m.m::m m m BAILEY ALLEN /B E R K E L E Y ^i LIBRARY I UNIVMSITY OF V CALIFORNHA J THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURE BEQUEST OF ANITA D. S. BLAKE MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK BY IDA C. BAILEY ALLEN Editor "Housewives' Forum," Pictorial Re*ui&vu Formerly Editor "Three Meals a Day,'' Good Housekeeping Lecturer for Chautauqua and the Westheld Domestic Science Schools WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY PROFESSOR LEWIS B. ALLYN Formerly Chemist of the Westfield Board of Health Food Editor of The McClure Publications ILLUSTRATED FROM PHOTOGRAPHS BY T L ALLEN AND A. E. SPROUL BOSTON SMALL, MAYNARD & COMPANY PUBLISHERS Copyright, 1917 BY SMALL, MAYNARD & COMPANY (INCORPORATED) AGRICULTURE GIFT printers J. rAEKHJLL & CO., BOSTON, U.S.A. /9 AGRIC. LIBRARY TO MY HUSBAND WHOSE FAITH AND CONSTANT HELP IS A NEVER FAILING SOURCE OF INSPIRATION 159 PREFACE * * Each year brings me thousands of letters from house- wives all over the country, as well as from Canada and Mexico, and many from the old world. Some of them contain requests for recipes, but the majority ask for help in solving home problems of finance, the prepara- tion of food, the saving of time and energy, and the institution of the balanced ration as a means toward economy and better family health. Many others ask about proper service, and what foods should be com- bined; but not a few contain a little heart-break, and many of them end in this wise, " If I had only been taught how to cook, and how to do housework when I was a girl, instead of growing up in ignorance and selfish- ness, how much easier my life would be now, and how much more effective I should be as a mother, a wife and a housekeeper ! " In presenting this book the burden of my message is: Let every mother realize that she holds in her hands the health of the family and the welfare and the progress of her husband. It is she who helps to make brain and brawn. There is no magic in the work she does. There are no mortars and pestles, there are no test tubes and Bunsen burners. Her chemicals are foods pure and simple, her equipment, bowls and pans, kettles and a range. With these aids she must evolve a good family health, and in so doing contribute to the health and wel- fare of the nation. It is a wonderful thing to be a woman ; it is a wonder- ful thing to be a wife, but most of all it is wonderful to be a mother, and the woman who realizes her priv- ileges and knows that her daily work is not drudgery, but that it is constructive in the truest sense of the word, and who does this work with love and pride in her heart, is fulfilling the highest destiny that a woman can have. If I were to make a plea, I should ask that every PREFACE woman in this country, whether she has the vote, or whether she is merely depending upon personal influence, should try her utmost to introduce courses in domestic economy in every school in both city and country, in every prison and in every reformatory. If I were to put forth a request, it would be that every woman in this country make herself a " pal " and friend of her daughters and her sons, and that from little baby- hood up she teach them the interesting processes of home work and cookery, so that there will be a sound founda- tion for the homes that are to come and an already es- tablished knowledge that will make possible glorious home partnership and splendid health for the genera- tions that are to be. The author wishes to acknowledge her indebtedness to the Ladies' Home Journal, Pictorial Review, Good House- keeping, the Delineator, Country Gentleman, the Boston Cooking School Magazine, the North American, and the Ohio State Journal for their kindness in allowing re- prints of her various articles which have been published in their columns, and for the privilege of reproducing photographs which have been used from time to time in their pages. IDA C. BAILEY ALLEN. INTRODUCTION A well rounded dietary is the only sensible one. While we should eat to live instead of reversing the process, care in selection and judgment in preparation make our dietetic choice a matter of pleasure and profit as well as of duty. The chemical composition of the body requires foods of similar composition. The author of this book in a delightfully simple manner has presented the problem so that, generally speaking, the body may extract from the foods the maximum amount of building and fuel mate- rial with the least expenditure of dynamic energy. The housewife who studies these chapters cannot fail to find suggestions adaptable, economical and hygienic. It will, of course, be understood that no class of food performs a strictly simple function. For example, while proteins are building foods, they also furnish a consider- able amount of heat or energy. Likewise, fats and oils furnish energy and, to some extent, assist in tissue-build- ing. In other words, any food is likely to react outside its own class. Mrs. Allen has expressed in popular terms a simple, workable outline of food combination, well adapted to the needs of the housewife. If her book is carefully fol- lowed, the dietary of the average family will be much improved, cost decreased, and a general gain in health experienced. LEWIS B. ALLYN. Food Editor of The McClure Publications Contents Chapter I II III IV V VI PART I THE EVERYDAY CHEMISTRY OF FOOD AND COOKERY THE DIET IN SPRING, SUMMER, FALL AND WINTER THE CHILDREN'S MEALS THE PROBLEM OF THE DINNER PAIL . THE FINE ART OF COMBINING FOODS . SEASONINGS Page I 27 40 50 54 66 VII THE EQUIPMENT AND ARRANGEMENT OF THE KITCHEN 74 VIII RANGES AND THEIR OPERATION .... 85 IX THE SHORT-CUT PREPARATION OF MEALS . . 96 X THE SERVICE OF HOME AND COMPANY MEALS . 116 XI THE CHAFING DISH 123 PART II I MEASUREMENTS ....... 131 II BEVERAGES 133 III FRUITS 144 IV CEREALS 159 V EGGS AND SAVORY EGG DISHES . . . . 170 VI YEAST BREADS 188 VII QUICK BREADS * 218 VIII APPETIZERS 233 IX SOUPS 240 X FISH 269 XI THE FRYING OF FOOD 300 XII MEATS 316 XIII SAVORY SAUCES . 388 XIV POTATOES . 397 XV VEGETABLES 408 xii Contents Chapter Page XVI THE EDIBLE WEEDS . . . . . . 447 XVII SALADS AND How TO MAKE THEM . . . 453 XVIII SANDWICHES . . 498 XIX DESSERTS 510 XX SWEET SAUCES 555 XXI FROZEN DESSERTS 562 XXII CAKE 583 XXIII COOKIES, CUP CAKES AND LITTLE CAKES . . 607 XXIV ICINGS AND FILLINGS 620 XXV PASTRY 630 XXVI THE MAKING OF CANDIES 644 XXVII CHEESE . . . . . ... . 66 1 XXVIII INVALID COOKERY AND SERVICE . . . . 674 XXIX CANNING, PRESERVING AND PICKLING . . . 687 INDEX . 725 List of Illustrations Mrs. Allen in Her Own Kitchen Frontispiece FACING PAGE Table Set for Home Breakfast 36 After-Dinner Coffee Service 36 An Adequate Fireless Cooker 80 A Group of Ice -Cream Moulds 80 An Adequate Steamer 112 Table Set for Informal Chafing Dish Supper. . . . 126 Ways to Serve Oranges . . 146 Ways to Serve Strawberries 146 Curried Eggs in Chafing Dish 178 Swedish Timbales . 178 General Utility Wheel-Tray Set for Afternoon Tea Service. 216 Smoked Salmon Canape 234 Peanut Butter Canape 234 Making Soup Stock 252 Lamb Chops . 252 Baked Oysters on the Half Shell 270 Tomatoes Stuffed with Shrimps 270 Cold Boiled Salmon with Mayonnaise 294 Fish, Ready to Boil 294 Rice with Onion and Peppers en Casserole .... 326 Casserole of Lima Beans and Beef ...... 326 Table Set for Formal Luncheon 344 Baked Pork Chops with Apples 360 Baked Sausage with Broiled Sliced Apples .... 360 Chicken Pot Pourri ......... 374 Chicken Mousse Loaf 374 Baked Potatoes and Potato Rack 398 French Frying Potatoes 398 xiv List of Illustrations FACING PAGE Table Set for Home Dinner . . . . . . 424 An Asparagus Cooker 438 An Improvised Asparagus Cooker 438 Tomato Cream Salad 468 Tomato and Sardine Salad ....... 468 The Picnic Lunch 500 Steamed Christmas Pudding 534 Rhubarb Pudding with Banana Decoration .... 534 Summer Fruit Cup ......... 564 Ways to Serve Pineapple 564 Colonial Sponge Cake . . . . . . ! . . 598 Walnut Cake . 598 Dropped Nut Cookies . 618 Frosted Ginger Nuts 618 Cheese and Nut Balls 664 Macaroon Bisque . . . . . ... . 664 Wheel-Tray Set for Invalid Luncheon . . . 684 Table Set for Formal Christmas Dinner .... 706 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK CHAPTER I THE EVERYDAY CHEMISTRY OF FOOD AND COOKERY THE BALANCED RATION Every housewife is the mistress of the destiny of her family. In the foods which she prepares and serves she has the power to build strong, healthy bodies, the bedrock of brilliant minds, to furnish energy for work and life, and to create a reserve against worry and dis- ease. Within her hands she holds the glorious manhood and splendid womanhood of to-morrow. The balanced ration furnishes the solution of the house-mother's difficult problem in providing the right food for the needs of her family. As usually explained the problem of the balanced ration seems so difficult, technical, and obscure, that the average woman, although anxious to place her cookery on a scientific basis, be- comes appalled by the host of technical terms and numer- ical calculations and finally abandons all attempt at science and falls back into the old routine of unscientific cooking. Nevertheless the problem is really simple, and can be worked out for each individual family by the ex- penditure of a little time and thought at no extra cost, for the balanced ration tends to reduce the food bills. But first, what is the balanced ration? It is simply the correct combination into meals of the proper amounts of food and the proper food constituents in such ways as to please both the eye and the palate, appease the hunger, furnish each section of the body the food re- quired for energy, and allow for the storing-up of re- serve force against the time of need. Our bodies are made of many different elements, which, in conjunction with water, combine to form flesh, bone, blood, and so on. But each time a motion is made, a thought flashed in the brain, or even a word spoken, a 2 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK small part of the body tissue is broken down or ex- hausted. This waste is carried off through the pores of the skin and by the excretory organs, but there Nature pauses. She cannot mend a break without material, and, just as the plumber needs solder, she requires food to re- pair the wornout tissues. As the body is so complex, a wide variety of foods is needed in order that there may be sufficient material to repair each part. This is one reason why human beings crave variety in their food and thrive best upon a mixed diet. The housewife, in working out her food problem, may classify foods in the following six groups of constituents : 1. Proteins, or Muscle- Makers as beef, lean pork, mutton, poultry, lamb, veal, game, cheese, nuts, milk, eggs, fish, dried peas, dried beans, lentils and milk soups. 2. Carbohydrates, or Fuels including starches and sweets. A. Starchy Foods as potatoes and all starchy veg- etables, macaroni, spaghetti, noodles and the like, cooked and prepared cereals, bread, muffins, biscuits, crackers, bananas, cocoa, corn starch and tapioca puddings, cereal puddings and so on. B. Sweets as cakes, frostings, candies, rich pre- serves, jellies, rich breads (as coffee cake), cookies, sweet puddings, stewed fruit, honey, maple syrup and other sugary foods. 3. Fats, or Reserve-Force Foods as fat ham, pork, bacon, fat fish, sausages, cream soups, full milk cheese, cream cheese, olive-, corn- and peanut-oil, ripe olives, mayonnaise and all salad dressings, rich gravies and sauces, rich pastry, most nuts, suet puddings, fritters and all foods cooked in fat, sweet chocolate, ice cream made with cream, mousse, parfaits and Bavarian creams. 4. Minerals and Acids as cucumbers, corn, toma- toes, cabbage, celery, egg plant, spinach and all greens, salad plants, prunes, figs, rhubarb and all dried and fresh fruits. 5. Bulky Foods, or Cleansers as all mineral foods, coarse breads, woody vegetables, gritty cereals and bran foods. 6. Liquids, or Dissolvent Foods as water, stock and milk soups, broths, tea, coffee, skimmed milk, whey, but- CHEMISTRY OF FOOD AND COOKERY 3 termilk, fruit drinks, gelatines, water ices, frappes, sher- bets and watery fruits and vegetables. While this classification is only a general one, it is sufficiently accurate and practical to enable any house- wife to place her cookery on a scientific basis without any trouble or abstruse calculations. All foods contain certain properties, as proteins possess a small proportion of heat-giving properties, while most carbohydrates con- tain a trace, or more, of protein. For convenience's sake in planning a balanced ration each food must be grouped according to its predominating characteristic, for the un- derlying principle in the preparation of food lies in cook- ing properly the ruling constituent, as protein in proteins, starch in carbohydrates, and so on, at the same time retaining as much of the total food value as possible. In arranging meals the principal or main dish should usually be a protein food a roast, baked eggs, a rare- bit, or any food from the muscle-making group. Then come the carbohydrates (starches and sugars), the fats (as butter, olive oil and the like), the minerals (in the form of fresh fruits or vegetables) and the bland and " filling foods," listed under the dissolvent or bulky group (as stock soup, gelatine, apples, and so on). If the wrong foods are prepared and served, it is al- most as easy to starve in the midst of plenty, as when there is nothing to eat, and Nature creates a feeling of dissatisfaction which results in a constant appetite, or a craving, for the lacking food. A mother was utterly discouraged because she could not seem to provide her athletic boy of fifteen with enough to eat. One night, after eating ten slices of bread and butter, three helpings of potato salad, six slices of cake, and three dishes of preserves, he was rummaging in the pantry a half hour after supper for " something to eat." She finally de- cided that he was not being supplied with the right kind of food, so she studied dietetics and the balanced ration, and instituted scientific meals. The boy's appetite be- came normal almost at once. He was starving on starch, while all his healthy young muscles demanded their por- tion of protein. A meal often leaves a craving sense of incompleteness, caused by a similarity in flavor in all the foods served. 4 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK A small quantity of any of the vividly seasoned foods furnishes an appetizer. For convenience the foods suit- able for use in this way may be termed " esthetic foods," and include all condiments, pickles, green olives, chili sauce, ketchup, crystallized ginger, green peppers, pimen- toes, sour oranges and fruits, tart jellies, lemon juice, wintergreen and peppermint candies and so forth. The esthetic touch may be added to any course desirable, al- though it relieves monotony if it appears midway of the meal. If the esthetic touch is added properly, the whole meal assumes point and every food fits into its niche. In planning any meal the bulky group of food constitu- ents must predominate in quantity; starches should ap- pear second, the proteins third, sweets fourth and fats fifth, while the liquid group should be sufficient to act as a dissolving agent. In general, two starches should figure in a meal, one protein, one fat besides butter, at least one bulky food, one mineral, or more if desirable, one sweet, and a dissolvent besides water. If foods are apportioned in this way, in quantities of the usual " help- ing," suited to the occupation and age of each member of the family, second portions will seldom be requested; when each part of the body is receiving adequate nourish- ment, less food is needed. The food of each meal should be suitable for the needs of each member of the family. Briefly, the man at hard labor and the active boy from twelve years up require hearty foods that " stick to the ribs " usually meaning those consuming a long time in digestion ; the housewife, active school girls from twelve years on, and men at sedentary occupations need lighter food or that more easily digested; while children from four to eight and old people need a fair quantity of simple food. Children under four demand small quantities of easily digested foods, supplemented by plenty of minerals and milk, while the child from eight to twelve may eat the usual family meal in quantities suited to his growth and ac- tivity. No matter whether the income is large or small the balanced ration can always be maintained. Jt must be borne in mind that beyond a certain point the cost of CHEMISTRY OF FOOD AND COOKERY- 5 food is for flavor and luxuries rather than for the neces- sities of diet. A day's menu for a family, consisting of a father at clerical work, a mother who acts as housekeeper, an 'ath- letic son, a girl of ten, and a child of four, might be as follows : Breakfast Coddled Apples, B, 4, 5, 6 Cracked Wheat, A, 5 Light Cream, 3 Baked Eggs, i Popovers, A, and Butter, 3 Coffee (for grown-ups), 6 Luncheon or Supper Cream of Tomato Soup, i, 6 Escalloped Cheese, i Bread, A, and Butter, 3 Lettuce Salad, with Shredded Peppers and Oil Dressing, 3, 4, 6 Steamed Whole Wheat Pudding, A Raisin Sauce, B Tea, 6 Dinner Clear Soup, 6 Lamb with Gravy, i, 3 Boiled Rice, A Cabbage Slaw, with Minced Mint, 3, 4 Baked Parsnips, A Sliced Oranges in Jelly, B, 4, 5 Tea, 6 The numbers following each item refer back to the table of food constituents, proteins being called i ; starches A ; sweets B ; fats 3 ; minerals 4 ; bulky foods 5 and liquids 6. Some of the foods may be included in two or more classifications; in this case several numbers appear after each item. These menus are roughly balanced, and approximate dietetic standards in so far as is practicable. A sufficient quantity of sugar is added in preparing coddled apples to classify them as sweet (B), but at the same time they are mineral (4), ballast (5), and liquid (6). Cream of tomato soup is at once a protein (i), because of the milk it contains, and a dissolvent (6), because it is a liquid. A knowledge of cookery and familiarization with the 6 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK table of food constituents given above will enable anyone to classify all foods in their relation to the balanced ration. In these special menus each food constituent appears in correct proportion, and every member of the imagin- ary family can obtain from them the foods suited to his or her needs. The. cracked wheat at breakfast is suffi- ciently bulky to " stand by " the athletic son, who will doubtless eat steadily through the meal. The father and mother will eat smaller quantities because they are not so active and burn less energy, while the girl of ten will probably be satisfied with a choice of either eggs or cereal. The four-year-old child should be given either eggs or cereal, but not both. Milk 'is also needed, if the cereal serves as his main dish. As he is too young to eat hot breads, a slice of bread and butter may be sub- stituted for the popovers. The same common sense dis- posal may be made at the other meals. PROTEINS, THEIR PREPARATION AND PLACE IN THE MENU The part which the proteins should play in the balanced ration is the most serious consideration in arranging a diet. If insufficient protein is taken, the body cannot grow or build up the wornout parts ; while, if too much is taken, the result is serious disease. As a matter of fact many of the so-called degenerative diseases are traced to too much protein in the diet. So the selection of protein foods involves considerable thought. Another cause for thought is that many foods analyze a large proportion of protein that is not digestible and we live upon what we digest, irrespective of what we eat. Mushrooms, for example, contain a certain amount of protein, but it is in such form that the body cannot digest it all. The outer layers of certain grains contain considerable protein, yet, as it cannot be assimilated, the nutritional value of this part of the grain is chiefly in the mineral matter which is also present. As these foods contain a large amount of waste material, they are also of value as " ballast " in the diet. The following foods may be roughly classified as pro- teins : CHEMISTRY OF FOOD AND COOKERY 7 Beef, poultry, game, pork, lamb, mutton, veal, cheese, nuts, milk, eggs, fish, dried beans, peas, lentils and milk soups. All dishes which consist largely of any of these foods also belong to this classification, so that the possibilities of presenting protein in the diet are considerable. Many housewives have the idea that only savory dishes, suitable for the main portion of a meal, are proteins, but this idea is erroneous. Any of these foods, whether in a sweet, a salad, or a soup, is a protein. For instance, dried lima-bean soup, chicken salad, escalloped beef, baked egg custard, cheese souffle, or nut croquettes are all proteins, and if they are not so considered in the menu, the body may rebel and become heir to the ills attending a diet too rich in protein. This is not difficult when the common error of serving meat three times a day is made. It is obvious that with so wide a variety of protein foods from which to choose there should be no trouble in planning menus in which meat figures but once a day. The statement is frequently made that the protein value in three eggs, three ounces of cheese, two ounces of salted peanuts, or a pint of milk equals that in five ounces of meat. While this may be true, it is impracticable to serve many of these meat substitutes uncombined, for, unless they are supplemented by some food which serves as ballast, they do not contain a bulk equalling that of meat. Most people feel that the satisfying of hunger consists in eating until the stomach is full, and this cannot be done on a concentrated diet, as overeating and illness result. If the cheese is escalloped with coarse crumbs, the peanuts hash-browned with potatoes, the eggs creamed and served on toast, the milk solidified into junket or enforced with oatmeal or whole wheat crackers, the ballast will be supplied and the body satis- fied. The reason that meat substitutes are not more generally used is probably because most women fail to grasp this point, and a single trial of the so-called sub- stitutes, plain or not properly combined, convinces them that " their family would rather have meat " and they turn back to their former ways. The selection of protein best suited to the menu de- 8 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK pends largely upon the family. The more digestible types are advisable for those doing light work, the " heartier," or less digestible foods for those of greater activity. The digestibility of a few more common foods may be noted roughly as follows: QUICKLY DIGESTED SLOWLY DIGESTED (One to three hours) (Three to five hours) Milk Pork in all forms Broiled -tripe Veal in all forms Turkey Nuts in all forms Broiled chicken, lamb chops Cheese in all forms and steak Mushrooms Broiled, poached, scrambled Pot-roast of beef and coddled eggs Casserole dishes Baked custard Hard-cooked and fried eggs Broiled trout, halibut and sal- and omelets mon Stews Boiled cod, halibut and salmon Fried meats of all kinds Salt codfish, baked or creamed All "made dishes" of meats Oysters, raw or baked in shell Fried fish of all kinds Boiled beef Mackerel, sardines, canned sal- mon, and all fat fish Lentils, peas and beans This raises the most important point in connection with proteins their cookery for it is possible to make a food that is otherwise digestible difficult of digestion by improper cooking, and to make those so-called " indi- gestible " much more palatable and nutritious by the right treatment. To a considerable extent perfect diges- tion depends on perfect cooking, and on the same con- sideration hinges the greatest possibility for absorption of nutriment. Food that is not digested is wasted ; a human machine clogged with the wastes of indigestion is inefficient. However, in searching for digestible foods any tendency to " pamper " or " spare " the diges- tive organs of a normal person should be avoided. The whole body needs exercise the stomach, liver and in- testines, as well as the legs and arms, and, while they should not be overloaded, they should not be given a diet of eggs, milk and predigested foods on which they will become weakened. The cooking of all protein foods is alike in that they should neyer be subjected to high temperatures, as this CHEMISTRY OF FOOD AND COOKERY 9 has a hardening effect on the protein element, making it indigestible. If an egg, for instance, is boiled or poached in rapidly boiling water for four minutes, the white becomes opaque and leathery, while, if the time is slightly increased and the egg is immersed in water just below the boiling point, it becomes perfectly cooked, having a jellied, translucent appearance. It may be given, then, as a rule, that eggs should al- ways be cooked at the lowest possible temperature. If eggs are to be hard-cooked, the only way to avoid the unpleasant chemical changes brought about by the usual prolonged cooking is to put them on in cold water, bring them slowly to the boiling point, boil rapidly for ten min- utes, then plunge at once into cold water to stop all fur- ther cooking. This is the only case when an egg, as a protein food, should be boiled. Scrambled eggs, as usu- ally served, are leathery and indigestible, because they are turned into melted butter in a pan so hot that the eggs are not only coagulated immediately, but are fried as well. Properly, the mixture should be turned into a cold, thick frying pan, the lump of butter added, and the whole cooked so gently that the result is creamy. Fried eggs and omelets should also be cooked slowly. A per- fectly fried egg cannot be prepared under five minutes, while an omelet of fair size needs ten. Custards and desserts of all kinds, containing eggs, should be sur- rounded by boiling water while cooking, as this keeps the temperature below boiling point. Otherwise they will " curd," or, in other words, the eggs will cook in lumps. Fish consists of a considerable proportion of protein, yet there is probably no other food so maltreated. The majority of people " do not care for fish," but in how many cases is it ever served other than fried or boiled? If the former method is used, the delicate flavor and tex- ture is usually overcome by the hot fat ; if the latter, the fish is " cooked to death." If fish must be fried, let it be in deep fat. The high heat will immediately coagu- late the outside protein cells, preventing the escape of juices, while the cold fish will reduce the temperature sufficiently to carry on the process slowly. In boiling (a misleading term) fish should be started in water just io MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK at boiling point; for, as the protein of fish is soluble in cold or merely warm water, it will otherwise be lost. If it be wrapped in a cloth and the complete cooking car- ried on at simmering-point (as with the boiled eggs), the fish will present a " jellied " appearance, be very tender and remain whole. If boiled rapidly, it is not only " cooked to pieces " but the breaking open causes the loss of both flavor and part of the protein. In boiling, the fish should be subjected to high heat only long enough to seal the outside. The same rule also applies to plank- ing. In no case should the process be hurried. Meats may be cooked in various ways, boiling, broil- ing, stewing, pot-roasting, braizing, roasting and casserol- ing being the most common. " Boiled beef," properly prepared, is one of the juiciest and most digestible of meats, but, like fish, it must never be actually boiled. Again, though different in appearance, meat contains practically the same protein as eggs and fish, and, if boiled, becomes tough and leathery. The protein of meats, like that of fish, is soluble in cold water, so they should always be plunged into boiling water to seal, or " sear," the pores, in order to preserve the protein, then simmered gently till done. In this way the juices will be retained and the meat become tender and gelatinized. In preparing a five-pound piece it will be necessary to increase the time of cooking about an hour over the old method. The fireless cooker is a successful medium for preparing tough meats, because it necessitates a slow process. The resulting stock will be thin and rather " flat," because the flavors have been retained in the meat, which is of first importance. In stewing, on the other hand, the meat and liquor are of equal importance ; so the meat is immersed in cold water, and brought slowly to the simmering point, in order to make the broth of strong flavor. In this way the juices are divided be- tween the meat and the broth, making the stew more palatable. Casserole cooking is merely baking a stew in an earthen dish. Pot-roasting is modified boiling, the meat being first browned or seared all over in fat to keep in the juices, then added, with the vegetables and spices, to boiling water sufficient to cover it half over. It should never boil. CHEMISTRY OF FOOD AND COOKERY II In broiling or pan-broiling, meat should be subjected to heat sufficient to sear it quickly, then turned immedi- ately to sear the other portions, lest the juices escape. As most meat for broiling is cut crosswise, the fibers con- taining the meat fluids are left exposed. Unless the searing be quick and complete, these juices will escape, the result being a flat, tasteless meat. If, however, the searing is thorough, and the meat is turned frequently, the juices run back and forth in the fibers, which expand with the heat until the meat assumes a puffy appearance. In roasting, meat is exposed to a very hot heat till seared, all over, then finished at a lower temperature. Cheese is another protein that requires careful cook- ing. It consists largely of casein, the protein of milk, and, like all the other foods in this group, is rendered indigestible by high temperatures. This is the reason it disagrees with many. If baked, it should always be set in a pan of hot water ; if in a rarebit or cheese sauce, it should be cooked in a double boiler ; either method keeps it below the boiling point. In case it is to be added to soup or macaroni, the dish should be fully prepared be- fore the addition, the heat being sufficient to melt the cheese. If served plain, it should be finely shaved, or cut in small pieces, and some bulky food should always accompany it. Dried peas, beans and lentils should always be soaked several hours before cooking, thoroughly rinsed, and then simmered until tender. Again, it takes slow-cook- ing to make the protein digestible. A little baking soda, added while cooking, aids in softening the husks and overcoming the gases that frequently attend the eating of dried vegetables. CARBOHYDRATES AND FATS THEIR PREPARATION AND PLACE IN THE MENU Just as the protein builds muscle, the carbohydrate ful- fills the great mission of acting as fuel for the body, thus providing heat and activity and energy for work. Without this food constituent, the body would become 12 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK lazy, chilly and inert, while oxidation digesting could not take place. The list of carbohydrates which includes both starches and sugars is extensive. The following foods may be listed as starches : All vegetables which contain a noticeable amount of starch and sugar, ^s white pota- toes, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, beets, melons, sweet corn, and squash ; all cereals, both ready-to-eat and cooked, including rice, samp, macaroni, spaghetti, ver- micelli and noodles ; bread, all muffins, biscuits and crack- ers; bananas and corn starch; arrowroot, cereal and tapioca . puddings. Sugars include all foods made very sweet : as cakes, most pies, f rostings, candies, rich pre- serves, stewed fruits, jellies, sweet puddings, rich breads (as coffee cake), cookies, Barbadoes or other molasses, honey and maple and corn syrup. iThis classification must not be misunderstood, for it is only general in scope. Most carbohydrate foods contain some protein and some fat. A cake made from eggs w r hich contain both protein and fat will contribute a proportion of both constituents to the dish. Starches in the raw state are largely indigestible and cannot be absorbed by the body. Thorough cooking converts the starch into a sweet substance similar to sugar and renders it digestible. In case the cookery is incomplete, as in half-cooked cereals, the starch, instead of being used in the body, goes through the digestive canal, irritating the stomach and intestines and fre- quently causing accumulations of gas. Just as plain starch cannot be prepared for laundry purposes without the addition of boiling water to burst the grains, so is this addition necessary in cooking all starchy foods, un- less they contain a large amount of water in themselves. For this reason cereals cannot be cooked without the medium of water or other liquid, while potatoes, which are composed of considerable water, can be cooked either with or without water. Cereals are the cheapest and most nourishing of the fuel foods. As they consist of approximately three- fourths starch, they are distinctly carbohydrates, al- though oats, wheat, rye and corn contain about ten per \ CHEMISTRY OF FOOD AND COOKERY 13 cent of protein, and even rice, though mostly starch, has eight per cent of protein. Bread, both ordinary white and whole wheat, contains so large a percentage of starch that it must be classi- fied as a carbohydrate. Bread has a place peculiarly its own in the diet, but when enormous quantities are consumed at a meal it denotes one of two things it is eaten through custom or because the meal is unbal- anced. In considering sweets, the place of pure molasses, honey and maple syrup should be noted. They are wholesome foods, and a meal supplemented by warm biscuits and honey, or browned mush and syrup, instead of the usual heavy dessert, is not only more wholesome but more enjoyable. Pure candy deserves a place in the diet, and, when properly used, may supplement the menu. Sugar is a source of quick energy, and, often, a little plain candy or sugar water acts as a restorative in cases of fatigue. If a stick of candy is occasionally given to the child after school, with coarse oatmeal crackers, so that he will not eat too rapidly, he is furnished with quick energy in an absolutely harmless form. But if candy is eaten just before a meal, the appetite is sated by the sweet, and the regular food may be refused. Stewed fruits, either dried or fresh, jellies and pre- serves, may be considered as sweets on account of the sugar they contain. A little thought shows that the too frequent supper of bread and butter, cookies, cake, pre- serves and tea, served so largely in country towns, is made up mostly of carbohydrates. Yet in many famil- ies it is served the year through. In most households the tendency is towards too much carbohydrate, which is liable to bring about auto-intoxication and obesity. Up to a certain point the body needs starch, but when an oversupply begins to be stored up as fat, the danger of obesity begins. FATS Fat is an important food constituent for it is the great- est source of latent or reserve energy, yet there is prob- ably no other item of the diet so generally disliked. 14 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK From the time a child is old enough to be given meat he generally refuses even to taste the fat, and the mother, instead of coaxing him to eat, often cuts off the " offend- ing " morsel, little realizing that she is depriving her child of a great essential of his food. In the fat, or reserve force, group we find the fol- lowing foods : fat ham, pork, bacon, fat fish, sausages, cream, butter, oleomargarine, cream soups, rich cream cheese, olive-, corn- and peanut-oils, mayonnaise, and all salad dressings, almonds, peanuts and other nuts, rich gravies, ripe olives, hard or cream sauce, all kinds of rich pastry, suet puddings, fritters and all grease-cooked foods, chocolate, ice cream, mousses, Bavarian creams and parfaits. Fats must always be broken up or emulsified before they can be digested. The normal body is so. constituted that it does not crave large quantities at a time. So fats are generally served in combination olive oil being cut by lemon -juice or vinegar in a French dressing, butter spread on bread, eggs served with bacon, cream with shortcake and apple sauce with fat pork, Nature always calling for a balance. As fat is the last food constituent to be acted upon by the digestive organs, it may be readily seen why this becomes the reserve force element of the body. Any food cooked in it cannot be digested until Nature has broken up the fat cells. An omelet, fried eggs, fried steak, doughnuts, croquettes and the like are not easily available for the body's use until the fat has been acted upon. Pastry, cake and suet puddings rich in fat are equally slow of digestion, for the fat is so blended about the grains of flour and other ingredients that it must first be dissolved before they can be utilized. Foods cooked in fat remain in the digestive tract from one to two hours longer than is ordinarily necessary. This overtaxes the whole system, and, if such foods are eaten persistently, results in pallor, eruptions on the face, and a general air of lassitude. This does not mean that fried foods should be excluded from the diet, but that they should be served in moderation. In health all fats in reasonable amounts are digestible in the following order : good butter, cream, olive oil, pea- CHEMISTRY OF FOOD AND COOKERY 15 nut- and corn-oils, oleomargarine, beef fat, and the vari- ous pork products. In frying, fats are usually heated to the smoking point, when they break up and some of the products evolved are irritating to the intestinal canal. This is why burned butter is unwholesome, and why doughnuts and other foods fried in lard heated to the smoking-point are in- digestible. Animal fats smoke at a much lower temper- ature than do vegetable oils. For this reason the veg- etable product is a much better medium for frying. Olive oil is the best, prepared vegetable cooking oils come second, while lard and beef fat are the least desirable. In various experiments carried on to ascertain whether deep-fat frying or sauteing (frying in a small amount of fat) is preferable, the former method has proved to be the more economical, and the products more digestible, because approximately one-fourth less fat is absorbed into the foods. To be fried in deep fat, foods must con- tain enough egg instantly to coagulate them (as fritters), cfr else be coated with a thin layer of egg or dissolved gelatine (as croquettes). The surface is then instantly sealed, and the fat will not be absorbed to any great ex- tent. MINERAL, ACID AND BALLAST FOODS Mineral, acid and ballast foods are so closely connected that they really belong to the same group, and are sepa- rated only for convenience in planning the balanced ration. They include all bulky, watery vegetables, as onions, corn, cucumbers, carrots, cauliflower, celery, egg- plant, radishes, spinach, and all greens ; asparagus, string beans, salad plants, prunes, figs and rhubarb; all fresh fruits, coarse breads, cereals made from undenatured food products, as whole wheat meal, oatmeal, home ground cornmeal and brown rice. The term " minerals " is so little understood that the importance of this constituent in the diet is usually over- looked or left to take care of itself. The body averages seven pounds of mineral matter, five-sixths of which is found in the bones, the remainder being distributed throughout the tissues, where it performs important du- ties in assisting to oxidize, or burn, the food, carry off i.6 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK carbon dioxide (the by-product of oxidation) giving life to the nervous system and pliability to the muscles. In fact life cannot be carried on without mineral, and, just as there is crop failure if land lacks phosphorus or some other necessary constituent, the body droops, grows pale and finally ill, if deprived of any of these minerals. Lime, for instance, is essential to digestion, and, strangely enough, has a great affinity for sugar. In case many sweets are eaten and not enough lime, the body begins to call on its own store to combine with the sugar, gradually the lime is sapped from the teeth, and decay is apt to be- gin. Life itself cannot be carried on without iron, for the little red corpuscles of the blood cannot refresh, or reorganize, the body without it. When iron is defi- cient, pallor, lassitude and, finally, anemia may set in. The body cannot lack any one mineral and expect the others to carry on their work effectively. But if a bal- anced diet is used and the vegetables and fruits are care- fully prepared, the body will be supplied with all the mineral matter necessary. On such a diet little thought need be given to the matter of minerals and salt will be the only one which will have to be added. As all vegetables contain a variety of minerals, it is somewhat difficult to classify them as being rich in any particular one. Lime is found in all cereals and predominates in brown rice, as well as in radishes, apples and spinach ; while iron has a definite place in apples, lentils, strawberries, cabbage, spinach and string beans. It will be noticed that in classifying cereals the word " undenatured " is prefixed to wheat, oatmeal, cornmeal and brown rice. When a cereal is " denatured," one or more of its valuable elements have been removed. When wheat is made into white flour, a portion of the mineral is sacrificed. A similar loss is sustained when the heart and outer husks are removed from corn. Rolled oats and polished rice suffer in like manner. In this way the body is really deprived of several of the most im- portant food elements, and, if these special denatured foods predominate in the diet, mineral starvation results= Too much emphasis cannot be laid on the necessity of supplying minerals in the diet for prospective mother- CHEMISTRY OF FOOD AND COOKERY 17 hood. The body is then taxed to the utmost to supply not only itself, but the food essences needed for the new life. In this case, as with the child, the diet should be over-rich in minerals, as, otherwise, the bony structure of the coming baby will suffer, while the mother will be robbed of her own supply of body minerals to give to the child. The decay of the teeth of the pregnant mother is largely due to the lack of lime and phosphorus in the diet. Fruits, like vegetables, are both mineral and ballast foods. They also convey to the body various acids which are combined with minerals in such a way as to play an important part in maintaining health. As digestion transforms these acids into alkalis, they cause the blood to become alkaline and the urine less acid. The differ- ing flavors of fruits are due to these acids, in part, but more to the presence of small numbers of little bodies which almost elude investigation. While these are of no great nutritive value, they give the fruits pronounced flavor and make them valuable stimulants to the appetite and aids to digestion, because they excite the digestive juices. Fruits in their raw state have a much greater tonic- value, but as they are indigestible to many people, it is often necessary to cook them. Unless the liquor or medium in which they are prepared is served with them, they suffer great nutritive loss. The skins should be retained as far as possible, as many of the mineral salts are found just beneath the surface and are lost when the fruit is pared. Whether raw or cooked all fruits should be served with less sugar than is the usual custom. Fruit drinks offer an opportunity to introduce acids and salts into the system; any fruit, from peaches to grape- fruit, is adaptable, either alone or in combination. Again, these drinks should not be served too sweet, or the direct value is thwarted. Uncooked, acid fruits, however, should not be served in combination with starchy foods, as they frequently cause indigestion. Many a person has suffered for years from flatulence through eating both raw, acid fruit and cereal for breakfast. Figs, prunes and bananas should be classed as food fruits, rather than mineral fruits. Both figs and prunes 18 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK contain so much sugar that they are listed under carbo- hydrates, although their mineral content is high. Both are ballast foods and very laxative. The banana is largely starch, so it also is classified under carbohydrates. As it is almost impossible in the north, to obtain bananas fully ripened, they should be served cooked, as other- wise, the starch is often indigestible. In any case the outer surface should be scraped off until the banana be- comes slippery. To manufacture foods that are 'concentrated, so that the body may acquire its nourishment without deal- ing with bulk, has been the subject of many experi- ments. But it has been proved that the body must have bulk in order to stimulate the digestive organs to suffi- cient activity, and to clear or " sweep out " the intestines. Most vegetables and fresh fruits contain so much cel- lulose that they are invaluable as ballast foods. Favor- ite refreshments a century ago were apples and nuts. This is a perfect combination, as the bulk of the apple satisfies the appetite and prevents the eating of too many nuts. If heeded, this simple rule of using bulk to supplement concentrated foods will do much towards producing better health. Bulky cereals, as whole-wheat meal, corn- and oatmeal, are splendid ballast foods, and, in cases of auto-intoxication or constipation, should be used to replace ordinary flour in making bread. All of the ballast foods should be used freely in either case. The dissolvent group includes several of the foods classed under minerals and bulk, as well as others which contain an abundance of liquid. Under this heading we find watery fruits and vegetables; gelatines, water-ices, frappes and sherbets; buttermilk, skimmed milk, fruit drinks, tea, coffee, water and stock and milk soups. About two-thirds of the body's weight is due to water. Approximately four and a half pints are given off each day in the waste and exhaustion, a portion of which is actually manufactured in the body tissues, the remainder coming from food and drink. Roughly speaking, in or- der to maintain the fluid balance for a day, at least two quarts of liquid should be taken by an adult, besides that contained in the food. In case the diet is over- heavy in meat and protein, more will be needed to carry CHEMISTRY OF FOOD AND COOKERY 19 off urea and other products of protein waste than when it is largely vegetarian or balanced. THE CALORIES AS A BASIS OF FOOD VALUES To the average housewife the modern literature on food, with its terms and calculations far removed from her experience and knowledge, reads so much like a text- book of mathematics, that at the mere mention of " calor- ies " she metaphorically " throws up her hands " and banishes all further thought of scientific cookery. As a matter of fact many of the discussions of food, which involve the question of calories and the resulting calcu- lations, are absolutely impracticable for ordinary use and overlook certain fundamental conceptions in the question of dietetics. For example, through the experience of years housewives have built up a series of food combina- tions which, when examined according to scientific standards, prove to be properly balanced in regard to the various foodstuffs and to have the approximate num- ber of calories to provide a sufficient diet. We find, for example, meat is served with potatoes almost universally, an approximate balance of foodstuffs, or rather a start towards that end. In other words the experience of the household has shown that certain combinations and cer- tain amounts of food keep the family in health and fur- nish the necessary material for repair of the body and for growth. What the scientists have been doing in the past generation has been to check up practice and place it upon a formal basis so that rules for diet might be formulated. Now to make it possible to eliminate guess-work from cookery and dietetics and enable us to figure out the whys and wherefores of the customs of the kitchen with absolute accuracy it was necessary to invent new terms. So it came about that " calorie " appeared. There is nothing especially complicated about this term and any housewife, in spite of her doubts and apprehensions, can easily acquire all the fundamental conceptions which it needs to add to her considerations in diet. " Calorie " is simply a term of measurement to show how much value a food has in the work the body has to do. The house- wife, through practice, is entirely familiar with a gas 20 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK bill made out in terms of " feet " and probably with an electric light bill in terms of " kilowatts " ; also that the automobile is said to have so much " horse power." Few of us could give an accurate definition of these terms, but we accept them as the measure of our gas or of our electric light bill, or of the power of the car, without much thought or consideration. So a calorie is a similar unit of measure, only this time applied to our food. If a scientist is asked for the meaning of the term he will say that " it is the amount of heat which will raise the temperature of so much water so many degrees." He would, however, probably speak more pre- cisely and say the amount of heat which will raise a pound of water four degrees Fahrenheit, but all one needs to know to apply the knowledge " calorie " repre- sents to the household is that each food contains so many calories and we must have about so many of them in our daily diet. In short, calorie means heat and in this definition we see again that science is merely verifying an ancient tradition based on the knowledge gained from experi- ence. " Cool as a cucumber " is a phrase as old as the hills, but the new science of food values proves its ac- curacy. The cucumber is cool lacks heat for it takes a pound to supply seventy calories. Then we all know the nursery rhyme, " Pease porridge hot," and science shows that it is hot, for dried peas supply us with 1655 calories per pound. And " pease porridge cold, pease porridge in the pot nine days old " is merely an- other way of saying that the heat units are all there after nine days. But these facts need in no way confuse us, for it is en- tirely unnecessary and impracticable to figure out exactly and absolutely the calorie content of each article of diet and the amount of total for the day. The most efficient results will be attained by fixing firmly in the mind the general proportions and general values of the different articles of food and checking up the family ration, roughly, from time to time. The principles of the bal- anced ration set forth in the preceding pages are, as a matter of fact, entirely sufficient for the introduction of scientific cookery into the household, but a notion of CHEMISTRY OF FOOD AND COOKERY 21 the caloric basis of " food values " is doubtless a help in understanding the problem most thoroughly. As we need so many feet of gas to run the oven in the gas stove for baking, so we need so many calories of food value to run our bodies each day. Perhaps it is easier to understand the application of the calorie if we consider that a large slice of bread, a large potato, an ordinary pat of butter, a shredded wheat biscuit, two ordinary graham crackers, or a small lamb chop each furnishes approximately one hundred calories in the daily ration. With these measures as a basis it is not so difficult to understand what is meant by saying that the average adult needs from 2500 to 3000 calories in the food of his daily ration. -We all know from experi- ence and observation that a woman neither requires nor eats as much food as a man and her requirements have been estimated at about two-thirds that of the man. An- other way of figuring is that the body needs so many calories for so much weight, and this brings the same result for a woman on the average obviously weighs less than a man. So children require less food than the adult and so on. The requirements for food which the scientists have laid down simply put into mathematical form the facts most of us have known and put more or less into practice. A rough estimate of food requirements is about as follows : A man without work 2450 calories A man doing moderate work 3000 calories A man doing hard work.... from 3400 to 5500 calories At first glance it may appear that there is not the ex- pected difference between the requirements of a man doing little work and one doing a great deal. But we must remember that the largest part of our food is used up in the unconscious activities of the body. Even when we are asleep the body is using up the energy derived from the food so that the unconscious demands require a considerable supply of food in themselves. Another vagary of the bodily mechanism is that brain work re- quires little or no energy from our food. This is why professional men should limit their food intake far below that of the day laborer. 22 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Perhaps the matter of the amount of food required may be summed up by saying that the average man needs from three to four pounds of food a day this, of course, including bulky foods of a low caloric value proportioned according to the principles of the bal- anced ration. For it is not sufficient that the food total the 2000 or 3000 calories required ; they must be propor- tioned properly among proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Most of the dishes which appear on our tables combine the foodstuffs in some proportion or other. One has only to glance at a steak, for example, to realize that it must contain fat in addition to the protein which is its preponderating element. It is now believed that the food elements should appear in about the following pro- portions: i6f% protein, 25% fat, and the balance, or 5^2 %j carbohydrates. In other words we should eat half as much again fat as protein and two and a half times as much carbohydrates as fat. The principal point of difference is about the protein, some authorities con- tending that eight per cent of protein in the diet is suffi- cient. But in estimating the demands for the three foodstuffs it should be remembered that all the food which we take in is not available, only about three-quarters of the pro- tein, for instance, being used in the body, so that a cer- tajn excess beyond the theoretical requirements is prob- ably desirable. From the foregoing we may estimate the daily food demands as follows : DAILY FOOD REQUIREMENTS Adult of Total Carbo- 150 pounds calories Protein Fat hydrates At rest in bed 1800 300 450 1050 Slight activity 2200 366 550 1284 Light work 2600 433 650 151? Moderately hard work 3000 500 750 1750 Very hard work 3400-5500 566-916850-1350 1984-3234 Children require more food in proportion to their weight than adults. Their requirements are about as follows : Age o- 6 months 400- 800 calories CHEMISTRY OF FOOD AND COOKERY 23 6-12 months 800 calories 2 years 900 calories 4 years 1200 calories 8 years 1400 calories 12 years 1600 calories The following table gives, roughly, the approximate constituents of the principal foods. In calculating food values it is necessary to know that an ounce of protein produces about 120 calories ; and an ounce of carbo- hydrates about the same, while an ounce of fat produces over twice as much, or approximately 260 calories. TABLE OF FOOD VALUES Calories per Calories Food pound as Calories Calories of Carbo- purchased of Protein of Fat hydrates BEEF Brisket 1165 235 930 Chuck rib 755 305 450 Flanks 1185 365 820 Porterhouse steak .. mo 375 735 Sirloin steak 985 325 660 Tenderloin 1330 320 1010 Plate 1200 255 945 Ribs 1 1 10 280 830 Round 745 375 37O Rump 1065 300 765 Forequarter 905 280 625 Hindquarter 950 315 635 Soup stock 170 no 60 Heart 1160 310 850 Liver 555 395 x IO 5 Tongue 545 275 170 Roast, cooked 1620 435 1 185 Round, cooked 840 540 300 Corned 1270 280 990 Tripe 270 225 45 Dried 780 5*5 26 5 VEAL Breast 645 300 345 Leg 585 3oo 225 Cutlets 705 395 3io LAMB Leg 1130 310 820 Chops, cooked 1470 360 mo Roast, cooked 900 385 515 MUTTON Leg 900 225 675 Roast, cooked 1420 490 930 .... MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK TABLE OF FOOD VALUES Continued Calories per Calories Food pound as Calories Calories of Carbo- purchased of Protein of Fat hydrates PORK Fresh ham . . 1520 280 1240 .... Chops 1340 260 1080 .... Pigs' feet .. 365 80 285 Ham, smoked .... , , 1670 285 1385 .... Bacon 2685 185 2500 .... Sausage . . 2125 250 1875 .... POULTRY Chicken, broiler. . . . 295 250 45 Fowls 775 270 505 .... Turkey . . 1075 330 745 .... FISH Bass . . 200 165 35 .... Catfish .. 9i5 225 690 .... Cod .. 165 163 2 .... Eel .. 580 290 290 .... Haddock .. 165 163 2 Halibut . . 470 300 170 .... Mackerel .. 365 225 140 .... Salmon 000 275 325 .... Lobster . . 150 00 60 .... ' EGGS . . 720 260 460 .... BUTTER . . 3605 20 3585 .... CHEESE American . . 2055 500 1495 Cottage . . 510 400 35 75 Neufchatel . 1520 365 1130 25 Roquefort . . 1700 440 1210 50 MILK . . 325 65 165 95 CEREALS Barley, pearled . . . . . 1650 60 IO 1480 Buckwheat flour. . . . 1620 120 35 1465 Cornmeal . . 1545 I4O 170 1235 Oatmeal 1860 300 290 1270 Oatmeal, boiled .. 285 50 10 225 . Rolled oats . . 1850 320 270 1260 Rice . . 1630 150 10 1470 Wheat flour, entire 1675 260 80 1335 Wheat flour, graham. 1670 260 90 1400 Wheat flour, white . . 1650 2IO 40 1400 Macaroni .. 1665 260 30 1375 Spaghetti 1660 230 15 1415 Bread, brown .... . . 1050 IOO 75 875 Bread, corn . . 1205 150 190 865 Bread, rye .. 1180 175 25 980 Bread, white .. 1215 175 50 990 CHEMISTRY OF FOOD AND COOKERY 25 TABLE OF FOOD VALUES Continued Calories per Food pound as purchased CAKE Baker's 1370 Coffee 1625 Fruit 1760 Gingerbread 1670 Sponge 1795 Sugar cookies 1920 Doughnuts 2000 PIE Apple 1270 Mince 1335 Squash . . 840 CANDY 1600 CORN STARCH 1675 SUGAR 1860 VEGETABLES , Asparagus, cooked . . 220 Beans, Lima, green. 255 Beets, cooked 185 Cabbage 125 Carrots 160 Celery 70 Corn, green 180 Cucumbers 70 Onions, cooked .... 190 Parsnips . ... 240 Peas, green 255 Potatoes 310 Potatoes, boiled.... 440 Spinach, cooked . . . 260 Tomatoes 105 Turnips 125 APPLES 220 BANANAS 300 CRANBERRIES 170 ORANGES 170 PRUNES 255 STRAWBERRIES 175 NUTS Almonds, edible part 3030 Chestnuts 1125 Cocoanut, prepared. 3125 Peanuts, edible 2560 SOUPS Beef 120 Bouillon, canned ... 50 Chicken, canned.... 100 Pea, canned ....... 235 Calories Calories Calories of Carbo- of Protein of Fat hydrates 1 20 180 1070 125 300 1 200 IOO 400 1260 IOO 390 1180 no 440 1245 125 435 1360 130 870 IOOO 60 400 810 no 500 725 50 300 490 1600 1675 ... ... 1860 40 135 45 60 10 185 45 40 IOO 25 IO 00 20 10 130 15 5 50 18 16 146 13 8 49 18 77 95 25 16 70 8 177 35 5 270 50 5 385 40 170 50 17 16 72 17 5 103 5 IO 205 17 17 366 7 23 140 12 5 163 20 235 17 23 135 4IO 2275 345 1 2O 225 780 125 2375 625 500 1600 460 85 15 20 40 5 5 70 5 . 25 70 30 135 26 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK But it is not sufficient that the diet contain the neces- sary number of calories, properly distributed among the proteins, carbohydrates and fats,, that there should be a sufficient bulk to insure the normal functioning of the bowels, and a proper amount of water and minerals, for scientists have discovered that certain mysterious sub- stances, vitamins, are also necessary and vital to health. What these substances are we do not know, but they ap- pear to be present in fresh foods, as meat, eggs, milk, and vegetables, and removed in the processes of manu- facture of many foods. It is necessary, therefore, that- fresh foods be included in the diet to provide these sub- stances; another argument in favor of the balanced ration. CHAPTER II THE DIET IN SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, AND WINTER If a family is fed a ration regulated according to the principles of balance, and deluged with the three other great foods sunlight, air, and water seasonal evils associated with foods will amount to little, and the fam- ily will be immune to many of the ills which arise when the principles of dietetics and hygiene are neglected. But in many families custom so largely regulates the menu according to wrong principles that spring fever and the like are very real conditions. The usual winter diet, for example, consists of greasy foods, such as sausages, fried bacon, roast pork and pork chops too many sweets, pie and rich cake with a scarcity of fruits and vegetables, and so is responsible for the ills associated with spring. The over-fed body rebels against the cloying diet, impoverished blood shows itself in anemia and blotched skin, pale cheeks are the guiding posts to tired stomachs, and the weary liver manifests itself in overpowering sleepiness. The old- time disease, " spring fever," tinges the beauty of the early spring days with melancholy sickness and ill- temper. A late March visit to a city school showed vividly the general tone of the system at this season, where proper dietetic principles had been neglected. The building was situated in a good locality, and the children were from well-to-do families. The pinched, wan faces, dull eyes, yellow skins of the pupils and the general atmosphere of lassitude which prevailed throughout the building was appalling. " I cannot do anything with them," said the discouraged teacher. " They will not respond ; they are either too tired or too lazy." " Spring fever," or, more scientifically, the ills of spring, had gripped the children in a relentless grasp and showed its insidious presence 27 28 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK in auto-intoxication, or the poisoning of the body through its own waste. These ills are mainly due to improper diet. In the spring the hearty winter foods must be forgotten, and replaced by lighter dishes, rather than by adding the lat- ter to meals already too heavy. A well known physician once remarked, " In treating disease diagnosis comes first, diet second, and medicine last." So the house- mother must learn not only how to get her family well, but how to prevent illness due to improper food. Un- fortunately the housewives who have attained this knowl- edge, or apply it to every-day living, are few and it takes the doctor with attendant medicines to bring the family into a normal state. His bill, by the way, goes into the family budget, an unnecessary item, blamed to the high cost of living! Such phrases as "biliousness," " gas in the stomach," " face broken out," " paleness," " anemia," " constipation," " touch of rheumatism," " colds," are conditions which are closely related to diet, as the house-mother who understands the importance of diet in disease is aware. If the body acquires the habit of eating over-hearty foods in winter, a change of diet, like the gradual transi- tion from winter to summer clothing, should be made slowly. This not only accustoms the body to a new regime, but possesses the added advantage of bringing about the change so insensibly that all danger of dis- agreeable comment from the family is obviated. It must always be borne in mind that, while a person is well and active, the same relative amount of food is needed by the body throughout the year, and that the difference be- tween winter and summer diet, for example, lies not in quantity, but in judicious substitution. Of all the digestive organs the liver is the busiest. It has been named the " clearing house of the body," for it is there that much of the cleansing of the blood is done and the body poisons or toxins are, so to speak, strained out, and the blood purified. Moreover, it is the great storehouse for sugar or " glycogen " and prepares other food stuffs for assimilation. Now the usual winter diet is excessively sweet and starchy hot breads, griddle cakes, quantities of potatoes, too much cocoa, macaroni, THE DIET 29 rice, rich puddings, pies and cakes, cereals loaded with sugar, all of them good in their place, but, as a general rule, used indiscriminately. For instance, mince pie, a rich and hearty food, is the frequent dessert of a heavy dinner, whereas, to preserve the dietetic balance, it should be used to supplement a scanty meal. The ex- cess food causes the digestive organs to overwork (thereby breaking down), the liver is called upon to do extra work in storing up the sweets, and a headache frequently results. When it is understood that very heavy food, eaten out of place, tires the organs, it may easily be seen why too much starch or sweet finally clogs the liver, causing the secretion of bile to accumulate, and bringing about biliousness, auto-intoxication, and indigestion. " Gas in the stomach " usually indicates a tired condi- tion or a lack of pepsin in the gastric juice. A blotched face usually follows, whereas the latter condition often accompanies anemia. Constipation, of all ills, is per- haps the most prevalent. The word may be translated in two ways, either as a lack of bowel movement without cathartics, or in the sense that the intestinal movement goes on without carrying off the entire waste. Just as an iron pipe becomes filled with rust and the stream of water constantly decreases, the large intestine can be lined with waste that is never thoroughly cleared away. This is the usual type of spring constipation, and it car- ries with it extreme lassitude and intestinal indigestion, because the poisons which remain in the intestines are becoming re-absorbed, thereby enabling the body to poi- son itself. When an individual is in this condition, he becomes a prey to every passing breeze and change of temperature, often contracting a severe cold or the " grippe ! " All of these unwell conditions can be alleviated, and nearly always prevented, if the correct foods appear upon the spring table - not when the April sun shines hot upon the waking earth and the insidious poisons have begun to work, but by mid-March when the body first feels the change. Nature has provided for this exigency in the most satisfactory way, for along with the warm days come the spring foods, until, by early April, the 30 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK markets are replete with the tempting greenery of the season. Ballast or bulky foods are those which should be used to replace the cathartics and physic of the medicine chest. Under this heading we find the fresh green vegetables, spinach, cowslips, dandelions being the most efficacious of them all. Spinach has been termed by the French " the broom of the stomach " because it is so bulky that it sweeps through the alimentary tract, stimulating the secretion of the juices, scraping the walls and carrying all waste away. Spinach once a day for a week or more will bring about immediate results. It will soon pall upon the appetite, if it is always served in the same way, but any housewife with imagination (wherein lies the secret of good cookery) can make it into so many seduc- tive dishes, that a complaint will not be heard. As plain " greens/' creamed, poured upon toast, and surmounted with poached eggs, scuffled, in salad (either combined with other vegetables or with eggs), boiled with ham, or scalloped with salt fish it can be used for any meal in the day. It is a great mistake to consider foods suit- able only for certain occasions, for all foods are so adaptable that they can be prepared in diverse ways for breakfast, luncheon or dinner, and whereas, for example, the family may refuse spinach for dinner, they will wel- come it for breakfast because it is a novelty! This same group of ballast foods includes lettuce, ro- maine and watercress all known as salad plants. Watercress has been used since great antiquity as a spring salad and tonic, for the old Greek had, in a way, a greater faith in diet than we have to-day. All of these greens contain the mineral craved by the worn-out tissues. Iron, potassium, calcium, sulphur, phosphorus, all these and many more are contained in all growing things. It is due to Nature's wonderful alchemy that so many minerals can be eaten at once, for were a like amount to be taken in the form of medicine, severe illness and, sometimes, death would follow. Spinach is the richest in iron of any vegetable, carrots follow, while dandelions, beets, salad plants and all veg- eatables contain certain amounts. Watercress furnishes sulphur, whereas cauliflower, onions and cabbage are THE DIET 31 rich not only in sulphur, but phosphorus. Butter is usu- ally adopted as a seasoning for vegetables, but, when- ever possible, olive oil should be substituted. There is no more refreshing way to serve vegetables than in a salad, and in the springtime, when the body needs natural tonics, no other dressing should be used than olive oil and lemon juice. Use three tablespoon- fuls of oil and a tablespoonful of lemon juice, well- mixed, and add a dash of salt and pepper. This will dress salad for six people. Olive oil, however, may be rather prohibitive because of its high cost. If it is im- possible to afford it, peanut oil may be substituted. A green salad may replace the main course at a lunch- eon, if cheese, eggs, or nuts are combined with it. Cream cheese, for instance, can be put through the potato ricer and sprinkled over it cream cheese may be served with any green salad. Sliced hard-cooked eggs may accom- pany cress or cooked spinach, and nuts are delicious with any cabbage or celery combination. In such cases the meal should commence with a simple soup, and a good way to introduce an excess of mineral into the spring diet is to prepare a cream of lettuce, cress, or spin- ach soup. These may have as a foundation any clear soup stock the vegetable, together with rice, should b,e simmered in it, hot milk added when they are soft, and the whole strained and thickened with egg. Such a soup is a perfect adjunct to a luncheon. Entire-wheat-meal bread or rolls should accompany the salad,* and the des- sert may consist of an egg and milk pudding with a simple cookie or cake. But Nature's tonics include not only vegetables but fruits as well. The citrous group, including the grape- fruit, orange and lemon, are wholesome and palatable. As a general rule the lemon is used in beverages in this case it should be very tart or, better still, be left unsweetened. A baked lemon is not unpalatable, and may be eaten with a spoon, and lemon juice may be used in any case as a substitute for vinegar. In lemon jellies, in salad dressings, poured over other fruits, served in black coffee, in pineapple puddings, and in other ways, lemon juice may be served to the family. Rhubarb, while it is really a vegetable, is served as a 32 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK fruit in so many ways that it need never become a mo- notony. As a gelatine, baked with raisins, stewed, cooked in cubes, and dressed with oil and lemon juice, or in the form of dumplings or shortcake, it is delicious. Pineapple appears the first of May and its juice is a splendid tonic. About the second week in May straw- berry season is at its height. Of all the world-spanning fruits it is the foremost, carrying with it refreshed vitality and a satisfied appetite. All of these spring fruits and vegetables should be sup- plemented by at least two quarts of water daily to aid the kidneys in eliminating waste, and by the use of whole wheat meal bread made of unrobbed wheat to stimu- late the action of the intestines. THE SUMMER DIET The sultry nights, scorching noons and long, languorous days of mid-summer produce a relaxed condition in the whole body and this torpor must be overcome before food can be digested. The fundamental principle under- lying the summer diet is the toning up of the digestive organs to the point where they will respond quickly to food. There is no better stimulant than a hot soup or Bouillon, served without cream. Either will whip the cells of the stomach into action, stimulate the gastric juices and pave the way for assimilation of solid food. One means of cooling the body is through evaporation. When perspiration is profuse, evaporation is increased, and when a cup of hot, clear soup is served, it not only starts the gastric juices, but induces perspiration. If preceded by the soup, a salad, punch or ice will not pro- voke disturbance, because the stomach juices are already at work and the languid condition has been overcome. Ice cream and iced drinks are gastronomically pleas- ing, no doubt, and during the actual moment of eating produce a passing sensation of coolness. However in reality there is no type of food more heating, because the stomach is chilled and digestion is consequently retarded ; the sudden cold checks the flow of perspiration, causing waste products, ordinarily expelled through the pores, to be retained, and metabolism, or the burning of the tis- sues, is thereby increased, because the body machinery THE DIET 33 is clogged. Besides all this, most ices and cold drinks are dependent upon ice cream, chocolate, or cream in varying degrees as a basis, and are highly sweetened to suit the popular taste. Cream and chocolate are not heating foods, but sugar in any form is a heat producer, so, in addition to the clogging of the system, most so- called cooling creams and drinks become heating agents, because of their constituents. The increase of heat does not mean that the temperature of the body rises above normal, but simply that the sensation of heat becomes more pronounced. In rare cases, however, the sudden chill, or the accession of an over-abundance of heating food, will produce a severe attack of indigestion, with a consequent rise of temperature. Meat is heating because it contains certain stimulating juices is a quick fuel and during assimilation causes a greater breaking down of tissue than any other food. A meat substitute contains all the elements of meat, with- out being stimulating and heating. Under this heading may be mentioned eggs, nuts, cheese, fish and milk, or combinations of foodstuffs such as macaroni with cheese sauce, or potato and nut salad with oil dressing. In or- der to be efficacious any substitute dish must contain both protein and fats, which are the principal constituents of meat. For instance, a salad of cottage cheese (which is made of skimmed milk) must be supplemented with an olive oil dressing in order to be a satisfactory meat substitute. The average active family should have a small amount of meat once a day, because the system craves variety. The most acceptable meats for summer use appear in lighter form, as boiled ham or tongue, chicken in various ways, chops, veal, or pressed corned beef and meat loaves. The balance of the meal should consist largely of fresh vegetables with bread, butter and a sweet. Every meal, in addition to meat, or meat substitute, should be enlivened by green and fresh vegetables. For convenience green vegetables may be termed those which are served raw including lettuce, cress, escarole, ro- maine, celery, new dandelions and radishes, while under the head of fresh vegetables may be grouped all the remaining products of the garden. Green vegetables 34 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK should be served raw, as salads not the usual mayon- naise-drenched, nut-sprinkled salad of the American home, but the deliciously seasoned, oil-absorbed dish of the French. It is an easy matter to buy a prepared dressing at the groceries to pour it over a dish of wet leaves and call it a salad. It is another matter to pre- pare it so that the family longs for it. The reason that Mary will not eat lettuce, or John romaine, is not usually because of the food, but of the faulty preparation. Any green salad must be carefully dried, the French dress- ing poured over it, and then mixed, or " fatigued " as the French say, until it is so thoroughly mixed that the leaves look wilted. Then only will the salad fulfil its mission. Fresh greens dressed in this way are usually suitable for breakfast, luncheon or dinner, while a salad of mixed vegetables, of fish, eggs, potatoes, or meat should be served only as the main dish at luncheon or dinner. A mayonnaise or a heavy cream dressing has no place with the salad of an otherwise heavy meal. There is no better summer food than olive oil but it must be used as a part of, rather than as an addition to, a meal, as otherwise the excess fat will upset digestion. Fresh vegetables should be stewed in as little water as possible, so that the liquid may serve as sauce, and be seasoned as needed, with salt, pepper and olive oil, or butter. During the winter season hot breads have a certain place in the diet, but in summertime they should be fore- gone as they are liable to cause auto-intoxication. When they are used, they should be of a lighter variety, as baking powder biscuits, or whole wheat gems. There is, however, no better time for the introduction of de- licious yeast breads than during this time of automobile luncheons and picnics, and occasionally rasin and nut bread, a loaf of graham or rye, or old-fashioned Johnny- cake will often retrieve an otherwise scanty meal. For the summer dessert there is no food so suitable as fruit, and, if rightly prepared and served in a variety of ways, it will never become tiresome. When the day is exceptionally warm, a fruit ice has a place in the menu because it introduces both water and fruit juice. When an ice cream is to be served, it should be used in a menu scanty in fat, as otherwise it will be overheating. THE DIET 35 If iced drinks must be used, let them be of acid qual- ity, as lemonade, orangeade, pineapple punch, or rasp- berryade, rather than heavy iced-coffee or chocolate. Ginger ale is a good summer drink because it is so pep- pery that it acts as a stimulant although too much, like an overabundance of spice, will cause the stomach muscles to become so relaxed that they refuse to respond except to stimulus. In planning the summer diet, the housekeeper must lay aside all tradition of the particular foods suitable for each meal, and when asparagus is in season, for in- stance, serve it creamed for breakfast, or introduce let- tuce as a breakfast salad, while poached eggs for lunch, or macaroni and cheese at dinner may prove acceptable. In other words the summer diet must not be stereotyped rather it should be so lenient that the foods may con- form to the weather, and the housewife should be con- versant with food values in order to plan the meals ac- cording to rough dietetic standards. Meat is by no means the most expensive item in the living budget, and the housewife living on a limited in- come will find it difficult to plan summer meals within her allowance when the bills for green stuffs and fruits are high. However, menus can be planned to suit every pocketbook, and, while it may not be possible to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables when they first appear, they soon drop to a normal figure. A young wife who was living for the first time in a city flat displayed with pride her garden ! She was fortunate enough to possess a back porch, about eight feet square; the ingenious hus- band had constructed two shelves on the porch floor and on each of the shelves were placed boxes of earth in which cress, lettuce and radishes were growing. " I simply had to have salad," remarked the girl, " and as we can't afford to buy it we've grown it here and it's such fun," she added. A woman who is really interested will contrive to feed her family on the right food under all circumstances. THE FALL AND WINTER DIET Diet in the winter differs from that of any other sea- son. It is a time of brisk winds, snow and ice, and the 36 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK colder the weather the greater oxidation there is in the body. The fact that food is to the body as coal to the furnace means no more to the majority of educated housewives than the falling of a rain drop, for the truth that food makes warmth and heat, activity in little bodies, and the energy of great minds does not seem real. People who exist in warm rooms and live at low rates of speed can eat hot-house foods in a hot-house at- mosphere, but those who really revel in the cold weather are buoyed up by a wholesome winter diet to all vicissi- tudes of wind and storm. Those who keep warm when the thermometer hovers near zero are not necessarily swathed in heavy flannels, muffled with scarfs and bur- dened with furs they may be those whose rosy cheeks, bright eyes and springing step denote correct feeding and adequate digestion. Right feeding in winter does not concern itself with quantity but rather with furnish- ing a sufficient amount of nourishment with a minimum of waste. The individual who eats too much cannot util- ize the surplus, and it must be passed off, partly digested, as waste from the skin, kidneys and bowels. This over- exerts the waste channel and much of the energy gained from the food is used in eliminating waste. The vitality is thereby lowered and the individual becomes " run- down " and is subject to colds, grippe, and indigestion. More complete digestion and less waste is the efficient fundamental of the winter diet. Fuel foods are meats, starches, sweets and fats. Meat makes muscle, enriches the blood and furnishes heat, and, for most of us, it is a necessity in the winter diet. Starches and sweets are fuel or activity foods, their mission being to create quick energy. When a sudden heat is desired, the housewife adds a little kindling to the dying fire. Where the vitality is lowered a cup of cocoa, or a little rice with melted jelly, will restore en- ergy, because it adds kindling to the body flame. But, like the fire of light wood, it is soon consumed, and the inertia again appears. Starch is to the diet as kindling to the fire; it produces a quick heat, then burns itself out. Prodding the body to greater activity on a diet of starch is as criminal as beating a horse that is old and weak, yet it is a common practice in many homes ! f "I/ 1* ** TABLE SET FOR HOME BREAKFAST AFTER-DINNER COFFEE SERVICE THE DIET 37 Besides meat to make muscle and energy, starch to furnish quick energy, and fat to afford reserve force, the body needs, in winter as in summer, the eliminating qualities of fresh fruits, and uncanned or fresh veg- etables to cleanse the blood and keep the waste channels awake and active. In England the cranberry is more generally used and appreciated for this purpose than is the case in this country. In northern countries the cran- berry is gathered as a precious winter food, dried on long strings, and used as an antidote to the overmuch fat demanded by the rigorous winter. Like the greens of the spring diet the cranberry, through its citric acid and iron, has a definite and neglected place in the winter menu. Oranges, lemons and grapefruit may also be added to the list of the winter's tonic fruits, any one containing a well defined amount of citric acid. Whenever they can be obtained, grapes are an unequaled winter fruit, bring- ing tartrates of soda, potash, phosphoric acid, lime, magnesia and iron to the body in such form as to be al- most immediately assimilated into the blood. It is need- less to state that when canned, made into jelly or mar- malade, grapes, like all the preserved fruits, lose their efficiency as tonic fruits and become sweets-. As in the diet for the rest of the year, the fresh veg- etable has a definite place in the winter menu. The term signifies not only green vegetables, but all that are not canned, as beets, carrots, turnips, parsnips, oyster-plant, onions and cabbage. None of these lose their salts and acids when taken from the ground, although the water is somewhat evaporated, causing a withered appearance. Of the green vegetables peculiar to the winter season, celery is generally available. As it contains a generous proportion of salts or minerals it is peculiarly valuable as a blood food. Watercress may be found under the ice in all northern brooks a bountiful provision of Nature to supply phosphorous and sulphur in sufficient quanti- ties. Lettuce, endive and parsley can be obtained throughout the year in city markets and are valuable as- sets to the winter menu. In the country stores they can- not be secured, but there is no reason why any housewife with a scrap of land at her disposal cannot raise them in 38 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK hot beds. In case this is not feasible they may be grown in window boxes. As lettuce or endive do not need much sun or demand much heat, it is always possible to find a suitable window for them. Parsley, to be of rich green, needs sunlight. An attractive way to grow it is to obtain a wooden paint bucket, bore half inch holes in the sides, fill the bucket with rich earth, and plant the seeds in the holes. When hung in a sunny kitchen window the seeds will germi- nate in about two weeks the final result being not only a delightful seasoning for the winter foods, but a real ornament to the room. Mince pie, sausages, griddle cakes, roast pork, oatmeal, doughnuts, pork and beans and suet puddings, all have a certain niche in the winter menu but they must be used in proper combination. Sausage is a fuel food, for ex- ample, and should not be used in a menu otherwise re- plete with fat. To illustrate, a luncheon of sausage, fried potatoes, bread and butter, and suet pudding would give indigestion as all contain a large amount of fat. When used properly, sausages should appear in a menu, which would eliminate the large amount of the fat, as mashed potatoes and another vegetable, and a plain dessert. If possible, the winter meal should be commenced with something hot, as a cup of soup, or a little hot, spiced grape juice, because they stimulate the digestive juices to greater activity. It must be remembered, however, that it is necessary to work in an extra amount of fuel food to overcome the wearing away of the tissues through oxidation, yet this must be done in such a way that nausea will not be produced. A meal consisting of starch and sugar is sure to bring, sooner or later, a sick headache in its wake. -Any woman who is guilty of serving the typical New England supper of white bread, an economical supply of butter, cake, cookies, preserves and tea, has only to remember the frequent early morn- ing headaches in her family to prove this statement. Both sugar and fats must be introduced generously into certain of the foods, the remainder of the menu consisting of other elements. Cabbage will take up one-third of its weight in fats, mashed potatoes one-half, baked potatoes THE DIET 39 three-fifths, and peas one-fourth. When the family seems to lack energy, add extra olive oil or butter to the vegetables, then turn back and add some more! If the family seems tired, a quick energy food is probably needed, but do not urge more food, prepare cocoa or apple sauce, or some other food, making it sweeter than usual, and do not demur when son " loads " his cereal with sugar. He needs it or he would not do it. Let the children make taffy Sunday afternoons, they crave the sugar, but keep careful watch lest the inborn tendency toward a " sweet tooth " is not abnormally developed. CHAPTER III THE CHILDREN'S MEALS There is no part of household economy so generally neglected as the children's meals, particularly from the time when liquid diet is supplanted by solid food up to the beginning of school days. When a seedling is first set in the earth, it is carefully shielded from the hot rays of the sun and watered regularly till the roots are well grounded. Then the shield is removed and gradually the plant grows, until, with proper care, it reaches per- fection. The way of children is the same ; when the little one is weaned and taught to eat solid food up to maturity his diet needs supervision ; but the first six years, great formative period of health, are the most critical of all, for just as the plant wilts in the hot sun and shrivels, from lack of water, so may the little child fade if the correct diet is not provided. As children grow irregularly they demand, at different periods, various kinds of food for building purposes yet at all times enough of each element must be provided to insure the even growth of all parts of the body. Up to the age of eighteen months, the child has eaten little except milk, bits of stale bread, some hard crackers, a morsel of rice, a little beef juice, or, occasionally, part of an egg and some orange juice. He has not been par- ticularly active and, therefore, has demanded little starch, the milk-sugar, with starch from bread, sufficing to meet his need, as he is occupied with the business of growing. He now commences to be more active, both bodily and mentally, and needs more starch, or activity- making food, to replace the energy he so freely gives off. This is best supplied in the form of cereal or bread. At the same time the pliable little bones are withstand- ing great weight in proportion to their strength and need foods that make them firm and we/11-formed. Minerals are the elements needed and, for the convenience of the 40 THE CHILDREN'S MEALS 41 mother and the digestion of the child, they may be pro- vided under the great head, cereals. Not the ordinary, steam-cooked, predigested article of commerce, but the well-prepared, old-fashioned, undenatured cereal. Mush, made from the whole corn, heart and all, brown rice, not polished with talc, oatmeal, whole wheat mush, made from the entire grain these are the cereals that make blood and bone, brain and brawn, because they contain all the wholesomeness of Mother Earth. They include more than minerals for bone and starch for energy ; they include, as analysis shows, a goodly percentage of protein for tissue building. But in themselves they are not a perfect food for they lack fat, the great element which gives to the body reserve force, needed in stress of dis- ease that is why they are always combined with good milk or light cream. As they are rich in starch they should not be served with sugar, since that gives to the body too much carbohydrate. Up to the time the child is six months old, Nature has not provided a specific digestive juice to act upon any carbohydrate other than milk-sugar. Why, then, when a. child begins to run about, should his system be sated with sweets when it is not necessary to growth? Babies of two years and less cry for candy, children, not old enough to differentiate in flavors, demand sugar on their cereal ; this is abnormal, the latent sugars in fruits, breads, healthful crackers and cookies being sufficient for the need. A child will not know what candy is un- less taught, and if adoring relatives are instructed that no sweets or other foods are to be given, other than those in his dietary, he will always be ready for his meals and can digest them properly. As he can eat but a small amount at a time, he should be fed often, needing five feedings a day, from eighteen months up to two years and a half, and four from two and a half up to three and a half years. He is then ready to go on a three-meal ration, though, if he shows a tendency to be hungry between times, it is far better to establish a regular period for the luncheon than to allow promiscuous nibbling. The ideal way to feed children is away from the family table, a suitable meal being provided for them. A low 42 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK nursery table and chairs of kindergarten height are often used for this purpose, lending a note of comfort and " grown-up " air to meal-time that always has a good effect. In the average American home where little help is kept this is not usually practicable as it entails extra work for the mother. It may be adopted, however, at supper-time in order to observe an early bed hour. As children always want exactly what grown-ups have, it is difficult to feed them a strict ration, unless the elders of the family are willing to sacrifice so that the children will not see rich and tempting foods. The mother must also be clever enough to know the value of substitution. Every small boy will tease for coffee, " just like daddy," and it will often be given him before he is three, the mother never realizing that she is fostering nervousness and a necessity for artificial stimulation. The child should not be allowed to taste tea or coffee, being given, instead, a cup " like father's," full of " cambric tea," or brown bread coffee slightly sweetened, and, knowing no difference, he will be contented and happy. Make the child's food look as much like the family's as possible. He should not be asked what he wants to eat, as his taste is undeveloped and he always wants an impossibil- ity. He should be taught to eat anything placed before him, provided care is taken not to serve too much, or he will overeat. From the first he should be trained to chew his food well, or he will eat too fast; moreover, children should not be left alone at meals, for the same reason. A grown person should always be at hand to watch and to carry on conversation, thus interrupting the business of eating with frequent rests. Another reason children eat too fast is because food is too fully pre- pared, nothing being left for them to do but eat it. When a child is old enough to sit at the table, he is old enough to be taught good manners and self-help. As it is one of the great essentials of the diet, water should be given from birth, but as the child is liable to use it to " wash down " food, it is not a wise plan to serve it at meals. Better give him a drink the first thing in the morning, also in the mid-morning and afternoon, and an hour after every meal. If he asks for more, he should be given as much as he craves. THE CHILDREN'S MEALS 43 In giving children liquids at meal-time, it should be borne in mind that most of them are foods and should be treated as such in the dietary. Milk, for instance, is a protein food and, if it accompanies a meal, the amount of meat or eggs served should be cut down proportion- ately, as, otherwise, the meal will not balance. When cocoa is provided, it should be considered both a starch (from the cocoa) and a protein (from the milk) and therefore treated as a factor in the meal. It is a heavy food and, taken in excess, sometimes clogs the kidneys. Therefore, it is not a wise breakfast drink, being better suited to an occasional mid-afternoon lunch or supper. From the first, Nature provides for the child a' bal- anced ration. Later, it behooves the mother to plan food as nearly balanced as she gives the older members of the family. Whereas it is true that the child has little taste developed, he often rebels at monotony. Often, the necessary, every-day foods may be provided in a new guise, soft gingerbread cookies, in animal shapes, bread as a " bread man " and " eggs in a nest," instead of boiled, are all good examples of the way the same food may be served in different ways. The basis of every meal for the child should be a protein, a starch, or two, a fat, and minerals. It is best to limit the portions ac- cording to the age of the child. From a year and a half to two years and a half the day's menus may be planned as follows : 7 A. M. Fresh milk, half a cup ; the yolk of a slightly boiled egg, one or two thin slices of entire wheat bread and butter. ii A.M. A scant half cup of milk and a graham cracker. 2 P. M. One cupful of chicken, beef, or mutton broth, one thin slice of toast and a little well-boiled brown rice with milk. 5. P. M. One or two thin slices of toast, moistened with hot milk. This menu may be changed from day to day, two tablespoonfuls of well-cooked cereal with an additional half cup of milk being substituted for the egg in the morning. The juice of half an orange and a thin slice of bread and butter for the eleven o'clock lunch, a table- 44 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK spoonful of rare, broiled scraped beef, or a small, well- baked potato and a saucer of junket for the broth at noon, while two tablespoonfuls of cereal and rich milk could be used at night. If the child is inclined to be constipated, a tablespoonful of steamed prunes, or figs, unsweetened, may be sifted and fed at one meal of the day. This, with a little orange juice, and the persistent use of entire-wheat-meal bread will usually overcome any such tendencies. From two and a half up to three years the diet may be gradually increased; the succeeding menus show how this change may be affected. 7 A. M. A small cup of milk, a poached egg on buttered toast and a small quantity of sifted cooked prunes, figs or apple sauce. ii A. M. A cupful of beef, chicken, or mutton broth with a whole wheat cracker. 2 P. M. A small slice of rare roast beef or mutton (a heaping tablespoonful cut up), a small baked potato, mashed and served with cream or dish gravy, a thin slice of bread, a small saucer of cereal pudding. 5:30 P.M. Whole wheat crackers and milk and soft ginger cookies. For breakfast an undenatured cereal with cream may replace the egg, for variety. In case this is done, the egg may be used at supper. The eleven o'clock lunch should not be eaten unless the child is really hungry. At noon a little finely divided steak, chop, chicken, or turkey may be used instead of the beef, but no game, pork, veal, or fried meats should be allowed. From three and a half years up to six the diet may be increased; from then on he will assume the general family diet. It will be unnecessary to watch quantities closely, as, if normal, the child's appetite is a fair guide and he will not overeat if taught to masticate each mouth- ful thoroughly. The following menus show a variety of correct combinations. Breakfast Cereal with light cream; entire wheat bread and but- ter; a choice of eggs lightly boiled, poached or scrambled, varied occasionally by a little well-boiled ham or baked THE CHILDREN'S MEALS 45 bacon or a few creamed oysters or oyster stew. Fresh fruit should never be eaten at breakfast, as the acid is liable to combine with the starch of the cereal causing gas to form. Hqwever, it may be used as a mid-morn- ing luncheon, ripe peaches, pears and cantaloupes, seeded grapes and oranges being suitable ; bananas should never be used unless baked. Dinner A half cup of clear soup, broth, or bouillon, beef, tur- key, chicken or mutton, roasted or broiled, or a small quantity of broiled fish; entire- wheat-meal bread and but- ter, a choice of baked potatoes, boiled brown rice or but- tered spaghetti, and one of the following vegetables: stewed celery, stewed spinach, fresh peas, fresh string beans, lettuce, or any salad green or fresh celery. For dessert, fruit, gelatine, junkets, cereal puddings, baked custards or plain cream or water ices are permissible. Supper Supper varies greatly with the season of the year. In winter nothing is more welcome than a simple milk soup, with buttered entire-wheat-meal toast, fresh or stewed fruit, and a slice of sponge cake a day old, or a soft gin- ger or sugar cookie. If eggs are not used at breakfast time, they may appear at supper, while a dish of wheat cereal and a glass of milk or cocoa and a baked apple may often be sufficient. In the summertime great care should be taken not to feed the child heating food at night, therefore, the best supper is really fresh milk with stale bread or crackers and a soft cookie. In case the child seems to need more nourishment, a well-beaten egg may be added to the milk and served as an egg-nog, while cereal (preferably undenatured), cooked with dates or figs, may be moulded and served cold with a little sugar or light cream. It should be remembered that when cereals are served at supper the same rule applies as at breakfast fresh fruit should not accompany them. The usual stewed fruit may be varied in many ways, fruit whips, boiled apples, lightly spiced prunes, dates flavored with orange juice and steamed figs, offering a 46 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK change. Often, a supper otherwise deficient in protein may be balanced by the addition of a baked custard con- taining eggs. It must be kept in mind that none of these meals will balance unless whole-wheat-meal bread and undenatured cereals are always used to supply the neces- sary mineral. They also accomplish another great mis- sion, that of regulating the bowels through bulk. In case the child refuses to eat, do not force him against his will, but examine his mouth, which may be sore from cutting teeth, and make sure that his digestive organs and bowels are active. Again, the food may not be well-cooked and flavored, as the majority of cooks think that anything will do for a child. If he is simply irritable and cross, take the food away and do not offer it again until the next meal. SCHOOL LUNCHEONS Mothers are beginning to realize that the school lunch- eon must consist of something more substantial than white bread sandwiches made with jam, jellies, or fruit butters, a slice of cake and a piece of pie. These are all foods that, rightly used, may have a definite place in the diet, but they must appear in suitable combination or else the child will practically be " starving in the midst of plenty," i.e. be suffering the bad effects of malnutrition, because of a diet over-filled with starch and sweet, and lacking in the elements that give stamina and promote muscular development. There is a widespread notion that the balancing of the daily ration can be stretched over the three meals with- out regard to actual combinations in each menu: that a lunch consisting of a too large proportion of starch and scarcity of other foods can be reckoned in at the close of the day as having furnished a generous share of the starch needed for the twenty-four hours, the other meals being made deficient in starch to keep up the general balance. Theoretically, this may be true, but practically, it does not work out well, because the body is being con- stantly torn down, or laid waste, and needs the actual replenishment of all food elements three times a day. This does not necessarily mean that large quantities of food must be consumed at each meal, but rather that THE CHILDREN'S MEALS 47 smaller portions of each element needed for replenish- ment should be provided. As a general rule this is not true with the school luncheon, whether carried by the child or furnished by the school at small cost. When the luncheon is carried, this condition is entirely under the mother's control, but, when it is provided at the school, it should be controlled by someone who* knows dietetic values and who can provide a well-balanced meal. The receptacle in which the luncheon is carried has a great influence on the food. A papier mache, or leather, box, for instance, absorbs odors and at the same time im- parts this accumulation to fresh foods that are packed in it. The most satisfactory utensil is a tin or granite- ware pail, or box, that can be scalded and sunned each day; or a wicker basket that can be washed and aired. Most school luncheons, in comparison to regular meals, contain very little nourishment, and mothers frequently say that the children will not eat what is provided, lay- ing the responsibility to small appetites. In only too many cases the decrq&sing desire to eat is due to dis- agreeable food flavors. It is impossible to lay down hard and fast menus for all children, as they differ in their likes and dislikes. Girls, for instance, enjoy carrying little jars of creamed meat, or stewed fruit, which necessitates a spoon and they really anticipate the noon hour with its possibilities for " make believe " housekeeping. On the other hand, the average boy says he doesn't " want any frills " and begs for a compact lunch that can be eaten quickly. Un- fortunately this is one of the worst features of the school luncheon, for too rapid eating causes indigestion and the consequent mental heaviness which is the bane of school teachers. This can be overcome in a measure by the mother who need not prepare the luncheon too completely hard-cooked eggs, for instance, should be left in the shell, crusts left on the bread and whole fruits provided, so that it will take the boy a few minutes to get his food ready to eat. For this same reason, nuts in the shell should be provided; they cannot be eaten too quickly and their rich protein is worth working to get. The general directions for planning the school lunch- eon should be the same as those for any other meal. 48 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK There should be a meat or its equivalent, enough starch to correspond to the bread and potatoes eaten at most meals, something bulky to fill up the chinks, one sweet and a refreshing food, as fruit. The obvious food for the main part of the lunch is the sandwich, which may be varied by different types of bread as well as fillings. Whole-wheat-meal or bran bread, made with yeast, are excellent types of bulky foods, which, at the same time, will supply the child not only with ballast and minerals and other food principles, but with the vitamins, or life- giving principles found in the husks of wheat, as well as in other foods. These breads are richer in general nutriment than white bread, so, if a sweet filling is to be used, it will balance to best advantage in this com- bination. The following fillings are particularly good for these breads : Cottage cheese and chopped walnut meats ; peanut butter and well-drained, stewed prunes; thick honey and sliced bananas, sprinkled with lemon juice ; cottage cheese and sliced tomatqes; dates and cream cheese ; cold welsh rarebit made with milk ; cream cheese and marmalade; ground dried beef, cooked in a thick tomato sauce and a little grated cheese. In all of these cases the butter should be beaten to a cream and spread out to the edge of the slice. Jf cake or other sweets are provided, sweet sandwiches should be used sparingly. In all cases the filling should be moist, but not wet enough to make the bread soggy; the slices should be cut not more than a quarter of an inch thick, as, otherwise, the children will get too much bread for the amount of filling. White bread sandwiches should usually have a sub- stantial filling of meat, cheese, nuts, or eggs ; fish should not be used, as it imparts odors and is likely to spoil through conflicting temperatures. If the bread is com- paratively fresh and moist, thinly-sliced tender meat can be used if the bread is spread with enough butter to make the slices cling together. However, in many cases, it is a better plan to mince the meat and cook it in a thick white sauce, as this makes a moist filling and at the same time utilizes meat that cannot be sliced. Whenever possible, it is a good plan to provide one or two vegetable THE CHILDREN'S MEALS 49 sandwiches. These may be made of well-dried lettuce leaves, chopped celery, sliced radishes, spinach mixed with a little cream cheese, or even well-drained string beans dressed with a little olive oil and lemon juice. Fruits, like sliced and sugared peaches, also can be used as fillings. For meats the variety is unlimited; thin cakes of broiled hamburg steak; crisp, but not dry, bacon, and broiled ham, all helping out the usual cold meats. Whatever the sandwich, it should always be wrapped in paraffine paper to prevent dryness. Some- times cold corn bread or muffins can be used to good ad- vantage, and there are always the quick loaf breads, as Boston brown bread, nut bread, raisin loaf and whole- wheat date bread that can fill in an emergency. Whenever possible, a tid-bit, as radishes, celery, or ripe olives, should be furnished. Dessert may consist of some simple cake, preferably of the sponge variety or wholesome cookies, as the old-fashioned gingersnaps, or sugar cookies, and the more modern oatmeal cakes. Stewed fruit may be furnished, or a custard, or a single portion of cereal pudding, baked in a jelly glass, will often furnish a welcome change. ' A delicate child that needs special nourishment should be provided with a hot- cold bottle for milk, soup, or cocoa. The following menus are well adapted to the average child. 1 Whole Wheat Bread and Cream Cheese Sandwiches White Bread and Tomato Sandwiches Hard-Cooked Eggs Radishes , Sponge Cup Cakes Peaches Creamed Chicken Sandwiches Boston Brown Bread and Nut Butter Sandwiches Celery Ripe Olives Chocolate Gingerbread Grapes 3 Corn Bread with Butter Bacon Sandwiches Whole Tomatoes with Salt Baked Custard Pears CHAPTER IV THE PROBLEM OF THE DINNER PAIL Two triangles of pie, a piece of cake, some white bread sandwiches, spread sparingly with butter, usually put together with jelly or jam, a dill pickle, and, on rare occasions, a bit of cheese this is the typical noon lunch carried by the average workman. If eaten constantly, this diet, which consists almost entirely of starch and sweets, is liable to cause ill health and lead {6 disease. Few realize that dinner-pail meals need greater thought than those served at the table. Only too often they lack variety, are unattractively packed, and are made up of any left-overs that chance to be at hand in the early morning hours. The choice of a luncheon receptacle is of great im- portance ; leather is not to be considered, because foods absorb the odor ; the ordinary collapsible tin box does not hold enough for a full meal; papier mdche soon grows musty, while the usual tin pail is apt to rust. The most attractive utensil is an enamel dinner pail, fitted with trays. This may be thoroughly scalded and aired each day, and, with care, will last indefinitely. The next best solution is a pasteboard box, fresh daily. These may be obtained in quantity from any wholesale stationer, and occupy little storage space. Unattractive packing often spoils an otherwise good meal. Waxed or paraf- fine paper is indispensable, as, by its use, foods are not only kept moist, but are prevented from taking on the mixture of flavors that permeate a lunch box when the foods are not carefully wrapped. This may be pur- chased, inexpensively, by the pound, from the stationer. Each sandwich should be wrapped in the paper, sepa- rately, and secured by a rubber band. This makes pos- sible the introduction of piquant flavors, as onions, horse- radish, etc. By this means pie, sliced cold meats, cheese and cake may be kept moist ; even fruit should be wrapped to keep the odor from escaping. 50 THE DINNER PAIL 51 A large jelly tumbler, or small fruit- jar, may be used for moist foods, like baked beans, creamed vegetables, meats and salads, and for cooked cereals, with milk, pre- served fruit, baked custards or puddings. For such foods the spoon should not be forgotten, while a small linen napkin is always a much appreciated luxury. While the noon lunch should be neatly packed, with due regard to the order in which the foods will be eaten for the working man is only too seldom supplied with a table on which to " spread " his meal it should not be too " dainty." No hungry man will be satisfied with a few paper-thin sandwiches, a piece of delicate cake, and small portions of fruit or pudding. He usually reports for work by seven in the morning, and the long stretch of five hours till noon, coupled with actual physical labor, creates a ravenous appetite that demands quantity. If care is taken to balance the meal, leaving, however, more starch and sugar than is usual to re-supply this rapidly dissipated energy, he will eat less and keep in better trim than when it is disregarded. As a general rule men feel that they have " nothing to eat,"* 3 unless meat is pro- vided ; so, when meat substitutes are given, they must be planned so that they " look " like a large amount in order to appease the hungry eyes. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that many meat substitutes are not so concentrated as meat, thus making it necessary to pre- pare a larger amount to provide the same degree of nourishment. The season of the year should always be considered a luncheon of heavy foods, suitable to cold weather, being unappetizing during the warm summer months. A man at hard labor always needs substantial foods, but fruit, vegetable and meat substitutes may be more gen- erally introduced with the coming of spring they will largely overcome the usual tendencies toward " spring fever." An earnest housewife said, " My husband carries a din- ner-pail and is dyspeptic ; he has no means of heating the food. What can I do to make it more digestible ? " The answer was, " Provide a hot soup by means of a hot- cold bottle." When, the body is weary the stomach needs " toning up." The best way to do this is by means 52 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK of a hot soup or drink, as it stimulates the stomach to im- mediate action. As " hot-cold " bottles may be purchased from fifty cents up, a little economy will place them within reach of almost anyone. Occasionally, factories provide " hot closets," so that coffee or food may be left there to heat. This makes possible a greater variety of foods. There is nothing so jading to the appetite as monotony. A constant diet of white bread, some kind of pie and cake, always made by the same recipe, soon gets a man to the point where nothing " tastes good." The lunch box offers just as great opportunity for thought and skill as the finest company meal if imagination is called into play. Many foods ordinarily served hot are acceptable when cold; sandwich fillings may be prepared in many odd combinations and desserts replace the too frequent pie. A surprise now and then, as salted or cracked nuts, or a few pieces of candy, mean as much to a grown-up as to a child. The following menus contain suggestions for the differ- ent seasons : For Fall and Winter Sliced Meat Loaf Potato Chips Bread and Jelly Sandwiches Plain Bread and Butter Baked Apple with Top Milk Gingerbread Coffee or Cocoa Stewed Lima Beans in Tomato Sauce Peanut Butter Sandwiches Bacon Sandwiches Cranberry Pie Coffee Welsh Rarebit Sandwiches Creamed Corned Beef Sandwiches Potato Salad Date Tapioca with Top Milk Chocolate Cake Coffee or Tea Split Pea Soup (Hot-Cold Bottle) Minced Ham Sandwiches Onion Sandwiches Indian Pudding with Top Milk A Few Grapes Coffee or Tea For Spring and Summer Brown Rice with Sugar and Top Milk Peanut Butter and Lettuce Sandwiches Scrambled Egg Sandwiches N Stewed Rhubarb Jelly Roll THE DINNER PAIL 53 Swiss Cheese and Rye Bread Sandwiches Nut and Potato Salad Strawberries and Sugar Layer Cake Lemonade Nut Bread and Creamed Bean Sandwiches Mutton Salad Sandwiches Farina Pudding with Crushed Blackberries Spice Cake Coffee ' Club Sandwich Succotash Buttered Rolls New Apple Pie Cocoa The best gauge of a hungry man's appetite is what is or is not left over in the pail. There can be no definite rule given as to quantity the amount needed by various people differing with the kind of work and individuality. If the ration is approximately balanced, amounts may soon be judged. Occasionally a few slices of cold meat may be in- troduced, as in the first menu. As these are usually eaten with the fingers, this should not be done unless there is a lavatory at hand. When pie is used, it belongs in a menu that seems deficient in heavy food, as in the second and last menus. When cereals are used, care should al- ways be taken to secure the whole grains, such as brown rice, cracked wheat, and oatmeal, as they are not only more bulky, but far more nourishing than the denatured kinds. Fruits, either fresh or dried, should be fully in- troduced, as they are invaluable tonics and appetizers, and every menu should contain some one food of marked flavor to give it point. To put foods together that harmonize, that are, at the same time, inexpensive and nourishing is worthy the high- est effort, for what a man is and does depends largely upon what he eats. CHAPTER V THE FINE ART OF COMBINING FOODS The question of the proper thing to serve at each meal is one that confronts every housewife, and often proves very perplexing. Many women seem to feel that, when the main dish has been selected, the other foods will take care of themselves. But no meal can be piled together helter-skelter, for in planning the menu some one dish must be selected around which the rest of the meal re- volves. The main dish, properly speaking, is repre- sented by the most substantial course, but the meal can often be made to fit around a special dessert or salad. A correspondent, for instance, asked for a company dinner menu in which the dessert might be grape juice jelly, with whipped cream. Taking into consideration the three fac- tors that must be observed in planning every meal, no matter how simple, the dietetic value of the food, pleas- ing the palate, and satisfying the eyes I sent her the following menu : Oyster Bouillon Wafers Chicken Maryland Timbales of Green Peppers with Rice Browned Cauliflower Celery Hearts Grapejuice Jelly, with Whipped Cream Orange Cakes Coffee In this menu the jelly acts as the point of interest; that is the flavors of the meal reach in it a climax. There is nothing so unsatisfying as to finish a well-cooked meal which is so badly planned that it leaves an impression of monotony. Many a case of overeating and consequent indigestion may be traced to the combination of too many foods on the same taste-level. The palate, which is very sensitive in its search for something distinctive in flavor, is so continually disappointed that one may unconsciously keep on eating long after the appetite is satisfied. The 54 THE FINE ART OF COMBINING FOODS 55 term taste-level applies to foods which are made of sim- ilar ingredients. I have often heard an old Southern Mammy say that every white vegetable should have a green or dark one to balance it at a meal. This rule is not infallible, but, generally speaking, the white vegetables, as hominy, rice, potatoes and macaroni, are of a starchy nature, and, to carry out the balance of the meal, a green vegetable rich in minerals should be provided. In case one of the more succulent white vegetables is chosen, like cauliflower, which will furnish ample mineral, the meal will not taste well unless either the starchy or the mineral vegetable is darkened in some way, as browned cauliflower or fried potatoes. In case a third vegetable is to be added, it should be of contrasting color, that is potatoes, carrots and spinach may be used together, or rice, tomatoes and string beans, but fried potatoes, white turnips, and cauli- flower, would not be a good combination. A white fish or meat should be served with a sauce of contrasting flavor and color. In preparing the gravy for roast meats, for example, it should be made of a rich dark brown color; otherwise it will look insipid. Light meats, such as pork tenderloin, veal cutlets and the like, are much better when combined with tomato, or some dark sauce, and, if chicken is to be creamed, the addition of an egg yolk or two, or some minced parsley or green pepper, to give color value as well as additional flavor, is an excellent plan. Very dark foods, such as spinach, timbales, baked tomatoes and so on, should be combined with light colored sauces and vice versa. This also ap- plies to puddings. The greatest help in planning combinations is to schedule meals ahead for at least a day, preferably for the week, leaving one meal blank to take care of the left- overs. Lack of variety shows very plainly when put down in black and white. Every meal must be planned by a pattern or skeleton menu, whether just for the family or for company. If these patterns are kept in plain view whenever the menus are made, there will be little danger of providing unbal- anced rations. I find it an excellent plan to build up the meals by aid of skeleton menus, such as the following: 56 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Breakfast 1. Fruit, raw or cooked. 2. Cereal with top milk, only with cooked fruits, or those partially non-acid, as pears, bananas or melons. 3. Eggs, left-over meat, fish, or, occasionally, a vege- table, and milk or egg combinations ; potatoes only when cereal is omitted ; any bread, with butter, cereal beverage or coffee. Cocoa should not be served unless the supply of but- ter is diminished, and the main course is very light. If desired, the cereal may take a different form, as fried mush or hominy omelet. In this case any kind of raw fruit may be served. Luncheon or Supper 1. Any fruit cocktail, canape, or cream or stock soup, with crackers. (This course may be omitted.) 2. Any light meat, egg, nut or cheese dish, as scallops, timbales, croquettes, ramekins, or substantial vegetable or cereal dishes, combined with proteins; any kind of bread. 3. A light salad of fruit or vegetables, with boiled, French, or mayonnaise dressing. 4. A light dessert, as fresh or cooked fruit, whips, gelatines, or corn starch puddings, accompanied, if de- sired, with cookies, cake, hot gingerbread, or waffles; tea. If a heavy soup, as a bisque, puree, or egg- thickened soup, is served, the meat course may be omitted. If potatoes, rice or spaghetti are provided, in addition to the main course, the dessert should be light. For an elaborate meal a light vegetable, such as green peas, may accompany the main course. If desired, a substantial meat, fish or vegetable and nut salad may be substituted for the second and third courses. A fruit salad may be the dessert. Neither milk nor cocoa should be served unless needed to supply a scanty protein allowance. A heavy dessert is allowable only when needed to give bal- ance to the meal. If deficient in protein, an egg custard may be used ; if lacking in fat, an almond pudding, but- terscotch pie and so fort!]. THE FINE ART OF COMBINING FOODS 57 Dinner 1. Any fruit or fish cocktail, canape, or stock soup and crackers. (This course may be omitted.) 2. Any substantial meat or fish, baked, boiled, braized, fried, broiled, stewed, or en casserole. A choice of white or sweet potatoes, rice, hominy, or macaroni. One or two other vegetables. 3. Any vegetable salad with French dressing, or one of its derivatives, or with very fat meats, an orange or grapefruit salad, with French dressing ; a green vegetable, as celery or radishes, may be substituted. If the salad is of fruit, it may be supplemented with crackers or sweet biscuits, and act as dessert. 4. A light dessert, as junket, gelatine, whip, fruit cup, baked oranges, baked stuffed apples with heavy meats. Heavier desserts, as pies, puddings, tapioca cream and so forth, with light meats. Only tart desserts with fish. Coffee. If fish is served as a separate course, it should precede the meat, and be in the form of timbales, croquettes, ramekins, or small portions of broiled or boiled fish, with or without sauce. As appetite craves change, the essential in planning ap- pealing meals is to combine a variety of foods so that they harmonize. Nature is a trustworthy teacher. Years ago she taught the good old combination of pork and beans, bread and cheese, pork and apple sauce, be- cause they tasted well together her pupils not realiz- ing that these foods supplemented each the other. To prepare foods that " taste good," look well and are digestible it is a good plan to follow the infallible rule of " enough but not too much," as well as to consider the esthetic beauty and appearance of the combination. Con- servatism too often stands in the way of the average housewife, many serving the same dishes year in and year out, that their mothers served before them. How- ever, the women are not entirely at fault, the habits of the men contributing a large share towards the existing nar- rowness. The New Englander is starved without his breakfast doughnuts ; the Southerner without his corn pone, and the Westerner without his wheat cakes, regard- 58 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK less of the fact that the meal may contain dishes of equal stability and nutrition. Another reason why women get into " ruts " is because too many men seem to like monotony being satisfied with frequent repetitions of a few good dishes, often ridi- culing any attempt toward growth and betterment in the family menu. The man who growls over the " high cost of living " is too often the one who demands the same old foods ! Breakfast is usually the most neglected of the three meals, actual scantiness of food, combinations which are indigestible, and hasty service leading to frequent mid- morning indigestion and consequent " grouchiness." One of the greatest mistakes perpetrated in most house- holds is the serving of an acid fruit with a cereal or cream. Some cast-iron stomachs can stand this combina- tion, but often it brings about fermentation with accom- panying gas. When a cereal is to be served, the fruit should be bland, as bananas, peaches, apples, dates, stewed figs or prunes, not only because it is the correct thing to do, but because it " tastes good." In this case the heavier part of the meal should be scheduled accordingly and contain foods of marked flavor. If scrambled eggs, for instance, follow a bland fruit, and cereal with cream, the effect is flat; while, on the other hand, if a little dried beef or bacon is cooked with the eggs, or if they are made into an omelet with tomato sauce, the whole meal gains point. However, if the meal starts with an acid, like oranges, pineapple or grapefruit, the main por- tion may be heavier and somewhat bland. Plain scram- bled eggs should be suitable in this case and might be accompanied by fried potatoes (to give substantiality) and corn muffins, as no cereal is served. Fish never should be served for breakfast, unless preceded by an acid fruit, or accompanied by an acid sauce. Potatoes or hominy should never be served when a cereal appears, as all are starches, and, therefore, too similar in texture and taste. When steak and potatoes are served, for in- stance, the cereal should be omitted. When cereal is used, plain bread and butter, biscuits or rolls should be prepared, while cereal muffins may be used when the cereal is omitted. In other words care should be taken THE FINE ART OF COMBINING FOODS 59 not to repeat similar flavors. When fried foods, like frit- ters or griddle cakes, are used, an acid fruit should ap- pear, not only because it tastes better, but because the acid assists in breaking up the fat in which they are usually cooked. For example, examine the following winter breakfast menu : Sliced Oranges Ham and Eggs Creamed Potatoes Hot Biscuits and Maple Syrup Coffee The orange acid cuts the ham fat, the potatoes are moist and act as a sauce to the ham, while the syrup adds a sweet note without which the meal would be incom- plete. As the weather grows warmer, heavy dishes should be partially replaced by foods Nature has provided. Let- tuce, cress, asparagus and rhubarb, as well as the early fruits, have a definite place in the spring breakfast. To illustrate : Stewed Rhubarb Broiled Mackerel Baked Potatoes Corn Muffins Coffee Brown Rice Brown Sugar Syrup Creamed Asparagus on Toast Strawberry Shortcake Coffee In the first menu the acid rhubarb cuts the fat mackerel and gives the sour flavor that fish demands ; corn muffins are used instead of cereal, while baked potatoes supply the needed bulk to satisfy the appetite. In the second menu the brown rice, which is not denatured and, there- fore, substantial, is used instead of the meat, as the as- paragus on toast is served in a milk sauce, and syrup is served with the cereal instead of milk in order to avoid repetition of flavor ; while the fruit is combined with the hot bread into a shortcake. Luncheon, or supper, as the lightest meal of the day, offers great opportunity for unusual combinations, not only of foods purchased for the purpose, but of left- overs. The fall and winter seasons call for hot soups, 60 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK escallops and warm desserts, while spring and summer suggest dishes of light and cooling character. A good combination for one meal is not enough ; it is the ensemble of the day that leaves a feeling of com- plete satisfaction. The character of luncheon depends somewhat upon the occupation of those who are to eat it. Active bodies need heavy foods, so in winter, when pro- vision is to be made for children and hungry men, " rough and ready " dishes may be utilized, as beans, peas and lentils ; the thick soups, Indian pudding, hot gingerbread, etc. Whenever a light main dish is served, the dessert should be heavy, while a heavy main course calls for a light dessert. Plum pudding, for instance, is out of place after a substantial dinner, but may be used to advantage as a luncheon dessert. Heavy salads fit better into the light luncheon than in any other place, and often form the main dish, while a fruit salad is always acceptable in place of dessert. When a meat soup is served, the main dish should be largely vegetarian, as a potato or nut salad, a cheese souffle, or eggs. In case the main dish is cold the dessert should be hot, as an apple shortcake, while a hot main dishj like stewed lentils, calls for a cold dessert, as jellied peaches and cake. In other words, delicious- ness of combination depends upon contrast in tempera- ture as well as flavor. Cream soups are in place only at luncheon or supper, because they are so heavy that they partly satisfy the appetite. To this end they should be counted as having actual food value while the clear dinner soup is used more as a stimulant. A cream soup is always bland m taste, and should be followed by some strong-flavored dish of firm texture ; for instance, creamed chicken is too similar in texture to harmonize. Toasted ham sandwiches, croquettes or salads give a better effect. The following luncheon menus illustrate this point : Fall and Winter Cream of Lima Bean Soup Croutons Nut and Potato Croquettes Nut Sauce Orange and Date Salad Ginger Cookies Tea THE FINE ART OF COMBINING FOODS 61 Clear Meat Soup Baked Cheese Celery Hot Toast Mince Pie Spring and Summer Veal and Egg Salad Warm Biscuits Shredded Pineapple Sponge Cake Iced Tea Halibut Loaf Peas Potato Chips Lettuce and Radish Salad Cream Cake Raspberry Lemonade The perfect winter dinner commences with soup, which starts the gastric juices, preparing the stomach for the balance of the meal. As a general rule any clear soup is in order, made, however, from meat stock of different flavor from the meat to be served. Meats lacking in flavor, like veal or young chicken, should be preceded by tomato, cress, celery or some other soup of distinct flavor. Oyster bouillon, for instance, is too bland to serve with veal; on the other hand, heavy meats, like beef, pork or mutton, need delicate soups, as lettuce or green pea. Whipped cream should never be served in a dinner soup, as it adds too much to the already large amount of fat. When the weather grows warm, it is permissible to commence the meal with a fruit cup, in which case fruit should not appear again on the menu. Iced soups and bouillons are in good taste during this season. In planning the main portion of the meal, one rule is inviolate potatoes, rice and spaghetti should never ap- pear in the same meal, because they are too similar. When two vegetables are to be served, one should be green, like asparagus or string beans, and one of more plebeian character, like onions or beets. Fat meats need fresh vegetables and tart flavors to " cut them " ; beef and pork can stand the standard vege- tables, while game needs harmonizing foods. The following lists of foods that may be served to- gether are necessarily incomplete, but they will undoubt- edly act as a guide to any thinking housewife who desires to make her meals harmonious: What to Serve ivith Beef: If roasted, pot-roasted, boiled or braised, use mashed, whole browned, baked or 62 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK boiled, new potatoes,; for steak use mashed or French fried potatoes. Other vegetables may be onions, squash, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes, string beans, spinach, corn, dandelion greens, celery, peppers and carrots. All plain salad plants, with French dressing, may be used, as cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, cabbage, beets, onion or green pepper salad, the vegetables either separate or in combination. For desserts choose light dishes, such as fruit tarts, fruit cups, small dumplings, small portions of cereal or bread pudding, layer cake, fruit whips, small portions of Spanish cream or corn starch pudding, made with water (not milk). What to Serve with Lamb or Mutton: With roast mutton use the same vegetables as with roast beef. With roast lamb use rice, mashed or whole-boiled new potatoes, green peas, string beans, fresh lima beans, sliced toma- toes, summer squash, Bermuda onions, diced white tur- nips or asparagus. With boiled or braised mutton or lamb use boiled white or sweet potatoes, yellow or white turnips, oyster plant, onions, string beans, spinach, Brus- sels sprouts, ten-minute cabbage, carrots or cauliflower. Use any salad plants, with plain French dressing, or cel- ery, chives, or fines herbes, sliced tomatoes, bananas, tart oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, green pepper, boiled chestnuts, or pimentoes, in combination with a salad plant. The dessert should be distinctive in flavor, and may include anything made of fruit, coffee jelly, with nut cookies, sponge cake or plain layer cake put together with raspberry jam, any light fruit ice, as apricot ice, bread puddings with fruit flavor, boiled caramel custard, caramel Spanish cream, and steamed snow puffs with grape juice sauce. What to Serve with Veal: Use mashed, boiled, new, or browned potatoes, diced white turnips, all kinds of greens, beets with orange sauce, peas, string beans, ten- minute or escalloped cabbage, German carrots or aspara- gus. Use any salad plant with French dressing plain or combined with chopped chives, fines herbes, pickled car- rots, sliced tomatoes, green peppers, celery, pimentoes, tomato jelly or shredded new cabbage. The desserts may be the same as for lamb or mutton. What to Serve with Pork and Goose: Mashed, boiled THE FINE ART OF COMBINING FOODS 63 or baked white or sweet potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, oyster-plant, turnips, apple sauce, stewed tomatoes. For salad use any of the salad plants, with French dressing, singly or in combination, or with green peppers, celery, shredded cabbage, sliced tart apples, grapefruit or tomato jelly. The desserts should be light, consisting either of fruit or fruit cups, simple fruit dumplings, or fruit whips or gelatine. What to Serve with Poultry: Mashed, roasted or boiled white or sweet potatoes, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, winter or summer squash, chestnuts, mushrooms, corn, peas, string beans, celery, raw or cooked, green peppers stuffed with vegetables, cranberry sauce or jelly. Asparagus should be used with broiled chicken. The salads may be the same as those given for lamb with the addition of asparagus salad. The desserts may be some- what heavier in character, although fruit and fruit des- serts are always correct. If desired, they may take the form of ice creams or Bavarian creams, while simple steamed puddings and small portions of well-flavored custards, and simple shortcakes may be used. What to Serve with Corned Beef: Boiled potatoes, white or sweet, parsnips, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauli- flower, turnips, beets, carrots, and any kind of greens. For salads select any of those to be served with beef. The dessert should be " homey," such as warm ginger- bread, apple pie, or doughnuts and cheese. What to Serve with Game: As game is somewhat light, the accompanying vegetables are usually elaborate. Among those suitable are white or sweet potato cro- quettes, celery plain, au gratin, or creamed, sweet potato glace, stuffed, broiled or fried tomatoes, creamed spinach, peas in timbale cases, peppers stuffed with boiled rice, escalloped cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts. Ripe olives, barberry or black or red-currant jelly may be provided. The salads should be plain, preferably of a combination of salad plants with fines herbes. Other- wise, choose celery, tomato or a tart fruit salad. The dessert should be simple, including only a fruit ice with sponge cakes, a fruit tup, baked stuffed apples, or some- thing that will carry out the general idea of naturalness which should surround a game dinner. 64 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK What to Serve with Fish: Plain boiled potatoes dusted with parsley, roast potatoes, French fried or white or sweet potato croquettes ; onions, stuffed green peppers, tomatoes, stewed, broiled, fried or baked ; ten-minute cab- bage, turnips, celery, pickled beets, pickled carrots, any kind of greens. Use any of the salads designated for veal. Only dessert with a fruit foundation or flavor should be used. Fruit salads are much out of place in the dinner menu, unless they figure as the last course, when they are served with crackers, cheese and coffee. They are naturally sweet, and, when followed by a dessert, the palate is apt to become clogged with sweet. As a general rule sweets and savories do not mix, although occasionally they can be blended, as currant sauce with ham, orange fritters with duck, or pineapple or orange and celery salad with game. These exceptions must, however, be introduced with sparing hand, as they often strike a wrong note that sets the whole meal askew. The heavy salad, swathed with mayonnaise or boiled dressing, is entirely out of place at dinner because it over- loads the menu with fat. Only salads of green vegetables should be selected, like lettuce, pepper and cauliflower, tomato and cress, cabbage and celery, etc., French dress- ing with variations alone being suitable. Dessert depends entirely on the rest of the meal. Fruit, either fresh or cooked, is always acceptable with fish or fat meats ; pies and steamed puddings are suitable when the meat course is light, as chops or cold meat. Old-fashioned desserts, like doughnuts and cheese and Indian Pudding, should be used with meats like corned beef or pork. A country housewife remarked, " Some- how a corned-beef dinner and ice cream don't keep com- pany!" This is somewhat a matter of sentiment, but more of the combinations of flavors. Ordinary flavors do not combine with those of the more delicate type. The two types clash, and do not " harmonize " any more than walking shoes do with evening dress. Each has its place, but they must" be differentiated. The following menus are illustrative : ' THE FINE ART OF COMBINING FOODS 65 Fall and Winter Tomato Soup Pot Roast of Beef Horseradish Sauce Macaroni Brussels Sprouts Onions Romaine Salad Baked Apple Dumplings Lemon Sauce Coffee Celery Soup Casserole of Duck and Mushrooms Brown Rice Green Peppers, Stuffed with Tomatoes and Corn Dressed Lettuce Caramel Bavarian Cream Honey and Almond Cake Coffee Spring and Summer Onion Soup Veal Loaf Tomato Sauce Mashed Potatoes Spinach Salad of Watercress and Lettuce Jellied Rhubarb Drop Cookies Coffee Broiled Chicken Cream Sauce French Fried Potatoes ^ Stewed Peas Lettuce, Radish and Olive Salad Marshmallow Ice Cream Lady Fingers Coffee CHAPTER VI SEASONINGS As a general rule typical American cookery is liable to be flat and uninteresting, not necessarily because of the use of poor ingredients, but because the average house- wife does not understand the importance of good season- ing. The thing that starts the digestive juices " makes the mouth water " is the delicious aroma arising from food well-cooked and seasoned, and this savor cannot be obtained by salt and pepper alone. Besides, the use of too much of these " stand-bys " has a bad effect on the body, the excess salt irritating the mucous membranes, and pepper having an injurious action on the blood and liver. During the warm weather it is not at all difficult to obtain the enticing food-flavors that make eating some- thing more than a necessity for Nature is bountiful; gar- den, market and roadside combining to furnish a variety of herbs. Years ago when everyone had a kitchen gar- den the herb corner was the special care of the house- wife, for she realized that not only the savoriness of her meats and soups depended upon herbs, but frequently the charm of her cakes and confections as well. Moreover, though she may not have known it, she was unwittingly supplying her family with some of Nature's best medi- cines. If possible, herbs, like all other foods, should be used fresh. Even in winter, some of them can be grown in the house in window boxes and others may be obtained from large markets throughout the year. Further, it is an easy matter to put up, or dry, almost any of the herbs. To preserve them so that they will be fresh enough to use at any time, even as garnishes, arrange alternate layers of salt and sprigs of the desired herb (parsley, dill, sage, mint, etc.) in wide-mouthed jars and keep them well 66 ' SEASONINGS 67 covered with salt, in a cool place. Dill, parsley, celery tips, mint, sage, thyme, marjoram and other herbs can also be put up in cold water, like cranberries or rhubarb. Select fresh, green sprigs, finse well and put them into jars which have been thoroughly scalded and then cooled. Let cold water run from the faucet into the jars for at least ten minutes so that all the air will be dislodged, then seal with a rubber band and cap as usual. Herbs may be dried in two ways : They should be free from dirt; if necessary, they can be washed and thor- oughly dried before the actual process of evaporation begins. Pick off the sprigs and lay them on clean papers in a warm room where no sweeping will be done for at least two days. Turn occasionally till thoroughly dry and store in tightly-closed tin boxes, for the savor is best preserved if the herbs are kept dark and the receptacle is air-tight. The second method is more rapid; place the sprigs on brown paper and dry, either in a slow oven or on wire trays which may be suspended on pulleys above the stove. In country districts these trays are invalu- able for drying corn, lima beans and other vegetables, as well as fruit. To freshen dried herbs, place in a little warm water for a few minutes. There are times when a food needs the enlivening touch of sour, or sweet-sour, pickles. -For sauce to serve with lamb or fish, capers are usually suggested, but they are rather expensive and may be substituted by nasturtium seed, which can be used plain, as a relish, in salads, or as a decoration for salads or canapes. Cucumber pickles of medium size may be sliced lengthwise, very thin, spread out in fan-shape and used to garnish baked beans. Finely chopped, they add a good note to boiled or mayonnaise dressing, or they may be added direct to a salad. Pickled string beans, or flowerets of cauliflower, are de- licious with ham or tongue. Olives may often be used to give variety, either with salads or sandwiches, or in various cooked dishes, as creamed shrimps or salmon. There are times when plain or spiced meat or fish ab- solutely palls. When this occurs, it is a good plan to introduce a tart flavor or a sour sauce. Beef a la mode is a good example of a commonly known tart meat. It is often advisable to add a little vinegar or lemon to 68 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK boiling meat or fish ; a dash of vinegar is indispensable when cooking kidneys, and sour cream may be added to the gravy of different meat dishes, or may be made into a delicious fish sauce when a faint tart flavor is desired ; plain sliced lemon is delicious with tongue. Tomatoes, which are acid and at the same time very pungent, may be called upon for tart sauces, and are in- valuable for seasoning casseroles and soups. However, it should not be repeated too often, for the spice of sea- soning lies in frequent change. Certain meats demand a sweet-sour flavor; cider when added to boiled ham be- ing an example, or thin slices of ham baked in grape juice is another. Tongue with raisin sauce shows still a third possibility. Sometimes a bit of sweet will help a meat more than anything else, a few grains of sugar either plain or caramelized greatly improving veal or a brown beef stew and other meats. To Caramelize Sugar Put the sugar in a smooth frying pan, set it over a slow heat and let it gradually melt until the color of maple syrup; it will then be very hot and if combined with a liquid, no matter if it is boiling, it will harden and must be cooked in the liquid again until melted, before being used. A seasoning that every one can have, yet which few appreciate, is the onion. Unless it is to appear in a stew, or is very finely minced, only the juice should be used, as this is the one means by which the flavor can be evenly diffused. To obtain the juice, select a large onion but do not peel it. Cut off the top and scrape the surface with a spoon till the juice is exhausted, slice off another layer and proceed as before till the necessary amount is obtained. A clove of garlic, if peeled and rubbed around the edge of a salad bowl, gives an especially subtle flavor, but garlic must be used sparingly as it is the strongest of all flavors. Onion- and celery-salts are very useful in quick-time cookery, a dash of celery salt frequently re- deeming a plain soup, a dish of creamed fish or meat; onion salt helping many, many a soup, sandwich, or a meat dish. SEASONINGS 69 There are many commercial sauces which greatly help to make ordinary fare " different," but, as a general rule, they are thought rather expensive. However, consider- ing the time they last, the ultimate expense is small. A half teaspoonful of Worcestershire, if added to a French dressing, will liven any simple salad, and besides being well adapted to plain service with meat, it is particularly good when added to certain soups, to gravies, such as those from hamburg steaks and veal chops; or to shell- fish, or cheese rarebits. " Kitchen Bouquet " gives color and flavor to any anemic-looking broth or gravy and to some vegetable sauces. The various ketchups are espe- cially useful, tomato lending itself to French dressing, soups, sauces and gravies, while walnut- and mushroom- ketchups are especially good for seasoning sauces for fame. Tabasco adds a live note to vegetable, meat or sh soups and is invaluable in clam, oyster, crab, or mush- room cocktails. Even a grating of lemon or orange rind sometimes gives just the note that is needed to raw oy- sters or clams. There is no greater incentive for variety in seasoning than to have the ingredients well-assembled. Chefs realize this to such degree that many of them cook with an herb tray at hand. These are divided into compart- ments, each being filled with a different kind of dried or powdered herb. In the household, however, it is not prac- ticable to adopt this plan, because, when exposed to the air, herbs soon lose much of their savor, and in home cooking comparatively small amounts are used. A wicker basket with a handle may be kept near the stove and in it may be placed small jars of the different dried herbs most in use, whole cloves, bay leaves, mace and other spices, celery seed, the various commercial sauces, as well as shakers of paprika, cayenne, salt, and a mixture of seven parts salt to one of pepper, ready for use. These should be clearly labeled on the top of each can when a glance will show just what is needed and often suggest blends of seasoning that would otherwise not be thought of. Following are a few suggestions for inexpensive sea- sonings. 70 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Bouquet of Herbs A small bundle of fresh or dried herbs containing a sprig each of parsley, sage, marjoram, chervil and thyme. Use in the stock pot, for pot-roasting, and in boiling fish and spaghetti. If the leaves are loose, tie in a bit of cheesecloth. Fines Herbes A combination of herbs minced together; made up of a teaspoonful of parsley and a half-teaspoonful each of marjoram, savory, chervil and a little sage. Sprinkle over broiled, or planked, fish, place in the fold of an omelet, strew over shirred eggs, or serve with lettuce or romaine. Dried herb leaves may be used if freshened in warm water. Use in stuffing for baked cabbage or game. Mint Use fresh in mint sauce, cabbage and mint salad, drinks, as orange mintade and angel tip, orange and mint salad, fruit cocktails, hot or iced tea, or lemonade ; fresh, or dry, in a casserole of duck, apple jelly or gelatine, canned or dried pea soup and with peas. Bay Leaves Use sparingly in meat soups, bisques made of had- dock and cod, or stewed tomato ; cream of tomato or celery soup. Boil with veal, ham, game and fish. Use in warm water. Use in stuffing for baked cabbage or meat or fish and in brown and tomato sauces. Parsley Use sparingly, fresh, or dried and freshened; with omelets, shirred eggs, and chopped meat, mushrooms, broiled tomatoes, buttered potatoes, in butter sauce for fish, in soups and salads. Dill Use fresh, or dried and freshened; in egg salad, plain salads, creamed soups and on broiled fish. SEASONINGS 71 Dried Mushroom Trimmings Use as a basis for mushroom soup, mushroom sauce, and in cream or brown sauce for oysters, veal, fish, chicken and any place where a mushroom flavor is de- sirable. Sage Use fresh or dry with beef, ham, or pork, and chopped meats; sifted into cornmeal mush for frying, and oc- casionally with cabbage ; string beans or spinach cooked with salt pork ; also in bread dressings for pork, beef or ham. Thyme and Marjoram Use with light meats, as turkey, broiled squab, pan- cooked chicken and fish ; in bread dressings ; and with boiled beans. Tarragon When fresh, mince and sprinkle on plain salads, or sparingly on broiled fish. Use fresh or dry in making tarragon vinegar. Use in chicken, fish and veal salads. Horseradish Use with heavy meats, mixed with a little vinegar and sugar, or as a sauce made with stock and crumbs; beat into butter and spread on broiled or planked fish ; use in sandwiches; add to pickled beets, or beet and cabbage salad. Dried horseradish may be freshened and used in the same way. Mixed Pickle Spice Use a teaspoonful in making two quarts of soup stock, boiling mutton, fish, corned beef, ham, or tongue, mak- ing tomato soup, pickling beets, cauliflower and carrots for immediate use. To use, tie loosely in cheesecloth. Whole Cloves Use in making soup stock, sweet-sour sauces, baked carrots, boiled beans, spiced beets, boiling fish, and bak- ing ham in cider or grape juice, coddled apples or pears and spiced punch. 72 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Mustard Sprinkle sparingly on lettuce to be dressed at the table, in mustard sauce, for potatoes, beef and so on; combine minced ham and tongue for sandwiches, and add occasion- ally to cheese dishes. Mace Use sparingly with spiced beef, oysters, veal ; in mayon- naise for shell-fish, occasionally in sauce tartare, French oyster soup, escalloped oysters, sauce for asparagus, po- tato croquettes. Use in rich cookies, berry pie and pound cake to produce the old-fashioned flavor. Nutmeg Use very judiciously as the flavor is pronounced ; with spinach, mushrooms, or in place of mace. It may be combined with pickled beets or carrots, also sweet pota- toes ; stuffed baked potatoes, escalloped fish. Grate over custard pie, or junkets, use in custards, any apple dish, occasionally with cooked peaches or pears, or whenever a blend of spices is desired. Stick Cinnamon Use with pickle spice, in boiling corned, or spiced, beef, ham, smoked, or fresh, tongue, occasionally with fish, and in making court bouillon. A little is delicious with chocolate, either hot or iced, or in chocolate corn starch pudding, or chocolate frappe. It combines well with boiled apples, escalloped pears, either fresh or dried, stewed figs, or prunes. Ground Cinnamon Use in apple and squash pie, doughnuts, apple rolls, Dutch apple cake, in the syrup for basting baked apples, currantade, spice cakes, cinnamon toast, cinnamon loaf, etc. Caraway Seed Use with pork sausage; in red cabbage salad, for caraway vinegar, in old-time seed cakes, rye and sweet breads. SEASONINGS 73 Coriander Seed Use in candies ; sparingly sprinkled on cookies ; ground, in cakes, sweet rolls or bread. Curry Use with meats which need livening; as soup meat, boiled chicken, sweetbreads, etc., or as a sauce for ham, tongue, or fish, or in boiled or mayonnaise dressing, to be used with veal, lamb, or vegetables. Serve curried rice, or potatoes with m chicken, veal, or lamb, either plain or creamed. Curry sauce may be used with quickly-boiled cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, or onions. Celery Tips Use for celery soup, bouillon, in sauce for fowl, for creaming oysters, lamb, or chicken, in making chicken jelly, boiling veal for loaf ; in potato soup and oyster stew. Cheese Cheese in various forms may be used to give variety in flavoring. The most commonly used with meats, eggs, soups and spaghetti is Parmesan, but to be wholly satis- factory, this must be bought in bulk form and grated; it is also less expensive this way than in bottles. How- ever, American cheese may be used to good advantage in a similar way. It is a good plan to save all rinds and bits of cheese, dry them in a current of air and grate them for use as needed. CHAPTER VII THE EQUIPMENT AND ARRANGEMENT OF THE KITCHEN CHOOSING THE UTENSILS The kitchen is a most interesting room, and, in the hands of a skilful woman, can be made the most attrac- tive in the house. But rest assured that it will not be at- tractive arid loved, if, three times a day, it is the scene of nerve-racking attempts to cook without adequate tools. There are always a certain number of pots and pans that are indispensable ; bowls, of various sizes, are needed ; wire utensils, others of wood and various other little con- veniences; beyond this the list swells towards luxury. It is not a good plan to furnish the kitchen in " one ware " for the various kinds on the market all have dif- ferent uses. If one is buying for durability, a partial aluminum equipment is a good investment; this costs more than other wares, but seems to wear almost in- definitely. It will not break or chip, has no seams or joints in which bacteria may collect; any indentures may easily be straightened out by light hammering; it is light and easily cleaned. For large utensils, like a teakettle, stock pot, etc., aluminum is invaluable. However, only guaranteed wares should be selected. Enamelware of standard quality is always satisfactory, but, unfortunately, it is difficult to ascertain the best grades, as price is no indication. I purchased a large amount of enamelware at a high price, only to find it chipping within a month ; later securing a cheaper grade which has been in constant use for five years. The safest way to buy enamelware is to get one piece and try it out by putting some water in it, boiling it up, and then dashing it in cold water; if it can stand this vigorous treatment you may be sure it is good. This brings up the question of " seconds " ; buying them is always a gamble, 74 THE EQUIPMENT OF THE KITCHEN 75 for though unpopular shapes or job lots are often so classed, and may give satisfaction, the next lot might chip in a minute. Although sometimes called " old-fashioned," tinware still has a place in the kitchen. Not in the line of pots and stew-pans, perhaps, for it has a tendency to discolor boiling liquids, but for the dishpan, bread tins, layer, sheet, and loaf cakepans. For durability only heavy well- tinned ware should be purchased, and, whereas this costs more than the thin, stamped variety, it is worth the extra expense. Iron, too, still has a usage it is the best possible medium for the old-fashioned pot roast while an iron skillet, when properly heated, is more satis- factory than any other, kinrl An iron frying kettle, that fits the stove, is preferable to other types, because it is not easily overturned. Now that we have finally learned to adopt our grand- mother's method of oven cookery, earthenware or glass baking utensils are indispensable, not only because they develop delicious flavors, and are really time-savers, but because they are attractive enough to use as serving dishes. The varieties of these articles are innumerable pie plates, casseroles, baking dishes, custard cups the selection varying with one's pocketbook. However, earthenware is sometimes a " delusion and a nare," cracking with the first cooking and, like enamelware, should be tested. Before using put them to boil up in a kettle of cold water, let come slowly to boiling point, then cool in the water. If they crack with this process, the manufacturers will replace them if they are not " sec- onds." It is always advisable to include a few china, glass, or earthenware bowls for beating eggs, etc., but the mixing bowls should be of enamel or aluminum as they are lighter to handle and more durable. In fact, for actual practicability, there is no better utensil for mixing than a saucepan, because of its handle. This brings up a very important point in the purchasing of equipment that of making each utensil do the double duty of saving space in storing and extra handling, and at the same time be durable and adapted to the con- venience of each individual housekeeper. Glass fruit jars with screw tops, in pint and quart 76 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK sizes, are excellent for storing supplies, while jelly jars with covers are useful for spices, etc. They are also par- ticularly good for the ice-box, as they can be covered, a glance sufficing to show the amount and condition of foods. The choice of utensils depends, somewhat, on the rest of the furnishings ; for instance, if a kitchen cabinet is to be used, it will not be necessary to provide a mould- ing board or sugar bucket. One should also consider the shape of the utensil; for example, food will boil more quickly in a broad and shal- low sauce-pan. The edges should be rounded rather than angular to permit quick cleansing, and all double boiler tops should be provided with handles. The following lists, while not cast iron, represent a necessary equipment for good work. The luxuries a double roasting pan, a steamer, bread mixer, ice-cream freezer, etc. may be slowly acquired. One clever woman put away, into a jar, twenty-five cents every week, from the housekeeping money, towards new utensils. Her kitchen became a model of convenience, and with its pretty scrim curtains, white paint, pale green walls, red- cushioned rocker and shiny utensils, developed into the most attractive room in the house. t Aluminum i teakettle (with double i salt dredge boiler top) i flour dredge i stock pot (12 quarts) Aluminum or Enamelware 1 four-quart kettle and cover i one-quart double boiler 2 two-quart kettles and cov- i one-pint double boiler ers 2 nine-inch pie plates i one-pint sauce pan i funnel half-pint sauce pan i four-quart bowl for bread roasting pan for fish (10 i two-quart bowl or 12 inches long) i one-quart bowl seven-inch omelet pan 2 pint bowls hand basin 2 half-pint bowls two-quart double boiler i triple utensil Earthen- and Glass-ware 6 pint fruit jars i teapot 6 jelly tumblers with covers i two-quart casserole THE EQUIPMENT OF THE KITCHEN 77 6 quart fruit jars i lemon borer I one-quart baking dish I two-quart baking dish 6 custard cups i bean pot and cover i butter jar Steel and Iron I eleven-inch frying pan i frying kettle i double chopping knife 1 meat knife 2 common steel forks 3 plated knives 3 plated tablespoons plated teaspoons paring knife bread knife can opener Tinware 1 colander 2 2 layer cake pans i sheet cake pan i 1 brick cake pan i 2 nine-inch pie-plates i 2 bread pans i 2 muffin tins (6 muffins i each) i 2 measuring cups i I pint cup 3 i grater, four sides i apple corer pan-cake turner corkscrew wheel egg-beater three-prong ice pick pair scissors dish scraper food chopper (medium size) scale roasting pan (sixteen inch) biscuit cutters (2 different sizes) garbage can sink scraper dust pan (long handled) half-pint ladle bread-box cake-box flour can milk pans (if there is no separator) Wire frying basket, to fit kettle broiler for steak toaster small strainer cake rack Woodenware i potato masher i flour sieve, wheel type i dish drainer i egg whip moulding board rolling pin meat board bread board small chopping bowl large wooden spoon spatula-style spoon small spatula-style spoon vegetable brush corn broom sink brush i stovebrush floorbrush scrubbrush stepladder and chair com- bined mop and handle sugar bucket dry mop ironing board long-handled scrubbrush 78 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Miscellaneous Ware 4 linen dish towels 4 cheesecloth bags for let- 4 coarser dish towels tuce, etc. 2 knit dish cloths I electric, gas, or alcohol flat 6 Turkish hand towels iron 3 coarse floor cloths i wash board (glass) i dustless duster i wash boiler (copper bot- 6 washable holders with slip torn) covers i scrubbing pail i fire extinguisher THE KITCHEN FURNISHINGS AND THEIR ARRANGEMENT The test of a well-planned kitchen is the amount of in- telligent work that can be accomplished in it in the least possible time. Is the kitchen too large, therefore, neces- sitating much walking to and fro ? Is it located near the pantry and storerooms? Where is the refrigerator, or, in case no ice is used, where is the cold storage for food ? Is the sink of comfortable height ? Are the cooking utensils arranged in the best possible position for use? Is the lighting good? Is it a cheerful room, or the most dingy in the household? These are a few of the ques- tions that must be met when a really practicable kitchen is to be planned. Attractive surroundings have an inspiring effect upon any housekeeper and, in spite of her smothered longings and bravely unuttered desires,, the possessor of a dingy kitchen often longs for a prettier room and, when it is realized that the average woman spends fully a third of her time in the kitchen, it seems quite as reasonable to expend a little money for paint and furnishings for her workshop as for a new cement walk or fence, or attrac- tive office fixtures for the man of the house. Since the wall serves as background for the room the finish should be unobtrusive. Whenever possible it will be found most satisfactory to paint the walls with a pre- pared oil paint rendering them washable with soap and water; they can be renewed every other year. For a dark kitchen with a northern exposure, a light buff is a cheery color, while, in a bright sunny room, a soft green will absorb the light and rest the eyes. The wainscot and mop-board may be painted in a slightly darker shade of the same color, while, if the chairs, table legs and THE EQUIPMENT OF THE KITCHEN 79 wood about the sink are to be done, it is a good plan to use a darker shade as it is less liable to show soil. If it is necessary to paper the walls, choose a washable paper or one with a tiled design in blue and white ; this gives a clean appearance, and, if the latter is coated with a white varnish, it can be washed as necessary and will last for several years. Another good plan is to put on an oil- cloth wainscot papering above it. The most sanitary finish for the ceiling is plain white- wash, because it can be renewed frequently, but, if the ceiling is in too bad condition to be left unpapered, the whitewash may be used over any light paper. The best finish for the kitchen floor is usually dictated by the con- dition of the floor itself. When it is old and seamed, there are but three solutions first, a plain floor which must be scrubbed or mopped ; second, an oiled floor ; third, a good floor paint with a coat of hard varnish. If oil is to be used good results can be obtained from any stand- ard preparation which costs about seventy-five cents a gallon. As these oils are usually made of crude paraffine with the wax fused into them they will present a hard surface rather than the sticky result obtained when boiled linseed oil is used. All things considered the best floor paint is the old-fashioned floor yellow, either prepared with the varnish in it, or with a coat of varnish applied after the coat is dry. A good grade of such paint costs about two dollars a gallon, but this amount will cover approximately four hundred square feet. Two coats should be applied. When there are children in the house- hold, they will, of necessity, spend much of their time in the kitchen with the house-mother. In this case the floor should have a linoleum or cork covering to add to its warmth. If this is rubbed over occasionally with a little floor oil or wax, it will last much longer and will be more easily cleaned. Rag, cork or grass rugs should be placed before the sink and entry door. The question of convenient size for a kitchen is fre- quently raised, and whether OF not it should be large or small depends on the type of family. However, the ideal kitchen is small and compact and should be used only for the preparation of the meals. A visit to a Pullman kitchen is an eye-opener in regard to compactness and 8o MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK efficiency. In a small, well-planned kitchen, every inch of wall space has literally its use and the time saved in preparing the meals in the small space is just as much as that which would be spent in walking about a too large room in quest of this or that. At the same time a limited working space necessitates constant clearing away, thus acting as a check upon any tendency to work in a muss and proving in the end a real time-saver. But everyone cannot have a kitchen which acts only as a workshop. If the house-mother has several children and does her own work, she will appreciate an ample kitchen, well-arranged, because it will be large enough to take in the children and their toys without having them underfoot. All the cooking apparatus should be together as in an invisibly divided room, while the sewing machine, the children's play box and a comfortable chair or two should be placed on a good-sized rug in another part of the room. Whether or not there should be a pantry is an open question which depends largely on the size of the kitchen. If the room is small, or if it is to act as the only sitting room of a maid, a well-planned pantry will prove a great convenience. The shelving should be open. A kitchen cabinet should be provided, if possible, but if it is not, a series of well-placed shelves should be put about fifteen inches apart above the cooking table, the low- est being wide enough to accommodate the mixing bowls and heavy utensils. The shelf above may be used for spices and flavorings, cereals and small quantities of meal, all of which may be stored in large glass jars. All of the receptacles should be labeled, the labels themselves being varnished on; measuring cups, spoons, egg-beat- ers, etc., may be hung from hooks along the shelves, or on the table ends. Both table and shelves should be zinc- covered, although oilcloth may be used. A shelf should be adjusted beneath the table, about fifteen inches from the floor, and, if a cleat is nailed around it, it may be used for kettles and other utensils. With this arrange- ment it will be possible to accomplish a large amount of cookery without leaving the table, except to go to the stove. This brings up the greatest disadvantage of doing the mixing in the pantry. The stove is, of neces- sity, in the kitchen, thus entailing many extra steps. AN ADEQUATE TIRELESS COOKER A GROUP OF ICE-CREAM MOULDS THE EQUIPMENT OF THE KITCHEN 81 However, this can be partially overcome if an electric plate, or one-burner gas stove, is placed at the right- hand end of the cooking table. If this is done, salad dressing, custards, many a pudding, vegetable or soup can be cooking while other dishes are being prepared on the table. It will also be found most inconvenient to have the preparation table or a kitchen cabinet in the pantry unless the sink also Is placed there. Both the cooking table and the sink should be made of convenient height for comfortable work without un^ue stooping, and a revolving stool that may be adjusted as desired, should be provided so that the housekeeper can sit during part of the work. If the table is too low, raise it by means of blocks of wood. If possible, a porcelain sink should be chosen. Needless to say, all the plumbing should be open and the utensils used in dish washing, together with some ammonia, a scouring soap, steel wool and a soapdish attached to the faucets should be grouped around the sink. If the sink cannot be adjusted to cor- rect height, which varies with the woman, buy a galvan- ized iron pan or rack and set the dishpan upon it to raise it to correct height. If possible, drain boards or shelves should be on each side of the sink, but this is not always practicable. After scraping and stacking the dishes, they should be placed upon a shelf, or, in lieu of that, a wheel tray, at the right of the sink. The dishes should be washed and placed to drain on a dish dryer at the left of the sink. Frequently, the cooking table may be placed at the left of the sink, if there is no drain board. As far as possible all the cooking dishes should be washed up as fast as they accumulate, and, if a woman plans right, she will have very few pots and pans to wash after the meal is completed. If she is going to have company, she will certainly plan an oven or steamer- meal to avoid any last-minute cookery. Frequently, the cooking dishes, if there are only a few, can be quickly washed up before the meal is served. In clearing the table the dishes should, as far as possible, be stacked, the previous scraping, if done with a rubber dish scraper, being but the work of a few moments. The dishes should then be washed in the following order: Glass, 82 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK silver, small china, large china dishes, then the cooking utensils, if there are any left. The range should be set as near as possible to the cook- ing table; again the question of correct height must be considered, for there is no better way to prevent back- ache than not to have it. In selecting any range, whether for wood, coal, or gas, choose one simple in design and easy to clean. Whatever the fuel 'used in the winter, either gas, electricity or kerosene should be used during the summer. Stoves of these types are not expensive, and the cost will be retrieved in the fuel saved during two summers' use. An adequate fireless cooker is of the greatest assistance, whatever the fuel. It is not necessary to buy the most expensive ice-box, but rather one of convenient size, large enough to con- tain a hundred pounds of ice and made narrow so that it will fit into any house. There should be few trimmings, an ice-box does not belong in the parlor ! The ideal refrigerator has a side compartment for ice the cool- ing surface being greatly in excess of that where the ice is put in top. However, if the former is not available, the latter will be much better than none and should have side-doors, as this makes it possible for the iceman easily to fill the box. If the compartment opens at the top, he might drop the ice in and crack or bend the zinc lining. Several insulations are used, an air layer, mineral wool and charcoal being the most common. Charcoal is used in the better refrigerators and furnishes the most cold- tight insulation, because it is firmly packed in and cannot settle, as does the mineral wool. Any cracks in the lining should be repaired at once, lest the moisture work into the space. The air-space insulation is used only in the cheaper ice-boxes ; whatever the material, it is not giving good service unless it keeps the refrigerator at an even temperature of forty degrees Fahrenheit, provided the ice compartment is kept filled and the doors tightly closed. Any refrigerator that contains moist-cold is inadequate, as moisture promotes bacterial growth. Try putting some matches in your refrigerator for a few days ; if they will light on removal, the refrigerator is doing good service. The inner lining may be of zinc, enamel, porcelain or THE EQUIPMENT OF THE KITCHEN 83 glass. Zinc is used in the cheaper grades, and,' when it becomes black, may be covered with two coats of flat white and one of bathtub enamel; this is not only easier to clean but enables one to see the contents better. Glass and porcelain are both excellent linings, but the price may be prohibitive to the average person. The shelves should be adjustable, and of wire ; no wood, not even under the ice-tray, should be used in the interior construction. The inner parts should furnish the smallest of lodging places for bacteria, as they will get in anyhow and can be con- trolled only by the even cold, which retards their growth. If possible, the refrigerator should have several compart- ments, as this is of great assistance in keeping the foods ; butter, cream and milk, for instance, should be kept alone. Meats, and all other foods, should be covered, as they absorb odors. Then there is the question of the drain pipe. In many cases it has direct connection with a sewer and is a breeder of disease, as germs collect and grow. Better use the old-fashioned pan. And the question of ice. In the first place be sure it is pure for, if taken from contaminated waters, typhoid may develop. The ordinary snow ice, containing air bub- bles which hold the germs, is especially to be avoided. Although, of course, ice is always washed before placing in the refrigerator, a piece of cheesecloth laid underneath will catch much of the sediment and aid in keeping the drain pipe clean. It is more economical to replenish with a large piece of ice rather than small ones, and it also keeps the box cooler. As it hinders radiation the basis of refriger- ation the wrapping of ice should always be avoided. The range, the sink, the cooking table or kitchen cabi- net, the stool and the ice-box, together with a suitable place for the receiving of soiled dishes furnish the back- bone of the kitchen equipment. To this should be added a comfortable rocking chair, if the size of the room war- rants it, and a commodious shelf for cook books, recipe files and a file of menu cards. A slate put in a con- spicuous place should be adopted on which to chart out the day's menu, at least three meals in advance, and a calendar memorandum card will make short work of the 84 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK notation of each day's supplies as they come in. It is an easy matter to make up the household accounts each week from this pad. A good spring scale is a necessity, a wheel tray is a great asset, one of the best types being in wood-colored finish with two trays ; this can be folded if desired, and may be used in any room in the house, as a tray for the invalid, tea tray, or even for piazza refresh- ments. The best place for the dishes is in a small pantry or passageway between the kitchen and dining room. Needless to say these shelves should be closed in tightly. However, all the cooking dishes, bowls, earthenware, cooking glass, etc., should be grouped near the cooking table. No kitchen can be arranged according to set rule. But generally speaking the following order should be fol- lowed as closely as possible : Both sink and stove should be near windows. A shelf or table for stacking soiled dishes should be at the right of the sink and a shelf, or drain board, at the left. If the room is very small and must act as the laundry as well, the preparation table or kitchen cabinet may be dispensed with and set-tubs, with white enamel tops, may replace it. A group of shelves should be placed above the tubs, so that the cooking materials may be properly grouped. The ice-box belongs at the left of this cooking table. The china shelves should be as near the sink as is convenient. A zinc-cov- ered shelf, or lightweight zinc-covered, or porcelain topped table should be placed beside the stove. If there is not room for this, the wheel tray can be called into requisition. The correct placing of the utensils is a point that de- serves emphasis. The knives belong where the paring is to be done and may be slipped into leather pockets on the wall. The chopping knife belongs near the chopping bowl, the cooking spoons at the place where they will be needed and not in some obscure drawer. The frying pans belong near the stove and should be hung at correct height, not stowed away in some cupboard just because there happens to be one. In other words, common sense must assist in arranging the kitchen and grouping the utensils. CHAPTER VIII RANGES AND THEIR OPEEATION The kitchen range is the power plant of the home, and as such should be the first article of household equip- ment purchased and should be kept in as good condition as the piano or the silver. No range, whether for coal, kerosene, gas, or electricity, will take care of itself, and the housewife should be as familiar with its moods, good points and possible bad points as a pianist is familiar with the black and white keys of the piano. THE COAL RANGE An adequate coal range must cook steadily, bake evenly, and broil unsmellingly and do it without con- suming its weight in coal every day! It should be eco- nomical of fuel, bake evenly all over the oven, simple and easy to operate, durable and very plain, so that it may be cleaned easily. To be truly economical a range should demand the use of but two hods of coal a day and as the weather grows warm of even less, provided, of course, that the housewife understands its operation. The fire-box should be in proportion to the size of the range, so that an unnecessary amount of coal will not be consumed, as is the case when it is too large, and so that the heat may be delivered where it belongs, which cannot be done if it is too small. The sides should be perpen- dicular so that ashes will not lodge against the fire-brick. The grate bars should be durable, but should not be so heavy that the supply of air which reaches the fire through them is insufficient. On the other hand, if they are too light, they will warp quickly. The side draft should open below the grate bars into the chamber between the ash pan and grate, so that the air will be made warm before it strikes the burning coals ; therefore causing them to burn out instead of dying out, thus affecting a considerable economy in fuel. The surface of the range should be plain and smooth, 8s 86 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK and there should be comparatively little nickel trimming. A polished steel top, which may be washed instead of blackened, can be obtained with any range for about three dollars extra. This insures a clean cooking surface; means fewer black-bottomed cooking utensils to wash, and as it takes about fifteen minutes to polish the top of the range, it will effect considerable saving of time during the year. Too much cannot be said about the necessity of keeping the range bright and shining, for it is truly the heart of the kitchen. In case a home is not permanent, a leg range will prove to be the best purchase, as it is more easily moved than one of the cabinet type; whichever is chosen, a good- sized zinc square should be placed underneath it to catch possible drippings of fat, and so on. In purchasing a range, always ascertain first whether or not the stove is insulated, so that the heat will be reflected against the surfaces where it is desired ; in other words, retained in the range rather than unduly thrown 'off into the kitchen. Be sure that the oven is large enough and, if possible, select a range that has a drop door rather than one of the hinge type. Be sure that there is an adequate supply of heat flowing around the oven, as otherwise it will not " bake well." The dampers must fit tight in order adequately to control the fire. Cheaply constructed ranges will frequently have loose- fitting dampers to prevent pinching or binding at the rough edges. The stove should be constructed so that broiling can be conducted directly over the live coals rather than over a lid on the top of the .stove, so that the smoke may be carried up the chimney. The problem of the ashes and their removal is one of the greatest with which the housewife has to contend in kitchen cleanliness. If the range is being installed per- manently in a home, it will be an untold convenience to have an ash chute put into the range, whereby the ashes are conducted directly to the basement. This is, perhaps, expensive, but will pay in the end, over and over again. In emptying the ashes from the ordinary range, it will be found that they will not fly if they are thoroughly dampened, and, if the ash pan is emptied faithfully every day, very little muss will result. RANGES AND THEIR OPERATION 87 To Build a Fire and Operate the Coal Range. Close all. the dampers, except the oven dampers; remove the covers from the top of the stove and brush the soot and ashes into the fire-box. Turn over the grate in order to dump the ashes into the ash pan. Scrape off anything which has been spilled on the bottom of the oven. Put a very thin layer of coal on the bottom of the fire-box, leaving plenty of air spaces between the pieces. On this put a layer of crumpled newspaper or shavings, filling the fire-box about one-third full. On this lay, crosswise, pieces of kindling, being sure that they reach the corners. Take care that the fuel is arranged loosely in order to allow free passage of the air. Light the fire by applying a lighted match between the bars of the grate to the paper or shavings. When the wood is burning well, add two shovelfuls of coal, not too large, and, when that has burned, add more coal. By this method the coal ignites both below and above the wood, and a thicker fire-bed is obtained in a shorter time than by the usual method. If the stove is to be blackened, it should be done as soon as the fire is lighted. When the fire is well started, close the oven dampers and half close the lower damper, and, when it is burning well, the lower damper may be entirely closed and the chimney damper half closed. For an even hot fire, be sure that all the ashes are shaken out, and keep the fire-box three-fourths full of coal. The lower front and chimney dampers should be opened, but the oven and check dampers should be closed. When the coal is beginning to ignite, the dampers should be closed. Such a fire is of the type that is used for ironing, and is good for two or three hours without the addition of more coal. If the irons are put. on to heat while the fire is getting into this condition, considerable time may be saved. To direct the heat to the oven, the oven and chimney dampers should be opened and the others closed, but to get good results from the oven, no matter how expensive the range may be, it must be cleaned frequently on top and undernea'th. If there is a vacuum cleaner in the house, it can be used for this purpose, as well as for the stove-pipe. 88 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK As different stoves have different dampers, it is impos- sible to give special directions for the management of a fire that can be used with any range. However, a gen- eral rule is to open all the dampers when building a fire and to close the oven damper when the coal is burning: well. To check the fire somewhat, open the slide in the check damper; and to cool it quickly, open the check damper itself, keeping the other dampers closed. In very cold weather and to save time, it is a good plan to keep the fire over night, although this necessitates the use of a little more fuel than is needed when the fire is built fresh every morning. To do this, the fire-box should be filled with coal; the check damper should be opened, and the other dampers closed. In the morning, the fire should be shaken down thoroughly and fresh coal added a little at a time. Like everything else, the stove will do better work if the fire is rested occasionally. For instance, if baking is to be done at supper time, close all the dampers after hav- ing built up a good fire after dinner, and leave them closed until about half an hour before time to put the food into the oven. GAS AND COMBINATION RANGES When it is necessary to heat the kitchen during the cold months by means of the coal range, the best possible purchase is a combination coal and gas range. These come equipped for either natural or artificial gas. How- ever, as it is somewhat easier to cook with gas, it is a good plan to select a combination range that consists of a gas stove with a coal heater attachment. This can be run on a hod of coal for a day and a night, and can be equipped with a water-front. This coal attachment is approximately the size of a laundry stove, and can be used for boiling clothes, heating fiatirons, cooking vege- tables, and carrying on the various cooking processes which are adapted to the top of the stove. The gas equipment can be used for all quick work, baking, and during the summer when the saving of heat is an item. This type of range is usually equipped with a gas kindler, which insures the quick ignition of coal. RANGES AND THEIR OPERATION 89 The combination range, which burns both natural gas and coal, is frequently equipped with a general oven, which can be used with either fuel. Care, however, must be taken in selecting a range of this type to be sure that it will give adequate service. This type is especially good for use in severe weather when natural gas fluctuates. No matter what kind of a range is being selected, it should be of good cooking height, so that the housewife will not have to bend over unduly while doing her work. Gas and electric ranges, which are of the newer school, can be found in many makes of the right height, but coal ranges, unfortunately, are more usually made low, prob- ably because they always have been ! In selecting a gas range, purchase one that has a high oven and drop oven doors, the oven preferably being finished with aluminized paint. There are two or three types of ranges on the market which have a direct heat action, so that the food can be put into a cold oven, thereby effecting considerable gas saving. Most of the better ranges come equipped with self-lighters, but if this is not provided with the range, it can be put on for $2.50 extra. There should be no waste space, no excess trimming to clean, and the burners should be of a type that are easily cleaned. Like the coal range, it needs daily attention. All food that is spilled should be cleaned off at once, the oven kept clean, the airholes free, while the zinc plate underneath the top burners needs daily attention. If the range is rubbed off occasionally with a suitable oil, it will not rust, or " liquid veneer " may be rubbed on weekly to keep it clean and shiny. Blacking and stove enamel are not satisfactory for use on the gas range. The oven will not rust if the door is left open while the oven is cooling. If a solid top is provided, it should be of polished steel for sanitary reasons. Combination gas ranges and fire- less cookers are on the market ; some of them give excel- lent service, but care should be taken to select one of un- doubted repute, as the cheaper type is not always depend- able. Operating the Gas Stove. The amount of the gas bill depends upon the thoughtfulness and common sense of the cook and the brains of the woman who plans the meals. Gas, rightly used, is the most cleanly and eco- 90 MRS. .ALLEN'S COOK BOOK nomical of fuels ; when used without intelligence, it is one of the most expensive. The oven should not be lighted until the food is nearly ready to be put into it, eight minutes with two burners is usually sufficient to make it very hot, five or six will give a medium heat. When roasting meat, the economi- cal housewife will plan to cook her potatoes and pudding in the same oven, or better still will roast her meat in the broiler, and have all the oven space for other foods. Or if she is to have a broiled steak for dinner, she will take advantage of the hot oven above to cook a shortcake or bake her biscuits. Vegetables are delicious when baked and can often be cooked at the same time with the pie or cake or baked apples. In other words, she will take advantage of all the heat, not allowing any to be wasted. When " boiling " meat, as it is usually termed, the ket- tle should be placed over the " simmerer " or small burner, where it will remain at the right temperature and cook slowly if potatoes are boiling, advantage can be taken of the steam, a colander set over the kettle and some other vegetables or dessert cooked by the steam that is usually wasted. If the family is small, it will be found a great economy to purchase a set of triple utensils (three separate parts which fit together), which can be put over one gas burner. By this means three articles can be cooked at once by the same amount of heat, a saving of labor and fuel. A steam cooker of square design can be obtained with sev- eral shelves. In one of these, with the use of one burner to heat the water, can be cooked a pot roast, vegetables, potatoes, pudding and brown bread for a family of six, all at the same time! Double boilers and all kettles should be shallow, with broad bottom, so that the foods may be quickly heated. A standard toaster should be purchased, so that it will not be necessary to heat the broiling oven to make a slice of toast, and a sheet iron plate, to set over a burner, will be found a great convenience in heating flat-irons as well as cooking. By using such a plate the heat is diffused over a wider space, and instead of keeping two irons hot, three or four can be heated on it by the same amount of gas. RANGES AND THEIR OPERATION 91 For the housekeeper using a gas plate, a perforated iron disc, with cover fitting over it, furnishes an adequate oven for a small family. A pan of biscuits, baked apples or potatoes, and the finishing of an omelet are among its possibilities. KEROSENE RANGES Whether or not gas or electricity may be obtained, the housewife need not use the coal range, unless she wishes to do so, for several excellent kerosene ranges are on the market, which are economical of operation, clean and quick. Each has its own method of operation, but the general principles of cookery applied to the gas range may be used in the operation of the kerosene stove, such as oven and steamer meals and the like. COOKING BY ELECTRICITY There are two styles of electric ranges: the cabinet type and the single oven type. In the former the oven is elevated to a comfortable working height; in the latter the oven is low, necessitating stooping. If there is plenty of room in the kitchen the cabinet range will prove the best selection, but when space is limited, as in small apartments, the single oven type can be used; moreover this type of range is somewhat less expensive. There are two kinds of electric range units, or heaters, the open coil unit, or radiating type and the enclosed coil unit, or contact type. In the former, the cooking units, or hot plates, or as they are sometimes called, lids, disc heaters, or elements, are exposed in such way that the time necessary to bring them to cooking heat is only about three and a half minutes. At the same time they are rather hard to clean and great care must be taken that foods do not boil over upon them or that grease is not spilled in the units, be- cause it is difficult to clean them thoroughly without in- jury. In the second type of range, the heating units are enclosed, the top of the range being like that of the ordi- nary coal range in appearance, with discs, or lids, which may be lifted for cleaning as needs be. Because of this covering it takes a little longer to bring the units to the cooking point, approximately four and a half to five 92 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK minutes. On the other hand, the solid top retains the heat and the amount of current needed to carry on the cooking is less than in the open coil unit, and therefore equalizes the extra time needed in bringing the units to cooking heat over the three minutes necessitated by the open coil units. Notwithstanding extra care the open coil unit is liable to oxidize, or rust, necessitating an occasional renewal of units after four or five years' use. On the other hand, the enclosed coil unit cannot oxidize or rust so rapidly as the open coil, and therefore has longer life. Electric ranges equipped with the open coil units are less expen- sive than those of the enclosed coil units, so in the end, notwithstanding a possible renewal of units, if the open coil type is purchased, the cost will be approximately the same. Every electric range should be provided with a broiler pan that fits the oven, preferably of enamel, for if the broiler pan does not fit in the oven cleats, the pan may be chipped and the oven dented, should the pan happen to be put in carelessly. In every oven there should be a shelf equipped with a baffle plate of sheet metal, placed directly over the bottom heat unit, to insure an even distribution of heat In selecting an electric range the following points should be carefully noted The oven should have rounded corners and be ade- quately ventilated and equipped with a drop door. The range should be of comfortable cooking height, the selection varying from thirty-one to thirty-five inches. There should be no waste space. The oven should be easy to clean and free from cracks. There should be no parts left unfinished, because of the liability of rusting and the difficulty of cleaning. The range should be finished complete in japan, with nickel trimming and white splashers, which act as danger signals for dirt. The electric range needs as much care as a range of any other type/ All water should be wiped off as soon as it is spilled. Grease should be immediately cleaned off, and there should be waged a constant war on rust. The oven should be refinished every six months with aluminized paint, which anyone can apply. This may be RANGES AND THEIR OPERATION 93 obtained from any hardware store, where full directions for its use will be given. The electric range has several distinct advantages over the coal and gas types. It is absolutely accurate, and, when once established, the cooking time never varies. A loaf of bread that will bake in fifty minutes to-day will bake in exactly the same time to-morrow, provided the current is managed in the same way. In order to give the units time to come to cooking heat, it is necessary to think ahead a little more when using an electric range. It will take an oven from thirty to forty minutes to reach baking temperature, and because of this slowness, it is not possible to put many foods into the cold oven, as can be done in many gas ranges. The oven which is insulated to retain heat makes pos- sible many economies. , After once being heated, it can be kept hot with a small amount of current, just enough to supply the heat lost by radiation, and advantage can be taken of all the latent heat, even after the current is turned off, in the drying of bread crusts, parsley, celery tips, etc. It is an interesting fact that the shrinkage of meat in the electric oven is less than when either gas or coal is used, probably because the meat is seared over more quickly on account of the direct top heat, and there- fore the juices are retained in greater amount. Also, the electric oven furnishes the cleanest heat, for because of the ventilator no fumes collect and there is, of course, no danger of tainting the food as there is with coal, or ordi- nary gas. Probably the point that appeals to most women about the electric range is that there is prac- tically no heat coming from it, so that the kitchen does not become over-heated. This is true, not only with the oven, but with the top of the range with regard to the heat units. At the same time there is no dust, dirt, burned matches, and rare possibility of fire. Certainly there is no danger of the baby's being burned ! The cost of operation depends entirely upon the cook- ing rate for current in the city where the range is used. Careful figures show that the average family will con- sume approximately 125 killowatts per month. At the present writing over 3,500 central stations or electric light companies, are giving a cooking rate of five cents or 94 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK less per killowatt hour to their customers. The cost of operation, as with any range, depends largely on the care- fulness of the housewife. If care is taken to reduce the current when possible, to take advantage of latent heat, and to turn off the current as soon as the cooking is fin- ished, the cost of operating, when current sells for two cents per killowatt hour, will be aproximately the same as gas, when the latter sells for ninety cents per thousand cubic feet, or coal when the latter sells at from $7.50 to $9.00 per ton. As with the gas or coal range, the utensils have con- siderable to do with the economical running of the elec- tric range. Aluminum furnishes the quickest medium of transferring heat. A clover-leaf (or triple) utensil, whereby three foods can be prepared at one time, over one unit ; an adequate steamer, flat-bottomed utensils and a goodly equipment of casseroles and oven dishes will be found great conveniences. Methods for steaming and for preparing meals in the oven are given in the chapter, the Short-Cut Preparation of Meals, and may be applied to the electric range as well as to that of any other type. Some ranges are equipped with automatic cooking at- tachments for turning on and off the current. These have a certain appeal and work for a limited time, but they are liable to get out of order. The average housewife is confused by the terms used by the " trade." A little study of the following defini- tions of terms frequently used in connection with the sale, operation and demonstration of the range will pre- vent confusion. Unit. The name given to the electric heater used .either in the oven or on the cooking top. It is sometimes called " the hot plate," " disc," " element," etc. Switches. The controlling mediums by which the units are turned on or off. Fuses. The protecting plugs located near the con- trolling switches. These are so constructed that any ex- cess current or abnormal condition will cause them to cut off the current' automatically. In other words, they are an automatic safeguard. Main Switch. The heavy or large switch installed in the wire leading to the range. RANGES AND THEIR OPERATION 95 Pilot Light. An indicating lamp that burns only when the current is on; usually placed at or near the main switch. Socket. A term applied to a lamp socket, or outlet, on the side of the range, to which may be attached an electric iron, toaster, or any auxiliary apparatus. Lead Wires. Two or three wires projecting from a part of the body of the range to which the main entrance wires are attached. Service. A general term applied to meters, switches and wiring installed by the central station. Killowatt Hour. The number, of watts (measures of current) consumed by an electric heater during an hour. All rates are figured on the killowatt hours consumed, just as gas is figured on the cubic foot. Terminals. Equipment for connecting heating units to wires terminals come in two forms and are called plugs or connections. CHAPTER IX THE SHORT-CUT PREPARATION OF MEALS A great deal has been said and written about efficiency in the household, waste motions and a useless expendi- ture of energy, but, whereas women are willing to do the housework in quicker time, the number of hours which are being spent in actual cookery are not greatly lessened and, in many instances, have really increased along with the taste of the public for greater variety and more elaborate meals. There are several reasons why an undue amount of time is spent in the kitchen. One is because the majority of women do not understand the methods and general proportions upon which all recipes are based, and, having little fundamental knowledge, their work lacks freedom and ease ; a second reason is because most housewives fail to plan out their meals for at least a day or two ahead. This planning is absolutely necessary, as, otherwise, there is a frequent repetition of the same cooking process dur- ing the day, duplicate dishwashing and a double amount of fuel is used. It may not seem possible to plan out the meals in advance ; properly speaking it is better to sched- ule them for even a week ahead, leaving luncheon or sup- per blank to allow for the utilization of left-overs. This week's schedule can be posted in the kitchen, or may be kept on file at the desk; the meals for each day being copied off on the kitchen slate. This planning ahead makes possible systematic market- ing twice a week, or, in case one lives a long distance from the market, once a week. It saves the daily annoyance of grocer, butcher and vegetable man, clears the mind of the unnecessary details which confuse most women, and makes possible a more economical spending of the house- hold allowance. At the same time it is possible to tell at a glance just what supplies one needs, for instance, 96 SHORT-CUT PREPARATION OF MEALS 97' from the vegetable cellar, or the storeroom, one trip suf- ficing to get together the vegetables or other food for several meals, while a glance is sufficient to show exactly what foods of like nature are to be prepared for three meals at a time, thereby making possible the saving of cooking processes. The following table shows the best way in which to work out the weekly planning of meals. By arranging the meals in columns any duplicate foods and flavors are instantly noted, for mistakes have a way of staring out at one, when put down in black and white. If I were to give any specific rule for the use of left- overs, I should say control them; for instance, if rice is being cooked, plan to prepare enough so that there will be an ample supply left over for rice cakes for the next day; steam enough potatoes at one time for two meals; cook enough macaroni for one day's luncheon, and for the next day's dinner soup, and the like. These instances may be multiplied indefinitely. But it is not necessary to confine this combining of processes to left-overs ; there are many foods that can be made in quantity, which will keep for some time, thus obviating the constant repetition of the cooking process. Good examples of these are mayonnaise, boiled and French salad dressings ; pie crust for two or three bak- ings ; baked pastry shells enough for two or three weeks ; several loaves of fruit cake and so on. The accomplishment of quick work is somewhat a mat- ter of environment, for upon the general orderliness of the room depends the ability of the brain to think rapidly and to good purpose. No matter how hurried one may be there is no excuse for working in a clutter. The best possible method is to wash up the cooking dishes as fast as they are used, being careful not to duplicate utensils unless absolutely necessary; stack up the dishes, do not heap them in the sink, which means that they will have to be taken out again before washing. Learn to do two or three articles at a time, planning the work so that the same utensil may be used over without washing. For instance, a double boiler could be used for heating milk for junket, for making custard, and then for boiled salad dressing, without being washed. It takes brain to think 98 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK 2 TUESDAY Onion Soup .oast of Lamb Mash o fa I -a Is c &% | . It! rt b.o ecu p^ - g - c$ & is rt CO WEDNESDAY Tomato Soup mb Creamed P ungarian Carrots Dressed Cress e Roll Pudding Foamy Coffee La H .lat U W - U '3 P Q rt 6 JS *rt H c^ T3 CU 1.8 PH CO co RJ o s s- rt S^ c PQ ^ cu w 8 % U CU >H 'C 8 6 ioo MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK ahead in this way, but it is planning of this sort that helps to relieve the monotony of housework. Before commencing to prepare any dish, be sure that all the ingredients are at hand ; then read the recipe through to the end, because the way a dish is combined has a marked influence on the result. If a cake is being made, prepare the pan, stand the shortening to soften and in the meantime get together the remaining ingre- dients, making one trip to the ice-box for milk, eggs and butter, then sit down and quickly put the cake to- gether. If by any chance the kitchen is inconveniently arranged, collect the ingredients together on a tray and put them within easy reach of the working table. Sift enough flour for the different dishes at once ; if several are being made, prepare all the pans together at the same time, and, by the way, cut out, in some spare moments, enough cake-pan linings and little squares of paper for oiling pans to last for weeks. Try to prepare foods which may, as far as possible, have the same cooking medium. If brown bread is to be steamed, the rest of the dinner should be steamed along with it. If a casserole is to be made, do the rest of the cooking for the meal in the same oven. If the fireless cooker is at work, use it to the limit. One of the greatest difficulties of most young house- wives is how to prepare the various dishes for a meal so that they will all be done at the same and proper time. One long-suffering young husband confided to me that it took five hours for them to eat their first dinner, there were such long waits between the courses ! The meal should be planned so that there are not more than one or two dishes calling for a great deal of preparation in each menu. When the meal is planned, sit down and think out the dish which it will take the longest time to cook, get that started and then take the other dishes in rotation, remembering to allow time enough for cold dishes to become thoroughly chilled. Find out just how long it will take to set the table, and plan between the processes to do "this so accurately that nothing will be forgotten. The best time to prepare the evening dinner is largely in the morning when it is necessary to be in and out of SHORT-CUT PREPARATION OF MEALS 101 the kitchen, and the time to start the luncheon is while clearing away the breakfast. It may not seem possible to carry on so many things at once, and, at first, the young housekeeper will find it difficult, but it is only by learning to do several things at a time, dove-tailing them together, that she can learn to accomplish a great deal in a given time. No woman should be a slave to her work and yet every man has the right to come home to a dainty, rested and attractive wife. The only way in which this can be done is by planning the meals ahead and by sys- tematic work. % PRINCIPLES OF FIRELESS COOKING Whatever the type of cooker, there are several under- lying principles which must always be heeded in the carrying on of successful fireless cookery: First, all utensils to be used for boiling, pot roasting or stewing must be equipped with tightly fitting covers. Second, any food to be boiled must be cooked for at least ten minutes before putting into the cooker. Third, if radiators are not used the food must be placed in the cooker while still boiling. Fourth, the cooker must be thoroughly cleansed with soap and water, and dried and aired before each cooking process, as, otherwise, the odors of stale food will affect the cooked product. Sixth, when two radiators are used the length of time to be allowed is the same for baking as in a coal range ; for pot-roasting or braising a trifle longer. Seventh, without the radiators the time for boiling, simmering or stewing is doubled. Eighth, foods to be cooked without radiators should be in quantities of at least two quarts, to make possible the retention of heat, otherwise a vessel of boiling water should be put in the cooker at the same time to form the necessary amount of heat. The Possible Saving of Fuel. The question is often asked whether or not the fireless cooker is really practi- cal. If intelligently used, there can be no doubt about it. From the standpoint of economy in money the saving is considerable, especially when used to supplement a gas or oil range. When gas is eighty cents per thousand cubic feet, for instance, the maximum costs per hour for 102 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK operating the burners are as follows : a large top burner, i]/2 cents; a small top burner, i l /z cents; the oven, 3 cents a burner, or 6 cents when both are used, A good sized pot roast should be cooked on a range from five to six hours. The cost, with the burner reduced almost half, would be from three to four cents. If prepared in the cooker, the cost is reduced to the length of time it takes to heat the radiators. It takes about three cents worth of gas to make medium-sized loaves of bread, yet they can be done in the cooker with no further expenditure than the Cheating of the radiators. Boiled cabbage with salt pork is a cheap dish when the ingredients are con- sidered, but it becomes decidedly more expensive when the cost of the oil or gas is taken into account. The same is true of casserole dishes, baked beans, coddled apples, old-fashioned baked peaches and apple sauce, or stewed dried fruits and vegetables. The cost, then, of cooking by the tireless simmers down to the length of time needed to heat the radiators and to carry on any preliminary preparation. The following table is adapted to gas range heat, but in using oil, alcohol, coal or wood equally good results may be obtained by in- creasing about one-half the length of time for heating the radiators. The most accurate method for testing the heat of the radiators is by a fireless thermometer, but, if one is not at hand, a little flour sprinkled on the stones will give the approximate heat. Time Table for Heating Radiators Boiling 12 minutes, flour pale tan color, thermometer 250. Radiators of this temperature should be used for boiling cereals, meats, fish, vegetables and fruits. Slow baking, or faster boiling ... 15 minutes, flour light brown, thermometer 325 to 350. Suitable for casseroles, macaroni and cheese, escalloped cab- bage, sponge cake, fruit cake, steamed puddings, etc. Quick baking. .18 minutes, flour brown, thermometer 375 to 400. Suitable for bread, loaf cakes, baked potatoes, and other baked vegetables, baked beans, biscuits, fish, meat loaves, etc. Roasting. .20 minutes, flour dark brown, thermometer 425 to 450. Suitable for roasting all kincfs of meat. When two radiators are to be used, the most econom- ical way to heat them is to place one on top of the other, SHORT-CUT PREPARATION OF MEALS 103 reversing their positions twice during the heating process. It takes half as long again as is necessary to heat one stone. In case the article to be cooked is to be brought to boiling point, the best way to do it is to place it on top of a heating stone, so that the one burner will accomplish both objects. The heating stones may be used to keep things hot for dinner when a hot closet is not available, and many a food which must be re-heated to insure keep- ing, as soup stock, may be done at this time. In camps and summer cottages the fuel used in heating the stones may do double duty in heating water for dishes, a bit of washing, or the baby's bath. CHOOSING FIRELESS UTENSILS As in all types of cooking the choice of utensils has much to do with success. The best results are obtained by the use of aluminum and glass. In all cases where boiling is carried on the covers must fit tight; the triple utensil is indispensable, for it makes possible the cookery of three things at a time with one radiator. For baked beans, escallops and casserole dishes the covered glass casseroles are invaluable. At the same time still more dish washing is avoided. If the saving of money is no object, economy of time appeals to most women, while to others a cool kitchen is of paramount importance. It is possible absolutely to control the heat in the cooker so that, when anything is put in, one need not fear that it will burn, provided it is left the right length of time. Foods that are boiled, stewed or braised will not be harmed by a little over-cooking, but foods that are baked, as bread, cake and the like, must be removed at the end of the necessary time, or they will burn, for the fireless cooker, when used with the heated radiators, is merely the old Dutch oven brought up to date. If the general principles of range cookery are understood, a few attempts will suffice to give the actual time needed in cooking various foods. HOW TO USE THE COOKER The following points, however, may prove helpful to the inexperienced. The obvious way to cook cereals is over night. They should be brought to the boiling point, boiled fifteen minutes, and put into the cooker together 104 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK with a vessel of boiling water, boiling prunes, figs, apple sauce, or any other food which demands all-night cook- ery. No radiators are needed. In cooking tough meats, as fowl, rolled flank and the like, better results are gained by using one radiator at 250 and cooking over night; or for day cooking allow six to seven hours with the radiator heated to 325. Allow four hours for boil- ing steamed pudding or breads, in quart-sized moulds ; two hours for pint moulds. In this case the pudding moulds should be set into the utensil, half-filled with cold water, brought slowly to boiling point and boiled for ten minutes, before putting into the cooker. Allow one hour, with two radiators, for baking potatoes, an hour and a half for cooking onions or turnips or cabbage, fifteen minutes to the pound with two radiators for roast- ing beef or lamb, and twenty minutes to the pound for pork and veal. For soup stock, stews, corned beef and pot roasts of any desired meats, allow from five to six hours. One hour is sufficient to bake three-quarter- pound loaves of bread, twenty-five minutes for biscuits, from fifty minutes to an hour for a medium-sized loaf of cake, and the same length of time as is allowed in the oven should be given to pies. If a very large loaf of cake is to be baked, better re- sults will be obtained if the second stone is not put in place for fifteen minutes after the cake is started. All articles to be baked or boiled must be set upon a wire trivet, rather than upon the stone itself, to prevent lia- bility of scorching. 4 The fireless cooker is just as capable of retaining cold as it is heat. To this end it is invaluable for the freezing of mousses or parfaits that is ices which can be pre- pared without stirring. To a quart mould of mousse, four pounds of cracked ice and an equal amount of salt should be added. Once packed in a fireless utensil and put in the cooker, it may be entirely forgotten till serv- ing time, as there will be no necessity for repacking. About four pounds less ice is needed when the fireless is used. It may also be used to equal advantage for pack- ing cream that is to be moulded or even kept over night. There is no doubt but that too much magic has been ascribed to the fireless cooker, for there are times when SHORT-CUT PREPARATION OF MEALS 105 it is much more convenient and quite as inexpensive to cook by the ordinary methods. It is often said, for in- stance, that the whole meal can be put in to cook and that the housewife can leave for an afternoon of shopping or pleasure and will find her dinner ready on her return. This can be done only if foods suited to this kind of cookery are used, and they must be grouped according to the length of time it takes the " longest " one to cook. To illustrate : It would not be possible to put in a pot roast of beef, potatoes and peas at the same time, for the potatoes and peas would be sadly over-cooked by the time the meat was done. In this case cabbage, cooked by a method de- manding long cookery, could be served as a vegetable, the potatoes would have to be fried at the last minute, or re- heated in some other way, rather than being prepared in the cooker, and the dessert could be a pudding, as steamed whole wheat, with dates, demanding about five hours' steaming. It is not necessary to have a separate list of recipes for fireless cooking. All casseroles, stews, soups, all vege- tables needing long-stewing or baking, all fruits, both dried and fresh, needing long cooking, all cereals, all braised and boiled meats, or fish, and all steamed breads or puddings are well adapted to this method. CASSEROLE COOKING Most American housewives understand too little about the possibilities of cooking in the oven. The mind turns instantly to the casserole and the tougher cuts of meat, but these by no means exhaust the resources of the oven. There is no better way to make a chicken or other tender meat " go far " than en casserole ; there is no more de- licious way to cook fish, game, both dried and fresh vegetables, puddings, many cereals, and dried and fresh fruits, than in the oven. Utensils There are many utensils adapted to oven cookery, the most familiar being those of earthenware, which can be obtained for almost any price, and in many desirable shapes and sizes. If these are plunged into a kettle of cold water, brought slowly to the boil, and then boiled for io6 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK five minutes before using, they will give good service; otherwise, they are apt to crack. The old-time Boston bean pot is an excellent utensil for cooking meats which are cut 'in comparatively small pieces, as well as fruits and dried vegetables, while the old-fashioned blue-and- white stew-pot, which can be obtained in almost any size, is especially suitable for use in large families, and is in- expensive. Attractive utensils of this kind are made of the new cooking glass; they are durable and very prac- tical. At the same time they are the most easily cleaned of all oven- ware and the cooking can be carried on in a fourth less time than usual. Whereas it is necessary to use a covered casserole for all long processes, various open dishes are especially adapted to' the cookery of quickly-prepared foods. An earthen or glass baking platter, for instance, makes pos- sible the preparation, without odor, of fish and many meats and vegetables ; nor do they need special attention after they are in the oven. As the food should be served in the dish in which it is cooked, this is a real saving in dish washing. The ramekin, little sister of the casserole, is not only inexpensive, but is particularly useful for indi- vidual service, not only of savory dishes and vegetables, but of desserts. The family may tire, for example, of creamed corn, but if it is combined with a little left-over veal or chicken, well-seasoned, strewed with bread crumbs, and served en ramekin, it becomes a ",new dish." The youngsters may often rebel at such a plebeian dessert as bread pudding, but if prepared in ramekins with a little meringue, topped with currant jelly, it becomes " some- thing new." Time of Cookery Most women seem to think that casserole cooking necessitates a great deal of trouble in preparation, and a long time in the oven. The time consumed depends en- tirely upon the article of food. Boston baked beans, for example, take about eight hours in a very slow oven ; a three-and-a-half-pound chicken, cut as for fricassee, takes about an hour and a half in a moderate oven, but it needs no attention while cooking, and when it is removed is ready to be put on the table. If a coal stove is used, the oven is ready for a casserole dish at almost any time of SHORT-CUT PREPARATION OF MEALS 107 the day. If gas, electricity or kerosene is burned, the oven can be made to do double duty if some other dishes, which need a like temperature, are prepared at the same time. To illustrate : If a casserole of lamb is to be served for a six-o'clock dinner, it would be put in at four o'clock, and a pan of baked apples, and the carrots, parsnips or other vegetables could be cooked along with it. As any casserole can be prepared in the morning for cooking for the evening dinner, or the day before if the dinner is at noon, this is a great preventive of last minute work. MENUS FOR OVEN MEALS The following are two menus for luncheon and dinner, which may be termed " oven meals," as nearly all the foods can be cooked in the oven with the same heat. A " Company " Luncheon Baked Oysters in Shell Casserole of Veal, Mexican Style Buttered Potatoes Tomatoes in Aspic, with Lettuce and Mayonnaise Coddled Pears with Whipped Cream Sponge Cakes Bon-bons Coffee A Home Dinner Clear Tomato Soup Casserole of Duck, Chicken, Lamb or Beef Baked Potatoes Sliced Onions in Broth Salad of Shaved Cabbage, Shredded Peppers and Romaine . Peach Tapioca with Meringue (in ramekins) Coffee In the first menu the veal needs about an hour and a half's cooking ; the potatoes an hour's ; the coddled pears two hours'; the sponge cake twenty minutes' and the oysters ten minutes'. Obviously the pears can go in first, the veal following, the sponge cakes can be baked as soon as they are put together. There will then be room for the potatoes, and the oysters can be put in " at the last minute." In the second menu the duck and tapioca should be put in at the same time, the onions a half hour later, the io8 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK potatoes following about an hour before dinner is to be served. Thickening the Casserole If desired, any meat casserole can be thickened with rice, ground dried bread crumbs, barley, macaroni, or spaghetti. The amount of raw rice to use to a quart of liquid is one-fourth of a cupful; the amount of crumbs, from a half to three-fourths of a cupful, according to the dryness of the bread, and of raw macaroni or spaghetti about a cupful. In some cases it is advisable to incor- porate the vegetable with the meat; for instance, a plain chicken casserole can be made in which the asparagus is combined with the chicken, being arranged in layers and thickened with rice. In case an especially abundant dish is desired, plenty of carrots, turnips and onions, together with beef, the whole being thickened with barley, is es- pecially satisfactory. Much has been said about the desirability of the cas- serole as a cooking medium for tough meats. Therein lies one of its greatest possibilities, for the meat benefits not only by the long cooking, but by the steam which is generated in the tightly-closed utensil. However, the liquid surrounding the meat should never boil ; unless it is kept at a gentle simmer, the result will be disappointing. In case the casserole seems too dry, a little stock or water may be added from time to time during the cooking. Left-Overs and Casseroles ( Perhaps the woman who has learned to cook by im- agination will find. the casserole more useful than the one who cooks altogether by recipes, for the larder often con- tains various left-overs and odd vegetables which will fit into a delicious casserole, better than into any other dish. For instance, the woman who uses ham often finds scraps left over from cutting, bits of meat which have adhered to the bone, and the end which is unavailable for slicing. Often, she will utilize these strips for sandwiches, creamed ham, or an omelet for breakfast or luncheon, whereas they could be made into a much more substantial dish well-suited to a home dinner. I discovered this while keeping house on a farm ten miles from a railroad, when ham was a staple weekly article, and the garden in SHORT-CUT PREPARATION OF MEALS 109 summer and the vegetable-cellar in winter were my chief assets. I used to oil my largest bean-pot with ham fat, put in a layer of sliced turnip, then a little minced ham, some parnsips, and more ham, a layer of sliced raw potatoes, some minced onions and shredded cabbage, in- terspersing every layer with ham, a sprinkling of flour and a little salt and pepper. Sometimes a few parboiled beans were added, the ingredients depending upon the season of the year. The whole was barely covered with ham liquor, or stock, and baked very slowly for at least three hours. Not long ago I tested a recipe in which beef tongue was used, but found myself confronted with the root end for utilization. Into the casserole went these bits of meat, together with some chopped carrots, minced onion, chopped green pepper, tomato, salt, pepper, a few spices, dry bread crumbs for thickening and a little of the tongue liquor. It was good casserole, but one truly inspired by imagination and necessity ! Suitable Casserole Combinations It is impossible to give all the combinations of meats and vegetables that are suitable to casserole use, but, as a general rule, it may be stated that the heavier vegetables of pronounced flavor, such as tomatoes, onions, carrots, turnips, parsnips and the like may be used with such heavy meats as beef, pork and ham, while the lighter vegetables peas, asparagus, string beans and corn are better suited to meats like chicken, pigeons, lamb, veal and guinea-fowl. This does not mean that onions, tomatoes and green peppers should be entirely omitted from the casseroles of lighter meats, but that they should be used more sparingly, only to assist in creating the fillip which will whet the appetite. Seasoning Casseroles The seasonings have a great deal to do with the success of the casserole whenever a " made dish " is being pre- pared. The touch of mint in the casserole of duck, for instance, lifts the dish into the epicurean. However, those who do not like highly-seasoned dishes will find the casserole of inestimable help in plain cookery. A fowl i io MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK disjointed as for plain fricassee, salted and peppered, rolled in flour, browned or not, according to whether a white or brown result is desired, packed in the casserole, covered with hot water, and baked for three to four hours, according to the age, makes possible a dish in which all the chicken flavor is retained, and which de- mands almost no attention from start to finish. A three- pound chicken prepared by the same method will cook to .perfection in fifty minutes to an hour in a glass cas- serole. Few people are conversant with the delicious flavor of properly cooked fish, because it is usually fried. More- over, most American housewives are prone to accept fish which is tainted. Just as soon as women realize that they control, by the law of supply and demand, the sale of absolutely pure food, the smell of strong fish will dis- appear from our markets and homes. The woman who lives at some distance from the market cannot usually procure fresh fish unless she is fortunate enough to have a sportsman in the family, but for her there are many varieties both salted and smoked. Properly treated, they are almost as good as when fresh. Salt cod, smoked halibut and salmon lend themselves admirably to casser- ole cookery. Salt mackerel, white fish, bloaters, as well as cod, salmon and halibut, can be used to most excellent advantage in the low, open casseroles, sometimes known as au gratin dishes, or on fireproof platters. Cooking Vegetables en Casserole It is sometimes advisable to cook turnips, parsnips, salsify, or chestnuts en casserole. In this case they should be prepared as for boiling, arranged in the cas- serole, covered with boiling stock, and cooked till tender, about three hours for the chestnuts and two for the vege- tables. The latter should be cut in thin slices before cooking, and should be covered with beef stock, while the chestnuts should be cooked in chicken or veal stock. Cooking Fruits en Casserole A specialty of a well-known tea-room is old-fashioned red apple sauce, served with whipped cream. It is rich and of beautiful color, as, much unlike ordinary apple SHORT-CUT PREPARATION OF MEALS in sauce as can be imagined. Inquiry brought forth the fact that it was baked in the bean-pot, sliced apples and sugar being put in alternately, a little water added, and the whole cooked at least eight hours in a slow oven or fireless cooker. Pears and peaches may be cooked in a similar way, only, instead of being sliced, they should be pared, halved and the seeds removed, and they should not be stirred during the cooking. The various dried fruits may also be baked to good advantage. They should be washed thoroughly, soaked over night in water to cover, the proper amount of sugar added, together with any desired flavoring, and the baking done very slowly, the time varying from three to six hours, accord- ing to the quantity. Figs need lemon juice and rind, and may be served half cold from the casserole with a deco- ration of marshmallows. Various dishes well suited to casserole cookery will be found in the chapters on meats, fish, fruits and vegetables. COOKING BY STEAM The reduction of heat means the reduction of fuel. Every time a food can be adapted to top-of-the-stove- cookery, instead of the oven, there is a distinct saving, whether the cooking be by gas, kerosene or electricity. With gas and kerosene stoves cheap in price, and with gas plates and small kerosene stoves still cheaper, there is no excuse for any woman saying, " I cannot afford this kind of cookery." As a basis there must be two burners for a small family of three or four members, more burners for the large family. But here, as in everything else connected with the furnishing of the kitchen, too much space and too large quantities lead to carelessness, and, in this case, waste of fuel. The equipment for the cookery may be as inexpensive as one desires, but, if possible, it pays to buy the best quality in everything. The first purchase should be an adequate steamer, the size depending upon the family, but it should be large enough to make possible the cookery of several things at a time. There is nothing better in this line than the old-fashioned square cooker, equipped with shelves and a whistle which tells when water is needed. This cooker or steamer can be found in any large house-fur- H2 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK nishing store, from about five dollars and upwards, ac- cording to the grade of materials used. There are less expensive steamers, round in shape, which are equipped with shelves, and which can be used with good results, if one is careful to put the food demanding longest cookery on the bottom shelf, and the one which will be done first on the top shelf to make removal easy. Then there is a good combination, aluminum steamer, which consists of a base that can act as a roasting pan, a top with shelves on which the steaming is done, and a lid on which cookies can be baked. For short time steaming this gives ex- cellent results, but it is not so good in the cookery of things demanding a long time, because the base-pan is shallow, so that the water evaporates quickly. These utensils are adapted only to steaming, which means that the oven must be used for baking. There is, however, a steamer on the market in which either one of these processes may be carried on. It is a pressure cooker, made of iron or cast aluminum and fitted with a cover which clamps tightly into position. It is equipped with a valve, which makes possible the emission of steam before removing the lid, thus avoiding the possibility of even a slight scald, and it is so constructed that there is no danger of an explosion, no matter how much steam is generated, for when the pressure reaches twenty-five pounds, an automatic spring valve releases the steam. It takes only a few moments to bring this to the temperature of the oven, and bread, cake, meat, or whatever is to be baked, may be put in a pan, set on a rack and completed as in the oven, for the heavy heat makes .possible an even radiation. In pot-roasting or braising, the meat is simply seared in a little extra fat, put on the rack, and a very little water, plus the other desired seasonings, is added. For soup stock it is invaluable, only in this case, as in all others, where water is added, care must be taken not to put in too much, as there is very little evaporation. In case it is desirable to steam a pudding and two or three vegetables at once, a small amount of water is put in the bottom, the rack is adjusted, and the pudding in its mould, together with the vegetables in their various utensils, may be put in the cooker together. When the water is once boiling, the gas-flame may be reduced one-half. Some- AN ADEQUATE STEAMER SHORT-CUT PREPARATION OF MEALS 113 times one desires to pot-roast veal or lamb. In this case the meat is started at the proper time and the other vege- tables are added according to the time it will take them to cook. The general type of utensils best suited to cookery by steam, or in these improvised ovens, is the one which will absorb the heat most quickly, or the one which, when the heat is once absorbed, will hold it longest. Aluminum is the best example of the first type, and the new glass cook- ing ware of the second. This glassware may be used for almost anything which is to be steamed : for instance, pos- sibly peas are to be cooked in this way they can be put into a glass utensil suited to the service, a little water, a few grains of sugar and a bit of butter may be added, and the whole steamed, covered or not, as desired. Pos- sibly swordfish is to figure as the main dish of a dinner. In this case the fish may be put in a suitable utensil, dotted with butter, a little salt and pepper, and a dash of lemon juice may be added, and the whole steamed until tender and flaky, about thirty minutes for fish cut three- quarters of an inch thick. If closely covered, other things, no matter how delicate, may be cooked in the same steamer with it, without absorbing the odors. If one only thinks, it is surprising to find how many foods may be steamed to good advantage. Most of us, when preparing a cereal, correctly start it over the direct heat, and, after fifteen minutes, set it into a double boiler to cook the remaining time, usually from one to four hours, according to the kind that is being cooked. At the same time it is necessary to replenish the cooking water frequently. There is no reason why the cereal cannot be started as usual, the cooking being com- pleted in the steamer along with some prunes, steamed apple sauce, an old fowl which demands long cookery to make it tender, a meat loaf or fish for the next day, or even some potatoes for the supper salad. There is no better way to save time and expense in cookery than to learn to do two or more things at once. In case a stove is not equipped with a warming closet, the steamer may be used for this purpose whenever hot dishes are needed, and, if some members of the family or guests are late in coming to a meal, the foods may be kept H4 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK hot in the steamer, with no more deterioration than in a hotel steam table. It is not necessary to use specific recipes for steam cooking, any of those which are in ordinary use being adaptable, with this exception. In steaming puddings in- stead of baking them, it is necessary to add a little more flour or bread crumbs, according to the type of puddings to be made. Oftentimes, if one desires a brown dish, as in making escalloped tomatoes or fish, the actual cookery may be accomplished in the steamer, the dish being set for a minute or two under the gas flame to brown over. However, the demand for this browned appearance is largely esthetic, and may be gained by strewing over a few fried bread crumbs, or the dish may be garnished with a little finely- minced parsley, a few sprays of water- cress, a little sliced, hard-cooked egg, some finely-minced celery with tips, a few slices of tomato, some pickles cut fan-shape, a whole olive or two, etc., according to the kind of dish that is being prepared. The following tables give a list of suggestions center- ing around standard recipes of foods that may be steamed : Fruits: Apples, pears, peaches, cherries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries. If the fruit is desired whole, make a sugar syrup of one cupful of sugar to one-half cupful of water, boiling them together for five minutes. Pour this over the prepared fruit and steam until tender. Liquid, or powdered, spices, or lemon juice may be added as desired. Brown sugar is delicious with pears. If the fruit is desired broken up, it should be occasionally stirred during the cookery. Meats: Old fowl, steam five hours and remove the skin before slicing. Chicken, brown in fat and steam an hour. Shoulder of lamb, brown in fat and steam an hour and a half. It should be boned and rolled. Pork chops, brown quickly in fat and steam an hour. Rump of veal, brown together with onions and carrots, and steam an hour and a half to two hours, etc. All seasonings should be added when the meat is put in to steam, and, if possible, the meat should be in a covered utensil. All kinds of meat loaves may also be steamed. Fish: Salmon, haddock, codfish, lake trout, sword- SHORT-CUT PREPARATION OF MEALS 115 fish, or bluefish. The thicker fish, as salmon, may be cut in steaks, seasoned and cooked, dotted with bits of butter, as described, or whole fish of more than three pounds may be laid in the utensil together with a tea- spoonful of pickle spice, a little vinegar, salt, pepper and water, and may be cooked in this. All kinds of fish loaves may also be steamed. Vegetables: Corn in the husk, peas, beans, succotash, corn in milk, spinach and other greens, with or without bacon or salt pork, turnips in broth, if desired, carrots, carrots and peas combined, whole tomatoes, summer squash, winter squash, cauliflower, cabbage, etc. The vegetables should be seasoned before putting on to cook, with the exception of green corn. Desserts: All kinds of fruit bettys, tapioca, corn starch and cereal puddings, cottage pudding, bread pud- ding, all kinds of custard mixtures which it may be de- sirable to solidify. Chocolate puffs made of any good chocolate-cake mixture plus a little more flour, all kinds of fruit dumplings, and the usual boiled puddings made of stale cake, stale bread, suet, etc. Breads: Boston brown bread and all allied mixtures, as steamed corn meal bread, steamed whole wheat and date bread, prune bread, steamed nut bread, etc. CHAPTER X THE SERVICE OF HOME AND COMPANY MEALS SERVING HOME MEALS WITHOUT A MAID It is not necessary to possess wealth in order to set an attractive table. The background is the table itself. If it has a polished top, it is often more convenient to use runners or doilies, instead of tablecloths. They may be used at all three meals, although to be strictly correct they should appear only at breakfast, luncheon or supper. If doilies or runners are used, the table-top should be waxed, not varnished, as the former finish is more dur- able, may be easily renewed, and does not show the marks of hot dishes or liquids that may be spilled. Runners should be from twelve to eighteen inches in width, and should be long enough to extend to the edge of the table. In setting the table for four, two runners are used. In setting the table for six, a long runner is placed lengthwise of the table, and two shorter ones are laid across it. Choosing the Linen All-white doilies and runners are more satisfactory for hard use than colored ones. If doilies are to be used constantly, choose several sets alike, so that if some of the pieces are soiled there will be fresh ones of the same design to replace them. For practical use a center doily, about eighteen inches, and plate doilies, from nine to twelve inches in diameter, are all that are necessary. Small doilies may be provided for the tumblers, if desired. For dinner it is customary to use a full-sized cloth over a silence cloth. But the woman who has to count laundry should feel at liberty to use on the dinner table whatever covering she wishes. It is surely easier to wash out a doily at a time than a whole tablecloth. But if a cloth effect is desired, a yard, or a yard and a quarter square of plain linen or damask may be bought ready- 116 HOME AND COMPANY MEALS 117 made, or may be fashioned at home, and used for the din- ner table. In case colored squares are desired, there is nothing prettier than the Japanese cloths, which may be obtained from fifty cents up. The China, Silver and Glass There is some excuse for cheap dishes, but there is no excuse for handleless cups, and cracked or nicked plates and saucers, for, besides being unsightly, they are un- sanitary and carriers of disease. Dishes are only a back- ground for food, so quiet, simple patterns should be chosen. Well-polished glass lends an atmosphere to the table that almost nothing else can give, and unpretentious glass dishes may be made to look very attractive. Plain tumblers for water may be obtained almost anywhere for five cents apiece, and small glass bowls and cream pitch- ers, small dishes for relishes, lemonade cups and simple sherbet glasses may be purchased at correspondingly low prices. The silver should be the best one can afford, but no matter how beautiful it may be the whole effect of the table will be marred, if it is not well-polished. It takes considerable time to clean silver, if it is allowed to be- come tarnished; but if it is always washed in water con- taining a little ammonia, and if badly tarnished pieces are cleaned at once, the discoloration is not difficult to re- move. In case the plate wears off, any article may be re- plated at a reasonable price. Setting the Table The table service is greatly facilitated by placing all the silver used by each individual at his or her place. The various articles should be arranged in the order of use, the spoons and knives at the right, and the forks at the left in the order of use from outside toward the plate. If space is limited and the meal is informal the teaspoons may be placed above the plate but this is not strictly " good form." Salt and pepper shakers should be provided for each two people. Water glasses belong at the tips of the knives, and butter dishes, or bread and butter plates with butter spreaders, should be placed just ii8 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK above the forks. The napkins should be folded square, and laid at the left of the forks. How to Cook and Serve In case the mother cooks and serves the meal, as much food as possible should be placed on the table without overcrowding and without mixing the various courses. For instance, suppose that breakfast consists of fruit, un- cooked cereal and cream, ham, potatoes, muffins and cof- fee. The fruit should be served individually, or else be put on the table as a centerpiece, and the bowls of cereal may be set just above each plate. Before the family is called to breakfast the butter should be served, and the coffee cups be put in the handiest position for use. If the table is not crowded, the breakfast plates may stand at the left of the father's place; the serving knife and fork for the ham, and a tablespoon for the potatoes should be placed at the right. If a polished table is used, asbestos mats, covered with linen slips, or woven grass mats, should be placed wherever hot dishes are to be put. After the cereal and fruit .have been eaten, the dishes may be cleared onto a large tray and carried into the kitchen. On the same tray the pot of coffee, the pota- toes, ham and muffins may be brought back to the dining room. A tray rest, such as used in all hotel dining rooms, will be found a great convenience in case an empty serv- ing table is not at hand. According to this plan a mother would need to make but one trip to the kitchen during breakfast. Dinner is usually a hearty meal, but it can be served in the same general way. Suppose that the menu con- sists of soup, pot-roast, spaghetti, onions, celery, apple dumplings with lemon sauce and coffee. In this case the water should be poured, the butter served, and the bread placed on the table, as well as the crackers for the soup. The soup plates may stand before the mother, if the soup is to be served at the table, or may be filled and brought in just before the meal is announced. The din- ner plates should stand 'at the father's left, or may be placed individually ready for the soup plates. The serv- ing utensils for the meat and vegetables should be placed at the father's right. HOME AND COMPANY MEALS 119 After the completion of the soup course, the soiled dishes should be removed, as described, and the main portion of the dinner brought in. After this is eaten, the soiled dishes should be removed, the glasses filled and the dessert served. The coffee service may be ar- ranged on a tray, which may be set directly on the table. On first thought it may seem too much of a task to serve a meal in courses, but it must be borne in mind that the dishes have to go to the kitchen anyway, and it is much easier to clear them away a section at a time, scraping and stacking them when the tray is being unloaded, than to attempt to untangle the heap of dishes that are piled helter-skelter on a table that is not cleared during the entire meal. In case it is desirable to serve with more formality, and there is no maid, no woman should assume the task alone. The place of the mother is at the table, not only because of the effect she has on the children, but because of the selfishness that she is likely to inculcate in case she insists on waiting on them. It is an easy matter to train the older children to wait on the table, provided a few simple directions are heeded. SERVING COMPANY-MEALS WITH A MAID In case the meal is to be served by a waitress, it is cus- tomary to have on the table the following articles, when the meal is announced : At each plate the silver should be laid for the various courses up to the dessert, the forks on the left, the knives, spoons and oyster forks, if used, on the right in the order of use from the outside toward the plate. If used, the bread and butter plates with the spreaders, laid horizontally across, should be at the tips of the forks, and each should contain a roll, or one or two thin slices of bread and a pat of butter. Bread and but- ter plates are not used at a formal dinner or very formal breakfast or luncheon. The water glasses (or goblets for a dinner) should stand at the tips of the knives, the nut dishes and individual salts and peppers, if used, above the plates, the napkins (folded over once) at the left with the place cards upon them, and the service plates should be set between the forks and knives, like them an inch from the edge of the table. The glasses should 120 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK be filled three- fourths full, and the first course should be in position on the service plate when the meal is announced. If a set of salts and peppers is provided for each two guests, they should be placed within easy reach of both. The relishes, such as celery and olives, are usually passed by the maid with the appropriate courses. It is no longer permissible to place them upon the table around the centerpiece. The meal is served largely from the pantry, only the meat, the dessert, if desired, and the coffee, if the hostess wishes, being served at the table. In serving, the wait- ress passes all foods to the left, places all foods to the right, and, when removing a course which is to be im- mediately replaced by the following, she takes up the empty plate with the left hand and sets down the next course with the right hand. When the main course is served, the simplest method, after the carving utensils have been brought in and the meat placed, is to put before each guest a warmed plate replacing the service-plate. One extra plate should be at hand, and, as soon as the host has apportioned the service on the plate before him, the waitress should remove it, replacing it with the empty plate, place the filled plate before the first guest to be served, bringing back the empty plate to the host. The procedure is as before till all are served. The first person to be served when the second course is placed is the lady at the right of the host. On serv- ing the succeeding course the next lady should have the preference, and so on. In this way no lady is served last all the time. If desired, the ladies may all be served first, and then the men, but this method causes confusion, and is not often used. Vegetables, gravy and other accessories should be passed on a small, doily-covered tray, or the dishes may be held in the hand if a napkin, or serving mitt, is pro- vided. Between courses the waitress should replenish the water glasses, butter balls and anything else neces- sary. If extra silver is needed, it should be laid at the right of each guest but never passed on a dish containing a portion of food. Before serving dessert the table should be entirely cleared of everything except water glasses, decorations and favors, should be crumbed by means of HOME AND COMPANY MEALS 121 a fringed napkin and plate, the water glasses filled, and the dessert served either from the pantry or by the hos- tess, according to the method described ; however, if de- sired, a pile of plates may be set at the hostess's left, the waitress placing an empty plate in front of the hostess, replacing it when filled with another plate from the pile, and serving the guests in rotation. The coffee may follow the dessert, or be poured by the hostess in the drawing-room. Finger-bowls should be served last on doily-covered plates which are not used for any other purpose. They are placed either at the right of, or directly in front of, the guests. SERVING COMPANY-MEALS WITHOUT A MAID In case the service is without a maid the procedure must of necessity be simplified. The meal should be of such a character that the foods can stand in the warm- ing-oven and do not need any last-minute cooking. The individual places should be set as described. At the host's place should be laid the carving-knife and fork and gravy ladle; at the place to his left should be laid spoons for serving the various vegetables. If this is done by a second person, it will greatly sim- plify the host's work at the table. Silver for the des- sert may in this case ONLY be laid above the plate. The service-plate should be dispensed with except for the soup. In this case the soup and service plates should be removed together, as there may be confusion in passing if the service plate is used for the meat course. The salad may be arranged in a large bowl and dressed by the hostess at the table. The relishes may be on the table, as well as a plate of bread. Extra butter balls, water and whatever replenishings may be needed should be within easy reach on the buffet or wheel-tray. If there are guests, great care must be taken to avoid giving the impression that the hostess is " waiting on them." To this end the service should be from the table as far as possible and the older boys and girls should be called to wait upon the table. This plan works well, especially if there are two to do it It is astonishing how service of this kind develops greater interest in home life and deeper 122 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK appreciation of the mother. Before dessert the table is cleared and crumbed and the dessert is served by the hostess. Coffee may follow, being poured at the table. It al- ways takes longer to serve a meal without a maid, if time is taken between courses to stack up the soiled dishes in proper form for dish-washing, but in the end this is a great time-saver, and it certainly means much to go into a kitchen that looks fairly tidy after the serving of a company meal. So the waits between courses are justi- fied. The service for a formal breakfast is as described in this section. However, whereas candles are usually used at a formal dinner and sometimes at formal luncheons, if the room is dark and the weather dreary, they are out of place at a breakfast. Bouillon cups may be used at both breakfast and luncheon but not at a dinner. For breakfasts and luncheons a handsome set of doilies, or runners, may be used, but at a dinner the table should be entirely covered with a cloth. Medium-sized Madeira, or other fancy, napkins may be used at breakfasts or luncheons, but only napkins of large size and of a type to harmonize with the cloth should be used at a dinner. CHAPTER XI THE CHAFING DISH A woman is always at her best when performing some house-wifely rite, and over the chafing dish, with its many opportunities for skill and grace, she is supreme. But being really graceful depends considerably upon the arrangements. In the first place the chair should be high, for it is impossible to stir with ease, unless one's hands are near the top of the dish. A piano-chair is al- ways practical as it can be turned up to just the right height. A hassock should also be provided. The chafing dish itself should be set upon an uncov- ered tray to avoid all danger of fire from the lamp, and damage from boiling water. Just before setting in place the lamp should be filled and covered (to prevent evapora- tion). The ordinary lamp will hold about a quarter of a cupful enough to burn a half hour. Extra alcohol should be in the filler, or, if one is not at hand, a covered pitcher may be used. As to the fuel, only pure grain or denatured alcohol is suitable, wood alcohol being very un- satisfactory because of its disagreeable odor. The cooking utensils should be placed at the right of the tray, as one of the essentials of the success of chafing dish cookery lies in noiselessness. Only wooden spoons should be used for stirring; these may be obtained in olive or apple wood, fashioned in attractive design, and sell at almost any price. However, the regulation silver chafing dish spoon and fork should be used for the serv- ice. Along with the spoons should be set a salt and pepper shaker, whatever other seasonings are used, as Worces- tershire, or tabasco sauce, celery salt, etc., for no ex- pert at the chafing dish ever seasons by measure (it looks too unprofessional) ; an extra napkin to be used in case of accident, and a spoon and fork to use for testing, if 123 124 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK one is not sure of the seasoning. Matches, too, should be provided. All the ingredients should be prepared beforehand and set within easy reach upon the dining table, or upon a small table or wheel tray. If the latter is used, it will facilitate the service of the whole meal, for a chafing dish affair is always informal and the guests can pass up their soiled dishes to be stowed away on one of the empty trays. The chafing dish is not suited to elaborate cookery, but rather to quickly prepared mixtures, like eggs, oysters, cheese, etc., and to rechauffes, that is, re-heated cooked meats, fish and vegetables. However, for anything that is to be prepared, all ingredients should be measured and set in pretty receptacles. For instance, if hard-cooked eggs are to be sliced, it should be done beforehand. If chicken or fish is to be creamed, it should be diced, cheese sliced or shaved, as the case may be, oysters carefully washed and freed from the shell; butter made up into balls containing just a tablespoonful ; flour measured, etc. If this is accurately done ahead in the quiet of the kitchen, all danger of failure is overcome, as nothing will be forgotten, and it will not be necessary to have a recipe in evidence this always betrays the amateur! Anything that can be cooked in a double boiler, or be prepared in a saucepan, is adapted to the chafing dish, although frying should not be attempted because of the disagreeable odor. As the chafing dish is primarily used so that foods can be served at once, and very hot, it also seems out of place to prepare dishes that must be ar- ranged upon platters for service. The hot-water pan cor- responds to the bottom of the double boiler, and the blazer to the top. Both should be supplied with handles. Other attachments are often used, as a toaster or a broiler, but they are not at all necessary. As the chafing dish is limited to informal occasions, it is generally used only in the following instances : Sun- day night tea, after-theater suppers, buffet luncheons, or as the hot course -at a luncheon when there is no maid in attendance. The usual accompaniments are little rolls or biscuits, dainty sandwiches that harmonize with the dish to be prepared, a suitable salad, and a simple dessert. THE CHAFING DISH 125 If the salad is of fruit, it is often used in place of a sweet. A drink also is indispensable, the selection depending on the balance of the meal ; tea, coffee, chocolate, cocoa, ginger ale, and fruit beverages of all kinds are in order. Unless a definite first course is provided, as a bouillon or fruit cup, a few hors d'ocuvres should be passed to occupy the guests until the chafing dish creation is prepared. These may include olives, radishes, celery sticks, canapes, tiny, open fish sandwiches (one slice of bread only being used) and pimentoes in various forms. The following menus show how these meals may be planned : Menus for Sunday Night Suppers I Creamed Oysters (Chafing Dish) Olive Sandwiches Cheese Sandwiches Salted Nuts Sweet Pickled Pears Celery, Date and Orange Salad Mayonnaise Charlotte Russe Chocolate Cake Coffee II Halved Peaches sprinkled with Almonds Devilled Lobster (Chafing Dish) Little Buttered Rolls Salted Nuts Candied Ginger Cream Cheese and Olive Salad Chocolate Frappe Angel Cake Raspberry Punch III Green Pepper Canapes Eggs Poached in Creamed Asparagus (Chafing Dish) Brown Bread and Butter Sandwiches Radishes Olives Strawberry, Pineapple and Orange Salad Cheese Sticks Hot Chocolate Whipped Cream Menus for After-Theater Suppers I Chillaly (Chafing Dish) Brown Bread and Butter Sandwiches Lettuce Celery, Walnut and Olive Salad Baked Figs Sponge Cake Ginger Ale 126 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK II Chicken d la King (Chafing Dish) Hot Toast Salted Nuts Olives Waldorf Salad Unsweetened Wafers Pineapple Lemonade III Bouillon (Chafing Dish) Creamed Halibut (Chafing Dish) with Pimentoes ^ Olive, Grapefruit, Celery and Endive Salad Whipped Cream Cake Coffee Menus for Chafing Dish Luncheons I Cream of Celery Soup Wafers Chicken and Mushrooms (Chafing Dish) Saratoga Chips Rolls Tomato, Cucumber and Lettuce Salad Cherry and Pineapple Fruit Cup Little Nut Cakes Coffee II Grapefruit Cocktail Oyster and Celery Bisque (Chafing Dish) Crackers Salted Nuts Olives Stuffed Egg and Pimento Salad Graham Bread Sandwiches Little Rolls Little Apple Tarts Cream Cheese Balls Tea III Cream of Chicken Soup Croutons Spanish Omelet (Chafing Dish) Little Rolls Banana, Pineapple and Nut Salad Cheese Sticks Eclairs Coffee The chafing dish is usually adopted when there is no maid in attendance, and, because of this, food for the en- tire meal is often placed on the table at once. The first course is in position when the guests are called to the table, the chafing dish, with ingredients, is set in place, with a pile of serving plates beside it. The salad, arranged on a platter or in a bowl, is set at the place op- posite, the plates being at the left of it while the dessert (unless an ice) is served individually, and set at the right of each guest ; the'hors d'ceuvers and plates of sandwiches, cake, etc., are set where it is convenient. Extra butter and a carafe or pitcher of water are also on the table, while the service for coffee, tea, or any other drink to be served A THE CHAFING DISH 127 is arranged on a tray and set either before one of the guests, or stands in readiness on the buffet for the hostess. After the chafing dish has been removed tea or 'coffee is usually made at the table. If a chafing dish luncheon is being given and a maid is in attendance, the ingredients and plates are brought in by the maid. The hostess serves directly to the plates which are passed by the attendant. In cases where a maid is not employed the menu should be simple, the first course being in position when the meal is announced, the second consisting of the article that is to be prepared. In this case it is permissible to have the chafing dish on the table from the first, although it should be removed with the soiled dishes after the course is finished. To be successful a chafing dish affair should not include more than ten guests in fact six is a more convenient number for the chafing dish has not been made that will serve more. If a larger group is to be accommo- dated, the tables should be enlarged, and a friend invited to preside over a second chafing dish. A study of the chapters in this book which are devoted to left-over meats, eggs, cheese, souffles, vegetables and fish will suggest many dishes that can be easily made in the chafing dish. PART TWO CHAPTER .1 MEASUREMENTS There is no such thing as " good luck " or " bad luck " in cooking, if the recipe measurements are absolutely ac- curate and the housewife understands the range. Al- though many authorities advocate measuring out before- hand all ingredients needed for the dish to be prepared, any practical woman will readily see that this makes necessary the use of too many measuring utensils and dishes. It is much better always to keep standard half- pint measuring cups in the sugar and flour cans, tea- spoons in the salt jar or tea cannister, and tablespoons in the coffee can, corn starch jar and so on. During the average morning's cooking it should not be necessary to use more than two extra measuring cups, one for ingredi- ents not already provided with cups, the other for fats and liquids. There should also be a teaspoon and a tablespoon each for dry and liquid ingredients. The equipment for accurate measuring is as follows: One standard half -pint tin or aluminum measuring cup; one standard half-pint glass measuring cup ; one standard half-pint pitcher cup (for use in making mayonnaise, and the like), each divided into thirds and quarters ; one- quart aluminum or tin cup divided into quarters, and standard tablespoons and teaspoons. To measure a cupful of any dry ingredient, fill it full and level off the top with a knife, taking care not to pack it in. A spoonful should be measured in the same way it should never be " rounded," unless specified. To measure half an ordinary teaspoonful, fill it level, scrap- ing it off, and divide the contents into halves lengthwise. Flour, confectioner's sugar, baking soda and any other ingredient which is liable to lump should be sifted before measuring, while mustard, baking powder, etc., which settle from standing in the can, should be stirred to lighten. 132 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK A cupful, or spoonful, of any liquid is as much as the utensil will hold without running over. All fats, as but- ter, oleomargarine, lard or drippings, are packed down and leveled before measuring. When they are to be melted, it is specified in the recipe. Sixteen tablespoon- fuls, level, of anything, will fill a half-pint cup. In pre- paring a portion of a recipe this rule will be found a great help. CHAPTER II BEVERAGES ALL MEASUREMENTS ARE LEVEL TEA Good tea can be made only in a pot of china, silver or earthenware, as tea contains a decided acid and bitter substance, which is liable to combine with the metal of other receptacles, producing an unpleasant flavor and an unwholesome beverage. The problem in making tea is to bring out the stimulating principle therein, as well as the fragrant oil, and to avoid the development of the tannic acid. This can only be done by pouring boiling water over the tea, as water which is merely simmering does not develop the flavor. Tea should not stand on the leaves more than five minutes. MAKING TEA The easiest way to make tea in a pot is to measure the tea into a tea ball, which may be hung to the nozzle of the tea pot by the chain to which the ball is attached. At the end of five minutes the ball may be quickly lifted from the infusion and the leaves easily emptied into the garb- age can, for nothing stains a white porcelain sink more quickly than tea and tea leaves. This tea-ball method is a real short cut, for it saves the washing of a strainer and a second pot into which the infusion must be strained, if the water is poured directly on the loose tea leaves. Needless to say the tea pot must be thoroughly washed and scalded. Tea should never be boiled. The proportion of tea for each cup varies with the brand, but half a teaspoonful of good tea should be ample. 133 134 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Iced Tea 6 teaspoonfuls tea cupful syrup stock or sugar teaspoonful whole cloves to taste (if desired) i sliced lemon I quart boiling water Put the tea in a crock or pitcher, pour over the boiling water and let stand, covered, five minutes in a warm place. Then strain it on to the cloves, lemon and sweet- ening, stir and let cool. Serve with a thin slice of lemon to each glass. Iced tea should be made stronger than ordinary tea, to allow for the ice dilution. Afternoon Tea i teaspoonful tea Sliced lemon Candied or Maraschino cher- Whole cloves ries Boiling water Lime drops Measure the tea into the tea ball, put the cup with the desired flavoring (two cherries to a cupful), three cloves, one lime drop, or one slice of lemon, and pour over boil- ing water, allowing the ball to remain in until the tea is of the desired strength. Two cupfuls of tea may be made at a time without refilling the ball. COFFEE Coffee must be made as carefully as tea, in order to develop the fragrant flavor without overdeveloping the caffeine and tannin. To this end it should be made as quickly as possible and without much cooking. The best method is as the coffee tasters make it, the next, perco- lating or filtering. Old-fashioned boiled coffee is the least desirable method. There are two essentials in making good coffee first, an absolutely clean utensil; second, a generous quantity of a pure brand of coffee unmixed with chicory. Given these, no matter if the vessel be a tomato can or a silver urn, the result will be perfect, if care is used. Coffee should never be allowed to stand on the grounds after it is finished. A moderate amount of well-made coffee, without cream or sugar, is a mild stomach stimulant, as well as slightly laxative. It has, however, a distinct influence on the nervous system, sometimes leading to general nervous- BEVERAGES 135 ness, tremulousness, loss of sleep and dizziness. In some cases actual indigestion may be traced to it, as caffeine acts adversely on some people, retarding digestion and causing flatulence with a consequent " sinking heart " sensation. Children are especially susceptible to these influences and should never be allowed to drink coffee. There are several kinds of powdered coffee on the mar- ket, which may be dissolved in boiling water, and, if a really good brand is chosen, this is a satisfactory and economical method. Coffee (Coffee Taster's Method) To make the best coffee it should not .be boiled. Allow a tablespoon ful of medium-ground coffee to each person. Put it in a heated enamel pot, and pour over it a coffee cupful of boiling water for each table- spoonful used. Bring to the boil and then let stand four minutes where it will keep hot, but not boil. Then add a dash of cold water to settle it. Coffee made according to this recipe contains a minimum amount of caffeine and tannin. Percolator Coffee Put the coffee in the percolator, pour in one cupful cold water to two tablespoonfuls miedium-ground coffee for each cup to be made and put on the glass top. Set on the sheet-iron plate over the fire, bring to boiling point, and let boil from three to five minutes, according to the strength desired. After-Dinner Coffee Increase the amount of coffee one-half, and make either by the coffee filter or percolator method. Cereal Coffee 3 pounds whole wheat 3 tablespoonfuls molasses i pound whole barley 3 tablespoonfuls butter i cupful ground chicory Roast the wheat and barley until brown, stirring often. When as dark as a coffee berry, add the butter and molas- ses, stirring it until all is absorbed and the grains separate. Remove from the oven and, when cold, add the chicory. 136 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Grind in a coffee mill. To make, use 2 tablespoon fuls of "coffee" to each person and ij cupfuls cold water. Boil an hour, and serve with sugar and cream or milk. COCOA AND CHOCOLATE Cocoa Cocoa, as directed on package 3 cupfuls milk i cupful sugar teaspoonful salt 3 cupfuls water Mix the sugar, salt and cocoa together, thoroughly ; add the water, and boil five minutes. Add milk, boil up once, then beat with the Dover egg-beater, and serve. In mak- ing cocoa for children or invalids do not boil up the bev- erage bring the milk just to a scald and combine with the boiled cocoa and water. Hot Chocolate 2.\ squares (ounces) chocolate Few grains salt i cupful sugar ii cupfuls boiling water 3i cupfuls milk Shave the chocolate and add to the milk. Place over hot water and scald until the chocolate is melted. Add the water, sugar and salt and cook one hour. Beat well with an egg-beater and serve in chocolate cups with whipped cream, or 2 marshmallows to each cup. Creole Chocolate 1 quart milk, scalded cupful sugar 2 squares (ounces) chocolate \ teaspoonful vanilla I inch stick cinnamon Few grains salt I cupful boiling water I cupful whipped cream Scald the milk with the cinnamon. Melt the chocolate, add the water, and, when smooth, add to the milk with the salt and sugar. Cook at least an hour over hot water, add vanilla, " mull " or beat with an egg-beater, and serve in chocolate cups with whipped cream. . COLD DRINKS There is no reason why any household cannot enjoy a wide variety of cold drinks with but little expense and trouble, and without patronizing the soda fountain to BEVERAGES 137 an undue extent. It takes but little time to make up a few syrups which may be kept in sterilized bottles for use as needed. Plain syrup stock, that is a syrup of sugar and water, should always be kept on hand both in winter and summer, as it provides a rich, smooth sweetening for any drink, hot or cold, besides saving considerable time in preparation when it is needed. In other words, it is a " short cut " to have syrup enough for instant use in making a number of lemonades, or whatever the drink may be, instead of stopping to boil it each time. Plain Syrup Stock 2 quarts water 6 pounds sugar Boil together five minutes. Can hot in sterilized jars. Allow i tablesftoonful to a person in sweetening any fresh fruit drink. Chocolate Syrup 3 pounds cocoa (not rich in 2 pounds granulated sugar fat) , i quart warm water Dissolve the cocoa in a pint of cold water ; dissolve the sugar in the warm water, add the dissolved cocoa, bring to boiling point and can hot in sterilized jars. Chocolate Milk Shake Use J cupful of the syrup to f cupful of milk. Use 3 tablespoon fuls syrup, -J cupful milk, I table- spoonful cream and i well-beaten egg. Coffee Syrup i$ quarts strong coffee 3 pounds sugar Make the coffee very strong i pound coffee to if quarts of water. Clear and strain; combine with the sugar and bring to boiling point. Can hot in sterilized bottles. It will keep indefinitely. Use 2 tablespoon fuls of the coffee syrup to f cupful milk. Iced Coffee Use 3 tablespoonfuls of the coffee syrup to i table- spoonful cream and J cupful milk. 138 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Coffee Egg Shake Use 3 tablespoonfuls of coffee syrup, i well-beaten egg, I tablespoonful cream and \ cupful milk. Pineapple Syrup I pint bottle preserved pine- i* pounds sugar apple juice or a pint of 3 cupfuls water canned pineapple juice Dissolve the sugar in the water; add the pineapple juice and bring to boiling-point. Can hot in sterilized bottles. This will keep indefinitely. Use 3 tablespoonfuls of pineapple syrup juice, -J lemon and J cupful ice water. Vanilla Syrup 3 pounds sugar 2 tablespoonfuls vanilla ex- ii quarts water tract Dissolve the sugar in the water. Boil five minutes, add the vanilla and can hot in sterilized bottles. Use 2 tablespoonfuls of vanilla syrup to J cupful milk. Malted Milk Egg Use I tablespoonful malted milk dissolved in I table- spoonful desired syrup, I well-beaten egg and \ cupful milk. Lemon Syrup 6 large lemons . 6 pounds granulated sugar 2 J quarts cold water Grate the lemon rind into the sugar, add the lemon juice, and let stand, covered, five or six hours. Then add the water, stir till dissolved, strain, and can hot in steril- ized jars. This will keep a month in a cold place. Lemonade Use 4 tablespoonfuls of the syrup to f cupful water. Orangeade Syrup 6 large oranges 2^ quarts cold water i large lemon 6 pounds sugar Grate the rinds into the sugar, add the fruit juices and BEVERAGES 139 cover. Let stand six hours, then add the water, stir un- til dissolved, and strain. Can hot in sterilized jars. This will keep four weeks in a cold place. Use 4 tablespoonfuls of syrup to f cupful water and I teaspoonful fresh lemon juice. Orangeade 2 cupfuls sugar I quart water I cupful orange juice i cupful lemon juice Boil the sugar and water ten minutes with the orange rinds. Remove the rinds, chill the syrup, add the fruit juices and dilute to taste. Serve very cold with a bit of orange or mint as a garnish. This makes ten small glasses. Raspberry or Loganberry Ade 1 quart can home-preserved i cupful sugar raspberries or loganberries 2 cupfuls water Juice 2 lemons Ice water Boil together the sugar and water for ten minutes. Cool, add the raspberry, which should be quite liquid, turn in the lemon juice and let stand two hours to ripen. Dilute with ice water to desired strength, and serve with- out straining. The amount of water to be added depends upon the richness of the fruit. Usually this amount will make sixteen to twenty small glasses. Pineapple Lemonade 2 cupfuls hot water i can grated pineapple i cupful sugar Juice 3 lemons 4 cupfuls ice water Make a syrup by boiling the sugar and water ten min- utes. Cool. Add the pineapple and lemon juice. Strain, add the ice water and serve in lemonade glasses. This makes sixteen to twenty glasses. Ginger Sorbet 1 pound candied ginger Juice 2 oranges 2 cupfuls sugar 2 quarts water i cupful lemon juice Chop the ginger fine, add it to the water and sugar and boil fifteen minutes. Cool, and add water to make it I 4 o MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK ten cups; add the fruit juice and serve either in glasses half-filled with crushed ice, or diluted with ice water. A cupful of cooked rhubarb juice, or one of strong tea, is a great addition. This will make sixteen small glasses. Rhubarbade i pound diced rhubarb Juice i orange i cupful sugar Juice 2 lemons i cupful water i quart ice water Bit of ginger root Bake the first four ingredients till the rhubarb is soft and pink. Strain, add the fruit juices and ice water, chill and serve. This makes from twelve to sixteen small glasses. Turkish Punch I quart canned apricots 2 cupfuls canned apple juice I cupful sugar or cider I cupful water Juice i orange Juice i lemon Rub the apricots through a coarse sieve. Boil the sugar and water together for ten minutes and add to the apricots. When cool, follow with the other fruit juices. Let stand two hours to ripen, and dilute with ice water, or serve in punch cups half-filled with crushed ice and accompanied by straws. This makes twenty small punch cupfuls. Varsity Punch Juice 8 oranges 3i cupfuls sugar i cupful lime juice 5 cupfuls water i large can shredded pine- Ice water apple Boil the sugar and the water together for ten minutes. Chill, pour it over the fruit and lime juice and let stand two hours. Dilute to taste with ice water. This serves forty guests. Picnic Punch i can grated pineapple i quart grape, currant, logan- 3 cupfuls boiling water berry or strawberry juice i cupful freshly-made tea i bottle Apollinaris Juice 6 lemons i quart sugar and i pint Juice 10 oranges water simmered together 5 minutes BEVERAGES 141 Cook the pineapple twenty minutes in the boiling water and strain. Cool, add the remaining fruit juices, the tea and the cooled syrup. Add the Apollinaris just before serving. It is better to make the punch a few hours .ahead and let it stand, closely covered, on ice to chill and ripen. At serving-time, add the Apollinaris and water to dilute to the strength desired. Strawberries, mint leaves, or slices of banana are often added as a garnish. This serves fifty guests. Grapefruit Punch i quart water Juice i lemon 1 1 cupfuls sugar i cupful shredded Mara- i pint grapefruit juice schino cherries i cupful bits grapefruit pulp Shaved ice Boil the sugar and water together for ten minutes. Cool, add the fruits and fruit juices and let stand an hour to ripen. Serve in glasses half-filled with shaved ice. If necessary, use additional sugar. This amount will fill twenty small punch glasses. Grape Punch i pint grape juice 2 quarts water Juice 2 lemons i cupful sugar Juice 2 oranges i cupful halved and seeded i cupful cut oranges Tokay grapes Boil the sugar and water together for ten minutes. Cool, add the fruit juices and fruit and either serve with cracked ice, or iced in a punch bowl. This amount serves twelve guests. Cranberry Punch i quart cranberries Juice 7 lemons Juice 4 oranges i pint can shredded pineapple 4 quarts water Granulated sugar Boil the cranberries in one-half the water for thirty minutes ; sift, add two-thirds as much sugar as cran- berry juice to the remaining water and boil five minutes. Chill both mixtures, combine, add fruit juices and pine- apple and serve with cracked ice. This amount will serve forty guests. 142 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Cranberryade i pint cold water Juice 2 lemons i pint cranberries I cupful sugar Cook the cranberries in the water until they burst. Add the sugar and boil one minute ; cool, strain, add the lemon juice and dilute with cold water to the desired strength. This amount will serve from eight to ten guests. Apricot Punch I quart can apricots ii cupfuls sugar I quart boiling water Juice 2 lemons Chop the apricots very fine and add the juice to them. Boil together the sugar and water for ten minutes ; add to the apricots and let cool. Then add the lemon juice and dilute with ice water or cracked ice to the desired strength. This serves twenty guests. Hot Grape Juice For each cupful of grape juice allow a clove and a half- inch stick of cinnamon bark. Heat barely to boiling point, remove the spice, and serve with plain toasted crackers. Colonial Fruit Punch I quart of canned red cher- i quart bottle Apollinaris ries Sugar to sweeten, about i i cupful orange juice cupful dissolved in i quart 1 cupful lemon juice boiling water 2 sliced bananas Dissolve the sugar in the boiling water and cool the mixture. Combine with the cherries and fruit juices; chill and, just before serving, add the bananas and Apol- linaris. Fruit Punch 2 cupfuls sugar i pint strawberry syrup i cupful water Juice 5 lemons I cupful tea Juice 5 oranges i quart Apollinaris i can grated pineapple Ice water to make ii gallons i pint Maraschino cherries Boil the sugar and water ten minutes. Add tea, fruit juices, pineapple and syrup. Let stand thirty minutes. BEVERAGES 143 Strain, and add ice water to make ij gallons of liquid. Turn into a punch bowl over a large piece of ice and add the cherries and Apollinaris. This serves fifty people. Tolland Cup To each service allow from two to three tablespoonfuls of maple syrup, and f cupful coffee of medium strength. Let stand to become very cold. Serve in tall, slender glasses, garnish with whipped cream, sweetened with maple syrup, and sprinkled with scraped maple sugar. CHAPTER III FRUITS ALL MEASUREMENTS ARE LEVEL PREPARING FRESH FRUITS FOR SERVING Unless fruit is freshly picked and is free from dust and from all possible contamination, it should always be thor- oughly washed before serving. This includes bananas, Oranges, grapes and all fruits. The easiest way to wash the larger fruits is to put them in a colander and rinse them thoroughly in cold water ; then drain them on paper towels. This should be done as soon as they come into the kitchen. Blackberries, strawberries and raspberries should be put in the colander, rinsed quickly, and then hulled, care being used to rid the fruit of all possible in- sects. Oranges to be Eaten with a Spoon The fruit should be cut in halves crosswise and, if these do not stand level, a thin slice of skin may be cut from the ends. The pulp around the edge should then be loosened by a curved grapefruit knife, which makes the process very quick. The membrane between the sec- tions should be loosened until it is tender, and, if there is much pith in the center, it should be removed. Oranges Flower Fashion Cut down the skin in quarters, and then in eighths, to within an inch of the blossom end; then strip down in points and fold them over. Orange Sections on a Strip of Peel Cut an inch band around the 'orange crosswise through the center, remove the remaining skin, cut the strip and open out the sections. 144 FRUITS 145 Oranges au Naturel Separate the orange into sections, arrange around a mound of sugar, or an individual plate, separating the sec- tions with a few cluster raisins. Allow five sections to a person. To Obtain Orange and Grapefruit Sections for Fruit Cups and Salads Pare the fruit with a sharp knife till the juice runs and then cut out each section separately with a sharp knife. This is a quick method, and when it is used there is not only less waste but the pulp is kept whole and in perfect condition. These sections are called " carpels." Sliced Oranges, Pullman Fashion Pare the oranges with a sharp knife, slice thin cross- wise, and arrange in glass dessert dishes with a little sugar between each slice. Chill thoroughly. If desired, some sweetened pineapple juice, or the juice from other canned fruit, may be poured over the orange slices, and the whole well-chilled. Cocoanut may be sprinkled over the serving if to act as a dessert. Oranges en Casserole Select thin-skinned Florida oranges, cut in halves, scoop out the seeds, fill the centers with sugar, arrange the halves in a glass casserole, pour in a cupful of water, and place a bit of butter on each half. Cook, covered, in a moderate oven till the skins are tender, about two hours. Then uncover to brown. Orange Compote 6 navel oranges 2 cupfuls granulated sugar i lemon 2 cupfuls apricot juice i cupful water Separate the oranges into sections without breaking the membrane. Make a syrup of the water, sugar, apri- cot and lemon juice, boiling five minutes, or until it threads. Add oranges, cover and cool. Chill at least an hour before serving. 146 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK To Prepare Grapefruit Wash and cut the grapefruit in halves crosswise ; cut around the outer edge of the pulp with a grapefruit knife. Snip the connecting cellulose with sharp scissors, and re- move it with the center membrane, leaving the sections of pulp whole and in their places. If desired sweet, fill the centers with sugar and let stand two hours before serving. If to be served without sugar as a luncheon appetizer, add a drop of tabasco sauce and a raw oyster. Grapefruit, Filled with Tokay Grapes Allow half a grapefruit to twelve Tokay grapes for each person. Loosen the grapefruit pulp, cutting the membrane and lifting it out as directed. Halve and seed the grapes. Add as much sugar to the grapefruit as is desired. Heap on the Tokay grapes and set aside for two hours occasionally " basting " the grapes with the grapefruit juice, as it accumulates. Bananas with Lemon Juice Wash and dry the bananas. Cut the ends off square and split the fruit in halves lengthwise. Divide the pulp in the skin into convenient mouth fuls, sprinkle with lemon juice and then plentifully with powdered sugar. Serve from the skins. Baked Bananas with Raisins Peel the bananas and split lengthwise. Place in a baking dish, sprinkle the banana lightly with sugar and a little lemon juice, add a few raisins and water barely to cover the bottom of the dish. Cover and bake till tender, about twenty minutes, basting every five minutes with the water in the pan. Baked Bananas with Cranberry Syrup Peel the bananas and leave them whole. Place in a baking dish and- put a bit of butter on each. Bake in a moderate oven twenty-five minutes, basting often with a little cranberry syrup. Serve with additional syrup as a sauce. WAYS TO SERVE ORANGES : FLOWER FASHION, ON A STRIP OF PEEL, SLICED WITH COCOANUT AND CHERRIES, ORANGE CLUB SANDWICH AU NATUREL WAYS TO SERVE STRAWBERRIES: STRAWBERRIES AU NATUREL, STRAWBERRY CUP, STRAWBERRY BASKET, STRAWBERRY FANCHONNETTE. FRUITS 147 Fried Bananas Peel the bananas and cut in slices lengthwise and then crosswise. Brown gently in bacon fat and serve with broiled or baked bacon, or with lamb. If desired, they may be browned in butter or a good vegetable oil. In the latter case they should be slightly salted, and, if de- sired, may be lightly sprinkled with sugar, and a few drops of lemon juice. Pineapple au Naturel i ripe pineapple Powdered sugar Dissect the pineapple into sections by means of a fork, separating around each " eye." It will be dissected easily into wedge-shaped pieces. Make mounds of powdered sugar on individual plates by packing it into a small after- dinner coffee cup or timbale mould; surround with the pineapple sections, and serve garnished with leaves of the pineapple. To eat, use the ringers, dipping the fruit into the sugar. Sweetened Pineapple Pare the pineapple and remove the eyes with the pine- apple scissors, then grasp the crown of the pineapple firmly and shred down the pulp with a silver fork, leav- ing the core. Sprinkle liberally with granulated sugar, add a dash of lemon juice if desired, transfer to a covered glass jar and let chill a few hours before serving. If the pineapple is not very juicy, add a little warm water with the sugar. Pineapple and Fruit, Fresh or Half-Frozen I large pineapple i pint sliced oranges, sliced Sugar to taste bananas, sliced pears or halved strawberries Cut off the crown of the pineapple. Pare away the base so that it will set even, and with a knife and strong spoon scoop out the pulp. Then separate it from the core. Add this pulp to the other fruit, sweeten to taste, put in a covered jar, and pack in three parts of ice to one part of salt. Let stand an hour. When ready to serve turn into the chilled pineapple shell and garnish the base with pineapple leaves. 148 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Frosted Grapes Select large Malaga or Tokay grapes. After washing and drying rub them lightly with egg white, applying it with the ringers. Sift granulated sugar over them so that they are " frosted " and set in a draft of air to dry. Use as a garnish for fruit cups, grape sherbet, etc. Strawberries au Naturel Make mounds of the sugar by packing it into small timbale moulds and turning out into the center of small plates. Brush the berries to remove any grit (do not wash unless absolutely necessary) and do not remove the hulls. Place in a circle around the sugar and eat with the fingers. Strawberries Italian Hull the berries, rinse with cold water and arrange in a jar in layers with sugar to sweeten. Add a little warm water to start the juice and the juice of half a lemon to a quart of berries. Let chill several hours be- fore serving. To Prepare Blackberries, Loganberries and Raspberries Hull and rinse, arrange in layers with sugar to sweeten, add a little warm water to start the juice and chill for two hours. To Serve Peaches The quickest method for removing the skins is to scald the fruit with boiling water. If to stand any length of time before serving, sprinkle with sugar and a few drops of lemon juice to prevent discoloration. Another method, when the peaches are large, is to re- move the skins, cut the fruit in halves lengthwise, take out the stones, heap the centers with powdered sugar and serve the two halves on a small plate. Halved Stuffed Peaches Select large ripe peaches, peel them, and cut in halves, allowing one peach to each person. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar and lemon juice, and fill the centers of FRUITS 149 each with chopped, blanched almonds and raspberry jam. Serve with or without whipped cream. Baked Rhubarb cupful raisins I pound rhubarb, about 2 I cupful boiling water cupfuls cut in i-inch pieces I cupful sugar Do not skin the rhubarb. Combine it with the raisins and water, and bake in a covered dish till the rhubarb is soft and pink. Add the sugar halfway of the cooking. Coddled Pears Select a dozen winter pears, wash thoroughly and place in an open stewpan with a cupful and a half of light brown sugar, two and one-half cupfuls of water and the rind of a lemon. Stew very slowly uncovered, turning often, for about two hours. Replenish the water if neces- sary. Remove the pears and cook the syrup down to a thick consistency. Add a tablespoonful of lemon juice to it and pour over the pears. Apples with Cheese Select apples of marked flavor and good color. Serve well-polished, passing Neufchatel or cream cheese. The apple is to be sliced, the cheese spread upon it and eaten by means of the ringers. This is a typical Italian dish. Broiled Apples Pare the apples and core them, cut in thick, crosswise slices, dip in crumbs and melted butter, and broil gently until they are tender. West India Baked Apples Large tart apples Sugar Bananas Cinnamon Wash apples, remove cores and cut slices off the base so that they will rest evenly. Peel the bananas and insert a piece in place of the apple cores. Dust with cinanmon, place a spoonful of sugar on top, and set in baking dish, containing a little water, to bake. Cook in a moderate oven, basting occasionally, till tender. Serve cold. I 5 o MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Baked Apple Sauce 8 apples i cupful water to cover par- 1 cupful granulated sugar tially Wash, pare and core the apples. Cut in eighths. Place in a baking dish or casserole with the sugar and water, cover and bake till deep red in a slow oven. This will take about three hours. Apples Baked in Maple Syrup 6 apples i cupful maple syrup Bananas i cupful water Lemon peel Core the apples, and insert in each a piece of banana. Set the apples in a baking dish ; add the syrup, lemon peel and water, cover and bake gently until tender, basting occasionally. Remove the ipples, boil down the syrup till it threads, pour over the apples and serve very cold with soft custard or whipped cream flavored with maple syrup. Coddled Apples 6 medium-sized rosy apples cupful sugar 2 cupfuls boiling water Few peelings orange rind Wash the apples and simmer slowly until tender in a syrup made of the other three ingredients, turning the apples often so that they will cook evenly. When done, transfer to a platter, and boil down the syrup until it is thick and dark. Pour over the apples. Serve very cold with plain or whipped cream, or boiled custard. Remove the orange rind before the syrup is boiled down. Apple Cups with. Rice 6 rosy apples i cupful soft custard, if de- i cupful sugar sired i cupful boiled brown or un- coated rice Wash the apples, cut off the tops, and with a small sharp teaspoon remove the centers forming cups. Cook gently in a syrup of 2 cupfuls of water to i cupful of sugar, until tender. Carefully shape and fill the centers with boiled rice. Pour over the syrup from the apples, FRUITS 151 which has been simmered until thick. Cool and serve with whipped cream. Apples, Cranberry Style Select perfect apples, core them and fill the spaces with cranberry conserve or jelly. Bake gently, basting fre- quently with a syrup made of equal parts of sugar and water. When tender, transfer to a serving-dish and pour over them the syrup which should be thick enough to jelly. Chill the apples, and serve with whipped cream flavored with sifted cranberry sauce ; use one-fourth cupful of this to one cupful of heavy cream, sweetened to taste. Stewed Plums with Chestnuts i* cupfuls sugar ii cupfuls boiled chestnuts 2& lemons 2 dozen purple plums ii cupfuls water Boil the sugar and water together for ten minutes ; then add the lemon, sliced thin, and the plums, cooking gently till they are tender. Remove the plums and cook down the syrup one-half. In the meantime remove the shells from the chestnuts, add to the syrup when it is done and pour over the plums. Serve very cold. Fruit Cups or Cocktails Fruit Cups or Cocktails may be made of almost any fruit in combination with one or two others, if properly sweetened and flavored. As the portions should be small, not more than two tablespoonfuls of fruit and juice to a person, the fruit cocktail can often be made of materials which are on hand. In many instances, as with currants and other fruits which are very acid, the smoothness of the cocktail depends upon a little preliminary cooking. For instance, to make a cocktail of a cupful of currants, a few raspberries and a little mint, sugar, in proportion to the acidity of the currants, should be combined with them together with a little tepid water, not more than two tablespoonfuls, and the whole gently cooked for about five minutes. If this is done, the fruit may be kept for several days, the raw raspberries and a trace of mint be- ing added at least two hours before serving time so that the flavors may become blended. It is a good plan to put 152 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK the cocktail together in a glass jar early in the day and let it stand next to the ice till serving-time. If raw fruits entirely are to be used, they should be allowed to stand in a syrup made of a cupful of sugar to a half cupful of water to insure smoothness of flavor. Many fruits are greatly improved by the addition of a little lemon juice not enough to make the cocktail sour, but just a dash to heighten the natural flavor. Various combinations of fruits, suitable to use in cocktails, are : 1. Blackberries and sugar syrup (as above) with nut- meg and lemon juice to season. 2. Red raspberries, diced oranges and sugar syrup. 3. Shredded fresh pineapple, with stoned cherries and sugar syrup, or diced oranges and syrup, with or without a trace of mint. 4. Small cubes or tiny balls of watermelon, diced pine- apple, syrup and lemon juice to taste. 5. Cubed canteloupe, with sugar syrup, nutmeg and lemon juice to taste, if desired. 6. Blackberries, syrup and diced banana. 7. Diced peaches, syrup, minced angelica, a few stoned cherries and a little diced orange. Grapefruit Cup No. I Remove the pulp from three large grapefruit. Cut each section in thirds, or halves, according to size. Sprinkle with sugar and chill. Serve plain or with a garnish of mint leaves, with one tablespoonful of grape juice poured over each serving. Grapefruit Cup No. II 3 grapefruit $ cupful seeded and quar- 6 Maraschino cherries, tered Malaga grapes shredded I tablespoonful lemon juice 6 tablespoonfuls sugar Peel the grapefruit and remove the sections, cutting each one in thirds ; add the sugar, grapes and lemon juice and let stand, covered, one hour in a cold place to ripen. Pour into frappe glasses and decorate with shredded cher- ries. FRUITS 153 Grapefruit Cup No. Ill 2 large grapefruit 4 tablespoonfnls candied gin- Granulated sugar ger 4 canned-pear halves Prepare the grapefruit and cut the pulp in small pieces. Sweeten and add the other ingredients and let stand in a cold place to chill. Serve in glass cups, and sprinkle with a little extra ginger for a garnish. Orange Mint Cocktail 6 oranges cut into sections, i tablespoonful lemon juice all membrane being re- 6 sprigs mint moved Powdered sugar 3 tablespoonfuls fresh mint, minced Mix together the orange sections, minced mint and lemon juice with sugar to sweeten. Let stand at least two hours in a cold place, then divide into six cocktail glasses, or small sherbet glasses, and garnish each serving with a sprig of mint. Prune and Orange Cup 18 cooked prunes 3 oranges Halve the oranges and remove the pulp with a spoon. Remove the stones from the prunes and cut the prunes in thirds. Mix with the orange pulp; add a little sugar if necessary and let chill. In the meantime wash the orange shells well and dry them. Re-fill with the mixture, and serve on plates covered with paper doilies. Watermelon Cup To each pint of watermelon balls (made with a French potato scoop) add J cupful of sugar, -J tablespoonful lemon juice, six minced Maraschino cherries, and six cooked raisins. Let stand to become very cold and serve in frappe glasses. Banana Cup 6 ripe bananas 6 tablespoonfuls powdered 2 grapefruit (pulp and juice) sugar 2 oranges 6 candied cherries i 5 4 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Peel the bananas and form into tiny balls with a French potato cutter. Remove the pulp from the oranges and grapefruit, cut in bits and add to the balls with all available fruit juice. Add the sugar and let the mixture stand until well-chilled ; serve in high sherbet cups. Gar- nish with the cherries. Use the banana pulp remaining from the balls toward a dessert for the next day. (See Banana Bavarian Cream.) Summer Fruit Cup Let slices of peeled peaches, bits of prepared pineap- ple, stoned cherries, white grapes, seeded and skinned, and orange juice, stand in their own juice and syrup to half cover, until thoroughly chilled. Serve in tall glasses, as an appetizer, with a few spoonfuls of any fruit sherbet or water-ice. Fig Fruit Cup 2 cupfuls cooked figs, cut i tablespoonful lemon juice into bits I cupful quartered marsh- i cupful peaches, cut into mallows bits Mix thoroughly. Let stand in a cold place two hours, and serve with or without whipped cream. Use only as a dessert. Cantaloupe Cup Wash small melons, cut in halves crosswise, scrape out the seeds, scoop out the pulp with a spoon. To each cupful of pulp add an equal quantity of shredded pine- apple, J cupful of currant or raspberry jam, i tablespoon- ful lemon juice, a grating of nutmeg and sugar to taste. Let stand, covered, for two hours in the ice-box. Re- fill the shells and serve individually, each on a grape leaf. If desirable, the fruit may be chilled in an ice-cream freezer with one-quarter as much salt as ice. It should not be allowed to remain more than two hours as it will turn to ice. Fruit Soups Fruit soups are made of sifted, stewed fruit, sweetened, thickened with corn starch, arrowroot or tapioca to the FRUITS 155 consistency of a cream soup, sweetened to taste while hot, and flavored with a dash of lemon juice, or a little spice. They are then chilled and served in tiny bowls, or bouillon cups, as appetizers, or in glasses as informal desserts or for the children's supper. General Directions for Fruit Soups Currants, cherries, raspberries, blueberries and grapes, as well as rhubarb and strawberries, may be used. As much water again may be added over that generally used in the plain stewing of fruit. A tablespoonful of corn starch or arrowroot, dissolved in a little cold water, should be used to thicken each pint of liquid. Sugar and a few grains of salt may be added to taste. A tablespoonful of pearl tapioca, or a half tablespoonful of quick tapioca, should be used to each cupful and a half of " soup " if this thickening is chosen. DRIED FRUITS During the winter months, when fresh fruits are ex- pensive and, in some cases, not to be obtained, the dried fruit fills the breach, offering in great variety the miner- als and acids that are necessary to sustenance. It is not generally known that during the process of evaporation all fruits undergo a slight chemical change increasing the amount of sugar which they contain. The reason that dried fruit sauces frequently taste insipid is because this latent sugar is entirely ignored, the sauce being sweet- ened until the tart fruit flavor is entirely overcome. Prunes, for instance, contain a large percentage of sugar, almost identical with cane sugar, yet the majority of housewives add an excess amount ,of sweetening, and then say that " Their family will not eat prunes." Really good cooking consists in developing natural flavors, and well-cooked dried fruits are redolent with their own de- liciousness. Just as lemon juice is frequently added to brighten fresh pineapple, or orange juice to strawberries, the evaporated fruits are often made more sparkling by the addition of other flavors. Ground cinnamon or cloves may be occasionally used with prunes, ginger root or candied ginger with pears, while orange and lemon rind 156 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK and juice, or a little tart jelly, are additions to all varie- ties. General Directions for Cooking Dried Fruits The dried fruits in common winter use are pears, peaches, apricots, prunes, loganberries, strawberries and figs, while dates have a definite place in combination with other materials. Only the sun- or home-dried varieties should be used. Because of the tough skin, it is usually necessary to soften and cook them before they appear in any way. First of all, they must be washed thoroughly, then submerged in warm water for twelve hours in a cov- ered utensil. At the end of this time they will have swol- len to their original shape, and, although uncooked, are already tender. The cooking may be done in three ways in the double boiler, in a crock in the oven, or in the fireless cooker. In any case the water in which they are soaked serves as the liquid, the seasoning, as orange rind or spice, is put in at the beginning of the process; the liquid must not boil, and the sugar is not added until the last half hour. As a general rule, not less than two hours should be allowed for cooking prunes, apricots and peaches, while pears and figs are improved by three or four hours' time. Loganberries may be cooked in an hour. Like most of the dried fruits, prunes and figs are laxative, partly because of their coarse skin, and partly because of marked purgative properties. Stewed Prunes i pound prunes Rind of half an orange Water to cover about 3 cupful sugar (if desired) cupfuls Wash the prunes, brush and soak over night in cold water to cover; in the morning add the orange rind and bring very slowly to boiling point, then set back on the range and let cook slowly for two hours. Add sugar, if desired, after an hour and a half of cooking. Or, after reaching boiling point, put in a double boiler and let cook three hours. FRUITS 157 Thickened Prunes 1 cupful prunes il tablespoonfuls corn starch 2 cupfuls water or arrowroot or 2 table- i cupful sugar spoonfuls quick tapioca Few grains salt A few shavings of orange rind i tablespoonful lemon juice Wash the prunes and soak for twenty-four hours in two cupfuls of water. Add the orange rind and salt, and cook the prunes until nearly tender. Add the sugar and finish cooking. Skim out the prunes from the syrup. There should be one and one-half cupfuls of liquid left. If there is not, add boiling water to make up the balance. Thicken with the corn starch dissolved in a little cold water, and let boil up. Add the lemon juice. Remove the stones from the prunes. Add the prune syrup to the fruit and serve hot on French toast, or ice cold, plain or with whipped cream. Pickled Prunes 1 pound small prunes i teaspoonful allspice Juice and rind two lemons 2 peppercorns 4 blades mace 2 cupfuls sugar 2 teaspoonfuls whole cloves i cupful vinegar Wash the prunes and put on to cook in one quart of water. Add the lemon rind, and the spices tied in a cloth, and simmer for two hours, replenishing the water as it evaporates. Add the sugar and cook an hour longer, turn in the vinegar and lemon juice and boil for five minutes. Cool and serve with game, poultry or roast lamb. Baked Figs i pound pulled or layer figs i cupful sugar Rind and juice i orange Dash salt Wash the figs thoroughly and soak over night in water to cover. Place in an earthen dish, with salt and the grated orange rind, and bake very gently for three hours. Then add the sugar, cool, add the orange juice, and serve with or without whipped cream. Marshmallow Figs Wash pulled figs and let stand over night in water to 158 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK cover. In the morning cook in the same water in a double boiler till tender (or bake, as directed in previous recipe) ; add a little candied orange peel. When done, remove and simmer down the syrup directly over the fire. Cut a slit in each fig, and insert half a marshmallow. Arrange in high sherbet glasses, pour over the syrup, and serve very cold, with or without whipped cream. Stewed Figs i pound pulled or dried figs i cupful sugar Juice i lemon Wash the figs and put in a double boiler top, with cold water barely to cover. Let stand twelve hours, then set over hot water and cook gently until tender. Remove the figs, add the sugar to the remaining liquid and boil hard for ten minutes. Cool, add lemon juice and pour over figs. Stewed Dried Pears i pound dried pears Juice and rind \ lemon I cupful brown sugar i quart cold water Wash the pears; put to soak for twelve hours in the water to become soft. Then set over a low heat to sim- mer, cooking with the lemon rind until nearly tender; sweeten, cook ten minutes longer, cool and add the lemon juice. Dried Apricot Jam 1 pound dried apricots Water 2 lemons Granulated sugar i orange Soak the apricots over night with the sliced orange and lemon rind and pulp ; then stew very slowly, until soft, in the same water barely to cover; sift through a coarse colander and add two-thirds as much granulated sugar as apricot pulp. Simmer down very slowly till of the con- sistency of apple butter or jam, then seal in sterilized glasses. CHAPTER IV CEREALS ALL MEASUREMENTS ARE LEVEL GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR COOKING CEREALS In preparing cereals put the right amount of boiling water into the upper part of the double boiler, add a tea- spoonful of salt to each pint of water and, when this is boikng rapidly, stir in the necessary amount of cereal with a fork so slowly that the liquid does not stop boiling, for if this happens the cereal is liable to fall to the bottom of the utensil and the grains stick together, causing lumps. The cereal will have to be stirred occasionally during the direct cookery, which should last fifteen minutes. The method of cooking over the direct flame is used quickly to burst the grains, so that the starch may come at once in contact with the boiling water and receive its fair quota of cookery. It may then be set over the lower part of the double boiler containing boiling water and be allowed to cook the remaining time designated in the following table. If desired, the first cookery may be done at night while the dishes are being washed, and be finished in the morn- ing. If a long-time cereal is to be prepared, it may be entirely cooked the day before, left in the double boiler with the lid on to prevent the formation of crust, and, in the morning, a little hot water poured over the top, and the cereal gradually heated. When it is hot, it may be gently stirred with a fork and the hot water will slowly diffuse into the cereal, making it soft but not lumpy. This same process may be employed in re-heating left- over cereals for the next day's use. i6o MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Kind Quantity Salt Water cupfuls teaspoonfuls cupfuls i 2s 2i 2i ii Farina Rolled Oats Rice Steamed Brown Rice Steamed Plain Boiled Rice Brown Rice Boiled Whole Oatmeal Fine Hominy Coarse Hominy or Samp Cornmeal Bran 3! ii i| 2 i4 5 4^ 3 3 4^ 4i 4 3 4 6 3 Time 45 minutes 45 minutes 45 minutes 45 minutes 25 minutes 45 minutes 3 hours I hour 3 hours 3 hours 5 hours The many steam-cooked and " partly-cooked " cereals on the market should be cooked one hour despite the directions on the package. Fried Meat Mush Prepare cornmeal mush by adding a scant cupful of home-ground cornmeal to a quart of boiling water con- taining i l / 2 teaspoonfuls of salt. Let it cook slowly for thirty minutes, then add a generous pinch of sage leaves, and from one to two cupfuls of minced cold meat beef, lamb, ham, or veal, left-over cooked sausage or bacon, or a mixture of them. Pour into a small bread tin or pound baking powder cans and let stiffen. Unmould, dip in flour, and fry either in deep fat or in bacon drippings. Fried Cornmeal Mush I quart boiling water I teaspoonful salt Home-ground cornmeal A little sage Make an ordinary thick mush of the boiling water and cornmeal. Season with the salt and pour in a shallow pan to stiffen. Then dip in a beaten egg diluted with half a cupful of milk ; then in fine dry crumbs, and fry in bacon fat, or in deep fat. Serve with crisp bacon. Or omit the sage, fry in deep fat and serve with syrup. 4 cupfuls boiling water ii teaspoonfuls salt Light cream Mush, Hunter's Style I cupful home-ground corn- meal Scraped maple sugar Add the salt to the water, then gradually sprinkle in CEREALS 161 the cornmeal. Let cook fifteen minutes over a free flame ; then forty-five minutes in a double boiler. Serve with cream and scraped maple sugar. Hominy and Nut Roll if cupfuls chopped English I teaspoonful pepper walnut meats i cupful fine dry bread I cupful hominy (coarse) crumbs ii cupfuls milk (scalded) i teaspoonful minced parsley i hard-cooked egg ii teaspoonfuls onion juice i teaspoonful salt Combine the salt and milk and cook until soft in a double boiler. Chop the egg and walnuts and add with other ingredients to the hominy. Season well to taste and form into a six-inch roll. Cover with buttered crumbs. Dot with bits of butter or oleomargarine and bake one- half hour in a moderate oven, basting occasionally with 2 tablespoonfuls of butter (or substitute) melted in J/ cup of hot water. Serve very hot with nut sauce. Fried Hominy Pour cooked hominy into baking powder cans that are well-oiled. Let stiffen ; turn out, dip in flour and fry in beef drippings, bacon or ham fat or deep fat till browned. Hominy Omelet 3 cupfuls cooked coarse horn- 2 cupfuls well-seasoned iny or samp thickened stewed tomatoes Bacon or sausage fat Melt the fat in a large frying pan, spread in the hominy, pack it down, and fry gently until well browned. Then spread half of the tomato mixture on this, fold it over, slide onto a platter and serve surrounded by the re- maining tomato. To make this into a substantial supper or luncheon dish, garnish it with cooked sausages or bacon. Plain Macaroni 1 cupful macaroni, broken in I teaspoonful salt i-inch pieces ii cupfuls white sauce 2 quarts boiling water Cook the macaroni in boiling salted water twenty 162 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK minutes, or until soft, and drain in strainer; cold water may be poured over it to keep the pieces from adhering, but if this is done food value is lost; add to the white sauce. Re-heat and serve. Baked Macaroni and Cheese Put a layer of boiled macaroni in a buttered baking dish, sprinkle with grated cheese, add a second layer of macaroni and cheese, and pour over White Sauce No. 2, cover with buttered crumbs and bake till the crumbs are browned. Macaroni with Tomatoes I teaspoonful minced onion ii cupfuls sifted stewed to- i tablespoonful bacon fat matoes I tablespoonful flour \ teaspoonful salt i pint boiled macaroni Cook the onion in the fat until slightly browned. Add the flour and gradually the tomato and salt, making a sauce. Stir in the macaroni, an/d re-heat before serving. One-half cupful of grated cheese is a pleasant and nutri- tious addition. Macaroni with Asparagus 2% cupfuls cooked macaroni 4 tablespoonfuls flour i bunch cooked asparagus 4 tablespoonfuls butter i cupful asparagus water i teaspoonful salt i cupful milk 4 teaspoonful pepper ^ cupful buttered crumbs Make a sauce of the flour, butter, seasonings, aspara- gus water (saved from cooking the asparagus) and the milk. Cut the asparagus in inch lengths. Put a layer of the macaroni in a buttered baking dish, then one of as- paragus and the sauce, repeating until the dish is filled. Finish with the crumbs and bake in a moderate oven till browned. Macaroni Winchester 2^ cupfuls cooked macaroni i tablespoonful flour i can of mushrooms, or 4 tablespoonfuls butter i cupful fresh mushrooms Few grains nutmeg cut in quarters Buttered crumbs i cupfuls chicken stock Salt and pepper to taste Few drops onion juice ' CEREALS 163 Drain and rinse the mushrooms and cut in quarters. Saute (fry) till soft (about five minutes) in the butter, and season with a bit of nutmeg. Add the flour and onion juice to this, and gradually the chicken stock. Let boil, turn in the macaroni and put in buttered ramekins. Sprinkle crumbs over the top and bake till brown in a quick oven. Macaroni, Brooklyn Style 2\ cupfuls cooked macaroni i teaspoonful minced pars- 2 cupfuls chicken, or any ley meat stock Few drops onion juice 2 tablespoon fuls flour Salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoonfuls butter 6 eggs Grated cheese Make a sauce of the butter, flour, parsley and stock as usual. Add the cooked macaroni, and half-fill buttered ramekins with the mixture. Very carefully break a raw egg in each, dust with salt and pepper and a grating of cheese, and set in the oven till firm. Serve very hot. Macaroni Custard 3 cupfuls cooked macaroni ii teaspoonfuls salt 2 cupfuls milk teaspoonful pepper 2 eggs i teaspoonful melted butter Heat the milk, add the butter and seasonings, and pour onto the eggs, slightly beaten. Put the macaroni in a baking-dish, pour on the milk mixture, stand in a pan of hot water, and bake gently till " set " or firm in the mid- dle. This will take about thirty minutes. Macaroni on Toast ii cupfuls macaroni, cut in ii tablespoonfuls flour inch lengths i teaspoonful salt ii cupfuls strained tomato \ teaspoonful pepper juice i cupful cooked meat, diced ii tablespoonfuls bacon fat Buttered toast Cook the macaroni in ample boiling salted water until tender. Make a sauce of the bacon fat, flour, salt, pepper and tomato juice and let boil. Add the cooked macaroni and the meat, and serve on toast. 164 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Spaghetti Italian 1 pound spaghetti i can Italian tomato paste \ cupful olive oil Water 3 cloves garlic Parmesan cheese Boil the spaghetti, until tender, in salted water, then drain. In the meantime fry the garlic till yellowed in the olive oil. Combine the tomato paste with an equal amount of water, add to the garlic and oil and simmer until thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour this sauce over the spaghetti and serve with plenty of grated Parmesan cheese. Spaghetti Italian with Meat Sauce Observe the proportions in the preceding recipe, with this addition gently fry three veal chops with the oil and garlic, adding a little salt. Shred the meat and add it to the tomato sauce. Spaghetti with Broiled Ham 2\ cupfuls cooked spaghetti i\ cupfuls canned tomato 2 tablespoon fuls ham fat juice i teaspoonful minced onion i teaspoonful Worcestershire I tablespoonful flour i teaspoonful salt \ cupful grated cheese Few grains cayenne Make a sauce by melting the ham fat, and cooking the onion in it until soft, adding the flour, seasonings, and gradually the tomato juice. Turn in the spaghetti, add the cheese, let stand to become very hot, and serve with thin slices of broiled ham as a garnish. Spaghetti Garden Style I pound spaghetti i cupful fresh, or canned, 4 tablespoonfuls butter peas 3 tablespoonfuls olive oil i cupful fresh, or canned, large onion (sliced) string beans carrot (diced) I cupful canned tomato juice turnip (diced) 4 tablespoonfuls grated Par- stalk celery (diced) mesan cheese tablespoonful minced pars- Salt and pepper ley Fry the onion until yellowed in the oil. Add the butter and, when melted, all the other vegetables, except the peas and string beans, if they are canned. Cook the mixture CEREALS 165 gently until the vegetables are done, then add the canned peas and beans if they are used. Season to taste and pour over the spaghetti, which should be boiled and drained. Arrange on a platter and sprinkle with the cheese. Spaghetti alia Genoese 1 pound spaghetti 3 cloves garlic, minced 4 tablespoonfuls butter 5 anchovies 3 tablespoonfuls olive oil Grated Parmesan cheese Boil and drain the spaghetti as usual. In the meantime prepare a sauce by frying the garlic in the olive oil, and adding the butter when the garlic is yellow. Bone the anchovies, shred them and add to the sauce. Pour over the heated spaghetti, mix well and pass the cheese. Noodles 2 eggs Water i teaspoonful salt Flour Break the eggs in a bowl and add two egg-shells full of cold water. Stir in the salt and work in sifted flour to make a dough the consistency of pie crust. Knead a lit- tle, roll into a large sheet of pasteboard thickness, cover with a cloth and let dry for thirty minutes. Then roll like jelly roll and with a sharp knife cut the noodles into thin strips. Use at once, or dry further if they are to be stored. Noodles and Tomato Sauce Boil the noodles until tender in salted water and turn the liquid into the stock-pot or use toward a cream soup. Re-heat the noodles in tomato sauce and serve with steamed frankfurters, baked bacon or sausages, or ac- companied with grated cheese. Creamed Noodles Boil the noodles in salted water, drain them and re-heat in White Sauce No. 2, allowing a cupful of sauce to two and a half cupfuls of cooked noodles. Noodles in Cheese Sauce Boil the noodles in salted water till tender, drain, re- i66 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK heat in cheese sauce and serve with or without a garnish of bacon. Fried Noodles No. 1 Drop the freshly made noodles into deep fat hot enough to brown a bit of bread in a minute. Fry until golden brown, then drain on crumpled paper. Fried Noodles No. 2 Plain boil the noodles in salted water, drain and chill them; chop coarsely and fry until brown in savory drip- pings. This is a good way to use up left-over noodles as a vegetable. Cinnamon Noodles Boil the noodles in milk. When tender drain, season with butter, dust them with cinnamon and serve hot with sugar. Or boil them in salted water, drain, dust with cinnamon and serve with sugar and light cream. To Blanch Rice Put the rice over a hot fire in a large saucepan of cold water and stir occasionally while it is heating. Let boil five minutes, then drain, and let cold water from the fau- cet run through it. The rice is now white and clean, and the grains do not stick to each other. Then proceed to boil as usual. However, this is a wasteful method, and absolutely unnecessary unless coated rice is used. Buttered Rice 3 cupfuls boiled brown or 1 cupful melted butter uncoated rice Add the butter to the rice ; mix well with a fork, set in the oven to re-heat for a few minutes and serve at once. Curry of Rice I cupful brown or uncoated 4 tablespoonfuls butter rice i teaspoonful curry i$ teaspoonfuls salt Boil the rice rapidly in ample salted water to cover. Drain, reserving the liquor towards a soup, and either dry the rice in the oven, or steam until dry. Then add CEREALS 167 the butter and curry, creamed together, stirring it in lightly with a fork. Serve very hot. Savory Kice 1 cupful brown or uncoated ij teaspoonfuls salt rice & teaspoonful pepper 2 tablespoonfuls bacon or ii cupfuls stewed tomatoes sausage fat 2 cupful grated Parmesan 1 onion . cheese 2 cloves 2 cupfuls soup stock or water Melt the fat in a saucepan, add the onion stuck with the cloves and the dry rice, and cook until the fat is taken up. Then add the tomatoes, the salt, pepper and liquid and let simmer, until the rice is tender and the liquid absorbed. Remove the onion. Then stir in the cheese with a fork, set over hot water for ten minutes to melt the cheese, and serve very hot. Rice and Pimentoes an Gratin I cupful brown rice i cupful sliced or grated I pint milk (scalded) cheese I small can pimentoes I teaspoonful salt (minced) i teaspoonful pepper Boil the rice until tender. Then combine with the other ingredients, pour into a well-buttered baking dish, and bake until browned in a hot oven. Rice with Onions and Peppers 3 cupfuls boiled brown rice i teaspoonful salt 6 onions i teaspoonful pepper 3 green sweet peppers Paprika i can fresh mushrooms, 3 tablespoonfuls butter or quartered (optional) olive oil i cupful grated American or Parmesan cheese Shred the onions and peppers and cook until soft and yellowed in the fat. Add the mushrooms, if they are used, when the vegetables are half fried. Then add the rice and seasonings and cook gently, stirring occasionally, until all is well-heated through. Press down in omelet shape, and brown. Sprinkle with the cheese, fold over and turn onto a hot platter. To make this substantial i68 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK enough for the main dish of a meal add one cupful of minced ham. Risotto alia Milanese ii cupfuls uncoated rice I onion 3 tablespoonfuls olive oil Soup stock 5 tablespoonfuls butter Grated Parmesan cheese Slice the onion and fry it slowly in the oil. Add the butter and, when it is melted, the rice, washed and well- drained. Fry until the rice is yellowed, stirring con- stantly, and add two cupfuls of the stock. When this has been absorbed, add more broth until the rice is done. It should then be of the consistency of spaghetti. Stir in a little more butter and two tablespoonfuls of cheese. Risotto with Crabs or Shrimps i pound crabs or shrimps 4 tablespoonfuls butter i cupfuls uncoated rice I clove garlic 3 tablespoonfuls olive oil i stalk celery i onion, sliced I tablespoonful minced pars- 1 small carrot ley Salt and pepper to taste Grated Parmesan cheese Dice the carrot and celery and fry them in the oil, then add the fish, well-washed and dried, and stir constantly until they are completely red. Pour over two quarts of salted water, boil for five minutes and remove the fish, but do not discard the water. Shell half of the fish and put them aside. Pound the others well, rub them through a sieve and mix with the water. Fry the onion in the butter, add the rice, washed and drained, and, when yel- low, turn in the fish liquor. When almost done, add the whole fish, and, just before serving, season with salt and pepper to taste and dust with the cheese. Savory of Rice with Nuts 3 cupfuls boiled brown rice cupful broken walnuts 2 cupfuls milk or stock i teaspoonful minced onion 2 eggs slightly beaten i tablespoonful pimentoes \ teaspoonful salt - 2 tablespoonfuls butter i teaspoonful pepper Coarse buttered crumbs Soften the onions and pimentoes in the butter. Add the stock, seasonings and rice, stir in the nuts and eggs, CEREALS 169 pour into a well-oiled baking dish and sprinkle with coarse crumbs, well-mixed with melted butter. Set in a pan of hot water in a moderate oven and bake forty-five minutes. Rice Cakes I cupful brown or uncoated i quart milk rice (uncooked) i cupful sugar 1 cupful butter Salt to taste Grated rind and juice of a lemon Add the rice and salt to the milk, and cook until the liquid is absorbed and, the rice is tender, adding more liquid if necessary. Add the butter, sugar and lemon juice and rind. Mix thoroughy without breaking the rice ker- nels. Cool, form into cakes, clip in flour and fry on hot griddle. Serve with cream or maple syrup. Sweet Rice Cakes (with Cooked Rice) 3 cupfuls cold boiled brown i egg or uncoated rice i cupful sugar Mix the ingredients together in the order given. Form into flat cakes, roll in flour, and fry on a hot griddle. Serve with maple syrup, melted jelly, or a fruit sauce. Moulded Brown Rice 2 cupfuls boiled brown rice \ cupful chopped, candied (cooled) ginger \ cupful chopped English Honey whipped cream walnuts Combine the rice, nuts and ginger and pack into but- tered timbale moulds. Let chill, then turn out and serve garnished with the cream. CHAPTER V EGGS AND SAVORY EGG DISHES ALL MEASUREMENTS ARE LEVEL Egg cookery may be divided into the following general groups : 1. Boiled eggs, soft and hard. 2. Poached eggs cooked in water, stock or milk. 3. Eggs shirred in individual dishes surrounded by hot water. 4. Egg timbales, surrounded by hot water. 5. Fried forms, including plain fried eggs, scrambled eggs, omelets and egg croquettes. 6. Souffles. Testing Fresh Eggs Drop the egg carefully into a deep saucepan full of cold water ; if fresh, it will sink at once to the bottom ; if it sways about on one end, nearly upright, but still under water, it is not fresh, but can still be used. If, however, the egg promptly bobs up to the surface and floats about, it is spoiled. Terms Used in Beating Eggs Eggs that are slightly beaten are not separated, and are beaten until a spoonful can be taken up. Egg yolks are well-beaten when they become thick and lemon-colored. Egg whites are beaten dry when they are stiff enough to remain in the dish as it is turned upside down. They will then be dead-white in color, like newly-fallen snow. In beating eggs the most common utensils used are the wheel egg-beater, or a wire whisk. The wheel egg-beater costs from ten to twenty-five cents, according to the quality, and the whisk twenty-five cents. When beating 170 EGGS AND SAVORY EGG DISHES 171 egg whites, the whisk is often employed, as it is possible to make the whites lighter in this way. Boiled Eggs Properly speaking eggs should not be boiled at all unless for hard cooking, but should be cooked by the old- fashioned method known as " coddling." To do this, put the eggs in a thick earthenware utensil, pour over boiling water, cover and set in a warm place, six minutes for soft cooking and eight for a slightly firm result. Hard-Boiled Eggs Put the eggs on in cold water, bring to boiling point, boil rapidly for ten minutes and then chill in cold water. This is the only method whereby a green ring around the yolk may be avoided. Poached Eggs Select a fairly deep frying pan, fill it three-fourths full of boiling water slightly salted, break the eggs one by one, gently, into a saucer and slide into the boiling water. Baste the yolks gently with a little of the water to co'ok the tops. The water should not boil after the eggs have been put in but should be kept merely at simmering point. Cook until the white is firm, then remove the eggs with a perforated spoon to buttered toast. Dust with salt and pepper and pour over a little melted butter. Eggs should be at least two days old to poach successfully. Eggs Poached in Broth Eggs are sometimes served in this way to reinforce an otherwise scanty luncheon or supper. Proceed as di- rected for plain poached eggs, substituting broth for the water. Serve the broth and eggs together in bouillon cups or marmites (covered earthenware cups). Milk Toast with Poached Eggs Scald the milk in a flat saucepan, add salt to taste, and gently break the eggs, one by one, into a saucer. Slip into the milk and poach as usual, taking care the milk does not boil. Then have ready buttered toast; set the eggs on it, pour over the hot milk and serve at once. 172 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Poached Eggs on Tomato Toast i cupfuls sifted thick stewed 2 tablespoonfuls flour tomato 2 tablespoonfuls butter or \ tablespoonful minced onion bacon fat i tablespoonful minced green \ teaspoonful salt pepper $ teaspoonful pepper \ cupful minced cooked ham 6 slices buttered toast 1 teaspoonful sugar i cupful grated cheese 6 eggs Fry the onions and pepper in the butter till softened. Add the flour and seasonings and the tomato, gradually. Let boil up once, strain and add the ham. While re- heating, poach the eggs, pour the tomato sauce over the toast, carefully put the eggs in place on the toast, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and grated cheese. Egg Benedict Allow a large round slice of buttered bread or half an English muffin, split, to each person. On this lay a round slice of broiled ham. Then place on it a poached egg. Coat this with Hollandaise sauce, and garnish with a bit of truffle or cooked mushroom. Asparagus Eggs 2 cupfuls rich milk i cupful cooked asparagus 2 tablespoonfuls flour cut in inch lengths 2 tablespoonfuls butter 6 eggs i teaspoonful salt 2 tablespoonfuls grated Par- Few grains pepper mesan cheese Make a sauce of the first five ingredients. Add the asparagus and, when very hot, slip in the eggs very gently and poach, till set, over hot water. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, strew with grated cheese, and serve on buttered toast. % Plain Egg Timbales Butter thickly several timbale moulds, then sprinkle them with a finely chopped mixture of ham, cooked sau- sage, smoked salmon, or left-over chopped cooked ba- con and parsley. Very carefully break an egg into each mould, sprinkle tine tops with a little salt and pepper and set in a pan three-quarters full of boiling water. Let them cook gently, until firm, in a moderate oven, keeping the water at simmering point. It will take about fifteen EGGS AND SAVORY EGG DISHES 173 minutes. Then unmould on rounds of hot buttered toast and serve with white or tomato sauce. Baked Eggs in Tomato Sauce 2 tablespoonfuls bacon fat -2 tablespoonfuls flour i cupfuls strained tomato i teaspoon ful pepper juice i teaspoonful salt 6 eggs Make a sauce of the bacon fat, flour, seasonings and tomato juice. Pour into an earthen baking dish ; break the eggs singly on a saucer, and slip into the sauce. Dust lightly with salt and pepper, and bake in a moderate oven until the eggs are set. Shirred Eggs Butter individual baking dishes, and carefully slip in one or two eggs, as desired. Dust lightly with salt and pepper, and add a bit of butter. Set the dishes in a pan of boiling water, and cook the eggs gently in the oven until they are set. It will take about ten minutes for medium- soft eggs. They can be cooked directly in the oven with- out the hot water medium in a shorter time, but they will not be so digestible. Shirred Eggs, Creole Heat a cupful of left-over stewed tomatoes ; add a lit- tle diced onion and green peppers, cooked until soft and yellow, and put a tablespoonful of the mixture into the desired number of individual ramekins. Slip the egg on this and bake gently, until set. It is not necessary to use a pan of hot water, as the liquid from the tomato will prevent too rapid cooking. Baked Eggs with Creamed Potatoes 2 cupfuls diced potatoes \ teaspoonful pepper 2 cupfuls milk 2 tablespoonfuls grated 2 tablespoonfuls flour cheese 2 tablespoonfuls butter 6 eggs I teaspoonful salt Make a white sauce of the butter, flour, milk and sea- sonings ; add the potatoes, and pour into a shallow, but- tered baking dish. Break the eggs one by one into a saucer and slip them carefully upon the mixture; sprin- 174 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK kle lightly with salt and pepper and cheese and set in a moderate oven to cook. Serve when the eggs are " set," which will be in about ten minutes. Baked Eggs and Mashed Potatoes Oil a shallow earthen dish with bacon fat. Fill almost full with mashed potatoes, well seasoned. Make inden- tations in the potato, pour in a little melted bacon fat, and brush the top of the mixture with it. Drop an egg into each hollow and set in the oven to bake until the eggs are set and the potato is browned. Eggs a la King 4 tablespoonfuls butter 2 ctipfuls light cream or rich 3 tablespoonfuls flour milk 2 tablespoonfuls minced i cupful fresh or canned green peppers mushrooms 8 hard-cooked eggs, sliced Few grains paprika I teaspoonful salt Few grains nutmeg Toast Melt the butter, and cook the peppers and mushrooms in it until soft. Stir in the flour and seasonings and cook until frothy, then add the cream gradually, stirring con- stantly. Gently add the hard-cooked eggs. Set over hot water, let become very hot and serve on buttered toast. Or, pour into a buttered baking dish, cover with crumbs mixed with melted butter, and brown in a quick oven. Curried Eggs 4 hard-cooked eggs I cupful boiled brown rice i cupful White Sauce No. 2 teaspoonful curry powder 1 tablespoonful minced sweet green peppers Make the white sauce, add the curry mixed with a little cold milk and then the rice and peppers. Let stand to become very hot and serve garnished with the eggs quar- tered. Eggs ail Gratin 8 hard-cooked eggs i teaspoonful salt 3 tablespoonfuls flour It teaspoonful pepper 3 tablespoonfuls butter i cupful grated cheese 2 cnpfuls milk ^ cupful buttered crumbs Make a sauce of the butter, flour, milk and seasonings EGGS AND SAVORY EGG DISHES 175 and add the cheese. Slice the eggs crosswise. Butter a baking dish, and put in a layer of the eggs; cover with sauce and repeat until all is used. Cover with the crumbs mixed with 2 teaspoonfuls of melted butter and set in a hot oven to brown. Sliced Eggs with Cream Sauce and Olives 8 hard-cooked eggs Bread crumbs i dozen large olives ii cupfuls White Sauce No. 2 i uncooked egg Cut the eggs into thick slices, roll in fine dry bread crumbs, then in beaten egg, then in bread crumbs again. Fry to a light brown; arrange on a heated platter and pour over the eggs a rich white sauce, into which has been stirred the olives, minced. Stuffed Eggs with Ham Hard cook the eggs, remove the shells and cut the eggs into halves lengthwise. Scoop out the yolks, mash and measure and mix with it half the amount of ham minced very fine, melted butter to moisten, and made-mustard, salt and pepper to season. Pack the stuffing back into the eggs, press the halves together in pairs, roll in thin waxed paper and twist the ends like bon-bon papers to hold them firmly in position. Use the balance of the stuffing as a sandwich filling. Stuffed eggs can be varied in a great many ways; al- most any cooked meat, smoked fish, sardines, canned fish, or cheese, with a high seasoning of tabasco, Worcester- shire, catsup, etc., being suitable. Scrambled Eggs 6 eggs 4 teaspoonful pepper i cupful milk i tablespoonful butter or i teaspoonful salt bacon fat Break the eggs into a frying pan and beat with a spoon till broken. Add the remaining ingredients, beat slightly to blend, and place over a slow heat to cook, scraping up as it solidifies. When all is creamy, turn onto hot but- tered toast, and serve at once. Scrambled Eggs with Tomato Substitute thickly stewed, well-seasoned tomato for the 176 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK milk in the preceding recipe, and use bacon fat, if possible. Scrambled Eggs with Cheese Before cooking add a half cupful of finely shaved American cheese to the mixture for scrambled eggs. Scrambled Eggs with Ham or Dried Beef Add a half cupful of minced ham, or finely shredded dried beef, to the mixture for scrambled eggs. Scrambled Eggs with Asparagus Add a half cupful or more of diced, cooked asparagus to the mixture for scrambled eggs. Scrambled Eggs with Bacon Dice three or four slices of bacon, fry it, and add to the mixture for scrambled eggs. Omit the butter, sub- stituting instead a tablespoon ful of the bacon fat. Scrambled Eggs with Mushrooms Saute (fry) a cupful of quartered mushrooms in two tablespoon fuls of butter, or bacon fat, adding salt and pepper, and a dash of onion juice. Pour over the mixture for scrambled eggs and cook as directed, omitting the butter. Scrambled Eggs with Onions Peel and slice six medium-sized onions, and fry until soft and yellow in three tablespoonfuls of butter. Then add the mixture for scrambled eggs and cook as directed, omitting the butter. Scrambled Eggs with Left-Over Creamed Onions Add a cupful of creamed onions, with their sauce, to the mixture for scrambled eggs, omitting the milk. Cook as directed. Scrambled Eggs with Green Peppers Shred three sweet green peppers and fry until soft in 3 tablespoonfuls of butter. Then add the mixture for scrambled eggs and proceed as directed, omitting the butter. EGGS AND SAVORY EGG DISHES 177 Eggs Scrambled Over Hot Water (Individual) i egg Few grains pepper i cupful milk i teaspoonful butter or olive 1 teaspoonfnl salt oil Beat the egg in a double boiler top, add the other ingre- dients, and cook over boiling water until solidified about ten minutes stirring occasionally very gently to allow the uncooked portion from the center to get to the edges. This is especially good for children or invalids. Spanish Eggs 6 eggs i teaspoonful sugar 6 stuffed olives i teaspoonful salt 2 tablespoonfuls butter Few grains cayenne I teaspoonful minced onion \ tablespoonful minced sweet i teaspoonful capers (op- green peppers tional) 6 slices buttered toast i cupful sifted canned to- mato Melt the butter, add the onion and pepper, and saute (fry) till soft. Add the olives, minced, the sugar and tomato, and, when boiling, season and pour onto the eggs beaten slightly. Cook as scrambled eggs, and serve on toast. Fried Eggs For frying eggs, keep a pan for that purpose only. Heat it and put in enough fat (bacon, ham, sausage or beef, or butter if you have nothing better) barely to cover the bottom. Break the eggs one by one into a saucer, slip into the fat, salt and pepper lightly, and fry slowly until of the desired firmness, removing carefully to a heated platter with a griddle cake turner. OMELETS There are two classes of omelets, the French and the Puffy, and whereas these are capable of infinite variety all omelets may be included under these two heads. All omelets should have a certain per cent, of liquid added to them. The general proportion of liquid to an egg is a tablespoonful; either hot or cold water or milk, may be used. However, there are times when it is necessary to make eggs go as far as possible, and in this case a fourth 178 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK of a cupful of milk, and a fourth of a tablespoonful of flour may be allowed for each egg or a fourth of a cup- ful of White Sauce No. 2 may be used. Old-time authorities say that the success of an omelet is largely dependent upon the number of egg yolks that are used, and that they should number a third more than the whites to insure a tender result. This is undoubtedly true in a measure, and when convenient it is a good plan to add an extra yolk or two because they are rich in fat ; however, this is by no means necessary, if the omelet is properly cooked. Baking powder is not needed. General Directions for Making Omelets The omelet pan should be thoroughly clean. To an omelet of medium size allow a tablespoonful of the de- sired fat butter, bacon, or ham fat, giving a good selec- tion. Melt this fat in the omelet pan, and tip the pan so that it is thoroughly oiled, sides and all, but do not let the fat get very hot. Then pour in the omelet mixture and let it cook gently, lifting the mixture occasionally with a spatula or broad-bladed knife, so that the uncooked liquid portion may precipitate. When this has been done, allow it to brown on the bottom, and, if possible, set it in the oven for a moment to make the top firm. Cut at right angles to the handle, fold over and slip out onto a hot platter. If a special flavoring is to be introduced, it may be spread upon half of the omelet before it is folded and turned out. If an omelet has to stand some time before serving, choose one of the puffy varieties that contains flour. Various types of omelet are suitable for service at the different meals. Generally speaking, however, it is good form to serve very simple omelets at breakfast, as plain French or puffy omelet with a bit of bacon or ham, reserv- ing the more savory omelets for luncheon or supper. Sweet omelets may act as dessert at luncheon, or as the main course at luncheon or supper, if desired, although this is a little unusual. Variations of Plain Omelets Plain, Puffy, French and Swedish Omelets may be varied by means of sauces in a great many ways, and at the same time in connection with some left-over they may CURRIED EGGS IN CHAFING DISH SWEDISH TIMBALES EGGS AND SAVORY EGG DISHES 179 furnish the main portion of a meal. The following variations are among a few that may be used : Minced or Creamed Ham Creamed Dried Beef Left-Over Creamed Chicken Creamed Oysters Oysters in Brown Sauce Stewed Tomatoes Fried Onions with Fried Green Peppers Creamed Peas Creamed Spinach Left-Over Creamed Asparagus Bits of Cooked Bacon or Sausage Creamed or Sauted Mushrooms Boiled French Omelet 6 eggs 4 teaspoonful pepper 6 tablespoonfuls hot water Garlic (optional) i teaspoonful salt Rub the inside of a bowl with garlic. Break the eggs into the bowl, add the salt and pepper and beat until thick and light. Add the water, mix well, and turn into a warm omelet pan containing i tablespoonful of melted butter. Let set over the heat for a few moments, then raise the cooked portion so that the uncooked may pre- cipitate and be cooked. When " set " and brown on the bottom, roll as jelly roll, beginning at the side next the handle. If desired, minced ham or parsley, or a thick sauce may be rolled in the omelet. Omit the garlic, if desired, or if a sweet rilling is used. Puffy Omelet 6 eggs About 2 tablespoonfuls butter 6 tablespoonfuls hot water i teaspoonfuls salt i teaspoonful pepper Separate the eggs, beat the yolks till lemon-colored, and the whites until stiff. Add the hot water, and the salt and pepper to the yolks and fold lightly into the whites. Turn at once into an omelet pan which should be hot and well-oiled with the butter. Cook according to the general directions. i8o MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Sour Cream Omelet 5 eggs i teaspoonful salt I cupful sour cream i tablespoonful butter Paprika Beat the eggs until very light and frothy. Add the salt, paprika and cream. Pour into an omelet pan in which the butter has been melted and cook very gently accord- ing to the general directions. Swedish Omelet 4 eggs I teaspoonful pepper i cupful milk i tablespoonful flour 1 teaspoonful salt Dissolve the flour in the milk and add the seasonings. Separate the eggs. Beat the yolks light and add the milk. Whip the whites stiff, and turn in the yolk mixture. Keep the mixture light with cakes of white floating about. Turn into a warm omelet pan well-oiled with a table- spoonful of butter, and cook gently, according to the gen- eral directions. Spanish Omelet 2 tablespoonfuls butter i teaspoonful salt 2 tablespoonfuls chopped red 4 teaspoonful pepper peppers i tablespoonful chopped 1 tablespoonful chopped on- mushrooms ion i tablespoonful capers 2 tablespoonfuls flour 5 eggs i cupful stewed and sifted tomatoes Melt the butter, add the peppers and onion and cook until light yellow. Then stir in the flour, and add the tomato gradually. Let boil up once, add the seasonings, mushrooms and capers, and stir gradually into the egg yolks beaten very light. Cut and fold in the egg whites whipped very dry, and turn into a frying-pan in which 3 tablespoonfuls of butter have been melted. Cook accord- ing to the general directions and garnish with parsley, or if desirable make a double- quantity of tomato sauce and reserve half to pour around the omelet when completed. Asparagus Omelet 6 eggs i teaspoonful pepper 1 cupful milk | cupful asparagus cut in 2 tablespoonfuls flour inch pieces 2 tablespoonfuls butter Asparagus tips for garnish- i teaspoonful salt ing EGGS AND SAVORY EGG DISHES 181 Make a white sauce of the milk, flour, butter and sea- sonings. Add the cut asparagus. Separate the eggs; beat the whites stiff and the yolks till lemon-colored. Stir the white sauce into the yolks, and fold the whole into the egg whites, letting flecks of white float on the top. Finish according to the general directions. Turn onto a platter and garnish with asparagus tips. Cheese Omelet 6 eggs I cupful grated cheese i teaspoonful salt 3 tablespoonfuls hot water 4 teaspoonful pepper Beat the eggs thoroughly and add the water and season- ings. Melt a tablespoonf ul of butter in a frying pan, and, when white and frothy, pour the egg mixture into it. When the omelet is set and slightly browned on the bot- tom, sprinkle over the cheese and set it in the oven long enough to make the top firm, and then fold. Dried Beef Omelet I cupful dried beef, shredded J teaspoonful pepper 4 eggs i tablespoonful butter i cupful milk i tablespoonful flour Soak the beef twenty minutes in hot water. Drain well, and mix with the flour, milk, pepper and the egg yolks well beaten. Add the whites whipped stiff, and cook according to the general directions. Friday Omelet 4 medium-sized onions i teaspoonful salt i cupful canned tomato Dash pepper \ teaspoonful sugar 5 eggs i tablespoonful flour 2 tablespoonfuls butter or 3 tablespoonfuls hot water bacon fat Cut the onions in thin slices and fry, until thoroughly softened, in the butter. Then add the tomato and season- ings and, when well blended, the flour, mixed with a little tomato juice. Beat the eggs well, add water and seasonings and make a plain omelet. After standing in the oven to become " set " spread the vegetable mixture in the fold, roll over and transfer to a hot platter. 182 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Corn Omelet 4 eggs I teaspoon ful salt i cupful creamed corn i teaspoonful pepper 1 tablespoonful flour I tablespoonful butter Heat the corn, thicken with the butter and flour creamed together and season. Separate the eggs, beat the whites till dry and the yolks till lemon-colored. Add the corn to the yolks, and gradually fold this mixture into the whites. Turn into a warm, well-oiled omelet pan and cook gently according to general directions. Serve surrounded with extra creamed corn, if convenient. Artichoke Omelet 2 medium-sized artichokes I teaspoonful salt 3 tablespoonfuls olive oil 4 teaspoonful pepper 4 eggs 2 tablespoonfuls grated 2 tablespoonfuls water cheese Clean the artichokes, cut them in slices lengthwise and fry slowly in the oil, adding the salt and pepper. When they are tender, pour over the eggs, well-beaten, and mix with the water and cheese. Cook gently according to general directions. Serve garnished with spinach, if con- venient. Orange Omelet 6 eggs i tablespoonful corn starch 2 tablespoonfuls powdered \ cupful orange juice sugar Extra powdered sugar I teaspoonful salt Cocoanut i tablespoonful lemon juice Sliced oranges for garnishing Separate the eggs. Mix together the sugar, salt, corn starch and the lemon and orange juice. Beat the yolks light, and add this mixture to them. Beat the whites stiff and dry; fold in the first mixture and turn into a warm, well-oiled omelet pan. Cook gently according to general directions. Garnish with the sliced oranges, and sprinkle with powdered sugar and cocoanut. Pineapple Omelet I cupful shredded pineapple 6 eggs and juice Powdered sugar I tablespoonful flour Few grains salt Dissolve the flour and salt in the pineapple. Separate the eggs, and beat the yolks till lemon-colored, then add EGGS AND SAVORY EGG DISHES 183 them to the pineapple juice. Whip the whites stiff, fold them gently into the pineapple and turn the mixture into a warm omelet pan containing a tablespoon ful and a half of melted butter. Cook according to general directions. Sift powdered sugar thickly over it, when done, and serve with or without extra shredded pineapple. SOUFFLES Souffles or, as the name means, " puffed ups " are properly speaking baked omelets, in which the eggs have been beaten separately, the air, which has been incorpor- ated into the whites, being used to puff up the dish. True souffles will not stand any time after taking from the oven, and so must be served at once, unless they are reinforced with bread crumbs, flour or some other starchy element. Souffles may be divided into two classes, savory souffles and sweet souffles. The simplest form of a savory souffle is called baked omelet, or omelet souffle. Other souffles may be made by combining the eggs, with a certain percentage of thickened sauce and other ingredients, as, for instance, y 2 cupful White Sauce No. 3, 3 eggs, and 2 cupfuls of minced meat, vegetables or fish with suitable seasonings. If this pro- portion is kept in mind, many a left-over can be made into a suitable luncheon or supper dish with the additional expense only of the eggs. General Directions for Cooking Souffles Whenever possible, souffles should be baked in indi- vidual glass or earthenware dishes which are well-oiled, as they are usually made very heavy by the cutting of the spoon when served from a large dish. The dishes should be well rubbed with butter, oleomargarine or bacon fat and should be filled half-full, as the souffle, if properlv made, should rise to double its bulk. Individual dishes should be baked in a moderate oven for fifteen mjntites, and dishes holding enough to serve six should be baked for thirty minutes. When done the center will feel dry and firm, like sponge or angel cake. 184 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Baked Omelet, or Omelet Souffle 6 eggs 3 tablespoonfuls hot ham or i teaspoonful salt bacon drippings or chicken 4 tablespoonfuls cold water fat or milk ij tablespoonfuls flour i teaspoonful pepper Separate the eggs ; beat the yolks until lemon-colored ; add the flour, pepper and salt, and stir in the liquid. Beat the whites until dry, pour in the yolk mixture and trans- fer to a deep baking dish containing the melted hot fat. Bake in a moderate oven about twenty minutes. Baked Crumb Omelet or Souffle 4 eggs i J teaspoonfuls salt i cupful coarse stale bread & teaspoonful pepper crumbs I tablespoonful hot ham i cupful milk drippings or bacon fat Let the crumbs stand in the milk until softened. Sep- arate the eggs. Beat the yolks until lemon-colored, and add the seasonings and crumb mixture. Beat the egg whites until stiffened. Fold iiTthe egg whites, and bake in a well-oiled dish according to the general directions for cooking souffles. Cheese Souffle 4 tablespoonfuls butter or Few grains cayenne oleomargarine i cupful grated American 3 tablespoonfuls flour cheese \ cupful scalded milk 3 egga, separated 1 teaspoonful salt Melt the butter, add the flour, the milk gradually, and then the seasonings and cheese. Boil up once and add to the egg yolks beaten until lemon-colored. Cool the mix- ture and fold in the egg whites beaten stiff. Pour into a well-oiled baking dish and bake according to the general directions for cooking souffles. Potato Souffle 2 cupfuls well-seasoned fluffy 3 eggs mashed potatoes i teaspoonful powdered pars- i tablespoonful butter ley (optional) Few grains mace Melt the butter in the baking dish; beat together the EGGS AND SAVORY EGG DISHES 185 egg yolks, potato, mace and parsley. Then fold in the egg whites beaten stiff. Brown in a quick oven. One- half cupful of grated cheese may be added to this mixture if desired. Souffle of Yellow-Eyed Beans i pint yellow bean pulp i teaspoonful celery salt 4 eggs Few grains pepper Few drops onion juice Beat the egg yolks well. Add the seasonings and com- bine with the bean pulp. Beat the whites stiff, fold them into the first mixture, and pile lightly into well-oiled rame- kin dishes. Bake according to the general directions for cooking souffles. Tomato Souffle 1 cupful stewed tomatoes i teaspoonful salt 4 tablespoonfuls flour i teaspoonful pepper 2 tablespoonfuls butter on 5 eggs savory drippings Melt the butter, stir in the flour and seasonings, and gradually add the tomato. Separate the eggs, beat the yolks well, combine with the tomato and whip the egg whites till stiff ; fold into them the tomato mixture, turn into well-oiled ramekin dishes, and bake according to the general directions for cooking souffles. Souffle of Spinach cupful minced cooked spin- i cupful milk ach 2 tablespoonfuls chopped 2 tablespoonfuls butter raw prunes 2 tablespoonfuls flour 4 tablespoonfuls chopped \ teaspoonful salt cashew nuts or pecans Few grains mace' 5 eggs Make a white sauce of the butter, flour, mace, salt and milk. Add the prunes, spinach and nuts, and mix well ; add the egg yolks beaten light, then fold in the stiffly beaten whites. Pour into a buttered baking dish or ramekins, and bake according to general directions for cooking souffles. i86 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Chicken Souffle 2 tablespoonfuls butter I teaspoonfnl salt 2 tablespoonfuls flour i teaspoonful paprika I cupful milk 4 teaspoonful celery salt I cupful chicken stock i teaspoonful powdered pars- 1 cupful soft bread crumbs ley (optional) 3 eggs 2 cupfuls minced chicken Make a sauce of the butter, flour, milk and stock ; add the bread crumbs and seasonings, then the chicken, and pour into the egg yolks well-beaten. Fold in the whites beaten dry and bake according to the general directions for cooking souffles. Halibut Souffle 2% tablespoonfuls butter Few grains cayenne 2 tablespoonfuls flour i teaspoonful scraped onion 2 cupfuls milk (juice) i cupful bread crumbs Few grains mace 3 eggs 2 cupfuls finely-flaked cooked i teaspoonful salt halibut Make a sauce of the butter, flour, milk and seasonings ; add the crumbs and fish, pour into the egg yolks well- beaten, fold in the stiffly-beaten whites and bake accord- ing to general directions. Cooked haddock, codfish or bluefish may be substituted for the halibut. Salmon Souffle Make according to the recipe for halibut souffle, sub- stituting salmon. Lobster Souffle Make according to the recipe for halibut souffle, omit- ting the onion, and adding the juice of one-quarter of a lemon. Crabflakes may be substituted for the lobster. Salt Codfish Souffle 1 cupful shredded salt cod- 3 eggs fish i teaspoonful minced pars- 2 tablespoonfuls flour ley 2 tablespoonfuls butter, oleo- 2 cupfnls milk margarine or savory drip- i cupful soft bread crumbs pings i teaspoonful onion juice i teaspoonful pepper Make a white sauce of the butter, flour and milk. EGGS AND SAVORY EGG DISHES 187 Freshen the codfish, rinse well, then add to the sauce with the seasonings and crumbs. Separate the eggs, and beat the yolks light. Stir into the mixture, fold in the whites beaten stiff, and pour into a well-oiled baking dish. Bake according to the general directions for cooking souffles. Plain Lemon Souffle 3 eggs 3 tablespoonfuls powdered i tablespoonful lemon juice sugar i tablespoonful butter Heat a baking dish, first putting the butter in it ; when the latter melts, tip the dish so that it will oil the sides thoroughly. Separate the eggs and beat the yolks till lemon-colored. Add to them the sugar and lemon juice. Beat the whites stiff and dry, fold in the yolk mixture, heap into the baking dish, sprinkle with a little additional sugar, and bake gently until puffy and brown, according to the general directions for cooking souffles. Fig Souffle I cupful finely-chopped, \ tablespoonful lemon juice cooked figs, and a little Few grains salt juice 4 eggs 1 cupful sugar Grated lemon rind 2 tablespoonfuls corn starch Heat the figs, add the corn starch, sugar and salt well- mixed, and bring to boiling point. Turn in the lemon juice. Pour this mixture into the egg yolks beaten light, and fold in the egg whites beaten stiff. Bake according to the general directions for cooking souffles. Coffee Souffle 3 tablespoonfuls butter \ cupful _sugar 3 tablespoonfuls corn starch Few grains salt \ cupful strong black coffee 4 eggs cupful rich milk or cream j teaspoonful vanilla Make a sauce of the butter, flour, milk and coffee, add the salt and sugar, and pour into the egg yolks well- beaten. Fold in the egg whites whipped stiff, and bake according to the general directions for cooking souffles. CHAPTER VI YEAST BREADS ALL MEASUREMENTS ARE LEVEL What constitutes good white bread? On this point authorities differ, but they are agreed that it should be baked till the crumb, or inner part, becomes light in tex- ture, a little moist, but not soggy ; that it should be nutty and agreeable both to smell and taste ; that it should be light in color and evenly porous; and that the surface should be elastic enough to rebound when pressed. The loaf should rise evenly and not burst at either top or sides. It should be of uniform, golden-brown color, but the texture of the crust depends upon whether a milk or water bread is made. Bread is not good if it tastes or smells sour, and the crumb of white bread should not be dark in color. If these requirements are not met, there is something wrong in the way it is mixed, tended or baked, or with the yeast, flour or formula. The Yeast The first important thing is the yeast. This is made up of minute plants, the success of the finished loaf de- pending upon their proper growth ; and just as you coddle your rubber plant or Boston fern, the yeast plants must be nurtured until they have grown sufficiently. This may be judged by the amount the bread has risen. The growth of yeast, and, therefore, the rising of bread, de- mands close attention to temperature. Sudden chill is disastrous to yeast, the growth of which is checked by a radical drop in temperature. On the other hand, too great heat also causes unsatisfactory results, because at any temperature above ninety-five, various undesired or- ganisms are sure to develop, which will give the bread a sour flavor. The proper temperature for the growth of yeast is from seventy to ninety-five degrees Fahrenheit. 188 YEAST BREADS 189 In summer lower temperature is preferable, while in win- ter, when the flour is cold, higher may be used. Use of the Thermometer Many women say that they buy baker's bread because it is consistently good. The reason for this is that the baker always uses exact measurements, and fermentation is produced at a temperature regulated by the ther- mometer. There is no reason why every housekeeper should not use a thermometer in making bread as well as in preparing other foods. The woman who puts her bread to rise on the radiator, for instance, will find that the tem- perature will register from a hundred and fifty to two hundred degrees, and only somewhat lower if a wooden board is placed beneath the pan. If the bread is put next the radiator, it becomes too hot on one side, unless turned frequently, and if put on the back of the stove when the fire is at all hot, the heat is again directed unevenly. In hot weather the rising generally takes care of itself, but the only accurate method that I have ever found for win- ter use is to raise the bread over warm water. The dough should be placed in an enamelware bowl which fits over the top of a large stock-pot. The pot should then be filled with water at a hundred degrees, just full enough so that the enamelware pan touches the water when set in the pot. A lid is then placed over the dough and the whole set in the fireless cooker. Or if a fireless cooker is not at hand, the dough may be kept in a warm place just the same if the water is changed two or three times dur- ing the rising process. How to Use Compressed Yeast Compressed yeast is very inexpensive and produces uni- form results. However, to do good work it must be fresh, and should be of an even, light sand color with no dark streaks ; it should break crisply ; if there is any doubt about its freshness it should be dropped into a third cup- ful of tepid water, containing a tablespoonful of sugar. If fresh, bubbles will come at once to the surface. If they do not, the yeast should not be used. As compressed yeast works more rapidly than dry yeast, and as bread can be made from it with most excellent results without first 190 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK making a sponge, it is the most satisfactory kind to use when one is near a market and can buy it fresh whenever wanted. Still, if placed in cold water, compressed yeast may be kept a few days in the ice-box, or may be buried in salt, and kept in a cool place. How to Use Dry Yeast Those who live at some distance from the grocery will probably find it more satisfactory to use dry yeast. This is made of a strong stock yeast, thickened with cornmeal and dried at a low temperature to prevent fermentation. The strength is somewhat variable, as the yeast plants gradually die, so, contrary to customary use, the supply of dry yeast should be renewed frequently in order to keep the bread results uniform. In using dry yeast the bread should always be started with a sponge; the dry cake should be dissolved in a small amount of tepid water, then added to the desired amount of lukewarm liquid, and enough flour to make a soft batter beaten in, about a cup- ful and a half to a pint of the liquid. When it has risen till light, the remaining flour and the other ingredients may be added. The bread recipes in this book have been standardized for compressed yeast, but dry yeast may be substituted if this method is used. When strictest econ- omy must be practised, dry yeast is much less expensive when transformed into liquid yeast. In using this allow half a cupful to each pint of liquid to be used in making the bread. Varieties of Bread Bread may be made in such infinite variety that it seems a great waste of opportunity to confine it wholly to the usual " white bread." The latter has a definite place in the dietary, if it is used as a starch, rather than a pro- tein or mineral food, but white bread is a decidedly un- stable " staff of life " if used alone. On the other hand many of the so-called wheat flours, although highly ad- vertised, are little better, because a large part of the wheat has also been removed from them. When a real whole- wheat flour or meal can be obtained one made of un- denatured or unrobbed wheat bread becomes more than a starch ; it is a true nerve, blood and bone food. At the YEAST BREADS 191 same time it is particularly rich in vitamins, the life-giv- ing principles. Bran bread also has a place in the diet, for it brings bulk to help overcome constipation and minerals as a nerve tonic. Moreover, bran bread at least twenty-four hours old, toasted until crisp, will be found an excellent substitute for white bread toast to be used 1 by those troubled with obesity. Rye bread is easily made and is a good alternative for whole-wheat bread. Rice bread, made of brown rice, is substantial, and offers splendid nutritive properties, especially if combined with raisins or dates. Rice bread, of uncoated or brown rice and white flour, is an excellent starch food, and bread of unrobbed cornmeal, whether in the form of raised brown bread or in combination with whole-wheat flour and nuts, is a re- markable protein, starch and nerve food. However, in making breads of rice and these various meals, it is neces- sary for best results to use a little white or whole-wheat flour. The proportion may be varied as desired, but it should never be less than one-fourth.. White flour is sifted a multitude of times at the mill until it is of the desired fineness, the husks are discarded as bran, and the heart, which contains most of the fat, is sold a's shorts or middlings. Each of these products is a valuable food for farm stock, the animals being kept in fine condition on what we discard. Undoubtedly one rea- son white flour is so popular with the American housewife is because it keeps longer than flour made with the whole grain. Any honest miller who grinds up the whole of the grain will not guarantee the flour to keep more than three weeks, as the large amount of fat which it contains is liable to cause rancidity. It is, therefore, necessary to renew the supply of cornmeal or whole-wheat meal fre- quently. Another reason whole-wheat bread and those made of allied, unrobbed flours are not more frequently used is that modern housewives are not acquainted with the proper methods of making them and because they are disap- pointed in the slightly coarse texture which is liable to result. This coarseness is really of advantage, as it makes possible quicker access of the digestive juices, and thus hasten digestion. 192 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Flour for White Bread-Making The best flour for white bread-making is that made from spring wheat as it contains a large proportion of gluten which makes the dough more elastic than when pastry or winter-wheat flour is used. At the same time a little less flour is needed and the loaf is whiter. Winter- wheat or 'pastry flour contains more starch and is fre- quently less strong; that is, it does not have equivalent elastic powers. Bread flour is slightly granular ; pastry flour is more solid and cakes when pressed in the hand. Comparison Between Baker's and Home-Made Bread Many housewives contend that it is cheaper to buy baker's bread than to make white bread at home. On the contrary, I make two loaves of bread for four and a half cents each for materials when flour is at a normal figure. These loaves are as heavy as those costing ten cents apiece at the baker's. This leaves a margin of eleven cents over the cost of baker's bread for the fuel and labor of baking. As I always bake a pan of apples, a loaf of gingerbread, or some other food demanding the same temperature along with the bread, the fuel cost is neg- ligible. However, if baked alone about two cents' worth of gas would be used to each loaf. If baked in a coal range the cost cannot be computed, as the fire is always lighted. In a family of six, where there are .four children, an average of about nine loaves of bread a week will be eaten if the bread is home-made. This will cost at the utmost forty-five cents. If baker's bread is provided, more will be required, but even if it were not, the cost of the bread would be ninety cents, or forty-five cents more than when the bread is home-made. How to Use the Bread Mixer A good bread mixer should be one of the first acquisi- tions of a new household, and among the first purchases for the household already established. I know no one article, which, for the expenditure involved, will save as much time, strength, and nervous energy as a good bread mixer. Then top, the bread will be exactly as good, and probably more uniform than if kneaded by hand. In YEAST BREADS 193 making plain white, or whole-wheat, bread, pour in the warm water or milk, add the shortening, sweetening and salt, and the yeast dissolved in tepid water. The flour is then added all at once, exactly three times as much as there is liquid, and the handle of the mixer is turned for three minutes. It takes only about six minutes to mix up two loaves of bread, and there is nothing to be cleaned up afterward! At the same time less flour is needed than by the old method. After the bread has risen, cut it down and form it into loaves with the least possible handling, not even using a bread-board, but shaping it with the floured hands. In starting a rich bread like coffee cake, which needs a sponge, whip up the sponge in a bowl, using a heavy wire whisk, pour it into the bread mixer, and, when it has risen, add the flour and other ingredients. If the weather is very cold, set the pail of the bread mixer in a warm water bath, as described above. How to Make a Sponge Two kinds of sponge are used in making yeast-mix- tures. The first is made up of the milk or water specified in the recipe, the proper amount of yeast dissolved in a little warm water, and twice as much flour as liquid. In the second the yeast is softened in a little water, and enough flour is stirred into this to make a soft dough ; this is kneaded and dropped into the warm liquid which is to be used in mixing the bread. When this ball of dough rises to the top of the liquid, the rest of the ingredients may be added. General Proportions for a Loaf of Bread If bread is to be set over night, a fourth of a com- pressed yeast cake is allowed to each loaf. If it is to be set in the early morning and baked about two in the afternoon, a half of a compressed yeast cake should be allowed to each loaf. A cupful of milk or water, a fourth cupful of water in which the yeast should be dis- solved, a teaspoonful of salt, a tablespoon ful of butter, drippings, lard or oleomargarine, and a tablespoonful of sugar, with from three to four cupfuls of flour are the proper proportions for one loaf of bread. If a slightly tough bread is desired, omit the shortening. Milk pro- i 9 4 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK duces bread of finer texture than water, but bread of the latter keeps moist longer than that of the former. Many authorities feel that bread should rise several times to secure the best flavor. Personally I find that excellent results may be obtained with two risings for bread, and only three for rolls, coffee cake and the like. Baking Bread Undoubtedly one of the reasons bread is not properly baked is because the process is often hurried. Loaves of pound proportions should bake in forty-five minutes to an hour in an oven at 375 F. for the first three-quarters of the time. Biscuits and rolls need a hotter oven, about 400 F. at first, baking in about twenty-five minutes. During the first quarter of the time the bread will rise somewhat and will color slightly in spots. During the second quarter it will brown delicately. During the third quarter the baking is almost done, the last quarter being needed only to dry out the moisture, when the heat should be lowered. Bread is done when it shrinks away from the pan, can be tipped out on the hand, and held without burning, and when it sounds hollow if tapped. Even the shape and size of the pan affects the quality of the bread. If too deep, the bread will be coarse and soggy, if too shallow and wide, it is liable to. be dark and the crust very brittle. Round pans should not be used. The best size is seven and a half inches long by four and a quarter inches wide, and three inches deep. Treatment of the Finished Loaf To produce a teader crust, rub the warm loaf with a little butter or oleomargarine. To produce a crisp crust, beat up a little egg white and brush over the loaf when almost done. To produce a very soft crust, make a paste of a teaspoonful of corn starch dissolved in a little cold water and cook in half a cupful of boiling water for a few minutes. Apply this with a pastry brush shortly before the bread is done. If the bread is to be sprinkled with sugar, or sugar, nuts and cinnamon, dredge these over the paste before returning it to the oven, so that they will literally cook on. When bread is done, it should never be turned into a cloth and covered while cooling, as YEAST BREADS 195 this affects the flavor and makes the loaf soggy. A wire cake-rack, which allows a free circulation of air, should be used instead. A stone jar is the best utensil in which to store the bread. However, cut slices and bits of loaves should be kept in a separate closed utensil, as they fur- nish an excellent surface for the growth of mold. Bread, or spring wheat flour, gives the best results in the following recipes. Salt-Rising Bread 4 tablespoonfuls white corn- i teaspoon fnl salt meal i teaspoonftil sugar Boiling new milk Bread flour to knead i pint tepid water Scald the white cornmeal with the boiling new milk to a thick batter, and set in a warm place to rise over night. In the morning it should be somewhat light. To this sponge add the warm water, the salt and sugar, and thicken with flour to a medium sponge. Set this in a warm water bath, and keep the same temperature until raised light. It will be necessary to change the water occasionally. Keep it near the stove if possible. When it is light enough, add flour to knead. Shape at once into loaves, and when double in bulk bake as usual. White Yeast Bread (Over Night) 2 loaves at 4-2 cents each cupful water oo cupful milk 02 teaspoonful sugar 1 teaspoonful salt k 005 tablespoonful beef drippings J i cupful tepid water oo \ compressed yeast cake 01 Bread flour to knead, 6 or 7 cupfuls 05 \ .09 Dissolve the drippings in the hot milk, and pour into a bowl, add the water, cool till lukewarm. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water ; add to the milk, with the sugar and salt. Gradually add flour to make a stiff batter, stirring vigorously. Turn onto a slightly floured board and knead ten minutes. 196 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Set to rise in a warm place until double in bulk. Turn onto a board and form into loaves, with as little kneading as possible. Let rise again, and bake about forty-five minutes. Entire Wheat Bread (5 Hours) 2 cupfuls scalded milk I compressed yeast cake 2 tablespoonfuls sugar or 1 cupful tepid water Barbadoes molasses Entire wheat flour to knead 2 teaspoon fuis salt Add the sweetening and salt to the milk. Cool, and, when lukewarm, add the yeast dissolved in the tepid water. Stir in flour to make a stiff batter and knead till elastic. Place in a well-oiled bowl; wipe over the top with a little melted fat so that a crust will not form, and let rise until double in bulk. Form into loaves, let rise again, until nearly double, and bake forty-five to fifty minutes in a moderate oven. A half pound of seeded raisins may be added to the dough if desired. Unkneaded Graham Bread (Over Night) compressed yeast cake dis- i teaspoonful salt solved in i cupful tepid i cupful Barbadoes molasses water 3 cupfuls graham meal 2 cupfuls scalded milk Bread flour 2 tablespoonfuls butter or drippings Add the fat, molasses and salt to the milk. Cool until tepid, then add the yeast and the meal, beating thoroughly. Beat in bread flour until not quite thick enough to knead, cover and let stand to rise over night. In the morning cut down, divide into two or three loaves, turn into well- oiled bread pans, smooth the top with a knife, and let stand till double in bulk. Bake an hour in a slow oven. Gluten Bread (6 Hours) 3 cupfuls tepid water or milk i tablespoon ful butter, or ii compressed yeast cakes other shortening I tablespoonful sugar ii teaspoonfuls salt 6 cupfuls gluten flour Dissolve the yeast in a half cupful of the warm liquid, combine with the whole amount of liquid and beat in two cupfuls of the flour. Let stand in a warm place until YEAST BREADS 197 spongy, about an hour and a half. Then add the sugar, salt and the shortening, melted, and beat in the remain- ing flour. If necessary, add more flour until the mixture is thick enough to knead. Knead until elastic, let rise till double in bulk, shape into loaves, and, when light, bake in a moderate oven from fifty minutes to an hour. Unkneaded Rye Bread (5 Hours) 2 cupfuls rye meal 2 cupfuls .water or milk, in- 2 cupfuls bread flour eluding wetting for yeast 2 tablespoon fuls sugar i tablespoonful melted but- i compressed yeast cake ter or drippings Sift together the dry ingredients; add the liquid, which should be tepid, yeast and shortening. Mix well, place in well-oiled bread pans, let rise till double in bulk and bake forty-five minutes in a moderate oven. This makes one large or two small loaves. If started at eight o'clock, it can be finished by one. Rice Bread (6 Hours) I cupful tepid water i cupful milk I compressed yeast cake ii teaspoonfuls salt li tablespoonfuls sugar is tablespoonfuls butter, 1 cupful brown or uncoated drippings, or oleomarga- rice, cooked to a mush in rine slightly salted water Bread flour Dissolve the yeast in the water, and add a cupful of flour ; let rise until light and spongy, then add the shorten- ing, melted, the sugar, salt and the milk slightly warmed. In the meantime the rice should be cooked until very soft, but not really wet, and should be rubbed through a sieve into the sponge. Work in flour to knead about 4 cup- fuls. Cut down and shape into two loaves ; let rise till light again, and bake forty-five minutes in a moderate oven. White Yeast Bread (5 Hours) 2 cupfuls scalded milk or i batter, probably 6 to 8 cup- cupful water and i cupful fuls milk i cupful tepid water I tablespoonful butter, oleo- i teaspoonful salt margarine, or drippings i compressed yeast cake Bread flour to make a stiff i tablespoonful sugar Dissolve the shortening in the hot milk. Pour into a 198 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK bowl, and cool, till lukewarm. Dissolve the yeast in warm water; add to the milk, with the sugar and salt. Gradually add flour to make a stiff batter, stirring vigor- ously with a wire whisk. Turn onto a slightly floured board and knead until elastic. Set to rise in a warm place till double in bulk. Form into loaves with as little kneading as possible. Let rise again and then bake about forty-five minutes. Cornmeal and Wheat Bread (5 Hours) i pint scalded milk ii teaspoonfuls salt i compressed yeast cake i cupful home-ground corn- 1 cupful tepid water meal 2 tablespoonfuls butter, or White or whole wheat flour other fat to knead 3 tablespoonfuls sugar, or Barbadoes molasses Pour the scalded milk onto the corn meal, fat, sweeten- ing and salt. When tepid, add the yeast dissolved in the water, and beat in flour to knead. If desired, a cupful of chopped raisins, figs, or dates may be added at this time. .Knead thoroughly, form into two loaves, let rise till double in bulk, and bake in a moderate oven. The bread will be coarse-grained, but of nutty flavor, and the use of the meal effects considerable saving of flour. Cinnamon Loaf Reserve some of the dough from plain white bread. Oil a square cake pan and spread one-half the mixture into the tin. Sprinkle with 4 tablespoonfuls of sugar, and i l /2 teaspoonfuls cinnamon mixed together; dot with bits of butter or oleomargarine. Set a second layer in place over this, and finish as before. Let rise till double in bulk, and bake in a moderate oven. Spiced Bread (5 Hours) 1 cupful scalded milk \ compressed yeast cake i* tablespoonfuls butter or 2 tablespoonfuls tepid water oleomargarine 2^ to 3 cupfuls bread flour 2 tablespoonfuls sugar \ teaspoonf ul salt i teaspoonful cinnamon Dissolve the yeast in the warm water ; add the shorten- ing and salt to the scalded milk and mix the sugar a'nd YEAST BREADS 199 cinnamon with the flour. When the milk is tepid, add the yeast, then beat in the flour and let rise till double in bulk. Cut down, spread in an oiled shallow pan, let rise, sprin- kle with a little extra sugar and cinnamon mixed, and bake about forty-five minutes in a moderate oven. Nut Bread (5 Hours) 4 cupful boiling water i tablespoonful butter or 4 cupful milk oleomargarine I compressed yeast cake, dis- i tablespoonful Barbadoes solved in 3 tablespoonfuls molasses tepid water i cupful nut meats chopped Entire wheat flour to knead Scald the milk, add the boiling water, molasses and shortening and cool till tepid. Then add the yeast, and flour to knead ; set aside to rise till double in bulk. Cut down, shape into loaves, let rise again and bake an hour in a very moderate oven. Bran Bread (Over Night) i compressed yeast cake 3 cupfuls tepid water \ cupful tepid water \ teaspoonful soda \ cupful Barbadoes molasses 5 cupfuls bran i tablespoonful sugar 5 to 6 cupfuls whole wheat 4 tablespoonful salt or bread flour Dissolve the yeast in the half cupful of water, pour into the three cupfuls of water, together with the molasses, sugar and salt. Mix together the bran, flour and soda, beat into the liquid, together with enough additional bread, or whole wheat flour, to stiffen it so that it may be handled. Knead well, let rise till double in bulk, cut down, shape into loaves and bake fifty minutes in a moderate oven. Date Bread (5 Hours) \ cupful Barbadoes molasses ii compressed yeast cakes, i teaspoonful salt dissolved in \ cupful warm 3 cupfuls quartered dates water 3 cupfuls tepid water Entire wheat flour Put together the molasses, salt, dates, water and yeast. Beat in the entire wheat flour to knead, and let rise till double in bulk ; form into three loaves ; let rise again, and bake fifty minutes in a very moderate oven. 200 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Currant Bread (5 Hours) 2 cupfuls scalded milk i teaspoonful salt i compressed yeast cake 2 tablespoonfuls butter or i cupful tepid water oleomargarine 3 cupfuls bread flour 6 tablespoonfuls sugar 3 egg yolks Bread flour to knead 1 cupful washed and dried currants Scald the milk and cool till tepid. Add the yeast dis- solved in the warm water, and three cupfuls of flour, and set in a warm place to become light. Then add the cur- rants, salt, sugar and melted shortening, and the egg yolks well-beaten. Stir thoroughly and beat in flour to knead. Let rise until double in bulk, shape into two loaves, and, when light, bake forty to fifty minutes in a moderate oven. Swedish Sweet Bread (5 Hours) 2 cupfuls scalded and cooled I cupful butter or oleomar- milk garine I compressed yeast cake 6 tablespoonfuls lard 1 cupful tepid water % cupful sugar 3 cupfuls bread flour (for 3 eggs sponge) Bread flour to knead i tablespoonful cardamom seeds Dissolve the yeast in the tepid water, add to the milk and beat in the three cupfuls of flour. Let rise till spongy, add the melted shortening, then the cardamom seeds, sugar and the eggs well beaten and flour to knead. Let rise again, shape into long narrow loaves, and bake fifty minutes in a slow oven. Yeast Brown Bread 4 cupfuls cornmeal (home- I cupful Barbadoes molasses ground) i compressed yeast cake dis- 2^ cupfuls boiling water solved in i cupful tepid 2 cupfuls rye or entire wheat water meal Salt Scald the cornmeal with the boiling water, then cool, and stir in the molasses, the rye meal, the yeast dissolved in the tepid water, and enough extra tepid water to make a stiff dry batter. Then pour into medium-sized brown YEAST BREADS 201 bread tins, let rise till light, and bake forty minutes in a quick oven ; then cover and cook two hours in a slow oven. Raised Biscuits (5 Hours) ii cupfuls milk I tablespoonful sugar 2 tablespoonfuls butter, oleo- I teaspoonful salt margarine or lard 2 cupfuls bread flour i cupful tepid water Bread flour to knead i compressed yeast cake Dissolve the yeast in tepid water; warm the milk till tepid, combine and beat in two cupfuls of flour. Let stand until light and spongy, then add the salt, sugar, the shortening, melted, and flour to knead. Knead until elastic, let rise till double in bulk, and then shape into round balls. Set in a well-oiled pan, barely touching, and, when light, bake in a moderate oven. Brush over with butter when they are baked. Raised Graham Biscuits (5 Hours) 1 compressed yeast cake, dis- i teaspoonful salt solved in I cupful tepid 4 tablespoonfuls sugar water 3 cupfuls graham meal 2 cupfuls scalded milk Bread flour to knead 1 tablespoonful butter or oleomargarine Add the shortening, salt and sugar to the milk. Cool until lukewarm, then add the yeast and beat in the graham meal. Add bread flour to knead ; work over till very elastic, and then set to rise till double in bulk. Then cut down, shape into biscuits, set in a well-oiled pan, scarcely touching, and let rise till double in bulk. Brush over lightly with milk, and bake in a moderate oven about twenty-five minutes. Parker House Rolls (5 Hours) 2 cupfuls scalded milk i compressed yeast cake, dis- 3 tablespoonfuls butter or solved in i cupful tepid oleomargarine water 2 tablespoonfuls sugar si to 6 cupfuls bread flour i teaspoonful salt Add the shortening, sugar and salt to the milk ; when lukewarm, add the dissolved xeast and beat in 3 cupfuls of flour. Cover and let rise until spongy. Then add 202 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK flour to knead, and let rise again. Toss on a floured board, and roll out to one-third inch in thickness. Shape with biscuit cutter. . Brush with melted butter, crease each round with a knife across the center to form a hinge, fold over, and press the edges together. Place in an oiled pan one inch apart, let rise and bake in a hot oven from fifteen to twenty-five minutes. French Rolls (6 Hours) i cupfuls tepid water I teaspoonful salt ii compressed yeast cakes About 6 cupfuls bread flour Dissolve the yeast in ^ cupful of the water, and add flour to make a stiff dough. Knead thoroughly, shape into a ball and make two cuts on the top. Set in a small saucepan of tepid water, cut side up, and when the ball swells and floats remove with a skimmer to a mixing bowl containing the remaining water and the salt. Stir in flour to make a dough stiff enough to knead about 2 cupfuls and let stand till double in bulk. Shape into pointed rolls and bake, when light, in a moderate oven. Glaze with a paste made of one teaspoonful of corn starch dissolved in cold water and boiled up once. This should be applied just before the rolls are done. Swedish Rolls Use the recipe for Parker House or Sweet Rolls. Roll to one-quarter inch thickness, spread with softened but- ter, sprinkle with 2 tablespoonfuls of sugar mixed with J teaspoonful cinnamon, J cupful raisins finely chopped, and 2 tablespoonfuls of chopped citron or orange peel. Roll up like jelly roll and cut in three-quarter inch pieces. Place the pieces in a pan close together, flat side down ; let rise and bake. When the rolls are taken from the oven, brush over with white of egg slightly beaten, and diluted with J teaspoonful water. Return to the oven to dry the egg. Sweet Rolls (5 Hours) 1 4 cupfuls tepid milk 2 tablespoonfuls butter or cupful tepid water oleomargarine i compressed yeast cake i egg i cupful sugar Bread flour i teasooonful salt YEAST BREADS 203 i Dissolve the yeast in the water, add to milk with the salt and beat in 2^ cupfuls of flour. When light, in about an hour, add the sugar, shortening, melted, egg, and flour to knead. Let rise, and shape like small Parker House rolls ; let rise again and bake in a moderate oven. Hot Cross Buns Prepare the mixture for Sweet Rolls, add f cupful of thoroughly cleaned currants and ^ teaspoonful of cinna- mon, if the flavor is liked. At the end of the second ris- ing cut out in good-sized rounds, J inch thick. Place these in oiled pans, let them rise until double in bulk and bake in a moderate oven. Just before they are done brush them over with a corn starch glaze and when cool fashion a cross on each of confectioner's frosting, put on by means of a pastry bag and tube. Almond Biscuits Prepare the mixture for sweet rolls. Instead of shap- ing it like Parker House rolls, cut it into rounds a fourth inch in thickness, brush them over with melted butter, and sprinkle thickly with chopped blanched almonds. Set to rise. Do not let them touch each other, and bake in a moderate oven. They should be crusty all over and sug- gest the German rusk. Cocoanut Rusks Make according to the recipe for sweet rolls, shaping the dough for the final rising with a biscuit cutter. Bake as directed. When cool, spread roughly with a little plain confectioner's frosting and shredded cocoanut. Nuts may be substituted for the cocoanut. Clover Leaf Rye Biscuits (5 Hours) 1 cupful rye meal I cupful milk scalded and 5 cupfuls bread flour cooled 2 tablespoonfuls sugar i compressed yeast cake, dis- 2 tablespoonfuls butter, oleo- solved in i cupful tepid margarine or drippings water I teaspoonful salt Mix together the dry ingredients. Rub in the short- ening with the finger tips. Dissolve the yeast, add it to the milk, and stir into the first mixture. Beat well, cover 204 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK and let rise till doubled in bulk. Stir down and form into small balls with the fingers, putting them together into oiled muffin pans to form clover leaves. Let rise till light, and bake. Orange Rolls (5 Hours) i cupful milk I teaspoon ful salt ii compressed yeast cakes, 3 egg yolks dissolved in I cupful warm i cupful orange juice water f cupful chopped candied ij cupfuls bread flour orange peel 1 cupful sugar Bread flour to knead 4 tablespoonfuls melted but- ter or oleomargarine Scald the milk; when tepid add the yeast, beat in the flour and let rise till spongy. Then add the other ingredi- ents in the order given, and let rise again. Shape into little balls, set on a floured board, cover lightly and let rise till puffy. Shape into pointed rolls, let rise, slash and bake. Just before they are done brush over with a corn starch paste made of one teaspoonful of corn starch, dissolved in J cupful cold water and allowed to boil, and sprinkle with candied orange peel, chopped fine. Little Currant Rolls (6 Hours) 2 cupfuls scalded milk i cupful dried, washed cur- I compressed yeast cake, dis- rants solved in i cupful warm ij teaspoonfuls salt water 2 egg yolks 24 cupfuls bread flour 2 tablespoonfuls butter, oleo- i cupful sugar margarine or drippings Bread flour to knead Cool the scalded milk till lukewarm. Then add the yeast, and beat in 2.\ cupfuls of bread flour. Cover and set aside in a warm place to become light. Flour the currants, beat the egg yolks light, melt the shortening, and add them with the sugar and salt to the raised dough. Work in flour to knead. Knead till elastic, and let rise again till double in bulk. Shape as Parker House rolls, and, when risen, make three parallel cuts on top of each roll. When done, brush over with the whites of the eggs diluted with one tablespoonful cold water, and f teaspoonful vanilla. Sprinkle with sugar and return to the oven to " set " for a few seconds. YEAST BREADS 205 Clover Leaf Rolls (5 Hours) I cupful milk i compressed .yeast cake dis- i tablespoon ful sugar solved in 2 tablespoonfuls i tablespoon ful salt warm milk 3 tablespoonfuls melted but- i cupfuls bread flour ter, oleomargarine or drip- i egg well-beaten pings Bread flour to knead Scald the milk. When lukewarm, add the dissolved yeast, sugar, salt and the ij cupfuls of flour. Beat well, and set to rise. When light, add the remaining ingredi- ents with flour to knead. Knead well, and let rise a sec- ond time. Then shape into balls the size of an English walnut, and put three together into each division of oiled muffin pans, oiling the sides of the balls with butter where they adhere, before placing in the pans. When double in bulk, bake in a hot oven, and, when done, brush over tops with slightly-beaten egg white. Return to the oven to " set " the glaze. English Muffins (5 Hours) i compressed yeast cake \ cupful melted butter or 1 cupful tepid water oleomargarine 2 cupfuls milk i tablespoonful sugar i egg white Bread flour to make a stiff i teaspoonful salt batter Scald the milk, add the salt and sugar and, when tepid, the yeast dissolved in the warm water. Beat in flour to make a batter, about 2 cupfuls, and let rise till spongy. Then add the shortening, egg white well-beaten and flour to make a stiff batter. Let rise till double in bulk, drop by spoonfuls into warm, well-oiled muffin pans, fill- ing them two-thirds full, then sprinkle the tops with sugar and bake at once in a moderate oven, or cook as usual in muffin rings on a griddle. Cornmeal Muffins Raised with Yeast (6 Hours) 1 cupful home-ground corn- I compressed yeast cake dis- meal solved in i cupful tepid 5 cupfuls bread flour water 2 tablespoonfuls bacon fat I teaspoonful salt i cupful scalded and cooled 2 tablespoonfuls sugar (op- milk tional) Mix together the dry ingredients and rub in the short- 206 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK ening with the finger tips. Dissolve the yeast, add to the milk and stir into the first mixture. Beat well, cover and let rise till doubled. Then stir down, drop into well-oiled muffin pans, let rise till double in bulk and bake about thirty-five minutes in a moderate oven. If to be started at night for breakfast, use half the quantity of yeast. Kaised Squash Muffins (6 Hours) i cupful stewed and sifted I tablespoonful butter, oleo- squash margarine or drippings 3 tablespoonfuls sugar I compressed yeast cake ii cupfuls scalded milk Bread flour to knead i teaspoonful salt Mix together the sugar, salt and squash, and the short- ening melted in the hot milk. Cool till tepid and add the yeast dissolved in J cupful of tepid water. Add bread flour to make a stiff batter, set aside and let rise (about four hours) ; cut down and drop into well-oiled muffin pans, filling them half full. Let rise till nearly double in bulk, and bake about thirty minutes in a moderate oven. If desired, flour may be added to knead, the mixture be- ing shaped into biscuits or loaves of ordinary bread. Stewed and sifted pumpkin may be substituted for the squash. Hominy Muffins (5 Hours) i cupful cooked hominy, dry 2 tablespoonfuls butter, oleo- i| cupfuls milk margarine or drippings 1 cupful sugar 4 cupfuls bread flour % teaspoonful salt i compressed yeast cake, dis- 2 well-beaten egg yolks solved in i cupful warm milk Scald the milk, and add to it the hominy, salt, sugar and shortening. Cool till tepid, add the yeast, and the egg well-beaten. Then whip in the flour a little at a time ; set to rise, and when double in bulk drop into well-oiled gem-pans, half filling them. Let rise again till the pans are full, and bake in a moderate oven. Serve hot. Raised Oatmeal Muffins (6 Hours) i pint scalded milk i compressed yeast cake i cupful rolled oats i cupful tepid water k cupful butter or drippings 2 cupfuls bread flour i teaspoonful salt 2 cupfuls entire wheat flour i cupful sugar YEAST BREADS 207 Add the sugar, salt, oatmeal and shortening to the milk. Let stand until lukewarm ; dissolve the yeast in the warm water, add to the first mixture, then gradually beat in the flour. Set in a warm place to rise, and when double in bulk beat again, and half fill well-oiled muffin pans. Let rise till light, and bake in a moderate oven. Raised Rice Muffins (Over Night) i cupful cooked brown or 4 tablespoonfuls butter or uncoated rice, dry oleomargarine if cupfuls milk 4 cupfuls bread flour i cupful sugar i compressed yeast cake, dis- 1 teaspoonful salt solved in i cupful warm 2 well-beaten egg yolks milk Scald the milk and add it to the rice, salt, sugar and shortening. Cool till tepid, add the yeast, and the egg well-beaten. Then beat in the flour a little at a time ; set to rise and, when double in bulk, drop into well-oiled gem-pans, half filling them. Let rise again till the pans are full, and bake. Raised " Sally Lunn " (5 Hours) i cupful scalded milk 4 teaspoonful salt \ cupful boiling water 2 tablespoonfuls sugar i compressed yeast cake, dis- 2 eggs solved in i cupful tepid \ cupful butter or oleomar- water garine 3i cupfuls bread flour i cupful lard Cool the milk and water till tepid; add the dissolved yeast and i^ cupfuls of bread flour. Beat well, cover and set in a warm place to become light. Melt the butter and lard, add to the sponge with the salt, sugar, eggs well- beaten, and the remaining flour. Beat thoroughly, turn into well-oiled shallow pans, cover, let rise and bake. Pretzels (5 Hours) i$ cupfuls tepid milk 4 tablespoonfuls butter or I compressed yeast cake oleomargarine \ cupful warm water i cupful sugar 2i cupfuls bread flour, for i egg sponge Chopped, blanched almonds Brown sugar Dissolve the yeast in the water, add it to the milk and beat in the flour. Let rise until spongy, add the melted 208 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK shortening, then the sugar and egg and flour to knead. Let rise again, then form into rolls about twelve inches long and one inch in diameter, and bring the ends towards the middle of the dough, pressing them into it about one inch apart. Bake in a moderate oven ; when nearly done, brush over with melted butter, and sprinkle with brown sugar and chopped almonds. Return to the oven to brown. Old-Time Hot Short Rolls (1798) 2 cupfuls tepid milk 2 tablespoonfuls butter i compressed yeast cake, dis- 2 beaten eggs solved in i cupful of the About 6 cupfuls bread flour milk i cupful sugar i teaspoonful salt Take out J of a cupful of the milk and dissolve the yeast in it; add to the milk, with the butter, sugar, salt and eggs. Add flour to make a light dough, about 2 cup- fuls, and let rise till spongy. Beat in the remaining flour, knead well, and let rise till double in bulk (about three hours). Shape into finger rolls, let rise again, and bake in a quick oven. German Coffee Cake (5 Hours) 2 cupfuls scalded milk i cupful sugar 1 2 compressed yeast cakes Juice and grated rind i lemon 1 cupful tepid water About $ cnpf uls bread flour 2 eggs or 4 egg yolks Blanched almonds, sugar, and i teaspoonful salt cinnamon i cupful melted butter or oleomargarine Scald the milk, and, when cooled, add the yeast dis- solved in the tepid water and 2 cupfuls flour to make the batter. Let rise till light and spongy, then add the other ingredients in the order given, the eggs well-beaten, and flour to make a dough that can be kneaded. Knead till elastic, then set aside till light. Cut down and put into pans in sheets an inch and a half thick. Let rise till double in bulk, brush over the top with melted butter or egg white, and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon mixed together, and blanched almonds. Bake about one-half hour in a moderate oven. YEAST BREADS 209 Almond Ring 2\ cupfuls scalded milk 6 tablespoonfuls sugar ii compressed yeast cakes i cupful washed and halved i cupful warm water raisins cupful bread flour cupful halved blanched al- 3 egg yolks monds . 4 tablespoonfuls butter or Bread flour to knead oleomargarine Corn starch glaze I teaspoonful salt Scald the milk and cool until tepid. Soften the yeast cake in the warm water, add to the milk, beat in the flour and set in a warm place to become light. Then add the raisins, salt, sugar and shortening (melted) and the egg yolks well-beaten. Stir thoroughly and beat in flour to knead. Then let rise again, and, when double in bulk, cut down and shape into two long rolls. Oil a cookie sheet and shape these rolls into circles. Let rise again, bake until about done in a moderate oven, then brush over with the corn starch glaze made by dissolving a teaspoonful of corn starch in a fourth cupful of cold water and bringing it to boiling point. Sprinkle with the almonds and a little granulated sugar, then replace in the oven to set the glaze and finish cooking. WAYS TO USE STALE BREAD " It's only a slice of bread," we say as we scrape it into the waste can, but most housewives do not know that a generous sized slice is approximately equal in caloric value to a saucerful of rice, a small handful of almonds, a good-sized cube of cheese, an egg, a cupful of a nourish- ing stock or vegetable soup, a dozen oysters, a serving of codfish, or a slice of lean beef ! It does not seem as though much was being wasted when we throw away the crusts from sandwiches, or the end of the loaf, but when we realize that a single slice of bread wasted every day in every home in America, totals 625,000 Ibs. a day, at a national cost of $50,000 daily, we can see that in that one item alone, a great deal of money can be saved. In preparing crumbs the bread should be dried in a slow oven, then put through the medium-sized knife of the food chopper. 210 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Whole wheat and rye bread crumbs should be kept separate for use in escalloping meats and vegetables and in thickening soups. White bread crumbs may be used for escallops, fish loaves, etc., where a more dainty flavor is desired, as well as for crumbing croquettes, and in mak- ing puddings, etc., while crumbs from sweet breads may be used in escalloping fruits and in making puddings and fritters. In utilizing buttered toast or bread, keep it separate from the unbuttered slices, as the extra fat is liable to make the crumbs turn stale within a few days. The crumbs should be stored in jars with perforated tops, which will prevent rancidity and staleness. Bread Breakfast Cereal 3 ctipfuls broken bits dried 3 cupfuls boiling water white bread, or equal parts teaspoonful salt of white and whole wheat bread Boil gently for ten minutes, stirring with a wire whisk or fork. Serve with milk and sugar. Bread and Nut Cereal Steamed brown bread (stale) Chopped nut meats Dry the brown bread thoroughly and then grind into coarse crumbs. Add one- fourth as many nut meats and serve with milk and a little salt, as the main dish for a simple luncheon or supper. Serve plain without nut- meats for breakfast. Bread and Tomato Soup 1 cupful diced turnip 2 tablespoonfuls sausage, 2 onions, chopped ham, or bacon fat 2 stalks celery, chopped, or \ Salt and pepper to taste teaspoonful celery seed ii cupfuls crumbled dry 2 cupfuls canned tomato bread crusts i quart water Combine the vegetables, tomato and water and cook gently until the vegetables are tender, about an hour, re- plenishing the water to keep the amount as at first. Rub through a sieve, add the fat and crusts and simmer gently for ten minutes, stirring with a whisk, then season to taste. YEAST BREADS 211 Toast and Onion Soup 12 medium-sized onions ij quarts any good soup- 12 slices stale or dry bread stock toasted Grated, dry cheese Slice the onions and fry them slowly, till soft and yel- lowed, in any good cooking fat. In the meantime toast the bread and put two slices in each soup plate. Put the onions on this, pour over the broth, which should be boil- ing hot, and sprinkle with the grated cheese. Crumbled bread crusts may be used for this soup if they are first toasted in the oven. Scrambled Eggs with Crumbs li cupfuls coarsely crumbled. \ teaspoonful salt dry crusts of bread j teaspoonful pepper 3 tablespoonfuls ham, bacon 4 eggs or sausage fat 1 cupful milk or water Fry the crumbs in the fat till light brown, then beat together the eggs, liquid and seasonings, and pour into the crumbs. Stir over a slow fire till set. Shirred Eggs with Crumbs (Individual) Rub ramekins or shirred-egg dishes with ham or bacon fat, put in each one a tablespoonful of coarse, dry bread crumbs and a tablespoonful of milk, or tomato sauce. Break carefully an egg into each dish, dot with a bit of bacon fat and dust with salt and pepper; bake until set in a moderate oven, about ten minutes. Bread Crumb Omelet i cupfuls crusts entire wheat \ teaspoonful pepper bread, dried and crumbled 4 eggs i cupful milk i tablespoonful ham, bacon, ii teaspoonfuls salt or sausage fat Cook the bread and milk together gently to form a paste. Then add the seasonings. Separate the eggs, beat the whites till stiff and the yolks till lemon-colored. Pour -the bread mixture into the yolks, combine with the whites and pour into an omelet pan in which the fat has been melted. Cook as usual, setting the omelet in the oven to make the top firm. If desired, the fat may be dissolved in a glass or earthenware baking dish, the 212 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK omelet mixture poured in and the cookery carried on completely in the oven. Bread and Nut Loaf ii cupfuls chopped English teaspoonful sage walnuts, black walnuts, or i teaspoonful salt mixed nut meats 3 tablespoonfuls melted oleo- ij cupfuls cooked hominy margarine grits * ij cupfuls ground whole i large egg wheat bread crumbs, dried 1 teaspoonful pepper Combine the ingredients in the order given, pack into a well-oiled, brick-shaped pan which has been lined with paper and bake slowly for forty-five minutes. Serve with peanut butter sauce, or a plain white sauce. Bread and Ham Timbales 2 cupfuls minced ham i cupfuls milk 2 eggs separated I teaspoonful salt * * ii cupfuls dried bread crusts i teaspoonful pepper crumbled i teaspoonful scraped onion Combine the crumbs and milk and cook to a paste. Add to the ham, together with the seasoning and the egg yolks. Fold in the whites, beaten stiff, transfer to tim- bale moulds or small custard cups, which have been oiled with ham fat, set them in a pan of hot water and cook until set, like custard, about twenty-five minutes in a mod- erate oven. Turn out and serve with white or tomato sauce, or peas. Bread and Cheese Pudding i$ cupfuls crumbled, dry 2 tablespoonfuls butter or bread crusts oleomargarine, melted 2 eggs I pint milk i teaspoonful salt ii cupfuls chopped American Few grains paprika cheese i teaspoonful pepper Scald the crumbs in the milk ; beat together the other ingredients. Pour over the hot milk, transfer to a well- oiled baking dish, set in a pan of hot water, and bake until firm in a moderate oven. YEAST BREADS 213 Bread Savory 6 onions 2 eggs, slightly beaten 3 cupfuls milk I teaspoonful salt ii cupfuls dried, crumbled I teaspoonful pepper entire wheat bread crumbs 2 tablespoonf uls ham fat cupful minced ham or shredded smoked beef / Slice the onions thin and cook, till soft and yellow, in the fat. Then add the other ingredients in the order given, pour into a baking dish rubbed with a little ham fat and cook gently until set. Brown Bread Biscuits 4 tablespoonfuls any good i teaspoonful salt cooking fat 3 teaspoonfuls baking pow- I cupful boiling water der i cupful ground whole wheat, -k cupful grated cheese, or rye, or oatmeal bread ground nut meats, if de- crumbs sired i cupful bread flour Melt the fat in the hot water and pour onto the crumbs. Cool till tepid, then work in the flour, salt and baking powder mixed; pat out as any biscuit dough, shape in small rounds, brush lightly with milk and bake in a quick oven. If desired, the cheese or nuts may be worked into the dough, making the biscuits very substantial. In this case they should be served with a vegetable salad as the main course at luncheon or supper. Bread, Tomato and Cheese Stew li cupfuls coarse stale bread i quart can tomatoes crumbs I cupful grated cheese i onion chopped i teaspoonful salt 3 tablespoonfuls bacon, ham, \ teaspoonful pepper or sausage fat Fry the crumbs and onion in the fat, then mix the sea- sonings with the tomato; put a layer in the bottom of a sauce pan, sprinkle on some of the bread mixture and then some cheese, continuing till all is used. A cupful of any good broth may be added, if convenient. Let sim- mer gently for about ten minutes. 214 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Bread and Meat Pie 2 cupfuls minced meat, any ii cupfuls coarsely crumbled, kind dry bread crumbs 2 cupfuls gravy, or brown cupful ground dry bread sauce, well-seasoned crumbs Few grains mace 2 tablespoonfuls butter or oleomargarine Put the meat, coarse bread crumbs and sauce in a well- oiled baking dish in alternating layers. Top with the fine bread crumbs, mixed with the fat melted. Bake until brown in a moderate oven. Bread and Egg Salad 3 hard-cooked eggs i cupful chopped mixed i cupful diced stale bread pickle 1 cupful olive, peanut, or i| cupfuls shredded let- corn oil tuce or cabbage 6 pickled onions, minced, or Salt and pepper to taste i tablespoonful scraped on- ion Put the bread and oil in the salad bowl and toss till the oil is almost absorbed, then add the eggs, chopped coarsely, and the other ingredients in the order given, together with a little of the pickle vinegar, if the salad is not sufficiently tart and moist. To this may be added a cupful of flaked, cooked fish, as salmon, bluefish, sar- dines, etc., or a cupful of diced ham or veal, or a half cupful of broken nut meats, or a cupful of chopped beets. If this is done, it will be necessary to increase the amount of oil by a tablespoonful and a half. Bread Jelly 2 cupfuls broken bits dried 2! cupfuls boiling water white, sweet, or white and teaspoonful salt whole wheat bread mixed i cupful sugar & teaspoonful nutmeg Juice and grated rind i lemon Simmer together the bread, water and salt until it is thoroughly blended, stirring with a wire whisk ; it will take about twenty minutes. Then add the sugar and nut- meg and, when tepid, the lemon. Turn into moulds rinsed with cold water, let stand till firm and serve with cream or milk and sugar, with any cold, foamy fruit sauce, or with stewed fruit. If desired, quartered dates, halved YEAST BREADS 215 raisins, bits of figs, or some chopped nut meats may be added to the mixture when it is taken from the heat. Egoless Bread Pudding i cupful ground bread | cupful brown sugar or corn crumbs, any kind syrup ii cupfuls boiling water I teaspoonful mixed spice, or I cupful mixed dried fruits, the grated rind 4 orange as raisins, dates, etc. 3 cupfuls milk teaspoonful salt Pour the boiling water over the crumbs, add the other ingredients in the order given and bake in a moderate oven till firm and brown, about an hour. Serve with cream, or milk, or with an orange sauce. Steamed Bread and Jam Pudding I egg, slightly beaten & teaspoonful soda dissolved 4 tablespoonfuls butter, or in a teaspoonful of hot oleomargarine, melted water \ cupful bread flour Scant half cupful raspberry, 1 cupful ground crumbs, any strawberry, or apricot jam kind i tablespoon ful orange mar- malade Mix the ingredients in the order given, pack into a well- oiled pudding mould and steam for an hour and a half. Serve with hard fruit sauce. Bread and Suet Dumplings f cupful ground bread i cupful brown or white crumbs (any kind) sugar | cupful chopped suet i egg Rind i lemon, grated teaspoonful salt i teaspoonful nutmeg Mix the ingredients in the order given and tie snugly in small floured pudding cloths, allowing a tablespoonful to a dumpling. Boil rapidly for thirty minutes and serve with lemon sauce. To make savory dumplings omit the sugar, nutmeg and lemon, and boil them in soup stock. Use only in a menu otherwise deficient in fat. Crumb Tea Cake 2 tablespoonfuls good cook- i egg ing fat, melted if cupfuls flour I cupful sugar i* teaspoonfuls baking pow- teaspoonful orange extract der i cupful milk , I teaspoonful salt . 216 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Put all these ingredients together in a bowl, beat well with a wire whisk and spread in a small, well-oiled drip- ping pan ; cover the top with the following mixture of in- gredients combined in the order given: two tablespoon- fuls butter or oleomargarine, } cupful ground bread crumbs (any kind), 3 tablespoonfuls sugar, 2 teaspoon- fuls cinnamon. Press this slightly into the dough. Bake the cake as usual and serve warm. Bread Fritters 1 cupful milk, scalded 9 slices stale bread 2 tablespoonfuls sugar Egg white and fine bread i teaspoonful salt crumbs for rolling i teaspoonful vanilla Pour the milk over the bread, add the sugar, salt and vanilla and let stand till the bread has taken up the milk, stirring occasionally to break up any crusts. Take up the mixture in tablespoons, pressing out any excess milk, then roll in slightly-beaten egg white diluted with the milk that has been pressed out, then in the fine crumbs. Fry in deep fat hot enough to brown a bit of bread in forty counts. Serve with any desired sweet sauce. Buttermilk Bread Muffins I cupful dried ground bread 2 tablespoonfuls Barbadoes crumbs molasses 1 cupful bread flour I teaspoonful salt 2 cupfuls bran 2 cupfuls buttermilk i egg teaspoonful soda Put together the dry ingredients, then combine the egg, slightly beaten, the molasses, buttermilk and soda. Pour into the dry ingredients, transfer to well-oiled gem-pans and bake about twenty-five minutes in a moderate oven. Bread Croustades, or Bread Boxes Slice off the crusts from a loaf of stale bread, making the cut slices very thin; then cut the loaf in slices two inches thick, and hollow these out by means of a sharp knife and spoon to form boxes or shells. Brush these lightly with melted butter or oleomargarine, and brown them in a hot oven, or fry them in deep fat hot enough to brown a bit of bread in forty counts. Use for GENERAL UTILITY WHEEL-TRAY SET FOR AFTERNOON TEA SERVICE YEAST BREADS 217 creamed chicken or other meats ; creamed lobster, or any desired fish, or creamed vegetables. Large bread croustades may be made in a similar way by using the entire loaf. These act as holders for creamed meat or fish, fried oysters, or a vegetable. Croutons Cut stale bread in half inch strips, then crosswise into half inch squares, and fry lightly in butter or oleomar- garine, or toast in a hot oven. Serve with soups. CHAPTER VII QUICK BREADS ALL MEASUREMENTS ARE LEVEL There is almost no type of cookery in which there are so many failures as in the making, of quick breads, and yet there is no food that ought to be more carefully made because it is generally served at breakfast when the di- gestive organs are not yet toned up. If the hot bread is not properly cooked, and therefore easily assimilated, it is frequently the cause of indigestion. It is by no means necessary to be glued to a recipe in this regard, if one can keep in mind the general proportions of liquid, baking powder, flour and shorten- ing for making breads of this type. Generally speaking these proportions are as follows : Griddle Cakes. Two-thirds as much liquid as flour ; a teaspoonful of baking powder to each cup of flour ; a tablespoonful or less of butter or other shortening to each pint of liquid and one or two eggs to three cupfuls of flour. Muffins. The general proportions are: A cupful of milk, 2 cupfuls of flour, 3 teaspoonfuls baking powder, and from one to three tablespoonfuls of shortening. Sour Milk Muffins. Observe the above general pro- portions substituting a half teaspoonful of soda for 'each cupful of sour milk, buttermilk, or sour cream. If the milk is not very sour, it may be neutralized by the addi- tion of one-fourth teaspoonful of soda, and baking pow- der may be added to the mixture in two-thirds the usual quantity. Baking Powder Biscuits. The general proportions are half as much liquid as flour, from one to two tablespoon- fuls of shortening to each cup of flour and two teaspoon- fuls of baking powder to each cupful of flour. 218 QUICK BREADS 219 In adding any grain or meal to a plain muffin recipe, use f cupful in place of a cupful of the flour. The liquid may remain the same as indicated, as the grain will swell enough to take it up. Sugar and salt may be added as desired, but a word must be said for the unsweetened, or simply slightly sweetened, breakfast bread. We Ameri- cans are liable to demand a cake rather than a bread, and then wonder why we are conscious of the existence of that organ called the liver ! Baking Quick Breads The oven should be hot (375 degrees F.) for all baking powder biscuit mixtures and all muffins. Popovers need a slow oven (about 300 degrees F.) to allow for the full expansion of the air which is the only leavening agent. Quick loaf breads demand a heat of 350 degrees F. which should be greatly lessened during the last quarter of the baking time. The pans should be slightly warmed and very well oiled with lard or beef drippings. Steaming Quick Breads Moulds the size of pound baking powder cans should be steamed an hour and a half. Large moulds, the size of a three-pound lard pail, should be steamed four hours. Always start the mould with the water cold and bring gradually to boiling point so that the mixture will heat evenly throughout. Count the steaming from the time that the water commences to boil. Cooking Griddle Cakes If possible, use an aluminum or soapstone griddle, or even one of steel and do not oil it, simply rub it off oc- casionally with a bag containing salt. Cakes baked in this way are light and digestible. However, if a fried flavor is especially liked, the griddle may be oiled easily by means of a swab or cloth tied onto a skewer. Drip- pings, lard, or bacon fat may be used, or any of the veg- etable oils, but butter or oleomargarine burn too quickly to be adopted. Mix the griddle cake mixture in a pitcher and pour out to the desired size on the griddle, which should be 220 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK almost smoking hot. Test the ungreased griddle with a bit of the dough. The cakes are ready to turn when they are full of bubbles. They should be turned only once. Choice of Ingredients for Quick Breads Always use bread flour; butter or oleomargarine may be used interchangeably. Bacon fat may be used in corn- meal and gingerbread mixtures, while drippings or lard may be introduced in any recipe if desired, although the flavor will not be quite so good. Skimmed milk may be used instead of whole milk, but in this case the shorten- ing should be increased three-fourths of a tablespoonful. The baking powder may be either a phosphate or a cream of tartar powder. An alum powder has no place in any household. Baking Powder Biscuits 2 cupfuls bread flour 2 tablespoon! uls butter, oleo- 4 teaspoonfuls baking pow- margarine or drippings der About I cupful milk or water i teaspoonful salt Mix and sift the dry ingredients. Work in the shorten- ing with the finger tips, and add the wetting. Keep as dry as possible. Toss onto a slightly floured board, and pat to one-half inch in thickness ; shape with a biscuit cutter, tucking under the edges so that there will be no " remnants," place on a well-oiled pan with the edges scarcely touching and bake about fifteen minutes in a quick oven. Quick Cinnamon Rolls Follow the recipe for Baking Powder Biscuits, patting the mixture into oblong shape ; spread lightly with melted butter or oleomargarine, sprinkle with a half cupful of sugar, mixed with a teaspoonful of cinnamon, roll up, cut in crosswise slices like a jelly roll, and bake in a quick oven. Orange Roll Biscuits Follow the recipe for Baking Powder Biscuits. Pat the mixture into oblong shape, spread lightly with melted butter, and strew over one-fourth cupful of granulated sugar and a half cupful of finely-chopped, candied orange peel. Roll up as in making Quick Cinnamon Rolls, cut QUICK BREADS 221 in slices, bake and put a spoonful of orange icing on the top of each one. Use with coffee as a dessert, or for afternoon tea. Quick Rolls 2k cup fuls bread flour I egg beaten light in a cup, i teaspoon ful salt the cup being then filled 3i teaspoonfuls baking pow- with milk der 2 teaspoonfuls sugar 4 tablespoonfuls butter or oleomargarine Sift together the dry ingredients ; work in the shorten- ing with the finger tips, keeping the mixture coarse. Then moisten with the milk and egg mixture and pat out to one-fourth inch thickness on a floured board. Cut in rounds, brush each one with melted butter, and crease each round with a case knife. Fold over and bake in a quick oven. Savory Bolls Follow above directions, spreading the cut rounds with devilled ham or peanut butter. Walnut Bolls Follow the directions given for Quick Rolls, adding to the mixture cupful of chopped English walnut meats. Marmalade Balls Follow the directions for Quick Rolls. Cut into thick biscuit rounds, put a teaspoonful of marmalade or jam on each, fold the edges over, and place folded side down on an oiled baking pan. Brush with milk and dust with granulated sugar. Bake in a quick oven. Cream of Tartar Biscuit 1 cupful milk i teaspoonful soda 2 tablespoonfuls butter, but- \ teaspoonful salt terine or drippings Bread flour probably 2 cup- 2 teaspoonfuls cream of tar- fuls tar Melt the fat and add it to the liquid. Sift the salt, cream of tartar, soda and i cupful of the flour together. Add the liquid and enough flour to make a soft dough 222 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Roll out to one-half inch thickness and cut in rounds. Bake about twenty minutes in a quick oven. Sweet Cream Biscuits ii cupfuls heavy sweet cream 2\ teaspoonfuls cream of tar- I teaspoonful salt tar 1 teaspoonful soda Bread flour to roll, about 2\ cupfuls Sift together a cupful of the flour with the remaining dry ingredients. Stir this into the cream with enough additional flour to roll Pat out to one-half inch in thickness, shape with a small cutter and bake fifteen min- utes in a hot oven. Dumplings 2 cupfuls bread or whole \ teaspoonful salt wheat flour i tablespoonfuls shortening 4 teaspoonfuls baking pow- I cupful milk and water in der equal parts Mix the dry ingredients, and work in the shortening with the finger tips. Add the liquid gradually. Toss on a floured board and pat out to one-half inch in thick- ness. Shape with a biscuit cutter, place in a colander or steamer, set over boiling water or the liquid designated and steam twelve minutes. Serve at once. Butter Cakes, New York Style 2! cupfuls bread flour i teaspoonful salt i$ cupfuls buttermilk or sour i egg yolk milk tablespoonful melted butter i teaspoonful soda Sift together the dry ingredients three times. Make a hole in the center and pour in J cupful of the buttermilk mixed with the egg yolk, beaten, and the melted butter. Stir well until the liquid is all taken up, and then add the remaining buttermilk. Turn onto a floured board and work until the elasticity seems to have disappeared. Pat out to three-quarter inch in thickness, and cut into bis- cuits two and one-half inches across. Set aside in a cool place for two or three hours, or less time if necessary, and then fry very slowly on a griddle, as in cooking Eng- lish muffins. To serve : Split while hot, and spread generously with butter. QUICK BREADS 223 Yorkshire Pudding li cupfuls milk 2 eggs ii cupfuls flour teaspoonful salt Mix the salt and flour, and add the milk gradually, beating well to form a smooth paste, then add the eggs, beaten, whipping thoroughly. Cover the bottom of a pan with some of the beef fat from roasting beef and pour in the pudding mixture one-half inch deep. Bake twenty minutes in a hot oven, basting, after well-risen, with some of the fat from the pan in which the meat is roasting. Break in squares for serving, as cutting makes it heavy. Soft Gingerbread i cupful Barbadoes molasses 3 cupfuls bread flour I cupful sugar I teaspoonful soda I cupful boiling water I teaspoonful salt 3 tablespoonfuls melted lard, i| teaspoonfuls ginger sausage or bacon fat Melt the fat in the water, add the molasses and sugar and beat in all the dry ingredients sifted together ; bake in a sheet in a dripping pan, thirty minutes in a moderate oven. Plain Griddle Cakes 3 cupfuls bread flour 2 tablespoonfuls melted but- 4 teaspoonfuls baking pow- ter or other fat der 2 tablespoonfuls sugar i teaspoonful salt 2 cupfuls milk i egg Mix the dry ingredients. Beat the egg light, add the milk, and pour slowly onto the first mixture, beating con- tinuously. Add the shortening, and fry as in the general directions. French Pancakes Make as plain griddle cakes, the size of a saucer. Spread with jelly or jam, roll up and sift with powdered sugar. Bread Crumb Griddle Cakes i cupful fine dry bread $ teaspoonful salt crumbs i tablespoonful sugar 2.\ cupfuls sour milk or i teaspoonful melted lard or buttermilk dripping cupful bread flour i egg, optional i teaspoonful soda 224 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Soak the crumbs in the milk for three-quarters of an hour, then add the flour and other dry ingredients sifted together, and the egg and shortening. Fry as in the gen- eral directions. Cornmeal Griddle Cakes t cupful home-ground corn- 2 tablespoonfuls sugar meal ij cupfuls milk li cupfuls bread flour i egg 4 teaspoonfuls baking pow- 2 tablespoonfuls melted der shortening \ teaspoonful salt Mix together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Beat the egg light, add the milk and stir into the dry ingredients, with the melted shortening. Fry as in the general directions. Entire Wheat Meal Griddle Cakes 3 cupfuls entire wheat meal 3 teaspoonfuls baking pow- 1 cupful bread flour der 2 cupfuls milk i teaspoonful salt i egg Beat the egg light. Add the milk, then the baking pow- der and salt mixed with the meal and flour. Fry accord- ing to the general directions. Rice Griddle Cakes 2^ cupfuls hot boiled brown teaspoonful salt or uncoated rice 2! cupfuls milk 2i cupfuls flour 2- eggs 5 teaspoonfuls baking pow- der Stir the salt and milk into the hot rice; cool, then add the egg yolks well-beaten and the flour sifted with the baking powder. Fold in the egg whites beaten stiff and dry. Fry according to the general directions. These are delicious with melted currant jelly. Hominy may be sub- stituted for the rice. Green Corn Griddle Cakes I cupful green corn pulp i tablespoonful melted butter (scraped from cobs) or other fat I egg, beaten light i cupful bread flour \ teaspoonful salt i teaspoonful baking powder i cupful milk QUICK BREADS 225 Mix in the order given, drop by teaspoonfuls on a hot griddle, and fry according to the general directions. Popovers ii cupfuls bread flour i egg 1 teaspoonftil salt I teaspoonful melted butter 1 4 cupfuls milk or other fat Sift the salt and flour together ; pour the milk in a mix- ing-bowl, and beat the flour mixture in slowly, stirring thoroughly to make a smooth batter. An egg-beater gives good results. Add the egg, beaten light, and the melted shortening, beat hard for two minutes, half fill deep gem- pans, well heated and oiled, and bake fifty minutes in a slow oven. Waffles ij cupfuls bread flour I cupful milk and 3 table- 2 teaspoonfuls baking pow- spoonfuls melted butter der i teaspoonful salt 1 cupful rich, sweet cream, or 2 eggs Sift together the dry ingredients. Add the egg yolks, beaten and mixed with the milk, the melted butter, if it be used; lastly, fold in the egg whites, beaten dry. Have both sides of the waffle iron hot and well-oiled. Put a tablespoon ful of the mixture in each compartment and let down the top. When the mixture is baked on one side, turn the iron to brown the other side. Remove- the cooked waffles with a fork. Twin Mountain Muffins 2 tablespoonfuls butter or i cupful milk oleomargarine 2 cupfuls bread flour 2 tablespoonfuls sugar 3 teaspoonfuls baking pow- i teaspoonful salt der Melt the butter and add the sugar and egg ; sift the baking powder with the flour, and add to the first mix- ture, alternating with the milk. Bake in well-oiled gem- pans twenty-five minutes. Blueberry Muffins Add one and one-half cupfuls of blueberries to the flour in the preceding recipe and proceed as directed. 226 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Date Muffins 2 cupfuls bread or whole I cupful quartered dates wheat flour 4 tablespoonfuls melted but- 3 teaspoonfuls baking pow- ter or oleomargarine der ii cupfuls milk 1 teaspoonful salt i egg Mix the dates with the flour, baking powder and salt. Put the egg and milk in a bowl, beat together, add the flour mixture and the melted shortening, beat well, and bake twenty-five minutes in a moderate oven. Bran Muffins 2 tablespoonfuls Barbadoes i egg (well-beaten) molasses , i tablespoonful melted butter I teaspoonful soda or other shortening 1 teaspoonful salt i cupful bread flour 2 cupfuls sour milk 3 cupfuls bran Mix the ingredients in the order given. Beat well, and bake thirty minutes in well-oiled gem-pans. Eggless Johnny Cake i cupfuls home-ground i cupful milk cornmeal i cupful water 2\ cupfuls bread flour \ teaspoonful salt $ cupful sugar (optional) 2 tablespoonfuls melted beef, 6 teaspoonfuls baking pow- oleomargarine, bacon fat, der or drippings Mix together the dry ingredients. Stir in the milk and water, add the melted fat and bake in a well-oiled drip- ping pan in a quick oven. Quick Corn Muffins i cupful home-ground corn- i teaspoonful salt meal i egg 1 cupful bread flour \\ cupfuls milk 2 tablespoonfuls sugar 3 tablespoonfuls melted ba- i tablespoonful baking pow- con fat der Measure the bacon fat in an enamel mixing-bowl or stew-pan and melt it. Add the other ingredients in the order given ; beat thoroughly and bake in well-oiled muffin pans for twenty-five minutes in a moderate oven. QUICK BREADS 227 Graham Muffins i cupful graham meal I teaspoonful salt 1 cupful bread flour i cupful milk 2 tablespoonfuls sugar i egg 3 teaspoonfuls baking pow- I tablespoonful melted butter der or other fat Mix together the dry ingredients, add the milk grad- ually, the egg well-beaten and the shortening. Bake in hot, oiled gem-pans twenty minutes, or pour into a well- oiled mould and steam three hours, serving it as a pudding with molasses sauce. Quick Rice Muffins 2 cupf uls bread flour i egg i cupful cold, cooked brown 2 tablespoonfuls melted but- or uncoated rice ter or other fat 3 teasQOonfuls baking pow- teaspoonful salt der 2 tablespoonfuls sugar I cupful milk Mix together the salt, flour, sugar and baking powder. Rub in the rice with the finger tips, add the egg well- beaten, the milk and the shortening. Beat thoroughly and bake in well-oiled hot gem-pans for thirty minutes in a quick oven. Cereal Muffins Substitute any kind of left-over, cold, cooked cereal for the rice in the preceding recipe, and proceed as di- rected. Entire Wheat Muffins if cupf uls entire wheat meal teaspoonful soda or flour i egg teaspoonful salt i teaspoonful cream of tartar i tablespoonful sugar I tablespoonful melted butter i cupful milk or other fat Mix together the milk, salt, sugar and egg, slightly beaten. Stir in the flour mixed with the soda and cream of tartar. Beat well, add the shortening, transfer to well-oiled muffin pans and bake about twenty-five minutes in a moderate oven. 228 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Eye Muffins I cupful sour cream and 2 tablespoonfuls sugar 1 cupful sour milk i teaspoonful salt or 2 eggs 2 cupfuls sour milk and i cupful rye meal i teaspoonful melted butter i cupful bread flour i teaspoonful soda Mix together the sour milk and cream. Add the soda dissolved in a teaspoonful of warm water. Mix to- gether the sugar, salt, meal and the flour and add to the mixture. Stir in the eggs, well-beaten, and bake twenty- five minutes in a quick oven. Currant Nut Muffins 3 tablespoonfuls melted but- 3 teaspoonfuls baking powder ter or oleomargarine i cupful currants 2j tablespoonfuls sugar i cupful broken walnut meats 1 egg i cupful milk 2 cupfuls bread flour Combine the ingredients in a bowl in the order given, and beat well. Drop into well-oiled mufHn pans and bake twenty-five minutes in a moderate oven. Apple Muffins ' I cupful butter or oleomar- 2 cupfuls chopped apple garine I cupful milk 6 tablespoonfuls sugar 2 cupfuls bread flour i teaspoonful salt 3 teaspoonfuls baking powder i egg Cream the butter, add the sugar gradually, and then the egg well-beaten. Sift together the flour, salt and bak- ing powder, and add the apple. Add alternately to the muffin mixture with the milk, and bake twenty-five to thirty minutes in a moderate oven. Sour Milk Spider Corn Cake ii cupfuls sour milk or but- 3 teaspoonfuls baking pow- termilk der i teaspoonful soda i tablespoonf ul sugar il cupfuls home-ground I teaspoonful salt cornmeal I egg i cupful bread flour li cupfuls sweet milk ' Mix the dry ingredients together and then pour in the sour milk, mixed with the soda and half of the sweet QUICK BREADS 229 milk. Beat well, stir in the egg well-beaten and pour into a heavy frying pan, containing two tablespoonfuls of melted drippings. Pour in the mixture, gently add the remaining milk but do not stir. Bake thirty minutes in a moderate oven. To be perfectly successful this cake should contain a custard layer in the center. ' It is de- licious served with currant jelly, as a hot supper dish. Corn Cake ii cupfuls bread flour 2 tablespoonfuls baking pow- '\\ teaspoonfuls salt der 2 tablespoonfuls sugar i or 2 eggs ij cupfuls milk 2 tablespoonfuls melted but- ii cupfuls home-ground ter or bacon fat cornmeal Sift the flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar and baking powder together. Add the eggs well-beaten, the milk and shorten- ing. Pour into oiled muffin pans and bake twenty-five to thirty minutes in a moderate oven. Quick " Sally Limn " \ cupful sugar 2 cupfuls bread or pastry 3 tablespoonfuls melted but- flour ter or oleomargarine I cupful milk 2 eggs 3 teaspoonfuls baking powder i teaspoonful salt Beat the eggs and sugar together until creamy. Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder and add alter- nately to the mixture with the milk. Add the melted shortening last and bake in a large cake pan in a quick oven. Quick Entire Wheat Meal Bread 34 cupfuls whole wheat meal 2 teaspoonfuls cream of 2 tablespoonfuls sugar tartar 2 cupfuls milk I tablespoonful melted but- 1 teaspoonful soda ter or oleomargarine 2 eggs Mix together the dry ingredients. Beat the eggs light, add the milk and stir into the mixture. Beat thoroughly and bake in two small bread tins in a slow oven about fifty minutes. 230 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Quick Graham Bread 3 cupfuls graham meal i teaspoonful soda J cupful sugar or Barbadoes 2 teaspoonfuls cream of tar- molasses tar i teaspoonful salt 2 eggs 1 cupful, flour 2 cupfuls milk Mix together the meal, sugar and salt. Sift in the flour, soda and cream of tartar. Mix well, add the eggs beaten light, and the milk, gradually. Beat thoroughly and bake in a bread pan or two-dozen muffin pans. Ginger Graham Bread 2 cupfuls sour milk i cupful fine entire wheat cupful molasses flour 2 teaspoonfuls soda dissolved 3 cupfuls graham meal in i tablespoonful boiling i egg water i teaspoonful salt 2 teaspoonfuls ground ginger Mix together the milk, molasses, soda, salt and ginger. Add the egg unbeaten, and whip in the flour and meal gradually. Bake in two small bread pans in a moderate oven for fifty minutes. A cupful of nutmeats may be added if desired. Let stand at least twenty-four hours before using. Prune Bread 1 cupful home-ground corn- i cupful milk meal I cupful chopped raw prunes 2 cupfuls graham meal i teaspoonful soda * cupful Barbadoes molasses 2 teaspoonfuls baking pow- I teaspoonful salt der Mix together the dry ingredients and prunes. Add the soda to the molasses and the baking powder to the meal. Mix the milk and molasses, turn into the first mixture, beat well, and pour into well-oiled baking powder cans; steam one and a half hours. Quick Nut Bread 3 cupfuls entire wheat meal i tablespoonful sugar \ cupful bread flour, i cupful chopped hickory I teaspoonful salt nut, English walnut, or 3! teaspoonfuls baking pow- black walnut meats der 2\ cupfuls milk Mix together the meal, bread flour, salt, baking QUICK BREADS 231 powder, sugar and nut meats. Beat in the milk. Turn into two well-oiled bread pans, and bake in a moderate oven about forty-five minutes. Boston Brown Bread 1 cupful graham meal 2 cupfuls sour mik or butter- I cupful rye meal milk 2 cupfuls home-ground corn- I cupful Barbadoes molasses meal I teaspoonful soda 1 teaspoonful salt Mix together the sour milk and molasses ; add the soda, dissolved in a tablespoonful of warm water, and beat in the meal. Divide into three-pound baking powder tins, well-oiled, and steam for one and a half hours. A few raisins may be added with the meal if desired. Suet Corn Bread 4 cupfuls home-ground corn- I cupful Barbadoes molasses meal i teaspoonful soda 2 cupfuls graham or whole 2 teaspoonfuls salt wheat flour 3 cupfuls sour milk, or but- 1 cupful finely ground suet termilk Mix the dry ingredients, except the soda, and rub in the suet with the finger tips. Add the soda to the mo- lasses, combine with the sour milk, and beat into the mixture. Pour into well-oiled moulds, filling them two- thirds full, cover and steam for four hours. A cup- ful of stoned, quartered raw prunes or raisins may be added. French Toast 12 slices of white bread (24 I egg hours old) I teaspoonful sugar 3 cupfuls milk Few grains of salt Let the bread stand in the milk, egg, sugar and salt for a few minutes to become soft. Then fry on a hot griddle, well-oiled with beef drippings, lard or a vegeta- ble cooking oil. Fry quickly, so that the toast will be crisp on the outside and soft inside. Cornmeal Crackers 2 cupfuls home-ground corn- 2 cupfuls boiling water meal 2 tables.poonfuls melted but- 2 teaspoonfuls salt ter or other fat 232 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Mix the cornmeal and salt and beat it slowly into the boiling water. Add the fat and spread the mixture in a large dripping pan, keeping it thin. Bake until crisp in a quick oven and cut in squares for serving. Cinnamon Toast White bread, 24 hours old Cinnamon Powdered sugar Butter Cut the bread in one-fourth inch slices, trim off the crusts and toast quickly, so that it will be crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Spread with butter, and sprinkle thickly with powdered sugar, mixed with cin- namon, using 2 tablespoonfuls of cinnamon to a cupful of powdered sugar. This should be kept made up in a sugar shaker. Cut the toast in triangles or strips and serve after standing in the oven a moment or two so that the sugar and butter may become blended. CHAPTER VIII APPETIZERS ALL MEASUREMENTS ARE LEVEL . The success of a " company " meal depends largely upon the accessories; hors d'ceuvres, or relishes, and dainty appetizers are to a luncheon or dinner like the trimming to a dress, retrieving the plainness and lending an artistic finish that the finest meal cannot attain if they are omitted. Unfortunately, most housewives have the impression that caviar, anchovy paste and other ex- pensive ingredients are needed to prepare these tidbits, but in reality the most ordinary materials, skilfully com- bined, are quite as savory, and much more acceptable because they have the home touch. Whereas there is no appreciable difference between hors d'oeuvres and rel- ishes, the more elaborate types like canapes, fish cock- tails, or raw oysters are used to begin a meal, other simpler types, like fringed celery and stuffed olives, be- ing passed between the courses. The appetizers used to commence a meal are as fol- lows: Grapefruit, fruit cups, raw oysters, or clams, fish cocktails, vegetable cocktails and hot or cold can- apes. As a general rule, it may be said that the fruit, fruit cups and vegetable cocktails are more suitable to warm weather meals, canapes, and the various fish ap- petizers being more adaptable to the colder months. Canapes should be served on small plates covered with doilies. A dessert or ramekin fork should be pro- vided for the service. Raw oysters, or clams, on the shell should be served on beds of shaved ice in deep plates with a garnish of lemon points, radish roses or with a wine glassful of a suitable sauce in the center of each plate. Tiny sandwiches should be passed with them. Fish cocktails may be served in wine glasses, or in cups 233 APPETIZERS 235 sweet green peppers and onions, mixed with a little French dressing. Set an egg-half on each slice, sprinkle over the riced egg yolk and top each egg-half with a slice of stuffed olive. Peanut Butter Canapes 6 buttered toast rounds Narrow strips of green and Peanut butter red peppers Thick mayonnaise dressing, or well-moistened cream cheese Spread the toast rounds lightly with peanut butter, and place alternately on them the strips of red and green peppers, pressing them firmly into place. Pipe the may- onnaise or cheese around the edge, by means of a pastry bag and tube. Peanut Canapes Cut rounds of bread and brown them in deep fat. Spread lightly with cream cheese, moistened with mayon- naise or cream, sprinkle thickly with chopped peanuts, put half a stuffed olive in the center of each, and put wreathes of parsley sprigs around the edges. Tomato Canapes 6 slices bread Pepper 6 slices tomato Paprika i Neufchatel cheese 2 tablespoonfuls powdered Stiff mayonnaise parsley Salt Cut six slices of bread in round shapes, and toast or fry. Spread lightly with well-seasoned cream cheese, and set over it a slice of tomato. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pipe around each tomato slice a ring of mayon- naise, studded with mayonnaise roses, and pile three tiny balls of cream cheese, rolled in the parsley, on each tomato slice. Hot Oyster Canapes i$ cupfuls cream 2 dozen oysters (cut in 4 tablespoonfuls fine, soft halves) bread crumbs 2 tablespoonfuls minced pep- i* tablespoonfuls butter pers Few grains red pepper f cupful quartered mush- Few grains nutmeg rooms Toast rounds 236 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Melt the butter, add the mushrooms and peppers and saute (fry) till softened. Add the cream, crumbs and seasonings, and, when hot, the oysters. Stir until the edges begin to curl, then serve on well-buttered toast rounds. Mushroom Canapes 6 round bread croustades Nutmeg 6 large mushrooms 3 tablespoonfuls minced ham 1 tablespoonful butter I teaspoonful green pepper, Salt and pepper minced 2 tablespoonfuls thick cream Prepare six shallow bread croustades, and either toast or fry them. Remove the skins from the mushrooms and scoop out the gills. Chop the stems, add the peppers and saute, till softened, in the butter. Then add the cream and ham, season and pile lightly into the inverted mushroom caps. Bake five minutes in a quick oven, set in the croustades and serve individually. Oyster Cocktail (Individual) 6 small raw oysters i drop tabasco k tablespoonful tomato Few grains salt catsup i teaspoonful celery, i tablespoonful vinegar or chopped fine lemon juice i teaspoonful fine Worces- Grated orange rind tershire Mix the ingredients, chill thoroughly and serve. Baked Oysters on the Half Shell Allow six oysters to a person. Place the oysters on the half shell in a dripping pan, lay a tiny bit of bacon on each one and bake in a moderate oven till the oysters curl, about five minutes. Serve garnished with a slice of lemon decorated with strips of pimento, fringed celery and parsley. Crab Flake Cocktail 5 well-shaped green peppers 6 tablespoonfuls catsup 6 tablespoonfuls lemon juice i tablespoonful horseradish I teaspoonful cur-ry powder I teaspoonful Worcester- il cupfuls crab flakes cut in shire inch lengths Lettuce hearts Cut the peppers in halves, crosswise, scraping out the seeds and core, rinse in cold water, dry and fill with a APPETIZERS 237 sauce made of the catsup, lemon juice, etc. Place on a bed of lettuce hearts, arrange on individual plates, and dispose the flakes on the leaves around the base of each cup. Clam Cocktail (Individual) 6 Little Neck clams I tablespoonful tomato cat- k tablespoonful lemon juice sup i teaspoonful grated horse- Few drops Worcestershire radish i teaspoonful celery salt i drop tabasco Few grains curry powder 1 tablespoonful grapefruit juice Discard the hard heads of the clams and wash the clams carefully to remove any grit. Mix together the sauce ingredients, add the clams, cover and let stand one hour in a cold place before serving. Clam and Grapefruit Cocktail 24 Little Neck clams Dash tabasco Carpels from 2 grapefruit Grating orange rind 2 tablespoonfuls shredded i teaspoonful Worcester- red and green peppers shire i tablespoonful lemon juice Few grains curry powder i teaspoonful salt Wash the clams thoroughly. Cut the carpels from the grapefruit and separate into four pieces each. Put the ingredients together in a bowl, mix, cover and chill thoroughly. Serve in lemon or green pepper cups. Scallop Cocktail I teaspoonful chopped pars- I teaspoonful salt ley I teaspoonful French mus- i teaspoonful scraped onion tard i teaspoonful olive oil 2 tablespoonfuls tarragon 10 drops tabasco sauce vinegar i teaspoonful Worcestershire \ cupful tomato catsup ii cupfuls small scallops I tablespoonful grated horse- 6 green pepper or hollowed radish tomato cups Cook the scallops for five minutes in salted boiling water. Drain, chill and halve them ; mix together the balance of the ingredients, add the scallops and divide in six portions into the cups. 238 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Tuna Fish Cocktail, in Orange Cups (Individual) 6 large flakes tuna fish i tablespoonful grapefruit tablespoonful lemon juice juice i teaspoonful grated horse- Grated orange rind radish Few grains celery salt i drop tabasco Mix the sauce ingredients together; scoop out halves of small oranges, line with fringed wax paper, pour in the sauce and add the tuna fish; place individually on doily-covered plate; surround with tiny parsley sprigs, and sprinkle with minced parsley. Use the orange pulp for a shortcake or orange jelly. Sardines, Italian Style For each serving allow : I canned pimento 2 sardines i of a shredded green pepper i slice lemon Lay the pimento on a small plate, place the 2 sardines upon it, sprinkle with the pepper, and top with the lemon slice, covered lightly with minced parsley. Pass olive oil to use with the lemon. Tuna Fish-Balls I cupful tuna fish, pounded i tablespoonful minced cap- I tablespoonful finely minced ers chow chow Stiff mayonnaise i tablespoonful lemon juice Powdered parsley Mix together the first five ingredients with enough mayonnaise to make them adherent ; form into small balls and roll in the parsley. Use as an hors-d'oeuvre. Calla Lillies Cut canned pimentoes in halves and prepare pointed pistil-like forms of cream cheese moistened with French dressing and highly seasoned with salt, pepper and Wor- cestershire sauce. Roll these in the pimento pieces and chill before serving. Sardine Celery Sticks Select tender celery; trim the ends square and fill the grooves with sardine paste made according to the proper- APPETIZERS 239 tions given for making tuna fish-balls ; only substituting sardines for the tuna fish. Chill and cut in two-inch strips. VEGETABLE COCKTAILS Cucumber Cocktail (Individual) 2 tablespoonfuls chopped cu- I tablespoonful minced eel- cumber ery 1 teaspoonful grated horse- I teaspoonful minced chives radish I teaspoonful minced rad- ishes Put together with a little strong celery stock, a dash of salt and pepper, and mayonnaise, or sour cream salad dressing to moisten. Chill for an hour. Grapefruit and Tomato Cocktail 2 tablespoonfuls chopped to- I teaspoonful olive oil mato 2 teaspoonfuls minced green i tablespoonful shredded peppers grapefruit pulp Grapefruit juice and mayon- 1 tablespoonful lemon juice naise to moisten thor- Dash of salt and pepper oughly Combine and serve. Aspic Cocktail 2 tablespoonfuls minced to- \ teaspoonful pickled chives mato Few drops tabasco sauce i tablespoonful minced eel- French dressing and mayon- ery naise to moisten thor- I tablespoonful aspic jelly oughly cut in bits Combine and serve. CHAPTER IX SOUPS ALL MEASUREMENTS ARE LEVEL CREAM SOUPS The making of a cream soup may be an arduous task, or but the work of a few moments. If one starts every time with raw materials, cream soups will be events, rather than everyday occurrences. But it is, after all, but a step from white sauce to cream soup. The latter is made up of a combination of white sauce, with half the quan- tity of vegetable puree, that is, sifted, cooked vegetable pulp, plus a little of the vegetable liquid, water, or soup stock. Occasionally, cream soups are made which con- tain finely minced veal, chicken, cooked chestnuts, or fish, instead of a vegetable. There is no greater aid to forehandedness in the kitchen than to cook part of the food one day for the next; in preparing vegetables, for instance, enough may always be prepared so that there will be some on hand for a cream soup for the next day's luncheon. Nearly all vegetables, even pumpkin and squash, may be used in this way. Some of the liquor in which they are cooked should always be reserved, if possible. But if it is not, a little water may be added, together with the desired sea- sonings, and the whole sifted and combined with the right amount of cream sauce, made in the proportion of one tablespoonful of butter, one tablespoonful of flour, one- third teaspoonful of salt, one-eighth teaspoonful of pep- per, and one cupful of milk. The usual allowance of soup for each person is a scant three-fourth's cupful. With this general proportion it is an easy matter to calculate the amount needed for any number of people. In many cases the left-over vege- tables will be improved by twenty minutes further cook- 240 SOUPS 241 ing in water or their own liquor, since in order to make really good cream soup they must be so soft that they will pass easily through a sieve. However, in making cream of asparagus, or celery soup, very little of the pulp can be rubbed through, as it is so fibrous. In many cases it is possible to prepare the vegetable stock for a cream soup two days before it is to be used, provided, of course, that there is a cool place in which to keep it. There may be on hand the tips from a bunch of celery, the outer leaves from a head of lettuce, or the tough ends from a bunch of asparagus. Any one of these will form the vegetable foundation for a cream soup, but possibly this will not fit into the next day's menu. In this case they should be cooked until tender, a little salt added to the liquor, strained, poured into a glass jar, covered and used later. Many a valuable bit of food is given to the chickens, or finds its way into the garbage can, just be- cause one fails to look ahead. Properly speaking, cream soups should always contain sifted vegetables, meats or fish, but they are more " fill- ing," if occasionally the vegetable is chopped fine, or put through the food chopper, and allowed to remain in the soup, as with onions, watercress, green corn, or spinach. This should not be done, however, if the soup is to be the first course of a well-conducted meal, while peas and lima beans must always be sifted, as, otherwise, the flavor will not be propery distributed. Corn starch or arrowroot, as well as tapioca, may be used to thicken cream soups, although flour gives the most satisfactory flavor. In using the two former, the same method in making the white sauce may be followed as with the flour, but if tapioca is used it should be allowed to cook in a double boiler with the milk until clear, the length of time de- pending upon whether the old-fashioned pearl or quick- cooking tapioca is used. The proper proportion is one tablespoonful of pearl tapioca or one-half tablespoonful of quick tapioca to each cupful of soup. In case it is advisable to enrich the soup, it may be poured upon beaten egg yolks, or slightly-beaten eggs. If these are to act as thickening agents the soup should be placed in a double boiler, returned to the heat, and stirred for two or three minutes. In using canned vegetables for soup- 242 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK making the liquor should be discarded, whenever possible, as this may impart a " canned " taste to the soup, but it should be replaced by the same amount of water. If the milk is a little old, also in case of tomatoes and as- paragus, a few grains of baking soda should be added to the cooked vegetables before combining with the white sauce. A small amount of cream, or undiluted evapor- ated milk, may be added for richness. Croutons, toasted crackers, hot, buttered toast-sticks of either graham or white bread, heated whole wheat. or oatmeal crackers and pulled bread are all suitable accompaniments to a cream soup. Occasionally it is advisable to add a little extra fat to the menu, and this may be done in the form of a whipped cream garnish for the soup. PUREES AND BISQUES Purees, properly speaking, are made from heavy vege- tables, like dried beans, dried peas, and, occasionally, from potatoes and chestnuts. The vegetables must be simmered in water or stock until tender. In case of dried beans or peas this will take from four to five hours. The pulp is then sifted and returned to the liquor, and the whole is thickened with butter, oleomargarine, drip- pings or other fat and flour, which have been creamed to- gether. The puree, before thickening, should be almost as thick again as a cream soup, therefore it is necessary to add but little thickening. In making bisques the fish should be cooked in water or stock from twenty to thirty minutes; if oysters or clams are used they should be cooked in their own liquor for three minutes ; the seasoning should then be added, the right amount of hot stock or milk combined with the fish, and the whole should be thickened with butter or other fat and flour rubbed together. A few crackers or dry bread crumbs may be added to bisques for thickening if desired. CLEAR SOUPS Any dinner is greatly improved by the addition of a hot, clear soup, plain or containing a little spaghetti, rice, or a few mixed vegetables, or even left-over shredded lettuce leaves, or finely-shredded cabbage. SOUPS 243 The best type of soup to use as a stimulant is one of those which has a meat-stock foundation. However, these soups must not be confused in food value with heavy chowders or cream soups, and should be classed as accessories instead of foods. Many people object to these soups on the ground that " they are just so much water/' while, as a matter of fact, they are stimulating, and if well-seasoned become indispensable. The foun- dation of them is a soup stock, and whereas this can be made from soup bones, a little meat and a few vegetables, it can also be made from scraps which accumulate about the house and which can be put into the stock-pot. When the weather grows warmer, it is inadvisable to keep a stock-pot going unless one has a cool place in which to store the stock, and unless the family is large, for stock made from a mixture of foods should not be kept more than two days. Of course, if there are some chicken bones on hand, the trimmings and bones from lamb chops, or other scraps of meat and bone, they may be combined with a little onion, some celery tips or seed, some mixed whole spice, and made into soup-stock to be used within a short time, but, barring this, the house- keeper with a small family must rely upon meat extracts, or bouillon cubes, with a well-made white or brown soup stock for occasional use. If carefully seasoned, the meat used in making stock may be used in rechaufees or salads. The de- sired vegetables should be added from day to day, for if they are added when the stock is first made, it will not keep well. Add the vegetables raw or cooked, or the combination of vegetables to be served in the soup, to one-fourth as much water as there is to be soup. If it happens to be raw cabbage, it should be rapidly boiled for ten minutes; if raw celery, onions, green pepper, or carrots, thirty-five minutes, the water being replenished as fast as it boils away. Extra sea- soning may be added in the shape of a little mixed- pickle spice tied in a cloth or put in an aluminum tea- ball, so it may be easily removed, or bay leaf, some celery salt, and so on as may seem advisable. This may be added to the heated stock. If beef extract or bouillon cubes are to be used, the 244 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK vegetables should be added to as much water as there is to be soup. When cooked, the extract or cubes should be added. By using the water in which the vege- tables are boiled all the minerals are saved. The neces- sary amount of beef extract varies according to the brand. The correct proportion of bouillon cubes is one to each cupful of water. By this method soups of many different flavors may be made from one kind of stock, or from prepared meat extracts or bouillon cubes. At the same time, many left-overs may be utilized. Soups of this nature should be served mainly as a fillip to the appetite and an aid to the digestion, for they have little actual food value. They do, however, gently stimu- late the digestive juices. Directions for Starting the Stock-Pot The term " stock-pot," unfortunately, is little under- stood in America, but it really means that the soup kettle becomes the clearing house for all available savory scraps which may accumulate in any household. These include not only bones, meat scraps, bits of vegetables, left-over cereals, rice, celery-tips, turnip tops, stray lettuce leaves and the like, but also the parings from various well- scrubbed vegetables, as onions, carrots, potatoes and the like, an occasional lemon rind, etc. On first thought it may seem that the stock-pot is a rather unsavory adjunct and many a housewife may sniff in disgust at the thought of vegetable parings in her soup. However, the skins of vegetables contain a large part of the mineral matter needed to assist in many bodily functions. When this is discarded in the paring, just so much nutrition is lost, but when parings from well-scrubbed vegetables are put in the stock-pot, another step toward better health is taken. The ideal stock-pot is light in weight, preferably of aluminum, and should have a tight-fitting cover, for every whiff of odor that escapes means loss of nutrition and savor. To begin stock-making purchase a soup bone and a pound of beef. Crack the bone, cut the meat in cubes and brown it, and add two quarts and a half of cold water. Bring slowly to boiling point, and then add a chopped carrot, skin and all, two onions, chopped, SOUPS 245 and the peeling, two bay leaves, a few celery tops and a teaspoonful of mixed pickle spice. Add to this, when half done, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer four hours, then strain; cool uncovered, then cover and remove the fat the following day, when it may be clarified. The stock is then ready for use in making sauces, gravies, meat-flavored dishes, etc., and is an excellent foundation for any kind of soup. Bits of left-over vegetables, or rice, macaroni, celery, onion salt, etc., may be used to vary it from day to day. The stock-pot should not be kept constantly simmering on top of the stove, as is popularly supposed, but should be thoroughly scalded and aired every day. The next morning, any remaining stock, together with the ac- cumulation of the previous day's foods, should be put in the stock-pot, together with enough cold water to make the amount about two quarts, and additional vegetables, or peelings from scrubbed vegetables, and seasonings as may seem necessary. Water from boiled vegetables, or from boiled rice, potatoes or macaroni may be added. This should be simmered for at least two hours, then strained, cooled, and the fat removed. It may also be cleared if desired. To Clear Soup Stock To clear soup stock, add to each quart of stock the crushed shells of three eggs ; mix thoroughly and heat to boiling point, stirring all the time. As the liquid becomes heated the egg coagulates and collects the fine particles floating in the stock. Let it boil vigorously for five minutes, add a little cold water, as for coffee, let it cool slightly, skim and strain through a cheesecloth spread over a colander. To this soup stock various vegetables may be added, such as carrots, turnips cut in narrow strips, whole string beans, canned peas, chopped cabbage, small sections of cauliflower, etc., or it may contain rice, barley or tapioca, any one of which may be cooked in the liquor, thickening it slightly. However, when many vegetables or much cereal is added, the soup ceases to be merely an accessory, and becomes a food, although at the same time it does not 'lose its stimulating qualities. 246 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK \ CLEAR SOUPS AND SOUP STOCK Beef Bouillon 3 pounds lower round of 3 cloves beef 3 quarts cold water I sprig parsley I onion, minced i cupful minced celery, or I small carrot, minced I teaspoonful celery salt 5 peppercorns i bay leaf I tablespoonful salt Cut the meat in inch pieces, and let stand in cold water for an hour. Cover, bring slowly to boiling point and remove any scum that may arise. Let simmer for three hours, then add the vegetables, spices and seasonings and simmer an hour longer, replenishing the water as neces- sary to keep the quantity about two quarts. Strain, cool, remove the fat, and clear the bouillon, as directed. Consomme 3 pounds lower round beef cupful sliced onion with I pound marrow bone peel 1 quart chicken stock 3 quarts cold water 2 pounds knuckle of veal I tablespoonful salt i cupful diced carrots \ teaspoonful peppercorns \ cupful shredded celery tips 3 cloves i cupful diced turnips 2 sprigs parsley i sprig each marjoram and Bit of bay leaf thyme, if convenient Cut the beef in cubes ; brown half of it in the marrow. Put the balance in cold water; add the veal cut in pieces, the bones cracked, and the browned meat, and let stand an hour. Heat slowly to boiling point, and sim- mer three hours, removing the scum as necessary. Then add the vegetables, seasonings and chicken stock and cook one and one-half hours longer, very slowly. Strain, cool, remove the fat and clear, as directed above. Brown Soup Stock 5 pounds shin or shank of I teaspoonful celery seed, or beef 2 stalks minced celery 4 quarts cold water J cupful diced carrots i teaspoonful peppercorns J cupful sliced onion 5 cloves 4 cupful diced turnips \ bay leaf i tablespoonful salt I sprig each summer savory 2 tablespoonfuls beef drip- and marjoram, if conven- pings lent SOUPS 247 Cut the meat from the bone and brown it in the beef drippings. Crack the bone, add to the water, with the meat, and bring slowly to boiling point. Simmer about four hours, removing the scum as necessary, as fast as it rises. Then add the vegetables and seasonings and simmer an hour longer. Strain, cool, remove the fat and clear as directed above. White Soup Stock 4 pounds knuckle of veal or Blade of mace I large fowl 2 quarts cold water i tablespoonful salt i teaspoonful peppercorns I onion 2 stalks celery Cut the meat in small pieces ; put the meat, bone, and water together, and heat gradually to boiling point, skim- ming often. Add the seasonings midway of the cooking. Simmer four or five hours ; replenish the water as it evaporates. Strain and cool ; if the scum has been care- fully removed and the soup is strained through a double thickness of cheesecloth, the stock will be quite clear. For transparent stock, however, clear as directed. Vegetable Soup Stock I carrot 2 turnips i medium-sized onion I tablespoonful sugar Outside stalks and leaves of 4 tablespoonfuls olive oil a head of celery 2 quarts cold water i cupful canned tomato i apple, cored but not pared i teaspoonful salt i cupful chopped cabbage, Few grains cayenne (optional) Wash the vegetables thoroughly. Chop the carrot and turnip fine, peeling and all. Chop the celery, and slice the onion, but do not remove the peel. Core the apple and cut it in pieces. Then caramelize the sugar a dark brown, add to it the oil and the carrot, celery, onion and turnip, and cook till slightly browned, shaking occasionally. Then add the water, tomato, apple and seasonings and simmer one hour, well covered. Strain, cool and clear if desired. Tomato Bouillon 1 pint boiling water 2 tablespoonfuls minced car- 2 tablespoonfuls minced rot onion i teaspoonful salt 248 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK i teaspoonful pepper Bit of bay leaf 1 teaspoonful Worcester- 4 cupfuls boiling water shire 2 teaspoonfuls beef extract, 2 cupfuls canned tomato or i quart beef stock Combine the pint of boiling water, onion, carrot and tomato and simmer, uncovered, twenty minutes. Dis- solve the extract in the quart of boiling water, add to the tomato mixture, season and put through a fine strainer. To make the bouillon very clear, strain through cheese- cloth. Celery Bouillon i 3-pound knuckle of veal 2 quarts cold water i tablespoonful salt I teaspoonful peppercorns i onion Bit of bay leaf Outer stalks head celery Wipe the meat and cut it in small pieces. Put the meat, bone, water, seasonings (except the salt), and the celery, chopped (leaves and all), in the soup kettle, and bring gradually to boiling point. Simmer four hours, re- plenishing the water as it evaporates. Add the salt after two hours' cooking. Strain and let stand until the fat can be removed. Then clear as usual, re-heat and add a spoonful of cooked, diced celery to each serving. COLD SOUPS Jellied Canned Consomme Dilute the consomme as directed on the can, using three-fourths the quantity of cold water. Take the re- maining amount of water needed, and add to it one tablespoonful of granulated gelatine to each pint of con- somme. Let this stand until softened, dissolve it over steam, and stir it into the cold consomme. Pour into a shallow pan rubbed lightly with olive oil and let stand until solidified; cut in cubes for serving. If desired, a little lemon juice may be added before the consomme solidifies. Jellied Chicken Bouillon 5 cupfuls well-seasoned i cupful cold water chicken broth Few slices lemon rind 2 tablespoonfnls granulated gelatine SOUPS 249 Skim the fat absolutely from the broth and clear it as directed. Add the lemon rind to the broth, and bring gradually to boiling point. Add the gelatine dissolved in the cold water and strain through a cloth wrung out of cold water into a shallow pan rubbed lightly with olive oil. Let stiffen, cut in cubes and serve in bouillon cups. Iced Veal Bouillon 5 cupfuls well-seasoned veal i cupful cold water stock Few slices lemon rind 5 tablespoonfuls quick-cook- ing tapioca Skim the fat absolutely from the stock. If necessary, clear it as directed. Then add the tapioca and lemon rind, and cook gently until former is clear. Remove the rind, season the bouillon, if necessary, and pour into a pan rubbed lightly with olive oil. Let stiffen, cut into cubes, and serve piled in bouillon cups. SUBSTANTIAL STOCK SOUPS Baked Bean Soup 2 cupfuls cold baked beans i tablespoonful sugar i can tomatoes 3 tablespoonfuls flour i onion, sliced 2 tablespoonfuls butter or 5 cupfuls stock- or water beef drippings Put the beans, tomato, onion and water together, and simmer until soft. Thicken with the flour and fat creamed together, rub all through a sieve, add the sugar, season to taste and serve with croutons, i White Bean Soup i cupful white pea beans Salt and pepper i quart any meat stock . 4 tablespoonfuls flour i onion, diced 2 tablespoonfuls butter, ba- il carrot, diced con, ham, or sausage fat Bit bay leaf Soak the beans over night, then rinse and boil up quickly in water containing a little soda. Rinse again, and stew slowly till soft in 2 quarts of water, adding i teaspoonful salt and a bay leaf, the onion and the carrot. Sift through a coarse sieve into the meat stock, re-heat, thicken with 250 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK the flour and fat rubbed together, season more highly if necessary, and serve with croutons or hot crackers. Tomato Stock Soup 4 cupfuls brown soup stock & cupful flour 2 cupfuls canned tomatoes 2 tablespoonfuls onion, diced i teaspoonful peppercorns 2 tablespoonfuls carrot, diced Bit of bay leaf 2 tablespoonfuls celery, diced 2 cloves Salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoonfuls butter or drippings Cook the onion, carrot and celery in the fat for five minutes ; add the flour, peppercorns, bay leaf and cloves, and cook three minutes. Then add the tomato, cover and simmer three-quarters of an hour. Add the stock, heated, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Swedish Cabbage Soup i pint finely chopped cabbage % cupful chopped celery, if Bit of bay leaf convenient, or Few grains mace 1 teaspoonful celery seed 1 quart veal stock I tablespoonful minced car- Salt and pepper rot 2 tablespoonfuls drippings I tablespoonful minced onion A few bits of veal Melt the drippings. Cook the vegetables in them for a few minutes, then add the stock and bay leaf. Simmer for twenty-five minutes, replenishing the Stock as needed ; season to taste with salt, pepper and mace, and serve with the vegetables in it. The bits of veal may be omitted if desired. Mock Turtle Soup (Old Virginian) \ calf's head, scraped and 3 hard-cooked eggs cleaned 1 inch stick cinnamon I pound round steak i blade mace I pound neck mutton 5 cloves 1 small onion 10 peppercorns 2 tablespoonfuls chopped car- i bay leaf rot I sprig parsley 2 tablespoonfuls chopped tur- i tablespoonful walnut cat- nip sup 2 tablespoonfuls chopped i tablespoonful tomato cat- celery sup i tablespoonful lemon juice i cupful flour 4 tablespoonfuls butter Salt and pepper to taste Wash, scrape and clean a calf's head. Split it in 1 SOUPS 251 halves, using the extra half for some other dish. Soak it two hours in cold water, then boil gently for an hour in three quarts of water. Separate the meat from the bones ; cut the beef and mutton in cubes and fry the meat and vegetables in J cupful beef drippings till browned. Combine 'with the stock, adding water to make about three quarts, and put in the spices. Simmer gently four or five hours, then strain and cool. Remove the fat, heat and thicken with the butter and flour cooked together; add the catsups, salt and pepper to taste, and serve with the hard-cooked eggs, chopped, and forcemeat balls. Clear Vegetable Soup i quart clear brown soup cupful canned peas stock 2 tablespoonfuls string beans i cupful carrots, cut in nar- (whole) row strips I tablespoonful narrow strips i cupful turnips, cut in nar- of onion row strips Cook the vegetables in boiling salted water, simmering them down until only a little liquid remains. Add them, liquid and all, to the soup stock, and heat to boiling point before serving. Italian Soup i quart meat stock i cupful carrot straws i pint canned tomato i cupful onion, chopped i cupful cooked lima beans i cupful cooked cabbage i cupful raw uncoated rice Salt and pepper Cook the rice in the stock and tomato till tender. Add the remaining ingredients, season and serve with or with- out Parmesan cheese. Chestnut Soup i pint Italian or American 2 tablespoonfuls flour chestnuts 2 tablespoonfuls butter or I pint water oleomargarine i teaspoon ful salt i tablespoonful minced pars- teaspoonful sugar caramel- ley ized Salt, pepper and mace to A little lemon rind taste i quart veal stock Blanch the chestnuts, peel and chop them ; then add to the water the lemon rind, salt and sugar, and cook until tender, replenishing the water as needed. Then sift, add I 252 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK to the stock, thicken with the flour and butter creamed together, season and sprinkle each serving with a little of the parsley. CREAM SOUPS WITH STOCK Cream of Chicken Soup 4 cupfuls chicken stock 2 tablespoonfuls pearl or i well-seasoned tablespoon ful quick-cook - 2 cupfuls milk ing tapioca 2 tablespoonfuls flour Salt and pepper 1 egg yolk optional Few grains mace 2 tablespoonfuls butter or oleomargarine Soak pearl tapioca over night, if used. Drain ; put the soup stock in a double boiler top and when hot add the tapioca (either kind), and cook till clear. Make a white sauce of the fat, flour and milk. Combine the mixtures, season and pour onto the beaten egg yolk. Return to the heat for two minutes to cook the egg, but do not let it boil. Cream of Celery Soup 4 cupfuls celery leaves and i slice onion tips Bit of bay leaf i cupful diced celery 3$ tablesroonfuls flour 4 cupfuls white stock 2.\ tablespoonfuls butter or 1 cupful light cream (or oleomargarine undiluted evaporated milk) Sprig parsley 2 egg yolks (optional) Simmer the celery leaves, tips and seasonings in the white stock for forty-five minutes. Cook the diced celery till tender in 2 cupfuls water. Drain the celery, adding the liquor to the stock. Thicken with the flour and fat rubbed together, add the cream, strain, season to taste, add the celery and re-heat. Pour onto the beaten egg yolks, if used, and serve at once. Cream of Cress Soup 2 bunches of watercress, or 3 tablespoonfuls butter or i quart chopped cress oleomargarine \ tablespoonful minced Few grains pepper onion i egg yolk (optional) 3 tablespoonfuls uncoated Tips of cress . rice 4 cupfuls white stock MAKING SOUP STOCK fe LAMB CHOPS; RIB CHOPS; FRENCH CHOPS; LOIN CHOPS; BREADED LOIN CHOPS SOUPS 253 I cupful cream or rich milk % teaspoonful Worcestershire teaspoonful salt sauce Few grains nutmeg Whipped cream (optional) Pick off the tips of the cress for garnishing. Chop the balance, stems and all, fine. Fry the onion in the fat till softened. Add the stock, cress and rice and simmer closely covered until the rice is soft. Rub through a sieve. There should be three cupfuls of soup. Mix together the egg, if used, and the cream, add to the soup, season, re-heat and bring slowly to boiling point, stirring constantly. Do not let it boil. Serve at once. Thick Cauliflower Soup i cauliflower Drop dumplings 1 quart veal or chicken stock I pint milk 2 tablespoonfuls minced Salt and pepper onion 3 tablespoonfuls butter or i stalk celery, or oleomargarine \ teaspoonful celery seed 3 tablespoonfuls flour i teaspoonful sugar Bit of bay leaf Stew the cauliflower for twenty-five minutes, then break it in pieces, chop it, or rub it through a coarse col- ander, reserving a pint of tiny flowerets. Melt the fat, add the onion and celery, chopped, and the bay leaf and cook slowly for ten minutes ; then remove the " bay," add the flour and stock and the cauliflower and sugar; then turn in the milk, season to taste with salt and pepper, and drop in the dumplings. Cook for ten minutes longer, then serve. This is substantial enough for a supper dish. Soup a la Crecy I cupful sifted, cooked car- 2 tablespoonfuls butter or rot pulp drippings 3 cupfuls white soup stock i slice onion i cupful cream or milk i bay leaf i tablespoonful flour i tablespoonful catsup i teaspoonful salt, or more & teaspoonful pepper as desired Stalk celery Few grains mace Cut the carrots in dice, cook till soft and put through a potato ricer. Cook the onion, celery and bay leaf in the stock for twenty minutes. Rub together the flour and butter, add to the stock and let it boil up. Add the carrot pulp and seasonings, and stir in the cream and 254 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK strain. An egg yolk, slightly beaten, may be added with the cream, if desired. Onion Soup i cupful carrot, diced ij quarts white stock i stalk celery i cupful rich milk or light 8 tablespoonfuls butter or cream oleomargarine i egg yolk (optional) 1 tablespoonful flour Parmesan cheese 2 branches parsley i cupful sliced onion Toasted croutons Salt and pepper to taste Cook the carrot, celery, parsley and onion in the butter until softened, then add the flour and stock and simmer for twenty minutes. Heat the cream, combined with the egg yolk (if used), add to the soup and cook for two minutes, stirring vigorously. Strain and serve with the croutons buttered lightly, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cream of Veal Soup 3 cupfuls veal stock (well ' i egg yolk (optional) seasoned) 2 tablespoonfnls flour ii cupfuls rich milk 2 tablespoonfuls butter or 2 tablespoonfuls quick-cook- drippings ing tapioca Salt and pepper to taste Add the tapioca to the veal stock, well seasoned, and cook until clear. Make a sauce of the butter, flour and milk, add to the soup, season to taste, then pour onto the egg yolk, slightly beaten, if used. Return to the heat and stir for two minutes, but do not let it boil. Cream of lettuce Soup Outer leaves 2 heads lettuce Few grains pepper i tablespoonful minced onion i egg yolk (optional) 3 tablespoonfuls uncoated 3 cupfuls white stock rice i cupful milk or cream 3 tablespoonfuls butter or \ teaspoonful salt oleomargarine Few grains nutmeg Saute (fry) the onion in the butter till soft; add the stock, lettuce (shredded) and rice, and simmer until the latter is soft. As- the liquid from the stock will evap- orate, add water to make it three cupfuls. Add the milk or cream, and rub through a sieve onto the beaten egg yolk, if used. Season, return to kettle and re-heat, but do not boil. Serve with crisped crackers. SOUPS 255 Cream of Mushroom Soup 1 cupful dried mushrooms, Salt and pepper to taste soaked in i pint cold water 2 tablespoonfuls flour 2 tablespoonfuls minced creamed with onion i tablespoonful butter 1 cupful butter i cupful cream or evaporated 4 cup fuls milk or white milk stock Few grains nutmeg 2 egg yolks (optional) Soak the mushrooms over night in cold water. Drain, but reserve the liquor. Chop the mushrooms, add the onion and saute (fry) in the butter till softened. Add the mushroom liquor, and simmer until soft. Make a sauce of the milk and the 2 tablespoonfuls of flour^ creamed with the butter. Combine with the mushroom liquor, strain, and add the cream, heated and combined with the egg yolks, if used. Season and serve without boiling. Cucumber Soup 3 large cucumbers i cupful milk 3 tablespoonfuls butter or 3 cupfuls veal or chicken oleomargarine stock \ teaspoonful onion juice I teaspoonful salt 3 tablespoonfuls flour i teaspoonful pepper k teaspoonful mace i cupful light cream i egg yolk (optional) , Peel and slice the cucumbers, fry in the butter for ten minutes, add the flour and cook three minutes ; then, gradually, add the stock and milk, allowing it to boil up thoroughly. Rub through a sieve, re-heat, season, and add the cream scalded. Beat the egg yolk -light, transfer to a tureen, and pour the soup into it. CREAM SOUPS WITHOUT STOCK Tomato Bisque 2 cupfuls canned tomatoes i slice onion 2 ter.spoonfuls sugar 3 tablespoonfuls flour 1 teaspoonful soda i teaspoonful salt 4 cupfuls milk & teaspoonful pepper 2 tablespoonfuls butter or bacon drippings Scald the milk with the onion. Cook the tomato with 256 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK the sugar fifteen minutes. Melt the fat, add the flour, and then the milk, gradually, boiling it up once. Add the soda to the tomatoes, rub through a sieve, combine the mixtures, add the seasonings, and serve without re- heating. Cream of Spinach Soup I quart uncooked spinach or i tablespoonful flour i cupful cooked spinach 2 cupfuls milk Bit of bay leaf i teaspoonful salt i cupful water, containing Few grains nutmeg I teaspoonful salt 4 teaspoonful pepper 1 tablespoonful butter Wash the spinach and cook in the salted water with the bay leaf, till very soft, or simply add the cooked spinach to the water. Rub through a sieve. Make a white sauce of the butter, flour, milk and seasonings ; combine the mixtures and serve garnished with whipped cream if desired. Split Pea Soup li cupfuls split peas Few celery leaves 2 quarts cold water 3 tablespoonfuls bacon, beef i tablespoonful sugar or ham drippings I pint milk 3 tablespoonfuls flour onion, minced Salt and pepper to taste Soak the peas over night in water to cover ; drain, add to the cold water with the sugar, onion and celery leaves, and cook slowly until the peas are perfectly soft; add the milk, thicken with the fat and flour mixed together, and rub through a sieve. Re-heat, season and serve with buttered toast. Lentil Soup i cupful dried lentils 3 pints water 1 small onion, chopped 3 tablespoonfuls flour A few dried celery leaves if 3 tablespoonfuls drippings or convenient bacon fat 2 teaspoonfuls sugar Salt and pepper to taste 2 cupfuls milk Soak the lentils over night in cold water to cover. Wash, drain and simmer till soft in the water, about two hours, adding more water as it evaporates to keep it always that amount. Combine the onion and celery and fry in the drippings. Add to the lentils and cook half SOUPS 257 an hour longer. Mix the sugar and flour together, stir in cold water to make a paste and add to the lentils. Let boil, add the milk, heated, season with salt and pepper, rub through a sieve and serve. Cream of Asparagus Soup 2 bunches asparagus or i can I cupful hot cream or evapo- asparagus rated milk 2 tablespoonfuls butter 2 cupfuls hot milk 5 tablespoonfuls flour I teaspoonful salt i quart boiling water Few grains nutmeg 2 egg yolks (optional) Remove the tips from the asparagus, and cook the stalks in the boiling water till soft, about thirty minutes. Make a white sauce of the butter, flour and milk, and. add the seasonings to it. Combine the two and strain, sifting through the asparagus pulp. Beat the egg yolks, if used, and add to them the hot cream, then pour into the soup mixture, and let stand till hot, stirring constantly. Use, the tips for salad or serve them in the soup as a sub- stantial dish. Cream of Celery Soup (Without Stock) 4 cupfuls celery leaves and i slice onion tips Bit of bay leaf I pint milk 3 tablespoonfuls flour i pint water 25 tablespoonfuls butter or Sprig parsley oleomargarine Put the celery, parsley, bay leaf and onion on to cook in the water, simmering until tender, and adding water as it evaporates to keep it always one pint. Drain and add the milk. Then rub the butter and flour together and thicken the soup. Let boil up and serve with croutons and a tablespoonful of grated cheese to each serving if desirable. Rich Cream of Celery Soup Tips and coarse stalks from i pint rich milk a head of celery i egg i quart cold water \ cupful cooked brown rice i slice lemon Salt and pepper to taste Bit of bay leaf Cook the celery, onions and bay leaf in the water for an hour. There should be one pint of celery stock. Add 258 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK the milk, boil up, strain, turn in the rice and let simmer five minutes, then turn onto the egg, slightly-beaten, and let stand two minutes, stirring constantly. A half cupful of cooked celery cubes may be added, if desired. Cream of Green Pea Soup 1 can peas 2 tablespoonfuls butter or 2 teaspoonfuls sugar oleomargarine 2 cupfuls cold water 2 tablespoonfuls flour 2 cupfuls milk I teaspoonful salt 1 teaspoonful onion juice & teaspoonful pepper Drain the peas from the liquor, add the sugar and cold water and simmer twenty minutes. Rub through a sieve, re-heat and thicken with the flour and butter creamed together. In the meantime, scald the milk, sea- son, add the onion juice and combine. Pumpkin or Squash Cream Soup 4 cupfuls milk 4 tablespoonfuls flour 2 cupfuls boiling water 4 tablespoonfuls butter or cupful chopped celery oleomargarine 1 teaspoonful paprika ii teaspoonfuls salt il cupfuls sifted pumpkin or Whipped cream (if desired) squash pulp Minced parsley 2 tablespoonfuls minced onion Heat the milk in a double boiler, add the pumpkin, water, onion and celery and cook twenty minutes. Thicken with the flour and butter creamed together with the seasonings, and stir constantly until slightly thick- ened. Cook ten minutes, strain and serve. A garnish of whipped cream, sprinkled with parsley, may be used. Cream of Oyster-Plant Soup 1 bunch oyster plant 2" cupfuls scalded milk i cupfuls boiling water i cupful scalded cream or 2 tablespoonfuls butter or evaporated milk bacon drippings 2 egg yolks (optional) 2 tablespoonfuls flour * I teaspoonful salt Few grains mace 4 teaspoonful pepper Scrape the oyster plant, drop at once into water con- taining a little salt and a few drops of vinegar. Then drain, plunge into the boiling water, and let boil till ten- der. Rub through a sieve (there should be 2j cupfuls) SOUPS 259 and then combine with the milk. Thicken with the flour and butter rubbed together, season, and pour onto the egg yolk, slightly beaten, if it is used. Add the cream, and re-heat. Chives Soup i cupful chopped chives 2 tablespoonfuls butter or Outer leaves 2 heads lettuce drippings (shredded) $' teaspoonful salt 3 cloves i teaspoonful pepper Bit bay leaf Few grains nutmeg 3 tablespoonfuls uncoated I pint milk rice Melt the butter, add the chives and lettuce and cook till coftened. Add the cloves, bay leaf, rice and water, and boil till the rice is very soft. There should then be a pint of liquid. Add the milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg, let boil up once, rub through a sieve and serve. Cream of Potato Soup 3 large potatoes teaspoonful pepper 4 cupfuls milk 2 tablespoonfuls flour i small onion 2 tablespoonfuls drippings or ii teaspoonfuls salt butter Boil the potatoes till soft, and then drain and mash. Cook the onion in the milk. When the potatoes are mashed, add the scalded milk, and the salt and pepper. Rub it through a sieve. Melt the drippings, add the flour and a little of the soup. Add this to the soup and let boil up once. Cream of Bean Soup i cupful pea beans i pint milk i sprig parsley ii teaspoonful salt 1 slice onion i teaspoonful pepper Bit bay leaf 2 tabjespoonfuls butter or 2 tablespoonfuls flour bacon or ham drippings 2 quarts water ' i teaspoonful soda Soak the beans over night, parboil, and then cook until tender, with the seasonings in the 2 quarts of water containing the soda. Rub through a sieve, add the milk, let boil up and thicken with the flour and fat rubbed together. 260 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Cream of Corn Soup & teaspoonful soda i pint boiling water i can corn I slice onion i pint milk 2 tablespoonfuls drippings Blade of mace or butter 3 tablespoonfuls flour ij teaspoonfuls salt Few grains pepper J teaspoonful sugar Make a white sauce of the fat, flour, seasonings and milk. Chop the onion, add the corn and water and sim- mer twenty minutes. Rub through a sieve and combine with the white sauce. Serve very hot with toasted crackers or popped corn. PUREES Black Bean Puree i cupfuls black beans 2 hard-cooked eggs Small piece ham (about 3 cloves a half pound) i teaspoonfuls salt 4 tablespoonfuls minced ^ teaspoonful pepper onion i teaspoonful mustard 2 stalks celery, or a i teaspoonfnl lemon juice Few dried celery leaves 3 tablespoonfuls flour 4 tablespoonfuls bacon or ham fat Soak the beans over night in water to cover. Drain, add 2 quarts of boiling water and -J teaspoonful soda, and boil gently till tender, about four hours, adding the ham the last hour, with the celery, cloves and onion, which should be fried in half the bacon fat. Mix the other seasonings with the flour, rub with the remaining fat and thicken the soup mixture. Then press through a sieve, add the lemon juice and the hard-cooked egg, chopped fine, and serve with entire wheat or rye biscuits. Peanut Puree i quart milk 2 tablespoonfuls flour i cupful peanut butter, or i teaspoonful celery seed pounded peanuts i teaspoonful onion juice I bay leaf i teaspoonful paprika i teaspoonful salt i cupful cold milk (extra) Cook the peanut butter, milk, bay leaf and seasonings in a double boiler top until boiling hot, and the peanuts SOUPS 261 are soft. Mix the flour and cold milk together thor- oughly. Add to the soup ; set over hot water and cook fifteen minutes. Strain and serve. Lima Bean Puree li cupfuls lima beans i teaspoonful pepper 1 quart boiling water 2 cupfuls milk 2 tablespoonfuls minced 4 tablespoonfuls butter or onion bacon fat 2 tablespoonfuls minced car- & cupful flour rot i cupful cream or rich milk i tablespoonful minced pirn- ij teaspoonfuls salt ento 2 tablespoonfuls tomato cat- Bit of bay leaf sup Soak the beans over night, then drain, rinse and put on to cook with J teaspoonful soda in the water. When half done, drain again, and put on to cook in i quart of water with the onion, carrot, pimento and bay leaf. When the beans are tender, remove one cupful ; rub the balance through a sieve, make a sauce of the milk, bacon fat and the flour ; combine the mixtures, season, add the cream and the whole beans and re-heat. Serve with but- tered toast. There should be a quart of the puree after the beans are sifted through. If the amount is short, add water to make up the balance. If a thinner soup is desired, add an extra pint of water ; in this case a pint of sliced, blanched potatoes are an addition. Chestnut Puree I pint Italian or American i slice onion chestnuts (blanched and 3 tablespoonfuls butter shelled) 4 tablespoonfuls flour I quart soup stock Dash nutmeg i pint rich milk Salt and pepper Sprig parsley i or 2 eggs Boil the chestnuts till soft enough to sift. In the meantime scald the onion and parsley in the milk. Then remove ; add the chestnuts to the soup stock which should preferably be chicken, and thicken with the butter and flour rubbed together. Beat the eggs light, add to the milk, combine the mixtures and let them come barely to boiling point. Season and serve immediately. 262 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK FISH BOUILLONS AND SOUPS Cream of Oyster Soup \ pint oysters i pint cold water I cupful minced celery leaves li pints milk 1 slice onion i teaspoonful salt Bit of bay leaf t? teaspoonful pepper Few grains mace 2 tablespoonfuls butter 2j tablespoonfuls flour i cupful cooked celery Wash the oysters thoroughly, then chop fine; add the celery leaves, onion, bay leaf and cold water and simmer gently for twenty minutes. Rub through a sieve, add the milk, scalded, and thickened with the flour and butter rubbed together, and let stand to blend for a few minutes, but do not boil. Season to taste, add the celery and serve at once. Fish Bisque 2 cupfuls cooked \\jhite fish, teaspoonful salt (any kind), minced fine i teaspoonful chopped pars- I tablespoonful butter or ley bacon drippings i quart chicken stock i tablespoonful Worcester- i tablespoonful flour shire sauce \ cupful cracker or fine dry I pint hot milk bread crumbs Make a sauce of the butter, flour, milk and seasonings ; add the fish and crumbs ; combine with the stock, boil up once and serve. Oyster Bouillon I quart oysters A bit of mace i quart water Salt and pepper to taste A few celery leaves Whipped cream Wash the oysters and chop them fine. Add the liquor, strained, and the other ingredients. Simmer for ten rninutes ; then strain through a double thickness of cheesecloth, and serve in cups garnished with a spoonful of whipped cream to each serving, and sprinkled with shredded pimento. Clam Bouillon \ peck clams i cupful whipped cream z\ cupfuls cold water Scrub the clams thoroughly, changing the water several SOUPS 263 times. Place in a kettle with the water, cover, and steam until the shells open. Strain through double cheesecloth, cool and clear, if desired. Serve very hot, with or with- out whipped cream. Fish. Broth or Court Bouillon (For cooking trout or other delicate small fish) i pounds any white fish Salt and pepper to taste 2 quarts cold water \ teaspoon ful celery salt 2 tablespoonfuls minced Bit of bay leaf onion I sprig parsley 2 tablespoonfuls minced car- 3 cloves rot Cut the fish in small pieces, add the other ingredients and let come to a boil. Skim, and simmer an hour and a half. Strain, season, and use as desired. Cream of Salmon Soup 4 can salmon (i cupful) \ teaspoonful onion juice 1 quart milk 2 teaspoonfuls minced pars- 2 tablespoonfuls flour ley 1 teaspoonful salt i teaspoonful pepper 2 tablespoonfuls butter or oleomargarine Scald the salmon with boiling water. Put in a double boiler with the milk and cook until the latter is scalded. Rub together the flour, salt, butter and pepper. Stir into the milk mixture, and, when thickened, serve with crou- tons. Sprinkle each plateful with a little parsley before sending to the table, if convenient. French Oyster Soup i pint oysters 2i tablespoonfuls flour i pint cold water 2\ tablespoonfuls butter or Sliced onion oleomargarine Stalk celery Salt and pepper to taste Dash mace 2 egg yolks 3 cupfuls milk Wash the oysters, chop fine, add the onion, celery and water and simmer twenty minutes. Scald the milk, and thicken with the butter and flour rubbed together. Add the oyster stock, straining out the oysters, then season with mace, and salt and pepper as needed, and pour onto the beaten egg yolks. Re-heat, but do not boil. 264 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Cream of Scallop Soup i pint scallops I teaspoonful salt i pint milk i teaspoonful pepper 3 tablespoonfuls flour i teaspoonful lemon juice 3 tablespoonfuls butter or i cupful light cream or drippings evaporated milk i tablespoonful minced onion i pint cold water Chop the scallops fine. Melt the butter, add the scal- lops and onion and cook till yellowed, then add the cold water, re-heat and simmer for twenty minutes. Mix the flour with a little of the milk, and add to the remain- der, which should be scalded. When thick, combine the mixtures, heat the cream and add with the seasonings. Strain and serve. Omit the cream if desired. Cream of Clam Soup i pint clams 4 teaspoonful mace i pint cold water 4 tablespoonfuls butter i pint milk 4 tablespoonfuls flour i teaspoonful onion juice Salt and pepper to taste I stalk celery I egg yolk (optional) Wash the clams, discard the hard parts and chop the soft parts fine. Add cold water to them and simmer twenty minutes. Skim if necessary ; scald the celery with the milk and make a white sauce of the butter, flour, milk and seasonings. Add this to the beaten egg yolk, if used, return to the heat to " set " like a soft cus- tard, add to the clams, and serve without re-heating. Corn and Oyster Soup 1 can corn i teaspoonful pepper 2 tablespoonfuls minced pirn- 8 large oysters entoes 2 cupfuls milk I slice onion 2 tablespoonfuls butter 2i cupfuls water 2 tablespoonfuls flour teaspoonful salt Dash mace Stew the corn, onion and water for twenty minutes. Make a sauce of the butter, flour and milk, and add the seasonings,: Add the corn mixture, rub through a sieve, and add the pimentoes and oysters. The latter should be washed well, cut in quarters, and steamed till their edges curl. SOUPS 265 Oyster Stew i quart of oysters 4 cupfuls milk i pint boiling water 2! tablespoonfuls butter I teaspoonful salt i teaspoonful pepper Wash each oyster separately and put in a sieve; set this over a pan containing the boiling water, cover and steam until the edges curl. In the meantime scald the milk, heat the tureen and put the butter and pepper and salt in it ; when the milk is scalded, turn it into the tureen ; add the oysters and the water over which they have been steamed. Serve at once. Celery and Oyster Stew 4 cupfuls celery leaves and f cupful cooked spaghetti coarse outer stalks 2i tablespoonfuls butter I quart milk I pint small oysters i pint water i cupful cooked diced celery i slice onion Salt and pepper to -taste Few grains mace Cook the onions and celery in the water, adding enough, as it evaporates, to keep it always a pint. Drain when tender, and add the milk and spaghetti. Clean the oysters and steam over the receptacle, in which the diced celery is being cooked, to conserve all the juices. (This amount of liquid should be very small.) Add the butter gradually to the milk mixture, season, turn in the celery and oysters and serve at once. CHOWDERS Salmon Chowder I can salmon 3 crackers, split 3 tablespoonfuls butter or 3 potatoes drippings 2* slices onion i teaspoonful salt 4 teaspoonful pepper 3 cupfuls milk 3 tablespoonfuls flour Scald the salmon, remove the bone, and flake the flesh fine. Pare the potatoes and slice thin. Fry the onion in the fat, add the flour, and cook three minutes. Add 2 cupfuls of boiling water and the potatoes, and cook until tender, about fifteen minutes. Add the seasonings, the salmon and the milk. Boil up once and serve garnished with split crackers dipped in hot milk. 266 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Corn Chowder 1 can corn i onion, sliced 4 cupfuls potatoes, sliced 4 cupfuls hot milk 2 slices salt pork 2 tablespoonfuls bacon or ii teaspoonfuls salt ham drippings i teaspoonful pepper 3 tablespoonfuls flour Cut the pork in small pieces and try out (or use 2 tablespoonfuls butter or drippings instead) and add the onion, cooking until it is soft. Strain the fat into a stew- pan. Add the potatoes with 2 cupfuls of boiling water, and cook until the potatoes are soft; combine with the corn and milk. Rub together the drippings, flour and seasonings until well-blended, and add to the chowder. Heat to boiling point, taking care it does not burn. Serve garnished with moistened split crackers. White Kidney Bean Chowder I cupful white kidney beans ii teaspoonfuls salt i teaspoonful soda i teaspoonful pepper i can corn 2 tablespoonfuls butter or 1 cupful tomato juice sausage fat 2 quarts boiling water Cracker or dry bread crumbs Soak the beans^ over night ; drain and rinse and bring to boiling point with the soda, and cold water to cover. Drain and rinse again, then add to the boiling water, and simmer slowly until the beans are nearly done. Then season, add the tomatoes and corn, and, when the beans are tender, stir in cracker or bread crumbs to thicken. Add more water if the evaporation is appreciable. Vegetable Chowder i cupful chopped carrot 2! teaspoonfuls salt 1 cupful chopped onion Few grains cayenne 2 cupfuls chopped cabbage i tablespoonfuls sugar i cupful diced celery 4 tablespoonfuls bacon fat 1 pint tomato juice or drippings 2 quarts cold water I tart apple, chopped I cupful chopped turnip Scrub and prepare the vegetables, leaving on the peel- ings. Caramelize the sugar a dark brown. Add to it the drippings, and the carrot, celery, onion, cabbage and tur- nip. Cook till slightly browned, shaking occasionally. Then add the water, the tomato juice, apple and season- SOUPS 267 ings and simmer one hour, well covered. Serve with steamed whole wheat dumplings and grated cheese. Mexican Chowder 1 pint boiled Mexican beans i cupful diced celery 2 quarts beef stock I tablespoonful minced pars- i pound noodles ley Salt and pepper i cupful minced onion Cook the noodles, celery and onions in the beef stock. Add the beans, let become very hot, season to taste, and serve with corn bread. Green Corn and Lima Bean Chowder i quart green corn kernels 2 onions (small) i quart shelled lima beans 2 quarts boiling water i quart sliced potatoes 4 tablespoonfuls flour i quart milk Salt and pepper to taste i pound salt pork Cut the salt pork in small pieces and try out the fat. Add the onion, sliced, and cook gently until it is soft, then turn in the water and add the lima beans. Boil gently for about forty minutes. Then season, add the sliced potatoes, cook ten minutes, and turn in the corn. Cook ten minutes more. Add the milk and water to make up that lost in evaporation. Thicken with the flour dissolved in a little milk, let boil and serve with hot crackers. Dumplings may be steamed over the chowder if desirable. If more convenient, the milk may be omitted, and a quart of stewed and strained tomato be used in place of it. If this is done, a teaspoonful of sugar should be added. Codfish Chowder i$ pounds codfish 4 slices salt pork i pint sliced potatoes i pint milk i cupful sliced onion i quart boiling water 4 tablespoonfuls flour Salt and pepper Try out the salt pork, add the onions and cook slowly until they are yellowed. Then add a quart of boiling water, and the fish cut in small pieces. Cook until the latter is nearly done, then turn in the potatoes. When they are tender, add the milk and the flour dissolved in a 268 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK v little cold water. Season to taste, and serve garnished with thick water crackers moistened in milk. Salt Codfish Chowder i pound salt codfish 2 cupfuls tomato juice 1 2 cupfuls sliced potatoes 2 cupfuls milk i teaspoonful powdered 2-i cupfuls water thyme i cupful diced onion Dash pepper i stalk celery, diced Freshen the fish and cut it in small pieces. Place in a kettle with the potato, onion, seasonings and water, and simmer for twenty-five minutes. Then add the tomato, and the milk (which should be previously heated). Serve at once with crisped crackers. Do not re-heat. CHAPTER X FISH ALL MEASUREMENTS ARE LEVEL There are a few staple ways of cooking fish change being made by the different seasonings and sauces that are served with them. Breakfast fish should always be cooked simply, as broiled or panned, and be served with a garnish of bacon, a few oysters, cress or lemon. For luncheon, fish is usually prepared in any of these ways, and is embellished with some sauce, or is cooked en casserole, in ramekins, fried or boiled, while small fish are sometimes baked. Any one of these methods is suitable for the fish course at a dinner, but if fish is to constitute the main course, a large one should be chosen and usually baked, served en casserole, planked or boiled, while the sauce should be simple. Chowder is used for the home luncheon, supper or dinner. CLEANING AND DRESSING FISH If the fish must be scaled, first dip it in boiling water, and then begin at the tail and scrape with a blunt knife. Clean, and draw as soon as the fish is taken from the water. After removing the entrails be very sure that no particles remain close to the backbone. Wash the fish quickly all over, drain it, and let it stand upon the ice, if possible until time to cook it. However, as the fish odor is liable to permeate the ice-box, wrap the fish closely in oiled paper, and lay it on the ice. If fish is frozen, it must first be thawed out in cold water, then cooked at once. Boning fish is a simple process that need not take long, if one works rapidly and with concentration. At the same time boned fish is certainly much safer to eat, and far more enjoyable, than fish with the bones left in it. 269 270 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK To remove the bones, begin at the tail end, slip the knife, which should be thin and sharp, between the flesh and the bones working up the backbone. Do this on both sides. If the fish is small, like flounder or sole, each side forms one fillet; if large, like shad or bluefish, the fish is not separated, but is stuffed or broiled or cooked as may be desired. Fillets of halibut are made from hali- but steak, which are cut crosswise of the fish, and which separate naturally into four sections. Haddock and cod are also sliced and separated in the same manner. The fat of red-blooded fish is distributed evenly throughout the flesh, making them moist and rich ; to this end they are best not fried, but should be cooked by some other method which will not introduce excess fat. White-blooded fish are dry in texture because the fat is collected in certain portions, so they should be cooked by methods which introduce fat, as baking in milk or brais- ing ; if frying is to be done, these fish are well adapted to it. Olive oil is the best frying fat, clean beef drippings being the next choice. Lard is very unsatisfactory unless deep fat frying is to be done. FRYING FISH IN DEEP FAT The most satisfactory way to fry small fish, or fillets of fish, is in deep fat. To prepare the small fish, clean them, remove the fins and sever the backbone to keep them from curling up. Rub with flour, dip in slightly-beaten egg, diluted with a fourth cupful of water to each egg, and roll in fine dry bread crumbs. Place in a frying basket so that they do not touch and fry in deep fat, hot enough to brown a bit of bread in a minute and a half. Drain at once on crumpled paper. Fillets of fish should be floured, egged and crumbed in the same way. If it is desirable to intro- duce the flavor of lemon juice or onion, or a spiced flavor, the fish should be sprinkled with the seasonings and allowed to stand half an hour before frying. SAUTEING FISH Whole fish may be sauted, or fried, in a spider, but this method is best adapted to fish steaks. In this case the fish should be seasoned, dipped in flour, fine cornmeal, BAKED OYSTERS ON THE HALF SHELL TOMATOES STUFFED WITH SHRIMPS FISH 271 cracker dust, or fine dry bread crumbs, and fried in just enough fat barely to cover the bottom of the pan, first on one side then on the other. Bacon, sausage and ham fat are well adapted to this purpose, if a savory flavor is desired. BROILING FISH Fish that are not too thick are suitable for broiling. To do this, rub a fish broiler with olive oil or butter. Re- move the head of the fish, split down the back so that it will lay flat, and brush with melted butter or olive oil. Place in the broiler and near the heat for a few minutes to sear it quickly, then cook more gently, turning occasionally from side to side. A fish weighing a pound and a half requires about twenty minutes. If too high a heat is used, the juices will be drawn off, making it tough and dry. After broiling, fish are often spread with a little creamed butter, either plain, or into which some flavor has been beaten. In case the fish is very thick, like pickerel or mackerel, it may be put flesh-side up in the gas broiling oven, a dripping pan being set under the fish broiler a few thin slices of bacon or salt pork being put over the fish to baste it. In this case put the fish some distance from the flame. Some of the best fish suited to broiling are mackerel, bluefish, large trout of all kinds, perch, pompano, whitefish, fresh herring and bass. BOILING FISH Whereas boiling is an easy way of cooking fish it is liable to be unsatisfactory, because so much of the flavor is lost in the cooking water, and it is a difficult matter to cook the fish thoroughly without causing the slices to break. The best method is to have the water moderately warm, put in the fish, bring it quickly to boiling point to sear the fish, and simmer gently until the flesh separates easily from the bones five minutes to the pound for thin slices, from eight to ten for thicker. The fish should be tied in a well-oiled cheesecloth to preserve the shape, or, in case of a long, whole fish, it may be coiled up in a fry- ing basket. The best utensil, however, is a rack which fits into the fish kettle, for the fish cooks in better shape and is easier to remove than from any other utensil. The 272 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK cooking water should contain a half teaspoonful of lemon juice or vinegar, and a half teaspoonful of salt to each quart of liquid. Bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns, and the like, may be added if desired. The best medium for boil- ing fish is in fish broth or court bouillon, as the flavor is then not wasted, the liquid finally being used for a bisque or clear bouillon. After boiling, the fish should be well drained, and, if the sauce is not to surround it, may be dressed for service on a platter, and garnished plentifully with cress, parsley, radishes or lettuce hearts, with slices of lemon either plain or spread on one half, with finely-chopped peppers or pimentoes, and the other half with minced parsley. Potato balls tossed in melted butter, stuffed peppers or tomatoes, or sliced cucumbers are often served on the same platter. If the fish is white, a tomato sauce is suit- able. If a fish of marked flavor is used, like tuna or salmon, a plain bread sauce is excellent. A blend of fish flavors is delicious, so a sauce of some other fish is often used. In case the boiled fish are small, like brook trout or smelts, any of the flavored butters, Hollandaise, or drawn butter sauce may be used. The fish best adapted for boiling are cod, haddock, hali- but, bass, whitefish, carp, flounder, salmon, pike, pickerel, perch and trout of all kinds. STEAMING FISH It is more satisfactory to steam fish than to boil them. This is easily done if they are wrapped securely in but- tered manila paper, or a paper cooking bag, or merely laid on a well-oiled plate. Allow ten minutes to the pound for steaming. TO BAKE FISH Almost all varieties may be baked, although the method of baking depends on the kind. Fish of moderate size should be roasted whole, the dressing being rich, rather moist and well seasoned. For roasting or baking the head and tail may, or may not, be left on, but the fins must be removed, and the FISH 273 eyes, if the head is retained. Stuff rather sparingly, lest the dressing swell and break open the fish, and gash the skin along the back so that it will not crack in cooking. Strips of salt pork or bacon are laid along the back, and frequent basting with hot water, to which a little butter, or other fat has been added, will prevent dryness. Allow fifteen minutes to the pound. If one does not own a rack that fits the fish-pan, strips of cotton cloth, about six inches wide, laid lengthwise of the pan, with the fish upon it will aid in transporting it to the platter. Among the fish that may be baked whole are mackerel, bluefish, small salmon, trout, pickerel, bass, whitefish, haddock and perch. The sauce should be sim- ple, like drawn butter, caper, or ordinary egg sauce. Fish, like halibut, tuna, large salmon and cod, are cut in steaks or fillets for baking. They may be placed in a pan with a strip of bacon or salt pork on each, or, in lieu of this, a teaspoonful of sausage, ham or bacon fat. A few drops of lemon juice should be sprinkled over and a little salt and pepper. Set in a hot oven two or three minutes, then add a little hot water, and bakeitill tender about twenty-five minutes basting once or twice. Serve sprinkled with minced parsley and accompanied by a cold slaw, sauce tartare, or any of the sauces designated for boiled fish. Halibut with Oysters Broil halibut steak and sprinkle lightly with lemon juice. Heat oysters in butter until they curl. Season with salt and pepper and pour over the fish. Garnish with parsley or cress. For six people use two pounds of halibut and a pint of oysters. Fillets of Halibut 6 halibut fillets \ cupful soft bread crumbs 2 chopped pimentoes cooked in i cupful chopped string beans J cupful milk or cream 1 cupful fish stock i teaspoonful lemon juice 2 cupfuls pounded halibut \ teaspoonful salt Pimento figures i teaspoonful pepper 2 eggs separated Remove the skins from the fillets ; season the fillets well with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the pimento 274 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK and beans. Set in a well-oiled baking dish some dis- tance apart. Combine the remaining ingredients accord- ing to the order in which they are given, adding the egg whites, well beaten, at the last. Pile this mixture high on the fillets, set the pimento figures in place, surround them with the stock, and bake twenty minutes in a quick oven. Remove to a hot serving platter and strain off the liquor in the pan. There should be ij cupfuls. Thicken this with 2 tablespoonfuls of butter and I table- spoonful of flour creamed together, add two tablespoon- fuls of lemon juice, and pour onto 2 slightly-beaten egg yolks. Return to heat over hot water and stir until thickened. Sprinkle the fillets with the minced pimentoes and parsley and serve surrounded with the sauce. Baked Crumbed Halibut, Haddock or Codfish 2 pounds sliced halibut, had- \ teaspoonful lemon juice dock or codfish Salt and pepper i green pepper or pimento Buttered crumbs 1 onion Dust the fish lightly with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the lemon juice. Lay in an enamelware dripping pan or on a baking-platter. Bestrew with the onion and pepper chopped fine, and sprinkle on the buttered crumbs. Pour in a little water or milk and bake in a moderate oven until the fish is tender and the crumbs are brown about thirty-five minutes for slices an inch thick. Baked Fillets of Halibut, Haddock or Codfish Wipe dry the desired number of halibut, haddock, or codfish fillets. Arrange in a well-buttered baking pan or platter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and a few drops of lemon juice. Brush over with melted butter and barely cover the bottom of the pan with hot water. Set in a hot oven and bake till tender, about thirty minutes. Serve with parsley or egg sauce. Casserole of Halibut 2 pounds halibut "- 4 potatoes, quartered 6 small onions 2" teaspoonfuls salt I cupful carrots cut in little \ teaspoonful pepper strips Boiling water 4 tablespoonfuls butter I cupful tomato juice i cupful crumbs FISH 275 Remove the skin and bones from the fish. Brown the onions and carrots in butter. Put a layer of fish in the casserole, then some carrots and onions and 2 table- spoonfuls of crumbs. Add more fish, vegetables and crumbs, repeating till all are used. Barely cover with the tomato juice and boiling water, add the seasonings and set the potatoes on top ; cover, and bake from forty- five minutes to an hour. Baked Fish Chops 2^ cupfuls cold, flaked cod, i teaspoonful salt halibut or haddock Few grains pepper 3 tablespoonfuls butter or Few grains nutmeg oleomargarine 2 drops tabasco sauce 6 tablespoonfuls flour i teaspoonful minced pars- I cupful hot milk or cream ley \ teaspoonful onion juice 1 teaspoonful Worcestershire i tablespoon ful lemon juice sauce i cupful fish stock Boil the fish, remove the bones and skin and flake the flesh fine. Make a sauce by melting the butter, adding the flour and, gradually, the hot milk; when boiling add the fish stock and the remaining ingredients. Combine with the fish, cool, and shape into cutlets. Roll in fine dry crumbs, mixed with \ cupful melted butter or other good fat to ij cupfuls crumbs. Place in an oiled drip- ping pan and bake till brown. Serve with creamed peas, tomato or egg sauce, around a mould of mashed potatoes or boiled brown rice. * Baked Haddock, Halibut or Codfish Slices Dust slices of the desired fish with salt and pepper. Lay in a baking pan or dish and sprinkle with a little vinegar and a few drops of onion juice; and put a slice of bacon, or a teaspoonful of bacon or sausage fat, or drippings, on each slice. Set in a hot oven and, when beginning to brown, add hot water to cover the bottom of the pan. Bake till tender, about twenty minutes. Breaded Codfish Two pounds fresh codfish, cut three-quarters of an inch thick shaped into pieces suitable for serving. Sprinkle with lemon juice, a few drops of onion juice 276 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK and a little horseradish, and let stand thirty minutes. Then drain, dip in fine dry crumbs, in slightly-beaten egg diluted with milk, and then in crumbs again, and fry about five minutes in deep fat. Drain on crumpled brown paper, and serve with green pepper sauce. Baked Tile Fish with Dressing 2 pounds tile fish Tomato bread dressing Lay the fish in a dripping pan. Dust with salt and pepper, cover with the dressing and bake forty-five minutes in a moderate oven, basting occasionally with a little bacon fat dissolved in hot water. Fried Scallops Clean the desired number of scallops by rinsing thor- oughly in cold water. Plunge in boiling water, well- salted, and simmer until they begin to shrink. Drain, dry, roll in flour, egg diluted with J cup of milk to each egg, then in fine bread crumbs, and fry in fat hot enough to brown a bit of bread in two minutes. Drain on brown paper and serve with tomato or tartare sauce. Devilled Scallops i pint scallops 4 tablespoonfuls drippings or I tablespoonful minced onion bacon fat i tablespoonful lemon juice i cupful tomato pulp \ teaspoonful Worcestershire i teaspoonful salt i tablespoonful Parmesan i teaspoonful minced pars- cheese ley 4 tablespoonfuls flour Wash and drain the scallops. Roll in flour and the melted fat, add all the other ingredients and turn into a well-oiled baking dish; bake for twenty-five minutes. Serve with boiled brown or uncoated rice. Scallops an Gratin i quart scallops Salt and pepper I pint soft crumbs mixed Cream or rich milk, about I with cupful i cupful melted butter \ cupful dry crumbs, mixed 4 tablespoonfuls green pep- with 2 tablespoonfuls melt- per, minced ed butter Wash the scallops, cover with water and bring quickly FISH 277 to boiling point. Drain. Butter a baking-dish, put a layer of crumbs in the bottom, add a layer of scallops, sprinkle with minced peppers, and season with a little salt and pepper, repeating until the dish is rilled. Pour over enough cream to moisten, sprinkle on the dry crumbs, and bake thirty minutes in a moderate oven. Escalloped Fish 3 cupfuls flaked fish, cooked i teaspoonful onion juice 2 cupfuls milk I teaspoonful celery salt 2 tablespoonfuls butter 4 teaspoonful pepper 2 tablespoonfuls flour Salt as needed 1 cupful buttered crumbs Select any white fish, as haddock, cod or halibut. Boil and flake in pieces, taking care to remove all skin and bones. Make a white sauce of the milk and butter, flour and seasonings and stir the fish into it. Pour into a well- oiled baking dish, sprinkle with the crumbs, mixed with two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, or oleomargarine, and set in a quick oven to brown. Creamed Fish on Toast 3 cupfuls cooked haddock or 2 tablespoonfuls butter or cod flaked oleomargarine 2 cupfuls milk 2 tablespoonfuls flour \ teaspoonful salt i teaspoonful onion juice & teaspoonful pepper Bit of bay leaf Buttered toast Scald the bay leaf in the milk and remove it. Make a white sauce of the butter, flour, milk and seasonings. Add the fish, let stand to become very hot, and serve on buttered toast. Matelote of Haddock (From the French) 2 pounds haddock i tablespoonful lemon juice 6 tablespoonfuls butter or i cupful white grape juice, oleomargarine or 6 small onions i cupful very weak vinegar, 4 tablespoonfuls flour slightly sweetened i spice bag il cupfuls rich soup stock I teaspoonful salt i teaspoonful pepper Slice the fish and remove the skin. Slice the onions 278 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK and fry them in the butter with the fish till browned. Then add the flour, the seasonings, the liquid and the spice bag (i clove, bit bay leaf and a few celery leaves tied in a cloth). Simmer thirty minutes, add more sea- sonings, if necessary, and serve garnished with toast points. Oyster Chops I cupful steamed oysters i teaspoonful parsley i cupful cooked veal I teaspoonful salt 4 tablespoonfuls butter or Few grains cayenne oleomargarine i tablespponful lemon juice 6 tablespoonfuls flour Few grains nutmeg Steam the oysters. Chill, cut in small pieces and mix with the veal cut in bits. Make a sauce of the butter, flour, cream and seasonings. Add the oyster mixture, chill and form into chop shapes. Dip in egg, diluted with melted butter, then in well-buttered crumbs and bake in a dripping pan until brown. Oyster Loaves 12 French rolls Grating lemon rind 1 pint oysters Few grains mace 2 tablespoonfuls butter Salt and pepper to taste 1 cupful thick cream Cut the tops from the rolls, scoop out the crumbs and brush thoroughly both inside and out with butter. Set in a hot oven to brown. Fry the coarse crumbs in the butter. Remove the oyster muscles, then place the oysters in a saucepan, with the fried crumbs and season- ings. Shake over the heat until the oysters begin to curl, add the heated cream and serve very hot in the rolls, accompanied by fried crumbs. Oyster Filling for Patties 2 tablespoonfuls butter Yolks 2 eggs 2 tablespoonfuls flour Dash of cayenne I cupful milk or cream Dash of mace Steam the oysters and cut each one into four pieces. Make a white sauce of the butter, flour and cream, add the seasonings and remove from the fire. When a little cooled, add the beaten yolks', stirring vigorously; place again over the heat, and stir until thickened, then add the oysters. Serve, in hot pattie-shells, or bread croustades. FISH 279 Panned Oysters Wash the desired number of oysters thoroughly. Place in a frying pan with a generous lump of butter. Dredge lightly with salt and pepper, and cook gently over a moderate heat until the edges curl about five minutes and serve on buttered toast. Saute Oysters, with Celery teaspoonful salt i teaspoonful horseradish 1 pint oysters Crumbs 2 tablespoonfuls lemon juice I cupful white sauce Few drops Worcestershire \ cupful minced celery 6 slices toast Clean the oysters and marinate (let stand) in the lemon juice, Worcestershire and horseradish half an hour. Drain, sprinkle with salt and pepper, dip in fine dry crumbs and saute (fry) in butter. When the edges curl, remove to slices of hot buttered toast, pour around the white sauce, and sprinkle with the minced celery. Tiny Oyster and Mushroom Pies i pint small oysters Few grains mace \ pound fresh mushrooms Few drops onion juice 1 cupful milk \ teaspoonful salt 2 tablespoonfuls butter Few grains pepper 2 tablespoonfuls flour Flaky pie crust Wash the oysters, cut the mushrooms in small pieces, fry till softened in the butter, and add the flour and the milk. Season. Let boil, and drop in the oysters; put the mixture in six small ramekins. Set over rounds of the pie crust and bake quickly. Oyster Pasty i quart oysters 4 tablespoonfuls butter or i pint rich milk or cream oleomargarine i cupful cooked diced celery 4 tablespoonfuls flour i cupful cooked peas i4 teaspoon fuls salt & teaspoonful mace i teaspoonful pepper Short biscuit paste Wash the oysters carefully. Make a sauce by melting the fat, adding the flour and seasonings and, gradually, the milk. Steam the oysters over a half cupful of water until plump add this liquor to the sauce, then the 280 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK oysters, peas and celery. Line a dish with the paste, cut one-quarter inch thick pour in the oyster mixture, put on a crust of the biscuit paste, cut a hole in the top, and bake about twenty-five minutes in a moderate oven. Fried Oysters i quart oysters Salt and pepper Dried bread crumbs 2 egg whites Wash the oysters and drain on paper toweling. Add -J cupful cold water to the egg whites beaten slightly together; dust the oysters with salt and pepper, roll in crumbs, egg white, and crumbs again and fry forty sec- onds in fat hot enough to brown a bit of bread in that length of time. Drain on crumpled brown paper and serve with sauce tartare or in a bread croustade with white sauce. Escalloped Oysters 1 quart oysters -k teaspoonful paprika 2 teaspoonfuls minced pars- 4 cupfuls soft bread crumbs ley I cupful butter i cupful minced celery 2 cupfuls cream or milk i teaspoonful salt cupful dry, buttered crumbs Wash the oysters. Butter a baking dish and put in a thin layer of the crumbs. Add a layer of oysters, sprin- kle with a little seasoning, parsley and celery, dot with bits of the butter, and repeat until dish is full, leaving the last layer oysters. Add the cream, cover with the buttered crumbs, and bake thirty minutes in a hot oven. There should not be more than three layers of oysters. Devilled Oysters with Brown Rice i pint oysters Salt and paprika 3 cupfuls cooked brown rice ^ cupful butter 1 cupful grated cheese cupful bread crumbs mixed 2 minced green peppers with i tablespoonful melted butter Butter a baking dish and put in a layer of the cooked rice ; cover with oysters, sprinkle with the cheese, salt, pepper and minced peppers and add half the butter cut in bits. Repeat and cover the top with buttered crumbs. Moisten with oyster liquor, if necessary, and bake thirty minutes in a moderate oven. FISH 281 Devilled Oysters 1 quart oysters % teaspoonful salt 2 tablespoonfuls olive oil i teaspoonful paprika 1 tablespoonful made mus- i teaspoonful curry tard Buttered crumbs 2 tablespoonfuls lemon juice Let the oysters stand thirty minutes in the seasonings. Then dip in the crumbs and bake till brown in a very hot oven. Serve garnished with bacon. Brown Oysters I pint oysters Few grains mace 1 tablespoonful minced onion 6 tablespoonfuls flour 2 tablespoonfuls minced car- i cupful cream or rich milk rot i teaspoonful salt I sprig parsley Few grains cayenne 4 tablespoonfuls butter Buttered toast Wash the oysters, and steam over a cupful of hot water. Fry the onion and carrot till yellow in the butter, add the flour, then, gradually, the liquor over which the oysters were steamed. Strain this mixture. Have the parsley minced fine and add it with the seasonings and oysters. Let it become very hot, turn in the cream, scalded, and serve on buttered toast, or pour over boiled brown or uncoated rice. Savory Clams i pint clams 6 slices bacon cut in dice 1 cupful cream or milk i teaspoonful salt 2 tablespoonfuls butter or Few grains pepper bacon drippings J cupful minced celery 2 tablespoonfuls flour I cupful fine crumbs Clean the clams and separate the hard and soft paHs, chopping each rather coarse. Add the hard parts to the butter and cook for three minutes ; add the flour, season- ings and, gradually, the milk and the soft parts of the clams. Turn into well-oiled ramekin dishes or scallop shells, sprinkle with minced celery, cover lightly with the crumbs, and then place a very little piece of bacon on top of each. Bake twenty minutes (or until brown) in a hot oven. 282 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Clams Saute on Toast i quart clams Dash pepper i cupful butter I teaspoonful Worcestershire Salt, if needed sauce 4 tablespoonfuls flour Remove the heads from the clams. Wash the clams and cut in halves. Roll in the flour, season and fry in the butter about seven minutes. Serve on toast. Clams a la Creme I pint clams Few grains pepper 1 cupful cream or milk 1 teaspoonful Worcestershire 2 tablespoonfuls butter sauce 3 tablespoonfuls flour I stalk celery teaspoonful onion juice Buttered toast i teaspoonful salt Clean the clams, remove the heads and separate the hard and soft parts, chopping each rather coarse. Add the hard parts to the butter, cooking them three minutes, then turn in the flour and seasonings. In the meantime scald the celery with the milk, remove it, and add the milk to the clams. Then add the soft parts and let stand ten minutes over hot water to cook. Serve on buttered toast. To Open Lobsters Separate the tail from the body, and twist off the large and small claws. Then cut the thin shell on the inside of the tail, and remove the meat. Split this lengthwise through the center and take out the intestinal vein, which is sometimes red, sometimes white or even black. Then draw out the body of the lobster from the main part, dis- carding the lungs, stomach and liver. Save the coral, pull off the wooly gills, then pick out the meat that lies between the body bones. If the lobster is small, cut the claws with the scissors and remove the meat ; if large and tough it will be neces- sary to break them. The small claws and tips of the large claws may be reserved for garnishing. To Boil Lobsters Have the water boiling rapidly, and allow a handful of salt to a gallon of water. Enough water should be allowed to cover the lobster. Drop in the lobster and FISH 283 let boil hard for a few minutes, then more gently, allow- ing twenty minutes in all for a medium-sized lobster. Broiled Live Lobster If possible, order the lobster dressed at the fish mar- ket; pull off the small claws and put the lobster in a broiler, well-oiled with olive oil. Broil from eight to ten minutes on the flesh side, then turn and broil half the time on the shell side. Break open the large claws and pour over melted butter before serving. If necessary to dress the lobster at home, use a heavy, pointed knife and make a sharp, deep cut throughout the whole length of the lobster, beginning at the mouth. Spread open and remove the stomach and the intestinal vein. Baked Live Lobster Put the lobster fat and the meat from the body in a bowl, mix this with an equal quantity of soft bread crumbs, a tablespoonful of minced green peppers, a half teaspoonful of lemon juice and a little salt and pepper. Replace in the body shell, lay the lobster in a pan and put four narrow strips of thinly-sliced bacon over the lobster. Bake thirty minutes in a moderate oven. Buttered Lobster Meat from a two-pound lob- 4 tablespoonfuls hot butter ster i tablespoonful minced pars- i teaspoonful Worcestershire ley sauce i teaspoonful paprika I teaspoonfnl mustard i teaspoonful vinegar i teaspoonful salt Put the seasonings together in a saucepan, add the but- ter and lobster and saute (fry) till very hot. Serve* on buttered toast, or in browned pointed rolls. Lobster Savory i cupful lobster meat i tablespoonful ham 1 cupful chopped mushrooms (chopped) 2 tablespoonfuls butter I tablespoonful carrot 3 tablespoonfuls flour (chopped) I teaspoonful salt 2 tablespoonfuls celery Few grains pepper (chopped) i teaspoonful parsley '$ teaspoonful minced onion ii cupfuls brown soup stock 2 cloves 284 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Melt the butter, add the vegetables and flour, and cook until browned, then add the stock slowly. Boil till the vegetables are tender, strain and 1 add the lobster meat. Serve in timbale cases, or in bread croustades. Lobster Farci z\ cupfuls boiled lobster Yolks 2 hard-cooked eggs ii cupfuls cream or milk I teaspoonful salt 3 tablespoonfuls butter i tablespoonful chopped oars- 3 tablespoonfuls flour ley \ teaspoonful nutmeg Whites 2 hard-cooked eggs Few grains cayenne -k teaspoonful Worcestershire 6 tablespoonfuls bread sauce crumbs Make a white sauce of the butter, the milk, flour and the seasonings. Remove from the heat and add the parsley, minced, and the egg yolks, mashed. Stir in the lobster meat, and the egg whites cut in small cubes. Have the lobster shells washed and dried. Cut off the sides of the body shells one-half inch. Fit the body and tail-pieces together, put in the mixture^ cover with but- tered crumbs, and bake till brown. Lobster Cutlets 2 cupfuls chopped lobster i teaspoonful lemor juice meat i egg yolk , \ teaspoonful salt i teaspoonful finely-chopped Few grains cayenne parsley Few gratings nutmeg i cupful thick white sauce Mix the ingredients in the order given. Shape in the form of cutlets, crumb and fry as croquettes. (See chapter on frying.) Make a cut at the small end of each cutlet and insert in each the tip of a small claw. Serve around a mound of parsley, with sauce tartare. Lobster, Chafing-Dish Style 2* cupfuls boiled lobster meat . 3 hard-cooked egg yolks ii cupfuls cream or milk i teaspoonful salt 2 tablespoonfuls butter i tablespoonful chopped ii tablespoonfnls flour parsley Few grains cayenne Dash celery salt Few grains nutmeg Make a white sauce as follows mash the egg yolk and mix with the flour. Melt the butter, stir in the flour FISH 285 mixture and seasonings, and add the cream gradually. Add the parsley and lobster meat cut in dice. Let boil and serve very hot on buttered toast. Stewed Eel i eel (about one pound) I cupful sifted canned toma- i onion, sliced toes 1 tablespoonful minced pars- I cupful peas ley Salt and pepper to taste 4 tablespoonfuls olive oil Fry the onion in the oil, and when of a golden color add the parsley. Wash and dry the eel and cut it in pieces, about two inches long. Add the eel to the onion together with the tomatoes and a little salt and pepper and the peas, if they are fresh. Otherwise put them in just before serving. Cook slowly until the eel is tender. Baked Stuffed Smelts 12 large smelts 4 tablespoonfuls soft bread 2 tablespoonfuls lemon juice crumbs teaspoonful minced onion \ teaspoonful minced parsley 2 tablespoonfuls chopped 4 tablespoonfuls butter mushrooms Hot milk or cream to moisten Remove the heads, tails and fins and clean the fish. Wash thoroughly, dredge with sak and pepper, and stuff with a dressing made of the onion, mushrooms, crumbs, parsley, etc. Set on a well-oiled baking platter, sprinkle with lemon juice and cover. Bake eight minutes in a quick oven. Uncover, place buttered crumbs on top, and bake until the crumbs are browned. Serve with Hol- landaise, mousseline or sauce tartare. Baked Mackerel in Milk Dress and split a mackerel. Lay it on a baking plat- ter and dredge it with flour, salt and pepper ; dot with bits of butter and add hot milk nearly to cover. Bake until tender about twenty-five minutes. Baked Stuffed Bluefish Clean the bluefish and dredge inside and out with salt and pepper. Prepare a well-seasoned bread or cracker stuffing, and lay the fish in a well-oiled pan, preferably on a fish rack. Dot with bits of butter, sprinkle lightly with 286 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK flour and bake nearly an hour in a hot oven, for a fish of medium size. Pour in a cupful of hot water containing a little butter or drippings. Baste frequently with this. Serve with Hollandaise sauce or lemon butter. Fish Stuffing 2 cup fuls soft bread crumbs $ teaspoonful onion juice i cupful melted butter, oleo- i teaspoonful minced parsley margarine or savory drip- | cupful chopped celery (if pings convenient) I teaspoonful salt Hot water to moisten 1 teaspoonful pepper Mix the ingredients in the order given. A half cup- ful or more of stewed tomato may be used instead of the water if desired. Fried Fillets of Flounder or Sole Clean the fish and cut lengthwise into fillets. Dust with salt and pepper, roll and fasten with wooden tooth- picks. Dip in fine dry crumbs, in egg and crumbs again, and fry. in fat hot enough to brown a piece of bread in two and one-half minutes, and drain. Serve with tomato, Hollandaise, shrimp sauce, or sauce tartare. Baked Sole Clean the fish and split lengthwise. Marinate (let stand) for twenty minutes in a tablespoonful of lemon juice, a teaspoonful of Worcestershire and a half tea- spoonful of onion juice for each two pounds of fish, and then dust thickly with buttered crumbs. Set in a baking pan ; dot with more butter, pour a little water in the pan and bake gently for twenty minutes in a moderate oven. Serve with parsley sauce and potato balls. Fillet of Sole, Greek Style 3 cupfuls creamed spinach I cupful cheese, sliced thin 2 pounds sole, split and 4 tablespoon fuls butter cleaned Salt and pepper i cupful milk Make a thin layer of the spinach in the bottom of a shallow, well-oiled baking dish or low casserole. Place the sole on this, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and pour the milk around it. Then cover with the cheese, dot FISH 287 with butter, dredge sparingly with salt and pepper and set in a hot oven for twenty-five minutes. The cheese will melt, forming a most delicious sauce. Planked Shad a la Easter Heat a plank of the desired size and rub thoroughly with olive oil, then lay the fish, cleaned and split down the back, on it. Brush over with oil and dredge with salt and pepper. Bake about twenty-five minutes in a hot oven, basting frequently with melted butter. This can be done under the gas flame if desired, taking care not to burn the plank. Decorate with hot, moulded brown or uncoated rice, bundles of cooked asparagus, slipped through rings of green pepper, turnip cups of cooked turnips, hollowed out and filled with peas, radish roses and slices of lemon decorated with halved, stuffed olives. Planked Mackerel Split the fish down the back and remove the bones. Heat a plank of the desired size in the oven, rub thor- oughly with olive oil and then lay the fish on it, flesh- side up. Dredge the fish with salt and pepper, sprinkle with a little lemon juice, and bake till tender, about twenty-five minutes in a hot oven, basting frequently with melted butter. Have prepared a generous quantity of Duchess potatoes (about I quart) and pipe through a pastry bag and tube around the fish. Brush over with slightly-beaten egg yolk and return to the oven to brown. Decorate further with stuffed green peppers, or tomatoes, with radish roses, and with broiled bacon strips alternating with lemon slices on the fish. Almost any fine-grained fish may be planked. Trout Baked in Milk Dress the fish as usual, removing the head, fins and tail. Place on a buttered baking platter, dredge with flour, allowing one tablespoon ful to each fish, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dot with bits of butter and smother the fish with unheated thin cream. Place in the oven and bake until tender about twenty minutes. The fish will absorb much of the cream. The remainder 288 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK will be thickened by the flour and can be served with the fish as a sauce. Trout a la Game Club Prepare the trout as usual, but do not remove the heads or tails. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, wrap in cheesecloth and plunge into boiling fish broth and sim- mer until tender, from fifteen to twenty-five minutes, ac- cording to the size of the fish. Serve whole on heated plates with lemon butter and a garnish of watercress. By this process the beautiful fish markings are preserved. To Boil Crabs Plunge the crabs into boiling water containing a table- spoonful of salt and a little vinegar to each two quarts. Boil from ten to fifteen minutes, or until they turn red. To Dress Crabs Cool the boiled crabs and remove the spongy substance and the small piece at the lower part of the shell, which is called " the apron." Then pick the meat from the bones and use as desired. Devilled Crabs To each cupful of crab meat allow two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, two tablespoonfuls soft bread crumbs, one or two egg yolks, a teaspoonful of minced parsley, a half teaspoonful of lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. If it seems dry, moisten with a little milk or white stock. In the meantime wash the shells, trim into shape and heap with the mixture. Sprinkle with dry bread crumbs, mixed with a little melted butter, and brown in a moderate oven. Crab Meat Cakes 3 cupfuls crab meat \ teaspoonful salt i small egg i teaspoonful pepper \ tablespoonful flour Paprika to taste Mix the ingredients together in the order given, form into flat cakes, roll in flour and fry gently on a well- oiled griddle. Serve with a rich white sauce. FISH 289 Crab Meat Timbales 2 cupfuls flaked crab meat, 4 tablespoonfuls melted but- freed from shell ter 3 eggs I teaspoonful salt 1 cupful soft bread crumbs I teaspoonful pepper 2 teaspoonfuls lemon juice I teaspoonful minced parsley Beat the egg yolks well, and add to the crab meat with all the other ingredients as mentioned. Mix thoroughly, then fold in the egg whites, beaten stiff. Bake in well- oiled timbales or custard cups, set in hot water, for thirty minutes unmould and serve with white sauce contain- ing chopped olives. Fried Soft Shell Crabs Pull back the skin (which will later harden into shell) and remove the soft spongy substances ; then replace the skin, dip the crab, legs and all, into flour, dust with a little salt and pepper, then roll in egg and fine bread crumbs, as for croquettes, and fry golden brown in fat hot enough to brown a bit of bread in two minutes. White Fish Loaf 2 pounds halibut, cod or had- Grating lemon rind dock i-i teaspoonfuls salt 2 or 3 eggs separated i teaspoonful butter or oleo- li cupfuls soft bread crumbs margarine melted li cupfuls milk 1 teaspoonful pepper Boil the fish with a bit of bay leaf till tender. When cool, remove the skin and bones and flake with a fork into bits. Cook the bread crumbs and milk together to a paste. Add to the fish with the remaining ingredients, the eggs being separated; add the yolks without beating, and fold in the egg whites, beaten stiff. Pack into a well-buttered brick-shaped tin with the bottom lined with paper. Stand in a pan of water and bake forty-five to fifty minutes. Let stand a while before unmoulding. Serve hot with egg, bread, or Spanish sauce. Tuna Fish a la King 4 tablespoonfuls butter I teaspoonful salt 3 tablespoonfuls flour 2 cupfuls rich milk 2 tablespoonfuls green pep- ii cupfuls diced mushrooms per (minced) Toast 2i cupfuls tuna fish, flaked Few grains paprika coarse 290 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Melt the butter and cook the peppers and mushrooms in it till soft. Then stir in the flour and salt and cook till frothy. Add the milk gradually, stirring constantly, and when boiling point has been reached add the fish. Let become very hot and serve on buttered toast. Flaked Fish Cakes 2! cupfuls hot boiled uncoat- i tablespoonful melted butter ed rice i cupful fish flakes 1 teaspoonful minced parsley i teaspoonful onion juice 2 teaspoonfuls salt Few grains pepper 8 slices bacon Hot milk or cream to moisten Mix together the rice, fish, seasonings and butter; moisten as needed with milk, form into flat cakes and dip in flour. Try out the fat from the bacon in the oven, cooking until the bacon is crisp and brown. Fry the cakes in the hot fat, and serve a slice of bacon on every patty. Tomato or cream sauce may be used with these if desired. Fish-Balls 1 cupful salt codfish i egg 2i cupfuls mashed potato 2 teaspoonfuls parsley 2 tablespoonfuls cream i tablespoonful butter 4 teaspoonful pepper Pick the codfish into bits and let simmer thirty min- utes. Prepare the potato as usual, add the fish, egg, parsley, butter and pepper and the cream, if more mois- ture is needed. Shape into flat cakes, egg and crumb, as usual, and fry in deep fat. Serve garnished with broiled bacon. Salmon Klopps 2 cupfuls cooked, or canned, \ teaspoonful lemon juice salmon, minced i teaspoonful onion juice \ teaspoonful celery salt 2 eggs i teaspoonful parsley Mix the ingredients in the order given, adding the eggs unbeaten. Form into balls the size of a walnut, and poach in water just at simmering point. When firm, re- move to toast and serve with a cream sauce. FISH 291 Salmon Loaf I can salmon i cupful melted butter or 3 eggs oleomargarine 1 cupful soft bread crumbs \ teaspoonful salt 2 teaspoonfuls lemon juice & teaspoonful pepper I teaspoonful minced parsley Scald the salmon. Remove the skin and bones, and to the fish add the yolks of the eggs, well beaten, and all in- gredients in the order given. Mix well and fold in the egg whites, beaten stiff. Bake in a buttered pan well- covered, and set in pan of hot water for thirty-five min- utes, or steam for an hour. Serve either hot or cold, with creamed peas or sauce 'tartare. Creamed Salmon on Toast 1 can salmon 2 tablespoonfuls butter or 2 cupfuls milk bacon fat 2 tablespoonfuls flour \ teaspoonful salt 1 teaspoonful onion juice i teaspoonful pepper Buttered toast Scald the salmon. Remove the skin and bones and flake the fish fine with a fork. Melt the fat, and stir in the flour and milk, gradually. Let boil, stirring con- stantly, add th salmon and seasonings and let become very hot. Serve on buttered toast. Japanese Shrimps 2 cupfuls cooked shrimps i teaspoonful onion juice 2 tablespoonfuls butter i| cupfuls milk 1 4 tablespoonfuls flour Buttered crumbs 1 tablespoonful chopped pi- mentoes Break the shrimps into bits. Add the pimentoes to the butter and cook till soft, then add the flour and milk to make a white sauce. Turn in the shrimps, and season to taste; turn into individual baking dishes and cover with the buttered crumbs. Bake in a quick oven, and serve with radish and lettuce salad. Tomatoes Stuffed with Shrimps 6 medium-sized tomatoes Pulp from the tomato 1 5 cupfuls shrimps, quar- i cupful cream tered \ cupful soft bread crumbs 2 tablespoonfuls butter Salt and paprika to taste 2 slices onion, diced 292 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Cut the tomatoes in halves crosswise, and remove the pulp. Dust the halves with salt and pepper and drain. Melt the butter and brown the onion in it lightly. Add the tomato pulp and cook till reduced one-half. Add the other ingredients, then the shrimp, and pack into the tomato halves. Cover with buttered crumbs. Bake thirty minutes in a moderate oven, and serve on buttered toast rounds, or garnished with additional shrimps. Shrimp Pie 2\ cupfuls shrimps 2 cupfuls milk 2 cupfuls thinly-sliced cooked 4 teaspoonful salt potato \ teaspoonful pepper i cupful peas 2 tablespoonfuls butter 4 anchovies Short biscuit crust 3 tablespoonfuls flour Cut the shrimps in small pieces, mince the anchovies and butter a baking dish. Put in a layer of the shrimps, then one of potato and one of peas; sprinkle with some of the anchovies, salt and pepper and flour, then repeat until all is used and pour over the milk heated to scald- ing point. Set on the crust slashed to let out the steam, and bake thirty minutes in a moderate oven. SALT AND SMOKED FI^H Salt and smoked fish deserve a more prominent place in every household menu. In the first place they are digestible foods; second, they are cheaper than ordinary fish because they contain more nutriment in proportion to the weight and have no waste. At the same time the various varieties may be kept on hand and are always ready for use when needed. It is a mistake to freshen dried fish too long, salt mackerel and codfish, only if very salt, necessitating soaking over night. Herring and salmon, as well as bloaters, simply need scalding. Finnan haddie should be allowed to soak for an hour in cold water before using. Browned Codfish on Biscuit i pound salt codfish Salt and pepper 3 tablespoonfuls bacon or 2 cupfuls boiling water beef drippings Baking powder biscuit 5 tablespoonfuls flour FISH 293 Soak the codfish an hour in warm water. Drain, re- move the bones, and separate the fish into large flakes. Dry and roll in flour. Fry in the drippings until tender and brown. Then add the remaining flour, toss the fish about, and pour in the water. Let boil, season to taste, and serve on the biscuit, split and buttered. Creamed Codfish pound salt codfish i egg yolk 1 4 cupfuls white sauce Dash pepper Mashed potatoes or boiled brown or uncoated rice Soak the fish an hour in warm water to cover. With the fingers remove the bones. Drain the fish, cut it in small pieces, add the white sauce and cook until tender. Combine with the beaten egg yolk just before serving. Pour into a border of the potato or rice and garnish with parsley minced fine. Creamed Codfish with Hard-Cooked Eggs Add three sliced hard-cooked eggs to the preceding recipe. Coddled Codfish 1 pound salt codfish, flaked i tablespoonful butter or 3 eggs oleomargarine 2 cupfuls milk Few grains pepper and salt Buttered toast Freshen the codfish for an hour in warm water. Drain, flake, add to the milk with the butter, and bring slowly to scalding-point. Beat the eggs with a little pep- per and salt, and pour the milk mixture into them. Re- turn to a double boiler and cook until the eggs become " set," stirring gently once during the process. Then serve on toast. Codfish Batter Cakes i cupful shredded codfish 3 egg yolks i cupful flour 2 egg whites cupful water i teaspoonful melted butter Freshen the codfish. Put the flour in a bowl, add the water gradually, beating well, and then the codfish. Beat the egg whites and yolks separately, fold them in, 294 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK add the butter, and drop by small tablespoon fuls into fat hot enough to brown a bit of bread in one and one- half minutes. Drain on brown paper, and serve with white, tomato or Spanish sauce. Fried Salt Codfish ^ Salt codfish Salt pork Soak the fish for two hours in warm water, then drain. In the meantime try out several slices of salt pork, and cook until they are crisp. Remove them from the fat, and put in the fish. Fry to a light brown on each side, about five minutes, and serve on a hot platter. Hash-Browned Codfish I tablespoonful butter or ba- Dash pepper con drippings \ cupful flaked salt codfish I tablespoonful flour 2 cupfuls chopped cold I cupful milk boiled potatoes i tablespoonful parsley Make a sauce of the fat, flour, milk and pepper. Stir in the fish, which should be previously freshened and add the potatoes. Turn into a hot frying pan containing a tablespoonful and a half of bacon fat, press in the mixture, cover and set in the oven to bake until a rich crust is formed. Serve accompanied with cooked bacon, or an egg or tomato sauce. Salt Codfish, with Baked Eggs 1 cupful salt codfish (flaked) 2 tablespoonfuls butter or 2 cupfuls milk bacon fat 2 tablespoonfuls flour Dash pepper Grated cheese 6 eggs Freshen the codfish an hour in warm water, then make a white sauce of the flour, butter and milk. Add the fish, season to taste with pepper, pour into a shallow baking dish, and gently break the eggs, one by one, into a saucer and slip them onto the fish mixture. Sprinkle with the cheese. Set into a hot oven and bake till the eggs are firm from ten to fifteen minutes. COLD BOILED SALMON WITH MAYONNAISE FISH, READY TO BOIL FISH 295 Devilled Herring 2 cupfuls smoked, boneless 3 tablespoonfuls butter herring, diced 3 tablespoonfuls flour cupful diced celery 2 cupfuls tomato juice 1 teaspoonful mustard I cupful buttered crumbs 2 tablespoonfuls minced i teaspoonful Worcestershire green peppers sauce 1 teaspoonful curry I tablespoonful minced onion Cut the herring in dice and scald. Melt the butter and fry the celery, onion and pepper in it till yellowed. Add the fish and seasonings, mix well, and gradually pour in the tomato. Let boil, and turn into buttered ramekins, cover with the crumbs, and bake till brown in a moderate oven. Broiled Salt Mackerel Freshen the mackerel over night in cold water. Rinse and dry thoroughly on paper toweling, and place in a well- oiled broiler directly over the coals. Broil for twelve minutes, transfer to a hot platter, and serve with lemon butter and sliced lemon. Salt Mackerel in Milk Soak a salt mackerel over night in cold water. Rinse and dry on paper toweling, then place in a baking pan. Dredge thickly with flour, dot with bits of butter and al- most cover with milk. Bake until the mackerel is tender, about twenty-five minutes, then remove gently to a platter. Use the remaining milk in the pan for a sauce. Broiled Smoked Salmon For six persons allow ij pounds of salmon, cut J inch thick. Scald, drain, dry well and broil very slowly from ten to twelve minutes. Transfer to a hot platter, and spread a little butter over the top. Re-heat in the oven for a moment and serve. This is a delicious tidbit to serve with eggs. Casserole of Smoked Salmon 2 pounds smoked salmon 6 quartered potatoes 4 small onions i teaspoonful pepper i cupful canned peas (if con- 4 tablespoonfuls butter or venient) drippings Bit bay leaf I cupful rich milk A little lemon peel Dried bread crumbs 296 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK If the salmon is very salt, scald it with boiling water, then cut it in pieces suitable for serving. Chop the onion. Place the fish, potatoes, onion (and peas if used) in alternate layers in the casserole, sprinkling the crumbs, which should be stirred in the melted butter, throughout the mixture. The bay leaf and lemon peel should be placed in the middle. Cover the mixture with boiling water, or soup stock, and bake slowly for an hour, adding the milk just before serving. Smoked Salmon (Chartreuse) ij cupfuls brown or uncoat- i tablespoonful lemon juice ed rice i teaspoonful pepper 2 teaspoonfuls curry powder \ teaspoonful onion juice 2 tablespoonfuls butter f cupful milk 2\ cupfuls flaked, smoked 2 tablespoonfuls flour salmon 2 tablespoonfuls butter Scald the salmon. Boil the rice as usual and stir lightly into it the curry powder, creamed with two table- spoonfuls of the butter. Make a thick sauce of the but- ter, flour and milk and add the fish, lemon juice, pepper and onion juice. Line a well-buttered bread pan with the rice. Pack in the fish mixture, put a layer of rice over the top, and steam or bake in the oven for thirty min- utes. Serve with creamed peas. Devilled Smoked Salmon 1 pound smoked salmon 2 cloves 4 tablespoonfuls olive oil Bit bay leaf 2 tablespoonfuls vinegar 6 peppercorns Pour a marinade made of a mixture of all the ingre- dients over the salmon and let stand for several hours. Then fry the slices in a good salad or cooking oil, and serve at once, garnished with sliced lemon. Turban of Smoked Salmon with String Beans I pound, or il cupfuls minced 2 eggs salmon (smoked) I tablespoonful minced pars- I cupful soft bread- crumbs ley I cupful milk \ teaspoonful onion juice 4 tablespoonfuls butter Scald the salmon, then mince very fine. Cook the crumbs and milk together to a smooth paste, add the but- FISH 297 ter, parsley and onion juice, and turn into the fish. Beat the egg yolks till lemon-colored, add to the mixture and fold in the whites, beaten stiff. Turn into a well-oiled ring mould, surround with boiling water, and bake until firm, about twenty-five minutes. Unmould, fill the cen- ter with well-seasoned string beans and serve with a white or egg sauce. Smoked Halibut, Pilau 1 pound smoked halibut i cupful stewed tomato | cupful brown or uncoated i tablespoonful minced onion rice 3 tablespoonfuls butter or 2 cnpfuls water or soup drippings stock i teaspoonful salt Scald the halibut, then drain and simmer gently till tender. Remove the bones, flake the fish and re-heat in the fat. In the meantime cook the rice, salt and onion together in the water or stock, and when almost done turn in the tomato. Cook until dry, pour onto the plat- ter, turn the fish over it, and serve very hot. Smoked Halibut Ramekins i cupful shredded, smoked 3 eggs halibut I tablespoonful minced onion li cupfuls milk i tablespoonful minced pars- 1 tablespoonful butter ley i tablespoonfuls flour Grated cheese Pepper to taste Bread crumbs Make a sauce of the milk, butter, flour and pepper. Add the halibut, which should be scalded, the onion, parsley and eggs, slightly beaten. Put into buttered ramekins, sprinkle with buttered bread crumbs and strew with the cheese. Set in a pan of hot water and bake for twenty minutes in a moderate oven. Smoked Halibut en Creme 2 cupfuls flaked, smoked hal- 2! tablespoonfuls flour ibut Pepper 2j cupfuls milk 3^ tablespoonfuls minced pi- 2 tablespoonfuls butter mentoes Scald the halibut. Melt the butter, turn in the pimen- toes, and cook till softened, then add the flour and milk to make the sauce. Add the halibut with pepper to taste, let become very hot and serve in a wall of mashed pota- 298 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK toes, on a bed of plain boiled macaroni, or with potato, or plain rice croquettes. Casserole of Smoked Halibut ii pounds smoked halibut 6 quartered potatoes 3 small onions i teaspoonful pepper i cupful carrots cut in strip? i cupfuls tomato juice Boiling water 4 tablespoonfuls butter or Bread crumbs drippings Brown the carrots and onions in the fat, and parboil the potatoes for five minutes, then drain and rinse them. Scald the fish and cut in pieces suitable for serving. Put a layer in the casserole, then some crumbs and vege- tables, more fish, etc., continuing until all is used. Barely cover with the tomato juice (drained from canned tomatoes) and water, cover, and bake for an hour. Finnan Haddie, Baked in Milk Soak finnan haddie in hot water to cover for one hour. Place on a baking pan or platter, sprinkle plentifully with flour, dot with butter and add a dash of pepper. Cover with hot milk and bake until tender, about twenty-five minutes, in a hot oven. Broiled Finnan Haddie, with Cream Sauce Soak the finnan haddie for twenty minutes in warm water. Drain and dry thoroughly. Brush with melted butter and broil until brown on both sides. Place on a heated platter, dot with butter and serve, after re-heating an instant in the oven. Finnan Haddie, with Tomatoes i pounds finnan haddie 2 tablespoonfuls minced 2 tablespoonfuls flour green pepper or pimentoes 3 tablespoonfuls butter 3 tablespoonfuls minced Dash pepper onion 2 cupfuls tomato juice Scald the finnan haddie, and then boil it gently for thirty minutes. Flake into large bits, carefully remov- ing all the bones. Melt the butter in a saucepan, fry the onion and pepper in it until softened, add the flour and, gradually, the tomato juice. Let it boil, add the fish, and FISH 299 when it becomes very hot serve with plain boiled and seasoned macaroni, spaghetti or noddles. Finnan Haddie, with Puffed Potato 2\ pounds finnan haddie Strips of bacon, or pimentoes 3 cupfuls mashed potato Milk 1 egg Scald the finnan haddie to freshen it, dry thoroughly and brush with melted drippings. Then broil. Cut in pieces suitable for serving. Have ready three cupfuls of well-seasoned mashed potato, beaten until creamy, whip in the egg yolk, and one egg white beaten stiff, pile onto the fish, brush lightly with milk and garnish with pimento strips, or thin slices of bacon. Set in a hot oven until the bacon is cooked and the potato browned. Serve at once. The garnish may be omitted. Finnan Haddie, Newburg 2 cupfuls bits of broiled fin- 2 tablespoon fuls green pep- nan haddie pers (minced) 2 cupfuls milk I tablespoonful pimentoes, 2 tablespoonfuls flour minced i teaspoonful salt 3 hard-cooked eggs Few grains red pepper i teaspoonful lemon juice 4 tablespoonfuls butter or oleomargarine Cook the peppers and pimentoes, until softened, in the butter, then add the flour, hard-cooked egg yolks, and, gradually, the milk. Then turn in the finnan haddie and egg whites, sliced. Let stand to become very hot. Add the lemon juice and serve on buttered toast, or boiled brown rice. CHAPTER XI THE FRYING OF FOOD ALL MEASUREMENTS ARE LEVEL FATS SUITABLE FOR FRYING Several fats may be used for frying, the ideal being a vegetable oil; olive oil gives the best results, but as this is too expensive for the average purse, any of the pre- pared cooking oils are next best, while lard and beef fat, and odds and ends of household scraps, follow in the order given. Butter or oleomargarine should never be used for frying, as either burns at too low a temperature. A mixture of two-thirds lard and one-third home-ren- dered beef fat gives excellent results, and is used by chefs the world over, because it produces a rich brown color unequalled by any other fat. Rendering or Trying Out Beef Fat To try out beef fat for frying, cut it in small pieces and let it stand over night in cold salted water. Then drain, add a cupful of cold water to each two pounds of fat, and cook gently on the back of the range or in the oven, until the fat is clear, all bubbling has ceased, and the " scrapple/' or " crackling," is crisp and brown. It may then be strained through a cloth into a clean pail or can, allowed to stiffen, and be kept indefinitely in a cool place. Clarifying and Preparing Left-Over Fats Mutton fat may also be used in the frying kettle, pro- vided that it is soaked for twenty-four hours in cold salted water, the latter being changed every few hours to wash out the " wooly taste." To prepare fat from corned beef, the soup kettle, etc. for frying, let it rise to the top of the liquid and solidify. Then remove it to the fat pan, add a little baking soda 300 THE FRYING OF FOOD 301 and cold water barely to cover, and let it cook slowly until the water has evaporated; or the water may be omitted, the soda and slices of raw potato being added to the fat instead. When the potato has become brown the fat will be clarified. Most of the odors and flavors of the meats and vegetables pass off in the steam from the water or from the water of the potato. Using Savory Fats Ham, chicken, bacon and sausage fat should not be put into the frying kettle, but be reserved for sauteing or frying in a skillet. To Try Out Chicken Fat Remove all particles of flesh and bits of blood from the chicken fat. Let the fat stand for an hour in cold, salted water. Then drain from the water, put in an open pan, and try out slowly in the oven, pouring off the melted fat as fast as it accumulates. t Goose fat may be treated in the same way. Utensils for Deep-Fat Frying Several utensils are needed for deep-fat frying. A frying basket and a substantial deep iron or steel kettle, with a wide bottom to allow a generous heat- ing expanse, so that it is not necessary to set the kettle directly over the fire, are the essentials. The kettle should be heavy enough so that it can- not be easily tipped, and deep enough so that all pos- sibility of " boiling-over " fat will be avoided. The utensil should be kept for one purpose, as, despite the most scrupulous care, it will become permeated with fat, thus imparting a disagreeable flavor to any food boiled in it. When to Fry in Deep Fat Deep- fat frying is used ^for various foods ; croquettes, fish-balls, thin meats, like veal steak or chops or chicken, small fish, as oysters, smelts or brook trout, fritters, doughnuts, fried cakes, and several vegetables as well can be cooked in it with much less trouble and better re- sults than in the skillet. It is necessary to know the exact time each must cook before attempting this method. 302 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Croquettes, which are always made of cooked ingre- dients, as chicken, potato, salmon, etc., simply need to be browned, and re-heated in the hot fat. When it is of the right temperature, they can almost be immersed and then be immediately lifted out when they will be brown, crusty and hot. Uncooked mixtures, like dough- nuts, fritters, and fried cakes, must be cooked more slowly, as, otherwise, the very hot fat will cause a crust to form before they have risen properly, and the ex- panding gases will burst through the crust, causing the food to " soak fat." Potatoes for French frying need a still longer time, while raw meats cannot cook under five to seven minutes. The old-fashioned " smoke test " to ascertain the readi- ness of fat for cookery is not satisfactory, as any fat that smokes is burned, and, therefore, broken up. It is be- cause of this fact that fried food disagrees with so many. The term " when the fat boils " is still in common usage ; but fat itself cannot boil; it is the water within it that becomes hot, generates steam, and causes the fat appar- ently to " boil." That is why, when wet potatoes are submerged in it, the fat rises as in boiling, and, unless the kettle is sufficiently deep, effervesces over the sides to the heat and may cause a fire. The only easy kitchen test for the temperature of fat is with a bit of bread. The length of time which is consumed in browning the bread determines the readiness of the fat for each par- ticular food. The time must be measured by the clock to insure success in using this method. The following table gives the exact time needed to brown the bread in testing for each food : Time Table for Frying in Deep Fat Croquettes and Oysters 40 seconds Doughnuts, Fritters, etc. i minute Small Fish I minute French Fried Potatoes i minutes Raw Meat 2 minutes How to Prevent the u Soaking of Fat " In order to prevent " soaking fat ' all foods cooked in deep fat should contain, or else be coated with, some al- buminous substance, such as egg or milk. As heat has THE FRYING OF FOOD 303 the power of hardening albumen at once (as in the fry- ing of eggs) a coating is immediately formed through which the fat cannot penetrate, if it is of the right tem- perature. Egging and Crumbing Croquettes In making croquettes it is customary to prepare the mixture, form it into any shape desired, roll it in crumbs or flour, then in egg whites and water (J cupful of water mixed with an egg white will cover six croquettes) and again in crumbs or flour. (A half tablespoonful of gelatine, softened and dissolved in a half cupful of boil- ing water, may be substituted for the egg.) With egg, dry, sifted bread crumbs are used, while flour or meal is combined with milk as either will absorb the excess liquid. Either combination forms a delicious thin crust, through which the juices of meat, for instance, cannot escape, any more than the fat can enter. Care must be taken absolutely to cover every part of the croquette with the coatings, or the fat will enter at the exposed part and cause the croquette to burst. How to Fry Foods in Deep Fat One or two eggs are always added to the batter for doughnuts or fritters ; this acts just as the egg with which the croquette is coated, and keeps out fat. If the dough is too short, however, fat will be absorbed. Drop the batter by tablespoonfuls into the hot fat. Meats or small fish should be " coated " according to the direc- tions given for croquettes. French fried potatoes, fish, meat and croquettes should be placed in the frying basket before being lowered into the fat, as by this means several articles can be cooked at once, and be quickly re- moved when done. Doughnuts and fritters should be slipped directly into the fat without aid of the basket, and, as they should rise immediately to the surface, they can be readily removed with a long-handled fork. It is never necessary to " turn " a fritter or doughnut, as when they are " done " on one side, the heavier weight of the uncooked dough on the top will cause them to turn over without assistance. In frying, no article should touch another, as steam will be created at the point of 304 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK contact, which will cause the crust to burst. No matter what the food, it should always be drained on crumpled brown paper or paper toweling before serving. With the right care, fat will last as long as a drop remains. When nearly cold, it should be put through a fine strainer or cloth into a clean can ; after being used several times, it will not color the foods well and, when cooked, they will have a slightly unpleasant taste. It must then be clarified. This is done just as the left-over fat is prepared for the frying kettle by heating with the sliced raw potato and soda. It may seem on first thought that deep-fat frying is more troublesome than in the ordinary skillet. When it is considered how quickly the foods cook, and how much easier it is to prepare them in this way, instead of stand- ing over the hot stove to watch the skillet, and when the saving in fat is recalled, any housewife will adopt this method if she must fry at all Various fires have resulted from careless handling of the deep-fat kettle, but just as many fires can occur from the fat-laden spider ; and any careful housewife, whether she fries, or broils or cooks in any way, will have at least a pail of sand in her kitchen to meet such an emer- gency. This will quench any fire from burning fat or oil, or blazing paper, and this little timely precaution in the kitchen may be the means of avoiding serious acci- dent and saving hundreds of dollars' worth of property. CROQUETTES Shaping Croquettes Croquettes should bevnade rather small, as they will then heat through while the outside is browning. A good standard measurement is a rounded tablespoonful of the mixture to a croquette. In shaping, first make them into balls, having the mixture as soft as it can pos- sibly be handled and cuddling, rather than pressing, it into s*hape. Roll these balls lightly in flour or fine crumbs. When all have been formed into balls, start at the beginning again and give them any shape desired, either cylindrical, in the form of cutlets, or pyramids. THE FRYING OF FOOD 305 Then egg and crumb. If they are allowed to stand a few minutes after < the first shaping, they can be easily handled. General Recipe for Croquettes 2 cupfuls finely-minced meat % cupful White Sauce No. 3 or fish Seasoning to taste 1 egg yolk Put together in the order given. Form into balls, or whatever shape may be desired, egg and crumb, and fry as directed. Potato Croquettes 2 cupfuls hot riced potatoes Few drops onion juice 2 tablespoonfuls butter I egg yolk i teaspoonful salt I teaspoonful minced parsley i teaspoonful pepper Milk, or cream, to moisten, \ teaspoonful celery salt if necessary Few grains cayenne Mix the ingredients in the order given and beat thor- oughly. Shape into balls. Egg and crumb, and fry as in general directions. Potato and Ham Croquettes Prepare the mixture as for Potato Croquettes, and add I cupful of finely-minced ham. Egg, crumb and fry as in general directions. Potato Croquettes en Surprise Prepare the mixture as for Potato Croquettes, em- bedding in the center of each a small piece of cooked sau- sage. Egg, crumb and fry as in general directions. Potato and Nut Croquettes Prepare the mixture as for Potato Croquettes, and add f cupful of chopped peanuts, black walnuts or hickory nuts. Egg, crumb and fry according to general directions. Potato and Cheese Croquettes Prepare the mixture as for Potato Croquettes, and add to it J cupful of grated American cheese. Egg, crumb and fry as in general directions. 306 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Sweetbread Croquettes I cupful finely-chopped cook- i egg yolk ed sweetbreads Few grains mace i cupful chopped, cooked Few drops onion juice mushrooms teaspoonful lemon juice i cupful thick white sauce Salt and pepper to taste Mix the ingredients in the order given. Egg, crumb and fry as in general directions. Meat and Apple Croquettes i pound chopped raw meat, li teaspoonfuls salt any kind i teaspoonful pepper i tart apple Flour 1 egg Peel the apple and grate it. Mix it with the meat, the egg, and seasonings and form into small, flat croquettes. Roll these in flour and fry in deep fat hot enough to brown a bit of bread in two minutes. Drain on crumpled paper and serve garnished with parsley. Sweet Potato Croquettes 2! cupfuls riced sweet po- i well-beaten egg tato i teaspoonful salt 2 tablespoonfuls butter 3 tablespoonfuls chopped al- 2 tablespoonfuls milk or monds (optional) cream Few grains pepper Mix the ingredients in the order given, shape and cook according to general directions. Corn Croquettes I can corn 4 teaspoonful pepper i green pepper, minced i cupful butter or oleomar- tablespoonful parsley, garine minced 6 tablespoonfuls flour i teaspoonful salt Remove the core and seeds from the pepper; then mince it. Let it boil two minutes, drain and add to the corn with the seasonings. Heat the mixture to boiling point and thicken with the fat and flour rubbed together. The exact amount of flour varies with the wetness of the corn. Chill the mixture and form into balls, egg and crumb and fry according to general directions. THE FRYING OF FOOD 307 Egg Croquettes 6 hard-cooked eggs I tablespoonful pounded sar- 2 tablespoonfuls butter dines or anchovies i tablespoonful minced onion I teaspoonful salt 6 tablespoonfuls flour i teaspoonful pepper I cupful white soup stock Hard cook the eggs, then cool and chop them. Cook the butter and onions together for three minutes, then add the flour and stock. Let boil, turn in the anchovies and season. Add the eggs, cool, shape like eggs, egg and crumb and fry according to general directions. Lentil Croquettes i cupful lentils Few stalks celery i cupful cooked brown or i teaspoonful minced parsley uncoated rice i teaspoonful onion juice I egg yolk i teaspoonful pepper i teaspoonful salt Grating of nutmeg Soak the lentils over night. Wash thoroughly, drain, add the celery, cover with boiling water and cook until the centers are tender. Drain well again and press through a colander. Add the rice, the egg and other sea- sonings. Cool and form into balls, and cook according to general directions. Cheese Croquettes 3 tablespoonfuls butter ii cupfuls chopped American \ cupful flour cheese I cupful milk % teaspoonful salt 1 egg $ teaspoonful paprika Make a white sauce of the butter, flour, salt, paprika and milk. Mix together the cheese and the egg, add to the sauce and cook until the cheese is melted, then chill. Shape into balls, egg, and fry according to general direc- tions. Tuna Fish Croquettes 2 cupfuls flaked tuna fish 2 teaspoonfuls lemon juice I cupful White Sauce No. 3 teaspoonful salt Few grains cayenne Add the sauce to the fish with the lemon juice, salt and cayenne. Cool thoroughly, then shape, egg, crumb, and cook according to general directions. 308 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Serve with white sauce containing sliced stuffed olives and a chopped hard-cooked egg. Shad Roe Croquettes i pair shad roe i teaspoonful salt 1 egg i teaspoonful pepper 3 tablespoonfuls melted but- Cracker crumbs ter Simmer the shad roe for twenty minutes in water to cover, containing two cloves, a bit of bay leaf and a sliced onion. When tender, pick in bits with a fork, and mix with the butter, salt, pepper and egg, unbeaten, adding the crumbs as necessary to thicken. Serve with horse- radish sauce. Salmon Croquettes 2 cupfuls cold flaked salmon teaspoonful salt i cupful White Sauce No. 3 2 tablespoonfuls minced Few grains cayenne green pepper (optional) I teaspoonful lemon juice Add the 2 tablespoonfuls of minced green pepper (op- tional) and the sauce to the salmon, then the seasonings. Cool and shape, egg and crumb, and cook according to the general directions. Serve with peas, white sauce, or egg sauce. Oyster Chops i cupful steamed oysters i teaspoonful parsley i cupful cooked veal I teaspoonful salt 3 tablespoonfuls butter Few grains cayenne 6 tablespoonfuls flour Few grains nutmeg I cupful cream or undiluted I tablespoonful lemon juice evaporated milk Steam the oysters, chill, cut in small pieces and mix with the veal, minced. Make a sauce of the butter, flour, cream and seasonings. Add the oyster mixture, chill and form into chop shapes, egg, crumb and cook accord- ing to the general directions. - Halibut Chops 2\ cupfuls cold flaked halibut teaspoonful lemon juice 3 tablesooonfuls butter i teaspoonful salt 6 tablespoonfuls flour Few grains pepper ij cupfuls hot milk Few grains mace i teaspoonful onion juice i teaspoonful minced parsley THE FRYING OF FOOD 309 Make a sauce by melting the butter, and stirring in the flour and hot milk. Add the seasonings, and the re- maining ingredients. Combine with the fish, cool, shape into cutlets, egg, crumb and fry according to the general directions for croquettes. Serve with creamed peas, tomato or egg sauce around a mould of mashed potato. Veal Croquettes 2 cupfuls chopped, cooked teaspoonful onion juice cold veal i egg yolk i teaspoonful salt I cupful White Sauce No. 3 i teaspoonful pepper made with stock Few grains cayenne Mix the ingredients in the order given. Cool, form into the desired shape, egg and cook according to the gen- eral directions. Chicken Croquettes ii cupfuls chopped cooked Salt chicken Paprika i cupful White Sauce No. 3 Celery salt i egg yolk i teaspoonful lemon juice Combine the chicken and sauce and season to taste; stir in the egg yolk and let chill. Form into cutlet shapes, egg, crumb and fry according to the general di- rections. Plain Rice Croquettes \ cupful uncoated or brown \ teaspoonful salt rice 2 egg yolks i cupful boiling water i tablespoonful butter i cupful scalded milk Wash the rice, add to the water with the salt, cover and steam until the rice has absorbed the water. Then add the milk, cover and steam until the rice is soft. Re- move from the heat, add the egg yolks and butter, and cool. Shape into balls, egg, crumb, and fry according to general directions. Or, form into nest-shape, fry and put a cube of jelly in each croquette, arrange on a folded napkin and garnish with parsley. 310 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Sweet Rice Croquettes 1 cupful uncoated rice 3 tablespoonfuls butter 24 cupfuls milk I cupful sugar % teaspoonful salt i cupful figs cut in small 2 egg yolks pieces Cook the rice in milk in a double boiler until tender and dry about an hour. Stir in the butter, sugar and figs with a fork, add the egg yolk, beaten, and cool. Then form into balls, egg and crumb, and fry according to the general directions. Serve with fresh sliced peaches or peach sauce. Dried Peach and Rice Croquettes % cupful uncoated rice I cupful liquid in which it 4 cupful boiling water was cooked 4 cupful dried peach pulp 4 teaspoonful salt and Grating lemon rind Add the rice to the water with the salt, cover and steam until the water has been absorbed; then add the fruit, fruit juice and lemon rind ; stir lightly with a fork, cover and steam until the rice is done. Cool, form into cro- quettes, egg, crumb and fry according to the general direc- tions. Banana Croquettes 3 bananas I orange or lemon Powdered sugar Cut the bananas in halves crosswise, making the ends square. Place in an earthen bowl and squeeze the juice of half an orange or a lemon over them. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, cover and let stand thirty minutes. Drain, egg, crumb and fry according to general direc- tions. Serve with hot lemon or cold orange sauce. FRITTERS AND DOUGHNUTS Batter for Fritters i cupful flour . 2 eggs k teaspoonful salt 4 teaspoonful melted butter I cupful milk Mix the salt and flour, and add the water gradually, beating with an eggrbeater ; stir in the egg yolks, beaten THE FRYING OF FOOD 311 till lemon-colored. Add the butter and then the egg whites, beaten stiff. This may be kept over night if the egg whites are not added. Apple or Peach Fritters Apples Powdered sugar Batter for fritters Pare and core the apples and cut in rings crosswise. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and let stand for twenty minutes, then dip in the batter. Fry in deep fat, accord- ing to the general directions. Drain on crumpled brown paper and dust with powdered sugar. If desired, three apples may be pared, cored and cut into bits, then stirred into the batter and fried. Peaches may be used in the same way. Banana Fritters 4 bananas i tablespoonf ul grated orange Powdered sugar rind tablespoonful lemon juice Batter Remove the skins from the bananas. Scrape off the white cellulose, cut in halves lengthwise, and cut the halves in two pieces crosswise. Sprinkle with the pow- dered sugar, lemon juice and orange rind. Cover and let stand thirty minutes. Then dip in the batter, fry in deep fat, and drain on brown paper. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Prune Fritters I cupful flour 2 egg whites i teaspoonful salt i teaspoonful melted butter cupful water I cupful stoned and halved 3 egg yolks cooked prunes Mix together the dry ingredients, beat in the water, then the egg yolks, well-beaten, and the butter. Add the prunes, then the well-whipped egg whites, and fry in deep fat, hot, according to general directions. Drain on brown paper, dust with powdered sugar and serve with a thick- ened prune sauce. This is an excellent way to utilize left- over prunes. 312 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Sponge Banana Fritters (Miss Bruso) 1 cupful flour 3 bananas 2 teaspoonfuls baking pow- i teaspoonful salt der i egg 3 teaspoonfuls powdered cupful milk sugar i tablespoon ful lemon juice Mix and sift the dry ingredients. Beat the egg well, add the milk and combine with the dry ingredients. Beat till smooth. Put the bananas through a potato ricer and add with the lemon juice. Fry according to general directions for fritters, drain on paper and serve with lemon or orange sauce. Cranberry Fritters (To Serve with Turkey) 1 cupful flour i cupful cranberries cooked 2 teaspoonfuls baking pow- in syrup der i teaspoonful salt ii tablespoonfuls powdered i egg sugar 2 tablespoonfuls milk i tablespoonful lemon juice Mix and sift the dry ingredients. Beat the egg well, add the milk and turn into the dry ingredients. Beat until smooth, then add the cranberries and the lemon juice. Fry in deep fat according to the general directions for fritters, and drain on crumpled brown paper. Dust with sifted powdered sugar, and serve with cranberry syrup. Graham Drop Fritters cupful graham flour i teaspoonful salt cupful bread flour 2 tablespoonfuls Barbadoes 2i teaspoonfuls baking pow- molasses der i cupful milk 1 egg Mix the dry ingredients; stir together the milk, mo- lasses and the egg, well-beaten. Pour into the first mix- ture, beat thoroughly and fry in deep fat according to general directions. Drain on brown paper. Serve with cheese sauce as a substantial dish ; for dessert with melted jelly; or for breakfast with maple or brown sugar syrup. Corn Fritters ij cupfuls flour i egg 2 teaspoonfuls baking powder i cupful canned corn pulp \ teaspoonful salt THE FRYING OF FOOD 313 Mix together the dry ingredients, add the egg, well- beaten and mixed with the corn pulp. Fry in deep fat according to the general directions for fritters and drain on crumpled paper. Clam Fritters 2 cupfuls flour i teaspoonful salt 4 teaspoonfuls baking pow- i egg der i pint clams Clean the clams and cut them in half-inch pieces. Mix together the dry ingredients, then add the egg, well- beaten and mixed with the clams. Fry in deep fat ac- cording to the general directions for fritters. Ball Fritters 4 tablespoonfnls butter or f teaspoonful lemon juice oleomargarine Grating lemon rind \ cupful boiling water 2 eggs 1 cupful flour Few grains mace Melt the butter in the water, then add the lemon juice and flour, cooking over a slow heat until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan and clings to the spoon. Cool, add the lemon rind, and the eggs one by one, then drop by teaspoonfuls into fat hot enough to brown a bit of bread in sixty seconds. Serve with maple syrup or caramel sauce. Sweet Milk Doughnuts f cupful sugar ii teaspoonfuls salt 2 eggs and i egg yolk 2! teaspoonfuls cream of tar- i cupful milk tar 2" tablespoon fuls butter or i i teaspoonful soda tablespoonful drippings 5 cupfuls bread flour i teaspoonful cinnamon Beat the eggs, then add the sugar, creaming well, and the milk. Have the flour, cinnamon, soda and cream of tartar well-mixed together, and pour the first mixture into it, beating well. Add the butter, melted, then take out a little at a time, toss on a floured board, knead slightlt, roll to one-quarter inch in thickness and cut into rings. Fry in deep fat according to the general directions. 314 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Sour Milk Doughnuts 4i cupfuls bread flour i teaspoonful ginger ii teaspoonfuls salt I cupful sugar i teaspoonful soda i cupful rich sour milk i teaspoonful nutmeg i egg Mix together the dry ingredients, add the sugar and egg, well-beaten together, and the sour milk. Mix thor- oughly, toss on a floured board and knead slightly. Roll out to one-quarter inch thickness, cut in rings and fry in deep fat according to the general directions. Raised Doughnuts (From Bread Dough) 3 cupfuls bread dough 2 eggs 3 tablespoonfuls melted but- i teaspoonfnl cinnamon ter I teaspoonful nutmeg I cupful sugar When the dough is ready to be formed into loaves, add the ingredients and blend with the hand. Let rise till doubled in bulk, then roll into a thin sheet and cut into rings. Let stand on floured board till doubled, then fry in deep fat, according to the general directions. Drain on paper and roll in granulated, or sifted powdered, sugar. Raised Doughnuts (Mrs. Kennedy) 4 tablespoonfuls butter or | teaspoonful salt oleomargarine i teaspoonful nutmeg cupful sugar i yeast cake, dissolved in i egg cupful tepid water 1 cupful scalded milk 4^ cupfuls bread flour Cool the milk till tepid. Add the yeast and \\ cupfuls of the flour. Let rise till spongy, then add the. sugar, salt, egg and nutmeg, and the remaining flour, beating it in well. Let rise three hours, cut down, turn on a floured board, roll out, shape, let rise till double (about one hour), and fry in deep fat according to general direc- tions. Drain on paper, and roll in powdered or granu- lated sugar. - Swedish Timbales 2 eggs \ cupful milk i cupful flour i teaspoonful salt i teaspoonful sugar i tablespoonful olive oil Mix in the order given, but do not separate the eggs ; THE FRYING OF FOOD 315 beat the mixture as little as possible. The timbale iron must be heated in the kettle of deep fat, drain it, wipe on clean paper and dip into the batter, which should be in a large cup or pitcher. Hold the iron there till a coating of the batter adheres to it, then put it back in the fat and cook till crisp and light brown. Drain on paper. CHAPTER XII MEATS HOW TO BUY MEATS ALL MEASUREMENTS ARE LEVEL As meat plays such an important role in the menus of most households, every housewife should have a thorough understanding of how to buy meats, not only that she may thus be able to spend economically but also that she may serve the most wholesome foods. The complaint is often made that meat is too high, but the butcher is seldom charging more than a reasonable price. His cost of doing business has increased rapidly during recent years he has to pay higher wages as well as deliver his packages, which were formerly carried home by the purchasers. All these " extras " count and if we demand this service we must be prepared to share our part of the cost. There are three grades of meat good, second best and poor. The first is sold mostly to hotels and clubs, as it is very heavy and expensive. The second is carried in first class markets and is of the same quality as the first but from lighter cattle. The third is sold only in the cheap markets. The cheapest grades do not contain so much nourishment as the better beef, for low-priced cattle are usually fed on brewers' grains, cotton-seed meal and the like, which fatten the cattle but produce soft, flabby flesh, which shrinks to a greater extent in cooking than the bet- ter grades. Besides, there is as much bone in a poor ani- mal as in a fat one, so that in buying cheap grades one pays for a larger percentage of bone. Good beef has firm fat, tinged with pink, and the meat is interwoven with threads of fat. Poor beef has a very yellow fat and the meat is lean and scraggy, and even the porterhouse is tough. 316 MEATS 317 Meat is cut in different ways in different sections of the country, but the underlying principles are the same. A side of beef is always divided into a forequarter and hindquarter, the latter containing the loin, from which the highest priced steaks and roasts are cut. It is an easy rule to remember that meat is most expensive in the center of the animal and cheaper at the extremities, for the latter are toughened through muscular action. Most peo- ple- do not like the cheap cuts because they are unable to make them tender through cooking, and they therefore buy steaks and roasts. This excess demand makes steaks and roasts unduly high in price in comparison with the food value which they furnish. Most people overlook the fact that most of the inexpensive cuts have little waste, so that besides costing less per pound the meat goes twice as far. The waste from a two-pound sirloin steak, for instance, averages about three-quarters of a pound. In France, all cuts of beef are frequently sold at one price, because it is almost impossible to dispose of the so-called better cuts on account of their greater amount of waste. Too many housewives buy in unnecessarily small quan- tities veal cutlet to-day, a small roast of beef to-mor- row, chops after that, and so on something different for every day. If one can afford to do so, this practice may be followed, but if one's means are limited, it is far better to buy in quantities sufficient for three days at a time. It is not necessary always to prepare the meat the same way, for the butcher will gladly cut it for different uses. Take a chuck rib weighing fourteen and a half pounds as an illustration. Properly cut this piece of beef would provide two and a half pounds of soup meat, three pounds of beef for a pot-roast, a five-pound roast from the eye-piece, and four pounds of bone and fat. The bone is useful for soup stock and the fat can be rendered for cooking. At average prices the housewife would save about thirty-five cents by buying the entire chuck rib. Most of the corned beef comes from the plate part of the hind quarter. There is more waste to the cheaper cuts of corned beef than to those of higher price, because they contain more bone and a larger proportion of fat. Five pounds of corned beef from the navel, when boned, will only produce two and three-quarter pounds of clear 318 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK meat, so that the actual cost is more than if the best cut had been bought in the first place. It often pays to corn beef at home. In case one buys a quantity of meat at a time, as when purchasing a chuck rib or the aitch bone sold in the east part of it can be put into brine, or, if one wants a cheap cut, fresh meat can be bought the butcher will bone it and the bones can be used for stock, instead of throwing them away, as is done when they have been corned. To Corn Beef To corn beef, dissolve rock salt in water until it will float a raw potato. Plunge in the meat, weight it, cover and let stand in a cool place from two to four days, ac- cording to the degree of saltness desired. The Cheaper Cuts Brisket is equally good corned or fresh, although it contains considerable bone, a six-pound piece giving three pounds of meat to pot-roast, two and a half pounds of bone for stock, and a half pound of fat to render for cooking. A good cook prepares fresh brisket, slicing it when it is done, and pouring over the stock in which it is cooked, letting the meat drink it up. This is served with a horse- radish sauce and plenty of mashed potato, sprinkled with fried onions. Potato pancakes may be served instead of the mashed potato. Another inexpensive cut is flank steak. This can be scored and fried and served with a tomato sauce, or it can be made into " blind duck." To do this it should be stuffed with chopped onions and potatoes, well-seasoned with salt, pepper and sage, tied securely and braised. Or it can be used for beef roulades, with vegetables, in a stew, or boiled and made into a pie. It is clear meat with no waste, when well trimmed. Flank Fat and Kidneys Flank fat can be rendered with practically no waste and sells for about the same price as suet. It is not economy to buy very cheap fat, for it contains so much meat fiber that is waste. In fact it always pays to pur- MEATS 319 chase meats that are well trimmed, at a higher price per pound than to buy cheaper grades that contain a great deal of waste. Kidneys are an inexpensive article and they may appear on the table in a variety of forms. The Rump and Round The rump weighs about twelve pounds and furnishes a fine pot-roast or corned beef, with soup stock from the bones. The round is divided into two parts, the top and bottom, which are generally cut up into steaks, those from the top being the best. The bottom cuts, however, if cut from good beef, are tender. They will " go further " if cooked en casserole, or rolled up and braised like a " blind duck " and served with plenty of gravy. A thirty-pound round cuts up into about twenty pounds of steak, the balance going into chopped meat and trimmings. When chopped meat is offered for sale at a low price, it almost certainly contains a high percentage of fat, and sometimes a great deal of water, for it is just as easy to " plump " beef as chicken or oysters. It is more economical to pay a little more and get honest meat. If he butcher will not let you see his meat chopped, it is wise to grind the meat at home. The Horseshoe of Beef The horseshoe is a small piece of clear meat which weighs about two pounds and a half and which makes an excellent pot-roast or stew. The Leg of Beef The leg weighs about nineteen pounds and contains about five and a half pounds of meat and fourteen pounds of bone. Thus it does not pay to buy the entire piece, as it is much cheaper to purchase the clear meat with as much bone as is needed. This meat makes an excellent shank stew, which, to be perfect, should be accompanied by marrow balls. A shin cut from the forequarter can also be used in a similar way. The forequarter chuck is not cheap as it contains so much bone, the amount increasing as it goes 320 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK into the shoulder blade, but it makes good stew or boiled beef. Beef Hearts, Tripe and Liver Beef hearts are rarely kept in the average market but they furnish a good food at low cost. They average about three and a half pounds and can be stuffed and potted, or braised with vegetables. They also make ex- cellent mince meat. Tripe usually sells at a low price and it can be used in many ways. Beef liver is cheap, too, and, if the outer membrane is stripped off and the veins cut out, it can be scalded, dipped in flour and fried so that it will be as ten- der as calves' liver. Variations in Prices The season of the year makes considerable difference in the price of meats. From May to October the round and sirloin cuts are more in demand and, therefore, cost more. Because of this rib roasts drop in price, especially as few housewives cook roasts in summer, preferring steaks. In the fall corned beef jumps in price because the purchasers do not know that it can be boiled and pressed and served cold in summer with a crisp salad. Lamb goes up from March to May, while, if spring lamb is late, it is dear until July. Then is the time for the woman who has to be economical not to buy lamb, yet they are the very ones who do. Buying and Cutting Lamb As is the case with beef, there are three grades of lamb. Good lamb is not very heavy. If the leg joints are stiff, the lamb is fresh, and the fat should be firm and white. The joints of fresh lamb can be easily separated to show the knuckle, while mutton is usually splintered at the joint. An eight and a half pound forequarter will fur- nish two and a half pounds of stew meat, one and a quar- ter pounds of breast, four shoulder chops, which are ex- cellent either pan--broiled or en casserole, and two pounds from the rack. Besides this there are enough trimmings for a barley stew, for instance. If desired, the chuck, or shoulder, can be bought separately and boned, rolled and dressed for roasting or braising; or the chuck and the MEATS 321 breast can be purchased together, filled with a bread dressing and braised, or the shoulder can be raised off for a casserole, the four chops under the shoulder cut out, and the neck and bones used for a stew. Even a small family can dispose of a shoulder of lamb in this way and this is economical purchasing if the woman of the household is willing to cook. The whole hindquarter of lamb weighs about eight and a quarter pounds and furnishes eight loin or kidney chops, a six-pound roast, and a lamb kidney, besides some trimmings. The " pluck " includes about a pound and a half of liver and a half pound of heart. Buying and Cutting Veal Veal is divided like lamb and is becoming the most expensive of all meats. The shoulder and breast may be stuffed with a bread or potato and onion dressing. The neck is used for stew and the rump for pot-roasting or braising. The leg weighs about eleven pounds and contains about eight pounds of solid meat and three of bone. The fillet is cut from the leg and then cut up for roasting or into cutlets. The balance is used for stew or casserole. A large family can dispose of the whole leg of veal, but as comparatively few use the knuckle, or end of the leg, the butcher is compelled to charge a large price for the cutlets in order to make any profit. Pork Products Good bacon is firm and does not cook away, because it is from hogs fattened with corn ; hams should be plump and round. Thin hams indicate poorly fed animals. Shoulder pork chops should be purchased to a larger ex- tent than is the case, as they average four cents less a pound than those of the loin and contain more meat. A loin of pork for roasting averages two cents a pound less than when cut into chops and contains a third bone waste. On the other hand a fresh shoulder of ham, if well cut, is a cheaper roast and may be boned and stuffed to good advantage, while a fresh ham, although it is heavy, con- tains very little waste and is delicious. 322 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Poultry In buying chicken or other poultry, the housewife should always demand the very best quality, or the so- called " fatted " chicken, for in the end it is the cheapest. The fatted chicken of three and a half pounds, for in- stance, contains as much meat as the cheaper grade of four and a half pounds, as in the latter the bones and waste more than make up for the extra pound and the meat is not nearly so good. The same rule applies to turkeys. A housewife should never over-buy, that is, secure more than she realty needs. This is a mistake which most people make and the result is that many cannot afford to have turkey, when if they would buy a small turkey of the very best quality, paying perhaps a few cents more per pound, the cost would really not be top expensive for the average housewife. In most cases where a woman needs a five pound chicken the tur- key need not be heavier than seven or eight pounds, as it contains more meat in proportion than a chicken. How to Know Fresh or Young Chickens In a young chicken of good quality the eyes will be bright and the feet smooth and rather soft, while a fowl, or older chicken, will have rough feet and, often, spurs, and the eyes will be dull. By opening the bill and smell- ing of the mouth, one can determine somewhat the fresh- ness of a bird. Also by feeling of the bone on the under part of the chicken between the legs. If it is soft and pliable the chicken is young and tender. Buying on the Basis of Calories In the foregoing pages on purchasing the terms " cheap " and " inexpensive " have been used to designate foods which are low in cost. But the conception of food furnished by the calorie changes the meaning of the terms. From this viewpoint a food is cheap in accord- ance with the number of calories which it furnishes. It may be said once- for all that probably few households will ever purchase all their foods on the calorie basis, for taste and custom will be the leading factors in determin- ing the articles which appear on the table. The applica- tion of calories to purchasing, however, throws light on MEATS 323 the possibilities of economy and is of the utmost import- ance when the household budget is limited, as purchasing on this basis will prevent undernutrition although the same amount of money is expended as when the foods were bought on the basis that the lowest cost foods were the cheapest. For instance, tripe is a food often pur- chased by the poor because it is cheap, but the figures show that at the prevailing prices only from thirty to forty calories can be purchased for a cent, while in brisket of beef one gets over fifty calories for a cent. Pigs' feet at fourteen cents a pound give but twenty-six calories for a cent, while turkey at forty cents a pound supplies the same number of calories for a cent. Yet the house- wife " economizes " by purchasing tongue, which supplies but twenty odd calories for a cent and " cannot afford " roast lamb which, even from the more costly hindquarter, furnishes nearly fifty calories for a cent. The following table based on prices current for one week, indicate the value of foods on the basis of calories. Of course as prices fluctuate the number of calories would be increased or diminished, but the proportions would remain approximately the same. Calories for $0.0 1 Article of Food (one cent) Porterhouse steak 30 Sirloin steak and roast 26 Rump steak 22 Brisket of beef 53 Corned beef 71 Veal cutlets 14 Leg of veal 19 Loin of veal 24 Lamb, f orequarter 64 Lamb, hindquarter 45 Lamb, chops 36 Mutton, loin 63 Mutton, f orequarter 68 Pork chops 61 Bacon 90 Tripe 30-40 Pigs' feet 26 Liver 43 Tongue 22 Turkey 26 Chicken, broiled 7 Fowl 26 324 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Calories for $0.01 Article of Food (one cent) Fish Cod 13 Haddock 10 Halibut 12 Salt mackerel 26 Oysters 8 Finnan haddie 15 Herring 62 In this connection it is worthy of note that the ideal of makers of rations for armies and institutions is one hun- dred calories for one cent, this, of course, including all the food. GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR COOKING MEATS Broiled tender meat is the most digestible of any way in which it may be served, if properly prepared. The broiler should be slightly oiled with a good vegetable oil or butter, and the meat put in and seared at once, then turned immediately so that it will be seared on the other side and the juices retained. It should be turned from time to time during the cookery. When done, the meat should present a slightly puffy appearance, due to the distention by heat of the encased juices. The salt or other seasonings should be added after the meat has been broiled. Pan-Broiling Pan-broiling may be adopted when it is not possible to broil over direct heat. In this case a heavy skillet should be heated until smoking hot, and the meat should be put in without any extra fat, the fat from the edges of the chops or steak, or whatever is being cooked, giving out enough so that the meat will not stick. Turn the meat at once, as in ordinary broiling, and then at a minute or two in- tervals until it is done. . Oven Roasting There is really no such thing now-a-days as the roast- ing of meat, unless it is cooked before an open fire, or under the gas flame. Meat is usually baked in the oven, for true roasting is really just another form of broiling, MEATS 325 should be heated at first to 425 and after the first fifteen minutes reduced to 375. By this means the meat is seared at once, so that the juices cannot escape, and, as in the case of broiled meat, the roast will not look thin and scraggy when done, but should appear a bit puffy. Salt should be added before the meat is put on to cook, and the roast, whatever the kind, should be thoroughly sprinkled with flour, some being allowed to fall upon the bottom of the pan, so that the gravy will automatically thicken itself. Unless a double roaster is used the meat should be basted occasionally with a little hot water, in which has been melted a teaspoonful of oleomargarine, butter or drippings to a cupful of water. If a double roaster is used, a little water should be put in the bottom of the pan as soon as the flour is browned. Roasting Under the Gas Flame To roast under the gas flame light the burners five minutes before the meat is to be cooked. Put the meat in a dripping pan, and dust it with salt, pepper and flour. Set the pan on the broiler three notches from the bottom of the oven, reducing the gas burners half, and, as soon as the meat is seared, turn it over. When brown on all sides, baste every ten minutes with a cupful of water in which has been dissolved a tablespoonful of butter or oleomargarine. The time of cooking depends upon the meat. Boiling So-called " boiled meat " is one of the most digestible ways in which meat can be served, yet there is no method less understood. The meat should be plunged into a ket- tle containing enough boiling water almost to submerge it, then be covered closely, set on the back of the range, and allowed to simmer until tender. Simmering means to keep it just below the boiling point. When half done it may be salted. Meat cooked in this way is tender enough to be cut with a fork, is sweet and delicious, and will be done fully an hour sooner than can be accomplished with rapid boiling. Besides all this there is less shrinkage, therefore more meat. .326 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Stewing Stewed meat is prepared differently from boiled meat. In this case it is cut into small pieces, " handsome mouth- fuls " an old book terms it, put into cold water, covered, and brought slowly to boiling point. It is then allowed to simmer until nearly done, when the vegetables and sea- sonings are added. Lastly the stew is thickened. The reason that boiling water is used for the boiled meat is to seal or " sear " the meat pores by extreme heat, so that the meat juices may be preserved. In stewing, cold water is used so that the slow heat will draw out the juices and flavor. Pot-Roasting In this case the meat is seared or browned all over in drippings and is then placed in a deep kettle containing a few diced vegetables as onions, carrots, etc., with water to one-third cover, and allowed to simmer till tender, It is most important that it be closely covered, for every bit of escaped odor means that just so much savor is lost from the meat. If necessary, weight on the cover with a flat-iron or brick. Braising Braising is the intermediary process between pot-roast- ing and roasting. To accomplish this the meat is first browned in hot beef drippings, then placed on a thick bed of vegetables in a kettle containing a small amount of water. This is covered, set in the oven, and cooked until tender, turning once during the process. En Casserole Cooking en casserole is a combination of stewing and braising. In this case the meat is usually browned, then put into the casserole with vegetables, rice, crumbs, or macaroni, water or stock covered, and slowly cooked in the oven until tender. It should not boil. Making Gravy Enough flour should be sprinkled on the bottom of the roasting pan to thicken the amount of gravy that is de- sired. The proportion is a tablespoonful and a quarter RICE WITH ONION AND PEPPERS EN CASSEROLE CASSEROLE OF LIMA BEANS AND BEEF MEATS 327 of flour to each cupful of stock. This flour should be slightly browned before the water is added to the pan, and if in the basting the flour is scraped up it' will grad- ually mix so that with the removal of the excess fat and addition of a very little liquid the gravy will be made. However, in making lamb or pork gravy it will be neces- N sary to pour- off a great deal of the fat, and considerable water will have to be added. If the liquid is evaporated to such an extent that there is not enough left for gravy, which, by the way, will not occur if a little is added from time to time during the cooking scrape up the drip- pings in the pan with a spoon. If some more flour is to be added, stir it directly into these drippings, working quickly, and using a wire whisk. Then gradually pour in the water, which should be boiling. If this is done properly, there will be no necessity for straining the gravy. If desirable to make it of a dark color, add a drop or two of " Kitchen Bouquet," salt and pepper to taste, or any other seasonings should then be added. Good gravy should not be greasy, but smooth and par- take of the flavor of the meat. Aspic Jelly The easiest way to make aspic jelly when there is bouil- lon or consomme on hand is to heat a pint of the liquid, and add to it a half tablespoonful of vinegar and a table- spoonful of granulated gelatine dissolved in a little cold water. Pour into a shallow pan and let stiffen. Cut in cubes and save as a garnish for cold meats or salads. In case there is no good soup stock a quick aspic may be made by using the same proportions of canned con- somme and vinegar or by boiling a pint of water with a half teaspoonful of pickle spice and the vinegar, adding two bouillon cubes and the gelatine and finishing as directed. BEEF Roast Beef Wipe the meat with a damp cloth ; dust with salt and pepper and place on a rack in the dripping pan, or directly on the bottom of a double roaster if one is used. 328 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Dredge the meat with flour, allowing about three table- spoonfuls to fall upon the bottom of the pan. Set the meat in a hbt oven, and put on the lid, if the double roaster is used, and let it stand until seared all over so the juices may be retained, and until the flour has become a little brown. Then reduce the heat and bake the meat until tender. If a dripping pan is used, baste the meat every ten minutes with hot water containing a little butter or beef drippings, but if a double roaster is used, pour in water barely to cover the bottom and it will not be neces- sary to baste the meat. To roast beef rare allow from eight to ten minutes to the pound; if well done, from eighteen to twenty minutes per pound. Beef Roasted Under the Gas Flame See general directions for roasting by this method and allow fifteen minutes to the pound. Braised Beef 3 pounds lower round of i cupful diced carrot beef i cupful diced turnip 2 tablespoonfuls beef drip- i cupful diced onion pings J cupful diced celery (op- 2 teaspoonfuls salt tional) i teaspoonful pepper i teaspoonful pickle spice Flour Sprinkle the meat with the salt and pepper, dredge the flour and brown in the drippings. Transfer to a large casserole, arrange the vegetables around and on top of it, sprinkle on the spice, add a cupful and a half of boiling water, cover closely and bake for four hours. Serve with a sauce made from the liquid remaining in the casserole. Plain Boiled Beef Plunge the meat into rapidly-boiling, salted water, then reduce the heat and let the meat simmer very gently until done. This will take about four hours for a five-pound piece of round, or -fresh brisket. The meat should be so tender that it almost falls to pieces. Drain well, and serve with horseradish sauce, a garnish of shredded let- tuce and slices of sweet pickles, or sliced hard-cooked eggs. Or garnish with hard-cooked eggs and serve with MEATS t 329 a French dressing made of olive oil and tarragon vinegar and seasoned with onion juice or onion salt. Beef a la Mode 5 pounds round of beef i teaspoonful mace 3 cupfuls water I slice onion 1 cupful vinegar I slice carrot 2 tablespoonfuls salt 2 slices lemon i teaspoonful peppercorns 6 cloves \ tablespoonful poultry sea- 2 sprigs parsley son ing Put all the ingredients together except the meat. Boil up once and then simmer for thirty minutes. Strain over the meat. Cover, and let stand for twenty-four hours, turning occasionally. Then remove the meat, drain and sear all over in beef drippings, together with three slices of lemon, half cover with boiling water containing \ tea- spoonful salt and the strained marinade, drained from the meat, and simmer gently until the meat is tender about four hours. Serve with a sauce made of the thickened liquid and garnished with slices of lemon, potato or rice croquettes and small boiled onions. Beef Smothered with Onions 1 dozen small-sized onions Beef drippings 5 pounds round, or sticking Salt and pepper piece, of beef Sear the meat in the drippings until brown. Then re- move. Dust the meat well with salt and pepper ; place it on a rack in a kettle, pile the onions on top and add one cupful of water, or just enough to keep the meat from sticking. A closely-covered heavy kettle should be used. Cook until very tender, replenishing the water to keep it always the original amount; this will take from four to five hours. Serve with gravy made from the liquid left in the pan. Jellied Beef 5 pounds sticking piece of I cupful stock beef i tablespoonful vinegar 2 cupfuls boiling stock 2 teaspoonfuls salt 4 tablespoonfuls granulated J teaspoonful pepper gelatine, dissolved in i teaspoonful onion juice Simmer the meat till tender, in water to half cover 330 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK about four hours. Chop fine, add the softened gelatine to the boiling stock, season and stir until dissolved. Add to the meat, pour into two bread pans, wet in cold water, and press into shape. Chill and slice. Spiced Jellied Beef 5 pounds shin of beef, thick Sage portion Thyme Salt Mace Pepper Simmer the meat gently till it falls to pieces and cut from the bone. Reduce the liquid to one cupful, chop the meat fine and season to taste. Add the liquor and pack into a bread pan, weighting it down. Let stand over night to stiffen, and serve in thin slices with potato salad. Corned Beef or a " Boiled Dinner " Rinse the corned beef in cold water, tie or skewer into shape, cover with cold water, and heat slowly to boiling point; remove any scum and simmer the meat until ten- der, about four hours for a five-pound piece. Remove from the water, keep hot and cook the potatoes and tur- nips in the liquid. The potatoes should be left whole and the turnips should be sliced crosswise. Cook the carrots, cabbage, beets, etc., apart in some of the corned beef water, allowing one hour for the boiling of the pared car- rots, one hour for the cabbage, one hour for new beets four hours for old ones. Serve on a very large platter, the meat in the center and the vegetables grouped around it. Garnish with parsley. Boiled Pickled Beef Tongue Wipe the tongue, place in a kettle containing cold water to half cover, and bring slowly to boiling point. Remove the scum and simmer the tongue until tender, about two and one-half hours, or when the skin curls back. Half cool in the water, then remove the outer skin and bones before it is cold. Beef Tongue, German Style Cook a fresh beef tongue until tender, and remove the skin when half cooled. Prepare a sauce as follows : MEATS 33i 1 cupful vinegar Few grains salt 2i cupfuls water 3 tablespoonfuls flour 2 tablespoonfuls sugar i tablespoonful butter I cupful raisins Put the first four ingredients together ; add a little salt, thicken with the flour and butter rubbed together, and boil ten minutes. Cut the meat in slices; pour over the sauce and garnish the dish with fried egg plant or summer squash, or French fried sweet potatoes. Potted Beef Tongue I fresh beef tongue Beef drippings I cupful carrots, cubed Sprig of parsley i cupful celery, minced, or Bit of bay leaf \ teaspoonful celery seed Thyme I cupful turnips (diced) Boiling water or stock Salt and pepper Trim a fresh beef tongue. Prepare the carrots, celery, and turnips and brown with the tongue in the drippings ; season with salt and pepper, add a sprig of parsley, the bay leaf and thyme and then place in a crock, or casserole, the vegetables below and over the meat. Add boiling water or stock to touch the bottom of the meat, and simmer very gently for two and one-half hours. Partially cool the tongue, remove the skin, and serve hot with a vegetable gravy made of the residue in the crock ; or on a bed of spinach. Jellied Tongue I pickled beef tongue Bay leaf 2\ tablespoonfuls granulated 3 hard-cooked eggs gelatine 6 cucumber pickles, sliced i quart boiling clear, well- thin seasoned stock 2 tablespoonfuls capers \ cupful celery, if convenient Salt and pepper \ teaspoonful pickling spice Boil the tongue until it is very tender, seasoning the stock highly with salt, pepper, bay leaf, and one-half tea- spoonful of pickle spice. Then remove the skin from the tongue and return it to the water in which it was cooked, to cool partly. Trim off the inedible portions, remove any globules of fat that may have adhered and cut the tongue in thin slices. In the meantime cover the gelatine with cold water, and, after letting it stand for 332 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK five minutes, add it to the boiling stock, which should be cleared and free from fat. Pour a little of this mixture into a round mould, or bowl, and, when it is slightly set, dispose on this a design of hard-cooked eggs, fastening it in place with a few drops of the jelly mixture. Further decorate with thin slices of the pickle overlapping. Then fill the mould with the tongue, thinly, sliced, "and the egg and seasoning arranged in layers ; pour the gelatine mix- ture in to fill these spaces and let stand until set. Un- mould and serve garnished with cress and hard-cooked egg. If desired, the egg and pickle, etc., may be en- tirely omitted, in which case it is a quick matter to pre- pare the dish. Brown Beef Stew 3 pounds shin of beef 2 quarts water 2 onions I green pepper (if conven- 1 carrot ient) 2 cupfuls sliced potatoes Salt and pepper I white turnip Remove as much meat as possible from the bone, and cut it in small pieces. Crack the bone, taking care to re- move all the splinters. Brown both the meat and bone in beef drippings, and add the onion cut in rings; fry the latter to a delicate brown, and add the water (which should be cold), and the vegetables. Bring slowly to boiling point, and simmer until the meat is tender abou^ three hours. Remove the bones, take off any meat adher- ing to them, and remove the fat from the broth. Then add the potatoes, which should be parboiled for five minutes, season with salt and pepper and cook until the potatoes are tender. Thicken, just before they are done, with flour dissolved in water a scant half table- spoonful to each cup of broth. Serve on a deep platter, with buttered spaghetti, noodles or dumplings. Casserole of Beef 3 pounds beef, from chuck i$ cupfuls spaghetti broken or round in small pieces i cupful carrots, chopped 2 teaspoonfuls salt i cupful turnips, chopped \ teaspoonful pepper $ cupful onions, chopped Boiling water Drippings MEATS 333 Cut the meat in pieces suitable for serving. Brown in the drippings with the vegetables, then place in a casserole together with the seasonings and spaghetti. Cover with boiling water, and bake gently from three to four hours. Short Ribs of Beef en Casserole 3 pounds short ribs of beef I teaspoonful sugar 6 onions i pint tomatoes I carrot i cupful brown rice 4 tablespoonfuls beef drip- Grating of nutmeg pings Salt and pepper Melt the beef drippings, fry the onions slightly and add the beef to brown it. Arrange in a casserole in layers with the carrot, chopped, the rice, tomatoes and season- ings; cover with boiling water and bake from three to four hours in a slow oven. The water should be replen- ished as needed although the dish should be only moist not soupy when done. Curried Beef en Casserole 3 pounds bottom round beef i cupful sliced onion 6 tablespoonfuls flour 3 cupfuls beef stock i teaspoonfuls curry pow- i tablespoonfuls vinegar der i4 teaspoonfuls salt 6 tablespoonfuls beef drip- i cupful grape juice pings Cut the meat in two-inch cubes and roll in the flour and curry until well mixed. Melt the drippings in a frying pan, add the onion and cook till yellowed, then brown the meat. Add any remaining flour, toss about, turn in the stock, let boil up once, transfer to a casserole, cover and cook slowly for two and one-half hours. Season. Add the vinegar and grape juice just before serving. Casserole of Lima Beans, with Beef I pint dried lima beans I teaspoonful pepper i teaspoonful soda 2 onions i pound stew beef chuck or i cupful stewed tomatoes round 3 tablespoonfuls flour i teaspoonfuls salt 2 tablespoonfuls drippings or Few grains mace bacon fat Boiling water Soak the beans over night, drain, cover with fresh boil- ing water, add the soda and parboil. Drain again. Cut 334 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK the beef in inch cubes, brown it with the onions in the drippings and roll in the flour and seasoning. Place in a casserole in layers with the beans and tomatoes alternat- ing. Barely cover with boiling water and cook two and one-half hours in a slow oven, replenishing the water if necessary. Broiled Steak Trim off the superfluous fat. With some of the fat rub the broiler ; and then broil the steak over a clear fire, turn- ing every ten seconds for the first minute, to sear the sur- face so that the juices will not escape. After this turn occasionally until well-cooked on both sides. Steak cut one inch thick will take from five to six minutes, if liked rare, and from eight to ten minutes if well done. Remove to a hot platter, spread sparingly with butter, or oleomar- garine, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pan-Broiled Steak Wipe the steak with a damp cloth. Heat a frying pan smoking hot, place the steak in it, and turn at once, so that it will be seared all over. Turn every few seconds until done five to six minutes for a steak one inch thick, when desired rare; from eight to ten if well done. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, spread with bits of butter or oleomargarine and set in the oven to become hot. A very little hot water may be added to the drippings in the pan, allowed to boil, and be poured around the steak. Planked Steak Wipe, remove extra fat and pan-broil a boned porter- house, or short rump steak, cut one and one-half inches thick, for seven minutes. Then place on a buttered plank and surround with Duchess potatoes put through a pastry bag and tube, brush this over with beaten egg, diluted with milk, and place in the oven to brown. Garnish with sauted mushrooms, stuffed peppers, car- rot and beet balls, cauliflower with mousseline sauce, string beans and Bermuda onions. Round Steak Italian Purchase round steak cut one and one-half inches thick. Pound till one inch thick, sprinkle with a tablespoonful MEATS 335 of olive oil and a few drops of vinegar, cover and let stand for a few hours. Then broil as usual. This treat- ment will make the fiber tender. Braised Stuffed Steak 2 pounds whole slice round 8 small onions steak cut 4 inch thick Boiling water 2 cupfuls stale bread crumbs 2 .tablespoonfuls beef drip- Salt and pepper pings 2 tablespoonfuls melted but- \ teaspoonful poultry sea- ter soning Trim the meat into oblong shape. Make a dressing of the crumbs, butter and poultry seasoning, adding boil- ing water to moisten and salt and pepper to taste. Spread over the meat. Roll up like jelly roll and tie in position. Melt the drippings in a frying pan, and brown the meat all over. Transfer to a casserole, add the onions and seasonings, pour in water to half cover, and bake gently in the oven until the meat is tender, about two hours. Serve with a gravy made from the liquid left in the cas- serole. Potted Steak 2i pounds bottom round \ teaspoonful pepper steak i cupful tomato juice 6 onions, medium size 2 cupfuls green peas i cupful diced turnips I teaspoonful salt Cut the steak in pieces suitable for serving, dip in flour and brown well in drippings. Add the onions, turnips, tomato juice and seasonings, and barely cover with boil- ing water. Simmer until tender, about two and one-half hours, replenishing the water, if necessary, and serve gar- nished with the peas. Swiss Steak 2\ pounds round steak, cut 2 Bacon fat inches thick 6 onions. I cupful flour I cupful button mushrooms \\ cupfuls sifted canned to- \\ teaspoonful salt mato i teaspoonful pepper Put the steak on a board, and pound in as much flour as it will take up, probably the three-fourths cupful desig- nated. Sear the meat on both sides in a frying pan, transfer to a casserole or earthen baking dish, cover with 336 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK boiling water and the tomato. Peel the onions, and place around the meat. Add the mushrooms and seasonings and let simmer about two hours. Beefsteak Pie 2 pounds round steak Thyme I lamb's kidney, parboiled Bit of bay leaf I onion, minced 2 tablespoonfuls butter tablespoonful parsley, i cupful boiling water minced Flour 1 teaspoon ful pepper Salt and pepper Short biscuit crust Cut the steak in thin strips, dust with salt and pepper and roll it in flour. Dice the kidney, and roll the bits in flour. Arrange the two meats in alternate layers in a deep baking dish, sprinkling the seasonings and onion in between. Then pour over the boiling water, which should moisten it. If there is not enough water to do this, add a little more as judgment may dictate. Dot with butter. Cover with the crust, which should be slashed to allow the steam to escape, and bake for two hours in a very slow oven. Beef Birds 2 pounds any cheap cut of Grating lemon rind steak Boiling water 1 pound bacon or salt pork, Salt and pepper sliced thin 4 cupful rich milk Flour Cut the steak in two-inch squares, then pound until thin. Lay a small strip of the bacon or pork on each piece, roll up and skewer with a toothpick. Dust with salt and pep- per, and dredge with flour. Saute (fry) lightly in bacon fat, transfer to a casserole, add the lemon rind, and partly cover with boiling water. Let cook gently till almost ten- der (about two hours), season, thicken, if necessary, and add the milk. Serve on toast in a border of mashed potatoes or brown rice. Chili Con Carne 2 pounds round or vein steak 3 tablespoonfuls flour 2 pods dried Chili peppers i clove garlic, minced 3 slices salt pork Salt to taste 3 tablespoonfuls chili powder MEATS 337 Try out the fat from the salt pork. Cut the steak in small pieces and brown in the salt pork fat ; add to this the flour and garlic. In the meantime discard the seeds from the pepper pods, soak the latter in a pint of warm water until soft, then scrape out the pulp into the water and discard the skins. Add this liquid to the meat and sim- mer for about two hours, or until the meat falls to pieces. Hot water may be added as needed, though con carne should not be soupy. Serve with boiled uncoated rice. Tenderloins Stanley 6 small tenderloins of steak 2 bananas (baked or fried) 1 cupful horseradish sauce i quart mashed potato 6 stuffed baked peppers Pan-broil the tenderloins ; place in the oven to keep hot, and make a gravy of the drippings in the frying pan. Ar- range the meat on a hot planter. Place a tablespoonf ul of the sauce on each piece, surmount with a third of a baked or fried banana, and garnish the platter with the peppers and the mashed potato, either in. fluffy spoonfuls, or shapped into cones with an ice-cream scoop, and dusted with powdered parsley. Hamburg Steak 2 pounds ground steak (from 4 teaspoonful pepper bottom round) cupful soft bread crumbs cupful sliced onion 2 tablespoonfuls drippings I teaspoonful salt Fry the onion till yellowed in the drippings. Add to the steak, crumbs and seasonings, mixing well together. Return to the frying pan, and cook slowly ten minutes ; then invert into a second frying pan, or onto a plate, and then back into the first pan, and brown the other half. Serve very hot with gravy made of the drippings in the pan. Baked Macaroni Hamburg pound macaroni or spa- 2 or 3 onions (minced) ghetti Salt and pepper I can of tomatoes Grated cheese I pound hamburg steak Boil the macaroni. Drain and place a layer in the bottom of a well-oiled baking dish. Sprinkle this with 338 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK some of the Hamburg steak, a little salt and pepper, bits of beef drippings or any other fat at hand, then the onion, and lay on the canned tomato, and some grated cheese. Continue in this way until all is used, and bake in a mod- erate oven for an hour. Chopped Beef, Italian ii pounds chopped beef teaspoonful Worcestershire 1 green pepper, minced sauce 2 onions, minced 2 tablespoonfuls drippings Salt and pepper Tomato conserve or catsup Fry the onions and pepper in the drippings. Then mix with the meat, seasoning ' well, and cook as Hamburg steak, or shape into flat cakes. Just before serving, spread lightly with Italian tomato conserve and a little butter, and let stand in the oven to re-heat. Hamburg Roast with Macaroni 2 pounds round steak i cupful hot water stock or 2 ounces beef fat milk i teaspoonful salt i teaspoonful onion juice i teaspoonful pepper i beaten egg i$ tablespoonfuls flour i cupful sifted canned to- i cupful cooked macaroni mato i cupful bread crumbs Grind the meat and fat. Cook the bread crumbs in the hot liquid until pasty, add to the meat, and stir in the sea- sonings and egg. Shape into an oblong loaf. Roll in crumbs and set in a dripping-pan in a hot oven. When well-browned, reduce the heat and cook forty minutes. Make a gravy from the drippings in the pan by stirring into them one and one-half tablespoonfuls of flour and adding gradually the tomato. Let boil and stir in the macaroni. Let stand to become very hot, pour around the loaf and serve. Kidneys, Creole Style 2* beef kidneys i cupful boiling water or 4 tablespoonfuls flour stock 4 tablespoonfuls bacon fat li teaspoonfuls salt 1 cupful tomato juice 4 teaspoonful pepper 2 tablespoonfuls onion Buttered toast 2 tablespoonfuls minced green pepper MEATS 339 Remove the fat from the kidneys and let the latter stand over night in cold water to cover, containing a little baking soda. Drain, dry and saute (fry) in bacon fat with the pepper and onion. Then add the flour, toss about and pour in the tomato, and stock ; add the season- ings. Simmer till tender, either over direct heat or in the oven, and serve on buttered toast. Devilled Kidneys 2 beef kidneys 2 tablespoonfuls vinegar 2 cupfuls water 2 tablespoonfuls flour Bit of bay leaf Salt and pepper to taste Soak the kidneys for an hour in cold water, then re- move any strings and cut the meat in small pieces. Heat the water, bay leaf and vinegar, add the flour moistened with cold water, and, when the sauce is boiling, season it to taste with salt and pepper. Put the kidneys in the sauce and simmer till tender, about twenty minutes. Serve with well-seasoned boiled macaroni, or noodles. Beef Balls with Spinach ii pounds ground beef i teaspoonful lemon juice i cupful bacon, chopped fine I teaspoonful salt i cupful milk or stock i teaspoonful pepper 1 cupful soft bread crumbs Beef drippings ii cupfuls well-seasoned 2 tablespoonfuls flour stock Cook the milk and crumbs together to a paste; add the bacon, meat, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and one- half teaspoonful of onion juice if desired. Form into egg-shaped balls, roll in flour and saute (fry) till slightly browned in the drippings. Remove to a casserole. With the drippings remaining in the frying pan and the flour and stock, make a thick gravy, pour around the balls, and bake thirty minutes in a slow oven. Serve on a bed of spinach, and garnish with toast points. Beef Balls en Casserole 2 pounds ground beef I teaspoonful salt i tablespoonful minced onion i teaspoonful pepper 1 teaspoonful minced parsley i cupful sifted canned to- 2 slices fat bacon or salt mato pork, ground I cupful stock or water i egg i teaspoonful salt 340 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK i teaspoonful pepper 2 tablespoonfuls grated I cupful cooked macaroni cheese Mix together the beef, bacon, egg and seasonings ; form into balls and roll in flour, and brown lightly in drippings. Add a tablespoonful of flour to the frying pan, and when frothy add the tomato and water to make a sauce. Add the macaroni, sprinkle in the cheese and pour into a cas- serole. Set the balls on top, cover and bake forty-five minutes to an hour in a moderate oven. TRIPE Broiled Tripe I pound honeycomb tripe i cupful melted drippings (pickled) Salt and pepper Fine cracker or dry bread crumbs Cut the tripe in pieces suitable for serving, and simmer twenty minutes in water to cover. Drain, season, dip in crumbs, then in drippings and in crumbs again, and cook in a well-oiled broiler five minutes, cooking the smooth side of the tripe first for three minutes. Place on a hot platter, rough side up ; season, spread sparingly with butter and place in the oven to become very hot. Tripe Fried in Batter Cut the pickled tripe in suitable pieces for serving, wash it and simmer gently for twenty minutes in water to cover. Drain, wipe dry, sprinkle with salt and pepper, brush over with melted butter or drippings, dip in batter and fry in fat hot enough to brown a piece of bread in three minutes. Serve with Chili sauce, or piccalilli or chow-chow. BATTER FOR TRIPE I cupful flour Few grains paprika ii teaspoonfuls baking pow- J cupful water der. i egg well-beaten I teaspoonful salt i tablespoonful vinegar Mix in the order given and beat well before using. MEATS 341 Curried Tripe (Miss Armsby) ii pounds tripe (fresh) I teaspoonful brown sugar 1 small onion (sliced) Salt and pepper to taste 6 tablespoonfuls flour 6 tablespoon fills butter or 2 teaspoonfuls curry powder oleomargarine 2 cupfuls tripe liquor Put the tripe on to boil in cold water ; bring to boiling point, remove, scrape and rinse. Cut in small pieces. Return to the saucepan, cover with cold water, add the onion, bring to boiling point and simmer not less than two and one-half hours. Reserve two cupfuls of the water the tripe was cooked in, and thicken with the fat and flour creamed together. Season with the curry, sugar, salt and pepper, pour this over the tripe and serve in a wall of boiled brown or uncoated rice. Tripe Creole i pound pickled tripe 4 cloves 1 cupful sliced onions i pint canned tomatoes 2 green peppers Salt and pepper Bit of bay leaf 2 tablespoonfuls butter 2! tablespoonfuls flour Boil the tripe gently for twenty minutes, then drain, cut in small pieces and put in a kettle with the onions, sliced, the peppers, chopped, tomatoes, all the other sea- sonings and a cupful of boiling water. Simmer for two hours ; season highly with salt and pepper, and thicken with the flour dissolved in a little cold water. Serve in a border of buttered and seasoned spaghetti. Frizzled Dried Beef 1 pound dried beef 2 cupfuls milk 2 tablespoonfuls butter or J teaspoonful pepper other fat 2 hard-cooked eggs 2 tablespoonfuls flour Buttered toast Pick the beef in small pieces, and remove the tough strings. Melt the fat in a saucepan, add the beef and cook till browned, then stir in the flour, mix well, and add the milk gradually. Let boil, season more if necessary and serve on toast with a garnish of the eggs, chopped. 342 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Thick Oxtail Soup 2 oxtails, separated in sec- 4 potatoes tions Salt and pepper to taste 6 onions Cold water 2 carrots Beef drippings i cupful canned tomatoes (optional) Brown the meat in the beef drippings; then- remove the meat, add the onion and carrots, sliced, to the drip- pings, and cook until yellowed. Combine the oxtail and fried vegetables with two quarts of cold water. Bring to boiling point and simmer slowly until the meat is almost tender. Then add the potatoes, sliced thin, season to taste and finish cooking. Thicken with 6 tablespoonfuls of flour dissolved in a little cold water. Or, add J cupful of rice when the stew is half done and omit the potatoes. If desired, this may be baked in the oven in a bean pot or large casserole. LAMB Roast Leg of Lamb Remove the outside fat, then place the meat in a drip- ping pan and dredge with salt, pepper and flour. Bake in a hot oven, basting with hot water as soon as the flour is browned ; then dredge with more flour and baste again when brown. Baste every fifteen minutes afterward till the meat is done from one and one-half to one and three-quarter hours according to the size of the roast. Lamb Roasted Under the Gas Flame See general directions for roasting by this method and allow twenty minutes to the pound. Crown Roast of Lamb or Mutton If a crown roast of lamb or mutton is desired, it is best to order it put together from the butcher. It is made of two strips of chops fastened together at the sides. The bones should be trimmed as in making French chops, and the ends should be covered with strips of salt pork, as, otherwise, while roasting they become blackened. Dust the meat with salt and a little pepper, set in a hot oven for fifteen minutes, then reduce the heat and add a MEATS 343 little hot water, as in the roasting of any meat. Baste every ten minutes with the drippings, and bake nine min- utes to the pound. For serving, fill the hollow center with pofato straws, Saratoga chips, buttered peas, or a puree of chestnuts, and cover the tops of the bones with paper frills. Boiled Leg of Mutton Trim off the excess fat and remove the bone, fill in the cavity with a bread or potato and onion stuffing and skewer it into shape. Dredge well with flour and tie in a cloth to aid in keeping the shape. If very old mutton (and of strong flavor), start to cook in cold water to take out the disagreeable taste other- wise put on in boiling water, and simmer until tender two hours for a seven-pound leg, three for ten pounds. Serve on a bed of minced boiled carrots, or of chopped spinach, and pour over a caper sauce. The lamb broth may be used for soup, or for a lamb stew made of the remnants of the meat. Braised Leg of Mutton Brown a leg of mutton all over in the braising pan. Add a cupful each of chopped carrot, onion, turnip and celery, and water to half cover. Cover closely anjl simmer gently till half done (about one and three-quarter hours) ; then season, add more water if necessary and finish cooking. Serve with a thickened gravy made from the liquid in the pan. It will take a six-pound piece three hours to cook. Stuffed Forequarter of Lamb Order a forequarter of lamb, trimmed and the bones cracked. Prepare a well-seasoned bread stuffing ; dust the meat with salt and pepper ; lay the stuffing on the flank end and skewer it into shape. Place in a dripping pan. Dust thoroughly with flour, allowing about three tablespoonfuls to fall on the bottom of the pan, and bake, allowing fifteen minutes to the pound, and basting occasionally with a lit- tle hot water. If desired, a little sliced onion may be tucked into the folds before the meat is roasted. Breaded Forequarter of Lamb Bpil a forequarter of lamb in salted water, cool it, and 344 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK remove the meat from the bones. Pack into a pan two inches deep, and press hard over night. In the morning cut in squares, or diamonds, roll in well-buttered crumbs, and bake in the oven till browned, or egg and crumb, a"nd fry as croquettes. Serve accompanied by a brown, to- mato, or cream sauce, or with peas. Lamb Pasty 3 pounds lamb, cut from the 3 cupfuls boiling water neck 6 tablespoonfuls flour Bit of bay leaf I cupful peas, if desired ii cupfuls French potato 4 tablespoonfuls butter or balls, or diced potatoes drippings i teaspoonful onion juice Salt and pepper i tablespoonful tomato Short biscuit crust , catsup Cut the lamb in " handsome mouthfuls." Roll in flour, saute (fry) slightly in the drippings and place in a cas- serole or braising dish. Add the bay leaf (tied in bit of cheesecloth) and boiling water, and let simmer until ten- der about two hours, adding one and one-half teaspoon- fuls of salt at the end of an hour. Remove the bay leaf, add the onion juice and catsup and the potato balls. Stir in the peas, thicken with the flour and butter rubbed together, season to taste, bring to boiling point and set the crust quickly in place. Bake until browned, about twenty minutes, in a hot oven. Broiled Chops Wipe the chops with a damp cloth, remove the tough outside skin, and arrange on a well-oiled broiler. Place over a glowing bed of coals or under a gas-broiler and turn every ten seconds until the chops look " puffy " and the fat is clear in appearance. Then sprinkle with salt and a bit of pepper, dot with bits of butter, and set in the oven to melt the butter. Serve at once. Pan-Broiled Chops Wipe the chops with a damp cloth and remove the tough skin. Heat a frying pan very hot, put in the chops and turn at once. Turn every ten seconds until they are brown and the fat is clear-looking. Cook thin chops five minutes. When done, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and MEATS 345 spread sparingly with butter. Set in the oven for a minute, and serve very hot. A little boiling water may be added to the drippings in the pan, and the gravy poured around the chops. Lamb Chops with Peas Pan-broil lamb chops, as directed. To the gravy left in the pan add the desired amount of boiled fresh or canned peas. Let stand to become thoroughly hot and to absorb the meat flavor. Baked Lamb Chops Select any type of lamb or mutton chops cut one-half inch thick. Trim them into shape, and saute (fry) lightly on either side. Then pile well-seasoned mashed potatoes on each chop, brush over with well-beaten egg, and finish in the oven. Serve with brown or tomato sauce Stuffed Lamb Chops 6 good-sized lamb chops J cupful grated cheese (loin) i teaspoonful onion juice i-i cupfuls soft bread crumbs teaspoonful celery salt Milk Few grains pepper i teaspoonful minced parsley If possible, select chops from the loin and bone and roll them. Make a dressing of the other ingredients, moistening with milk as is necessary ; pan-broil the chops lightly, browning the under side and seasoning them as they cook. Then cover with the stuffing and bake for five minutes in a hot oven, when the stuffing should be brown. Serve on toast with a brown sauce made from the drippings in the pan and a little stock made from the bones and trimmings. Breaded Lamb Chops Wipe and trim the chops, sprinkle with salt and pepper and dip in crumbs, egg, and crumb again ; fry in deep fat from five to eight minutes and drain. Serve with tomato sauce, or stack around a mound of mashed potatoes, fried potoato balls, boiled brown or uncoated rice, boiled samp, or green peas. Never fry but four at a time, and allow the fat to re-heat between the fryings. After 346 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK testing the fat for the temperature, put in the chops, and place the kettle on the back of the range, so that the sur- face of the chops may not become too brown while the inside is still underdone. Baked Mutton Chops 6 shoulder, or blade, mutton 2 tablespoonfuls flour chops ii tablespoonfuls butter or 2 tablespoonfuls minced drippings onion 2 cupfuls stock 4 tablespoonfuls minced car- cupful grated horseradish rot i tablespoonful lemon juice Bit of bay leaf Buttered crumbs 2 cloves Trim the chops, removing the superfluous fat. Plunge into the boiling stock and simmer with the spice and vege- tables forty-five minutes. Then make a sauce of the stock and the other ingredients, pour it into a baking dish, set the chops over it, dust them with buttered crumbs and salt and pepper, and bake in a hot oven till browned. Mutton Chops en Casserole 6 mutton chops I pint stock I onion i cupful mushrooms i small carrot . I tablespoonful flour i turnip 2 tablespoonfuls drippings Salt and pepper Chop or dice the vegetables ; saute the chops on both sides, then the vegetables, in the fat. Add the flour to the vegetables, mix lightly, and put in the casserole. Put in the chops, add the stock and simmer in the oven until soft. Add the mushrooms when nearly done, and season with salt and pepper. Lamb Stew 2! pounds shoulder or back 3 onions of lamb 2 teaspoonfuls salt 1 cupful thinly sliced carrots i teaspoonful pepper 2 cupfuls diced potatoes Flour i cupful peas Worcestershire sauce \ cupful diced celery (op- Tomato catsup tional) Cut the meat in cubes and roll in flour. Arrange in layers, alternating with the vegetables in a kettle, and sprinkling on the salt and pepper. Pour over boiling MEATS 347 water to cover and simmer gently for two hours. Add the peas just before the dish is to be served, seasoning it to taste with Worcestershire and catsup. If desired, the celery may be omitted, and turnips or parsnips used to replace it. Lamb Fricassee Boil a shoulder of lamb in salted water, then drain and cut off the meat in suitable portions for serving. Roll these in flour, season with a little salt and pepper and brown quickly in beef drippings or a combination of beef drippings and sausage fat. Make a gravy from the stock in which the shoulder was boiled, adding to it minced mint or capers, and season it highly with Worcestershire or tomato catsup. Casserole of Lamb 2i pounds of lamb cut from 4 tablespoonfuls uncoated the neck rice 1 cupful sliced onions 2 cupfuls stewed tomatoes 2 tablespoonfuls drippings I teaspoonful salt Few grains nutmeg i teaspoonful sugar Few grains pepper Cut the lamb in pieces, roll in flour and brown with the onions in the drippings. Add the tomato and seasoning and put in a casserole with the rice sprinkled between each layer. Barely cover with boiling water, and bake, covered, in a slow oven for two or two and one-half hours. The rice should absorb the water. If it seems a little dry, add water as needed. VEAL Roast Veal Purchase a fillet of veal or a roast from the loin. Bone the meat, fill in the cavities with bread stuffing, well-sea- soned with onion and celery salt, and skewer into shape. Place in a baking pan, dredge with salt, pepper and flour, and lay thin strips of salt pork over the meat. Put in a hot oven and bake until the flour is brown, then reduce the heat and cook until done, allowing twenty minutes to the pound, basting frequently with some of the water in the pan. Water should be added to the pan as soon as the 348 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK flour is colored. Make a gravy from the drippings in the pan. Veal Roasted Under the Gas Flame See general directions for roasting by this method and allow twenty-three minutes to the pound. Veal Stew 4 pounds knuckle of veal I teaspoonful salt 3 quarts cold water I pint stewed tomatoes 2 minced onions I cupful diced celery 1 teaspoonful peppercorns i teaspoonful sugar 2 cloves i cupful brown rice Bit of bay leaf Dumplings Wipe the meat, crack the bones and put the meat on to cook in cold water. Bring to the boiling point, add the spices tied in a cloth and the onions. When half done, add the salt. When the meat is tender, strain off the liquor. Cut the meat in cubes and set aside. Add the celery, tomato and rice to the liquid, of which there should be two quarts, turn in the meat and cook until the rice is done. Serve with steamed dumplings, made either of white or entire wheat flour. Fricasseed Veal Select a shoulder of veal. Simmer until tender, then cut in pieces suitable for serving, sprinkle with salt and pepper, roll in flour and brown in drippings. Serve on toast or split biscuits with a gravy made from the liquor in which the veal was cooked. Veal Pie 2 pounds veal cut from the 3 tabtespoonfuls bacon fat or knuckle drippings I cupful cooked peas, if con- 4 tablespoonfuls flour venient Short biscuit crust 3 cupfuls well-seasoned stock Cut the veal in small pieces. Roll in flour and fry till well-browned in the fat. Cover with stock, add a slice of carrot and one onion and simmer until tender. Then add the peas, and thicken with the flour dissolved in a little cold water. When boiling, pour into a baking dish, set the crust in place, and bake about twenty-five minutes in a moderate oven. MEATS 349 Veal and Oyster Pie ii pounds veal from the pint oysters knuckle 2 tablespoon fuls bacon fat cupful minced cooked ham 3 tablespoon fuls flour 2 cupfuls well-seasoned stock Short biscuit crust Cut the veal in small pieces ; roll in the flour and saute (fry), until well-browned, in the bacon fat. Cover with the stock, add a slice of carrot and one of onion and sim- mer till tender. Then add the ham and the oysters, which should be well washed, thicken with the flour re- maining from the veal, and pour into a baking dish, rubbed with the bacon fat. When boiling-hot, set the crust in place. Bake about twenty-five minutes in a moderate oven. Brown Veal en Casserole 3 to 4 pounds knuckle of veal I teaspoonful salt I tablespoonful sugar i teaspoonful pepper i onion I cupful cream or rich milk .1 quart boiling water 3 tablespoonfuls butter or 3 tablespoonfuls flour oleomargarine A little lemon rind Cut the veal in pieces suitable for serving. Caramelize the sugar and, when dark, add the onion, stirring until coated. Add the boiling water and meat. When boiling rapidly, cover closely, put in the oven and cook till tender, about two hours. Then add the seasonings, the butter and flour rubbed together, and boil up once. Serve sur- rounded with boiled brown or uncoated rice, either plain or curried. Veal Fricandelles 2\ cupfuls cooked or raw 2 tablespoonfuls lemon juice veal, ground I teaspoonful salt i cupful ham, minced (op- i tablespoonful tomato cat- tional) sup (optional) \ cupful milk \ teaspoonful pepper \ cupful soft bread crumbs Bacon fat ii cupfuls well-seasoned 2 tablespoonfuls flour stock i teaspoonful minced pars- i tablespoonful minced ley green peppers Cook the crumbs and milk to a paste. Add it to the veal, ham, pepper, lemon juice, catsup, parsley and sea- sonings and mix well. Make into egg-shaped balls, roll 350 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK in flour and saute (fry) in bacon fat till light brown. Transfer to a casserole, and pour over a gravy made from the fat left in the frying pan, the flour and the stock. Cook in a moderate oven till done, thirty minutes for the cooked meat, and an hour for the raw. Serve on toast points, garnish with parsley, and surround by gravy. Pressed Veal Order a knuckle of veal, sawed through the bone. Boil it in salted water containing a half teaspoonful of pickle spice, until the meat is tender. Drain and cool it, chop the meat fine, season it with additional salt and pepper and a little lemon juice if the flavor is liked. Boil down the liquor to one cupful, mix with the meat and pack into a bread pan which has been rinsed with cold water. Put a second pan on top of the meat, weight and chill. Veal and Pork Loaf I pound ground veal Few grains mace i pound ground pork i teaspoonful poultry season- I cupful soft bread crumbs ing i cupful hot milk i teaspoonful onion juice i egg I tablespoonful minced pars- ik teaspoonfuls salt ley $ teaspoonful pepper Cook the crumbs and milk to a paste. Add to it the other ingredients, mix well, pack into a well-oiled pan, and bake an hour in a moderate oven. Pot Koast of Veal i small shoulder of veal, 2 teaspoonfuls salt boned and rolled \ teaspoonful pepper ij cupfuls finely-sliced car- Beef drippings rots i pint boiling soup stock 3 cloves 2 onions i teaspoonful peppercorns Dust the meat with salt and pepper, and brown it in the drippings; transfer to a heavy kettle, add the slices of onion and carrot to the drippings and cook until yellowed. Then pour over the meat, with the other ingredients, and cook gently until the meat is tender from three to four hours. Thicken the gravy as usual. Season, if desired, with a drop or two of tabasco sauce. MEATS 351 Veal with. Anchovies 2 pounds veal cutlet I onion, sliced 4 anchovies 3 cloves garlic, chopped i teaspoonful ground clove Scant half cupful vinegar i teaspoonful ground cinna- 2 tablespoonfuls ground salt mon pork 1 teaspoonful nutmeg I tablespoonful flour 3 tablespoonfuls butter Combine the butter and salt pork in a frying pan. When hot add the meat and onion, and when the meat is a golden color add all the other ingredients except the vinegar ; cook slowly for ten minutes. Dust with salt and pepper, pour over the vinegar with an equal quantity of water, cover and simmer, adding more water if necessary. When almost done, thicken the sauce with the flour mixed with a little cold water, return the meat and finish cook- ing. Baked Veal Chops 2 pounds veal chops Crumbs i pound bacon teaspoonful Worcestershire Bit of bay leaf sauce Boil the chops gently for five minutes in water contain- ing a little sugar and a bay leaf. Drain thoroughly, dip in melted bacon fat, sprinkle with the Worcestershire and salt and crumbs; set in a baking pan, and place a small piece of bacon on each chop. Bake in a hot oven until the bacon begins to crisp, then add a little water to the pan, and cook more slowly till the chops are tender. This will take about thirty-five minutes. Breaded Veal Cutlets Simmer the cutlets five minutes in boiling water, con- taining a teaspoonful of sugar to each pint of water. Drain, dry, dip in fine crumbs, then in slightly-beaten egg, diluted with cold water (one-fourth cupful to an egg), then again in crumbs. Plunge into fat hot enough to brown a bit of bread in three minutes, and fry till brown. Drain on crumpled paper, and serve with tomato or Creole sauce. Veal Steak, Italian Veal steak Salt and pepper I teaspoonful sugar i clove Bit of bay leaf Onion, sliced 352 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Slice veal steak thin, and cut in individual servings. Boil five minutes in water to cover, containing one tea- spoonful sugar, a bit of bay leaf, one clove, and a slice of onion to each pint of water. Drain, dust with salt and pepper, and dip in crumbs, egg, and crumbs again and cook in deep fat hot enough to brown a bit of bread in three minutes. Serve with sliced lemon. Veal Mexican Style 2 pounds veal, sliced 4 inch Beef drippings thick f cupful minced cooked \ cupful chopped chives ham I tablespoonful minced pars- Salt ley Pepper Cut the veal in pieces suitable for serving and dip them in flour. Melt the beef drippings and fry the veal in them; when half done, sprinkle with the chives, parsley and ham, season with salt and pepper and finish, cooking slowly. LIVER Broiled Liver and Bacon Scald the bacon, drain and set in a baking pan in a hot oven to cook. Scald the liver, let stand five minutes in the water, then pull off the outer membranes and remove the tough veins. Dip in the bacon fat and broil from five to six minutes, according to the thickness, turning from side to side. Add salt and pepper, and serve gar- nished with the bacon. Fried Liver and Bacon Cover with boiling water slices of liver cut one-half inch thick; let stand five minutes to draw out the blood, drain, wipe and remove the thin outside skin and veins. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, dip in flour and fry in the fat remaining from baked bacon. Fried Liver with Onions Prepare the liver for frying as in the preceding recipe. For a pound of liver, peel and slice six onions. Fry them gently until done in bacon fat, remove from the fat and MEATS 353 cook the liver in it. Put the liver on a platter, spread the onions over it and dust lightly with salt and pepper. Liver with Olive Sauce ii pounds liver Salt and pepper 2 cupfuls soup stock 4 cupful chopped olives 4 teaspoonful lemon juice 2 hard-cooked eggs 1 tablespoonful flour Grated rind i lemon Cut the liver in pieces suitable for serving, then scald with boiling water, allowing it to stand five minutes. Drain, dip in flour and fry slowly in bacon or beef drip- pings till tender, seasoning during the cooking. Trans- fer to a platter, then add the flour and drippings in the pan, follow with the soup stock, and, when it is boiling and smooth, add the olives, lemon and seasonings if neces- sary. Pour over the meat, and sprinkle with the egg, chopped fine. Liver en Casserole 2 pounds liver i cupful bacon fat I cupful diced carrot \ cupful flour i cupful green peas 3 cupfuls boiling water 1 cupful diced celery I teaspoonful salt 2 tablespoonfuls minced \ teaspoonful pepper onion \ tablespoonful lemon juice Slice the liver in pieces suitable for serving and let stand five minutes in boiling water. Drain the liver and dredge thickly with the flour, then fry in hot bacon fat until browned. Add any remaining flour and transfer to a casserole in alternate layers with the vegetables. Add the boiling water and seasonings, cover and cook slowly one and one-half hours. Serve with boiled brown rice and a crisp green salad. Liver a la McAlpin ii pounds liver 4 tablespoonfuls butter or 1 pint canned tomatoes chicken fat 2 shredded green peppers 3 tablespoonfuls flour 2 onions, sliced I teaspoonful salt 4 teaspoonful pepper Order the liver sliced moderately thin. Scald it with boiling water, and peel off the tough skin and membrane. Then dip the liver in flour, fry it quickly in butter or chicken fat, salting it while cooking. Remove the liver 354 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK and set in a warm place. Put the onions and the green peppers into the drippings, and fry until they are soft; then add the flour, and the tomato and seasonings. Stir constantly until thick and cook for about ten minutes. Transferee liver to a platter, pour over the sauce and, in serving, garnish with parsley. Calves' Hearts Smothered with Onions Clean the hearts thoroughly, then slice crosswise in inch pieces. Peel eight medium-sized onions and cut into rings. Put a half cupful of beef drippings in a deep frying pan or heavy kettle and brown the heart and onions together. Add a bit of bay leaf, two or three cloves and a fourth cupful of celery leaves, or diced cel- ery, dredge over a fourth cupful of flour and add water to half cover about 3 cupfuls. Cover closely and sim- mer for an hour and a half. SWEETBREADS To Prepare Sweetbreads Soak the sweetbreads for an hour or more in cold water. Then remove and simmer in water containing a little vinegar and salt for twenty minutes. Plunge into boiling water to harden. Then remove the tubes, skin and bits of fiber, taking great care not to break the sweet- breads. However they are to be served, this is always the preliminary preparation. Broiled Sweetbreads Y Split the sweetbreads lengthwise, dust with pepper and salt, brush with melted butter and broil until lightly browned. Serve with mushroom or yellow Bechamel sauce. Sweetbread Timbales ii cupfuls minced cooked Few grains pepper sweetbreads i teaspoonful minced parsley cupful bread crumbs 2 egg yolks i cupful milk I tablespoonful melted but- teaspoonful salt ter Cook the crumbs and milk together to a paste, combine MEATS 355 with the other ingredients, adding the egg yolks, unbeaten, and folding in the egg whites whipped stiff at the last. Turn into well-oiled timbale moulds ; stand in a pan con- taining boiling water and bake until firm, about twenty- five minutes, in a moderate oven. Serve hot with but- tered peas or asparagus tips. Sweetbread and Mushroom Kamekins 2 cupfuls diced, cooked i egg yolk sweetbreads i teaspoonful minced pars- I cupful diced, canned ley mushrooms Few grains mace ii cupfuls White Sauce Buttered crumbs No. 2 Combine the ingredients in the order given, transfer the mixture to buttered ramekins, and bestrew with the buttered crumbs. Bake until brown in a moderate oven. Breaded Sweetbreads Split the parboiled sweetbreads in halves lengthwise ; dust with salt and pepper and sprinkle with lemon juice. Dip in fine dry bread crumbs, then in egg, and crumbs again, as in making croquettes and fry, until browned, in deep fat hot enough to brown a bit of bread in forty seconds. Serve with sauce tartare. Sweetbreads, Lenten Style i pair sweetbreads i cupful flour \ pint oysters 4 tablespoonfuls butter 1 teaspoonful pepper li cupfuls cream 2 shredded hard-cooked eggs I teaspoonful salt i cupful cooked peas Few grains mace teaspoonful onion juice Buttered crumbs i teaspoonful soy sauce Parboil the sweetbreads and cut each into three slices lengthwise. Wash the oysters, drain the peas and shred the eggs. Dip sweetbreads and oysters, first in melted butter, then in flour. Butter a baking dish. Lay in first a thin layer of oysters, then two slices of sweetbreads, a few peas, and repeat until all are used. Mix the season- ings with the cream. Pour over, add a sprinkling of but- tered bread crumbs and set the dish in hot water in a moderate oven till browned. It will take about thirty minutes. Pass olives and celery with it. 356' MRS. ALLEN'S' COOK BOOK PORK Roast Boned Shoulder of Pork Order a shoulder of pork boned. Stuff the opening with a well-seasoned bread dressing and skewer or sew it in place. Then score the skin for carving, and sprinkle liberally with flour, salt and pepper. Set in a moderate oven and roast until perfectly tender, about three hours, twenty-five minutes to the pound. When it is nearly done, place tomatoes, stuffed with the dressing, in the pan one for each person and cook till they are ten- der. Then remove the tomatoes and meat, and make a gravy of three tablespoon fuls of the fat in the pan, three tablespoonfuls of flour and ij cupfuls of water, or broth. Tart apples may be substituted for the tomatoes. Roast Pork Roast loin of pork or fresh ham may be substituted for the shoulder in the preceding recipe. Old-Fashioned Pork Pie 3 pounds blade pork Salt and pepper \ cupful sliced onion I pint sliced potato Bit of bay leaf Short biscuit crust Cut the pork in pieces suitable for serving. Brown with the onions, add the bay leaf and water barely to cover, and simmer till nearly tender about thirty min- utes. Oil a baking dish, add the potatoes and season- ing to the meat, and thicken to the desired consistency with a little flour dissolved in cold water. Cover with the crust cut into rounds, and bake in a moderate oven until the crust is browned. Pork Chops Saute* Dust the chops with salt and pepper and pan-broil until brown on each side. Dust with flour, barely cover with water, and simmer till tender about thirty minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper and a trace of sage. Pork Chops en Casserole 2 pounds pork chops, or i teaspoonful salt fresh ham cut in pieces \ teaspoonful pepper for serving Dried bread crumbs 2^ cupfuls sliced yellow tur- i chopped apple nips Boiling water or stock i cupful diced celery Powdered sage MEATS 357 Dust the chops with salt, pepper and a little sage, roll thickly in crumbs and brown on either side in drippings. Put a layer of the turnips, apples and celery mixed in the casserole, then the chops, and repeat until all is used. Add the seasonings, and water or stock nearly to cover, set the lid in place, and cook one and one-half hours in a moderate oven. If too moist, add dried crumbs to thicken when done. Baked Pork Chops, with Apples Dust the chops. with salt, pepper and a little sage, then roll them in finely-ground bread crumbs and place in a dripping pan. Set half of a cored apple on each one and bake about thirty minutes in a moderate oven. When the crumbs are slightly browned, a little water should be added to the pan. Sliced Pork Creole Select a two and one-half pound piece of fresh ham, cut about one-half inch thick. Trim off the extra fat, put the ham in a hot frying pan and cook it ten minutes, or until browned. Then add two sliced onions, a cupful of stewed tomato and a shredded green pepper and cook for five minutes longer. Add four tablespoonfuls of flour, rubbing it well into the meat, and barely cover with boiling water. Season and cook, covered, the balance of half an hour. When the time is almost up add two cup- fuls of boiled spaghetti. Serve surrounded by the spaghetti. Boiled Ham If a small ham is desired, select a boned shoulder, or butt end of a whole ham. Otherwise use a whole ham. Scrub well with cold water containing a little baking soda and put on to cook in cold water containing a table- spoonful of mixed pickle spice, if the flavor is desired. Bring to boiling point and simmer until the ham is per- fectly tender, about three hours for a ten-pound ham. Let it cool in the water. Pare back the skin, but do not remove it. Slice as much ham as is needed, fold the skin over the 'cut surface and wrap the ham in paraffine paper. 358 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Pan-Broiled Boiled Ham Slice boiled ham thin, put a little ham fat and a dust- ing of sugar in a frying pan, and brown the ham in it. Virginia Baked Ham A small, rather lean ham \ teaspoonful ground cinna- 6 cloves mon k teaspoonful celery seed 10 peppercorns Sugar i quart sweet cider Boiling water Beaten egg Wash the ham thoroughly, sprinkle with soda, scrub- bing it all over the surface, rinse in cold water and place in a kettle with the clove, celery seed, cinnamon and pep- percorns and a quart of sweet cider; cover with boiling water and simmer till tender, four or five hours. Remove from the water, pare off the skin and sprinkle the ham with sugar; brush over with beaten egg, then cover with ground bread crumbs, stick in cloves at even intervals and brown in the oven. Trim the meat from the bone end, and decorate the latter with celery leaves and curls. Serve with currant sauce. Ham Roasted with Grape Juice A lean ham Bay leaf i cupful sliced carrots 10 peppercorns i cupful sliced onions 6 cloves Thyme Grape juice Scrub the ham with soda water, then soak it for twelve hours. Remove the end bone. Put in the bottom of a roasting-pan the carrots, onion, thyme, a bay leaf, pep- percorns and cloves. Set on the ham, pour over a pint of grape juice and cover the pan closely for twelve hours. Then wrap the ham in heavy paraffine paper, or encase in a prepared paper bag, cover with a thick paste of flour and water and roast for three hours in a hot oven. Then make a hole in the paste and pour in slowly by means of a funnel the grape juice in which the ham has stood to season. Put some- paste over the hole and close it, and let it roast an hour longer. When done, remove the paper carefully to preserve all the juices, .dust the ham with sugar and brown it and serve plain or with grape sauce. MEATS 359 Braised Ham A boned and rolled shoulder 2 inches stick cinnamon of ham i cupful sliced onions 2. cupfuls diced carrots 2 tablespoon fuls sugar i cupful diced turnip I cupful grape juice Celery leaves 6 cloves Soak the ham over night in cold water containing a little soda. Bring to boiling point and discard the water. Caramelize the sugar in the braising pan, add the onion, and when well-coated put in the vegetables and grape juice. Set the ham in place in the pan, nearly half cover with boiling water, cover and bake gently in the oven till tender. Then remove the skin, dust with crumbs and a sprinkling of sugar, brown quickly and serve with grape juice sauce. Pot-Eoast of Ham Order a shoulder of ham boned and rolled. Soak for twenty-four hours in water to cover. Then melt three tablespoonfuls of fat in a kettle, add a cupful of sliced onions and a cupful of diced celery, cooking until soft- ened. Turn in the ham and brown it thoroughly. Barely cover with boiling water and simmer gently for about four hours ; remove the meat, then add the desired number of pared potatoes and boil them. Skin the ham, dust thickly with crumbs and brown in a hot oven. Sur- round with the potatoes, garnish with celery and make a thickened sauce of equal parts of ham stock and sifted canned tomato to accompany it. Thicken with crumbs. Pan-Broiled Ham with Cream Sauce Freshen thin slices of ham for ten minutes in boiling water. Drain thoroughly and place in a hissing-hot fry- ing pan, cooking first on one side, then on the other, until the edges of the fat are browned. Add 2 tablespoon- fuls of flour to the fat remaining in the pan after the ham has been removed ; turn in slowly two cupfuls of milk stirring constantly; add a dash of pepper and let boil. Surround the ham with this sauce and garnish with bits of parsley. 360 MRS. ALLEN S COOK BOOK Planked Ham, Easter Style 3 pounds sliced ham, cut 3 i inch stick cinnamon inches thick Duchess potatoes i cupful white grape juice Stuffed tomatoes 1 cupful boiling water Parsley 2 cloves Soak the ham over night in cold water. When ready to cook it, drain well and place in a baking dish with the grape juice, water and spice. Cover and cook gently till almost done. Then drain and place on a well-oiled hot plank. Put the tomatoes around the ham, set in the oven and bake for fifteen minutes. Then pipe on Duchess potatoes with a pastry bag and tube, brush over with slightly-beaten egg yolk, diluted with a little milk, brown quickly and garnish with parsley. Baked Ham in Milk 2 pounds ham sliced I inch i tablespoon ful butter thick Milk Flour Pepper Soak the ham an hour in warm water; drain, place on a baking platter, sprinkle thickly with flour, season with pepper, cover with milk and dot with bits of butter. Bake until the ham is tender about forty-five minutes. Fried Ham with Milk Gravy Cut the ham a quarter of an inch thick. Heat a fry- ing pan and put in it a little of the fat trimmed from the ham. When this is melted, fry the ham rather slowly in it and make a gravy by adding a tablespoonful and a half of flour to the drippings in the pan and slowly a cupful of milk for a cupful of gravy. SAUSAGES Baked Sausages Gently prick the sausages and place them on a rack in a pan. Cook in a -moderate oven until they are tender, which will take about twenty-five minutes. They will not burst by this method, and the sausage fat will not be burned, and, therefore, can be used for many culinary purposes. BAKED PORK CHOPS WITH APPLES BAKED SAUSAGE WITH BROILED SLICED APPLES MEATS 361 Simmered Sausages Prick the sausages with a fork. Put in a frying pan with water to half cover, and simmer until they are browned and the water is almost evaporated; turn oc- casionally during the process ; then make a gravy of the liquid, thickening it with flour as usual. Farm-House Sausages Prick the sausages with a fork, and boil ten to fifteen minutes, according to the size. Complete the cooking by sauteing until browned. Pare and core tart apples, cut into rings one-half inch thick, dip in egg and crumbs and fry slowly in the sausage fat until soft. Serve with the sausages. Baked Sausage Potato 1 pound fresh sausage meat i onion sliced 2 quarts raw, sliced* potato Flour Milk Rub a baking dish with drippings. Put in a layer of raw potatoes, dust with flour and add a little onion, then a layer of sausage. Continue until all is used, then barely cover with the milk, and bake in a slow oven from two to two and a half hours. Potatoes Stuffed with Sausage Select potatoes of medium size, pare them and cut off the tops lengthwise to form covers. Scoop out the cen- ters, fill with sausage meat,, and replace the covers, fas- tening them in place with toothpicks ; dredge the potatoes with salt and pepper and place in a pan containing a little meat broth ; bake about an hour and a quarter until ten- der, basting occasionally with, the broth. Serve with milk gravy. BACON Fried Bacon If the bacon is to be sliced at home, be sure that it is chilled, and that the knife is sharp. Have the frying pan hot. Put in the bacon and turn almost at once. Whether or not it is to be cooked crisp depends upon the variety, 362 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK but in any case it should be drained on crumpled paper before serving. Generally speaking crisped bacon is more digestible than that which is fat and moist. It should be cooked so slowly that the bacon fat does not burn. Baked Bacon Cut off the bacon rind and lay the bacon on a rack in a pan ; bake until crisp about twelve minutes. Drain the fat into a jar and keep for cooking purposes. POULTRY AND GAME How to Clean Poultry If the birds have not been cleaned and drawn at the butcher's, it will be necessary for the housewife to at- tend to these details, which need not be irksome or dis- agreeable, if she knows how to do it. First of all remove the pin feathers with a pair of broad tweezers. Then singe the bird by means of a little alcohol which has been poured into a saucer and lighted ; or if this is not at hand twist up some newspaper into thick strips and use this. The bird should be turned con- stantly so that it will be thoroughly singed in every part. The head should then be removed, and the crop, attached to the gullet and the windpipe, may be drawn out of the neck opening. It isnot usually necessary to make a slit in the neck. The neck should be cut off about two inches so that the skin may be folded back to present a neat appearance when the bird is cooked. The neck trim- mings should be saved towards making stock. The tendons should then be removed from the legs, for these harden on cooking and form the flinty, disagreeable substance with which we 'are all familiar in the "drum- sticks." Make an inch slit lengthwise through the skin below the knee joint at one side; on laying open this skin, the tendons, which are shiny white cords, will be revealed. Slip a skewer or nail under each one and pull them out. Then make a two-inch opening near the vent, insert two fingers, and gently loosen the entrails. When every- thing is loose, grasp gently the hardest substance the MEATS 363 gizzard and pull it out. Everything else will come with it. Be careful not to press anything too hard and then there will be no muss, and no danger of breaking the gall bladder. When this has all been done, insert the hand and remove the spongy substances which lay under the breast in cavities, and the kidneys which will be found a little more than half way down the backbone in similar cavities. Then let cold water run through the bird until it is thoroughly cleaned. If the bird does not seem white on the outside, scrub it off with a little soap and water. This treatment is usually advocated only for goose, but it improves all poultry, unless they are freshly killed. If a bird looks wizened, let it stand for a few minutes in water to plump up. This treatment is especially good for cold-storage birds. Dressing Birds for Broiling Remove the head and pin feathers, singe, and draw the tendons, as described. Then with a sharp, heavy knife split the bird down the back, through the backbone; the entrails can then be easily removed. If there is ample time, scrape away the flesh from the breastbone and lift that out, and carefully scrape away the rib bones and remove them. This makes the bird much easier to eat and more sightly. The legs should also be separated at the second joint. Preparing Birds for Fricassee Clean, draw and remove the tendons, as directed. It is not at all difficult to prepare the bird for a fricassee if the knives are sharp. Cut off the legs at the first joint, using a sharp knife, then separate them at the second joint. This is easily done if the legs are bent. Then cut off the wings and disjoint them. Separate the breast from the back ; divide the back into four pieces, slit down the breast cutting it in two. If desired the breast halves may be subdivided. This makes 'the white meat go far- ther Trussing and Stuffing Poultry First put a little stuffing in the neck and around at the sides where the crop has been. Then fold over the skin 364 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK to the back and secure it with a small skewer ; then put in enough stuffing through the incision made in drawing the chicken to fill it three-fourths full. If too much is put in, the stuffing will swell and the bird will burst. First, however, the oil bag should be removed. To do this, cut around it with a sharp knife, and, after removing, tuck the tail into the opening, and sew it up with light- weight twine and, if possible, a curved surgical needle which can be kept for the purpose. Pinion the wings at the side of the bird. Then take a long trussing kneedle thread it with lightweight string, pass it through the wing and directly through the bird and through the other wing and then back again, making the two stitches about one-half inch long. Tie the string in a bow-knot so that it can be easily removed when the bird is done. Fasten the legs in the same way. This takes but two or three minutes and is infinitely superior to the old-fashioned way of wrapping a bird around with yards of string. When the bird is not to be stuffed, great care should be taken not to make a long incision in cleaning it, the ends of the drum sticks being tucked into the incision be- fore the bird is trussed. The Giblets and Feet If a chicken is being used, the feet should be saved. Skin them and put them on to cook with the giblets. To prepare the giblets, wash the heart and cut it in two, lengthwise. Cut off the gall bladder from the liver; this is an unmistakable green sack, and great care must be taken not to break it, as it contains a very bitter sub- stance. Cut through the thick part of the gizzard, empty it and pull out the inside tough skin. Rinse the liver; put on to cook with the tips of the wings, the feet and the trimmings from the neck in a quart of boiling water. Use this stock instead of water in making the gravy. Serve the giblets, chopped fine, in the gravy, if desired. If this is not desirable, chop the giblets, and the next day make a gravy for them from the stock and transfer with this sauce to ramekins ; break an egg into each ramekin. Dot with salt and pepper and shir. MEATS 365 STUFFINGS FOR BIRDS Bread Stuffing 2 cupfuls soft bread crumbs I tablespoonful finely-minced i cupful any good cooking onion fat I teaspoonful finely-minced I teaspoonful salt parsley or i teaspoonful pepper \ teaspoonful dry parsley, if convenient Combine the ingredients and moisten to a paste with hot water. To vary this dressing add a half cupful of minced white celery leaves or stock, or moisten it with half a cupful of sifted canned tomato. Sage, thyme, or poultry seasoning may be added to taste, or a little finely- minced, left-over, cooked bacon or sausage may be added. Prune Stuffing cupful unsweetened cooked Boiling water to moisten prunes cut into bits I teaspoonful curry powder 1 cupful English walnut \ teaspoonful savory or hickory nut meats \ teaspoonful thyme 2 cupfuls soft bread crumbs | teaspoonful marjoram i teaspoonful salt 2 tablespoonfuls butter, i teaspoonful pepper melted i tablespoonful onion, minced fine Mix the ingredients in the order given, making the dressing rather moist. Chestnut Stuffing Shell and blanch fifty French chestnuts or two quarts of American chestnuts. To do this, split each nut^with a knife ; put on in cold water, bring to the boiling point and boil one minute. Drain, add a little butter (about 2 table- spoonfuls), stir and shake over the fire, then remove the shells and skins together. Chop the nuts fine, add 3 tablespoonfuls butter, one tablespoonful salt, \ teaspoon- ful pepper, i tablespoonful of minced parsley, \ tea- spoonful of powdered thyme and a cupful of stale whole wheat bread crumbs. Add water for moistening if neces- sary. 3 66 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Potato and Walnut Stuffing for Goose 3 cupfuls fresh mashed po- I teaspoonful poultry season- tatp ing i onion grated ii teaspoonftils salt I cupful walnut meats i tablespoonful butter 1 teaspoonful pepper \ cupful milk i egg Mix in the order given and use at once. Peanut Stuffing for Duck 2 cupfuls whole wheat bread 3 tablespoonful s melted pea- crumbs nut butter i cupful peanuts, chopped \ teaspoonful onion juice Salt and pepper Few grains paprika Hot cream to moisten Mix the ingredients in the order given. Malaga Stuffing 2i cupfuls soft bread crumbs i egg (if desired) 3 tablespoonfuls melted but- i cupful halved and seeded ter or oleomargarine Malaga grapes \ teaspoonful salt Boiling water to moisten & teaspoonful pepper Combine the ingredients in the order given, making the stuffing rather moist. Steamed Chicken Dress the chicken as for roasting, but do not stuff it. Truss as directed and brown the chicken all over in drippings, melted chicken fat, or bacon fat if the flavor is liked. Dust with salt and pepper. Place on a platter or in a pan that will fit into a steamer and steam until tender about an hour and a quarter for a three or four pound chicken. Fowl may be prepared in this way, but it will be necessary to steam it for four hours. In this case lay two or three small pieces of bacon on the breast of the fowl. Roast Chicken Dress, stuff and truss the chicken as directed. Rub lightly with butter or oleomargarine and dust thickly with flour, and a little salt and pepper. Place on a rack in a dripping pan, or in a double roaster, allowing a little of the flour, about 2.\ tablespoonfuls, to fall on the bot- MEATS 367 torn of the pan. Place in a hot oven and let stand until the flour in the pan is colored a light brown. Then add boiling water barely to cover the bottom of the pan, to- gether with some bits of butter, a little melted chicken fat, some drippings or some bacon fat, if the flavor is de- sired. Baste the chicken with this mixture and replenish the liquid if it evaporates too fast. Roast a five-pound chicken one and one-half hours, or allow eighteen min- utes to the pound. Reduce the heat after the flour is browned, as, other- wise, the chicken will be dry, instead of juicy and tender. The drippings in the pan, with a little hot water, which may be added slowly to them, will make a gravy of suf- ficient thickness without adding any more flour. Salt and pepper, hot milk, hot cream, a little cooked celery, or a dozen small oysters may be added to the chicken gravy. Chicken or Duck Roasted Tinder the Gas Flame See general directions for roasting by this method, and allow twenty minutes to the pound. Broiled Chicken Dress the chicken as directed. Then sprinkle with salt and pepper, place in well-oiled broiler, flesh side up, and broil five minutes. Turn to brown the skin. Place in a dripping pan with a little stock, and dot with bits of butter. Cover with a second pan and set in a hot oven twenty minutes. Serve on a hot dish with a sauce made from the drippings, if desired. Chicken Stew, with Dumplings Remove all the meat that remains on the framework of broiled, fricasseed or roast chicken. Add to the bones 6 cupfuls cold water (for one chicken) or 10 cupfuls for two. Turn in any remaining gravy, bits of skin, etc., add one-half a small onion, minced, for the first quantity, and a few dried celery leaves, and bit of bay leaf. Cover closely and bring slowly to boiling point, then sim- mer for two hours. Strain, remove the fat and add \ cup- ful of brown or uncoated rice, the bits of chicken and a cupful of peas if convenient. Boil till the rice is almost 368 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK tender (about fifteen minutes), season and set dumplings on top of the stew to cook. Boil twelve minutes longer, and serve at once. Old-Fashioned Chicken Pot-Pie i (3-pound) fowl i cupful cream i cupful fat salt pork, diced Salt and pepper to taste 3 cupfuls boiling water Short biscuit crust 4 tablespoon fuls flour Clean and disjoint the fowl. Heat a small iron pot and put the salt pork in it. Try out the fat, then toss in the chicken, and cook until well-browned. Add the water, cover and let simmer over the heat or in the oven till tender. Season, add the flour and cream, blended, let boil up once and set the paste in position in a casserole as follows : Cut a strip two inches wide and line the in- side of the casserole. Pour in the chicken mixture, set a round cover in place over the top of the boiling liquid, and pinch the two edges together ; set in the oven, and bake till light brown. Invert on a platter, and serve surrounded with buttered peas or asparagus tips. Potted Chicken Select a fowl weighing from four to six pounds. Singe and clean, then brown all over in beef or bacon drippings. Slightly fry an onion, a cupful of celery tips and diced stalks and a half cupful of carrots ; add the chicken, and a little boiling water; put in two cloves, six peppercorns, a teaspoonful of salt, a bit of bay leaf, and simmer until tender about four hours, replenishing the water as needed. Serve with a gravy made from the stock, thick- ened with cooked brown or uncoated rice. Chicken Fricassee Dress, clean and cut up a fowl according to the general directions. Put the pieces in a kettle with 4 tablespoon- fuls of drippings ; let them brown slightly on both sides, but take care they do not burn. When slightly browned, add enough boiling water to cover, salt and pepper and a bouquet of herbs. Simmer until tender, about three hours for a fowl, and one and one-half hours for chicken. Make a sauce of 2 tablespoonfuls of butter or oleomar- MEATS 369 garine and 4 tablespoonfuls of flour. Add to it slowly 2 cupfuls of the liquid in which the chicken was cooked. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Arrange toast or split biscuits on a hot dish, place the chicken on the bread and pour over the sauce. A border of boiled brown or uncoated rice may surround the chicken if the toast or biscuits are not used. Fried Chicken Select a young chicken. Disjoint and cut up as for fricassee. Roll each piece in flour and brown in a frying pan in equal parts of lard and butter, dusting the chicken, as it cooks, with salt and pepper. Turn only once. This browning process should take about twenty minutes, and, after this length of time, the meat should be cooked through. Then place the chicken in a pan, or on a plat- ter, dot with a little extra butter and steam it for an hour. This will make it very tender. Make a gravy of the drippings in the frying pan ; add additional flour, if judgment so dictates, and use thin cream or rich hot milk as the liquid. Plain Chicken Casserole Dress and disjoint a chicken, according to the general directions. Roll in flour, dust with salt and pepper, pack in a casserole, and barely cover with boiling water. Cook gently until the chicken is tender, about one and three-quarter hours. Serve plain with the resulting gravy or add a half cupful of sweet or slightly sour cream to the gravy, together with a little extra thickening to make up for the dilution. Fowl may be used in the same way, if four hours are allowed for the cooking. Chicken Casserole, Southern Style i 3-pound chicken I tablespoon ful minced on- 4 tablespoonfuls beef drip- ion pings 4 cupful flour I tablespoonful minced pars- ii cupfuls sifted stewed to- ley matoes i tablespoonful minced car- i* teaspoonfuls salt rot I teaspoon ful pepper i tablespoonful minced tur- Few grains cayenne nip 2 to 3 cupfuls boiling stock 3 shredded green peppers 370 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Dissect the chicken, roll in flour and brown it in the beef drippings, together with the vegetables. Put the chicken in layers in the casserole, sprinkling the vege- tables and the flour, mixed with the seasonings, between each layer. Then pour over the tomato puree and stock to cover, put on the lid and bake an hour and a half to two hours in a moderate oven. Chicken Casserole, Spanish Style I 2- or 3-pound chicken or 2 sweet peppers fowl i cupful sifted canned tomato I cupful finely-chopped i tablespoonful butter tongue Salt to taste i cupful brown or uncoated rice Dissect the chicken as in the general directions, ar- range in a kettle, almost cover with water and simmer till tender. Then remove the skin, replace the chicken in the broth, add the tongue, the rice, the sweet peppers, boiled and minced, and a teaspoonful of salt. When the rice is tender, add the tomato and butter, and serve in a border of additional rice. Chicken Pot Pourrie 1 4-pound fowl i teaspoonful salt 4 tablespoonfnls minced ham 4 cupfuls stock or water 2 tablespoonfuls minced 2 cupfuls stewed tomatoes onion i cupful spaghetti i shredded green pepper or i teaspoonful pepper pimento Clean and disjoint the fowl. Melt 4 tablespoonfuls of butter or fresh drippings in a frying pan, add the onion, ham and fowl and cook until the latter is browned. Then put in a large casserole with the pepper, stock or water, t*he spaghetti and the tomato. Cover closely and bake gently till tender, about two hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chicken Maryland Disjoint two broilers, or " frys," or a three- or four- pound roasting chicken, as for fricassee. Roll in melted bacon drippings or butter, season with a little salt and pepper, then roll in flour and place skin side up in a MEATS 371 dripping pan. Put a small strip of salt pork or bacon on each piece, set in a quick oven and, when the flour begins to brown, add a little water to the pan. Baste every ten minutes, and, after the chicken is well-browned, cover it. A double roaster is excellent for this purpose. Cook until the meat is tender, from forty-five minutes to an hour, and serve with White Sauce No. 2, made with equal parts of milk and cream. Chicken Italian 1 fowl 2 cupfuls tomato pulp 6 green peppers Salt and pepper 2 onions 3 tablespoonfuls olive oil Boil the fowl till tender, then disjoint and skin it. Shred the peppers and onions and cook, till softened, in the olive oil. Add to the tomato pulp, season, and pour very hot over the chicken. Boned Chicken a la Royale Dress a large chicken, fill with stuffing d la Royale. Truss, and lay on strips of bacon or salt pork. Place in a deep baking dish or casserole in the oven, pouring around a pint of consomme. Baste frequently, and, when almost done, remove the cover and let the chicken brown. Strain the sauce, thicken as for gravy, add | cupful of fresh mushrooms sauted. Serve with a gar- nish of the remaining stuffing baked in small timbales. Chicken Stuffing a la Royale 4 cupfuls bread crumbs I teaspoonful thyme (pow- 2 cupfuls minced ham dered) i cupful dried mushrooms, \ teaspoonful sweet mar- soaked and chopped joram i tablespoonful minced pars- i teaspoonful onion juice ley 2 egg yolks Milk to moisten i cupful melted butter il teaspoonfuls salt Grating nutmeg i teaspoonful pepper Put together in the order given ; moisten with milk, and use. Cold Chicken Glace Boil a chicken or young fowl, until tender, in salted water containing a little celery seed, bit of bay leaf, slice 372 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK of onion and a little lemon peel. Cool, disjoint and re- move the skin. Cook down the broth to one-fourth the original amount, when it will have the consistency of a sauce. While still warm, dip the chicken pieces in it, drain and set away to cool in the refrigerator. The chicken will then be covered with a thin shining gelatine, which gives a glossy, inviting effect. Serve arranged on a bed of watercress. Chicken Mousse Loaf 4 cupfnls chopped, cooked 2 tablespoonfuls granulated chicken gelatine, dissolved in 2 cupfuls boiling chicken 4 tablespoonfuls cold stock stock, well seasoned Add the gelatine to the boiling stock and stir until dis- solved. Add the chicken. Then prepare the second mix- ture consisting of 1 cupful heavy cream 21 tablespoonfuls granulated 2 cupfuls chicken stock gelatine, dissolved in 4 tablespoonfuls cold stock Add the gelatine to the boiling stock, and, when partly set, fold in the cream, whipped stiff. In the bottom of an oval mould rubbed lightly with olive oil, arrange a poinsettia blossom with petals cut f rOm pimentoes and a slice of hard-cooked egg yolk as a cen- ter, and parsley as a stem, fastening it in place with melted gelatine. When " set " pour in an inch layer of the cream mixture, let almost stiffen, and add a layer of chicken, continuing until all is used. At serving time unmould on a large platter, garnished with lettuce and parsley, and surround with cups hollowed from beets, rilled with salad dressing. Roast Duck Dress and clean the duck as in general directions. Stuff with apples, pared and cored, to absorb the flavor. Truss, place on a rack in a dripping pan with two thin slices of salt pork on the breast. Dredge the duck and the bottom of the pan with flour. When this is brown, add a half cupful of hot water. Baste every fifteen minutes until done. It will take from one to one and one-quarter hours for a domestic duck, thirty minutes for MEATS 373 a wild duck. Sprinkle with salt and pepper during the last fifteen minutes of cooking. Make a brown gravy as for other roasts. This stuffing is not to be eaten. If an onion flavor is desired, place onions in the bird instead of apples. If the stuffing is to be eaten, use a plain prune, peanut, malaga or walnut and potato stuffing. Smothered Duck i 2- or 3-pound duck 3 tablespoonfuls flour i small minced onion Stock to half cover duck Salt -and pepper i pint green peas I minced sage leaf Soy sauce 4 tablespoonfuls butter or Sprinkling of dried mint drippings Dress the duck, dredge with salt and pepper, place the onion and sage inside the body and partially roast the bird. Set in a deep baking-dish or casserole, and half cover with hot stock, using about four cupfuls. Thicken with butter and flour rubbed together, season, if neces- sary, and. add the peas and a trace of mint. Let bake or stew till tender, about thirty minutes longer. Season with soy sauce. Serve with hominy croquettes and sour cabbage. Brown Duck 1 3-pound duck Bit of bay leaf 2 tablespoonfuls minced 3 tablespoonfuls flour onion i cupful mushrooms 4 tablespoonfuls beef drip- Stock pings Dress and disjoint the duck. Dredge with salt and pepper, and brown with the onion in the drippings. Add the bay leaf, half cover with good soup stock and sim- mer until almost tender about two hours. Then add the mushrooms cut in bits, and finish cooking. Thicken with the flour diluted in a little cold water, and serve very hot. Roast Goose Scrub the goose on the outside with soap and water, and rinse thoroughly. Then dress as in general direc- tions, rinsing well, and hang up for a few hours to drain. Season the inside with a little powdered sage, salt and pepper. If desired, it may be stuffed, although this is not customary with a young goose. After trussing place 374 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK on a rack in the pan and cook an hour ; then pour off the fat in the pan and dredge the bird with flour, sprinkle with salt and pepper and lay slices of salt pork along the breast. When the flour is browned, baste the goose often with salted hot water, dredging with flour each time as well. Cook until the joints separate easily from one and one-half to three hours. If the goose is a year or more old, it should be steamed until nearly ten- der, then floured and browned. In making the gravy pour off most of the fat in the pan, then make as usual ; the chopped, cooked giblets are an addition. If dressing is to be used, the most satisfac- tory is of potato and walnuts. Roast Turkey Dress and truss the turkey according to general direc- tions. Use any desired stuffing plain stuffing with celery, or one containing chestnuts. When trussed, rub the turkey all over with a mixture of equal parts of but- ter and flour. Place on a rack in a dripping pan and set in a double roaster. Bake according to general direc- tions, basting every fifteen minutes. Allow three hours for a turkey weighing eight to ten pounds. Boiled Turkey i turkey Grated rind I lemon 6 cupfuls bread crumbs cupful chopped suet i teaspoonful sage i egg i teaspoonful thyme i teaspoon fuls salt 1 teaspoonful marjoram Pepper 2 anchovies or sardines, Boiling water chopped Make a dressing of the above ingredients. Stuff the turkey, leaving space for the filling to swell ; sew it up, truss it and wrap in cheesecloth. Set to cook in boiling salted water barely to cover and simmer until tender two hours for a young turkey and four for an old one. Serve with oyster or celery sauce. Boiled Turkey with Oyster Forcemeat Prepare a turkey for boiling, as in the preceding recipe, substituting oyster forcemeat for the dressing men- tioned. Finish as directed and serve garnished with oyster forcemeat dumplings. CHICKEN POT POURRI CHICKEN MOUSSE LOAF MEATS 375 Oyster Forcemeat Dumplings i small loaf stale bread, ij teaspoonfuls salt grated J cupful melted butter, or i pint oysters, well-drained other fat Grated rind i lemon 3 eggs Few grains nutmeg A little cream or undiluted i teaspoonful pepper evaporated milk to moisten Chop the oysters fine, add to the grated crumbs to- gether with the other ingredients and mix very thor- oughly. This is sufficient to stuff a small turkey and to allow for a few small dumpKngs. To prepare these, make the mixture into egg-sized balls and poach them in the turkey liquor for twenty minutes before the bird is to be served. Broiled Squabs Truss the squabs according to general directions ; dust with salt and pepper, and pour over a little melted butter. Broil flesh side to the heat until browned, then turn and broil the skin side. Finish the cooking in the oven, which will take about twenty-five minutes. Serve on slices of toast moistened with the residue from the pan, and spread lightly with tart currant, or barberry, jelly. Casserole of Stuffed Pigeons Allow a pigeon to each person. Stuff with brown or wild rice boiled with a bit of bay leaf and highly seasoned with onion juice and celery salt. Truss the pigeons, roast them till well-browned in a hot oven, then transfer to a casserole ; pour over the drippings from the baking pan, half surround with stock, cover and bake gently for an ,hour, then remove the birds, thicken the remaining stock and season it with tart currant jelly. Pigeon Pie 3 pigeons, dressed and split i cupful peas Bit of bay leaf 3 cupfuls boiling water i cupful diced celery i cupful cream 6 tablespoonfuls flour 4 tablespoonfuls butter Salt pork Short biscuit crust Dress and split the pigeons, dredge with flour, saute (fry) slightly in salt pork fat and place in a casserole or braising dish. Add thf bay leaf, celery and boiling 376 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK water. Bring all to boiling point and let simmer until - tender, about one and one-half hours, adding 2 teaspoon- fuls of salt at the end of an hour. Thicken with the butter and flour rubbed together, add the peas and let boil. Turn in the cream, scalded, season to taste, pour into a baking dish, and set the crust quickly in place. Bake until browned. Woodchuck, Clover Style After removing the pelt, place the animal on ice for twenty-four hours, then dress as rabbit. That is, split the body lengthwise (including the head) and carefully remove all the organs, especially the little bunches or " kernels " under the forepaws, which will otherwise impart a strong flavor to the game. Stand thirty minutes in cold, salted water, then drain, wipe dry and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper and a dash of curry. Stuff with prune dressing and sew carefully into shape. The animal is now ready to , Pastry Caramelize the granulated sugar, add the boiling water and the brown sugar ; thicken this mixture with the salt and corn starch mixed with a little cold water. Add the butter and pour this mixture onto the well-beaten egg yolks. Pour into a cooked pastry shell ; cover with a meringue made of the egg whites, and bake ten minutes in a slow oven. PASTRY 639 Custard Pie 3 eggs 2 cupfuls milk I cupful sugar Grating nutmeg 1 teaspoonful salt Pastry Beat togther the eggs and sugar, salt and spice, and then pour in the milk, which should not be heated. In the meantime, line a pie plate with pastry, pour in the custard mixture, grate over a little nutmeg and bake ac- cording to general directions. A half teaspoonful of vanilla may be substituted for the nutmeg, if desired. Mince Pie Line a pie plate with the pastry as directed, spread over the mince meat, dot it with butter or oleomargarine ; place on the upper crust, and bake according to the gen- eral directions. Cream Fruit Pie Bake a shell, as directed. Just before serving time fill with a Cream Filling; top with finely-sliced bananas, halved and sweetened strawberries, thinly-sliced and sugared peaches, or any other bland fruit desired. Put on a meringue, and serve plain or with sweetened and flavored whipped cream. Pumpkin Pie 2 cupfuls steamed sifted i cupful Barbadoes molasses pumpkin 2 tablespoon fuls melted but- \ cupful sugar ter or oleomargarine 2 eggs, slightly beaten $ teaspoonful ginger i teaspoonful salt I teaspoonful cinnamon li cupfuls milk Pastry Mix the ingredients in the order given; line a plate with pastry, pour in the mixture, and bake according to the general directions. Little Pumpkin Pies i cupfuls steamed, sifted 3 tablespoonfuls melted but- pumpkin ter or oleomargarine cupful sugar $ teaspoonful ginger 3 eggs I teaspoonful cinnamon \ teaspoonful salt i cupfuls milk 6 tablespoonfuls maple syrup Pastry 640 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Mix the ingredients in the order given ; line little fluted tins, or shallow cup-cake pans with the pastry. Pour in the mixture and bake about twenty-five minutes in a mod- erate oven, or until the centers are firm. Squash Pie 2 cupfuls sifted squash i teaspoonful ginger i cupful sugar 3 cupfuls scalded milk i teaspoonful salt 2 eggs 1 teaspoonful cinnamon Pastry Add the seasonings to the squash, beating thoroughly. Combine the milk and the eggs, slightly beaten, add this slowly to the first mixture and pour into a deep pie plate lined with crust. Bake according to general directions. Chocolate Cream Pie i cupfuls milk i tablespoonfnl corn starch \ cupful sugar \ teaspoonful salt 2 tablespoonfuls shaved i teaspoonful vanilla chocolate Pastry 3 eggs Add the chocolate to the milk, and cook in a double boiler till smooth. Beat together the corn starch, salt, vanilla, egg yolks and sugar, and pour into a deep pie plate lined with pastry. Bake in a moderate oven till nearly done, then cover with a meringue, made of the egg whites, beaten stiff with 3 tablespoonfuls of confectioner's sugar, and finish with ten minutes in a slow oven. Cream Pie Bake a pastry shell. Just before serving fill with Cream Filling, and finish with a meringue, or bake a " cover " and set it over the cream. Cocoanut Custard Pie 2 cupfuls milk I teaspoonful melted butter 3 eggs - 4 tablespoonfuls shredded I cupful sugar cocoanut 3 tablespoonfuls powdered teaspoonful vanilla sugar Pastry Separate the eggs ; beat the yolks with the sugar, butter and vanilla, and add the milk and cocoantA. Line a deep PASTRY 641 pie plate with pastry; pour in the mixture and bake as directed. When almost done, pile on the top a meringue made of the egg whites and powdered sugar, and bake ten minutes longer in a very slow oven. Fruit Tarts Bake individual pastry shells over inverted cup-cake tins. Just before serving time, fill them with sugared raspberries, halved strawberries, or loganberries, or with sliced and sugared peaches, sliced and sugared oranges, mixed with cocoanut, or a cooked cream filling. Serve with sweetened whipped cream, if desired. With the exception of the orange filling, these may be served with a custard. Orange Fanchonettes i cupful sugar ii tablespoonfuls lemon i cupful boiling water juice 3 tablespoonfuls corn starch Juice and rind i orange 1 teaspoonful butter Pastry 2 egg yolks Mix the corn starch and sugar, and add the boiling water, stirring constantly. Boil three minutes, add the butter, egg yolks and fruit juices. Stir well, and pour into little patty pans lined with pastry and bake until almost done ; pile on a meringue, and finish according to directions. Apple Strudel ii cupfuls pastry flour i pint apples (measured after 3 tablespoonfuls butter peeling and chopping) Milk I cupful bread crumbs Few grains salt browned in fat i egg i cupful chopped raisins i teaspoonful cinnamon i cupful almonds Rub the butter into the flour, and add the salt, beat the egg well and put it in, then pour in enough milk to make a paste the consistency of pie crust. Mix the other in- gredients thoroughly, roll the paste thin, and spread this over it. Fold it over and roll as thin as possible with- out breaking the crust ; then roll up like a jelly roll, shape like the figure eight and bake gently forty-five minutes to an hour, basting occasionally with a little melted butter. Serve sliced, ejther hot or cold, plain or with any fruit pudding sauce. 642 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Strudel or German Cheese Cake I cupful cream or cottage tablespoonful lemon juice cheese, packed in loosely i teaspoonful salt 2! cupfuls milk \ cupful currants i cupful sugar Pastry 3 eggs Line a plate with pastry. Mix together the sugar, eggs, cheese and seasonings, and add the milk and cur- rants. Pour into the pie plate, and bake for forty-five minutes, or until firm, in a moderate oven. Cheese Pastries if cupfuls cottage cheese Grated rind and juice I lemon 6 tablespoonfuls sugar 3 eggs cupful light cream I cupful currants i tablespoonful melted but- \ cupful shaved citron ter Pastry Rub the chese through a sieve and add it to the sugar, cream, butter, lemon, the eggs, well-beaten, and the fruit. Line small, fluted pans with pastry, fill with the cheese mixture and bake about fifteen minutes. When half- cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve accom- panied by cherry preserves. Cheese Sticks (From Pastry) Roll any remaining pie crust thin. Sprinkle plenti- fully with grated cheese, and dust with paprika. Fold, press the edges lightly together, roll out and add cheese as before. Do this three times, then cut in long narrow strips and bake in a moderate oven. Mince Meat 3 pints chopped meat (beef 3 tablespoonfuls ground cin- heart preferred) namon 6 pints chopped apple i cupful grape juice I pound chopped suet i tablespoonful nutmeg 1 cupful boiled cider \ pound citron 3 cupfuls brown sugar, or 3 pounds raisins 2 cupfuls brown and i cup- i pound currants ful white sugar I cupful, chopped candied 1 cupful Barbadoes molasses orange peel 2 tablespoonfuls ground 3 lemons and the grated rind cloves of i lemon 3 tablespoonfuls salt PASTRY 643 Put the suet through the food chopper. Pare, core and quarter the apples, removing all the hulls; chop a little coarser than the meat. Add the other ingredients (except the spices), and i|- cupfuls of meat stock. Heat gradually, stir occasionally, and cook slowly two hours. Then add the spices and the grape juice. Lemon Mince Meat 2 lemons I pound currants 6 apples, chopped i pound raisins pound suet, chopped 2 ounces citron, shredded ii cupfuls sugar Boil the lemon peel until very tender, then chop fine, reserving the liquor; add to the other ingredients together with the lemon juice, moisten with the liquor, and use as any mince meat. Cream Puffs i cupful butter i cupful pastry flour i cupful boiling water 4 eggs Boil the water and butter together in a saucepan. Add the flour all at once, and stir until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Remove from the heat, cool for five minutes and stir in thoroughly one unbeaten egg at a time. Butter a baking sheet and set the mixture in rounds about two inches in diameter, leaving at least two inches between them. Bake thirty minutes in a mod- erate oven and, when cold, split on the side and fill with whipped cream, which has been sweetened, and into which a little strong coffee and a few drops of vanilla have been beaten. Frost the top of each with a teaspoon- ful of coffee icing. Or, fill with a cooked cream, or fresh sugared fruit. Eclairs Make according to the preceding Cream Puff recipe, only shape with a spoon into long strips, or use a large, plain pastry tube for shaping. Bake as cream puffs. Just before serving time, split and fill with a cooked- cream filling, cooked-coffee filling, or with crushed and sweetened fruit. In the latter case, serve with whipped cream. If the eclairs are to be iced, spread on the frost- ing while they are still a little warm. CHAPTER XXVI THE MAKING OF CANDIES ALL MEASUREMENTS ARE LEVEL The making of candies at home is, unfortunately, gen- erally considered such a task that it is seldom done ; per- haps because most of the recipes for home-made candies are too complicated and the results gained are not nearly so palatable as when the candies are purchased ready made. But when it is realized that most of the candies on sale contain impure and injurious substances, which cannot help but tear down or harm the tissues of the body, any mother will count it worth while to make can- dies for her children, unless she is absolutely sure of the purity of the commercial product. Or, better still, she will teach the children themselves to make the candies, giving them the double joy of creating and partaking. The " penny candy habit " is especially to be con- demned. Although there are a few grades of pure can- dies on the market, they are usually high-priced and almost never on sale at a penny a piece. The majority of the manufacturers of cheap candies do not hesitate to use any material to produce an alluring effect. Shellac, glue, talcum, paraffine, stearin, artificial chocolate made from iron oxide and cocoa shells, lamp black, sulphurous acid, coal tar dyes and the whole gamut of flavoring ethers contribute to make these candies lurid and tempt- ing to the child who is taught to judge by appearance rather than by substance. For example, shellac is used to coat candies, like burned peanuts or "Boston baked beans," to render them impervious to dampness and to keep them perpetually fresh. Shellac contains wood alcohol a deadly poison and yet such candies are constantly being bought by children. As a general rule a child that is properly fed will not 644 THE MAKING OF CANDIES 645 require excess sweets unless he is very active, and they may then be introduced in the form of dates, old-fash- ioned molasses candy (made from Barbadoes molasses), home-made, sugared popcorn, maple syrup, or any of the maple syrup candies. If the child is allowed the ines- timable privilege of making it himself, the candy will be- come the greatest treat possible. Give the child enough sweets with his meals to balance his desire in the form of bread and jam, home-made biscuits and honey or maple syrup, fresh fruits, and stewed, sun-dried fruits. After school answer the clamor for " a penny to spend " with a generous slice of bread and butter thick with brown, or scraped maple, sugar, or a date and nut sand- wich and keep him away from the corner store. If a child is well-nourished and not taught to eat candy, he will not demand it. Packing Home-Made Candies Home-made candies, if to act as gifts, should be at- tractively packed. It is not always possible to duplicate the commercial package at home, but, if care is taken in shaping and cutting, the receptacle bears a touch of gar- niture which is appropriate and the value of the gift is greatly enhanced. Decorated boxes may be obtained in almost any size desired, from five cents up, while plain white ones may be obtained at less cost. If the latter are wrapped in pale green tissue paper, tied with a gilt or silver cord, with a sprig of holly, or other green, or flowers tucked in the knot, it will look attractive. Heart- shaped seals may hold the card in place at the Valentine season ; holly seals at Christmas, and so on, each season of the year being appropriately indicated by the wrap- ping. Occasionally it is desirable to add a gift with the candies. In this case they may be packed in tiny splint baskets, or those of the wicker type, shallow ones being especially suitable for stuffed fruits, candied orange peel and candies of irregular size, while deeper ones are better suited to regularly shaped sweets, as nut fudge, etc. Pretty little glass jars may also be found as low as twenty-five cents. While alone they may not be enough to act as a gift, if filled with home-made mints, or winter- 646 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK greens, and tied with a bow of ribbon, they become really attractive gifts. Various china dishes and glass bowls, plain, or of a silver deposit, may be obtained at a similar price, and filled with candies of suitable size. Cretonne-covered boxes, which may be used later for handkerchiefs or gloves, are attractive for this purpose, while, if candy is to be given to a child, it could be piled into a five-cent sand pail, or heaped into a ten-cent wooden automobile, or a cart with a horse attached. Or, pop-corn balls may be wrapped in paraffine paper and fastened with seals, and if desired they may hold a sur- prise in the center, as a marshmallow, a chocolate cream or a stuffed date. Using the Sugar Thermometer Candy may be successfully made without a sugar ther- mometer, but the use of the thermometer obviates the close watching that is otherwise necessary. The follow- ing table explains the terms used in candy making, to- gether with the degrees on the thermometer: Thread stage, 220 to 225 degrees F., or when a thread hangs from the spoon, when it is lifted from the syrup. Soft Ball stage, 238 to 240 degrees F., or when a soft ball is formed when a little of the syrup is dropped in cold water. " Chewy Ball " stage, 250 to 252 degrees F., or when a fairly hard ball is formed when a little of the mixture is tried in cold water. Crack Stage, 290 to 300 degrees F., or when a little of the mixture rattles against the cup when tried in cold water. White Fondant 2\ pounds granulated sugar, \\ cupfuls hot water or 5 cupfuls i teaspoonful cream of tartar Put the ingredients into a smooth saucepan. Stir until dissolved, and heat gradually to boiling point. Boil without stirring until, when tried in cold water, a soft ball may be formed that will keep its shape. The tem- perature will be 238 degrees F. If the sugar adheres to the sides of the kettle, remove with a piece of wet cheese- cloth. Pour slowly onto a slightly-oiled slab, or a large platter, oiled. Let it stand for a few minutes to cool, or THE MAKING OF CANDIES 647 until when pressed with the finger a dent is left on the surface, and yet no crust is formed. If stirred while too hot, it will grain. If a crust forms, every particle must be taken off, or else the boiling must be done again. When it will dent, scrape the fondant together and work with a wooden spoon or spatula, until it is white and creamy. It will quickly change from this consistency, so begin kneading while it is still creamy, otherwise it will lump, and will be difficult to handle. Scrape the slab and knead the scrapings separately. Do not mix the fondant unless it is perfectly free from lumps. Put it into a bowl, cover with oiled paper or a damp cloth and let stand twenty-four hours before using. Before using fondant for dipping it must be put over hot water and steamed, and it may be necessary to add a very little hot water to allow for the evaporation which will take place while the fondant is being kept hot. Fon- dant may be kept an indefinite time, if closely covered with a damp cloth and then with a cover. Quick Fondant 2 egg whites 2! cup f tils confectioner's Flavoring sugar Beat the whites slightly, and add the sifted sugar, a little at a time, until stiff enough to knead. Work in flavoring as desired. Then cover the hands and dredge the board with sugar, and form the candies in the shapes desired. Dipping Chocolates For dipping chocolates, purchase the regular confec- tioner's dipping chocolate. To five pounds of dipping chocolate allow one bar of cocoa butter. This will make the chocolate harden and will keep it from being sticky, or from discoloring. Cut the chocolate in small pieces, put it in a double boiler and let it stand over hot water until melted. Then cool it, beating frequently, until of the consistency of molasses. It is then ready for dipping. If desired, the chocolate may be tested with a ther- mometer. It should not be over 60 degrees, unless there is a very cool breeze to dry the candies rapidly so that the centers do not melt and get out of shape. A good rule to 648 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK follow is this : The first chocolate must be entirely dry as the seventh is dipped. Triangles of fruit cake, long, unsalted oyster crackers, dates stuffed sparingly with peanut butter, all kinds of blanched nuts, Maraschino cherries, candied cranberries, long strips of figs, marshmallows, candied cherries, bits of candied pineapple, orange peel or grape fruit peel and many other dainties may be successfully dipped in choco- late. A wire twisted into the shape of a small spoon is a convenient utensil to use for dipping, but the hand is the quicker method. As the chocolate is thick, the little mark on top, characteristic of the commercial chocolate, can be made by the dipper or finger, if it is withdrawn quickly. Bits of candied violets, rose petals, angelica, or nuts form a pretty garnish. Care should be taken not to make the centers large, as they take up a considerable amount of chocolate, and the confections will then be liable to look clumsy. All candies should be set to dry on heavy paraffine paper, the thin being liable to stick. If possible, it is a better plan still to buy the regulation paper on which to dry the dipped chocolates. This is very highly glazed, and can be wiped off with a damp cloth and used over and over again. Chocolate Creams and Confections Chocolate creams and confections have as a basis a fondant. If chocolate creams are being made, it is best to make the white fondant, but for bon-bons and for the stuffing of fruit, an uncooked fondant gives good results. To make chocolate creams at home, first shape the cen- ters, making them a little smaller than may seem neces- sary. The fondant may be divided into portions, fla- vored and colored with vegetable coloring, according to fancy. Cocoanut may be worked into a vanilla-flavored fondant; peppermint into plain, white fondant; winter- green and pink coloring into white fondant; chopped almonds and pistachio flavoring into a portion; violet coloring and a drop or two of violet perfume into another; chopped hickory nuts or English walnuts, to- gether with a little vanilla flavoring, into another, while equal parts of peanut butter may be used with fondant to make still further variety. These combinations may be THE MAKING OF CANDIES 649 augmented as fancy dictates. The fondant centers should stand a few hours before dipping in the chocolate. Maple Chocolate Combine equal parts of soft, grated maple sugar and fondant. Flavor with vanilla to taste, shape into small balls and dip in chocolate as directed. Chocolate Marshmallows Cut the marshmallows in halves and stuff each one with a pecan meat or a piece of preserved ginger. Press the pieces together and dip in chocolate as directed. Fenway Cocktails Drain Maraschino cherries thoroughly on paper towel- ing or cloth. Roll them in fondant. Let stiffen for sev- eral hours and then dip in melted chocolate, as directed. Chocolate Dipped Strawberries Select firm strawberries. Remove the stems and hulls but do not wash the fruit, brush it well instead. Cover thinly with fondant. Let sfend until firm, then dip in chocolate as directed. Chocolate Dipped Grapes Select fine Malaga grapes and stem them. Cover thinly with fondant, let stand until firm, and then dip in chocolate as directed. Christmas Loaf 6 cupfuls sugar ii cupftils cold water i teaspoonful cream of tar- tar Make a fondant of the above ingredients, divide it when done into three parts, flavoring one with almond and coloring it pale green, a second with cinnamon, leaving it white and the third with a square (ounce) of melted chocolate and a little vanilla extract. Only vege- table colorings should be used. Rub an oblong pan (bread tin) with olive oil and make on the bottom a design of holly with leaves cut from angelica and red candies. Gently press the white layer 650 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK onto this, spreading it evenly, then press on the green and then the chocolate layer. Let stand twenty-four hours to stiffen, unmould and wrap in paraffme paper. Cut from the loaf as desired. Uncooked Fudge 7 ounces sweet chocolate 2 eggs (melted) ii teaspoonfuls vanilla i tablespoon ful butter i cupful chopped walnut or 1 cupful confectioner's pecan meats sugar Melt together the butter and chocolate ; stir in the confectioner's sugar and the egg yolks beaten, then the egg whites whipped stiff. Add the vanilla and nut meats. Press into a well-buttered pan, let stand until almost stiff and cut in squares. Canoe Club Almonds 2 tablespoonfuls melted but- About 2 cupfuls confection- ter er's sugar 2 tablespoonfuls light cream teaspoon ful vanilla extract teaspoonful almond ex- Whole almonds tract i cupful chopped almonds Mix together the butter, cream and extracts, then beat in confectioner's sugar until the mixture is stiff enough to form. Shape around whole almonds and roll each candy in the chopped nuts. The latter should be blanched and lightly browned in a slow oven. Peppermint Drops 2 cupfuls granulated sugar i teaspoonful cream of tar- i cupful milk or water tar 2 drops oil of peppermint Boil together all the ingredients except the flavoring, without stirring, until a soft ball is formed, when a little is tried in cold water, that is 238 F. Cool until tepid, add the flavoring, beat until creamy and drop on oiled paper from a teaspoon or small pitcher. Wintergreen Drops Follow the preceding directions, substituting winter- green for the peppermint and coloring the mixture pink. THE MAKING OF CANDIES 651 Coffee Drops Use the same proportions as for peppermint drops, substituting J cupful of strong coffee for the liquid and using a half teaspoonful of vanilla for flavoring. Plain Caramels cupful white corn syrup cupful butter i cupful granulated sugar i cupful heavy cream 1 4 cupfuls brown sugar i cupful light cream ^ carton of honey, comb ij teaspoonfuls vanilla and all Combine the corn syrup, sugar, honey, butter and light cream and bring to boiling point. Then stir in the heavy cream and cook to 250 F., or until a soft, chewy ball is formed when a little of the mixture is tried in cold water. Stir constantly, then add the vanilla, pour into a buttered pan, making the mixture a half-inch deep, and, when stiff enough, turn out, cut in squares and wrap in paraffine paper. Chocolate Caramels No. 1 Make as above, substituting all white sugar for the two kinds and adding two squares (ounces) of chocolate. Chocolate Caramels No. Z 4 cupful cold water 4 squares (ounces) choco- cupful milk late t cupful Barbadoes molasses cupful butter 3 cupfuls medium brown I teaspoonful vanilla sugar I cupful coarse-chopped wal- nut or hickory-nut meats. Boil gently together all the ingredients except the nut meats (248 F.) until the mixture hardens to the con- sistency of a caramel when a little is tried in cold water. Flavor, add the nuts, then pour an inch deep into a pan lined with waxed paper and, when half cold, cut in squares. Wrap each one separately in waxed paper be- fore packing. Peanut Brittle 1 quart peanuts, shelled and i* tablespoonfuls butter chopped Few grains soda 2 cupfuls finely granulated Few grains salt sugar 652 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Butter a small dripping pan, sprinkle on the peanuts chopped coarsely, caramelize the sugar, stir in the butter, salt and soda and pour over the peanuts heated. Molasses Taffy I cupful Barbadoes molasses Few grains soda i cupful sugar Any desired flavoring 1 teaspoonful vinegar Cocoanut or peanuts 2 tablespoonfuls butter Boil the molasses, sugar and vinegar together until it " rattles against the cup " when tried in cold water (290 F.). Add the flavoring and soda and pour into buttered pans to about an eighth inch in thickness. The bottom of the pans may be covered with shelled peanuts, or shredded cocoanut, if desired. When nearly cold mark into squares. After-Dinner Mints 2 cupfuls sugar I teaspoonful vinegar 1 teaspoonful cream of tartar I teaspoonful essence of 5 tablespoonfuls boiling peppermint water Boil together the sugar, cream of tartar, water and vinegar until brittle when tried in cold water (290 F.). Pour onto a buttered platter and, as soon as the edges cool, fold towards the center. When it can be handled, pull like molasses candy, stretching it into strips a half- inch wide. Snip off half-inch pieces with the scissors, mixing them immediately with powdered sugar. Let stand in a closely covered jar, or box, until firm, about ten days. Chocolate Fudge 2 cupfuls sugar i teaspoonful vanilla 2 squares (ounces) choco- Few grains salt late & teaspoonful cream of tar- i tablespoonful butter tar i cupful milk Put all the ingredients, except the vanilla, together in a saucepan and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Cook gently, stirring as little as possible, until the mixture forms a soft ball when a little is tried in cold water (238 F.). Then cool till it is lukewarm and beat until creamy. THE MAKING OF CANDIES 653 Pour into a buttered pan and half cool. Cut in squares and cut as soon as firm. Chocolate Acorns Melt chocolate fudge over hot water and dip into it white Malaga grapes, holding them by the stems so that one-third is coated. Sift over this fudge finely-ground English walnuts and cut off most of the stems. White Cocoanut Fudge 2 cupfuls sugar $ cupful milk i tablespoonful butter % cupful shredded cocoanut 1 teaspoonful vanilla & teaspoonful cream of tartar Boil the sugar, milk, cream of tartar and butter to- gether until it forms a ball when tried in cold water (238 F.), remove from the heat and cool slightly; add the vanilla and cocoanut and beat it till creamy. Pour into well-butttered pans, mark into squares and cool. Fair Fudge 2 cupfuls brown sugar 2 cupfuls sugar 2 squares (ounces) choco- I cupful milk late i teaspoonful vanilla Mix the ingredients, except the vanilla, together in a large pan and boil without stirring, until a little forms a soft ball in cold water (238 F.). Cool until it can be dented, add the vanilla and beat until creamy. Ginger Fudge 1 tablespoonful butter i cupful preserved ginger cut 2 cupfuls sugar in dice cupful milk I teaspoonful ginger syrup Combine the butter, sugar and milk and cook until a soft ball is formed when a little of the mixture is tried in cold water (238 F.). Let cool until tepid. Then stir in the ginger and syrup, beat until creamy and pour into a buttered pan. When nearly cold, cut in squares. Marshmallow Fudge 2 cupfuls light brown sugar i teaspoonful butter $ cupful milk $ teaspoonful vanilla i cupful marshmallows cut i teaspoonful cream of tartar in quarters 654 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Cook the sugar, cream of tartar and milk without stir- ring until a soft ball is formed when a little is tried in cold water (238 F.). Cool slightly, add the marshmal- lows, butter and vanilla, beat until creamy and pour into a buttered shallow pan to cool. Cut in squares. Cocoanut Pralines 2 cupfuls light brown sugar | teaspoonful vanilla I cupful milk I cupful shredded cocoanut & teaspoonful cream of tar- tar Mix the sugar, milk and cream of tartar together. Bring to boiling point, then cook without stirring until a little forms a soft ball in cold water (238 F.). Cool until tepid, add the vanilla and cocoanut and beat until creamy. Drop in rounds on oiled paper by means of a teaspoon. Pulled Molasses Candy I pint Barbadoes molasses I heaping tablespoonful h pint water white corn syrup $ of a i-lb. carton of honey, i cupful sugar comb and all % tablespoonful butter Combine the ingredients in the order given and stir until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Cook to 253 F. and simmer until the thermometer registers 254 F. Pour onto a plate or marble slab oiled with butter and, when cool enough, pull. If it sticks to the hands, use a little flour. To flavor, work in a few drops of pepper- mint, wintergreen, or spearmint. To make this into bars, cook to 200 F. and work in a little peanut butter if desired and confectioner's sugar to stiffen, together with chopped peanuts. Buttercups Prepare pulled molasses candy, shaping to a piece a fourth inch thick and putting it into a well-oiled pan. Put on an eighth-inch layer of fondant flavored with vanilla and over this a second layer of molasses candy. Let it stand for a few minutes, then snip it into squares with the scissors. THE MAKING OF CANDIES 655 Butterscotch I pound of butter I pint of water 1 pound white corn syrup 3 teaspoonfuls vanilla 2 pounds sugar Boil all the ingredients together, except the vanilla, until the mixture snaps or " rattles " against the cup when a little is tried in cold water, or when the candy thermometer reaches 300 F. Then add the vanilla, pour into a shallow pan, and mark in squares before it is quite cold. Pop-Corn Balls Make molasses taffy and omit the cocoanut or peanuts. Stir this into four quarts of popped corn, then shape into balls. Maple Pop-Corn 3 quarts popped corn i cupful granulated sugar I cupful maple syrup Boil the syrup and sugar together until it spins a long thread (218 F.). Pour onto the corn, stir well and cool. Candied Orange Peel Cut the orange peel in long, fourth-inch strips, put in a saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to boiling point. Repeat this process three times, then measure the orange peel; add an equal quantity of sugar and hot water to cover, and cook until the white of the skin is translucent. Then drain from the syrup, roll in granu- lated sugar and put on plates to dry. Use the syrup in a gelatine or fruit cup." Candied Grapefruit Peel Cut the peel in long, narrow strips. Put on to cook in cold water, let boil up and drain. Repeat four times. Then add, by measure, as much water and sugar as peel, and let simmer till translucent. Then drain, roll in granulated sugar and let dry over night. Candied Cranberries i pint large cranberries cupful water if ctipfuls sugar Make a syrup by boiling the water and sugar together 656 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK for five minutes, add the cranberries and let stand a few hours. Then cook them gently till clear, drain, put on a large enamel dripping pan dusted with granulated sugar, sprinkle a little more sugar over them and dry very slowly in an oven at about 120 Fahrenheit. Candied Kumquats Wash the kumquats thoroughly, then put them on in cold water and boil up once. Drain and repeat three times. To a pint of kumquats add a cupful of granu- lated sugar and a half cupful of honey, with hot water to cover. Simmer very slowly for two hours and a half, then drain from the syrup and dry for a few hours. When they are still a little sticky, roll in granulated sugar. They will keep indefinitely in a tightly covered box. Candied Ginger Scald and peel the ginger root and cut it in convenient pieces for eating. Boil up three times in separate waters, then measure and add an equal quantity of granu- lated sugar and as much warm water. Bring slowly to boiling point and simmer gently till translucent and very tender. Then drain, roll in granulated sugar and spread on cake racks or paraffine paper to dry. Crystallized Apricots or Pineapple Use canned fruit. Drain well, and cook for a few minutes in a heavy sugar syrup, made of I cupful of sugar and -J cupful of water. Then roll thickly in granu- lated sugar. Lay on cheesecloth "in a pan and dry for several hours in a very slow oven, or on the radiator. Sprinkle on more granulated sugar if it seems neces- sary. Christmas Joys i cupful figs I cupful candied cherries i cupful English walnut i tablespoonful lemon juice meats \ cupful candied orange peel i cupful stoned dates Put the fruits and nuts through the food chopper, add the lemon juice and knead until thoroughly mixed. Toss on a board well-dusted with powdered sugar, roll out to J inch thickness and cut into rounds with a small cutter THE MAKING OF CANDIES 657 When they have stiffened, frost the tops with a plain orange icing, and decorate with bits of angelica and red cherries to simulate holly. Crystallized Mint Leaves and Checkerberries Wipe the mint leaves dry and boil for a minute in a syrup made of i cupful of sugar and cupful of water. Drain and dry over night. Then brush each leaf slightly with beaten egg white and dust with granulated sugar. Place on a cake rack covered with waxed paper and dry in a very slow oven, or on a radiator. Checkerberries may be prepared in the same way, if the preliminary boil- ing is increased to five minutes. Glace Nuts and Fruits 2 cupfuls sugar 3 tablespoonfuls sugar i cupful boiling water Blanched nuts of any kind I teaspoonful cream of tar- tar Caramelize the three tablespoonfuls of sugar. Add the boiling water, and, when dissolved, the sugar and cream of tartar. Boil without stirring until the syrup is absolutely brittle when a little is dropped in cold water (310 F.) Remove the saucepan from the heat and place in a vessel of cold water to stop the boiling in- stantly. Then place over boiling water while dipping. Halves of walnuts and pecans or whole Brazil nut meats may be used, or peanuts or filberts may be dropped by the teaspoonful on a marble slab, or paraffine paper. The best utensil to use in dipping is a long sharp hat pin. Canned pineapple, cherries and apricots, bits of figs, dates stuffed with fondant, Malaga grapes, strawberries and sections of seedless oranges may be dipped. In case juicy fruits are used, they must not be pricked while dipping as the juice will spoil the glace. Old-Fashioned Jelly Wafers i cupfuls cooked sifted, 3 tablespoonfuls granulated dried apricots, apple pulp, gelatine soaked in i cupful prunes or plums cold water 2\ cupfuls sugar Flavoring cupful water Boil the sugar and water together for five minutes, 658 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK then add the fruit pulp and simmer until thick like marmalade. Add the soaked gelatine a little at a time until all is in, and let it boil up thoroughly all over. It will then leave the spoon in long strings. Cool the mix- ture and flavor. If apple pulp is used, half may be flavored with a half-cupful of minced mint leaves, or one teaspoon ful of peppermint essence and colored pale green; the second half with rose and colored pink. In case apricots are used, flavor with lemon extract, while prunes need orange. Plums may have a little orange or lemon extract added to them. Drop the mixture from a narrow spoon onto waxed paper in small rounds and let set over night. When quite stiff, press together in pairs, spread on waxed paper and let dry in a current of air for two hours. Then roll in granulated sugar and dry again. Dp not use for two days. To Salt Peanuts and Almonds Use only raw peanuts. To blanch either peanuts or almonds, cover with cold water, bring to boiling point, let stand for a minute or two, drain and husk at once. Not more than half a pound should be blanched at a time. Dry for several hours on paper toweling. Heat olive oil, or any of the pure vegetable cooking fats, to the point where it will brown a bit of bread in forty counts. Cover the bottom of a frying basket with nuts, immerse them in the fat and remove them before they are quite brown enough ; their own heat will finish the coloring. Spread on brown paper or paper toweling and dredge lightly with very fine table salt. Salted Pecans Blanch the nuts as perfectly as possible with boiling water, then drain and dry. Rub, or mix lightly, with slightly beaten egg white, then toss in a small amount of salt ; spread on paraffine paper and set in a very slow oven to dry out. Roast Salted Walnuts Rinse and dry the walnut meats, if bought loose. Thickly butter a dripping pan, put in a generous layer THE MAKING OF CANDIES 659 of the nuts and roast slowly till golden and crisp, stirring occasionally. Then dust lightly with salt. Stuffed Figs Select moist pulled figs, remove the stem ends, split open lengthwise and fill each with half a marshmallow, pressing in a raisin as a finish, or with a mixture of chopped nuts and raisins and prunes, with orange flavored fondant, or chopped orange peel. Stuffed Raisin Clusters Select fine cluster raisins, split each raisin with a sharp knife and insert a bit of candied cherry or a half blanched almond in each. In finishing a box of candy with such a cluster, leaves cut from angelica will add a lively note. Stuffed Dates Remove the stones from the dates and fill with orange- flavored fondant, English walnuts, almonds, or pecan nuts, the mixture for Canoe Club Almonds, or peanut butter. In case the latter is used, roll the dates in finely chopped peanuts; otherwise in granulated sugar. Stuffed Prunes Select large prunes, scrub well and let soak for two hours. Remove the stones, drain the prunes well and fill the centers with fondant and nuts, or fondant and preserved ginger. Roll in granulated sugar and let stand over night to ripen. Cocoanut Kisses \ pound shredded cocoanut 2 cupfuls powdered sugar i egg white Beat the egg white stiff, and add the sugar and cocoa- nut gradually. Form into balls and bake on a buttered cookie sheet in a slow oven. Mint Turkish Paste 3 tablespoonfuls granulated I cupful cold water gelatine i tablespoonful lemon juice ^ cupful orange juice f cupful candied cherries, 1 cupful minced fresh mint minced 6 drops essence peppermint Green coloring 2 cupfuls sugar 66o MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Let the gelatine stand in the fruit juices until the liquid has been absorbed. Stir together the sugar, water and mint, set over a slow heat until the sugar is dissolved, then add the gelatine and boil for twenty minutes. Color, and, when almost cool, stir in the cherries and turn into an unoiled bread pan. Let stiffen over night, then sift confectioner's sugar thickly over the paste, loosen at the edges with a sharp knife, and pull onto a board dredged with confectioner's sugar. Cut in cubes and roll each in sugar. CHAPTER XXVII CHEESE ALL MEASUREMENTS ARE LEVEL As generally used, cheese is neither an inexpensive nor an especially healthful food. Tagging along as the final course at dinner, it is usually a superfluous expense and a frequent cause of indigestion. While it does contain certain bacteria that have the power of stimulating the digestive juices, the artificial effort ceases before the cheese itself can be acted upon the consequent digestive torpor resulting in flatulence and, often, severe pain. This is why cheese, when served with pie, frequently incites a feeling of heaviness in the stomach that is credited to some other cause. Of all the foods grouped under the term " meats and meat substitutes," or proteins, cheese is the most compact and concentrated. It contains no cellulose, no connec- tive tissue and no bone to separate the particles of nourishment, and unless it is combined with, or accom- panied by, some coarse grain or vegetable, it is very in- digestible, because the individual in the effort to obtain enough bulk to overcome hunger is liable to overeat. This same concentration, however, makes cheese an economical food, because it contains absolutely no waste, and when it is remembered, for instance, that one pound of ordinary cheese contains approximately all the casein (protein) and fat in a gallon of milk, its nutritive value is indisputable. Authorities differ concerning the food value of cheese in comparison with that of meat, but recent reports show that two-thirds of a pound of Amer- ican cheese is equivalent to a pound of beef ; and as a part of the beef is waste, and as shrinkage in meat cookery must be allowed, it is easily deduced that cheese is an economical as well as a nourishing food. This, however, does not apply to all kinds of cheeses, 661 662 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK for their nutritive value depends partly upon the method of manufacture. A skimmed milk cheese, as Parmesan, for instance, contains only a trace of fat, and cottage cheese made from separated milk is also deficient in fat unless cream, or melted butter, is added to make the dietetic balance. Stilton cheese which, according to Hutchinson, contains about the same percentage of nu- triment as the American variety, costs twice as much per pound, while Roquefort, Camembert, or Gorgonzola, are expensive and contain less nourishment than the cheaper varieties. For this reason, it is advisable to purchase cheese according to the purpose for which it is to be used, remembering that a low or moderate-priced cheese con- tains as much nourishment as the more costly varieties, which are valued for flavor ; and that a bland cheese, with no pronounced flavor, is far more adaptable to cookery than a " sharp " cheese. The reason that cheese is not generally used as a sub- stantial food is undoubtedly due to lack of knowledge. A visit to any large market or up-to-date grocery store will disclose a number of varieties, and, unless the house- wife is clever enough to learn their uses from her for- eign neighbor, she is very liable to pass by one of the most adequate food supplies. " Full cream," " Ameri- can " and " American dairy " cheese are one and the same article and may be used in all cases where general cheese cookery is to be adopted. Cheddar may be used in the same way. Sage cheese is not suited to cookery and can be served plain only, or in a rarebit ; " Sap Sago," " Romano " and " Parmesan " cheese are all of Italian make and are especially desirable for use with macaroni, or soups, or whenever a hard, grated cheese is to appear. Parmesan may be obtained in bottles, grated ready for use, although it must be utilized within two or three weeks after opening or it may become mouldy. Edam and pineapple cheese should be served as salad accompani- ments, cream and cottage cheese with bread and butter or crackers, Swiss cheese with brown or rye bread and butter either in sandwiches with a dash of mustard or plain, Stilton as a conventional course at dinner, Lim- burger with frankfurters and sauerkraut, while Gorgon- CHEESE 663 zola and Camembert are suitable for the after-dinner savory. Cooked cheese is far more wholesome than the raw, if prepared at a moderate heat, but no food can be more indigestible than cheese subjected to a high heat. Con- sisting mostly of casein, which, by the wa^, is similar to the albumin in eggs, it becomes as tough and leathery as an overcooked egg when prepared too rapidly. For this reason all vegetables or cereals should be thoroughly cooked before the cheese is added to them. If an Eng- lish cheese pudding is to be baked, for example, the dish should be set in hot water and tjpe temperature of the water should not be allowed to get above the simmering point. When a rarebit or an English Monkey is to be prepared, it should stand over hot water during the whole process; if cheese is to be added to soup, it should be after the boiling is completed. Although it may replace the usual meat at any meal during the day, it is more satisfactory to use cheese at luncheon or supper, as the strong flavor is not well adapted to breakfast, and custom has formed the meat habit at dinner. It is at first a little difficult for the in- experienced housewife to build up her menus with cheese as the central dish, but, if she keeps constantly in mind the dietetic balance, the task is greatly simplified. As cheese is so concentrated, a certain amount of bulky food must be added to the meal to provide ballast enough to satisfy hunger and help on the intestinal action. This is usually obtained through the use of grains or cereals, or vegetables. Because cheese is heavy in texture, it often engenders a feeling of satiety before sufficient food has been eaten, unless " cut " with a contrasting acid or fresh flavor. So whenever it is introduced, a green salad or a tart fruit in some form should make up a portion of the menu. Brown, rye, or whole wheat meal bread is a per- fect combination with cheese, not only in the old nursery tales, but to-day, when the whole economic world is searching for the best in foods, and it supplies not only the necessary bulk, but the correct amount of food con- stituents as well. In planning meals in which cheese is the main dish, 664 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK it will inevitably occur to the housewife that she is allow- ing too little. A fair trial, however, 'will convince her that a cheese meal is sufficiently substantial to satisfy men in any walk of life ; this is true because it is im- possible to eat of cheese as of meat, because it is so compact. The following menus which are suitable for luncheon or supper show how cheese combinations may be made : I English Cheese Pudding Brown Bread and Butter Lettuce and Tomato Salad Fried Cornmeal Mush Maple Syrup Tea Brown Rice Croquettes Cheese Sauce Bread and Butter Buttered String Beans Baked Apple Dumplings Lemon Sauce Tea 3 Potato Stew 1 with Cheese Buttered Toast Egg Salad Grape Juice Gelatine with Light Cream Cake Tea 4 Tomato Soup Crisp Crackers Brown Bread and Butter Sliced Swiss Cheese Celery Apple Turnovers Tea All of these menus are roughly balanced and have been thoroughly tested the only difference between that served to a man at light work and the one at hard labor being in the amount. A little study will show that these are frugal meals, inexpensive and easy of preparation. In the first menu, the salad supplies the freshening touch, the brown bread and butter the bulk and protein neces- sary to complete the main dish (in this case not over- rich in cheese as it is really a bread and cheese pudding), while the cornmeal provides extra starch, and the syrup the sweet. In the second menu the cheese is combined with rice croquettes as a sauce. The string beans add the bulk and the apple dumplings with lemon sauce the enlivening touch. In the third menu the cheese is used CHEESE AND NUT BALLS MACAROON BISQUE CHEESE 665 in a very different way, being an adjunct to the soup, rather than the chief constituent in the dish. The stew is, therefore, valuable as a starchy food, the egg salad providing the protein, and the tart grape juice gelatine, the acid touch. In the fourth menu uncooked cheese takes its proper place and is used to supplement an other- wise deficient meal. The soup provides the mineral and liquid, brown bread and butter supplemented by thinly- sliced Swiss cheese the protein, celery the awakening touch and the apple turnovers the needed starch. To keep cheese from the time it is received until all is used is a problem. In order to forestall mould or dryness, it should be wrapped in a slightly-damp cloth, then in paper and kept in a cool place. When conven- ient, waxed paper may replace the cloth. In no case should air be wholly excluded as then mould is liable to form. Scraps of cheese, like odds and ends of bread, should be kept separate from the main supply as the little pieces afford greater opportunity for the growth of bacteria. When cheese is to be cooked, the majority of recipes give directions for grating. This, at best, is a slow process and not at all necessary unless cheese straws or cheese crackers are to be made. If it must be done, the most convenient grater for the purpose contains little slits which act like knives and, by using it, the cheese can be prepared without grating the fingers. Whenever cheese is to be put into a savory, or sauce of any kind, the simplest method is to put it through the food chop- per ; while, if it is to be melted before adding the other ingredients (as in some methods for making Welsh rarebit), slicing is sufficient. Combinations of cheese and eggs are innumerable. In baking eggs in milk, bestrew with grated cheese; to make a cheese omelet, spread grated cheese thickly in the fold and serve with tomato sauce; while eggs scrambled with cheese is a delicious southern dish. Hard-cooked eggs may be sliced and heated in a cheese sauce, or the sauce may be poured over toast and sprinkled with finely-chopped egg. The old Romans made wonderful salads of cheese, lettuce, raisins and honey, with a dash of olive oil, and 666 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK while such a combination is not tempting to us, we ap- proach it in the service of cheese with salads. Lettuce can be made into a hearty supper dish, if dressed with a French dressing and sprinkled with cottage cheese, put through a potato ricer, and accompanied with brown bread and butter and rich preserves. If cottage cheese is not at hand, any soft American cheese will answer the purpose, if grated or chopped fine. The Service of Cheese Cheese may appear in many ways, but should not be repeated in the same menu. For example, if cheese balls, or cheese crackers, are served with the salad, cheese should not be served again at the end of the meal. A well-planned menu never repeats flavors. Occasion- ally a- cheese souffle opens or closes a meal as a hot savory hors d'ccuvre. But this should not be done unless the balance of the meal is comparatively light. Cheese is often also served as a salad accompaniment, but most often it appears at the close of the meal. As cheeses are so different in character, care should be taken to choose a suitable type. Plain cheese is usually cut in cubes and served on a doily-covered plate, and may be accompanied with crackers; saltines are particularly acceptable. A fork is used for the service. The tops of Edam, or pine- apple, cheese are sawed or cut off to form lids, a silver knob being inserted for a handle, if convenient. To protect the fingers, the cheese should be wrapped in a folded paper napkin, and may be placed on a fancy plate, surrounded with crisp crackers and garnished with parsley. The cheese should be loosened before passing. A cheese scoop is always used to remove it. Roquefort and Camembert are usually cut in pie-shaped pieces and the whole cheese (small) may be cut to set in the stand- ard of a cheese dish, the plate below holding the crackers. A broad cheese -knife is used for the service. Sweet Swiss cheese may be sliced and served on a doily-covered plate, although it is most appropriately served on grape leaves ; the accompaniment should be rye crackers. Cream, or Neufchatel, cheese is placed either whole or sliced on a handled cheese plate with a broad cheese CHEESE 667 knife for the service. If the cheese course ends the meal, which is often concluded Continental fashion, with the salad, a jar of Bar le Due jelly, or strawberry pre- serve, is often passed with it. In case a more elaborate service is desired, the high standard of the cheese dish may be filled with stuffed prunes and cheese balls covered with whipped cream may be disposed about the base; unsweetened crackers should be passed. Prunes and Cheese Balls Soak the prunes for two hours in tepid water. Drain well, remove the stones, replace with walnut meats and roll them in granulated sugar. To prepare the balls, mix a little salt, sweet cream and lemon juice with the cheese, chill and shape into balls the size of a walnut. Slightly sweeten heavy cream, add a little lemon juice and beat stiff. Roll the balls in this and sprinkle with chopped nuts before serving. Pastry sticks, pulled bread, or devilled biscuits are often used with cheese instead of crackers, while, if celery or olives are not served elsewhere during the meal, they may appear with this course. Again, cheese sticks, or crackers, spread with a little paste of cream cheese and pimentoes are sometimes passed with the coffee while a jar of home-made club cheese set in a holder and accompanied by a spoon is often passed with whole wheat crackers. English Cheese Pudding 2 cupfuls soft bread crumbs I teaspoonful salt 1 quart milk i teaspoonful pepper 2 eggs i tablespoonful butter ^ teaspoonful soda 2 cupfuls chopped cheese ( Few grains paprika pound) Scald the crumbs with the milk, add the butter and seasonings and combine with the cheese and eggs, slightly beaten. Pour into a buttered baking dish, surround with hot water and bake slowly for an hour in a moderate oven. 668 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Cheese Puffs i cupful cooked brown or 2 tablespoonfuls flour uncoated rice f teaspopnful salt 1 cupful chopped cheese Few grains paprika 1 4 cupfuls milk 3 eggs 2 tablespoonfuls butter Melt the butter, add the flour and seasonings, and, gradually, the milk. When it boils, add the cheese, let it melt, then turn in the rice. Separate the eggs, beat the yolks light, add to the mixture and fold in the whites, stiffly beaten. Pour into a buttered pudding dish or ramekins, surround with hot water and bake about twen- ty-five minutes in a moderate oven. Cheese Sauce 3 tablespoonfuls butter i teaspoonful paprika 4 tablespoonfuls flour ij cupfuls milk i teaspoonful salt i cupful chopped cheese Melt the butter, add the flour, seasonings and milk, gradually, as in making white sauce ; set over hot water, add the cheese and stir till it is melted. Cheese Toast Make the cheese sauce in the preceding recipe and serve on hot buttered toast. Macaroni Cheese Custard 3 cupfuls cooked macaroni i tablespoonful melted but- 2\ cupfuls milk ter i teaspoonfuls salt 2 eggs i teaspoonful pepper i cupful chopped cheese Heat the milk, add the butter, cheese and seasonings and pour onto the eggs, which should be slightly beaten. Put the macaroni in a baking dish, pour over the milk mixture, stand in a pan of hot water and bake gently till set, or firm, in the middle. This will take about thirty minutes. Baked Cheese i pound American cheese Milk Salt Butter Pepper Mustard Slice the cheese thin, place in a shallow baking dish, CHEESE 669 barely cover with milk, dust with salt, pepper and a bit of mustard, dot with butter and bake in a hot oven until the cheese is melted. Serve on toasted crackers; English Monkey ii cupfuls stale bread 2 eggs crumbs t teaspoonful salt ij cupfuls milk i teaspoonful paprika 2 tablespoonfuls butter Toasted crackers ij cupfuls American cheese, chopped or diced Scald the crumbs and milk together; mix the remain- ing ingredients, pour over the crumb mixture, and cook over hot water, stirring frequently until the cheese has melted, and the whole is well-blended. Serve on toasted crackers. Welsh Rarebit with Milk 2 cupfuls cheese, diced or i teaspoonful pepper put through the food chop- * teaspoonful mustard per Few grains paprika 2 eggs 2 cupfuls milk 3 tablespoonfuls flour Hot toast or heated crackers i tablespoonful butter or boiled brown rice i teaspoonful salt Mix the ingredients together in the order given, and cook gently over hot water, stirring very frequently until the mixture is thick and smooth. Serve very hot on the toast or rice. Chinese Rarebit i cupfuls cheese, grated or teaspoonful mustard cubed Few grains paprika 1 egg 2 cupfnls scalded milk 2 tablespoonfuls flour % cupful cold boiled uncoated 4 teaspoonful salt rice 4 teaspoonful pepper Toasted caraway bread Mix the ingredients in the order given in a double boiler top ; add the milk, stir over hot water till it thickens, turn in the rice, re-heat till very hot and serve on the toast. Tomato Rarebit 2 cupfuls diced cheese I teaspoonful salt 2 tablespoonfuls flour i teaspoonful pepper i egg 2 cupfuls tomato juice 4 teaspoonful soda Toast or crackers i teaspoonful butter 670 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Mix together the cheese, flour, eggs, soda, butter, salt and pepper. Gradually add the tomato juice and cook over hpt water, stirring constantly till thick; serve on the toast or crackers. Bunny Hug Prepare the mixture for Tomato Rarebit, season with a half-teaspoonful of Worcestershire sauce, and serve on toast spread lightly with devilled ham or chicken. " Chilaly " i green pepper, minced i teaspoonful soda 1 teaspoonful onion, minced 2 cupfuls tomato juice 2 tablespoonfuls celery, 2 cupfuls soft cheese, minced chopped 3 tablespoonfuls butter \ teaspoonful salt 4 tablespoonfuls flour Paprika to taste i egg Cook the onion, pepper and celery in the butter until softened. Add the flour and, gradually, the tomato with the soda. Let boil rapidly and strain. Season and turn in the cheese; let cook over hot water until melted, stir- ring constantly ; beat the egg, . combine, let stand two minutes, stirring rapidly, and serve on toast or crackers. Cheese Moulds i cream cheese 2 tablespoonfuls chopped 8 Maraschino cherries, walnut meats chopped Mix the ingredients thoroughly together, pat out to one-fourth inch thickness and chill. Stamp into rounds with a tiny biscuit cutter, garnish each with a half wal- nut, a little minced parsley, or half a cherry, and arrange each on a crisp cracker. Pass with either the salad or coffee. Cheese Dreams Cut bread one-fourth inch thick and make sandwiches with Welsh Rarebit filling. Saute (fry) in butter on a griddle, or toast them, and serve hot. Toasted Cheese Slice the cheese thin. Butter entire wheat or white bread, lightly; put the cheese on the slices, dust it spar- CHEESE 671 ingly with mustard and a few grains of pepper, press the sandwiches together and toast slowly to melt the cheese. Serve at once. Rich Cheese Crackers Banquet wafers or saltines Butter American cheese Paprika Butter the crackers out to the edges ; put the cheese through a food chopper; spread the crackers in a flat pan, sprinkle generously with the cheese, dust with paprika and set in a moderate oven until the cheese is melted sufficiently to adhere to the crackers. Cheese and Lima Bean Roll i cupfuls cheese put i tablespoonful tomato through food chopper catsup 3 cupfuls chopped cooked i teaspoonful pepper diced lima beans i teaspoonful mustard \ teaspoonful onion juice 3 tablespoonfuls melted but- Dry bread crumbs ter or bacon fat i teaspoonful salt Put the cheese and beans through a food chopper; season and add crumbs until thick enough to form into a roll. Place in a pan, sprinkle buttered crumbs over the top and bake in a moderate oven, basting occasionally with butter and water. Serve with tomato sauce. Celery Escalloped with Cheese 3 cupfuls celery, diced i cupfuls soft crumbs I pint milk Salt 1 cupful diced cheese Paprika Save the outer stalks of celery and cut them into dice. Cook gently in three cupfuls of water, drain and reserve the liquor and add it to the milk. Put a layer of crumbs in the bottom of a buttered baking dish. Add a layer of celery, then one of cheese, season, dot with butter and repeat till the dish is full. Bake thirty minutes in a moderate oven. Home-Made Club Cheese \ pound American cheese, i tablespoonful melted but- grated ter 2 eggs \ teaspoonful salt Cayenne to taste 672 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Mix the dry ingredients together, then add to the beaten egg with the butter and seasonings ; beat it to a cream. Pimento Cheese Prepare the mixture given in the preceding recipe for Home-Made Club Cheese, and add five pimentoes, finely minced, and then rub to a paste. Dutch or Cottage Cheese 4 quarts thick sour milk Sweet cream 3 quarts boiling water Salt Butter Pepper Pour the boiling water into the milk and let it stand three minutes. Then turn into a large bag and let it drain over night. In this way the curd will be separated from the whey. In the morning to each pint of curd add 2 tablespoonfuls melted butter, i teaspoonful salt, J teaspoonful of pepper and a tablespoonful of cream. Work this until smooth and soft, then form into balls the size of a walnut, chill, pile up, cannon-ball fashion, and dust with paprika just before serving. Moulded Cheese Balls 1 cupful Neufchatel, cottage, I cupful chopped English or cream cheese walnuts 2 tablespoonfuls cream i cupful chopped, stuffed Few grains cayenne olives Cream the cheese till smooth. Add the ingredients in the order given, chill well, and shape with butter paddles. Roquefort Celery Sticks Wash and clean the celery, cutting it in three-inch sticks. Dry each thoroughly, then fill with Roquefort cheese, packing it in smoothly. Sprinkle the cheese lightly with chopped olives. Serve with salad, or as an hors d'oeuvre. Celery and Cream Cheese Sticks Wash clean celery hearts, and let stand in cold salted water to become crisp. Mix a Neufchatel cheese with a little sweet cream, salt and pepper till smooth. Dry the celery stalks and pack them with the cheese. Chill and serve in a celery tray, on a folded napkin. CHEESE 673 If desired, a little minced green pepper or pimento may be added to the cheese. Neufchatel Bon-bons 2 Neufchatel cheeses 2 tablespoonfuls sweet cream i teaspoonful salt i teaspoonful white pepper Few grains paprika cupful powdered, salted, pistachio nuts Salted pecan or walnut meats Cream together the first five ingredients, form into flat bon-bon shapes, and press a salted nut on each side. Roll the edges in the pistachio nuts and chill. CHAPTER XXVIII INVALID COOKERY AND SERVICE ALL MEASUREMENTS ARE LEVEL Few housewives understand the preparation of the simplest dishes in the invalid's dietary although in the majority of cases of illness the nursing is done by mem- bers of the household. And diet plays a most important part in restoring just as it does in maintaining health. Many a patient drifts into a critical stage because he is not supplied with the proper foods. Even when only suffering with a severe cold the diet should be lightened, as a hearty meal is liable to overtax the digestive organs to the point where they fail to do their work. The un- digested food remains in the digestive canal and fer- ments, the poisons which are generated lower the vitality, and the patient's condition becomes worse. Much trouble arises because the home nurse does not know what to feed and how to prepare it, while other patients are almost starved to death because of the ridiculous notion that food must be almost always withheld during illness. It is just as radical a mistake to starve a sick person as to overfeed him, for, even while confined to bed, he still requires a certain amount of food to carry on the busi- ness of living. There are, to be sure, certain illnesses in which food should be withheld, but in that case the patient is extremely sick, and requires the constant serv- ice of a physician, who will prescribe the diet. In hospitals ordinary diets are grouped under the fol- lowing heads : 1. Liquid Diet. 2. Light Diet. 3. Convalescent Diet. All the special diets, as diabetic and diet in pneumonia, are dictated by the physician for each individual case. 674 INVALID COOKERY AND SERVICE 675 Under liquid diet are included broths, clear soups, albumin water, milk, Koumiss, cocoa, egg-nogs and gruels of all kinds. Grape juice, orange juice and lemonade may be added. Light diet includes poached, boiled or coddled eggs, toast, toasted crackers, milk soups, well-cooked cereals, rice, milk toast, cocoa with egg, junket, custards, fruit and wine jellies, sifted apple sauce and all the foods enumerated under liquid diet. In convalescent diet the invalid begins to approach his normal food. Broiled chicken, squab, chops or steak, scraped-beef balls (it will be noted that the meats are broiled, not fried), well-baked potatoes, scrambled eggs or omelet, well-cooked spinach, peas or stewed celery, sponge cake a day old, baked apples, stewed figs or prunes, oranges, Malaga grapes, rice or tapioca pudding, and bread a day old may be added to the list for light diet. As a general rule it may be stated that liquid diet is used in fever cases, in severe gastric disorders (stomach diseases) ; for two days after delivery in maternity cases, in pneumonia, mumps and cases of severe intestinal in- digestion. In fever, liver and pneumonia cases the acid drinks mentioned in the list are often added. Light diet is the first step up from the liquid diet to solid food and may also be used for a day or so when the stomach is upset, in cases of rheumatism, grippe, for a few days in maternity cases, and in the diseases of children, like the second stage of measles, chicken pox or scarlet fever. It is- also used in fever cases for three or four days after the temperature has dropped to a normal state. Convalescent diet is usually resumed when the patient begins to be dressed, or, at least, is sitting up for a few hours each day; it is generally commenced by the addi- tion of one extra dish to light diet, the variety and quan- tity being gradually increased until the patient is eating the usual family food. When this occurs, he will be well. Any invalid should be fed frequently and in small quan- tities, in order to avoid overtaxing the digestive organs, and yet furnish the necessary nourishment. In acute dis- eases, for instance, the patient is often fed every two 676 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK hours in very small quantities. In such cases the amount of liquid is generally prescribed in ounces. In measuring such amounts a graduated glass, with the ounces and drachms clearly marked upon it, will be of incalculable assistance. In case such a glass is not at hand, the num- ber of ounces may be measured by a standard teaspoon ; two tablespoons, or six teaspoons, constituting the ounce. If a silver knife or teaspoon is put into the glass, hot liquids may be poured into it without fear of breakage. The administering of liquid diet to a very sick patient from a teaspoon is usually a disagreeable task taxing the patience of the home nurse to the utmost, and wetting the face and neck of the patient. A glass feeding tube may be purchased at any druggist's, and, as it is made with a bend, this may be placed between the patient's lips, the nurse may hold the cup of liquid, and the patient drink without being raised from the bed, or feeling the liquid trickle down his neck! In cases where the patient is too exhaused to even draw the liquid through the tube, a feeding cup may be used. In using this, slip the mouth of the cup between the patient's lips, and pour in the liquid so gradually that there may be no possibility of choking. At no time is a person so sensitive to imperfection as during sickness. This is because his world is bounded by the four walls of the room, interest is self-centered, and, unless all foods approach perfection, the patient as- sumes the lack to be a personal affront. In serving hot milk or cocoa, be sure that the scum is removed, or it may " turn the stomach " and produce nausea. Lemon- ade, orangeade and egg-nogs should be strained, 'and all lumps carefully removed from gruels. For this purpose a china strainer will be invaluable. It should be large enough to fit over either a glass or cup ; as it is of china rather than wire like the ordinary strainer, and is used only for the invalid, it may be kept surgically clean. The nurse frequently reports to the physicians that the patient has no appetite. In many cases this may be due to the depressing effect of an ill-kept room, or to " a bad taste in the mouth," which may be removed by a mouth wash of water containing boracic acid (a fourth of a tea- spoonful to a cupful of lukewarm water) or to the gen- INVALID COOKERY AND SERVICE 677 eral condition of the patient. Whatever the cause it must be ascertained and removed. Frequently more time and thought expended upon the invalid's meals will remedy this condition. Punctuality in serving the meals must be strictly observed, for appetite is largely a result of habit ; a meal delayed often appears after all desire for food has gone. The principal meal of the day should be given when the patient is sitting up. In case the meal is served in bed the pillows must be carefully arranged as a support, and if a bed tray with little standard legs is not in the house- hold, a pillow, smoothed flat, and placed upon the patient's lap, will act as a resting place for the tray. When a patient is very ill, the nurse is liable to become careless, and instead of choosing the prettiest cup in the house for broth, and setting it in its saucer on a doily- covered tray, she will bring it in a cracked kitchen cup, walking very slowly in order not to spill the contents ! Either the cup or the way it is presented may be sufficient to upset a nervous patient, and while it sometimes seems as though the invalid does not notice any little defects, it is often only too true that he is too ill to speak of them and that they jar horribly upon his taut nerves. The tray should be covered with a clean tray-cloth or napkin, the silver placed upon it in the most convenient position for use, and all hot dishes should be covered. It is always a great pleasure to an invalid to begin to do things for himself, and an individual pot for hot milk or cocoa, necessitating a little effort in pouring it out, will often be the first step toward reasserting the self-respect that is so much a part of health. In so far as possible individual dishes should be used in preparing the in- valid's food, as it conveys the idea that he is the subject of special thought. In any home of moderate means there is no necessity for serving mismatched and cracked dishes to the invalid. There is an old French proverb which says that " The eye does half the eating/' and it is more true in sickness than under any other circumstances. When the diet becomes convalescent, the patient can usually eat one or two meals of the day at a serving table. By this time the tray is liable to become overcrowded if all the food is brought in at once, so it is a good plan to 678 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK reserve the sweet until the main portion of the meal has been eaten. It then acts as a surprise. Generally a patient should not be consulted as to what he " wants to eat." If he expresses a desire, gratify it, if it is not unreasonable, and in some cases even then. Never serve a food that is difficult to eat (unless during convalescence), like broiled chicken, without either break- ing it up before bringing it to the patient, or else prepar- ing it for him after bringing in the tray, otherwise he will become discouraged and refuse to eat it. Stay with him while eating, or else delegate some other member of the family to do so, as otherwise he will eat too fast, and indigestion will result. Probably the most neglected country diet is that served in maternity cases. The energy of the new mother is at a low ebb, for months her strength has been given to the new life, and. after birth, in normal cases, the drain is continued through the production of milk. For the first six hours after labor a milk diet should be given, light diet should be served for the next three days, five meals a day being needed to keep up strength. Convalescent diet may be used for a few succeeding days, when the usual daily fare may be resumed, with the exception of strongly-flavored vegetables, like onions, or cabbage, or fruits which are acid, like strawberries. Beer should never be taken, as it has no action upon the flow of milk, as is popularly believed. The following recipes will prove of assistance in pre- paring sick diets. GENERAL RULE FOR GRUELS The cereal, when possible, should be cooked in a double boiler for four hours until it becomes a jelly. In using, thin a little of the jellied cereal, with milk or cream, re- heat, season and strain. Barley Gruel 2 tablespoonfuls pearl barley i teaspoonful salt i quart boiling water Add the barley to the water, and boil for two hours, or until it is reduced one-half. Strain, rubbing through a INVALID COOKERY AND SERVICE 679 fine sieve, sweeten, if desired, and serve hot. A little warm milk or cream may be added, if permissible. Oatmeal Gruel 1 cupful coarse oatmeal or i pint boiling water rolled oats i teaspoonful salt Add the oatmeal to the boiling water, stirring con- stantly. Cook over the heat for ten minutes, and then for three hours in a double boiler. Rub through a sieve, and thin with milk, cream or water as desired. Re-heat and serve. If allowed, J cupful raisins, or \ cupful of cut-up apple, may be cooked in this gruel, adding flavor. Flour Gruel or Thickened Milk 2 tablespoonfuls flour 4 tablespoonfuls cold milk i teaspoonful salt 3 cupfuls milk, scalded Scald the milk. Mix the flour thoroughly with the cold milk and add it to the hot milk. Cook half an hour in a double boiler, stirring occasionally. Strain and serve hot. This is often used for diarrhea, though it is not so good as a water gruel for extreme cases. Cornmeal Gruel i tablespoonful home-ground i cupful cold water cornmeal i teaspoonful salt 1 pint boiling water Stir the cornmeal mixed in the cold water into the boiling water. Simmer or cook in a double boiler for an hour or longer. Strain and serve. Sugar and milk may be added, if desired, or it may be made wholly of milk, cooking entirely in a double boiler. Beef Broth 2 pounds round of beef i cupful cold water i teaspoonful salt Wipe the meat, remove the skin and fat and cut the meat into small pieces. Put in a kettle with the bones, if there are any, add the cold water, and let it stand for half an hour to extract the juices. Heat gradually to boiling point, season with salt and pepper, and simmer two hours, or until the meat is tender. Do not allow it to boil. Re- 680 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK move the fat and strain the broth. Re-heat in a double boiler and serve hot. Beef Tea i pound fresh beef from i cupful cold water neck Salt Wipe the meat, remove all fat and cut the meat in small pieces. Add the cold water and let stand fifteen minutes. Put in a canning jar, cover it loosely, place it on a trivet in a kettle and surround with cold water. Allow the water to heat slowly. Do not let it get above simmering point. Cook two hours. Strain and serve. Beef tea may be frozen to the consistency of a water ice and is excellent in fever cases. Egg Broth 3 cupfuls hot beef broth J teaspoonful salt i egg Beat the white and yolk of the egg separately. Add the hot broth, gradually, to the yolk, stirring continually. Add the salt and fold into the white. Re-heat over hot water and serve very hot. Clam Bouillon Wash and scrub with a brush one quart of clams, changing the water several times. Put in a kettle with I cupful cold water, cover tightly and steam until the shells are well-opened. Strain the liquor before serving. Oyster Stew I cupful milk Salt and pepper 6 oysters i cupful hot water i teaspoonful butter Wash the oysters, discard the liquor and steam over hot water until the edges are curled. Scald the milk, add it to the butter, pour in the steamed oysters and liquor, season, and serve with hot toasted crackers. Rice Milk Soup li tablespoon fuls brown rice i stalk celery or i cupful milk I teaspoonful celery seed I tablespoonful butter i bay leaf i teaspoonful onion juice Salt and pepper .to taste INVALID COOKERY AND SERVICE 681 Scald the milk. Add the rice and cook in a double boiler thirty minutes. Melt the butter, add the onion juice, bay leaf and celery stalk cut in bits, and saute slightly. Add to the soup, season and strain through a sieve. If too thick, thin with more milk. Chicken broth may be used in place of the milk. In this case add one tablespoonful of cream before serving. Chicken Broth Clean a two- or three-pound chicken and wash thor- oughly. Separate at the joints, cover with two and a half quarts of cold water, bring slowly to boiling point, a"nd simmer until the meat is very tender. At the end of three hours strain, season the broth, and let stand over night in a cold place to let the fat come to the top. Remove the fat and re-heat the broth; well-boiled brown or uncoated rice may be added, if desired. Whey i cupful milk i teaspoonful cold water i junket tablet Heat the milk until tepid and add the tablet dissolved in the cold water. Let it set, then break up the curd and strain through two thicknesses of cheesecloth, being care- ful to remove all the solid portion. Serve cold with or without sweetening, and flavor as desired. Peptonized or Partially Digested Milk Into a clean quart jar put the contents of one pepton- izing tube and i cupful of cold water. Shake well, add a pint of fresh cold milk and?shake again. Place the bottle in water at about 115 degrees F., and keep there five to ten minutes, then place bottle on ice at once to check further digestion. Barley Water I cupful pearl barley & teaspoonful salt i pint boiling water Sugar to taste 3 pints boiling water Wash the barley thoroughly, add the pint of boiling water and simmer five minutes. Pour off this liquid and add the salt and the three pints of freshly boiling water. 682 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Simmer for two hours. Strain, and add sugar, if desired. Cool and serve. In cases of constipation add J pound figs, cut fine, with the second water. Prunes or raisins can also be used. The juice of half a lemon is also a good addition after the drink has cooled. Lemonade i lemon I tablespoonful sugar (ap- i cupful boiling water proximate) \ thin slice lemon Cut a thin slice from the center of the lemon. Squeeze the 'lemon juice into a glass (keeping back seeds). Com- bine the sugar and boiling water and place on ice to chill. Add the lemon juice, and use the lemon slice as a gar- nish. More sugar will be needed if the fruit 'is very acid. Orangeade i sour orange i tablespoonful sugar (ap- i cupful boiling water proximate) i slice orange Prepare as for lemonade. If the orange is not suffi- ciently sour, add lemon juice. Either orangeade or lemonade may be acceptably frozen to an ice, if additional sugar is added. Oatmeal Lemonade ij tablespoonfuls fine oat- Juice i4 lemons meal Sugar to taste Few grains salt 3 pints boiling water Mix the oatmeal and salt with the cold water. Add to the boiling water and cook until reduced to a quart. Strain, add sugar to taste while hot, and the lemon juice when cold. Malted Milk and Egg i tablespoonful malted milk 15 drops acid phosphate i tablespoonful crushed i tablespoonful crushed ice fresh or canned fruit cupful ice water i egg Mix the malted milk, egg and fruit and beat well. Add the phosphate and crushed ice, blending thoroughly. Strain and add the ice water, or substitute carbonated water, and flavor with a grating of nutmeg. INVALID COOKERY AND SERVICE 683 Malted Milk Egg-Nog I tablespoonful malted milk Sugar to taste 1 teaspoon ful salt Few grains nutmeg 2 tablespoonfuls cream I cupful boiling water i egg, beaten separately Mix in the order given. Allow the mixture to cool, and sweeten to taste. Then add the well-beaten egg yolk and lastly the stiffly-beaten white. Serve in a tall glass. This may also be served hot. In this case use hot water. Jelly and Ice Chip ^ cupful of pure ice, fine. Mix about the same quantity of currant, blackberry or raspberry jelly with it. Milk Albumin i egg white \ cupful milk Put into clean glass jar, cover and shake until well- mixed, about three minutes. A few grains of salt may be added if desired. Albumin Water 1 egg white i cupful cold water Proceed as in above recipe. Sometimes a few drops of lemon juice are added for fever patients. Bread and Chicken Custard 2 tablespoonfuls minced i egg cooked chicken i cupful milk 2 tablespoonfuls crumbled 4 teaspoonful salt bread Butter two ramekins and divide in them the chicken and bread mixed. Beat the egg, add the milk and salt, pour over the chicken mixture and bake like custard. Egg Nest i egg Salt to taste J teaspoonful butter i good-sized round of toast Toast the bread, separate the egg, beat the white stiff and add salt to taste. Butter the toast and pile on the white in the shape of a nest. Make a depression in the center, put in the butter and drop in the egg yolk. Cook in a moderate oven from six to eight minutes. 684 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Scraped-Beef-Balls i pound round steak i toast round Wipe the steak with a damp cloth. Scrape up the meat fiber by means of a broad-bladed case knife. Form this pulp into little balls and lightly broil in a heated frying pan, rolling them about until slightly browned. Salt, and serve on the toast, buttered. Chops or Birds Broiled in Paper Wipe chops or birds, and dust them with salt and pep- per. Spread a piece of thick letter paper, evenly and thickly, with butter. Lay on it the meat and fold the paper so that no juices can escape. Broil carefully, tak- ing care that the paper does not ignite. A chop broiled in this way will cook in five minutes when three-quarters of an inch thick and in eight minutes when one inch thick. Squab or chicken must cook thirty minutes. Potatoes on the Half Shell Cut off the tops of baked potatoes and scoop out the inside. Mash and season well and add a well-beaten egg white. Fill the skins with this mixture, heaping it lightly on top. Place in the oven and brown slightly. Junket i cupful fresh milk Few grains salt I tablespoonful sugar i teaspoonful flavoring i junket tablet Sugar i teaspoonful cold water Heat the milk until lukewarm, add the flavoring and the tablet dissolved in the cold water. Allow it to solidify in a warm place without stirring. Chill in a cool place. Cocoa Junket 1 tablespoonful -cocoa i cupful milk 2 teaspoon fuls sugar 1 junket tablet 2 tablespoonfuls boiling i teaspoonful cold water water Few drops vanilla Mix together the cocoa, sugar and boiling water. Cook over the heat and rub to a smooth paste. Then add the milk and re-heat until lukewarm ; add the vanilla and the A v I J^^. WHEEL-TRAY SET FOR INVALID LUNCHEON INVALID COOKERY AND SERVICE 685 tablet dissolved in cold water. Finish as plain junket and serve with light cream, if permissible. Caramel Junket 2 tablespoonfuls sugar (car- Few grains salt amelized) J teaspoonful vanilla 4 tablespoonfuls hot water i pint milk 3 tablespoonfuls granulated | junket tablet sugar Add the water to the caramelized sugar and cook to a thick syrup. Add the syrup, sugar, salt, and vanilla to the milk and cool to blood heat. Dissolve the junket tablet in cold water, add to the tepid mixture, and pour at once into serving dishes. Serve with whipped cream. Baked Custard (Two Small Custards) i cupful scalded milk Few grains salt 1 egg teaspoonful flavoring 2 tablespoonfuls sugar Scald the milk. Mix together the other ingredients. Pour into these the scalded milk. Transfer to custard cups, set in a pan of hot water and bake until set in a moderate oven. Test with a knife. If, after inserting, the knife is perfectly clean, the custard is done. Remove at once from the hot water and chill ; serve in the cups, or turned out and accompanied with caramel sauce. Junket Ice Cream I cupful light cream junket tablet cupful milk 2 teaspoonfuls cold water 3 tablespoonfuls sugar teaspoonful vanilla Heat the milk until tepid. Add the sugar and vanilla, and then the junket tablet dissolved in the cold water. Add the cream and, when cold, beat thoroughly, turn into a freezer and freeze in three parts of ice" to one part of salt. Or, use a baking powder can instead, by turning the can, and occasionally scraping down the ice, as it stiffens and adheres to the can. 686 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Spanish Cream i teaspponful granulated 2i tablespoonfuls sugar gelatine Few grains salt i tablespoonful cold water i egg white i cupful milk teaspoonful flavoring i egg yolk Soften the gelatine in the cold water, then scald with the milk in a double boiler. Beat the egg yolk, add the sugar and salt, and, gradually, the hot milk. Return to the double boiler and cook until it coats the spoon, stir- ring constantly. Add the flavoring and fold in the egg white, beaten stiff. Pour into moulds rubbed lightly with olive oil to harden. Serve with light cream if con- venient. Fig Tapioca i tablespoonfuls pearl or I 4 teaspoonful salt tablespoonful quick cook- i cupful scalded milk ing tapioca i egg 3 tablespoonfuls sugar i cupful chopped figs Soak the tapioca an hour, add the sugar and salt, then the hot milk and cook in a double boiler for fifteen min- utes. Add the beaten egg yolk and cook three minutes longer. Stir in the figs. Make a meringue of the egg white, heap it on top and brown delicately in the oven. Cream of Rice Pudding 1 cupful brown or uncoated & teaspoonful salt rice i pint milk 2 tablespoonfuls sugar Mix all the ingredients in a baking dish. Bake two hours in a very slow oven, stirring frequently with a fork. CHAPTER XXIX CANNING, PRESERVING AND PICKLING ALL MEASUREMENTS ARE LEVEL The extent to which it pays to can fruits and vegetables depends entirely upon whether or not they are home grown, or whether they must be purchased. As a general rule it costs almost, 'or quite as much, for the materials used in preparing home-canned fruits and vegetables as it does to buy commercial canned goods of high quality, and when the time and energy involved are considered, it would seem to be a mistake to spend the entire summer working in a hot kitchen when no economy is effected. But if one lives on a farm, or has a large garden, can- ning becomes an economic necessity. However, the old days of the open-kettle method with its doubtful results are gone, and the intermittent, or three-days'-canning method has also become a part of culinary history, the wise woman, choosing, rather, the new cold-pack method which insures fine, firm, colorful results, and products that will keep, all with a minimum expenditure of time and energy. The outfit needed in carrying on the new method of canning is as follows : A good wash boiler fitted with a wire rack made to contain from six to ten jars, according to the size of the boiler, and equipped with handles so that the jar-filled rack may be removed without burning the hands. This device is a real time-saver, as it obviates all necessity of handling each jar separately. The jars should be of glass, of any good make, preferably of the type with a cover that clamps on, although screw-top jars may be used. The rubbers must be new and of the very best quality ; there should be a steamer, or an improvised one, consisting of a wide-topped kettle over which a steamer top may be fitted to use in steaming greens and other bulky vegetables before putting them into the can- ning jars. 688 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Commercial canning outfits may be purchased if de- sired. The hot-water-bath outfit is especially made for out-door work and is equipped with a fire-box with smoke pipe, sterilizing bath, lifting trays, etc., is quickly set up and light enough so that it may be easily transported from place to place. If a very large amount of canning is to be done, this outfit will more than pay for itself in the long run, but the results are no better than those obtained by means of the wash-boiler equipment already described. A second type of commercial canner is used, as a water- seal outfit in which a higher temperature may be obtained than in the hot-water-bath outfit described, and is par- ticularly good in the canning of meats or certain vege- tables which are difficult to keep. Then there are the steam-pressure outfits which are very practical and may be used in the household as general utensils. The first cost is a little high, but, again, if one lives on a farm, or has a productive garden, the cooker will pay for itself in short order if the vegetables or fruits are faithfully canned. Several new terms have come into being along with the new cold-pack method. The following list with its defini- tions is self-explanatory: 1. Cold-pack. This means the packing of uncooked or blanched foods together with some liquid, as syrup, water, soup stock, or vegetable juice into clean jars, covering and then sterilizing (cooking) them with their contents by means of boiling water or steam. 2. Scalding. The dipping of a vegetable or fruit into boiling water to loosen the skin, so that it can be removed with the least possible loss of pulp. To remove undesir- able acids. To start the flow of the coloring matter, which must be arrested immediately by the cold dip. 3. Cold Dip. This means the dipping of the scalded fruits or vegetables immediately into cold water for two or three minutes to arrest further cooking and therefore to harden the heated pulp. This coagulates the color- ing matter so that there will be less loss of color during the sterilization period and at the same time the prod- ucts may be handled to better advantage during the pack- ing. 4. Blanching. This means to boil, or steam, the prod- CANNING, PRESERVING AND PICKLING 689 uct to be canned for a brief time before packing into the cans. Unless it is necessary to remove a strong flavor, as that of cabbage or dandelions, it is far better to blanch the products by means of steam as there is then no loss of food value. This process is necessary to remove objec- tionable acids and bitter flavors, and to reduce the bulk of vegetables, like spinach, and to obviate all necessity for the use of the old-time intermittent process by which it was necessary to boil the fruit or vegetables in the jars for three days in succession to insure the destruction of all germ life. 5. Sterilizing, or Processing. These terms are used interchangeably and refer to the steaming, or boiling, of the filled jars for the purpose of destroying all spores, germs and bacteria. Needless to say, this is the most important part of the whole process, for if sterilization is incomplete the canned goods will not keep. To achieve good results in the home process of canning it is absolutely necessary to follow the directions carefully and to make sure that the products actually sterilize the right length of time. It is a very easy matter, for in- stance, to prepare half a dozen jars of corn and to leave them sterilizing in the kitchen while work is being done in another part of the house. However, the fire may get low, and the jars actually sterilize by means of the boil- ing water only two hours instead of the necessary three. The corn would spoil; the method would be blamed, while the real trouble would center around carelessness. When vegetables or fruits demanding a long period of sterilization are to be canned, they should be put on the first thing in the morning, before the breakfast dishes are washed, so that the housewife may be " on the job " all the time while doing up her kitchen work and preparing dinner. If a short-time-vegetable or fruit, as asparagus, or tomatoes, or soft berries, is to be canned, the work may be accomplished in odd periods, whenever other short- time work is in progress in the kitchen. Unless it is necessary to can in large quantities, to save foods that would otherwise spoil, or in order to save money by pur- chasing in large quantities, canning may be done a few jars at a time in a kettle of moderate size, equipped with a round wire rack to hold the jars. If two or three jars of 690 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK each fruit and an equal number of suitable vegetables are canned as they come in season, the housewife with a small family will find that during the period from May through October she will have accumulated a wide range of foods at comparatively little cost and labor. The collection should begin with rhubarb, going through the whole gamut of fruits and berries and continuing through quinces and citrons. The vegetables may begin with as- paragus and continue through sweet potatoes and pump- kin. Whatever the vegetable or fruit the general processes of preparation and sterilization are the same. 1. Scald or blanch the food according to the length of time noted in the table. 2. Dip in cold water. 3. Remove the skins, if necessary, any cores, blossom ends, stems or stones, according to the nature of the food to be canned. 4. Pack into wide-mouth jars as closely as possible. 5. Fill the jars almost full with the desired liquid and add salt according to directions, if needed. 6. Adjust the rubber and top and partially clamp it on, or if a mason jar is being used, screw the top down until it touches the rubber, but do not close the jar, as other- wise the expanded air cannot escape. 7. Cover with water, two inches over the tops, bring to boiling point and boil, or sterilize, the required length of time. 8. Remove, the jars, tighten the covers and turn them upside down on a cloth away from a draft, covering them with a cloth so that a sudden breeze will not cause the jars to crack. 9. After a few days, loosen the clamps and pick up the jars by the covers. If sterilization has been complete, the covers will not come off. Clamp again and put the jars away, after, wrapping them in paper to assist in pre- serving the color. SPECIAL DIRECTIONS FOR CANNING VEGETABLES Allow a level teaspoonful each of salt and sugar to each quart of boiling water -used in canning the vege- CANNING, PRESERVING AND PICKLING 691 tables. Substitute the juice obtained by boiling tomatoes for water in canning tomatoes. Use absolutely fresh vegetables. This is especially true for corn and peas. Scrub all root and tuber vegetables as carrots, sweet pota- toes and the like, thoroughly with a vegetable brush, then scald in boiling water to remove the skins. In can- ning corn on the cob remove the husks and silk and blanch the corn on the cob eight minutes for medium- sized ears, five for smaller ears and longer for the larger ears. Re-steam it when taken from the can for serving, rather than boiling it a second time. In preparing corn, (cut from the cob) blanch it on, then remove the kernels with a sharp knife. String be'ans before blanching. Clean greens thoroughly ; then steam. In canning pump- kin and squash for pie fillings, steam until tender, then mash, add a cupful of sugar and a teaspoonful of salt to each quart of pulp, then sterilize as directed. All vege- tables and fruits should be graded according to size so that the various pieces will cook through in the same time. This adds greatly to the appearance of the fin- ished jar as well. Canning powders should never be used. They contain boric, or salicylic, acid, which are drugs and have no place in foods. At the same time their use is absolutely unnecessary if care is used in canning and they are an additional expense. Finally, most of them contain in- gredients which are prohibited, or forbidden in many States and by the National Government. If desired, special seasonings may be added to the jars of vegetables, along with the salted water; for instance, pickled young carrots are delicious. In this case a half cupful of vinegar, a tablespoonful of sugar and a table- spoonful of whole pickle spice could be added to each pint jar of carrots. Pickled beets may be made in the same way. All kinds of greens may be canned, accord- ing to the time table given below ; these include the edible wild greens as well, such as milkweed, sour dock, purs- lane, etc. In canning greens, cabbage or Brussels sprouts, it is a good plan to season them by putting into the center of each jar a thin slice of fat bacon, salt pork, a little minced raw ham, dried beef, or olive oil. 692 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK TIME TABLE FOR BLANCHING AND STERILIZING VEGETABLES VEGETABLES Blanch- ing Minutes Hot Water Bath Outfit Minutes Water Seal Outfit Minutes Pressure Cooker (5 Ibs. steam) Minutes Asparagus 5 to 10 60 60 40 Peas 8 120 go 60 String beans 8 120 90 60 Young limas 8 120 90 60 Corn 15 180 90 60 All greens, as spinach, chard, dandelions, etc.. ^o to 15 90 60 40 Green peppers 5 180 90 60 Okra 5 120 90 60 Squash and pumpkin ... 5 60 50 40 Cabbage 20 90 60 50 Beets 7 90 75 60 Carrots 7 90 75 60 Tomatoes 2 22 20 10 Sweet potatoes, parsnips, turnips 5 90 70 60 Egg plant 5 60 50 45 Brussels sprouts and cauliflower 15 90 60 50 Succotash 15 180 90 60 Mushrooms 5 90 60 50 Rhubarb 2 20 20 15 SPECIAL DIRECTIONS FOR CANNING FRUITS Fruits may be canned with, or without sugar, but it is a saving of both time and fuel if a syrup composed of the proper proportions of sugar is used to fill up the can, rather than plain water. However, if sugar is prohibi- tive in price and fruit must be canned, it may be done by the plain water process. In this case the unsweetened fruit should be drained from the juice before serving, the right quantity of sugar added to the juice and the whole boiled together for a few minutes, the fruit being added in time so that it may be thoroughly sweetened. By this method, however, the fruit is always over-cooked by the second heating and the fruit loses brilliancy both of flavor and color. Syrups of different densities are used in the canning CANNING, PRESERVING AND PICKLING 693 of fruits, the choice depending on the tartness of the fruit and the richness of the result desired. The follow- ing table gives the amounts of sugar and water needed in preparing syrups of different percentages ; the syrups will hereafter be designated in this chapter by the den- sity, or percentage. Sugar Water Percent. I pound 3 quarts 16 i pound, four ounces ...3 quarts 20 1 pound, nine ounces 3 quarts 25 2 pounds, eight ounces 4 quarts 30 1 pound ii quarts 32 2 pounds, eight ounces 3 quarts 40 GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR CANNING FRUITS The general directions for canning fruits have already been given. The steps in the process are the same as in the canning of vegetables except that it is not always necessary to blanch the fruit. The same principles are applied; however, there are a few additional points that should be especially noted. The fruit should be fresh, firm, but ripe, entirely free from all leaves and stems, and from rot, blemish or mould. If gritty, as with strawberries, it should be thoroughly cleaned. The skins should be removed from peaches, apricots, pears, oranges, apples and quinces by blanching. Soft fruits which are of a sweet nature, like straw- berries, raspberries, loganberries, huckleberries, or blue- berries, figs and wild and Damson plums, as well as grapes, need no blanching ; but sour berry fruits, as cur- rants, gooseberries, cranberries and sour cherries are bet- ter if quickly blanched. Pineapple and citron need longer blanching because they are harder. It is not necessary to fill the can to overflowing with boiling water or syrup, whichever is to be used ; it is enough to fill it within a fourth of an inch of the top. In every case where the skin, cores, or seeds are to be removed the blanching and cold-dip should take place before it is done, as otherwise there is liable to be con- siderable loss of flavor. The stones should be removed 694 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK from peaches and apricots and the fruit canned in halves. If desired, one peach stone may be allowed to a jar to enhance the flavor. Pineapple should be pared, the eyes removed and the pineapple cut in convenient pieces be- fore blanching. Citron, cantaloupe and oranges should also be pared before blanching. TIME TABLE FOR BLANCHING AND STERILIZING FRUITS Strawberries 35 16 IO 8 Raspberries 35 16 IO 8 Blackberries 16 IO 8 Loganberries 35 16 10 8 Sweet cherries 35 16 10 8 Blueberries and huckleberries . . . 30 20 15 10 Grapes 2O is Wild grapes 35 20 15 12 Wild and Damson Plums 30 16 12 12 Oranges (sliced) 18 10 6 5 Oranges (blanched) . ilm 20 12 8 6 Currants i 30 16 12 12 Gooseberries i 16 12 10 Sour cherries i 35 16 12 10 Cranberries I 35 16 12 10 Peaches .: 2 30 16 IO 8 Apricots 2 30 16 10 8 Pineapple 5 35 25 25 Figs 6 25 40 25 Pears ii 25 20 12 8 Apples ii 25 20 12 8 Quinces ii 25 20 12 8 Citron 10 25 35 25 25 Cantaloupe '. . 10 35 25 25 The syrups indicated in the table are of the sweetness used by the best commercial canners. If desired, richer syrups may be used, but if this is done there is danger of introducing too much sugar into the dietary. In so far as possible it is better to prepare, blanch and pack one or two jars of a product at a time. This is CANNING, PRESERVING AND PICKLING 695 especially true of corn, peas, beans and asparagus. Care should be taken that unbroken vegetables and fruit be packed into jars, if appearances are to be considered. Mold may develop if the seal is defective or if the jar tops are removed to slip the rubbers back into position. If this is done, the jars must be re-sterilized for five min- utes. Mold may also appear if jars are kept in a damp place where the rubbers may decompose. The best water for canning purposes is pure, soft and free from excessive quantities of mineral matter. If any difficulty is experienced through the water, consult with the office of Home Economics States Relation Service. Washing- ton, D. C. In canning either fruits or vegetables the altitude makes a difference, the higher the altitude the lower the degree of heat needed to boil water. These directions are based upon an altitude of five hundred feet. For every four thousand feet increase there should be an addition of twenty per cent, to the time required for can- ning the different foods. SPECIAL DIRECTIONS FOR CANNING SOUPS Meat scraps, bones, ligaments and odds and ends of vegetables and cereals may be made into excellent soups and canned for later usage. This is thoroughly practi- cal and is one of the best ways in which thrift can be exploited. The soup must first be made, packed hot in glass jars, or bottles, partially sealed as is directed in the previous part of the chapter and sterilized the proper length of time. Cream soups cannot be canned, but the sifted vegetable pulp, or puree, properly seasoned, which acts as a foundation for the cream soup may be canned and used as needed with twice the quantity of milk, or with equal parts of milk, and chicken or veal stock (white stock). CANNED STOCK SOUPS The amount of time needed in making soup stock is the same for a large quantity as for a quart or two. It is an economy of both time and fuel to prepare a large quantity at a time and can it ready for use whenever 696 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK needed. The recipes given for the making of soup stock, bouillon and consomme, in the chapter on Soups, may be used for canned soups. The time of sterilization is forty minutes for the hot-water-bath outfit, thirty minutes with the water-seal outfit and twenty-five min- utes with the steam-pressure outfit. VEGETABLE STOCK SOUPS Vegetable stock soups, as julienne, and soups with any kind of cereal thickening, as rice, barley, or tapioca, may also be canned. For the desired recipes see the chapter on Soups. Sterilize soups of this type ninety minutes in the hot-water-bath outfit, and seventy-five minutes in the water seal, or five-pound steam-pressure outfit. PUREES OF DRIED VEGETABLES Soups of this type may be made of split peas, cow peas, yellow-eyed beans, black beans, kidney beans, navy beans, lima beans. The pulp must first be prepared and is then combined with the soup-stock and sterilized ninety minutes with the hot-water-bath outfit, eighty minutes with the water seal and seventy minutes with the steam- pressure outfit. GENERAL PROPORTIONS OF DRIED VEGETABLES TO STOCK DRIED PEA SOUP Eight pounds of dried peas soaked over night, cooked until soft, sifted and added to five and a half gallons of soup stock, thickened with two cupfuls of flour, mixed with additional stock to a smooth paste, salted and sweet- ened to taste, and brought to a boil ; fill into cans and sterilize. Any kind of peas may be used and the sea- soning may be varied with onion, mint, bay leaves or celery tips, added "to the stock when it is put on to heat. DRIED BEAN SOUP Three pounds of dried beans soaked over night in cold water and cooked soft with 3 pounds hock of harn and 4 gallons of water. When the beans are soft, strain CANNING, PRESERVING AND PICKLING 697 them from the stock and sift them. Shred the ham, or put it through a food chopper, and return it to the liquor. Thicken with a cupful of flour, rubbed smooth with a little stock, fill into jars and sterilize. A few onions, or a little tomato pulp may be added to this soup when the beans are put on to boil. CANNED VEGETABLE PULP Tomatoes, peas, carrots, asparagus, egg plant, squash, fresh lima beans or any other pulpy vegetable may be boiled in as little water as possible, the proper season- ings added, the pulp sifted, filled while hot into jars and sterilized the length of time demanded by that particular vegetable. See the time table for sterilizing vegetables given in the previous part of this chapter. MIXED VEGETABLES To save garden waste, it is a good plan to can mixed vegetables, to be added to soup stock later on. The Government suggests that the following general propor- tions be observed. Soak 6 pounds of lima beans and 4 pounds of dried peas over night. Boil each one-half hour. Blanch 16 pounds of carrots, 6 pounds cabbage, 3 pounds celery, 6 pounds of turnips, 4 pounds of okra, I pound of onions and 4 pounds of parsley for three min- utes and in cold water, quickly. Prepare the vegetables and chop into small cubes. Chop the onions and celery extra fine. Mix all of the above thoroughly and season to taste. Pack in glass jars or tin cans. Fill with boiling water. Partially seal glass jars, cap and tin cans. Ster- ilize ninety minutes with the hot-water-bath outfit; sixty minutes with the water-seal outfit or five-pounds steam- pressure outfit. SPECIAL DIRECTIONS FOR CANNING MEATS Success in canning meats depends upon good jars, good rubbers and proper sterilization. All kinds of meat may be canned by either one of the following methods : Fowl or game should be drawn as soon as killed, care- 698 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK fully washed and cooled and cut into convenient sections. Beef, veal, lamb and mutton should be cooled quickly and kept for about twenty-four hours. Corned beef should be corned the proper length of time, then soaked for two hours in clear water to freshen it, the water being changed once. Pork should be cooled quickly after butchering and kept in a 'cool place for at least twenty- four hours. Only the lean portions should be canned. CANNED CHICKEN, GAME OR VEAL Cut the meat into convenient sections and boil until it can be removed from the bones. Remove from the boil- ing liquid, pick off the meat, and pack it closely into jars. In the meantime boil down the stock one-half, add a tea- spoonful of salt to each quart jar of meat, fill the jars with the stock, adjust the rubbers and caps and sterilize three and a half hours with the hot-water-bath outfit, three hours with the water seal and two and a half hours with the five-pound steam-pressure outfit. If undesirable previously to cook the meat, cut it into sections, pack it into the jars, and fill in with boiling water, adding a teaspoonful of salt to each quart jar. Adjust the rubbers and caps and sterilize four hours in the water-bath outfit, three and a half in the water-seal and three hours in the five-pound steam-pressure outfit. CANNED BEEF, LAMB, OR MUTTON Cut the meat in convenient slices for handling, and roast, or boil slowly for thirty minutes. Cut into small pieces, remove the gristle, bone and excessive fat and pack directly into the jars. Fill the jars with gravy from the roasting pan, or with stock, if the meat has been boiled, cooked down one-half, adjust the rubbers and caps and sterilize four hours in the water-bath outfit, four hours in the water-seal and three and a half in the five-pound steam pressure outfit. CANNED CORNED BEEF Freshen the corned beef as directed in the general sug- gestions, boil it slowly for thirty minutes, then plunge it into cold water. Remove the gristle, bone and excessive fat ; cut the meat into small pieces, pack closely into jars, CANNING, PRESERVING AND PICKLING 699 put the rubbers and caps into position and sterilize four hours in the water-bath outfit, four hours in the water- seal and three hours in the five-pound steam-pressure outfit. CANNED PORK Boil or roast the meat for thirty minutes. Cut into small sections, after removing the bone, gristle and ex- cess fat, and pack closely into glass jars. Adjust the rubbers and caps and sterilize four hours in the water- bath outfit, three hours in the water-seal and three hours in the five-pound steam-pressure outfit. SPECIAL DIRECTIONS FOR CANNING FISH Make a brine of salt and cold water that will float a potato and, after cleaning the fish properly, let it stand in the brine for thirty minutes. Remove from the brine, cut into convenient sections, pack into glass jars, adding a teaspoonful of salt to each quart jar. If the skin is not removed, pack the jar so that the skin will be next the glass. If possible, remove the bones before packing the fish ; sterilize three hours in the water-bath outfit, three hours in the water-seal and two and a half hours in the five-pound steam-pressure outfit. Use only fresh fish. CANNED OYSTERS OR CLAMS Select fresh products, not more than twenty-four hours out of the water. Rinse carefully in fresh salted water and plunge the clams or oysters into boiling water for a few minutes. Pack into glass jars, add a teaspoonful of salt to each quart jar, adjust the rubbers and caps and sterilize three hours in a water-bath outfit, two in a water- seal and one and a half hours in a five-pound steam- pressure outfit. JAMS, MARMALADES AND CONSERVES All three of these preserves may be made of a single fruit or of a mixture of two or more fruits. Berries, cur- rants and gooseberries should be washed and then mashed, while firm fruits, like apples, peaches and pears, 700 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK should be washed, pared and cored, or stoned, then sliced. The fruit should stand in alternate layers with sugar for several hours to extract the juices. Berries and juicy fruits do not need the addition of any water, but drier fruits, such as apples and pears, should have a little added to start the juices. They should be brought slowly to the boiling point and then simmered until so thick that a little will stiffen if dropped on a cold plate. For each pound of fruit used, after preparing, allow^three-fourths of a pound of granulated sugar, or one-half pound of granulated sugar and one- fourth pound of white corn syrup. Pour the preserves into jars or glasses, boiled for five minutes, and, when cool, seal with melted paraffine and cover, or paste brown paper over the tops. If desired, they may be put into pint jars, the rubbers and caps adjusted, and then sterilized twenty minutes in the hot- water bath, or ten minutes in the water-seal or in the five- pound steam-pressure outfit. This is an extra precau- tion against spoilage. Blackberry Jam See general directions for making jam. Raspberry or Strawberry Jam See general directions for making jam. If desired, the raspberries may be combined with one-quarter their weight in currants, or may be used with equal parts of blueberries. Or strawberries may be combined with an equal amount of diced, unpeeled rhubarb. Loganberry Jam See general directions for making jam. Cherry Jam Use rather sweet cherries. Remove the stones, and follow general directions for making jam. Gooseberry Jam Stem and wash the gooseberries, mash and cook gently in their own juices until they are tender. Add an equal CANNING, PRESERVING AND PICKLING 701 weight of sugar and simmer until thick. If desired, equal parts of gooseberries and currants may be used. Dried Peach or Apricot Jam 1 pound dried apricots or Water peaches I orange 2 lemons Sugar Wash the fruit and soak it over night, with the orange and lemon sliced thin, rind and all. Then stew very slowly in the same water barely to cover and sift through a colander. Add two-thirds as much sugar by measure as fruit pulp, simmer very slowly until thick; seal as usual or sterilize in jars if desired. Peach Marmalade Blanch the peaches, remove the skins and stones and chop the pulp fine. Add two-thirds the weight of sugar and cook slowly until thick, about thirty-five minutes. Seal as usual or sterilize in jars if desired. Grape Marmalade 7 cupfuls sifted grape pulp i pound chopped English 2 cupfuls grape skins walnuts 1 pound chopped raisins . 4^ cupfuls sugar Cook the grape pulp to a mush and sift it. In the meantime, simmer the skins until tender in water to cover, add the raisins, combine with the sifted pulp and the sugar and simmer until thick, then add the nut meats and cook half an hour longer. Seal as directed, or ster- ilize in jars if desired. Rhubarb Marmalade 10 cupfuls diced rhubarb 4 lemons 2 cupfuls chopped walnut I cupful raisins meats 10 cupfuls sugar Do not peel the rhubarb. Put it in a kettle, add a pint of water and boil gently until soft, then add the nuts, sugar, lemon juice and the grated lemon rind. Cook gently until thick, about forty minutes, and seal as usual, or sterilize in jars. Pineapple Marmalade Pare and remove the eyes from four medium-sized 702 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK pineapples, which should be ripe, but not soft. Shred the pineapple, and add one orange sliced very thin and a thinly-sliced lemon. Cook the mixture for a few min- utes until reduced in bulk, then measure and stir in two- thirds the amount of sugar. Simmer until thick and translucent. Then seal in sterilized jelly glasses. Orange Marmalade 4 oranges Sugar 3 lemons Water 2 grapefruit Slice the fruit very thin, leaving on the rinds of three of the oranges and one grapefruit. Weigh and add two cupfuls of water to each pound of fruit, letting it stand twenty- four hours. Then boil for one hour, set aside in a cool place for twenty-four hours and to each pound of fruit juice add two cupfuls of sugar. Boil slowly for an hour, skimming as necessary, and pour into sterilized glasses, as usual, or sterilize in jars if desired. Be care- ful to omit the seeds and use thin-skinned fruit if possible. Kumquat Marmalade 2 quarts kumquats Water 2 lemons \ pound pecan nut meats Sugar (optional) Wash the kumquats, cut in quarters, rejecting the seeds ; slice the lemons, taking out the seeds, weigh com- bined fruits and add two cupfuls of water to each pound of fruit, letting it stand twenty-four hours. Then boil gently for an hour, drain the fruit from the liquid and chop it. Return the pulp to the liquid, measure it, add an equal quantity of sugar and boil gently till thick. If the nuts are to be used, they should be added with the sugar. Seal as usual in sterilized glasses. Fig Conserve i pound dried "figs 2 cupfuls chopped walnut 3 cupfuls sugar meats \ cupful orange juice 2 cupfuls^ raisins, halved cupful lemon juice Grated rind one orange Wash the figs and soak over night with the raisins in water to cover. Cook until tender in the same water, CANNING, PRESERVING AND PICKLING 703 then chop fine and simmer until almost thick enough. Then stir in the nut meats, finish cooking and seal in sterilized glasses. Cranberry Conserve I quart cranberries I cupful raisins i cupful water 2 cupfuls sugar Juice and pulp 2 oranges Cook the cranberries, oranges, raisins and water to- gether until the cranberries burst, and the whole mixture is soft. Add the sugar, let simmer until thick and seal as usual in sterilized glasses. Yellow Tomato Preserves 6 pounds yellow tomatoes i cupful minced green gin- i pound sugar ger root Juice and grated rind of i lemon Blanch the tomatoes and remove the skins. Add the sugar, the lemon juice and rind and the ginger root. Let stand over night, then cook gently until half done. Pour into jars. Adjust the rubbers and caps and sterilize twenty minutes in the hot-water-bath outfit, or fifteen minutes in the water-seal or five-pound steam-pressure outfit. Preserved Pears with Ginger 8 pounds winter pears 6 lemons 5 pounds sugar i pound candied ginger Blanch the pears, remove the skins and cut the pulp in small pieces. Slice the lemons very thin, leaving on the rind of two of them. Chop the ginger and add it to the pears with the sugar and lemons. Cover and let stand twenty-four hours ; then simmer until translucent. Pour into jars, adjust the rubbers and caps and cook ten minutes in the hot-water-bath outfit. Preserved Cherries Select sour red cherries. Remove the stones. Put the cherries in alternate layers in the preserving kettle, with half their weight in sugar, and one-fourth their weight in honey. (All sugar may be used if desired.) Let stand twenty-four hours, and then simmer gently 704 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK until the cherries are tender. Pour into glass jars, ad- just the caps and rubbers, and sterilize ten minutes in the hot-water-bath outfit. Green Tomato Preserves 4 quarts green tomatoes, i pint water sliced 3 cupfuls sugar 4 lemons Wash the lemons and slice very thin. Simmer in the water until the rinds are tender; turn in the tomatoes and simmer until translucent. Then add the sugar. Cook until thick and rich and pour into sterilized jars, filling them full. Adjust the rubbers and caps and ster- ilize ten minutes in the hot-water-bath outfit. Preserved Strawberries Hull the berries and measure them. Allow an equal quantity of sugar. Place in alternate layers with the sugar in the preserving kettle, let stand a few moments, then bring rapidly to boiling point, stirring all the time, and boil for ten minutes. Pour into sterilized glasses, and, when cool, seal with paraffine. Preserved Strawberries Cold Method Wash and hull the berries. Weigh them, and then weigh out once and a quarter their weight in sugar. Mash the berries and put a layer in a scalded stone crock. Add a layer of sugar and then one of berries and con- tinue until all are used. Stand in a cold place for twenty-four hours, stirring occasionally, then seal in sterilized jars. SUN-DRIED PRESERVES (COOKED METHOD) Raspberries, Strawberries and Cherries Wash the fruit and hull the strawberries, or stone the cherries. Look over the raspberries carefully to see that there are no insects. Weigh the fruit, and to each pound allow one pound of granulated sugar. Put in alternate layers with the sugar in a preserving kettle and heat slowly. Set the kettle on an asbestos mat, so that the fruit will not burn, but it will not be necessary to stir it. CANNING, PRESERVING AND PICKLING 705 Boil gently for eight minutes, then pour into large enamel pans or platters to about one-fourth inch in thickness. Let stand in the hot sun for a day when it should be thickened or slightly jellied. If the sun is not very hot, it may be necessary to let it stand for two days. A good place is a piazza, roof which has a metal top. Store in sterilized jars and seal with paraffine. Sun-Dried Fruits (Uncooked Method) Ripe apricots, peaches, cherries, raspberries and straw- berries may be preserved in this way. Hull the strawberries, remove the skins from the peaches and apricots, and stone the cherries according to the fruit that is to be used. Slice the apricots or peaches thin. Lay on enamel pans or platters ; sprinkle thickly with granulated sugar. Use the same method for the strawberries or cherries. Let stand in the hot sun for a day or two, but take the fruit in at night, and turn it over occasionally. Care must be taken to select only perfect fruit. Store in sterilized jars and seal with par- affine. Preserved Kumquats 2 quarts kumquats 4 cupfuls water 4 cupfuls sugar Blanch the kumquats, then boil up in cold water. Drain and repeat the process. Make a syrup of the sugar and water, boiling it for fifteen minutes, and then add the kumquats, cooking them until they are translucent. By this time the syrup will be thick and rich. Store in sterilized jars, filling them full to overflowing, and placing on the sterilized rubbers and tops. If desired, a cupful of honey or of white corn syrup may replace one cupful of sugar. Baked Strawberry Preserve Wash and hull the strawberries. Measure, and to each two heaping cupfuls allow a level cupful of sugar and two tablespoonfuls of hot water. Put in layers in a bean pot or other large baking dish, cover and let stand half an hour to start the juices. Then place in a cold oven and turn on both gas burners. After ten minutes turn off one and reduce the other burner half, or bake in 706 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK a slow coal or electric oven. Cook forty minutes. Transfer to sterilized glasses and seal with melted paraf- fme. To make a very rich jam, like the " sun-dried " variety, spread the oven-baked strawberries one-fourth of an inch deep on platters or enameled trays and bake very slowly for an hour. Seal as above. Baked Plum Preserve Wash the plums, remove the stones and measure the fruit. Then proceed as directed in Baked Strawberry Preserve. Purple plums are best for this purpose. Quince Honey 2 large quinces 2 cupfuls water I quart sugar Pare the quinces and grate them. In the meantime boil together the sugar and water for five minutes. Then add the quinces, and boil until they look translucent, about eight minutes. Place in sterilized jars and seal with melted paraffine. APPLE, PLUM, PEACH, GRAPE AND QUINCE BUTTER Wash the fruit thoroughly. Cut the hard fruits in pieces but do not remove skins or cores. Crush the grapes, if used. Cover the fruit with cold water, bring to boiling point and cook until soft. Then rub through a coarse sieve to remove the seeds and cores. Measure the pulp and to each quart allow half as much sugar, either granulated or light brown, and a tablespoonful of powdered cinnamon and J tablespoonful of ground clove. Return to the heat ; simmer until thick, and store in ster- ilized jars. The apple butter is improved if sweet cider is substituted for the water in the preliminary boiling. If desired, the pulp left from making jelly may be used in making these butters by adding more water, allowing the mixture to come to a boil and then proceeding as though fresh fruit had been used. If desired, a little fresh fruit may be added, and the sifted fruit combined CANNING, PRESERVING AND PICKLING 707 with it. Combinations of fruits may be used in making these butters as equal parts of apples and quinces, peaches and apples, or plums and apples. Tomato Butter Use yellow or red tomatoes. Plunge them into hot water, remove the skins and stew the tomatoes with a few cloves and a little stick of cinnamon. Sift the mix- ture and to each quart of pulp allow two-thirds as much granulated or light brown sugar. Stew very slowly until the mixture is thick, and store in stone crocks. A mix- ture of tomato and apple gives delicious results. CANNING FRUIT JUICES The juice from any type of fruit may be canned, the method being the same for all kinds, the only difference being that if dry or hard fruits are used, it will be neces- sary to add a little water to start the juices, while if soft fruits are used, like grapes or blackberries, the water is not necessary. It is an economy of space and jars to make the fruit juice very condensed, diluting it, when using, with the desired amount of water. A much better color and flavor is obtained if the fruit is not cooked directly over the heat, but rather is steamed. The amount of sugar to be used depends upon the kind of fruit juice, but, generally speaking, from one-half to a cupful of sugar is ample for a quart of juice if a sweet result is desired. But if it is not practicable to add the sugar when the fruit juice is being put up, it will keep equally well without it, and if desired may be used late'r on in the season for making jellies. When there are a great many apples on hand they may form the basis for delicious jellies made with an apple foundation combined with any desired proportion of canned fruit juices, the flavor of the jelly being almost as good as when the more expensive fruit is entirely used. Method for Soft Fruits Wash and crush the fruit in a good-sized preserving kettle. To each peck of fruit allow a pint of water. Set this kettle in a hot-water bath, that is, a kettle of larger 708 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK size containing hot water, and steam the fruit until it is tender and the juices run freely. Strain through a flannelette jelly bag. Pour the juice into jars or bottles with patent tops. Adjust the rubbers and tops and ster- ilize thirty minutes for pint jars and sixty minutes for larger jars, in the hot-water-bath 5 pouring in water only to the necks of the bottles, if used. Method for Hard Fruits Hard fruit juices may be obtained in the same way by using more water and cooking the fruit in the kettle for a longer time. If sugar is to be added, it should be mixed into the strained juice. If the bag is squeezed, the juice will be cloudy, but it may be used as " seconds " for jelly-mak- ing. If ordinary bottles are used, they should be filled with the liquid, and boiled in the water-bath as for the patent bottles, the tops being stuffed with absorbent cot- ton. The tops should be dipped in melted paraffine to form a perfect seal. JELLY-MAKING Success in jelly-making largely depends, not upon " good luck or bad luck " but upon whether or not pec- tin (a vegetable starch that stiffens the jelly) is present in sufficient quantities to make it harden. Most of the pectin is present in the skins and cores of the fruits and is found in greater abundance in under-ripe fruit, and in lesser amount in fruit that is ripe. So, if possible, choose fruits that are a little green, or at least not over-ripe. Wash the fruit, and> if it is of a juicy type like cur- rants or grapes, crush it in a preserving kettle, setting this in turn in a larger utensil containing hot water to form a hot-water bath. Cook gently until the fruit is tender and the juice is running freely. Then drain through a flannelette jelly bag, but do not squeeze it if a clear effect is desired. In using hard fruits, as apples, add enough water to keep them from burning and boil them until they are soft. Testing the Juices for Pectin To make sure that the jelly will stiffen, put 2 teaspoon- fuls of the unboiled and unsweetened juice in a tumbler CANNING, PRESERVING AND PICKLING 709 and add 2 teaspoonfuls of grain alcohol. Stir until well- mixed, and let stand for half an hour. If a jelly-like substance collects in the bottom of the tumbler, it is evi- dent that pectin or the jelly -making principle of fruits is present. If pectin is lacking, boil a few apples (as these are rich in pectin), some green citron melon, or the white inner skin of a few oranges, and add it to the fruit juices. This inner skin of the oranges may be saved the year through and dried to be ready for such an emergency. Finishing the Jelly Measure the juice. Then bring to boiling point and boil rapidly for twenty minutes. Add to this three-fourths the quantity of granulated sugar, warmed in the oven, or one-half the quantity of sugar, and one-fourth the quan- tity of white corn syrup. Boil briskly until two rows of drops form on the end of a spoon held sidewise. The temperature is usually about 220 F. Pour into steril- ized glasses. Let stiffen and, when cool, seal with melted paraffine. Most common fruits may be made into jellies if they are sound, not too ripe, although pear jelly is difficult to make. If, however, the pears are combined with apples this difficulty may be overcome. Apples and cranberries in the proportion of one quart of cranberries to a peck of apples; apples and quinces, in the proportion of 2 quinces to 2 quarts of apples ; apples, with any other canned fruit juices in the proportion of a quart of juice to a peck of apples, will make delicious jelly. Green- skinned apples alone make a clear amber jelly and red- skinned apples make jelly of a deep pink color. Cur- rants and raspberries, or loganberries, are delicious in combination, while blackberries may be reinforced by apples to keep down expense. Barberries and apples in the proportion of a quart of barberries and a peck of apples make a delicious jelly. They are especially suit- able to serve with game. Elderberries may be used either alone or in combination with equal parts of ripe grapes or currants. It is usually customary to make jellies of the fruit juices and sugar only, but if desired a little whole spice may be cooked with the fruit juice, a little orange or 7io MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK lemon rind may be added, or, in case the juice seems in- sipid, a little lemon juice. Old-fashioned cooks still use a rose geranium leaf or a spray of lemon verbena in their apple jelly. PICKLING The making of ordinary sour or sweet pickles, as gher- kins or green tomatoes, may be successfully done at home, without the use of preserving powders, alum, or a copper or brass kettle to make them green. All of these methods of preserving the color are inimical to health and should be absolutely avoided. In making whole cucumber pickles, select the fresh vegetable, and brush rather than wash them. They should then be put in brine because the brine draws out the moisture and therefore makes a more compact and firm pickle. Because salt is a preservative the prelim- inary soaking in brine also assists in keeping the pickles for an indefinite period. The brine should not be too strong lest it soften the vegetable. Brine for Pickles Add enough ordinary salt to a quart of water to float a fresh egg .about one-half cupful. To Keep Pickles Green The old-fashioned method of lining the preserving kettle in pickle-making with grape leaves, cabbage leaves and covering the mixture with them, gives a delicious flavor and assists in retaining the color. A few cherry leaves or tendrils of grape vines are an addition. Sour Cucumber Pickles Let the cucumbers stand in a brine for twenty- four hours. Then drain them. Cover with pickle vinegar, and bring to boiling point. Transfer the pickles to jars and cover with the vinegar. -Sour Pickling Vinegar 1 quart vinegar One 3-inch strip stick cinna- 2 teaspoonfuls whole black mon, broken pepper I teaspoonful celery seed From i to 2 teaspoonfuls i teaspoonful whole cloves grated horseradish I teaspoonful mustard seed i tablespoonful brown sugar CANNING, PRESERVING AND PICKLING 711 Bring to boiling point. Boil a minute or two and cool before pouring over the pickles. Sweet Cucumber Pickles Soak small gherkins in the brine, as directed. Finish as in the preceding recipe, using sweet pickling vinegar. Sweet Pickling Vinegar Add a cupful of sugar to the ingredients for making sour pickling vinegar. Green Tomato Pickle Wash four quarts of green tomatoes, peel five small onions and five green peppers. Slice or chop them, cover with a brine made as directed, and let stand over night. In the morning, drain and add once the recipe for sour pickling vinegar. Simmer for twenty minutes and seal in jars while hot. Sweet Green Tomato Pickle Wash five quarts of green tomatoes, and peel five onions. Slice, let stand over night in a brine made as directed. Drain, cover with sweet pickling vinegar and boil for fifteen minutes. Seal while hot. Piccalilli 1 peck green tomatoes i ounce white mustard seed 2 quarts sweet green pep- 2 ounces stick cinnamon pers broken 2 onions if ounces whole cloves i medium-sized cabbage i ounce whole allspice I head celery I cupful salt li cupfuls brown sugar Vinegar ii cupfuls granulated sugar Wash the tomatoes and peppers. Remove the bloom ends from the tomatoes and the seeds from the peppers. Peel the onions, and quarter the cabbage, removing the core. Clean the celery, and chop the vegetables sep- arately. Put in a preserving kettle in alternating layers with the salt and let stand over night. Then drain off the liquid. Tie the spices in a bit of cheescloth. Add to the vegetable mixture with the sugar. Cover with 712 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK vinegar, gradually heat and simmer till the vegetables are translucent. Transfer to sterilized jars, and seal. Cucumber Chowchow 3 quarts chopped, seeded 6 tablespoonfuls celery seed cucumbers ii teaspoonfuls white pepper ii quarts chopped onions Salt ii pints chopped green pep- Vinegar to cover pers Combine the cucumber, onion and peppers, and sprin- kle them sparingly with salt. About two tablespoonfuls and a half will be sufficient. Cover and let stand over night in a cool place. In the morning add the celery seed and the pepper, together with vinegar to cover, and store. This should not be cooked. A head of celery, or two cupfuls of finely-chopped cabbage, may be added if desired. Stuffed Vegetable Pickles or Mangoes The term " mangoes " in reality covers all sorts of stuffed, pickled vegetables, as cucumbers, large green tomatoes, green peppers and small green watermelons or green cantaloupes. If cucumbers are used, they should be short and stubby. Tomatoes should be just turning ripe, and melons be of about the same size. Cucum- bers should be pared, and the tops cut off and the seeds scooped out, forming cups. Tomatoes should not be peeled, slices from the stem ends should be removed and the pulp taken out. Peppers should have the stem ends cut off to form lids, and the seeds removed, and melons should have thin sections removed and the seeds taken out. The vegetable should then be put to soak over night in brine made in the proportion of a cupful of salt to two quarts of water. In the meantime, the stuffing may be prepared ready for use in the morning. It is impossible to give the exact amount, as it varies with the size of the vegetable cavities, but roughly the following propor- tions are ample to stuff two dozen medium-sized green peppers, and other vegetables of comparative size : 4 quarts of finely-chopped 3 cupfuls chopped onion cabbage i tablespoonful ground clove 2 quarts finely-chopped eel- i tablespoonful ground cin- ery namon CANNING, PRESERVING AND PICKLING 713 i tablespoonful pepper i tablespoonful mustard seed i tablespoonful allspice Mix, cover and let stand over night; then fill the cavities, replace the tops, fastening them with twine or toothpicks, cover with cold vinegar and let stand over night. The next day simmer for half an hour in the vinegar. Remove, put in a stone crock, and cover with fresh cold vinegar. This completes the process for to- mato and pepper mangoes. In making melon and cu- cumber mangoes, pour off this vinegar, after standing twenty-four hours, add a half cupful of sugar to each quart, and pour scalding hot over the mangoes. Repeat this for three or four mornings. Sweet Pickled Vegetables 2\ cupfuls mild vinegar 2 teaspoonful whole cloves i cupful sugar Grating of lemon rind 2, small bay leaves i inch of stick cinnamon Boil together for twenty minutes ; add three cupfuls or more of cooked shredded carrots, being sure that the vinegar covers them, or substitute cooked cauliflower, separated from the flowerets, Brussels sprouts, sliced cooked beets, or cooked string beans. If desired, this can be made into a mixed vegetable pickle. It is always advisable to let the vegetables simmer for five minutes in the pickle. If beets are used, thinly sliced onions and a little caraway seed may be added. Sweet Pickled Pears, Peaches or Crab Apples I peck of peaches, pears or i quart mild vinegar crab apples i ounce stick cinnamon 2. pounds brown sugar Whole cloves Make a syrup of the sugar, vinegar and cinnamon, boiling it ten minutes. Blanch the fruit. Remove the skins from the peaches, but leave on the skins of the crab apples or pears. Stick each fruit with four or five cloves, and cook the fruit, a few at a time, in the syrup until soft. Transfer to sterilized jars, and, when the jars are full, pour over boiling syrup, adjust the rubbers and caps and sterilize ten minutes in a hot-water-bath. 714 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Spiced Grape 7 pounds grapes i tablespoonful ground cin- 4 pounds brown sugar namon i quart mild vinegar i tablespoonful ground clove i teaspoonful white pepper Pulp the grapes and cook gently till the seeds are sep- arated. Rub through a sieve and add the skins, sugar and the vinegar. Cook an hour and a half or until the skins are tender. Add the spices and cook ten minutes. Seal hot in sterilized jars. Spiced Rhubarb 10 cupfuls diced rhubarb 8 cupfuls granulated sugar i pint good cider vinegar 2 teaspoonfuls cinnamon i teaspoonfuls cloves Add the vinegar to the unpeeled rhubarb and let it sim- mer until the rhubarb is soft. Then turn in the sugar and spices and simmer until of the consistency of marma- lade. If a tart preserve is preferred, less sugar may be used. Store in sterilized jars, and cover with paraffine when cold. Sweet Pickled Cherries, or Home-Made Maraschino Cherries Select large ox-heart cherries. Wash them and re- move the pits. Let stand for a day or two, covered with mild vinegar, and then put in jars in alternating layers with granulated sugar. Cover with vinegar and stir every day for a week. Let stand for a month or two and then add to each quart jar a teaspoonful of pure cherry extract and a drop or two of almond extract. They will keep indefinitely without sealing. Apple Chutney 18 spur apples il cupfuls currant or other 3 minced sweet green pep- tart jelly pers i cupfuls sugar i minced onion- Juice 4 lemons 11 cupfuls seeded and 12 tablespoonfuls ground chopped raisins ginger li pints cider vinegar 1 teaspoonful cayenne i tablespoonful salt Pare, core and chop the apples and the onion. Remove the seeds and cores of the peppers and chop the flesh fine. CANNING, PRESERVING AND PICKLING 715 Put the ingredients together in the order given and sim- mer until thick. Seal hot in sterilized jars. Tomato Chutney Sauce 18 apples 3 cupfuls sugar 18 ripe tomatoes 2 tablespoonfuls ground gin- 6 green peppers ger 18 small onions 2 tablespoonfuls salt 1 4 cupfuls seeded raisins i teaspoonful cayenne pepper 3 cupfuls vinegar ' Juice of five lemons Peel the tomatoes, pare the apples and onions and re- move the seeds from the peppers. Chop finely all to- gether ; add the other ingredients in the order given, and simmer until thick, or for about three hours. Store hot in sterilized jars. Corn and Bean Relish i quart of corn cut from the 3 chopped green peppers cob 2 cupfuls sugar 1 quart shelled fresh lima i cupful flour beans i cupful salt 2 cupfuls diced celery I teaspoonful mustard 4 cupfuls finely-shaved cab- J teaspoonful cayenne pepper bage i teaspoonful of turmeric 1 cupful chopped onions (optional) 2 quarts mild vinegar Put the vegetables into the preserving kettle ; add half the vinegar, and mix the balance with the other ingredi- ents ; combine and simmer for an hour, or until the beans are soft. If old, however, they should be parboiled for fifteen minutes before combining with the other vegeta- bles. Seal hot in sterilized jars. Pickled Nasturtium Seeds Nasturtium seeds may be pickled in either a sweet or sour vinegar. Follow the directions for making sweet or sour cucumber pickles, substituting nasturtium seeds for the cucumbers. Tomato Catsup i peck of ripe tomatoes ii tablespoonfuls whole 4 cupfuls mild vinegar cloves 1 tablespoonful whole all- i cupful sugar spice i clove garlic 2 tablespoonfuls broken cm- 3 tablespoonfuls salt namon sticks i tablespoonful red pepper ;i6 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Wash the tomatoes, cut them in small pieces and cook until soft and pulpy, with the garlic chopped. Then sift. Add the spices, tied in a bit of cheesecloth, and the vine- gar, together with the seasonings, and simmer until the pulp is thick about four hours. Remove the spice bag. Store boiling hot in sterilized bottles dipping the tops in melted paraffine. Chili Sauce 24 medium-sized ripe toma- 2 tablespoonfuls whole toes cloves 7 green peppers 2 tablespoonfuls broken 3 onions stick cinnamon 2 tablespoonfuls salt 2 cupfuls vinegar cupful brown sugar Blanch the tomatoes and remove the blossom ends. Chop fine with the peeled onions and the peppers, from which the seeds have been removed. Put in a preserving kettle with all the other ingredients (the spices tied in cloth), and cook slowly, stirring constantly for an hour and a half, or until thick. Pour hot in sterilized jars and seal. Herb Vinegars Tarragon vinegar. Loosely fill a pint jar with fresh tarragon leaves. Cover with cider vinegar, put on the top, let stand in a sunny place for three weeks and strain. A few peppercorns may be added if desired. Mint vinegar. Follow the directions given for making tarragon vinegar, substituting mint for the tarragon. Chervil vinegar. Follow the directions given for mak- ing tarragon vinegar, substituting chervil for the tarra- gon. Celery vinegar. Follow the directions given for mak- ing tarragon vinegar, substituting celery tips for the tar- ragon. Nasturtium vinegar. Follow the directions given {or making tarragon vinegar, substituting a cupful of nastur- tium seeds for the tarragon. Garlic vinegar. Bruise two or three cloves of garlic and follow the directions given for tarragon vinegar. CANNING, PRESERVING AND PICKLING 717 DRYING OR EVAPORATING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES Equipment Vegetables and fruits can be dried in the oven, in trays, or racks over the kitchen stove, or in a specially con- structed dryer, for there are several on the market which give satisfactory results. The small cook-stove dryers, or evaporators, are like ovens and are usually made of galvanized sheet iron, or of wood and galvanized iron in combination. They are suit- able for use on the top of an ordinary wood or coal range, or a kerosene stove. They are equipped with a series of small trays on which fruits or vegetables are placed after the preliminary preparation for drying. In case a large amount is to be dried in a day, as, for instance, ten bushels of fruit, a portable out-door evapo- rator is especially convenient. Or, a home-made dry kiln can be cheaply and easily constructed of brick and stone. A home-made, cook-stove dryer is inexpensive and easy to make. The dimensions should be 24 by 16 inches and the height 36 inches. A galvanized sheet-iron base 6 inches high should be made according to these dimen- sions. This should flare slightly towards the bottom and should have two small openings for ventilation in each of the four sides. A box-like frame 30 inches high, made of i or i^ inch strips of wood, should be fitted to the base, the two sides being braced with ij inch strips of wood, placed at intervals of 3 inches. These form racks on which the trays may rest in the dryer. The frame should then be covered with tin or galvanized sheet iron, which may be tacked to the wooden strips of the frame. If more convenient, thin boards may be used instead of tin or sheet iron. The door should have small hinges, a latch or hook and should open wide. The bottom of the dryer should be made of perforated galvanized sheet iron. Two inches above this bottom a solid sheet of galvanized iron, three inches less in length and width, should be rested on two wires, fastened to the sides of the dryer. This will prevent the direct heat from coming in contact with the product, allows a free circulation of heat and acts as a radiator. 7i8 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK A dryer of this size will hold eight trays, 21 by 15 inches. The frame should be made of one-inch strips of wood on which galvanized screen wire should be tacked. The reason that these trays are not so large as the dryer is because it is necessary to have currents of heated air circulating over the product as well as through it. And to produce this effect, the first tray must be placed three inches aboye the radiator and pushed to the back, leaving a space in front. The next tray is even with the front, leaving a three-inch space in the back, and the other trays alternate in the same way. A ventilator should be left in the top of the dryer so that the moist air may pass away through it. If the drying is to be done in the oven, convenient trays can be made of galvanized wire screen, with the edges bent up an inch. Or, trays of this type may be pur- chased at a reasonable figure in sizes to fit all standard gas range ovens. As many trays as possible should be used in an oven at one time, and if a gas, or kerosene, stove is being used, an extra tray or two may be placed on rests on top of the oven as well. A very simple device for drying, which is still in use in some districts, consists of a good-sized wooden frame, about as large as the top of the coal or wood stove. After being covered with a galvanized screen, it is inverted and suspended from the ceiling above the stove, by means of ropes and pulleys. The vegetable or fruit is pre- pared, put on the screen and, when the fire is very hot, the rack is pulled up, away from the intense heat, and when the fire is slow, it should be lowered. GENERAL METHODS FOR DRYING OR EVAPO- RATING VEGETABLES Drying or evaporating may be accomplished entirely by artificial heat, or by a combination of sun and artificial heat. The former method is to be preferred as the weather is not always dependable. The reason that ar- tificial heat is used in conjunction with the sunshine, is so that all insect eggs may be killed before the product is stored. The sun-dried products are darker in color, but have as good flavor. CANNING, PRESERVING AND PICKLING 719 The vegetables must be absolutely fresh, young and tender; they should be thoroughly washed and cleaned. Only well-scoured knives should be used in paring or cutting. All vegetables should be blanched, as in canning by the new method, that is to say, they are prepared, placed in a wire basket, or cheesecloth bag, plunged into boiling water, for a given length of time, removed, drained and dried on towels, or by exposing them to the sun and air. This process insures a thorough cleaning, removes strong odors and flavors, softens and loosens the fiber and al- lows the moisture to evaporate more quickly and evenly. At the same time, the albuminous matter has been coagu- lated, thus hindering the escape of flavors. The vegetable should then be spread in a thin layer on the trays. The temperature should be started at 110 F. This can best be determined by an oven thermometer which can be secured at low cost. However, if one is not at hand, 110 F. may be secured in most gas ovens by having the gas lighted for about two minutes. In most kerosene ovens, in about the same time, and in a coal oven by having a very low fire and the oven door a little more than half open. The temperature should be gradually increased to 145 F. The length of time required for drying vegetables varies with the size and the amount of water they con- tain. Generally the process takes from two and a half to seven hours, most vegetables being completed in the shorter time. The products are dry when they are brit- tle. The vegetables should be stirred, or turned, during the drying, trays should be moved from the lower part of the oven or dryer to the top to equalize the heat, and as the vegetables are dried two or more trays can often be com- bined, leaving space for a fresh lot, and making possible economy of both time and heat. If the oven is used, the door should be left slightly open. STORING DRIED VEGETABLES AND FRUITS The best container is a tin box, pail, glass jar or can, all fitted with tight covers ; lard pails, baking powder 720 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK cans, cocoa cans and the like should be treasured for this purpose. In case there are not enough cans for storing, small paper bags may be used, enough being put into each bag for one or two meals. This obviates opening large quantities. The bags should be labeled the up- per parts then being twisted to form necks which should be tied tight with string. To make the bags practically moisture- and insect-proof, paint them all over with a coat of melted paraffine applied with a brush, or frayed- end of a rope. These bags should be stored in a large tin con- tainer with a tight fitting cover, as a cracker can, large lard pail, or flour can. Paraffine-coated paper containers may be used and stored as the bags. Those who are for- tunate enough to have left over some of the prepared paper cooking bags in vogue some years ago will find them invaluable for this purpose. In this case, the tops should be folded over, twice fastened with clips and paraffined, the bags then being stored as directed. On first thought it may seem that the storage room needed for dried products will prove a serious problem in small houses, but when it is realized that a hundred pounds of fresh vegetables will average but ten pounds when dried, the matter takes care of itself, and the woman who has no room to store cans of fruits and vegetables will be able to provide food for her family through this condensing method. All dried products should be examined occasionally to make sure that no insect life has developed. Upon the slightest appearance of insects the product should be spread in thin layers in the sun until the insects disap- pear; then heated to a temperature of 160 F., and care- fully re-stored. They should be allowed to stand a while to absorb a little moisture before being stored. Dried Wax or String Beans All varieties "of string beans can be dried. Wash and string them carefully. Young and tender beans should be kept whole; those that are full-grown being cut in lengths up to an inch rather than snapped. They should then be blanched six minutes for tender beans, ten minutes for mature beans, in boiling water containing a CANNING, PRESERVING AND PICKLING 721 half teaspoonful of soda to the gallon. Finish accord- ing to the general method for drying vegetables, starting the temperature at 110 F. and raising gradually to 145 F. Dried Green Lima Beans Shell the beans, wash and blanch them as described from five to ten minutes according to maturity. Finish according to the general method for drying vegetables, keeping the temperature the same as for string beans. Dried Garden Peas Shell and blanch the peas as described from three to five minutes and finish according to the general method for drying vegetables, keeping the temperature as for string beans. ' Sweet Corn Gather young and tender corn, remove the husks and silk and boil or steam it on the cob from eight to ten minutes to set the milk. In boiling, use a teaspoonful of salt to four quarts of water. Drain well. Cut the corn from the cob with a sharp knife, only half way down to the cob. Scrape out the remainder of the grain, being careful not to include any of the hull. Dry as directed in string beans. If field corn is used, select plump, roasting ears. To dry corn in the sun, prepare it as directed, diy it for fifteen minutes in the oven, completing the process in the sun. It should then be heated to 160 F. to kill any insect eggs. Dried Carrots, Parsnips, Kalarabi, Celeriac and Salsify Clean, scrape or pare the vegetables and slice to one- eighth inch thickness. Blanch as described for six minutes and complete the process according to the gen- eral method for drying vegetables, starting the tempera- ture at 110 F. and raising it gradually to 150 F. Dried Onions and Leek Wash the onions and peel and slice them in quarter- inch slices holding them under water. Blanch as de- scribed for five minutes in boiling water and complete ac- cording to the general method of drying vegetables, be- 722 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK ginning at 110 R, and raising the temperature gradually to 140 F. Leek should be cut in quarter-inch strips. Dried Beets Wash the beets, cut off the tops to within an inch of the beet and boil them with the skins on until three- fourths done, about forty-five minutes for young beets, then dip in cold water, peel and slice to one-fourth inch thickness and complete according to the general method for drying vegetables, starting at 110 F., and gradually increasing the temperature to 150 F. Dried Pumpkin, Summer Squash, and Celery Cut the pumpkin or squash in half-inch strips and the celery in one-inch strips. Blanch as described three minutes and finish according to the general method for drying vegetables, starting them. at 110 F. and gradu- ally increasing to 150 F. Dried Herbs, Celery Tips, Parsley, Etc. Wash well and dry in the sun or in the dryer ; blanch- ing is not necessary. All herbs and mushroom trim- mings may be kept in this way. Method for Drying or Evaporating Fruits In very dry climates fruits may be evaporated entirely in the sun, although this causes considerable discolora- tion. For home use, fruit may be dried in the hot sun until the surface begins to wrinkle and may then be fin- ished in the dryer, according to the general methods de- scribed in evaporating vegetables. Select only fresh ripe fruit, wash it, prepare as neces- sary and spread it upon the drying trays which have been lined with wrapping paper or cheesecloth to prevent any possibility of chemical action between the fruit acids and the metal. The "ability to judge accurately when fruit has reached the proper condition for removal from the dryer can be gained only by experience. It should be so dry that it is impossible to press water out of the freshly cut ends of the pieces and so that none of the natural grain of the fruit will show when it is broken. It CANNING, PRESERVING AND PICKLING 723 should be leathery and pliable, but not so dry that it will snap or crackle. Cool the fruit quickly as otherwise it will shrivel and look unattractive. Dried Berries Of All Kinds Wash the berries, free them from leaves and stems, handling them carefully to prevent bruising. Drain them on towels, or expose to the summer air for a few minutes to remove the surface moisture, then spread in thin layers on the trays and dry according to the general method described in drying vegetables, raising the tem- perature gradually from 110 F. to 125 F. during the first two hours. When a considerable portion of mois- ture has evaporated the temperature may be brought higher than 130 F., but if this is done before, there will be loss of juice by dripping and consequent loss of flavor and color. Finish drying the berries at 140 F. for two or three hours longer. Dried Cherries Wash but do not stone the cherries. Remove the sur- face moisture as directed in dried berries, spread in thin layers on the trays and finish according to the general method for drying vegetables starting at 110 F. and in- creasing to 150 F. It will take about four hours. Dried Plums Select good-sized medium-ripe plums. Pour over boiling water, cover and let stand twenty minutes. Drain, remove the surface moisture as in berries and finish according to the general method for drying vege- tables, starting at 110 F., and increasing gradually to 150 F. Apples and Pears Pare, core and cut the fruit in "eighths, or core and slice in rings. Dip as fast as a small amount is prepared f6r a minute in a cold salt bath to prevent discoloration, using an ounce of salt to a gallon of water. Remove the surface moisture as in berries and finish according to the general method for drying vegetables, starting at 110 F., and increasing to 150 F. The pears may be steamed ten minutes before drying. 724 MRS. ALLEN'S COOK BOOK Dried Peaches Peaches are usually dried unpeeled, although they may be blanched and the skins removed if desired. In either case, cut them in halves, remove the pits, lay in the trays, pit-side up and finish according to the method given for dried vegetables, and at the same temperature as apples. INDEX Acid, foods, 2, 15-19 tannic, 133 Acorns, Chocolate, 653 Ade, Cranberry, 142 Loganberry, 139 Orange, 139 Syrup for, 138-139 Raspberry, 139 Rhubarb, 140 Albumin, Milk, 683 Water, 683 Almond Biscuits, 213 Ring, 209 Almonds, Canoe Club, 650 To Salt, 658 Aluminum Utensils, 76 Anchovy Paste, 233 Angelica, To Prepare, 621 Appetizers, 4, 233-239 Apple Butter, 706-707 Chutney, 714 Cups with Rice, 150 Dumplings, Baked, 524 Steamed, 525 Rice, 521 Sauce, Baked, 150 Strudel, 641 Apples, as food, 3, 16-18 Baked in Maple Syrup, 150 Broiled, 149 Coddled, 5, 150 Crab, Stewed Pickled, 713- 7M Cranberry Style, 151 Dried, 723 Jellied, 547-548 West India Baked, 149 with Baked Pork Chops, 337 Apples, continued with Cheese, 149 Apricot Jam, Dried, 158 Apricots, Crystallized, 656 Dried Jellied, 548 Artichokes, French or Globe, 420 Jerusalem, 420 Omelet of, 182 Asparagus, Boiled, Plain, 437 Cooked like Peas, 437 Creamed Canned, 437 Food value of, 15 Loaf, 438 Shortcake, 439 Timbales of, Canned, 438- 439 Vinaigrette, 437~438 with Parmesan Cheese, 438 Scrambled Eggs, 176 B Bacon, Baked, 362 Food value of, 2, 14 Fried, 361-362 . Fried, Liver and, 352 How to Buy, 321 Liver and, 352 with Scrambled Eggs, 176 with String Beans, 422 with Sweet Potatoes, 407 Balance, Principles of, 27 in the Luncheon, 46-47 Ballast in the Diet, 6-7, 15- 19, 30. Banana Bavarian, 553 v Banana Cup, 153 Bananas, Baked with Raisins, 146 Baked with Cranberry Sauce, 146 725 728 INDEX Bread, continued Jelly, 214-215 Making of, 188-190, 194 Mixer, 192-193 Nut, 199 Proportions of Loaf of, 193- 194 Prune, 230 Pudding, and Jam, 215 Eggless, 215 Quick, 218-232 Entire Wheat Meal, 229- 230 Graham, 230 Nut, 230-231 Rice, 191, 197 Rich, 2 Rye, 191 Unkneaded,. 197 Savory, 213 Salt-Rising, 195 Spiced, 198 Sponge, 193 Stale, Ways to Use, 209-217 Steam Cooking of, 115 Steaming, 219 Swedish Sweet, 200 Tomato and Cheese Stew, 213 Varieties 'of, 190-191 Yeast, 188-217 Brown, 200-201 White, 195, 197-198 Breakfast, 56-59 Children's, 44-45 Broiling, I, n, 271 Pan, 324 Broth, 10 Beef, 679-680 Chicken, 681 Egg, 680 Fish, 263 Food value of, 2 Brownies, Fudge, 6n Brussels Sprouts, - au Gratin, 420 with Chestnuts, 418 Bulk of food, 2, 5, 7, 26 " Bunny Hug," 670 Buns, Hot Cross, 203 Buying, on Basis of Calories, 322-324 Butter, Apple, 706-707 as seasoning, 31 Chives, 500 Flavored, 499-500 Food value of, 3, 5-6, 12 Grape, 706-707 in the Diet, 38-39 Lemon, 499 Lobster, 500 Peach, 706-707 Pimento, 500 Plum, 706-707 Euince, 706-707 ardine, 500 Tomato, 707 Watercress, 499 Butter Cakes, New York Style, 222 Buttercups, 654 Buttermilk, 2, 18 Bread Muffins, 216 Cabbage, 2, 16, 30 au Gratin, 434 Creamed, 433 with Peppers, 433 Devilled, 435 Hot Slaw, 435-436 in Diet, 38 Quick, 433 Red, Sour, 436 Stewed, 436 Rolls, 435 Sour (Dutch), 434 Steamed Stuffed, 435 Stewed with Dumplings, 434 Caffein, 134-135 Cake, 2, 12, 14, 27, 583-606 Almond Loaf, 601 Angel, 591 (Cooked Syrup), 591-592 Apple Sauce, 602 Apricot, 601 Baking, 586 Banana, 602 Blueberry, 601 Caramel, 603-604 Cheese, German, 642 Choice of Ingredients for, 586-587 INDEX 729 Cake, continued Coffee, 2, 12 Corn, 229 Sour Milk Spider, 228- 229 Chocolate, 600 Eggless, 606 Fudge, 600 Cream, 603 Chocolate, 604 Country, 603 Date, 607 Devil's Food, 600 Fruit, Inexpensive Dark, 598 Light, 59&-599 Gold, 595 Small, 609 Hallowe'en, 608 Ice Cream Nut, 594-595 Icing, 620-621 Johnny, Eggless, 226 Layer and Loaf, 592-606 Lemon, Filled, 605 Little Mistletoe, 609 Partridge Berry, 609-610 Violet, 608 ' Loaf, 593 Making, 583-587 Maple, 603-604 Marshmallow, 603-604, 608 Milk, Hot, 598 Nut and Raisin, 597^598 One-Egg, 602-603 Orange, 606 Orange-Date, 604 Peach, 605 Pineapple, 605-606 Pound, 597 Fruit, 597 Prune and Nut, 594 Putting into a Pan, 585-586 Putting Together, 584-585 Raspberry, 602 Ribbon, 596-597 St. Valentine's, 596 Silver, 595-596 Snow Basket, 590 Spice, Buttermilk, 593 Coffee, 594 Marble. 593 Quick, 592 Cake, continued Sponge, Angel, 592 Butter, 611 Caramel, 589 Everyday, 588 Plain, 590 Swedish, 590 Strawberry, 596 Tea Crumb, 215-216 Utensils for, 583-584 Walnut, 595 Cream, 595 Wedding, 595 White, Delicate, 599-600 Without Shortening, 587-592 Cakes, Cup, 607-619 Currant, 609 Honey, 608 Maple, 610 One-Egg, 607 Cakes, Griddle, Bread Crumb, 223-224 Butter, 222 Cooking, 219-220 Plain, 223 Cakes, Little, 607-619 Calcium, 30 Calla Lilies, 238 Calories, as a Basis of Food Values, 19-26 Buying on a Basis of, 322- .3 2 4 Definition of, 19-20 Canapes, 233-236 Crab, 234 Caviar, egg, 234 Ham, potted, 234 Lobster, 234 Mushroom, 236 Oyster, 235-236 Peanut, 235 Butter, 235 Salmon, Smoked, 234 Tomato, 235 Candy, 2, 12-13 Making of, 644-660 Packing of, 645-646 Peppermint, 4 Pulled Molasses, 654 Using Thermometer for, 646 Wintergreen, 4 730 INDEX Canning, 687-724 Directions for, 687-688 Fish, 699 Fruit Juices, 707-708 Fruits, 692-695 Meats, 697-698 Outfits, 687-688 Powders, 691 Soups, 695-697 Time Table for, 692 Vegetables, 690-692 Cantaloupe Cups, 154 Caraway Seed, 72 Carbohydrates, 2-4, 22-23, 26 Place in Menu, 4, 11-13 Preparation of, 4, 11-13 Carbon Dioxide, 6 Carpels, 145 Carrots, 12, 15, 30 Creamed, 432 Dried, 721 en Casserole, 432-433 Glace, 432 Savory, 432 Straws, 433 with Butter Sauce, 433 Casein, n, see Cheese Casserole, En, 326 Beef, 332-333 Curried, 333 ..Short Ribs of, 333 Beef-Balls, 336 Carrots, 432-433 Chicken, Plain, 369 Combinations, 109 Cooking, 10, 105-111 Dishes, 8 Fruits, no-ill Halibut, 274-275 Smoked, 208 Ham, with Vegetables, 440 Lamb, 347 Left-Overs, 108-109 Liver, 353 Meat, 326 Menus, 107 Mutton Chops, "346 Oranges, 145 Pork, 356-357, 381 Salmon, Broiled, 295-296 Seasonings for, 109-110 Squirrel, 378 Thickening, 108 Casserole, En, continued Time of Cookery, 106-107 Utensils for, 105-106 Veal, Brown, 349 Vegetables, 1 10 Catsup, Tomato, 715-716 Cauliflower, 15, 30 au Gratin, 419 Baked, 417 and Mushrooms, 417 Creamed, 419 Fried Flowers of, 419-420 Greens, 419 Hollandaise, 419 Pudding, 418 with Diced Turnips, 417-418 Caviar, 233 Celeriac, 428 Brown, 428 Dried, 721 Celery, 37, 215, 233 and Cheese au Gratin, 421 Bouillon, 248 Club Style, 420 Creamed, 421 on Ham Toast, 421 Curls, 421 Dried, 722 Escalloped, with Cheese, 671 Fried Tips of, 422 Jelly, 422 Sticks, Roquefort, 672 Sardine, 238-239 Cellulose, 18 Cereals, 2, 6, 12-13, 18, 159-169 Bread and Nut, 210 Bread Breakfast, 210 Cooking of, 12 Denatured, 16 General Directions for Cook- ing, 159-160 Chafing Dish, 123-127 Menus for, 125-126 Serving Meals with, 126-127 Uses for, 124-125 Utensils for, 123-124 Charlotte, 539-541 Pineapple Bread, 531 Russe, Apple, 540-541 Blackberry, 540 Chocolate Filling, 540 INDEX 731 Charlotte, continued Pineapple, 541 Plain Filling, 540 Raspberry, 541 Checkerberries, 452 Crystallized, 657 Cheese, 2, 7^8, 31, 73, 661-673 and Bread Pudding, 212 Lima Bean Roll, 671 Tomato and Bread Stew, 213 as Meat Substitute, 661-662 Baked, 668-669 Balls and Prunes, 667 Moulded, 672 Cookery of, u, 661-662 Cottage, 672 Crackers, Rich, 671 Cream, 2, 31 Custard Macaroni, 668 Digestibility of, n, 661-662 Dreams, 670 Dutch, 672 Escalloped, 5 with Celery, 671 Food value of, 661-662 Kinds of, 662 Menus with, 663-666 Milk, Full, 2 Moulds, 670 Omelet, 181 Parmesan on Canned As- paragus, 438 Pastries, 642 Pimento, 672 Pudding, English, 667 Puffs, 668 Sauce, 668 Service of, 666-667 Souffle, 184 Sticks, 642 Toast, 668, 670-671 with Apples, 149 Scrambled Eggs, 176 Chemistry, of Cookery, 1-26 Food, 1-26 Cherries, Dried, 723 Home-Made Maraschino, 7'i4 Preserved, 703-704 Sweet Pickled, 714 Chestnuts, Bisque of, 261 Browned, 418 with Mushrooms, 418-419 Puree, 419 with Brussels Sprouts, 418 Chicken, 322, 366-372 a la King, 387 a la Martin, 386 and Celery in Rolls, 386 Boned a la Royale, 371 Bouillon, Iced, 248-249 Broiled, 8, 367 Broth, 681 Canned, 698 Casserole, Plain, 369 Southern Style, 369-370 Spanish, 370 Creamed with Asparagus, 386 Fricassee, 368-369 Fried, 369 Glace, Cold, 371-372 Italian, 371 Klopps, 385-386 Loaf, 384-385 Maryland, 370-371 Minced, 385 Mousse Loaf, 372 Old-Fashioned Pot Pie, 368 Pot Pourrie, 370 Potted, 368 Roast, 366-367 under Gas, 367 Savory, 385 Souffle, 186 Steamed, 366 Stew with Dumplings, 367- 368 Stuffing a la Royale, 371 Wiggle, 384 Chilaly, 670 Children, Coffee for, 135 Food Requirements of, 22- 23 Meals for, 40-49 Chili Con Carne, 336-337 Sauce, 4, 716 China, Choosing, 117 Chives Butter, 500 Chocolate, 136 Acorns, 653 732 INDEX Chocolate, continued Creams and Confections, 648-649 Creole, 136 Dipping, 647-648 Frozen, 568 Hot, 136 in Diet, 33 Maple, 649 Marshmallows, 649 Sweet, 2, 14, 33 Chops, Baked Pork with Apples, 337 Broiled in Paper, 684 Fish, 275 Halibut, 308-309 Lamb, 8, 343-345 Mutton, 346 Oyster, 278 Pork, 321 Veal, Breaded, 351 Chop Suey, 383 Chow Chow, 112 Chowder, 265-268 Codfish, 267-268 Salt, 268 Corn, 266 Green and Lima Bean, 267 Mexican, 267 Salmon, 265 Vegetable, 266 White Kidney Bean, 266 Christmas Joys, 656-657 Loaf, 649-650 Chutney, Apple, 714-715 Tomato, 715 Cider, 68 Cinnamon, Ground, 72 Loaf, 198 Noodles, 166 Stick, 72 Clams, 233 a la Creme, 282 Bouillon of, 680- Canned, 699 Cocktail, 237 Saute on Toast, 282 Savory, 281 Cleansers, 2 Cloves, Whole, 71 Cocktails, 233-236 Cocktails, continued Aspic, 239 Clam, 237 and Grapefruit, 237 Crab Flake, 236 Cucumber, 239 Fenway, 649 Fish, 233 Fruit, 151-154 Grapefruit, 239 Orange Mint, 153 Oyster, 236 Scallop, 237 Tuna Fish, 238 Vegetable, 233, 239 Cocoa, 2, 136 Cocoanut, Squares, 610-611 Jumbles, 612 Kisses, 639 Rusks, 203 Codfish, 8 Baked Crumbed, 274 Fillets, 274 Slices of, 275 Batter Cakes, 295-296 Breaded, 275-276 Brown on Biscuit, 292-293 Salt, Cooking of, 292 Creamed, 293 with Hard-Cooked Eggs, . 293 Fried, 294 Hash-Browned, 294 Souffle of, 187 with Baked Eggs, 294 Coffee, 2, 5, 18, 134-135 After-Dinner, 135 Bavarian, 552 Black, 31 Cake, German, 208 Cereal, 135-136 Drops, 651 Egg Shake, 138 Iced, 137 Percolator, 135 Powdered, 135 Sponge, 546 Souffle, 187 Taster's Method, 135 Compote, Apricot, 520 Peach, 520 INDEX 733 Compote, continued Pineapple, 520 Cold Dip, 688 Cold Pack, 688 Condiments, 4 Conserves, 699-710 and Cheese Sticks, 672-673 Cranberry, 703 Fig, 703, Consomme, 246 Jellied Canned, 248 Cookery of Custards, 9 Desserts, 9 Eggs, 9 Fish, 9-10 Protein, 8-9 Vegetables, n, 404-412 Cookies, Bran, 617-618 Honey Drop, 614 Molasses Drop, 614 Olive Oil Drop, 615 Peanut Oil Drop, 615 Scotch Nut, 617 Seed, Old-Time, 618 Sugar, Plain, 618 Thin Chocolate, 613 Cooking by Steam, 111-115 Breads, 115 Desserts, 115 Fish, 114-115 Fruits, 114 Meats, 114 Utensils for, 111-113 Vegetables, 115 Coriander, 73 Corn, 2, 12, 15 Bread, Suet, 231 Green, 224-225 Omelet, 182 Sweet, 12 Dried, 721 Cornmeal, 15, 18, 224 and Wheat Bread, 206 and White Bread, 198 Gruel, 679 Muffins, 206 Corn Oysters, 425 Corn Ramekins, 425 Corn Starch, 12, see Puddings Cowslips, 30, 450 Crabs, Boiling, 288 Devilled, 288 Dressing, 288 Fried Soft Shell, 289 Meat of, Flakes, 288-289 Timbales, 289 Crackers, 12 Cornmeal, 231-232 Marshmallow, 613 Whole Wheat, 7 Cranberry, Ade, 142 and Raisin Tart, 636-637 Dumplings, 526 in Diet, 37 Punch, 141 Cranberries, 655-656 Cream, 2, 12, 33 Bavarian, 2, 14, 542 Beating, 560 Frozen Whipped, 567 Ginger Whipped, 567 Peach Whipped, 570 Honey Whipped, 561 in Diet, 33 Light, 5 Sour, Omelet, 180 Spanish, 545, 686 Caramel, 545 Whipped, Flavoring, 560-561 Creams, General Directions for, 542 Crisps, Afternoon, 613 Croquettes, 14-15 Banana, 310 Cheese, 307 Chicken, 309 Corn, 306 Egg, 307 Egging and Crumbing, 303 General Recipe for, 305 Lentil, 307 Meat and Apple, 306 Nut, 7 Oyster, 308 Potato, 305 and Cheese, 305 and Ham, 305 and Nut, 305 en Surprise, 305 Sweet, 306 Peach, Dried, and Rice, 310 734 INDEX Croquettes, continued Rice, Plain, 309 Sweet, 310 Salmon, 308 Shad Roe, 308 Shaping, 304-305 Sweetbread, 306 Tuna Fish, 307-308 Veal, 309 Croustades, Bread, 216-217 Croutons, 217 Crumbs, 7, 209-210 Cucumbers, 2, 15 Baked Stuffed, 428 Creamed, 427-428 Fried, 427 Cupful, To Measure, 131 Cups, Fruit, 151-154 Banana, 153 Cantaloupe, 154 Fig, 154 Grapefruit, I, II, III, 152-153 Prune and Orange, 153 Rose, 581 Summer, 154 Violet, 582 Watermelon, 153 Curd, 9 Currant, Bread, 200 Dumplings, 526 Rolls, 204 Curry, 73 Custard, Baked, 685 Caramel, 517 Chocolate, 517 Cocoanut, 518 Coffee, 511 Corn, Canned, 425 Egg, 7, 8 Farm, 424 Macaroni, 163 Orange- Rice, 515 Plain, 516 Renversee, 517- Banana, 570 Bread and Chicken, 683 Soft Caramel, 516 Cooked, I and II, 514 Cutlets, Lobster, 284-285 Veal, Breaded, 531 Dandelions, 30, 450 Date Bread, 199 Dates, Stuffed, 659 Desserts, 64, 510-554 Cereal and Bread, 518-522 Cookery of, 9 Cooking, by Steam, 115 Corn Starch, 511-514 Custard, 514-518 for the Dinner Pail, 50-53 Frozen, 562-582 Fruit Loaves and Bettys, . 530-531 Gelatine, Moulds for, 543 Gelatines, Sponges, and Ba- varian Creams, 542 of a Cake Nature, 522-527 Steamed Puddings for, 531- 541 Tapioca, 527-530 with Baking Powder Found- ation, 522-539 Cake Foundation, 536-539 Diet, Concentrated, 7 Convalescent, 674-676 Fall, 35-39 Light, 674-676 Liquid, 674-676 Maternity, 16-17, 678 Mixed, 2 Spring, 27-32 Summer, 32-35 Winter, 35-39 Digestibility of foods, 8 Dill, 70 Dinner, Boiled, 330 Children's, 45 Home, 107 Menus, 56, 61-63 Planning, 56, 61-63 Diseases from Protein, 6 Dissolvents, 2, 18-19 Dock, Narrow, 448-449 Root, 447 Doughnuts, 14-15, 304, 310- 315 Raised, 314 Sour Milk, 314 INDEX 735 Doughnuts, continued Sweet Milk, 313 Drinks, Cold, 136-143 Iced, in the Diet, 35 Drops, Coffee, 651 Peppermint, 650 Wintergreen, 650-651 Drying, Equipment for, 717 Fruits, 717-722 General Methods of, 713, 718-719 Vegetables, 717-722 Duck, 3/2-373 "Blind," 318 Brown, 373 Roast, 372 under Gas Flame, 367 Smothered, 373 Dumplings, 222 Baked Apple, 524 Fruit, 524 Pear, 524 Rhubarb and Pineapple, 524 Strawberry, 525 Bread and Suet, 215 , 526 Cranberry, 5 Currant, 526 Oyster Forcemeat, 375 Steamed Apple, 525 E Eclairs, 643 Eel, Stewed, 285 Egg and Bread Salad, 214 Egg Broth, 680 Egg Beaters, 170 Egg Dishes, Savory, 170-187 Egg Malted Milk, 138 Egg Nest, 683 Egg Nog, 683 Egg- Plant, as food, 2, 15 Fried with Creamed Corn, 413 Plain Fried, 413 Stewed, 413 Stuffed, 413-414 Egg Shake, Coffee, 138 Eggs, 170-187 as food, 2, 6-7, 14-15, 26, 31 au Gratin, 174-175 Asparagus, 172 Baked, 3, 5 and Mashed Potatoes, 174 in Tomato Sauce, 173 with Creamed Potatoes, . 173-174 Beating, 170-171 Benedict, 172 Boiled, 170-171 Coddled, 8 Cookery of, 9 Creole, 173 Croquettes, 170 Curried, 174 Fried, 9, 14, 170, 177 Hard-Boiled, 171 Cooked, 31 Poached, 8, 170-171 in Broth, 171 on Milk Toast, 171 Tomato Toast, 172 Scrambled, 8, 9, 170, 175 over Hot Water, 177 with Asparagus, 176 Bacon, 176 Cheese, 176 Cream Sauce and Onions, 175 Crumbs, 211 Green Peppers, 176 Ham, 175 Ham or Dried Beef, 176 Left-Over Creamed Onions, 176 Mushrooms, 176 Tomato, 175-176 Shirred, 170, 173 with Crumbs, 211 Spanish, 177 Testing, 170 Electricity, Cooking by, 91-95 Enamelware, 74-77 Endive, 37-38 English Monkey, 69 Esthetic Foods, 4 Evaporating, ^ Equipment for, 717 Fruits, 717-722 General Directions for, 718- 719 736 INDEX Evaporating, continued Vegetables, 717-722 Fats, 2-5 Beef, 5 Clarifying of, 300-301 Cookery of, 14 Digestibility of, 14-15 Flank, 318-319 for Frying, 15, 300 How to Fry in Deep, 303-304 Place in Menu, 13-15 Preparation of, 13-15 Prevention of Soaking of, 302-303 Rendering, Beef, 300 Requirements in Diet, 22-23, 26 Trying out Beef, 300 Chicken, 301 Using Savory, 301 Utensils for Frying, 301 When to Fry in Deep Fat, 301-302 Fern, Brake, 451 Figs, 2, 15, 17, 654 Baked, 157 Filling, 624 Jellied, 548-549 Marshmallow, 157-158 Souffle, 187 Stewed, 158 Fillings, 620-629 Banana, 628 Chocolate Cream, 628 Jelly, 629 Cocoanut Cream, 628 . Coffee Cream, 628 Cream, 628 Fig, 624 Orange, 627-628 Orange-Date, 628 Peach, 627 Pineapple, 626 Tutti Fruti, 627- Finnan Haddie, Baked in Milk, 298 Broiled with Cream Sauce, 298 Newburg, 299 with Puffed Potato, 299 Tomatoes, 298-299 Fireless Cookers, 10, 189, 441 How to Use, 103-105 Principles of, 101-105 Saying of Fuel with, 101- 102 Time Table for, 102-103 Utensils for, 103 Fires, in Coal Range, 87 Fish, 2, 7-10, 14, 266-299 Baking, 272-273 Bisque, 262 Boiling, 271-272 Broiling, 271-272 Chops, Baked, 275 Cleaning and Dressing, 269- 270 Cooking of, 269 by Steam, 114 Creamed on Toast, 277 Frying, 270-271 in Deep Fat, 270 Salt and Smoked, 292-299 Sauteing, 270-271 Steaming, 272 Stuffing for, 286 What to Serve with, 64 Fish-Balls, 290 Tuna, 238 Fish-Cakes, 290 Float, 515 Raspberry, 515 Strawberry, 515 Floating Island, 514-515 Chocolate, 515 Flounder, Fried Fillet of, 286 Flour, Bread, 192 Gruel, 679 Pastry, 630 Unrobbed, 190-191 White, 16, 191 Whole Wheat, 190-191 Fondant, Quick, 647 White, 646-647 Foods, Acid, 15-19 Amount of, 20-23 Ballast, 15-19, 30 Bulky, 2, 4, 30 Caloric Value of, 19-20 Children's, 4-6 Classification of, 2-3 INDEX 737 Foods, continued Combinations of, 9 Concentrated, 18 Cost of, i, 4-5 Digestibility of, 8 Dissolvent, 2-3 Esthetic, 4 Fine Art of Combining, 24- 65 Frying of, 300-315 Fuel, 2 Grease-cooked, 14, 27 Mineral, 15-19 Muscle-Makers, 2 Predigested, 8 Quantity of, 4-5 Requirements of, 4-5, 21-23 Reserve-Force, 2 Values of, Table of, 23-25 Variety of, 2 Frappes, 570-575 Cider, 575 Coffee, 575 Cranberry, 574 Ginger Ale, 547 Mint, 575 French Dressing, 14 Fritters, 2, 14-15, 310-315 Apple, 311 Ball, 313. Banana, 311 Batter for, 310-311 Bread, 216, 304 Clam, 313 Corn, 312-313 Cranberry, 312 Graham Drop, 312 Prunes, 311 Sponge Banana, 312 Frostings, 2 Apple, 626-627 Boiled, 624 Butter, 624 Caramel, 625-626 Chocolate, 624 Coffee, 625 Orange, 625 Caramel Nut, 626 Confectioner's, 622 Double Chocolate and White, 625 Fig, 624-625 Lemon, 623 Frostings, continued Marshmallow, 625 Mocha, 624 Orange, 623 Ornamental, 623-624 Pineapple, 626 Plain Chocolate, 622 Raisin, 622 Raspberry, 622 Snow, 623 Strawberry, 622 Vinegar, 623 Walnut Cream, 625 Fruit Cups, 233 Drinks, 3, 18 Dumplings, 524 Tart, 641 Fruits, 144-158 Canning, 692-695 Cooking, 17, 156 Digestibility of, 17 Dried, 155-158 Fresh, 3, 15 Glace, 657 in Diet, 34-35, 37 Juices of, Canning, 707-708 Methods for Drying and Evaporating, 707-708 Preparing for Serving, 144 Sour, 4 Steam Cooking of, 114 Stewed, 2, 12-13 Sun-Dried, Preserved, 704- 705 Tonic Value of, 17 Watery, 3, 18 Frying, 300-315 Fish, 9-10 in Deep Fat, 15 Time Table for, 302 Fudge, 627, 650 Chocolate, 652-653 Fair, 653 Ginger, 653 Marshmallow, 627, 653-654 White Cocoanut, 653 Fuses, 94 Game, 362-379 Canned, 698 Food value of, 2, 7 What to Serve with, 62-63 738 INDEX Gelatines, Food Value of, 3, 18 General Directions for, 542 Grapefruit, 550 Preparing Moulds for, 543 Rhubarb, 550 Ginger, Bavarian, 552-553 Candied, 656 Crystallized, 4 Nuts, Frosted, 614 Gingerbread, Soft, 223 Gingersnaps, 611 Glassware, 75-77 Choice of, 117 Gluten Bread, 196-197 Goose, Roast, 373~374 Graham Bread, Quick, 230 Ginger, 230 Unkneaded, 196 Biscuits, 201 Grape Butter, 706-707 Grapefruit, 31, 37, 233 Carpels of, 145, 233 Cup, I, II, III, 152-153 Jelly, Menus for, 54~55 Preparation of, 156 Punch, 141 with Tokay Grapes, 146 Grape Juice, 68 Bavarian, 553~554 Hot, 142 Punch, 141 Grapes, 144 Dipped Chocolate, 649 Frosted, 148 Spiced, 714 Gravy, Food value of, 2, 14 Making, 326-327 Greens, Food value of, 2, 15 Griddle Cakes, Bread Crumb, 223-224 Cooking of, 219-220 Cornmeal, 224 Entire Wheat, 224 Green Corn, 224-225 Plain, 223 Rice, 224 Gruels, Barley, 678-679 Cornmeal, 679 Flour, 679 Gruels, continued General Rules for, 678 Oatmeal, 679 Guinea Chicken, Planked, 377 H Haddock, Baked Crumbed, 274 Fillets of, 274 Slices of, 275 Matelote of, 277-278 Halibut, Baked Crumbed, 274 Fillets of, 274 Slices of, 275 Casserole, of, 274-275 Digestibility of, 8 Fillets of, 273-274 Souffle of, 1 86 Smoked, Pilau, 297 en Casserole, 298 Creme, 297-298 Ramekins, 297 with Oysters, 273 Ham, and Bread Timbales, 212 Baked Hash, 379-380 in Milk, 360 Virginia, 358 Boiled, 357-358 Braised, 359 Buying, 321 Fat, 214 Fried with Milk Gravy, 360 in a Casserole of Vegetables, 440 Pan-Broiled Boiled, 358 with Cream Sauce, 359 Planked, Easter Style, 360 Pot Roast of, 359 Roasted with Grape Juice, 358-359 with Scrambled Eggs, 176 Stuffed Eggs, 175 Hasenpeffer, 379 Hash, 379 Baked Ham, 379-380 Timbales, 379 Hearts, Beef, 320 Calves', Smothered in Onions 354 INDEX 739 Herbs, 66-67 Bouquet of, 70 Dried, 722 Fines, 70 Herring, Devilled, 295 Hominy, and Nut Roll, 161 Fried, 161 Muffins, 206 Omelet, 161 Honey, Food value of, 2, 12-13 Quince, 706 Horseradish, 71 Ice-Box, 82^83 Ice Cream, Baked Apple Sauce, 570 Banana Pecan, 564 Caramel, 569 Almond, 569 Chocolate, 568-669 Cocoa, 564 Coffee, 569-570 Croquettes, 565 Eclairs, 567-568 Food value of, 2, 14 Freezing of, 562-563 French, 565 Frozen Pudding, 566-567 Whipped, 567 Grape Nut, 564 in Diet, 32-33 Junket, 567, 685 Maple, 568 Marshmallow, 566 Moulding, 563-564 Peach, 566 Peppermint, 564 Philadelphia, 564 Fruit, 564 Pistachio, 567 Sour Cream, 565 Strawberry I and II, 565-566 Iced Drinks, 32-33 Ices, College, 579-582 in the Diet, 32-33 Ices, Water, 5/0-575 see Water Ices Apricot, 571 Currant, 571 Ices, Water, continued Dried Apricot, 574-575 Grape Juice, 571-572 Lemon, 571 Orange, 570 Raspberry, 571 Strawberry, 571 Icings, 620-629 Boiled Maple Walnut, 626 Cocoanut, 623 Maple, 624 Quick Coffee, 623 Rich Chocolate, 622 Indigestion, from Fruits and Starch, 17 Invalid Cookery, 674-686 Service, 674-^686 Invalids, Feeding of, 675-678 Iron, 16, 30 Ironware, 75, 77 Jam, 699-710 and Bread Pudding, 215 Blackberry, 700 Cherry, 700 Gooseberry, 700-701 Dried Apricot, 158, 701 Peach, 701 Loganberry, 700 Raspberry, 700 Strawberry, 700 Jelly, A'spic, 327 Bread, 214-215 Caramel Coffee, 543-544 Cider, 544 Coffee, 543 Lemon, 543 Making, 708-710 . Mixed Fruit, 549 8uick Mint, 544 range, 543 and Date, 543 Tart, Food value of, 4 Johnny Cake, Eggless, 226 Junket, 510, 684 Food value of, 7 Caramel, 68s Cocoa, 684-685 Ice Cream, 567, 685 740 INDEX K Kalarabi, Dried, 721 Ketchup, 4, see Catsup Kidneys, Beef, 318-319 Creole Style, 338-339 Devilled, 339 Kilowatt Hour, 95 Kitchen, Arrangement of 74-84 Cabinet, 80 Equipment of, 74-84 Furnishings of, 78 Ice-Box for, 82-83 Plumbing, 81 Range, 82 Size of, 79 Slate for, 83-84 Table for, 81 Utensils for, 74 Klopps, Chicken, 385-386 Salmon, 290 Kumquats, Candied, 656 Preserved, 705 Lady Fingers, 613 Lamb, 2 r 7, 342-347 Baked Chops, 345 Breaded Chops, 345-346 Forequarter, 343-344 Broiled Chops, 344 Buying of, 320-327 Canned, 698 Casserole of, 347 Chops, Pan-Broiled, 344-345 with Gravy, 5 Peas, 345 Crown Roast of, 342 Cutting of, 320-321 Fricassee of, 347 Minced with Tomato, 383 Pasty, 344 " Pluck " of, 321 Roast Leg of, 342 under Gas, 342 Stew, 346-347 Stuffed, 34 q Forequarter, 343 What to Serve with, 62 Lard, 15, Leeks, Dried, 721-722 Left-Overs, 108-109 Legumes, 441-446 Lemon, Butter, 499 Juice, 4, 14, 31 Plain Souffle, 187 Lemonade, 138, 682 Oatmeal, 682 Pineapple, 139 Lemons, 31, 37 Baked, 31 Lentils, 2, 7, 8, 16 Baked, 446 Cookery of, II Lettuce, 30, 37 Creamed, 439 Wilted, 439 Light, Pilot, 95 Lime, 16-17 Linen, Choosing, 116-117 Liquids, 2-3, 45 Liver, a la McAlpin, 353 Broiled, and Bacon, 352 en Casserole, 353 Fried, and Bacon, 352 with Onions, 352-353 in Potato and Rice Border, 383 Terrapin, 382 with Olive Sauce, 353 Loaf, Asparagus, 438 Bread and Nut, 212 Christmas, 649-650 Cinnamon, 198 Fruit and Bread, 531 Oyster, 278 Salmon, 291 White Fish, 289 Lobster Butter, 500 Souffle, 186 Lobsters, 282-285 Baked Live, 283 Boiling, 282-283 Broiled Live, 283 Buttered, 283 Chafing-Dish Style, 284-285 Cutlets, 284 Farci, 284 Opening, 282 Savory, 283-284 INDEX Loganberries, Preparation .of, 148 Loganberry Ade, 139 Luncheons, " Company," 107 Menus for, 5 Planning, 56, 59-61 School, 46-49 M Macaroni, 2, 11-12 Baked with Hamburg, 337- 338 Brooklyn Style, 163 Custard, 163 on Toast, 163 Plain, 161-162 Winchester, 162-163 with Asparagus, 162 Tomatoes, 162 Macaroon Bisque, 578 Macaroons, Oatmeal, 618 Pistachio, 616 Mace, 72 Mackerel, Baked in Milk, 285 Planked, 287 Salt, Broiled, 295 Cooking of, 292 in Milk, 295 Mangoes, 712-713 Marguerites, 607 Saltine, 616 Whole Wheat, 607, 617 Marjoram, 71 Marmalades, 699-710 Grape, 701 Kumquat, 702 Orange, 702 Peach, 702 Pineapple, 701-702 Marshmallows, Chocolate, 649 May Baskets, 541 Mayonnaise, 2, 14, 460 Meal, Whole Wheat, 15-, 18, 190 Meals, Children's 40-49 Planning, 54-55 Serving, 116-122 Meals, Serving, continued " Company " with a Maid, 119-121 without a Maid, 121-122 without a Maid, 116-119 Short-Cut Preparation of, 96-115 Measurements, 131-132 Meat, 26, 33, 316-389 and Bread Pie, 214 Boiling, 325 Braising, 326 Buying on Basis of Calories, 322-324 Canned, 698 Cheaper Cuts of, 318 Chopped, 319 Cookery of, 19-11 General Directions of, 324-327 Corning, 318 Cuts of, 317 en Casserole, 326 Fried, 8 Grades of, 316 Gravy-Making for, 326-327 How to Buy, 316-324 in Diet, 33 Made Dishes of, 8 Mince, 642-643 Lemon, 643 Oven-Roasting of, 324-325 Pan-Broiling, 324 Pot-Roasting, 326 Roasting under Gas Flame, 325 Steam Cooking of, 14 Stewing, 336 Substitutes, 7, 33 Three Times a Day, 7 Variations in the Price of, 320 Melons, 12 Menus, 5 Breakfast, 56-59 Dinner, 57, 61-65 Pail, 52-53 For a Week, 98-99 Luncheon, 56, 59-61 Chafing-Dish, 126 School, 48-49 Oven Meals, 107-108 Supper, 56, 59-61 742 INDEX Menus, continued After-Theatre, 126 Sunday Night, 125 with Cheese, 664 Meringue, for Pies and Puddings, 632- 633 Fruit, 536 Orange, 537 Shells, 619 Strawberry, 527 Milk, 2, 6-8, 26 Albumin, 683 Partially Digested, 681 Peptonized, 681 Malted, and Egg, 682 Egg Nog, 683 Shakes, Chocolate, 137 Skimmed, 2, 18 Sour, Neutralization of, 218 Thickened, 679 Milkweed, 447 Minerals, 2-5, 15-19, 26 Mint, 70, 451-452 After-Dinner, 652 Leaves, Crystallized, 657 Minced, 5 Molasses, 12-13 Barbadoes, 12 Candy, Pulled, 654 Taffy, 652 Mould, Blackberry, 513 Blueberry, 513 Mousse, 2, 14, 575-579 Chocolate, 579 Nougat, 578-579 Orange Nut, 579 Packing and Freezing, 563 Strawberry, 579 Muffins, 2, 12, 205, 218 Apple, 228 Blueberry, 225 Bran, 226 Buttermilk Bread, 216 Cereal, 227 Corn, Quick, 226 Cornmeal, 205-206 Currant Nut, 228 Date, 226 Entire Wheat, 227 Graham, 227 Hominy, 206 Oatmeal, Raised, 206-207 Muffins, continued Rice, Quick, 227 Raised, 207 Rye, 228 Sour Milk, 218 Twin Mountain, 225 Muscle-Makers, 2-3 Mush, Cornmeal, Fried, 160 Hunter's Style, 160-161 Meat, Fried, 160 Mushrooms, 6, 8 Dried Trimmings of, 71 Escalloped, 430 on Toast, 429 with Bacon, 429-430 Frizzled Dried Beef, 342 Scrambled Eggs, 176 Mustard, 72, 451 Mutton, 2, 7 Baked Chops, 346 Boiled Leg of, 343 Braised Leg of, 343 Canned, 698 Chops, Casserole, 346 Minced with Tomatoes, 383 What to Serve with, 62 N Nasturtium Seeds, 67 Pickled, 715 Nettles, 451 Noodles, 2, 12, 165 and Tomato Sauce, 165 Cinnamon, 166 Creamed, 165 Fried, I and II, 166 in Cheese Sauce, 165-166 Nut and Bread Loaf, 212 Nut, Bread, 199 Quick, 230-231 Rolls, and Hominy, 161 Nutmeg, 72 Nuts, Digestibility of, 8 Food value of, 2, 7, 14, 18, 31 Glace, 657 Oatmeal, 7, 15, 18 INDEX 743 Oatmeal, continued Gruel, 679 Muffins, 206 Oats, 12 Rolled, 16 Obesity, 13 Oil, as Seasoning, 31 Corn, 2, 14-15 Dressing, 5 Olive, 2-3, 14-15 Peanut, 2, 14-15, 31 Salad, Selection of, 456 Vegetable, 15 , Oleomargarine, 14-15 Olives, as Seasonings, 67 Green, 4 Ripe, 2, 14 'Stuffed, 233 Omelets, 8, 9, 14, 170, 177-183 Artichoke, 182 Asparagus, 180-181 Baked, 184 Crumbed, 184 Bread Crumbs, 21 1 Cheese, 181 Corn, 182 Dried Beef, 181 French, 178-179 Friday, 181 General Directions for, 178 Hominy, 161 Orange, 182 Pineapple, 182-183 Plain, 178-179 Potato, 401-402 Puffy, 178-179 Rolled French, 179 Sour Cream, 180 Spanish, 180 Swedish, 180 Onions, 15, 30, 68 a la Tripe, 414 and Fried Liver, 352-353 Baked, 415 and Tomatoes, 414 Stuffed, 414 Creamed, 415 Dried, 721-722 Escalloped, 415-416 Frencli Fried, 415 Left-Over Creamed with Scrambled Eggs, 176 Onions, continued Smothered with Calves' Hearts, 354 with Escalloped Tomato, 429 Pickled Beets, 429 Stewed Tomatoes, 429 Young, in Cream Sauce, 415 Orangeade, 139, 682 Syrup, 138 Orange and Prune Cup, 153 Fanchonettes, 641 Omelets, 182 Rice Bavarian, 550-551 Rolls, 204 Oranges, 31, 37, 144 an Naturel, 145 Carpels, 145 Compote, 145 en Casserole, 145 Flower Fashion, 144 Sections, 144 Sliced in Jelly, 5 Pullman Fashion, 145 Sour, 4 to Eat with Spoon, 144 Oyster and Veal Pie, 349 ' Bouillon, 262 Filling for Patties, 278- 279 Forcemeat Dumplings, 375 Loaves, 278 Pasty, 279-280 Pies, 279 Plant, Creamed, 423 Escalloped, 424 Soup, French, 263 Stew, 265 Oysters, and Celery Stew, 263 Brown, 281 Canned, 699 Chops, 278 Devilled, 280-281 Digestibility of, 8 Escalloped, 280 Fried, 280 Panned, 279 Raw, 233 Saute, with Celery, 279 Oxidation, 12, 16 744 INDEX Pan-Broiling, n Pancakes, 233 Parfaits, 2, 14, 575~579 Caramel, 577 Coffee, 577-578 Fig, 576 Garden, S77 Maple, 575-576 Packing and Freezing, 563 Pineapple, 576-577 Snow, 576 Parsley, 37-38, 70 Dried, 722 Parsnips, Baked, 5' Baked in Stock, 416 Buttered, 416 Cakes, 416 Creamed on Toast, 417 Dried, 721 Paste, Anchovy, 233 Mint, Turkish, 659-660 Puffs, 633 Short Biscuit, 634-635 Pastry, 2, 14, 630-643 Bag and Tubes, 621-622 Cheese, 642 Flaky, 634 Flour, 630 French, 633 Short Cut, 634 Patty Shells, 633-634 Peach Butter, 706^707 Hominy Ramekins, 521 Peaches, Bavarian, 551 Dried, 722 Halved Stuffed, 148-149 Serving, 148 Sweet Pickled, 713 Peanut Brittle, 651-652 Peanuts, 14 Bisque, 260-261- Salted, 7, 658 with Sweet Potatoes, 407 Peas, 7 Cookery of, n Cow with Brown Rice, 442 Roast Pork, 442 Creamed, 43 Peas, continued Dried, 2, 8, Green, 431 Dried, 721 Soup, 606 Stewed,- Italian, 446 Pears, Baked Dumplings, 524 Coddled, 140 Dried, 723 Jellied, 548 Preserved with Ginger, 703 Stewed Dried, 158 Sweet Pickled, 713 Pecans, Salted, 658 Pectin, Testing Fruit for, 708- Peel, Candied Grapefruit, 655 Orange, 655 Peppermint Drops, 651 Peppers, Green, 4 with Scrambled Eggs, 176 Shredded, 5 Stuffed with Brown Rice, 431 Creamed Cabbage, 433 Nuts, 431 Pheasant, with Oysters, 378 Phosphorus, 16-17, 30-31 Picalilli, 711 Pickles, 4 Green Tomato, 711 Sour Cucumber, 710 Spiced, Mixed, 711 Stuffed Vegetable, 712- 713 Sweet Green Tomato, 711 Vegetable, 711 Pickling, 710-716 Brine for, 710 Pigeons, Casserole of Stuffed, 375 Pie of, 375-376 Pigweed, 450 Pie, 12, 27 Apple, 635 Upside Down, 525 Astrakan Apple Custard, 625 Baking, 632 Beef and Tomato, 380 INDEX 745 Pie, continued Berry, General Directions for, 637 Bread and Meat, 214 Butterscotch, 638 Chocolate Cream, 640 Cocoanut Custard, 640-641 Country, 440 Cream, 640 Fruit, 639 Custard, 639 Double Apple, 635 Lemon Meringue, 637-638 Sponge, 638 Meringues for, 635 Mince, 29, 639 Old-Fashioned Pork, 356 Peach Custard, 636 Pineapple, 638 Pumpkin, 639 Little, 639-640 Putting together, 630-632 Rabbit, 378 Rhubarb, and Raisin, 636 Plain, 636 Squash, 640 Upside Down, Apple, 525 Currant, 525 Individual, 525 Peach, 525 Raspberry, 525 Pimento Butter, 500 Pimentoes, 4 and Rice au Gratin, 167 Pineapple, 32 and Fruit, 147 Rhubarb Dumplings, 524 au Naturel, 147 Crystallized, 656 Omelet, 182-183 Sweetened, 147 Plantain, 449 "Pluck" of Lamb, 321 Plum Butter, 706-707 Plums, Stewed with Chestnuts, ISI Plumbing, 81 Pop-Corn Balls, 655 Maple, 655 Popovers, 5, 225 Pork, 8, 14, Pork, continued and Veal Loaf, 350 Chops, 27 Baked with Apples, 357 en Casserole, 356-457 Saute, 356 Fat, 2 Lean, 2, 7 Pie, Old-Fashioned, 351 Products, 321 Roast, 27, 356 Boned Shoulder, 356 Casserole of, 381 with Cow Peas, 442 Salt, with Stewed Kidney- Beans, 444 Sliced, Creole, 357 What to Serve with, 62-63 Potassium, 30 Potatoes, 2, 7, 397-407 Adolph's Stuffed with Ham, 398 Baked, 397~398 Rocky Mountain Style, 398 Stuffed, 398 Baked Sausage with, 361 Boiled, 399 Browned Pimento, 400 Buttered, 399 Composition of, 397 Cookery of, 12, 397 Creamed, 405 au Gratin, 406 Lyonnaise, 405 with Baked Eggs, 173-174 Curried, 401 Delmonico, 405 with Cream Roll, 405-406 Duchess, 400 Escalloped, 403 Cooked with Cheese, 403 with Bacon, 403 Franconia, 404 Quick, 404 French Fried, 402 Hash-Brown, 400-401 with Ham, 401 with Nuts, 401 Hungarian, 399 Lyonnaise, 403-404 Italian, 404 Mashed, 400 with Baked Eggs, 174 746 INDEX Potatoes, continued New with Creamed Eggs, 399 O'Brien, 399-400 Omelet of, 401-402 On Half-Shell, 684 Pancakes, 402 Puffs, 402 Scones, 402 Selection of, 397 Souffle of, 184-185 Steamed, 398 Stew with Cheese, 404-405 Straws, 402-403 Stuffed with Sausage, 361 Sweet, 12 Boiled, 406 Broiled, 406 Brown Mashed, 407 French Fried, 406 Glace, 407 Maple, 407 Steamed, 406 Sugared, 407 with Bacon, 407 Peanuts, 407 White, 12 Potato Balls* French, 404 Pot-Roasting, 326 Poultry, 2, 7, 322, 363-379 Chicken, 366-372 Dressing for Broiling, 363 Duck, 372-373 Giblets and Feet of, 364 Goose, 373-374 How to Clean, 362-363 Know Fresh, 322 Stuffing for, 365-366 Trussing and Stuffing, 363- f 364 Turkey, 374 What to Serve with, 63 Pralines, Cocoanut, 654 Preserves, 12-13 Baked Plum, 706 Strawberry, 705-706 Green Tomato, 704 Yellow Tomato, 703 Preserving, 687-724 Pretzels, 207-208 Processing, 689 Proteins, 2-5 22-23, 26 Proteins, continued Cookery of, 8-9 Place in Menu, 6-ii Preparation of, 6-n Prune Bread, 230 Prunes, 2, 15, 17 Jellied, 548 Pickled, 157 Stewed, 156 Stuffed, 659 Thickened, 513-514 and Cheese Balls, 667 Orange Cup, 153 Pudding, Arrowroot, 12 Baked Almond, 538 Gingerbread, 538 Banana, 537 Blackberry Mould, 513 Blueberry Mould, 513 Bread and Cheese, 212 Cake, 537-538 Cereal, 2, 12, 520-521 Chocolate Bread, 518 Christmas, 532 Cocoanut Bread, 519 Coffee, 520 Corn Starch, 2, 12 Chocolate, 512 Coffee, 512 Lemon, 512 Plain, 513 Raspberry, 513 Rhubarb, 513 Strawberry, 512 White, 511-512 Cream of Rice, 686 Creamy Rice, 521 Date and Nut, 538 Eggless Bread, 215 Egg and Milk, 31 English Cheese, 667 Fig Bread, 518 Frozen, 566-567 Fruit, French, 532 Rich, 533 Hunter's, 533 Indian Tapioca, 529 Lemon, 518-519 Rice, 520 Little Date, 534 INDEX 747 Pudding, continued Fig, 534 Meat and Bread, 214 Meringue for, 632-633 Mocha, 526-527 . Mock Indian, 519 Orange Souffle, 536 Pineapple, 31 Prune, 526 Thickened, 513-5*4 St. Patrick's, 544~545 Snow, 547 Soft Lemon Fruit, 513 Sponge Bread, 519 Steamed, Blueberry, 535 Bread and Jam, 215 Cranberry, 535 Date, 533 Graham, 534 Suet, 2, 12, 531-532 Tapioca, 2, 12 Yorkshire, 223 Puffs, Cheese, 668 Cottage, 527 Cream, 643 Snow, 535 Steamed, Blackberry, 536 Blueberry, 536 Chocolate, 535~536 Cranberry, 536 Pumpkin, as a Vegetable, 430 Fried, 430 Steamed, 430 Punch, Apricot, 142 Cranberry, 141 Fruit, 142-143 Colonial, 142 Grape, 141 Grapefruit, 141 Picnic, 141 Turkish, 141 Varsity, 141 Purees, 242 Chestnut, 419 of Dried Canned Vegetables, 696 Purslane, 448 Quince, Butter, 706-707 Honey, 706 Rabbit Pie, 378 Radish, Roses of, Tulips, 436 Radishes, 15, 16 Creamed, 437 Raisin and Cranberry Tart, 636-637 Clusters, Stuffed, 659 Ranges, 82, 85-88 Coal, 85-88 Combination, 88-91 Electric, 91-95 Gas, 88-91 Kerosene, 91 Rarebit, Chinese, 699 Cooking, ii Food value of, 3 Tomato, 669-670 Welsh, 669 Ration, Balanced, 1-6, 20 Raspberries, 144 Preparation of, 148 Preserved, 704-705 Raspberry Ade, 139 Bavarian, 551 Refrigerators, 82-83 Relish, Corn and Bean, 715* Rhubarb, 2, 15, 31-32 and Pineapple Dumplings, 524 Baked, 149 Spiced, 714 Tart, 636 Rhubarbade, 140 Rice, 12, 13, 31 and Beef-Balls, 380 Meat Loaf, 383 Orange Bavarian, 550-551 Pimentoes au Gratin, 167 Blanching, 166 Boiled, 5 Bread, 191 Unkneaded, 199 Brown, 15-16 748 INDEX Rice, continued Buttered, 166 Cakes, 169 Sweet, 169 Curry of, 166-167 Moulded Brown, 169 Polished, 16 Raised, Muffins, 207 Savory, 167 with Milk, 168-169 with Onions and Peppers, 167-168 Risotto alia Milanese, 168 with Crabs or Shrimps, 168 Roasting, n Oven, 324-325 Pot, 326 Under Gas Flame, 325 Rolls, Apricot, 523 Chocolate Sponge, 589 Clover Leaf, 205 French, 202 Fruit, 523 Hominy and Nut, 161 Jelly, 589 Little Currant, 204 Marmalade, 221 Old-Time Hot Short, 208 Orange, 204 Prune Fruit, 524 Quick, 221 Cinnamon, 221 Raisin, 524 Savory, 221 Strawberry Fruit, 523-524 Swedish, 202 Sweet, 202-203 Walnut, 221 Romaine, 30 Rusks, Cocoanut, 203 Rye, 12 Bread, 191 Unkneaded, 197 Clover Leaf Biscuits, 203- 204 Sage, 71 Salad Plants, 2, 15, 30 Salad Dressings, 2, 14, 31, 457-4 6 3 Salad Dressings, continued 'Bar le Due, 460 Boiled, Cheap, 461 Oil, 462 Buttermilk, 462 Cheese, Cream, 459 Cranberry Jelly, 460 Cream, Honey, 463 Cream Sour, 463 Sour Uncooked, 460 Sweet, 463 Whipped, 459 Cucumber, 459 Currant Jelly, 460 Curry, 462 English, 458 for Vegetable Salads, 464 French, 456-458 California, 458 in Quantity, 457~458 Pepper, 4S8 Honey, 460 Italian, 458-459 Mayonnaise, Quick, 460 Milk, Sour, 462 Peanut Butter, 462 Radish, 460 Rich, 461 Roquefort, 459 Russian, 461 Thousand Island, 461 Salads, Albany, 482 Alligator Pear, 479 Apple, Celery and Raisin, A 43 Asparagus, Bundle, 476 Christmas Style, 475-476 Luncheon, 476 Autumn, 484 Banana Ball, 482 Boat, 483 Beet and Cabbage, 475 Black Susan, 483 Bluefish, 488 Cabbage, 473 Canned Peach and Nut, 481 Pear and Orange, 481 Celery, 467 and Fruit Jelly, 497 INDEX 749 Salads, continued Cheese and Green Pepper, 474 Nut and Cranberry, 475 and Peppers, 475 Cheese and Nut, 485 Cherry and Nut, 478 Chicken, 7, 485 Garden Style, 485-486 Individual Service, 485 Chrysanthemum, 481-482 Codfish, 488 Cow Pea, 467 Cranberry, 496 Cranberry Fruit, 482 Cucumber and Onion, 474 Jelly,. 4& Dandelion, and Bacon, 473 Date and Apple, 478 Dressing at Table, 455~456 Egg, 492-494 and Bread, 214 Green Pepper, 493 Tomato, 492-493 Plain, 494 Stuffed, 493 Endive Ring, 473 Field, 472 Fish, 488-492 Fruit, 476-485 Elite, 478 Frozen, 484 Plain, 477 Grapefruit, 481 Halibut, 488 Ham and Lettuce, 485 Harvest, 480-481 Hawaiian, 477 Herring and Potato, 488- 489 How to Crisp, 453-454 Make, 453 Prepare, 453-454 in Diet, 34 Jellied, 494-497 Chicken, 497 Crabmeat, 497 Fruit, 496 Ham, Celery, and Tomato, 495 May Fruit, 494 Salmon, 497 Tomato, 494-495 Salads, continued Tapioca, 495 Kidney Bean, 472 Kumquat and Pear, 480 Lamb with Asparagus, 486 Lenten, 471-472 Lettuce, 5 Ribboned, 467 Shredded, 467 with Anchovy Dressing, 491 Cheese and Pimentoes, 471 Lima Bean, Fresh, 472 Lobster, 489 in Scallop Shells, 489 Mousse, 489 Los Angeles, 471 Macaroni, 470 and Ham, 470 Vegetarian, 470-471 Manhattan, 486 May, 484 Meat, 485-487 Milady's 465 Moulded, Cowslip, 474 Dandelion, 474 Spinach, 474 Oil for, 456-457 Oyster, 489-490 Oyster Plant, 467 Peanut and Potato, 494 Pepper, Stuffed, 490 Pimento, 467 Pineapple, Fresh, 479 Pullman Style, 479-480 Porcupine, 480 Potato, Egg and Radish, 469 New York Style, 468-469 Plain, 468 Preparing Ingredients for, 454-455 Prune and Tangerine, 479 Radish and New Onion, 467- 468 Red Cabbage and Celery, 468 and Pepper, 473 Rhubarb and Canned Pear, 478-479 Rice, Brown, 470 and Chicken, 470 750 INDEX Salads, continued and Nut, 470 Roe, 490 " Roll Mop," 492 Salmon and Green Pea, 490-491 Tolland, 491 Salsify, 467 Sardine, Individual, 491 Shrimp, 490 Soy Bean, 467 Spinach, 466 Spring, 466 Strawberry, 477 Stuffed Egg and Pimento, 493-494 Tomato a la Crab Flakes, 492 and Sardine, 465 Aspic, 494-495 Cheese, 464 Cream, 465 Shamrock, 466 Spanish, 465-466 Stuffed, 465 Yellow and Chestnuts, 464 Tongue and Green Pea, 487 Tuna Fish, 491-492 Turban, 487 Veal and Egg, 487 Vegetable, 463-476 Waldorf, 483-484 Sally Lunn, Quick, 229 Raised, 207 Salmon, 8 Broiled Smoked, 295 , Casserole of, 295-296 Creamed on Toast, 29 Klopps, 290 Loaf, 291 Smoked, Chartreuse, 296 Devilled, 296 Souffle, 186 Turban of, 296-297 Salsify, Dried, 721 - Salt, Celery, 68 Onion, 68 Samp, 12 with Fried Soy Beans, 442 Soy Beans, 442 Sandwiches, 498-509 Bacon, Hot, 502 Sandwiches, continued Banana Salad, 504 and Honey, 507 Celery, 505-506 Cheese and Nut, 506 Tomato, 506 Chicken, 502 Chocolate, Sweet, 508 Club, 501 Baked Bean, 501 Mock, 501 Orange, 509 Vegetable, 501 Cranberry, 507 Date, 509 and Ginger, 509 Egg Salad, 502-503 for School Luncheons, 48- 49 Fruit Cheese, 507-508 Ham and Jelly, 502 Minced Egg, 502 Heart, 505 Lettuce, 504 Making, 498-499 Melba, 508 Noisette Cheese, 507 Olive and Egg, 503 Onion and Celery, 505 Orange, 508 Pepper, Green, and Onion, 505 Pimento, 506 Pineapple, 507 Piquant, 502 Raisin and Peanut Butter, _ 508 Savory, 506 Serving, 499 Shrimp, 503 Spinach, 504 Sponge Cake, 509 Strawberry, 507 Sweet, 498-499 Tart, 503 Tea-Room, 504-505 Toasted, 500 Chicken, 500 Salmon, 500 Welsh Rarebit, 504 Sardine Butter, 500 Sardines, 8, Italian Style, 338 INDEX Sauce, 2 Apple, 148-149 Apricot, 555 Apricot, Hot, 559 Asparagus, 393 as Seasonings, 68-69 Bechamel, 391 with Mushrooms, 391 Yellow, 391 Bread, 396^ Brown, 390, 556 Butter, Drawn, 391 Caper, 391 Caramel, 557 Almond, 557 Celery for Chicken Fricas- see, 393 Cheese, n, 395, 668 Chili, 716 Chocolate, Rich, 560 Cranberry, 555 Cream, 14 Creole, 394 Custard, 556 Egg, 393 Hard, 555 Flemish, 396 Foamy Hot, 556-557 for Beef and Tongue, 330- . 331 Fruit, Foamy, 557 Ginger, 556 Grape, Foamy, 556 Grape Juice for Ham, 393- 394 Hard, 14 Plain, 555 Hollandaise, 396 Horseradish, 391-392 Lemon, 5^8 Egg, 558-559 Maple, 558 Marshmallow, Golden, 557 Mint, 395 Molasses, 558 Mousseline, 395 Mushroom, Brown, 391 Nut, 395 Olive, 392 Brown, 392 Orange, Foamy, 556 Oyster, 394-3Q5 Parsley for Fish, 394 Sauce, continued Peach, Hard, 555 Pepper, Green, 393 German, 394 Pineapple, 559 Raisin, 5, 558 Raspberry, 559 Savory, 388-396 Shrimp, 395 Spanish, 392-393 Strawberry, 555, 557 Hot, 559 Sweet, 555 Tartare, 396 Tomato, 392 Chutney, 715 Vanilla, 558 White, i, 2, 3, 389 2, 12, 27, 360-361 Sausage, and Potato, 361 Baked, 360 Farm House, 361 in Diet, 38 Potatoes Stuffed with, 361 Simmered, 361 Sauteing, 15 Fish, 270-271 Savory, Bread, 213 Dishes, 7 Sauce, 388-396 Scalding, 688 Scallops, au Gratin, 276-277 Devilled, 276 Fried, 276 Seasonings, 66-73 Shad, Planked, 287 Shells, Meringue, 619 Sherbets, 2-3, 18, 57O-575 Ginger, 572 Grape, 673 Grapefruit, 573 Lemon, 571 Milk, 572 Peach and Blood Orange, 572 Pineapple, 572 Raspberry, 573 Rhubarb, 573 Short Bread, Scotch, 616 Shortcake, 14 Asparagus, 429 752 INDEX Shortcake, continued Biscuit, 522 Fruit, Plain, 523 Sweet, 522 Strawberry, 5 2 3 Sweet, 522 Shrimps, Japanese, 291 Pie, 292 Tomatoes, Stuffed with, 291 Silver, Choosing, 117 Slaw, Cabbage, 5 Cabbage and Celery, 473 Cold, 473-474 Hot, 435-436 Smelts, Baked Stuffed, 285 Snow Basket, 590 Socket, 95 Soda, Baking, in Vegetables, II Sole, Baked Fillets of, 286 Fillets, Greek Style, 286-287 Sorbet, Apricot, 574 Ginger, 139 Sorrel, 449 Souffles, 170, 183-187 Cheese, 7, 184 Chicken, 186 Codfish, Salt, 186-187 Coffee, 187 Crumb, Baked, 184 Fig, 187 General Directions for, 183 Halibut, 186 Lemon, Plain, 187 Lobster, 186 Omelet, 184 Potato, 184 Salmon, 186 Spinach, 185 Tomato, 185 Yellow-Eyed Bean, 185- Soups, 7, n, 240-268 a la Crecy, 253-254 Asparagus, Cream of, 257 Bean, Baked, 249" Cream of, 259 Dried, Canned, 696-697 White, 249 Bisque, 242, 262 Black Bean, 260 Chestnut, 261 Fish, 262 Soups, continued Lima Bean, 261 Macaroon, 578 Peanut, 260-261 Tomato, 255-256 Bouillon, Beef, 246 Celery, 268 Clam, 262-263 Court, 263 Oyster, 263 Tomato, 247-248 Cabbage, Swedish, 250 Cauliflower, Thick, 353 Celery, and Oyster, 265 Cream of, 252, 257 Rich, 257-258 Chestnut, 251 Chicken, Cream of, 252-253 Chives, 259 Clam, Cream of, 264 Clear, 242-244, 246-248 Consomme, 246 Jellied, Canned, 248 Chicken, 248-249 Iced Veal, 249 Cream, 240-242 with Stock, 252-253 without Stock, 255-260 Cress, Cream of, 31, 252-253 Cucumber, 255 Fruit, 154-155 General Directions for, 155 Italian, 251 Lentil, 256-257 Lettuce, Cream of, 31, 254- 255 Milk, 2, 7, 18 Mock Turtle, 250-251 Mushroom, 255 Onion, 254 Oxtail, Thick, 342 Oyster, Bouillon, 262 Cream of, 262 Fancy, 263 French, 263 Stew, 265 Oyster Plant, 258-259 Pea, Dried Canned, 646 Green, Cream of, 250 Split, 256 Potato, Cream of, 259 INDEX 753 Soups, continued Pumpkin, Cream of, 258 Purees, 242 Bean, Black, 260 Lima, 260 Chestnut, 261 Peanut, 260-261 Rice, Milk, 680-681 Salmon, Cream of, 263 Scallop, Cream of, 264 Spinach, Cream of, 31, 256 Squash, Cream of, 258 Stock, 2-3, 1 8, 31, 244-250 Brown, 246-247 Canned, 695-696 Vegetable, 696 Clearing, 245 Substantial, 249-252 Veal, Cream of, 254 Vegetable, Clear, 251 White, 247 Spaghetti, 2, 12 Alia Genoese, 165 Garden Style, 164-165 Italian, 164 with Meat Sauce, 164 with Broiled Ham, 164 Red Kidney Beans, 443 Spices, 10 Spinach, 2, 15-16, 30-31 Creamed, 440 Plain, 439-440 Souffle, 185 Ways to Serve, 30 Sponges, Coffee, 517 Cranberry, 54^547 General Directions for, 542 Grape, 545 Strawberry, 545 Spoonful, To Measure, 131- Spritbakelser, 617 Squash, 12 Baked, 423 Stuffed Summer, 423 Fried Summer, 423 Muffins, Raised, 206 Steamed Winter, 422, 423 Summer, Dried, 722 Squirrel, Casserole of, 378 Stew, 377-378 Starch, Cookery of, 12 Foods, 2-5, 12, 38, 56 Steak, 8, 14 Braised, Stuffed, 335 Broiled, 334 Flank, 318 Hamburg, 337 with Baked Macaroni, 337- 33? Pan-Broiled, 334 Pie, 336 Planked, 334 Potted, 335 Round, Italian, 334~335 Swiss, 335-336 Veal, Italian, 351-352 Steaming Fish, 272 Steelware, 77 Sterilizing, 689 Stewing, Meat, 326 Stews, 8 Bread, Tomato and Cheese, 203 Celery with Oyster, 265 Oyster, 680 Potato with Cheese, 404-405 Squirrel, 377-37$ Stock- Pot, 244-245 Stoves, Gas, 89-91 Strawberry, Bavarian, 551 Dumpling, 525 Strawberries, 16, 144, 549 au Naturel, 148 Baked Preserved, 705-706 Chocolate Dipped, 649 Frozen, 574 Italian, 148 Preserved, 704-705 Strudel, Apple, 641 Stuffing for Birds, 365-366 Bread, 365 Chestnut, 365 Chicken, a la Royale, 371 Malaga, 366 Peanut for Duck, 366 Potato and Walnut for Goose, 366 Prune, 365 for Fish, 286 Succotash, Old-Fashioned, 424 Suet and Bread Dumplings, 215 Sugar, 3, 16, 33 To Caramelize, 68 754 INDEX Sulphur, 30-31 Sundaes, 579-582 Apple Sauce, 580 Baked Apple, 580 Banana, 581 Charlotte Russe, 580-581 Chocolate, 580 Nut, 580 Peppermint, 580 Daisy, 581 Figolette, 582 Fudge, 581 Ginger, 581 Maple, 580 Cocoanut, 582 Nut, 580 Marshmallow, Creamed, 580 Orange Marmalade, 581 Peach, Stuffed, 582 Raisine, 582 Sponge Cake, 581 Supper Menus, 5, 56, 59-61 After Theater, 126 for Children, 46 Sunday Night, 125 Surprise, Cream Puff, 582 Malaga Fruit, 549~55O Sweetbreads, and Mushroom Ramekins, 355 Breaded, 355 Broiled, 354 Lenten Style, 355 Timbales, 354~355 Sweets, as Food, 2-5, 7, 12, 27, 53 Switch, 94 Syrup, Chocolate, 137 Coffee, 137 Corn, 12 Lemon, 138 Maple, 138 with Baked Apples, 150 Orangeade, 138 Pineapple, 138 Stock, 137 Vanilla, 138 Tabasco, 69 Table, of Food Values, 23-25 Time for Cooking Vegeta- bles, 412 Canning, 692 Fireless Cookers, 102-103 Frying, 302 Setting the, 117-118 Taffy, Molasses, 652 Tapioca, Apple, 528 Baked, Caramel, 527-528 Chocolate, 530 Coffee, 529 Moulded, 530 Cream, 529-530 Fig, 686 Lemon, 528 Peach, 528 Tarragon, 71, 716 Tart, Cranberry and Raisin, 636- 637 Fruit, 641 Rhubarb, 636 Tea, 2, 5, 18, 133 Afternoon, 134 Beef, 680 Iced, 134 Making, 133-134 Tenderloins, of Beef, Stanley, Terminals, 95 Thermometer, How to Use the Bread, 189 Sugar, 646 Thyme, 71 Tile-Fish, Baked, 276 Timbales, Bread and Ham, 212 Ham, 379 Swedish, 314-315 Tinware, 75, 77 Toast, 7 Cinnamon, 232 French, 231 Milk with Poached Eggs, 171 Tomato with Poached Eggs," 172 Tolland Cup, 143 Tomato, Bisque, 255-256 Bouillon, 247-248 INDEX 755 Tomato, continued Bread and Cheese Stew, 217 Butter, 706-707 Catsup, 715-716 Chutney, Sauce, 715 Souffle, 185 Tomatoes, 2 as Seasonings, 68 Baked Stuffed, 427 with Bacon, 427 Frizzled Dried Beef, 427 Escalloped with Onions, 426 Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs, 426 Fried, 426-427 Mexican, 426 Stewed with Onions, 426 Stuffed with Shrimps, 291 Thickened, 425 with White Kidney Beans, 444 Tongue, Boiled Pickled, 330 German Style, 330-331 Creamed, 381 Jellied, 331-332 Potted, 331 Tripe, 8 Batter for, 340-341 Broiled, 340 Creole, 341 Curried, 341 Fried in Batter, 340-341 Trout, a la Game Club, 288 Baked in Milk, 287-288 Turkey, 322 Boiled, 374 with Oyster Forcemeat, 374 Roast, 374 Trot, 384 Turnips, Diced Yellow, 416 in Beef Broth, 416 Turnovers, Fruit, 637 Meat, 637 U Unit, 04 Utensils, Aluminum, 76 Canning, 687-688 Utensils, continued Casserole, 105-106 Chafing Dish, 123-124 Cooking by Steam, 111-113 Drying, 717 Evaporating, 717 Fireless Cooking, 103 Frying, 301 Glassware, 75-77 Kitchen, 74 Making Cake, 583-584 Wire, 77 Woodenware, 77 Veal, and Oyster Pie, 349 Pork Loaf, 350 Baked Chops, 351 Bouillon, Iced, 249 Breaded, Cutlets, 351 Brown en Casserole, 349 Buying of, 321 Canned, 698 Cutting of, 321 Digestibility of, 8 Food value of, 7-8 Fricandelles of, 349-350 Fricassee of, 348 in Ramekins, 381 Mexican Style, 352 Pie, 348-349 Pot Roast of, 350 Pressed, 350 Rechauffe of, 352 Roast, 347-348 under Gas Flame, 348 Steak, Italian, 351-352 Stew, 348 What to Serve with, 62 Vegetables, 408-446 as food, 10, 12, 15-16, 26 Canning, 690-692 Casserole of, ^vith Ham, 440 Composition of, 409 Cookery of, n, 404-412 Dried, 441-446 Drying of, 717-722 Evaporation of, 717-722 Fresh, Food value of, 3, 30 in the Diet, 33-34, 37~38 Pulp of, Canned, 677 756 INDEX Vegetables, continued Seasoning of, 411 Starchy, 2 Steam Cooking of, 115 Substitute for Meat, 411-412 Sweet Pickled, 713 Time Table for Cooking, 412 Watery, 3, 15, 18 Woody, 12 Vermicelli, 12 Vinegar, 14, 31 Celery, 716 Chervil, 716 Garlic, 716 Herb, 67-68, 716 Mint, 76 Nasturtium, 716 Sour Pickling, 710-711 Sweet Pickling, 711 Tarragon, 716 Vitamins, 26, 191 W Wafers, Lemon, 612 Nut, 612 Old- Fashioned Jelly, 657-658 Rolled Ginger, 615 Marshmallow, 615 Nut, 615 Waffles, 225 Walnuts, Roast Salted, 658-659 Water, Amount to Drink, 18-19, 26, 32 Water, continued Barley, 681-682 Ices, 3, 18, see Ices Watercress, 30-31, 37 Butter, 499 Watermelon Cup, 153 Weeds, Edible, 447-452 Wheat, Cracked, 5-6 Food value of, 12, 16 Entire, Bread, 196 Whey, 2, 68 1 Whips, 539-541 Apple, 539 Apricot, 539 Cherry, 539 Fig, 540 Prune, 540 Raspberry, 539 Strawberry, 539 Whisk, Wire, 170-171 Wintergreen, 452 Drops, 650-651 Wireware, 77 Woodchuck, Clover Style, 376 Woodenware, 77 Worcestershire, 69 Yeast, 188 Breads, 188-217 Compressed, How to Use, 189-190 Dry, 190 the American Housewife THESE pages of advertising have been added as an after thought. I find, as I go on my way lecturing to hundreds of thousands of women, that it is not enough to say," Use so much of a certain prod- uct, or such and such an amount of some other commodity." They immediately ask, "What kind is best, purest and most economical ? " And so we have added these sug- gestive products, all of which are pure according to the Westfield standard, the highest standard of pure idealism that has ever been established. From the chemical side the foods are perfect; from the practical side they give excellent results. Any kitchen equipment which you will find here has been tested and not found wanting. Ida C. Bailey Allen Good Cake Is Easy to Make Just follow instructions in this book. Mrs. Allen, Mrs. Rorer, Mrs. McKenzie Hill and other experts use and recommend SWANS DOWN CAKE FLOUR You will never know just how good a cake you can make until you use SWANS DOWN CAKE FLOUR. Eat plenty of Cake It has more food value than Bread If your grocer can not supply you, write us IGLEHEART BROTHERS Evansville, Ind. Established 1856 Golden Rule Flavoring Extracts were awarded the Gold Medal at the Panama- Pacific Ex- position, San Francisco, 1915. As is well known, the com- petition at this exposition represented the entire world, and it should be very gratifying to the thousands of users of Golden Rule Flavorings to know that this award has been bestowed upon these extracts. This award is not only evidence of absolute purity, but is evidence of that which is often of far more importance, *. e., the highest quality.