The Cooking Manual of Practical Directions for Economical Every-Day Cookery Part 7

231. =Sago Milk.=--Prepare the sago as in previous receipt, but boil it in milk instead of water; and when it has cooked for two hours it is ready for use.

232. =Tapioca Jelly.=--Wash one ounce of tapioca, soak it over night in cold water, and then simmer it with a bit of lemon peel until it is thoroughly dissolved; sweeten it to taste, and let it cool before using.

233. =Rice Candle.=--Mix an ounce of ground rice smoothly with a little cold water, and stir it into a pint of boiling water; boil it for fifteen minutes, and then sweeten it to taste and flavor it with nutmeg.

Use it warm or cold.

234. =Isingla.s.s Milk.=--Soak quarter of an ounce of clear shreds of isingla.s.s in a pint of cold milk for two hours; then reduce it by boiling to half a pint, and sweeten to taste. Cool it before using.

235. =Refreshing Drinks.=--In feverish conditions cooling drinks, that is beverages which are in themselves refrigerant, such as lemonade, and those which are made from aromatic herbs, are grateful and helpful to the patient, but pure, distilled or filtered water, is the best for invalids. Hot drinks lower the temperature of the body by evaporation; excessively cold drinks check perspiration, and endanger congestion of some vital part; but water of a moderate temperature is innocuous. Even in dangerous fevers the burning thirst of the sufferer can safely be a.s.suaged by the frequent administration of small bits of ice. In cases of incomplete nutrition, cocoa, chocolate, and other preparations of the fruit of the cocoa-palm, are invaluable adjuncts; the active principle of all these is identical, and the chief nutritive element is oil. A very small quant.i.ty of cocoa will sustain life a long time.

236. =Filtered Water.=--Put a quart of clear water over the fire, and just bring it to a boil; remove it, and strain it three or four times through flannel; then cool it in a covered jar or pitcher, and give it to the patient in small quant.i.ties as the condition requires.

237. =Jelly Water.=--Mix one large teaspoonful of wild-cherry or blackberry jelly in a gla.s.s of cool water; drink moderately, and at intervals.

238. =Flaxseed Lemonade.=--Pour one quart of boiling water over four tablespoonfuls of whole flaxseed, and steep three hours covered. Then sweeten to taste, and add the juice of two lemons, using a little more water if the liquid seems too thick to be palatable. This beverage is very soothing to the irritated membranes in cases of severe cold.

239. =Barley Water.=--Wash two ounces of pearl barley in cold water until it does not cloud the water; boil it for five minutes in half a pint of water; drain that off, put the barley into two quarts of clean water, and boil it down to one quart. Cool, strain, and use. Pearl barley largely contains starch and mucilage, and makes an excellent soothing and refreshing draught in fevers and gastric inflammations.

NOURISHING DRINKS.--These are useful when liquid nourishment is better suited to the invalid's condition than solid food.

240. =Iceland Moss Chocolate.=--Dissolve one ounce of Iceland moss in one pint of boiling milk; boil one ounce of chocolate for five minutes in one pint of boiling water; thoroughly mix the two; and give it to the invalid night and morning. This is a highly nutritive drink for convalescents.

241. =Egg Broth.=--Beat an egg until it is frothy, stir into it a pint of boiling hot meat broth, free from fat, season it with a saltspoonful of salt, and eat it hot, with thin slices of dry toast; it may be given to a.s.sist the patient in gaining strength.

242. =Egg Tea.=--Beat the yolk of an egg in a cup of tea, and let the sick person drink it warm; the yolk is more readily digested than the white, and has a better flavor; and the tea is a powerful respiratory excitant, while it promotes perspiration, and aids the a.s.similation of more nourishing foods.

243. =Very strong Beef Tea.=--(_This tea contains every nutritious element of the beef._)--Cut two pounds of lean beef into small dice, put it into a covered jar _without water_, and place it in a moderate oven for four hours, then strain off the gravy, and dilute it to the desired strength with boiling water.

244. =Beef Tea.=--(_A quick preparation for immediate use._)--Chop one pound of lean beef fine, put it into a bowl, and cover it with cold water; let it stand for fifteen or twenty minutes, and then pour both beef and liquid into a sauce-pan, and place them over the fire to boil from fifteen to thirty minutes as time will permit; then strain off the liquid, season it slightly, and serve it at once.

245. =Farina Gruel.=--Stir one ounce of farina into one pint of boiling water, and boil it down one half, using a farina kettle, or stirring occasionally to prevent burning, then add half a pint of milk, boil up once, and sweeten to taste. Use warm. Farina is a preparation of the inner portion of the finest wheat, freed from bran, and floury dust; it contains an excess of nitrogenous, or flesh-forming material, readily absorbs milk or water in the process of cooking, is quickly affected by the action of the gastric juices; and is far superior as a food to sago, arrowroot, tapioca, and corn starch.

246. =Nutritious Foods.=--We have called attention to the fact that the nurse's most important office is exercised when the invalid begins to regain health; the task of rebuilding exhausted vitality demands a thoughtful care that only a tender hearted woman can bestow; and lacking which the skill of the most enlightened physician is often set at naught. Happy the woman who can here a.s.sist the restoration of the vital powers; she holds in her own hands a force which wealth cannot buy. To such ministering angels we dedicate this portion of our little work, in the hope that countless sick beds will be comforted thereby.

247. =Bread Jelly.=--Remove the crust from a roll, slice the crumb, and toast it; put the slices in one quart of water, and set it over the fire to simmer until it jellies; then strain it through a cloth, sweeten it, and flavor it with lemon juice; put it into a mould and cool it upon the ice before using.

248. =Crackers and Marmalade.=--Toast three soda crackers, dip them for one minute in boiling water, spread them with a little sweet b.u.t.ter, and put between them layers of orange marmalade, or any other preserve or jelly; put plenty upon the top cracker, and set them in the oven for two or three minutes before serving. This makes a delicate and inviting lunch for convalescents.

249. =Chicken Jelly.=--Skin a chicken, removing all fat, and break up the meat and bones by pounding; cover them with cold water, heat them slowly in a steam-tight kettle, and simmer them to a pulp; then strain through a sieve or cloth, season to taste, and return to the fire without the cover, to simmer until the liquid is reduced one half, skimming off all fat. Cool to form a jelly. If you have no steam-tight kettle, put a cloth between the lid and any kettle, and the purpose will be served.

250. =Chicken Broth.=--Dress a chicken or fowl, cut it in joints, put them in a chopping bowl, and chop them into small pieces, using flesh, bones, and skin. To every pound of the chicken thus prepared put one pint of cold water and one level teaspoonful of salt; if pepper is desired it should be either enough cayenne to lie on the point of a small pen-knife blade, or a half saltspoonful of ground _white_ pepper. Put all these ingredients over the fire in a porcelain lined sauce-pan, bring them slowly to a boil, remove the pan to the side of the fire, where it will simmer slowly, the heat striking it on one side; simmer it in this way for two hours, and then strain it through a napkin, set it to cool; if any fat rises to the surface in cooling remove it entirely. Eat it either cold, say half a teacupful when a little nourishment is required; or warm a pint, and eat it with graham crackers at meal time.

251. =Beefsteak Juice.=--Quickly broil a juicy steak, and after laying it on a hot platter, cut and press it to extract all the juice; season this with a very little salt, and pour it over a slice of delicately browned toast; serve it at once.

252. =Salmon Steak.=--Choose a slice of salmon nearly an inch thick, remove the scales, wipe with a dry cloth, roll it first in cracker dust, then dip it very lightly in melted b.u.t.ter, and season with a dust of white pepper and a pinch of salt; then roll it again in cracker dust, and put it over a clear fire on a greased gridiron, to broil slowly, taking care that it does not burn before the flakes separate; serve it with some fresh watercresses and plain boiled potatoes. (Any _red-blooded_ fish may be used in the same way.)

253. =Broiled Oysters.=--Dry some large oysters on a napkin; roll them in cracker dust, dip them in melted b.u.t.ter as for salmon steaks, again in cracker dust, dust over them a very little salt and white pepper, or cayenne, and broil them on a b.u.t.tered wire gridiron, over a clear fire.

They will be done as soon as they are light brown. They make a very delicate and digestible meal.

CHAPTER XIV.

BREAD.

The preparation of wheat and other grains, in the form of bread, is one of the most important of all culinary operations, and to many persons one of the most difficult. It is impossible to set exact rules as to the quant.i.ty of flour or liquid to be used, for the quality of the flour varies as much as that of the grain from which it is made; and some varieties, excessive in gluten, will absorb nearly one-third more liquid than others, and produce correspondingly more bread. For this reason in buying flour we must choose that which contains the most gluten; this kind will remain in a firm, compact ma.s.s when pressed in the hand, and will retain all the lines and marks of the skin; or if mixed with water it will take up a great deal in proportion to its bulk, and will form a tough, elastic dough. Gluten in flour corresponds with the nitrates or flesh-formers in flesh, and abounds in hard winter wheat. The flour containing much of it is never extremely white.

The object of making bread, that is of mixing water with the flour and subsequently exposing the dough to intense heat, is to expand and rupture the cells of the grain so as to expose the greatest possible surface to the action of the digestive fluids; this is accomplished in several ways; by the formation of air cells through the medium of acetous fermentation, as in yeast bread; by the mechanical introduction of carbonic acid gas, as in aerated bread; by the mixture with the flour of a gas-generating compound, which needs only the contact of moisture to put it in active operation; and by the beating into the dough of atmospheric air. No organic change in the elements of the flour is necessary, like that produced by the partial decomposition of some of its properties, in bread raised with yeast; so long as proper surface is obtained for the action of the gastric juices, the purpose of raising is accomplished. Bread raised without fermentation can be made from the following receipt, and there is no question of its healthfulness.

254. =Aerated Homemade Bread.=--Mix flour and water together to the consistency of a thick batter; then beat it until fine bubbles of air thoroughly permeate it; for small biscuit, pour it into patty pans, and bake in a good brisk oven; for bread in loaves more flour is thoroughly kneaded in with the hands, until the dough is full of air-bubbles, and then baked at once, without being allowed to stand.

When bread is to be raised by the acetous fermentation of yeast, the sponge should be maintained at a temperature of 89 Fahr. until it is sufficiently light, and the baking should be accomplished at a heat of over 320. When yeast is too bitter from the excess of hops, mix plenty of water with it, and let it stand for some hours; then throw the water off, and use the settlings. When yeast has soured it may be restored by adding to it a little carbonate of soda or ammonia. When dough has soured, the acidity can be corrected by the use of a little carbonate of soda or ammonia. If the sponge of "raised bread" be allowed to overwork itself it will sour from excessive fermentation, and if the temperature be permitted to fall, and the dough to cool, it will be heavy. Thorough kneading renders yeast-bread white and fine, but is unnecessary in bread made with baking-powder. Great care should be taken in the preparation of yeast for leavened bread, as the chemical decomposition inseparable from its use is largely increased by any impurity or undue fermentation.

Experience and judgment are necessary to the uniform production of good bread; and those are gained only by repeated trials. We subjoin one of the best receipts which we have been able to procure, for making yeast.

255. =Homebrewed Yeast.=--Boil two ounces of the best hops in four quarts of water for half an hour, strain off the liquor and let it cool till luke-warm, and then add half a pound of brown sugar and two heaping tablespoonfuls of salt; use a little of this liquor to beat up one pound of the best flour, and gradually mix in all of it with the flour; let it stand four days to ferment in a warm place near the fire, stirring it frequently. On the third day boil and mash three pounds of potatoes, and stir them into it. On the fourth day strain and bottle it; it will keep good for months.

256. =Homemade Bread.=--Put seven pounds of flour into a deep pan, and make a hollow in the centre; into this put one quart of luke-warm water, one tablespoonful of salt, one teaspoonful of sugar, and half a gill of yeast; have ready three pints more of warm water, and use as much of it as is necessary to make a rather soft dough, mixing and kneading it well with both hands. When it is smooth and shining strew a little flour upon it, lay a large towel over it folded, and set it in a warm place by the fire for four or five hours to rise; then knead it again for fifteen minutes, cover it with the towel, and set it to rise once more; then divide it into two or four loaves, and bake it in a quick oven. This quant.i.ty of material will make eight pounds of bread, and will require one hour's baking to two pounds of dough. In cold weather, the dough should be mixed in a warm room, and not allowed to cool while rising; if it does not rise well, set the pan containing it over a large vessel of boiling water; it is best to mix the bread at night, and let it rise till morning, in a warm and even temperature.

257. =Milk Bread.=--Take one quart of milk, heat one-third of it, and scald with it half a pint of flour; if the milk is skimmed, use a small piece of b.u.t.ter; when the batter is cool, add the rest of the milk, one cup of hop yeast, half a tablespoonful of salt, and flour enough to make it quite stiff; knead the dough until it is fine and smooth, and raise it over night. This quant.i.ty makes three small loaves.

258. =Rice Bread.=--Simmer one pound of rice in three quarts of water until the rice is soft, and the water evaporated or absorbed; let it cool until it is only luke-warm; mix into it nearly four pounds of flour, two teaspoonfuls of salt, and four tablespoonfuls of yeast; knead it until it is smooth and shining, let it rise once before the fire, make it up into loaves with the little flour reserved from the four pounds, and bake it thoroughly.

259. =Potato Bread.=--Take good, mealy boiled potatoes, in the proportion of one-third of the quant.i.ty of flour you propose to use, pa.s.s them through a coa.r.s.e sieve into the flour, using a wooden spoon and adding enough cold water to enable you to pa.s.s them through readily; use the proper quant.i.ty of yeast, salt, and water, and make up the bread in the usual way. A saving of at least twenty per cent is thus gained.

260. =Pulled Bread.=--Take from the oven an ordinary loaf of bread when it is about _half baked_, and with the fingers, _while it is yet hot_, pull it apart in egg-sized pieces of irregular shape: throw them upon tins, and bake them in a slow oven to a rich brown color. This bread is excellent to eat with cheese or wine.

Where bread is made with baking powder the following rules should be closely observed: If any shortening be used, it should be rubbed into the flour before it is wet; _cold_ water or sweet milk should always be used to wet it, and the dough should be kneaded immediately, and only long enough to thoroughly mix it and form it into the desired shape; it should then be placed in a well-heated oven and baked quickly--otherwise the carbonic acid gas will escape before the expanded cells are fixed in the bread, and thus the lightness of the loaf will be impaired.

As a very large margin of profit is indulged in by the manufacturers of baking powders, we subjoin a good formula for making the article at home at a considerable saving.

261. =Baking Powder.=--Mix thoroughly by powdering and sifting together several times the following ingredients; four ounces of tartaric acid, and six ounces each of bi-carbonate of soda, and starch. Keep the mixture in an air-tight can.

The following receipts will be found useful and easy:

262. =Loaf Bread.=--Sift together two or three times one pound of flour, three teaspoonfuls of baking powder, one saltspoonful of salt, and one teaspoonful of fine sugar; mix with enough cold sweet milk to make the dough of the consistency of biscuit; or, if you have no milk, use cold water. Work the dough only long enough to incorporate the flour well with the milk or water; put it into a baking-pan b.u.t.tered and slightly warmed, and set it immediately into a hot oven; after about five minutes cover it with paper so that the crust may not form so quickly as to prevent rising; bake about three-quarters of an hour. This bread is sweet and wholesome, and may be eaten by some persons whose digestion is imperfect, with greater safety than yeast-fermented bread.

263. =Breakfast Rolls.=--Mix well by sifting, one pound of flour, three teaspoonfuls of baking powder, half a teaspoonful of salt, and one heaping teaspoonful of pulverized or fine sugar; into a small portion of the above rub two ounces of lard, fine and smooth; mix with the rest of the flour, and quickly wet it up with enough cold milk to enable you to roll it out about half an inch thick; cut out the dough with a tin shape or with a sharp knife, in the form of diamonds, lightly wet the top with water, and double them half over. Put them upon a tin, b.u.t.tered and warmed, and bake them in a hot oven.

264. =Tea Biscuit.=--Mix as above, using the same proportions, and cutting out with a round biscuit-cutter; when they are baked, wash them over with cold milk, and return them to the oven for a moment to dry.

265. =Finger Biscuit.=--Mix as above, cut out with a sharp knife in strips three inches long, one inch wide, and one-quarter of an inch thick; lay them upon a b.u.t.tered tin so that they will not touch, brush them over with an egg beaten up with one tablespoonful of milk, and bake them in a hot oven.

266. =Cream Breakfast Rolls.=--Mix as above, subst.i.tuting cream for the milk in moistening the dough; cut them out with an oval cutter, two inches long and one and a half inches wide; brush the tops with cream, and pull them slightly lengthwise; then fold them together, leaving a slight projection of the under side; put them on a b.u.t.tered tin, brush the tops with cream, and bake them in a hot oven.

267. =Breakfast Twist.=--Mix as for breakfast rolls, cut in strips three inches long and half an inch thick; roll each one out thin at the ends, but leave the centre of the original thickness; place three strips side by side, braid them together, and pinch the ends to hold them; when the twists are all made out, lay them upon a b.u.t.tered tin, brush them over with milk, and bake them in a hot oven. A little fine sugar dusted over the tops glazes them and improves their flavor.