CRANBERRY SAUCE
Taking the cranberries next, the child can sort them over, wash andput ina granite kettle, allowing half a cupful of water and two cupfuls of sugar to each quart of berries. Place over a slow fire, and after boiling fifteen or twenty minutes, stirring only enough to keep from burning, remove and set away until cool enough to pour in a glass dish. Berries cooked this way will keep their shape, be transparent and a bright, pretty red.
MINCE MEAT
The mince-meat takes some time to prepare, and is much better if made a week or two beforehand and allowed to stand in a tightly covered jar. Our small cook can help get ready the raisins, currants, citron, orange peel, and apples while the beef is boiling, and then will be delighted to do the chopping. To half a pound of lean beef, cooked until well done and chopped fine, add half a pound of chopped suet and one pound of chopped tart apples, prepared separately. To this put half a pound of currants, cleaned and dried, half a pound of seeded raisins, half a pound of citron, cut in small pieces, two cupfuls of light-brownsugar, an even teaspoonful salt, half a teaspoonful each of ground cloves and allspice, one teaspoonful cinnamon, one-fourth teaspoonful grated nutmeg, one tablespoonful of finely broken dried orange peel, juice of one lemon, one pint of boiled cider. Boil slowly for an hour, add, if desired, one-half cupful of brandy, and then pack away in a crock in a cool place. This recipe, with full directions for mixing, should then be written out in the small cook-book, for although it may not be needed again for a long time, it will be ready for reference at any moment, ready for use without any doubt or trouble—and "the kind that mother used to make." Mince-meat is so fascinating, too, on account of all the good things that go into it, that scarcely anyone that ever made it right once can fail thereafter.
Every girl should know how to make good pie crust, and as it is principally a matter of having the ingredients chilled from the ice-box, almost anyone can be successful by taking a little care.
Making PiesMaking Pies
PLAIN PASTRY
Sift one and one-half cupfuls of flour with one-half teaspoonful salt. Chop through this until like meal a half-cupful of chilled lard. Add justenough ice-water to make a stiff dough, and turn out with as little handling as possible on a floured bread-board. Sprinkle on flour enough to keep from sticking to rolling-pin, and dividing into sections, roll to fit the size of the pie-pan. (Perforated tins are preferable.) Add filling, put on thinly-rolled top crust, with a few openings in center to emit steam, and bake about half an hour, after pressing the edges thoroughly together to keep in all juice. If desired shorter, three-quarters of a cupful of lard can be used, but the dough must be kept thoroughly chilled, and it is best made in a cold room.
SETTING THE TABLE
Then, on Thursday morning begin the dinner in plenty of time, so there will be no hurry or confusion at the last moment. The table can be set early, the little maid being shown the silver required. At the right of each plate put the knife, soup spoon and necessary teaspoons; at the left the forks, three if a salad is served. The glass for water is placed to the right of the center, in line with the knife, and the napkin either directly in the center on the service-plate or to the left of the forks. If no flowers are available for table decorations, pile the fruit up attractively for acenterpiece, using the small dishes of nuts and raisins at each end to balance.
The vegetables next should be prepared. Trim off the long green ends of the celery and the discolored outside stalks, (which will make a nice cream of celery soup next day), and then instead of separating the remaining stalks, cut through the whole bunches into quarter sections or smaller. In this way each person gets part of the inside tender heart, and the celery is more attractive.
When dinner is all ready, if there is no maid to help, the easiest way is to have the soup served and placed on the table just before calling out the guests. Then, when ready for the next course, our little cook can remove the soup plates, taking from the right side of each person, and bring on the dinner. When that is over, she must remove all the dishes before each one, clear the table of everything but the water glasses and the decorations, brush the cloth with a folded napkin and a plate to catch the crumbs, and lastly bring in the dessert. Every family has its own way as regards details, but a mother can very quickly get a child into the habit of being neat, careful and quiet about handling dishes. And she must always remember to proffer food on a tray, at the left.
The Christmas Dinner Party
Our little cook, after her experience at Thanksgiving, will probably be most eager to take part in the preparations for the Christmas dinner. Consult her now, as before; tell her all your ideas, get her suggestions, and then make all plans at least a week beforehand. Holidays should be holidays for the hostess as well as the guest, and can be made so by the choice of a dinner that is good and at the same time easily prepared. The suggested menu following will be found attractive enough for any party, and at the same time it is neither expensive nor very difficult to get ready.
Let the little girl again make out the bill of fare and hang up in the kitchen for reference, make out her list for market and grocery, and help in the selection of the goose, the vegetables and the fruits. Thus she will learn the best kinds to buy and what they cost, and incidentally mother and daughter can have a regular littlelark out of the expedition and become better chums than in almost any other way.
CHRISTMAS MENUMENU FOR CHRISTMAS DINNERRaw Oysters,HorseradishRoast GooseApple SauceCeleryMashed PotatoesLima BeansTomato Jelly SaladPlum PuddingFruitNutsRaisinsCoffee
The first dish to make, strange to say, is the last one on the list, and the plum pudding is better if made several weeks before it is needed, and then simply steamed up again for a couple of hours just before serving. A fine old recipe that had been in a friend's family for years, was once given me, but as it filled six molds I reduced it to the following proportions, which is ample for a mold large enough for eight people:
PLUM PUDDING
One-half cupful butter, three-quarters cupful sugar, one-quarter pound suet, two and one-halfcupfuls flour, one-half pound seeded raisins, one-half pound currants, one ounce citron, three eggs yolks and whites (beaten separately), one-half cupful milk, one-quarter cupful almonds (blanched and chopped fine), one-quarter cupful brandy (or boiled cider if preferred), one-half teaspoonful cloves, one-quarter teaspoonful nutmeg, one teaspoonful cinnamon.
After getting all her ingredients out on the table and ready, the little cook should cream her butter and sugar, beat in yolks, add milk, and then stir in the flour alternately with the stiff whites. Then put in the brandy and spice, and last of all the fruit and nuts, dredged with a little flour. This should be well stirred, and then packed in a thoroughly greased covered mold and steamed for four hours.
HARD SAUCE
Two kinds of sauce are nice for this pudding, served together. A hard sauce is made by creaming one-half cupful of butter in one cupful of fine sugar, adding half teaspoonful of brandy or vanilla and one teaspoonful cream and stirring until light and creamy. It can be set in a bowl of hot water at first to help make the butter cream, but after being beaten light should be setin the cold to harden. A teaspoonful of this hard sauce is served on each portion of the pudding.
HOT SAUCE
The following hot sauce is poured around: one-quarter cupful butter, one cupful sugar, one teaspoonful flour. Mix flour and sugar, add butter and one cupful cold water, and stir until it boils and thickens. Flavor with nutmeg.
The day before Christmas repeat the lesson in dressing a fowl, and let her make the stuffing from the recipe used before, only this time she should omit the sage or oysters and season with a small onion chopped fine.
APPLE SAUCE
For the accompanying apple sauce, let her peel and quarter half a dozen tart apples, put on to cook in a cup of cold water, and when tender press through a colander, sweeten to taste, and then put in a pretty glass dish and grate nutmeg over the top. This should then be covered and set away until ready to be carried to the table.
OYSTERS ON THE HALF SHELL
As we intended to have as little work as possible about this particular dinner, I have suggested raw oysters for the first course instead of a soup. Serve on the half-shell if you can get them that way, putting a little chopped ice on each plate to hold the shells in place, giving four or five oysters to each person, and putting one empty shell in the center to hold the horseradish or slice of lemon. If the oysters are opened at the market all you have to do is to see that they are kept on ice until served.
TOMATO JELLY SALAD
For the tomato jelly salad, first boil together until very tender one quart can of tomatoes, one small sliced onion, six cloves, one-half cupful chopped celery. Strain through a jelly bag, season with salt and pepper, and add gelatin which has been dissolving in a few spoonfuls of cold water. As different brands vary, however, study the directions on the box in order to get the right amount to stiffen one quart of jelly.
If the gelatin does not thoroughly melt with the warm tomato juice, set over the fire for a fewmoments, and then pour into small molds (wine glasses or after-dinner coffee cups will serve nicely), and set away to harden over night. Next morning fix the required number of salad dishes with lettuce leaves or tender cabbage cut in strings, and turn out carefully the molded tomato jelly. Over the top of each drop a large spoonful of thick boiled dressing.
CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS
A pretty idea for a Christmas table is to carry out as fully as possible a color scheme of red and green. The centerpiece, of course, should be of holly, and a novel one it will be if large beautiful pieces are put in the upper part of a double boiler and set out to freeze. I did this once by accident, and when I went for my holly there it was—imbedded in a solid block of ice. The shape of the oat-meal kettle, like a flowerpot, allowed the ice to turn out easily, and it could then be set on a plate and trimmed around the bottom with the holly leaves. A couple of bolts of red baby ribbon will be enough for streamers from the chandelier to each plate, at which should be a pretty piece of the holly—or better still, if you can get them, three or four red carnations foreach lady, and one for the buttonhole of each gentleman.
COLOR SCHEME
To carry out this color plan, the oysters should be served with catsup and garnished with parsley, the tomato jelly be turned out on lettuce, the plum pudding (ablaze with a spoonful of alcohol) decorated with holly, and the candy—red and white peppermint wafers—tied with green baby ribbon.
If the details of preparing the dinner have been followed out as I have suggested, and everything possible done the day before, on Christmas morning there will be little to do: the goose to put into the oven and roast, the potatoes to mash and the beans to dress, the plum pudding to heat up, the sauce to prepare, with the gravy and the coffee to make at the last moment. Our small cook of course has the celery cleaned preparatory to cutting up, and the nuts all cracked, and she can tie up the candy and assist with the decorations. Having helped set the table for the Thanksgiving party, she will feel perfectly competent to undertake the arrangement now, alone, and you, Mother, can say, "You have gotten along with everything so nicely, and rememberedso well, I will let you put on the dishes and silver all by yourself." Then when she reports that all is ready, look over the work yourself and see that it is all right. Possibly she will have misplaced some pieces, forgotten others, but if you point out the errors and have her remedy the mistakes herself, she will likely remember next time and make her table a well-appointed one.
Delicious Home-Made Candies
All children love to make candy, and the home-made kinds are much purer and better—besides being much cheaper—than those usually sold at the small confectionery stores. Every mother will do well to help her little daughter master this branch of cookery, for it will not only enable her to make wholesome sweets for the family when desired, but also to prepare a dainty box when she wishes to make an inexpensive present.
NUT CANDY
For fine nut candy, have the child first pick out half a cupful of nut meats. Put on in a small saucepan two level cupfuls of light-brown sugar, one-half cupful of water, a level teaspoonful of butter and a tablespoonful of vinegar, and boil without stirring until the candy crackles when dropped in cold water. Pour into a well-buttered pie-pan that has been sprinkled with the nuts, and as soon as cool, mark into squares.
Home-Made Chocolate Creams and FudgeHome-Made Chocolate Creams and Fudge
MAPLE FUDGE
For delicious maple fudge, take one and one-half cupfuls of light-brown sugar, one cupful of maple sirup, half a cupful of milk, and a level teaspoonful of butter. Boil slowly until it makes a soft ball when rolled between the fingers in cold water, then set aside until cool. Then beat with a fork until a creamy, sugary mass, turn quickly on to a buttered plate and mark into squares. If the little cook finds it is soft from having been taken off a moment too soon, she will have to let it stand longer to turn to sugar, but the fudge that stands overnight will be particularly smooth.
CREAM CANDY
Cream candy is made by boiling two cupfuls of granulated sugar,without stirring, with three-fourths cupful water, two tablespoonfuls vinegar and a teaspoonful of butter until brittle when dropped in cold water. Pour on to a buttered pan, but do not scrape the sugared edge of the kettle, and pull as soon as cool. If a little care is exercised in handling at first, it will not stick to the fingers. The butter or flour sometimes put on the hands to prevent this only spoils thecandy. When pulled perfectly white, cut with scissors into small cubes. The longer this stands, the more delicious it becomes, and if flavored with a few drops of essence of peppermint when first put on (so it can be well stirred through) and then put away when done in a glass jar for a couple of weeks, it will make delicate "after-dinner mint."
CHOCOLATE CREAMS
Easy chocolate creams require two cupfuls of confectioner's sugar, with a few teaspoonfuls of milk to moisten enough to work like dough, and a quarter teaspoonful of vanilla. Knead well, and work out into small balls. Melt one square of unsweetened chocolate by first grating and then setting in a pan of hot water, and drop in the creams, one at a time. Roll around quickly with a fork, and lift on to a sheet of buttered paper. Put in a cool place to harden. Different flavorings can be used instead of all vanilla, and half an English walnut stuck on the top of each cream before the chocolate hardens will add to the attractiveness. Or, instead of dipping all the creams in the chocolate, they can be cut in half and wrapped around with figs or seededdates. They will grow more creamy if allowed to stand a day or two.
FUDGE
Particularly smooth fudge is made in a way that seems strange until you try it. Take two cups of sugar, half a cup of milk, one tablespoonful of butter, a few drops of vanilla, and four tablespoonfuls of cocoa. Mix, and boil without stirring until it makes a soft ball when dropped in cold water. Remove from the fire, set aside until cool, then pour on to a buttered platter and beat with a silver fork until creamy. When you see it beginning to harden, quickly smooth out and mark in squares.
MOLASSES TAFFY
All little children like this, and it is easily made. To two cups of molasses, add one cup of sugar, two tablespoons of butter, and boil until brittle when dropped in cold water. Add then one-fourth teaspoonful of soda, stir through and pour on buttered tins. When cool enough to handle pull to a light color, cut in sticks, and lay on oiled paper to harden. This is good flavored with a few drops of peppermint, but do not get in too much.
STUFFED DATES
Stuffed dates are a most wholesome sweet, and quickly made, too. The dates must first be picked apart, washed in warm water and dried in an old napkin. Remove the seed from each with a sharp knife, slip a nut in its place, press together, and sift over with granulated sugar. Leave standing a while on oiled paper to become firm. They are nice served at the end of a dinner, with the dessert and coffee.
SALTED NUTS
Salted nuts, used so much, are usually placed on the table when it is set, and passed during the meal. They are very expensive if bought ready for use, but quite inexpensive made at home. Either almonds or peanuts can be used, but the almonds must first be dropped in boiling water long enough to loosen the skins, which will slip off easily in a cloth. Melt half a teaspoonful of butter in a pie-pan, pour in a cup of nut meats, stir enough to cover with the oil, and brown in the oven. Remove, and rub dry with a soft cloth, and sprinkle with fine salt.
Preserving
I should not feel the series of lessons complete without a word to the mothers about how to interest their girls in this important part of cooking. It is so easily done, and my own little daughters took such pleasure in the work, that I hope every woman will let her child try putting up at least one kind of fruit. The first step, however, is to get the fruit jars and glasses all conveniently at hand, clean and dry, with fresh rubbers for the tops.
Marking the PreservesMarking the Preserves
CANNED PEARS AND PEACHES
Peaches and pears should be thinly peeled and halved, then dropped into a thick sirup made by boiling four parts granulated sugar to one part water. The fruit juice will thin this considerably, but the fruit should be boiled gently until thoroughly cooked and transparent. Then liftit carefully into the jars, set in a pan of boiling water, out of a draft, to avoid breaking, pack to the top, and fill to overflowing with the sirup. Screw tops on immediately as tight as possible. This is the great secret of successful canning.
PRESERVED PLUMS
Damson plums make a rich, old-fashioned preserve if washed, pricked, and allowed to stand a few hours, mixed with an equal quantity of sugar—pound for pound—then put on the stove where they will gently simmer until cooked down quite thick. They must be watched carefully, however, to prevent scorching. Such rich fruit is best put up in pint jars, as usually only a small quantity is needed at a time.
CANNED CHERRIES
Seed the cherries after washing them, watching carefully to see that none are wormy, and measure. Take half the quantity of sugar, moisten with just enough water to melt, boil to a thick syrup, and then add the cherries. Cook fifteen minutes, and seal.
RASPBERRY JAM
Pick over the berries, measure, wash and then crush. Put on to boil, and cook ten minutes, stirring to keep from sticking to the pan. Then add three-quarters the amount of heated sugar, cook twenty minutes longer and pour into small jars, or in glasses that can be covered with paraffin as soon as the jam is cold.
BAR-LE-DUC CURRANTS
Wash, stem, and measure the currants. Take three-quarters the amount of sugar, moisten with barely enough water to melt, boil to a thick syrup, turn in the currants, and cook twenty minutes. Pour into small glasses, and as soon as cool cut rounds of white paper to fit tops, wet in brandy, and lay over the fruit. Cut larger circles of the paper, wet thoroughly on one side with white of egg, and paste over the glass carefully, to make air-tight. This sounds like going back to the days of our grandmothers, but these currants are too rich to be put up in larger quantities, and jelly tumblers do not have tight tops.
APPLE JELLY
First peel and core sound sour apples, andput on to stew with just enough water to cover. Cook until the apples are almost a mush, put in a jelly-bag, and let hang overnight. Do not squeeze. Next day measure the juice and let boil twenty minutes, skimming whenever necessary. While it is cooking, heat an equal quantity of granulated sugar in the oven and stir it in. Cook five minutes longer, or until the jelly forms when dropped on a cold saucer. Stand jelly glasses in a dripping-pan, surround with boiling water, pour in the jelly, and set aside until firm. When solid, if covered with one-quarter inch of melted paraffin, it will not mould, nor will tin covers be necessary.
CRAB APPLE JELLY
Crab apple jelly is made in the same way as the apple jelly, but the fruit is simply wiped off and quartered,—not peeled.
GRAPE JELLY
Pick grapes from the stem, wash, crush, and boil twenty minutes. Then put in jelly-bag to drip overnight, but do not squeeze. Next day measure juice, boil ten minutes, add an equal amount of sugar that has been warming, boilthree minutes, or until a drop jellies on a cold dish, then turn into glasses.
About half as much juice as drips will be left in the bag, and it can afterward be squeezed out and boiled separately, (for it will be cloudy), or the entire contents of the jelly-bag can be put through the colander, sweetened and spiced to taste, and cooked until of the desired thickness. This makes a nice marmalade.
FRUIT COMBINATION
At a time when other fruits are very high, the plain apple jelly, so delicate in flavor itself, can be mixed when ready to pour with any kind of preserved fruit, ready to be put up, even in the proportion of one-fourth, and it will not be noticeable. Since the pure food law went into effect and manufacturers have had to print their formulas on the bottles, we have been able to gather a few trade secrets; and one of our best-known firms has this admission on its jam labels:
"These goods are compounded from forty per cent, each fresh fruit and granulated sugar, with addition of ten per cent. each fresh apple juice and corn sirup, to prevent crystallization."
Their jams are very good, but why pay twentycents a pound for a mixture of apple juice and corn sirup?
And only forty per cent. fresh fruit!
Really, though, this fine apple jelly is quite a valuable addition to such strong fruits as quinces, or such watery ones as strawberries.
Sandwiches and Drinks
SANDWICHES OF CHICKEN OR MEAT
For picnics, school luncheons, and her evening parties my little maid will want sandwiches, and there are many kinds easily made. And generally she will want the bread cut very thin and spread with soft butter. For ordinary occasions she may use any kind of meat she happens to find in the house, slicing it if she can, then seasoning with mustard, or else putting it through the grinder and seasoning with mustard, a small minced pickle, or finely chopped sweet green pepper. In using the ground meat, however, rub it to a paste with the butter intended for the bread, and it will spread more easily.
HAM SANDWICHES
To be particularly nice, mince the ham, cream with the butter, season with mustard, spread onone slice of bread, cover with a crisp lettuce leaf, add the top slice of bread, then cut in triangles.
LETTUCE SANDWICHES
On thin slices of buttered bread lay a fresh leaf of lettuce, and spread with salad dressing, before adding top slice.
OLIVE AND CHEESE SANDWICHES
These are especially good for afternoon tea or parties. Butter the bread each time before slicing, so it can be cut very thin without breaking. Spread with cream cheese that has been rubbed to a paste with cream, and sprinkle with chopped olives. Cut in fancy shapes.
RAISIN SANDWICHES
Spread thinly sliced brown bread with butter first, then with raisins, seeded and chopped.
CRACKER SANDWICHES
Butter graham crackers, and spread with chopped and mixed nuts and raisins. Or, take square soda crackers, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon,and toast a light brown. The latter, served hot, are also very nice for afternoon tea.
Though children should not be allowed to drink tea and coffee, (and young people are better off without them,) every little maid should be taught how to prepare these drinks for the grown-ups, most of whom are apt to be critical.
TEA
First, find out the kind your friends like if you possibly can, and do not give Ceylon to a lover of uncolored Japan! Then have fresh boiling water, and scald out your teapot, which should be earthenware or china. While it is still hot, put in the tea, a teaspoonful for each cup if you use the ordinary kinds, but only half a teaspoonful of some of the strong black varieties. Pour on immediately the required amount of boiling water, and set in a warm place, or cover with a cozy for five minutes. If desired cold, then pour off the grounds, and when cool enough, put in the ice box or serve at once with chopped ice. Never boil tea, nor allow to stand on the leaves very long, as it draws out the injurious tannin, besides impairing the flavor. A thin slice oflemon in each glass improves the taste as well as the looks.
COFFEE
People have different ways of making coffee, but a very easy one is to measure out a tablespoonful of ground coffee for each cup desired, tie up in a square cheesecloth, and cover with an equal number of cups of boiling water. Set on the stove where it will keep just below the boiling point, for three minutes, then pour and serve with cream and sugar. But to make this way, grind very fine. If your friends prefer boiled coffee, however, measure out a tablespoonful for each person, moisten well with part of the white of an egg, cover with one cup of cold water, and when that boils, add rest of the required amount from your boiling teakettle. Cook for five minutes, then settle with a third of a cup of cold water, and place where it will not boil up again. This will make one cupful apiece.
COCOA
Cool drinks are most welcomed in hot weather, and several kinds are quite nice for little girls to make. Iced cocoa requires for each personhalf a glass of milk and half a glass of water, heated to the boiling point. Mix in a cup a round teaspoonful of cocoa with one round spoonful of sugar, and dissolve with the hot milk. Then put together in the kettle, boil gently several minutes, and flavor with a drop or two of vanilla before taking from the fire. After cooling, place on ice, and when ready to serve, pour in glasses over ice, and cover the top with sweetened whipped cream. Delicious hot, however.
GRAPE JUICE
Grape-juice is the most nourishing kind of a fruit drink, and every family ought to put up enough in the fall when grapes are plentiful and cheap to last all winter. First pick the fruit from the stem, wash and put on in water enough to cover. Cook until the grapes lose their form, put in a jelly-bag, and let them hang overnight. Next day measure, and put on to boil with half as much sugar. Cook for five minutes and put at once into air-tight bottles. When ready to serve, either dilute with a small quantity of water or pour on chopped ice.
LEMONADE
A most refreshing beverage on a very warmday is a lemonade made from the juice of two lemons, a half cupful of sugar and eight glasses of water, to which is added the pulp of a small grapefruit that has been removed with a sharp-edged teaspoon. Fill up glasses with shaved ice.
FRUIT SYRUPS
During the canning season often a small quantity of rich juice will be left. If this is strained through a cloth and bottled boiling hot, it will make a splendid drink, diluted with water and served iced.
A Few More Desserts
Marshmallow CreamMarshmallow Cream
Before closing, let us consider some simple every day desserts that every little cook should know how to make. And first comes
BREAD PUDDING
For a small family, take a quart baking dish, cover the bottom with broken bread, sprinkle withraisins or currants, dot with tiny lumps of butter, and then repeat the process. Over this second layer pour a custard made by beating very light two eggs, adding two cups of milk, a pinch of salt, half a cupful of sugar, and a little grated nutmeg. Bake until a light brown on top, and serve with cream and sugar.
BROWN BETTY
Butter thin slices of bread, line the bottom of the pudding dish, add a layer of sliced apples, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, and repeat these layers until the dish is full. Cover with a tin lid and bake twenty minutes, then remove lid and leave until brown on top. The cover is necessary to keep in the moisture, as the juice of the apples is the only liquid. Serve with cream and sugar, or hot sauce.
COTTAGE PUDDING
Cream one-third of a cup of butter with three-fourths of a cup of sugar, add one egg, beaten very light, one cup of milk, and two cups of flour sifted with two teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Stir thoroughly and bake in a shallow pan. Cut in squares and serve hot, with hot chocolate or lemon sauce.
LEMON SAUCE
Make a syrup by boiling for five minutes one cup of sugar with one-quarter cup of water and a teaspoonful of butter. Removing from the fire, add the strained juice of half a lemon.
FRUIT BATTER PUDDING
Take one cup of flour, half a teaspoonful of salt, and one-half teaspoonful baking-powder, sifted well, half a cupful of sugar, and stir to a smooth batter with half cup of milk. Add one tablespoonful of melted butter, and two eggs, beaten light, then pour into a buttered pudding dish over two cupfuls of fresh fruit, either berries, sliced apples, bananas or peaches, and bake slowly half an hour. Serve immediately with hot pudding sauce, flavored with nutmeg.
SPONGE CAKE
Beat very light the yolks of three eggs, add one cup of sugar, half a cup of cold water, one and one-half cups of flour sifted several times with two scant teaspoonfuls of baking powder, flavor with half a teaspoonful of lemon extract, and lastly fold in the stiff whites. Bake in a sheet from thirty to forty minutes.
Charlotte RusseCharlotte Russe
CHARLOTTE RUSSE
Cut sponge cake into narrow strips, or use lady fingers, to line a glass bowl or individual glass cups as preferred. Fill center with whipped cream, for which directions are given elsewhere, and garnish top with Maraschino cherries. Prepare at the last moment before dinner, as the cake is apt to become soaked if left standing long.
MARSHMALLOW CREAM
Whip thick half a pint of cream, add two tablespoonfulsof confectioner's sugar, one white of egg, beaten stiff, one-quarter of a pound of marsh-mallows cut in small pieces, two tablespoonfuls of chopped nuts, and half a teaspoonful of vanilla. Mix up lightly, and pile on the split halves of little cakes baked in heart-shaped pans. Place a Maraschino cherry in the center of each, pierce with a candy arrow, and pour a thickened cherry syrup around for a sauce. This dessert might also be called Bleeding Hearts.
APPLE DUMPLINGS
Sift two cups of flour with two teaspoonfuls of baking powder and half a teaspoonful of salt, work into it two tablespoonfuls of lard until "mealy," add one cup of milk, and stir with a fork as little as possible to make a smooth dough. Turn out on a floured board, roll out thin, cut in squares, place in the center of each half of a sour apple, sprinkle with a little sugar and ground cinnamon, cover with the dough, place in a pie pan and bake slowly half an hour. Serve with cream and sugar or hot sauce as preferred.
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE INDIVIDUAL
Make crust as directed for apple dumplings,turn on to a floured board, cut out with a biscuit cutter and bake twenty minutes in a hot oven. On removing, break each biscuit in half, butter, place the lower piece in a saucer, cover with sweetened crushed berries, put on the top half, and pour the crushed berries over all. Or, if preferred for a nice company dessert, drop a big spoonful of whipped cream on top of each biscuit, and stick a fine whole berry in the center.
PRUNE WHIP
Soak half a pound of prunes over night, then stew half an hour and sweeten with half a cupful of sugar. When cool, cut in small pieces or put through the colander, and stir in to the stiffly beaten whites of five eggs, with half a cupful of granulated sugar. Pour into a buttered pudding dish, bake half an hour in a slow oven, and serve at once, before it begins to go down, with thick cream.
LEMON PIE
Make paste as directed before, line a deep pie pan, prick the bottom to keep from blistering, and bake in a hot oven about ten minutes. Remove and fill immediately with the following preparations:
Mix three tablespoonfuls of cornstarch with one cup of sugar, add two-thirds of a cup of boiling water, and one teaspoonful of butter, and cook five minutes, stirring all the time. Then pour on to the beaten yolks of two eggs, flavor with the strained juice and grated rind of one lemon, and fill the shell. Bake until the crust is brown, then cover with the meringue, and set back long enough to color lightly.
MERINGUE
Beat two whites very stiff, stir in slowly half a cupful of powdered sugar, and spread on with a knife or apply through a pastry tube. It will take some time to stir in the sugar slowly enough, but it must be well mixed, then baked until a delicate brown.
APPLE PIE
Line a pie tin with the crust, fill with sliced sour apples, sprinkle thickly with sugar, flavor with nutmeg, cover with the crust, making an opening in the center to emit the steam, press closely together and trim around the edge, and bake in a moderate oven about three-quarters of an hour.