Thescalingandcleaningof fish are important first steps. In the city this may be done for you at the market, but sometimes on fishing expeditions when you are not a successful fisher you may make yourself useful by cleaning the fish. Clean the fish on a large piece of paper. Use a sharp strong knife, and rub off the scales from the tail to the head. To skin a fish well, you should first watch an expert. Cut through the skin of the back andabdomen, loosen it at the tail and pull it off. Remove the head, open the abdomen, and take out the entrails. Burn the paper on which the fish has been cleaned. Fish is boned by slitting the flesh down the back, and patiently separating the flesh from the side bones, and finally pulling out the spine and attached bones. The strong odor of fish clings to everything the fish touches. Wash the fish, the knife, and your own hands in cold water and salt. Always pour the water in which fish is washed or cooked down the sink at once, pour in some salt, and flush the trap with cold water. The utensils, and dishes in which fish is served, need very careful washing in several waters.Theconnective tissueof fish softens and dissolves more readily than does that of meat. Fish varies in the dryness of the flesh, but there is no such thing as tough fish, and the texture of the muscles is about the same in all parts of the fish, although there is a difference in flavor in the dark and white flesh when these both occur. On account of this characteristic of the connective tissue the fish “falls apart” and our aim must be to prevent this.Principles of cooking.1. The protein is affected as in all other foods where it occurs.2. The fat is melted.3. Connective tissue quickly softened.To avoid the breaking of the fish it may be wrapped in cloth for boiling, and the water should simmer only. The coating of small fish or slices of large fish with beaten egg and crumbs tends to hold it together. In all cases avoid overcooking. Fish is done when a fork easily pierces it and separates the flakes of flesh from the bone.1. Boiled fish.Use thick pieces of large fish for boiling, or if small fish are used they may be boiled whole. Add salt and vinegar to water in proportion of 1 tablespoonful of salt and two of vinegar to three quarts of water. Use enough water to cover the fish. Wrap the fish in cheesecloth to prevent breaking apart, and plunge into boiling water. Do not let the water boil after fish is in. The fish is done when the flesh leaves the bone or when the flesh flakes apart easily. The usual time for a thick piece is 30-40 minutes.Mock Hollandaise sauce.Butter3tablespoonfulsFlour3tablespoonfulsEggs2Milk2cupsSalt1teaspoonfulLemon1⁄2to 1.Make as for white sauce, adding the beaten eggs just before taking from fire and stirring until well thickened. Add lemon juice just before serving. This sauce is suitable for boiled fish and vegetables.2. Left over fish.Fish may be picked apart, mixed with cream sauce, and served as creamed fish or served as an escallop.Escalloped fish.2cups left over fish, picked over and freed of bones.1cup thin white sauce, dried bread crumbs buttered.Butter a baking dish and line with crumbs. Add a layer of fish, using half, and cover with half the sauce. Cover with a layer of crumbs. Add another layer of fish, sauce, and crumbs, making this last layer of crumbs quite thick. Place in a hot oven and leave until crumbs are brown and fish is heated through.To butter crumbs.Melt a little butter in a saucepan and turn the crumbs in, stirring them over and over with a spoon until all the crumbs are coated.3. Baked fish.Almost any medium sized fish is suitable for baking. The favorites are bluefish, shad, haddock, and halibut, sliced.Clean the fish, seeing that all scales are removed. Stuff and sew. Shape with skewers to form a letter S and place upright on a baking pan or lay fish on side. If the fish is not a fat kind, put strips of salt pork over it and in pan or cut gashes in fish and lay strips of pork in them. Dredge with flour. Bake one hour for a three-pound fish, in a hot oven, basting frequently with the tried-out fat. Serve with drawn butter or Hollandaise sauce.Fish stuffing.Dried crumbs1cupMelted butter1⁄2cupSalt1⁄4teaspoonfulPepper1⁄8teaspoonfulOnion juiceA few dropsParsleyCapersPickles1teaspoonful each,finely choppedMix ingredients in order given.4. Creamed codfish.Soak the fish in cold water, and pull it apart with knife and fork. Put it in a saucepan of cold water, allow the water to heat slowly, and stop the heating just before the water reaches the boiling point. Pour off the water, shake the saucepan over the fire, add a thin white sauce, No. 2, and reheat. Serve on toast if desired.5. Codfish balls or cakes.Ingredients.Codfish, picked1 cupPotatoes, cut in cubes2 cupsEgg1Salt, if neededto tasteFlour for dredgingMethod.Put the fish and potatoes in a stewpan, cover with cold water, bring the water to the boiling point, and cook until the potato is tender. The whole process will take about 20 minutes. Drain off the water very thoroughly and shake the stewpan over the fire to dry the contents. It is very necessary to have the mixture free from water. Mash and heat the mixture in the stewpan, and add the egg. Taste to see if more salt is needed, as is sometimes the case. Finish as follows:(a) Shape into round flat cakes about an inch thick, dredge with flour and sauté.(b) The same, browning the cakes on a greased pan in the oven, or under the gas flame, turning if necessary.(c) Shape in balls, place these in a wire frying basket, lower the basket into hot fat until the balls brown, lift the basket, drain, and drain the balls on paper. Keep hot until it is time to serve.
Thescalingandcleaningof fish are important first steps. In the city this may be done for you at the market, but sometimes on fishing expeditions when you are not a successful fisher you may make yourself useful by cleaning the fish. Clean the fish on a large piece of paper. Use a sharp strong knife, and rub off the scales from the tail to the head. To skin a fish well, you should first watch an expert. Cut through the skin of the back andabdomen, loosen it at the tail and pull it off. Remove the head, open the abdomen, and take out the entrails. Burn the paper on which the fish has been cleaned. Fish is boned by slitting the flesh down the back, and patiently separating the flesh from the side bones, and finally pulling out the spine and attached bones. The strong odor of fish clings to everything the fish touches. Wash the fish, the knife, and your own hands in cold water and salt. Always pour the water in which fish is washed or cooked down the sink at once, pour in some salt, and flush the trap with cold water. The utensils, and dishes in which fish is served, need very careful washing in several waters.
Theconnective tissueof fish softens and dissolves more readily than does that of meat. Fish varies in the dryness of the flesh, but there is no such thing as tough fish, and the texture of the muscles is about the same in all parts of the fish, although there is a difference in flavor in the dark and white flesh when these both occur. On account of this characteristic of the connective tissue the fish “falls apart” and our aim must be to prevent this.
Principles of cooking.
1. The protein is affected as in all other foods where it occurs.
2. The fat is melted.
3. Connective tissue quickly softened.
To avoid the breaking of the fish it may be wrapped in cloth for boiling, and the water should simmer only. The coating of small fish or slices of large fish with beaten egg and crumbs tends to hold it together. In all cases avoid overcooking. Fish is done when a fork easily pierces it and separates the flakes of flesh from the bone.
1. Boiled fish.
Use thick pieces of large fish for boiling, or if small fish are used they may be boiled whole. Add salt and vinegar to water in proportion of 1 tablespoonful of salt and two of vinegar to three quarts of water. Use enough water to cover the fish. Wrap the fish in cheesecloth to prevent breaking apart, and plunge into boiling water. Do not let the water boil after fish is in. The fish is done when the flesh leaves the bone or when the flesh flakes apart easily. The usual time for a thick piece is 30-40 minutes.
Mock Hollandaise sauce.
Butter3tablespoonfulsFlour3tablespoonfulsEggs2Milk2cupsSalt1teaspoonfulLemon1⁄2to 1.
Make as for white sauce, adding the beaten eggs just before taking from fire and stirring until well thickened. Add lemon juice just before serving. This sauce is suitable for boiled fish and vegetables.
2. Left over fish.
Fish may be picked apart, mixed with cream sauce, and served as creamed fish or served as an escallop.
Escalloped fish.
2cups left over fish, picked over and freed of bones.1cup thin white sauce, dried bread crumbs buttered.
Butter a baking dish and line with crumbs. Add a layer of fish, using half, and cover with half the sauce. Cover with a layer of crumbs. Add another layer of fish, sauce, and crumbs, making this last layer of crumbs quite thick. Place in a hot oven and leave until crumbs are brown and fish is heated through.
To butter crumbs.
Melt a little butter in a saucepan and turn the crumbs in, stirring them over and over with a spoon until all the crumbs are coated.
3. Baked fish.
Almost any medium sized fish is suitable for baking. The favorites are bluefish, shad, haddock, and halibut, sliced.
Clean the fish, seeing that all scales are removed. Stuff and sew. Shape with skewers to form a letter S and place upright on a baking pan or lay fish on side. If the fish is not a fat kind, put strips of salt pork over it and in pan or cut gashes in fish and lay strips of pork in them. Dredge with flour. Bake one hour for a three-pound fish, in a hot oven, basting frequently with the tried-out fat. Serve with drawn butter or Hollandaise sauce.
Fish stuffing.
Dried crumbs1cupMelted butter1⁄2cupSalt1⁄4teaspoonfulPepper1⁄8teaspoonfulOnion juiceA few dropsParsleyCapersPickles1teaspoonful each,finely chopped
Mix ingredients in order given.
4. Creamed codfish.
Soak the fish in cold water, and pull it apart with knife and fork. Put it in a saucepan of cold water, allow the water to heat slowly, and stop the heating just before the water reaches the boiling point. Pour off the water, shake the saucepan over the fire, add a thin white sauce, No. 2, and reheat. Serve on toast if desired.
5. Codfish balls or cakes.
Ingredients.
Codfish, picked1 cupPotatoes, cut in cubes2 cupsEgg1Salt, if neededto tasteFlour for dredging
Method.
Put the fish and potatoes in a stewpan, cover with cold water, bring the water to the boiling point, and cook until the potato is tender. The whole process will take about 20 minutes. Drain off the water very thoroughly and shake the stewpan over the fire to dry the contents. It is very necessary to have the mixture free from water. Mash and heat the mixture in the stewpan, and add the egg. Taste to see if more salt is needed, as is sometimes the case. Finish as follows:
(a) Shape into round flat cakes about an inch thick, dredge with flour and sauté.
(b) The same, browning the cakes on a greased pan in the oven, or under the gas flame, turning if necessary.
(c) Shape in balls, place these in a wire frying basket, lower the basket into hot fat until the balls brown, lift the basket, drain, and drain the balls on paper. Keep hot until it is time to serve.
Laboratory management.—For individual work or work in groups of two, small fish, as perch, may be procured and these may be stuffed and baked in the period.
SHELLFISH
The shellfish are of two classes; the mollusks including clams, mussels (seldom used in this country), oysters, and scallops, and the crustaceans,—lobsters and crabs. None of the mollusks have high nutritive value, but they are a protein food, and add to the variety of the diet. The composition of the oyster is shown in Fig. 65, and it will be noted that the fat percentage is small and the calorie value low.
The oysteris raised in beds in the ocean, or bays often near the river mouth, and it is the neighborhood to the river that makes it possible for the oyster to carry germs of contagion, particularly of typhoid fever, when city sewage poured into the river passes over the oyster bed. Here, too, government protection is essential, and this is a matter that has created so much excitement that conditions are already improved. There is an association of oyster growers who make a point of advertising clean oyster beds, and cleanly methods of handling and transporting.
Oysters vary in size and flavor, the flavor seeming to depend upon the locality. The smaller are sought for serving raw, and the medium and larger for cooking. They are sold by the measure or number when taken from the shell, the latter giving the surer quantity; and the price is usually one cent apiece. They are in season from September to May. The whole flesh of the oyster is soft and edible, even the muscle by which it opens and shuts its shell being tender.
Clamsare of two kinds, distinguished differently in different places. They are known as hard and soft, or round andlong, and in Rhode Island the hard round clam still bears the Indian name Quahaug, the soft shell clam being the only “clam.”
The long clam lies buried in the soft mud of creeks and muddy shores left exposed at low tide, when they are dug by hoes from the mud. The round clam lies on the bottom of shallow warm waters, and is raked with an implement made for the purpose. The round clam is used when very young and small in place of raw oysters; but both kinds when matured have a tough portion that is not softened in cooking, and that is more or less indigestible. The long “neck” which protrudes from the shell has to be discarded.
Both kinds may be roasted in the shell, and are very palatable served hot with melted butter, salt, and pepper. They are most commonly used in soups and in chowder. They are purchased by the quantity or number, are cheaper than oysters, and are always in season.
Scallops, as purchased, are only a part of the animal in the shell, consisting solely of the round white muscle which operates the shell. The escallop, or scallop, is migratory, moving by a shooting motion, the mature scallops reaching the creeks and shores in the autumn, and though found in so-called beds they are not fixtures like the oysters. The flavor is sweet, and they have a quality that makes them more or less indigestible, especially when fried. They are very palatable and more digestible served in a stew made like an oyster stew. They are sold by the measure and are cheap in season.
The lobsteris now a luxury, for methods of catching in the past have made them scarce in their old haunts. The lobster is a much more highly developed animal than the mollusk, having strong muscles inside its coat of mail, and the flesh has a protein content that compares very favorably withmeat. When fresh, and not served with rich sauces or eaten at irregular hours, it is not especially indigestible, and may be the main dish at luncheon or supper, served simply with salt, pepper, and melted butter and not taken with meat foods. Its own delicious flavor needs no addition in the way of sauces and high seasoning.
The crabis essentially like the lobster, being smaller, and having a sweeter flavor. The soft shell crab is caught just as the old shell is shed, and is highly esteemed as a delicacy. Both lobsters and crabs are cooked in the shell, and if allowed to die naturally before cooking they are uneatable. They may be purchased alive or cooked, and one is surer of their condition when they are bought alive. Twenty-five cents a pound is now an average price for lobsters in shell. Crabs are somewhat less expensive at times, but soft shells are always high-priced.
The following table shows the food value of a few of this group in terms of the weight of the 100-Calorie portion.
100-calorie Portions of Fish and Shellfish
Fresh FishWeight of 100-calorie PortionKindAs Purchased(Entrails Removed)Edible MaterialOuncesOuncesBlue fish7.84.0Cod.7.65.5Flounder12.56.2Haddock10.04.9Halibut steak3.52.9Mackerel4.52.5Salmon2.81.8Salt Or Smoked FishCod, Salt4.43.4Herring, Smoked2.21.2Halibut, Smoked1.71.6Mackerel, Salt1.41.2ShellfishClams6.9Crabs4.3Lobster4.2Oysters7.0Scallops4.8
Preserved fish and shellfish.—Smoking and saltingare two old-time methods that are still in use, and smoked salmon, herring, and finnan haddie furnish us well-flavored foods at a reasonable price. Small smoked herring are eaten uncooked, and the other two kinds are excellent broiled, or parboiled and finished in the oven. Salt cod should not be despised, for it is convenient and may be made palatable. Like the meats, the fish preserved by these methods are slightly less available for digestion.
Preserving in oilis made familiar to us by the sardine of Italy in olive oil and the small herring of America in cottonseed oil, which also bears the name of sardine. The latter is less delicate in flavor than the European sardine, but is of course cheaper, and is palatable and of equal food value.
Canned fish and shellfishare used in localities where fresh fish are not easily available, and should not be unwholesome if the process is properly inspected. Canned salmon is the most common, and makes an excellent luncheon dish when well prepared (see chapter on salads).
Principles of cooking.—The protein in all of these is the chief consideration. The oyster is more delicate when cooked just below the boiling point of water for a brief period only. This is also true of the clam, except the tough membranes which must be chopped. The flesh of both lobster and clam is toughened by cooking, and the process should be short.
General directions.—All fish and shellfish should be thoroughly cleansed in cold water before using, and under running water when possible. Wash oysters, clams, and scallops in a colander or strainer under the faucet. If the oyster or clam liquor is used, put it through a fine strainer.1. To serve oysters and small clams raw.Arrange on finely chopped ice on a plate, with a piece of lemon in the center. Cut a section of lemon, not a slice. Horse-radish is sometimes served with the raw oyster. Garnish with parsley if you wish.2. Creamed oysters.Clean oysters of all pieces of shell. Cook them below the boiling point for a few minutes until plump and edges begin to curl. Drain and add to white sauce seasoned with celery salt. Serve on toast, in bread cases, or patty shells.3. Sautéd oysters.Clean one pint of oysters, sprinkle on both sides with salt and pepper. Lift by the tough muscle with a fork and dip on both sides in cracker crumbs and sauté in butter until well browned on both sides.4. Clam chowder.Proportions.Clams1quartPotatoes4cups, cut in3⁄4inch diceOnionOne,choppedSalt1tablespoonfulPepper1⁄8teaspoonfulButter4tablespoonfulsMilk6cups, scaldedSoda CrackersClean and pick over clams, separate the hard and soft part of clams and chop the former. Strain clam liquor through cheesecloth. Try out the pork and fry the onion in it until brown and turn into a large kettle. Boil potatoes until tender, drain, and pour potatoes into kettle. Add clams, milk, butter, and crackers broken into small pieces. Let cook three minutes. Just before serving add clam liquor previously heated. Serve in bowls.5. To prepare lobster and crabs for serving.Make ready a large kettle of rapidly boiling water. Wrap a piece of paper around the lobster or crab, and plunge it head downward into the boiling water. Let the water boil gently for 20 minutes—longer if the lobsters are very large.To open, a strong pair of scissors is the best utensil and sometimes a hammer is necessary for the heavy claws. Pull out the flesh, keeping it as whole as possible. The stomach of the lobster and crab should be taken out and can be recognized near the head. The long intestine should also be removed and is easy to find in the hinderpart by splitting open this part and removing a long white string. The soft green portion is the liver and is eatable.To serve.—(a) Pick apart and serve on lettuce with a French dressing, or (b) Serve hot with melted butter.
General directions.—All fish and shellfish should be thoroughly cleansed in cold water before using, and under running water when possible. Wash oysters, clams, and scallops in a colander or strainer under the faucet. If the oyster or clam liquor is used, put it through a fine strainer.
1. To serve oysters and small clams raw.
Arrange on finely chopped ice on a plate, with a piece of lemon in the center. Cut a section of lemon, not a slice. Horse-radish is sometimes served with the raw oyster. Garnish with parsley if you wish.
2. Creamed oysters.
Clean oysters of all pieces of shell. Cook them below the boiling point for a few minutes until plump and edges begin to curl. Drain and add to white sauce seasoned with celery salt. Serve on toast, in bread cases, or patty shells.
3. Sautéd oysters.
Clean one pint of oysters, sprinkle on both sides with salt and pepper. Lift by the tough muscle with a fork and dip on both sides in cracker crumbs and sauté in butter until well browned on both sides.
4. Clam chowder.
Proportions.
Clams1quartPotatoes4cups, cut in3⁄4inch diceOnionOne,choppedSalt1tablespoonfulPepper1⁄8teaspoonfulButter4tablespoonfulsMilk6cups, scaldedSoda Crackers
Clean and pick over clams, separate the hard and soft part of clams and chop the former. Strain clam liquor through cheesecloth. Try out the pork and fry the onion in it until brown and turn into a large kettle. Boil potatoes until tender, drain, and pour potatoes into kettle. Add clams, milk, butter, and crackers broken into small pieces. Let cook three minutes. Just before serving add clam liquor previously heated. Serve in bowls.
5. To prepare lobster and crabs for serving.
Make ready a large kettle of rapidly boiling water. Wrap a piece of paper around the lobster or crab, and plunge it head downward into the boiling water. Let the water boil gently for 20 minutes—longer if the lobsters are very large.
To open, a strong pair of scissors is the best utensil and sometimes a hammer is necessary for the heavy claws. Pull out the flesh, keeping it as whole as possible. The stomach of the lobster and crab should be taken out and can be recognized near the head. The long intestine should also be removed and is easy to find in the hinderpart by splitting open this part and removing a long white string. The soft green portion is the liver and is eatable.
To serve.—(a) Pick apart and serve on lettuce with a French dressing, or (b) Serve hot with melted butter.
Meat Substitutes
Among these, beans, peas, lentils, eggs, milk, and cheese have already been mentioned. Fish is classed also as a meat substitute.
Nuts.—These are a valuable meat substitute, some of them having a good protein content, and a high fat content as well. (See Fig. 66.) They maybe served raw for dessert, with some fruit either fresh or dried, raisins and nuts being a pleasing combination. They should be thoroughly masticated. They are also palatable and possibly more digestible when cooked. The reason that many people consider nuts indigestible is because they eat them between meals, and do not give them a proper place in a meal, eating them whenenough food of other kinds has been taken. One who is open-minded in the matter of menus will find that nuts, raw or cooked, can literally take the place of meat in a meal.
Fig. 66.—Composition of nuts.
Almondsare always available in the markets and are so rich in protein and fat that a pound of shelled almonds is equivalent in food value to about three pounds of steak. At usual prices a good grade of almonds is more economical than the ordinary cuts of meat.Chestnutsare a staple food in parts of Italy, and have a delicious flavor in soups, stuffings, and sauces. Our own native chestnuts, boiled and served whole or roasted, make an excellent simple dessert.Hickory nuts,English walnuts,pecan nuts, andfilbertsare not only palatable in muffins, cake, and yeast bread, but add to the food value in a rational way.Peanutsare rich in oil and protein. They are nearly equal to almonds in food value and are even more economical. Peanuts are too concentrated a food for eating between meals or to be taken after a meal already sufficient, but they may take the place of meat in the meal and peanut butter may be used on bread and in sandwiches without butter. They, too, may be used with cake and cookies.Chopped nutsmay be served with a variety of desserts. Remember always that they are to be considered food.100-Calorie Portions of Shelled NutsKindWeight of 100-Calorie PortionOuncesBrazil nuts0.5Chestnuts1.5Filberts0.5Hickory nuts0.5Peanuts0.6Pecans0.5Walnuts (English)0.5Teacher’s Note.—When time permits and circumstances make desirable the development of the economic phase of the food work, students may be directed to look up the composition, or the food value per ounce or per pound, of a variety of the foods of whatever group is under study and work out the return in food value for a given expenditure of money. The tables in Rose’s “Laboratory Handbook for Dietetics” will be found especially useful in such work.
Almondsare always available in the markets and are so rich in protein and fat that a pound of shelled almonds is equivalent in food value to about three pounds of steak. At usual prices a good grade of almonds is more economical than the ordinary cuts of meat.
Chestnutsare a staple food in parts of Italy, and have a delicious flavor in soups, stuffings, and sauces. Our own native chestnuts, boiled and served whole or roasted, make an excellent simple dessert.
Hickory nuts,English walnuts,pecan nuts, andfilbertsare not only palatable in muffins, cake, and yeast bread, but add to the food value in a rational way.
Peanutsare rich in oil and protein. They are nearly equal to almonds in food value and are even more economical. Peanuts are too concentrated a food for eating between meals or to be taken after a meal already sufficient, but they may take the place of meat in the meal and peanut butter may be used on bread and in sandwiches without butter. They, too, may be used with cake and cookies.
Chopped nutsmay be served with a variety of desserts. Remember always that they are to be considered food.
100-Calorie Portions of Shelled Nuts
KindWeight of 100-Calorie PortionOuncesBrazil nuts0.5Chestnuts1.5Filberts0.5Hickory nuts0.5Peanuts0.6Pecans0.5Walnuts (English)0.5
Teacher’s Note.—When time permits and circumstances make desirable the development of the economic phase of the food work, students may be directed to look up the composition, or the food value per ounce or per pound, of a variety of the foods of whatever group is under study and work out the return in food value for a given expenditure of money. The tables in Rose’s “Laboratory Handbook for Dietetics” will be found especially useful in such work.
1. What is the chief food value of fish?
2. Compare the composition of fish and meat.
3. What are the causes influencing the flavor and quality of fish?
4. What precautions may be taken to prevent the spoiling of fish?
5. How may the oyster beds be safeguarded?
6. In what way does the cookery of fish and shellfish resemble that of meat?
7. In what important way does the cookery of fish differ from that of meat?
8. Why is fish cheapest in season?
9. Estimate the cost of 100-Calorie portion of one or two given varieties.
10. What precaution is necessary in opening a lobster?
11. What must a food contain to make a meat substitute?
12. What are the important meat substitutes?
13. In what way should nuts be used in the diet?
14. What are some of the practical ways of using nuts?
15. Price several kinds of nuts and several cuts of meat in the market, then look up the composition of each, remembering that the whole kernel of the nut is eaten, but often only the lean part of the meat. With this in mind calculate the food value actually obtained for a given expenditure in each case.
SALADS AND DESSERTS
Salads and desserts are sometimes looked upon as luxuries, and something to be omitted where people must exercise strict economy, and as more or less indigestible forms of food to be avoided. As a matter of fact both of these types of dishes are extremely valuable in giving variety to the diet. They may be very inexpensive, and when they have the right relation to the rest of the meal, are not more indigestible than many other forms of food. A heavy salad or rich dessert eaten after a sufficient amount of other food will naturally cause digestive disturbance.
To disprove the theory of great cost of desserts, two friends once had an amusing contest to see which could serve the largest number of palatable desserts at the lowest price. It was interesting to see how many could be made for a cost of from six to ten cents for a family of five.
Materials used for salad.—The word “salad” is said to be derived from the Latin “salis” (salt) which implies that the salad has been looked upon more or less as a relish. We all associate with a salad appetizing crispness and freshness. The materials used in the modern salad are so varied that a complete list would include nearly all our fruits and vegetables and meat foods.
Green vegetables.—Celery, chicory or endive, corn salad, cress, cucumber, dandelion, lettuce, onions, peppers, romaine or cos lettuce, radishes, and tomatoes.Cooked vegetables.—Beans, string and whole, beets, cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, and spinach.Fruits uncooked.—Any fresh fruit, possibly with the exception of some of the berries.Meat and poultry.—The white meats like veal, chicken, and turkey are more attractive in salad, but any kind of cold meat may be used.Fish and shellfish.—Lobsters, crabs, scallops, and cold fish.Nuts.—Several kinds may be used in combination with fruit.Jellies.—Tomato jelly, meat, chicken, and fish molded in jelly, may be served as a salad.Eggs.—Hard-boiled eggs are used as a garnish.Cream cheese.—May be served with lettuce.
Green vegetables.—Celery, chicory or endive, corn salad, cress, cucumber, dandelion, lettuce, onions, peppers, romaine or cos lettuce, radishes, and tomatoes.
Cooked vegetables.—Beans, string and whole, beets, cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, and spinach.
Fruits uncooked.—Any fresh fruit, possibly with the exception of some of the berries.
Meat and poultry.—The white meats like veal, chicken, and turkey are more attractive in salad, but any kind of cold meat may be used.
Fish and shellfish.—Lobsters, crabs, scallops, and cold fish.
Nuts.—Several kinds may be used in combination with fruit.
Jellies.—Tomato jelly, meat, chicken, and fish molded in jelly, may be served as a salad.
Eggs.—Hard-boiled eggs are used as a garnish.
Cream cheese.—May be served with lettuce.
Salad dressings.—Plain lettuce or celery served with salt is in a sense a salad, but it is our custom to dress the lettuce with a mixture which contains an acid and usually an oil. A very simple, old-fashioned form of dressing used in this country is vinegar and sugar. Substitute lemon juice or fresh lime juice for the vinegar and you will have a very refreshing and simple salad for a summer day.
The ordinary dressing consists of vinegar or lemon juice, and oil; another form is mayonnaise, where the yolk and sometimes the white of egg are used to hold the oil and vinegar together.
Another form is a cooked dressing which may be bottled and kept for a longer time than the French dressing or the mayonnaise.
Olive oil.—This is the most delicious oil for salad dressing when the flavor is liked and when it can be afforded.Cottonseed and corn oil.—There are now in the market clarified cottonseed oil and corn oil that may be used in mayonnaise dressing, and the flavor is not unacceptable, and certainly superior to the poorer grades of olive oil which quite likely contain one of these oils as an adulterant. Cottonseed oil makes a better substitute for olive oil then does corn oil as it is at present refined.Butter.—Butter may be used in boiled salad dressing for those who dislike the flavor of the oils.The acids in dressing.—These may be either vinegar or lemon juice, and many people with whom the vinegar disagrees can eat a salad made with lemon juice. The acid should not be used in excess in any case; the best dressings do not give a distinctively acid taste.Adjuncts.—Salt, mustard, cayenne pepper, paprika.
Olive oil.—This is the most delicious oil for salad dressing when the flavor is liked and when it can be afforded.
Cottonseed and corn oil.—There are now in the market clarified cottonseed oil and corn oil that may be used in mayonnaise dressing, and the flavor is not unacceptable, and certainly superior to the poorer grades of olive oil which quite likely contain one of these oils as an adulterant. Cottonseed oil makes a better substitute for olive oil then does corn oil as it is at present refined.
Butter.—Butter may be used in boiled salad dressing for those who dislike the flavor of the oils.
The acids in dressing.—These may be either vinegar or lemon juice, and many people with whom the vinegar disagrees can eat a salad made with lemon juice. The acid should not be used in excess in any case; the best dressings do not give a distinctively acid taste.
Adjuncts.—Salt, mustard, cayenne pepper, paprika.
Fig. 67.—A cucumber salad.Courtesy of Dept. of Foods and Cookery, Teachers College.
General directions.—The two important points in the preparation of the material for salad are, first, thateverythingshould be thoroughly dry, and, second, thoroughly chilled. The importance of these two points cannot be overemphasized, and they are of equal value in salad making. Many a salad is unpalatable because it is watery and wilted. For the preparation of green vegetables see Chapter VII. Vegetables should be cut in cubes or sometimes in slices. Meat, poultry, and shellfish should be cut in small pieces or chopped. The prepared meat should be mixed with some ofthe oil and acid and allowed to stand in an ice box for some time before it is dressed and arranged for serving. This process is called marinating in the cookbooks, and gives a flavor to the salad that it cannot have if a dressing is poured over the meat just before serving.Combinations in salad.—Several well-known combinations will at once occur to you. Meat salads usually have a mixture of celery. Several vegetables may be used together, as beans and carrots, or carrots, peas, and string beans with lettuce. Apples, nuts, and celery make a pleasing combination. Indeed there would seem to be no end to the possibilities here.
General directions.—The two important points in the preparation of the material for salad are, first, thateverythingshould be thoroughly dry, and, second, thoroughly chilled. The importance of these two points cannot be overemphasized, and they are of equal value in salad making. Many a salad is unpalatable because it is watery and wilted. For the preparation of green vegetables see Chapter VII. Vegetables should be cut in cubes or sometimes in slices. Meat, poultry, and shellfish should be cut in small pieces or chopped. The prepared meat should be mixed with some ofthe oil and acid and allowed to stand in an ice box for some time before it is dressed and arranged for serving. This process is called marinating in the cookbooks, and gives a flavor to the salad that it cannot have if a dressing is poured over the meat just before serving.
Combinations in salad.—Several well-known combinations will at once occur to you. Meat salads usually have a mixture of celery. Several vegetables may be used together, as beans and carrots, or carrots, peas, and string beans with lettuce. Apples, nuts, and celery make a pleasing combination. Indeed there would seem to be no end to the possibilities here.
Fig. 68.—A salad with salmon molded in gelatin.Courtesy of Dept. of Foods and Cookery, Teachers College.
Serving and garnishing.—The principle here is to make the dish attractive with as little labor as possible. Everything served as a garnish should be eatable. A bed of crisp dry lettuce leaves is the most attractive setting for any salad. When this is not procurable, cress makes an attractive border to a salad. Figure 68 shows you a salmon jelly molded in a ring and attractively served in lettuce. Figure 67 shows a cucumber placed on lettuce leaves, dressed with a French dressing and sprinkled with chopped peppers. The cucumber is sliced ready to serve; the slices being cut not entirely through the cucumber. This is rapidly prepared andis most attractive. When the salad is arranged in its dish, it should be put in the ice box and allowed to remain until it is time to take it to the table. The salad is sometimes served on individual plates.1. French dressing.Ingredients.Salt1⁄2teaspoonfulPepper1⁄4teaspoonfulVinegar2tablespoonfulsOlive oil4tablespoonfulsMethod.Mix the salt, pepper, and vinegar and stir in the olive oil slowly. A few drops of onion juice may be added.2. Mayonnaise dressing.Ingredients.Mustard1teaspoonfulSalt1teaspoonfulPowdered sugar1teaspoonfulA few grains of cayenneEggsYolksof 2Lemon juice2tablespoonfulsVinegar2tablespoonfulsOlive oil11⁄2cupsMethod.Stir together the eggs, mustard, salt, pepper, and sugar. Add the oil, a drop at a time, stirring and beating constantly. The back of a silver fork is a good thing for mixing mayonnaise, though some people prefer a Dover beater. As the dressing becomes very thick it should be thinned occasionally with vinegar and lemon, alternately, but never let it lose its consistency. After the first, the oil may be added more rapidly. All ingredients and utensils must be cold. If the weather is warm, the bowl should be surrounded with ice water. If the dressing should separate, begin with another yolk of egg and stir the separated mixture into it slowly, as before. Set the bowl in a cold place and it should keep for many days.3. Boiled dressing.Ingredients.Eggs2Mustard1⁄2teaspoonfulSalt1⁄2tablespoonfulSugar1⁄2tablespoonfulVinegar3tablespoonfulsHot water1⁄2cupButter1tablespoonfulA few grainsof cayenneMethod.Mix the dry ingredients and beat with the eggs until light. Add the vinegar and water and cook in a double boiler, stirring constantly until thick and smooth. Remove from the fire, stir in the butter and set away to cool. A little cream added after the dressing cools is a great addition. Sour cream may be used instead of the water, in which case less vinegar and butter should be used.4. Potato salad.Ingredients.Potatoes, cold-boiled or bakedParsley or onion juiceEgg, hard-boiled, olives, pickled beets, etc.French dressingMethod.Cut the cold-boiled or baked potatoes into1⁄2-inch cubes. Marinate (i.e.mix and let stand) with French dressing. Chopped parsley or onion juice may be mixed with potatoes. Arrange in a mound and garnish with slices of hard-boiled egg, olives, pickled beets, etc.5. Chicken salad.Ingredients.Cold-boiled or roast fowlCelery,1⁄2as much as fowlFrench dressingMayonnaise or boiled dressingOlivesMethod.Cut cold-boiled or roast fowl in1⁄2-inch cubes. Add to this1⁄2as much celery which has been washed, scraped, and cut intocubes. Marinate with French dressing. Just before serving moisten with mayonnaise or boiled salad dressing. Garnish with celery tips and olives.6. Waldorf salad.Ingredients.Apples, tart and juicyCelery,1⁄2as much as applesMayonnaise dressingLettuce leavesMethod.Select tart, juicy apples. Cut in quarters, pare and core and cut in1⁄2-inch cubes. Add half as much celery, washed, scraped, and cut into cubes. Mix with boiled or mayonnaise dressing and serve cold on lettuce leaves. If handsome red apples can be had, they may be washed and polished and a slice cut from the stem end and the apple used as a cup after scooping out the inside to use for a filling with the celery. Serve on a lettuce leaf. Chopped nuts may be mixed with the apple and celery if desired.7. Stuffed tomato salad.Ingredients.Tomatoes, medium sizedBoiling waterSaltCucumbers (or celery)Mayonnaise dressingLettuce leavesMethod.Cover medium sized tomatoes with boiling water for a minute and remove the skin. Cut a thin slice from the top and take out part of the seeds and pulp. Sprinkle inside of the tomato with salt, invert, and let stand one half hour. Fill tomatoes with cucumbers (or celery) cut in small cubes and moistened with mayonnaise dressing. Arrange on lettuce leaves and garnish top with mayonnaise dressing.Laboratory management.—1⁄2egg yolk (1 teaspoonful) and1⁄4cup of olive oil is as small a quantity as is practicable to use in making the mayonnaise. This quantity made by groups of two works out well as the process of adding the oil drop by drop is difficult for a beginner working alone. The boiled dressing works in well as a variation of the boiled custard.
Serving and garnishing.—The principle here is to make the dish attractive with as little labor as possible. Everything served as a garnish should be eatable. A bed of crisp dry lettuce leaves is the most attractive setting for any salad. When this is not procurable, cress makes an attractive border to a salad. Figure 68 shows you a salmon jelly molded in a ring and attractively served in lettuce. Figure 67 shows a cucumber placed on lettuce leaves, dressed with a French dressing and sprinkled with chopped peppers. The cucumber is sliced ready to serve; the slices being cut not entirely through the cucumber. This is rapidly prepared andis most attractive. When the salad is arranged in its dish, it should be put in the ice box and allowed to remain until it is time to take it to the table. The salad is sometimes served on individual plates.
1. French dressing.
Ingredients.
Salt1⁄2teaspoonfulPepper1⁄4teaspoonfulVinegar2tablespoonfulsOlive oil4tablespoonfuls
Method.
Mix the salt, pepper, and vinegar and stir in the olive oil slowly. A few drops of onion juice may be added.
2. Mayonnaise dressing.
Ingredients.
Mustard1teaspoonfulSalt1teaspoonfulPowdered sugar1teaspoonfulA few grains of cayenneEggsYolksof 2Lemon juice2tablespoonfulsVinegar2tablespoonfulsOlive oil11⁄2cups
Method.
Stir together the eggs, mustard, salt, pepper, and sugar. Add the oil, a drop at a time, stirring and beating constantly. The back of a silver fork is a good thing for mixing mayonnaise, though some people prefer a Dover beater. As the dressing becomes very thick it should be thinned occasionally with vinegar and lemon, alternately, but never let it lose its consistency. After the first, the oil may be added more rapidly. All ingredients and utensils must be cold. If the weather is warm, the bowl should be surrounded with ice water. If the dressing should separate, begin with another yolk of egg and stir the separated mixture into it slowly, as before. Set the bowl in a cold place and it should keep for many days.
3. Boiled dressing.
Ingredients.
Eggs2Mustard1⁄2teaspoonfulSalt1⁄2tablespoonfulSugar1⁄2tablespoonfulVinegar3tablespoonfulsHot water1⁄2cupButter1tablespoonfulA few grainsof cayenne
Method.
Mix the dry ingredients and beat with the eggs until light. Add the vinegar and water and cook in a double boiler, stirring constantly until thick and smooth. Remove from the fire, stir in the butter and set away to cool. A little cream added after the dressing cools is a great addition. Sour cream may be used instead of the water, in which case less vinegar and butter should be used.
4. Potato salad.
Ingredients.
Potatoes, cold-boiled or bakedParsley or onion juiceEgg, hard-boiled, olives, pickled beets, etc.French dressing
Method.
Cut the cold-boiled or baked potatoes into1⁄2-inch cubes. Marinate (i.e.mix and let stand) with French dressing. Chopped parsley or onion juice may be mixed with potatoes. Arrange in a mound and garnish with slices of hard-boiled egg, olives, pickled beets, etc.
5. Chicken salad.
Ingredients.
Cold-boiled or roast fowlCelery,1⁄2as much as fowlFrench dressingMayonnaise or boiled dressingOlives
Method.
Cut cold-boiled or roast fowl in1⁄2-inch cubes. Add to this1⁄2as much celery which has been washed, scraped, and cut intocubes. Marinate with French dressing. Just before serving moisten with mayonnaise or boiled salad dressing. Garnish with celery tips and olives.
6. Waldorf salad.
Ingredients.
Apples, tart and juicyCelery,1⁄2as much as applesMayonnaise dressingLettuce leaves
Method.
Select tart, juicy apples. Cut in quarters, pare and core and cut in1⁄2-inch cubes. Add half as much celery, washed, scraped, and cut into cubes. Mix with boiled or mayonnaise dressing and serve cold on lettuce leaves. If handsome red apples can be had, they may be washed and polished and a slice cut from the stem end and the apple used as a cup after scooping out the inside to use for a filling with the celery. Serve on a lettuce leaf. Chopped nuts may be mixed with the apple and celery if desired.
7. Stuffed tomato salad.
Ingredients.
Tomatoes, medium sizedBoiling waterSaltCucumbers (or celery)Mayonnaise dressingLettuce leaves
Method.
Cover medium sized tomatoes with boiling water for a minute and remove the skin. Cut a thin slice from the top and take out part of the seeds and pulp. Sprinkle inside of the tomato with salt, invert, and let stand one half hour. Fill tomatoes with cucumbers (or celery) cut in small cubes and moistened with mayonnaise dressing. Arrange on lettuce leaves and garnish top with mayonnaise dressing.
Laboratory management.—1⁄2egg yolk (1 teaspoonful) and1⁄4cup of olive oil is as small a quantity as is practicable to use in making the mayonnaise. This quantity made by groups of two works out well as the process of adding the oil drop by drop is difficult for a beginner working alone. The boiled dressing works in well as a variation of the boiled custard.
Desserts
The dessert in this country includes the sweet dish, or the fruit at the end of the meal. In simple meals the dessert is usually one of the two, although in more elaborate meals fruit is served after the sweet dish, and sometimes crackers and cheese are served at the last. From the point of view of nutrition and digestibility this is more than is necessary, and you will notice that when both are served, the fruit is often declined. Like the salad, the dessert may be made from a large variety of materials and bears different names. There are hot puddings and cold puddings, pies and tarts, jellies and ices and ice creams. It is very interesting to read over the many dishes of this class in a cookbook and to attempt to classify them. If you are fortunate enough to have access to a cookbook of the eighteenth century, you will find that much labor was given to the preparation of elaborate structures which served as table ornaments; even now you will find French cooks who spend much time in making elaborate displays of their skill. For everyday life the dessert should be attractive to the eye and yet simple.
Materials used in desserts.Eggs, milk, and cream; these are important and are used in custards, in dishes stiffened with gelatin or thickened with cornstarch, or in ice cream.Breadstuffs.—Cake and sponge cake, bread crumbs and sliced bread, are valuable in desserts. Bread pudding may be made a very delicious dish. Bread may be combined with fruit in the shape of an escalloped dish. Baking-powder biscuits, crust, and shortcake are also used.Other starchy substances.—These are cornstarch, arrowroot, sago, tapioca and manioca.Fruits.—Raw and cooked fruits of every possible kind. A few fruits like the lemon, orange, grapefruit, and melon are not cooked. For preparing fruit served alone, see Chapter VI.Gelatin.—This material has been mentioned in the chapter on meat. It is prepared for use in desserts in a number of forms, the granular being the most convenient. Gelatin has the property, first, of absorbing water, then of dissolving at the boiling temperature of water and becoming stiff again when cool. After dissolving, as it is cooling and just as it begins to thicken slightly, it can be beaten like white of egg. If beating is attempted while the liquid is warm, or again if it becomes too stiff, the result is not successful. This property makes it useful in the sponges and other fancy desserts where the light spongy texture is desirable.
Materials used in desserts.
Eggs, milk, and cream; these are important and are used in custards, in dishes stiffened with gelatin or thickened with cornstarch, or in ice cream.
Breadstuffs.—Cake and sponge cake, bread crumbs and sliced bread, are valuable in desserts. Bread pudding may be made a very delicious dish. Bread may be combined with fruit in the shape of an escalloped dish. Baking-powder biscuits, crust, and shortcake are also used.
Other starchy substances.—These are cornstarch, arrowroot, sago, tapioca and manioca.
Fruits.—Raw and cooked fruits of every possible kind. A few fruits like the lemon, orange, grapefruit, and melon are not cooked. For preparing fruit served alone, see Chapter VI.
Gelatin.—This material has been mentioned in the chapter on meat. It is prepared for use in desserts in a number of forms, the granular being the most convenient. Gelatin has the property, first, of absorbing water, then of dissolving at the boiling temperature of water and becoming stiff again when cool. After dissolving, as it is cooling and just as it begins to thicken slightly, it can be beaten like white of egg. If beating is attempted while the liquid is warm, or again if it becomes too stiff, the result is not successful. This property makes it useful in the sponges and other fancy desserts where the light spongy texture is desirable.
Fig. 69.—A gelatin mold.Courtesy of Dept. of Foods and Cookery, Teachers College.
Making desserts attractive.—This is done by serving hot desserts in a dish around which a napkin may be folded; and cold desserts, especially those made with gelatin, may be molded in some attractive form and garnished. Figure 69 shows a very simple gelatin dessert garnished with candied cherries and a little angelica, the stem of a plant which has been sugared, and the whole surrounded with whipped cream.Whipping the cream and putting it around the base takes only a few minutes. As in salad, the garnish should be eatable and easily prepared.
1. Boiled custard.Ingredients.Milk1pt.Sugar2tablespoonfulsEggs3Vanilla1⁄2teaspoonfulSalt1⁄8teaspoonfulMethod.Put the milk, sugar, and salt in a double boiler to scald. Separate the eggs and set the whites in a cold place until wanted. Beat the yolks until lemon-colored. Pour a little of the scalded milk on the yolks of the eggs, stirring until well mixed. Set the double boiler back on the stove and pour the egg and milk mixture slowly into the rest of the scalded milk, stirring constantly until thickened enough to coat the spoon. Remove from the fire, add the flavoring, and turn into a dish to cool. Just before serving beat the whites to a very stiff froth and pile by spoonfuls on the custard. The whites may be sweetened with powdered sugar after beating if desired. Corn starch may be used, and fewer eggs.2. Baked custard.Ingredients.Milk1pt.Sugar2tablespoonfulsSalt1⁄8teaspoonfulEggs2LemonorVanilla1⁄2teaspoonfulMethod.Scald the milk, sugar, and salt together. Beat the eggs in a baking dish and pour the scalded milk over them. Add the flavoring and stir well. Set the baking dish in a pan of boiling water and bake in a moderate oven until a knife thrust into the custard will come out clean. Serve cold either plain, or with chocolate sauce. Nutmeg may be grated on top of the custard before baking, or caramel flavoring may be added in place of the vanilla.3. Chocolate sauce.Ingredients.Chocolate1squareSugar1⁄4cupBoiling water1⁄2cupCream1⁄2cupMethod.Mix the chocolate, boiling water, and sugar together and stir over the fire until smooth and thick. Add the cream and serve hot.4. Caramel flavoring.Ingredients.Sugar2cupsBoiling water1cupMethod.Pour the sugar into a saucepan and stir over the fire until it becomes a thick brown sirup. Pour the boiling water on this and leave on the fire, stirring occasionally until the sugar is all dissolved. This may be bottled and kept for some time.5. Shortcake.Ingredients.Flour1cupBaking powder1teaspoonfulSalt1⁄4teaspoonfulButter4tablespoonfulsorOne half butter and one half lard.Milk1⁄2cupMethod.Mix dry ingredients and cut butter into this mixture with two knives. Stir in the milk and spread the mixture out on a buttered layer cake tin. Bake in a hot oven until brown. Wash and hull a box of strawberries, sprinkle with1⁄2cup of sugar, and crush with a spoon. When the shortcake is done remove from the pan, cut around the edge with a sharp knife and right through the center of the cake, making two layers of it. Spread the lower layer with butter and then with the crushed strawberry. Replace the top layer and serve hot. Fresh peaches, preserves, or a mixture of orange and banana may be used for this shortcake.Another kind of strawberry cake is made of sponge cake, and served cold with whipped cream.6. Steamed pudding.Ingredients.Suet chopped1cupRaisins, currants, and citron sliced1cupEgg1Sweet milk1cupMolasses1⁄2cupSoda1teaspoonfulSalt1⁄4teaspoonfulFlour31⁄2cupsMethod.Skin, wash, and chop the suet, and dredge with flour. Wash, pick over and seed the dried fruit, slice the citron if it is used, and dredge all with flour. Stir together the milk and molasses, sift the dry ingredients with the flour, and stir the liquid into the flour slowly. Add the suet, beating the mass thoroughly, and last the fruit, sprinkling in both the suet and the fruit as you stir. Fill a greased mold2⁄3full, close tightly, and cook in a kettle of boiling water for three hours. Serve with a hard or foamy sauce.Laboratory management.—This can be made in class if each pupil will bring an empty baking powder or cocoa tin to school. A strip of greased cloth should be fastened around the edge of the cover. The recipe can be made in1⁄4cup proportions, and this amount can be cooked if the class period is two hours in length, but it is better to have the cooking finished at home. This is a seasonable exercise at Thanksgiving or Christmas.7. Brown Betty or apple scallop.Ingredients.Buttered crumbsTart cooking applesSugarCinnamonA little waterTeacher’s Note.—Individual shortcakes may be made by using a stiffer dough and rolling and cutting them like biscuits.Method.Put a layer of buttered crumbs in a baking dish. Pare and slice tart cooking apples and put a layer into the dish. Sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon, and a little water. Add a layer of bread crumbs and repeat with apples, flavoring and cover the top with crumbs. Bake in a moderate oven until apples are cooked and crumbs brown. Any fruit such as peaches or blueberries may be used instead of apples. Serve hot with hard or foamy sauce or cold with cream and sugar, or the bread may be used in slices, buttered.8. Hard sauce.Ingredients.Butter1⁄3cupPowdered sugar1cupLemon extract1⁄3teaspoonfulorVanilla2⁄3teaspoonfulNutmegMethod.Cream the butter; add sugar gradually, and flavoring. Grate nutmeg over the top. Chill before serving.9. Foamy sauce.Ingredients.Butter1⁄2cupPowdered sugar1cupEgg1Vanilla1teaspoonfulMethod.Cream the butter, add gradually the sugar, the egg well beaten, and vanilla. Beat while heating over hot water.10. Tapioca cream.Ingredients.Pearl tapioca1⁄2cuporMinute tapioca11⁄2tablespoonfulsScalded milk2cupsEggs2,or1Sugar1⁄3cupSalt1⁄4teaspoonfulVanilla1⁄2teaspoonfulMethod.Minute tapioca needs no soaking. If pearl tapioca is used, it must be soaked one hour in cold water to cover. Pick over and wash the tapioca, drain off the water and add tapioca to the milk and salt scalded in the double boiler, and cook until the tapioca is transparent, or about1⁄2hour. Beat eggs and add the sugar to them. Combine mixtures by pouring a little of the hot mixture in the egg and then stirring this into the mixture remaining in the double boiler. Stir over fire until it becomes thick. Add the flavoring and pour into a dish to cool.11. Apple tapioca.Ingredients.Minute tapioca3⁄4cupLemon peelBoiling water21⁄2cupsSalt1⁄2teaspoonfulTart apples6Sugar1⁄2cupMethod.Cook the tapioca in salt water until it becomes transparent. Core and pare the apples and place in the bottom of the baking dish. Fill the cavities with sugar and add a little lemon peel. Pour the tapioca over the apples and bake in a moderate oven until the apples are soft. Serve cold with sugar and cream.12. Lemon jelly.Ingredients.Shredded gelatin1⁄2boxorGranulated gelatin2tablespoonfulsLemon juice1⁄2cupCold water1⁄2cupBoiling water21⁄2cupsSugar1cupMethod.Soak the gelatin in cold water for 20 minutes. Add the boiling water and sugar and stir until it dissolves. Add the lemonjuice and strain into a mold and set away to harden. When it is stiff loosen from the sides of the mold (a cloth wrung out of hot water may be needed). Turn on to a plate and serve with whipped cream or soft custard.13. Snow pudding.Ingredients.Granulated gelatin1tablespoonfulCold water1⁄2cupBoiling water1cupSugar1cupLemon juice1⁄4cupEggsWhites of 3Method.Mix as for lemon jelly. Set aside in a cool place, and as soon as it becomes sirupy stir occasionally until quite thick. Then beat with wire spoon or whisk until frothy. Fold in the beaten whites, and continue to beat lightly until quite stiff. Pile by spoonfuls on a plate and serve with boiled custard, or mold as in Fig. 69.
1. Boiled custard.
Ingredients.
Milk1pt.Sugar2tablespoonfulsEggs3Vanilla1⁄2teaspoonfulSalt1⁄8teaspoonful
Method.
Put the milk, sugar, and salt in a double boiler to scald. Separate the eggs and set the whites in a cold place until wanted. Beat the yolks until lemon-colored. Pour a little of the scalded milk on the yolks of the eggs, stirring until well mixed. Set the double boiler back on the stove and pour the egg and milk mixture slowly into the rest of the scalded milk, stirring constantly until thickened enough to coat the spoon. Remove from the fire, add the flavoring, and turn into a dish to cool. Just before serving beat the whites to a very stiff froth and pile by spoonfuls on the custard. The whites may be sweetened with powdered sugar after beating if desired. Corn starch may be used, and fewer eggs.
2. Baked custard.
Ingredients.
Milk1pt.Sugar2tablespoonfulsSalt1⁄8teaspoonfulEggs2LemonorVanilla1⁄2teaspoonful
Method.
Scald the milk, sugar, and salt together. Beat the eggs in a baking dish and pour the scalded milk over them. Add the flavoring and stir well. Set the baking dish in a pan of boiling water and bake in a moderate oven until a knife thrust into the custard will come out clean. Serve cold either plain, or with chocolate sauce. Nutmeg may be grated on top of the custard before baking, or caramel flavoring may be added in place of the vanilla.
3. Chocolate sauce.
Ingredients.
Chocolate1squareSugar1⁄4cupBoiling water1⁄2cupCream1⁄2cup
Method.
Mix the chocolate, boiling water, and sugar together and stir over the fire until smooth and thick. Add the cream and serve hot.
4. Caramel flavoring.
Ingredients.
Sugar2cupsBoiling water1cup
Method.
Pour the sugar into a saucepan and stir over the fire until it becomes a thick brown sirup. Pour the boiling water on this and leave on the fire, stirring occasionally until the sugar is all dissolved. This may be bottled and kept for some time.
5. Shortcake.
Ingredients.
Flour1cupBaking powder1teaspoonfulSalt1⁄4teaspoonfulButter4tablespoonfulsorOne half butter and one half lard.Milk1⁄2cup
Method.
Mix dry ingredients and cut butter into this mixture with two knives. Stir in the milk and spread the mixture out on a buttered layer cake tin. Bake in a hot oven until brown. Wash and hull a box of strawberries, sprinkle with1⁄2cup of sugar, and crush with a spoon. When the shortcake is done remove from the pan, cut around the edge with a sharp knife and right through the center of the cake, making two layers of it. Spread the lower layer with butter and then with the crushed strawberry. Replace the top layer and serve hot. Fresh peaches, preserves, or a mixture of orange and banana may be used for this shortcake.
Another kind of strawberry cake is made of sponge cake, and served cold with whipped cream.
6. Steamed pudding.
Ingredients.
Suet chopped1cupRaisins, currants, and citron sliced1cupEgg1Sweet milk1cupMolasses1⁄2cupSoda1teaspoonfulSalt1⁄4teaspoonfulFlour31⁄2cups
Method.
Skin, wash, and chop the suet, and dredge with flour. Wash, pick over and seed the dried fruit, slice the citron if it is used, and dredge all with flour. Stir together the milk and molasses, sift the dry ingredients with the flour, and stir the liquid into the flour slowly. Add the suet, beating the mass thoroughly, and last the fruit, sprinkling in both the suet and the fruit as you stir. Fill a greased mold2⁄3full, close tightly, and cook in a kettle of boiling water for three hours. Serve with a hard or foamy sauce.
Laboratory management.—This can be made in class if each pupil will bring an empty baking powder or cocoa tin to school. A strip of greased cloth should be fastened around the edge of the cover. The recipe can be made in1⁄4cup proportions, and this amount can be cooked if the class period is two hours in length, but it is better to have the cooking finished at home. This is a seasonable exercise at Thanksgiving or Christmas.
7. Brown Betty or apple scallop.
Ingredients.
Buttered crumbsTart cooking applesSugarCinnamonA little water
Teacher’s Note.—Individual shortcakes may be made by using a stiffer dough and rolling and cutting them like biscuits.
Method.
Put a layer of buttered crumbs in a baking dish. Pare and slice tart cooking apples and put a layer into the dish. Sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon, and a little water. Add a layer of bread crumbs and repeat with apples, flavoring and cover the top with crumbs. Bake in a moderate oven until apples are cooked and crumbs brown. Any fruit such as peaches or blueberries may be used instead of apples. Serve hot with hard or foamy sauce or cold with cream and sugar, or the bread may be used in slices, buttered.
8. Hard sauce.
Ingredients.
Butter1⁄3cupPowdered sugar1cupLemon extract1⁄3teaspoonfulorVanilla2⁄3teaspoonfulNutmeg
Method.
Cream the butter; add sugar gradually, and flavoring. Grate nutmeg over the top. Chill before serving.
9. Foamy sauce.
Ingredients.
Butter1⁄2cupPowdered sugar1cupEgg1Vanilla1teaspoonful
Method.
Cream the butter, add gradually the sugar, the egg well beaten, and vanilla. Beat while heating over hot water.
10. Tapioca cream.
Ingredients.
Pearl tapioca1⁄2cuporMinute tapioca11⁄2tablespoonfulsScalded milk2cupsEggs2,or1Sugar1⁄3cupSalt1⁄4teaspoonfulVanilla1⁄2teaspoonful
Method.
Minute tapioca needs no soaking. If pearl tapioca is used, it must be soaked one hour in cold water to cover. Pick over and wash the tapioca, drain off the water and add tapioca to the milk and salt scalded in the double boiler, and cook until the tapioca is transparent, or about1⁄2hour. Beat eggs and add the sugar to them. Combine mixtures by pouring a little of the hot mixture in the egg and then stirring this into the mixture remaining in the double boiler. Stir over fire until it becomes thick. Add the flavoring and pour into a dish to cool.
11. Apple tapioca.
Ingredients.
Minute tapioca3⁄4cupLemon peelBoiling water21⁄2cupsSalt1⁄2teaspoonfulTart apples6Sugar1⁄2cup
Method.
Cook the tapioca in salt water until it becomes transparent. Core and pare the apples and place in the bottom of the baking dish. Fill the cavities with sugar and add a little lemon peel. Pour the tapioca over the apples and bake in a moderate oven until the apples are soft. Serve cold with sugar and cream.
12. Lemon jelly.
Ingredients.
Shredded gelatin1⁄2boxorGranulated gelatin2tablespoonfulsLemon juice1⁄2cupCold water1⁄2cupBoiling water21⁄2cupsSugar1cup
Method.
Soak the gelatin in cold water for 20 minutes. Add the boiling water and sugar and stir until it dissolves. Add the lemonjuice and strain into a mold and set away to harden. When it is stiff loosen from the sides of the mold (a cloth wrung out of hot water may be needed). Turn on to a plate and serve with whipped cream or soft custard.
13. Snow pudding.
Ingredients.
Granulated gelatin1tablespoonfulCold water1⁄2cupBoiling water1cupSugar1cupLemon juice1⁄4cupEggsWhites of 3
Method.
Mix as for lemon jelly. Set aside in a cool place, and as soon as it becomes sirupy stir occasionally until quite thick. Then beat with wire spoon or whisk until frothy. Fold in the beaten whites, and continue to beat lightly until quite stiff. Pile by spoonfuls on a plate and serve with boiled custard, or mold as in Fig. 69.
Frozen mixtures.—There are some interesting principles to note here. The freezing is accomplished by using a mixture of chopped ice and rock salt. Can you explain how this reduces the temperature?
Another interesting point is this: Have you ever seen a milk bottle on a cold winter morning with the paper cover or even the metal cap pushed up, the frozen milk standing high above the top of the bottle? What does this suggest to you in connection with the filling of the ice cream freezer?
It must be noted, too, that a larger amount of flavoring material is needed in a frozen dessert than in one that is not. The frozen custard, for instance, needs more vanilla than one prepared in the ordinary manner. Can you account for this?