Chapter VIII: Part 8

Make a rich baking-powder biscuit dough, and roll it out until it is about two-thirds of an inch thick. Pit and stew enough cherries to make a thick layer of fruit and add sugar to taste. Spread them over the dough thickly and roll it up, taking care to keep the cherries from falling out. Wrap a cloth around it, and sew it up loosely with coarse thread, which is easily pulled out. Allow plenty of room for the dough to rise. Lay the roley-poley on a plate, set it in a steamer and steam for an hour and a half. Serve in slices, with cream or sauce.

SHABBAS KUGEL

Soak five wheat rolls in water, then press the bread quite dry, add one cup of drippings or one-half pound of suet chopped very fine, a pinch of salt, two eggs well beaten, one teaspoon of cinnamon, one grated lemon rind, one-half cup of sugar, one tablespoon of water. Stir all together thoroughly, grease the kugel pot well with warm melted fat, pour in the mixture and send it Friday afternoon to the bakery where it will remain till Saturday noon; it will then be baked brown. If one has a coal range that will retain the heat for the length of time required, it will be baked nicely. The kugel must be warm, however, when served.

KUGEL (SCHARFE)

If one desires an unsweetened kugel omit the sugar and cinnamon in the recipe above and season with salt and pepper. When required for any other meal but Shabbas, a kugel can be baked brown in two hours.

KUGEL

Soak five ounces of white bread--it may be stale bread--in cold water; then squeeze out every bit of water, put it in a bowl, add three-fourths cup of soft goose fat in small pieces, five whole eggs; one cup of flour, one-half cup of sugar, one-fourth cup of cracker meal, three apples and two pears cut in small pieces, two dozen raisins with the seeds removed, salt to taste, a tiny pinch of pepper, one-quarter teaspoon each of cinnamon and allspice. Mix all well together, and pour into an iron pan that has the bottom well covered with goose-fat; stick a few pieces of cut apple or pear in the top of the pudding. Pour a cup of cold water over all; place in the oven to bake. Bake slowly for five or six hours. If the water cooks out before it is ready to brown, add more. Bake brown, top and bottom.

NOODLE KUGEL

Cook three cups of broad noodles in salted boiling water ten minutes. Drain and add three-fourths cup of chicken or goose fat and four eggs, well beaten. Place in a well-greased iron pot and bake until the top of the kugel is well browned. Serve hot with raspberry jelly or stewed fruit of any kind.

PEAR KUGEL

Cream one cup of rendered fat with one cup of sugar, add one-half loaf of bread, previously soaked and pressed dry, a little salt, one-fourth cup of flour. Grease pudding-dish and put in alternate layers of the mixture and pears that have been boiled with water, sugar and claret. Bake slowly three hours.

KRAUT KUGEL

Chop up cabbage and let stew in fat slowly until quite brown. Do this the day previous to using. Next day mix in with the stewed cabbage one-fourth of a loaf of bread soaked in water and squeezed dry, one-half cup of flour, one-half cup of brown sugar, one-eighth pound of raisins, some finely chopped citron, one-fourth pound of almonds (mixed with a few bitter almonds), one-half teaspoon of salt, some cinnamon and allspice, about a teaspoon, juice and peel of one lemon and four eggs. Mix all thoroughly, pour into well-greased iron pan (kugel pot) and bake slowly.

APPLE KUGEL

Soak half a loaf of bread in water and squeeze dry, shave a cup of suet very fine and cut up some tart apples in thin slices. Add sugar, raisins, cinnamon, about one-quarter cup of pounded almonds and the yolks of three eggs. Mix all thoroughly. Add whites beaten to a stiff froth last. Bake one hour.

RICE KUGEL

Boil one cup of rice in water until done, then let it cool. In the meanwhile rub one-fourth cup of chicken-fat to a cream, add a scant cup of powdered sugar, a little cinnamon, the grated peel of one lemon, the yolks of three eggs, adding one at a time; one-half cup of raisins seeded, one-half pound of stewed prunes pitted, then add the cold rice. One-half cup of pounded almonds mixed with a few bitter ones improves this pudding. Serve with a pudding sauce, either wine or brandy. This pudding may be eaten hot or cold and may be either baked or boiled. If baked, one hour is required; if boiled, two hours; the water must be kept boiling steadily. Left-over rice may be used, butter instead of the fat, and the rice may be boiled in milk.

APPLE SCHALET, No. 1

Take one pound of fresh beef heart fat, shave it as fine as possible with a knife. Sift one quart of flour into a deep bowl, add two tumblers of ice-cold water, one tablespoon of brown sugar, a saltspoon of salt, then add the shaved heart fat and work well into the sifted flour. Put it on a pie-board and work as you would bread dough, with the palm of your hand, until it looks smooth enough to roll. Do not work over five minutes. Now take half of this dough, flour your pie-board slightly and roll out as you would pie dough, about once as thick. Grease a deep pudding-dish (an iron one is best), one that is smaller at the bottom than the top, grease it well, line the pudding-dish, bottom and sides, clear to the top, fill this one-third full with chopped tart apples, raisins, part of a grated lemon peel, citron cut quite fine, pounded almonds and melted drippings here and there. Sprinkle thickly with sugar, half brown and half white, and a little ground cinnamon. Moisten each layer with one-half wine-glass of wine. Now put another layer of dough, rolling out half of the remaining dough and reserving the other half for the top covering, fill again with apples, raisins, etc., until full, then put on top layer. Press the dough firmly together all round the edge, using a beaten egg to make sure of its sticking. Roll the side dough over the top with a knife and pour a cup of water over the pudding before setting it in the oven. Time for baking, two hours. If the top browns too quickly, cover.

This advantage of this pudding is, it may be baked the day previous to using, in fact, it is better the oftener it is warmed over--always adding a cup of water before setting it in the oven. Before serving the pudding turn it out carefully on a large platter, pour a wine-glass of brandy which has been slightly sweetened over the pudding and light it, carry to the table in flames. A novice had better try this pudding plain, omitting the wine, brandy, almonds and citron, moistening with water instead of wine before baking. Almost as nice and very good for ordinary use. Some apples require more water than others, the cook having to use her own judgment regarding the amount required.

APPLE SCHALET, No. 2

Line an iron pudding-dish with schalet dough, greasing it well before you do so. Chop up some apples quite fine, put on the crust, also some raisins (seeded), sugar and cinnamon, then put another layer of pie and another layer of chopped apples, and so on until filled, say about three layers, the last being crust. Bake slowly and long until a nice dark brown.

SCHALET DOUGH (MERBER DECK)

Cream four tablespoons of drippings, add a pinch of salt, two tablespoons of granulated sugar, beat in well one egg, add one cup of sifted flour and enough cold water to moisten dough so that it can be rolled out--about three tablespoons will be sufficient; it depends on the dryness of the flour how much is required.

NOODLE SCHALET

Make the quantity of noodles desired, then boil. When done, drain through colander, pouring cold water over the noodles.

When all the water has drained off, beat up three eggs in a large bowl, mix the noodles with the beaten eggs. Grease an iron pudding dish with plenty of goose grease or drippings, put in a layer of noodles, then sprinkle one-fourth cup of sugar, some pounded almonds, the grated peel of one lemon and a few raisins; sprinkle some melted fat over this, then add another layer of noodles, some more sugar and proceed as with the other layer until all the noodles are used. Bake two hours. Broad or fine noodles are equally good for this schalet. If desired, one tart apple chopped very fine may be added with the almonds.

CARROT SCHALET

Boil one pound of carrots, let them get perfectly cold before grating them. In the meanwhile cream a heaping tablespoon of drippings or chicken fat and four tablespoons of sugar, add gradually the yolks of four eggs, the grated peel of one lemon, one teaspoon of cinnamon, a little grated nutmeg, three tablespoons of flour, one teaspoon of baking-powder, pinch of salt, and the beaten whites last. Heat a few tablespoons of fat in a pudding dish, pour in the mixture and bake in a moderate oven one hour, then sprinkle sugar and cinnamon and return to oven for a few moments to brown. Serve hot.

SEVEN LAYER SCHALET

Take two cups of flour, one egg, three tablespoons of fat, one cup of water, a little sugar, pinch of salt, and knead lightly. Put dough aside in a cold place while you prepare a mixture of one cup of sugar, one and one-half teaspoons of cinnamon and three tablespoons of bread crumbs. Cut dough in seven pieces and roll out each piece separately. Place one layer on a greased baking-tin and spread the layer with melted fat and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon; place upon this the second layer, sprinkle on this two ounces of sweet and bitter almonds which have been grated and mixed with sugar; over this place the third layer and spread with oil, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and one-half pound of cleaned, seedless raisins. Place the fourth layer on and spread with jelly and one-half pound of citron cut up very small. Cover over with another layer, spread fat and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and grated lemon peel and juice of lemon. Place the sixth layer and spread and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Put on the last layer and spread with fat and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Cut in four-cornered pieces and bake thoroughly and until a nice brown.

This schalet may be made and left whole; a frosting put on top and when well baked will keep for a month or more.

BOILED POTATO PUDDING

Stir the yolks of four eggs with one-half cup of sugar, add one-half cup of blanched and pounded almonds; grate in the peel, also the juice of one lemon, one-half pound of grated potatoes that have been boiled the day before. Lastly add the stiffly beaten whites, some salt and more potatoes, if necessary. Grease your pudding-pan well, pour in the mixture and bake. Set in a pan of water in oven; water in pan must not reach higher than one-half way up the pudding-form. Bake one-half hour. Turn out on platter and serve with a wine, chocolate, or lemon sauce. One can bake in an iron pudding-form without the water.

POTATO SCHALET

Peel and grate five or six large potatoes and one onion. Soak some bread and two or three crackers. Press out the water and add to the potatoes and onion, salt to taste. Add two tablespoons of boiling fat and one beaten egg. Have plenty of hot fat in pan, put in the pudding, pour over it one cup of cold water. Bake in hot oven one hour.

Two slices of white bread, one inch thick, will be sufficient bread for this schalet.

SWEET POTATO PUDDING

Take one quart of grated, raw sweet potatoes, one tablespoon leach of meat fat and chicken fat, one half pound of brown sugar, one-half pint of molasses, one and one-half pints of cold water, one saltspoon of salt and a little black pepper, grated orange peel, ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon to taste. Pour into greased baking-pan and bake until it jellies. Bake in moderate oven. May be eaten as a dessert, warm or cold.

APPLE STRUDEL, No. 1

Sift two cups of flour, add pinch of salt and one teaspoon of powdered sugar. Stir in slowly one cup of lukewarm water, and work until dough does not stick to the hands. Flour board, and roll, as thin as possible. Do not tear. Place a tablecloth on table, put the rolled out dough on it, and pull gently with the hands, to get the dough as thin as tissue paper.

Have ready six apples chopped fine, and mixed with cinnamon, sugar, one-half cup of seedless raisins, one-half cup of currants. Spread this over the dough with plenty of chicken-fat or oil all over the apples. Take the tablecloth in both hands, and roll the strudel, over and over, holding the cloth high, and the strudel will almost roll itself. Grease a baking-pan, hold to the edge of the cloth, and roll the strudel in. Bake brown, basting often with fat or oil.

APPLE STRUDEL, No. 2

Into a large mixing bowl place one and one-half cups of flour and one-quarter teaspoon of salt. Beat one egg lightly and add it to one-third cup of warm water and combine the two mixtures. Mix the dough quickly with a knife; then knead it, place on board, stretching it up and down to make it elastic, until it leaves the board clean. Now toss it on a well-floured board, cover with a hot bowl and keep in a warm place. While preparing the filling lay the dough in the centre of a well-floured tablecloth on the table; roll out a little, brush well with some melted butter, and with hands under dough, palms down, pull and stretch the dough gently, until it is as large as the table and thin as paper, and do not tear the dough. Spread one quart of sour apples, peeled and cut fine, one-quarter pound of almonds blanched and chopped, one-half cup of raisins and currants, one cup of sugar and one teaspoon of cinnamon, evenly over three-quarters of the dough, and drop over them a few tablespoons of melted butter. Trim edges. Roll the dough over apples on one side, then hold cloth high with both hands and the strudel will roll itself over and over into one big roll, trim edges again. Then twist the roll to fit the greased pan. Bake in a hot oven until brown and crisp and brush with melted butter. If juicy small fruits or berries are used, sprinkle bread crumbs over the stretched dough to absorb the juices. Serve slightly warm.

RAHM STRUDEL

Prepare the dough as for Apple Strudel as directed in the foregoing recipe, drip one quart of thick sour milk on it lightly, with a large spoon, put one cup of grated bread crumbs over the milk, add two cups of granulated sugar, one cup of chopped almonds, one cup of raisins, and one teaspoon of cinnamon, roll and place in well-buttered pan, put small pieces of butter over the top, basting frequently. Serve warm with vanilla sauce. One-half this quantity may be used for a small strudel.

CHERRY STRUDEL

Make a dough of two cups of flour, a pinch of salt and a little lukewarm water; do not make it too stiff, but smooth. Slap the dough back and forth. Do this repeatedly for about fifteen minutes. Now put the dough in a warm, covered bowl and set it in a warm, place for half an hour. In the meantime stem and pit two quarts of sour cherries. Grate into them some stale bread (about a plateful); also the peel of half a lemon, and mix. Add one cup of sugar, some ground cinnamon and about four ounces of pounded sweet almonds, mix all thoroughly. Roll out the dough as thin as possible, lay aside the rolling-pin and pull, or rather stretch the dough as thin as tissue paper. In doing this you will have to walk all around the table, for when well stretched it will cover more than the size of an ordinary table. Pull off all of the thick edge, for it must be very thin to be good (save the pieces for another strudel). Pour a little melted goose-oil or butter over this, and sprinkle the bread, sugar, almonds, cherries, etc., over it; roll the strudel together into a long roll. Have ready a long baking-pan well greased with either butter or goose-fat; fold the strudel into the shape of a pretzel. Butter or grease top also and bake a light brown; baste often while baking. Eat warm.

MANDEL (ALMOND) STRUDEL

Prepare the dough as for Apple Strudel No. 2. Blanch one-half pound of almonds and grind, when dried beat the yolks of four eggs light with one-quarter pound of granulated sugar, add the grated peel of one lemon and mix in the almonds. Spread over the dough with plenty of oil, butter or fat and roll. Bake; baste very often.

CABBAGE STRUDEL

Heat one-half cup of goose-fat, add one medium-sized cabbage and let it simmer until done, stirring constantly to keep from burning. While cooling prepare strudel dough, fill with cabbage and one cup of raisins and currants mixed, two cups of granulated sugar, one-half cup of chopped almonds and one teaspoon cinnamon, roll and put little pieces of grease on top; bake in hot oven and baste frequently. The pans in which the strudel is baked must be greased generously. Serve this strudel hot. This strudel may be made for a milk meal by substituting butter for fat.

QUARK STRUDEL (DUTCH CHEESE)

Make a strudel or roley-poley dough and let it rest until you have prepared the cheese. Take half a pound of cheese, rub it through a coarse sieve or colander, add salt, the yolks of two eggs and one whole egg, sweeten to taste. Add the grated peel of one lemon, two ounces of sweet almonds, and about four bitter ones, blanched and pounded, four ounces of sultana raisins and a little citron chopped fine. Now roll out as thin as possible, spread in the cheese, roll and bake, basting with sweet cream.

STRUDEL AUS KALBSLUNGE

Wash the lung and heart thoroughly in salt water, and put on to boil in cold water, adding salt, one onion, a few bay leaves and cook until very tender. Make the dough precisely the same as any other strudel. Take the boiled lung and heart, chop them as fine as possible and stew in a saucepan with some fat, adding chopped parsley, a little salt, pepper and mace, or nutmeg, the grated peel of half a lemon and a little wine. Add the beaten yolks of two eggs to thicken, and remove from the fire to cool. Roll out the dough as thin as possible, fill in the mixture and lay the strudel in a well-greased pan; put flakes of fat on top and baste often. Eat hot.

RICE STRUDEL

Prepare the dough same as for Apple Strudel. Leave it in a warm place covered, until you have prepared the rice. Wash a quarter of a pound of rice in hot water--about three times--then boil it in milk until very soft and thick. Let it cool, and then add two ounces of butter, the yolks of four eggs, four ounces of sugar and one teaspoon of vanilla, some salt and the beaten whites of two eggs, mix thoroughly. When your dough has been rolled out and pulled as thin as possible, spread the rice over it and roll. Add pounded almonds and raisins if desired. Put in a greased pan and bake until brown, basting with sweet cream or butter.

*CEREALS*

The cereals are the most valuable of the vegetable foods, including as they do the grains from which is made nearly all the bread of the world.

For family use, cereals should be bought in small quantities and kept in glass jars, tightly covered.

Variety is to be found in using the different cereals and preparing them in new ways. Many cereals are improved by adding a little milk during the latter part of the cooking. Boiling water and salt should always be added to cereals, one teaspoon salt to one cup of cereal. Long cooking improves the flavor and makes the cereal more digestible.

Cereals should be cooked the first five minutes over the fire and then over hot-water in a double boiler; if one cannot be procured, cook cereal in a saucepan set in a larger one holding the hot water.

LAWS ABOUT CEREALS

To discover if cereals such as barley, wheat, oats, farina or cornmeal are kosher, place them on a hot plate, if no worms or other insects appear they are fit to be eaten, if not, they must be thrown away.

If flour is mildewed it must be destroyed.

OATMEAL PORRIDGE

As oatmeal is ground in different grades of coarseness, the time for cooking varies and it is best to follow the directions given on the packages. The meal should be cooked until soft, but should not be mushy. The ordinary rule is to put a cup of meal into two cups of salted boiling water (a teaspoon of salt), and let it cook in a double boiler the required time. Keep covered until done; then remove the cover and let the moisture escape.

COLD OATMEAL

Oatmeal is very good cold, and in summer is better served in that way. It can be turned into fancy molds or into small cups to cool, and will then hold the form and make an ornamental dish.

OATMEAL WITH CHEESE

Cook one cup of oatmeal overnight and just before serving add one tablespoon of butter and one cup grated cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted and serve at once.

BAKED APPLE WITH OATMEAL

Pare and core the apples and fill the core space with left-over oatmeal mush. Put the apples in a baking dish; sprinkle with sugar; pour a little water into the bottom of the pan and bake in a moderate oven until the apples are tender. Serve warm with cream for breakfast or luncheon.

WHEAT CEREALS

Wheat cereals, like oatmeal, are best cooked by following the directions on the package. Most of them are greatly improved by the addition of a little milk or by a few chopped dates or whole sultana raisins.

CORNMEAL MUSH

Mix together one cup of cornmeal and one teaspoon of salt, and add one cup of cold water gradually, stirring until smooth. Pour this mixture into two cups of boiling; water in a double boiler and cook from three to five hours. Serve hot with cream and sugar.

SAUTÉD CORNMEAL MUSH

Put left-over mush into a dish and smooth it over the top. When cold cut into slices one-half inch thick. Dip each slice into flour. Melt one-half teaspoon of drippings in a frying-pan and be careful to let it get smoking hot. Brown the floured slices on each side. Drain if necessary and serve on a hot plate with syrup.

FARINA

To one-half cup of farina take one teaspoon of salt; pour gradually into three cups of boiling water and cook the mixture in a double boiler for about one hour.

HOMINY

Get the unbroken hominy and after careful washing soak it twenty-four hours in the water. Cook one cup of hominy slowly in the same water in a covered vessel for eight hours or until all the water has been absorbed by the hominy; add two tablespoons of butter, one teaspoon of salt and two tablespoons of cream and serve as a vegetable or as a cereal with sugar and cream.

MARMELITTA

Take two cups of coarse cornmeal and four cups of cold water put on to boil; add one-half teaspoon of salt. Stir the cornmeal continually and when done place on platter, spread with butter, sharf cheese or any cheese such as pot or cream cheese. To be eaten warm.

POLENTA

Place one cup of yellow cornmeal and three cups of cold water in a double boiler, add one teaspoon of salt, one-half teaspoon of pepper and cook for forty minutes. While still hot add one and one-half cups of grated cheese to the mixture and heat until it melts. Turn the mixture into a greased bowl and allow it to set. The meal may be sliced an inch thick or cut with a biscuit cutter and then fried in hot vegetable oil. Serve with white or tomato sauce as desired.

BARLEY, TAPIOCA, SAGO, ETC

Add one teaspoon of salt to one quart of boiling water and pour gradually on one-half cup of barley or other hard grain and boil until tender, from one to two or more hours, according to the grain, and have each kernel stand out distinct when done. Add more boiling water as it evaporates. Use as a vegetable or in soups. Pearl barley, tapioca and sago cook quicker than other large grains.

BOILED RICE

Put one-half cup of rice in a strainer; place the strainer over a bowl nearly full of cold water; rub the rice; lift the strainer from the bowl and change the water. Repeat this until the water in the bowl is clear. Have two quarts of water boiling briskly, add the rice and one tablespoon of salt gradually so as not to stop the boiling; boil twenty minutes or until soft, do not stir; drain through a colander and place the colander over boiling water for ten minutes to steam. Every grain will be distinct. Serve as a vegetable or as a cereal with cream and sugar.

RICE IN MILK

Clean the rice as for boiling in water; and cook one-half cup of rice with one and one-half cups of hot milk and one-half teaspoon of salt, adding a few seeded or sultana raisins if desired. Serve hot like boiled rice or press into small cups, cool and serve with cream and sugar.

RICE WITH GRATED CHOCOLATE

Cook one-half cup of rice, place in hot serving dish, sprinkle generously with grated sweet chocolate; set in oven one minute and serve.

STEAMED RICE

Wash two cups of rice carefully put in double boiler; add eight cups of cold water and a pinch of salt and steam for two hours; do not stir. Serve with any kind of stewed fruit or preserve.

APPLES WITH RICE

Boil one cup of rice in water or milk; rub the kettle all over with a piece of butter before putting in the rice, season with salt and add a lump of butter. When cooked, add about six apples, pared, quartered and cored, sugar and cinnamon. This makes a nice side dish, or dessert, served with cream.

BOILED RICE WITH PINEAPPLE

Boil as much rice as desired and when done slice up the pineapple and add, with as much sugar as is required to sweeten to taste.

BAKED RICE

Arrange two cups of boiled rice in a baking dish in layers, covering each with grated cheese, a little milk, butter, salt and red pepper. Spread one cup of grated bread crumbs over all and bake in a moderate oven until the crumbs are browned.

SWEET RICE

Clean and wash one cup of rice. Put on to boil with cold water, add a pinch of salt. When done drain off the water, if any; add two cups of milk, stir in and let boil for five minutes. Dish up, then sprinkle sugar and cinnamon generously over the top. The yolk of an egg can be added just before serving if desired.

EGGS BAKED IN RICE

Line a buttered dish with steamed rice. Break the eggs in the centre, dot with butter, sprinkle with salt, pepper and bake in a moderate oven.

RICE AND NUT LOAF

Boil one-half cup of rice (brown preferred); drain and dry it. Mix with an equal quantity of bread crumbs. Add level teaspoon of salt and one-half saltspoon of black pepper. Stir in one cup of chopped nuts--pecans or peanuts. Add one tablespoon of chopped parsley and one egg. Mix thoroughly and pack in bread-pan to mold it. Turn it from pan into baking-pan and bake slowly three-quarters of an hour. Serve with cream sauce or purée of peas.

PILAF

Put two cups of water on to boil, add juice of two tomatoes and a pinch of salt. When boiling, add one cup of rice and let cook until the water has evaporated. Then add melted butter, mix well, and keep in warm place, covered, until ready to serve.

SPANISH RICE

Put one cup of washed rice in frying-pan with four or five tablespoons of poultry fat; add three onions chopped and two cloves of garlic minced fine. Fry ten minutes; add one red pepper or one canned pimento chopped, or one teaspoon of paprika, and three ripe tomatoes or two cups of strained tomatoes and one teaspoon of salt. Cook slowly about one hour, and as the water evaporates, add more boiling water to keep from burning.

LEFT-OVER CEREALS

Oatmeal, hominy, cracked wheat, and other cereals which are left over can be added next day to the fresh stock, for they are improved by long boiling and do not injure the new supply, or such as is left can be molded in large or in small forms, and served cold with cream, or milk and sugar. In warm weather cereals are nicer cold than hot. Cold hominy and mush, cut into squares and fried, so that a crisp crust is formed on both sides,--also hominy or farina, rolled into balls and fried,--are good used in place of a vegetable or as a breakfast dish.

Any of the cereals make good pancakes, or a small amount added to the ordinary pancake batter improves it.

*EGGS*

Eggs and the foods into which they enter are favorite articles of diet in most households. They are an agreeable substitute for meat and even when high in price make a cheaper dish than meat.

A fresh egg should feel heavy, sink in water, and when held to a bright light show a clear round yolk.

TO PRESERVE EGGS

In the early spring or fall when eggs are plentiful and at their best, pack them away for future use. Use strictly fresh eggs with perfect shells (no cracks). Buy water glass at drugstore. Use ten parts water to one of water glass. Boil water, when cool add water glass and beat well. Use an earthen jar or crock, pack in rows and pour over the liquid mixture to cover well. Place old plate over eggs in crock to keep them under water. Put cover on jar and keep in cool place. More eggs may be added at any time if well covered with the liquid mixture.

For fifteen dozen eggs use one quart water glass.

TO KEEP EGG YOLKS

The yolks may be kept several days and be as if just separated from the whites if they are placed in a cup previously rinsed with cold water and a pinch of salt added to them. The cup must be closely covered with a wet cloth, and this must be changed and well rinsed in cold water every day.

When whites are left over make a small angel cake or any of the cookies which require the whites of egg only.

When yolks are left over use for making mayonnaise.

POACHED OR DROPPED EGGS

Fill a pan with boiling, salted water. Break each egg into a wet saucer and slip it into the water; set the pan back where water will not boil. Dip the water over the eggs with a spoon. When the white is firm and a film has formed over the yolk, they are cooked. Take them up with a skimmer, drain and serve hot, on toast. Season with salt.

BOILED EGGS

Soft-boiled eggs may be prepared in two ways. The eggs may be dropped carefully into boiling water and boiled three minutes, or they may be placed in a covered vessel of boiling water and allowed to stand in a warm place (but not on the stove) for ten minutes. Eggs prepared in this way are sometimes called "Coddled Eggs." They are much more delicate and digestible than the usual "Boiled Eggs."

Hard-boiled eggs should be cooked in boiling water for fifteen or twenty minutes and then dropped in cold water to prevent the yolk from turning dark.

SCRAMBLED EGGS

Break into a bowl as many eggs as required, add salt and pepper. Have some very hot butter in the frying-pan on the stove; pour in the eggs, stir constantly until set, not stiff, and serve on a hot platter at once.

FRIED EGGS

Melt in a frying-pan a piece of butter, or fat for a meat meal. When hot, drop in the eggs, one at a time, being careful not to break the yolk. When the white of the egg is set they are done, though some persons like them turned over and cooked on the other side. Remove from the pan with a cake turner.

BAKED EGGS

Butter individual baking dishes and break an egg in each, being careful to keep the yolk whole. Put on each egg a bit of butter, a little pepper and salt. Bake in moderate oven from four to six minutes.

BAKED EGGS WITH CHEESE

Butter a baking dish of a size necessary for number of eggs desired, break eggs into dish, add salt, paprika, pepper to taste, one tablespoon of cream, and two tablespoons of grated cheese.

Place dish in a pan of hot water in moderate oven for five minutes until eggs are set.

TOMATO WITH EGG

Cut top from tomatoes, remove seeds, put a raw egg in each tomato, dust with salt, pepper, and finely chopped parsley. Place in moderate oven until egg is set. Serve with cream sauce.

BAKED EGG WITH TOMATOES

Remove the skin from six fresh tomatoes or take one-half can of tomatoes, chop them and put them on stove and cook for twenty minutes; season with one tablespoon of chopped parsley, half an onion chopped, salt and pepper; thicken at the end of that time with one teaspoon of melted butter mixed with one tablespoon of flour. Put aside to cool. Then mix in the yolks of four eggs well beaten, and lastly cut and fold in the four whites. Butter a pudding dish and set this mixture in the oven in a pan of lukewarm water and bake in a moderate oven until a golden brown.

PLAIN OMELET

To make an omelet for breakfast or luncheon for two persons, take three eggs, three tablespoons of sweet milk and a saltspoon of salt. Whip the yolks of the eggs, the milk and salt to a light foam with an egg whip. Slowly add the yolk mixture to the whites of the eggs, which should be beaten to a stiff froth in a big bowl. After the yolks and milk are well whipped through the whites, beat the whole together for a few minutes with the egg-beater.

In an omelet pan or a large frying-pan put a tablespoon of good butter. When the butter is bubbling hot, pour in the omelet mixture. Stir it lightly for the first minute with a broad-bladed knife, then stop stirring it; and, as the mixture begins to stiffen around the edge, fold the omelet toward the centre with the knife. As soon as it is properly folded, turn it over on a hot platter. Decorate with sprigs of parsley and serve.

SWEET OMELET

Six eggs, two tablespoons of flour, one cup of cold milk. Wet the flour with a little of the milk, then add the rest of the milk and the yolks of the eggs. Beat the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth and pour into the flour, milk and yolks. Put a piece of butter into a spider and let it get hot, but not so hot that the butter will burn. Then pour the mixture in and put in a moderate oven to bake in the spider. It takes about ten minutes to bake. Then slip a knife under it and loosen it and slip off on a large plate. Sift powdered sugar on top and serve with a slice of lemon.

SWEET OMELET FOR ONE

One egg, beat white separately, two tablespoons of cold sweet milk, a pinch of salt. Brown on both sides or roll, spread with compote or sprinkle powdered sugar thickly over it. Serve at once.

SPANISH OMELET

In a chopping bowl place two nice large ripe tomatoes, first peeling them; one large or two medium-sized white Texas onions, two sprigs of parsley, and one large green-bell pepper, first removing most of its seeds.

Chop these ingredients well together quite fine, turn them into a saucepan and let them cook over rather a brisk heat until quite soft. Put no water in this mixture. Add a tablespoon of olive oil or of butter before it begins to cook and season well with salt and red pepper.

Make the omelet the same as the plain one, but use water instead of milk in mixing it, and only use two tablespoons of water for the six eggs required.

After the eggs are sufficiently beaten, mixed, and in the pan over the fire, and when the edges begin to stiffen, cover the surface of the omelet to within an inch of the edge with the cooked vegetables. Fold the omelet quickly and turn it on a hot platter. Pour around it all the vegetables left in the pan and serve.

RUM OMELET

Take six eggs, beat whites and yolks well, add a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of brandy. Fry in a spider quickly and spread with a compote of huckleberries or any other fruit. Roll up the omelet, pour a very small wineglass of rum over it, light it and serve at once.

SWEET ALMOND OMELET

Prepare one-half cup of sweet almonds, blanched, chopped fine and pounded smooth. Beat four eggs slightly, add four tablespoons of cream and turn it into a hot omelet pan on which you have melted one tablespoon, of butter. Cook carefully, drawing the cooked portion into the centre and tilting the pan to allow the liquid part to run over the bare pan. When nearly all set, sprinkle the almonds over the surface and turn the edges over until well rolled. Then slip it out on a hot dish and dredge with powdered sugar, and scatter several salted almonds over the top. Serve immediately.

CORN OMELET

Take one-half cup of canned corn and chop it very fine (or the same amount cut from the cob). Add to that the yolk of one egg, well beaten with pepper and salt to taste, and two tablespoons of cream. Beat the white of the egg very stiff and stir in just before cooking. Have the pan very hot and profusely buttered. Pour the mixture on, and when nicely browned, turn one half over the other, as in cooking other omelets.

HERB OMELET

Take six eggs and beat well in a bowl. Add two tablespoons of cold water and a quarter of a teaspoon of salt, a pinch of pepper, a teaspoon of chopped parsley, a quarter of a teaspoon of grated onion and a teaspoon of fine butter, shaved in little pieces. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Dissolve in the spider the butter and add at once the beaten eggs, etc., inclining the spider to the handle for an instant and then shaking the omelet into the centre and turn up the right edge, then the left and fry briskly five minutes and serve.

POACHED EGGS WITH FRIED TOMATOES

Fry tomatoes (cut one-half inch thick) in butter, pepper and salt. Have prepared slices of bread cut round, and fried in butter. Put on a hot platter with a slice of tomato on each. Poach as many eggs as are required, in boiling salt water. Lift out very carefully, placing one egg on each tomato. Add to the gravy in which tomatoes were fried, two tablespoons of cream, one teaspoon of any pungent sauce, one teaspoon of mushroom catsup, juice of half a lemon, and a teaspoon of flour to thicken. Cook up once and pour over eggs. Serve very hot.

EGGS POACHED IN TOMATO SAUCE

Make a sauce of one tablespoon of butter, one tablespoon of flour, one and one-half cups of canned tomatoes rubbed through a strainer, a pinch of soda, salt, pepper and sugar to taste. When sufficiently cooked drop in the required number of eggs, cook until the white is firm, basting the eggs often with the sauce. When done, lift the eggs carefully to squares of toast and pour the sauce around them.

EGGS PIQUANT

Set to boil the following mixture: Pour into the kettle water to the depth of about one inch, adding a little salt and half a cup of vinegar. When this boils, break in as many fresh eggs, one at a time, as you desire to have. Do this carefully so as not to break the yolks. As soon as the whites of the eggs are boiled, take up carefully with a perforated skimmer and lay in cold water. Then remove to a large platter and pour over the following sauce: Strain the sauce the eggs were boiled in and set away until you have rubbed or grated two hard-boiled eggs, yolks only. Add a tablespoon of butter rubbed very hard and add also some sugar and part of the strained sauce. Boil up once and pour over the eggs. Garnish with parsley.

OMELET SOUFFLÉ

Yolks of six eggs and six tablespoons of powdered sugar, added gradually, and both beaten together until thick and smooth; juice of one lemon and a little grated rind; whites beaten as stiff as possible, stirred together. Put into a warm well-buttered dish; bake in quick oven ten minutes.

WHITE SAUCE OMELET

Make a white sauce of one tablespoon of butter blended with two tablespoons of flour, one-half teaspoon of salt, pinch of pepper and one teaspoon of sugar, adding one-half cup each of milk and cream. Beat the yolks of five eggs and stir them into the sauce, then add the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs, folding them in carefully. Melt two tablespoons of butter in the omelet pan, when it is hot put in the mixture and let it stand in a moderate heat for two minutes, place in a hot oven and cook until set. Remove from the oven, turn on a hot platter and serve.

EGGS WITH CREAM DRESSING

Blend two tablespoons of butter with three tablespoons of flour. Place on range and stir until the butter is melted. Add one and one-half cups of milk, stirring all the time until the mixture is thick; season with one teaspoon of salt and a few grains of pepper. Separate the whites of six hard-boiled eggs from the yolks. Chop the whites fine and add to the dressing. Arrange slices of toast on a hot platter, pour the dressing over them; force the yolks through a ricer onto the toast and dressing; serve hot.

SCALLOPED EGGS

Use above recipe and mix one cup of bread crumbs with one tablespoon of butter, sprinkle this over dish and bake fifteen minutes in a hot oven.

EGGS À LA MEXICANA

Boil six dried Spanish peppers twenty minutes. Drain, remove the seeds, and chop fine. Fry in butter half an onion and one clove of garlic. Add one cup of uncooked rice, cover with one cup of water and cook till tender. Add a lump of butter, salt, and, when done, cover with six eggs; then scramble all together. Serve on a hot dish.

EGGS SPANISH

Boil eggs hard; after cooling, remove shells and halve lengthwise. Cook for thirty minutes fresh or canned tomatoes with minced green onions, garlic, parsley, a laurel leaf, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. Strain. Melt a slice of butter, add a little flour, and then add sauce gradually. Cook ten minutes; place eggs carefully in sauce and serve.

FRESH MUSHROOMS WITH EGGS

Peel nine good-sized mushrooms without using the stems and chop very fine; fry two tablespoons of butter and two finely chopped onions without browning. Add the mushrooms and steam them by covering the pan after seasoning with salt, pepper and paprika. Before serving, beat six whole eggs and scramble with the mushrooms. Serve on hot buttered toast.

EGG RAREBIT

Make a cream sauce. Grate one-half pound American and Swiss cheese mixed, or American alone; add to the sauce. Chop three hard-boiled eggs, add to the sauce, season with salt and pepper, and serve on buttered toast.

KROSPHADA

Place two sliced onions with two ounces each of sugar and spices, pepper and salt to taste, in a pint of pure malt vinegar and boil gently until the onions are nearly done. Let it cool a little and then stir in six beaten eggs and sufficient crumbled ginger-bread to make the whole quite thick. Place again over the fire for a few minutes, stirring frequently and mashing the mixture into a uniform paste, but be very careful that it does not boil.

CURRIED EGGS

Melt four tablespoons of butter in a frying-pan, add one onion chopped fine and cook until straw colored. Then add one tablespoon of curry powder. Make a smooth paste of one-fourth of a cup of water and two tablespoons of flour; add one tablespoon of lemon juice and one-half teaspoon of salt. Add to the first mixture; boil five minutes. Arrange six hard-boiled eggs in a border of rice and pour the dressing over all.

FRICASSEED EGGS

Take six hard-boiled eggs, remove shells. Roll them in flour, then in egg to which has been added one-half teaspoon of oil, one-half teaspoon of vinegar, a few drops of onion juice, one teaspoon chopped parsley, a little nutmeg and salt. When quite covered, roll in vermicelli that has been broken into fine bits and fry in deep beef drippings. Serve with the following sauce: One tablespoon of fat; one tablespoon of flour, browned together; add one-half cup of white wine and a cup of bouillon. Season with salt and cayenne and boil five minutes. Add one teaspoon each of chopped chives and parsley, some chopped olives and mushrooms; bring to a boil again and pour over the eggs.

EGGS EN MARINADE

Mix equal quantities of water and good meat gravy, two tablespoons each, with a teaspoon of vinegar and a seasoning of pepper and salt. Put in a stew-pan and stir in gradually two well-beaten, yolks of eggs. When it thickens and before it boils, have ready a half dozen nicely poached eggs and pour the sauce over them. Garnish with parsley.

SCALLOPED EGGS (FLEISCHIG)

Make a force-meat of chopped tongue, bread crumbs, pepper, salt, a little parsley, one tablespoon of melted fat, and soup stock enough to make a soft paste. Half fill patty-pans with the mixture. Break an egg carefully on the top of each, sprinkle with a little salt, pepper and cracker dust. Put in the oven and bake about ten minutes. Serve hot.

SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH BRAINS

Scald brains with hot water, clean and skin, and boil a few minutes in fresh water. Melt a little fat in skillet, put in brains, finely chopped, and stir well until dry and done. Add one teaspoon of chopped parsley, pinch of salt, and three eggs well-beaten. Stir with a fork until eggs are evenly cooked, put on hot platter, and serve immediately.

SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH SAUSAGE

Take one pound of cold, boiled sausage, skin and slice in half-inch pieces. Place in a frying-pan with two tablespoons of hot fat; brown on both sides a few minutes and just before serving add three eggs, beaten slightly; mix; and cook until the eggs are set and serve immediately.

Chopped tongue root may be used instead of sausage.

SMOKED BRISKET OF BEEF AND EGGS

Take slices of smoked breast of beef, brown in frying-pan; place on hot platter. Slip as many eggs as are needed in frying-pan and cook gently by dripping the hot fat over them until done. Place carefully on the beef slices and serve at once.

*CHEESE*

Cheese should not be tightly covered. When it becomes dry and hard, grate and keep covered until ready to use. It may be added to starchy foods.

Care should be exercised in planning meals in which cheese is employed as a substitute for meat. As cheese dishes are inclined to be somewhat "heavy," they should be offset by crisp, watery vegetables, water cress, celery, lettuce, fruit salads and light desserts, preferably fresh or cooked fruit. Another point, too, is to be considered. Whether raw or cooked, cheese seems to call for the harder kinds of bread--crusty rolls or biscuits, zwieback, toast, pulled bread or hard crackers.

A soft, crumbly cheese is best for cooking.

Cheese is sufficiently cooked when melted, if cooked longer it becomes tough and leathery.

Baking-soda in cheese dishes which are cooked makes the casein more digestible.

COTTAGE CHEESE (POT CHEESE)

Heat sour milk slowly until the whey rises to the top; pour it off, put the curd in a bag and let it dry for six hours without squeezing it. Pour it into a bowl and break it fine with a wooden spoon. Season with salt. Mold into balls and keep in a cool place. It is best when fresh.

KOCH KAESE (BOILED CHEESE)

Press one quart of fine cottage cheese through a coarse sieve or colander and set it away in a cool place for a week, stirring it once or twice during that time; when it has become quite strong, stir it smooth with a wooden or silver spoon; add a saltspoon of salt and one-fourth as much of caraway seed, yolks of two eggs and an even tablespoon of flour which has been previously dissolved in about one-half cup of cold milk; stir the flour and milk until it is a smooth paste, adding a lump of butter, about the size of an egg; add all to the cheese. Put the cheese on to boil until quite thick; stirring occasionally; boil altogether about one-half hour, stirring constantly the last ten minutes; the cheese must look smooth as velvet. Pour it into a dish which has been previously rinsed in cold water. Set it away in a cool place; to keep it any length of time, cover it with a clean cloth which has been dipped in and wrung out of beer. This cheese is excellent for rye bread sandwiches.

A DELICIOUS CREAM CHEESE

Sweet milk is allowed to stand until it is like a jelly, but does not separate. Then it is poured into a cheese-cloth bag and hung up to drain until all the water is out of it and only the rich creamy substance remains. Sometimes it takes from twelve to twenty-four hours. At the end of this time the cheese is turned from the bag into a bowl; then to every pint of the cheesy substance a tablespoon of butter is added and enough salt to season it palatably. Then it is whipped up with a fork until it is a smooth paste and enough put on a plate to make a little brick, like a Philadelphia cheese. With two knives, one in each hand, lightly press the cheese together in the shape of a brick, smooth it over the top and put it away to cool. One quart of rich sour milk will make a good sized cheese.

CHEESE BALLS, No. 1

Take one cake of cream cheese, one-quarter of a pound of chopped figs, one-quarter of a pound of chopped walnuts, roll into balls and serve on lettuce leaves.

CHEESE BALLS, No. 2

Mix one cake Neufchatel cheese, a piece of butter the size of the cheese, one tablespoon of cream, one-quarter teaspoon of salt and six dashes of Tabasco Sauce and form one large ball or several small ones and roll in chopped pecan nuts.

CHEESE SOUFFLÉ

Dissolve one and one-half tablespoons of butter, add one tablespoon of flour, stir until it loosens from the pan; add one and one-half cups of rich milk, pepper and salt. Take from the fire, add gradually four egg yolks and three-quarters of a cup of grated cheese, then the stiffly beaten whites of eggs. Bake in a hot oven in china ramekins about fifteen minutes and serve immediately.

CHEESE TIMBALS FOR TWELVE PEOPLE