The Century Cook Book Part 87

=JAM OMELET=

Make a French omelet as directed on page 264, using four to six eggs; omit the pepper and add a little powdered sugar. When the omelet is ready to turn, place in the center two tablespoonfuls of any jam (apricot is particularly good) and fold. Turn the omelet onto a hot dish and sprinkle it with sugar.

=RUM OMELET=

Make either a French omelet, or a beaten omelet, using a little sugar and omitting the pepper. Place the dish holding the omelet on a second and larger dish to prevent accident from fire. When ready to place on the table pour over the omelet a few spoonfuls of rum or brandy and light it. It is better not to touch the match to it until it is on the table.

=SWEET PANCAKES=

3 eggs.

1 cupful of milk.

1/2 teaspoonful of salt.

1 teaspoonful of sugar.

1/2 cupful of flour.

1/2 tablespoonful of oil.

Beat the yolks and whites of the eggs separately; mix them together and add the salt, sugar, and one half the milk; stir in the flour, making a smooth paste; then add the rest of the milk, and lastly the oil; beat well and let it stand an hour or more before using. Bake on a hot griddle in large or small cakes as desired; spread each cake with b.u.t.ter and a little jam or jelly, then roll them, sprinkle with sugar, and serve at once. Any pancake batter can be used. Those made of rice or hominy are good. The batter can be made of a consistency for thick or thin cakes by using more or less milk. Currant or tart jelly is better to use than a sweet preserve.

FRITTERS

With fritter batter a number of good desserts are made, which, if properly fried, will be entirely free from grease, and perfectly wholesome.

=FRITTER BATTER=

2 eggs.

1 tablespoonful of oil.

1 cupful of flour.

1/2 cupful of cold water.

1 saltspoonful of salt.

If for sweet fritters, 1 teaspoonful of sugar and 1 tablespoonful of brandy.

For clam or oyster fritters use one tablespoonful of lemon juice or vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and the liquor of the clams or oysters instead of water.

Stir the salt into the egg-yolks; add slowly the oil, then the brandy and the sugar; the brandy may be omitted if desired, and if so, use two tablespoonfuls of oil instead of one. When well mixed stir in slowly the flour, and then the water, a little at a time. Beat it well and set it aside for two hours (it is better to let it stand longer); when ready to use, stir in the whites of the eggs beaten to a stiff froth. The batter should be very thick and of the consistency to coat completely the article it is intended to cover. If not soft enough add the white of another egg.

=APPLE FRITTERS=

Cut firm apples crosswise into slices one quarter of an inch thick. With a biscuit-cutter stamp them into circles of uniform size; sprinkle them with orange sugar (see page 391), and moisten them with brandy. Let them stand to soak for ten minutes, then dry one or two at a time on a napkin; dip them in batter, using care to have them completely coated, and drop them into hot fat (see frying, page 72). Fry to an amber color; lift them out on a skimmer and dry on paper in an open oven until all are fried; then roll them in sugar and serve on a folded napkin, the slices overlapping. Fry only two at a time, so they can be kept well apart. Serve with a sauce flavored with brandy or sherry.

=PEACH OR APRICOT FRITTERS=

Cut the fruit in half; sprinkle with sugar moistened with maraschino, and roll them in powdered macaroons before dipping them in the batter.

Fry as directed above. Well-drained canned fruit may also be used for fritters.

=ORANGE FRITTERS=

Cut the oranges in quarters; take out the seeds and run a knife between the pulp and peel, freeing the orange and leaving it raw. Roll them in powdered sugar and dip in batter before the sugar has time to dissolve; fry as directed for apple fritters.

=FRITTERS MADE OF BISCUIT DOUGH=

Make a biscuit dough as given on page 352; turn it on a floured board and let it rise until light, then roll it one eighth of an inch thick and cut it into circles with a fluted patty-cutter. Put a teaspoonful of jam in the center of a circle. Wet the edges and cover with a second circle; press the edges lightly together and fry in hot fat.

=BALLOONS=

Put a cupful of water in a saucepan; when it boils add one tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter; when the b.u.t.ter is melted add one cupful of flour and beat it with a fork or wire whip until it is smooth and leaves the sides of the pan. Remove from the fire and add three eggs, one at a time, beating vigorously each one before adding the next. Let it stand until cold.

When ready to serve, drop a spoonful at a time into moderately hot fat and fry for about 15 minutes. Take out on a skimmer and dry on brown paper. The batter will puff into hollow b.a.l.l.s. If the fat is very hot it will crisp the outside too soon and prevent the b.a.l.l.s from puffing. Fry only a few at a time, as they must be kept separated. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and pile on a folded napkin. Serve with lemon sauce made as follows.

Lemon sauce: Strain the juice of one and a half lemons; add one cupful of powdered sugar, then a half cupful of boiling water.

=BATTER PUDDING=

1 cupful of milk.

1 heaping tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter.

1/2 cupful of flour.

3 eggs.

Put the milk in a double boiler; when hot add the b.u.t.ter. Let the milk boil; then add the flour, and beat it hard until it leaves the sides of the pan; then remove from the fire and stir in gradually the eggs, which have been well beaten, the yolks and whites together, and a dash of salt. Continue to beat the batter until it is no longer stringy. Turn it into a warm greased pudding-dish, and bake in a moderate oven thirty to thirty-five minutes. It should puff up like a cream cake, and have a thick crust. Serve as soon as it is taken from the oven, or it will fall. The batter may stand some time before baking if convenient. It may be baked in gem-pans fifteen to twenty minutes if preferred. Serve with plain pudding or hard sauce.

DESSERTS MADE OF APPLES

=SNOW APPLE PUDDING=

Fill a pudding-dish half full of apple puree or sauce, well seasoned with b.u.t.ter, sugar, and nutmeg. Pour over it a batter made of one and a half cupfuls of flour mixed with two heaping teaspoonfuls of baking-powder, one half teaspoonful of salt, and a tablespoonful of chopped suet or of lard. Moisten it with about three quarters of a cupful of milk, or enough to make a thick batter. It should not be as stiff as for biscuits. Cook in a steamer about three quarters of an hour, and serve at once with a hard, foamy, sabayon, or any other sauce.

The top will be very light and white. This quant.i.ty is enough to serve six people.

=BROWN BETTY=

In a quart pudding-dish arrange alternate layers of sliced apples and bread-crumbs; season each layer with bits of b.u.t.ter, a little sugar, and a pinch each of ground cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. When the dish is full pour over it a half cupful each of mola.s.ses and water mixed; cover the top with crumbs. Place the dish in a pan containing hot water, and bake for three quarters of an hour, or until the apples are soft. Serve with cream or with any sauce. Raisins or chopped almonds improve the pudding.

=BAKED APPLE DUMPLINGS=