Good Things to Eat as Suggested by Rufus Part 14

Bake in slow oven. (A few red currants may be added to the cherries if desired.)

Plums or gooseberry pies may be made in the same way.

-CHERRY PIE---Roll two large soda crackers into fine dust and stone cherries enough to measure two cups. Line a pie plate with good rich paste and scatter one-half cup of sugar over. Sprinkle one-half of the cracker dust, and over that one-half of the cherries. Repeat the three layers, pour on one cup of cherry juice and cold water, cover with paste and bake in a moderate oven.

-FRESH RASPBERRY PIE---Line a pie plate with rich paste, fill with raspberries and scatter on sugar to sweeten. Cover with a crust and bake in a quick oven. When done draw from the oven, cut a gash in the top, and pour in the following mixture: The yolks of two eggs beaten light with a tablespoon of sugar and mixed with one cup of hot thin cream. Set back in the oven for five minutes.

-GREEN CURRANT PIE---Stew and mash a pint of rather green currants, sweeten abundantly, add a sprinkling of flour or a rolled cracker and bake with two crusts. Dust generously with powdered sugar.

-GREEN TOMATO PIE---Take green tomatoes not yet turned and peel and slice wafer thin. Fill a plate nearly full, add a tablespoonful vinegar and plenty of sugar, dot with bits of b.u.t.ter and flavor with nutmeg or lemon. Bake in one or two crusts as preferred.

-LEMON CREAM PIE---Stir into one cup of boiling water one tablespoonful of cornstarch dissolved in a little cold water. Cook until thickened and clear, then add one cup of sugar, a teaspoonful of b.u.t.ter, and the juice and grated rind of two lemons. Add the beaten yolks of three eggs and take from the fire. Have ready the bottom crust of a pie that has been baked, first p.r.i.c.king with a fork to prevent blisters. Place the custard in the crust and bake half an hour. When done take from the oven and spread over the top a meringue made from the stiffly whipped whites of the eggs, and three tablespoonfuls of sugar. Shut off the oven so it will be as cool as possible giving the meringue plenty of time to rise, stiffen and color to a delicate gold.

-APPLE FRITTERS---Beat the yolks of eight eggs and the white of four together. Add a quart of cream. Put over a fire and heat until you can bear your finger in it. Add quarter of a pint of sack, three-quarters of a pint of ale and make a posset of it. When cool put in nutmeg, ginger, salt and flour. The batter should be pretty thick. Add pippins, sliced or sc.r.a.ped and fry in deep fat.

-APPLE SLUMP---Fill a deep baking dish with apples, pared, cored and sliced. Scatter on a little cinnamon and cover with good paste rolled a little thicker than for pie. Bake in a moderate oven until the apples are done, serve in the same dish, cutting the crust into several sections. Before cutting, the crust may be lifted and the apples seasoned with b.u.t.ter and sugar, or the seasoning may be added after serving. A liquid or a hard sauce may be served with the slump. If the apples are a kind that do not cook easily bake half an hour, then put on the crust and set back in the oven.

-BREAD PUFFS WITH SAUCE---When bread dough is raised light, cut off small pieces and pull out two or three inches long. Fry like doughnuts in deep fat and put into a deep dish, turn over the puffs a cream sauce seasoned with salt and pepper.

-CHERRY DUMPLINGS---Sift two cups of pastry flour with four level teaspoons of baking powder and a saltspoon of salt. Mix with three-quarters cup of milk or enough to make a soft dough. b.u.t.ter some cups well, put a tablespoon of dough in each, then a large tablespoon of stoned cherries and another tablespoon of dough. Set in a steamer or set the cups in a pan of hot water and into the oven to cook half an hour.

Serve with a sweet liquid sauce.

-COTTAGE CHEESE TARTLETS---One cup cheese, three level tablespoons sugar, few grains salt, two teaspoons melted b.u.t.ter, one tablespoon lemon juice, yolks two eggs, one-fourth cup milk, whites two eggs. Press the cheese through a potato ricer or sieve, then add the sugar, salt, b.u.t.ter, lemon juice, and the egg yolks well beaten and mixed with the milk. Mix well and fold the whites of the eggs beaten stiff. Line individual tins with pastry and fill three-fourths full with the mixture. Bake in a moderate oven for thirty minutes.

-PRUNE TARTS---Wash the prunes thoroughly and soak over night or for several hours. Cook in the same water. When very tender rub them through a sieve. To one cup of the pulp add one tablespoon of lemon juice, the yolks of two eggs beaten with one-half cup of thin cream and a few grains of salt. Mix well and sweeten to taste, then fold in the whites of two eggs beaten very stiff. Line small tins with paste, fill with the mixture and bake in a moderate oven. Serve cold.

-RASPBERRY DUMPLINGS---Wash one cup of rice and put into the double boiler. Pour over it two cups of boiling water, add one-half teaspoon of salt and two tablespoons of sugar and cook thirty minutes or until soft.

Have some small pudding cloths about twelve inches square, wring them out of hot water and lay them over a small half pint bowl. Spread the rice one-third of an inch thick over the cloth, and fill the center with fresh raspberries. Draw the cloth around until the rice covers the berries and they are a good round shape. Tie the ends of the cloth firmly, drop them into boiling water and cook twenty minutes. Remove the cloth and serve with lemon sauce.

-TART Sh.e.l.lS---Roll out thin a nice puff paste, cut with a small biscuit cutter. With cutter take out the centers of two or three of these, lay the rings thus made on the third and bake immediately. Sh.e.l.ls may also be made by lining pattypans with the paste; if the paste is light the sh.e.l.ls will be fine and may be used for tarts or oyster patties. Filled with jelly and covered with meringue (a tablespoonful of sugar to the white of an egg), and browned in the oven.

-BAVARIAN CREAM---Soak one-quarter of a box of gelatin in cold water until it is soft, then dissolve it in a cup of hot milk with one-third of a cup of sugar. Flavor with vanilla and set away to cool. Whip one pint of cream and when the gelatin is cold and beginning to stiffen stir in the cream lightly. Form in mold.

-BOILED CUSTARD---Heat two cups of milk in a double boiler and pour on to the yolks of three eggs beaten light, with three rounding tablespoons of sugar and a pinch of salt. Return to the double boiler and cook until the spoon will coat with the custard. Cool and add flavoring.

-CALLA LILIES---Beat three eggs and a rounding cup of sugar together, add two-thirds cup of flour and one-half teaspoon of lemon flavoring.

Drop in teaspoonfuls on a b.u.t.tered sheet, allowing plenty of room to spread in baking. Bake in a moderate oven, take up with a knife, and roll at once into lily shape. Bake but four or five at a time because if the cakes cool even a little they will break. Fill each with a little beaten and sweetened cream.

-COCOA CUSTARD---For three cups of milk allow four teaspoons of cocoa, three beaten eggs, three tablespoons of sugar, and three-quarters teaspoon of vanilla. Heat the milk, stir in the cocoa, and cool a little before pouring over the egg and sugar. Bake in custard cups set in a pan of hot water in a moderate oven.

-COFFEE CREAM---Have one and one-half cups of strong coffee hot, add one level tablespoon of gelatin soaked in one-half cup of milk for fifteen minutes. When well dissolved add two-thirds cup of sugar, a saltspoon of salt, and the yolks of three eggs beaten light, stir in the double boiler till thick, take from the fire, and add the white of three eggs beaten stiff and one-half teaspoon of vanilla. Fill molds that have been dipped in cold water, set in cool place and when firm unmold and serve with powdered sugar and cream.

-COFFEE CUP CUSTARD---One quart milk, one-fourth cup ground coffee, four eggs, one-half cup sugar, one-fourth level teaspoon salt, one-half teaspoon vanilla. Tie the coffee loosely in a piece of cheesecloth and put into double boiler with the milk. Scald until a good coffee color and flavor is obtained, then remove from the fire. Remove the coffee.

Beat the eggs and add the sugar, salt and vanilla, then pour on gradually the milk. Strain into cups, place in a pan of hot water, and bake in a moderate oven until firm in the middle. Less vanilla is required when combined with another flavoring.

CAKES, CRULLERS AND ECLAIRS

-ALMOND CAKES---One pound sifted flour, one-half pound b.u.t.ter, three-fourths pound sugar, two eggs, one-half teaspoon ground cinnamon, four ounces of almonds blanched and chopped very fine. Two ounces of raisins finely chopped. Mix all the dry ingredients together, then rub in the b.u.t.ter, add eggs and spices last of all, roll out half an inch thick, cut in fancy shapes and bake in a slow oven.

-ALMOND CHEESE CAKES---Blanch and pound to a fine paste one cupful almonds. As you pound them add rose water, a few drops at a time to keep them from oiling. Add the paste to one cupful milk curd, together with a half cup cream, one cupful sugar, three beaten egg yolks and a scant teaspoonful of rose water. Fill patty pans lined with paste and bake in hot oven ten minutes.

-AUNT AMY'S CAKE---Take two eggs, one and one-half cups of sugar, one cup of sour milk, one-half cup of b.u.t.ter, two cups of flour and one teaspoonful of soda. Spice to taste. This is a good cake and one which is also inexpensive in baking. Use a moderate oven and bake in loaves rather than sheets.

-BALTIMORE CAKE---Beat one cupful of b.u.t.ter to a cream, using a wood cake spoon. Add gradually while beating constantly two cupfuls fine granulated sugar. When creamy add a cupful of milk, alternating with three and one-half cupfuls pastry flour that has been mixed and sifted with two teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Add a teaspoonful of vanilla and the whites of six eggs beaten stiff and dry. Bake in three b.u.t.tered and floured shallow cake tins, and spread between the layers and on top the following icing: Put in a saucepan three cups sugar, one cup water. Heat gradually to the boiling point, and cook without stirring until the syrup will thread. Pour the hot syrup gradually over the well beaten whites of three eggs and continue beating until of the right consistency for spreading. Then add one cupful chopped and seeded raisins, one cup chopped pecan meats and five figs cut in strips.

-BALTIMORE CAKE---For this cake use one cupful b.u.t.ter, two cupfuls sugar, three and one-half cupfuls flour, one cupful sweet milk, two teaspoonfuls baking powder, the whites of six eggs and a teaspoonful of rose water. Cream the b.u.t.ter, add the sugar gradually, beating steadily, then the milk and flavoring, next the flour sifted with the baking powder, and lastly the stiffly beaten whites folded in at the last. Bake in three layer cake tins in an oven hotter than for loaf cake. While baking prepare the filling. Dissolve three cupfuls sugar in one cupful boiling water, and cook until it spins a thread. Pour over the stiffly beaten whites of three eggs, stirring constantly. Add to this icing one cupful chopped raisins, one cupful chopped nut meats, preferably pecans or walnuts, and a half dozen figs cut in fine strips. Use this for filling and also ice the top and sides with it.

-BREAD CAKE---Cream one cup of sugar and one-half cup of b.u.t.ter, add one-half cup of milk, two cups of flour sifted with three teaspoons of baking powder and last the stiffly beaten whites of three eggs and half a teaspoon of vanilla flavoring. Bake in one loaf.

-BRIDE'S CAKE---One and one-half cupfuls of sugar, one-half cupful of b.u.t.ter, one-half cupful of sweet milk, two cupfuls of flour, one-quarter cupful cornstarch, six egg whites, one and one-half teaspoonfuls baking powder, one teaspoonful vanilla. Cream the sugar and b.u.t.ter, add milk, flour and cornstarch into which the baking powder has been thoroughly sifted, stir in the whites of eggs quickly with the flavoring.

-b.u.t.tERMILK CAKE---Cream three tablespoons of b.u.t.ter with one cup of sugar, add one cup of b.u.t.termilk, one well beaten egg, two cups of flour sifted with four teaspoons of baking powder and one-half cup of seeded raisins cut in pieces and rolled in flour.

-CHOCOLATE CAKE---Beat one cup of b.u.t.ter to a cream with two cups of sugar, add the yolks of five eggs, beaten until light-colored, and one cup of milk. Sift three and one-half cups of flour with five level teaspoons of baking powder and add to the first mixture. Stir well and fold in the beaten whites of two eggs. Beat in layer cake tins and spread the following mixture between when the cakes are nearly cold.

Beat one and one-half cups of powdered sugar, three level tablespoons of cocoa, one teaspoon of vanilla, and the whites of three eggs together until a smooth mixture is made that will spread easily. The exact amount of sugar varies a little on account of size of eggs.

-CHOCOLATE CAKE---Cook one cup of sugar, one-half cup of milk, one-half cup of grated chocolate and the beaten yolk of one egg together until smooth. When done add a teaspoon of vanilla and cool. Beat one-half cup of b.u.t.ter to a cream, add one cup of sugar slowly, and beat smooth. Add two beaten eggs, one-half cup of milk, two cups of flour in which two-thirds teaspoon of soda has been sifted and when well beaten add the cool chocolate mixture. Bake in four layers and put together with a white boiled icing.