Public School Domestic Science Part 13

BOILED EGGS.

Have the water boiling in a saucepan. Put in the eggs and move to the back of the stove where the water will keep hot, about 175 or 180 F., for from 8 to 10 minutes. If the back of the stove is too hot, move to the hearth. The white should be of a soft, jelly-like consistency, the yolks soft but not liquid. An egg to be cooked soft should never be cooked in boiling water.

HARD BOILED EGGS.

Cook eggs for 20 minutes in water just below the boiling point. The yolk of an egg cooked 10 minutes is tough and indigestible; 20 minutes will make it dry and mealy, when it is more easily penetrated by the gastric fluid.

POACHED EGGS.

Have a clean, shallow pan nearly full of salted and boiling water.

Remove the sc.u.m and let the water just simmer. Break each egg carefully into a saucer and slip it gently into the water. Dip the water over it with the end of the spoon, and when a film has formed over the yolk and the white is like a soft jelly, take up with a skimmer and place on a piece of neatly trimmed toast. This is the most wholesome way of cooking eggs for serving with ham or bacon.

OMELET.

Beat the yolks of two eggs, add two tbsps. of milk, 1 ssp. of salt and 1/4 of a ssp. of pepper. Beat the whites till stiff and dry. Cut and fold them into the yolks till just covered. Have a clean, smooth omelet pan (or spider). When hot, rub well with a teaspoonful of b.u.t.ter; see that the b.u.t.ter is all over the pan, turn in the omelet and spread evenly on the pan. Cook until slightly browned underneath, being careful not to let it burn; set in a hot oven until dry on top.

When dry throughout, run a knife round the edge, tip the pan to one side, fold the omelet and turn out on a hot platter. This may be made by beating the whites and yolks together for a plain omelet. A little chopped parsley, a little fine grated onion, a tbsp. or two of chopped ham, veal or chicken may be spread on the omelet before folding.

CUP CUSTARDS.

1 pt. of milk.

1/4 cup of sugar.

2 eggs.

1/2 ssp. grated nutmeg.

Beat the eggs until light, then add the sugar; beat again, add the milk and nutmeg, stir until the sugar is dissolved. Pour into custard cups, stand the cups in a pan of boiling water and then put the pan in the oven. Bake until the custards are set, or until a knife may be slipped into the centre without anything adhering to it. When done, take them out of the water and stand away to cool. (This custard may be poured into a baking dish and baked in a quick oven until firm in the centre.)

BOILED CUSTARD.

1 pt. of milk.

2 tbsps. sugar.

2 eggs.

1/2 tsp. vanilla.

Put the milk on in the double boiler, beat the sugar and yolks of eggs together until light, then stir them into the boiling milk; stir until it begins to thicken, then take it from the fire; add the vanilla and stand aside to cool. When cool, pour into a gla.s.s dish. Beat the whites until stiff, add three tbsps. of powdered sugar gradually. Heap them on a dinner plate and stand in the oven a moment until slightly brown, then loosen from the plate, slip off gently on top of the custard; serve very cold.

FRUIT.

If people would only realize the value of fruit in its natural state, much of the time devoted to the preparation of pies, puddings, etc., would be saved. All uncooked fruit should be thoroughly ripe and served fresh and cold. Sometimes fruit is more easily digested when the woody fibre has been softened by cooking than when in its natural state, therefore a few simple recipes for cooking fruit are given.

APPLESAUCE.

Pare, core and quarter 6 or 8 tart apples. Make a syrup with 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of water, and a little grated lemon peel. When boiling, add the apples and cook carefully till they are just tender, but not broken. Remove them carefully, boil the syrup down a little and pour it over the apples. (For serving with roast goose, etc., cook the apples in a little water, mash until smooth, add sugar to taste.)

CODDLED APPLES.

Pare tart apples of uniform size; remove the cores without breaking the apples. Stand them in the bottom of a granite kettle, sprinkle thickly with sugar, cover the bottom of the kettle with boiling water, cover closely and allow the apples to steam on the back part of the stove till tender. Lift carefully without breaking, pour the syrup over them and stand away to cool (delicious served with whipped cream).

STEWED PRUNES.

Wash carefully and soak in water an hour before cooking, put them into a porcelain or granite kettle, cover with boiling water and let them simmer until tender. Add a tbsp. of sugar for each pint of prunes, and boil a few moments longer.

CRANBERRIES.

Put 1 pint of cranberries in a granite saucepan, 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of water. After they begin to boil cook 10 minutes, closely covered.

(This may be pressed through a sieve while hot, removing the skins, if desired for a mould.)

STEWED RHUBARB.

Wash the rhubarb (if young and tender it will not be necessary to remove the skin), cut into pieces about 1 inch long. To every lb. of rhubarb allow 1 lb. of sugar. Put the rhubarb into a porcelain or granite kettle, cover with the sugar, and stand on the back part of the fire until the sugar melts. Move forward, let simmer for a few minutes without stirring, turn it out carefully to cool.

BAKED PEARS.

Take large, sweet pears, wipe them but do not remove the stems. Stand them in an earthen baking dish, pour around them a cup of boiling water, add 2 tbsps. sugar, cover with another dish and bake slowly until the pears are tender, basting occasionally with the liquor. When done, stand away to cool in the dish in which they were baked. When cold put them into a gla.s.s dish, pour the liquor over them and serve.

BAKED APPLES.

Pare and core, without breaking, tart apples. Put them into a shallow earthen dish, fill the cavities with sugar, add water to cover the bottom of the dish. Bake in a quick oven till soft, basting often with the syrup. (Quinces may be baked in the same way.)

VEGETABLES.

Vegetables should be used very freely, as they contain saline substances which counteract the effect of too much meat, and are the chief source of mineral supply for the body. In cooking vegetables, a common rule is to add salt, while cooking, to all cla.s.ses growing above ground (including onions), and to omit salt in the cooking of vegetables growing underground. In cooking vegetables care must be taken to preserve the flavor, and to prevent the waste of mineral matter.

CABBAGE.

Cut a small head of cabbage in quarters, soak in cold water 1 hour, drain and shake dry. Remove the stalk, or hard part, and chop the remainder rather fine. Put it into a stew-pan with enough boiling water to cover, and boil 20 minutes. Drain in a colander. Turn into a hot dish, and pour over it cream sauce or a little melted b.u.t.ter, pepper and salt.

CAULIFLOWER.