Part 7

Fill a pudding dish half full with tart apples, pared, quartered, cored, and sprinkled with sugar. Wash thoroughly half a cupful of rice and sprinkle over apples in pudding dish. Cover, steam until the rice is tender, and serve with cream and sugar.

APPLES WITH RAISINS

Pare, quarter, and core half a dozen good cooking apples. Wash a small cup of raisins, and put to cook in a quart of boiling water. When they have begun to swell, add the apples, a little sugar to sweeten, and cook until tender.

COCOANUT PUDDING

To one pint of milk, add two tablespoonfuls of desiccated cocoanut, and heat to boiling; remove the cocoanut by turning through a strainer; then add to the milk one-half cup of sugar and one-half cup of fine cracker or bread crumbs, cool a few minutes, then add the beaten yolks of two eggs. Turn into a pudding dish, set it inside a pan of hot water, and bake in the oven until set, but not watery. Beat the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, add two teaspoonfuls of sugar, and spread on the top of the pudding; return to the oven to brown slightly.

CHERRY PUDDING

Soak a half cup of tapioca, and cook in a pint of water until transparent. Have ready in a pudding dish a pint of fresh, pitted cherries; sprinkle them with sugar, then pour over them the cooked tapioca, and bake for half an hour in a moderate oven. Serve with or without cream.

MINUTE PUDDING

Put one quart of milk into the inner vessel of a double boiler, or into an ordinary saucepan greased with a little butter, and heat to boiling; then stir in two small cups of flour, sifting it in a little at a time, and stirring briskly, that no lumps may be formed. Just before removing from the fire, add two well-beaten eggs, stir a moment, and serve at once with cream, and a little sugar if desired. If preferred, the eggs may be omitted.

ARROWROOT BLANC-MANGE

Heat a pint of milk to boiling; then stir in two heaping tablespoonfuls of arrowroot rubbed smooth in a half cup of cold milk, and a half cup of sugar; cook for a few minutes until thickened, stirring well, and pour into cups or molds previously wet in cold water, to cool. Serve with stewed fruit or fruit juice.

RICE SNOW WITH JELLY

Cook one cupful of rice in milk until tender, adding a little salt. When done, pile loosely in a dish; beat the whites of two or three eggs till stiff, mix with a half cupful of sugar, and pile in heaps like snow over the rice; ornament with bits of jelly, and, if in season, put a circle of fresh berries around the edge when ready to serve.

CUSTARDS & CREAMS

Simplicity is the highest art.

Many dishes have induced many diseases.—_Seneca._

Study simplicity in the number of dishes, and variety in the character of the meals.

“It is not the chief end of man to gratify his appetite.”

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CREAM MOLD

Heat two cups of milk to boiling; then add one-half cup of sugar, and three tablespoonfuls of ground rice, wet in a little cold milk; flavor with vanilla, and stir well until it thickens; pour into cups or molds previously wet in cold water, until set, then turn out on a large plate or into little dishes. Have ready a cup of whipped cream, and put some over each mold with a bit of jelly in the center of each, or serve with fruit sauce.

BOILED CUSTARD

Put one quart of milk and one-half cup of sugar into the inner vessel of a double boiler, let heat to boiling, then stir in slowly three eggs well beaten, and one tablespoonful of cornstarch rubbed smooth in a little cold milk; add any flavoring desired. Stir well, and when well set, turn into a dish to cool.

FLOATING ISLAND

Put a pint of milk into a double boiler; let heat to boiling, then add the well-beaten yolks of three eggs mixed with three tablespoonfuls of sugar. Stir well, and when done turn into the dish from which it is to be served. Beat the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, and drop by spoonfuls for a few seconds into a pan of hot water; let them stand for a moment, then turn over, but do not allow them to harden. Remove with a skimmer or spoon, and put as islands on the top of the custard; let cool, then place bits of jelly on top of the islands.

APPLE FLOAT

To one pint of nice stewed apples, add the whites of three eggs beaten to a stiff froth, and four tablespoonfuls of white sugar; beat all together until very stiff. Have a glass dish filled with boiled custard made with two cups of milk, the yolks of the eggs, one teaspoonful of cornstarch, a tablespoonful of sugar, and flavoring if desired. Pile the apples on top, and serve.

BANANA CUSTARD

Slice six bananas into a deep dish. Heat one pint of milk to boiling; beat together one egg, one tablespoonful of sugar, and one dessertspoonful of cornstarch blended with a little milk, and stir into the hot milk; let boil up once or twice, then pour over the bananas, stirring them in.

ORANGE CUSTARD

Remove the peel from three large, sweet oranges, cut in halves, and rub through a colander. Heat one pint of milk to boiling, then add a tablespoonful of cornstarch dissolved in a little cold milk, and the beaten yolks of three eggs. When thickened, allow to cool, then stir in the oranges. Beat the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, add two thirds of a cup of sugar, and spread on the top of the custard; place in the oven till slightly brown. Serve cold.

PINEAPPLE CUSTARD

Make a custard of one quart of milk, two thirds of a cup of sugar, and four eggs: heat the milk to boiling in a double boiler; then add the eggs and sugar beaten together. Stir well, and when done set aside to cool. Have a nice, ripe pineapple picked to pieces with a fork, and sprinkled with sugar. Just before serving the custard, stir in the pineapple.

TAPIOCA CREAM

Wash and soak four even tablespoonfuls of tapioca in a cup of water until soft; then add a little salt and a pint of milk, and heat to boiling in a double boiler; add the yolks of three eggs well beaten, and one-half cup of sugar; cook for a few minutes, then turn into an earthen dish; when cool, spread over the top the whites of the eggs beaten stiff with two tablespoonfuls of sugar, adding vanilla to flavor; place in the oven to brown slightly.

RICE CUSTARD

Wash one-half cup of rice, and cook in a double boiler in three cups of water or milk, or equal parts of each, until tender, adding a little salt; then add, while still on the range, one pint of milk, the yolks of three eggs well beaten, and five tablespoonfuls of sugar; stir gently, and cook only until thickened. Then turn into a pudding dish. Beat well the whites of three eggs, add three tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar, flavor with lemon or vanilla, and spread over the top of the custard; place in a slow oven to brown slightly.

SAUCES

Rich sauces and highly-seasoned dishes provoke thirst.—_Selected._

Rich sauces are even worse than heaping several meats upon each other.—_Pliny._

A wrong course of eating or drinking destroys health, and with it the sweetness of life.—“_Christian Temperance._”

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SAUCES FOR VEGETABLES

TOMATO SAUCE

Cook one pint of fresh or canned tomatoes with a little onion, salt, and herb-flavor for fifteen minutes, then strain through a colander, and add two tablespoonfuls of flour browned with a tablespoonful of butter.

CREAM SAUCE

Melt two tablespoonfuls of butter in a saucepan over the fire, stir in two tablespoonfuls of flour, and cook about one minute, but do not let it brown. Add one cup of milk gradually, stirring constantly to keep smooth until thickened; cook very slowly, or steam over hot water, for ten minutes; add one-half teaspoonful of salt, and serve.

LENTIL SAUCE

Rub a cupful of cooked lentils through a colander into a saucepan; add a cup of milk and a little salt. When boiling, stir in a tablespoonful of browned flour rubbed smooth in a little cold milk. Add a little chopped parsley, if desired. For browned flour, see page 12.

BROWN SAUCE, NO. 1

Put a teaspoonful of butter into a frying-pan, and brown slightly; then pour in a pint of milk, and heat to boiling; stir in two tablespoonfuls of browned flour rubbed to a paste in a little cold water or milk; season with salt, boil until thickened, and serve.

BROWN SAUCE, NO. 2

Put a tablespoonful of butter into a frying-pan; when melted, sprinkle in two tablespoonfuls of flour, stirring until nicely browned; then add enough boiling water to make of the consistency of cream, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Add salt to taste.

PARSLEY SAUCE

Make a brown sauce, and add a little finely chopped parsley just before serving.

EGG AND MILK SAUCE

To a pint of milk add a tablespoonful or two of cream, or a teaspoonful of butter, and heat to boiling; then stir in one even tablespoonful of flour rubbed smooth in a little cold water or milk; let boil a few minutes, stirring constantly; then stir in rapidly the well-beaten yolk of one egg; season with salt, boil up, and serve.

BREAD SAUCE

Put a tablespoonful of oil and a teaspoonful of grated onion into a saucepan, and allow to heat, but not scorch; then add a cupful of rich milk, or nut milk, and a little salt. When heated nearly to boiling, stir in one-half cupful of sifted bread crumbs. Let boil slowly a few minutes, and serve. Nice with protose cutlets or baked potatoes.

MINT SAUCE

Take fresh, green mint, wash, and chop very fine. Put into a glass, and for each two tablespoonfuls of mint allow one tablespoonful of sugar, and the juice of one lemon diluted with an equal amount of water.

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SAUCES FOR DESSERTS

ARROWROOT SAUCE

Heat one cup of water to boiling; then add one teaspoonful of sugar, and one small tablespoonful of arrowroot mixed smooth in a little cold water, stirring briskly. In a few minutes remove from the fire, and flavor with lemon or almond. Nice for puddings.

BOILED CUSTARD SAUCE

Beat together in a saucepan, two eggs, one tablespoonful of sugar, and one-half teaspoonful of cornstarch. Place over the fire one cupful of milk, and as soon as it begins to boil pour it over the eggs in the saucepan. Stir well, place over the fire to boil until it thickens, then pour into a pitcher, and flavor if desired.

CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Mix two tablespoonfuls of shaved chocolate with two cupfuls of sweet milk, and heat to boiling; then add the well-beaten yolks of two eggs, stirring briskly; boil a few minutes until thickened, and remove from the fire; add the whites of the eggs, which have been beaten to a stiff froth, and two tablespoonfuls of white sugar. Nice with cornstarch blanc-mange.

ORANGE SAUCE

Heat a pint of water to boiling, and thicken with a tablespoonful of cornstarch; add a cupful of orange juice extracted from good sweet oranges, a small piece of the yellow rind for flavoring, and sugar to sweeten; the beaten yolk of an egg may be added if desired; remove the orange rind before serving.

LEMON SAUCE

To a pint of boiling water add a slice or two of lemon, and thicken with a small tablespoonful of cornstarch; remove the lemon, cook a few minutes until clear, then add two thirds of a cup of sugar, the juice of one lemon, and a beaten egg if desired; boil up, cool, and serve.

FRUIT SAUCE

Obtain the juice of raspberries, strawberries, grapes, currants, or any larger fruit, by simmering for a short time with a little water, and straining through a thin cloth; heat the juice to scalding, then slightly thicken with cornstarch rubbed smooth in a little cold water, allowing a tablespoonful of cornstarch for each pint of juice; cook a few minutes till thickened, and sweeten to taste. Three or four tablespoonfuls of fruit jelly dissolved in a pint of hot water makes a good substitute for fruit juice if the latter is not available.

STRAWBERRY SAUCE

Beat one and one-half cups of powdered sugar and one tablespoonful of butter to a cream. Then add the stiffly beaten white of one egg and beat till very light. Set in a cool place, and when ready to serve, add one pint of mashed strawberries.

WHIPPED CREAM

Beat one cup of cold sweet cream with a Dover egg-beater until stiff; then beat in two tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar, and one-half teaspoonful extract of vanilla; set in a cool place till ready to serve. Have the cream cold, and not too thick, or it will turn to butter while beating. A nice sauce for desserts.

PIES

“To keep in health this rule is wise, Eat only when you need and relish food, Chew thoroughly, that it may do you good, Have it well cooked, unspiced, and undisguised.”

Food for repentance—mince pie eaten late at night.

He who eats till he is sick must fast till he is well.—_Selected._

How many homes are cursed by discomfort and ill health, and thoughts and bitter words, simply because the wife does not know how to cook.—_The Young Woman._

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One of the greatest objections to pies is that they are generally made too rich. When a large amount of grease is employed in making the crust, and the filling is seasoned heavily with spices and various condiments, they can hardly fail to be unwholesome.

But pies need not be made in this way. If proper ingredients are used, and simplicity is studied in making them, there is no reason why they should be seriously objectionable.

There are two styles of pie in general use,—one, the English style, baked in a deep dish, frequently with only a top crust; the other, the American, baked in a shallow dish, usually with two crusts, an upper and an under. Custard, cream, lemon, and pumpkin pies, however, have only an under crust. Most of the recipes here given are for the shallow pies with two crusts.

Custard, pumpkin, and other pies in which milk and eggs are used, should be baked in a slow oven. They will also be improved if the milk used be hot. To stir beaten eggs into the hot milk, add a few spoonfuls of cold milk to the eggs, then pour into the hot milk, a little at a time, stirring well.

The filling for pies should always be prepared before making the crust, unless the crust is to be baked first. All the material should be cold, except for custard and pumpkin pies, and should be put together quickly, handling as little as possible, and without kneading the dough.

When the paste is ready, take sufficient for one crust, and roll out on a floured board quickly and lightly until about an eighth of an inch in thickness, and a little larger than the pie dish, as it will shrink when lifted from the board. When rolled thin, flour or oil the pie dish, cover smoothly with the crust, and fill, adding sugar as required. Sprinkle a little flour over the sugar; this thickens the juice slightly, and prevents the upper crust from becoming soggy. For custard or fruit pies with wet fillings, brush the bottom crust with the white of an egg before putting in the filling. The crust will then remain dry and tender.

If there is to be a top crust, roll it out in the same manner, and make a few ornamental cuts in the center to allow the steam to escape. Wet the edge of the lower crust, and lift on the upper crust, pressing the edges together so that the juice may not escape. Trim away the overhanging portions, and with the thumb and fingers press the edge into a scalloped or ornamental wall, as shown in the accompanying cut. Especially should this be done when only an under crust is used, that the pie may be handled with greater ease. It also adds to the appearance of the pie. Pies are generally better eaten the same day they are baked.

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PLAIN PIE CRUST

For each pie with two crusts take two small cups of sifted flour, and work thoroughly into it three tablespoonfuls of butter, adding a little salt; wet with just sufficient cold water to make a rather stiff dough; mix quickly, roll out thin, and bake as soon as the pie can be made. A good crust may be made with olive-oil, or fresh cocoanut or vegetable oil, instead of butter, using about the same quantity.

CREAM PIE CRUST

Take two scant cups of fine, sifted flour, or equal parts of fine flour and Graham flour, add a little salt, and moisten with enough cold, thin sweet cream to make a rather stiff dough; roll out thin, place in the pie dish, fill, and bake quickly.

APPLE PIE

Pare, core, and slice thin, tart ripe apples; line the pie dish with a crust, and fill with the apples; sprinkle with sugar, and add two or three tablespoonfuls of cold water. Cover with an upper crust, according to general directions, and bake until a light brown. Apples that do not cook quickly may be stewed until about half done before making into pies. Apple pie when cold is very nice served with sweet cream.

PEACH PIE

Pare, remove stones, and make the same as apple pie.

GOOSEBERRY PIE

Remove the stems and blossom ends, wash, and fill a pie dish lined with a crust. Add a half cup of sugar, and sprinkle with flour. Prepare the upper crust, cover, and bake. To prevent the juice from running out while baking, make a paste of a teaspoonful of flour and a little water, and brush over the edge of the under crust before putting on the top crust. If desired, beat together the white of an egg and a tablespoonful of fine sugar, and meringue the top of the pie when done; return to the oven, and brown slightly.

RHUBARB PIE

Wash, strip off the skin, and cut the stalks into thin slices. Line a pie dish with crust, and fill with the rhubarb. Add a half cup of sugar, two or three tablespoonfuls of water, and sprinkle over a tablespoonful of flour. Wet the edges of the lower crust, place on a prepared top crust, press the edges together, trim, and bake. Equal portions of rhubarb and apples may be used in the place of all rhubarb.

RASPBERRY PIE

Look over the raspberries, line a pie dish with a crust and fill with berries; add two tablespoonfuls of sugar, a little water, sprinkle with flour, and proceed as with gooseberry pie.

BLACKBERRY PIE

Look over about one pint of blackberries, and proceed the same as for raspberry pie. Blueberry pie may be made in the same way.

CHERRY PIE

Take nice ripe cherries, remove the stones if preferred, and make the same as raspberry pie, adding sugar according to the acidity of the fruit.

DRIED CURRANT PIE

Wash the currants in two or three waters through a colander to remove sand and grit, and stew; when cool, line a pie dish with crust, and fill with the currants, pouring in a small quantity of the juice; add a little sugar, then sprinkle over with two tablespoonfuls of flour, cover with a crust, and bake in a hot oven till done. It should not be made too dry.

PRUNE PIE

Wash the prunes well in warm water, rinse, soak, and put to cook without draining, cover, and stew slowly from one to two hours. When done, put through a colander to remove stones and skins. Bake with two crusts. Very little sugar will be needed. If the pulp is quite juicy, a tablespoonful of flour may be sprinkled over.

LEMON PIE

To one cupful of boiling water, add one heaping tablespoonful of cornstarch blended with a little cold water. Boil up, remove from the fire, and stir in two-thirds cup of sugar; let cool, then add the beaten yolks of two eggs, and the juice and grated rind of a lemon. Bake with under crust only; when done, meringue the top with a tablespoonful of sugar and the whites of the eggs beaten stiff; return to a slow oven to brown slightly.

DRIED APPLE PIE

Take good dried apples, wash, and soak for several hours, or overnight, in sufficient cold water to cover them. Stew, without draining, until soft; mash fine, adding lemon flavoring and sugar to sweeten; bake with two crusts, or ornament with strips or lattice-work crust on top. A few stewed blackberries or raspberries may be added to the apples.

DRIED PEACH PIE

Stew until soft, mash to a pulp, add sugar to sweeten, and make the same as dried apple pie. If desired, one-third apricots may be used.

RAISIN PIE

For three pies, stew one pound of raisins for nearly an hour in enough water to cover them; add the juice of a lemon, and a small cup of white sugar. Line the pie dishes with crust, fill with raisins and a little of the juice, and sprinkle two tablespoonfuls of flour over each pie. Bake with two crusts. For lemon raisin pie add the juice and grated rind of one lemon.

CREAM PIE

Put one cup of milk to scald in a double boiler. Beat together two eggs, leaving out the white of one, two even teaspoonfuls of sifted flour stirred smooth in a little cold milk, and two heaping tablespoonfuls of sugar. When the milk is scalding hot, add this mixture, and stir for a minute or two until it thickens. It is better not to cook after it is thick, and the less it is stirred, except to keep it from forming into lumps, the better; add vanilla or lemon to flavor. Line the pie dish with a crust, pricking well with a fork to prevent blistering, and bake in a quick oven; then put the cream, which is already sufficiently cooked, into the baked crust. Beat the white of the egg to a stiff froth with a tablespoonful of sugar, and spread on top of the pie. Place in the oven to brown slightly.

CUSTARD PIE

Line a pie dish with a crust, and fill with the following: Three eggs, three tablespoonfuls of sugar, and one teaspoonful of flour; beat thoroughly together, and add milk enough to fill the dish. Bake slowly until set, but do not allow to boil. As soon as it puffs, and a knife can be cut into the custard and come out clean, it is done. To be eaten cold, and on the same day as baked.

PUMPKIN PIE

Cut the pumpkin in halves, remove the seeds, cut in slices, and stew until dry and soft. Mash smooth, and for each pie take one cup of stewed pumpkin, one-third cup of sugar, two eggs, and about a pint of milk. Beat the eggs and sugar together, stir in the pumpkin, and, lastly, add the milk; mix well, and bake with an under crust only, until the custard is set. Squash may be used instead of pumpkin. If more convenient, two tablespoonfuls of flour may be used in place of the eggs. A tablespoonful or two of molasses may also be added if desired.

What moistens the lip, and What brightens the eye, What brings back the past, Like a good pumpkin pie?—_Whittier._

PIE WITH UPPER CRUST ONLY

Take a deep pie dish, place a small cup upside down in the middle of it, and fill the dish with fruit, adding sugar as desired. Place a border of crust around the edge of the dish, put on the top crust, ornament the edges, and bake.

TARTS

Line shallow pie dishes or patty-pans with good crusts, fill with the fruit, and bake. When done, remove from the oven, and sprinkle with fine sugar.

Small tarts may be made by rolling crust out thin, and cutting in shapes with a cake cutter, using half of them for the under crust, and the other half for tops; ornament the tops by cutting small holes in the center with a thimble or small fancy mold. Bake quickly, and when done put together with fruit jelly.

VEGETABLE PIE

Boil for a short time several potatoes and onions, after which slice them into a deep, buttered pie dish in layers; add to each layer a little sage and well-steeped tapioca, and season with salt. Cover with a crust and bake. A very economical and wholesome pie.

SAVORY PIE

Soak one-half cup of tapioca in one cup of cold water for one hour. Moisten enough stale bread in cold water to make three cupfuls; put into a dish, and rub in two tablespoonfuls of butter and one of flour. Then mix in one-half cup of stewed fresh or canned tomatoes, two beaten eggs, one small onion chopped fine, one tablespoonful of powdered sage, and salt to taste. Put into a buttered pudding dish and pour over the tapioca. Boil two eggs until hard, remove shells, cut into slices, and place on top of the tapioca; add a few bits of butter, cover with a crust, and bake in a moderate oven for twenty or thirty minutes. Serve hot.

MERINGUE FOR PIES