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Practical
Housekeeping
[Illustration: The initial capital is illustrated with a shaft of wheat.]
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TRIED AND APPROVED.
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BUCKEYE COOKERY
PAYING WORK FOR WOMEN.
This book was compiled and published by women, and, as a rule, women are employed as agents. We believe every one who obtains it will find it an indispensable help, and, for this reason, will feel an interest in giving it a wide circulation. The Publishers will consider it a great favor, if ladies who have the book and value it, will put them in correspondence with bright, wide-awake women, who need work that will pay liberally, no matter in what part of the country they may live. Such friends as want a copy of the book, may get it direct from us by remitting $1.75, or from the agent whose address is given below.
BUCKEYE PUBLISHING COMPANY,
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN., or,
Marysville, Union County, Ohio.
Agent,
TWENTY-FIFTH THOUSAND.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.
BUCKEYE PUBLISHING COMPANY.
1877.
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TRIED AND APPROVED.
BUCKEYE COOKERY
AND
PRACTICAL HOUSEKEEPING.
COMPILED FROM ORIGINAL RECIPES.
" Bad dinners go hand in hand with total depravity, while a properly fed man is already half saved."
TWENTY-FIFTH THOUSAND.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.
BUCKEYE PUBLISHING COMPANY.
1877.
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COPYRIGHT, 1877,
BY
BUCKEYE PUBLISHING COMPANY.
PRINTED AND BOUND AT THE
United Brethren Publishing House,
DAYTON, OHIO.
STEREOTYPED AT THE
FRANKLIN TYPE FOUNDRY,
CINCINNATI.
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TO THE
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PLUCKY HOUSEWIVES
OF 1876,
WHO MASTER THEIR WORK INSTEAD OF ALLOWING IT TO
MASTER THEM,
THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Pages.
BREAD-MAKING................................................... 7--40
CAKE-MAKING.................................................... 41-- 82
CREAMS AND CUSTARDS............................................ 83-- 92
CONFECTIONERY.................................................. 93-- 98
CANNING FRUITS................................................. 99--106
CATSUPS AND SAUCES............................................. 107--112
DRINKS......................................................... 113--119
EGGS........................................................... 120--125
FISH........................................................... 126--133
FRUITS......................................................... 134--139
GAME........................................................... 140--146
ICES AND ICE-CREAM............................................. 147--153
JELLIES AND JAMS............................................... 154--160
MEATS.......................................................... 161--180
PASTRY......................................................... 181--194
PUDDINGS AND SAUCES............................................ 195--212
PRESERVES...................................................... 213--222
PICKLES........................................................ 223--236
POULTRY........................................................ 237--250
SALADS......................................................... 251--257
SHELL-FISH..................................................... 258--276
SOUPS.......................................................... 265-276
VEGETABLES..................................................... 277--298
BILLS OF FARE.................................................. 299--304
FOR ADDITIONAL RECIPES......................................... 305--320[Editorial note: In the Table of Contents 15 pages are attributed to "For Additional Recipes", however, only 4 pages are in the original text.]
FRAGMENTS...................................................... 321--329
TABLE OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.................................. 330
COOK'S TIME-TABLE.............................................. 331
HOUSEKEEPING................................................... 332--349
DINING-ROOM.................................................... 350--355
KITCHEN........................................................ 356--367
MANAGEMENT OF HELP............................................. 368--370
MARKETING...................................................... 370--374
CARVING........................................................ 375--376
HOW TO CUT AND CURE MEATS...................................... 377--382
HINTS ON BUTTER-MAKING......................................... 383--384
LAUNDRY........................................................ 385--395
CELLAR AND ICE-HOUSE........................................... 396--400
SOMETHING ABOUT BABIES......................................... 401--403
HINTS FOR THE WELL............................................. 404--408
HINTS FOR THE SICK-ROOM........................................ 409--418
THE ARTS OF THE TOILET......................................... 419--424
ACCCIDENTS AND SUDDEN SICKNESS................................. 425--431
MEDICAL........................................................ 432--439
FLORAL......................................................... 440--444
MISCELLANEOUS.................................................. 445--454
ALPHABETICAL INDEX............................................. 455--464
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PREFACE.
IT is becoming fashionable in these pinching times to economize, and housekeepers are really finding it a pleasant pastime to search out and stop wastes in household expenses, and to exercise the thousand little economies which thoughtful and careful women understand so readily and practice with such grace. Somebody has said that a well-to-do French family would live on what an American household in the same condition of life wastes, and this may not be a great exaggeration. Here, the greatest source of waste is in the blunders and experiments of the inexperienced. Women are slow to learn by the experience of others. Every young house-keeper must begin at the beginning (unless her mother was wise enough to give her a careful training) and blunder into a knowledge of the practical duties of the household, wasting time, temper and money in mistakes, when such simple instructions as any skillful housewife might readily give, would be an almost perfect guide. Lately there have been attempts to gather such instructions as are needed into a book, but they have been partial failures, because the authors have been good book-makers, but poor bread-makers, or because, while practically familiar with the subjects treated, they have failed to express clearly and concisely the full processes in detail. In compiling this new candidate for favor, the one aim has been to pack between its covers the greatest possible amount of practical information of real value to all, and especially to the inexperienced. It is not a hap-hazard collection of recipes, gathere at random from doubtful sources, but has
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been made up without sparing time, labor, or expense, from the choicest bits of the best experience of hundreds who have long traveled the daily round of household duties, not reluctantly like drudges, but lovingly, with heart and hand fully enlisted in the work. Those housewives, especially, whose purses are not over-plethoric, will, it is believed, find its pages full of timely and helpful suggestions in their efforts to make the balance of the household ledger appear on the right side, without lessening the excellence of the table or robbing home of any comfort or attraction.
The arrangement of subjects treated, whenever practicable, has been made in the simple order of the alphabet, and for the sake of still more ready reference a very full alphabetical index has been added. The instructions which precede the recipes of each department, have been carefully made up, and are entirely trustworthy, and the recipes themselves are new to print, and well indorsed. Several suggestive articles have also been introduced, which, though not belonging strictly to cookery, bear such close relations to it that the fitness of their appearance in the connection is evident.
There has been no attempt at display or effect, the only purpose being to express ideas as clearly and concisely as possible, and to make a thoroughly simple and practical work. In the effort to avoid the mistakes of others, greater errors may have been committed; but the book is submitted just as it is to the generous judgement of those who consult it, with the hope that it may lessen their perplexities; and stimulate that just pride without which work is drudgery and great excellence impossible.
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BREAD-MAKING.
THE old saying, "bread is the staff of life," has sound reason in it. Flour made from wheat, and meal from oats and Indian corn, are rich in the waste-repairing elements, starch and albumen, and head the list of articles of food for man. Good bread makes the homeliest meal acceptable, and the coarsest fare appetizing, while the most luxurious table is not even tolerable without it. Light, crisp rolls for breakfast, spongy, sweet bread for dinner, and flaky biscuit for supper, cover a multitude of culinary sins; and there is no one thing on which the health and comfort of a family so much depends as the quality of its home-made loaves.
Bread-making seems a simple process enough, but it requires a delicate care and watchfulness, and a thorough knowledge of all the contingencies of the process, dependent on the different qualitites of flour, the varying kinds and conditions of yeast, and the change of seasons; the process which raises bread successfully in winter making it sour in summer. There are many little things in bread-making which require accurate observation, and, while valuable recipes and well-defined methods in detail are invaluable aids, nothing but experience will secure the name merited by so few, though earnestly coveted by every practical, sensible housekeeper--"an excellent bread-maker." Three things are indispensable to success--good flour, good yeast, and watchful care. Good flour adheres to the hand, and, when pressed, shows the imprint of the lines of the skin. Its tint is cream white. Never buy that which has a blue-white tinge. Poor flour is not adhesive, can be blown about easily, and sometimes has a dingy look, as though mixed with ashes. Never use flour without sifting; and a large tin or
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wooden pail with a tight-fitting cover, kept full of sifted flour, will be found a great convenience. All kinds of flour and meal, except buckwheat and Graham, need sifting, and all except wheat flour should be bought in small quantities, as they become damp and musty by long standing.
This is made from
warm water or milk, yeast and
flour
(some add
mashed potatoes), mixed together in proper proportions. In summer, care must be taken not to set sponge too early, at least not before eight or nine o'clock in the evening. Make up a rather thick batter of flour and
tepid water or milk. (Sponge mixed with
bran water, warm in winter and cold in summer, makes sweeter bread. Boil bran in the proportion of one pint to a quart of
water and strain.)
When
milk is used, scald to prevent souring, and cool before using; add yeast, cover closely, and place to rise on the kitchen table.
In very hot weather, sponge can be made with
cold water.
In winter, mix the batter with
water or milk at blood warmth, testing it with the finger, and making it as warm as can be borne; stir in the flour, which will cool it sufficiently for the yeast; cover closely and place in a warm and even temperature. A good plan is to fold a clean blanket several times, and cover with it, providing the sponge is set in a very large crock or jar, so that there is no danger of its running over. As a general rule, one small tea-cup of yeast and three pints of "wetting" will make sponge enough for four ordinary loaves. In all sponges add the yeast last, making sure that it will not be scalded; when placed to rise, always cover closely. Many think it an improvement to beat the sponge thoroughly, like batter for a cake. All the various sponges are very nice baked on a griddle for breakfast-cakes, or, better still, in muffin-rings. When used in this way, add a little
salt and make the sponge rather thick.
Always be
"Up in the morning early, just at the peep of day,"
in summer time to prevent the sponge becoming sour by too long standing, and in winter to be getting materials warmed and in readiness for use. A large, seamless tin dish-pan with handles and
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a tight-fitting cover, kept for this purpose alone, is better than a wooden bowl for bread. It should be thoroughly washed and scalded every time it is used. Measure and sift the flour. It is convenient to keep two quart cups, one for dry and the other for liquid measuring. In winter, always warm the flour and also the sponge. Put the flour in a bread-pan, make a large well in the center, into which pour the sponge, adding two level tea-spoons of salt (this is the quantity for four loaves of bread); mix well, being careful not to get the dough too stiff; turn out on the bread-board, rub the pan clean, and add the "rubbings" to the bread. Knead for fully twenty minutes, or until the dough ceases to stick to either the board or hands. The process of kneading is very important. Some good bread-makers knead with the palm of the hands until the dough is a flat cake, then fold once, repeating this operation until the dough is perfectly smooth and elastic;
others close the hands and press hard and quickly into the dough with the fists, dipping them into the flour when the dough sticks, or, after kneading, chop with the chopping-knife and then knead again;
others still knead with a potato-masher, thinking it a great saving of strength. No exact directions can be given, but experience and practice will prove the best guides. After the bread is thoroughly kneaded, form into a round mass or large loaf, sprinkle the bread-pan well with flour, and, having placed the loaf in it, sprinkle flour lightly on the top; cover, and set to rise in a warm temperature; let it rise well this time, say from one to two hours, owing to the season of the year. Place again on the bread-board, knead lightly with elastic movements for five minutes, again form into one large loaf, return to pan, and let rise, but not so long this time. Then knead down in the pan, cut into equal parts, place one at a time on the board, mold each into a smooth, oblong loaf, not too large, and put one after another into a well-greased baking-pan, and set to rise. Loaves made in the French style, long and narrow, are about half crust, and more easily digested, the action of heat anticipating part of the digestive process. In molding, do not leave any lumps or loose flour adhering to the outside, but mold until the loaves are perfectly smooth. No particular directions can be given in regard to the time bread should stand after it is molded and
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placed in the pans, because here is the point where observation and discretion, are so indispensable. In hot weather, when the yeast is very good and the bread very light, it must not stand over fifteen minutes before placing to bake. If it is cold weather and the yeast is less active, or the bread not perfectly raised, it may sometimes stand an hour in the pans without injury. When it is risen so as to seam or crack, it is ready for the oven; if it stands after this it becomes sour, and even if it does not sour it loses its freshness and sweetness, and the bread becomes dry sooner after baking. Bread should undergo but two fermentations; the saccharine or sweet fermentation, and the vinous, when it smells something like foaming beer. The housewife who would have good, sweet bread, must never let it pass this change, because the third or acetous fermentation then takes place. This last can be remedied by adding soda in the proportion of one tea-spoon to each quart of wetting; or, which is the same thing, a tea-spoon to four quarts of flour; but the bread will be much less nutritious and healthful, and some of the best elements of the flour will be lost. Always add salt to all bread, biscuit, griddle cakes, etc., but never salt sponge. A small quantity of white sugar is an improvement to all bread dough. Bread should always be mixed as soft as it can be handled.
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TO BAKE BREAD.
Here is the important point, for the bread may be perfect thus far and then be spoiled in baking. No definite rules can be given that apply equally well to every stove and range; but one general rule must be observed, which is to have a steady, moderate heat, such as is more minutely described in the directions for baking large cakes. The oven must be just hot enough; if too hot, a firm crust is formed before the bread has expanded enough, and it will be heavy. Many test the oven by sprinkling a little flour on the bottom; if it browns very quickly, it is too hot, but if it browns gradually, it is just right. An oven in which the hand can not be held longer than to count twenty moderately, is hot enough. When the bread is done (to test which, break apart and press gently with the finger; if elastic it is done, but if clammy, not done; and must be returned to the oven), wrap in a coarse towel
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or bread cloth and place each loaf on its edge until cool. If by accident or neglect the bread is baked too hard, rub the loaves over with butter, wet the towel in which they are wrapped, and cover with another dry towel. In winter, bread dough may be kept sweet several days by placing it where it will be cold without freezing, or by putting it so deep into the flour barrel as to exclude it entirely from the air. When wanted for use, make into bread, or, by adding the proper ingredients, into cake, rusk, biscuit, apple dumplings, chicken pie, etc.
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GRAHAM AND CORN BREAD.
It is very desirable that every family should have a constant supply of bread made of unbolted flour, or rye and Indian corn. Most persons find it palatable, and it promotes health. For these coarse breads, always add a little brown sugar or molasses, and the amount given in the recipes may be increased according to taste. They rise quicker and in a less warm atmosphere than without sweetening. A little lard or butter improves bread or cakes made of Graham or Indian meal, rendering them light and tender. Graham rises rather more quickly than fine flour, and should not be allowed to rise quite as light. The fire should be steady and sufficient to complete the baking, and the oven hot when the bread is put in. A fresh blaze will burn the crust, while a steady fire will sweeten it. Graham bread bakes more slowly than fine-flour bread, and corn bread requires more time and a hotter oven than either. Use either yellow or white corn, ground coarse, for mush, and white, ground fine, for bread, etc. In cutting the latter while warm, hold the knife perpendicularly. Rye is said to absorb more moisture from the air than any other grain; hence, all bread from this meal needs a longer application of heat, and keeps moister after being baked than that made from other grain.
Peel and boil four or five medium-sized
potatoes in two quarts of
water, which will boil down to one quart when done, take out and press through a colander, or mash very fine in the crock in which the sponge is made; form a well in the center, into which put one
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flour, and pour over it the
boiling water from the potatoes; stir thoroughly and when cool add a pint of
tepid water, flour enough to make a
thin batter, and a cup of
yeast. This sponge makes very moist bread.
Six
potatoes boiled and mashed while hot, two table-spoons of
white sugar, two of
butter, one quart
tepid water; into this stir three cups of
flour; beat to a smooth batter, add six table-spoons of the
yeast, set over night, and, in the morning, knead in sufficient flourto make a stiff, spongy dough; knead vigorously for fifteen minutes, set away to rise, and, when light, knead for ten minutes, mold out into moderate-sized loaves, and let rise until they are like delicate or light sponge-cake.
--Mrs. George H. Rust, Minneapolis, Minn.
Five pints of
warm water, five quarts of
sifted flour, one coffee-cup of
yeast; mix in a two-gallon stone jar, cover closely, and set in a large tin pan, so that if the sponge rises over the top of the jar, the drippings may fall into the pan. Set to rise the evening before baking. In winter be careful to set in a warm place. In the morning sift six quarts of
flour into a pail, pour the sponge into the bread-pan or bowl, add two table-spoons of
salt, then the flour gradually; mix and knead well, using up nearly all the flour. This first kneading is the most important, and should occupy at least twenty minutes. Make the bread in one large loaf, set away in a warm place, and cover with a cloth. It ought to rise in half and hour; when it should be kneaded thoroughly again for ten minutes. Then take enough dough for three good-sized loaves (a quart bowl of dough to each), give five minutes kneading to each loaf, and place to rise in a dripping-pan well greased with
lard. The loaves will be light in five or ten minutes; and will bake in a properly heated oven in half an hour. Make a well in the center or the remaining dough and into it put one-half tea-cup of
white sugar, one tea-cup of lard, and two
eggs, which mix thoroughly with the dough, knead into one large loaf, set in a warm place about fifteen minutes to rise, and, when light, knead five minutes and let rise again for
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about ten minutes, when it should be light. Take out of pan, knead on bread-board, roll about an inch in thickness, cut out with a biscuit-cutter, and place in dripping pan; let rise five minutes and bake twenty minutes. In winter more time must be allowed for rising. This makes three loaves and ninety biscuit.
--S. A. M.
The evening before baking, bring to the boiling point two quarts of
buttermilk, and pour into a crock in which a scant tea-cup of sifted
flour has been placed. Let stand till sufficiently cool, then add half a cup of
yeast, and
flour to make a thick batter; the better and longer the sponge is stirred the whiter will be the bread. In the morning sift the flour into the bread-pan, pour the sponge in the center, stir in some of the flour, and let stand until after breakfast; then mix, kneading for about half an hour, the longer the better; when light, mold into loaves, this time kneading as little as possible. The secret of good bread is having good yeast, and not baking too hard. This makes four loaves and forty biscuit.
--M. C. M.
BREAD WITH POTATO SPONGE. |
Pare and boil four or five
potatoes, mash fine, and add one pint of
flour; pour on the mixture first
boiling water enough to moisten well, then about one quart of
cold water, after which add flour enough to make a stiff batter. When cooled to "scarcely milk warm," put in one-half pint (or more will do no harm) of
yeast, and let it stand in a warm place over night; in the morning add to this sponge one cup of
lard, stir in flour, and knead well. The more kneading the finer and whiter the bread will be; pounding also with a potato-masher improves the bread greatly, and is rather easier than so much kneading. When quite stiff and well worked and pounded, let it rise again, and when light, make into loaves or biscuit, adding no more flour except to flour the hands and board--merely enough to prevent the bread from sticking. Let it rise again, then bake; and immediately after taking from the oven, wrap in a wet towel until partly cold, in order to soften the crust. If
yeast and
flour are good (
essentials in all cases), the above process will make good bread.
--Mrs. Clara Morey.
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BREAD, IN SUMMER OR WINTER. |
In summer take three pints of
cold or tepid water, four table-spoons of
yeast, one tea-spoon of
salt; stir in
flour enough to make a thick sponge (rather thicker than griddle-cakes). Let stand until morning, then add more flour, mix stiff, and knead ten minutes; place in a pan, let rise until light, knead for another ten minutes; mold into four loaves, and set to rise, but do not let it get too light; bake in a moderate oven one hour. If breadis mixed at six o'clock in the morning, the baking ought to be done by ten o'clock.
In winter take one pint of buttermilk or clabbered milk; let it scald (not boil); make a well in the center of the flour, into it turn the hot milk, add one tea-spoon of salt, enough flour and water to make sufficient sponge, and one tea-cup of yeast; let stand until morning and then prepare the bread as in summer. This is more convenient to make in winter, since a hot fire is needed to heat the milk.--Mrs. D. Buxton.
Pour two quarts
hot corn-meal mush, made as for eating, over two quarts
flour, (wheat or Graham); when cool, add one quart sponge, half cup
molasses, one tea-spoon
salt, half tea-spoon of
soda; mix well together; add more flour if needed, and knead thoroughly; mold into small loaves; let rise and bake in small dripping-pans, (a loaf in a pan) or pie-tins, in a moderate oven; when done, rub over with
butter and wrap in a cloth.
--Mrs. W. W. W.
For four small loaves boil four large
potatoes; when done, pour off the
water, and when it cools add to it a
yeast cake; mash the potato very fine, put through a sieve, pour
boiling milk on as much
flour as is needed, let stand until cool, add the potato and yeast, a large tea-spoon of
salt and one table-spoon of
sugar; stir very stiff, adding flour as is needed. Let stand in a warm place until light, dissolve one tea-spoon of
soda in a little
hot water, mix well through with the hands, mold into loaves, and let rise again. When sufficiently raised place in a moderately hot oven, keeping up a steady fire.
--Mrs. Governor Hardin, Missouri.
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One tea-cup
yeast, three pints
warm water; make a thin sponge at tea-time, cover and let it remain two hours or until very light. By adding the
water to the
flour first and having the sponge quite warm, it is never necessary to put the sponge over
hot water or in an oven to make it rise. Knead into a loaf before going to bed; in the morning mold into three loaves, spreading a little
lard between as they are put in the pan. When light, bake one hour, having oven quite hot when the bread is put in, and very moderate when it is done. (Bread made in this way is never sour or heavy.)
To have fine, light biscuit, add
shortening at night, and in the morning make into biscuit and bake for breakfast. By this recipe bread is baked before the stove is cold from breakfast, and out of the way for other baking.
To cool bread there should be a board for the purpose. An oaken board, covered with heavy white flannel, is the best; over this spread a fresh linen bread-cloth, and lay the bread on it right side up, with nothing over it except a very thin cover to keep off the flies. It should be placed immediately in the fresh air or wind to cool; when cool, place immediately in a tin box or stone jar, and cover closely. Bread cooled in this way will have a soft crust, and be filled with pure air.--Mrs. J.T. Liggett, Detroit, Michigan.
Put into a pail holding two quarts and a half, one pint of
new milk, and one pint of
boiling water; mix with this one table-spoon of
sugar, one of
salt, and three pints of
flour; beat well together, and cover tightly. Set pail into another pail or kettle, with
water enough to come nearly to the top of it; to have the water of the right temperature, let half be boiling and half cold. Be very particular to set it where it will keep about the same temperature until risen. Beat the batter as often as once in every half hour until the last hour, when it must not be disturbed: it will rise in about five hours, and when risen enough the pail will be full. Put two quarts of flour into a pan, make a well in the middle of it, dissolve a tea-spoon of
soda in a little
hot water, and when the batter is risen just enough, turn it into the middle of the flour, pouring
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the dissolved soda in with it; knead well and make into loaves. Set them where they will be warm, and let them rise forty-five minutes; bake in a quick oven. It will take nearly a pint of flour to knead the bread on the board. This bread makes the nicest dry toast and sandwiches.
--Mrs. W. A. James.
One pint
buttermilk or sour milk, one level tea-spoon
soda, a pinch of
salt, and
flour enough to make as stiff as soda-biscuit dough; cut into three pieces, handle as little as possible, roll an inch thick, place in dripping-pan, bake twenty or thirty minutes in a hot oven, and when done, wrap in a
bread cloth. Eat while warm, breaking open like a biscuit. Each cake will be about the size of a pie.
--Mrs. D. B.
Make a well in the middle of four quarts
flour, into which turn one table-spoon
sugar, one of
salt, and one cup of
yeast; then mix with one pint of
milk which has been warmed by adding one pint of
boiling water; add one table-spoon
lard, knead well, and let rise over night; in the morning knead again, make into loaves, let them rise one hour, and bake fifty minutes.
Water can be used instead of the pint of milk, in which case use twice as much lard.
One heaping coffee-cup each of
corn, rye and Graham meal.
The rye meal should be as fine as the Graham, or
rye flour may be used. Sift the three kinds together as closely as possible, and beat together thoroughly with two cups
New Orleans or Porto Rico molasses, two cups
sweet milk, one cup
sour milk, one dessert-spoon
soda, one tea-spoon
salt; pour into a tin form, place in a kettle of
cold water, put on and boil four hours. Put on to cook as soon as mixed. It may appear to be too thin, but it is not, as this recipe has never been known to fail. Serve warm, with Thanksgiving turkey. The bread should not quite fill the form, (or a tin pail with cover will answer;) as it must have room to swell. See that the
water does not boil up to the top of the form; also take care it does not boil entirely away or stop boiling. To serve it, remove the lid and set it a few moments into the open oven to dry the top,
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and it will then turn out in perfect shape. This bread can be used as a pudding, and served with a
sauce made of
thick sour cream, well sweetened and seasoned with
nutmeg; or it is good toasted the next day.
--Mrs. H. S. Stevens, Minneapolis, Minn.
One pint each of
rye or Graham and Indian meal, one cup
molasses, three-fourths cup
sour milk, one and one-half tea-spoons
soda, one and one-half pints
cold water. Put on stove over
cold water, steam four hours, and brown over in the oven.
Two and one-half cups
sour milk and one-half cup
molasses; into these put one heaping tea-spoon
soda, two cups
corn meal, one cup
Graham flour and one tea-spoon
salt. Use coffee-cups. Steam three hours--better steamed longer.
--Mrs. D. Bassett, Minneapolis, Minn.
One cup
sweet milk, two cups
sour milk, two-thirds cup of
molasses, one cup
flour, four cups
corn-meal, two tea-spoons
soda; steam three hours, and brown a few minutes in the oven.
--Mrs. Canby, Bellefontaine.
One quart
sour milk, three
eggs, two table-spoons
lard or butter (or half and half), one table-spoon
sugar, a pinch of
salt, handful of
wheat flour, and enough
corn-meal (sifted) to make a good batter; add one heaping tea-spoon
soda, stir thoroughly, and bake in long dripping-pan.
One pint
corn meal, one of
sour or buttermilk, one
egg, one tea-spoon
soda, one of
salt; bake in dripping or gem-pans.
If preferred, one heaping table-spoon of
sugar may be added.
One pint
corn meal sifted, one pint
flour, one pint
sour milk, two
eggs beaten light, one-half cup
sugar, piece of
butter size of an egg; add, the last thing, one tea-spoon
soda in a little
milk; add to the beaten egg the milk and meal alternately, then the butter and sugar.
If
sweet milk is used, add one tea-spoon
cream tartar; bake
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twenty minutes in a hot oven.
--Mrs. H. B. Sherman, Milwaukee Wisconsin.
Take one quart
buttermilk, and one heaping pint
corn meal, one tea-spoon
soda, one tea-spoon
salt, one table-spoon
sugar and three
eggs; have the stove very hot, and do not bake in too deep a pan. The batter seems too thin, but bakes very nicely.
--Mrs. J. H. S.
Two cups each
corn meal, Graham flour, and
sour milk, two thirds cup
molasses, one tea-spoon
soda; steam two hours and a half.
--Mrs. Jennie Guthrie Cherry, Newark.
Take a little over a quart of
warm water, one-half cup
brown sugar or molasses, one-fourth cup
hop yeast, and one and a half tea-spoons
salt; thicken the
water with
unbolted flour to a thin batter; add sugar, salt and yeast, and stir in more flour until quite stiff. In the morning add a small tea-spoon
soda, and flour enough to make the batter stiff as can be stirred with a spoon; put it into pans and let rise again; then bake in even oven, not too hot at first;
keep warm while rising; smooth over the loaves with a spoon or knife dipped in water.
--Mrs. H. B. Sherman, Plankinton House Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
To one and a half pints of
tepid water add one heaping tea-spoon of
salt and one-half cup of
sugar; stir in one half pint or more of the sponge made of
white flour, as in recipe for "Bread with Potato Yeast," add
Graham flour until almost
too stiff to stir, put in the baking-pan and let rise well, which will take about two hours, bake in a moderate oven, and when done, wrap in a wet towel until cool.
--Mrs. Clara Woods Morey.
One and a half pints
sour milk, half cup
New Orleans molasses, a little
salt, two tea-spoons
soda dissolved in a little
hot water, and as much
Graham flour as can be stirred in with a spoon; pour in well-greased pan, put in oven as soon as mixed, and bake two hours
--Mrs. E. J. W.
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One quart of
rye meal or rye flour, two quarts of
Indian meal, scalded (by placing in a pan and pouring just enough
boiling water over it, stirring constantly with a spoon, to merely wet it, but not enough to make it into a batter,) one-half tea-cup
molasses, two tea-spoons
salt, one tea-spoon
soda, one tea-cup
yeast; make as stiff as can be stirred with a spoon, mixing with
warm water, and let rise all night; then put in a large pan, smooth the top with the hand dipped in
cold water, let it stand a short time, and bake five or six hours. If put in the oven late in the day let it remain all night.
Graham may be used instead of rye, and baked as above. In the olden time it was placed in kettle, allowed to rise, then placed on the hearth before the fire, with coals on top of lid, and baked.
--Mrs. Charles Fullington.
Make a sponge of one quart
warm water, one tea-cup
yeast, thickened with
rye flour; put in warm place to rise over night; scald one pint
corn meal; when cool add it to sponge, and add rye flour till thick enough to knead,
knead but little, let rise, mold into loaves, place in deep pie-tins or small pudding-pans, let rise and bake: or, thicken the sponge with rye flour, and proceed as above.
Wheat sponge may be used instead of rye.
--Mrs. Eliza T. Carson.
>
BREAKFAST AND TEA CAKES.
To make biscuit,
take a part of the dough left from bread-making when it is ready to mold into loaves, work in the lard and any other ingredients desired, such as butter, eggs, sugar, spice, etc., also using a little more flour; let rise once, then mix down and let rise again; turn out on the bread-board; knead a few minutes, roll, and cut out with a biscuit-cutter or mold with the hand. Place in a well-greased dripping-pan, and when light bake in a quick oven from fifteen to twenty minutes. To make them a nice color, wet the top with warm water just before placing in the oven. To
View page [20]
glaze, brush lightly with milk and sugar, or the well-beaten yolk of an egg sweetened, and a little milk added.
Biscuit may be baked in eight minutes by making the oven as hot as can be without burning, and allowing it to cool off gradually as they bake; this makes them very light, but one has to watch closely to keep them from being scorched. Any kind of bread or pastry mixed with water requires a hotter fire than that mixed with milk.
Biscuit for tea at six must be molded two hours before, which will give ample time for rising and baking. Parker House rolls for breakfast at eight must be made ready at five. Many think it unnecessary to knead down either bread or biscuit as often as here directed; but if attention is given to the dough at the right time, and it is not suffered to become too light, it will be much nicer, whiter and of a finer texture if these directions are followed.
Soda biscuit
must be handled as little and made as rapidly as possible; mix soda and cream tartar or baking-powder in the flour,
(with sweet milk use baking-powder or soda and cream tartar, with sour milk soda alone,) so that the effervescence takes place in the mixture. One tea-spoon soda and two of cream tartar, or three tea-spoons baking-powder, to every three pints of flour, is about the right proportion. Bake in a quick oven as soon as made, and they rise more quickly if put into hot pans. Gems of all kinds require a hot oven, but the fire should be built sometimes before they are put into the oven and allowed to go down by the time they are light, as the heat necessary to raise them will burn them in baking if kept up:
Soda and raised biscuit and bread or cake, when stale, can be made almost as nice as fresh by plunging for an instant into cold water and then placing in a pan in the oven ten or fifteen minutes; thus treated they should be used immediately.
Waffle-irons should be heated, then buttered or greased with lard, and one side filled with batter, closed and laid on the fire or placed on the stove, and after a few minutes turned on the other side. They take about twice as long to bake as griddle-cakes, and are delicious with a dressing of ground cinnamon. Muffins are
View page [21]
baked in muffin-rings. In eating them, do not cut but break them open.
The success of these recipes and all others in this book in which soda and cream tartar are used, will depend on the purity of these ingredients. Always buy the pure English bicarbonate of soda, and the pure cream tartar. They are higher-priced, but cheaper in the end, and are free from injurious substances. When not found at the grocer's, they may generally be had at the druggist's.
Sixteen ounces
corn starch, eight of
bicarbonate of soda, five of
tartaric acid; mix thoroughly.
--Mrs. Dr. Allen, Oberlin.
Eight ounces
flour, eight of
English bicarbonate of soda, seven of
tartaric acid; mix thoroughly by passing several times through a sieve.
--Mrs. Trimble, Mt. Gilead.
Two parts
pure cream of tartar, one part of
bicarbonate of soda, one part
corn starch; mix well.
--Mrs. B. H. Gilbert, Minneapolis, Minn.
Two table-spoons
sugar, two of
butter, two
eggs, one cup
milk, one (scant) quart
flour, one tea-spoon
soda, two of
cream tartar; bake twenty minutes in a quick oven.
--Miss Emily L. Burnham, South Norwalk, Conn.
When
yeast bread is ready to knead from the sponge, knead and roll out three-fourths of an inch thick, put thin slices of
butter on the top, sprinkle with
cinnamon, and then with
sugar; let rise well and bake.
--Miss M.E. Wilcox, Selma, Alabama.
Break one
egg into a cup and fill with
sweet milk; mix with it half cup
yeast, half cup
butter, one cup
sugar, enough
flour to make a soft dough; flavor with
nutmeg. Let rise till very light, then mold into biscuit with a few
currants. Let rise a second time in pan; bake, and when nearly done, glaze with a little
molassesView page [22]
and
milk. Use the same cup, no matter about the size, for each measure.
--Mrs. W. A. James.
Although toast is commonly used, few know how to prepare it nicely. Take
bread not too fresh, cut thin and evenly, trim off the crust-edges for the crumb-jar; first warm each side of the bread, then present the first side again to the fire until it takes on a rich, even, brown color; treat the other side in the same way;
butter and serve immediately. The coals should be bright and hot. Toast properly made is very digestible; because all the moisture is extracted, and the bread has become pure farina of wheat, but when it is exposed to a hot fire and the outside charred, the inside remains as moist as ever. Butter applied to it while warm does not penetrate, but floats on the surface in the form of rancid oil. Or, beat one cup of butter and three table-spoons
flour to a
cream, pour over this one and a half pints
boiling water; place over a kettle of
boiling water for ten minutes, dip into it the toast, and serve hot.
Or, dip each slice of toast in boiling hot water (slightly salted), spread with butter, cover and keep hot.
Add to one-half pint of
sweet milk, two table-spoons
sugar, a little
salt and a well-beaten
egg; dip in this slices of
bread (if dry, let it soak a minute), and fry on a buttered griddle until it is a light brown on each side. This is a good way to use dry bread.
--Mrs. Dr. Morey.
Beat up three
eggs well, add a pint of
sweet milk and a pinch of
salt; cut slices an inch thick from a loaf of
baker's bread, remove crust, dip slices into the eggs and milk, fry like doughnuts in very
hot lard or drippings till a delicate brown,
butter and sprinkle with
powdered sugar, and serve hot.
--Mrs. J. P. Rea, Lancaster, Pa.
Two tea-cups
sweet milk, two tea-cups
sifted flour heaped a little,
butter size of a walnut, two
eggs, one table-spoon
sugar. a little
salt; bake in hot gem-pans filled half full for twenty minutes, and serve immediately.
--Mrs. W. A. James.
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Warm one quart
new milk, add one cup
butter or lard, four table-spoons
sugar, and two well-beaten
eggs; stir in
flour enough to make a moderately stiff sponge, add a small cup of
yeast, and set in a warm place to rise, which will take three or four hours; then mix in flour enough to make a soft dough and let rise again. When well risen, dissolve a lump of
soda size of a bean in a spoon of
milk, work it into the dough and roll into sheets one-half inch in thickness; spread with thin layer of
butter, cut into squares, and fold over, pocket-book shape; put on tins or in pans to rise for a little while, when they will be fit for the oven. In summer the sponge can be made up in the morning, and rise in time to make for tea.
In cool weather it is best to set it over night.
--Mrs. J. H. Shearer.
Two tea-cups raised dough, one tea-cup
sugar, half cup
butter, two well-beaten
eggs, flour enough to make a stiff dough; set to rise, and when light, mold into high biscuit, and let rise again; sift sugar and
cinnamon over the top, and place in oven.
--Mrs. Mary Lee Gere, Champaign, Ill.
One pint
milk, three
eggs, one cup
butter, one cup
sugar, and one coffee-cup
potato yeast; thicken with
flour, and
sponge over night; in the morning stir down, let rise, and stir down again; when it rises make into a loaf, and let rise again; then roll out like soda biscuit, cut and put in pans, and, when light, bake carefully. Or, when baking take four cups dough, one-half cup
butter, one cup
sugar, three
eggs; mix thoroughly, adding enough
flour to mold easily; let rise, make into rather high and narrow biscuit, let rise again, rub the tops with a little sugar and
water, then sprinkle over them
dry sugar. Bake twenty minutes.
One cup
mashed potatoes, one of
sugar, one of
home-made yeast, three
eggs; mix together, when raised light add half cup
butter or lard, and
flour to make a soft dough, and when quite light, mold
View page [24]into small cakes, and let them rise again before baking. If wanted for tea, set about nine A.M.
--Mrs. J. S. Stahr, Lancaster, Pa.
Three and a half cups
sweet milk, one cup
butter and
lard mixed; add
yeast and
flour and let rise over night. In the morning add one beaten
egg, knead thoroughly, and let rise again, then form into biscuit; when light, bake delicately.
--Mrs. B. T. Skinner.
Two pounds of
flour, one-fourth pound
butter, one alt-spoon
salt, three gills
milk; cut up the
butter and rub it in the
flour, add the salt and milk, knead dough for half an hour, cut cakes about as large as a small tea-cup and half an inch thick, prick with a fork, and bake in a moderate oven until they are a delicate brown.
--Mrs. Denmead, Columbus.
Three pounds
flour, one-half cup each
butter and
sweet lard, a little
salt, water enough to mix; work an hour, roll, cut into cakes and bake.
--Mrs. G. W. Hensel, Lancaster, Pa.
One quart
sweet cream or milk, one and a half cups
butter or fresh lard, two table-spoons
white sugar, one good tea-spoon
salt; add
flour sufficient to make a stiff dough, knead
well and mold into neat, small biscuit with the hands, as our grandmothers used to do; add one good tea-spoon
cream tartar if preferred; bake well, and you have good sweet biscuit that will keep for weeks in a dry place, and are very nice for traveling lunch. They are such as we used to send to the army, and the "boys" relished them "hugely."
--Mrs. Colonel Moore, Hamilton.
Put one quart of
flour, before sifting, into sieve, with one tea-spoon
soda and two of
cream tartar (or three of baking powder), one of
salt, and one table-spoon
white sugar; mix all thoroughly with the
flour, run through sieve, rub in one level table-spoon of
lard or butter (or half and half), wet with half pint
sweet milk,View page [25]
roll on board about an inch thick, cut with biscuit cutter, and bake in a quick oven fifteen minutes.
If you have not milk, use a little more butter, and wet with
water. Handle as little and make as rapidly as possible.
--M. Parloa.
One quart
sifted flour, two large tea-spoons
cream yeast, one table-spoon
lard, a little
salt; mix thoroughly and add
milk enough to stir nicely, roll out half an inch thick, cut the proper size, and bake in a hot oven.
--Mrs. Governor J. D. Bedle, New Jersey.
One quart
sour milk or buttermilk, one tea-spoon
soda, a little
salt, two table-spoons
melted lard, and
flour enough for a stiff batter; drop in a hot gem-pan and bake in a quick oven.
--Mrs. A. B. Morey.
One quart
flour, two
eggs, one pint
sweet milk, two table-spoons
sugar; piece of
butter size of two eggs (large size), one-half tea-spoon
salt, two tea-spoons
cream tartar, one tea-spoon
soda; beat butter and sugar together; add eggs well beaten. Mix soda with milk, and cream tartar with flour.
--Mrs. H. B. Sherman, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
One quart
flour, one cup
sour milk, one tea-spoon
soda, one-half pound
lard, one-half pound
chopped raisins or currants; roll two inches thick and bake in a quick oven; split open,
butter, and eat while hot.
--Mrs. Canby, Bellefontaine.
Two tea-cups of
sweet milk, two
eggs, a little
salt, three and a half scant cups of
sifted flour. Bake in hot gem-pans.
--Mrs. L. S. W., Jamestown, N. Y.
Take a piece of
bread dough on baking day, when molded out the last time, about enough for a small loaf, spread out a little, add one
egg, two table-spoons of
sugar, and three-fourths cup of
lard; add a little
flour and a small tea-spoon of
soda if the least bit sour;
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mix well, let rise, mold into rolls or biscuit, set to rise again, and they will be ready for the oven in twenty or thirty minutes.
Peel six common-sized,
mealy potatoes, boil in two quarts of
water, press and drain both potatoes and water through a colander; when cool enough so as not to scald, add
flour to make a thick batter, heat well, and when lukewarm, add one-half cup
potato yeast. Make this sponge early in the morning, and when light turn into a bread-pan, add a tea-spoon
salt, half cup
lard, and
flour enough for a soft dough; mix up, and set in a warm, even temperature; when risen, knead down and place again to rise, repeating this process five or six times; cut in small pieces and mold on the bread-board in rolls about one inch thick by five long; roll in
melted butter or sweet lard, and place in well-greased baking-pans (nine inches long by five wide and two and a half in depth, makes a convenient-sized pan, which holds fifteen of these rolls; or, if twice the width put in two rows); press the rolls closely together, so that they will only be about half an inch in width. Let rise a short time and bake twenty minutes in a hot oven; if the top browns too rapidly, cover with paper. These rolls, if properly made, are very white, light, and tender.
Or, make rolls larger, and just before putting them in the oven, cut deeply across each one with a sharp knife. This will make the cleft roll so famous among French cooks--Mrs. J. W. R.
Rub one-half table-spoon of
lard into one quart of
flour, make a well in the middle, put in one-half cup of
baker's yeast--or one cup of home-made--two tea-spoons
sugar, one half pint
cold boiled milk; do not stir, but let stand over night; in the morning knead well, after dinner knead again, cut out, put in pans, and let rise until tea time. Bake in a quick oven.
--Mrs. Judge West, Bellefontaine.
Rub one half table-spoon of
butter and one half table-spoon of
lard into two quarts of
sifted flour; into a well in the middle pour one pint of
cold boiled milk, and add one-half cup of
yeast, one half
View page [27]
cup of
sugar, and a little
salt. If wanted for tea, rub the flour and butter, and boil the milk, and cool it the night before; add sugar, yeast, and salt, and turn all into the flour, but do not stir. Let stand over night; in the morning stir up, knead, and let rise till near tea-time; mold and let rise again, and bake quickly. To mold, cut with cake-cutter; put a little
melted butter on one-half and lap nearly over on the other half. Place them in the pan about three-quarters of an inch apart.
--Mrs. V. G. Hush, Minneapolis, Minn.
Late in the evening make a rather stiff
potato sponge (see directions under "Bread-Making"), and in the morning mix in as much
flour as will make a soft dough, knead well, and place to rise; when sufficiently light, knead down again, repeating the operation two or three times, remembering not to let the dough become sour by rising too light; mold into common-sized loaves, place in your dripping-pan to rise, and bake very carefully, so as to secure the very lightest brown crust possible. On taking out of the oven, roll in a cloth tightly wrung out of water, with a large bread-blanket folded and wrapped around all. Let cool three or four hours, cut lengthwise of the loaf (not using the outside piece), first spreading lightly with good
sweet butter, then cutting in slices not more than a quarter of an inch, or just as thin as possible, using for this purpose a very thin, sharp knife; lay on
cold boiled ham cut in very thin shavings (no matter if in small pieces), roll up very slowly and carefully, and place where it will not unroll. Treat each sandwich in the same manner, always spreading the bread with
butter before cutting. If by chance the bread is baked with too hard a crust, cut off a thin shaving of the brownest part very smoothly before making into sandwiches. These sandwiches are truly delicious if properly made, but they require great care, experience, and good judgment. Served on an oblong platter, piled in pyramid style, row upon row, they will resemble nicely rolled dinner napkins. They must be made and served the same day.
--Mrs. James W. Robinson.
Put three quarts of
flour into a large crock or jar, scald one quart
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of
buttermilk, add one cup of
lard, and pour all over the
flour, beating it up well, then add one quart of
cold water, stir and add one-half cup of
potato yeast, or one cup of brewer's; beat in well and set in a warm place to rise over night. In the morning add
salt and
flour enough to make a moderately stiff dough; set in a warm place to rise, and, when risen, knead down and set to rise again. This time knead down and place in a large stone crock or bowl, covered tightly with a tin pan to prevent the surface from drying, and set away in a cool place. When needed, turn out on a bread-board, cut off a piece as large as you wish to use, roll out to the thickness of ordinary soda biscuit, cut, and put in the oven to bake immediately. Set away the rest of the dough as before, and it will keep a week in winter, and is very convenient for hot breakfast rolls.
--Mrs. D. Buxton.
Have ready in a bowl a table-spoon of
butter or lard, made soft by warming a little, and stirring with a spoon. Add to one quart of
unsifted flour two heaping tea-spoons of
Royal Baking-Powder; mix and sift thoroughly together, and place in a bowl with
butter. Take more or less
sweet milk as may be necessary to form a dough of usual stiffness; according to the flour (about three-fourths of a pint) put into the milk half a tea-spoon
salt, and then stir it into the flour, etc., with a spoon, forming the dough, which turn out on a board and knead sufficiently to make smooth. Roll out half an inch thick, and cut with a large round cutter; fold each one over to form a half round, wetting a little between the folds to make them stick together; place on buttered pans, so as not to touch, wash over on top with milk to give them a gloss, and bake immediately in a hot oven about twenty minutes. It will do them no harm to stand half an hour before baking, if it is desired.
One quart of
milk with two table-spoons
yeast, and
flour enough to make a stiff batter; let rise over night, and in the morning add four
eggs, two table-spoons of
sugar, one-half cup of
butter; put them in muffin-rings; and let them rise nearly half an hour; bake quickly.
--Miss Mary Gallagher.
View page [29]
Mix one tea-spoon of
baking-powder and a little
salt into one pint of
flour; add to the beaten
yolks of two eggs one tea-cup of
sweet milk or cream, a piece of
butter (melted) half the size of an egg, the flour with baking-powder and salt mixed, and the well-beaten
whites of the two eggs. Beat well, bake immediately in gem-pans in a hot oven, and take out and send to the table immediately.
--Mrs. Gib Hillock, New Castle, Ind.
Two pints
sweet milk, one cup of
butter (melted), sifted flour to make a soft batter; add the well-beaten
yolks of six eggs, then the beaten
whites, and lastly (just before baking) four tea-spoons
baking-powder, beating very hard and fast for a few minutes. These are very good with four or five eggs, but much better with more.
--Mrs. C. W. Morey.
Four
eggs, beaten separately, one quart of
sweet milk, one-fourth pound of
butter, a little
salt, flour to make a not very thick batter; heat and butter the irons well, and bake very quickly.
If for tea, grate on a little
sugar and
nutmeg, or cinnamon; if for breakfast, only butter.
--Mrs. O. M. Scott.
One quart of
flour, one pint of
sweet, luke-warm milk, two
eggs, a table-spoon of
melted butter, tea-spoon of
salt, half tea-cup of good
yeast.--Mrs. L. S. Williston.
Boil half a pint of
rice and let it get cold, mix with it one-fourth pound of
butter and a little
salt. Sift in it one and a half pints of
flour, beat five
eggs separately, stir the
yolks together with one quart of
milk, add
whites beaten to a stiff froth, beat hard, and bake at once in waffle-iron.
--Mrs. S. C. Lee, Baltimore, Md.
Six
eggs, twelve table-spoons of
sweet milk, six table-spoons of
butter, one half tea-spoon of
soda; mold with
flour half an hour and roll thin.
--Mrs. J. S. Robinson
View page [30]
Take one pint of
sour milk, one tea-spoon of
soda to sweeten, and a little
salt; stir in
buckwheat flour enough to make quite a stiff batter; and bake in dripping-pan. Two table-spoons of
melted lard may be added for shortening, if desired. This takes the place of griddle-cakes, and is very nice to eat with
meat, butter, honey, or
molasses.--Mrs. Viola Wilcox, Midland, Mich.
To one quart of
corn meal add a little
salt and a small table-spoon of
lard; scald with
boiling water and beat hard for a few minutes; drop a large spoonful in a well-greased pan. The batter should be thick enough to just flatten on the bottom, leaving them quite high in the center. Bake in a hot oven.
One pint of
corn meal, two table-spoons of
sugar, one tea-spoon of
salt, one pint of
boiling milk; stir all together and let stand till cool. Add three
eggs well beaten, and bake in gem-pans.
--Mrs. Capt. J. P. Rea, Minneapolis, Minn.
Put fresh
water in a kettle to boil,
salt to suit the taste; when it begins to boil stir in the
meal, letting it sift through the fingers slowly to prevent lumps, adding it a little faster at the last, until as thick as can be conveniently stirred with one hand; set in the oven in the kettle, bake an hour, and it will be thoroughly cooked. It takes
corn meal so long to cook thoroughly that it is very difficult to boil it until done without burning. When intended for frying cold, some add, while making it, about a pint of
flour to three quarts of meal. Have a hard-wood paddle, two feet long, with a blade two inches wide and seven inches long, to stir with.
--Mrs. W. W. Woods.
A delicious breakfast relish is made by slicing
cold mush thin and frying in a little
hot lard.
Or, dip in beaten
eggs salted to taste, then in
bread or cracker crumbs, and drop in
hot lard, like doughnuts.
--Miss A. W. S., Nashville, Tenn.
View page [31]
Mix
corn meal with
water or milk (adding a little
salt) to the thickness of stiff batter; stir thoroughly, spread on the baking-board, and tip up before the fire. On southern plantations they are often baked on the broad hoes used in the fields, hence the name.
Cook a pint of
rice till tender, add a table-spoon of
butter; when cold add two beaten
eggs and one pint of
meal, and when mixed spread on an oaken board and bake by tipping the board up before the fire-place. When done on one side turn over. The dough should be spread half an inch thick.
Two-thirds tea-spoon of
soda, three table-spoons of
sugar, one tea-spoon of
cream of tartar, one
egg, one cup of
sweet milk, six table-spoons of
Indian meal, three table-spoons of
flour, and a little
salt. This makes a thin batter.
RHODE ISLAND "SPAT-OUTS." |
One pint of
sweet milk, four table-spoons of
wheat flour, two
eggs well beaten,
Indian meal to make a stiff batter, and a little
salt; spat into round cakes half an inch thick, fry in
lard like doughnuts, split, and eat warm with
butter.--
One hundred years old.
With very cold or ice-
water and
Graham flour, and a little
salt, make a rather stiff batter; heat and grease the irons, and bake twenty minutes in a hot oven.
--Mrs. O. M. Scott.
Three cups of
sour milk, one tea-spoon of
soda, one of
salt, one table-spoon of
brown sugar, one of
melted lard, one beaten
egg; to the egg add the milk, then the sugar and salt, then the
Graham flour (with the soda mixed in), together with the lard; make a stiff batter, so that it will drop, not pour, from the spoon. Have gem pans very hot, grease, fill, and bake fifteen minutes in a hot oven.
--Mrs. J. H. S.
MRS. BUXTON'S GRAHAM GEMS. |
Take one
egg and beat well; add pinch of
salt, one quart of
View page [32]
buttermilk or sour milk, and
Graham flour enough to make a stiff batter; add one heaping tea-spoon of
soda and stir thoroughly with a spoon; heat and grease gem-irons, and after dipping the spoon in
cold water, drop a spoonful of batter in each pan, repeating until all are filled; bake in a quick oven half an hour. This measure will make a dozen.
Beat one
egg well, add a pint of
new milk, a little
salt, and
Graham flour until it will drop off the spoon nicely; heat and
butter the gem-pans before dropping in the dough; bake in a hot oven twenty minutes.
--Mrs. R. L. Partridge.
Two cups of
sour milk, two table-spoons of
brown sugar, a little
salt, one tea-spoon
soda, sufficient
Graham flour to make moderately stiff.
If not convenient to use sour milk, use sweet, adding
cream of tartar.--Mrs. H.B. Sherman.
Sift
meal slowly into
boiling salted water, stirring briskly until it is as thick as can be stirred with one hand;
serve with
milk or cream and
sugar, or
butter and
syrup. It is much improved by removing from the kettle to a pan as soon as thoroughly mixed, and steaming for three or four hours. It may also be eaten cold, or sliced and fried like corn mush.
To two quarts
boiling water well salted add one and a half cups best
oat-meal. (Buy Irish,
Scotch, or Canadian.) Stir in meal by degrees, and after stirring up a few times to prevent its settling down in a mass at the bottom, leave it to cook three hours
without stirring. Cook in a custard-kettle with
water in outer kettle. (While stirring in meal put inner kettle directly on stove.)
To cook for breakfast it may be put on over night, allowing it to boil an hour or two in the evening, but it is better when freshly cooked. Serve with
cream and
sugar. This is unsurpassed as a breakfast dish, especially for growing children, who need bone and muscle-producing food. To be wholesome it must be
well cooked, and not
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the pasty, half cooked mass usually served at boarding-houses. In lieu of a custard-kettle the mush can be made in a pan, or small tin bucket, and then placed in a steamer and steamed three hours.
Two quarts
salted water to two cups best
white winter wheat; boil two or three hours in a custard-kettle: Or, soak over night and boil at least three-fourths of an hour: Or, put
boiling water in a pan or small tin bucket, set on stove, stir in wheat, set in steamer and steam four hours: Or, make a strong sack of thick muslin or drilling, moisten wheat with
cold water, add a little
salt, place in sack, leaving half the space for wheat to swell in. Fit a round sheet of tin, perforated with holes half an inch in diameter, to the inside of ordinary kettle, so that it will rest two or three inches from the bottom; lay sack on the tin, put in
water enough to reach tin, and boil from three to four hours, supplying water as it evaporates.
Serve with
butter and
syrup, or
cream and
sugar.
When cold, slice and fry; or warm with a little
milk and
salt in a pan greased with a little butter; or make in griddle-cakes with a batter of
eggs, milk, and a little
flour, and pinch of salt.
FINE WHITE HOMINY OR GRITS. |
Take two cups to two quarts
salted water, soak over night, and boil three quarters of an hour in a custard kettle;
serve with
milk and
sugar, or when cold slice and fry.
>
FRITTERS.
Make
fritters
quickly and beat thoroughly. A good rule for them is two eggs, one-half pint milk, one tea-spoon salt, and two cups flour; have the lard in which to cook them nice and sweet and boiling hot; test the heat by dropping in a tea-spoon of the batter--if the temperature is right it will quickly rise in a light ball with a splutter, and soon brown; take up carefully the moment they are done, with a wire spoon; drain in a hot colander and sift powdered sugar over them; serve hot.
Pork fritters are made by dipping
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thin bits of breakfast bacon or fat pork in the batter;
fruit fritters by chopping any kind of fresh or canned fruit fine and mixing it with batter, or by dipping quarters or halves in batter. The fruit may be improved in flavor by sprinkling sugar and grated lemon peel over it, and allowing it to remain two or three hours, after which drain and dip as above.
Three
eggs beaten very light, one quart of
milk; make a thin batter, add a little
salt and the
grated rind of one lemon; pare, core and slice thin one quart nice
tart apples, add, and drop in spoonfuls in
boiling lard; serve with
sauce.--Mrs. E. L. Fay, Washington Heights, New York.
Make a batter in proportion of one cup
sweet milk to two cups
flour, a heaping tea-spoon
baking powder, two
eggs beaten separately, one table-spoon
sugar, and salt-spoon
salt; heat the
milk a little more than milk-warm; add slowly to the beaten
yolks and sugar, then add
flour and
whites of eggs, stir all together, and throw in thin slices of good
sour apples, dipping the batter up over them; drop in
boiling lard in large spoonfuls with piece of apple in each, and fry to a light brown. Serve with
maple syrup or a nice syrup made of sugar.--Mrs. James Henderson.
Take
raw clams, chopped fine, and make a batter with
juice, an equal quantity of
sweet milk, four
eggs to each pint of
liquid, and
flour sufficient to stiffen; fry like other fritters.
--Mrs. H. B. S.
To one quart
grated corn add three
eggs and three or four
grated crackers; beat well and season with
pepper and
salt; have ready in skillet
butter and
lard or beef-drippings in equal proportions, hot but not scorching; drop in little cakes about the size of an oyster (for this purpose using a tea-spoon); when brown turn and fry on the other side, watching constantly for fear of burning. If the fat is just the right heat, the oysters will be light and delicious, but if not, heavy and "soggy." Serve hot and keep dish well covered.
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It is better to beat
whites of eggs to a stiff froth and add just before frying.
--Mrs. V. G. Hush, Minneapolis, Minn.
Mix well together one quart
grated sweet corn, two tea-cups
sweet milk, one tea-cup
flour, one tea-spoon
butter, two
eggs well beaten; season with
pepper and
salt, and fry in
butter like griddle-cakes.
--Mrs. H. B. S.
One and a half pints
flour, one pint
milk, six well-beaten
eggs, one-half
nutmeg, two tea-spoons
salt, one pint
cream; stir the whole enough to mix the cream; fry in small cakes.
--Mrs. M. K. P.
Peel four large
cucumbers, cut and cook in a sauce-pan with just a little
water; mash and season well with
salt and
pepper, add two beaten
eggs and
flour to make a thick batter; put a table-spoon of
lard in a skillet, make hot, and fry in little cakes.
--Mrs. A. H. T., Troy, New York.
Stir together
milk, flour, and a little
salt, and make a rather thick batter; add
new-fallen snow in the proportion of a tea-cup to a pint of
milk; have the
fat hot before stirring in the snow, and drop the batter into it with a spoon, or bake like pan-cakes on a hot griddle.
Beat two
eggs, stir in a pinch of
salt and a half tea-spoon of
rose-water, add
sifted flour till just thick enough to roll out, cut with a cake-cutter, and fry quickly in
hot lard. Sift
powdered sugar on them while hot, and when cool put a tea-spoon of
jelly in the center of each one. Nice for tea or dessert.
--Mrs. D. C. Harrington, Westfield, N. Y.
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GRIDDLE-CAKES.
Griddle-cakes
should be well beaten when first made, and are much lighter when the eggs are separated, whipping the yolks to a thick cream, and adding the whites beaten to a stiff froth just
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before baking. Some never stir buckwheat cakes after they have risen, but take them out carefully with a large spoon, placing the spoon when emptied in a saucer, and not back again into the batter. In baking griddle-cakes have the griddle clean, and, if the cakes stick, sprinkle on some salt and rub with a coarse cloth before greasing; or, better still, provide a soapstone griddle which needs no greasing. (It must be made very hot, but if greased it is spoiled.) Griddle-cakes may be made with new-fallen snow, in the proportion of a tea-cup of snow to a pint of milk. Fresh snow contains a large proportion of ammonia which renders the cakes light, but which soon evaporates, rendering old snow useless for this purpose.
Buckwheat flour, when properly ground, is perfectly
free from grit. The grain should be run through the smutter with a strong blast before grinding, and the greatest care taken through the whole process. Adulteration with rye or corn cheapens the flour, but injures the quality. The pure buckwheat is best, and is unsurpassed for griddle-cakes. To make batter, warm one pint
sweet milk and one pint
water, (one may be cold and the other boiling); put half this mixture in a stone crock, add five tea-cups
buckwheat flour, beat
well until smooth, add the rest of the milk and water, and last a tea-cup of
yeast.
Or, the same ingredients and proportions may be used except adding two table-spoons of
molasses or sugar, and using one quart of water instead of one pint each of milk and water.
--Miss S. A. Melching.
Take
stale bread and soak over night in
sour milk; in the morning rub through a colander, and to one quart add the
yolks of two eggs, one tea-spoon
salt, one tea-spoon
soda, two table-spoons
sugar, and
flour enough to make a batter a little thicker than for buckwheat cakes, add last the well-beaten
whites of the eggs, and bake.
The night before using put some
bread crumbs to soak in one quart of
sour milk; in the morning rub through a sieve and add four well-beaten
eggs, two tea-spoons
soda dissolved in a little
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water, one table-spoon
melted butter, and enough
corn meal to make them the consistency of ordinary griddle-cakes. It is better to beat
yolks and
whites separately, stirring the whites lightly in just before baking.
--Mrs. W. E. Scobey, Kankakee, Ill.
Make hot a pint of
sweet milk, and into it put two heaping table-spoons
butter, let melt, then add a pint of
cold milk, the well-beaten
yolks of four eggs--placing the
whites in a cold place--a tea-spoon of
salt, four table-spoons
potato yeast, and sufficient
flour to make a stiff batter; set in a warm place to rise, let stand three hours or over night; before baking add the beaten whites; fry like any other griddle-cakes. Be sure to make batter just stiff enough, for flour must not be added in the morning unless it is allowed to rise again.
One pint
corn-meal, one of
sour milk or buttermilk, one
egg, one tea-spoon
soda, one of
salt.
A table-spoon of
flour or corn starch may be used in place of the egg; bake on a griddle.
One pint
Indian meal, one tea-spoon
salt, small tea-spoon
soda; pour on
boiling water until a little thinner than mush; let stand until cool, add the
yolks of four eggs, half a cup of
flour in which is mixed two tea-spoons
cream tartar; stir in as much
sweet milk or water as will make the batter suitable to bake; beat the
whites well, and add just before baking.
--Mrs. W. W. Woods.
Boil half a cup
rice; when cold mix one quart
sweet milk, the
yolks of four eggs, and
flour sufficient to make a stiff batter; beat the
whites to a froth, stir in one tea-spoon
soda, and two of
cream tartar; add a little
salt, and lastly the whites of eggs; bake on a griddle. A nice way to serve is to spread them while hot with
butter, and almost any kind of
preserves or jelly; roll them up neatly, cut off the ends, sprinkle them with
sugar, and serve immediately.
--Mrs. Walter Mitchell, Gallipolis.
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One cup
sour cream, one tea-spoon
saleratus; stir in
flour enough to make a batter a little stiffer than for griddle-cakes; bake on a griddle, split open and put on
milk and
butter.--Harriet O. Backus, West Killingly, Conn.
Make an
egg batter as for batter cakes; take and slice large, solid ripe
tomatoes, cover with batter and fry on a griddle like any griddle-cakes; season with
pepper and
salt while frying. Tomatoes so prepared make a nice breakfast dish.
--Mrs. G. W. Collins, Urbana.
>
YEAST.
There are various ways of making, but the three best kinds are dry, soft hop, and potato yeast. The dry should be made in May or June for summer use, and in October for winter use. In hot and damp weather, dry yeast sometimes loses its vitality; however, many use it on account of its convenience, since there is no danger of its souring in summer or freezing in winter. Soft hop or potato yeast will keep in a cool place one or two weeks in warm weather, and in cold weather five or six weeks, care being taken that it does not freeze. Never add soda to yeast; if it becomes sour it will do to start fresh yeast, but will never make good bread.
Potato yeast
is made either by boiling and mashing the potatoes, or by grating them while raw, and adding them to the boiling hop water immediately, for if allowed to stand they darken; and the yeast will not be as white.
A good way to prevent the potatoes from darkening is to grate them into a pan half filled with cold water. As grated the potatoes sink to the bottom; when done grating, pour off the water and add the potatoes to the boiling hop water. A stone jar with a close-fitting cover is best to keep yeast in, and should be scalded as often as emptied. In taking out for use, stir up well from the bottom.
Boil two large
potatoes and a handful of
hops (the latter in a bag) in three pints
water; when done, take out potatoes, mash
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well, add one pint
flour, and pour
boiling hot water over all; beat well together, adding one table-spoon
salt, one of
ginger, and one-half cup
sugar; when luke-warm add one cup good
yeast and let stand two days (or only one day, if very warm weather), stirring down frequently; add good
white corn meal until thick enough to make into cakes about half an inch in thickness; place to dry in the shade where the air will pass freely so as to dry them as soon as possible; turn the cakes frequently, breaking them up somewhat so they will dry out evenly; when thoroughly dried put in a paper sack, and keep in a dry place. A small cake will make sponge sufficient to bake five or six ordinary loaves.
--Mrs. E. T. Carson.
Boil four
potatoes and a small handful of
hops tied in a bag in one gallon
water; when the potatoes are done, pour the
water over four table-spoons
flour in a stone jar, mash and add potatoes; let stand until milk warm, then add one cup
hop yeast, stir well and let remain in kitchen cupboard for twelve hours undisturbed; then add half a cup
sugar, put in a stone jug, cork tightly and set in a cool place. In summer add one table-spoon
ginger and three of
salt; shake well and take one cup yeast to three pints water. This yeast will keep sweet for six weeks.
--Mrs. J. T. Liggett, Detroit, Michigan.
POTATO YEAST WITHOUT HOPS. |
Four good-sized
potatoes peeled, boiled and mashed, four table-spoon
white sugar, one of
ginger, one of
salt, two cups
flour; pour over this a pint of
boiling water, and beat till all the lumps disappear. After it has cooled, add to it one cup good
yeast and set away to rise; when risen put in glass or stone jar, cover and set away in a cool place.
--Mrs. George H. Rust, Minneapolis, Minn.
Boil one cup
hops in a sack in two quarts
water for fifteen minutes, remove sack with hops, add five good-sized
Irish potatoes, peeled and grated raw, one cup
white sugar, one table-spoon
salt, and one of
ginger; stir occasionally and cook from five to ten minutes, and it will boil up thick like starch; turn into a jar, and when just tepid in summer, or quite warm in winter, add one-half pint
View page [40]good
yeast (always save some to start with); set jar in a large tin pan, and as often as it rises, stir down until fermentation ceases, when it will be quite thin. Cover closely, and set away in a cool place and it will keep two weeks. When yeast smells sour but does not taste sour it is still good; if it has no smell it is dead. One cup will make six good-sized loaves.
--Mrs. D. Buxton.
Take one tea-cup of
wheat "shorts," one tea-spoon
salt, one of
soda, one of
ginger; add
boiling water enough to make a thin batter. Two table-spoons or less added to
common milk or salt-rising yeast will cause it to rise in an hour or two. If kept in a cool place it will be good for two weeks in winter.
Pare and boil four ordinary-sized
potatoes, boiling at the same time in a separate vessel a good handful of
hops. When the potatoes are done, mash fine and add, after straining, the
water in which the hops were boiled; put into this one cup
white sugar and one-half cup
salt, and add sufficient
water to make one gallon; when cold add one cup of good
yeast, let stand in a warm place for a few hours until it will "sing" on being stirred, when it is ready for use. Keep covered in a cellar or cool place
--Mrs. C. M.
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CAKE-MAKING.
"LET all things be done decently and in order," and the first to put in order when you are going to bake is yourself. Secure the hair in a net or other covering, to prevent any from falling, and brush the shoulders and back to be sure none are lodged there that might blow off; make the hands and finger-nails clean, roll the sleeves up above the elbows, and put on a large, clean apron. Clean the kitchen table of utensils and every thing not needed, and provide every thing that will be needed until the cake is baked, not forgetting even the broom-splints previously picked off the new broom and laid away carefully in a little box. (A knitting-needle may be kept for testing cake instead of splints.) If it is warm weather place the eggs in cold water, and let stand a few minutes, as they will then make a finer froth, and be sure they are fresh, as they will not make a stiff froth with any amount of beating if old. Grease the pans with fresh lard, which is much better than butter; line the bottom with paper, using six or eight thicknesses if the
cake
is large, and greasing the top one well. (In some ovens, however, fewer thicknesses of paper would be needed on the bottom, and in some the sides also should be lined with one or two thicknesses.) Sift flour and sugar (if not pulverized) and measure or weigh. Firkin or very salt butter should be cut in bits and washed to freshen a little; if very hard, warm carefully, but in no case allow any of it to melt. Good butter must be used, as the heat develops any latent bad qualities. Beat the yolks of eggs thoroughly, and strain; set the whites away in a cool place until the cake is ready for them, then beat them vigorously in a cool room, till they will
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remain in the dish when turned upside down. Sift a part of the measured flour with the baking-powder or soda and cream tartar through a hand-sieve (which should be among the utensils of every housekeeper), and mix thoroughly with the rest of the flour.
In using new flour for either breador cake-making, it can be "ripened" for use by placing the quantity intended for baking in the hot sun for a few hours, or before the kitchen fire.
In using milk, note this: that sour milk makes a spongy, light cake; sweet milk, one that cuts like pound cake; remembering that with sour milk soda alone is used, while with sweet milk baking-powder or soda and cream tartar are to be added.
Having thus gathered the material, beat the butter to a cream, add the sugar gradually, then the milk in small quantities (never use fresh and stale milk in same cake), next the yolks of eggs, then a part of the flour, then a part of the whites, and so on until the whole is used; lastly, add the flavoring. There is great "knack" in beating cake; don't stir, but beat thoroughly, bringing the batter up from the bottom of the dish at every stroke; in this way the air is driven into the cells of the batter, instead of out of them--but the cells will be finer if beaten more slowly at the last, remembering that the motion should always be upward. In winter it is easier to beat with the hand, but in summer a wooden spoon is better. Never beat a cake in tin, but use earthen or stoneware. All cakes not made with yeast should be baked as soon as possible after they are mixed. Unskillful mixing, too rapid or unequal baking, or a sudden decrease in heat before it is quite done, will cause streaks in the cake.
Most ladies think fruit cake quite incomplete without wine or brandy, but it can be made equally good on strictly temperance principles, by substituting one-third of a cup of
molasses for a wine-glass of brandy.
To facilitate the operation of seeding
raisins, pour
boiling-water on a few at a time. This will not injure the fruit or cake. To seed, clip with the scissors, or cut with a sharp knife. Do not chop too fine; if for light fruit cake, seeding is all that is necessary. Slice the
citron thin, and do not have the pieces too large, or they will cause the cake to break apart in cutting.
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Currants should be kept prepared for use as follows: Wash in
warm water, rubbing well, pour off water, and repeat until the water is clear; drain them in a sieve, spread on a cloth and rub dry; pick out bad ones, dry carefully in a cool oven, and set away for use. When the fruit is all mixed, cream the
butter and
sugar--this is very important in all cakes--add the
spices, molasses, or
liquors, then the
milk (if any is used), next the
eggs well beaten, adding
whites with the
flour as previously directed. Always beat whites and
yolks separately if many
eggs are used, but if only a few, it is just as well to beat both together. Next add the flour (which in making black fruit cake may be browned), prepared with
baking-powder or soda and
cream tartar, then the
flavoring (if any is used), and lastly the
fruit dredged with a
very little flour.
Some prefer to
mix the fruit with all the flour.
In making very large cakes that require three or four hours to bake, an excellent way for
lining the pan
is the following: Fit three papers carefully, grease thoroughly, make a paste of equal parts Graham and fine flour wet with water just stiff enough to spread easily with a spoon, place the first paper in the pan with the greased side down, and spread the paste evenly over the paper about as thick as pie-crust. In covering the sides of the pan, use a little paste to stick a portion of the paper to the top of the pan to keep it from slipping out of place, press the second paper carefully into its place with the greased side up, and next put in the third paper as you would into any baking-pan, and pour in the cake. Earthen pans are used by some, as they do not heat so quickly, and are less liable to burn the cake.
All except layer
cakes should be covered with a paper cap
when first put into the oven. Take a square of brown paper large enough to cover well the cake-pan, cut off the corners, and lay a plait on four sides, fastening each with a pin so as to fit nicely over the pan. This will throw it up in the center, so that the cover will not touch the cake. Save the cap, as it can be used several times.
>
THE OVEN.
Too much care can not be given to the preparation of the oven, which is oftener too hot than too cool; however, an oven too cold at
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first will ruin any cake. Cakes should rise and begin to bake before browning much, large cakes requiring a good, steady, solid heat, about such as for baking bread; layer cakes, a brisk hot fire, as they must be baked quickly. A good plan is to fill the stove with hard wood (ash is the best for baking), let it burn until there is a good body of heat, and then turn damper so as to throw the heat to the bottom of oven for fully ten minutes before the cake is put in. In this way a steady heat to start with is secured. Generally it is better to close the hearth when the cake is put in, as this stops the draft and makes a more regular heat. Keep adding wood in small quantities, for if the heat becomes slack the cake will be heavy. Great care must be taken, for some stoves need to have the dampers changed every now and then, but as a rule more heat is needed at the bottom of the oven than at the top. Many test their ovens in this way: if the hand can be held in from twenty to thirty-five seconds (or while counting twenty or thirty-five), it is a quick oven, from thirty-five to forty-five seconds is "moderate," and from forty-five to sixty seconds is "slow." Sixty seconds is a good oven to begin with for large fruit cakes. All systematic housekeepers will hail the day when some enterprising Yankee or Buckeye girl shall invent a stove or range with a thermometer attached to the oven, so that the heat may be regulated accurately and intelligently. If necessary to move the cake while baking, do it very gently. Be careful not to remove from the oven until done, and do not leave oven door open. Allow about thirty minutes for each inch of thickness in a quick oven, and more time in a slow one. Test with a broom-splint or knitting-needle, and if the dough does not adhere, it is done. Settling away from the pan a little, and stopping its "singing," are other indications that the cake is ready to leave the oven. It should remain in the pan at least fifteen minutes after taking from the oven, and it is better to leave the "cap" on until the cake is carefully removed from the pan and set away, always right side up. A tin chest or stone jar is best to keep it in. Coffee cake should be put away before it is cold, and so closely wrapped in a large napkin that the aroma will not be lost.
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The good quality of all delicate cake, and especially of sponge-cake, depends very much upon its being made with fresh
eggs. It must be quickly put together, beaten with rapidity, and baked in a rather quick oven. It is made "sticky" and less light by being stirred long. There is no other cake so dependent upon care and good judgement in baking as sponge-cake.
In making white cake, if not convenient to use the
yolks that are left, they will keep until the next day by being
thoroughly beaten and set in a cool place.
To prepare cocoa-nut,cut a hole through the
meat at one of the holes in the end, draw off the
milk, pound the nut well on all sides to loosen the meat, crack, take out meat, and set the pieces in the heater or in a cool, open oven over night, or for a few hours, to dry, then grate; if all is not used, sprinkle with
sugar (after grating) and spread out in a cool, dry place, and it will keep for weeks. In cutting layer cakes, it is better to first make a round hole in the center, with a knife, or a tin tube, about an inch and a quarter in diameter. This prevents the edge of the cake from crumbling in cutting.
Two cups
pulverized sugar, one of
butter rubbed to a light cream with the sugar, one of
sweet milk, three of
flour, half cup
corn starch, four
eggs, half pound
chopped raisins, half a
grated nutmeg and two tea-spoons
baking-powder.--Mrs. A. S. Chapman.
One cup
butter, two of
white sugar, four of
sifted flour, five
eggs beaten separately, one cup
sour milk, tea-spoon
soda, pound
seeded raisins chopped a little; beat the butter and sugar to a cream, add the
yolks and milk, and stir in the flour with
soda well mixed through it; then add the
white of the eggs beaten to a stiff froth, and lastly the
raisins dredged with a little flour; bake one and one-half hours. Use coffee-cups to measure. This makes a cake for a six-quart pan.
--Mrs. W. W. W.
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ALMOND, HICKORY-NUT OR COCOA-NUT CAKE. |
Three-fourths pound
flour, half tea-spoon
salt, fourth pound
butter, pound of
sugar, tea-cup
sour cream, four
eggs, lemon flavor to taste, and a tea-spoon
soda dissolved in two tea-spoons
hot water; mix all thoroughly, grate in the
white part of a cocoa-nut, or stir in a pint of
chopped hickory-nuts, or a pint of
blanched almonds pounded.
--Mrs. J. W. Grubbs, Richmond, Ind.
One pound powdered
white sugar, three-quarters pound
butter, pound
sifted flour (browned or not as preferred), twelve
eggs beaten separately, two pounds
raisins stoned and part of them chopped, two of
currants carefully cleaned, half pound
citron cut in strips, quarter ounce each of
cinnamon, nutmeg and
cloves mixed, wine-glass
wine and one of
brandy; rub butter and sugar together, add
yolks of eggs, part of flour, the
spice and
whites of eggs well beaten; then add remainder of flour, and wine and brandy; mix all thoroughly together; cover bottom and sides of a four-quart milk-pan with buttered white paper, put in a layer of the mixture, then a layer of the
fruit (first dredging the fruit with flour), until pan is filled up three or four inches, and then bake four hours. A small cup of
Orleans molasses makes the cake blacker and more moist, but for this it is not necessary to add more flour. Bake three and one-half or four hours in a slow oven.
--Mrs. M. M. Munsell, Delaware.
One pound
butter, one of
brown sugar, one of
flour, one of
raisins, one of
currants, half pound
citron, table-spoon each
cinnamon, allspice and
cloves, ten
eggs the
whites and
yolks beaten separately, three tea-spoons
baking-powder; add just before baking a wine-glass
brandy, or third cup good
molasses; seed raisins, chop citron fine, and wash and dry the currants; mix butter and sugar, add the eggs, and lastly the flour in which the
fruit, spices and baking-powder having been well mixed; bake in a six-quart pan four hours.
--Miss Mary Sealls, Mt. Vernon.
One pound
flour; one of
currants, one of
raisins, one of
sugar,View page [47]
half pound
citron, half pound
chopped figs, three-fourths pound
butter, ten
eggs leaving out two
whites, tea-cup
molasses, one of
sour cream and
soda, one gill
brandy or good whisky, half cup
cinnamon, two table-spoons
allspice and
cloves, four table-spoons jam.
--Mrs. Gov. Kirkwood, Iowa.
Two cups
brown sugar, one and one-half cups of
butter, six
eggs beaten separately, three cups
flour (brown the flour), two table-spoons
molasses, one of
cinnamon, one tea-spoon
mace, one of
cloves, two cups
sweet milk, two pounds
raisins, two of
currants, a half pound
citron, one tea-spoon
soda, two of
cream tartar. Bake three hours.
--Mrs. A. B. Morey.
One cup
Orleans molasses, one of
brown sugar, one of
shortening (butter and lard mixed), one of
cold coffee, four of
flour, one tea-spoon
soda in the coffee, one each of
cloves, cinnamon and
allspice, and one
nutmeg. Add
fruit if desired.
One quart
flour, one pint
sugar, a cup
butter, a cup
sweet milk, four
eggs, spices of all kinds in small quantities, tea-spoon
soda, two of
cream tartar, half pound
raisins, half pound
currants; this quantity will make two large loaves.
--Mrs. Gov. D. H. Chamberlain, South Carolina.
Three coffee-cups
yeast dough, light enough to bake for bread, two and two-thirds cups
sugar, one cup
butter, three
eggs, one
nutmeg; put all together and work with the hands until smooth as pound-cake. It is very important that all should be mixed very thoroughly with the light dough. Add
raisins and as much
fruit as desired and let rise half an hour in the pans in which you bake. The oven should be about right for bread. This is easily made and is quite as nice as common loaf-cake.
--Mrs. Chas. Fullington.
Two cups
light bread dough, one and one-half cups
sugar, half cup
butter, three table-spoons
sour milk in which has been dissolved
View page [48]
half tea-spoon
soda, half a
grated nutmeg, tea-spoon
cinnamon, cup
raisins chopped a little and floured; stir all well together, adding
fruit lastly, let rise half an hour and bake in a moderate oven.
--Mrs. Hartle, Massillon.
Whites of twelve eggs, three cups
sugar, small cup
butter, a cup
sweet milk, four small cups
flour, half cup
corn starch, two tea-spoons
baking-powder, lemon to taste. Adding a cup
citron sliced thin and dusted with
flour, makes a beautiful citron cake.
--Mrs. Harvey Clark, Piqua.
Put two cups
flour in a crock and mix with two level tea-spoons
cream tartar and one of
soda, make well in the center into which put one cup
sugar, one of
sweet cream, one
egg and small tea-spoon
salt; mix all quickly together, flavor with tea-spoon
lemon; put in pan to bake. Add cup
raisins, or currants if you like and it makes a nice cake pudding to eat hot with
sauce.
Sour cream can be used instead of sweet by omitting the cream tartar and using two eggs instead of one.
--Miss Sarah Cryder.
One cup
sugar, two
eggs, two table-spoons
softened butter and four of
milk; beat all well together, add a cup of
flour in which has been mixed tea-spoon
cream tartar and half tea-spoon
soda. Bake in rather small square dripping-pan. When cake is cool have ready a half pint
sweet cream whipped to a stiff froth, sweeten and flavor to taste, spread over cake and serve while fresh. The cream will froth easier to be made cold by setting on
ice before whipping.
--Mrs. Wm. Brown, Massillon.
Two coffee-cups
pulverized sugar, three-fourths cup
butter, cup
corn starch dissolved in a cup of
sweet milk, two cups
flour, whites of seven eggs, two tea-spoons
cream tartar, tea-spoon
soda mixed thoroughly with the
flour; cream butter and sugar, add starch and milk, then add the whites and flour gradually until all is used. Flavor with
lemon or rose.--Mrs. W. P. Anderson.
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Two cups
brown sugar, one of
butter, one of
molasses, one of
strong coffee as prepared for the table, four
eggs, one tea-spoon
saleratus, two of
cinnamon, two of
cloves, one of
grated nutmeg, pound
raisins, one of
currants, four cups
flour.--Mrs. Wm. Skinner, Battle Creek, Mich.
One cup
brown sugar, cup
molasses, half cup
butter, cup
strong coffee, one
egg or yolks of two, four even cups
flour, heaping tea-spoon
soda in the flour, table-spoon
cinnamon, tea-spoon
cloves, two pounds
raisins, fourth pound
citron, Soften the butter, beat with the sugar, add the egg,
spices, molasses and coffee, then the flour, and lastly the
fruit dredged with a little flour. Bake one hour in moderate oven or make in two small loaves which will bake in a short time.
--Mrs. D. Buxton.
One cup
butter, three of
sugar, one of
sweet milk, four and a half of
flour, four
eggs with
whites beaten to a stiff froth, a tea-spoon of
soda, two of
cream tartar, one
grated cocoa-nut.--Mrs. J. Holland, New Castle, Ind.
One cup
butter, two of
sugar, a scant cup
milk, one and a half cups
flour, cup
corn starch, whites of seven eggs, three tea-spoons
baking-powder in the
flour; bake in a long pan. Take half pound
brown sugar, scant quarter pound
chocolate, half cup
milk, butter size of an egg, two tea-spoons
vanilla; mix thoroughly and cook as syrup until stiff enough to spread; spread on cake and set in the oven to dry.
--Mrs. George Bever.
Pour over one pound
fat pork chopped fine one pint
boiling water, two cups
brown sugar, one of
molasses, one table-spoon each of
cloves and
nutmeg, and two of
cinnamon, two pounds
raisins, fourth pound
citron, half glass
brandy, tea-spoon
salt, three of
baking-powder, and seven cups of
sifted flour. Bake slowly two and a half hours.
--Mrs. G. E. Kinney.
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One pound
flour, one pound
sugar, half pound
butter, eight
eggs beaten separately, a
nutmeg, a cup
milk, two tea-spoons
yeast-powder; cream butter with half the
flour; mix yeast powder with the remaining portion of the flour, sift it into the batter, add the sugar and eggs which have been beaten together, and put it all into the pans.
--Mrs. Gov. Hendricks, Indiana.
Six cups
flour, three of
sugar, one of
butter, one of
sour cider, tea-spoon
soda, four
eggs; beat the
eggs, butter and
sugar to a cream, stir in the flour, and then add the cider in which the soda has been dissolved.
--Miss Mary A. Dugan.
One cup
butter, three of
brown sugar, one of
sweet milk, four of
flour, yolks of seven eggs, nine table-spoons
grated Baker's chocolate, three tea-spoons
baking-powder. This may be baked as a layer cake, making a white cake of the
whites of the eggs, baking in layers, and putting them together with frosting, alternating the layers.
--Mrs. Frank Woods Robinson, Kenton.
Three cups
flour, two of
sugar, three-fourths cup
sweet milk, whites of six eggs, half cup
butter, tea-spoon
cream tartar, half tea-spoon of
soda. Flavor with
lemon.--Miss Mary E. Miller.
One cup
sugar, small half cup
butter, half cup
sweet milk, whites of four eggs beaten to a froth, one and a half cups
flour, a tea-spoon
baking-powder, two of
lemon, a cup seeded
raisins. Bake slowly.
--Mrs. Hyde, Mt. Vernon.
Four cups fine
white sugar, five of
sifted flour, one of
butter, one and a half of
sweet milk, one tea-spoon
soda dissolved in the
milk, two of
cream tartar, whites of sixteen eggs; stir sugar and butter to a cream, then add whites of eggs beaten to a stiff froth, next add flour, then the milk and soda; stir several minutes, and then add
View page [51]
cream tartar and
flavoring. This makes a large cake.
--Mrs. Mary S. Moore, Granville.
Beat together the
yolks of six eggs and three quarters of a pint
white sugar, add one and a half pints
blanched and shelled almonds, half pound sliced
citron well floured, and the whipped
whites with one and a half pints
sifted flour; pour one and a half inches thick in well-greased dripping-pans, bake in a quick oven, and, when done, cut slices one inch thick across the cake, turn each slice over on its side, return to oven and bake a short time. When cold place in a tin box. These will keep a year and a half or more, and are nice to have in store.
--Mrs. J. S. Williams, Brooklyn.
One and a half tea-cups
sugar, one of
sour milk, three (level) of
sifted flour, half cup
butter, tea-spoon
soda, half tea-spoon
cinnamon, half tea-spoon
grated nutmeg, tea-cup
raisins chopped and well floured.
--Miss Louise Skinner.
Four pounds
flour, one and a half of
sugar, half pound
butter, four
eggs, one pint
yeast, and
spice.--
One hundred years old.
OLD HARTFORD ELECTION CAKE. |
Five pounds
sifted flour, two of
butter, two of
sugar, three gills
distillery yeast or twice the quantity of home brewed, four
eggs, gill of
wine, gill of
brandy, one quart
sweet milk, half an ounce of
nutmeg, two pounds
raisins, one of
citron; rub the butter and flour together very fine, add half the sugar, then the yeast and half the milk (hot in winter, blood-warm in summer), then add the eggs, then remainder of the milk, and the wine; beat well and let rise in a warm place all night; in the morning beat a long time, adding brandy, sugar,
spice, and
fruit well floured, and allow to rise again very light, after which put in cake-pans and let rise ten or fifteen minutes; have the oven about as hot as for bread. This cake will keep any length of time.
For raised cakes use the yeast made from Mrs. Buxton's recipe; if fresh-made, it is always a perfect success for cakes. This recipe is over one hundred years old.
--Mrs. Eliza Burnham, Milford Center.
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One cup
butter; two of
sugar, one of
milk, two
eggs, tea-spoon
soda, three and a half cups
flour, two of
raisins, three of
dried apples soaked over night and then chopped fine and stewed two hours in two cups
molasses; beat butter and sugar to a cream, add milk in which dissolve soda, then the beaten eggs and flour, and lastly the raisins and apples well stirred in; pour in pan and bake an hour and a half.
--Mrs. C. M. Ingman.
One cup
butter, one of
brown sugar, half pint
molasses, two
eggs, cup
sour milk, tea-spoon
soda, pound of
flour, one of
currants, one and a half pounds
raisins. Flavor to taste.
--Mrs. M. E. Nicely.
One cup
butter, two of
brown sugar, one of
New Orleans molasses, one of
sweet milk, three
eggs, five cups
sifted flour, two tea-spoons
cream tartar in the flour, teaspoon
soda in the milk, table-spoon
cinnamon, one
nutmeg, one pound
raisins, one of
currants, quarter pound
citron
(citron may be omitted, and half the quantity of raisins and currants will do). Put flour in a large crock, mix well with cream tartar, make a well in the center, put in other ingredients, having warmed the butter and molasses a little; mix well together with the hands, putting in the
fruit last after it has been floured; bake two hours in a moderate oven. This will make two common-sized loaves.
--Mrs. N. S. Long.
Five cups
flour, five
eggs, one cup
butter, one of
lard, two of
sugar, one of
molasses, one pound
raisins, one of
currants, half pound
citron, half tea-spoon
soda, and a half tea-spoon
cream tartar.--Mrs. H. E. Roberts, Upper Allen, Ill.
Three pounds
butter, three of
brown sugar, beaten to a
cream, three of
flour, six of
currants, six of
raisins, after seeds are removed, one of
citron sliced thin, three glasses
brandy, twenty-eight
eggs, one ounce
cinnamon, one of
grated nutmeg, three-quarters ounce
cloves, half ounce
mace; roll the raisins, currants, and citron in part of the flour.
--Miss H. D. Martin, N. Y. City.
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One pound
brown sugar, one of
butter, one of
eggs, one of
flour, two of
raisins, two of
currants, half pound
citron, a
nutmeg, table-spoon
cloves, one of
allspice, half pint
brandy, and two tea-spoons
baking-powder. After baking, while yet warm, pour over cake a half pint
wine. This makes the cake delicious.
--Miss Angie Skinner, Somerset.
One and a half pounds
raisins, one and a fourth pounds
currants, three-fourths pound
citron, pound
butter, pound
sugar, one and a fourth pounds
flour, ten
eggs, two table-spoons
lemon, two tea-spoons
yeast powder, and a fourth pound
flour mixed in the
fruit.--Mrs. J. W. Grubbs, Richmond, Ind.
A cup
butter, two of
white sugar, four of
sifted flour, three-fourths cup
sour milk, half tea-spoon
soda, nine
eggs beaten separately, one pound
raisins, half pound
currants, a fourth pound
citron; cream the butter and sugar, add milk gradually, then beaten
yolks of eggs, and lastly, while stirring in flour, the
whites well whipped. Flavor with one tea-spoon
lemon and one of
vanilla extract, and have raisins chopped a little, or, better still, seeded, and citron sliced thin. Wash and dry currants before using, and flour all
fruit slightly. In putting cake in pan, place first a thin layer of cake, then sprinkle in some of the three kinds of fruit, then a layer of cake and so on, always finishing off with a thin layer of cake. Bake in a moderate oven for two hours.
--Mrs. J. H. Shearer.
Six pounds
flour, three of
butter, three and a half of
sugar, an ounce
mace, two glasses
wine, two glasses
brandy, four pounds
raisins, half pound
citron, six
eggs, one pint
yeast, small tea-spoon
soda put in at last moment. After tea, take all the flour, (except one plate for dredging raisins), a small piece butter, and a quart or more of
milk, and mix like biscuit; then mix butter and sugar, and at nine o'clock in the evening, if sufficiently light, put one-third of butter and sugar into dough; at twelve add another third, and very early in the morning the remainder; about eleven o'clock, if
View page [54]
light enough, begin kneading, and continue for an hour, adding meanwhile all the other ingredients. This will make seven loaves.
--Mrs. Woodworth, Springfield, Mass.
Half cup
butter, three of
flour, two of
sugar, one of
milk, three
eggs, a little
grated lemon, two tea-spoons
baking-powder.--Mrs. E. L. C., Springfield.
A large cup
butter, two and a half of
sugar, one of
sweet milk, three pints
flour with three tea-spoons
baking-powder, whites of sixteen eggs, a pound and a quarter of
figs well floured and cut in strips like citron; no flavoring.
--Mrs. A. B. Morey.
Ten
eggs beaten separately, one pound
butter, one of
white sugar, one of
flour, two of
almonds blanched and chopped fine, one of seeded
raisins, half pound
citron, shaved fine; beat butter to a cream, add sugar gradually, then the well-beaten
yolks; stir all till very light, and add the chopped almonds; beat the
whites stiff and add gently with the flour; take a little more
flour and sprinkle over the raisins and citron, then put in the cake-pan, first a layer of cake batter, then a layer of raisins and citron, then cake, and so on till all is used, finishing off with a layer of cake. Bake in a moderate oven two hours.
--Mary Wilcox, Dalton.
Gold Part.--
Yolks of eight eggs, scant cup
butter, two of
sugar, four of
flour, one of
sour milk, tea-spoon
soda, table-spoon
corn starch; flavor with
lemon and
vanilla.
Silver Part.--Two cups sugar, one of butter, four (scant) of flour, one of sour milk, tea-spoon soda, table-spoon corn starch, whites of eight eggs; flavor with almond or peach. Put in pan, alternately, one spoonful of gold and one of silver.--Miss Emma Fisher.
One cup
sugar, half cup
butter, three
eggs beaten well together, level tea-spoon
soda stirred in half cup
sour milk, two small cups
flour; flavor with
lemon, pour in small dripping-pan, bake half an hour, and cut in squares.
--Miss Flora Ziegler, Columbus.
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Two cups
sugar, one of
milk, two-thirds cup
butter, three of
flour, three
eggs, two tea-spoons
baking-powder, a cup
nut-kernels cut fine.
--Mrs. Judge West, Bellefontaine.
A cup
butter, two of
sugar, three of
flour, one of
sweet milk, whites of seven and yolks of two eggs, a tea-spoon
soda, two of
cream tartar, one pint
hickory-nut meats rolled and sprinkled with
flour; beat the
whites to a stiff froth.
--Mrs. A. B. Morey.
One pound
butter and one of
sugar beaten to a cream, one pound
flour, the
grated rind and juice of a lemon, nine
eggs, one and a quarter pounds
almonds before they are cracked, half pound
citron, half pound
raisins; beat the
yolks light, add sugar and butter, then the
whites beaten to a stiff froth, and the flour, reserving a part for the
fruit, and lastly, the
nuts blanched, cut fine and mixed with fruit and the rest of the flour. This is very delicious, and will keep for months.
--Mrs. E. R. May, Minneapolis, Minn.
One-half cup
butter, one and a half of
sugar, two of
flour, nearly one of
sweet milk, half tea-spoon
soda, one of
cream tartar, whites of four eggs well beaten; flavor with
peach or almond.--Miss M. E. W., Madison.
One and a half cups
flour, one of
sugar, half cup
butter, half cup
sweet milk, tea-spoon
soda, two tea-spoons
cream tartar, yolks of four eggs, tea-spoon
vanilla.--Olivia S. Hinman, Battle Creek, Mich.
One pound
flour, one of
sugar, three-fourths pound
butter, seven
eggs, juice of one-and rind of two lemons. The sugar, butter, and
yolks of eggs must be beaten a long time, adding by degrees the flour, and the
whites of eggs last.
A tumbler and a half of sliced
citron may be added. This keeps well.
--Miss M. B. Fullington.
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Two cups
sugar and one of
butter beaten to a cream, three
eggs, the
whites beaten separately, three cups
flour with one tea-spoon
cream tartar stirred in,
yolks of the eggs stirred well with the sugar and butter; now add three cups more flour with one tea-spoon cream tartar, one cup
sweet milk and the whites of the eggs, and then stir again; add one
nutmeg, one pound
raisins or currants dredged with flour, one tea-spoon
soda dissolved in four table-spoons of
water. This makes two nice loaves, and is excellent.
Five cups
sugar, three of
butter, two of
milk, ten of
flour, six
eggs, three
nutmegs, pound seeded
raisins, a
grated lemon, small tea-spoon
soda, wine-glass
wine, one of
brandy, or, two-thirds of a cup of
Orleans molasses.--Mrs. A. S. Chapman.
Three pounds
flour, one and a fourth pounds
butter, one and three-fourths pounds
sugar, five gills
new milk, half pint
yeast, three
eggs, two pounds
raisins, tea-spoon
soda, gill of
brandy or wine, two tea-spoons
cinnamon and two of
nutmeg. All the butter and part of the sugar should be rubbed into the flour at night. Warm the milk, and pour the yeast into it; then mix together, and let rise until light. It is better to set the sponge over night, and in the morning add the other ingredients (flouring raisins), and let rise again. When light, fill baking-pans and let rise again. Bake in a moderate oven. This recipe makes three large loaves.
--Mrs. Gov. John J. Bagley, Michigan.
White Part.--
Whites of seven eggs, three cups
white sugar, one of
butter, one of
sour milk, four of
flour, sifted and heaping, one tea-spoon
soda; flavor to taste.
Dark Part.--Yolks of seven eggs, three cups brown sugar, one of butter, one of sour milk, four of flour, sifted and heaping, one table-spoon each of cinnamon, allspice, and cloves, one tea-spoon soda; put in pans a spoonful of white part and then a spoonful of dark, and so on. Bake an hour and a quarter. Use coffee-cups to
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measure. This will make one large and one medium cake.--Mrs. M. E. Smith, Cleveland.
White Part.--One and a half cups
white sugar, half cup
butter, half cup
milk, two and a half cups
flour, two tea-spoons
baking-powder, whites of four eggs beaten to a stiff froth; flavor to taste.
Dark Part.--Yolks of four eggs, one and a half cups brown sugar, half cup butter, half cup milk, two and a half cups flour, two tea-spoons baking-powder, tea-spoon cinnamon, tea-spoon allspice, quarter tea-spoon black pepper, half a nutmeg; stir butter and sugar, add the milk, then the eggs, and lastly the flour in which the spices and baking-powder have been well mixed; bake one hour. Of course the white and dark parts are alternated, either by putting in a spoonful of white, then of dark, or a layer of white and then of dark part, being careful that the cake may be nicely "marbleized."--Miss Mary Sealts, Mt. Vernon.
Make a batter as for white cake, take out one tea-cup add to it five table-spoons of
grated chocolate, moisten with
milk, and flavor with
vanilla; pour a layer of the white batter into the baking-pan, then drop the chocolate batter with a spoon in spots, and spread the remainder of the white batter over it.
--Mrs. Sarah Phelps, Springfield.
One cup
butter, one and a half cups
sugar, three of
flour, one of
sweet milk, one
egg, tea-spoon
soda, two tea-spoons
cream tartar in the
flour, cup
raisins chopped fine.
--Mrs. A. S. C.
Two cups
sugar, four
eggs, leaving out the whites of two, half cup
butter, one of
water, two tea-spoons
baking-powder, three cups
flour, juice, grated rind, and pulp of one orange; use the remaining
whites for frosting the top.
--Mrs. D. Buxton.
Three
eggs, one and a half cups
sugar, three-fourths cup
butter, or butter and lard mixed, tea-spoon
soda dissolved in a cup of
sour
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milk, tea-spoon
lemon, flour enough to make it pretty stiff; bake in quick oven.
--Miss Hannah Snell.
One pound
sugar, one of
flour, three-fourths pound
butter, eight large or ten small
eggs, one and a fourth pound
citron finely shredded; cream, butter and sugar, add the
yolks, then the flour and well-whipped
whites; put layer of batter in cake-pan and sprinkle thickly with citron, then another layer of batter, etc., till pan is filled. Bake slowly one and a half to two hours.
--Mrs. J. M. Southard.
One pound
sugar, one of
butter, one of
flour, ten
eggs; bake in a dripping-pan one inch in thickness; cut when cold into pieces three and a half inches long by two wide, and frost top and sides; form on the cake stand in pyramid before the icing is quite dry by laying, first in a circle, five pieces with some space between them; over the spaces between these lay five other pieces, gradually drawing in the column and crowning the top with a bouquet of flowers.--
Half pound
butter, one of
sugar, one of
flour, cup
sweet milk, five
eggs, small tea-spoon
soda, two of
cream tartar; flavor and add
fruit if desired.
--Miss Emily L. Burnham, South Norwalk, Conn.
One pound
sugar, one of
flour, half pound
butter, whites of sixteen eggs; tea-spoon
baking-powder sifted thoroughly with the flour; put in cool oven with gradual increase of heat.
For boiled icing for the cake, take three cups sugar boiled in one of
water until clear; beat
whites of three eggs to very stiff froth and pour over them the boiling liquid, beating all the time for ten minutes; frost while both cake and icing are warm.
--Mrs. Ada Estelle Bever, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
One pound
flour, one of
sugar, half pound
butter, four
eggs, one
nutmeg, lemon if desired, gill of
wine, one of
brandy, one of
sweet cream, one pound
raisins, two tea-spoons
baking-powder in the
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flour; rub the butter, sugar and
yolks of eggs to a perfect cream, beating a long time; add cream, then flour, and
fruit the last thing; bake an hour and a half. This makes two three-pint pans full.
--Miss Mattie B. Fullington.
One pound
sugar, a pound of
ground rice, half pound
butter, nine
eggs, rose-water to taste; add a little
salt, beat butter and sugar together, add rose-water, salt and eggs, lastly the rice; bake in shallow pans.
--Governor Rice, Mass.
Six
eggs, two tea-cups
pulverized sugar; beat
yolks and
sugar to a cream, add one and a half cups of
flour with two small tea-spoons
baking-powder in it; then add the
whites beaten to stiff froth, and stir all slowly till top is covered with bubbles. Bake in moderately-quick oven.
--Mrs. S. M. Guy, Darby Plains.
Three
eggs, one and a half cups
powdered sugar, two of
sifted flour, two tea-spoons
cream tartar, half cup
cold water, tea-spoon
soda, grated rind and half the juice of one lemon; bake in dripping-pan.
--Mrs. Eliza J. Starr.
Twelve
eggs, pint
pulverized sugar, one of
flour, measured before sifting, small tea-spoon
salt, heaping tea-spoon
baking-powder essence of lemon for flavor; beat the
whites to a very stiff froth, and add sugar; beat the
yolks, strain and add them to the whites and sugar, and beat the whole thoroughly; mix baking-powder and salt in the flour and add last, stirring in small quantities at a time; bake one hour in a six-quart pan in a moderate oven. This makes one very large cake. By weight use one pound pulverized sugar and three-fourths pound flour.
--Miss S. Alice Melching.
One pound
sugar, one of
flour, ten
eggs; stir
yolks of eggs and sugar till perfectly light; beat
whites of eggs and add them with the flour after beating together lightly; flavor with
lemon. Three tea-spoons
baking-powder in the flour will add to its lightness, but
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it never fails without. Bake in a moderate oven.
--Mrs. Mary Reynolds, Hamilton.
Ten
eggs, their weight in
sugar and half their weight in
flour; beat the
yolks with the sugar and flavor with
lemon; beat the
whites to a stiff froth and add them to the yolks and sugar; sift the flour in and stir quickly; it must not be beaten after flour is put in; bake immediately. This will make two thick loaves in six by nine pans.
--Mrs. Governor Connor, Maine.
Whites of ten eggs, a tumbler and a half of
pulverized sugar, one of
flour, heaping tea-spoon
cream tartar, a pinch of
salt; put all through the sieve twice, then stir in lightly the
eggs beaten to a stiff froth, flavor with
vanilla or rose.--Mrs. Governor Ludington, Wisconsin.
Four cups
sugar, one and a half cups
butter, whites of sixteen eggs, five cups
flour, two tea-spoons
cream tartar with the
flour, one tea-spoon
soda with one cup
sweet milk. Flavor to taste.
--Miss Mary Sheridan, Somerset.
Three pounds
seedless raisins, one and a half pounds
citron, one pound
butter, two and a half coffee-cups
sugar, two of
sweet milk, six
eggs, two large tea-spoons
baking-powder, three tea-spoons
cinnamon, two of
mace, four cups
flour.--Mrs. Gov. Potts, Montana.
Three-quarters pound
sugar, three-quarters pound
butter, whites twelve eggs, yolks of two, tea-cup
sweet milk, three tea-spoons
yeast powder, flour to suit; beat yolks and half the sugar till very light, add whites and rest of sugar, butter, and flour enough to make a batter rather stiffer than for pound-cake.
--Mrs. Gov. Porter, Tennessee.
Half tea-cup
butter, one of
sugar, one and a half of
flour, half cup
sweet milk, whites of four eggs, tea-spoon
baking powder; flavor with
lemon.--Mrs. Win. Patrick, Midland, Mich.
View page [61]
Whites of ten eggs beaten to a stiff froth, sift lightly on this one and a half cups
fine white or pulverized sugar, stir well, and add cup
flour mixed with tea-spoon
baking-powder; flavor with
lemon or vanilla.--Mrs. Dr. Koogler, Connersville, Ind.
One-fourth pound
butter, a little less than a pound
flour, the same of
sugar, six
eggs beaten separately; flavor with
mace and bake in muffin-rings.
--Mrs. S. C. Lee, Baltimore, Md.
One cup
butter, two of
pulverized sugar, one of
sweet milk, three of
flour, half cup
corn starch, four
eggs, two tea-spoons
baking-powder, two of
lemon extract.--Mrs. T. B., Chicago, Ill.
Rub one cup
butter and three of
sugar to a cream; add one cup
milk, four of
flour, five
eggs, one tea-spoon
cream tartar, half tea-spoon
soda, one-fourth pound
citron. This makes two loaves.
--Mrs. J. H. Ferris, South Norwalk, Conn.
White Part.--Two cups
white sugar, one of
butter, one of
sweet milk, three and a half of
flour, whites of eight eggs, two tea-spoons
cream tartar, one of
soda dissolved in a little
warm water.
Red Part.--One cup red sugar, half cup butter, third cup sweet milk, two cups flour, whites of four eggs, tea-spoon cream tartar, half tea-spoon soda, tea-cup raisins; be careful to keep the red part around the tube of the pan and the white around the edge. It requires two persons to fill the pan.--Mrs. Baxter.
One pound
white sugar, one of
flour, three-fourths pound
butter, a dozen
eggs, two pounds
raisins, two of
currants, half pound
citron, fourth ounce
nutmeg, fourth ounce
cloves, half ounce
cinnamon, a cup of
molasses, and a level tea-spoon
soda.--Mrs. M. L. France.
Fifty
eggs, five pounds
sugar, five of
flour, five of
butter, fifteen of
raisins, three of
citron, ten of
currants, pint
brandy, fourth
View page [62]
ounce
cloves, ounce
cinnamon, four of
mace, four of
nutmeg. This makes forty-three and a half pounds, and keeps twenty years.
--Mrs. C. H. D., Northampton, Mass.
One cup
butter, two of
sugar, one of
sweet milk, three of
flour, whites of five eggs, two tea-spoons
baking-powder.--Mrs. Daniel Miller.
Three cups
sugar, one of
butter, one of
milk, three of
flour, one of
corn starch, whites of twelve eggs beaten to a stiff froth, two tea-spoons
cream tartar in the flour, and one of
soda in half the milk; dissolve the corn starch in the rest of the milk, and add it to the sugar and butter well beaten together, then the milk and soda, and the flour and whites of eggs.
--Mrs. C. Jones, Bradford, Vt.
>
LAYER-CAKES.
In baking layer-cakes, it is important to thoroughly grease the tins--to make it emphatic, we will say thoroughly grease and then grease again--and after using rub off with a coarse towel, taking care that they are perfectly free from all small particles of cake, grease and fill again, thus obviating the necessity of washing every time they are filled. If jelly is used to spread between the layers, it is a good plan to beat it smoothly and spread it before the cakes are quite cool: In "building," an inverted jelly-tin furnishes a perfectly level surface on which to lay and spread the cake, and it may be allowed to remain on it until perfectly cold, when it should be set away in a tin cake-box, in a cool place.
To blanch almonds,
pour boiling water over them, let stand a moment, drain and throw them into cold water, slip off the skins and pound.
Two cups
sugar, three-fourths cup
butter, one of
sweet milk, two of
flour, and one of
corn starch well mixed,
whites of six eggs, two
View page [63]
tea-spoons
cream tartar in the flour, one tea-spoon
soda in the milk; cream the butter and sugar, add milk gradually, then the
whites of eggs together with the flour, and bake in jelly-tins. To put between layers, take two pounds
almonds, blanch and pound fine in a mortar (or a cloth will do), beat
whites and yolks of two eggs together lightly, add a cup and a half sugar, then the almonds with one table-spoon
vanilla.--Mrs. Harvey Wood.
On beaten
whites of ten eggs, sift one and a half goblets
pulverized sugar, and a goblet
flour through which has been stirred a heaping tea-spoon
cream tartar; stir very gently and do not heat it; bake in jelly-pans.
For cream, take a half pint
sweet cream, yolks of three eggs, table-spoon pulverized sugar, tea-spoon
corn starch; dissolve starch smoothly with a little
milk, beat yolks and sugar together with this, boil the cream, and stir these ingredients in as for any cream-cake filling, only make a little thicker; blanch and chop fine a half pound
almonds and stir into the cream. Put together like jelly cake while icing is soft, and stick in a half pound of almonds split in two.
--Mrs. Paris Gibson, Minneapolis, Minn.
Pour half pint
boiling water over a cup
butter, and while hot stir in two cups
flour. When the whole is very smooth and thoroughly scalded, set away to cool. When cold, break in five
eggs, stir until perfectly mixed, then add one-fourth tea-spoon
soda. Butter a pan, drop in the mixture, a table-spoon in a place, and bake in a quick oven. When the cakes are done they will be hollow, and the top must be sliced off, the inside filled with
cream, and the top replaced.
Cream for Inside.--Pint milk, half cup flour, a cup sugar, and two eggs, stirred together and heated till of the consistency of cream; flavor with lemon.--Mrs. Gov. Noyes, Cincinnati.
Boil one tumbler of
water, add to it scant two-thirds cup
butter; while boiling stir in one and a half tumblers
flour; when cold add five well-beaten
eggs and a table-spoon
cold water; drop a spoonful in a place on well-greased tins one and a half inches apart, bake fifteen to twenty minutes in a quick oven; when cool enough to
View page [64]
handle, cut a hole in side,
and fill with
cream made as follows: Boil two tumblers
sweet milk, add two eggs, and two-thirds coffee-cup
white sugar well beaten together, then stir in one-half coffee-cup flour till thick and smooth, and
flavor.--Mrs. J. E. Smiffin, Pleasantville, N.Y.
Five
eggs, whites and yolks beaten separately, one and a half cups each of
white sugar and
sifted flour, two tea-spoons
baking-powder in the
flour; bake in tea-cups, filling about half full.
The
cream is prepared by placing a small tin pail containing a pint
sweet milk in a kettle of
boiling water; beat the
whites and yolks of two eggs separately; stir in the milk while boiling, a half tea-cup
sugar, a large table-spoon
corn starch dissolved in a little sweet milk, then the beaten
yolks, and a piece of
butter the size of a large walnut; flavor with
lemon or vanilla. When done cut the cakes open, put in a spoonful of the cream, place together again, roll in the
whites, and then in coarse
granulated sugar.--Mrs. A. S. Chapman.
Three
eggs, one tea-cup
granulated sugar, one and a half cups
flour, two table-spoons
cold water, tea-spoon
baking-powder. This is enough for two cakes baked in pie-pans, to be split while warm, spreading the hot custard between them, or for four cakes baked in jelly-pans, with the hot custard spread between them, the latter being the preferable plan.
For custard, boil nearly one pint
sweet milk; mix two table-spoons
corn starch with a half tea-cup sweet milk; add two well-beaten eggs; when milk has boiled add nearly a tea-cup
sugar, and stir in slowly the corn starch and eggs; add a half tea-cup
butter stirred until dissolved, flavor with one tea-spoon
vanila, and spread between cakes while hot.
This cake can be used as a pudding by pouring over each piece a spoonful of the custard that is left.
--Mrs. Charles Morey.
Cream one cup
sugar and one-fourth cup
butter, add half cup
sweet milk, the well-beaten
whites of three eggs, one and a half cups
flour, with half a tea-spoon
soda, and a tea-spoon
cream tartar sifted with it; bake in three deep jelly-tins; beat very light the
yolks of
View page [65]
two eggs, one cup sugar, and two table-spoons
rich sweet cream-flavor with vanilla, and spread on cakes; or to yolks add one and a half table-spoons
corn starch, three-quarters cup sweet milk and small lump butter; sweeten and flavor to taste, cook in a custard-kettle till thick, let cool, and then spread.
--Mrs. J. M. Southard.
Make good
sponge-cake, bake half an inch thick in jelly-pans, and let them get perfectly cold; take a pint
thickest sweet cream, beat until it looks like ice-cream, make very sweet, and flavor with
vanilla; blanch and chop a pound
almonds, stir into cream, and put very thick between each layer. This is the queen of all cakes.
--Miss Mattie Fullington.
Two cups
sugar, one of
butter, three and a fourth cups
flour, fourth cup
sweet milk (some take two cups flour, one cup
corn starch, and one of sweet milk), two tea-spoons
baking-powder, whites of eight eggs, flavor and bake in jelly-tins. Boil two and a half cups
powdered sugar in a half tea-cup
water, stirring constantly; when thick and clear, pour boiling hot over the well-whipped whites of three eggs, beat till nearly cold, flavor and spread on cakes.
--Mrs. Dr. D. H. Moore, Wesleyan College, Cincinnati.
To the well-beaten
yolks of six eggs, add two cups
powdered white sugar, three-fourths cups
butter, one of
sweet milk, three and a half of
flour, one level tea-spoon
soda and two of
cream tartar, white of four eggs well beaten; bake in jelly-cake pans.
For icing, grate one
cocoa-nut, beat
whites of two eggs, and add one tea-cup
powdered sugar; mix thoroughly with the grated cocoa-nut, and spread evenly on the layers of cake when they are cold.
--Miss Nettie Miller, Columbus.
One cup
butter, two of
sugar, three of
flour, four
eggs, one cup
sweet milk, one of
corn starch, (not filling cups of butter and flour very full if eggs are small,) two tea-spoons
cream tartar, one of
soda.
Make
custard as follows: One cup thick
sour cream stirred thin, one
View page [66]
cup
sugar, one
grated cocoa-nut, one egg beaten separately; spread between layers like jelly cake.
--Mrs. Mary S. Moore, Granville.
One and a half cups
sugar, three-fourths cup
butter, half cup
milk, two and a fourth cups
flour, three
eggs, one and a half heaping tea-spoons
baking-powder, or a small tea-spoon
soda, and two tea-spoons
cream tartar; bake in jelly-tins.
Make
caramel as follows: Butter size of an egg, pint
brown sugar, half cup
milk or water, half cake
chocolate; boil twenty minutes (or until thick enough) and pour over cakes while warm, piling the layers one upon the other.
For frosting for top of cake, take
whites of two eggs, one and a half cups sugar, a tea-spoon
vanilla, three heaping tea-spoons
grated chocolate.--Mrs. Ella Snider, Minneapolis, Minn.
DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE CAKE. |
The
whites of eight eggs, two cups
sugar, one of
butter, three full cups
flour, one of
sweet milk, three tea-spoons
baking-powder; beat the butter to a cream, stir in the
sugar, and beat until light; add the milk, then the flour and beaten whites. When well beaten, divide into two equal parts, and into half grate a cake of
sweet chocolate. Bake in layers, spread with custard, and alternate the white and dark cakes.
For custard for the cake, add a table-spoon of butter to one pint of milk, and let it come to a boil; stir in two
eggs beaten with one cup of sugar, add two tea-spoons of
corn starch dissolved in a little
milk.--Mrs. J. M. Riddle, Bellefontaine.
One cup
butter, two of
sugar, one of
milk, five
eggs, leaving out the
whites of three, four cups
sifted flour, two tea-spoons
baking-powder, or one small tea-spoon
soda and two of
cream tartar in the flour; bake in three layers in deep jelly-tins.
For icing, take whites of three eggs, beaten stiff, one and a half cups
powdered sugar, six table-spoons
grated chocolate, two tea-spoons
vanilla.--Mrs. J. H. Shearer.
"JUST SPLENDID" CUSTARD CAKE. |
Two cups
sugar, two and a half cups
flour, half cup
milk, butter size of an egg,
whites of ten eggs, two tea-spoons
cream tartar, one
View page [67]soda dissolved in
milk.
For custard take three-fourths pint
rich sour cream, yolks of four eggs beaten well with two table-spoons
white sugar, whites of two of the eggs beaten with the same quantity of
sugar, two pounds
almonds blanched and chopped very fine; add the beaten
yolks to the cream, and beat until as thick as sponge-cake, then add the whites and almonds; flavor with
vanilla. Spread thick between the cakes.
--Mrs. C. Hawks, Goshen, Ind.
Three cups
sugar, one of
butter, six of
flour, two-thirds pint
sour cream, seven
eggs (leaving out the whites of two for icing), one even tea-spoon
soda in the cream, tea-spoon soda in the flour, one of
cream tartar, and one of
lemon or vanilla. Bake in pans one inch deep, and when done spread one with icing, and lay the other on top of it, allowing two layers for each cake.
--Mrs. Dr. Thompson.
Silver Part.--Two cups
sugar, two-thirds cup
butter, not quite two-thirds cup
sweet milk, whites of eight eggs, three heaping tea-spoons
baking-powder thoroughly sifted, with three cups
flour; stir sugar and butter to a cream, add milk and flour, and last white of eggs.
Gold Part.--One cup sugar, three-fourths cup butter, half cup sweet milk, one and a half tea-spoons baking-powder sifted in a little more than one and a half cups flour, yolks of seven eggs thoroughly beaten, and one whole egg, one tea-spoon allspice, and cinnamon until you can taste it; bake the white in two long pie-tins. Put half the gold in a pie-tin, and lay on one pound halved figs (previously sifted over with flour), so that they will just touch each other, put on the rest of the gold, and bake. Put the cakes together with frosting while warm, the gold between the white ones, and cover with frosting.--Miss Tina Lay, Clyde, O.
Half a cup of
butter, two of
sugar, one of
sour cream, three of
flour, three
eggs, half tea-spoon of
soda; bake in layers and spread with
jelly.--Mrs. R. M. Henderson.
One cup
flour, one of
sugar, four table-spoons
melted butter, two table-spoons
water, three
eggs, two level tea-spoons
cream tartar,View page [68]
and one of
soda sifted in the flour. Put all the ingredients together, beat ten minutes, bake in two long sheets, spread with
jelly, and roll up while hot.
--Mrs. Wm. Brown, Massillon.
Beat twelve
eggs and one pound
pulverized sugar together very lightly, then stir in three-fourths pound of
flour, making batter as light as for sponge-cake, and thin enough to spread nicely when poured; make up as quickly as possible. Have shallow tin-pans prepared (about twelve by eighteen inches and an inch deep) by lining with thin brown paper, using no grease on pan or paper; pour in batter, spread out with a knife as thin as possible (about half an inch thick), and bake in solid oven. When done, remove from oven, let cool a few minutes, and while still warm, but not hot, turn out of pan upside down. With a brush or soft cloth wet in
cold water, brush over the paper and pull it off; spread cake thin with
jelly and roll it up, being careful to place the outer edge of roll against something so that it will not unroll until cold. Sprinkle with
powdered sugar and serve. If baked in pans such as are described above, the recipe will make two rolls, each twelve inches long, which should be cut in two, making four rolls. Use no baking-powder, as it makes the cake too brittle. Many use none in sponge-cake. The paper lining should be larger than pan, to lift out the cake by taking hold of the projecting edges.
--C. W. Cyphers, Minneapolis.
One cup
butter, two of
sugar, three of
flour, four
eggs, half cup
milk, three tea-spoons
baking-powder; bake in jelly-tins.
For filling stir together a
grated lemon, a large
grated apple, an
egg, and a cup
sugar, and boil four minutes.
--Miss Greeley Grubbs.
One and one-half cups
sugar, one of
butter, two and one-half of
flour, five
eggs beaten separately, four tea-spoons
sweet milk, tea-spoon
cream tartar, half tea-spoon
soda.
For Jelly.--Take coffee-cup sugar, two table-spoons butter, two eggs, and the juice of two lemons; beat all together and boil until the consistency of jelly.
For orange cake use oranges instead of lemons.--Miss Minnie Brown.
View page [69]
One and an eighth pound of
flour, one of
powdered sugar, ten
eggs; beat eggs and sugar as light as for sponge-cake; sift in with flour one tea-spoon
baking-powder and stir slowly. Make a funnel-shaped bag of heavy ticking or strong brown paper; through the hole in the small end push a funnel-shaped tin tube, one-third inch in diameter at small end and provided with a flange at the other to prevent it from slipping quite through; tie the small end of bag firmly around the tube, and you have a funnel-shaped sack with a firm nozzle projecting slightly from the small end. Into this bag pour the batter, over which gather up the bag tightly so that none will run out, press and run the dough out quickly through the tube into a pan lined with light brown paper (not buttered), making each about a finger long, and about as thick as a lead-pencil, being careful not to get them too wide. Sprinkle with
granulated sugar, bake in a quick oven, and, when cool, wet the under side of the paper with a brush, remove and stick the fingers together back to back. The bag, when made of ticking, will be useful in making macaroons and other small cakes.
--Charles W. Cyphers, Minneapolis, Minn.
One and a half cups
granulated sugar, half cup
butter stirred to cream,
whites of six eggs, or three whole eggs, two tea-spoons
cream tartar stirred in two heaping cups
sifted flour, one tea-spoon
soda in half cup
sweet milk; bake in three layers.
For filling, take tea-cup
sugar and a little
water boiled together until it is brittle then dropped in
cold water, remove from stove and stir quickly into the well-beaten
white of one egg; add to this a cup of
stoned raisins chopped fine, or a cup of chopped
hickory-nut meats, and place between layers and over the top.
--Mrs. E. W. Herrick, Minneapolis, Minn.
Two cups
sugar, one of
butter, one of
milk, nearly four cups
flour, whites of eight eggs, three tea-spoons
baking-powder, flavor with
lemon. Bake a little more than three-fifths of this mixture in three jelly-tins, add to the remaining batter one table-spoon
View page [70]
ground allspice, one and a half table-spoons
cinnamon, tea-spoon
cloves, fourth pound each of sliced
citron and chopped
raisins; bake in two jelly-tins and put together with frosting, alternating dark and light.
--Mrs. Dr. D. H. Moore, Wesleyan College, Cincinnati.
Black Part.--One cup
brown sugar, two
eggs, half cup
butter, half cup
molasses, half cup
strong coffee, two and a half cups
flour, one of
raisins, one of
currants, a tea-spoon each of
soda, cinnamon, and
cloves, and half tea-spoon
mace.
White Part.--Two cups sugar, half cup butter, one of milk, two and a quarter of flour, one of corn starch, whites of four eggs, small tea-spoon cream tartar; make frosting of whites of two eggs to put between the layers.--Mrs. Calista Hawks Gortner, Goshen, Ind.
One cup
butter, one of
water, two of
sugar, four of
flour, three
eggs, three tea-spoons
baking-powder; bake in layers. Take the
juice of two large or three small oranges, coffee-cup
pulverized sugar, one
egg; mix
yolk of egg, sugar, and juice together; beat
whites to a stiff froth, stir in and spread between the layers.
--Mrs. W. B. Brown, Washington, D. C.
Four tea-cups sifted
flour, three tea-spoons
baking-powder stirred into the
flour, five
eggs with the
yolks of two left out, two cups
sugar, scant cup of
butter, one of
milk; bake in thin layers.
For custard take
juice and grated rind of one large orange, add the two
yolks that were left out, sweeten to taste, place on stove, and stir until thick enough to spread.
--Mrs. Sarah Phelps, Springfield.
Two cups
sugar, half cup
butter, three and a half cups
sifted flour, half cup
sweet milk, three
eggs beaten separately, tea-spoon
baking-powder mixed in flour; bake in jelly-pans.
For jelly take the
juice and grated rind of twooranges, two table-spoons
cold water, two cups
sugar; set in a pot of
boiling water, and, when
View page [71]
scalding hot, stir in the
yolks of two well-beaten eggs, and just before taking from the fire stir in the
white of one egg slightly beaten, and when cold put between the layers of cake. Frost the top with the other egg.
--Miss Mardie Dolbear, Cape Girardeau.
Two-thirds cup
butter, two small cups
sugar, one cup
milk, three tea-spoons
baking-powder, the
yolks of five eggs, three small cups
flour; bake in jelly-tins.
Whites of three eggs beaten to a stiff froth,
juice and grated peel of one orange, sugar to consistency; put this between the layers with
white frosting on the top.
--Mrs. Gov. Pillsbury, Minnesota.
Bake three sheets of
sponge-cake as for jelly cake; cut
peaches in thin slices, prepare cream by whipping, sweetening and adding flavor of
vanilla if desired, put layers of peaches between the sheets of cake, pour
cream over each layer and over the top.
This may also be made with ripe
strawberries.--Mrs. Woodworth, Springfield, Mass.
Two and a half cups
sugar, one of
butter, one of
sweet milk, tea-spoon
cream tartar, half tea-spoon
soda, four cups
flour, four
eggs; reserve a third of this mixture, and bake the rest in two loaves of the same size. Add to third reserved, one cup
raisins, fourth pound
citron, a cup of
currants, two table-spoons
molasses, tea-spoon each of all kinds of
spice; bake in a tin the same size as other loaves; put the three loaves together with a little
icing or currant jelly, placing the fruit loaf in the middle; frost the top and sides.
--Miss Alice Trimble, Mt. Gilead.
Beat one cup
butter to a cream, add one and a half cups
flour and stir very thoroughly together; then add one cup
corn starch, and one cup
sweet milk in which three tea-spoons
baking-powder have been dissolved; last, add
whites of eight eggs and two cups
sugar well beaten together; flavor to taste, bake in sheets, and put together with
icing.--Walter Moore, Hamilton.
View page [72]
Four
eggs, whites and yolks beaten separately, two tea-cups
powdered sugar, half cup
corn starch, two cups
sifted flour, two tea-spoons
baking-powder; mix well together the flour, corn starch, and baking-powder, and add to the
eggs and sugar; pour over the whole, stirring briskly, one tea-cup
boiling water; flavor as you like. Put in two pans about one inch and a half deep (like jelly-pans), then put between the two cakes when done, a layer of
blackberry jam. Bake carefully in a well-heated oven.
One half cup
butter, two cups
sugar, three of
flour, one of
cold water, three
eggs, tea-spoon
baking-powder; take out about one-third in another dish and add to it one cup
raisins, one of
currants, a little
citron, table-spoon
molasses; spice to taste. Bake in three layers and join while warm either with
currant jelly or white icing with the fruit layer in center.
--Mrs. G. F. Hanford, Harlem, N. Y.
Make
batter as for cocoa-nut cake (Miss Nettie Miller's). Bake five layers in jelly-tins; make frosting of
whites of three eggs, three tea-spoons
baking-powder, and three-fourths pound of
pulverized sugar; with frosting for first layer mix rolled
hickory-nut meats, with that for second layer mix fine-sliced
figs, for third with hickory-nut meats, for fourth with figs, and on the top spread the
plain frosting, and grate
cocoa-nut over thickly.
--Mrs. J. S. Robinson.
Two cups
sugar, six
eggs leaving out the whites of three, one cup
boiling hot water, two and one half cups
flour, one table-spoon
baking-powder in the flour; beat the
yolks a little, add the sugar and beat fifteen minutes; add the three beaten
whites, and the cup of
boiling water just before the flour; flavor with a tea-spoon
lemon extract and bake in three layers, putting between them icing made by adding to the three whites of eggs beaten to a stiff froth, six dessert-spoons of
pulverized sugar to each egg, and
lemon to flavor.--Mrs. Wm. Brown, Massillon.
View page [73]
One and a half cups
sugar, half cup
butter, half cup
sweet milk, one and a half cups
flour, half cup
corn starch, tea-spoon
baking-powder, whites of six eggs; bake in two cakes, putting
frosting between and on top.
--Olivia S. Hinman, Battle Creek, Mich.
Two cups
pulverized sugar, half cup
butter beaten to a cream; add half cup
sweet milk, two and a half cups
flour, two and a half tea-spoons
baking-powder in the flour,
whites of eight eggs; bake in jelly-tins and put together with icing made by boiling a half tea-cup of
water and three tea-cups
sugar till thick; pour it slowly over the well-beaten whites of three eggs, and beat all together till cool. Beat before putting on each layer.
Sprinkle each layer thickly with grated cocoa-nut, and a handsome cocoa-nut cake will result.--Mrs. Dr. Stall, Union City, Ind.
>
DIRECTIONS FOR FROSTING.
Beat whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, add powdered sugar gradually, beating well all the time;
or break the whites into a broad platter, and at once begin adding powdered and sifted sugar, keep adding gradually, beating well all the while until the icing is perfectly smooth (thirty minutes beating ought to be sufficient); lastly, add flavoring (rose, pineapple, or almond for white or delicate cake, and lemon or vanilla for dark or fruit cake). If the cake is rough or brown when baked, dust with a little flour, rub off all loose particles with a cloth, put on frosting,
pouring it around the center of the cake, and smooth off as quickly as possible with a knife. If the frosting is rather stiff, dip the knife in cold water. It is better to frost while the cake is still warm. A good general rule for frosting is ten heaping tea-spoons powdered sugar to each white of an egg, and some add to this a tea-spoon of corn starch. As eggs vary in size, the measurement must also vary, and practice only will teach when the frosting is just stiff enough.
If the flavor is
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lemon juice, allow more sugar for the additional liquid. It is nice when the frosting is almost cold, to take a knife and mark the cake in slices.
Blanch half pint
sweet almonds by putting them in
boiling water, stripping off the skins, and spreading upon a dry cloth until cold; pound a few of them at a time in a mortar till well pulverized; mix carefully
whites of three eggs and three-quarters pint
powdered sugar, add
almonds, flavor with a tea-spoon
vanilla or lemon, and dry in a cool oven or in the open air when weather is pleasant.
Whites of three eggs beaten to a stiff froth, one large cup
granulated sugar moistened with four table-spoons
hot water; boil sugar briskly for five minutes or until it "ropes" from the end of the spoon, turn while hot upon the beaten eggs, and stir until cold.
If preferred, add half pound
sweet almonds blanched and pounded to a paste, and it will be perfectly delicious. This amount will frost the top of two large cakes.
--Mrs. A. S. C.
Beat
whites of two eggs to a stiff froth, add gradually half pound best
pulverized sugar, beat well for at least half an hour, flavor with
lemon juice (and some add
tartaric acid, as both whiten the icing).
To color a delicate pink, use
strawberry, currant or cranberry;
or the
grated peeling of an orange or lemon moistened with the juice and squeezed through a thin cloth, will color a handsome yellow. This amount will frost one large cake.
--Mrs. W. W. W.
Dissolve large
pinch gelatine in six table-spoons
boiling water; strain and thicken with
sugar and flavor with
lemon. This is enough to frost two cakes.
--Mrs. W. A. J.
To one heaping tea-spoon
Poland starch and just enough
cold water to dissolve it, add a little
hot water and cook in a basin set in hot water till very thick (or cook in a crock; either will prevent its
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burning or becoming lumpy). Should the
sugar be lumpy roll it thoroughly, and stir in two and two-thirds cups while the starch is hot; flavor to taste, and spread on while the cake is a little warm. This should be made the day before using, as it takes longer to harden than when made with eggs, but it will never crumble in cutting.
--Mrs. Ola Kellogg Wilcox.
Take one or two
eggs according to size of cake, a tea-cup of
sugar to an egg; chop the
meats very fine, mix with frosting and spread on cake as thickly as you choose.
--Mrs. A. S. Chapman.
Draw a small syringe full of the
icing and work it in any design you fancy; wheels, Grecian borders, flowers, or borders of beading, look well.
--Mrs. M. J. W.
The
yolk of one egg to nine heaping tea-spoons
pulverized sugar, and flavor with
vanilla. Use the same day it is made.
--Mrs. J. S. W.
Mix together one-fourth ounce each of
powdered alum and
cream tartar, one ounce
powdered cochineal, four ounces
loaf sugar, and a salt-spoon
soda. Boil ten minutes in a pint
pure soft water, when cool bottle and cork for use. This is used for jellies cake, ice-cream, etc.
--Mrs. W. E. H., Minneapolis.
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CRULLERS AND DOUGHNUTS.
To cook these properly the fat should be of the right heat. When hot enough it will cease to bubble and be perfectly still; try with a bit of the batter, and if the heat is right the dough will rise in a few seconds to the top and occasion a bubbling in the fat, the cake will swell, and the under side quickly become brown. Clarified drippings of roast meat are more wholesome to fry them
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in than lard. If the dough is cut about half an inch thick, five to eight minutes will be time enough to cook, but it is better to break one open as a test. When done, drain well in a skimmer, and place in a colander. The use of eggs prevents the dough from absorbing the fat. Doughnuts should be watched closely while frying, and the fire must be regulated very carefully. When you have finished frying, cut a potato in slices and put in the fat to clarify it, place the kettle away until the fat "settles," strain into an earthen pot kept for this purpose, and set in a cool place. The sediment remaining in the bottom of the kettle can be used for soap-grease. Fry in an iron kettle, the common skillet being too shallow for the purpose. Do not eat doughnuts between April and November. Crullers are better the day after they are made.
Two coffee-cups
sugar, one of
sweet milk, three
eggs, a heaping table-spoon
butter, three tea-spoons
baking-powder mixed with six cups
flour, half a
nutmeg, and a level tea-spoon
cinnamon. Beat eggs, sugar and butter together, add milk,
spices and flour; put another cup flour on molding-board, turn the dough out on it, and knead until stiff enough to roll out to a quarter inch thick; cut in squares, make three or four long incisions in each square, lift by taking alternate strips between the finger and thumb, drop into
hot lard, and cook like doughnuts.
--Miss R. J. S.
Six
eggs, one coffee-cup
sugar, six table-spoons
melted butter, four of
sweet milk, one tea-spoon
soda in
milk, two tea-spoons
cream tartar in the
flour, one tea-spoon
ginger, half a small
nutmeg (or any other seasoning), flour to roll out; fry in
hot lard. If the lard is not fresh and sweet, slice a
raw potato, and fry before putting in the cakes.--
Miss M. B. Fullington.
One coffee-cup of not too thick
sour cream, or one of sour milk and one table-spoon of
butter, two
eggs, a little
nutmeg and
salt, one tea-cup
sugar, one small tea-spoon
soda dissolved; mix soft.
--Mrs. S. Watson, Upper Sandusky.
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ALBERT'S FAVORITE DOUGHNUTS. |
One pint
sour milk, one cup
sugar, two
eggs, one tea-spoon
soda, half cup
lard, nutmeg to flavor; mix to a moderately stiff dough, roll to half inch in thickness, cut in rings or twists, drop into
boiling lard, and fry to a light brown.
--Mrs. A. F. Ziegler.
One
egg, a cup
rich milk, a cup
sugar, flour enough to roll out, three tea-spoons
baking-powder.--Mrs. Jenks, Bellefontaine.
Warm together one pint
milk and one small tea-cup
lard, and add one cup
yeast; stir in
flour to make a batter, let rise over night; add four
eggs, two and a half cups
sugar, two tea-spoons
cassia, half tea-spoon
soda, and a tea-spoon
salt; knead and let rise again; roll, cut out, and let rise fifteen minutes before frying.
A quart
flour, a cup
sugar, two table-spoons
melted butter, a little
salt, two tea-spoons
baking-powder, one
egg, and
sweet milk sufficient to make rather stiff; roll out in thin sheets, cut in pieces about two by four inches; make as many cuts across the short way as possible, inserting the knife near one edge and ending the cut just before reaching the other. Pass two knitting-needles under every other strip, spread the needles as far apart as possible, and with them hold the trifles in the
fat until a light brown. Only one can be fried at a time.
--Miss Ettie Dalbey, Harrisburg.
>
COOKIES AND JUMBLES.
These require a quick oven. A nice "finishing touch" can be given by sprinkling them with granulated sugar and rolling over lightly with the rolling-pin, then cutting out and pressing a whole raisin in the center of each; or when done a very light brown, brush over while still hot with a soft bit of rag dipped
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in a thick syrup of sugar and water, sprinkle with currants and return to the oven a moment.
Three cups
sugar, two of
butter, three
eggs well beaten, one tea-spoon
soda, flour sufficient to roll out.
One cup
butter, two of
sugar, one of
cold water, half tea-spoon
soda, two
eggs, and just
flour enough to roll.
--Mrs. Mary F. Orr.
Two cups
sugar, one of
butter, one of
sour cream or milk, three
eggs, one tea-spoon
soda; mix soft, roll thin, sift
granulated sugar over them, and gently roll it in.
--Mrs. Judge West.
A large cup
sugar, two-thirds cup
butter, half tea-spoon
soda dissolved in two tea-spoons
hot water, flour enough to roll thin; flavor with
lemon.--Mrs. E. L. C., Springfield.
Two and a half cups of
sugar, half cup
molasses, a cup
butter, half cup
sweet milk, two
eggs well beaten, a level tea-spoon
soda, and
flour enough to roll out.
--Miss J. O. De Forest, Norwalk.
Two cups
white sugar, three-fourths cup
butter, two-thirds cup
sour milk, nutmeg or
caraway seed for flavor, two
eggs, half tea-spoon
soda, and six cups of
flour or enough to roll. Roll thin, and bake in a quick oven.
One pound
sugar, five
eggs, half pound
butter, half tea-cup
milk, two tea-spoons
baking-powder, flour enough to roll.
--Mrs. Emma G. Rea.
Two cups
sugar, one of
butter, three of
flour, two
eggs, leaving out the white of one; roll out thin and cut in square cakes with a knife; spread the
white of egg on top, sprinkle with
cinnamon and
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sugar, and press a
blanched almond or raisin in the center.
--Miss Clara G. Phellis.
Two cups
sugar, one of
butter, two of
cocoa-nut, two
eggs, small tea-spoon
soda mixed with
flour enough to make a stiff batter. Drop heaping tea-spoons on buttered paper in pans.
--Miss M. E. C.
Three cups
sugar, one of
butter, four
eggs, a tea-spoon
soda, and
nutmeg or vanilla to flavor. Stir in
flour until it will roll; roll out, sprinkle with sugar and roll it in gently, and cut out round, with a hole in the center.
--Mrs. J. Holland, New Castle, Ind.
One and a half cups
white sugar, three-fourths cup
butter, three
eggs, three table-spoons
sweet milk, half tea-spoon
soda and one of
cream tartar; mix with sufficient
flour to roll; roll and sprinkle with
sugar; cut out and bake.
--Mrs. Mollie Pilcher, Jackson, Mich.
>
GINGER-BREAD.
If in making ginger-bread the dough becomes too stiff before it is rolled out, set it before the fire. Snaps will not be crisp if made on a rainy day. Ginger-bread and cakes require a moderate oven, snaps a quick one. If cookies or snaps become moist in keeping, put them in the oven and heat them for a few moments. Always use New Orleans or Porto Rico molasses, and never syrups. Soda is used to act on the "spirit" of the molasses. In making the old-fashioned, soft, square cakes of ginger-bread, put a portion of the dough on a well-floured tin sheet, roll evenly to each side, trim off evenly around the edges, and mark off in squares with a floured knife or wheel cutter. In this way the dough may be softer than where it is necessary to pick up to remove from board after rolling and cutting.
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AUNT MOLLY'S GINGER-BREAD. |
Three and a half pounds
flour, one of
butter, one quart
molasses, half pint
milk, one tea-spoon
soda; mix the milk, molasses, and flour together, melt, and add the butter; roll out on the sheets and bake. This recipe is one hundred years old.
--Mrs. Woodworth, Springfield, Mass.
Pint
molasses, tea-cup
melted lard, table-spoon
ginger, table-spoon
salt, tea-cup
boiling water; in half the
water dissolve table-spoon
pulverized alum, and in the other half a heaping table-spoon
soda; stir in just
flour enough to knead, roll about half inch thick, cut in oblong cards, and bake in a tolerably quick oven.
--Mrs. Wm. Patrick, Midland, Mich.
One gallon
molasses or strained honey, one and a quarter pounds
butter, quarter pound
soda stirred in a half tea-cup
sweet milk, tea-spoon
alum dissolved in just enough
water to cover it,
flour to make it stiff enough to roll out; put the molasses in a very large dish, add the soda and butter melted, then all the other ingredients; mix in the evening and set in a warm place to rise over night; in the morning knead it a long time like bread, roll into squares half an inch thick and bake in bread-pans in an oven heated about right for bread. To make it glossy, rub over the top just before putting it into the oven the following: One well-beaten
egg, the same amount or a little more
sweet cream, stirring cream and egg well together. This ginger-bread will keep an unlimited time.
The recipe is complete without ginger, but two table-spoons may be used if preferred.--
Over fifty years old, and formerly used for general muster days.
EXCELLENT SOFT GINGER-BREAD. |
One and a half cups
Orleans molasses, half cup
brown sugar, half cup
butter, half cup
sweet milk, tea-spoon
soda, tea-spoon
allspice, half tea-spoon
ginger; mix all together thoroughly, add three cups
sifted flour and bake in shallow pans.
--Mrs. S. Watson.
[Editorial note: Handwritten variations (in brackets) to the following recipe for "SPONGE GINGER-BREAD": "One cup sour milk," changed to "One (and 1/2) cup sour milk (and cream); "a half cup butter" change to "did not one"; "two eggs" changed to "1" egg; and "one teaspoon soda" changed to "one teaspoon soda (tablespoon in a little hot water)".]
One cup
sour milk, one of
Orleans molasses, a half cup
butter two
eggs, one tea-spoon
soda, one table-spoon
ginger, flour to make
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as thick as pound-cake; put butter, molasses and ginger together, make them quite warm, add the milk, flour, eggs and soda, and bake as soon as possible.
--Mrs. M. M. Munsell.
Two cups
molasses, one of
lard, one of
sugar, two-thirds cup
sour milk, table-spoon
ginger, three tea-spoons
soda stirred in the
flour and one in the milk, two
eggs.--Miss Tina Lay, Clyde.
EXCELLENT GINGER COOKIES. |
Put one tea-spoon
saleratus in a tea-cup, pour on it three table-spoons
boiling water, add four table-spoons
melted shortening, fill cup with
molasses, and add
salt and
ginger to the tasete; mix as soft as can be rolled.
--Mrs. S. Annie May, Stockbridge, Mass.
One quart
Orleans molasses, pint
lard or butter, pint
buttermilk, two table-spoons
soda, two table-spoons
ginger, flour enough to make a stiff batter; pour the molasses and milk boiling hot into a large tin bread-pan in which have been placed the ginger and soda (the pan must be large enough to prevent running over), stir in all the flour possible, after which stir in the lard or butter; when cold mold with flour and cut in cakes. Care must be taken to follow these directions implicitly or the cakes will not be good; remember to add the lard or butter last, and buttermilk, not sour milk, must be used; boil the molasses in a skillet, and after pouring it into the pan, put the buttermilk in the same skillet, boil and pour it over the molasses, ginger and soda.
--Mrs. R. M. Henderson.
Take three
eggs, one cup
lard, one of baking
molasses, one of
brown sugar, one large table-spoon
ginger, one table-spoon
soda dissolved in a cup of
boiling water, five cups
unsifted flour; drop table-spoons of this mixture into a slightly-greased dripping-pan, about three inches apart.
--Mrs. L. McAllister.
Half cup
sugar, a cup
molasses, half cup
butter, one tea-spoon each
cinnamon, ginger and
cloves, two tea-spoons
soda in a cup
boiling water, two and a half cups
flour; add two well-beaten
eggsView page [82]
the last thing before baking. Baked in gem-tins or as a common ginger-bread, and eaten warm with a
sauce, they make a nice dessert.
--Mrs. C. Hawks, Goshen, Ind.
Two cups
molasses, one of
lard, one table-spoon
soda, one of
ginger, flour to roll stiff.
--Miss Mary Gallagher.
One gallon
molasses, two pounds
brown sugar, one quart
melted butter, half tea-cup
ground cloves, half tea-cup
mace, half tea-cup
cinnamon, half tea-cup
ginger, two of
soda.--Mrs. Hattie Clemmons.
Two cups
molasses, one scant cup
melted butter, two tea-spoons
soda in one cup
hot water, two tea-spoons
ginger or one tea-spoon
nutmeg, flour enough to make a stiff batter.
--Mrs. S. N. Fuller, New York City.
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CREAMS AND CUSTARDS.
For creams and custards eggs should never be beaten in tin, but always in stone or earthen ware, as there is some chemical influence about tin which prevents their attaining that creamy lightness so desirable. Beat quickly and sharply right through the eggs, beating whites and yolks separately.
When gelatine is used for creams, it is better to soak it for an hour in a little cold water or milk, set in a warm place; when dissolved, pour into the hot custard just after removing from the stove.
For custards the common rule is four eggs, one cup sugar, and one small half tea-spoon salt to each quart of milk. Bake in a baking-dish until firm in the center, taking care that the heat is moderate or the custard will turn in part to whey. The delicacy of the custard depends on its being baked slowly. It is much nicer to strain the yolks, after they are beaten, through a small wire strainer kept for this purpose by every good housekeeper.
For boiled custards or floats the yolks alone may be used, or for economy's sake the entire eggs. Always place the milk to boil in a custard-kettle (made of iron with another iron kettle inside, the latter lined with tin), or, in a pan or pail set within a kettle of boiling water; when the milk reaches the boiling point, which is shown by a slight foam rising on top, add the sugar which cools it so that the eggs will not curdle when added.
Or, another convenient way is to mix the beaten and strained yolks with the sugar in a bowl, then add gradually several spoonfuls of the boiling milk, until the eggs and sugar are heated through, when they may be slowly stirred into the boiling milk. Let remain a few moments, stirring constantly until it thickens a little, but not long enough to curdle, then either set the pail immediately
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in cold water or turn out into a cold dish, adding flavoring extracts after removing from the stove. Peach leaves or vanilla beans give a fine flavor, but must be boiled in the milk and then taken out before the other ingredients are added. Boiled custards are very difficult to make, and must have the closest attention until they are finished.
In making
charlotte-russe
it is not necessary to add gelatine. The filling may be made of well-whipped cream, flavored and sweetened. Fill the mold and set on ice to harden. If preferred, it may be made up in several small molds, one for each person.
In the use of spices it is well to remember that allspice and cloves are used with meats, and nutmeg and cinnamon in combination with sugar. The white part of lemon rind is exceedingly bitter, and the outer peel only should be used for grating. A better way is to rub the rind off with hard lumps of sugar. The sugar thus saturated with the oil of the lemon is called "zest," and is used, pounded fine, for creams, etc.
One quart
cream, two table-spoons
sugar, one ounce
gelatine soaked in
water until dissolved; whip half the
cream (rich milk may be substituted for cream) to a stiff froth; boil the other half with the
sugar and a
vanilla bean until the flavor is extracted (or vanilla extract may be added just after it is removed from the fire), take off the fire, add the gelatine, and when cooled a little, stir in the well-beaten
yolks of the four eggs. As soon as it begins to thicken, stir steadily until smooth, when add the
whipped cream, beating it in lightly. Mold and set on ice until ready to serve.
To flavor with strawberries, strain two pounds berries through a colander, sweeten to taste, add to the dissolved gelatine, set on ice, and when it thickens stir until smooth, add the whipped cream as above, and mold.
To flavor with peach, boil a dozen and a half choice fruit, sweeten and strain through a colander; add the dissolved gelatine and a tea-cup of cream, set on ice, and when it thickens stir until smooth, add the whipped cream, and mold.
To flavor with a pine-apple, cut fine, boil with half a pound pulverized sugar, strain through a colander, add the dissolved gelatine,
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set on ice, and when it thickens stir until smooth, add the whipped cream, and mold. Canned pine-apples may be used instead of fresh. In all these, never add whipped cream until the mass is cool and begins to thicken.--Mrs. W. R. Jones, Pittsburgh, Pa.
One ounce
gelatine, one pint
sweet milk, one of
cream, four
eggs, sugar to taste; beat the sugar and
yolks of eggs together until light, boil the gelatine in the milk and strain over the eggs and sugar; whip the cream, which must be very cold, to a nice froth and add to the above; flavor with
vanilla. Line the dish you wish to serve it in with
sponge-cake, and pour the mixture in, then set it on
ice till wanted.
--Mrs. Gov. Osborn, Kansas.
Cut stale
sponge-cake into slices about half an inch thick and line three molds with them, leaving a space of half an inch between each slice; set the molds where they will not be disturbed until the filling is ready; take a deep tin pan and fill about one-third full of either
snow or pounded ice, and into this set another pan that will hold at least four quarts. Into a deep bowl or pail (a whip-churn is better), put one and a half pints of
cream (if the cream is thick take one pint of cream and a half pint of
milk,) whip to a froth, and when the bowl is full, skim the froth into the pan which is standing on the ice, and repeat this until the cream is all froth; then with the spoon draw the froth to one side, and you will find that some of the cream has gone back to milk; turn this into the bowl again, and whip as before; when the cream is all whipped, stir into it two-thirds cup
powdered sugar, one tea-spoon
vanilla, and half a
box of gelatine, which has been soaked in
cold water enough to cover it for one hour and then dissolved in
boiling water enough to dissolve it (about half a cup-ful), stir from the bottom of the pan until it begins to grow stiff; fill the molds and set them on the ice in the pan for one hour, or until they are sent to the table. When ready to dish them, loosen lightly at the sides and turn out on a flat dish; have the cream ice-cold when you begin to whip it, and it is a good plan to put a lump of ice into the cream while whipping it.
--M. Parloa.
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One quart
milk, six ounces
sugar, two ounces
isinglass; put all into a sauce-pan and on the stove; when dissolved, take off, strain through a sieve and put on ice until it begins to set, then add one cup of
wine and flavor to taste; when it begins to set, take one quart
cream, beat to a stiff froth, and stir all together. Then take charlotte-russe molds, line them with
sponge-cake, with a layer of
jelly at the bottom, fill with the custard, and set on
ice for two hours.
--Mrs. H. B. Sherman.
One ounce
gelatine dissolved in two gills of
boiling milk, whites of four eggs beaten to a stiff froth, one and a half cups
white powdered sugar, one pint thick
cream whipped to a froth, and
rose-water or vanilla for flavoring; line a large mold with thick slices of
sponge-cake, mix the gelatine, sugar, cream, and flavoring together, add lightly the frothed whites of the eggs, pour into mold, set away on ice till required for use. This is an easy and excellent mode of making this most delicate dessert.
--Mrs. V. G. Hush, Minneapolis, Minn.
The
rind and juice of two large lemons, yolks of eight eggs, one cup
sugar; put all in a bucket, set in a pan of
boiling water, stir for three minutes, take from the fire, add the well-beaten
whites of the eggs, and serve when cold in custard-glasses.
--Mrs. C. Fullington.
Soak one-third box
gelatine half an hour in
cold milk, put a quart milk on to boil, and when boiling stir in
yolks of eight eggs well beaten, add one cup and a half
sugar and the gelatine; when the custard begins to thicken, take it off and pour into a deep dish in which the eight
whites have been beaten to a stiff froth; mix well together and flavor to taste; put in molds, and allow four hours to cool. This cream is much more easily made in winter than in summer.
--Mrs. N. P. Wiles, Ripley.
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Boil one cup
rice in a custard-kettle in
sweet milk until soft, add two table-spoons
loaf sugar, a salt-spoon
salt; pour into a dish and place on it lumps of
jelly; beat the
whites of five eggs and three table-spoons
pulverized sugar to a stiff froth, flavor to taste, add one table-spoon
rich cream, and drop the mixture on the rice.
--Miss Libbie S. Wilcox, Madison.
Boil one pint
new milk in a custard-kettle, thicken to the consistency of cream with
rice flour, sweeten and flavor, set in a cool place; dissolve half an ounce
gelatine in half pint
cold water, set in a warm place, and when dissolved beat to a froth with an egg-beater, add the well-beaten
whites of two eggs, sweeten and flavor, pour in mold and place on
rice to cool; turn out on dish, and serve with the rice cream around it.
--Miss Alice Trimble.
One box
Coxe's gelatine dissolved in a pint of
cold milk; into two quarts
boiling milk, stir one and a half cups
sugar, and the
yolks of eight eggs; pour all upon the dissolved gelatine, stirring well. When cool add half a pint
wine, or flavor with lemon or vanilla, place in dishes and cover with a meringue made of the beaten
whites, the
juice of one lemon, and one cup sugar; brown in oven two minutes and eat ice-cold.
--Susan R. Howard, Brooklyn, New York.
Soak over night two table-spoons
tapioca in one-half tea-cup
milk (or enough to cover); bring one quart milk to boiling point; beat well together the
yolks of three eggs, half tea-cup
sugar, and one tea-spoon
lemon or vanilla for flavoring, add the tapioca, and stir the whole into the
boiling milk, let boil once, turn into the dish, and immediately spread on the
whites. Serve when
cold.--Mrs. R. M. Henderson.
Place
cream over
ice until thoroughly chilled, and whip with an egg-beater or whip-churn until it froths. While whipping, place froth on a sieve, and return to bowl to be re-whipped all that passes
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through. When cream is difficult to whip, add to it and beat with it the
white of an egg. Sweetened and flavored this is a choice dessert alone, but it may be served in various ways.
Baked apples, and
fresh or preserved berries are delicious with it. Jelly-glasses, one-third full of
jelly and filled up with cream, make a very wholesome and delicious dessert.
One and one half pints good
rich cream sweetened and flavored to taste, three tea-spoons
vanilla; whip to a stiff froth. Dissolve three-fourths ounce best
gelatine in small tea-cup
hot water, and when cool pour into the cream; stir thoroughly, pour in molds and set on ice, or in very cool place.
--Mrs. Emma Craig, Washington, D.C.
One package
gelatine, pint
cold water, quart
boiling water, pint
wine, three
lemons, three pounds
sugar, half small bottle
vanilla; put this away until cold; take the
whites of six eggs, beat stiff, then beat up with the
jelly, and place in molds.
--Mrs. Col. Woods, Greensburg, Pa.
One pint of mashed
stewed apples, one pint
sweet milk, four
eggs, one cup
sugar and a little
nutmeg; bake slowly.
--Mrs. G. W. Hensel, Quarryville, Pa.
Pare, core and bring to boil in as little
water as possible six
tart apples, cool and strain, beat well and add the well-whipped
whites of three eggs, sweeten to taste and beat thoroughly until a dish of snow is the result, flavor with
lemon or vanilla, or add the
grated rind of a lemon; serve with
sweetened cream.
Or make custard of
yolks, sugar, and a pint
milk, place in a dish, and drop the froth on it in large flakes.
--Mrs. T. J. Buxton, Minneapolis, Minn.
Dissolve three heaping table-spoons
corn starch and three of
sugar in one pint of
milk; add to this three
eggs well beaten, and pour the mixture into one pint of
boiling milk, stirring constantly until it boils again; just before taking from the stove flavor to suit the taste and pour into cups or small molds; when cool take out and
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place on a glass dish with a mold of jelly in the center. Serve a spoonful of
jelly and a
sauce of
sweetened cream with each mold.
--Mrs. E. M. R.
Half box
gelatine, soaked till dissolved in as much
cold water as will cover it, four ounces
sweet chocolate grated, one quart
sweet milk, one cup
sugar; boil
milk, sugar and chocolate five minutes, add gelatine, and boil five minutes more, stirring constantly; flavor with
vanilla, put in molds to cool and eat with
cream. If wanted for tea, make in the morning; if for dinner, the night before.
For a plain blanc-mange omit the chocolate.
--Mrs. Dr. Houston, Urbana.
Stew nice fresh
raspberries, strain off the juice and sweeten it to taste, place over the fire, and when it boils stir in
corn starch wet in
cold water, allowing two table-spoons of corn starch for each pint of
juice; continue stirring until sufficiently cooked, pour into molds wet in cold water and set away to cool; eat with
cream and
sugar.
Other
fruit can be used instead of raspberries.
--Mrs. J. P. Rea, Minneapolis, Minn.
Two sections
chocolate dissolved in one quart of
milk, one cup
sugar, yolks of six eggs, a heaping table-spoon
corn starch; beat the yolks, add the
sugar and corn starch, stir all slowly in the
boiling milk in which the chocolate is dissolved, add a pinch of
salt, and let cook a few minutes, stirring constantly; eat cold with
white cake.--Miss Burnie Johnson.
One-fourth pound
corn meal, one pint
milk, boil together fifteen minutes, add one-fourth pound
butter, six
eggs, rose-water, salt, and
sugar to taste.
--Mrs. E. M. R.
Make a custard of the
yolks of six eggs, one quart
milk, a small pinch of
salt, sugar to taste; beat and strain
yolks before adding to the
milk; place custard in a large tin pan, and set on stove, stirring
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constantly until it boils, then remove, flavor with
lemon or rose, and pour into a dish (a shallow, wide one is best), spread smoothly over the boiling hot custard the well-beaten
whites, grating some
loaf-sugar and
coacoa-nut on the top. Set the dish in a pan of
ice-water and serve cold.
--Mrs. W. W. W.
Eight well-beaten
eggs, leaving out two
whites for the top, three pints
milk; sweeten and flavor to taste; bake for two hours in a slow oven. Beat the reserved
whites to stiff froth with two table-spoons
sugar, spread over the top, and return to oven to brown.
To one-third package
Coxe's gelatine, add a little less than one pint
boiling water; stir until gelatine is dissolved, add the
juice of one lemon, and one and a half cups
sugar; strain through a jelly-strainer into dish for the table, and set in a cool place.
For custard, to one and a half pints
milk add the
yolks of four eggs (reserving the whites), and four table-spoons sugar; cook and flavor when cool. When required for the table, cut gelatine into small squares, and over them pour the custard. Add four table-spoons
powdered sugar to the
whites of four eggs well beaten, and when ready for the table, place over the custard with a spoon.
--Mrs. W. A. James.
One pound
sugar, quarter pound
butter, four
eggs, cup
sweet milk, two
crackers, two
lemons; beat butter and sugar together until light, add eggs beaten light, next grated crackers, then
grated rind and chopped pith of lemon, and one cup
milk, the
juice of lemon to be added last.
--Mrs. Gov. J. P. Cochran, Delaware.
Beat two
yolks of eight eggs till they are white, add pint
boiling water, the
rinds of two lemons grated, and the juice sweetened to taste; stir this on the fire till it thickens, then add a large glass of
rich wine, and one-half glass of
brandy; give the whole a good
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boil, and put in glasses. To be eaten cold.
--Mrs. Belle R. Liggett, Detroit, Mich.
Half a package of
Coxe's gelatine, three
eggs, two cups of
sugar, juice of one lemon; soak the gelatine one hour in a tea-cup of
cold water, add one pint
boiling water, stir until thoroughly dissolved, add two-thirds of the sugar and the lemon juice; beat the
whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, and when the gelatine is quite cold, whip it into the whites, a spoonful at the time, from half an hour to an hour. Whip steadily and evenly, and when all is stiff, pour in a mold, or in a dozen egg-glasses previously wet with cold water, and set in a cold place. In four or five hours turn into a glass dish. Make a custard of one and one-half pints
milk, yolk of eggs, and remainder of the sugar, flavor with
vanilla, and when the meringue or snow-balls are turned out of the mold, pour this around the base.
--Mrs. Gov. Thayer, Wyoming Territory.
This dessert combines a pretty appearance with palatable flavor, and is a convenient substitute for ice-cream. Beat the
whites of six eggs in a broad plate to a very stiff froth, then add gradually six table-spoons
powdered sugar, beating for not less than thirty minutes, and then beat in about one heaping table-spoon of
preserved peaches cut in tiny bits (or some use one cup jelly). In serving, pour in each saucer some
rich cream sweetened and flavored with
vanilla, and on the cream place a liberal portion of the moonshine. This quantity is enough for seven or eight persons.
--Mrs. H. C. Meredith, Clambridge City, Ind.
One quart
water, the
juice and pulp of two lemons, one coffee-cup
sugar; when boiling, add four table-spoons
corn starch, let boil fifteen minutes, stirring all the time; when cold pour it over four or five
peeled and sliced oranges, and over the top spread the beaten
whites of three eggs; sweeten and add a few drops of
vanilla.--Mrs. Wm. Skinner.
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Peel and slice six
oranges, put in a high glass dish a layer of oranges, then one of
sugar, and so on until all the orange is used, and let stand two hours; make a soft
boiled custard of the
yolks of three eggs, one pint of
milk, sugar to taste, with grating of the
orange peel for flavor, and pour over the oranges when cool enough not to break the dish; beat the
whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, stir in sugar, and put over the pudding.
--Mrs. Mary A. Livermore, Melrose, Mass.
Sweeten to taste and stew three-quarters of a pound of
prunes; when
perfectly cold, add the
whites of four eggs beaten stiff, stir all this together till light, put in a dish, and bake twenty minutes; when cold serve in a larger dish, and cover well with good
cream. Mrs. Belle R. Liggett, Detroit, Mich.
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>
CONFECTIONERY.
Dissolve four pounds white sugar in one quart water; place this in a porcelain kettle over a slow fire for half an hour, pour into it a small quantity of gelatine and gum-arabic dissolved together; all the impurities which rise to the surface skim off at once.
Instead of gelatine and gum-arabic, the white of an egg may be used as a substitute with good results. To make the clarifying process still more perfect, strain through a flannel bag.
To make rock-candy,
boil this syrup a few moments, allow to cool, and crystallization takes place on the sides of the vessel.
To make other candies
bring the syrup very carefully to such a degree of heat that the "threads," which drop from the spoon when raised into the colder air, will snap like glass. When this stage is reached, add a tea-spoon of vinegar or cream tartar to prevent "graining," and pour into pans as directed in the recipes which follow.
To make round stick candies,
pull, and roll into shape with well-floured hands as soon as cool enough to be handled. In pulling candy, some grease the hands, others flour them slightly. Colored candies are often injurious, and sometimes even poisonous, and should be avoided.
In baking macaroons and kisses use washed butter for greasing the tins, as lard or salt butter gives an unpleasant taste. After buttering, sprinkling lightly with flour and then shaking it off, is an excellent way to prepare the pan. When powdered almonds are to be used, they should be thoroughly dried in an open oven after blanching, and they will pulverize more easily.
Pour
boiling water on half a pound
almonds, take skins off and throw into
cold water for a few moments, then take out and pound
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(adding a table-spoon
essence lemon) to a smooth paste, add one pound of
pulverized sugar and
whites of three eggs, and work the paste well together with back of spoon; dip the hands in
water and roll mixture into balls the size of a
nutmeg, and lay on buttered paper an inch apart; when done, dip the hands in water and pass gently over the macaroons, making the surface smooth and shining; set in a cool oven three-quarters of an hour. If this recipe is strictly followed, the macaroons will be found equal to any made by professional confectioners.
--Miss L. S. W.
Three pounds
"coffee A" sugar, fourth pound
butter, half tea-spoon
cream tartar, eight drops
extract of lemon; add as much
cold water as will dissolve the
sugar; boil without stirring till it will easily break when dropped in cold water, and when
done, add the lemon; have a dripping-pan well buttered and pour in one-fourth inch thick, and when partly cold, mark off in squares. If pulled, when partly cold, till very white, it will be like ice-cream candy.
--Mrs. J. S. R.
Beat the
whites of four small eggs to a high, firm froth, stir into it half a pound
pulverized sugar, flavor with
essence lemon or rose, continue to beat until very light; then drop half the size of an egg, and a little more than an inch apart, on well-buttered letter-paper; lay the paper on a half-inch board and place in a hot oven; watch, and as soon as they begin to look yellowish take them out; or, beat to a stiff froth the
whites of two eggs, stirring into them very gradually two tea-cups
powdered sugar and two table-spoons
corn starch; bake on buttered tins fifteen minutes in a warm oven, or until slightly brown.
Chocolate puffs are made by adding two ounces
grated chocolate mixed with the
corn starch.--Mrs. W. W. W.
Two cups
sugar, three quarters cup
vinegar, one half cup
butter; boil until brittle when tested in
water; pour in buttered pans.
--Henrietta F. Dwight, Cambridge, Mass.
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White of one egg beaten to a stiff froth, quarter pound
pulverized sugar, half tea-spoon
baking-powder; flavor with
lemon; butter tins and drop with tea-spoon about three inches apart; bake in a slow oven and serve with
ice-cream.
This is also a very nice recipe for icing.
--Miss Alice Trimble, Mt. Gilead.
One cup
grated chocolate, four of
sugar, two of
molasses, two of
milk, butter size of an egg, pinch of
soda and
flour; boil half an hour with quick fire, stirring to keep from burning; pour in pans and mark in squares when nearly cold.
--Mrs. J. F. Wilcox, New Haven, Conn.
One and a half cups
grated chocolate, four of
brown sugar, one and a half of
cold water, piece of
butter size of an egg, table-spoon of
very sharp vinegar; flavor with two table-spoons
vanilla just before removing from fire. Do not stir, but shake the vessel gently while cooking. Boil on the top of stove over a brisk fire until it becomes brittle when tried in
water; pour into a well buttered and floured dripping-pan, and check off in squares while soft.
--Miss Emma Collins, Urbana.
Two and a half cups
pulverized or granulated sugar, one-half cup
cold water; boil four minutes and beat till cold enough to make into little balls; take half a cake of
Baker's chocolate, cut off fine and set where it will melt, and when balls are cool enough, roll in the chocolate. This makes eighty.
Or while making into balls, mold over
almond meats, roll in
coarse sugar, and you have delicious "cream almonds."
--Mrs. O. M. Scott.
One pint
milk, butter size of an egg, one
cocoa-nut grated fine (or dessicated cocoa-nut may be used), three pounds
white sugar, two tea-spoons
lemon, boil slowly until stiff (some then beat to a cream), pour into shallow pans, and when partly cold cut in squares.
--Miss Nettie Brewster, Madison.
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One pound
cocoa-nut, half pound
powdered sugar, and the
white of one egg; work all together and roll into little balls in the hand; bake on buttered tins.
--C. W. Cyphers, Minneapolis, Minn.
Squeeze the
juice of one large lemon into a cup. Boil one and one-half pounds moist
white sugar, two ounces
butter, one and a half tea-cups
water, together with half the
rind of the lemon, and when done (which may be known by its becoming quite crisp when dropped into
cold water), set aside till the boiling has ceased, and then stir in the juice of the lemon, butter a dish and pour in about an inch thick. When cool take out peel (which may be dried), pull until white, draw out into sticks and check about four inches long with a knife.
If you have no lemons, take two table-spoons
vinegar and two tea-spoons
lemon extract. The fire must be quick and the candy stirred all the time.
--Mrs. J. S. R.
One pound
flour, one of
white sugar, quarter pound
almonds cut into small pieces, five
eggs, grated rind of one lemon; drop this mixture into a large buttered pan, a tea-spoonful in a place, and bake until tinged with brown. Eggs and sugar should be beaten fifteen minutes.
--Miss Flora Partridge.
Take
meats of hickory-nuts, pound fine and add mixed ground
spice and
nutmeg; make frosting as for cakes, stir
meats and spices in, putting in enough to make it convenient to handle;
flour the hands and make the mixture into balls the size of marbles, lay them on buttered tins, giving room to spread, and bake in a quick oven.
--Mrs. Walter Mitchell, Gallipolis.
One
egg, half cup
flour, a cup
sugar, a cup
nuts sliced fine; drop on buttered tins one tea-spoonful in a place, two inches apart. Or, bake like sand tarts.
--Mrs. Lamb, Bellefontaine.
Take a pound
loaf-sugar and a large cup
water, and after cooking over a slow fire half an hour, clear with a little
hot vinegar, take
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off the scum as it rises, testing by raising with a spoon, and when the "threads" will snap like glass pour into a tin pan, and when nearly cold mark in narrow strips with a knife. Before pouring into the pans, chopped
cocoa-nut, almonds, hickory-nuts, or Brazil-nuts cut in slices, may be stirred into it.
--Mrs. V. K. W.
One pound
granulated sugar, whites of nine eggs. Whip eggs until dish can be inverted without their falling off, and then simply add the sugar, incorporating it thoroughly, but stirring as little as possible. Prepare boards three-fourths of an inch thick, to fit oven, and cover them with strips of heavy brown paper about two and a half inches wide; on these drop the mixture from the end of a dessert-spoon (or use the meringue-bag described in recipe for lady's fingers), giving the meringue the form of an egg, and dropping them about two inches apart on the paper, and bake till a light brown. Take up each strip of paper by the two ends, turn it gently on the table, and with a small spoon take out the soft part of each meringue, strew over them some
sifted sugar, and return to oven bottom side up to brown. These shells may be kept for weeks. When wanted for table, fill with
whipped cream, place two of them together so as to inclose the cream, and serve. To vary their appearance, finely-chopped
almonds or currants may be strewn over them before the sugar is sprinkled over, and they may be garnished with any
bright-colored preserve. Great expedition is necessary in making them, as, if the meringues are not put into the oven as soon as the sugar and eggs are mixed, the former melts, and the mixture runs on the paper instead of keeping its egg-shape. The sweeter the meringues are made the crisper will they be, but if there is not sufficient sugar added they will most likely be tough. If damp weather should cause the shells to soften, place them again in the oven to dry.
--Miss Sarah Gill, Columbus.
Take equal quantities
brown sugar and
Orleans molasses, (or all molasses may be used), and one table-spoon sharp
vinegar, and when it begins to boil skim well and strain, return to the kettle and continue boiling until it becomes brittle if dipped in
cold water,View page [98]
then pour on a greased platter. As soon as cool enough, begin to throw up the edges and work, by pulling on hook or by hand, until bright and glistening like gold;
flour the hands occasionally, draw into stick size, rolling them to keep round, until all is pulled out and cold. Then with shears clip a little upon them at proper lengths for the sticks, and they will easily snap; flavor as you pour the candy out to cool.
--Sterling Robinson.
Pop the
corn and reject all that is not nicely opened; place a half bushel on a table or dripping-pan; put a little
water in a suitable kettle, with one pound
sugar, and boil until it becomes quite waxy in
cold water; remove from fire and dip into it six or seven table-spoons of
gum solution, (made as thick as molasses by pouring
boiling water on
gum-arabic and letting stand over night); pour mixture over the corn, putting a stick or the bands under the corn, lifting it up and mixing until it is all saturated, let stand a few moments, then
flour the hands slightly and press into balls. This amount will make one hundred pop-corn balls such as the street peddlers sell, but
for home eating, omit the gum solution, and use a half pint of
stiff taffy made as above for one peck of
popped corn. This will make twenty rich balls.
--Bert Robinson.
Two pints
maple sugar, half pint
water, or just enough to dissolve sugar; boil until it becomes brittle by dropping in
cold water; just before pouring out add a table-spoon
vinegar; having prepared the
hickory-nut meats, in halves if possible,
butter well the pans, line with the meats, and pour the taffy over them.
--Estelle and Hattie Hush.
Beat five or six
whites of eggs very stiff, add a pound of
sugar, flavor with
lemon or cardamom, cut off about egg-size with a table-spoon, put on buttered paper, and let dry in a cool oven two hours.
--Mrs. H. C. Mahncke.
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CANNING FRUITS.
Cleanse the cans thoroughly and test to see if any leak or are cracked. If tin cans leak, send them to the tinner; if discolored inside they may be lined with writing-paper just before using. In buying stoneware for canning purposes, be sure that it is well glazed, as fruits canned in jars or jugs imperfectly glazed sometimes become poisonous. Never use defective glass cans, but keep them for storing things in the pantry; and in buying them, take care that they are free from flaws and blisters, else the glass will crumble off in small particles when subjected to heat. Self-sealers are very convenient, but the heat hardens the rubber rings, which are difficult to replace, so that in a year or two they are unfit for use. For this reason many prefer those with a groove around the top for sealing with wax or putty. The latter is very convenient, as jars sealed with it can be opened readily with a strong fork or knife, and are much more easily cleaned than when wax-sealed. Putty may be bought ready for use, and is soon made soft by molding in the hand. In using it should be worked out into a small roll, and pressed firmly into the groove with a knife, care being taken to keep it well pressed down as the can cools.
Fruit should be selected carefully, and all that is imperfect rejected. Large fruits, such as peaches, pears, etc., are in the best condition to can when not quite fully ripe, and should be put up as soon as possible after picking; small fruits, such as berries, should never stand over night if it is possible to avoid it. The highest-flavored and longest-keeping fruits are best put up without paring, after having carefully removed the down with a fine but stiff brush. Use only the best sugar in the proportion of a half a
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pound of sugar to a pound of good fruit, varying the rule, of course, with the sweetness of the fruit. Or, in canning for pies omit sugar, as the natural flavor is better preserved without it, and some prefer this method for all purposes. It is economical, and well worthy of experiment. Cans put up in this way should have a special mark so as to distinguish them from the rest. When ready to can, first place the jars (glass) in a large pan of warm water on the back of the stove, make ready the syrup in a nice clean porcelain kettle, add the fruit--it is better to prepare only enough fruit or syrup for two or three cans at a time--and by the time it is done, the water in the pan will be hot and the cans ready for use. Take them out of the water and set them on a hot platter, which answers the double purpose of preventing their contact with any cold surface like the table, and saving any fruit that may be spilled. Fill as full as possible, and set aside where no current of air will strike them--or, better, wring out a towel wet in hot water and set them on it--let stand a moment or two or until wiped off, when the fruit will have shrunk away a little; fill up again with hot syrup, or, if you have none, boiling water from the tea-kettle will do, and then seal. In canning peaches, the flavor is improved by adding two or three whole peaches, or dropping in the center of the can a few of the stones. For peaches, pears and berries, some sweeten as for eating, let stand until sugar is dissolved (using no water), place on stove in porcelain kettle and keep at boiling point long enough to heat the fruit, and then can in glass jars as directed.
There are several other ways of preparing glass cans for fruit, among them the following: Wring a towel from cold water, double and wrap closely about and under the can so as to exclude the air, and put a cold silver spoon inside and fill; or, put a towel in a steamer, set in the cans, and place over a kettle of cold water, boil the water, and when ready to fill, remove the cans and wrap in a towel wrung from warm water, put a table-spoon rinsed in hot water inside, and fill; or, wash the cans in tepid water, place an iron rod inside, and at once pour in the boiling fruit, but not too fast. In using glass cans with tops which screw on, be sure that the rubbers are firm and close-fitting, and throw away all that are imperfect. When the can is filled to overflowing, put on the top
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at once and screw down tightly, and as the fruit and cans cool, causing contraction of the glass, turn down again and again until perfectly air-tight. Wrap as soon as cold with brown wrapping-paper unless the fruit-closet is very dark. Light injures all fruit, but especially tomatoes, in which it causes the formation of citric acid which no amount of sugar will sweeten. The place where canned fruits are kept should also be dry and cool. In canning, use a porcelain-lined kettle, silver fork or broom-splint, and wire spoon or dipper. A steel fork discolors the fruit.
Cans should be examined two or three days after filling, and if syrup leaks out from the rim, they should be unsealed, the fruit thoroughly cooked and kept for jam or jelly, as it will have lost the delicacy of color and flavor so desirable in canned fruits. Pint cans are better for berries than quart. Strawberries keep their color best in stone jars; if glass cans are used for them, they should be buried in sand.
In using self-sealing cans the rubber ring must show an even edge all round, for if it slips back out of sight at any point, air will be admitted. On opening tin cans, remember to pour all the fruit out into an earthen or glass dish. Wines, cider, shrubs, etc., must be bottled, well corked, sealed, and the bottles placed on their sides in a box of sand or sawdust. To can maple syrup, pour either hot or cold into cans or jugs, and seal well.
The fine display of canned fruits at the Centennial Exhibition was prepared as follows: The fruits were selected with great care, of uniform size and shape, and all perfect. They were carefully peeled with a thin, sharp, silver fruit-knife, which did not discolor them, and immediately plunged into cold water in an earthen or wooden vessel to prevent the air from darkening them. As soon as enough for one can was prepared, it was put up by laying the fruit piece by piece in the can, and pouring syrup, clear as crystal, over it, and then, after subjecting the whole to the usual heat, sealing up.
Select those the skins of which have not been broken, or the juice will darken the syrup; fill cans compactly, set in a kettle of
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cold water, with a cloth beneath them, over an even heat; when sufficiently heated, pour over the
berries a syrup of
white sugar dissolved in
boiling water (the richer the better for keeping, though not for preserving the flavor of the fruit), cover the cans closely to retain heat on the top berries. To insure full cans when cold, have extra berries heated in like manner to supply the shrinkage. If the fruit swims pour off surplus syrup, fill with hot
fruit, and seal up as soon as the fruit at the top is thoroughly scalded.
--Miss L. Southwick.
Pick out stems or hulls if any--if gathered carefully the
berries will not need washing--put in porcelain kettle on the stove, adding a small tea-cup
water to prevent burning at first. When they come to a boil, skim well, add
sugar to taste (for pies it may be omitted), let boil five minutes, fill in glass, stone, or tin cans, and seal with putty unless self-sealers are used.
This rule applies to
raspberries, blackberries, currants, gooseberries, or any of the small berries.
Scald ripe
currants, adding a pound
sugar to every pound
fruit, until the seeds are well heated; spread on plates or platters for a day or two in the sun, when they will be nicely jellied, and put into cans and seal; they will keep for years.
--Mrs. Wm. Patrick, Midland, Mich.
Cook the
berries in
water until white, but not enough to break them; put into cans with as little water as possible, fill up the can with
boiling water and seal; when opened pour off water and cook like fresh berries.
--Mrs. O. M. S.
Pour
boiling water over one peck of large
clingstone peaches to remove the fuzz; make a syrup of three pounds
sugar and one pint
vinegar, using a little
water if required to cover the peaches; cook until pretty soft, and can as usual.
--Mrs. Frank Stahr, Lancaster, Pa.
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Have one porcelain kettle with
boiling water and another with a syrup made sweet enough with
white sugar for the
peaches; pare, halve, and drop them into the boiling water, let them remain until a silver fork will pierce them, lift them out with a wire spoon, fill can, pour in all the boiling syrup the can will hold, and seal immediately. Continue in this way, preparing and sealing only one can at a time, until done; boil down the water in first kettle with the syrup, if any is left; if not, add more sugar, and quite a nice marmalade will result. This manner of canning peaches has been thoroughly tested, and is pronounced by the experienced the best of all methods.
--Mrs. R. A. Sharp, Kingston.
To peel, place in a wire basket such as is used for popping corn, dip into
boiling water for a moment, then into
cold water, and strip off the skin (this saves both fruit and labor). The
fruit must be at a certain stage to be prepared in this way, for if too green it will not peel, and if too ripe it will be too much softened by the hot water. After peeling, seed and place in a steamer over a kettle of
boiling water, first laying a cloth in bottom of steamer; fill about half full of fruit, cover tightly, make a syrup in a porcelain kettle kept for fruit alone, let the fruit steam until it can be easily pierced with a silver fork, drop gently for a moment into the hot syrup, place in the cans, fill, cover, and seal.
The above recipe is for canning a few at a time, and is equally nice for
pears.--Miss Abbie Curtis, St. Louis, Mo.
Pare, halve and seed; make a syrup of a pint
granulated sugar to a quart