HOW--

To Blanch Almonds.

Shell the nuts, and pour boiling water over them. Let them stand in

the water a minute, and then throw them into cold water. Rub between

the hands.

To Corn Beef.

For fifty pounds of beef make a pickle with two gallons of water, four

pounds of salt, one and a half pounds of brown sugar, one and a half

ounces of saltpetre, half an ounce of saleratus. Put these ingredients

on to boil, and when they boil, skim, and put away to cool. When cold,

put the beef in it. Put weights on the meat, to keep it under the

brine.

To Scrape Chocolate.

If only one square of chocolate is needed, draw a line across the two

squares at the end, dividing them in halves. With a sharp knife, shave

off the chocolate until you come to the line. By this method there is

no waste of time or material. If you want two or more squares, all

that is necessary is, of course, to shave off until you come to the

dividing line already there. The pound packages of Baker's chocolate

consist of two cakes, each of which has eight squares; so one of these

squares is an ounce.

To Use the Salamander.

The salamander is a circular iron plate, to which is attached a long

handle. It is made red hot in the fire and held over the article to be

browned, being careful not to have it touch. If you have not a

salamander the fire shovel can be heated and used in the same way; but

the shovel is not improved by the operation.

To Clean English Currants.

Pick all the stones, bits of dirt and long stems from the currants.

Add one pint of flour to two quarts of currants, and rub well between

the hands. This starts the stems and dirt from the fruit. Put about a

pint of currants in the flour sieve and rub them until all the flour

has passed through; then put them in the colander and shake until the

stems have passed through. When all the fruit has been treated in this

manner, put it in a large pan of cold water. Wash thoroughly, and

drain in the colander. Repeat this operation three times. When the

fruit is well drained, spread it on boards or flat dishes and dry in a

warm place. Put away in jars.

To Remove Jellies and Creams from Moulds.

Have in a pan water enough (a little more than blood warm) to come to

the top of the mould. If the mould is tin, set it in this for about

half a minute; if earthen, keep it in long enough to have the heat

pass through the mould. Wipe the mould, place over it the dish into

which the jelly is to be turned, and turn both dish and mould

simultaneously. Let the mould rest a moment before lifting it gently

from the jelly.

To Whip Cream.

Very rich or _very_ poor cream will not whip well. When too rich

it turns to butter, and when too poor the froth becomes liquid almost

as soon as it has been skimmed. Thick cream, that will hardly pour,

should have an equal quantity of milk added to it before whipping.

Such cream as one gets from the milkman will rarely be found

_too_ rich for whipping. It is more likely to be the other way;

and one is often disappointed in finding it too poor to froth. The

cream should be ice cold.

Have a large bowl or tin pail, rather narrow at the bottom. Place this

in a pan of ice water. Have a bright tin pan in another of ice water.

Put the cream in the bowl and put the whip churn in this. Hold the

churn with the left hand, tipping it slightly, that the cream may flow

out at the bottom. With the right hand draw the dasher lightly about

half way up the cylinder; then press down hard. It must not be

forgotten that the _up_ stroke is _light_ and the _down_ stroke

is _hard_. When the bowl is full, skim the froth into a

tin pan. Continue this until nearly all the cream has been whipped.

Draw the froth in the pan to one side, and turn the liquid cream

at the bottom of the pan back into the bowl. Whip it again. A

little of the cream will always become liquid again.

When the cream is for whips, or for a garnish for frozen pudding or

Bavarian creams, sweeten it, and flavor with anything you please,

before whipping. If the cream is very rich a Dover beater will whip

it, but there is nothing that will whip cream so quickly and so well

as the whip churn described in the chapter on Kitchen Furnishing.

To Boil Sugar.

The degrees of boiling sugar are variously divided by different cooks.

Some give six and others as high as eight. The Stench boil sugar for

nearly all their desserts. For all practical purposes a cook need

understand only three stages. Put one cupful of granulated or loaf

sugar and half a cupful of water on to boil. When the mixture has

boiled fifteen minutes, dip the fore-finger and thumb in cold water

and take up a little of the syrup between them. If, upon drawing them

apart, the syrup forms a thread, it is at the second degree. This is

the best stage for frozen fruits, sherbets, and preserves.

If, a little later, when some syrup is taken up with a spoon and blown

hard, it flies off in tiny bubbles, it is at the fourth degree, called

the _soufflé_. It takes about twenty minutes' boiling for this.

The syrup is then used for _biscuit glacé_ and various kinds of

creams. At this stage it also gives sherbets and fruits a much richer

flavor than when used at the second degree.

If, when a little syrup is taken up on the point of a stick or skewer,

and dipped in cold water, it breaks off brittle, the sixth degree has

been reached. This is the stage where it is used for icing fruit and

cake, the dish being called fruit _glacé_ or _gâteau glacé_.

The syrup must _never_ be stirred, as this will cause it to

grain. Great care must be taken that it does not boil after coming to

the sixth degree, as it burns quickly after that point is reached.

To Make and Use a Pastry Bag.

Fold a piece of strong cotton cloth (perhaps a foot square) from the

opposite corners, so as to give it a triangular shape. On one side sew

together the two edges, thus making a bag shaped like a "dunce's cap."

Cut the cloth at the apex just enough to permit a short tin tube,

somewhat like a tailor's thimble, to be pushed through. The tube for

éclairs measures about three-fourths of an inch at the smallest

opening; that for lady-fingers is three-eighths of an inch, and that

for meringues and kisses, half an inch. The tubes for decorating with

frosting are very small.

Fill the bag with the mixture to be forced through, and gather the

cloth together at the top with the left hand. Hold the point of the

tube close to the pan on which the mixture is to be spread. Press the

mixture out with the right hand. If the cakes are to be large use a

good deal of pressure, but if to be small, very little will do. At

first, it will be hard to get the shapes, but with a little practice

it will seem comparatively easy.

To Make Paper Cases.

This is not difficult, if one will carefully study for a moment the

diagram below and the directions following:

[Illustration: diagram]

Cut the paper on the dark lines--(there are _eight_).

Crease on every dotted line.

At each end turn the parts lettered A over that lettered B, so that

the lines _c_ rest on the line _d_, and one A overlaps the other.

Fold the parts B up against the backs of the parts A.

Fold inward those parts of the edges which are lightly shaded, and

fold outward those which are heavily shaded.

Stick the parts of the box together with the white of an egg mixed

with a little flour.

Remember that it is a box that is to be made, and after the first two

steps it may be easy to guess how to complete the work. By tracing a

copy of the diagram one obtains a good model one quarter of the size

the case should be; that is, the square should be five inches on a

side instead of two and one-half. After experimenting with this the

shape may be varied to suit the taste. Stiff white paper should be

used. Cases can be bought of restaurateurs. They are used for

_biscuit glacé, biscuit soufflé,_ and other dainties.

To Lard.

Larding is a simple operation. The pork should be firm and young

(salt, of course). Cut thin, even slices parallel with the rind, and

cut these in long, narrow strips that will fit into the needle. For

beef, veal, turkey or chicken the strips should be about as large

round as a lead pencil, and about three and a half inches long; and

for birds, chops, and sweetbreads they should be about as large round

as a match. Three slices are all that can be cut from one piece of

pork, because when you get more than an inch away from the rind, the

pork is so tender that it will break when in the needle.

Put the strips in a bowl of broken ice, to harden. Have the meat, if

beef or veal, free of skin and gristle. Put a strip (also called a

lardoon) into the needle as far as it will go. With a skewer or knife

draw a line on both sides of the meat and along the upper part. Thrust

the needle into the meat at one of the side lines; and when it is

about half way through to the top of the piece, press the steel

slightly with the thumb and fore-finger, to hold the lardoon in place

until it has entered the meat. Now push the needle through to the top,

and gently draw it out, leaving about three-quarters of an inch of the

strip exposed at both the side and upper part of the meat That part of

the pork which is hidden should be half an inch under the surface. The

needle's course is as if it started under the eaves of a gable roof

and came out at the ridge-pole. Continue until all the rows are filled

with lardoons. Two rows are enough for a fillet of beef. If the strips

are too large for the needle they will be pressed out as soon as the

lower part of the needle enters the meat.

To Stew.

The meat and vegetables for stews should, when it is possible, be

browned in a little fat, and hot water should then be added. As soon

as the stew comes to the boiling point, skim it, and set back where it

will just simmer, not boil, the given time. The pieces of meat in a

stew should come to the table whole and tender and juicy, and they

will be in this condition only with _slow_ cooking.

To Braise.

Braising is one of the best modes of preparing meat. There are pans

expressly for braising; but any deep tin, sheet-iron, or granite-ware

pan, with a cover, will answer quite well. The meat to be cooked must

always be browned in some kind of fat, the vegetables fried in the

same fat, and enough stock (if possible) or water be added to half

cover the meat. The pan should then be covered and placed in the oven.

The meat must cook _slowly_ and thoroughly, and be basted

frequently. No matter how tough, if properly braised it will become

tender and juicy. If, however, the cooking is hurried the dish will be

spoiled.

To Fry.

There are two modes of frying. One is to have just enough fat to

prevent the article from burning or sticking; and the other is to have

enough not only to cover the food, but to float it. The latter is by

far the better way, as all the surface of the article is instantly

hardened, and, therefore, will not absorb fat. It is also the cheaper

way, because the fat can be used so many times. If the drippings saved

from meats, soups and gravies should not be enough for frying

purposes, buy pure lard to use with it. Many recommend buying beef

suet for this same purpose; but food fried in suet is more liable to

absorb fat than that fried in lard. The reason of this is that lard

can be heated to a higher temperature without burning than can beef or

any of the other fats. Butter is also often recommended for frying. If

used, it should be free of salt. But aside from being so expensive, it

is not so nice for frying purposes as fats, for it burns at a much

lower temperature than either beef fat or lard. The Scotch kettle is

the _best_ utensil for frying. It rests on a rim, which lifts the

bottom from the stove, and the inside surface is polished very smooth;

therefore, the fat is less liable to burn than if the surface were

rough and the bottom rested on the hot stove. The fat should heat

gradually; and when the food is plunged into it a slight smoke should

rise from the _centre._ It will smoke at the sides some time

before it has become hot enough for frying. After the food has been

put in, let the kettle stand on the hottest part of the stove until it

regains its former temperature, and then set it back where it is not

quite so hot. In frying fish-balls, doughnuts, etc., put only a few at

a time in the boiling fat; then wait a few moments for the fat to

regain its former temperature, and put in a few more. Fish-balls are

often spoiled by the putting of a great many in the kettle at once.

The temperature of the fat is instantly reduced, and the balls absorb

the fat. When an article of food is fried, drain the fat from it, and

lay it on a sheet of brown paper in a warm pan. The paper will absorb

any fat that may remain on the food. As soon as you are through

frying, take the fat from the fire, and when cooled a little, strain

it, (See the chapter on the Care of Food.) If the directions given are

followed, there will be no difficulty in having food fried without its

being saturated with grease.

To Serve.

The dishes on which meats, fish, jellies and creams are placed should

be large enough to leave a margin of an inch or so between the food

and the lower edge of the border of the dish.

It is well to pour the sauce for cold puddings around the pudding,

especially if there will be a contrast in color.

It is a great improvement to have the sauce poured around the article

instead of over it, and to have the border of the dish garnished with

bits of parsley, celery tops or carrot leaves.

When sauce is poured around meat or fish the dish must be quite hot,

or the sauce will cool quickly.

Small rolls or sticks of bread are served with soup. Potatoes and

bread are usually served with fish, but many people prefer to serve

only bread. Butter is not served at the more elegant dinners. Two

vegetables will be sufficient in any course. Cold dishes should be

very cold, and hot dishes _hot._

It is a good idea to have a dish of sliced lemons for any kind of

fish, and especially for those broiled or fried.

Melons, cantelopes, cucumbers and radishes, and tomatoes, when served

in slices, should all be chilled in the ice chest.

Be particular not to overdo the work of decorating. Even a simple

garnish adds much to the appearance of a dish, but too much decoration

only injures it. Garnishes should be so arranged as not to interfere

with serving.

Potato-balls and thin fried potatoes make a nice garnish for all kinds

of fried and broiled meats and fish.

Cold boiled beets, carrots and turnips, and the whites of hard-boiled

eggs, stamped out with a fancy vegetable cutter, make a pretty garnish

for cold or hot meats.

Thin slices of toast, cut into triangles, make a good garnish for many

dishes.

Whipped cream is a delicate garnish for all Bavarian dreams, blanc-

manges, frozen puddings and ice creams.

Arrange around jellies or creams a border of any kind of delicate

green, like smilax or parsley, or of rose leaves, and dot it with

bright colors--pinks, geraniums, verbenas or roses. Remember that the

green should be dark and the flowers small and bright. A bunch of

artificial rose leaves, for decorating dishes of fruit at evening

parties, lasts for years. Natural leaves are preferable when they can

be obtained.

Wild roses, buttercups and nasturtiums, if not used too freely, we

suitable for garnishing a salad.