and put each to soak in one third of a cup of cold water. Heat one and
one fourths cups of water to boiling, add the juice of one lemon and two
thirds of a cup of sugar. Turn this slowly, stirring well meanwhile,
over the well-beaten yolks of two eggs. Cook in a double boiler five
minutes, or until the mixture thickens. Pour the hot custard over one
portion of the soaked gelatine, and stir it until dissolved. Strain, add
a little grated lemon rind for flavoring, and turn into a broad, shallow
dish to mold. A square granite-ware baking tin is admirable for this
purpose.
Take one and one half cups of raspberry, strawberry, grape, or currant
juice, sweetened to taste; heat to boiling and pour over the second
portion of the soaked gelatine. Stir till well dissolved, strain, and
turn into a shallow mold like that containing the first portion.
Heat one and one half cups of rich milk to boiling, add one half cup of
sugar, and pour over the third portion of soaked gelatine. Strain and
cool a little, flavor with vanilla or a few chopped bananas; or, if
preferred, flavor the milk with cocoanut before using, as directed on
page 298. Pour into a third mold like the others to cool. When all are
cold, arrange in layers, the yellow at the bottom and the white at the
top. The whites of the eggs may be used for meringue, or for making a
whipped cream sauce to serve with the pudding.
LEMON JELLY.--Soak one half box of gelatine in a scant cup of cold
water until soft. Then pour over it one pint of boiling water and stir
until well dissolved. Add one cup of sugar, the yellow rind of one
lemon, and one half cup of lemon juice. Strain, put into molds
previously wet in cold water, and place in the ice chest to harden. If
preferred, the above may be cooled in a shallow dish and cut into
irregular shapes to be served with a custard sauce. Use only the yolks
of eggs in making the custard, that it may have a rich color, using two
yolks in place of one whole egg.
JELLY WITH FRUIT.--Soak a package of gelatine in a cup of cold
water until soft; then pour over it one quart and a cup of boiling
water. Strain, add the juice of four lemons and twelve tablespoonfuls of
sugar. Cool a little of the gelatine in a mold, and as soon as set,
scatter in some nice currants or seedless raisins; add another layer of
gelatine, and when set, scatter in more fruit; continue until the mold
is full, having gelatine at the top. Fresh fruit, currants, grapes,
cherries, plums, peaches, etc., may be used in place of raisins, if
preferred.
ORANGE DESSERT.--Soak one third of a cup of gelatine in one third
of a cup of cold water until soft; then pour over it one third of a cup
of boiling water. Add a scant cup of sugar, the juice of one lemon, and
a cupful of orange juice and pulp. Set the dish containing the mixture
in a pan of ice water until it begins to harden. Have ready the whites
of three eggs well whipped, add to the jelly, and beat all together
until light and stiff enough to drop. Pour into molds wet in cold water,
and lined with sections of oranges, from which seeds and white fiber
have been removed.
ORANGES IN JELLY.--Pare divide, and take out the seeds from four or
five sweet oranges, being careful to remove all the white rind and
shreds. Place in a deep dish and pour over them a syrup prepared as for
Apples in Jelly, using the juice of a whole lemon. Set in the ice box
over night. A very little orange peel may be grated into the syrup if
liked; and if the oranges are very sweet, less sugar will be required.
If one can afford to use orange juice in place of the water in making
the syrup, the dessert will be greatly improved.
ORANGE JELLY.--Soak one quarter of a box of gelatine until soft in
just enough cold water to cover. Then pour over it one half cup of
boiling water. Stir until well dissolved, add the juice of one small
lemon, one cupful of orange juice, and one half cup of sugar. Strain,
turn into molds previously wet in cold water, and set on ice to harden.
Strawberry, raspberry, and other fruit juices may be used in a similar
manner.
SNOW PUDDING.--Soak one fourth of a box of gelatine until soft in
an equal measure of cold water. Then pour over it one cup of boiling
water, and add one fourth of a cup of strained lemon juice and one cup
of sugar; stir till the sugar is all dissolved. Strain into a large
china dish, and set in ice water to cool. Let it stand until cold and
beginning to thicken. Have ready the whites of three eggs beaten to a
stiff froth, and add to the gelatine as it begins to thicken; beat all
together for fifteen or twenty minutes, until it is of a solid foam and
stiff enough to hold its shape. Turn into molds and keep in a cool place
till needed. A half dozen finely sliced or chopped bananas stirred in
toward the last, makes a nice variation. Serve with custard sauce made
with the yolks of the eggs and flavored with rose or vanilla. Orange,
quince, or pineapple juice may be substituted for lemon, for a change.
This dessert is best if made several hours before it is needed and set
in the refrigerator to keep cold.
DESSERTS WITH CRUSTS.
_RECIPES._
APPLE TART.--Pare and slice some quick-cooking, tart apples, and
place them in the bottom of a pudding dish, with a tablespoonful of
water. Cover with a crust prepared in the following manner: Into a cup
of thin cream stir a gill of yeast and two cups of flour; let this
become very light, then add sufficient flour to mix soft. Knead for
fifteen or twenty minutes very thoroughly, roll evenly, and cover the
apples; put all in a warm place until the crust has become very light,
then bake. If the apples do not bake easily, they may be partially
cooked before putting on the crust. Dish so that the fruit will be
uppermost, and serve cold with cream and sugar, cocoanut sauce, or mock
cream.
GOOSEBERRY TART.--Fill a pudding dish with well prepared green
gooseberries, adding a tablespoonful or two of water. Cover with a crust
as for Apple Tart, and when light, bake in a moderately quick oven. Cut
the crust into the required number of pieces, and dish with gooseberries
heaped on top. Serve cold with sugar and cream.
CHERRY TART.--Prepare the same as for Apple Tart, with stoned
cherries, only omitting the water, as the cherries will be sufficiently
juicy of themselves. If the fruit is very juicy, sprinkle a
tablespoonful of flour over it before putting on the crust. Plum and
peach tart may be made in the same manner, and are both very nice.
STRAWBERRY AND OTHER FRUIT SHORTCAKES.--Beat together one cup of
thin cream, slightly warmed, a tablespoonful of yeast, and two small
cups of flour. Set in a warm place till very light. Add sufficient warm
flour to mix soft, and knead thoroughly for fifteen or twenty minutes.
Divide into two equal portions, and roll into sheets about one half inch
in thickness, making the center a very little thinner than the edges, so
that when risen, the center will not be highest. Place in tins, and set
in a warm place until perfectly risen, or until they have doubled their
first thickness. Bake quickly. When cold, spread one cake with fruit,
and cover with the other. If the fruit is large, it may be chopped fine
with a knife, or mashed with a spoon. A little lemon juice added to
peaches is an addition for shortcake.
BANANA SHORTCAKE.--Prepare the crust as previously directed. Fill
with sliced bananas, for every three of which add the juice of one
orange, a little of the grated rind, and a half cup of sugar.
LEMON SHORTCAKE.--Prepare the crust as for Fruit Shortcake. For the
filling, grate the yellow portion only of the lemon, and squeeze the
juice into a bowl; add a cupful of sugar. Braid a tablespoonful of flour
smooth with two tablespoonfuls of water, add enough boiling water,
stirring well meanwhile, to make a teacupful. Add this to the other
ingredients, beat well together, and place the bowl in a basin of
boiling water or over the teakettle. Cook until about as thick as boiled
custard. Fill this between the shortcakes and serve.
BERRY SHORTCAKE WITH PREPARED CREAM.--Prepare the shortcake as
previously directed. Sweeten the berries and spread on the lower crust,
then pour over them a "cream" prepared as follows, and add top crust:--
CREAM.--Heat one half cup of milk and the same of thin cream to
boiling, add two tablespoonfuls of sugar, and thicken with one
teaspoonful of cornstarch rubbed smooth in a little cold milk. Turn the
hot sauce over the beaten white of two eggs, stirring rapidly meanwhile,
until the egg is thoroughly mingled with the whole. Allow it to become
cold before using.
RAISED PIE.--Prepare the dough as for shortcake. Divide in two
portions, spread one on the tin, and cover with a layer of easy-cooking
tart apples sliced in eighths. Put two or three spoonfuls of rather
thick sweet cream over the apples, and cover with the top crust. Let the
crusts rise until very light, and bake. Peaches may be used in the same
manner.
BAKED APPLE LOAF.--Prepare some dough as for buns on page 347,
leaving out the sugar, and when ready for the last melding, cut it into
three portions. Put some flour on the bread board, mold the dough well,
and roll as thin as pie crust in such shape as will fit a shallow baking
tin. Spread over the tin, and cover the dough with a layer of
easy-cooking, sour apples sliced very thin, or with very stiff apple
marmalade. Cover this with a second layer of dough, then add another
layer of apples, and cover with the third portion of the dough. Pinch
the edges of the dough well together, let the loaf rise till very light,
then bake. Eat cold with sugar and cream. If the apples will not cook
quickly, they may be first steamed until nearly tender. If the crust
appears too hard when taken from the oven, cover with a wet napkin and
allow it to steam for a little time until softened.
CUSTARD PUDDINGS.
Very much depends upon the baking in all puddings made with milk and
eggs.
A custard pudding made with one egg, and slowly baked, will be much
thicker and nicer than one made with more eggs, baked in too hot an
oven.
A custard pudding baked too quickly or too long will have the eggs mixed
with the farinaceous substance and the milk turned to whey, while one
more carefully baked will have eggs and milk formed into a thick custard
on the top.
Custard puddings and all other baked puddings which require to be cooked
slowly, are best cooked in an earthen dish set in the oven in a pan of
hot water, and baked only till the pudding is set. If it is desirable
to use with eggs any ingredient which requires a lengthy cooking, it is
much better to cook it partially before adding the eggs. Many custard
desserts are much more dainty and more easily served when cooked in cups
than when baked in a large dish. The blue willow pattern stoneware cups
and the blue and white Japanese ware are very suitable for this purpose.
When cooking, set the cups, allowing one for each person, in the oven in
a dripping pan containing hot water, and bake. Serve without removing
from the cups.
If desired to stir beaten eggs into heated milk, add a few spoonfuls of
cold milk to the eggs, and pour the mixture, a little at a time, into
the hot milk, taking care to stir it constantly.
A nice way to flavour custards and meringues for custard puddings is to
beat fruit jelly with the whites of the eggs; red raspberry, quince, and
pineapple jellies give especially nice flavours.
_RECIPES._
APPLE CUSTARD.--Bake good tart apples; when done, remove the pulp,
and rub through a sieve; sweeten, and flavour with grated pineapple or
grated orange or lemon rind. Put in a glass dish, and cover with a plain
custard prepared as directed on page 328. Bits of jelly may be scattered
over the top of the custard.
APPLE CUSTARD NO. 2.--Peel, halve, and core eight or ten
medium-sized sour apples. Have prepared a syrup made with a cup of
water, the juice of one lemon, a little grated rind, and a half cup of
sugar. When the sugar is dissolved, add the fruit, and simmer till
tender but not fallen to pieces. Skim out the apples, draining
thoroughly, and lay them in a glass dish. Boil up the syrup until thick,
and poor it over the apples. Make a soft boiled custard with a pint of
milk, yolks of three eggs, and two tablespoonfuls of sugar. When cold,
spread over the apples; whip the whites to a stiff froth, flavor with
lemon, and pile irregularly upon the top. Brown lightly in the oven.
APPLE CUSTARD NO. 3.--Pare and remove the cores from a dozen tart
apples, and fill the cavities with black raspberry, quince, or grape
jelly. Put them in a covered baking dish with a tablespoonful of water,
and steam in the oven till tender but not fallen to pieces. Then cover
the apples with a raw custard made by cooking two tablespoonfuls of
flour rubbed smooth with a little milk, in a quart of milk, till just
thickened, and adding, when cold, the yolks of two eggs well beaten
with two heaping tablespoonfuls of sugar, and lastly the whites of the
eggs whipped to a stiff froth. Bake in a dish set in a pan of hot water,
until the custard has set, but not till it separates.
APPLE CORNSTARCH CUSTARD.--Cover the bottom of a small earthen-ware
pudding dish an inch or more in depth with apples stewed until very dry,
sweetened and flavored with a teaspoonful of rose water. Heat a cup of
milk to boiling, and stir into it a tablespoonful of cornstarch rubbed
smooth in a little cold milk, and one fourth cup of sugar; cook until
thickened, then add the yolk of one egg, and pour the whole over the
apple. Meringue the top with the white of the egg beaten stiff with a
tablespoonful of sugar, and flavored with a little rose water.
APPLE AND BREAD CUSTARD.--For this is required one cup of finely
rolled bread crumbs, two eggs, one half cup of sugar, one cup minced
sour apples, and one quart of milk. Beat the sugar and yolks together,
add the milk, bread, and fruit, and lastly the well-beaten whites of the
eggs. Bake in a dish set in a pan of hot water till firm but not dry.
ALMOND CORNSTARCH PUDDING.--Blanch one and one half ounces of sweet
almonds, and reduce them to a paste as directed on page 298; or if
obtainable, almondine may be used instead of the prepared almonds. Heat
a quart of milk, and while boiling, stir into it four tablespoonfuls of
cornstarch which has been braided smooth with a little cold milk; let it
thicken over the fire, stirring all the time. Then add two
tablespoonfuls of thick, sweet cream. Lastly, stir in two or three
well-beaten eggs and a tablespoonful of rose water. Let it come just to
the boiling point, and remove from the stove. Keep in a cold place till
needed. Serve with hot mock cream or with grape pulp as dressing.
ALMOND CREAM.--Heat a pint of milk, and when boiling stir into it
two tablespoonfuls of cornstarch rubbed smooth in a little cold milk,
also one fourth cup of sugar and three tablespoonfuls of almondine. Cook
until thickened, and pour it, stirring constantly meanwhile, over the
beaten whites of two eggs. Set on ice to cool, and serve with grape pulp
as dressing. A cupful of blanched and chopped almonds may be used
instead of almondine if that is not obtainable. The pudding will then
require an additional one fourth cup of sugar.
APPLE CHARLOTTE.--Take three cups of nicely stewed tart apples
which have been beaten smooth or rubbed through a colander and sweetened
to taste. If the sauce is thin and very juicy, place it upon the range,
and simmer slowly till it is of the consistency of thick marmalade or
jelly. Add to the apples four tablespoonfuls of grated fresh or canned
pineapple for flavoring. Remove the hard crusts from slices of light
whole-wheat bread, spread them quite thickly with the prepared apple,
and pack in layers in a pudding mold. Cover with a simple custard made
of a quart of milk, three tablespoonfuls of sugar, and two eggs. Let it
stand half an hour, then bake. Do not press the bread or beat it after
the custard is turned on, as that will be likely to make the pudding
heavy. Other fruit marmalade may be used in place of the apple
preparation if preferred.
BANANA CUSTARD.--Prepare a custard as directed for Plain Custard
with a quart of milk, two well-beaten eggs, four tablespoonfuls of
sugar, and one of cornstarch. When the custard is cool, pour it over
four thinly sliced yellow bananas, over which a tablespoonful of sugar
and a teaspoonful of water have been sprinkled. Serve cold.
BOILED CUSTARD.--Beat thoroughly together one pint of milk, two
eggs, and a tablespoonful or two of sugar, until thoroughly mingled.
Turn the mixture into a double boiler, and cook until the custard is
set.
BOILED CUSTARD BREAD PUDDING.--Crumble enough of the soft portion
of stale whole-wheat bread to lightly fill a pint bowl. Heat a pint of
milk to boiling. Stir into it, as soon as it boils, two eggs, yolks and
whites well beaten separately, two heaping tablespoonfuls of sugar, a
little grated lemon rind, and the light bread crumbs; stir rapidly till
the whole thickens, pour into a deep dish, and when cold, dot the top
with bits of currant or cranberry jelly.
BREAD AND FRUIT CUSTARD.--Take for this, two cups of grated bread
crumbs, two cups of finely chopped tart apples, one cup of English
currants or stoned raisins, mixed with a very little chopped citron for
flavor, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, three cups of milk, and two eggs.
Beat the yolks of the eggs and the sugar together, then add the milk,
bread, fruit, and lastly the well-beaten whites of the eggs. Bake in a
dish set within a pan of hot water, until the custard is set.
BREAD CUSTARD PUDDING.--Take one cup of finely powdered bread
crumbs, one half cup of sugar, one quart of milk, and the beaten yolks
of three eggs and whites of two. Mix the bread and milk, and when well
softened, add the beaten yolks, sugar, and lastly the well-beaten
whites; beat all together thoroughly, season with a little grated lemon
rind; place the pudding dish in the oven in a pan of hot water, and bake
till firm and lightly brown. Take from the oven, cover the top with a
layer of apple marmalade made without sugar, or with some tart fruit
jelly; add to this a meringue made of the white of the remaining egg and
a tablespoonful of sugar, beaten to a stiff froth, and place in the oven
a moment to brown lightly.
Fresh fruit, strawberries, raspberries, chopped peaches, currants,
cherries, or shredded oranges are equally as good as the marmalade or
jelly for the top dressing, and may be used to vary this pudding in a
number of different ways. Canned fruits, if well drained from juice,
especially apricots and peaches, are excellent for this purpose. A
cocoanut custard pudding may be made of the above by flavoring the milk
before using, with two tablespoonfuls of desiccated cocoanut Another
variety still may be made by adding to the first recipe half a cup of
Zante currants and the same of seedless raisins, or a half cup of finely
shredded, tender citron.
BREAD AND FIG PUDDING.--Put together two cups of finely grated
bread crumbs, two cups of milk, one cup of finely chopped figs
previously steamed or cooked, one fourth cup of sugar, and lastly, two
well-beaten eggs. Bake in a moderate oven till the custard is set.
BREAD AND APRICOT PUDDING.--Fill a pudding dish with alternate
layers of bread crumbs and canned apricots well drained from juice. Pour
over it a custard made with two eggs, one half cup of sugar, and a pint
of milk. Bake one half hour, or only until the custard is set. Canned
peaches, to which a teaspoonful of lemon juice has been added after
draining, may be used in place of apricots.
CARAMEL CUSTARD.--Turn one fourth of a cup of sugar into a stewpan,
and stir it over the fire until it becomes liquid and brown. Scald a cup
and a half of milk, and add the browned sugar. Beat two eggs thoroughly,
add to them one half cup cold milk, and turn the mixture slowly,
stirring constantly that no lumps form, into the scalding milk; continue
to stir until the custard thickens. Set away to cool, and serve in
glasses.
CARROT PUDDING.--Take two cups of carrots, boiled tender and rubbed
through a colander, one pint of milk, two thirds of a cup of sugar, and
two well beaten eggs. Flavor with vanilla, and having beaten all well
together, turn into an earthen pudding dish, set the dish in a pan of
hot water, and place in the oven. Bake only till the custard sets.
COCOANUT CORNSTARCH PUDDING.--Simmer a cupful of grated cocoanut in
a quart of milk for twenty minutes. Strain the milk to remove the
cocoanut, adding enough more milk to make a full quart. With a small
portion of it braid smoothly one and one half tablespoonfuls of
cornstarch or rice flour, and put the remainder in a saucepan over the
fire. When the milk is boiling, add the cornstarch, stirring constantly
until it thickens; then remove from the fire and cool. Next add two
tablespoonfuls of sugar and two well-beaten eggs. Bake in a moderate
oven, in a dish set in a pan of hot water, until the custard is well
set.
COCOANUT CUSTARD.--Flavor a pint of milk with cocoanut, add a
tablespoonful of sugar and two well-beaten eggs, and boil till set in a
double boiler or a bowl set in a dish of boiling water. Richer custards
may be made by using three or four eggs, but the richer the custard the
more likely it is to curdle and become watery, as well as being less
wholesome.
COCONUT RICE CUSTARD.--Flavor one quart of milk quite strongly
with coconut, as previously directed. Add to it one and one half cups of
boiled rice, one cup of raisins, one half cup of sugar, and lastly three
well-beaten eggs. Set the pudding dish in a pan of hot water, and bake
till the custard is well set.
CORN MEAL PUDDING.--Heat a quart of milk lacking two thirds of a
cupful, to boiling. Moisten three tablespoonfuls of nice granulated corn
meal with the two thirds of a cup of milk, and stir gradually into the
boiling milk. Let it boil up until set, turn into a double boiler, and
cook for an hour. Then add a tablespoonful of thick sweet cream, one
half a cup of molasses or sugar, a quart of cold milk, a little salt if
desired, and lastly, two well-beaten eggs. Mix thoroughly. Pour into a
pudding dish and bake one hour. A cup of currants or seeded raisins may
be used to give variety.
CORN MEAL PUDDING NO. 2.--Crumble cold corn puffs or corn cake to
make a cupful; add a pint of sweet milk, three teaspoonfuls of sugar,
the yolks of two eggs and the white of one, and bake slowly in a dish
set inside a pan of hot water for an hour.
CORN MEAL AND FIG PUDDING.--Beat together a scant cup of best
sifted corn meal with a cupful of molasses, and stir the mixture
gradually into a quart of boiling milk. Cook ten or twelve minutes, or
until well thickened, then set aside to cool. Add a cupful of finely
chopped figs, one and two thirds cups of cold milk, part cream if it can
be afforded, and when the mixture is cool, add two well-beaten eggs.
Pour into a pudding dish and bake in a moderate, steady oven for three
or more hours; the longer the better. When the pudding has baked an
hour, pour over it a cupful of cold milk. Do not stir the pudding, but
allow the milk to soak in gradually, a pint of finely sliced or chopped
sweet apples may be used in place of figs for variety, or if preferred,
both may be omitted.
CORNSTARCH MERINGUE.--Heat one and one half pints of milk to
boiling, and then stir in gradually two tablespoonfuls of cornstarch
which has been previously rubbed smooth in a little cold milk. When the
starch has thickened, allow it partially to cool, and then add, stirring
continuously meanwhile, the yolks of two eggs which have been previously
well beaten with three table spoonfuls of sugar. Let the whole simmer
for a minute or two longer, turn into a dish, meringue with the whites
of the eggs, and when cold, dot with lumps of strawberry jelly.
CRACKED WHEAT PUDDING.--Beat two cups of cold steamed cracked wheat
in two cups of rich milk until so thoroughly mingled that no lumps
remain. Add one cup of canned sweet cherries well drained from juice,
one half cup of sugar, and two eggs, whites and yolks beaten separately.
Bake in a slow oven till the custard is set.