materials, in addition to the milk and sugar used in preparing the
beverages, make the cocoa and chocolate beverages high in food value. But
in addition to the materials mentioned above, there is present in cocoa
and chocolate some tannin and stimulating materials. The large percentage
of fat existing in chocolate may produce distressing effects when taken in
addition to a full meal. If, however, the use of these beverages causes no
ill effects, they may be classed among the nutritious foods and are much
preferable to tea and coffee especially for girls and boys.
Neither cocoa nor chocolate is soluble in water. Some cocoas are very
finely ground and are termed soluble cocoas.
[Illustration: FIGURE 41.--CACAO PODS.]
When mixed with water these cocoas do not separate as rapidly as others,
but they are not soluble. Because of its insolubility, chocolate should be
blended as thoroughly as possible with other materials. A satisfactory and
practical method of accomplishing this is to make a _smooth paste_ of
chocolate and boiling water.
To develop flavor, it is well to cook both chocolate and cocoa at boiling
temperature, especially when combining with liquids. The flavor of the
cocoa beverage is improved by much cooking. Long cooking of the chocolate
beverage causes the fat to separate and float.
COCOA
1/4 cupful cocoa
3 cupfuls milk
1 to 3 teaspoonfuls corn-starch
1/4 to 3/8 cupful sugar
1 cupful water
1/4 teaspoonful salt
Mix cocoa, corn-starch, and water and boil for 10 minutes. Add the milk
and sugar to the mixture and cook over hot water for 1/2 hour. Add salt.
Beat well and serve. Vanilla may be added to cocoa if desired.
Varying quantities of corn-starch and sugar are given so that the beverage
may be thickened and sweetened to suit one's taste. If desired, the corn-
starch may be omitted entirely.
CHOCOLATE
2 squares chocolate
3 cupfuls milk
1 cupful boiling water
1/4 teaspoonful salt
1/3 cupful sugar
1/2 teaspoonful vanilla
Cut the chocolate into bits and put it in a pan; add the boiling water.
Stir and cook until it reaches the boiling point and is perfectly smooth.
Heat the milk in a double boiler. Then gradually add the hot milk to the
chocolate mixture, add the sugar, and heat all in a double boiler. Add
salt and vanilla, if desired. If there is a scum over the beverage, beat
well. Serve hot.
Whipped cream or marshmallows are often served with chocolate. The use of
whipped cream with chocolate, however, makes the beverage excessively rich
in fat.
QUESTIONS
What is the difference in method between scalding milk and boiling it? How
can one determine when milk is scalded?
If it is necessary to heat milk, give two reasons why it is usually better
to scald it than to boil it. Under what conditions should it be boiled?
What is the present cost of milk per quart? When is the price highest and
when lowest?
If sweetened chocolate is used, how should the recipe for chocolate
beverage be changed? Give two reasons why cocoa and chocolate should not
be boiled after adding the hot milk.
Why is vanilla not added until the beverages are ready to be served (see
_Flavoring Extracts_)?
What is the weight of one square of chocolate? How many squares in an
ordinary cake of chocolate? What is the price per cake?
How many cupfuls are there in a half pound box of cocoa? What is the price
per box?
See Chocolate Corn-starch Pudding. How much cocoa may be used for 1 ounce
of chocolate when one is substituted for the other? What is the difference
in cost of these quantities of chocolate and cocoa?
LESSON XLVIII
MILK AND CREAM
WHIPPING CREAM.--A popular way of preparing cream for serving is to whip
it. This is done most successfully when the cream is cold and kept cold,
_i.e._ surrounded with ice water during the beating process.
To show one of the points involved in chilling materials try the
following:
EXPERIMENT 46: COMPARISON OF THE CONDUCTING POWER OF METAL AND
EARTHENWARE.--Select a tin and an earthenware utensil of about the same
size and shape. Put an equal quantity of water of the same temperature in
each utensil. Surround each with ice water and cover. After 5 minutes,
take the temperature of the water in the tin and in the earthenware
utensil. Which is colder? Through which material,--tin or earthenware,--is
heat transmitted more readily? When cream is to be surrounded by ice water
for whipping, in which kind of utensil should it be placed? Explain your
answer.
Use a Dover egg beater or a cream whip for whipping cream. Since cream
"spatters" when being beaten, a cream whip arranged with a cover is very
satisfactory. To prevent spattering, the bowl of cream may be covered with
paper while the cream is being whipped. Cut a slit in a piece of paper,
insert the Dover egg beater in the slit, put the beater in the cream and
push the paper down to cover.
Since cream contains considerable fat, under certain conditions, it is
possible to mass the fat together, that is, separate it from the other
constituents, and form _butter_. For making butter the cream should
be "ripened," i.e. it should contain certain bacteria. It should then be
churned.
On the other hand, if it is desired to beat or whip the cream, but not to
form butter, it is necessary to prevent the fat from massing together. To
accomplish this, use thick cream (containing 20 per cent or more of fat)
from 12 to 24 hours old [Footnote 50: Such cream contains a small amount
of lactic acid.] and have it very cold; it will then whip quickly. Cream
may be chilled by placing it on ice for some time before whipping or by
surrounding it with ice water while whipping. In warm weather, it is safer
not only to chill the cream but also to surround it with ice water while
whipping.
A harmless substance called _viscogen_ may be added to thinner cream
(_i.e._ the so-called coffee or 16 per cent cream) to make the latter
whip. Viscogen is prepared by mixing the following ingredients:
1/2 cupful sugar
1 cupful water
1 tablespoonful milk of lime [Footnote 51: Milk of lime may be prepared
by mixing 1 part of slaked lime with 3 parts of water.]
Mix the sugar and water and heat the mixture until it boils. Cool and add
the milk of lime. Let the mixture stand at least 24 hours before using.
Add 1 teaspoonful to each pint of cream, then whip the mixture as directed
above.
COMPARISON OF MILK AND CREAM.--Cream is richer in fat than milk, average
cream containing 16 per cent of fat and whole milk about 4 per cent. But
cream contains less protein and ash than whole milk.
Since cream is always more expensive than milk, it is interesting to
compare the food value of quantities of each which may be purchased for
the same price. Although the prices of cream and milk vary in different
places, usually 1/2 pint of cream costs about as much as 1 quart of milk.
The following shows the approximate quantity of nutrients shown in the two
quantities:
_In 1 quart of milk_ [Footnote 52: By permission Journal of Home
Economics, Vol. X (August, 1918, p. 379).]
As much protein as in 5 eggs
2 1/2 tablespoonfuls of fat
3 tablespoonfuls of sugar
_In 1/2 pint of cream_
As much protein as in 1 egg
3 tablespoonfuls of fat
1/2 tablespoonful of sugar
Although 1/2 pint of cream contains 1/2 tablespoonful more of fat than
does 1 quart of milk, the latter contains 2 1/2 tablespoonfuls more of
sugar and as much more protein as is contained in 4 eggs. This comparison
makes us question the advisability of buying much cream.
If whole milk is purchased, its top milk may often be used in place of
cream. The skim milk that remains is a valuable food. Although whole milk
contains more fat and vitamines than does skim milk, the latter has as
much protein, lime, and sugar as whole milk. The use of both whole and
skim milk is advised.
CARE OF MILK.--Milk is one of the foods that require the greatest care,
and should be well cared for not only in the home but also on the dairy
farm. It is one of the foods that afford ideal conditions for the growth
of microscopic vegetable organisms, called _bacteria_ (see _Why
Foods Spoil_). Many varieties of these bacteria or tiny plants produce
changes in the milk which cause it to sour. A few varieties of disease-
producing bacteria also sometimes exist in milk.
Milk can be kept reasonably free from bacteria by:
(_a_) Perfect cleanliness on the dairy farm.
(_b_) Cooling it immediately after being drawn from the cow, and by
keeping it cool.
(_c_) Placing it in sterilized utensils.
(_d_) Covering it, thus keeping it free from dust.
Utensils for holding milk should be of glass, earthenware, or smooth,
bright tin. They should be washed, scalded, or even better, boiled, and
placed in the sun for two or three hours. In the home, milk should not be
used after long standing, even though it is sweet. It is well to buy milk
in small quantities and in bottles. The upper rim of a milk bottle should
be washed before pouring milk from it. Because milk readily absorbs odors
and flavors, it should be kept away from any substance having a strong
odor or flavor.
RICE DAINTY
3/4 cupful cooked rice
3/4 cupful fruit, cut into pieces
3/4 cupful powdered sugar
1/2 to 3/4 cupful cream, whipped
Mix the rice, fruit, and sugar, then fold in the whipped cream. Pineapple,
shredded or diced; bananas cut into pieces (not slices); dates, seeded and
cut into pieces; or cooked apricots are desirable fruits for this dessert.
CREAM OF RICE PUDDING
1 quart milk _or_
1 quart milk and water
1/3 cupful rice
1/2 teaspoonful salt
1/3 cupful sugar
Grated rind of 1/2 lemon
Wash rice; put it and all the other ingredients into a buttered pudding
dish. Bake in a _slow_ oven (250 degrees F.) until firm. This usually
takes three hours. While baking, stir the mixture occasionally.
If desired, one half cupful of raisins may be added to the mixture, and 1
teaspoonful vanilla or 1/4 teaspoonful nutmeg may be substituted for lemon
rind.
QUESTIONS
From your knowledge of the effect of intense heat upon milk, explain why
Cream of Rice Pudding should be baked in a slow oven.
What change in quantity takes place in the milk of this pudding during
long cooking? What change in quantity takes place in the rice during long
cooking? From this explain why so much milk when combined with a little
rice forms a solid mixture.
What is the price per pint of thin or coffee cream?
What is the price per pint of heavy or whipping cream?
What is the least quantity of cream that can be purchased?
Explain why it is that scalded milk does not sour as soon as uncooked milk
(see _Care of Milk_).
Why should utensils that have held milk be scalded or boiled?
LESSON XLIX
CREAM SOUPS (A)
THICK SOUPS.--Milk combined with various vegetables, grains, and fish is
used in making Cream Soups and Purees. The vegetables are cooked and
mashed or forced through a strainer and combined with a liquid,--usually
milk or milk with vegetable stock. In order to have the vegetable pulp
uniformly mixed through the liquid, it is necessary to thicken the liquid
with a starchy material. Flour with butter or substitute, mixed and cooked
as in White Sauce, is used for this purpose. It is said to "bind" the
vegetables and the liquid. Thus, Cream Soups and Purees are simply White
Sauces to which vegetable pulp is added.
GENERAL PROPORTIONS.--_The usual proportion of vegetable pulp or puree
to liquid is:_ One part of vegetable pulp or puree to 2 parts of
liquid, _i.e._ milk, vegetable stock, or meat stock.
_The proportion of flour to liquid is:_ 1/2 tablespoonful flour to 1
cupful liquid, if a starchy vegetable is used, or, 1 tablespoonful flour
to 1 cupful liquid, if a vegetable having little thickening property, as
celery, is used.
Sometimes an egg or two is added to soup for thickening or flavor, and to
increase the food value.
Different kinds of vegetables are sometimes mixed for a soup, as: Peas and
beans, or corn and beans.
POTATO SOUP
3 potatoes
1 tablespoonful flour
1 pint milk _or_
1 pint milk and potato stock
1 1/2 teaspoonfuls salt
1/8 teaspoonful pepper
2 slices of onion
Celery salt
3/4 tablespoonful butter or substitute
2 teaspoonfuls chopped parsley
Cook and mash the potatoes, heat the milk and onion in a double boiler,
then add them to the mashed potatoes. Press the potato mixture through a
strainer and use it as the liquid for a White Sauce, using all other
ingredients except the parsley in the sauce. If necessary, add more
liquid, or evaporate to the desired consistency. Add the chopped parsley
just before serving.
"Left over" mashed potatoes may be utilized in making this soup.
CROUTONS
Cut stale bread into half-inch cubes. Bake _slowly_ in the oven until
a golden brown. Stir often. Serve with soups.
Save the crusts and prepare Dried Bread Crumbs with them.
QUESTIONS
What is the proportion of flour and liquid in one cup of White Sauce for
Vegetables?
How does the proportion of flour and liquid for one cup of Cream Soup
differ from the above proportion?
Why are the potatoes pressed through a strainer _after_ rather than
_before_ adding the hot milk?
Why should the cubes of stale bread be baked slowly (see _Toast_)?
LESSON L
CREAM SOUPS (B)
FOOD VALUE OF CREAM SOUPS.--Since thin or clear soups contain much liquid,
their food value is not as high as most solid foods. Cream Soups, however,
are as concentrated as a potato; they are the most nourishing of all
soups. The use of milk instead of water or stock and of flour and fat, to
say nothing of vegetable pulp, increases their food value. Cream Soups are
more suitable to serve at a meal of few courses such as luncheon or supper
rather than at dinner where there is a greater variety of foods.
Thick soups may serve as a valuable part of a meal; a hot liquid taken
into an empty stomach is easily assimilated, acts as an appetizer, and
thus prepares for the digestion of the remainder of the meal.
CORN SOUP
1 can of corn
1 pint water
l 1/2 tablespoonfuls butter or substitute
1 slice onion
2 tablespoonfuls flour
1 teaspoonful salt
1/8 teaspoonful white pepper
1 pint milk
Add the water to the canned corn and _simmer_ 20 minutes. Melt the
fat, add the onion, and cook until light brown. To this add the dry
ingredients and proceed as in making White Sauce. Add the cooked corn and
strain.
Reheat before serving, if necessary.
NOTE.--The method of adding onion flavor to this soup (_i.e._
browning onion in fat) is often used in the preparation of other foods,
especially meats and sauces.
SOUP STICKS
Cut stale bread into slices, remove the crusts, and spread with butter.
Cut into strips and brown slowly in the oven. Save the crusts and prepare
Dried Bread Crumbs with them.
[Illustration: FIGURE 42.--DRIED BREAD CRUMBS. (Note that the jar is
covered with a cloth.)]
DRIED BREAD CRUMBS
Dried Bread Crumbs may be prepared from crusts and small pieces of bread.
Dry the bread in a slow oven or in a warming oven. Crumb it by rolling on
a pastry board or putting it through a meat grinder. If fine crumbs are
desired, sift the crushed bread. Place the fine and coarse crumbs in
separate jars. Cover the jars by tying a piece of muslin over each. (The
muslin covering can also be conveniently secured by means of a rubber
band.) If each jar is tightly covered with a lid, air is excluded from the
crumbs and molds often grow on them. Bread crumbs thoroughly dried and
stored as directed will keep for several months (see Figure 42).
QUESTIONS
Explain why thick soup may serve as a valuable part of a meal.
Why is it served as the first course of a meal?
Is the mashed potato of Potato Soup strained before or after adding it to
the other ingredients? When is the Corn Soup strained? How is the flavor
extracted from the onion in preparing Potato Soup? How is the flavor
extracted for Corn Soup? From this explain the difference in straining the
soups.
If fresh corn were used for this soup, how would its cooking differ from
that of canned corn?
How should fresh corn be cut from the cob for soup (see _Green
Corn_)?
What is the price per can of corn?
In preparing Soup Sticks, why are the crusts removed from the bread before
buttering it? Why is the bread spread with butter before cutting it into
strips? Aside from flavor, what is the purpose of spreading the bread for
Soup Sticks with butter?
How should dried bread crumbs be covered for storing? Why?
What is the difference between soft bread crumbs (see note under recipe
for Stuffed Tomatoes) and dried bread crumbs? Which should be used for
scalloped dishes? Which for covering fried foods? Think of the dishes
which contain bread crumbs and then state for which foods either kind of
crumbs could be used. Explain.
LESSON LI
MILK THICKENED WITH EGG (A)
CUSTARDS.--Since eggs have the property of stiffening when heated, they
are often used for thickening liquids, especially milk. Milk thickened
with eggs is called _custard_.
There are two kinds of plain custards: (_a_) steamed or baked custard
and (_b_) soft custard. The method of mixing these custards is the
same, but the methods of cooking and the tests for sufficient cooking
differ.
That the milk may not scorch and that the egg may not cook too hard, all
milk-and-egg mixtures should be cooked below the boiling temperature of
water. They should never be cooked directly over the fire, but over hot
water or in a double boiler. That the egg may cook evenly and not too
quickly, the water in the double boiler _should not boil rapidly_.
If a custard is properly cooked, the egg is in a soft-cooked condition. It
exists in a jelly-like mass throughout the milk. The custard has a creamy
appearance. If, however, a custard is cooked too much, the egg becomes
hard-cooked and the particles of egg appear in "lumps" in the milk
mixture. The custard is then said to be _curdled_.
A curdled custard may be made smooth by placing the upper part of the
double boiler in a pan of cold water and then beating the custard _at
once_ with a Dover egg beater. This applies to all types of plain
custards.
STEAMED OR BAKED CUSTARD
1 pint milk
2 or 3 eggs
1/4 cupful sugar
1/8 teaspoonful salt
2 tablespoonfuls caramel sirup _or_
1/16 teaspoonful nutmeg
Scald the milk in a double boiler. Beat the eggs _slightly_, add the
sugar and salt, mix. Add the hot milk to this mixture. Strain the mixture,
flavor, and pour it into a mold. If _steamed custard_ is desired,
steam (without stirring) until the custard is firm. Let the water in the
steamer boil gently rather than vigorously. Test for sufficient cooking by
inserting a knife into the custard. If it comes out clean, the custard is
done.
If _baked custard_ is desired, place the cups of custard in a pan of
hot water, and bake in a moderate oven (325 degrees F.) for 35 minutes or
until firm. Test as steamed custard.
If a Baked or Steamed Custard is to be turned out of the mold after
steaming, 3 or 4 eggs should be used with each pint of milk. By placing a
little Caramel Sirup in the bottom of each mold, a custard may easily be
turned out of the mold. The custard mixture should be poured very gently
on top of the sirup to prevent the custard and sirup from mixing. The
caramel also serves as a sauce for the custard when served. (Caramel Sirup
may be prepared by caramelizing sugar (as directed in making _Peanut
Candy_) and then dissolving the caramelized sugar in boiling water. Use
equal quantities of sugar and water.)
SOFT CUSTARD
1 pint milk
1/4 cupful sugar
2 eggs
1/8 teaspoonful salt
1/2 teaspoonful vanilla
Mix the materials in the same way as for steamed or baked custard. Instead
of pouring the mixture into molds, return it to the double boiler and cook
(stirring constantly) until it thickens or forms a coating over the spoon.
Strain, cool, and flavor. Note that steamed custard is strained and
flavored before cooking, and soft custard, after cooking.
In preparing soft custard, the eggs may be separated and the yolks cooked
with the milk and other ingredients. The whites may be beaten stiff and
beaten into the hot mixture with a Dover egg beater. Soft Custard may be
used as a sauce over cooked rice, cake, bananas, peaches, and other foods.
_To Decrease the Eggs in Custard _
When eggs are expensive omit 1 or 2 from a custard recipe. Substitute 1/2
_tablespoonful of corn-starch for each omitted egg._ For methods of
thickening milk with both eggs and starchy materials, see Lessons LIV.
QUESTIONS
What is the purpose of eggs in custard?
Why are eggs beaten _slightly_ for custards?
How do Steamed Custards and Soft Custards differ in method of cooking?
What are the tests for sufficient cooking of each?
What is the purpose of straining custards? Why is Steamed Custard strained
and flavored before cooking, and Soft Custard, after cooking?
In what condition is the egg when a custard is curdled? How can a curdled
custard be made smooth?
LESSON LII
MILK THICKENED WITH EGG (B)
FLOATING ISLAND
_Custard_
1 pint milk
3 egg yolks
1/4 cupful sugar
1/8 teaspoonful salt
1/2 teaspoonful vanilla
_Meringue_
3 egg whites
3 tablespoonfuls powdered sugar
The custard may be made thicker by using 4 (instead of 3) eggs.
Prepare the custard as Soft Custard.
Prepare the Meringue by beating the whites of eggs stiff and then adding I
tablespoonful of sugar for each white of egg. Drop the Meringue by
spoonfuls on the custard. If desired, garnish the Meringue by bits of
jelly or colored gelatine.
From the results of Experiment 42, which egg beater do you consider most
advisable for preparing Meringue?
If desired, the Meringue may be cooked. This may be accomplished in
several ways: (_a_) place it on the _hot_ custard at once after
preparing the custard, (_b_) Steam it by dropping it by spoonfuls on
the hot milk before preparing the custard. Cover, and let the egg white
cook for about 2 minutes, then remove from the milk and proceed to thicken
the milk with the egg yolks, (_c_) Drop the uncooked Meringue on the
cooked custard as directed above, then cook and brown it slightly by
placing the custard in the broiling oven or in the top of a hot baking
oven.
QUESTIONS
In making custards, why should the hot milk be added to the eggs, instead
of the eggs to the hot milk?
How does Floating Island differ from Soft Custard?
What is Meringue?
Compare Floating Island made with three eggs to that made with four eggs.
How does it differ in thickness, color, and cost?
LESSON LIII
MILK THICKENED WITH EGG (C)
APRICOT DAINTY
1 cupful dried apricots
1/3 cupful powdered sugar
3 egg whites
Wash and soak the apricots. Steam until soft. Mash the apricots, or press
through a coarse strainer or colander; add the sugar. Beat the whites of
eggs until very stiff; fold them into the apricots and sugar mixture.
Chill and serve with Custard Sauce.
Dried _prunes_ may be substituted for apricots, using less sugar and
adding a little lemon juice.
If it is desired to make Apricot Dainty some time before serving, it
should be stiffened with gelatine. To do this, mix 1/2 tablespoonful of
granulated or powdered gelatine with 2 tablespoonfuls of cold water. Add
the gelatine mixture to the hot mashed or strained apricots, stir until
the gelatine is dissolved, then proceed to add the sugar and egg white as
directed above.
CUSTARD SAUCE
Use the recipe for Soft Custard for Custard Sauce, substituting 3 yolks
for 2 whole eggs.
QUESTIONS
Why is it desirable to steam the fruit rather than cook it in water for
this dessert?
Compare the custard made with the entire egg to that made with the egg
yolk. What is the difference in thickness and color?
How many egg yolks are equivalent to two whole eggs in thickening?
LESSON LIV
MILK THICKENED WITH EGG AND STARCHY MATERIALS (A)
EGG AND STARCH.--How long is it necessary to cook milk-and-starch mixtures
so that the starch will be cooked thoroughly (see _Blanc Mange_)? How
long does it take to cook eggs when used for thickening? Are eggs used for
thickening harmed by long cooking? Explain your answer. If both starch and
egg are used for thickening a mixture, devise a way whereby the starch can
be cooked thoroughly, and the egg can be cooked without curdling.
BUTTERSCOTCH TAPIOCA
1 pint milk
1/8 to 1/4 cupful granulated tapioca
1/2 cupful dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoonful salt
1 egg
1/2 teaspoonful vanilla
1/2 to 1 tablespoonful butter
Scald the milk, add the tapioca, and cook the mixture over hot water until
the tapioca is transparent (see _Apple Tapioca_, above). Mix the
sugar, salt, and egg. Add a portion of the hot tapioca mixture to the egg
mixture. Mix thoroughly, then return the mixture to the double boiler.
Stir and cook until the egg thickens. Add the vanilla and butter and turn
into dishes for serving. Cool. Serve with plain or whipped cream.
The quantity of tapioca determines the stiffness of the dessert. If a very
soft consistency is desired, use the smaller quantity of tapioca.