Chapter II: Part 2

Make a mixture the same as for lady fingers, and squeeze through the “lady finger sack” on brown paper, making small round cakes; but don’t sieve sugar on them. Bake in a medium hot oven. When baked and cool, wet the paper with a brush dipped in water, and take off the cakes. Cut the cakes to one size with a cake cutter, or trim with a sharp knife. Lay two of them together, putting jelly between. Put in a small kettle 2 lbs. white sugar, ¼ lb. cocoa, cut fine, and add ½ pint water; boil to a thread, which may be known by taking a little between the thumb and finger and pulling apart; when a thread about an inch long can be drawn in this manner, it has boiled sufficient. Take from the fire, and with the spatula keep rubbing the mixture well against the sides of the kettle, until pretty thick, which will be in about five or ten minutes. Have the cakes and a few greased pans ready at hand, also a piece of wire bent in the shape of a pair of tongs. Throw in the cakes one at a time and take out with the wire, holding the cake against the wire with the left forefinger. This should be done as soon as possible, as the chocolate will soon harden. Set on the greased pans, trim off any lumps of chocolate that may be hanging to the cakes, and set on a tray. Large cakes may be covered with chocolate by first putting a plain border of icing around the cake, using a large tube, that is, in case the cake should be high in the middle, but if flat as jelly cake, spread out the chocolate immediately with a pallet knife.

Jelly cakes covered with chocolate, and finely ornamented, produce a fine effect. The chocolate that is left over may be used again by adding more cocoa and sugar; but in using that which is left with fresh, it is best to put in about ¼ lb. _Fondant_, after the sugar and cocoa are boiled to a thread, and before rubbing against the sides of the kettle. The quantity of sugar and chocolate herein mentioned is sufficient for a 1 lb. batch of the cakes.

Jenny Lind Cakes.

Take lady cake mixture and squeeze through a “lady finger sack” into small round cakes about the size of a large hickory nut, on pans that have been slightly greased. Let them be a good distance apart. Lift the pan up about a foot or two and let it fall down flat on the table to flatten the cakes a little. Be careful to have pans that are smooth and even. Bake just before lady cake, as they require an oven a trifle hotter. When baked, the cakes should be nearly white, with a nice brown edge. When cool, make a star, ring, heart, or other design on each cake, with Meringue icing or ornamenting icing, and fill the space inside of the design with nice red or amber colored jelly; squeeze the jelly through foolscap paper, making it cone-shaped. Fill with jelly, and then cut off the end. Be careful not to get the cakes baked too much.

Jelly Roll.

One-half lb. white sugar, 14 eggs, ½ lb. flour. Beat the sugar and eggs together until stiff, mix in the flour, and spread on a sheet of brown paper that has been laid on a pan. Spread about ¼ or ½ in. thick. Bake in a moderately hot oven. When baked, turn over on another piece of brown paper laid on the table, and wash over with a brush dipped in water, spread with jelly and roll up quick. It must be spread and rolled as quickly as possible after it is taken out of the oven. If the jelly is too thick, stir it so it will spread nicely.

Molasses Pound Cake.

One quart New Orleans molasses, 1 qt. milk or water, 1 oz. soda, strong weight, 6 eggs, 6 oz. butter, 6 oz. lard, 2 tablespoonfuls ginger and one of allspice, 4 lbs. flour. Have the butter a soft paste, stir in the eggs well, mash the soda and dissolve in the milk, put in the flour. Don’t mix it more than is necessary to mix it in. Put in medium size pans, and bake in a cool oven.

Rough and Readys.

One-half lb. brown sugar, ½ lb. butter or lard, ¾ pint molasses, ¼ pint milk or water, light ½ oz. soda, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground allspice, 4 eggs, flour enough to make a dough that can be nicely rolled out, about 2 or 2¼ lbs. Dust a clean board very lightly with flour, cut out the cakes about ¼ inch thick, and a long shape. Set closely together on the board, beat a few yolks of eggs with a little sweet milk or water, and with a brush dipped in this wash over 2 or 3 doz. of the cakes at a time. Throw them over on dry granulated sugar, and set on slightly greased pans; bake in a moderate oven. If desired, about ½ lb. flour less may be taken, using instead ½ lb. scrap cakes.

Ginger Snaps.

One lb. brown sugar, 1 lb. butter or lard, 1 quart N. O. molasses, 1 pint water, 2 oz. soda, 4 oz. ginger. Mix and cut them out with a small cutter, about the size of a large copper cent; or cut and roll in long round pieces a little thicker than a broom stick, cut in small pieces with the scraper, make them into round balls by rolling one in each hand in the same manner as light cakes. Set on pans far enough apart so they will not run together, and flatten each one with the palm of the hand. If they are desired extra _hot_, put in a little cayenne pepper. The pans should be greased lightly. Bake in a moderate oven.

Ginger S’s.

One lb. brown sugar, 1 lb. lard, 1 quart N. O. molasses, 1 oz. soda, ½ pint water, 3 oz. ginger, about 5 lbs. flour. Mix and cut in small pieces as described for ginger snaps. Roll each small piece lengthwise until a little thicker than a lead pencil, then form into shape something like a letter S, put on slightly greased pans, and bake in a moderate oven.

Crullers.

1¾ lbs. white sugar, 10 eggs, ¼ lb. butter, 1¾ pints sweet milk, good measure, 1 teaspoonful soda, 2 teaspoonfuls cream tartar, 4¾ lbs. flour, a little oil of lemon to flavor with. Dissolve the soda in the milk. Have the butter soft. Mix the sugar, eggs, butter and oil of lemon together, stir in the soda and milk, then put in the flour, and sprinkle over it the cream of tartar. Mix and cut out in small narrow rings, about ¼ inch thick. Spread dry cloths on boards and lay the crullers on these, or lay them on boards that have been slightly dusted with flour. They should be fried in hot lard as soon as possible after being mixed and cut out. Have _plenty_ of lard to fry them in. Turn them over with a stick. When done frying set the lard in a cool place, and before frying again set the vessel with the lard on the stove for a moment, and turn out the lard on a piece of paper laid on the bench or floor. Scrape off that which is black, clean out the vessel, and put in the lard again with more fresh lard.

Scrap Cake.

Three lbs. scrap (trimmings off jelly cakes, and various other kinds of cakes that will not sell, but are good yet, rolled and sieved), ½ gallon N. O. molasses, 1 quart sweet milk, 1 oz. soda, ½ lb. butter, about 1 oz. ground ginger and ½ oz. ground allspice, a few currants, and flour sufficient to make a medium stiff dough. Mix and spread about 1½ inches thick in a pan that has been right well greased. Bake in a cool oven, and when cool ice over with water icing.

Citron Cake.

Make a mixture for pound cakes as mentioned, and just before putting in the flour add ½ lb. citron, cut in fine pieces, and 1 lb. currants. Mix and bake as pound cake, in a square pan. When baked turn out on a tray, and when cold, ice and mark in slices.

Currant Cake.

Make the same as citron cake, but instead of the citron take currants, and bake in round moulds. When cool, ice and mark in slices.

Ginger Cakes.

One-half gallon N. O. molasses, 1 pint water, 2½ oz. soda, 4 oz. ginger, 7¼ lbs. flour. Mix light, cut about ¼ inch thick. Put on pans that have been slightly greased, and before putting in the oven wash over with a thin wash made of molasses and water. Bake in a hot oven.

Sugar Cakes.

One lb. white sugar, ½ lb. butter, 2 eggs, ½ pint water, ¼ oz. carbonate of ammonia, oil of lemon to flavor. Mix, cut out in cakes about ¼ inch thick, and bake in a hot oven.

Macaroon Pyramid.

For this it is necessary to have a round tin mould or form of a conical shape, wide at the bottom and narrowing to a point at the top; have also a round flat ring cut out of a piece of tin, that can be put over the top of the mould and slipped half way or three-quarters down; the mould can thus be used for a large or small pyramid, as desired. If the mould is a new one, scrub off well with hot water and soap, wipe dry, and when cool grease with a brush dipped in lard. Don’t have the lard too hot, just soft enough so it can be applied with a brush; grease the mould well. A macaroon pyramid looks best if the macaroons are uniform, about the size of a silver quarter, or a little larger. If some of them should be larger than others use them for the bottom of the pyramid. Pick out all the best that are wanted for the pyramid. They should be firm on the bottom. If hollow at the bottom or cracked much on top, the pyramid will be liable to break when lifting off the form.

Take about 3 lbs. of white sugar, the brand known as “A,” water enough to barely cover it, then put into a small copper or brass kettle, or a stew pan will answer; being careful to have the vessel used right clean. When it commences to boil, cover with a clean board or sheet of tin. Or after it commences to boil, wash down the sides of the kettle occasionally with a clean white rag dipped in a bowl of cold water, and wrung out a very little. Add while boiling 1 teaspoon cream tartar. When boiled to a crack it is done and should be taken from the fire, and set into a larger vessel that has very little water in it, to prevent the sugar from coloring or scorching from the heat of the kettle. Now take a macaroon in the left hand and hold it against the bottom of the form, and take another in the right hand, dip the edge in the sugar (being careful not to burn the fingers) and stick it against the other macaroon. Keep on in this way until there is a row of macaroons around the form. Dip the macaroons close to the side of the kettle, where the sugar is the thickest. Now set more macaroons above this row, building around the same as the first row, but dipping the macaroon so it will stick to the row beneath as well as to the side. When three rows are built around in this way, loosen them by lifting up just a very little to see that it is loosened. If it is intended for a large pyramid, take a small stick, put a little more sugar between the rows before loosening, so it will be firm. This is only needed to be done with the three lower rows. When about half built loosen again, and also when about three-fourths built. Proceed in this way until within about two inches of the top of the form, making the top row even all round by taking pieces of macaroon or very small macaroons. Pour enough of the sugar on a marble slab or pan that has been greased, to make a small round cake, fasten this with some of the sugar on top of the pyramid after the pyramid has been lifted from the form. When lifting off be careful not to strike the top against anything. If it will not loosen easily, light a small piece of newspaper and put under the form. Place a hand on each side of the pyramid and raise it up. If it does not come loose in this way, get an assistant to hold a 4 lb. weight on top of the form to hold it firm until loosened, and be careful not to push against it when lifting. Try to have it set up as soon as possible, as the sugar will soon harden. If it is commencing to harden set on the edge of the stove to keep warm, or add about ½ pint water, and boil to a crack as before. When the pyramid is set up it may be ornamented with ornamenting icing, and composition flowers, gilt, silvered and green leaves. Macaroon pyramids will not keep nice long in warm or damp weather, and are therefore mostly made in the fall or winter.

Candy Ornaments for Macaroon Pyramid.

Cut a design out of pasteboard according to your fancy. Grease a marble slab, and with a lead pencil mark off the design on the slab. Ornament over the lead pencil mark with ornamenting icing, using a plain coarse tube. Run inside of this sugar that has been boiled to a crack, using a small copper pot with a long fine spout, or make a fancy design on the slab with the lead pencil, and run out boiled sugar with a spoon. As soon as the designs harden loosen with a pallet knife, being careful not to break them, or fasten to the pyramid orange slices that have been dipped in boiling sugar, first dipping in one end, letting it harden, and then the other. Be careful not to tear the fine skin around any of the slices.

To Make an Egg Beater.

Take some stout brass wire, and cut into lengths of about 2 feet, or as long as desired. Take 8 or 10 of these, and bend them in the shape wanted. Wrap the part wanted for a handle tightly with stout cord. A stick of wood may be used for making the handle stronger, but if stout wire is used and wrapped well it will answer the purpose. If the beater is wanted for beating the whites of eggs alone, thinner wire may be used.

Almond Puffs.

The whites of 7 eggs, 1 lb. pulverized sugar, 2 oz. blanched almonds, dried, rolled, and passed through a sieve. Let off the whites into a clean round-bottomed copper kettle, or a tin bucket, beat with the beater until right stiff, occasionally adding a tablespoonful of the sugar while beating, then put in the sugar and almonds, and mix with a thin wooden spatula. Mix light, then pass through a gum sack made in the same manner as a lady finger sack, first slipping in a tin tube. Squeeze through this on pans that have been well cleaned and thickly greased. Put in a very cool oven. When they have a crust so they can be well handled take them off the pans and put on tin trays.

Icing.

Let off the whites of 8 eggs into a clean white bowl, or let them off into a cup one at a time and then empty into the bowl. Be careful not to get the least particle of yellow in the whites. Add a few drops of acetic acid to the whites of eggs, and as much ultramarine blue as will lay on the point of a penknife; great care should be taken not to get in too much or the icing will be blue. Stir in enough pulverized sugar that has been passed through a fine sieve to make a thickish paste. Beat this up by holding a spatula in each hand, having the bowl in the lap or standing on a bench or table, beat until right white and light, which will require brisk beating for 20 minutes. The icing should be just thick enough so that it can be spread with a pallet knife nice and smooth on a cake without running off the sides while the cake is drying. Spread the icing within about half an inch of the edge of the cake. Put in the proof oven, or dry inside the oven after the baking is done. Be careful that the icing don’t get brown. As soon as the icing is dry enough to bear the weight of the ornamenting that may be put on, take the cake out. This amount of icing is sufficient to ice and ornament a good sized cake. If the icing is wanted for ornamenting also it should be made of “lozenge sugar,” which is fine like flour; but for plain icing alone the common pulverized sugar will answer. Be careful to have the bowl, paddles, &c., right clean, and see that they are not greasy.

To ice and ornament a small cake, it is best to make plain icing, and then give the cake one thick coating of icing, and add sufficient sugar to make the icing stiff enough for ornamenting. But for a large cake, as a wedding cake, give the cake a very thin coating of icing, allow this to dry, then put on a thick coating of icing and allow that to dry also; beat up icing in a separate bowl for ornamenting the cake. This icing should be so that it will stand alone, and that the _border_ will not slip off the cake after it is put on.

To become a good ornamenter requires a great deal of practice; and to become a first-class one a knowledge of drawing is necessary, although any one with a little practice can ornament a cake so that it will look well. Take a piece of ornamenting paper, or writing paper will do, wrap it around the hand or fingers so as to form it into a conical shape, then holding in the hand so that it does not unwrap, cut off the pointed end with a scissors, and slip in an ornamenting tube at the top. Put in the icing, turn the paper down, and squeeze with the ball of the thumb. Ornamenting tubes are cut in different designs. Use a coarse tube for making a border around the cake, and a fine one for ornamenting inside of the border. Gilt, silvered, and various colored leaves can also be put on; also a variety of ornaments. Before beginning to ice a cake always trim it neatly with a sharp knife, so that it will have a nice shape, or use a large grater. Clean off the crumbs well with a brush, and fill up the hole made by the spout of the mould by firmly fastening a hard sugar or other cake in it. Always use white icing and white ornaments for decorating a wedding cake.

Water Icing.

Take pulverized sugar and water, and make a rather thick paste, add a few drops oil of lemon, spread on the cake and set the cake in a warm place a few minutes to dry.

Substitute for Whites of Eggs in Making Icing.

Three ounces isinglass, ½ lb. white glue, 2 gallons water, boil this together and skim well. Put in afterwards ¼ lb. burnt alum, which has previously been dissolved in warm water. Keep in a cool place. Cakes iced with this should not be allowed to stand over a day or two, as the icing soon becomes very hard.

Soda Biscuit, No. 1.

Eight lbs. best flour, 1 lb. lard, ½ oz. soda scant, ½ oz. carbonate of ammonia, ¼ lb. cream tartar, ½ gall. milk, about 1 pint water; mix. Cut out thick and bake in a hot oven, leaving the oven door partly open; add also a little salt to the flour, &c.

Puff Paste.

To make good puff paste, it is necessary to have the best of flour and good fresh butter. The butter should be pretty stiff, but not hard. If the butter is soft, put it in ice water two or three hours previous to making the paste. Take 2 lbs. flour, and 2 lbs. butter; mix a small piece of the butter, about ¼ lb., with the flour, by rubbing it thoroughly between the palms of the hands until fine. Put in 1 pint ice water, or some that is right cold. Mix and work this well in a bowl, then roll out on the bench until about half an inch thick. Work the balance of the butter with the hands in a little cold water. Then work out the water by taking a little of the butter in the left hand, and slapping it with the palm of the right hand. Lay this butter evenly over the paste to within about 1 inch or 1½ inch of the edge of the paste. Now fold from two sides and roll slightly, then from the opposite sides also. Lay a sheet of brown paper on a pan and put the paste on it. The pan should be large enough for the paste to lay in without doubling the paste. Set the pan on some broken ice, or on a large piece of ice, and cover it with another pan, and lay a few pieces of ice around on the top pan also. Let it remain this way half an hour, then roll it out, fold it and roll again, being careful not to roll too much; set on the ice again and let it remain twenty minutes, then roll again. Set on the ice again for fifteen minutes, roll again, and let remain on the ice for twenty minutes more, then roll out, handling the paste as little as possible with the hands. It should always be rolled in as cool a room as possible, and baked immediately after it is cut out. Bake in a moderately hot oven.

Tarts.

Roll out puff paste about ¼ inch thick, cut out with a large round cutter, and with a small cutter press gently in the middle of each one cut out. Cut out so as to have as little scrap as possible. When baked, press each tart down in the middle, and fill with cranberry sauce or apple marmalade.

Pie Crust.

Two lbs. flour, 1 lb. butter, a scant 1 pint water. The butter should be a stiff paste. Rub the butter and flour well together between the hands until fine, then pour the water over mixture. Ice water should be used in hot weather. Mix the water in as lightly as possible. Lard may be used in place of butter, but is not equal to it; when lard is used, add a pinch of salt. If the butter is too salty, wash out in cold water. Have the pie plates greased. With the scraper cut some of the dough into pieces large enough for bottom crusts, roll a little, just enough to make them round. Flatten a little with the palm of the hand. Before rolling out, dust the bench with flour. Roll out a little crosswise, lift up the dough, dust the bench, turn the dough upside down, and roll out lengthwise of the bench. Get it to a round flat shape with as little rolling as possible, as rolling it much will make it tough. Roll very little larger than the plate, so as not to have much scrap dough. Roll out about one-half of the dough for “bottoms.” As soon as the bottom is rolled out for one pie put on the pie plate, lift up the pie plate about 3 inches and let fall again a couple of times, don’t press it down with the fingers. Make the bottom crust for pies a little thicker than the top crust. Have plain pie plates, don’t get those with a groove pressed in them. When making some juicy fruit pie wash the rims of the pies before putting on the top crust with water. If the oven should be a little cold, and you wish the pies to have a nice color, wash over with a brush dipped in the beaten yolks of eggs and a very little water.

Apple Pie.

Pare tart apples and cut fine. Fill up the pies, add white sugar to sweeten and a dust of ground cinnamon, or a little of the grated _yellow_ of a lemon. Put a few tablespoonfuls water in each pie, also about ½ oz. fresh butter. Don’t pare the apples until ready to make the pies, as they turn black looking. If you prefer the apples stewed, put into a stew pan with just enough water to cover them, stew until soft, then mash, sweeten and flavor to taste.

Cranberry Pie.

Wash the berries and pick out all that are not fit. Put into a stew pan with barely enough water to cover them, stew until soft, pour into a crock and let them cool. Then rub through a colander or sieve and sweeten, or sweeten while hot. The sugar should be sieved before putting it in; white sugar is best, although any kind of common sugar may be used. Fill the pie with the fruit, roll out the dough, cut it in strips and lay diagonally across, previously wetting the rim of the pie with a little water.

Mince Pie.

Mince meat procured from the groceries is generally too thick, and should be thinned with the addition of sweet cider. The best mince meat is made of beef, suet, apples, brown sugar, seedless raisins, currants, the grated _yellow_ of lemons, a little citron, ground cinnamon, cloves and allspice, good sweet cider, and enough Port Wine to impart a good taste; the beef, apples, &c., to be chopped fine and then all thoroughly mixed.

Lemon Pies, No. 1.

Six good sized and fresh lemons, 3 lbs. white sugar, 6 eggs, 1 pint milk, ½ lb. corn starch, 2 oz. fresh butter, a pinch of salt, and 3 qts. water; put the sugar in a bowl, and grate on it the _yellow_ of the lemons; don’t use the white, rind or seeds, or the pies will be bitter. Also squeeze the juice of the lemons on the sugar. Set the milk on the stove to boil, beat the eggs and corn starch together, and when the milk boils put this in, stirring briskly; then add the sugar and lemon juice. Be careful not to get it scorched. Put into a bowl to cool, and when cool fill the pies, cover and bake; or make the custard a little thicker, and fill the pies, not putting any crust on them. When baked, beat up some whites of eggs, add pulverized sugar, and spread this over the pies, and set in the oven to brown.

Lemon Pies, No. 2.

One good sized fresh lemon, 1 egg, ½ lb. white sugar, 2 heaping tablespoonfuls of flour, and 1 pint water; grate the _yellow_ of the lemon into a bowl, put in the flour, then the egg, add a very little water, and beat this smooth with a spatula. Then add the sugar and water, stir well, fill the pies pretty full, wet the rim of the pie before putting on the top crust, and cut a good many holes in the top crust. This makes a good pie, but it sometimes boils out considerable while baking.

Cocoanut Custard Pie.

Grate the cocoanuts, add a little melted butter, enough sweet milk to make a right soft batter, and sweeten to taste. Bake without a top crust. Allow 2 eggs for each pie.

Pumpkin Custard Pie.

Pare and remove the seeds from the pumpkin, cut in small pieces, and stew until soft; put into a colander and allow all water to run off, then rub through the colander into a bowl. Add sugar to sweeten, some beaten eggs, about 1 for each pie, thin with boiled milk, flavor with ground allspice. Bake without a top crust.

FAMILY BAKING.

It seems to me there is not the interest taken by mothers to instruct their daughters in baking and cooking that there should be. It is often the case that a mother who has several grown-up daughters does the baking herself, and her daughters know very little about it. Ask her why she don’t allow her daughters to do the baking, and she will probably tell you, “Oh, they have plenty of time yet to learn.” It may be, and very often is, more convenient for families to buy their bread, but if every woman knew _how to bake good bread_, it would contribute much towards the health and happiness of all. None but those who have experienced it, know the mortification felt when the bread is bad after _trying their best_. There are a great number of women who can bake good bread, and I don’t think they regret it, although it may not be considered a _high-toned accomplishment_ by _some_. I think the formation of Ladies’ Baking and Cooking Societies would be a good idea. It would be profitable to all. Have a meeting, say once a month, each member donating a specimen of her baking, bread or cake, and various “cooked dishes,” the recipes for making them to be printed, and a copy distributed to each member. The business of the meeting, as remarks, essays, &c., on baking and cooking, could be concluded at an early hour in the evening, say by 9 o’clock, after which time a few hours could be agreeably spent in company with relatives and friends, previously inviting them to call, and having dancing, singing, or various social games, thus combining pleasure with profit.

The recipes herein mentioned are most of them adapted to families, as well as hotels and bakeries. The _ferment_ mentioned as made with _stock yeast_ is the _yeast_ generally sold to families by bakers, and is used by the bakers themselves. Every large-sized family obliged to do their own baking should have a brick oven built, and covered with a shed to protect it from rain. A brick oven large enough to meet the requirements of a large family can be built at a comparatively small cost. It is often the case that a woman does the baking in a rickety old stove. The reason a great many women fail to make good bread is because they allow the sponge to fall too much or the dough to raise too much.

Ferment for Family Baking.

Put a few potatoes on to boil, about 6 good sized ones; put sufficient water on them, so that there will be plenty to _scald_ a handful of flour; when they have boiled soft, put into a clean crock that has been well _scalded out_ the handful of flour, and pour enough _scalding_ water to make a smooth paste. Take the potatoes out and mash them, and add them also. If you want a good quantity of ferment, then add the hot water also, but if not, only add sufficient to make the ferment about milkwarm, or nearly cold in hot weather, and put in a gill of family yeast, or 4 cakes of “National Dry Yeast,” made at Seneca, N. Y., or some other equally as good. When set with dry yeast, it will require longer for the ferment to rise and fall than with family yeast. Set the ferment on a shelf near the ceiling, where it will keep moderately warm, and where it will not be _disturbed_. Put it in a narrow crock. Make this in the evening, and set the sponge the next morning, or if it has not _fell yet_, wait until evening before setting sponge.

Setting Sponge and Making Dough.

Strain the ferment into a wooden bowl or small dough tray, add one-fourth as much milkwarm water as ferment, stir in sufficient sieved flour to make a rather stiff batter, let this set in a moderately warm place until the sponge has _raised and fell_ a very little, then add three-fourths as much milkwarm water as you set ferment and _water_ for sponge. Make into dough, and allow it to raise, which will take generally about one hour; then make into loaves and bake. Have the room while the sponge and dough are raising _comfortably_ warm, but not warm enough to make you feel uncomfortable. Be careful that the sponge don’t get disturbed while it is raising.

Family Yeast.

Take 6 good sized potatoes, pare them and boil until soft, then mash them in a narrow 2-gallon crock, and put on them about 1 lb. flour. Boil 1 handful of hops in a gallon of water for 15 minutes, and strain this while boiling on the flour and potatoes, stirring thoroughly until smooth. When about milkwarm, or nearly cold in summer, add 1 gill of good family yeast, stir well, and set in a moderately warm place. When it has raised and fell about 1 inch, stir it well; it is then ready for use. Set in a cool place; use 1 gill of this to ½ gallon milkwarm water, or cold water in summer, to set sponge. Set the crock in a tub of cold water to cool after the flour is scalded, in summer.

Pan Cakes.

Four heaping tablespoonfuls of flour, 4 eggs, a pinch of salt, sweet milk enough to make a soft batter; stir this well, and have it thin and smooth. Put a little lard in a skillet, and when it is hot put enough of the batter to make a thin cake. Bake a nice light brown color on both sides. Serve while hot.

Potato Cakes.

Take raw potatoes, pare and grate them, put in a very little flour, put in 3 eggs to each ½ gallon grated potatoes, and a little salt. Fry in hot lard until a nice brown on both sides. A little sweet cream may be added to the mixture, if desired. Serve while hot.

ICE CREAM.

For making ice cream, the cream should be sweet and good. Fresh cream makes a much better quality of ice cream than some that has been kept three or four days. After having eaten a dish of cream made from old cream, there will be a sort of buttery coating on the tongue and roof of the mouth. This will not occur if the ice cream is made of fresh cream, unless the ice cream is beaten too much. Ice cream should be made and kept, if possible, in a cool, shady place. The tin cans, when empty, should be well scalded and rinsed out; stand them up so the water will run out, then wipe thoroughly dry and lay on a shelf, keeping the lid off until well aired, then put the lid on. The cans should be nicely arranged on shelves. When the “season” is over, grease the cans inside and out before putting away. In about a week or two before the season begins, get everything in readiness; thoroughly clean the cans, have those that need mending taken away, be sure that none of them leak. See also that the tubs are in good condition and do not leak, and have good hoops, hinges and plugs. There are machines for breaking ice; if you have none, get a large stamper made of hard wood, or smaller if made of iron; have the ice cream tubs a little higher than the cans; get some cheap blue paint, and give the tubs a coating or two every spring. There should be a good deal of space between the can and tub for the ice. Don’t mash the ice too fine; have a stout wooden box made of thick hard plank for breaking the ice in, and thoroughly put together, so that it will not come apart while breaking the ice.

To each gallon of cream take 1½ lbs. white sugar and 3 eggs. The eggs may be omitted, if desired. Beat up the eggs a little, pour on half the cream and put in the sugar; strain this through a strainer into the ice cream can. There will be a little sugar left in the strainer, pour the rest of the cream on this and stir; then put on the lid and pack ice around. Break up the ice, and sprinkle salt pretty thickly over it; any kind of coarse salt will do. Mix the salt and ice thoroughly before putting it around the can, with a strong scoop or shovel; after the ice is packed around the can, turn the can about 10 minutes, then scrape down the cream from the sides of the can with a pallet knife, and turn again, and so on, scraping down every 10 minutes until the cream gets pretty stiff; then let a little of the water out of the tub (have a plug at the bottom of the tub with which to let off the water), and pack more salted ice around the can, beat up with a paddle for about 20 minutes, put in the flavor, beat about 10 minutes longer, scrape off the paddle _lightly_, and scrape the ice cream down from the sides of the can, so as to have it level. If not wanted right away, let all the water out of the tub, cover the can with salted ice. Ice cream is best when it stands packed about an hour after being made.

One gallon of good cream will make 1½ gallons ice cream. If it is beaten more than this, it becomes buttery. For flavoring with vanilla, use 2 good-sized vanilla beans to 5 gallons ice cream, cut in small pieces and put into a tin can, pour on about ¾ pint of water, let it boil until very little water remains in the can, but be careful not to burn it; have a lid on the can while boiling it. Strain this when cool through a fine muslin rag into the ice cream. Put that which remains in the rag into a bottle, and pour enough alcohol on to cover it, then cork. This will make a good extract. Vanilla flavoring is generally preferred. Remember always to put _salt_ on ice for making ice cream, and be sure that the _tub does not leak_. Some ice cream makers allow the cream to come to a boil before beginning to freeze it. Others use _milk_ and scalded corn starch. Ice cream cans that have round iron bottoms (“Manigle’s patent,” I believe) are the best when turning by hand.

This recipe is for making ice cream with the common can, hand or steam freezer. Remember that the ice cream should not be beaten until _rather stiff_. There are also porcelain cans and porcelain-lined cans for keeping ice cream. Always attend to ice cream, so that it does not get soft, putting salted ice around it, and beating smooth with the paddle. Should it get soft and full of lumps, strain it and freeze as before.

Strawberry Ice Cream.

Take 1 qt. strawberries, mash them and put them in 1 gallon of ice cream, and beat up thoroughly; a little red coloring may be added, if it is desired to have it of a fine red color. Made in this way, no one will complain that the ice cream is not made with the fruit. Or, to 3 qts. good fresh cream add 2 lbs. sugar, stir it well, and then put in 1 qt. strawberry juice that has been obtained from “dead ripe” strawberries. Freeze in the usual way.

Chocolate Ice Cream.

Scrape down some cocoa, put into a clean pan with a little water, set on the stove or in the oven, and work with a spoon until smooth; then strain through a sieve into the ice cream. Flavor to suit the taste.

Lemon Ice Cream.

Flavor with oil of lemon.

Pine Apple Ice Cream.

Cut up a pine apple into fine pieces, sprinkle sugar thickly over it, and mash it well with a wooden stamper; then strain into 1 gallon ice cream that has been made by using 2 lbs. of sugar to 1 gallon of cream.

Orange Water Ice.

One doz. oranges, 1 gallon water; grate the _yellow_ rind from 6 of the oranges, add a little of the grated rind, and strain it through a fine muslin cloth into the balance of the water; add 2 lbs. sugar, and freeze the same as ice cream. It does not require to be beaten like ice cream; just stir with the paddle until smooth.

Pine Apple Water Ice

Is made in the same manner as the ice cream, using water instead of cream, and adding ½ lb. more sugar.

Gum Paste for a Pyramid.

Take 4 oz. picked gum tragacanth, pour on about 1¼ pints water. Do this in the evening, and let it stand until the next morning; then strain through a clean coarse cloth into a large bowl, add lozenge sugar until pretty thick, stir well with the spatula; then put in more sugar until rather stiff. Throw out on a clean marble slab or table, and work with the hands. Tie up a little corn starch in a clean white rag, and dust the slab or bench with this. This paste may be colored to suit the fancy. Roll out with the rolling pin, and cut after any desired pattern. Put in a warm place to dry. Then set together and ornament with icing; a very nice ornament can thus be made for the supper table or show window. This quantity is sufficient to make a very large pyramid, and will keep a long time if put in a crock and covered tightly. Keep in a cool place. When it is desired to keep it, put sufficient sugar into the strained gum to make it pretty thick, but not stiff; then when wanted for use, a little may be taken out, and more sugar worked in until stiff enough.

Red “Sugar Sand.”

Take clean granulated sugar, and put into a bowl, add some carmine that has been dissolved in a little alcohol, or use a little prepared cochineal. Rub the sugar between the hands, and a fine red or pink color may be obtained in this way. Set in a warm place, and while drying rub between the hands occasionally, so it will not form into lumps.

Any color of “sugar sand” may be made in this manner by using colors that are not poisonous, always being careful to dry on a shady place with a very moderate heat.

To Open Cocoanuts.

Have a hard wooden block; it should have a hollow, so the cocoanut will lay in a little. Take a sharp hatchet, and with the corner chip off a piece of the shell at the ends where the holes are, when the balance of the shell may be easily taken off by chipping off in small pieces. Turn the nut occasionally while chipping off. Then wash the hands clean and pare off the fine skin with a sharp knife or “spoke shave.”

To Prevent Windows Being Frosted.

Wash with brandy or alcohol.

Taffy.

Take 1 gal. N. O. molasses, 2½ lbs. white sugar, ½ lb. fresh butter; boil, and when it gets thick, stir to prevent burning. Boil to a crack, which may be known by taking out a little on the end of the stick, previously dipping the end of the stick in water, then dip in right cold water again. If it cracks while attempting to squeeze it in the hand, it has boiled sufficient. Pour this upon a marble slab that has been previously cleaned and _slightly_ greased. There should be square iron or steel rods laid around the edges, to prevent the mass running off the slab. Do not handle it until the edges of the mass commence to harden; then with both hands lay each side of the taffy to the middle of the mass. Let it remain in this manner until it is cool enough to be handled; then pull it until light. Have a little flour at hand, and flour the hands to prevent the mass from sticking. Pull the taffy on a large iron hook fastened well to a post, and known as a “candy hook;” grease the hook _very lightly_. If the mass is handled or stirred much before it is ready to pull, it is liable to “grain.” When ready to pull, do so briskly for a short time. If it should appear to “fall to pieces” when put on the hook, the slab has been greased too heavy. In this case keep pulling the mass for a short time, no difference if it does appear to be rotten, and it will be all right. If the taffy is intended to be made into sticks, boil until the mass will not stick to the teeth while chewing. If it is desired to have it striped, let a little of the mass lie on the slab until the others are pulled, roll that which has been pulled to a short stick, and lay the other on this in long strips, an even distance apart. Now take hold of one end of the roll with the right hand, and pull it out lengthwise until the desired thickness is obtained, then pinch or cut it off, twist the stick a little and roll until round, and so continue on with the rest, rolling those that have been pulled first, to keep them in a round shape; sprinkle a little pulverized sugar on the bench before rolling out; for a small quantity a pan may be used instead of a marble slab, when the slab is not to be had. This taffy will not keep well in summer.

Apple Jelly.

Take tart apples, wash them clean, and cut each apple in three or four pieces; put them into a kettle with only sufficient water to cover them. When they have boiled right soft, throw them into a close willow basket, and allow the juice to drain through into a clean tub or other vessel. Boil the apples in the evening, and let them drain through until next morning. To each quart of juice take 1½ lbs. best white sugar, put into a clean copper or porcelain-lined kettle, and boil until it jellies, which may be known by putting a little in a saucer and setting on ice or cold water. While boiling, skim the jelly with a skimmer. It may also be colored a brilliant red or yellow.

A great amount of the jelly now sold in tumblers for currant, raspberry, quince, orange, &c., is nothing but apple jelly colored and flavored with the various extracts.

Currant Jelly.

Take currants that are right ripe; to each pint of juice use 1 lb. best white sugar, boil briskly, and skim while boiling. It should not boil longer than about twenty minutes, or it will become _stringy_. Wash the kettle out clean before boiling again. When making jellies be careful not to allow them to boil over. If not red enough, aniline coloring may be used, but care should be taken not to use too much, as it is poisonous.

Virgin Yeast, No. 1.

Fill a clean candy jar half full of stock yeast, put it on a shelf near the ceiling where it is moderately warm, and where it will not be disturbed, cover air tight and allow it to stand three days, when it is ready for use. (Put into the jar just after the malt is put in and before the stock yeast is in.)

Virgin Yeast, No. 2.

Two oz. hops, 1½ lbs. flour, 1½ gall. water; let the hops boil in the water fifteen minutes; scald the flour with some of the hop water and make a soft, smooth paste, stirring it well, then strain on the balance of the hop water; when milkwarm put in a heaping tablespoonful of salt and 1 of brown sugar; stir well; put in a crock, set in a moderately warm place and allow it to set three days. Boil 2 lbs. pared potatoes, mash and add them, and let stand another day.

Aniline Coloring.

Put aniline in alcohol, shake well, and allow it to stand a few days. Care should be taken in using this, as it is poisonous.

Yellow Coloring.

Mix gamboge with a little water in a saucer. This is also said to be poisonous, but when used in small quantities will do no harm.

Prepared colors made especially for bakers and confectioners, are generally to be had in a confectioners’ furnishing store.

Macaroons.

Two lbs. almonds that have been blanched and dried, 4 lbs. dry white sugar, about 23 whites of eggs. Rub the almonds and whites of eggs in a stone mortar, then work in the sugar well, run out on brown paper laid on a pan and bake in a very cool oven.

Small Charlotte Russe.

Beat up a pound mixture as mentioned for sponge cakes. Spread about ¼ or ½ thick on a sheet of brown paper laid on a pan, bake it light; when cool cut out, and line small tin cups with this, and join with icing. Allow it to dry in the cups, then take out and fill with whipped cream. Have the best of cream; put it into a tin bucket, and set the bucket on some broken ice, putting a little salt on the ice first, and stirring it well. Beat up the cream with the egg beater, and add sufficient pulverized sugar to sweeten. Flavor with extract of vanilla. This should be made shortly before it is wanted.

* * * * *

It is my purpose at some future time to enlarge this work. I would therefore be thankful to any person disposed to give me useful information in regard to baking, &c.

Respectfully,
THE AUTHOR.

INDEX.

PAGE.

Almond Puffs, 43

Aniline Coloring, 61

Apple Cake, 17

Apple Pie, 48

Apple Jelly, 61

Articles and Utensils--where to procure, 19

Bakeshop, the, 7

Baking with Fleischmann’s Compressed Yeast, 18

Bread, 8

Brown Scotch, No. 1, 31

Brown Scotch, No. 2, 31

Brown Jumbles, 32

Buns, 15

Candy Ornaments, for Macaroon Pyramid, 42

Chocolate Sponge Drop, 34

Chocolate Ice Cream, 57

Cinnamon Cake, 16

Citron Cake, 39

Cocoanut Custard Pie, 50

Cranberry Pie, 48

Cream Puffs, 29

Crullers, 38

Cup Cake, 31

Currant Cake, 39

Currant Jelly, 61

Custard for Cream Puffs, 30

Doughnuts, 17

Drop Cake, 26

Family Baking, 51

Family Yeast, 53

Ferment, 11

Ferment, without Stock Yeast, 18

Ferment for Family Baking, 52

French Bread, 14

Fruit Cake, 23

Ginger Cakes, 39

Ginger Snaps, 37

Ginger S’s, 38

Graham Bread, 14

Gum Paste for a Pyramid, 58

Hints on Making Cakes, 19

Ice Cream, 54

Icing, 43

Jelly Cake, 26

Jelly Roll, 36

Jenny Lind Cakes, 35

Lady Cake, 22

Lady Fingers, 27

Large Sponge Cake, 26

Lemon Ice Cream, 57

Lemon Pie, No. 1, 49

Lemon Pie, No. 2, 50

Lemon Cake, 28

Macaroons, 63

Macaroon Pyramid, 40

Making Dough, 12

Making Dough, Family Baking, 53

Mince Pie, 49

Molasses Cup Cake, 33

Molasses Pound Cake, 36

Mountain Cake, 23

Orange Water Ice, 58

Pan Cakes, 54

Paris Cakes, 25

Pie Crust, 47

Pine Apple Ice Cream, 57

Pine Apple Water Ice, 58

Potato Cake, 54

Pound Cake, 21

Puff Paste, 40

Pumpkin Custard Pie, 50

Red “Sugar Sand”, 59

Remarks, 5

Rolls, 16

Rough and Readys, 37

Rusks or Light Cakes, 15

Rye Bread, 13

Scrap Cake, 39

Setting Sponge, 53

Small Charlotte Russe, 63

Small Sponge Cake, 30

Soda Biscuit, No. 1, 46

Strawberry Ice Cream, 57

Stock Yeast, 9

Sponge Biscuit, 29

Sugar Cake, 39

Substitute for Whites of Eggs in making Icing, 45

Taffy, 59

Tarts, 47

Taylor Cakes, No. 1, 34

Taylor Cakes, No. 2, 34

To Open Cocoanuts, 59

To Prevent Windows being Frosted, 59

To Set Sponge, 11

To Make an Egg Beater, 42

Twist, 15

Virgin Yeast, No. 1, 61

Virgin Yeast, No. 2, 61

Wash to impart a Gloss to Buns, Rolls, &c., 17

Water Icing, 45

White Jumbles, 31

White Scotch Cakes, 33

Wine Cake, 33

Yellow Coloring, 61

Transcriber's Notes:

Italics are shown thus: _sloping_.

Variations in spelling and hyphenation are retained.

Perceived typographical errors have been changed.