=Apple Dumplings, Royal.=—1 quart flour, thoroughly mix with it 3
teaspoons Royal Baking Powder and a small teaspoon salt; rub in a
piece of butter or lard the size of an egg, and then add 1 medium
potato, grated in the flour; after the butter is well mixed, stir in
milk and knead to the consistency of soft biscuit-dough; break off
pieces of dough large enough to close over 4 quarters of an apple (or
other fruit as desired) without rolling, and lay in an earthen dish
and steam until the fruit is tender. Serve with brandy sauce.
=Apple Dumplings, 2.=—Paste, 2; 6 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced, 1
cup sugar. Line 6 cups, well greased, with the paste rolled out thin,
wet edges, fill with apples, some of the sugar, cover with more paste;
put in shallow stewpan, large enough to contain them, with boiling
water to reach half-way up the cups; steam thus 45 minutes; turn out
on dish, sift sugar over them; serve with spice sauce.
=Apple Dumplings, 3.=—Paste, 3; 8 apples, peeled and cored, 1 cup
sugar. Roll out the paste thin, cut into 8 squares of 4 inches, lay
on each an apple with sugar in aperture made by removing core, wet
four corners of paste, and bring them to top of apple and fasten; sift
sugar over them; lay on baking-sheet and bake in hot oven 25 minutes;
serve with hard sauce.
=Berry Dumplings.=—Use berries of any kind carefully picked, hulled or
prepared, and make as for apple dumplings, putting 1 or 2 tablespoons
of berries in each dumpling.
=English Dumpling.=—1 pint flour, 1 cup finely chopped suet, 1
teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon Royal Baking Powder. Mix and sift flour,
salt, and baking powder. Add suet; mix to firm dough with ice-water.
Knead for 2 minutes; roll out ½ inch thick. Put a floured cloth over
a bowl; on it spread the crust. Fill with sliced apples mixed with
sugar and a little powdered cinnamon. Draw up crust and cloth so as to
completely cover apples; tie cloth, allowing a little room to swell.
Drop in kettle of rapidly boiling water, with trivet at bottom to
prevent scorching. Keep at a rapid boil for 2 hours. If water stops
boiling the dumpling will be heavy. Or place in steamer and steam 3
hours. Serve hot with cream and sugar or a liquid sauce.
=Farina Dumplings.=—1 quart milk, 10 ounces farina, 3 eggs, 1½
teaspoons Royal Baking Powder, a tablespoon fresh butter, ½ pound
flour. Bring milk to a boil, stir in farina, and boil till well
done, continually stirring. After cooling, stir in the melted butter
and eggs previously beaten up, and last add flour sifted with baking
powder and salt. Drop with tablespoon into boiling water, well salted;
boil about 15 minutes till they rise; take out with skimmer and serve
with fruit sauce.
=Peach Dumplings.=—Proceed as directed for apple dumplings, 1.
=Peach Dumplings, 2.=—Bring 1 cup water, 2 tablespoons butter, to
boiling point; turn in quickly 1 cup dry flour; stir till mixture
draws away from sides of pan. Take from fire and cool. Work in 4 eggs,
⅔ cup flour mixed with ½ teaspoon Royal Baking Powder, more flour if
necessary to make a soft dough. Pat out in a cake, cut in rounds with
a saucer. On each place a pared, unpitted peach. Draw dough round to
cover the fruit. Place in greased pan, brush with milk, and bake 30
minutes in moderate oven. Serve with clear sauce.
* * * * *
Receipts for making dumplings for a stew or fricassee frequently call
for shortening. This is a mistake, and usually results in heavy, soggy
dumplings. Heaviness may also be caused by a removal of the lid of pot
or steamer before the dumplings are done. Flour, salt, Royal Baking
Powder, and sweet milk are all that are needed to make tender, fluffy
dumplings of this kind. The dry ingredients should be sifted carefully
together, then quickly mixed with the milk. During the cooking the
liquid in pot or steamer should be kept at a steady boil. No more
batter or dough should be dropped in at one time than will cover the
surface of the liquid or rest on top of the meat, for, if too many
dumplings are dropped in at once, those underneath are sure to be
soggy. The cover should not be lifted until the dumplings are done.
=Dumplings for Soup.=—1 cup flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon Royal
Baking Powder, sifted together. Add ⅓ cup finely chopped suet, and
enough milk to make stiff dough. Make into dumplings size of marbles,
drop into soup, cover, and boil 10 minutes.
=Egg Dumplings for Soup.=—Beat 2 eggs, add ¼ teaspoon salt, 2
tablespoons milk. Sift 1 cup flour with 1 scant teaspoon Royal Baking
Powder, add egg mixture, and more flour if necessary to make thick
batter. Drop by half teaspoonfuls in boiling soup; cover, cook 10
minutes.
=Dumplings for Stews.=—Mix and sift 1 pint flour, 2 teaspoons Royal
Baking Powder, ½ teaspoon salt. Mix to soft dough with milk. Turn
on board, roll out 1 inch thick, cut in small circles. Roll each in
flour, drop on top simmering stew. Cover, cook 20 minutes without
opening pot.
=Dumplings for Stews, 2.=—Mix 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon Royal Baking
Powder, ⅓ teaspoon salt. Add milk to mix to thick batter. Drop by
small spoonfuls over boiling stew, and cook as in preceding receipt.
=Suet Dumplings.=—1 cup bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons finely chopped
beef suet, whites and yolks 2 eggs beaten separately, ½ teaspoon salt,
1 teaspoon Royal Baking Powder sifted with 1 cup flour, sufficient
milk to mix to stiff paste. Flour hands and make into balls. Wring
small cloths in hot water, dust with flour, lay ball in each and tie,
leaving room to swell. Cook in rapidly boiling water 45 minutes, and
serve with liquid sauce (see Sauces).
=Potato Dumplings.=—1 dozen large potatoes, 6 tablespoons flour, 2
tablespoons Royal Baking Powder, 1 tablespoon butter, 3 eggs, salt,
and nutmeg. Grate potatoes, which have been boiled and skinned the day
before; mix with the flour, previously sifted together with baking
powder, add the melted butter, and eggs one by one, and salt and
nutmeg to taste; form into balls about size of a small apple, put into
boiling water, which has been well salted, boil 15 minutes; take out
with skimmer, and serve with any kind of fricassee or pot-roast.
=Suet Dumplings (Danish).=—1 cup suet, chopped fine, 1 cup grated
English muffins or bread, 1 cup flour, ½ teaspoon Royal Baking Powder,
½ cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1 pint milk, large pinch salt. Sift together
powder and flour, add beaten eggs, grated muffins, sugar, suet, and
milk; form into smooth batter, which drop by tablespoons into pint
boiling milk, three or four at a time; when done, dish and pour over
them milk they were boiled in.
[Illustration: (Decorative Design)]