Good Things To Eat, As Suggested By Rufus - free ebook by Rufus Estes

RUFUS ESTES

FORMERLY OF THE PULLMAN COMPANY PRIVATE CAR SERVICE, AND PRESENT CHEF OF THE SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES OF THE UNITED STATES STEEL CORPORATIONS IN CHICAGO CHICAGO PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR 1911 Copyrighted 1911 By Rufus Estes, Chicago...

11 minute read

Read Chapter

FOREWORD

hat the average parent is blind to the faults of its offspring is a fact so obvious that in attempting to prove or controvert it time and logic are both wasted. Ill temper in a child is, alas! too often mistaken for an indication of genius; and impudence is sometimes regarded as a sign of precocity. The author, however, has honestly striven to avoid this common prejudice. This book, the child of his brain, and experience, extending over a long period of time and varying environment, he frankly a

1 minute read

Read Chapter

SKETCH OF MY LIFE

I was born in Murray County, Tennessee, in 1857, a slave. I was given the name of my master, D. J. Estes, who owned my mother's family, consisting of seven boys and two girls, I being the youngest of the family. After the war broke out all the male slaves in the neighborhood for miles around ran off and joined the "Yankees." This left us little folks to bear the burdens. At the age of five I had to carry water from the spring about a quarter of a mile from the house, drive the cows to and from t

2 minute read

Read Chapter

HINTS TO KITCHEN MAIDS

It is always necessary to keep your kitchen in the best condition. Breakfast —If a percolator is used it should first be put into operation. If the breakfast consists of grapefruit, cereals, etc., your cereal should be the next article prepared. If there is no diningroom maid, you can then put your diningroom in order. If hot bread is to be served (including cakes) that is the next thing to be prepared. Your gas range is of course lighted, and your oven heated. Perhaps you have for breakfast poa

1 minute read

Read Chapter

GOOD THINGS TO EAT SOUPS

ASPARAGUS SOUP —Take three pounds of knuckle of veal and put it to boil in a gallon of water with a couple of bunches of asparagus, boil for three hours, strain, and return the juice to the pot. Add another bunch of asparagus, chopped fine, and boil for twenty minutes, mix a tablespoonful of flour in a cup of milk and add to the soup. Season with salt and pepper, let it come to a boil, and serve at once. BEAN SOUP —One-half pound or one cup is sufficient for one quart of soup. Soups can be made

11 minute read

Read Chapter

FISH

BOILED CODFISH, WITH CREAM SAUCE —Take out the inside of a cod by the white skin of the belly, taking care to remove all blood. Place the fish in a kettle with salted cold water; boil fast at first, then slowly. When done take out and skin. Pour over it a sauce made as follows: One-fourth pound butter put into a stewpan with one tablespoonful of flour, moistened with one pint of cream or rich milk, and salt and pepper, and also one teaspoonful essence of anchovies. Place the pan over the fire an

8 minute read

Read Chapter

BEEF, VEAL AND PORK

BEEF EN CASSEROLE —Have a steak cut two inches thick and broil two minutes on each side. Lay in a casserole and pour round two cups of rich brown sauce; add three onions cut in halves. BEEF HASH CAKES —Chop cold corned beef fine and add a little more than the same measure of cold boiled potatoes, chopped less fine than the beef. Season with onion juice, make into small cakes, and brown in butter or beef drippings; serve each cake on a slice of buttered toast moistened slightly. BEEF RAGOUT —Anot

20 minute read

Read Chapter

SALADS

ASPARAGUS SALAD —Cook the asparagus in salted water, drain and chill. Serve with French dressing or sprinkle lightly with a little oil dressing; let stand a half hour and serve with mayonnaise or boiled dressing as any one of the three distinct kinds is appropriate with this salad. BEET SALAD —Bake the beets until tender, remove the skins and place them in the ice box to chill. Shred a white cabbage finely and sprinkle well with salt and use lettuce leaves to line the salad bowl. Slice the beets

5 minute read

Read Chapter

POULTRY AND POULTRY DRESSINGS

BOHEMIAN CHICKEN —Select a young and tender chicken and prepare as for frying or broiling. Place in a frying pan a pat of butter and place on the fire. Beat to a smooth, thin batter two eggs, three spoonfuls of milk and a little flour, season, dip each piece of the chicken in this batter and fry a rich brown in the heated butter. CHICKEN A LA TARTARE —Have a chicken dressed and split down the back; it should not weigh over two and a half pounds. Put one quarter cup of butter in a frying pan with

20 minute read

Read Chapter

LUNCH DISHES

BREAD, WITH CREAM CHEESE FILLING —For this use the steamed Boston brown bread and a potato loaf of white. Take the crust from the white loaf, using a sharp knife. Then instead of cutting crosswise cut in thin lengthwise pieces. Treat the brown loaf in the same way. Butter a slice of the white bread on one side and do the same with a brown slice. Put the two buttered sides together with a thin layer of fresh cream cheese between. Next butter the top of the brown slice of bread, spread again with

9 minute read

Read Chapter

GAME, GRAVY AND GARNISHES

ROASTED CANVAS-BACK DUCK —Procure a fine canvas-back duck, pick, singe, draw thoroughly and wipe; throw inside a light pinch of salt, run in the head from the end of the head to the back, press and place in a roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt, put in a brisk oven, and cook for eighteen minutes. Arrange on a very hot dish, untruss, throw in two tablespoons of white broth. Garnish with slices of fried hominy and currant jelly. Redhead and mallard ducks are prepared the same way. BROILED WILD DUCK —

2 minute read

Read Chapter

LENTEN DISHES

ORANGE FOOL —Take the juice of six oranges, six eggs well beaten, a pint of cream, quarter of a pound of sugar, little cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well together. Place over a slow fire and stir until thick, then add a small lump of butter. PLUM PORRIDGE —Take a gallon of water, half a pound of barley, quarter of a pound of raisins, and a quarter of a pound of currants. Boil until half the water is wasted. Sweeten to taste and add half pint of white wine. RICE SOUP —Boil two quarts of water and a po

3 minute read

Read Chapter

MISCELLANEOUS

BEAUREGARD EGGS —Two level tablespoons butter, two level tablespoons flour, one-half level teaspoon salt, one cup milk, four hard-boiled eggs. Make a white sauce of the butter, flour, salt and milk, and add the whites of the eggs chopped fine. Cut buttered toast in pointed pieces and arrange on a hot plate to form daisy petals. Cover with the sauce and put the egg yolks through a ricer into the center. EGG AND POTATO SCALLOP —Fill a buttered baking dish with alternate layers of cold boiled potat

10 minute read

Read Chapter

VEGETABLES

BRUSSELS SPROUTS —Wash well in salted water about two pounds of Brussels sprouts and pick them over well. Place them on a fire in a saucepan filled with water, a little salt and bicarbonate of soda. With the lid off boil fast till tender; about twenty to twenty-five minutes. When done drain them and dry on a cloth. Put in a large saucepan a good-sized lump of butter and a little salt and pepper. Toss the sprouts in this until they become quite hot again, but do not fry them. Serve on a quartered

27 minute read

Read Chapter

SAUCES

CUCUMBER SAUCE —Pare two good sized cucumbers and cut a generous piece from the stem end. Grate on a coarse grater and drain through cheese cloth for half an hour. Season the pulp with salt, pepper and vinegar to suit the taste. Serve with broiled, baked or fried fish. GHERKIN SAUCE —Put a sprig of thyme, a bay-leaf, a clove of garlic, two finely chopped shallots, and a cayenne pepper, and salt into a saucepan, with one breakfast cup of vinegar. Place pan on fire and when contents have boiled fo

7 minute read

Read Chapter

ROLLS, BREAD AND MUFFINS

BREAKFAST ROLLS —Sift a quart of flour and stir into it a saltspoonful of sugar, a cup of warm milk, two tablespoonfuls of melted shortening and two beaten eggs. Dissolve a quarter of a cake of compressed yeast in a little warm milk and beat in last of all. Set the dough in a bowl to rise until morning. Early in the morning make lightly and quickly into rolls and set to rise near the range for twenty minutes. EGG ROLLS —Two cups flour, one level teaspoon salt, two level teaspoons baking powder,

15 minute read

Read Chapter

PIES AND PASTRIES

A GOOD CRUST FOR GREAT PIES —To a peck of flour, add the yolks of three eggs. Boil some water, put in half a pound of fried suet and a pound and a half of butter. Skim off the butter and suet and as much of the liquor as will make a light crust. Mix well and roll out. CRUST FOR CUSTARDS —Take a half pound of flour, six ounces of butter, the yolks of two eggs, three spoonfuls of cream. Mix well and roll very thin. DRIPPING CRUST —Take a pound and a half of beef drippings; boil in water, strain an

11 minute read

Read Chapter

CAKES, CRULLERS AND ECLAIRS

ALMOND CAKES —One pound sifted flour, one-half pound butter, three-fourths pound sugar, two eggs, one-half teaspoon ground cinnamon, four ounces of almonds blanched and chopped very fine. Two ounces of raisins finely chopped. Mix all the dry ingredients together, then rub in the butter, add eggs and spices last of all, roll out half an inch thick, cut in fancy shapes and bake in a slow oven. ALMOND CHEESE CAKES —Blanch and pound to a fine paste one cupful almonds. As you pound them add rose wate

20 minute read

Read Chapter

CANDIES

CANDIED VIOLETS —Gather the required quantity of perfect sweet violets, white or blue. If possible, pick in the early morning while the dew is still on them. Spread on an inverted sieve and stand in the air until dried, but not crisp. Make a sirup, using a half pound of pure granulated sugar and a half pint of water. Cook without stirring until it spins a thread. Take each violet by the stem, dip into the hot sirup and return to the sieve, which should be slightly oiled. Leave for several hours.

3 minute read

Read Chapter

ICE CREAM AND SHERBETS

BALTIMORE ICE CREAM —Two quarts of strawberries, two cups of granulated sugar, half cup powdered sugar, one pint cream, about two spoonfuls vanilla, half cup chopped nuts, heat the berries and sugar together, when cool mix other ingredients and freeze. BLACK CURRANT ICE CREAM —Stew one cupful black currants five minutes, then press through a fine sieve. Add a cupful rich sirup and a cupful thick cream, beat well, then freeze. When stiff pack in an ornamental mold, close over and pack in ice and

6 minute read

Read Chapter

PRESERVES, PICKLES AND RELISH

CHERRY PICKLES —Stem, but do not pit, large ripe cherries. Put into a jar and cover with a sirup made from two cups of sugar, two cups of vinegar and a rounding teaspoon each of ground cloves and cinnamon cooked together five minutes. Let stand two days, pour off the vinegar, reheat and pour over the cherries, then seal. CHILI SAUCE —Peel and slice six large ripe tomatoes, add four onions chopped fine, three-quarters of a cup of brown sugar, one-quarter cup of salt, four cups of vinegar and two

13 minute read

Read Chapter

SOUFFLES

ASPARAGUS SOUFFLE —Only very tender asparagus should be used. Cut it fine and boil tender in salted water. Add the well beaten yolks of four eggs, one tablespoonful of soft butter, a saltspoon of salt and a little pepper. Then fold in the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs and bake in a steady oven. Canned asparagus can be substituted for fresh. CABBAGE SOUFFLE —Chop a solid white head of cabbage and cook in salted water until tender. Drain and place in a buttered dish in layers with a sprinkling

2 minute read

Read Chapter

FILLING FOR CAKES

COFFEE CREAM FOR CHARLOTTE AND ECLAIR —Flavor one pint of rich thick cream with one-fourth cup of black coffee and one teaspoon of lemon, add about a half a cup of sugar, chill and whip it until thick enough to stand. Pour it into molds lined with thin sponge cake or lady fingers. Fill them level and ornament the top with some of the cream forced through tube. FILLING —For the filling scald one cup of milk with three level tablespoons of ground coffee and let stand where it will be hot but not b

3 minute read

Read Chapter

DESSERTS

APPLES STUFFED WITH DATES —Core large, slightly acid apples and fill with stoned dates. Pour over them equal parts of sugar and water boiled together. Baste the apples frequently while baking. Serve as a dessert at dinner or luncheon. APPLE SPONGE PUDDING —One cup of sifted pastry flour and sift it with one level teaspoon of baking-powder. Beat the yolks of three eggs until light colored, add one cup of sugar and the juice of one lemon. Fold in the stiffly beaten whites of the three eggs and the

19 minute read

Read Chapter

SAUCE FOR PUDDINGS

FRUIT SYRUP SAUCE —One cup fruit syrup, one-half cup sugar, one teaspoon butter. Use the syrup from apricots, peaches, cherries, quinces or any fruit you prefer. The amount of sugar will depend upon the acidity of the fruit. Mix the cornstarch with the sugar, add the syrup and boil all together five minutes. Add the butter last. LEMON SAUCE —Grate the rind and squeeze the juice of one lemon. Mix together three teaspoons cornstarch, one cup of sugar and two cups of boiling water, and cook ten min

3 minute read

Read Chapter

BEVERAGES

COCOA WITH WHIPPED CREAM —Heat four cups of milk to the scalding point over hot water, or in a double boiler. Milk should be heated by direct contact with the fire. Mix a few grains of salt, three level tablespoons of cocoa and one-fourth cup of sugar to a paste with a little of the milk, then add three-fourths cup of boiling water and boil one minute, add to the hot milk and beat two minutes by the clock. Serve with a tablespoon of beaten or whipped cream on top of each cup. CURRANT JULEP —Pick

1 minute read

Read Chapter