essential that all material used shall be thoroughly good of its kind.
If bread is to be used, the crumbs should be dry and rather stale, but
on no account use that which is sour or moldy. Some housekeepers imagine
that if their bread happens to spoil and become sour, although it is
hardly palatable enough for the table, it may be advantageously used to
make puddings. It is indeed quite possible to combine sour bread with
other ingredients so as to make a pudding agreeable to the palate; but
disguising sour bread makes sweets and flavors by no means changes it
into a wholesome food. It is better economy to throw sour bread away at
once than to impose it upon the digestive organs at the risk of health
and strength.
Bread which has begun to show appearance of mold should never be used;
for mold is a poison, and very serious illness has resulted from the
eating of puddings made from moldy bread.
Eggs, to be used for desserts, should always be fresh and good. Cooks
often imagine that an egg too stale to be eaten in any other way will do
very well for use in cakes and puddings, because it can be disguised so
as not to be apparent to the taste; but stale eggs are unfit for food,
either alone or in combination with other ingredients. Their use is
often the occasion of serious disturbances of the digestive organs. Most
desserts in which eggs are used will be much lighter if the yolks and
whites are beaten separately. If in winter, and eggs are scarce, fewer
may be used, and two tablespoonfuls of dry snow for each omitted egg
stirred in the last thing before baking.
Milk, likewise, should always be sweet and fresh. If it is to be heated,
use a double boiler, so that there will be no danger of scorching. If
fresh milk is not available, the condensed milk found at the grocer's is
an excellent substitute. Dissolve according to directions, and follow
the recipe the same as with fresh milk, omitting one half or two thirds
the given amount of sugar.
If dried sweet fruits, raisins, or currants are to be used, look them
over carefully, put them in a colander, and placing it in a pan of warm
water, allow the currants to remain until plump. This will loosen the
dirt which, while they are shriveled, sticks in the creases, and they
may then be washed by dipping the colander in and out of clean water
until they are free from sediment; rinse in two waters, then spread upon
a cloth, and let them get perfectly dry before using.
It is a good plan, after purchasing raisins and currants, to wash and
dry a quantity, and store in glass cans ready for use. To facilitate the
stoning of raisins, put them into a colander placed in a dish of warm
water until plump; then drain, when the seeds can be easily removed.
For desserts which are to be molded, always wet the molds in cold water
before pouring in the desserts.
_SUGGESTIONS FOR FLAVORING, ETC._
TO PREPARE ALMOND PASTE.--Blanch the nuts according to directions
given on page 215. Allow them to dry thoroughly, and pound in a mortar
to a smooth paste. They can be reduced much easier if dried for a day or
two after blanching. During the pounding, sprinkle with a few drops of
cold water, white of egg, rose water, or lemon juice, to prevent them
from oiling.
COCOANUT FLAVOR.--Cocoanut, freshly grated or desiccated, unless in
extremely fine particles, is a very indigestible substance, and when its
flavor is desired for custards, puddings, etc., it is always better to
steep a few tablespoonfuls in a pint of milk for twenty minutes or a
half hour, and strain out the particles. The milk should not be allowed
to boil, as it will be likely to curdle. One tablespoonful of freshly
grated cocoanut or two of the desiccated will give a very pleasant and
delicate flavor; and if a more intense flavor is desired, use a larger
quantity.
ORANGE AND LEMON FLAVOR.--Orange or lemon flavor may be obtained by
steeping a few strips of the yellow part of the rind of lemon or orange
in milk for twenty minutes. Skim out the rind before using for desserts.
Care should be taken to use only the yellow part, as the white will
impart a bitter flavor. The grated rind may also be used for flavoring,
but in grating the peel, one must be careful to grate very lightly, and
thus use only the outer yellow portion, which contains the essential oil
of the fruit. Grate evenly, turning and working around the lemon, using
as small a surface of the grater as possible, in order to prevent waste.
Generally, twice across the grater and back will be sufficient for
removing all the yellow skin from one portion of a lemon. A well-grated
lemon should be of exactly the same shape as before, with no yellow skin
remaining, and no deep scores into the white. Remove the yellow pulp
from the grater with a fork.
TO COLOR SUGAR.--For ornamenting the meringues of puddings and
other desserts, take a little of the fresh juice of cranberries, red
raspberries, currants, black raspberries, grapes, or other colored
juices of fruits, thicken it stiff with the sugar, spread on a plate to
dry, or use at one. It may be colored yellow with orange peel strained
through a cloth, or green with the juice of spinach. Sugar prepared in
this manner is quite as pretty and much more wholesome than the colored
sugars found in market, which are often prepared with poisonous
chemicals.
FRUIT DESSERTS.
_RECIPES._
APPLE DESSERT.--Pare some large tart apples, remove the cores, put
into the cavities a little quince jelly, lemon flavored sugar, or grated
pineapple and sugar, according to the flavor desired. Have as many
squares of bread with the crust taken off as there are apples, and place
a filled apple on each piece of bread, on earthen pie plates; moisten
well with a little quince jelly dissolved in water, lemon juice, or
pineapple juice, according to the filling used. Cover closely, and bake
in a rather quick oven till the apples are tender. Serve with whipped
cream and sugar.
APPLE MERINGUE DESSERT.--Pare and core enough tart, easy-cooking
apples to make a quart when stewed. Cover closely and cook slowly till
perfectly tender, when they should be quite dry. Mash through a
colander, add a little sugar and a little grated pineapple or lemon
peel. Beat light with a silver fork, turn into a pudding dish, and brown
in a moderate oven ten or fifteen minutes. Then cover with a meringue
made with two tablespoonfuls of sugar and the beaten whites of two eggs,
and return to the oven for a moment to brown. Serve cold.
APPLE ROSE CREAM.--Wash, core, slice, and cook without paring, a
dozen fresh snow apples until very dry. When done, rub through a
colander to remove the skins, add sugar to sweeten, and the whites of
two eggs; beat vigorously with an egg beater until stiff, add a
teaspoonful of rose water for flavoring, and serve at once, or keep on
ice. It is especially important that the apples be very dry, otherwise
the cream will not be light. If after rubbing through the colander,
there is still much juice, they should be cooked again until it has
evaporated; or they may be turned into a jelly bag and drained. Other
varieties of apple may be used, and flavored with pineapple or vanilla.
Made as directed of snow apples or others with white flesh and red
skins, the cream should be of a delicate pink color, making a very
dainty as well as delicious dessert.
APPLE SNOW.--Pare and quarter some nice tart apples. Those that
when cooked will be whitest in color are best. Put them into a china
dish, and steam until tender over a kettle of boiling water. When done,
rub through a colander or beat with a fork until smooth, add sugar to
sweeten and a little grated lemon rind, and beat again. For every cup
and a half of the prepared apple allow the white of one egg, which beat
to a stiff froth, adding the apple to it a little at a time, beating all
together until, when taken up in a spoon, it stands quite stiff. Serve
cold, with or without a simple custard prepared with a pint of hot milk,
a tablespoonful of sugar, and the yolks of two eggs.
BAKED APPLES WITH CREAM.--Pare some nice juicy sweet apples, and
remove the cores without dividing. Bake until tender in a covered dish
with a spoonful or two of water on the bottom. Serve with whipped cream.
Or, bake the apples without paring and when done, remove the skins, and
serve in the same manner. The cream may be flavored with a little lemon
or rose if desired. Lemon apples and Citron apples, prepared as directed
on pages 186 and 187, make a most delicious dessert served with whipped
cream and sugar, or with mock cream flavored with cocoanut.
BAKED SWEET APPLE DESSERT.--Wash and remove the cores from a dozen
medium-sized sweet apples, and one third as many sour ones, and bake
until well done. Mash through a colander to make smooth and remove the
skins. Put into a granite-ware dish, smooth the top with a knife, return
to the oven and bake very slowly until dry enough to keep its shape when
cut. Add if desired a meringue made by heating the white of one egg with
a tablespoonful of sugar. Cut into squares, and serve in individual
dishes. The meringue may be flavored with lemon or dotted with bits of
colored sugar.
BANANAS IN SYRUP.--Heat in a porcelain kettle a pint of currant and
red raspberry juice, equal parts, sweetened to taste. When boiling, drop
into it a dozen peeled bananas, and simmer very gently for twenty
minutes. Remove the bananas, boil the juice until thickened to the
consistency of syrup, and pour over the fruit. Serve cold.
BAKED BANANAS.--Bake fresh, firm, yelow bananas with the skins on
fifteen minutes in a moderate oven. Serve hot.
FRESH FRUIT COMPOTE.--Flavor three tablespoonfuls of sugar by
mixing with it a little of the grated yellow rind of an orange, or by
rubbing it over the orange to extract the oil. If the latter method is
used, the square lump sugar will be preferable. Pare, quarter, and slice
three medium-sized tart apples. Peel, remove the seeds, and cut in quite
fine pieces three oranges. Put the fruit in alternate layers in a glass
dish. Sweeten a cupful of fresh or canned raspberry juice with the
flavored sugar, and turn it over the fruit. Put the dish on ice to cool
for a half hour before serving.
GRAPE APPLES.--Sweeten a pint of fresh grape juice with a pint of
sugar, and simmer gently until reduced one third. Pare and core without
dividing, six or eight nice tart apples, and stew very slowly in the
grape juice until tender, but not broken. Remove the apples and boil the
juice (if any remain) until thickened to the consistency of syrup. Serve
cold with a dressing of whipped cream. Canned grape pulp or juice may be
utilized for this purpose. Sweet apples may be used instead of tart
ones, and the sugar omitted.
PEACH CREAM.--Pare and stone some nice yellow peaches, and mash
with a spoon or press through a colander with a potato masher. Allow
equal quantities of the peach pulp and cream, add a little sugar to
sweeten, and beat all together until the cream is light. Serve in
saucers or glasses with currant buns. A banana cream may be prepared in
the same manner.
PRUNE DESSERT.--Prepare some prune marmalade as directed on page
191. Put in a square granite-ware dish, which place inside another dish
containing hot water, and cook it in a slow oven until the marmalade is
dry enough to retain its shape when cut with a knife. If desired add a
meringue as for baked sweet apple dessert, dotting the top with pink
sugar. Serve in squares in individual dishes.
DESSERTS MADE OF FRUIT WITH GRAINS, BREAD, ETC.
_RECIPES._
APPLE SANDWICH.--Mix half a cup of sugar with the grated yellow
rind of half a lemon. Stir half a cup of cream into a quart of soft
bread crumbs; prepare three pints of sliced apples, sprinkled with the
sugar; fill a pudding dish with alternate layers of moistened crumbs and
sliced apples, finishing with a thick layer of crumbs. Unless the apples
are very juicy, add half a cup of cold water, and unless quite tart,
have mixed with the water the juice of half a lemon. Cover and bake
about one hour. Remove the cover toward the last, that the top may brown
lightly. Serve with cream. Berries or other acid fruits may be used in
place of apples, and rice or cracked wheat mush substituted for bread
crumbs.
APPLE SANDWICH NO. 2.--Prepare and stew some apples as for sauce,
allowing them to become quite dry; flavor with lemon, pineapples,
quince, or any desired flavor. Moisten slices of zwieback in hot cream
as for toast. Spread a slice with the apple mixture, cover with a second
slice of the moistened zwieback, then cut in squares and serve, with or
without a dressing of mock cream. If desired to have the sandwiches
particularly dainty, cut the bread from which the zwieback is prepared
in rounds, triangles, or stars before toasting.
BAKED APPLE PUDDING.--Pour boiling water over bread crumbs; when
soft, squeeze out all the water, and line the bottom and sides of an
oiled earthen pudding dish with the crumbs. Fill the interior with
sliced apples, and cover with a layer of bread crumbs. Bake in a covered
dish set in a pan of hot water, until the apples are tender; then remove
the cover and brown. Loosen the pudding with a knife, invert on a plate,
and it will turn out whole. Serve with sugar and cream.
BARLEY FRUIT PUDDING.--Mix together a pint of cold, well steamed
pearl barley, a cup of finely minced tart apples, three fourths of a cup
of chopped and seeded raisins, a third of a cup of sugar, and a cup of
boiling water and turn into a pudding dish; cover, and place the dish in
the oven in a pan of hot water, and bake slowly an hour and a half, or
until the water has become quite absorbed and the fruit tender. Serve
warm with a water, adding sugar to taste, and thickening with a half
teaspoonful of cornstarch. Any tart fruit jelly may be used, or the
pudding may be served with cream and sugar flavored with a little grated
lemon rind.
BARLEY FIG PUDDING.--One pint of well-steamed pearl barley, two
cups of finely chopped best figs, one half cup of sugar, one half cup of
thin sweet cream, and one and one half cups of fresh milk. Mix all
thoroughly, turn into an earthen pudding dish; place it in the oven in
a pan half full of hot water, and bake slowly till the milk is nearly
absorbed. The pudding should be stirred once or twice during the baking,
so that the figs will be distributed evenly, instead of rising to the
top.
BLACKBERRY CORNSTARCH PUDDING.--Take two quarts of well-ripened
blackberries which have been carefully looked over, put them into a
granite-ware boiler with half a cup of water, and stew for twenty
minutes. Add sugar to sweeten, and three heaping tablespoonfuls of
cornstarch rubbed to a cream with a little cold water. Cook until
thickened, pour into molds, and cool. Serve cold with milk or cream.
Other fresh or canned berries may be used in the same way.
COCOANUT AND CORNSTARCH BLANCMANGE.--Simmer two tablespoonfuls of
desiccated cocoanut in a pint of milk for twenty minutes, and strain
through a fine sieve. If necessary, add more cold milk to make a full
pint. Add a tablespoonful of sugar, heat to boiling, and stir in
gradually two tablespoonfuls of cornstarch rubbed smooth in a very
little cold milk. Cook five minutes, turn into cups, and serve cold with
fruit sauce or cream.
CORNSTARCH BLANCMANGE.--Stir together two tablespoonfuls of
cornstarch, half a cup of sugar, the juice and a little of the grated
rind of one lemon; braid the whole with cold water enough to dissolve
well. Then pour boiling water over the mixture, stirring meanwhile,
until it becomes transparent. Allow it to bubble a few minutes longer,
pour into molds, and serve cold with cream and sugar.
CORNSTARCH WITH RAISINS.--Measure out one pint of rich milk. Rub
two tablespoonfuls of cornstarch perfectly smooth with a little of the
milk, and heat the remainder to boiling, adding to it a tablespoonful of
sugar. Add the braided cornstarch, and let it cook until it thickens,
stirring constantly. Then add a half cup of raisins which have been
previously steamed. This may be served hot with sugar and cream, or
turned into cups and molded, and served cold with lemon, orange, or
other fruit sauce for dressing.
CORNSTARCH WITH APPLES.--Prepare the cornstarch as in the preceding
recipe, omitting the raisins. Place in a pudding dish some lemon apple
sauce, without juice, about two inches deep. Pour the cornstarch over
it, and serve hot or cold with cream.
CORNSTARCH FRUIT MOLD.--Heat a quart of strawberry, raspberry, or
currant juice, sweetened to taste, to boiling. If the pure juice of
berries is used, it may be diluted with one cup of water to each pint
and a half of juice. Stir in four tablespoonfuls of cornstarch well
braided with a little of the juice reserved for this purpose. Boil until
the starch is well cooked, stirring constantly. Pour into molds
previously wet with cold water, and cool. Serve with cream and sugar. A
circle of fresh berries around the mold when served adds to its
appearance.
CORNSTARCH FRUIT MOLD NO. 2.--Wash, stone, and stew some nice
French prunes, add sugar to sweeten, and if there is not an abundance of
juice, a little boiling water. For every one fourth pound of prunes
there should be enough juice to make a pint in all, for which add two
tablespoonfuls of cornstarch, rubbed smooth in a little cold water, and
boil three or four minutes. Pour into cups previously wet in cold water,
and mold. Serve cold with whipped cream. Other dried or canned fruits,
as apricots, peaches, cherries, etc., may be used in place of prunes, if
preferred.
CRACKED-WHEAT PUDDING.--A very simple pudding may be made with two
cups of cold, well-cooked cracked wheat, two and a half cups of milk,
and one half cup of sugar. Let the wheat soak in the milk till
thoroughly mixed and free from lumps, then add the sugar and a little
grated lemon peel, and bake about three fourths of an hour in a moderate
oven. It should be of a creamy consistency when cold, but will appear
quite thin when taken from the oven. By flavoring the milk with
cocoanut, a different pudding may be produced. Rolled or pearl wheat may
be used for this pudding. A cupful of raisins may be added if desired.
CRACKED-WHEAT PUDDING NO. 2.--Four and one half cups of milk, a
very scant half cup of cracked wheat, one half cup of sugar; put
together in a pudding dish, and bake slowly with the dish covered and
set in a pan of hot water for three or four hours, or until the wheat is
perfectly tender, as may be ascertained by dipping a few grains with a
spoon out from the side of the dish.
FARINA BLANCMANGE.--Heat a quart of milk, reserving one half cup,
to boiling. Then add two tablespoonfuls of sugar, and four heaping
tablespoonfuls of farina, previously moistened with the reserved half
cup of milk. Let all boil rapidly for a few minutes till the farina has
well set, then place in a double boiler, or a dish set in a pan of
boiling water, to cook an hour longer. Mold in cups previously wet with
cold water. Serve with sugar and cream flavored with vanilla or a little
grated lemon rind, mock cream, or cocoanut sauce.
Much variety may be given this simple dessert by serving it with a
dressing of fruit juices; red raspberry, strawberry, grape, current,
cranberry, cherry, and plum are all very good. If desired, the milk with
which the blancmange is prepared may be first flavored with cocoanut,
thus making a different blancmange. Fresh fruit, as sliced banana,
blueberries, or strawberries, lightly stirred in just before molding,
make other excellent varieties.
FARINA FRUIT MOLD.--Put a quart of well-sweetened red raspberry
juice into the inner cup of a double boiler. Heat to boiling, and stir
in four heaping tablespoonfuls of farina first moistened with a little
of the juice. Boil up until thickened, then set into the outer boiler,
the water in which should be boiling, and cook for one hour. Pour into
molds previously wet in cold water, and cool. Serve with whipped cream
or mock cream. Currant, strawberry, cherry, or blackberry juice may be
used instead of raspberry. If water be added to dilute the juice, a
little more farina will be needed.
FRUIT PUDDING.--Measure out one quart of rich new milk, reserving
half a pint to wet five large rounded tablespoonfuls of sifted flour.
Add to the milk one even cup of sugar, turn in the flour mixture and
heat to boiling in a farina kettle, stirring all the while to prevent
lumps, and cook till it thickens, which will be about ten minutes after
it begins to boil. Remove from the stove, and beat while it is cooling.
When cool, add sliced bananas or whole strawberries, whortleberries,
raspberries, blackberries, sliced apricots, or peaches. Serve cold.
JAM PUDDING.--Make a jam by mashing well some fresh raspberries or
blueberries and sweetening to taste. Spread over slices of fresh, light
bread or buns, and pile in layers one above another in a pudding dish.
Pour over the layers enough rich milk or thin cream heated to scalding,
to moisten the whole. Turn a plate over the pudding, place a weight upon
it, and press lightly till cold. Cut in slices, and serve with or
without a cream dressing.
PLAIN FRUIT PUDDING OR BROWN BETTY.--Chop together one part seeded
raisins and two parts good tart apples. Fill a pudding dish with
alternate layers of the fruit and bread crumbs, finishing with the bread
crumbs on top. Unless the apples are very juicy, moisten the whole with
a tablespoonful of lemon juice in a cup of cold water, for a pudding
filling a three-pint dish. Cover the dish and place it in a moderate
oven in a pan of hot water, and bake nearly an hour; then remove from
the pan, uncover, and brown nicely. Serve warm with cream and sugar, or
with an orange or lemon sauce. Seeded cherries may be used in place of
the apples and raisins. In that case, each layer of fruit should be
sprinkled lightly with sugar, and the water omitted.
PRUNE PUDDING.--Moisten rather thin slices of stale bread in hot
milk and place in a pudding dish with alternate layers of stewed prunes
from which the stones have been removed, finishing with bread on top.
Pour over the whole a little more hot milk or pure juice or both, and
bake in a moderate over three fourths of an hour. Serve hot or cold with
orange or lemon sauce.
RICE MERINGUE.--Steam a cupful of rice as directed on page 99 until
tender and dry. Heap it loosely on a glass dish, and dot with squares of
cranberry or currant jelly. Beat with the whites of two eggs to a stiff
froth with one third cup of sugar, and pile it roughly over the rice.
Serve with cream.
RICE SNOWBALL.--Wash a cupful of good rice and steam until half
done. Have pared and cored without dividing, six large, easy cooking
tart apples. Put a clean square of cheese cloth over a plate, place the
apples on it, and fill them and all the interstices between with rice.
Put the remainder of the rice over and around the apples; tie up the
cloth, and cook in a kettle of boiling water until the apples are
tender. When done, lift from the water and drain well, untie the cloth,
invert the pudding upon a plate and remove the cloth. Serve hot with
cream and sugar or cocoanut sauce.
RICE FRUIT DESSERT.--Cold boiled rice, molded so that it can be
sliced, may be utilized in making a variety of delicious desserts. A
nice pudding may be prepared by filling a dish with alternate layers of
half-inch slices of molded rice and grated tart raw apples the same
thickness. Grate a little lemon rind over each layer. Cover, and place
in the oven in a pan of boiling water, and bake for an hour. Serve with
sugar and cream. Stoned cherries or peaches may be used instead of the
apple.
RICE DUMPLING.--Steam a teacup of rice until tender, and line an
oiled earthen pudding dish, pressing it up around the sides and over the
bottom. Fill the crust thus made with rather tart apples cut in small
slices; cover with rice, and steam until the apples are tender, which
may be determined by running a broom-straw through them. Let stand until
cold, then turn from the dish, and serve with sugar and cream. Any easy
cooking tart fruit, as stoned cherries, gooseberries, etc., may be used
in place of the apples when preferred.