RECIPES
BEEF-JUICE, BEEF-TEA, AND BROTHS
=Beef-Juice.= The clear juice of beef, slightly diluted with
water, is always excellent, being especially useful for its strong
flavors. It is like concentrated beef-tea, and is often valuable
in pleasantly exciting the action of the mouth and stomach after a
long illness in which milk has been the chief article of diet.
Beef-juice is best made by broiling the beef. Prepared in this way,
the flavor is superior, and it is a quick and easy method; but when
a proper broiling fire cannot be had, then it may be made in a
glass jar like beef-tea, except without the water.
=Beef-Tea= is valuable for its stimulating properties and for the
warmth that it gives; it is also somewhat nutritious, containing as
it does the albuminous juices of the meat, some salts, and the very
important flavors. Beef-tea should be prepared in such a manner
that the juices are held in solution in the water, not coagulated,
to secure which the cooking temperature should never be allowed to
exceed that of 160° Fahr.
=Broths.= Beef, mutton, and chicken broths are the most desirable
forms of meat drinks for convalescents and those no longer
dangerously ill. By slow cooking at a low temperature at first (the
temperature should not exceed 150° Fahr. for the first hour), the
extractives and albuminous juices are drawn out; then, by boiling,
the gelatin of the bones, flesh, and tissues is dissolved. The
nutritive qualities of these broths may be much increased by the
addition of bread, rice, tapioca, barley, and sago, cooked during
the whole time so that they may be completely dissolved in the
liquid.
BEEF-JUICE
=Bottled.= Select a half pound of well-flavored beef, cut away
everything except the lean fiber, divide it into small pieces,
put them into a glass jar, cover, and place in a deep saucepan
of cold water; heat gradually for one hour, but do not allow the
temperature at any time to exceed 160° Fahr.; then strain out the
juice and press the meat. The liquid should be clear red, not brown
and flaky. Add a little salt, and it is ready to serve. A half
pound will make three or four tablespoons of juice. If it is to be
used constantly, a larger quantity may be made at once, as it will
keep eighteen hours in a refrigerator. Beef-juice may be made into
tea by diluting it with warm water.
=Broiled.= Prepare a fire of clear glowing coals from which all
blue flames have disappeared. Cut a piece of lean beef (one half
pound from the round or any good lean portion) one and one half
inches thick, and remove from it all membranous tissues and fat.
Put it into a wire broiler, and broil from six to eight minutes
according to the intensity of the fire (see rules for broiling).
The piece when done should be pink and full of juice, not dry and
hard, nor, on the other hand, bluish-red in the middle. More juice
will be obtained if the heat has penetrated to the center than if
the meat is raw. When done, cut it into small pieces and squeeze
out the juice with a meat-press or a lemon-squeezer. Add a little
salt, and it is ready to serve. It should be given in spoonfuls,
either warm or cold. If it is necessary to warm it, put a little
into a cup and place it in a dish of warm water on the fire. Care
should be taken that the water does not become hotter than 160°
Fahr., for beyond that temperature the albuminous juices become
coagulated and appear as brown flakes.
BEEF-TEA
=Bottled.= Select and prepare the meat in the same manner as for
bottled beef-juice, except that for every half pound a cup of water
should be used, poured over after it has been put into the jar.
The liquid thus obtained will resemble beef-juice in every respect
except in strength. Serve as a drink in a red wine-glass or a china
cup.
=With Hydrochloric Acid.= Hydrochloric acid acts upon the fibers of
meat in such a way that they become more easy of digestion. From
a given portion of meat much more nutriment is extracted by the
use of hydrochloric acid than without it; beef-tea made with it
is recommended by physicians as the most easily absorbed form of
beef drink, and for feeble children and patients much weakened by
sickness it is especially useful.
=To Prepare.= Select a half pound of good beef; remove from it
everything that is not clear meat,--that is, bone, gristle,
connective tissue, and fat; chop it fine on a meat-board or in a
chopping-tray. Put into a bowl one cup of water and five drops of
dilute hydrochloric acid; stir into this the chopped meat, and set
it in a refrigerator or any cool place for two hours to digest.
Then strain, flavor with salt, and serve cold in a red wine-glass.
Should there be any objection to the taste or color, heat the tea
until it steams and changes to a brownish hue; do not strain out
the flakes of coagulated albumen and fibrin which appear, for they
are the most nutritious portion of the tea.
Chemically pure hydrochloric acid may be obtained of a druggist (it
is usually marked C. P.); from it a diluted solution may be made by
mixing it in the proportion of five and one half fluid ounces to
fourteen ounces of water.
BEEF BROTH
Beef broth is the juice of beef extracted by the long application
of heat in connection with some solvent, usually water.
To make beef broth, allow one pound of meat, or meat and bone, to
every quart of water. Wash the meat with a cloth in cold water
until it is clean, or wipe it with a wet cloth if it is apparently
fresh cut; divide it into small pieces (half-inch cubes) in
order to expose as great an extent of surface as possible to the
dissolving action of the water. Put it into a granite-ware kettle
with _cold_ water, and cook it at a low temperature for two hours,
then boil it for two hours to dissolve the gelatin. Remove it from
the fire, and strain it, using a strainer so coarse that the flakes
of albumen may go through (an ordinary wire strainer will do). Skim
as much fat as possible from the surface with a spoon, and then
remove the remaining small particles with a sheet of clean paper
(unsized is best) drawn over the surface. Season the broth with
salt and pepper, and serve it very hot. If not needed at once, it
may be set away to cool, when the fat will rise to the top, and
form into a cake which may be lifted off.
=With Herbs.= Make a broth according to the above rule, and flavor
it with bay-leaves, mint, or with a bouquet of sweet herbs in the
proportion of one teaspoon to a quart of liquid.
=With Grains.= One tablespoon of any of the following grains--rice,
barley, oatmeal, or wheat--to one quart of liquid, gives a pleasant
consistency and flavor to beef broth. Tapioca, sago, cold dry
toast, or cuttings of bread may also be used. They should be put in
when the broth is first set on the fire to cook, that they may be
completely dissolved in the liquid.
=With Vegetables.= Celery, onion, carrot, turnip, or shredded
cabbage may be used in broth in the proportion of one tablespoon to
a quart. Cabbage is better in combination with onion than alone.
BROTH MADE FROM BEEFSTEAK
(A QUICK METHOD)
Scrape the pulp from a pound of round or of sirloin steak, or
mince the meat in a chopping-tray until it is fine; put it into a
saucepan with just enough cold water to cover it, and let it come
to the boiling-point slowly; then simmer it for fifteen minutes
(better half an hour if there is time). Strain it, take off the fat
with a sheet of paper, and season it with salt. This is a somewhat
expensive but savory broth, and may easily be made on a gas or
alcohol stove.
A beef panada may be made by leaving the pulp in the broth and
adding a little rolled cracker-crumbs or some bread softened and
squeezed through a strainer.
SCOTCH BEEF BROTH
Put into a granite stew-pan a pint of prepared beef broth,--that
is, broth which has been strained, cleared of fat, and seasoned.
Add to it one tablespoon of rolled oats, or of ordinary oatmeal,
and simmer it gently until the oatmeal is soft and jelly-like. The
time required will be about two hours. Then strain it, and serve
very hot. This makes a good dish for an invalid for whom oatmeal
has not been forbidden. If the broth is reduced by the boiling, add
enough water to restore the pint.
CHICKEN BROTH
Chicken broth should be made with fowl, not with young chicken; a
good one weighing three pounds will make three pints of broth.
=To Prepare.= Singe the chicken with a piece of blazing newspaper
to burn off the long hairs; remove all refuse or that which is not
clear flesh, viz., pin-feathers, oil-bag, crop, lungs, kidneys,
and, of course, the entrails if the fowl is not already drawn. If
the pipes in the neck are not all drawn out with the crop, they
may be easily taken away when the fowl is cut up. Scrub it well in
cold water, and then disjoint and cut it into small pieces; wash
each piece thoroughly, retaining the skin if it is clear and free
from pin-feathers, otherwise removing it. Put the chicken into cold
water and simmer it for two hours, then boil it for two hours.
Finally strain it and remove the fat, season it with salt and a bit
of white pepper, and serve very hot in pretty china cups, with or
without a lunch-cracker or a bit of dry toast.
=With Herbs.= Parsley, bay-leaves, sage, thyme, or a bouquet
of sweet herbs will give a pleasant flavor to chicken broth. A
teaspoon to a pint is the right proportion.
=With Grains or Vegetables.= Rice may be used to advantage in
chicken broth, and also pearl-barley, sago, tapioca, and bread.
These are among the best additions of the kind that can be made,
for with them one is able to preserve the light color so desirable
in chicken broth. Onion, celery, and parsley in the proportion
of one teaspoon to a pint are suitable vegetables. Celery is
especially nice.
MUTTON BROTH
One pound of mutton from the neck, or, better, the loin, one quart
of cold water, and one teaspoon of chopped onion will be needed for
this broth. Remove from the mutton the tough skin, the fat, and all
membranes, and cut the meat into small pieces; break the bone, and
if it be a part of the spinal column, take out the spinal cord. Put
the pieces of meat, the onion, and the water into a saucepan, and
simmer them together for three hours; then strain out the meat, dip
off the fat from the broth with a spoon, and remove the remaining
small particles with paper; season it with salt and white pepper.
Serve hot in a pretty cup, with a toasted cracker.
A little bunch of mint, a bouquet of herbs, a few bay-leaves, or
a sprinkle of Cayenne pepper or curry-powder will vary the broth
agreeably. Pearl-barley is a particularly good addition to make, or
rice may be used in the proportion of one teaspoon to a pint.
OYSTER-TEA. No. 1
Select eight fresh oysters, chop them fine in a chopping-tray,
and turn them into a saucepan with a cup of cold water; set
the saucepan on the fire, and let the water come slowly to the
boiling-point, then simmer for five minutes; strain the liquid into
a bowl, flavor it with half a saltspoon of salt, and serve hot with
or without a small piece of dry toast, or a toasted cream-cracker.
OYSTER-TEA. No. 2
Put a dozen large oysters with their liquor into a stew-pan; simmer
for five minutes. Then strain the liquor, leaving out the oysters,
and add to it one half cup of milk; set it back on the stove and
heat it just to the boiling-point. Flavor with a sprinkle of white
pepper and half a saltspoon of salt. Or make it according to rule
No. 1, using milk instead of water.
CLAM BROTH
Six large clams in their shells and a cup of water will be needed
for this broth. Wash the clams thoroughly with a brush, and place
them with the water in a kettle over the fire. The broth is simply
the juice of the clams with the water boiled for a minute. It does
not require seasoning, as clam-juice is usually salt enough. As
soon as the shells open, the broth is done.
This broth and oyster-tea No. 1 are good in cases of nausea, and
will be retained on the stomach when almost everything else is
rejected.
GRUELS
Gruels are cooked mixtures of grain or flour, with water, or
with water and milk. They are best made with milk as a part of
the liquid, but care must be taken not to put it into the gruel
until the grain has been thoroughly cooked in water, and after
that the mixture should not be allowed to boil, as so high a
temperature changes the flavor and composition of the milk, and
renders it a less desirable food than if it were cooked at a lower
temperature,--for instance, 190° or 200° Fahr.
The largest ingredient of grains is starch, which is not easily
digested unless well cooked; therefore the time for boiling gruels
should be conscientiously kept by the clock. Should the water
evaporate, restore to the original quantity before putting in the
milk, which should be hot, though not _boiling_. It may, however,
come just to the boiling-point without any special injury.
Gruels served with a cream- or a banquet-cracker or a square of
toasted bread are excellent for a convalescent's lunch. They
may be varied with flavorings of cinnamon, nutmeg, almond, or a
little grated lemon-peel, and sugar. Sugar is mentioned with great
hesitancy, for a sweet gruel is an abomination, and yet a gruel
with a _very little_ sugar has a pleasanter flavor than one without
any.
Lacking color, gruels may be made attractive by serving them
in dainty-hued china. Gruels should be drunk slowly, that the
starch, which is partially digested by the action of saliva, may be
thoroughly mixed with it before it is swallowed.
BARLEY GRUEL
1 Tablespoon of Robinson's barley-flour.
1 Cup of boiling water.
1 Saltspoon of salt.
1 Scant teaspoon of sugar.
1 Cup of milk.
Mix the flour, salt, and sugar together with a little cold water,
pour on the boiling water, and boil ten minutes; then add the milk,
bring just to the boiling-point, strain, and serve very hot. This
gruel may be made without the milk, but with a pint instead of a
cup of water. Barley is a nutritious grain, rich in phosphates and
protein.
ARROWROOT GRUEL
1 Tablespoon of arrowroot.
1 Saltspoon of salt.
1 Scant teaspoon of sugar.
1 Cup of hot water.
1 Cup of milk.
Wet the arrowroot with the sugar and salt in two tablespoons of
cold water, then pour on the _hot_ water, stirring constantly. Boil
it for twenty minutes, then add the milk and bring just to the
boiling-point. Strain it, and immediately serve.
Arrowroot is almost pure starch. Its grains burst at 140° Fahr.;
therefore, if _boiling_ water be poured upon it, it will form into
lumps which will have to be strained out, and thus a part of the
material will be lost; hence the necessity of wetting it in cold
water to reduce the temperature so that it may be stirred smooth
before the lumps form.
Milk is changed by long boiling, and loses some of its agreeable
taste; it is better, therefore, not to put the milk into the gruel
until after the flour has been thoroughly cooked in the water, thus
preserving its natural flavor.
Arrowroot gruel may be flavored with cinnamon by boiling a half
square inch of cinnamon bark in the water with which the gruel is
made. Nutmeg, lemon juice or peel, and sherry wine may also be
used; but the sherry should be avoided unless the gruel is to be
served cold.
OATMEAL GRUEL FROM POUNDED GRAIN
Pound in a mortar or roll on a bread-board one cup of oatmeal
until it is floury. Put it into a bowl, and fill the bowl with
cold water; stir well and let it settle for a few seconds; then
pour off the milky-looking water into a saucepan, fill again, mix
and pour off the water, and so continue until the water no longer
appears white, being careful at each pouring not to allow the brown
cortex of the grain or any of the coarse portions to get out of the
bowl; then boil the water for half an hour. For every pint put in a
saltspoon of salt and half a cup of sweet cream, or, if that is not
at hand, the same quantity of milk. Beef broth or wine may be used
instead of cream. This is the best way to make oatmeal gruel, for
by this method the coarse and irritating hulls are excluded, while
the good flavor and nutritious properties are preserved.
OATMEAL GRUEL (Plain)
2 Tablespoons of oatmeal (rolled oats).
1 Saltspoon of salt.
1 Scant teaspoon of sugar.
1 Cupful of boiling water.
1 Cup of milk.
Mix the oatmeal, salt, and sugar together, and pour on the boiling
water. Cook it in a saucepan for thirty minutes, or in a double
boiler two hours; then strain it through a fine wire strainer to
remove the hulls, put it again on the stove, add the milk, and
allow it to heat just to the boiling-point. Serve it hot. Good
oatmeal gruel may be made from cold porridge, by adding water,
milk, and a little sugar and straining it, or it may be served
unstrained. Many like it so, and it makes an excellent lunch.
FLOUR GRUEL
1 Tablespoon of flour.
1 Saltspoon of salt.
1 Teaspoon of sugar.
1 Cup of boiling water.
1 Cup of milk.
½ Square inch of cinnamon.
Mix the flour, salt, and sugar, as for other gruels, into a paste
with a little cold water; add the piece of cinnamon and the hot
water; boil it for twenty minutes, slowly, so that it may not
stick to the bottom of the pan and burn; then put in the milk
and bring to the boiling-point. Strain it, and serve it very
hot. If the gruel is intended for a patient with fever, a little
lemon-juice is good in place of the cinnamon. Other flavors may
also be used, such as nutmeg, almond, and vanilla.
CRACKER GRUEL
2 Tablespoons of cracker-crumbs.
1 Scant saltspoon of salt.
1 Scant teaspoon of sugar.
1 Cup of boiling water.
1 Cup of milk.
To make the cracker-crumbs, roll some crackers on a board until
they are fine. Bent's water-crackers are good, cream-crackers
better; mix the salt and sugar with the crumbs, pour on the boiling
water, put in the milk, and simmer it for two minutes. The gruel
does not need long cooking, for the cracker-crumbs are already
thoroughly cooked. Do not strain it.
FARINA GRUEL
Farina is a grain which is carefully prepared from the nitrogenous
part of selected wheat, and is therefore a better nutrient than
rice-flour or arrowroot.
1 Tablespoon of Hecker's farina.
1 Saltspoon of salt.
1 Teaspoon of sugar.
1 Cup of boiling water.
1 Cup of milk.
Mix the grain, salt, and sugar; pour on the boiling water, and
cook ten minutes; then put in the milk, boil for a minute, and it
is ready to serve. Farina, being partially prepared, does not need
long cooking.
IMPERIAL GRANUM
Imperial Granum is a dainty, highly nutritious preparation of
wheat, very useful for invalids and children.
1 Tablespoon of Granum.
1 Saltspoon of salt.
1 Teaspoon of sugar.
1 Cup of boiling water.
1 Cup of milk.
Mix the meal, salt, and sugar in a saucepan, pour on the boiling
water, and cook ten minutes; then add the milk, and let it again
reach the boiling-point, when it is ready to serve.
Mush and porridge may also be made from this grain for the use
of children, for whom it is an excellent food, being similar to
farina, but more delicate and easier of digestion. Imperial Granum
may be obtained at any pharmacy.
RACAHOUT DES ARABES
1 Tablespoon of Racahout.
1 Saltspoon of salt.
1 Cup of hot water.
1 Cup of milk.
Put the Racahout and salt into a saucepan, mix it into a paste with
a little cold water, and then pour on the hot water; simmer for
ten minutes. Have the milk scalding hot in another pan, and when
the gruel has cooked the full time pour it in. Strain and serve.
Racahout is a compound consisting principally of sugar, arrowroot,
rice-flour, and French chocolate. It makes a most appetizing gruel,
and is quite nutritious. _Racahout des Arabes_ is imported largely
from France. It may be obtained at any first-class grocery store.
INDIAN-MEAL GRUEL
2 Tablespoons of corn-meal.
1 Tablespoon of flour.
1 Teaspoon of salt.
1 Teaspoon of sugar.
1 Quart of boiling water.
1 Cup of milk.
Mix the corn-meal, flour, salt, and sugar into a thin paste with
cold water, and pour into it the boiling water. Cook it in a double
boiler for three hours. No less time than that will cook the
corn-meal thoroughly. Then add the milk, and it is ready to serve.
Use the fine granulated meal which comes in paste-board packages,
prepared for the table, and may be bought of almost any grocer.
MUSH AND PORRIDGE
_Mush_ is meal or grain cooked in water to the consistency of
rather thin pudding. _Porridge_ is like mush, only thinner. The
most important point connected with the preparation of these is
thoroughness in the cooking. Made as they generally are of coarsely
ground or of rolled grains, they need long boiling to soften the
cellulose and to cook the starch properly.
=Oatmeal.= Oatmeal should be cooked for at least three hours in
a double boiler. It is at its best prepared the day before it is
needed, and then reheated as it is wanted. If it is done in this
way, the flavor is fine, and there is no danger that the grains
will be hard. When taken from the kettle, the oatmeal should be of
the consistency to pour, and on cooling it ought to form into a
tender, jelly-like pudding. Sometimes oatmeal is cooked so that the
grains are whole and separate, but it is not easily digested so,
and lacks the delicious flavor which long cooking gives.
Oatmeal for those for whom there is no objection to its use is a
valuable nutrient, furnishing more for the money than almost any
other food.[31]
=Indian Meal.= Indian meal also requires many hours' cooking. Even
if it be in a single vessel and actually boiled, not less than an
hour and a half of exposure to heat is safe.
=Farina.= Farina having been already subjected to a high degree of
heat in its preparation, is thereby partially cooked, and does not
require as long a time as the raw grains.
Mushes and porridges made from oatmeal, cracked wheat, or any grain
on which the tough outside covering remains, are to be avoided
in all cases of irritation or disease of the alimentary canal,
particularly in diseases of the intestines, for the hard hulls are
very irritating to the delicate lining membranes. Young children
have exceedingly delicate digestive powers, and are often made ill
by coarse, starchy food. For them it is always safest to use the
prepared grains, such as farina, granula, and Imperial Granum.
All of the grains given in these recipes may be made into
_porridges_ by following the rules given for mushes, except that
a larger proportion of water should be used. Porridges are like
mushes, only thinner.
OATMEAL MUSH
½ Cup of rolled oats, or ½ cup of granulated oatmeal.
½ Teaspoon of salt.
1 Pint of boiling water.
Pick over the oatmeal, and put it into a double boiler with the
salt. Pour on the boiling water, place the upper vessel of the
boiler on the stove, and boil two minutes. This effectually starts
the cooking. Then put the upper vessel into the lower, and cook for
five hours. The water in the under boiler should _boil_ during
this time, and will occasionally need replenishing. Serve the mush
steaming hot with sugar and cream, and baked apples, apple sauce,
or tart jelly if one is fond of something acid.
If rolled oats be used, three hours are sufficient to cook it, but
both kinds are best cooked the day before they are needed, as long
cooking improves rather than injures the grain.
FARINA
Farina being a prepared grain and free from hulls and waste, so
large a proportion will not be required to make a mush as of the
raw grains.
3 Tablespoons of farina.
½ Saltspoon of salt.
1 Pint of boiling water.
Cook the mixture in a saucepan for twenty minutes after it actually
boils, or in a double boiler for one hour. This is a delicious food
for children, served with cream, or milk, and sugar.
WHEAT GERM
Wheat germ is a delicate and nutritious preparation of wheat. It is
made so that by boiling for a short time it is ready for the table,
and makes a delicious breakfast dish.
½ Cup of germ.
½ Teaspoonful of salt.
1½ Cups of boiling water.
Boil in a saucepan without a cover for half an hour, or cook in a
double boiler twice as long. The directions on the packages give a
shorter time, but it is extremely doubtful whether this grain can
be wholesome with the few minutes' cooking usually advised.
IMPERIAL GRANUM
Imperial Granum, cooked according to the above rule, is always a
wholesome and safe dish for children; or it may be made into a very
thin gruel, and used as a drink instead of water.
GRANULA
Granula is a breakfast grain which has been partially prepared
by dry heat, and is almost cooked enough to use. It is sometimes
recommended that it be prepared by simply boiling a minute in milk.
It is, however, both softened and improved in flavor by boiling
from ten to fifteen minutes in one and one half times its bulk of
water, with salt in the proportion of a teaspoon to a cup of grain.
CRACKED OR ROLLED WHEAT
1 Cup of cracked wheat.
1 Teaspoon of salt.
3 Cups of water.
Pick over the wheat, to remove any foreign substance that may be
in it. Put it with the salt and the water (boiling) into a double
boiler, and cook for two hours. Serve with cream and sugar, either
hot or cold. If it is desirable to have it cold, it may be molded
in cups or small round jelly-molds.
INDIAN-MEAL MUSH
1 Cup of corn-meal.
1 Teaspoon of salt.
1 Quart of boiling water.
No. 1. Make the corn-meal and salt into a paste with a little cold
water, then pour in the boiling water and cook it in a double
boiler for five hours.
No. 2. Put the salt into the water, and when the water reaches
the boiling-point stir in the dry meal by taking a handful and
sprinkling it slowly through the fingers. Use a wooden spoon
for stirring. Boil an hour and a half. Or, wet the meal in a
little cold water, and pour over it the boiling water. The most
important point is thoroughness in the cooking, which should be
done carefully so that the pudding may not burn on the bottom of
the dish. If the temperature be regulated so that it just simmers,
there will be little danger of this. Serve with maple syrup, or
with cream.
HOMINY MUSH
1 Cup of hominy.
1 Teaspoon of salt.
1¼ Quarts of water.
Put all together in a double boiler, and cook for three hours. Add
more water if the mush seems stiff and thick; all preparations
of corn absorb a great deal in cooking, and hominy usually needs
a little more than four times its bulk. Hominy is exceedingly
indigestible unless well cooked, but sweet and nutritious when
subjected to a high temperature for a long time.
DRINKS
EGG-NOG
Break into a bowl one egg, add to it a saltspoon of salt and two
teaspoons of sugar; beat it until it is light but not foamy; then
add one cup of _slightly warm_ milk--that is, milk from which the
chill has been taken (for it is not well to use that which is
ice-cold)--and one or two tablespoons of French brandy; mix and
strain it into a tall slender glass, and serve at once. Egg-nog
should not be allowed to stand after it is made, for both the egg
and the milk lose some of their freshness by exposure to the air.
MILK-PUNCH
1 Cup of milk.
2 Tablespoons of brandy.
1 Teaspoon of sugar.
A little grated nutmeg.
Sweeten the milk with the sugar, stir into it the brandy, and mix
thoroughly by pouring from one glass to another. Then grate a bit
of nutmeg over the top.
Milk-punch is conveniently made with two tin cups; the mouth of one
should be smaller than the mouth of the other, so that the one will
fit into the other. In these the milk should be shaken back and
forth until a froth is formed. This does not add materially to the
taste, but rather to the appearance, and thoroughly mixes in the
sugar and brandy.
WINE WHEY
Warm one cup of milk to a little more than blood-heat, or 100°
Fahr., then pour into it one half cup of sherry wine. The acid and
alcohol of the wine will in a few minutes coagulate the albumen,
which may be separated from the whey by straining. Do not squeeze
the curd through the strainer, but let the liquid drip until it is
all out. If it is necessary to make the whey quickly, heat the milk
to the boiling-point before adding the wine.
WINE WHEY WITH RENNET
(SWEET WHEY)
1 Pint of milk heated to 100° Fahr.
1 Teaspoon of prepared rennet.
2 Tablespoons of wine.
Stir the rennet and wine into the milk quickly, so that the wine
may not curdle the milk in blotches. Let it stand in a warm
place (on the stove-hearth, for instance) for half an hour, and
then separate the curd from the whey by straining. This whey is
excellent for children with delicate digestion who need a little
stimulant. It is very good also as a drink for invalids at any time.
Whey is the water of milk with the sugar and various salts of the
milk in solution in it. The sugar furnishes some nutriment, and
the salts supply some of the mineral matter needed in the body.
Whey may also be made with vinegar or lemon-juice. These acids will
act more quickly when the milk is warmed before they are added.
LEMONADE
1 Lemon.
1½ Tablespoons of sugar.
1 Cup of boiling water.
Wash and wipe a lemon, cut a very thin slice from the middle, and
squeeze the rest into a bowl; then put in the sugar, pour on the
boiling water, and strain it. When it has become cold, serve it in
a tumbler with the slice of lemon floating on the top.
Lemonade has a better flavor when made with boiling water, though
it may be made with cold water. A few strawberries or raspberries
may be put in, instead of the slice of lemon; or it may be colored
pink with a little grape-jelly or carmine, and served with a straw.
MILK LEMONADE
1 Tablespoon of sugar.
1 Cup of boiling water.
¼ Cup of lemon-juice.
¼ Cup of sherry.
1¼ Cups of cold milk.
Pour the boiling water over the sugar, and then put in the
lemon-juice and sherry. Stir it until the sugar dissolves, add the
cold milk, and stir again until the milk curdles, then strain
through a jelly-bag or napkin.
This is a cool and refreshing drink, especially for children.
BRANDY-MILK WITH EGG
Heat some milk in a granite saucepan for half an hour to sterilize
it, but do not let it boil; then pour it into a pitcher, and set
it aside to cool. When the milk is cold, beat one egg with one
tablespoon of sugar until the sugar is well mixed; add to it two
tablespoons of brandy and a cup of the cold milk. Strain it into a
tall slender glass, and serve at once.
Heating the milk renders it perfectly wholesome and much safer for
an invalid than raw milk, and also improves the flavor of the drink.
SHERRY AND EGG
Break an egg into a bowl, and put in a teaspoon of sugar; beat the
two together until the sugar is thoroughly mixed with the egg,
but not enough to make the egg froth; to this add two tablespoons
of sherry wine, and a fourth of a cup of cold water, mixing them
thoroughly. Strain all into a tumbler, and serve immediately.
STERILIZED MILK
The change which takes place in milk known as "souring" is caused
by the growth of micro-organisms in it, which are killed by
heat; therefore, to prevent souring, milk must be subjected to a
temperature sufficiently high to insure their destruction. Some
micro-organisms are killed at 136° Fahr., but this temperature
cannot be said to destroy, or to inhibit the growth of all bacteria
commonly found in milk. We must endeavor then to use such a degree
of heat as shall accomplish this without seriously injuring the
natural properties and flavors of the liquid. Authorities vary on
this point, some putting the temperature as high as 212° Fahr., and
others as low as 167° Fahr. The author has found, in an experience
of two years in sterilizing milk every day, that 190° Fahr. is,
under ordinary circumstances, a safe and easily practicable
temperature to employ. With this degree of heat the flavor of the
milk is excellent.
The process is as follows: The milk is put into clean glass flasks
or bottles with small mouths which are stoppered with plugs of
cotton batting, or, as it is sometimes called, "cotton-wool." These
are placed in a wire basket, and the basket immersed in a kettle
of warm water, the temperature of which is not allowed to exceed
190° Fahr. As soon as the heat is at or near that point the time
is marked, and the milk is kept at that temperature for one hour.
Then the bottles are removed, cooled quickly, and placed in the
refrigerator. If it is desirable to keep the milk an indefinite
time, the process should be repeated the second day, and again the
third day, a third sterilization being necessary to insure success,
since _spores_ of organisms may escape the first and even the
second heating.
For all ordinary household purposes, however, and as a safe
food for the sick, heating once is all that is necessary. Milk
thus treated will keep in the temperature of an ordinary room,
even in warm weather, from twenty to thirty hours. By using the
small-mouthed flasks very little scum is formed, and thus the
valuable albuminous portion is preserved in the milk. Also, a
small quantity at a time may be used without disturbing the rest.
=To Sterilize for Family Use.= Milk may also be preserved by open
sterilization in a saucepan or kettle by the following simple
process: Heat the milk until a scum forms over it; keep it at,
or near, the temperature it then has for one hour, then pour it
into a thoroughly washed and scalded pitcher, cool it, and put it
into a refrigerator or some cool place. It will remain sweet for
twenty-four hours, and, unless the weather be very warm, it will
be good at the end of thirty-six hours. Should it sour before the
end of twenty-four hours, it indicates that the temperature was too
low, or the time of exposure to the heat too short. A chemist's
thermometer costs but little, and will be found very useful for
testing milk. It should be borne in mind, in this connection, that
milk is not rendered _absolutely_ sterile,--that is, free from all
possible organisms and spores which may occur in it,--except at a
temperature of at least 212° Fahr., or even higher.
Sterilized milk diluted with water is a nutritious and wholesome
drink for the sick. Of course the water with which it is diluted
should be boiled.[32]
In hospital practice nurses have told me that patients suffering
from sleeplessness will often fall into quiet slumber after
drinking hot milk, and that not infrequently the ordered hypodermic
of morphine is not needed when hot milk is used.
MILK AND SELTZER
Mix equal quantities of sterilized milk and seltzer-water. Drink
immediately.
MILK AND SODA-WATER
Into a glass half full of fresh milk put an equal quantity of
soda-water. Use at once. This is an agreeable way to take milk, and
is a nutritious and refreshing drink.
TOAST-WATER
Cut three slices of bread each a third of an inch thick, and toast
them slowly until very brown and dry throughout; break them into
small pieces, put them into a bowl with a pint of cold water, and
set aside to soak for an hour; at the end of that time turn it into
a strainer or napkin, and squeeze out the liquid with the back of a
spoon. To the water thus obtained add a little cream and sugar, and
serve it cold in a tumbler. It may also be served without the cream.
BARLEY-WATER
1 Tablespoon of barley flour.
1 Teaspoon of sugar.
1 Teaspoon of lemon-juice.
1 Quart of water.
Boil the flour, water, and sugar together fifteen minutes, then add
the lemon-juice, and strain.
Tamarinds may be used instead of lemon-juice for flavor--two or
three boiled with the water. Barley-water may also be made by
boiling two tablespoons of barley (the grain) in a quart of water
for one hour.
RICE-WATER
Pick over and wash two tablespoons of rice; put it into a granite
saucepan with a quart of boiling water; simmer it for two hours,
when the rice should be softened and partially dissolved; then
strain the liquid through a fine wire strainer into a bowl or
pitcher, add to it a saltspoon of salt, and serve it either warm or
cold.
If a patient may take or needs stimulants, two tablespoons of
sherry or of port wine is an agreeable addition, especially if the
drink be taken cold.
FRUIT-SODA. No. 1
=From Strawberries.= Remove the stems from one quart of
strawberries, and pick them over carefully. Wash them under a
stream of water in a colander, gently, so that they may not be
crushed; then put them into a double boiler with half their bulk
of sugar, and heat for an hour or more until the berries are soft.
When this is accomplished, turn them into a jelly-bag and drain
until the juice has completely oozed out, which will require two or
more hours. Do not squeeze them. Then put the juice into a saucepan
and, returning to the fire, heat it to a temperature of 200° Fahr.,
and keep it at that temperature for one hour. If a thermometer is
not at hand, heat the juice until it steams a little, but do not
let it boil, for the flavor is not nearly so delicate with the high
temperature. Then it may be canned or bottled for future use. If
the bottle be scalded and carefully sealed as in preserving fruits,
the juice will keep indefinitely.
The length of time that it remains at 200° is important, as it is
a process of sterilization which takes place, and the temperature
must be maintained for a given time or the desired result will not
be accomplished. The condition of the bottle also must be carefully
considered, as the thorough cleaning and scalding is for the
purpose of rendering it sterile. This is most easily and thoroughly
done by filling the bottle with hot water and placing it in a
kettle of boiling water for half an hour.
=To Use.= Dilute the juice with _cool_ water (not iced water) or
soda-water in the proportion of one half juice to one half water.
=From Oranges.= The oranges should be peeled and the seeds removed,
and then treated in the same way as the strawberries in the
preceding rule, except that to every quart of fruit the juice of
two lemons should be added.
=From Raspberries.= Employ the same method as for strawberries.
=From Currants.= The same as for strawberries, except that three
fourths of the bulk of the fruit of sugar should be used instead of
one half.
=With Other Fruits.= Other fruits, such as apricots, peaches,
cranberries, apples, etc., may be used for syrups, varying the
water and sugar according to the kind of fruit used. Apples,
apricots, and peaches will require half their bulk of water.
FRUIT-SODA. No. 2
Sprinkle two cups of sugar over one box of ripe strawberries,
which, of course, have been hulled and washed, and set them away
for three hours, or until the juice has oozed out of the fruit and
made a thick syrup with the sugar. Strain the juice, bottle it, and
put it in a cool place. It will keep for three days.
=To Use.= Pour one third of a cup into a tumbler, add two
tablespoons of cream, and fill the tumbler with soda-water from a
siphon. This makes a delicious and cooling drink.
Oranges, raspberries, currants, or any other juicy fruit may be
used for syrup, which is very palatable when made from fresh
uncooked fruits. These syrups are useful not only for drinks, but
for flavoring ice-creams and pudding sauces.
COFFEE SYRUP
Make some strong coffee with two tablespoons of the ground berry
(Mocha and Java mixed), a little white of egg, and one cup of
boiling water. Simmer together one cup of sugar and one third of a
cup of water for five minutes, then add to it one half of a cup of
the coffee. Strain and bottle it for use. This is delicious with
soda-water and cream.
VANILLA SYRUP
Make a sugar syrup by boiling together one cup of sugar and one
half of a cup of water for five minutes. Add to it two or three
tablespoons of vanilla extract. It is to be used, like coffee
syrup, with soda-water and sweet cream.
OTHER SYRUPS
A variety of syrups may be made, besides those mentioned, by using
a sugar syrup like that in the above recipe, and flavoring it with
cinnamon, lemon, almond, rose-water, chocolate, etc. All of the
cooked syrups will keep indefinitely.
GRAPE JUICE
Grape juice mixed with cold water or with soda-water makes a
pleasant and invigorating drink for a sick person. The best
grapes for the purpose are the blue varieties, such as Isabellas,
Concords, or Black Hamburgs.
=To Make a Bottle of Juice.= Pick over (and wash if they need it)
one quart of grapes. Remove them from the stems, and put them into
a double boiler with just enough cold water to cover them. Heat
them slowly until the juice oozes out and the fruit becomes soft,
which will take two or three hours. Then turn the fruit into a
jelly-bag made like a long pointed pocket, draw the string at the
top and hang it to drain. Do not squeeze or press the bag, and
use only the juice which drips out, which will practically be all
that the grapes contain. To this add one fourth of the quantity of
sugar--that is, if there is a quart of juice, put in one cup of
sugar--and heat it until it is quite hot, or to a temperature of
200° Fahr., and keep it at that temperature for one hour, but do
not let it boil. Then pour it into thoroughly cleaned and scalded
hot bottles,--in other words, those which are sterile. Seal the
bottles with wax, and set them away in a cool place.
=To Use.= Mix equal quantities of juice and cold water, and serve
at once.
FLAXSEED TEA WITH LEMON
1 Tablespoon of flaxseed.
1 Pint of water.
1 Tablespoon of sugar.
Juice of one lemon.
Boil the flaxseed one hour in the water; strain it, and add the
lemon-juice and sugar. The flaxseed should be examined for little
black grains which often occur in it, and which injure the delicate
flavor of the drink. Serve this tea either cold or warm. It is
excellent for croup, or for any irritated condition of the throat
or lungs.
APPLE TEA
Wash and wipe a good sour apple, cut it into small pieces, and boil
it in a cup of water until it is soft. Then strain the water into a
bowl, add a bit of sugar, and serve when cold.
If the apple is of good flavor this is a pleasant drink, and may be
given to fever patients, children with measles, or whenever there
is much thirst.
KUMISS
1 Quart of perfectly fresh milk.
⅕ of a two-cent cake of Fleischmann's yeast.
1 Tablespoon of sugar.
Dissolve the yeast in a little water and mix it with the sugar
and milk. Put the mixture into strong bottles,--beer-bottles
are good,--cork them with tightly fitting stoppers, and tie
down securely with stout twine. Shake the bottles for a full
minute to mix thoroughly the ingredients, then place them on
end in a refrigerator, or some equally cool place, to ferment
slowly. At the end of three days lay the bottles on their sides;
turn them occasionally. Five days will be required to perfect
the fermentation, and then kumiss is at its best. It will keep
indefinitely in a refrigerator.
=To Make Sweet Kumiss.= Ferment the kumiss mixture for twelve hours
in a temperature of 70° Fahr.,--that is, the same degree of heat
that is required for raising bread.
Do not attempt to open a bottle of kumiss without a champagne-tap,
for the carbonic acid generated in the fermenting liquid has
enormous expansive force, and will throw the contents all over the
room if the bottle be opened in the ordinary way.
In an emergency, however, the cork may be punctured with a stout
needle to let the gas escape. The mouth of the bottle may then be
held in a large bowl or dish and the cords cut, when the kumiss
will rush out, usually, however, without so much force but that it
may nearly all be caught. It should look like thick, foamy cream.
Kumiss is highly recommended as an article of sick diet, being
especially valuable for many forms of indigestion and for nausea.
Often it will be retained in the stomach when almost anything else
would be rejected. It is partially predigested milk, containing
carbonic acid and a little alcohol, both of which have a tonic
effect.
True kumiss is an Eastern product made from mare's milk, but in
this country cow's milk is always employed. Sometimes the term
_kefer_ is given to it, to distinguish it from that made from
mare's milk. It may be obtained in nearly all pharmacies, but a
better quality can be made at home at slight expense.
Sometimes patients will object to taking kumiss, on account of
the odor, which is not pleasant to every one, but it leaves a
peculiarly agreeable after-taste in the mouth, and one who has once
taken a glass of it will seldom refuse a second offer. The kumiss
of commerce sold under the name of "Cream Koumyss" is an excellent
preparation.
THE COCOA-BEAN
The cocoa-bean is a product of the tropics. It is dried, roasted
like coffee, and cracked, or ground into powder, for use. It is one
of our best foods, containing in good proportions nearly all the
elements necessary to nourish the body.
There are many preparations of the bean. The most common, and
those usually found in our markets, are _shells_, _cracked cocoa_,
_chocolate_, and _various forms of powder_.
_Shells_ are the outer husk or covering of the bean, and from them
a delicate drink may be made with long, slow boiling.
_Cracked cocoa_, or _cocoa-nibs_ as it is sometimes called, is made
by breaking the beans into small pieces.
_Chocolate_ is prepared by grinding the cocoa-bean into powder,
mixing it with sugar, and molding it into blocks. There is some
temptation on the part of manufacturers to substitute foreign fats,
corn-starch, and other cheap materials for the natural ingredients
of the bean in the making of chocolate.
The powdered forms of cocoa generally contain a good percentage
of the bean except the fat, which is always extracted. All Dutch
brands are excellent. Weight for weight, they cost more than some
other kinds, but so much less is needed to make a cup of drink that
they are really the least expensive.
COCOA
½ Teaspoon of any Dutch cocoa.
1 Cup of boiling water.
1 Cup of boiling milk.
1 Tablespoon of sugar.
Put the cocoa and sugar into a saucepan, and pour in the boiling
water; cook for two minutes, then add the milk, and let it heat
just to the boiling-point. When most other brands are used, as a
general thing a larger proportion of powder will be necessary. It
is therefore important to experiment with each until it is found
what amount will make a drink equal in strength to the above. This
valuable food is often made so strong that ill persons cannot
digest it.
COCOA-SHELLS
Put a tablespoon of shells into a pint of water, and simmer for
two hours; add one tablespoon of sugar and a cup of milk, then
strain out the shells, and it is ready to serve. This is a mild and
delicately flavored drink, and may be used freely in cases of great
thirst.
COCOA-NIBS
Boil one teaspoon of cracked cocoa in a pint of water one hour;
then add a cup of milk and a tablespoon of sugar, let it heat to
the boiling-point again, strain out the nibs, and it is ready to
serve.
It is necessary to _boil_ cracked cocoa, otherwise you will have a
bitter infusion, lacking the good flavor which is extracted by the
higher degree of heat. This is an instance in which a few degrees
more or less of heat make a great difference in the result.
CHOCOLATE
Put _one third_ of a square (one ounce) of Baker's chocolate,
with one cup of boiling water and a tablespoon of sugar, into
a saucepan. Set the saucepan on the fire, and stir for a while,
moving the piece of chocolate through the water occasionally until
it is melted. _As soon as it boils_ add a cup of milk, and when
it again reaches the boiling-point it will be ready to serve. If
chocolate is allowed to boil for a length of time, separation
of the fat from the other ingredients takes place, rendering it
indigestible. Chocolate, if delicately and carefully made, is as
nice as cocoa, much more nutritious, on account of the fat which it
contains, and less expensive.
TEA
Tea has refreshing and invigorating properties very comforting to
one spent with toil. Its active principle is theine, a crystalline
alkaloid found in both tea and coffee. Theine and caffeine were
once supposed to be different substances, but have recently been
found to be identical.
Tea is a valuable article of diet, though not a direct nutrient.
It is classed with the so-called "accessory" foods, and, although
not itself nutritious, aids, by its good flavor and stimulating
properties, the digestion of other things. It is a nerve tonic, and
is quite valuable as a curative agent for headache and some forms
of indigestion. The slight stimulation resulting from its use is
unattended by any after ill effects.
It is good for soldiers, hard-working people, travelers, and others
who are much exposed to the rigors of climate.[33]
COMPOSITION OF TEA
_Black._ _Green._
Essential oil .60 .79
Chlorophyl 1.84 2.22
Wax .28
Resin 3.64 2.22
Gum 7.28 8.56
Tannin 12.88 17.80
Theine .46 .43
Extractive matter 21.36 22.80
Coloring substances 19.19 23.60
Albumen 2.80 3.00
Fiber 28.33 17.80
Ash[34] 5.24 5.56
MULDEN.
From Prof. Mott's Chart on the Composition, Digestibility, and
Nutritive Value of Food.
Two of the most important points suggested by a study of tea are
the few adulterations and the great difference between different
varieties, comparing weight and bulk. Some kinds of very cheap tea
are adulterated with sage and raspberry leaves, and leaves of other
plants dried to simulate tea, and often flavored with essences to
give an agreeable taste, but a vast amount of the tea which is sold
is pure. Adulterations with chemicals are now rare, on account of
the extensive cultivation of tea and the large quantities sold.
Teas vary greatly in weight,--that is, a given bulk of one tea
weighs very differently from the same bulk of another. This is
especially marked in the comparison of Oolong and Gunpowder.
Below are given the weights of a moderate-sized caddy-spoon of each
of these teas.
_No. of spoons
KINDS OF TEA. _Grains._ to the pound._
Oolong 39 179
Hyson 66 106
Gunpowder 123 57
From this it appears that Gunpowder tea, bulk for bulk, is more than
three times as heavy as Oolong; consequently in using it only about
one third as much should be taken for a given amount of water. In
making the infusion teas should be weighed, not measured, but it
is not easily practicable in all households to do so; however, it
can always be borne in mind that the closely rolled teas, such
as Gunpowder, Young Hyson, and Japan, should be used in smaller
proportion than those which are loosely rolled, like Oolong,
English Breakfast, and other black teas.
There is a popular notion that green teas are dried on copper,
but according to unquestionable authorities it is an erroneous
one. Green teas are dried quickly so that the natural color of the
leaves is preserved. Black teas are dried slowly for many hours
until a sort of fermentation sets in, which causes the difference
in color, as pickings from the same plant may, in the process of
curing, become either green or black tea, according to the method
employed. Also, different varieties of tea may be made from the
same branch by difference of treatment in curing, the aromatic
flavors, which did not exist in the leaves before, being produced
by the drying. Different varieties or kinds of tea are also made
from the same plant by gathering the leaves at different ages.
Black tea should be black, but not dead black,--rather of a grayish
hue. No red leaves should be mixed with it. It should be regular in
appearance, each leaf with a uniform twist, that is, in all except
the "broken" teas. The leaves of tea are gathered four times a year
by hand, and the finest kind is made from the tender young buds.
Young Hyson is made from the early buds of April, and is noted for
its mild, delicate flavor.
The principle most to be avoided in tea is the tannin, which in any
considerable quantity is injurious to health. It dissolves easily
when tea is either _steeped for a length of time_, or _boiled_.
The important point, therefore, is not to make tea more than a few
minutes before it is to be drunk, and not to boil it.
The principal kinds of tea in common use are Oolong, Japan, English
Breakfast, Imperial, Gunpowder, and Young Hyson. Gunpowder, Japan,
Young Hyson, and Imperial are green teas; the others are black.
=To Prepare Tea.=
1 Teaspoon of tea.
1 Cup of boiling water.
Fill a cup with boiling water, and let it stand a minute, or until
the cup is heated through. Then empty it, put the teaspoon of tea
into a tea-ball, place it in the hot cup, and pour on the boiling
water slowly until it is full, leaving the tea-ball in for three
minutes. This will give you a delicious and fragrant drink. If
there is not a tea-ball at hand, use a small strainer, holding it
so that the tea is under water for the required time.
The same principle is to be followed in making a pot of tea, except
that the time of steeping should be somewhat longer. Scald the pot,
which should be either of silver, granite-ware, or earthenware, not
tin. Put into it the tea, in the proportion of one teaspoon to a
cup of water (one half pint), and let it infuse for five minutes,
but by no means allow it to boil, for boiling dissipates the aroma,
and extracts the tannin, which is the injurious principle. Serve it
in hot teacups with loaf-sugar and cold cream or milk. I think it
is Miss Lincoln who says: "Never disgrace yourself by serving that
abomination, boiled lukewarm tea in a cold cup."
Water for tea should be fresh, and soft water--that is, water which
is free from lime--is to be preferred; by taking _one teaspoon of
tea_ and _a cup of water_ as the unit, any amount may be made; for
instance, for a pot of tea for five or six persons, six teaspoons
of tea and a quart and a half (6 cups) of water will be required.
The time of exposure to the heat is, of course, not multiplied,
the same number of minutes being enough for a greater or a lesser
amount.
In connection with the study of tea, it is a very interesting fact
that most authorities agree as to the time of steeping. There seems
to be the unanimous opinion that _it should not exceed fifteen_
minutes. Five minutes is the usual time given for the average kinds
of tea, but for the fine, pure teas from eight to ten is a wise
rule to follow.
COFFEE
Coffee is a product of the East, where it has been used since
very ancient times. It grows on trees, the fruit in clusters
which singly look somewhat like cherries, each containing two
beans. Unroasted coffee-beans are tough, and a drink made from
them is bitter, acrid, and very unpleasant. Coffee was brought
to western Europe in the seventeenth century, where it seems to
have immediately become a popular drink. When coffee-houses were
first opened in England, they were opposed by the liquor-dealers,
who claimed that their trade would be spoiled. Its introduction
was also bitterly opposed by others, and even denounced from the
pulpit. It was regarded somewhat in the light of a dangerous
Eastern drug. From western Europe it was brought to America, and at
the present time is the most extensively used food beverage in the
world.
The kinds in common use in this country are Java and Mocha from the
East, and the South American coffees Rio, Santos, and Maracaibo.
The soil and method of cultivation influence the quality of coffee,
as does also the age of the beans. The longer the beans are kept
(unbrowned) the finer the flavor.
Coffee is adulterated with grains of different kinds, chicory,
caramel, carrots and some other roots, and with pastes made to
resemble the coffee-bean. The use of chicory is prohibited by law,
unless the mixture be labeled "Mixture of coffee and chicory."
Nevertheless, its use is common, and in nearly all hotels and
restaurants coffee is flavored with it.
"The detection of the presence of chicory, caramel, and some sweet
roots, as turnips, carrots, and parsnips, is quite easy. If a few
grains of the suspected sample are placed on the surface of water
in a glass vessel, beaker, or tumbler, each particle of chicory,
etc., will become surrounded by a yellow-brown cloud which rapidly
diffuses through the water until the whole becomes colored. Pure
coffee under the same conditions gives no sensible color until
after the lapse of about fifteen minutes. Caramel (burnt sugar) of
course colors the water very deeply. Dandelion root gives a deeper
color than coffee, but not as deep as chicory. The same is true of
bread raspings. Beans and pease give much less color to the water
than pure coffee. They can be readily detected by the microscope,
as can roasted figs and dates or date-stones." (Mrs. Richards, in
"Food Materials and Their Adulterations.")
Coffee is said to owe its refreshing properties to (_a_) caffeine,
(_b_) a volatile oil developed by heat, not contained in the
unroasted bean, and to (_c_) astringent acids.
Coffee diminishes the sensation of hunger, exhilarates and
refreshes, and decreases the amount of wear and tear of the system.
Its composition, according to Payen, is as follows:
Cellulose 34.000
Water 12.000
Fatty matter 13.000
Glucose, dextrine, and undetermined vegetable acids 15.500
Legumin, casein, etc. 10.000
Chlorogenate of potash and caffeine 3 to 5.000
Nitrogenized structure 3.000
Caffeine .800
Essential oil .001
Aromatic essence .002
Mineral substances 6.970
It is difficult to determine whether coffee may be classed as a
food, but that it has value as an adjunct to true nutrients there
can be no doubt. There is a general agreement among physiologists
that coffee is invigorating, that it aids digestion both in the
sick and the well, that it is capable of allaying or retarding
waste and thereby acting indirectly as a food. But the mistake
should not be made that coffee will _replace_ food. Coffee may be
compared in its effects on the system to beef-tea--it is valuable
for its flavors rather than for actual nutritious principles.
It is a curious fact that coffee is most frequently made in such a
way that its valuable flavors are undeveloped or destroyed. Care
must be taken that the roasting be not carried so far as to char
the coffee-beans, yet far enough to convert the sugar into caramel,
and to change the nature of the volatile oil, so that the highest
point of flavor will be reached. This can be best accomplished in
regular roasting-houses, where the temperature and time may be
accurately measured.
It is best to get a supply of fresh roasted coffee every day, but
when this is not practicable, once in three days, or once a week,
will do. Although theoretically the roasting of coffee should be a
part of its preparation--that is, it should be roasted, immediately
ground, and made into drink--practically it is very seldom done.
COFFEE. No. 1
A favorite mixed coffee is made with two thirds Java and one third
Mocha. It should be ground just before it is needed. For a pot of
coffee use the proportions of one heaped tablespoon to a cup of
water. It is well to calculate the number of persons there are to
be served, and allow one cup (one half pint) for each; this amount,
with the milk or cream used, will make two ordinary china cups of
coffee. To the ground coffee add a little yolk or white of egg,
with a spoonful of water to dilute it; mix thoroughly until all
the grains are coated over with albumen, then pour on the boiling
water, simmer for five minutes, and steep at a temperature just
short of simmering for ten minutes more. The coffee is then done.
It should be served at once with _loaf-sugar_, and either hot or
cold cream, or hot milk. The coffee should be perfectly clear and
of fine color and flavor.
There are many methods of making coffee, but the above, everything
considered, seems the most desirable for family use. One egg is
enough to clear three quarts of coffee, and both yolk and white are
of equal value for the purpose.
COFFEE. No. 2
For every cup of water use a heaped tablespoon of coffee; soak the
coffee overnight or for several hours in cold water, then bring
it to the boiling-point, and let it simmer for a few minutes just
before using. This is said to be the most economical method of
making, as more is obtained from the coffee by this treatment. The
flavor is certainly fine.
Long boiling dissipates the delicious aromatic oils, and as
probably these are the most valuable properties of the coffee, the
necessity of preserving them is easily seen. Care should be taken
not to boil coffee for more than from three to five minutes, and
simmer rather than boil, so as to preserve as much as possible the
fine flavors which are so quickly dissipated by boiling; yet the
high temperature seems to be necessary to extract the desirable
properties of the bean. One must therefore ever bear in mind the
seeming paradox that coffee should reach the boiling-point, and yet
not boil.
We do not estimate highly enough the value of flavors. It is
a well-demonstrated fact among a few persons that many dishes
containing actual nutritious principles are but partially or
imperfectly digested, because of their lack of good flavor, either
from want of proper preparation, lack of seasoning, or poor
cooking. There is no doubt that many people suffer from indigestion
after eating such food.
Use in coffee-making either silver, granite-ware, or earthenware
urns or pots, never tin. They should be made _perfectly clean_
before using, especial attention being necessary for the spout.
MULLED WINE
1 Egg.
1 Tablespoon of sugar.
1 Clove.
¼ Square inch of cinnamon.
½ Cup of wine.
½ Cup of water.
Put the water and spice together in a saucepan, and boil for ten
minutes; then add the wine, and let the liquid just reach the
boiling-point; meanwhile beat the egg and sugar in a bowl, and just
at the moment when the wine begins to boil, pour it slowly into
the egg, stirring constantly to distribute the heat throughout the
whole. Unless the weather is very cold, there is usually enough
heat in the boiling liquid to coagulate the albumen of the egg
slightly, but should this not be accomplished, set it on the fire
for a minute to finish. When done it should be of the consistency
of cream. Do not let the wine and water boil for any appreciable
time, for boiling dissipates some of the pleasant flavor of the
wine.
Beer, ale, and porter are excellent, mulled in the same way.
COCOA CORDIAL
½ Teaspoon of Dutch cocoa.
Some boiling water.
2 Blocks of loaf-sugar.
2 Tablespoons of port wine.
Put the cocoa and sugar into a china cup, and pour directly upon
them some boiling water, then add the wine, making in all the usual
amount called a cupful. Serve at once. This is an excellent drink
for those who are chilled or exhausted, or to take after a bath.
JELLIES
(FROM GELATINE)
Gelatin is always of animal origin. The gelatinous substance
obtained from apples, grapes, cranberries, and other fruits is not
gelatin; it is a different material, derived by the action of heat
from pectose, a substance which occurs in plants and is closely
associated with cellulose. Unprepared _gelatin_ is sometimes
distinguished in writing from the _gelatine_ of commerce by the
difference of an _e_ in spelling.
Gelatin enters into the composition of all, or nearly all, the
tissues of the body. The walls of the microscopic cells of flesh
are composed of it. It is found also in cartilage, tendons,
connective tissue, bone, and in the larynx and joints. Spiders'
webs and the thread of silkworms are gelatin in a liquid state,
which solidifies upon exposure to the air. Another kind of gelatin
forms the framework of insects, such as the locusts on which John
the Baptist fed. It also forms the true skeleton of lobsters,
crabs, and shrimps. The edible birds' nests of the Chinese are a
delicate kind of gelatin more digestible than some other kinds,
for it is made from the saliva of a swallow, and probably contains
pepsin. (M. Williams.)
The part which gelatin plays as a food is not well understood.
Many experiments have recently been made by scientists on dogs and
other animals, to test the value of gelatin in this respect. From
these experiments the following conclusions have been drawn: 1.
That gelatin alone is not sufficient as a food. 2. That although
insufficient it is not worthless. 3. That gelatin is sufficient
to sustain life when combined with other substances which would
themselves be wholly insufficient if given alone. 4. That gelatin
must always be flavored to render it digestible and nutritious.
Mattieu Williams says: "It would seem that gelatin alone, although
containing the elements required for nutrition, needs something
more to render it digestible. We shall probably not be far from the
truth if we picture it to the mind as something too smooth, too
neutral, too inert, to set the digestive organs at work, and that
therefore it requires the addition of a decidedly sapid something
that shall make these organs act."
Gelatin dissolves easily in warm liquid. Albumen coagulates under
similar circumstances.
The gelatine of commerce is made from the tissues of animals,
particularly from the thick skin of certain portions of the body
and from the head and feet. When well flavored and in a liquid
state as in broths, or of a tender consistency as in well-made
jelly, it is a most desirable food for the sick. Lemon and orange
juice, strawberry, raspberry, grape, and indeed any fruit syrup,
coffee, cocoa, vanilla, wine, brandy, and Jamaica rum, and strong
meat broths which have been cleared, may be used for flavoring.
The jelly should not be made hard and tenacious, but tender and
jelly-like, though firm.
The phosphated gelatine which may be bought of any grocer is
delicious for wine jelly made according to the usual rule for
jelly, with the exception of omitting the lemon. Chalmer's and
Nelson's are other well-known brands. All jellies made with
gelatine are excellent for invalids. They are especially valuable
in cases of disease of the intestines, such as typhoid fever and
inflammation of the bowels, because, being digested and absorbed,
for the most part or entirely, in the stomach, those organs are
relieved of effort, at the same time that the system is supplied
with a nutritious form of solid food.
WINE JELLY. No. 1
¼ Box of Nelson's gelatine.
¼ Cup of cold water.
1¼ Cups of boiling water.
½ Cup of sugar.
½ Square inch of cinnamon.
1 Clove.
½ Cup of sherry wine.
Put the gelatine and cold water together in a dish large enough to
hold the whole mixture; let it soak for half an hour; then pour the
boiling water, in which the clove and cinnamon have been simmering,
over the softened gelatine, add the sugar and wine, and stir until
the sugar and gelatine are perfectly dissolved; then strain through
a fine napkin into a granite-ware or earthenware pan or mold, and
cool it in a refrigerator or in a pan of iced water. Wine jelly
made from phosphated gelatine, omitting the spice, is delicious.
WINE JELLY (No. 2) WITH LEMON
The same proportions and ingredients are to be used as in the above
recipe, except that the juice of half a lemon should be substituted
for the spice.
LEMON JELLY
¼ Box of gelatine.
¼ Cup of cold water.
1¼ Cups of boiling water.
½ Cup of sugar.
¼ Cup of lemon-juice.
1 Tablespoon of brandy.
Put the gelatine and water together in a dish, and let them soak
half an hour; then pour on the boiling water, and stir until the
gelatine is dissolved. Do not put in the sugar and then pour on
the boiling water, as there may not be heat enough in making a
small quantity of jelly to dissolve both, but add the sugar after
the water, then the lemon-juice and brandy. Strain it through a
napkin and cool it in a refrigerator or in a pan of iced water. Use
china or granite-ware molds, never tin, for the acid of lemon acts
chemically upon it, forming compounds that are injurious to health.
ORANGE JELLY
¼ Box of gelatine.
¼ Cup of cold water.
½ Cup of boiling water.
½ Cup of sugar.
1 Cup of orange-juice.
Juice of half a lemon.
Soften the gelatine in the cold water by soaking it for half an
hour; then pour in the boiling water, stirring as previously
directed until the gelatine is dissolved; add the sugar,
orange-juice, and lemon-juice, in the order in which they are
given, stir for a moment, and then strain the liquid through
a napkin into molds, and set it to cool. Use earthenware or
granite-ware molds, not tin. The point most to be observed in
making this jelly is getting the juice from the oranges. The most
natural way for one to do would be to cut the oranges in halves,
and squeeze them in a lemon-squeezer, but that will not do, for the
orange-oil of the rind is extracted in such large quantities as to
destroy the delicate flavor of the jelly. The proper way to do is
to peel the fruit, cut it in pieces, put them in a jelly-bag, and
squeeze out the juice with the hand.
COFFEE JELLY
¼ Box of gelatine.
¼ Cup of cold water.
1 Cup of boiling water.
½ Cup of strong coffee.
½ Teaspoon of vanilla.
½ Cup of sugar.
Soak the gelatine in the cold water for half an hour; then pour
on the boiling water, and put in the sugar, coffee, and vanilla.
Strain it through a napkin into a glass dish in which it may be
served, and cool it as jellies are usually cooled, either in a
refrigerator or in cold water, unless of course it is winter, when
the jelly quickly becomes firm in any cool place, or it may be
molded. Serve it with sweet cream and sugar, or, if it be molded,
with whipped cream arranged around the form. The coffee should be
strong, made with the proportion of two tablespoons of coffee to a
cup of water.
This delicious jelly is acceptable to most invalids.
FRENCH JELLY WITH FRESH FRUITS
Make a wine jelly according to the recipe on page 122. When it has
lost some of its heat, but before it begins to thicken, pour into
it a pint of carefully picked and cleaned raspberries, distributing
them evenly through the liquid; then set it away in a cool place,
or in a refrigerator, to harden. This makes a nice dessert when
served with sugar and cream. Other fruits and other jellies may be
combined at the discretion of the maker. Orange jelly with oranges
and bananas is very good.
RESTORATIVE JELLY
½ Box of gelatine.
1 Cup of port wine.
1 Tablespoon of powdered gum arabic.
2 Tablespoons of lemon-juice.
3 Tablespoons of sugar.
2 Cloves.
½ Square inch of cinnamon.
Put the gelatine, wine, and spice into a double boiler, or if one
is not at hand, improvise one by placing a bowl in a pan of water.
Set the boiler on the fire, and when the gelatine is dissolved,
put in the gum arabic, lemon, and sugar. Stir thoroughly; strain
it quickly through a fine napkin, and cool it in a shallow dish,
so that the layer of jelly shall be an inch thick. It is to be cut
into cubes, which may be served two or three at a time, to be held
in the mouth until melted.
CHICKEN JELLY
Clean a small chicken, disjoint it, and cut the meat into small
pieces; remove the fat, break or pound the bones, and put all into
cold water, using the following proportion: _A pint for every
pound of chicken_. Heat the water very slowly at first, and then
simmer it until the meat is tender; it will require three or four
hours. Boil down to one half the quantity. Strain it and remove the
fat; then clear it with an egg, and season it with salt, pepper,
and lemon. Strain it through a fine napkin, pour into small cups,
and cool. Parsley, celery, and bay-leaves give a good flavor. A
suspicion of red pepper is also an addition.
PUNCHEON JELLY
¼ Box of phosphated gelatine.
1 Cup of cold water.
½ Cup of hot tea.
½ Cup of sugar.
¼ Cup of Jamaica rum.
1 Tablespoon of brandy.
5 Drops of almond extract.
Put the gelatine to soak in the cold water, and at the end of
thirty minutes pour on the hot tea; then add the sugar, rum,
brandy, and almond; strain it through a fine napkin, and set it in
a cool place to become firm.
Phosphated gelatine is a delicate acidulated preparation, very
nice for wine, lemon, or puncheon jelly, but it cannot be used
for creams on account of the acid, which curdles them. Some of the
directions indicate that it may be neutralized with soda; that,
however, should not be done, since there is no accurate means of
ascertaining how much acid there is in a given amount, or how
strong it is; consequently there is no guide to the amount of soda
required.
TOAST
The principal constituent of ordinary wheaten bread is starch.
When starch is subjected to a high temperature, it is changed into
the easily digested substance dextrine. In the ordinary cooking of
a loaf of bread, the starch in the outer layers is changed into
dextrine, which helps to give the crust of bread that peculiar,
agreeable flavor which we call "sweet." Slices of bread undergo a
similar change when toast is made.
To make toast successfully, one should endeavor to convert as much
as possible of the starch into dextrine. To do this, cut the bread
one third of an inch thick, place the slices in a toaster, or wire
broiler, and dry them slowly, either in a moderate oven, or by
holding the broiler some distance from the fire. The object is to
give the heat time to penetrate to the center of the slice before
the outside has begun to change color. If a sheath be formed over
the outside at once, the moisture will be shut in, and the middle
of the slice will be prevented from becoming sufficiently heated
to change its starch, for the temperature will not rise much above
212° Fahr. until the water is dried out. (Starch is changed into
dextrine at 401° Fahr.)
Toast that is clammy in the middle and blackened on the outside is
less wholesome than untoasted bread. Great care should therefore
be taken with the drying. When this has been accomplished, lower
the broiler a little nearer the coals, when the toast will quickly
turn a golden brown. An ideal piece of toast is crisp and golden
throughout. But many will say that they prefer toast that is soft
inside, and that they cannot eat hard, dry toast. The ideal piece
of toast is not really so hard as it seems. It breaks and crumbles
very easily, and is quickly moistened by the saliva. If one would
persevere with a slice, he would soon learn to prefer it to any
other kind; at all events, that which is soft inside should not be
given to the sick. It is better to make the toast dry, and then
moisten it, if need be, by dipping the slices into hot water for an
instant, but _do not soak them_.
Dry toast should be served directly from the fire, if possible.
When this is not practicable, pile it on a platter, cover it with a
napkin, and put it on the hearth or in the oven.
Toast is given in all slight cases of illness, because it is so
easily digested. The more thorough the conversion of the starch,
the more easily and perfectly the system will manage it, for the
change of starch into dextrine, by the action of heat, is simply
doing outside of the body that which takes place in it in the
ordinary course of digestion, by the action of the digestive
fluids. Therefore, when this is accomplished by artificial means,
nature is spared so much energy.
BUTTERED WATER TOAST
Toast four thin slices of bread. Put into a shallow pan a pint of
water with half a teaspoon of salt. Dip each slice quickly into
the water, place it in a covered dish, and spread it with butter,
piling one slice above another.
Do not let the bread _soak_ in the water. Endeavor to keep a
suggestion of crispness in it, for sloppy, sodden toast is not
nice. Serve it _very_ hot, with apple sauce, sweet baked apples,
or tart jelly. Water toast is really delicious if care is taken to
have it hot. It will be eaten with relish much longer than that
made with milk.
MILK TOAST
Put a cup of rich milk into a saucepan, and place it on the stove.
While it is heating, toast three slices of bread a delicate brown.
Put them one at a time into a covered dish, and when the milk is
boiling hot season it with a saltspoon of salt and pour it over the
bread. A little butter may be spread upon each slice before the
milk is poured over, but it is a more delicate dish without it.
CREAM TOAST
1 Pint of milk.
1 Tablespoon of flour.
1 Tablespoon of butter.
1 Saltspoon of salt.
4 Large or 6 small slices of bread.
Make a white sauce with the milk, flour, and butter according to
the following directions. Pour the milk into a saucepan, and set it
on the fire to heat. Put the butter and flour together in another
saucepan, place it on the fire, and stir gently until the butter
melts; let them bubble together two or three minutes. The high
temperature which the butter quickly attains will thoroughly cook
the flour in a short time. Then pour in a little of the milk, and
stir until the two are mixed; add a little more milk, and stir
again until it bubbles; if at this point the mixture does not seem
smooth, lift it from the fire, and beat it until it is waxy and
perfectly free from lumps. Then add more milk, stir again, and so
continue until all the milk is in. Let it simmer slowly until the
toast is ready, which should be made according to the rule for dry
toast. Then soak the slices in boiling salted milk (four if from a
large, and six if from a small loaf of bread), arrange them in a
covered dish, and pour the cream, salted, between and over them.
Irregular pieces and odds and ends of bread may be used instead of
whole slices, and are very nice toasted in a tin pan in the oven.
One precaution is necessary in making this dish; that is, to soak
the bread _thoroughly_ in the boiling milk, for the sauce or cream
is too thick to soften it. On account of the high temperature to
which the butter rises, the starch is more perfectly cooked in it
than if the flour were mixed with cold water and poured into the
boiling milk, as is sometimes done.
FRENCH OR EGG TOAST
1 Egg.
1 Cup of milk or cream.
1 Saltspoon of salt.
3 Slices of bread.
Break the egg on a plate, and beat it with a fork for a minute,
or until the viscousness is destroyed. Then mix in the milk and
salt. In this mixture soak the slices of bread until they are soft,
lay them in a buttered omelet-pan, and fry them slowly until a
golden brown. Then place a bit of butter on the upper side of each
slice, turn and brown that side. Spread a little butter, powdered
cinnamon, and sugar on each slice and arrange them one above
another in a covered dish. Serve very hot.
CROUTONS
_Crouton_ is a French word which in English means _crust_. The
term was first applied to the paste of sawdust, flour, and water
in which the peasants of southern France used long ago to inclose
their pieces of meat before roasting. After the meat was done the
crust was broken open and thrown away. The word with us is applied
to little cubes of buttered bread which have been browned in the
oven. They are used in soups and stews, sprinkled in just before
serving.
=To Make Croutons.= Butter a slice of evenly cut bread. Divide
it into cubes that will be one third of an inch on a side. This
will necessitate cutting the slice of bread exactly a third of an
inch thick. Place these little cubes on a tin plate, or shallow
dish, and put the dish on the grate in a moderate oven for fifteen
minutes. When done they should be light golden brown throughout,
crisp and brittle. Sometimes cubes of bread are fried in fat to
resemble croutons, but unless done by a skilful hand they are
usually soaked with fat. Even at the best they lack the delicate
flavor of those which are buttered, and browned in an oven.
SIPPETS
Sippets are evenly cut oblongs of bread delicately toasted. They
may be served as dry toast, or with broiled birds or broiled
oysters. They are also nice for a lunch with a cup of tea or cocoa.
=To Make Sippets.= Cut thin slices of bread, and from them make
oblongs one inch wide by four inches long. Toast carefully so that
they will not break, and pile on a small bread-plate if they are to
be served dry.
VERMICELLI TOAST
Prepare a cream toast according to the rule on page 130, except
arrange the slices on a platter and pour the sauce evenly over
them. Press through a coarse wire strainer enough hard-boiled yolk
of egg to lightly cover it. It will fall in irregular, broken,
crinkled threads, somewhat resembling vermicelli, hence the name.
SOUPS
OYSTER SOUP
1 Cup of fresh oysters.
1 Cup of milk.
1 Saltspoon of salt.
2 Tablespoons of rolled cracker-crumbs.
A sprinkle of pepper.
¼ Teaspoon of butter.
Put the milk with the cracker-crumbs into a saucepan on the stove;
while it is heating pick over the oysters on a plate, and remove
any bits of shell that may be among them. Have a hot omelet-pan
ready to receive them, and when the milk reaches the boiling-point,
put the oysters into the omelet-pan. Stir and turn them until they
become plump, or while about sixty can be _slowly counted_; then
drop the oysters into the boiling milk, take it immediately from
the fire, add the salt, pepper, and butter, and serve at once.
The point which requires the most attention is the cooking of the
oysters in the omelet-pan. Do not let them cook _quite enough_, as
the milk has sufficient heat to finish them. If too long exposed
to the heat, the albuminous juice becomes over-cooked, and the
oysters consequently tough and leathery. For thickening oyster
soup, two tablespoons of white sauce may be substituted for the
cracker-crumbs.
CHICKEN SOUP
Thoroughly clean a good fowl. Separate it at the joints and cut
it into small pieces. Put the meat into a saucepan with three
pints of water, and stew it for two and one half or three hours,
or until it becomes very tender. Then take out the meat, let the
liquor continue to boil, and to it add one tablespoon of rice, one
tablespoon of finely cut onion which has been fried with a bit of
butter until soft, but not brown, and three peppercorns. Cut the
nicer portions of the meat into small pieces, after removing all
the skin, gristle, and bone. Put these pieces, with one teaspoon
of salt, into the soup, and let all simmer until the rice is very
soft. Then take out the peppercorns. A very little white pepper and
a little celery-salt or curry-powder may be added. Serve hot with
croutons. If the water boils away during the cooking, which it will
do unless the simmering is very gentle, restore the quantity.
MOCK-BISQUE SOUP
1 Pint of tomatoes, measured after they have been stewed and strained.
1 Pint of white sauce.
1 Teaspoon of salt.
¼ Saltspoon of pepper.
½ Saltspoon of soda.
Although mock-bisque soup is better made with fresh tomatoes, the
canned fruit may be used, with the precaution that it be allowed to
stew only just long enough to soften it through, for long boiling
develops in it a very strong acid. When the tomatoes are soft,
strain them through a soup-strainer, or other coarse wire strainer,
until there is nothing left but the seeds. Measure a pint of the
liquid, add the soda, salt, and pepper, and set it on the stove
to heat slowly. Meanwhile make a white sauce with one tablespoon
of butter, one of flour, and a pint of milk, according to the
rule on page 130. Add this sauce to the tomato, strain all into a
double boiler, return to the fire, and serve as soon as it becomes
steaming hot.
If fresh tomatoes can be obtained, wash and wipe them, cut out the
green part near the stem, divide them into small pieces without
taking off the skins, and stew without water until the fruit is
just soft enough to mash. If the tomatoes are fully ripe and
carefully cooked, they will not require the soda, but when soda is
necessary, fresh tomatoes need only half the amount used for canned
fruit.
This is an appetizing and delicate soup, and may be freely used by
most invalids.
POTATO SOUP
3 Medium-sized potatoes.
1 Teaspoon of chopped onion.
2 Saltspoons of celery-salt, or 3 stalks of celery.
1 Teaspoon of salt.
A little white pepper.
A speck of cayenne.
1 Teaspoon of flour.
2 Teaspoons of butter.
1 Pint of milk.
Pare and boil the potatoes. Cook the onion and celery in the milk,
with which make a white sauce with the flour and butter. When the
potatoes are done, drain off the water and dry them over the fire
by moving the pan back and forth on the stove to keep them from
sticking. Then, without removing the pan from the fire, mash them
thoroughly with a potato-masher, and put in the sauce, pepper,
cayenne, and salt; strain all through a soup-strainer, and if the
consistency be not perfectly smooth and even, strain it again.
Put it into a double boiler, set back on the stove, and when hot
it is ready to serve. If the soup seems very thick, add a little
more milk, for some potatoes are drier than others, and will
consequently absorb more moisture. It should be like a _thin purée_.
This soup may be varied by using a quart instead of a pint of milk,
and the whites of two eggs well beaten, the latter to be added
just two minutes before it is removed from the fire, which will be
sufficient time for the egg to cook. Care should be taken not to
allow the egg to harden, or the soup will have a curdled appearance.
CREAM-OF-CELERY SOUP
1 Head of celery.
1 Pint of water.
1 Pint of milk.
1 Tablespoon of butter.
1 Tablespoon of flour.
½ Teaspoon of salt.
½ Saltspoon of white pepper.
Wash and scrape the celery, cut it into half-inch pieces, put it
into the pint of boiling water, and cook until it is very soft.
When done mash it in the water in which it was boiled, and add the
salt and pepper. Cook the onion in the milk, and with it make a
white sauce with the butter and flour; add this to the celery, and
strain it through a soup-strainer, pressing and mashing with the
back of a spoon until all but a few tough fibers of the celery are
squeezed through. Return the soup, in a double boiler, to the fire,
and heat it until it is steaming, when it is ready to serve.
By substituting chicken broth for water, and using celery-salt
instead of fresh celery when it is not in season, a very acceptable
variation of this soup may be made.
CREAM-OF-RICE SOUP
¼ Cup of rice.
1 Pint of chicken broth or stock.
1 Pint of sweet cream.
1 Teaspoon of chopped onion.
1 Stalk of celery.
3 Saltspoons of salt.
A little white pepper.
½ Saltspoon of curry-powder.
Pick over and wash the rice, and put it into the chicken broth in
a saucepan to cook. Simmer it slowly until the rice is very soft.
It will require two hours' cooking to accomplish this. Half an
hour before the rice is done put the cream into a saucepan with
the onion, celery, pepper, and curry, and let them simmer slowly
for twenty minutes; then pour the mixture into the rice; press all
through a soup-strainer; add the salt, and set it back on the stove
to heat to the boiling-point. It should be a rather thin soup, not
a _purée_. Should the broth boil away while the rice is cooking, or
should the soup be too thick, add more broth, or some water.
QUEEN VICTORIA'S FAVORITE SOUP
1 Cup of chopped chicken meat.
1 Pint of strong chicken broth.
1 Pint of sweet cream.
½ Cup of cracker- or bread-crumbs.
3 Yolks of eggs.
1 Teaspoon of salt.
½ Saltspoon of pepper.
The chicken may be obtained from what remains of a roast, in which
case the bones, skin, tendons, and all the scraps left should be
boiled for the broth. It is better, however, to use a fowl which
has been cooked on purpose, as the broth from such a one is of
finer flavor. Soak the cracker-crumbs in a little of the cream.
Break three eggs, separate the whites from the yolks, and carefully
drop the yolks into hot water; boil them until they are hard.
Chop the chicken in a chopping-tray until it is as fine as meal,
previously having removed everything except the clear meat; mix the
soaked cracker with it; press the hard egg-yolks through a coarse
wire strainer and put them in, and also the salt, pepper, and
broth. Then strain the whole through a colander, adding the cream a
little at a time, and pressing through all of the meat. Boil it for
five minutes in a saucepan, or cook it in a double boiler for half
an hour. This makes a delicious soup.
CHICKEN-TAPIOCA SOUP
2 Tablespoons of tapioca.
½ Cup of cold water.
1 Pint of strong chicken broth or white stock.
1 Pint of milk.
1 Stalk of celery, or some celery-salt.
1 Tablespoon of chopped onion.
½ Square inch of mace.
1 Scant teaspoon of salt.
½ Saltspoon of white pepper.
½ Teaspoon of butter.
The broth for this dish may be made by boiling the bones of a roast
with the left-over pieces of meat, and then reducing the liquor
until it is strong enough. Put the tapioca to soak in the cold
water, overnight if it be the common, coarse kind, but if pearl
or granulated tapioca is used, twenty minutes will do. Then add
the chicken stock, and simmer it until the tapioca is completely
softened. It will require two or three hours. About half an hour
before the tapioca will be done, put the milk, celery, onion, and
mace into a saucepan to cook, and as soon as the tapioca becomes
soft pour it in; remove from the fire, and strain the whole through
a wire strainer, forcing through with a spoon all the grains of
tapioca. Then add the salt, pepper, and butter; set it back on the
stove, and heat it just to the boiling-point, when it is ready to
serve.
BEEF-TAPIOCA SOUP
¼ Cup of granulated tapioca.
1½ Cups of water.
1 Pint of strong beef broth.
½ Teaspoon of salt.
½ Teaspoon of mixed sweet herbs.
1 Teaspoon of minced onion.
A little black pepper.
Soak the tapioca for twenty minutes in a half cup of cold water,
then set it to cook in a double boiler with the rest of the water
(one cupful). When the grains become soft and begin to look
transparent, put in all the other ingredients and cook until the
tapioca is completely dissolved. This will require two or three
hours. Strain it, and return it to the fire to boil for five
minutes, when it is ready to serve. This soup may be made with the
ordinary stock from a stock-kettle. A little chicken broth is an
improving addition, and really makes a most savory soup.
CHICKEN PANADA
A panada is a dish the foundation of which is bread. For chicken
panada there will be needed:
1 Cup of chicken meat.
½ Cup of bread soaked in milk.
1 Pint of chicken liquor or broth.
½ Teaspoon of salt.
¼ Saltspoon of pepper.
The chicken may be obtained from a cold roast, the bones, gristle,
and tendons of which should be boiled for the broth, or a fowl may
be used on purpose for it.
Put the bread-crumbs to soak in enough milk to cover them. Cut the
chicken into small pieces, leaving out everything which is not
clear meat, and chop it in a chopping-tray until it is very fine.
Press the bread-crumbs through a coarse wire strainer into it, pour
in the broth (from which the fat has been removed by skimming with
a spoon), and add the pepper and salt. Boil for one minute. The
panada should be about the consistency of thick gruel. It may be
varied by seasoning it with either celery-salt or curry-powder. Two
tablespoons of sweet cream is also a desirable addition.
CONSOMMÉ
3 Quarts of cold water.
½ of a good fowl.
2 Pounds of lean beef, or 2½ pounds of beef and bone.
¼ Pound of lean ham.
1 Tablespoon of chopped carrot.
1 Tablespoon of chopped turnip.
1 Teaspoon of minced onion.
1 Tablespoon of celery.
3 Cloves.
3 Peppercorns.
1 Tablespoon of mixed sweet herbs.
Wipe but do not wash the beef, unless, of course, it is very dirty.
Cut it into small slices, and fry it in a hot frying-pan to brown
it and to develop the flavor of the meat. Then divide the slices
into small pieces, so as to expose as large a surface as possible
to the action of the water. Put it, with the chicken (after it has
been cleaned and cut into small pieces), into a porcelain-lined or
granite-ware soup-digester, with the piece of ham and three quarts
of cold water. Let it slowly reach the boiling-point, and simmer
it gently for six hours. Boiling briskly dissipates the flavors by
separating certain subtle substances which are perceptible to the
sense of smell, and if they are in the air they cannot also be in
the broth.
When it has been cooking for three hours, fry the carrot, turnip,
and onion together in a little butter until they are brown, and put
them with the cloves, sweet herbs, peppercorns, and celery into the
soup. If these are cooked with the meat from the beginning, the
flavor is not so good.
At the end of the six hours, when the meat is in rags, strain the
liquid into a china bowl, and set it away to cool until all the fat
rises and forms in a cake on the top. It is a good plan to cool it
overnight when there is plenty of time. Every particle of fat must
be removed, and it is not possible to do this unless the soup is
cooled. _To clear consommé_ return it to the fire, and as soon as
it becomes liquid break into it two eggs, and stir slowly until the
soup begins to steam and the albumen of the eggs is coagulated.
The coagulum will entangle all the insoluble matter; then strain
the liquid through a napkin, salt it, and heat it just to the
boiling-point, when it is ready to serve.
It should be perfectly clear, and of a golden-brown color like
sherry wine. If the color is not dark enough, a little caramel
(burnt sugar) may be added.
The above quantity of meats and flavoring should give a quart of
consommé.
BOUILLON
Make a plain beef broth according to the rule on page 78. To a
quart of this add a pinch each of thyme, sage, sweet marjoram, and
mint (or enough to make in all what will fill a teaspoon), and a
teaspoon each of chopped onion and carrot. Boil all together until
the broth is reduced to one pint. Strain, season with salt and
pepper, and serve very hot in covered cups.
APPLE SOUP
2 Cups of apple.
2 Cups of water.
2 Teaspoons of corn-starch.
1½ Tablespoons of sugar.
1 Saltspoon of cinnamon.
A bit of salt.
Stew the apple in the water until it is very soft. Then mix
together into a smooth paste the corn-starch, sugar, salt, and
cinnamon with a little cold water. Pour this into the apple, and
boil for five minutes. Strain it into a soup-tureen, and keep hot
until ready to serve. This is very good eaten with hot buttered
sippets.
OYSTERS
Oysters are a highly prized food, though why it is difficult
to say, as they are neither very easy of digestion nor very
nutritious. But they possess a delicate insinuating flavor that
is generally acceptable to most palates, and probably are really
valuable for the salts which they contain.
The composition of oysters (Payen's analysis) is as follows:
Nitrogenous matter 14.010%
Fat 1.515%
Saline substances 2.695%
Water 80.385%
Non-nitrogenous matter and waste 1.395%
--------
Total 100.000
According to Professor Mott's Chart of the Composition,
Digestibility, and Nutritive Value of Foods, from actual experiment
the time required for the digestion of oysters is as follows:
Hours. Minutes.
Raw oysters 2 55
Roasted oysters 3 15
Stewed oysters 3 30
This shows that they require a longer time than do most kinds of
fish, venison, beefsteak, tripe, soused pig's feet, eggs, and
roast beef, all of which are digested in varying times less than
those mentioned.
Oysters are found in greatest perfection in the Eastern States,
and in the cooler waters of the western Atlantic. The choicest
varieties in the world come from the shores of Long Island,
and from the Providence River. Chesapeake Bay is noted for the
abundance of its oysters.
Oysters are in season from September to May; during the rest of
the year they are insipid and unfit for food, although they are
sometimes used.
Convalescents often begin with fresh, sound oysters, before they
venture to try other kinds of solid animal food.
Oysters may be used in a variety of ways, but served raw and
broiled slightly in the shells are perhaps the two most desirable
ways with which to begin. Afterward stews and soups are recommended
on account of their liquid form and warmth, warm foods being always
so much more desirable than cold.
There are some points to be carefully observed in preparing oysters
for the sick. (1) Make every effort to have the oysters alive
when used. If this is impossible, buy salt-water oysters as fresh
as they can be obtained of a reliable dealer. Many serious cases
of illness, and even death, have been caused by eating oysters
so long dead that poisonous substances had formed in them. (2)
Remember that oysters contain an albuminous juice which increases
in hardness with an increase of temperature, just as the albumen
of an egg does. When oysters are cooked with reference to this
juice alone, they are also cooked in the best possible manner with
reference to their other ingredients; therefore subject them to a
low temperature, and for a short time, bearing in mind that 160°
Fahr. is the cooking temperature of albumen.
RAW OYSTERS
Wash and scrub the shells well under a stream of water, with a
vegetable brush. With a hammer break the thin edges of the shell so
that a knife may be inserted to sever the muscle which holds the
two parts of the shell together; when this is cut remove the upper
half, and wipe the edges free from any grains of sand. Then sever
the muscle which joins the oyster to the other half, so that it may
be easily lifted out, without the necessity of cutting. Arrange
them on an oyster-plate, and serve with salt, black pepper, and
lemon-juice. A half or a quarter of a lemon may be placed in the
center of the plate, which usually has a groove on purpose for it.
OYSTERS ROASTED IN THE SHELL
Wash the shells very carefully with a brush. Put them in a wire
broiler over glowing coals, the round side of the shell down so
as to hold the juice. Cook them quickly, turning once or twice
until the shells open. They may also be done in a hot oven. When
done, remove the upper half of the shell; season them quickly with
salt, pepper, and a tiny bit of butter, and vinegar, if liked,
and serve them while they are very hot. The true oyster flavor is
delightfully developed by preparing in this way. They may also
be served with melted butter, seasoned with salt, pepper, and
lemon-juice.
OYSTER SOUP
See recipe under =Soups=, on page 134.
OYSTER STEW
1 Cup of oysters.
1 Cup of rich milk.
2 Saltspoons of salt.
A little white pepper.
¼ Teaspoon of butter.
Set the milk in a saucepan on the fire to heat. Prepare the oysters
by pouring over them a cup of cold water to wash them, from which
lift them out with a fork, and search for bits of shell which
sometimes adhere when they are opened. Then lay them on a napkin
or a piece of clean cloth, to drain off as much as possible of the
water. Unless oysters are just taken from the shells, the liquor is
not of much value. Just as the milk reaches the boiling-point, put
the oysters into an omelet-pan, which has been previously set on
the stove to heat, and cook them for a minute, or until they become
plump, turning them every ten seconds with a fork. The moment the
edges or frills begin to curl, drop them into the milk and remove
it immediately from the fire. Now add the seasoning and butter,
and the stew is ready to serve--which should be done as soon as
possible.
Oyster stew may also be made by preparing the oysters as above and
then dropping them into boiling-hot milk, which should remain for
one or two minutes on the fire before removal.
CREAMED OYSTERS
Clean a pint of oysters according to the directions in the previous
rule. After drying them on a napkin, spread them on a plate and
season them with salt, pepper, and a suspicion of cayenne.
Make a rich cream sauce with _one pint_ of cream, _one tablespoon_
of butter, and _two tablespoons_ of flour.
When the sauce is cooked, roll into it the seasoned oysters, put
them in individual scallop-dishes, or a dish such as might be used
for scalloped oysters, or any shallow baking-dish that is good
enough to serve; then bake them in a hot oven, on the grate, for
ten minutes if in small dishes, or for fifteen if in a single large
one. This gives time enough for the oysters to become cooked but
not hardened. The mixing of the oysters and sauce should be done
quickly, so that the sauce may not become cold before they are put
into the oven; for if there is much delay, it will take longer to
cook them than the time given.
This is a good way to cook oysters for the sick, for the sauce
made according to the rule for such sauces (page 130) is easily
digested, nutritious, and of good flavor.
BROILED OYSTERS
Select large oysters. Drain them on a cloth or napkin, turning
them from one side to the other, to make them as dry as possible.
Meanwhile soften some butter, and season some cracker-crumbs with
salt and pepper. Then, holding each oyster on a fork, dip it into
the crumbs, then into the melted butter, and again into the crumbs.
Arrange them in an oyster-broiler (which differs from ordinary
broilers by having the wires closer together), and broil over a hot
fire for about two minutes, turning the broiler every few seconds.
They should not be shriveled, but plump, soft, tender, and juicy.
The salt and pepper in the crumbs will sufficiently season them.
FANCY ROAST OR PAN-BROILED OYSTERS
Eight oysters will be enough for one person. Drain the oysters on
a cloth or napkin, making them as free from moisture as possible.
Heat an omelet-pan, with a small piece of butter in it, very hot;
then drop the oysters one by one into the pan, turning each before
the next is put in. One should work quickly, otherwise the first
will be overdone before the last is put in. When the pan is full,
shake it a moment, lift it from the fire, and turn the oysters
quickly into a square covered dish, with toast-points in the
corners. Season them with salt, pepper, and a bit of butter, and
serve them as quickly as convenient.
Each oyster should be cooked so quickly that its juices are shut
into itself and do not ooze out into the pan. There is usually a
very little juice with the butter, but if it is considerable, one
may know that the oysters have not been cooked in a sufficiently
high temperature. Oysters are very nice done in this way, but it
takes a skilful worker to do them without letting the juice ooze
out, or, on the other hand, over-cooking them. The toast-points are
made by cutting small squares of bread diagonally across.
OYSTER BROTH
Chop a dozen oysters in a chopping-tray until they are quite fine.
Turn them into a small saucepan with a cup of cold water, and let
them slowly approach the boiling-point, and then simmer them for
five minutes, the object being to get as much as possible of the
flavor of the oysters into the water. Then strain out the oysters,
season the liquor with a bit of salt, and serve.
A broth with milk may be made by putting in less water, and adding
milk three or four minutes before the broth is taken from the fire.
OYSTERS COOKED IN A CHAFING-DISH
Chafing-dishes are generally made of silver, and are much used
just at present for cooking oysters at the table. A chafing-dish
consists of a covered dish resting in a frame, and heated from
below with an alcohol lamp. It is brought to the table with the
lamp lighted and the raw oysters ready to be cooked. Some member
of the family takes it in charge, and the result is a much more
satisfactory dish than could be otherwise obtained, for it requires
intelligence and a cultivated taste to cook and season these
delicious bivalves.
=Uses of the Chafing-dish.= It may be used for broth, stew, soup,
and fancy roast, the treatment being exactly the same as with a
saucepan or an omelet-pan on a stove.
EGGS
Eggs, next to milk, are the most valuable form of food for those
who are very ill. They contain in excellent proportion most of the
elements necessary to nourish the body; but being a concentrated
form of food, it is well to associate with them milk or some other
liquid, and such starchy foods as bread, potatoes, etc.
According to Lawes and Gilbert the composition of egg is as follows:
SHELL Carbonate of lime 10.00%
{ Nitrogenous matter 16.00%
{ Fatty matter 30.70%
YOLK { Saline matter 1.30%
{ Water 52.00%
-------
Total 100.00%
{ Nitrogenous matter 20.40%
WHITE { Saline matter 1.60%
{ Water 78.00%
-------
Total 100.00%
A large proportion of both yolk and white is _albumen_.[35] It
has been found by experiment (page 25) that when white of egg
is subjected to a temperature of 134°-140° Fahr. little white
threads appear in it; that if the temperature be increased to 160°
Fahr., the whole mass becomes a white, but tender, easily divided
substance; that if the heat be raised to 200° Fahr. it loses its
tender, jelly-like consistency, and becomes firm and tenacious; and
that with continued rise of temperature the toughness increases
until at from 300°-350° Fahr. it becomes so hard that it is used as
a cement for marble.
From these statements it will at once be inferred that the proper
cooking temperature of eggs is not that of boiling water, but 52°
lower. Eggs cooked the customary three minutes in boiling water
will be overdone in the part nearest the shell, and not cooked
at all in the center of the yolk, as three minutes is not long
enough for the heat to penetrate to that point. The yolk, though
not injurious in this condition, is not as palatable as when
it is cooked. The condition of the white, however, is of grave
importance, as even well persons are sometimes made ill by eating
it.
It is generally agreed that although albumen will coagulate at a
temperature somewhat lower than 160° Fahr., the degree of firmness
obtained by exposing it to this temperature is the most desirable
for food. Therefore we speak of 160° Fahr. as its _cooking
temperature_. An egg cooked ideally would be subjected to that
temperature for a sufficient time to allow the heat to penetrate
and act upon all portions of it. The time required is half an hour.
Cooked according to this method, the white would be opaque and
firm, but tender and delicate, the yolk not liquid and lukewarm,
but thick and almost firm. The flavor of both is delicious.
A knowledge of the proper temperature necessary to bring about this
change is absolutely essential to any one who would cook eggs,
and dishes which contain them, such as creams, puddings, etc., as
they should be cooked. A great deal of the philosophy of cooking
depends upon this knowledge, for nearly all kinds of meat, fish,
oysters, milk, and other albuminous foods contain as one of their
most valuable nutrients the substance known as albumen. When they
are cooked with reference to this _alone_, we find that they are
also done in the best-known way with reference to their other
ingredients.
Practically with our present kitchen appliances it is exceedingly
difficult to maintain for half an hour a steady temperature of
160°, but excellent results may be obtained by the following method.
SOFT-COOKED EGGS
Pour enough boiling water into a saucepan to more than cover
whatever number of eggs are to be cooked; then put in the eggs, and
let them stand for ten minutes on the hearth or any place where the
water will not lose its warmth too quickly. Remember that it is the
heat in the water which is to do the cooking. The saucepan should
remain uncovered. Practically this is an excellent way to do, for
the amount of heat in the water will not fall below 160° Fahr. in
the ten minutes, and that time is sufficient for it to penetrate
to the center of the egg. Moreover, if the egg be forgotten, and
remains in the water for a longer time, it will not become hard
unless the temperature of the water be raised.
Theoretically an egg should be cooked at 160° Fahr., but
practically this would involve a considerable waste of time and
necessitate the use of a thermometer. Almost the same result is
obtained in an easy and convenient way by the above method,
although it is not an exact one. The proportion of boiling water
for each egg which will insure cooking in the time given is one
pint, but somewhat less will do if many are to be cooked; for
instance, eight eggs will do in six pints, as comparatively less
heat is lost in warming the pan.
POACHED OR DROPPED EGGS
From a thin, even slice of home-made bread cut out a round piece
with a biscuit-cutter; toast it a delicate brown.
Pour some boiling water into a small saucepan and salt it, using
a saltspoon of salt to a cup of water; place it on the stove to
boil. Break a fresh egg into a cup, and when the water is boiling
slip it gently into the pan. At first the egg will cool the water
below the boiling-point, but should the water again begin to boil,
withdraw the pan to a cooler part of the stove. When the white is
firm, or at the end of about two minutes, lift out the egg by means
of two spoons or a skimmer (being careful not to break the yolk),
and place it on the round of toast. The egg should not be trimmed.
Season it with a speck of salt, a little pepper, and a bit of
butter placed on the middle of the yolk. This is a dainty and easy
way of preparing eggs for the sick, and one is always sure of the
condition of the eggs, which is not the case when they are cooked
in the shell.
A layer of minced ham or of minced chicken laid on the toast makes
a palatable variation.
Egg-poachers, or little tin cups with perforated bottoms set in
a frame, may be bought for poaching eggs, but in those that the
author has seen the raw albumen runs into the little holes and
makes it difficult to remove the egg after it is done without
breaking it. Muffin-rings may also be used.
SCRAMBLED EGGS. No. 1
Break two eggs into a plate, and sprinkle on a little pepper and a
saltspoon of salt; beat them with a fork for one minute, add two
tablespoons of milk or, better, thin sweet cream; beat again and
pour the mixture into a buttered pan; stir it gently, letting it
cook slowly for about two minutes, or until the albumen of the egg
is coagulated. It should be soft and tender, not hardened. Serve it
on toast, or in a small, square covered dish.
SCRAMBLED EGGS. No. 2
Beat two eggs, a saltspoon of salt, and a sprinkle of white pepper
in a bowl with a Dover egg-beater until quite light; add two
tablespoons of sweet cream or of milk, and turn the mixture into
a double boiler to cook, stirring it constantly until the albumen
is just coagulated. A delicate and easily digested dish is the
result. It is a safer way to use the double boiler rather than an
omelet-pan. If no double boiler is at hand, one may be improvised
with a bowl or dish set into a kettle of hot water.
OMELETS
Omelets may be made in a great variety of ways, the kind depending
not upon a difference in mixing the eggs, but upon the ingredients
which are added. _Spanish_ omelet is ordinary omelet with onion.
_Truffles_, _mushrooms_, _chopped oysters_, _rum_, and _tomato_
make other varieties. Flour should never be used in them, as it
cannot be properly cooked in the short time that should be given
to the eggs. If it should happen that an omelet is to be made, and
there is no milk at hand, water may be substituted, but an omelet
should never be made without one or the other.
CREAMY OMELET
Beat four eggs slightly with a fork until you can take up a
spoonful; add two saltspoons of salt, half a saltspoon of pepper,
four tablespoons of milk or cream, and mix well. Butter an
omelet-pan, and before the butter browns turn in the mixture. Then
with the point of a fork pick or lift up the cooked egg from the
center, and let the uncooked egg run under. This leaves the butter
on the pan, and is better than stirring. Continue the lifting until
the whole is of a soft creamy consistency, then place it over a
hotter part of the fire and brown slightly, fold and turn out as
usual. (Adapted from Mrs. D. A. Lincoln's "Boston Cook Book.")
For an invalid's use take half the quantities mentioned above--that
is, use two eggs, two tablespoons of milk or cream, a saltspoon of
salt, and a bit of pepper; and instead of having the omelet-pan
hot, have it just warm enough to melt the butter; otherwise the
first layer of egg which is cooked may be overdone and hardened.
FOAMY OMELET
Separate the yolks from the whites of two eggs, and put them into
bowls. To the yolks add a saltspoon of salt and one fourth of a
saltspoon of pepper. Beat with a Dover egg-beater until light.
Then add two tablespoons of milk. Beat the whites until stiff,
but not as stiff as possible, and _fold_, not _beat_ them into
the yolks, so that the whole shall be very light and puffy. Pour
the mixture into a buttered omelet-pan, and cook slowly until the
under side begins to change color and become brown, or for about
_two minutes_. Then put the pan on the grate in the oven for
about _one minute_, to cook the upper surface. One must endeavor
to avoid both over and under cooking. If the omelet is not done
enough, the raw egg will ooze out after it is folded; on the other
hand, if it is cooked too much, it will be dry and tough. When
it seems to be coagulated on the upper surface, run a case-knife
under it to separate it from the pan, and fold one half over the
other. Take the platter which is to receive it in the right hand,
lay it against the edge of the pan, and tip the omelet out. Serve
immediately.
An omelet is a dainty and delicate way of serving eggs, and may
be well made by any one who will bear in mind that the cooking
temperature of albumen is 160° Fahr., and that if exposed to a
very much higher degree of heat for many minutes, it will be
spoiled,--rendered both unpalatable and indigestible.
OMELET WITH HAM. No. 1
Broil a thin, small slice of ham until thoroughly well done. Lay
it between the folds of an omelet. Either creamy or foamy omelets
may be used.
OMELET WITH HAM. No. 2
Mince a piece of cooked ham until it is fine. Stir it into an
omelet in the proportion of one teaspoon to an egg, or it may be
sprinkled over the surface just before folding. When seasoned with
a little mustard, it makes a very piquant addition. Either creamy
or foamy omelets may be used.
OMELET WITH JELLY
Spread a tablespoon of grape or currant jelly over the middle of
the upper surface of a two-egg omelet just before folding it.
OMELET WITH CHICKEN
Chop fine the cooked white meat of a piece of chicken. Season it
with salt and pepper, and sprinkle it over an omelet, or stir it
into the egg before cooking, in the proportion of one teaspoon to
an egg, as is done with ham.
OMELET WITH TOMATO
Prepare thin slices of very ripe tomatoes, by removing the skin
and seasoning slightly with salt. Lay them on that part of the
omelet which is to be the lower half, and fold; or the tomato may
be tucked into the omelet after folding.
OMELET WITH PARSLEY
Wash some parsley. Break off the stems and roll the rest into a
little ball; then, holding it firmly in the left hand, cut slices
from it, or chop it on a board. Stir it into the omelet mixture
before it is cooked, in the proportion of one teaspoon for each egg.
SPANISH OMELET
To an omelet mixture add two drops of onion-juice for each egg, or
half a teaspoon of very finely minced onion.
ORANGE OMELET
"The thinly grated rind of one orange and three tablespoons of the
juice, three eggs, and three teaspoons of powdered sugar. Beat the
yolks, add the sugar, rind, and juice, fold in the beaten whites,
and cook. Fold, turn out, sprinkle thickly with powdered sugar, and
score in diagonal lines with a clean red-hot poker. The burnt sugar
gives to the omelet a delicious flavor.
"This is a convenient dessert for an emergency, and may be prepared
in ten minutes if one has the oranges." (From Mrs. D. A. Lincoln's
"Boston Cook Book.")
POTATOES
Next to wheat flour, potatoes are our most common form of starch
food. The potato is a tuber, a native of America, and may be said
to have been discovered to the civilized world by the Spaniards,
who found it growing in Chili and Peru. Thence it was carried to
Spain, and from there to other parts of Europe, some time in the
sixteenth century. Potatoes were at first used as luxuries, but are
now almost ranked among the necessities of life.
The composition of potatoes (Letherby) is as follows:
Water 75.00%
Starch 18.80%
Nitrogenous matter 2.00%
Sugar 3.00%
Fat .20%
Salts 1.00%[36]
From this we see that starch is the principal nutrient, therefore
potatoes in use for food should be associated with nitrogenous
substances, such as eggs, meat, fish, and milk. The potash salts
which potatoes contain are very valuable. According to Letherby,
an average of thirty-one analyses of the ash of potatoes gave 59.8
per cent. of potash, 19.1 per cent. of phosphoric acid, the other
ingredients being in exceedingly small proportions. These salts
are necessary to a healthy condition of the blood. Potatoes are a
valuable antiscorbutic.
According to Mattieu Williams, scurvy prevailed in Norway to a very
serious extent until the introduction of the potato; and Lang, with
other good authorities, testifies that its disappearance is due to
the use of potatoes by a people who formerly were insufficiently
supplied with salts-giving vegetable food.
The salts of the potato are most abundant in or near the skin, and
the decision of the question as to whether potatoes shall be pared
or not before cooking is somewhat aided by this fact. For persons
who eat but few other fresh vegetables by all means leave the
skins on, but for those who have access to a good kitchen garden
and have plenty of other vegetables and fruits from which to get
their salts, it makes no important difference whether the skins are
removed.
The potato is eminently a starch food, and this knowledge indicates
the method of treatment in cooking. Since starch is its principal
ingredient (the amount of nitrogenous matter being very small), if
it is cooked with reference to that alone, it will be done in the
best possible manner.
Starch, in order to be rendered most digestible and acceptable to
the human system, must be subjected to a high temperature in the
presence of some liquid. At 401° Fahr. (see pages 33 and 34) it is
converted into dextrine. This change, if not performed outside the
body, will be done in the ordinary processes of digestion after the
starch is eaten; therefore the nearer we approach to it in cooking,
the more perfectly is the food prepared which contains it.
Usually the first vegetable prescribed by the physician for a sick
person who is beginning to use solids, is a baked potato. A baked
potato, however, may be no better than a boiled potato unless it is
cooked in so high a temperature that the starch is affected. Boiled
potatoes cannot be subjected to a higher temperature than 212°
Fahr. Baked potatoes may be done in such a way that they are but
little better than boiled--for instance, done in a slow oven. On
the other hand, if they are put into a temperature of 380° or 400°
Fahr., or a hot oven, they will be done in such a manner that the
conversion of starch will in a degree take place, and they will be
consequently both palatable and easily digested.
Potatoes roasted in hot ashes or embers are delicious, and for the
same reason. But it must not be understood that by cooking potatoes
in a high temperature the starch which they contain is _all_
changed into dextrine. This does not usually take place except in
slight degree, but by the high temperature it is better prepared
for this change in the processes of digestion. Probably what does
take place is a sort of hydration of the starch, resulting in the
complete swelling and final bursting of the granules, with possibly
an intermediate change between this and dextrine. Just at the
moment when potatoes are done they should be immediately taken from
the fire and served at once. The potato is capable of being made
into a variety of dishes, and when properly prepared has a delicate
flavor which is very acceptable to most people. _It is one of the
most easily digested forms of starch-containing food._
BOILED POTATOES
For boiled potatoes, if they are to be served whole, select those
of the same shape and size. Wash them under a stream of water with
a vegetable brush. Pare carefully so as not to waste the potato,
and evenly, that they may look smooth and shapely. Cook them in a
granite-ware kettle or covered saucepan, in enough salted boiling
water to just cover them. If cold water is used, there is a greater
loss of potash salts by solution, because of the longer time of
exposure to the action of the liquid. The proportion of salt should
be one teaspoon to a quart of water.
Potatoes being already hydrated, it makes no great difference
whether they are put into hot or cold water, except in the time
which will be required to boil them and the slight loss of salts.
For medium-sized potatoes from thirty to forty minutes will be
necessary after they begin to boil. The moment they feel soft when
pierced with a fork they are done. Take them at once from the fire,
drain off all the water, and dry them by gently moving the pan back
and forth over the top of the stove for a minute. Serve as quickly
as possible. Unless they are to be eaten at once, it is better to
mash them, and keep them in the oven until needed.
MASHED POTATOES
For mashed potatoes the uneven sizes may be used; the large ones
should be cut into small pieces. Prepare according to the foregoing
rule, and when they are cooked and dried, add salt, butter, pepper,
and cream, in the following proportions:
1 Pint of potatoes.
1 Teaspoon of butter.
½ Teaspoon of salt.
½ Saltspoon of pepper (white).
2 Tablespoons of sweet cream or of milk.
Put into the potatoes the butter, salt, and pepper, and mash them
on the stove, in the dish in which they were boiled, to keep them
hot. Use an open wire potato-masher, and mash quickly so that they
may be light and dry, not "gummy." Last put in the cream, mix for
a moment, and serve immediately in a covered vegetable-dish. If
it is necessary to keep them for a time, arrange them like a cake
in the dish in which they are to be served, smooth over the top,
dot it with little bits of butter, or brush it over with milk or
the beaten white of egg, and brown them a delicate golden color by
placing the dish on the grate in the oven.
BAKED POTATOES
For baked potatoes, select those which are of uniform size and
not very large. Scrub them thoroughly in a stream of water from
the faucet, to wash off every particle of sand, for many like to
eat the outside. Bake them in a hot oven for from forty-five to
fifty minutes. If the potatoes are of _medium_ size, and do not
cook in that time, it indicates that the oven is not of the proper
temperature.
Baked potatoes, not being exposed to the solvent action of a
liquid, lose none of their potash salts in cooking, as boiled
potatoes do. The same is true of those roasted, and of those fried
raw in deep fat.
ROASTED POTATOES
Bury medium-sized potatoes in the embers or ashes of an open fire
for a half hour or more, according to their size. At the end of
that time dust off the ashes with a brush. Burst the shells by
squeezing them in the hand, and serve at once with salt, and
butter or cream. Either baked or roasted potatoes are delicious
eaten with sweet cream, salt, and pepper.
CREAMED POTATOES
Left-over potatoes may be used for this dish, or potatoes may
be boiled on purpose for it. Whichever is used, cut them into
half-inch dice, put them in an omelet-pan, season them with salt
and pepper, and pour in milk until it is even with the surface of
the potato; then simmer gently until all the milk is absorbed, or
for about half an hour. For every pint of potatoes make a pint of
white sauce, season it with a saltspoon of salt and a teaspoon of
chopped parsley, and pour it over. Potatoes are very nice done in
this way, if care is taken in simmering them in the milk. Unless
this is done according to the rule, they will have the cold-potato
taste, which is not at all palatable.
A little chopped onion may replace the parsley with good effect.
DUCHESS POTATOES
1 Pint of potatoes.
1 Teaspoon of butter.
½ Teaspoon of salt.
1 Egg.
¼ Teaspoon of white pepper.
Wash, pare, and boil the potatoes. Drain out every drop of water,
and dry them in the usual way. When dry and mealy, put in the
butter, salt, and pepper, and mash them thoroughly and quickly.
If potatoes are mashed for a long time slowly, they become waxy,
so endeavor to do it quickly and as lightly as possible. Then add
the egg, well beaten, and the cream; mix, and form it into a flat
cake (on a board) about half an inch thick. Cut it into oblongs
or squares, or shape it into rounds or balls, brush over with
the beaten white of egg, or milk, and bake in a hot oven until a
delicate brown. Serve the cakes on a platter as soon as they are
done.
MEATS
(BROILED)
Of the different ways of cooking the flesh of animals, especially
for the sick, broiling is at once the most delicious and the most
difficult.
The difference between broiled meat and meat cooked in water is
that the broiled meat is cooked in its own juices, while the other
is not. The albumen is coagulated in both cases, and the gelatinous
and fibrinous tissues are softened by being heated in a liquid.
In broiling or roasting meat the juices are retained, while in
stewing they go more or less into the water, and the loosening of
the fibers and solution of the gelatin and fibrin may be carried
further, on account of the longer exposure to heat and the larger
amount of solvent. In broiling, as the meat is to be cooked in its
own juices, it is evident that these must be retained as completely
as possible; and in order to succeed in this, we have to struggle
with a dry heat, which may not only cause rapid evaporation, but
may volatilize or decompose some of the flavoring principles.[37]
We should, therefore, endeavor to have such a temperature as shall
at first be sufficiently high to quickly coagulate, even harden,
the albumen in the outside surface, and thus form a layer or
protecting coat over the whole, and then to so modify and regulate
the heat afterward that the interior shall be raised to such a
temperature as shall properly cook it without loss of its nutritive
properties.
The time of exposure will be different for different kinds of
meat--beef and mutton requiring a shorter time than lamb, chicken,
or game. Beef and mutton are best when cooked rare; lamb, chicken,
and some kinds of game are best when well done. Game with _white
flesh_ should be _well done_; _all other kinds_, generally
speaking, may be _rare_.
Much of the science of cooking depends upon a knowledge of the
effects of heat; and as many changes in food are due to the
dissociation caused by heat, the degree of change depending upon
the temperature, the value of a sound knowledge of the subject
cannot fail to be seen.
To illustrate: aside from the evaporation of juices and coagulation
of albumen in a piece of steak, the chemical separation of its
constituents, especially of the outside shell or sheath, will vary
with the degree of heat in which it is cooked.
Not only for meats, but for most animal foods, a cooking
temperature less than 212° but above 160° is most advisable. This
applies particularly to milk, eggs, oysters, meats, and fish. Of
course in broiling we partially sacrifice the outside by cooking in
a high temperature for the sake of preserving the inner portions.
BEEF
Beef is, without doubt, our most valuable kind of meat. It is
nutritious, of excellent flavor, and comparatively easy of
digestion. It contains many of the substances necessary to nourish
the body--water, fat, albumen, gelatin, fibrin, salts, and
flavoring properties. The direct nutrients which it contains are
fat and protein.
The quality of beef varies with the age of the animal and the
manner in which it has been fattened. It requires a considerable
amount of study to be able to select a good roast or steak. If
the fat be of light, golden color, firm and thick, and the lean
be streaked with fine lines of fat, it is one indication of a
well-nourished animal. A reliable dealer may be of great service in
aiding one to distinguish between good and poor qualities.
The best portions for steak are from the loin, top of the round,
and rump. The cut called "porterhouse" is from near the middle of
the loin, and is the best portion of the animal. It has a rich,
fine flavor, and contains a section of tenderloin. Sirloin steak
is from the loin, and is also very nice. The first and second
cuts from the top of the round are excellent, containing much
well-flavored juice. The composition of a round steak free from
bones is as follows (in 100 parts):
{ Protein, gelatin, fibrin, etc. 23.00%
NUTRIENTS { Fats 9.00%
{ Mineral matters 1.30%
WATER 66.70%
-------
Total 100.00%
ATWATER.
The time given below for the digestion of beef is taken from
calculations by Dr. Beaumont:
Hours. Minutes.
Beefsteak broiled 3
Beef, fresh, lean, roasted 3 30
Beef fried 4
VALUE OF BEEF
As material for muscle 19
As heat-giver 14
As food for brain and nervous system 2
Water 65
ATWATER.
=To Broil Steak.= Select a steak from the loin, top of the round,
or rump. Have it cut an inch and a half (or, better, two inches)
thick. If there is a great deal of fat, trim off part of it, and
wipe the steak with a clean, wet cloth. A fire of glowing red
coals is necessary to do broiling well. Place the steak in a wire
broiler, and put it as near the coals as possible (one writer
says plunge it into the hottest part of the fire), _count ten_
and turn it, count again and turn again until it has been turned
_five_ or _six times_ so as to quickly cook a thin layer all over
the outside, to shut in the juices of the meat, and to form a
protecting sheath of coagulated albumen over the whole. Then lift
the broiler away from the coals and do the rest of the process
_slowly_,--that is, in a lower temperature, that the heat may have
time to penetrate to the center of the piece and raise the juices
to a sufficiently high temperature to soften the fibers, but not so
high as to hornify the albumen or char the outside. Turn it every
half minute until done.
If the fat melts and flames, do not lift up the broiler; it will do
no harm, and the black deposit which results is only carbon. This
carbon is not injurious; the color is not especially attractive,
but the taste will be good. The cautious cook who does not
appreciate this will lift up the broiler, thus cooling the meat,
and will perhaps blow out the flame, a proceeding which is open to
question as a point of neatness.
As coal fires are never twice alike, and the amount of heat sent
out is variable, it is constantly necessary to judge anew as to
where the broiler shall be placed. A certain amount of practice
is required to be able to broil with even fair success. When done
a steak should be brown on the outside, pink and juicy inside,
and plump, not shriveled. Steak should be at least an inch thick,
otherwise the proportion of surface exposed to the heat will be so
great in proportion to the amount of meat as to cause the loss by
evaporation of most of the juice, thus making the steak tough and
dry.
From _five_ to _seven_ minutes will be required to cook a steak
an inch thick; if an inch and a half thick, from _eight_ to _ten_
minutes. Serve the steak on a hot platter after having seasoned
_both_ sides of it with salt and pepper, but no butter. If it is
desirable to use butter, serve it with the steak rather than on it.
HAMBURG STEAK. No. 1
(SCRAPED BEEF)
Cut a piece of tender steak half an inch thick. Lay it on a
meat-board, and with a sharp knife scrape off the soft part until
there is nothing left but the tough, stringy fibers. Season this
pulp with salt and pepper, make it into little flat, round cakes
half an inch thick, and broil them two minutes. Serve on rounds of
buttered toast. This is a safe and dainty way to prepare steak for
one who is just beginning to eat meat. When it is not convenient to
have glowing coals, these meat-cakes may be broiled in a very hot
omelet-pan.
HAMBURG STEAK. No. 2
Pound a thin piece of beefsteak until the fibers are broken; season
it with salt and pepper, fold and pound again; then broil it three
or four minutes over a clear hot fire. Serve at once.
TENDERLOIN STEAK
Broil a tenderloin steak, and at the same time a small piece of
round steak, which usually contains a great deal of well-flavored
juice. Cut the round steak into small pieces, and squeeze the
juice from it over the tenderloin. Tenderloin steak is tender,
but usually neither juicy nor particularly well flavored. By this
method one gets a delicious steak.
BEEFSTEAK À LA MAÎTRE D'HÔTEL