Proportions.Canningdoes not differ from preserving, except in the amount of sugar used. A quarter of a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit is the rule, but none at all need be used, as the fruit will keep just as well without it if it is thoroughly sterilized by heat and immediately sealed. Fruits that require sugar when eaten fresh need sugar in like proportion when canned. The fruit may be boiled in a syrup of 14°, which is made of one pound of sugar to a quart of water, and bottled the same as when preserved, but an easier and better way is to cook it in the jars.Red fruits.Pack the fruit tightly in the jars and cover it with a syrup of 14°; red fruits need more sugar to preserve their color, and should have a syrup of 24°, which is one pint of water to a pound of sugar. Place the jars in a boiler of water, half covering them; raise them off the bottom of the boiler by standing them on muffin-rings or slats of wood. Do not let them touch.Cooling.Cover the boiler, and let them cook until the fruit is tender; the fruit will fall a little, so the jars will have to be filled up again; use for this the contents of another jar, or plain boiling water; adjust and fasten the tops at once, and place them where the air will not strike them while cooling.Another way is to pack the dry jars full of fruit, fasten down the tops at once, place them in a boiler of cold water nearly covering them, raise it to the boiling-point and cook for an hour, and leave them in the water until cold again. In this way they are cooked in their own juice, and are said to retain their flavor better than where water is used. Canned apples make a very good substitute for fresh ones for pies, compotes and apple-sauce.JAMS OR MARMALADESTesting.Use three quarters of a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit. Place the fruit, pared and cored, in layers with the sugar in the preserving kettle. Let it stand a few minutes to extract some of the juice from the fruit; then place it on the fire and cook until it becomes a thick, consistent mass. Stir it frequently to break the fruit. When it has become tender, use a potato-masher to crush it. When it looks clear, put a little on a plate, and if it thickens, it is done. Put it into tumblers and cover. This does not require to be hermetically sealed. In making preserves it is well to reserve all the fruit which is not perfect and make it into jam.
Proportions.Canningdoes not differ from preserving, except in the amount of sugar used. A quarter of a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit is the rule, but none at all need be used, as the fruit will keep just as well without it if it is thoroughly sterilized by heat and immediately sealed. Fruits that require sugar when eaten fresh need sugar in like proportion when canned. The fruit may be boiled in a syrup of 14°, which is made of one pound of sugar to a quart of water, and bottled the same as when preserved, but an easier and better way is to cook it in the jars.Red fruits.Pack the fruit tightly in the jars and cover it with a syrup of 14°; red fruits need more sugar to preserve their color, and should have a syrup of 24°, which is one pint of water to a pound of sugar. Place the jars in a boiler of water, half covering them; raise them off the bottom of the boiler by standing them on muffin-rings or slats of wood. Do not let them touch.Cooling.Cover the boiler, and let them cook until the fruit is tender; the fruit will fall a little, so the jars will have to be filled up again; use for this the contents of another jar, or plain boiling water; adjust and fasten the tops at once, and place them where the air will not strike them while cooling.
Another way is to pack the dry jars full of fruit, fasten down the tops at once, place them in a boiler of cold water nearly covering them, raise it to the boiling-point and cook for an hour, and leave them in the water until cold again. In this way they are cooked in their own juice, and are said to retain their flavor better than where water is used. Canned apples make a very good substitute for fresh ones for pies, compotes and apple-sauce.
Testing.Use three quarters of a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit. Place the fruit, pared and cored, in layers with the sugar in the preserving kettle. Let it stand a few minutes to extract some of the juice from the fruit; then place it on the fire and cook until it becomes a thick, consistent mass. Stir it frequently to break the fruit. When it has become tender, use a potato-masher to crush it. When it looks clear, put a little on a plate, and if it thickens, it is done. Put it into tumblers and cover. This does not require to be hermetically sealed. In making preserves it is well to reserve all the fruit which is not perfect and make it into jam.
Pare, core, and cut into pieces the fruit. Put the skins and cores into a kettle; cover them with water, and boil thirty minutes, or until tender; strain off the water through a colander, and as much pulp as will pass without the skins. To this add the rest of the fruit and three quarters of a pound of sugar to each pound of fruit. Boil it until it becomes a jelly-like mass. Mash the fruit as much as possible. It may be colored red, if desired, with cochineal. Turn it into glasses, tin boxes, or wooden salt-boxes. It becomes solid, and is served cut into slices. The Russians cut it into inch squares, and serve it as a bonbon.
Allow the juice and grated rind of one lemon to every five oranges. Weigh the fruit before cutting it, and allow three quarters of a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit. Remove the peel in quarters, and boil it in plenty of water until it is tender enough to pierce easily with a broom-straw; then drain off the water and let it cool. Remove the seeds and as much of the skin as possible from the pulp. Boil the pulp with the sugar until the orange is well cooked. When the peel is cool take one piece at a time in the palm of the hand, and with a tablespoon cut out all the white pithy part, leaving the thin yellow rind. Place a number of these pieces together, and with a sharp knife cut them into thin shreds. By cutting many together in this way it is done quickly. Add the shredded rinds to the cookedoranges and let them cook until of the right consistency. It should be very thick, but not solid like jelly. This is a very good marmalade, and resembles the Dundee brand.
Make the same as directed for jams.
Cook the fruit the same as directed for preserving peaches; but for this purpose the peaches are left whole, the skin left on or not, as desired. If the skins are retained they should be carefully brushed to remove all the down; use only fine fruit. When the jars are filled, add to each quart a half cupful of brandy, and seal; or, after filling the jars with fruit, boil down the syrup until it is very thick, and to each cupful of syrup add a cupful of brandy; pour it over the fruit and seal. California brandy serves very well for this purpose.
To make clear jelly use only the perfect fruit. Pick it over carefully and remove the stems. Place it in a porcelain-lined kettle and crush it enough to give a little juice so it will not burn. Cook it slowly until the fruit is soft, then turn it into a heavy cloth and press out all the juice. Strain the juice several times if necessary, to make it clear. Passing it through filter paper is recommended. Measure the juice, and to each pint allow a pound of sugar. Put the sugar in the oven to heat, but do not let it burn. Put the strained juice into the kettle and let it boil twenty minutes; then add the hot sugar, and stir until the sugar is dissolved and the juice is clear again. Pour it into glasses and let it stand until set. Grapes and cherries do not jelly easily, and a little gelatine added will insure success. When fruit does not jelly it is usually because it is over ripe. The fruit should not be gathered after a rain, nor should it be washed.
Wash the apples; cut them in pieces without peeling or coring, but remove any imperfect parts. Barely cover them with water and boil slowly until they are tender, then strain off the liquor through cheese-cloth without pressing. Measure the juice, and to each pint of juice allow a pound of sugar. Put the juice in the preserving kettle and let it boil five minutes; then add the sugar and stir until it dissolves. Continue to boil it until a little dropped on a cold plate will jelly. It will take twenty to thirty minutes. Turn it into tumblers and cover. This jelly spread on the apple used in tarts improves them very much.
Make the same as apple jelly.
Make the same as apple jelly.
Prepare the grapes as for preserving, by removing the skins, boiling the pulp, and straining out the seeds. To seven pounds of fruit (weighed before the seeds are removed), add a cupful of strong vinegar, a cupful of grape-juice taken from the grapes used for preserves, two ounces of cinnamon, one ounce of cloves (tie the spices in a cloth so they can be removed), three and one half pounds of sugar. Boil until it becomes thick like a marmalade, which will take about an hour and a half. When done turn it into glasses. This is good with roast meats.
To each pound of Damson plums, add a half cupful of sugar, one half ounce each of cinnamon, mace, and cloves (tie the spices in a bag). Remove the stones from the plums and boil until it becomes thick like jam.
Allow three and three quarter pounds of sugar to seven pounds of fruit. Put the sugar into the preserving kettle with a quart of vinegar and two ounces each of cloves and a stick of cinnamon. Boil them for five minutes after the sugar is dissolved. Pare the peaches and stick a clove into each one. Place a few at a time in the boiling syrup and cook them until they look clear, but are not softened enough to fall apart. When all are cooked, continue to boil the syrup until it is reduced nearly one half and pour it over the peaches. Plums are pickled in the same way. The skins may be left on both peaches and plums if preferred; in which case the down must be brushed off the peaches, and the plums must be pricked with a fork in several places to prevent the skins cracking when placed in the hot syrup.
Gather the walnuts when well grown, but still soft enough to be pierced through with a needle. Run a heavy needle through them several times and place them in strong brine, using as much salt as the water will absorb. Let them remain in brine for a week or ten days, and change the brine every other day; then drain the nuts and expose them to the air until they have turned black. Pack them in jars and cover them with boiling hot vinegar prepared as follows: To a gallon of vinegar add an ounce each of ginger root, mace, allspice, and cloves, and two ounces of peppercorns; boil them together for ten minutes and strain over the nuts. Let them stand a month before using.
Gather each day the cucumbers of the size desired; rub them smooth with a cloth and place them in brine strong enough to float an egg. They will keep in the brine until wanted to pickle. Soak the cucumbers in water for two days after taking them from the brine, changing the water once, and then scald them in vinegar, or pour the boiling vinegar over them and letthem stand in it two days before using. Put into each two quarts of vinegar an ounce of peppercorns, a half ounce each of mustard seed and mace, a piece of horseradish, a piece of alum the size of a pea, and a half cupful of sugar; boil them together for ten minutes before straining it over the cucumbers. The very small cucumbers are called gherkins.
Slice the tomatoes and onions very thin; sprinkle a little salt through them and let them stand over night. Drain them through a colander and put them on to boil with enough vinegar to cover them and boil slowly until they are clear and tender, then drain them from the vinegar. Put into some fresh vinegar the sugar, mustard seed, mace, celery seed, and cloves, and let them boil for a few minutes; then pour it over the drained tomatoes, which have been mixed with the cayenne pepper, ground mustard, and turmeric. Mix them well together; add a half bottle of salad oil, and when cold put it in jars.
Mix them together and pack them in layers with salt; let them stand for twelve hours, then drain off the brine and cover them with vinegar and water, and let them stand another twelve hours.
Drain off the vinegar and cover them with one and one half gallons of scalding hot vinegar which has been boiled a few minutes with one pint of grated horseradish, one half pound of mustard seed, one ounce of celery seed, one half cupful of ground pepper, one half cupful of turmeric, one half cupful of cinnamon, and four pounds of sugar.
Let them stand until perfectly cold, then add one cupful of salad oil and one half pound of ground mustard. Mix them all thoroughly together and place in jars.
Pick the nasturtium seeds green; leave a short stem on them and place them in a weak brine for two days; then soak them in fresh water for a day. Pack them in jars and turn over them boiling vinegar; seal and let them stand a month before using.
Boiling the water.Itis a recognized fact that many diseases are contracted through drinking impure water, yet many are so careless as not to take the simple means of removing this danger. It only requires boiling the water to destroy the germs. This, however, does not remove the foreign matter, such as decayed vegetable growth and other substances, therefore it is well to filter as well as to boil water. Many good filters are made which are cheap and easy to clean. The Gate City Stone Filter is perhaps the simplest one, being an earthen crock with a porous stone bottom. Although all filters claim to remove germs as well as impurities from water, it is safer to boil it first. Bright, crystal-like water in clear glass carafes is an ornamental addition to the table service as well as a convenient way of serving it. If the carafes are stopped with cotton and placed in the refrigerator for several hours, the water will be refreshingly cool, and cracked ice, which many do not use, in the belief that it arrests digestion, will not be required.TO FREEZE CARAFESPacking.Fill the bottles a little less than half full. The water should be below the largest part of the bulb; stop the bottles with cotton, and over the top of each one invert a tin cup. Individual timbale-molds maybe used. Cover the bottom of a tub with ice and salt, place the bottles on it, leaving some space around each one, then fill the tub with ice and salt, the same as in packing ice-creams, and cover it. Within two or three hours the water will become frozen. Care must be taken that the water in the tub is never high enough to flow into the top of the carafes. When ready to serve, wipe the frozen carafes and fill them with ice water.TEAThe water.You cannot have first-rate tea or coffee unless you use freshly-boiled water. Water that has been boiled for an hour or more lacks life, and gives a dull taste to the decoction. Draw freshly filtered water and let it come to a hard boil before using.Scald the pot and immediately put into it the tea-leaves.When the water boils hard, pour upon the tea-leaves the required quantity of water. Shut down the cover of the tea-pot and let it stand just five minutes before serving.Proportions.To give the proportions of tea and water is impossible, as such different degrees of strength are demanded. One teaspoonful of tea to a pint of water, steeped five minutes, makes a weak tea. Two teaspoonfuls give the color of mahogany, if an English breakfast tea is used. Oolong tea does not color the water very much, so its strength cannot be as well judged in that way.Steeping.Tea, to be perfect, should not steep longer than five minutes; it may continue to grow stronger after that time, but the flavor is not as good, and if the leaves remain too long in the water the tea becomes bitter.The Russians, who are reputed to have the best tea, prepare it at first very strong, getting almost an essence of tea; this they dilute to the strengthdesired, using water which is kept boiling in the samovar. Water removed from the kettle and kept in a pot where it falls below the boiling-point, will not give satisfactory results in diluting a strong infusion.The tea-bag.Where a quantity of tea is to be used, as at receptions, it is well to put the tea into a swiss muslin bag, using enough to make a very strong infusion. Place the bag in the scalded pot; add the boiling water; after five minutes remove the bag. Keep a kettle of water boiling over an alcohol flame, and use it to dilute the tea as needed. The tea will then be as good as though freshly made. If, however, the leaves are allowed to remain in the pot the tea will not be fit to use after a short time, and no matter how much it may be diluted, it will still have an astringent taste.The tea-ball.Silver balls are convenient to use where one or two cups at a time only are to be made for the friend who drops in for the afternoon cup of tea. The ball holding the tea is placed in the cup, water from the boiling kettle poured over it, and the ball removed when the water has attained the right color.Russian tea.Various preparations of tea are made by adding flavorings.Tea punch.The so-called Russian tea is made by adding sugar and a thin slice of lemon to each cup; tea punch by soaking the sugar first in rum or brandy. These, however, as well as milk, destroy the flavor of tea and change the character of the drink.Iced tea.Iced tea is a very refreshing drink in summer. It is served in glasses, with plenty of cracked ice, and should not be made very strong, or it will become clouded when the ice is added. Iced tea is improved by adding lemon. One tablespoonful of lemon-juice to a glass of tea is a good proportion.
Boiling the water.Itis a recognized fact that many diseases are contracted through drinking impure water, yet many are so careless as not to take the simple means of removing this danger. It only requires boiling the water to destroy the germs. This, however, does not remove the foreign matter, such as decayed vegetable growth and other substances, therefore it is well to filter as well as to boil water. Many good filters are made which are cheap and easy to clean. The Gate City Stone Filter is perhaps the simplest one, being an earthen crock with a porous stone bottom. Although all filters claim to remove germs as well as impurities from water, it is safer to boil it first. Bright, crystal-like water in clear glass carafes is an ornamental addition to the table service as well as a convenient way of serving it. If the carafes are stopped with cotton and placed in the refrigerator for several hours, the water will be refreshingly cool, and cracked ice, which many do not use, in the belief that it arrests digestion, will not be required.
Packing.Fill the bottles a little less than half full. The water should be below the largest part of the bulb; stop the bottles with cotton, and over the top of each one invert a tin cup. Individual timbale-molds maybe used. Cover the bottom of a tub with ice and salt, place the bottles on it, leaving some space around each one, then fill the tub with ice and salt, the same as in packing ice-creams, and cover it. Within two or three hours the water will become frozen. Care must be taken that the water in the tub is never high enough to flow into the top of the carafes. When ready to serve, wipe the frozen carafes and fill them with ice water.
The water.You cannot have first-rate tea or coffee unless you use freshly-boiled water. Water that has been boiled for an hour or more lacks life, and gives a dull taste to the decoction. Draw freshly filtered water and let it come to a hard boil before using.
Scald the pot and immediately put into it the tea-leaves.
When the water boils hard, pour upon the tea-leaves the required quantity of water. Shut down the cover of the tea-pot and let it stand just five minutes before serving.
Proportions.To give the proportions of tea and water is impossible, as such different degrees of strength are demanded. One teaspoonful of tea to a pint of water, steeped five minutes, makes a weak tea. Two teaspoonfuls give the color of mahogany, if an English breakfast tea is used. Oolong tea does not color the water very much, so its strength cannot be as well judged in that way.Steeping.Tea, to be perfect, should not steep longer than five minutes; it may continue to grow stronger after that time, but the flavor is not as good, and if the leaves remain too long in the water the tea becomes bitter.
The Russians, who are reputed to have the best tea, prepare it at first very strong, getting almost an essence of tea; this they dilute to the strengthdesired, using water which is kept boiling in the samovar. Water removed from the kettle and kept in a pot where it falls below the boiling-point, will not give satisfactory results in diluting a strong infusion.
The tea-bag.Where a quantity of tea is to be used, as at receptions, it is well to put the tea into a swiss muslin bag, using enough to make a very strong infusion. Place the bag in the scalded pot; add the boiling water; after five minutes remove the bag. Keep a kettle of water boiling over an alcohol flame, and use it to dilute the tea as needed. The tea will then be as good as though freshly made. If, however, the leaves are allowed to remain in the pot the tea will not be fit to use after a short time, and no matter how much it may be diluted, it will still have an astringent taste.
The tea-ball.Silver balls are convenient to use where one or two cups at a time only are to be made for the friend who drops in for the afternoon cup of tea. The ball holding the tea is placed in the cup, water from the boiling kettle poured over it, and the ball removed when the water has attained the right color.
Russian tea.Various preparations of tea are made by adding flavorings.Tea punch.The so-called Russian tea is made by adding sugar and a thin slice of lemon to each cup; tea punch by soaking the sugar first in rum or brandy. These, however, as well as milk, destroy the flavor of tea and change the character of the drink.Iced tea.Iced tea is a very refreshing drink in summer. It is served in glasses, with plenty of cracked ice, and should not be made very strong, or it will become clouded when the ice is added. Iced tea is improved by adding lemon. One tablespoonful of lemon-juice to a glass of tea is a good proportion.
CARE OF THE COFFEE-BEANIt is generally understood that tea becomes air-drawn if not kept closely covered. It is also desirable to keep coffee in the same way.COFFEE MIXTURES AND BRANDS⅔ Java,⅓ Mocha.Mandhaling coffee, which is grown by the Dutch government on the island of Sumatra, is considered the finest coffee in the world. The finest Mocha which comes to this market contains twenty per cent. of “Long Bean.” The best-known mark of this coffee in New York is H. L. O. G. A favorite mixture is two thirds Mandhaling to one third Mocha. The ordinary mixture of two thirds Java to one third Mocha is misleading, as there are an indefinite number of inferior qualities of both “Mocha” and “Java.” The best Java comes from the port of Padang in Sumatra, and the only true Mocha comes from Aden in Arabia. The finest grades of Mexican, Maracaibo, Bogota, and Jamaica coffees are highly esteemed. High grades of “Washed Rio” are also richly flavored coffees. These high-class coffees are difficult to get unadulterated. Another difficulty in buying coffee is that each variety has many grades, so the only assurance one can have of the quality received is the good faith of the grocer with whom one deals. A practice among grocers is to make mixtures which they sell under their own trademark.
It is generally understood that tea becomes air-drawn if not kept closely covered. It is also desirable to keep coffee in the same way.
⅔ Java,⅓ Mocha.Mandhaling coffee, which is grown by the Dutch government on the island of Sumatra, is considered the finest coffee in the world. The finest Mocha which comes to this market contains twenty per cent. of “Long Bean.” The best-known mark of this coffee in New York is H. L. O. G. A favorite mixture is two thirds Mandhaling to one third Mocha. The ordinary mixture of two thirds Java to one third Mocha is misleading, as there are an indefinite number of inferior qualities of both “Mocha” and “Java.” The best Java comes from the port of Padang in Sumatra, and the only true Mocha comes from Aden in Arabia. The finest grades of Mexican, Maracaibo, Bogota, and Jamaica coffees are highly esteemed. High grades of “Washed Rio” are also richly flavored coffees. These high-class coffees are difficult to get unadulterated. Another difficulty in buying coffee is that each variety has many grades, so the only assurance one can have of the quality received is the good faith of the grocer with whom one deals. A practice among grocers is to make mixtures which they sell under their own trademark.
To have the coffee right is one of the difficulties of the housekeeper. The making of coffee is a very simple operation, but the nicety and care with which it is prepared mark the difference between the good and bad decoction. The best quality of coffee carelessly made is not as acceptable as that well made from an inferior bean. Coffee readily absorbs foreign flavors. If the pot is wiped out with a soiled cloth, or if the coffee is strained through a flannel not perfectly sweet, the coffee betrays it. If the spout is allowed to collect a film of stale coffee, it will ruin all the fresh coffee put into the pot. To have perfect coffee, use an earthen or china pot, and have the water boiling when turned onto the coffee. Like tea, the results will not be right if the water is allowed to fall below the boiling-point before it is used. Have the coffee ground to a fine powder in order to get its full flavor as well as strength. There is great waste in having coffee ground coarse. A pound will go three times as far in the former as in the latter case, therefore a good coffee-mill is an economy in a household. Like tea, it should also be freshly made. It seems to lose its fine flavor if kept hot for any considerable time. Black coffee is usually made by dripping. Any coffee is better made in that way, using less coffee if less strength is desired, but a strong infusion diluted with hot milk makes a better drink than weak coffee flavored with milk.
One heaping tablespoonful of coffee to a cupful, or half pint, of water will make black coffee. Put the coffee powder into a felt bag, or on a thick flannel laid on a strainer and pour the boiling water over it. The flannel must be thick, and close enough to prevent the fine powder straining through. If enough coffee is used to make it of much depth in the strainer, the water will pass through very slowly and the coffee will be cold, therefore have the pot hot before beginning, and stand it in a pan of hot water while it is dripping. Coffee will not be right unless the water is violently boiling when poured on the grounds. Serve the coffee at once.
Put the ground coffee into the pot, pour over it boiling water; let it come to the boiling-point; remove, and stir into it the slightly beaten white of an egg and the crushed shell; replace it on the fire and let it boil one minute. This is to clear the coffee of the fine particles held in suspension. Pour a tablespoonful of cold water down the spout and place it on the side of the range where it will be perfectly still for five minutes, then pour off carefully the liquid coffee. Do not let the coffee boil three minutes altogether. The aroma of the coffee is the escaped volatile oils—all that is lost detracts just so much from the flavor of the drink.
Add enough cold black coffee to milk to give it the desired strength and flavor. Sweeten to taste and let it stand on ice until ready to serve. Serve it in glasses instead of cups. Any coffee left from breakfast prepared in this way makes a refreshing and acceptable drink for luncheon in summer.
Maillard’s chocolate is excellent; his receipt is given below. For each cup of chocolate use one cupful of milk and one bar of chocolate. With Maillard’s chocolate this is nearly one and a quarter ounces. Put the cold milk into a porcelain-lined saucepan, break the chocolate into small pieces, and add them to the milk. Place the saucepan on the fire, and with a wooden spoon stir constantly and rapidly until the chocolate is dissolved and the milk has boiled up once. Beat it vigorously to make it smooth, and serve at once. More milk may be added if this is too rich. Chocolate should not be kept standing.553-*
Dissolve a teaspoonful of cocoa in half a cupful of boiling water; then add a half cupful of boiling milk and boil it for one minute, stirring vigorously all the time. Sweeten to taste.
Brioche or Bath buns are good to serve with chocolate or cocoa for a light lunch.
Squeeze the lemons, allowing two lemons for every three glasses of lemonade; remove any seeds that may have fallen in, or strain the juice if the lemonade is wanted clear. Sweeten the juice with sugar, or, better, with sugar syrup. When ready to use, add the necessary amount of water and a large piece of ice if served in a bowl, or put cracked ice into the glasses if only a few glassfuls are made. Put a thin slice of lemon or a few shavings of lemon-zest into each glass.
To two and one half cupfuls of orange-juice, the juice of two lemons, and the grated rind of one orange, add two cupfuls of syrup at 32° (see page513), or sweeten to taste; add enough water to bring it to 11° on the syrup gauge, or to taste; strain and place it on ice until ready to use.
Put a claret-glassful of claret into a tumbler; add a teaspoonful of sugar, or sweeten to taste; fill the glass with ice cracked fine, and add a little water if desired. Place a shaker over the glass and mix it well; add a strawberry, raspberry, bit of pineapple, orange, or any fruit convenient; add, also, two straws. Cobblers may be made of sherry, Catawba, or any wine, using a quantity in proportion to the strength desired. They are meant as light cooling drinks, and should not be strong of wine.
Sweeten to taste.
Use brand “Graves.”
To a quart of Sauterne add the strained juice of four large lemons. Sweeten with powdered sugar to taste, add a cocktail glassful of brandy, two thirds glassful of maraschino (noyau can be used, but it is not so good), and a teaspoonful of Angostura bitters. Put it on ice until ready to use, and then, not before, add a bottle of Delatour soda, also chilled, or the same amount of soda from syphon. Lastly, add six thin slices of cucumber and a few pieces of any fruit convenient, such as pineapple, raspberries, strawberries, etc., and a piece of ice. Borage is better than cucumber for cups if it can be had.
The following formula is for one cocktail only; the same proportions must be observed in making any number of them. Have the glasses well chilled before beginning, and always use sugar syrup instead of sugar for sweetening.
Enough cracked ice to chill but not to dilute. Stir with a spoon until thoroughly chilled and blended. The mixture must not be shaken, as that fills it with air. Lastly, take a piece of lemon zest the size of a ten-cent piece, hold it over the cocktail, and express a little of the oil, then drop it in the glass.
Beat the yolk of one egg and a teaspoonful of sugar to a light cream; whip the white of the egg to a stiff froth; mix them together; turn them into a glass; add one teaspoonful of rum or brandy and as much milk as the glass will hold. Stir or shake it well together; add more sugar and rum if desired. Grate a dash of nutmeg over the top; whipped cream may be used instead of milk, and will give more nourishment when it is used for an invalid.
Fill a glass two thirds full of milk; sweeten it to taste with any fruit syrup, or with a syrup made of boiled sugar flavored with vanilla, orange-flower water, or any liqueur; strained preserve of any kind or liquefied jelly may be used. Fill up the glass with cracked ice and shake together until well mixed.
Add to a glass of milk a teaspoonful or more of sherry, brandy, or rum; sweeten to taste; shake well and dust over the top a little grated nutmeg.
A refreshing drink can be made of fresh strawberries, raspberries, cherries, or currants. Cook a quart of fruit with a pint of water until well softened; then strain and press out the juice through a heavy cloth. When cold, sweeten and dilute to taste and serve in glasses filled with cracked ice.
Add a quart of water to three quarts of grapes, free from the stems; let them come slowly to the boiling-point; then strain through a thick cloth. Return the liquid to the fire, let it again come to the boiling-point, and turn at once into glass jars and seal immediately. Use a porcelain-lined kettle and wooden spoon in preparing the juice.
Put three quarts of ripe raspberries into an earthen bowl; pour over them a quart of vinegar; at the end of twenty-four hours press and strain out the liquor and turn it over another three quarts of fresh ripe berries. Let it stand another twenty-four hours; again express and strain the juice, and to each pint add a pound of sugar, and boil for twenty minutes. Turn it into bottles, and cork when cold. When used dilute the raspberry vinegar with three parts of water.
Koumiss, which is simply fermented milk, can easily be made at home after the receipt given below, and can then be had sweet and is much more palatable than the acid koumiss sold at pharmacies. It is a valuable drink or diet for invalids with weak digestion, or for dyspeptics.For making koumiss it is necessary to have strong bottles (champagne bottles are best), and they must be scrupulously clean.Driving the corks.A corking machine is requisite for driving in the corks. This is placed over the bottle; the cork, which has steamed an hour or more in hot water until softened, is placed in the side opening and the rammer pounded until the cork is free from the machine.Tying the corks.The cork must be tied down to insure safety. A loop of twine is placed over it, then drawn tight around the neck of the bottle, brought back, and tied over the top of the cork.See captionUTENSIL FOR DRIVING CORKS INTO BOTTLES.See captionMETHOD OF TYING DOWN CORKS IN KOUMISS BOTTLES.The champagne tap.A champagne tap for drawing the koumiss is also necessary, as it contains so much gas, it is impossible to draw the cork without losing a good part of the contents of the bottle.
Koumiss, which is simply fermented milk, can easily be made at home after the receipt given below, and can then be had sweet and is much more palatable than the acid koumiss sold at pharmacies. It is a valuable drink or diet for invalids with weak digestion, or for dyspeptics.
For making koumiss it is necessary to have strong bottles (champagne bottles are best), and they must be scrupulously clean.Driving the corks.A corking machine is requisite for driving in the corks. This is placed over the bottle; the cork, which has steamed an hour or more in hot water until softened, is placed in the side opening and the rammer pounded until the cork is free from the machine.Tying the corks.The cork must be tied down to insure safety. A loop of twine is placed over it, then drawn tight around the neck of the bottle, brought back, and tied over the top of the cork.
See captionUTENSIL FOR DRIVING CORKS INTO BOTTLES.
See captionMETHOD OF TYING DOWN CORKS IN KOUMISS BOTTLES.
The champagne tap.A champagne tap for drawing the koumiss is also necessary, as it contains so much gas, it is impossible to draw the cork without losing a good part of the contents of the bottle.
See captionCHAMPAGNE TAP FOR DRAWING KOUMISS OR ANY EFFERVESCING DRINK WITHOUT UNCORKING THE BOTTLE.
See captionSHAKERS FOR MIXING ANY ICED DRINKS.
Receipt.—Fill quart bottles three quarters full of fresh milk; add to each one a tablespoonful of fresh brewer’s yeastand a tablespoonful of sugar syrup. The syrup is made by boiling sugar and water together to a syrup (the sugar must be used in this form). Shake the bottles for some minutes to thoroughly mix the ingredients, then fill them nearly full with milk and shake them again. Cork and tie them, and stand them upright in a cool place for two and a half days; then turn them on the side and use as needed. They should be kept in a cool, dark place, so the fermentation will be slow, and the temperature should be about 52°, or low enough to prevent the milk from souring.
Brewer’s yeast is best and gives the koumiss the taste of beer; but compressed yeast may be used, a fifth of a cake dissolved being added to each bottleful of milk.
553-*Huyler’s, Baker’s, and other brands of chocolate may be prepared in the same way, the proportions being regulated by the richness desired.—M. R.
553-*Huyler’s, Baker’s, and other brands of chocolate may be prepared in the same way, the proportions being regulated by the richness desired.—M. R.
Thetemperance movement has made great advance since the days when it was not considered etiquette for a man to leave the table sober, and also from recent times when men lingered at the table after the ladies had withdrawn, to partake of strong liquors with their cigars.To-day there are some people who exclude wine entirely from their table, and many others who serve it only in moderation. It is common now to have but three kinds, such as sherry, claret and champagne, and sometimes only one. In this respect, therefore, one may follow his own conviction without fear of being considered peculiar.The usual order of serving wines is as follows:White wines.With the first course of the dinner there should be served a white wine of some kind, such as Niersteiner, Hochheimer, or Liebfrauenmilch amongst the Rhine wines; Zeltinger, Josephshöfer, or Scharzberger Muscatel amongst the Moselle wines; Haut Barsac, Haut Sauterne, or Château Yquem amongst the white Bordeaux wines; and Chablis, Nuersault or Montrachet amongst the white Burgundies.Sherry.Sherry is served with soup. It should be light and dry, and should be chilled by being placed in the ice-box for some time before dinner.Champagne.Champagne is now served with the fish and continued all through dinner.Claret.Claret or Burgundy is served with the game. PontetCanet, Larose, Léoville, Margaux, and Lafite are standard vintages amongst the clarets.Burgundy.Chambertin, Clos de Tart, Clos de Vougeot and Romanée amongst the Burgundies. Claret is sometimes, and very properly, served at the same time as champagne, as many people drink no other wine. In this case a higher grade of claret or a fine Burgundy should be served with the game.Temperature.The white Bordeaux and Burgundy wines should be served cool.Rhine and Moselle wines are best at a temperature of about 40° F.The champagne should be very dry (brut) and served very cold. Half an hour in ice and salt before dinner will bring it to about the right temperature. Sweet champagnes are but seldom served nowadays, and are more appreciated, perhaps, at ladies’ luncheons than at dinners.Sweet champagne.Sweet champagne cannot be too cold and should be frappé if convenient. Clarets and Burgundies should stand upright on the dining-room mantelpiece for at least twenty-four hours before they are required, in order that the wine may acquire the temperature of the room, as well as be prepared for decanting.Care of wines.Wines old in bottle will form more or less deposit, which, if shaken up with the wine, will injure it.Decanting.After standing twenty-four hours the sediment will fall and the wine should then be decanted (with the aid of a candle), care being taken that no sediment passes into the decanter.Port.Neither claret nor Burgundy is good the second day after decanting. They contain too small a percentage of alcohol to keep their flavor more than a few hours after the bottle is opened, and what remains over from dinner should be put into the vinegar demijohn. Ports and Madeiras are but little used at dinners, but may still be served with the cheese at the end of dinner, or with the dessert. A glass of portwith a biscuit at five o’clock is very popular in many quarters, and will be welcomed by those who are afraid of tea.Madeira.A fine Madeira may be served with the soup instead of sherry, and is the wine par excellence to drink with terrapin.Brandy.A superior quality of brandy and various liqueurs are usually served with coffee. In buying wines it is always best to go directly to a reliable wine merchant and take his advice.Liqueurs.Especially is this true when the buyer himself has no great knowledge of the different kinds of wines. It has been said that a man’s wine merchant should stand in as close relation to him as his lawyer or his physician.
Thetemperance movement has made great advance since the days when it was not considered etiquette for a man to leave the table sober, and also from recent times when men lingered at the table after the ladies had withdrawn, to partake of strong liquors with their cigars.
To-day there are some people who exclude wine entirely from their table, and many others who serve it only in moderation. It is common now to have but three kinds, such as sherry, claret and champagne, and sometimes only one. In this respect, therefore, one may follow his own conviction without fear of being considered peculiar.
The usual order of serving wines is as follows:
White wines.With the first course of the dinner there should be served a white wine of some kind, such as Niersteiner, Hochheimer, or Liebfrauenmilch amongst the Rhine wines; Zeltinger, Josephshöfer, or Scharzberger Muscatel amongst the Moselle wines; Haut Barsac, Haut Sauterne, or Château Yquem amongst the white Bordeaux wines; and Chablis, Nuersault or Montrachet amongst the white Burgundies.
Sherry.Sherry is served with soup. It should be light and dry, and should be chilled by being placed in the ice-box for some time before dinner.Champagne.Champagne is now served with the fish and continued all through dinner.Claret.Claret or Burgundy is served with the game. PontetCanet, Larose, Léoville, Margaux, and Lafite are standard vintages amongst the clarets.Burgundy.Chambertin, Clos de Tart, Clos de Vougeot and Romanée amongst the Burgundies. Claret is sometimes, and very properly, served at the same time as champagne, as many people drink no other wine. In this case a higher grade of claret or a fine Burgundy should be served with the game.Temperature.The white Bordeaux and Burgundy wines should be served cool.
Rhine and Moselle wines are best at a temperature of about 40° F.
The champagne should be very dry (brut) and served very cold. Half an hour in ice and salt before dinner will bring it to about the right temperature. Sweet champagnes are but seldom served nowadays, and are more appreciated, perhaps, at ladies’ luncheons than at dinners.Sweet champagne.Sweet champagne cannot be too cold and should be frappé if convenient. Clarets and Burgundies should stand upright on the dining-room mantelpiece for at least twenty-four hours before they are required, in order that the wine may acquire the temperature of the room, as well as be prepared for decanting.Care of wines.Wines old in bottle will form more or less deposit, which, if shaken up with the wine, will injure it.Decanting.After standing twenty-four hours the sediment will fall and the wine should then be decanted (with the aid of a candle), care being taken that no sediment passes into the decanter.
Port.Neither claret nor Burgundy is good the second day after decanting. They contain too small a percentage of alcohol to keep their flavor more than a few hours after the bottle is opened, and what remains over from dinner should be put into the vinegar demijohn. Ports and Madeiras are but little used at dinners, but may still be served with the cheese at the end of dinner, or with the dessert. A glass of portwith a biscuit at five o’clock is very popular in many quarters, and will be welcomed by those who are afraid of tea.
Madeira.A fine Madeira may be served with the soup instead of sherry, and is the wine par excellence to drink with terrapin.Brandy.A superior quality of brandy and various liqueurs are usually served with coffee. In buying wines it is always best to go directly to a reliable wine merchant and take his advice.Liqueurs.Especially is this true when the buyer himself has no great knowledge of the different kinds of wines. It has been said that a man’s wine merchant should stand in as close relation to him as his lawyer or his physician.
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