CHAPTER XII

CHEESE AND NUTS

231.--CHEESE CROUSTADES

1-1/2 cups cheese cut fine 1/4 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon Brand's A 1 sauce 1/4 teaspoon mustard 3 tablespoons milk or cream

Mix in order given; fill Croustades (see No. 473), and put in a hot oven until cheese melts. Serve immediately, before cheese toughens.

232.--CHEESE CUSTARD

1 cup soft bread crumbs 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup cheese cut fine 1/8 teaspoon soda 1/4 teaspoon mustard 1 egg slightly beaten 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1 cup hot milk

Mix in order given, turn into a greased baking dish, and bake in a slow oven twenty-five minutes.

233.--CHEESE FONDUE

1/2 cup dried bread crumbs 1/3 teaspoon paprika 3/4 cup boiling water 1 teaspoon mustard 1 tablespoon butter 1/2 cup milk 1 cup cheese cut fine Yolks of two eggs 1/3 teaspoon salt Whites of two eggs

Mix in the order given, beating the yolks until thick and light, and the whites until very stiff; pour into a greased baking dish, bake twenty-five minutes in a slow oven, and serve at once.

234.--COTTAGE CHEESE

1 quart thick sour milk 1/2 tablespoon soft butter 1 quart boiling water 1/3 teaspoon salt

Put milk in a large bowl, add boiling water, and let stand five minutes; pour into cheesecloth bag, and drain over night or for several hours. Mix cheese with butter and salt, press into a small bowl, and chill. A sweet red pepper (canned) may be pressed through a sieve and mixed with cheese.

235.--CRACKERS AND CHEESE BAKED IN MILK

Split butter crackers, spread with butter and grated cheese, sprinkle with salt and pepper, put in a buttered baking dish, cover with milk, and bake about twenty minutes in a moderate oven.

236.--CHEESE PASTE

1/2 pound American cheese 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1 cake cream cheese 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 pimientos 1/4 cup cream

Chop American cheese and pimientos, using the finest cutter in the food chopper; add cream cheese and seasonings, and blend with cream until smooth.

237.--BAKED RICE WITH CHEESE

2 cups cooked rice 1/8 teaspoon pepper 3/4 cup grated cheese 3/4 cup hot milk 1/3 teaspoon salt

Arrange rice and cheese in layers in a greased baking dish; sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover with milk, and bake in a moderate oven about fifteen minutes.

238.--SCALLOPED TOAST AND CHEESE

4 slices of toast 1 egg beaten 1 cup cheese cut fine 1/4 teaspoon salt 1-1/2 cups milk 1/4 teaspoon mustard

Butter toast, cut each slice into four pieces, and arrange in a baking dish in layers sprinkled with cheese; mix milk, egg, and seasonings, pour over toast, and let stand fifteen minutes. Bake in a moderate oven about twenty minutes.

239.--TOMATO RAREBIT

1 can condensed tomato soup 1/2 pound cheese cut fine 1/2 cup soft bread crumbs 1/4 teaspoon mustard

Heat soup, add bread crumbs, cheese, and mustard; stir until cheese melts, and serve on toast or crackers.

240.--WELSH RAREBIT

1 tablespoon butter 1/4 teaspoon paprika 1 tablespoon flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup hot milk 1/8 teaspoon soda 1/2 pound cheese cut fine Dash of cayenne 1/2 teaspoon mustard 1 beaten egg

Melt butter, add flour, and when well mixed add milk, and stir until smooth; add cheese and seasonings, and cook until cheese is melted; add egg, cook two or three minutes, and serve on hot toast or crisp pilot crackers. The egg may be omitted.

241.--SALTED ALMONDS

1 cup almonds (shelled) 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon butter

Cover almonds with boiling water and let stand on back of range for ten minutes; slip off the skins, and dry for several hours, or over night; melt butter, add almonds and salt, and mix well; spread in a dripping pan, and bake in a slow oven fifteen or twenty minutes, stirring occasionally. When prepared in this way nuts will keep crisp.

242.--PEANUT BUTTER

2 quarts lightly roasted peanuts Cream or melted butter 1 teaspoon salt

Remove shells and skins of peanuts, and put through the food chopper twice, using first a coarse cutter, and then the finest cutter; add salt, and enough cream or melted butter to make a smooth paste.

243.--TO SHELL CHESTNUTS

Cover with boiling water, boil ten minutes, drain, and cover with cold water. Remove the shell with a knife, beginning at top of nut. The inner skin will come off with the shell.

244.--BAKED CHESTNUTS

1 pint chestnuts 1 tablespoon butter 1-1/2 cups hot ham stock 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Shell chestnuts, put in baking dish with stock, butter, and pepper; cover, and bake in hot oven about half an hour, or until soft; remove cover, and brown. If stock is very salt, dilute with water or milk.

245--CELERY, NUT, AND POTATO LOAF

2 cups celery cut in half-inch pieces 1 egg slightly beaten 1/2 cup chopped nut meats 1 teaspoon salt 2 cups hot mashed potato 1/2 teaspoon paprika 2 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon grated onion

Cook celery in boiling salted water about half an hour, or until tender, and drain; add other ingredients in order given; mix well; pack in deep greased pan, and bake in a moderate oven about half an hour. Turn out on platter, and serve with Creole Sauce (see No. 191) or Tomato Sauce (see No. 203).

246.--NUT LOAF

2 cups soft stale bread crumbs 1/4 teaspoon paprika 1 cup nut meats finely chopped 1 egg slightly beaten 1 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons sausage fat or butter 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning 1/2 cup boiling water

Mix in order given; pack in a deep greased pan, and bake in a moderate oven half an hour. Turn out on platter, and serve with Cheese Sauce (see No. 188).