
oughly mixed. Allow time for it to cool before serving.
Coldslaw, No. 2. Take equal parts of chopped cabbage
and the green stalks of celery. Season with salt, pepper,
and vinegar.
Maryland Coldslaw. Halve the cabbage and lay it in cold
water for one hour ; shave down the head into small slips
with a sharp knife. Put in a saucepan a cup of vinegar, and
let it boil ; then add a cup of cream, with the yelks of two
eggs, well beaten ; let it boil up, and pour over the cabbage.
As soon as the cabbage is cut it should be sprinkled with a
little salt and pepper.
Salad. Take one head of fine, white cabbage,
minced fine ; three hard-boiled eggs ; two tablespoonfuls
of salad oil ; two teaspoonfuls white sugar ; one teaspoonful
salt ; one teaspoonful pepper ; one teaspoonful made mustard ;
one teacupful vinegar. Mix and pour upon the chopped
cabbage.
Lettuce Salad. Take a good-sized head of lettuce and pull
the leaves apart. Wash them a moment, then shake off the
water and dry the leaves. Examine them carefully, wipe
off all grit, and reject those that are bruised. Take the yelks
of two hard-boiled eggs ; add one-half teaspoonful of mixed
mustard, and mix to a paste with a silver fork ; then add
slowly, mixing carefully, about one-half a cup of vinegar,
one teaspoonful of sugar, and salt to taste ; cut the lettuce
small as may be desired with a sharp knife, and pour the
dressing over it ; garnish with hard-boiled eggs.
104 EVER? WOMAN' HER OHW COOK.
Potato Salad. Steam and slice the potatoes ; add a very
little raw onion chopped very fine, and a little parsley, and
pour over the whole a nice salad dressing. Serve either
warm or cold, as may be preferred.
Potato Salad, No. 2. Cut up three quarts of boiled potatoes,
while hot, into neat pieces ; add a tablespoonful of chopped
parsley, a tablespoonful of chopped onion, a teaspoonful of
pepper, and one of salt ; also add a cupful of oil, and mix ;
then add a cupful of warm stock, a wineglassful of vinegar
(from the mixed-pickle bottle) ; mix the ingredients together
carefully, and do not break the potatoes any more than is
absolutely unavoidable. Set the whole in the ice-box and
serve cold. The onion and parsley may be omitted, and
boiled root celery added, or a little stalk celery chopped fine.
CMcken Salad. Boil a small chicken until very tendef.
When entirely cold, remove the skin and fat, cut the meat
into small bits, then cut the white part of the stalks of celery
into pieces of similar size, until you have twice as much
celery as meat. Mix the chicken and celery together; pour
on Durkee's Salad Dressing, and stir all thoroughly. Cold
veal used in place of chicken will also make a very excel-
lent salad.
CMcken Salad, No. 2. Take three chickens, boil until very
tender ; when cold, chop them, but not too fine ; add twice
the quantity of celery cut fine, and three hard-boiled eggs
sliced. Make a dressing with two cups of vinegar, half a
cup of butter (or two tablespoonfuls of oil), two eggs
beaten, with a large tablespoonful of mustard, saltspoonful of
salt, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, tablespoonful of pepper,
or a little cayenne pepper ; put the vinegar into a tin pan
and set in a kettle of boiling water ; beat the other ingre-
dients together thoroughly and stir slowly into the vinegar
until it thickens. Cool it and pour over the salad just be*
fore serving.
SALADS AND SAUCES. 105
Lobster Salad. To a three-pound lobster take the yelk of
one raw egg beaten very lightly ; then take the yelks of
three hard-boiled eggs (cold), and add to the raw yelk,
beating all the time ; add, a few drops at a time, one-half
bottle of the finest olive oil, stirring all the while ; then add
one and a half tablespoonfuls of the best English mustard,
salt and pepper to taste ; beat the mixture until light and
add a tablespoonful of strong vinegar. Cut the lobster into
small pieces and mix with it salt and pepper ; pour over it
the dressing just before sending to the table ; garnish with
the white of boiled eggs, celery tops, and the small claws.
Salmon Salad For a pound can of salmon, garnished with
lettuce, make a dressing of one small teacupful of vinegar,
butter half the size of an egg, one teaspoonful of mustard,
one-half teaspoonful of cayenne pepper, one-half teaspoon-
ful of salt, one teaspoonful of sugar, two eggs. When
cold, add one-half teacupful of cream and pour over the
salmon.
Mixed Mustard. One tablespoonful qf mustard, one tea-
spoonful of sugar, one saltspoonful of salt, enough vinegar
to blend into a paste.
Plain Horse-radish is grated and merely covered with sharp
vinegar.
Horse-radish Sance. Take one tablespoonful of grated
horse-radish, a dessertspoonful of mustard, half a teaspoonful
of sugar ; then add vinegar, and stir it smooth. Serve in a
sauce-tureen.
Tomato Sauce. Stew one-half dozen tomatoes with a little
chopped parsley ; salt and pepper to taste ; strain, and when
it commences to boil add a tablespoonful of flour, stirred
smooth with the same quantity of butter. When it boils it
is ready to take up.
106 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
Tomato Sauce, No. 2. Halve the tomatoes and squeeze out
the seeds and watery pulp. Stew the solid portions gently
with a little gravy or strong broth until they are entirely
softened. Strain through a hair sieve and reheat with
additional gravy, a little cayenne pepper and salt. Serve hot.
Green Tomato Sauce. Cut up two gallons of green toma-
toes ; take three gills of black mustard seed, three table-
spoonfuls of dry mustard, two and a half of black pepper,
one and a half of allspice, four of salt, two of celery seed,
one quart each of chopped onions and sugar, and two and
a half quarts of good vinegar, a little red pepper to taste.
Beat the spices and boil all together until well done.
Chili Sauce. Take ten pounds of ripe tomatoes, peeled
and sliced ; two pounds of peeled onions chopped fine ;
seven ounces of green peppers finely chopped, without the
seeds ; six ounces of brown sugar ; four ounces salt ; a pint
and a half of vinegar. Boil all together in a porcelain-lined
kettle for several hours, until thick as desired ; put up in
tight cans or jars, and use with soups and gravies.
Celery Sauce. Pick and wash two heads of celery ; cut
them into pieces one inch long, and stew them in a pint of
water, with one teaspoonful of salt, until the celery is tender.
Rub a large spoonful of butter and a spoonful of flour well
together ; stir this into a pint of cream ; put in the celery,
and let it boil up once. Serve hot with boiled poultry.
Mint Sauce. Wash the sprigs of mint, let them dry on a
towel, strip off the leaves, and chop them very fine ; put in
a sauce-boat with a cupful of vinegar and four lumps of
sugar; let it stand an hour, and before serving stir all
together. Mint sauce, if bottled, will keep a long time,
and be just as good, if not better, than when freshly made.
Asparagus Sauce. Take a dozen heads of asparagus ; two
teacupfuls drawn butter; two eggs; the juice of half a
SALADS AND SAUCES. 107
lemon ; salt and white pepper. Boil the tender heads in a
very little salt water. Drain and chop them. Have ready
a pint of drawn butter, with two raw eggs beaten into it ;
add the asparagus, and season, squeezing in the lemon juice
last. The butter must be hot, but do not cook after putting
in the asparagus heads. This is a delightful sauce for boiled
fowls, stewed fillet of veal, or boiled mutton.
Mushroom Sauce. Pick, rub, and wash a pint of young
mushrooms, and sprinkle with salt to take off the skin. Put
them into a saucepan with a little salt, a blade of mace, a
little nutmeg, a pint of cream, and a piece of butter rolled in
flour ; boil them up and stir till done.
Caper Sauce. Make a drawn butter sauce, and add two or
three tablespoonfuls of French capers ; remove from the fire
and add a little lemon juice.
Cranberry Sauce. Cover a quart of cranberries with water
and let it simmer gently till thoroughly cooked. Strain the
skins out through a colander, and add to the juice two cup-
fuls of sugar ; let it simmer again for fifteen minutes, and
pour into a mold previously wet in cold water.
Strawberry Sauce. Rub half a cupful of butter and one
cupful of sugar to a cream ; add the beaten white of an
egg and one cupful of strawberries thoroughly mashed.
Lemon Sauce. One-half a cupful of butter, one cupful of
sugar, yelks of two eggs, one teaspoonful of corn-starch.
Beat the eggs and sugar until light ; add the grated rind
and juice of one lemon. Stir the whole into three gills
of boiling water until it thickens sufficiently for the table.
Lemon Sauce, No. 2. One large tablespoonful of butter, one
small tablespoonful of flour, one cupful of sugar, grated
rind and juice of one lemon.
108 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
Vanilla Sauce. Put half a pint of milk in a small sauce-
pan over the fire; when scalding hot add the yelks of
three eggs, and stir until it is as thick as boiled custard ;
remove the saucepan from the fire, and when cool add a
tablespoonful of extract of vanilla and the beaten whites of
two eggs.
Venison Sauce. Mix two teaspoonfuk of currant jelly,
one stick of cinnamon, one blade of mace, grated white
bread, ten tablespoonfuls of water ; let the whole stew till
thoroughly cooked, when done serve with venison steak.
Anchovy Sauce. Stir two or three teaspoonfuls of pre-
pared essence or paste of anchovy, into a pint of melted
butter ; let the sauce boil a few minutes, and flavor with
lemon juice.
Lobster Sauce. Break the shell of the lobster into small
pieces. Pour over these one pint of water or veal-stock
and a pinch of salt ; simmer gently until the liquid is re-
duced one-half. Mix two ounces of butter with an ounce
of flour, strain the liquid upon it and stir all, over the fire,
until the mixture thickens, but do not let it boil. Add two
tablespoonfuls of lobster meat chopped fine, the juice of half
a lemon, and serve.
Oyster Sauce. Strain fifty oysters; put the juice into a
saucepan ; add one pint of new milk ; let it simmer, and
then skim off whatever froth may rise. Rub a large spoon-
ful of flour and two of butter together ; stir this into the
liquor ; add a little salt and pepper. Let this simmer five
minutes, but do not add the oysters till just as they are to
be sent to the table, as oysters much cooked are hard. For
turkeys, etc., this is a splendid dressing.
Plain French Dressing. A plain French dressing is made
simply of salt, pepper, oil, and vinegar. Three tablespoon-
fuls of oil *o one of vinegar, saltspoon heaping full of salt,
an even saltspoonful of pepper mixed with a little cayenne.
SALADS AND SAUCES. 109
Mayonnaise Sauce. Work the yelks of two raw eggs to a
smooth paste, and add two saltspoonfuls of salt, half a salt-
spoonful of cayenne, a saltspoonful of dry mustard, and a
teaspoonful of oil; mix these thoroughly and add the
strained juice of half a lemon. Take what remains of half
a pint of olive oil and add it gradually, a teaspoonful at a
time, and every fifth teaspoonful add a few drops of
lemon juice until you have used two lemons and the half-
pint of oil.
ranaise Sauce, No. 2. Rub the yelks of three hard-
boiled eggs with the yelk of one raw egg to a smooth paste ;
add a heaping teaspoonful of salt, two saltspoonfuls of
white pepper, and two saltspoonfuls of made mustard;
mix thoroughly and work a gill of oil gradually into the
mixture, alternated with a teaspoonful of vinegar, until you
have used three tablespoonfuls of vinegar. Should the
sauce appear too thick, add a wineglassful of cream.
Butter Sauce. Mix well together two tablespoonfuls of
butter, some chopped parsley, juice of half a lemon, salt,
and pepper. For broiled meat or fish.
Brown Butter Sauce. Put butter into a frying-pan and let
it stand on the fire until very brown ; then add a little pars-
ley and fry a moment longer.
Drawn Butter Sauce. Take one-quarter pound of butter ;
rub with it two teaspoonfuls of flour. When well mixed,
put into a saucepan with one-half pint of water ; cover it,
and set the saucepan into a larger one full of boiling water.
Shake it constantly till completely melted and beginning to
boil ; season with salt and pepper.
Boiled Egg Sauce. Add to half a pint of drawn butter
sauce two or three hard-boiled eggs, chopped.
110 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
WMte Sauce. Thicken half a pint of new milk with a lit/
tie flour or arrowroot. After it has boiled, stir in slowly
about two ounces of fresh butter, cut into small pieces.
Continue to stir until the butter is completely dissolved.
Add a few thin strips of lemon rind, a little salt, and
pounded mace.
White Sauce, No. 2. Boil a few thin strips of lemon peel
in half a pint of good veal gravy just long enough to give
it their flavor. Stir in a thickening of arrowroot, or flour
and butter ; add salt and a quarter of a pint of boiling
cream.
Cream Sauce. Beat the yelks of three eggs, three table-
spoonfuls of white sugar, and vanilla flavor. Turn on it a
pint of boiling milk, and stir well.
Brandy Sauce. Four ounces of sugar and two ounces of
butter, well creamed together ; then beat an egg into it,
with two ounces of brandy.
Wine Sauce. Take one pint bowl of white sugar, not
quite a quarter of a pound of butter, one glass of wine, one
grated nutmeg, and a tablespoonful of warm water ; beat
together steadily for half an hour.
Hard Sauce. One cupful butter, three cupfuls sugar; beat
very hard, flavoring with lemon juice ; smooth into shape
with a knife dipped into cold water.
Sauces in General Worcestershire, Challenge, Annear,
and other sauces in the market have each their specially good
points. Trial of them should be made and the best used.
VIII. CROQUETTES AND FRITTERS.
CROQUETTES DEFINED ; FRITTERS DEFINED ; USES OF BOTH.
TWENTY-FOUR RECIPES FOR CROQUETTES AND FRITTERS.
THE term croquette (pronounced cro-ket) is from a French
verb, meaning " to crunch." It designates all that class
of preparations made of minced meat, or other in-
gredients, highly seasoned and fried in bread-crumbs.
Fritters, like croquettes, are fried, but they are made of
batter containing other ingredients, as taste may dictate.
Both these preparations are used as accessories of the din-
ner or tea table rather than as principal dishes.
RECIPES.
Rice Croquettes. Put a quarter of a pound of rice into a
pint of milk. Let it simmer gently until the rice is tender
and the milk absorbed. It must then be boiled until thick
and dry, or it will be difficult to mold. Add three table-
spoonfuls of sugar, one of butter, one egg, and flavor to taste
with vanilla or cinnamon ; beat thoroughly for a few minutes,
and when cold form into balls or cones, dip these into
beaten egg, roll lightly in bread-crumbs, and fry in hot butter.
Hominy Croquettes. To a cupful of cold boiled hominy
(small grained) add a tablespoonful of melted butter and stir
hard ; moisten by degrees with a cupful of milk, beating to a
soft, light paste. Put in a teaspoonful of white sugar and a
well-beaten egg. Roll into oval balls with floured hands,
dip in beaten egg, then in cracker-crumbs, and fry in hot
lard.
W
112 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
Potato Croquettes. Season cold mashed potatoes with pep-
per, salt, and nutmeg. Beat to a cream, with a tablespoon-
ful of melted butter to every cupful of potato. Add two or
three beaten eggs and some minced parsley. Roll into small
balls; dip in beaten egg, then in bread-crumbs, and fry in
hot lard.
Oyster-Plant Croquettes. Wash, scrape, and boil the oyster-
plant till tender ; rub it through a colander, and mix with
the pulp a little butter, cream, salt, cayenne, and lemon juice;
mix the ingredients thoroughly together to a smooth paste,
and set the dish in the ice-box to get cold ; then shape it
into small cones, dip them in beaten egg, roll in crumbs,
and fry crisp and brown.
Chicken Croquettes. Add to the quantity of minced chicken;
about one-quarter the quantity of bread-crumbs, also one
egg well beaten to each cupful of meat ; pepper, salt, and
chopped parsley to taste, add the yelks of two hard-boiled
eggs rubbed smooth. Add gravy or drawn butter to moisten
it, make into cones or balls, roll in cracker-dust or flour,
and fry in hot lard.
Veal Croquettes. Make these the same as chicken cro-
quettes, by substituting for the chicken cold minced veal and
ham in equal parts. The salt may be omitted, as the
ham usually supplies it sufficiently. Turkey, duck, or the
remains of any cold game or meat may be used in the same
way with very satisfactory results.
Oyster Croquettes. Take the hard ends of the oysters, leav-
ing the other end for a soup or stew ; scald them, then chop
fine, and add an equal weight of potatoes rubbed through a
colander ; to one pound of this combination add two ounces
of butter, one teaspoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful of pep-
per, half a teaspoonful of mace, and one-half gill of cream,
make in small rolls, dip them in egg and grated bread, fry
in deep, hot lard,
CROQUETTES AND FRITTERS. 113
Lobster Croquettes. Chop the lobster very fine ; mix with
pepper, salt, bread-crumbs, and a little parsley; moisten
with cream and a small piece of butter ; shape with your
hands ; dip in egg, roll in bread-crumbs, fry in hot lard.
Plain Fritters. Take one pint of flour, four eggs, one
pint of boiling water, and one teaspoonful of salt. Stir the
flour into the boiling water gradually, and let it boil three
minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the fire and
stir in the yelks of the eggs, afterward the whites, they hav-
ing been well beaten. Drop this batter by large spoon-
fuls into boiling lard and fry to a light brown. Serve hot,
powdered with white sugar.
Bread Fritters. Grate stale bread until you have a pint of
crumbs ; pour a pint of boiling milk upon these, a table-
spoonful of butter having been dissolved in it, and let the
whole stand for an hour. Then beat up the mixture and
flavor with nutmeg. Stir in gradually a quarter pound of
white sugar, two tablespoonfuls of brandy, six well-beaten
eggs, and currants enough to flavor the whole. The cur-
rants should be washed, dried, and floured. Drop by large
spoonfuls into boiling lard and fry to a light brown. Serve
with wine and powdered sugar.
Potato Fritters. Break open four nicely baked potatoes j
scoop out the insides with a spoon, and mix with them a
wineglassful of cream, a tablespoonful of brandy, two table-
spoonfuls of powdered sugar, the juice of one lemon, half a
teaspoonful of vanilla extract, and well-beaten yelks of four
and the whites of three eggs ; beat the batter until it is quite
smooth ; drop large tablespoonfuls of the mixture into boil"
ing fat and fry to a light brown ; dust them with powdered
sugar and send to table hot.
Corn Fritters. Scrape twelve ears of corn, mix with twt
I
114 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
eggs, one and one-half cups of milk, salt and pepper to taste^
and flour enough to hold all together. Fry in hot fat.
Hominy Fritters. Two teacupfuls of cold boiled hominy ;
stir in one teacupful of sweet milk and a little salt, four table-
spoonfuls of sifted flour, and one egg ; beat the white sepa-
rately and add last ; drop the batter by spoonfuls in hot lard
and fry to a nice brown.
Bice Fritters. Boil a quarter of a pound of rice in milk
till it is tender, then mix it with a pint of milk, two eggs,
one cup of sugar, a little salt and cinnamon, and as much
flour as will make a thick batter. Fry them in thin cakes
and serve with butter and white powdered sugar.
Parsnip Fritters. Boil four good-sized parsnips in salted
water until tender ; drain them, beat them to a pulp, and
squeeze the water from them as much as possible ; bind
them together with a beaten egg and a little flour. Shape
into cakes and fry in hot lard.
Fruit Fritters. The following recipe will serve for many
kinds of fruit or vegetable fritters : Make a batter of ten
ounces of flour, half a pint of milk, and two ounces of but-
ter ; sweeten and flavor to taste ; stir in the whites of two
eggs well beaten ; dip the fruit in the batter and fry. Small
fruit and vegetables should be mixed with the batter.
Apple Fritters. Take one egg, two tablespoonfuls of flour,
a little sifted sugar and ginger, with milk enough to make
a smooth batter ; cut a good sized apple into slices and put
them into the batter. Put them into a frying-pan, with the
batter which is taken up in the spoon. When fried, drain
them on a sieve and sift on powdered sugar.
Currant Fritters. Take twocupfuls dry, fine bread-crumbs,
two tablespoonfuls prepared flour, two cups of milk, one-
half pound currants, washed and well dried ; five eggs
CROQUETTES AND FRITTERS. H5
whipped very light and the yelks strained, one-half cup pow-
dered sugar, one tablespoonful butter, one-half teaspoonful
mixed cinnamon and nutmeg. Boil the milk and pour over
the bread. Mix and put in the butter. Let it get cold.
Beat in, next, the yelks and sugar, the seasoning, flour, and
stiff whites, finally the currants dredged white with flour.
The batter should be thick. Drop great spoonfuls into
the hot lard and fry. Drain them and send hot to table.
Eat with a mixture of wine and powdered sugar.
Oyster Fritters. Take one and one-half pints of sweet
milk, one and one-fourth pounds of flour, four egg (the yelks
having been beaten very thick) ; add milk and flour ; stir
the whole well together, then beat the whites to a stiff froth
and stir them gradually into the batter ; take a spoonful of
the mixture, drop an oyster into it, and fry in hot lard ; let
them be a light brown on both sides.
Clam Fritters. Take a dozen chopped clams, one pint of
milk, three eggs. Add liquor from the clams, with salt and
pepper, and flour enough to produce thin batter. Fry in
hot lard.
Cream Fritters. Take one cup of cream, the whites of five
eggs, two full cups prepared flour, one saltspoonful of nut-
meg, a pinch of salt. Stir the whites into the cream in turn
with the flour, put in nutmeg and salt, beat all hard for two
minutes. The batter should be rather thick. Fry in plenty
of sweet lard, a spoonful of batter for each fritter. Drain and
serve upon a hot, clean napkin. Eat with jelly sauce. Do
not cut them open, but break or pull them apart
French Fritters. Take two cupfuls of flour, two teaspoon-
fuls of baking powder, two eggs, milk enough for stiff
batter, and a little salt. Drop into boiling lard and fry light
brown. Serve with cream and sugar or sauce.
116 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
Spanish Fritters. Cut stale bread into small, round slices
about an inch thick ; soak them in milk, and then dip them
into well-beaten egg which has been sweetened to taste.
Sprinkle thickly with cinnamon and fry in hot lard.
Venetian Fritters. Take three ounces of whole rice, wash
and drain into a pint of cold milk. Let it come slowly to a
boil, stirring often, and let it simmer till quite thick and dry.
Add two ounces of powdered sugar, one of fresh butter, a
pinch of salt, the grated rind of half a lemon. Let the
whole cool in the saucepan, and while still a little warm
mix in three ounces of currants, four ounces of chopped
apples, a teaspoonful of flour, and three well-beaten eggs.
Drop the batter in small lumps into boiling fat, allowing
them to fry till the under side is quite firm and brown ; then
turn and brown the other side. When done, drain through
a hair sieve, and powder with white sugar when about to
serve.
IX. EGGS.
NUTRITIOUS VALUE OF EGGS TEST OF FRESHNESS PACKING EGGS
PRESERVING EGGS. TWENTY-EIGHT WAYS OF COOKING EGGS.
HIGH chemical authorities agree that there is more nutri-
ment in an egg than in any substance of equal bulk
found in nature or produced by art. They are much
used for food the world over, and few articles are capable
of more varied employment.
The freshness of an egg may be determined in various
ways. In a fresh egg, the butt end, if touched on the
tongue, is sensibly wanner than the point end. If held to-
ward the light and looked through (" candled "), a fresh egg
will show a clear white and a well-rounded yelk. A stale
egg will appear muddled. Probably the surest test is to put
the eggs into a pan of cold water. Fresh eggs sink quickly ;
bad eggs float; suspicious ones act suspiciously, neither
sinking nor floating very decidedly. Of all articles of food,
doubtful eggs are most certainly to be condemned.
On the packing of eggs, the following conclusions may
be regarded as established among egg-dealers : By cold
storage, temperature forty to forty-two degrees Fahrenheit,
kept uniform, with eggs packed properly or in cases, they
will keep in good condition from six to nine months ; but
they must be used soon after being taken out of the cold
storage, as they soon spoil. Eggs become musty from being
packed in bad material. They will become musty in cases,
as a change of temperature causes the eggs to sweat and
the wrapping-paper to become moist and taint the eggs.
117
118 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK'.
Well-dried oats, a year old, makes the best packing. Eggs
become " mixed " by jarring in shipping. Fresh eggs mix
worse than those kept in cold storage. Eggs which have
been held in cold storage in the West should be shipped in
refrigerator cars in summer. Eggs will keep thirty days
longer if stood on the little end than in any other position.
They must be kept at an even temperature and in a pur
atmosphere. Eggs laid on the side attach to the shell and
are badly injured. To prevent imposition as to the freshness
of the eggs, the egg gatherers should " candle " them when
they get them from the farmers. Eggs keep better in the
dark than in the light.
Methods of preservation for domestic purposes are, to
pack them in bran or salt, the small end down ; to grease
them with linseed oil, or dip them in a light varnish. For
extra long keeping, slack one pound of lime in a gallon of
water ; when this is entirely cold, place it in a jar and fill
with fresh eggs. Do not agitate the contents when eggs
are removed from the jar. Eggs kept so will continue good
for a year.
The French method of preserving eggs is to dissolve
beeswax and olive oil and anoint the eggs all over. If left
undisturbed in a cool place, they will remain good for two
years.
RECIPES.
Boiled Eggs. Put into a saucepan of boiling water with a
tablespoon, being careful not to break or crack them. Boil
steadily three minutes, if you want them soft ; ten, if hard.
Another way is to put them on in cold water, and let it
come to a boil. The inside, white and yelk, will be then of
the consistency of custard.
Still another way is to put them in water, heated to the
boiling point, and let them stand from five to seven minutes
without boiling. If desired for salad, boil them ten minutes;
EGGS.
then throw them in cold water ; roll them gently on a table
or board, and the shell can be easily removed. Wire egg
racks, to set in boiling hot water with the eggs held in place,
are exceedingly convenient.
Boiled Eggs, with Sauce. Boil hard, remove the shell, set
in a hot dish, and serve with seasoning and sauce to taste.
Poached Eggs. Have the water well salted, but do not let
it boil hard. Break the eggs separately into a saucer, and
slip them singly into the water ; when nicely done, remove
with a skimmer, trim neatly, and lay each egg upon a small
thin square of buttered toast, then sprinkle with salt and
pepper. Some persons prefer them poached rather than
fried with ham ; in which case substitute the ham for toast.
Poached Eggs with Ham Sauce. Mince fine two or three
slices of boiled ham, a small onion, a little parsley, pepper,
and salt ; stew together for a quarter of an hour ; put the
poached eggs in a dish, squeeze over them the juice of a
lemon, and pour on the sauce hot but not boiling.
Poached Eggs a la Creme. Nearly fill a clean frying-pan
with water boiling hot ; strain a tablespoonful of vinegar
through double muslin, and add to the water with a little
salt. Slip your eggs from the saucer upon the top of the
water (first taking the pan from the fire). Boil three min-
utes and a half; drain, and lay on buttered toast in a hot
dish. Turn the water from the pan and pour in half a cup-
ful of cream or milk. If you use the latter, thicken with a
very little corn-starch. Let it heat to a boil, stirring to pre-
vent burning, and add a great spoonful of butter, some pep-
per, and salt. Boil up once and pour over the eggs. Or
better still, heat the milk in a separate saucepan, that the
eggs may not have to stand. A little broth improves the
sauce.
120 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
Steamed Eggs. Butter a 'tin plate and break in your eggs
set in a steamer ; place over a kettle of boiling water, and
steam until the whites are cooked; they are more orna_-
mental when broken into patty tins, as they keep their form
better ; the whites of the eggs, when cooked in this manner,
are tender and light, and not tough and leathery, as if cooked
by any other process.
Eggs in this style can be eaten by invalids, and are very
much richer than by any other method.
Whirled Eggs. Put a quart of water, slightly salted, into
a saucepan over the fire, and keep it at a fast boil. Stir
with wooden spoon or ladle in one direction until it whirls
rapidly. Break six eggs, one at a time, into a cup and drop
each carefully into'the centre, or vortex, of the boiling water.
If kept at a rapid motion, the egg will become a soft, round
ball. Take it out carefully with a perforated spoon, and put
it on a slice of buttered toast laid upon a hot dish. Put a
bit of butter on the top. Set the dish in the oven to keep
warm, and proceed in the same way with another egg, hav-
ing but one in the saucepan at a time. When all are done,
dust lightly with salt and pepper and send up hot.
Eggs a la Mode. Remove the skin from a dozen tomatoes,
medium size, cut them up in a saucepan, add a little butter,
pepper, and salt ; when sufficiently boiled, beat up five or
six eggs, and just before you serve, turn them into a sauce*
pan with the tomato, and stir one way for two minutes, allow-
ing them time to be well done.
Baked Eggs. Mix finely chopped ham and bread-crumbs
in about equal proportions, season with salt and pepper, and
moisten with milk and a little melted butter ; half fill your
small patty pans with the mixture, break an egg over the
top of each, sprinkle with fine bread-crumbs, and bake;
serve hot
EGGS.
Baked Eggs, No. 2. Butter a clean, smooth saucepan, break
as many eggs as will be needed into a saucer, one by one,
and if found good, slip each into the saucepan. No broken
yelk must be allowed, nor must they crowd so as to risk
breaking the yelk after put in. Put a small piece of butter
on each, and sprinkle with pepper and salt. Set into a well-
heated oven, and bake till the whites are set. If the oven
is rightly heated, it will take but a few minutes, and the
cooking will be far more delicate than fried eggs.
Eggs snr le Plat. Melt butter on a stone-china or tin plate.
Break the eggs carefully into this ; dust lightly with pepper
and salt, and put on top of the stove until the whites are
well set. Serve in the dish in which they are baked.
Scrambled Eggs. Put into a frying-pan enough butter to
grease it well ; slip in the eggs carefully without breaking
the yelks ; add butter, and season to taste ; when the whites
begin to set, stir the eggs from the bottom of the pan, and
continue stirring until the cooking is completed. The
appearance at the end should be marbled, rather than mixed.
Scrambled Eggs with Ham. Put into a pan, butter, a little
pepper and salt, and a little milk ; when hot, drop in the
eggs, and with a knife cut the eggs and scrape them from
the bottom as the whites begin to set ; add some cold ham
chopped fine, and when done, serve in a hot dish.
Toasted Eggs. Cover the bottom of an earthenware or
stone-china dish with rounds of delicately toasted bread, or
with rounds of stale bread dipped in beaten egg and fried
quickly to a golden-brown in butter or nice dripping.
Break an egg carefully upon each, and set the dish imme-
diately in front of a glowing fire. Toast over this as many
slices of fat salt pork or ham as there are eggs in the dish,
holding the meat so that it will fry very quickly and all the
dripping fall upon the eggs. When these are well set, they
we d<?ne Jura the dish several times while toasting the
122 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
meat, that the eggs may be equally cooked. , Do not send
the pork to table, but pepper the eggs lightly and remove
with the toast to the dish in which they go to the table.
Egg Toast. Beat four eggs, yelks and whites, together
thoroughly ; put two tablespoonfuls of butter into a sauce-
pan and melt slowly ; then pour in the eggs and heat, with-
out boiling, over a slow fire, stirring constantly ; add a little
salt, and when hot spread on slices of nicely browned toast
and serve at once.
Egg Baskets. Boil quite hard as many eggs as will be
needed. Put into cold water till cold, then cut neatly into
halves with a thin, sharp knife ; remove the yelk and rub to
a paste with some melted butter, adding pepper and salt.
Cover up this paste and set aside till the filling is ready.
Take cold roast duck, chicken, or turkey, which may be on
hand, chop fine and pound smooth, and while pounding
mix in the paste prepared from the yelks. As you pound,
moisten with melted butter and some gravy which may
have been left over from the fowls ; set this paste when done
over hot water till well heated. Cut off a small slice from
the end of the empty halves of the whites, so they will stand
firm, then fill them with this paste ; place them close to-
gether on a flat, round dish, and pour over the rest of the
gravy, if any remains, or make a little fresh. A few spoon-
fuls of cream or rich milk improves this dressing.
Fricasseed Eggs. Boil six eggs hard ; when cold, slice
with a sharp knife. Have ready some slices of stale bread,
fried to a nice brown in butter or drippings. Put a cupful
of good broth in drawn butter over the fire, season it with
pepper, salt, and a trace of onion ; let it come to a boil.
Dip the slices of egg first into raw egg, then into cracker
dust or bread-crumbs, and lay them gently into the gravy
upon the side of the range. Do not let it actually boil, lest
the eggs should break, but let them lie thus ia the gravy at
&GGS. 123
least five minutes. Place the fried bread upon a platter, lay
the sliced eggs evenly upon this, pour the gravy over all,
and serve hot.
Curried Eggs. Boil six or eight fresh eggs quite hard,
and put them aside until they are cold. Mix well together
from two to three ounces of good butter, and from three to
four dessertspoonfuls of currie-powder ; shake them in a
stewpan, or thick saucepan, over a clear but moderate fire
for some minutes, then throw in a couple of mild onions
finely minced, and fry gently until they are soft ; pour in by
degrees from half to three-quarters of a pint of broth or
gravy, and stew slowly until they are reduced to pulp ; mix
smoothly a small cup of thick cream with two teaspoonfuls
of wheaten or rice flour ; stir them to the currie, and simmer
the whole until the raw taste of the thickening is gone.
Cut the eggs into half-inch slices, heat them through in the
sauce without boiling them, and send to the table as hot as
possible.
Plain Omelet. Beat thoroughly yelks of five eggs, and a
dessertspoonful of flour, rubbed smooth in two-thirds of a
cupful of milk. Salt and pepper to taste, and add a piece
of butter the size of a hickory-nut. Beat the whites to a
stiff froth, pour the mixture into the whites, and without
stirring pour into a hot, buttered omelet pan. Cook on top
of the range for five minutes ; then set pan and all into the
oven to brown the top nicely.
Baked Omelet Beat the yelks of six eggs, and add the
whites of three eggs beaten very light ; salt and pepper to
taste> and a tablespoonful of flour mixed in a cup of milk.
Pour into a well-buttered pan and put into a hot oven ;
when thick, pour over it the whites of three eggs beaten
light ; then brown nicely, without allowing the top to be*
come crusted, Serve
124 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
Omelet a la Mode. Beat the yelks and whites of six eggs
separately until light, then beat together and add one table-
spoonful of cream. Have in the omelet pan a piece of
butter ; when the butter is boiling hot, pour in the omelet
and shake until it begins to stiffen, and then let it brown, and
season to taste. Fold double and serve hot.
If a larger omelet is desired, a tablespoonful of milk to
each egg may be added, and one teaspoonful of corn-starch
or flour to the whole.
Cheese Omelet Butter the sides of a deep dish and cover
with thin slices of rich cheese ; lay over the cheese thin
slices of well-buttered bread, first covering the cheese with
a little red pepper and mustard; then another layer of cheese ;
beat the yelk of an egg in a cup of cream or milk, and pour
over the dish, and put at once into the oven ; bake till nicely
browned. Serve hot, or it will be tough and hard, but when
properly cooked it will be tender and savory.
Meat or Fish Omelet Make the same as plain omelet. When
it is done, scatter thickly over the surface cold, boiled ham,
tongue, poultry, fish, or lobster, chopped fine, and season
nicely to taste ; slip the broad knife under one side of the
omelet and double, inclosing the meat. Then upset the
frying-pan upon a hot dish, so transferring the omelet with-
out breaking. Or the minced meat may be stirred in after
the ingredients are put together, and before cooking. Be
careful not to scorch the egg.
Omelet with Oysters. Allow one egg for each person,
and beat yelks and whites separately, very light ; season
to taste, and just before cooking add the oysters, which have
been previously scalded in their own liquor.
Sandwiches. Hard boil some fresh eggs, and, when
cold, cut them into moderately thin slices, and lay them be-
tween slices of bread and butter cut thin, and season well
EGGS. 125
with celery salt. For picnic parties or for traveling, these
sandwiches are very nice.
Deviled Eggs. Boil the eggs hard, remove the shell, and
cut in two as preferred. Remove the yelks, and add to them
salt, cayenne pepper, melted butter, and mixed mustard to
taste ; then stuff the cavities of the hard whites, and put the
halves together again. Serve garnished with parsley. For
picnics, etc., each egg can be wrapped in tissue paper to
preserve its form.
Pickled Eggs. Boil the eggs until very hard ; when cold,
shell them, and cut them in halves lengthways. Lay them
carefully in large-mouthed jars, and pour over them scalding
vinegar, well seasoned with whole pepper, allspice, a few
pieces of ginger, and a few cloves of garlic. When cold, tie
up closely, and let them stand a month. They are then fit
for use. With cold meat, they are a most delicious and
delicate pickle.
Egg Balls. Rub the yelks of hard-boiled eggs with the
raw yelk of an egg, well beaten, and season to taste. Roll
this paste into balls the size of marbles, adding flour if neces-
sary to thicken, and boil two minutes. A valuable embel-
lishment and enrichment of soups.
X. BREAD, BISCUIT, HOT CAKES, ETC.
AN immense department is opened up by the title of this
chapter; and it is a department of immense im-
portance. Bread is confessedly the " staff of life,"
and, therefore, it should be good. And whatever takes the
place of bread, be it biscuits, hot cakes, muffins, or what
not, should also be good, or nothing is gained by the
exchange. Many a housekeeper can make excellent pies,
cakes, etc., but when bread is needed, she flies to the bakery,
confessing her total inability to prepare this indispensable
commodity.
But even bread may become distasteful as a steady diet.
To vary it with the long line of splendid substitutes which
are possible, and which are discussed in this chapter, is a
most desirable ability. This department, therefore, is worthy
of every housewife's devout study.
I. BREAD.
ESSENTIALS TO MAKING GOOD BREAD J HOW TO KNOW GOOD FLOUR ',
YEAST ; RAISING BREAD ; BAKING BREAD. TWELVE RECIPES FOR
BREAD.
npHREE things are essential to the making of good bread,
namely, good flour, good yeast, and judicious baking.
A fourth might be added, experience, without which
none of the domestic arts can be successfully carried on.
In selecting flour, first look to the color. If it is white,
with a yellowish straw-color tint, buy it. If it is white, with
a bluish cast, or with black specks in it, refuse it. Next,
its adhesiveness ; wet and knead a little of it be-
BREAD, BISCUIT, HOT CAKES, ETC.
tween your fingers ; if it works soft and sticky, it is poor.
Then throw a little lump of dried flour against a smooth
surface ; if it falls like powder, it is bad. Lastly, squeeze
some of the flour tightly in your hand ; if it retains the
shape given by the pressure, that too is a good sign. It is
safe to buy flour that will stand all these tests.
Good yeast may easily be obtained in cities, in the form
of fresh yeast cakes or at the baker shops. Where access
cannot be had to these aids, home-made yeast must be
depended on, which see under " Yeast," at the end of this
chapter. After the yeast is properly added, the dough must
stand several hours in an even temperature of moderate
warmth, so that the process of " rising " may go on. This
is simply a fermenting, or leavening, or lightening of the
dough. If this process, by too much heat or other causes,
goes too fast or too far, sour bread is the result ; if it goes
too slow, or not far enough, heavy bread is the result. It
must go just far enough, and just at the right moment the
process must be arrested by baking. The walls of dough
which inclose the innumerable vesicles of gas formed in the
fermenting are thus made firm around those open spaces,
and what we know as " light bread" is secured.
The baking is the final test in the case. The oven must
be just right at the outset, and must be kept so as the
operation proceeds. Experience must decide the exact heat
required, but an oven in which the bared arm may be held
for about half a minute is regarded as approximately
correct.
Hot bread, or hot cake, should always be cut with a hot
knife. If so cut, it will not become clammy.
RECIPES.
Wheat Bread. Put seven pounds of flour into a breadpan ;
hollow out the centre, and add a quart of lukewarm water,
& teaspQQnfiii pf ajt, and a wineglassful of yeast Have
128 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
ready more warm water, and add gradually as much as will
make a smooth, soft dough. Knead it well, dust a little
flour over it, cover it with a cloth, and set it in a warm place
four hours ; then knead it again for fifteen minutes and let
it rise again. Divide it into loaves, and prick them with a
fork, and bake in a quick oven from forty minutes to an
hour.
Potato Bread. Three and one-half quarts of sifted flour,
three boiled potatoes, one quart warm water, one teacupful
of yeast, one even tablespoonful salt. Mix at night ; put
the flour in a large bowl ; hollow a place in the centre for
the mashed potatoes, water, and salt. Stir in flour enough
to make a smooth batter ; add yeast ; stir in the rest of the
flour. Put the dough on the floured board ; knead fifteen
minutes, using barely enough flour to prevent sticking.
Flour the bowl, lay the dough in it, cover and leave it to
rise. In the morning, divide in four parts ; mold into loaves;
when light, prick, and bake in a moderate oven.
Salt Rising Bread. Pour a pint of hot water in a two-quart
pail or pitcher on one-half tablespoonful of salt ; when it
has cooled a little, add one and one-third pints of flour ;
mix well, and leave the pitcher in a kettle of water, as warm
as that used for mixing. Keep it at the same temperature
until the batter is nearly twice its original bulk, which will
be in from five to eight hours. It may be stirred once or
twice during the rising. Add to this a sponge made of one
quart of hot water, two and one-half quarts of flour adding
as much more as may be necessary to make a soft dough ;
mix well, and leave in a warm place to rise. When light,
mold into loaves, keeping them as soft as possible ; lay in
buttered tins. When light again, prick and bake.
Milk Bread. Let two quarts of milk come to a boil ; stand
it aside to cool, and when it becomes tepid, add flour to it
gradually until it makes a batter just soft enough to beat up
BREAD, BISCUIT, HOT CAKES, ETC. ] 29
with a spoon. To this add one cake of compressed yeast
thoroughly dissolved in lukewarm water. The batter should
then be well beaten. Cover with a towel and set in a warm
place to rise. When light, add two tablespoonfuls of salt,
one of lard, one of light brown sugar, and flour enough to
make a soft dough. Knead steadily for about half an hour.
This quantity should make four or five medium-sized loaves.
Put them in greased pans and let them rise again. When
light, prick with a fork and bake in a quick oven.
Vienna Bread. The Vienna bread that became so famous
on the Centennial Exhibition grounds in 1876 was made on
the following recipe : Sift in a tin pan four pounds of flour ;
bank up against the sides ; pour in one quart of milk and
water, and mix into it enough flour to form a thin batter,
and then quickly and lightly add one pint of milk, in which
is dissolved one ounce of salt and one and three-quarter
ounces of yeast ; leave the remainder of the flour against
the sides of the pan ; cover the pan with a cloth, and set in
a place free from draught for three quarters of an hour ;
then mix in the rest of the flour until the dough will leave
the bottom and sides of the pan, and let it stand two and a
half hours ; finally, divide the mass into one-pound pieces,
to be cut in turn into twelve parts each ; this gives square
pieces about three and a half inches thick, each corner of
which is taken up and folded over to the centre, and then
the cases are turned over on a dough-board to rise for half
an hour, when they are put in a hot oven that will bake
them in ten minutes.
Rye Bread. Scald two handfuls of corn-meal with a quart
of boiling water, and add a quart of milk and a tablespoonful
of salt. When cool, add a teacupful of yeast, and enough
rye flour to make it as stiff as wheat-bread dough. After
it has risen put it in pans and bake an hour and a half.
Brown Bread. Take one cup 01 bread-crumbs, one pint of
9
130 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
sweet milk, one cup of molasses, butter the size of an egg,
one teaspoonful of soda, corn-meal enough to make a stiff
batter, with salt to taste. Turn the whole into a buttered
basin and steam for two hours ; then bake in a quick oven
half an hour.
Boston Brown Bread. Take three and three-fourth cupfuls
of Indian corn-meal, two and one-half cupfuls rye-meal, two-
thirds cupful molasses, one quart milk, either sweet or sour ;
two even teaspoonfuls soda, dissolved in the milk ; steam in
a tin pudding boiler five hours ; take off the cover and set
in the oven to brown.
Corn Bread. Two heaping cupfuls Indian meal, one cup-
ful wheat flour, two heaping teaspoonfuls Durkee's baking-
powder; mix well together while dry; one teaspoonful salt,
two tablespoonfuls white sugar, two eggs, one tablespoonful
lard, two and a half cupfuls cold milk ; beat the eggs, melt the
lard, and dissolve the salt and sugar in the milk before add-
ing them to the flour ; bake in buttered pans in a quick oven.
Graham Bread. Three quarts of Graham flour ; one quart
of warm water; one gill of yeast; one gill of sirup;
one tablespoonful of salt; one even teaspoonful of soda.
Mix thoroughly and put in well-buttered pans to rise. Bake
about an hour and a half.
This same mixture may be thinned and baked in gem
pans for Graham gems.
Rice Bread. After a pint of rice has been boiled soft, mix
it with two quarts of rice flour or wheat flour. When cold,
add half a teaspoonful of yeast, a teaspoonful of salt, and
enough milk to make a soft dough. When it has risen,
bake in small buttered pans.
Unleavened Bread. Mix wheat flour into a stiff dough
With warm water or milk ; add a little lard, or suet, and bake
in thin cakes. Bake as soon as mixed, and eat hot.
BREAD, BISCUIT, HOT CAKES, ETC.
II. TOAST.
WHAT TOAST IS GOOD FOR. SIX METHODS OF PREPARING TOAST,
AS a palatable method of disposing of stale bread, as well
as to furnish a variety of agreeable dishes, toast is an
important factor in the culinary economy of the home.
As a dish for invalids it is indispensible.
RECIPES.
Dry Toast is produced by browning stale baker's bread
over glowing coals. A toasting fork, or rack, of which
there are various patterns, is a great convenience. Do not
burn the toast, nor allow it to be so browned as to harden it.
It should be eaten hot, as it becomes tough when allowed
to cool.
Buttered Toast For buttered toast, the slices should be
thicker than for dry toast. Butter the slices as toasted, and
keep warm until served. Excessive buttering should be
avoided. -
Egg Toast On slices of buttered toast lay poached eggs.
Serve with Worcestershire sauce for breakfast.
French Toast Beat three eggs light, add one cupful of
milk, with pepper and salt to taste. Dip into this slices of
bread, then fry them in hot butter to a delicate brown.
Milk Toast Toast the bread an even, delicate brown, and
pile into a hot dish. Boil milk with a little salt, a teaspoon-
ful of flour, and one of butter, rubbed together; pour it over
the toast and serve hot.
Cream Toast Take slices of baker's bread from which
the crust has been pared and toast it to a golden brown.
Have on the range a shallow bowl or pudding-dish, more
than half full of boiling water, in which a tablespoonful of
butter has been melted. As each slice is toasted, dip in thi*
132 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
for a second, sprinkle lightly with salt, and lay in the deep
heated dish in which it is to be served. Have ready, by the
time all the bread is toasted, a quart of milk scalding hot,
but not boiling. Thicken this with two tablespoonfuls of
corn-starch or best flour ; let it simmer until cooked ; put
in two tablespoonfuls of butter, and when this is melted, the
beaten whites of three eggs. Boil up once, and pour over
the toast, lifting the lower slices one by one, that the creamy
mixture may run in between them. Cover closely, and
set in the oven two or three minutes before serving.
III. FANCY BREADS.
FANCY BREADS AND PLAIN CAKES ; THEIR GENERAL USEFULNESS.
EIGHT RECIPES FOR FANCY BREADS.
SOME special preparations come naturally between bread
and cake. For convenient classification, they are
grouped here under the title of Fancy Breads, though
they might as well be classed as Plain Cakes. They serve
a good purpose for variety, for luncheon, etc. See plainer
forms of cakes.
RECIPES.
Sally Lunn.- One quart of flour, a piece of butter the size
of an egg, three tablespoonfuls of sugar, two eggs, two tea-
cupfuls of milk, two teaspoonfuls of cream tartar, one of
soda, and a little salt. Scatter the cream of tartar, the sugar,
and the salt into the flour ; add the eggs, the butter (melted),
and one cup of milk ; dissolve the soda in the remaining cup,
and stir all together steadily a few moments. Bake in two
round pans.
Sally LtUffl, No. 2. Rub into a quart of flour two teaspoon-
fells of baking-powder ; beat together nearly half a cup of
, BISCUIT, ito? CAKES, ETC.
butter and two tablespoonfuls of sugar ; put into the flour
and mix with a pint of milk ; then add two eggs, beaten
light. Mix and bake as above.
Johnny Cake. One quart of buttermilk or sour milk, one
quart Indian meal, one quart of flour, one cup of molasses,
a teaspoonful of soda, two scant teaspoonfuls if the milk is
sour, a teaspoonful of salt. Bake in shallow pans in a quick
oven.
Hoe Cake. Scald one quart of Indian-meal in enough water
to make a thick batter ; add a teaspoonful of salt, one of
molasses, and two of butter. Bake on a board before a hot
fire or in a pan.
Scotch Short-cake. Two pounds of fine flour, one pound
of fresh, sweet butter, half a pound of finest sifted sugar ;
throughly knead together without water; roll out to
half an inch in thickness, and place it on paper in a shallow
pan ; bake very slowly until of proper crispness. The cake,
to be good, must be very brittle.
Pumpkin Bread. Stew and strain a sufficient quantity of
pumpkin ; add enough Indian-meal to stiffen it, with yeast
and a little salt; when sufficiently raised, bake as in ordi-
nary bread.
Pone, This is a dish prepared by the Indians, called also
paune. Take two cupfuls of corn-meal, two of wheat flour,
one o sugar, and half a cup of melted butter. Add one
egg, one teaspoonful of salt, one of soda, and two of cream
of tartar. Mix with enough milk to make a moderately
stiff batter, and bake in a hot oven.
Barley Bread. In Scotland, Norway, and other climates
where wheat is not grown, barley bread is used extensively.
It is both wholesome and palatable. Mix the barley meal
with warm water and a little salt, but no yeast. Mix to a
stiff dough, roll into flat cakes, and bake before the fire or
in an ^>ven. Eat hot, with butter.
134 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
IV. ROLLS.
A FAVORITE BREAKFAST DISH. SEVEN VARIETIES OF ROLLS.
A FAVORITE departure from the ordinary forms ol
bread is furnished in rolls. They are exceedingly pop-
ular for breakfast, served warm. There are sufficient
variations in rolls to make them suitable for use day after
day, if this be desired.
RECIPES.
Plain Rolls. Boil six potatoes in two quarts of water, and
when done pour and press the whole through the colander ;
when cool, but not cold, add flour to make a thick batter ;
add half a cup of yeast, or one-half cake of compressed yeast,
and set to rise ; when light, add half a cup of lard and but-
ter mixed, a tablespoonful of sugar, teaspoonful of salt, and
flour to make a soft dough ; knead well and set again to
rise ; when light, knead down again ; repeat three or four
times ; an hour before they are to be used cut in small
pieces, roll out, spread with melted butter, and fold over,
laying them in a pan so that they will not touch each other ;
set them in a warm place, and when light bake quickly. Or,
make into an oblong roll without spreading and rolling, and
just before putting them into the oven, gash deeply across
the top with a sharp knife.
English Rolls. Two pounds of flour, two ounces of butter,
three tablespoonfuls of yeast, one pint of warm milk ; mix
well together, and set in a warm place to rise ; knead, and
make into rolls ; let them rise again and bake twenty min-
utes.
Breakfest Rolls. One quart of sifted flour, three teaspoon-
fuls baking-powder, half teaspoonful salt ; mix well together
dry, then add three and half gills of cold milk, or enough
to make it the consistency of batter, and drop with a spooa
BREAD, BISCUIT, ftOT CAKES, ETC.
into gem baking-pans, which should have been previously
heated very hot and buttered.
French Rolls. One pint of milk, scalded ; put into it while
hot half a cupful of sugar, and one tablespoonful of butter ;
when the milk is cool, add a little salt and half a cupful of
yeast, or one cake of compressed yeast ; stir in flour enough
to make a stiff sponge, and when light mix as for bread.
Let it rise until light, punch it down with the hand, and let
it rise again, and repeat this process two or three times ;
then turn the dough on to the molding board, and pound
with rolling-pin until thin enough to cut. Cut out with a
tumbler, brush the surface of each one with melted butter,
and fold over. Let the rolls rise on the tins ; bake, and
while warm brush over the surface with melted butter to
make the crust tender.
Vienna Rolls. One quart sifted flour, two heaping tea-
spoonfuls of a good baking-powder; mix well while dry; then
add a tablespoonful of butter or lard, made a little soft by-
warming and stirring, and about three-fourths of a pint, or
enough cold, sweet milk for a dough of usual stiffness, with
about half a teaspoonful of salt dissolved in it. Mix into a
dough easily to be handled without sticking ; turn on the
board and roll out to the thickness of half an inch, cut it
out with a large cake-cutter, spread very lightly with butter,
fold one-half over the other, and lay them in a greased pan
without touching. Wash them over with a little milk, and
bake in a hot oven.
Parker House Rolls. One teacupful of yeast, or one cake
of compressed yeast, a little salt, one tablespoonful sugar,
piece of lard size of an egg, one pint milk, flour sufficient to
mix. Put the milk on the stove to scald with the lard in it.
Prepare the flour with salt, sugar, and yeast. Then add the
milk, not too hot. Knead thoroughly, and when mixed set
to rise ; when light, knead again slightly. Then roll out
136 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN
and cut with large biscuit-cutter. Spread a little butter oa
each roll and lap together. Let them rise again very light,
and bake in a quick oven.
Geneva Rolls. Into two pounds of flour break three
ounces of butter, add a little salt, and make into a sponge
with yeast, previously mixed with milk and water. Allow
the batter to rise ; then mix in two eggs, made lukewarm
by the adding of hot milk, and work the sponge to a light
dough. Let it stand for three-quarters of an hour longer ;
mold into small rolls ; place them in buttered pans. When
light, brush them with beaten yelks of eggs, and bake for
twenty minutes or half an hour. Serve hot
V. BISCUIT, RUSK, AND BUNS.
SPECIAL CARE REQUISITE IN THIS DEPARTMENT ; ATTENTION TO
INGREDIENTS, OVEN, ETC. ; HOW TO BAKE THEM j BAKING-POW-
DER BISCUITS, SODA BISCUITS, ETC. j CARE OF PANS. FIFTEEN
RECIPES FOR BISCUITS, BUNS, ETC.
REAT care is requisite in making biscuits that quantities
I y be accurately observed and that the ingredients used
are of proper quality. Flour should be a few months
old. New flour will not make good biscuits. It should
always be sifted.
The oven, too, needs careful attention. On its condition
the success of biscuit baking will depend. Rolls and bis-
cuit should bake quickly. To make them a nice color, rub
them over with warm water just before putting them into
the oven ; to glaze them, brush lightly with milk and sugar.
Baking-powder biscuit and soda biscuit should be made
as rapidly as possible, laid into hot pans, and put in a
quick oven. Gem pans should always be heated and well
greased.
BREAD, BISCUIT, ffOT CAKES, ETC.
RECIPES.
Potato Biscuit. Pare ten potatoes, boil them thoroughly,
and mash fine ; add two cups of lukewarm milk, two table-
spoonfuls of white sugar, half a cup of yeast, and flour
enough to make a thin batter. Mix well and allow it to
rise. Then add four tablespoonfuls of melted butter, a little
salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Let this rise
again ; roll into a sheet about an inch thick, and cut into
cakes. Set to rise again, and bake in a quick oven.
Light Biscuit. When kneading bread, set aside a small
loaf for biscuits. Into this, work a heaping tablespoonful of
lard and butter mixed and a teaspoonful of sugar. The
more it is worked the whiter it will be. As it rises,
mold it down twice before making into biscuit. Roll out
and cut with a biscuit-cutter. The dough should be quite
soft.
Soda Biscuits. One quart of flour, a tablespoonful of but-
ter and two of lard, a teaspoonful of salt, and one teaspoon
even full of cream of tartar, one teaspoonful of soda ; sift
the cream tartar with the flour dry ; rub the butter and lard
very thoroughly through it ; dissolve the soda in a pint of
milk and mix all together. Roll out, adding as little flour
as possible; cut with a biscuit-cutter, and bake twenty
minutes in a quick oven.
Tea Biscuit. Take one quart sifted flour, one tablespoon-
ful shortening, half teaspoonful salt, and two teaspoonfuls
Durkee's baking-powder ; mix well together dry, then add
sufficient cold milk or water to form a very soft dough ;
bake immediately in a quick oven.
Cream Biscuits. Dissolve one teaspoonful of soda in a
quart of sour cream, add to it flour sufficient to make a soft
dough and a little salt ; or use sour milk, and rub a table-*
spoonful of butter into the flour.
138 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
Graham Biscuits. Take one quart of water or milk, butte*
the size of an egg, three tablespoonfuls sugar, two of baker's
yeast, and a pinch of salt ; take enough white flour to use
up the water, making it the consistency of batter cakes ;
add the rest of the ingredients and as much Graham flour
as can be stirred in with a spoon ; set it away till morning-,
in the morning grease the pan, flour your hands ; take a
lump of dough the size of a large egg, roll it lightly be-
tween the palms, and let the biscuits rise twenty minutes,
then bake in a tolerably hot oven.
Maryland Biscuits. Take three pints of sifted flour, one
tablespoonful of good lard, one pint of cold water, salt to
the taste; make into a stiff dough ; work it till it cracks or
blisters, then break, but do not cut it, into suitable portions,
and make into biscuits ; stick the top of each with a fork
and bake.
Yorkshire Biscuits. Make a batter with flour sufficient and
one quart of boiling hot milk. When the batter has cooled
to lukewarmness, add a teacupful of yeast and a half tea-
spoonful of salt. Set to rise again and let it become very
light ; then stir in a half teaspoonful of soda, two eggs, and
a tablespoonful of melted butter. Add flour enough to
make the dough into small, round cakes ; let them rise fifteen
minutes, and bake in a slow oven.
Short Biscuits. Mix one quart of flour with a quarter
pound of butter melted in boiling water. Add enough cold
milk to make a stiff dough. Work into small biscuits and
bake in a quick oven.
Flavored Biscuits. Biscuit dough made as for Light Bis-
cuit may be flavored with any essence, or with lemon or
orange peel, as desired.
Tea Rusk. Three cups of flour, one cup of milk, three-
BREAD, BISCUIT, HOT CAKES, ETC.
fourths of a cup of sugar, two heaping tablespoonfuls of
butter, melted ; two eggs, three teaspoonfuls baking-powder.
Let them rise, and bake in a moderate oven. Glaze while
hot with white of egg, in which has been stirred, not beaten,
a little powdered sugar, or sift the powdered sugar in while
the egg is still moist on the top. Rusks should never be
eaten hot.
Sweet Rusk. One pint of warm milk new is best one-
half cup of butter, one cup of sugar, two eggs, one tea-
spoonful of salt, two tablespoonfuls of yeast ; make a sponge
with the milk, yeast, and enough flour to make a thin bat-
ter, and let it rise over night. In the morning add the
sugar, butter, eggs, and salt, well beaten up together, with
enough flour to make a soft dough ; let it rise again ; then
work out into round balls, and set to rise a third time. Bake
in a moderate oven.
Buns. One cupful of warm water, one cupful of sweet milk,
yeast and sugar, with flour enough to make a stiff batter ;
let this rise over night ; in the morning add a cupful of
sugar, a cupful of raisins or currants, mold well ; let it rise till
light, then make into buns ; rise again till very light, and
bake. Use any spice desired.
Hot Cross Buns. Three cupfuls sweet milk ; one cupful of
yeast ; flour to make thick batter. Set this as a sponge over
night. In the morning add one cupful of sugar ; one-half
cupful butter, melted ; half a nutmeg ; one saltspoonful salt,
and flour enough to roll out like biscuit. Knead well, and
set to rise five hours. Roll half an inch thick, cut into
round cakes, and lay in rows in a buttered baking-pan.
When they have stood half an hour, make a cross upon
each with a knife, and put instantly into the oven. Bake to
a light brown, and brush over with a feather or soft bit of
rag, dipped in the white of an egg beaten up stiff with white
sugar.
140 EVERY WOMAN HER OWNJWOK.
Pop Overs. Mix four cupfuls of flour, four cupfuls 4A
milk, four eggs, and a little salt. This quantity will make
about twenty puffs in gem-pans, which must be baked quick
and done to . nice brown.
VI. MUFFINS AND WAFFLES.
HOW MUFFINS AND WAFFLES DIFFER ; THEIR RELATION TO OTHER
KINDRED PREPARATIONS; MUFFIN-RINGS AND WAFFLE-IRON^
WHEN TO USE MUFFINS AND WAFFLES ; HOW TO SERVE THEBf.
ELEVEN RECIPES FOR MUFFINS AND WAFFLES.
MUFFINS are baked in rings on a griddle, or in gem-
pans, over a quick fire. Waffles are baked in waffle-
irons, which inclose the batter and imprint both sides
of the cake as it rises in the process of baking. Both muf-
fins and waffles form a medium between bread and biscuits
on the one side and griddle-cakes on the other. Muffin-
rings were formerly about four inches in diameter, but now,
with better taste, they are used much smaller. The approved
waffle-irons of to-day are circular, baking four waffles at
once, and suspended on a pivot that permits them to be
turned with a touch of the fork. Both muffins and waffles
are suitable for tea, and with stewed chicken and such deli-
cacies they are really delicious. They should always be
served hot and with the best of butter. Waffles and catfish
are a famous dish at some eating-houses.
RECIPES.
Muffins. Two eggs lightly beaten, one quart of flour, one
teaspoonful of salt, three teaspoonfuls of Durkee's baking-
powder, one tablespoonful of melted butter, one pint of
milk, and two teaspoonfuls of vanilla extract, if liked.
Beat up quickly to the consistency of a cake batter ; bake in
buttered gem-pans in a hot oven.
BREAD, BISCUIT, HOT CAKES, ETC.
Muffins, No. 2. One cup of home-made yeast or half of a
compressed yeast cake, one pint of sweet milk, two eggs,
two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, two tablespoonfuls of
sugar. Beat the butter, sugar, and eggs well together ; then
stir in the milk, slightly warmed, and thicken with flour to
the consistency of griddle-cakes. When light, bake in muffin-
rings or on a griddle. If wanted for tea, the batter should
be mixed immediately after breakfast. Muffins should never
be cut with a knife, but be pulled open with the fingers.
Rice Muffins. Take one quart of sour milk, three well-
beaten eggs, a little salt, a teaspoonful of soda, and enough
of rice flour to thicken to a stiff batter. Bake in rings.
Hominy Muffins. Substitute hominy, well cooked and
mashed, for the rice, and proceed as above.
Bread Muffins. Cut the crust off four thick slices of bread ;
put them in a pan and pour on them just enough boiling
water to soak them thoroughly. Let them stand an hour,
covered ; then drain off the water and stir the bread to a
smooth paste. Stir in two tablespoonfuls of flour, a half
pint of milk, and three well-beaten eggs. Bake to a delicate
brown in well-buttered muffin-rings.
Graham Muffins. One quart of Graham flour, two tea-
spoonfuls of baking-powder, a piece of butter the size of a
walnut, one egg, one tablespoonful of sugar, one-half tea~
spoonful of salt, milk enough to make a batter as thick as
for griddle-cakes. Bake in gem-pans or muffin-rings in a
hot oven.
Corn Muffins. Mix two cupfuls of corn-meal, two cupfuls
of flour, one cupful of sugar, half a cupful of melted butter,
two eggs, and one teaspoonful of salt. Dissolve one tea-
spoonful of soda and two of cream tartar in a little milk, and
beat it through. Add milk enough to make a moderately
batter, and bake in rings or gem-pans.
142 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
Crumpets. Three cupfuls of warm milk, half a cupful of
yeast, two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, one saltspoonful
each of salt and soda dissolved in hot water, flour enough
to make a good batter. Set these ingredients leaving out
the butter and soda as a sponge. When very light, beat
in the melted butter, with a very little flour ; stir in the soda
hard, fill patty-pans or muffin-rings with the mixture, and
let them stand fifteen minutes before baking.
Raised Waffles. One quart of warm milk, one tablespoon-
ful of butter, three eggs, one gill of yeast, one tablespoon-
ful of salt, and flour to make a stiff batter. Set to rise, and
bake in waffle-irons, which must be well heated before used.
Quick Waffles. One quart flour, two teaspoonfuls Durkee's
baking-powder, one teaspoonful salt ; mix dry ; then stir in
one tablespoonful melted butter, two well-beaten eggs, and
enough cold, sweet milk for a batter thin enough to pour ;
bake at once in waffle-irons.
Rice Waffles. Mix a teacupful and a half of boiling rice
with a pint of milk, rubbing it smooth over the fire. Take
from the fire and add a pint of cold milk and a teaspoonful
of salt. Stir in four well-beaten eggs with enough flour to
make a thin batter, and bake as above. Waffles should
always be served hot. Powdered sugar with a flavor of
powdered cinnamon makes a pleasing dressing for them.
VII. GRIDDLE-CAKES.
WHAT GRIDDLE-CAKES ARE j HINTS ABOUT GRIDDLES J HOW TO COOK
GRIDDLE-CAKES ; HOW TO SERVE THEM ; WHEN TO SERVE THEM;
WITH WHAT TO SERVE THEM. TEN RECIPES FOR GRIDDLE-CAKES.
AKES made of a batter so thin that it flows easily upon
la griddle, and that can, therefore, be quickly baked
and be served hot, are griddle-cakes, and great favorites
they arc.
BREAD, BISCUIT, HOT CAKES, ETC.
All new griddles are hard to manage, but as the only way
to get old ones is to make them out of new ones, we are
shut up to the necessity of using the new, though they do
not work so well. Opinions divide between iron griddles
and those of soapstone. The latter require no greasing.
Hence trouble is saved, and the smoke of the fat used in
the constant greasing of a hot iron griddle is entirely
avoided. But still, many housekeepers prefer the old style.
A hot griddle is essential to good griddle-cakes. But it
must not be hot enough to burn before it bakes. A cold
griddle will make cakes tough, unpalatable, and decidedly
unwholesome.
Hot cakes may be served with powdered sugar, molasses,
maple sirup, or any other of the many excellent sirups in
the market. Cold days are the gala days for hot cakes.
Time immemorial, buckwheat cakes and sausage have gone
to the table side by side. There is delightful harmony in
this union ; but to serve hot cakes and fish together would
introduce discord into the best regulated family. There is
an eminent fitness between hot cakes and certain other
dishes, and it must never be disregarded.
RECIPES.
Buckwheat Cakes. One quart of buckwheat-meal, one
pint of wheat-flour or Indian-meal, half a teacupful of yeast,
salt to taste ; mix the flour, buckwheat, and salt with as
much water moderately warm as will make it into a thin
batter; beat it well, then add the yeast ; when well mixed,
set it in a warm place to rise ; as soon as it is very light,
grease the griddle and bake the cakes to a delicate brown.
Butter them with good butter and serve hot.
Graham Griddle-cakes. Scald a cupful of Indian-meal in a
pint of boiling water, and strain it over night. Thin it with
* quart of milk, and make into a sponge with a cupful of
144 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
Graham flour, a large tablespoonful of molasses, and half &
cupful of yeast In the morning, add salt to taste, a cupful
of white flour, half a teaspoonful of soda, dissolved in hot
water, and a tablespoonful of butter or lard. Stir in enough
water to make batter of the right consistency, and bake on
a hot griddle.
Flannel Cakes. Three eggs, one quart of sweet milk, about
one quart of flour, a small teaspoonful of salt, two table-
spoonfuls of prepared baking-powder ; beat the yelks, and
half of the milk, salt, and flour together ; then the remainder
of the milk ; and last, the whites of the eggs well beaten.
Bake in small cakes on a hot griddle.
Flannel Cakes, No. 2. One quart of milk, three eggs, one
cupful of yeast, one dessertspoonful of salt, flour enough for
a thinnish batter, and a teaspoonful of butter ; set to rise ;
bake like buckwheat cakes. Cakes half Indian and half
wheat are very nice, and good cakes may be made even
without the eggs.
Rice Cakes. Soak a cupful of rice five or six hours in
enough warm water to cover it. Then boil slowly till soft.
While still warm, but not hot, stir in a tablespoonful of but-
ter, a tablespoonful of sugar, a teaspoonful of salt, and a
quart of milk. When cold, add three eggs, beaten very
light. Sift a half teaspoonful of cream of tartar into a
quarter cupful of rice flour, and add them to the batter, first
beating into it a quarter teaspoonful of soda dissolved in hot
water.
Rice Cakes, No. 2. Boil a cupful of rice until quite soft,
setting it aside until cool. Beat three eggs very light, and
put them into the rice, with a pint of flour, into which you
have sifted three teaspoonfuls of prepared baking-powder.
Add a teaspoonful of butter and one of salt, making it into
$ batter with a quart of milk, Bake on a griddle.
BREAD, BISCUIT, HOT CAKES, ETC.
Hominy Cakes. Mix with cold boiled hominy an equal
quantity of white flour until perfectly smooth ; add a tea-
spoonful of salt and thin off with buttermilk, in part of
which a teaspoonful of soda has been dissolved ; when of
the proper consistency for griddle cakes, add a dessertspoon-
ful of melted butter, and bake as usual.
Sour Milk Cakes. One pint sour milk, one teaspoonful of
aoda, a little salt, two eggs, and flour to make a thin batter ;
bake on a hot griddle.
Indian Griddle Cakes. One large cupful Indian-meal, four
tablespoonfuls of wheat flour, two tablespoonfuls of Durkee's
baking-powder, one teaspoonful salt, mix together dry, then
add sufficient cold water for a batter ; bake at once on a hot
griddle.
Slapjacks. One pint of milk, three eggs, one teaspoonful
of soda, and one of salt, flour enough to make a thin bat-
ter. Butter your griddle, and fry them the size of a tea-
plate ; when one is done, turn it on the dish, sprinkle with a
little white sugar, and continue in this way till they are all
fried. Always fry them with butter. A little nutmeg may
be grated with the sugar on each cake.
VIIL YEAST AND YEAST CAKES.
NATURE OF YEAST ; ACTION OF YEAST IN DOUGH ; CAUSES OF LIGHT
BREAD AND HEAVY BREAD ; CARE OF YEAST. SIX RECIPES FOR
YEAST AND YEAST CAKES.
IN this chapter, yeast has been so often referred to that its
special consideration seems important just here. An-
alytically considered, it consists of an innumerable
quantity of infinitesimal fungi, called the yeast-plant. The
remarkable characteristic of these minute plants is, that
under fayoring conditions they multiply to an incredible
* 10
146 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
extent in a very short time. Thus the production of yeast;
in proper mixtures, is an easy matter.
When yeast is placed in dough, it immediately produces
fermentation, in the process of which gases are generated,
which permeate the dough, filling it with gas-vessels and so
producing the spongy appearance so familiar in raised
bread. If this process goes too far, it sours the dough and
unfits it for food. If arrested by placing the dough in a
hot oven, the gases will be driven off by the heat, and the
thin dough walls will be set and baked. If the oven be
slow, the gases will be driven off, the dough walls will col-
lapse, and heavy bread will be the result. The proper use
of yeast is most important, therefore. It must be watched
as carefully as any other tender plant. Excessive heat of
cold, or rough mechanical usage will quickly destroy it,
RECIPES.
Brewer's Yeast. This yeast is produced during the process
of fermenting malt liquors. It is the most effective yeast
in use, being about eight times the strength of any other
kind.
Hop Yeast Boil four pounds of pared potatoes in three
quarts of water and stir through a colander. Boil a hand-
ful of hops in one quart of water for ten minutes, and strain
this upon the potatoes. Add a half pint of salt, a half pint of
sugar, and a tablespoonful of ginger. The quantity should
now measure five quarts. If it be less, add enough tepid
water to make the quantity correct. When lukewarm, add
a half pint of home-brewed yeast, mix thoroughly, and
stand in a warm place till bubbles form on the surface, which
indicate that it has become light Cover the vessel contain-
ing the yeast, and allow it to stand in a dry, cool place. It
will keep well for months. A gill of this yeast will suffice
for an ordinary baking, requiring a quart of water or milk,
BREAD, BISCUIT, HOT CAKES, ETC. \1
Patent Yeast. Boil two ounces of hops in four quarts of
water for a half hour. Strain and cool till lukewarm, then
add a handful of salt, a half pound of sugar, and a pound
of flour, all mixed well and beaten up together. After it
has stood forty-eight hours, add three pounds of potatoes,
boiled and well-mashed. Let it stand twenty-four hours,
stirring it often ; then strain and bottle. It is ready for im-
mediate use, or will keep several months. Keep in a cool
place.
Potato Yeast Pare and boil six potatoes; mash them
through a colander and mix with them six tablespoonfuls of
flour. Pour on a quart of boiling water from that in which
the potatoes were boiled. Add half a teacupful of sugar, a
tablespoonful of salt, and when cool, a teacupful of home-
made yeast, or one-fourth the quantity of brewer's yeast.
Yeast Cakes. Thicken good yeast with Indian-meal till it
becomes a stiff batter. A little rye will make it adhere bet-
ter. Make into cakes an inch thick and two by three inches
in area. Dry them in the air, but not in the sun. Keep
them in a bag in a cool, dry place. One of these cakes is
enough for four quarts of flour. To use them, soak in
milk or water several hours and use as other yeast.
Compressed Yeast There are many valuable preparations
of this yeast, excellent in quality, and convenient to use.
They must be fresh, however, or they will fail of their pur-
pose.
XL PASTRY AND PUDDINGS.
CARE IN INGREDIENTS AND MANIPULATION ESSENTIAL ; KEEP IW-
GREDIENTS COOL ; MIX QUICKLY ; HOW TO SHORTEN ; HOW TO
ROLL; THE FILLING; THE BAKING. SEVENTY-NINE RECIPES
FOR PASTRY AND PUDDINGS.
THAT pastry may be wholesome and appetizing, great
care in the selection of ingredients and in their ma-
nipulation is absolutely essential. One fact must
always be borne in mind that inferior ingredients cannot be
made into superior compounds though the finest ingre-
dients may be ruined by careless or unskillful handling.
Some suggestions of general application are therefore de-
sirable.
Be careful to have all the materials cool, and the butter and
lard hard ; use cold water (ice-water if convenient) ; use a
cool knife, and work on a marble slab if it can be had.
Put the ingredients together quickly, handling as little as
possible ; slow mixing and much contact with the hands
or fingers make tough crust. Always use well-sifted flour.
Except in puff-paste, lard and butter in about equal pro-
portions make the best crust ; if made of butter alone, it is
almost sure to be tough. That of lard alone, though ten-
der, is usually white and insipid. Beef drippings, or the
drippings of fresh pork, make a very light and palatable
crust, lighter and more tender indeed than that made with
butter alone, much better tasted than that made with lard
alone, and quite equal to that made with butter and lard
combined. Never use mutton drippings in crust.
Use very little salt and very little water ; pour the latter
in gradually, only a few drops at a time, unless you want
tough crust,
141
PASTA Y AMD PVbblNGS. 149
Use plenty of flour on your paste-board, to keep the paste
from sticking. Work the crust of one pie at a time, and
always roll from you one way only.
The filling for the pie should be perfectly cool when put
in, or it will make the bottom crust heavy.
In making juicy pies, cut a slit in the top to let the steam
escape, else the pie will be puffed unduly.
The oven should be hot, but not sufficiently so to scorch
or to set the paste before it has had time to rise ; if too
slack, the paste will not rise at all, but will be white and
clammy. The best paste has a tinge of yellow. If per-
emitted to scorch or brown, even the best paste becomes
rancid.
RECIPES.
Pie Crust. Take one-half cupful of lard, one-half cupful
of butter, one quart of sifted flour, one cupful of cold water
and a little salt. Rub the butter and lard slightly into the
flour ; wet it with the water, mixing it as little as possible.
This quantity will make two large or three small pies.
Pie Crust Glaze. To prevent juice from soaking the under
crust, beat up the white of an egg, and before filling the pie,
brush over the crust with the beaten egg. Brush over the
top crust also, to give it a beautiful yellow brown.
Puff Paste. Take one pound of sifted flour, on which
sprinkle a very little sugar ; take the yelks of one or two
eggs, and beat into them a little ice-water, and pour gently
into the centre of the flour, and work into a firm paste,
adding water as is necessary; divide three-quarters of a
pound or a pound of firm, solid butter, as you prefer, into
three parts ; roll out the paste, and spread one part of the
butter on half of the paste ; fold the other half over, and
roll out again, repeating the process until the butter is all
rolled in ; then set the paste on the ice for fifteen or twenty
160 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
minutes, after which roll out again three times, each time
rolling it the opposite direction ; then put on the ice again
until cold, when it is ready for use. Such paste will keep
several days in a refrigerator, but should not be allowed to
freeze.
Paste Shells. Take sufficient rich puff-paste prepared as
in the preceding recipe, roll very thin, cut to shape, and bake
in a brisk oven in tin pans. Baked carefully, before fill-
ing with fruit, the paste rises better. When cool, the shells
may be filled with stewed fruit, jelly, preserves, rich cream
whipped to a stiff froth, raspberries, strawberries, or sliced
peaches. These are delicious light desserts. Raspberries,
strawberries, or sliced peaches, smothered with whipped
cream on these shells, are really exquisite.
Apple Pie. Line a pie plate with paste, and fill it heaping
full with tart apples, sliced very thin. Sweeten and spice to
taste, mixing well into the apples. Put in plenty of butter,
and moisten well with cream. Bake until the apples are
thoroughly done. Use no upper crust.
Apple Meringue Pie. Stew and sweeten ripe, juicy apples.
Mash smooth, and season with nutmeg. Fill the crust, and
bake until just done. Spread over the apple a thick me-
ringue, made by whipping to a stiff froth the whites of three
eggs tor each pie, sweetening with a tablespoonful of pow-
dered sugar for each egg. Flavor this with vanilla ; beat
until it will stand alone, and cover the pie three-quarters of
an inch thick. Set back in the oven until the meringue is
well set. Eat cold.
Peach Meringue Pie. Proceed as above in all respects,
simply substituting peaches for apples. Whipped cream
will make a delightful substitute for the whipped egg in
either of these meringue pies.
Peach Pie, Bake rich shells about two-thirds done; if
your peaches are fully ripe, cut them into halves or quarters.
PASTRY AND PUDDINGS. \\
put in the shell, sweeten and flavor to taste, cover or not as
you choose, and finish baking in a quick oven; if the
peaches are ripe, but not soft, it will improve the flavor to
sugar them down some hours before you wish to use them ;
if not ripe, they should be stewed.
Gooseberry Pie. Stew the gooseberries with plenty of
white sugar, and use plain puff-paste for crust.
Cherry Pie, Having removed the stones, put in sugar as
may be needed, and stew the cherries slowly till they are
quite done, if you use shells, or till nearly done if you use
paste. A few of the pits added in stewing increase the
richness of the flavor ; but they should not go into the pies.
If baked slowly the cherries need not be stewed at all.
Rhubarb Pie. Remove the skin from the stalks ; cut them
in small pieces ; pour boiling water over and let stand for
ten minutes ; drain thoroughly ; then fill the pie-dish evenly
full ; put in plenty of sugar, a little butter, and dredge a
trifle of flour evenly over the top ; cover with a thin crust,
and bake the same as apple pie. Equal quantities of apple
and rhubarb used in the same manner make a very good pie.
Pumpkin Pie. Stew the pumpkin until thoroughly done,
and pass it through a colander. To one quart of stewed
pumpkin, add three eggs, and one pint of milk. Sweeten,
and spice with ground ginger and cinnamon to taste. Add
butter, rose water, and a little brandy. The quantity of
milk used will vary as the pumpkin may be moist or dry.
Sweet Potato Pie. Scrape clean two good-sized sweet pota-
toes ; boil ; when tender, rub through the colander ; beat
the yelks of three eggs light ; stir with a pint of sweet milk
into the potato ; add a small teacupful of sugar, a pinch of
salt; flavor with a little fresh lemon, or lemon extract;
bake to a nice brown ; when done, make a meringue top with
the whites of eggs and powdered sugar; brown this a
moment in the oven.
EVERY WOMAN' HER OWN COO 1C.
Custard Pie. Take one quart of milk, five eggs, four table*
spoonfuls of sugar, a small piece of butter. Sift over the
top Durkee's mixed spice.
Lemon Pie. Let two cupfuls of water come to a boil ; put
in two tablespoonfuls of corn-starch dissolved. When it
has boiled enough, take it from the stove, add the juice and
rind of two lemons, two cupfuls of sugar, a piece of butter
the size of a walnut, and the yelks of two eggs. Beat the
whites of these eggs with pulverized sugar, and put on the
top of the pies when done. Put into the oven to brown.
Orange Pie. Beat the yelks of three eggs until light, and
add to them the juice and grated rind of one orange, three-
quarters of a cupful of sugar, and a tablespoonful of corn-
starch mixed in half a cupful of water. Bake without
upper crust, using the whites of the eggs for meringue.
Cream Pie. One pint of milk, scalded ; two tablespoonfula
of corn-starch, three tablespoonfuls of sugar, yelks of two
eggs. Wet the starch with a little cold milk ; beat the eggs
and sugar until light, and stir the whole into the scalding
milk. Flavor with lemon or vanilla, and set aside to cool.
Line a plate with pie-crust and bake ; fill it with the cream,
and cover with frosting made of the whites of the eggs,
beaten dry, with two tablespoonfuls of sugar. Bake to a
delicate brown.
Cocoamit Pie. One quart of milk, half a pound of grated
cocoanut, three eggs, six tablespoonfuls of sugar, butter the
size of an egg. Bake in open shells.
Cheese-cake Pie. This may be made from the above recipe,
substituting cottage-cheese for the cocoanut. Sprinkle the
top with Durkee's mixed spices.
Mince Pie. Seven pounds of beef, three and a half pounds
of beef suet, five pounds of raisins, two pounds of currants,
one-half peck of apples, four pounds of sugar, three-quarters
PASTRY AND PUDDINGS. 15$
of a pound of citron, one-quarter of a pound of preserved
lemon, two large oranges, four nutmegs, half an onnce of
cinnamon, half an ounce of cloves, and three pints of brandy.
This quantity of mince-meat will make from twenty to
twenty-five pies. When making the pies, moisten the meat
with sweet cider.
Tarts. Use the best of puff-paste; roll it out a little
thicker than pie-crust, and cut with a large biscuit-cutter
twice as many as you intend to have of tarts. Then cut
out of half of these a small round in the centre, which will
leave a circular rim of crust ; lift this up carefully, and lay
it on the other pieces. Bake in pans, so providing both the
bottom and tfie top crusts. Fill with any kind of preserves,
jam, or jelly.
Pineapple Tart. Take a fine, large, ripe pineapple; re-
move the leaves and quarter it without paring, grate it down
till you come to the rind ; strew plenty of powdered sugar
over the grated fruit; cover it, and let it rest for an hour;
then put it into a porcelain kettle, and steam in its own sirup
till perfectly soft ; have ready some empty shells of puff-
paste, or bake in patty-pans. When they are cool, fill them
full with the grated pineapple; add more sugar, and lay
round the rim a border of puff-paste.
Tea Baskets. Make a short, sweetened pie-crust ; roll thin,
and partly bake in sheets ; before it is quite done take from
the oven, cut in squares of four inches or so, take up two
diagonal corners and pinch together, which makes them
basket-shaped ; now fill with whipped cream, or white of
egg, or both, well sweetened and flavored, and return to the
oven for a few minutes.
Strawberry Short-cake. Make a good biscuit crust, and
roll out about one-quarter of an inch thick, and cut into
two oakes the same size and shape ; spread one over lightly
melted butter, an<J Jay the other over it, and bake m a
154 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
hot oven. When done, they will fall apart. Butter them
well as usual. Mix the berries with plenty of sugar, and
set in a warm place until needed. Spread the berries and
cakes in alternate layers, berries on the top, and over all
spread whipped cream or charlotte russe. The juice that
has run from the fruit can be sent to the table in a tureen
and served with the cake as it is cut.
Strawberry Shorttake, No. 2. Take one quart of flour and
sift into it two teaspoonfuls of sea-foam, a little salt, quarter
of a pound of butter rubbed in, with milk enough to moisten
properly. Handle as little as possible, divide into two parts,
roll each flat, and place in two jelly pans. Bake quickly,
then split apart the top and bottom of each crust ; spread on
plenty of butter, have the strawberries washed and drained
in a sieve, crush them slightly, and sweeten well. Spread
plenty of berries over each layer of the crust, and have some
of the crushed and sweetened berries in a deep dish. When
the cake is cut and served, cover each piece with the crushed
berries, using this as sauce.
Batter Pudding. Beat the yelks and whites of four eggs
separately, and mix them with six or eight ounces of flour
and a saltspoonful of salt Make the batter of the proper
consistency by adding a little more than a pint of milk ; mix
carefully; butter a baking-tin, pour the mixture into it, and
bake three-quarters of an hour. Serve with vanilla sauce.
Apple Batter Pudding. Core and peel eight apples, put in
a dish, fill the places from which the cores have been taken
with brown sugar, cover and bake. Beat the yelks of four
G SS S lig nt a dd two teacupfuls of flour, with three even tea-
spoonfuls of baking-powder sifted with it, one pint of milk,
and teaspoonful of salt, then the whites well beaten ; pour
over the apples and bake. Use sauce with it.
Suet Pudding, Take a pint of milk, two eggs well beaten,
balf a pound of finely chopped suet, and a teaspoonful ot
PASTRY AND PUDDINGS. 155
salt. Add flour gradually till you have a pretty thick batter j
boil two hours, and eat with molasses.
Suet Pudding, No. 2. One cupful of suet or butter, one cup-
ful of molasses, one bowlful of raisins and currants, one egg,
one cupful of sweet milk, one teaspoonful of saleratus dis-
solved in milk ; one-fourth teaspoonful of cloves, and one-
half of nutmeg. Mix stiff with flour and steam three hours.
A fine sauce for this pudding may be made thus : One cup-
ful of butter and two cupfuls of sugar, beat into a cream ;
add three eggs beaten very light ; stir in two tablespoonfuls
of boiling water. Flavor with wine, brandy, or vanilla.
Hasty Pudding. Wet a heaping cupful of Indian-meal and
a half cupful of flour with a pint of milk ; stir it into a quart
of boiling water. Boil hard for half an hour, stirring from
the bottom almost constantly. Put in a teaspoonful of salt
and a tablespoonful of butter, and simmer ten minutes
longer. Turn into a deep, uncovered dish, and eat with
sugar and cream, or sugar and butter with nutmeg.
Baked Hasty Pudding. Take from a pint of new milk suffi-
cient to mix into a thin batter two ounces of flour, put the
remainder, with a small pinch of salt, into a clean saucepan,
and when it boils quickly, stir the flour briskly to it ; keep
it stirred over a gentle fire for ten minutes, pour it out, and
when it has become a little cool, mix with it two ounces of
fresh butter, three of powdered sugar, the grated rind of a
small lemon, four large or five small eggs, and half a glass
of brandy or as much orange-flower water. Bake the pud-
ding half an hour in a gentle oven.
Minute Pudding. Take six eggs, two tablespoonfuls of
sugar, one cupful of flour, a lump of butter large as an egg,
and half a nutmeg ; you may add, if desired, a half pound
of raisins ; mix well and bake quick.
padding. Twelve ears pf sweet cpro grated t
156 t EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
quart of sweet milk ; add a quarter of a pound of good but*
ter, quarter of a pound of sugar, and four eggs ; bake from
three to four hours.
Farina Pudding. Boil one quart of milk, stir in slowly
three tablespoonfuls of farina, let it boil a few minutes ; beat
two eggs and four tablespoonfuls of sugar with one pint of
milk, and mix thoroughly with the farina ; when it has
cooled so as to be little more than lukewarm, put in pans,
and bake in a moderate oven. Serve with cream sauce.
Plain Tapioca Pudding. A cup not quite full of tapioca to
a quart of milk ; let it stand on the side of the range till it
swells; add while hot a tablespoonful of butter and a cupful
of white sugar, and let it cool ; then add five eggs (three
will do quite well), well beaten, and flavor to your taste. To
be baked from three-quarters of an hour to an hour. It is
very nice when dressed with wine sauce, but may be eaten
with plainer dressing.
Tapioca-Vi'i Apple Pudding. One cofleecupful of Durkee's
farina-tapioca, one dozen good-flavored, tart apples, pared
and cored, one quart of water, a little salt. Cover the
tapioca with the water, and set it in a tolerably warm place
to soak five or six hours, stirring occasionally. Lay the
apples in a deep dish, put a little sugar and spice in the
centre, pour over the tapioca, and bake one hour.
Peaches may be substituted for apples, which will make a
delightful dish. Serve with hard sauce.
Vermicelli Pudding. Into a pint and a half of boiling milk
drop four ounces of fresh vermicelli, and keep it simmering
and stirred up gently ten minutes, when it will have become
very thick ; then mix with it three and one-half ounces of
sugar, two ounces of butter, and a little salt. When the
whole is well blended, pour it out, beat it for a few minutes
to cool it, then add by degrees four well-beaten eggs, and the
PASTRY AND PUDDINGS. 157
grated rind of a lemon ; pour a little clarified butter over the
top ; bake it from one-half to three-fourths of an hour.
Sago Pudding, Two large spoonfuls of sago boiled in one
quart of water, the peel of one lemon, a little nutmeg ; when
cold add four eggs and a little salt. Bake about one hour
and a half. Serve with sugar and cream.
Arrow-root Pudding. Boil one quart of milk, and stir into
it four heaping tablespoonfuls of arrow-root dissolved in a
little milk, mixed with four well-beaten eggs and two table*
spoonfuls of white sugar. Boil three minutes. Eat with
cream and sugar. This pudding is improved by flavoring
with lemon. It should be prepared for table by pouring into
wet molds.
Cocoanut Pudding. One cocoanut finely grated (use both
the meat and milk), one quart of milk, one cupful of sugar,
five eggs, half a cupful of butter, a little salt, and a tea-
spoonful of rose-water. Boil the milk, and *wir upon the
cocoanut, add the eggs well beaten, and the>uJier ingre-
dients, and bake in a deep dish, with or without an under-
crust.
Cocoanut Pudding, No. 2. Put a pint of milk to boil in a
farina kettle. Take four tablespoonfuls of corn-starch and
dissolve it in a little cold milk, then stir it into the boiling
milk. Add half a cupful of sugar, the well-beaten whites of
four eggs, half a grated cocoanut, and a teaspoonful of va-
nilla extract ; turn into a mold to cool. For a suitable sauce
put a pint of milk to boil, beat the yelks of four eggs with
two tablespoonfuls of sugar till light, then add the boiling
milk, with a tablespoonful of vanilla extract. Cook for two
minutes in a farina kettle, then turn out to cool.
Rice Pudding. One quart of milk, three eggs, half a cup-
ful of rice, three-fourths of a cupful of sugar, half a cupful
of butter, one cupful of raisins, seeded. Soak the rice in a
158 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
pint of the milk an hour, then set the saucepan containing
it where it will slowly heat to a boil. Boil five minutes ; re-
move and let it cool. Beat the eggs, add the sugar and but-
ter, the rice and the milk in which it was cooked, with the
pint of unboiled milk, and finally the raisins. Grate nut-
meg on the top, and bake three-quarters of an hour, or
until the custard is well set and of a light brown. Serve
with hard brandy sauce.
Bice Pudding, No. 2. Three-quarters of a cupful of soaked
rice, one cupful of sugar, three pints of milk, one table-
spoonful of butter. Season with lemon rind or spice to
taste. Bake three-quarters of an hour.
Cottage Pudding. Three cupfuls flour, or sufficient to
make the batter ; one teaspoonful butter, one cupful sugar,
two eggs, one cupful milk, half a teaspoonful soda, one tea-
spoonful each of cream of tartar and salt ; mix the cream
of tartar with the flour, beat the whites of the eggs ; put
the butter, sugar, and yelks of the eggs together; then
work in the milk, soda, and salt, adding gradually the flour
and whites of the eggs ; there should be flour enough to
make a fairly stiff batter ; butter a mold or dish, and bake ;
it may be turned out or served from the dish ; to be eaten
with any liquid sauce.
Rennet Pudding. Take one quart of milk, and warm it
enough to remove the chill ; in summer it does not need
warming at all ; stir into it three tablespoonfuls of granu-
lated sugar, two of rose-water, and four of rennet wine ; stir
it gently, not more than a minute ; let it stand, and do not
move it till it is curdled, then place it gently in the ice chest
and grate nutmeg on the top. Be careful not to shake it in
moving, for if the curd is disturbed it will turn to whey.
Lemon Pudding, Take the yellow part of the rind of one,
find the juice of two large, juicy lemons. Beat to a cream half
& pound pf butter, and the same of powdered sugar, Beat;
PASTRY AND PUDDINGS. 159
six eggs very light, and stir them gradually into the mix-
ture. Add a glass of wine or brandy. Put the whole into
a dish with a broad edge ; put round two of three layers of
puff-paste. Bake half an hour, and when cold sprinkle white
sugar over it. Oranges may be used in the same way. To
be eaten cold.
Orange Pudding. Two oranges the juice of both and
grated peel of one; juice of one lemon; one half-pound
lady's-fingers stale and crumbled ; two cupfuls of milk ;
four eggs, one-half cupful sugar; one tablespoonful corn*
starch, wet with water ; one tablespoonful butter, melted.
Soak the crumbs in the cold milk, whip up light, and add the
eggs and sugar, already beaten to a cream with the batter.
Next add the corn-starch, and when the mold is buttered
and water boiling hard, stir in the juice and peel of the
fruit. Do this quickly, and plunge the mold directly into
the hot water. Boil one hour ; turn out and eat with very
sweet brandy sauce.
Apple Pudding. Fill an earthen baking-dish with finely
chopped apples; season -with sugar and nutmeg, add a
little water, set it on the back of the range until the apples
are tender ; then make a crust of one teacupful of sweet
milk, one tablespoonful of butter, a little salt, one teaspoon-
ful baking-powder, flour enough to roll out; lay the crust
on top of the apples and bake. To be eaten hot with sweet
sauce, flavored with lemon or vanilla. Other kinds of fruit
may be used in the same manner.
Bread Pudding. One pint bread-crumbs ; one quart milk ;
rind of one lemon grated into milk ; yelks four eggs, beaten
and mixed with one-half cupful sugar. Bake one-half hour.
Spread meringue on top.
Fruit Bread Pudding. Soak three large cupfuls of very fine
bread-crurnbs, through which has been mixed two teaspoon-
fete pf cream, tartar, in a quart of milk; next beat io three
160 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
eggs well whipped, and a cupful of sugar ; add half a cup*
ful of finely chopped suet, a little salt, nutmeg, and cinna-
mon. Whip the batter very light, and then add fruit as fol-
lows, it having been well dredged wvth flour : Half pound
of raisins, seeded and cut in too ; one tablespoonful of finely
sliced citron ; half a pound of Sultana raisins, washed well
and dried. Add a teaspoonful of soda, dissolved in hot
water ; heat for three minutes ; put into a buttered mold,
and boil hard for two hours. Eat with brandy sauce.
Delmonico Pudding. One quart of milk, four eggs, using
the white of one only ; three tablespoonfuls of sugar, two
tablespoonfuls of corn-starch, one cupful of cocoanut, a little
salt. Put the milk in a farina boiler to scald ; wet the starch
in cold milk ; beat the eggs and sugar, and stir all into the
scalding milk ; add the cocoanut, and pour the whole into a
pudding-dish ; whip dry the three whites, reserved as above,
with three tablespoonfuls of sugar ; flavor with lemon or
vanilla ; spread over the pudding and bake a light brown.
Eat hot or cold.
Almond Pudding. Turn boiling water on to three-fourths
of a pound of sweet almonds ; let it remain until the skin
comes off easily ; rub with a dry cloth ; when dry, pound
fine with one large spoonful of rose-water ; beat six eggs to
a stiff froth with three spoonfuls of fine white sugar ; mix
with one quart of milk, three spoonfuls of pounded crackers,
four ounces of melted butter, and the same of citron cut
into bits ; add almonds ; stir all together, and bake in a
small pudding-dish with a lining and rim of pastry. This
pudding is best when cold. It will bake in half an hour in
a quick oven.
Cup Custard. One quart of milk, five eggs, teaspoonful of
butter, sugar to taste. Pour into buttered cups, season with
Durkee's mixed spices, and bake, This can be baked in a
pudding-pan, if preferred.
PASTRY AND PUDDINGS.
Rice Custard. Into a quart of boiling water stir two
tablespoonfuls of rice flour, dissolved in a little cold milk ;
add two well-beaten eggs to the boiling mixture ; sweeten
and flavor to taste.
Chocolate Custard. Three pints of sweet milk, four table-
spoonfuls of grated chocolate, three tablespoonfuls of corn-
starch, and two eggs. Put the chocolate and a little milk
on to boil, stir it until smooth, then add a little cold milk.
Beat up the eggs in the remainder of the milk, and pour all
into the chocolate. Stir until it thickens ; take off the fire,
and add sugar and vanilla to taste. Place in a glass dish,
and when cold, drop large spoonfuls of the whites of eggs,
beaten very light with sugar, over the top, in the centre of
each, a little currant jelly. This makes a very ornamental,
as well as palatable dish.
Chocolate Pudding. Make a corn-starch pudding with a
quart of milk, three teaspoonfuls of corn-starch, and three
tablespoonfuls of sugar. When done, remove about half
and flavor to taste, and then to that remaining in the kettle
add an egg beaten very light and two ounces of vanilla
chocolate. Put in a mold, alternating the dark and light,
and serve with whipped cream.
Baked Indian Pudding. Boil one pint of milk ; while boil-
ing stir in one cupful of Indian-meal ; let it cool a little, and
add three eggs well-beaten, one pint of cold milk, one table-
spoonful of flour, one-half cupful of sugar, one cupful of
molasses, one teaspoonful of ginger, one of cinnamon, and a
little salt. Bake an hour and a half.
Queen's Pudding. One pint of bread-crumbs, one quart of
milk, yelks of four eggs, rind of one lemon; sweeten to taste.
Bake as a custard. After baking, spread the top with cur-
rant jelly. Beat the whites of the eggs, add to them one
cupful of sugar dissolved in the juice of a lemon. Spread
this over the pudding, and brown.
11
EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
Brown Betty. One loaf of stale bread crumbled fine, one-
half cupful of milk, and twelve apples. Alternate layers of
bread and sliced apples, sugared, buttered, and spiced.
Moisten with the milk. Bake in a tin pudding-pan for three
hours.
Poor Man's Plum Pndding. One cupful of molasses, one
cupful of suet chopped very fine, beaten smoothly together ;
one teaspoonful of salt and one of soda mixed through a
half-pound of flour, one pint of milk, one pound of raisins,
seeded and chopped, and a half-pound of sliced citron. Boil
three hours.
English Plnm Pudding. Two pounds of chopped suet,
three pounds of seeded raisins, two pounds of currants, one-
half pound of citron, two pounds of sugar, five eggs, one pint
of milk, one-half pint of brandy., two nutmegs, a little salt,
flour sufficient to make it very stiff. Put it into one or two
bags, and boil in a large quantity of water seven or eight
hours. Serve with sauce.
Spice Pudding. One cupful of sour milk, one cupful of
butter, four cupfuls of flour, two cupfuls of currants, one
cupful of sugar, four eggs, four teaspoonfuls of cinnamon,
one teaspoonful of cloves, and one teaspoonful of soda. Bake
in a quick oven, and serve with brandy sauce.
Paradise Pudding. Stew until tender three ounces of rice
in a pint and a quarter of milk, add four ounces of raisins,
three ounces of suet chopped fine, two and a half ounces of
sugar, two eggs, a little nutmeg and lemon peel. Boil three
hours. Serve with hard sauce.
Jelly Pudding. Two cupfuls very fine stale biscuit or
bread-crumbs ; one cupful of rich milk half cream, if you
can get it ; five eggs, beaten very light ; one-half teaspoon-
ful of soda, stirred in boiling water ; one cupful of sweet
jelly, jam, or marmalade. Scald the milk ajid pour over the
PASTR Y AND ^PUDDINGS.
crumbs. Beat until half cold, and stir in the beaten yelks,
then whites, finally the soda. Fill large cups half full with
the batter ; set in a quick oven and bake half an hour.
When done, turn out quickly and dexterously ; with a sharp
knife make an incision in the side of each ; pull partly open,
and put a liberal spoonful of the conserve within. Close the
slit by pinching the edges with your fingers. Eat warm with
sweetened cream.
Cabinet Pudding. Take of the remains of any kind of cake
broken up two cupfuls, half a cupful of raisins, half a can of
peaches, four eggs, one and a half pints of milk. Butter a
plain pudding mold and lay in some of the broken cake,
one-third of the raisins, stoned, one-third of the peaches ;
make two layers of the remainder of the cake, raisins, and
peaches. Cover with a very thin slice of bread, then pour
over the milk beaten with the eggs and sugar. Set in a
saucepan of boiling water to reach two-thirds up the side of
the mold, and steam three-quarters of an hour.
Turn out carefully on a dish, and serve with peach sauce,
made as follows : Place the peach juice from the can into a
small saucepan ; add an equal volume of water, a little more
sugar, and eight or ten raisins ; boil ten minutes, strain, and
just before serving add six drops of bitter almond.
Delicious Pudding. Bake a common sponge cake in a flat-
bottomed pudding-dish ; when ready for use, cut in six or
eight pieces ; split and spread with butter, and return them
to the dish. Make a custard with four eggs to a quart of
milk, flavor and sweeten to taste ; pour over the cake and
bake one-half hour. The cake will swell and fill the custard.
Any stale cake will do about as well as sponge cake.
Bird's-nest Pudding. Make the foundation of the nest of
corn-starch or blanc-mange. Cut strips of lemon peel, boil
in a sirup of water and sugar till tender, and arrange around
the blanc-mange to represent straw. Extract the contents
164 EVERY WOMAtt HER OWN COOK.
of four eggs through a small hole, and fill the shells with
hot blanc-mange or corn-starch. When cold, break off the
shells, and lay the molded eggs in the nest.
Snow Pudding. Soak an ounce of gelatine in a pint of
cold water for one hour ; then place it over the fire, stir
gently, and remove as soon as it is dissolved ; when almost
cold, beat to a stiff froth with an egg-beater. Beat the
whites of three eggs to a stiff froth, and add it to the
gelatine froth, together with the juice of three lemons, and
pulverized sugar to the taste. Mix the whole well together,
pour into a mold, and set aside to cool. Serve on a dish
with soft custard made from the yelks of the eggs.
Cherry Pudding. Two eggs, one cupful sweet milk, flour
enough to make a stiff batter, two teaspoonfuls of baking-
powder, and as many cherries as can be stirred in.. Eat with
sauce made of the cherries.
Blackberry Mush. Put the berries into a preserving kettle
and mash with sugar enough to make sweet ; set over the
re, and when it begins to simmer, stir in very gradually
one tablespoonful, or more if needed, of corn-starch to a
quart of fruit ; stir until well cooked, and eat either hot
or cold with cream ; raspberries also may be used this way.
Roley-poley. Make a good biscuit dough, and roll about
three-quarters of an inch thick, and spread with berries,
preserves, or slices of apple ; roll up and tie in a cloth ; boil
or steam an hour and a half.
Berry or Fruit Puddings. One quart sifted flour, two table-
spoonfuls shortening, half teaspoonful salt, and two tea-
spoonfuls baking-powder ; mix well, then form a soft dough
of milk or water, roll out thin, and spread with any kind of
berries, fruit, or preserves ; roll it up, tie in a cloth, and
place in the steamer, or boil in a mold. This makes fine
dumplings.
PASTRY AND PUDDINGS.
(Stemian Puffs. Two cups of sweet milk, two cups of flour,
three eggs, and a little salt Bake in buttered cups.
Indian Puffs. Into one quart of boiling milk stir eight
tablespoonfuls of corn-meal and four tablespoonfuls of
brown sugar ; boil five minutes, stirring constantly ; when
cool, add six well-beaten eggs bake in buttered cups half
an hour. Eat with sauce.
WMte Puffs. One pint rich milk ; whites of four eggs
whipped stiff; one heaping cupful prepared flour ; one scant
cupful powdered sugar ; grated peel of half a lemon ; a little
salt. Whisk the eggs and sugar to a meringue, and add
this alternately with the flour to the milk. Cream, or half
cream half milk, is better. Beat until the mixture is very
light, and bake in buttered cups or tins. Turn out, sift
powdered sugar over them, and eat with lemon sauce.
Oak Balls. Three cupfuls each of flour and milk, three
eggs, whites and yelks beaten separately and very light,
three tablespoonfuls of melted butter, a little salt. Pour in
well-buttered muffin-rings, and bake to a nice brown.
Apple Dumplings. Make a biscuit dough, and cover the
apples (pared and cored), singly ; tie in cloths and drop in
boiling water. Let it boil half an hour. If preferred, mix
flour and a little salt, and scald with boiling water. When
cold enough to handle, roll it out and cover the apples. Or
a pie-crust may be made for a cover and the dumplings may
be baked in the oven.
Peach Dumplings. These may be made according to the
preceding recipe, substituting peaches for apples.
Lemon Dumplings. Take suet, four ounces ; moist sugar,
four ounces ; bread-crumbs, one-half pound ; one lemon.
Grate the rind of the lemon, squeeze out the juice, mix all
the ingredients. Put in buttered teacups and bake three-
quarters of an hour.
XII. CREAMS, JELLIES, AND LIGHT DES-
SERTS.
LIGHT DESSERTS FOR HOME USE; FROZEN PREPARATIONS;
FREEZERS ; HOW TO FREEZE CREAMS, ETC. J HOW TO TURN OUT
THE MOLDS ; WHIPPED CREAMS, JELLIES, ETC. FORTY- FIVE
RECIPES FOR CREAMS, JELLIES, BLANC-MANGES, ETC.
THERE is a delightful range of light desserts which need
to be introduced more generally into our homes.
They have too long been allowed to rest in the con-
fectioner's under the erroneous notion that they were be-
yond the capacity of the ordinary housekeeper.
Prominent among these desserts are ice-cream and water-
ices with all their splendid possibilities of variety. For hints
concerning freezers and other tools for the home manufac-
ture of these preparations, see the last chapter of this
department
In making ice-cream, use only the best materials. Avoid
milk thickened with arrow-root, corn-starch, or any farina-
ceous substance. Pure cream, ripe natural fruits, or good
extracts of the same, and sugar of the purest quality, com-
bine to make a perfect ice-cream. To freeze the cream,
assuming it be already flavored, first pound up ice and mix
with it a quantity of coarse salt, in the proportion of about
one-third the quantity of salt to the amount of ice used.
Put the freezing-can in the centre of the tub, taking care
that the lid is securely fastened down, and pile the mixed
ice and salt around it to within three inches of the top, or
certainly as high as the cream reaches on the inside.
Begin to stir the cream at once, and stir rapidly and con-
stantly. This is essential to make the cream smooth. If
J66
CREAMS, JELLIES, AND LIGHT DESSERTS.
the cream is allowed to freeze to the sides of the can with-
out being quickly removed, there will inevitably be lumps
of ice through it. The freezing has progressed sufficiently
far when the cream will stand heaped upon a spoon.
When a small can of cream has been made for table use,
it is desirable to serve it in a cylindrical form as it comes
solid from the can. To remove it in this form, take the can
from the ice and wipe off all the salt and ice which adheres
to it. Remove the lid and invert the can upon a plate.
Wrap about the can a towel wet with warm water. This
will sufficiently relax the freezing within the can to allow
the cream to slide out in compact form. Molds of
cream may be removed in the same manner, by dipping
them in warm water for a moment. Water-ices and frozen
fruits need the same general treatment.
For whipping cream, etc., some of the improved beaters,
described at the end of this department, will be found to be
superior to the old hand methods. In all delicate dishes the
best ingredients must invariably be used.
RECIPES.
Vanilla Ice-cream. Two quarts of pure cream, fourteen
ounces of white sugar, flavored with vanilla bean or extract
of vanilla to taste ; mix well, and freeze as directed
above. Pure cream needs no thickening or boiling. Milk
may be boiled or thickened with arrow-root or corn-
starch, but it will not produce ice cream.
Lemon Ice-cream. For the same quantity of cream and
sugar, as above, stir in the juice of from four to eight
lemons, according to size and juiciness, and grate in a little
of the rind. Then freeze as above.
Orange Ice-cream. Proceed as in lemon cream, using
oranges, and regulating the quantity of sugar as the fruit is
more or less sweet.
168 &VERY WOMAN HER OWN COOX.
Chocolate Ice-cream. For one gallon of ice-cream, grate
fine about one-half cake of Baker's chocolate ; make ice-
cream as for the recipe above ; flavor lightly with vanilla
and stir in the chocolate.
Strawberry Ice-cream. Mash one pint of fresh, ripe straw-
berries ; sprinkle them with half a pound of fine sugar ; let
it stand about an hour ; strain though a fine sieve, or a
cloth ; if the sugar is not dissolved, stir it well ; add a little
water; stir this juice into the cream prepared as above and
freeze.
Raspberry Ice-cream. Make the same as strawberry, sub-
stituting the raspberries merely.
Peach Ice-cream. Take fine, ripe freestone peaches ; pare,
chop fine, mash, and work as for strawberry cream.
Pine-apple Ice-cream. Pare the fruit, shred fine, and work as
in strawberry cream.
Orange Water-ice. Take one dozen oranges; grate the
skin and squeeze out the juice; add six quarts of water
and ten ounces of white sugar to each quart of water ; mix
well and put into the freezer. Be careful to stir steadily
while freezing, or the mixture will cake into lumps. The
amount of sugar and of orange-juice may be varied to suit
taste.
Lemon Water-ice, To one quart of water, add the juice of
four lemons and one pound of sugar. Then proceed as
above. Currants, raspberries, strawberries, and all the juicy
fruits may be treated in the same way.
Tutti Frutti One quart of rich cream, one and one-half
ounces of sweet almonds, chopped fine ; one-half pound
tf sugar ; freeze, and when sufficiently congealed, add one-
CREAMS, JELLIES* AND LIGHT DESSERTS. 109
half pound of preserved fruits, with a few white raisins
chopped, and finely sliced citron. Cut the fruit small, and
mix well with the cream. Freeze like ice-cream, and keep
on ice until required.
Frozen Fruits. Take two quarts of rich cream and two
teacupfuls of sugar, mix well together and put into a freezer
with ice and salt packed around it. Have ready one quart
of peaches, mashed and sweetened. When the cream is
very cold, stir them in and freeze all together. Strawberries
can be used in the same way, but will require more sugar.
Cherries are specially delightful in this form.
WMpped Cream. To one quart of cream whipped very
thick, add powdered sugar to taste ; then add one tumbler
of wine. Make just before using.
Italian Cream. Divide two pints of cream equally in two
bowls ; with one bowl mix six ounces of powdered sugar,
the juice of two large lemons, and two glassfuls of white
wine ; then add the other pint of cream, and stir the whole
very hard ; boil two ounces of isinglass with four small tea-
cupfuls of water till reduced one-half; then stir the isinglass,
lukewarm, in the other ingredients ; put them in a glass dish
to harden.
Syllabnb. Whip a small cupful of powdered sugar into a
quart of rich cream, and another cupful of sugar into the
whites of four eggs. Mix these together, and add a glass
of white wine and flavoring to taste.
Spanish Cream. Three half-pints of milk, half a box of
gelatine, five tablespoonfuls of white sugar, three eggs, and
two teaspoonfuls of vanilla. Soak the gelatine in cold milk ;
put on to boil ; when boiling, add the yelks of the eggs
with the sugar and flavoring extract beaten together. When
it thickens to the consistency of cream, or after about three
170 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
minutes' boiling, take off the fire, and stir in the whites of
the eggs well beaten. Pour into molds, and set aside to
cool. To be eaten cold, with or without cream.
Tapioca Cream. Soak half a cupful of tapioca in water
over night. Let a quart of milk get steaming hot, and add
to it the tapioca. Let it boil three minutes, then mix five
tablespoonfuls of white sugar with the yelks of four eggs ;
stir them into the milk and tapioca, and let it come to a boil
again. Beat the whites up stiff; stir them rapidly and
thoroughly through the boiling tapioca; add two table-
spoonfuls of wine and a pinch of salt. Let it stand till
cold and garnish with macaroons.
Orange Cream. Put half a box of gelatine to soak for halt
an hour in cold water enough to cover it. Take three half-
pints of cream, whip half of it, and heat the other half; dis-
solve the gelatine in the heated cream ; then strain it, and
return to the boiler again. Take the yelks of five egpgs and
a cupful of sugar ; beat them together till light, and add to
the boiling cream ; cook about two minutes, stirring: con-
stantly ; take from the fire, and while it cooks, stir in the
whipped cream and the juice of four oranges, and pour into
a mold to stiffen. Stir the cream constantly before putting
into the mold, to prevent it from thickening in lumps.
Pink Cream. Three gills of strawberry or currant juice ;
mix with one-half pound of powdered sugar, one-half pint of
thick cream ; whisk until well mixed ; serve in a glass dish.
Chocolate Bavarian Cream. Whip one pint of cream to a
stiff froth, laying it on a sieve; boil a pint of rich milk with
a vanilla bean and two tablespoonfuls of sugar until it is well
flavored ; then take it off the fire and add half a box of gela-
tine, soaked for an hour in half a cupful of water in a warm
place near the range ; when slightly cooled, add two tablets
of Baker's chocolate, soaked and smoothed. Stir in the eggs
CREAMS, JELLIES, *ND LIGHT DESSERTS.
well-beaten. When it has become quite cold and begins to
thicken, stir it without ceasing a few minutes, until it is very
smooth ; then stir in the whipped cream lightly until it is
well mixed. Put it into a mold or molds, and set it on ice
or in a cool place.
Turret Cream. Soak one box of gelatine in a cupful ol
milk four hours. Scald three cupfuls of milk; add one cup-
ful of the sugar ; when this is dissolved, add the soaked
gelatine. Stir over the fire until almost boiling hot ; strain
and divide into two equal portions. Return one to the fire
and heat quickly. When it nears the boiling-point, stir in
the beaten yelks of three eggs. Let all cook together two
minutes, and turn out into a bowl to cool. When it has
cooled, churn one pint of cream very stiff, and beat the
whites of the eggs until they will stand alone. Divide the
latter into two heaps. As the yellow gelatine begins to
" form," whip one-half of the whites into it, a little at a time.
To the white gelatine add the rest of the whites in the same
manner, alternately with the whipped cream. Season the
yellow with vanilla, the white with lemon juice beaten in at
the last. Wet the inside of a tall, fluted mold with water,
and arrange in the bottom, close to the outside of the mold,
a row of crystallized cherries. Then put in a layer of the
white mixture; on this crystallized apricots or peaches cut
into strips ; a layer of the yellow, another border of cherries,
and so on until your mold is full. When firm, which will be
in a few hours if set on ice, wrap a cloth wrung out in hot
water about the mold, and invert upon a flat dish. Eat with
sweet cream, or, if you like, with brandied fruit. Not only
is this a very palatable dish, but it is also very beautiful, well
repaying the trouble of its preparation.
Velvet Cream. Half an ounce of isinglass dissolved in one
and a half cupfuls of white wine ; then add the juice and
grated peel of a lemon, three-quarters of a pound of loaf
172 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
sugar ; simmer all together until mixed well ; strain and add
one and a half pints of rich cream, and stir until cool ; pour
into molds, and let it stand till stiff enough to turn out.
Calf's Foot Jelly. Take one pair of calf's feet, and put
them into a gallon of water ; let it boil half away and skim
constantly ; strain it when cold ; take the fat from the top
and bottom ; then warm it ; add sugar, the juice of three
lemons, a pint of Madeira wine, and the whites of seven
eggs ; boil it half an hour, strain through a flannel bag, and
cool in molds.
Wine Jelly. One box of Coxe's gelatine dissolved in one
pint of cold water, one pint of wine, one quart of boiling
water, two cupfuls of granulated sugar, and three lemons.
Cool in molds.
Wine Jelly, No. 2. Soak one package of sparkling gelatine
in a large cupful of cold water. Add to this all the juice
and half the rind of a lemon, two cupfuls of white sugar, and
a half teaspoonful of bitter almond or two peach leaves, and
cover for half an hour ; then pour on boiling water, stir, and
strain. After adding two cupfuls of pale sherry or white
wine, strain again through a flannel bag. Wet a mold and
set it in a cold place until the next day.
Jelly Oranges. Soak a package of Coxe's gelatine about
three hours in a cup of cold water. Cut from the top of each
of a dozen fine oranges a round piece, leaving a hole just
large enough to admit the bowl of a small spoon or the
handle of a larger. The smaller the orifice, the better your
dish will look. Clean out every bit of the pulp very care-
fully, so as not to tear the edges of the hole. Scrape the
inner skin from the sides with your fore-finger, and when the
oranges are emptied lay them in cold water while you make
the jelly. Strain the juice of all and grated peel of three of
the oranges through coarse, thin muslin over three cupfuls
of sugar, squeezing rather hard to get the coloring matter*
JLLLIES, AND LIGHT DESSERTS. J73
Stir this until it is a thick sirup, and add a quarter teaspoon-
ful of cinnamon. Pour two cupfuls of boiling water upon the
soaked gelatine, and stir over the fire until well dissolved ;
add the juice and sugar, stir all together, and strain through
a flannel bag into a pitcher, not shaking or squeezing it, lest
it should become cloudy. Wipe off the outside of the
oranges, set them close together in a dish, the open ends
uppermost, and fill very full with the warm jelly, as it will
shrink in cooling. Set it away in a cold place where there
is no dust. Next day cut each in half with a sharp knife,
taking care to sever the skin all around before cutting into
the jelly. If neatly divided, the rich amber jelly will be a
fail 1 counterfeit of the orange pulp. Pile in a glass dish,
with green leaves around, as you would the real fruit. This
is a delicious dish, and it is highly ornamental on the table.
Apple Jelly. Soak half a package Coxe's gelatine in one
cupful of cold water. Pare, core, and slice a dozen well-
flavored pippins, throwing each piece into cold water as it
is cut to preserve the color. Pack them in a glass or stone-
ware jar with just cold water enough to cover them ; cover
the jar loosely that the steam may escape ; set in a pot of
warm water and bring to a boil. Cook until the apples are
broken into pieces. Have ready in a bowl the soaked gela-
tine, two cupfuls of powdered sugar, the juice of two lemons,
and the grated peel of one. Strain the apple pulp scalding
hot over them ; stir until the gelatine is dissolved ; strain
again through a flannel bag, without shaking or squeezing
it ; wet a mold with cold water, fill it, and set in a cold
place until firm. This preparation is greatly improved if
formed in a mold with a cylinder in the centre, the cavity
being filled and heaped with whipped cream or syllabub.
Peach Jelly. Proceed as in apple jelly, using peache^
with a few peach-kernels broken up and boiled with the
fruit
174 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
Lemon Jelly. Stir together two large cupfuls of sugar, the
juice of six lemons and grated peel of two, and a package of
well-soaked gelatine. Cover for an hour. Pour three pints
of boiling water over them ; stir until the gelatine is quite
melted ; strain through a close flannel bag, and pour into a
wet mold.
Orange Jelly. Soak a package of gelatine in two cupfuls
of water ; add two cupfuls of sugar, the juice of six large
oranges, and grated peel of one, the juice of two lemons,
and peel of one, and cover for an hour. Pour three pints
of boiling water over them ; stir until the gelatine is quite
melted; strain through a flannel bag; add a little good
brandy if desired and strain again ; pour into a wet mold.
Orange Trifle. Stir half a package of soaked gelatine into
a cupful of boiling water. Mix the juice of two oranges
and rind of one with a cupful of powdered sugar, and pour
the hot liquid over them. Should the gelatine not dissolve
readily, set all over the fire and stir until clear. Strain, and
stir in the beaten yelks of three eggs. Heat quickly within
a vessel of boiling water, stirring constantly lest the yelks
curdle. If they do curdle, strain again through coarse flan-
nel. Set aside until perfectly cold and slightly stiff, then
whip in a pint of frothed cream. Wet a mold, fill, and set it
on ice.
Orange Dessert Pare five or six oranges ; cut into thin
slices ; pour over them a coffeecupful of sugar. Boil one
pint of milk ; add, while boiling, the yelks of three eggs;
one tablespoonful of corn-starch (made smooth with a little
cold milk) ; stir all the time ; as soon as thickened, pour
over the fruit. Beat the whites of the eggs to a froth ; add
two tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar ; pour over the cus-
tard, and brown slightly in the oven. Serve cold
CREAMS, JELLIES, AND LIGHT DESSERTS. 175
Apple Snow. Grate half a dozen apples to a pulp ; press
them through a sieve ; add half a cupful of powdered sugar
and a teaspoonful of extract of lemon ; take the whites of
six eggs, whip them for several minutes, and sprinkle two
tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar over them; beat the
apple pulp to a froth, and add the beaten egg ; whip the
mixture until it looks like stiff snow ; then pile it higfy in
rough portions on a glass dish ; garnish with small spoonfuls
of currant jelly.
Floating Island. Beat the yelks of six eggs until very
light ; sweeten and flavor to taste ; stir into a quart of boil-
ing milk ; cook till it thickens ; when cool, pour into a low
glass dish ; whip the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth ;
sweeten, and place over a dish of boiling water to cook.
Take a tablespoon and drop on the whites of the cream, far
enough apart so that the " little white islands " will not
touch each other. By dropping little specks of bright
jelly on each island a pleasing effect will be produced.
Blanc-mange. Take one quart of milk, one ounce gelatine,
and sugar to sweeten to taste ; put it on the fire, and keep
stirring until it is all melted, then pour it into a bowl and
stir until cold ; season with vanilla ; pour it into a mold,
and set in a cool place to stiffen.
Tapioca Blanc-mange. Take one pint of new milk, half a
pound of the best farina-tapioca soaked in water four
hours, three-fourths of a cupful of sugar, two teaspoonfuls of
almond or vanilla extract, a little salt. Heat the milk, and
stir the soaked tapioca. When it has dissolved, add the
sugar. Boil slowly fifteen minutes, stirring all the time ;
take from the fire, and beat until nearly cold. Flavor and
pour into a mold dipped in cold water. Sago blanc-mange
may be made in the same manner;
176 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
Corn-starch Blanc-mange. One quart of milk, four tables
spoonfuls of corn-starch, wet with a little water, three eggs,
whites and yelks beaten separately, one cupful of sugar, a
little salt, flavor with lemon extract Heat the milk to boil-
ing ; stir in the corn-starch and salt, and boil together five
minutes ; then add the yelks, beaten light, with the sugar ;
boil two minutes longer, stirring all the while ; remove the
mixture from the fire, and beat in the whipped whites while
it is boiling hot. Pour into a mold wet with cold water,
and set in a cold place. Eat with sugar and cream.
Chocolate Blanc-mange. Heat a quart of milk; stir in
a cupful of sugar and half a package of soaked gelatine ;
strain through flannel ; add three large spoonfuls of grated
chocolate ; boil ten minutes, stirring all the time. When
nearly cold, beat until it begins to stiffen. Flavor with
vanilla ; whip up once, and put into a wet mold. It will be
firm in six or eight hours.
Neapolitan Blanc-mange. Dissolve one-third of a box of
gelatine, and stir into one quart of milk. Add three-fourths
of a cupful of sugar. As soon as the gelatine is thoroughly
dissolved, remove from the fire, and divide into three parts.
Flavor one with vanilla ; color another with the beaten yelk
of one egg; color the third with grated chocolate. Set
away, and when quite cold and a little stiff, pour into a
mold first the white, then the yellow, and last the brown.
Peach Meringne. Put on to boil a scant quart of new milk,
omitting half a teacupful, with which moisten two table-
spoonfuls of corn-starch. When the milk boils, add corn-
starch, stir constantly, and when it commences to thicken,
remove from the fire ; add one tablespoonful of perfectly
sweet butter ; let cool ; then beat in the yelks of three eggs
until the custard seems light and creamy ; add one-half tea-
cupful of fine sugar ; cover the bottom of a well-buttered
baking-dish with ripe, juicy peaches, that have been pared,
CREAMS, JELLIES, AND LIGH'f DESSERTS. 177
xoned, and halved ; sprinkle two tablespoonfuls of sugar
yer the fruit, pour the custard over gently, and bake in a
quick oven twenty minutes ; draw it out, and cover with the
well-beaten whites of the three eggs ; sprinkle a little fine
sugar over the top, and set in the oven until brown. Eat
warm with sauce, or cold with cream.
Charlotte Russe. Dissolve half a box of gelatine in cold
water. Beat the yelks of four eggs with two cupfuls of
white sugar. Whip one quart of sweet cream very stiff,
add flavoring, then the yelks and sugar, and blend all the
ingredients. Add the whites, turn into a bowl lined with
sponge cake or lady-fingers, and set away to cool.
Charlotte Russe, No. 2. Two tablespoonfuls gelatine soaked
in a little cold milk two hours ; two coffeecupfuls rich cream ;
one teacupful milk. Whip the cream stiff in a large bowl
or dish ; set on ice. Boil the milk and pour gradually over
the gelatine until dissolved, then strain ; when nearly cold
add the whipped cream, a spoonful at a time. Sweeten with
pulverized sugar and flavor with vanilla. Line a dish with
lady-fingers or sponge cake ; pour in the cream and set in a
cool place to harden.
Chocolate Charlotte Russe. Soak in cold water one ounce
of isinglass or of gelatine ; shave down three ounces of the
best chocolate, without spice or sugar, and mix it gradually
into one pint of cream, adding the soaked isinglass ; set the
cream, chocolate, and isinglass over the fire in a porcelain
kettle, and boil slowly till the isinglass is dissolved, and the
whole well mixed'; take it off the fire and let it cool ; have
ready eight yelks of eggs and four whites beaten together
until very light ; stir them gradually into the mixture with
half a pound of powdered sugar ; simmer the whole, but do
not let it boil ; then take it off, and whip to a strong froth ;
line the molds with sponge cake, fill with the paste, and set
them on ice.
13
178 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
Figs a la Genevieve. Dissolve two ounces of best sugar
in half a pint of cold water in an enameled stewpan, with
half the very thin rind of a large lemon ; when this is done,
put into it half a pound of Turkey figs, and put the stew-
pan over a moderate fire, so that the figs may stew very
slowly ; when quite soft, add one glassful of common port
or any other wine, and the strained juice of half a lemon ;
serve them cold for dessert. About two hours or two hours
and a half is the average time for stewing the figs, and the
flavor may be varied by using orange peel and juice in-
stead of lemon, and by boiling two or three bitter almonds
in the sirup.
Biscuit Glace. Make a quart of rich boiled custard, flavor
it with vanilla, and let it cool. Then mix with it a quart of
grated pineapple or mashed peaches. Stir them well to-
gether, and add enough sugar to allow for the loss in freez-
ing. Freeze in the usual way, stirring in a pint of cream,
whipped, when it is beginning to set in the freezer. Partly
fill little paper cases with the mixture, and smooth the tops
nicely. Place them carefully in the cleaned and dried freezer,
and let them remain embedded in ice for several hours.
Sometimes the cases are filled with pistachio or chocolate
ice-cream, in which case blanched almonds are laid over the
top, when they are served. Or they may be filled with
frozen whipped cream, and served with a spoonful of sonit
bright sherbet upon the top of each.
Xni. CAKES AND CAKE-BAKING.
BEST MATERIALS REQUISITE FOR CAKE-MAKING; WHAT THEY
SHOULD BE; WEIGHING AND MEASURING INGREDIENTS; HOW
TO MIX CAKE; FRUITS AND FLAVORS FOR CAKE; HOW TO BAKE
CAKE ; HOW TO TEST IT ; HOW TO KEEP IT ; HOW TO ICE IT.
NINETY-SEVEN RECIPES FOR CAKES.
IN cake-making it is absolutely essential that the best
materials be employed. Stale eggs, strong butter, musty
flour, or common sugar are not so much as to be
thought of in this connection. The idea that such refuse
" will do for cooking " is most unworthy. When a luxury,
such as cake, is attempted, the maker should certainly be
willing to luxuriate in acceptable ingredients.
Flour for cake should be white and dry. It should always
be carefully sifted. Sugar should be white, dry, and free
from lumps. Eggs and butter should be sweet and fresh ;
the milk rich and pure. Fruit and extracts must be of the
best. The weighing and measuring of ingredients must be
accurately done. Guessing at quantities has spoiled many
a cake.
For mixing cake, an earthen or wooden dish and a
wooden spoon are requisite. Butter and sugar should be
beaten together to a cream before using. Butter may be
softened for this purpose, if too hard to manage readily, but
it must not be melted. Whites and yelks of eggs must be
beaten separately, until there is no stringiness visible, and
the froth can be taken up on a spoon. Beat eggs in a broad,
shallow dish, and in a cool place. It is well to lay the eggs
in cold water for an hour before beating them, as they will
beat the lighter for such treatment. Sweet milk is best for
179
180 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COO 1C.
solid cake ; sour milk, for light cake. The two should never
be mixed.
Baking-powder should be mixed dry through the flour.
Soda and cream of tartar should be dissolved in milk.
Flavoring extracts, fruit, and spices must be added the last
thing, and fruit should always be well sprinkled with flour
before it is put in the dough. Currants and such fruit
should be washed, picked over, and dried before using.
Almonds should be blanched by pouring boiling water over
them till they pop from their skins. Cake should be beaten
as little as possible after the flour has been added. When
it requires long baking, the bottom and sides of the pan
should be lined with paper well buttered. This will insure
the easy turning out of the cake when done.
Much of the success in cake-baking depends on the heat-
ing of the oven. If the oven is very hot when the cake
goes in, it will bake on top before it becomes light. If the
oven is too cool, it will rise and fall again before done. If
the top of the cake browns too fast, cover it with thick
paper. Try it by inserting a broom-splinter or knitting-
needle in the thickest part of the cake, and if nothing ad-
heres when it is drawn out, it is done. Turn out of the tins
at once, taking care not to expose the cake to draft.
Cake should be kept in earthen pans or crocks, or tin
boxes, but never in wooden boxes or drawers. It will keep
better for being wrapped in a cloth, and more than is needed
should not be cut.
Cake that is to be frosted should be baked in pans with
perpendicular sides. The icing should be put on as soon
as the cake is removed from the oven. This will insure its
drying smooth and hard.
RECIPES.
Loaf Dutch Cake. Take one cupful of light bread dough,
tie egg, sugar and salt to taste, half a teaspoonful of soda,
CAKES AtfD CARE-*BAKING.
half a pound of raisins, and, if desired, a little butter and
nutmeg ; work all together very smooth ; let the dough rise
about half an hour, and bake as bread.
Bread Cake. Two coffeecupfuls of bread dough, two tea-
cupfuls of sugar, two eggs, one teacupful of butter, two tea*
spoonfuls essence of lemon, one nutmeg, a teaspoonful each
of cloves, cinnamon, and allspice, a wineglass of brandy,
and a coffeecupful of raisins. Let it rise before baking.
Cinnamon Bun. Put one pint of milk on to boil and mix
a cupful of butter in a little lukewarm water ; add a tea-
spoonful of salt, and half an yeast cake dissolved in luke-
warm water ; add two quarts of sifted flour; mix all together,
and let it stand over night till morning. Now beat two
eggs and half a cupful of sugar until light, and mix it with
the dough; use just flour enough on the board to keep the
dough from sticking ; roll the dough out into a sheet one-
fourth of an inch in thickness ; spread a little butter, and
sprinkle a little sugar on it, then some pulverized cinnamon,
a few currants or chopped raisins. Now roll the sheet up
into one long roll and cut in pieces about one inch thick ; a
sharp knife must be used for this purpose ; put the pieces in
a baking-pan, the cut side or end downward, and let them
stand in a warm place for an hour, when they will be ready
for the oven, which must be moderately heated.
Soft Molasses Cake. Into one pint of molasses, put one
tablespoonful of ginger, one teaspoonful of cinnamon, one
tablespoonful of butter ; add one teaspoonful of soda and
two teaspoonfuls cream of tartar in one-half cupful of milk,
one egg, and two and a half cupfuls of flour. Bake half an
hour.
Gingerbread. One cupful of molasses, one cupful of but-
ter, two cupfuls of sugar, one cupful of sour milk, four eggs,
three cupfuls of flour, one tablespoonful of ginger, and one
teaspoonful of soda. Mix well and bake quickly.
182 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
Ginger Snaps. Mix one pint of flour, one cupful of sugar,
a piece of butter the size of two eggs ; three heaping table*
spoonfuls of ginger, and a little salt. Pour into this two
cupfuls of heated molasses. Add flour enough to make it
roll out thin. Bake three or four minutes.
Cookies. Six cupfuls of flour, two of sugar, one of butter,
one of milk, teaspoonful of soda, flavored with cinnamon
or nutmeg, as you like. Roll thin, cut with biscuit-cutter,
and bake quick.
Small Sugar Cakes. One heaping teacupful of sugar;
three-quarters teacupful of butter; one-quarter teacupful
sweet milk ; two eggs, well beaten ; two teaspoonful s cream
tartar ; one teaspoonful soda, dissolved in hot water ; use
flour sufficient to enable you to roll out the dough ; one
saltspoonful salt, nutmeg and cinnamon to taste. Cut into
round cakes and bake quickly.
Knickerbocker Cakes. Beat half a pound of fresh butter to
a cream ; add half a pound of powdered sugar, three-quarters
of a pound of sifted flour, a tablespoonful of orange-flower
water, and one of brandy, and four ounces of washed cur-
rants ; add five well-beaten eggs, and beat the mixture until
very light. Line some shallow cake-tins with buttered
paper, pour in the mixture until they are half full, and bake
in a quick oven.
Scotch Wafers. Take one pound of sugar, half a pound
of butter, one pound of flour, two eggs, two teaspoonfuls of
cinnamon. Roll thin and bake quickly.
Shrewsbury Cakes. Mix a pound of flour and a half
pound of butter ; stir in a pound of brown sugar and two
tablespoonfuls of cinnamon. Mix all thoroughly into a
paste with three eggs, roll very thin, using as little flour as
possible, and bake in a quick oven.
CAKES AND CAKE-BAKING.
Soft Cookies. One egg, two cupfuls of sugar, two cupfuls
of cream, one even teaspoonful of soda, salt and flavor to
taste. Flour to stiffen so they will drop from the spoon ; leave
a space between them, as they spread in baking.
Apees. One cupful of butter, one large cupful of sugar,
three eggs, half a teaspoonful of soda, one teaspoonful of
cream tartar, and flour enough to roll out thin. Bake
quickly.
Cinnamon Cakes. Take six ounces of butter, a pound of
fine, dry flour, three-quarters of a pound of sifted sugar,
and a dessertspoonful of pounded cinnamon. Make these
ingredients into a firm paste with three eggs, or four, if
needed. Roll it, not very thin, and cut out the cakes with
a tin shape. Bake them in a very gentle oven from fifteen
to twenty minutes, or longer, should they not be done quite
through.
Lemon Cakes. Lemon cakes can be made on the above
recipe by substituting for the cinnamon the rasped or grated
rinds of two lemons, and the strained juice of one, when its
acidity is not objected to.
Seed Cakes. Two pounds of flour, one pound of sugar,
fourteen ounces of butter, one tablespoonful of caraway
seed, half a pint of milk, two tablespoonfuls of saleratus.
Rub the butter, sugar, and flour together, then add all the
other ingredients ; knead all well together into a smooth
dough ; roll it out quite thin, cut with a round cutter, place
the cakes on tins, and bake in a moderate oven.
Walnut Cakes. One pound of sugar, six eggs, three tea.
spoonfuls of yeast-powder, half a pound of butter, flour to
make a dough, and one cupful of walnut kernels ; bake in a
moderate oven.
Jumbles. Three-fourths of a cupful of butter, one and a
half cupfuls of sugar, three eggs, three tablespoonfuls of
184 EVERV WOMAN HER OWtt COOtf.
milk, flour enough to make it roll, and a teaspoonful of bak-
ing-powder ; roll ; sprinkle with granulated sugar and gently
roll it in ; cut out, with a hole in centre, and bake.
Currant Jumbles. One pound each of flour and powderecj
loaf sugar, half a pound each of butter and currants, eight
eggs, brandy to taste ; cut out as in plain jumbles and bake
on tins.
Cocoamit Cookies. One cupful of butter, two cupfuls of
sugar, two cupfuls of prepared or grated cocoanut, two
eggs, flour enough to make a stiff batter, and one teaspoon-
ful of soda ; drop on buttered paper in pans.
Doughnuts. Two teacupfuls of sugar, three eggs, one and
a half teacupfuls of buttermilk or sour milk, two teaspoon-
fuls of saleratus, one teaspoonful of salt, six tablespoonfuls
of melted lard, flour enough to roll out nicely ; boil or fry
in lard enough to cover them. If not well covered in the
cooking they will be tough.
Raised Doughnuts. One pint of sweet milk, one half pint
of lard, one pint of sugar, three eggs. Mix soft at night,
using the milk, one-half the sugar and lard, and one-half
pint of yeast. In the morning, add the rest with the eggs,
one nutmeg, two tablespoonfuls of whisky, and a little
soda. Knead well, and allow to rise. When light, roll out
thin, and after cutting, let rise again before frying. One-
half beef suet and one-half lard is better to fry them in than
all lard.
Crullers. Two cupfuls of sugar, one-half cupful of butter,
one-half cupful of milk, two eggs, one teaspoonful of soda,
two of cream tartar. Roll out, and cut according to fancy,
and boil in fat.
French Straws. Mix well eight eggs, ten ounces of sugar,
and half a teaspoonful of cinnamon and nutmeg with flo'ir
enough to form a dough ; beat the eggs very thick and add
CAKES AND CAKE-BAKING. 185
the sugar, spices, and flour ; knead well, and roll to about
half an inch thick ; cut in strips, give each a twist, and boil
them in plenty of lard to a rich yellow ; sift sugar on when
cool.
Love Knots. Five cupfuls of flour, two of sugar, one of
butter, a piece of lard the size of an egg, two eggs, three
tablespoonfuls of sweet milk, half a teaspoonful of soda; rub
the butter, sugar, and flour together fine, add the other in-
gredients, roll thin, cut in strips one inch wide and five
inches long, lap across in true-love knots, and bake in a
quick oven.
One, Two, Tliree, Four Cake. One cupful of butter, two cup.
fuls of sugar, three cupfuls of flour, four eggs ; rub well to-
gether, and add some milk or cream, with one teaspoonful
of soda and two teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar ; flavor
with grated lemon rind and juice ; bake carefully in a quick
oven.
Tea Cake. Three and a half cupfuls of flour, two of sugar,
one of butter, four eggs, a teaspoonful of soda in a table-
spoonful of milk or wine, and a half grated nutmeg. Bake
carefully in quick oven.
Tumbler Cake. Five tumblerfuls of flour, three of sugar,
two of butter, four eggs, one of milk, one pint and a half of
raisins, stoned, one nutmeg, one teaspoonful of allspice, a
teaspoonful of soda dissolved in the milk. Bake in deep pan
with a hot oven.
Cider Cake. Two cupfuls of sugar, one cupful of butter,
five eggs, one and one-half cupfuls of cider, with one tea-
spoonful of soda dissolved in it ; spices or nutmeg to taste ;
four and one-half cupfuls of flour, two cupfuls of fruit. Bake
quickly.
Puff Cake. Two cupfuls of sugar, one of butter, one of
sweet milk, three of flour, three eggs, one and one-half tea-
spoonfuls ^f yeast powder, extract of lemon. Bake q
186 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
Pinafore Cake. One cupful of butter, three half cupfuls oi
sugar, three half cupfuls of flour, one-half cupful of corn-
starch, one-half cupful of milk, four eggs, one teaspoonful of
cream of tartar, one-half teaspoonful of soda, and a pinch
of salt Flavor to taste.
Cork Cake. Two cupfuls of sugar, two-thirds of a cupful
of butter, three eggs, one cupful of warm milk, three cupfula
of flour, a teaspoonful of baking-powder, and a half pound
of currants. Use the whites of two of the eggs for icing,
and put the yelks into the cake.
Poor Man's Cake. One cupful of cream, one of sugar, two
of flour, one egg, one teaspoonful of soda, and two of cream
tartar.
Cup Cake. One cupful of butter, two cupfuls of sugar,
half a cupful of molasses, one teaspoonful of soda, two of
cream tartar in half a cup of milk, two eggs, and two and
a half cups of flour.
Moravian Cake. Two cupfuls of sugar, one cupful of but-
ter, five eggs, two cupfuls of flour, half a cupful of sour milk,
one teaspoonful of cream tartar, and half a teaspoonful of
soda. Flavor with a little grated nutmeg and a teaspoonful
of vanilla.
Silver Cake. Whites of twelve eggs, five cupfuls of flour,
three cupfuls of sugar, one cupful of butter, one and one-
half cupfuls of sweet milk, one teaspoonful of soda, two tea-
spoonfuls of cream tartar, one teaspoonful of almond
extract.
Gold Cake. Substitute the yelks for whites of eggs, and
flavor with vanilla, then make it same as preceding recipe.
Lincoln Cake. Two cupfuls of sugar, half a cupful of but-
ter, two eggs, one cupful of cream or sour milk, three cup-
fuls of flour, one teaspoonful of cream tartar, half a tea-
epppnful pf soda, and pne teaspopnful pf essence
CAKES AND CAKE-BAKING. 187
Washington Cake. One pound of flour, one pound of
sugar, half a pound of butter, five eggs, one pound of raisins,
one cupful of brandy and water, one teaspoonful of soda, two
of cream tartar.
Pound Cake. One pound of butter, one pound of sugar,
one pound of flour, and eight eggs. Bake one hour.
White Pound Cake. Beat to a cream one pound of sugar
and one-half pound of butter ; two teaspoonfuls of baking-
powder in one pound of flour ; whites of sixteen eggs beaten
very stiff and added last. Cover with frosting before it
cools.
Sponge Cake. Five eggs, half a pound of sugar, quarter
pound of flour, juice and rind of half a lemon. Beat yelks of
eggs, sugar, and lemon together till light ; add half the
beaten whites, then half the flour, the balance of the whites
and balance of flour. Avoid beating after the ingredients
are all together.
Almond Sponge Cake. Take half a pound of loaf sugar ; rub
the rind of a lemon on a few of the lumps, and crush the
whole to a powder ; separate the whites from the yelks of
five eggs, beat the yelks, and add the sugar gradually ; then
beat the whites to a stiff froth ; add it to the dish, and sift in
flour enough to make a batter; add a tablespoonful of
essence of almonds ; butter and paper a tin, pour in the mix-
ture until the tin is two-thirds full, and bake one hour in a
moderate oven. The bottom of the tin may be studded with
small pieces of almonds.
Cream Sponge Cake. Beat together a cupful of sugar and
the yelks of three eggs. Add a half teaspoonful of soda,
a teaspoonful of cream tartar, a cupful of flour, and the whites
of the eggs. Bake in three layers, and put between them
the following filling : One egg, a half cupful of cream, a
cupful of sugar, and a piece of butter the size of a walnut
Boil tUi like a cream, and when gpia flaypr t9
188 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
Snow Cake. Take one pound of arrowroot, quarter of a
pound of powdered white sugar, half a pound of butter, the
whites of six eggs, flavoring to taste. Beat the butter to a
cream ; stir in the sugar and arrowroot gradually, at the
same time beating the mixture ; whisk the whites of the
eggs to a stiff froth ; add them to the other ingredients, and
beat well for twenty minutes ; flavor with essence of almond,
vanilla, or lemon, as may be preferred ; pour into a buttered
mold or tin, and bake in a moderate oven.
Spice Cake. One cupful each of butter and cold water,
three cupfuls of flour, two cupfuls of sugar, three eggs, one
teaspoonful of soda, two teaspoonfuls of ground cinnamon,
one-fourth pound each of currants and raisins.
Spice Cake, No. 2. One cupful of butter, two cupfuls of
sugar, four eggs, a teaspoonful of cream tartar, half a tea-
spoonful of soda, half a cupful of sour milk, one cupful of
molasses, three cupfuls of flour, a teaspoonful of ground
cloves, two teaspoonfuls of cinnamon, two teaspoonfuls of
ginger, one nutmeg, and a small pinch of Cayenne pepper.
Coffee Cake. One cupful of brown sugar, one cupful of
butter, one cupful of strained coffee, one cupful of molasses,
three eggs well beaten, one pound of raisins, two cupfuls of
flour, two teaspoonfuls of baking-powder.
Wine Cake. Beat t,o a cream half a cupful of butter with
two full cups of powdered sugar ; add the yelks of four
eggs, and half a glass of sherry wine ; beat till very light ;
add half a cupful of cream with a pinch of soda in it ; beat
two minutes, and stir in very quickly the whites of the eggs,
three and a half cupfuls of prepared flour, and a little grated
nutmeg.
Fig Cake. One cupful butter, two and a half cupfuls
sugar, one cupful of milk, six cupfuls of flour, three tea-
spoonfuls baking-powder, whites of sixteen eggs, and, at the
CAKES AND CAKE-BAKING. 189
last, one and a quarter pounds of figs, cut and floured.
Bake well but do not burn.
Walnut Cake. One coffeecupful of sugar, two of raisins
(stoned and chopped), one cupful and a half of flour, half a
cupful of butter, half a cupful of sweet milk, three eggs,
two teaspoonfuls of baking-powder, half a nutmeg grated,
one teaspoonful of lemon or vanilla, one cup heaping full of
nuts, which must be cracked and picked, before anything
else is done to the cake. Bake slowly, with a buttered
paper in the bottom of the tin.
Hickorynut Cake. One pound of flour, three-quarters of a
pound of sugar, half a pound of butter, half a pint of milk,
five eggs, two quarts of hickorynuts, one teaspoonful of
soda, and two of cream tartar.
Cocoanut Cake. One pound of grated cocoanut, one pound
of sugar, one-half pound of butter, six eggs, three-quarters
of a pound of flour. Flavor to taste.
New Year's Cake. One and a quarter pound of raisins,
seeded, one and a quarter pounds of currants, half a pound
of sliced citron, half a pound of butter, half a pound of
brown sugar, half a pound of flour, five eggs, half a tumbler-
ful of brandy, half a bottle of rose-water, one teaspoonful of
cinnamon, two of cloves, two of mace, and a grated nut-
meg.
Currant Cake. One cupful of butter, two cupfuls of pow-
dered sugar, four eggs, half a cupful of sweet milk, three
cupfuls of prepared flour, half a nutmeg grated, and half a
pound of currants washed, dried, and dredged with flour.
Citron Cake. Six eggs, beaten light and the yelks strained;
two cupfuls of sugar, three-quarters of a cupful of butter,
two and one-half cupfuls of prepared flour, or enough to
make good pound cake batter. With some brands you may
need three cupfuls ; one-half pound of citron cut in thin
190 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
shreds ; juice of an orange, and one teaspoonful of grated
peel. Cream the butter and sugar; add the yelks, the
whites, and flour by turns, then the orange, and lastly, the
citron, dredged with flour. Beat all up hard, and bake in
two loaves.
Plum Cake. Two and a half pounds of raisins, two and a
half pounds of currants, one pound of citron, one pound of
butter, one pound of sugar, ten eggs, one pound of flour,
one-half pint of brandy, and a little molasses.
Fruit Cake. Take of butter two cupfuls ; sugar, four cup-
fuls ; molasses, one cupful ; sour milk, two cupfuls ; flour,
eight cupfuls ; eggs, eight ; soda, one tablespoonful ; cloves,
two tablespoonfuls ; cinnamon, two tablespoonfuls ; raisins,
two pounds ; currants, two pounds ; almonds, one pound ;
citron, half a pound ; two nutmegs ; two lemons cut fine ;
bake four hours.
Wedding Cake. One pound of powdered sugar, one pound
of butter, one pound of flour, twelve eggs, one pound of cur-
rants well washed and dredged, one pound of raisins,
seeded and chopped, one-half pound of citron cut in slips,
one tablespoonful of cinnamon, two teaspoonfuls of nutmeg,
one teaspoonful of cloves, one wineglass of brandy. Cream
the butter and sugar, add the beaten yelks of the eggs, and
stir all well together before putting in half of the flour. The
spice should come next, then the whipped whites stirred in
alternately with the rest of the flour, lastly the brandy.
The above quantity is for two large cakes. Bake at least
two hours in deep tins lined with well-buttered paper. The
icing should be laid on stiffand thickly. Bake this well, and,
if kept in a cool, dry place, it will not spoil in two months.
Test the cakes well, and be sure they are quite done before
taking them from the oven.
Black Cake. One pound of browned flour, one pound of
sugar, one pound pf citron, two pounds of currants,
CAKES AND CAKE-BAKING. 191
three pounds of stoned raisins, three-quarters of a pound of
butter, one teacupful of molasses, two teaspoonfuls of mace,
two teaspoonfuls of cinnamon, one teaspoonful of cloves, one
teaspoonful of soda, twelve eggs.
Farmers' Fruit Cake. Three cupfuls of dried apples, two
cupfuls of molasses, one cupful of butter, one cupful of
brown sugar, one pound of raisins, one quarter pound of
citron, two eggs, one lemon (both juice and rind), two
teaspoonfuls of soda, one pound and small cup of flour.
Soak the apples over night, chop fine, and boil till done in
the molasses and one cupful of the water they were soaked
in. Flavor with nutmeg, cinnamon, and a very little cloves.
Bake three hours.
Chocokte Cake. One cupful butter, two cupfuls sugar, two
and one-half cupfuls flour, five eggs, one cupful sour milk,
one teaspoonful soda, dissolved in a little boiling water ;
one-half cake Baker's chocolate, grated and put in the cake
before stirring in the flour, with one teaspoonful of vanilla.
Bake in jelly tins in four layers.
Chocolate Cake, No. 2. One cupful of butter, two cupfuls
of sugar, three cupfuls of flour, half cupful sweet milk,
half teaspoonful soda, one teaspoonful of cream tartar,
seven eggs. Bake in layers, and put between the layers the
following filling: Quarter of a pound of Baker's best
vanilla chocolate, one gill of sweet milk, one egg, sugar
to taste. Scald the gill of milk and the chocolate together ;
beat one egg thoroughly, and stir it in ; add sugar and
vanilla to taste.
Chocolate Cake, No. 3. Two cupfuls of sugar, one of but-
ter, five eggs, half a teaspoonful of soda, a teaspoonful
of cream tartar, half a cupful of sour milk. Grated nutmeg
and vanilla. Bake in layers, and put between the layers the
following filling : One cupful of Baker's chocolate, grated,
a mall cupfu} pf sugar, Put in a dry bowl, and
192 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
the bowl in a pan of boiling water. Stir until the heat of
the bowl dissolves the chocolate and sugar into a thick
paste. Add a tablespoonful of clear table sirup and two
eggs well beaten. Let this cook in the boiling water about
ten minutes, then add two teaspoonfuls of vanilla.
Jelly Cake. Beat three eggs well, the whites and yelks
separately ; take a cupful of fine white sugar, and beat that
in well with the yelks, and a cupful of sifted flour, stirred in
gently ; then stir in the whites, a little at a time, and a tea-
spoonful of baking-powder and one tablespoonful of milk ;
pour it in three jelly-cake plates, and bake from five to ten
minutes in a well-heated oven, and when cold spread with
currant jelly, and place each layer on top of the other and
sift powdered sugar on the top.
Jelly Roll. Add one cupful of powdered sugar and one
cupful of flour to three well-beaten eggs ; stir well, and add
one teaspoonful of cream of tartar, half a teaspoonful of
saleratus dissolved in three teaspoonfuls of water ; bake in
two pie-pans ; spread as evenly as possible ; as soon as done,
turn the cake, bottom side up, on to a dry towel ; spread it
evenly with jelly, roll up quickly, and wrap closely in the
towel.
Peach Cake. Bake sponge cake in layers ; cut peaches in
very thin slices, and spread upon the cake; sweeten, flavor,
and whip some sweet cream, and spread over each layer
and over the top.
Pineapple Cake. One cupful of butter, two cupfuls of
sugar, one cupful milk, three cupfuls of flour, whites of six
eggs and yelks of four, three teaspoonfuls of baking-powder
well mixed through flour ; bake in jelly-cake pans ; grate a
pineapple ; sprinkle with sugar, spread between the layers ;
pineapple jam may be substituted ; frost the outside ;
beat two tablespoonfuls of the pineapple into the frosting.
CAKES AND CAKE-BAKING.
Cocoanut Cake. Two eggs, one cupful white sugar, one-
half a cupful sweet milk, one-quarter cupful of butter, one
and one-half cupfuls of flour, one and one-half teaspoonfuls
baking-powder. Bake in a moderate oven in pans one inch
deep. To prepare the desiccated cocoanut, beat the whites
of two eggs to a stiff froth, add one cupful of pulverized
sugar and the cocoanut, after soaking it in boiling milk.
Spread the mixture between the layers of cake and over
the top.
White Mountain Cake. Make the cake with one pound of
fiour, one pound of sugar, half a pound of butter, six eggs,
one cupful of milk, one small teaspoonful of saleratus dis-
solved in the milk. Bake four thin cakes in flat pie plates ;
frost each of these cakes, laying one on another. When
all are done, even the edges with a knife and frost the sides.
Use the following frosting preparation : Beat to a standing
froth the whites of four eggs made thick v/ith sifted, refined
sugar, and add the sugar and juice of one lemon.
Delicate Cake. Two cupfuls of pulverized sugar, half a
cupful of butter, three cupfuls of flour, nearly three-fourths
of a cupful of milk, whites of eight eggs, half a teaspoonful
of cream tartar, one-fourth teaspoonful soda. This may be
baked in jelly cake tins and put together with icing.
Cream Cake. Take two cupfuls of sugar, two-thirds of a
cupful of butter, one cupful milk, one teaspoonful of soda,
one and a half teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar, two and a
half cupfuls of flour, three eggs. Make the custard for the
cake with one cupful of milk, and one teaspoonful of corn-
starch dissolved in it, and brought to a boiling heat, with the
yelk of one egg dropped in to color it. Flavor with lemon
or vanilla; let it 'cool. Bake your cake in round pie-tins;
use just enough batter in the tin so that when they are
baked two of them put together will make one proper
sized cake. Make the custard first, and let it cool ; put the
13
194 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
cakes together when they are warm, with plenty of custard
between them.
Orange Cake. Two cupfuls of sugar, one of butter, five
eggs, half a cupful of sour milk, one teaspoonful of cream
tartar, half a teaspoonful of soda, and two cupfuls of flour.
Bake in four layers, and put between the layers the follow-
ing filling : Beat two eggs, add to them a small cupful of
sugar, heaping tablespoonful of butter. Simmer gently until
it thickens. Remove from the fire, add the juice, grated
pulp, and part of the rind of one large orange.
Ice-Cream Cake. Two cupfuls of sugar, half a cupful of
butter, three eggs, a cupful of milk, three cupfuls of flour,
two teaspoonfuls of baking-powder. Bake in layers. Boil
two small cupfuls of sugar and two-thirds of a cupful of
water for ten minutes. Beat the white of an egg, and pour
it over the mixture when it cooks a little. Beat till cold and
stiff, and put between the layers.
Union Cake. Two-thirds of a cupful of butter, two cupfuls
of sugar, one cupful of milk, three cupfuls of flour, four eggs,
two-thirds of a teaspoonful of cream tartar, and one-third
of a teaspoonful of soda. Divide into three equal parts, and
into one part put a cupful of seeded raisins, two-thirds of a
cupful of currants, and one-quarter pound of citron. Bake
in three pans of the same size. Put icing, flavored with
extract of lemon, between the layers and on the top and
sides.
Marble Cake. Two cupfuls of white sugar, one cupful of
butter, the whites of seven eggs, two teaspoonfuls of cream
tartar, one of soda, three and a half cupfuls of flour, and half
a cupful of milk. In another bowl three cupfuls of brown
sugar, one of butter, one of molasses, the yelks of seven
eggs, two tablespoonfuls of cinnamon, two of allspice, one
teaspoonful of cloves, half a nutmeg, half a cupful of milk,
three cupfuls of flour, one teaspoonful of soda ; and two of
AuVD CAKE-BAKINC. 195
cream tartar. Arrange by dropping in first a tablespoonful
of dark batter, then of the light, to imitate marble.
Watermelon Cake. White part : One-half cupful of butter,
one cupful of powdered sugar, whites of three eggs, one-
third of a cupful of sweet milk, half a tablespoonful of bak-
ing-powder, and three half cupfuls of flour. Red part : One-
half cupful of butter, one cupful of red sugar, yelks of five
eggs, one-third of a cupful of sweet milk, one tablespoonful
of baking-powder, two cupfuls of flour, and half a pound of
seeded raisins. Put the red part in the centre of the pan,
with the white on the outside. Raisins may be introduced
in the red part to represent seeds. Red sugar can be had
of the confectioners.
Neapolitan Cake. Mix a yellow portion thus: Two cup-
fuls of powdered sugar, one cupful of butter stirred to light
cream with sugar; five eggs beaten well, with yelks and
whites separately ; half a cupful of sweet milk, three cupfuls
of prepared flour, a little nutmeg.
Mix a pink and white portion thus : One pound of pow-
dered sugar, one pound of prepared flour, half a pound of
butter creamed with sugar, the whites of ten eggs whisked
stiff Divide this batter into two equal portions. Leave one
white, and color the other with a very little prepared coch-
ineal or with red sugar.
Mix a brown portion thus : Three eggs beaten light,
one cupful of powdered sugar, quarter cupful of butter
creamed with sugar, two tablespoonfuls of -cream, one heap*
ing cupful of prepared flour, two tablespoonfuls of vanilla
chocolate grated and rubbed smooth in the cream, before it
is beaten into the cake.
Bake each of these parts in jelly-cake tins. The above
quantities should make three cakes of each color.
Mix a filling for the cake thus : Two cupfuls of sweet
milk, two tablespoonfuls of corn-starch, wet with milk, two
196 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
eggs, two small cupfuls of fine sugar. Heat the milk, stir in
the sugar and corn-starch, boil five minutes, and put in the
eggs. Stir steadily until it becomes quite thick. Divide
this custard into two parts. Stir into one two tablespoonfuls
of grated chocolate and a teaspoonful of vanilla ; into the
other, bitter almond.
Prepare another filling thus : Whites of three eggs,
whisked stiff, one heaping cup of powdered sugar, juice and
half the grated peel of one lemon. Whip all together well.
Lay the brown cake as the foundation of the pile ; spread
with the yellow custard; add the pink, coated with choco-
late ; then add the white and yellow with the frosting be-
tween them. Vary the order as fancy dictates. Cover the
top with powdered sugar or with icing.
Angel's Food. Use the whites of eleven eggs, a scant pint
of granulated sugar, a large half pint of flour, one teaspoonful
of cream tartar (even full), and a teaspoonful of vanilla. Sift
the flour four times, then measure ; add cream of tartar, and
then sift again. Sift the sugar four times, then measure it.
Beat the eggs to a stiff froth on a large dish, and on same
dish add the sugar quickly and lightly ; add the flour in the
same way, and last of all the vanilla. Put at once into a
moderate oven, and bake forty minutes or more. Do not
grease the pans. Turn upside down to cool, putting small
blocks of wood under the edges that air may reach the cake.
Macaroons. Blanch half a pound of almonds with boiling
water, and pound them to a smooth paste. Add a table-
spoonful of essence of lemon, half a pound of powdered
sugar, and the whites of two eggs. Work the paste well to-
gether with the back of a spoon. Wet your hands, and roll
them in balls the size of a nutmeg, and lay them an inch
apart on a sheet of paper. Wet your finger, and press gently
over the surface to make them shiny. Bake three-quarters
of an hour in a very moderate oven.
AND
Chocolate Macaroons. Put three ounces of plain chocolate
in a pan, and melt on a slow fire ; then work it to a thick
paste with one pound of powdered sugar and the whites of
three eggs; roll the mixture down to the thickness of
about one-quarter of an inch ; cut it in small, round pieces
with a paste-cutter, either plain or scalloped ; butter a pan
slightly, and dust it with flour and sugar in equal quanti-
ties ; place in it the pieces of paste or mixture, and bake in
a hot but not quick oven.
Cream Puffs. Stir one-half pound.of butter into a pint of
warm water, set it on the fire in a saucepan, and slowly
bring it to a boil, stirring often. When it boils, put in three-
quarters of a pound of flour, and let it boil one minute, stir-
ring constantly. Take from the fire, and turn into a deep
dish to cool. Beat eight eggs light, and whip into this cool
paste, first the yelks, then the whites. Drop in great spoon-
fuls on buttered paper so as not to touch or run into each
other, and bake ten minutes. Split them, and fill with the
following cream : One quart of milk, four tablespoonfuls of
corn-starch, two eggs, two cupfuls of sugar. Stir while boil-
ing, and when thick, add a teaspoonful of butter. When
cold, flavor.
Kisses. Beat the whites of four eggs very stiff, add one-
half pound of pulverized sugar, and flavor to taste. Beat
until very light, then lay in heaps the size of an egg on
paper. Place the paper on a piece of wood half an inch
thick, and put in a hot oven. Make the surface shiny by
passing over it a wet knife. Bake until they look yellowish,
when they are done.
Chocolate Kisses. Beat stiff the whites of two eggs; beat in
gradually one-half pound of powdered sugar. Scrape fine
one and a half ounces of chocolate ; dredge with flour, mixing
the flour well ; add this gradually to the eggs and sugar, stir-
ring the whole very hard. Cover the bottom of a pan with
198 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
white paper, and place on it spots of powdered sugar the
size of half-dollars. Heap the mixture on these spots,
smooth with a broad knife, sift with powdered sugar, and
bake quickly.
Cocoannt Steeples. One pound of powdered sugar ; one-
half pound of grated cocoanut ; whites of five eggs. Whip
the eggs as for icing, adding the sugar as you go on until it
will stand alone, then beat in the cocoanut. Mold the mix-
ture with your hands into small cones, and set these far
enough apart not to touch one another upon buttered paper
in a baking-pan. Bake in a very moderate oven.
Meringues. Mix the whites of four eggs, beaten to a stiff
froth, with one pound of pulverized sugar, and flavored to
the taste. Beat stiff, bake the same as macaroons, when
light brown, slip them from the papers, and put the smooth
sides together, with jelly between.
Lady-fingers. One-half pound pulverized sugar and six
yelks of eggs, well stirred; add one-fourth pound flour,
whites of six eggs, well beaten. Bake in lady-finger tins,
or squeeze through a bag of paper in strips two or three
inches long.
Lady-fingers, No. 2. Rub half a pound of butter into a
pound of flour ; to this add half a pound of sugar, the juice
and grated rind of one large lemon, and, lastly, three eggs,
the whites and yelks beaten separately, and the whites stirred
in after all the other ingredients are well mixed together.
This dough, if properly made, will be stiff enough to make
rolls about the size of a lady's finger ; it will spread when
in the oven, so that it will be of the right size and shape.
If you wish them to be especially inviting, dip them in cho-
colate icing after they are baked, and put two together.
See that the icing is so hard that it will not run, and set the
cakes on a platter in a cool jroom until thejdng is firm.
CAKES AND CAKE-BAKING. 199
Eclairs a la Creme. Three-fourths pound flour, one pint
water, ten eggs, one-half cupful butter. Put the water on
the fire in a stewpan with the butter ; as soon as it boils
stir in the sifted flour ; stir well until it leaves the bottom
and sides of the pan, when taken from the fire ; then add
the eggs, one at a time. Put the batter in a bag of paper,
and press out in the shape of fingers on a greased tin.
When cold, fill with cream, prepared as follows : One and
one-half pints of milk, two cupfuls sugar, yelks of five eggs,
one tablespoonful butter, three large tablespoonfuls corn-
starch, two teaspoonfuls extract vanilla. Frosted with choco-
late, they are much improved in appearance and flavor.
Icing for Cakes. In making icing, use at least a quarter of
a pound of pulverized sugar to the white of each egg ; if
not stiff enough, add more sugar. Break the whites into a
broad, cool dish, and throw in a small handful of sugar.
Begin whipping it in with long, even strokes of the beater,
adding the sugar gradually. Beat until the icing is smooth
and firm, then add the flavoring. Spread it on the cake
with a broad-bladed knife, dipped in cold water. If orna-
mentation of the icing is desired, it may be done by affixing
prepared leaves, flowers, etc., which can be had at the con-
fectioners' stores or at their supply stores. To make letters,
tracery, etc., for cakes, roll into a funnel shape a piece of
thick, white paper; fill this with icing in the soft state,
allowing it to drip out slowly from the small end of the
paper cone. Apply this carefully, and allow it to harden.
Orange Icing. Whites of two eggs, one-half pound of
pulverized sugar, and the juice of a large orange, treated
as above.
Lemon Icing. Whites of two eggs, one-half pound of
pulverized sugar, juice and part of the rind of one lemon.
Chocolate Icing. Whites of two eggs, one-half pound of
200 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
pulverized sugar, and three tablespoonfuls of grated choc<x
late.
Almond Icing. The whites of three eggs, one cupful of
pounded blanched almonds, three-quarters of a pound of
pulverized sugar, and a little almond extract.
Banana Icing. Whites of two eggs, one-half pound of pul-
verized sugar, and one banana finely crushed through it.
This cake should be eaten the same day it is made, as the
banana discolors over night.
Cocoanut Frosting. Whites of two eggs, one-half pound
of pulverized sugar. Spread on the cake, then sprinkle
thickly with grated cocoanut. This will make a whiter frost-
ing than results from stirring in the cocoanut.
Cooked Frosting. One cupful of granulated sugar, wet
with a little water. Let it boil without stirring until it be-
gins to thicken. Beat the whites of two eggs very light.
Strain the boiled sugar into them slowly, beating all the
time. Flavor to taste.
XIV. FRESH FRUITS AND NUTS.
VALUE OF FRESH FRUITS ON THE TABLE; ABUNDANCE OF FRUITS J
NUTRITIVE VALUE OF FRUITS; WHERE TO GATHER AND HOW
TO STORE FRUITS. TWENTY-TWO RECIPES FOR SERVING FRESH
FRUITS AND NUTS.
THRESH fruits are a most delightful accessory to the
' table supply of both rich and poor. They are so great
in variety, so rich in flavor, so beautiful in appearance,
so healthful, and of so long continuance in most parts of the
country, that it behooves every housekeeper to familiarize
herself with the best methods of using fresh fruits to
advantage.
A few years ago each locality depended upon its own
local crop of fruits. Now the railroads bring early fruits
from the far South and late fruits from the far North, so
that at the centres of population the several fruit seasons are
delightfully prolonged. Nor are we restricted to our own
country's production. Such are the facilities for rapid and
safe communication from distant points, that the world lays
her tribute of fruits, sweet and sound, at the door of the
enlightened nations.
Fruits do not take an important place as nutrients. They
belong rather among the luxuries, and yet, as an agreeable
stimulant to digestion, they occupy a front rank. In many
conditions of health, some of the fruits are the only articles
the invalid can enjoy, and their genial influences contribute
greatly to the general improvement of a patient's appetite.
Fruits intended for immediate use should be gathered
early in the morning, while the coolness of the night dews
201
202 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
is upon them. They should be just ripe, neither overdone
nor underdone, in nature's great process of preparing them
for human food. Fruit for storage is best gathered at the
middle of a dry day. It should be nearly ripe. If unripe,
or overripe it will not keep well. A moist atmosphere, but
not one positively damp, is best for the storing of fruit. An
ordinary cellar does better than a dry storeroom. Fruit
keeps better in the dark than in the light.
All varieties of nuts belong to the albuminous fruits and
are very nutritious, though the richer nuts are not easy
of digestion owing to their oily properties.
The supply of peanuts once came wholly from Africa, but
our Southern States have so successfully cultivated this
popular nut that we are now independent. The bulk of the
supply is from Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
During a single season the crop of Virginia rose to one
million one hundred thousand bushels, of Tennessee, five
hundred and fifty thousand bushels, and of North Carolina,
one hundred and twenty thousand bushels.
The Texas pecan is especially in demand. While a few
years ago several barrels of pecans abundantly supplied the
demand, carloads and invoices of one or two hundred bar-
rels are not now uncommon.
In the Eastern States hickory nuts are sufficiently plenti-
ful to ship to New York half a dozen carloads a week when
demanded.
The chestnut is becoming scarcer every year, but their
great popularity will probably prevent their total disappear-
ance, as they are already being successfully cultivated, and
it is expected that in a few years the cultivated nut will equal
in quality the high-priced Italian chestnuts.
RECIPES.
Watermelons. Wipe watermelons clean when they are
taken from the ice. They should lie on ice for at least four
FRESH FRUITS AND NUTS. 203
hours before they are eaten. Cut off a slice at each end of
the watermelon, then cut through the centre ; stand on end
on platter, and slice down, allowing each slice a part of the
centre, or heart.
Nutmegs, etc. Wash nutmegs and muskmelons; wipe
dry ; cut in two ; shake out the seeds lightly, and put a
lump of ice in each half. Eat with pepper and salt. A sil-
ver spoon is a neat and pleasant article with which to eat
small, ripe melons.
Pineapples. Slice on a slaw-cutter, or very thin with a
knife ; mix with finely powdered sugar. Set on ice till ready
to serve.
Oranges are nice served whole, the skins quartered and
turned down. Form in a pyramid with bananas and white
grapes.
Orange and Coeoannt A layer of oranges sliced, then
sugar, then a layer of cocoanut, grated ; then another of
oranges, and so on until the dish is full. This is by many
known as Ambrosia.
Sliced Peaches. Peel and slice ripe peaches. Lay them in
a dish with plenty of sugar for an hour or two, till tea time.
Eat with cream.
Stewed Peaches. Make a sirup of sugar and water ; halve
the peaches, leaving the stone in one half, and drop into
sirup. Allow the whole to simmer slowly until fruit is ten^
der; then remove fruit, and let sirup boil till thick; then pour
over fruit and serve at once.
Frosted Peaches. Put half a cupful of water and the
beaten whites of three eggs together ; dip in each peach,
using fine, large freestones, after you have rubbed off
the fur with a clean cloth ; and then roll in powdered sugar.
Set them on the stem end, upon a sheet of white paper, in
a sunny window. When half dry, roll again in the sugar.
204 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
Expose to the sun and breeze until perfectly dry. Until
ready to arrange them in the glass dish for table, keep in
a cool, dry place. Decorate with green leaves.
Fried Peaches. Cut the peaches in two, and remove the
stones. Dust a little flour on the side from which the stone
is taken, and fry, only on that side, in a little butter. When
done, add sugar and a little butter.
Baked Apples. Pare and core good, sound, tart apples.
Fill them with sugar, butter, and a flavor of spice. Put a
little water in the pan, and bake until the apples are
thoroughly tender.
Apple Sauce. Pare, core, and slice nice, juicy apples that
are not very sweet ; put them in a stewpan with a little
grated lemon peel, and water enough to keep them from
burning. Stew till soft and tender ; mash to a paste, and
sweeten well with brown sugar, adding a little butter and
nutmeg.
Apples with Lemon. Make a sirup of sugar and water.
Slice a lemon into it, and let boil until clear. Pare and core
sound, tart apples, cut into quarters, and lay them carefully
into the sirup ; let them cook gently until a straw can be
run through them, taking care not to break them. Lay the
pieces of apple ip a glass dish, boil down the sirup, and
when slightly cool, pour over the apples.
Apple Float. Pare, slice, and stew six large apples irv as
much water as will cover them ; when well done, press them
through a sieve and sweeten highly with crushed sugar ;
while cooling, beat the whites of four eggs to a stiff froth,
and stir into the apples ; flavor with lemon or vanilla ; serve
with plenty of sweet cream.
Transparent Apple. Boil tart, ripe, and juicy apples in a
little water; then strain through a fine cloth, and add a
pound of white sugar to a pint of juice, Boil till it jellies,
FRESH FRUITS AND NUTS. 205
and then put into molds. It is very nice served with blanc-
mange in saucers.
Baked Pears. Place in a stone jar, first a layer of pears,
with their skins on, then a layer of sugar, then pears, and so
on until the jar is full. Then put in as much water as it
will hold. Bake three hours.
Quinces. Bake ripe quinces thoroughly ; when cold, strip
off the skins, place the quinces in a glass dish, and sprinkle
them with white sugar ; serve with rich cream.
Bananas and Cream. Peel, slice, and heap up in a glass
dessert-dish, and serve raw, with fine sugar and cream.
Fried Bananas. Cut the bananas into slices, and fry in a
little butter. This makes a very rich dish.
Stewed Rhubarb. Carefully remove the outer stringy
skin ; then cut in pieces an inch long, and simmer gently till
tender in water and sugar, and the rind and juice of a lemon.
When done add a bit of butter and nutmeg.
Crystallized Fruit Pick out the finest of any kind of fruit j
leave in the stones ; beat the whites of three eggs to a stiff
froth ; lay the fruit in the beaten egg, with the stems
upward ; drain them, and beat the part that drips off again ;
select them out, one by one, and dip them into finely pow-
dered sugar ; cover a pan with a sheet of fine paper, place
the fruit on it, and set it in a cool place ; when the icing on
the fruit becomes firm, pile them on a dish, and set them in
a cold place.
Candied Fruits. Make a very rich sirup with one pound
of granulated sugar to a gill of water. Heat over boiling
water till the sugar is dissolved. Pare and halve fine, ripe,
but solid peaches. Put a single layer of them in the sirup,
in a shallow vessel ; cook slowly until clear ; drain from the
sirup, and put to dry in a moderately heated oven. When
fairly dry they may be eaten at once; or, after drying
206 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
twenty-four hours, they may be packed for future use.
Plums, cherries, and pears may be candied in the same
manner.
Nuts. Almonds are inseparably joined with raisins in
table service ; so for evening uses, hickory nuts and apples
form a pleasant combination. All the harder-shelled nuts
should be well cracked before they are served. With the
softer-shelled, nut crackers should be furnished. Nut picks
should always be at hand.
Sweet almonds, which are used for dessert, are of several
varieties. Those known as the Syrian, or Jordan almonds,
are regarded as the best. Those with hard shells are gen-
erally richer in flavor than those with the soft. Certainly
the harder shell offers the more effective protection. The
skin of almonds is not easily digested. For use in cooking
they should be blanched, but for table use this is not desir-
able. Walnuts keep well and improve with age. Of the
hickory-nut family, the shell-bark is considered best. These,
too, are the better for age.
XV. JELLIES, JAMS, AND PRESERVES.
WUJIT FOR JELLIES, JAMS, AND PRESERVES; HOW PREPARED}
PROPER SUGAR TO USE ; QUANTITY OF SUGAR NEEDED ; SUITABLE
PRESERVING-KETTLES; WHAT NOT TO USE; THE FIRE; CANS
AND JARS; WHERE STORED ; MOLDING THE JELLY; THE JELLY-
BAG ; STRAINING JELLY ; COVERING JELLY. FORTY-FOUR RECIPES
FOR JELLIES, JAMS, AND PRESERVES.
TO insure success in preserving fruits, the first thing to
be looked after is the fruit itself. This should be fully
ripe, fresh, sound, and scrupulously clean and dry. It
should be gathered in the morning of a sunny day, as it will
then possess its finest flavor. Care should be taken to re-
move all bruised or decayed parts. Allowing them to re-
main will darken the sirup, and consequently impair the
beauty of the preserves. Fruit requiring to be pared should
be laid in water to preserve the color after the paring. The
best sugar is the cheapest ; indeed, there is no economy in
stinting the sugar, either as to quality or proper quantity,
for inferior sugar is wasted in scum, and the preserves will
not keep unless a sufficient proportion of sugar is boiled
with the fruit. At the same time, too large a proportion of
sugar will destroy the natural flavor of the fruit, and in all
probability make fruit candy, instead of the result sought.
The usual proportion in making preserves, is a pound of
sugar to a pound of fruit. There are a few fruits which
require more sugar. In making the sirup, use a small cup-
ful of water to a pound of fruit. The sirup should always
be boiled and strained before putting the fruit in.
Fruit should be cooked in brass kettles, or those of bell-
metal. Modern kettles, lined with porcelain, are much use<J
ZQ7
208 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
for this purpose. The kettle should be broad and shallow,
so that there will be no necessity for heaping the fruit.
Never use tin, iron, or pewter spoons, or skimmers, for pre-
serves, as they will convert the color of red fruit into a
dingy purple, and impart, besides, a very unpleasant flavor.
Great care should be taken not to place the kettle flat
upon the fire, as this will be likely to burn at the bottom.
Glass jars are much the best for preserves, as the condi-
tion of the fruit can be observed more readily. Whatever
jars are used, however, the contents should be examined
every three weeks for the first two months, and if there are
any signs of either mold or fermentation it should be boiled
over again. Preserves should be stored in a cool, dry place,
but not in one into which fresh air never enters. Damp has
a tendency to make the fruit mold, and heat to make it
ferment.
A jelly-bag should be in every kitchen. It should be
made of flannel, pointed at the bottom, so that the jelly will
run out chiefly at one point. It is a good plan to sew a
strong loop to the top of the bag, so that it may be hung
upon a nail near the fire, that the juice of the fruit may run
through gradually into a vessel below. The bag should not
be squeezed with the hands, if you wish a very clear jelly.
After the clear juice has been obtained, the remainder may
be pressed, to make a very excellent, but inferior article of
jelly or marmalade.
Rinse the tumblers or bowls to be used in cold water
just before filling with jelly or marmalade. When the jelly
is cold, fit a circle of tissue-paper, dip it in brandy, and
place it directly on the surface of the fruit. This simple
precaution will save the housekeeper much annoyance by
protecting the conserve from mold. Should the fungus form
inside the upper cover of the glass, the inner will effectually
shield the contents. Paste thick paper over the top of the
glass to exclude the air.
JELLIES, JAMS, AND PRESERVES. 209
RECIPES.
Omrant Jelly. Never gather currants or other soft or
small seed fruit immediately after a rain for preserving pur-
poses, as they are greatly impoverished by the moisture
absorbed. In this climate, the first week in July is usually
considered the time to make currant jelly. Weigh the cur-
rants without removing the stems ; do not wash them, but
remove leaves and whatever may adhere to them ; to each
pound of fruit allow half the weight of granulated or pure
loaf sugar ; put a few currants into a porcelain-lined kettle,
and press them with a potato-masher, or anything conven-
ient, in order to secure sufficient liquid to prevent burning ;
then add the remainder of the fruit and boil freely for twenty
minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning ; take out
and strain through a jelly-bag, putting the liquid into earthen
or wooden vessels. When strained, return the liquid to the
kettle, without the trouble of measuring, and let it boil
thoroughly for a moment or so ; then add the sugar ; the
moment the sugar is entirely dissolved, the jelly is done,
and must be dished, or placed in glasses ; it will jelly upon
the side of the cup as it is taken up, leaving no doubt as to
the result.
Currant Jelly, No. 2. Take three quarts of fine, ripe, red
currants, and four of white ; put them into a jar, tie paper
over the top, and put them into a cool oven for three or four
hours, or else into a pan of boiling water, or set them on
the side of the range ; when they are thoroughly heated,
strain through a jelly-bag. To every pint of juice, add one
pound of granulated sugar, and boil from five to fifteen
minutes ; turn while hot into wet tumblers.
Currant Jelly without Cooking. Press the juice from the
currants and strain. it; to every pint put a pound of fine white
augar ; mix them together until the sugar is dissolved ; thec
210 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
put it in jars ; seal them and expose them to a hot sun for
two or three days.
Black Currant Jelly. Boil the currants till the juice flows,
then strain through a jelly-bag, and set it over the fire for
twenty minutes, after which add half a pound of sugar to a
pound of juice, and boil for about ten minutes.
White Currant Jelly. Strip the fruit off the stems, and
pound it in a clean wooden bowl. Drip the juice gently
through a jelly-bag. Prepare a very pure, clear sirup of the
best white sugar; allow a pint of juice to a pound of sugar;
boil it ten minutes only. Put it in glass preserve-tumblers,
cover with paper to fit exactly, and keep it dry and cool.
Apple Jelly. Take twenty large, juicy apples; pare and
chop ; put into a jar with the rind of four large lemons,
pared thin and cut in bits ; cover the jar closely, and set in
a pot of boiling water; keep water boiling all around it until
the apples are dissolved ; strain through a jelly-bag, and
mix with the liquid the juice of four lemons ; to one pint of
mixed juice use one pound of sugar; put in kettle, and when
the sugar is melted set it on the fire, and boil and skim
about twenty minutes, or until it is a thick, fine jelly.
Apple Jelly, No. 2. Peel and core sour apples ; boil them
in a very little water, and strain them through a jelly-bag.
Measure, and allow a pound of granulated sugar to a pint
of juice. Mix the sugar and juice well together, and let it
boil from five to ten minutes. Put it warm into glasses ;
cut some white paper to fit the top, dip it in brandy, and lay
on when the jelly is cool ; paste or tie thick paper over the
glasses, and when cold put away in a dark, dry place.
Crab-apple Jelly. Wash and quarter Siberian crab-apples.
Cover with cold water and let cook until thoroughly tender.
Strain through a jelly-bag, and to every pint of juice add
one pound of sugar. Let cook until it will jelly A slight
flavoring of essence of cinnamon is an improvement.
JELLIES, JAMS, AND PRESERVES. 211
Quince Jelly. Take very ripe quinces ; peel and core, and
boil in a little water till very soft ; drain off the juice
through a coarse towel, add an equal measure of sugar, and
boil twenty minutes.
Grape Jelly. Mash the grapes thoroughly and strain
out the juice. Add an equal measure of sugar, and boil
twenty minutes.
Barberry Jelly. Pick the berries from the stalks, mash
them, and boil fifteen minutes. Squeeze through a jelly-
bag; allow a pound of white sugar to a pound of juice;
melt the sugar in the juice, and boil half an hour.
Raspberry Jelly. Crush the raspberries and strain through
a wet cloth. Add an equal measure of sugar, and boil from
ten to twenty minutes.
Apple Marmalade. Pare, core, and slice two or three dozen
tart, juicy apples ; three-quarters of a pound of sugar to
every pint of juice. Stew until tender in just enough cold
water to cover them. Drain off the juice through a colan-
der, and put into a preserving-kettle, stirring into it three-
quarters of a pound of sugar for every pint of the liquid.
Boil until it begins to jelly; strain the juice of two lemons
into it; put in the apples, and stew pretty fast, stirring-
almost constantly, until it becomes thick and smooth. If
the apples are not entirely soft, rub them through the col-
ander before adding them to the boiling sirup.
Quince Marmalade. Take very ripe quinces ; wash, pare
and core them ; to each pound of fruit allow one pound of
loaf sugar. Boil the parings and cores together, with water
enough to cover them, till quite soft ; strain the liquid into
the preserving-kettle with the fruit and sugar. Boil the
whole over a slow fire, stirring frequently until the mass be-
comes thick.
Pear and Quince Marmalade. Pare and core two dozen
juicy pears and ten fine, rips quinces. Add three-quarters
212 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
of a pound of sugar to every pound of fruit and the juice o?
three lemons. Throw them into cold water, and stew the
parings and cores in a little water to make the sirup. When
they have boiled to pieces, strain off the liquid ; when cold,
put in the sliced fruit and bring to a fast boil. When the
mass is thick and smooth, cook steadily for an hour or more,
working with a wooden spoon to a rich jelly.
Pineapple Marmalade. Take ripe, juicy pineapples ; pare,
cut out the specks very carefully, and grate on a coarse
grater all but the core. Weigh, and allow a pound of sugar
to a pound of fruit. Cook from twenty minutes to half an
hour.
Orange Marmalade. Take eighteen sweet, ripe oranges, six
pounds best white sugar. Grate the peel from four of these
and reserve it for the marmalade. The rinds of the others
will not be needed. Pare the fruit carefully, removing the
inner white skin as well as the yellow. Slice the orange ;
remove the seeds ; put the fruit and grated peel in a porce-
lain kettle, and boil steadily until the pulp is reduced to a
smooth mass. Take from the fire, and put through a col-
ander. Stir in six pounds of the best white sugar ; return
to the fire, and boil fast, stirring constantly half an hour or
until thick.
Grape Marmalade. Put green grapes into a preserving-pan
with sufficient water to cover them. Put them on the fire,
and boil until reduced to a mash ; put the pulp through a
sieve which will strain out the seeds ; to each pound of pulp
add two pounds of the best loaf sugar, and boil to the con-
sistence of a jelly.
Peach Marmalade. Select peaches which are quite ripe ;
pare and cut them in small pieces ; to every pound of fruit
add one pound of sugar ; put the fruit and sugar into a pre-
serving-kettle, and mash well together ; place it over the fire,
and when it begins to boil, stir until it becomes quite thick.
f JELLIES, JAMS, AND PRESERVES. 213
Cherry Jam. First stone and then weigh some 'freshly
gathered preserving cherries; boil them over a brisk fire
for an hour, keeping them almost constantly stirred from the
bottom of the pan, to which they will otherwise be liable to
stick and burn. Add for each pound of the fruit half a
pound of good sugar roughly powdered, and boil quickly
for twenty minutes, taking off the scum as it rises.
Blackberry Jam. To four bowls of blackberries add four
bowls of sugar; boil until it jellies.
Raspberry Jam. Mash the raspberries, and allow a pound
of sugar to a pound of fruit. Boil twenty minutes. A few
currants added to raspberry jam is considered by many a
great improvement.
Barberry Jam. The barberries should be quite ripe, though
they should not be allowed to hang until they begin to
decay. Strip them from the stalks, throw aside such as are
spotted, and for each pound of fruit allow eighteen ounces of
well-refined sugar ; boil this, with one pint of water to every
four pounds, until it becomes white and falls in thick
masses from the spoon ; then throw in the fruit, and keep it
stirred over a brisk fire for six minutes only ; take off tho
scum, and pour it into jars or glasses.
Strawberry Jam. Use fine, scarlet berries ; weigh and boil
them for thirty-five minutes, keeping them constantly
stirred ; add eight ounces of good sugar to the pound of
fruit ; mix them well off the fire, then boil again quickly for
twenty-five minutes. One pound of white currant juice
added at the outset to four of the strawberries will greatly
improve this preserve.
White Currant Jam. Boil together quickly for seven min-
utes equal quantities of fine white currants, picked very care-
fully, and of the best white sugar pounded and passed
through a sieve. Stir the preserve gently the whole time,
214 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
and skim it thoroughly. Just before it is taken from tha
fire, throw in the strained juice of one good lemon to four
pounds of the fruit
Dainson Jam. The fruit for this jam should be freshly
gathered and quite ripe. Split, stone, weigh, and boil it
quickly for forty minutes ; then stir in half its weight of
good sugar roughly powdered, and when it is dissolved,
give the preserve fifteen minutes additional boiling, keeping
it stirred and thoroughly skimmed.
Green Gage Jam. Rub ripe green gages through a sieve ; put
all the pulp into a pan with an equal weight of loaf sugar
pounded and sifted. Boil the whole until sufficiently thick,
and put into glasses.
Preserved Peaches. Weigh the peaches, and allow three-
quarters of a pound of sugar to every pound of fruit. Throw
about half the sugar over the fruit, and let it stand over
night. In the morning drain the sirup off the fruit, add the
rest of the sugar, and let that come to a boil. Put the
peaches in, and let them boil until you can stick a straw
through them. In cooking the peaches, put a few at a time
only in the sirup to cook.
Preserved Peaches, No. 2. Weigh the fruit after it is pared
and the stones extracted and allow a pound of sugar to every
pound of peaches. Put the sugar in a preserving-kettle, and
make the sirup; let it just boil ; lay the peaches in, and let
them boil steadily until they are tender and clear. Take
them out with a perforated skimmer and lay upon flat
dishes, crowding as little as possible. Boil the sirup almost
to a jelly, until it is clear and thick, skimming off all the
scum. Fill the jars two-thirds full of the peaches, pour on
the boiling sirup, and, when cold, cover with brandied
tissue-paper, then with thick paper tied tightly over them.
Or put them in air-tight jars.
JELLIL^ JAMS, AND PRESERVES. 215
Preserved Quinces. Use a pound of sugar to each pound
of quince after paring, coring, and quartering ; take half of
the sugar and make a thin sirup ; stew in this a few of the
quinces at a time till all are finished. Make a rich sirup of
the remaining sugar, and pour over them.
Pineapple Preserves. Use pineapples as ripe as can be had.
Pare and cut them into thin slices, weigh them, and allow
one pound of the best granulated sugar to each pound of
fruit. Take a deep china bowl or dish, and in it put a layer
of fruit and sugar alternately, a coating of sugar on the top ;
let it stand all night. In the morning, take out the fruit and
put the sirup into a preserving-kettle. Boil and skim it until
it is perfectly clear ; then, while it is boiling hot, pour it
over the fruit, and let it stand uncovered until it becomes
entirely cold. If it stands covered, the steam will fall into
the sirup and thin it.
Preserved Pears. Preserved pears are put up precisely as
are peaches, but are only pared, not cored or divided, "Leave
the stems on.
Watermelon Rind Preserves. Select rind which is firm,
green, and thick ; cut in any fanciful shape, such as leaves,
stars, diamonds, etc. Then weigh, and to each pound of
rind allow one and a half pounds of loaf sugar. To green
them, take a brass or copper kettle, and to a layer of grape-
vine leaves, which should be well washed, add a layer of
the rind, and so on until the last, which should be a thick
layer of the leaves, and well covered with a coarse linen
cloth. To each pound of the rind, add a piece of alum the
size of a pea ; then fill up with warm water sufficient to
cover the whole, and let it stand upon the stove, where it
will steam, but not boil, until the greening is completed,
which will be in two or three hours. When green, lay them
in clear, cold water, and make your sirup. To each pound
of sngar add one and a half pints of water ; clarify, put in
216 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOtf.
your rind ; slice lemons, two to each pound of rind, and
when about half done add the lemons. Boil until the rind
is perfectly transparent. A few pieces of ginger-root may
be added, which will impart a high flavor, and will blend
very delightfully with the lemons.
Preserved Citron. Proceed the same as above, substituting
citron for the watermelon rind.
Preserved Strawberries. Procure fresh, large strawberries
when in their prime, but not so ripe as to be very soft ; hull
and weigh them ; take an equal weight of sugar, make a
sirup, and when boiling hot, put in the berries. A small
quantity only should be done at once. If crowded, they
will become mashed. Let them boil about twenty minutes,
or a half an hour ; turn into tumblers or small jars, and seal
with egg papers while hot.
Preserved Cherries. Wash, stem, and stone the cherries ;
save every drop of the juice, and use it in place of water in
making the sirup. Make a sirup, allowing a pound of sugar
to every pound of fruit ; add the fruit, and let it simmer
gently for half an hour, skimming as is necessary.
Damson Preserves. To four pounds of damsons use three
pounds of sugar ; prick each damson with a needle ; dis-
solve the sugar with one-half pint of water, and put it on
the fire ; when it simmers, put in as many damsons as will
lie on the top ; when they open, take them out and lay them
on a dish, and put others in, and so on until all have been
in ; then put them all in the kettle together and let them
stew until done ; put them in jars and seal them.
Green Gage Preserves. When the fruit is ripe, wipe them
clean, and to one pound of fruit put one-quarter pound of
sugar, which will make a fine sirup ; boil the fruit in this
sirup until it is perfectly done ; then use a fresh sirup of one
pound of fruit to one pound of sugar; moistening the sugar
JELLIES, JAMS, AND PRESERVES. 217
with water. When the sirup boils put in the fruit, and leave
for fifteen minutes ; then put the fruit in jars ; boil the sirup
until thick ; when cooled to milkwarm, pour it over the
fruit; tie the jars tightly and keep in a warm place.
Strawberries in Wine. Put a quantity of the finest large
strawberries in a bottle, strew in a few spoonfuls of pow-
dered sugar, and fill the bottle up with Madeira or Sherry
wine.
Grapes in Brandy. Take some close bunches of grapes,
white or black, not overripe, and lay them in ajar. Put a
good quantity of pounded white candy upon them, and fill
up the jar with brandy. Tie them close down, and keep in
a dry place. Prick each grape with a needle three times.
Brandy Peaches. Take large, juicy freestone peaches, not
so ripe as to burst or mash on being handled. Rub the
down from them with a clean thick flannel. Prick every
peach down to the stone with a large silver fork, and score
them all along the seam or cleft. To each pound of peaches
allow a pound of granulated sugar and half a pint of water
mixed with half a white of egg, slightly beaten. Put the
sugar into a porcelain kettle and pour the water upon it.
When it is quite melted, give it a stirring, set it over the
fire,, and boil and skim it till no more scum rises. Then
put in the peaches, and let them cook (uncovered) in the
sirup till a straw will penetrate them. Then take the kettle
off the fire, and take out the fruit with a wooden spoon,
draining it over the kettle. Let the sirup remain in the ket-
tle a little longer. Mix a pint of the very best white brandy
for each pound of peaches, with the sirup, and boil them
together ten minutes or more. Transfer the peaches to
large glass jars, making each about two-thirds full, and
pour the brandy and sirup over them, filling the jars full.
When cool, cover closely.
Seven pounds of fruit, one pint vinegar,
218 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
three pounds sugar, two ounces cinnamon, one-half ounce
cloves. Scald together the sugar, vinegar, and spices ; pour
over the fruit. Let it stand twenty-four hours ; drain off,
scald again, and pour over fruit, letting it stand another
twenty-four hours. Boil all together until the fruit is tender.
Skim it out, and boil the liquor until thickened. Pour over
the fruit and set away in a jar.
Apple Butter. Boil down a kettieful of cider to two-
thirds the original quantity. Pare, core, and slice juicy
apples, and put as many into the cider as it will cover. Boil
slowly, stirring often with a flat stick, and when the apples
are tender to breaking, take them out with a perforated
skimmer, draining well against the sides of the kettle. Put
in a second supply of apples and stew them soft, as many
as the cider will hold. Take from the fire, pour all together
into a tub or large crock; cover and let it stand twelve
hours. Then return to the kettle and boil down, stirring all
the while until it is the consistency of thick custard and
brown in color. Spice well with Durkee's ground mixed
spices.
Peach Butter. To one bushel of peaches allow from eight
to ten pounds of granulated sugar; pare and halve the
peaches, put into the kettle, and stir constantly, to prevent
sticking to the kettle, until perfectly smooth and rather
thick ; a part of the peach-stones thrown in and cooked
with the peaches give it a nice flavor, and they can be after-
ward skimmed out ; add the sugar a short time before tak-
ing from the fire ; put in jars and cover tight ; peaches for
butter should be neither too mealy nor too juicy.
XVI. CANNED FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.
WIDESPREAD USE OF CANNED GOODS; PHILOSOPHY OF CANNING
FRUITS ; HOW TO FILL THE JARS ; WHAT JARS ARE BEST } SELEC-
TION OF THE FRUIT ; WHERE TO STORE THE CANS; NEED OF
WATCHING THE CANS. TWELVE RECIPES OF CANNING FRUIT
AND VEGETABLES.
/BANNED fruits and vegetables of all kinds may now be
I . found abundantly in the stores. Their prices are so
low that they present a strong inducement to the
housekeeper to omit the labor incident to home canning, and
simply to purchase what is needed.
What is aimed at in all these processes is the entire ex-
clusion of air from the fruit. Its expulsion from them is
effected by using heat enough to cook them, after which the
hermetical sealing does the remaining service. Solder, wax,
and rubber bands do this sealing work.
If it is desired to preserve the fruit whole, it may be put
into the jars before heating. Fill the jars with water, and
set them into a wash-boiler of cold water, the water reach-
ing three-fourths of the way to the tops of the jars. Do not
set them directly on the bottom, but on a little hay, lest the
heat cause them to crack. Bring the water slowly to a boil,
and let it boil about five minutes. The cans may then be
taken out, stirred lightly, or shaken, to expel any remaining
air bubbles ; then fill to the brim with boiling water and
close the jars. No air bubbles should remain in the can.
If the fruit can be cooked before canning, the process is
much simpler, as the boiling material itself expels the air.
The cans in thJ5 case neetf simply to be filled and then
220 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
While filling jars, be careful that no current of cold alt
strike them, as this would suffice to crack a glass jar. When
a jar has cracked, it is hardly safe to use its contents, as
fragments of glass may be contained in the fruit, which
would be fatal if swallowed.
Cans should be of glass or stoneware, as the acids of
fruit act chemically on tin or other metals, often destroying
the flavor of the fruit, and sometimes rendering it absolutely
unwholesome. Do not use a metal spoon even. Either self-
sealing cans, or those which require wax, may be used suc-
cessfully, but probably the former are best for those of little
experience, and they are unquestionably more convenient.
There are several varieties of self-sealing cans, all of them
highly recommended, and doubtless all of them sufficiently
good. The "Valve Jar," the "Mason," and the "Hero"
are among the best known and most reliable.
Fruit should be selected with the greatest care. Some
varieties cannot be preserved at all, unless canned when per-
fectly fresh, and success is more certain with all kinds in
proportion to freshness and soundness. The fruit should be
nearly or quite ripe, but not over-ripe, and all which bears
signs of decay should be rejected.
In canning, as in preserving, granulated sugar should
always be used, and also a porcelain-lined kettle. Peaches,
pears, or other large fruit may, by the aid of a fork, be
tastily arranged in the jars, piece by piece. The boiling
juice may be added afterward to cover them. Thus ar-
ranged they appear prettier in the jars, though, of course,
the flavor is not improved.
All canning work should be done expeditiously, and the
cans be set away to cool. They should be kept in a cool,
dark place and closely watched for a few days, to see that
the sealing is perfect. If the fruit shows signs of not being
perfectly sealed, it should be at once taken out, scalded, and
sealed again.
CANNED FRUITS, ETC. 221
RECIPES.
Canned Strawberries. Fill glass jars with fresh strawberries
sprinkled with sugar, allowing a little over one-quarter of a
pound of sugar to each pound of berries ; set the jars in a
boiler, with a little hay laid in the bottom to prevent the
jars from breaking ; fill with cold water to within an inch or
two of the tops of the jars ; let them  fifteen minutes, then
move back to the boiler, wrap the hand in a towel, and take
out the jars ; fill the jars to the top before sealing, using one
or more of the filled jars for that purpose if necessary.
Canned Gooseberries. Fill very clean, dry, wide-necked
bottles with gooseberries gathered the same day and before
they have attained their full growth. Cork them tightly,
wrap a little hay round each of them, and set them up to
their necks in a kettle of cold water, which should be
brought very gradually to boil. Let the fruit be gently
simmered until it appears shrunken and perfectly scalded ;
then take out the bottles, and with the contents of one or
two fill up the remainder. Use great care not to break the
fruit in doing this. When all are ready, pour scalding
water into the bottles and cover the gooseberries entirely
with it, or they will become moldy at the top. Cork the
bottles well immediately, and cover the necks with melted
resin ; keep them in a cool place ; and when they are used
pour off the greater part of the water and add sugar as for
the fresh fruit.
Canned Peaches. Peel and quarter choice peaches. To
peel, place them in a wire basket, dip into boiling water a
moment and then into cold water, and strip off the skins.
Have a porcelain-kettle with boiling water and another with
sirup made with granulated sugar ; drop the peaches into
boiling water (some previously boil the pits in the water for
their flavor) and let them cook until tender; then lift them
out carefully into a can, pouring over them all the sirup the
222 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
can will hold, and seal immediately. Cook only peaches
enough to fill one can at a time.
Canned Peaches, No. 2. Pare and stone peaches enough fot
two jars at a time. If many are pared, they will become dark
colored by standing. Rinse in cold water ; then cook in a
rich sirup of sugar and water about fifteen or twenty minutes,
or until they are clear. Put into jars all that are not broken;
fill up with the hot sirup, about as thick as ordinary mo-
lasses, and seal. The same sirup will do to cook several jars.
After the sirup becomes dark, it, with the broken peaches,
can be used for marmalade or peach butter. The same
method can be used for pears, plums, and all light fruits.
Canned Pineapple. Use three-fourths of a pound of sugar
to one pound of fruit. Pick the pineapple to pieces with a
silver fork. Scald and can while hot
Canned Grapes. Squeeze the pulp from the skin ; boil the
pulp until the seeds begin to loosen, having the skins boiling
hard and separately in a little water. When the pulp seems
tender, put it through the sieve ; then add the skins, if ten-
der, with the water they boil in, if not too much. Use a
large cofTeecupful of sugar for a quart can ; boil until thick,
and can in the usual way.
Canned Plums. Prick each plum with a needle to prevent
bursting ; prepare a sirup, allowing a gill of pure water and
a quarter of a pound of sugar to every three quarts of fruit.
When the sugar is dissolved and the water blood-warm, put
in the plums. Heat slowly to a boil. Let them boil five
minutes not fast or they will break badly fill up the jars
with plums, pour in the scalding sirup until it runs down
the sides, and seal. Green gages are very fine put up in this
way, also damsons for pies.
Canned Pears. Select finely flavored fruit ; either halve and
fcpre tftern or ppre ^Jjple ; mafce a $jrup
CANNED FRUITS, ETC. 223
using as little water as will dissolve the sugar. Add a
quarter of a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit. Place the
fruit in the kettle carefully, and let it come to a boil or until
the fruit is well scalded. Turn into the jars hot, and seal at
once.
Canned Tomatoes. Pour boiling water over the tomatoes
to loosen the skins. Remove these ; drain off all the juice
that will come away without pressing hard ; put them into a
kettle and heat slowly to a boil. The tomatoes will look
much nicer if all the hard parts be removed before putting
them on the fire. Rub the pulp soft with your hands. Boil
half an hour ; dip out the surplus liquid, pour the tomatoes,
boiling hot, into the cans, and seal. Keep in a cool, dark
place.
Canned Beans. Remove the strings at the sides, and cut
into pieces about an inch long ; put them into boiling water
and scald, then can them.
Canned Asparagus. Cut away all the hard part of the stem
and boil the top portion until nearly done, just as if about
to serve at once. Flat cans are best, into which the stems
can be laid regularly, the water in which they were boiled
being poured over them boiling hot, and the can sealed. If
jars or high cans are used, pack the asparagus into them
until they are full. Fill the cans with water ; set them on
hay in a boiler of cold water reaching to within an inch of
their tops ; then bring to a boil and nearly finish cooking
the stems. Wrap the hand in a towel ; take out the cans
and seal or solder them as in other vegetables.
Canned Corn. Boil sweet corn till nearly done ; cut close
from the cobs and fill the jars ; pour on water in which the
corn was boiled ; place in a boiler and just bring to a boil,
as above ; then take gut and seal.
XVII. PICKLES AND CATSUPS.
SICKLES MORE POPULAR THAN WHOLESOME ; GREENING PICKLES >
WHAT KETTLES AND JARS SHOULD NOT BE USED IN PICKLING J
CHOOSING THE FRUIT, SPICES, ETC. ; HOW TO KEEP PICKLES ;
CATSUPS, HOW MADE, ETC. THIRTY-THREE RECIPES FOR PICKLES
AND CATSUPS.
PICKLES are very popular as a relish, but it must be
confessed that they are not the most wholesome diet.
This is due chiefly to the fact that they are made of
hard, crude, and often of unripe fruit. Then, too, the ex-
cess of acid and the high seasoning disagree with many
constitutions.
It is deemed important that pickles for the market be
well greened. To accomplish this end, copperas and other
chemicals are employed or copper kettles are used. All
this is poisonous, and should be shunned. No metal ket-
tles or spoons should be tolerated in pickling. Glazed jars
are not desirable either, as salt and vinegar decompose the
glazing and set free the lead which it contains. An ordinary
stone jar is the vessel to use, or a porcelain-lined kettle.
Be careful to select perfectly sound fruit or vegetables for
pickling, and use none but the very best cider vinegar.
Good white wine vinegar does well for some sorts of pickles,
but be ever watchful against chemical preparations called
vinegar, that destroy instead of preserving the articles put
away in them. In the selection of spices there is so much
diversity of taste that no general directions will be of prac-
tical value. But get the purest articles you can find.
Pickles must be kept from the air, It is a good plan to
284
PICKLES AND CATSUPS. 226
put them up in large jars, and for use to empty the large
jar at once into smaller ones, using these one at a time.
Keep them wholly covered with the vinegar. Water will
soon cause the jar of pickles to spoil.
The same hints given above apply to the making of cat-
sup, which is really but a pickle cooked to a more advanced
point. It needs to be tightly corked and sealed, that it may
keep well.
RECIPES.
Cucumber Pickles. Make a weak brine, hot or cold ; if hot,
let the cucumbers stand in it twenty-four hours ; if cold,
forty-eight hours ; rinse and dry the cucumbers with a cloth,
take vinegar enough to cover them, allow one ounce of
alum to every gallon of vinegar, put it in a brass kettle (or
porcelain-lined, if the greening is not desired) with the
cucumbers, and heat slowly, turning the cucumbers from
the bottom frequently ; as soon as they are heated through,
skim them out into a crock, let the vinegar boil up, turn i'
over the pickles, and let them stand at least twenty-fou.
houis ; drain off the vinegar. Take fresh vinegar, and to
every gallon allow two tablespoofuls of white mustard-seed,
one of cloves, one of celery-seed, one of stick cinnamon,
one large, green pepper, a very little horse-radish, and, if
you like, one-half pint of sugar. Divide the spices equally
into several small bags of coarse muslin, scald with the vine-
gar, and pour over the pickles. If you like your pickles
hard, let the vinegar cool before pouring over them.
Cucumber Pickles, No. 2. To a gallon of water add a quart
of salt, put in the cucumbers, and let them stand over night.
In the morning, wash them out of the brine, and put them
carefully into a stone jar. Boil a gallon of vinegar, put in
while cold, quarter of a pound of cloves, and a tablespoon-
ful of alum ; when it boils hard, skim it well and turn ovef
the cucumbers. In a week they will be fit for use.
15
226 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
Pickled Onions. Select small white onions, put them ovet
the fire in cold water with a handful of salt. When the
water becomes scalding hot, take them out and peel off the
skins, lay them in a cloth to dry; then put them in a jar.
Boil half an ounce of allspice and half an ounce of cloves
in a quart of vinegar. Take out the spice and pour the
vinegar over the onions while it is hot. Tie up the jar when
the vinegar is cold, and keep it in a dry place.
Pickled Onions, No. 2. Take small, white onions and peel
them ; lay them in salt water for two days ; change the water
once; then drain and put them in bottles. Take vinegar
enough to cover them, spice with whole mixed spices, scald
it, and pour over the onions.
Pickled Garlic and Eschalots. Garlic and eschalots may be
pickled in the same way as onions.
Pickled Nasturtiums. Nasturtiums should be gathered
quite young, and a portion of the buds, when very small,
should be mixed with them. Prepare a pickle by dissolv-
ing an ounce and a half of salt in a quart of pale vinegar,
and throw in the berries as they become fit, from day to
day. They are used instead of capers for sauce, and by
some persons are preferred to them. When purchased for
pickling, put them at once into a jar and cover them well
with the vinegar.
Pickled Watermelon. Take the outer part of the rind of
the melon, pare and cut in small pieces. To one quart of
vinegar add two pounds of sugar, one ounce of cassia buds.
In this boil the rind until clear and tender.
Pickled Walnuts. Walnuts for this pickle must be gathered
while a pin can pierce them easily. When once the shell
can be felt, they have ceased to be in a proper state for it
Make sufficient brine to cover them well, with six ounces of
<alt to the gallon of water; take off the scum, which will
PICKLES AND CATSUPS. 227
rise to the surface as the salt dissolves, throw in the walnuts,
and stir them night and morning ; change the brine every
three days, and if they are wanted for immediate eating,
leave them in it for twelve days; otherwise, drain them
from it in nine, spread them on dishes, and let them remain
exposed to the air until they become black ; this will be in
twelve hours, or less. Make a pickle for them with some-
thing more than half a gallon of vinegar to the hundred, a
teaspoonful of salt, two ounces of black pepper, three of
bruised ginger, a drachm of mace, and from a quarter to
half an ounce of cloves (of which some may be stuck into
three or four small onions), and four ounces of mustard-
seed. Boil the whole of these together for about five min-
utes ; have the walnuts ready in a stone jar, or jars, and
pour the vinegar on them as soon as it is taken from the fire.
When the pickle is quite cold, cover the jar securely and
store it in a dry place. Keep the walnuts always well
covered with vinegar, and boil that which is added to them.
Pickled Red Cabbage. Slice the red cabbage into a colan-
der, and sprinkle each layer with salt ; let it drain two days,
then put it into a jar and pour boiling vinegar enough to
cover, and put in a few slices of red beet-root. Use the
purple red cabbage. Cauliflower cut in bunches, and
thrown in after being salted, will take on the color of a
beautiful red.
Pickled Mushrooms. Rub the mushroom heads with flan-
nel and salt, throw them in a stewpan with a little salt over
them ; sprinkle with pepper and a small quantity of mace ;
as the liquor comes out, shake them well, and keep them
over a gentle fire until all the liquor is dried into them
again ; then, put as much vinegar into the pan as will cover
them ; give it a scald, and pour the whole into bottles.
Pickled Beets. Wash the beet perfectly, not cutting any
of the fibrous roots, lest the juice escape; put in sufficient
228 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK:.
water to boil it, and when the skin will come off easily it is
sufficiently cooked, and may be taken out and laid upon a
cloth to cool. Having rubbed off the peel, cut the beet
into thick slices, pour over it cold vinegar prepared as fol-
lows : Boil a quart of vinegar with an ounce of whole black
pepper and an equal weight of dry ginger, and let it stand
until quite cold. Keep closely corked.
Pickled Peppers. Do not pick them till just as they begin
to turn red ; then soak them for ten or twelve days in strong
salt and water ; take them from the brine and soak them
in clear water for a day. Wipe them dry, and put them
away in cold vinegar ; or if you wish them milder, remove
the seeds and scald the vinegar, but do not boil.
Pickled Bell Peppers. Cut a slit in the side of each pepper
and take out all the seeds. Let them soak in brine (strong
enough to float an egg) two days. Then, washing them in
cold water, put them into a stone jar. Pour over them vine-
gar boiled with cinnamon, mace, and nutmeg. Whenever
they are wanted to be served, stuff each one with a boiled
tongue cut into dice and mixed with a mayonnaise dressing.
Or little mangoes may be made, stuffing each one with
pickled nasturtiums, grapes, minced onions, red cabbage, or
cucumbers, seasoned with mustard-seed, root ginger, and
mace.
Pepper-hash. Take four dozen peppers, two very large
cabbages, one ounce of light mustard-seed. Chop the
peppers fine, cut the cabbage on a cabbage-knife, mix to-
gether, salt well, and let it stand over night, putting the
dish or tub so the juice will run down ; pour off in the
morning. Add one ounce of cloves, one ounce of allspice ;
mix all through, and put the vinegar on cold.
Flint Pickles. Make a brine of a gallon of water and a
cupful of salt. This must be poured boiling hot on the cu-
cumbers six days in succession. Rinse them in cold water;
CATSUPS.
put them in a kettle with a teaspoonful of allspice and a tea-
spoonful of cloves, a handful of cinnamon sticks, a little
sliced horse-radish, and cider vinegar to cover them. Let
them come to a boil, then take out and put in jars.
East India Pickle. One hundred cucumbers (large and
small), one peck of green tomatoes, one-half peck of onions,
four cauliflowers, four red peppers (without the seeds), four
heads of celery, one pint of bottled horse-radish. Slice all,
and stand in salt twenty-four hours, then drain ; pour on
weak vinegar ; stand on stove until it comes to a boil ; then
drain again. Take one ounce of ground cinnamon, one
ounce of ground tumeric, one-half pound of mustard, one-
quarter pound of brown sugar; wet these with cold vinegar;
add to this sufficient vinegar to moisten all the pickles.
Cook all together ten minutes. Seal in bottles while hot
French Pickle. Take one peck of green tomatoes, sliced ;
six large onions. Throw on them a teacupful of salt over night
Drain thoroughly, then boil in two quarts of water and one
quart of vinegar fifteen or twenty minutes; drain in colan^
der ; then take four quarts of vinegar, two pounds of brown
sugar, one-half pound of white mustard-seed, two table-
spoonfuls of cloves, two tablespoonfuls of cinnamon, two
tablespoonfuls of ginger, two tablespoonfuls of ground
mustard, one teaspoonful of cayenne pepper ; put all to-
gether and cook fifteen minutes.
Piccallily. One peck of green tomatoes sliced, one-half
peck of onions sliced, one cauliflower, one peck of small cu-
cumbers. Leave in salt and water twenty-four hours ; then
put in a kettle with a handful of scraped horse-radish, one
ounce of tumeric, one ounce of whole cloves, one-quarter
pound of whole pepper, one ounce of cassia buds or cinna-
mon, one pound of white mustard-seed, one pound of Eng-
lish mustard. Put in kettle in layers, and cover with cold
vinegar. Boil fifteen minutes, constantly stirring.
230 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
Chow-chow. One quart of large cucumbers, one quart ol
small ones ; two quarts of onions, four heads of cauliflower,
six green peppers, one quart of green tomatoes, one gallon
of vinegar, one pound of mustard, two cupfuls of sugar, two
cupfuls of flour, one ounce of tumeric. Put all in salt and
water one night ; cook all the vegetables in brine until
tender except the large cucumbers. Pour vinegar and
spices over all.
Sweet Pickles. Such fruit as peaches, plums, cherries,
grapes, etc., are very palatable when sweet pickkd. The
process is the same as for other light pickles, except that
the vinegar is sweetened to taste.
Sweet Tomato Pickles. Eight pounds of peeled tomatoes,
four of powdered sugar. Of cinnamon, cloves, and allspice,
each one ounce. Boil one hour, and add a quart of bailing
vinegar.
Tomato Catsup. Take one bushel of tomatoes ; boil soft,
and pass through a sieve. Add half a gallon of cider vinegar,
one pint of salt, two ounces of cloves, a quarter pound of
allspice, a half ounce of cayenne pepper. Boil until
reduced to half the quantity. When cool, bottle and cork
tightly.
Tomato Catsup, No. 2. Take one peck of ripe tomatoes, cut
up, boil tender, and strain through a wire sieve ; add one
large tablespoonful of ground cloves, one large tablespoon-
ful of allspice, one large tablespoonful of cinnamon, one tea-
spoonful of cayenne pepper, one-quarter pound of salt, one-
quarter pound of mustard, one pint of vinegar. Boil gently
three hours. Bottle and seal while warm.
Green Tomato Catsup. One peck of green tomatoes, one
dozen large onions, one-half pint of salt ; slice the tomatoes
and onions. To a layer of these add a layer of salt ; let
tand twenty-four hours, then drain. Add one-quarter pound
PICKLES AND CATSUPS. 231
of mustard-seed, three dessertspoonfuls of sweet oil, one
ounce of allspice, one ounce of cloves, one ounce of ground
mustard, one ounce of ground ginger, two tablespoonfuls of
black pepper, two teaspoonfuls of celery-seed, one-quarter
pound of brown sugar. Put all into a preserving-pan, cover
with vinegar, and boil two hours.
CMli Sauce. Thirty tomatoes, three large onions, three
peppers, one tablespoonful each of allspice, cloves, and cin-
namon, two nutmegs, two tablespoonfuls of salt, one quart of
vinegar, one cupful of sugar. Chop the onions and pep-
pers very fine. Cook the tomatoes somewhat first. Mix
thoroughly.
Tomato Soy. One-half bushel of green tomatoes, three
onions, three green peppers, one-quarter pound of mustard-
seed, three cupfuls of sugar, three cabbages. Chop the
tomatoes and onions together fine; add to one gallon of the
tomatoes one cupful of salt; let stand twenty-four hours,
drain, and add the peppers (chopped fine), mustard-seed,
sugar, and other spices to taste. Moisten all with vinegar
and cook until tender. Before bottling, add the cabbages
(chopped), and one cupful of chopped horse-radish.
Grape Catsup. Take five pints of grapes; simmer until
soft, then put through a colander ; add to them two pints of
brown sugar, one pint of vinegar, two tablespoonfuls of all-
spice, two tablespoonfuls of cinnamon, two tablespoonfuls of
cloves, one and one-half teaspoonfuls of mace, one teaspoon-
ful of salt, one and one-half teaspoonfuls of red pepper. Boil
till thick ; then bottle and seal tightly.
Walnut Catsup. The vinegar in which walnuts have been
pickled, when they have remained in it a year, will generally
answer all the purposes for which this catsup is required,
particularly if it be drained from them and boiled for a few
minutes, with a little additional spice and a few eschalots;
but where the vinegar is objected to, it may be made by
WOMAtt
boiling either the expressed juice of young walnuts for an
hour, with six ounces of fine anchovies, four ounces of
eschalots, half an ounce of black pepper, a quarter ounce of
cloves, and a drachm of mace to every quart.
Walnut Catsup, No. 2. Pound in a mortar a hundred young
walnuts, strewing among them as they are done half a
pound of salt ; then pour to them a quart of strong vinegar
and let them stand until they have become quite black,
keeping them stirred three or four times a day ; next add a
quart of strong, old beer, and boil the whole together for ten
minutes ; strain it, and let it remain until the next day ; then
pour it off clear from the sediment, add to it one large head
of garlic bruised, half an ounce of nutmegs bruised, the same
quantity of cloves and black pepper, and two drachms of
mace ; boil these together for half an hour, and the follow-
ing day bottle and cork the catsup well.
A bottle of port wine may be added before bottling, if de-
sired, and a large bunch of sweet herbs.
Oyster Catsup. Take fine, large fresh oysters, opened care-
fully, and wash them in their own liquor. To take any par-
ticle of shell that may remain, strain the liquor after. Pound
the oysters in a mortar, add the liquor, and to every pint
put a pint of sherry ; boil it up and skim ; then add two
anchovies, pounded, an ounce of common salt, two drachms
of pounded mace, and one of cayenne. Let it boil up, then
skim, and rub it through a sieve. Bottle when cold and
seal it. What remains in the sieve will do for oyster sauce.
), No. 2. One quart oysters, one tablespoon-
ful salt, one tablespoonful cayenne pepper, one tablespoonful
mace, one teacupful cider vinegar, one teacupful sherry.
Chop the oysters, and boil in their own liquor with the tea^
cupful of vinegar, skimming the skum as it rises. Boil three
minutes, strain through a hair cloth, return the liquor to the
PICKLES AND CATSUPS. 233
fire; add the wine, pepper, salt, and mace. Boil fifteen
minutes, and when cold, bottle for use,
Mushroom Catsup with Spice. Take full-grown and fresh-
gathered mushrooms ; put a layer of these at the bottom of
a deep earthen pan and sprinkle them with salt ; then another
layer of mushrooms ; sprinkle more salt on them, and so on
alternately. Let them stand for two or three hours, by
which time the salt will have penetrated the mushrooms and
have made them easy to break ; then pound them in a mor-
tar, or break them well with your hands ; let them remain
in this state for two days, not more, washing them well once
or twice a day ; then pour them into a stone jar, and to each
quart add an ounce and a half of whole black pepper and
half an ounce of allspice ; stop the jar very close, and set it
in a saucepan of boiling water and keep it boiling for two
hours at least. Take out the jar and pour the juice clear
from the settlings through a hair sieve into a clean stewpan,
and boil it very gently on a slow fire for half an hour.
Mushroom Catsup without Spice. Sprinkle a little salt over
your mushrooms. Three hours after, mash them ; next day,
strain off the liquor and boil it till it is reduced to half. It
will not keep long, but an artificial mushroom bed will
supply this, the very best mushroom catsup, all the year
round.
XVIII. BEVERAGES.
HINTS ON HOME BEVERAGES ; USE GOOD MATERIALS ; WHAT TEA
is; KINDS OF TEA; ITS VALUE AS A BEVERAGE; KINDS OF
COFFEE ; ADULTERATIONS OF COFFEE ; HOW TO GET IT PURE ;
HOW TO RETAIN ITS FLAVOR; THE COFFEEPOT; CHOCOLATE
AND ITS PREPARATION; OTHER BEVERAGES. THIRTY-THREE
RECIPES FOR BEVERAGES.
ASIDE from the spirituous and malt liquors, the composi-
tion of which is not attempted in the household, there
is a long line of beverages concerning which some
hints are of value. In general, it may be said, employ good
materials, and do not stint them in quantity, if you want
good results. What is worth doing at all in culinary lines
is worth doing well, and beverages, being in the line of lux-
uries, should be good, if not positively luxuriant.
Tea is the leaf of the tea-tree cured in various ways, and
so appearing in the various forms known to commerce.
Black teas are subjected to the action of heat far beyond the
green teas. The green teas go through a greening process
also, the healthfullness of which may well be questioned.
Of the black teas, the Pekoe is the earliest gathered and
mildest, while the Souchong, the Congou, and the Bohea
are respectively older in growth and stronger in flavor.
Of the green teas, the Young Hyson is from the tenderest
and mildest leaf, the Gunpowder, Hyson, and Twankay
being of older growth respectively and of stronger flavor.
The treatment of all these leaves, as well as their age, ara
important factors in their final quality.
234
BEVERAGES.
The nutritive Value of tea is not appreciable, but as an ex-
citant of respiratory action and a promoter of digestion it is
very valuable. Tea should be kept closely covered in air-
tight canisters, in order that the flavor may be retained.
Coffee will grow in any climate where the temperature
does not fall below fifty-five degrees. The best brands are
the Mocha and the Java, but South America supplies the
largest amount used in this country, which is sold under the
general name of Rio. Coffee is often wretchedly adulterated,
especially when sold in the roasted and ground form. It is
safer to buy it green and to roast and grind it at home.
Roasted coffee should be kept in tight canisters or boxes,
and it should be ground only as it is wanted for use. The
coffeepot must be scalded clean and occasionally with soda,
so that the inside may be absolutely pure.
Chocolate should never be made except it is intended to
be used immediately. By allowing it to become cold or
by boiling it again, the flavor is injured, the oily particles of
the cocoa are separated and rise to the surface also, and they
will never blend pleasantly again.
Other beverages are in occasional use, but those already
mentioned are the standards in this land.
RECIPES.
. People must consult their own tastes as to the kind
of tea. A mixed tea is generally preferred, combining the
flavors of both green and black. Allow one teaspoonful
for each person. Use boiling water, but do not boil the tea,
and use while fresh. Tea is best made in an earthen teaoot
It should never be made in tin.
Iced Tea. Iced tea should be made several hours before it
is needed and then set upon ice. When ready to use it,
sweeten and drink without milk or cream. Use cracked ice
236 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
to put into the glass. The tea must be extra strong, and da
not stint the ice.
Tea a la Russe. Slice fresh, juicy lemons; pare them
carefully, lay a piece in the bottom of each cup ; sprinkle
with white sugar and pour the tea, very hot and strong,
over them.
Iced Tea a la Russe. To each goblet of cold tea (without
cream) add the juice of half a lemon. Fill up with
pounded ice and sweeten well. A glass of champagne
added to this makes what is called Russian punch.
Coffee. To make choicest coffee, take equal quantities of
Java and Mocha ; grind finely together, allowing about two
teaspoonfuls of ground coffee to each person ; add an egg
with its shell and a very little cold water ; stir this thor-
oughly together and turn on boiling water. Set the pot on
the back of the range for five minutes ; then draw forward
and allow it to boil up just an instant; clear the spout by
pouring from it and returning it in the top of the pot. Then
serve at once with plenty of cream and sugar.
Iced Coffee. Make the coffee extra strong. When it is
cold, mix with an equal quantity of fresh cream ; sweeten to
taste, and freeze as in ice-cream, or serve with abundance of
broken ice.
Cafe Noir. This is the strongest preparation of coffee, its
very essence, indeed. It is used after dessert at course din-
ners. Make the coffee strong and clear as possible, but use
only one-third the ordinary quantity of water. Serve with
lump sugar, with which it should be highly sweetened, and
use very small cups. Cream may be added if desired.
Meringued Coffee. For six cupfuls of coffee take about
one cupful of sweet cream, whipped light, with a little sugar.
Put into each cup the desired amount of sugar and about
a tablespoonful of boiling milk. Pour the coffee over these.
BEVERAGES. 237
and lay upon the surface of the hot liquid a large spoonful
of the frothed cream. Give a gentle stir to each cup before
sending it from the tray.
Frothed Cafe an Lait Pour into the table urn one quart
of strong, clear coffee, strained through muslin, and one
quart of boiling milk, alternating them, and stirring gently.
Cover and wrap a thick cloth about the urn for five minutes
before it goes to table. Have ready in a cream-pitcher the
whites of three eggs, beaten stiff, and one tablespoonful of
powdered sugar, whipped with them. Put a large spoonful
of this froth upon each cupful of coffee as you pour it out,
heaping it slightly in the centre.
Chocolate. Scrape fine one square of a cake, which is one
ounce ; add to it an equal weight of sugar ; put these into
a pint of boiling milk and water, each one-half, and stir well
for two or three minutes until the sugar and chocolate are
well dissolved. This preparation may be improved by
adding a well-beaten egg or two and stirring briskly through
the mixture with a Dover egg-beater. A teaspoonful ol
vanilla extract added just before sending to table is a valua-
ble addition.
;_ Frothed Chocolate. One cupful of boiling water; three
pints of fresh milk ; three tablespoonfuls of Baker's ehoco-
late, grated ; five eggs, the whites only, beaten light, and two
tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar for froth. Sweeten the
chocolate to taste ; heat the milk to scalding ; wet up the
chocolate with the boiling water, and when the milk is hot,
stir this into it; simmer gently ten minutes, stirring fre-
quently ; boil up briskly once ; take from the fire ; sweeten
to taste, taking care not to make it too sweet, and stir in the
whites of two eggs, whipped stiff, without sugar ; pour into
the chocolate pot or pitcher, which should be well heated.
Have ready in a cream-pitcher the remaining
238 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
whipped up with the powdered sugar ; cover the surface of
each cup with the sweetened meringue before distributing to
the guests.
Choca. This beverage, a favorite with many, is made by
mixing coffee and chocolate, as prepared for the table, in
equal quantities, and serving hot for breakfast.
Broma. Dissolve a large tablespoonful of Baker's broma
in as much warm water ; then pour upon it a pint of boiling
milk and water, in equal proportions, and boil it two min-
utes longer, stirring it frequently ; add sugar at pleasure.
Breakfast Cocoa. Into a breakfast cup put a teaspoonful of
the powder, add a tablespoonful of boiling water, and mix
thoroughly. Then add equal parts of boiling water and
boiled milk, and sugar to the taste. Boiling two or three
minutes will improve it.
Cocoa Shells. Take a small quantity of cocoa shells (say
two ounces), pour upon them three pints of boiling water,
boil rapidly thirty or forty minutes; allow it to settle
or strain, and add cream or boiling milk and sugar at
pleasure.
Lemonade. Squeeze the juice of lemons, and add sugar
and ice-water to taste.
Concentrated Lemonade. Make a rich sirup of two and a
half pounds of sugar and one pint of cold water and boil
gradually. Pour it hot on one and a half ounces of citric
acid. Bottle tight while hot. One tablespoonful will make
a tumblerful of lemonade.
Portable Lemonade. Mix a quarter pound of white sugar
with the grated rind of a large, juicy lemon. Pour upon
this the strained juice of the lemon and pack in a jar. One
tablespoonful will suffice for a glass of water.
Egg Nog. To the yelks of six eggs, add six tablespoon-
tils of powdered sugar, one quart of new milk, a half pint
BEVERAGES. 239
of French brandy, and one pint of Madeira wine. Beat the
whites up separately, and stir them through the mixture just
before pouring into glasses for use.
Roman Punch. Beat stiff the whites of three eggs, with a
half pound of powdered sugar. Add three teacupfuls of
strong, sweet lemonade, one wineglassful each of rum and
champagne, and the juice of two oranges. Ice abundantly,
or freeze.
Milk Punch. Boil one quart of milk, warm from the cow.
Beat up the yelks of four eggs and four tablespoonfuls oi
powdered sugar together; add two glasses of the best
sherry wine ; pour into a pitcher, and mix with it the boil-
ing milk, stirring all the time. Pour from one vessel to
another six times ; add cinnamon and nutmeg to taste, and
serve as soon as it can be swallowed without scalding the
throat.
Currant and Raspberry Shrub. Pound four quarts of ripe
currants and three quarts of red raspberries in a stone jar or
wide-mouthed crock with a wooden beetle. Squeeze out
every drop of the juice; put this into a porcelain, enamel,
or very clean bell-metal kettle, and boil hard ten minutes.
Put in four pounds of loaf sugar at the end of the ten min-
utes, and boil up once to throw the scum to the top ; skim
and let it get perfectly cold ; then skim off all remaining
impurities ; add one quart of the best brandy and shake
hard for five minutes. Bottle, seal the corks, and lay the
bottles on their sides in dry sawdust.
Currant Wine. One quart of currant juice, three pounds
of brown sugar, and one gallon of water ; dissolve the sugar
in the water, then add the juice ; when it ferments, add a
little fresh water each day till it is done fermenting, which
will be in from a month and a half to two months ; turn it
off, scald the keg, put it in again, and cork tightly.
240 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
Raspberry Wine. Bruise the raspberries with the back of
a spoon ; strain them through a flannel bag ; add one pound
of loaf sugar to one quart of juice ; stir well and cover
closely, letting it stand for three days, stirring well each
day. Pour off the clear juice and add one quart of juice
to two quarts of sherry wine; bottle it and use in two
weeks.
Raspberry Brandy. Using brandy instead of wine, as
above, will produce a very valuable medicinal drink, Rasp-
berry Brandy.
Raspberry Vinegar. Take three pints of red berries ; pour
over them one pint of cider vinegar and let stand twenty-
four hours. Strain, and to one pint of juice add one
pound of sugar ; boil one-half hour, and when cold, bottle
for use.
Cherry Brandy. Use either morello cherries or small black
cherries ; pick them from the stalks ; fill the bottles nearly
up to the necks, then fill up with brandy (some use whisky,
gin, or spirit distilled from the lees of wine). In three
weeks or a month strain off the spirit ; to each quart add
one pound of loaf sugar clarified, and flavor with tincture
of cinnamon or cloves.
Sherbet. In a quart of water boil six or eight sticks of
rhubarb ten minutes ; strain the boiling liquor on the thin
shaved rind of a lemon. Two ounces of clarified sugar,
with a wineglassful of brandy, stir to the above, and let it
stand five or six hours before using.
Ginger Beer. Two ounces of ginger to a pint of molasses ;
add a gallon of warm water; stir it well, and add half a pint
of lively yeast. If you wish it sweeter or hotter, add gin-
ger or molasses before putting in the yeast, to suit your
taste.
EVE RAGES. 34 |
Spruce Beer. To three gallons of boiling water, add two
pounds of molasses and two ounces of essence of spruce.
Let the mixture cool, and when lukewarm, add a scant gill
of yeast and set aside to ferment. While the fermentation
goes on, skim frequently. When it becomes inactive, put in
stone bottles and tie the corks down. White sugar may be
used instead of molasses, and will give a better color.
Quick Beer. To fourteen quarts of water add one quart of
molasses, one quart of hop yeast, and four tablespoonfuls of
ginger. Mix well ; strain through a fine sieve ; bottle im-
mediately. Ready for use in twenty-four hours.
Imperial Mix in a jug one-half ounce of cream tartar
and one quart of boiling water ; flavor with lemon peel or
essence of lemon, and sweeten to taste. This is a refreshing
and pleasantly stimulating summer drink.
Mead, Mix six gallons of water with six quarts of
strained honey ; add the yellow rind of two large lemons,
pared thin, and the whites of three eggs beaten to a stiff
froth. Mix well and boil three-quarters of an hour, skim-
ming thoroughly. Pour into a tub, add three tablespoonfuls
of good yeast, and leave it ferment. When it is well worked>
pour into a barrel with some lemon peel, and let it stand six
months. Then bottle and tie down the corks. It is ready
for immediate use, or will keep for months in a cool place.
XIX. CANDIES.
CARE NEEDED TO COOK CANDY; WHEN COOKED ENOUGH; FLAVOlb
ING, COOLING, AND PULLING. TWENTY-ONE RECIPES FOR CANDY.
THE great danger in candy-making is that of burning the
sugar. To properly cook the candy requires a heat of
about two hundred and fifty degrees. Less than that
heat will leave the candy soft and sticky. A very little more
than two hundred and sixty degrees will burn it. Here,
then, is the need of care in candy-making.
In the cooking, allow the heat to reach the bottom of the
pan only. Have a quick fire that the work may be done in
the shortest possible time. When cooked for about fifteen
minutes, test a spoonful of the mass upon a cold plate. If it
form a viscid, tenacious mass, which forms a long, adherent
thread when drawn out, then it is nearly done, and it needs
special care lest it burn before the work be completed. Test
frequently now, dropping a little in cold water. When the
hardened portion is crisp as a pipestem, the cooking has
gone far enough. Then comes the flavoring and coloring.
When the mass has cooled on a stone or buttered plate,
so that it can be handled, it is ready for pulling, rolling into
sticks, shaping into forms, etc. The pulling process is
simply a mechanical means of whitening the candy. It is
literally a pulling, the candy being thrown on a hook and
pulled out from it, then being thrown on it again and again
pulled, and so on, as may be desired, the longer pulling giv-
ing the whiter candy.
For home-made candies use pure materials and good
fruit. Enough of earths and starch and decayed fruits are
bought in the cheap candies of the stores.
243
CANDIES. 243
RECIPES.
Molasses Candy. Three cupfuls of brown sugar, one-half
cupful of molasses, one cupful of water, one-half teaspoonful
of cream tartar, butter the size of a walnut. Bring to aboil,
and when crisp by testing in cold water, flavor ; pour out on
a. buttered plate, and pull to whiteness if desired.
Butter Scotch. Two cupfuls of sugar, two tablespoonfuls
of water, a piece of butter the size of an egg. Boil without
stirring, until it hardens on a spoon. Pour out on buttered
plates to cool.
Ice-cream Candy. Take two cupfuls of granulated sugar,
half a cupful of water, and add one-quarter of a teaspoonful
of cream tartar dissolved in a teaspoonful of boiling water.
Put it in a porcelain kettle, and boil ten minutes without
stirring it. Drop a few drops into a saucer of cold water or
on snow. If it become brittle, it is done ; if not, boil till it is.
Add a piece of butter half as large as an egg while it is on
the fire, and stir it in. Pour into a buttered tin, and set on
ice or snow to cool enough to pull it white. Flavor with
vanilla just before it is cool enough to pull. Work into
strands and cut into sticks.
Cream Candy. One pound of white sugar, three table,
spoonfuls of vinegar, one teaspoonful of lemon extract, one
teaspoonful of cream tartar. Add a little water to moisten
the sugar, and boil until brittle. Put in the extract, then
turn quickly out on buttered plates. When cool, pull until
white, and cut in squares.
Cocoanut Candy. Grate very fine a sound cocoanut, spread
it on a dish, and let it dry naturally for three days, as it will
not bear the heat of an oven, and is too oily for use when
freshly broken. Four ounces will be sufficient for a pound
of sugar for most tastes, but more can be used at pleasure.
To one pound of sugar, take one-half pint of water, a very
244 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
little white of egg, and then pour over the sugar ; let il
stand for a short time, then place over a very clear fire, and
let it boil for a few minutes ; then set it one side until the
scum is subsided, clear it off, and boil the sugar until very
thick ; then strew in the nut, stir and mix it well, and do not
quit for an instant until it is finished. The pan should not
be placed on the fire, but over it, as the nut is liable to burn
with too fierce a heat.
Almond Candy. Proceed in the same way as for cocoanut
candy. Let the almonds be blanched and perfectly dry, and
do not throw them into the sugar until they approach the
candying point.
Candied Nuts and Fraits. Three cupfuls of sugar, one cup-
ful of water ; boil until it hardens when dropped in water,
then flavor with lemon. It must not boil after the lemon is
put in. Put a nut on the end of a fine knitting needle, take
out, and turn on the needle until it is cool. If the candy
gets cold, set on the stove for a few minutes. Malaga
grapes, and oranges quartered, may be candied in the same
way.
Chocolate Caramels. Two cupfuls of sugar, one cupful of
warm water, one-half cupful of grated chocolate, three-
fourths of a cupful of butter. Let it boil without stirring
until it snaps in water.
Chocolate Caramels, No. 2. One cupful of rich, sweet cream ;
one cupful of brown sugar ; one cupful of white sugar; seven
tablespoonfuls of vanilla chocolate ; one tablespoonful of
corn-starch, stirred in the cream ; one tablespoonful of but-
ter ; vanilla flavoring ; soda, the size of a pea, stirred into
cream. Boil all the ingredients, except the chocolate and
vanilla extract, half an hour, stirring to prevent burning.
Reserve half of the cream, and wet up the chocolate in it,
adding a very little water if necessary. Draw the saucepan
to the side of the range, and stir this in well ; put back on
CAX&MS. 245
the fire and boil ten minutes longer, quite fast, stirring con-
stantly. When it makes a hard, glossy coat on the spoon,
it is done. Add the vanilla after taking it from the range.
Turn into shallow dishes, well buttered. When cold
enough to retain the impression of the knife, cut into
squares.
Lemon Taffy. Two cupfuls of white sugar, one cupful of
boiling water, one-quarter cupful of vinegar, one-half cupful
of butter ; flavor with lemon ; pour in buttered plates to cool.
Butter Taffy. One tablespoonful of vinegar, one cupful of
sugar, two tablespoonfuls of molasses, and a piece of buttef
the size of an egg. When done, add a little soda.
Cream Chocolates. For the creams, boil two cupfuls of
white sugar and one-half cupful of milk for five minutes ;
add one teaspoonful of vanilla, then beat until stiff enough
to handle and make into drops.
For the chocolate, take three-quarters of a half-pound cake
of Baker's chocolate, grate and steam over the teakettle.
Drop the creams when hard, one at a time, into the hot
chocolate, using two forks to take them out quickly ; set
the drop on one fork on the bottom, using the other fork to
scrape the chocolate off the cream ; gently slip the drop
upon a buttered dish. If, when cool, the drops stick to the
dish, hold it over the steam of the teakettle for an instant.
Chocolate Creams. Inside : Two cupfuls of sugar ; one cup-
ful of water ; one and a half tablespoonfuls of arrow-root ;
one teaspoonful of vanilla. Mix the ingredients, except the
vanilla ; let them boil from five to eight minutes ; stir all the
time. After this is taken from the fire, stir until it comes to
a cream. When it is nearly smooth, add the vanilla and
make the cream into balls.
Outside : Melt a half pound of Baker's chocolate, but do
not add water to it. Roll the cream balls into the chocolate
while it is warm.
246 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOfc
Cream Walnuts. Two cupfuls sugar, two-thirds cupful
water. Boil without stirring until it will spin a thread;
flavor with vanilla. Set off into a dish with a little cold
water in it ; stir briskly until white and creamy. Have the
walnuts shelled ; make the cream into small, round cakes
with your fingers ; press half a walnut on either side, and
drop into sifted granulated sugar.
Cream Dates. For cream dates, take fresh California dates,
remove the stones, and fill the centre of dates with the same
cream as used in cream walnuts. Drop into sugar.
Peanut Candy. Boil one scant pint of molasses until it
hardens in cold water. Stir in two tablespoonfuls of vanilla,
then one teaspoonful of soda, dry. Lastly, the shelled pea-
nuts, taken from four quarts measured before shelling.
Turn out into shallow pans well buttered, and press it down
smooth with a wooden spoon.
Philadelphia Groundnut Cakes. Boil two pounds of light
brown sugar in a preserving kettle, with enough water to
wet it thoroughly and form a sirup. Have ready a quarter
of a peck of groundnuts (peanuts). When the sugar begins
to boil, throw in the white of an egg to clear it. Skim and
try by dropping a little into cold water to see if brittle or
done. When it is brittle, remove from the fire, and stir in
the nuts. Drop on wet plates, free from grease. The white
of egg may be omitted.
Gum Drops. Dissolve one pound of gum arabic in one and
a half pints of water; strain and add one pound of refined
sugar ; beat until the sugar is entirely dissolved. Flavor to
taste, and add coloring if desired. Then evaporate with a
slow heat until the mass is thick as honey. Have a shallow
box, or dish of fine starch ; in this make a series of dents
with a rounded stick, the size desired for the gum drops.
Into cacn of these indentations drop from a spout, or a
CANDIES. 247
spoon, just enough of the thickened mass to fill the cavity,
then set away in a warm place till the drops become suffi-
ciently set to allow handling. This may require several
days.
Jujube Paste. Dissolve gum arabic, and add sugar as for
gum drops. Evaporate till very thick, and while still warm
flavor and pour out into shallow tin pans to cool.
Fig Paste. Chop up one pound of figs, and boil in a pint
of water till reduced to a soft pulp. Strain through a fine
sieve, and add three pounds of sugar. Evaporate over boil-
ing water till the paste becomes stiff, then pour it into a
mold of wooden strips tied together. When cool, cut into
squares ; sugar each well, and put away for use. Flavors
may be added to taste, or fresh fruits may be mingled with
the paste.
Peppermint Drops. Mix granulated sugar with enough
water to form a paste, and put it to boil in a saucepan hav-
ing a lip from which the contents can be poured or dropped.
Allow it come almost, but not entirely, to a boil. Stir con-
tinually. Allow it to cool a little, and flavor to taste with
strong essence of peppermint. Then drop the mass on
sheets of tin or of white paper. To drop it properly, allow
just enough to gather at the lip of the saucepan, and then
stroke it off with a piece of stiff wire. They should dry in
a warm, place.
XX. INVALID DIET.
INVALIDS NEED THE BEST OF DIET ; WHAT INVALID DIET SHOULD
FURNISH; "SICK-DIET KITCHENS;" HOME COOKING FOR THE
SICK. THIRTY RECIPES FO* SICK-ROOM DIET.
WHAT is more disgusting to an invalid than to be
served with a liberal supply of food adapted to a
laboring man or to a person in robust health ? Deli-
cate appetites need to be delicately appealed to with dainty
dishes, nicely served. But these dishes must be nourishing
and easily digested. In short, the problem in sick-room
diet is, how to furnish the patient the most valuable nutri-
tion in the pleasantest form, and with the least tax upon his
enfeebled powers.
To meet this need, organized movements have been made
in many cities in the line of " Sick-Diet Kitchens." Benevo-
lent contributions and skilled work are the corner-stones of
these institutions. The foods are well prepared by compe-
tent hands. The sick who choose to purchase delicacies
which can be relied on, can find them at these places.
Those who are too poor to purchase, but who are deserving,
can have them free. Instruction concerning diet for the sick
is given also.
But many cannot reach such establishments, and do not
care to if they can ; hence the chapter of directions given
below. If anywhere in cookery good materials and skillful
manipulation are of value it is in cooking for the sick.
RECIPES.
Beef Tea. One pound of lean beef, cut into small pieces,
into a jar without a drop of water, cover tightly, set in
248
INVALID DIET. 249
a pot of cold water. Heat gradually to a boil, and continue
this steadily for three or four hours, until the meat is like
white rags and the juice all drawn out. Season with salt to
taste, and when cold, skim. The patient will often prefer
this ice-cold.
Beef Tea, No. 2. Take lean, juicy beef, chopped very feiely ;
cover with cold water, and set on back of the range for two
hours; then draw forward, allowing it to heat gradually;
then boil for five minutes. Season and strain.
Mutton Broth. One pound of lean mutton, cut small ; one
quart of water, cold ; one tablespoonful of rice or barley,
soaked in a very little warm water; four tablesp&onfuls
of milk, salt and pepper, with a little chopped parsley.
Boil the meat, unsalted, in the water, keeping it closely
covered, until it falls to pieces. Strain it out, add the soaked
barley or rice; simmer half an hour, stirring often; stir in
the seasoning and the milk, and simmer five minuter after it
heats up well, taking care it does not burn. Serve hot, with
cream crackers.
CMcken Broth. Proceed precisely as above, but substitute
chicken for mutton.
Chicken Jelly. Half a raw chicken, pounded with a mallet,
bones and meat together ; plenty of cold water to cover it
well, about a quart. Heat slowly in a covered vessel, and
let it simmer until the meat is in white rags and the liquid
reduced one-half. Strain and press, first through a colan-
der, then through a coarse cloth. Salt to taste, and pepper
if you think best; return to the fire, and simmer five min-
utes longer. Skim when cool. Give to the patient cold
just from the ice with unleavened wafers. Keep on the
ice, or make into sandwiches by putting the jelly between
thin slices of bread spread lightly with butter.
Soft Boiled Eggs. Put in a pan of boiling water, and set on
ft part Qf the range where they Will not bpil for several
250 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
utes. At the end of that time they will be like jelly, per-
fectly soft, but beautifully done, and quite digestible by even
weak stomachs.
Egg Gruel. Beat the yelk of one egg with one tablespoon-
ful of sugar ; pour one teacupful of boiling water on it ; add
the white of the egg beaten to a froth, with any seasoning
or spice desired. To be taken warm.
Raw Egg. Break a fresh egg into a glass, beat until very
light, sweeten to taste, and add two tablespoonfuls of port
wine, then beat again.
Egg Cream. Beat a raw egg to a stiff froth ; add a table-
spoonful of white sugar and a half wineglass of good black-
berry wine; add half a glass of cream; beat together
thoroughly, and use at once.
Indian-meal GrueL One tablespoonful of fine Indian-meal,
mixed smooth with cold water and a saltspoonful of salt ;
pour upon this a pint of boiling water and turn into a sauce-
pan to boil gently for half an hour ; thin it with boiling
water if it thickens too much, and stir frequently ; when it
is done, a tablespoonful of cream or a little new milk may
be put in to cool it after straining, but if the patient's stom-
ach is weak it is best without either. Some persons like it
sweetened and a little nutmeg added, but to many it is more
palatable plain.
Oatmeal GrneL Soak a handful of oatmeal over night in
water, in order that the acid gases which oatmeal contains
may be withdrawn. Pour off the water, and add a pint of
fresh ; stir it well, add salt, and boil an hour and a half.
This is much used, prepared in this way, by dyspeptics.
Sago. Soak and wash it well ; add a pint of water, a little
salt, and boil till clear. Add lemon-juice or wine, if
permitted.
Arrow-root JeUy.Boil a pint of water with a few bits of
INVALID DIET. 251
cinnamon or yellow rind of lemon ; stir into it two table-
spoonfuls of arrow-root, dissolved in a little water ; boil ten
minutes ; strain, salt, and season with sugar, wine, and nut-
meg, if proper.
Arrow-root Broth. Put half a pint of water into a sauce-
pan ; add a little lemon-juice, sugar and nutmeg, and a very
little salt. Boil it up, and stir in a teaspoonful of dissolved
arrow-root ; boil five minutes. It should be taken warm
and be very thin.
Cracked Wheat. To one quart of hot water take one small
teacupful of cracked wheat and a little salt ; boil slowly for
half an hour, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Serve
with sugar and cream or new milk.
Cracker Panada. Six Boston crackers, split; two table^
spoonfuls of white sugar, a good pinch of salt, and a little
nutmeg ; enough boiling water to cover them well. Split the
crackers, and pile in a bowl in layers, salt and sugar scat*
tered among them. Cover with boiling water and set on
the hearth, with a close top over the bowl, for at least an
hour. The crackers should be almost clear and soft as jelly,
but not broken. Eat from the bowl with more sugar
sprinkled in.
Bread Panada. Set a little water on the fire in a very
clean saucepan ; add a glass of wine, if allowed, some sugar,
nutmeg, and lemon-peel. The moment it boils up stir in a
few crumbs of stale baker's loaf. Let it boil very fast for
five minutes. It should be only thick enough to drink.
Chicken Panada. Boil a chicken ; take a few bits of the
breast and pound fine in a mortar. Season it with a little
salt, a grate of nutmeg, and a bit of lemon-peel ; boil gently
till a little thick, but so that it can be drank.
Soft Toast Some invalids like this very much indeed, and
nearly all do when it is nicely made, Toast well, but
252 EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK.
too brown, a couple of thin slices of bread ; put them on a
warm plate and pour over boiling water ; cover quickly with
another plate of the same size, and drain the water off; re-
move the upper plate, butter the toast, put it in the oven
one minute, and then cover again with a hot plate and serve
at once.
Milk Porridge. Two cupfuls of best oatmeal, two cupfuls
of water, two cupfuls of milk. Soak the oatmeal over night
in the water; strain in the morning, and boil the water half
an hour. Put in the milk with a little salt, boil up well, and
serve. Eat warm, with or without powdered sugar.
Thickened Milk. With a little milk, mix smooth a table-
spoonful of flour and a pinch of salt. Pour upon it a quart
of boiling milk, and when both are thoroughly mingled put
all back into the saucepan and boil up once, being careful
not to burn, and stirring all the time to keep it perfectly
smooth and free from lumps. Serve with slices of dry toast.
It is excellent in diarrhoea, and becomes a specific by scorch-
ing the flour before mixing with the milk.
Toast Water. Toast stale bread until quite brown, but do
not burn it ; put it into a large bowl, and pour over it boil-
ing water ; let it stand for an hour or so, strain, and put in
a piece of ice before drinking.
Barley Water. Soak one pint of barley in lukewarm water
for a few minutes ; then drain off the water. Put the barley
in three quarts of cold water and cook slowly until the
barley is quite soft, skimming occasionally. This barley
water, when cold, flavor with a little jelly or lemonade.
Bice Milk Pick and wash the rice carefully ; boil it in
water until it swells and softens ; when the water is partly
boiled away, add some milk. It may be boiled entirely in
milk, by setting the vessel in which the rice is in boiling
water ; sweeten with white sugar and season with nutmeg.
It also may be thickened with a little flour or beaten egg.
INVALID DIET. 263
Flaxseed Tea. One-half pound of flaxseed, one-half pound
of rock candy, and three lemons pared and sliced; pour
over this two quarts of boiling water ; let it stand until very
cold ; strain before drinking. This is good for a cougk.
Appleade. Cut two large apples in slices, and pour on
them one pint of boiling water; strain well and sweeten.
Ice it before drinking.
Apple Water. Roast two large, tart apples until they are
soft. Put them in a pitcher, pour a pint of cold water on
them, and let them stand in a cool place for an hour. No
sweetening is needed. This drink will be found very
refreshing if the patient have fever or eruptive diseases.
Roast Apples. Good-sized, juicy, tart apples are best for
roasting. Wipe them clean, and put in a slow oven, allow-
ing an hour for the work of roasting. When entirely done,
sift fine, white sugar over them, and serve warm or cold, as
desired.
Wine Whey. Sweeten one pint of milk to taste, and when
boiling throw in two wineglassfuls of sherry ; when the curd
forms, strain the whey through a muslin bag into tumblers
Blackberry Sirup. One quart of blackberry juice, one
pound of sugar, one-half ounce of nutmeg, one-half ounce
ot cinnamon, one-fourth of an ounce of cloves, one-fourth
of an ounce of allspice.
GENERAL HINTS.
AFTER the broad scope of this book has been covered,
there still remain many things to be said. They are
hardly worth discussion ; mere statement is sufficient.
They are hints merely on a variety of subjects. Let it not
be supposed that every suggestion here given has been
subjected to test by the editor of the department. But
every one has been culled from a trustworthy source and
has been subjected to careful scrutiny. All of them are
worth trying; but try them conscientiously. More pre-
scriptions have failed from unskillful handling than from
inherent defect. An Irish cook who delayed some fifteen
minutes when his master had ordered a soft-boiled egg,
excused himself by declaring that it had boiled fast all the
time, but showed no signs whatever of becoming soft. So
many other domestic manipulators fail.
HINTS FOR THE KITCHEN.
To Keep Meat Fresh. Take a quart of best vinegar, two
ounces of lump sugar, two ounces of salt. Boil these
together for a few minutes, and when cold anoint with a
brush the meat to be preserved. For fish the mixture is to
be applied inside ; for poultry, both in and outside. Or :
Place the meat in the centre of a clean earthenware vessel
and closely surround it with common charcoal. Or : Cover
the meat lightly with bran and hang it in some passage
where there is a current of air.
To Make Poultry Tender. Give the fowl, shortly before
killing, a tablespoonful of vinegar,
EVERY WO^tAN HER OWN COOK. 255
To Test Mushrooms. In eatable mushrooms the stalk and
top are dirty white and the lower part has a lining of salmon
fringe, which changes to russet or brown soon after they
are gathered. The poisonous manifest all colors, and those
which are dead white above and below should be let alone.
Sprinkle salt on the spongy part, and if they turn yellow
they are poisonous, but if they become black they are
good. Let the salt remain on a little while before you
decide on the color. Mushrooms are in season during
September and October.
To Keep Flour SweetInsert a triangular tube of boards
or tin bored full of small holes, into the centre of the barrel,
which allows the air to reach the middle of the meal, and it
never gets musty. A barrel of good flour, dry as it appears
to be, contains from twelve to sixteen pounds of water.
To Test Coal Oil. Pour a little oil in an iron spoon and
heat it over a lamp until it is moderately warm to the
touch. If the oil produces vapor which can be set on fire
by a flame held a short distance above the liquid, it is bad.
To Remove Clinkers. Throw half a dozen broken oyster
shells into the fire when the coal is all aglow, and cover
them with fresh coal. When all are red hot the clinkers
become doughy, and are easily removed.
Cheap Fire-Kindler. Melt three pounds of rosin in a quart
of tar, and stir in as much saw-dust and pulverized charcoal
as you can. Spread the mass upon a board till cool, then
break into lumps as big as your thumb. Light it with a
match.
To Keep a Broom. If a broom be inserted every week in
boiling suds, it will be toughened and last much longer, will
not cut the carpet, and will remain elastic as a new broom.
To Preserve Oil-cloths. An oil-cloth should never be
scrubbed j but after being swept it should be cleaned with
256; GENERAL HINTS.
ft soft cloth and lukewarm or cold water. Never use soap,
or water that is hot. When dry, sponge it over with milk ;
then wipe with a soft, dry cloth.
To Prevent a Lamp from Smoking. Soak the wick in vine-
gar, and dry it well before using.
To Remove Rust from Steel. Cover with sweet oil, well
rubbed on, and let it remain forty-eight hours, then rub
With unslacked lime powdered fine.
To Prevent Rust. Take one pint of fat-oil varnish, mixed
with five pints of highly rectified spirits of turpentine, and
rub with a sponge on bright stoves or mathematical instru-
ments, and they will never contract spots of rust.
To Freshen Stale Bread or Cake. Plunge the loaf one
instant in cold water and lay it upon a tin in the stove for
ten or fifteen minutes. It will be like new bread, without
its deleterious qualities. Stale cake is thus made as nice as
new cake. Use immediately.
To Soften Hard Water. Put half an ounce of quicklime in
nine quarts of water. This solution in a barrel of hard
water will make it soft. A teaspoonful of sal soda will
soften from three to four pails of hard water.
Time of Boiling Green Vegetables. This depends very much
upon the age, and how long they have been gathered. The
younger and more freshly gathered, the more quickly they
are cooked. The following is Miss Parloa's time-table for
cooking :
Green Corn, 25 minutes to I hour.
Potatoes, boiled, . . 30 minutes.
Potatoes, baked, . . 45 minutes.
Sweet Potatoes, boiled, 45 minutes.
Sweet Potatoes, baked, . I hour.
Squash, boiled, . . 25 minutes.
Squash, baked, . . 45 minutes.
Green Peas, boiled, 20 to 40 minutes.
Shell Beans, boiled, . . I hour.
String Beans, boiled, , i to 3 houn,
40
Asparagus, . . 1 5 to 30 minutes.
Spinach, . . . . I to 2 hours.
Tomatoes, fresh, . . . I hour.
Tomatoes, canned, . 30 minutes.
Cabbage, . 45 minutes to 2 hours.
Cauliflower, . . . I to 2 hours.
Dandelions, t , f a to 3 houn
EVERY WOMAN HER OWN COOK. 25?
Keeping Hams. After smoking, make coarse cotton cloth
sacks so that one ham will go in easily, pack cut hay all
around between the sack and the ham, tie the sack at the
top, hang in a cool place, and be sure the sacks are whole.
To Make SMrts Glossy. Take of raw starch, one ounce ;
gum arabic, one drachm; white of egg, half ounce; soluble
glass, quarter of an ounce ; water. Make starch into fine
cream, dissolve with gum in a little hot water, cool and mix
it with the egg, and beat up the mixture with starch liquid;
then add the water, glass (solution), and shake together.
Moisten the starched linen with a cloth dipped in the liquid,
and use polishing iron to develop gloss.
Blackening Stoves. If a little vinegar or cider is mixed
with stove polish it will not take so much rubbing to make
the stove bright, and the blackening is not likely to fly off
in fine dust.
Mnsty Coffee and Tea Pots. These may be cleaned and
sweetened by putting wood ashes into them and filling
them with cold water. Set on the stove to heat gradually
till the water boils. Let it boil a short time, then put aside
to cool, when the inside should be faithfully washed and
scrubbed in hot soap-suds.
To Clean Pots and Kettles. When washing greasy pots and
kettles, take a handful of meal or bran and rub all around.
It absorbs all the grease and leaves them perfectly clean.
To Clean Ceilings Smoked by Kerosene Lamps. Wash with a
sufficiently strong solution of soda in water.
To Prepare a New Iron Kettle for Use. Fill with clean potato
parings; boil them for an hour or more, then wash the
kettle with hot water, wipe it dry, and rub it with a little
lard ; repeat the rubbing half a dozen times after using.
To Remove Fruit Stains. Procure a bottle of Javelle water.
If the stains are wet with this before the articles are put
58 GENERAL HINTS.
into the wash they will be completely removed. Those who
cannot get Javelle water can make a solution of chloride of
lime. Four ounces of the chloride of lime is to be put into
a quart of water in a bottle, and after thoroughly shaking
allow the dregs to settle. The clear liquid will remove the
stains. Be careful to thoroughly rinse the article in clear
water before bringing it in contact with soap. When Javelle
water is used this precaution is not necessary; with chloride
of lime liquid it is, or the article will be harsh and stiff.
Washing. To wash flannels : First, never apply soap
directly to any woolen fabric. Make a strong, hot suds and
plunge the garment in it. Second, never dip a flannel in
cold, or even cool, water, but always hot. Wash first in hot
suds and rinse in hot water made very blue. Third, dry-
flannels as quickly as possible. Wring dry from the second
water and hang either in the hot sun or before a brisk fire.
When nearly dry, press with a hot iron. None but soft
water should be used upon flannels, and resin soap is much
inferior to common soft soap, as it hardens the fibres of
woolens.
To wash chintz : Take two pounds of rice and boil it in
two gallons of water till soft. When done, pour the whole
in a tub ; let it stand till of about the warmth you use in
general for colored linens ; then put the chintz in and use
the rice instead of soap. Wash it in this till the dirt appears
to be out ; then boil the same quantity, as above, but strain
the rice from the water and mix it in warm, clear water.
Wash in this till quite clean ; afterward rinse it in the water
in which you have boiled the rice. This will answer the
end of starch and no dew will affect it and it will be stiff as
long as you wear it.
To wash clothes without fading them : Peel Irish pota-
toes and grate them in cold water. Saturate the articles to
be washed in this potato-water and they can then be washed
EVERV WOMAN HER OWiV COOK. 250
with soap without any running of the color. Oil may be
taken out of carpets with this potato-water when simple cold
water would make the color run ruinously. This will also
set the color in figured black muslins, in colored merinos,
in ribbons, and other silk goods. Often the potato-water
cleanses sufficiently without the use of soap ; but the latter
is necessary where there is any grease. When no soap is
needed, take the grated potato and rub the goods with a
flannel rag.
Sour milk removes iron-rust from white goods.
To make silk which has been wrinkled appear exactly like
new, sponge it on the surface with a weak solution of gum
arabic or white glue, and iron on the wrong side.
A tablespoonful of black pepper put in the first water in
which gray or buff linens are washed will keep them from
spotting. It will also keep the colors of colored or black
cambrics or muslin from running, and does not harden the
water.
To extract ink from cotton, silk, and woolen goods, satu-
rate the spot with spirits of turpentine and let it remain
several hours ; then rub it between the hands. It will dis-
appear without injuring the color or texture of the fabric.
For linen, dip the spotted part in pure tallow and the ink
will disappear.
When clothes have acquired an unpleasant odor by being
kept from the air, charcoal laid in the folds will remove it.
To take oil or grease from cloth : Drop on the spot
some oil of tartar or salt of wormwood which has been left
in a damp place until it is fluid ; then immediately wash the
place with lukewarm soft water and then with cold water,
wad the spot will disappear.
14 DAY USE
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