Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management/Chapter LIX
AMERICAN AND CANADIAN COOKERY
CHAPTER LIXCookery in the cities of America and Canada differs very little if at all from cookery in England. If Caneton à l'Aylesbury were substituted for the Canvas-back Duck, which appears in the menu of a banquet recently given at the White House, in every other respect as regards materials employed and arrangement of service—it would correspond with similar functions at the Mansion House. Evidently the French cuisine is as much appreciated and as much sought after in America and Canada as in England: although, like every other nation, Americans and Canadians have several dishes prepared from fish, animals, and fruits which are common to the country.
Fish.—The employment of fish in America as a diet is exceptionally large, the immense extent of the American coasts, both Atlantic and the Pacific, being still further supplemented by the resources of the large rivers and great lakes, so that a constant supply is obtainable of not only most of the varieties esteemed in England, but of others unknown to us. Of these latter we may mention the blue fish (Temnodon saltator) a member of the family Scomberidae, is abundant on the east coast of North America. It is from 2 to 3 feet in length, and in appearance is silvery below and bluish above: hence its name. The Cusk, another variety unknown to us, is a cod-like fish found abundantly in the northern parts of the Atlantic Ocean. There is also the Taulog, a fish of blackish hue, irregularly barred with green, and found principally in the Atlantic Ocean, contiguous to the United States. The Pickerel we are familiar with under another name, for it corresponds exactly with the English Pike.
Sweet Dishes.—The Americans have a marked taste for sweet dishes, in which taste they show dietetic wisdom. The value of sugar as an article of food is sometimes overlooked by people who have accustomed themselves to a highly nitrogenous diet. Hot cakes at breakfast are quite a national institution. These are often made with soda or baking powder, and must be regarded as somewhat beyond the capacities of average digestive organs.
In the manufacture of sweets, called candies, the Americans have achieved a well recognized reputation, while for ices and iced drinks of great variety they are very famous.
Typical American and Canadian Dishes
3875.—APRICOTS, TO DRY.
Ingredients.—Apricots (not quite ripe), sugar.
Method.—Pare, halve and stone the fruit, pack it rather closely in a fireproof jar, and place the jar in a saucepan of boiling water. Cook until the apricots are quite tender, then drain well, place them on dishes in single layers and dredge them liberally with sugar. Let them remain in a warm place until dry, then pack in air-tight tins, with paper between each layer. Peaches, nectarines and plums may be dried by above method.
Time. About 24 hours. Seasonable from August to September.
3876. BLUEFISH, BAKED.
Ingredients.—1 bluefish, 1 cupful of cracker (biscuit) crumbs, 2 tablespoonfuls of butter, 1 tablespoonful of capers, 1 tablespoonful of lemon juice, 1 teaspoonful of chopped parsley, 1 teaspoonful of salt, ¼ of a teaspoonful of pepper, about ½ a cupful of cold water.
Method.—Wash and dry the fish. Mix all the ingredients together, stuff the fish with the mixture, and secure the opening. Place the fish in a dish or baking tin, which place in a large tin containing boiling water, and bake gently from 45 to 60 minutes, meanwhile basting the fish occasionally with butter or fat. Serve with a suitable sauce.
Time.—To bake, about 1 hour. Average Cost, 1s. 6d. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. Seasonable all the year.
3877.—BLUEFISH, TO COOK.
Broiling or grilling will be found peculiarly adapted to this delicious, but somewhat rich fish. It is also very good boiled or baked.
3878.—BUCKWHEAT CAKES.
Ingredients.—1 cup of buckwheat flour, ½ a cup of Indian corn meal, ½ a cup of fine flour, ¼ of a cup of brewer's yeast, ½ a teaspoonful of salt, of a teaspoonful of carbonate of soda, 1 pint of boiling milk or water.
Method.—Pour the boiling water or milk over the Indian corn meal, add the salt, and stir well. Let it remain covered until lukewarm, then add the buckwheat flour, the white flour, and the yeast, and beat well. Cover with a cloth, and let the preparation stand all night, and in the morning repeat the beating. When the batter has risen again, add the soda dissolved in a little warm water, beat well again, and at once bake on a griddle.
Time.—To bake, about 10 minutes. Average Cost, 7d. Sufficient for 1¼ lbs. of cakes. Seasonable at any time.
3879.—CANNED CORN.
Ingredients.—1 can of corn, 1 oz. of butter, ½ a pint of milk, 1 teaspoonful of milk, 1 teaspoonful of sugar, 1 teaspoonful of salt, 1 saltspoonful of pepper.
Method.—Simmer the corn, milk, sugar and seasoning together for 20 minutes, then stir in the butter and serve.
Time.—About 20 minutes. Average Cost, 1s. 2d. Sufficient for 2 or 3 persons. Seasonable at any time.
Note.—For other recipes see Nos. 1492–1497.
3880.—CHICKEN SOUP AND GREEN CORN.
Ingredients.—1 chicken or small fowl, 1 dozen ears of green corn, ¼ of a lb. of rice, ½ a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, salt and pepper.
Method.—Cut the chicken or fowl into neat joints, put these into a stewpan with just as much cold water as will completely cover them, and add the corn, which must be previously removed from the cob. Season with a little salt and pepper, cover closely, and simmer gently for about 1 hour, adding more water from time to time so as to keep the whole barely covered. When ready, strain, return the stock and corn to the stewpan, bring to the boil, put in the rice, and cook gently for 20 minutes. Cut the meat from the bones and then into dice, add it with the parsley and necessary seasoning to the contents of the stewpan, make thoroughly hot, and serve.
'Time.—About 1½ hours. Average Cost, 4s. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. Seasonable from July to September.
Maize or Indian Corn grows plentifully and extensively in America. Asia and Africa; it is also largely cultivated in the south of Germany. Until recent years, this plant with its tall stem, and flag-like foliage and silvery fringe, was grown in this country almost solely for decorative purposes, but the cobs themselves were not made use of in England until some market gardeners discovered the edible value of the cob, that is, the head of the maize plant. These, when ripe, may be eaten in the green state, and possess a very delicate flavour, which becomes more developed when cooked.
Corn on the cob is the American name given to the head of the maize plant. It is sweeter and better flavoured if cooked without disturbing the husk, but as the removal of the silk and husk is attended with some difficulty after cooking, it has become the custom to strip down the husk, remove the silk, tie the end tightly, and so cook it in seasoned milk and water, in equal quantities. It takes from 15 to 20 minutes to boil. If preferred, the corn may be cooked in salted water. It is served in the husks, and sent to table with melted butter sauce, or oiled butter.
3881.—CLAM CHOWDER.
Ingredients.—1 quart of clams, 6 or 8 large potatoes cut into dice, 2 onions cut into dice, 4 ozs. of bacon or pork cut into dice, 4 tomatoes sliced, 2 level teaspoonfuls of salt, ¼ of a teaspoonful of pepper.
Method.—Wash, drain, and chop the clams. Fry the pork or bacon and onions until the latter is very lightly browned, put in the potatoes and tomatoes, barely cover with cold water, add salt and pepper, and cook gently for about 30 minutes. Put in the clams, add more seasoning if necessary. Continue to cook slowly for 10 or 15 minutes longer, and serve. If liked, the chowder may be thickened by adding crushed cracker (biscuit) crumbs.
Time.—About 1¼ hours. Average Cost, 1s. 8d. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Seasonable, September to April.
3882. CLAM SOUP.
Ingredients.—½ a peck of clams in the shell, 1½ pints of milk, 1 pint of boiling water, 2 ozs. of butter, 2 ozs. of flour, 1 dessertspoonful of chopped onion, 1 dessertspoonful of finely-chopped parsley, salt and pepper.
Method.—Wash and brush the clams well, place them in a steamer, or in a large saucepan with just enough water to prevent the bottom layer burning, and cook them gently until the shells can be easily opened with a knife. Remove the fish from the shells, taking care to preserve all the liquor in the shells and saucepan, and take away the thin skin. Remove the black end of each clam with a pair of scissors, and cut the "leather straps" into small pieces, keeping the soft and hard parts of the clams separate until required. Strain the clam liquor into a stewpan, add the boiling water, onion, the hard parts of the clams, a little salt and pepper, simmer gently for 20 minutes, then strain. Melt the butter, stir in the flour, add the clam stock and milk and bring to the boil. Season to taste, simmer gently for 5 minutes to thoroughly cook the flour, then add the soft parts of the clams and the parsley, and serve at once with crackers (biscuits) and pickles.
Time.—About 1 hour. Average Cost,—1s. to 1s. 3d. Sufficient for 7 or 8 persons. Seasonable from September to April.
3883.—CLAMS AU GRATIN.
Ingredients.— ½ a peck of clams in their shells, 2 large tomatoes, 2 tablespoonfuls of fresh breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoonful of finely-chopped onion, 1 teaspoonful of finely-chopped parsley, ¼ of a teaspoonful of powdered mixed herbs, salt and pepper, butter, lightly-browned breadcrumbs.
Method.—Prepare and cook the clams as directed in "Clam Soup," and chop them finely. Pass the tomatoes through a fine sieve, stir the purée into the clams, add the breadcrumbs, onion, parsley, herbs, seasoning to taste, and as much of the clam liquor as will slightly moisten the whole. Turn into a well-buttered gratin dish or scallop shells, cover lightly with slightly-browned breadcrumbs, add a few bits of butter, and bake from 10 to 20 minutes in a moderate oven. Serve hot.
Time.—About 45 minutes. Average Cost, 1s. 3d. Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons. Seasonable from September to April.
3884.—CLAMS, BAKED.
Ingredients.—Clams, bread and butter.
Method.—Thoroughly wash and dry the clams, and bake them on a tin in the oven until the shells open. Serve them in the shells, and hand with thinly cut bread and butter.
Time.—About 25 minutes. Average, Cost,—4d. each person. Sufficient, allow 12 to each person. Seasonable from September to April.
3885.—CLAMS ON TOAST.
Ingredients.—2 doz. clams, 2 tablespoonfuls of butter, 1 teaspoonful of lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste, 3 slices of buttered toast.
Method.—Beard, blanch and dry the clams. Heat the butter, add lemon juice and seasoning, put in the clams, toss them over the fire for 2 or 3 minutes, and serve on the prepared toast.
Time.—About 10 minutes. Average Cost,—about 6d or 8d. Sufficient, for 3 persons. Seasonable, September to April.
3886.—COOKIES.
Ingredients. —2 cups of flour, 1 cup of sugar, ½ a cup of butter, ¼ of a cup of milk, 1 egg, 1 heaped teaspoonful of baking-powder.
Method.—Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth and white, then beat in the egg, and stir in the milk. Pass the flour and baking-powder through a fine sieve, and stir them into the rest of the ingredients. The mixture must be firm enough to roll out, therefore dredge in more flour until the right consistency is obtained. Roll out thinly, stamp into rounds, and bake in a moderately hot oven until crisp.
Time.—To bake, about 20 minutes. Average Cost, 9d. Sufficient for 1¾ lbs. of cookies. Seasonable at any time.
3887.—COOKIES, CARAWAY.
Ingredients.—3½ cups of flour, 1 cup of butter, 1½ cups of sugar, ½ a cup of sour cream or milk, 2 eggs, 1 tablespoonful of caraway seeds, 1 level teaspoonful of soda, salt.
Method.—Rub the butter into the flour, add the sugar, caraway seeds and a good pinch of salt, and mix well. Beat the egg until light, add the soda dissolved in a little warm water, and sour milk or cream. Mix quickly with the dry ingredients, add as much more flour as may be necessary to form a light dough, roll out thinly. Cut into rounds or other shapes, and bake in a moderately hot oven until crisp.
Time.—To bake, about 20 minutes. Average Cost, 1s. 2d. Sufficient for 3 lbs of Cookies. 'Seasonable at any time.
3888.—COOKIES, COCOANUT.
Ingredients.—2 cups of fine flour, 1 cup of grated or desiccated cocoanut, 1 cup of fine sugar, ½ a cup of butter, 2 eggs, 1 tablespoonful of milk, 1 heaped teaspoonful of baking-powder.
Method.—Cream the butter and sugar together until thick and white, then beat in the eggs. Add the cocoanut, milk, the flour and baking-powder previously sieved, and mix well. Roll out, adding more flour if necessary, stamp into rounds or other shapes, and bake in a moderately hot oven until crisp.
Time.—To bake, 20 minutes. Average Cost, 1s. 2d. Sufficient for 2½ lbs. of Cookies. Seasonable at any time.
3889.—CRACKER PUDDING.
Ingredients.—¼ of a lb. of finely-chopped beef suet, 1 cup of cracker crumbs, 3 cups of milk, 4 eggs, 2 tablespoonfuls of sugar, a teaspoonful of salt.
Method.—Pour the milk over the crushed crackers, and let them soak while preparing the other ingredients. When ready, mix the suet with the cracker crumbs, add the sugar, salt, and lastly the well-beaten eggs, and stir well. Pour the mixture into a greased pie-dish, and bake from 40 to 50 minutes. Serve hot with jam or fruit sauce.
Time.—To bake, from 40 to 50 minutes. Average Cost, 1s. 2d. Sufficient for 1 pudding. Seasonable at any time.
3890.—CRANBERRY SAUCE.
Ingredients. 1 quart of cranberries, 1 lb. of sugar, 1 pint of water.
Method.—Pick the cranberries carefully, put them into a stewpan with the water, and cook slowly for about 1 hour, or until reduced nearly to a pulp. Stir from time to time during the process, and when they are sufficiently cooked stir in the sugar and turn into a dish to cool. Serve with turkey, ducks or game.
Time.—From 1 to 1¼ hours. Average Cost, 8d. or 9d. Sufficient, about 1 pint. Seasonable from October to March.
3891.—CRULLERS.
Ingredients.—Flour, 1 egg, 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of sour cream, 1 small teaspoonful of carbonate of soda, ½ a saltspoonful of salt, ½ a saltspoonful of cinnamon or mace.
Method.—Beat the egg, add the sugar, cream, salt, cinnamon or mace, the soda dissolved in a little warm water, and as much flour as will form the whole into a soft dough. Roll out the mixture to about an inch in thickness, stamp into rounds, and take out the centre of each one with a cutter. Have ready a deep pan of hot fat, fry the crullers until lightly browned, and serve hot.
Time.—To fry, 10 to 15 minutes. Average Cost, 9d. to 11d.
Sufficient for 6 or 8 persons. Seasonable at any time.
3892.—CUP CAKES, PLAIN.
Ingredients.—3 level cupfuls of flour, 1 cupful of sugar, ½ a cupful of butter, 1 cupful of milk, 3 eggs, 1 teaspoonful of cream of tartar, 1 teaspoonful of carbonate of soda, the finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon.
Method.—Sieve the flour, cream of tartar and soda together. Beat and add the eggs, stir in the milk, lemon rind and juice, and lastly the flour. Bake in shallow tins or small cups.
Time.—From 20 to 25 minutes to bake. Average Cost, 1s. to 1s. 2d. Sufficient for 2 cakes or 18 small ones. Seasonable at any time.
3893.—CUP CAKES, RICH.
Ingredients.—4 cupfuls of flour, 2 cupfuls of sugar, 1 cupful of butter, ½ a cupful of milk, 6 eggs, 1 tablespoonful of lemon juice, ½ a teaspoonful of vanilla essence, 1 teaspoonful of cream of tartar, ½ a teaspoonful of carbonate of soda.
Method.—Beat the butter and sugar to a cream, add the yolks of eggs, milk and vanilla essence, and after sieving together the flour, cream of tartar and soda, stir it lightly in. Lastly add the whites of eggs, previously stiffly whisked. Bake in a fairly hot oven.
Time.—To bake, about 1 hour. Average Cost, 2s. to 2s. 2d. Sufficient for 2 cakes. Seasonable at any time.
3894.—DRIED FRUIT (Apples, Apricots, Nectarines, Peaches, etc.).
Ingredients.—Fruit, sugar, lemon rind, cloves or cinnamon to flavour
Method.—The following method is applicable to any of the dried fruits from California and other countries. Rinse or wash the fruit in cold water, cover it with fresh cold water, and let it remain in soak for 10 or 12 hours until well swollen. Turn both fruit and water into a stewpan or a jar placed in a pan of boiling water, and cook gently until the fruit is tender. Sugar to taste, or sugar boiled to a syrup (see To Clarify Sugar for Syrup, No. 2599), and flavouring ingredients should be added when the fruit is about half cooked. When syrup is used the water required for it should be taken from the vessel containing the fruit, unless a rather liquid compote is liked. The water in which the fruit soaks always extracts some of the flavour of the fruit, and the latter should therefore be cooked in it. Much stirring should be avoided, as dried fruit, when nearly cooked, breaks easily.
Newtown pippins, from which the peel and cores have been removed, and Normandy pippins, from which only the peel is removed, may require soaking a little more than apple rings and apple chips.
Time.—Altogether 11½ to 13½ hours. Average Cost, 6d. to 8d. per lb. Sufficient, ½ lb. of fruit for 1 good dish. Seasonable at any time.
3895—GRAHAM BREAD.
Ingredients.—1 quart of Graham flour, 1 quartern of ordinary flour, ½ a cupful of molasses, ½ a cupful of liquid yeast (or 1 oz. of compressed yeast),1 level tablespoonful of salt, about 1¾ pints of warm water.
Method.—Mix the Graham and ordinary flour and the salt together, add the molasses, yeast and water, and beat well for 20 minutes. Cover the bowl, let the dough remain undisturbed all night, and in the morning shape it into 2 or 3 loaves. Let them rise to nearly double their original size, then bake in a fairly hot oven for about 1½ hours. The dough is so soft that it cannot be moulded, but it may be made into rolls by means of French roll pans.
Time.—To bake, about 1½ hours. Average Cost, 10d. Sufficient for 2 loaves. Seasonable at any time.
3896.—GRAHAM GRIDDLE CAKES.
Ingredients.—1 cupful of Graham flour, 1 cupful of ordinary flour, 2 eggs, 1 pint of sour milk (or sweet milk and 2 teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar), 1 teaspoonful of carbonate of soda, ½ a teaspoonful of salt, 1 tablespoonful of sugar, 2 tablespoonfuls of oiled butter.
Method.—Dissolve the carbonate of soda in a little warm water. Mix the Graham and ordinary flour, salt, sugar (and cream of tartar, if used) together. Beat the eggs, add the butter, milk and dissolved soda, mix with the flour, and beat or knead until smooth. Fry on the griddle and serve hot.
Time.—To bake each cake, about 10 minutes. Average Cost, 10d. to 11d. Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons. Seasonable at any time.
3897.—GRIDDLE BREAD.
Ingredients.—1½ pints of flour, 1¼ pints of warm water (about), 2 tablespoonfuls of oiled butter, 2 heaped teaspoonfuls of baking powder, 1 level teaspoonful of salt, 1 egg.
Method.—Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together. Beat the eggs, add the butter and water to them, and mix with the flour. Knead well, adding a little more water should the dough be too stiff. Form at once into cakes, and cook on the griddle.
Time.—To cook each cake, about 10 minutes. Average Cost, 7d. to 8d. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Seasonable' at any time.
3898.—HALIBUT, BAKED.
Ingredients.—3 lbs. of halibut, milk, salt and pepper, tomato sauce (see "Sauces," No. 281).
Method.—Dip the dark portion of the skin into boiling water, and scrape it clean. Season the entire surface lightly with salt and pepper, and place the fish in an earthenware baking-dish, surrounded with milk to the depth of nearly 1 inch. Bake gently for 1 hour, basting frequently, then serve with tomato sauce. If preferred, serve with egg or white sauce, in the preparation of which the liquor from the fish should be used.
Time.—To bake, about 1 hour. Average Cost, 2s. to 3s. Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons. Seasonable from May to January.
3899.—HALIBUT STEAKS.
Ingredients.—2 or 3 slices of halibut, 1 egg, 1 tablespoonful of flour, crackers, salt and pepper, frying-fat, parsley.
Method.—Wipe and thoroughly dry the fish, season the flour with salt and pepper, and dip each slice of fish in the mixture. Coat carefully with beaten egg and powdered crackers, and fry in hot fat until lightly browned. Drain well, and serve on a dish paper or folded serviette garnished with fried parsley.
Time.—About 20 minutes. Average Cost, Halibut, 6d. to 8d. per lb. Sufficient for 2 or 3 persons. Seasonable from May to January.
3900.—HUCKLEBERRY CAKE.
Ingredients.—1½ cups of huckleberries, 1 cup of sour milk, ½ a cup of sugar, ¼ of a cup of butter, 1½ cups of flour, 1 egg, a teaspoonful of carbonate of soda, a teaspoonful of salt.
Method.—Sieve the salt and flour together, and dissolve the soda in a little warm water. Beat the butter and sugar until white and creamy, stir in the yolk of egg, and add the fruit and flour as lightly as possible. Whisk the white of egg to a stiff froth, stir it and the dissolved soda lightly into the mixture, and pour into well-buttered shallow tins. Bake in a moderately hot oven. If more convenient, new milk and 2 level teaspoonfuls of baking-powder may be used instead of sour milk and soda.
Time.—About an hour. Average Cost, about 1s. Sufficient for 2 cakes. Seasonable, July to September.
3901.—HUCKLEBERRY PUDDING.
Ingredients.—1 pint of huckleberries (known in England as whortleberries), 1 pint of milk, 2 eggs, 6 ozs. of flour (about), ½ a teaspoonful of cream of tartar, ¼ of a teaspoonful of carbonate of soda, ¼ of a teaspoonful of salt.
Method.—Mix the cream of tartar and salt with the flour, and dissolve the soda in the milk. Stir the eggs into the flour, add the milk gradually, and beat well. Pick and mash the berries, stir them into the batter, and add the dissolved soda. The batter should be rather thick; a little more flour should therefore be dredged in if the required consistency has not been obtained. Turn into a well-buttered basin, and boil for 1 hour, or steam for 1½ hours. Serve with a sweet sauce.
Time.—To cook, from 1 to 1½ hours. Average Cost, 10d. Sufficient for 1 pudding. Seasonable July to September.
3902.—JOMBALAYAH.
Ingredients.—4 ozs. of Patna rice, 4 ozs. of cooked ham, 1 lettuce, cayenne pepper, pepper and salt.
Method.—Pick and wash the rice, put it into a large stewpan of rapidly boiling salted water, boil until tender, and dry well (see "Rice for Curry"). Chop the ham finely, add it to the rice when cold, season highly, and serve with lettuce leaves round the dish, and the heart in the centre. Usually served as a cold breakfast dish.
Time.—About 1 hour. Average Cost, 8d. Sufficient for 2 or 3 persons. Seasonable at any time.
3903.—JUMBLES.
Ingredients.—14 ozs. of flour, 5 ozs. of sugar, 3 ozs. of butter, 1 egg, the finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon, 3 teaspoonfuls of milk, 1 teaspoonful of cream of tartar, a teaspoonful of carbonate of soda.
Method.—Beat the butter and sugar to a cream, add the egg, milk, lemon juice and rind. Sieve the flour, cream of tartar and soda, and mix with the other ingredients. Roll out rather thinly and cut into rounds, or cut into long, narrow strips, which after being lightly pressed into a round shape with the palm of the hand, should be wound round and round to form small cakes. Bake in a quick oven.
Time.—To bake, about 10 minutes. Average Cost, 9d, to 10d. Sufficient for about l½bs. of Jumbles. Seasonable at any time.
3904.—LEMON PIE.
Ingredients.—½ a lb. of puff paste, 7 ozs. of castor sugar, 3 eggs, 1 pint of milk, 1 dessertspoonful of cornflour, the finely-grated rind of 1 lemon.
Method.—Cover a deep plate or dish with the paste, and bake in a hot oven until three-quarters cooked. Mix the cornflour smoothly with a little milk, boil the remainder, and pour it over the cornflour, stirring briskly meanwhile. Replace in the stewpan, add 1 oz. of sugar, the lemon-rind and yolks of eggs, and stir by the side of the fire until the mixture thickens. Have this preparation ready to pour into the pastry when about three-quarters baked, and set it in the oven. Beat the whites of eggs to a very stiff froth, stir the remaining sugar in lightly, and pile the meringue on the top of the pie. Bake in a moderate oven until the top is crisp and lightly browned, and serve.
Time.—To bake, about 35 minutes. Average Cost, 1s. 1d. Sufficient for 1 pie. Seasonable at any time.
3905.—MUSH.
Ingredients.—1 cup of white corn meal, 2 quarts of boiling water, 1 tablespoonful of salt.
Method.—Mix the meal smoothly with a little cold water. Boil the remainder of the water, and pour in the moistened meal gradually, so as not to reduce the water below boiling point, stirring briskly meanwhile. Cover closely, and simmer very gently from 1 to 1½ hours, stirring from time to time to equalize the cooking. Serve hot with milk, butter or syrup.
Time.—About 2 hours. Average Cost, 2d. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Seasonable at any time.
3906.—MUSH CROQUETTES.
Ingredients.—1 quart of mush, 1 oz. of butter, 2 eggs, frying-fat.
Method.—Prepare the mush as directed in the preceding recipe, and when it is sufficiently cooked add the butter and eggs. Stir by the side of the fire for 3 or 4 minutes to cook the eggs, then turn the preparation on to a plate. When cool enough to handle form into cork-shaped croquettes, and put them aside until quite cold and firm. When ready to serve, fry them in hot fat and drain well.
Time.—To fry the croquettes, about 15 minutes. Average Cost, about 6d. Sufficient for 7 or 8 persons. Seasonable at any time.
3907.—MUSH, FRIED.
Ingredients.—1 quart of mush, 1 egg, bread or cracker crumbs, frying-fat, salt and pepper.
Method.—Prepare the mush as directed (see No. 3905), season it well with salt and pepper, and spread it on a dish to the depth of 1 inch. When quite cold cut it into finger-shaped pieces 3 inches long and 1 inch wide, and coat carefully with beaten egg and cracker crumbs or breadcrumbs. Have ready a deep pan of hot fat, and fry the mush until lightly browned. Drain well and serve hot.
Time.—To fry, about 15 minutes. Average Cost, 5d. Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons. Seasonable at any time.
3908.—OYSTERS, BAKED.
Ingredients.—1 solid pint of oysters, ¾ of a cupful of good white stock, ½ a cupful of finely-chopped mushrooms, ½ a teaspoonful of finely-chopped onion, 3 tablespoonfuls of butter, 1 heaped tablespooniul of flour, 1 tablespoonful of lemon juice, 1 heaped teaspoonful of salt, ¼ of a teaspoonful of white pepper, a few grains of cayenne, the yolks of 2 eggs, ½ a pint of breadcrumbs.
Method.—Bring the oysters and stock just to boiling point, then strain and preserve the liquor. Cook the onion and mushrooms lightly in the butter, stir in the flour, add the liquor, and stir until boiling. Add the yolks of eggs, seasoning, lemon juice, and lastly the oysters. At once turn into a well-buttered dish, cover with breadcrumbs, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and add a few bits of butter. Brown the surface in a quick oven, and serve hot.
Time.—Altogether, about 40 minutes. Average Cost, 2s. to 2s. 3d. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. Seasonable from September to April.
3909.—OYSTERS COOKED IN A CHAFING DISH.
Ingredients.—1 solid pint of oysters, 2 tablespoonfuls of butter, a small teaspoonful of salt, a few grains of cayenne, slices of buttered toast.
Method.—Melt the butter in the chafing dish, put in the oysters, and sprinkle in the seasoning. Stir repeatedly and cook gently until the oysters begin to curl at the edges, then serve at once on the prepared toast. Variety may be introduced by adding either 2 or 3 tablespoonfuls of thick cream just before serving, or 2 yolks of eggs beaten with the juice of 1 lemon.
Time. About 10 minutes. Average Cost, 1s. 6d. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. Seasonable from September to April.
3910.—OYSTERS, STEWED.
Ingredients.—1 quart of liquid oysters, 1 quart of milk, 2 tablespoonfuls of butter, 1 heaped tablespoonful of flour, salt and pepper to taste.
Method.—Drain the liquid from the oysters, bring it and the milk to boiling point. Knead the butter and flour together, divide into small pieces, stir them into the milk and oyster liquor, and add salt and pepper to taste. Boil gently for 3 minutes, put in the oysters, bring again to the boil, draw the stewpan aside for 2 or 3 minutes, and at once serve. If preferred, 3 tablespoonfuls of powdered cracker crumbs may replace the flour.
Time.—About ½ an hour. Average Cost, 1s. 4d. to 1s. 6d. Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons. Seasonable from September to April.
Oysters.—In the United States oysters are more frequently sold by measure than number. When sold by measure, a considerable amount of water is added to the liquid contained in the shells, hence the name "liquid oysters."
3911.—PEACHES, TO DRY.
Ingredients.—Peaches (not quite ripe), an equal weight of sugar.
Method.—Scald and remove the skins, divide and stone the fruit. Place them on dishes, cover with sugar, let them remain for 24 hours, then put the whole into a preserving pan and simmer gently until clear. Turn into an earthenware vessel, after two days drain off, boil up, and replace the syrup, let them remain two days longer, then drain away the syrup, and dredge the peaches liberally with fine sugar. Leave them in single layers in a cool place until dry, then pack them in air-tight tins, with paper between each layer. Apricots, nectarines or plums may be dried by this method.
Time.—5 or 6 days. Seasonable from August to September.
3912.—PICKERIL, TO COOK.
See recipes Nos. 574–8 for cooking pike, which this fish resembles.
3913.—POP OVERS.
Ingredients.—1 teacupful of white flour, 1 teacupful of milk, 1 egg, salt to taste.
Method.—Make a batter of the ingredients, pour into a hot, greased, pop-over tin, and bake in a quick oven. Pop-over tins are similar to sheets of patty pans, but the hollows are deeper.
Time.—From 20 to 25 minutes. Average Cost, 3d. to 4d. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Seasonable at any time.
3914.—RICE GRIDDLE CAKES.
Ingredients.—1 pint of plainly boiled rice, 2 cups of white flour, 2 pints of milk, 1 tablespoonful of oiled butter, 1 tablespoonful of sugar, 1 teaspoonful of salt, 1 teaspoonful of baking powder, 3 eggs.
Method.—Add one pint of milk to the rice, cover it and let stand all night. In the morning stir in the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Beat the eggs, add the butter and remaining pint of milk to them, mix with the flour, etc., and beat well. Fry on the griddle and serve hot.
Time.—To fry the cakes, about 10 minutes. Average Cost, 1s. 1d. to 1s. 4d. Sufficient for 8 or 9 persons. Seasonable at any time.
3915.—RYE BREAD.
Ingredients.—2 quarts of rye flour, ½ a cupful of liquid yeast (or 1 oz. of compressed yeast), 1 tablespoonful of sugar, 1 tablespoonful of butter oiled, 2 teaspoonfuls of salt, 1½ pints of warm water.
Method.—Mix the flour, sugar and salt together. To the water add the yeast and butter, and stir the whole into the flour. Knead well, cover closely, and let it remain in a warm place for about 8 hours. When ready shape into 3 loaves, or 2 loaves and some small rolls, let them remain near the stove until they rise to twice their original size, and bake in a moderately hot oven. The loaves will require from 1 to 1½ hours, and the rolls from 20 to 25 minutes.
Time.—About 10 hours. Average Cost, 1s. Sufficient for 3 loaves. Seasonable at any time.
3916.—RYE POP OVERS.
Ingredients.—1½ cups of rye flour, 1 cupful of white flour, 1 tablespoonful of sugar, 1 teaspoonful of salt, 2 eggs, 1 pint of milk.
Method.—Mix the dry ingredients together. Beat the eggs, add to them the milk, and gradually mix with the flour. When sufficiently moist to offer little resistance to the spoon beat well. Stir in the remainder of the milk and egg, turn into well-buttered cups or pop-over tins, and bake in a fairly hot oven.
Time.—To bake, from 20 to 30 minutes. Average Cost, about 9d. Sufficient for 6 or 8 persons. Seasonable at any time.
3917.—SHAD, BAKED.
Ingredients.—Shad, 4 ozs. of breadcrumbs, 2 ozs. of finely-chopped cooked lean ham, 1 oz. of butter, 1 oz. of flour, 1 egg, ¼ of a pint of port wine, ¼ of a pint of water, milk, ½ a teaspoonful of powdered mixed herbs, 1 lemon, salt and pepper.
Method.—Wipe and dry the fish thoroughly, mix the breadcrumbs, ham, herbs, and a little salt and pepper well together, moisten it with ½ the egg and a little milk, and stuff the fish. Place the fish in a well-buttered baking-dish or tin, brush it over with egg, and spread the remaining stuffing on the outside of the fish. Pour the wine and water round, cover the fish with a buttered paper, and bake in a moderate oven for about 1 hour. Shortly before the fish is done melt the butter in a stewpan, stir in the flour, strain and add the liquor from the fish, bring to the boil, and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve with the sauce round, and garnish with sliced lemon.
Time.—1¼ hours. Average Cost, 1s., in addition to the fish. Sufficient, allow 4 Ibs. of fish for 8 or 9 persons. Seasonable from April to June.
3918.—SLAW, COLD.
Ingredients.—1 tender cabbage, 1 egg, an oz. of butter, ¼ of a pint of vinegar, 1 tablespoonful of flour, 1 teaspoonful of celery seed, salt.
Method.—Shred the cabbage finely, rejecting the stalk and outer leaves. Warm the vinegar and butter in an enamelled pan, put in the cabbage, sprinkle over it the celery seed, flour and a good pinch of salt, and cook gently for a few minutes. Beat the egg lightly, add it to the contents of the pan, and stir and cook for 3 or 4 minutes. Serve cold.
Time.—About 30 minutes. Average Cost, 6d. to 8d. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. Seasonable at any time.
3919.—SLAW, HOT.
Ingredients.—1 tender cabbage, 1 egg, 1oz. of butter, ¼ of a pint of sour cream, salt and pepper.
Method.—Remove the outer leaves and heart of the cabbage, and shred the remainder as finely as possible. Melt the butter in a frying-pan, add 2 or 3 tablespoonfuls of boiling water, and put in the cabbage. Season to taste with salt and pepper, cook gently until the cabbage is tender, then add the egg previously well-beaten. Stir and cook slowly for 3 or 4 minutes, then add the cream, make thoroughly hot, and serve.
Time.—About 20 minutes. Average Cost, 10d. to 1s. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. Seasonable at any time.
3920.—SQUASH, BAKED.
Ingredients.—1 pint of squash puree, 1 pint of bread or cracker crumbs, ¼ of a pint of milk, 1 oz. of butter, pepper, salt.
Method.—Prepare the squash as directed in either of the following recipes, cook until tender, and pass through a wire sieve. To the purée thus obtained add the breadcrumbs, milk, butter warmed, and a seasoning of salt and pepper. Mix all well together, turn the preparation into a greased fireproof dish, and bake in a moderate oven for one hour. Serve hot.
Time.—About 1¼ hours. Average Cost, 9d. to 11d. Sufficient for 1 dish. Seasonable at any time.
3921.—SQUASH, SUMMER.
Ingredients.—Young, fresh, tender squashes, butter, salt and pepper.
Method.—Wash and dry the squashes, do not pare them, but cut them into quarters and remove the seeds. Put them into slightly salted boiling water, and cook gently for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain well, mash, replace in the stewpan with a lump of butter and a seasoning of salt and pepper, re-heat, and serve.
Time.—About ½ an hour. Average Cost, 3d. each. Sufficient, allow 2 to 3 or 4 persons. Seasonable all the year.
Note.—The term squash is loosely used, especially in the United States, for 2 or 3 kinds of gourd, including the pumpkin.
3922.—SQUASH, WINTER.
Ingredients.—Squash, butter, sugar, salt and pepper.
Method.—Split the squash and take out the seeds, put it into slightly salted boiling water, and boil until tender. Scrape out the soft part from the shell, mash it or pass it through a wire sieve, and put it into a stewpan with a lump of butter, a good pinch of sugar, and a good seasoning of salt and pepper. Make thoroughly hot, and serve.
Time.—About ½ an hour. Average Cost,—3d. each. Sufficient, allow 2 to 3 or 4 persons. Seasonable all the year.
3923.—SUCCOTASH.
Ingredients.—Lima beans, to 1 pint of beans allow 1 quart of green corn, butter, cam, sugar, salt and pepper.
Method.—Cut the corn from the cob and shell the beans, put them into separate vessels of slightly salted boiling water, cook until tender, and drain well. Mix them together, put them into a stewpan with a lump of butter and a little cream, add a good pinch of sugar, and a seasoning of pepper, and shake gently over the fire until thoroughly hot. In winter, when the vegetables are dry and hard, soak both corn and beans for at least 12 hours, then proceed as directed above. Canned Lima beans and canned corn are also used.
Time.—About an hour. Average Cost, 1s. Sufficient for 7 or 8 persons. Seasonable from July to September.
3924.—SWEET PICKLE.
Ingredients.—7 lbs. of peaches, pears or plums, 4 lbs. of loaf or preserving sugar, 1 pint of good vinegar, 1 blade of mace, ½ an inch of cinnamon, 3 cloves.
Method.—Remove the skins, stones or cores of the fruit, and place it in a preserving pan with alternate layers of sugar. Bring very slowly to boiling point, then add the vinegar and spices, and boil for 5 minutes. Take out the fruit with a skimmer, draining it well from the syrup, and place it on dishes to cool. Boil the syrup gently until thick, removing any scum as it rises, and pour it boiling over the fruit, which should be previously packed closely in glass jars. Cork tightly and store in a cool dry place. Examine frequently for the first month, and if there are any signs of fermentation, put the jars, uncovered, in a pan of water, and heat until they are scalding hot.
Time.—From 1 to 1½ hours. Average Cost, 4s. 6d. Sufficient for 11 lbs. of pickle. Seasonable from June to September.
3925.—TERRAPIN BROWN STEW.
Ingredients.—1 large terrapin, 1 heaped tablespoonful of flour, 1 tablespoonful of butter, ¾ of a pint of water in which the terrapin was boiled, ¼ of a pint of sherry, 1 teaspoonful of salt, ¼ of a teaspoonful of mixed cayenne, ground mace, pepper and allspice, ¼ of a lemon thinly sliced.
Method.—Cut the meat of the terrapin into small pieces, put it into a stewpan with the water, salt, and mixed spices, and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Meanwhile melt the butter, add the flour, cook gently until the flour acquires a nut-brown colour, then pour on to it the liquor in which the terrapin has simmered. Stir until boiling, put in the terrapin in which the liquor was drained, add the wine and sliced lemon. Make thoroughly hot and serve.
Time.—About 40 minutes. Average Cost, 2s. 6d. to 10s., according to season and locality. Sufficient for 3 persons. Seasonable. Obtainable all the year.
3926.—TERRAPIN, TO BOIL.
Ingredients.—Terrapins and water.
Method.—The terrapins are either killed by plunging them into boiling water like lobsters, or after cutting off the head the body is soaked in cold water for about ½ an hour, and afterwards boiled from ½ an hour to 2 hours, according to size and age. When sufficiently cooked, the legs can be broken with a slight pressure and the shell will separate easily. The liver, gall, bladder and sand bag must be taken away, also the head when not cut off before cooking, and the film surrounding the eggs. What remains is edible, and the water in the shell should be preserved.
The Terrapin is a fresh-water or tidal tortoise, of the family Emydidæ, found from Rhode Island to the Gulf of Mexico. They vary considerably in size, quality and price in different localities.
3927.—TERRAPIN WHITE STEW.
Ingredients.—1 large terrapin, ½ a pint of cream, ¼ of a pint of sherry, ⅛ of a pint of water, the yolks of 3 hard-boiled eggs, 1½ tablespoonfuls of butter, 1 teaspoonful of lemon juice, 1 teaspoonful of salt, ¼ of a teaspoonful of mixed cayenne, ground mace, pepper and allspice.
Method.—Cut the meat of the terrapin into small pieces, place in a stewpan, add the water, butter, salt, mixed spices, and liquor drained from the shell and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Pass the yolks of eggs through a fine sieve, mix with them the cream, add the lemon juice and sherry, and mix the whole with the contents of the stewpan. Make thoroughly hot and serve.
Time.—To reheat the terrapin, about ½ an hour. Average Cost, 2s. 6d. to 10s., according to season and locality. Sufficient for 3 persons. Seasonable. Obtainable all the year.
3928.—WAFFLES.
Ingredients.—1 cupful of butter, 3 cupfuls of sugar, 3 eggs, ½ of a teaspoonful of saleratus, ½ a nutmeg grated, ½ a teaspoonful of salt, 1 teaspoonful of milk, flour.
Method.—Beat the butter, add to it the sugar, nutmeg, salt, saleratus, previously dissolved in the milk, and the eggs. Beat well, adding gradually as much flour as will make a thick batter. Heat the waffle-iron, rub it over with butter, put in about 2 tablespoonfuls of the batter and cook over a sharp fire.
Time.—To cook, from 8 to 10 minutes. Average Cost, 1s. 2d. to 1s. 4d Sufficient for 8 or 9 persons. Seasonable at any time.
3929.—WAFFLES. (Another Method.)
Ingredients.—½ a lb. of flour, ½ a lb. of butter, 2 ozs. of sugar, 3 eggs, 1 pint of milk, a teaspoonful of salt.
Method.—Beat the butter and sugar to a cream, add the yolks of eggs, the salt, flour and milk, a little alternately, so as not to make the mixture either too stiff or too moist. When well mixed stir in as lightly as possible the stiffly-whisked whites of the eggs. Heat and butter the waffle-iron each time before filling it.
Time.—To cook, about 6 or 7 minutes to bake each one. Average Cost, 1s. 2d. to 1s. 5d. Sufficient for 9 or 10 persons. Seasonable at any time.
3930.—WAFFLES MADE WITH YEAST.
Ingredients.—Flour, 1 pint of warm milk, 1 tablespoonful of fresh yeast, 1 oz. of butter, ½ a nutmeg grated, ½ a teaspoonful of salt, 3 eggs.
Method.—Beat the eggs well, add the yeast, milk, butter melted, nutmeg, salt, and as much flour as will make a light batter. Cover, and let it remain in a warm place from 2 to 3 hours. Cook as directed in recipe No. 3438.
Time.—Altogether, about 4 hours. Average Cost, 9d. Sufficient for 7 or 8 persons. Seasonable at any time.
3931.—WASHINGTON PIE.
Ingredients.—1 lb. of flour, ¾ of a lb. of castor sugar, ½ a lb. of butter, 6 eggs, 1 gill of cream, the finely-grated rind of ½ a lemon, ½ a teaspoonful of saleratus, fruit jelly or apricot marmalade.
Method.—Beat the butter and sugar together until white and creamy, then add the lemon-rind and the eggs 2 at a time, beating well between each addition. Mix the saleratus with the cream, stir it into the mixture, and add the flour as lightly as possible. Turn into 4 round shallow baking-tins, and bake in a moderate oven. Allow the cakes to get cold, then split them and put a thick layer of fruit jelly, or apricot marmalade, which has been stiffened by a little gelatine, between the cakes. Cut into sections, and serve as a cold sweet.
Time.—To bake, about 20 minutes. Average Cost, 2s. 6d. Sufficient for 4 cakes. Seasonable at any time.