Chapter II: Part 2

Butter a nice-shaped mould, and set it with dried cherries and angelica stock round the bottom and sides. Cut the crust from two slices of bread, and cut the bread in small dice pieces. Then have a quarter of a pound of stale sponge cake, and four macaronis crumbled, three ounces of currants, and three ounces of raisins, and one ounce of lemon-peel. Switch three eggs in a pint of milk and one glass of wine; pour over pudding, and steam.

CROQUETS AU CONFITURE.

Place three ounces of rice in a stew-pan, and cook till it is very soft, and all the milk boiled off. Switch two eggs with the rice spread out on a plate to cool; then form into round balls. Make a hole through the middle, and fill with jam; close it up, and roll the ball in egg and then in bread-crumbs, and fry in hot lard. Dish in a pyramid on a folded napkin, and sprinkle sifted sugar over it. Serve hot.

LEMON PUDDING.

Line an ashet with puff paste, place four ounces of butter, the yolks of four eggs, the juice of one lemon, three tea-spoonfuls of corn-flour wet with cold water, two ounces of sugar. Mix all together, and stir in a jug over hot water on the fire till it assumes the appearance of a custard. Bake the crust and pour the lemon mixture into it, switch the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, with two ounces of sifted sugar, and place on top of pudding. Place for a minute in the oven, and serve hot.

VANILLA CREAM.

Soak half a sixpenny packet of gelatine in half a tea-cupful of milk, for half-an-hour; set it into a pan of warm water till it melts, then switch one breakfast-cupful of cream till stiff; then let the gelatine be cold, but so as it will run from the cup into the cream. Sweeten with one ounce of sugar and a few drops of vanilla; rinse a mould out with cold water, and set the cream for twelve hours; plunge the mould in hot water, and turn out on a glass dish, and garnish with angelica and dried cherries.

WINE JELLY.

Take a sixpenny packet of gelatine, soak in one cupful of cold water for an hour; then add four cups more of water, four ounces of sugar, the rhind of one lemon and the juice of two, one stick of cinnamon, the whites of three eggs and shells, and switch to a stiff froth. Switch all together in a copper pan over the fire till it boils. Draw to the side to simmer gently for fifteen minutes. The pan must not be shaken; pour through a jelly bag. Rinse out a mould with cold water before pouring in the jelly. One or two glasses of wine may be added.

ŒUF À LA NEIGE.

Place in a sauce-pan one pint of milk and bring to the boil; have three yolks of eggs beaten with three tea-spoonfuls of corn-flour and two table-spoonfuls of cold milk; blend all together with back of wooden spoon; give it one boil, and flavour with essence of almond. When cold, turn into a glass dish, switch the whites of eggs to a stiff froth, add an ounce of sugar, and garnish the top by dropping it in spoonfuls on the top. Part may be coloured with cochineal, place some tiny pieces of red currant jelly on the top of each piece.

TRIFLE.

Soak four penny sponge cakes in a glass of sherry for half-an-hour; cut each sponge cake into four pieces, lay the four pieces at the bottom of a glass dish; spread a layer of strawberry jam; then have a thin custard made with two eggs and two tea-spoonfuls of corn-flour and a breakfast-cupful of milk. Let it get cold, and pour over the sponge cake and jam. Sprinkle with chopped almonds and dried cherries. Lay sponge cake and jam in alternated layers, and macaronis crumbled, till all is used up. Switch a tea-cupful of cream, and lay on the top, and garnish with pink sugar, angelica, and dried cherries.

CARAMEL PUDDING.

Break five eggs, yolks and whites; switch them together; add half-an-ounce of sweet almonds, half-an-ounce of orange peel minced fine, one and a-half ounces of soft sugar, a large breakfast-cupful of milk. Stir the eggs, almonds, sugar, and lemon-peel into milk. Grease a pint basin, and set it with dried cherries; steam for one hour slowly. Make a sauce in the following way:--Place one ounce of sugar in a pan, brown it to the colour of treacle, and pour over two glasses of water; boil for ten minutes. Serve round pudding.

PUDDING SAUCES.

BRANDY SAUCE.

Take half-an-ounce of butter, half-an-ounce of flour, one ounce of sugar; melt together; add a tea-cupful of boiling water gradually, keeping beating all the time. When it boils, add a glass of brandy; it must not boil afterwards, as liquors lose strength in boiling.

WINE SAUCE.

Take two table-spoonfuls of corn-flour, three ounces of sugar, an ounce of butter, and a pint of water; stir over the fire till it boils; add a glass of wine and a grated nutmeg. The juice of fresh fruit, such as strawberry, raspberry, peaches, or the juice from preserved fruit, when fresh fruit cannot be procured, may be used instead of wine.

GERMAN SAUCE.

Set a stew-pan on the fire with a pint of boiling water; set a smaller one in it, and break in the yolks of two eggs, one ounce of sugar, a glass of sherry, juice of half a lemon, half-an-ounce of butter, and a pinch of salt. This sauce must be kept switched over a moderate heat till it assumes the appearance of a switched cream. Pour over steamed puddings.

CUSTARD SAUCE.

Place one pint of milk on the fire till it gets hot, on the point of boiling. Then take the yolks of two eggs, mix smooth with a little cold milk, and two tea-spoonfuls of corn-flour, and stir into the boiling milk. A little cream is an improvement to this sauce, and a few drops of vanilla.

SAVOURY DISHES.

CURRIED EGGS.

Boil four eggs hard, plunge them into cold water, skin and cut them in slices; place a half-ounce of butter in a sauce-pan, and one tea-spoonful of curry; stir the butter and curry over the fire, and slice one onion. Fry a light-brown. Stir in gently a half-pint of gravy, and stew slowly. Add one tea-spoonful of corn-flour, mixed with half-a-cup of cream. Boil a few minutes, and pour over the eggs. Serve hot.

SAVOURY OMELET.

Switch three eggs for five minutes, yolk and white separate; then have a little chopped parsley, a tiny piece of onion which has been previously boiled, pepper and salt, with the eggs. Have an omelet-pan hot with quarter of an ounce of fresh butter; fry lightly on one side, hold before the fire or place in a hot oven for a few minutes. Fold over and serve.

POACHED EGGS.

Have a flat sauce-pan with one quart of water boiling; put in a tea-spoonful of salt, and four drops of vinegar. Break the eggs into a cup, one by one; drop them into the pan with a table-spoon. See that the water is poured over the eggs. When the white is set over the egg it is ready. Have a round slice of toast buttered; place the eggs on it.

EGGS À LA MAÎTRE D’HOTÊL.

Boil six eggs hard, and cut them in halves. Dish them in a circle. Pour over them a sauce made as follows:--Place one ounce of butter in a sauce-pan, with half-an-ounce of flour, one tea-cupful of milk. Stir gradually till it thickens. Add a little cream and white pepper, and a squeeze of a lemon.

KIDNEY OMELET.

Mince fine two sheep kidneys; place in a stew-pan, with a small piece of butter, pepper and salt, a few chopped parsley leaves, a few drops of Worcestershire sauce and a glass of stock. Stew gently for twenty minutes. Prepare the omelet as follows:--Separate the yolk and whites of four eggs, switch the whites to a stiff froth, place the whites and yolks together, pepper and salt. Have the omelet-pan hot, with a little fresh butter; pour in the eggs; cook for three minutes gently, not too fast. Hold the pan before the fire to brown; then lay the stewed kidneys in the centre.

HAM OMELET

Is prepared in the same way as kidney omelet. Any kind of fine minced meat, minced chickens, and ham can be used in the same way for breakfasts.

STUFFED EGGS.

Take four eggs and cut them in halves, length ways; take out the yolks and rub them to a paste; add one spoonful of cream, a few leaves of parsley chopped fine, pepper and salt, and a half-ounce of bread-crumbs; place this mixture in the centre of the egg, in the shape of the yolk of egg. Take another and switch it, and egg and bread-crumb the savoury eggs on the outside. Fry in hot butter, and serve with fried parsley garnish.

KIDNEYS AND TOAST.

Mince fine four kidneys, place them in a sauce-pan with a glass of stock, a few drops of Harvey or Worcestershire sauce, pepper and salt, and a little chopped parsley; stew slowly. Have six round pieces of toast buttered; build the mince on it. Have the yolk of a hard-boiled egg in a pointed strainer, a pinch of pepper and salt, and rub it through the point of a strainer on the top of the toast for a garnish. A few leaves of parsley may be laid round for a garnish.

CHEESE BISCUITS.

Take half-a-pound of flour, half a pound of butter, half a pound of cheese; rub these three one way into crumbs, with a pinch of cayenne pepper. Wet a little, and knead to a stiff dough. Bake on buttered paper in a hot oven.

LOBSTER CROQUETS.

Take the flesh of the lobster, take all the meat out of the shell, and chop in small pieces; place half an ounce of butter in a sauce-pan, half-ounce flour, and half a tea-cupful of milk; stir over the fire till it thickens, then add the flesh of the lobster, the yolks of two eggs, and a pinch of cayenne; turn the croquet out on a plate to cool; form the mixture into round balls; dip in egg and bread-crumbs, and fry a light-brown colour.

CAULIFLOWER À GRATIN.

Take a nice head of cauliflower, boil for fifteen minutes, place in a dish that will stand the fire, and pour over it a white sauce made of one spoonful of flour moistened in cold milk, and stirred into a cupful of boiling milk, pepper and salt. Pour over the cauliflower. Grate three ounces of cheese. On the top place little pieces of butter, and cook a light-brown colour.

CHEESE SOUFFLÉE.

Take nine table-spoonfuls of flour, stir in gently a pint of milk to make the batter as thick as cream; strain it through a pointed strainer, to prevent being lumpy. Have four ounces of grated cheese, a pinch of cayenne pepper, and salt. Switch the yolks and whites of three eggs separate for five minutes. Stir in the last thing, into the batter; bake in a round buttered dish, in a hot oven, half-an-hour before required, as soufflées do not do well to be baked too soon.

VEGETABLES.

POTATO CHIPS.

To make potato chips, get some nice round potatoes, and slice them into thin slices in a basin, with salt and water, for one hour; then dry on a clean towel, and fry in hot lard a light-brown colour.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS.

Put on to boil in boiling water, with a pinch of salt and soda, and boil for twenty minutes; dish, and dry on a clean towel. Return to the sauce-pan, and put half-an-ounce of butter, and shake them while heating to prevent them burning.

GREEN PEASE.

Green peas should be put on to boil in boiling water and salt. The time for boiling depends on the age; strain, and place a piece of butter, pepper and salt, with a few leaves of mint.

ASPARAGUS WITH WHITE SAUCE.

Tie into a bundle the asparagus, after washing the stalks clean. Keep all the heads the one way, put the asparagus on to cook in boiling water, and salt; boil for twenty minutes. Dish them on square pieces of buttered toast; pour a white sauce over.

VEGETABLE MARROW.

Cut the vegetable marrow into eight pieces, boil in some white stock until tender. Make a little sauce with a pat of butter, a little juice of lemon, and a grating of nutmeg. Pour over the vegetable marrow, and serve.

TO BOIL POTATOES.

Great care should be taken in boiling potatoes. This is a vegetable that is often neglected. When the potatoes boil, see that they do not boil too fast. A handful of salt should be put into the water. Try with a fork to see if ready. They must not boil too soft. Drain and shake over the fire, and place a napkin over them and steam. Boil a small bit of mint with them, when new.

CAKES, AND ICINGS FOR CAKES.

POUND CAKES.

Take one pound of butter, one pound of sugar, eight eggs, a few drops of lemon. Place the butter in a basin, and warm it in cold weather before the fire. Then beat with the hand. Have the eight eggs broken in a basin, and drop one at a time till the eight are added. Have a tin hoop lined with buttered paper; add one pound of sifted flour. Currants or raisins or lemon-peel can be added. Bake for one hour and a-quarter, in not too hot an oven.

CREAM CAKE.

Take three ounces of butter, three ounces of sugar, one egg, three glasses of milk, and a tea-spoonful of cinnamon; rub the butter and sugar to a cream, then add the egg and milk. Put two tea-spoonfuls of baking-powder with half-a-pound of flour, and knead it to a stiff dough. If this quantity of flour seems too soft, take a little more, as there is great difference in the strength of flour, and some flour takes more moisture in baking. Cooks must therefore be guided by its appearance. Roll the dough into a round cake; half cut through the centre with a smaller cutter. Bake for twenty minutes. When cooked, fill the centre with switched cream, and ice the top of it the same as ordinary cakes.

SPONGE CAKE.

Break three eggs into a copper pan; take the weight of three eggs of sifted sugar, and switch over a warm place, such as a pan of hot water, or over the fire, till the eggs are warmed. Then remove from the heat, and switch till cold, and the eggs assume the appearance of a thick cream. Then mix in very lightly the weight of three eggs of flour, flavour with vanilla, or almonds, or lemon, and bake in small sponge cake tins for ten minutes in a hot oven.

ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR CAKE.

Take one cup of butter, two cups of sugar, three eggs, and four cups of flour. Rub the butter and sugar to a cream; add the three eggs, one at a time; one cup of milk; mix two tea-spoonfuls of baking-powder with the flour, and stir into butter and sugar. Bake for one hour in a moderate oven.

GOLD CAKE.

Separate the yolks and whites of six eggs. For the gold cake, take the yolks of six eggs and beat to a cream, with six ounces of butter, six ounces of sugar, the juice of half a lemon, and a tea-cupful of milk. Mix butter, sugar, yolk of eggs, lemon, and milk all together, with three-quarters of a pound of flour and two tea-spoonfuls of baking-powder. Mix with flour, and add to the creamed sugar and butter.

SILVER CAKE.

This cake is made the same as the above, the only difference being to switch the whites to a stiff froth. Use the same proportions. Butter two tins or one large one, and lay the cake in alternated, so that when it is cut it will be nicely mixed, one yellow and one white. Serve cut in a cake basket.

CHEESE CAKES.

Place a pint of milk on the fire to get hot, and make a curd by putting a few drops of rennet in it; press the whey from the curd, mix three eggs with the curd, three ratafia biscuits, a glass of cream, two ounces of sugar, and a few drops of lemon. Press the curd in a napkin to absorb the moisture. Pound the above mixture in a mortar. Line half-a-dozen tartlet pans with puff paste, fill the tartlet pans with the cheese custard, and place a couple of stripes of candied peel on the top of each.

GINGER BREAD.

Mix half-a-pound of butter, and half-a-pound of soft sugar, half-a-pound of treacle, with a wooden spoon, five eggs, yolks and whites switched separately; a tea-cupful of sour milk, one tea-spoonful of baking soda, one ounce of ginger, one pound and a-half of flour, a drop of browning to make it dark, and two ounces of candied peel. Bake in not too hot an oven.

LEMON CAKES.

Take four ounces of butter, four ounces of sugar, the juice of a lemon, and half the rhind; rub on to the sugar the yolk of two eggs, one glass of warm milk; knead stiff dough, and roll out, and cut with fancy cutter any shape preferred.

JOHNNIE CAKE.

Take two cups of India meal, one cup of flour, mix three tea-spoonfuls of baking-powder, three spoonfuls of sugar, a half-cup of melted butter, two eggs. Add milk enough to make this a thick batter, and bake for half-an-hour in a square flat pan; cut in square pieces; it is a very nice cake for lunch.

GERMAN TEA CAKE.

Take three ounces of butter, three ounces of sugar, rubbed to a cream, one egg, yolk and white switched; add to the butter and sugar twelve ounces of flour, mix with the flour half-a-pound of currants, three tea-spoonfuls of baking-powder, and a tea-spoonful of cinnamon, one ounce lemon-peel, add one cup of milk to the butter and sugar; mix the flour, currants, cinnamon, and peel, all together, and bake for three-quarters of an hour in a hot oven. If the cakes are burning, lay a paper over to prevent this. Bake till nothing sticks to the straw when pierced.

QUAKER’S CAKES.

Take half-a-pound of sifted sugar, the yolks and whites of seven eggs beaten separately, the juice of one lemon, and a half-pound of almonds beaten fine with rose water. Beat the whites and yolks separately, then mix them with the other ingredients, except the flour. Beat them together half-an-hour, then shake in the flour, and put the cakes in the oven.

DESSERT BISCUITS.

Rub one pound of butter, one pound of sugar, and five eggs to a cream; add one tea-cupful of milk, a few drops of essence of lemon; knead to a stiff dough; cut in rings, and leaves, and heart; when done, ornament with icing sugar in the usual way.

LOAF CAKE.

Take the size of a walnut of German yeast dissolved in a pint of warm milk, and a pinch of salt; stir as much flour in as will make a thick sponge. Set it to raise till it gets light and throws up little bubbles; then take two pounds of flour and make a hole in the centre, and pour in the sponge. Add three-quarters of a pound of butter, half-a-pound of soft sugar, four eggs, two ounces of lemon-peel, three-quarters of a pound of currants, three-quarters of a pound of raisins, and knead this all together, and set to raise for another hour; then, when light, bake for one hour in a moderate oven.

DOUGH NUTS.

Take three ounces of butter, three ounces of soft sugar, rubbed to a cream, one egg, a drop of vanilla, and one cup of milk, a pound and a half of flour with three tea-spoonfuls of baking-powder. Knead into a stiff dough, cut with a round cutter, cut a hole in the centre with a smaller cutter, and fry in hot lard.

FRENCH WAFFLES.

Make a batter of nine table-spoonfuls of flour, in one pint of milk, rubbed smoothly with the back of a wooden spoon; switch up three eggs, and pour into the batter two ounces of melted butter, quarter of a pound of sugar, one tea-spoonful of baking-powder; grease waffle irons, and bake over a clear fire; sift over with white sugar, and serve hot.

ICES FOR CAKES.

Take half-a-pound of icing sugar to two whites of eggs; switch the whites to a stiff froth, stiff enough to lift on a knife; then add the sugar, and beat well up with the knife. Then pass through an icing-bag, on whatever is to be iced; ornament any fancy shape that is desired.

THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF PASTE.

PASTE NO. 1.--PUFF PASTE.

Wet four ounces of flour with cold water to a dough, as stiff as for a breakfast roll; roll out and lay four ounces of fresh butter in pieces on the paste; fold over and roll out four times, and set away to raise in a cold place for three hours. Give the paste three turns more, and it is ready for use. Care must be taken not to dust too much flour on; rolling it at a cold slab or slate, with hands washed in cold water and salt, is an improvement to this paste. A very hot oven is needed to cook it. Do not allow the oven door to be opened, to let the draught in, as this is bad for it.

PASTE NO. 2.--SHORT CRUST.

Take half-a-pound of butter, one pound of flour, one egg, and a glass of milk, and two ounces of sugar; rub the butter and flour to crumbs, then add the egg and a glass of milk; knead to a stiff dough, and bake in a moderate oven; time, half-an-hour.

PASTE NO. 3.--PLAIN AMERICAN CRUST.

Take one pound of flour, two tea-spoonfuls of baking-powder, six ounces of butter, rubbed to crumbs by rubbing it the one way; a pinch of salt if for a meat dish, and for a sweet dish a spoonful of sugar. Make a hole in the centre, and draw the flour all in, wet with cold water to the stiffness of soda scones; bake in a moderate oven.

PASTE NO. 4.--HARD PASTE FOR RAISED PIES.

Put one pound of flour on to a slab, rub in three ounces of clarified fat, and a pinch of salt; wet with hot water, not very soft, and knead for half-an-hour to get it stiff. This paste will do for raised pies or mutton pies.

PASTE NO. 5.--SUET CRUST.

Mince fine eight ounces of suet, and mix it into one pound of flour and a pinch of salt. This paste must not be worked much, and is used for steamed or boiled crust. Boiled crust requires to boil from twenty minutes to two hours, depending on what size is boiling. This crust could be baked as well as steamed.

A HINT ON THE HEAT OF THE OVEN.

For baking paste, hold your hand in the oven a quarter of a minute; if the hand cannot be held any longer, it is hot enough; if the hand cannot be held so long, it will be too hot. Place some white paper over whatever is baking, and this will keep it from burning.

EDINBURGH
PRINTED BY LORIMER AND GILLIES,
31 ST. ANDREW SQUARE.

TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES:

Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_.

Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.

Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized.

Archaic or variant spelling has been retained.