Full text of "Methods of canning fruits and vegetables by hot air and steam, and berries by the compounding of syrups and the crystallizing and candying of fruits"

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PROFESSOR H. I. BLITS'

METHODS OF

CANNING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

BY HOT AIR AND STEAM

AND

BERRIE.

BY THE COMPOUNDING OF SYRUPS

THE CRYSTALLIZING AND CANDYING OF FRUITS

ETC., ETC., ETC.

TlBUtb IRew BDftfon anfc Supplement

PRICE, THRKE DOLLARS

CANNING METHODS PATENTED A.D. 1888
COPYRIGHTED 1890, BY H. I. BLITS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

ON ACCOUNT OF CONSTANT TRAVBLJNG, ADDRESS PROF. H. I. BLITS, POST OFFICE, NEW YORK

FOR INDEX, SEE BACK OF BOOK

TESTIMONIALS

THE MYSTERIES OF CANNING AND PRESERVING BY THE
LATEST AND MOST IMPROVED METHODS

A very tempting array of glass jars, filled with deliriously preserved fruits,
and a gentleman Professor Blits occupied the stage of the Odeon yesterday
afternoon, and an audience of nearly six hundred of the prominent ladies of
Cincinnati listened enraptured to his dissertation on ' ' Preserving Fruits and
Canning Vegetables by Hot Air and Steam, and the Compounding of Syrups
for Preserving Berries, and Crystallizing Fruits." The samples exhibited were
the perfection of preserving, and the results obtained by many ladies who had
already tried some of his methods, and who had fruits and vegetables on exhi-
bition, were very flattering. His presentation of the subject was interesting,
and Professor Blits is a recognized authority in this country on the art of
canning fruits and vegetables. The impression made was so favorable that all
the ladies present paid the three dollars demanded for the book of instructions,
which contained all the formulas and many other valuable and scientific methods.
Professor Blits's methods are copyrighted and patented, and no person has the
right to use them without permission. The methods are very simple and prac-
tical ; Mrs. E. K. Porter, of Newport, Ky., testifying that no methods of modern
times equal them for their simplicity, the curtailing of time, and keeping the
fruits whole and natural. From The Cincinnati Commercial, April, 1090.

ALBANY, N. Y., September g(A, 1890.

This is to certify that I have used the same methods as taught by Professor
Blits for canning fruits and vegetables, and pronounce them far superior to
any I have ever used. They keep fruits and vegetables more natural, and
save half the work.

198 LARK STREET. Miss ANNIE CRAIG.

BROOKLYN, October z6f/i, 1890.

This is to certify that for some years I have used Professor Blits's " Hot
Air and Steaming" methods for canning and preserving fruits and vegetables,
and can endorse them in the highest terms, and cheerfully recommend them
to all ladies as they are simple and useful, being based upon practical and
common-sense ideas. I have friends that are using these methods, and from
personal knowledge can say they are as satisfactory to them as they are to
myself.

571 PUTNAM AVENUE. MRS. JOHN KING.

PREKACB.

It is quite within modern times that, by observation and ex-
perience, mankind has become aware of the independence of all
inventions, and that upon our ability to improve the conditions in
which we are placed can we alone depend upon our future prog-
ress, the curtailing of time and the saving of labor. And so, in
presenting my inventions and improvements in the methods of
Canning Fruits and Vegetables to the public, I desire their kind
indulgence, and ask them to set aside the prejudice or skepti-
cism which in all ages and times has been the great obstacle that
an inventor had to contend against, while I admit that the public
has been imposed upon at various times by so-called inventions
which were to perform wonders to lessen the labor of house-
keepers, but which upon practical test proved worthless, inas-
much that the methods employed either required the use of
preparations, acids or other foreign substances, which, while they
may have kept the fruits, destroyed their flavor; but by my im-
proved methods, no preparations, acids or machinery are required.
The methods embodied in my inventions are based upon scien-
tific principles, upon the law of impenetrability. Two bodies
cannot occupy the same space at the same time; therefore, I
simply use steam or hot air as an agent to expel the cold air ;

2 Preface.

and while I also admit that this principle has been employed
since the art of canning was first discovered, it has been used in
a manner requiring more time, expense and labor. By my im-
provements and inventions the great necessity of simplifying and
curtailing the time and labor has been solved, conferring a great
boon and blessing upon the thousands of canners and house-
keepers throughout the land who have adopted my methods.

Then, again, I wish to call the attention of housekeepers to
the fact that it has been an utter impossibility for them to can
corn and vegetables, which by my method is simple and practical,
and keeps them perfectly natural the secret being simply in
using the steam so as to exhaust the air, and destroy a certain
amount of carbonic acid gas existing in same :

The canning of tomatoes, sliced or whole, in glass jars, by hot
air, and also steaming them so as to exhaust the air and destroy
a certain amount of acid, keeping them more whole and natural
in flavor, and doing away with the old methods of stewing and
cooking them to pieces :

Also to my great improvement of keeping strawberries whole
and natural by simply compounding a syrup to can them with,
instead of stewing or boiling them, which destroys their natural
flavor and shape.

In concluding my remarks, I wish to say to experienced
housekeepers that, while there may be some information herein
given that they are already familiar with, through practical expe-
rience of their own or obtained through other sources, they must
remember, for the sake of inexperienced housekeepers, I am com-
pelled to commence with the fundamental principles of canning,

Preface. 3

which requires me to give many little practical hints and details
that otherwise I would omit.

Also, in using the boiler for steaming fruits, tomatoes and
vegetables, which embodies the old principle of canning, I cau-
tion every one, unless you use my improved methods of applying
the steam, you will meet with no success. Hoping members will
give these methods a fair trial, I remain,

Respectfully,

H. I. BLITS.

P. S. On account of continuous traveling, address letters to
General Delivery, New York, and they will be forwarded to me.

Methods patented according to the Act of Congress, by H. I. BLITS, in the year A.D. 1888.

As members have all pledged themselves to secrecy, they will remember not to circulate or
publish, or use for business purposes, under penalty of the law. Remember, my methods are copy-
righted and patented.

The Proper Time to Can Fruits and Vegetables as they
Come in their Season.

Cherries (the Ox Heart are the best) From June 15th to July ist.

Currants and Strawberries June loth to July ist.

Raspberries July ist to July 25th.

Blueberries July ist to Aug. 5th.

Blackberries , July isth to Aug. 25th.

Pineapples (Sugar Loaf are the best > over-ripe ) M joth tQ _ igt
will not answer. )

Peaches (the late Crawfords are the best) Aug. 2oth to Oct. 5th.

Pears Aug. 20th to Oct. i5th.

Apricots and Plums Aug. loth to Sept. loth.

Apples (the Pippin are the best) Oct. 2oth to Nov. 2oth.

Quinces Sept. zoth to Oct. 25th.

Asparagus (the best for canning purposes is ) M h tQ ,, igt
grown in New Jersey) [

Peas May 25th to July ist.

Tomatoes Aug. i5th to Oct. ist.

Corn Aug. i5th to Oct. i5th.

Beans Sept. 2oth to Oct. 2oth.

Lima Beans Aug. 2oth to Oct. 1 5th.

Rhubarb May i5th to July ist.

Cauliflower. Sept i5th to Oct. 25th.

Fruits or vegetables must never be canned when speckled or frost-
bitten, and should be always kept in the dark and at a temperature of
from 45 to 65 degrees. Tomatoes, strawberries and vegetables should
be wrapped in brown paper.

INTRODUCTORY.

Fruits and their Nutritive Yalue.

Two of the most important and wholesome articles of food
used by the human race are Fruits and Vegetables; and in this
country, where it is impossible to have fresh fruit and vegetables
at all seasons of the year, it devolves upon the housekeeper at
certain times of the year to can them by the simplest and best
method, so as to retain their natural form and flavor. There is
no article of diet that nature so abundantly provides, and none
that gratifies our appetites better.

Fruits in their natural or preserved state should be served
daily, for when in good condition they are a healthful article of
diet, as they supply a variety of acids which invigorate the sys-
tem and keep the blood in good condition, which is a vital
necessity. They also aid digestion, and lessen the desire for
alcoholic stimulants. It is conceded by our most eminent phy-
sicians that in liver and kidney affections, rheumatism and gout,
the use of fruits judiciously is very beneficial.

Fruits should begin the meal, as they are then more easily
digested and assist in the digestion of other foods, as the fruit
stimulates the flow of the digestive juices.

Fruits are divided, for convenience' sake, into seven different

6 Introductory.

groups: 1st. The pomaceous fruits, including the apple, pear,
quince, crab apple, pineapple, etc. 2d. The drupaceous fruits:
those provided with a hard stone, surrounded by a fleshy pulp,
as the peach, apricot, plum, cherry, olive and date. 3d. The
orange or citron group, including the lemon, lime, orange, grape
fruit, pomegranate, etc. 4th. The baccate group, including the
gooseberry, currant, whortleberry, blueberry, grape, cranberry >
etc. 5th. The arterio group, which includes strawberries, black-
berries, raspberries and dewberries. 6th. The fig group, /th.
The gourd group, comprising the watermelon, muskmelon, can-
taloupe, etc.

This takes in most of our native fruits, and fruits that we are
familiar with.

Aside from the skins and seeds, fruits are divided into two
parts : The cellulose structure containing the juice, and the
juice itself. The latter is water, with a small proportion of fruit
sugar and acids. Some of the acids are free, and some combined
with lime and potash in the form of acid salts. They are termed
citric, tartaric, mallic and pectic acids.

Unripe fruits contain starch, which, as it ripens, is changed
into sugar and a certain proportion of tartaric acid, which gives
them that tart and sour taste. As raw starch in any form is in-
digestible, therefore unripe fruit should not be eaten unless well
cooked.

Fruits taken at seasonable times and in the right proportion,
either alone or with other proper foods, gives us a very healthful
article of diet, but when combined with fats or meats are liable
to be injurious.

Introductory. 7

Over-ripe, stale or partially decayed fruits and vegetables
should never be used, for it has been proven by our greatest
scientists that they contain thousands of germs or bacteria which,
when introduced into the system, are the cause of much sickness;
and expert canners and good housekeepers will never can fruits
or vegetables that are in that condition.

Fruits and vegetables, before eating or using for canning pur-
poses, should be well washed, especially those which grow on or
near the ground, as they are liable to be covered with a danger-
ous bacteria which might cause typhoid fever, diphtheria or other
dangerous sickness, as these germs exist in the soil or the mate-
rial used for fertilizing purposes.

To Keep Fruit Fresh.

Apples, pears, quince and grapes are about the only fruits
that can be kept for any length of time without processing them,
for as soon as fruit has become ripe, a gradual breaking down of
tissues begins. The fruit then becomes mellow, and very shortly
after the putrefactive state begins and the fruit rots rapidly. But
the late varieties of apples, pears, quince and grapes, by exercis-
ing care and using the following directions, can be kept for some
time:

1st. Allow fruit to remain on tree or vine as long as possible.
2d. Gather or pick the fruit on a dry, cool day, when there is no
frost or dew on the ground. 3d. In picking fruits, handle them
with care, so as not to bruise same. 4th. Carefully sort the dif-
ferent varieties, keeping each separate, and leave out the soft and
mellow fruit. 5th. Select good barrels or large pasteboard boxes
that shoes come in (I mean the stock boxes) ; then secure dry

8 Introductory.

corkdust, which must not be moist or old; this can be procured
at any drug store where they buy corks, and it is very cheap.
6th. Then spread a layer of corkdust in the barrel or box, and
then a layer of the fruits mentioned ; then corkdust and then
fruit, and so on ; do not allow the fruit to touch each other. The
very top layer of corkdust should be about three-quarters of an
inch thick; then secure the lid of the barrel or box tightly, and
keep in a temperature of from 10 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
They will keep for some months. Do not use sawdust, as it gathers
moisture and will rot the fruit ; but corkdust is a non-conductor
of heat or cold. Do not dip the stems of grapes in wax, as it
shrivels them; and when you cut them from the vine you must
leave about one inch of the stem. Grapes must be packed as
soon as cut or within twelve hours, or they will not keep.

The ordinary cellar underneath your dwelling is not a proper
place to keep fruits or vegetables, either in their natural or pre-
served state. A cool, dry attic or a nice storeroom is the proper
place, well ventilated. In most cellars it is either too warm or
damp. It has been verified beyond doubt that much sickness
has been caused by storing fruits and vegetables in the cellars
under dwelling-houses, as the gases generating from fruits and
vegetables in a decayed condition are very poisonous. A store-
house can be built entirely above the ground, and on the prin-
ciple of a refrigerator. Its walls, floor and ceiling should be
double, and the space between filled with sawdust or char-
coal. Windows should have shutters to shut out the light. The
storeroom should also have some heating appliances, so as to
regulate the temperature in very cold weather.

PATENTED AND IMPROVED METHODS FOR
CANNING FRUITS, VEGETABLES, ETC.

To Can Gooseberries, Rhubarb and Cranberries
in Cold Water.

Select fruit in prime condition, not over-ripe or green. Place
any one of the above in your jars, packed as tightly as possible
to first screw of jar; put on your rubbers (leaving off the lids),
submerge jars completely under water that has been first boiled
and allowed to cool; fasten lids tightly as possible under water,
take out and tighten more if possible, wrap jars in brown paper
and set in cool place.

When using above fruit, drain off the water and make syrup
to suit the taste. It is always best to filter water, after boiling,
through a piece of cheesecloth before processing by this method.

To Can Pineapples in their own Juice Perfectly Cold.

Cut up pineapples in small slices, take from one pound to one
pound and a quarter of granulated sugar to a pound of pineapple,
and place in layers in a stone crock and leave over night ; then
transfer your pineapple to glass jars, and fill jars to the top with
its own juice drawn over night, and seal the jars air-tight. Place
in a dark place. For a delicious flavor, add a dessertspoonful of
sherry or brandy to each quart jar before sealing. In letting
pineapples stand over night, put in a cold and dark place.

io Patented and Improved Methods

If you use the brandy or sherry, as directed, you need not
use over one pound of sugar; if otherwise, use one and one-
quarter pound of sugar, and dip paper in warm alcohol or brandy ;
place a piece of cotton batting on paper before sealing air-tight.
In doing fruit up cold, always have your rubbers and lids warm,
so they will tighten better ; also, warm your jars before putting
in cold fruit, but don't have them hot, and pour cold syrup in
slowly, so as not to break the jars.

For quince, always use one and one-quarter pound of sugar
to one pound of quince, and steep them in boiling water for half
an hour before using this process, covering vessel with toweling.

To Can Fruits, Berries and Tomatoes by the Hot Air Gen-
erated from Oven of Stove or Range.

First select jars that are perfect in every respect, and rinse
them with hot water, pouring water in slowly and shaking around
inside of jar gradually, so that the jar won't break; then pack the
raw fruit as compactly as possible, whole or cut, in the jars up to
the first rim (working down fruit on each side with a silver-plated
knife or handle of spoon never use any other metal), pour in
your hot syrup, filling jars within one inch of the top ; place tin
covers on jars, or a piece of sheet iron, or a flat tin with a weight
on, to keep cover from coming off (but not the lid of jar, as it
may scorch); then place jars in the fruit racks, or in a dripping-
pan with a little warm water in it, and a cloth at the bottom to set
jars on ; don't let jars touch each other ; set them in a moderately
hot oven and almost close door of oven ; then set on full heat and
leave in until syrup in jars beads on top ; it generally takes from
fifteen to thirty minutes, according to the condition of the fruit
this means from the time you have a good heat in your oven.
Make syrup as follows : For sweet fruit, one-half pound of sugar
to three-quarters of a pint of water to a quart jar, or five quarts

for Canning Fruits, Vegetables, etc. II

of water to six pounds of sugar to a dozen jars ; for very sour
fruit, three-quarters of a pound of sugar to a pint of water, or
six quarts of water to nine pounds of sugar to a dozen quart jars;
let syrup come to a simmer. After leaving fruit in oven as de-
scribed above, take out the jars and pan from oven, leaving the
jars in the pan, and pour boiling syrup quickly over the fruit in
jars; to fill up the jars, work down on each side with a silver-
plated knife and seal jars air-tight; put fruit in a dark place, and
in a room with temperature from forty- five to seventy degrees.
One coffee-cup full of sugar is a half pound. To temper jars be-
fore placing them in an oven, allow medium hot water to run on
the outside of jar slowly after fruit is in it for about a minute. It
is always best to boil your empty jars before canning by allowing
them to heat up gradually. If the oven is very hot, don't fasten
the door entirely. A good way to seal jars or bottles is to get a
bladder and fit it snugly over the mouth and sides of the jars and
seal tightly by using sealing-wax or the white of an egg or white
wax, or you can put a cork into bottles and seal with sealing-
wax, and after it dries, if you tie three folds of cotton batting
around, it will surely be air-tight. When pouring your syrup
over the last time, overflow jars so as to overflow the air bubbles.
You can use more or less sugar to make syrup. It is best to use
a large pan to set jars in, instead of the racks in using this method.

To Test Jars to See if Air-Tight.

After jars are sealed air-tight, and before putting them away,
wipe dry around the rubber and lid, stand them upside down on
white paper for about twenty minutes, and if any liquid comes
out, take putty and fasten all around the rubber and lid/so as to
made it air-tight; be careful to get the right rubber for each jar,
and don't use any that are worked down on the side. A better
way is to tie three folds of cotton batting over top of lid of jar.

12 Patented and Improved Methods

To Can Pears White and Whole, with Stems, in Rock
Candy Syrup.

Take skins from pears carefully ; put pears, with stems, in jars
compactly; make a syrup by using one-half cup of pulverized
rock candy to three-quarters of a pint of water ; allow to come
to a simmer until all is dissolved ; pour over medium hot and
process twenty minutes in oven, as described in fruits. Take
out, fill and seal.

The most Scientific Method of Preventing Mould on Fruits,
Jellies, Jams and other Preserved Matter.

After packing the fruit in the jars or glasses, heat (not boil)
on back of stove some brandy, sherry or alcohol ; dip a piece of
writing or manilla paper in same, and place on inside of jar to
cover fruit ; then put a thick layer of cotton batting on top of
paper on the inside of jar, and seal jars as tightly as possible ;
this will prevent the germs from penetrating, which is the cause
of the mould or fungus growth. Heat the spirits gradually by a
slow fire, until it is just warm.

The above formula is also good to use for chow-chow, pickles,
catsup, chilli and other sauces.

To Can Tomatoes by the Hot- Air Process.

Remove the skins by placing them in a wire or cane basket and
plunging same in boiling water for a minute, and then in cold water
for a minute; then take skins off with knife. Pack your jars as com-
pactly as possible with whole or sliced tomatoes up to first screw
or thread of jar ; work down on all sides with silver-plated knife
to let out the air ; then place in the pan and in the oven, as de-
scribed in Hot- Air Process for Canning Fruit; leave in twenty-

for Canning Fruits, Vegetables, etc. 13

five to thirty minutes from time you have a good fire, or until

syrup in jars commences to bead rapidly ; then take out pan
and set on top of stove ; take out one jar at a time, fill up with
boiling tomatoes and juice until the jar is full; see that the
juice covers the tomatoes, and seal jars air-tight. If you can
tomatoes with skin on, add tomato juice before setting them in
oven. The juice is made by stewing some tomatoes and strain-
ing the juice, as tomatoes with skins on will not make sufficient
juice of their own. You can add from one to two level teaspoon-
fuls of salt for each quart jar. Before sealing jars air-tight, as you
take them from the pan, run your silver-plated knife down on all
sides to let out the air. Wrap jars in brown paper, and put them
in a cool place.

To Can Without Cooking or Stewing Damson Plums, Sour
Cherries, Pie Plant, Sour Grapes, Gooseberries, Currants
and Peaches.

(The above are the acid varieties, and no sweet fruit will keep
by this method.)

Make a syrup of one pound of sugar to one half pint of water
for each one pound of the above acid fruits. Allow syrup to come
to a boil, and after it comes to a good boil put in five drops of
lemon juice (to prevent candying) for each one quart of syrup,
then leave syrup boil for ten minutes more don't stir more than
necessary to prevent it from burning. While syrup is boiling,
take any of the above metioned fruits, put in a vessel (agate or
porcelain), pour boiling water over them so the water completely
covers them, then tie two or three thickness of toweling over
mouth of vessel so as to retain the heat and leave in water ten
minutes, then dip fruit into the hot jars, pour over the boiling
syrup made as described, and seal jars air-tight, and leave in a
cool, dark place, or wrap jars in brown paper. When you take

14 Patented and Improved Methods

fruit from the vessel of hot water it is best to use skimmer and
pack the fruit in jars by degrees, pouring over syrup gradually;
in that way you can pack fruit in jars nicer and tighter, and keep
it from rising to the top.

The Latest Improyed Method of Keeping Strawberries and
Red Raspberries Whole and Natural.

Owing to the different kind of berries grown in the different
sections of this country, and as they do not all contain the same
amount of acid, so as to keep them nicely by simply using a
compound syrup, as recommended in this volume, the following
formula is recommended as being superior to any method now
used by canners and housekeepers :

First, select choice berries (wash if necessary). To every one
pound of granulated sugar pour over sufficient water to moisten
well the sugar; allow this syrup to come to a boil, and skim off
all impurities. After syrup comes to a good boil drop in six
drops of lemon juice and allow to boil, not too rapidly, until
syrup hairs or strings. To that proportion of syrup take one
pound of nice berries, drop into the syrup and allow berries to
boil slowly for five minutes; take the vessel off the stove, cover
same and allow to stand in a cool place (temperature between 45
and 75 degrees) from six to eight hours. Then cleanse your
jars with hot water, and fill them with the cold berries and
syrup, packing jars compactly nearly to the top ; overflow with
syrup and seal jars air tight.

Allowing berries to remain in the syrup the time specified
hardens them and retains their natural flavor and state. Of
course you can do a larger quantity at a time, but you must in-
crease the sugar, water and berries in proportion. It is best not
to stir syrup after it boils, and by placing a few agate marbles
in syrup will prevent the burning, as this makes an automatic

for Canning Fruits, Vegetables , etc. 15

stirrer. To prevent syrup from candying when boiling it down,
use two- thirds sugar and one-third glucose; this is a sure pre-
ventive.

Before filling the jars rinse them well with hot water, so as to
take out all impurities; and in packing the berries fill jars first
about one- quarter full of berries, then work down well on all
sides with a silver-plated knife or handle of spoon, so as to fill
the jars compactly and let out the air. Keep filling jar in this
manner until it is full, and see that the syrup covers the berries
on top. Only use sufficient water to dissolve the sugar, and
when packing the berries in the jar be careful not to add too
much syrup, for if you do it will cause them to rise to the top.
The syrup you have left after processing the berries in this man-
ner you can bottle air-tight, and use to make summer drinks or
pudding sauces. This syrup being heavy, you can dilute it with
water when using.

If you have trouble with jars not being air-tight, it is best to
dip a piece of writing paper in warm brandy or spirits, and place
on top of liquid, and then place a layer of cotton batting on the
paper before sealing the jars air-tight. This will prevent the
berries from fermenting. This is a good method in canning all
kinds of fruit where the jar or rubbers are not in good condition.
It is best to renew the rubbers each year if they are not in good
condition, as the rubber bands commonly sold are very much
adulterated. It is best in making heavy syrups for canning ber-
ries to use two-thirds sugar and one-third glucose for each pound
of berries. This prevents syrup from candying.

N. B. Berries will keep all the better if, after allowing them
to boil five minutes, the syrup is drained off and boiled down
about eight minutes and then poured over the berries, and all is
allowed to cool as described on page 14. Never can cold stor-
age berries or berries which have been picked over 24 hours.

1 6 Patented and Improved Methods

To Make a Heavy Syrup for Keeping Strawberries and

Raspberries.

To each one quart of syrup made as described in strawberry,
page 14, dissolve three or four tablespoonfuls of corn starch in a
little cold water. Stir this solution well in the syrup just before
taking syrup from the fire. See that the corn starch is well dis-
solved. You can use this solution for canning berries when
cooking them by your old method, but do not use it for canning
berries cold, as given on pages 14 and 15.

^ General Directions of Importance.

Don't stir syrup for berries or fruit after it boils, and shake it
as little as possible, as it will sometimes candy; in that case, add
a little more water, stir and boil it over again, and drop in a small
pinch of cream of tartar to every pint of syrup ; this will prevent
it candying. When pouring syrup in jars, hold a silver spoon in
it and pour over quickly. The berries you have left that you
made the juice from use for jams, preserves, sauce, pies, etc.
When draining off the syrup from berries, don't drain off the
whole of it or they will taste insipid. To every pint of juice
made from berries add one-half pint of water and from one-fourth
to one-half pound of sugar ; let it come to a good boil and seal
air-tight in bottles. This makes a delicious drink.

By placing three folds of cotton batting over lids of bottles
(after they have the corks in) will make them air-tight ; but you
must tie the cotton around as tightly as possible.

When berries are processed by the old methods and then im-
mediately placed in the jars, the juices of the berries thin the syrup,
thereby causing them to lose their color and rise to the top; they
also become insipid in flavor. By processing them as described
on page 14 this is avoided. By allowing them to stand the spec-
ified time they harden, absorb the juices, thereby retaining their
natural state and flavor.

for Canning Fruits ', Vegetables, etc. 17

Another way of Canning Strawberries, Blackberries, Rasp-
berries and other Soft Fruits.

First cleanse your berries, and to every one pound berries
take not less than three-fourths to one pound of granulated
sugar ; mix this in layers, viz.: a layer of berries, then a layer
of sugar, and so on, in a stone crock ; set crock with cover on,
in cool place, and allow it to stand over night. In the morning
place crock on back of stove that is only moderately hot, and set
on gradual heat, moving jars gradually front, until syrup com-
mences to foam over. Then skim off scum, allow berries to
heat about ten minutes longer ; take off from stove, and fill your
glass jars as rapidly as possible, allowing syrup to overflow jars,
and seal air-tight Don't use any other vessel to heat in except
stone crocks, and when filling jars from crocks, set crocks on
back of stove, and see that your jars are hot before filling them.

To Keep Fruit from Fermenting after Using.

After using part, fill up balance of jar with medium hot
syrup, made from sugar and water ; screw the lid half way on
and steam about ten minutes from time the water boils, as de-
scribed in the steaming of fruits or hot air process, then seal jars
air-tight.

The Cold Process for Keeping Strawberries, Raspberries and
Other Berries ; also Grapes and Cherries.

Make a syrup by mixing sugar and water as described on
page 14 (strawberry process), and boil it down for about twenty
minutes ; while it is tepid, not hot, add the following solution :
dissolve six grains of salicylic acid in two ounces of glycerine ;
then add this solution to each three-quarters of a pint of syrup,

1 8 Patented and Improved Methods

which will be enough to fill one quart jar of berries. It is per-
fectly harmless leaves no taste. Put the syrup over berries just
before it cools, as by this process it is not necessary to put the
syrup over hot. Pit cherries before mixing with sugar ; or you
can make the syrup for grapes or cherries with one half of a pint
of water to one pound of sugar for each quart jar; boil syrup
down as described for berries and add this solution when syrup
becomes tepid.

The Rule for Boiling Syrup.

The method of boiling syrup down thick so as to prevent it
from candying is as follows : After syrup comes to a boil, skim
off all impurities ; then add to each quart of syrup six or seven
drops of lemon juice, and don't stir syrup after it boils ; it is best
to put in two white marbles, or for a large quantity of syrup four
or five white marbles ; the heat will keep the marbles rolling
and prevent the syrup from burning or candying. In order to
avoid the granulation on the sides of the vessel while syrup is
boiling, keep vessel covered ; the vapor not being able to escape
condenses and washes the sides of the vessel and prevents the
granulation.

How to Make Jars Air-Tight with Cotton Batting.

Jars, bottles or crocks if you desire to have them air-tight.
Place three folds of cotton batting over the tops of lids or fasten-
ings, let batting extend over one inch down the outside of neck
of bottle or jar and tie it tightly, but you must do this while jar is
hot, and just after fastening on your covers or stoppers.

To Prevent Cider Liquids Souring and Fermenting.

Cleanse your casks with warm water ; then bore a hole about
half an inch in diameter, about two inches from top of barrel ;

for Canning Fntits, Vegetables, etc. 19

in this hole fix a tin tube air-tight, allowing it to project out
about three inches, and to this tube attach a rubber tube, air-
tight, making the rubber tube long enough to fall into a basin of
water placed on the outside at bottom of barrel ; pour in your
liquid until about three-fourths full, and every day (especially if
the cider or vinegar is new), pour in an extra gallon of same for
two or three days, until liquids have quit fermenting; then make
casks air-tight, leaving the tube in the water as long as the liquid
is in the barrel, changing water every two weeks. Before draw-
ing liquid, bore a small hole on top of barrel. When barrel is
dry, before putting in liquids, fumigate barrel with vapor of brim-
stone for about ten minutes. I would recommend using two
ounces salicylic acid to each barrel.

Ladies, Bead this Carefully.

In introducing my improved methods of canning fruits, berries,
tomatoes and vegetables by steaming in boiler of water, I know
many of my patrons will remark : oh ! that is similar to the old-fash-
ioned way we used to do it years ago, and we did not like it, and
it was not always successful. Now, while I admit that the princi-
ple of applying the steam is the same, the method is yet so dif-
ferent that, unless you follow my rules exactly, you will not meet
with success. Simply placing jars in boiler of water and steam-
ing them the old-fashioned way may keep fruit, but, as for to-
matoes and all kinds of vegetables, unless the jars are submerged
as described, and the time used, as given, they will not keep
as a certain amount of acid must be destroyed in the tomatoes,
and in corn and other vegetables a certain amount of carbonic
acid gas. Another advantage, by submerging them as de-
scribed : there is not so much shrinkage to take place, you do
not need to fill from one jar to another as evaporation cannot

take place the fruits and vegetables are more whole and natural
in taste, and when you lift them out the last time, the jar being
air-tight, the air has not the chance to rush back as in the old
method, which causes so much fermentation. Never place jars
on the surface of vessel or plain board or tin ; use a perforated
board or tin, or better still and which I deem it important for
every housekeeper to have, the fruit rack, which I shall describe,
and have your tinner make them for you ; he should not charge
over $1.75 per dozen or 15 cents apiece ; each rack holds a jar.

Fruit Back.

Make a band of tin of two or three thicknesses and one inch
in depth when hemmed or wired, and four and one-half inches
in diameter ; then on each side of rim rivet on a heavy strip of
tin, making strips three-fourths of an inch in width, when wired
or hemmed, and seven inches in length from top of rim ; this is
intended for the handle ; make handle all of one piece of tin, so you
can bend it on top, and have a place to take hold of to lift the
racks. Then to the rim rivit on four legs about three and one-
half inches in length trom bottom of rim ; have bottom of legs
bent outward about one-half inch, so they will set firm, and have
legs made of tin of two or three thicknesses and about one-half
inch in width when hemmed. Now if jar was set in the rim it
would fall through unless it had something to rest on ; so about
one inch from bottom of legs rivet on two three-quarter-inch
strips, each strip crossing each other in the form of X and riveted
on legs for the jars to rest on. The idea is to set jar with fruit
in the rack, when they are steaming, so they will not roll
around and so you can lift them out when through. The handle
must be riveted so it is stationary, and no solder must be used
in the fastening. The whole rack is ten and one-half inches in
height

for Canning Fruits, Vegetables, etc. 21

To Steam Tomatoes by Improved Method.

First scald tomatoes by dipping them in boiling hot water
for a minute; then dip in cold water for a minute, then take out
and remove skin, place in jars, whole or sliced, as compact as
possible, by working tomatoes down on all sides with a silver-
bladed knife, filling jar completely full, put on rubbers and screw
lids part way down ; then take a boiler or vessel and set on hot
stove ; put in your perforated tin or racks as described ; pour in
lukewarm water in boiler so as to cover about three-fourths of
the jar or about up to neck of jar, and as soon as the water boils
steam ten minutes from that time; then takeout one jar at a time,
screw lid air-tight, put back in boiler at once, and when all the
lids have been fastened, steam eighteen minutes more, allowing
water in vessel to completely cover the jars ; then take them out
and allow them to cool, and screw on lids of jars tighter, if
possible. When you put jars in vessel to steam for the last time,
the water that you use must completely cover jars, must be boil-
ing and poured over slowly. Never set jars in a vessel of hot
water when you commence to steam them. For tomatoes, whole,
with the skins on, put tomatoes in jars as described before.
Stew some other tomatoes to get the juice, then filter, pour this
juice medium-hot over the whole tomatoes in jars, and steam in
vessel as described in tomatoes with skins off. Always select
solid tomatoes, not too ripe, frost bitten or speckled, as they will
ferment ; wrap each jar with coarse brown paper. If you have a
damp cellar and have no closet to keep your fruit in, put it in a
box lined with cotton batting and cover with a lid.

The best months to do tomatoes is between the i$th of
August and the 5th of October. If you wish tomatoes soft
for stewing purposes, steam thirty minutes the last time,
instead of eighteen minutes. Light will sour tomatoes and
vegetables, so be sure to wrap them as described or keep them in

22 Patented and Improved Methods

the dark. In steaming fruits and vegetables you must always
allow from the time water boils, and when you tighten lids,
before submerging them under water, you allow from the time
the lid on this last jar is tightened.

To Steam All Fruits and All Berries by the Improved

Method.

To steam the fruits, you place the fruits in jars compactly as
possible, to the first screw of jar, pour over your hot syrup to
the top of jar, so as to cover fruit, making as described in oven
process, and steam in boiler by the same method as tomatoes.
Use the following time : For all berries, and grapes, five and five
minutes; for plums, cherries, peaches, etc., five and ten minutes ;
for pineapple, apples and pears, five and fifteen ; quinces and
hard fruits, five and thirty. This means five minutes to be
steamed with lid part way and the balance of time sealed tight
and immersed, as described above. It is best, if you can, to
tighten the lids in boiler, instead of taking them out and tighten-
ing that is, before you immerse them the last time. It is best
in using this steaming process never to set jars on bottom of
boiler or on a flat board. I desire all members to have some
fruit racks made, which I describe in this book (to be made by
some tinner in your city), as it will save you a great deal of
inconvenience and prevent the breaking of jars. When filling
jars with tomatoes, pack them way to the top, and if after ex-
perimenting with one jar, after steaming it the desired time, you
find that it will not make enough juice to completely cover
tomatoes, I would fill up with boiling water or boiling tomato
juice before steaming them underwater the last eighteen minutes,
as it is important for the liquid to cover tomatoes. It is best to
pour in the described liquids or syrups for your fruit or tomatoes
while jars are in boiler, and to screw them tighter in boiler as de-

for Canning Fruits, Vegetables, etc. 23

scribed, instead of taking them out as mentioned above. When
tightening jars in boiler do not screw lids too tight or the jar is
liable to crack. Use a cloth in your hand to tighten lid on jars
in boiler, and when you take them out gradually tighten more
as they cool ; if jars are allowed to cool in the boiler of water,
when through the fruit will not shrink so much.

To Steam Corn, Lima Beans, Peas, and For All Mixed

Vegetables.

Put corn in a colander and let a little hot water run over it
for about a minute ; then cut your corn off the cob, scraping as
much juice out of the cob as possible, but don't mix any of the
cob with the corn ; fijl your jars compactly with corn ; every
time you get two or three ears of corn off the cob in a jar, work
down as tight as possible, until the jar is filled compactly about
one-half inch from top; dissolve one teaspoonful of salt to five
teaspoonfuls of sugar, for each quart jar, and mix well with
the corn ; fasten the lid of the jar (without the rubber) part
way, and steam in boiler of water, as described in the tomato
method, but steam four hours divided as follows : Three hours
with the lid screwed down part way so as to leave a vent, and
the water in boiler covering the jars about three-quarters, then
take out the jar, work corn down compactly and fill up from
another jar processed the same manner and time ; put on rubber,
and seal jars air-tight as possible, place back in boiler, add boil-
ing water so jar is completely submerged under water and steam
one hour more. Take jars from boiler, allow jars to cool and if
Mason jars gradually screw them tighter and put in a dark, cool
place. Corn makes sufficient juice of its own ; never can corn
that is dry or old, it should be canned within twenty-four hours
after it is picked it is best to wrap the jars in coarse brown paper
as light will cause fermentation.

24 Patented and Improved Methods

For Lima Beans, Peas, and Succotash.

Pack them in your jars, but not as compactly as you would
corn. Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt and four teaspoonfuls of
sugar to three-quarters of a pint of water for each quart jar.

N. B. You can leave the sugar out if you desire, dissolve
this well, pour over the above vegetables in the jar and steam the
same manner and time as described for corn. Wrap jars and
keep them in a cool place.

For Mnshrooms, String Beans, Asparagus, Squash and
Cauliflower.

The string beans, such as white and bush beans, steam three
hours, divided as follows : two hours with the lids part way on,
and one hour with jars sealed air-tight and immersed under
water as' described in corn ; the liquid being one teaspoonful of
salt to three-quarters of a pint of water, to one. quart jar. For
asparagus, steam the same as string beans, using the same liquid,
but before steaming the last hour be careful to have the liquid in
the jar cover the asparagus about three-quarters of an inch, or it is
liable to ferment. When steaming these vegetables, always leave
three-quarters of an inch from the top of the jar, to allow them
to swell without bursting the jar, but have the liquid come way
to the top ; wrap vegetables and tomatoes after they are canned
with coarse brown paper before setting them away in the closet.
If you fill jars perfectly full with fruit and vegetables, and have
liquid coming way to top so as to leave no vacuum, I find you
can with safety immerse them at once under water.

For Squash, Pumpkin, Cauliflower and Mushrooms.

Use the same time and liquid as described in string beans,
etc. If you wish to can all kinds of vegetables together, pack

for Canning Fruits, Vegetables, etc. 25

the mixture compactly in jars, put over the liquid as described
above, and steam by the same time as the corn process, but never
mix corn in this mixture.

-
To Can Salmon, Lobster, Meats, Oysters and Other

Shell Fish.

Pack the fish in your jars, and distribute about two teaspoon-
fuls of salt for each quart can, and steam by the same method as
described in corn and vegetable process, using the same time. If
after steaming the first two hours it does not make enough juice,
fill up can with boiling water. After steaming the last two hours
under water, take out and allow to cool under water. Be sure
and wrap coarse brown paper around jars, as light will cause fer-
mentation. Also be sure to keep your canned fish in a cool
place or they will not keep.

We do not need to use acids in our methods of canning fruits
or vegetables, nor do we recommend same for canning purposes
when not necessary, especially in the large proportions given by
unscrupulous agents who pretend they can preserve fruit and
vegetables in the cold state by the use of this acid. This is a rank
fraud and imposition. It may keep the fruit, but it imparts a
terrible flavor and just ruins it for eating purposes. But in the
small proportions given in my formula, first dissolving it in alco-
hol and putting this solution in while hot, which causes a certain
amount of evaporation to take place, canners will find this a splen-
did remedy for the preventing of fermentation of the following
vegetables mentioned and leaves no taste. You will notice we
do not mention fruits, it is not necessary for them, as they seldom
ferment if properly canned. But owing to the fact that heat,
light, dampness, or improper ventilation do affect vegetables or
any compound made of them, or in case housekeepers are care-
less in not selecting perfect tomatoes or vegetables, fermentation
will surely take place, and the following is a sure remedy for pre-

venting tomatoes, corn, vegetables, catsup, mince meat, chili
sauce, and other vegetables compounds ; also syrups, cordials,
spiced fruits and other fruit compounds from fermenting : Take
six grains of salicylic acid and dissolve into one dessertspoonful
of pure alcohol for each one quart of the above. Put this solu-
tion in just after taking any of the above mentioned vegetables,
syrups or compounds while hot from the stove, preparatory to
filling into your jars or bottles; pouring the solution in while your
syrups or compounds are hot evaporates the alcohol and leaves
no taste ; seal jars or bottles air-tight and keep in a dark, dry
place ; temperature should be from forty to seventy degrees (one
dessertspoonful is equal to two teaspoonfuls). For liquids and
unfermented drinks add only three to four grains to each quart.

If you find you have trouble in keeping tomatoes, corn and
vegetables from fermenting, owing to improper ventilation or not
having the proper storerooms to keep same, use the following
method : Dissolve six to eight grains of salicylic acid to one tea-
spoonful salt to four teaspoonfuls of granulated sugar for each one
quart jar ; mix well through the jar with your vegetables and
process according to directions. You will find this will leave no
taste, and is an infallible remedy to prevent fermentation.

Fermentation is divided into three stages alcoholic, ascetous
and putrefactive. When yourfruitand vegetables commence to turn
sour that is the alcoholic state, and in that state you must never
attempt to can same, but they can be utilized to make wine and
other fermented drinks. After a few days the acetous state sets in,
which makes them very sour, and last of all the putrefactive
which is the complete decomposition of the fruits or vegetables.

Important to Housekeepers.

I would advise my patrons not to use tin cans at all to can
fruit or vegetables in, as the acid of fruits and vegetables com-

for Canning Fruits, Vegetables, etc. 27

bined with the lead of the tin forms an ascetate of lead which is
very poisonous. In purchasing fruits or vegetables canned in tin,
great care should be exercised in selecting perfect cans. The
following rules will be well to follow: Reject all canned goods
that do not have the manufacturer's name and address stamped
on can. Reject cans that do not show the rosin around the edge
of the solder of the cap. Always press up on the bottom of can,
and if it rattles you will know that contents of same is in a putre-
factive state, for if sound it would be solid and there could be no
rattle. All fruits and vegetables should be removed from tin
cans as soon as opened, for if they are left to stand in same for
any length of time a poisonous compound is liable to form.

NKW KDITION.

The formulas given in this new edition embrace jellies, jams,
catsup, pickling, sauces, chow chow, fancy drinks, ices and
fancy desserts ; also many other valuable household formulas
which no good housekeeper can afford to be without. We do
not claim them all as original, but we do claim that they are the
most modern and improved methods known, and that they are
the means of saving a great deal of labor and expense, and if
followed exactly no one need make a failure. The methods of
preserving, pickling, brandying fruits and making jams have all
received the highest prizes at the different fairs in France,
Germany and this country, and should be highly prized by all
housekeepers.

Formulas for fancy desserts published in this edition have
been obtained by me from some of the leading chefs of this
country and Europe at a considerable cost, and can be highly
recommended for their simplicity and the good results that any
one can obtain by following out the directions minutely.

In our latest edition on " The Art of Cooking and House-
keeping Simplified," we have published a great many more
valuable formulas for desserts of all kinds, which will prove very
valuable to our patrons,

Jellies, Jams and Preserves. 29

The Preparation of Jellies.

All fruit used in making jellies should, if possible, be freshly
picked before it becomes overripe, as \hzpectose, the jelly pro-
ducing element looses its strength with age. It consequently
would not have as nice a flavor, and would be more apt to " form."
Therefore reject all overripe, unripe, wormy or partially decayed
fruits, and when necessary wash fruits in colander before jellying.

The reason that some fruits cannot be made into a firm jelly
is because they do not contain as much pectose. Peaches and
cherries contain but a small amount of pectose.

Apples, crab apples, pineapples and quinces should be first
steamed in a steamer or cooked in a little water to soften them.

If a very clear jelly is desired, the juice must be allowed to
drain out without pressing or squeezing. The juice of berries,
grapes and currants may be extracted without the fruit being
first scalded, if preferred, by putting the fruit into an earthen or
granite-ware dish, and mashing well with a wooden potato masher,
then putting into a jelly bag and allowing the juice to drain off
for several hours.

When strained, if the jelly is to be prepared with sugar,
measure the juice and pour it into a granite or porcelain fruit
kettle with a very broad bottom, so that as much surface can be
on the stove as possible. It is betterto boil the juice in quantities of
not more than two or three quarts at a time, unless one has some
utensil in which a larger quantity can be cooked with no greater
depth of liquid than the above quantity would give in a common
fruit kettle. The purpose of the boiling is to evaporate the water
from the juice, and this can best be accomplished before the
sugar is added. The sugar, if boiled with the juice, also darkens
the jelly.

The average length of time required for boiling the juice of
most berries, currants and grapes, extracted as previously directed,

30 Jellies, Jams and Preserves.

before adding the sugar, is twenty minutes from the time it be-
gins to bubble all over its surface. It is well to test the jelly
occasionally, however, by dropping a small quantity on a plate
to cool, since the quantity of juice and the rapidity with which it
is boiled, may necessitate some variation in time. In wet seasons
fruits of all kinds absorb more moisture and a little longer boil-
ing may be necessary. The same is true of the juice of fruits
gathered after a heavy rain. Jellies prepared with sugar are
generally made of equal measures of juice and sugar, measured
before boiling ; but a very scant measure of sugar is sufficient,
and a less amount will suffice for many fruits. White granulated
sugar is best for all jellies.

To Make Jelly from Any Kind of Berries.

To every one pound of sugar take one pound of berries and
prepare as follows : Put berries first in a stone crock, porcelain or
agate vessel. Stand this in vessel of warm water (not hot), al-
lowing water to come up about three-fourths of vessel holding
fruit and allow to boil until berries are well broken and mashed.
Then take out vessel from water, strain juices through a piece of
cheese cloth. If you desire to utilize all the berries for jelly, put
the berries after the juice is drained off in a bag made of cheese
cloth, about a cupful at a time, and squeeze out all the juice until
all are thus treated. But if you wish to make a jam from the ber-
ries remaining, you can take the berries after you first strain off
the juice and work them into a jam. Then take your sugar in
the proportion given (always using the best granulatad sugar),
and put in a dripping pan and stand pan in a medium hot oven,
opening the door of oven every now and then to stir sugar so it
will not burn. Then boil juice from the berries on top of stove
about twenty minutes from time it commences to boil. Then
take sugar out of oven, pour into juice, and let this just come to

Jellies, Jams and Preserves. 31

a boil ; skim off scum quickly, take off stove, and fill your hot
jars or tumblers as quickly as possible. Place paper over jelly on
inside of jar (first dipping paper in warm brandy). Put a piece
of cotton batting (not wadding) over paper and seal. This latter
will prevent all mould. If you find that sugar in pan, while in
oven, melts on the side, do not be alarmed, for when this is poured
in the juice, it will form in lumps and you can easily remove
that. Always remove all lumps and impurities in the jelly be-
fore taking same off the stove. The juice of one lemon to every
pint of juice before boiling juice will add greatly to the flavor.
Stir jelly as little as possible after adding sugar, as it is liable to
candy. In that case use the remedy as suggested in this book in
general receipts, and marked on page 18 in book.

To Make Jellies from Peaches, Pears, Apples and Other

Fruits.

To every one pound of fruit take one pound of good granu-
lated sugar and treat them in the same way as you did the ber-
ries, drawing off the juice and adding the juice of the lemon and
sealing in the same manner.

Quinces and crab apples being hard, steam them a little while
in your steamer, then put them in crocks or vessels in water as
described. To each pound of fruit put over about one-quarter
cup of warm water and jelly as described in berries don't fail
to add lemon juice.

To Brandy all Kinds of Fruits.

To every one pound of fruit take one pound of good granu-
lated sugar, and one-quarter of a pint of good white brandy, and
use as follows : First pour over just enough water so sugar will
dissolve, then drop in your fruit and allow to boil five minutes

32 Jellies, Jams and Preserves.

for cherries and berries, and eight minutes for peaches, pears,
plums, pineapples and apples, and ten minutes for apricots, crab
apples and quinces.

Take out fruit and place in hot jars on back of stove in drip-
ping pan as described in fruit, having cover on jars ; boil down
the syrup fifteen minutes, don't stir more than necessary, add in
the brandy and pour this syrup over fruit to overflowing and
seal. The brandy must never be added until the syrup is boiled
down as described.

To make Jam from Raspberries, Strawberries, Currants, and
All Other Berries and Fruits.

To every one pound of fruit use three-quarters of a pound of
good granulated sugar, and one-quarter of a pint of red currant
juice; using as follows : Boil the juice of the currants with the
strawberries for about one-half an hour, stirring all the time.
Then dip out nearly all the juice, leaving the fruit quite dry. Add
the sugar in proportions given, and boil about twenty minutes,
skimming carefully, then put in your jars; use brandied paper
on top before sealing and piece of cotton batting as described.
You can omit the currant if you desire, but the flavor is not so
nice.

Brandied Cherries.

Use perfectly sound, large sweet cherries ; remove the stems,
or clip them within an inch of the fruit ; put over the fire in the
preserving-kettle a pound of sugar and a quart of water ; boil
them together, and skim the syrup quite clear ; scald the cher-
ries in this for two or three minutes, but not long enough to break
the skins ; then take them from the syrup with a skimmer, and
spread them on dishes to cool.

Make a syrup in quantity sufficient to cover the cherries, al-

Jellies, Jams and Preserves. 33

lowing a pound of sugar to half a pint of water or of the thin
syrup used for scalding the cherries ; boil the syrup, skimming it
until it is clear, and then cool it ; when it is cold, mix with it an
equal quantity of the best French brandy. Put the cherries into
wide-mouthed bottles, pour the syrup over them, cork the bottles
tight, and then seal them by dipping the corks into melted resin
and wax.

Grape Jelly.

Prepare the juices the same as in directions given for berries,
and process the same manner ; for green grapes add from one-
quarter to one-half pound more sugar.

Orange Jelly.

Select tart oranges, press out the juice, and mix with an equal
quantity of juice pressed from sub-acid apples. Then for each
pint of juice use from three-quarters to one pound of sugar, and
process the same as in directions for making other jellies.

Apple Jelly without Sugar.

Select juicy, white fleshed, sub-acid fruit, perfectly sound and
mature, but not mellow. The snow apple is one of the best vari-
eties for this purpose. Wash well, slice and core, without remov-
ing the skins, and cook as directed in the preceding recipe. Drain
off the juice, and if a very clear jelly is desired, filter it through a
piece of cheesecloth previously wrung out of hot water. Boil
the juice, rapidly at first, but more gently as it becomes thick-
ened, until of the desired consistency. The time required will
vary with the quantity of juice, the shallowness of the dish in
which it is boiled, and the heat employed. One hour at least
v/ill be required for one or two quarts of juice. When the juice

34 Jellies, Jams and Preserves.

has become considerably evaporated, test it frequently by dip-
ping a few drops on a plate to cool ; and when it jellies suffi-
ciently remove at once from the fire. A much larger quantity
of juice will be needed for jelly prepared in this manner than
when sugar is used, about two quarts of juice being required for
one-half pint of jelly. Such jelly, however, has a most delicious
flavor, and is excellent served with grains. Diluted with water,
it forms a most pleasing beverage.

Apple and Pear Marmalade.

Peel seven pounds of tart apples and put them into the pre-
serving kettle with a pint of cold water ; peel the yellow rind of
four lemons, and add same to the apples. Boil it to a pulp, then
squeeze in the juice of the lemons and add four pounds of sugar,
and boil the marmalade from one-half to three-quarters of an
hour until it has the proper " form " and seal in your glasses.

To put Fruit in Jelly.

Prepare some jelly, either from apples or oranges when boiled
to the proper consistency, and add to it as it begins to cool stoned
dates, seeded raisins, pitted cherries or other small fruits.

Quince Jelly.

Clean thoroughly good sound fruit, and slice thin. Put into
a double boiler with one cup of water for each five pounds of
fruit, and cook until softened. Express the juice, and proceed
as with other jellies, allowing three-fourths of a pound of sugar
to each pint of juice. Tart or sweet apples may be used with
quinces in equal proportions, and make a jelly of more pleasant
flavor than quinces used alone. The seeds of quinces contain con-

Jellies, Jams and Preserves. 35

siderable gelatinous substance, and should be cooked with the
quince for jelly making.

Plum Jelly.

Use damsons or greengages. Stone, and make them in the
same way as for berry and other small fruit jellies.

Peach Marmalade.

With a rough cloth rub the fur from sound ripe peaches. Cut
them in halves, taking out the stones, and crack about half of
them and take out the kernels ; pour boiling water over the ker-
nels, and rub off the skins ; then cut them lengthwise in small
strips, weigh the peaches, put them in preserving kettle, and add
to them three-fourths of a pound of sugar to each pound of
peaches ; set on back of stove where it will heat slowly ; when it
boils stir constantly and let it boil half an hour ; when it has
boiled twenty-five minutes put in the kernels you have cut in
strips, and boil it five minutes longer. Put the marmalade in jars,
and when cold dip a white paper in brandy and lay over it and
seal tight.

Crab Apple Jelly.

Wash the apples, cut them in small pieces, put them in pre-
serving-kettle with just enough water to cover them. Set them
on the stove and let them cook to a pulp ; then pour all into the
jelly bag, and let the juice drain through them (do not squeeze
the bag), and to each pint of juice add one pound of sugar and
boil together, removing all scum, for twenty minutes, or until a
little of the juice cooled forms a jelly ; when partly cooled put it
in your cups, dip a piece of white paper in brandy and lay over
it, and seal tight.

36 Jellies, Jams and Preserves*

Apple Jelly.

Quarter and remove the cores of twelve large, juicy apples,
put in a saucepan with a pint of cold water, and place over the
fire ; let simmer slowly for thirty minutes. Place a sieve over an
earthen bowl, pour the apples in the sieve, and let the juice
drain into the bowl ; when the juice has all run into the bowl,
strain it through a cheesecloth, and to each pint of juice add
one pound of white sugar ; put juice and sugar in preserving
kettle, and set it over the fire. Let it heat gradually, and when
it comes to a boil, boil it ten minutes longer, remove from stove,
and let it cool. Pour into your glasses, and put up as already
directed for jellies.

Cherry Preserves.

Take sound fruit as large as possible. Stew the cherries, and
remove the stone or pit with a quill by pushing through the
cherry from the stem end, thus punching out the stone (the quill
should be cut squarely off first) ; save all the juice. After the fruit
is stoned, weigh it, and for every pound of fruit add one pound
of sugar; sprinkle the sugar through the fruit and let it stand over
night this will harden the fruit ; then put all in the preserving
kettle and place it on back of stove where it will heat gradually,
and let it boil slowly until the cherries look clear, removing all
scum as it rises. When the cherries are clear remove from the
stove, cover it, and let it cool. Put in glass jars, dip a piece of
paper in brandy and lay over the fruit, seal air-tight and keep
them in a cool, dark place.

Raspberry Preserves.

Take nice firm berries, looking them over carefully so as to be
?ure that no insects are hidden in the fruit, and then weigh them ;

Jellies, Jams and Preserves. 37

take an equal amount of sugar and fruit, put it in the preserving
kettle in layers alternately, having a layer of sugar at top and
bottom, let it stand over night. The next day squeeze through
a cloth some ripe currants, and allow half a pint of currant juice
to each two pounds of fruit and sugar, weighed together ; pour
the currant juice over the fruit and sugar in preserving kettle
and place kettle over the fire and stir until they boil; be careful
not to break the berries. After it boils, stir often enough to pre-
vent sticking or burning; when the berries look clear remove
from stove, cover them and let cool When quite cold put into
glass jars, lay a piece of brandied paper on top of fruit in each jar
and seal air-tight. A few china marbles placed in kettle when
syrup is boiling will prevent the sticking or burning of same.

Elderberry and Grape Jelly.

Use one-third of ripe grapes and two-thirds of ripe elder-
berries, have all the stems out, put them in saucepan, and place
over the fire and let them cook slowly until tender enough to
yield all their juice freely, then put it into a jelly bag and let
drain until all the juice is out. Then for each pint of juice add
one pint of granulated sugar; then boil the sugar and juice to-
gether, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Continue the boil-
ing until a little of the jelly cooled on a saucer stiffens, and when
it is partly cool pour it into the jelly moulds, and when cold
cover with brandied paper to exclude the air.

Barberry Jelly.

Clean the berries, weigh them, and put in saucepan with
water enough to prevent burning, and boil the berries to a pulp ;
then pour all into a jelly bag, do not squeeze them, but let the
juice run through the bag,, and to each pint of juice add one

38 Jellies, Jams and Preserves.

pound of sugar. Boil the sugar and juice together, and if a scum
rises, skim it off; continue boiling until a little of the jelly cooled
on a saucer stiffens, and when the jelly is partly cool pour it into
the jelly glasses and cover with brandied paper and seal air-
tight.

Pineapple Preserves.

Peel and slice nice ripe pineapples, use equal parts of sugar
and pineapple, put a thick layer of sugar in a deep bowl or crock
and fill it with alternate layers of fruit and sugar, having sugar
at top, and let it stand over night. In the morning drain the
syrup into a preserving kettle, place it over the fire and let it boil
gently, removing the scum as it rises, and allow to boil slowly
until a little of it cooled on a plate thickens. Then pour the
syrup over the pineapple, and let it cool, and when quite cold
seal in glasses or jars.

Plum Marmalade.

Wash, and cut the plum nearly to the stone, put into a pre-
serving kettle and place over a moderate fire ; stir them to pre-
vent burning as they boil ; the stones will rise to the top skim
them out. Simmer until the plums are tender, then rub them
through a sieve ; crack about one-quarter of the stones, take out
the kernels, pour boiling water over them and rub the skins off;
cut them in small strips, add the kernels and weigh the pulp.
To each pound of pulp add three-quarters of a pound of sugar.
Place in preserving kettle and put on the stove, stir until they
boil, and slowly boil them for ten minutes, stirring constantly.
Then partly cool the marmalade and put it up as already
directed.

Cranberry and Sago Jelly.

Select nice berries and wash thoroughly ; put them in a
saucepan, cover with cold water, place vessel over the fire and

Jellies, Jams and Preserves. 39

stew until so tender that they will break as you stir them with
a spoon. When they are all soft, squeeze through a jelly bag,
and to a quart of the strained juice add half a pound of sugar and
two ounces of sago ; let it boil until the sago is transparent.
Rinse your jelly glasses with cold water and pour the jelly in.
Let it cool before using.

Apple Jam.

Select nice, tart and well flavored apples ; chop them fine,
removing the core ; to each one pound of prepared apples as
described, use one pound of light brown sugar. First pour over
the sugar one gill of cold water ; put this in a kettle on the stove,
skim syrup clean, then put in your apples and scrape into this
the yellow rind of one lemon and squeeze in the juice of lemon ;
scrape and slice one small green ginger root to each pound of apples
and boil all slowly until apples look clear,, stirring just enough to
prevent burning. When the jam is cooked sufficiently, allow it
to cool in kettle, put into glasses or jars, and seal as directed in
jellies and jams.

Florida Orange Marmalade.

Grate off the yellow rind of nine large oranges ; add to the
grated rind the juice of three large lemons ; remove the thick
white rind from the grated oranges, and all the rind from nine
more ; weigh the eighteen oranges, and allow an equal weight of
white sugar. Put the grated rind, lemon-juice and sugar over
the fire, and let them boil ; meantime free the pulp and juice of
the oranges from all the white skin, and add them to the boiling
sugar ; boil the marmalade slowly until a little of it cooled on
a saucer jellies. Put it away as directed in the recipe for other
marmalades.

4O Jellies, Jams and Preserves.

Preserved Tomatoes.

Use small yellow tomatoes, perfectly ripe and sound ; pour
boiling water over them and then peel them, being careful to
keep them entire. Weigh the tomatoes and allow an equal
quantity of sugar ; to each pound of sugar use half a lemon
thinly sliced, the seeds being removed ; put the sugar and lemons
into the preserving-kettle, with just enough water to moisten the
sugar, and slowly heat it until it dissolves ; boil it and skim it
until it is clear ; then put in the tomatoes, and boil them gently
for three quarters of an hour. Cool the tomatoes, and then put
them up as directed in other preserve recipes.

Tomato-Figs.

Use the small yellow tomatoes ; scald the tomatoes, remove
the skins without breaking the fruit and weigh it ; allow half as
much sugar as there is fruit ; pack the tomatoes and sugar in
layers in earthen jars and let them stand for twenty-four hours.
Then drain the juice from the fruit, add to it a pound of sugar
for each pint of juice, put them together in a preserving-kettle
over the fire, and boil them ; when the syrup thus made is boil-
ing, put in the tomatoes, and continue the boiling until they look
clear, removing all scum as it rises ; when the tomatoes look
clear pour them into earthen jars, and let them stand for two
days. Then again drain off the syrup, boil it up once, pour it
again over the fruit and let them stand two days longer. At
the end of that time take the tomatoes from the syrup, lay them
on sieves or dishes, and dry them for a week, putting them in the
sun every day, and turning them over twice a day , if the weather
should be damp, the tomato-figs should be dried in a warm room.
When they are quite dry, pack them in wooden boxes, with dry
sugar between the layers, and keep them in a dry place.

Jellies, Jams and Preserves. 41

Tomato Jelly.

Stew a quart of tomatoes, with a palatable seasoning of salt
and pepper, to a soft pulp ; strain this pulp through a very fine
sieve or jelly-bag; to each pint of the strained tomato add half
a cupful of white sugar, and a tablespoonful of corn-starch
dissolved in half a cupful of cold water ; put these ingredients
over the fire, and stir them until they have boiled for one minute ;
then cool the jelly. Serve it with broiled, fried, baked or roasted
meats.

Tomato Jam.

Scald ripe, sound tomatoes, peel them, put them over the fire
in a preserving kettle, and cook them gently until they are
tender enough to be rubbed through a sieve with a potato-masher;
weigh the pulp, put it again into the kettle with an equal weight
of sugar; to each pound add the grated rind and juice of two
lemons, and boil the jam until it looks clear, and is thick when a
little is cooled on a saucer. Then cool it a little, and put it up
in air-tight glass jars, or in glasses with paper pasted over the
top.

Barberry Jam.

Weigh the berries that are left in the jelly bag (after making
jelly) put them into the saucepan, with an equal amount of brown
sugar, and boil to a thick jam ; take off all scum that rises. Stir
it as it thickens to prevent burning ; when the jam is done let it
cool a little, put in air-tight jars and cover with paper.

Raspberry and Currant Jam.

Take an equal amount of raspberries and sugar. To each
pound of fruit and sugar (that is the united weight of both) add

42 Jellies, Jams and Preserves.

half a pint of currant juice. Put the currant juice and the rasp-
berries in the saucepan and place on the fire ; mash the berries
by using a wooden spoon; stir continually, let them boil until
about one-third of the juice is left, then put in the sugar, stirring
constantly. When the sugar is dissolved let it simmer slowly
for about five minutes; great care should be taken not to let it
burn. When cool put in jars, and dip a piece of white paper in
brandy and lay over it ; then put a layer of cotton batting over
all and seal the jars.

Preserved Pears.

Take acid pears for preserving. If the fruit is small preserve
it whole, if large cut in halves, peel the pears with a silver knife,
dropping them into cold water as fast as they are peeled to pre-
vent discoloration. When the fruit is all prepared allow a pound
of sugar to each pound of pears. Put the fruit over the fire with
just enough water to cover it, and boil it gently until it is tender
enough to yield to a slight pressure of the fingers ; meantime
put the sugar into the preserving kettle, adding to each pound a
pint of cold water, and to every five pounds of the sugar, add the
thinly pared yellow rind and juice of two lemons, and two ounces
of green ginger root scalded and scraped ; boil the syrup and re-
move all scum as it rises; when the pears are boiled, as directed
above, put them into the syrup, and boil them until they look
clear ; when the pears are thoroughly penetrated with the syrup,
remove the preserving kettle from the fire, allow the preserves to
cool, and put them in glasses or jars as directed in preserves and
jams.

To Preserve Fruits Whole.

Take four pounds of granulated sugar and add just enough
water to dissolve the sugar ; allow syrup to come to a boil, skim
clean, and then boil syrup until it strings. Take vessel from

Jellies, Jams and Preserves. 43

stove, add to syrup one pint of alcohol, and while it is foaming
pour it over peaches or other acid fruits, which have been pre-
viously packed in their raw state in the jars, and seal jars air-tight.

To make Preserves of Citron or Watermelon Bind.

After the citron is peeled weigh it ; to each pound allow a
pound of sugar, an ounce of green ginger root, a lemon, and halt
a pint of water ; scrape the ginger root and tie it in a clean cloth
with the yellow rind of the lemon pared very thin ; squeeze the
juice of the lemon and strain it ; put the sugar and water over
fire and let them heat together and begin to boil, removing all
scum as it rises ; when the syrup is free from scum, put in the
citron rind, ginger and lemon peel and juice, and boil all together
until the citron looks clear, removing any scum which may rise.
Then let the preserve cool in the kettle, put it into glass jars,
leaving the ginger and lemon with it, if their flavor is desired,
distributing them among the jars of citron.

The watermelon rind is preserved in the same manner.

Sherry Wine Jelly From the French.

Dissolve to each quart of water one-half pound of granulated
sugar, then stir in two ounces of gelatine, broken in small pieces,
squeeze the juice of a medium sized lemon into this, grate the
rind of this lemon and add to this mixture. Stir well, place the
vessel on a hot stove to boil. Take the white of two eggs, first
beat well in separate dish, and add to the above. Also grate in a
saltspoonful of nutmeg, add six cloves, one bay leaf, mixing
well for one or two minutes. Have in readiness a jelly bag tied
on a jelly stand, or two kitchen chairs will answer. Stir
preparations in the vessel, when it comes to a boil set it back to a
cooler part of the stove to prevent it overflowing. Put in three
or four china marbles; these will act as automatic stirrers and

44 Jellies, Jams and Preserves.

keep the mass from burning or candying ; leave boll for about
six or seven minutes. Place another vessel under the jelly bag,
pour into the jelly bag the hot mixture, immediately adding to it
a half pint of good sherry wine and a teaspoonful of burned
sugar. Allow all to drain into the vessel, then pour this back
into the bag, and allow it to drain through again for about two
hours in another vessel. Have a quart jelly mold in readiness,
pour jelly into same and allow it to cool for two hours, keeping
mold covered and set into your refrigerator for two hours to
harden. Then place mold carefully into warm water, not hot,
nearly up to the top for a minute, then turn the jelly into a des-
sert dish, and it is ready for use.

To make champagne, Jamaica rum, brandy or other wine
jellies, use the same formula only adding the wine you desire to
flavor it with.

Burned Sugar.

Put into your vessel one pound of sugar and place on a slow
fire to burn thoroughly for about thirty to thirty-five minutes (a
small frying pan is best to use) ; then take pan from stove to cool
for about six minutes and add a half pint of water stirring well.
Put back on stove and allow to boil six minutes more, stirring it
constantly ; take from stove, drain through a fine sieve into an-
other vessel and allow it to cool. Then place into Mason jars,
seal and keep until ready to use ; it will keep for nearly a month.

Apple Jelly.

Take five large-sized apples, cut them into small pieces and
add to them nearly one pint of cold water, place vessel on hot
stove, and when this comes to a boil skim clean and add in about
one-quarter of a lemon, and allow all to boil fifteen to twenty
minutes, stirring well to prevent burning ; place a sieve over an-
other vessel, pour this mixture into sieve and allow it to drain

Jellies, Jams and Preserves. 45

about twenty minutes. Add into the vessel about one pound of
granulated sugar, and replace on the stove and allow it to boil
down about one- half ; it usually takes from thirty to thirty-five
minutes. Take this from the fire, pour into stone crock, cover
mouth of crock with cotton batting and keep in cool place.

Brandied Green-Gage Plums.

Choose perfectly sound green-gage plums, not quite ripe ;
wash them in cold water, and wipe them dry ; have plenty of
peach or vine leaves washed and drained ; in the bottom of a
preserving kettle put a layer of leaves three deep ; weigh the
plums, and to each pound allow a piece of alum as large as a grain
of corn ; put the plums and leaves into the kettle in layers, with
the alum pulverized and sprinkled among them ; cover the last
layer of plums with a layer of leaves three deep, and pour over
them just enough cold water to cover them; spread a clean
towel over the top of the kettle, and then fit on a perfectly tight
cover to keep in the steam ; place the kettle on the back of the
stove, where its contents will heat gradually, and steam them for
two hours ; do not allow the plums to boil, or they will soften and
break ; when they are quite green, drain them and cool them,
and put them into wide-mouthed jars.

Make a syrup as follows : For each pound of plums allow
half a pound of sugar and half a pint of water ; put them into a
preserving kettle, and boil and skim the syrup until it is clear ;
then cool it, and add to it an equal measure of the best French
brandy ; when both plums and syrup are quite cold, fill the jars
with the syrup, and then cork and seal them air-tight.

Pear Jam.

Peel, quarter, and core perfectly ripe pears ; weigh them, and
then pack them closely into an earthen jar ; place the jar in a
saucepan of boiling water over the fire, and let it remain until

46 Jellies, Jams and Preserves.

the fruit is soft enogh to break apart ; then put an equal weight
of sugar over the fire, with a pint of water to each pound of
sugar, and skim it until it forms a clear syrup ; put the pears into
the syrup, and stir them frequently until they boil ; after they
begin to boil, stir them constantly, and boil for twenty minutes ;
then partly cool the jam, and put it up as already directed.

Plnm Jam.

Wash, dry, and weigh the plums ; allow three-quarters of
their weight in sugar ; put the plums over the fire, and boil them
gently for three quarters of an hour, stirring them often enough
to prevent burning ; remove the stones as they rise to the sur-
face, and crack one-fourth of them ; at the end of three-quarters
of an hour put in the sugar, and continue to boil the jam for
fifteen minutes, stirring it constantly, and removing all scum as
it rises ; five minutes before it is done, put in the kernels ; when
the jam is partly cool, put it in jars ; when it is quite cold, lay
paper dipped in brandy in each jar, and seal them air-tight

Sugared Quinces.

Select sound, firm quinces : wipe them with a wet cloth, pare
them, cut them in eighths, and core them ; put the cores and
parings into a small cloth bag, and boil them with the quinces,
which must be put over the fire in a preserving kettle, with boil-
ing water enough to cover them, and boiled gently until they are
tender, then drain and cool them ; after they are cool, weigh
them, and allow an equal amount of granulated sugar; when the
quinces are quite cold, put them into glass or earthen jars in
layers with the sugar, and cover the jars air-tight.

To Test Jelly.

Drop a spoonful in a glass of cold water ; if it goes to the bot-
tom without mixing with the water it is done; or ^lace a spoon-

Jellies, Jams and Preserves. 47

ful in a cold saucer ; if it hardens without spreading it is done.
It is always best to stew or boil berries or fruit sauces, also
jellies, in earthen crocks ; be sure and not have them glazed. Boil
water several times in them before using ; this will temper them.

Apple Butter.

Take nine gallons of cider, boil down one-third ; add to the
boiling cider three gallons of apples that have been pared and
quartered ; boil rapidly for two hours, so as to prevent them
from sinking ; when they commence to sink, stir so as to prevent
them from burning; add sugar and spice to suit the taste, stir con-
stantly until the mass is reduced to a thick, smooth pulp this
generally takes from thirty to forty minutes. Place in crocks and
tie cotton batting over the mouth of crock.

Tomato Butter.

One bushel ripe tomatoes, one-half bushel of ripe apples, five
pounds of brown sugar, one ounce cinnamon, one ounce allspice,
one ounce cloves ; first allow tomatoes to come to a boil, then
add the apples peeled and cored ; let cook together, watching
very carefully for about three-fourths of a day, then add the
sugar and allow to boil until juice is cooked out of them ; one
hour before taking off add the spices.

Apple Butter from Dried Apples.

Four pounds dried apples, two pounds of dried pumpkin,
allow to soak twelve hours with water covering same; add
one gallon glucose, one quart of boiled cider, one quart of syrup,
six pounds brown sugar, one-quarter pound gelatine, a little mixed
spice to suit the taste ; boil slowly one hour or more, stirring all
the time.

PICKLING, CHOW-CHOW AND CATSUPS.

To Test the Proper Strength of Cider or Wine Vinegar.

Vinegar should be from fifty to sixty grain strong ; if over
sixty grain it is too strong ; if under fifty, it is too weak for pick-
ling purposes. To test same take one hundred and thirty-five
grains bicarbonate of soda, (baking soda), have druggist weigh it
for you, and stir this in small proportions gradually into a large
tumbler that contains exactly two ounces of the vinegar you
desire to test. If it effervesce, or foams quickly, overflows the
glass, goes down quickly and absorbs all the baking soda, it is
too strong, and in that case add one-quarter filtered rain water
to three-quarters of this vinegar before using. If it foams up
gradually, goes down gradually, comes down slowly, falls flat and
does not absorb the baking soda, it is too weak and should be
used for table or cooking purposes only. But if it foams up
gradually and don't overflow much, comes down gradually,
absorbs all, or nearly all the soda, it is the proper strength for
pickling purposes.

The Test to Ascertain if There is Acid in Vinegar.

Take one ounce of acid called muriate barium and mix this
with two ounces of water ; put in bottle and cork it. When de-
siring to test vinegar, take three tablespoonfuls of vinegar you

Pickling, Chow-chow and Catsups. 49

desire to test and drop into the vinegar five drops of the above
solution ; if the vinegar turns a milkish color, there is sulphuric
acid in it.

To Prepare Tinegar for Pickles.

Take one pound of green ginger cut up and dried, one pound
of horse radish cut up and dried, one pound of mustard seed
mashed and dried, one ounce of white pepper whole, one ounce
of mace, one ounce of grated nutmeg, two tablespoonfuls of
turmeric, two tablespoonfuls of celery seed, two tablespoonfuls of
allspice, two tablespoonfuls of cloves, two pounds of brown
sugar, two gallons of vinegar and shallots to taste, one table-
spoonful of alum. Keep this in the sun and shake daily. Pre-
pare this vinegar early in the summer, keep in closed crocks until
ready for using.

To Strengthen Yinegar.

Let it freeze and take the ice off the top, as the water alone
freezes.

Potato Yinegar.

Two gallons of water that potatoes have been boiled in, one
pound brown sugar, a cup of hot yeast. In three or four weeks
you will have most excellent vinegar. Cucumbers cut fresh from
the vines, without salt, will keep in this vinegar.

Beet Yinegar.

Take one bushel of sugar beets, wash and grate them into a
cheese or cider press. Put the juice into a cask, cover the bung
with netting and set in the sun. In two or three weeks you will
have five or six gallons of good vinegar.

50 Pickling, Chow-chow and Catsups.

Spiced Vinegar.

Two gallons cider vinegar, two and one-quarter pounds
brown sugar, one and one-half ounces celery seed, one and one-
half ounces cloves, one and one-half ounces mustard, one and one-
half ounces mace, one and one-half ounces pepper, one and one-
half ounces turmeric, one and one-half ounces white ginger. Put
the spices in small loose muslin bags in the jar with the vinegar
and sugar.

The Most Improved Method for Making Pickles.

Make a brine of four pails of water, six quarts of salt, a piece
of alum size of an egg, one and one-half ounces of saltpetre, and
stir until thoroughly dissolved. Test to see if brine is strong
enough ; see that it will balance an egg or a small potato. Put
in your small or medium-size cucumbers, and leave in from
fourteen to twenty-four hours, according to how salty you de-
sire same. Then transfer pickles into a vessel of fresh cold water
for twenty- four hours, mixing grape leaves in water as follows : A
layer of grape leaves and a layer of pickles, and so on until ves-
sel is full. The last five hours of the twenty-four, put a piece of
ice on top of pickles large enough to chill them ; this will harden
them. Boil the vinegar made as described, put pickles into stone
crocks or jars, pour hot vinegar over same, put a piece of writing
paper on top of vinegar, then a thick layer of cotton batting, and
seal jars or crocks. Tie cotton batting over mouth of crocks.

You will find by processing pickles by this formula they will
not be soft, and fungus or mold cannot form on top.

Cucumber Pickles (Sweet).

Select the medium, small-sized cucumbers ; for one bushel,
make a brine that will bear up an egg ; heat it boiling hot and

Pickling, Chow-chow and Catsups. 5 1

pour it over the cucumbers ; let them stand twenty-four hours,
then wipe them dry; heat some vinegar boiling hot, and pour
over them, standing again twenty-four hours. Now change the
vinegar, putting on fresh vinegar, adding one quart of brown
sugar, a pint of white mustard seed, a small handful of whole
cloves, the same of cinnamon sticks, a piece of alum the size of
an egg, half a cupful of celery seed. Heat it all boiling hot and
pour over the cucumbers in jars and seal tight.

Sliced Cucumbers Canned.

Slice cucumbers very thin, let them stand about twelve hours
in weak solution of salt and cold water, then place them in col-
ander and drain thoroughly, then fill a jar little over half full of
the cucumbers, heat vinegar and pour over them to fill up ; a
small piece of horse-radish gives them a nice flavor; you can also
spice the vinegar if you desire.

Sweet Cucumber Pickles.

Take one peck of small cucumbers, and for five mornings
pour over them a hot brine made of one cup of salt to one gal-
lon of water; the sixth morning pour over them hot vinegar
enough to cover them nicely. The seventh morning take new
vinegar, add one and one-half pounds of brown sugar, one-half
pound of white mustard seed, and one pound of cassia buds, heat
to boiling point and pour over the pickles, cover the jar with a
cloth and in a few days they will be ready for the table.

Sweet Green Tomato Pickles.

Slice one peck of green tomatoes, put them in a jar sprink-
ling through them two cups of salt (they will make their own

52 Pickling, Chow-cJiow and Catsups.

brine), let them lay over night, the next morning let them drain
thoroughly. Take one gallon of vinegar, one and one-half
pounds of brown sugar, one-half ounce of ground cloves, and one-
half ounce of ground cinnamon, put the tomatoes in and cook
until they are tender; put in a jar and cover well; as soon as they
are cold, they are ready for use.

Pickled String Beans.

Soak your beans in salt water twenty-four hours (brine strong
enough to balance an egg); pour off brine and scald in good
vinegar for a few minutes, with a little alum and spice ; then
seal in jars or crocks, using the same vinegar. Use a piece of
alum about the size of a cherry for each quart jar. Spice to suit
taste.

Watermelon Pickle.

Ten pounds of watermelon rind boiled in pure water until
tender; drain the water off, and make a syrup of two pounds of
white sugar, one quart of vinegar, one-half an ounce of cloves,
one ounce of cinnamon, the syrup to be poured over the rind
boiling hot three days in succession, leaving them in the syrup
until next day. The last day when syrup comes to boil drop the
melon in and let it boil three minutes ; then place in stone jars
tied up with cotton batting as described.

Citron Pickle.

Pare the citron, cut it into such shapes as are desired ;
boil with a teaspoonful of alum to each one-half gallon until
tender, then drain well ; boil together for ten minutes two quarts
of vinegar, three pounds of sugar, three ounces of cassia buds ;
then add the citron and boil this five minutes longer. Put away
in jars or crocks sealed air-tight.

Pickling, Chow-chow and Catsups. 53

Ripe Tomato Pickles.

Take tomatoes two-thirds ripe those that are red and firm.
Put them into very strong brine that has been made by boiling
and skimming, and has become perfectly cold. Let them remain
in this brine eight days. Then drain them and put them into
very weak vinegar for twenty-four hours ; remove them from
this, and lay them in layers in stone jars, with sliced onions and
spices between ; then pour over them very strong and cold
vinegar. For every peck of tomatoes add one ounce of cloves,
eight tablespoonfuls of dry mustard, one ounce of ground black
pepper, one ounce allspice, and one dozen large onions sliced.

To Salt Cucumbers for a Year.

For a butter-tub of cucumbers pour one pail of boiling water
on one quart of salt and one ounce of saltpetre; let it stand
over night. Pick cucumbers every day and put in until full. If
more liquid is required, put in water, spread a cloth over, and
upon that place a board.

Green Tomato Pickles.

One peck of green tomatoes and twelve large onions sliced
very thin or chopped ; sprinkle with salt, and let them stand
over night ; in the morning drain them. Have ready a quarter
of a pound of mustard seed, one ounce each of allspice,
ground pepper, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, one box mustard and
one pound of sugar. Mix well together. Put a layer of toma-
toes and then layer of spices alternately; cover with strong vine-
gar and boil gently until transparent.

To Make Mangoes or Green Peppers.

Let them lie in salt and water for about a week (brine the
same strength as for string beans) ; then remove the seeds and

54 Pickling, Chow-chow and Catsups.

fill them with shaved cabbage and a little mustard seed. Pour
over them scalding vinegar, then seal in jars or crocks.

To Make Chow-chow.

Two large cauliflowers, two dozen onions, two dozen pickled
cucumbers cut in slices, two quarts of vinegar, one-quarter of a
pound of ground mustard, one quarter of an ounce of whole pep-
pers, the same of allpsice, cloves and horse-radish cut in small
pieces ; boil the cauliflower till tender ; then put it in salt and
water for twenty-four hours. The onions are to be sliced
and laid in salt and water two days. Put the mustard in the
vinegar ; let it come to a boil ; then pour it over the cauliflower,
spices, etc. Pick the cauliflower in pieces.

To Pickle Onions.

Peel and boil small onions in milk and water ten minutes.
Put to a gallon of vinegar one-half ounce of mace, quarter of an
ounce of cloves, five tablespoonfuls of salt, one-half ounce of
alum, and turn the whole, boiling hot, on the onions, the water
and milk being first drained bfi, and seal in jars or crocks air-
tight

Chow-chow.

One-half bushel of green tomatoes, one dozen peppers, one
dozen onions ; chop all fine and salt over night with one pint of
salt. In the morning drain the mess from the brine and put in
a kettle over a fire with enough vinegar to stew same ; cook
slowly for one hour, then drain it from the vinegar and pack same
in crocks or jars. Then take one pint of grated horse-radish, two
pounds of sugar, one-half cup of ground mustard, one-half pound
of white mustard seed, two large spoonfuls of cinnamon, two

Pickling, Chow-chow and Catsups. 55

spoonfuls of allspice, one spoonful of cloves, one spoonful of
black pepper, with enough vinegar to thoroughly wet the chow-
chow ; put in a kettle, allow it to come to a good boil, and pour
over the chow-chow in crock boiling hot, and seal with, cotton
batting as described in pickles.

Pepper Sauce.

Six large-sized peppers and one hard head of cabbage chopped
together. When partly chopped add one and one-half teacupfuls
of salt, to preserve it, one-half teaspoonful of cayenne pepper,
one tablespoonful of ground allspice, one-half pound of black
mustard seed, one-half pound of white mustard seed ; put in
pots and cover with cold vinegar ; cover tightly.

It is fit for use in about one month.

Tomato Catsup.

To one gallon of ripe tomatoes add four tablespoonfuls of
salt, four tablespoonfuls of ground black pepper, three tablespoon-
fuls of ground mustard, one-half of a tablespoonful of allspice,
one-half of a tablespoonful of cloves, six red peppers ground fine.
Boil the whole slowly with one pint of vinegar for four hours,
then strain it through a sieve. Bottle and cork tight.

Tomato Catsup.

To one-half bushel of tomatoes (it is not necessary to skin the
tomatoes) add five large onions, cutting all up together, and boil-
ing them for four hours ; strain them through a wire sifter, and
to each quart of juice put two tablespoonfuls, of fine salt, two
teaspoonfuls of ground black pepper, one teaspoonful each of
cloves, allspice and mustard, ground, one teacupful of vinegar,

56 Pickling, Chow-chow and Catsups.

and a small quantity of cayenne pepper ; put all on together,
and boil for six hours. Have bottles ready, and bottle and cork
up well while hot.

Currant Catsup.

Pick over and wash five pounds of currants ; put them in a
porcelain-lined kettle, add three pounds of sugar, one pint of
good vinegar, one tablespoonful each of cinnamon, mace and
black pepper, then add one teaspoonful of salt. Boil all together
until the fruit is well cooked ; then bottle tightly.

Spiced Currants.

Five pounds of currants, four pounds of sugar, one pint of
vinegar, two tablespoonfuls of cloves. Boil one and a half or
two hours.

For Making Chilli Sauce.

One peck of ripe tomatoes, six onions, five red peppers, one-
half pint of horse-radish, one and a half pints of vinegar, three
tablespoonfuls of salt, one-half cup of sugar, if desired, two
tablespoonfuls of cinnamon, one tablespoonful of allspice, one
tablespoonful of ginger, one-half teaspoonful of mace, one table-
spoonful of cloves, one-half teaspoonful of nutmeg; peel toma-
toes and onions, remove seeds from peppers, chop fine, add
spice, vinegar, salt and sugar. Boil slowly four hours and stir
continually or it will burn. Bottle or can while it is hot, sealing
jars the same as for fruit ; always have your jars or bottles hot
beforehand; if the flavor of celery is liked add one-half dozen
stalks and roots ; if celery is used add one-half pint of vinegar
extra.

To Make Mushroom Catsup.

Lay alternate layers of mushroom and salt in an earthen- ware
jar, using one-fourth pound salt to each quart of mushrooms.

Pickling, Chow-chow and Catsups. 57

After six hours break them into pieces, and set them in a cool
place for three days, stirring every morning. Next strain, and
to every quart of the juice add one-half ounce each allspice and
ginger, one-half teaspoonful powdered mace and one teaspoonful
cayenne pepper ; put into a closely covered stone jar, set in a
vessel of boiling water, and boil briskly for five hours; then
empty into a porcelain-lined kettle, and simmer gently for one-
half hour more ; let it stand over night in a cool place, drain off
the liquor, and fill jars or bottles to the mouth, and seal air-tight ;
keep in cool, dark place.

Cold Catsup.

(Using no heat to make same. This formula cost the author
five dollars).

One peck good tomatoes, one cup chopped celery, six medium
size onions, two pounds brown sugar, one cup salt, one cup Eng-
lish mustard seed, two quarts of best cider or wine vinegar, three
red peppers, two ounces of ground cinnamon ; chop the toma-
toes, and drain in a colander ; chop the onions and peppers to-
gether very fine. After a greater part of the juice of the toma-
toes has been drained off, mix all the ingredients with the toma-
toes, bottle and seal air-tight ; wrap and keep in cool place.

In case you should have any trouble with it fermenting add
the acid in the quantity as directed in preventing fermentation ;
but I find it will keep nicely without acid if the formula is used
as directed.

Tomato Catsup (Using Heat).

Two quarts tomato pulp, one onion cut fine, two tablespoon-
fuls brown sugar, boil until thick ; take from fire, strain through
sieve, add two tablespoonfuls mustard, one tablespoonful of all-
spice, one tablespoonful of black pepper, one tablespoonful ground
cinnamon, one teaspoonful ground cloves, one-half teaspoonful of

58 Pickling, Chow-chow and Catsups.

cayenne pepper, one grated nutmeg, one pint good wine or cider
vinegar, and boil all together until fine enough to run from the
mouth of a bottle ; it should be stirred often enough to prevent
burning, and be sealed in jars while hot

About Vinegar.

Never boil vinegar over six minutes, as it reduces the
strength to boil longer. If you think vinegar is too weak after it
is poured over pickles, turn it off, prepare new vinegar and
spices as described, and pour over the pickles. In boiling the
spices in vinegar, tie them in a muslin cloth.

To Make Vinegar from Tomatoes.

Press ->ut the juice from ripe tomatoes in a clean pan or dish.
Keep it in a moderately warm place for one-half day and it will
turn into vinegar; add one gill of molasses to each quart of
vinegar.

To Make Cider Vinegar.

Put enough cider in a barrel or keg to fill within a gallon of
its capacity ; it will gradually sour in four to six months ; then
rack it off, either keeping it in casks or demijohns. Whenever it
thickens or gets mothery, draw it off again and put it in a clean
vessel ; if it is not acid enough add two ounces brown sugar to
every gallon.

To Determine Whether Vinegar is Vegetable or Made

of Acids.

Take a glass bottle that is perfectly clear ; put in your
vinegar, take it to the light, or use a small microscope. If you

Pickling, Chow-chow and Catsups. 59

can see any signs of animal life in the shape of little wigglers,
called pollywogs, that is good vegetable vinegar, as no life can
exist in acid vinegar.

To Make Vinegar for Household Purposes in Three Weeks
Not to be Used for Tickling.

Take one quart of molasses, one pint of yeast, to three gal-
lons of warm rain water ; put this mixture in a keg or barrel with
bunghole open, and protect it with gauze, as described on page 59.

How to Soften Rubbers and Make them Nearly as Good as

New.

Take about one teaspoonful of pure ammonia to about one
pint of water. Drop in rubbers and let stand for few minutes.
If one fits loosely put in two rubbers instead.

If Yinegar is Too Strong, How to Weaken.

To every gallon of strong vinegar pour in a quart of filtered
rain water.

To Keep up a Constant Supply of Vinegar, as made on
Page 58, called "Cider Vinegar."

When about two-thirds of the cask or the barrel of cider
vinegar is used, mix to the other one-third vinegar left the fol-
lowing : to every eleven gallons of soft water add one gallon of
molasses, used in this proportion to fill up barrel ; this mixture
will become good vinegar in about three weeks. If the barrels
stand on end there must be a hole made in the top protected
with gauze to keep out insects ; if standing on side, bung-hole
must be kept open, and similarly protected.

60 Pickling, Chow-chow and Catsups.

Mixed Pickles.

Three hundred small cucumbers, four large green peppers,
sliced fine, two large heads of cauliflower broken in small pieces,
three heads of white cabbage shredded fine (the cabbage can be
left out if you wish), two quarts small onions, one quart or more
of small string beans cut in small pieces, one quart of small green
tomatoes sliced. Put this all in a pretty strong brine twenty-
four hours. Drain three hours, then sprinkle in one-quarter
pound black and one-quarter pound of white mustard seed, one
tablespoonful of black ground pepper. Let the whole come to a
boil in just enough vinegar to cover, with a little alum put in.
Drain, and when cold mix a pint of ground mustard as for table
use, and put in, cover the whole with good cider vinegar.

Pickled Grapes.

Take firm, ripe grapes, pack closely in a jar with grape
leaves between the layers, if you can get them. To four quarts
vinegar, add two pints white sugar, one ounce cinnamon, one-
half ounce cassia, one-half ounce of cloves. Boil vinegar and
spices well together, let stand till cold, and pour over the grapes.

Sweet Pickle for All Fruits.

To every quart of fruit allow one cup of white sugar and a
large pint of good cider vinegar, adding half an ounce of stick
cinnamon, one tablespoonful of whole cloves, and one tablespoon-
ful of whole allspice ; let it come to a boil, and pour it hot over
the fruit ; repeat this two or three mornings in succession, then
seal hot in glass jars if you wish to keep it for a long time. The
fruit (not the liquor) is to be eaten and used the same as any

Pickling, Chow -chow and Catsups. 61

pickle. Some confound this with " spiced fruit," which is not
treated the same ; one being a pickle, the other a spiced preserve
boiled down thick. Damson plums should be pricked with a
needle, and peaches washed in a weak lye and then rubbed with
a coarse cloth to remove the fur.

PICKLING ALL KINDS OF FRUITS.

Pickled Plums.

Seven pounds of plums, each pricked several times with a
fork ; prepare spices same as for pears, and put in the kettle one
pint vinegar, heat slowly to the boiling point, add three pounds
of sugar, and when boiling hot pour upon the plums. Repeat
this for two successive mornings ; the last day put in the plums
and boil until tender.

Pickled Peai*s.

Pare, halve and core the pears; take seven pounds of fruit
thus prepared ; sew two tablespoonfuls of powdered cinna-
mon, one tablespoonful of cloves, one tablespoonful of allspice,
and a little mace in a loose muslin bag ; put it in a kettle
with one quart of vinegar, heat it slowly to a boiling point,
then remove the spice-bag, add one and one-half pounds of
sugar, and when boiling hot put in one-half of the pears and
the spice-bag. Boil until the fruit is tender, not soft, skim
out, and add the remainder of the pears, keep in a stone jar,
and paste paper or cloth over the top of jar, or tie three folds of
cotton batting over mouth of jar.

Pickled Peaches.

Stick two cloves and two pieces of cinnamon in each peach,
then weigh the peaches, allowing one-half a pound of sugar to

Pickling all Kinds of Fruits. 63

each pound of peaches ; put the sugar in enough vinegar to dis-
solve it, then pack the peaches in a crock, pour the vinegar and
sugar over them, and let them boil, setting the crock in water,
until soft. As soon as they are cold put a cloth over the top of
them, set them away with cover on, and in a few days they will
be ready for the table.

Spanish Pickles.

Slice one peck of green tomatoes, break in small parts four
cauliflowers, one peck of small onions, one peck small cucum-
bers, each to lay separately for twenty-four hours in weak solu-
tion of salt and water ; then let them drain thoroughly, and
put them in stewpan in layers, sprinkling through them one
ounce of ground cloves, one ounce ground cinnamon, and one
pound of white mustard seed ; cover with vinegar, and boil
until they are tender ; then skim all out into jars, and cook
the remainder of the pickles in the same vinegar ; when all
is cooked throw out the old vinegar, and take two gallons
of cider vinegar, let it come to a boil, and stir in one pound
of ground mustard, one pound of C sugar, one-half cup of flour,
having first dissolved this in a little vinegar, and stir it in slowly
while the vinegar is boiling, and while hot pour it over the pickles
and stir thoroughly.

Pickled Walnuts.

Take white walnuts, fresh and tender, put them in salt and
water for three days ; then put in the sun until they turn black ;
use the proportion of one-half pound of mustard seed, two ounces
pepper, one-half ounce mace, one-half ounce nutmeg and a good
stalk of horse-radish, and boil in four quarts of vinegar; cover the
walnuts closely, and let them remain three or four weeks ; pour
off the liquid for catsup, if desired, and bottle it, covering the
walnuts again with cold vinegar.

64 Pickling all Kinds of Fruits.

Cantaloupe Pickles.

Take seven pounds melons after they are peeled and cut in
shape (they must be nearly ripe), and lay same in a weak brine
over night ; then put them in alum water made from one tea-
spoonful of alum to two quarts of water, and allow to boil about
one-half hour ; take out of water, put in another vessel, and pour
over the melon, boiling hot, the following : Three pounds sugar,
one quart vinegar, two ounces cinnamon bark, one ounce pounded
mace, and one and a half ounce whole cloves, and allow to scald
altogether about fifteen minutes on back of stove, then seal in jars.

Pickled Strawberries and Red Raspberries.

Ten pounds of berries, four pounds of sugar, one pint vine-
gar, one-half ounce whole cloves, one ounce stick cinnamon ;
heat the vinegar, sugar and spices in a preserving kettle, add the
berries, simmer thirty minutes, put into jars and seal.

Pickled Blackberries and Huckleberries.

Ten pounds of berries, four pounds of sugar, one pint vinegar,
one-half ounce cloves, one-half ounce cinnamon ; heat the vine-
gar, sugar and spices in a preserving-kettle, add the berries, let
boil gently for fifteen minutes, pour into jars and seal.

Pickled Limes or Lemons.

Six lemons put into brine that will bear an egg, let remain
six days, stirring every day ; then boil fifteen minutes in two
quarts of water, boiling when put in ; remove and put into a cloth
till cold, boil up sufficient vinegar to cover the lemons, allowing
to each quart two teaspoonfuls scant cloves, two teaspoonfuls

Pickling all Kinds of Fruits. 65

white pepper, one teaspoonful mace, one tablespoonful of bruised
ginger, one tablespoonful of mustard seed, a few scrapings of
horse-radish root, and a clove of garlic ; pour over boiling hot, tie
down securely ; they will not be ready for use for nearly a year.

How to Absorb and Purify the Damp Air in Cellars or Closets
so Fruits, Vegetables and Meats will not be Affected.

Take four one-gallon crocks and place one in each corner of
the cellar, fill each crock about three-quarters full chloride of
lime ; this will absorb the moisture and purify the air. In large
closets one crock will be sufficient ; change lime every six weeks.

Caution in the Preparation of Catsups, Pickles and Other

Vegetables.

In preparing catsups, pickles, etc., vessels of glass, earthen-
ware or stoneware only should be used, as salt, vegetables, juices
and vinegar rapidly corrode in copper and render the results
poisonous. Nothing in the shape of copper, lead or pewter
should be allowed to come in contact at any time even a plated
copper spoon left in a bottle of catsup or pickles will in time ren-
der its contents poisonous, resulting in attacks of colic, diarrhoea
and vomiting.

To Prevent Fermentation.

The following is a reliable formula for preventing tomatoes,
corn, vegetables, catsup, mince meat, chili sauce and other veg-
etable compounds ; also syrups, cordials, spiced fruits and other
fruit compounds from fermenting : Take five grains of salicylic
acid and dissolve into one dessertspoonful of pure alcohol for each
one quart of the above. Put this solution in just after taking any
of the above mentioned vegetables, syrups or compounds while

66 Pickling all Kinds of Fruits.

hot from the stove, preparatory to rilling into your jars or bot-
tles (pouring the solution in while your syrups or compounds
are hot evaporates the alcohol and leaves no taste), seal jars or
bottles air-tight, and keep in a dark, dry place ; temperature
should be from forty to seventy degrees ; one dessertspoonful is
equal to two teaspoonfuls.

FRUIT JUICES AND BEVERAGES.

One of the most important duties, and one which should not
be neglected by any housekeeper, is the putting up a full stock
of unfermented drinks made from the juices of fruits. Physicians
have recognized their value for medicinal purposes, and prescribe
them to the sick and convalescent, as they combine nutriment
with digestibility, and are very appetizing.

All kinds of berries are especially desirable, and in the pre-
paration of same, select only choice fruit in prime condition.

The best method is to mash your fruit or berries in a vessel ;
place vessel into another deep vessel containing hot water, allow-
ing the water to come up to about one inch from top of vessel
containing the fruit, and allow it to remain until fruit is thoroughly
scalded (not boiling) ; strain through a jelly bag or piece of
cheese cloth, and allow it to strain all it will, without squeezing,
into a vessel ; it will take quite a long time ; then take the ves-
sel, set on hot stove, allow juice to come to a boil, skim off the
impurities and allow to boil for ten or fifteen minutes longer,
putting in the china marbles as described in jellies, which will
keep the juice from burning ; then strain into your hot fruit jars
or bottles and seal air-tight. You can do without sugar, but it
is best to use some, and add the sugar hot and prepared in oven
as described in jellies. The most popular formula is one-half
pound of sugar to each one quart of syrup ; less can be used with
good results.

68 Fruit Juices and Beverages.

To Filter Water, Syrup or Fruit Juices.

Procure from your druggist filtering paper ; the paper is
folded in funnel shape and laid inside of a funnel, which is placed
in neck of bottle or mouth of jar, and the liquids allowed to filter
through paper. I find for filtering syrup a clean piece of thin
chamois is excellent. The chamois must be washed in borax
water each time it is used, then thoroughly rinsed in fresh water.

Raspberry Vinegar.

Cover any quantity of raspberries with vinegar and let them
stand over night ; then squeeze them through cheese cloth, add
one pint of sugar to one pint of the juice and boil well ; skim
clean and seal air-tight in jars or bottles.

To Make Fruit Syrup and Keep it for an Indefinite Time.

Prepare the juice from any kind of berries or fruits as directed
in making unfermented wines, and after the syrup has come to a
boil add one pound of sugar to each quart of juice; allow to boil
slowly on back of stove for about fifteen minutes and seal in jars or
bottles air-tight. In using for drinks add one-third of this juice
to two-thirds ice water, or the juice is very nice to flavor pud-
dings and sauces.

Lemon Syrup.

Grate only the yellow part of four lemon rinds, mix that with
three-quarters of a pound of granulated sugar and add a little
over a pint of water ; allow it to boil until it thickens, strain and
add the juice of the four lemons, being careful not to add the pulp
or seeds ; allow this to boil ten or twelve minutes and seal air-
tight.

Fruit Juices and Beverages. 69

To Make Lemonade.

To each tumbler or cup add one-third full of the lemon juice
and fill up with ice water ; sweeten to taste.

Another Recipe for Preparing Lemon Syrup.

To each quart of pure lemon juice add two pounds of granu-
lated sugar ; allow come to a boil, skim clean, boil ten minutes lon-
ger, and seal air-tight.

Orange Syrup.

Select juicy oranges in prime condition, and dissolve to each
quart of juice two pounds of sugar, the juice of two good sized
lemons ; allow this to boil for twelve or fifteen minutes, skim clean,
filter through filtering paper in funnel placed in your bottles or
fruit jars, and seal air-tight.

Blackberry Cordial.

To one quart of blackberry juice add one pound of granulated
sugar, one tablespoonful each of cloves, allspice, cinnamon and
nutmeg; boil all together fifteen minutes; remove vessel from
stove, add in one wineglassful of brandy, whiskey or rum ; bottle
while hot and seal jars air-tight ; use only one of the liquors
mentioned and see that it is of the best quality.

To Make Unfermented Wine.

Select grapes in prime condition picked fresh from the vines,
or those that have been picked within twenty- four hours. Wash
well after taking them from stem ; then to every six pounds of
grapes use a little over a pint of water, put this in porcelain or
agate vessel on top of hot stove, allow to come to a boil, skim
off the impurities, use the marbles, set vessel back and allow it tr

7O Fruit Juices and Beverages.

boil slowly for twelve or fifteen minutes longer ; be careful to
skim syrup clean; remove the seeds and skins from juice and
allow them to drain all they will, and filter the juice separately as
described. Then allow the juice again to come to a boiling point,
add in your hot sugar, about a cupful granulated sugar to each
quart of juice, and seal in bottles or fruit cans air-tight. Keep
in a cool, dark place.

Raspberry Shrub.

Put one quart of vinegar to three quarts of ripe raspberries ;
after standing a day, strain, adding to each pint one pound of
sugar ; boil about one-half hour, skim until clear while boiling ;
one wineglass of brandy to each pint of the shrub. When cold,
two spoonfuls of this mixture with a tumbler of water is an ex-
cellent drink.

To Make Grape Wine.

One gallon of grapes from the stems, one gallon of water,
three pounds of sugar to each gallon. Mash the grapes and then
put on the water, and let them stand three days, being stirred
well and mashed each day. Then strain and pour on the sugar,
and let it stand over night. Then skim off and put into a barrel,
and skim every day until fermentation ceases. Then bung tight
until ready for use.

Elderberry Wine.

Seven pounds of berries, two gallons of warm water, seven
pounds of sugar to every two gallons of the mixture, and pre-
pare the same as in formula for grape wine.

Mead.

Three pounds of brown sugar, six gills of molasses, three pints
of water, or, if to be had, the same quantity of a decoction of

Fruit Juices and Beverages. 71

sarsaparilla, four ounces of tartaric acid. Pour one-half of a pint
of the water, or of the decoction, boiling hot on the acid, and the
remainder on the sugar and molasses. Heat gently, and skim
when cool. Add the acid, and bottle. To each bottle add one
teaspoonful of the essence of sassafras, or any pleasant essence
you please.

How TO USE. Pour two tablespoonfuls into a tumbler, add
one-third or half of a tumbler of cold water, then add one-third of
a teaspoonful of soda, stir and drink.

Spruce Beer.

Two gallons of water, one pint of molasses, one teacupful of
yeast ; about an ounce of the essence of spruce. Let it stand in
the sun half a day. Then bottle.

To Make Cordial and Wine from Orange Juice.

A sweet, pleasant cordial may be made from the juice of the
sour orange. The usual formula is to add three gallons of water
to one of juice of sour oranges, and then three pounds of white
sugar to each gallon. After fermentation, bottle and use after a
few months. A formula for converting the juice of the sweet
orange into wine, which is said to be worthy of the name, is as
follows : Take of sweet orange juice and water equal parts, and
add three pounds of pure sugar to each gallon, in a tight, full
barrel, with a bent tube from a bunghole to a vessel of water.
When the gas-bubbles cease to show in the water, the barrel
must be closed and put away for several months, when the
liquor can be drawn off, bottled and corked tight. The bottles
must be kept in a cool place till wanted for use.

How to Make Unfermented Drinks.

There is a method of preserving the juice of fruits for use as
an unfermented beverage, which applies to most fruits, especially

72 Fruit Juices and Beverages.

the orange. The juice is pressed out of the fruit before cooking.
To one quart of juice is added one pint of water and a half pint
of sugar ; if very sour add a little more sugar. The juice is then
bottled hot, corked tight and sealed.

Pineapple Cider.

To each pineapple rind, chopped in small pieces, add two
quarts of cold water and allow to stand until it ferments, which
will take about three days in warm weather ; strain off the water,
add about one-third pound sugar to each quart of liquid, then
bottle, fasten the corks down with wire or string, allow bottles to
remain lying on their sides for three days, and then it will be
ready to serve.

Pineapple Rum.

Select a ripe pineapple, slice it, put in glass jar and pour over
the best rum so it will be completely covered, seal jars and allow
it to remain three days. Have a syrup in readiness made from
one and one-quarter pounds of sugar to one pint of water. Boil
syrup until it is clear and strain it through cheese cloth, and allow
it to cool. Now strain the liquor from the pineapple, pressing
the fruit so as to extract all the juice, then mix the juice, liquor
and syrup together, adding a half pint of lemon juice to same,
and also about one quart more rum, and bottle for use. Use
one-third of this concoction to two-thirds iced water for summer
drink.

Mulled Cider.

To every quart of cider add a handful of cloves, and allow it
to come to a boil. Then beat six eggs and add sugar sufficient
to make very sweet ; when they are beaten very light pour the
boiling cider over the eggs and stir well by pouring this from one
vessel to another until frothy, and serve while warm.

Fntit Jtdces and Beverages. 73

Grape Cordial.

To the juice of four pounds of grapes add six tablespoonfuls
of sugar and two coffee cups of cold water. Ice same and you
will find this a delicious drink.

A Healthy Summer Drink to Satisfy Thirst.

To each pint of cold water mix one-half cup of good vinegar,
two teaspoonfuls of ginger, and six teaspoonfuls of granulated
sugar and keep covered in cool place.

Raspberry Nectar.

Pour over two quarts of ripe raspberries one quart of vinegar.
Let stand until the fruit ferments, strain, and to every pint of
juice, add three-quarters pound of granulated sugar ; allow to
simmer on back of stove twenty minutes and bottle while hot and
seal air-tight.

Mixed Fruit Syrups.

Mix cherries and strawberries or raspberries and cherries or
currants and raspberries, and take out the juice as described in
preparing fruit juices. Add the proper proportions of sugar, boil
specified time and seal.

Pineapple Syrup.

Cut the pineapple in small pieces and to each three pounds
add one quart of water, boil until very soft. Mash and filter in
another vessel and to each pint of syrup add from three-quarters
to one pound of granulated sugar. Boil to a rich syrup, bottle
and seal air-tight.

Blackberry Syrup.

Select fresh, ripe blackberries and crush them ; and to each
pint of berries add four ounces of boiling water ; let them stand

74 Fruit Juices and Beverages.

twenty- four hours, stirring frequently. Then strain the juice and
to each quart of juice add one-half pound of granulated sugar ;
boil slowly for about fifteen minutes, bottle while hot and seal
air-tight Syrup from other berries can be prepared in the
same manner, adding one-quarter pound more sugar to the above
proportions for the acid fruits. When serving, add to each
tumbler one-third of this juice and two-thirds iced water.

Ginger Nectar.

To five gallons of water dissolve eight pounds of granulated
sugar, the whites of three eggs well beaten and strained, mix
all together and allow come to a boil. Skim clean, then put in
one-quarter pound of ginger and boil twenty minutes. When
cool put in the juice and yellow of two large-sized lemons, also
one tablespoonful of good yeast, stir well together, bottle and
seal air-tight.

Pineapple Lemonade.

Boil slowly, two pounds of sugar to one quart of cold water
until it forms a thin syrup ; skim clean. When the syrup is
boiled to the proper consistency, add the juice of six large
lemons, no seeds, add this syrup over the pineapple, prepared
as follows : take two nice pineapples, cut out the eyes and grate
them into a bowl, allow to stand for three hours, then add two
quarts of ice water, mix well, strain it through cheese cloth, and
it is ready to serve.

Currant Water.

Pick over a pint of raspberries, and strip a quart of currants
from the stems ; bruise the fruit in a preserving kettle with a
wooden spoon, pour over it two quarts of cold water, add half
a pound of sugar, and set the kettle over a moderate fire where

Fruit Jttices and Beverages. 75

its contents will heat gradually ; after the currant water begins
to boil, remove the kettle from the fire, pour its entire contents
into a flannel jelly bag, and let the currant water drain through
the bag. When it is quite clear, cool it and ice it ; add sugar to
taste, and use it cold as a summer or temperance drink.

Currant Shrub.

To each quart of currant juice prepared as directed in fruit
juices, add about three-quarters of a pound of sugar, stirring the
sugar until well dissolved. Allow it to cool, and when nearly
cold, add nearly two quarts of good rum. Filter into bottles and
seal air-tight.

To Boil Cider.

Take the fresh, sweet cider and boil it until it is nearly
reduced one- quarter of its original quantity, skimming clean as
scum rises ; allow it to cool. Bottle and seal air-tight.

I find that using three grains salicylic acid to each quart will
keep it from souring.

To Prevent Cider and Other Liquids from Souring and
Fermenting.

Cleanse your casks with hot water ; then bore a hole one-
half an inch in diameter about an inch from top of barrel ; in this
hole fix a tin tube air-tight, allowing it to project out about
three inches, and to this tube attach a rubber tube, air-tight,
making the rubber tube long enough to fall into a basin of water
placed on the outside at bottom of barrel ; pour in your liquid
until about three-fourths full, and every day, especially if the
cider or vinegar is new, pour in an extra gallon of same for two
or three days, until liquids have quit fermenting ; then make

j6 Fruit Juices and Beverages.

casks air-tight, leaving the tube in the water as long as the
liquid is in the barrel, changing water every two weeks. Before
drawing liquid, bore a small hole in top of barrel. When
barrel is dry, before putting in liquids, fumigate barrel with
vapor of brimstone for about ten minutes.

I find that adding to each quart of cider three to four grains of
salicylic acid dissolved in a dessertspoonful of alcohol, or to one
barrel of forty-five gallons, two ounces of salicylic acid dissolved
into one pint of alcohol, will keep it for a long time. Adding
raisins in cider helps to keep it sweet and gives it a nice flavor.

Roman Punch.

Mix in a large tumbler one tablespoonful each of sugar and
raspberry syrup, the juice of half a lemon, one teaspoonful of
curacoa, a wineglassful of Jamaica rum, and half a wineglassful
of brandy. Fill the glass with shaved ice ; put a teaspoonful of
port wine on the top, and whatever berries or fruit are in season,
and drink the punch through a straw.

Punch a la Romaine.

This beverage requires to be partly frozen in an ice pail or an
ice cream freezer. Mix two pounds of powdered sugar in the
juice of a dozen lemons; add the thin yellow rind and the juice
of two oranges, and stir until the sugar is dissolved ; then strain
the syrup thus made, and mix with it the whites of a dozen eggs
beaten to a stiff froth ; freeze this mixture nearly solid ; then
quickly stir into it one bottle each of champagne and Jamaica
rum, and serve the punch at once in small goblets or champagne
glasses. The freezing mixture is composed of equal parts of salt
and pounded ice packed around the vessel containing the Roman
punch.

Fruit Jtdces and Beverages. 77

Milk Punch.

Two tablespoonfuls of water, one tablespoonful of sugar, one
wineglassful of brandy, one-half wineglassful of Jamaica rum.
Put the above in a large tumbler, shave ice and fill tumbler half
full, fill up with cold milk and grate some nutmeg on the surface
of milk.

Egg Nogg.

The yolk of one egg, well beaten, one tablespoonful of water,
one tablespoonful of sugar; stir all together until sugar is well
dissolved, then mix in one-half wineglassful of Jamaica rum, one
wineglassful of brandy, one-third of a glass of milk, beat the
white of the egg until it comes to a stiff froth, put it on the egg
nog and serve.

Pineapple Brandy.

Pare a large, ripe pineapple, saving the rind to make pine-
apple cider, and slice it about a quarter of an inch thick ; then
weigh it, and use an equal weight of powdered sugar ; put the
fruit and sugar in layers in a large glass jar, with sugar at the
bottom and top ; pour into the jar enough of the best brandy to
stand an inch above the pineapple ; then close the jar perfectly
air-tight, and keep it in a cool, dry, dark closet for a month or
longer.

Use the fruit for the table ; and the brandy, mixed with soda
water or seltzer, for a drink in hot weather.

Currant Shrub.

Strip two quarts of ripe currants from the stems, put them
into a glass jar, set it in a pan of cold water, and place the pan
on the stove where the water will heat gradually; let it stand
there for an hour or more, until the currants yield their juice freely ;

78 Fruit Juices and Beverages.

then strain the juice, and measure it ; to each pint add six
ounces of sugar, stirring the sugar into the cold water, and boil
it until it becomes a syrup of medium consistency, removing all
scum as it rises. Mix this syrup with the fruit and brandy, pour
the mixture into a jelly bag, and let it run through slowly; then
bottle it, and cork the bottles, and keep them in a cool, dark
closet for two weeks longer. At the end of two weeks, filter it
again, carefully pouring it from the bottles to avoid disturbing
the sediment, and when the liquor is quite clear and bright, bottle
it for use.

Cider Cup.

Mix together in a large glass jug, or a claret cup, the follow-
ing ingredients : one quart of cider, two wineglasses of sherry and
one of brandy, the thinly cut yellow rind of two lemons, one
orange sliced, and, in season, six thin slices of cucumber. Fill
the cup with finely pounded or shaved ice, sweeten it palatably,
and serve it before the ice entirely melts ; a glass of cura9oa and
a little grated nutmeg may be added if desired.

Claret Cup.

Mix together in a claret cup one bottle of claret, one wine-
glassful of brandy, the yellow rind of a lemon cut very thin, a
sprig of mint, and three slices of cucumber if it is in season,
sugar enough to make the cup palatable, plenty of fine ice, and,
last of all, two bottles of seltzer water or plain soda. Serve the
claret cup as soon as it is made.

Mint Julep.

Use for an ordinary tumbler half a dozen sprigs of fresh
mint ; bruise the tops a little in the glass with one tablespoonful
of sugar and two of water, using a teaspoon ; then pour in a

Fruit Juices and Beverages. 79

wineglass and a half of brandy ; take out the mint, fill the glass
with shaved ice, and put the mint in again with the stems down.
On the top of the julep arrange fresh berries or fruits and serve.

Egg Flip.

The yolks of four eggs, four tablespoonfuls sugar, the whites
of four eggs, one quart of fresh ale ; beat the yolk of the eggs and
sugar together until it is like a cream, then add the ale scalding
hot, stirring constantly, quickly whip in the whites of the eggs
until flip is smooth, and serve same ; don't have the ale boiling,
or it will cook the egg when it comes to a simmer is about right.

Hot Apple Toddy.

This favorite winter drink is made as follows : Take the pulp
from a hot baked apple of medium size, using a teaspoon to free
it from skin and core ; put into a tumbler with an equal measure
of apple-jack, a pleasant addition of sugar and grated nutmeg,
and a little boiling water. A usual proportion for a single toddy
is one finger of baked apple, two each of apple-jack and boiling
water, a tablespoonful of sugar, and a grate of nutmeg on the top.

Mulled Wine.

Put a pint of wine over the fire to heat with a pint of water ;
meantime, beat three eggs with three tablespoonfuls of sugar ;
when the wine is hot, but not boiling, pour it into the eggs, beat-
ing the mixture constantly ; if the wine is too hot, it will curdle
or cook the eggs ; sweeten the mulled wine to taste, grate a little
nutmeg on it, add a little allspice, and serve it hot.

Cream Soda.

Two ounces tartaric acid, two pounds white sugar, juice of
one lemon, three pints water, boil together five minutes ; when

8o Fruit Juices and Beverages.

nearly cold add, after beating together the whites of three eggs,
one-half cup of flour and one-half ounce of essence of winter-
green, some other essence may be used if preferred ; after being
well mixed, bottle and keep in a cool place. For a drink of this
take two tablespoonfuls of the syrup to one tumbler of water and
add one-half teaspoonful soda ; drink quickly.

Orange Syrup.

Take ripe fruit and thin skin, if you can get them, squeeze
juice through a sieve, and add a pound of sugar to every pint of
juice, boil slowly for ten minutes, skim carefully, bottle when
cold ; two or three spoonfuls of this in a glass of ice water is re-
freshing ; it may also be used with melted butter for pudding
sauce.

FRUITS AND HOW TO SERVE.

FRESH FRUITS.

While fruits contain from eighty to ninety per cent, of water
and only a small proportion of the nutritious properties, yet there
is nothing in the lists of foods that is more wholesome or more
gratifying to the appetite, or that appeals more to our sense of
beauty. As we have the advantage of procuring fresh fruits of
some kind nearly all the year round, they should always appear
on the daily bill of fare and should be eaten before meals, as they
are more rapidly digested and aid in the digesting of other foods
by stimulating the flow of the digestive juices.

Physicians recommend the eating of fruits especially in warm
weather instead of meats, as they assist in cooling the blood while
meat heats the blood. Fruits combined with vegetables, bread
and cereal foods are recommended highly by the leading scientists,
and are especially recommended for rheumatism, gout, liver and
kidney trouble, and other blood affections.

Fruits should be served in their prime condition ; green or
over-ripe fruits are unwholesome, as they contain from eighty to
ninety per cent, of water, and this is liable to ferment and decom-
pose in the digestive tract. Fruits that are commencing to decay
should not be eaten raw, but should be well cooked to destroy

82 Fruits and How to Serve:

the germ which is the cause of putrefaction or decay. Fruits
should not stand in a warm room too long. It is best after serv-
ing to replace them in the refrigerator or storeroom. This will
arrest decay and keep the fruit much longer. All fruits should
be thoroughly cleansed before serving by placing same in a col-
ander and allowing cold water to run over the fruits until per-
fectly clean.

The following table shows the component parts and nutritious
properties of fruits :

Apples

1
83.0

^ Album*

1
t/3

6.8

<
u

i .0

1
o

5- 2

3 Zv

3 V 2
? --J1

o 2*

3-2 0.4

"35 3

o ij"5
~ =>
Z

T 3- 7

Pears

8i o

O 7

O. I

4.6

37 O 3

12. 4

Peaches

It^.W

85.0

" j
0.5

*-*

1.8

0.7

8.0

/ V *O

3.4 0.6

13 9

80.0

o. 7

Glucose.
13.0

Tartaric.
0.8

3 *

2.O 0.4

18.2

plums

82.0

O. 2

3 6

o 5

5* 7

0.6

10.8

Gooseberries

86.0

0.4

7.0

1-5

1.9

2.7 0.5

10.8

Strawberries

87.6

0.5

4.5

O. I

0.6

10. I

Raspberries

86.+
85.2

o.S
0.4

4-7
6.4

1-3
1.8

'. 7

O.2

0.4
... 0.5

6.9
10.7

Blackberries

86.4
75.0

o.S
0.9

4-4
13. 1

i.i
0.3

1-4

2.2

0.4

0.6

8.1
14.8

Apricots ....

85.0

0.08

1 .0

5'9

0.8

13.5

86.0

0.08

6 to 8

0.08

4.8

5.4 0.6

13.4

Fat.

Bananas . ...

7^1 O

4.8

19.7*

0.6

O.2 0.8

26.7

/ j*V

* Sugar and pectose.

Fresh Fruits 83

Pineapples,

This is an excellent dessert, and considered wholesome. It
is best served by the West Indian method, as the flavor and juices
are preserved better ; and, as the beauty of the fruit is in its shape
and color, this is entirely lost if cut up. Cut the pineapple from
the crown to the base in wedge-shaped slices, the middle being
left just entire enough to hold the slices in place until they are
needed for serving ; they can then be easily dislodged with a thin,
sharp knife and fork, or another way is to cut the pineapple in
horizontal slices with a very sharp knife ; the slices are to be
kept together, and the crown to be left on the fruit and then
placed in the center of a dish of assorted fruits.

How to Make Tuita Fruita, or the Art of Preserving All
Fruits as They Come in Their Season.

Take one gallon crock, or one gallon stone jar, first put in
one pint of the best alcohol, then one cup of sugar (granulated),
then one cup of fruit, and then one cup of sugar, and continue to
do this in this way until you are finished ; but you use only one
pint of alcohol for the gallon crock and this you place in at first.

List of fruits in their order to be preserved : Strawberries,
red raspberries, blackberries, bananas and oranges, cherries, plums,
apricots, pineapples, peaches and pears ; always keep the jar or
crock covered, and when you have completed work, put a piece
of brandied paper on top and cover crock securely.

Iced Raspberries for Dessert.

Choose large, sound raspberries, remove the hulls, and ex-
amine the berries carefully to make sure they contain no insects ;
beat together the white of an egg and two tablespoonfuls of cold

84 Fmits and How to Serve:

water ; dip the berries singly in the beaten egg and water, roll
them at once in powdered sugar, and lay them apart from each
other on sheets of white letter paper until they are quite dry ;
they may dry slowly, so that it is best to allow five or six hours ;
when they are dry, keep them in a cool, dry place until dinner-
time, and then serve them for dessert.

Strawberries with Whipped Cream.

After hulling the berries, put them into a glass or china dish
in layers with powdered sugar, and place the dish in a cool place.
Mix together one pint of cream, the whites of three eggs, a
quarter of a pound of powdered sugar, and whip the mixture for
one minute ; then let it rest for a while, skim off the froth, and
put it in a colander set in a bowl ; again whip and skim the
cream, and so proceed until all the cream is whipped, occasion-
ally turning back into the whipping bowl the cream which drains
from the colander ; keep the whipped cream very cold, and just
before serving the strawberries lay it over them in a light mass.

Grape-Fruit for Breakfast.

The Florida grape-fruit makes a most refreshing dish for
breakfast. It is a clear-skinned, lemon-colored fruit, three or
four times as large as an orange, otherwise closely resembling
that fruit. Its flavor is sub-acid, but its juicy pulp is enclosed in
a tough white inner membrane of intensely bitter taste ; when
this membrane is carefully removed, the fruit is a delicious tonic.
To prepare grape-fruit for the table, cut the skin in strips, and
peel it off; separate the sections of the fruit like an orange, and,
holding each section by the ends, break it open, disclosing the
pulp ; tear the pulp in rather small pieces out of its bitter white
envelope, carefully removing every trace of the latter, put the

Fresh Fruits. 85

pulp into a deep dish, with sufficient white sugar to suit the taste,
and allow to stand in a cool place.

Peaches and Oranges.

Select the best brand of canned peaches, drain off the syrup
from peaches, dissolve into the syrup drained all the sugar that
it will dissolve, then peel for each can of peaches six or seven
nice oranges, slice them, removing the seeds ; put the sliced
oranges and peaches in layers on a dish and dust with powdered
sugar, pour the syrup over them and serve.

Currants and Raspberries.

Currants and raspberries served together, using half and half,
make an excellent dish. Large red currants may be served on
the stem, and when it is possible to get both red and white they
make a most attractive dish.

Melons.

Watermelons should be served very cold ; instead of cutting
through the center into even halves, the melon may be cut in
points back and forth around the entire circumference, so that
when separated each half will appear like a crown. The canta-
loupe should be thoroughly washed and wiped and laid on ice till
serving time. Do not cool the melon by placing ice upon the
flesh, as the moisture injures the flavor.

Plums and Grapes.

Decorate the edge of fruit dish with grape leaves or leaves
from foliage plants, and fill dish with plums and bunches of grapes ;
grapes should always be washed before serving. Drop the
branches into ice water and let remain ten or fifteen minutes.

86 Fruits and How to Serve:

Cherries.

Serve on stems, piled on a high dish with green leaves and
vines mixed through them. Different colored cherries arranged
in rows forming a pyramid make a handsome dish.

Apples.

An exceedingly ornamental dish can be made by using car-
rot or celery tops. Pile the apples on the fruit basket with
sprigs of the green here and there. Oranges and apples arranged
in this way have a very pleasing effect.

Gooseberries.

Drop them into cold water a few moments, drain, put them
in a glass dish, serve with stem on ; when fresh and ripe the
gooseberry is one of the most delicious of small fruit.

Oranges.

Serve whole or cut the skin in eighths half way down, sepa-
rating it from the fruit and turning it inward, showing half the
orange white and the other half yellow ; or cut the skin into
eighths two-thirds down, and after loosening from the fruit, leave
them spread open like the petals of a lily. Arranged in a fruit
dish in this manner, with the feathery tops of carrots or celery
here and there through them, makes a highly ornamental center
piece.

Peaches and Pears.

Select nice large peaches and rub the fur from them with a
rough towel; decorate the edge of fruit dish with foliage leaves,
the same tint as the fruit ; arrange the fruit with sprays of the

Fresh. Fruits. 87

plant here and there. Yellow pears and rosy cheeked peaches
arranged in this way are the most ornamental.

Raisins.

The London layers are the finest brand for the table.

Peaches and Cream.

Pare the peaches as late as possible, as by standing they be-
come discolored ; if sugar is to be used do not add it until time
for serving, as it starts the juice and turns the fruit brown ; each
person should be allowed to add the cream to his own dish, as it
quickly curdles and renders the whole dish unsightly.

Oranges.

Cut the peel in quarters from the stem half way downward ;
turn it outward leaving the white orange in a little cap, from
which it is easily taken. A fruit dish of oranges prepared in
this way makes an exceedingly pretty center piece.

La Composite.

Bananas peeled and sliced thin sprinkled with sugar, with
alternate layers of orange peeled and sliced thin with sugar ;
set on ice before using.

Bananas.

Bananas may be served sliced or whole by pouring sweetened
cream over them.

Iced Currants.

Dip whole stems of currants into beaten whites of eggs, sift

88 Fruits and How to Serve:

powered sugar over them ; set near the stove to harden. Cher-
ries can be done the same way.

Frosted Fruits.

Have in one dish some whites of eggs well beaten, and in
another some powdered sugar ; take cherries, grapes, plums or
apricots, and roll each one singly first in the egg, then in the
sugar ; lay them on a sheet of white paper in a pan or tin dish,
and set near the fire until the icing hardens.

Ambrosia.

A layer of peeled and sliced oranges alternated with peeled
and sliced pineapple ; sprinkle each layer with sugar and grated
cocoanut.

Peaches.

Just before serving, pare, cut in halves with a silver knife,
and remove the pits ; sprinkle with powered sugar ; ornament
the edges of the dish with peach leaves ; serve in sauce dishes.

Melons.

Melons may be used as the first course for breakfast dish, or
for dessert at dinner. Do not serve melon with fruit.

Pressed Figs.

Select perfectly good figs, look over carefully ; they may be
served dry mixed with bunches of raisins, or they may be steamed
over a kettle of water. For breakfast steamed figs are excellent ;
steamed raisins are also far superior to the dried ones.

Fresh Fruits. 89

Pineapple.

Pare the pineapple, have the eyes and the fibrous center taken
out, slice in large pieces and pile upon a plate. No condiments
are necessary ; sugar even changes the delicate flavor, but the
pineapples usually found in the North are so tart that they require
a light sprinkling of sugar to suit most tastes. Pineapple cut in
small pieces and lightly sprinkled with sugar just before serving
makes a delicious dish.

Berries.

Raspberries, blackberries, dewberries, blueberries and whortle-
berries require careful looking over ; serve with sugar and cream.
If necessary to wash strawberries put a few in the water at a time,
push them down under the water until they are clean, remove
from the water, hull them and use at once ; serve with sugar.
If cream is used allow each person to add it to his own dish, as
it quickly curdles, and if allowed to stand will impair the flavor
of the fruit.

Iced Pineapple.

Select nice fruit, remove the outer shell and eyes. Hold the
pineapple by the crown and grate it into a dish ; then remove the
pineapple into a glass dish, sprinkle a little powdered sugar on
same, pour a glass of sherry on it and stand in the refrigerator for
two hours and serve cold.

Iced Strawberries.

Hull the berries, allow the water to run over them in a col-
ander, place them in a deep fruit dish and pour over a wine-
glassful of wine or fruit juice for every two pounds of berries,
place them in a refrigerator for one or two hours before serving.

90 Fruits and How to Serve:

Bananas and Oranges.

Take six bananas, slice them crosswise on a dish. Squeeze
the juice of two oranges on them, sprinkle them with sugar,
place in refrigerator until ready to serve ; or you can mix slices
of the oranges with the pineapple and serve with cream and
sugar or whipped cream.

The French Method of Boiling Sugar and Making Syrups,
to be Used for Candying and Glaced Fruits of all Kinds ;
also Caramels and Nougat.

To every two pounds of granulated sugar add one pint
of water; place on stove, having a good fire. Have a vessel
handy containing two or three quarts of ice water, and when the
sugar comes to a boil dip the fingers of the right hand into the
water and quickly pass them all around the inside of the pan,
but avoid touching the syrup ; repeat this two or three times ;
this is very necessary so as to have the sugar in proper condi-
tion. Take care to dip the fingers into ice water each time?
let the sugar come to a boil and squeeze in five or six drops of
lemon juice. Then take a thin piece of wood, the shape and
length of a pencil, dip the point into the ice water and then
plunge it into the boiling sugar ; remove it quickly, and dip it
immediately into the water again. Lift it out again and see
whether the sugar adhering to the wood be thoroughly hard ; if
not let it boil again and renew the test as before. To be posi-
tive that the sugar is perfectly done, place the point of the stick
with sugar on between the teeth and bite it ; if it cracks easily
without sugar sticking to the teeth it is thoroughly done. Then
remove vessel at once from fire and set in ice water so that
water comes up about an inch around outside of vessel, to pre-
vent sugar from turning brown if you do not use it at once.

Fresh Fruits. 91

The Method of Candying Fruits, Tomatoes and Nuts.

Make syrup as described in French method for boiling syrups.
Then put fruit in this syrup and boil from five to ten minutes,
according to fruit; then skim out the fruit, add a little more
sugar, then boil down the syrup one-half, pour it over the fruit,
and let all stand in a warm (not hot) oven till all the syrup is
absorbed ; turn the fruit occasionally. It generally takes from
two to three days to absorb the syrup and to candy. Then
pack away in layers, on waxed paper. It is best to do it in
the evening, and leave the fruit to stand in a warm oven
over night, repeating two or three nights till syrup is all
absorbed ; in the daytime keep it out of the oven in a place
where the temperature is about seventy- five degrees. Large
fruits and tomatoes generally take about three nights. Soft fruits
boil five minutes, and hard fruits from ten to fifteen minutes after
placing in boiling syrup ; judge according to the fruit. When
boiling the fruit for candying, do not have too hot a fire, so as
not to break the fruit. Leave skin on tomatoes, berries and soft
fruits; peaches, pears and hard fruits, skin may be taken off.
When the fruit are candied, put them on layers of waxed paper,
put in tin boxes, and keep in temperature of sixty-five degrees ;
in summer in a cool place. Always use the best granulated
sugar. It generally takes about twenty minutes to bring the syrup
to a proper boiling test. To remove skin from peaches or fruits
with soft skin, take a little boiling water and soda, until strong
and feels slippery, then drop in a few at a time, lift out with a
skimmer, and wipe with coarse towel until the skin is off. The
syrup that is left can be used for canning fruits.

Marron Glace (Candied Chestnuts)

To candy chestnuts or other nuts, make a syrup as described

92 Fruits and How to Serve.

in French method for boiling syrups. Drop in the nuts, boil three
minutes and then use the same methods as in candying fruits.

To Crystallize any Fruit that will Keep its Form;
also Nuts.

Make a syrup of one cup of sugar, four tablepoonfuls of
water and two of vinegar ; when it boils stir in a small pinch of
soda; stir as little as possible, or the candy will not be clear;
boil till it hairs, as described before. Separate the fruit from
the stems; grapes, cherries, oranges (whose quarters have been
separated about twenty-four hours beforehand, to become dry
and hard), cutting out the seeds carefully, so the juice will not
escape ; citron cut in pretty forms ; dip each fruit or piece of nut
in the warm syrup, and lay it on waxed paper in a cool place
to harden. If the first dipping is not successful go over the
operation again, adding a little more water to the syrup, and
when it stands the test, dip again. Syrup can be worked over
twelve times in case of a failure of fruit crystallizing. Use gran-
ulated sugar. Don't stir syrup after it comes to a boil. If your
syrup should candy, add a little more water and sugar, and just
as it is coming to a boil drop in a pinch of cream of tartar to the
quantity of syrup described ; this will prevent it from candying.
Use the same remedy in making candies.

N. B. Six drops of lemon juice may be used instead of the
cream of tartar.

COOKED FRUITS.

Boiled Apples.

Select nice whole apples, place in pan with enough water to
cover them and boil until tender, but don't break them ; add
sugar to suit the taste and allow to boil until apples are thoroughly
penetrated. Take apples from syrup, cook syrup until thick,
and pour over apples. Do not peel the apples.

Boiled Spiced Apples.

Two dozen apples, wiped clean, two coffee cups sugar, one-
half coffee cup vinegar, one dessertspoonful ground cinnamon.
Place apples in kettle with water enough to cover them, then add
the sugar, vinegar and spice, and allow to simmer slowly until
soft.

Baked Apples.

Select nice tart apples, wipe clean, and bake in moderate
oven until done ; bake slowly. When desiring to serve with
milk or cream use sweet apples.

Baked Sweet Apples.

Select nice sweet apples, wipe them well, fill a dish nearly to
the top with the apples, first quartering and coring them, but do
not pare them. Set the vessel into a kettle of water or steamer,
and steam until nearly soft ; then place the vessel containing the
apples in oven, covering same with plate. Let them bake until
the juice is nearly absorbed ; take out and serve with milk, cream,
or whipped cream.

94 Fruits and How to Serve:

Apples and Jelly.

Twelve apples, two pounds of granulated sugar, one quart of
water. Pare, halve and core the apples and have them uniform
size ; dissolve the sugar in the water and allow it come to a boil,
and when it boils add the rind and juice of two lemons and also
add the apples. When they are tender take out the halves one
by one, and put concave side uppermost in glass dish ; drop a
bit of jelly in each piece, then boil down the syrup, and when
cool pour around the apples.

N. B. Cook the apples slowly so they won't fall to pieces.

Apple Ooutes.

Peel and core some nice apples ; then halve or quarter them ;
then take slices of stale bread, trim off the crusts, butter the
bread and sprinkle over a little sugar; on each piece lay some of
the apples flat side down ; add a little more butter and sugar,
and spice if desired. Bake in a slow oven and dust with sugar
before serving.

Compote of Apples.

Four quarts of small apples (golden pippins are the best) ; one
pound of granulated sugar ; put the apples in stone crock pared
and cored, leave whole ; cut the rinds of two fresh lemons, and
add with apples ; add the sugar over the top, put on cover and
tie it down, and set in a slow oven for two or three hours ; take
out and it is ready to serve. The above can be served hot or
cold ; before serving dust it with a little powdered sugar.

Fried Apples.

Select nice apples, pare and core same, and cut them in thick
slices. Put one-half cup drippings in frying pan when smoking

Cooked Fruits. 95

hot ; cover the bottom of pan with slices. Fry until brown on
both sides ; take out as soon as done and put in more. Keep
apples hot and sprinkle sugar over them.

Raisins and Cranberries.

Two quarts cranberries, one pint raisins, two pounds of
sugar, one quart of water. Cook in stone crock until the berries
are well broken ; don't allow to burn. Then pour in sauce dish
to cool.

Stewed Prunes.

Wash the prunes until perfectly clean, then cover them with
fresh water and set on back of stove to cook slowly for about
three hours so they will just simmer. Thirty minutes before
taking out add sugar to suit the taste.

Apples with Raisins.

Take a dozen sour apples, pare, core and quarter, thoroughly
clean one-quarter as many raisins as apples, pour over the
raisins one quart of boiling water, and let stew until they are well
swollen, then add the apples and cook until tender ; add sugar to
suit the taste, but little will be needed unless the apples are very
sour.

Baked Pears.

Take ripe pears, pare, cut in halves and pack in deep
pudding dish in layers, sprinkle sugar upon each layer, add one
cup of water, cover tightly, and bake three or four hours. When
cold, serve with sweet cream.

Dried Apples.

Soak over night dried apples and stew with raisins or English
currants ; this makes a palatable dish.

96 Fruits and How to Serve:

Boiled Apples.

Take six tart apples, wash well, cut in halves and remove the
cores; do not take the skins off. Cover with water and boil
until tender ; take out in a deep dish ; to the juice add four
slices of lemon, boil ten or fifteen minutes, sweeten to taste ;
pour over the apples ; when cool they are ready for use.

Apples and Apricots.

Select nice tart apples, pare, core, and quarter ; let them
cook, with two halves of dried apricots to each apple ; when well
done, rub through a colander and sweeten. If you have no fresh
apples, dried ones can be used.

Jellied Apples.

Select nice apples and to each pound of apples use one pound
of granulated sugar, mix alternately in layers in a stone crock,
put on cover and bake in a slow oven for three hours. It is best
to make this a day before it is wanted.

Lemon Apple Sauce.

Three quarts of sour apples that have been pared and
quartered ; one lemon, using the juice and the thinly cut rind ;
three-quarters of a pound of sugar, granulated ; one cup of
water. Stew these together for about one-half hour ; if apples
are not juicy add more water ; do not allow to cook quickly.

Jellied Cranberries.

Two cups cold water, two quarts cranberries, two pounds of
sugar. Cook water and cranberries together in kettle ten minutes,

Cooked Fruits. 97

then add the sugar and cook ten to fifteen minutes longer ; pour
into mold ; when cold it will have jellied.

Cranberries.

In stewing one quart of berries to one pint of water, simmer
gently until the skins have all burst, and the quantity is reduced
to a pint ; to remove the skins, put through a colander ; when
nearly cool, add two-thirds of a cup of sugar to the quart of
berries.

Cranberries and Sweet Apples.

Stew together equal parts of cranberries and sweet apples,
mash, rub through a colander to remove the skins ; sugar to suit
the taste can be used, but it makes a very palatable sauce with-
out it.

Baked Peaches.

Pare, cut in halves, remove the stones, and place in layers in
a shallow dish, put a little water over them, sprinkle lightly with
sugar ; cover and bake.

Oranges and Apples.

Select nice tart apples, use one-third as many sliced oranges
from which the seeds have been removed, pare, core, and slice
the apples in quarters, cook all together gently, so as to keep the
form of both fruits until the apples are tender ; add sugar to suit
taste.

Stewed Crab Apples.

Wash, put in stew kettle with just a little water and stew until
very soft Rub through a colander to remove skins and seeds ;
sweeten to taste.

98 Fruits and How to Serve:

Stewed Prunes and Plums.

Two pounds prunes, one pound plums, one and one-quarter
pound of sugar. Wash them clean, cover with fresh water and
stew them for thirty minutes. Add the sugar a few minutes be-
fore they are done.

Stewed Dried Peaches.

Just put on enough water to cover and stew about thirty
minutes ; add the sugar to suit the taste while peaches are cooking.

Stewed Pears.

Select some fine Bartlett pears which are ripe, but have hardly
begun to soften ; remove the skins, cut in halves or quarters, and
take out the seeds. Put loosely in a graniteware kettle, and
add a pint of water for three and a half quarts of fruit. Cover
closely, and when it begins to boil set it where it will just sim-
mer until the top pieces are tender. Serve cold. Sugar will not
be necessary if the fruit is of good quality.

Pippins and Quince.

Pare and quarter nice golden pippins, and cook in boiling
water until reduced to a jelly. Add two or three quinces sliced,
and simmer slowly in the jelly until the quince is tender. Add
sugar to taste. Serve cold.

Citron Apples.

Take a few sour apples of uniform size, wash well and remove
the cores ; place in the cavity of each apple a few pieces of
chopped citron, and then fill it up with sugar ; put the apples on
a flat graniteware or earthen dish, with a little water on the bot-

Cooked Fruits. 99

torn. Place in the oven and bake until tender, but not till they
have fallen to pieces ; when cold serve in separate dishes with
sweet or whipped cream on each apple. Unless the skins of the
apples are tender, it is better to peel them, in that case, cover
them while they are baking.

Apples Stewed Whole.

Wash carefully six large red apples, put them in stew pan and
pour over boiling water enough to cover them, cover the pan,
and cook slowly until the apples are soft. The skins will be
broken ; remove the apples, boil the juice to a syrup, sweeten and
pour over the apples. If you use red apples the syrup will be a
rich red color.

Lemon Apples.

Select sour apples of uniform size, remove the cores, and
wash thoroughly, place in the cavity of each apple a mixture of
grated lemon and sugar, over each apple squeeze a few drops of
lemon juice. Bake until tender ; when cold, serve with sweet or
whipped cream.

Steamed Apples.

Select pound sweets of uniform size, wipe, cut out the blossom
ends, and pack in a large pudding dish. Pour in a cupful of
water, cover the dish closely, set in a moderate oven, and steam
till the apples are tender. Remove from the dish, and pour the
liquor over them frequently as they cool.

Compote of Apples.

Select tart, juicy apples, pare, extract the cores, put them in a
deep dish with just enough water to cover them, cover, place in

ioo Fruits and How to Serve:

the oven, and stew until they are tender. Remove the apples into
a deep dish, with cover to keep them hot ; measure the juice and
pour it into a saucepan. Add a few pieces of lemon rind, and
boil until thickened nearly to a jelly ; heat some sugar, one
tablespoonful to each cup of juice, and add to the juice when
thickened; pour scalding hot over the apples and cover until cold.

Baked Apples.

Select tart apples, pare, halve, and remove the cores.
Sprinkle half a cup of sugar in the bottom of a dish, lay the
apples flat side down. Pour over a cupful of cold water, and
bake until tender ; let them stand until cold, take up the apples,
and pour the juice over them.

Stewed Raisins.

Soak several hours in cold water a pint of good raisins, cook
them in the same water in which they were soaked. Do not let
them boil, but place them on back of stove and let them simmer
until the skins are tender ; three or four figs, chopped fine,
cooked with the raisins, gives a richness to the juice.

Peaches, plums, berries, cherries, grapes, and all small fruit
may be cooked for sauce, by stewing in a little water until done,
and then add sugar to suit your taste.

Baked Bananas.

Select large red bananas, take the skin off from one section of
the bananas, and loosen the skin from them ; put a row in a drip-
ping pan with the side up from which you took the peeling ;
sprinkle with sugar, bake half an hour in a quick oven.

Cooked Fruits. ioi

Baked Pears.

Hard pears make an excellent dessert when baked. Pare,
halve, remove seeds, and place in a shallow earthen dish, with a
cup of water to each two quarts of fruit. If the pears are sour, a
little sugar may be added. Bake, closely covered, in a moderate
oven until tender. Serve with sugar and cream. Tart pears
are the best for baking, as the sweet varieties are often tasteless.

Baked Quinces.

Pare and remove the cores ; fill the cavities with sugar, put
in a shallow earthen dish, and add water to cover the bottom ;
bake till soft, basting often with the syrup. If the syrup dries
out before the fruit is perfectly tender, add a little more hot
water.

LIBRARY

COOKING AND HOUSEKEEPING
SIMPLIFIED

INCLUDING

THE ETIQUETTE OF VARIOUS ENTERTAINMENTS

RULES GOVERNING POLITE SOCIETY AND

ENTERTAINMENTS

FORMS OF INVITATIONS
MENUS, ETC.

COMPILED BY

PROFESSOR H. I. BLITS

PRKKACK.

In presenting this edition on " Cooking and Housekeeping
Simplified " to the ladies of this country, I do so at the request
of thousands of patrons who desired some practical formulas for
American cookery in all its branches formulas that would be
simple and economical, and yet securing that excellence which
the French and Italian chefs are noted for. There is no lack of
cook books published in this country, and every paper of any
circulation publishes recipes and various formulas bearing on this
subject. But many, while they read very nicely in theory,
are practically of no use, being the reverse of simple and too
extravagant for the ordinary housekeeper to follow. The for-
mulas given in this book have been selected for their simplicity
and economy, and recommended by the leading French and
American teachers and experts.

Many of these recipes have been purchased from some of the
leading French chefs, others have been given the author by
some of the leading teachers and experts on this subject, and
many have been copied from the best writers on cookery.
I have aimed above all to be clear and concise, and to give such
simple methods that an inexperienced person or even a girl of
fifteen years old can follow them. In conclusion, will say that

Preface.

any housekeeper who will follow the directions as given need
have no fear of their practical results.

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY.

At the request of many of my patrons, I have procured at
quite an expense, from some of the leading chefs of Europe and
this country, formulas for making soups, the proper preparations
of fish, meats, vegetables, garnitures, salads, sauces, icings and
other fancy desserts. They are some of the favorite recipes of
these eminent chefs, and were procured after a great deal of
labor and expense, some of these having cost the author as much
as one hundred francs (twenty-five dollars).

They were selected carefully, as the author's object was to
publish only the most simple, practical, and those involving the
least expense. But housekeepers must expect, in using formulas
adopted from the French and Italian, that they will involve more
expense and more labor than American cookery; but the results
will amply repay them, as it has been conceded that the French
and Italian chefs lead the world in their profession, some of them
being paid as high as ten thousand dollars a year. I have also
kept separate, in each classification, the French and Italian form-
ulas, to avoid unnecessary criticism.

AUTHOR.

THE ART OF

COOKING AND HOUSEKEEPING
SIMPLIFIED

THE KITCHEN, PANTRY, AND CELLAR.

The Kitchen.

The fitting- up and care of the kitchen have been so often
treated by writers upon domestic matters, that comparatively
little space need be given to the subject here only a few out-
lines, which every housekeeper can fill by the exercise of her
own taste and judgment. If possible have the kitchen upon the
level of the ground ; or if it must be in the basement of a house,
take care that plenty of light and air reach it. If daylight does
not flood every corner of it, supply artificial light, even in the
daytime ; for no domestic operation requires more light than the
treatment of food. Painting the woodwork and floor a light
color is of use in this particular. In some of the modern houses
where there are elevators, the kitchen and laundry are placed
in the top story, greatly to the comfort of all the inmates of the
house, who thus escape all the odors of cooking and washing.

Equally with light is cleanliness important in the kitchen.
The walls of a kitchen should be of some hard finish, either
paneled wood, tiles, or plastering which can be covered with
whitewash or kalsomine coloring.

Any lime wash is desirable for the kitchen, because it tends
to keep the air pure if frequently applied. The following will be

io8 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

found exellent : Half fill a large pail with quicklime ; pour
upon it one gallon of water and stir it until ebullition ceases;
then stir in one pint of linseed oil, and add enough more cold
water to make the wash of the consistency of thin paste. Cop-
peras water used in place of cold water will make the wash disin-
fectant to a certain degree. The use of skim-milk instead of
the first cold water will make a wash which will resist the action
of water. Apply the wash with a broad, flat brush, moving it up
and down the walls with even strokes. The so-called White
House wash is made by slacking half a bushel of quicklime with
boiling water, keeping it covered until ebullition ceases ; mean-
time a peck of salt is dissolved in warm water, and three pounds
of ground rice are made into a thin paste by boiling it with
water ; a pound of clean glue is dissolved in warm water at the
same time, and half a pound of Spanish whiting is powdered ; all
these ingredients are mixed together with the addition of enough
boiling water to make the mixture properly liquid, and it is then
strained, cooled, and allowed to stand three days in a covered
vessel. When the wash is required for use, it is heated in a
double kettle, and applied hot with a flat brush. This wash
resists the action of severe weather, and will serve in place of
paint for walls, or wood or stonework. It may be used for the
kitchen woodwork if desired.

If the kitchen is already painted, and only needs cleaning >
use hot water and soap with a flannel rag. The addition of
a handful of borax or four tablespoonfuls of liquid ammonia
to a gallon of hot water will make a solution which will clean
paint and glass quickly and well without soap. Wash oil-
cloths by first rubbing them over with a cloth wet in equal parts
of milk and water, and then with another wet in warm water,
and finally with a soft, dry cloth ; wet only a small place at once,
and never use a brush if it can be avoided. Keep oilcloths
clean ordinarily by wiping them first with a damp cloth and

The Kitchen. 109

then with a dry one ; but do not apply soap, or use a harsh
brush or a mop. When the paint has been scrubbed off oil-
cloths, and their texture is still unbroken, they can be restored
by having a coat of good oil paint laid over them about once a
year. Some durable bright color is preferable; and the effect
can be heightened by having a solid color for the center and a
contrasting hue for the border. Rubbing with a few drops of
ammonia on a damp cloth, and subsequent polishing with a dry
cloth, will clean windows easily and well. Kitchen tables should
be cleaned every day with hot water in which either borax or
washing soda is dissolved. The sink should be flushed every
day with boiling water, and a handful ot washing soda thrown
upon the strainer over the drain-pipe before the greasy water is
poured down it after a meal is over. If this point be attended
to, and no scraps of refuse or grounds of tea or coffee are allowed
to pass into the drain-pipe, housekeepers will escape that trouble-
some and expensive plumber's job of cutting out the drain-pipe.
Every week in winter, and oftener in summer, a cupful of quick-
lime or chloride of lime, or a pailful of hot copperas water,
should be thrown upon the drain. Copperas water is a valuable
disinfectant, free from the objectionable odor and physical effect
of lime ; it is made by placing the copperas in the bottom of a
barrel, and covering it with water ; enough copperas should be
used to be plainly seen always upon the bottom of the barrel.
The water, heated and poured in drains, sinks, and water-closets
by the pailful once or twice a week, will keep them entirely
free from dangerous emanations: note this when there is a closet
upon the lower floor, or near the kitchen.

After every meal the towels and dish-cloths should be
washed in hot water with soap and a little borax, and they
should then be well rinsed and dried in the sun or air before
using them again.

If kitchen utensils are tarnished and discolored, put them into

no Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

a large boiler containing hot water and a handful of washing
soda, and let them boil for a few moments ; then scour them
with any of the good kitchen soaps made of fine white silicious
matter. Very fine ashes, sand, or brick-dust sifted, will answer
for scouring iron or copper. For tin and japanned or enameled
ware, use powdered whiting, applying it with a wet cloth, and
then polishing with a dry one or with chamois. Knives are
cleaned with powdered Bath brick.

To clean the stove, first wash it with hot water and soda
after it is cold, if it is greasy ; and then blacken it with any good
stove-polish, according to the directions accompanying the
polish, and rub the steel fittings of the stove with emery-paper.
To build a fire, first let down the grate, and take up the ashes
and cinders carefully to avoid raising a dust, sifting the cinders
to use in building the fire ; brush the soot and dust out of the
upper part of the stove, and from the flues which can be reached;
be sure that all parts of the ovens and hot-boxes are clean ; if
there is a water-back attached to the stove, see that it is filled
with water; if it is connected with water-pipes, be sure in winter
that they are not frozen ; brush up the hearth-stone. Lay the
fire as follows: Put a few handfuls of dry shavings or paper in
the bottom of the grate ; upon them some small sticks of pine
wood laid across each other ; then a few larger sticks, and some
cinders free from ashes ; a few small lumps of coke or coal may
be mixed with the cinders. Open all the draughts of the stove,
close all the covers, and light the fire ; when the cinders are
lighted, add fresh coke and coal gradually and repeatedly until
a clear, bright fire is started ; then partly close the draughts.
To keep up a fire add fuel often, a little at once, in order not to
check the heat : letting the fire burn low, and then replenishing
it abundantly, is a wasteful method, because the stove grows so
cold that most of the fresh heat is lost in raising the temperature
again to the degree necessary for cooking. Removing the

The Pantry. in

covers of the stove, to place a utensil nearer the fire, lowers the
heat of the entire surface, and affects the temperature of the
ovens ; therefore flat-bottomed cooking- utensils are the best, for
they fit close upon the covered top of the stove. Black iron
saucepans cook more quickly than bright tin ones; coppers
retain the heat, even when brightly polished, longer than any
other metal, and are much the more durable. Hard wood is
preferable to pine for cooking purposes. Charcoal is a good
cooking- fuel, but is expensive.

All the kitchen refuse should be burned, first draining from it
the slops; and then, when there is no cooking going on, it
should be put upon the back of the fire, and all the draughts
thrown open so that it can be quickly and entirely consumed.
If there is no accumulation of rubbish in the kitchen, there will
probably be no more croton-bugs or roaches than can be
destroyed by the persistent use of powdered borax and insect-
powder.

The Pantry.

Although -cleanliness in the kitchen is generally enforced
in well-regulated households, the same care is not always
extended to those necessary repositories of food, the pantry, the
refrigerator and the cellar. The drains too often contaminate
the latter, all kinds of food are gathered indiscriminately in the
ice-box, and the pantry has too many dark corners. Then,
again, the pantry is too often located so near the kitchen as to
receive more or less heat from that room. This access of heat
should be guarded against as far as possible, because it greatly
interferes with the preservation of food. When it is impossible
to have the pantry or storeroom a little removed from the
kitchen, the two rooms can be separated by double doors, or at
least with a door furnished with a spring which will always
close it.

1 1 2 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

The pantry should be so placed as to receive plenty of light
and air to keep it free from dampness, but it should not be so
exposed to the sun as to make it hot enough at any season to
affect its contents. If there is not a storeroom proper, a large,
light closet should be devoted to its uses. Shelves should be
arranged around the walls, those upon two sides at least per-
mitting barrels to be placed under them ; hooks should be
placed upon the edges of some of the upper shelves, within easy
reach, for the hanging of bunches of herbs and small bags or
nets containing fruit. A cool, dark section should be set apart
for preserves and jellies ; and, if they are put up in stone jars or
buckets, they should be labelled, so that the contents can be
known without opening them. The arrangement of shelves,
boxes, jars and barrels will suggest itself to any tidy person, as
it affords the easiest access to their contents. As far as possible,
solid cases should be used for stores of all kinds, because paper
used for wrapping them is so readily torn, and is no protection
against mice or insects. The ordinary contents of the storeroom
include dry groceries, preserves, pickles, bread and cake; the
latter should be kept in close boxes of wood or tin, which should
be frequently cleaned. Hot food should never be put into the
storeroom, because it gives out steam and thus favors dampness,
and also because it slightly heats the atmosphere.

The Refrigerator.

In most towns, ice-boxes or refrigerators are obtainable
already made, but there is some discretion to be used in their
selection. In choosing one, care should be taken that the frame
is of hard wood, susceptible of a smooth finish, because a soft,
rough surface attracts and retains moisture and injurious odors
from the water used in cleansing it, and from the ice, as well as
from the food itself. If possible, the entire lining and shelves

The Refrigerator. 113

should be metallic; but, if they are of wood, they should be
hard, and a double set should be employed so that some can be
drying while the others are in use. Marbleized iron or zinc
makes the best metal shelves. No water or sewer-pipes should
be connected with the ice-box, because poisonous gases readily
pass through water. In so-called model apartment houses, the
refrigerator is sometimes connected direct with the drain by a
small pipe, to permit the escape of the water caused by the melt-
ing of the ice: there could be no surer way devised to imperil
the health of the inmates of the apartments. Ice-boxes and
refrigerators, large and small, should be cleaned and aired often
enough to keep them perfectly free from any odor. Meat, fish,
poultry or game should never be laid upon shelves, but rather
hung by hooks or laid upon racks ; if the box is too small to
permit this, they should be placed upon earthen dishes large
enough to prevent contact with the box or shelves. Milk should
always be kept in closed jars, even when in the ice-box, for no
other substance is so quickly affected by air and surroundings ;
it absorbs every odor and gas to which it is exposed, and takes
on every taint in the atmosphere : therefore, as soon as its first
natural heat has passed away, it should be strained, and kept in
covered vessels, unless it is put into a perfectly clean milk-room
sheltered from air and dust. Butter, like milk, readily takes on
odors and taint : it should always be kept in covered tubs or jars,
with brine or a wet cloth covered with salt over it. It should
never be put near fish, meat or vegetables which can impart any
odor to it.

The ice-box should not be kept in a damp place, because
dampness will cause the ice to melt, and predispose food to fer-
ment and mold. No steam or furnace-pipes or chimney-flues
should be near enough to vary its temperature in the least
degree, for this in itself is a frequent cause of injury to food.
When the weather is variable, it is necessary to closely watch

114 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

food which is not refrigerated. In the winter, there is less
danger to food from decomposition than in summer ; but some
kinds are impaired by freezing. And then, too, there is always
more or less danger of decomposition attending the thawing of
frozen meats ; they should be thawed at a dry temperature, only
a little above the freezing-point, in a well- ventilated room, or in
very cold water never near the fire, or in a warm kitchen.
When meat has once been frozen, it should be kept at that
temperature until it is thawed for cooking ; for, when once
thawed, it is likely to spoil quickly, especially in close, damp
weather.

A word in regard to frozen vegetables : They should be
placed in cold water to thaw, not exposed to the action of heat ;
but as freezing effects a chemical change in the substance and
composition of vegetables as, for instance, when it partly
changes the starch in potatoes into glucose they should generally
be protected from frost. Vegetables will be referred to again in
treating of the cellar.

As dampness favors decomposition, even at a low tempera-
ture, the ice compartment in refrigerators should be separated
from the food closet by permanent walls, so that moisture can-
not be directly communicated from ice to food. The only
efficient refrigerator is one that thus separates the ice from the
food, and has an outlet for the water caused by the melting of
the ice. It is a mistake to use this water for drinking or cooking
purposes, for it generally contains impurities from the ice. A
glass or porcelain-lined receptacle placed next to the ice-com-
partment, and filled with water, will cool pleasantly. The vessel
should be washed out and filled with fresh water every day, and
should be entirely closed from the air ; for water impregnated
with odors or vapors from food, or with those which pervade
living-rooms, is unfit to drink. As water standing in open
pitchers for any length of time loses all its natural gases, and

The Cellar. 115

absorbs the deleterious properties in the atmosphere, so, equally,
that which is exposed to the odors of food in the refrigerator be-
comes injurious.

In cool weather, meat, fish, game and poultry may be kept
in a wire safe for a reasonable length of time. The same general
care should be given to the safe which the refrigerator requires.
Its frame should be of hard wood ; the racks or shelves of metal,
marbleized or galvanized iron ; and the wire-cloth painted as
often as it shows any trace of rust, because a rough, rusted
metallic surface will attract and retain deleterious odors, and
particles of decomposed food.

The Cellar.

In cities, cellars are generally underground, and too often
contaminated by sewer and drain-pipes. It is impossible to take
too much care to guard against this danger. To a great extent,
dampness can be obviated in cellars, by flooring them with con-
crete, and ventilating them thoroughly ; for this purpose there
should be movable windows, in good working order, with direct
communication with the outer air.

Cellars cannot always be lighted without artificial means, but
they can be kept clean and dry. A little copperas dissolved in
the water used for making lime wash, or some good disinfectant,
can always be used to purify the air ; and care can be taken that
no dirt of any kino accumulates. If fruit or vegetables are kept
in cellars, they should be examined frequently, and all spoiled
portions removed. The darkness necessary to the preservation
of some vegetables can be secured by covering them with old
clean blankets or carpet, or, better still, with several thicknesses
of newspaper, which can be thrown away when they bear any
trace of mildew ; the blanket or carpet should be dried frequently,
and washed when it becomes at all mildewed. The temperature

n6 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

of cellars where vegetables are kept should be regulated so that
they can neither freeze, nor spoil from excessive heat ; a safe
temperature is about 50 Fahr.

When vegetables are kept in bins, they should be made of
hard, smooth wood with covers; otherwise, barrels and boxes
with covers should be used. If those roots and tubers which are
to be kept until late in the winter are packed in layers, in sand or
clean moss or excelsior- shavings, they will keep fresh and good
in a dry, cool cellar. Apples may be packed in this way, or in
dry sawdust, or wrapped in soft paper, and stored in barrels or
boxes. Winter pears may be laid between the folds of an old
clean blanket, on a shelf in a dry cellar. Cranberries are best
preserved by keeping them covered with water, and lemons do
well in the same way ; care should be taken that the water does
not freeze, and it should be changed often enough to maintain
its freshness. Parsnips are generally left in the ground during
the winter, but they may be kept in sand in the cellar. If turnips
are kept in sand, they are less apt to become corky than when
exposed to the air. Celery keeps well quite buried in the sand.
Squashes and pumpkins require a cool, dry place. Cabbages
may be laid in heaps, or packed in barrels, with the root up,
and a thick covering of their own outer leaves upon the top,
under the cover of the barrel or bin. Onions should be spread
upon shelves, or kept in well-aired baskets. Beets should be
buried in sand, as also carrots. Potatoes keep well in barrels
in a cool, dark part of the cellar. As the spring approaches, or
if they begin to show signs of germination at any season, they
may be put into baskets with handles, and placed in boiling water
for three minutes ; after that they are to be thoroughly drained,
and then returned to the cellar : the heat of the water destroys
the young sprouts, without injuring the rest of the potato for
subsequent cooking. Sweet potatoes require a very dry place,
but do not keep any length of time ; so that unless the family is

The Cellar. 1 1 7

large, they should be bought only in small quantities. All the
vegetables which are used green or in an immature condition
should be dried, canned or preserved in their season. Radishes
and mushrooms may be raised during the winter, in warm cellars ;
and parsley and lettuce, in window boxes, at any temperature
suitable for house plants; mustard and cress will grow from seed
within a few days in window boxes.

MARKETING.

As the excellence of a dinner depends as much upon the
quality of its materials as upon the skill of the cook, it is incum-
bent on the good housekeeper to have some knowledge of
marketing. If a good cook can do better with poor materials
than a poor cook with the best supplies, how great will be the
satisfaction in a repast which supplements judicious selection
with perfect cookery ! The skilled marketer must have experi-
ence, but even the youngest beginner can gain some advantage
from such clear and explicit description as is presented in this
chapter.

Before entering upon the detail of meat marketing, a few
words may be well said upon the importance of freshness in food
of all kinds, and especially when several kinds are used for
making one dish, such as a soup or a stew. The least taint in
any ingredient will impair the flavor of the dish, and often
produce temporary discomfort or positive illness ; therefore the
marketer should not be tempted to purchase wilted vegetables,
or meat upon the verge of spoiling, because the price may be
low. In fact, the rule may be accepted, that fair goods command
a fair price; the only notable exception being when marketing
days occur only two or three times a week, or at the end of the
week, when the food is sold at a reduction toward the close of
the day, by dealers who do not wish to take the risk of
keeping it.

Good Points in Meats.

A few clearly defined points will enable any ordinarily careful
and intelligent person to select a good quality of flesh from what

Marketing. 119

is offered. The best meats are from well-fed, mature animals,
which have not been overworked, and the meat of which has
been carefully transported from the slaughter-house to the
market. A loose texture of flesh in full-grown meats indicates
an excess of water, which will cause the meat to skrink in
cooking or preserving it in any way. The flesh of grass-fed
meat is of this character; while that of "stall-fed" or "corn-fed"
animals has a firm, dense fiber, admirably calculated to retain
its substance, either under the action of heat in cooking or of
salt in curing it. Of the three best-known mature meats, beef
has the largest and firmest fibers, and pork has the densest,
closest texture ; and therefore both are well suited for curing.
About one-fifth of the weight of flesh is composed of the solid
substances of fibrine, albumen, and gelatine ; the residue being
the juice of the flesh, which consists of water and some soluble
salts that are essential to the preservation of health. It is this
juice, of which salted meats are largely deprived, which is too
often lost by improper methods of cooking ; as in the pounding
of beefsteaks, under the erroneous impression that they are thus
made tender, when really the labor of mastication saved by the
breaking of the fibers is more than handicapped by the loss of
the juice entailed by the pounding operation. When the fiber
of meat is over-tough, it can be softened by using vinegar
during cooking, according to the directions given elsewhere.

The fact is not always known to city marketers, although it
is generally well understood by people in the country who kill
their own meat, that the flesh of animals and birds is always
most tender if kept in a cool place some time before cooking.

A glance will show an experienced marketer the difference
between good and poor meat. The first has a fresh, bright
color, with plenty of back and kidney fat, and fine thread-like
particles of fat running through the flesh ; the odor is sweet and
the general appearance clean. On the other hand, meat in bad

i2o Cooking and Housekeeping Simplifies

condition is dark and dull in color, without the tracery of white
fat throughout the flesh, and its abundance on the back and
about the kidneys ; even if the fat is abundant, its color will be
yellowish and its consistency soft ; the odor will be more or less
unpleasant. No amount of washing will restore the excellence
of stale or tainted meat, or counteract its poisonous effect upon
the system. The fact should be remembered in this connection,
that meats which have been kept on the ice,- and are then
exposed to the action of a warm atmosphere, taint much more
quickly than those that have never been iced.

Beef.

Good beef is of a clear, bright-red color, veined or marbled
with whitish fat, with abundant kidney fat or suet, and thick
back fat ; the fat of a prime creature is of a clear, whitish yellow
color, rather hard and brittle, as contrasted with the dull yellow
fat of inferior beef, which is also soft and greasy. The second
grade of beef is of a dusky red color, with scant fat interspersed
among the muscular fiber and very little upon the back and
kidneys; the odor of the meat is good; and, if it is hung long
enough, the flesh will be comparatively tender. Poor beef has
little or no back fat, very scant yellowish kidney fat, and dark
red, hard flesh ; in cooking it, the aid of vinegar will soften the
fibers to some extent, but it can never be made entirely good ;
if the odor is rank and strong, it will always be noticeable.

The carcass of beef as marketed is cut into sides, and these
again into fore and hind-quarters. The choicest parts of the
carcass are along the line of the backbone.

The following indicates the best use for each part :

1. Shin, or leg; used for soups and plain stews.

2. Round ; used for steaks, pot-roasts, and beef a la mode.

3. Rump ; used for steaks, stews, and corned beef.

Marketing. 121

4. Butt or flank steak ; used for steak, pressed beef, and
corned beef.

5. Large sirloin steaks; large, juicy steaks, used for broiling
and frying.

6. Sirloin roast or porterhouse steaks ; used for the choice
roast or beefsteaks.

7. Flank ; used for corned beef or stews.

8. Navel ; used for corned beef.

9. Plate ; used for corned beef.
10. Ribs; used for roasting.

n. Chuck ribs; used for roasting and steaks.

12. Shoulder-piece; for soups, stews, mince, and pot-roasts.

13. Shank, or shin ; used chiefly for soups.

14. Neck; used for soups, stews, and hash or mince.

15. Brisket; used for corned beef, spiced beef, and stews.
There is choice to be exercised in regard to steaks and

roasts. The hip or thick end of the sirloin or porterhouse cut
makes the finest beeksteaks, the two hip-bone or tenderloin
steaks being the best large beefsteaks in the entire carcass. The
middle porterhouse steaks are smaller, and have a good propor-
tion of tenderloin or filet; the thin end of the sirloin gives small
porterhouse steaks of excellent flavor. Beyond the hip-bone
sirloin steak, comes the flat and round bone sirloin steaks,
which are large, juicy and well flavored ; then the ordinary large
sirloin steaks reach to the rump-piece. The tenderloin or filet
of beef runs under the sirloin, beginning at the round-bone
sirloin steak, and running up to about the third small porter-
house from fifteen to twenty inches and weighing five pounds
or more. Rump and round steaks cut from fine beef are com-
posed of firm, juicy, well-flavored flesh, and in point of nutriment
compare favorably with any portion. The roasting-ribs are cut
from the fore-quarter; they number in all thirteen, and are
usually cut in twos or threes, according to the size or weight

122 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

required. The first two or three are called the first-cut ribs;
then come the second or middle cut, reaching as far as the fifth
or sixth rib ; the third-cut ribs reach up to the chuck or
shoulder-ribs, which begin at the ninth rib: all these cuts are
juicy, tender and highly flavored. The four chuck-ribs proper
run up to the neck. The piece of shoulder-blade running
through the chuck-ribs can be cut out by the butcher, and
replaced by a piece of fat. The chuck-ribs are divided according
to the requirements of the purchaser ; their flavor is sweet; and,
as they are marbled with fat in good beef, they rank next the
sirloin, either as roasts or steaks. The chuck nearest the neck
is inferior in quality to the other end near the ribs proper.

Veal.

The best veal is from a milk-fed calf about six weeks old.
Veal less than a month old is watery, soft and insipid. Good
veal shows a fine-grained, juicy flesh, of a delicate pinkish color,
with firm white fat. When the food of calves is changed to
grass, hay or meal, the character of the flesh changes ; it is
harder, less juicy, and darker in color, and the fat grows yellow-
ish. When the flesh of veal is very white, it may have been
blanched for the purpose of changing the appearance of poor
veal to that of good quality. The flesh of the second quality of
veal is red, contrasted with the pinkish white prime flesh, and
the fat is coarser grained and less abundant The poorest kind
of veal has decidedly red flesh, and very little kidney fat When
the kidney fat of any quality of veal begins to grow soft and
clammy, the meat is on the verge of spoiling. Bob-veal is the
flesh of calves killed when they are less than three weeks old ;
the flesh is soft, semi-gelatinous and sticky, and the fat is scant
and flabby. It is utterly unfit for food ; being the first flesh of
the young creature, unchanged by the healthful action of sun

Marketing. 1 23

and air, it is devoid of those elements which make good flesh
a wholesome food. The influence of sun and air upon the blood
of animals is well understood by stock raisers, who have demon-
strated that far better meat is produced by animals fattened in
the open air than by those that are housed for any considerable
length of time.

1. Leg, including part of the flank; used for cutlets and
roasts.

2. Loin ; used for roasts and chops.

3. Flank ; this part is often nearly all cut with the leg, but
if separated it makes a good roll for baking or stewing.

4. The ribs lying under the shoulder ; used for roasts, chops
and stews.

5. Breast; used for stews, pot-pie and baking.

6. Shoulder ; used for roasts and baked dishes.

7. Neck ; used for broth and stews.

8. Feet ; used for jelly.

The hind- quarter of veal is generally considered the finest,
but the rib chops are exceedingly good. In a small carcass of
veal, the hind-quarter would be divided simply into loin and leg,
and the fore-quarter into shoulder, breast and neck.

Lamb.

Spring lamb is divided simply into fore and hind-quarters by
a middle cut, which leaves several of the ribs attached to the
hind-quarter. The latter commands the highest price, because it
presents the greatest available quantity of meat ; but its flavor is
not superior to that of the shoulder. If a lamb is very large,
the neck may be separated from the fore-quarter to use for stews.
Very delicate dishes are made from lambs' feet.

Spring lamb proper is from six weeks to three months old.

124 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

House lamb is lamb fed under cover during the winter months.
Lamb is sold from spring until late winter, not being called
mutton until after it is a year old. The weight of small spring
lamb is from twenty to twenty-five pounds ; and as the season
progresses, the size increases to about a hundred pounds.
As the lamb grows larger, chops are cut from both fore and
hind-quarters; the former being called rib chops, and the latter
loin chops or cutlets, as they are taken from the loin or leg.
Sometimes small sheep are dressed like lamb ; but the difference
is shown by the darker red of the flesh, the comparative scanti-
ness of the fat, and the white color of the bones as opposed to
the reddish bones of lamb. The back and kidney fat of lamb is
hard, white and abundant ; and the flesh has a delicate rosy tint
The flesh of the second quality is darker and less firm than that
of prime lamb ; the grain is coarser, and the fat less white and
abundant. Poor lamb has scant, yellowish fat, and lean, flabby
meat without any interspersed lines of fat, and the flesh is soft
and watery. When the kidney fat of lamb begins to grow soft
and sticky, the meat is on the point of spoiling ; a bad odor
indicates that it is already tainted, and is unfit for use. It is not
ever a safe experiment to roast or bake meat upon the verge of
spoiling, because the gradual heating of the interior will generally
complete its decomposition.

Mutton.

Mutton is prime from creatures about three years old, fed
out-of-doors, and especially upon hillsides. The fat of prime
mutton is abundant, white, and hard ; the flesh is firm and juicy,
and of a clear red color; and the bones are white. The flesh of
second quality is darker and closer grained, the fat is scanty and
yellowish, and the flavor is rank. Poor mutton has pale, flabby
flesh, scant thin fat laid close against the flesh but not interlined

Marketing. 125

with it, and the flesh parts easily from the bones. Diseased mut-
ton has decidedly yellowish fat, and soft, flabby flesh.

1. Leg; used for roasts; in large mutton part of the leg is
cut with the saddle.

2. Loin ; used for roasts and chops.

3. Flank; cut separate in very large mutton, but in medium
sized carcasses included in the loin cut or chops.

4. Back or rib chops ; used for rib or French chops.

5. Breast; used for roasts, stews, and baked dishes.

6. Shoulder ; used for roasts and baked dishes.

7. Neck ; used for cutlets and stews.

The saddle of mutton is the double loin, cut without splitting
it down the back. French chops are rib chops with the end of
the bone trimmed off, and the flesh and fat cut away from the
bone at the thin or flank end, leaving the round piece of flesh near
the backbone attached to the rib.

Pork.

The best pork for general table use is from carcasses weigh-
ing from fifty to about a hundred and twenty-five pounds. The
color of the flesh is a fresh pink ; and the fat is hard and white,
not less than an inch thick upon the back, and very abundant
about the intestines. The skin of young pork is whitish and
semi-transparent. The second quality of pork has rather hard
red flesh and yellowish fat; the poor sort has dark, coarse-
grained flesh, soft fat, and a generally inferior appearance.
Measly pork, which is unfit for use, has little kernels in the fat ;
the kernels or yellowish lumps sometimes show in the lean, and
the entire flesh has a dull look. The tenderloins of pork cor-
respond with those of beef in place ; they are of sweet and tender
flesh, and during the winter season can generally be bought.

Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

When the back fat of pork is very thick, some of it is removed
from the parts which are to be used for roasts and chops ; when
the skin is dressed on roasts, it is scored in lines about half an
inch apart.

1. Leg; used for roasts, ham and corned pork.

2. Flank ; used for pickling or salting.

3. Loin; used for roasts, chops, and baked dishes.

4. Brisket ; used for pickling and salting, and bacon.

5. Ribs; used for roasts, chops, and baked dishes.

6. Shoulder ; used for roasts, ham and corned pork.

7. Neck ; used for roasts and neck cutlets.

8. Top of head ; used for pickling and salting.

9. Cheek ; used for pickling and salting.

10. Hock , used for pickling and salting.

1 1. Feet ; used for souse and jelly.

12. Tail piece; used fresh as a choice roast.

That part of a carcass of pork used for bacon is the flank and
brisket, including the belly and the thin part of the ribs ; it is
first thoroughly salted, and then dried or smoked. The flitch of
bacon is the entire side between the shoulder and the leg. Brawn
is the entire length of a side, pickled, after it has been boned and
rolled, and then boiled.

Poultry.

There is no season when it is impossible to obtain good
poultry of some kind ; but in warm, damp weather it is advisable
to select that which has not been long killed, or preserved on ice,
as both are likely to spoil quickly. In selecting fowls, see that
the skin is clean, soft and not badly torn, that the flesh looks
plump and light colored or whitish under the skin, and that some
fat is apparent. Young fowls or chickens have large feet and
long necks in proportion to their size, and the lower end of the

Marketing. 127

breast bone is so soft as to bend easily in response to slight side
pressure : the cartilage does not harden into bone while the
chicken is young enough to be absolutely tender. Of course
there are tender large fowls and capons, bred especially for the
table, which are well grown and abound in delicious flesh. If the
head and feet are upon dressed poultry, they will generally
indicate its condition. The eyes will be full and bright, and the
feet soft and pliable, when the poultry is in good condition; if it
is poor and stale, the feet will be dry and stiff, the eyes sunken
and dull, and the flesh dark colored, and changing to a greenish
hue about the back and vent as the poultry nears the point of
spoiling. There are so many devices for restoring stale poultry
which has not actually reached the stage of putrefaction, that the
only absolute safety lies in buying from honest dealers. The
head of a capon, which is always left on the bird, is smaller in
proportion to the body than that of ordinary 'poultry ; the comb
is more withered and pale ; the neck feathers are longer ; and
the body is shorter, fatter, and more plump. The flesh of capons
is very tender and juicy ; the weight is usually from eight to
twelve pounds. Capon turkeys are unusual but delicious. The
best spring chickens are those which have a full breast and are
plump and short ; those which have long legs and large bones are
less satisfactory. Bantam fowls, which are sometimes marketed,
are short and plump, about the size of a partridge, and their
flesh is excellent when they are young and fat

Turkeys are in fine condition when the flesh looks white and
plump, and they have full breasts and smooth legs : old turkeys
have rather thick skins covered with long hairs, and the flesh is
purplish under the skin. Hen turkeys are smaller and plumper
than male birds, and of less intense flavor : turkey poults, or young
turkeys, are very tender and delicate, but not full flavored. The
finest turkeys that are marketed are the mutton-fed birds ; they
are fat, juicy, and well flavored.

128 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Young ducks, or ducklings, and goslings are among the most
delicious poultry ; they are very fat, and the flesh is highly
flavored. Good ducks and geese are plump, with abundance of
semi-transparent, soft fat ; they have a pliable breast bone, flesh
colored and brittle beaks, and windpipes that break when pressed
between the thumb and finger. As the birds grow old, the color
of the feet and beaks changes from yellow to red. Goslings are
sometimes called green geese.

Pigeons and squabs, either domestic or wild, are generally in
market. Pigeons are good when the breasts are large and plump
in proportion to the size of the bird. The flesh of old birds is
very dark colored, that of good ones is dark red, and of squabs so
light as to be almost pink.

With all game, the judgment of a reliable dealer is the best
guide for the buyer ; but a few hints may be given as to the
possibility of keeping game in order to make the flesh tender.
All wild meat will keep good longer than domestic meat, because
of its firm texture. In average temperate weather, clear and dry,
meat which has not been frozen will keep the following length of
time: Veal and pork, one day; lamb, two days; beef and mut-
ton, from three to ten days ; large poultry and game birds, from
three to six days ; small game from two to five days, and large
game about a week. In clear winter weather, meat and game
frozen in the air will keep until there are signs of a thaw ; they
should then be put into an ice-house, where they will remain
frozen, or thawed out in cold water and speedily used. In warm,
muggy weather, and during summer rains, meat exposed to the
air spoils quickly ; and the conditions of warmth and moisture to
which it is exposed are not unlike those which prevail when
frozen meat is exposed to the heat of the fire in roasting and
baking. Meats should be hung up, and entirely covered with
thin cloth or fly-screens, in a cool, dark place, free from damp-
ness ; they should not be laid upon dishes or boards, because the

Marketing. 1 29

blood which flows from them taints more quickly lhan the flesh
itself. It is for the purpose of entirely removing this blood that
butchers scrape their meat-blocks instead of washing them.
Meats designed for broiling, roasting and baking can be hung
longer than those which are to be boiled.

Fish.

In selecting fish, have it as fresh as possible. This condition
is indicated by the fullness and brightness of the eyes, and the
clean skin and firm flesh : above all, the odor should be sweet
and fresh. Fish which is marketed in a frozen state should be
thawed in cold water, and cooked at once. Sea fish, and those
which run from the sea into bays and rivers, have the finest flavor ;
fresh-water fish sometimes have a muddy taste, which can be re-
moved to some extent by soaking them in salted cold water for a
couple of hours before they are cooked. All fish are best before
spawning ; after that period the flesh becomes soft and watery.
Good crabs and lobsters are heavy in proportion to their size, and
while uncooked their movements are rapid if they are in good
condition ; if cooked, their odor is sweet as long as they are good.
Oysters, clams, scallops, and mussels should be eaten as fresh
as possible always. Salted and smoked fish should always have
a good odor and clean appearance.

Vegetables and Fruit.

All juicy and green vegetables should be very fresh and suc-
culent, and are best just before flowering, as also are the sweet
herbs called pot-herbs. Roots and tubers should be full and
fresh colored ; if withered or sprouted, they are inferior. The
green vegetables should not be bought in larger quantity than
can be used while they are still fresh ; they will keep best if

130 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

sprinkled with water, and laid in a cool, dark place. All the roots
and tubers are improved by laying them in cold water for an hour
before using them. Details as to the keeping of vegetables arc
given elsewhere.

Fruit when fresh should be ripe and sound, as perfect as pos-
sible (because this will make less waste), and bought only in
quantities which admit of speedy use, unless it is winter fruit
which can be kept without any danger of spoiling. Preserved
and dried fruits keep well in cool, dark places, and so may be
bought safely in quantities.

THE ETIQUETTE OF DINNERS.

The selection of guests for a dinner should be thoughtfully
made. Not only should social obligations and personal prefer-
ences be consulted, but also the individual characteristics of the
guests ; for a disagreeable neighbor can destroy the entire en-
joyment of the repast. A dinner is not the affair of a moment ;
it implies prolonged association. At a luncheon, where the
time spent at table is short, at a garden-party, where change of
companionship is possible, at a dance, where the favorite partner
can be secured at least once, no such nice discrimination is de-
manded, upon the part of the host, as at the dinner table, where
guests are placed in close proximity for hours. It is true that no
introductions need take place, except between guests who are to
go down together when they are not already acquaintances, or
where there is on the part of the guests a natural desire for
introduction to some distinguished person present; but one takes
the fact for granted that every guest at a friend's table is a desir-
able companion, and every one is at liberty to enter into conver-
sation without a formal introduction. Although such desultory
intercourse does not entail subsequent recognition, it is the duty
of the host to make sure that the passing intercourse leaves no
unwelcome claims upon his guests. Then, too, those persons
should be placed together whose conversation is likely to strike
upon congenial topics in the intervals of well served courses.
The guests see so little of the hosts, after the first salutation, that
they are in a measure bound to replace themselves in the
arrangement of their guests. While one would not place a
chatterbox without taste beside a man inclined to pay the choice

132 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

dish of the dinner the tribute of silent appreciation, nothing can
be more wearisome than a long, elaborate dinner beside a person
without smile or voice. It is true that a gourmand my find con-
solation in well-cooked dishes, but it is not in every house that
these are served. To place a flippant guest beside an earnest one,
a commonplace one next a poet, is to intensify the misery of
ennui. The dinner giver does not always invite " minds " to the
feast, but the fact that guests have minds should not be forgotten.
On the part of the host a dinner invitation implies a desire
for a certain social intimacy which is not involved in any other
form of entertainment. One may give pleasant assurances of
social happiness in the formal interchange of calls, or the slightly
more personal intercourse of prolonged receptions or of evening
affairs; these are agreeable ways of paying one's social debts.
But to ask a friend to dinner means friendliness indeed ; for this rea-
son, a dinner invitation should be accepted only from those whose
friendship is welcomed. It should always be returned during the
social season that is, before people separate for the summer; if
the recipient has not an establishment which admits of giving a
dinner in return, a ride or drive in the country, or a good
restaurant dinner or a theater party in the city, is considered a
social equivalent. There should be no delay in answering a
dinner invitation definitely ; this gives the hostess an opportunity
to fill the guest's place if the hospitality is declined. If the
invitation is accepted, punctuality to the hour fixed for the din-
ner is imperative on the part of the guest. The tact of a lady is
to be appreciated, who, after an unforeseen hindrance, reached the
house of her entertainers just as the last of the guests were enter-
ing the dining-room; she dropped her wraps in the entrance-
hall where her escort left his hat, and entered the dining-room with
him at once, to the surprise and gratification of her hosts. The
immediate acknowledgment of an acceptance to a dinner is, in the
city, a call within three days after the dinner, unless there is

The Etiquette of Dinners, 133

marked intimacy, in which case a longer time may be allowed to
elapse ; but no circumstance of ordinary consequence should set
aside this social form, even among intimate friends, for these little
courtesies are the graces of friendship. In the country, where
it is not easy to get about, more latitude in point of time is
permissible ; unless an immediate return of hospitality is contem-
plated, any reasonable time may elapse before the call of acknowl-
edgment is made.

The most enjoyable dinners are those where every one is at
ease. Given the fact that the selection of the guests is perfect,
their number should not be greater for a private dinner than the
hostess can render all requisite courtesies to. Then, too, every
care should be taken, previous to the dinner, to insure absolute
ease on the part of the hosts. The comfort of guests depends
upon equal and perfect service, as much as upon excellent cook-
ery. As has been said already, one well-trained servant can at-
tend to ten or twelve guests with the American dinner or the
service a la Russe; but if the service is English, or if the number
of guests is larger, there should be one or more other servants ;
and for elaborate dinners a butler should attend to the wine,
direct the general table routine, and, when not actually engaged,
stand beside the host or hostess and watch to make sure that no
person is unserved, because it is exceedingly awkward for a guest
to ask for attention. The hostess so largely depends upon the
servants for ease during the progress of the dinner, that she should
see before the entertainment that they are entirely conversant with
the wants of guests and the capacity of the establishment. This
point is especially essential when temporary attendants are brought
in ; they should be well informed concerning all the facilities of
the house which can in any way affect the comfort of the guests.
These details of service as closely affect the perfection of dinner
giving as does the deportment of the hostess when she stands
ready to receive her guests.

134 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

If the resources of the establishment are limited, a perfectly
quiet entertainment should be given, the requirements of which
come within the capacity of the household. A good hostess
never inflicts the chance of failure upon her friends, and never
makes experiments with her guests. Her servants know
just what they have to do, and do not either cause delay by
being unprepared, or make a noisy haste in performing their
duties. If any accident occurs at the table, they know how
to remedy it quietly, and they do everything necessary to
the comfort of the hour, without prompting. If the hostess
knows that her servant will spread a fresh napkin over sauce
spilled upon the cloth from a dish, or cover a claret stain with
salt and conceal it with a napkin, she will naturally be easier
than if she thinks such possible mishaps must go unremedied : in
a word, if she feels sure of her service, she can give every thought
to the entertainment of her guests. All this is very easy to sug-
gest ; it is possible to accomplish if the hostess has tact and
management, and sufficient good sense to limit her social ambi-
tion by her own ability to carry out her plans. She will never
attempt to exceed her means in dispensing hospitality ; her table
appointments will be abundant and suitable, even if they are
simple. Her choice of dishes will be confined to those which she
knows can be well made at home, or she will call in competent
outside help to insure success in specialties. She will never
affront her guests by serving a dish that is not absolutely good ;
and, unless for very formal occasions, she will place before them
delicacies such as she is famous for making or ordering. Unless
they are intimate friends, she will not urge them to partake of her
fare, or invite comments upon it ; but she can none the less stamp
her dinners with her own individuality. The novice in dinner
giving should confine her first efforts within small bounds, begin-
ing with few dishes, a very simple service, and a small number of
guests ; as she gains the confidence which follows frequent efforts,

The Etiquette of Dinners.

135

she can safely extend her hospitality, but she should take care
that it never becomes ostentatious. Efforts to make a lavish dis-
play are vulgar. The model hostess gives well-chosen guests the
best of her fare, and so marks her superiority ; but the parvenue
exhausts the market to overload a table, and yet fails to create
enjoyable dinners.

The formal dinner invitation is a courtesy which a guest even
of intimate standing has a right to expect from the hostess ; it
may either be written upon fine stationery or engraved in script.
The prevailing form is :

Mr. and Mrs. _

request the pleasure of

Mr. and Mrs.^..

company at dinner,
Jamtary Second, at Eight o'clock,

No. joo Madison A venue.
The favor of an answer is requested.

A written answer should be returned directly the invitation is
received, using the same personal form that appears on the
invitation. If the invitation is accepted, and any circumstance
arises to prevent attendance, the hostess should be informed at
once ; but no trivial affair should be allowed to interfere. Formal
invitations and replies to dinner invitations should be sent by
hand ; other invitations may go by post. After a dinner a call
is imperative ; a card is not a proper acknowledgment. Invita-
tions to dinners of more than ten persons should go out two weeks
in advance of the date chosen. A husband is never invited with-
out his wife, or vice versa, unless one is known to be an invalid
or out of society, except where there is sufficient intimacy to
warrant this departure from formality when some expected guest

136 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

disappoints at the last moment ; the affair should always be clearly
understood even then.

The social duties of the hostess are too clearly defined to
admit of any deviation from them, but according to the number
of her guests, and the degree of intimacy with them, she may give
them more or less personal attention the fact being understood
that there is ample attendance to insure every one's comfort;
after that, she may permit herself to take some degree of pleasure
in the society of her special favorites, although she never may
give any one but the guest of honor such attention as to be con-
spicuous. At least half an hour before the time named for din-
ner, the hostess should be dressed and ready to receive her guests,
although they are not expected to arrive much before the dinner-
hour. Her place should be near enough the door to permit her
to welcome each one who enters. To the ladies she says a pleas-
ant word and establishes them comfortably, chatting with them
between the arrivals ; to every gentleman she at once indicates
the lady whom he is to take in to dinner, introducing him if the
parties are strangers. At large and formal dinners, each gentle-
man, as he passes from the entrance-hall to the drawing-room,
receives from an attendant a small envelope, presented upon a
salver, containing a card bearing the name of the lady he is ex-
pected to escort, and usually a small boutonniere; if he does not
know the lady he must at once inform the hostess, so that the
necessary introduction can take place. The short interval be-
tween the arrival of the guests and the service of the dinner may
be spent in greeting acquaintances and in pleasant chat about
passing events or subjects of general interest ; all dinner talk
should be light and amusing, but even commonplace is more ac-
ceptable than silence. The wise ones avail themselves of this
opportunity to approach those to whom they wish to speak, be-
cause they know that during dinner conversation is possible only
between neighbors, and after it is over all are likely to be en-

The Etiquette of Dinners. 137

grossed in following up dinner-table topics, or the departure of
guests may render intercourse impossible.

When all the guests have arrived, a servant opens the dining-
room door when it adjoins the drawing-room, or otherwise he ap-
proaches the hostess, and says, " Dinner is served/' or " Madame
is served." The host then leads the way to the dining-room,
with the oldest or most distinguished lady present upon his arm.
No delay is made for guests, unless they are of much importance :
it is the imperative duty of a guest to be punctual ; far better to
exceed in earliness than to be one moment late. In the dining-
room, the servant draws out the chair of the guest of honor, or
that of the lady whom the host escorts ; if there are attendants
enough, the chairs of all the guests may be drawn out, and
replaced by the attendants as the guests are seated. All seat
themselves as they enter the room, each gentleman assisting the
lady he escorts when there are not enough servants to place the
chairs. As the guests arrange themselves comfortably at the
table, they may unfold their napkins and begin to eat the shell-
fish, without waiting until all are placed when the number is at
all large. Usually there is no formal beginning, except at pri-
vate dinners, when some ceremonial of grace preludes the repast ;
taste and custom regulate these matters. In entering the
dining-room after the host, there is no special order of precedence
in America, unless the chief magistrate or some locally honored
personage is present ; ordinarily the gentleman who is the
guest of honor goes into the dining-room last, with the hostess,
and is seated at her right. If the table is small, the host indi-
cates the places the guests are to occupy as they enter the
room ; if the party is large, a little menu-card is placed at each
cover, bearing the name of the guest for whom it is designed.
After the shell- fish is eaten, the lady who is escorted by the hos^
and who sits at his right hand, is served first, then the other
ladies, and after them the gentlemen ; each guest may begin to

138 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

eat as soon as served. The routine of the dinner has been given
elsewhere.

At the close of the dinner, the hostess bows to the lady at
the right of the host, who rises, and opens the door for her, and
she leads the way out of the dining-room, the other ladies fol-
lowing her, and the hostess going last; this, of course, is at large
formal dinners, otherwise there is no special form imperative.
It is a graceful courtesy for the gentlemen to rise as the ladies
leave the table, and assist them with their chairs. Sometimes
they prefer to accompany them to the drawing-room ; but if any
remain at the table, the host must stay with them, and see that
they are served with wine or cordials, and coffee and cigars. It is
of course understood, in polite society, that no excess is tolerated ;
and any young man showing any inclination to pass the limits of
moderation very soon finds himself tabooed. The use of wine at
ordinary dinners is a matter of solely personal preference, but at
state dinners its absence would be an affront to the guests.

In the drawing-room, the hostess should always chat a little
with all her guests, even if the number is large ; but she should
pay special attention to strangers. If there is any lady present
accomplished in any way, the hostess may request her to assist
in entertaining the others ; and compliance on the part of the
guest should be immediate and cheerful, unless there is some
grave reason for declining. The hostess may omit such requests
for assistance, without implying any offence. In the case of
guests who are professionally distinguished, this question of
entertainment should always be previously understood, because
sometimes there are objections to their contributing to the
evening's amusement. After the gentlemen enter the drawing-
room, tea should be served, and then the guests are at liberty to
depart ; but where strict social propriety is preserved, no one
should leave until after the guest of honor has gone. As each
guest takes leave of the hostess, a few words should be said in

The Etiquette of Dinners.

139

CHATEAU

VQUEM,

1858.

acknowledgment of the enjoyment of a pleasant evening, with-
out any reference to the dinner itself. The call after the dinner
should be made in due time, as also should the reciprocating

hospitality.

BILL OF FARE.

Oysters or Clams on the half-shell, very small.

SOUP.

Consommd, Terrapin Clear Soup, Potage at la Reine, or Bisque.
Cantaloupe, Watermelon, Pineapple, Grape Fruit or Oranges.

FISH.

Broiled Spanish Mackerel, Shad, Striped Bass, or Blue Fish; or,
Boiled Salmon, Sheepshead, Sea Bass, Turbot, or Trout ; with
Bermuda, Hollandaise, Duchesse, Parisienne, or Irish Potatoes.
Cucumbers.

RELISHES.
Olives. Tunny Fish. Filets of Anchovies or Sardines. Stuffed

Olives. Caviare.
French Radishes. East India Gherkins. Salted Almonds. Cheese

Straws. Pickles.
Small Patties or Bouche'es cold, with highly seasoned garniture of fish,

poultry or game.

Fine Table Sauces. Anchovy Butter. Celery. Small Raw Toma-
toes. Choice Cheese.

ENTRIES AND ENTREMETS.

Vol-au-vents of Poultry and Game, Croquettes, Blanquettes, Scallops,

Salmis,
Sweetbreads, broiled, fried or stewed, with Mushrooms, Peas,

Asparagus or Tomato Sauce.
Chicken, fritot, broiled, Maryland style, with Mayonnaise filets, and

Pinions saute'es.
Filet of beef, larded, with Mushrooms, Spaghetti, Stuffed Tomatoes,

or vegetable garniture.
Lamb Cutlets, breaded, truffled, en papillate, with Peas, Asparagus or

Cauliflower.
Any Vegetable, stewed with a sauce. Fritters of Rice, Hominy and

Flour, with sauce.
Sweet Puddings, with sauces. Charlottes Pastry. Jellies. Moulded

Creams.
.. Sorbet. Sherbet. Roman Punch. Champagne glace.

ROAST.

Any Game or Game Birds, roasted, and served with a green salad.

DESSERT.

Ice Creams, with Canton Ginger. Water Ices. Frozen Puddings of
fruit and fine cake. Ices. Confectionery. Candied Fruit. Nuts.
Foreign Preserves without syrup. Oriental Sweetmeats. Coffee.

CHATEAU
LAROSE,

1858.

VERZE-
NAVE

SEC.

THE ETIQUETTE OF VARIOUS ENTERTAINMENTS.

Large Breakfasts.

As breakfasts are far less expensive than dinner parties, and
as the time chosen, between nine and twelve o'clock, is generally
less full than the evening hours, these entertainments are greatly-
favored by people of leisure. In common with luncheons, they
afford a pleasant and available form of hospitality which gentle-
men without establishments can offer to their lady friends. The
etiquette is very simple; an informal written invitation, sent either
by hand or post, to which there is an immediate corresponding
response, and a return entertainment during the season, when
the breakfast is given by a lady, fulfill all requirements. The
toilet for guests is a walking costume, and for the host a quiet
morning toilet. The place of the entertainment may be in one's
own house, or at any well-known restaurant.

The table should be laid in a sunny, cheerful room, with
spotless linen and china, and polished glass and silver. The
table arrangement for an elaborate breakfast is the same as for
dinner, except that no soup is served, and the coffee and tea
equipages are placed upon the table. Bread, butter, relishes,
condiments, fruit and flowers are upon the table ; the hot dishes
are upon the sideboard in charing dishes, or are served hot from
the kitchen in courses, according to the preference of the host.
Hot breads come to the table with a napkin thrown over them, as
also do baked potatoes, fritters, fried cakes, scallops, gratins, breaded
chops, croquettes, and all dishes which would be impaired by
having moisture fall upon them as it condenses on china or silver
covers. Dry toast should be served in a rack, or the slices set
on edge on a hot plate, and only a small quantity made and
served at once; it should be delicately brown and crisp; buttered

The Etiquette of Various Entertainments. 141

toast should be set in the oven for a moment after it is made,
and then served covered with a hot napkin; milk toast should be
served in a covered dish, from which the cover should be lifted
quickly and reversed at once to prevent the condensed steam falling
back upon the toast. Butter should be cut in small squares, or
moulded, and kept in ice water or upon a cake of ice until it is
served. Boiled eggs should be served very hot the moment
they are done, and eaten from the shell with a spoon; in
America the custom prevails of breaking the eggs into a glass or
cup before eating them. The shells of eggs should be washed in
cold water before they are boiled. Fruit is placed upon the
table, and eaten as the guests desire. The whole fruits, such as
apples, oranges, bananas, cherries and melons, are usually eaten
at the beginning of the repast; and those which require sugar,
such as berries, pineapples and peaches, are taken toward its
close. The cereals, such as oatmeal, hominy and cracked wheat,
are eaten after the whole fruit, with syrup, cream or preserves.
The coffee, chocolate, cocoa and tea are taken at the guests'
pleasure. After the fruit and cereals come the small meats,
eggs and garnished side dishes of fish, game and poultry. The
breakfast closes with the fried cakes and cut fruit with sugar, or
berries, according to the season.

When wines are used at breakfast, they should be sauternes,
white burgundy, hock or claret.

A good breakfast, of medium extent, would be as follows :

BILL OF FARE.

Cantaloupe or Oranges.

Broiled Fish with Stewed and Saratoga Potatoes.
Maryland Chicken with Cream Gravy and Hominy.

Iced Oatmeal with Cream. Olives.
Small Tenderloin Steak with Watercresses and Radishes.

Omelette with Mushrooms.

Waffles. Pone. Rice Cakes with Maple Syrup.
Peaches iced and sugared.

142 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

The Family Breakfast.

This meal is second only in importance to the dinner,
especially when any extreme mental labor is demanded of the
members of the family. The importance of early and substantial
breakfasts is emphasized in the writings of the author upon
sanitary matters, and consequently such repetition here is
unnecessary; but of the fact that the housekeeper should person-
ally superintend and be present at this meal, there can be no
question. If the breakfast is unsatisfactory, a man half hungry
or exhausted will generally have recourse to some tonic stimulant
to carry him through his morning work; and a second thought
is not needed to realize the consequence of such a custom. Our
national habits demand that the breakfast shall be hot and
abundant, and that there shall be such successive variety that
the appetite shall always be stimulated. Fresh fruit in season,
or that preserved with little or no sugar, or radishes, cucumbers,
tomatoes, watercress or lettuce should make a part of every
breakfast if obtainable. Oatmeal, cracked wheat or some form
of hominy or corn- meal, with cream, milk, sugar or syrup, is
indispensable when the family includes children. Coffee, choco-
late and cocoa are suitable breakfast beverages, but tea is
undesirable. Meat, eggs, or fish in some hot form should
always be served, and potatoes or variety in breads are desirable.
Nearly all American breakfasts include some form of hot fried
cakes with syrup or sugar.

The family breakfast table is laid with the coffee service at
the head of the table ; the largest hot dish at the other end ; a
knife, fork, spoon, glass, napkin, small bread and butter plate
and salt at each cover ; and the side dish, breads and fruit at con-
venient places upon the table. When fruit is served first as a
separate course, it may be placed before the other dishes are
brought in, with a special plate, fruit knife and napkin, and a

The Etiquette of Various Entertainments. 143

finger-bowl for each cover, which are to be removed before the
breakfast is served.

When there are not many servants, the care of the breakfast
table falls upon the ladies of the family ; and there should be
preparations made for clearing away the table, and washing all
but the greasy dishes in the breakfast-room. A side table is
necessary for this, or a large butler's tray, upon which the dishes
can be gathered in regular piles or groups after they are freed
from the remains of the breakfast. Any dishes removed from
the table in the course of the meal can be placed there, being
protected from flies if they contain food which can be used again ;
the plates and saucers in little piles, the cups and glasses in
groups, and the spoons, knives and forks in a tray.

To wash the dishes, a small wooden tub or a tin pan, with a
little mop or a clean dishcloth, soap, and plenty of hot water for
washing and rinsing, are required. The glasses are to be washed
first, rinsed in warm water, and dried at once on clean towels ;
then the cups and saucers and the sauce dishes ; next the silver;
and finally the dishes and empty platters, all scraps of food hav-
ing first been removed from them. The washing water should
be changed frequently, and a little borax or washing soda dis-
solved in it to facilitate the removal of the grease. When a
butler's pantry adjoins the breakfast-room, the dishes are always
washed there ; the same care being exercised in keeping the sink
clean as in the kitchen. Dishes removed to the kitchen to be
washed should be just as neatly and carefully treated as in the
pantry or breakfast- room ; after the dishcloths and towels are
used, they should be thoroughly washed in hot soapy water,
rinsed in hot clean water and dried in the sun, or at least in the
open air.

Family Luncheon.

The range for family luncheon is as elastic as that for more
formal occasions. In the country, and also in town where there

Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

are children in the family, it often takes on the form of a simple
dinner ; in that case, the service is as for dinner, the dessert
service and tea and coffee being upon the sideboard. If the
luncheon is plain, the service is the same as for breakfast. The
suitable dishes are small hot meats, fish, game birds, poultry,
dressed salads, all forms of potatoes and eggs, bread and butter,
cheese and crackers, vegetables, fruit and sweets. A servant
may attend, or any one may rise from the table to fetch what is
required.

In the country, or where the luncheon is practically the
children's dinner, the service should include soup or bouillon if
possible ; the latter is served in shallow bowl-shaped cups, the
former in small soup plates. A hot joint, with one cold meat if
desired in addition, potatoes boiled or baked, and one or more hot
vegetables, together with a simple dessert, gives a good luncheon
variety. The covers are laid as for dinner, with napkin and
bread, two knives and forks, a spoon, water glass and salt; if
one wine is used, it may be claret or sherry at the family lunch-
eon, or some malt beverage or cider may replace the tea or cof-
fee, at the choice of the family. Among intimate friends an in-
vitation to luncheon may be general, or it is quite proper for them
to claim hospitality without it.

Luncheon Parties.

Luncheons are essentially ladies' parties, usually given by
ladies in their own homes : sometimes an informal lunch is given
at some restaurant celebrated for some special dish, but the
preference is for the home entertainment. The invitations are
the same as for breakfasts. The table is laid as for dinner, save
that the linen may be embroidered or colored ; and any dinner
form of service may be followed, save that some of the courses
are omitted. At an informal luncheon all the dishes may be

The Etiquette of Various Entertainments. 145

placed upon the table at once, after the shell- fish and bouillon are
eaten; and then the attendants may be sent from the room if the
guests wish to be alone with the hostess. Fruit, flowers and
relishes may be used in decorating the table, together with any
sweets not iced ; these are to be served at the moment of eating.
Bonbons, preserves and confectionery are in place on the lunch
table. The bill of fare may range from crackers and cheese and
ale, to a menu elaborate enough for a little dinner. The formal
luncheon begins with bouillon or broth served in china bowl-
shaped cups standing in saucers, or with a dinner soup served in
a soup plate ; next come the hot entrees, combination salads,
terrapin ; and then Roman punch and the broiled game with green
salad ; and last the sweets and fruit. Chocolate is an appropri-
ate luncheon beverage, as also are malt liquors for plain lunches.
The luncheon wines are sauterne, sherry, and champagne ; or
the different summer beverages, such as claret cup and its
kindred, may be used ; or wine may be omitted altogether, at
choice. The formal luncheon is served like the dinner a la
Russe, the attendant beginning the service with the lady at the
right hand of the hostess. The guests' preference is asked in the
matter of wine ; the plates are changed as at dinner, cold ones
being used for salad and dessert ; finger bowls are placed with the
dessert, after the table has been cleared. When fresh sugared or
small fruits are used, they are served in fancy saucers set on a
napkin laid in a dessert plate ; and a silver knife, fork and spoon
are placed beside the plate as it is laid upon the table by the
waiter. Ice creams and ices served in small paper cases are also
placed upon a napkin in a dessert plate. Berries are eaten from
the stem or with a spoon ; cut sugared fruits with a spoon ;
melons with knife and fork or a spoon, according to their solidity ;
grapes are eaten from the fingers, and care is taken to delicately
place the seeds and skins upon the plate. Hard cheese is eaten
with a fork or from the fingers ; the soft, rich kinds may be put

146 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

upon a biscuit or piece of bread with the knife, and so lifted to
the mouth. Salads are eaten with the fork, a knife being used to
divide them. At the earlier stages of the repast, the fork is used
for croquettes, vegetables, fish and small carved entrees, the knife
being Uied only when absolutely necessary for cutting.

Luncheon favors, which are to be carried away by the guests,
may consist of bonbonnieres, fans, little bags or baskets, flowers
in fancy holders, bouquet pins, menu holders when there are bills
of fare, or any pretty trifle.

The invitations to small luncheons may be written on the
ordinary note paper, or engraved in script on cards when the
affair is to be formal.

The following is a good menu of a luncheon of moderate

size:

BILL OF FAKE.

Bouillon.

Lobster Chops with Tomato Sauce.

Cucumbers. Olives. Radishes. Crackers and Cheese.

Mayonnaise of Chicken. Vol-au-vent of Oysters.

Breast of Grouse broiled, with Orange Salad.
Lettuce Salad. Roquefort Cheese. Toasted Crackers.
Bavarian Cream. Noyeau Jelly. Tutti Frutti.
Chocolate. Fruit. Bonbons.

Afternoon Receptions.

The double motive of securing the visits of pleasant friends
and of massing together such tedious ones as might be unwel-
come, leads many ladies to choose a day for the reception of
visitors. The time is specified upon the visiting cards which are
used with those to whom one desires to be "at home." The
form may be "At home Wednesdays" " Wednesdays, 4 to 6," or
when it is desirable to limit the time, " Wednesdays in December" ;
the day, hour or month being chosen with reference to other
social duties or occupations. Very often married ladies invite

The Etiquette of Various Entertainments. 147

some young friend to receive with them, and in that case the
young lady's name appears upon the card of the hostess:

Miss...

At Home.

Wednesday, December Second, from Four to Six.
29 West Forty-first Street.

The receipt of a card bearing a date like this is an invitation
to the recipient ; if the hour named is in daylight, the costume
called for is a quietly elegant carriage toilet or walking dress,
with an appropriate bonnet and wrap. Cards are not left by the
callers unless there is a card receiver in the entrance hall; in
that case the card is left there when the guest departs. As the
servant opens the door, the visitors pass at once into the draw-
ing-room, where the hostess receives ; her dress should be a
fresh but not too elaborate home toilette. Callers are not
necessarily introduced, but they are at liberty to chat with
each other, because discrimination in the distribution of cards
is taken for granted, and the hostess must manage to entertain
all with equal attention; in order to assist the hostess in this
rather difficult position, the call should be short. If it is impos-
sible to call upon set days, the visitor should be content to leave
her card, as only decided intimacy warrants a request to see a
lady except upon her "days." When refreshments are served
at these afternoon receptions, they should be quite simple ; a few
fancy biscuit or petit-fours, with wine or cordial, may be upon a
a side table where one of the ladies of the family presides, or they

148

Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

may be passed upon a small salver by a maidservant. Cake
and lemonade, or very dainty sandwiches and tea, may be used
with discretion ; in any case the refreshment must be light, other-
wise the reception takes on the appearance of a kettledrum.

Afternoon Teas.

The pleasantest of all informal social gatherings are those
known as teas, high teas and kettledrums; sometimes they take
their name from some special characteristic, such as the color of
the tea equipage or of the napery or the flowers, lovely effects
being possible. The hostess invites a few friends, either verb-
ally or by an informal note ; or, when these entertainments are
to be frequent, she may save herself trouble by having a card
engraved in script, with blanks for dates :

Mrs..

Wednesday, ...

Tea at Five o'clock.

No. 5 West Twenty-third Street.

When young ladies receive, their names appear on their
mother's card ; if the mother is dead, upon the father's card, and
the card of the chaperone who is to assist them is sent at the same
time. The invitations are given about three days in advance,
and should receive the courtesy of a written answer ; after the
tea a card should be left within two or three days by those
invited as well as by the guests, unless the latter are intimate,
when the call may be omitted, but the tea must be returned in

The Etiquette of Various Entertainments. 149

due season. The hostess usually invites friends, or those whom
she knows wish to become acquainted. The proper toilet is the
same as for afternoon receptions. If the tea table is large, it
may be laid with an embroidered cloth with napkins to match ;
ornamented china and flowers may be used. Where the large
table is used, and there are several ladies to assist in entertaining
the guests, they may be seated at it ; but when the hostess pre-
sides alone, it is more convenient and pleasant to have the tea
served from a side table by the servants, to little tables placed
near groups of guests in different parts of the room. Some of
these little tables are provided with an under-shelf which is
available for an extra plate or cup. The ornamentation of the
small tables is often beautiful in the extreme, as they are a
favorite medium for displaying the skill of the hostess in embroid-
ery, or her taste in the choice of harmonious surroundings.

Some teas take their title from a speciality of ornamentation ;
for instance, at a pink tea the prevailing color in table linen,
china and flowers, would be pink ; at a rose tea, rose color would
exceed, and the flowers would be roses, including a corsage
bouquet for each guest, or a choice flower in the winter season;
The tea should consist of thin bread and butter, delicate sand-
wiches and relishes, and some very good tea. The finer brands of
Chinese and Russian tea can now sometimes be obtained in this
country. A favorite English mixture is one pound of Congo to
a quarter of a pound each of Assam and Orange Pekoe; another
delicious tea mixture which is sent to Eastern friends from ladies
in San Francisco is the Chinese Kettledrum brand. Cake, coffee,
oysters or dressed salads may be served if desired ; but the table
should never be overloaded, or exhibit an ostentatious display.

Family Teas.

At family teas or suppers the table is laid in the same way as
for breakfast, except that the tea equipage replaces that used for

150 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

coffee; unless the tray is of silver, it is now the custom to lay the
.cups and saucers upon the table cloth, and place the rest of the
service toward the right hand and in front of the hostess. The
usual dibhes are small hot breads, toast, preserves or honey, cake,
bread and butter, cheese, with either cold or hot meat, game or
eggs in some form. The service is always quiet and informal

Gentlemen's Suppers.

As ladies entertain their intimates at luncheons, so gentlemen
delight in special suppers fish suppers, game suppers, oyster
suppers or general entertainments where the menu embraces all
the delicacies of the season. As the hostess never appears at
these suppers, they can be made absolutely perfect if she is a good
housewife. They may either be parties of invitation, the guests
being notified three or four days in advance, or impromptu when
the scope of one's establishment permits a sudden accession in
numbers. The hour chosen is generally late, after a card party
or a visit to some place of amusement The table appointments
may be the same as for breakfasts or luncheons, according to the
service of tea and coffee or wine. There should always be black
coffee served from the side table, some flowers and fruit, plenty
of light, and wine at discretion or claret or champagne cup in
summer. The dishes suitable for gentlemen's suppers are hot
and cold entrees, the latter being small and highly seasoned,
plenty of relishes, salads with mayonnaise, shell-fish and game of
all kinds, Welsh rarebits and other forms of cheese, crackers,
scalloped and devilled dishes, and a few sweets if the party is
large. Unless the occasion is some special one, all formality of
service is dispensed with, the dishes all being placed upon the
table at the beginning of the supper, the hot ones over chafing
dishes, and the attendants leaving the room after the first service.
Malted beverages may be substituted for wine, or tea, coffee and
chocolate used at the pleasure of the guests.

The Etiquette of Various Entertainments. 151

Supper Parties.

At the set supper, whether it follows an evening at the
theater or an entertainment at home, or whether it is made the
subject of special invitation, the service is either that of the lunch-
eon for informal affairs, or that of the dinner a la Russe, in
courses with appropriate wines, except that no soup is used,
either bouillon or stewed oysters replacing it. Oysters in any
form and in variety are appropriate at all suppers, except that
raw oysters are not usually served at ball suppers. A plain sup-
per may consist of a dish of oysters, a cold roast chicken, and a
salad ; one wine or punch, or tea or coffee, at pleasure. A hot
supper, a little more elaborate, might be of bouillon, sweetbreads
with peas, asparagus or mushrooms, hot broiled or roasted game,
a salad, an ice, champagne and coffee, and some bonbons. Still
another, more extensive, might be bouillon, small hot entrees of
oysters, sweetbreads, foie-gras, and terrapin ; game with salad,
and a little rich old cheese ; then jellies, ices, fruit, coffee, and a
liqueur or brandy. The best light supper drinks are the different
" cups"; the favorite supper wines are sherry, madeira, burgundy
and champagne ; the winter beverages are mulled wine, egg nog
and punch.

At all suppers the host takes the most distinguished or the
oldest lady present to the supper room ; the guests follow with-
out any special precedence ; and the hostess comes last, having
with her the guest to whom she wishes to pay the most attention.
The servants do not leave the supper room unless all the dishes
are placed upon the table at once : in that case, they may be dis-
missed after the first service of the guests.

Evening Parties.

At evening parties where the entertainment is dancing or
music and conversation, the refreshment may be elaborate or

152 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

simple, as the hostess chooses ; cake, chocolate, and ices are suit-
able, or sherry and biscuit, or a bowl of punch and little cakes ;
or a table may be arranged with white linen, flowers, fruit, salads,
and cold entrees, ice cream and cake, ices, punch, egg nog, tea,
coffee, wine, claret cup or champagne, as one's inclination or
means dictate. From the simplest to the most elaborate the
range is permissible, always with the intent to escape vulgar pro-
fusion. The collation may be served at any hour after ten
o'clock if there is a set table ; or it may be upon a side table if
simple, to be partaken of at the desire of the guests.

Cinderella Parties.

The popular English entertainments called Cinderella parties
are simply evening dances beginning at an early hour, say nine
o'clock, and ending at midnight. The dress, refreshments and
etiquette are the same as for ordinary evening parties. The
invitations are " at home " cards, with the hour and date written
in, and " Cinderella Dancing " written or printed in one corner,
at the choice of the hostess ; the invitations are sent out at a
length of time in advance corresponding to the importance of the
entertainment.

Card Parties.

These parties are good amusements for evenings in autumn
and winter. They are usually composed of intimates ; the entire
service is informal, and very little of the burden of entertainment
falls upon the hosts. And only the lightest of refreshments are
necessary : they should be of such nature as to admit partaking
of them without interfering with the games ; either sherry and
biscuit, claret cup, or tea and coffee, with little cakes, or ale,
crackers and cheese, are suitable and sufficient ; they may be
served from a side table, or placed upon little tables near the

The Etiquette of Various Entertainments. I 5 3

guest as at afternoon teas. Claret cup is made either in a fancy
flagon or pitcher of glass, or in a large silver "loving cup " hold-
ing over a quart, made in the form of a high vase, richly engraved
and decorated ; when the beverage is drunk as a " loving cup," a
large, fine white napkin is placed in one of the handles for the
purpose of wiping the edge of the cup after each guest drinks
from it. When cards are objectionable, dominoes, checkers, or
chess may replace them ; the purpose of all such games being
social amusement.

Calling During Entertainments.

When a chance caller arrives at a house while any enter-
tainment is going on, to which guests have been invited, it is
perfectly permissible for the hostess to be "not at home"; this
excuse, given by the servant at the door, should never be made
a subject of social comment or offence, because the hostess has a
right to decide what friends she shall select to partake of any
form of pleasure, or for the discharge of her social obligations.

New Year's Receptions.

These once favorite receptions are gradually falling out of
use, but a few hints may be given for those who wish to pursue
the old custom. It 'is quite proper to offer only hot coffee and a
sandwich; or one wine and a plain cake or biscuit; a bowl of
punch, a tureen of hot bouillon, and a salad and some cold game
or a galantine; or hot oysters or terrapin and maderia any of
these are suitable; but the service should be simple in the
extreme, one maid attending at the table or sideboard. At the
door a maid or a man may attend. The caller upon entering
sends in his card, unless he is a rather intimate friend, in which
case he enters the drawing-room at once, and leaves his card
when he departs, upon the card receiver in the hall. When

154 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

ladies do not wish to receive, a small basket is placed outside
the door for callers to drop their cards into.

Wedding Receptions and Breakfasts.

The invitations are in the name of the parents or of the
surviving parent, engraved in script upon note paper. The
prevailing form is :

Mr. and Mrs..

request the pleasure of your company at the
Wedding of tfieir Daughter

_ tO _..

at the Church of the Trinity,

on Wednesday, February Fourteenth,
at One o'clock.

The cards of the bride and bridegroom are enclosed with
the invitation to the wedding; the invitation to the reception
or breakfast is engraved upon a separate card, and enclosed in
the same envelope. The invitations to wedding breakfasts are
sent out two weeks in advance, and the reply must be as
immediate and formal as for a dinner. At wedding receptions,
a servant should be at the door of the drawing-room to announce
the names of callers, whose cards, bearing an address, must be
left in the hall; gentlemen leave their hats in the hall when
there is a breakfast. Invited guests must either attend the
reception, or send cards within ten days, call personally within
the season or the year, and if possible entertain the newly wedded
pair within three months. At a reception, the refreshments
may be a cake and one wine, but no tea or coffee is served
even at a full breakfast. The wedding breakfast may consist of
bouillon, wine at choice, salads, small game, shell-fish, ices, creams

The Etiquette of Various Entertainments. 155

jellies ; the wedding cake is set before the bride, who cuts
the first slice; boxes of the same kind of cake are upon the
table for the guests to take, but they are no longer sent out.
The ladies wear their bonnets to wedding receptions and break-
fasts, and when the room is limited the breakfast is usually a
" stand-up " affair.

After the return from the wedding tour, the bride and groom
are given dinners at the houses of both their families and of the
bridesmaids. They need not entertain in return, except by
set reception days ; then the refreshments may be tea and cake
upon trays or little tables, or the service of a high tea or a
kettledrum.

For silver and golden weddings, the entertainment may be
simple or elaborate, at the wish of the hosts. The invitations
are "at home" cards, with date and "Silver Wedding" engraved
upon them, or they may be in script on note paper. Among
the collation there should be a wedding cake containing a ring.

When introductions take place at any entertainment, the
hostess should introduce the younger to the elder, and the least
distinguished person to the celebrity, first being sure that the
introduction is desired by both parties. At large teas, receptions
and garden parties, general introductions are out of the question;
but the guests are at liberty to converse without them : they do
not necessarily involve themselves in future intercourse thereby,
nor do they by watering-place introductions unless they are
desired.

Country House Parties.

The entertainment of guests at country houses demands much
more hospitable feeling and versatility of attainments than the
courtesy of city party giving, which taxes the host for only a
few hours. To the pleased guest at a country house, the agree-
able visit may easily lengthen into weeks unless a limit has been
set in the invitation ; but what seems to him an unbroken round

1 56 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified,

of natural pleasures may have severely taxed the hospitable
ingenuity of the entertainer, so that a visit should never be
extended unless the guest has every assurance that it is desired.
All enjoyment under such circumstances depends upon the
prevalence of harmony of taste and feeling among the guests ;
for, despite the fact that many outdoor amusements and occupa-
tions engross them during the day, every evening reunites them.
If their selection for a three-hour dinner requires tact and
thought, how much more is demanded when the arrangement is
for the long and informal association which country life implies!

In inviting guests to a country house, the date and duration
of the visit should be defined; and when the invitation is
accepted, the hostess should at once advise the guest of the most
convenient way of reaching her house, giving the hours for trains
if the expected arrival is to be by rail, and having the carriage
at the depot upon the arrival of the train, unless the party of
guests coming at once is very large ; in that case etiquette does
not require the hostess to send carriages if there are any public
conveyances, although it is a graceful courtesy to do so. It is
not imperative to welcome the guests at the station, but the
hostess should, if possible, be at home when they reach the
house ; if they come in turn, after the departure of others, and
if she is absent from the house pending the entertainment of
resident guests, she should see that all preparations are made for
the comfort of the latest comers, and should order tea to be
served in their rooms at once. It is allowable for guests to
refresh themselves and rest before joining the company below
stairs, but only illness is a plea for the absence of either guests
or hostess from the dinner table. Before the dinner hour the
hostess should be in the parlors to receive the guests, and intro-
duce them to each other ; and she should designate companions
in specifying the order of entering the dining-room, unless the
party is a family one, when all formality may be dispensed with.

The Etiquette of Various Entertainments. 157

After dinner, the evening's amusement should be so planned
by her as to throw congenial people together, and to allot to
each one that share of the general entertainment best suited to
his or her capacity or accomplishments ; for in such assemblies
the pleasure of all often depends upon the talents of individuals.
Books, musical instruments, games and various devices for social
amusement are plentiful and varied, so that no hostess need be
at a loss for aids to her hospitality. When bedtime arrives, the
hostess should give the signal for retiring. In the morning she
should preside at the breakfast table for about an hour, after
which she may leave the late comers to the care of the servants,
and devote herself to the pleasure of the guests who first join
her, until personal or household matters demand her attention.
Unless the house party is large, all the guests should endeavor
to be at the breakfast table with some degree of punctuality;
but the breakfast should begin at its stated hour. Letters and
papers may be glanced at during the meal if the party is large
enough to be redeemed from stupidity by such proceeding, but
it shows a lack of courtesy to center one's entire attention upon
a book during any repast when others are present at the table.

After luncheon the hostess must devote herself to her guests
until it is time to dress for dinner; that is, she must devise some
scheme of pleasure in which all can join, or see that individuals
have some pleasant occupation offered. But in no case need
she burden herself with undue care, after once having made sure
that she has placed enjoyment within the reach of her guests,
she may leave them to avail themselves of it, or to rest, as best
contents them. On Sunday the hostess should accompany
guests to church, when they desire to attend divine service,
preceding them up the aisle, and standing by the pew door until
they are seated. When the guests are ready to terminate their
visit, the hostess should be in the parlor in ample time for them
to make their farewell and reach their train without haste.

LAYING AND SERVING THE TABLE.

The relative convenience of different shaped tables has been
referred to. Decidedly, the square and round tables are the
most desirable; because, placed in a circle or nearly facing the
host, no guest is given precedence except those who occupy
the seats of honor at the right hand of the host and hostess
respectively. If the shape of the room will not admit of the use
of a round or square table, a good effect may be produced by
placing the host and hostess at opposite sides of the long exten-
sion table, facing each other ; this position draws the entire
company relatively nearer their entertainers and those in
whose honor the feast is given, and so increases both interest
and enjoyment.

It has become the custom, in laying a table, to avoid uni-
formity of decoration in all matters except the massing of a few
choice varieties of flowers unless a " pink dinner," or some
such entertainment, is being given, when the purpose is to
emphasize some special color; then the china, glass, flowers,
lamp or candle shades, and even the ladies' costumes, take on
the prevailing tone of color. Details of these effects are given
elsewhere in the book. Of course the laying of all the covers
must be uniform ; and it is agreed that the service of a dinner i?
facilitated, and the general effect heightened, when more than
one set of silver and cutlery is laid at first. There are. so many
dainty forms of such table service, that a well-laid cover becomes
a beautiful picture, especially when the table is large enough to
admit of the proper placing of the various aids to the guests'
comfort and convenience. Whatever form of service is chosen
for the dinner, the articles used in good houses, in laying each
cover, consist of the napkin, a dinner roll or a thick, small cut of

Laying and Serving the Table. 159

fresh bread, the necessary cutlery and silver, the water tumbler
and glasses for the different wines when wine is served, and, at
convenient intervals, receptacles for the condiments, and iced
water or ice. Individual salt cellars are in vogue, but several
larger silver or cut-glass ones may be placed upon the table, as
well as some unique and pretty pepper casters of metal or
china. The salad oil and vinegar are in double cruet stands
upon the table, or on the sideboard ready to be placed upon
the table when the salad is served. The table sauces are put
on the sideboard until required, being left in their original
bottles. The large table caster is a thing of the past, and is
banished even from the sideboard unless it is really an ornamental
piece. Individual water bottles, with tumblers to cover them,
are much favored, because of their convenience to this water-
drinking nation. Dishes of broken ice are permissible at small
dinners. The water bottles may be filled with ice and frozen
without much trouble, according to directions given later on.
Some caterers make a specialty of supplying these frozen carafes.
The number of wine glasses is, of course, regulated by the
variety of wines to be served; this point will be amplified later.

Extra knives, forks and spoons are upon the sideboard, ready
to be placed by the attendants, between the courses; the oyster
fork is upon the plate with the shell-fish, or is laid when they are
served. When butter is served, as it often is in this country, a
small plate and a special knife are placed for it. A nice idea
for family dinners, or luncheons, is to use a small plate, about
the size of a saucer, upon which the butter can be placed,
together with the bread and the salt when large salt cellars are
used. The teaspoons are upon the sideboard, to be placed upon
the table when required. Small spoons are needed when coffee
is served in little cups used after dinner for black coffee, or cafe
noir. When there is not an abundance of silver, there should
be, in a room adjoining the dining-room, all the conveniences

160 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

for quickly washing and drying it, i.e., hot water, soap and soft
towels; a small piece of washing soda dissolved in the hot water
will thoroughly cleanse the silver from any odor or taste of food.

Uniform color has been indicated for the general table equip-
age ; but if the table is large enough to admit of more than one
group of flowers or colored china, they should differ far enough
to produce a contrast; and a change, however slight, should be
made at every repast. At all seasons, flowers make a charming
variation in the appearance of even the most simply laid table;
and variety at the table is a great charm, quite as necessary to
the enjoyment of the repast as is a good choice of dishes.
Especially in the spring and early summer, the appetite is so
capricious that it can be affected by such trifles of service as
light and color. The perfect hostess will not despise even trifles,
where the enjoyment of her guests is concerned.

The lighting of a dinner table is of importance. The pleas-
antest light falls from candles or lamps, which should be so placed
as not to incommodate the diners. Lamps are sometimes sus-
pended over the table, as are gas fixtures. Side lights are apt to
cross the light so that it is unpleasant; if they are used, they
should be shaded. When it is desirable to give a prevailing tone
of color, the lights and their globes or shades will be found most
effective auxiliaries.

The table cloth for all dinners should be white, and without
perceptible folds or creases. It is not always easy to accomplish
this triumph of laundry work in small establishments; but it is
possible if the cloth is carefully ironed, and rolled at once upon
a long, round piece of wood like a curtain roller. As has been
already said, the pretty fashion prevails of laying a strip of
bright- colored plush or satin down the middle of the table, with
a vine or smilax or ivy along the edges ; as variation, a strip of
wide, very open lace, of a definite pattern, laid over a piece of
satin, silk or cambric, is sometimes employed. In arranging the

Laying and Serving the Table. 161

table decorations upon and near this bit of color, due regard to
harmony must be observed. The table napkins should match
the pattern of the cloth, and be large and square ; they should be
folded, and so placed that the guest will not be exposed to any
awkwardness in using them ; for instance, if a roll or piece of
bread is hidden in one, it may be thrown upon the floor by a
careless movement ; the dinner bread is best placed at the front
or side of the plate, laid upon the napkin, but not concealed by it.
After the ornamental center of the table has been planned
(care being taken that it shall not be high enough to obstruct the
view of the entire table), and the various dishes placed for condi-
ments, relishes and such small dishes as the chosen service per-
mits the flowers being kept fresh until just before the dinner is
served each guest's place or cover is laid as follows. Upon the
left, a soup spoon and two silver forks, one large ; in the center,
the dinner plate, upon which the plate of oysters or clams is to
be set just before serving the dinner, or, if there is to be no shell-
fish, the napkins may be put here with the dinner bread ; when
the shell-fish is served, the bread and napkin may be laid just
above the spoon and forks, together with the salt cellar and
water tumbler, or the small carafe with the tumbler reversed
upon it ; at the right of the cover, a steel knife with a pearl or
ivory handle for meats, and a silver dinner knife of medium size ;
sometimes a smaller knife with a silver blade and some fanciful
handle is placed to be used for cheese, salad or butter when it is
served, as it generally is upon American tables. The disuse of
butter at dinner is to be traced to those countries where it is less
plentiful than in America, and it is such a useful article of food that
it is to be hoped the fashion in question will not generally prevail.
When wine is served, the glasses may be symmetrically arranged
at the upper right of the cover. When all the dinner wines are
used, it is well to have some of the more fragile glasses remain
upon the sideboard until they are needed, placing at first upon

1 62 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

the table a hock glass for the white wine, a small wine glass for
sherry, and claret and champagne glasses, in addition to a goblet
for iced water. The glasses should be about four inches from the
edge of the table. The glasses for port, madeira, burgundy,
and the liqueurs should be upon the sideboard, together with
extra glasses of all kinds to replace any accidentally overturned
or broken.

Also, upon the sideboard or table there should be plenty of
fresh napkins, plates and silver, the finger bc m *ds and dishes which
are to be used during the dessert, the cups ^ind saucers for cof-
fee, sugar, cigars or cigarettes when there are gentlemen present,
and the wines and liqueiirs which are not iced.

Before placing the dessert, crumbs can be best removed by using
a large silver knife ; it is better than a brush, which only scatters
the crumbs about the cloth and over the floor. In some houses,
the old custom still prevails of removing the cloth before the des-
sert is served, so as to place it upon the polished mahogany table;
this implies ample attendance. The table must be bright enough
to reflect every glint of light which falls on it; then, in the re-
moval of the cloth, it must be rolled or folded from one end of
the table to the other by a servant on either side of the table, and
others must be near to assist them by raising and replacing the
table ornaments, otherwise the process is awkward and tedious.
At best, it involves much reaching over the shoulders of the
guests, unless they are seated far apart.

After the crumbs have been removed, or the cloth changed,
the finger bowls are put upon the table, and the dessert is served.
A small colored or embroidered napkin is laid upon a dessert
plate, usually of decorated china, and the glass bowl is set upon
the napkin. Sometimes a small glass containing a little per-
fumed water is set in the bowl ; at the end of the dinner this
glass is raised to the lips to refresh them, and the fingers are
dipped into the bowl. The dinner napkin is used for drying the

Laying and Serving the Table. 163

hands, and is then laid without folding at the side of the plate.
Unless at very informal family dinners, fresh napkins are always
laid. The embroidered napkins under the bowls are to be
placed under them on the table cloth, when the plate is required
for dessert. If the dessert napkins are colored and of wash
material, they are to be used if fruit is served ; otherwise the din-
ner napkins remain in use. Upon the plate, by the side of the
finger bowl, the dessert silver is laid, a fruit knife and teaspoon,
and a silver fork if the dessert includes any juicy large fruit such
as pears or pineapple. The guest lays this silver upon the table,
and places the bowl with the doily under it, within easy reach.
If there is a fruit napkin, it is laid ready for use ; and, unless a
fresh white napkin is served, the dinner napkin remains upon
the knees until the end of the dinner ; when the white dessert
napkin is laid the dinner napkin is to be taken away before the
service of the dessert.

When the frozen carafes or water bottles are to be prepared
at home, the following method will be found easy and satisfactory :
Unless small carafes for individual use are desired, the ordinary
glass ones will answer : the use of cut or pressed glass bottles is
attended with the danger of breaking during the freezing.
Smooth carafes are best, holding about a quart: they are filled
with fresh water to the bottom of the neck, and set in a wooden
tub containing enough freezing mixture to reach two-thirds up
the sides. The freezing mixture is composed of three parts of
pounded ice to one of salt. The carafes are covered first with a
clean cloth and then with a heavy blanket, and allowed to re-
main undisturbed until the water is frozen. If they are left over
night, as they sometimes are in summer, sufficient drainage must
be insured to prevent the entrance of the melted freezing mixture
to the carafes.

FLOWERS AND BILLS OF FARE.

Flowers at Table.

Flowers will probably always hold favor as table decorations,
because of their beauty and freshness; but the use of large and
elaborate flower stands, or high ornamental figures of sweetmeats
and confectionery, epergnes or plate, should be deprecated.
They obstruct the intercourse of the guests, which to be enjoy-
able must be unconstrained. In summer, a very effective center
piece for the table may be formed by wreathing a block of ice
with smilax, ivy or ferns ; of course care must be taken to insure
perfect drainage, or a sufficiently large receptacle to hold the
water must be placed under the ice, otherwise the table cloth will
be soiled. The size and shape of the table will decide the degree
of ornamentation admissible.

A round table might be arranged somewhat after the follow-
ing fashion, using only flowers for decoration in the service
a la Russe the small dessert dishes and the relishes would be
interspersed : A fine cloth being laid, the center of the table
would be filled with either a block of ice wreathed in vines or
leaves, or a stand of dwarf foliage plants, or a circular bed of
flowers of some pronounced color, usually of one variety ; next,
in the outer circle, contrasting flowers, or small dessert dishes and
relishes harmoniously arranged so far as color and form are con-
cerned ; and, at the edge of the table, the service of covers. In
this plan no calculation is made for placing on the table the dif-
ferent dishes composing the dinner ; when the service involves
this, space should be left for the dishes, large enough to allow a
margin of the cloth to show between the center decoration and
the dishes served.

Flowers and Bills of Fare. 165

When flowers are not in season, a center may be made of a
china figure supporting an open dish for fruits ; other fruits and
nuts may be dispersed in low dishes around the center piece, and
beyond them the small relishes, varied with a few flowers or even
leaves.

For a long table, when flowers are not abundant, the strip of
colored plush or satin is very effective ; it should be bordered
with ivy, moss, or any trailing vine ; smilax, blackberry vines,
woodbine and honeysuckle are admirable for this purpose.
When only moss or leaves are used, a few bright flowers or ber-
ries, placed at intervals, heighten the brilliancy of the effect
One of the loveliest of long table decorations is a profusely flow-
ering vine of honeysuckle, laid the entire length of the table.
Another beautiful center is an oval mass of fruit and leaves,
placed low upon the table, the middle of the mound being
slightly elevated.

An exquisite summer center piece is a block of ice, wreathed
in ferns, with an outer circle of water lilies and their leaves and
curling stems. But flowers of pronounced odors are sometimes
objectionable. Low dishes filled with violets and pansies are
most beautiful when arranged on a white cloth. A low epergne
or a china figure supporting a basket, either to be filled with
fruit and set in a broad circle of pansies, is very beautiful ; flat
dishes containing the sweets may be sunk among the flowers.
Nasturtium vines, with the leaves and flowers, are bright and ef-
fective. Of course the queen of all table flowers is the rose, and
the variety is innumerable. In flower decoration, there should be
one predominating color.

In summer each gentleman is supplied with a boutonniere,
and each lady with a corsage bouquet. The bouquets are tied
with ribbons of contrasting colors, and a large pin is stuck into
the cloth for the purpose of fastening the flowers to the dress.

At elaborate entertainments, when it is desired to present the

1 66 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

ladies with some souvenir, bouquet clasp pins may be substituted
for the ordinary large pin, or the large pin may be made of gold
or silver. Very pretty silver pins can be bought for from fifty
cents to one dollar, and more fanciful ones and bouquet pins for
from one dollar upward, according to their style of orna-
mentation.

Menus, or Bills of Fare.

In the choice of menu cards much taste may be displayed.
Extreme ornamentation should be avoided, and the names of the
dishes written legibly with ink, either in the center of the orna-
mentation when space is left there, or upon the plain side of the
card. When small cards are used, one should be laid at each
plate : this is desirable when the number of guests is large, for
then on the reverse of the card can be written the name of the
guest who is to occupy the seat. When large menu cards are
used, one answers for four or five guests. The large cards are
more elaborate, and are often framed flat, or set on low orna-
mental easels. The names of the different wines are to be
placed opposite the dishes with which they are to be served.
The cook and head waiter should both have a copy of the bill of
fare, so that they may know when to serve the various dishes
composing the dinner.

The ability to compose a bill of fare judiciously implies taste
and discrimination. The fact should always be remembered that
a heavy soup will so far cloy the appetite as to render one indif-
ferent to the rest of the dinner, while a clear soup refreshes and
prepares one for the enjoyment of the succeeding solids. The
fish and entrees should not be substantial enough to satisfy hunger
entirely; the relishes will then stimulate the appetite for the
heavier dishes. The service of Roman punch before the roast re-
freshes the palate, and prepares for more perfect enjoyment of the
succeeding dishes : it is as necessary to the service of a good

Flowers and Bills of Fare, 167

dinner as cheese is with the plain salad. When olives are on the
table, they go well with entrees of game ; French chestnuts are
excellent with poultry ; and almonds blanched and roasted, with
salt, are enjoyable with madeira or sherry before the sweet en-
tremets. Only a plain vegetable salad should accompany the
roast or game, and a bit of any old cheese may be passed with
the salad. Cheese straws or cheese crusts may be served with
the salad. Although the cheese belongs with the salad, it enters
into some delicate dishes, such as fondus and souffles, which may
come to the table either after the oysters or soup, as relishes, or
before the large sweets at dessert, previous to the service of the
nuts and fruit. Then comes the dessert, placed as already indi-
cated. If the dinner is small, it is perfectly permissible for the
hostess to make the coffee at the table, or it may be served in the
drawing-room later.

Even with the best chosen menu, the success of a dinner de-
pends on the skill of the cook. A good cook appreciates the
value of sauces, and will give much care to their preparation, and,
above all, will endeavor to preserve the natural flavors of the dif-
ferent dishes. All mingling of flavors is objectional, except in
sauces and salads.

The details of the bill of fare are as follows :

The shell-fish (huitres) includes small raw oysters and Little
Neck or hard-shell clams, on the half-shell ; at the same time,
brown bread cut very thin and buttered, and cut lemons, salt,
cayenne and sharp table sauces are placed upon the table.

The soup (potage) is varied according to the character of the
dinner. If it is choice, no matter how small it is, there are
always two soups ; one a perfectly clear soup, or consomme, and
the other a rich thick one, such as a bisque or cream. A thick
cut of bread, or a roll with crisp crust, is placed upon the napkin
when the cover is laid, to be used after the shell-fish.

The fish (poisson) may be of any large kind, boiled and

1 68 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

served with a good sauce and plain boiled potatoes. If the din-
ner is large or elaborate, there should be two kinds of fish, one
boiled, and the other baked and served with a garnish, or small
fish with a sauce and garnish, and some special dish of potatoes,
such as Parisienne or Hollandaise. If shell-fish is used here, the
dish should be large and hot.

The relishes (hors d'ceuvres), which are placed upon the table
in the American dinner and the service a la Russe, include all
kinds of table sauces and catsups, salted almonds, pickles, olives,
caviare, vinaigrettes, small cold entrees such as bouchees and
pate de foie-gras, pickled fish and small tongues, and individual
scallops.

The removes (or releves) consist of boiled, baked, and braised
meats, poultry and a large game, large veal, ham, game and
fish pies, and large cold joints, such as tongue and ham, generally
served with a garnish of vegetables ; the remove at a small dinner
may consist of an elaborately dressed cold fish, if the regular fish
service be omitted.

The side dishes (entrees} are the small hot meats garnished,
such as cutlets, chops breaded or larded, steaks with sauces
garnished, small meats and poultry larded, sweet breads garnished,
fricandeaux, fricasees, ragouts, escalopes, all hot ; hot raised pies,
pdtes, and rissoles, combination salads or vegetables, salads with
mayonnaise, such as chicken and lobster ; in brief, any dish in
size less than a joint or a roast.

Roman punch (sorbet). There are many delicious ices served
under the general name of Roman punch, all having a combina-
tion of frozen fruit-sherbet and some fine liqueur, cordial, wine
or spirit; served in the midst of the dinner, when the palate
needs the sense of refreshment they give, they prepare it for re-
newed enjoyment, and render it capable of appreciating the in-
tense flavor of the roast and the bouquet of the burgundy or
champagne that follow them.

Flowers and Bills of Fare. 169

The roast (roti). For family dinners, the roast maybe a joint
of any meat preferred ; but for special occasions it should be of
venison, larded hare, or some large game bird. If wild duck is
served, there should be more than one, because only the breast
is carved ; when canvas-backs are used, half a breast cut in one
piece is served to each guest. Smaller birds, either roasted or
broiled, may be served in this course. All game should be
underdone. A garnish of watercress or celery is used with birds,
and always currant jelly and special sauces with venison and hare.

Salad (salade). A green salad is the proper accompaniment
of the roast ; it may be of watercress, lettuce, celery, chicory,
escarole, burnet, nasturtium (leaves, fruit, and flowers), corn salad,
dandelion, tarragon, fennel, mint, young onions and any of the
green sweet herbs ; the five first-named varieties are the most
generally used. Sometimes tomatoes and cucumbers are served
here ; but they more properly belong, the cucumbers with the
fish, and the tomatoes with a mayonnaise among the entrees. The
best dressing for a green salad is of oil, vinegar, salt and pepper :
a salad with mayonnaise belongs among the entrees, as do the
salads of cold cooked vegetables. A little old, rich cheese may
be served with the green salad if desired.

Second course side dishes (entremets). After the roast and
its accompanying green salad, it is customary to serve hot
vegetables dressed with sauces, hot meat, fish or game pies,
croquettes and fritters with sauces, eggs in elaborate form with
sauces, large cold side dishes ; and the second course sweets,
such as croquettes, charlottes, croquantes, timbales, cold puddings
in moulds, hot puddings with sauces, pastries, moulded jellies and
creams, meringues, souffles and macedoines.

Dessert (dessert}. The dessert consists ot the small cold
sweets, such as eclairs, fancy cakes, nougats, confectionery,
candied fruits, nuts, individual moulded jellies, ices and creams,
glaces and cafe noir. When it is divided in two parts, the dishes

170 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

called glaces are served first; these include every sweet which
can be crystallized, frozen or iced ; after them comes the dessert
proper, composed of candied and dry preserved fruits, nuts,
bonbons and little fancy cakes, or petit- fours, and the cheese and
coffee.

The English Dinner Service.

In scrying a dinner according to the approved English
method, the table must first be laid with a cotton- flannel or
baize cloth, so that the heat of the dishes cannot affect its
polished mahogany surface ; even when an ordinary wood table
is used, this cloth gives a good body to those laid over it; the
dessert cloth of delicately tinted damask is next spread; and
above that, one or more white cloths, according to the number
of courses which are to be served, the cloth being removed after
each course is served. The covers are then laid for the first
course, including the necessary wine glasses for the wines to be
served during the course; the relishes and condiments for the
course are placed, and the flower decorations, which are gener-
ally massive. Several dishes placed upon the table at once
constitute a course; the largest before the host and hostess, to
be carved by them, and put upon plates passed from their left
to the left hand of the guests by the waiters. When there is a
large staff of servants, the butler, who is in charge of them,
makes the first service, and then relegates it to his assistants
and attends to the wines. The soups, salads and large sweets
are set before the hostess; the large dishes of fish, meat and
game, which require carving, are placed before the host; the
relishes, vegetables and small sweets are set upon the table, each
with its appropriate course, and passed by the servants after the
large dishes are served. When two large dishes are served in
the same course, the least difficult is set before the hostess. The
chief disadvantage of this form of service is that one of the large

Flowers and Bills of Fare.

171

dishes is apt to become cold before it is served to the guests ;
and, besides, it requires that both host and hostess should be
expert carvers. As each course is finished, the servants entirely
clear the table, remove the cloth, and then arrange the table
afresh for the next course, as already described in the chapter on
Laying and Serving the Table. Sometimes in a dinner of only
two courses, the same white cloth serves until dessert, and then
all the cloths are removed, and the dessert proper, of fruit, nuts
and wine, is placed upon the polished mahogany.

An English dinner of three courses would be divided some-
what after the following method :

FIRST COURSE.

Native Oysters on Half-shell.

Brown Bread and Butter.
Thick Turtle Soup. Green Turtle Clear Soup.

Turbot with Lobster Sauce.
Boiled Salmon, Anchovy Sauce.
Cucumbers. Boiled Potatoes.
Lobster Cutlets. Moor Game Pie.
Filets of Wild Duck, Seville Orange Sauce.
Vol-au- Vent of Sweetbreads and Mushrooms.

PUNCH and
MADEIRA.

SHERRY.

HOCK

and

BORDEAUX.

BURGUNDY.

CHAMPAGNE.

OLD PORT.

SECOND COURSE.

Boiled Turkey, Celery Sauce.

Saddle of Mutton, Currant Jelly. Boiled Sea Kale.
Jerusalem Artichokes with White Sauce.
Roast Ptarmigan and Pheasants.

Lettuce Salad.

Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce.
Nesselrode and Iced Puddings.

THIRD COURSE.

DESSERT SHERRY. Fruit Tarts. Noyeau Jelly. Chartreuse of Orange.
Ice Cream. Fruit. Nuts. Cheese. Coffee.

Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified,

FRENCH FORM.
Huitres.
Potage.
Poisson.

Hors-d' CEuvres.
Relents.
Entries.

Ponche & la Romaine,
Rdtis.
Salade,

Entremets,
Dessert,

CaftNoir.

THE DINNER SERVICE.

AS SHOWN ON MENU CARDS.

ENGLISH AND AMERICAN FORM.

Small Shell-Fish, uncooked.

Soup.

Fish and Large Shell-Fish, Turtle and Terrapin.

Small Side Dishes and Relishes, cold.

Removes of Boiled and Braised Meats, etc.

Large Side Dishes, hot and cold.

Frozen Punch.

Meats, Game and Poultry, roasted and broiled.

Green Salads.
( Dressed Vegetables.
C Sweet Dishes, hot and cold.

Ices, Jellies, Ice Creams, etc. Candied Fruits,
Nuts, Cordials.

Black Coffee, Liqueurs,

ENGLISH BILL OF FARE.

FOR DINNER A LA RUSSE.
Blue Point Oysters with Lemon.

SOUPS.

Bisque of Prawns. Clear Soup with royale paste.

FISH.

Kennebec Salmon with Hollandaise Sauce.

Mountain Brook Trout.
Bermuda Potatoes. Potato Croquettes,

RELISHES.

Olives. Caviare Toast. Forcemeat Balls. Radishes.
Celery. Salted Almonds. Small Pickles.

Flowers and Bills of Fare. 173

REMOVES.

Tenderloin of Beef, larded, Milanaise style.
Saddle of Spring Lamb.

SIDE DISHES.

Pullet, Toulouse Style.

Lamb Cutlets with financier e garniture.

Cucumbers stuffed with marrow.

Orange-Flower Cream Fritters.

SHERBET.
Roman Punch. Kirsch Punch.

ROASTS.

Turkey with Perigord Truffles.

Pheasants garnished with Snipe.

Salad of Celery with remoulade Sauce.

SECOND COURSE SIDE DISHES.

Artichokes with Butter Sauce.
Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce.

DESSERT.

Coffee bombes. Fancy Nougat. Madeira Jelly.

Candied Violets. Cheese. Coffee and Liqueurs.

Frozen Champagne in carafes.

The American Dinner.

This form of service combines the advantages of the two
already described, and still preserves the genial hospitality
implied by the personal service of the guests by the hosts. None
of the principal dishes are difficult to serve, and placing them
upon the table greatly adds to its pleasant aspect. The vege-
tables are brought in hot at the moment of service, when the

Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

large dishes have been placed upon the table, and are at once
passed by one of the waiters. This partial service by the hosts
enables the waiter to serve more rapidly. All the dishes are
brought to the dining-room door by the cook or kitchenmaid,
so that the waiters need not leave the room ; and as all the
necessary dishes, silver, wine and the little dinner accessories
are placed upon the sideboard or in the hot closet before the
dinner is announced, there need be no such vexatious delay as
occurs when the attendants are obliged to leave the room in
search of something required upon the table. This routine, once
understood, can easily be carried out, and prevents all confusion ;
it suits both plain and fine dinners, and enables one well-trained
servant to wait upon a dozen guests with ease.

The table is laid as for the dinner a la Russe, with the cotton-
flannel and the dinner cloth, which may be of plain white dam-
ask or as elaborate as the fancy dicates. All the covers,
relishes, confectionery and small sweets are arranged in harmony
with the decoration of flowers. The carafes of iced water, the
wines which allow of decanting, and the shell-fish, are placed be-
fore the dinner is announced. Directly the guests are seated, the
first course of soup and fish, if there is but one service of each, is
placed before the host and hostess ; when the service includes
two soups or two dishes of any course, one is placed before the
host, and the other before the hostess, the latter being given
that which is the least difficult to serve. When there is a double
service, there must be two servants at least. As each plate is
supplied by the host, the servant takes it from the left hand, and
carries it to the left of the guest, together with the appropriate
vegetable or relish. When wine is used it is poured from the right
hand of the guest, in the intervals of service of the different
courses. Directly all the guests are served, and the host has taken
a portion from any dish, it is at once removed from the table
and replaced by the succeeding course. As each guest signifies

Flowers and Bills of Fare. 175

nis readiness to have his plate removed and he does this by lay-
ing the knife and fork side by side across the middle of the plate,
with the handles to the right the waiter takes it away, and
replaces it with a hot plate and another knife and fork appro-
priate to the coming service, unless these are already upon the
table. The knife and fork are upon the plate, and the guest at once
lays them upon the table. As the waiter brings a plate containing
a fresh service, he takes the guest's plate back to the host. After a
vegetable or hot sauce has been passed, the dish containing it is set
upon the sideboard, ready to be taken away. In a dinner of several
courses, it is unusual for a guest to ask for any dish a second
time ; but at a small family dinner the sauces and vegetables may
be placed upon the table until the course to which they belong is
removed. The plates of the host and hostess are taken away at
the conclusion of each course.

When the dessert is reached, all the glasses are taken away
except the water tumbler and the glass of the wine which the guest
chooses to use during dessert ; and the crumbs are removed from
the cloth, with a broad- bladed silver knife, to a plate or small
salver held in the left hand of the waiter. The knife is better
for this purpose than a crumb brush. The dessert plate, contain-
ing a finger bowl and dessert knife and fork, is then set before
each guest, who at once removes the finger bowl and its doily,
and the knife and fork, to the table ; leaving the plate ready for
the waiter either to take to the hostess, or for use for the small
sweets. Coffee can be served at table or in the drawing-room,
and tea an hour after dinner, to the guests who remain, or to
others who arrive when an evening at home follows the dinner.

The bill of fare following comprises a double service ; except
in the courses composed of terrapin and canvas-backs, when it would
be gastronomic heresy to suggest the choice of any other dish.
When either ot these dainties is not available or is not desired,
they can be replaced by any chosen entree or roast. A mayon-

176 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified,

naise sauce should be upon the table, with the choicest white
celery, to use with canvas-back. When the abundance of duck
permits half the breast to be served to each guest, the matter is
simple ; but when the supply is limited, the carving becomes a
fine art. Then several deep cuts should be quickly made on each
side of the breast, down to the bone, but no slice removed until
all are cut, for a point is made of serving canvas-back very hot ;
the small bit of flesh called the " oyster " in poultry, which lies in
a little hollow of the backbone, between the leg and the wing,
is considered by epicures the most delicious morsel in the entire
bird. The use of melon at an early stage of the dinner is of
course optional ; but either pineapple iced and without sugar,
cantaloupe or watermelon is refreshing after a heavy soup or fish ;
and both the latter make delicious salads, either with plain salad
dressing or with mayonnaise, as also does choice Florida grape-fruit.
In many of the larger cities the tropical fruit called the alligator
pear is sold ; it is a favorite salad in the East and West Indies
combined with mayonnaise, and is eaten with lime juice or
wine and sugar at dessert.

BILL OF FARE FOR AMERICAN DINNER.

r Blue Points, or Little Neck Clams on the half-shell.
SHERRY

Lemon, brown bread and butter,
and {

Cream of Fresh Mushrooms. Terrapin Clear Soup.
MADEIRA.

Cantaloupe or Pineapple.

Broiled Pompano, Cucumber Sauce.
CHATEAU YQUEM. Fresh Salmon, Shrimp Sauce.

Bermuda Potatoes.

Olives. Salted Almonds. Cheese Straws.
CLARET. Breast of Spring Chicken with Cauliflower, Hollandaise

Sauce. Cold Boned Squabs with Orange Salad.
MADEIRA. Maryland Terrapin.

Champagne Ice.

Flowers and Bills of Fare. 177

Canvas-back Ducks, Forest City Sauce.
Celery. Fried Hominy.

Lettuce Salad with Roquefort Cheese.
CHAMBER-TIN. <

Broiled Fresh Mushrooms.

Asparagus with Mayonnaise.
Cabinet Pudding with Rum Jelly.

DESSERT.

Cream Meringues. Candied Pineapple.

CHAMPAGNE. Philadelphia Ice Cream with Canton Ginger.

Nuts. Crystallized Fruits. Cheese.
Black Coffee. Cordials.

Although the double course is given in all these bills of fare,
it is neither imperative nor advisable except for large dinners : a
simple, well-chosen menu of a few favorite dishes, one or two
delicate wines when they are desired, or, for a family dinner,
cider or some light malt beverage, will often prove more accept-
able than an elaborate repast. An excellent little dinner, possible
at any season, may be arranged somewhat as follows : several
dishes are named for each course, so that the choice may be made
of such dishes as the market affords. Wines are named, but, as
already indicated, their use is entirely a matter of choice.

SOUPS.

Stock for all Kinds of Soup.

Spread your soup pot with four tablespoonfuls of butter, lay
on it next the meat, either a knuckle of veal or beef (or both
together for the finest kind of stock). Add a cup of cold water,
two tablespoonfuls of salt, three middle-sized onions with two
cloves in each, one turnip, one carrot, and one-half a head of
celery (if you have it). Put the cover on the pot, and occasion-
ally stir it, until the bottom is covered with a whitish glaze, then
fill up the pot with cold water, and when upon the point of boil-
ing draw it to the side to simmer long enough to jelly. Strain
while hot, and vary as suits yourself when serving. To two gal-
lons of water about six pounds of veal or seven pounds of beef is
the proper allowance. To make the stock very clear, put it, after
straining, over the fire, skim well, and when boiling have ready
the whites of three eggs whisked well in a cup of cold water.
Add to these a cup of the boiling stock, still beating; then whisk
the stock while pouring in the eggs, continue the beating until it
is almost on the boil, remove it from the fire, let it remain a few
minutes, when strain.

Calf's Head Soup.

Take the head, heart, liver and feet of a calf; put them in a
pot, and cover with water ; boil until very tender, removing the
scum ; peel the tongue ; separate all the meat from the bones,
and cut it into square pieces. Keep the brain with it. Pour the
water into a dish, and put the kettle over the fire dry. Dredge
the pot well with flour ; rub three-quarters of a pound of butter
on the flour, and let it brown, taking care that it does not burn ;
then add onions chopped very fine. Let them fry a little, then
add the meat in layers, with ground black and red pepper, salt

Soups. 1 79

and cloves. Fry slowly on the back of the stove until all is well
browned, stirring frequently; then add the water that the meat
was boiled in. Boil five or six eggs hard. Separate the whites
from the yolks. Chop the whites very fine, and put them in the
soup. Put the yolks in a tureen with claret or port wine, a little
nutmeg, one sliced lemon, and forcemeat balls. The lard that
these are fried in is also to be added to the soup. Boil one-half
hour ; then pour on the ingredients in the tureen. This soup will
keep in winter several days. The forcemeat balls are made with
chopped veal, pork, onions, bread crumbs and eggs. Season
with pepper and salt, roll in flour, and fry in lard. The shank
bone, from which the meat is cut to make these balls, may be
boiled with the head.

Beef Soup.

Four pounds of the best part of the shin of the beef to three
quarts of cold water. Let it come to a strong boil. Skim until
no scum rises. Scrape and wash two large carrots and slice them.
Add two large onions, sticking cloves in one of them ;_ one table-
spoonful of salt, parsley, one-half a turnip ; if you have celery,
the tops or waste pieces improve the soup very much, or a tea-
spoonful of celery seed tied in a fine piece of muslin. When the
soup boils up, set it on the back of the stove, where it will sim -
mer constantly for six hours. Then strain the onions, and put
them in the oven until they are black, and add to the soup to
give a nice color. It is best to make the soup the day before, as
you can better strain all the fat off. When the soup is boiled
enough, strain it through a hair sieve ; and when ready to use,
boil rice or vermicelli in it for a few minutes.

Beef Bone Soup.

Boil beef or mutton bones about twelve hours, with one onion,
one turnip, one carrot, and celery. Strain it, and the next
morning it will form a jelly. Add peas, barley, rice or vermicelli.

180 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Ox Tail Soup.

Make as above, straining the vegetables out. Put the soup
back into the pot. Mix, for thickening, one pint of flour and
water, season with pepper, salt and a little cloves, stir this all into
the soup, and let it boil one-half hour. The ox tails are dressed
and put in instead of the shin.

Vegetable Soup.

Cut your vegetables to suit your taste, put them in a stew
pan with two tablespoonfuls of butter and a teaspoonful of
powdered sugar, place it upon a sharp fire for about ten minutes;
do not allow the vegetables to get brown, but just covered with a
thin glaze, when pour two quarts or more of clear stock over
them, and when upon the point of boiling, draw it to the corner
to simmer until the vegetables are quite tender, and then serve.
About one-half hour's simmering will generally do. The usual
allowance of vegetables is one-half a pound of cut vegetables to
two quarts of stock.

Pur6e Vegetable Soup.

Cut finely three onions, three turnips, one carrot, and four
potatoes, which put into a stew pan with four tablespoonfuls of
butter and a little parsley. Let it cook for about ten minutes,
when add one tablespoonful of flour. Mix it well in, and then
add two quarts of stock and one pint of boiling milk. Season
with a little salt and sugar. Stir until boiling, when pass through
a sieve, and serve with small pieces of fried bread.

Mutton Soup.

Boil a leg of mutton three hours. Season to your taste with
salt and pepper ; add one teaspoonful of summer savory. Make
a batter of one egg, two tablespoonfuls of milk, and two table-
spoonfuls of flour, all well beaten together. Drop this batter
into the soup with a spoon, and boil three minutes.

Soups. 181

Green Corn and Tomato Soup.

Take about eight or ten pounds of soup meat, and put over
the fire in cold water, skimming it well before it boils. Let it
boil two or three hours. Then cut the corn from twelve ears of
sweet corn, and put the cobs into the boiling soup, allowing
them to remain until all of the sweetness is extracted ; then take
the cobs out and put in the corn and about two quarts of
tomatoes (after they are peeled and cut), two medium-sized
onions, and two carrots chopped. Season with pepper and salt
just before serving. A dumpling may be added, made with one
half-pint of sour milk, one egg, one teaspoonful of saleratus,
flour and a little salt. Drop by the spoonful into the boiling
soup.

Tomato Soup.

For one gallon of soup take three quarts of good beef stock,
one medium-sized carrot, two small onions, one turnip, and one
beet cut fine. Add three quarts of tomatoes; boil one hour,
and strain through a sieve ; then put five ounces of butter in a
stew pan, beat until it becomes a light brown, take from the fire
and add three tablespoonfuls of flour. While hot, mix well and
add to the boiling tomatoes. Season with pepper and salt, and
add one dessertspoonful of sugar. Place over the fire again,
boil five minutes, and skim.

A Soup without Meat.

Boil ten good-sized potatoes until soft enough to mash.
Boil three pints of milk, and stir into it one- quarter of a pound
of butter, a little salt and a little mace or nutmeg. Pour this
over the potatoes, stir well, and strain through a sieve until
smooth. Stir it over the fire again until it boils. Then pour,
boiling hot, into a tureen, in which should have been laid six
Boston crackers cut in half and toasted.

1 82 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified,

Clam Soup.

Fill a two-quart saucepan with clams in the shells (long clams
are best). Wash the clams first in three waters, until the shells
are very clean. Fill up the saucepan with cold water. Let it
boil until the clams open. Pour off the water, and strain it
through a fine strainer and put it aside to make the soup.
Throw the clams in cold water. Pick out the soft part for use.
One-half hour before dinner, put the liquor on the fire, and
when it comes to a boil stir in, until very smooth, a piece of
butter of the size of an egg, mixed with one tablespoonful of
flour. Add mace, salt, pepper and one cup of milk or cream.
Boil one-half hour, or until the flour is cooked. Put in the
clams to get hot. Take off the fire. Stir in two beaten yolks
of eggs. Do not allow it to boil afterward, or it will curdle.

Mock Clam Soup.

One pint of beans to one gallon of water, boil and then
strain, then add one small onion, summer savory, a piece of
butter as large as two eggs, one teacup of cream (or one pint of
milk). When boiled, toast two slices of bread and cut them in
small pieces. Slice four hard-boiled eggs. When ready to
serve, pour the soup over the bread and eggs.

Parker House Soup.

Three quarts of stock, two quarts of tomatoes, four ounces of
butter, four tablespoonfuls of flour, one beet, one turnip, one
carrot, and one onion sliced. Boil three-quarters of an hour.

Teal Soup.

Cut a veal shin into small pieces and fry it with an onion,
add water in sufficient quantity, put in one tablespoonful of
_mixed cloves and allspiece (ground), salt and pepper to taste.
One-half hour before serving add one tablespoonful of butter
mixed with flour, put the yolks of hard-boiled eggs in the tureen,
one for each plate.

Soups. 183

Rice Soup.

Take a leg of lamb of moderate size; wash it and put it into
four quarts of cold water; just before it begins to boil, take the
scum off carefully with a skimmer. If this be neglected and
the scum boils in, then strain the liquor, and return it to the
kettle. When it boils again, add about two-thirds of a cup of
rice; season to taste with black pepper and salt. Add one- half
of a cup of sweet cream just before serving, and let it boil up
once. This soup requires about three hours to boil.

Pea Soup.

Soak the peas over night. In the morning put them over
the fire in cold water, and parboil. Then throw off that water,
and pour boiling water over them. Add one medium-sized
onion chopped, 'and celery cut fine (if celery cannot be had, use
celery seed tied in a piece of muslin). Boil constantly five or
six hours, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Season with
pepper and salt just before serving, and strain through a colander,
mashing the peas. Boil in another kettle a piece of salt pork,
and about half an hour before serving add this to the soup.
If the soup is too thick, add boiling water. Serve with pieces
of the pork cut fine, and small squares of toasted or fried bread.

Asparagus Soup.

Take some asparagus, and boil until it is well boiled to pieces.
Then strain off the water; add milk, pepper and salt. Let it
boil up. Chop some parsley fine, and put it in the tureen.
Pour the liquor on, and serve.

Yermicelli Soup.

To five quarts of water allow a slice of corned ham, one pound
of veal and four pounds of lamb. Cut the meat up small, cook
slowly until the meat is very tender, season with a bunch of sweet
herbs, a slice of onion, salt, and if you desire put in a spoonful of

184 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Worcestershire sauce. Boil all this ten or fifteen minutes, strain
through a sieve, put back in soup kettle. In the meantime have
one-half pound of vermicelli or macaroni broken in small pieces,
and boiled in clear water for twenty minutes. Drain and add
this to the soup, boil up and serve.

Soup Balls.

Mix together cracker crumbs and butter into a firm round
ball. Drop into the soup a short time before serving. This is
very nice for chicken broth.

Noodles for Soup.

One tablespoonful water, one pinch of salt, one egg. Stir in
all the flour it will take. Roll as thin as you possibly can, let it
lay on the mixing board and dry, then roll it up like a jelly cake
and slice off as thin as possible. They will cook in twenty
minutes.

Vegetable Soup.

Simmer together slowly for three or four hours, in five quarts
of water, a quart of split peas, a slice of carrot, a slice of white
turnip, one cup of canned tomatoes, and two stalks of celery cut
into small bits. When done, rub through a colander, add milk
to make of proper consistency, reheat, season with salt and cream,

and serve.

Tomato Cream Soup.

Heat two quarts of strained stewed tomatoes to boiling ; add
four tablespoonfuls of flour rubbed smooth in a little cold water.
Let the tomatoes boil until thickened, stirring constantly that no
lumps form, add salt to season, have ready two cups of hot rich
milk or cream. Add the cream or milk and let all boil together
for a minute or two, then serve.

Split Pea Soup.

For each quart of soup desired, simmer a cupful of split peas
very slowly in three pints of boiling water for six hours, or until

Soups. 185

thoroughly dissolved. When done, rub through a colander, add
salt and season with one-half cup of thin cream. Reheat, and
when boiling, stir into it two teaspoonfuls of flour rubbed
smooth in a little cold water. Boil up until thickened, and serve.
If preferred, the cream may be omitted and the soup flavored
with a little celery or onion.

Sweet Potato Soup.

To a pint of cold mashed sweet potatoes add a pint and a half
of strained tomatoes, rub together through a colander, add salt to
season, and half a cup of cream. Reheat and serve.

Tomato Soup with Vermicelli.

Cook a cupful of broken vermicelli in a pint of boiling water
for ten minutes. Turn into- a colander to drain. Have boiling
two quarts of strained stewed tomatoes, to which add the
vermicelli. If preferred, the tomatoes may be thickened slightly
with a little corn- starch rubbed smooth in cold water before add-
ing the vermicelli. Salt to taste, and just before serving turn in
a cup of hot thin cream. Let all boil up for a moment, then
serve at once.

Vegetable Oyster Soup.

Scrape all the outer covering and small rootlets from vege-
table oysters, and lay them in a pan of cold water to prevent dis-
coloration. The scraping can be done much easier if the roots
are allowed first to stand in cold water for an hour or so. Slice
rather thin, enough to make one quart, and put to cook in a quart
of water. Let them boil slowly until very tender. Add a pint
of milk, a cup of thin cream, salt, and, when boiling, a tablespoon-
ful or two of flour rubbed to a cream with a little milk. Let the
soup boil a few minutes until thickened, and serve.

White Chicken Soup.

One-quarter pound of cold chicken, two quarts of white stock,
yolks of two hard-boiled eggs, one quarter pound sweet almonds,

1 86 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

a shred of lemon peel, a slice of dry bread, a blade of mace
pounded : one and one- half cups of cream. Add to the almonds
a spoonful of water and pound to a paste, pound the meat and
bread together, add the almonds to it, beat all together, then add
the mace and the chopped lemon peel ; heat the stock to boiling
and pour over the mixture, simmer for an hour, mix the cream
and eggs together and add to the soup, let it boil up, and serve
at once.

Gumbo Soup.

Fry very brown a large tender chicken, take upon a dish and
fry in the gravy one quart of sliced okra, add the okra to the
chicken, but do not add the grease. Put the chicken and okra
in a porcelain or granite vessel of cold water, add one large
onion sliced thin, one pint of peeled tomatoes sliced, a few
pieces of ham, and salt to taste. Cook for one hour slowly, then
add twelve soda crackers, one large tablespoonful of butter to
make it very rich, add six hard-boiled eggs sliced ; the last
thing before taking up add one teaspoonful of black pepper.
Never boil pepper in soup.

Oatmeal Soup.

Put two heaping tablespoonfuls of oatmeal into a quart of
boiling water, and cook in a double boiler for two hours or longer.
Strain as for gruel, add salt if desired, and two or three stalks of
celery broken into ringer lengths, and cook again until the whole
is well flavored with celery, which may then be removed with a
fork; add half a cup of cream, and the soup is ready to serve.
Cold oatmeal mush may be thinned with milk, reheated, strained,
flavored, and made into soup the same as fresh material ; a slice
or two of onion may be used with celery for flavoring the soup
if desired, or a cup of strained stewed tomatoes may be used.

Pea and Tomato Soup.

Soak one pint of Scotch peas over night. When ready to cook,
put into a quart of boiling water and simmer slowly until quite

Soups. 187

dry and well disintegrated. Rub through a colander to remove
the skins. Add a pint of hot water, one cup of mashed potato,
two cups of strained stewed tomato, and one cup of twelve-hour
cream. Turn into a double boiler and cook together for a half-
hour or longer; turn a second time through a colander or soup
strainer, and serve. The proportions given are quite sufficient for
two quarts of soup. There may need to be some variation in the
quantity of tomato to be used, depending upon its thickness. If
very thin, a larger quantity and less water will be needed. The
soup should be a rich reddish brown in color when done. The
peas may be cooked without being first soaked, if preferred.

Tomato and Macaroni Soup.

Break a half-dozen sticks of macaroni into small pieces, and
drop into boiling water. Cook for an hour, or until perfectly
tender. Rub two quarts of stewed or canned tomatoes through
a colander, to remove all seeds and fragments. When the maca-
roni is done, drain thoroughly, cut each piece into tiny rings,
and add it to the strained tomatoes. Season with salt, and boil
for a few minutes. If desired, just before serving add a cup
of thin cream, boil up once, and serve immediately. If the
tomato is quite thin the soup should be thickened slightly with a.
little flour and water before adding the macaroni.

Scotch Broth.

Soak over night two tablespoonfuls of pearl barley and one of
coarse oatmeal, in water sufficient to cover them. In the morn-
ing put the grains, together with the water in which they were
soaked, into two quarts of water and simmer for several hours,
adding boiling water as needed. About an hour before the soup
is required, add a turnip cut into small dice, a grated carrot, and
one half cup of fine pieces of the brown portion of the crust of a
loaf of whole-wheat bread. Rub all through a colander, and
add salt, a cup of milk and a half- cup of thin cream. This
should make about three pints of soup.

1 88 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Green Pea Soup.

Gently simmer two quarts of shelled peas in sufficient water
to cook, leaving almost no juice when tender. Rub through a
colander, moistening if necessary with a little cold milk. Add to
the sifted peas an equal quantity of rich milk and a small onion
cut in halves. Boil all together five or ten minutes until the soup
is delicately flavored, then remove the onion with a skimmer ;
add salt if desired, and serve. If preferred, a half-cup of thin
cream may be added just before serving. Celery may be used in
place of the onion or both may be omitted.

Cream Pea Soup.

Soak three-quarters of a pint of dried peas over night in a
quart of water; in the morning put to cook in boiling water, cover
closely and let them simmer gently four or five hours, or until
the peas are very tender and well disintegrated ; then rub through
a colander to remove the skins. If the peas are very dry, add a
little water or milk occasionally to moisten them and facilitate the
sifting. Just before the peas are done, prepare potatoes enough
to make a pint and a half after being cut in thin slices. Cook the
potatoes until tender in a small amount of water, and rub them
through a colander. Add the potatoes thus prepared to the sifted
peas, and milk enough to make three and one-half pints in all.
Return to the fire, and add a small head of celery cut in finger
lengths, and let the whole simmer together ten or fifteen minutes,
until flavored. Remove the celery with a fork, add salt and a
cup of thin cream. This should make about two quarts of soup.
If preferred, the peas may be cooked without soaking. It will,
however, require a little longer time.

Velvet Soup.

Pour three pints of hot potato soup, seasoned to taste, slowly
over the well-beaten yolks of two eggs, stirring briskly to mix the
egg perfectly with the soup. It must not be reheated after add-

Soups. 1 89

ing the egg. Plain rice or barley soup may be used in place of
potato soup, if preferred.

Green Bean Soup.

Take a quart of fresh string beans, break off ends and strings,
and break into small pieces. Boil in three pints of water.
There should be nearly two cups of liquid when the beans are
perfectly tender. Rub through a colander, return to the kettle,
and for each cup of the bean pulp add one and a half cups of
milk, salt to taste, boil together for a few minutes, thicken with a
little flour and water, and serve. A quart of beans will make
three pints of soup.

Potato Soup.

For each quart of soup required, cook a pint of sliced potatoes
in sufficient water to cover them. When tender rub through a
colander. Return to the fire, and add enough rich sweet milk
part cream if it can be afforded to make a quart in all, and a lit-
tle salt. Let the soup come to a boil and add a teaspoonful of
flour or corn-starch rubbed to a paste with a little water; boil a
few minutes and serve. A cup and a half of cold mashed potato
or a pint of sliced baked potato can be used instead of fresh
material ; in which case add the milk, and heat before rubbing
through the colander. A slice of onion or a stalk of celery may
be simmered in the soup for a few minutes to flavor it, and then
removed with a skimmer or spoon. A good mixed potato soup
is made by using one-third sweet and two-thirds Irish potatoes,
in the same manner as above.

Asparagus Soup.

Wash two bunches of fresh asparagus carefully, and cut into
small pieces. Put to cook in a quart of boiling water and simmer
gently till perfectly tender, when there should remain about a
pint of the liquor. Turn into a colander, and rub all through ex-
cept the hard portion. To a pint of asparagus mixture add salt

190 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

and one cup of thin cream and a pint of milk ; boil up for a few
minutes and serve.

Bean and Potato Soup.

Soak a half-pint of dry white beans over night ; in the morn-
ing drain and put to cook in boiling water. When tender, rub
through a colander. Prepare sliced potato sufficient to make one-
quart, cook in as small a quantity of water as possible, rub
through a colander and add to the beans. Add milk or water
sufficient to make two quarts, and as much prepared thyme as
can be taken on the point of a penknife, with salt to season. Boil
for a few minutes, add a tea cup of thin cream, and serve.

Bean and Tomato Soup.

Take one pint of boiled or a little less of mashed beans, one
pint of stewed tomatoes, and rub together through a colander.
Add salt, a cup of thin cream, one-half a cup of nicely steamed
rice, and sufficient boiling water to make a soup of the proper
consistency. Reheat and serve.

Black Bean Soup.

Soak a pint of black beans in water over night. Cook in
boiling water until tender, then rub through a colander. Add
sufficient boiling water to make about two quarts in all. Add
salt and one-half a small onion cut in slices to flavor. Turn into
a double boiler and reheat. When sufficiently flavored, remove
the onion with a skimmer, thicken the soup with two teaspoonfuls
of browned flour, turn through the soup strainer, and serve. If
desired, a half-cup of cream may be added and the onion flavor
omitted.

Celery Soup.

Cook in a double boiler a cupful of cracked wheat in three
pints of water for three or four hours. Rub the wheat through
a colander, add a cup of rich milk and, if needed, a little boiling
water, and a small head of celery cut in finger lengths. Boil all

Soups. 191

together for fifteen or twenty minutes, until well flavored,
remove the celery with a fork, add salt, and serve with or without
the hard-boiled yolk of an egg in each soup plate.

Green Corn Sonp.

Take six well-filled ears of tender green corn. Run a sharp
knife down the rows and split each grain ; then with the back of
a knife, scraping from the large to the small end of the ear, press
out the pulp, leaving the hulls on the cob. Break the cobs if
long, put them in cold water sufficient to cover, and boil half an
hour. Strain off the water, of which there should be at least one
pint. Put the corn water on again, and when boiling add the
corn pulp and cook fifteen minutes, or until the raw taste is
destroyed. Rub through a rather coarse colander, add salt and
a pint of hot unskimmed milk ; if too thin, thicken with a little
corn-starch or flour, boil up, and serve. If preferred, a teaspoon-
ful of sugar may be added to the soup. A small quantity of
cooked macaroni, cut in rings, makes a very pretty and palatable
addition to the soup. The soup is also excellent flavored with
celery.

Chestnnt Sonp.

Shell and blanch a pint of Italian chestnuts, as directed in
this book, and cook in boiling milk until tender. Rub the nuts
through a colander, add salt and sufficient milk and cream to
make a soup of the proper consistency, reheat and serve.

Chicken Soup.

Take a large, tender chicken, wash and clean thoroughly;
before putting over to boil tie the feet down and turn the wings
back ; for each chicken use two quarts of water ; when half done
add two tablespoonfuls of rice for each chicken. Let cook until
well done ; before serving add a hard-boiled egg chopped, a little
thickening of flour and water ; season to taste with salt, pepper
and parsley. For the chicken make a drawn butter dressing.

THE PREPARING OF SOUPS:
FROM THE "FRENCH AND ITALIAN CHEFS.

White Broth.

Two large whole and well-scraped carrots, one large whole
peeled turnip, one large whole peeled onion, one cleaned parsley
root, two cleaned leeks (optional), four leaves of cleaned celery.

First select a good knuckle of fine white veal with the scraps
of meat, including the bone ; put in vessel and cover completely
with cold water, adding one tablespoonful of salt, and allow it to
come to a boil, skimming clean as scum arises (this is very
important); then add the above ingredients, and boil slowly for
about six hours on back of stove; skim the grease and impurities
as they arise, and after the specified time, and all is skimmed
clean, strain through cheese cloth into stone crock; cover the
mouth of crock with cotton batting, and keep in cool place. As
this sauce is used in making soups and sauces, it would be well
to make up a good quantity to have ready when necessary.

Puree of Chestnuts.

One quart white broth, one tablespoonful salt, one dessert-
spoonful pepper, quarter-pound butter, one pint chestnuts.

Boil the chestnuts first ten minutes; then peel and blanch
them, and immediately put them in a pan and mix the other
ingredients, and let all boil for one-half hour. Rub this through
a sieve into a vessel. Keep covered in cool place, and use as

needed.

Consomme Plain.

Chop up a shin of beef of ten or twelve pounds; put it in a
large soup kettle with two sound, well-scraped, good-sized

Soups from French and Italian Chefs. 193

carrots, two peeled sound onions, three well-washed and pared
leeks, a few branches of celery and one bunch of parsley roots
all well- scraped, washed and shred ; six cloves, eighteen whole
peppers, a bay leaf, and the whites of six raw egg, including
their shells. Mix all well together, and then add two gallons of
cold white broth, one quart of cold water : all this should be done
before the soup kettle has been placed on the hot range. Stir
thoroughly for two or three minutes without ceasing, and then
place it on the hot range ; add some debris of chicken if any is at
hand. Boil slowly for about four hours, skim the grease off
thoroughly, and then strain through a cheese cloth into a bowl
or stone jar, and put away in a cool place for general use.
Should the white broth that you employ be hot, replace the cold
water by a piece of ice well cracked and the equivalent of a
quart of water, adding it to the consomme very gradually at the
beginning, but continually increasing and stirring till all is added.
Always taste if sufficiently seasoned before serving.

Consomme aux Pates.

Boil the consomme, made as described, and while it is boiling
rapidly, add a small cupful of vermicelli, macaroni, rice or
noodles; let them cook for five to ten minutes, stirring constantly
until done. The vermicelli, macaroni, rice or noodles must have
been parboiled previous to adding into the consomme.

Bouquet of Herbs for Soup. From the French.

Jj?ix small branches parsley stalks, one branch soup celery, one,
blade of bay leaf, one sprig thyme.

rlace two cloves in the center of the parsley to prevent the
above from dropping out of bouquet when cooking; fold all
together well, tie tightly together with string. This makes a
nice ornamentation and flavoring for soups.

Italian Sauce. For Flayoring Soups.

Four tablespoonfuls flour, four ounces butter.

194 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Place in pan and stir continually for five minutes ; then stir
in gradually (a little at a time, mixing well with whisk or spoon)
about one and a half quarts of boiling milk ; add a level tea-
spoonful of grated nutmeg, two pinches of salt, two dozen whole
peppers and the bouquet for soup. Allow all to cook for about
fifteen to eighteen minutes, and when done rub through a fine
sieve. It may be flavored with a little wine if desired. Keep in
cool place until ready to use.

Chicken Forcemeat.

Chop in pieces two raw chicken breasts, and pound them in
a mortar. Soak the same quantity of bread in milk, and add
same. Also add the yolks of three or four eggs seasoned with
two teaspoonfuls of salt, a level teaspoonful of pepper and a tea-
spoonful of nutmeg. Mix well together, strain through sieve, put
in refrigerator, and use as needed. When desiring to make a
chicken cream forcemeat, add six teaspoonfuls of cream.

Consomme a la Seyigne.

Fill six very small moulds with the chicken forcemeat and
allow to poach for two or three minutes in hot water. Allow
them to cool, turn out into a soup dish, and add two tablespoon-
fuls each of cooked peas and the flower of the asparagus, and
pour over all one quart of the consomme made as described.

Potage a la Harrison.

Cook a calf s brain and pound it fine in a mortar ; add three
raw yolks of eggs, two small cooked onions, one teaspoonful
curry powder. Rub all through a fine sieve, pour over one and
a half quarts of hot consomme, add sliced baked cucumber and

serve.

Puree of Green Peas.

Two quarts white broth, one quart green peas, four ounces
salt pork, two carrots, two onions, one soup bouquet, two level
teaspoonfuls pepper.

Soups from French and Italian Chefs. 195

Cook for one hour and strain ; add one cupful of cream, and
three-quarters cupful of fried bread cut in small heart shapes,
and just before serving add in two ounces of butter.

Fried Bread for Soups.

Cut thin slices of bread ; cut them into small pieces, square
or heart shape ; lay on tin plate, put a little clarified butter on
same ; put in oven for five minutes, or until they have a nice
brown color. Take out as they are ready, to use with soups.

Pate-a-Chou. To Use in Soups.

Four gills cold milk, quarter-pound butter, half-pound flour
well sifted. Mix the milk and butter in a pan, put on stove
and stir gently, and just as it boils add in the flour and stir
constantly for two or three minutes; then take pan off the stove.
Break in an egg and stir briskly for two minutes ; break in
another egg and stir the same way, and so on until six eggs
have been used ; it is then ready to use as wanted. You can
make up one-half the quantity if you desire by using half the
ingredients.

Potage a la Franchise.

One pint white broth, one pint Italian sauce (both made as
described in this book), one teaspoonful pepper, two teaspoonfuls
salt. Allow the above to simmer on back of stove for fifteen
minutes, then add a handful of boiled asparagus tops and a
tablespoonful of butter. Have in the soup bowl three soft-boiled
eggs and the breast of chicken or other fowl. Pour soup over
same and serve.

Potage a la Italian.

Put one cupful of noodles in two quarts of boiling consomme;
thicken same with the yolks of three beaten eggs, one table-
spoonful of grated cream cheese, one cupful of cream, two
tablespoonfuls of butter. Pour into the soup bowl, adding in the
wings and liver of a cooked chicken.

196 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified,

Potage of Rice.

Two pints Italian sauce, two quarts white broth, two tea-
spoonfuls pepper, one tablespoonful salt, one small raw chicken
(have it tender).

Cook all together from twenty to twenty-five minutes. Take
out the chicken, and thicken soup with the yolks of three eggs
well beaten, one teaspoonful of curry powdered, one cupful of
cream ; strain all through a fine sieve into soup bowl, adding a
half cupful of boiled rice and the breast of the chicken previously

cooked in the soup.

Bisque of Clams.

One quart white broth, one dozen nice large clams, one bou-
quet for soup, half-cupful raw rice, one level teaspoonful pepper,
or enough to suit the taste.

Boil for about fifty minutes, and strain through a fine sieve ;
add a cupful of cream, and serve with small pieces of fried bread
as described. Use no salt.

Bisque of Lobster.

Boil from two to two and a half pounds of lobster in the shell,
and make soup the same as for bisque of clams, substituting the
lobster meat instead of clams.

Bisque of Crabs.

This soup is made the same as bisque of clams, only using
four to five hard-shell crabs, boiling them first in salted water for
fifteen to twenty minutes. Wash and drain them well with fresh
water before adding the meat of crabs in soup.

To Prepare Green Turtle.

Select a nice turtle. Cut off the head, and allow to bleed one-
half day. Remove the bones and cut the carcass in pieces, and
blanch in boiling water for about four or five minutes. Then
lift off the top shell, place in pan, and cover with the white broth.
Tie in small muslin bag fifteen cloves, five bay leaves, one large

Soups from French and Italian Chefs. 197

tablespoonful of whole peppers, and allow all to cook from one
to one and a quarter hours, adding in about four level teaspoon-
fuls of salt. Drain, remove the bones, and cut meat in small
square pieces. Reduce the broth to nearly three-quarters of its
original quantity, and put on the meat and allow it to cook in
same about twelve minutes. Fill pots with this, and when it is
cooled, pour a little hot butter or lard over same. It may be
flavored with sherry or madeira wine to suit the taste.

Green Turtle Soup.

To each two pounds of green turtle meat, prepared as
described in green turtle, add two quarts of white broth in a
pan, then add a pinch of red pepper, four teaspoonfuls of salt, a
little grated nutmeg, one bouquet (made as described), two tea-
spoonfuls of Worcester sauce, and two glassfuls of madeira wine.
Boil for twenty to twenty-five minutes. Take out the bouquet,
and serve with sliced lemon.

Mock Turtle Soup.

Prepare as in green turtle soup, only substituting two pounds
of cooked calf's head instead of the turtle.

Gumbo with Frogs.

One ounce butter, two small chopped onions, two ounces raw
ham cut in small square shapes, one green pepper cut in small
pieces, one tablespoonful salt, two teaspoonfuls pepper.

Brown all the above in a saucepan. Then add same into
two quarts of white broth ; also add two ounces of raw rice, two
sliced tomatoes, one dozen gumbos, and allow all to cook from
twenty to twenty-five minutes. Five minutes before it is done,
add half a pound of frog legs cut in small pieces. Take out
an r \ serve.

Mulligatawny Soup.

Cut in small pieces one-half of a chicken, one ounce of lean
raw ham, one green pepper, one medium-sized finely-sliced

198 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

onion, and brown all together in a pan for about five minutes.
Then turn this into two quarts of white broth, adding in same
one apple cut in small pieces, one teaspoonful of curry, two slices
of egg plant cut in small pieces and a quarter of a cup of raw rice.
Season with a tablespoonful of salt, one dessertspoonful of pepper
(less if desired). Boil from twenty-five to thirty minutes.

Mulligatawny with Oysters.

Make the same as above, but add from twenty to twenty-four
oysters three minutes before taking out to serve.

Cream of Asparagus.

Six tablespoonfuls flour and two ounces of butter; mix
together in a saucepan, then add three quarts of white broth;
put in a bunch of asparagus, a tablespoonful of salt, one soup
bouquet, twenty whole peppers, and boil thoroughly for about
forty minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, add one cupful of
cream and serve.

Cream of Celery Soup.

Make the same as above, only substituting the celery instead
of the asparagus.

Julienne Soup.

Four carrots cut into long shreds, one turnip, four leaves
celery, two leaks, one- quarter of a small cabbage, one medium-
sized onion. Add above into two quarts of consomme', made as
described, and season with salt and pepper to suit the taste; cook
for forty minutes, adding two to three tablespoonfuls of cooked
peas and two tablespoonfuls of cooked beans.

Puree of Potatoes.

Cut a quart of potatoes into very small pieces and cover them
with two quarts of white broth in a saucepan, add four ounces of
butter and a soup bouquet, and season to suit the taste ; cook
for forty minutes, strain the soup, then add a cupful of cream,
and serve with the hot fried pieces of toast

FISH AND MEAT SAUCES.

Lobster Sauce.

Pick from the shell the meat of a hen lobster, cut in small
pieces and set aside. The spawn is under the tail. Rub it
smooth with one-half a tablespoonful of butter, then put through
a sieve. Take a full cup of melted butter, add to it a tablespoon-
ful of anchovy sauce, a pinch of cayenne, salt, pounded mace,
and the sifted spawn. Mix all this well, add the lobster, heat
until near boiling, but do not let boil, as it will spoil the color;
serve with salmon or turbot or any fish desired.

Drawn Butter Sauce.

Rub together a dessertspoonful of flour and a half-cup of but-
ter, put into saucepan and add one cup of water, cover and set in
a large vessel of boiling water ; season with salt and pepper, keep
moving the dish, and when thoroughly mixed take off; do not let
boil.

Sour Sauce.

Stir one teaspoonful of prepared mustard and a pinch of
pepper with half a cup of butter, mix well with a cup of hot
vinegar.

Egg Sauce.

Add hard-boiled eggs, chopped, to a plain white sauce.

Plain White Sauce.

One tablespoonful of butter and one tablespoonful of flour
made smooth in a saucepan over the fire, add a pint of water
slowly ; if it seems too thin cook longer. Using milk instead
of water makes it a cream sauce.

2OO Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Caper Butter.

One tablespoonful butter, one tablespoonful chopped capers,
one saltspoonful salt, a pinch of pepper. Serve with boiled fish.

Hollandaise Sauce.

Mix in saucepan over the fire one tablespoonful of butter and
one of flour, add gradually one and one-half cups of boiling water,
stir into this the yolks of three eggs, one tablespoonful of lemon
juice or vinegar, three tablespoonfuls of salad oil.

Shrimp Sauce.

Clean carefully one-half pint of shrimps, mince, and add one
large cup of melted butter and a pinch of cayenne. Let simmer
five minutes.

Tartar Sauce.

First make a mayonnaise, mix with it one tablespoonful each
of chopped capers, gherkins and parsley and one teaspoonful of
chopped onions.

Parsley Sauce.

Make a drawn butter sauce ; dip a bunch of fresh parsley
into boiling water, mince it and stir it into the drawn butter.

Anchovy Sauce.

Soak for two hours in cold water two anchovies, then put
them in a pint of cold water in the stew pan. Let simmer until
the fish are dissolved. Strain this and add one cup melted butter
and three tablespoonfuls of vinegar. Let simmer fifteen minutes
longer ; serve with boiled fish or meats.

Maitre d'Hotel Sauce.

Let simmer together one cup melted butter, one teaspoonful
chopped parlsey, juice of one lemon, pinch cayenne and salt.

Melted Butter.

This old-fashioned sauce is seldom well made, but it is so
excellent that it deserves attention. It should be made about

Fish and Meat Sauces. 20 1

fifteen minutes before dinner time. Put in a clean saucepan over
the fire a tablespoonful each of butter and flour and stir them
until they bubble ; then gradually stir in a pint of boiling water,
a saltspoonful of salt and a quarter of a saltspoonful of white perj-
jaer, and stir the sauce until it is at the boiling point When the
sauce boils, draw the saucepan to the side of the fire, where its
contents will keep hot without boiling, and stir into it, one at a
time, three tablespoonfuls of butter, taking care that each one is
entirely mixed with the sauce before adding another. As soon
as the butter is stirred in, serve the sauce in a hot sauce boat.

Mint Sauce.

With half a cup of vinegar and a tablespoonful of sugar mix
two tablespoonfuls of chopped spearmint. Serve with roast
meats.

Celery Sauce.

Cut in small pieces two heads of celery, and cook in one pint
of water with one teaspoonful of salt in it ; rub smooth one table-
spoonful of butter and one of flour, and stir into a pint of milk ;
pour this over the celery, let come to a boil, and serve with fowl.

Mushroom Sauce.

Wipe carefully and cut into small pieces one-half pint of but-
ton mushrooms or one-half pint of mushroom flaps. Put into a
cup of boiling water with one tablespoonful of butter and pepper
and salt to taste. Let simmer for ten minutes, then thicken with
a tablespoonful of butter and one of flour stirred together. Add
the juice of half a lemon. Serve with meats.

Sweet Herbs.

The sweet herbs commonly used are sage, mint, summer
savory, basil, sweet marjoram and thyme.

2O2 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

White Sauce for Game.

Two tablespoonfuls grated bread crumbs, one cupful butter,
one cupful hot water in a stew pan, one blade mace, grated rind
of a lemon. Let all boil together five minutes, then add one cup
of sweet cider and two lumps of loaf sugar. Let boil up and it is

ready for use.

Asparagus Sauce.

In a little salted water boil one dozen tender heads of aspara-
gus ; when tender, drain and chop. Have ready a pint of drawn
butter with two raw eggs beaten into it ; to this add the cooked
asparagus. Season with salt and pepper and the juice of half a
lemon. The butter must be hot, but after adding the asparagus
do not cook. Serve with fowl or meats.

Southern Mustard.

Two tablespoonfuls ground mustard, one tablespoonful sugar,
one tablespoonful of melted butter, one teaspoonful salt. To dis-
solve the mustard pour boiling water over it, then add the other
ingredients; stir well, then pour on vinegar till about as thin as

cream.

Gooseberry Sauce.

Remove the tops and stems from a pint of green gooseberries ;
put them over the fire in a porcelain saucepan with two table-
spoonfuls of white sugar and half a cupful of boiling water. Stew
them gently until they are tender enough to rub through a sieve
with a potato masher. While the gooseberries are being stewed,
make a white sauce as follows : Put over the fire in a saucepan a
heaping tablespoonful each of butter and flour, and stir them
until they are smoothly blended ; then gradually stir with them
a pint of boiling water, a level teaspoonful of salt, and a quarter
of a saltspoonful of white pepper. Let the sauce boil for a
moment, add the gooseberry pulp to it and then serve it with
roast or baked gosling. This sauce is sometimes colored green
with spinach or sorrel juice.

Fish and Meat Sauces. 203

Green Apple Sauce.

Peel and slice a quart of green apples, put them over the fire
with half a cupful of water and a cupful of white sugar, and stew
them gently to a pulp, stirring them occasionally to prevent
burning ; when the apples are stewed to a pulp, add to them two
tablespoonfuls of butter, half a cupful of cream, and a very little
grated nutmeg; stir the sauce unfil the ingredients are thoroughly
mixed, and then serve it with roast gosling.

Cream Onion Sauce.

Peel and slice a pint of onions, put them over the fire in a
clean saucepan with enough milk to cover them, and stew them
until tender ; when the onions are tender, beat them to a pulp
with a fork, add to them a palatable seasoning of salt and white
pepper ; add sufficient milk to form a sauce of the consistency of
cream, and a heaping tablespoonful of butter ; use this sauce with
boiled chicken.

Brown Onion Sauce.

Peel one pint of onions, slice them, put them into a frying-
pan with two heaping tablespoonfuls of butter, and fry them
brown ; then add a pint of any good gravy or broth, and a
palatable seasoning of salt and pepper ; serve this sauce with
broiled or fried beef steak or chops.

Butter and Lemon Sauce.

Butter and lemon sauce, made as follows, is good with boiled
celery : Melt four tablespoonfuls of butter by very gentle heat ;
squeeze the juice of two lemons, and take away the seeds; break
two eggs, separating the yolks from the whites. When the butter
is melted, add it gradually to the egg yolks, and stir them to-
gether over the fire until they begin to thicken ; take the sauce
from the fire directly it begins to thicken, and stir in the lemon
juice, together with a level saltspoonful of salt and a dust of
cayenne pepper; serve the sauce as soon as it is made.

204 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Onion Sauce.

Peel and chop fine a shallot or a small onion, put it over the
fire with a tablespoonful of butter, and when the butter begins to
brown, stir in a tablespoonful of flour ; when the flour is brown,
add half a pint each of port wine and boiling water, a level tea-
spoonful of salt, a quarter of a saltspoonful of pepper, and one
grate of nutmeg ; stir the sauce until it boils, and then keep it
hot ; when the birds are done, pour the drippings from them into
the sauce, mix them well with it, and then serve it hot.

Orange Essence Sauce.

Chop very fine two peeled shallots or one onion, grate the
yellow rind of a large orange, chop one ounce of ham or bacon
very fine; put these ingredients into a small saucepan, add to
them a slight dust of cayenne pepper, half a pint of the gravy
from roast wild fowl, a gill of port wine and a saltspoonful of salt,
and gently simmer the sauce for ten minutes ; meantime squeeze
the juice from a whole orange and half a lemon into a sauce boat ;
at the end of ten minutes strain the sauce into the orange and
lemon juice, and serve it at once.

Mustard Sauce.

Mustard sauce made as follows is good with corned beef:
After the beef has been boiling for two hours, take a pint of the
broth from it to use for sauce. Peel and chop a bunch of chives,
a shallot, or two or three small green onions, and put them over
the fire in a pint of broth to boil for half an hour ; then add a
level tablespoonful of dry mustard, a gill of vinegar, and a high
seasoning of salt and pepper ; stir the sauce until it is thoroughly
incorporated, and then keep it hot until it is required for the beef.

Sorrel Sauce.

For this sauce, either the large-leafed field sorrel, or the
small trefoil of the wood sorrel may be used. Thoroughly wash
the herb, and put it over the fire in an earthen or porcelain-lined

Fish and Meat Sauces. 205

saucepan, with only the water which remains upon it after it is
washed, and a tablespoonful of butter to each pint of sorrel ;
cover the saucepan, and cook the sorrel until it is tender enough
to beat to a pulp with a fork ; then season it palatably with salt
and pepper, add to it enough butter to make it semi-liquid, and
serve it on the dish with the lamb. Another form is made by
mixing smoothly over the fire a tablespoonful each of butter and
flour, then stirring with them a pint of boiling water, a cupful of
boiled sorrel pulp, and a palatable seasoning of salt and pepper.

Oyster Sauce.

When the turkey is nearly done, put in a saucepan over the
fire two level tablespoonfuls of flour and two heaping table-
spoonfuls of butter, and stir them together until they bubble;
then gradually stir in the oyster liquor and enough broth from
the turkey to make a sauce of the consistency of cream ; season
it palatably with salt and white pepper, and let it boil for a
moment ; put the saucepan containing the sauce into a pan of
hot water, and place it on the back of the fire to keep hot until
just before dishing the turkey ; then put in the oysters, and let
them boil once ; meantime dish the turkey, remove the trussing
cords, pour a little of the oyster sauce over it, and serve it with
the rest of the sauce in a boat.

MEAT AND FISH SAUCES:
FROM THE FRENCH AND ITALIAN CHEFS.

The following meat and fish sauces are from French and
Italian chefs, and while they are more elaborate and a little more
expensive, they are conceded to be finer than the American
sauces. You can make up half the quantity, if desired, by using
half the proportions given. In making a quantity of sauce to be
kept for future use, I would advise housekeepers to put them in
crocks that are not glazed, and tie over the mouth three folds of
cotton batting and keep it in a cool place.

The recipes for the sauces mentioned in the following formulas
are all given in this book among French Meat and Fish Sauces.

White Broth.

As this broth is the basis of many of the sauce formulas given
in this book I have reprinted it here, although the recipe is also
given in soups :

Two large whole and well-scraped carrots, one large whole
peeled turnip, one large whole peeled onion, one cleaned parsley
root, two cleaned leeks (optional), four leaves of cleaned celery!

First select a good knuckle of fine white veal, with the scraps
of meat including the bone. Put in vessel and cover completely
with cold water, adding one tablespoonful of salt, and allow it
to come to a boil, skimming clean as scum arises (this is very
important). Then add the above ingredients, and boil slowly
for about six hours on back of stove. Skim the grease and
impurities as they rise, and after the specified time and all is
skimmed clean, strain through cheese cloth into stone crock;
cover mouth with cotton batting, and keep in cool place.

Sauces from French and Italian Chefs, 207

White Sauce.

Two quarts white broth (see page 206), half a carrot, half an
onion, six whole peppers, one bouquet of herbs, two ounces flour,
half a glassful white wine, two cloves.

Put in saucepan finely shredded salt pork and beef suet of
equal proportions and reduce 'same ; add the carrot, onion,
bouquet, cloves and peppers, and brown all well for about five
minutes, turning occasionally so they won't burn ; then add the
flour, stir well and add the wine and white broth and two tea-
spoonfuls of salt, and stewUfntil it comes to a boil. Then allow
it to boil from fifty to sixty minutes ; strain through a fine sieve
and it is ready for use. It will keep for some time, and is nice
for fish and meats. Keep the vessel closed and in a cool place.
Make the bouquet of herbs as directed in this book ; also the
white broth.

Cooked Herbs.

Four shallots peeled, two medium-sized onions.

Chop the above in small pieces, add two ounces of butter,
and put pan on stove and leave until they are a nice brown
color. Chop fine double that quantity of mushrooms, and season
with a tablespoonful of salt, one dessertspoonful of pepper, two
tablespoonfuls of parsley chopped fine. Cook all ten to twelve
minutes longer. Allow to cool and serve when needed.

Napoleon Sauce.

Two ounces flour, four ounces butter, three pints milk, one
teaspoonful grated nutmeg, one bouquet of herbs, twenty whole
peppers.

Put in saucepan the butter and flour, and stir well together
until well mixed. Pour over the milk, pouring in a little at a
time, and each time stirring well. Then add the balance of the
ingredients, and flavor with a little liquor if desired ; also two
pinches of salt. Cook all about fifteen minutes, rub through a
fine sieve, and keep in crocks as directed.

208 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Royal Fish Sauce.

Two medium-sized onions, two medium-sized carrots, one
bunch parsley roots.

Chop all fine and mix well together, pour over two glassfuls
white or red wine, add to this pieces of fish head that has been
well cleaned and washed, season with salt and pepper to suit the
taste, and allow to boil from six to eight minutes ; allow to cool,
strain through cheese cloth into crock ; cover crock and keep in
cool place.

Mirepoi%

Twelve whole peppers, six cloves, four sprigs celery, one
punch parsley roots, two bay leaves, two sprigs thyme, two small
onions, four medium-sized carrots, four ounces fat.

Put the fat in saucepan, and as it commences to melt add the
other ingredients chopped fine and allow to cook over medium fire
eighteen to twenty minutes ; as it commences to boil add some
scraps of baked veal chopped fine. Allow to cool and put away
in crocks as directed.

Universal Sauce.

Two quarts white broth (see page 206), one-half pint mire-
poix (see above), one ounce chicken fat, two ounces flour.

Mix the mirepoix, made as directed, with the fat, then pour
over the white broth, stir in the flour and mix all well together.
Add scraps of baked veal chopped fine ; boil for nearly three
hours. Skim out the fat carefully, rub balance through a fine
sieve, put in crocks as directed ; keep in cool place. It will keep
for an indefinite time.

Clear Gravy.

One and one-half gallons cold water, two sliced carrots, one
medium-sized onion, two bay leaves, one sprig thyme, one-half
bunch parsley roots, two ounces uncooked salt pork.

Add any scraps of meat or chicken giblets and a handful of
salt ; cover vessel and allow to cook thoroughly for over one hour

Sa^lces front French and Italian Chefs. 209

and a half. Take off, strain through cheese cloth in stone crock
and cover as directed with cotton batting. Always skim off fat
impurities as they arise.

Horse-radish Butter.

One tablespoonful grated horse-radish, four ounces butter.

Mix well together and season with a very little red pepper.
Put through a fine sieve and- keep in a cool place. If added to
sauces it should be done after they are taken off the stove, not
while they are boiling. ^

Meat Glaze.

To make about three-quarters of a pint, take twelve quarts of
white broth and boil it over a moderate fire for about four to
four and one- half hours ; this should reduce it down to nearly
three-quarters of a pint.; put this in covered stone crocks in a
cool place. Make this from the white broth, as directed in

French soups.

Mayonnaise Sauce.

Three-quarters pint good sweet oil, two yolks of fresh eggs,
one-half teaspoonful ground mustard, small pinch of salt, one-half
saltspoonful red pepper, or less.

Beat eggs in a bowl, and mix thoroughly all the spices,
stirring constantly for three or four minutes, then pour in a drop
at a time of oil, stirring rapidly until all the oil is dissolved ; if it
should get too thick add drop by drop, stirring in the same way,
three-quarters dessertspoonful of vinegar ; if it should be too
acid add one or more tablespoonfuls of oil drop by drop, stirring
constantly, until it is the proper consistency and suits the taste.
It will take from twenty to twenty- five minutes to prepare this,
but it is an elegant sauce and well worth the trouble. Be careful
to keep sauce in a dark place in temperature not over seventy
degrees, or it will spoil. You can use more or less red pepper if
desired. Use the best sweet oil and see that it is fresh ; also

2io Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

good vinegar, or you cannot succeed; it is best to stir with a
wooden spoon.

Spanish Sauce.

One pint white broth (see page 206), three egg yolks, four
tablespoonfuls butter, three tablespoonfuls flour.

Melt the butter in pan on the back of stove, add the flour to
thicken same, stir constantly until it browns, add the white
sauce, stirring well, and allow it to cook slowly for ten minutes ;
then take off and pour over the beaten egg yolks, pouring over
a little at a time and mixing well. When all is dissolved strain,
and then add one tablespoonful more butter and the juice of half
a lemon, and serve.

Parisian Sauce.

One pint Spanish sauce (see above), one-half glassful white
wine, five chopped mushroons, one tablespoonful butter, one
tablespoonful lobster coral.

Pound the coral in a mortar and mix with the butter ; then
mix the Spanish sauce with the mushrooms and wine ; let these
come to a simmer, not boil, on back of stove, then add the
lobster coral, stir well, and serve. Have the mushrooms chopped
fine and see that sauce is only allowed to heat through thoroughly ;
don't allow it to boil.

Madeira Sauce.

One herb bouquet, one pint Universal saucg (see page 208),
one small glassful mushroom liquor, one small glassful madeira
wine, one-half to three-quarters teaspoonful red pepper.

Mix together and boil for half an hour, removing the fat and
other impurities as they arise. Strain into stone crock and keep
covered in cool place.

Sauce a la Hollandaise.

Two pints white broth (see page 206), two large tablespoon-
fuls flour, one medium-sized onion sliced, eight whole peppers,
one bay leaf, two ounces good butter.

Sauces from French and Italian Chefs. 2 1 1

Place the butter in saucepan when melted ; add the onions,
pepper and bay leaf, then stir in the flour to thicken it ; pour in
the white broth and mix well together ; remove carefully the fat
as it arises, then add two teaspoonfuls of salt, two teaspoonfuls of
grated nutmeg, and allow all to cook from twenty- five to thirty
minutes ; in the meanwhile beat separately the yolks of three eggs
with a small lemon, and when the sauce is done, place on back of
stove, and stir in gradually the eggs. Rub all through a fine
sieve into a bowl. Mix in about one tablespoonful of butter, and
serve with the fish.

Egg Sauce.

One teaspoonful parsley chopped fine, two hard-boiled eggs
chopped fine, one pint Hollandaise sauce (see above).
Mix well together

Mint Sauce.

One pint white broth (see page 206), one pint cold water,
one-half bunch mint leaves chopped fine, four ounces vinegar,
one ounce sugar, six teaspoonfuls salt. Stir well, and serve.

Cream Sauce.

One pint Napoleon sauce (see page 207), two tablespoonfuls
butter, one cupful cream.

First mix the butter and the sauce well together, then add the
cream and serve.

Tomato Sauce.

One quart nice medium-sized tomatoes, two tablespoonfuls
butter, two tablespoonfuls flour, one pinch of salt, one-half pinch
pepper, one small teaspoonful sugar, one ounce mirepoix sauce
(see page 208).

Mix the mirepoix sauce with the butter in a saucepan ;
cook over moderate fire for five or six minutes, then add the flour,
and cook until all is a nice brown color ; then put in your toma-
toes, having previously washed well and quartered them, stirring

212 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

rapidly until they boil ; then put in your seasoning and boil all
from forty-five to fifty minutes, strain all into a crock, cover and
put into a cool place. In using canned tomatoes to make this
sauce, boil only half an hour. Mirepoix sauce made as described

in this book.

Raw Herbs.

Mix together the following, each having been chopped fine
separately : Four shallots, one onion, six well-washed parsley
stalks, four sprigs parsley well washed, two sprigs thyme, two
bay leaves. Mix thoroughly before using.

Lobster Butter.

Two tablepoonfuls butter, one teaspoonful mustard, the coral
of one cooked lobster.

Pound the coral in a mortar to a fine paste, add the other
ingredients ; rub through a fine sieve. Put in a crock in a cool
place. This butter is also used for coloring purposes.

Bntter a la Italienne.

One teaspoonful anchovy essence, two ounces butter, one
drop spinach green, two small peeled shallots, two sprigs tarra.-
gon, two sprigs thyme, two sprigs parsley.

Pound the greens finely in a mortar ; add the essence, butter
and spinach green ; rub through a fine sieve, and keep as
directed in stone crocks.

Butter Maitre d'HOtel.

Four tablespoonfuls butter, the juice of one lemon, two tea-
spoonfuls finely chopped celery.

Sprinkle a little grated nutmeg, stir well together, and put in
covered crock in a cool place.

GARNISHES.

These are very necessary in ornamenting all dishes, as they
make them more appetizing and" more attractive.

Lemon and parsley are the housekeeper's favorite garnishes.

Those who have a garden may always find something green
for a garnish.

For sardines, raw oysters, boiled fowl, turkey, fish, roast
veal, steaks, salads, use lemon slices cut very thin.

For cold meats, salads, poultry, steaks, fish, chops and
cutlets, use parsley ; and celery tops or lettuce can be used with
a very pleasing effect.

For cold corned beef sliced, gherkins or large pickles cut cross-
wise.

Currant jelly for game, cold tongue, fried oysters, roast
veal, etc.

Watercresses may be used for fowls.

For roast turkey, put link sausages around edge of platter.

For cold ham sliced thin, cold hard-boiled eggs sliced ; cut
in fancy shapes different colored vegetables, and use around
almost any dish of meat or fish.

For scalloped oysters use parsley, celery tops or lettuce.

An exceedingly pretty decoration is sheep sorrel; it can be
used with or without lemon.

A sprig of parsley put on a steak is exceedingly pretty.

Smilax is an attractive decoration. It may be arranged in
vines on the table or about a dish of fruit ; it is extremely pleasing.

Balls made of boiled rice, with a little jelly on each, are very
attractive around a plate of cold meat ; or the rice may be colored
with cochineal, with pleasing effect,

214 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

On a roast or sirloin of beef use potato croquettes or
Saratoga chips.

Beets pickled and cut in fancy shapes for cold meat, boiled
beef, salt fish.

For a mutton chop, a slice of lemon cut crosswise.

FROM FRENCH AND ITALIAN CHEFS.

Garnishing a la Rothschild.

Two tablespoonfuls butter, one tomato cut in small pieces,
one green pepper peeled and cut fine, eighteen canned shrimps
picked and chopped up, one heaping teaspoonful salt, three-
quarters level teaspoonful pepper. Cook all together in saucepan
for ten minutes and use for garnishing.

Marrow Garnishing.

Remove the marrow of three nice marrow bones, and put in
salted water and allow to remain for one hour ; drain it, cut in
small pieces, add three-quarters of a pint hot Madeira sauce and
allow all to come to a good boil ; drop in a few drops of good
vinegar. When serving, put the marrow on top.

Garnishing a la Astor.

One cupful Universal sauce (see page 208), one cupful tomato
sauce (see page 211), one small cupful of cooked smoked beef
tongue mir.ced fine. Mix together and let boil about seven or
eight minutes, and serve.

Bread for Garnishing.

Cut six rather thin slices out of an American loaf of bread ;
neatly pare, then cut them into heart-shapes or squares. Lay
them on a tin plate, drip a little clarified butter over them, place
in the hot oven for five minutes, to get a golden brown. Take
from out the oven, and use when required.

Garnishes from French and Italian Chefs. 215

Puree of Chestnuts.

Boil one pint of chestnuts for ten minutes; peel and skin
them immediately, put them in a saucepan with two pints of
white broth, four teaspoonfuls of salt, and two teaspoonfuls of
pepper and quarter of a pound of butter. Let all boil well for
thirty minutes ; rub through a sieve, and use when needed.

Glazed Onions for Garnishing.

Select one quart of small onions ; peel the sides only, and
pare the roots neatly, being careful not to cut them. Place them
in a pan with half an ounce of clarified butter, and dust them
with a pinch of powdered sugar. Glaze them in a slow oven for
fifteen minutes ; place them in a stone jar, and use for garnish-
ing as needed.

Glazed Turnips with Gravy.

Pare, and cut heart-shaped, twelve small white turnips ; par-
boil them for five minutes, and drain them when done. Butter
the bottom of a pan capable of holding them one beside the
other, and let them get a golden brown, adding one cup of
powdered sugar. Moisten with one cup of white broth, half a
pinch of salt, and add very small stick of cinnamon. Cover with
a buttered paper cut the shape of pan, and place it in the oven
to cook for twenty minutes. When the turnips are cooked, lift
off the paper. Place the turnips on a hot dish, and reduce the
gravy to a glaze for six minutes. Arrange them nicely on a dish,
pour half a gill of white broth into the saucepan to loosen the
glaze, remove the cinnamon, and pour sauce over the turnips.

Garnishing a la Eugene

One pint of Napoleon sauce (see page 207), one-quarter pint
white broth (see page 206), one tablespoonful butter, one table-
spoonful salt, one level saltspoonful pepper, two large white onions
cut up. Put in a saucepan the broth, onions, butter and spices,

216 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

cover it and cook for twenty minutes, stirring frequently ; then
add the Napoleon sauce, and cook five minutes more ; put in a
little grated nutmeg and serve.

Garnishing a la Victoria.

One pint of white broth, four tablespoonfuls of rice, wash well
in colander; one cooked chicken wing, pounded fine in a mortar ;
four teaspoonfuls salt, one teaspoonful pepper. Put the above in
saucepan and allow to cook for thirty-five minutes over moderate
fire, then strain and return to saucepan, adding one tablespoonful
of butter and three tablespoonfuls of sweet cream, and allow to
come to a slow simmer, not to boil ; decorate with thin slices of
cooked partridge, pigeon or quail, dripping a little meat glaze
over same, and serve. (See meat glaze, page 209.)

FORCEMEATS.

English Forcemeat.

Three eggs, four teaspoonfuls salt, two teaspoorifuls pepper,
four teaspoonfuls sage, half-teaspoonful grated nutmeg, one pinch
of parsley, three or four sausages chopped fine.

Mix all well together, and add the crumbs of a loaf of stale
bread (previously soaked in a bowl for twenty minutes). Stir
together well, then brown in saucepan two medium-sized onions
chopped fine with two tablespoonfuls of butter, and add to the
above, and use when required.

Chicken Forcemeat with Cream.

The whites of three eggs, four tablespoonfuls cream, two raw
chicken breasts without bone and pounded fine in mortar, two
teaspoonfuls salt, one level teaspoonful pepper, one teaspoonful
grated nutmeg.

Mix the above well together and serve when needed.

Fish Forcemeat.

The whites of three eggs, one pound of fish with skin and
bone removed, two teaspoonfuls salt, one small teaspoonful pep-
per, one small teaspoonful grated nutmeg, one cupful cream.

Pound the fish well in mortar, adding in the white of eggs
gradually ; when well pounded add in the spices and cream, mix
well, and put away until needed.

It is best to put the forcemeats in your stone crocks (not
glazed), cover and put in your refrigerator.

2i8 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Lobster Forcemeat.

Two tablespoonfuls butter, one tablespoonful flour, one
medium-sized onion chopped fine. Put above in saucepan to
fry until br&wn, then add half pint white stock (see page 206).
Stir well and continually until it hardens. Then season with
two teaspoonfuls of salt, three-quarters teaspoonful white pepper,
half-teaspoonful red pepper, one tablespoonful of any English
sauce, half-teaspoonful mustard, one teaspoonful chopped parsley.
Mix these well together, adding two pounds of cooked or canned
lobster and one dozen mushrooms, all minced fine. Cook this
mixture for thirty-five minutes, then set on back of stove,
add the yolks of four eggs well beaten, mix well and use when

required.

Crab, Oyster and Clam Forcemeats.

Use the same method as for lobster, only substituting them
for the lobster.

Sausage Forcemeat.

Quarter-teaspoonful salt, half-teaspoonful pepper, one salt-
spoonful grated nutmeg, one saltspoonful powdered thyme, two
pounds of fresh pork or sausage minced fine. Mix all well
together.

N. B. For sauces mentioned in these formulas see French
Meat and Fish Sauces.

FISH.

Boiled Fish. A thin, long fish is best for boiling. Draw a
cord through it, and fasten well by drawing the cord very tight.
It will form a letter S. Wrap in a cloth and sew very securely ;
when cooked it will retain its shape and is very pretty to
look at. A large fish should be put in cold water and a small
one in boiling water, for the reason that fish cook so quickly,
and by putting a large one in boiling water, the outside would
be done and the inside raw. To boil fish is this way do not have
it split open, but drawn from the gills. When ready to serve
place on a platter and pour Hollandaise sauce around it, using for
a garnish a sprig of parsley and slices of lemon.

Baked Fish. Clean thoroughly, sprinkle with salt an hour
before cooking, fill with dressing and sew securely, sprinkle flour
over it, baste with butter, place in dripping pan in moderate oven ;
allow one and one-half hours for good-sized fish. Serve with
drawn butter sauce. Garnish with sliced lemon.

Stuffing for Fish. Mix with bread crumbs, parsley, sweet
majoram, thyme, one large spoonful of butter, one-half cupful of
fat pork chopped fine, a few oysters, two beaten eggs, and salt
and pepper.

Plain Stuffiing for Fish. Mix with bread crumbs a few
oysters, a stick of celery, salt and pepper, two tablespoonfuls of
butter.

Fish Turbot. Two and one-half pounds of white fish, one-
half a bunch of thyme, one pint of milk, half a bunch of parsley,

220 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

four slices of onion. Place the fish in cold water, and when the
water has boiled two minutes the fish is done ; remove from ket-
tle and take the bones out. Place the onion, parsley, thyme and
milk in a small dish, let it boil for one hour by placing the dish
in boiling water, then strain through a colander. Add the yolk
of one well-beaten egg, one-half cup of butter, one-half cup of
flour made in a smooth paste with cold water, cook until thick,
place the fish in dripping pan with alternate layers of the dress-
ing ; have dressing on top, and a heavy layer of rolled crackers.
Bake one hour. Serve garnished with sliced lemon and parsley.
Baked Halibut. Take a nice piece of halibut, wash well
and lay in dripping pan, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle

over the fish a clove of white garlic about the size of a bean,
chopped fine, then pour over a cup of tomatoes. Bake in moder-
ate oven ; when the flakes separate the fish is done.

Fried Brook Trout. Clean the trout well, roll in corn-meal,
have in frying pan some hot butter, lay fish in and fry to a nice
brown on both sides. Take up on platter, garnish with slices
_cf lemon and parsley. Serve with drawn butter.

Crimped Salmon. Cut fresh salmon into slices about two
inches thick, wash in strong salt and water ; have salted water
boiling and plunge it in ; it will cook in ten or fifteen minutes.
Serve at once with melted butter.

Baked Fish with Tomatoes. Clean well, sprinkle with salt
an hour before cooking. Rub flour over it, baste with butter,
put in baking dish, and pour a can of tomatoes over it. Season
well with salt and pepper, and bake.

Fried Perch. Clean thoroughly and dry them well, dip them
in flour and fry in hot lard. Season with salt and pepper ; garnish
jwith parsley.

Salted Shad. After the shad have been scaled, split them
down the back, clean them, saving the roes, wash them in plenty
of cold water, and lay them in a wooden tray or tub, with fine

Fish. 221

salt sprinkled thickly between the fish ; let the fish stand in this salt
for two days. Then drain and wipe the shad, again sprinkle them
with coarse salt, and pack them away in boxes or tubs. Before
using salted shad, soak them over night in fresh water, laying the
skin upward.

After salt shad has been freshened, it may be baked, boiled,
broiled or fried.

Fried Salt Mackerel. Soak for thirty hours in at least a
gallon of water, laying the flesh side down ; remove the head
and see that the fish is clean ; melt a spoonful of butter in the
frying pan, and fry slowly for fifteen minutes, taking care that it
does not burn ; take out the fish, and pour in the pan a cupful of
milk ; let it boil, and pour over the fish.

Broiled Fish. Thoroughly clean the fish, and if small split
down the back. Fish of larger size should be cut into inch slices.
Use a double wire broiler, well oiled with a bit of suet. Lay the
fish, with its thickest part next the center of the broiler, skin up-
permost, and broil over a bed of clear coals until the flesh side is
of an even brown. The time required will vary, according to the
size of the fish, from five to twenty minutes ; then turn and
brown on the other side. If the fish be very thick, when both
sides are browned, put the broiler in the oven over a dripping
pan, and cook until done.

Shad Roe with Oysters. Clean well, wash and wipe ; have
in frying pan some hot fat, place it in and fry a nice brown on
both sides, taking care not to let burn. It will cook in fifteen or
twenty minutes ; season with salt and pepper, take up on a platter
and place around it one or two rows of fried oysters ; lay a sprig
j)f parsley in the center and slices of lemon ; the effect is pleasing.

Halibut a la Creme. Cut two onions in one-half pint of
water, and add a little mace and parsley. When thoroughly
boiled, add one quart of milk or cream, one tablespoonful of
butter, two tablespoonfuls of flour, and strain all through a sieve.

222 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Take four pounds of well-boiled halibut (or other fish), salted
while boiling; flake it, butter a good-sized baking dish, and put
first a layer of fish, then some of the dressing, and so on alter-
nately until the dish is full. Put grated bread crumbs on the
top, and bake it one hour.

Codfish Balls. Boil and pick your fish ; pare and boil your
potatoes ; mix all together, with two eggs, a lump of butter, and
a little sweet cream ; make into balls and fry.

Broiled Codfish. Soak the codfish over night, let it drain on
the iron in front of the fire until nearly dry, broil it until brown
on both sides, then put it on a board and beat it soft with a
pestle. Pour on boiling water, and after a minute drain it off.
If very salt, pour on water twice. Butter and send to the table.

New England Fish Chowder. Take a cod and a haddock,
skin them and take out the bones. Put the heads and bones on
to boil in about three quarts of cold water, with a little salt.
Then cut the fish in pieces about four or six inches square, wash
and wipe them dry, and flour them a little. Cut about one-
quarter of a pound of salt pork in thin slices, and fry them to a
nice brown. Cut up two onions and fry them in the pork fat,
but be careful not to burn them or have them too brown. Take
out the onions and pork; have ready six potatoes cut in thin
slices; put a layer of fish into a pot (having the pork at the
bottom), with a little fried onion, potatoes, pepper and salt,
dredge in a little flour, and so on until all is in. Then strain the
water that the heads and bones have been boiling in, through a
colander, over the fish. If not enough to cover the fish, add hot
water. Split six crackers, dip them in cold water quickly, and
put them over the top. Set it on the fire and boil thirty minutes.
Add a quarter of a pound of butter and two spoonfuls of flour
rubbed together, and a glass of white wine if you like. Let it
boil a few minutes. Just before dishing, add one quart of cream
or milk ; give it one boil, and it is ready for the table.

Fish from French and Italian Chefs. 223

To Boil Fresh Salmon. Scale and clean the fish. Place it
on the strainer of a large fish kettle, and fill up with cold water;
throw in a handful of salt ; let it boil slowly (the length of time
depending upon the size and weight of the fish ; you may allow
a quarter of an hour to each pound). It must be thoroughly
done. Try it with a fork; and the minute it is completely
boiled, lift up the strainer, and rest it across the top of kettle,
that it may drain. Send to table on a hot dish, garnished with
curled parsley. To be eaten with drawn butter.

FROM FRENCH AND ITALIAN CHEFS.

Breaded Fish. First clean the fish and dry it. Dip in milk,
then in flour, and fry in hot fat or butter; or dip in beaten eggs
and freshly grated crumbs of bread, and fry in hot fat or butter.

For Breaded Oysters, Clams or other Shell-Fish. Im-
merse in milk, then in cracker dust, then in flour, and fry in hot
fat or butter.

Trout and Fish Sauce. Clean six fine trout, weighing about
a quarter of a pound each. Place them on a grate in a fish
kettle, with a pinch of salt, adding one sliced carrot, one sprig of
thyme and two bay leaves. Moisten with half a glassful of white
wine and half a pint of water. Put it on the stove, and let it
simmer gently for five minutes after boiling point ; then drain,
and serve on a dish garnished with parsley. Send it to the
table with a pint of fish sauce in a separate bowl, also some
boiled potatoes cut in quarters.

Salmon, Oyster Sauce. Place two pounds of very fresh
salmon in a fish kettle, completely cover with cold water, season
with a handful of salt, add one medium-sized sliced onion, half
a wineglassful of white vinegar, eight whole peppers, two cloves

224 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

and two parsley roots. Range the kettle on a brisk fire. Five
minutes after coming to a boil the salmon will be sufficiently
cooked. Remove from the kettle, drain it well ; dress on a hot
dish nicely decorated with parsley greens and lemon around the
salmon, and serve with a pint of hot oyster sauce (see page 205)
in separate bowl.

Trout with Cooked Herbs. Select six or eight nice small
trout. Put in buttered fish pan; add a half- glassful of white
wine and one finely chopped shallot. Cook for about ten min-
utes ; drain off the gravy into another vessel, add two cupfuls of
Spanish sauce (see page 210), two tablespoonfuls cooked herbs
(see page 207); reduce this down nearly one-half, pour over the
fish, and server with lemon and parsley greens.

How to Blanch Codfish Tongues. Twelve fresh tongues
washed well in cold water, one bouquet of herbs, four cloves,
eight whole peppers, one small-sized onion, half small lemon
sliced, three or four teaspoonfuls of salt. After washing the
tongues, take from water and put in pan. Cover with fresh cold
water, add in the above ingredients, and allow to come to a good
boil, then transfer with the water into stone crocks for future use.

Fried Codfish Tongues. Take eighteen fine fresh codfish
tongues, wash them well, drain off the water, dip them in cold
milk, and roll them, one by one, in flour. Put four ounces of
clarified butter in the frying pan, heat it well, then gently lay in
the tongues separately, and let cook for three minutes. Turn
them on the other side, using a fork, and cook for three minutes
more. Lift them up carefully with a skimmer, and put them in
a colander to drain. Season with one pinch of salt and half a
pinch of pepper ; dress them on a hot dish and decorate with
sprigs of parsley and lemon. Serve with hot tomato sauce (see
page 21 1).

Bluefish a la Italienne. Prepare two pounds of bluefish;
place it in a buttered pan, with half a glassful of white wine, three

Fish from French and Italian Chefs. 22$

tablespoonfuls of mushroom liquor, half of a very finely chopped
onion and six chopped-up mushrooms. Season with a pinch of
salt and half a pinch of pepper. Cover the fish with a buttered
paper, and cook in a moderate oven for fifteen minutes; take the
fish out, lay it on a serving dish, and put the juice in a stew pan,
adding four ounces of Universal sauce (see page 208), with a
small glassful of white wine ; reduce for two minutes, then pour
it over the fish, with one pinch of finely chopped parsley, and
serve with pieces of fried bread cut in squares or heart- shapes.

Bass a la Francaise. Cut a deep incision down the back of
a nice sea bass, put it in a baking dish with half -a glassful of red
wine, half a pinch of salt, and a third of a pinch of pepper.
Besprinkle with a finely chopped shallot, cover with a buttered
paper, and cook in a moderate oven for fifteen minutes. Lay
the bass on a dish, put the juice in a saucepan with half a cupful
of Universal sauce (see page 208), four finely shred mushrooms,
and a thin slice of finely chopped onion ; finish cooking for five
minutes more, then pour it over the fish and serve very hot.
This is for a two or three-pound bass.

Boiled Halibut. Put a piece of halibut weighing two pounds
in a saucepan, and cover it with fresh water ; add one sliced onion,
half a sliced carrot, and a bouquet of herbs. Season with a hand-
ful of salt and two tablespoonfuls of vinegar. Put on the lid and
let cook gerUy, but no more than five minutes after boiling point ;
then lift up the fish alone, drain well ; dress it on a hot dish, and
serve with any desired sauce.

Halibut Steaks. Wash well a piece of fresh halibut, lay it on
a dish, and season it with a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, and
two tablespoonfuls of sweet oil. Roll it well and lay it on a
double broiler ; then place it on a brisk fire, and broil for eight
minutes on each side. Dress the fish on a hot dish, pour over
some nice fish sauce, decorate with parsley greens and lemon, and
serve. The above is for two or three pounds of fish.

226 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Shad with Sorrel. Select a two-pound shad, clean well, then
letitsteepas long as possible in one tablespoonful of oil, half a sliced
lemon, a quarter of a bunch of parsley roots, and half a sliced
onion. When ready place it in a buttered pan, with half a glass-
ful of white wine, three tablespoonfuls of mushroom liquor, also a
bouquet of herbs. Take two handfuls of picked and washed
sorrel, mince it very fine, then put it in the stew pan with the fish,
adding a good pinch of salt and half a pinch of pepper ; cover it,
and let it cook as long as possible on a slow fire at least two
hours ; then arrange the shad on a dish. Add a little butter and
flour to the juice, thicken well, and pour the sauce in a sauce
bowl, and serve separately.

Broiled Fresh Mackerel, Maitre d'H6tel. Pare and split
two good-sized fresh mackerel through the back, remove the
spine, score them slightly, and rub them with one tablespoonful
of sweet oil ; season with a pinch of salt and half a pinch of pepper,
then broil them on a brisk fire for ten minutes on the split side
and one minute on the skin side. Lay them on a dish, pour
one-half cupful of maitre d'hotel butter over, and serve with a
few parsley greens and mix slices of lemon.

Broiled Spanish mackerel are prepared in the same way.
(See Maitre d'Hotel Butter, page 212.)

Shad a la Spanish. Cleanse a small, fine shad, put it in
baking dish, well buttered, and season with one pinch of salt
and half a pinch of pepper, adding two finely chopped shallots
and half a glassful of white wine. Cover with a piece of buttered
paper, and cook in a moderate oven for twenty-five minutes.
When done put the juice in a saucepan, with half a pint of
Spanish sauce (seepage 210), a pinch chopped celery, and a little
spinach green. Let cook again for three minutes, then pour a
little of it, through a strainer, on the fish, and serve the rest in a
separate sauce bowl.

Fis/i from French and Italian Chefs. 227

Bass with White Wine. Cleanse a two or three-pound fish,
lay in a buttered baking dish ; season with half a pinch of salt and
a very small pinch of pepper ; pour over half a glassful of white
wine and three tablespoonfuls of mushroom liquor. Cover with
a piece of buttered paper, and cook in a moderate oven for fifteen
minutes, then lay the fish on a dish ; put the juice in a saucepan,
with a cupful of Spanish sauce (see page 210) thicken well
with a tablespoonful of butter till well dissolved, and pour over
the bass, serving with small pieces of fried bread (shape bread
square or heart-shaped).

OYSTERS AND OTHER SHELL-FISH.

Oysters on the Half-shell. One cup of thick cream, one
cup of hot water, one cup of milk, one pinch of salt Pour this
into the saucepan and put the saucepan into a kettle of boiling
water until it boils ; then stir in two tablespoonfuls of butter
and two heaping tablespoonfuls of flour made smooth with a little
water. Butter your oyster or clam shells and lay a nice oyster
in each one. Arrange them close together in a dripping pan,
propping them up with small stones, and then fill each shell with
the prepared cream, having first beaten it well. Bake in hot
oven until brown it will take about five minutes ; serve in the
shell.

Steamed Oysters. Select nice oysters, put in round dish,
season with butter, salt, and pepper; set in a steamer over boil-
ing water, and steam until they begin to curl.

Oyster Patties. Cover the bottom and sides of patty pans
with dough, the same as for pie crust ; then put the Crust
over the top, and pinch the edges together. Bake in quick
oven. Take as many oysters as you have patties, stew them in
their own liquor, then cut them in pieces ; to a dozen oysters
add a teaspoonful of butter and a teaspoonful of flour rubbed
smooth in a little water, and a little grated lemon peel. Season
with a little salt, two tablespoonfuls of cream, a pinch of cayenne
and pounded mace ; mix all this well. Open the patties and fill
with this mixture ;" serve hot.

Oysters and Other Shell- Fish. 229

Oyster Pie. Line a pudding dish with dough, the same as
for pie crust ; drain some oysters from their liquor, and put a
layer of them in the bottom of the pudding dish, sprinkle lightly
with flour, pepper, salt and butter ; then another layer the same,
until all are used, putting more butter on the top layer. Pour
the liquor in and cover with the crust ; cut a hole in center of top
crust. Set in oven and bake until crust is a delicate brown.

Oyster Stew. Take one quart of oysters, put the liquor in a
stew pan, let it boil up and skim carefully ; put in two quarts of
milk, let it come to a boil. Add the oysters ; as soon as they be-
gin to curl up, take off the fire ; put in one tablespoonful of but-
ter and salt to taste. Serve in hot soup dishes.

Roast Oysters. Oysters for roasting should be washed in
plenty of cold water to free the shells from mud, and then placed
upon a bed of hot coals, with the thick end, where the shells are
united by a joint, down, so that the liquor may not all escape as
the oysters open under the effect of the heat; as fast as they
open, they should be taken from the fire, and sent at once to the
table. An easy way to prepare oysters is to arrange them in a
dripping pan, and place the pan over the coals or in a very hot
oven ; the flavor of the oysters so cooked is good, and much of
the difficulty of handling them is obviated. Still another method
is to make the deep shells of oysters very hot in a pan in a hot
oven, then put an oyster in each shell with a very little butter,
and replace the pan in the oven for one minute ; this will curl
the edges of the oysters, and they can then be transferred, in the
shells, to a platter, and sent to the table.

Scalloped Oyster Pie. Pulverize crackers, and mix with them
sufficient butter to make the whole adhesive. Roll it out and put
it in a deep dish. Dry the oysters, and put a thick layer on the
crust, adding pepper, salt and small pieces of butter. Then roll
out another piece and cover the oysters, and so on until the dish
is full. Bake it carefully.

230 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Scalloped Oysters. For a five-quart pan, take two quarts of
oysters and one pound of small butter crackers rolled fine. Put
a thick layer of cracker in the bottom of the pan. Take the
oysters upon a fork and cover the cracker with them, then cut a
piece of butter half the size of an egg into small bits and place
them around upon the oysters, sprinkling a little salt (not more
than quarter of a teaspoonful), with a little pepper, overall. Re-
peat this until all the oysters and cracker are used, putting a
layer of cracker upon the top. Pour upon the whole cream or
milk, until you can just see it around the edge of the pan. Bake
it in a slow oven for one hour and a half or two hours. When
thoroughly heated put a little more butter upon the top, to
make them brown nicely.

Steamed Oysters. Place large oysters in a colander, to drain
most of the juice. Then put them in a pan, with a generous bit
of butter, cover the pan tightly and steam over the fire, shaking
the pan occasionally. Have ready some hot buttered toast, and
when the oysters look white and plump, turn them on the toast,
and send immediately to the table.

Fricasseed Oysters. Toast about one dozen crackers after
splitting them open. Lay them in a deep dish or on a platter,
and turn over them the following mixture : Take one cup of
sweet cream, put it into a stew pan, also butter of the size of an
egg; thicken with a small dessertspoonful of flour mixed with a
little milk. As soon as it is scalding hot, put into it one pint of
oysters. Let it just come to a boil, season with pepper and salt,
and turn it over the crackers.

To Fry Oysters. Get the largest and finest oysters. After
separating them from the liquor, wipe them quite dry with a
cloth. Then beat up yolk of egg and milk in the proportion of
two yolks to a wineglass of milk. Grate stale bread or crackers
very fine ; dip the oysters in the mixture of egg and milk ; then
roll them in the grated bread crumbs, put them into the frying

Oysters and Other Shell-Fish. 231

pan of hot butter, and fry them brown, turning them on both
sides. They must be crisp, not greasy. Serve on a hot dish.

Lobster Croquettes American Formula. Take the meat
and fat of a tender fresh lobster, chop it very fine, add salt,
pepper, mace and butter. To three-quarters of a pint of boiled
cream, stir in one-quarter of a pound of butter and three table-
spoonfuls of flour ; add this to the lobster, shape the croquettes,
dip them in yolk of egg and rolled cracker, fry in butter to a light
brown, and serve hot

Scalloped Lobster. Butter a deep baking dish, put in it a
layer of lobster meat picked in small pieces ; dust over it a little
salt and pepper, add a little lemon juice ; on this sprinkle a layer
of fine bread crumbs, with here and there a lump of butter, then
another layer of lobster, then the bread and seasonings ; continue
this until all is used, having bread crumbs for the top layer ; pour
a pint of cream or milk over it and bake thirty minutes. Serve hot.

Potted Shrimps. Put a pint of picked shrimps into a stew
pan with one-half cup of butter, a blade of pounded mace, a pinch
of cayenne and salt to taste ; simmer fifteen minutes, take up
into pots, let it cool, and cover with melted butter.

Buttered Shrimps. Take one pint of shrimps picked clean
from their shells ; put them in one and one-half cups of cream
sauce and simmer for two minutes ; season with salt and pepper.

Fried Clams. Prepare a plate of rolled crackers, also a bowl
of well-beaten raw eggs ; then wash thoroughly in cold water a
pint of soft clams, lay them on a cloth to dry ; have on the stove
a frying kettle half full of fat ; roll the clams in the crackers, then
dip them in the egg, then roll again in the crackers, and when
the fat is smoking hot drop the clams into it and fry until they
are a nice brown ; to free them from the grease lay them on a
blotting pad or brown paper ; serve them hot.

Clam Pie. Three pints of clams ; if very large cut them in
two ; boil up in their own liquor. Boil three large potatoes, and

232 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

when cold cut in small pieces. Around the sides of the baking
dish put pie crust and then alternate layers of the clams and
potatoes, seasoning with salt, pepper, butter and a light dust of
flour ; place an inverted tea cup in the middle of the dish, push-
ing the mixture aside for the purpose ; pour the liquor over, and
if it seems too dry pour a little hot water over it ; cover with
crust, cut a hole in the crust, place in oven and bake nearly three-
quarters of an hour.

Clam Fritters. Carefully wash all sand away from a bunch
or pint of clams, and chop them very fine ; strain the water in
which they were washed ; have ready over the' fire a frying ket-
tle half full of fat; mix together a cupful of flour, the chopped
clams, the yolk of a raw egg, a level teaspoonful of salt and a
quarter of a saltspoonful of pepper, and enough of the water in
which the clams were washed to make a thick batter ; when the
fat is hot, beat the white of one egg to a stiff froth, stir it into the
fritter mixture, drop it by the tablespoonful into the fat when it
is smoking hot, and fry the fritters; when they are brown take
them out of the fat with a skimmer, lay them on brown paper for
a moment to free them from grease, and then serve them hot.

Clam Chowder. Wash the clams, put them into a pan, turn
boiling water over them, and cover them tight Let them stand
ten or fifteen minutes. Then take out all the clams, cut off the
black heads, flour them and season with a little nutmeg, mace,
pepper and salt Take three quarts of the liquor, and put it into
a saucepan to boil. To one-half pound of butter rub well three
tablespoonfuls of flour and stir it into the liquor. Put in the
clams and let them boil fifteen minutes. If you like, add one pint
of cream or milk.

Stewed Clams. Take twenty-five large sand clams from their
shells and add to them equal parts of their own liquor and water,
enough to nearly cover them ; put them in stew pan and cook
for a half-hour over a slow fire ; as the scum rises skim it off;

Oysters and Other Shell -Fish. 233

rub together one-half cup of butter and one-half tablespoonful of
flour and stir into it, and a pinch of pepper ; cover and let them
simmer about fifteen minutes longer ; then serve. Pour over
toast if you wish. They will be nicer by substituting milk for the
water.

FROM FRENCH AND ITALIAN CHEFS.

Stuffed Clams a la Franchise. Fill six or twelve clam
shells with clam forcemeat (see page 218), flatten the meat
with the hands, moisten with a little clarified butter, sprinkle
fresh bread crumbs over same, smooth the surface, place them
in a baking pan and bake for six or eight minutes. Serve on
hot dish with a little lemon and parsley greens.

Broiled Clams a la Italienne. Dip your freshly opened
clams in half bread and half cracker dust, smooth with the hands,
then broil them in butter for nearly three minutes on each side,
season to suit the taste, and serve on toast. Glaze them on
top sparingly with maitre d'hotel sauce (see page 200).

Broiled Oysters. Dip your fresh oysters into half bread
and half cracker dust, smooth with hands, broil in butter for
nearly two and one-half minutes on each side ; season to suit the
taste and serve on toast. Glaze oysters sparingly with maitre
d'hotel butter (see page 212).

Oysters a la Francaise. Blanch some fresh oysters in their
own juice by boiling them for two minutes ; strain off juice.
Spread some chicken forcemeat (see page 217); place them
in a pan. Put on each oyster some crumbs dipped in egg, and
fry with butter or lard for about three minutes. Take out and
serve with lemon and parsley or other greens.

Oysters a la Napoleon. Chop an onion very fine ; place it
in a stew pan with two tablespoonfuls of butter, and let it get a

234 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

golden brown ; then add a tablespoonful of cooked finely minced
spinach, also a small glassful of white wine. Have twenty
medium-sized oysters chopped exceedingly small and seasoned
with a pinch of salt and the same of pepper ; place these in the
stew pan and let cook for fifteen minutes. Put in one whole egg ;
then take six large, clean oyster shells ; fill the bottoms with a
bed of three parboiled oysters, cover them with the spinach
mixture, and besprinkle with fresh bread crumbs. Flatten the
tops with the blade of a knife, pour a very little clarified butter
over, and put them for three minutes in the oven. Serve hot,
garnishing with parsley leaves.

Fried Soft-shelled Crabs. Procure good-sized soft-shelled
crabs, cleanse and wash them thoroughly, dip each one in flour,
then in beaten egg, and finally in bread crumbs or pulverized
crackers, using them very lightly. Fry in very hot fat for five
minutes, drain, season with one pinch of salt evenly divided, and
serve on a hot dish with lemon and fried parsley around.

Broiled Soft-shelled Crabs. Have nice-sized fresh soft-
shelled crabs, cleanse and wash them well, then drain them, oil
them slightly, and season with a pinch of salt and half a pinch of
pepper. Put them on the broiler and broil for five minutes ;>n
each side. Have pieces of toast ready, lay a crab on top of eajh,
slightly glaze them with a little maitre d'hotel butter, and serve
hot.

Crabs a la American. Select one dozen hard-shelled crabs
that have been boiled, and pick the meat in as large pieces as
possible ; place the meat in a bowl and add the following : One-
half cupful of finely shredded lettuce leaves, one pinch of salt,
half a pinch of pepper, one tablespoonful of olive oil, and one and
a half tablespoonfuls of vinegar. Refill six well-cleaned shells
with the salad, and on each one lay a good teaspoonful of Mayon
naise sauce (see page 209) sprinkled over with one hard
boiled finely chopped egg, the yolk and white separated, som

Shell- Fish from French and Italian Chefs. 235

crab or lobster coral, and a teaspoonful of chopped parsley.
Serve with parsley greens and lemon.

Lobster a la Cleveland. Split two fine good-sized freshly
boiled lobsters ; remove all the meat carefully, then cut it up into
pieces one inch in length. Have a pan on the hot range with
half a gill of good olive oil, and when the oil is very hot add the
pieces of lobster. Chop very fine one medium- sized peeled
onion, one fine sound green pepper and half a clove of peeled
very sound garlic ; add all to the lobster and let cook for five
minutes, gently mixing meanwhile. Season with a pinch of salt
and half a saltspoonful of red pepper, adding also half a wine-
glassful of good white wine. Reduce for two minutes, then add
one gill of tomato sauce and one medium-sized sound red
peeled tomato, cut into small dice-shaped pieces. Cook for ten
minutes longer, gently shuffling meanwhile. Pour the whole into
a very hot deep dish and serve.

Lobster a la Marseilles. Add to one glassful of red wine
in a stew pan one chopped shallot, and half of a small carrot cut
into exceedingly small pieces. Boil for five minutes, and then
put in pieces of boiled lobster, the same quantity as for the above
(about a pound and a half), a pinch of salt, a third of a pinch
of pepper and a very little nutmeg, also about one cupful of lob-
ster sauce ; stew well together for about five minutes and serve.

Lobster with Curry. Pick out all the meat from two good-
sized fine freshly boiled and split lobsters. Cut the meat up
in one-inch-length equal pieces. Have a saucepan on the hot
range with an ounce of very good butter ; add the lobster to it,
and let cook for five minutes. Season with one pinch of salt and
half a pinch of pepper. Place in a bowl one tablespoonful of
Indian curry, with half a wineglassful of good white wine, mix
well together, then pour it into the lobster. Cook for two minutes.
Add two gills of hot Spanish sauce, shuffle briskly for one minute
longer. Make a border of fresh-boiled rice all around the hot dish ;

236 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

dress the lobster right in the center of the dish and serve hot.
(See Spanish sauce, page 210.)

Broiled Lobster. Cut three small raw lobsters into two equal
parts, taking out the gravel from the head ; season with one
pinch of salt and half a pinch of pepper, and rub with a very lit-
tle oil ; then broil the pieces for ten minutes. Take them from
the fire, and remove the meat from the head of the lobsters and
put it in a salad bowl with some melted butter, and mix well
together ; take the meat from the balance of the lobster, dip it
in the sauce, and return it to its shell ; warm again for two min-
utes in the oven and take out. Garnish the shells with parsley
greens and lemon, and serve with a sauce.

Stuffed Lobster. Fill the empty lobster tails with lobster
forcemeat (see page 218), roll them in bread crumbs, put them on
a baking dish, smoothing the surface with a knife; place them in
a baking pan. Pour a little clarified butter over, and brown gently
in the oven for six minutes, and serve with a garnish of parsley
greens and lemon.

The formulas for preparing all kinds of game, poultry and
meats have been carefully selected from the leading American,
French and Italian chefs. All the sauces, butters, herbs and
garnishes mentioned in this book can be found in Sauces, pages
199-212.

How to Boil Terrapin. Terrapin should be alive when
brought from the market. Wash them by putting them for half
an hour into a tub or large pan half filled with clean cold water;
have over the fire a large pot half full of boiling water ; plunge
the terrapin into this head first, grasping them from the back to
avoid the possibility of a bite ; let the terrapin boil from five to
ten minutes, or until the skin of the claws or leg can be rubbed
off with a wet cloth ; after this outer skin is removed, put the
terrapin again over the fire in sufficient clean boiling water to
cover them, with a teaspoonful of salt to each quart of water, and
boil them gently until the shells begin to separate at the sides ;
the length of time will vary. The shells are joined at each side,
between the fore and hind claws or legs, with small serrated
points, which part slightly when the terrapin are tender ; some-
times they are tender in fifteen or twenty minutes, but often a
longer time is required for 'boiling. When the shells of the
terrapin can be parted, take them from the boiling water, and let
them cool until they can be dressed.

How to Dress Terrapin. Loosen the sides of the shells of
boiled terrapin as soon as they are cool enough to handle ; lift off

238 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

the top shell, which is held to the spine of the terrapin by small
bands of flesh ; these are to be pulled or cut apart ; then remove
the under shell. The entrails of the terrapin lie in a mass, with
the eggs and liver embedded in them, and the legs are attached
to them by crossing bands of flesh ; pull off the legs, leaving the
flesh attached to them, break off the sharp claws at the extremi-
ties of the feet; separate and throw away the head, and put the
legs on a dish ; carefully remove all the eggs, and put them into
a bowl of hot water ; separate the liver from the entrails, and cut
out that part of the liver which contains the small dark green
gall-bag that can be seen at one side of the liver. The utmost
care should be taken to avoid cutting or breaking the gall-bag ;
in removing it, the liver should be held over an empty dish, and,
if the gall-bag is cut or broken, the liver should be thrown away,
and the hands washed before the dressing of the terrapin is re-
sumed. After the gall-bag is removed, cut the liver in pieces
about half an inch square, and put it with the flesh of the terrapin.
Only the flesh, eggs and liver of terrapin are ordinarily used ;
old Southern cooks sometimes scalded and scraped the intestines,
and added them to terrapin stew.

Stewed Terrapin with Cream. For a pint of terrapin-meat,
use two heaping tablespoonfuls of butter and one of dry flour;
stir them over the fire in a thick saucepan until they bubble ;
then gradually stir in a pint of cream, a level teaspoonful of salt,
a quarter of a saltspoonful each of white pepper and grated nut-
meg, and a dust of cayenne ; next put the terrapin into the sauce
and stir it until it is scalding hot ; draw the saucepan to the side
of the fire, where its contents will not boil, and stir in the yolks
of four raw eggs previously beaten smooth ; do not allow the
terrapin to boil after adding the eggs, but pour it at once into a
tureen containing a gill of good madeira and a tablespoonful of
lemon juice, and serve it.

Terrapin a la Maryland. Cut up two terrapins ; place them

Game, Frogs and Terrapin. 239

in a saucepan with Haifa wineglassful of good madeira wine, half
a pinch of salt, and a very little cayenne pepper, also an ounce
of good butter. Mix well a cupful of good sweet cream with the
yolks of three boiled eggs, and add it to the terrapin, briskly
stirring constantly, while thoroughly beating, but without letting
it come to a boil. Pour into a hot bowl and serve very hot

Frogs. The hind legs are the only part used ; skin and wash
them, roll them in cracker dust, then in beaten eggs, then again
in cracker dust. Have in frying pan some hot butter, lay them
in and fry a golden brown ; garnish with slices of lemon and
sprigs of parsley.

Green Turtle Fried. Cut thin slices of tender uncooked
turtle flesh, or of cold cooked turtle ; roll them in cracker crumbs,
then dip them in beaten egg, and again roll them in crumbs;
have ready over the fire a frying pan containing about half an
inch of butter melted, and when it begins to smoke put in the
slices of turtle and fry them light brown ; when the slices are
fried, lay them on brown paper in a dripping pan to free them
from grease, and keep them hot in the oven until the sauce is
made as follows : Pour nearly all the butter out of the frying pan ;
stir in half a pint of cream, half a pint of mild tomato catsup, and
enough flour or cracker crumbs to make a sauce of the proper
consistency ; let it boil for two or three minutes while the fried
turtle is being dished with a garnish of sliced lemon or fresh
watercresses ; then pour the sauce into a bowl, and serve the
dish. Any other well-seasoned sauce may be used with fried
turtle.

Tender turtle steaks are very good broiled, and served with
any acid jelly.

To Prepare Frogs' Legs. The hind-legs of large frogs are
the only parts used ; the bodies are separated in the middle, and
the legs are skinned. The flesh of the legs is white, very tender,
and somewhat resembles that of poultry. After the frogs' legs

240 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

are skinned, wash them well in cold water, put them over the fire
in salted boiling water, and boil them for five minutes ; then
throw them into cold water to cool. This process is called
blanching, and must always be done if the flavor is to be con-
sidered. After the frogs' legs are blanched, they may be fried or
broiled according to any of the recipes for frying or broiling fish,
or stewed in a white broth.

Broiled Frogs. Select eighteen good-sized fine frogs' legs,
peel off the claws, then lay the legs on a dish and pour two table-
spoonfuls of sweet oil over, season with a pinch of salt and a pinch
of pepper, and squeeze in the juice of a fresh lemon. Roll them
around several times in their seasoning, then place them nicely
on the broiler and broil them for four minutes on each side.
Take them off and dress them on a hot dish, pouring a gill of
maitre d'hotel butter over (see page 2 1 2), and send to the table
immediately.

Squirrels Stewed. Skin, clean thoroughly, wash in cold
water and wipe quickly two nice fat squirrels. Cut them in
quarters, put in frying pan a layer of salt pork cut thin, then
lay the squirrels in, seasoning with salt and pepper; if necessary,
put in a little butter; add enough hot water to prevent burning;
cover and cook slowly until the squirrels are tender. When
nearly done, remove the cover, so the water will boil away. Add
enough cream or milk to moisten them, let them heat again and
serve hot.

Squirrel Pie. Select two fresh squirrels; skin, clean and
wipe off thoroughly with a damp cloth; cut into small pieces;
put into stew pan with two slices of salt pork, with water enough
to nearly cover. Cook until half done, season with salt and
pepper ; rub together two tablespoonfuls of butter and two table-
spoonfuls of flour, and stir in to thicken the gravy ; pour into a
deep bake dish and cover with pie crust. Bake half an hour.
Squirrels may be fried, broiled or stewed, the same as chicken.

Game, Frogs and Terrapin. 241

Stewed RabMts. Select two nice fresh rabbits ; skin, clean
well and cut in small pieces ; let it lay in salted cold water one hour;
then put in stew kettle, covering with cold water ; place on the
stove and boil until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Rub
smooth together two tablespoonfuls of flour and one tablespoonful
of butter, and stir into the gravy. A little lemon juice is an
improvement. Serve all together on a platter.

Fried Rabbit. Skin, clean, wash and wipe dry. Roll in
flour and fry in hot butter. Season with salt and pepper. If the
rabbit is not tender, parboil for half an hour first.

Opossum. Clean thoroughly and scrape it. Mix together
some bread crumbs, chopped onion, parsley, salt and pepper, and
the liver chopped fine and a beaten egg. Stuff the body with
this mixture. Sew it up and roast it. Baste often with salt and
water to have it crisp. Dip a cloth in its own grease and rub it
well. When done take up on platter and garnish with sprigs
of parsley and sliced lemon, and put a baked apple in its mouth.

Seasoning for Venison. Take bread, and add a little chopped
pork and onions, a little cloves, mace, pepper, salt and thyme.
Wet it with wine and the white of egg. When the gravy is
made add more wine.

Venison Steaks. Heat and grease the bars of a broiler, hav-
ing a bright fire with live coals at the top; lay the steak on
broiler and turn often, so as not to burn; when done place on hot
platter, salt and pepper, and lay bits of butter over it ; cover
and set in oven for five minutes. Serve with a bit of jelly on each
piece. Be sure the plates are warm, as venison cools quickly.

Roast Venison. Wipe off with a damp cloth the haunch of
a venison. Rub over with butter, make a thick paste of flour
and water, and cover the top and sides half an inch deep ; lay a
heavy paper over it, and place in dripping pan having a cup of
water in it. Set in a well-heated oven, baste every fifteen or
twenty minutes with butter and water. Half an hour before

242 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

serving remove the paper and paste, and sprinkle with flour and
baste with butter until it is a nice brown. Take up on platter.
Pour in dripping pan one pint of water, add a pinch of cloves,
nutmeg, cayenne, a few blades of mace ; thicken with flour and
water. Strain before sending to table. Serve currant jelly with
the roast.

Stewed or Potted Pigeons. Carefully pluck half a dozen
pigeons ; singe them, wipe them with a wet towel, and cut off
the head and feet ; in drawing them take care not to break the
entrails, and save the hearts, livers and gizzards ; put two table-
spoonfuls of butter in a saucepan, let it get smoking hot, then
put in the pigeons and brown them ; when they are brown, dust
over them a tablespoonful of dry flour, and move them about
until the flour is brown; then cover them with boiling water,
season them palatably with salt and pepper, and simmer them
gently until they are tender. Meantime, shell enough very young
green peas to fill a pint measure ; if the pods of the peas are not
clean, wash them before shelling, but do not wash the shelled
peas. When the pigeons are tender, put the peas with them,
and continue to cook them until the peas are just tender ; then
serve the pigeons in a deep platter, with the peas under them.

Squab Pie. Make a good pastry according to any of the
recipes already given, and line a deep earthen dish with it ; cut
a pound of the breast of tender veal in slices half an inch thick,
after first taking out the bones, and put a layer of the meat
around the sides and on the bottom of the dish ; carefully pluck
six squabs, cut off the heads and feet, singe and draw them, and
wipe them with a wet towel ; chop the livers and gizzards fine,
with an equal weight of fat salt pork or bacon ; add to them
then an equal measure of fine bread crumbs, one raw egg, and a
palatable seasoning of salt and pepper, and use this forcemeat to
stuff the squabs ; lay them in a dish prepared as directed above,
and put over them the rest of the sliced veal ; put over the fire

Game, Frogs and Terrapin. 243

in a frying pan a dessertspoonful each of flour and butter, stir
them until they are brown, then stir with them a cupful and a
half of boiling water and a palatable seasoning of salt and pepper;
when this sauce boils, pour it into the squab pie, and cover the
pie with an upper crust of pastry, wetting the edges to make
them adhere ; cut several slits in the upper crust, and brush it
over with beaten egg. Bake the pie for two hours in a moderate
oven, taking care that it does not burn ; if the crust browns too
quickly, cover it with buttered paper and moderate the heat of
the oven. Serve the pie hot or cold.

Boiled Partridge. Pluck and dress the birds, leaving them
whole ; wipe them with a wet cloth ; put in stewpan and cover
with boiling water, with three teaspoonfuls of salt ; boil moder-
ately for fifteen minutes; meanwhile put one coffee cup of cream
in saucepan, set it in a pan of boiling water ; add to it one table-
spoonful of butter, a quarter of a saltspoonful of white pepper ;
stir one way until the butter is melted ; place it where it will
keep warm ; when the partridges have cooked very tender, take
them up, wipe dry, put them on a hot platter, pour the cream
sauce over them; serve hot.

Broiled Quail. Clean and wipe with a wet towel carefully,
and divide down the back ; season with salt and pepper, and
place on a hot broiler over a bright fire with coals on top ; turn
often, and when tender lay on a hot dish ; butter well and serve
on buttered toast.

Baked Prairie Chicken. After cleaning well, stuff them with
a dressing made of bread or cracker crumbs, one onion chopped
fine, one stalk of celery chopped, salt, pepper and melted butter ;
sew together, and tie firmly with a string ; place in a steamer and
steam until tender ; then take up and put in dripping pan ; rub
with butter, and sprinkle with flour, pepper and salt ; set in oven
and roast to a delicate brown ; baste often with melted butter ;
take up on platter and garnish with parsley and currant jelly.

244 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Broiled Doe-Birds. Singe and clean well five fine doe-birds ;
split them through the back without detaching the parts, and lay
them on a dish. Season with a good pinch of salt, half a pinch
of pepper, and one tablespoonful of oil ; roll them in well, and
broil for five minutes on each side. Prepare a hot dish with
bread toasts ; arrange the doe- birds on top, and serve with maitre
d'hotel butter well spread over. Decorate the dish with some
nice garnish.

Grouse Boasted. Clean well and truss four fine fat grouse ;
place them in a roasting pan with cupful of water, spread a little
butter over each, and season with a pinch of salt ; put them into
a good oven and let cook for twenty minutes, taking care to baste
frequently with their own gravy; then untruss. Have a hot
serving dish ready ; arrange the grouse on some toasted bread,
and decorate the dish with a little watercress and lemon ; strain
the gravy into a bowl, and serve it separately.

Beed-Birds Boasted. Select freshly killed fat reed- birds;
cut off their legs and wings, pick the eyes out, and remove the
skin from the heads ; clean and wipe them neatly, and with a
skewer remove the gizzards from the sides, then cover their
breasts lightly with thin slices of bacon ; arrange them on kid-
ney skewers, and lay them in a roasting pan ; season with a pinch
of salt, spread a very little butter over, and set them in the oven
to roast for six to eight minutes ; put on toasted bread ; garnish
nicely and serve.

Plovers Broiled. Singe and clean nicely some fine plovers ;
pick out the eyes, split them through the back without separat-
ing the parts, and place them on a dish ; season with one pinch
of salt, half a pinch of pepper, and a tablespoonful of sweet oil ;
roll them in well, and put them on a broiler to cook for four
minutes on each side. Dress them on a hot dish with pieces of
toast, spread over maitre d'hotel butter, decorate with some nice
garnish and serve.

Game, Frogs and Terrapin. 245

Quails Broiled with Bacon. Select five fat quails; singe
and clean them well ; split them through the back without sep-
arating the parts, and break the two leg bones. Put them on a
dish ; season with a pinch of salt, half a pinch of pepper and a
tablespoonful of sweet oil, mixing them in well, and put them to
broil on a moderate fire for six minutes on each side. Arrange
toast on a hot dish, lay the quails on top, and pour over some
maitre d'hotel butter (see page 212), decorating with slices of
broiled bacon, and serve on hot dish.

Partridge Broiled. Singe, clean and wipe neatly four small
partridges ; cut them in halves, lay them on a dish, and season
with a good pinch of salt, half a pinch of pepper, and a table-
spoonful of oil. Roll them in well, then put them to broil for
six or seven minutes on each side. Prepare slices of fried hom-
iny. Arrange them on a hot dish ; place the partridges over,
and pour over some maitre d'hotel butter (see page 212) ; place
slices of broiled bacon over the birds and serve on hot dish.

Squabs Broiled on Toast, with Bacon. Singe and clean
well, cut the necks off, and wipe nicely some good- sized squabs ;
split them without detaching the parts, then lay them on a dish
and season with a pinch of salt, half a pinch of pepper, and a
tablespoonful of sweet oil ; roll them in well, and put them to
broil for six minutes on each side. Prepare a dish with toasted
bread ; arrange the squabs over, and spread over on top some
maitre d'hotel butter (see page 212). Decorate the dish with
slices of broiled bacon and serve.

Woodcock Broiled with Bacon. Singe and clean well, pick
out the eyes, and remove the skin from the heads of six fine
woodcocks ; wipe them neatly, and split them through the back
without separating the parts. Put them on a dish to season with
a pinch of salt, half a pinch of pepper, and one tablespoonful of
sweet oil. Roll them in well, then put them on to broil with the
bills stuck into the breasts ; let broil for three to five minutes on

246 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

each side ; then arrange on a dish with toasted bread covered
with pieces of their hearts and liver, pour over some maitre d'hotel
butter, lay on some thin slices of bacon and serve.

English Snipe Broiled. Clean well and dry some fine snipe ;
remove the skin from the heads, split them in two without de-
taching the parts, and put them on a dish ; season with a pinch
of salt, half a pinch of pepper, and a tablespoonful of oil ; roll
them in well, then put them to broil with the bills stuck into
the breasts, and let them cook for four minutes on each side ;
prepare a hot dish with toast, arrange the snipe over, spread maitre
d'hotel butter on top ; garnish the dish with a little watercress,
and serve.

Canvas-back Ducks Boasted. Select two fine fat canvas-
back ducks, singe, and clean well ; throw a pinch of salt inside,
run in the head from the end of the neck to the back, truss nicely,
and place in a roasting pan. Sprinkle a little salt over, put them
in a brisk oven, and let cook for twenty minutes ; arrange on a
very hot dish, untruss, throw two tablespoonfuls of white broth
into each duck, and serve with slices of fried hominy and cur-
rant jelly.

Canvas-back Ducks Broiled. Select two fine fat canvas-
back ducks ; split them through the back without detaching
them, and lay them on a dish to season with a good pinch of salt,
half a pinch of pepper, and a tablespoonful of oil. Roll them in
well, and allow them to broil seven to eight minutes on each side.
Put them on a hot dish, spread over some maitre d'hotel butter,
garnish nicely and serve.

POULTRY.

To Fry Chickens. Cut the chickens in small pieces. Then
take half butter and half lard, and heat it. Pepper, salt and flour
the chickens, and fry them brown. When done, take them out
and put them on a dish. Take some of the lard from the frying
pan, as there will be too much for the gravy, mix with the rest
some cream and parsley. Boil up, and pour it over the chickens.

Pressed Chicken. Fricassee your chicken, taking care to
brown the skin nicely, and season to taste. When done, set by
to cool. Then after removing all the bones, take a chopping
knife and chop finely, leaving in all the oil of the fowl ; if this be
not enough, add a piece of butter. Then pack closely in a dish,
as you wish it to go to the table.

Chicken Jelly. Cut up a fowl as for fricassee, boil until
tender, take out the chicken, and chop it in small pieces. Then
to the broth add a little pepper, salt and summer savory. Dis-
solve one-half ounce of gelatine, and stir it with the broth in a
bowl. When it begins to congeal, add the chicken, and pour the
whole into a mould.

Roast Chicken with Chestnuts. Use the chicken boiled for
chicken and rice soup, or dress a small fowl carefully, and boil it
gently until it is tender, in sufficient water to cover it ; while the
chicken is being boiled, either boil or roast enough chestnuts to
fill it ; if the nuts are to be roasted, make a cross cut on each to
prevent the bursting of the shell ; remove the shells and skin of
the chestnuts, fill the chicken with them, and brown it quickly,
either before an open fire or in a hot oven, basting it every five

248 Cooking and Hoifcekeeping Simplified.

minutes with butter, salt and pepper mixed together ; serve the
chicken as soon as it is brown.

Chicken Croquettes. One boiled chicken, chopped yery fine
and seasoned with pepper, salt and a very little nutmeg. Put
into a saucepan a piece of butter the size of an egg, one table-
spoonful of flour, two eggs and one-half tumbler of cream. Mix
till smooth. Then boil till the flour is cooked, taking care not to
let it turn dark; if too thick, add a little more cream. Mix this
with the chicken while warm ; then shape the croquettes, and put
them on the ice to harden. When cold, roll them in egg beaten
with crumbs, and fry in lard.

Jellied Veal or Chicken. Put some veal on to boil, with a
little salt. When well cooked, mince it very fine, and add a little
of the liquor, with some pepper, thyme, summer savory rubbed
fine, and a little mace. To one quart of the, liquor that is left
add one-half ounce of Cox's gelatine, and if it is not clear, put in
the whites of one or two eggs. Put some of it in the bottom of
some moulds, add the veal pressed in them, fill the top with jelly.

Terrapin Teal. Cold veal cut in dice, six hard-boiled eggs
chopped, one wine glass of wine, ~ne cup of cream, pepper, salt
and spice. Serve hot.

Chicken Quenelles. Mix together half a cupful each of the
soft part of bread and of cooked chicken meat chopped fine.
Season with salt and cayenne, and moisten it with enough raw
yolk of egg to bind it, so that little egg-shaped pieces can be
made ; roll them in egg and cracker dust, and fry in butter.

Boiled Chicken. Carefully pluck and draw a tender chicken,
singe it, wipe it with a wet towel, cut off the head and feet, and
truss it for boiling; put the chicken over the fire in sufficient
water to cover it, with a level tablespoonsful of salt, and a tea-
spoonful of peppercorns or a small red pepper. Boil the chicken
until it is tender, then serve it with cream onion sauce. A fowl
boiled very gently for about four hours, or until it is tender, and

Poultry* 249

served with cream onion sauce, makes an economical and palata-
ble dish. The chicken or fowl may be boiled until nearly tender
enough to serve, then taken from the broth, put into a saucepan
with the onion sauce, and the cooking finished in this way.

Chicken Pie. Joint the chickens, which should be young
and tender; boil in just enough water to cover them; when
nearly tender, take them out of the liquor, and put them in a
deep pudding dish lined with pastry; to each layer of chicken
put three or four slices of pork ; add a little of the liquor in
which they were boiled, and two ounces *of butter cut in small
pieces sprinkle a little flour over the whole ; cover with pastry,
and bake in a quick oven.

Fricasseed Chicken. Cut young chickens, and lay them in
milk and water for about one hour. Then drain on a sieve, and
rub each piece with flour. Gravy : Rub together one spoonful
of flour and one spoonful of butter ; add a little salt, nutmeg,
pepper and two-thirds of a wine glass of white wine; then add
one pint of cream. Let the whole simmer till the flour is cooked.
Pour this over the chicken, which should have been fried in sweet
lard till nicely browned. Do r >t pour the gravy over it till just
ready to send to the table.

Smothered Chicken. After dressing the chicken, cut it
open at the back, sprinkle with salt, pepper and little lumps of
butter. Put in a baking pan, cover with another pan, and bake
one hour. Baste often with butter.

Baked Chicken Pudding. Cut up a pair of young chickens,
and season them with pepper, salt, a little mace and nutmeg.
Put them into a pot with two large spoonfuls of butter, and water
enough to cover them. Stir them gently, and when half cooked,
take them out and set them away to cool. Pour off the gravy,
and reserve it to be served separately. Make a batter of one
quart of milk, six eggs well beaten, flour and a little salt. Put a
layer of chicken in the bottom of a deep dish, and pour over it

250 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

some of the batter; then another layer of chicken, and more
batter, until the dish is full, having a cover of batter on the top.
Bake to a light brown. Break one egg into the gravy which
you have set away ; give it one boil, and serve as sauce to be
eaten with the pudding.

FORMULAS FROM FOREIGN CHEFS.

The following formulas for preparing chicken are from foreign
chefs :

Chicken Croquettes a la Italienne. Make a croquette prepa-
ration, using any formula. Then roll them into any croquette
shape desired ; dip each one separately into beaten eggs, then
fresh bread crumbs or cracker dust ; fry them on a good hot fire
for nearly five minutes; then put them into a colander and
drain them thoroughly. Place them on a hot dish, and serve
with some nice meat or chicken sauce.

Chicken Legs a la Italienne. Cut the legs from three or
four nice-sized chickens ; clean them well, put in vessel and let
them boil for ten minutes; remove from stove, allow to cool,
then season to suit the taste; add two tablespoonfuls of nice sauce
and half a teaspoonful of ground mustard ; mix well in this, then
roll them into fresh bread crumbs and put them on fire to broil
for four or five minutes on each side. Put on hot dish, pour
over some nice gravy or sauce; garnish nicely with greens and
lemons, and serve.

Chicken Pot-pie. Take a fine chicken weighing about four
pounds, singe and clean thoroughly, and cut into twelve even
pieces. Put these into a saucepan, and cover them with cold
water ; leave them in one-half hour, then wash well, drain, and

Poultry from Foreign Chefs. 251

return them to the saucepan. Cover again with fresh water,
season with two pinches of salt, one pinch of pepper, and a third
of a pinch of nutmeg ; add a bouquet of herbs, six small onions,
and four ounces of salt pork cut in square pieces. Cook for
three-quarters of an hour, taking care to skim well, then add one
pound of raw potatoes, and three tablespoonfuls of flour diluted
with a cupful of cold water. Stir until it boils, then let cook
for ten minutes. Remove the bouquet and transfer the whole
to a deep earthen baking dish; moisten the edges slightly with
water and cover the top with a good pie-crust. Egg the sur-
face.

Chicken Livers Stewed in Madeira Wine. Take one pound
of chicken livers; clean them well with a cloth, then fry them in
a pan, with two tablespoonfuls of butter, on a brisk fire, for five
minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and half a pinch of pepper,
add half a glass of madeira wine, reduce for one minute, then
pour over about half a pint of Universal sauce (see page 208).
Cook again for three minutes, then add one tablespoonful of good
butter and the juice of half a lemon, tossing well without letting
it boil; pour the whole on a hot serving dish, and serve with
some heart-shaped pieces of fried bread.

Chicken Roasted, Plain. Singe and clean nicely a large
chicken. Cover it with a thin slice of salt fat pork, and place it
in a roasting pan with two tablespoonfuls of broth. Spread a
little butter over the breast, sprinkle on half a pinch of salt, and
put it in the oven to cook for fifty to sixty minutes. Baste it
frequently, and arrange it on a hot dish and decorate with a
little watercress. Strain the gravy into a sauce bowl, and send
it to the table.

Chicken Livers with Bacon. Procure twelve fresh chicken
livers ; dry them well with a clean cloth, season with half a pinch
each of salt and pepper, and cut each liver in two. Now prepare
four slices of lean bacon, broil them for one minute, then cut

252 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

each slice into six pieces. Take six skewers, run a skewer
through the center of the liver, the same with a piece of bacon,
and continue the same process until the six skewers are each one
rilled with a piece of liver and a piece of bacon. Roll them on a
dish with one tablespoonful of good oil, dip them in fresh bread
crumbs, and put them on a moderate fire to broil for five minutes
on each side. Arrange them on a hot dish, pour over two
ounces of maitre d'hotel butter (see page 212), and serve with
some nice garnish.

Chicken Broiled with Bacon. Select two fine tender spring
chickens; singe, clean thoroughly and cut the heads off, then
split them without separating. Place them on a dish, sea-
son with one pinch of salt, half a pinch of pepper, and one
tablespoonful of sweet oil; turn them well in the seasoning.
Put them to broil for ten minutes on each side. Prepare slices
of small toasts on a hot dish, arrange the two broiled chickens
over, spread half a gill of maitre d'hotel butter on top (see
page 212), and decorate with thin slices of broiled bacon, and
serve hot.

Chicken Sante a la Eugene. Clean well and cut into pieces
two small tender chickens. Lay them in an oiled pan, and
brown slightly on both sides for five minutes, seasoning with a
good pinch of salt and half a pinch of pepper. Pour over half a
pint of Universal sauce (see page 208) and quarter-pint of mush-
room liquor. Add twelve mushroom buttons and two truffles
cut in thin slices, also half a glassful of madeira wine. Let cook
for twenty minutes, then serve with six fried eggs and some
small pieces of fried bread cut into heart-shapes.

Chicken a la Maryland. Select two small tender spring
chickens, leave the half of one aside for other use, and detach the
legs and the wings ; lay them on a plate, season with a good
pinch of salt and half a pinch of pepper, then dip them in beaten
egg and afterward roll them in fresh bread crumbs. Place them

Poultry from Foreign Chefs. 253

in a buttered pan, pour an ounce of clarified butter over, and
roast in the oven for eighteen minutes. Pour half a pint of cream
sauce (see page 211) onto a hot serving dish, arrange the chicken
nicely on top, and decorate with thin slices of broiled bacon ; also
six small corn fritters. Serve as hot as possible.

Chicken Boiled a la Cleveland. Singe and clean well two
small chickens ; truss them from the wing to the leg with a needle,
and broil them in good broth for three-quarters of an hour. Pre-
pare a pint of Spanish sauce (see page 210) with the broth of the
chickens, adding a half-cup of small pieces of boiled carrots, the
same of cooked Lima beans or flageolets, and let all cook together
for four minutes. Dish up the chickens, untruss them and pour
the sauce over, arranging the vegetables on each side. Serve
with chopped parsley.

Chicken Saute a la Francaise. Singe and clean well two
small chickens, cut them into twelve pieces, put them in a pan
with two tablespoonfuls of oil and one chopped shallot. Let brown
well for five minutes, then pour over half a glassful of white wine,
adding three artichoke bottoms, each one cut into four pieces.
Season with a pinch of salt and half a pinch of pepper, then put
the lid on and let simmer slowly for fifteen minutes ; when ready
to serve, add a little meat glaze (see page 209), the juice of
half a lemon, and a teaspoonful of chopped parsley. Dish up
the pieces nicely arranged, and garnish with the artichoke bot-
toms in clusters, and twelve small cooked potatoes.

Chestnut Stuffing. One tablespoonful of butter, one-quarter
pound of sausage meat, one dozen finely chopped mushrooms,
one dozen finely chopped cooked chestnuts, one teaspoonful of
chopped parsley, one finely chopped shallot ; place pan on stove,
put in the butter and then add the shallot and let heat for a few
minutes without browning, then add the meat and cook five min-
utes longer ; then add all the other ingredients, season to suit the
taste with salt and pepper and allow to come to a boil ; then

254 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

add one tablespoonful of bread crumbs and twenty-four whole
cooked chestnuts, and it is ready to use for stuffing purposes.

To Roast Turkey. Clean and wash well a nice fat turkey-
one about a year old is the best, salt and pepper it inside and out,
take about one quart of dry bread crumbs, one-half tea cup of
butter cut in pieces (not melted), two stalks of celery cut in pieces,
salt and pepper ; mix all together thoroughly. Drain one pint
of oysters, then fill the turkey ; first put in a tablespoonful of the
dressing, then a few oysters, and continue this until the turkey is
full. Lay it in the dripping pan, sprinkle flour over it, strain the
oyster liquor and use it to baste the turkey with. A ten-pound
turkey will require three hours' cooking in a moderately hot oven.
Cook the giblets tender, chop fine and then add them to the gravy.

Fried Turkey. Cut from the breast of a raw turkey slices of
meat, roll in flour; have in frying pan some hot butter, lay the
meat in, salt and pepper it, and fry until it is a light brown ; it
cooks very quickly and will be as tender as a partridge. If you
wish to bake the rest of the turkey you can do so ; spread some
dressing over the part taken out, and it will not be noticed.

Boiled Turkey. Select tender turkey, singe and clean well,
and truss with a needle from the wing to the leg ; put it into a
vessel and let cook for sixty minutes, removing to a hot serving
dish ; decorate with hot slices of cooked ham and two cupfuls of
cooked spinach ; pour over some hot broth, garnish nice and serve
hot. You can garnish with either oyster sauce, celery sauce, egg
sauce and boiled or roasted chestnuts.

Boiled Turkey a la Baltimore. Serve a boiled turkey as de-
scribed ; garnish it with half a head of cooked cauliflower, one
good-sized cooked carrot cut in slices, and six cooked small
onions, all neatly arranged around the dish, with a cupful of
Spanish sauce (see page 210) served separately.

Hashed Turkey. Take a pound and a half of dice- shaped
pieces of cooked turkey ; place them in a saucepan with a pint of

Poultry from Foreign Chefs. 255

Napoleon sauce (see page 207), three tablespoonfuls of mushroom
liquor, and two truffles cut in square pieces. Season with one
pinch of salt, half a pinch of pepper and the third of a pinch of
nutmeg. Let all heat together for ten minutes, then serve with
heart-shaped pieces of fried bread ; garnish nicely around the
dish and serve.

Hashed Turkey a la Creme. Proceed the same as above, sub-
stituting one pint of cold fresh cream and a tablespoonful of
fresh butter for the sauce, also omitting the truffles, reducing the
cream with the hash to one half, which will take five minutes.
Pour on a hot dish and serve.

Boiled Turkey. Choose a tender hen turkey weighing about
seven pounds ; have it carefully plucked, singed and wiped with
a wet towel ; cut off the head and feet, draw it without breaking
the intestines ; either stuff it with equal quantities of stale bread
and oysters, seasoned with salt and pepper, or truss it unstuffed ;
put it over the fire in sufficient boiling water to cover it, remove
all scum as it rises, and boil the turkey gently for about two
hours, or until it is tender. While the turkey is being boiled,
carefully remove all bits of shell from a quart of medium-sized
oysters, and strain their liquor.

Turkey with Oyster Sauce. When the turkey is nearly done,
put in a saucepan over the fire two level tablespoonfuls of flour
and two heaping tablespoonfuls of butter, and stir them together
until they bubble ; then gradually stir in the oyster liquor and
enough broth from the turkey to make a sauce of the consistency
of cream ; season it palatably with salt and white pepper, and let
it boil for a moment ; put the saucepan containing the sauce into
a pan of hot water, and place it on the back of the fire to keep
hot until just before dishing the turkey ; then put in the oysters,
and let them boil once ; meantime dish the turkey, remove the
trussing cords, pour a little of the oyster sauce over it, and serve
it with the rest of the sauce in a boat.

256 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Boiled Turkey with Celery Sauce. Dress the turkey as di-
rected in the preceding recipe, substituting celery, washed and
chopped, for the oysters, both in the stuffing and in the sauce,
and taking care that the celery used for the sauce is very white
and tender.

Boned Turkey. Select a fine tender turkey weighing from
eight to ten pounds ; singe and clean well, wiping the interior;
make an incision along the back, boning from the neck down
toward the breast on both sides, being careful not to make any
incisions in the skin, as it should remain perfect Make an in-
cision from the first joint, then bone both legs ; cut away also,
very carefully, the two wing bones ; season the inside with one
pinch of salt and half a pinch of pepper evenly divided ; place it
on a dish, and lay it in the ice box until needed. Take two
pounds of lean raw veal, three pounds of fresh pork, and half a
pound of larding pork, all cut up into dice-shaped pieces ; season
with two pinches of salt, one pinch of white pepper, the third of
a saltspoonful of grated nutmeg and the same quantity of thyme;
mix all well together; place all in the chopping machine and
chop it exceedingly fine, repeating the process, if necessary, until
it is chopped to perfection. Should there be any sinews among
the ingredients, remove them all ; place on a cold dish and put
away in the ice box to cool until the following is prepared : Have
ready a quarter of a pound of the red part of a cooked smoked
beef tongue, cut in dice- shaped pieces half an inch square ; take
some forcemeat from the ice box, and thoroughly mix the tongue
with it, pouring in also a wineglassful of madeira wine ; take the
turkey from the ice box, spread it on a clean table skin side
downward; then with a keen knife cut away even slices from the
breasts, arrange them on the thin, so that the turkey shall have
an equal thickness all over ; place the forcemeat right in the cen-
ter of the turkey, column shaped, leaving a clear space of two
inches at each end and of four inches at each side ; spread on a

Poultry from Foreign Chefs. 257

table a strong, clean napkin, sprinkling over it a little cold water ;
fold up first both ends of the turkey, then both sides, so that the
four ends should be enveloped ; gently lift and lay it right in the
center of the napkin ; roll it carefully in the napkin ; tightly tie
one end first, then the other, as firmly as possible, taking in the
slack of the napkin ; place it in a large saucepan on the hot
range, with the carcass and whatever bones and debris pertain to
it completely covered with cold water, place the lid on, and when
coming to a boil thoroughly skim it, then add one medium-sized
sound scraped carrot, and one well-peeled onion with three
cloves stuck in ; season with one pinch of salt, and then let boil
on a moderate fire for fully two and a half hours ; remove the
galantine with a skimmer ; let cool a little, so that it can be eas-
ily handled ; cut the strings at both ends ; roll it over again as
before, and tightly tie both ends exactly as before ; lay it in a
flat tin pan, placing on top of it a board the size of the boned
turkey, and on top of it a weight of seven pounds, leaving the
weight on until the galantine is thoroughly cold, which will take
a whole night ; but avoid placing it in the ice box until thor-
oughly cold ; two days after the preparation it will be ready for
use, keeping it in the ice box in the same napkin in which it was
cooked.

Boast Goose. Parboil for two hours ; then fill with seasoned
mashed potatoes, lay in dripping pan, add salt and pepper, pour
over one coffee cup of hot water ; baste often. Serve with cran-
berries.

Boast Duck. Parboil for two hours, as that takes away its
strong taste, before putting to roast ; sprinkle with salt and pepper ;
make a dressing by using six sour apples, peeled, quartered and
cored, and cook until about half done ; add a cup of bread crumbs,
some powdered sage, an onion cut in very thin slices, a pinch
of cayenne pepper ; mix together and fill the duck, and roast.
Garnish with celery tops.

258 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Brown Gravy for Roast Goose or Gosling. After the

gosling is roasted or baked, pour nearly all the fat out of the pan,
but do not pour away the brown part of the drippings ; put the
pan over the fire, stir into it a heaping tablespoonful of flour, and
let the flour brown. Then stir in a pint of boiling water, season
the gravy palatably with salt and pepper, let it boil for a moment,
and then serve it with the gosling.

The giblets, cooked as directed in the recipe for giblet gravy
given below, may be added to this gravy. In that case, the
broth in which the giblets were boiled would be used instead of
boiling water to make the gravy.

Giblet Gravy for Boast Goose or Gosling. Skin the head
and neck of the gosling ; remove all pin feathers from the tips of
the wings ; scald and scrape the legs and feet, after cutting off
the claws ; clean the heart and gizzard, and cut away the gall
from the liver ; put them all into a saucepan with enough boiling
water to entirely cover them, with salt and pepper in a palatable
quantity, and boil them until the gosling is nearly done ; then
remove all the bones and chop the flesh and skin. Save the
water in which they were boiled ; put over the fire in a saucepan
a heaping tablespoonful each of butter and flour, and stir them
until they are brown ; gradually stir in the chopped giblets and
broth. If there is not enough broth to make a gravy of the
proper consistency, add a little boiling water ; season the gravy
palatably with salt and pepper, let it boil for a moment, and
serve with the roast gosling.

Salmi of Duck a la English. Select two fine ducks ; singe
and clean well, wipe neatly, and cut off the wings, legs and breasts ;
put them in a saucepan, sprinkle a little salt over, and put it in
the oven to cook for six minutes ; remove them and hash them
up. Put them back into a saucepan with a pint of white broth
(see page 206) and a small bouquet of herbs (see pagr 193), and
let cook on moderate fire for fifteen minutes. Put *wo table-

Poultry from Foreign CJiefs. 259

spoonfuls of butter in a pan, lay in the wings, legs and breasts,
then season with a pinch of salt and half a pinch of pepper; cook
on a very brisk fire for three minutes on each side, then add
half a glassful of madeira wine and one cupful of Universal sauce
(see page 208), and the juice of a lemon ; strain the gravy of
the carcasses over, and let all cook again for fifteen minutes.
Dress nicely on a hot dish and decorate with six heart-shaped
pieces of fried hominy, and serve.

EGGS, OMELETS, ETC,

Eggs are one of the most nutritious articles of food, as they
contain a highly concentrated form of nitrogenous matter, nearly
one-third of their weight being solid nutriment; and for that
reason they are highly recommended by all physicians for the
sick and convalescent.

Composition of the yolk : Water, 52.0; mineral matter, 1.3;
fatty matter, 30.7; nitrogenous matter, i.o.

Composition of the white: Water, 68.0; mineral matter, 1.6;
fatty matter, o.o; nitrogenous matter, 20.4.

How to Choose Eggs. Use only eggs that are fresh ; reject
those you have reason to believe are old and stale, as they are the
means of impairing the digestive organs.

To Test Eggs. The best methods known, without using a
mechanical appliance, are : Shake the egg gently near the ear
if a gurgling noise is heard, it is bad ; or hold egg to light if
transparent or the yolk can be traced, it is good ; if cloudy, it
is stale. Another good way is to make a solution of one table-
spoonful of salt to one quart of water if eggs sink they are good ;
if they rise they are stale. The reason of this is, that a fresh egg
is almost full of matter, and as it ages the matter gradually
evaporates through the porous shell; the egg matter, becoming
less dense with time, consequently will rise to the surface of the
water when old, and when stale will float on top of the water.

How to Keep Eggs. Most authorities concede that the
smaller end should be placed down in packing them, and in order
to keep them the pores must be closed. The following recipes
are considered the best known :

Omelets, etc. 26 1

FORMULA 1.

To Make the French Preservative Elixir and Medicated Paper, for Pre-
serving Fruits, Vegetables, Fish and Eggs for Months by Simply
Wrapping or Coating Them.

Melt five ounces of stearine at a gentle heat (don't get it hot
or boiling), then stir in thoroughly two ounces of carbolic acid,
after which add five ounces of melted paraffine (don't throw in
the wax, but melt it first) ; stir the whole well together until it
cools (taking vessel with mixture off from stove when stirring the
last time), and seal tight in jars or crocks until ready for use. If
you wish to make the medicated paper, melt this mixture again
at a gentle heat, and take quires of white or manilla wrapping
paper and apply with a brush over paper. If you wish simply to
use the elixir to coat vegetables and eggs with, melt the mixture
as described and apply with brush to the outside ; never apply
while hot, but when it is just cool enough to use without being
waxy or too gummy.

FORMULA 2.

To Make Preservative Paper by the Use of the French Preservative
Elixir described in Formula 1.

Take a quire of paper, opening it flat upon a table, going over
it quickly with a hot smoothing iron against which is held a piece
of the medicated wax described in Formula I, which, melting,
runs down upon the paper and is absorbed by it. A little prac-
tice will determine the amount of wax that should be melted off
from time to time. When the upper sheet is saturated it is taken
off, and one below is treated in same manner. This paper will
be found very useful in making small pipes air-proof, also for
tying up the necks of bottles, covering preserve jars, and for
enveloping tobacco, eggs, fruits and other substances that require
to be kept from air, replacing generally tin foil and similar sub-
stances. The elixir (made as in Formula i), when allowed to
cool a sufficient time, will make this wax. White or manilla sheets

262 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

of wrapping paper is best to use ; don't have the paper too thin
or transparent. It is better to put the wax on this way than de-
scribed in Formula i.

By packing the eggs in the preservative paper as described
in Formula 2, better results are obtained than coating the eggs.
After the eggs are wrapped, pack them in cork dust ; it excludes
the air better than sawdust, and is a non-conductor of heat or
cold. Pears, apples, quinces and other hard fruits packed in this
way when in prime condition will keep a long time.

If you have not cork dust (druggist will order it for you), salt
is the next best to pack eggs in.

Eggs with Cream. This dish is quickly prepared, if one has
cold boiled eggs. Cut in halves and arrange them cut side down-
ward on a buttered pie plate. Pour over a sauce made of cream
thickened with a little corn-starch and seasoned with salt and
pepper. If you have any scraps of cold meat, chop fine and mix
in the sauce. Over the whole grate a hard-boiled yolk, and you
have an attractive and appetizing dish.

Baked Eggs. Break as many eggs as you wish for your
meal on a platter; sprinkle over with salt, pepper and lumps of
butter. Set in the oven and bake from five to eight minutes.

Poached or Dropped Eggs. Break each egg into a saucer by
itself. Have a shallow pan half filled with scalding, not boiling,
water on the stove. If desired, a little salt and a teaspoonful of
lemon juice may be added. Slip the eggs gently from the saucer
upon the top of the water, holding the edge of the saucer under
water to prevent the eggs from scattering ; dip the water over
them with a spoon and let them stand five minutes, or until the
yolk is covered with a film and the white is firm but not hardened ;
keep the water just below the boiling point Take out the eggs
one by one on a skimmer, and serve in egg saucers, or on slices
of nicely browned toast moistened with a little sweet cream, as

, Omelets, etc. 263

preferred. If one is especially particular to keep the shape of
the eggs, an egg poacher should be used ; or a set of muffin
rings may be laid in the bottom of the pan, and the eggs turned
into the rings.

Steamed Eggs. Butter patty pans or egg cups, break an egg
in each one and place them in steamer over a kettle of boiling
water ; let them steam until the whites are well cooked.

Eggs and Macaroni. Break fifteen whole sticks of macaroni
into two-inch lengths, and put to cook in boiling water. While
the macaroni is cooking, boil the yolks of four eggs until mealy.
The whole egg may be used if cooked so the yolks are mealy
and the whites simply jellied, not hardened. When the macaroni
is done, drain and put a layer of it arranged loosely in the bot-
tom of an earthen pudding dish. Slice the cooked egg yolks,
and spread a layer of them over the macaroni. Fill the dish
with alternate layers of macaroni and egg, taking care to have
the top layer of macaroni. Pour over the whole a cream sauce
prepared as follows : Heat one and three-fourths cups of rich
milk to boiling, add one-fourth teaspoonful of salt and one heap-
ing spoonful of flour rubbed smooth in a little cold milk. Cook
until thickened, then turn over the macaroni. Sprinkle the top
with grated bread crumbs, and brown in a hot oven for eight or
ten minutes. Serve hot.

Egg Omelet. Beat together in a cup one teaspoonful of
flour and a little milk ; when the flour is smooth fill the cup half
full of milk. Break four eggs in a bowl and pour the flour and
milk into the eggs. Stir just enough to break the yolks, but not
to beat them ; have the frying pan buttered and hot, pour this
into it and cover it ; when it begins to cook roll it up like a
jelly roll, and as soon as cooked take it out on a hot platter.
Serve hot and with as little handling as possible.

Scrambled Eggs. Beat four eggs lightly, add a little salt if
desired, and half a cup of milk or cream. Have ready a hot

264 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

oiled saucepan ; turn the eggs in and cook quickly, stirring con-
stantly until firm, but soft.

Pickled Eggs. One pint of vinegar, twelve eggs, one tea-
spoonful of cinnamon, one teaspoonful of allspice, one teaspoon-
ful of mace ; put the spices in a muslin bag and boil in half-pint of
water ; boil the eggs hard and remove the shells ; mix the vine-
gar and the water the spices were boiled in together and pour
over the eggs.

Stuffed Eggs. Boil eggs hard, remove the shells, cut one end
ofFand take out the yolk ; chop some ham very fine, season with
salt and pepper, and mix thoroughly with part of the yolks and
fill the egg with it ; replace the end cut off. You can fill the
eggs with sardines or any kind of meat you choose.

Poached Eggs with Ham. Have ready about a quarter of a
pound of cold boiled ham, in one piece, trimmed free from fat; make
a dish of very delicate buttered toast ; break half a dozen eggs into
separate cups, without breaking the yolks ; put over the fire a
frying pan half full of boiling salted water, add half a cupful of
vinegar to it, slip the eggs gently into it without breaking them,
and cook them to the required degree ; while the eggs are being
cooked, grate the ham ; when the eggs are done, take them
up on a skimmer, slip each one on a slice of toast, lay a table-
spoonful of grated ham on each egg, and serve them at once.

Plain poached eggs are served on toast without the addition
of the grated ham.

Eggs poached in gravy are very good.

Shirred Eggs. This form of cooking eggs is a modification
of baking them. Small earthen dishes are used, each one hold-
ing an egg; the dishes are buttered, an egg put into each one
without mixing the white and the yolk, and a little salt and pep-
per dusted over the eggs ; the dishes are then placed upon the
back of the stove, or in a moderate oven, until the whites of the
eggs are set ; the dishes are then sent to the table, and the eggs

Omelets, etc. 265

eaten from them. When the eggs are cooked in the oven, they
should be covered with a buttered paper to prevent the brown-
ing of the surface.

Broiled Eggs. Make as many small slices of toast as there
are eggs, lay them on a platter, butter them, and on each one
put an egg, first broken into a cup ; set the dish before the fire
where the heat will strike the eggs, and let them cook to the re-
quired degree ; when the eggs are done, squeeze over them the
juice of a sour orange, season them lightly with salt and cayenne,
and serve them hot.

Bice Omelet. Melt a tablespoonful of butter, add it to a cup-
ful each of milk and cold boiled rice, a level teaspoonful of salt,
and three well-beaten eggs ; put a tablespoonful of butter in a
hot frying pan and melt it ; when the butter is melted, pour into
the pan the ingredients already mixed, set the pan in a hot oven
and quickly bake the omelet. As soon as it is cooked, fold it
double, turn it out on a hot dish and serve it at once.

Omelet with Jelly. Put a frying pan over the fire to heat,
with a teaspoonful of butter ; beat separately the yolks of three
eggs with a teaspoonful of sugar, and the whites to a stiff froth ;
when the butter is melted, mix the whites and the yolks gently
together and put them into the hot pan ; as fast as the omelet
cooks, lift the cooked portion from the pan with a fork, and throw
it upon one side of the pan, letting the uncooked part down upon
the hot pan. When the omelet is cooked to the desired degree,
put a tablespoonful of jelly in the middle, fold the omelet together
and turn it out on a hot dish ; dust it with powered sugar and
serve it.

Pineapple Omelet. Have ready a tablespoonful of fresh-
grated pineapple or of pineapple preserve ; mix together three
eggs, a teaspoonful of lemon juice, and a tablespoonful of sugar;
put into a hot buttered pan, and cook as directed in the recipe
for sardine omelet, until it is ready to fold ; then put in the pine-

266 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

apple, fold the omelet together and turn it out on a hot dish ;
dust it with powered sugar and serve at once.

Omelet with Mushrooms. Use either fresh or canned mush-
rooms ; heat a tablespoonful of chopped canned mushrooms in
enough white sauce to moisten them ; or clean three fresh mush-
rooms of medium size, and fry them in just enough butter to
prevent burning, seasoning them palatably with salt and pepper.
While the mushrooms are being heated, beat for half a minute
three whole eggs, a level saltspoonful of salt and very little pep-
per ; put a smooth frying pan over the fire, with a teaspoonful of
butter; when the butter begins to brown, pour in the beaten egg ;
as soon as the egg sets upon the bottom of the pan, break it a
little with a fork occasionally, and allow the uncooked portion
of the egg to reach the pan ; do not break the outer edge of the
omelet, and do not stir it all together like scrambled eggs. When
the omelet is cooked to the desired degree, put the mushrooms
in the middle, fold the omelet together by lifting one-half on a
broad flexible knife and laying it over the other ; then loosen it
entirely from the pan, turn it without breaking it, and serve it at
once.

FRENCH AND ITALIAN METHODS.

Sardine Omelet. Have ready over the fire a frying pan con-
taining two tablespoonfuls of olive oil ; remove the skin and bones
from two sardines, and cut them in half-inch lengths ; beat three
eggs, with half a saltspoonful of salt and a slight dust of cayenne
pepper, for a minute ; have ready half a teaspoonful of lemon
juice or vinegar; when the oil is hot, pour the eggs into the pan,
place it over the fire, and with a fork slightly break the omelet
on the bottom as it cooks, so that the uncooked portion can run
upon the pan ; do not tear the edges of the omelet. When the

Eggs, etc.: French and Italian Methods. 267

omelet is cooked to the required degree (and it should not be
too well done), lay the sardines on one side of it, pour the lemon
juice or vinegar over them, fold the omelet together, enclosing
them, and then turn it out on a hot dish and serve it at once.
All omelets should be served the moment they are done, as they
harden by standing, and should never be overdone.

Turkey, Goose and Duck Eggs. Put the eggs into a bowl
filled with boiling water for five minutes, keeping the bowl
covered tight and in a hot place ; then pour off the first water,
replace it with more boiling water, and let stand for five minutes
longer; serve them like ordinary boiled eggs. Or, actually boil
the eggs for five minutes. Either of these methods will cook the
eggs medium hard. From ten to fifteen minutes' boiling will
cook the eggs hard, according to their size. Duck eggs will
cook in less time than turkey or goose eggs.

Tomato Omelet. Break twelve fresh eggs in a bowl, season
them with a pinch of salt and half a pinch of pepper, and beat
thoroughly for four minutes. Place two ounces of butter in a
frying pan on a hot stove, let it heat well without browning, then
pour into it half a pint of freshly cooked stewed tomatoes, sup-
pressing all the liquid. Cook for two minutes, then throw the
beaten eggs over, and with a fork mix the whole gently for three
minutes; let rest for one minute longer. Bring up the two
opposite sides, turn it carefully on a hot dish, and serve.

Oyster Omelet. Blanch eighteen oysters to boiling point in
their own water ; drain and return them to the saucepan, moist-
ening with half a pint of Spanish sauce (see page 210) ; season
with half a pinch of salt. Make a plain omelet with twelve eggs;
bring the sides toward the center, and fill with the oyster prepara-
tion. Turn it on a hot dish, pour the rest of the sauce around,
and serve very hot.

Omelet with. Fine Herbs. Break twelve fresh eggs into a
bowl, add a pinch of finely chopped parsley, half a pinch of

268 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

chopped tarragon and half a pinch of chives; also, if desired,
half a cupful of sweet cream. Beat the whole thoroughly without
stopping for four minutes ; melt one ounce of good butter in a
frying pan on the hot stove ; when it is melted and begins to
crackle, pour in the eggs, and mix them gently with a fork
while they cook for three minutes ; let them rest for one minute,
then bring them toward the center, turn it on a hot dish and
serve.

Cheese Omelet. Put one ounce of butter in a frying pan,
heat it on the hot stove. Break twelve eggs into a bowl, beat
thoroughly for four minutes, adding two tablespoonfuls of grated
Swiss cheese, half a pinch of salt and half a pinch of pepper.
Pour the whole into the frying pan, and make an omelet; turn
it on a hot dish, and besprinkle the top lightly with a very little
Parmesan cheese; place in the oven for two seconds, then serve.

Omelet with Bum or Brandy. Make a sweet omelet as
described, and when completed pour around and over it the
liquor and set on fire, and serve while liquor is burning.

Eggs a la Gordon. Cut six hard-boiled eggs lengthwise,
remove the yolks, and place them in a bowl with two tablespoon-
fuls of good butter, half-teaspoonful of anchovy essence. Beat
well together and fill the whites with it, besprinkle with bread
crumbs and pour over a few drops of clarified butter ; put them
in a buttered dish and place in oven for three or four minutes,
and serve with some madeira sauce (see page 210).

MEATS.

BEEF.

Boast Beef. Roast beef can be prepared before an ordinary
range or cooking stove by using a tin case, open on the side
toward the fire, called a Dutch oven ; any large box of tin bright
enough to reflect the heat will serve for this purpose, if it has a
bottom tight enough to retain the drippings from the meat.
The regular Dutch oven is provided with a hook, upon which
the meat is hung ; if it has to be otherwise supported, the best
method is by a rack, which will raise the meat to about the mid-
dle of the oven, where the heat is the most regular. Wipe the
beef with a wet towel after it has been trimmed by the butcher,
suspend it in the Dutch oven, and place it before the fire where it
will brown quickly; after it is brown, season it with salt and
pepper; if a frothed surface is desired, dust the beef with dry
flour, and then moisten it with drippings every fifteen minutes,
after it is brown ; allow fifteen minutes to a pound for roasting
beef medium rare before a hot fire. When the beef is done, put
it on a hot platter, and quickly make the gravy as follows, or do
this before taking up the beef: Put over the fire in a frying pan,
dripping pan or saucepan, two tablespoonfuls of beef drippings
and one of dry flour, and stir them until they are brown ; then
gradually stir in a pint of boiling water and a palatable season-
ing of salt and pepper. Let the gravy so made boil for one minute,
and then serve it with the beef.

Beef a la Mode. Take a large piece from the round ; make
holes in it and put in each hole a little strip of fat salt pork ; let

270 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

each end project out ; then put the meat in a bowl and add to
it one teaspoonful of peppercorns, one teaspoonful of whole
cloves, half a cupful of sliced carrots, half a cupful of sliced onions
and one-half a cupful of sliced turnips ; do not use salt ; cover
with equal parts of vinegar, let stand several hours or it will be
better for standing two or three days ; take it out of the pickle ;
have butter hot in frying pan, lay it in and fry, then put in two
tablespoonfuls of flour; turn it over and over; when brown, cover
with hot water and cook slowly. Salt to taste.

Beef Croquettes. Chop very fine some cold cooked beef,
mix with it about twice the quantity of hot mashed potatoes well
seasoned with butter and salt ; beat up an egg, and stir all to-
gether well ; then form the mixture into little balls, flatten them
a little, roll in egg and cracker crumbs ; fry in butter until they
are a nice brown ; serve hot.

Spiced Beef. Four pounds of raw beef chopped with one-
half pound of suet; add one-half pint bread crumbs, one tea-
spoonful of butter, two eggs, four tablespoonfuls of cream, one
teaspoonful of salt, one-half teaspoonful pepper ; two teaspoon-
fuls of summer savory ; mix all this thoroughly and form into a
loaf, using flour to bind it ; bake in a pan, and baste often with
butter and water. Serve cold, cut in thin slices ; garnish with
slices of lemon.

Pressed Beef. Boil a shank of beef until it falls from the
bone ; remove the bone and boil down ; season well with salt
and pepper, and a bit of sage if you like ; pour into a bowl. This
is excellent cold.

Beef Pie with Potato Crust. Cut in small pieces enough
cold cooked beef to half fill a baking pan, put the pieces in a
stew pan, and make a nice gravy over it ; season highly with salt
and pepper and butter and a bit of sliced onion, cover it, and
let cook gently ; make a rich biscuit dough, cover bottom and
sides of baking pan, and pour in meat and gravy until the dish is

Meats: Beef. 271

half full ; then fill the dish with potatoes that have been well
mashed and beaten up with milk and butter until very light ;
brush over with a beaten egg ; place in oven and brown ; serve
with tomato sauce.

Pounded Beef. Boil a shin until the meat falls readily from
the bone ; pick it to pieces ; mash it very fine ; pick out all the
hard bits ; set the liquor away, and when cool take off all the
fat ; then boil the liquor down to one and one-half pints ; then
return the meat to it ; while it is hot add salt and pepper, and
any spice you choose ; let it boil a few minutes, stirring all the
time ; put it into a deep dish to cool ; cut in thin slices, and use
cold.

Beefsteak Pie. Wash the meat and cut into small pieces ;
stew in enough water to cover until nearly cooked ; slice six
cooked potatoes, line a baking dish with pie crust dough ; put in
a layer of the meat with salt and pepper and a few pieces of
onion sliced very thin, then a layer of the potatoes with bits of
butter over them, then another layer of the meat, and so on until
the dish is full; add the gravy, having first thickened it with
flour ; cover with a top crust, make a hole in the middle for the
steam to escape, brush a little beaten egg over it, and bake until
brown.

Fried Beefsteak with Onion Sauce. Choose a tender steak
cut from the round ; if the beef is not tender, put it, early in the
evening, on a meat dish containing sufficient sweet salad oil and
vinegar mixed together to cover the dish, and thoroughly moisten
both sides of the beefsteak ; turn the steak over at bedtime. In
the morning, heat a frying pan hot enough to sizz when the
steak touches it ; put in the steak and quickly brown it on both
sides ; when it is brown, set the pan where the heat is not too
great, and cook the steak to the required degree ; meantime fry
the onions as directed in the recipe given below. When the
beefsteak is done, put it on a hot dish, season palatably with salt

272 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

and pepper, and keep it hot. Into the pan where the beefsteak
was fried put the fried onions and all the gravy they yield; add
sufficient water to make them semi-liquid ; break them up with
a fork, season the sauce palatably with salt and pepper, pour
it over the beefsteak and serve the dish hot.

Brown Onion Sauce. Peel one pint of onions, slice them
into a frying pan with two heaping tablespoonfuls of butter and
fry them brown ; then add a pint of any good gravy or broth
and a palatable seasoning of salt and pepper ; serve this sauce
with broiled or fried beefsteak or chops.

Pan-broiled Steak. In the absence of the necessary appli-
ances for broiling over coals, the following method may be
employed. Heat a clean skillet to blue heat, rub it with a bit of
suet, just enough to keep the meat from sticking, but leave no fat
in the pan. Lay in the steak, pressing it down to the pan, and
sear quickly on one side ; turn and without cutting into the meat
sear upon the other. Keep the skillet hot, but do not scorch ;
cook from five to ten minutes, turning frequently, so as not to
allow the juices to escape. Add no salt until done. Serve on
hot plates. This method is not frying, and requires the addition
of no water, butter or stock.

Beef Omelet. One and a half pounds of beefsteak (the
round), take it raw and chop it fine ; season well with salt, pep-
per, sweet majoram or summer savory. Beat two eggs thoroughly
and add to the beef; mix all together, roll it up closely, put it
into a dripping pan, and bake nearly one hour. It is to be eaten
cold for tea, cut in thin slices like tongue.

Frizzled Beef. Shave off very thin slices of smoked or dried
beef, put them in a frying pan, cover with cold water, set it on
the back of the range or stove, and let it come to a very slow
heat, allowing it time to swell out to its natural size, but not to
boil. Stir it up, then drain off the water. Melt one ounce of
sweet butter in the frying pan, and add the wafers of beef.

Meats: Beef. 273

When they begin to frizzle or turn up, break over them three
eggs ; stir until the eggs are cooked ; add a little white pepper,
and serve on slices of buttered toast.

Stewed Steak with Oysters. One pint of oysters, one and
a, half pounds of beefsteak, three tablespoonfuls of butter, one
tablespoonful of flour, one tablespoonful of lemon juice, one cup
of water, salt and pepper to taste. Put the water in a stew pan,
then put in the oysters, rinse them around well, skim out the
oysters, and place the liquor on the stove to heat ; as soon as it
comes to a boil skim it and set on back of stove. Put the but-
ter in the frying pan, and when hot put in the steak ; cook
about ten minutes ; take out the steak, and stir the flour into the
butter in the frying pan ; stir until it is a dark brown, then pour
in the oyster liquor and let boil up well ; season with salt and
pepper ; put back the steak, cover and simmer thirty minutes,
then add the oysters and lemon juice. Serve on hot dish ; gar-
nish with pickles and parsley.

Spiced Beei Tongue. Rub into each tongue a mixture made
of half a pound of brown sugar, a piece of saltpetre the size of a
pea, and a tablespoonful of ground cloves; put it in a brine
made of three-quarters of a pound of salt to two quarts of water
and keep covered. Pickle two weeks, then wash well and dry
with a cloth ; roll out a thin paste made of flour and water, smear
it all over the tongue and place in a pan to bake slowly ; baste
well with lard and hot water ; when done scrape off the paste,
and skin.

Boiled Tongue. Wash a tongue, put it into enough cold
water to cover it ; let it soak over night The next morning
wash it, put it over the fire in enough fresh cold water to cover,
and boil gently until very tender; then remove the skin, return
it to the liquor it was boiled in, and let it cool there. This will
make it very tender and juicy.

Baked Tongue. Boil the tongue as directed in the preceding

274 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

recipe, and after the skin is removed, dust it with bread or
cracker crumbs, and brown it in a hot oven.

Beef Tongue with Tomato Sauce. Wash the tongue well
and boil until tender, then peel ; make a sauce by using one can
of tomatoes, one onion, one carrot, salt and pepper, and a spoon-
ful of flour; cook well and strain, and pour over the tongue.
Serve hot.

Beef Heart. Let soak in a weak brine twenty-four hours.
Put it in kettle, pour boiling water over it, and cook four hours.
When tender, have a dressing prepared with bread crumbs,
melted butter, salt and pepper, and stuff the heart. Put in the
oven about twenty minutes to cook the dressing. When cold,
slice very thin ; serve with jelly.

Liver Bolls. Pour boiling water over the sliced liver, and
let it stand five minutes ; take it out, cut the skin off, and season
each slice with salt and pepper ; also put a small piece of fat salt
pork on each slice and roll up. Wind a string around it and tie.
Have ready a stew pan with a tablespoonful of meat drippings or
butter, and lay the rolls in and brown them ; sprinkle in a table-
spoonful of flour, stir them around, cover with water, and cook
thirty minutes ; if necessary, season more. Serve hot.

New England Dumplings. One quart of corn-meal, half a
teaspoonful of salt ; wet up with cold water until it is stiff, make
into little balls, put them in a kettle, pour boiling water over
them, and boil hard for nearly an hour. Serve with meats.

Deviled Kidneys. One teaspoonful of mustard, one salt-
spoonful of salt, a pinch of pepper, three tablespoonfuls of oil,
one teaspoonful of vinegar. Mix all this together and dip the
sliced kidneys in it and broil them. After they are broiled dust
a little cayenne pepper on them.

Fricasseed Tripe. Cut in strips one pound of tripe ; put
over it a cup of water, butter the size of an egg rubbed smooth
with one large teaspoonful of flour. Season with salt and

Beef from French and Italian Chefs. 275

pepper ; let all simmer for thirty minutes. Serve hot. It is im-
proved by putting in a few oysters just before taking up.

To Fry Beef Liver. Put the liver in a pan and pour boiling
water over it, then take it out, peel the edges off, roll in flour,
and fry in butter. Sprinkle a little salt over it.

FROM FRENCH AND ITALIAN CHEFS.

The sauces mentioned will be found in Fish and Meat Sauces,
pages 199-212. As garlic and leeks are disliked by Americans,
we have omitted same in all foreign dishes.

Stewed Beef a la Francaise. Prepare two pounds of small
square cuts of beef, brown them with two onions cut in square
pieces, adding two tablespoonfuls of flour, cooking for six minutes.
Stir well and add one quart of white broth and one gill of
tomato sauce. Put in also one pint of raw potatoes cut in
quarters, and let cook thoroughly for twenty- five minutes, with a
bouquet of herbs, a good pinch of salt and half a pinch of pepper,
also one crushed garlic ; then serve. You can use onion instead
of garlic if preferred.

Tripe a la Mode. Take one raw double tripe, one ox foot,
three calf s feet, all well washed and cleansed several times in
fresh water, cutting them in pieces two inches long by one square.
Have an earthen pot or a saucepan, put pieces of feet at the bot-
tom, cover over with tripe, then a layer of sliced carrots and
onions, and continue the same until the vessel is full, carefully
seasoning each layer. Tie in a cloth a sprig of thyme, two bay
leaves, twelve whole peppers and six cloves ; put this in the
middle of the pot, add a bottle of cider or white wine, and a
little brandy; lay on the top the stalks of some green leeks,
parsley roots, and cabbage leaves; cover and fasten it down

276 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

with paste, so that the steam cannot escape, and leave it for
about ten hours in a very slow oven. Take it from the oven and
serve when required.

Tripe a la Lyonnaise. Cut up a pound and a half of double
tripe, also two onions, and brown them in a pan with one ounce
of clarified butter until they assume a fine golden color. Drain
them, put them back on the fire, add one tablespoonful of vinegar
and a gill of Universal sauce. Stew for two minutes longer ; and
serve with a pinch of chopped parsley sprinkled over. One gill
is four ounces, or one-half coffeecupful.

Roast Beef. Six pounds of loin or fore-ribs of beef, one-half
cupful water, one-half cupful stock or bouillon, salt to suit taste ;
time, one hour. To roast the beef, place the beef in a stove pan,
sprinkle some salt over ; add the water and bake in a warm oven
for one hour, while basting frequently.

The best sauce to be served with the roast beef is its own
gravy, which you make as follows : When you have taken the
roast beef from the pan, add one glass stock or water, let boil for
one or two minutes on the range or stove; while stirring, skim
the floating grease off, and pass this gravy through a fine strainer.

When the roast beef is served as a releve, it should be accom-
panied by some vegetable as a garnish, especially with potatoes
fried in butter, potato croquettes, stuffed tomatoes, etc. If served
as a roast, it should be accompanied by salad.

Allow about fifteen minutes for each pound of meat you desire
to roast

To make Stock or Bouillon for Soups and Cooking Pur-
poses. This is very nourishing for the sick or convalescent, and
is nice to use in cooking meats instead of using water.

To prepare one gallon of bouillon, to be kept for cooking
purposes : Seven pounds beef, two pounds veal, half a fowl, two
carrots, one turnip, some celery, one onion, six quarts water ; time,
from four to four and one-half hours.

Beef from French and Italian Chefs. 277

Let the cold water from the faucet run freely over your beef
and veal, so as to wash them from all impurities. Put them in a
kettle with the quantity of water given cold water and not hot or
warm, taking care that the water covers the meat well but does
not reach higher than two inches from the edge of the kettle.
Allow to boil slowly while skimming until clear. It will prove
advantageous to add from time to time one spoonful of cold
water, which will facilitate and accelerate the separation of the
scum. When the stock is clear (after half an hour) add your
vegetables, which should have been pared only a little while be-
fore to be fresh, and let boil for two hours. Take the veal out
of the pot, as all juices will have been extracted from it, add the
fowl and let the soup boil slowly for another three hours. Take
the floating grease off, and pass through a strainer or napkin.

If it happens that your stock is not clear, having perhaps
boiled too quickly, you may clarify it as follows: Put your
kettle on the corner of the range, so that though very hot it
doesn't boil. Break into a bowl or saucepan two eggs with
their shells, beat with about one-half pound chopped meat and
one cupful of water. Add while beating three glassfuls of stock
and pour the whole in the kettle while stirring. Filter stock
through a piece of cheese cloth ; put in stone crocks, covering
mouth of crocks with cotton batting, and put in a cool place.

Braised Beef a la Francaise. Procure a rump piece of beef
weighing three pounds, lard it with four large pieces of salt pork,
seasoned with a pinch of chopped parsley and a crushed garlic.
Lay the beef in a saucepan, with pieces of salt pork or fat at the
bottom, add one sliced onion, the round slices of a carrot, one
sprig of thyme and a bay leaf; season with a pinch of salt and
half a pinch of pepper ; cover and brown it well on both sides
for ten minutes. Add a cupful of white broth and a cupful of
Universal sauce, then cook for one hour. When finished, lay it
on a dish, garnished with six stuffed cabbages. Skim off the fat,

278 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

strain the gravy, and pour the sauce over, or else serve it in a
separate sauce bowl.

Minced Beef a la Italienne. Cut into small slices a piece of
beef weighing nearly two pounds ; place them in a saucepan, add
two chopped onions and two tablespoonfuls of oil ; allow this to
brown about five minutes, then add two tablespoonfuls of flour
and three cups of white broth. Stir well, add two sliced toma-
toes and some finely shred mushrooms, season with salt and
pepper, cover the pan and allow to cook for nearly twenty-five
minutes. Then serve on hot dish, garnished with pieces of fried
bread.

Beefsteak Pie a la Anglaise. Slice two pounds of lean beef
in half-inch square slices, add two sliced onions and stew together
in a saucepan with one ounce of butter for ten minutes ; stir in
two tablespoonfuls of flour and mix well ; add one quart of water
or white broth, still stirring. Season with salt and pepper and
add a bouquet of herbs ; let cook for twenty minutes, take out
the bouquet, and fill a deep dish with the above preparation.
Cut two hard-boiled eggs in slices and lay them on top, cover
with pie crust, glaze the surface with egg yolk, and bake a light
brown color for about eight minutes in the oven ; then serve.

Sirloin Steak a la Francaise. Select two nice sirloin steaks
of one pound each; season them with salt and pepper. Baste on
both sides with half a tablespoonful of oil, and put them on a
broiler over a bright charcoal fire ; broil them for six minutes on
each side, and then place them on a hot serving dish. Pour two
cupfuls of meat sauce or gravy over the steaks, being careful
to have the rounds of marrow on top of the steaks unbroken,
and serve very hot Broiled sirloin steaks are all to be prepared
as above, only adding different sauces or garnishings.

Smoked Beef a la Creme. Take from one to one and a half
pounds of minced smoked beef; put in a stew pan with a table-
spoonful of butter, cook for two minutes, and moisten slightly

Beef from French and Italian Chefs. 279

with half a cupful of cream, adding two tablespoonfuls of Napoleon
sauce, and serve as soon as it boils. No seasoning necessary.

Sirloin Steak Larded. Procure a piece of four pounds of
tender sirloin, pare and trim it nicely, taking out the bones ; lard
it over the top with a small larding needle, and season with salt
and pepper. Line a baking dish with some pork skin, one medium-
sized sliced carrot, half a bunch of well-cleaned and pared parsley
roots, one peeled sound sliced onion, one sprig of thyme and a
bay leaf. Place the sirloin on top, and put it in the oven to
roast for thirty minutes. Take from out the oven, dress on a hot
dish, set on back of stove ; add a cupful of white broth to the
gravy and allow to boil for two minutes ; skim off the fat, strain
the gravy into separate bowl, and serve.

Tenderloin Pique a la Franchise. Procure four pounds of
tenderloin ; pare it well and lard it, using a fine needle. Line
the bottom of a roasting pan with some pork skin, one sliced
onion, one sliced carrot and half a bunch of well-washed parsley
roots. Place the tenderloin on top ; add a pinch of salt, and
roast in a brisk oven for thirty-five minutes, basting it occasion-
ally with its own juice. Dish it up, skim the fat off the gravy,
then strain it over the fillet and pour half a pint of good madeira
sauce over, and garnish with potatoes.

Tenderloin Pique a la Portugaise. Roast four pounds of
tenderloin as above, lay it on a hot dish, arrange six stuffed
tomatoes around the tenderloin at equal distances. Put in a
saucepan half a pint of tomato sauce and allow it to boil for
two minutes ; pour into a sauce bowl and serve separately.

Porterhouse Steak. Procure two porterhouse steaks of one
and a half pounds each see that they are cut from the short
loin flatten them well, pare and trim, and season with one
pinch of salt and half a pinch of pepper. Put them on a dish
with half a tablespoonful of oil; roll well and put them on a mod-
erate fire to broil seven minutes on each side. Lay them on a

280 Cooking and Housekeeping' Simplified.

warm dish, pour over one gill of maitre d'hotel butter. Garnish
nicely with watercress or other greens, and serve hot.

Hamburg Steak. Take two pounds of lean beef the hip
part is preferable remove all the fat, and put it in a chopping
machine; then lay it in* a bowl, adding a very finely chopped
shallot, one raw egg for each pound of beef, a good pinch of salt,
half a pinch of pepper, and a third of a pinch of grated nutmeg.
Mix well together, then form into six flat balls the size of a small
fillet. Roll them in fresh bread crumbs, and fry them in the pan
with two tablespoonfuls of clarified butter for two minutes on
each side, turning them frequently and keeping them rare.
Serve with any of the meat sauces preferred.

Corned Beef Hash a la Polonaise. Brown two onions in
a saucepan with one ounce of butter ; add one pound of cooked
well-chopped corned beef and one pint of hashed potatoes.
Moisten with a gill of broth and a gill of Universal sauce.
Season with half a pinch of pepper and a third of a pinch of nut-
meg; stir well and let cook for fifteen minutes, then serve with
six poached eggs, and sprinkle over with a pinch of chopped
parsley.

Roulade of Beef a la Ecarlate. Procure six pounds of fine
brisket of prime beef; roll it up as close as possible, so as to have
it very firm, then firmly tie it around. Put in a saucepan one
sound peeled onion, one well-washed and scraped sound carrot,
both cut into thin slices, one sprig of thyme, one bay leaf, three
cloves and a few shreds of larding pork. Place the roulade over
all. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan very tightly to
prevent steam from escaping. Should the lid be loose, place a
weight on top of it. Place it on a moderate fire, and let it
gently simmer for twenty minutes in all. Remove the lid, add
two glasses of white wine and one gill of white broth. Cover
very tightly again, place in the hot oven, and let braise for fully
two hours. Remove from the oven, untie, dress on a hot dish.

Meats; Veal. 281

Skim the fat off the gravy, strain the gravy into a pan, and reduce
it on the hot range to one-half. Cut up an ounce of cooked
smoked beef tongue into cock's- comb shape, one good-sized
sound sliced truffle and six mushrooms. Place all these in a pan
on the fire, with half a wineglassful of madeira wine, letting boil
for one minute. Strain the reduced gravy of the roulade over
this ; add half a gill of tomato sauce and half a gill of Universal
sauce ; cook again for five minutes, then pour into sauce bowl
and serve it separately. (See Sauces, pages 199-212, for white
broth or any other sauce mentioned.)

VEAL.

Veal Roast. Select nice solid veal ; put in dripping pan and
pour one pint of hot water over it. Bake thoroughly; allow
half an hour to a pound. Garnish with sprigs of parsley and
serve with currant jelly.

Veal Pot-pie. A piece from the rib is good for pot- pie. Cut
it in small pieces and put in a kettle. Place a small plate in
bottom of kettle first, pour in water enough to cover well; season
with pepper, salt and butter. Half an hour before serving chop
in small pieces of biscuit dough, cover closely and boil for twenty-
five minutes. Take out with a skimmer carefully. Be sure the
meat is well covered with water before the dumplings are put in.

Veal Boll. Two pounds pork steak chopped fine, three
pounds veal chopped fine, ten crackers rolled, one tablespoonful of
parsley, six eggs, salt and butter. Mix all thoroughly and bake
one hour ; spread eggs and cracker over it, and set in the oven
to brown.

Marbled Veal. Take some cold roasted veal; season with
spice ; beat in a mortar. Skin a cold boiled tongue ; cut up and

282 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

pound it to a paste, adding to it nearly its weight in butter. Put
some of the veal into a pot, then strew in lumps of the pounded
tongue, put in another layer of the veal, and again more tongue.
Press it down and pour melted butter on top. This cuts very
prettily, like veined marble.

Braised Veal. Take a piece of the shoulder weighing about
five pounds. Have the bone removed and tie up the meat to
make it firm. Put a piece of butter the size of half an egg, together
with a few shavings of onion, into a kettle or stone crock and let
it get hot. Salt and pepper the veal and put it into the kettle,
cover it tightly and put it over a medinm fire until the meat is
brown on both sides, turning it occasionally. Then set the kettle
back on the stove, where it will simmer slowly for about two
hours and a half. Before setting the meat back on the stove,
see that the juice of the meat together with the butter will make
gravy enough, and if not, put in about two tablespoonfuls of hot
water. When the gravy is cold it will be like jelly. It can be
served hot with the hot meat, or cold with the cold meat.

Veal ( ollops. Cut cooked veal in pieces about the size of an
oyster, rub on each piece salt, pepper and a little mace, dip in
beaten egg, then in cracker crumbs, and fry in butter. This re-
sembles oysters very much both in looks and taste.

Fried Veal Chops with Tomatoes. Roll the chops in beaten
egg and then in cracker crumbs ; put in frying pan two table-
spoonfuls of beef drippings, and when hot lay in the chops, season
with salt and pepper, and let cook until they are well done ; take
up on a platter, and slice in the grease left in frying pan a few ripe
tomatoes ; serve all from the same platter.

Veal Scallops. Put a layer of finely chopped cold meat in
the bottom of a baking dish, with a little salt and pepper sprinkled
over it and a few bits of butter added ; then a layer of bread
crumbs and another of meat, proceeding in the same manner
until the dish is full, the upper layer to be crumbs plentifully

Meats: Veal. 283

moistened with milk in which an egg has been beaten. Before
adding the top layer, pour in gravy enough to keep the meat
moist. Bake three-quarters of an hour. Any cold meat may be
used.

Boiled Fillet of Teal. Select a nice fillet, wash and wipe
dry; prepare same as for roasting, or stuff it with an oyster force-
meat, cover with water and let it boil gently for four hours; skim
it when necessary. Serve with cream sauce ; garnish with celery.
Boiled tongue should be served with it.

Veal Patties. Cut the veal into very small pieces, also a
little salt pork cut fine ; stew together for fifteen minutes, season
with salt and pepper and a stalk of celery chopped coarsely ; stir
in a paste made of a tablespoonful of flour, the yolk of one egg
and milk, to make a thin batter ; let it all come to a boil and it is
ready for the patties. Make the patties of a flaky crust, as for
tarts ; make about the size of the center of a small sauce plate,
or about three inches ; cut half way through, to be raised and
serve as a cover ; put a spoonful of the stew in each crust, lay on
the top and serve. Oyster patties may be made the same way.

Minced Veal. Chop fine three and one-half pounds of a leg
of veal; add one teaspoonful of black pepper, one tablespoonful
of salt, one nutmeg, four crackers rolled fine, apiece of butter the
size of an egg, and three eggs well beaten ; mix well together
and pack closely in a buttered basin, and bake slowly for two
hours. Then turn it out, and when cold cut in thin slices for
the table.

Veal Omelet. Take three pounds of veal chopped fine, six
rolled crackers, three well-beaten eggs, two large tablespoonfuls
of cream, and one spoonful of salt, one teaspoonful of white pep-
per ; use sage, thyme or sweet marjoram if you like ; mix all
well together, form into one or two loaves, set in oven. Baste
with butter and water while baking; bake one and one-half hours.

Veal Loaf, Three pounds of chopped veal, one pound of

284 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

pork, four eggs, one dozen crackers rolled, pepper, salt, and a
little cinnamon and cloves if you like. This must be mixed up
by hand and packed in a tin pan. Bake one hour. While bak-
ing dip off the fat with a spoon.

Stewed Calf's Liver. Cut the liver up in small pieces, pour
boiling water over it ; drain the water off and put it in a kettle,
-boil until done, season high with salt and pepper, thicken with a
tablespoonful of flour made smooth in a little water.

Calf s Liver and Bacon. Slice the liver a quarter of an inch
thick ; pour hot water over it, and let it remain for a few minutes
to clear it from blood ; then dry it in a cloth. Take a pound of
bacon, or as much as you require, and cut the same number of
thin slices as you have of liver ; fry the bacon to a nice crisp ;
take it out and keep it hot ; then fry the liver in the same pan,
having first seasoned it with pepper and salt and dredged in a
little flour ; lay it in the hot bacon fat and fry it a nice brown.
Serve it with a slice of bacon on the top of each slice of liver.

Brunswick Stew. Two chickens (squirrels if preferred), one
quart of tomatoes peeled and sliced, one pint of butter (or Lima)
beans, six potatoes parboiled and sliced, one quart of corn cut
from the cob, one-half pound of fat salt pork, one teaspoonful of
ground black pepper, one-half teaspoonful of cayenne, one gal-
lon of water, one tablespoonful of salt, two teaspoonfuls of white
sugar, two cups of cream or milk, two heads of celery cut fine.
Put on the water with the salt in it, and boil five minutes. Then
put in the onions, beans, corn, pork or bacon cut into shreds,
potatoes, pepper and the chickens. Cover closely and stew two
and one-half hours very slowly, stirring frequently from the bot-
tom. Then add the tomatoes and sugar, and stew an hour
longer. Ten minutes before you take it from the fire, add the
milk and celery. Give a final boil ; taste to see if seasoned to
your liking, and turn into soup tureen. It is eaten from soup
plates.

FROM FRENCH AND ITALIAN CHEFS.

We have omitted the leek and garlic commonly used in
the preparation of most of these dishes; the sauces and herbs
mentioned can be found in Fish and Meat Sauces, pages 199-212.

Broiled Teal Cutlets. Cut six even veal cutlets from a fine
piece of the loin of white veal, pare them and flatten them slightly ;
lay them on a dish, and season with a tablespoonful of salt, a
teaspoonful of pepper, and one tablespoonful of sweet oil. Turn
the cutlets around several times, then put them on the broiler to
broil for eight minutes on each side. Remove them from the
fire ; arrange them on a hot dish, spread a little maitre d'hotel
butter over them (see page 2 1 2), and send to the table.

CalPs Liver Broiled with Bacon. Take a nice, tender,
fresh calf's liver weighing a pound and a half; pare and trim off
the hard portions ; cut it into six equal- sized slices, and put them
on a dish. Season with a tablespoonful of salt, and a teaspoonful
of pepper, and one tablespoonful of sweet oil ; mix well together.
Broil for four minutes on each side. Arrange the slices on a hot
serving dish, and decorate with six thin and crisp slices of broiled
bacon. Spread a gill of maitre d'hotel butter over, and serve
very hot.

Calf's Liver Stewed a la Italienne. Cut two pounds of calf s
liver into small pieces. Put them with two tablespoonfuls of
clarified butter into a pan on the hot range, with one peeled and
finely chopped sound onion, and a clove of crushed garlic.
Season with one pinch of salt and half a pinch of pepper. Cook
well for five minutes, shuffling the pan well meanwhile, then
moisten with half a glassful of white wine and a gill of Universal
sauce. Add six chopped mushrooms, and cook once more for
three minutes. Serve with a teaspoonful of finely chopped
parsley. (See page 208.)

286 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

CalPs Feet.--Split three calf s feet in two ; take out the large
bone, and put them in fresh water for one hour. Wash thorough-
ly, drain, and place them in a pan, with two tablespoonfuls of
flour and three quarts of cold water. Stir well ; add a gill of
vinegar, one onion, one carrot (all cut in shreds), twelve whole
peppers, a handful of salt, and a bouquet of herbs and cook brisk-
ly for one hour and a half. Drain well, and serve with any kind
of sauce required.

How to Blanch Sweetbreads or Tongue. Clean and trim
three pairs of fine sweetbreads. Soak them for three hours in
three different fresh waters, one hour in each water, with one
pinch of salt in each water. Drain, place in cold water, and
blanch them until they come to a boil. Then drain, and freshen
them in cold water. Cover with a napkin, lay them aside in a
cool place, and they will then be ready for general use.

Sweetbreads Braised. Take four or five blanched heart
sweetbreads, lard the upper parts slightly, and put them in a pan
with some slices of pork skin. Add half a sliced carrot, half a
sliced onion, and a bouquet of herbs. Sprinkle over them a
pinch of salt, and cover them with a buttered paper. Reduce to
a golden color, and add one cupful of white broth. Cook it in
the oven for forty minutes, basting occasionally with the gravy,
lifting the buttered paper, and replacing it each time in the same
position. The sweetbreads will now be ready to serve with any
kind of sauce or garnishing desired. Always place the sauce or
garnishing on a hot serving dish, and lay the sweetbreads over it,
then send to the table. (See herb bouquet, page 193, and white
broth, page 206.)

Veal Stew a la Francaise. Cut three or four pounds of lean
veal from the breast or shoulder into pieces, and place them in a
stewpan with two tablespoonfuls of butter, two tablespoonfuls of
sweet oil, and one chopped onion. Cook them for ten minntes,
stirring occasionally ; add two tablespoonfuls of flour, stir again,

Veal from French and Italian Chefs. 287

pour over one quart of white broth. Season with salt artd pepper,
and add six minced mushrooms, and a bouquet of herbs. Cook
for forty minutes, and serve on a hot dish, sprinkling a little
chopped parsley over it.

Teal Chops a la Italienne (entree). Four to five veal chops,
one teaspoonful bread crumbs, one egg, four tablespoonfuls but-
ter, four tablespoonfuls cheese. Dip the chops in beaten eggs,
roll them in bread crumbs, mixed with minced cheese and fry
them in butter. Place the chops in a warm dish, pour over the
butter in which they have been fried and serve with macaroni.

Veal Cutlets a la Eugenie. Chop well two or three times in
the machine two pounds of lean veal, from the hip if possible;
place the meat in a bowl with two ounces of finely chopped, raw
veal suet. Season with one good pinch of salt, half a pinch of
pepper, and the third of a pinch of nutmeg. Add half a cupful of
good cream, one chopped shallot and two raw eggs. Mix well
together. Shape six pieces like chops, sprinkle them with bread
crumbs, and fry in a stewpan with two ounces of clarified butter
for four minutes on each side. Serve with a gill of any kind of
sauce.

Loin of Teal with Cream. Five pounds veal loin, one table-
spoouful butter, one and one-half tablespoonful flour, one pint
milk, one-quarter cup grated cheese. Salt and pepper to suit the
taste. Roast the loin, and in the meantime prepare a cream
sauce as follows : Melt in a saucepan the tablespoonful butter and
mix with the flour. Add salt and pepper to suit the taste, then
the milk ; boil six minutes, stirring continually ; when the sauce is
quite thick place it aside in a warm but not too hot place. Half
an hour before serving carve the loin in thick slices, then recon-
struct the whole loin by placing sauce between its slices. Pour
the remaining portion of the sauce over, sprinkle the grated
cheese on this and bake in an oven and serve with a gravy apart.

Teal Chops with French Peas. Five to six veal chops, one-

288 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

half cup of butter. Melt the butter in a stewpan, fry the chops
for about twenty minutes turning them frequently. Place chops
on a warm dish, pour over the sauce in which they have been
fried and serve with the French peas.

Broiled Teal Liver. Take from two and one-half to three
pounds of veal liver, slice in small pieces. Dip into melted maitre
d'hotel butter ; let broil on good fire and serve.

Baked Teal Liver. Take about three pDunds of liver and
lard it with one-quarter of a pound of bacon cut in long strips ;
put in a pan, add one ounce of butter and let it brown on both
sides. Add a half glassful of white wine and a half teacupful of
good stock or bouillon. Season with salt and pepper to suit the
taste ; add a sliced onion, a sliced carrot. Cover the pan tightly
and allow to cook slowly for about one and one-half hours,
basting frequently. Take out the liver, serve in a hot dish and
pour the juice over through a fine sieve.

Broiled Veal Kidney. Five veal kidneys, three tablespoon-
fuls butter, one-half handful parsley. Cut each kidney in two
parts endwise, in such a way as to open them but not to divide
entirely. Sprinkle some salt and pepper over them, dip them in
melted butter and let broil on bright fire. Add a little lemon
juice ; serve on hot plate garnished with parsley and other greens.

LAMB AND MUTTON.

Roast Lamb. After a quarter of lamb is trimmed, wipe it
with a wet towel, put it in front of the fire, or in a very hot oven,
and brown it quickly; after it is brown, season it with salt and
pepper, dust it with flour, and baste it with the drippings every
fifteen minutes, if a frothed surface is desired ; allow the lamb to
cook about twenty minutes to a pound. Serve the lamb with

Meats: Lamb and Mutton. 289

gravy made by browning together two tablespoonfuls of its drip-
pings and one of dry flour, and then stirring with them a pint of
boiling water, and a palatable seasoning of salt and pepper ; as
soon as the gravy boils, serve it. Mint sauce may be served with
roast lamb, made by mixing together a cupful each of vinegar
and sugar, and half a cupful of chopped green mint.

Saddle of Lamb Roasted. The saddle of lamb is simply
the two loins cut off before the carcass is split open down the
back ; it is best when roasted before an open fire, but it may be
nicely cooked in a very hot oven. If it is of medium size, it will
cook in an hour and a half; but if it is large, it will require nearly
two hours. It is first to be exposed to intense heat until it is
browned; then it is to be seasoned with salt and pepper, and
every fifteen minutes to be basted with the drippings which fall
from it. When the lamb is cooked, dish it on a hot platter, and
serve cucumber sauce in a gravy-boat with it.

Broiled Lamb Cutlets with Mint Sauce. Mix together on
a platter four heaping tablespoonfuls of finely chopped fresh mint,
one of sugar, and four of vinegar ; lay lean lamb cutlets on this
dressing or pickle, dust them with pepper, let them stand half
an hour and then turn them ; at the end of the hour put them
without wiping, between the bars of a buttered double wire grid-
iron, and broil them quickly over hot fire. While the cutlets are
being broiled, turn the chopped mint from the dish into a sauce-
pan with two tablespoonfuls of sugar and four tablespoonfuls of
vinegar. Let these ingredients boil up, and then serve the sauce
with the cutlets ; the broiled cutlets are to be served hot, as soon
as they are done, on a hot dish, with a little salt, pepper and but-
ter over them.

Lamb cutlets may be broiled plain, and dressed with salt,
pepper and butter.

Mutton Bolls. Take nice mutton steak ; on each slice lay a
spoonful of dressing, made with bread crumbs, one egg, butter,

290 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

salt, pepper and a little sage. Roll the mutton over it and tie
together to keep the dressing in ; put a little hot water and but-
ter in a dripping pan, and lay the rolls in and bake in hot oven
for three-quarters of an hour ; baste often ; when tender take up
on hot platter; thicken the gravy with flour and water, and pour
over the rolls ; garnish with parsley.

Broiled Mutton Chops. After the chops are trimmed, put
them as close to the fire as possible, and quickly brown them on
both sides ; after the chops are browned, move the gridiron con-
taining them far enough from the fire to prevent burning, and
cook them to the desired degree at a hot fire ; chops an inch
thick will cook medium rare in about ten minutes; after the
chops are done, season them with salt and pepper, put a little
butter over them, and serve them hot.

Fried Mutton Chops. Put a frying pan over the fire, and
heat it so that the chops will siss when they are put into it.
After the chops are trimmed, put them in the hot pan, and quickly
brown them on both sides; chops generally have enough fat upon
them to prevent burning; when tlje fat is excessive, most of it
should be cut off, and tried out to use as drippings ; after the
chops are cooked to the desired degree, season them with salt,
pepper and a little butter, and serve them hot. If the pan is hot
enough they will cook medium rare in about twelve minutes.

Koast Lamb with Sorrel Sauce. Have the bone cut from
shoulder of lamb without mangling it ; replace the bone with
crumbs of bread, highly seasoned with salt and pepper, and tie
the roast to prevent filling from falling out ; put it into a dripping
pan and bake in a hot oven ; when the meat is nearly done sea-
son with salt and pepper and cook until tender. Serve with sor-
rel sauce.

Roast Shoulder of Lamb. A nice way to cook a shoulder
of lamb is to bone it, and fill the space with a stuffing made of
chopped mushrooms, parsley, salt pork, cracker crumbs, some

Meats: Lamb and MtMon. 291

sweet herbs, pepper and salt and a raw egg. Braise it with
some good stock gravy, and send it to the table surrounded by
spinach, garnished with slices of egg.

Leg of Mutton with Oysters. Parboil fat oysters and mix
with them some parsley, minced onions and sweet herbs boiled
and chopped fine, and the yolks of two hard-boiled eggs. Cut
five or six holes in the fleshy part of a leg of mutton, and put in
the mixture ; dress it as follows : Tie it up in a cloth and let it
boil gently two and a half or three hours, according to the size.

Braised Leg of Mutton. This recipe can be varied either
by preparing the leg with a stuffing placed in the cavity after
having the bone removed, or cooking it without. Having lined
the bottom of a thick iron kettle or stew pan with a few thin slices
of bacon, put over the bacon four carrots, three onions, a bunch
of savory herbs; then over these place the leg of mutton.
Cover the whole with a few more slices of bacon, then pour over
half a pint of water. Cover with a tight cover and stew very
gently for four hours, basting the leg occasionally with its own
liquor, and seasoning with salt and pepper as soon as it begins to
be tender. When cooked strain the gravy, thicken with a spoon-
ful of flour (it should be quite brown), pour some of it over the
meat and send the remainder to the table in a tureen to be served
with the mutton when carved. Garnish the dish around the leg
with potatoes cut in the shape of olives and fried a light brown
in butter.

Lamb Sweetbreads with Tomato Sauce. Wash the sweet-
breads well in salt and water and parboil fifteen minutes ; when
cool, trim them; have in frying pan just a little butter, lay the
sweetbreads in, and toss them about until they are a nice brown.
Season with salt and pepper and serve with tomato sauce. See
sauces.

Scalloped Mutton and Tomatoes. Place in bottom of gran-
ite baking dish a layer of bread crumbs, then a layer of cold

292 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

cooked mutton cut in thin slices, then a layer of tomatoes peeled
and sliced ; as each layer is placed in, season it with salt, pepper
and bits of butter ; have the top layer of tomatoes spread over
with bread crumbs; bake forty-five minutes and serve at once.

Pressed Lamb. The meat, either shoulder or leg, should be
put to boil in the morning with water just enough to cover it ;
when tender, season with salt and pepper, then keep it over the
fire until very tender and the juice nearly boiled out Remove
it from the fire-place in a wooden chopping-bowl, season more if
necessary, chop it up like hash. Place it in a bread-pan, press
out all the juice, and put it in a cool place to harden. The pres-
sing is generally done by placing a dish over the meat and put-
ting a flat iron upon that. Nice cut up cold into thin slices, and
the broth left from the meat will make a nice soup, adding vege-
tables and spices.

PROM FRENCH AND ITALIAN CHEFS.

Mutton Hash. Chop finely two medium-sized onions and
fry them in a pan with two tablespoonfuls of butter for about
four minutes, adding about two pounds of cooked mutton that
has been chopped fine and about one cupful of cooked hashed
potatoes, season with salt and pepper, cut up two raw tomatoes,
some chopped celery, add one-half cupful of Universal sauce,
one- half cupful of white broth. See Sauces, pages 206 and 208.
Mix well together and cook twenty- five minutes. Serve with
some nice garnish.

French Mutton Stew (entree). Six pounds mutton brisket,
one tablespoonful butter or lard, one tablespoonful flour, eight or
ten medium-sized onions, eighteen or twenty potatoes, one-half
handful parsley. Cut the mutton in pieces one-half the size of

Lamb and Mutton from French and Italian Chefs. 293

the hand ; place it in a stew pan with one tablespoonful fat, and
brown awhile ; then add flour ; mix well and add just enough
stock or water to cover the meat. Let boil while skimming for
about ten minutes; add the onions, the parsley (tied with a
thread) ; let boil thirty minutes more ; add the potatoes cut in
quarters; cook again slowly for one-half hour and serve in a
hollow dish.

Irish Mutton Stew. Cut in square pieces three pounds of
mutton ; wash well, drain, and put them in a saucepan, covering
with fresh water. Let them come to a boil ; then remove into
another pan. Clean the pieces well again, return them to the
saucepan and cover them with boiling water. Place on the fire,
seasoning with two tablespoonfuls of salt, a teaspoonful of pepper,
and half a teaspoonful of nutmeg. Add two carrots, two turnips,
all cut up, six small onions, add a bouquet of herbs. Let cook
for twenty-five minutes, then add half a pint of potatoes cut in
quarters. Mix of each one-half cupful of water and flour.
Strain this in the stew, stirring constantly, and cook for twenty-
five minutes more. Remove the bouquet, skim well and serve.
(See sauces for bouquet of herbs, page 193.)

Saddle of Mutton Roasted. For six persons. Seven pounds
saddle, one-half cup water, salt and pepper to suit the taste.
Trim the grease and take off the skin which covers the back of
the saddle ; place it in a stove pan ; sprinkle over some salt ;
add the water and let bake in an oven for one hour. Serve with
potatoes fried in butter and gravy apart

Leg of Mutton a la Francaise. For six persons. Eight
pounds leg of mutton. Time about one and one-half hours.
Pare the mutton leg and let it roast as for the roast beef, and
serve with potatoes fried in butter or a salad. Time about one
and one-half hours.

leg of Mutton a la Italienne. Select a nice leg of mutton,
about six pounds. Cut off the shank bone and make incision on

294 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

the first joint, season with salt and pepper and rub over leg one
tablespoonful of butter. Put in a pan, adding one glass of water,
and roast for one hour, basting occasionally with the gravy and
turning it over now and then. Remove from oven and serve
with stuffed tomatoes and some rice, pouring over gravy after it
has been strained.

Leg of Mutton, Caper Sauce. Pare a nice leg of mutton as
above, put it on to boil in a pot, filled with slightly salted cold
water, add a bouquet of herbs and one sliced carrot. Boil one
hour and a quarter, and serve with half a pint of caper sauce,
made by putting two cups of hot Hollandaise sauce into a sauce-
pan with a light handful of capers, and heating thoroughly for
five minutes without boiling. (See Hollandaise sauce, page 210,
bouquet of herbs, page 193.)

Curry of Lamb with Asparagus-tops. Have three pounds
of shoulder of lamb cut into pieces about two inches square.
Wash well in fresh water, then drain, put into a saucepan, and
cover with fresh water. Let it come to a boil, then strain through
a colander, and wash again in fresh water. Place the pieces
in a saucepan, covering them with boiling water ; season with
two tablespoonfuls of salt, one teaspoonful of pepper, six small
onions, and a bouquet of herbs. Put the lid on, and cook forty
minutes. Then strain off the liquor into another saucepan adding
a half pint of Universal sauce, stirring well until it boils, and then
let it stand on the corner of the stove. Break into a separate
bowl four egg yolks with the juice of half a lemon, beaten well
together. Add this to the sauce, dropping it in little by little,
and stirring continually. Pour all over the lamb, and add two
cups of cooked asparagus- tops, but be careful not to let it boil
again. Serve with a border of hot, boiled rice all around the
dish.

Mutton Chops. Flatten six fine thick mutton chops, pare
nicely, and season with salt and pepper. Dip them in beaten

Lamb and Mutton from French and Italian Chefs. 295

egg, roll in fresh bread crumbs, and place in a pan with two
tablespoonfuls of clarified butter. Cook four minutes on each
side, and serve with a nice meat sauce and parsley and lemon.

Mutton Chops a la Francaise. Select eight or ten small
rib chops ; trim off the end of the bone, cut also the fat from the
end, leaving just the solid meat attached. Broil the chops over
a good fire about four or five minutes on each side, turn them
frequently, and serve with potatoes in some form and fresh peas.

Mutton Kidneys Saute, Madeira Sauce. Pare well twelve
mutton kidneys and cut them into slices. Put into a frying pan,
with two tablespoonfuls of butter, a tablespoonful of salt and a
teaspoonful of pepper. Mix them well for six minutes. Add
one cup of madeira wine sauce, squeeze in the juice of half a
lemon, add another small piece of fresh butter, stir well again
without boiling, and serve.

Mutton Chops, Bretonne. Pare six nice mutton chops,
season with a tablespoonful of salt and a teaspoonful of pepper,
and pour a few drops of oil over each. Broil four minutes on
each side. Arrange them on a dish, and serve with half a pint
of puree of white beans, mingled with two tablespoonfuls of good
hot meat glaze (see page 209).

Chops Soyer, with Potatoes. Take five pounds of saddle
of mutton, cut and saw it into six pieces crosswise. Flatten,
pare and trim. Season with one tablespoonful of salt and a
teaspoonful of pepper. Broil them for six minutes on each side,
then place them on a hot dish, and serve with a garnishing of
fried potatoes around the dish.

Mutton Kidneys. Split twelve mutton kidneys in two, but
do not separate the parts; remove the skin, place them in a deep
plate, and season with a tablespoonful of salt, and a teaspoonful
of pepper, adding two tablespoonfuls of sweet oil. Roll them
well. Take six skewers, put a skewer through the two kidneys
in the centre, and repeat the same for the others. Broil four

296 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

minutes on each side. Arrange on a hot dish, pour a gill of
maitre d'hotel butter over, and cover with six slices of broiled
bacon.

Haricot or Ragout of Lamb. Select a fine breast or a
shoulder of lamb weighing about three to four pounds, cut it
into equal square pieces, and fry them in a saucepan with two
tablespoonfuls of butter. Add five small, sound, peeled onions,
and when browned, after about ten minutes, add in three table-
spoonfuls of flour, stirring well for two minutes. Moisten with
six cupfuls of water or white broth ; stir well, adding salt and
pepper to suit the taste, and a bouquet of herbs; cook for forty-
five minutes. Two minutes after it begins to boil, thoroughly
skim off the scum on the surface. Remove the bouquet and
pour the ragout on a hot dish. Serve with cooked lima beans,
on one side of the dish, and the same quantity of cooked carrots,
cut in quarters, on the other.

Breast of Lamb. Boil three medium-sized breasts of lamb
for fifty minutes in the stock pot, then the bones will be detached.
Take them out, put the meat under a heavy weight, and let it
thoroughly cool; then pare neatly. Cut each breast in two,
and place on a dish. Season them with a good tablespoonful of
salt, a teaspoonful of pepper, and immerse them in two table-
spoonfuls of oil. Roll them in fresh bread crumbs, and broil
them for five minutes on each side. Serve them with some nice
meat sauce and garnish nicely.

Lamb Fries. Skin and clean well six lamb fries, cut them
in slices, and put into a bowl ; season with salt and pepper to
suit the taste, the juice of one half of a lemon, two or three tea-
spoonfuls of sweet oil, and one teaspoonful of ground mustard
mixed thoroughly with a tablespoonful of meat sauce. Mix all
well together, roll them in flour, and broil five minutes on each
side. Serve in a hot dish with slices of lemon and parsley. You
can serve on separate bowl a nice hot meat sauce.

Meats: Pork. 297

Lamb Fries, Tomato Sauce. Prepare the same as for lamb
fries, only dipping the slices in beaten egg instead of mustard,
and then in rasped bread crust. Fry them in hot fat for six
minutes, and serve on a hot dish with half a pint of hot tomato
sauce (see page 211). You can prepare all lamb fries as given
here, and garnish with any sauce to suit the taste,

PORK.

Boast Pig. About three or four weeks is the right age
to roast whole ; cut off the toes, leaving the skin long to wrap
around the ends of the legs, and put it in cold water. Make a
stuffing, with about six powdered crackers, one tablespoonful of
sage, two of summer savory, one chopped onion, half a pint of
cream, two eggs, with pepper and salt. Mix these together, and
stew about fifteen minutes. Take the pig from the water, fill it
with the stuffing, and sew it up. Boil the liver and heart with
five peppercorns, chop fine for the gravy. Put the pig to roast
with a pint of water and a tablespoonful of salt. When it begins
to roast, flour it well, and baste it with the drippings. Bake
three hours. Wheu done, place it on a large hot platter, sur-
rounded with parsley or celery tops. Place a green wreath
around its neck, and a sprig of celery in its mouth.

Roast Pork. For roast pork, make a stuffing of crackers
powdered fine, with half a pint of cream, two eggs, a small quantity
of summer savory, pepper and salt; cook about ten minutes.
Take the leg of pork, of seven or eight pounds in weight, and
raise the skin off the knuckle, and put in the stuffing, then make
deep cuts in the thick part of the leg, and fill them also. It
must be floured over, and a pint of water put in the pan. While

298 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

roasting, baste it often with the drippings. Cook about three
hours and a half Skim some of the fat from the gravy, add a
little flour, and boil it well a few minutes. Serve with apple
sauce, or any other that may be preferred.

Pork Chops and Fried Apples. Dip some chops into bread
crumbs and lay them in frying pan, sprinkle with pepper, salt
and a little sage, fry until they are well done, take them up on a
hot dish, pour out some of the grease ; have ready some sliced
apples, cut aound the apples so the core will be in the center oi
each slice, then cut the core out, lay them in the grease ; when
they are brown on one side turn them carefully so as not to break
them ; when finished cooking serve them with the chops.

Fresh Pork Pot-pie. Boil a spare-rib, after removing all
the fat and cracking the bones, until tender ; remove the scum
as it rises, and when tender season with salt and pepper ; half
an hour before the time for serving the dinner thicken the gravy
with a little flour. Have ready another kettle, into which re-
move all the bones and most of the gravy, leaving only sufficient
to cover the pot half an inch above the rim that rests on the stove;
put in the crust, cover tight, and boil steadily forty five minutes.
To prepare the crust work into light dough a small bit of butter,
roll it out thin, cut into small square cakes, and lay them on the
moulding board until very light. No steam should possibly
escape while the crust is cooking and by no means allow the pot
to cease boiling.

Suckling Pig, Apple Sauce. Thoroughly clean the interior
of a small, tender, suckling pig (reserving the liver); drain it well.
Season the interior with two pinches of salt, one good pinch of pep-
per and the third of a pinch of grated nutmeg. Chop up the liver
very fine, and fry it in a saucepan with half an ounce of but-
ter for five minutes. Stuff it with some forcemeat, then sew up
the aperture with a kitchen needle. Have a roasting pan ready,
sprinkle into it half a cupful of cold water, then lay in the pig

Meats: Pork. 299

so that it rests on its four legs. Completely cover all around
with a buttered paper, then put it into a moderate oven, and
let cook for two hours ; baste it frequently, while cooking, with
its own gravy. Remove it to a hot dish, untie, skim the fat from
the gravy, and strain the lean part of it over the pig. Serve
with hot apple sauce in a separate bowl.

Pork Cutlets. Select nice fresh cutlets, sprinkle with salt and
pepper, have a beaten egg in a bowl, and in another dish have
some bread crumbs, a little chopped onion and sage ; have in
frying pan some hot lard ; dip the cutlets first in the egg, then
in bread crumbs, and lay them in the frying pan, let them fry
about thirty minutes or until they are thoroughly cooked, then
take them out on hot platter ; now skim the gravy ; sprinkle in
a little flour, let it boil up and pour it on the platter around the
cutlets. Apple sauce should always be served with pork cutlets.

Phrs' Feet Pickled. Take twelve pigs' feet, scrape and
wash them clean, put them into a saucepan with enough hot (not
boiling) water to cover them. When partly done, salt them.
It requires four to five hours to boil them soft. Pack them in a
stone crock, and pour over them spiced vinegar made hot. They
will be ready to use in a day or two. If you wish them for
breakfast split them, make a batter of two eggs, a cup of milk,
salt, a tablespoonful of butter, with flour enough to make a thick
batter ; dip each piece in this and fry in hot lard. Or dip them
in beaten egg and flour and fry. Souse is good eaten cold or
warm.

Broiled Pigs' Feet. Proportions for six persons : Six pigs'
feet, two onions, two carrots, one stalk of celery, a little thyme,
four tablespoonfuls of butter, three tablespoonfuls of bread
crumbs. Wash and clean the feet, place them in a kettle with
the onions, carrots and celery stalk sliced, some thyme ; cover
with cold water and allow to cook till tender for about four hours.
Cut the feet in two, endwise, dip them in butter, roll in bread

300 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

crumbs and let broil fifteen minutes. Serve with mustard and
mashed potatoes or other vegetables.

Braised Ham with Madeira Sauce. Take about five or six
pounds of cooked ham. Place in a stove pan with one glassful
of bouillon and one glassful of Madeira. Cover the ham with
buttered or larded paper and let it bake in moderate oven for
about forty-five to fifty minutes, basting it frequently with the
gravy ; take out the ham, serve on hot dish ; strain the gravy
and serve in a separate bowl.

Boast Ham, Champagne Sauce. Boil a ham exactly as
directed, making a few lengthwise incisions on the surface. Dust
the top with a little powdered sugar ; arrange it in a roasting-
pan, then place it in a slow oven for fifteen minutes. Serve with
half a pint of champagne sauce. Champagne sauce is made by
adding a little sugar and a glassful of champagne in nearly two
cupfuls of Universal sauce (see page 208), and boiling it fifteen
minutes.

Stuffed Fresh Ham. With a sharp knife cut through the
rind of the ham in narrow strips both ways. Then make deep
incisions through both sides and end, and fill the incisions with a
dressing made of bread crumbs, salt, pepper, summer savory and
butter. Press it well in. Then rub the ham with salt, and cover
with sage well rubbed in. Place in the oven to roast, basting
well. It requires a long time to cook and must be thoroughly
done. When done, pour oft the fat, and make the gravy as for
other meats.

Potted Ham. Take the remains of a boiled ham, cut in
small pieces, and pound it, little by little, in a mortar, softening
it during the process with a little melted butter. Add cayenne
pepper to taste, and put it in small bowls, glasses, or potting jars,
pressing it down very smooth. Over the surface pour a little
more melted butter ; cover tight, and set away. It will keep for
weeks. This is a nice supper dish.

Meats: Pork. 301

To Bake a Ham. Choose a nice ham, let it soak in cold
water for ten hours, then wipe it dry. Cut off all poor spots and
cover with a thick paste made of flour and water. Set in mod-
erately heated oven, and bake for five hours ; when done, take
off the crust and peel the skin off carefully. Serve it glazed, and
garnish with cut vegetable.

Boiled Ham. With a sharp knife remove all mold and the
hardened piece from the butt end of the ham ; let it soak in cold
water for two hours, then place it in a kettle and cover with cold
water, let it boil moderately, allowing twenty minutes for each
pound. When it is thoroughly cooked take it out, peel off the
skin and sprinkle with sugar and set it in a moderately heated
oven for one hour. It will be delicious.

Bologna Sausage (cooked). Two pounds of lean pork, two
pounds of lean veal, two pounds of fresh lean beef, two pounds of
fat salt pork, one pound of beef suet, ten tablespoonfuls of powdered
sage, one ounce each of parsley, savory, marjoram and thyme,
mixed. Two teaspoonfuls of cayenne pepper, the same of black,
one grated nutmeg, one teaspoonful of cloves, one minced onion,
salt to taste. Chop or grind the meat and suet; season, and
stuff into beef skins ; tie these up, prick each in several places to
allow the escape of steam ; put into hot, not boiling water, and
heat gradually to the boiling point. Cook slowly for one hour ;
take out the skins and lay them to dry in the sun, upon clean
sweet straw or hay. Rub the outside of the skins with oil or
melted butter, and place in a cool, dry cellar. If you wish to
keep them more than a week, rub ginger or pepper on the out-
side, then wash it off before using. This is eaten without further
cooking. Cut in round slices and lay sliced lemon around the
edge of the dish, as many like to squeeze a few drops upon the
sausage before eating. These are very nice smoked like hams.

Sausage Meat. Take two pounds of lean beef, with one pound
of fat pork, both chopped very fine ; mix with this three tea-

302 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

spoonfuls of salt, five teaspoonfuls of powdered sage, five tea-
spoonfuls of summer savory, three teaspoonfuls of black pepper,
make this into small cakes, and fry.

Scrappel. Scrappel is a most palatable dish. Take the
head, heart and any lean scraps of pork, and boil until the flesh
slips easily from the bones. Remove the fat, gristle and bones,
then chop fine. Set the liquor in which the meat was boiled
aside until cold, take the cake of fat from the surface and return
to the fire. When it boils, put in the chopped meat and season
well with pepper and salt. Let it boil again, then thicken with
corn-meal as you would in making ordinary corn-meal mush, by
letting it slip through the fingers slowly to prevent lumps. Cook
an hour, stirring constantly at first, afterward putting back on
the range in a position to boil gently. When done, pour into a
long, square pan, not too deep, and mold. In cold weather thi s
can be kept several weeks. Cut into slices when cold, and fried
brown as you do mush, is a cheap and delicious breakfast dish.

Country Pork Sausages. Six pounds lean fresh pork, three
pounds of chine fat, three tablespoonfuls of salt, two of black
pepper, four tablespoonfuls of pounded and sifted sage, two of
summer savory. Chop the lean and fat pork finely, mix the
seasoning in with your hands, taste to see that it has the right
flavor, then put them into cases, either the cleaned intestines of
the hog, or make long, narrow bags of stout muslin large enough
to contain each enough sausage for a family dish. Fill these with
the meat, dip in melted lard, and hang them in a cool, dry, dark
place. Some prefer to pack the meat in jars pouring melted lard
over it, covering the top, to be taken out as wanted and made
into small round cakes with the hands, then fried brown. Many
like spices added to the seasoning cloves, mace and nutmeg.
This is a matter of taste.

Toad in the Hole. Make a batter of six ounces of flour, one
pint of milk, two or three eggs, a little lard, salt and pepper ; put

Meats: Pork. 303

into it a pound of beef sausages, and bake for an hour. Instead
of beef sausages, slices of any meat you have, or half a pound ot
pork sausages, or a few oysters with meat trimmings, may be
used.

Ham and Tongue Toast. Toast a thick slice of bread and
butter it on both sides; take a small quantity of ham or tongue
and grate it and put it in a stew pan with two hard-boiled eggs
chopped fine, mixed with a little butter, salt and cayenne ; make
it quite hot, then spread thickly upon the buttered toast. Serve
while hot

HORS D'CEUVRES OR RELISHES.

COLD RELISHES.

Cold relishes should be placed on the table before serving the
meal, as they add to the decorative effect. They should also be
served in special dishes that are nicely decorated, or of a unique
design.

Sardines. Lift the sardines carefully out of the box to avoid
breaking them, and lay them on a plate ; neatly pare off the loose
skin, then dress on a radish dish and decorate with parsley.

Radishes. Select three or four nice bunches, being careful
to select them round and firm. Pare off all the leaves and stems
except the two prettiest on each radish. Cut away the roots,
and also a little of the peel around the roots. With a small, sharp
knife divide the remaining peel into five or six equal-sized leaves,
beginning at the root end, and cutting toward the green stems,
and endeavor to give them as nice a shape as possible.

Celery Bouquet. This is a very nice side dish to decorate
the table. Take only one large head of fine celery. Pare off the
green stalks, and cut off the root (reserving that part to make a
salad). Cut the stalk lengthwise into four equal branches. Wash
them well in cold water, then cut each one into pieces about as
long as one's finger ; by so doing, all the branches will be
separated. With the aid of a small, keen knife pare the thin sides
a little, making five or six slits in each piece, starting from the
top, downward, leaving half to three-quarters of an inch uncut ;

Hors d* CEuvres or Relishes. 305

place them in cold water with plenty of ice, leaving them in for
two hours. Lift it from the ice water, artistically dress on a
round glass dish, and send to the table.

Anchoyies. Take a pint bottle of boned anchovies, drain
them on a cloth, then dress them artistically on a radish dish.
Decorate with a hashed hard-boiled egg and some chopped
parsley.

Tomatoes (side dish). Take firm red tomatoes, wipe well,
then plunge them into boiling water for one minute, then in cold
water for one minute and peel them. Put them in refrigerator
and when thoroughly cold, cut them into slices, arrange them on
a radish dish, sprinkle a little salt, pepper and vinegar over.

A Cold Relish. Cut odd scraps of meat into small pieces.
If there is veal and ham among it, so much the better. Add
three tablespoonfuls of farina, some parsley, green or dried, a
little sage, a little celery, parsnip, or carrot, or all three, chopped
fine, and pepper and salt. Cover with water, and stew for two
hours, very gently. Pour into a dish, and when cold it will be
solid, and should be cut in thin slices for the table.

Celery (in glass). Select fine white celery, pare off the
green stalks, and trim the roots neatly. Be careful to save the
clear, white hearts. Cut each plant lengthwise into four equal
branches. Wash them well in cold water, and put them into
clean water with a piece of ice until ready to serve ; then arrange
them nicely in a celery glass, or dress on a china radish dish, with
a few pieces of ice in the center.

Cucumbers. Select two fine cucumbers, peel neatly, and cut
them in thin slices. Place in a bowl with salt sprinkled over
them, and put in refrigerator for three or four hours, drain the
liquid off, and season with pepper, a tablespoonful or more of
vinegar and the same quantity of oil. Dress nicely in a radish dish.

Herrings (smoked). Clean well and cut them in the middle,
take the backbone and the skin off, cut the fillets in pieces one

306 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified,

inch wide, dispose upon a plate and pour some olive oil over
them.

Herrings (salted). They should be freshened for two days
in half milk and half water, then cut in the middle, take off the
back bone, cut the fillets in pieces one inch wide and arrange
them on a plate. Pour over them some oil mixed with vinegar,
then chop apart the yolk and the white of a hard egg, also some
parsley and red beets, and dispose between the two halves.

Potted Cheese. One pound of cheese beaten in a mortar;
two ounces of liquid butter, one glass of sherry, and a very small
quantity of cayenne pepper, mace and salt All should be well
beaten together and put into a pretty shaped glass potting jar
with a layer of butter at the top. It makes a delicious relish for
bread or toast.

HOT RELISHES.

Tomato Toast. Pare, slice, and cook green tomatoes until
very tender. Add sweet cream sweet milk will do, but it will
need more butter to make plenty of gravy ; season with pepper,
salt and butter. Have the bread nicely toasted and placed in a
deep dish, and pour the contents of the frying pan over it. This
is an excellent way to use up dry slices of bread.

Caviare on Toast. Prepare six slices of toasted bread. Put
half the contents of a small box of caviare into a pan ; add two
tablespoonfuls of cream, and heat two minutes on the stove, stir-
ring it carefully meanwhile ; pour this over the toasts, and serve
on a dish with a folded napkin.

AnchOYies on Toast. Prepare six dry toasts, spread over
them a little butter, and cover each with four half anchovies.
Place the toasts on a tin baking sheet in the oven for one minute.
Arrange them on a dish with a folded napkin, and serve.

Hors d y CEuvres or Relishes. 307

Timball of Macaroni. Roll some puff paste very thin, and
cut it into narrow bands, and twist each into a kind of cord,
which coil around the insides of small butter moulds. Then fill
each mould with macaroni, cover the top with equal quantities of
grated bread and good cheese ; put them into a warm oven and
let them bake three-quarters of an hour, turn them out on a dish
and serve them.

Lamb Sweetbreads en Petites Caisses. Clean and blanch
five or six lamb sweetbreads. Lay them aside to cool, then lard
them with fresh fat pork. Place them in a well-buttered pan,
adding a gill of chicken broth or a gill of maderia wine. Cover
with a buttered paper, and let cook to a golden color in the oven
for ten minutes. Then lay them on a dish. Put two ounces of
cooked fine herbs and four ounces of well-reduced Universal
sauce into the pan, letting it cook for five minutes. Take six
small boxes of buttered paper and pour a little of the gravy at
the bottom of each ; cover with sweetbreads, and place them on
a baking dish ; keep them for five minutes in an open oven, then
serve on a folded napkin.

Salpicon of Lobster, Crawfish or Shrimps. Put two cupfuls
of Napoleon sauce into a saucepan, with four mushrooms and
the meat from the claw of a cooked lobster, cutting them all into
dice-shaped pieces. Thicken well and let cook for five minutes,
and serve. If a lobster cannot be obtained, the meat of three
cooked crawfish, or of six prawns or shrimps, may be used
instead.

A German Relish. Boil eight eggs quite hard, and when
cold cut them in two lengthwise. Take the yolks out very care-
fully, pass them through a fine sieve, and mix them well with
half a pint of cream (or more if required) and then add pepper,
salt and herbs. Pour this sauce into a very flat pie dish that will
stand heat, and place the white half eggs carefully in it, arranging
them in the form of a star, or any pattern preferred. Fill up the

308 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

vacancy left in them by the yolks having been removed, with the
same mixture, and strew a few bread crumbs over them. Bake
this very slightly, just enough to give it a bright yellow color,
and serve it up in the dish in which it has been baked.

Cheese Omelet. Butter the sides of a deep dish, cover the
bottom with thin slices of cheese, place upon this very thin slices
of bread well buttered, a little red pepper and mustard, another
layer of cheese, and, just before putting in the oven, beat the
yolk of an egg in a cup of cream and pour into the dish. Bake
half an hour or until nicely browned.

Fondu Straws. Quarter of a pound of puff paste and quarter
of an ounce of good cheese grated very fine, a little salt and
cayenne pepper mixed; sprinkle the cheese, salt and pepper over
the paste, and roll it two or three times ; cut it into narrow strips
about five inches long ; bake them in a slow oven, and serve very
hot

Salpicon a la Montglas. Mince four mushrooms, the breast
of a small cooked chicken, or of any game, and one table-
spoonful of cooked ham, or the same quantity of cooked, smoked
beef tongue. Put all into a saucepan, adding four ounces of well
reduced Madeira sauce and four ounces of tomato sauce (see page
211); let cook for five minutes; then use when needed.

Coquilles of Chicken a la Anglaise. Fill six table shells
with a thick chicken salpicon, sprinkle the tops with grated fresh
bread crumbs, spread a little clarified butter over each, and lay
them on a very even baking dish. Place them in a very hot
oven until they are of a golden brown color, then serve.

Savory Custard. Beat two eggs into one and a half gills of
cream ; season to taste with pepper, salt, cayenne, chopped
parsley, sweet herbs and shallot ; add to these some chopped
ham and tongue. Pour it into small round cups and steam ten
minutes.

Pickled Chicken. Pluck and singe a chicken, wipe it with a

Hors d } CEuvres or Relishes. 309

wet towel, draw it without breaking the intestines, cut it in joints,
and boil it until quite tender in just enough water to cover it,
with a level tablespoonful of salt, two blades of mace, and a tea-
spoonful each of whole cloves and peppercorns. When the
chicken is tender, remove all the bones, and put the meat loosely
in ajar. To enough of the broth to half fill the jar add an equal
quantity of vinegar and all the spice ; let this pickle get scalding
hot, and then pour it over the chicken. When the pickle is
cold, cover the jar. The chicken will be fit for use after six
hours.

Canapees. Canapees are small slices of bread slightly hollowed
out on the upper surface, and then fried golden brown in plenty
of smoking hot fat. The little hollow is filled with any highly
seasoned meat, and the canapees served either hot or cold.

Bouchees. Bouchees are very small shells of puff paste,
filled with any highly seasoned mince or ragout. They are
served both hot and cold.

Rissoles. Rissoles are little turnovers of puff paste, filled
with highly seasoned mince, and fried like croquettes.

Girard Boiled Chestnuts. A most delicious hot relish is
made of boiled Italian chestnuts, served with fresh butter. After
washing the chestnuts cut through the stem end of the shells
with two cuts, crossing each other, so that the shells can be easily
stripped off; tie the nuts in a napkin, and boil them just tender
in salted boiling water; then take up, turn them into a fresh
napkin laid in a salad bowl, and serve the nuts hot, with fresh
butter and salt. If served at dinner, a good bordeaux wine
should accompany them, or baroli.

The Girard Nut Sandwich. Use very thin home-made
bread, cut free from crust, and lightly buttered. Upon each
slice lay the thinnest possible slice of Gruyere cheese ; then peel
as many fresh walnuts as will cover a slice, lay them upon the
cheese, and sprinkle a very little salt over the nuts ; lay another

3IO . Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

thin shaving of cheese on the nuts, and more very thin buttered
bread ; press the slices of bread close together, to hold the nuts
in place, and serve the sandwiches with a fine sherry. This may
make an after-dinner relish, or be served with the green salad,
dressed with plain French salad dressing, as a course.

Welsh Rarebit. The ordinary American factory cheese is
excellent for rarebits, because it grates easily, melts quickly, and
blends smoothly with the other ingredients. To make a rarebit,
mix the following ingredients in a saucepan, and then stir them
over the fire until they are smoothly melted together ; meantime
prepare two slices of toast and lay them on a hot dish. When
the rarebit is quite smooth pour it on the toast, and serve it at
once. The proper ingredients for a rarebit are : quarter of a
pound of cheese grated, two ounces of butter, two tablespoonfuls
of ale, a saltspoonful each of salt and dry mustard, a quarter of a
saltspoonful of pepper and a dust of cayenne.

A very good rarebit is made by substituting for the ale the
yolks of two raw eggs, beaten in half a cupful of milk. This
rarebit is mixed and cooked like the first, and is very tender and
delicate.

Golden Buck. A golden buck is a Welsh rarebit with a
poached egg laid on it.

Yorkshire Rarebit. A Yorkshire rarebit is a golden buck
with a slice of fried or broiled bacon laid upon the poached egg.

All the rarebits may be made at the table in a chafing dish,
if the cheese is grated and the toast prepared in the kitchen.
The more quickly they are eaten after they are cooked the better
they are.

Cheese Straws and Crusts. Cheese crusts and cheese straws
make an acceptable accompaniment for any green salad, or for
celery. To prepare cheese straws, sift six ounces of flour on the
pastry board, make a hole in the center, into which put the yolk
of a raw egg or two tablespoonfuls of cream, three heaping

Hors ct' (Euvres or Relishes. 311

tablespoonfuls of any dry, rich cheese, grated, an equal quantity
of butter, half a level teaspoonful of salt, quarter of a saltspoon-
ful of white pepper, a dust of cayenne, and a very little grated
nutmeg. Mix these ingredients with the tips of the fingers to a
smooth paste, which can be rolled out an eighth of an inch thick.
If the cream and butter do not furnish moisture enough to form
the paste, add a very little cold milk or water. When the paste
is rolled out, cut in small strips about six inches long, with a
sharp knife or with the pastry wheel ; lay the strips or straws on
a buttered baking pan, in straight rows, a little apart, and set
the pan in a moderate oven ; the straws will cook within a few
minutes, and must be watched carefully, because, if they are
allowed to brown, their flavor will be spoiled. They need to
bake only long enough to slightly harden them, but not become
at all brown. When they are done let them cool on the pan,
and then transfer them to the dish on which they are to be
served, taking care to lift them by slipping under them a flexible
blade of a long thin knife, for they are very brittle.

Cheese crusts are small slices of bread covered with grated
cheese, seasoned with salt and pepper, and browned in a hot oven.

Potted Cheese. Grate two pounds of old cheese ; pound it
in a mortar to a smooth paste with a quarter of a pound of butter,
a saltspoonful of powdered mace, a teaspoonful of salt, and a glass
of sherry ; pack the cheese in earthern jars, cover it with clari-
fied butter which is butter melted at a gentle heat, and poured
carefully away from the sediment keep it in a cool place.

SALADS.

SALADES AND ENTREMETS.

The variety of salads depends solely upon the taste and in-
genuity of the housekeeper, for the possibilities are illimitable.
Those made of uncooked vegetables should always be fresh and
crisp. If they are wilted in the least degree, they should be
washed, without draining, and put into a cool, dark place to re-
vive. Before using them, all decayed leaves should be removed,
and the moisture absorbed from them by using a soft, clean
towel. Cucumbers should be peeled, and laid in cold salted
water for an hour before serving them, and then shaken dry
in a clean towel and dressed with pepper, salt, vinegar and
plenty of good oil. Radishes should be similarly dressed.
If they are very pungent in taste a very little sugar will
modify their sharpness. The young, white leaves of oyster
plant, mixed with an equal quantity of chopped green
onions, both being well cleansed, make a good salad. Green
peppers, chopped without the seeds, and added to cabbage
shaved fine, are excellent. Nasturtium leaves, stems and buds,
washed and chopped, dressed with salt, oil and vinegar, are very
good ; the flowers may be used to garnish the dish. All these
salads should be dressed with the plain French salad dressing.
Enough for a medium-sized salad may be made by mixing
thoroughly together a heaping saltspoonful of salt, half a level
saltspoonful of pepper, two tablespoonfuls of vinegar, and six of
salad oil.

Salads. 3 1 3

Tomatoes may be sliced after washing, and served with plain
salad dressing, or peeled and served with mayonnaise. They
should be firm and ripe, sliced nicely, and kept in a very cold
place until wanted for the table.

Celery should be carefully washed in plenty of salted water ;
the green leaves and stalks trimmed off, and either used fresh for
flavoring sauces, soups and forcemeats, or dried by gentle heat
for later use ; the roots should be peeled, dried, and then grated
and mixed with salt for table use. The white stalks are best for
the table ; after they are washed, they may be kept in a cool,
dark place, or in the refrigerator, near the ice. Frozen celery
must be laid in plenty of cold water as soon as it is brought into
the house, and kept there until all the frost is extracted ; thawing
it by heat destroys its excellence.

Lettuce should be kept on or near the ice after it is washed,
or in a cool, dark place, entirely wrapped in a cloth wet in cold
water ; if it is enclosed in an air-tight box after it is wrapped in
the wet cloth, it will keep fresh for some time, care being taken
to renew the wet cloth, and trim off all defective leaves.

Watercress Salad. Carefully wash a pint of fresh water-
cresses, free them from decayed leaves, break them in lengths of
about two inches, and shake them dry in a clean towel ; arrange
them neatly on a cold dish, and dress them with three table-
spoonfuls of oil, one of vinegar, and a dust of salt and pepper.
Dandelion, oyster plant, chicory, escarole, and nasturtium may
be served in the same way.

French Salad Dressing. This is the usual dressing for vege-
table salads ; enough for a medium-sized salad bowl can be made
by mixing together two tablespoonfuls of vinegar, six of oil, a
saltspoonful of salt, and a quarter of a saltspoonful of pepper.

Sliced Cucumbers. Peel two or three cucumbers, cut them
in thin slices, and let them stand for an hour in very cold salted
water; then drain them, dry them on a towel, and dress them

314 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

with plenty of oil and vinegar, and a palatable seasoning of salt
and cayenne pepper ; or with cream salad dressing. Young
onions sliced make a good addition to cucumber salad.

Cream Salad Dressing. Is made by mixing sour cream with
enough vinegar, pepper and salt to season the salad palatably.

Pepper Salad. Remove the skin from six green peppers,
and chop them fine. Peel one red pepper, and chop it very fine ;
peel and chop a Spanish onion, weighing a quarter of a pound ;
peel and chop six tomatoes ; mix with these ingredients two tea-
spoonfuls of salt. Carefully separate the leaves of two heads of
lettuce, wash them in plenty of cold water, and dry them by
shaking them in a towel. Arrange the lettuce and chopped
salad in a salad bowl in layers, pour over it half a cupful of salad
oil, and three tablespoonfuls of vinegar, and serve it.

Onion and Tomato Salad. Choose half a dozen firm, ripe
tomatoes of medium size, wipe them with a wet towel, and slice
them about a quarter of an inch thick; peel a medium-sized
Valencia or Spanish onion, and slice it very thin ; arrange the
sliced onion and tomatoes in layers in a salad bowl, and pour over
them a plain salad dressing, made by mixing together half a cup-
ful of salad oil, two tablespoonfuls of vinegar, half a level tea-
spoonful of salt, and half a saltspoonful of pepper ; use the salad
as soon as it is made. Young green onions may be used in this
salad.

Tomatoes with Mayonnaise. Raw tomatoes peeled and
sliced, are delicious with mayonnaise, which is made by slowly
mixing three parts of oil and one of vinegar with the yolk of a raw
egg, and a palatable seasoning of salt and pepper ; the addition
of mustard to mayonnaise is a question of taste. The egg and
seasonings are put in the bottom of a bowl, with a very little
vinegar, and mixed to a smooth cream ; the oil and vinegar are
then added alternately, a few drops at a time, until the desired
quantity of mayonnaise is made ; the stirring must be gentle and

Salads. 315

constant, and, after the mayonnaise is made, it must be kept in a
cool place until it is used.

Bice Salad. Two cupfuls of boiled rice, one cupful of red
beets boiled and chopped, one cupful of celery cut rather small ;
make the dressing as for ordinary salad. Cream is better than
oil.

Cabbage Salad. Three eggs, six tablespoonfuls of sweet
cream, three tablespoonfuls of melted butter, and one tablespoon-
ful of flour of mustard, two teaspoonfuls of black pepper, the
same of salt, and one coffeecupful of strong vinegar. Let all
simmer together until it thickens a little. Then pour it over
finely shaved raw cabbage.

Hot Slaw. Carefully wash a head of firm cabbage, cut it in
shreds, and put it over the fire in salted boiling water, to boil
only until tender, which will be in from fifteen to twenty minutes,
according to the age of the cabbage ; then drain it, and serve it
with a dressing made as follows : Melt together by gentle heat
two tablespoonfuls of butter, half a cupful of rich cream, two
tablespoonfuls of vinegar, and add them to the boiled cabbage ;
season it palatably with salt and pepper, and serve it as soon as
it is prepared, with any dish of fried poultry or meat.

Cheese Salad. Use any dry, rich cheese, such as Edam,
Roquefort, or Gorgonzola, about two heaping tablespoonfuls to a
head of lettuce of medium size; carefully wash the lettuce, tear
the leaves apart and lay them in a salad dish ; break the cheese
in small bits and scatter it among the lettuce; pour over it a
plain salad dressing, made as directed above, and serve.

Salad of French Beans. Pick over a pint of French haricot
beans the large, dark-red variety ; put them over the fire in a
quart of cold water, and let them begin to boil ; then add a cupful
of cold water and let them boil again ; every fifteen minutes add
more cold water, and continue to boil the beans until they are
tender ; then drain them and let them get quite cold. To each

316 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

pint of cold boiled beans add two tablespoonfuls of chopped
parsley, and a plain salad dressing composed of six tablespoonfuls
of oil, two of vinegar, a saltspoonful of salt, with half a saltspoon-
ful of pepper, mix these ingredients thoroughly, pour them over
the beans, and serve the salad. Cold string beans make a good
salad.

Fruit Salads. The fruits which we are accustomed to asso-
ciate with breakfast or dessert may be used as salads; the only
point to be remembered is that they must be of a pronounced
flavor or acid. Orange salad, made of thinly sliced oranges
freed from seeds, and dressed with salt, cayenne, lemon juice and
oil (one tablespoonful of lemon juice to three of oil) is a delicious
accompaniment for broiled or roasted game or poultry. Lemon
salad is composed of sliced lemons, the seeds being removed, and
lettuce carefully washed and dried ; the dressing is salt, cayenne
and oil. Apple salad is made of very tart apples, sliced, and
mixed with young green onions chopped, and plain salad dressing.
In summer, gooseberries or barberries, combined with young
onions or cucumbers, sliced and served with plain dressing, are
very good with boiled mackerel. Currants mixed with well-
washed lettuce, and dressed with salt, pepper and oil, are refresh-
ing and wholesome.

A delicious breakfast salad is muskmelon, made very cold,
cut in the natural divisions, freed from seeds, and served with
salt, pepper, oil and lemon juice one tablespoonful of lemon juice
to three of oil. Watermelon with mayonnaise makes a good
salad, as also does grape-fruit.

Mayonnaise for Salad. Make a mayonnaise salad dressing
as follows : Put into a bowl the yolk of one raw egg, one level
teaspoonful of salt, half a saltspoonful of white pepper, a dust
of cayenne pepper, and a teaspoonful of vinegar ; quickly mix
these ingredients to a smooth cream, then stir into them salad
oil and vinegar, first adding the oil, two or three drops at a time,

Salads. 317

and mixing it smoothly with the first named ingredients until a
thick paste is formed ; then stir in a very little vinegar, using
only enough to make the mayonnaise about as thick as rich
cream ; then add more oil, a few drops at a time, until the thick
paste is again formed ; then a little vinegar, as before ; proceed
in this way, using oil and vinegar alternately, and stirring the
mayonnaise constantly, until three-quarters of a pint of oil and
one-quarter of a pint of vinegar have been used. When done,
the mayonnaise should be like very thick cream; if it should
curdle or break during the mixing, put it in the ice box, or in a
very cold place, for half an hour, and then finish it; if the
weather is warm, place the bowl containing it in a pan of cracked
ice while it is being mixed. After the mayonnaise is mixed,
keep it in a cold place until it is wanted for the table.

Sweetbread Salad. Blanch sweetbreads as directed in this
book, and continue to boil them for fifteen minutes ; then cool
and slice them. Wash for each pair of sweetbreads a head of
lettuce in plenty of cold salted water, and dry it on a clean towel;
put the yolk of a raw egg in a bowl ; add to it a level teaspoon-
ful each of dry mustard and salt, quarter of a saltspoonful of
pepper, and a teaspoonful of vinegar ; mix these ingredients to a
smooth cream, then stir in, drop by drop, enough oil to form a
thick paste ; next add a little vinegar to liquefy the paste ; then,
alternately, more oil and vinegar until there is enough dressing
for the salad. Arrange the lettuce on a salad dish, put the
sweetbreads on it, and pour the dressing over them. Serve the
salad as soon as it is made.

Shad-Roe Salad. Wash a shad-roe in cold water; put it
over the fire in salted boiling water, and boil it for fifteen minutes,
or until the grains are hardened ; then drain it, pour a little
vinegar over it, and rub it until the grains are separated ; peel
and slice half a dozen raw tomatoes ; thoroughly wash and drain
a head of fresh lettuce ; put the lettuce in the bottom of a salad

318 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

bowl, then the tomato and shad-roe in layers, and pour over all
six tablespoonfuls of oil and two of vinegar or lemon juice, and
serve the salad. Cold fried or broiled shad- roe may be used in
this dish.

Shrimp Salad. Prepare a quart of shrimp as directed in the
recipe for shrimp sauce ; wash two heads of fresh lettuce ; shake
the water from the leaves, and arrange them on a salad bowl;
put the shrimp in a little heap in the center of the lettuce, and
pour over them a mayonnaise, made without mustard, as follows:
Put the yolk of a raw egg in a bowl, stir it with a fork, and mix
oil with it, a few drops at a time, until quite a thick paste is
formed ; next slowly mix in enough vinegar to thin it ; then
again add oil and vinegar, stirring the dressing gently and con-
stantly, until the desired quantity of mayonnaise is made, using
one- third as much vinegar as oil ; season it palatably with salt
and pepper, and use it with the salad.

Salad a la Portuguese. Cut one-quarter of a pound of cooked
beef tongue into small pieces; cut four cooked potatoes the
same, also one peeled apple, half a cooked beet root, and one
cooked carrot. Place these in a bowl, adding the fillets of two
boned herrings cut in small pieces, and season with a pinch each
of salt and pepper, a dessertspoonful of diluted mustard, two
tablespoonfuls of vinegar, and two tablespoonfuls of oil. Mix all
well together, then transfer to a salad serving bowl, sprinkle over
a pinch of chopped parsley, and serve. In using the oil pour in
a few drops at a time.

Handy Chow-Chow Salad. Chop together very finely a
head of cabbage, six green peppers, six green tomatoes, add
two teaspoonfuls of mustard, sufficient salt, vinegar to wet
it, and if desired a little cloves and allspice. It is then ready
for use, and will keep a long time. No better appetizer can
be made.

Oyster Salad. Take the yolks of four eggs, half a cupful of

3 1 9

powdered crackers, half a cupful of vinegar, half a cupful of but-
ter, one teaspoonful of mustard, one large can of cove oysters,
salt and pepper to taste. Beat the yolks of eggs, add the oyster
liquor and butter, and then the powdered crackers ; set over the
fire and stir constantly until nearly done, then add the mustard
and vinegar ; pour over the oysters as soon as it thickens ; gar-
nish with parsley and sliced hard-boiled eggs.

Egg Salad. Break three eggs into one tablespoonful of hot
salad oil ; stir a little ; season with salt and pepper ; as soon as
it hardens a little, turn out in salad dish, sprinkle over the top
one tablespoonful of grated lemon rind, one tablespoonful of
chopped cucumber, one tablespoonful of lemon juice and three
tablespoonfuls of salad oil.

Cold Slaw with Celery. Cut a small head of cabbage very
fine, add two stalks of celery cut fine ; season with pepper, salt
and vinegar.

Lettuce Salad. Four hard-boiled eggs, one cupful of cream
(either sweet or sour), one cupful of vinegar, two tablespoonfuls
of sugar, half a teaspoonful of salt. Wash the lettuce, place it in
the salad dish, slice the eggs over the top; mix the other in-
gredients well together and pour over.

Beef Salad. For six persons : Two pounds of cold boiled
beef, four hard-boiled eggs, one green onion, half a handful of
parsley, three tablespoonfuls of oil, two tablespoonfuls of vinegar,
salt and pepper to suit the taste. Mix in salad dish the above,
as follows : slice the cold boiled beef fine, add the eggs sliced,
the onion chopped, the sweet oil, vinegar and seasoning, sprinkle
on all some finely chopped parsley, and mix thoroughly and
serve.

Salad of Pigs' Feet. Three pigs' feet, three tablespoonfuls
of oil, four tablespoonfuls of vinegar, one tablespoonful of mus-
tard, one-quarter of a handful of parsley, salt and pepper to suit
the taste. Cut the cold boiled pigs' feet in small pieces, and put

320 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

in a salad dish where you have previously mixed the other in-
gredients ; mix thoroughly and serve.

Dressing for Lettuce. Take the yolks of three hard-boiled
eggs, one-half teaspoonful of salt, one teaspoonfui of made mus-
tard, four tablespoonfuls of cream, four teaspoonfuls of sweet oil,
three tablespoonfuls of vinegar, and one raw egg beaten to a
froth ; rub the yolks of the eggs to a fine powder, then add the
salt, mustard and oil, mixing well together ; then add the cream,
and after that the vinegar and raw egg.

German Potato Salad. Wash and boil four large potatoes;
while hot, peel and slice thin with one raw onion ; sprinkle with
salt and pepper. Put a tablespoonful of butter in a spider, let it
brown, pour in two-thirds of a cupful of vinegar; when it boils
up, pour it over the salad. This will keep a week if stirred
occasionally.

Cold Slaw. Select a fine bleached cabbage, cut up enough
into shreds to fill a large salad bowl, or according to the quantity
required ; shave very fine, and after that chop up, the more
thoroughly the better. Put this into a dish in which it is to be
served, after seasoning it well with salt and pepper. Turn over
it a dressing for cold slawas below; mix it well and garnish with
slices of hard-boiled eggs.

Dressing for Cold Slaw. Beat well two eggs and two
tablespoonfuls of sugar; add a piece of butter the size of half an
egg, a teaspoonful of mustard, a little pepper, and then add a
teacup of vinegar. Put all these ingredients into a dish over the
fire, and cook like a soft custard. You can add half a cupful of
thick sweet cream to this dressing, but using less vinegar.

Herring Salad. Take four medium-sized smoked herrings,
lay them on the corner of the stove for half a minute on each
side, then tear off the skin, cut off the heads, and split them in
two; remove the bones, and cut them up into small square
pieces. Place them in a salad bowl with half a hashed onion,

Salads.

two hard-boiled eggs cut in pieces, a cold boiled potato cut the
same, and a teaspoonful of chopped parsley. Season with half a
pinch of salt, one pinch of pepper, three tablespoonfuls of vinegar
and two of oil. Mix well together and decorate with a small
cooked beet root cut in slices, also twelve capers, then serve.

Tomato Salad, French Dressing. Take six fine firm red
tomatoes ; wipe them neatly, and plunge them into boiling water
for one minute ; drain in a cloth, remove the skins, pare off the
stem side, let get cool, and then cut them into very thin slices,
or, if preferred, into quarters, keeping them in a bowl, so that the
juice be not wasted. Season with a pinch of salt, half a pinch
of pepper, a wooden saladspoonful of vinegar, and the same
quantity of oil. Mix thoroughly together, and serve as cold as
possible. A teaspoonful of chopped chives may be added, if
desired, which will give a delicious flavor.

Salad a la Hollandaise. Split and bone a dozen anchovies,
and roll each one up ; split and bone one herring, and cut up into
small pieces ; cut up into dice an equal quantity of bologna
sausage or of smoked ham ; also an equal quantity of the breast
of cold roast fowl or veal; add likewise, always in the same
quantity and cut into dice, beet roots, pickled cucumbers, cold
boiled potatoes cut in larger dice and in quantity according to
taste, but at least thrice as much potato as anything else; add a
tablespoonful of capers, the yolks and whites of some hard-boiled
eggs minced separately, and a dozen stoned olives.

Salad Dressing a la Creme. One-half pint fresh cream, one
tablespoonful fine flour, the whites of two eggs beaten stiff, three
spoonfuls of vinegar, two spoonfuls of salad oil or soft butter, two
spoonfuls of powdered sugar, one teaspoonful salt, one-half tea-
spoonful pepper, one teaspoonful of made mustard. Heat cream
almost to boiling ; stir in the flour, previously wet with cold milk;
boil two minutes, stirring all the time ; add sugar and take from
fire. When half cold, beat in whipped whites of egg ; set aside

322 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

to cool. When quite cold, whip in the oil or butter, pepper,
mustard and salt ; if the salad is ready, add vinegar and pour at
once over it.

Salad Dressing. One and one-half tablespoonful mustard, one
teaspoonful salt, a little pepper ; scald with hot water enough to
mix. Use melted butter, dropping in slowly all it will take up ; put
in three eggs, beat all together ; add one-half cup vinegar, two-
thirds cup of milk. Put on the stove and bring to a boil. Stir
constantly ; when cool use.

Chicken Salad. One fine large chicken boiled tender and
chopped, twelve eggs boiled hard, six stuffed pickled peppers
chopped, one cup melted butter or salad oil, three cups chopped
celery, one teaspoonful ground pepper, two tablespoonfuls of
black mustard ground, one cup vinegar. Rub the yolks of the
eggs with the butter or salad oil. If the chicken is fat, the oil
taken from the water in which it is boiled is better than the
salad oil. Chop the whites of the eggs. Put all the ingredients
together, and work with the hands until it is thoroughly mixed.
If you cannot get the celery use white cabbage, and put celery
seed in the cup of vinegar that you are going to use, and let it
stand over night. Other pickles can be used with some pepper
sauce instead of the stuffed peppers. This recipe will make
nearly a gallon of salad and will keep for days in a cool place.

Salmon Salad. One can salmon cut in small pieces, twelve
small cucumber pickles chopped, one very small head of white
cabbage chopped fine, two eggs boiled hard and chopped.
Mix all this together thoroughly. Heat one pint of vinegar
scalding hot, seasoning it with salt, pepper and mustard to suit
your taste and pour over it.

Chicken Salad. Take a young tender chicken of two and
a half pounds ; boil it in the soup stock for one hour, or should
it be a fowl it will take from half to three-quarters of an hour
longer ; when cooked, let it get thoroughly cold, bone the chicken,

Salads. 323

cut it up into small pieces, and put them into a deep dish; season
with a pinch of salt, half a pinch of pepper, one tablespoonful of
vinegar and six leaves of chopped lettuce, or a few leaves of the
white of celery in preference, cut up. Mix well, place it in a
salad bowl, and cover with half a cupful of mayonnaise dressing;
decorate the top with a chopped hard-boiled egg, a tablespoon-
ful of capers, twelve stoned olives, quarters of two hard-boiled
eggs, and six small white lettuce leaves around the dish, then
serve.

Crab Salad. Take twelve hard -shelled crabs; boil them in
salted water, with half a cupful of vinegar, for twenty minutes;
then drain and shell them. Pare off the gills ; put a finger in the
center, to prevent the sand getting into the cavity ; wash
thoroughly, then pick the meat from the shells ; put in a salad
bowl, and prepare the same as for salmon salad.

Celery Salad. Take two large and white heads of celery.
Pare off the green stalks, trim the roots nicely, and cut into short
shreds ; wash thoroughly in cold water, lift it up with the hands,
and drain it in a cloth. When well drained, place it in a salad
bowl, and season with a pinch of salt, half a pinch pepper, and
one and a half wooden saladspoonfuls of vinegar, also the same
quantity of oil. Mix well and serve.

Lettuce and Tomato Salad. Take a white head of lettuce,
pare off the outer leaves and core, wash, drain in a wire basket,
then cut the leaves in two and put them in a bowl. Have two
fine firm peeled red tomatoes, cut them into thin slices, and place
them over the lettuce, seasoning as follows : Mix a pinch of salt
and half a pinch of pepper in a wooden saladspoonful of vinegar;
add a spoonful and a half of oil ; mix well and serve.

Lamb Tongue Salad. Cut five or six pickled lambs' tongues
in thin slices, lay in salad bowl, adding two cooked potatoes
sliced fine, two tablespoonfuls of vinegar and six teaspoonfuls of
sweet oil, and salt and pepper to suit the taste ; mix thoroughly

324 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

together, sprinkle chopped parsley over, and garnish with a few
lettuce leaves.

lobster Salad a la Napoleon. Select two fine freshly
boiled lobsters; cut them in two, and pick out all the meat from
the shell, carefully abstracting the gall. Cut the meat into small
equal-sized square pieces, and place them in a salad bowl ; shell
three hard-boiled eggs, lay them on a plate, and with a knife chop
them up as thoroughly as hashed potatoes ; then add this to the
lobster, also two finely chopped shallots, two teaspoonfuls of
freshly chopped chives, and one and a half teaspoonfuls of finely
chopped parsley. Take half a head of good and well- cleaned
lettuce, chop it up very fine, add it to the lobster ; then season
with a pinch and a half of salt, a light pinch of fresh and finely
crushed white pepper, two tablespoonfuls of vinegar, two table-
spoonfuls of good sweet oil, and three tablespoonfuls of Mayon-
naise sauce (see page 209). Gently but thoroughly mix the
whole together, then wipe well the edge of the salad bowl with a
napkin, and send this delicious salad to the table.

VEGETABLES.

All vegetables should be well picked and washed. A very
little salt should always be thrown into the water in which they
are boiled. A steady regular fire should be kept up, and they
should never for a moment be allowed to stop boiling or simmer-
ing till they are thoroughly done. Every sort of vegetable
should be cooked till tender, since if the least hard or under-
done they are both unpalatable and unwholesome. The practice
of putting saleratus in the pot to improve the color of green vege-
tables should be strictly forbidden, as it destroys the flavor, and
either renders them flat and insipid or communicates a very dis-
agreeable taste of its own. Every sort of culinary vegetable is
infinitely best when fresh from the garden, and gathered as short
a time as possible before it is cooked. They should be all laid in
a pan of cold water for a while previous to boiling. When done,
drain carefully before sending to the table.

POTATOES.

Mashed Potatoes. Peel the desired quantity of potatoes,
slice them half an inch thick, put them into salted boiling
water, and boil them until tender ; then pour them into a col-
ander, and set it over a hot dish when all the water has drained
away ; put with a quart of potatoes a tablespoonful of butter,
the yolk of a raw egg, and a palatable seasoning of salt, pepper

326 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

and a grated nutmeg, and rub them through the colander with a
potato masher. Serve the potatoes the moment they are mashed,
or they will grow cold; if they cannot be sent to the table
directly they are done, set them in a hot oven and brown them.
Be sure to serve them hot.

If the egg is omitted, the potatoes may be more highly sea-
soned ; or a very little milk may replace it, but not enough to
make the potatoes too moist.

Cold mashed potatoes may be rewarmed by stirring them
over the fire with just enough milk to soften them, and a palatable
seasoning of salt and pepper ; or made into little cakes or balls, and
fried brown in hot fat ; or mixed with finely minced meat and
warmed in a frying pan, with a palatable seasoning of salt, pepper
and butter.

Pommes de Terre a PEspagnol. Have ready a small dish
of dried bread crumbs finely rolled out, also a couple of eggs
beaten in another dish. Take some mashed potatoes warm, with
a very little milk and butter mixed in. Form with the hands into
balls or an oval shape, then dip them in the egg and then in the
bread crumbs. Place in a pot of boiling rendered beef suet, let-
ting them remain until well browned. Then take out and place
on a sieve for a few moments and serve.

Potato Straws. Wash a pint of potatoes, peel them very
thin, slice them about a quarter of an inch thick; put them into
plenty of salted boiling water, and boil them until they are ten-
der, which will be in about ten minutes ; when the potatoes are
tender pour them into a colander with large holes, and let the
water drain off; when the potatoes are quite dry, sprinkle over
them a teaspoonful of salt, and a quarter of a saltspoonful of white
pepper ; hold the colander over one end of a large platter, and
press upon the potatoes with a potato masher, moving the col-
ander toward the other end of the dish as the potatoes are
pressed through it, so that they will fall upon the dish in long

Vegetables: Potatoes. 327

rows; continue to move the colander from one end of the platter
to the other until all the potatoes are pressed through and laid
in even rows upon the dish ; then wipe the edge of the dish with
a clean towel, set in the oven for two or three minutes to heat
the potatoes, and then serve them.

Stuffed Potatoes. Prepare and bake large potatoes of equal
size, as directed in the preceding recipe. When done, cut them
evenly three-fourths of an inch from the end, and scrape out the
inside, taking care not to break the skins. Season the potato
with salt and a little thick sweet cream, being careful not to have
it too moist, and beat thoroughly with a fork until light; refill
the skins with the seasoned potato, fit the broken portions to-
gether, and reheat in the oven. When hot throughout, wrap the
potatoes in squares of white tissue fringed at both ends. Twist
the ends of the paper lightly together above the fringe, and stand
the potatoes in a vegetable dish with the cut end uppermost.
When served, the potatoes are held in the hand, one end of the
paper untwisted, the top of the potato removed, and the contents
eaten with a fork or spoon.

Browned Potatoes. First mash the potatoes, then put them
into a pan, smooth the top, and brush over with the yolk of an
egg, or spread on a bountiful supply of butter and dust well with
flour. Set in the oven to brown ; it will brown in fifteen minutes
with a quick fire.

Saratoga Potatoes. Saratoga potatoes are peeled, sliced
very thin, and soaked over night, or for several hours, in plenty
of cold water ; sometimes a small bit of alum is dissolved in the
water to harden the potatoes ; before they are fried, they are
carefully drained or dried on a towel, and then fried in plenty of
smoking hot fat, a few slices at a time. They are served either
hot or cold.

Scalloped Potatoes (Southern style.) Peel and slice raw
potatoes thin, the same as for frying. Butter an earthen dish,

328 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

put in a layer of potatoes, and season with salt, pepper, butter, a
bit of onion chopped fine, if liked ; sprinkle a little flour. Now
put another layer of potatoes and the seasoning. Continue in
this way till the dish is filled. Just before putting into the oven,
pour a quart of hot milk over. Bake three-quarters of an hour.

Cold boiled potatoes may be cooked the same. It requires
less time to bake them ; they are delicious either way. If the
onion is disliked it can be omitted.

Potato Puffs. Use mashed potatoes ; while hot form in balls
about the size of an egg. Have a tin buttered and place the balls
on it When all are ready brush them over with beaten egg,
and set in the oven to brown. When done slide them carefully
upon a hot platter, garnish with parsley ; serve hot.

Potato Snowballs. Cut large potatoes into quarters ; if small,
leave them undivided ; boil in just enough water to cover. When
tender, drain and dry in the usual way. Take up two or three
pieces at a time in a strong, clean cloth, and press them compact-
ly together in the shape of balls. Serve in a folded napkin on a
hot dish.

Potatoes a la Creme. Heat one cup of milk, rub together
one tablespoonful of butter and one of flour ; stir this into the milk,
season with pepper and salt, add two cups of cold boiled potatoes
sliced, and a very little chopped parsley. Leave over the fire
until the potatoes are heated through ; pour in deep dish, serve hot.

Potato Fillets. Pare the potatoes and cut them lengthwise
about one-quarter of an inch square ; let them lay in cold water
until ready for use ; then drop them in boiling lard. When
nearly done skim them out and let drain ; boil the lard up again
and drop the potatoes in once more and let them fry until done ;
dropping them in the hot lard the second time, causes them to
puff up.

Fried Potatoes. Have ready over the fire a frying kettle
half full of fat; peel half a dozen medium-sized smooth potatoes;

Vegetables: Potatoes. 329

when the fat is smoking hot, slice the potatoes into it, and fry
them golden brown ; when they are brown, take them from the
fat with a skimmer, put them into a colander, dust them with
pepper and salt, shake them up, and serve them hot.

Potato Pie. Make a thin pie crust in the usual way, and
line with it a basin or deep pie dish. Fill to the top with finely
shred potatoes, among which mix an onion or two, sliced very
thin, pepper and salt, and a little butter, dripping, or lard. Pour
over all as much good milk or cream as the dish or basin will hold.
Either cover with a crust or not, according to option, and bake
in a slow oven.

Potato Croquettes. Take the whites of two eggs well beaten,
a tablespoonful of butter, a pinch of salt and pepper, and two
cups of cold mashed potatoes. Mix all together thoroughly, and
make into small balls, dip them in the yolks of the eggs, roll in
flour, and fry in butter.

Crisp Potatoes. Cut raw potatoes into shavings ; place a
few at a time into boiling fat. Stir them about until they are a
light brown. Skim them out, sprinkle salt over them and serve
hot.

Boasted Potatoes. Potatoes are much more rich and mealy
roasted than cooked in any other way. Wash them very care-
fully, dry with a cloth, and wrap in tissue paper ; bury in ashes
not too hot, then cover with coals and roast until tender. The
coals will need renewing occasionally, unless the roasting is done
very close to the main fire.

Potato Cakes with Eggs. Bake nice potatoes till perfectly
tender ; peel, mash thoroughly, and to each pint allow the yolks
of two eggs which have been boiled until mealy, then rubbed
perfectly smooth through a fine wire sieve, and one half cup of
rich milk. Add salt to taste, mix all well together, form the
potato into small cakes, place them on oiled tins, and brown ten
or fifteen minutes in the oven.

33O Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Broiled Potatoes. Take warm mashed potatoes and pack
solid into a sheet iron bread tin (dip tin into cold water before
putting in potatoes); when cold cut into slices, pour a little cream
all over the top, and brown in a broiler over hot coals.

Vegetable Hash. One quart sliced potatoes cut fine, one
chopped carrot, one red beet, one whole turnip, two stalks of
celery. Boil the above first, then put all together in a pan, cover
closely and set in oven ; when hot, pour over them about three-
quarters of a pint of boiling cream. Mix thoroughly and serve
hot.

Fancy Potatoes. Score the top of a dish of mashed potatoes
deeply in triangles and crosses with the back of a carving knife,
and then put in oven and allow to brown lightly.

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes. Wash a dozen medium-sized sweet
potatoes, which should be rather round in shape, and have smooth
skins ; bake them in a moderate oven until they begin to soften ;
when the potatoes are ready, take them from the oven, cut a slice
from one side of each which will permit the introduction of a tea-
spoon, and with the spoon scoop out the inside of the potato,
taking care not to break the skin. As the potato is withdrawn
from the skin, put it into a bowl ; and, when all the skins are
empty, season the potato rather highly with salt and pepper, mix
with it two tablespoonfuls of butter, and replace it in the skins;
put on each potato, after it is stuffed, the piece of skin first cut
from it, and then return the potatoes to the oven to heat
thoroughly. When they are hot, serve them in the skins. The
potatoes may be served when they are tender without being
stuffed.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes. Wash clean and wipe dry, potatoes
of uniform size, wrap with tissue paper, cover with hot ashes, and
then with coals from a hardwood fire ; unless near the main fire,
the coals will need renewing a few times. This will require a
longer time than by any other method, but they are much nicer.

Vegetables: Potatoes. 331

The slow, continous heat promotes their mealiness. When tender,
brush the ashes off with a broom, and wipe with a dry cloth.
Send to the table in their jackets.

Boiled Sweet Potatoes. Wash the potatoes, using those
about of a size, so that they may cook evenly ; put them over
the fire, either in hot or cold salted water, and boil them for about
twenty minutes, or until they are tender; then drain and serve
them. If sweet potatoes are at all watery, they can be greatly
improved by putting them into a very hot oven for five minutes
after they are boiled; if they are peeled, put them in a dripping
pan with a little butter, and brown them before serving them.

Baked Sweet Potatoes. Select those of uniform size, wash
clean, cutting out any imperfect spots, wipe dry, put into a
moderately hot oven, and bake about one hour, or until the
largest will yield to gentle pressure between the fingers. Serve
at once without peeling. Small potatoes are best steamed, since
if baked, the skins will take up nearly the whole potato.

Sweet Potato Pudding. Peel and wash a large sweet potato,
wipe it dry on a clean towel, and then grate it on a large grater ;
while the potato is being grated, heat a quart of milk ; stir a
cupful of the grated potato into the hot milk, and let it boil ;
meantime beat four eggs to a cream ; add a heaping tablespoonful
of butter to the milk and potatoes, and take them off the fire ;
stir the beaten eggs with the milk and potatoes, season the pud-
ding palatably with salt and pepper, put it into an earthen dish,
and bake it for twenty minutes, or until the custard is firm, in a
moderate oven ; serve it hot as a vegetable. The same pudding
may be sweetened, and baked to use for dessert.

Browned Sweet Potatoes. Slice cold cooked sweet potatoes
evenly, place on slightly oiled tins in a hot oven, and brown.

The following formulas have been obtained from French and
Italian chefs. If you desire to cook a less quantity you can do
so, but be sure and use the same ratio of ingredients mentioned :

332 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Potatoes Maitre d'Hotel. Take twelve medium-sized boiled
potatoes, slice them, and put in a pan with three tablespoonfuls
of butter or lard, and a sprinkle of chopped parsley. Season
with salt and pepper to suit the taste, juice of half a lemon, and
sprinkle a very little grated nutmeg over same. Put pan on
stove, and allow just to warm through, stirring well ; then pour
over one cupful or more of cream. Let heat again for a few
minutes, and serve.

Potatoes Parisienne. Take ten medium-sized, well-cleansed
potatoes; with a round vegetable spoon cut out the potatoes,
or cut in fancy shapes ; then put them in fresh water, wash well,
and drain. Melt two tablespoonfuls of butter in a pan with the
potatoes, and season with salt and pepper to suit the taste. Place
the pan in the oven; cook for twenty minutes, and serve on a
hot dish with a folded napkin.

Potatoes a la Italienne. Take ten medium-sized boiled
potatoes; put in a saucepan and mash them. Add two table-
spoonfuls of butter and a piece of fresh bread (do not use the
crust). Soak bread in milk first; add three tablespoonfuls of
milk, in order to form a pliable paste, three fresh egg yolks, and
the whites of the three beaten to a froth ; season with salt and
pepper, and the third of a pinch of nutmeg. Mix well together,
and pile high on a baking dish ; pour over them a little melted
butter and sprinkle a little cheese, place in the oven and leave
until they are a golden brown, and then serve while hot.

Potatoes Sautees an Beurre. Peel and clean twelve medium-
sized potatoes ; place two tablespoonfuls of butter in a saucepan ;
place it on a good fire, adding the potatoes; cook them until
they are a golden brown, then drain. Sprinkle over them salt
and pepper, and arrange them on a dish, adding a little chopped
parsley, and serve.

Potatoes a la Lyonnaise. Cut ten boiled potatoes into round
slices; lay them in a frying pan with three or four tablespoonfuls

Vegetables: Potatoes. 333

of lard or butter, and the round slices of a previously fried onion,
and season with salt and pepper. Cook well together until well
browned; toss them well, and serve with a pinch of chopped
parsley sprinkled over the whole.

Potatoes Julienne. Clean ten medium-sized potatoes, cut
them in square pieces two or three inches long and one-quarter
inch in width ; drop them in cold water, then take out and put in
a pan containing very hot fat and allow to remain for six or eight
minutes. Take out, drain, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Potatoes Soufflees. Cut ten medium-sized potatoes in
quarters and in oval shape, put in cold water, drain off the water,
put in pan containing some hot fat or butter and allow to fry
from eight to ten minutes ; take out, lay them aside for a few
moments, then plunge them again in very hot fat until they swell
considerably, and take out and serve.

Potatoes a la Astor. Clean and pare ten nice potatoes, cut
them in half an inch square pieces, put them in a frying pan with
three tablespoonfuls of butter, season with salt and pepper to suit
the taste. Allow them to fry until a nice golden brown (it
generally takes from fifteen to eighteen minutes). Drain off the
butter. Place the potatoes in serving dish, sprinkle over a little
parsley and serve hot.

Hashed Potatoes with Cream. Hash ten cold boiled pota-
toes and place them in a pan ; add half a cupful of cream and
nearly two tablespoonfuls of butter ; season with salt and pepper
and the third of a pinch of nutmeg ; stir well with spoon for five
minutes until well heated, and serve.

Potatoes a FHollandaise. Boil ten medium-sized potatoes,
peel and cut them into quarters ; put them in a pan with two
tablespoonfuls of butter and sprinkle with chopped parsley ; sea-
son with salt and pepper, stir them gently, and warm them slightly
for five minutes. Place in a hot dish, and serve.

Sweet potatoes a 1'Hollandaise are prepared the same way.

334 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

ONIONS.

Boiled Onions. Peel off the outside, cut off the ends, put in
stew kettle, cover with cold water and let them parboil for fifteen
minutes. Then drain off the water, and pour fresh cold water on
them ; salt and let boil slowly until tender. When done drain
them, put a little melted butter over them, sprinkle with salt
and pepper, and serve hot.

Onions Stewed. Boil in water until they begin to soften, let
them drain, put in a stew pan, cover with good thick brown gravy ;
let them remain until they are perfectly tender, and send them to
table.

Onions Fried. Peel and cut them in slices ; fry in butter or
lard, or fat from cooking meat ; stir constantly while frying, and
let them be of a dark brown color.

Onions with Cream. Peel six large-sized sound onions, pare
the roots without cutting them, and place them in a pan, cover
with salted water, and cook for forty-five minutes. Lift them
from the pan, and lay them on a dish ; cover them with half a
pint of cream sauce, mixed with two tablespoonfuls of the broth
they were cooked in, and serve. (See page 203.)

Scalloped Onions. Peel and slice eight large onions, and
boil until tender. Put a layer of them in bake dish, season with
salt, pepper and bits of butter, then a layer of bread crumbs,
then another layer of onions and seasoning, and so on until the
dish is nearly full, having bread crumbs on top. Add milk until
dish is full, bake twenty minutes.

Stuffed Onions. Peel six good onions ; empty out the
centers with a vegetable scoop ; parboil them for three minutes,
and turn them upside down on a cloth to drain. Fill the insides
with chicken or veal forcemeat. Line the bottom of a pan with a
piece of lard skin, and one carrot and one onion, both cut up ;

Vegetables: Tomatoes. 335

lay the onions on top, and add a cup of white broth. Cover with
a buttered paper ; then put it in the oven to glaze for forty
minutes, taking care to baste frequently. Place them in a hot
dish strain the gravy over them, and serve. (See Forcemeat,
page 217, and Sauces, page 206.)

Minced Onions. Peel and pare two large-sized onions, cut
them in two and mince them into fine slices. Place them in a
pan with a tablespoonful of butter, and let them get a good golden
brown on stove for ten minutes, stirring them briskly. Place
them in a bowl, and use when required.

TOMATOES.

To Peel Tomatoes. Put the tomatoes in a wire basket and
plunge them in hot water for two minutes ; then plunge them in
cold water for two minutes ; take off skins with knife dipped in
hot water.

Stuffed Baked Tomatoes. Choose six nice sound smooth
tomatoes, wash and wipe, cut a slice off of the blossom end, and
with a spoon take out the pulp ; taking great care not to break
the rind of tomatoes. Chop fine one small onion, a cupful of
veal, or chicken ; to this add the tomato pulp, one tablespoonful
of butter, salt and pepper. Let all simmer together slowly, stir
into it some bread crumbs to thicken. Remove from the stove
and let cool ; then fill the tomatoes with this dressing, place a bit
of butter on top of each and put the slice on. Lay in buttered
pan with a cupful of hot water to keep them from burning.
Place in oven and bake thirty minutes ; when done remove care-
fully by placing a knife under them, and lay on hot platter.
Place a bit of butter on each tomato, and serve.

Baked Tomatoes. Wash the tomatoes, put them in a baking
dish, and bake about three-quarters of an hour, or until the skin
is thoroughly shrivelled. Then take them upon a fork, and

336 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

drain them from the juice in the dish. Peel them in the dish in
which they are to be served. After all the skins have been re-
moved, season with salt and pepper. This is considered a health-
ful method of cooking tomatoes, as it frees them from much of
the acid juice.

Tomato Salad. Select ripe tomatoes, peel at least an hour
before using. Slice, and place on ice or in a cool place. Serve
plain, or with lemon juice or sugar as preferred.

Scrambled Tomatoes. Remove the skins, and slice in a
saucepan six large tomatoes. Add a little butter, pepper and
salt, and cook until they are done. Beat two or three eggs, and
just before taking up turn them in the tomatoes and stir one way
for two or three minutes, or until eggs are cooked. Serve im-
mediately.

Stewed Tomatoes. Peel and slice the tomatoes. Put them
into a double boiler, without the addition of water, and stew for
an hour or longer. When done, serve plain with a little sugar
added, or season with salt and a tablespoonful of rather thick
sweet cream to each pint of tomatoes. If the tomatoes are thin
and very juicy, they may be thickened with a little flour rubbed
smooth in a little cold water. They are much better, however,
to stew a longer time until the water they contain is sufficiently
evaporated to make them of the desired consistency. The stew
may also be thickened, if desired, by the addition of bread crumbs,
rice or macaroni.

Fried Tomatoes. Remove the skins, and cut in thick slices
six good-sized tomatoes ; dip them in beaten egg, then in bread
crumbs, fry in hot butter, season with salt and pepper. A fine
relish for beefsteak.

Scalloped Tomatoes. Take a pint of stewed tomatoes, which
have been rubbed through a colander, thicken with one and one-
fourth cupfuls of lightly picked crumbs of Graham or whole- wheat
bread, or a sufficient quantity to make it quite thick; add salt if

Vegetables: Tomatoes. 337

desired, and half a cupful of sweet cream, mix well and bake
for twenty minutes. Or, fill a pudding dish with alternate layers
of peeled and sliced tomatoes and bread crumbs, letting the top-
most layer be of tomatoes. Cover, and bake in a moderate oven
for an hour or longer, according to depth. Uncover, and brown
for ten or fifteen minutes.

Broiled Tomatoes. Select eight good-sized solid fresh toma-
toes ; pare the under parts, wipe them nicely, and cut in halves.
Lay them on a dish; season with salt and pepper, and a table-
spoonful of sweet oil ; mix well together ; keep the tomatoes in
good shape, then arrange them in a double broiler. Put them
on a moderate fire, and cook for six to seven minutes on each
side. Place in a hot dish ; pour half a cupful of maitre d'hotel
butter (see page 212) over them, and serve.

Boasted Tomatoes. Plunge in boiling water for a minute
eight medium-sized sound tomatoes; drain, and pare them neatly,
then cut away the top without detaching them entirely, and
remove the seeds with a teaspoon. Put a teaspoonful of good
butter into each tomato, seasoning with a little salt and pepper.
Close the tops, and lay them in a buttered baking dish, moisten-
ing each tomato with a little sweet oil. Put them in a hot oven,
and bake from ten to twelve minutes. Place them on a hot dish,
and serve.

Stewed Corn and Tomatoes. Boil dried or fresh corn until
perfectly tender, add to each cupful of corn two cupfuls of stewed
strained tomatoes, either canned or freshly cooked. Salt to
taste, boil together for five or ten minutes, and serve plain or
with a little cream added.

Scalloped Tomatoes. Place in a baking dish a layer of bread
crumbs, then a layer of peeled tomatoes sliced, with bits of butter,
a little pepper and salt ; then bread crumbs, tomatoes, and so on,
until the dish is full, having the bread crumbs on top. Place
in the oven and bake.

338 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

CABBAGE.
FRENCH AND AMERICAN FORMULAS.

Boiled Cabbage. Carefully clean a nice head of cabbage,
divide into halves, and with a sharp knife slice very thin, cutting
from the center of the head outward. Put into boiling water,
cover closely, and cook rapidly until tender; then turn into a
colander and drain, pressing gently with the back of a plate.
Return to the kettle, add salt to taste and sufficient sweet cream
to moisten well, heat through if at all cooled, dish, and serve at
once. If preferred, the cream may be omitted, and the cabbage
served with tomato sauce or lemon juice as a dressing.

Cabbage with Cream. Select a small solid cabbage, cut off
the outside leaves, and shave the cabbage fine. Have in spider
a cupful of boiling water, put the cabbage in, cover closely, and
let it boil twenty minutes, then drain off the water, add a cupful
of milk; when it boils, stir in a tablespoonful of flour made smooth
in a little milk. Season with salt and pepper, let it come to a
boil, and serve hot.

Stewed Cabbage. Chop nice cabbage quite fine, and put it
into boiling water, letting it boil twenty minutes. Turn into a
colander and drain thoroughly ; return to the kettle, cover with
milk, and let it boil till perfectly tender ; season with salt and
cream to taste. The beaten yolk of an egg, stirred in with the
cream, is considered an improvement by some.

Fried Cabbage. Chop cold boiled cabbage, press out all the
moisture, add a cupful of cream to a quart bowlful of cabbage,
and season it with salt and pepper ; put two tablespoonfuls of
butter in a frying pan over the fire, let it get smoking hot, put in
the cabbage, and brown it quickly on the under side ; as soon as
the cabbage is browned, turn it upside down on a hot dish, and
serve it.

Vegetables: Cabbage. 339

Cabbage and Tomatoes. Boil finely chopped cabbage in as
little water as possible. When tender, add half the quantity of
hot stewed tomatoes, boil together for a few minutes, being care-
ful to avoid burning, season with salt if desired, and serve. If
preferred, a little sweet cream may be added just before serving.

Boiled Cabbage. Wash a medium-sized head of cabbage in
plenty of salted cold water, and trim away the woody part of the
stalk ; have ready over the fire a very large pot containing five
or six quarts of salted boiling water ; put the cabbage into this
boiling water, place the pot over hottest part of the fire, and
bring its contents to the boiling point as fast as possible. Leave
the pot uncovered, and every two or three minutes press the
cabbage under the boiling water with a wooden spoon. Do not
let the cabbage stop boiling for one instant ; boil it steadily and
rapidly for ten minutes, then try one of the thickest stalks with
a sharp knife; if it is tender just tender, without being at all
watery drain the cabbage at once ; if it is not quite tender, let
it boil a few minutes longer, but only until it is tender, and then
drain it ; serve it hot at once, with a palatable seasoning of salt,
pepper and butter. Or, have ready a pint of white sauce, for
which directions are given elsewhere ; pour it over the cabbage
after it is drained, and serve it hot at once.

A New England Boiled Dinner. Select a thick piece of
corned beef from the round, weighing about six pounds ; wash
it in cold water, and put it over the fire in a large pot, with
sufficient cold water to cover it three or four inches; set the
pot where its contents will slowly reach the boiling point,
and boil very gently for four hours from the time it is first
placed on the fire. After the meat is put to cook, wash four
large beets very carefully, without breaking the skin or cutting
off the stalks or roots, and put them over the fire to boil in
another pot in plenty of actually boiling water. Then peel four
large white turnips and one large yellow turnip ; cut the latter in

340 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

four pieces ; scrape four carrots and four parsnips ; peel a dozen
medium-sized potatoes ; trim and wash a firm head of white cab-
bage, cut its stalk out without breaking the leaves apart, and bind it
with broad tape to keep it whole while cooking. As fast as the
vegetables are prepared lay them in plenty of cold water until
they are needed for cooking. If onions are used, they should be
boiled in a separate saucepan. Some families like a dish of
boiled squash, mashed with pepper, salt and butter, served as a part
of a boiled dinner ; in the fall and winter, pumpkin is often used
like the squash.

When the meat begins to boil, the scum which rises to the
surface of the pot liquor should be carefully skimmed off, and
a medium-sized red or green pepper put into the pot. As already
indicated, the pot must be large enough to hold both meat and
vegetables; the vegetables, except the beets and onions, are to
be added to the meat in proper succession, allowing sufficient
time for each kind to cook. The carrots, parsnips and turnips
will cook in about two hours ; the cabbage and onions in one
hour; the potatoes, squash and pumpkins in about half an hour.
The beets will boil from two to four hours, according to their
size ; they are to be taken up when tender, their skins are to be
rubbed off with a wet towel, and then they are to be sliced and
covered with vinegar. They are generally served cold ; but if
they are liked hot, they can be heated at dinner time, with a little
salt, pepper and butter.

When the boiled dinner is ready to serve, the meat is placed
in the middle of a large platter, and the vegetables, with the
exception of those specified for separate serving, are arranged
around it. A piece of salt pork is sometimes boiled with the beef.

Sauerkraut. Trim off the defective and tough otter leaves
of white cabbage, wash it thoroughly in cold salted water, and
shave it rather fine on a cabbage cutter, rejecting the tough stalks;
to each peck of cabbage allow a pint of fine salt ; wash the outer

Vegetables: Cabbage. 341

green leaves of the cabbage in cold salted water, and use them to
line a wooden tub or firkin ; put the cabbage into the firkin in
layers with the salt, beating the layers of cabbage with a potato
masher until all of it is tightly packed down; put a board over
the cabbage with a heavy stone on it, and let it stand for at least
six weeks, when it will be ready to use.

To prepare the sauerkraut for boiling, soak in plenty of cold
water until it is only palatably salty ; put the sauerkraut over the
fire in boiling water, or in the same pot in which bacon, pickled
pork or smoked sausage is boiling, and boil until it is tender ;
serve the sauerkraut, drain it, put it on a dish, lay the meat on
on it, and serve them together. When the sauerkraut is cooked
without meat, it is simply served as a vegetable.

Stuffed Cabbage. After cutting out the root and heart from
a good-sized cabbage head, pick off several of the outer leaves
and boil the remainder in salted water for ten or twelve minutes ;
then remove it from the fire, open the leaves carefully, so as not
to break them ; then season the cabbage with salt and pepper,
and fill the insides of the leaves with a nice stuffing or sausage
forcemeat. Close them up, and tie the cabbage so that none of
the stuffing escapes ; then lay it in a pan ; add one cut up carrot,
one cut up onion, a piece of pork, and a cupful of white broth.
Cover with a little fat from the soup stock ; lay a buttered paper
on top and let cook for one hour in the oven, basting it occa-
sionally with its own juice ; untie and serve with a cupful of any
sauce.

Baked Cabbage. Cut the outside leaves from a firm small
cabbage; put it on in cold water and boil fifteen minutes; drain
this water off and pour over boiling water; let it cook until tender,
then drain it, set aside until cold, then chop it fine, add two beaten
eggs, three tablespoonfuls of milk, one tablespoonful of butter,
salt and pepper ; stir all together, put it in baking dish and bake
until brown ; serve very hot

342 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

CAEROTS AND TURNIPS.

Carrots Mashed. Cook until tender in boiling water and a
little salt ; drain well, and then add one tablespoonful of butter,
salt and pepper. Serve hot. Carrots are also good boiled plain,
with salt and melted butter poured over them.

Boiled Carrots. To boil carrots in their own juice, wash
clean and scrape them, cutting out discolored spots ; cut them in
rather thick slices and throw them into as much boiling salted
water as will cover or barely float them, and no more. Boil
gently till they are tolerably tender, then boil very quickly to
evaporate the water, of which only a spoonful or so should be
left in the saucepan. Sprinkle on them a little pepper, put in a
small piece of butter rolled in flour, turn and toss them gently
till their juice is thickened by them and adheres to them; serve
immediately. They are improved by adding a dessertspoonful
of minced parsley, with the butter and a little thick cream mixed
with a very little flour, to prevent its curdling. Gravy may be
used instead of cream.

Stewed Carrots. Prepare young and tender carrots, drop
into boiling water, and cook for fifteen or twenty minutes. Drain,
slice, and put into a stewpan with rich milk or cream nearly to
cover ; simmer gently until tender ; season with salt and a little
chopped parsley.

Scalloped Turnips. Prepare and boil whole white turnips
until nearly tender; cut into thin slices, lay in an earthen pudding
dish, pour over them a white sauce sufficient to cover, made by
cooking a tablespoonful of flour in a pint of milk, part cream if
preferred, until thickened. Season with salt, sprinkle the top
lightly with grated bread crumbs, and bake in a quick oven until
a rich brown. Place the baking dish on a clean plate, and serve.
Rich milk or cream may be used instead of- white sauce, if
preferred.

Vegetables : Squash and Beets. 343

Mashed Turnips. Pare the turnips, cut them in half, and
boil in a pot with either beef, mutton or lamb. When they
become tender, press the liquor from them, and mash them with
pepper and salt. They may be served in this way, or they may
be sent to the table whole, with white sauce.

Stewed Turnips. Prepare and slice some young fresh white
turnips ; boil or steam about twenty minutes, drain thoroughly,
turn into a saucepan with a cup of new milk for each quart of
turnips ; simmer gently until tender, season with salt if desired,
and serve.

Creamed Turnips. Pare, but do not cut, young sweet white
turnips; boil till tender in a small quantity of water; drain and
dry well. Cook a tablespoonful of flour in a pint of rich milk or
part cream ; arrange the turnips in a baking dish, pour the sauce
over them, add salt if desired, sprinkle the top with grated bread
crumbs, and brown in a quick oven.

SQUASH AND BEETS.

Stewed Squash with Toasts. Cut into pieces, and stew
until tender in as little water as possible. Put in colander, and
let drain thoroughly, return it to the stove; add two tablespoonfuls
of butter, salt and pepper to taste. Serve on toast.

Summer Squash. Peel a squash, cut it in small pieces, and
boil it in salted boiling water until it is tender ; then drain it, put
it into a clean towel and wring out all the water ; put it again
into a saucepan over the fire, with two heaping tablespoonfuls of
butter and a palatable seasoning of salt and pepper; stir it over
the fire until it is hot, and then serve it.

Baked Squash. The hard shell varieties are best for baking.
Wash, divide, and lay, shells downward, on the top of the oven,
or place in a shallow baking dish with a little boiling water.

344 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Bake until tender, serve in the shell ; or scrape out the soft part,
mash and serve with two large tablespoonfuls of cream to a pint
of squash. If preferred, the skins may be removed before baking,
and the squash served the same as sweet potato, for which it
makes a good substitute.

Beet Salad. Chop equal parts of boiled beet and fresh young
cabbage. Mix thoroughly, add salt to taste, a few tablespoonfuls
of sugar, and cover with diluted lemon juice. Equal quantities
of cold boiled beets and cold boiled potatoes, chopped fine,
thoroughly mixed, and served with a dressing of lemon juice and
whipped cream, make a palatable salad. Care should be taken
not to chop the vegetables so fine as to admit of their being eaten
without mastication.

Beets Boiled. Select small-sized smooth roots. They should
be carefully washed, but not cut before boiling, as the juice will
escape and the sweetness of the vegetable be impaired, leaving
it white and hard. Put them into boiling water, and boil until
tender; which requires often from one to two hours. Do not
probe them, but press them with the finger to ascertain if they
are sufficiently done. When satisfied of this, take them up and
put them into a pan of cold water, and slip off the outside. Cut
them into thin slices, and while hot season with butter, salt, a
little pepper and very sharp vinegar.

Baked Beets. Wash young and tender beets, and place in
an earthen baking dish with a very little water ; as it evaporates,
add more, which must be of boiling temperature. Set into a
moderate oven, and according to size of the beets, bake slowly
from two to three hours. When tender, remove the skins and
dress with lemon juice or cream sauce.

Beets and Potatoes. Boil new potatoes and young beets
separately till tender; then peel and slice. Put them in alternate
layers in a vegetable dish, with salt to taste and enough sweet
cream nearly to cover. Brown in the oven, and serve at once.

Vegetables : Parsnips. 345

PARSNIPS

Baked Parsnips, Wash, scrape and divide; drop into boiling
water a little more than sufficient to cook them, and boil gently till
thoroughly tender. There should remain about one-half pint of
the liquor when the parsnips are done. Arrange on an earthen
plate or shallow pudding dish, not more than one layer deep ;
cover with the juice, and bake, basting frequently until the juice
is all absorbed and the parsnips delicately browned. Serve at once.

Parsnips with Cream. Wash and scrape the parsnips, boil
until tender, and cut lengthwise; have in frying pan two table-
spoonfuls of butter ; lay the parsnips in, season with salt and pep-
per and a little parsley; let it boil up, take up the parsnips, lay
them on a hot dish ; add to the sauce four tablespoonfuls of milk
in which has been stirred one-quarter of a teaspoonful of flour, let
this boil up, and pour over the parsnips.

Parsnips with Egg Sauce. Scrape, wash and slice thinly
enough parsnips to make three pints ; steam, bake or boil them
until very tender. If boiled, turn into a colander and drain well.
Have ready an egg sauce, for preparing which heat a pint of rich
milk or very thin cream to boiling, stir into it a level tablespoon-
ful of flour rubbed smooth with a little milk. Let this boil a few
minutes, stirring constantly until the flour is well cooked and the
sauce thickened, then add slowly the well-beaten yolk of one egg,
stirring rapidly so that it shall be well mingled with the whole ;
add salt to taste ; let it boil up once, pour over the parsnips, and
serve. The sauce should be of the consistency of thick cream.

Mashed Parsnips. Wash and scrape, dropping at once into
cold water to prevent discoloration. Slice thinly and steam, or
bake whole, until perfectly tender. When done, mash until free
from lumps, removing all hard or stringy portions ; add salt to
taste and a few spoonfuls of thick cream, and serve.

346 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Fried Parsnips. Boil them tender; when they are cool
slice them lengthwise and fry them with some thin slices of
boiled salt pork. Put in the parsnips when the fat is hot,
pepper them, brown them on both sides ; crisp the pork, and
serve with them.

CORN.

Boiled Green Corn. Remove the husks and every thread
of the silk fiber. Place in a kettle, the larger ears at the bottom,
with sufficient boiling water nearly to cover. Cover with the
clean inner husks, and cook from twenty to thirty minutes,
according to the age of the corn ; too much cooking hardens it
and detracts from its flavor. Try a kernel, and when the milk
has thickened, and a raw taste is no longer apparent, it is suffi-
ciently cooked. Green corn is said to be sweeter boiled with
the inner husks on. For cooking in this way, strip off all outer
husks, and remove the silk, tying the inner husk around the ear
with a bit of thread, and boil. Remove from the kettle, place
in a heated dish, cover with a napkin and serve at once on the
cob. Some recommend scoring or splitting the corn by drawing
a sharp knife through each row lengthwise. This is a wise pre-
caution against insufficient mastication.

Fried Corn. Cut the corn from the cob, and fry in a little
butter, stir often, add salt and pepper, and when nicely browned
and is done, add a little cream ; do not boil after the cream is
added.

Green Corn on the Ear. Select a dozen, more or less, of
nice young ears, free them from every particle of silk, and throw
them into boiling water with a tablespoonful of salt. If very
young, fifteen minutes will cook them. As the corn grows
older, it will require more time. Serve hot, with butter, pepper
and salt.

Vegetables : Corn. 347

Stewed Corn Pulp. Take six ears of green corn or enough
.o make a pint of raw pulp ; with a sharp knife cut a thin shav-
ing from each row of kernels or score each kernel, and with the
back of the knife scrape out the pulp, taking care to leave the
hulls on the cob. Heat a cup and a half of rich milk part
cream if it can be afforded to boiling, add the corn, cook
twenty or thirty minutes; season with salt and a teasponful of
sugar if desired.

Green Corn Boasted. Husk a dozen ears of corn, and re-
move the silk ; rub them with butter, season them with pepper
and salt ; lay them in a dripping pan, and prop it up as close as
possible to a clear hot fire; occasionally turn the ears, and
change their position in the pan, so that all may cook evenly ;
when they are browned, serve them hot at once. Or, prepare
the corn as directed above, and then brown it in a very hot
oven.

Baked Corn. Select nice fresh ears of tender corn of as
nearly equal size as possible. Open the husks and remove all
the silk from the corn ; replace and tie the husks around the
ears with a thread. Put the corn in a hot oven, and bake thirty
minutes or until tender. Remove the husks before serving.

Succotash. Take a pint of fresh-shelled Lima beans, or
any large fresh beans, put them in a pot with cold water, rather
more than will cover them. Scrape the kernels from twelve
ears of young sweet corn ; put the cobs in with the beans, boil-
ing from half to three-quarters of an hour. Now take out the
cobs and put in the scraped corn ; boil again fifteen minutes,
then season with salt and pepper to taste, a piece of butter the
size of an egg, and half a cup of cream. Serve hot.

348 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

PEAS.

Stewed Peas. If from the garden, pick and shell the peas
with clean hands ; if from the market, wash the pods before
shelling, so that the peas will not require washing, as they are
much better without. When shelled, put into a colander and
sift out the fine particles and undeveloped blossoms. If not of
equal growth, sort the peas and put the older ones to cook ten
minutes before the others. Use a porcelain kettle, with one-
half pint of boiling water for each quart of peas, if young and
tender ; older ones, which require longer stewing, need more.
Cover closely, and simmer gently till tender. The time required
for young peas is from twenty-five to thirty minutes ; older ones
require from forty to fifty minutes. Serve without draining,
season with salt and enough sweet cream to make them as juicy
as desired. If preferred, the juice may be thickened with a
little flour.

The peas may be purposely stewed in a larger quantity of
water, and served in their own juices thickened with a little flour
and seasoned with salt.

Sugar Peas. Wash the pods, string them like string-beans,
cut them in pieces about an inch long, and stew them gently
with butter, allowing two tablespoon fuls to each quart of peas,
and a palatable seasoning of salt and pepper, and enough water
to prevent burning. They will cook tender in from twenty to
thirty minutes. Serve them in their sauce.

FROM FRENCH AND ITALIAN CHEFS.

Peas a la Francaise. One quart green peas shelled ; one
onion ; one-half handful parsley ; four tablespoonfuls butter ;
one tablespoonful flour; two teaspoonfuls sugar; one glassful

Vegetables : Peas. 349

water; salt and pepper to suit the taste. Melt in a stewpan two
tablespoonfuls butter; add the peas, water, and onion (whole),
the parsley (tied), some salt and pepper, and cook slowly for
about forty minutes. When ready to serve, take out the onion
and the parsley, add the balance of butter mixed with one table-
spoonful flour, and serve in a warm dish. Use only small peas.

Green Peas a I'Ancienne Mode. Two quarts of unshelled,
young, tender green peas ; shell them carefully, and keep them
wrapped up in a wet napkin until needed. Clean, drain, and tie
up small lettuce-head ; put it in a saucepan with the peas ; sea-
son with salt ; cover with a glassful of water, and add six table-
spoonfuls very good butter. After cooking for fifteen minutes,
remove the lettuce, and when ready to serve, thicken the peas
with two spoonfuls of cream, diluted with one egg yolk, adding
half a pinch of white pepper, and a spoonful of powdered sugar.
Let all thicken together for five minutes, and serve immediately
in a pan.

Green Peas a PAnglaise. Two quarts of green peas ; put
them in a pan and cover them with boiling water. Add a hand-
ful of salt, and boil quickly, without covering, for fifteen min-
utes. Skim the water clean as the scum rises. When done,
strain them through a colander, return them to the pan, and stir
them well, adding two tablespoonfuls fresh butter. Dish them
in a vegetable dish, place a little more butter in the middle, and
serve.

Green Peas with Bacon. Two quarts shelled green peas ;
two onions; one handful parsley; two pounds bacon; two
tablespoonfuls flour ; two glassfuls water ; salt and pepper to
suit the taste. Cut the bacon in dices and brown a while in a
saucepan. Sprinkle over the flour; then add the water, the
peas, onions (whole), the parsley tied, and cook for about fifty
minutes. When ready to serve, take out the onion and the
parsley and serve.

Green Peas a la Bourgeoise. One and one-half quarts of

350 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

green peas, shelled ; one tablespoonful of flour; one tablespoon-
f ul of butter ; one-half raw lettuce heart ; one raw egg, yolk ; two
tablespoonfuls cream ; one coffee-cup of cold water ; salt and
pepper to suit the taste. First put the butter in pan, stir in the
flour, and allow to cook on back of stove for five minutes or so
(stirring constantly) ; mix in the peas quickly, and add the cold
water, lettuce heart, salt and pepper ; allow to cook for about
twenty minutes until the juice has nearly all evaporated. Beat
the yolk of egg well, add it to the peas ; add in the cream. Stir
all constantly for three or four minutes on top of stove without
allowing same to boil just to heat through thoroughly, and
serve.

If you do not desire to cook as large a quantity you can use
one-half of the proportions given. Use only small tender peas.

Green Peas with Cream. Put two tablespoonfuls of butter
in a pan with one tablespoonful of flour kneaded well together.
Dissolve it ; then add two quarts peas, a bouquet of herbs, salt
and pepper to suit the taste. Cook in their own juice for
twenty minutes, then take the pan from off the fire. Pour the
gravy from the peas into another vessel, add to it half a cupful
of cream and a teaspoonful of powdered sugar ; pour this sauce
over the peas, and heat up once again without boiling, for two
minutes, before serving.

BEANS.

Stewed Beans. Soak a quart of white beans in water over
night. In the morning drain, turn hot water over them an inch
deep or more, cover, and place on the range where they will
only just simmer, adding boiling water if needed. When nearly
tender, add salt to taste, a tablespoonful of sugar if desired, and
half a cup of good sweet cream. Cook slowly an hour or more

Vegetables : Beans. 351

longer, but let them be full of juice when taken up, never
cooked down dry and mealy.

Pork and Beans. Pick over a quart of small white beans ;
put them to soak over night. Set them to boil the next morn-
ing, throwing off the water just before they reach boiling-point.
Cover with cold water again, put in a square pound of nice
sweet salt pork, and let both boil together till the beans are ten-
der. When the beans are done, the water should have all be-
come absorbed ; they are then put in one pan to brown, and the
pork in another, scoring the latter first, through the skin. Be-
fore serving set the pork in the center of the beans. Serve with
pickles and horseradish.

String Beans. Wash a quart of very young, tender string-
beans, cut them diagonally in small strips, throw them into
salted boiling water, and boil them fast for ten minutes, or un-
til they are tender ; then drain them, and throw them into cold
water ; melt over the fire two heaping tablespoonfuls of butter,
and squeeze the juice of a lemon ; when the beans are cold,
drain them, put them into the hot butter, and heat them quickly ;
season them palatably with salt and pepper, add the lemon-
juice, and serve them at once. Omit the lemon-juice if the
flavor is not desired.

Lima Beans. Put a quart of shelled lima beans over the
fire, in sufficient boiling water to cover them, with a tablespoon-
ful of salt, and boil them for about twenty minutes, or until
they are tender ; then drain them ; add to them enough milk
to cover them, a tablespoonful of butter, and a palatable season-
ing of salt and white pepper ; heat them quickly, and serve them
hot.

Lima beans may be simply boiled until tender in salted boil-
ing water, then drained, and seasoned with salt, pepper and but-
ter, and served at once.

Cold lima beans can be fried in butter, with a palatable
seasoning of salt and pepper; or mashed and made into little

352 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

cakes, with an egg and salt and pepper, and then browned in
butter.

Scalloped Beans. Soak a pint of white beans over night in
cold water. When ready to cook, put into an earthen baking
dish, cover well with new milk, and bake in a slow oven for
eight or nine hours, refilling the dish with milk as it boils away,
and taking care that the beans do not at any time get dry
enough to brown over the top till they are tender. When
nearly done, add salt to taste, and a half cup of cream. They
may be allowed to bake till the milk is quite absorbed and the
beans dry, or may be served when rich with juice, according to
taste. The beans may be parboiled in water for a half-hour
before beginning to bake, and the length of time thereby les-
/sened. They should be well drained before adding the milk,
however.

To Blanch String Beans. Select nice fresh string beans.
Break off the tops and bottoms ; carefully string both sides;
wash them well in cold water, lifting them up and down, and
then drain off the water. Then place them in a vessel and cover
with boiling salt water (a light solution), and cook for twenty-
five minutes. Drain off the water and return them to fresh cold
water, and allow them to cool in same. Lift out and wipe dry f
and they are ready to use for salads or other cooking purposes.

String Beans, with Cream. Take a quart of blanched
beans ; put in a saucepan with a tablespoonful of butter and cook
on the stove for five minutes, stirring them well. Season with
salt and pepper, and add a quarter of a bunch of chives and one
sprig of parsley tied together. Pour in a glassful of fresh cream
or milk, diluted with one egg yoke. Heat well, without boiling,
for five minutes. Then serve. Sugar may be added with ad-
vantage, if desired.

String Beans a la Francaise. One quart blanched string
beans ; one cupful white broth ; two tablespoonfuls butter ; two
teaspoonfuls flour; one small onion cut in dice-shaped pieces.

Vegetables : Asparagus. 353

Put the pieces of onion in a pan with the butter ; place on stove ;
and allow same to get a nice golden-brown color. Then add
the flour, stir well, and then add the white broth. Stir continu-
ally until it comes to a boil. Season with salt and pepper to
suit the taste ; add the beans, and allow to cook for about ten
minutes. Serve in a hot dish ; sprinkle a little chopped parsley
on top. (See Meat Sauces for white broth.)

String Beans a la Italienne. Take a quart of fresh beans,
clean and string them, cut them in half, and cook in water with
a little salt and butter until done. Then drain off the water;
put in a saucepan with two tablespoonfuls of butter (you can
use less), a teaspoonful of chopped parsley and the same of
chopped chives, and cook for five minutes. Thicken the gravy
with four tablespoonfuls of cream and the yolk of an egg well
beaten and the juice of half a lemon ; mix well together for a
few minutes and serve.

ASPARAGUS.

Asparagus. If fresh asparagus is used, wash it, and scrape
the stalks, and, as far as they are tender, cut them into inch
pieces ; boil them until tender in salted boiling water ; then
drain them, and throw them into cold water ; if canned aspara-
gus is used, simply drain it, and pour boiling water over it :
about ten minutes before dinner-time drain the asparagus from
the boiling water, put it into a saucepan with sufficient sweet
cream to cover it, season it palatably with salt and white pepper,
heat it, and serve it at once on delicate slices of toast. Or, heat
the asparagus with salt, pepper and butter, after it is boiled.

Asparagus with Egg Sauce. Prepare and cook asparagus
as directed above. When tender, drain thoroughly, and serve
on a hot dish or on slices of nicely browned toast, with an egg

354 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

sauce prepared in the following manner : Heat a half cup of rich
milk to boiling, add salt, and turn into it very slowly the well-
beaten yolk of an egg, stirring constantly at the same time.
Let the whole just thicken, and remove from the fire at once.

Asparagus and Toast. Cut off the white, removing most
of that which is hard. Scrape the hard ends a little. Put them
in cold water for a short time, then tie them up in small bundles.
When the water boils, put them in with a little salt. Boil until
tender. Toast a slice of bread brown on both sides. Take the
asparagus up and dip the toast in the water the asparagus was
boiled in. Lay the asparagus on the toast ; pour melted butter
over it ; garnish with slices of orange.

Asparagus with Cream Sauce. Thoroughly wash, tie in.
small bunches, and put into boiling water ; boil till perfectly
tender. Drain thoroughly, untie the bunches, place the stalks
all the same way upon a hot plate, with a dressing prepared as
follows : Let a pint of sweet cream (about six hours old is best)
come to the boiling-point, and stir into it salt to taste, and a
level tablespoonful of flour rubbed smooth with a little cold
cream. Boil till the flour is perfectly cooked, and then pass
through a fine-wire strainer.

Asparagus and Peas. Asparagus and green peas make a
nice dish served together, and if of proportionate age, require
the same length of time to cook. Wash the asparagus, shell
and look over the peas, put together into boiling water, cook,
and serve as directed for stewed asparagus.

Asparagus with Dutch Sauce. After washing asparagus,
scrape off the woody portion of the stalks, or cut it off entirely,
and tie the asparagus in small bunches ; put it over the fire in
salted boiling water, and boil it until it is tender ; then drain it
and serve it on a napkin, or on toast, sending a dish of white or
Dutch sauce, or melted butter, to the table with it. The toast
served under asparagus is designed to absorb the water from it.
To make Dutch or Hollandaise sauce, put over the fire a table-

Vegetables: Cauliflower. 355

spoonful each of butter and flour, and stir them until they bub-
ble, then gradually stir in a pint of boiling water ; when the
sauce boils, season it palatably with salt and white pepper, and
draw the saucepan to the side of the fire where the sauce cannot
boil ; then stir in three tablespoonfuls of oil, drop by drop, or
two tablespoonfuls of butter, one tablespoonful of vinegar or
lemon juice, and finally the yolks of two raw eggs ; serve as soon
as the eggs are added, because it will be apt to curdle if it stands
until the eggs are cooked.

Boiled asparagus, served either hot or cold, with mayonnaise,
is delicious.

CAULIFLOWER.

Cauliflower. Trim off the leaves of a firm head of cauli-
flower, and wash it thoroughly in plenty of cold water in which
a handful of salt has been dissolved : if any insects are visible
between the branches of the cauliflower, let it soak in the salted
water, with the flowerets down, for an hour ; the salt will kill
the insects, and they will fall down into the water. About
three-quarters of an hour before dinner-time put two table-
spoonfuls of butter, a level teaspoonful of salt, and a quarter
of a saltspoonful of white pepper into a perfectly clean saucepan
large enough to hold the cauliflower; take it from the water,
and put it at once into the saucepan without draining it ; cover
it closely, set it over a gentle fire, and let it simmer and steam
until tender, which will be in about half an hour. Then, with-
out breaking it, take it up on a hot dish ; let the butter and
water in which it was cooked boil very fast for a minute, and
then pour it over the cauliflower, and serve it. If a thick sauce
is liked, mix a teaspoonful of flour or corn-starch, dissolved in
half a cupful of cold water, with the butter and water, boil

356 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

it for two minutes, stirring it constantly, and then serve it with
the cauliflower.

Cauliflower, after it is carefully washed, may be boiled until
tender, and then drained, and served with white sauce ; or,
when the heads are small and defective, either boiled and served
in branches, instead of entire, or mashed through a colander,
and heated with salt, pepper, and butter.

Boiled Cauliflower. Prepare, divide into neat branches,
and tie securely in a net. Put into boiling milk and water,
equal quantities, and cook until the main stalks are tender.
Boil rapidly the first five minutes, afterward more moderately,
to prevent the flower from becoming done before the stalks.
Serve on a hot dish with cream sauce or diluted lemon juice.

Browned Cauliflower. Beat together two eggs, a little
salt, four tablespoonfuls of sweet cream, and a small quantity
of grated bread crumbs well moistened with a little milk, till of
the consistency of batter. Steam the cauliflower until tender,
separate it into small bunches, dip each top in the mixture, and
place in nice order in a pudding dish ; put in the oven and
brown.

Fried Cauliflower. Boil the cauliflowers till about half
done. Mix two tablespoonfuls of flour with two yolks of eggs,
then add water enough to make a rather thin paste ; add salt to
taste ; the two whites are beaten till stiff, and then mixed with
>the yolks, flour, and water. Dip each branch of the cauliflowers
into the mixture, and fry them in hot fat. When done, take
them off with a skimmer, turn into a colander, dust salt all over,
and serve warm. Asparagus, celery, egg-plant, oyster-plant, are
all fine when fried in this manner.

Cauliflower with Egg Sauce. Steam the cauliflower until
tender, separate into small portions, dish, and serve with an egg
sauce prepared as directed for parsnips on page 345.

Cauliflower with Tomato Sauce. Boil or steam the cauli-
flower until tender. In another dish prepare a sauce with a pint

Vegetables: Egg Plant. 357

of strained stewed tomatoes heated to boiling, thickened with
a tablespoonful of flour rubbed smooth in 'a little water, and
salted to taste. When the cauliflower is tender, dish, and pour
over it the hot tomato sauce. If preferred, a tablespoonful of
thick sweet cream may be added to the sauce before using.

It is a very good plan to loosen the leaves of a head of cauli-
flower, and let lie, the top downward, in a pan of cold salt water,
to remove any insects that might be hidden between them.

EGG PLANT.

Egg Plant. In preparing egg plant keep in water until

ready to cook, as the air will turn it black.

Baked Egg Plant. Cut a medium-sized egg plant in halves,
score it deeply on both sides, and rub plenty of salt and pepper
into the cuts ; put it into a pan with a heaping tablespoonful
of butter spread over it, and bake it until it is tender ; serve it
with the gravy it yields poured over it.

Or, after cutting the egg plant, scoop out most of the in-
terior, mince it fine, add an equal quantity of bread-crumbs
to it, season it highly with salt, pepper, and butter, and put the
mixture again into the rind, heaping each half ; set the halves
of the egg plant in an earthen dish which can be sent to the
table, and bake it until it is tender, then serve it hot.

Egg Plant with Dressing. Cut the egg plant in two ; take
out all the inside and put it in a pan with a cupful of chopped
chicken, veal, or any meat you wish (ham is also nice), cover
with water, and boil until tender ; drain, add one tablespoonful
of butter, a small onion chopped fine, salt and pepper, and
about two tablespoonfuls of bread-crumbs ; mix well together
and fill each half of the hull, put a little butter on each, and
bake fifteen or twenty minutes.

358 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Egg Plant Fried in Butter. Peel and slice the egg plant,
let it lie in salt for an hour, and then roll the slices in dry flour
seasoned with salt and pepper ; put a large pan over the fire
with enough butter to cover the bottom to the depth of half an
inch thick when melted ; when the butter is smoking hot, put
in the egg-plant, fry it brown on both sides, and serve it hot.

Broiled Egg Plant. Peel and slice a medium-sized egg
plant ; place the slices in a dish ; season them with salt and
pepper ; pour over them a tablespoonful of sweet oil ; mix well
together ; then arrange the slices on the broiler, and broil them
for five minutes on each side. Remove them from the fire,
place them in a hot dish, spread four ounces of maitre d'hotel
butter over them, and serve.

Stuffed Egg Plant. Peel and slice a nice egg plant ; see
that the peel remains intact on one side. Make four incisions
inside of each piece, and fry them for one minute in very hot
fat ; take out the fleshy part of the egg-plant with a scoop, and
fill it with any forcemeat at hand. Sprinkle the top with bread-
crumbs and a little clarified butter brown well in the oven for
ten minutes, and serve.

MUSHROOMS.
AMERICAN AND FRENCH FORMULAS.

Stewed Mushrooms. Select the buttons of uniform size.
Wipe them clean with a wet flannel ; put them in a stewpan
with a little water, and let them stew very gently for a quarter
of an hour. Add salt to taste, work in a little flour and butter,
to make the liquor about as thick as cream, and let it boil for
five minutes. When you are ready to dish it up, stir in two
tablespoonfuls of cream or the yolk of an egg ; stir it over the
fire for a minute, but do not let it boil, and serve. Stewed

Vegetables : Mushrooms. 359

button mushrooms are very nice, either in fish stews or ragouts,
or served apart to eat with fish. Another way of doing them is
to stew them in milk and water (after they are rubbed white),
add to them a little veal gravy, mace, and salt, and thicken the
gravy with cream or the yolks of eggs.

Fresh Mushrooms Baked. Carefully cleanse the mush-
rooms as directed in the recipe for broiled mushrooms ; cut
as many slices of bread as there are "mushroom caps, trimming
off the crusts, and having each slice about two inches square ;
lay them in a baking-pan ; spread each slice of bread with
butter, put on each one a little pepper and salt; on each slice of
bread put one or more mushroom caps, enough to cover the
bread ; put the pan in a hot oven for five minutes, then season
the mushrooms with salt and pepper; put a piece of butter as
large as a hazel-nut on the mushrooms contained on each slice
of bread ; return the pan to the oven, and finish baking the
mushrooms, which are to be served on the bread as soon as they
are tender.

Fresh mushrooms may be breaded and fried.

Mushrooms Broiled on Toast. Pare and wash well, and
dry thoroughly one pound of fine large mushrooms. Lay them
on a dish, season with a pinch of salt, half a pinch of pepper,
and a tablespoonful of sweet oil. Roll them in well ; then put
them on to broil for four minutes on each side ; arrange them
on a hot dish with six slices of toast ; pour a gill of maitre
d'hotel butter over the mushrooms, and serve.

Mushroom Brown Sauce. For a can of mushrooms, put
into a saucepan a heaping tablespoonful each of butter and
flour ; stir them together over the fire until they begin to
brown, then gradually stir in the liquor from the can, adding
water if any is needed to make the sauce of the proper con-
sistency ; add the mushrooms, season the sauce palatably with
salt, pepper, and very little grated nutmeg; when the mush-

360 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

rooms are hot, stir in a wineglassful of sherry or Madeira, and
serve the mushrooms as a vegetable.

Toast may be served under them to increase the size of the
dish ; or the sauce and the mushrooms may be poured on a dish
with broiled beefsteak or broiled chicken, or with a baked or
roasted tenderloin of beef.

Mushroom Stems Stewed. Use the stems of the mush-
rooms when the caps have been already cooked ; cut them in
rather small pieces ; put them over the fire with a heaping
tablespoonful of butter to a pint of stems, together with a pala-
table seasoning of salt and pepper, and stew them gently until
they are tender.

Mushrooms with Cream. One pound of mushrooms; one
yolk ; one dessertspoonful of starch ; one-half cupful of cream or
milk; two teaspoonfuls of chopped parsley; time, fifteen min-
utes.

Preparation. Pour mushrooms in a saucepan, add one ounce
of butter, and boil twelve minutes. Place the saucepan on a
corner of the range, and add the yolk mixed in a bowl with
the corn-starch, and the cream and some chopped parsley, and
serve. You can use the canned mushrooms.

CELERY.

FRENCH AND AMERICAN FORMULAS.

Celery a la Moelle de Bo3uf. Select four heads of nice cel-
ery, cut off the green leaves, pare neatly, wash thoroughly,
drain, and tie each head near the end where the green part has
been cut away. Blanch them in salted boiling water for ten
minutes ; then remove, drain, and put them in a pan with a cup
of Madeira sauce. Cook for fifteen minutes. Arrange the heads
pn a hot dish ; remove the strings, and add to the sauce in the

Vegetables : Celery. 361

pan ten slices of marrow one-third of an inch thick. Cook for
one minute or so, being careful not to break the pieces of mar-
row ; pour the sauce over the celery, and serve.

Celery a la Creme. Nine nice stalks Kalamazoo celery;
corn-starch, four teaspoonfuls ; milk, one cupful ; butter, two
tablespoonfuls. Use the upper half of the celery instead of the
lower part. Wash and cut in pieces two inches long. Cook in
boiling water until tender (fifteen to twenty minutes) and drip.
Pour the celery in a saucepan with the butter ; add the cold
milk or cream, in which you have mixed the corn-starch. Boil
a little while longer, and serve in a hollow dish as a side-dish.

Celery with Tomato Sauce. Prepare the celery as in the
preceding recipe, and cook until tender in a small quantity of
boiling water. Drain in a colander, and for three cups of stewed
celery prepare a sauce with a pint of strained stewed tomato,
heated to boiling and thickened with a tablespoonful of flour
rubbed smooth in a little cold water. If desired, add a half cup
of thin cream. Turn over the celery, and serve hot.

Celery and Potato Hash. To three cups of cold boiled or
baked potato, chopped rather fine, add one cup of cooked cel-
ery, minced. Put into a shallow saucepan with cream enough
to moisten well, and salt to season. Heat to boiling, tossing
and stirring so that the whole will be heated throughout, and
serve hot.

Stewed Celery. Cut the white part of fine heads of celery
into small pieces, blanch in boiling water, turn into a colander,
and drain. Heat a cup and a half of milk to boiling in a stew-
pan ; add the celery, and stew gently until tender. Remove
the celery with a skimmer, and stir into the milk the beaten
yolks of two eggs and one-half cup of cream. Cook until thick-
ened ; pour over the celery, and serve.

362 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

VEGETABLE OYSTER OR SALSIFY.

Salsify or Vegetable Oyster. After scraping off the out-
side, parboil and slice the salsify ; dip the slices into a beaten
egg, then into fine bread-crumbs, and fry in lard. It is very
good boiled, and then stewed a few minutes in milk, with a little
salt and butter. Or make a batter of wheat flour, milk, and
eggs ; cut the salsify in thin slices (first boiling it tender), put
them into the batter with a little salt, and drop mixture into hot
fat by spoonful. Cook them until they are a light brown.

Oyster Plant with Cream. Scrape a bunch of tender
oyster-plant, putting the roots, as they are scraped, in cold water
to which a little vinegar has been added ; cut the oyster plant in
pieces, put it over the fire in salted boiling water, and boil it for
about twenty minutes, or until it is tender; then drain it; add
a tablespoonful of butter, cream enough to cover it, and a pala-
table seasoning of salt and white pepper. Serve it as soon as
the cream is hot. The cream may be omitted if desired.

After oyster-plant has been boiled, it can be mashed through
a colander, with a palatable seasoning of salt, pepper, and but-
ter, and heated and served ; or mashed and made into little
cakes, and browned in butter ; or scalloped, with the addition of
bread-crumbs and seasoning, and browned in a hot oven.

Fried Salsify. Stew the salsify as usual till very tender ;
then with the back of a spoon or a potato-jammer mash it very
fine. Beat up an egg ; add a teacupful of milk, a little flour,
butter, and seasoning of pepper and salt. Make into little
cakes, and fry a light brown in boiling lard, first rolling in
beaten egg and then flour.

Vegetables : Artichokes. 363

ARTICHOKES.
PROM FRENCH FORMULAS.

Artichokes Boiled. Wash in plenty of cold salte- water;
let them remain in the water for some time if they are not fresh ;
boil them in enough salted boiling water to cover them until the
leaves are tender, or until a leaf can be pulled out easily ; then
drain the artichokes, trim off the tops of the leaves, partly cut
the artichokes through the centre, and remove the choke with a
teaspoon ; work quickly, lest the artichokes become cold, and if
they do, heat them in boiling water before serving them. Serve
the artichokes with white sauce, or Hollandaise sauce, or with
butter, salt, and pepper. They can also be served with a plain
salad dressing, or maitre d' hotel butter.

Fried Artichokes. Prepare the artichokes as described
above ; cut each artichoke into six pieces ; remove the choke
with a spoon ; pare the tips of the remaining leaves, and lay the
pieces in a bowl with some sweet-oil, salt, and pepper, a third
of a pinch of nutmeg, and a tablespoonful of vinegar. Stir all
well together. Make a frying batter, dip in the artichokes, and
mix well. Fry some fat in a pan ; lay the pieces in carefully,
stir well, and don't allow pieces to touch one another, and allow
to fry for twelve or fifteen minutes, or until of nice golden
color ; then take out and serve.

Artichokes Sautes. Prepare some nice artichokes as de-
scribed ; cut them into quarters, and remove the choke entirely.
Trim the leaves neatly, and parboil them for five minutes in
salted water. Remove and drain them thoroughly. Lay them
in a pan, season with salt and pepper, and add some good but-
ter. Cover the pan with the lid, and set to cook in a moderate
oven for twenty-five minutes. Take it out, place the artichokes
in a deep dish, and serve with any desired sauce.

364 Cooking and Houskeeeping Simplified.

CUCUMBERS.

Stuffed Cucumbers. Peel four large cucumbers, pare them
carefully and shapely ; cut off the lower ends, and with a vege-
table-spoon empty them. After extracting all the seeds, place
them in a slight solution of salt water ; rinse them well, and par-
boil them in boiling water for three minutes. Remove them,
and put in cold water to cool. Drain them, and fill the insides
with a cooked chicken forcemeat (see page 217). Line a pan
with thin slices of pork; add the cucumbers, and season with
salt and pepper ; add a bouquet of herbs, a glassful of white
wine, two cloves, and a spoonful of dripping from any kind of
roast. Cover with a piece of buttered paper, and place it in a
slow oven to cook gently for twenty minutes. When done,
transfer them to a hot dish ; skim off the fat, pour one cup
Madeira sauce over them, take out the bouquet of herbs, and
serve.

Fried Cucumbers. Pare them, and cut lengthwise in very
thick slices ; wipe them dry with a cloth ; sprinkle with salt and
pepper, dredge with flour, and fry in lard and butter, a table-
spoonful of each, mixed. Brown both sides, and serve warm.

Stewed Cucumbers for Garnishing. Peel and slice two
large cucumbers ; sprinkle them with salt, pepper ; add one table-
spoonful of vinegar ; add one small sliced onion ; let stand for
one hour, drain off the liquid, put all in a pan with a large cup-
ful of Universal sauce (see Sauces, page 208) ; cook for twenty
minutes ; strain through fine sieve or cheese-cloth, and use for
garnishing purposes.

Cucumbers with Cream. Four large cucumbers ; one cup-
ful of cream, six tablespoonfuls of butter, one good teaspoonful
of sugar ; salt to suit the taste. Pare the cucumbers ; cut them
in four endwise, take the seeds out, and cut them in pieces

Vegetables: Greens, 365

about two and one half inches in length. Melt the butter in a
stew pan, and when warm add the cucumbers. Cook on good
fire for ten minutes. Add the cream, a little salt and sugar,
boil awhile and serve as a side-dish.

It is best to let cucumbers lie in salt water for two or three
hours before preparing.

GREENS.

Sea Kale. The stalk of sea-kale, when cooked, is some-
what like asparagus ; the growing plant has thick stalks and
large leaves, like pie-plant, which take on a purplish-green color
when exposed to sun and air. Like celery and pie-plant, sea
kale must be blanched while growing, or the taste will be bitter ;
and it must be kept in a dark place after it is cut. The kale
grows in roots with stalks attached, like celery. To prepare it
for cooking, the roots and large leaves must be trimmed off, the
plants thoroughly washed in cold salted water, and then tied up
like asparagus. The young shoots are the best, but the stalks
or midribs of the leaves are good if they are white and crisp.
When the stalks are tied up, put them into salted boiling water,
and boil them until they are tender, which will be in about
twenty minutes, if the kale is good ; then drain them, and dress
them with salt, pepper, butter and a little lemon-juice, and
serve them hot ; or serve the kale on toast like asparagus. Any
sauce suitable for asparagus will be excellent for sea-kale.

Dandelions. These are relished by many, as well as spinach
cooked in the same way. Take the young leaves before the
plant blossoms or while in the bud, wash quite clean, boil
tender in salted water, drain well and press them dry. They
can be served plain with melted butter, or can be chopped and
heated afresh with pepper, salt, and a little butter rolled in

366 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

flour, and a spoonful or two of gravy or cream. A large quan-
tity should be boiled, as they shrink very much. The dandelion
is considered very healthy, and the slight bitterness is relished
by most persons.

Spring Greens. Young beet and turnip tops make nice
greens in the early spring. Pick, and wash them carefully from
dust and insects, and boil with them a small piece of salt pork,
bacon, ham or corned beef. Drain free from water, and serve
with vinegar. They may be boiled plain, and served with gravy
sauce.

Radishes. Wash thoroughly young and tender radishes,
and arrange in a glass dish with the taper ends meeting. Scat-
ter bits of cracked ice among them. An inch of the stem, if
left on, serves as a convenience in handling.

Lettuce. Wash well, put into cold water, and set on ice or
on the cellar bottom for an hour or more before using. Dry
the leaves with a soft towel, and use whole or tear into conven-
ient pieces with a silver fork; never cut with a knife. Serve
with a dressing prepared of equal quantities of lemon-juice and
sugar, diluted with a little ice water. It is also very nice if
dressed with slices of hard-boiled egg, a little vinegar, sweet-oil,
mayonnaise dressing, and a little sugar.

How to Prepare Spinach. Trim off the roots and tough
stalks of half a peck of spinach, wash it in plenty of cold salted
water until it is quite free from sand, put it over the fire in
salted boiling water enough to cover it, and boil it fast for three
minutes or longer, until it is just tender : do not allow it to
become soft and watery ; drain the spinach, throw it into a
large pan of cold water until it is cool, then chop it very fine, or
rub it through a colander with a potato-masher ; put it again
over the fire to heat, with a palatable seasoning of butter, salt,
and pepper ; while the spinach is being heated, poach half a
dozen eggs soft, and when it is dished lay them upon it and
serve the dish hot.

Vegetables : Greens. 367

The spinach may be served without the eggs. Boiled spin-
ach is good dressed with white sauce or gravy, or fried with
butter, either with or without the addition of a very little grated
onion.

Spinach Blanched. Select one-half peck of fresh, sound
spinach ; cut off the stalks, pare neatly, wash in plenty of water,
lifting it out with the hands until free from sand. Place it in
boiling salted water, and boil it ten to twelve minutes. Remove,
and drain it thoroughly ; place it in cold water again, and let it
cool. Lift and drain, pressing it well ; lay it on a board, and
mince it very fine.

Spinach a la Fraiicaise. Blanch and prepare about one-
half peck of spinach described as in Spinach, Blanched ; after it
is chopped fine put in a pan with a tablespoonful or more of
butter, and a little grated nutmeg ; stir with a spoon, and allow it
to cook for about five minutes, adding a tablespoonful of butter
kneaded with one tablespoonful each of flour and sugar, and a
teacupf ul of milk ; stir frequently, and allow to cook for ten min-
utes more ; then serve, garnishing with pieces of fried bread and
slices of hard-boiled egg.

Spinach a la Maitre d'Hotel. Blanch the spinach as de-
scribed, and chopping it very fine, put it dry into a saucepan.
Let it simmer on a moderate fire, seasoning with salt and pep-
per, and a little of grated nutmeg. When warm, add one table-
spoonful of butter ; stir well, and let it heat for twelve to fifteen
minutes. Lay it on a hot dish, and decorate it with six pieces
of fried bread, and serve.

Spinach prepared by these formulas is much better than
by the ordinary American method, and those who prefer it may
have slices of hard-boiled egg added ; this makes a very nice
garnish, and makes the spinach more appetizing.

368 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

HOMINY AND OKRAS.

Boiled Hominy. Wash four cupfuls of hominy in cold water:
drain off the water ; put it in a pan, covering over with four coffee-
cups of water ; place pan on stove ; season to suit the taste ; boil
for nearly one-half hour, and serve.

Stewed Hominy. Wash a cupful of hominy, put it over the
fire in two quarts of cold water, and slowly heat and boil it
gently for about four hours, or until it is quite soft ; then drain
it, and place it where the water will evaporate, while a cream
gravy is being made as follows : Put over the fire two tablespoon-
fuls of butter, and partly melt them ; when the butter is quite
soft, gradually stir with it half a pint of cream or an equal quan-
tity of milk ; if the cream is used, add it to the hominy as soon
as it is hot , if milk is used, take it off the fire when it is hot, stir
with it yolks of two raw eggs, and mix it with the hominy ;
serve as soon as the milk or cream is added, as it curdles easily.

Fried Hominy. Take cold-boiled hominy and cut into
slices ; dip each slice into beaten egg ; roll in bread crumbs ;
fry in very hot butter or lard until a good golden brown, and
serve.

Okra. This grows in the shape of pods, and is of a gelati-
nous character, much used for soup, and is also pickled ; it may
be boiled as follows : Put the young and tender pods of long
white okra in salted boiling water in granite, porcelain, or a tin-
lined saucepan as contact with iron will discolor it ; boil fifteen
minutes ; remove the stems, and serve with butter, pepper, salt,
and vinegar if preferred.

Okras Sautes a la Francaise. Boil one dozen okras as
above ; place in a separate pan one tablespoonful of good butter,
one-half of a finely chopped green pepper, and one-half of a
finely chopped onion. Place pan over the fire and allow to re-
main until they are of a good golden brown ; add a raw tomato,

Macaroni and Spaghetti. 369

cut in fine pieces ; salt and pepper to suit the taste ; two table-
spoonfuls of Universal sauce (see Meat Sauces, page 208) ; then
add the boiled okras, cover the vessel, and allow to cook slowly
for about fifteen to eighteen minutes, and serve.

MACARONI AND SPAGHETTI.
FROM FRENCH AND ITALIAN CHEFS.

Baked Macaroni. Use Italian macaroni. Soak it in water
for about two hours ; then boil it in milk until tender. Place the
macaroni in a dish in layers, putting on each layer salt, cayenne
pepper, pieces of butter, and grated cheese, finishing with the
cheese. Then put in the oven, and bake to a nice brown.

Macaroni a la Italienne. Use Italian macaroni. Macaroni,
three quarters of a pound ; butter, three tablespoonfuls ; one-
quarter pound grated Parmesan cheese. Preparation : Cook the
macaroni in some salted water (cover well with water) till quite
soft ; let it drip ; drain off the water, and replace the macaroni in
the same kettle in which it had been cooked ; add the butter, the
cheese, some salt and pepper; allow the butter and the cheese
to melt while stirring, but don't place the kettle over fire again.
By doing so, the butter and the cheese remain half melted, and
the macaroni is very palatable. It generally takes from fifteen
to eighteen minutes to cook.

Macaroni a la Napolitaine. Boil the macaroni in salt and
water as described ; drain, place it in a pan, and add a cupful of
Universal sauce, cupful of tomato sauce, a quarter of a pound
of grated cheese, six mushrooms, one tablespoonful of cooked,
smoked beef tongue, all cut up in dice-shaped pieces. Cook to-
gether over a good fire for ten minutes, stirring them well mean-
while, and serve.

370 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Macaroni a la Crenie. Boil one pound macaroni for forty-
five minutes in salted water, adding about one tablespoonful of
butter and an onion stuck with two cloves. Drain off water, and
put it back into a saucepan with nine tablespoonfuls of butter,
one teacup of grated Swiss cheese, the same quantity of grated
Parmesan cheese, a small pinch of nutmeg, and good pinch of
pepper. Add a cupful of white broth and four tablespoonfuls
of cream. Cook all together for five minutes, stirring well, and
when the macaroni becomes ropy, dish it up, and serve.

Spaghetti a la Napolitaine. Boil the spaghetti (about one
pound) in the same manner as described for macaroni ; then drain
off the salted water and add a good coffeecupful of Universal
sauce, and the same of tomato sauce ; cut up in small pieces a
piece of smoked beef tongue, seven mushrooms (one or two
truffles, if handy), and add same ; season with salt and pepper,
and a teacupful of grated Parmesan cheese. Cook all for about
ten or twelve minutes, stirring well, and serve.

N. B. See Fish and Meat Sauces for the sauces mentioned,
pages 199212. The teacup should hold about six ounces of
cheese.

GRAINS OR CEREAL FOOD.

Grains or cereals belong to the grass family. They are largely
used for food, both in the unground state and in various manu-
factured forms. They are considered the most nutritious of
foods, and are easily digested when properly cooked. They
contain more or less of the nitrogenous elements, such as albu-
men, caseine, gluten, and fibrine. They also contain starch,
sugar, dextrine, and fatty substances ; also cellulose and mineral
elements. Scientists claim they are three times more nutritious
than meats or poultry, and should enter into our daily bill of
fare, as they, more than any other food, meet the proper require-
ments of the human system.

There are no foods when properly prepared more easy to
digest or more palatable ; and physicians recognize this fact by
prescribing them for the sick and convalescent. But when cereal
food is not properly prepared and cooked it is liable to be injuri-
ous to the stomach. The excessive use of sugar in the serving
or cooking of cereal food is very wrong and should be discon-
tinued, as the starch and glucose matter in the grains, and of
which they contain a large proportion, should be converted into
sugar by our digestive organs before assimilation ; and by add-
ing sugar it only overtaxes the digestive organs, and hence the
distress arising at times from eating cereal food with sugar,
or if not properly cooked, as the starch will remain undigested
in the stomach and cause great distress, as the gastric juices
digest only the nitrogenous matter. A good precaution would
be in eating grain foods to eat some hard food with same, such
as toasts, wafers, zwieback, etc.; this would require a certain
amount of mastication to break them up properly, and would

372

Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

mix them well with the saliva, which would aid in their proper
digestion.

The Proper Cooking of Grains or Cereal Food. All cereal
food, with the exception of the various meals and rice, should
be cooked from three to five hours over moderate fire and with
an even degree of heat. This will cook them properly, and
change their starch into dextrine, and makes them easy of diges-
tion. A double boiler or steam cooker is the best to use for the
cooking of grains. Or a good substitute for a double boiler is a
small vessel containing the grains set in a larger vessel contain-
ing the boiling water ; and put these on stove to cook as de-
scribed.

In cooking grains soft water should be used, and if salt is
added it should be added in the water before stirring in the
grain or meal.

As different grains require different time and different quan-
tities of liquid, the table given below will be a good rule to fol-
low to cook them to the proper consistency. If an ordinary
vessel is used they require more liquid. In adding milk in the
cooking of such cereal food as rice, hominy, and farina, use about
two-thirds water and one-third milk, or an equal proportion of
each :

o
Whole Wheat

|UAN
F GF

[
[

TITY QUANTITY
IAIN. OF LIQUID.

irt 5 parts

4 "
3 "

4 "
3 "
4 "
4 " .
5 "
3 "
5 "

HOURS
TO COOK.

6 to 7
4to4f
3 to3*
3 to 3
3 to 3
3 to 4
4 to 5
6 to 7

3 to 31

4 to 4^

Pearl "

Rolled "

Cracked "

Rolled Oats

Graham Grits ........

Oatmeal

* Hominy

Rolled Rye ]

Pearl Barley . .

Fine Hominy takes from i to 2 hours less time.

Grains or Cereal Food. 373

This time refers to cereals in their natural state, and not to
the " steam-cooked grains " now on the market.

Always have the water boiling when the grains are added.
Add the grains in slowly so as not to reduce the temperature of
the water, and let it boil rapidly until the grains cease to sink
to the bottom of vessel and they become thick. If grains are
cooked in a double boiler or steamer, the first cooking, until
they are thickened, should be in the inner dish directly over the
fire, and then they should be placed in the outer boiler contain-
ing the boiling water, and this should be kept boiling until the
grains are done. See that the outer boiler is kept filled with
boiling water.

In cooking grains in a single vessel they require continuous
stirring until they become thickened or " set," but do not stir
afterward. In a steam cooker or double boiler the stirring will
not be necessary. If you desire the mush thick and dry, leave
the vessel uncovered during the last part of the cooking. If you
prefer it moist, keep vessel covered.

In the cooking of mush with flour or meal it is best to make
them into a batter, with a portion of the necessary quantity
of liquid given in the Table, before adding it to the water.
This prevents it from cooking into lumps ; but it must be added
slowly, and stirred constantly, so as not to reduce the tempera-
ture.

Fresh berries, raisins, or currants can be added to the differ-
ent cooked grains mentioned, but they must not be cooked with
them or they will be insipid. Steam the currants or raisins pre-
viously, and then mix just before serving the cereal food.

The fresh berries mix with a little cream before stirring into
the grains, and serve hot.

To Cook Farina. Take one quart of milk (or one-half milk
and one-half soft water). Boil same in a vessel, and when boil-
ing add six tablespoonfuls of farina, which has been previously
moistened with some milk ; let boil until it thickens, then place

374 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

vessel in the steam cooker, or in vessel of boiling water, and boil
continuously for about one hour or so, and serve hot or cold
with cream or the juices of fruit. Fresh fruits or berries can be
served with farina by pouring the farina, just after it is cooked,
over the finely sliced apples, peaches, banan as, or any fruit pre-
ferred, or over the berries mixed with cream.

Graham Mush. Mix one pint of good Graham flour with a
pint of warm water, or enough to make a batter thin enough to
pour. Pour this batter into a quart of water boiling in the inner
cup of a double boiler. Add the batter sufficiently slow, so as
not to stop the boiling of the water. When thickened, put into
the outer boiler, and cook for one hour. You can use milk in-
stead of water. If desiring to use fruits or berries with the
mush, add over the fruits as described in " Farina."

Oatmeal Mush and Fruit. Cook the oatmeal as described
in cooking grains (page 372). When it is done, just before serv-
ing, stir in gently some sliced fruits, such as apples, peaches,
bananas, or berries if preferred. Try to keep the sliced fruits
or berries as whole as possible. Plain oatmeal or oatmeal and
fruit should be eaten with toasted bread, wafers, or other hard
food.

Oatmeal Blanc Mange. Mix equal parts of well-cooked oat-
meal and milk, part cream if preferred. Beat well together and
strain through a fine wire sieve. Turn the liquid into a sauce-
pan, and boil for a few minutes, until it is thick enough to drop
from the point of a spoon ; then turn into cups previously wet
in cold water, and mold. Serve with a dressing of fruit juice or
whipped cream slightly sweetened and flavored with lemon.

Oatmeal Porridge. Add one coffee-cup of oatmeal into
three pints of boiling water; boiling in the inner dish of a
double boiler; add the oatmeal gradually. Boil rapidly, stirring
meanwhile until the grain is set ; then place in the outer boiler,
and cook continuously for three hours or longer. A half cup of
cream added just before serving is a desirable addition.

Grains or Cereal Food. 375

Barley. The cooking of barley is the same as for oatmeal.
It should be cooked slowly in a steam-cooker or double boiler.
The time generally used is from four to four and a half hours,
unless it has been previously soaked or steamed, as prepared by
manufacturers.

Baked Barley. Soak one cupful of barley in cold water
over night. In the morning turn off the water, and put the
barley in an earthen pudding-dish, and pour over two quarts of
boiling water; add salt if desired, and bake in a moderately
quick oven about two and one-half hours, or till perfectly soft,
and all the water is absorbed. When about half done, add six
tablespoonfuls of sugar mixed with grated lemon peel. It may
be eaten warm, but is very nice molded in cups and served cold
with cream.

Pearl Barley with Raisins. Wash a coffeecupful of pearl
barley. Cook in a steamer in two quarts of boiling water for
four hours. Just before serving, add a cupful of raisins which
have been prepared by pouring boiling water over them and
allowing them to stand until swollen. Serve hot with cream.

Rice. Rice requires much less time to cook than other
cereal foods, and not as much water ; for if boiled in too much
water it loses some of the nitrogenous elements, of which it con-
tains but very little, and therefore it should be eaten with foods
that contain a good percentage of the nutritious elements, such
as beans, peas, milk, etc.

To Cook or Steam Rice. It first should be thoroughly
cleaned by putting in a colander, and then in a deep vessel of
fresh water. Rub the rice well with the hands, lifting the
colander in and out of the water. Do this until water is clean.
Then place the rice in a double boiler or steamer, with equal
proportions of milk or water, and steam or allow to boil until
each grain is separate and distinct and perfectly tender. In
cooking you can use equal parts of milk and water if preferred,
or you can use one and a half pints of liquid to a pint of rice.

376 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Rice and Oranges. Prepare the rice according to direc-
tions given ; steam same. Prepare some oranges by separating
into sections and cutting each section in halves, removing the
seeds with a fork and all the white portion. Sprinkle the
oranges with sugar, and let them stand while the rice is cooking.
Serve a portion of the orange on each dish of rice.

Rice with Raisins. Prepare a cupful of rice as directed for
Steamed Rice. After the rice has begun to swell, but before it
has softened, stir into it lightly, using a fork for the purpose, a
cupful of raisins or currants. Serve with cream.

Rice with Fruits. Steam the rice as directed, and when
done serve with cream and fruits, pared and sliced on each indi-
vidual dish.

Boiled Rice (Japanese method). Thoroughly cleanse the
rice by washing in several waters, and soak it over night. In
the morning drain it, and put to cook in an equal quantity of
boiling water, that is, a pint of water for a pint of rice. For
cooking, a stewpan with tightly fitting cover should be used.
Heat the water to boiling, then add the rice, and, after stirring,
put on the cover, which is not again to be removed during the
boiling. At first, as the water boils, steam will puff out freely
from under the cover ; but when the water has nearly evapo-
rated, which will be in eight to ten minutes, according to the
age and quality of the rice, only a faint suggestion of steam will
be observed, and the stewpan must then be removed from over
the fire to some place on the range, where it will not burn, to
swell and dry for fifteen or twenty minutes.

Rice a la Italienne. Wash well a cupful of rice ; place it
in a pan with two cups of cold water and a pinch of salt ; put
on the cover, and boil for twenty-five minutes. Pour through a
colander, being careful to let it drain thoroughly without crush-
ing the rice, otherwise it will be spoiled. When well dried,
return it to the pan, put the lid on, and leave it on the corner of

Grains or Cereal Food. /377

the stove to dry gradually for five or six minutes. It will then
be ready to serve with cream and sugar.

Hominy. Use from three and a half to four parts of liquid
to one part of hominy, and cook in steamer or double boiler
from four to four and a half hours, unless previously prepared
then it takes much shorter time. It should be cooked slowly.
You can use milk or milk and water in equal proportion in the
cooking of same.

Cornmeal Mush. Mix together two cups of cornmeal, one
tablespoonful of flour, and two cups of cold milk. Turn this
slowly, stirring well meanwhile, into one quart of boiling water,
which should not cease to boil during the introduction of the
batter. Cook three or four hours. If milk is not obtainable,
water alone may be used, in which case two tablespoonfuls of
flour will be needed. Cook in a double boiler.

Fruits can be added, such as steamed raisins, finely chopped
figs, or berries if preferred.

Fried Mush. Cut the cold mush into slices, brush each
slice with a little butter, and fry until it is a nice brown on both
sides. Serve with syrup.

MEASURES AND WEIGHTS.

(LIQUIDS.)

Sixty drops make one small teaspoonful.

Two teaspoonfuls equal one dessertspoonful.

Four teaspoonfuls or two dessertspoonfuls equal one table-
spoonful.

Four tablespoonfuls equal one wineglassful.

Two wineglasses equal one gill.

Two gills equal one coffee-cup.

Two coffee-cups equal one pint liquid or one pound of dry
material.

Four gills make one pint.

Two pints make one quart.

Four quarts make one gallon.

Two ordinary tumblerfuls make one pint liquid.

One coffee-cup equals one-half pint liquid or one-half pound dry
material, viz., sugar, salt, meal, fruits, meats.

One heaping tablespoonful of sugar or salt weighs one ounce.

One heaping tablespoonful of butter weighs one ounce.

Two round tablespoonfuls of flour weigh one ounce.

Four cupfuls of sifted flour weigh one pound.

Two cupfuls of meal weigh one pound.

One pint or two coffeecupfuls of oatmeal, cracked wheat, or
coarse grains weigh one pound.

Two coffee-cups of meat (or a pint measure) packed solid weigh
one pound.

One pint of liquid weighs one pound.

Five heaping tablespoonfuls of flour equal one cupful.

Seven heaping tablespoonfuls of sugar or salt equal one cupful.

One coffeecupful of butter packed solid is one-half pound.

N. B. I find that one tablespoonful of salt is equal to one

heaping tablespoonful of sugar.

BREAD.

The first two bread recipes have stood the test of several
years' trial in the schools of cookery, and received the highest
prize. Two methods are given, with personal preference for
the compressed-yeast bread, because it is the quickest, and best
preserves the nutriment of the flour.

To make yeast, boil two ounces of hops in two quarts of
water for half an hour ; strain the liquid, and cool it until
it is only lukewarm ; then add half a pound of brown sugar,
two teaspoonfuls of salt, and one pound of flour; let this leaven
ferment four days in a warm place, stirring it whenever it foams
over the top of the jar in which it is placed ; on the third day
add to it three pounds of potatoes boiled and mashed ; on the
fourth day strain and bottle it, and keep it in a cool place.

Home-made Bread. Put seven pounds of flour in a deep
wooden bowl ; in the centre of it put a tablespoonful of salt, a
teaspoonful of sugar, a gill of yeast, and sufficient lukewarm
water to make a soft dough (about three pints) ; mix these
ingredients with the hands until they form a smooth, shining
dough ; if necessary, use a little extra flour, only enough to
facilitate the working of the dough ; flour the bowl on the
bottom and sides, so that the bread will not stick to it, cover it
with a thick towel folded several times, set it in a warm place
protected from draughts, and let it rise over night. In the
morning knead the bread fifteen minutes, divide it into four
loaves, put them into floured baking-pans, cover them with a
folded towel, and set them in a warm place to rise twice their
height ; when they are so risen, prick them at the sides with

380 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

a fork, and bake them in a moderate oven until a knitting
or trussing needle can be run into them without being made
sticky. Be sure that they are well done, but do not let them
burn.

Compressed Teast Bread. When it is possible to obtain
fresh compressed yeast, also called German yeast, an excellent
bread can be made in about two hours and a half ; the rapidity
of the leavening or " raising " tKe dough is advantageous, be-
cause less of the nutritive elements of the flour are lost than
by following the long process. For two loaves of bread, use
three pounds of flour, about a quart of water, two teaspoonfuls
of salt, and an ounce of fresh compressed yeast ; dissolve the
yeast in a pint of lukewarm water; stir into it sufficient flour to
make a thick batter; cover the bowl containing the batter
or sponge with a folded towel, and set it in a warm place to
rise ; if properly covered and heated, it will rise to a light foam
in half an hour ; then stir into it the salt dissolved in a little
warm water, add the rest of the flour, and sufficient lukewarm
water to make a dough stiff enough to knead ; knead it five
minutes, divide it into two loaves, put them in floured baking-
pans, cover them with a folded towel, and set them in a warm
place to rise twice their height ; then bake them as directed in
the preceding recipe.

In raising the sponge, be sure that the heat is not sufficient
to " scald " or harden it, as that will prevent fermentation ;
therefore do not place it where the hand cannot be held with
comfort ; keep it covered from draughts. If when it is light it
has become at all soured, as it sometimes will in summer, stir
into it, before adding the balance of the flour, a saltspoonful of
baking-soda dissolved in a very little water.

The dough made for home-made bread can be baked as
raised biscuit by kneading in with it a little sugar and melted
butter.

To test the heat of the oven, follow the method of Jules

Bread. 381

Gouffe, the celebrated chef of the Paris Jockey Club: the
" moderate oven " temperature is that degree of heat which
will turn ordinary writing-paper dark yellow or buff, that is, the
color of kindling-wood ; put a sheet of paper in the oven, and
close the door; if the paper blazes, the oven is too hot ; arrange
the dampers to lower the heat for ten minutes, then again test
it with more paper ; it may be necessary to try the temperature
several times, but the time thus used is well spent.

For Baking. Make a sponge the night before (unless the
weather is too warm). Use a pint of boiling water to scald
part of the flour ; then add warm milk, or milk and water,
enough for the baking. One teacupful of yeast is enough for
three or four small-sized loaves. Stir in flour enough to make
a stiff batter, and beat well. If the weather is warm, the milk
can be scalded in the morning, when the sponge is made into
dough. Knead well, but not too stiff. When it is kneaded
long enough, it will not stick to the hands or the tray. When
it has risen up light, knead it down without adding more flour.
It will shortly come up again. Make it into moderate-sized
loaves. When they are light, wet the loaves with cold water,
and bake. Bake them through. Good bread that is so slack-
baked that you can make dough of it by pressing the fingers
upon it, is not fit to be eaten by any one who has not a diges-
tive apparatus like an ostrich. When bread is baked enough, it
will spring back, like a sponge, when pressed down by the
fingers.

German Loaf. In making yeast bread, take a loaf, after it
has been kneaded and become light, lay it on kneading-board,
and roll it about one inch thick ; then lay it in a flat, shallow
baking-pan, and with your finger make about a dozen inden-
tures, filling each one with butter ; then sprinkle the top with
sugar, and then with cinnamon ; let the loaf get very light, and
bake in hot oven.

New England Salt-raising Bread. Scald an earthen quart

382 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

milk pitcher, then fill it one-third full of water about as warm as
the fingers can bear it; to this add a teaspoonful of salt, a pinch
of brown sugar, and coarse flour enough to make a batter about
the same as for griddle-cakes. Set the pitcher, with the spoon
in it, in a closed vessel half-filled with water, moderately hot,
but not scalding. Keep the temperature as nearly even as
possible, and add a teaspoonful of flour once or twice during
the process of fermentation. The yeast ought to reach to the
top of the bowl in about five hours. Sift your flour into a pan,
make an opening in the center, and pour in your yeast. Have
ready a pitcher of warm milk, salted, or milk and water (not too
hot, or you will scald the yeast germs), and stir rapidly into
a pulpy mass with a spoon. Cover this sponge closely, and keep
warm for an hour, then knead into loaves, adding flour to make
the proper consistency. Place in warm, well-greased pans, cover
closely, and leave till it is light. Bake in a steady oven, and
when done let all the hot steam escape. Wrap closely in damp
towels, and keep in closed earthen jars until it is wanted.

Rye Bread. Set the sponge at night as usual for wheat
bread. In the morning, when ready to have the flour added,
stir in a teacupful of molasses, and add as much rye flour as was
used of wheat flour the night before in setting the sponge. The
quantity of molasses here given is that usual for four loaves ;
but more or less can be used according to the taste.

Rye Bread. Prepare a sponge overnight with white flour
as for water bread. In the morning, when light, add another
tablespoonful of sugar, and rye flour to knead. Proceed as
directed for the water bread, taking care to use only enough
rye flour to make the dough just stiff enough to mold. Use
white flour for dusting the kneading-board, as the rye flour is
sticky.

Graham Bread. Measure one teacupful of flour into the
pan the bread is to rise in, and on that pour one quart of boiling
water, and let it cool till you can bear your finger in it ; then add

Bread. 383

a dessertspoonful of salt, one teaspoonful of brown sugar, a piece
of lard as large as a walnut, two tablespoonfuls of good yeast,
and as much more flour as you can stir in. Put it in a warm
place to rise all night. In the morning, grease well a cast-iron
baking-pan (sheet-iron burns too readily), pour the risen dough
into it, and smooth it nicely on the top. After rising half an
hour, bake just one hour.

Indian Corn-meal Bake. Mix one pint of milk, one-half
teacupful of powdered white sugar, one tablespoonful of butter,
one-half saltspoonful of salt. Put this in a covered pan, set on
the stove until it is scalding hot, take it from the fire and stir
into it as much sifted yellow Indian meal to make it as thick as
boiled mush. Stir hard for twenty minutes, and set away to cool.
In the mean time beat two eggs very light, and when the mixture
is about milk-warm stir the eggs in gradually ; also add one-half
cup of yeast ; then beat hard for fifteen minutes. Much depends
upon this being well beaten. Have a deep pan well buttered ;
pour the mixture in, cover, and set to rise in a warm place. It
will take two or three hours to rise. When light, bake in mod-
erate oven. This should always be served very hot.

New England Corn Bread. Sift together one cupful of
Indian meal, half a cupful of flour, half a teaspoonful of salt, and
three teaspoon fuls of baking-powder; mix with these ingredi-
ents half a cupful each of butter and flour beaten to a cream,
four eggs beaten for two minutes, and one pint of milk. Put
the bread into an iron pan well buttered, and bake it for about
twenty minutes, or until it is nicely browned ; then serve it hot
at once.

West Point Corn-bread. Three-fourths of a pint of sifted
Indian meal, three eggs (whites and yolks beaten separately),
one teaspoonful of lard, one pint of milk, a little salt ; add
whites of eggs the last thing. The pans should be greased. Bake
quickly.

Indian Bread. Four cupfuls of meal (sifted), two cupfuls

384 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

of wheat flour, two teaspoonfuls of saleratus, two teaspoonfuls
of salt, three-quarters of a cupful of molasses; stir together,
mixed with sour milk until it is a little stiffer than griddle-cake
batter. Pour into a greased pail, close tight, and set in a kettle
of cold water; -cover the kettle, and boil it three hours. The
above quantity should be put into a four-quart pail.

Egg Corn Bread. Chop a quarter of a pound of butter with
one quart of Indian meal ; add a heaping teaspoonfut of salt
and the yolks of four eggs, and stir in gradually a quart of cold
milk; beat the mixture until it forms a smooth batter; butter
the pan in which the bread is to be baked; beat the whites of
four eggs to a stiff froth, stir them into the batter lightly and
quickly, put it into the buttered pan, and bake the bread in a
moderate oven for half an hour, or until a broom-straw run
into the thickest part of the loaf can be withdrawn clean.
The bread can be used either hot or cold. The same batter
can be baked in smaller buttered pans, or in buttered earthen
cups.

Corn Cake without Eggs. One pint of sweet milk, two
tablespoonfuls of melted butter, one handful of flour, and meal
sufficient to make a batter, two teaspoonfuls of salt, two tea-
spoonfuls of cream of tartar, one teaspoonful of soda, two tea-
spoonfuls of sugar.

New Orleans Corn Cake. One pint of sweet milk, one-
half pint of sour milk, one-half pint of sour cream, nearly two
teaspoonfuls of soda in milk, one quart of meal, two eggs, two
teaspoonfuls of salt ; stir in meal by the handful. Three eggs.
Bake in two pans.

New England Brown Bread. Sift together two cupfuls
each of rye and Indian meal ; add a teaspoonful of salt, two-
thirds of a cupful each of molasses and boiled squash, and two
teaspoonfuls of soda dissolved in a very little cold water; last of
all, mix in enough sour milk to make a batter thin enough to

Bread. 385

pour. Put the batter into a buttered tin pan or mold, and
steam it for three hours. Then bake it for two hours longer.

Date Bread. Take a pint of light white bread sponge pre-
pared with milk ; add two tablespoonfuls of sugar, and Graham
flour to make a very stiff batter. Add last a cupful of stoned
dates. Turn into a bread-pan. Let it rise, and bake.

Brown Bread. One quart of sour milk, four cupfuls of
meal, one cupful of flour, one tablespoonful of soda, one table-
spoonful of salt, one-half cupful of molasses. Put the soda and
molasses into the milk, and stir until it foams up. Add the meal
and flour. Steam three hours ; then bake long enough to brown
nicely.

Vienna Bread. Into a pint of milk sterilized by scalding
turn a cup and a half of boiling water. When lukewarm, add
one-half cup of warm water, in which has been dissolved a cake
of compressed yeast and a quart of white flour. Beat the bat-
ter thus made very thoroughly, and allow it to rise for one hour;
then add white flour until the dough is of a consistency to
knead. Knead well, and allow it to rise again for about three
hours, or until very light. Shape into four loaves, handling
lightly. Let it rise again in the pans, and bake. During the
baking, wash the tops of the loaves with a sponge dipped in
milk, to glaze them.

Potato Bread with Whole-wheat Flour. Take a half gill
of liquid yeast made as for Boiled Potato Yeast, and add milk,
sterilized and cooled to lukewarm, to make a pint. Add one
cup of well-mashed, mealy potato and one cup of white flour,
or enough to make a rather thick batter. Beat thoroughly,
cover, and set to rise. When well risen, add sufficient whole-
wheat flour to knead. The quantity will vary somewhat with
the brand of flour used, but about four and one-fourth cupfuls
will in general be needed. Knead well, let it rise in mass and
again in the loaf, and bake.

Hominy Bread. Boil till soft one pint of fine hominy.

386 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

When cool, add one tablespoonful of butter, three tablespoon-
fuls corn-meal, two eggs well beaten, and one pint of milk. Melt
a tablespoonful of lard in the spider. Pour in the batter while
the lard is hot. One-half hour cooks the bread. If preferred,
butter a baking-dish, pour in the batter, and bake one-half
hour.

Oatmeal Bread. Mix a quart of well-cooked oatmeal mush
with a pint of water, beating it perfectly smooth ; add a cupful
of liquid yeast and flour to make a stiff batter. Cover, and let
it rise. When light, add sufficient flour to mold. Knead as
soft as possible, for twenty or thirty minutes. Shape into four
or more loaves, let it rise again, and bake.

Fruit Loaf. Take one pint of sterilized milk, dissolve in it
one-quarter of a cake of compressed yeast, stir one pint of
wheat flour in it, and set to rise ; when light, add one and one-
half cupfuls of Graham flour and one and three-quarter cupfuls
of wheat flour, mix well, and knead for thirty minutes ; if nec-
essary add more wheat flour. When you are through knead-
ing add a cup of raisins, first having washed, dried, and sprinkled
flour over them ; let the whole rise in a mass, then shape into
loaves, let rise again and bake.

French Bread. One-quarter cup of yeast, one egg, two
table spoons of melted butter, one-half pint sweet milk, one-half
teaspoon of salt, one quart flour ; stir all this together very
thoroughly, and set to rise ; when is light make into a loaf,
let rise again and bake. Just before placing in oven cut gashes
across the top.

French Rolls may be made by taking small pieces of
dough and making into oval rolls very tapering at each end,
laying them on buttered bread tins far enough apart so they will
not touch each other ; let them get light, and bake in quick
oven.

Crescents are made by taking the dough when it is light,
placing on kneading board, and rolling thin, one-eighth of an

Biscuit, Rolls, Muffins, and Pancakes. 387

inch is about right. Cut in five-inch squares ; cut the squares in
two, making two three-cornered pieces. Brush them over with
melted butter, and roll up, beginning with the wide end. Place
them in buttered tin in semicircular shape, let them rise and
bake.

Prof. H. I. Blits' Imperial Baking Powder. Mix one
pound of (chemically pure) cream of tartar and two ounces of
best corn starch ; sieve through a fine sieve twice. Then add
to this one-half pound of best English baking soda and sieve
all seven times. Put in an air-tight can and keep in a dry place.
Be sure and use only Powers & Weightman's cream of tartar
and the English baking soda. The American and other brands
are not as good and will only spoil your powder and make your
biscuits and cakes heavy and give them a yellow color. Use
the same proportion of this powder for baking as when
using the Royal or Price's. Never dip in powder with wet
spoon. Be sure and not use too much shortening in baking
biscuits ; one large heaping tablespoonful of butter or lard is
sufficient to one quart of flour ; mix dough as little as possible,
leaving it just soft enough so it can be conveniently handled.
You can use four ounces of corn starch if you wish to cheapen
it.

BISCUIT, BOLLS, MUFFINS, AND PANCAKES.

Graham Biscuit. Mix together as for bread one quart of
Graham meal, two spoonfuls of molasses, one teaspoonful of
lard, two spoonfuls of wheat flour, half a cup of yeast, and salt.
Let it stand all night to rise, and in the morning put it in muffin
rings ; let them stand half an hour, and then bake.

Raised Biscuit. Sift in mixing pan two quarts of flour ;
make a hole in it and pour into it one pint of warm water, one
teaspoon of salt, one-half cupful of melted butter ; stir in a little

388 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

flour, then add half a cupful of yeast, then stir in flour, and let it
rise over night. In the morning add an even teaspoonful of
soda, and flour enough so it can be kneaded ; then mold twenty
minutes, and set to rise again ; when light, roll out and cut with
a biscuit cutter ; set in a warm place to rise ; when light, bake
a light brown. Rub a little melted butter on the sides of the
biscuit when you put them in the tin, so they will not stick
together.

Buns. One coffeecupful of sugar, two-thirds of a coffeecup-
ful of butter, the same of yeast, two eggs, one coffeecupful of
milk. Rub in the butter just before putting in the baking tins,
with one teaspoonful of soda and flour enough to roll.

Milk Biscuits. Boil and mash two white potatoes ; add
two teaspoonfuls of brown sugar ; pour boiling water over
these, enough to soften them. When tepid, add one small tea-
cupful of yeast ; when light, warm three ounces of butter in one
pint of milk, a little salt, a third of a teaspoonful of soda, and
flour enough to make stiff sponge ; when risen, work it on the
board ; put it back in the tray to rise again ; when risen, roll
into cakes, and let them stand half an hour. Bake in a quick
oven. These biscuits are fine.

Maryland Buns. One-half cup of milk, one-half cup of
yeast or half a cake of compressed yeast, enough flour to make a
thick batter; let this set over night; in the morning add one-
half cupful of sugar, four tablespoons of melted butter, one-half
a salt-spoon of salt, one-quarter teaspoon of soda, and a little
grated nutmeg, and flour enough so you can roll them out ;
knead, and set to rise for three or four hours ; then lay the
dough on mixing board, and roll one-half an inch thick ; cut out
with biscuit cutter, and lay in buttered baking tins ; let them
stand until light ; bake a light brown, and brush over with the
white of an egg beaten still, and sprinkle with sugar.

New England Busks. One-half pound sugar, two cups
of raised dough, half a cup of butter, two well-beaten eggs, flour

Biscuit, Rolls, Muffins, and Pancakes. 389

enough to make a stiff dough ; set to rise, and when light,
mold into high biscuit, and let rise again ; rub damp sugar and
cinnamon over the top and place in the oven. Bake about
twenty minutes.

Breakfast Rolls. Sift a pint and a half of Graham flour
into a bowl, and into it stir a cupful of very cold thin cream or
unskimmed milk. Pour the liquid into the flour slowly, a few
spoonfuls at a time, mixing each spoonful to a dough with the
flour as fast as poured in. When all the liquid has been added,
gather the fragments of dough together, knead thoroughly for
ten minutes or longer, until perfectly smooth and elastic. The
quantity of flour will vary somewhat with the quality, but in
general the quantity given will be quite sufficient for mixing
the dough and dusting the board. When well kneaded, divide
into two portions; roll each over and over with the hands, until
a long roll about one inch in diameter is formed ; cut this into
two-inch lengths, prick with a fork and place on perforated tins,
far enough apart so that one will not touch another when bak-
ing. Each roll should be as smooth and perfect as possible, and
with no dry flour adhering. Bake at once, or let stand on ice
for twenty minutes. The rolls should not be allowed to stand
after forming, unless on ice. From thirty to forty minutes will
be required for baking. When done, spread on the table to
cool, but do not pile one on top of another.

Graham Rolls. One quart of Graham flour, one small
teacupful of yeast, one-half cupful of sugar, four tablespoon-
fuls of melted butter, two eggs, water sufficient to make a thick
batter. Let it rise over night, and bake in cups, thirty to forty-
five minutes.

Fruit Roll. Take some bread dough, prepared as for Milk
Bread, which has been sufficiently kneaded and is ready to
mold, and roll to about one inch in thickness. Spread over
it some dates which have been washed, dried, and stoned, rai-

390 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

sins, currants, or chopped figs. Roll it up tightly into a loaf.
Let it rise until very light, and bake.

Parker-House Eolls. One quart of flour, butter of half
the size of an egg, one-half tablespoonful of white sugar, a little
salt ; mix this at night with two-thirds of a pint of milk and
one-half teacupful of yeast. In the morning knead for fifteen
minutes. Let it rise until 2 P.M. Then roll out, cut round,
put a small piece of butter into each one, fold over, and pull
them ; let them rise till time to bake. Bake for half an hour be-
fore you wish to use them. They must be mixed twenty-four
hours before baking.

English Breakfast Muffins. One quart of milk, two table-
spoonfuls of butter, one small teaspoonful of salt, six tablespoon-
fuls of yeast. Thicken it with flour to the consistency of buck-
wheat batter. In the morning the batter must not be stirred,
but poured into the rings, and baked in a moderate oven.

Mufliiis. One tablespoonful of butter, one tablespoonful of
sugar, one egg, and one teaspoonful of salt ; beat all together well ;
add a cup of milk, three cupfuls of flour sifted, three teaspoon-
fuls of baking-powder. Drop in patty pans and bake in a quick
oven.

Graham Gems. One pint of sour milk, one-half pint of
cream or three tablespoonfuls of melted butter, one egg, one tea-
spoonful of soda, a little salt, one-quarter or one-half cupful of
sugar as preferred, and one quart of Graham flour. Bake in
gem-pans. They must be quite hot and well buttered before
putting in the gems.

Fruit Puffs. Make a good puff paste ; roll very thin, and
cut in strips five inches long and three inches wide ; place on
each piece a tablespoonful of any kind of fresh or canned ber-
ries ; fold the long sides together. First wet with white of an
egg, and press together well so the fruit cannot get out. When
all are ready, fry them in hot lard until they are a nice brown.
Skim them out, and while hot sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Waffles. 39 1

Whole-wheat Puffs. Put the yolk of an egg into a basin,
and heat the white in a separate dish to a stiff froth. Add to
the yolk one-half a cupful of rather thin sweet cream and one
cupful of skim milk. Beat the egg, cream, and milk together
until perfectly mingled and foamy with air-bubbles ; then add,
gradually, beating well at the same time, one pint of wheat
flour. Continue the beating vigorously and without interrup-
tion for eight or ten minutes ; then stir in lightly the white of
the egg. Do not beat again after the white of the egg is added,
but turn at once into heated, shallow irons, and bake for an
hour in a moderately quick oven. If properly made and care-
fully baked, these puffs will be of a fine, even texture through-
out, and as light as bread raised by fermentation.

WAFFLES.

Raised Waffles. Take a quart of flour and stir in sweet
milk, a little at a time, to make a thick batter. Add a teaspoon-
ful of salt, a tablespoonful of melted butter, and yeast, and
when light add two well-beaten eggs. Have the waffle iron hot,
and buttered ; fill about half full of the batter, and brown on
both sides. Serve immediately.

Corn Waffles. Put in an earthen bowl a cupful and a half
of corn-meal, a teaspoonful of salt, a dessertspoonful each of
lard and butter, and pour in a pint of boiling milk; beat this
mixture smooth, let it cool until lukewarm, then add two eggs
well beaten, and bake the waffles at once in a hot buttered iron.

Boston Waffles. Boil in milk one-quarter of a pound of
rice until well cooked. Remove from the fire and stir in grad-
ually one pint of sifted flour, three beaten eggs, a spoonful of
yeast, one-half cupful of butter, a little salt, and half a teacupful
of warm water. Set the butter in a warm place, and when light
bake in the usual way.

392 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Plain Fritters. The whites of five eggs, one cup of sweet
milk, two cups of sifted flour, one-quarter of a nutmeg and a
pinch of salt. Stir the whites of the eggs into the milk in turn
with the flour. The batter should be quite thick. You may
have to add a little more flour. Fry in hot lard. Drop the
batter in v/ith a tablespoon, and fry a delicate brown.

Peach Fritters. Beat two eggs ; add half a cupful of milk,
a little salt, and flour enough to make a thick batter. Peel the
peaches, cut them in two, take the stones out, and sprinkle pow-
dered sugar over them. Dip them in the batter, and fry in hot
lard.

Apple Fritters. Beat the whites and yolks of two eggs sep-
arately. Add together the yolks, one tablespoonful of sugar,
and a cupful of sweet milk. Have the milk warm ; then stir in
two cupfuls of flour, a heaping teaspoonf ul of baking-powder, a
little salt, and the whites of the eggs. Beat all together. Put
in thin slices of good sour apple. Dip the batter over them,
and drop large spoonfuls into hot lard and fry to a light brown.
This batter can be used for bananas, oranges, pineapple, and
and other fruits.

Strawberry Shortcake. Make the crust same as baking-
powder biscuit, only use more shortening. Divide the dough
in four parts, roll out two pieces and put in pie tins. Spread
them with butter ; now roll the other two out and place them on
top of the two in the tins. Place in oven, and when done sepa-
rate them by cutting through where they were buttered.
Spread each piece with butter, and put plenty of berries and
sugar on. The top crust can be sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Blackberries, raspberries, huckleberries or any soft fruit is very
nice made into a shortcake.

Orange Filling for Shortcake. Peel and chop fine three
oranges and one-half a lemon. Remove all seeds. Add one and
a half cupfuls of sugar. Spread between the layers same as any
shortcake.

Waffles. 393

Oyster Pancakes. Mix together equal measures of oyster
liquor and milk. To a pint of this mixture put a pint of wheat
flour, a few oysters, two eggs, and a little salt. Fry till nicely
browned.

Clam Pancakes. Make a thick batter of flour and milk.
Put to each pint of milk two eggs and a few clams. The clams
may be put in whole after being first stewed ; or they may be
only taken out of the shell and chopped fine.

Pancakes. Take one pint of milk, three eggs, two ounces of
butter, one-fourth of a teaspoonful of soda, half a teaspoonful
of cream of tartar, two ounces of sugar, three-fourths of a pound
of flour. (These pancakes can be made with half a pound of
rice flour and quarter of a pound of wheat flour, mixed, instead
of all wheat flour; or with quarter of a pound of Indian meal
and half a pound of wheat flour ; but the Indian meal should be
*boiled in one pint of water and one pint of milk some time
before, and then cooled before mixing with the rest of the
ingredients.) Heat the stone griddle before baking the cakes,
and only bake when ready to send to table, and then send only
a few at a time, that they may be hot. If the batter is poured
part at a time into a sauce jug, and then poured from it on the
stone griddle, the cakes will have a better shape. Make them
of the size of the top of a tumbler. The griddle may be greased
with a piece of pork.

Graham Griddle Cakes. Three coffeecupfuls of Graham
flour, one quart of tepid water, one teaspoonful of salt, one
tablespoonful of sugar, one-half teacupful of yeast. Set it to
rise overnight. In the morning take out a cupful of this
to raise with, for the next day. Add water until the batter
will run from the spoon, and one-half teaspoonful of soda, and
bake on a hot griddle. If any of the batter is left, it can be
made into gems for tea by adding more water, salt, flour, a piece
of butter of the size of a walnut, and sugar to taste. Just

394 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

before baking, add an egg and a little more soda. The batter
must be stiffer than for griddle-cakes.

Boston Griddle Cakes. One tablespoon melted butter, one
tablespoon sugar, one-half cupful of milk, three eggs, one cup
flour; stir all together until smooth. Butter the griddle and put
a large spoonful of the batter on. Let it fry a nice brown,
spread jelly over it, roll it up like rolled jelly-cake, sprinkle with
powdered sugar, and serve very hot.

FROM THE FRENCH.

French Pancakes. Sift one coffeecup of wheat flour into
a bowl. Break in three whole eggs. Add two tablespoonfuls
of powdered sugar, and mix well, adding one cup of cold milk,
pouring it in very gradually, and mixing for five minutes.
Butter lightly a griddle or frying-pan ; place it on the stove,
and when it is hot, drop on to it some of this batter, and bake
two minutes; turn over, and bake the other side as long. Turn
the pancake on a hot dessert-dish, and sprinkle over plenty of
powdered sugar. Proceed the same with the remaining batter
until finished.

German Pancakes. Make the same batter as for French
pancakes ; butter an iron pan, large enough to hold this batter.
Place this on a hot stove, and pour all the batter into it,
letting it cook for three minutes. Remove to a hot oven for
six or seven minutes. Take it out, slide the cake carefully on
a hot dessert-dish, and send it to the table with pieces of lemon.

Buckwheat Cakes. To one teaspoon of compressed yeast
add one-half cup of lukewarm water, and let it stand for ten
minutes. Mix this in a vessel with a cup of buckwheat flour,
pouring in two cups of cold water, and season with a small
pinch of salt. Mix thoroughly, cover the basin with a cloth, and

Gingerbread, Doughnuts, and Small Cakes. 395

let rest overnight. Grease griddle lightly with a piece of fat
pork-rind, and place it on a hot stove. Pour half of the batter
into the six sections of the griddle, distributing it evenly. Bake
one to two minutes on each side. Finish the rest the same way,
put them on a hot dessert-dish, and serve.

Wheat Cakes. Put into a vessel one-half cupful of sifted
wheat flour, one tablespoonful of powdered sugar, a piece of
compressed yeast. Break in four whole eggs, and mix well for
three minutes. Add cupful of cold milk, and beat well with
the pastry-whip for four minutes. Strain through a sieve into
another vessel. Place on the stove a small griddle, greasing the
surface lightly. Drop some of the batter onto the griddle ;
bake a few seconds ; turn it with a cake-turner, and bake a few
seconds on the other side. See that the cake is a light-brown
color on both sides. Put them on a hot dish, keeping it warm
on a corner of the range, and proceed until all are finished.

GINGERBREAD, DOUGHNUTS, AND SMALL CAKES.

Hard Gingerbread. Four eggs, three cups of sugar, one
and one-half cupfuls of butter, three teaspoonfuls of ginger,
one-half cupful of milk, flour enough to roll out. Spread very
thin on tin sheets ; then roll it first with a smooth rolling-pin,
and then with a fluted one. Bake, and cut in squares while
warm.

Soft Gingerbread. One and one-half teacupfuls of molas-
ses, one-half a cupful of cream, one-half a cupful of butter, one
egg, one teaspoonful of soda, one teaspoonful of ginger and
cinnamon, three tablespoonfuls of sour milk.

Ginger Snaps. Two cupfuls of sugar, one cupful of butter,
one-half cupful of water, one teaspoonful of saleratus, one egg,
a little ginger.

396 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Ginger Cookies. Two cupfuls of molasses, one and one-
half teaspoonfuls of ginger, one-half a cupful of water, one
teaspoonful of cinnamon, one-half a cupful of butter or lard,
one-half a teaspoonful of soda.

Ginger Drop Cake. One cupful of sugar, one cupful of
molasses, one-half a cupful of butter, three cupfuls of flour, one-
half a cupful of milk, two teaspoonfuls of soda, one teaspoonful
of pulverized alum, two eggs, ginger and spice to taste. If not
stiff enough to drop, add more flour.

Ginger Nuts. Three pounds of flour, one pound of butter,
one pound of sugar, one pint of molasses, two ounces of ginger,
a little allspice. Roll extremely thin.

Sugar Snaps. One cupful of butter, two cupfuls of sugar,
one-third of a cupful of sweet milk, three eggs, one teaspoonful
of cream of tartar, one teaspoonful of soda, flour to roll out, and
cut into cakes.

Sponge Drops. Beat to a froth three eggs and one teacup
of sugar; stir into this one heaping coffee-cup of flour, in which
one teaspoonful of cream of tartar and half a teaspoonful of
saleratus are thoroughly mixed. Flavor with lemon. Butter
tin sheets with washed butter, and drop in teaspoonfuls about
three inches apart. Bake instantly in a very quick oven. Watch
closely, as they will burn easily. Serve with ice-cream.

Drop Cookies. One cupful of butter, two cupfuls of sugar,
one cupful of milk, one egg, two teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar,
one teaspoonful of soda, flour enough to drop. Flavor to taste.

Cocoanut Cookies. One pound of sugar, three-quarters of
a pound of butter, three eggs, one paper of cocoanut, and flour
enough to roll out.

Christmas Cakes. One pound of golden syrup, one pound
of flour, two teaspoonfuls of soda dissolved in one-half cupful of
the syrup. Boil the rest of the syrup ; and, while warm, add
one- quarter of a pound of butter, one teacupful of citron
(chopped very fine), one teacupful of chopped blanched almonds,

Gingerbread, Doughnuts, and Small Cakes. 397

fifty cents' worth of cardamom seeds, one teaspoonful of cinna-
mon, one of chopped lemon peel, the grated rind and the juice
of one lemon. Roll out, cut with a small biscuit cutter, and
put a whole blanched almond on the top of every cake before
you put them in the oven. Excellent a German receipt.

Fruit Cookies. Three-quarters of a pound of sugar, one
cupful of butter, one-half cup of sweet milk, one egg, two tea-
spoonfuls of baking powder, a teaspoonful of grated nutmeg,
three tablespoonfuls of English currants or chopped raisins.
Mix soft, and roll out, using just enough flour to stiffen suffi-
ciently. Cut out with a large cutter, wet the tops with milk,
and sprinkle sugar over them. Bake on buttered tins in a quick
oven.

Jumbles. One cupful of sugar, one cupful of butter (scant),
two eggs, two and one-half cupfuls of flour. Mix, roll, and then
cut in strips, form the strips into rings, and dip the upper side
into finely cracked sugar, letting as much adhere to the surface
as will. One tablespoonful of bitter almonds finely sliced
improves them. Season with lemon, vanilla, or extract of
almond.

Small Cakes. Work one egg and a tablespoonful of sugar
to as much flour as will make a stiff paste; roll it as thin as a
dollar piece, and cut it into small round or square cakes ; drop
two or three at a time into the boiling lard. When they rise
to the surface and turn over, they are done. Take them out
with a skimmer, and lay them on an inverted sieve to drain.
When served for dessert or supper, put a spoonful of jelly on
each.

Cookies. Two cupfuls of sugar, one scant cupful of butter,
one egg, a little nutmeg, one-half teaspoonful of saleratus dis-
solved in a large tablespoonful of warm water. Warm the but-
ter, so as to stir all together. Then stir in as much flour as you
can, and work it on the board. Roll very thin, and cut them
out. grease the pan with lard before the first are baked, and

398 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

the pan will not need greasing again for the rest. Bake to a
light brown.

German Fried Cakes. Two cups of milk, four eggs, one
small tablespoonful of melted butter, flavoring, salt to taste.
First boil the milk, and pour it, while hot, over a pint of flour ;
beat it very smooth, and when it is cool, have ready the yolks
of the eggs well beaten ; add them to the milk and flour, beaten
well into it ; then add the well-beaten whites ; then, lastly, add
the salt and as much more flour as will make the whole into a
soft dough. Flour your board, turn your dough upon it, roll it
in pieces as thick as your finger, and turn them in the form of a
ring. Cook in plenty of boiling lard. A nice breakfast cake
with coffee.

Doughnuts. One coffeecupful of sugar, two-thirds of a
cupful (scant) of butter, one egg, one coffeecupful of milk, one
teaspoonful of soda, two teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar, a little
nutmeg, flour to make a soft dough.

Wafers. Mix four rounding tablespoonfuls of butter in
half a teacup of milk ; stir together four ounces of white sugar,
eight ounces of sifted flour, and the yolk of one egg, adding
gradually the butter and milk, a tablespoonful of orange-flower
water, and a pinch of salt ; mix it well. Heat the wafer irons,
butter their inner surfaces, put in a tablespoonful of the batter,
and close the irons immediately. Put the irons over the fire,
and turn them occasionally, until the wafer is cooked. When
the wafers are all cooked, roll them on a small round stick,
stand them upon a sieve, and dry them.

Crullers. One cupful of sweet milk, one cupful of sugar,
two eggs, five tablespoonfuls of melted lard, a little salt, one
teaspoonful of soda, and one-half of a teaspoonful of cream of
tartar (or two teaspoonfuls of baking powder), flour sufficient to
make firm enough to roll out and cut in shape. If any spice is
used, let it be nutmeg.

Puff-ball Doughnuts. Three eggs, one cupful of sugar, a

Gingerbread, Doughnuts, and Small Cakes. 399

pint of sweet milk, salt, nutmeg, and flour enough to permit the
spoon to stand upright in the mixture ; add two heaping tea-
spoonfuls of baking powder to the flour ; beat all until very
light. Drop by the dessertspoonful into boiling lard. These
will not absorb a bit of fat, and are very nice.

New England Cookies. One cup of butter, one pound of
sugar, three eggs well beaten, a teaspoonful of soda and two of
cream of tartar, spoonful of milk, one teaspoonful of nutmeg and
one of cinnamon ; flour enough to make a soft dough just stiff
enough to roll out. Try a pint of sifted flour to begin with,
working it in gradually. Spread a little sweet milk over each,
and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in hot oven a light brown.

Cocoanut Cookies. One cup grated cocoanut, three-quar-
ters of a pound sugar, three-fourths cup butter, one-half cup
milk, two eggs, one large teaspoonful baking powder, one-half
teaspoonful extract of vanilla, and flour enough to roll out.

Lemon Cookies. One pound sifted flour, one teacupful of
butter, two cups of sugar, the juice of one lemon and the grated
peel from the outside, three eggs whipped very light. Beat
thoroughly each ingredient, adding after all is in a half tea-
spoonful of soda dissolved in a tablespoonful of milk. Roll out
as any cookies, and bake a light brown. Use no other wetting.

New England Crullers. Large coffeecupful of sugar, one
cupful of sour milk, two eggs, two scant tablespoonfuls of
melted butter, half a nutmeg grated, a large teaspoonful of
cinnamon, a teaspoonful of salt and one of soda ; make a little
stiffer than biscuit dough, roll out a quarter of an inch thick,
and cut with a fried-cake cutter with a hole in the centre. Fry
in hot lard.

Fried Cakes or Doughnuts. Have boiling lard enough to
free them from the bottom of the kettle, so that they swim on
the top, and the lard should never be so hot as to smoke or so
cool as not to be at the boiling point ; if it is, they soak grease
and are spoiled. If it is at the right heat, the doughnuts will

4OO Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

in about ten minutes be of a delicate brown outside and nicely
cooked inside. Five or six minutes will cook a cruller. Try
the fat by dropping a bit of the dough in first ; if it is right, the
fat will boil up when it is dropped in. They should be turned
over almost constantly, which causes them to rise and brown
evenly. When they are sufficiently cooked, raise them from
the hot fat, and drain them until every drop ceases dripping.

Mother's Love-knots. One egg, one tablespoonful sugar,
one tablespoonful butter, one tablespoonful milk, pinch of salt,
.pinch of nutmeg, flour to knead very hard. Roll out, then cut
in long narrow strips, and tie in two or three knots, and fry in
hot lard. Dust with pulverized sugar while hot.

Nun's Sighs. Warm a lump of butter the size of a walnut,
a lump of sugar, a little lemon peel, and a pinch of salt in a tea-
cupful of water. Set it in a saucepan of water on the stove ;
stir in flour until it becomes a thick paste, and continue stirring
until cooked. Leave in the saucepan until cold ; then stir in
one egg at a time, until thin enough to drop out of a spoon.
Take a dessert spoon and drop lumps of the paste about the
size of walnuts into hot lard. Take out when risen to four
times their original size and of a golden color. Sprinkle with
sugar. Good hot or cold.

CAKE.

Directions for Making Cake. Put eggs in cold water to
make them beat light. Dissolve soda in a little water, and strain
into the milk. Mix cream of tartar with one cup of flour. Strain
yolks of eggs. Stir butter with a wooden spoon until soft,
then add the sugar until a fine cream is formed ; next add the
yolks, then a little flour, and very gradually the milk, stirring
the batter all the time. Add the flavoring and spices. Beat the

Cake. 401

whites to a stiff froth, and place one-half upon the mixture, then
the remainder of the flour except that containing the cream of
tartar, which must be added after the other layer of whites.
Beat carefully until the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated,
and bake immediately. Avoid jarring the cake when in the
oven, also a draft of cold air while baking. If the oven is too
hot, cover with a piece of brown paper. A stone jar and a clean
piece of linen will keep cake best a long time.

Black Cake. One pound of butter, one pound of sugar, one
pound of flour, twelve eggs, three glasses of brandy, eight
ounces of citron, four pounds of fruit, a little saleratus ; spice to
taste.

Fruit Cake. One pound of flour, one pound of sugar, one-
half pound of butter, nine eggs, three pounds of raisins, three
pounds of currants, one pound of citron, one cupful of molasses,
one cupful of brandy, two teaspoonfuls of cloves, four teaspoon-
fuls of cinnamon. Brown the flour; bake four hours. Add
more fruit if you like, and if too dry add a little wine.

Coffee Cake. One pound of flour, one pound of sugar, one
pound of raisins cut and stoned, one-half pound of butter, four
eggs, one cupful of strong coffee, one teaspoonful of soda, one
teaspoonful of cloves.

St. Albans Loaf Cake. Three cupfuls of light dough, two
cupfuls of sugar, one and one-quarter cups of butter, three eggs,
two teaspoonfuls of cinnamon, one teaspoonful of cloves, one
teaspoonful of soda, coffeecupful of raisins chopped a little. Let
it rise half an hour after putting it in the baking tins.

Whortleberry Cake. Eight cupfuls of flour, three cupfuls
of sugar, five eggs, one quart of the berries, and one and one-
half cups of milk, one cupful of butter, one and one-half, tea-
spoonfuls of soda, three of cream of tartar.

Hickory Nut Cake. The whites of six eggs, two cupfuls of
sugar, two-thirds of a cupful of butter, one cupful of sweet milk,

402 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

three and one-half cupfuls of flour, two teaspoonfuls of baking-
powder, one pound of hickory-nut kernels chopped very fine.

Almond Cake. One-half cupful of butter and one cupful
of sugar beaten to a cream, whites of five eggs well beaten, two
cupfuls of flour, one-half teaspoonful of soda, one teaspoonful of
cream of tartar, one-half cupful of milk, one-half pound of sweet
almonds. Flavor with bitter almonds.

Cocoanut Drop Cakes. One cupful of desiccated cocoanut,
one-half cupful sugar, whites of two eggs beaten to a stiff froth,
one tablespoonful of flour. Drop on paper, and bake five min-
utes in a quick oven.

Cocoanut Cake. Three cupfuls of sugar, three-quarters of
a cupful of butter, one cupful of milk, five cupfuls of flour, three
eggs, two teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar, one teaspoonful of
soda, one cocoanut grated.

Lady Cake. One and one -quarter pounds of powdered
sugar, sixteen eggs (whites only), one pound of flour, three-quar-
ters of a pound of butter, one-half pound of blanched almonds
chopped fine.

Silver Cake. Two coffeecupfuls of sugar, one-half cupful
of butter, two and one-half cupfuls of flour, three-quarters of a
cupful of sweet milk, one-half teaspoonful of soda, one teaspoon-
ful of cream of tartar, whites of eight eggs. Flavor with lemon
or almond extract.

Gold Cake. One cupful of sugar, three-quarters of a cupful
of butter, two cupfuls of flour, one-quarter of a cupful of sweet
milk, one-half teaspoonful of soda, one teaspoonful of cream of
tartar, the yolks of eight eggs.

French Loaf Cake. Two cupfuls of sugar, one-half cupful
of butter, one cupful of milk, three cupfuls of flour, three eggs,
two teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar and one teaspoonful of soda,
or three teaspoonfuls of baking powder.

White Cake. Three cupfuls of flpur, one and one-half cup-

Cake. 403

fuls of sugar, two tablespoonfuls of butter, two teaspoonfuls of
cream of tartar, one teaspoonful of soda, one cupful of milk.

Sea-foam Cake. Whites of ten eggs beaten to a stiff froth,
one-half tumblerful of white sugar, one tumblerful of flour, with
one teaspoonful of cream of tartar. Stir the sugar and flour
together, and mix carefully with the eggs, and then flavor.
Bake in a moderate oven.

Wine Cake. Two eggs, two cupfuls of sugar, one cupful of
butter, one cupful of wine or cider, four cupfuls of flour, one
teaspoonful of saleratus, one cupful of fruit (raisins and cur-
rants), with nutmeg.

Lemon Cake. One pound of flour, one pound of sugar,
one-half pound of butter, eight- eggs, the rind of two lemons
grated, and the juice of one lemon. Baked in shallow pans and
frosted.

Sponge Cake. Ten eggs, half a pound of flour, one pound
of sugar, one lemon, one tablespoonful of water, a piece of soda
the size of a small pea, a pinch of salt. Mix the yolks and sugar
until they are creamy, then add the grated rind and juice of
the lemon with a pinch of salt ; dissolve the soda in the water ;
lastly, add the whites of the eggs (after beating them very stiff)
and the flour, putting them in alternately, stirring as little as
possible. The oven must not be too hot at first, so that it will
not crust over.

Cream Sponge Cake. One cupful of cream, two cupfuls of
sugar, two and one-half cupfuls of flour, five eggs, one teaspoon-
ful of soda, two teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar.

Citron Cake. Three cups of white sugar and one cup of
butter creamed together ; one cup of sweet milk, six eggs,
whites and yolks beaten separately ; one teaspoonful of vanilla
or lemon extract, two heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder
sifted with four cups and a half of flour; one cup and a half
of citron, sliced thin and dredged with flour. Divide into two
cakes and bake in tins lined with buffered letter-paper.

404 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Citron Pound Cake. Stir two cups of butter to a cream,
then beat in the following ingredients, each one in succession :
one pint of powdered sugar, one quart of flour, a teaspoonful of
salt, eight eggs, the yolks and whites beaten separately, and
a wine glass of brandy ; then last of all add a quarter of a pound
of citron cut into thin slices and floured. Line two cake pans
with buttered paper and turn the cake batter in. Bake in a
moderate oven about three quarters of an hour.

White Cake. Beat together three cupfuls of sugar and one
of butter, making it very light ; then add a cupful of milk. Beat
the whites of eight eggs very stiff ; add half of those to the
other ingredients. Mix well into four cups of sifted flour one
tablespoonful of baking powder; stir this into the cake; add
flavoring, then the remaining beaten whites of egg. Bake in
layers like jelly-cake. Make an icing for the filling, using the
whites of four eggs beaten to a very stiff froth, with two cups of
fine white sugar, and the juice of half a lemon. Spread each
layer of the cake thickly with this icing, place one on another,
then ice all over the top and sides. The yolks left from this
cake may be used to make a spice-cake. See formula for Spice-
cake.

Spice Cake. Take the yolks of seven eggs, and one whole
e gg> one pound of brown sugar, one cupful of molasses, one
cupful of butter, one large coffeecupful of sour milk, one tea-
spoonful of soda (just even full), and five cupfuls of flour; one
teaspoonful of ground cloves, two teaspoonfuls of cinnamon,
two teaspoonfuls of ginger, one nutmeg, and a small pinch of
Cayenne pepper. Beat eggs, sugar, and butter to a light batter
before putting in the molasses ; then add the molasses, flour, and
milk ; beat it well together, and bake in a moderate oven. If
fruit is used, take two cupfuls of raisins, flour them well, and put
them in last.

Cocoanut and Almond Cake. Two and one-half cups pow-
dered sugar, one cup butter, four full cups prepared flour, whites

Cake. 405

of seven eggs whisked stiff ; one small cup of milk, with a mere
pinch of soda; one grated cocoanut, one-half teaspoonful nut-
meg, the juice and half the grated peel of one lemon ; cream,
butter, and sugar. Stir in lemon and nutmeg ; mix well ; add the
milk and whites and flour alternately ; lastly, stir in the grated
cocoanut swiftly and lightly. Bake in four jelly-cake tins.

Filling. One pound sweet blanched almonds, whites of four
eggs beaten stiff, one heaping cup powdered sugar, two tea-
spoonfuls rose-water.

Cup Cake. Cream half a cup of butter, with three cups of
sugar, by beating ; stir in five eggs ; dissolve a small teaspoonful
of soda in a cup of sweet milk ; add six cups of sifted flour ; stir
all well together, and if too thick, add a little more milk, without
any more soda. Flavor with essence of lemon and a little
grated nutmeg, Stir all well together, and bake in three pans.

Molasses Cup Cake. Butter one-half cup, molasses one
cup, sugar one cup, sweet milk one cup, three eggs, three cups
of flour, one large tablespoonful of ginger, half teaspoonful of
salt, one teaspoonful of soda dissolved in molasses. Mix butter
and sugar together well first, then add the other ingredients,
eggs well beaten being the last. This is very good.

Cake without Eggs. One pint of sour milk, a pint and
a half or two pints of flour, one pound of raisins, one cup of
butter, three cups of sugar, a spoonful of saleratus, and spice
to taste. Mix together and bake an hour.

Coffee Cake. Two eggs, two cups of sugar, one cup of
coffee (liquid), three-fourths cup of butter, three cups of flour,
one teaspoonful each of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg, one
teaspoonful of cream of tartar, and one-half teaspoonful of
soda.

(winger Pound Cake with Fruit. Three-quarters of a
pound of sugar, three-quarters of a pound of butter, two pounds
of flour, six eggs, one quart of molasses, half a pound of cur-
rants, quarter of a pound of raisins, three tablespoonfuls of

406 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

ginger, one teaspoonful of cloves, two teaspoonfuls of cinnamon,
three teaspoonfuls of baking powder dissolved in a few spoon-
fuls of milk. Bake one hour.

New Year's Hickory Nut Cake. One pound of flour, one
pound of sugar, three-quarters pound of butter, six eggs, two
teaspoons of cream of tartar, one of soda, half cup of sweet
milk. Beat the cake thoroughly, and then stir in a small meas-
ure of hickory-nuts, first, of course, taking them from the shell.
Bake in a steady but not quick oven. This is a very fine cake.

Huckleberry Cake. One cup of sugar, one egg, piece of
butter size of an egg, half a cup of milk, one teaspoonful of soda,
two of cream of tartar, a teaspoonful of any preferred essence,
and sifted flour to make a stiff batter. Put cream of tartar in
the flour, soda in the milk, and beat thoroughly. Add last
a pint of dried huckleberries, and bake in a quick oven. This is
cheap and good.

Found Cake. Beat six eggs to a froth, then add a pound of
sugar and half a pound of butter ; beat all well together ; dissolve
half a teaspoonful of soda in half a cup of milk. Take a pound
of sifted flour and rub a teaspoonful of cream of tartar through
it with your hands ; add the eggs, sugar, and butter ; stir all
thoroughly together, flavor to suit the taste, and bake in a quick
oven.

Ginger Snaps. One pint of molasses, one teaspoonful of
butter and lard mixed, two even teaspoonfuls of soda dissolved
in two-thirds of a teacupful of boiling water, two tablespoonfuls
of ginger ; mix as quickly as possible, with flour enough to roll
thin, and bake quickly to a light brown. Sorghum molasses out
is preferred. They will keep any length of time.

Loaf Cake. Stir into two quarts of flour a pint of milk
slightly warmed and a small teacup of yeast. Place it near the
fire, where it will rise quickly. When perfectly light, work in
with the hand four beaten eggs, a teaspoonful of salt, two of
cinnamon, a wine glass of currant jelly, a grated nutmeg, and

Cake. 407

some chipped citron. Stir a pound of sugar with three-quarters
of a pound of butter ; when white, work it into cake ; add
another quart of sifted flour, and beat the whole with the hand
ten or fifteen minutes, then set it up.

Snow Cake. Take half a pound of butter, half a pound of
sugar, whites only of six eggs, and one pound of arrowroot.
Beat the butter to a cream, then add the arrowroot and suga r
gradually, beating all the time ; beat the six whites separately
in a basin, and when a stiff froth, add to the mixture ; put a few
drops of any sort of essence, either lemon, almond, or vanilla, and
beat all for twenty minutes. Then put into a tin and bake in
a moderate oven, great care being taken that the outside is not
burnt before the inside is done. Some persons cut snow cake
into slices before sending it to table, having previously cut off
the outside and sifted powdered sugar over each slice.

Small Seed Cakes. One cup of butter, two of white sugar,
three eggs, half a cup of seeds, and flour enough to make a stiff
paste. Roll it very thin, with sugar instead of flour, on the
board, and cut it in round shapes. Bake it about fifteen min-
utes.

Cream Cake. One cup of sugar, one of sour cream, two of
sifted flour, two eggs, one teaspoonful of cream of tartar, half
of soda, half of salt. Flavor with essence of almond. It is
quickly made, and delicious eaten fresh.

Cream Cakes. (Outside?) Two cups of flour, half cup of
butter, half pint cold water. Boil the butter and water to-
gether, and stir the flour in gradually while boiling. Let it
cool ; then add five eggs, a pinch of saleratus, and a little salt.
Drop the mixture on tins, and bake in a quick oven.

(Inside?) One pint of milk, one cup white sugar, half cup of
flour, two eggs. Beat the eggs, sugar, and flour together, and
stir them in the milk while boiling. Flavor with lemon or
vanilla. Cut a slit in the side of each cake, and put in the filling
after the cakes cool.

408 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

LATER CAKES.

Lemon Jelly Cake. One-half cupful of butter, two cup-
fuls of sugar, three eggs (or the whites of six), one cupful of
milk, three cupfuls of flour, two teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar,
one teaspoonful of soda.

The Jelly. Two grated lemons, two cupfuls of sugar, whites
of two eggs beaten stiff. Put all together, boil over water until
stiff. Cool before putting on the cake.

Orange Cake. Two cupfuls of flour, two cupfuls of sugar,
one-half cupful of water, the yolks of five eggs, whites of four
eggs, one saltspoonful of salt, one teaspoonful of cream of
tartar, one-half teaspoonful of soda, the juice and rind of one
orange. Bake in jelly-cake tins. Then beat the whites of two
eggs to a froth, adding sugar till too stiff to stir ; add juice and
rind of one orange, and spread between cakes.

Ice Cream Cake. Two cupfuls of sugar, one of butter,
two of flour, one of corn-starch, one of sweet milk, the whites of
eight eggs, two large teaspoonfuls of baking powder.

The Mixture. Pour one-half pint of boiling water over four
cupfuls of sugar ; cook until it candies, taking care that it does
not grain. Beat the whites of four eggs, then pour the sugar
over them, beating all the time. Flavor with vanilla. Dissolve
a little citric acid, and put one teaspoonful in the icing. Stand
in a cool place.

Boll Cake. One large cupful each of sugar and flour, three
eggs, half teaspoonful of soda, one teaspoonful of cream of tar-
tar, one saltspoonful of salt, one large spoonful of milk. Bake
on tin sheets, and spread with lemon cheese cake, and roll.

Lemon Cheese Cake. One pound of white sugar, one quarter
of a pound of butter, the yolks of six eggs and whites of four,
grated rind of two lemons, and the juice of three. Put these

Layer Cakes. 409

ingredients into a pan over the fire, and stir gently until the
sugar melts and it begins to thicken, about the consistency of
strained honey.

Custard Cake. One cupful of sugar, one cupful of flour,
three eggs, three tablespoonfuls of milk, one small teaspoonful
of soda, two of cream of tartar.

Custard. One pint of milk, two eggs, one-half cupful of
sugar, three teaspoonfuls of corn-starch. Boil until it thickens.
Flavor with vanilla. When cold, cut the cake in four rounds,
and add the custard between. Frost it, if you like.

Cream Cake. One cupful of sugar, one egg, two cupfuls
of flour, one-half cupful of milk, butter of the size of an egg,
one teaspoonful of cream of tartar, one-half teaspoonful of soda.

Cream Inside. One coffeecupful of sweet milk, one-half
cupful of sugar, the yolks of two eggs, the white of one, one
heaping tablespoonful of corn-starch.

Cream Puffs. Stir into a pint of boiling water one-quarter
of a pound of butter, one-half pound of flour, and one table-
spoonful of sugar, mixing well together before putting them
into the water. Stir constantly until it will cleave entirely from
the kettle. When perfectly cold, mix in six eggs, one at a time,
stirring constantly ; beat a whole egg, to glaze over the top.
Drop in tins to bake ; they will puff up, leaving a place for
the custard : One pint of cream or milk, one tablespoonful of
corn-starch, two teaspoonfuls of gelatine, four eggs.

Cream Pie. One cupful of sugar, one cupful of flour, four
eggs. Beat the yolks and sugar together to a cream, add the
flour, then the whites well beaten, and one teaspoonful of milk
with one of baking powder. Bake in jelly tins. For the cus-
tard, take two eggs beaten separately, one cupful of sugar, one
tablespoonful of corn-starch, add a little cold milk, and then
pour the mixture into less than a pint of scalding milk or cream,
and stir constantly until cooked. When the cake is cold, spread
with the custard. Flavor to suit.

4io Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Roll Jelly Cake. One scant teacupful of sugar, three eggs,
two tablespoonfuls of milk, one cupful of flour, one scant tea-
spoonful of saleratus, one teaspoonful of cream of tartar.
Spread it thin on a long dripping-pan, bake in a quick oven.
Spread the jelly on while hot, and roll up.

Washington Pie. One teacupful of sugar rubbed to a
cream with butter of the size of an egg. Beat four eggs sepa-
rately, and stir in one heaping cupful of sifted flour, with a full
teaspoonful of cream of tartar, and one teaspoonful of soda dis-
solved in one small teaspoonful of milk. Divide the mixture
on two shallow tin plates well buttered ; put in a moderate
oven ; put preserves or jelly between the cakes ; and, -when on
the plate, sprinkle some fine powdered sugar over upper crust.

Cocoanut Layer Cake. One cocoanut grated, one-half
pound of sugar, two eggs, the rind and juice of one lemon. Mix
the ingredients together ; cook till the egg thickens, stirring
constantly. Put this mixture between layers of silver cake.
Frost the loaf, and sprinkle with cocoanut.

Chocolate Jelly Cake. The Jelly. One-half pound of sweet
chocolate grated fine. Boil one-half pint of milk, and pour over
it. Add one well-beaten egg, one cupful of sugar, and vanilla
to taste.

The Cake. One cupful of butter, one of milk, four of flour,
four eggs, one teaspoonful soda dissolved in the milk, two tea-
spoonfuls cream of tartar sifted with the flour. This makes two
cakes four layers thick.

Marble Cake. Dark Part. The yolks of seven eggs, two
cupfuls of brown sugar, one of molasses, one of butter, one of
sour cream, five of flour, two teaspoonfuls of cinnamon, two of
cloves, one of nutmeg, one of allspice, one and one-half of soda.

White Part. The whites of seven e^ .* two cupfuls of white
sugar, one of butter, two-thirds of a cup. \ of sweet milk, three
of flour, two teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar, one of soda. Flavor
with vanilla.

Layer Cakes. 411

Cream Frosting. One-half pint of sweet thick cream
whipped, sweetened and flavored with vanilla. Cut a loaf of
cake in two ; spread the frosting between and on the top.

Fruit Cream Filling. Cut fruits into thin slices, and pre-
pare cream by whipping and sweetening. Put a layer of fruits
between the layers of cake, and pour cream over each layer and
over the top. All kinds of fruits may be used by this formula,
mashing the berries, and stewing thick with powdered sugar.

Fruit Filling. Take one-half cup of finely-chopped citron,
one-half cup of finely-chopped seeded raisins, half of a cupful of
blanched almonds chopped fine, also a quarter of a pound of
finely chopped figs. Beat the whites of three eggs to a stiff
froth, adding half of a cupful of sugar; then mix thoroughly
into this the whole of the chopped ingredients. Put it between
the layers of cake when the cake is hot, so that it will cook the
egg a little. This will be found delicious.

Icing for Cakes. An icing without eggs may be prepared
by boiling a cup of granulated sugar in five tablespoonfuls of
sweet milk for five minutes, then beating until cool enough to
spread. One with egg may be easily made of six tablespoonfuls
of powdered sugar, the white of one egg, and one teaspoonful of
boiling water, mixed without beating. A colored icing may be
made by using a teaspoonful of boiling cranberry juice or other
red fruit juice instead of water. The top of the icing may be
ornamented with roasted almonds, bits of colored sugar, or
frosted fruits.

Lemon Jelly Filling. Grate the yellow from the rind of
two lemons and squeeze out the juice ; add one pound of sugar,
the yolks and whites of two eggs beaten separately. Mix the
sugar and yolks, then add the whites, and then the lemons.
Now pour on a cupful of boiling water ; stir into this two table-
spoonfuls of sifted flour, rubbed smooth in half a cup of water;
then add a tablespoonful of melted butter. Cook until it thick-

412 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

ens. When cold, spread between the layers of cake. Oranges
can be used in place of lemons.

To Make Frosting without Eggs for all kinds of Cakes.

Mix thoroughly with cold water sufficient confectioner's sugar
so that it will spread nicely, and flavor to suit the taste ; and
spread it on while the cake is still warm (not hot). Be sure not
to use granulated or pulverized sugar. No eggs are necessary.
You can also mix this frosting with cocoanut, chocolate, lemon,
etc., in making layer cakes.

Boiled Icing. Two cups sugar dissolved in one-half cup of
water. Boil until it strings. Beat the whites of two eggs to a
stiff froth, and stir into the syrup after it strings. Beat all to-
gether until nearly cold.

Cream Filling. Cream filling is made with two cups fresh
milk, three tablespoonfuls of sifted flour, two eggs, and one cup
of sugar. Put some of the milk on the stove to boil ; stir the
sugar, flour, and eggs in what is left of the milk. When the
milk boils, add into it the rest, and cook it until it is as thick as
custard ; when cool, add vanilla extract. This custard is nice
with a cup of hickory-nut kernels chopped fine and stirred into
it. Spread between the layers of cake.

COLORING FOR CAKES AND FRUITS.

Bark Red Coloring. Take eight grains of cream of tartar
finely powdered and ten grains of cochineal ; add to it a piece
of alum the size of a small pea, and boil with four tablespoon-
fuls of soft water in a granite iron vessel for fifteen minutes ;
then strain through a cheese-cloth, put in a bottle and keep it
tightly corked. If you wish to keep it any length of time, put
in a little alcohol.

Pink Coloring. Strawberry or cranberry juice makes the

Coloring for Cakes and Fruits. 413

best coloring for frosting or confectionery. But when you can-
not get them, buy two cents' worth of cochineal, put it into half
a teacupful of alcohol; let it stand twenty minutes; strain
through a cheese-cloth, put in a bottle and cork tight.

Angel Cake. Whites of nine large eggs, one and one quar-
ter cupfuls of sifted granulated sugar, one cup of sifted flour,
one- half teaspoonful of cream of tartar, a pinch of salt added to
the eggs before beating. After sifting the flour four or five
times, measure and set aside one cupful ; sift the sugar, and set
aside one and one-quarter cupfuls ; beat the whites of eggs about
half; add the cream of tartar, and beat to a stiff froth; stir
in the sugar and flour at the same time very lightly. It should
be folded in, as too much stirring tends to toughen the cake.
Flavor, and bake in a moderate oven forty minutes in the patent
cake-pans. The pans should be inverted and left until the cake
is cold before it is removed. In this manner it has a chance to
stretch instead of falling. Never grease these pans ; if ordinary
pans are used, put a layer of paper in the bottom.

PIES.

Good Plain Pastry (American.} The secret of success in
making pastry is to work quickly in a cool room, and to keep the
pastry as cold as possible. Even in making plain pastry, only
the best flour and butter should be used ; the flour should
be freshly sifted, and the butter worked with the hands in plenty
of ice water until it assumes a waxy appearance and touch ; if it
is worked quickly and lightly, it will not stick to the hands;
when the butter is of the proper consistency, it should be patted
with the hands into a cake about an inch thick, wrapped in a
floured towel, and put in a dish set on ice in summer, or out of
doors in winter, so that it may become quite cold while the paste
is being prepared ; allow half a pound of butter to a pound of
flour. After the flour is sifted, mix with it a teaspoonful of salt,
and with a sharp knife chop into it "one-third of the butter; then
quickly mix with it enough ice water to make a dough which
does not stick to the hands ; the mixing may be done with the
knife or the hand, but it must be done quickly; next, lightly
flour a smooth pastry board or marble slab, lay the dough on it,
and with a floured roller roll it out about half an inch thick ; cut
the rest of the butter in thick slices and lay it upon the dough,
with spaces of about an inch between the slices ; dust flour lightly
over the butter, and fold the paste over it in such a way as to
make a nice appearance, and bake in a quick oven.

Paste for Pies (from the French}. Sift on clean table four
cupfuls of flour ; make a hollow space in the center, pour into it

Pies. 41 5

two cupfuls of cold water, two heaping tablespoonfuls of butter,
and half a saltspoonful of salt; then, with the hand, knead the
ingredients well together for two minutes, and gradually and
slowly mix in the balance of the flour with the rest for five
minutes. Lay the paste on a dish, and put it to rest in a cool
place for three minutes. Have ready three-quarters of a cupful
of well-washed butter in one lump, return the paste to the table,
flatten it slightly, then put the lump of butter in the center, fold
over the edges so as to enclose the butter, then roll it out
lengthwise with the pastry roller, and refold the paste into three
folds. Let it rest again in a cool place for five minutes, then roll
it again, fold it as before, and set it in refrigerator for five
minutes ; the paste will now be ready to use, and by keeping it
in the ice box it will remain in good condition for some days.

Puff Paste {from the French}. Take four cupfuls of sifted
flour, one pound of fresh butter, two cupfuls of ice water ; add a
little salt (one-half teaspoonful), wash the butter well before using
it. Put the flour on the table, make a hollow space in the center,
then put in it a heaping tablespoonful of the butter, adding the
ice water and the salt, and stir the whole well together, so it
forms gradually. Put it aside in a cool place for five minutes.
Have ready the remaining butter, which must be solid, sprinkle
the space of a square foot of the table with a very little flour,
place the dough on it, then lengthen and widen with a wooden
roller to the thickness of half -an inch, and lay the balance of the
butter in one lump in the center. Fold over the four edges so
as to enclose it, then flatten again lightly with the roller until it
forms a piece two inches thick, and then put it away to cool for
ten minutes. Roll it again lengthwise, fold it in four, and let it
rest for another five minutes ; then repeat the same twice more,
rolling it each time in a contrary direction. After five minutes
it will be ready for use. This puff paste, if put away carefully in
refrigerator, will keep for some days, and can be used for various

416 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

purposes. If butter is salty no salt will be necessary it is best
to put butter in refrigerator, so it will be solid when using.

For Icing Pastry (from the English}. Take the white of
an e gg an d with the blade of a knife beat it to a stiff froth.
When the pastry is nearly baked, brush it over with this, and sift
over some pounded sugar ; put it back into the oven to set the
glaze, and in a few minutes it will be done. Great care should
be taken that the paste does not catch or burn in the oven,
which it is very liable to do after the icing is laid on.

Or make a meringue by adding a tablespoonful of white
sugar to the beaten white of one egg. Spread over the top, and
slightly brown in the oven.

Pastry (American). Four cupfuls of flour, one cupful of
butter, one cupful of lard. Lay aside half the butter. Cut the
rest with the lard, fine, in the flour. Add a cupful of very cold
water, with a little salt. Mix all together with a knife. Pour
out on the pastry board, roll out, and add a little of the butter
that was set aside each time till all is used. Do not touch it with
the hands, if possible to avoid it.

Paste for Tart Shells. Take one- half cup of rather thin
sweet cream which has been placed on ice until very cold ; add
to it the stiffly beaten whites of two eggs, and whip all together
briskly for ten minutes. Add sufficient white flour to roll. Cut
into the required shape, bake quickly, but do not brown. Fill
after baking. This paste, rolled thin and cut into shapes with a
cooky cutter one-half of them baked plain for under crusts, the
other half ornamented for tops by cutting small holes with a
thimble or some fancy mould put together with a layer of some
simple fruit jelly between them, makes a most attractive looking
dessert. It is likewise very nice baked in little patty pans, and
afterward filled with apple or peach marmalade or other fillings.

Lard Pie Crust. Chop together in a bowl one pound of flour
and half a pound of firm lard, cutting the lard in little flakes ;

Pies. 417

add half a teaspoonful of salt to the flour, and sufficient cold
water to make a soft paste ; turn the paste out on a floured
board, and roll it half an inch thick ; dust the paste with flour,
and put a quarter of a pound of butter over it in small bits ; roll
the paste up, enclosing the butter completely, then roll and fold
it several times, using flour enough to prevent sticking to the
board or roller ; then use it for pies or puddings.

Puff Paste. Take four ounces of best wheat flour, four
ounces of sweet butter ; divide the butter into three parts ; take
one of the three pieces and rub it into the flour with the hand
till well mixed ; then stir in a tablespoonful of water, and form
with a spoon into a very stiff paste ; put it on a marble table or a
very smooth board, and roll it out once each way ; fold the four
ends inward, and roll first lengthways and then sideways ; spread
on half the remaining butter in little pieces, sprinkle with flour,
fold and roll as before ; spread on the rest of the butter and re-
peat the process ; now fold and roll twice, and put it away to
cool for ten minutes. Roll out the paste very thin, and it is
ready for whatever use required.

Pnff Paste of Suet. One-half pound of flour, one-half pint
of water, one teaspoonful baking powder, one-half teaspoonful
salt, one cup of finely chopped suet freed from its skin. Place
the flour, sifted with the powder, in a bowl, add suet and water ;
mix into smooth, rather firm dough.

This paste is excellent for fruit puddings, and dumplings that
are boiled ; if it is well made, it will be light and flaky. It is
also excellent for meat pies, baked or boiled. All the ingredients
should be very cold in mixing, and the suet dredged with flour
after it is chopped, to prevent the particles from adhering to each
other.

To Make Pie Crust Flaky. In making a pie, after you have
rolled out your top crust, cut it about the right size, spread it
over with butter, then shake sifted flour over the butter, enough

41 8 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

to cover it well. Cut a slit in the middle, place it over the top
of your pie, and fasten the edges as any pie. Now take the pie
on your left hand, and a dipper of cold water in your right hand ;
tip the pie slanting a little, pour over the water sufficiently to
rinse off the flour. Enough flour will stick to the butter to fry
into the crust to give it a fine, blistered, flaky look, which many
cooks think is much better than rolling the butter into the
crust.

Potato Pie Crust. Put a teacupful of rich sweet cream to
six good-sized potatoes after they have been well boiled, and
mash fine. Add salt to taste, and flour enough to roll out the
crust. Handle it as little as possible. It is better not to put
crust at the bottom of a pie if the fruit is very moist, for it will be
clammy from the moisture, but let the under crust only cover the
rim of the plate. Prick the upper crust to let out the steam, else
the juice will run over. This paste is excellent for apple dump-
lings or meat pies, and may be eaten by the most fastidious
dyspeptic.

Crust for Raised Pies. Take two ounces of lard, two ounces
of butter; put both together in a stew pan with a teacupful of
water to boil ; mix it with one pound of sifted flour while it is
boiling hot, first with a spoon and then with the hand. Roll out
as other crust for pies.

Suet Crust for Meat Pies. Take the fiber from eight ounces
of soft beef suet, and pound it to a soft mash ; mix it with one
pound of fine flour ; then make the crust in the same way as for
puff paste, using the pounded suet instead of butter.

Lemon Cream Pie. The juice and grated rind of one lemon,
one cup of white sugar, the yolks of two eggs, three tablespoon-
fuls of sifted flour, milk to fill the plate. This makes a large
pie, and should be made with an under crust, but not any top
crust. Bake until nearly done, then take from the oven, and
pour over it a frosting made of the beaten whites of the two

Pies. 419

eggs and two tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar; then set back in
the oven, and brown lightly. One of the best pies ever eaten.

Cream Pie. Three cupfuls of milk, two eggs, two table-
spoonfuls of corn- starch, butter of the size of a walnut, a pinch of
salt, two tablespoonfuls of sugar. Have the crust ready baked.
Then scald one and one-half cupfuls of the milk, with the butter
and salt. Beat the yolks of the eggs with the corn-starch and
the other one and one-half cup of milk, adding this to the scald-
ing milk, with one teaspoonful of lemon extract Put it in the
crust, and bake till done. Then beat the whites of the egg to a
stiff froth with a little sugar, and spread over the pie. Return to
oven and brown lightly.

Apple Pie. Make a nice flaky crust, pare and slice the apples
thin, spread them on the plate an inch thick, sprinkle sugar on
them, then spread on some currant jelly, dredge on a little flour,
add a little nutmeg, a small piece of butter, and three spoonfuls
of water. Just before putting in the oven, sprinkle a little gran-
ulated sugar on it.

Squash Pie. Cook and strain the squash, add five eggs, juice
and rind of two lemons, brandy, wine, sugar, pepper and salt to
taste, nutmeg, cinnamon, and a good lump of butter.

Acid Pie. One cupful of sugar, one cupful of water, two
tablespoonfuls of flour, one teaspoonful of tartaric acid, raisins or
dried currants, and nutmeg. Mix the flour smoothly with a
little cold water, then add one teacup of hot water.

Cracker Pie. One teaspoonful of tartaric acid, one teacupful
of boiling water poured upon the cracker, previously dissolving
the acid in the water, add one teacupful of sugar, and flavor with
nutmeg or lemon. This will make one pie a good imitation of
apple pie.

Orange Pie. Use part of the grated rind and all the juice of
one large orange or two small ones ; stir the yolks of three eggs
with one cupful of sugar ; mix with the orange, adding one cup-

420 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified,

ful of milk and the three beaten whites. Bake with an under
crust.

Currant Pie. One cupful of ripe currants crushed fine, one
cupful of sugar, one-half cupful of water, the yolks of two eggs
and one tablespoonful of flour. Bake with an under crust. When
cooked, beat the whites of the eggs with four spoonfuls of pow-
dered sugar ; spread it on the top of the pie and return to the
oven to brown.

Lemon Pie. One cofifeecupful of white sugar, one coffeecup-
ful of milk, six eggs, butter the size of an egg, rind and juice of
two lemons. Bake with puff paste. Do not let it whey or bake
so long as a custard pie. When baked add a meringue of beaten
white of egg and sugar and put it in the oven to brown.

Lemon Custard Pie. The rind of a lemon grated and the
pulp cut very fine. To the yolks of four eggs beaten light add
four tablespoonfuls of white sugar and one cupful of milk and
cream mixed. Make a rich paste. Bake twenty minutes. Beat
the whites very stiff with four tablespoonfuls of sugar, spread on
smooth and bake a few minutes.

Peach Pie. Select mellow, juicy peaches, wash them and
place in a deep pie plate lined with paste, strew a thick layer of
sugar on each of the peaches, adding a spoonful of water and a
sprinkling of flour over the top of each layer ; cover with a thick
crust and bake about an hour. The prussic acid of the stone
imparts a most agreeable flavor to the pie. Stew peaches that
are hard before making them into pies. Also stew dried peaches
soft and sweeten them, and give them no other spice than a few
of the kernels blanched and pounded fine in a very little rose-
water.

Grape Pie. Pop the pulps out of the skins into one dish, and
put the skins into another. Then simmer the pulp a little over
the fire to soften it ; remove it and rub it through a colander to
separate it from the seeds. Then put the skins and pulp to-

Pies. 421

gather, and they are ready for pies or for canning or putting in
jugs for further use. Fine for pies.

Lemon Filling. Into one cup of boiling water stir one table-
spoonful of corn-starch previously braided smooth with the juice
of a large lemon. Cook until it thickens, then add one-half cup-
ful of sugar and a little grated yellow rind of the lemon.

Tapioca Filling. Soak one tablespoonful of tapioca over
night in one cup of water ; mash and stir the tapioca, simmer
gently until clear and thick, adding enough water to cook it well ;
add half a cup of white sugar and a tablespoonful each of lemon
and orange juice. If desired a little raspberry or currant juice
may be added to make the jelly of a pink color.

Cream Filling. One cup of rich milk (part cream if it can
be afforded) heated to boiling. Into this stir one scant table-
spoonful of flour previously braided smooth with a little cold
milk. Add to this the well-beaten yolk of one egg and one table-
spoonful of sugar. Turn this mixture into the hot milk and stir
until it thickens. Flavor with a little grated lemon rind, vanilla,
or, if preferred, flavor the milk with cocoanut before using. Fill
the tart shells, and meringue with the white of the egg beaten stiff
with a tablespoonful of sugar.

Peach Tarts. Take half a pound of puff paste ; roll it out
twelve inches long by eight wide, then cut six pieces, and arrange
them neatly on six scalloped tart molds, each three and a half
inches wide. Take each separate mold in the hand, and with
the thumb press the paste gently at the bottom and sides, so as to
give it the perfect shape of the mold, but avoid pressing the
paste on the edge, so that in baking it will swell and raise beauti-
fully. Divide three ounces of apple marmalade into six equal
parts, and fill the bottom of the tarts with it ; then wipe six good-
sized, solid, fine peaches, peel and cut them into six quartered
pieces ; arrange them nicely over the marmalade in the tarts,
then distribute two ounces of powdered sugar evenly over all ; lay

V 55

422 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

them on a baking sheet, put them in a moderately hot oven for
twenty minutes, draw them to the door and sprinkle the edges
lightly with powdered sugar ; then leave them in the closed
oven for two minutes to allow the sugar to melt thoroughly. Re-
move them from the fire, put to cool for twenty minutes, and then
spread evenly over the peaches one and a half ounces of apple
jelly. Dress the tarts on a dessert dish and serve.

Any kind of fruit tarts can be made the same way, only sub-
stituting the different fruits for the peaches.

Green Gooseberry Tart. Top and tail the gooseberries.
Put into a porcelain kettle with enough water to prevent burning,
and stew slowly until they break. Take them off, sweeten well,
and set aside to cool. When cold pour into pastry shells and
bake with a top crust of puff paste. Brush all over with beaten
egg while hot, set back in the oven to glaze three minutes. Eat
cold.

Mince Meat for Mince Pies. Four pounds of lean boiled
eef chopped fine, twice as much of chopped green tart apples,
one pound of chopped suet, three pounds of raisins, seeded, two
pounds of currants picked over, washed and dried, half a pound
of citron cut up fine, one pound of brown sugar, one quart of
cooking molasses, two quarts of sweet cider, one pint of boiled
cider, one tablespoonful of salt, one tablespoonful of pepper, one
tablespoonful of mace, one tablespoonful of allspice and four
tablespoonfuls of cinnamon, two grated nutmegs, one tablespoon-
ful of cloves ; mix thoroughly and warm it on the range until
heated through. Remove from the fire, and when nearly cool
stir in a pint of good brandy and one pint of madeira wine. Put
into a crock, cover it tightly, and set it in a cold place where it
will not freeze, but keep perfectly cold. It will keep for a long
time.

Jelly Custard Pie. Dissolve three tablespoonfuls of nice
pure fruit jelly in a very little warm water, add one and one-half

Pies. 423

cups of milk and two well-beaten eggs, stirring the whites in last.
Bake with under crust only. Jellies are usually so sweet that
no sugar is needed. Apple, raspberry, currant, strawberry and
quince jellies all make nice pies, prepared in this way.

Chocolate Custard Pie. One quarter cake of Baker's choco-
late grated, one pint of boiling water, six eggs, one quart of
milk, one half cupful of white sugar, two tablespoonfuls of vanilla.
Dissolve the chocolate in a very little milk, stir into the boiling
water, and boil three minutes. When nearly cold, beat up with
this the yolks of all the eggs and the whites of three. Stir this
mixture into the milk, season and pour into shells of good paste.
When the custard is " set " but not more than half done spread
over the whites whipped to a froth with two tablespoonfuls of
sugar.

Apple Custard Pie. Stew good dried apples till perfectly
tender and there remains but very little juice. Rub through a
colander. For each pie use one cup of the sifted apples, one and
a half cups of rich milk, two eggs, five tablespoonfuls of sugar
and a Ifbtle grated lemon rind for flavoring. Bake with under
crust only. Stewed fresh apples, beaten smooth or rubbed
through a colander, can be used if preferred. The eggs may be
omitted, and one- half cup more of the sifted apples, with more
sugar, may be used instead.

Peach Custard Pie. Cover a pie plate with an under crust.
Take fresh peaches, pare, halve and stone them, and place a
layer hollow side up in the pie. Prepare a custard with one egg,
one cup of milk and three tablespoonfuls of sugar. Pour
the custard over the peaches and bake. If the quantity given
will not entirely cover the peaches, a little more must be pre-
pared. Canned peaches which are not broken can be used in-
stead of fresh ones. The pieces should be drained free from
juice and less sugar used.

Fruit Pies. Fruit pies should be eaten fresh and baked in

424 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

tolerably deep earthen platters. Their excellence consists in a
small quantity of pastry and a large amount of fruit and sugar.
Line the dish with good paste, leaving half an inch to project
over the edge. Fill with fruit, and cover thickly with sugar ; no
spice is needed for fresh small fruit pies. Put on a lid of puff
paste, and bring the outer edge of the under paste up and over it,
moistening slightly with cold water, so that it will fasten down
tight This prevents the juice from boiling out. Notch the
edge and center.

Cocoanut Pie. Cut off the brown part of cocoanut, grate the
white part, mix it with milk, and set it on the fire and let it boil
slowly eight or ten minutes. To a pound of the grated cocoa-
nut allow a quart of milk, eight eggs, four tablespoonfuls of sifted
white sugar, a glass of wine, a small cracker pounded fine, two
spoonfuls of melted butter and half a nutmeg. The eggs and
sugar should be beaten together to a froth, then the wine stirred
in. Put them into the milk and cocoanut, which should be first
allowed to get quite cool ; add the cracker and nutmeg, turn the
whole into deep pie plates, with a lining and rim of puff paste.
Bake them as soon as turned into the plates.

Pumpkin Pie without Eggs. Prepare the pumpkin as pre-
viously directed. For two medium- sized pies, heat a pint and a
half of milk in a farina kettle, and when scalding, stir into it two
scant tablespoonfuls of white flour rubbed smooth in a little cold
milk. Cook, stirring often, until it thickens. Add half a cup of
sugar, or a little less of syrup, to a pint and a half of the sifted
pumpkin, and after beating well together, stir this into the hot
milk. Bake in an under crust ; or, for three pies, take one quart
and a cupful of pumpkin, three-fourths of a cup of sugar, two
thirds of a cup of best New Orleans molasses, and three pints of
hot milk. Beat all together thoroughly. Line deep plates with
a cream crust, and bake an hour and a half in a moderate oven.

Pumpkin Pie. To prepare the pumpkin, cut in halves,

Pies. 425

remove the seeds, divide into moderately small pieces, and bake
in the oven until thoroughly done. Then scrape from the shell,
rub through a colander, and proceed as follows : For one and
one-third pints of the cooked pumpkin use one quart of hot, rich,
sweet milk. Add one-half cupful of sugar and the well-beaten
yolks of three eggs, beat well together; add the whites of the
eggs beaten to a stiff froth, and beat thoroughly. Line the tins
with a stiff cream paste, fill, and bake in a moderate oven till the
pies are barely firm in the center, or till the custard is well set.

Cherry Pie. Stone the cherries, fill the pie crust one-half
full with ripe cherries ; sprinkle over them about one cupful of
sugar, a teaspoonful of flour, add a little butter over this ; then
fill the crust full with the cherries, and bake.

Pineapple Pie. A grated pineapple, its weight in sugar,
half its weight in butter, one cupful of cream, five eggs; beat the
butter to a creamy froth, add the sugar and yolks of the eggs;
continue beating till very light; add the cream, the pineapple
grated, and the whites of the eggs beaten to a stiff froth. Bake
with an under crust. Eat cold.

Grape Jelly Pie. Cook perfectly ripe purple grapes; rub
them through a colander to remove the seeds and skins. Return
the pulp to the fire and thicken with rice or corn-starch to the
consistency of thick cream or jelly, and sweeten to taste. Fill
an under crust with the mixture, and bake. The top may be
ornamented with pastry cut in fancy shapes if desired.

Damson or Plum Pie. Stew the damsons whole in water
only sufficient to prevent their burning ; when tender, and while
hot, sweeten them with sugar, and let them stand until they
become cold ; then pour them into pie dishes lined with paste,
dredge flour upon them, cover them with the same paste, wet
and pinch together the edges of the paste, cut a slit in the center
of the cover through which the vapor may escape, and bake
twenty minutes.

426 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Rhubarb Pie. Cut the large stalks off where the leaves
commence, strip off the outside skin, then cut the stalks in pieces
half an inch long ; line a pie dish with paste rolled rather thicker
than a dollar piece, put a layer of the rhubarb nearly an inch
deep ; to a quart bowl of cut rhubarb put a large teacupful of
sugar ; strew it over with a saltspoonful of salt and a little nut-
meg grated; shake over a little flour; cover with a rich pie crust,
cut a slit in the center, trim off the edge with a sharp knife, and
bake in a quick oven until the pie loosens from the dish. Rhubarb
pies made in this way are altogether superior to those made of
the fruit stewed.

Rhubarb Pie. Strip off the skin, and slice thin, the tender
stalks of rhubarb. Put the rhubarb in deep plates lined with pie
crust, with a thick layer of sugar to each layer of rhubarb, and
over the top a sprinkling of flour. A little grated lemon peel
may be added. Place over the top a thin crust. Press tightly
round the edge of the plate and perforate it with a fork, that the
crust may not burst while baking and let the juices of the pie
escape. Bake about one hour in a slow oven. This rhubarb
pie must not be quick- baked.

Sweet Potato Pie. Two pounds of grated potatoes, one and
one-half pound of sugar, one cupful of cream, one pound of
butter and nine eggs. Put the whites in last.

Tomato Pie. Peel and slice (like apples) ripe tomatoes into
the pie, with sugar and a piece of butter. Sprinkle flour over
top.

PUDDINGS AND DUMPLINGS.

GENERAL REMARKS.

In order to have good success in the making of puddings and
dumplings, one should endeavor to procure the best materials
and follow the formulas as given minutely.

If the pudding is to be steamed have the .water boil rapidly
from the time your pudding is placed in the steamer, and see
that it is kept boiling. If water is to be added, see that it is
boiling water, so as not to reduce the temperature.

Do not take the cover off the vessel until the pudding is done,
as that will let in the cold air and reduce the temperature.

If the pudding is to be boiled, see that the ingredients are
well worked together. Then take a bag made of thick material,
dip it into hot water, wring out the water, sprinkle the inside of
bag well with flour, put in your pudding, tie it well, allowing
some room for it to swell. Place it in a vessel of boiling water,
have a plate at bottom of vessel so bag will rest on same.
Allow it to boil all the time until done. In adding water see
that it is boiling and keep the vessel well covered. When done,
plunge immediately in cold water and turn out the pudding, and
serve at once.

Basins or molds used for baking, steaming or boiling should
be well buttered before the mixture is added.

428 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

In case you do not desire to boil pudding in a cloth, use
pudding moulds, but close very tight, so water cannot enter.
Place them in a vessel of boiling water, and boil the specified
time.

Dumplings are boiled in the same way, only each separated
in little bags or moulds.

All sweet puddings should have a little salt added, but be
careful to get the proper proportions.

Batter puddings should be evenly mixed so as not to have
lumps form. The proper way is to first mix the flour and suffi-
cient milk or water, and then add the sugar and yolks of eggs
thoroughly beaten together, then add the balance of the milk
slowly, then the seasoning. The beaten white of the eggs is to
be added last.

In adding liquors or acids of any kind they must be added
at last and gradually, or it will curdle the milk and eggs.

Be sure and secure eggs and other ingredients perfectly fresh,
as one bad article will surely taint the others, and spoil your
pudding.

The yolk and white of eggs should always be beaten separ-
ately.

In making rice, tapioca and other cereal food puddings be
sure and beat the eggs very light, and mix it with a little of the
milk before adding in the other articles.

In all custard puddings the sugar and yolk of eggs should be
first well beaten together before adding the other ingredients,
and the beaten white of the eggs should be added last.

When batter sticks to the knife in cutting, it is because you
have not used enough eggs, or worked it the required time.

If your puddings, or dumplings, or pastry have the proper
color on the outside, but are not sufficiently done through, cover
with a piece of white or manilla paper, which will prevent them
from burning of scorching.

Puddings and Dumplings. 429

PUDDINGS.

English Plum Pudding. One pound of suet, one pound of
raisins, one pound of currants, half a pound of rolled crackers,
half a pound of sifted flour, one pound of sugar, one-quarter of a
pound of citron cut very fine, half tumblerful brandy, half tumbler-
ful sherry wine, ten eggs well beaten, two teaspoonfuls (small)
salt, one teaspoonful ground cinnamon, one teaspoonful nutmeg,
half teaspoonful allspice, half teaspoonful cloves, peel of one
lemon grated.

Mix all the ingredients together dry, then add the eggs, wine
and brandy the last thing before turning into a buttered bowl
which will just hold the pudding, Tie a stout cloth tightly over
the basin and plunge into a large kettle of boiling water. Boil
six hours. The water must not be allowed to stop boiling one
moment. The basin must have a rim to hold the cloth firmly ;
wring the cloth out of cold water and flour it well before using.
Pour brandy over the pudding and bring to the table in a blaze
of flame.

Suet Pudding. Ten eggs, one pound of flour, one-half
pound of suet, one pound of raisins, one nutmeg. Thin it with
milk. The great art is in boiling without stopping. Tie it
up, allowing a little space to swell, and boil five hours. Serve
with a rich wine sance.

Apple Snow. Put twelve good tart apples in cold water, and
set them over a slow fire ; when soft, drain off the water, strip
the skins off the apples, core them and lay them in a deep dish.
Beat the whites of twelve eggs to a stiff froth, put one-half pound
of powdered white sugar to the apples, beat them to a stiff froth,
and add the beaten eggs. Beat the whole to a stiff snow, then
turn it into a dessert dish.

Apple Soufflee. Peel and cut two pounds of good apples ;
stew till tender, with four ounces of loaf sugar. With the yolks

43 o Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified,

of six eggs make a custard, adding two ounces of powdered
sugar and one pint of boiling milk. Let this get firm by putting
it in a kettle of boiling water and steaming it. Beat the whites
of the six eggs to a stiff froth with a little powdered sugar. Mix
your apples and custard, put the whites on top, and bake in a
quick oven.

Cherry Pudding. One pint of bread crumbs, one cup of
sugar, four eggs, a quart of milk, grated lemon rind, a little pow-
dered cinnamon, and salt. Mix thoroughly, butter a mold, and
spread in a thick layer of the preparation and then a layer of
cherries, then another layer of bread, etc., and one of cherries
alternately until it is filled. Close tight, and steam for two
hours. Eat with sweet liquid sauce. Blackberries may be used
instead of cherries.

Steamed Fig Pudding. Moisten two cupfuls of finely grated
Graham bread crumbs with half a cup of thin sweet cream. Mix
into it a heaping cupful of finely chopped fresh figs, and a quarter
of a cup of sugar. Add lastly a cup of sweet milk. Turn all
into a pudding dish, and steam about two and one-half hours.
Serve as soon as done, with a little cream for dressing, or with
orange or lemon sauce.

Blackberry or Whortleberry Pudding. Three cupfuls of
flour, one cupful of molasses, half a cupful of milk, a teaspoonful
of salt, a little cloves and cinnamon, a teaspoonful of soda dis-
solved in a little of the milk. Stir in a quart of huckleberries
floured. Boil in a well-buttered mold two hours. Serve with
brandy sauce.

Blueberry Pudding. One cupful of sugar, one cupful of
milk, one egg, one pint of the berries, butter of the size of an
egg, one and one half pints of flour, one large teaspoonful cf
cream of tartar, one-half teaspoonful of soda.

Baked Huckleberry Pudding. Four cups of ripe, fresh
huckleberries or blueberries ; half a teaspoonful of nutmeg, three

Puddings and Dumplings. 431

eggs well beaten, separately ; two cupfuls of sugar, one table-
spoonful of cold butter ; one cupful of sweet milk, one pint of
flour, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Roll the berries well
in the flour, and add them last of all. Bake half an hour and
serve with sauce. There is no more delicate and delicious pud-
ding than this.

Indian Fruit Pudding. Make a batter of a pint of hot milk
and enough corn-meal to make it stiff, add a little molasses and a
teaspoonful of salt ; then mix in a pint of sweet apples chopped,
or a pint of huckleberries. Tie it in a wet cloth, leaving room
for it to swell, put it in boiling water, boil three hours and serve
with sweet sauce.

Bice Cream Pudding. Take one cup of good well-washed
rice, one scant cup of sugar, and eight cups of new milk, with a
little grated lemon rind for flavoring. Put all into an earthen
pudding dish, and place on the top of the range. Heat very
slowly until the milk is boiling, stirring frequently, so that the
rice shall not adhere to the bottom of the dish. Then put into a
moderately hot oven and bake, without stirring, till the rice is
perfectly tender, which can be ascertained by dipping a spoon in
one side and taking out a few grains. It should be, when cold,
of a rich cream consistency, with each grain of rice whole.
Serve cold. It is best if made the day before it is needed. If
preferred, the milk may be first flavored with cocoanut.

Rice Pudding with Raisins. Wash thoroughly one-half
cup of rice, and soak for two hours in warm water. Drain off
the water, add two tablespoonfuls of sugar, one-half cup of raisins,
and four cups of milk. Put in an earthen pudding dish and cook
for two hours in a moderate oven, stirring once or twice before
the rice begins to swell ; then add a cup of hot milk and cook for
an hour longer.

Baked Lemon Pudding. An under crust of pastry ; stir the
yolks of three eggs with one cup of powdered sugar till very light,

432 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

two-thirds of a cup of milk, butter of the size of a black walnut,
one teaspoonful of sifted flour, grated rind and juice of one large
lemon. Bake the pudding, and when cold put on the top of it
the whites of three eggs beaten to a stiff froth. Add fine sugar
while beating. Put in the oven to brown.

Snow Pudding. Take half a pound of the pulp of roasted
apples carefully separated from the skin and core, half a pound
of powdered lump sugar, and the whites of two eggs. First beat
the eggs to a very stiff froth, then by degrees add first the sugar
and then the apples ; beat all together for an hour, until, when
taken up in the spoon, it stands quite stiff. With the yolks of the
two eggs make a sweet custard for the bottom of the dish, and
build the snow up by spoonfuls to any height you please. Savoy
cakes and sweetmeat likewise laid in the dish are an improvement.

Plum Pudding Glace. Make a rich custard with cream or
rich milk, put into it a glass of noyeau, a little brandy, some
ginger and ginger syrup, and citron cut very small. Freeze.

Cottage Pudding. Two cupfuls of flour, one cupful of sugar,
one cupful of milk, one teaspoonful of soda, two teaspoonfuls of
cream of tartar, one tablespoonful of butter and two eggs.

Plum Pudding with Snow. Mix- together a pound and a
quarter of flour, half a pint of sweet cream, a pound of stoned
raisins, four ounces of currants, four ounces of mashed potatoes,
five ounces of brown sugar, and a gill of milk. Work thoroughly
together, season it, mix eight tablespoonfuls of clear snow very
quickly throughout the mass; put the pudding in a bag and boil
four hours. Two tablespoonfuls of snow are equal to an egg in
any pudding.

Birds' Nest Pudding. Pare and core eight or nine medium-
sized apples, put in a pan ; fill the places from which the cores
have been taken with sugar and a little grated nutmeg ; cover
and bake. Beat the yolks of four eggs light, add two teacupfuls
of flour with three even teaspoonfuls of baking powder sifted with

Puddings and Dumplings. 433

it, one pint of milk with a teaspoonful of salt ; then add the whites
of the eggs well beaten, pour over the apples, and bake one hour
in a moderate oven. Serve with a nice sauce.

Jam Pudding. Make a jam by mashing well some fresh
raspberries or blueberries and sweetening to taste. Spread over
slices of fresh light bread or buns, and pile in layers one above
another in a pudding dish. Pour over the layers enough rich
milk or thin cream, heated to scalding, to moisten the whole.
Turn a plate over the pudding, place a weight upon it, and press
lightly till cold. Cut in slices, and serve with or without a cream
dressing.

Cabinet Pudding. Butter well the inside of a pudding
mold. Have ready a cupful of chopped citron, raisins and cur-
rants. Sprinkle some of this fruit on the bottom of the mold,
then slices of stale sponge cake ; shake over this some spices
cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg then fruit again, then cake, until
the mold is nearly full. Make a custard of a quart of milk, four
eggs, a pinch of salt, two tablespoonfuls of melted butter ; pour
this over the cake, without cooking it ; let it stand and soak one
hour ; then steam one hour and a half. Serve with wine sauce
or a custard. Season with. wine.

Sponge Pudding. Quarter of a pound of sugar, quarter of
a pound of flour. Stir them in a quart of sweet milk, stirring
constantly until it boils. Add a quarter of a pound of butter.
Cool it. Beat the yolks and whites of twelve eggs separately,
add them, with a little salt, and bake in a dish of water till done.
This makes two common-sized baking tins full. One-half the
above rule by measure : One-half cupful of flour, one-half cup-
ful of sugar, one-half cupful of butter, five eggs, one pint of sweet
milk, a little salt.

Queen of Puddings. One pint of bread crumbs, one quart
of milk, one cupful of sugar, butter of the size of an egg, four
eggs. Flavor. After the pudding is baked spread preserves

434 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

over the top, and upon them the beaten whites of the above four
eggs, with a teaspoonful of pulverized sugar. Serve with sweet
cream.

Custard Pudding. Make a custard of one quart of milk and
two eggs, flavor to taste, and put into a baking dish. Spread
thick slices of bread with butter, sufficient to cover the top of the
dish. Bake until the custard thickens. Buttered side of bread
to be placed up.

Chocolate Pudding. One quart of milk, three ounces of
grated chocolate. Scald the milk and chocolate together. When
cool, add the yolks of five eggs and one cupful of sugar. Bake
about twenty-five minutes. Beat the whites of the eggs for the
top. Brown in the oven. To be eaten cold.

DUMPLINGS.

Preserve Dumplings. Make a light biscuit crust, and roll
it about one-quarter of an inch thick ; cut it in five-inch squares,
lay a tablespoonful of preserves in the center, and fold the crust
over it; tie each one in a dumpling cloth, having it well floured
on the inside ; put them in boiling water and boil thirty minutes.
Serve hot with cream. Preserved peaches, plums, cherries or
any fruit preserves can be used this way.

Boiled Apple Dumplings. Select apples that will cook
quickly, pare and core them, leaving the apple whole. Prepare
a plain paste, roll the crust about quarter of an inch thick, cover
each apple with it, and then steam them about an hour ; if you
boil them instead of steaming them, make the paste of suet, put
them in boiling water, and boil an hour.

Little Currant Dumplings. A pint of flour, quarter pound
of fresh beef suet chopped fine, a saltspoonful of salt, a quarter
pound of Zante Currants picked clean, one egg, and milk or

Puddings and Dumplings. 435

water enough to mix to the consistency of drop biscuit Boil
in dumpling cloths three-quarters of an hour, a tablespoonful to
a dumpling. Serve with sauce.

Lemon Dumplings. Take two cups of grated bread crumbs,
half a cupful of chopped suet, half a cupful of moist sugar, a little
salt, and a small tablespoonful of flour, adding the grated rind of
a lemon. Moisten it all with the whites and yolks of two eggs
well beaten, and the juice of the lemon strained. Stir it all well
together, and put the mixture into small cups well buttered ; tie
them down with a cloth dipped in flour, and boil three-quarters
of an hour. Turn them out on a dish, strew sifted sugar over
them, and serve with wine sauce.

Boiled Rice Dumplings. After boiling one cup of rice,
drain and mash it moderately fine. Add to it two tablespoonfuls
of butter, one-third of a cup of sugar, half a saltspoonful of mixed
ground spice, salt and the yolks of two eggs. Moisten a little
with a tablespoonful or two of cream. With floured hands shape
the mixture into balls, and tie them in floured pudding cloths.
Steam or boil forty-five minutes, and send to table with some
nice sauce.

SAUCES FOR PUDDINGS.

Punch Sauce. Six tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar, two
ounces of rum, the grated rind of half an orange, one teaspoonful
of vanilla flavoring. Mix the above in a pan, and as soon as the
liquid catches flame, put on the lid of pan and allow it to remain
for one minute. Then take pan from stove, squeeze the juice of
one nice orange, strain all in dish, and it is ready to serve.

Brandy or Wine Sauce. Take one cupful butter, two cup-
fuls of powdered sugar, the whites of two eggs, five tablespoonfuls
of sherry wine or brandy, and a quarter of a cupful of boiling
water. Beat butter and sugar to a cream, add the whites of the
e gg s on e at a time, unbeaten, and then the wine or brandy.
Place the bowl in hot water, and stir till smooth and frothy.

Rose Cream. Remove the thick cream from the top of a
pan of cold milk, taking care not to take up any of the milk.
Add sugar to sweeten and a teaspoonful or two of rose water.
Beat with an egg beater until the whole mass is thick. Good
thick cream, beaten in this manner, makes nearly double its
quantity.

Bum Sauce. Put in a saucepan one cupful of water with
one-half cupful of granulated sugar, and place it on the stove,
adding a teaspoonful of caramel ; when boiling add half an ounce
of corn-starch, diluted in two tablespoonfuls of cold water, stir
well, and let cook for two minutes. Remove from the fire, and
add immediately four tablespoonfuls of Jamaica rum, mixing
well, then strain it through a fine sieve into a bowl.

Wine and Fruit Sauce. Put into a saucepan half a cupful

Sauces for Puddings. 437

of apricot marmalade, with one third of a cupful of cold water ;
place it on the fire, and stir until boiling ; then take it off, and
add immediately one cupful of Tokay wine, stirring thoroughly
for a moment or so. Strain through a sieve over the pudding,
and serve.

Lemon Brandy Sauce. Fill a pint fruit jar with the rinds of
fresh lemons, and cover same with the best brandy. In about
three weeks strain off the liquor, and seal tight until needed.

Creme a la Yanilla Sauce. Take the yolks of three eggs
and put in a small vessel, and mix with two ounces powdered
sugar, one ounce of flour and a piece of vanilla bean the size
of a lima bean ; beat well together with egg beater for two or
three minutes, and pour this all into a pint of boiling milk, and
beat again briskly with the beater until it boils once more ; then
remove from fire, and add one-half gill of maraschino ; beat again
for one minute, after which it is ready for use.

Egg Sauce. Beat the white of three eggs to a stiff froth, and
stir in very gently one teaspoonful of vanilla and one cupful of
powdered sugar ; then stir in carefully the beaten yolks of eggs,
and serve.

Orange Sauce. Put in a saucepan four egg yolks with four
ounces of powdered sugar, and stir with a spatula until it becomes
a whitish color. Add two gills of sweet cream, little by little,
beating continually, then grate in the rind of an orange. Place
the pan on a slow stove, and stir well for four minutes, being
careful not to let it boil ; take it off, strain through a sieve over
the pudding, and serve very hot.

Madeira Sauce. Put in a saucepan four egg yolks and three
tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar; place it on a hot stove, and
with a wire whip stir well for two minutes. Drop in gradually
one cupful of madeira wine ; stir continually for two minutes ;
take from the fire, and strain through a fine sieve over the
pudding.

438 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Lemon Pudding Sauce. Heat to boiling, in a double boiler,
a pint of water in which are two slices of lemon, and stir into it a
dessertspoonful of corn-starch; cook four or five minutes, or
until it thickens. Squeeze the juice from one large lemon, and
mix it with two-thirds of a cupful of sugar. Add this to the
corn-starch mixture, and allow the whole to boil up once, stirring
constantly; then take from the fire. Leave in the double boiler,
surrounded by the hot water, for ten minutes. Cool to blood
heat before serving.

Apricot Sauce. Place one-half cupful of apricot marmalade
into a saucepan with one tablespoonful of fresh butter and half a
cupful of water ; set it on the hot stove, and stir briskly with the
spatula until it comes to a boil, then take from the fire and add
immediately a gill of good brandy, mixing again with the spatula
for one minute more ; then pour the sauce over the boiled apple
dumplings, and serve.

Bed Sauce. Pare and slice a large red beet, and simmer
gently in three cupfuls of water for twenty minutes, or until the
water is rose colored ; then add two cupfuls of sugar, the thin
yellow rind and juice of one lemon, and boil until the whole is
thick syrup. Strain, add a teaspoonful of rose water or vanilla,
and serve.

Cherry Sauce. Take ripe cherries, mash them with the meat
of the pits in their own juice until tender, pulp through a sieve
all that will pass, add wine and sugar, and spice if desired, and
boil until it is of the consistency of thick cream.

Fruit Sauce. Heat a pint of red raspberry, currant, grape,
strawberry, apricot or any other fruit juice to scalding, and stir
in a tablespoonful of corn-starch previously rubbed to a cream
with a little cold water. Cook till it thickens ; then add sugar
according to the acidity of the fruit. Strain and cool before using.
If fruit juice is not available, two or three tablespoonfuls of pure
fruit jelly may be dissolved in a pint of hot water and used in-

Sauces for Puddings. 439

stead of the juice. A mixture of red and black raspberry juice,
or currant and raspberry, will be found very nice.

Sweet Liquid Sauce. One tablespoonful of flour mixed
smooth with cold water, a pinch of salt, piece of butter the size
of a hickory nut, half a cup of sugar, and a little maple or other
syrup. Stir into this mixture hot water enough to make a pint
bowl of sauce ; boil all up, and grate in lastly a little nutmeg.

Fruit Cream. Take the juice pressed from a cupful of fresh
strawberries, red raspberries, or black caps, add to it one-third
of a cup of sugar, and place in the ice chest till chilled. Set a
cup of sweet cream also on ice till very cold. When thoroughly
cold whip with an egg beater till the froth begins to rise, then
add to it the cold fruit juice and beat again. Have ready the
white of one egg beaten to a stiff froth, which add to the fruit
cream, and whip till no more froth will rise. This makes a nice
sauce for all cereal food puddings and dumplings and blanc-
manges. You can use the juices of other fruits prepared in the
same manner.

Almond Sauce. Heat a pint of rich milk in the inner cup of
a double boiler, placed directly upon the stove. When the milk
is boiling, stir into it a heaping tablespoonful of flour which has
been rubbed to a cream in a little cold milk. Boil rapidly until
thickened, stirring constantly ; then add three tablespoonfuls of
almondine ; place in the outer boiler, and cook for five or ten
minutes longer.

Lemon Sauce. One cupful of sugar, half a cupful of butter,
one egg beaten light, juice and grated rind of one lemon, half a
cupful of boiling water ; put in a tin basin and thicken over steam.

Caramel Sauce. Stir a cup of sugar in a saucepan over the
fire until melted and lightly browned. Add one cup of boiling
water, and simmer ten minutes.

Custard Sauce. One cupful of sugar, two beaten eggs, one
pint of milk, flavoring to taste, brandy or wine if preferred. Heat

44 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

the milk to boiling, add by degrees the beaten eggs and sugar,
put in the flavoring, and set within a pan of boiling water ; stir
until it begins to thicken ; then take it off, and stir in the brandy
or wine gradually ; set until wanted within a pan of boiling water.

Pudding Sauce. One coffeecupful of powdered sugar and a
piece of butter of the size of a large egg, beaten well together.
Then add a well-beaten egg and a teaspoonful of flour. Then
boil wine according to judgment, turn into the above, and pour
from one bowl to another until it foams.

Hard Sauce. This is made simply by stirring together to a
light cream two cups of pounded loaf sugar to half of a large cup
of sweet butter. It may be flavored according to taste. For
cream and plain batter pudding it may be thinned with a few
spoonfuls of boiling water and flavored with vanilla. Nutmeg is
the best flavor for apple pudding. For rice puddings a little
lemon juice or wine may be added.

Milk Sauce. Mix a tablespoonful of flour in cold milk; see
that it is free from lumps. Stir a tablespoonful of butter and a
cupful of sugar to a cream, and add to it a pinch of salt. Mix
together half a pint of milk, one egg, and the flour; stir this into
the butter, and add a dash of nutmeg or any flavor; heat until
near the boiling point, and serve. Very nice in place of cold
cream.

Jelly Sauce. Dissolve one ounce of sugar and four ounces
of jelly over the fire in half a pint of boiling water, adding also
two tablespoon fuls of butter ; then stir into it a teaspoonful of
corn-starch, dissolved in half a cupful of water or wine ; add it to
the jelly, and let it come to a boil. Set it in a dish of hot water
to keep it warm until time to serve ; stir occasionally. Any fruit
jelly can be used.

Sago Sauce. Wash one tablespoonful of sago in two or three
waters, then put it into a saucepan with three-fourths of a cup of
hot water, and some bits of lemon peel. Simmer gently for ten

Sauces for Puddings. 441

minutes, take out the lemon peel, add half a cup of quince or
apricot juice and, if the latter, the strained juice of half a lemon
and sugar to taste. Beat together thoroughly.

Royal Pudding Sauce. Beat up, as for hard sauce, white
sugar with butter until very light, in the proportion of half a cup
of butter to one of sugar ; flavor with the essence of lemon or
bitter almonds. Fifteen minutes before serving, set the bowl in
a pan of hot water on the range and stir it till hot. It will raise
in a white foam to the top of the bowl.

Whipped Cream Sauce. Beat together until of a stiff froth
one cup of sweet cream which has been cooled in a refrigerator,
one teaspoonful of vanilla or a little grated lemon rind, and one-
half cup of powdered white sugar, and the whites of one or two
eggs. The sauce may be variously flavored with a little fruit
jelly beaten with the egg before adding to the cream.

Cream Sauce. Beat together well one teacupful sugar, one
egg, one tablespoonful of rich cream ; moisten half a teaspoonful
of corn-starch with a little milk, and stir in with the mixture ;
then add five tablespoonfuls of boiling milk, stirring rapidly all
the time. Pour into the inner cup of a double boiler ; have the
water in the outer cup boiling, and cook five minutes. Flavor to
taste.

CUSTARDS, CREAMS, AND FANCY DESSERTS.

In order to insure success in the making of custards, great
care should be exercised in having all the ingredients in a fresh
state. In the baking of custards a moderate heat should only be
used, and the dish should be well buttered.

It is best to place the custard in an earthen dish and set same
in vessel partly filled with hot water in a moderate oven until
done. A dripping pan containing hot water will answer.

It is best to mix a level tablespoonful of sifted flour with the
sugar first, before putting in the other ingredients.

Three or four eggs to each pint of milk is the general rule, as
followed by the best housekeepers. In case you desire the custard
very rich, cream should be used instead of milk, and more eggs
must be used. A small lump of butter can also be added.

In adding beaten eggs into hot milk, add a little cold milk to
the eggs first and then stir this into the hot milk a little at a time,
stirring constantly.

The yolks of the eggs should be first beaten separately, then
the sugar should be added, and this again beaten well. Then add
the beaten whites of the eggs and the flavoring, and add all a
little at a time into the milk, stirring constantly.

If you desire to impart a nice flavor to the custards and
meringues, beat a little fruit jelly with the white of the eggs.

Custard. Use about four eggs to a pint of rich new milk.
Flavor the milk by putting six young laurel leaves or grated
lemon peel into it, before beginning to make the custard, and

Custards, Creams and Fancy Desserts. 443

leaving them in until it is done ; sweeten the milk with an ounce
or more of sugar, according to taste. Beat up the eggs thoroughly
with sugar and add the milk to it boiling hot. Place all in the
saucepan and stir it over a slow fire until it begins to thicken.
Then remove it from the fire and continue stirring it until it is
of exactly the right thickness. Turn it out immediately and
keep stirring it until it is cool.

Raspberry Custard. Take three gills of raspberry juice and
dissolve in it a pound of white sugar, mix it with a pint of boil-
ing cream, stir until quite thick, and serve in custard glasses.

Apple Custard. Pare and remove the cores from a dozen
tart apples, and fill the cavities with black raspberry, quince or
grape jelly. Put them in a covered baking dish with a tablespoonful
of water, and steam in the oven till tender but not fallen to pieces.
Then cover the apples with a raw custard made by cooking two
tablespoonfuls of flour rubbed smooth with a little milk, in a
quart of milk, till just thickened, and adding, when cold, the
yolks of two eggs well beaten with two heaping tablespoonfuls of
sugar, and lastly, the whites of the eggs whipped to a stiff froth.
Bake in a dish set in a pan of hot water, until the custard has set,
but not till it separates.

Almond Custard. Take one pint of rich milk, one pint of
cream, half a pound of shelled sweet almonds, two ounces of
shelled bitter almonds, four spoonfuls of rose water, four ounces
of white sugar, the yolks of eight eggs, and a little oil of lemon.
Blanch the almonds, and pound them to a paste, mixing the rose
water gradually with them. Powder the sugar, and beat the
yolks till very light. Mix the milk and cream together, and stir
in gradually the sugar, the pounded almonds, and the beaten yolks.
Stir the whole very hard. Put the mixture into a skillet or
saucepan, and set it in a heated stove or on a charcoal furnace. Stir
it one way until it becomes thick, but take it off before it curdles.
Set it away to get cold. Take half the whites of the eggs, beat

444 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

them well, adding a little powdered sugar and a few drops of oil
of lemon. Put the custard into a glass bowl or dish, and heap
the frothed white of an egg upon it. Ornament the top with
nonpareils, or sugar sand ; or put the custard in small cups,
piling some froth on each.

Steamed Custard. Four eggs beaten hard with sugar, and
one quart of new milk ; stir well, strain through a muslin, fill
your cups, and steam them. When done, grate a little nutmeg
on the top, and set them to get very cold before serving.

Coffee Custard. Boil two ounces of burnt whole coffee in
one quart of milk for twenty minutes, keeping it covered to
preserve the aroma. A piece of lemon peel added is an improve-
ment. Strain it several times through a fine sieve and sweeten
it. If to boil, stir in six beaten eggs and strain, and put over
the fire to cook until it thickens, not boils. If to bake, use five
eggs, put in a dish or cups to bake, and eat cold.

Caramel Custard. Put a small cupful of brown sugar in a
tin pan, and burn it to a dark brown, but do not let it scorch.
Make a soft custard, and while boiling hot, pour it on the burnt
sugar, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. A teacupful of sugar
is enough for three pints of custard.

Lemon Custard. Beat the yolks of eight eggs till they are
white, pour on them one pint of boiling water, add the juice and
grated rind of two lemons, sweeten to taste, then add one glass of
madeira wine or half a glass of brandy. Then scald it over the
fire until it thickens. When cool put in glass cups. To be eaten
cold.

Snow Balls. Take ten eggs; beat the whites of five to a
stiff froth ; break the other five eggs into a bowl, and add the
yolks of the first five to the same ; add white sugar sufficient to
sweeten the whole. Put two quarts of new milk on the stove,
and when it boils place the beaten whites carefully on the milk,
and let it boil one minute ; then skim the whites carefully into

Custards, Creams and Fancy Desserts. 445

a dish. Beat the other eggs with sugar very thoroughly to-
gether, flavor with vanilla, and stir this into the scalding milk
till it begins to thicken ; then pour it through a sieve into a pan,
after which pour this custard into your dish, and cut the whites
into small squares and place them on the top of the custard.

Tapioca Cream. Set one cupful of washed tapioca, with
enough water to cover it, on the stove till swollen. Then pour on
one quart of milk and let it boil. Stir in the yolks of three eggs,
well beaten. Sweeten and flavor with lemon. Beat the whites
to a stiff froth ; and when the tapioca is cooked, stir them in
quickly. Eat, when cold, with sweetmeats or berries.

Chocolate Custard or Cream. Beat the yolks of six eggs.
Add one cupful of fine white sugar. Dissolve one-quarter of a
pound of chocolate in one-half pint of hot water. Add one and
one-half pint of cream or rich milk. Give it one boil and turn it
on the eggs, stirring it all the time. Then put it in a pitcher ;
put the pitcher in boiling water, stirring the custard constantly
till it thickens. To be served in glasses or cups, and eaten cold.
The whites may be used to ornament the custard. Make a
meringue and brown it in the oven, and then put a spoonful on
each ; or boil milk, and drop the whites on it until they harden.
Put a spoonful on each. The custards are Very fine and rich
without ornament.

Charlotte Busse. One pint of milk, one pint of cream, one
small paper of Cooper's gelatine, one-quarter of a pound of fine
sugar, four eggs. Dissolve the gelatine in the milk. Beat the
yolks of eggs and sugar together, and mix them with milk.
When it is cold, beat up the whites of the eggs and add them.
Beat up cream, sweeten and put essence of vanilla in it, then mix
it up with the rest. Put this into a Charlotte Russe pan, lined
with lady fingers or thin slices of sponge cake. Turn it out
when ready to serve, and put whipped cream on the top of it.

Telvet Cream. One pint of cream whipped, one teacup-

446 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

ful of white wine, one teacupful of sugar, one ounce of isinglass
in a little milk. Stir in the sugar when nearly cold, then stir
in cream, and lastly wine. Pour in molds and set on ice.

Lemon Foam. Beat the yolks of eight eggs with one-half
pound of sugar, and add the juice and grated peel of three
lemons. If wanted in a form, take one-half ounce of gelatine
dissolved in as small a quantity of water as possible, simmer
over the fire for two or three minutes until the mixture begins to
thicken, let it stand until cool, then add the whites of the eggs
beaten to a stiff froth, and put all together in your form. It is
very nice flavored with vanilla, or fresh orange may be used.
Dispense with the gelatine if you do not wish it in a form.

Orange Soufflee. Make a custard of one quart of milk and
the yolks of twelve eggs, sweetened to taste. Pour this, boiling
hot, over the grated rind, pulp and juice of four large or six
small oranges, which have been previously sweetened a little to
prevent curdling the custard. Put this in the oven, and bake
until stiff enough to hold the meringue. Beat the whites with
three-quarters of a cupful of sugar, and flavor with vanilla. Put
on the meringue as roughly as possible, and set it again in the
oven to brown slightly. If the oranges are very juicy, use one
less.

Chocolate Mange. Dissolve one box of gelatine in one pint
of cold water. Boil one quart of milk, one pound of sugar,
a large coffeecupful of grated chocolate and the gelatine together
for five minutes, then add one pint of cream. Flavor with
vanilla and put in molds.

Cocoanut Custard. Flavor a pint of milk with cocoanut, add
a tablespoonful of sugar and two well-beaten eggs, and boil till
set in a double boiler or a bowl set in a dish of boiling water.
Richer custards may be made by using three or four eggs, but
the richer the custard the more likely it is to curdle and become
watery, as well as being less wholesome.

Custards, Creams and Fancy Desserts. 447

p
Fruit Custard. Heat a pint of red raspberry, strawberry or

currant juice to boiling, and stir into it two even tablespoonfuls
of corn-starch rubbed smooth in a little cold water. Stir con-
stantly until thickened, then add half a cup of sugar, or less if the
fruit juice has been sweetened ; take from the fire and stir in the
stiffly beaten whites of three eggs, stirring all the time so that the
hot mixture will coagulate the egg. Make a custard of a pint of
milk, the yolks of the three eggs, and three tablespoonfuls of
sugar. When done, set on the ice to cool. Dish in a glass dish
when cold, placing the fruit mixture by spoonfuls on top, and
serve.

Chocolate Custard. Heat one quart of fresh milk, and when
nearly boiling stir in two ounces of grated chocolate ; let it warm
on the fire for a few moments, and then remove and cool ; beat
the yolks of eight eggs and two whites with eight tablespoonfuls
of sugar, then pour the milk over them ; flavor and bake as any
custard, either in cups or a large dish. Make a meringue of the
remaining whites.

Corn-Starch Blanc-Mange. Stir together two tablespoonfuls
of corn-starch, half a cup of sugar, the juice and a little of the
grated rind of one lemon ; braid the whole with cold water
enough to dissolve well. Then pour boiling water over the mix-
ture, stirring meanwhile, until it becomes transparent. Allow it
to bubble a few minutes longer, pour into molds, and serve cold
with cream and sugar.

Fruit Blanc-Mange. Stew nice fresh fruit (cherries, rasp-
berries and strawberries being the best), or canned ones will do ;
strain off the juice and sweeten to taste; place it over the fire in
a double kettle until it boils ; while boiling, stir in corn-starch
wet with a little cold water, allowing two tablespoonfuls of corn -
starch to each pint of juice ; continue stirring until sufficiently
cooked ; then pour into molds wet in cold water, and set away
to cool. Serve with cream and sugar.

448 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Orange Float. Heat one quart of water, the juice of two
lemons and one and one-half cupfuls of sugar. When boiling,
stir into it four tablespoonfuls of corn-starch rubbed smooth in a
very little water. Cook until the whole is thickened and clear.
When cool, stir into the mixture five nice oranges which have
been sliced and freed from seeds and all the white portions.
Meringue, and serve cold.

Blanc-Mange. Pour one cup of boiling water over an ounce
of patent gelatine and boil until dissolved, stirring constantly.
Then squeeze the juice of a lemon upon a cupful of fine white
sugar ; stir this into a quart of rich cream and a cupful of sherry
wine ; when it is well mixed, add the dissolved gelatine, stir all
well together, pour into molds previously wet with cold water ;
set the molds upon ice, let them stand until their contents are
hard and cold, then serve with sugar and cream or a nice sauce.

Tapioca Blanc-Mange. One cup of tapioca soaked an hour
in two cups of milk and boiled till tender ; add a pinch of salt,
sweeten to taste and put into a mold ; when cold, turn it out, and
serve with fruit or berry jam around it and a little cream. Flavor
to suit'the taste.

Fruit Tapioca. Cook three-fourths of a cup of tapioca in
four cups of water until smooth and transparent. Stir into it
lightly a pint of fresh strawberries, raspberries, currants or any
small fruit, adding sugar as required. For variety a cup of
canned quinces or apricots may be substituted for fresh fruit.
Serve warm or cold with whipped cream or mock cream.

Tapioca Custard. Soak a cup of tapioca over night in suffi-
cient water to cover. When ready to prepare the custard, drain
off the water if any remain, and add one quart of milk to the
tapioca ; place in a double boiler and cook until transparent ;
then add the well-beaten yolks of three eggs or the yolks of two
and one whole one, mixed with three-fourths of a cup of sugar.
Let it cook a few minutes just long enough for the custard to

Custards, Creams and Fancy Desserts. 449

thicken and no more, or it will whey and be spoiled flavor with
a little vanilla and turn into a glass dish. Cover the top with the
whites beaten stiffly with a tablespoonful of sugar, and dot with
bits of jelly, or colored sugar prepared by mixing sugar with
cranberry or raspberry juice and allowing it to dry. For variety
the custard may be flavored with grated lemon rind and a table-
spoonful of lemon juice whipped up with the whites of the eggs ;
or other flavor may be dispensed with, and the meringue fla-
vored by beating a tablespoonful of quince jelly with the whites
of the eggs.

Molded Tapioca with Fruit. Simmer one- half cup of de-
siccated cocoanut in a pint of milk for twenty minutes. Strain
out the cocoanut and add milk to make a full pint. Add one-
half cup of sugar and one-half cup of tapioca previously soaked
over night. Let the whole simmer until the tapioca is transpar-
ent. Dip some cups in cold water, drain, and lay fresh straw-
berries, currants or cherries in the bottom of each in the form of
a star or cross. Pour the tapioca into the molds gently, so as
not to break the fruit. When cold, turn out and serve with
whipped cream.

Fruit Foam Dessert. Soak half a package of gelatine in
half a cup of cold water until soft. Heat to boiling two and one-
half cups of red raspberry, currant, strawberry or grape juice,
sweetened to taste, and pour over the soaked gelatine. Stir until
perfectly dissolved, then strain, and then set the dish in ice water
to cool. When it is cold and beginning to thicken, beat the
whites of three eggs to a stiff froth and stir into the thickening
gelatine. Beat thoroughly for fifteen minutes with an egg beater,
or whip till the whole is of a solid foam stiff enough to retain its
shape. Turn into molds previously wet with cold water, or pile
roughly in large spoonfuls in a glass dish. Set away in the re-
frigerator until needed. Serve with a little whipped cream piled
lightly around it.

45 o Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Floating Island. Make a custard of a pint of milk flavored
with cocoanut, and the yolks of three eggs ; sweeten to taste, and
steam in a double boiler. When done, turn into a glass dish.
Have the whites of the eggs whipped to a stiff froth, and drop
for a few seconds on the top of a pan of scalding hot water, turn-
ing so that both sides may be alike coagulated but not hardened ;
skim off, and put in islands on the top of the custard. When
quite cold, drop bits of different colored jellies on the islands, and
keep in a cool place till needed. Or put a spoonful of fruit jelly
in the bottom of small glasses, and fill with the custard with a
spoonful of the whites on top.

Peach Meringue. Pare and quarter (removing stones) a
quart of sound ripe peaches ; place them in a dish that it will
not injure to set in the oven, and yet be suitable to place on the
table. Sprinkle the peaches with sugar, and cover them well
with the beaten whites of three eggs. Stand the dish in the oven
until the eggs have become a delicate brown, then remove, and
when cool enough, set the dish on ice or in a very cool place. Take
the yolks of the eggs, add to them a pint of milk, sweeten and
flavor, and boil same in a custard kettle, being careful to keep
the eggs from curdling. When cool, pour into a glass pitcher
and serve with the meringue when ready to use.

To make Meringues (Parisian formula?) Take the whites
of eight eggs and put them in an agate or porcelain vessel ; add
one good half-teaspoonful of salt, and with an egg beater begin
beating slowly, but gradually increase until stiff froth is obtained ;
should it become grainy beat briskly again, adding nearly three-
quarters of an ounce of powdered sugar ; ten minutes should be
sufficient to make the dessert froth ; remove the egg beater ;
have on a plate one and one-quarter pounds of powdered sugar,
and with a spatula or spoon drop the sugar slowly and carefully;
this should take about three minutes ; flavor it well with any
desired flavoring and it will be ready for use.

Custards, Creams and Fancy Desserts. 451

To make Apple, Peach, Pear or other Meringues. Take
twelve fine cooked apples ; dress them on a dessert dish, filling
the centers with raspberry, currant or other jellies. This decorate
on top and all around with meringues made as in formula above.
Sprinkle them moderately with powdered sugar; set dish on
baking pan and set in moderate oven for about five or eight
minutes, or until they are a light brown color ; then take out and
they are ready to serve. Treat peaches, pears and other fruits
the same way.

Floating Island. Four coffee cups of fresh milk, five ounces
of sugar, five eggs. Heat the milk, then add the beaten yolks
and one of the whites, together with the sugar. First stir into
them a little of the milk to prevent curdling, then all of the milk
Do not have the milk boiling. Cook it the proper thickness,
remove from the fire, and when cool, flavor ; then pour it into a
glass dish and let it become very cold. Before it is served, beat
up the remaining four eggs to a stiff froth, and beat into them
three tablespoonfuls of sugar and two tablespoonfuls of currant
jelly. Dip this over the top of the custard.

Rice and Fruit Dessert. Steam a cupful of good well-
washed rice in milk till tender. Prepare some tart apples by
paring, dividing midway between the stem and blow ends, and
removing the cores. Fill the cavities with quince or pineapple
jelly; put the apples in a shallow stew pan with half a cupful of
water, cover and steam till nearly tender. Put the rice, which
should be very moist, around the bottom and sides of a pudding
dish; place the apples inside, cover and bake ten minutes.
Serve with cream flavored with quince or lemon.

Charlotte Russe. Boil one ounce of gelatine in two tumblers
of milk, and boil hard. Beat the whites and yolks separately of
six eggs, adding to the yolks half a pound of loaf sugar, and stir
them into the boiling milk long enough for them to thicken like
a rich custard ; then stir in the whites, beaten to a stiff froth.

"45 2 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Season with vanilla. Whip a pint of rich cream to a stiff froth,
and stir into the custard. When cold, arrange your cake in the
mold and pour in the mixture. Set it on ice.

Charlotte Russe. Two cupfuls of thick cream, one cupful of
milk, three eggs, half an ounce of gelatine. Whip the cream
until very stiff and drain ; then add the eggs, beaten very light, to
the milk ; sweeten and flavor to suit the taste. Steam in double
boiler or over hot water until it is like a custard. Soak the
patent gelatine in a very little water, and warm over boiling
water. When the custard is very cold, beat in lightly the gela-
tine and the whipped cream. Line the bottom of your mold
with buttered paper, the side with sponge cake or lady fingers
fastened together with the white of an egg. Fill with the cream,
put in a cold place or refrigerator. To turn out, dip the mold
for a moment in hot water. In draining the whipped cream, all
that drips through can be rewhipped.

Orange Charlotte. Soak for two hours, in half a cupful of
warm water, half a box of gelatine ; add one and a half cupfuls
of boiling water, and strain through a cheese cloth ; then add
one cupful of orange juice and pulp, the juice of one lemon and
two cupfuls of sugar; stir about five or six minutes, then beat
the whites of six eggs to a stiff froth and stir in ; beat the whole
together until very stiff. Stand up in cups or molds two or
three sections of orange, pour on cream, and set on ice to cool.

Fruit Charlotte. Make a steamed custard out of the yolks
of three eggs, half a cupful of sugar, one pint of milk ; flavor to
taste. Lay in fruit dish a layer of sponge cake first dip the
cake in sweet cream then put a layer of berries well sweetened,
then another layer of cake and berries. Have the custard cold
and pour it over this. Beat the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth
and add three tablespoonfuls of sugar, and put this frosting over
the top. Lay on top of the frosting a few of the nicest berries
that you save out.

Custards, Creams and Fancy Desserts. 453

Bananas, cherries, strawberries, raspberries and all small fruits
may be made in a Charlotte this way.

Orange Cream. Pare and squeeze two oranges on a cupful
of finely powdered sugar, with half a cup of water. Add four
well-beaten eggs and beat all together some time. Strain the
whole through flannel into a saucepan ; set it over a gentle fire,
and stir it one way until thick and scalding hot not boiling, or it
will curdle. If lumps of sugar are rubbed on the oranges before
they are pared, the flavor may be extracted ; or they may be
grated. Serve as custard in jelly glasses.

Whipped Cream a la Yanilla. Pour two cups of sweet
cream into a vessel. Have a large dish pan containing chopped
ice and a little water, and lay the basin on top. With a soft
wire egg-whip beat the cream slowly at first, and increase in
swiftness until it is a firm froth. Sweeten with two ounces of
powdered sugar, and add a teaspoonful of vanilla flavoring, beat-
ing constantly. Let it rest, and use when needed. Remove
all the superfluous milk which may be found with the cream
before using it.

Lemon Cream. Take a pint of thick cream, the yolks of
two eggs well beaten, a cup of white sugar, and the rind of a
lemon cut thin ; boil it up, then stir it until almost cold ; put
the juice of a lemon in a dish, and pour the cream upon it, stirring
well until cold. Serve in a large glass dish or in custard cups,
either alone or with sweetmeats.

Creme Patissiere. Pour two cups of cold milk into a sauce-
pan, and place it on the stove. Mix in another vessel two
ounces of powdered sugar with one ounce of flour and half an
ounce of corn-starch. Break in two whole eggs, and beat well
together with the whip for two minutes. When the milk is boil-
ing add it to the preparation, and after stirring one minute
longer, put it into another saucepan and place it on the stove.
Beat well until it comes to a boil ; then remove from the fire,

454 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

and add immediately a teaspoonful of vanilla essence. Mix
thoroughly again for one minute longer; then pour it into a
bowl, and let it get cold.

Whipped Cream. Whip to a stiff froth half a cupful of pow-
dered sugar, three teaspoonfuls of vanilla, three cupfuls of rich
sweet cream. Dissolve three-fourths of an ounce of best gelatine
in a cupful of hot water, and when cool pour it in the cream and
stir it gently from the bottom upward, cutting the cream into it,
until it thickens. The dish which contains the cream should be
set in another dish containing cracked ice. When finished, pour
in molds and set on ice or in the refrigerator.

Fruit Cream. Clean and pick off the hulls of a box of
berries, bruise them in a basin with a cup of powdered sugar ;
rub this through a sieve, and mix with it a pint of whipped
cream and one ounce and a half of Cox's gelatine ; pour the
cream into a mold previously oiled. Set it on ice, and when it
has become firm, turn out on a dish.

Italian Cream. Take two cupfuls of milk and soak half of
a box of gelatine in it for an hour; place it on the fire and stir
often. Beat the yolks of two eggs very light with one-half a
cupful of sugar, stir into the scalding milk, and heat until it
begins to thicken it should not boil, or it will curdle ; remove
from the fire and strain through thin cheese cloth, and when
nearly cold, flavor to suit the taste; then wet a dish in cold
water and set in cool place.

Almond Cheese Cakes. The yolks of three eggs well beaten,
a quarter of a pound of bitter and quarter of a pound of sweet
almonds, and a quarter pound of sifted sugar. The almonds
must be pounded, but not very finely. The eggs should be
beaten to a cream and the sugar mixed with them, and then the
almonds added. To be put into tartlet tins lined with puff paste.

Fruit for Dessert. Add a little water to the white of an
egg and beat it well ; dip the fruit in and immediately sprinkle

Custards, Creams and Fancy Desserts. 455

it all over with powdered sugar. Then leave it for four or five
hours, and serve with custard, loppered milk, or ice corn-starch
pudding. Large and fair bunches of red and white currants
make a charming dish in this way. Strawberries, blackberries,
cherries or raspberries are either of them suitable.

Oranges with Jelly. Cut from sound oranges a small circu-
lar piece from the stem end, and scoop out the pulp of the fruit ;
or cut the rind in the form of a basket ; wash the peels in cold
water, put them over the fire in boiling water with a little sugar,
and boil them for five minutes ; then cool them and fill them
with jelly slightly softened by heat ; after the orange rinds are
filled with jelly it must be allowed to harden ; the entire rind
containing the jelly can then be cut in quarters or served whole.
The effect is very pretty.

Cocoanut Cakes. Scrape off the rind and grate the nut quite
fine, and mix it with half its weight of finely pounded white
sugar and the white of an egg. Drop the mixture on wafer
paper in rough pieces the size of a nutmeg, and bake it in a
moderate oven.

Snow Pyramid. Beat to a stiff foam the whites of half a
dozen eggs, add a small teacupful of currant jelly, and whip all
together again. Fill half full of cream as many saucers as you
have guests, dropping in the center of each saucer a tablespoonful
of the beaten eggs and jelly in the shape of a pyramid.

Summer Fruits Mixed. Take fine fresh strawberries, white
and red currants, and white or red raspberries ; strip them care-
fully from the stalks, and heap them high on a dessert dish in
layers, strewing each layer with sifted sugar. Before serving lay
thick cream entirely over the fruit, and gently stir them with a
spoon when served. Some use instead of cream two wine glasses
full of sherry, madeira or any other good white wine. Either
currants or strawberries by themselves are good prepared in
this way.

456 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Lemon Drops. Boil clarified syrup until it will crack when
dropped in water ; flavor it with lemon, then pour it in small
drops on buttered paper and set aside to get cold.

Icing for Tarts. Beat the white of an egg with a quarter
of a pound of powdered sugar, and flavor with two spoonfuls of
almond or lemon extract, stir them together one way till the
mixture is quite thick, and then lay it on the tarts with a feather
or a bunch of feathers ; then let the tarts stand in a mild oven
until hard, but not long enough to become discolored.

Apple Pique. Peel and stew some apples, but do not let
them break ; place them in a glass dish half full of syrup, and
put a piece of currant jelly on the top of each apple.

Cream Puffs. For shells : A pint of boiling water ; melt in it
half a pound of lard, and, while boiling, stir into this three-
quarters of a pound of flour. Boil until a thick paste is formed.
The best way to boil it is to set one kettle in another, or a pail
in a kettle of boiling water with the ingredients in the pail, as in
boiling a custard. When thick take from the fire, and when
cool add ten eggs and a little salt. Mix thoroughly and bake
in a quick oven for twenty-five minutes ; oven about as hot as
for pies. This makes five dozen cakes. Drop with a spoon on
buttered tins, some distance apart. When cool open carefully
with a knife, and fill with mock cream, which is made as follows :
One quart of milk, four eggs, three-quarters of a pound of
white sugar, five ounces of flour, extract of vanilla to taste.
Make a smooth paste of flour in some of the cold milk ; put in a
kettle of boiling water with all the milk ; when thickened a little,
add the eggs well beaten with the sugar. When creamy it is
done. Take from the fire and add a little extract of vanilla.
Do not use until cold.

Cream Meringues. Have ready a large thick board which
will go into the oven, covered with glazed letter paper ; beat the
whites of six eggs to a stiff froth, and gently mix with them half

Custards, Creams and Fancy Desserts. 457

a pound of pulverized sugar, taking care not to break down the
eggs ; work very quickly and lightly, and as soon as the sugar
is incorporated with the egg, heap the meringue so made upon
the paper, either in two large mounds or in an even number of
small ones, and push the board containing them into a very slow
oven where the meringues will dry out rather than bake ; if the
oven is too hot leave the door open, and change the board fre-
quently, so that the heat will strike its contents evenly. When
the meringues are light brown, cool them a little, take them off
the paper, turn them off on the hand, and, without breaking
them, take out the soft center and press the rest back upon the
outside with the bowl of a spoon to form a hollow shell ; dust the
inside with powdered sugar ; lay the shells, bottom upward, on
clean paper on the board, and place them in a cool oven to dry
out. Fill them with whipped cream.

Orange Biscuits. Grate the rind from five oranges, and put
into a mortar with a quarter of a pound of sweet almonds, three-
quarters of a pound of pounded lump sugar, and the whites of
one or two eggs, and mix it well together with the pestle until it
is very light. Drop the mixture, when ready, in small lumps
about the size of a walnut on doubled paper laid on a baking
tin, and put them into moderately hot oven. Do not drop them
too near together on the paper, as they spread while baking.
When they are baked take them out, and take them off the
paper when they are cold.

Kisses. Beat to a stiff froth the whites of six eggs, and stir
in quickly a coffeecupful of powdered sugar ; turn the dripping
pan bottom side up in the oven, and cut some writing paper about
two inches wide ; place this paper on the dripping pan and drop
on a tablespoonful of the mixture at a time ; try and get them as
near the same size as possible, and the shape of half an egg. Let
them bake in slow oven for half an hour; as soon as they begin
to color, remove from the oven and turn them carefully upon the

458 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

table, and with a small spoon take out the soft part of the kisses
and add it to the mixture to make more ; lay the kisses once
more in the oven to harden, and when required for use fill them
with whipped cream flavored with vanilla or wine and sweetened
with powdered sugar; to garnish them put a small bit of jelly on
each one. Great care is necessary to make kisses successfully ;
the sweeter they are made the more crisp they will be, and they
must be baked as soon as they are made, for if not the sugar will
melt and they will run on the paper. For a variety, color some
with cochineal, and when they are in the oven, ready to bake,
sprinkle them with sugar and then with chopped almonds or
currants. After removing the inside or soft part of the kisses
they may be filled with jelly or jam, connecting them together
with some of the mixture.

FANCY DESSERTS.

FROM THE FRENCH.

By request of many of my patrons, I have procured, at quite
an expense, from one of the leading chefs of Europe who has
catered in the households of many of the nobility of Europe, a
few of his favorite formulas and fancy desserts, which involve but
little expense and are perfectly practical. I have also procured
the most famous method of making good coffee and tea, which
not three in every ten housekeepers can do, and which can only
be perfectly accomplished by following the exact proportions and
given time.

The Royal Tower Cake. This cake was very popular among
the nobility during the reign of Napoleon III.

Have in readiness two pounds of good flour, one-quarter
ounce of compressed yeast and one-quarter ounce of warm water.
First take six ounces of the flour and put into a vessel, make a
hollow in the center and put in the yeast and water mentioned ;
mix the yeast gently with the water for about four minutes, then
mix all together slowly for about five minutes more. Cover the
vessel with a towel and leave it in a warm place, but not on stove
or range, about one-half hour. It will rise to twice its size. Lay
the remainder of the flour on the table, make the hollow in the
center and pour in two ounces powdered sugar and eight raw
eggs; mix sugar and eggs well with the hands and add one-half
pint cream and one-quarter pint good madeira or sherry wine ;
season with two teaspoonfuls very fine salt and mix well with the

460 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

flour for six or eight minutes. Make a hollow in the center
again and into this put three-quarters pound of good fresh butter
and mix well again for three minutes; if the prepared yeast
dough (which was allowed to stand thirty minutes) has risen to
its proper height, mix the two pastes together for at least seven
minutes, then return to the vessel and leave in the same warm
place as described, and cover with towel as before. When it has
stood one hour have in readiness one-quarter pound of currants,
one-third pound of raisins and two ounces of finely chopped
citron ; then take a cylindrical copper or tin mold (greasing it
first with cold butter) large enough to hold six pints. If the
paste be now risen to twice its size mix in the currants, raisins
and citron, stirring for about six minutes. Put all in the mold
and set in a warm place (but not on the stove or range) for an-
other twenty-five minutes ; then place in a moderate oven for one
hour. When it is a golden color remove and let it cool slightly ;
place a round dish over the mold, turn upside down, lift out the
mold, and cover the cake with icing if desired. Those desiring
to make a smaller cake can use one-half or one-quarter the
quantity.

Creme a la Yanille Sauce. Take the yolk of three eggs and
put in a small vessel, with two ounces powdered sugar and one
ounce of flour and a piece of vanilla bean the size of a lima bean ;
beat well together with egg beater for two or three minutes, and
pour this all into a pint of boiling milk and beat again briskly
with the beater until it boils once more ; then remove from fire
and add one-half gill of maraschino ; beat again for one minute,
after which it is ready for use.

Glace a la Francaise A Splendid Icing for Cakes. Put
into a small vessel two ounces of granulated sugar and two table-
spoonfuls of water, and allow this to come to a boil ; remove and
add at once two tablespoonfuls of curacoa, mixing well together,
and put away in cool place (covered) ready for use.

Fancy Desserts. 461

Creme a la Anglaise A Famous Sauce for Cakes. Putin
a small vessel three ounces of butter and one and one-half ounces
of good flour. Place pan on a moderate fire, and with a silver
spoon stir slightly for two or three minutes, adding three ounces
of sugar, three ounces of white wine and six ounces of good milk;
stir well again for two or three minutes, but don't allow it to come
to a boil. Take pan from the fire, add three ounces of rum,
stirring it slightly again. Pour the creme into the bowl ready
for use.

French Apple Charlotte. Peel and cut into quarters five
nice large apples, put them in a saucepan with about two and
one-half ounces of fresh butter and five ounces of powdered
sugar, and place on a moderate fire ; stir them around for two
minutes, then pour over about one-third of a pint of white wine
and grate in the peel of one-half of a large lemon. Cover the pan
and let cook from eight to twelve minutes, so that the liquid is
nearly all absorbed. Remove from fire and put aside to cool.
Take a four-pint Charlotte mold, line it (beginning from the
bottom) with very thin slices of bread spread on well with melted
butter, using a small brush for the purpose, and sprinkle lightly
over with powdered sugar. Be sure and have the bottom well
covered with bread ; then line the sides of the mold to the edge
in the same way ; fill the mold with the apples as described, and
cover over completely with small thin layers of buttered bread as
described. Set mold in a baking pan and place it in a brisk
oven for three-quarters of an hour, or until the bread be a good
golden color ; then take out of oven, lay a hot dish on top of
mold ; turn it over to remove the mold. For sauce, heat in a
pan three ounces of fruit marmalade or jelly with two table-
spoonfuls of sugar and two of water, mix well and pour over
Charlotte hot, and serve.

Macaroons a la Francaise (very simple method.} Take the
whites of four eggs and one pound of powdered sugar, and beat

462 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

together so it will make a stiff icing as on outside of a cake ; to
this add one cup of nuts (blanched almonds), chopped as fine as
possible, ana a pinch of salt. Take a cake pan with small molds
and run icings in molds, first having buttered paper at bottom
of each mold ; put in slow oven and bake until they are a golden
color.

Grilled Almonds. These are very delicious and are served
at dinner with salted almonds, now so much in favor. Blanch
and dry thoroughly a cupful of almonds. Boil a cupful sugar
and four tablespoonfuls of water until it hairs ; then put in the
almonds. Let them fry in this syrup, stirring occasionally ; they
will turn a pale brown. Remove from the stove the instant the
sugar changes color, and stir until the syrup has turned back to
sugar, and clings to the nuts in various shapes.

Salted Almonds (French formula]. Blanch the almonds by
dropping them into hot water ; spread them on a dry towel, re-
move the skins and wipe them dry ; put them in a biscuit tin
and sprinkle with salt, same as for eating. Put tin in oven, clos-
ing the oven door ; never leave them for an instant ; at intervals
of every one-half minute or so, open door and stir them, using
the same operation as in browning coffee (the oven should be of
the same degree of heat as in browning coffee). When they are
sufficiently dried and have a nice light brown color, take them
out of oven and mix with them a lump of good butter one-half
the size of an egg to every one pound of nuts, and stir until butter
is absorbed; place nuts in cans or jars, put on cover and put in
dry place. You can use the same methods for salting peanuts
and other nuts.

How to Peel and Pound Almonds. Put the almonds into
boiling water ; let them soak three minutes ; strain, and lay them
in cold water to thoroughly cool. Drain well again, and peel by
pressing each almond between the thumb and fingers. Then put
them into a sieve, and place them at the door of a slow oven to

Fancy Desserts. 463

dry for ten minutes. Now pound them gently in a mortar, stir-
ring well to prevent them from getting oily, and taking care to
pound them very fine for at least ten minutes. Lay them on a
cold dish and use when needed.

Almond Macaroons. Blanch a quarter of a pound of shelled
almonds, pound them smooth in a mortar, adding two or three
drops of rose water whenever the pounded almonds begin to look
oily ; when they are smooth, beat the white of one egg and mix
it with the almonds ; then beat two more whites stiff, mix them
lightly with a quarter pound of powdered sugar, and add them
to the whites and almonds already mixed ; when the mixture is
smooth, stir into it another quarter of a pound of powdered sugar;
when the macaroon batter looks creamy, put it in little balls on
paper slightly wet with a little brush ; bake the macaroons in a
slow oven until they are golden brown. It takes about twenty
minutes. To remove them from the paper, moisten the table with
cold water, lay the papers with the macaroons on same for a few
minutes, and they will come off easily.

Peaches a la Creme. Pare and stone some nice peaches and
cut them into quarters. Take the yolks of three eggs, beat into
a cupful of granulated sugar and two cups of milk. Put the
peaches into this cream ; put in an earthen dish and set in another
vessel partially filled with boiling water, and bake until nearly
firm. Then add the whites of the eggs, which have been beaten
in a half cupful of sugar, until very stiff. Place back in the oven
and bake a light brown.

Almond Cake Glace. Put a quarter of a pound of powdered
sugar and a quarter of a pound of butter into a bowl ; beat well
together with a spoon for ten minutes. Break in two eggs, beat
well, and break in two more ; continue beating, and break in two
more (six in all), until well mixed together. Then grate in the
peel of the third of a small lemon. Add two ounces of peeled
and pounded almonds, and a quarter of a pound of flour. Mix

464 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

gradually together for no longer than two minutes. Butter and
sugar a round form holding one quart, and pour the preparation
into it. Place it in a slow oven for one hour. See that it gets a
good golden color. Take it out, let it get thoroughly cool, and
remove from the mold. Lay it on a dish and brush with some
nice glace and serve.

Glace Royale. Take the white of one well- beaten egg and
add into it one tablespoonful of good powdered sugar; add ten
drops of lemon juice and beat well for about five minutes. When
finished it should be very white and pulpy. This is very nice to
cover cakes with.

Madeleine. Rub the rind of two small lemons on a lump of
sugar ; crush it very fine with a roller, mixing three tablespoon-
fuls of powdered sugar with it. Put two ounces of this into a
saucepan with two ounces of sifted flour, one egg yolk and two
whole eggs, two tablespoonfuls of good brandy, and half a salt-
spoonful of salt. Stir all together well, and after two minutes,
when the paste is well mixed, stir it again for one minute only.
Put two ounces of good butter into a separate saucepan ; as soon
as the scum rises, stir it carefully for one minute and let it cool
slightly. Then spread it well over a three-pint mold. Put the
saucepan containing the preparation on a very slow fire ; stir
slightly to prevent it adhering to the bottom of the saucepan, and
as soon as it becomes liquid take it off and fill the mold. Lay
it in a moderately heated oven for forty-five minutes ; remove
and allow to cool.

Pate-a-Chon. Put into a pan one pint of cold milk and four
ounces of butter ; place pan on the range ; stir lightly with a
spoon (always have spoon of silver or silver plated) and when it
comes to a boil immediately add one-half pound of well sifted
flour ; stir briskly for two or three minutes, then stand the pan
on a table; break in two eggs ; mix sharply for two or three
minutes more and break in two more eggs ; mix sharply again

Fancy Desserts. 465

as before, and repeat third and then fourth time in this manner,
each time using two eggs.

Choux a la Creme, a la Empress Eugene. Make a pate-a-
chou as described above and put sauce into a pastry bag, and
then press or pour it on a baking sheet so as to make ten or
twelve round cakes of equal size and about two and one-half
inches high. Ice the surface of each with an icing, and bake in
a moderately warm oven for about thirty-five minutes ; watch
carefully, and when they are of a light brown color remove from
oven and allow to cool for one-half hour. Then on side of each
cake make incision about half way ; fill the inside with a cream
paste and close them again, and cover well with powdered sugar,
and it is ready for use.

Eclairs a la Francaise. Put into a pastry bag a tube suffi-
cient to hold the quantity of pate-a-chou as described in page
464, and then press eclairs on a baking sheet, each one not over
three or four inches long. Bake them in hot oven for twenty
minutes. Then take out and let them cool, and then on each
side of eclair make an incision, and with a spoon fill the inte-
riors with a creme paste.

To Glaze Eclairs with Chocolate. Take two pounds of
granulated sugar and one-third of a pint of cold water, and mix
in pan and place on hot stove and leave until sugar is thoroughly
melted, and when boiling take from the stove and pour it grad-
ually on a marble slab, on which it should be well spread. Let it
cool off for about twelve minutes, then cut two and one-quarter
ounces of cocoa in small pieces ; put on pan and put on back of
stove or range to melt, and with a silver spoon commence work-
ing the melted sugar on slab as rapidly as possible in all direc-
tions until it whitens ; then add the melted cocoa, mixing it
thoroughly again until it hardens ; then detach the whole from
marble slab as quickly as possible ; put this in a vessel and cover
with a damp towel, and let stand for one-half hour. Then place

466 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

in a pan on a hot stove, and with a spoon mix thoroughly but
slowly, until it is lukewarm, meanwhile adding a dessertspoonful
of cold water ; take the eclairs one by one with the hand, dip
them in this mixture, lay them on a dish and let them cool off;
they are then ready to serve. By keeping in a cool place and
covered it will keep for several weeks.

Plum Pudding Glace a la Queen Victoria. A favorite des-
sert among the royalty of England. Take one- third of a pound of
raisins and place them in a jar, adding about two ounces of good
sherry to them ; also add to this one and one-quarter ounces of
finely chopped citron, two and one-half ounces finely chopped
candied citron, two and one-half ounces finely chopped candied
apricots and four ounces of candied cherries cut in quarters, and
mix well with silver spoon for two or three minutes. Cover the
jar and stand for twelve hours. Have a little over a quart of
chocolate ice cream ready in freezer, and then add the above
mixture and stir well with a spoon for a few minutes ; then put
on cover of freezer and allow to freeze for six minutes longer.
Take a two-quart melon mold and fill it with the above prepara-
tion, using a dipper ; cover form well and put it in a bucket hav-
ing broken ice and rock salt at the bottom, and fill up the pail
with ice and salt and allow it to freeze for a couple of hours, and
then take it out of the mold and serve.

Cream Paste a la Italian. Put in a pan a quart of cold
milk; put on a hot stove, and then in another vessel mix four
ounces of powdered sugar, one ounce of corn-starch, two ounces
flour; break into this four whole eggs, and mix well together
with an egg beater for about three minutes ; when the milk
comes to a boil, add to the other mixture and stir for about two
minutes longer, and then place on stove ; beat well together
until it comes to a boil, then remove pan from fire and add a des-
sertspoonful of vanilla ; stir well again for another two minutes,
then pour in a bowl and put in cool place.

Fancy Desserts. 467

Nougat a la Marseilles. Put in a tin pan (covering bottom
with a sheet of paper) about half a pound of blanched almonds
that are perfectly dry, first cutting each one in four slices ;
put in warm place, but not on stove or range, then in a copper
sugar pan put three-quarters of a pound powdered sugar and
place on hot stove, and with a silver spoon stir constantly until
sugar is dissolved. Avoid browning, remove from fire and add
two drops of lemon juice; allow it to cool slightly for a few min-
utes, but stir constantly ; then add the almonds. Mix all gently
for a few minutes more. The nougat is then done and can be
molded according to fancy.

Coffee a la Francaise. (The coffee made from this formula
received the prize at Paris Exposition.) To two-thirds of a
pound of best roasted Java coffee mix one-third of a pound of
best roasted Mocha coffee. The coffee must be freshly roasted,
and it would be best to roast it yourself. Put same in an air-
tight jar or crock until needed. For each person take one table-
spoonful of this mixture and grind it in a mill don't have it too
fine. Take a clean French coffee pot, put the grounds on the
filter of pot and cover filter with strainer, and for each table-
spoonful of coffee used, pour over gradually four ounces of boil-
ing water be sure it is boiling. When all the water has slowly
passed through filter, put on the cover. Allow the coffee pot to
stand on the back of stove a few minutes to infuse slightly, but
not to boil. Serve. The yolk of eggs can be used if desired ; it
is very important to follow the exact time and proportions.

Tea a la Francaise. (The tea made from this formula has
received the highest endorsement of the leading chefs.) To two
ounces of the best breakfast tea procurable add just enough of
boiling water in a tea pot (be sure the water is boiling) to com-
pletely cover tea, and let steep for one minute ; then draw the
water off, but don't use it; then pour over the tea from three to
four pints of boiling water, according to the strength desired, and

468 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

let it steep for five minutes more on back of stove, but not to
boil, flavoring it with a little vanilla extract and a few drops of
lemon juice ; then serve with powdered sugar and cream.

Chocolate a la Francaise. Pour one cup of boiling water
into the chocolate pot and add six to eight ounces of best choco-
late broken in fine pieces, set on stove, and stir well until all is
dissolved ; then add one quart of hot milk and allow to boil for
about ten minutes, and it is ready to serve You can use one
quart hot water instead of the milk.

Cocoa. Take six to eight ounces of good cocoa and dissolve
it in a little cold water until it is like a paste ; stir this paste into
a pot containing a pint of boiling water, and allow it to boil for
about twenty minutes ; add a pint of milk, and boil five or six
minutes longer; stir frequently; sweeten to suit the taste.

Lady Fingers (from the French}. Beat well together one-
half coffee cup of powdered sugar and the yolk of five eggs in a
bowl. Beat constantly with a wooden spoon for five minutes ;
put the whites of the eggs into a basin and with a whip beat
them to a stiff froth ; add to the sugar and yolks one coffee cup
of sifted flour ; mix together gently for a moment and immedi-
ately add the whites ; beat gently for one minute more and the
preparation will be ready. Take a well-cleaned pastry bag, in-
sert a No. 2 tube, and with a small skimmer pour the prepara-
tion into the bag. When it is all in, close the upper part of the
bag very firmly and lay it aside for a few moments. Take two
separate sheets of vanilla brown paper, each eighteen inches long
by six inches wide ; lay them on the table, one beside the other.
Take hold of the lower part of the bag near the tube with the
left hand, with the right hand press out the paste in proper shapes
on the paper, and lay the paper in a baking pan and let rest for
a few minutes ; then put in a slow oven and bake from eighteen
to twenty minutes, or until they are a light golden color. Re-
move them from the paper as directed for macaroons, page 463.

ICE CREAM AND WATER ICES.

Plain Ice Cream (without a Freezer). Scald two quarts
of fresh milk, add a pint of rich cream, stirring in three table-
spoonfuls of corn- starch ; stir well to keep from burning. Beat
up four to eight eggs, according to convenience, and pour the
scalding milk on the eggs, stirring well. When cold add sugar,
essence of lemon or extract of vanilla to suit the taste, and a very
little salt. Pour the cold contents into a deep tin pail or can
holding about three quarts ; put on the cover and set in an or-
dinary water pail. Pound up ice to the size of hens' eggs and
less some, of course, will be quite fine ; pack it around the tin
can, mixing in about one pint of either medium or fine salt ; pack
this till it reaches nearly to the top of the can containing the
mixture to be frozen, but be careful none enters it. Now move
the tin can or pail around by means of its bail, lifting the cover
occasionally to scrape off the frozen cream on the inside, so that
other portions may come in contact with the freezing surface.
From twenty- five to thirty minutes will be sufficient, and the dish
may be served up at once or set away, without removing from the
wooden pail, in a cool place for several hours covered with a
flannel cloth.

Cocoanut Ice Cream. Take four cups of rich cream, two
cups of milk, three eggs, one cupful and a half of sugar and one
cupful of grated cocoanut, the rind and juice of a lemon. Beat
together the eggs and grated lemon rind and put with the milk

470 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

in a double boiler. Stir until the mixture begins to thicken.
Add the cocoanut and put away to cool ; when cool add the
sugar, lemon juice and cream. Freeze.

Ice Cream. For a four-quart freezer take two and one-half
quarts of milk and boil in it a small handful of Irish moss or one-
half paper of gelatine. When cold add one quart of cream and
the whites of four eggs beaten to a foam. Flavor with vanilla,
beat the mixture for one-half hour and freeze.

Pineapple Ice Cream. Take one common-sized pineapple,
slice and bruise it, and sprinkle with pulverized sugar. Let it
stand one-half hour or more to extract the flavor ; then strain it
into the cream. One pineapple is sufficient for four quarts of
cream. Use one-half pound of sugar to each quart of cream.
Freeze.

Strawberry Ice Cream. For four quarts of cream take one
quart of strawberries, bruise and sprinkle them with sugar, and
then proceed as with pineapple. In using fruits always have
enough to thicken the cream slightly and impart a good flavor.

Plain Ice Cream. The sort of ice cream usually made at
home is composed of milk with a small portion of cream, with
eggs and sugar added to it; for instance, dissolve half a pound of
sugar in a quart of milk, place it over the fire and let it heat to
the boiling point; meantime beat three eggs to a cream, pour the
boiling milk into them, and then return to the fire and stir it until
it begins to thicken ; then at once remove it from the fire, stir it
until it is smooth ; then flavor it, cool it, and when it is cool freeze
it in the usual way.

Chocolate Ice Cream. Beat two eggs very light, whip them
with two cupfuls of sugar; heat two coffeecupfuls of milk and stir
into the eggs and sugar a little at a time, mixing it well; add one-
half a cupful of grated chocolate ; place on stove and heat until
it thickens, stirring all the time ; then remove from the stove and
set aside to cool ; when cold, freeze.

Ice Cream and Water Ices. 471

Champagne Ice. Have ready a freezer, as directed in the
recipes for freezing ices and creams. Make a very strong, sweet
lemonade and half freeze it, then mix with a quart bottle of good
champagne after the lemonade is half frozen ; close the freezer
again quickly, and freeze the ice. In mixing the champagne
with the lemon ice, open the champagne quickly, pour it at once
into the freezer, close it without stirring it, because the mixer in-
side the freezer will do that, and then turn the freezer until the
ice is hard enough to serve ; the utmost expedition must be used
in opening and mixing the champagne with the lemon ice, be-
cause its volatile gas escapes so rapidly ; and the freezer must be
kept closed and well packed with ice until the champagne ice is
served.

Berry Ice. Squeeze enough berries in a jelly bag to make a
pint of juice ; add a pint of water and a pint of sugar, let it come
to a boil and stir into it the whites of three eggs beaten to a stiff
froth ; whip this mixture together thoroughly; when cool, freeze
in the usual way. Currants, raspberries, strawberries or any
juicy fruit can be done in the same way.

Water Ices. The finer water ices are made up of syrup and
fruit juice frozen ; the syrup is prepared by boiling together four
pounds of sugar, one quart of water, and the white of an egg
beaten with them for ten minutes ; the syrup is then strained and
cooled ; for ices a palatable mixture is made with fruit juice, and
when it is half frozen the beaten white of one egg is added.

Lemon Ice. Take the grated rind of three lemons and the
juice of five large lemons, a large sweet orange, using both the
juice and the rind ; squeeze out all the juices first, and then steep
in it the rind of the orange and lemons a couple of hours; then
squeeze and strain through a cheese cloth, add two coffee cups
of water and two cupfuls of sugar. Stir until dissolved, turn into
a freezer, then proceed as for ice cream, only letting it stand
longer from two to two and one-half hours. When fruit jellies

472 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

are used, gently heat the water sufficiently to melt them ; then
cool and freeze. Other flavors may be made by the same method,
flavoring to suit the taste.

Orange Ice. Use from two to three oranges, according to
the size ; to every quart of water add one pound of white sugar,
the yellow skin of one orange and half the skin of one lemon
grated ; add also the juice of one-half a lemon to every two quarts
of water ; strain and freeze. More orange improves the flavor.

Iced Coffee. One-half pint of strong coffee, one-half pint
of rich cream, one-quarter pound of powdered sugar; freeze.

Roman Punch a la Francaise. Take a quart of fruit syrup,
and when about half frozen add the whites of three eggs beaten
stiff and three-quarters of a coffee cup of sugar, also one glass of
brandy and a glass of rum, and freeze as directed in ices. Use
only powdered sugar, and you can use one coffeecupful if desired
very sweet.

Roman Punch Glace. Roman punch glace is made by add-
ing to each quart of lemon ice made with syrup three whites of
egg beaten stiff, and one glass each of brandy, champagne and
maraschino, and then freezing it as described in ices.

Roman Punch. Prepare the same as for orange or any fruit
ice, and add brandy or Jamaica rum before freezing. About a
half coffee cup of liquor to each quart of fruit ice is the proper
proportion, and when ready to serve moisten each glass with a
teaspoonful of the liquor used.

FROM THE FRENCH.

Peach Ice Cream. Put in a basin one coffeecupful of pow-
dered sugar with six egg yolks, then mix well for ten minutes;
add two cupfuls of boiling milk, stir for two minutes longer.
Place it on a hot stove, and heat it thoroughly, stirring continu-

Ice Cream and Water Ices. 473

ally, but not letting it boil ; remove, lay it on the table, and mix
in immediately two cupfuls of sweet cream ; then leave it to cool
for about half an hour. Take six ripe sound peaches, wipe
them nicely, cut them in slices, remove the stones, then mash
them into the cream, mixing thoroughly for three minutes ; strain
through a fine sieve into a freezer, pressing the peaches through
with a wooden spoon, then proceed to freeze. Other fruit ice
creams can be made in the same way.

Tutti-Fruitti a la Francaise Fruit Ice Cream. Have in
separate freezers one-half pint each of strawberry ice cream and
lemon water ice, and a pint of vanilla ice cream ; then take one-
quarter pound of candied cherries and two whole candied apricots ;
then cut both cherries and apricots in small pieces and lay on a
plate. Take one-half dozen tutti-fruitti molds, open each one
and lay on cover of each mold a spoonful of strawberry ice cream
and lemon water ice, one beside the other; put one-sixth part of
the candied fruits into the ice cream on the cover of each mold,
and then fill the bottom of each mold with vanilla ice cream ;
inclose them firmly, put them at once in a pail having broken
ice and rock salt at bottom, and cover pail entirely with broken
ice and salt, letting freeze for one hour; at the expiration of that
time have a vessel of warm water ready, lift out the molds, wash
them off quickly with the water, take out the cream, and put on
dessert plates ready to serve.

Lemon Ice Cream. Put one coffeecupful of powdered sugar
into a vessel ; grate in the rind of two lemons, add the whites of
four eggs. Beat well with a whip for two minutes, then add a
pint of cold milk, stirring again for one minute. Place the basin
on the hot stove, stir briskly with the whip, and take it off when
coming to a boil, lay it on the table, and pour in a pint of sweet
cream, mixing well for two minutes. Let it cool for half an
hour, then strain through a fine sieve into a freezer, and freeze
well and solid.

474 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Napolitaine Ice Cream. Take a pint each of vanilla and
strawberry ice cream and a pint of raspberry water ice, or other
fruit ice if preferred. Take a brick form holding three pints, put
at the bottom of this the raspberry water ice, arrange the vanilla
ice cream on top, and fill up with the strawberry ; then cover
tightly. Take a pail with broken ice mixed with rock salt at the
bottom, lay the form over, and fill up the pail with more ice and
salt, and let freeze for two hours. Plunge the form in warm
water to wash off the ice and salt, and unmold the ice cream
onto a piece of paper laid on the table. Dip knife in warm water,
cut the brick lengthwise through the center, then each piece into
three, so that the Napolitaine will be divided into six equal-sized
square pieces, each one having the three kinds of cream, and
serve.

If desiring to form any of the ice creams into "bricks," pro-
ceed as directed in Napolitaine ice cream.

Cherry Water Ice. Select one pound of nice solid sour
cherries; put them in a vessel, after picking off the stems nicely,
with one coffeecupful of powdered sugar, and squeeze in the
juice of three fine lemons. Mix well with wooden spoon for five
minutes, then add a quart of cold water, stirring the mixture for
two minutes longer, and strain through a fine sieve into the ice
cream freezer, pressing the cherries down with a wooden spoon.
Proceed to freeze in the usual manner. Other fruit ices can be
made by the same method.

Punch a la Royale. Put in a bowl one cupful of powdered
sugar, squeeze in the juice of three fine sound large lemons and
the juice of a good large orange, and mix thoroughly together
for three minutes. Add one cupful of cold water, half a cupful
of kirsch, and stir for five minutes more; then strain through a
fine sieve into the ice cream freezer, remove the sieve, and pour
into the freezer half a gill of fine rum, two tablespoonfuls of fine
French cognac, and one cup of champagne. Cover immediately

Ice Cream and Water Ices. 475

with the lid, and place the freezer in an ice cream tub, filling the
latter all round with broken ice mixed with rock salt ; then with
the handle on the cover turn as rapidly as possible three or four
minutes; wipe the cover neatly, uncover, and with a wooden
spoon detach the punch from the sides of the freezer, as also from
the bottom; cover again, turn the handle for three or four
minutes more, uncover, detach the punch as before ; cover, and
repeat this three timt s. Fill six punch glasses with the punch,
arrange them on plates, and serve. Always use a clean wooden
spoon for mixing.

CANDIES.

To made Fondant, which is the Foundation of all French
Candies. Make a syrup of one pound of sugar to one small cup
of water, stirring only to mix. When boiled ten minutes, dip
fork in to see if it hairs. Take care not to stir syrup after it
boils. When just cool enough to dip in your fingers, beat as
rapidly as possible ; when too stiff to beat longer, work with
hands like dough, so it has a perfect smooth foundation, and lay
away until ready to use. Then when you wish to make the
cream of French candies, melt the fondant in a cup, standing cup
in boiling water. Stir constantly till like cream ; then remove
cup from hot water ; then take nuts or fruit, dip in this cream,
and lay on waxed paper until perfectly dry, and then put away
in boxes, in layers. The sugar to use in making French candies
is the confectioners' decorating sugar, which is the fine powdered.

To make Walnnt Cream Candy, Dates and Fruit Creams.
Take the white of an egg, as much water as egg, add a little salt,
and a little vanilla and a little brandy, stir (not beat] into this
enough of the sugar mentioned to form a cream, or until a fork
will stand up straight in it. Then just place a little on kernel of
nuts on each side and press gently. Take stone from date and
do in same manner. Other fruits can be treated in the same
manner.

Nut Creams. Make the French cream, and before putting
all the sugar into it add the nuts, and when done form them into
balls. Hickory nuts, butternuts, walnuts or almonds may be
used, or several kinds of nuts may be mixed together.

Molasses Candy. Two cupfuls of molasses, one of sugar, one

Candies. 477

tablespoonful of vinegar, a piece of butter size of a walnut. Boil
briskly and constantly for twenty minutes, stirring all the time.
When cool enough, pull it quickly till it is white.

Strawberry Cream. Take a teaspoon ful of stawberry jam,
and stir into it enough confectioners' sugar to make a thick paste;
roll it into balls, put a lump of French cream into a cup, and set
the cup in a basin of boiling water, and stir it until it melts. Put
a few drops of the strawberry juice into the cream to make it a
pale pink, being careful not to use too much, as it will prevent the
cream from hardening. Now dip the little balls into the cream
giving them two coats. Lay them on buttered plates to harden.
Remember, the melted cream must be kept stirred, or it will turn
to clear syrup.

Chocolate Creams. Four cupfuls of powdered sugar, one
cupful of water, boil hard eight minutes, flavor while hot, and
stir to a cream. Grate some chocolate, and set it over the tea
kettle (a little at a time) to dissolve. Then form the cream into
balls, and roll on the chocolate ; or, spread a thin layer of choco-
late on buttered paper, lay the balls of cream on that, and with
a spoon turn some chocolate over them.

Chocolate Caramels. Take of grated chocolate, milk, sugar,
molasses, one cupful of each, piece of butter size of an egg ; boil
until it drops hard ; pour in buttered dish and before it cools
mark off in square blocks.

Candy Drops. One pint sugar, one-half pint water; boil
until it cracks when dropped in cold water ; flavor with lemon or
peppermint, drop in small drops on buttered paper.

Roley Poley Candy. Take four cupfuls of coffee sugar, with
just enough vinegar to moisten it, and butter large as a walnut;
boil until it hardens but not until it is brittle. Remove from the
fire and beat it with a spoon eight or ten times ; then stir in the
fruit and nuts. Pour into a wet cloth and roll it up like a jelly
cake; twist the ends of the cloth well so that it will form a mold

478 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Set it away and when cold slice it up as it may be wanted.
For this amount of candy use one-half a pint of chopped citron,
one-half a pint of stoned raisins, one-half a pint of blanched
almonds, one-half a pound of chopped figs, and one-half a pint of
hulled peanuts.

Cream Candy. One pound loaf sugar, one cupful of water,
one-half teaspoonful of cream of tartar, two teaspoonfuls of
vanilla, two teaspoonfuls of vinegar, butter size of an egg, boil
until it hardens when dropped in cold water. When cool pull
as you would other candy.

Raspberry Drops. Use raspberry juice instead of water to
moisten the sugar ; put in a pan and heat ; do not let it boil ;
then put in a very little more sugar, and let it warm with the
rest a moment ; then drop it upon buttered paper ; while heating
stir constantly. Drops of this kind may be made from all kinds
of berries.

Butter Scotch. Five tablespoonfuls molasses, four table-
spoonfuls sugar, four tablespoonfuls of water, two tablespoonfuls
butter; let boil until when dropping a little in cold water it will
be brittle. Put in a pinch of soda before taking off the stove,
pour on buttered plates and when cool enough mark in squares.

Cream Candy. One pound white sugar, one cup water ; stir
on the stove until dissolved ; let it boil. When done it will snap
if dropped in cold water. Do not stir after the sugar is dissolved.
When done turn out on buttered plates. Set over cold water.
When it is cool enough to handle pull quickly with the fingers
until brittle. Season with vanilla, put in when cooling.

Fig Candy. Boil until it colors one-third of a cupful of
water, one cupful of sugar. Do not stir while boiling, but just
before taking from the stove stir in one-quarter a teaspoonful of
cream of tartar. Dip the figs in this syrup and lay on buttered
plates to dry.

Cream Candy. Two cupfuls of white sugar, one cupful of

Candies. 479

light brown sugar, one-half cupful of vinegar filled with cold
water ; boil as you would molasses candy. A few minutes before
taking it off the stove add one tablespoonful of baking powder.
Flavor with vanilla. Cool, and pull.

Sugar Candy. Take three cupfuls of powdered sugar, two -
thirds of a cup of water, one-half cupful of vinegar. Boil (but do
not stir) till it will harden by being dropped in water. Take it
from the stove, and flavor with lemon juice or extract of lemon.
Spread on pans ; and, when cool, pull till it is white.

Honey Candy Three cupfuls of sugar, one cupful of water,
three tablespoonfuls of honey.

Taffy. Melt in a stew pan three ounces of butter, one pound
moist sugar. Stir well over a slow fire, boil fifteen minutes.
Pour out on a buttered dish and mark in squares.

Molasses Candy. One-half pound of sugar, one- quarter
pound of butter, one quart of molasses ; boil until it will crack
by dropping a little in cold water. Pour out on buttered dish ;
when cool it can be pulled until white.

Chocolate Caramels. One cupful of milk, one cupful of
brown sugar, one cupful of molasses, one cupful of grated
chocolate ; add a piece of butter of the size of a walnut, and boil
all together, without stirring, until done. Test it by dropping a
little in cold water.

Caramels. One and one-half pounds of brown sugar, one
scant quarter of a pound of butter, three-quarters of a cake of
Baker's chocolate, and one cupful of milk. Boil it twenty
minutes. As you take it off, add two tablespoonfuls of vanilla,
pour it on buttered dishes, and cut it in squares after the surface
is a little cool.

Maple Caramels. One pound of maple sugar melted in a cup
of sweet milk, add one tablespoonful of butter, boil until when a
little is dropped in cold water it will be almost brittle. Turn out
on buttered plates, and when cool enough mark in squares.

480 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Fruit Creams. Raisins seeded, currants, figs and citron,
chopped fine, and mixed with the uncooked "French Cream,"
while soft, before the sugar is all mixed in, makes a delicious
variety.

Cocoanut Caramels. Two cupfuls of sugar, with enough
water to boil it. When ready to take off, put in one cupful of
cocoanut, with a small piece of butter. Flavor with vanilla.

Cocoanut Balls. Two cupfuls of grated cocoanut, one cupful
of powdered sugar, two tablespoonfuls of flour, whites of two
eggs. Roll in small balls, and bake quickly.

Lemon Drops. Pour enough lemon juice over one-half a
pound of powdered sugar to dissolve it, put it in a pan and boil
to a thick syrup ; drop a little in cold water and when it is brittle
it is done. Then drop on buttered plates in small drops and set
away to cool and harden.

Kisses. The whites of four eggs beaten to a stiff froth, stir
in enough pulverized sugar to form a stiff paste, and two tea-
spoonfuls of the extract of lemon. Drop upon new tins buttered
as lightly as possible. Drop the size of a half dollar. When
done, let them stand a short time before slipping off.

Butter Scotch. Take one pound of sugar and one pint of
water ; dissolve, and boil. When done, add one teaspoonful of
butter, and enough lemon juice and the oil of lemon to flavor.

Variegated Cream Candy. Make a cream fondant (see page
476), and divide into three parts, leaving one part white, color
one pink, and the third part color brown with chocolate, which
is done by just letting the cream soften and stirring in a little
finely grated chocolate. The pink is colored by dropping in a
few drops of cochineal syrup or berry juice while the cream is
warm, and beating it in. Take the white cream, make a flat ball
of it and lay it upon a buttered dish, and roll it out flat until

Candies. 48 1

about half an inch thick. If it does not work easily, dip the hand
in alcohol. Work the other in the same way as the white and lay
it upon the white ; then the chocolate in the same manner, and
lay upon the pink, pressing all together gently. Trim the
edges smooth, leaving it in a nice square cake, then cut into
slices or shaped as you prefer. It is necessary to work all
rapidly to insure success.

To prevent Syrups for Making Candies from Burning
while Boiling. To avoid this put in your vessel with any of the
above compounds three or four agate or white stone marbles ; the
heat will keep them rolling and prevent the scorching or burning
which often happens, and this does away with the constant
stirring.

To prevent Sugar and Fruit Syrups, also Molasses, from
Overflowing or Rising too high. Butter well the inside of a
vessel, about two inches from the top ; this will prevent the
syrup from rising higher than where it is buttered.

Candies Without Cooking. Many candies and confections
are made without boiling. The method is very simple and they
are equal to the best. The secret lies in the sugar used, which
should be powdered or confectioners' XXX sugar. Powdered
has a decided grain, but the confectioners' sugar is fine as flour.

To crystalize fruits and nuts, see page 92.

The French methods of candying fruits and making marron
glace (candied chestnuts), see page 91.

The French method of boiling syrups for candies and other
confections, see page 90.

In boiling syrups for confections, when done they should be

482 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

taken from the fire and bottom of vessel set in ice water ; this
will prevent sugar from discoloring.

Burned Sugar. Put in a small iron pan one pound of granu-
lated sugar, place over a slow fire and allow to burn thoroughly
for about one-half hour. Take from fire and allow to cool for
about five minutes. Then add two coffeecups of boiling water
and stir thoroughly with iron spoon. Place the pan on the stove
and boil five minutes more ; strain the sugar through a fine sieve
and when perfectly cold put in fruit jars and seal. This will keep
for weeks.

FOOD FOR THE SICK.

The preparation of food for the sick and convalescent requires
skill and great care. As the purpose of food is to supply the
material for remedying the waste which continually takes place in
the human system, hence it follows that the food should be selected
for its nutritive value. In illness and convalescence, as the waste
is often greater and the vital power less active, it is of the greatest
importance that such food should be selected, and also properly
prepared, which gives the greatest amount of nutrition. It should
also be palatable and easily assimilated.

Nor does it always follow that the most nutritious food is the
best to be given in times of sickness. As food may contain all
the elements of nutrition which would be wholesome for those in
good health and yet not be the proper food for the sick, for the
reason that its proper conversion into blood and tissue depends
a great deal upon the digestive organs, it should be a part of the
education of every mother and housekeeper to be able to dis-
criminate as to the proper food and the required amount to be
given in time of sickness; and when this is not the case the
physician's orders should be strictly followed.

There can be no special dishes that would suit for all cases.
While tea, jellies, buttered toast and other dainties might be the
proper food to serve in some cases, they might again be the worst
articles of diet that the patient could take.

The lightest and simplest foods are considered the best, and
should be served in small orders and in a dainty manner, so as
to be more appetizing to the invalid.

The seasoning of the food should be varied according to the
condition of the patient. The convalescent can be served with
nicely broiled steak or mutton chop, chicken, fish, well-cooked

484 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

gruel, plain puddings or any light foods that are easily digested.
In the use of all milk foods the condition of the patient should
be considered, as long cooking makes the milk constipating; and
if the patient should be constipated the milk should only be heated
to the boiling point.

GRUELS FOR THE SICK.

These are some of the most important articles of diet for the
sick, and great care should be exercised in the preparation of
them. Some of the manufactured compounds now on the
market, whose chief merit is that they can be cooked in a few
minutes, should be avoided. As grains and cereal foods require
long cooking, when done they should possess all the nutritive
qualities of the grain and be easily assimilated.

The preparation and cooking of grains and cereal foods, as
given in this volume, headed Grains and Cereal Foods, should
be strictly followed. All grains and cereal foods should be eaten
with wafers, toast or other hard food, if allowed.

Barley Gruel. Wash three heaping tablespoonfuls of pearl
barley, drop it into a pint of boiling water and parboil five min-
utes. Pour this water off and add a quart of fresh boiling water.
Let it simmer gently for three hours ; strain, season and serve.
A small piece of lemon rind added to the gruel half an hour
before it is done gives it a very agreeable flavor. Equal quan-
tities of milk and barley gruel make a very nourishing drink ; the
milk, however, should not be added to the gruel until needed, as
in a warm atmosphere it undergoes quite a rapid change and is
likely to ferment.

Farina Gruel. Moisten two tablespoonfuls of farina with a
very little cold milk, and stir it into a cupful of boiling water.
Boil until it thickens, add a cupful of new milk, turn into a double
boiler, and cook again for twenty or thirty minutes. Strain if
necessary ; season with salt or sugar, and serve.

Food for the Sick, 485

Oatmeal Gruel. Put four tablespoonfuls of the best grits
(oatmeal coarsely ground) into a pint of boiling water. Let it
boil gently and stir it often till it becomes as thick as you wish it.
Then strain it and add to it, while warm, butter, wine, nutmeg,
or whatever is thought proper to flavor it. Salt to taste.

If you make the gruel of fine oatmeal, sift it, mix it first to a
thick batter with a little cold water, and then put it into the
saucepan of boiling water. Stir it all the time it is boiling, lifting
the spoon gently up and down, and letting the gruel fall slowly
back again into the pan.

Flour Gruel. Rub one heaping tablespoonful of whole- wheat
flour to a thin paste with three tablespoonfuls of cold milk, and
stir it into a pint of boiling milk. Cook for ten or twelve min-
utes. Season with salt, strain if necessary, and while hot stir in
the beaten white of one egg. The egg may be omitted if preferred ;
or the yolk of the egg and a little sugar may be used instead, if
the patient's condition will allow it.

Gluten Meal Gruel. Into a cup and a half of boiling water
stir four tablespoonfuls of gluten meal ; let it boil for a moment,
add six tablespoonfuls of rather thin sweet cream and serve.

Gruel. This simple refreshment is invaluable in sickness, and
is made with little trouble and less expense, yet it is scarcely ever
prepared exactly right. One tablespoonful of fine Indian meal or
oatmeal mixed smooth with cold water and a saltspoonful of salt ;
pour upon this a pint of boiling water and turn into a saucepan
to boil gently for half an hour; thin it with boiling water if it thick-
ens too much, and stir frequently; when it is done a tablespoon-
ful of cream or a little new milk may be put in to cool it after
straining, but if the patient's stomach is weak it is best without
either.

Corn-meal Gruel. Two tablespoonfuls of fine Indian meal
mixed smooth with cold water and a saltspoonful of salt ; add one
quart of boiling water and cook twenty minutes. Stir it fre-

486 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

quently, and if it becomes too thick, use boiling water to thin it.
If the stomach is not too weak, a tablespoonful of cream may be
used to cool it. Some like it sweetened and others like it plain.
For very sick persons let it settle, pour off the top and give with-
out other seasoning. For convalescents, toast a piece of bread as
nicely as possible, and put it in the gruel with a tablespoonful
of nice sweet cream and a little ginger and sugar. This should
be used only when a laxative is allowed.

Egg Gruel. Heat a cup of milk to boiling, and stir into it
one well-beaten egg mixed with one-fourth cup of cold milk ;
stir constantly for a few minutes till thickened, but do not allow
it to boil again. Season with a little salt, or if preferred and
allowed, a little loaf sugar.

Arrowroot Milk Porridge. One large cupful of fresh milk,
new if you can get it; one cupful of boiling water, one teaspoon-
ful of arrowroot wet to a paste with cold water, two teaspoon -
fuls of white sugar, a pinch of salt. Put the sugar into the
milk, the salt into the boiling water, which should be poured into
a farina kettle. Add the wet arrowroot and boil, stirring con-
stantly until it is clear ; put in the milk and cook ten minutes,
stirring often. Give while warm, adding hot milk should it be
thicker than gruel.

MILK DIET.

Milk diet is of great advantage in cases of sickness. It is
generally necessary to begin the use of milk in small quantities
and gradually increase them. Milk is easily digested, and can
be taken oftener than any other article of food.

Hot Milk. Hot milk is an excellent food for many classes
of invalids. The milk should be fresh, and should be heated in a
double boiler until the top is wrinkled over the entire surface.

Milk Porridge. Same as arrowroot, except that it should

Food for the Sick. 487

be all milk and thickened with a scant tablespoonful of sifted
flour; let it boil five minutes, stirring it continually; add a little
cold milk, give it one boil up, and it is ready for use.

Albumenized Milk. Shake together in a well- corked bottle
or glass fruit jar a pint of fresh milk and the well-beaten whites
of two eggs, until thoroughly mixed. Serve at once.

Milk and Lime Water. In cases where milk forms large
curds, or sours in the stomach, lime water prepared in the follow-
ing manner may be added to the milk before using : Into a gal-
lon jar of water put a piece of lime the size of one's fist. Cover
the jar and let the lime settle over night. In the morning draw
the water off the top with a siphon, being careful not to move the
jar so as to mix again the particles of lime with the water.

Milk and Pepsin. Heat a cup of fresh milk to eighty-five
degrees, add one teaspoonful of the essence of pepsin, and stir
just enough to mix thoroughly. Let it stand until firmly curded,
and serve.

JELLIES AND DESSERTS FOR THE SICK.

Chicken Jelly. Cook a chicken in enough water to little
more than cover it ; let it stew gently until the meat drops from
the bones and the broth is reduced to about a pint ; season it to
taste with a little salt and pepper. Strain and press, first through
a colander, then through a coarse cloth. Set it over the fire again
and cook a few minutes longer. Turn it into an earthen vegetable
dish to harden ; set it on the ice in the refrigerator. Eat cold in
slices. Nice made into sandwiches, with thin slices of bread
lightly spread with butter.

Arrowroot Jelly. Rub two heaping teaspoonfuls of arrow-
root smooth in a very little cold water, and stir it into a cupful of
boiling water, in which should be dissolved two teaspoonfuls of
sugar. Stir until clear, allowing it to boil all the time ; lastly,

488 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

add a teaspoonful of lemon juice. Serve cold, with cream and
sugar if allowed.

Calves'-foot Jelly. Boil four nicely cleaned calves' feet in
three quarts of water until reduced to one, very slowly ; strain
and set away until cold, then take off the fat from the top and
remove the jelly into a stew pan, avoiding the settlings and add-
ing half a pound of white powdered sugar, the juice of two lemons,
and the whites of two eggs the latter to make it transparent.
Boil all together a few moments and set away in bowls or glasses;
it is excellent in a sick-room.

Iceland MOSS Jelly. Wash about four ounces of moss very
clean in lukewarm water. Boil slowly in a quart of cold water.
When quite dissolved, strain it onto a tablespoonful of currant or
raspberry jelly, stirring so as to blend the jelly perfectly with the
moss. Turn into a mold and cool.

Iceland Moss Blanc-Mange. Substitute milk for the water,
and proceed as in the foregoing. Flavor with lemon or vanilla.
Strain through a muslin cloth, turn into a mold, and let stand
till firm and cold.

Tapioca Jelly. Soak a cupful of tapioca in a quart of cold
water, after washing it thoroughly two or three times ; after soak-
ing three or four hours, simmer it in a stew pan until it becomes
quite clear, stirring often ; add the juice of a lemon and a little
of the grated peel, also a pinch of salt. Sweeten to taste. Wine
can be substituted for lemon, if liked.

CUSTARDS AND PUDDINGS FOR THE SICK.

White Custard. Beat the whites of three eggs to a stiff froth,
add a little salt if desired, and two tablespoonfuls of sugar. A
bit of grated lemon rind may also be used for flavoring. Add
lastly a pint of new milk, little by little, beating thoroughly all

Food for the Sick. 489

the while. Bake in cups, set in a pan of hot water. When firm
in the center, take out and set in a cool place.

Invalid Cup Pudding. One tablespoonful of flour, one egg ;
mix with cold milk and a pinch of salt to make a batter. Boil
fifteen minutes in a buttered cup. Serve with sauce, fruit or
sugar.

Tapioca Cup Pudding. This is very light and delicate for
invalids. An even tablespoonful of tapioca soaked for two hours
in nearly a cup of new milk. Stir into this the yolk of a fresh
egg, a little sugar, a grain of salt, and bake in a cup for fifteen
minutes. A little jelly may be eaten with it, if allowed, or a few
fresh strawberries.

Boiled Rice. Boil half a cupful of rice in just enough water
to cover it, with half a teaspoonful of salt ; when the water has
boiled nearly out and the rice begins to look soft and dry, turn
over it a cupful of milk, and let it simmer until the rice is done
and nearly dry ; take from the fire and beat in a well-beaten egg.
Eat it warm with cream and sugar. Flavor to taste.

Arrowroot Blanc-Mange. Rub two and a half tablespoonfuls
of best arrowroot smooth in half a cup of cold milk, and stir
slowly into two and one-half cups of boiling ne\y milk. When it
begins to thicken, add three-fourths of a cup of sugar and cook,
stirring constantly for several minutes. Turn into molds and
cool. Serve with fruit juice or fruit sauces.

BEEF TEA AND BROTHS FOR THE SICK.

Chicken Broth. Select a nice spring chicken, cut it into
very small pieces, cracking all the bones. Add cold water, about
a quart to each pound of meat and bone, and cook the same as
beef tea. Allow the broth to cool before serving. Always skim
off all particles of fat before reheating. If desired a tablespoonful

490 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

of steamed rice may be added to the broth, or a well-beaten egg
may be stirred in the broth just before serving.

Veal or Mutton Broth. Take a scrag-end of mutton (two
pounds), put it in a saucepan with two quarts of cold water and
an ounce of pearl barley or rice. When it is coming to a boil
skim it well, then add half a teaspoonful of salt ; let it boil until
half reduced, then strain it and take off all the fat, and it is ready
for use. This is excellent for an invalid. If vegetables are liked
in this brbth, take one turnip, one carrot and one onion, cut them
in shreds and boil them in broth half an hour. In that case the
barley may be served with the vegetables in broth.

Beef Broth and Oatmeal. Rub two tablespoonfuls of oat-
meal smooth in an equal quantity of cold water, and stir into a
quart of boiling beef broth. Cook in a double boiler for two
hours and strain. Season with salt and a little cream if allowed.

Vegetable Broth. Pick over and wash a cup of dried peas,
and put to cook in a quart of cold water ; cook slowly in a double
boiler or in a kettle placed on the range where they will just
simmer, until but a cupful of liquid remains. Strain off the
broth, add salt and one- third of a cupful of the liquor, without
pulp, from well-skewed tomatoes. Serve hot.

Chicken Panada. Take a cupful of white meat of chicken
pounded to a paste in a mortar, and half a cup of whole-wheat
crust or zwieback crumbs. Add sufficient chicken broth to make
a thick gruel. Season with salt, boil up for a few minutes, and
serve hot.

Clam Broth. Select twelve small hard-shell clams, drain them
and chop them fine; add a cupful of clam juice or hot water, a
pinch of cayenne and a little butter ; simmer thirty minutes ;
add one-half cupful of boiled milk, strain and serve.

Beef Juice. Cut a thick slice of round steak, trim off every
particle of fat and broil it over a clear fire just long enough to heat
it throughout. Next gash it in many places with a sharp knife,

Food for the Sick. 491

and with the aid of a beef-juice press or lemon squeezer press out
all the juice into a bowl set in hot water; salt but very slightly,
remove all globules of fat, and serve. This may also be frozen
and given the patient in small lumps, if so ordered.

Beef Tea. Take a pound of fresh, lean, juicy beef of good
flavor (the top of the round and the back and middle of the
rump are the best portions for the purpose), from which all fat,
bones and sinews have been carefully removed ; cut into pieces
a quarter of an inch square, or grind in a sausage cutter. Add
a quart of cold water, and put into a clean double boiler. Place
over the fire and heat very slowly, carefully removing all scum
as it rises. Allow it to cook gently for two or three hours, or
until the water has been reduced one-half. Strain and put away
to cool. Before using remove all fat from the surface and sea-
son. In reheating, a good way is to place a quantity in a cup
and set the cup into hot water until the tea is sufficiently hot.
This prevents waste, and if the patient is not ready for the tea it
can be easily kept hot in this way.

Beef Tea and Eggs. Beat the yolk of an egg thoroughly in
a tea cup and fill the cup with boiling beef tea, stirring all the
while. Season with a little salt if desired.

TOAST FOR THE SICK.

Soft Toast. Some invalids like this very much indeed, and
nearly all do when it is nicely made. Toast well, but not 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; remove 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.

Oyster Toast. Make a slice of dry toast, butter it and lay it

492 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

on a hot dish. Put six oysters, half a teacupful of their own
liquor and half a cupful of milk into a tin cup or basin, and
boil one minute. Season with a little butter, pepper and salt,
then pour over the toast and serve.

Egg Toast. Make a soft toast, and have ready one or more
fresh eggs which have been boiled twenty minutes ; remove the
shells, cut them in slices and place upon the toast, with a little
butter, pepper and salt. Without the butter they may be eaten
with impunity by the most delicate invalid, as an egg cooked for
twenty minutes is really more easy of digestion than one that
is technically boiled soft.

Panada. Break up three arrowroot crackers into small
pieces ; pour upon them boiling water and cover close for a
minute, then add a teaspoonful of white sugar and a little pure
milk. It is an excellent breakfast or supper for a child or an in-
valid. Instead of the milk, the juice of a lemon may be squeezed
in and another teaspoonful of sugar added.

PROPER FOOD FOR INFANTS.

As artificial foods require a longer time for digestion than
the food supplied by nature, great care should be exercised in
feeding infants; for it is absolutely necessary that the digestive
organs should have the required interval of rest between the
digestion of one meal and the taking of another. When fed upon
artificial food, once every five or six hours is sufficient; and when
using human milk, once every three or four hours.

It is a sad and significant fact that at least half the children
at the present time are deprived of their proper sustenance and
left to the tender mercies of wet nurses or the bottle. Between
the two evils it is difficult to say which is the least ; but unless a
superior nurse can be found one intelligent and thoroughly
clean in her personal habits we should say, choose the last and
bring it up by hand.

It is the opinion of the best physicians, and the conviction is
borne out by every mother's experience, that the moral, mental
and spiritual, as well as physical condition of a child is greatly in-
fluenced during its nursing period. Mothers who nurse their
own children know that it is of the greatest importance to
the quiet and healthful condition of the child that they should
be free from all sources of agitation, anxiety and irritability.
Overwork, giving way to fretfulness or being subjected to the
unreasonable temper and caprices of others, frequently induces a
state of mind that shows itself plainly in the uneasiness and dis-
quiet it produces in the infant, and would be seen with still greater

494 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

distinctness were women accustomed to trace results more strictly
to their causes.

If this is the case with the mother, if her mental and spiritual
condition finds itself reflected so minutely in the lights and shad-
ows of the little life which is dependent upon her, why should
it not receive a coloring from the milk which it derives from a
dull, coarse, appetite-loving wet-nurse of the ordinary stamp ?
Two-thirds of these nurses make a necessity of strong tea and
coffee and malt liquor two or three times a day ; they are often
anything but scrupulous in their personal habits, and so accus-
tomed to the exercise of a violent will, by virtue of their office,
as to be unwilling to bear the slightest control or contradiction.
These are not the influences which a thoughtful mother would
like to have her child drink in with its milk.

We believe it to be a misfortune, the extent of which is not at
all realized, when the mother cannot nurse her own child. The
mother's milk contains all the elements necessary for its proper
growth in every direction, and no substitute can be found for it ;
but where this is impossible unless, as before remarked, a very
superior nurse can be obtained it is safer to trust to the simple
foods, which at least sustain life and do no hurt if given at right
times and in proper quantities, leaving the mental and spiritual
activities unimpeded, though probably subject to a slower growth
than if aided by the sympathetic magnetism of the mother's nature.

Starchy Food Such as arrowroot, sago, corn-starch and the
like, is commonly held to be very healthy and nutritious for
infants, yet the experience of every physician furnishes numer-
ous instances of feeble, sickly children that are so fed, while the
number is small that survive it. The reason of this is that the
digestive organs of infants are not sufficiently powerful to convert
the starchy matter into nourishment ; it therefore only serves to
clog and impede the action of the system, while the little victim
is gradually being starved on the trifle of sustenance which it

Proper Food for Infants. 495

can obtain from whatever sugar and milk is given with its other
food.

English Pap. This is highly recommended by physicians.
Boiling water is poured on a small piece of the crumby part of
light white bread. This is covered up for a moment and then
the water is poured off. The softened bread is then put in a
porcelain stew pan with a trifle more of water, and allowed to
boil up until it forms a pulp. A lump of white sugar and a little
cold milk added brings it precisely up to the ideas of most young
Britishers, who grow very stout and healthy.

Peptonized Milk. One gill of cow's milk fresh and un-
skimmed, one gill of pure water, two tablespoonfuls of rich
sweet cream, two hundred grains of milk sugar, one and one-
fourth grains of extractum pancreatis, four grains of sodium
bicarbonate. Put the above in a clean nursing bottle, and place
the bottle in water so warm that the whole hand cannot be held
in it longer than one minute without pain. Keep the milk at this
temperature for exactly twenty minutes. Prepare fresh just
before using.

Cow's Milk. A diet of cow's milk exclusively is not good ;
it is too rich and very provocative of eruptive diseases. But if
the bottle is preferred to spoon feeding, half of one good cow's
milk may be given diluted with half of boiling water and sweet-
ened slightly with white sugar. An excellent change from this
consists of a thin strained gruel from the best prepared barley,
with a little milk and sugar added. A little sugar is necessary
in infants' food, but be particularly careful not to make it sweet,
as this provokes continual thirst as well as disorders the child's
stomach.

Infants' Broth. After the baby is three months old it may
occasionally be treated to a little clear chicken or mutton broth
made in the following way. Cut up a pound of lean mutton
into small pieces and put them into a small jar, cover them with

496 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

cold water, set the jar in a kettle of warm water, let it come to
boiling point, and simmer the mutton until the strength is ex-
tracted. One pound of meat should make a quart of broth ;
simmer at least six hours, strain and put in a trifle of salt, but no
other spice. Treat part of a chicken in the same way for chicken
broth.

Baby Pudding. Grate a little stale bread, pour some boiling
milk upon it, cover, and when it becomes a pulp stir into it the
yolk of an egg and a grain of salt. The quantity should fill a
tea cup, in which boil it fifteen minutes.

Essentials. Warm, sensible clothing, quiet, with food and
sleep at regular intervals are the essentials to health and comfort
for babies. The animal from which the milk comes should be
perfectly healthy and well cared for. The quality of her food
should also receive attention, as there is little doubt that disease
is often communicated to infants by milk from cows improperly
fed and cared for. An eminent medical authority offers the fol-
lowing important points on this subject : " The cow selected for
providing the food for an infant should be between the ages of
four and ten years, of mild disposition, and one which has been
giving milk from four to eight weeks. She should be fed on
good clean grain and hay free from must. Roots, if any are fed,
should be of good quality, and she should have plenty of good
clean water from a living spring or well. Her pasture should be
timothy grass or native grass free from weeds ; clover alone is
bad. She should be cleaned and cared for like a carriage horse,
and milked twice a day by the same person and at the same time.
Some cows are unfit by nature for feeding infants. Milk from
the same" animal should be used if possible. Changing from one
cow's milk to another, or the use of such milk as is usually sup-
plied by city milkmen, often occasions serious results. The ex-
traction of the heat from the milk immediately after milking and
before it is used or carried far, especially in hot weather, is essential.

FOOD FOR YOUNG CHILDREN.

The great danger in feeding young children lies not so much
in the food as in its preparation, or want of preparation. A hard
indigestible potato is bad for them, and a little tender stewed
meat is good ; but if the potato were mashed and mealy, and the
meat hard and tough, the case would be just the reverse.

The principal danger is in their swallowing indigestible sub-
stances, and whether these are hard apples or lumpy potatoes,
tough meat or sour bread, rich cake or hickory nuts, makes very
little difference ; the irritation and derangement produced is the
same.

Meat for children under the age of ten years should be
cooked very tender and cut up very* small, or given in the form
of soup. Potatoes should be mashed, apples roasted or stewed ;
and if bread and milk could form their breakfast, and some kind
of mush, with milk, their supper, they would be all the better for
it for the rest of their lives.

Children's Pie. Cover the bottom of a pie dish with slices
of bread and butter, cover it with fresh berries sprinkled with
sugar, or with stewed fruit, fresh or dried. Set it in the oven
fifteen or twenty minutes. Sift a little sugar over it when it
comes out.

Brown Mush for Supper. Stir into a quart of boiling water
a teaspoonful of salt and Graham flour enough to make it as thick
as Indian mush. Let it boil gently half an hour, keeping it
covered. Eat it with cream or milk and sugar.

Bread and Milk. Cut or break stale bread up into small
pieces and let them come to a boil in milk. It makes an excel-
lent breakfast for children, with a slice of toast or without.

MILK, CREAM AND BUTTER.

MILK.

Among the most healthful and nutritious foods that enter into
our daily bill of fare are milk and buttermilk. Many consider
these a beverage, but they can only be classified with food, as
the greater part becomes solid matter after they are drunk.

Milk consists of nitrogenous matter, 4.1 ; fat, 3.9; sugar of
milk, 5.2 ; mineral matter, 0.8 ; water, 86.O.

While milk is considered by physicians very healthy and
beneficial, unless a proper care be exercised in procuring milk
that is fresh and not adulterated it may be the means of inoculat-
ing the system with disease. As the quality of the milk depends
largely upon the food cows are fed on and the conditions by which
they are surrounded and unscrupulous dealers will sell milk
from diseased cows owing to the filthy conditions in which
they keep their stables and the manner of feeding their cattle
all milk, especially if intended for children and the sick, should
be first properly sterilized so as to destroy the germs.

The following milk should be avoided :

1st. Curdly Milk, which curdles within a few hours after it is
drawn, owing to the fact that the animal is suffering from certain
inflammatory disease.

2d. Bitter Sweet Milk, the cream of which has a some-
what bitter taste and is covered with blisters.

3<f. Slimy Milk, which can be drawn into fine ropy fibers.

^th. Blue Milk, which twenty-four hours after it is drawn
forms an indigo-blue over the surface of the milk ; this is owing

Milk, Cream and Butter. 499

to the rapid growth of the germs. The butter made from this
milk is somewhat bitter and of a greenish color.

5///. Barnyard Milk, milk taken from cows that are kept in
a filthy condition and housed in stables that are not properly
ventilated.

As it has been proved by scientists that cows are subject
to certain diseases similar to human beings, it can be readily per-
ceived that unless due precaution is used the germs can be easily
inoculated into the system.

Milk should never be placed in brass, copper or glazed vessels.
Glass, tin and granite ware are the best to use.

The vessel containing milk should always be kept covered, to
keep out the floating germs and the odors which the milk steadily
absorbs. The best material to cover the vessel with is two or
three layers of cheese cloth ; this will permit the air to circulate
properly, but prevent the germs from entering.

The greatest care should be taken in washing the pans that
are used for milk, as the smallest quantity of impure or sour milk
will spoil all the rest. The best way to clean vessels is first to
rinse them separately in cold water, pouring the water from one
to another until they are perfectly clean, and then wash in warm
water, mixing in a little bicarbonate of soda ; then scald them well
and wipe perfectly dry, and invert the pans over a warm stove.

To Sterilize Milk, to Keep for an Indefinite Time. Take
the fresh milk and pour into the fruit cans or patented milk
cans, place cans in a boiler of tepid water, screw on the caps
part way. Allow the water to boil, and when it comes to a good
boil allow jars of milk to remain in boiler about twenty-five to
thirty minutes. The water must be boiling all that time, and
endeavor to keep an even temperature ; then take out the jars
and allow them to cool as quickly as possible. To increase the
temperature of the water that you sterilize with, add rock salt to
the water or a saturated solution of either baking soda or chloride

500 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

of sodium. But in using a solution in the water allow jars to
cool in the water, or they will break.

To Sterilize Milk for Immediate Use. Fill your jars or
cans with fresh milk, place on the covers, but not tight; set
them in a boiler of tepid water, allow water to come to about
155 degrees Fahrenheit or scalding hot, and allow milk to heat
(not boil) for about twenty to twenty-five minutes. It is not
necessary to have water boiling when sterilizing milk for im-
mediate use. Water at 155 degrees Fahrenheit will destroy the
germs, and that is all that is necessary. Take out the jars or
cans and allow to cool as quickly as possible, and use at once.

CREAM.

Cream is best procured and rises the quickest when the milk
is quite warm. The method of scalding milk after it is drawn is
highly recommended, as it secures better results, making the cream
rise quicker and destroying the germs, thereby making the milk
more healthy and preventing it from souring. The best way to
accomplish this is to pour the milk, immediately after it is drawn,
into a vessel and then set the vessel in hot water ; and when the
milk is thoroughly scalded, but not allowed to boil, it should be
cooled quickly by pouring the milk in cold vessels and setting
same in a vessel of ice water until reduced to a temperature of
about sixty to sixty-five degrees, and allowing it to remain at that
temperature while cream is rising.

BUTTER.

The making of good butter depends upon the careful treat-
ment of the milk and cream. The milk should be protected from
acid or souring, for as soon as the milk sours the cream ceases to

Milk t Cream and Butter. 501

rise. In a clear dry atmosphere the cream will rise quicker, and
better results are obtained than in a moist or damp atmosphere,
which has a tendency to sour the milk.

Milk to be used for butter should first be strained through a
milk strainer covered with two or three folds of cheese cloth.
Cream skimmed from different milk, to be churned for butter at
the same time, should be mixed ten hours previous to churning.
Cream should be churned at a temperature of about sixty degrees.
It is best to test it with a thermometer. If the butter is too
soft it can be hardened by adding, while working, a brine made
in proportion of twelve ounces of salt to two and a half gallons
of water.

After the butter has come, gather it slightly in the churn
and drain out the buttermilk, leaving the butter in the churn ;
then dash cold water upon it, to rinse the buttermilk out
thoroughly. By treating the butter in this manner the grain is
kept more perfect, which is a very important factor. In work-
ing in the salt, the ladle should not be allowed to slip on the but-
ter, but should be used in a rolling motion ; this will retain the
grain more perfectly.

HINTS TO HOUSEKEEPERS.

Measuring. An important matter to be observed in the
cooking of foods is correct measuring. Many failures are made
simply from the lack of care in this respect. As measures are
more convenient than weights, they are more generally used.
The ordinary large-sized coffee cup, which holds half a pint, is a
good standard to go by. The following are good rules to follow :

1st. Flour, sugar, and salt that has been packed should be
sifted before measuring.

2d. A cupful of dry material should be measured level with the
top of the cup without being packed down.

3d. A cupful of liquid should be all the cup will hold with-
out overflowing.

4th. The tea spoon and table spoon commonly recommended
in cook books is the silver spoon in general use.

For general weights and measures, see page 378.

Preparing and Cooking Foods. Vegetables should be free
from all decay and should have fresh and unshriveled skins.
Sprouted vegetables are unfit to use for food, as they contain a
poison similar to belladonna. Green vegetables should be freshly
gathered, as those which have lain over twenty-four hours are
unfit to use ; stale vegetables cause serious ailments.

If it is not convenient to use the green vegetables the same
day that they are gathered, lay them in a cool dark place,
and do not remove their outer leaves until ready to use. Never
keep them in water, as that destroys some of their juices. When

Hints to Housekeepers. 503

some of the stems are withered, the best way is to cut off a bit of
the stem and set in water the cut part only. The vegetables
will absorb enough water to replace what has been lost by
evaporation.

Vegetables to be kept for the winter should be kept in a cool
dry place, temperature between forty-five and sixty-five degrees.
There should be neither light, dampness nor warmth allowed, as
they are the cause of decay.

As vegetables readily absorb all impurities, great care should
be exercised that nothing odorous or decomposing is left near
where they are stored. They should be sorted often, and those
bruised and decayed thrown away.

Beans and peas should not be shelled until needed.

In washing all kind of vegetables and greens, it is best to
place them in a colander and dip them several times in vessels of
cold water until they are clean.

It requires care and skill to cook vegetables properly, so they
will retain their natural flavor.

It is best to cook them in as little water as possible, as the
salts and the nutrient juices are mostly lost in the water, and if
this must be drained off most of their nutritious value is lost.
Vegetables contain so much water that it is not necessary to add
large quantities to cook them.

Many cooks, from lack of this knowledge, convert some of the
most nutritious of foods into dishes that are unfit to eat. Great
care should also be exercised that they should not be overdone or
not done enough, for either destroys their natural flavor.

Always pare potatoes very thin. Much of the most nutritious
part of the tuber lies next its outer covering ; so care should be
taken to waste as little as possible. Potatoes cooked with the
skins on are undoubtedly better than those pared. The chief
mineral element contained in the potato is potash, an important
constituent of the blood. Potash salts are freely soluble in water,

504 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

and when the skin is removed there is nothing to prevent these
salts from escaping into the water in which the potato is boiled.
If the potato is cooked in its "jacket," the skin, which does not in
general burst open until the potato is nearly done, serves to keep
this valuable element largely inside the potato while cooking.
For the same reason it is better not to pare potatoes and put them
in water to soak over night, as many cooks are in the habit of
doing, to have them in readiness for cooking for breakfast.

Potatoes to be pared should be first washed and dried. It is
a good plan to wash quite a quantity at one time, to be used as
needed. After paring, drop at once into cold water and rinse
them thoroughly. It is a careless habit to allow pared potatoes
to fall among the skins, as in this way they become stained and
appear black and discolored after cooking. Scrubbing with a
vegetable brush is by far the best means for cleaning potatoes to
be cooked with the skins on.

When boiled in their skins the waste is about three per cent.,
while without them it is not less than fourteen per cent, or more
than two ounces in every pound. Potatoes boiled without skins
should be cooked very gently.

Steaming, roasting, and baking are much better methods for
cooking potatoes than boiling, for reasons already given. Very
old potatoes are best stewed or mashed. When withered or
wilted, they are freshened by standing in cold water for an hour
or so before cooking. If diseased or badly sprouted, potatoes
are wholly unfit for food.

Vegetables to be cooked by boiling should be put into boiling
water ; and since water loses its goodness by boiling, vegetables
should be put in as soon as the boiling begins. The process of
cooking should be continuous, and in general gentle heat is best.
Remember that when water is boiling, the temperature is not in-
creased by violent bubbling. Keep the cooking utensil closely
covered. If water is added, let it also be boiling hot

Hints to Housekeepers. 505

Vegetables not of uniform size should be so assorted that those
of the same size may be cooked together, or large ones may be
divided. Green vegetables retain their color best if cooked
rapidly. Soda is sometimes added to the water in which the
vegetables are cooked, for the purpose of preserving their colors,
but this practice is very harmful.

Steaming or baking is preferable for most vegetables, because
their finer flavors are more easily retained, and their food value
suffers less diminution. Particularly is this true of tubers.

The time required for cooking depends much upon the age
and freshness of the vegetables, as well as the method of cooking
employed. Wilted vegetables require a longer time for cooking
than fresh ones.

Hard and Soft Water. Different effects upon food are pro-
duced by the use of hard and soft water. Peas and beans boiled
in hard water containing lime or gypsum will not become tender,
because these chemical substances harden vegetable casein, of
which element peas and beans are largely composed. For ex-
tracting the juices of meat and the soluble parts of other foods
soft water is best, as it more readily penetrates the tissue ; but
when it is desired to preserve the articles whole and retain their
juices and flavors, hard water is preferable. Foods should be
put to cook in cold or boiling water, in accordance with the
object to be attained in their cooking. Foods from which it is
desirable to extract the nutrient properties, as for broths, extracts,
etc., should be put to cook in cold water. Foods to be kept
intact as nearly as may be should be put to cook in boiling water.
Hot and cold water act differently upon different food elements.
Starch is but slightly acted upon by cold water. When starch
is added to several times its bulk of hot water, all the starch
granules burst on approaching the boiling point, and swell to
such a degree as to occupy nearly the whole volume of the water,
forming a pasty mass. Sugar is dissolved readily in either hot or

506 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

cold water. Cold water extracts albumen. Hot water coagu-
lates it

Adding Foods to Boiling Liquids. Much of the sodden-
ness of improperly cooked foods might be avoided if the follow-
ing facts were kept in mind : When vegetables or other foods
of ordinary temperature are put into the boiling water, the
temperature is lowered in proportion to the quantity and the
temperature of the food thus introduced, and will not again boil
until the mass of food shall have absorbed more heat from the
fire. The result of this is that the food is apt to become more or
less water-soaked before the process of cooking begins. This
difficulty may be avoided by introducing but small quantities of
the food at one time, so as not to greatly lower the temperature
of the liquid, and then allowing the matter to boil between the
introduction of each fresh supply ; or by heating the food before
adding it to the liquid.

Evaporation Is another principle often overlooked in the
cooking of food, and many a sauce or gravy is spoiled because
the liquid, heated in a shallow pan from which evaporation is
rapid, loses so much in bulk that the amount of thickening
requisite for the given quantity of fluid, and which, had less evap-
oration occurred, would have made it of the proper consistency,
makes the sauce thick and unpalatable. Evaporation is much less
in slow boiling than in more rapid cooking.

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES IN FOODS.

Celery is a good tonic for the nervous system, and is con-
sidered a cure for rheumatism and a purifier of the blood.

Spinach and dandelion are considered excellent for the kidneys.
Tomatoes are good for torpid liver.

Hints to Housekeepers. 507

Raw onions are recommended for insomnia, and cooked onions
^r onion soup are an excellent remedy in debility of the digestive
organs.

Lettuce and cucumbers assist in cooling the blood.

Beans are considered one of the most nutritious and strength-
ening of vegetables.

Beets, turnips and potatoes are fattening, and are excellent
appetizers. In fact, all vegetable foods have more or less medic-
inal properties.

PRACTICAL HINTS REGARDING HEALTH.

Many people, especially the dyspeptic and those suffering
from weak digestive powers, experience great distress and incon-
venience from the use of certain foods ; this is caused from com-
bining foods that are not suited to one another.

Many foods that are easily assimilated when taken alone, if
they are combined with other articles of diet with which they are
incompatible will cause inconvenience and suffering.

The sick and convalescent and those suffering from weak
stomachs will do well to observe the following : Never combine
fruits and vegetables, milk and meats, sugar and milk; fats with
fruits or with meats, or cooked with grains or cereal foods.

The following combinations of food are considered the best :
Grains or cereal food and milk ; cereal food and eggs ; cereal
food and fruits ; cereal food and vegetables ; cereal food and
meats.

Food should be cut in small pieces, especially meats, and
eaten slowly, for if swallowed in large pieces and not properly
masticated, the digestive fluids cannot readily act upon it; the
saliva will not be sufficient in quantity, consequently the starch
will not be properly digested, and the stomach will not secrete
a sufficient amount of gastric juice. All soft and liquid foods

508 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

should be eaten with hard foods, so they will receive the proper
mastication. Drinking too freely at meals is injurious, for when
large quantities of liquid are used, digestion does not begin until
a considerable portion of the liquid is absorbed. It is best not
to drink while eating. Either before or shortly after the meal
are the times recommended by our leading physicians.

Drinking iced water, iced milk or iced tea when eating hot
foods is very harmful, as the stomach is chilled, causing a longer
delay in the digestive process.

Eating between meals is extremely harmful, and if continued
will certainly cause dyspepsia. The stomach, as well as the other
organs of the body, requires rest.

The simplest diet is the best; the eating of too many kinds of
food at a meal is a common fault, and is often the cause of indi-
gestion and other diseases of the digestive organs. Hasty eating
is a common fault, and is also the cause of over-eating; when food
is eaten so rapidly, it is crowded into the stomach so fast that
nature has not time to take away the appetite before too much
has been eaten hence the great distress and the dull feeling
after such a meal. When an excess of food is taken into the
stomach, it is likely to sour before it is digested.

Every person should be the proper judge of the quantity of
food to be eaten at each meal, and what they are able to digest
and utilize. The amount needed will vary, as it depends upon
the amount of work done mentally or physically, or the condition
of the weather and the season of the year.

Distress of the stomach and drowsiness are indications of
excessive eating, and should be a warning to discontinue it.

A person with an empty stomach should never enter a room
where there is a contagious disease, nor enter a sick-room when
perspiring.

A patient suffering from fever can be made cool by sponging
them frequently with soda-water.

Hints to Housekeepers. 509

A bag of hot sand relieves neuralgia and other pains.

One-half teaspoonful of baking soda in half a cupful of hot
water will relieve distress at the stomach and sick headache
caused by indigestion.

Hemorrhages of the lungs or stomach are checked by tak-
ing small doses of salt, and the patient must be kept very quiet.

Whooping-cough paroxysms are promptly checked by in-
haling the fumes of turpentine and carbolic acid.

The flavor of cod-liver oil can be changed to a delightful one,
if one will drink a tumblerful of water poured from a vessel in
which nails have been allowed to rust.

To bathe the eyes with a solution of ten to fifteen grains
of boracic acid to two ounces of hot water is highly recom-
mended ; boracic acid will not dissolve in cold water.

To cure a cold in the head, powdered borax should be snuffed
up the nostrils.

Night sweats can be arrested by sponging the body with salt
water before going to bed.

If an artery is severed, tie a small cord or handkerchief
above it

- - THE

Lightning Fruit Processor and Cooker,

PRONOUNCED BY PHYSICIANS, EXPERTS, CANNERS,

AND THE LEADING CHEFS TO BE THE

BEST STEAMER EVER PATENTED.

This cut shows the Lightning Fruit Processor and Cooker. [K] shows the
boiler. [HJ the place in which water is filled into the boiler. [C] the cylinder in
which jars or buckets are placed. [E] is the wire rack in which jars are placed be-
fore putting into cylinder. [D] is the siphon which conveys the steam into the jar
marked [F], [G] is the bucket for cooking the foods, and [I] is the jacket which
covers all, compresses the steam, securing more pressure and increasing the temper-
ature.

H. I. B LITS,

INVENTOR.

METHODS AND LECTURE HIGHLY ENDORSED.

Nearly one thousand prominent ladies of Philadelphia attended Prof. Blits'
lecture on the Canning of Fruits, and were enraptured with his formulas on preserv-
ing fruits and vegetables by his patented method of utilizing steam and hot air, and
nis new system of compounding syrups to preserve berries whole and natural. The
samples exhibited were the perfection of the art of preserving, and the results
obtained by many ladies present who had successfully tried his methods with the aid
of the Lightning Fruit Processor and Cooker were very flattering. Prof. Blits is a
recognized authority in this country on the art of canning fruits and vegetables, and
the impression made was very favorable. The fruit is kept more whole and natural,
and tomatoes, corn and vegetables, which it was considered almost an impossibility to
keep nicely in glass jars, are preserved very easily by these methods and with the
aid of this wonderful machine. His methods of canning strawberries whole and
natural, so they will retain their natural flavor and shape, was alone considered worth
the price charged. Philadelphia Times.

' 4

WHAT CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED BY THE LIGHTNING
FRUIT PROCESSOR AND COOKER.

You can process all kinds of fruits and vegetables, retain their natural flavor and
state and save one-third the shrinkage, in one-third the time ; cook all kinds of food,
sterilize milk and other liquids in one-third the time it takes by the ordinary methods
or by using other patented steamers now on the market. All kinds of meat, poultry
and game, no matter how tough, can be made more tender and palatable in one-third
the time, retaining their natural juice and flavor. Fish, oysters, clams and other shell-
fish are worth a king's ransom steamed in this cooker. Barley, rice, oatmeal, hominy
and other cereals are more healthy cooked in this manner. All kinds of puddings,
custards, sauces, beans, brown bread, fruit cake, and nearly everything that can be
boiled or baked can be done in this steamer with much better results and less time.
You can cook four different foods in this steamer at once without the mingling of
their different odors.

NEW YORK, October 25, 1893.

This is to certify that I consider the Lightning Fruit Processor and Cooker one
of the greatest household inventions and necessities of the age. I find it retains the
natural flavor of the fruits and vegetables, losing very little by shrinkage, and doing
the work in less than one-third the time. I find with this machine it is possible to
can from 75 to 100 cans of fruit in one day at a cost of about 15 to 20 cents for fuel.
For the sterilizing of milk and other liquids it has no equal, and should be adopted
alone for this purpose, as much sickness is caused by children drinking milk obtained
from diseased cows. At a trial test, made before a number of chefs and well-known
housekeepers, the food cooked in this steamer was pronounced far superior to that
cooked in the ordinary steamer or household utensil, and it was accomplished in just
one-third the time. PROF. L. N. GORDON, Chemist, East I4th Street, New York.

THE LIGHTNING FRUIT PROCESSOR
AND COOKER.

The Most Economical and Kapid Fruit Processor, Sterilizer
and Cooker ever Invented.

Acknowledged by the leading canners and chefs of this
country to be the most simple and practical machine for the
canning of fruits and vegetables and for all cooking and sterilizing
purposes.

After years of great labor and study and at great expense
the inventor has perfected a machine that meets the require-
ments of every housekeeper. Its simplicity recommends it to all,
as there is no complicated mechanism, no escape tubes, no valves
or other appliances to get out of order. The steamer is con-
structed on scientific principles, giving concentrated heat and
more steam pressure than any machine used for the purposes
already mentioned, and can be adapted for practical household
use, thereby making it an essential and important factor in house-
hold economy, conferring a blessing on every mother and house-
keeper in the land, and tending to make canning, cooking and ster-
ilizing easier less work and less expensive. All foods prepared
by my methods and with the Lightning Processor and Steamer
are more tender, digestible and healthy ; and any system or
mechanical invention that tends to make fruit processing, cooking

The Lightning Fruit Processor and Cooker. 513

of fruit or the sterilizing of liquids less laborious, less expensive
and more agreeable, is a blessing to mankind and should be
adopted by every housekeeper and mother in the land.

Mothers, no more crying and worrying because you have in-
competent help, or no help at all. It is easy to manage and keep
clean ; no scouring of heavy pots and kettles. It requires very
little attention. No burning or scorching of foods possible. No
shrinkage of fruits and liquids nor insipid tastes, as by the old
method and old appliances. This is impossible, as this machine
is so constructed that very little evaporation can take place. No
odors can escape, and by the use of the siphon, which is passed
into mouth of the fruit jar or cooking utensil, the air is forced out
quicker; the carbonic acid gas is destroyed more rapidly, and
every minute a drop of distilled water is, by condensation, forced
into the jar, preventing the rapid shrinkage of syrups as by the
ordinary canning methods of steamers now in use. The juices
and flavor of all foods, meats and liquids are retained, making
food more healthy and digestible ; and this alone makes it worth
its weight in gold, for statistics will prove that more graves are
rilled by poorly cooked and indigestible food than by indulgence in
strong drink, more divorces and separations effected than by any
other cause.

Vegetables should never be cooked in water. It makes them
insipid and watery. It destroys the natural state and flavor.
Fruits and vegetables for canning purposes should never be
stewed or cooked. It destroys their natural flavor, causes too
much shrinkage and takes a long time, and is far more laborious
and expensive.

Nothing over which we have control exerts so marked an
influence upon our mental and physical condition as the food we
eat. The brain and other organs of the body are affected by the
blood that nourishes them. So it follows that poorly cooked
food will result in poor blood and poor health in general; for

5 1 4 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

many of us eat what gratifies the palate or is most conveniently
obtained, without consideration or regard to its dietetic value.

The preserving and cooking of foods, when prepared by
scientific methods and with the aid of the most modern appli-
ances, ceases to be laborious work, but a blessing to every house-
keeper in the land.

Why it is Superior to All Other Steamers.

It is the only steamer that is especially adapted for the can-
ning of fruits and vegetables and the sterilizing of milk and other
liquids.

It alone has wire racks to set the glass jars or bottles in, so
that they will not set on the surface of boiler. This allows the
air to pass under the jar and prevents their breakage, which is
often the case in using the wash-boiler or the ordinary steamers.
It is the only steamer that has a siphon that conveys the steam
into the jar, bottle or cooking utensil, thereby forcing out the
oxygen quicker and destroving the carbonic acid gas more
rapidly. As all foods generate more or less carbonic acid gas,
and especially in the canning of vegetables, unless this is properly
treated, fermentation sets in ; that is the reason that corn and
vegetables are so hard to keep.

It has a cap that fits snugly in the cylinder, and a rubber
packet (or gasket) adjusted on rim of cap, which prevents all
vapors and odors from escaping. The rubber gasket has cloth
in the center and is made of the material that is used in large
steamers, so that it will stand a great pressure of steam without
rotting.

It is the only Processor that has an outside jacket which fits
over the closed cylinder snugly, causing a greater degree of heat,
compressing the steam and thereby getting a greater steam pres-

The Lightning Fruit Processor and Cooker. 515

sure, and also preventing the outside atmosphere from reducing
or affecting the temperature.

By this means it will enable you to can fruits and vegetables
and cook your foods in one-third the time used by all other
steamers or by the ordinary stove or range. Berries that take
fifteen minutes to can will take you by my process and steamer
five to ten minutes for every four jars.

Peaches and other soft fruits that take twenty minutes can be
done at the rate of four jars every ten to thirteen minutes. Pears
that take twenty- five to thirty minutes can be done at the rate
four jars every fifteen to twenty minutes. The same ratio of time
is used to all other fruits and vegetables.

In using the Steamer for cooking purposes you can place
onions in one of the cylinders, potatoes in another, cabbage in
the other and turnips in the fourth cylinder, and inclose same as
described in directions. They will be cooked in one-third the
time it takes you to do them with the ordinary stoves or the
steamers now on the market; of course, the same degree of
heat and the same size of fruits and vegetables must be used in
the testing of this. I should recommend a two-burner gasoline
or gas stove, for if you use one burner you do not generate as
much heat ; one burner can be used, but you must not expect as
rapid work. In using ordinary wood or coal stoves or ranges, see
that you have a good fire, and take off one lid and place steamer
directly over fire. The bottom is made of 14-02. copper and
will not burn or be damaged in the least. The smells cannot
escape or mingle with one another, as the foods are separated in
different cylinders and do not set in vessels one above another.

By this Steamer you can do potatoes in from fifteen to twenty
minutes, according to the size and degree of heat maintained ;
ordinary time, twenty-two to thirty-five minutes.

Onions in from thirty to forty minutes ; ordinary time, from
forty-five to sixty minutes.

5 1 6 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

Fresh sweet corn, from fifteen to twenty minutes ; ordinary
time, twenty to thirty minutes.

Fresh peas, twenty minutes ; ordinary time, thirty minutes.

Young asparagus in eighteen minutes ; ordinary time, twenty-
five minutes.

Tomatoes in twenty-five to thirty-five minutes ; ordinary time,
one hour and longer.

Young cabbage in forty minutes ; ordinary time, one hour.
Old cabbage takes nearly one-half as long again.

Turnips, forty-five minutes ; ordinary time, one hour. Old,
one-half as long again ; and other vegetables in the same ratio of
time.

The Main Reason why its Value is Inestimable to All
Housekeepers.

It will save your health, thereby saving you many a doctor's
bill. It can be run for ten hours on a gas or gasoline stove for
about twelve cents, saving you two-thirds the fuel generally used.

You can process four jars every five to ten minutes for ber-
ries, ten to fifteen minutes for soft fruits, and four jars every
eighteen to twenty-five minutes for hard fruits. This means
after steam is generated, which only takes a few minutes. This
would make from seventy-five to one hundred jars of fruit canned
in ten hours.

Think of it, mothers you who are compelled to do this work
yourselves, as you cannot trust your servants to do it. What a
blessing it will prove to you ! You can do a whole -season's can-
ning of any fruit in from one-half to one day at an expense of a
few cents, saving you a great deal of money, time, worriment and
sickness, and your fruits will retain their natural flavor and state
and be much healthier ; also saving you nearly one-third in shrink-
age of fruit. You have never regretted paying forty to seventy-

The Lightning Fruit Processor and Cooker. 517

five dollars for a sewing machine, for you found it repaid four-
fold every year ; and so you will find that the small price charged
for this great labor-saving machine and my methods of process-
ing fruits and vegetables will repay you in one week, without
considering its inestimable value for cooking purposes. I also
give with each machine my New Process of Canning Strawberries
and other Berries by simply using a compound syrup which is put
over, the berries not being cooked at all; the methods of keeping
tomatoes whole by steaming for slicing, stuffing or salad pur-
poses ; the canning of corn, beans, peas, aspargus and other vege-
tables by steaming in glass jars, so that they will retain their
natural flavor. Housekeepers will admit this has hitherto been
impossible to do.

The testing of vinegar for pickling purposes ; for if the vine-
gar is too strong it will eat the pickle ; if too weak it will not keep
them.

To test vinegar to see if adulterated with acid.

To give pickles a nice flavor and color without using coloring
matter.

The prevention of scum forming on pickles, and keeping them
without sealing them air-tight.

How to prevent mincemeat, ketchup, chilli sauce and other
sauces, also jellies and jams, from fermenting.

To make cold tomato ketchup, using no heat, and keeping it
as long as desired ; and other valuable information.

These Steamers are made by hand (no machine work) and of
the best quality of tin, consequently it will outlast three of the
ordinary patent steamers which are made of I. C. tin, the price of
which is twelve cents per sheet 20x28, while the price used in
this steamer is twenty cents per sheet, size 20x28.

The price of this valuable machine, including four wire racks,
four tin buckets, capacity, each two quarts ; one one-half pint
funnel ; including, also, the valuable information mentioned, with

5 1 8 Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

my Patented Methods for Processing Fruits and Vegetables, in
pamphlet form, is only $6.50.

Persons ordering same will please send P. O. money order
or express money order, or the machine will be sent to your
address C. O. D. Please write your name and address legibly.

Price of Wire Fruit Racks, ordered separately, $1.75 per
dozen.

Price of Wire Fruit Racks, ordered separately, ninety cents
per half dozen.

Price of Siphons, two for twenty-five cents, or thirteen cents
apiece.

Price of Tin Buckets, perforated or without holes, fifteen
cents apiece.

Agents wanted in all parts of the United States, and those
desiring to buy county rights will be accommodated at reason-
able figures; from $10 to $25 per day can be made.

Address,

NOBTHWESTEfiN PATENT EIGHT AND PUBLISHING 00,,

P. O. Box 127,

Milwaukee, Wis.

CLASSIFIED INDEX.

CANNED FRUITS.

Proper Seasons for Canning 4

Nutritious Value of Fruits 5

To Keep Fruit Fresh 7

Gooseberries and Rhubarb in Cold

Water 9

To Can Pineapple Cold 9

To Prevent Fermentation 65

To Make Fruit Racks 20

Hot-air Process for Canning Fruit IO

To Test if Jars are Air-tight 1 1

Pears in Rock Candy Syrup 12

To Prevent Mould 12

To Can Sour Fruit in Syrups 13

To Keep Jars Air-tight 18

To Can Fruits by Steam 22

To Can with Alcohol, leaving no

taste 42

CANNED STRAWBERRIES.

Wiesbaden Method for Canning. . 14

Syrup for Berries 16

Directions of Importance 16

Shaker Methods for Berries 17

Cold Process for Berries 17

Rule for Boiling Syrup 18

CANNED VEGETABLES, ETC.

To Can Corn 23

To Can Peas and Beans 23

Lima Beans and Succotash 24

String Beans and Asparagus 24

Squash and Pumpkin 24

To Can Lobster, Fish, etc 25

Hints to Housekeepers 27

CANNED TOMATOES.

Tomatoes by Hot Air 12

Tomatoes by Steaming 21

CRYSTALLIZED FRUITS, ETC.

To Boil Sugar 90

To Candy Fruits and Nuts 91

Candied Chestnuts 91

To Crystallize Fruits 92

Burned Sugar 44

JELLIES.

To Prepare Jellies 29

Jellies from Berries 30

Jellies from Fruits 31

Grape Jellies 33

Orange Jellies 33

Apple Jelly without Sugar 33

Fruit in Jelly 34

Quince Jelly 35

Plum Jelly 35

Crab Apple Jelly 36

Apple Jelly 36

Elderberry and Grape Jelly 37

Barberry Jelly 37

Cranberry and Sago Jelly 38

Tomato Jelly 41

Sherry Wine and Jelly 43

Apple Jelly 44

To Test Jelly 46

BRANDIED FRUITS.

To Brandy Fruits 32

To Brandy Cherries 32

To Brandy Plums 45

52O

Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

JAMS, MARMALADE, ETC.

Berry and Fruit Jam 32

Apple and Pear Marmalade 34

Peach Marmalade 35

Raspberry Preserves 36

Cherry Preserves 36

Plum Marmalade 38

Pineapple Preserves 38

Apple Jam 39

Orange Marmalade 39

Tomato-Figs 40

Tomato Preserves 40

Tomato Jam 41

Barberry Jam 41

Raspberry Jam 41

Pear Preserves 42

Citron or Melon Preserves 43

Pear and Plum Jam 46

Sugared Quinces 46

APPLE BUTTER, ETC.

Apple Butter 47

Dried Apple Butter 47

Tomato Butter 47

ON VINEGAR.

To Make Vinegar 49~59

To Test Vinegar 48

PICKLES.

Formula for Pickles 50

Sweet Pickles 50, 51

Cucumbers Canned 51

Pickled String Beans 52

Watermelon Pickles 52

Citron Pickles 52

Tomato Pickles 53

Green Tomato Pickles 53

To Salt Cucumbers 53

Pickled Onions 54

Mixed Pickles 60

Pickled Grapes 60 j

PICKLES Continued.

Fruit Pickles 6c

Pickled Plums 6a

Pickled Pears 62

Spanish Pickles 63

Pickled Walnuts 63

Pickled Limes or Lemons 64

Cantaloupe Pickles 64

Pickled Berries 64

About Pickles and Catsup 65

CHOW-CHOW, PEPPER SAUCE.

Mangoes or Peppers 53

Chow-chow 54

Pepper Sauce 55

CATSUP, SPICED FRUIT, ETC.

Spiced Vinegar for Fruit 50

Tomato Catsup 55

Currant Catsup 56

Spiced Currants 56

Mushroom Catsup 56

Chilli Sauce 56

Cold Catsup 57

FRUIT JUICES, WINES AND
BEVERAGES.

To Filter Juices and Syrups 68

To Prevent Cider and other Liquids

from Fermenting 75

To Make Fruit Juices, Wines and

Beverages 68-81 "

45 Formulas.

FRESH FRUITS.

How to Prepare and Serve Fresh

Fruits 82-90

26 Formulas.

COOKED FRUITS.

To Cook All Kinds of Fruits. . .93-101
34 Formulas.

Classified Index.

521

KITCHEN, PANTRY, ETC.
The Kitchen The Pantry The

Refrigerator The Cellar, 107-117

MARKETING.

Good Points in Meat Beef Veal
Lamb Mutton Pork
Poultry Fish Vegetables-
Fruit 118-130

ETIQUETTE OF DINNERS.
The proper etiquette to be observed
The training of servants
Forms of invitation The din-
ner Entertainment of guests
Forms of menus 131-139

THE ETIQUETTE OF VARI-
OUS ENTERTAINMENTS.
Large Breakfasts : The recognized
hours The toilet The prop-
er place to give it To lay
table and arrange dining-room
The food to be served and
how to serve it Menu, or cor-
rect bill of fare About serv-
ants 140, 141

The Family Breakfast 142

The Family Luncheon 143

Luncheon Parties 144

Afternoon Receptions 146

Afternoon Teas 148

Gentlemen's Suppers 150

Supper Parties 151

Evening Parties 151

Cinderella Parties 152

Card Parties 152

Calling During Entertainments. . . 153

New Year's Receptions 153

Wedding Receptions. 154

Silver and Golden Weddings 155

Country House Parties 155

LAYING AND SERVING THE

TABLE.

Best form of table Table requis-
ites On color and lighting
Table-cloth and other orna-
mentation Service and serv-
ants Frozen carafes and how

to freeze them 158-163

Flowers at Table 164

Forms of Menus : English dinner
French and English terms
Dinner a la Russe Amer-
ican dinner 166-177

PREPARATION OF FOODS.

Soups 178-191

46 Formulas.
Soups from Foreign Chefs. . . .192-198

28 Formulas.
Fish and Meat Sauces 199-205

30 Formulas.
Sauces from Foreign Chefs 206-212

23 Formulas.

Garnishes 213

Garnishes from Foreign Chefs, 214-216

9 Formulas.
Forcemeats 217, 218

6 Formulas.
Fish 219-223

19 Formulas.

Fish from Foreign Chefs 223-227

15 Formulas.
Oysters and other Shell-fish. . .228-232

20 Formulas.

Shell-fish from Foreign Chefs, 233-236

13 Formulas.
Game, Frogs and Terrapin . . . 237-246

32 Formulas.
Poultry 247-249

13 Formulas.
Poultry from Foreign Chefs. . .250-259

27 Formulas.

522

Cooking and Housekeeping Simplified.

PREPARATION OF FOODS Continued.
Eggs, Omelets, etc 260-266

20 Formulas.
Eggs, etc. , from Foreign Chefs, 266-268

8 Formulas.
Beef 269-275

24 Formulas.
Beef from Foreign Chefs 275-280

1 6 Formulas.
Veal 281-284

16 Formulas.
Veal from Foreign Chefs 285-288

13 Formulas.
Lamb and Mutton 288-292

13 Formulas.
Lamb from Foreign Chefs. . . .292-297

1 8 Formulas.
Pork 297-303

20 Formulas.
Hors d'CEuvres, Cold 304-306

11 Formulas.

Hors d'CEuvres, Hot 306-311

23 Formulas.
Salades and Entremets 312-324

42 Formulas.
Potatoes 325-333

36 Formulas.

Onions 334, 335

7 Formulas.
Tomatoes 335~337

12 Formulas.

Cabbage 338-341

10 Formulas.
Carrots and Turnips 342, 343

7 Formulas.
Squash and Beets 343, 344

7 Formulas.
Parsnips 345, 346

5 Formulas.
Corn 346, 347

7 Formulas.

PREPARATION OF FOODS Continued.
Peas 348

2 Formulas.

Peas from Foreign Chefs 348-350

6 Formulas.
Beans 35O~353

g Formulas.
Asparagus 353, 354

6 Formulas.
Cauliflower 355, 356

6 Formulas.
Egg Plant 357, 358

6 Formulas.
Mushrooms 358-360

6 Formulas.
Celery 360, 361

5 Formulas.
Vegetable Oyster or Salsify 362

3 Formulas.
Artichokes 363

3 Formulas.
Cucumbers 364

4 Formulas.

Greens 365-36?

9 Formulas.
Hominy and Okras 368

5 Formulas.

Macaroni and Spaghetti 369, 370

5 Formulas.
Grains or Cereal Food 37i~377

19 Formulas.

Measures and Weights 378

Bread 379-387

27 Formulas.
Biscuit, Rolls, Muffins, etc 387-391

15 Formulas.
Waffles 391 -394

13 Formulas.
French Recipes 394, 395

4 Formulas.
Gingerbread, Doughnuts, etc., 395-400

27 Formulas.

Classified Index.

523

PREPARATION OF FOODS Continued.

Cake 400-407

39 Formulas.
Layer Cakes 408-412

21 Formulas.
Coloring for Cakes, etc 412, 413

3 Formulas.
Pies 414-426

47 Formulas.
Puddings 427-434

24 Formulas.
Dumplings 434, 435

5 Formulas.

Sauces for Puddings 436-441

29 Formulas.
Custards and Fancy Desserts, 442-458

57 Formulas.
Fancy Desserts, French 459-468

26 Formulas.

French Coffee 467

French Tea 467

French Chocolate 468

Ice Cream and Water Ices . . .469-472

1 6 Formulas.
Ice Cream, etc., French 472-475

6 Formulas.

PREPARATION OF FOODS Continued.

Candies 476-482

33 Formulas.

Food for the Sick : Gruels Milk
Diet Jellies and Desserts
Custards and Puddings Beef
Tea and Broth Toast. . .483-492

Proper Food for Infants 493-496

Food for Young Children 497

Milk, Cream and Butter 498-501

HINTS TO HOUSEKEEPERS:
Medicinal Properties in Foods
Practical Hints Regarding
Health 502-509

LIGHTNING FRUIT PROCESS-
OR AND COOKER :
The Most Economical and Rapid
Fruit Processor, Sterilizer and
Cooker ever Invented Why
it is Superior to All Other
Steamers The Main Reason
why its Value is Inestimable
to All Housekeepers The
Book that is Supplied with it
Its Small Cost and its Great
Accomplishments 510-518

THE LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

Santa Barbara

THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE
STAMPED BELOW.

JOm-9,'66(G6338s8)9182