Part 14
Beat to mix and then grease the custard cups. Add one-half cup of fine breadcrumbs to the prepared onions. Mix well and then divide into six cups. Pour the prepared custard on the top. Place the cups in a baking pan, add one quart of water and then place in a moderate oven and bake until firm in the centre, usually about twenty-five minutes. The water in the baking pan prevents the custards from cooking too fast. Serve in the cups or let stand for five minutes before taking from the mould and putting on a slice of toast.
PARSLEY BUTTER
Two tablespoons of butter, Three tablespoons of finely minced parsley, One teaspoon of lemon juice.
Beat to a smooth paste and use. This dish will replace potatoes in the luncheon menu.
HAVANA BANANA PASTRY
Two cups of flour, One-half teaspoon of salt, Two teaspoons of baking powder, One tablespoon of sugar.
Place in a mixing bowl and sift to thoroughly mix. Now rub into the prepared flour eight tablespoons of shortening and then mix to a dough with one-half cup of ice-cold water. Roll the pastry on a slightly floured pastry board one-fourth inch thick; cut in oblongs three inches wide and six inches long. Peel the banana and lay on the pastry; sprinkle with
One teaspoon of brown sugar, Pinch of nutmeg, Pinch of cinnamon, One-half teaspoon of butter.
Brush the edges of the pastry with cold water and press firmly together, inclosing the banana. Lay on a well-greased and floured baking sheet, placing the side which was fastened together down. Brush with beaten egg and bake in a moderate oven for eighteen minutes. Serve just as you would other pastries.
FRIED BANANAS
Peel the bananas and then cut into two; roll in flour and then dip in beaten egg and roll in fine crumbs. Fry until golden brown and serve with broiled steak or chops or chicken fricassee.
BANANA CUSTARD PIE
Pare and then rub through a fine sieve sufficient bananas to measure one cup. Place in a mixing bowl and add
One-half cup of sugar, Juice of one lemon, One-quarter teaspoon of grated rind of lemon.
Stir to mix and then add slowly, beating to mix
One cup of milk, Yolk of one egg, One whole egg, One-quarter teaspoon of nutmeg.
Beat to mix and then pour in a pie plate lined with plain pastry. Bake in a slow oven for twenty-five minutes and then cool. Use the white of egg and one-half glass of jelly for fruit whip.
BANANA ICE CREAM
One and one-half cups of banana pulp, One cup of sugar, Juice of one lemon.
Place in a mixing bowl and then cover and set aside. Now place
Two and one-half cups of milk, Four tablespoons of cornstarch,
in a saucepan and stir to dissolve the starch. Bring to a boil and cook for five minutes. Add the yolks of two eggs. Beat to thoroughly mix and add the banana mixture. Beat hard to blend. Now beat into the mixture the stiffly beaten whites of the two eggs. Freeze in the usual manner, using three parts ice to one part salt. This amount will make three pints of ice-cream.
BANANA STUFFING FOR CHICKEN
Pare and rub through a sieve four bananas. Place in a bowl and add
One-half grated onion, One green pepper, chopped fine, Three tablespoons of finely chopped parsley, Four slices of bacon chopped fine, One and one-quarter cups of bread crumbs, Pinch of thyme, One egg, One teaspoon of salt.
Mix thoroughly and then fill into the chicken and roast in the usual manner.
BANANA FRITTERS
Place in a mixing bowl
One cup of banana pulp, One-quarter cup of sugar, Yolks of two eggs, One tablespoon of shortening.
Beat to mix and then add
One and one-half cups of flour, One and one-half teaspoons of baking powder.
Beat to mix and then cut and fold into the mixture whites of two eggs, beaten stiff. Fry in deep fat until golden brown and then serve with banana sauce.
BAKED BANANAS
Wash the bananas and remove just one strip from the top. Place in a baking pan and add one-half cup of water and bake in a moderate oven for one-half hour.
BANANA MUFFINS
Rub a sufficient number of bananas through a sieve to measure one cup. Place in a mixing bowl and add
One cup of brown sugar, Four tablespoons of shortening, Two cups of flour, Five teaspoons of baking powder, One cup of milk, One-half teaspoon of nutmeg.
Beat to mix and then bake in well-greased and floured muffin pans in a moderate oven for twenty-five minutes. Ice the tops with water-icing.
RICE BANANAS AND POACHED EGGS
Cook one-fourth cup of rice in one and one-fourth cups of water until the rice is soft and the water absorbed. Place in a baking dish and cover one inch deep with sliced bananas. Place in the oven and bake for ten minutes. Now lay on one poached egg for each service. Garnish with a strip of bacon and serve with parsley sauce.
BANANA PANCAKES
Place in a mixing bowl
One cup of crushed bananas, One cup of milk, One and one-half cups of flour, Two tablespoons of syrup, Two tablespoons of shortening, One egg, Two teaspoons of baking powder.
Beat to mix and then bake in the usual manner on a well-greased smoking hot frying pan.
BANANA SAUCE
One-half cup of crushed banana, One-half cup of sugar, One teaspoon of vanilla, Juice of one orange.
Beat to mix and then serve with the fritters.
FISH
Fish are divided into two classes--those having backbones, which are called vertebrates; and those which have no backbones, and are called shellfish.
The vertebrates are classified as fresh and salt-water fish, and they contain both white and dark meat. Fish is similar to meat in composition and structure and is classed among the protein or body-building foods; it may replace meat or its equivalent on the menu.
The muscle consists of a bundle of fibers, bound together by a connective tissue; it is so tender that it requires much less time to cook than meat. Fish, as a rule, contains less fat than meat, and while there is considerable refuse, it will be found to be about equal to the bone in meat.
The methods of cooking fish are: Broiling, boiling, baking, deep fat frying and sautéing.
TO BOIL FISH
Cleanse and prepare the fish. Tie in a piece of cheese-cloth and then plunge into a kettle of boiling court bouillon. Cook, allowing twenty minutes to the pound. Lift, drain well and then turn on a hot platter, laying a napkin under the fish to absorb the moisture. Serve with either cream, Hollandaise, egg or tomato sauce and garnish with slices of hard-boiled egg, beet and carrots cut in dice or capers, diced beets, slices of lemon.
BAKED FISH
Cleanse and prepare the fish, leaving the head and tail on the body, but remove the eyes and fins. Now prepare a filling as follows:
One cup of bread crumbs, Three tablespoons of shortening, One teaspoon of salt, One teaspoon of paprika, One small onion grated, One egg.
Mix and then fill into the fish. Fasten the opening with a string or with toothpicks. Place in a baking dish and rub with plenty of shortening. Dust with flour and place in a hot oven to bake. Baste every fifteen minutes with boiling water. Allow eighteen minutes to the pound and twenty minutes for the fish to heat thoroughly and start baking.
COURT BOUILLON
Place five pints of water in a fish kettle and add
One small onion, sliced, One clove, Three branches of parsley, One small red pepper, One-half bay leaf, One teaspoon of paprika, One teaspoon of celery salt, Two teaspoons of salt, One-half cup of vinegar, One fagot of soup herbs.
Bring to a boil and cook the fish. Strain and set aside to cook fish in again.
FISH SAUCE
Strain the liquid left in the pan after removing the fish and add sufficient boiling water to make one cup. Place in a saucepan and add
Two level tablespoons of cornstarch, dissolved in three level tablespoons of water, One tablespoon of butter, One tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, One teaspoon of salt, One teaspoon of paprika, Juice of one-half lemon.
Bring to a boil, cook for five minutes and serve with fish.
TO BROIL FISH
Cleanse the fish, leaving the small fish whole, split the large fish and then brush with melted shortening and broil, allowing ten minutes for small fish and ten minutes to the pound for larger ones.
Large fish will require thirty to forty-five minutes. Lift to a hot platter and spread with
Two tablespoons of butter, Two tablespoons of parsley, One tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, One tablespoon of lemon juice.
Mix well and then garnish with slices of lemon and parsley.
CREOLE FRIED FISH
The creole fried fish is a crisp golden brown. It is prepared as follows: Clean the fish and then wash and drain and roll it in flour. Place in a pan containing hot fat and fry until golden brown. Place in the oven, if the fish is large, until all is cooked and to finish cooking.
FRIED FISH
Small fish, like smelts, brook trout, perch, butter fish, etc., may be well cleaned, dried and then dipped in beaten egg and rolled in fine crumbs. Large fish should be cut into suitable pieces; sliced fish may also be prepared in this manner.
SAUTEING
Fish should be well cleaned and then fried in sufficient fat to prevent sticking.
COCOANUT PUDDING
Place in a mixing bowl
One cup of bread crumbs, One cup of sifted flour, One-half teaspoon of salt, One tablespoon of baking powder, Three-quarters cup of cocoanut, One egg, One cup of milk.
Beat to thoroughly mix and pour into well-greased custard cups or pudding pan and bake in a moderate oven for thirty-five minutes. Serve with lemon sauce.
SNOW PUDDING
Place in a saucepan
One cup of milk, Four level tablespoons of cornstarch.
Stir to dissolve and then bring to a boil and cook slowly for five minutes. Now add
Six tablespoons of sugar, Stiffly beaten white of one egg, One teaspoon of vanilla.
Beat thoroughly to blend. Pour in four custard cups and set in a cool place to mould. Serve with custard sauce.
FRUIT PUDDING
Place in a bowl
One cup of molasses,
And add
One cup of sour milk, One egg, One teaspoon of baking soda, Five tablespoons of shortening, One teaspoon of cinnamon, One-half teaspoon of allspice, Four tablespoons of cocoa, One and one-half cups of coarse bread crumbs, One and one-half cups of wheat flour, One-half cup of seeded raisins, Two teaspoons of baking powder.
Mix in the order given, beating hard. Pour in well-greased and floured mould. Boil and steam for two hours and then serve with vanilla or cream sauce.
RICE PUDDING
Wash one-half cup of rice in plenty of cold water. Place in a saucepan and add three cups of boiling water. Cook slowly until water is absorbed and then grease a baking dish well. Pour rice in a bowl and add
Two cups of milk, One yolk of egg, One-half cup of sugar, One-half teaspoon of nutmeg, One-half teaspoon of salt.
Mix well and pour in a baking dish and bake in a slow oven for thirty-five minutes. Cook and then place the left-over white of egg and one-half glass of jelly in a bowl and beat until it will hold its shape. Use as a whip for the pudding.
CHOCOLATE RICE PUDDING
Wash one-half cup of rice in plenty of warm water and then place two and one-half cups of boiling water in a saucepan and add the rice. Cook until the rice is soft and the water absorbed. Now place three ounces of chocolate, cut into fine pieces, in one quart of milk. Bring to a boil and then add
Three-quarters cup of sugar, One-half teaspoon of cinnamon extract, Two teaspoons of vanilla, Two tablespoons of butter, The prepared rice.
Mix well and then pour into a baking dish and bake for forty minutes in a moderate oven. Stir frequently.
PLUM PUDDING, ROMANY STYLE
One cup of cooked oatmeal, One cup of seedless raisins, One cup of dried peaches, put through food chopper, One cup of peanuts put through food chopper, One-quarter cup of citron put through food chopper, Two teaspoons of cinnamon, One teaspoon of allspice, One teaspoon of nutmeg, One cup of syrup, One egg, One glass of jam or apple jelly.
Mix and then pack into moulds, one-pound coffee can or tie it in a pudding cloth. Boil for two hours.
BROWN BETTY
Pare the apples and then slice thin. Now grease a pudding mould or a baking dish. Place a layer one inch deep of apples, then layer of bread crumbs. Repeat until the dish is full and then sprinkle each layer with brown sugar and cinnamon, as it is placed. Now pour over the dish sufficient thick, well-sweetened apple sauce to fill the baking dish two-thirds full. Bake in a moderate oven for forty minutes.
LEMON PUDDING
Heat three-quarters cup of milk to the scalding point and then add
One tablespoon of butter, Five tablespoons of sugar.
Pour over one-half cup of fine bread crumbs and then cool, and add
Yolk of one egg, Juice of one-half lemon, Grated rind of one-quarter lemon, One-quarter cup of water.
Mix thoroughly before adding to the scalded bread crumbs. Pour into a small baking dish and bake in a moderate oven for twenty minutes.
Make a fruit whip of
One-half glass of apple jelly, White of one egg.
Beat until mixture will hold its shape. Pile on pudding and brown in the oven for five minutes. Set aside to cool.
CRUMB COOKIES
One cup of molasses, One-half cup of brown sugar, Six tablespoons of shortening, Two teaspoons of cinnamon, One-half teaspoon of ginger, One-half teaspoon of allspice, One egg, Five tablespoons of sour milk.
Beat to mix and then add
Two and one-half cups of coarse bread crumbs and sufficient flour to make a very stiff mixture.
Drop by the spoonful on well-greased baking sheet, three inches apart. Bake in a moderate oven for ten minutes.
CARAMEL PUDDING
Make a caramel of
One cup of sugar, Four tablespoons of water, One tablespoon of butter.
Pour into a pudding dish and turn until the mixture thoroughly coats the dish. Now place in a mixing bowl
Three cups of apple sauce, One cup of brown sugar, Two cups of bread crumbs, One-half cup of nutmeg.
Beat to mix and then pour into a baking dish, and bake in a slow oven for forty minutes, then turn out at once on a platter and serve with caramel sauce.
RAISIN PUDDING
Soak one-half cup of raisins in boiling water for one hour. Drain and then add two ounces of candied citron, and sufficient stale bread to make one cup of crumbs. Put all through the food chopper. Place in a bowl and add
One cup of brown sugar, One cup of flour, One tablespoon of baking powder, Juice of one lemon, Grated rind of one-half lemon, Yolks of two eggs, One cup of milk, Three tablespoons of shortening.
Beat to thoroughly mix and then cut and fold in the stiffly beaten whites of two eggs. Pour into well-greased and floured one-quart mould. Place the mould deep in a pan containing sufficient boiling water to cover the mold two-thirds of its depth. Place in the oven and bake for fifty minutes in a moderate oven. Unmould and serve with Saboyon sauce.
PUMPKIN PUDDING
Place in a bowl
Eleven and one-half cups of steamed pumpkin drained dry, One cup of milk, Yolk of one egg, One-half cup of sugar, One teaspoon melted butter, One teaspoon of cinnamon, One-half teaspoon of nutmeg, Two teaspoons of vanilla.
Beat thoroughly to mix and then pour into well-greased custard cups. Set cups in baking pan and pour in sufficient boiling water to half fill the pan. Bake in a moderate oven for forty-five minutes and then serve cold. Garnish with fruit whip or jelly.
SOUP
Soup, unless it is a thick cream or puree, contains little food value. Rather, it is stimulating to the stomach and causes a free flow of the digestive juices. Thus the food taken in after the soup has stimulated the stomach is quickly absorbed and thus gives the body immediate nourishment without distressing the digestion.
The French lay great stress upon two essentials in making soup successfully. First, it must not go below the boiling point, just a gentle bubbling, and, second, after once started, no water should be added. In making soup always use cold water to start with. Do not use salt or any seasoning, and heat slowly, keeping the pot closely covered.
Protein, which is the chief constituent of meat, is drawn into the liquid, making it very nutritious. Rapid boiling destroys the fine aroma and volatile oils, which escape in the steam.
Soups are divided into three classes: First, stock; second, cream; third, fruit soups.
Soups made from meat and bone are called stock; those without stock are called cream, such as cream vegetable, clam and oyster soups, and, lastly, those made from meat and bones, cooked by long and slow boiling, which dissolves the soluble elements of the meat and bones into the water and makes a very rich soup.
THE STOCK POT
This should be a deep pot or kettle with a tight-fitting lid. This is important, so that none of the steam may be lost by evaporation. The steam contains the aroma or fine volatile oil and essentials which pass into the air. In a fairly large family little meat need be purchased for the stock pot if the housewife insists that all portions of bone and trimming be sent with the purchased meat. The French women look with horror on the American women leaving all the scrap and trimming to the butcher.
TO MAKE THE STOCK
A soup bone from the shin, beef, which is full of nutriment, will have nearly one-half pound of meat on it. Take one pound of the scrag end of the neck of veal and four quarts of water. Wash the bones and add the cold water and bring slowly to a boil. Skim and then cover closely and cook for four hours. By this time the meat will have fallen from the bones. Strain and set aside to cool. Let stand overnight. This is best.
Then remove all fat from the top. This stock is the basis of all soups, sauces and gravies. It is rich in mineral matter and gelatine. The meat can be taken from the bones and run through the food chopper and used for meat loaf, croquettes and meat biscuits or sausage, and it will make mighty tasty hash when combined with potatoes and onions for breakfast.
You now have a delicious and nutritious broth, without seasoning of any kind, which will keep in cold weather four or five days. In warm weather it must be returned every second day to the pot, brought to a boil and skimmed and then left to cool and finally put in the ice box. Small portions of meat, ham, any trimming and bones that have accumulated may be added. Chicken feet, scalded in boiling water to loosen the outer skin, which must be peeled off, together with the giblets of fowl, may be added to the stock pot. Seasoning and the addition of vegetables cause it to sour. Many varieties of soup are possible with the use of this stock.
OYSTER GUMBO
Mince two medium-sized onions very fine and then place in a saucepan and add
One pint of hot water, One pint of oyster liquid, One pint of milk.
Bring to a boil and cook for five minutes. Now add
One-half cup of flour dissolved in One-half cup of milk.
Stir well until it reaches the boiling point, and then add
Twenty-five oysters, One tablespoon of file (gumbo powder), One ounce of butter.
Cook for five minutes and then pour the gumbo into a tureen and add three tablespoons of finely chopped parsley. File, or gumbo powder, is made by the Choxtaw Indians from young sassafras leaves. The Indians gather the leaves, spread them upon the bark to dry and then grind them into a fine powder, put it through a fine sieve and then pack it into pouches or jars. It is sold in the French markets in New Orleans and in all high-class importing groceries. The Indians use the sassafras both medicinally and in cookery, and the Creoles quickly discovered this and appreciated it when making their famous gumbo or file.
VEGETABLE SOUP
One pint of stock, one cup of tomato pulp, made by scalding the peeling of tomatoes, or the canned tomatoes, may be used, and
One-half cup of diced potatoes, One-half cup of mixed vegetables; cabbage, turnips and peas, may be added One-half carrot cut in dice, One tablespoon of parsley, Two tablespoons of flour, Salt and pepper to taste, Portion of bunch of potherbs.
Take a bunch of potherbs, divide into small bunches and tie each with a string and then use one of these in the vegetable soup. Put the remainder of the herbs in a fruit jar until needed again.
Put the herbs in the stock, add the tomatoes and let simmer. Cook the vegetables in one pint of water until tender and then add water and all to the stock and add the seasoning and flour, mixed with a little cold water, and cook for five minutes.
TO MAKE NOODLES
One egg, One tablespoon of water, One-half teaspoon of salt.
Beat together until well mixed and then add sufficient flour to make a stiff dough. Knead until elastic--about two minutes--and then roll out on a pastry board until as thin as paper, dusting the board lightly with flour to prevent sticking. Permit it to stand for fifteen minutes to dry and then cut into strings, thick and thin. Do this by rolling up loosely, like a jelly roll, and then cut. Lay on a dish to dry. When thoroughly dry they may be kept in a fruit jar. Part of the paste may be stamped with small vegetable cutters and cooked in the soup same as the noodles.
Vegetables cut in fancy shapes, macaroni cut in small rings, hard-boiled eggs in slices, cheese balls, slices of lemon, also rice and barley, may be added to the soup.
To make brown coloring: One-half cup of sugar cooked ten minutes in an iron pan until burned black; then add one-half cupful of water. Let come to a boil and then strain and bottle for use.
The principal points to keep in mind when making soup are:
First, draw out all of the juice and soluble flavors into the water.
Second, retain that which we have drawn out by using a pot with a tight-fitting lid.
Third, use cold water with which to extract meat juices and flavors.
Fourth, long, slow cooking.
Fifth, flavoring and vegetables added after making stock prevent its souring quickly.
Sixth, do not use stock pot for other than it is intended. Care and accurate judgment and measuring will give successful results.
If most of the work is done in the morning while attending to the kitchen duties, the stock-making will take little of your time. Delicious gravies may be made by using stock instead of water.
CLEAR SOUP