Part 6

Select the young onions with green tops, cutting off the coarse part of the top; boil until tender; drain; place in vegetable dish and sprinkle with pepper and salt; add teaspoonful of butter; have ready one pint of milk, scalded and thickened with heaping teaspoonful of flour blended with melted butter, boiled sufficiently to thoroughly cook flour. Pour over the onions and serve.

BAKED ONIONS.

Bermuda, or large Spanish, onions are the best for baking, although the ordinary white onion will do; set them without peeling in a large pan of salted water, to which add one cupful of milk; boil until tender; drain and remove skins, put in baking pan; sprinkle with salt and pepper; add a very little of the water they were boiled in, and set in oven to brown. Pour melted butter over them and serve.

FRIED ONIONS.

Peel large onions; slice them very thin in rounds; sprinkle them with salt and red pepper; brown them in boiling cocoa butter, or vegetable oil; cover the frying pan with a tin cover; set it on the range to steam until the onions are very tender; serve them heaped on a hot, shallow dish; garnish them thickly with sprigs of fresh parsley to neutralize the odor after they are eaten.

ONIONS IN MILK.

Peel small white onions; nearly fill a quart bottle; put in two tablespoonfuls of soft butter mixed to a paste with a tablespoonful of flour, one teaspoonful of salt, and one half teaspoonful of white pepper; pour in a pint of cold milk; cork the bottle; set it in a saucepan of cold water over the fire to boil an hour or more; serve it turned into a hot covered dish.

Wash the leaves in cold water; shake out each leaf, and heap them on a colander to drain.

SPINACH.

TO BOIL SPINACH.

Put the leaves into a kettle to boil twenty minutes; then uncover the saucepan so as to boil the juice nearly away; turn the spinach into a colander; drain them into a hot vegetable dish, in which is butter, salt, and black pepper; turn it into the butter and salt; serve it with poached eggs on the top.

CHOPPED SPINACH WITH EGGS.

After spinach is boiled and dried, chop it in the saucepan very fine with a knife; set it over the fire again to dry; stir in butter, salt, and black pepper; break in two or more eggs; stir them with the spinach and let them cook until it looks quite dry; serve it in a hot vegetable dish.

SPINACH SOUFFLE.

Boil and dry spinach; chop it very fine in the saucepan and let it dry; stir in two tablespoonfuls of butter, one teaspoonful of salt, and one half teaspoonful of black pepper; let the butter be absorbed. Beat the yolks of two eggs in a large bowl, beat the whites to a stiff froth, mix them well into the yolks, stir in the hot seasoned spinach with a fork, and bake it in a hot buttered dish in a quick oven until the top is well browned.

TOMATOES.

TOMATO ON TOAST.

Use stale bread, cut in reasonably thick slices; dip in sweet milk, then in beaten egg, seasoned with salt and pepper; fry in butter till a nice brown. Have ready a quart of tomatoes that have stewed gently until reduced one fourth; season to taste; add one tablespoonful of butter and pour over fried toast. Just before serving place a poached egg on each slice.

STUFFED BAKED TOMATOES.

Select good-sized, smooth, solid fruit; wash, do not pare; cut out the hard center and remove seed pulp with finger. Fill in with mixture made of two cupfuls of bread crumbs, wet with one tablespoonful of melted butter; add two tablespoonfuls of chopped onion, one cupful of chopped celery, season to taste; heap the filling in tomatoes and put a piece of butter on top; place in earthen pie dish to bake. They should be in the oven until well browned on top; serve on squares of bread that have been fried a nice brown, in butter.

FRIED TOMATOES.

Wash and slice the tomatoes, without paring; sprinkle with seasoning, dip in flour, cook in frying pan with butter, a liberal supply of grease is required. Cover for a few minutes, so the tomatoes may steam through, and not brown too quickly, as they need to be well cooked; turn and brown on both sides. Serve on toast.

FRICASSEED TOMATOES.

Select large smooth tomatoes; cut them in half, do not peel. Take a broad agate, or enameled pan and melt in it two ounces of butter; cover the pan with the halved tomatoes that have been sprinkled with salt, and pepper, and dipped in meal; whole wheat flour is best. Put cover on pan and let cook until tomatoes are cooked through, but not broken. The fire should be moderate, and it is well to lift the tomatoes occasionally so they will not burn or stick to pan. When cooked, pour in one half cupful sweet cream, let come to a scald, and serve.

ESCALOPED TOMATOES.

Fill baking dish with alternate layers of bread crumbs and cold stewed tomatoes, well seasoned, finishing with bread crumbs on top, and break in bits over the top one heaping tablespoonful of butter, and bake until brown.

TOMATO AND RICE FRITTERS.

Add one teacupful of cold stewed tomatoes to two cupfuls of cold boiled rice; season to taste; bind with one egg well whipped; mould into smooth little shapes, and fry in butter.

DEVILLED TOMATOES.

Take two or three large firm tomatoes, not over ripe, cut them in slices half an inch thick and lay on a sieve. Make a dressing of one tablespoonful of butter and one of vinegar rubbed smooth with the yolk of one hard boiled egg; add a very little sugar, salt, mustard and cayenne pepper; beat until smooth and heat to a boil. Take from the fire and pour upon a well beaten egg whipping to a smooth cream. Put the vessel containing this dressing in hot water while the tomatoes are being broiled over a clear fire. Put the tomatoes on a hot dish and pour the dressing over them.

BREAD STUFFS.

HOME MADE YEAST.

Wash, pare, and soak one large potato. Steep one tablespoonful of hops (loose) in one pint of boiling water; mix one heaping tablespoonful of flour, one teaspoonful of sugar, one teaspoonful of salt, one teaspoonful of ginger; grate the potato into the flour mixture; let the hot water boil briskly for one minute, strain it over the flour and potato mixture, and mix thoroughly; if it does not thicken like starch, place it over the fire for a few minutes, stirring briskly. If too thick, add boiling water till thin as cream. When lukewarm or at 70 degrees, add one half cake of yeast. Raise in a warm place till frothy, beat it down every half hour. Bottle and keep in a cool place.

THREE HOUR BREAD.

Pour one cupful of boiling water over two tablespoonfuls of flour and beat well; when this becomes lukewarm add two teaspoonfuls of sugar and one yeast cake that has been dissolved in one half cupful of lukewarm water. Beat thoroughly, add flour enough to make a thick batter, beat until light and set in a warm place, about 90 degrees F. Keep covered and let rise until light and frothy, with this proportion of yeast it should rise in thirty minutes. When light add one cupful of scalded milk, cooled to lukewarm, and flour enough to make a stiff dough; stir in the flour with a spoon, beating it thoroughly; when the dough begins to stiffen, cut in the flour with a bread knife; add flour until the dough slips easily from the board, and does not stick to the hands. Then knead the dough on a slightly floured board until smooth, elastic, and full of air bubbles. Knead it firmly, but lightly, using only the wrist movements, put back in bowl, cover, and let rise in warm place until it doubles in bulk; shape into loaves, or biscuit; brush lightly with melted butter, and place in warm buttered pan. Let rise, closely covered, until loaves have doubled in bulk. Bake in an oven hot enough to brown one teaspoonful of flour placed on a piece of paper, in five minutes. If biscuits are to be baked, the oven should be hot enough to brown flour in two minutes. Let the bread bake from forty-five minutes to one hour. The first quarter of the time the bread should rise, but not form a crust; the second quarter the crust should form; the third the crust should become golden brown; the fourth should complete the baking. Place the loaf to cool uncovered, and in such a position that the air can circulate freely around it, bottom and all.

WHOLE WHEAT BREAD.

Make a sponge of one half cupful lukewarm water, one half yeast cake dissolved in one fourth cupful lukewarm water, and one cupful of white flour; cover; and set in warm place,--about 90 degrees F.--until light and foamy; add one half cupful scalded milk, cooled to lukewarm, one half teaspoonful of salt and whole wheat flour to make a stiff dough; knead thoroughly, put into warm place, let rise until it doubles in bulk; mould into a loaf, put into a warm buttered pan, and keep closely covered in warm place until it rises sufficiently to double in size; put into a hot oven; at the end of fifteen minutes lower the temperature of oven and bake at least forty-five minutes longer. This makes one loaf.

ENGLISH UNFERMENTED GRIDDLE BREAD.

This bread is usually made from whole wheat flour. It is cooked on a griddle, hence its name “Griddle Bread.” The griddle should be made thoroughly hot before placing the dough on it, and sprinkled with a little fine white flour. Measure the meal, and for every two level measures of meal allow one measure of boiling water; have the meal in a mixing bowl, and use a wooden spoon for stirring. Make a hole in the center of the meal and pour the boiling water into it, stirring all the time till it forms a mass or lump. No kneading is required. Sprinkle the paste-board with fine white flour and turn the mass onto it. Roll out into cakes, making the cake about half an inch thick. The edge should not be ragged, but dredged with fine flour and pressed with the knuckles to an even thickness. Dredge fine flour on each piece, rub it well in with the fingers, then turn it on the other side with the knife and do the same, so that the surface has a fine smooth appearance. As each piece is prepared, place it on the hot griddle plate. Two or three minutes is sufficient time to prepare the bread from the moment the water boils. The time for the cooking necessarily varies according to the heat of the fire, which should be kept at an even temperature; twenty to thirty minutes will be found the average.

TEA ROLLS.

Make a sponge of one cupful of lukewarm water, one cake of yeast, one fourth cupful sugar, and flour enough to make a soft dough. When sufficiently raised add a little over a cupful of softened butter, and three fourths of a cupful of luke warm milk and enough flour to keep it a sponge. Beat well and let rise; then add beaten white of one egg and enough flour to knead. Knead thoroughly and let it rise again; work down; place in a buttered bowl; let it rise again, turn onto a board, roll, and cut. Shape to suit fancy, in finger rolls, bread sticks, or cleft rolls; place in pans and let rise; bake in hot oven. For Cinnamon Rolls, make as above only roll out one fourth inch in thickness and spread with softened butter, sugar, cinnamon, and currants. All bread stuffs brown better if brushed over with melted butter.

WHOLE WHEAT MUFFINS.

Take one and one half cupfuls of whole wheat flour, one cupful of common flour, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, mix, and sift together; beat up one egg and add one cupful of milk; add one tablespoonful of melted butter and stir into the dry mixture; bake in gem pans in a hot oven for about twenty minutes.

CORN MUFFINS.

Mix thoroughly one cupful of white flour, one half cupful of fine yellow corn meal, one eighth cupful of sugar, two tablespoonfuls of baking powder; then beat one egg and stir in one cupful of sweet milk; stir into dry mixture; then add one tablespoonful of melted butter; beat well, and bake in muffin tins.

GRAHAM OR RYE GEMS.

To one and one half cupfuls of graham, or rye flour, measured after sifting, add one eighth cupful of sugar, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, one half cupful of white flour and mix thoroughly; then add one cupful of sweet milk and two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, and stir quickly. Put in hot gem pans, bake for twenty-five minutes in hot oven.

BAKING POWDER BISCUITS.

To one pint of sifted flour add two teaspoonfuls of baking powder; sift together twice; then rub in one tablespoonful of shortening until fine, like meal. Mix in gradually enough milk to make a soft dough, cutting it in with bread knife; when stiff enough to be handled it should look spongy in the cuts, and seem full of air; turn it out on a well floured board, toss with knife until well floured, pat with rolling pin, and when dough is about half an inch thick, cut it into rounds and bake at once in hot oven.

PUFFS.

Sift one teaspoonful of baking powder into two cupfuls of flour; with one half teaspoonful of salt; add two cupfuls of milk and two eggs, beat the yolks and the whites of the eggs separately. Bake in gem pans in quick oven.

POP-OVERS.

With one cupful of flour, mix one saltspoonful of salt; add slowly one cupful of milk; when a smooth paste is formed add one cupful more of milk and one egg beaten thoroughly; beat well; cook in hot buttered gem pans or earthen cups in a quick oven for half an hour, or until the puffs are brown and well popped over. The more the milk and flour are beaten the lighter the puffs will be.

WAFFLES.

Sift together one pint of flour, one teaspoonful of baking powder, one teaspoonful of salt; add one and one fourth cupfuls of milk to smooth the batter; then add the well beaten yolks of three eggs; beat well; then whip in one tablespoonful of melted butter; and add the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs, cutting and folding these in. Have waffle-iron hot and well greased; butter as soon as taken from the iron. Sugar can be added at the same time, if relished.

BOSTON BROWN BREAD.

Take one pint each of whole wheat flour and Indian meal, one cupful of molasses, three fourths cupful of sour milk, and one half teaspoonful of soda, one and one half pints of cold water, mix; put in steamer on stove over cold water, which is afterwards brought to the boiling point and kept constantly boiling until bread is done; steam for four hours, and brown in the oven. Just before putting in the steamer add one cupful of seeded raisins.

BANNOCKS.

Two teacupfuls of oatmeal, or barley meal, sifted with two teaspoonfuls of baking powder; add two beaten eggs, one tablespoonful of sugar and one pint of milk with a little salt, sifting in the meal. Mix and bake on a griddle.

GRIDDLE CAKES.

To one cupful of flour, add one saltspoonful of salt, one tablespoonful of baking powder; sift thoroughly; add milk enough to make a batter like a thick cream; then whip in one teaspoonful of melted butter. One egg may be well beaten and added, though it is not necessary.

This receipt can be varied by using graham, corn, or whole wheat flour, in proportions of two thirds graham or wheat to one third white flour. Corn should only be one third corn to two thirds white flour.

HOMINY GRIDDLE CAKES.

To one cupful of sweet milk, add one cupful of warm, fine, boiled hominy; add one half teaspoonful of salt, two eggs,--whites and yolks beaten separately,--one teaspoonful of melted butter. In mixing add well beaten whites of eggs last. Use flour enough to make thin batter. Can be cooked either as griddle cakes or waffles.

RAISED GRAHAM GRIDDLE CAKES.

One cupful of graham meal, one cupful of flour, one half yeast cake dissolved in one quarter of a cupful of lukewarm water, mix with this one pint of milk scalded and cooled, and let it rise over night. In the morning add one tablespoonful of molasses, and one saltspoonful of soda. If the batter is too thick add a little warm water.

INDIAN MEAL GRIDDLE CAKES.

One pint of Indian meal, one teaspoonful of sugar, one teaspoonful of butter, add gradually to this sufficient boiling milk to wet the meal; when cool add two well beaten eggs, and sufficient cold milk to make a thin batter.

BREAD GRIDDLE CAKES.

One pint of stale bread crumbs; pour over them one pint of hot milk; add one tablespoonful of butter; when the crumbs are soft rub through a strainer and add the beaten yolks of two eggs, one cupful of flour, and two teaspoonfuls of baking powder. If the batter is not thin enough add a little cold milk.

RICE GRIDDLE CAKES.

Take one cupful of sweet milk, one cupful of warm boiled rice, the yolks of two eggs beaten until light, one tablespoonful of melted butter, and flour enough to make a thin batter; stir in lastly the whites of the eggs beaten stiff and dry. Bake on a hot griddle.

SOUR MILK GRIDDLE CAKES.

Sift one half teaspoonful of salt and one teaspoonful of soda into one pint of flour; add one scant pint of sour milk or cream, the beaten yolks of two eggs, and lastly the whites beaten very stiff. Bake on a hot, well greased griddle.

BREAKFAST FOODS.

WHOLE WHEAT.

Sift one cupful of whole wheat meal into one pint of boiling water; add salt to taste. Cook in double boiler and steam from one to two hours, until meal is thoroughly cooked. Very nice when cold fried in delicate slices and served with maple syrup.

Graham, rye, oat meal, or corn meal can be cooked in same way, only they require longer cooking. Corn requires the most time. Corn and oat meals need a larger quantity of water.

SANDWICHES.

CHEESE AND EGG SANDWICHES.

Beat two eggs in a bowl for two minutes, add two tablespoonfuls of milk, one eighth tablespoonful of salt, a sprinkle of white pepper; melt one half tablespoonful of butter in a small frying pan, pour in the eggs, stir until they begin to thicken, then sprinkle over one tablespoonful of freshly grated bread crumbs and two tablespoonfuls of cheese, stir for a few minutes longer, remove and put one tablespoonful of this preparation between two thin slices of bread.

EGG SANDWICH.

Break two eggs in a small bowl and beat until they foam; add a sprinkle of salt. Place a small frying pan over the fire with one tablespoonful of butter; as soon as butter is melted pour in the eggs, stir until they thicken, then remove. Butter four thin slices of bread, cover two with the eggs; lay over the remaining two slices; trim them neatly and cut them slantingly in half.

NUT SANDWICHES. No. 1.

Mix equal parts of grated Swiss cheese and chopped English walnut meat. Season with salt and cayenne. Spread between thin slices of bread slightly buttered, and cut in fancy shapes.

NUT SANDWICHES. No. 2.

Shell one half pint of peanuts and roll them fine with the rolling pin. Stir the yolk of one hard boiled egg to a cream with one half tablespoonful of butter, add one teaspoonful of French mixed mustard, one quarter teaspoonful of salt, one tablespoonful of lemon juice, one half tablespoonful of unsweetened condensed milk, one half cupful of finely chopped red apple, the finely chopped white of an egg, and the nuts. Put one tablespoonful of this mixture between two thin slices of bread; trim them evenly all around, and cut them slantingly into two pieces.

PLAIN CHEESE SANDWICH.

Butter the bread; lay thin slices of cream cheese to cover, add a lettuce leaf, and cover with another piece of buttered bread.

COTTAGE CHEESE SANDWICH.

Use crisp, square crackers, wet the cottage cheese with sweet cream, season to taste, and spread on crackers.

OLIVE AND CAPER SANDWICHES.

Chop olives very fine, add one third as much of finely chopped capers; mix thoroughly with a little soft butter; season with celery salt, cayenne, a very few drops of lemon juice, and a little of the grated lemon peel. Spread on thin squares of buttered graham bread.

CHEESE AND MUSTARD SANDWICH.

Grate one fourth pound of cheese and mix one half teaspoonful of salt and mustard, with a dash of cayenne pepper; melt one tablespoonful of butter and blend with seasoning; then stir thoroughly into the cheese; if liked, a teaspoonful of lemon juice may be added. Spread on thin slices of whole wheat, or white, bread.

BOILED EGG SANDWICHES.

Chop the whites of hard boiled eggs very fine; blend the yolks with a little cream or melted butter, season to taste, and spread on buttered white bread.

TOMATO SANDWICH.

Cut thin slices of brown bread; spread with French mustard; then a layer of cream cheese; sprinkle lightly with salt; peel and slice some small, solid, ripe tomatoes. Cover the prepared bread with the slices; form into sandwiches and cut in broad strips. Serve with water cress.

TOMATO AND EGG SANDWICH.

Chop the whites of four hard boiled eggs very fine. Mash the yolks and blend with a little thick cream, some tomato pulp, salt, pepper, and a tiny pinch of sugar. Spread on thin slices of brown, buttered, bread.

CHOCOLATE SANDWICH.

Melt one ounce of grated chocolate; whip in a little hot cream; add one half teaspoonful of vanilla flavoring, a little confectioner’s sugar, and the yolk of one egg. Stir until it begins to thicken, then whip in the whites of the egg beaten to a stiff froth.

Spread on thin slices of sponge cake, or white bread and butter.

MUSHROOM SANDWICHES.

Stew a few large mushrooms in one ounce of butter; cover closely and cook slowly so that they shall not burn; mash them with pepper, salt, and a dash of nutmeg; cut thin slices of whole wheat bread, butter and spread with the mushroom paste. Cut into finger sandwiches.

PINEAPPLE SANDWICH.

Cut small sweet sponge buns in slices; spread them with grated pineapple; sift with fine sugar; press two slices together and spread soft icing on top and sides.

ITALIAN SANDWICHES.

Make a mixture of chopped olives, grated cheese and chopped English walnuts in the proportion of two fifths each of cheese and olives to one fifth of nuts; then make a dressing of five tablespoonfuls of malt vinegar (or six, if ordinary vinegar is used) bring to a scald and stir into the well beaten yolks of five eggs; set the egg mixture back on the stove and stir constantly until it becomes as thick as cream; then remove from the stove and beat in one tablespoonful of butter, whipping until the butter is dissolved and thoroughly blended. Season to taste with salt, pepper and mustard; if liked add a dash of cayenne. Stir in the chopped olives, nuts, and cheese. Spread between crisp square crackers, or thin slices of whole wheat bread.

FRUIT SANDWICHES.

Slice whole wheat or graham bread very thin, butter, then spread with a layer of chopped raisins, or candied cherries wet with orange juice.

GRAHAM SANDWICHES.

Chop olives; add a little chopped parsley and a little finely chopped celery; mix with mayonaise dressing to which has been added a few drops of onion juice and a very little French mustard; spread thin slices of graham bread very lightly with butter; then put a layer of the mixture; cover with another slice of buttered bread and cut into strips or squares.

RUSSIAN SANDWICHES.

Spread zephyrettes (crackers) with thin slices of cream cheese; cover with chopped olives mixed with mayonaise. Place a zephyrette over each and press together.

CAKES AND ICINGS.

CAKES.

Thin cakes require a hotter oven than those baked in thick loaves. Cakes with molasses in them burn more quickly than others. Thin cakes should bake from fifteen to twenty minutes, thicker cakes from thirty to forty minutes, and very thick loaves about one hour. If only the yolks of the eggs are used the cake is richer, if only the whites it is lighter. Have all ingredients ready, then see that fire and oven are right, and mix carefully. The secret of fine grained cake is in the mixing. First always cream the butter by beating, then add sugar slowly, creaming carefully, then add the well beaten yolks of eggs. Sift the flour and baking powder together three times, at least, then add alternately in small quantities the flour and milk, and last of all the stiffly beaten whites of eggs, working them in as lightly as possible.

ONE EGG CAKE.