Chapter 10

103. MAPLE PARFAIT.--Maple sirup may be combined with eggs and whipped cream to make maple parfait. As may be judged from the ingredients used, this is a very rich dessert; therefore, it should not be used in a meal in which the other dishes are hearty. Maple parfait makes an excellent dish to serve with cake that is not very rich as refreshments for a party.

MAPLE PARFAIT (Sufficient to Serve Six)

4 eggs 1 c. maple sirup 1 pt. heavy cream

Beat the eggs. Cook the maple sirup for a few minutes only and pour this slowly over them. Stir constantly to prevent the curding of the eggs. Place in a double boiler and cook until the mixture thickens. Cool in a pan of ice water. Whip the cream until it is stiff and fold this into the mixture. Mold, pack in ice and salt, and freeze.

104. CAFÉ PARFAIT.--Coffee used to flavor parfait makes a dessert that appeals to many. When hot coffee is not included in the meal on a warm day, this beverage need not be omitted altogether, for it may be used to flavor the dessert.

CAFÉ PARFAIT (Sufficient to Serve Six)

1/4 c. ground coffee 1 c. milk 1 c. sugar 3 c. thin cream 3 eggs 1 c. heavy cream

Scald the coffee and milk together for about 20 minutes, strain, and add the sugar and thin cream. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Beat the eggs and add them to the warm mixture. Cook together until the eggs have thickened and then cool. Whip the heavy cream, fold this into the custard, and freeze. Serve with sweetened whipped cream.

105. STRAWBERRY ANGEL PARFAIT.--As the name implies, strawberry angel parfait is a very dainty dessert. Nothing more delightful can be made during the season when fresh strawberries can be obtained. It is suitable for serving at the conclusion of a meal, but it is especially satisfactory for a party or other social affair.

STRAWBERRY ANGEL PARFAIT (Sufficient to Serve Six)

1 c. sugar 1 c. boiling water Whites of 2 eggs 1 pt. whipping cream 1 c. crushed strawberries 2 tsp. vanilla

Boil the sugar and water until the sirup threads. Beat the egg whites and pour the hot sirup over them, beating rapidly. Cool. Whip the cream and fold it in, add the crushed strawberries and vanilla, and freeze in a mold.

106. CANTON PARFAIT.--Preserved Canton ginger is used for the flavoring of Canton parfait. The sirup that comes with the ginger is also used in the preparation of this dessert. Canton parfait is somewhat of a departure from the ordinary dessert, but is favored by many persons.

CANTON PARFAIT (Sufficient to Serve Six)

1 c. sugar 1/2 c. water 4 eggs 2 c. thin cream 1/2 c. preserved Canton ginger 1/4 c. sirup from ginger 1 tsp. vanilla 2 Tb. lemon juice 1 c. whipping cream

Cook the sugar and water together until they form a thin sirup. Beat the eggs, pour the hot sirup over them, and add the thin cream. Cook in a double boiler until the eggs have thickened. Cool, add the ginger chopped into small pieces, the ginger sirup, vanilla, and lemon juice. Fold into this the heavy cream whipped until it is stiff. Freeze in a mold.

107. BISCUIT TORTONI.--Something entirely different in the nature of a frozen dessert can be had by preparing biscuit tortoni. This is frozen in a mold as are parfaits and mousses, but instead of the entire mold being served, it is packed in paper cases, and one of these served to each person. Macaroons are used to flavor this dessert, and a layer of the crumbs is sprinkled over the top of each serving.

BISCUIT TORTONI (Sufficient to Serve Six)

1 c. sugar 1/2 c. boiling water 3 eggs 1 pt. thin cream 1 c. heavy cream 1 c. macaroon crumbs 1 tsp. vanilla

Cook the sugar and water until it threads. Beat the eggs and add the sirup to the beaten eggs. Then add the thin cream, return to the fire, and cook until the mixture thickens. Set aside to cool. Beat the heavy cream until it is stiff, and fold this into the custard. Make macaroon crumbs by drying macaroons and beating them until they are quite fine. Add 1 cupful of these crumbs and the vanilla to the parfait mixture, place in a mold and freeze. When frozen, remove from the mold, pack in paper cases, cover with a layer of macaroon crumbs, and serve.

MOLDING FROZEN DESSERTS

108. After desserts have been frozen in the various ways that have been explained, they are often molded and then allowed to stand in ice and salt until they are well set. In this way, many attractive desserts can be made and numerous color schemes carried out. Some of the molds that are used for this purpose are shown in Fig. 20. The one in the center is known as a _melon mold_, and it is the one used in the preparation of the caramel mousse shown in Fig. 19. It may also be used for the molding of desserts that are already frozen. The mold to the left is known as a _brick mold_, and is much used for Neapolitan ice cream, while the small one to the right is an individual mold used for individual serving. Both the top and the bottom of the brick mold are in the form of covers that are removable. Directions for the molding of several desserts of this kind are here given and other frozen mixtures may be molded in a similar way.

109. NEAPOLITAN ICE CREAM.--A combination of an ice and two kinds of ice cream, usually of different colors, makes what is known as Neapolitan ice cream. Various ways of combining these are in practice; for instance, chocolate ice cream and strawberry ice cream may be combined with lemon ice, or strawberry and vanilla ice cream and orange ice may be used together. The ice creams and ices must, of course, be thoroughly frozen before they are packed in the mold.

Prepare the mold by placing a piece of oiled paper over the bottom cover and setting the mold in this. Then put a layer of ice cream of one color into the mold, as shown in Fig. 21, pack on top of this the second color of ice cream, and put the ice on top, or pack the ice between the two kinds of ice cream. Pack each layer tight and push the frozen mixtures well into the corners so that there will be no holes. Cover the top well with another piece of oiled paper, as shown in Fig. 22, place the cover on, and pack the mold into ice and salt, using a proportion of 2 to 1. Allow this to stand until it is well set. To serve, remove from the mold, cut slices from the brick, and place on plates, preferably those covered with paper doilies.

110. BOMBE GLACÉ.--A combination of an ice and a mousse or parfait mixture makes a delightful dessert known as Bombe glacé. Contrasting colors should be used if possible in order to make a beautiful dessert. This is usually made in a melon-shaped mold, but it may be made in a round mold, such as a tin can, if the can is perfectly water-tight.

Line the mold with an ice and fill the center with a mousse or a parfait. Place in a mixture of ice and salt and freeze. When it has become solid, turn out the entire mold on a suitable dish and serve it at the table.

SERVING FROZEN DESSERTS

111. Frozen desserts offer an opportunity for variety in serving, because they occur in so many different forms. The method of serving depends, of course, on the nature of the frozen dessert, but any one of them that may be served from a large plate or dish is always attractive. This may be done, as has been explained, if the frozen mixtures are molded either as a single kind or as a combination of two or more kinds.

112. To remove a molded dessert from the mold before serving, first clean the mold thoroughly of ice and salt and wipe it dry with a cloth. Then remove the cover and allow it to stand for a few minutes in a warm place. This treatment will cause the outside of the frozen mixture to melt slightly and permit it to slip easily from the mold. A warm cloth or warm water is sometimes used to melt the surface, and it accomplishes the work more quickly; but when the mold is so treated it is likely not to look so well. As soon as the surface is a trifle soft, turn the mold out on a dish and serve it immediately.

113. Receptacles of numerous kinds are in use for individual servings of frozen desserts. Slices of ice cream cut from a brick mold and individual molds are usually served on a small plate about the size of a bread-and-butter plate. It may be placed directly on the plate, or a paper doily of the proper size may be put on the plate and the frozen dessert set on this. Sherbet glasses are much used for individual portions and are very attractive for this purpose, especially when they have long stems. Paper cases, such as those shown in Fig. 23, also make excellent receptacles for individual servings. They may be plain or fancy and are generally used to carry out a color scheme or a decorative idea. Meringues having the bottom removed and the center scooped out are sometimes used as cases in which to serve ice cream. These are made of egg white and sugar and baked in the oven. They are not difficult to prepare, as the recipes for them in _Cakes, Cookies, and Puddings_, Part 2, explain, and they are often garnished with whipped cream. All such receptacles are placed on a small plate either with or without a paper doily of the right size.

114. It is a little more difficult to serve desserts frozen in a freezer than those which an molded. However, there are numerous ways of garnishing and serving such desserts to add to their attractiveness. Candied fruits, such as cherries and pineapple, candied violet, mint, and rose leaves, maraschino and crème-de-menthe cherries, fresh strawberries, preserved cherries, strawberries, and other fruits, sliced peaches or bananas, whipped cream, toasted coconut, chopped nuts of different kinds, and various kinds of fruit sirups may all be used to advantage with these desserts. Fig. 24 shows ice cream served in a stemmed sherbet glass with grape juice and garnished with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry. Then, too, a chocolate sirup made by cooking sugar, water, and chocolate or sugar, milk, and chocolate may be served hot or cold over ice cream and similar desserts. Another excellent dip is made of any kind of fruit juice thickened with sugar. The marshmallow whip explained in Art. 54 may be made in any desirable color and then used alone or with a dip as a garnish for ice cream.

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COLD AND FROZEN DESSERTS

EXAMINATION QUESTIONS

(1) Discuss briefly the value of desserts with meals.

(2) What points should be considered in the selection of desserts?

(3) What is the value of an attractive appearance in a dessert?

(4) (_a_) How do the general rules of cookery apply in the preparation of desserts? (_b_) Give an example.

(5) Of what value to desserts is: (_a_) a bland sauce? (_b_) a highly seasoned sauce?

(6) (_a_) Mention the proportion of eggs and milk for a custard. (_b_) Describe the method of making and baking plain custard.

(7) (_a_) Give a common test for determining when baked custard is done. (_b_) Give the test for soft custard.

(8) (_a_) How should pearl tapioca be prepared for cooking? (_b_) What should be its appearance when it has been cooked?

(9) How is gelatine prepared when it is to be used for desserts?

(10) Give the theory for the freezing of desserts.

(11) Give the proportion of ice to salt for: (_a_) ice cream; (_b_) sherbets; (_c_) ices; (_d_) frappés; (_e_) frozen punch; (_f_) frozen desserts that are packed and not turned to freeze.

(12) Describe the procedure in getting a mixture ready to freeze.

(13) To what is the increase in quantity during the freezing of a mixture due?

(14) How does the rate of speed in turning the dasher affect the freezing of a dessert?

(15) How can you determine when the mixture in a freezer is sufficiently frozen?

(16) What should be done in making a frozen dessert when the freezing has been completed?

(17) State the advantages and disadvantages of a vacuum freezer.

(18) What are: (_a_) ices? (_b_) sherbets?

(19) How is a mold of ice cream packed?

(20) Describe an original way of serving ice cream.

CAKES, COOKIES, AND PUDDINGS (PART 1)

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CAKE AND PUDDING MIXTURES IN THE DIET

1. CAKE is a mixture of flour, eggs, sugar, butter, and liquid that is baked in the oven in a variety of forms and distinguished by a tender texture and a sweet flavor. Closely allied to cake mixtures proper are many others, including cookies, small cakes, puddings, etc. While these differ from cakes in some respects, they are similar in use, ingredients, or methods of preparation. Because of this similarity, a number of these related mixtures are taken up in connection with cakes.

2. Foods of this class, which are usually served as dessert, are for the most part considered as luxuries and, of course, are not used so extensively in the diet as other classes of foods. However, sweet food is required to a certain extent in each person's diet, and it may be obtained in this agreeable form without overbalancing the food account if a little economy is practiced elsewhere. Thus, a small quantity of cake or pudding that is light, not too rich, and properly made may be served without injury to most persons as a dessert or as an accompaniment to a dessert. For children, the less rich and sweet mixtures, such as cookies, are preferable to rich cake and very sweet confections and may be fed to them occasionally.

3. Because of the almost unlimited variation in the proportion of ingredients, considerable variety exists in desserts of this kind. Cakes range from those made with only eggs for leavening to those containing very few eggs and having the standard proportion of other leavening agents. For instance, there is sponge cake; which contains no shortening and no leavening except eggs, in contrast with butter cake, which has much shortening or little, as the case may be, and requires proportionate quantities of flour and leavening other than eggs. Then there are soft, rich cookies containing shortening and sugar and the harder, less rich ones containing a greater proportion of flour.

4. In addition to cakes and puddings proper, there are many mixtures that can scarcely be classed as cakes at all. A few of them, such as meringues, are so sweet and delicate that they could be considered as confections, but they are discussed in connection with cakes because they take the place of cake in the meal. The peculiar pastes used for the making of cream puffs and éclairs are not in reality cakes, nor are they real pastry, but because they are served as desserts and belong somewhere in this class, they are included here. Doughnuts and crullers are perhaps more often thought of as quick breads than as cakes. However, the mixtures used for them are sweet. They differ from the mixtures for cakes only in being less rich, but by the peculiar method of their preparation in deep fat these foods become richer than the majority of cakes. Then there are a few varieties of cakes made with yeast which are related to cake in some respects and can well be taken up in this connection.

5. The proportions of liquid to flour for the various kinds of cake mixtures do not differ materially from those of the batters and doughs given in _Hot Breads_. Still, the increased amount of sugar, eggs, and shortening must always be considered, for these ingredients make considerable variation in the general proportions. All that is said in _Hot Breads_ concerning leavening agents and the proportions in which they are used applies with equal force to the making of cakes.

6. To be able to make foods of this nature well is one of the triumphs of the modern housewife. But this accomplishment is not beyond the limitations of any woman who masters the principles of cookery and diligently applies them to this part of the subject. In addition to making desserts that are merely palatable, she can, with a little practice, learn to decorate these foods, particularly cakes, both attractively and artistically. When she is equipped with such knowledge, she will be able to present her family with many varieties of this pleasing dessert.

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CAKES

INGREDIENTS USED IN CAKES

NECESSARY INGREDIENTS

7. QUALITY OF INGREDIENTS.--The materials used in the making of cakes should be of as good quality as possible, and when put into the cake they should be in the best condition. In this phase of cookery, as in all others, better results are obtained when good materials are used. Besides possessing this general characteristic, certain of the ingredients require special attention.

8. FAT FOR CAKES.--The fat used for cakes must necessarily be of an agreeable flavor, and for this reason butter is the kind in general use. There are, of course, other fats that may be used to advantage either as part or all of the fat required. However, when another fat is to take the place of butter, one that is practically flavorless should be chosen. Oleomargarine of various kinds, Crisco, and even some of the liquid fats are very satisfactory, especially in the making of cookies.

9. SWEETENING FOR CAKES.--Numerous varieties of sugar may be employed in the making of cakes. Probably granulated sugar is used more frequently than any other, but brown sugar, soft sugar, and confectioner's sugar all have a place in cake making. Any of these may be used in the preparation of icing as well as for an ingredient of the cake itself.

10. LEAVENING FOR CAKES.--An important source of leavening in cakes is eggs. For cakes to be most satisfactory, the eggs employed should be strictly fresh. During the season when they are scarce and consequently high in price, recipes that require only a few eggs should be prepared.

Baking powder, which is also an important leavening in cakes, should be of an approved brand that can be relied on to do the work expected of it. Soda and cream of tartar are sometimes used together, and, again, soda is used alone with molasses or sour milk. For every 3 eggs in a cake mixture, 1 teaspoonful of the baking powder called for in the recipe may be omitted. Altitude affects the amount of baking powder required in cakes. The quantity given in the recipes is correct for altitudes varying from sea level to 1/2 mile high, but it should be reduced one-fifth at an elevation of 1 mile, and three-tenths at an elevation of 7,000 feet.

11. LIQUID FOR CAKES.--Milk, as a rule, is the liquid used in cake making. It may be skim milk or whole milk, it may consist of part water and part milk, or it may be entirely water, depending on the kind of cake. When a large number of eggs are used in a cake, very little liquid is employed. Sometimes the liquid consists of molasses and sour milk used together, separately, or with some other liquid.

12. FLOUR FOR CAKES.--The flour used in the preparation of cakes may be bread, pastry, or blend flour, depending on the kind of cake desired. While a blend, or an all-purpose, flour makes a satisfactory cake, pastry flour, which is milled from soft winter wheat, or better still, cake flour, is more nearly ideal as the excess gluten is removed, and it is much finer milled; hence it produces a lighter, finer, more delicate cake. Wheat flour is the kind that is generally used, but other flours, such as white corn meal, rice flour, and potato flour, though producing a drying effect, are sometimes combined with wheat. A tablespoonful of corn starch sifted with the bread or hard wheat flour is an improvement over straight bread flour, but as it has a drying effect, it is not to be recommended.

MISCELLANEOUS INGREDIENTS

13. In addition to the ingredients that have just been mentioned, there are numerous other ingredients that are often used in cakes. Some of them are used for the purpose of adding flavor and variety to otherwise plain cakes, while many of them are used entirely for the purpose of flavoring. These ingredients, like the necessary ones, should be of excellent quality. It is essential that their use and value be understood, for by means of them pleasing variety may often be secured with just a plain-cake recipe. For instance, a plain cake as a foundation may be varied by using with it raisins, nuts, spices, coconut, preserved fruits of various kinds, or flavoring of some sort. To be able to use these ingredients properly, it is well for the housewife to be familiar with their nature and the treatment that must be given to them before they can be used.

14. CURRANTS AND RAISINS.--As has already been learned, currants and raisins are varieties of dried grapes. Currants do not contain seeds, but raisins come in both seeded and seedless varieties, and either of these are satisfactory for cake making. Currants are often dry and hard, and as they are usually very dirty they require considerable cleaning to prevent them from being gritty when the cake is eaten. Because of these facts, currants are not very satisfactory and consequently are usually replaced by raisins, which may be used, either chopped or whole, for any of the purposes currants are used. If small raisins are desired, sultanas, which are a small, light-colored, and mild-flavored variety, are the best to purchase. These two fruits increase the food value of the mixtures to which they are added. Raisins, being extremely high in carbohydrate, are especially valuable as an ingredient.

Before currants and raisins are used in cake mixtures, they should be thoroughly cleaned. To clean them, place them in a colander, and then turn a stream of cold water over them and rub them between the fingers until all dirt or other foreign material is removed. When clean, allow them to dry as thoroughly as possible before using them.

15. MISCELLANEOUS FRUITS.--Fruits other than currants and raisins are often used in the preparation of cakes and puddings. These, which may be dried, canned, or preserved, include dates, figs, citron, apricots, prunes, cherries, plums, pears, peaches, and pineapple. Candied orange and lemon peel are generally used in the preparation of fruit cake. All of these fruits add food value and flavor.

A certain amount of preparation must be given to fruits before they can be used in cakes. All of them except the canned fruits must be thoroughly washed, and some of them, such as dates, must have the stones removed. Those which are very hard, as, for instance, figs and citron, may be steamed to make them soft. The steaming may be done by placing the fruit in a colander over a vessel of boiling water and covering the colander to retain the steam. When treated in this manner, these fruits will cut more easily and will be softer and more moist in the finished cake.

16. NUTS.--In the making of cakes, nuts of almost any variety may be utilized. Not only do they add a large amount of food value in the form of fat, but they increase the richness of the cake and provide a very delightful flavor. The nut meats are generally too large in size to be used whole, and so they must be made smaller before they are added to the mixture. They may be put through a chopper, but usually it is preferable to chop them with a chopping knife in a bowl or cut them into pieces with a paring knife.

It should be remembered, however, that the use of nuts in a cake adds greatly to the cost, for, with the exception of peanuts, they are rather expensive, particularly when they are bought shelled. As can readily be understood, both the nuts themselves and the labor involved in removing the shells must be paid for. The cost, of course, may be reduced by buying the nuts in the shells and shelling them at home.