Part 9
=Plain Ice Cream.=—Scald 1 pint milk; mix 1 cup sugar with 2 tablespoons flour, pinch salt, and 2 beaten eggs. Add to hot milk, stir over fire till thick and smooth, cover and cook 20 minutes. Strain and cool. Add 1 pint cream, flavoring desired, and freeze. One can condensed milk and 1 cup milk may be mixed and added in place of cream. Very good ice cream may be made without the addition of any cream.
=Philadelphia Ice Cream.=—Scald 1 pint cream. Add 1 cup sugar and stir till dissolved. Take from fire and add 1 pint chilled cream. Freeze when cold.
=Delmonico Ice Cream.=—Make a cooked custard with 1 pint milk, 5 eggs, 1 cup sugar; strain and cool. Add 1 pint rich cream, 2 tablespoons flavoring, and freeze.
To this as well as to any cream may be added at will 1 cup fresh fruit or berries rubbed through sieve, ½ cup cake crumbs, or any variety flavorings and colorings desired.
=Water Ices.=—Boil 1 quart water and 1 pint sugar 5 minutes. Add ⅛ box gelatine soaked in cold water, stir till dissolved and chill. Add 1 cup lemon juice and freeze.
All water ices are made in this way, varying the proportion of sugar according to the acidity of the fruit used. Canned fruit syrups may be substituted for fresh fruit juice.
=Biscuit Glacé.=—1½ pints cream, 12 ounces sugar, yolks of 8 eggs, and 1 tablespoon extract vanilla. Take 6 ounces crisp macaroons, pound in mortar to dust. Mix cream, sugar, eggs, and extract. Place on fire, and stir composition until it begins to thicken. Strain and rub through hair-sieve into basin. Put into freezer; when nearly frozen, mix in macaroon dust, another tablespoon extract vanilla, and finish freezing.
=Chocolate Ice Cream.=—3 pints best cream, 12 ounces pulverized white sugar, 4 whole eggs, 1 tablespoon extract vanilla, 1 pint rich cream whipped, 6 ounces chocolate. Dissolve chocolate in small quantity of milk to smooth paste. Now mix with cream, sugar, eggs, and extract. Place all on fire, stir until it begins to thicken. Strain through hair-sieve. Place in freezer; when nearly frozen, stir in lightly the whipped cream, and 1 tablespoon extract vanilla, and finish freezing.
=Crushed Strawberry Ice Cream.=—3 pints best cream, 12 ounces pulverized white sugar, 2 whole eggs. Mix all in porcelain-lined basin; place on fire; stir constantly to boiling point. Remove and strain through hair-sieve. Place in freezer and freeze. Take 1 quart ripe strawberries, select, hull, and put in a china bowl. Add 6 ounces pulverized white sugar, crush all down to pulp. Add this pulp to frozen cream, with 2 tablespoons extract vanilla; mix in well. Now give freezer few additional turns to harden.
=Orange Water Ice.=—Juice 6 oranges, 2 teaspoons extract orange, juice 1 lemon, 1 quart water, 1 pound powdered sugar, 1 gill rich, sweet cream; add all together and strain. Freeze same as ice cream.
=Peach Ice Cream.=—One dozen of best and ripest red-cheeked peaches; peel and stone; place in china basin, crush with 6 ounces pulverized sugar. Now take 1 quart best cream, 8 ounces pulverized white sugar, 2 whole eggs. Place all on fire until it reaches boiling point; now remove and strain; place in freezer and freeze. When nearly frozen stir in peach pulp, with teaspoon extract almonds; give few more turns of freezer to harden.
=Raspberry Water Ice.=—Press sufficient raspberries through hair-sieve to give 3 pints juice. Add 1 pound pulverized white sugar and juice of 1 lemon, with 1 teaspoon extract raspberry. Place in freezer and freeze.
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Canning and Preserving
=Canning.=—The important points to be observed in canning are, to use only sound, ripe fruit; to have hot syrup and air-tight jars; to fill jars to overflowing and seal immediately. Jars should be scalded and tested before using. Patent canners greatly simplify the work.
Pick over the fruit, stem, pare, cut, wash, etc., and pack in jars. Make syrup by adding ½ pint boiling water to 1 pound sugar. When clear, bring to boiling point and carefully fill the jars. Stand in canner or on board in wash-boiler containing water up to shoulders of jars. Cover and cook according to directions or till tender. Take from canner or boiler, add more syrup till overflowing, cover and seal immediately.
Amount of Sugar per Quart Jar
Canned Preserved Cherries 4 oz. 8 oz. Strawberries 8 ” 12 ” Raspberries 4 ” 6 ” Blackberries 6 ” 9 ” Quinces 8 ” 12 ” Pears 4 ” 8 ” Grapes 4 ” 8 ” Peaches 4 ” 8 ” Pineapples 8 ” 12 ” Crab-apples 6 ” 10 ” Plums 6 ” 9 ” Rhubarb 8 ” 12 ” Sour apples 6 ” 9 ” Currants 8 ” 12 ” Cranberries 8 ” 12 ”
=Preserving.=—Preserves require from ¾ to 1 pound of sugar to each pound of fruit, and ½ cup water to each pound sugar. The fruit should be simmered in the syrup until tender, a little at a time; skimmed out into the jars; when all are done the syrup should be brought to boiling point, jars filled and sealed. Hard fruits like quinces should be first steamed or cooked in boiling water till tender.
=Jams.=—Jams are usually made with small fruits or with chopped large fruits; they are cooked with an equal weight of sugar till rich and thick, then put into tumblers or small jars and sealed.
=Jellies.=—Use equal parts of sugar and drained fruit juice. Mash and heat berries till juice runs readily, then turn into bags of unbleached muslin or 2 thicknesses of cheese-cloth and let drip. Measure juice and sugar. Boil juice 20 minutes. Have sugar in shallow pan, heat through in open oven. Add to boiling juice, boil up once, take off fire and pour into tumblers. Fruit like apples and quinces should be chopped and covered with water, then simmered till tender before turning into jelly-bags.
=Spiced Fruits.=—These are also called sweet pickled fruits. For 4 pounds prepared fruit allow 1 pint vinegar, 2 pounds brown sugar, ½ cup whole spices—cloves, allspice, stick cinnamon, and cassia-buds. Tie spices in thin muslin bag, boil 10 minutes with vinegar and sugar. Skim, add fruit, cook till tender. Boil down syrup, pour over fruit in jars, and seal. If put in stone pots, boil syrup 3 successive mornings and pour over fruit. Currants, peaches, grapes, pears, and berries may be prepared in this way, also ripe cucumbers, muskmelons, and watermelon rind.
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Soups
=Soup Stock= is made from cheap, tough cuts. The meat should be cut in small pieces and soaked in cold water for half an hour to draw out the juices. Bone is added for the sake of the gelatine which it contains, and which will give body to the soup. A good proportion is 1 pound each of meat and bone to each quart of water. Use a kettle with a very tight cover and simmer slowly for a number of hours. Stock is better when made the day before it is to be used.
=Soup Stock.=—1 pound lean beef, 1 pound bone (or 2 pounds of shin), 1 quart cold water, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon peppercorns, 2 cloves, 2 allspice berries, 1 sprig parsley, 1 teaspoon mixed herbs, 1 tablespoon each kind chopped vegetable. Prepare meat as above, soak in water ½ hour, heat slowly and simmer 3 hours, add vegetables and seasonings, simmer 1 hour longer, and strain. Next day remove cake of fat.
To clear stock beat white 1 egg till frothy, add with broken shell to above stock when cold (after fat is removed); heat slowly and stir constantly. Boil 10 minutes without stirring; set aside 10 minutes; strain through 2 thicknesses cheese-cloth dipped in cold water.
=Soups with Pastes or Vegetables.=—Prepare and clear stock as above. In salted water boil macaroni, vermicelli, barley, rice, tapioca, or other vegetables or dry material until done; drain and add to the clear soup and simmer together 10 minutes. Proportion, ½ cup cooked material to 1 quart stock. Vegetables should be boiled in salted water, cut in shapes, and added to stock in same proportion.
=Tomato Soup with Stock.=—1 quart stock, 1 can tomatoes, salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Stew and strain tomatoes; add to boiling stock, season, and simmer 10 minutes.
=Tomato Soup without Stock.=—Stew together for 10 minutes 1 can tomatoes, 1 pint water, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon sugar, 5 cloves, ½ teaspoon peppercorns, 1 tablespoon chopped onion, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley. Rub through sieve, return to fire, and thicken with 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon flour rubbed together and stirred in.
=Mock Bisque Soup.=-½ can tomatoes, 1½ tablespoons butter, 1½ tablespoons flour, 1 quart milk, salt and pepper. Stew and strain tomatoes; scald milk in double boiler and thicken with the flour and butter; season tomatoes well and reheat. Take both from fire and mix together; if tomatoes are acid add pinch of soda. If mixed on fire soup is apt to curdle.
=Scotch Broth.=—Soak ½ cup pearl barley overnight. Cut 2 pounds neck of mutton in bits, add 2 quarts water, soak 1 hour. Heat slowly, skim, add barley, skim again; simmer 1 hour, add ½ cup each diced onion, carrot, turnip, celery fried for 5 minutes in 1 tablespoon dripping. Simmer 3 hours. Season well, thicken a little with flour, add 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, and serve.
=Consommé.=—1 chicken, 3 pounds lean beef, 1 onion, 1 turnip, 2 carrots, bunch sweet herbs, 7 quarts cold water, ½ cup sago soaked in cold water, pepper and salt. Cut beef in strips and disjoint chicken, slice vegetables, chop herbs, put all on with water to cook slowly for 6 hours. Take out chicken and beef; salt and pepper and put into jar. Strain soup, pulping vegetables through a sieve. Season and divide it, pouring ½ on meat in jar, and setting in pot of hot water to cook, covered, 2 hours more. Heat the rest and skim; put in sago, simmer for ½ hour, then pour out. When 2 hours have passed, pour out stock in bowl; when cold put on ice.
=Bean Soup.=—Soak quart white beans overnight; in morning pour off water; add fresh, and set over fire until skins will easily slip off; throw them into cold water, rub well, and skins will rise to top, where they may be removed. Boil beans till perfectly soft, allowing 2 quarts water to 1 quart beans; mash beans, add flour and butter rubbed together, also salt and pepper. Cut cold bread into small pieces, toast, and drop on soup when you serve.
=Family Soup.=—Time, 6 hours; 3 or 4 quarts pot liquor, _i. e._, the water in which mutton or salt beef has been boiled. Any bones from dressed meat, trimmings of poultry, scraps of meat or 1 pound gravy beef, 2 large onions, 1 turnip, 2 carrots, a little celery seed tied in a piece muslin, bunch savory herbs, 1 sprig parsley, 5 cloves, 2 blades mace, a few peppercorns, pepper and salt to taste. Put all your meat-trimmings, meat-bones, etc., into stewpan. Stick onions with cloves, add them with other vegetables to meat; pour over all the pot liquor; set over slow fire and let simmer gently, removing all scum as it rises. Strain through fine hair-sieve.
=Clam Soup.=—Boil juice of clams, make a little drawn butter and mix with the juice; stir till it boils, chop up clams and put them in; season to taste with pepper, salt, and little lemon juice; cream or milk is to be added. Boil over slow fire 1 hour.
=Soups of Dried Peas or Beans.=—Pick and soak split peas, dried green peas, or black or white beans overnight. Drain, measure, add 4 times as much cold water; to each quart of water, ½ onion. Simmer slowly till soft. Rub through sieve. Return to fire, season with salt and pepper; for each quart thicken with 1 teaspoon each butter and flour. Boil up again for a few minutes. Black bean soup should also have a pinch of mustard and a little lemon juice added, and slices of hard-boiled egg.
=Croutons.=—Trim crust from stale bread and cut in ½-inch dice. Fry golden brown in a little butter or in a kettle of smoking-hot fat. Drain and serve hot with soups. Instead of frying they may be browned in the oven.
=Ox-tail Soup.=—1 ox-tail, 2 pounds lean beef, 4 carrots, 3 onions, thyme and parsley, pepper and salt to taste, 4 quarts cold water. Cut tail into joints, fry brown in good dripping. Slice onions and 2 carrots and fry in the same, when you have taken out the pieces of tail. When done tie the thyme and parsley in lace bag, and drop into the soup-pot. Put in the tail, then the beef cut into strips. Grate over them 2 whole carrots, pour over all the water, and boil slowly 4 hours; strain and season; thicken with brown flour wet with cold water; boil 15 minutes longer and serve.
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Fish
=Directions for Preparing.=—Clean fish carefully, slit it low enough so as not to have any blood on the backbone, but do not make too large a cut so as to spoil look of fish; wash thoroughly in cold water. _Great care_ must be taken not to break gall, for it would make fish bitter. Use good dripping or lard for frying.
=To Broil Fish.=—Clean, wash, and wipe dry. Split so that when laid flat the backbone will be in the middle, or take the backbone out. Sprinkle with salt and lay, inside down, upon a buttered gridiron over a clear fire until it is nicely colored, then turn. When done, put upon a hot dish, butter plentifully, and pepper. Put a hot cover over it and send to table.
=Boiled Bass, or other Fish.=—Put sufficient water in pot to enable fish, if alive, to swim easily. Add ½ cup vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 onion, 1 dozen whole black peppers, 1 blade mace. Sew up fish in piece of clean net or muslin, fitted to shape. Heat slowly for first ½ hour; then boil 8 minutes, at least, to pound, quite fast. Unwrap, and pour over it cup of drawn butter, based upon the liquor in which fish was boiled, with juice of ½ lemon stirred into it.
=Creamed Fish.=—Steam 2 pounds codfish, break in flakes, removing bones and skin. Make 1 pint white sauce (see Meat and Fish Sauces). Grease a baking-dish, fill with alternate layers of fish and sauce, seasoning with salt, pepper, chopped parsley, and lemon juice or a few drops of vinegar. Mix together 1 cup dry bread crumbs and 3 tablespoons melted butter; spread over top and brown in quick oven.
This may be varied by using tomato, bechamel, curry, or any other sauce, or by adding grated cheese or sliced hard-boiled eggs to the white sauce; by baking in shells or patty-pans in place of the deep dish, or by covering with mashed potato or biscuit crust instead of crumbs.
=Broiled Salt Mackerel.=—Freshen by soaking it overnight in water, taking care that the skin lies uppermost. In the morning dry it without breaking, cut off the head and tip of the tail, place it between the bars of a buttered fish-gridiron, and broil to a light brown; lay it on a hot dish, and dress with a little butter, pepper, and lemon juice, vinegar, or chopped pickle.
=Broiled Halibut.=—Slices of halibut, salt, pepper, butter. Cut the slices of fish about an inch thick, season with pepper and salt, and lay them in melted butter ½ hour, allowing 3 tablespoons of butter to a pound of fish, then roll them in flour, and broil about 20 minutes. Serve very hot.
=Codfish Balls.=—Put fish in cold water, set on back of stove; when water gets hot, pour off and put on cold again until fish is fresh enough; then pick it up. Boil potatoes and mash them; mix fish and potatoes together while potatoes are hot, taking ⅔ potatoes and ⅓ fish. Put in plenty of butter; make into balls and fry in plenty of lard. Have lard hot before putting in balls.
Variation may be had by rolling each ball in beaten egg, then in dry bread crumbs before frying.
=Fried Blue Fish, and other Kinds.=—Clean, wipe dry, inside and out. Sprinkle with flour, and season with salt. Fry in hot butter or sweet lard. ½ lard and ½ butter make a good mixture for frying fish. The moment fish are done to good brown, take them from fat and drain in hot strainer; garnish with parsley.
=Fish Chowder.=—Cut 2 or 3 slices of salt pork into dice pieces; fry to crisp, and turn the whole into chowder-kettle. Pare 6 medium-sized potatoes and cut them in two. Peel small onion and chop fine. Put potatoes into kettle with part of onion. Cut fish (which should be fresh cod or haddock) into convenient pieces, and lay over potatoes; sprinkle over it rest of the onion. Season well with salt and pepper, add just enough water to come to top of fish. Pour over the whole quart can tomatoes; cover closely and allow to cook about as long as takes to boil potatoes; then add 2 quarts milk, and let it scald up again. Season with tomato catsup, and more salt and pepper if required.
=To Fry Brook Trout or any other Small Fish.=—Clean fish, and let them lie few minutes wrapped singly in clean dry towel; season with pepper and salt; roll in corn meal, fry in ⅓ butter and ⅔ lard; drain on sieve, and serve hot.
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Shell Fish
=Clam Chowder.=—25 clams cut up, ½ pound salt pork chopped fine, 6 potatoes sliced thin, 4 onions sliced thin. Put pork in kettle; after cooking a short time add potatoes, onions, and juice of clams. Cook 2½ hours, then add clams; 15 minutes before serving add 2 quarts milk.
=Fried Oysters.=—Select largest and finest oysters. Drain and wipe them by spreading upon cloth, laying another over them, pressing lightly. Roll each in beaten egg, then in cracker crumbs with which has been mixed a very little pepper. Fry in mixture of equal parts of lard and butter.
=Oysters Roasted in the Shell.=—Wash and scrub the shells. Cook in hot oven, on top of stove, over red-hot coals, or in steamer until shells open. Always place them round shell down to retain juice. Serve melted butter and vinegar or lemons with them.
=Panned Oysters.=—Pick over the opened oysters to remove bits of shell. Wash quickly in cold water and drain on sieve. Put into saucepan with 1 tablespoon butter for 25 oysters and a dash of salt and pepper. Cover and shake over a hot fire until edges ruffle and oysters are plump. May be served on toast.
=Stewed Oysters.=—Pick over and wash 1 quart oysters. Scald 1 pint milk. Strain, boil, and skim oyster liquor; when clear add oysters. Cook till oysters are plump and well ruffled; take from fire, add hot milk, salt, and pepper.
If desired thicker, rub together 1 tablespoon each of butter and flour; add to milk and stir until smooth. This may be varied by addition of a little chopped celery or onion.
=Creamed Oysters.=—Prepare 1 cup thick cream sauce (see Sauces). Pan 1 pint cleaned oysters; drain and add to sauce. Season with salt, pepper, pinch of mace, and few drops lemon juice.
=Scalloped Oysters.=—Pick, wash, and drain 1 solid quart oysters. Put in layers in baking-dish, alternating with dry bread or cracker crumbs and seasoning. When dish is filled add strained oyster liquor and sufficient milk to moisten. Cover with crumbs, add 1 tablespoon butter in bits, and bake ½ hour in hot oven.
=Broiled Oysters.=—Pick, wash, and drain large oysters. Dip each in melted butter, roll in fine crumbs, and broil in fine wire broiler over a clear, hot fire. Serve on toast with sliced lemons.
=Pickled Oysters.=—2 gallons large oysters, drain and rinse them; put 1 pint oyster juice in 1 quart vinegar over fire; scald and skim until clear; add 1 tablespoon whole pepper, 1 tablespoon cloves, 1 tablespoon mace, 1 even tablespoon salt; scald a minute, then throw in oysters; let them just come to a boil. The oysters should be pickled day before being wanted, as they grow tough after standing a few days in vinegar.
=Oyster Pâtés.=—1 quart oysters, minced fine with a sharp knife; 1 cup rich drawn butter based upon milk; cayenne and black pepper to taste. Stir minced oysters in drawn butter and cook 5 minutes. Have ready some shapes of pastry, baked in pâté-pans, then slipped out. Fill these with the mixture; set in oven 2 minutes to heat, and send to table.
=Oyster Pie.=—1 quart oysters, drained; pepper, salt, and butter to taste. 1 quart flour, 2 tablespoons lard, 1 tablespoon salt, mix with water for pie crust. Butter plate, then line pie-plate with crust; fill with oysters, seasoned; put over a crust and bake.
=Scallops in Batter.=—Wash and dry large scallops. Dip each in fritter batter (see Fritters) and fry golden brown in smoking-hot fat.
=To Boil Lobsters or Crabs.=—The lobster is in good season from April to December, and should be purchased alive and plunged into boiling water in which a good proportion of salt has been mixed. Continue to boil according to size about 20 minutes. Crabs should be boiled in the same manner, but a little more than half the time is necessary.
=Deviled Crabs.=—1 cup crab meat, picked from shells of well-boiled crabs, 2 tablespoons fine bread crumbs or rolled cracker, yolks two hard-boiled eggs chopped, juice of a lemon, ½ teaspoon mustard, a little cayenne pepper and salt, 1 cup good drawn butter. Mix 1 spoon crumbs with chopped crab meat, yolks, seasoning, drawn butter. Fill scallop shells—large clam shells will do—or small pâté-pans—with the mixture; sift crumbs over top, heat to slight browning in quick oven.
=Soft Shell Crabs.=—Fry in butter or lard.
=To Open a Boiled Lobster.=—Wipe off shell, break off large claws; separate tail from body; take body from shell, leaving “lady,” or stomach, on shell. Put aside green fat and coral; remove small claws; remove woolly gills from body, break latter through middle, and pick out meat from joints. Crush or cut under side of tail, draw meat from shell. Draw back flesh on upper end and pull off intestinal cord. Break edge of large claws and remove meat.
=Lobster Newburg.=—Season 1 pint diced lobster with ½ teaspoon salt, dash cayenne, pinch nutmeg. Put in saucepan with 2 tablespoons butter, heat slowly. Add 2 tablespoons sherry; cook 5 minutes; add ½ cup cream beaten with yolks 2 eggs, stir till thickened. Take quickly from fire.
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Meats
Broiling
The rules for roasting meat apply to broiling, except that instead of cooking it in the oven it is to be quickly browned, first on one side and then on the other, over a hot fire, and removed a little from the fire to finish cooking. Meat an inch thick will broil in about 4 minutes. It should be seasoned after it is cooked.
Frying