Chapter 8

~BUTTERMILK MUFFINS~--Sift four cups of flour, one-quarter cup of cornmeal, and one level teaspoon each of salt and soda three times. Beat two eggs well, add a level tablespoon of sugar, four cups of buttermilk, the dry ingredients, and beat hard for two minutes. Bake in muffin rings or hot greased gem pans. One-half the recipe will be enough for a small family.

~ENGLISH MUFFINS~--One pint milk, two level tablespoons shortening (butter or lard), two level teaspoons sugar, one level teaspoon salt, one yeast cake dissolved in one-fourth cup lukewarm water, flour. Scald the milk and add the shortening, sugar, and salt. When lukewarm add the yeast and sufficient flour to make a good batter. Here one's judgment must be used. Beat well and let rise until double in bulk. Warm and butter a griddle and place on it buttered muffin rings. Fill not quite half full of the batter, cover and cook slowly until double, then heat the griddle quickly and cook for about ten minutes, browning nicely underneath. Then turn them and brown the other side. When cool split, toast and butter.

~GRAHAM MUFFINS~--Heat to the boiling point two cups of milk, add a tablespoon of butter and stir until melted. Sift two cups of whole wheat flour, one-half cup of white flour, two teaspoons of baking powder. Pour on the milk and butter, beat, add the yolks of two eggs well beaten, then the stiffly beaten whites. Bake in hot greased gem pans.

~HOMINY MUFFINS~--Sift twice together one and one-half cups of flour, three level teaspoons of baking powder, one level tablespoon of sugar, and a saltspoon of salt. To one cup of boiled hominy add two tablespoons of melted butter and one cup of milk. Add to the dry ingredients and beat, then add two well beaten eggs. Pour the batter into hot greased gem pans and bake.

~MUFFINS~--Sift a saltspoon of salt, two level teaspoons of baking powder, and two cups of flour together. Beat the yolks of two eggs, add one cup of milk, two tablespoons of melted butter, and the dry ingredients. Beat, add lightly the stiffly beaten whites of two eggs, fill hot buttered gem pans two-thirds full, and bake in a hot oven.

~QUICK MUFFINS IN RINGS~--Beat two eggs, yolks and whites separately. Add to the yolks two cups of milk, one level teaspoon of salt, one tablespoon of melted butter and two cups of flour in which two level teaspoons of baking powder have been sifted, and last the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs. When well mixed bake in greased muffin rings on a hot griddle. Turn over when risen and set, as both sides must be browned.

~BOILED RICE MUFFINS~--To make muffins with cooked rice, sift two and one-quarter cups of flour twice with five level teaspoons of baking powder, one rounding tablespoon of sugar, and a saltspoon of salt. Put in one well beaten egg, half a cup of milk, and three-quarters cup of boiled rice mixed with another half cup of milk, and two tablespoons of melted butter. Beat well, pour into hot gem pans and bake.

~BOSTON BROWN BREAD~--To make one loaf sift together one cup of cornmeal, one cup rye meal, and one cup of graham flour, with three-quarters cup of molasses and one and three-quarters cup sweet milk. Add one-half teaspoonful of soda dissolved in warm water. Turn into a well buttered mold which may be a five-pound lard pail, if no other mold is handy. Set on something that will keep mold from bottom of kettle and turn enough boiling water to come half way up on the mold. Cover the kettle and keep the kettle boiling steadily for three and one-half hours. If water boils away add enough boiling water to keep the same amount of water in kettle. Put in molds and cut when cool.

~CRISP WHITE CORNCAKE~--Two cups scalded milk, one cup white cornmeal, two level teaspoons salt. Mix the salt and cornmeal and add gradually the hot milk. When well mixed, pour into a buttered dripping pan and bake in a moderate oven until crisp. Serve cut in squares. The mixture should not be more than one-fourth inch deep when poured into pan.

~CROUTONS~--Croutons made coarsely are no addition to a soup. For the best sort, cut out stale bread into half-inch slices, spread with butter, then trim away the crust. Cut into small cubes, put into a pan and set in a hot oven. If the croutons incline to brown unevenly shake the pan.

~EGG BREAD~--One pint of boiling water, half pint white cornmeal to teaspoon salt, two tablespoonfuls of butter, two eggs, one cup milk, bake in a moderate oven.

~GRAHAM BREAD~--Put one cup of scalded and cooled milk, one cup of water, two cups of flour and one-half yeast cake dissolved in one cup of lukewarm water into a bowl and let rise over night. In the morning add a level teaspoon of salt, two rounding cups of graham flour and one-half cup sugar. Beat well, put into two pans and let rise until light and bake one hour.

~NUT BREAD~--One and one-half cups of white flour, two cups of graham flour, one-half cup of cornmeal, one-half cup of brown sugar and molasses, one pint of sweet milk, one cup of chopped walnuts, two teaspoons of baking powder, one-half teaspoon of salt. Bake in a long pan for three-quarters of an hour.

~OATMEAL BREAD~--Over a pint of rolled oats pour a quart of boiling water. When cool add one teaspoonful suet, one teaspoon butter, one-half cup molasses and one-half yeast cake dissolved in a little water. Stir this thoroughly and then add two quarts sifted flour. Do not knead this and allow it to rise over night, and in the morning stir it again, and then put it in well buttered bread pans: let it rise until it fills the pans and then bake in a moderate oven. It takes a little longer to bake than white bread.

~OATMEAL BREAD~--Cook one cup of rolled oats in water for serving at breakfast, and one cup of molasses, one and one-half cups of lukewarm water in which is dissolved one yeast cake and one teaspoon of salt. Mix in enough flour to make a stiff dough, cover and let rise. When very light stir down, put in pans, let rise light and bake in a slow oven. The heat should be sufficient at first to check the rising, then the baking should be slow.

~ORIENTAL OATMEAL BREAD~--Take two cupfuls of rolled oats, put in bread pan, turn on four cupfuls of boiling water, stir for awhile. Add, while hot, a heaping tablespoonful of lard or one scant tablespoonful of butter and one of lard, two teaspoonfuls of salt and four tablespoonfuls of sugar and three of molasses. Now add two cupfuls of cold water (making six cups of water in all) and, if cool enough, add one yeast cake dissolved in a very little water. Now stir in all the white flour it will take until it is as stiff as you can manage it with the spoon. Set in warm place over night, and in the morning with spoon and knife fill your tins part full, let rise to nearly top of pan, then bake an hour for medium size loaves.

~RAISIN BREAD~--Scald three cups of milk and add one teaspoon of salt and two tablespoons of sugar. Cool and add one-half yeast cake, dissolved in one-quarter cup of lukewarm water. Mix in enough flour to make a drop batter and set to rise. When this sponge is light put in two cups of seeded raisins and enough flour to make a soft dough, but stiff enough to knead. Let rise again, then mold into two loaves. Let the loaves double in size and bake slowly, covering with another pan for the first twenty minutes of baking.

~STEAMED BROWN BREAD~--Beat one egg light, add one cup of cornmeal, one cup rye-meal and one and one-half cups of flour sifted with a half level teaspoon of salt. Add one cup of molasses, and after it is turned out put in one level teaspoon of soda and fill with boiling water. Add to the other one-third cup more of the water. Pour into well buttered mold and steam four hours.

~SOUTHERN CORNCAKE~--Mix two cups of white cornmeal, a rounding tablespoon of sugar and a level teaspoon of salt, then pour enough hot milk or milk and water to moisten the meal well, but not to make it of a soft consistency. Let stand until cool, then add three well beaten eggs and spread on a buttered shallow pan about half an inch thick. Bake in a quick oven, cut in squares, split and butter while hot.

~STEAMED CORN BREAD~--Sift together one cup cornmeal and flour and a level teaspoon of salt. Put one level teaspoon soda in one tablespoon of water, add to one-half cup of molasses and stir into the meal with one and two-thirds cups of milk. Beat and turn into a greased mold. Steam four hours, take off the lid of the mold and set in the oven fifteen minutes.

~STEAMED GRAHAM BREAD~--Put into a mixing bowl two cups of sour milk, one cup of molasses, one level teaspoon of salt, two of soda and then enough graham flour to make a batter as stiff as can be stirred with a spoon, adding one-half cup of seeded raisins. Pour into a two-quart mold or lard pail well greased, cover closely and set in a kettle of boiling water that comes two-thirds the depth of the mold. Cover the kettle and keep the water boiling constantly for four hours.

~WHOLE WHEAT BREAD~--Scald one cupful of milk and one teaspoonful of butter, one of salt, one cup of water and one tablespoonful of sugar. When lukewarm add half a cake of compressed yeast dissolved in a little water and enough wheat flour to make a thin batter. Beat vigorously until smooth and let rise until very light. Add as much whole wheat flour as you can beat in with a spoon. Pour into greased tins, let rise until light and bake in moderate oven for one hour.

~ASPARAGUS FRITTERS~--Make a thick sauce with one-half cup of milk, one rounding tablespoon of butter and one-quarter cup of flour. Stir in one cup of cooked asparagus tips and cool. Add one beaten egg and cook on a hot buttered griddle in small cakes.

~CORN FRITTERS~--One-half can corn, one-half cup flour, one-half level teaspoon baking powder, one level teaspoon salt, a dash of cayenne and one egg. Chop the corn fine and add the flour, sifted with the baking powder, salt and cayenne. Add the egg yolk, well beaten and fold in the white beaten stiff. Drop by spoonfuls into hot fat one-half inch deep. Turn once while cooking. When done, drain on brown paper and serve.

~CRUMB GRIDDLE CAKES~--Soak one pint of bread crumbs in one pint of sour milk for an hour, then add a level teaspoon of soda dissolved in one cup of sweet milk, and one well beaten egg, half a teaspoon of salt and flour enough to make a drop batter as thick as griddle cakes are usually made.

~HOMINY CAKES~--To two cups of boiled hominy add two tablespoons of melted butter. Break the whole very fine with spoon or fork. Add two well beaten eggs, one-third teaspoon of salt, and a saltspoon of pepper. Form into little cakes, after adding enough milk to make it of the right consistency to handle. Set cakes on buttered dish and dust with a little finely grated cheese. Bake in hot oven and serve at once.

~OATMEAL CAKE~--Mix fine oatmeal into a stiff dough with milk-warm water, roll it to the thinness almost of a wafer, bake on a griddle or iron plate placed over a slow fire for three or four minutes, then place it on edge before the fire to harden. This will be good for months, if kept in a dry place.

~PINEAPPLE PANCAKES~--Make a batter using half pound sifted flour and three good sized eggs with a cupful of milk. This makes a very thin batter. When smooth and free from lumps, bake in a well buttered frying pan, making the cakes about eight inches in diameter. As soon as brown on one side turn. When cooked on both sides remove to a hot serving dish and sprinkle with sweetened pineapple. Bake the remainder of batter in the same way, piling in layers with the pineapple between the cakes. Cut in triangular pieces like pie and serve very hot.

~SQUASH FRITTERS~--To two cups of mashed dry winter squash add one cup of milk, two well beaten eggs, one teaspoon of salt, a little pepper and one heaping teaspoon of baking powder. Beat well and drop by spoonfuls into hot butter or cooking oil and fry.

PIES AND PASTRIES

~A GOOD CRUST FOR GREAT PIES~--To a peck of flour, add the yolks of three eggs. Boil some water, put in half a pound of fried suet and a pound and a half of butter. Skim off the butter and suet and as much of the liquor as will make a light crust. Mix well and roll out.

~CRUST FOR CUSTARDS~--Take a half pound of flour, six ounces of butter, the yolks of two eggs, three spoonfuls of cream. Mix well and roll very thin.

~DRIPPING CRUST~--Take a pound and a half of beef drippings; boil in water, strain and let it get cold, taking off the hard fat. Scrape off and boil it four or five times; then work it up well into three pounds of flour, then add enough cold water to make dough, just stiff enough to roll. This makes a very fine crust.

~PASTE FOR TARTS~--One pound of flour, three-quarters of a pound of butter and just enough cold water to mix together. Beat well with a rolling pin.

~PUFF PASTE~--Take a quarter of a peck of flour, rub in a pound of butter, make it up into a light paste with a little cold waters, just stiff enough to handle; then roll out to about the thickness of a crown piece. Spread over with butter and sprinkle over with flour, then double up and roll out again. Double and roll out seven or eight times. It is then fit for all kinds of pies and tarts that require a puff paste.

~APPLE PIE~--Make up a puff paste crust and lay some around the sides of a dish. Pare and quarter apples. Put a layer of apples in the dish, sprinkle with sugar, and add a little lemon peel, cut up fine, a little lemon juice, a few cloves; then the rest of the apples, sugar and so on. Sweeten to taste. Boil the peels and cores of the apples in a little water, strain and boil the syrup with a little sugar. Pour over the apples. Put on the upper crust and bake. A little quince or marmalade may be used, if desired.

Pears may be used instead of apples, omitting the quince or marmalade.

Pies may be buttered when taken from oven. If a sauce is desired, beat up the yolks of two eggs, add half pint of cream, little nutmeg and sugar. Put over a slow fire, stirring well until it just boils up. Take off the upper crust and pour the sauce over the pie, replacing the crust.

~APPLE PIE--SOUTHERN STYLE~--For four pies half pound butter, quarter pound of lard, half dinner teaspoon of salt, work four cups flour and the above ingredients with a fork, and then mix with ice water and mix it so it will just stick together. Then ready for use.

~BEATEN CREAM PIE~--Line a plate with good paste, prick in several places to prevent rising out of shape. Bake and spread over some jelly or jam about half an inch thick, and cover with one cup of cream beaten stiff with two rounding tablespoons of powdered sugar and flavored with one teaspoon of vanilla.

~LARGE LEMON PIE~--Mix three level teaspoons of corn starch smooth in a little cold water, and stir into three cups of boiling water. Cook five minutes; stir in one level tablespoon of butter, the juice and grated yellow rind of two lemons, one and one-half cups of sugar, and the yolks of three eggs. Cook until the egg thickens, take from the fire and cool. Line a large pie plate with paste and gash it in several places to prevent rising unevenly, bake and fill with the mixture. Cover with a meringue made from the white of three eggs beaten with six level tablespoons of powdered sugar. Set in the oven to color.

~LEMON PIE~--This is an old fashion pie, because it is baked between two crusts, yet many have called it the best of all kinds. Grate the yellow rind of two lemons, take off all the white skin and chop the remainder very fine, discarding all the seeds. Add two cups of sugar and two beaten eggs. Mix well and pour into a paste lined plate cover, and bake thirty minutes.

~NUT MINCE PIES~--One cup of walnut meats chopped fine, two cups of chopped apple, one cup of raisins, one and one-half cups of sugar mixed with one teaspoon each of cinnamon and allspice and one-half teaspoon each of cloves and salt, one-half cup of vinegar and one-half cup of water or fruit juice. Mix thoroughly. This quantity makes two large pies.

~PINEAPPLE CREAM PIE~--One-half cup butter, one cup sugar, one can shredded pineapple, one-half cup milk, two eggs. Cream the butter, add gradually the sugar, then the pineapple, milk and eggs well beaten. Mix well and bake in one crust like custard pie. When cool cover with a meringue or with whipped cream sweetened and flavored with vanilla.

~PLAIN PIE PASTE~--Sift one and one-half cups of flour with a saltspoon of salt and rub in one-quarter cup of lard. Moisten with very cold water until a stiff dough is formed. Pat out and lay on one-quarter cup of cold butter rolled out in a sheet. Fold in three layers, turn half way round, and pat out again. Fold and roll twice more. This will make one large pie with two crusts.

~CHERRY PIE~--Make a good crust, lining the sides of a pie pan. Place stoned cherries, well sweetened, in the pan and cover with upper crust. Bake in slow oven. (A few red currants may be added to the cherries if desired.)

Plums or gooseberry pies may be made in the same way.

~CHERRY PIE~--Roll two large soda crackers into fine dust and stone cherries enough to measure two cups. Line a pie plate with good rich paste and scatter one-half cup of sugar over. Sprinkle one-half of the cracker dust, and over that one-half of the cherries. Repeat the three layers, pour on one cup of cherry juice and cold water, cover with paste and bake in a moderate oven.

~FRESH RASPBERRY PIE~--Line a pie plate with rich paste, fill with raspberries and scatter on sugar to sweeten. Cover with a crust and bake in a quick oven. When done draw from the oven, cut a gash in the top, and pour in the following mixture: The yolks of two eggs beaten light with a tablespoon of sugar and mixed with one cup of hot thin cream. Set back in the oven for five minutes.

~GREEN CURRANT PIE~--Stew and mash a pint of rather green currants, sweeten abundantly, add a sprinkling of flour or a rolled cracker and bake with two crusts. Dust generously with powdered sugar.

~GREEN TOMATO PIE~--Take green tomatoes not yet turned and peel and slice wafer thin. Fill a plate nearly full, add a tablespoonful vinegar and plenty of sugar, dot with bits of butter and flavor with nutmeg or lemon. Bake in one or two crusts as preferred.

~LEMON CREAM PIE~--Stir into one cup of boiling water one tablespoonful of cornstarch dissolved in a little cold water. Cook until thickened and clear, then add one cup of sugar, a teaspoonful of butter, and the juice and grated rind of two lemons. Add the beaten yolks of three eggs and take from the fire. Have ready the bottom crust of a pie that has been baked, first pricking with a fork to prevent blisters. Place the custard in the crust and bake half an hour. When done take from the oven and spread over the top a meringue made from the stiffly whipped whites of the eggs, and three tablespoonfuls of sugar. Shut off the oven so it will be as cool as possible giving the meringue plenty of time to rise, stiffen and color to a delicate gold.

~APPLE FRITTERS~--Beat the yolks of eight eggs and the white of four together. Add a quart of cream. Put over a fire and heat until you can bear your finger in it. Add quarter of a pint of sack, three-quarters of a pint of ale and make a posset of it. When cool put in nutmeg, ginger, salt and flour. The batter should be pretty thick. Add pippins, sliced or scraped and fry in deep fat.

~APPLE SLUMP~--Fill a deep baking dish with apples, pared, cored and sliced. Scatter on a little cinnamon and cover with good paste rolled a little thicker than for pie. Bake in a moderate oven until the apples are done, serve in the same dish, cutting the crust into several sections. Before cutting, the crust may be lifted and the apples seasoned with butter and sugar, or the seasoning may be added after serving. A liquid or a hard sauce may be served with the slump. If the apples are a kind that do not cook easily bake half an hour, then put on the crust and set back in the oven.

~BREAD PUFFS WITH SAUCE~--When bread dough is raised light, cut off small pieces and pull out two or three inches long. Fry like doughnuts in deep fat and put into a deep dish, turn over the puffs a cream sauce seasoned with salt and pepper.

~CHERRY DUMPLINGS~--Sift two cups of pastry flour with four level teaspoons of baking powder and a saltspoon of salt. Mix with three-quarters cup of milk or enough to make a soft dough. Butter some cups well, put a tablespoon of dough in each, then a large tablespoon of stoned cherries and another tablespoon of dough. Set in a steamer or set the cups in a pan of hot water and into the oven to cook half an hour. Serve with a sweet liquid sauce.

~COTTAGE CHEESE TARTLETS~--One cup cheese, three level tablespoons sugar, few grains salt, two teaspoons melted butter, one tablespoon lemon juice, yolks two eggs, one-fourth cup milk, whites two eggs. Press the cheese through a potato ricer or sieve, then add the sugar, salt, butter, lemon juice, and the egg yolks well beaten and mixed with the milk. Mix well and fold the whites of the eggs beaten stiff. Line individual tins with pastry and fill three-fourths full with the mixture. Bake in a moderate oven for thirty minutes.

~PRUNE TARTS~--Wash the prunes thoroughly and soak over night or for several hours. Cook in the same water. When very tender rub them through a sieve. To one cup of the pulp add one tablespoon of lemon juice, the yolks of two eggs beaten with one-half cup of thin cream and a few grains of salt. Mix well and sweeten to taste, then fold in the whites of two eggs beaten very stiff. Line small tins with paste, fill with the mixture and bake in a moderate oven. Serve cold.

~RASPBERRY DUMPLINGS~--Wash one cup of rice and put into the double boiler. Pour over it two cups of boiling water, add one-half teaspoon of salt and two tablespoons of sugar and cook thirty minutes or until soft. Have some small pudding cloths about twelve inches square, wring them out of hot water and lay them over a small half pint bowl. Spread the rice one-third of an inch thick over the cloth, and fill the center with fresh raspberries. Draw the cloth around until the rice covers the berries and they are a good round shape. Tie the ends of the cloth firmly, drop them into boiling water and cook twenty minutes. Remove the cloth and serve with lemon sauce.

~TART SHELLS~--Roll out thin a nice puff paste, cut with a small biscuit cutter. With cutter take out the centers of two or three of these, lay the rings thus made on the third and bake immediately. Shells may also be made by lining pattypans with the paste; if the paste is light the shells will be fine and may be used for tarts or oyster patties. Filled with jelly and covered with meringue (a tablespoonful of sugar to the white of an egg), and browned in the oven.

~BAVARIAN CREAM~--Soak one-quarter of a box of gelatin in cold water until it is soft, then dissolve it in a cup of hot milk with one-third of a cup of sugar. Flavor with vanilla and set away to cool. Whip one pint of cream and when the gelatin is cold and beginning to stiffen stir in the cream lightly. Form in mold.

~BOILED CUSTARD~--Heat two cups of milk in a double boiler and pour on to the yolks of three eggs beaten light, with three rounding tablespoons of sugar and a pinch of salt. Return to the double boiler and cook until the spoon will coat with the custard. Cool and add flavoring.

~CALLA LILIES~--Beat three eggs and a rounding cup of sugar together, add two-thirds cup of flour and one-half teaspoon of lemon flavoring. Drop in teaspoonfuls on a buttered sheet, allowing plenty of room to spread in baking. Bake in a moderate oven, take up with a knife, and roll at once into lily shape. Bake but four or five at a time because if the cakes cool even a little they will break. Fill each with a little beaten and sweetened cream.