The Myrtle Reed Cook Book Part 83

Beat an egg and add to it two-thirds cupful each of sugar, melted b.u.t.ter, and mola.s.ses. Add a cupful of milk in which a teaspoonful of soda has been dissolved, and sift in two and one-half cupfuls of flour with a teaspoonful of cream tartar. Add a tablespoonful each of lemon-juice and mixed spice, turn into a shallow pan, and bake for twenty minutes in a moderate oven.

SPONGE CAKE

Mix two beaten eggs with a cupful of sugar, add one-third cupful of water, a teaspoonful of lemon or vanilla, and fold in lightly one cupful of flour sifted with a teaspoonful of baking-powder. Bake in a square pan.

TEA-CAKE

Cream a tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter with a cupful of sugar, add one egg well-beaten and three-fourths cupful of milk. Add three-fourths cupful of currants or raisins which have been dredged with flour and sift in one and one-half cupfuls of flour and a teaspoonful of baking-powder.

Bake in a b.u.t.tered tin or in patty-pans.

CHARLOTTE RUSSE

Line charlotte-russe moulds or dessert gla.s.ses with lady-fingers, split and trimmed to fit. Fill with cream whipped solid and sweetened and flavored to taste.

ALMOND CHARLOTTE RUSSE

Arrange six small sponge cakes in a serving-dish and spread thinly with jelly or jam. Stick blanched and split almonds into the cake and pour over a custard made of a cupful of milk and two tablespoonfuls of sugar, thickened with one egg well-beaten. Flavor with almond.

APPLE CHARLOTTE

Steam a quart of sliced sour apples until soft. Put into a baking-dish with alternate layers of bread crumbs, sprinkling the apples with sugar and cinnamon. Have crumbs on top. Beat the yolk of an egg with two cupfuls of milk, add two tablespoonfuls of melted b.u.t.ter, a pinch of salt, and two eggs well-beaten. Pour over the apples, bake until the milk is absorbed, and serve with sugar and cream.

BLACKBERRY CHARLOTTE

Make a boiled custard with one quart of milk, the yolks of six eggs, three-fourths cupful of sugar, and grated lemon peel to flavor. Line a serving-dish with slices of sponge cake dipped in cream and fill with alternate layers of cakes and blackberries crushed and sweetened. Pour the cold custard over, cover with meringue, and decorate with blackberries.

CREAM CHARLOTTE

Line a mould with lady-fingers. Whip a pint of cream to a stiff froth, sweetening and flavoring to taste and adding one-half package of soaked and dissolved gelatine. Pour into the mould, chill, and serve.

COFFEE CHARLOTTE

Thicken a cupful of milk with the yolks of four eggs beaten with a cupful of sugar and add a cupful of very strong coffee. Add half a package of gelatine which has been soaked and dissolved, and when cool but not set, fold in two cupfuls of cream whipped solid. Turn into a mould lined with lady-fingers, chill, and serve.

ORANGE CHARLOTTE

Soak and dissolve half a package of gelatine, using as little water as possible. Add the juice of a lemon, one cupful each of sugar and orange-juice, and a little of the grated orange peel. When cool but not set, fold in a pint of cream whipped solid and turn into a mould lined with slices or sections of oranges.

PEACH CHARLOTTE

Rub through a sieve enough canned peaches to make a cupful. Add the juice of a lemon, a cupful of sugar and half a package of gelatine which has been soaked and dissolved in as little water as possible.

When cool but not set, fold in the stiffly beaten whites of three eggs, mould, chill, and serve with whipped cream. Pears or other fruits may be used in the same way.

VICTORIA CHARLOTTE

Trim the frosting from a loaf of angel-food and cut it into squares.

Arrange in a serving-dish, cover with split marshmallows, minced candied fruit, and chopped nuts, and pile high with whipped cream sweetened and flavored to taste.

APPLE COBBLER

Sift together four cupfuls of flour, two heaping teaspoonfuls of baking-powder, one teaspoonful of salt, and one tablespoonful of sugar. Work into it half a cupful of b.u.t.ter and add enough milk to make a dough that will roll. Line a deep b.u.t.tered baking-dish with the dough rolled thin, fill with peeled, cored, and quartered apples sweetened and sprinkled with spice, cover the pan with the rest of the dough rolled into a crust, and steam for two hours and a half, or bake. Serve with a sauce made of syrup thickened with cornstarch, seasoned with lemon-juice, grated peel, b.u.t.ter, and grated nutmeg or other spice. Apricots, plums, and peaches or berries may be used in the same way.

FRUIT COBBLER

Fill a deep b.u.t.tered baking-dish with fresh or stewed fruit--apples, peaches, apricots, rhubarb, plums, or gooseberries being commonly used--and cover with a crust made as follows: Sift together two cupfuls of flour and two teaspoonfuls of baking-powder. Rub into it half a cupful of b.u.t.ter and add one egg beaten with a cupful of milk.

Spread over the fruit which has been previously sweetened to taste and bake until the crust is done. Serve either hot or cold with cream or any preferred sauce.

COMPOTE OF APPLES

Peel and core the apples and cook until soft in syrup to cover, flavoring with lemon or spice if desired. Drain, fill the cores with jelly, reduce the syrup by rapid boiling, pour around the apples and chill. At serving time cover with whipped cream and sprinkle with chopped nuts.

COMPOTE OF FIGS

Soak a pound of figs over night in cold water to cover, and simmer over a slow fire until tender. Add half a cupful of sugar and the juice of half a lemon. Turn into a serving-dish, cool, and cover with whipped cream slightly sweetened and flavored with vanilla.

ALMOND CREAM

Soak and dissolve a package of gelatine. Make a custard of six cupfuls of milk, four eggs well-beaten, a pinch of salt, and a few drops of almond extract. Add two-thirds cupful of sugar, and, when cool, the gelatine. Add a few blanched and shredded almonds, mould and chill.

APPLE CREAM

Peel, core, and quarter six or eight apples and cook until soft in a thin syrup to cover, flavoring the syrup with lemon-juice and spice.

Drain, reduce the syrup by rapid boiling, pour over the apples, arrange in a serving-dish, and chill. Cover with whipped cream just before serving.

BANANA CREAM

Peel five bananas and rub through a sieve with five tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar and a tablespoonful of lemon-juice. Add half a package of gelatine which has been soaked and dissolved in a little milk, and when cool, but not set, fold in a cupful of cream whipped solid.

Mould, chill, and serve with whipped cream.