sugar and three tablespoons of boiling water. Put on the stove, over
moderate fire, stir while boiling until smooth, glossy and thick. Spread
at once on cake and set aside to harden.
CHOCOLATE ICING, UNBOILED
Beat the whites of three eggs and one and one-half cups of pulverized
sugar, added gradually while beating. Beat until very thick, then add
four tablespoons of grated chocolate and two teaspoons of vanilla.
This quantity is sufficient for a very large cake.
INSTANTANEOUS FROSTING
To the white of an unbeaten egg add one and one-fourth cups of
pulverized sugar and stir until smooth. Add three drops of rose-water,
ten of vanilla, and the juice of half a lemon. It will at once become
very white, and will harden in five or six minutes.
PLAIN FROSTING
To one cup of confectioner's sugar add some liquid, either milk or
water, to make it the right consistency to spread, flavor with vanilla.
Instead of the water or milk, orange juice can be used. A little of the
rind must be added. Lemon juice can be substituted in place of vanilla.
Chocolate melted over hot water and added to the sugar and water makes a
nice chocolate icing; flavor with vanilla.
ALMOND ICING
Take the whites of two eggs and one-half pound of sweet almonds, which
should be blanched, dried and grated or pounded to a paste. Beat the
whites of the eggs, add half a pound of confectioner's sugar, one
tablespoon at a time, until all is used, and then add the almonds and a
few drops of rosewater. Spread between or on top of cake. Put on thick,
and when nearly dry cover with a plain icing. If the cakes are well
dredged with a little flour after baking, and then carefully wiped
before the icing is put on, it will not run and can be spread more
smoothly. Put the frosting in the centre of the cake, dip a knife in
cold water and spread from the centre toward the edge.
MOCHA FROSTING
One cup of pulverized sugar into which sift two dessertspoons of dry
cocoa, two tablespoons of strong hot coffee in which is melted a piece
of butter the size of a walnut. Beat well and add a little vanilla.
MARSHMALLOW FILLING
Melt one-half pound marshmallows over hot water, cook together one cup
of sugar and one-quarter cup of cold water until it threads thoroughly.
Beat up the white of an egg and syrup and mix, then add to the melted
marshmallows and beat until creamy and cool. Can be used for cake
filling or spread between two cookies.
FIG FILLING
One pound of figs chopped fine, one cup of water, one-half cup of sugar;
cook all together until soft and smooth.
BANANA FILLING
Mash six bananas, add juice of one lemon and three or more tablespoons
of sugar; or add mashed bananas with whipped cream or boiled icing.
CREAM FILLING
Scald two cups of milk. Mix together three-fourths of a cup of sugar,
one-third cup of flour and one-eighth teaspoon of salt. Add to three
slightly-beaten eggs and pour in scalded milk. Cook twenty minutes over
boiling water, stirring constantly until thickened. Cool and flavor.
This can be used as a foundation for most fillings, by adding melted
chocolate, nuts, fruits, etc.
COFFEE FILLING
Put three cups of warmed-over or freshly made coffee in a small
casserole, add two tablespoons of powdered sugar, one-half teaspoon of
vanilla. When at boiling point (do not let it boil), add one cup of milk
or cream. Then add one tablespoon of cornstarch which has been moistened
with cold water. Stir in while cooking till it is smooth and glossy.
When the cake is cool, pour mixture over the layers.
LEMON JELLY FOR LAYER CAKE
Take one pound of sugar, yolks of eight eggs with two whole ones, the
juice of five large lemons, the grated peel of two, and one-quarter
pound of butter. Put the sugar, lemon and butter into saucepan and melt
over a gentle fire. When all is dissolved, stir in the eggs which have
been beaten, stir rapidly until it is thick as honey, and spread some of
this between the layers of cake. Pack the remainder in jelly glasses.
LEMON PEEL
Keep a wide-mouthed bottle of brandy in which to throw lemon peel. Often
you will have use for the juice of lemons only. Then it will be
economical to put the lemon peel in the bottle to use for flavoring. A
teaspoon of this is sufficient for the largest cake.
LEMON EXTRACT
Take the peel of half a dozen lemons and put in alcohol the same as for
vanilla.
VANILLA EXTRACT
Take two ounces of vanilla bean and one of tonka. Soak the tonka in warm
water until the skin can be rubbed off; then cut or chop in small pieces
and put in two wine bottles. Fill with half alcohol, half water; cork,
seal, and in a week's time will be ready for use.
*PIES AND PASTRY*
PUFF PASTE OR BLAETTER TEIG
To make good puff paste one must have all the ingredients cold. Use a
marble slab if possible and avoid making the paste on a warm, damp day.
It should be made in a cool place as it is necessary to keep the paste
cold during the whole time of preparation. This recipe makes two pies or
four crusts, and requires one-half pound of butter and one-half teaspoon
of salt, one-half pound of flour and one-fourth to one-half cup of
ice-water.
Cut off one-third of the butter and put the remaining two-thirds in a
bowl of ice-water. Divide this into four equal parts; pat each into a
thin sheet and set them away on ice. Mix and sift flour and salt; rub
the reserved butter into it and make as stiff as possible with
ice-water. Dust the slab with flour; turn the paste upon it; knead for
one minute, then stand it on ice for five minutes. Roll the cold paste
into a square sheet about one-third of an inch thick; place the cold
batter in the centre and fold the paste over it, first from the sides
and then the ends, keeping the shape square and folding so that the
butter is completely covered and cannot escape through any cracks as it
is rolled. Roll out to one-fourth inch thickness, keeping the square
shape and folding as before, but without butter. Continue rolling and
folding, enclosing a sheet of butter at every alternate folding until
all four sheets are used. Then turn the folded side down and roll in one
direction into a long narrow strip, keeping the edges as straight as
possible. Fold the paste over, making three even layers. Then roll again
and fold as before. Repeat the process until the dough has had six
turns. Cut into the desired shapes and place on the ice for twenty
minutes or longer before putting in the oven.
If during the making the paste sticks to the board or pin, remove it
immediately and stand it on the ice until thoroughly chilled. Scrape the
board clean; rub with a dry cloth and dust with fresh flour before
trying again. Use as little flour as possible in rolling, but use enough
to keep the paste dry. Roll with a light, even, long stroke in every
direction, but never work the rolling-pin back and forth as that
movement toughens the paste and breaks the bubbles of air.
The baking of puff paste is almost as important as the rolling, and the
oven must be very hot, with the greatest heat at the bottom, so that the
paste will rise before it browns. If the paste should begin to scorch,
open the drafts at once and cool the temperature by placing a pan of
ice-water in the oven.
FLEISCHIG PIE CRUST
For shortening; use drippings and mix with goose, duck or chicken fat.
In the fall and winter, when poultry is plentiful and fat, save all
drippings of poultry fat for pie-crust. If you have neither, use
rendered beef fat.
Take one-half cup of shortening, one and one-half cups of flour. Sifted
pastry flour is best. If you have none at hand take two tablespoons of
flour off each cup after sifting; add a pinch of salt. With two knives
cut the fat into the sifted flour until the shortening is in pieces as
small as peas. Then pour in six or eight tablespoons of cold water; in
summer use ice-water; work with the knife until well mixed (never use
the hand). Flour a board or marble slab, roll the dough out thin,
sprinkle with a little flour and put dabs of soft drippings here and
there, fold the dough over and roll out thin again and spread with fat
and sprinkle with flour, repeat this and then roll out not too thin and
line a pie-plate with this dough. Always cut dough for lower crust a
little larger than the upper dough and do not stretch the dough when
lining pie-pan or plate.
If fruit is to be used for the filling, brush over top of the dough with
white of egg slightly beaten, or sprinkle with one tablespoon of bread
crumbs to prevent the dough from becoming soggy.
Put in the filling, brush over the edge of pastry with cold water, lay
the second round of paste loosely over the filling; press the edges
together lightly, and trim, if needed. Cut several slits in the top
crust or prick it with a fork before putting it in place.
Bake from thirty-five to forty-five minutes until crust is a nice brown.
A gas stove is more satisfactory for baking pies than a coal stove as
pies require the greatest heat at the bottom.
The recipe given above makes two crusts. Bake pies having a cooked
filling in a quick oven and those with an uncooked filling in a
moderate oven. Let pies cool upon plates on which they were made because
slipping them onto cold plates develops moisture which always destroys
the crispness of the lower crust.
TO MAKE AND BAKE A MERINGUE
To beat and bake a meringue have cold, fresh eggs, beat the whites until
frothy; add to each white one level tablespoon of powdered sugar. Beat
until so stiff that it can be cut with a knife. Spread on the pie and
bake with, the oven door open until a rich golden brown. Too much sugar
causes a meringue to liquefy; if not baked long enough the same effect
is produced.
PIE CRUST (MERBERTEIG)
Rub one cup of butter to a cream, add four cups of sifted flour, a pinch
of salt and a tablespoon of brown sugar; work these together until the
flour looks like sand, then take the yolk of an egg, a wine-glass of
brandy, one-half cup of ice-water and work it into the flour lightly. Do
not use the hands; knead with a knife or wooden spoon, knead as little
as possible. If the dough is of the right consistency no flour will be
required when rolling out the dough. If it is necessary to use flour use
as little as possible. Work quickly, handle dough as little as possible
and bake in a hot oven. Follow directions given with Fleischig Pie
Crust. Fat may be substituted for butter in the above recipe.
PARVE, COOKIE AND PIE DOUGH
Sift into a mixing-bowl one and one-half cups of flour and one-half
teaspoon of baking-powder. Make a depression in the centre; into this
pour a generous half cup of oil and an exact half cup of very cold (or
ice) water; add pinch of salt, mix quickly with a fork, divide in two
portions; do not knead, but roll on a well-floured board, spread on
pans, fill and bake at once in a quick oven.
No failure is possible if the formula is accurately followed and these
things observed; ingredients cold, no kneading or re-rolling; dough must
not stand, but the whole process must be completed as rapidly as
possible.
Do not pinch or crimp the edge of this or any other pie. To do so makes
a hard edge that no one cares to eat. Instead, trim the edges in the
usual way, then place the palms of the hand on opposite sides of the pie
and raise the dough until the edges stand straight up. This prevents
all leakage and the crust is tender to the last morsel.
TARTLETS
Roll puff paste one-eighth of an inch thick; cut it into squares; turn
the points together into the middle and press slightly to make them
stay. Bake until thoroughly done; place a spoonful of jam in the centre
of each; cover the jam with meringue and brown the meringue in a quick
oven.
By brushing the top of the paste with beaten egg, diluted with one
teaspoon of water, a glazed appearance may be obtained.
BANBURY TARTS
Cut one cup of seeded muscatel raisins and one cup of nuts in small
pieces, add one cup of sugar, one well-beaten egg, one tablespoon of
water, the juice and grated rind of one lemon. Mix well. Line patty-pans
with pie dough, fill with mixture and bake until crust is brown.
FRUIT TARTLETS
If canned fruit is used, take a large can of any kind of fruit, drain
all the syrup off and put in a saucepan with an equal quantity of sugar.
Cook until it forms a syrup, then pour in the fruit, which has been
stoned (if necessary), and cook until the whole is a syrupy mass.
If fresh fruit is used, put on two parts of sugar to one of water and
cook until syrupy, then add the fruit, which has been peeled, sliced and
stoned, and cook until the whole is a thick, syrupy mass.
Line the patty cases or plain muffin rings with the puff paste. Put a
spoonful or two of the fruit in each one and bake a nice brown. Peaches,
white cherries, Malaga grapes, huckleberries and apples make nice
tartlets.
One large can California fruit fills twelve tartlets.
APPLE FLADEN (HUNGARIAN)
Rub together on a pastry-board one-half pound of sweet butter with one
pound (four cups sifted) of flour, add four tablespoons of powdered
sugar, a little salt, four egg yolks and moisten with one-half cup of
sour cream; cover and set aside in the ice-box for one-half hour. Take
two pounds of sour apples, peel, cut fine, mix with one-half cup of
light-colored raisins, sugar and cinnamon to taste. Cut the dough in two
pieces, roll out one piece and place on greased baking-pan, spread over
this four tablespoons of bread crumbs and the chopped sugared apples,
roll out the other half of dough, place on top and spread with white of
one egg, sprinkle with two tablespoons of powdered almonds. Bake in hot
oven.
LINSER TART
Make a dough of one-half pound each of flour, sugar and almonds that are
grated with peel on, two eggs, a little allspice, a little citron, pinch
of salt. Flavor with brandy. Take a little more than half, roll it out
and line a pie-pan, put strawberry jam on and then cut rest of dough in
strips and cover the same as you would prune pie. Brush these strips
with yolk of egg and bake in moderate oven.
MACAROON TARTS
Line a gem or muffin-pan with rich pie dough; half fill each tart with
any desired preserve, and bake in a quick oven. Beat the whites of three
eggs to a stiff froth and add one-half pound of powdered sugar and stir
about ten minutes or until very light, and gradually one-half pound of
grated almonds. Divide this macaroon paste into equal portions. Roll and
shape into strips, dusting hands with powdered sugar in place of flour.
Place these strips on the baked tarts in parallel rows to cross each
other diagonally. Return to oven and bake in a slow oven about fifteen
minutes. Let remain in pans until almost cold.
LEMON TART (FLEISCHIG)
Make a rich crust and bake in small spring form. Beat three whole eggs
and yolks of three very light with one cup of sugar. Add juice of three
lemons and grated rind of one, and juice of one orange. Put whole on
stove and stir until it comes to a boil. Put on baked crust, spread a
meringue made of the remaining three whites and three tablespoons of
sugar on top, and put in oven to brown. May be used as a filling for
tartlets.
VIENNA PASTRY FOR KIPFEL
Take one-half pound of pot cheese and one-half pound of butter and two
cups of flour sifted four times, add a pinch of salt and work these
ingredients into a dough; make thirty small balls of it and put on a
platter on the ice overnight. In the morning roll each ball separately
into two-inch squares. These squares may be filled with, a teaspoon of
jelly put in the centre and the squares folded over like an envelop; or
fill them with one-half pound of walnuts, ground; one-half cup of sugar
and moisten with a little hot milk. Roll and twist into shape. Brush
with beaten egg and bake in a moderately hot oven.
CHEESE STRAWS
One-half cup of flour, two tablespoons of butter, four tablespoons of
grated cheese, yolk of one egg, dash of cayenne pepper, enough ice-water
to moisten. Mix as little as possible. Roll out about a quarter of an
inch thick and cut into long, narrow strips. Shake a little more cheese
on top and bake in hot oven. This is also an excellent pie crust for one
pie, omitting pepper and cheese.
Serve cheese straws with salads.
LAMPLICH
Make a mince-meat by chopping finely eight medium-sized apples, one-half
pound each of raisins, currants and sugar, a little citron peel, two or
three cloves and one teaspoon of powdered cinnamon.
Cut some good puff paste into little triangles and fill with the mince,
turning the corners of the paste over it so as to make little puffs.
Place these closely together and on a buttered baking-dish until it is
full. Now mix two tablespoons of melted butter with one teacup of thick
syrup flavored with essence of lemon, and pour it over the puffs. Bake
until done in a rather slow oven.
MIRLITIOUS
Pound and sift six macaroons; add one tablespoon of grated chocolate and
one pint of hot milk. Let stand ten minutes, and then add yolks of three
eggs well beaten, one tablespoon of sugar, one teaspoon of vanilla. Line
patty-tins with puff paste; fill with the mixture and bake twenty
minutes.
APPLE PIE, No. 1
Pare, core and slice four apples. Line a pie-plate with plain pastry.
Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Lay in the apples, sprinkle with one-half
cup of sugar, flavor with cinnamon, nutmeg or lemon juice or two
tablespoons of water if apples are not juicy. Cover with upper crust,
slash and prick and bake in moderate oven until the crust is brown and
the fruit is soft.
APPLE PIE, No. 2
Put in saucepan one-half cup of sugar and one-fourth cup of water, let
it boil a few minutes, then lay in five large apples or six small ones,
which have previously been peeled and quartered; cover with a lid and
steam until tender but not broken. Line pie-plate with rich milchig
pastry, lay on the apples, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and bits of
butter drop a few drops of syrup over all and bake.
INDIVIDUAL APPLE DUMPLINGS
Butter six muffin rings and set them on a shallow agate pan which has
been well buttered. Fill the rings with sliced apples. Make a dough of
one and one-half cups of pastry flour sifted several times with one-half
teaspoon of salt and three level teaspoons of baking-powder. Chop into
the dry ingredients one-fourth of a cup of shortening, gradually add
three-fourths of a cup of milk or water. Drop the dough on the apples on
the rings. Let bake about twenty minutes. With a spatula remove each
dumpling from the ring, place on dish with the crust side down. Serve
with cream and sugar, hard sauce or with a fruit sauce.
WHIPPED CREAM PIE
Make a crust as rich as possible and line a deep tin. Bake quickly in a
hot oven and spread it with a layer of jelly or jam. Next whip one cup
of sweet cream until it is thick. Set the cream in a bowl of ice while
whipping. Sweeten slightly and flavor with vanilla, spread this over the
pie and put in a cool place until wanted.
GRATED APPLE PIE
Line a pie-plate with a rich puff paste. Pare and grate four or five
large tart apples into a bowl into which you have stirred the yolks of
two eggs with about half a cup of sugar. Add a few raisins, a few
currants, a few pounded almonds, a pinch of ground cinnamon, and the
grated peel of a lemon. Have no top crust. Bake in a quick oven. In the
meantime, make a meringue of the whites of the eggs by beating them to a
very stiff froth and add about three tablespoons of pulverized sugar.
Spread this over the pie when baked and set back in the oven until
brown. Eat cold.
APPLE CUSTARD PIE
Line your pie-plates with a rich crust. Slice apples thin, half fill
your plates and pour over them a custard made of four eggs and two cups
of milk, sweetened and seasoned to taste.
CHERRY PIE, No. 1
Line a pie-plate with rich paste, sprinkle cornstarch lightly over the
bottom crust and fill with cherries and regulate the quantity of sugar
you scatter over them by their sweetness. Bake with an upper crust,
secure the edges well by pinching firmly together. Eat cold.
CHERRY PIE, No. 2
Pick the stems out of your cherries and put them in an earthen crock,
then set them in the oven until they get hot. Take them out and seed
them. Make tarts with or without tops and sugar to your taste. The
heating of the fruit gives the flavor of the seed, which is very rich,
but the seeding of them while hot is not a delightful job. Made this way
they need no water for juice.
SNOWBALLS
Pare and core nice large baking apples, fill the holes with some
preserves or jam, roil the apples in sugar and cover with a rich pie
crust and bake. When done, cover with a boiled icing and set back in the
oven, leaving both doors open to let the icing dry.
BLACKBERRY AND CURRANT PIE
When ready to make the pie, mix as much fruit in a bowl as required,
sweeten, stirring the sugar through the berries and currants lightly
with a spoon. Dust in a little flour and stir it through the fruit. Cut
one of the pieces of pastry in halves, dust the pastry-board with flour
and roll the lump of pastry out very thin, cover the pie-plate, a big
deep one, with the pastry, trim off the edges with a knife, cutting from
you. Fill the dish with the fruit, dust the surface well with flour.
Roll out the other piece for the top crust, fold it over the rolling
pin, cut a few gashes in it for a steam vent.
Carefully put on the top crust, trim it well about the edge of the
pie-plate. Press it closely together with the end of your thumb or with
a pastry knife and stand the pie in a moderate oven and bake till the
surface is a delicate brown. Then remove the pie and let it stand until
it is cool.
The top crust may be made lattice fashion by cutting the pastry in
strips, but it will not be as good as between two closed crusts.
CUSTARD PIE
Line the pie-plate with a rich crust. Beat up four eggs light with
one-half cup of sugar, a pinch of salt, one pint of milk and grated
nutmeg or grated lemon peel, and pour in shell and bake in slow oven.
CREAM PIE
First line a pie-plate with puff paste and bake, and then make a cream
of the yolks of four eggs, a little more than a pint of milk, one
tablespoon of cornstarch and four tablespoons of sugar, and flavor with
two teaspoons of vanilla. Pour on crust and bake; beat up the whites
with two tablespoons of powdered sugar and half a teaspoon of cream of
tartar. Spread on top of pie and set back in the oven until baked a
light brown.
COCOANUT PIE
Line a pie-plate with puff paste and fill with the following custard:
Butter size of an egg, creamed with one cup of granulated sugar, one
tablespoon of flour, three-fourths cup of grated cocoanut, one
tablespoon of milk, vanilla, pinch of salt, and the beaten whites of
three eggs.
COCOANUT LEMON PIE
Beat the yolks of six eggs and one cup of sugar until very light,
squeeze in the juice of three lemons and the rind of two of them, stir
well, then add one-half of a cocoanut grated, and lastly add the whites
of six eggs, beaten to a stiff froth. Line a deep pie-plate with rich
pastry, sprinkle a little flour over it, pour in the lemon mixture and
bake. This makes one pie in deep pie-plate.
LEMON PIE, No. 1
Cover the reverse side of a deep pie-plate with a rich puff paste, and
bake a light brown. Remove from the oven until the filling is prepared.
Take a large juicy lemon, grate and peel and squeeze out every drop of
juice. Now take the lemon and put it into a cup of boiling water to
extract every particle of juice. Put the cup of water on to boil with
the lemon juice and grated peel, and a cup of sugar; beat up the yolks
of four eggs very light and add to this gradually the boiling lemon
juice. Return to the kettle and boil. Then wet a teaspoon of cornstarch
with a very little cold water, and add also a teaspoon of butter and
when the boiling mixture has thickened remove from the fire and let it
cool. Beat up the whites of the eggs to a very stiff froth, add half of
the froth to the lemon mixture and reserve the other half for the top of
the pie. Bake the lemon cream in the baked pie-crust. Add a few
tablespoons of powdered sugar and half a teaspoon of cream of tartar to
the remaining beaten whites. If you desire to have the meringue extra
thick, add the whites of one or more eggs. When the pie is baked take
from the oven just long enough to spread the meringue over the top, and
set back for two or three minutes, leaving the oven doors open just the
least bit, so as not to have it brown too quickly.
LEMON PIE, No. 2