Chapter 2

=Home-made Bread.=--To make good bread or rolls, take five potatoes; peel and cut them up, and boil in water enough to cover them; when done, mash them smooth in the water in which they were boiled; when _cool_, not _cold_, add a gill of liquid yeast, a dessert-spoonful of sugar, a salt-tablespoonful of lard, and a pint of flour. Mix together lightly until it is of a pasty, sticky consistency; cover and set it in a warm place to rise; it will rise in two or three hours, and should look almost like yeast. Stir into this three pints of flour and, if necessary, a little cold water; the dough should be rather soft, and need not be kneaded more than half an hour. Set in a moderately warm place for four hours; it is now ready to be shaped into loaves and baked; but it is better to push it down from the sides of the bread-pan, and let it rise again and again, until the third time, which is ample. Knead until smooth, and if too soft, add a little more flour. For rolls, roll out and cut into rounds. Use the rolling-pin slightly, batter, and fold. Baking-pans should be well greased.

=Salt= is always used in bread-making, not only on account of its flavor, which destroys the insipid, raw taste of the flour, but because it makes the dough rise better. It is therefore highly important that it should be of the best quality, as it has an affinity for the kidneys and other organs, and acts upon them powerfully.

As it is the smallest item in the expense of a family, no pains should be spared in procuring the best in market.

American manufacturers have not as yet made a salt free from foreign flavors and suitable to delicate cookery; its peculiar fishy flavor is objectionable, and gives to bread a taste that leads the eater thereof to imagine it had been sliced with a fish-knife.

Most of the leading grocers sell an English salt that is a very valuable assistant in bread-making.

=Maize or Indian Corn= is the noblest of the cereal grasses, and deserves our liberal patronage and constant praise. From it can be produced an infinite variety of nutritious food, from Tennyson's "dusky loaf that smelt of home" to the simple "hoe cake" of "Old Black Joe."

To enumerate all of the good things produced from corn would make a volume five times the size of this little book. Enough has been said to practically demonstrate the necessity of our being at all times aware of its excellent qualities, if we value health and subsequent happiness.

In America no national question is of more importance than the success or failure of the corn crop. Upon it depends the success not only of large business enterprises, but of business centres. Nearly all of the important domestic animals that are used as food are fed upon it exclusively, and a large percentage of the population depends upon it--directly or indirectly--for very existence, which is conclusive evidence that a failure of this important cereal means starvation and bankruptcy to many, which the failure of the wheat crop would not effect.

=Corn Bread.=--Sift half a pound each of corn meal and flour, add a scant teaspoonful of salt and a tablespoonful of wheat baking powder. Beat together one ounce of powdered sugar, two eggs, and one ounce of butter; add these to the flour; then gradually add nearly a pint of milk, to make a thin batter, and bake in a hot oven.

=Corn-meal Custard.=--Beat up three eggs; add to them a quart of milk and an ounce each of butter and sugar. Mix and add gradually a quarter of a pound of very fine corn meal; flavor with nutmeg. Pour into custard cups, and boil or steam for ten minutes; then put them in the oven a moment to brown on top.

=Boston Brown Bread.=--Sift together half a pound each of rye and wheat flour, one pound of corn meal, one heaping teaspoonful of salt, a heaping tablespoonful of brown sugar, and one of wheat baking powder. Wash, peel, and boil two medium-sized potatoes; rub them through a sieve; thin out the potato with nearly a pint of water, and use this to make the batter. Pour it into well-greased moulds having covers; set them into hot water to within two inches of the top of the moulds, and boil for two hours; then take them out of the water, remove the cover, and place them in the oven for twenty minutes.

A Boston brown bread preparation put up by the Boston Cereal Manufacturing Company is an article of food quite recently introduced, which saves much of the difficult details necessary to make this excellent New England loaf.

=Maize Muffins.=--This very latest preparation deserves special mention, as being the highest and most scientific product of corn that has been introduced for public consideration. It is known as shredded maize, and from it a most excellent porridge can be made in ten minutes. Griddle cakes, sweet puddings, and especially breakfast rolls made of it are delightful. Most excellent muffins are prepared as follows: Mix together one pound of shredded maize, one pint of hot milk, a teaspoonful of salt, and one ounce of butter; let it cool, and whisk into it three beaten eggs, one ounce of sugar, and two teaspoonfuls of wheat baking powder; mix thoroughly; half fill the muffin-rings, and bake in a hot oven.

=Graham Muffins.=--Sift one quart of graham flour, half a teaspoonful of salt, and a heaping tablespoonful of wheat baking powder; add two ounces of butter and two beaten eggs, with milk enough to make a thin batter. Mix. Half fill the greased muffin-rings, and bake in a quick oven.

=Breakfast Biscuits.=--Sift one quart of flour, half a teaspoonful of salt, and a scant tablespoonful of wheat baking powder; add half an ounce of butter; mix together, and add milk enough to make a batter; roll out the dough on a floured board; dredge it with flour; cut out the biscuits; place them on a buttered tin, and bake in a quick oven.

=Milk Bread.=--Sift one and a half pounds of flour, a teaspoonful of salt, half an ounce of powdered sugar, same of melted butter, and two tablespoonfuls of wheat baking powder. Simmer a pint of milk; let it cool; add it to the flour; beat it with a plated knife; shape it into loaves. Let stand for half an hour in well-greased pans, covered, then bake in a quick oven.

=Rolled-wheat Biscuit.=--Half a pint each of rolled wheat and flour, one coffeespoonful of salt, two teaspoonfuls of wheat baking powder, one tablespoonful of powdered sugar, and one teaspoonful of lard or melted butter. Add milk enough to make a batter, and bake in small tins in a quick oven.

=To Test the Oven.=--Throw on the floor of the oven a tablespoonful of new flour; if it takes fire or assumes a dark brown color, the temperature is too high, and the oven must be allowed to cool. If the flour remains white after the lapse of a few seconds, the temperature is too low. When the oven is of the proper temperature the flour will turn a brownish yellow and look slightly scorched.

TOAST.

=Toast= is very palatable and digestible when properly prepared. Many seem to think that they have made toast when they brown the outside of a slice of bread. Have they?

The object in making toast is to evaporate all moisture from the bread, and holding a slice over the fire to singe does not accomplish this; it only warms the moisture, making the inside of the bread doughy and decidedly indigestible. The true way of preparing it is to cut the bread into slices a quarter of an inch thick, trim off all crust, put the slices in a pan or plate, place them in the oven--which must not be too hot--take them out when a delicate brown, and butter at once.

For my own use I dry all home-made bread in this manner.

=Dry Toast= should be served within the folds of a napkin if you wish to keep it hot; toast-racks allow the heat to escape, and they are not recommended.

=Dip Toast.=--Prepare the toast as above directed; dip the edges into hot water quickly, and butter at once. This is also called water toast.

=Milk Toast.=--Wet the pan to be used with cold water, which prevents burning. Melt an ounce of floured butter; whisk into it a pint of hot milk; add a little salt; simmer. Prepare four slices of toast; put them in a deep dish one at a time; pour a little of the milk over each, and over the last one pour the remainder of the milk.

=Anchovy Toast.=--The best way to prepare this appetizing dish is as follows: Toast the bread and trim it neatly, and place it near the range to keep warm; next prepare a "dip," as for ordinary cream toast; spread a thin layer of anchovy paste on each slice of bread; place in a hot, deep dish; pour the prepared cream over them, and serve.

=Clam Toast.=--Chop up two dozen small clams into fine pieces; simmer for thirty minutes in hot water enough to cover them. Beat up the yolks of two eggs; add a little cayenne and a gill of warmed milk; dissolve half a teaspoonful of flour in a little cold milk; simmer all together; pour over buttered toast, and serve.

=Marrow-bone Toast.=--Procure two beef shin-bones about six to eight inches long; cover them with dough, and wrap them in muslin; pour hot water enough to cover them, and boil for an hour and a half. Remove cloth and dough; shake or draw out the marrow with a long-handled fork upon slices of hot toast. Add salt, cayenne, and, if convenient, a little chopped celery, and serve.

=Oyster Toast.=--Select fifteen plump oysters; chop them fine, and add salt, pepper, and a suspicion of nutmeg. Beat up the yolks of two eggs with a gill of cream; whisk this into the simmering oysters. When set, pour the whole over slices of buttered toast.

=Salmon Toast.=--It very often occurs that a can of salmon is not all used at a meal, and yet there is not quite enough for another meal without other dishes or ingredients added to it. Should this occur, mince the salmon, heat, and season it and serve it on toast. A poached egg added to it is quite acceptable.

=Tongue Toast.=--A very nice dish is prepared from cold boiled or potted tongue. Slice the tongue, and cut each slice into small, fine pieces; heat it in a pan with a little butter. To prevent burning, moisten with warm water or clear soup; add salt and pepper; stir into it two beaten eggs. When set, arrange neatly on toast.

Dainty bits of roast game, fowl, etc., minced, warmed over, and served on toast are excellent, and show a way of using good material that would otherwise be wasted.

EGGS AND OMELETS.

=To Test Eggs.=--Dissolve an ounce of salt in ten ounces of water; add the eggs. Good ones will sink, indifferent eggs will swim, and bad eggs will float, even in pure water.

Fresh eggs are more transparent in the centre.

Old eggs are transparent at the top.

Eggs may be kept a long time by covering them with beeswax dissolved in warm olive or cotton-seed oil. Use one third wax to two thirds oil.

=Baked Eggs.=--Mince half a pound of lean boiled ham, add an equal quantity of cracker crumbs. Moisten and spread the mixture over a platter; scoop out four round holes as large as an egg, and drop an egg from the shell into each hole; season with salt, cayenne, and butter; put the dish in the oven, and serve when the eggs are cooked.

The crumbs should be moist enough to take almost a crust when baked.

=Omelets.=--As a rule, an omelet is a wholesome and inexpensive dish, yet one in the preparation of which cooks frequently fail, owing to carelessness of detail. With a little attention the housewife can easily become the perfect cook in this branch, as well as others.

The flavoring and the ingredients used may be varied indefinitely; but the principle is always the same. In making an omelet care should be taken that the omelet pan is hot and dry. To insure this, put a small quantity of lard into the pan; let it simmer a few minutes, and remove it; wipe the pan dry with a towel, and put in a little fresh lard, in which the omelet may be fried. Care should be taken that the lard does not burn, as it would spoil the color of the omelet.

It is better to make two or three small omelets than one very large one, as the latter cannot be well handled by a novice.

The omelet made of three eggs is the one recommended for beginners. Break the eggs separately; put them into a bowl, and whisk them thoroughly with a fork. (The longer they are beaten, the lighter will be the omelet.) Add a teaspoonful of milk, and beat up with the eggs; beat until the last moment before pouring into the pan, which should be over a hot fire. As soon as the omelet sets, remove the pan from the hottest part of the fire, slip a knife under it to prevent sticking to the pan; when the centre is almost firm, slant the pan; work the omelet in shape to fold easily and neatly; and, when slightly browned, hold a platter against the edge of the pan, and deftly turn it out upon the hot dish.

Salt _mixed_ with the eggs prevents them from rising, and when used the omelet will look flabby; yet without salt it will taste insipid. Add a little salt to it just before folding it and turning out on the dish.

=Cheese Omelet.=--Beat up the eggs and add to them a tablespoonful of grated Parmesan cheese; add a little more cheese before folding, and turn out on a hot dish. Grate a little cheese over it before serving.

=Omelet with Herbs.=--Beat up three eggs and add to them a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, mixed with a few chives. Pour into the pan, and before folding season with salt and pepper; fold, and turn out on a hot dish.

=Onion Omelet.=--Cut up a small Spanish onion; fry it a light brown; before folding the omelet add the onion, and turn out on a hot dish.

=Oyster Omelet.=--Stew six oysters in their own liquor for five minutes; remove the oysters, and thicken the liquid with a walnut of butter rolled in flour; season with salt and cayenne; whisk this to a cream. Chop the oysters, and add them to the sauce; simmer until the sauce thickens. Beat up four eggs lightly, and add a tablespoonful of cream; turn out into a hot pan, and fry a light gold color. Before folding the omelet entirely, place the oysters with part of the sauce within, and turn it over on a hot dish. The remainder of the sauce should be poured round it.

=Omelet au Rhum.=--Prepare an omelet as has been directed, fold it, and turn out on a hot dish; dust a liberal quantity of powdered sugar over it, and singe the sugar into neat stripes with a hot iron rod, heated on the coals. Pour a wine-glassful of warmed Jamaica rum around it, and when on the table set fire to it. With a tablespoon dash the burning rum over the omelet, blow out the fire, and serve.

=Spanish Omelet.=--Chop up half of a sweet Spanish pepper; peel and cut up a large tomato; cut two ounces of ham into dice; mince three button mushrooms and half an onion with a clove of garlic; season with salt, cayenne, and capers. Put the onion and ham in a pan, and fry; add the other ingredients, and simmer until a thick pulp; add this to an omelet just before folding it and turning out on a dish. Pour a well-made tomato sauce round it, and serve.

The ingredients may be varied to suite the taste.

=Sweet Omelet.=--Beat up the eggs as usual, and, just before it is folded in the pan, add a heaping tablespoonful of jelly, preserves, or other ingredients that fancy may suggest.

POTATOES.

=Potatoes.=--Take a sound-looking potato of any variety; pay but little attention to its outward appearance; cut or break it in two, crosswise, and examine the cut surface. If it appears watery to such a degree that a slight pressure would cause water to fall off in drops, reject it, as it would be of little use for the table. A good potato should be of a light cream-color, and when rubbed together a white froth should appear round the edges and surface of the cut, which indicates the presence of starch. The more starch in the potato, the more it will froth; consequently the more froth on the potato the better it will be when cooked. The strength of its starchy properties may be tested by releasing the hold of one end, and if it clings to the other, the potato is a good one. These are the general principles followed by potato-buyers, and they are usually to be fully relied upon. About one seventh part of the potato is nutritious, and this is chiefly farinaceous, and is accompanied by no inconsiderable portion of saline matter, more especially of potassa, which renders it highly antiscorbutic, and a powerful corrective of the grossness of animal food. When forming part of a mixed diet, no substance is more wholesome than the potato. Even the wild potato found in the Yellowstone Country is thought one of the best of edible wild roots.

=Boiled Potatoes.=--To retain the highest amount of nourishment, potatoes should be boiled with their skins on. When so treated, they are twice as rich in potassa salts as those which have first been peeled. It is a good plan to place them in the oven or on top of the range after boiling them, thereby allowing all surplus moisture to escape. Before sending to table they should be peeled, and, if convenient, thoroughly mashed, as they are more easily digested, and when they are lumpy or watery they escape proper mastication, and in this way cause serious derangement of the system. Under no circumstances allow the aged, dyspeptic, or those in delicate health to eat them except when mashed. The so-called potato "with a bone in it," a favorite dish of the Irish peasant, is a potato only half cooked, being raw in the centre; and a more indigestible thing cannot well be imagined.

=Lyonnaise Potatoes.=--The same as sautéed, except that a little onion is fried brown and the potato then added.

=Potatoes au Cochon.=--Slice two hot, mealy potatoes; cut the slices into squares; put them in a saucepan, and add scalded cream enough to cover them, salt, and white pepper. Cut into very small pieces half an ounce of fat, boiled, salt pork; add a tablespoonful to the potato; simmer until thoroughly blended together; pour the contents of the dish into a small _au gratin_ dish (or vegetable baker); grate a little Parmesan cheese over it; add a small bit of butter; place in the oven a moment to brown, and serve in the same dish.

=Potatoes au Gratin.=--Nearly fill the _gratin_ pan with hot boiled potatoes, cut into small pieces; cover with milk; strew over them grated cheese or part cheese and grated crumbs; add a little butter, and bake brown in a quick oven.

=Potatoes Sautéed= are cold boiled potatoes cut into small slices and slightly browned in a frying-pan, shaped, and turned out on a hot dish (as you would an omelet), and seasoned with parsley, salt, and pepper.

MISCELLANEOUS BREAKFAST DISHES.

=Artichokes (French).=--Trim the ends; remove the choke, and quarter each artichoke; pour boiling water over them, and drain. Put them in a stewpan, and to each artichoke add a gill of white wine and one of clear soup; season with salt, pepper, and a little lemon-peel; when done, remove the artichoke, and boil the sauce down. Cream an ounce of butter; add half a teaspoonful of flour, and by degrees add the sauce; simmer until thick, and send to table with the artichokes.

=Artichokes (French), Fried.=--Wash and cut away the leaves of two artichokes; remove the inside choke; cut the bottoms into neat pieces, and cover them with water containing one third vinegar. Drain; season with salt and pepper; dip them in beaten egg; roll them in fine cracker dust, and fry in plenty of hot fat.

=Chicken Croquettes.=--Cut up the white meat of one cold boiled chicken, and pound it to a paste with a large boiled sweetbread, freed from sinews; add salt and pepper. Beat up one egg with a teaspoonful of flour and a wine-glassful of rich cream. Mix all together; put it in a pan, and simmer just enough to absorb part of the moisture, _stirring all the time_; turn it out on a flat dish, and place in ice-box to become cold and firm; then roll it into small neat cones; dip them in beaten eggs; roll in finely powdered bread crumbs; drop them in boiling fat, and fry a delicate brown. Handle them carefully.

Some add a little nutmeg, but I have found the above recipe more satisfactory without it, especially among my Philadelphia patrons.

=Chicken, Devilled.=--Prepare a mixture of mustard, pepper, and salt, moistened with a little oil. Put a small quantity of oil in a frying-pan; add just onion enough to give it flavor, and toss the chicken about in this a moment. Remove; rub or brush the moisture over the chicken, and broil. Serve with a sharp, pungent sauce, made of drawn butter, lemon juice, mustard, and chopped capers.

=Chicken, Fried.=--Cut up half an onion, and fry it brown in a little butter. Divide two ounces of butter into little balls; roll them in flour; add to the onion, and fry the breast of the chicken in this, as well as the legs and side-bones, to a delicate brown. Take them out, and add to the sauce a few cut-up mushrooms, a gill of claret, salt, pepper, and a piece of cut sugar; simmer slowly; pour over the chicken and serve.

The Southern way of frying chicken is as follows: Slice and cut into small dice half a pound of salt pork; flour the chicken, and fry in the pork fat; dissolve a heaping tablespoonful of flour with a little cold milk; add to it gradually half a pint of boiled milk that has been seasoned with butter, pepper, and salt; simmer until thick; arrange the chicken on a hot dish, and pour the sauce round it. Toast may be placed under the chicken, if desired.

=Crabs, Soft-shell.=--These should be cooked as soon as possible after being caught, as their flavor rapidly deteriorates after being exposed to the air. Select crabs as lively as possible; remove the feathery substance under the pointed sides of the shells; rinse them in cold water; drain; season with salt and pepper; dredge them in flour, and fry in hot fat.

Many serve them rolled in eggs and cracker dust; but thus they are not as good.

=Filet of Sole, Sauce Tartare.=--Remove the head, fins, tail, and skin from a medium-sized flounder; lay the fish flat on the table, and with a sharp knife make a deep cut through to the back-bone the whole length of the fish. Cut the upper side lengthwise from the bone; now remove the bone from the lower part, and cut the fish into pieces crosswise, each piece to be about two inches in width. Season each piece; roll it up and tie it with strong thread; dredge them in flour, and fry in plenty of hot fat (they may be dipped in egg batter and rolled in bread crumb if liked); remove the thread; arrange them neatly on a hot dish; garnish with parsley, and send to table with _sauce tartare_ (which see).

=Hamburg Steak, Sauce Piquante.=--Select a thick rump steak, and with a stiff-backed kitchen knife scrape away the lean meat from the sinews. Season the meat with salt and cayenne, and shape it into a round form slightly flattened on top. Fry a minced onion brown in butter; cook the steak in this, on both sides, and serve with the following sauce: put into the same saucepan half a pint of strong soup stock, half a teaspoonful of browned flour, three tablespoonfuls of vinegar, a tablespoonful of chopped eschalot, a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, half a saltspoonful of black pepper, and a little salt. Simmer, strain, and serve.

Many like a Hamburg steak rare, while others prefer it well done; others there are who think they like it rare, highly seasoned with onion and other pungent seasoning.

=Hominy Fritters.=--Take one pint of boiled hominy, one gill of cream, two tablespoonfuls of corn-starch, two eggs, half a teaspoonful of baking powder, a saltspoonful of salt; mix to a batter. If too stiff, add a little more cream. Drop the batter in large spoonfuls into hot fat, and fry brown.