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28 chapters
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
The favor with which the first edition of this little book has been received by those who were interested in the subjects of which it treats, is eminently gratifying to both author and publishers. It has occasioned the purpose to make a second edition of the book, even more complete and helpful than the first. In making the revision, wherever the text has suggested a new thought that thought has been inserted; under the various headings new recipes have been added, each in its proper place, and
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PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
There is positive need of more widespread knowledge of the principles of cookery. Few women know how to cook an egg or boil a potato properly, and the making of the perfect loaf of bread has long been assigned a place among the "lost arts." By many women cooking is considered, at best, a homely art,—a necessary kind of drudgery; and the composition, if not the consumption, of salads and chafing-dish productions has been restricted, hitherto, chiefly to that half of the race "who cook to please t
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INTRODUCTION.
INTRODUCTION.
Our taste for salads—and in their simplest form who is not fond of salads?—is an inheritance from classic times and Eastern lands. In the hot climates of the Orient, cucumbers and melons were classed among earth's choicest productions; and a resort ever grateful in the heat of the day was "a lodge in a garden of cucumbers." At the Passover the Hebrews ate lettuce, camomile, dandelion and mint,—the "bitter herbs" of the Paschal feast,—combined with oil and vinegar. Of the Greeks, the rich were fo
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HOW TO MAKE AROMATIC VINEGARS, TO KEEP VEGETABLES AND TO PREPARE GARNISHES.
HOW TO MAKE AROMATIC VINEGARS, TO KEEP VEGETABLES AND TO PREPARE GARNISHES.
Cover the eggs with boiling water. Set them on the back of the range, where the water will keep hot without boiling, about forty minutes. Cool in cold water, and with a thin, sharp knife cut as desired. Turn the whites of the eggs into a well-buttered mould or cup, set upon a trivet in a dish of hot water, and cook until firm, either upon the back of the range or in the oven, and without letting the water boil. Turn from the mould, cut into slices, and then into fanciful shapes; or chop fine. Be
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SALAD DRESSINGS.
SALAD DRESSINGS.
If desired,— Method. —Mix the condiments, add the oil and mix again; then add the acid, a few drops at a time, and beat until an emulsion is formed; then pour over the vegetables, toss with the spoon and fork, and serve. In Chicago a method has obtained that is well worth a trial: Put a bit of ice into the bowl with the condiments, and, by means of a fork pressed against or into this, use in mixing. Second Method. —Pour the oil over the vegetables, toss, until the oil is evenly distributed, and
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VEGETABLE SALADS SERVED WITH FRENCH DRESSING.
VEGETABLE SALADS SERVED WITH FRENCH DRESSING.
Wash and drain the lettuce leaves; toss lightly, so as to remove every drop of water. Sprinkle them with oil, a few drops at a time, tossing the leaves about with spoon and fork after each addition. When each leaf glistens with oil (there should be no oil in the bottom of the bowl) shake over them a few drops of vinegar, then dust with salt and freshly ground pepper. The cutting of lettuce is considered a culinary sin; but, when the straight-leaved lettuce, or the Romaine, is to be used, better
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SALADS, LARGELY VEGETABLE, SERVED WITH MAYONNAISE, CREAM OR BOILED DRESSING.
SALADS, LARGELY VEGETABLE, SERVED WITH MAYONNAISE, CREAM OR BOILED DRESSING.
Soak the cauliflower in salted water an hour; cook in boiling salted water until tender; drain and chill, then sprinkle with French dressing and set aside for half an hour. Sever the flowerets partly from the stalk, but so as not to change their relative positions, and place on a serving-dish; put heart leaves of lettuce between the flowerets and about the base of the vegetable; pour a cup of mayonnaise dressing over the whole, and sprinkle with pimentos or fine-chopped parsley. In serving, sepa
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FISH SALADS.
FISH SALADS.
Ever, and justly, fish have taken high rank in the list of salad ingredients. No wonder, when we consider that nothing excels in delicacy of flavor many a variety of fish; and, while fish are not necessarily expensive in any locality, in many sections of the country their cost is merely nominal. Then, too, salad-making appeals largely to one's artistic nature, and the products of sea and fresh water are constantly furnishing opportunities for studies in many and varied shades of color. The lobst
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RECIPES.
RECIPES.
Dress the trout without removing the heads; boil as previously indicated. Remove the backbone without destroying the shape of the fish. Serve, thoroughly chilled, on crisp lettuce leaves dressed with claret or French dressing. Prepare the latter with tarragon vinegar. Pour a little chicken aspic into a pickle or other dish of suitable shape and size for a single fish; when nearly set, lay a trout, prepared as above, upon the aspic, add a few spoonfuls of aspic, let it harden so that the fish may
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VARIOUS COMPOUND SALADS.
VARIOUS COMPOUND SALADS.
Arrange the leaves of a head of cabbage lettuce loosely upon a serving-dish, without destroying its shape. Have ready a pair of sweetbreads cooked in salted, acidulated water twenty minutes, and cooled and cut in small cubes and marinated; also the same quantity of cucumber cut in dice, chilled in ice water and dried upon a cloth. Drain the French dressing from the sweetbread and scatter the bits of sweetbread and cucumber through the lettuce. Press three-fourths a cup of firm jelly mayonnaise t
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FRUIT AND NUT SALADS.
FRUIT AND NUT SALADS.
Peel and slice four bananas, also four oranges, lengthwise, carefully removing pith and seeds. Dissect half a ripe pineapple, taking the pulp from the core in small pieces with a silver fork. Hull and wash a part of a basket of strawberries. Arrange the fruit in the salad-bowl, making each layer smaller than the preceding. Pour over the dressing given below, and serve thoroughly chilled. Boil one cup of sugar and half a cup of water five minutes, then pour on to the beaten yolks of three eggs; r
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HOW TO PREPARE AND USE ASPIC JELLY.
HOW TO PREPARE AND USE ASPIC JELLY.
To make aspic for moulding or decorating a fish salad, use stock prepared from chicken or veal, or from fish. For chicken, veal or sweetbread salad, use chicken or veal stock, or a light-colored consommé. In an emergency, aspic may be made from the prepared extracts of beef, or from bouillon capsules. Aspic is often tinted delicately to harmonize with a particular color scheme. A light-green aspic has been found quite effective. To one quart of highly seasoned stock, freed from all fat, add the
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CHEESE DISHES SERVED WITH SALADS.
CHEESE DISHES SERVED WITH SALADS.
Butter a baking-dish, put in a layer of bread cut in pieces one inch square with crust removed, sprinkle thin-sliced cheese over the bread, dust with salt and paprica, or a few grains of cayenne. Add other layers of bread and cheese, seasoning as before, using in all half a small loaf of bread, one cup of cheese and half a teaspoonful of salt. Beat two eggs slightly, add one pint of milk, and pour the mixture over the bread and cheese. Bake about half an hour in a moderate oven. Cook together fo
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SANDWICHES.
SANDWICHES.
A pale young man, with feeble whiskers and a stiff white neckcloth, came walking down the lane en sandwich —having a lady, that is, on each arm. The term "sandwich," now applied to many a fanciful shaped and encased dainty, was formerly used in speaking of "two slices of bread with meat between." In this sense, the word had its origin, about the end of the eighteenth century, from the fact that the fourth Earl of Sandwich was so infatuated with the pleasures and excitement of the gaming-table th
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SAVORY SANDWICHES.
SAVORY SANDWICHES.
Chop two parts of cold tongue and one part of cold ham (one-fourth as much fat ham as lean) very fine; pound in a mortar, and season with paprica and a little mixed mustard. Spread butter on one piece of bread, the meat mixture on the other, and press the two pieces together. Chop the ham and pound smooth in a mortar; pass the yolks of hard-boiled eggs through a sieve; mix the yolks with an equal amount of mayonnaise dressing. Butter one piece of bread lightly and spread with the ham, spread the
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SWEET SANDWICHES.
SWEET SANDWICHES.
Chop one-fourth a pound of figs very fine, add one-fourth a cup of water, and cook to a smooth paste; add, also, one-third a cup of almonds, blanched, chopped very fine and pounded to a paste with a little rose-water, also the juice of half a lemon. When cold spread the mixture upon lady-fingers or cakelets, white or yellow, press another above the mixture, and serve upon a handsome doylie-covered plate. Raisins, dates or marmalade may be used in the place of the figs. The marmalade, of course,
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BREAD AND CHOU PASTE.
BREAD AND CHOU PASTE.
To two cups of scalded milk or boiled water, in a mixing-bowl, add two tablespoonfuls of sugar, one teaspoonful of salt, and, when the liquid becomes lukewarm, one yeastcake dissolved in half a cup of water, boiled and cooled. With a broad-bladed knife cut and mix in enough well-dried flour, sifted, to make a stiff dough (about seven cups). Knead until the dough is elastic; cover, and set to rise in a temperature of about 70° Fahr. When the dough has doubled in bulk, "cut down" and knead slightl
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BEVERAGES SERVED WITH SANDWICHES.
BEVERAGES SERVED WITH SANDWICHES.
Method. —Put the coffee into the filter of a well-scalded coffee-pot. Pour the boiling water over the coffee. Serve as soon as the infusion has dripped through the filter. For black coffee use double the quantity of coffee. Method. —Beat the white and crushed shell of the egg and half the cup of cold water together; mix with the coffee, pour over the boiling water, stir thoroughly, and boil from three to five minutes with the nozzle tightly closed; pour half a cup of cold water down the spout; s
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INTRODUCTION. Chafing=dishes Past and Present.
INTRODUCTION. Chafing=dishes Past and Present.
How fire was discovered, when it was first applied to the needs of human beings, the origin and early use of cooking and heating utensils,—all are concealed from us in the mists that surround the life of prehistoric man. But at the dawn of history, even before the beginning of our era, crude appliances for cooking were in use; and, without doubt, one of the earliest of these was an utensil corresponding in some particulars, at least, to the chafing-dish of to-day. The chafing-dish is a portable
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OYSTER DISHES.
OYSTER DISHES.
Put into the blazer twenty-five to fifty choice oysters. As soon as they are hot and look plump, add salt, pepper and butter. Serve on buttered toast or crackers. Add two tablespoonfuls of cream or half a tablespoonful of lemon juice before serving, if desired. Method. —Put the oysters into the blazer. When they look plump and the edges curl, put the blazer into the hot-water pan and add the seasonings. Add a few spoonfuls of the liquor from the pan to the yolks of the eggs, and, after mixing we
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LOBSTER AND OTHER SEA FISH.
LOBSTER AND OTHER SEA FISH.
Pick the meat from a boiled lobster and cut it into small pieces; sift over it the coral; mix with it also the liver, two tablespoonfuls of vinegar or three of lemon juice, one-third a cup of butter and one-fourth a teaspoonful, each, of cayenne and made mustard; heat in the blazer until thoroughly hot. Serve on cup-shaped leaves of lettuce with a quarter of a hard-boiled egg on the top of each portion. Method. —Remove the meat from the shells and cut it into delicate slices. Put the butter in t
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CHEESE CONFECTIONS.
CHEESE CONFECTIONS.
Cheese is probably the most popular article served from the chafing-dish. What possessor of a chafing-dish has not concocted a rarebit—and the best one ever made? Were you ever present when the process of evolving a rarebit was in progress and half the guests were not disappointed in the seasoning? For perfection in this toothsome dish, mustard is demanded by some; by others the use of this biting condiment is considered a lapse in culinary taste. The consensus of opinion, however, is in favor o
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EGGS.
EGGS.
Beat six eggs until whites and yolks are well mixed; add half a teaspoonful of salt, a dash of paprica and six tablespoonfuls of milk or cream. Melt two tablespoonsful of butter in the blazer, pour in the egg mixture, and stir and scrape from the blazer as it thickens. Just before it comes to the proper consistency, sprinkle in half a cup of grated Parmesan cheese, still stirring as before, and turn down the flame or set the blazer into the bath. American dairy cheese may be used instead of the
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DISHES LARGELY VEGETARIAN.
DISHES LARGELY VEGETARIAN.
Have ready one-fourth a pound of macaroni, cooked until tender, but not broken, in boiling salted water, and then drained, and rinsed in cold water. Make a sauce of two tablespoonfuls of butter, one tablespoonful of flour, one-fourth a teaspoonful, each, of salt and paprica, half a cup of well-seasoned stock and half a cup of well-reduced tomato pulp. Add the drained macaroni and stir occasionally, while it becomes thoroughly heated, then add one-fourth a cup of grated Parmesan cheese. Lift the
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RÉCHAUFFÉS AND OLLA=PODRIDA
RÉCHAUFFÉS AND OLLA=PODRIDA
Many of the dishes prepared in the chafing-dish are réchauffés of cold cooked meats, including game and fish. The composition of such dishes is called "the flower of cookery": but it is well to remember that we are dealing with a class of foods that are more digestible when cooked rare; also, that in these cases digestibility decreases in proportion to the length of time, as well as the number of times, the article has been cooked. The meat or fish composing such dishes should not come into dire
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PRACTICAL COOKING & SERVING
PRACTICAL COOKING & SERVING
This practical, up-to-date, and comprehensive work contains a "liberal education" in the selection, cooking, and serving of food. It is for the novice and expert alike, and the many illustrations (including pictures of utensils, tables for every sort of meal, decorations for festal occasions, dishes ready for serving, etc.) are absolutely invaluable to every housekeeper....
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The Pleasures of the Table
The Pleasures of the Table
Nothing has been published in America on this subject since Brillat-Savarin, and there has not existed anywhere a complete historical account of the science of eating from the earliest times. The author has made a book of absorbing interest and of real literary distinction, full of quaint oddities and suggestive facts. It is bound to become a permanent and necessary addition to every library, public or private....
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Chr. Hansen's Laboratory
Chr. Hansen's Laboratory
There is extra room on the top of this range, because of the extra shelf at the left. The Patented Crawford Single Damper prevents mistakes in regulating; no other stove has it. Other improvements are the new style removable nickeled rails, which may be lifted off when the stove is blacked; the dock-ash grate; the heat indicator; the asbestos-lined oven; the cup-joint flues. We have also a smaller style—the "Castle Crawford."...
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