Woman's Institute Library of Cookery Volume V Part 3

Wash, core, and pare the apples. Make a sirup by bringing the sugar and water to the boiling point. Put the apples into the sirup, cook on one side for several minutes, and then turn and cook on the other side. Do not allow the apples to cook completely in the sirup, but when they are still hard remove them and continue to boil the sirup down. Set the apples in a shallow pan, stick the almonds, which should be blanched, into them so that they will project like porcupine quills, sprinkle them with sugar, and bake in the oven until they are soft and the almonds slightly brown. Remove from the oven, fill the center of each with currant jelly, pour the juice over them, and serve.

53. BAKED APPLES.--Nothing is more palatable than baked apples if a juicy, sour variety can be secured.

BAKED APPLES (Sufficient to Serve Six)

6 medium-sized sour apples 1/2 c. brown sugar 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1 Tb. b.u.t.ter 1/2 c. water

Wash and core the apples, place them in a baking dish, and fill the centers with the brown sugar mixed with the cinnamon. Put a small piece of b.u.t.ter on top of each apple, pour the water in the bottom of the pan, set in the oven, and bake until the apples are soft. Baste frequently with the juice that collects in the bottom of the pan. Serve hot or cold, as desired.

Apples baked in this way may be improved in flavor by serving grape juice over them. Heat the grape juice, and then, if the apples are to be served hot, pour about 2 tablespoonfuls over each apple just before serving. In case the apples are to be served cold, pour the hot grape juice over them and then allow them to cool.

54. MAPLE APPLES.--Apples cooked in maple sirup have a very pleasing flavor. The sirup that remains in the pan is poured over the apples when they are served.

MAPLE APPLES (Sufficient to Serve Six)

6 medium-sized apples 1 c. maple sirup

Wash, peel, and core the apples. Bring the maple sirup to the boiling point in a saucepan. Drop the apples into the hot sirup, cook first on one side, and then turn and cook on the other. As soon as they become soft, remove from the sirup, pour the sirup over them, and serve.

55. STEAMED APPLES.--If it is desired to retain the color in apples that have red skins, they should be steamed instead of baked, for the color is lost in baking. Prepare apples that are to be steamed by washing them and removing the cores. Place the apples in a pan with a perforated bottom, put this over a pan of boiling water, cover closely, and steam until they are soft. Serve in any desired way. They will be found to be delicious in flavor and attractive in appearance.

APRICOTS

56. APRICOTS, in appearance, are a cross between peaches and plums. They are grown extensively in the western part of the United States, but they can be grown in any climate where peaches and plums are raised. As they contain considerable acid, they require a large quant.i.ty of sugar when they are cooked with their skins and seeds. They are used most frequently for canning, but they make excellent marmalades and jams.

They are also dried in large quant.i.ties and, in this form, make delicious desserts.

57. APRICOT SOUFFLe.--No more attractive as well as delicious dessert can be prepared than apricot souffle, which is ill.u.s.trated in Fig. 3.

The apricots are just tart enough to give it a very pleasing flavor.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 3]

APRICOT SOUFFLe (Sufficient to Serve Six)

2 Tb. b.u.t.ter 4 Tb. flour 1/3 c. sugar Pinch of salt 1 c. scalded milk 3 eggs 1/2 tsp. vanilla 1 can apricots

Melt the b.u.t.ter, add the flour, sugar, and salt, and stir in the hot milk. Bring this mixture to the boiling point. Separate the yolks and whites of the eggs. Beat the yolks until they are thick and lemon-colored, and then pour the hot mixture over them, stirring constantly to prevent the eggs from curding. Beat the whites until they are stiff, fold them into the mixture, and add the vanilla. Place the apricots without juice in a layer on the bottom of the b.u.t.tered baking dish, pour the mixture over them, and bake for 45 to 60 minutes in a hot oven, when it should be baked through and slightly brown on top and should appear as in Fig. 3. Remove from the oven and serve with the sirup from the apricots. Whipped cream may also be added if desired.

CHERRIES

58. CHERRIES come in numerous varieties, some of which are sweet and others sour. The method of using them in cookery depends largely on the kind of cherry that is to be used. Any of the varieties may be canned with varying quant.i.ties of sugar and then used for sauce. They also make excellent preserves, especially the sour varieties. However, they do not contain pectin in sufficient quant.i.ty for jelly, so that when cherry jelly is desired, other fruit or material containing pectin must be used with the cherries. When purchased in the market, cherries usually have their stems on. They should be washed before the stems are removed. The seeds may be taken out by hand or by means of cherry seeders made especially for this purpose.

59. CHERRY FRITTERS.--Something different in the way of dessert can be had by making cherry fritters according to the accompanying recipe.

CHERRY FRITTERS (Sufficient to Serve Six)

1 c. flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt 2 Tb. sugar 1/2 c. milk 1 egg 2 Tb. b.u.t.ter 1/2 c. cherries cut into halves

Mix and sift the dry ingredients, add the milk and egg, and beat all together well. Add the melted b.u.t.ter and fold in the cherries. Drop by spoonfuls into hot fat and fry until brown. Remove from the fat, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve.

GRAPES

60. GRAPES are a fruit extensively cultivated both for eating and for the making of wines and raisins. Although found in many varieties, they naturally divide themselves into two general cla.s.ses: those which retain their skins, such as the Malaga, Tokay, Muscat, Cornichon, Emperor, etc., and those which slip out of their skins easily, such as the Concord, Niagara, Delaware, Catawba, etc.

Grapes are much used as a fresh fruit. When they are to be used in this way, the bunches should be put into a colander and washed thoroughly by running cold water over them. Then all the imperfect ones should be removed and the grapes kept cool until they are to be served. Clean grape leaves make an attractive garnish for the individual plates or the serving dish on which the grapes are placed. Grapes are also used extensively for making jelly and grape juice, a beverage that is well liked.

61. It will be found that through proper care grapes can be kept a long time in the fall after they are removed from the vines, provided perfect bunches are obtained and they are picked before they have become too ripe. To preserve such grapes, dip the ends of the stems into melted sealing wax in order to prevent the evaporation of moisture through the stems. Then, in a cool, dry place, lay the bunches out on racks in a single layer, taking care not to crush nor bruise them.

62. UNFERMENTED GRAPE JUICE WITH WATER.--Grape juice may be made either with or without water. That in which water is used in the making usually requires no diluting when it is served as a beverage. Concord grapes are perhaps used more commonly for the making of grape juice than any other variety, but other kinds, particularly Catawbas and Niagaras, may be used as well.

UNFERMENTED GRAPE JUICE WITH WATER

12 qt. grapes 2 qt. water 4 lb. sugar

Wash the grapes and remove them from the stems. Put them with the water into a preserving kettle, and heat gradually until the skins of the grapes burst. Dip off as much juice as possible, and put it into a jelly bag. Continue to heat and dip off the juice in this way until the pulp is comparatively dry. Then add a little more water to the pulp and put it in the bag to drip. When all the juice has dripped through the bag, pour it back into the preserving kettle, add the sugar, and bring to the boiling point. Stir frequently, so that the sugar will be well dissolved. Pour into jars or bottles, seal, and sterilize by cooking for about 5 minutes in hot water that nearly covers the bottles. Any large receptacle that will hold sufficient water may be used as a sterilizer.

63. UNFERMENTED GRAPE JUICE WITHOUT WATER.--When grape juice is made without water, it is both thick and rich. Consequently, it should usually be diluted with water when it is served as a beverage.

UNFERMENTED GRAPE JUICE WITHOUT WATER

12 qt. grapes 3 lb. sugar

Wash the grapes, remove them from the stems, and put them into a preserving kettle. Heat very slowly and mash with a spoon, so that enough juice will be pressed out and thus prevent the grapes from scorching. Remove the juice as it forms and put it into a jelly bag.

When all of it has been taken from the grapes and strained through the jelly bag, strain the pulp and put all the juice into a preserving kettle, add the sugar, and bring to the boiling point. Pour into bottles or jars, seal, and sterilize in a water bath for about 5 minutes.

PEACHES

64. PEACHES may be divided into two general cla.s.ses: those having a yellow skin and those having a white skin. In each of these cla.s.ses are found both _clingstone_ and _freestone_ peaches; that is, peaches whose pulp adheres tightly to the seed, or stone, and those in which the pulp can be separated easily from the stone. When peaches are purchased for canning or for any use in which it is necessary to remove the seeds, freestones should be selected. Clingstones may be used when the stones are allowed to remain in the fruit, as in pickled peaches, and for jams, preserves, or b.u.t.ters, in which small pieces may be used or the entire peach mashed. Whether to select yellow or white peaches, however, is merely a matter of taste, as some persons prefer one kind and some the other.

65. Peaches are not satisfactory for jelly making, because they do not contain pectin. However, the juice of peaches makes a very good sirup if it is sweetened and cooked until it is thick. Such sirup is really just as delicious as maple sirup with griddle cakes. Peaches are used to a large extent for canning and are also made into preserves, jams, and b.u.t.ters. In addition, they are much used without cooking, for they are favored by most persons. When they are to be served whole, they should be washed and then wiped with a damp cloth to remove the fuzz. The skins may be removed by blanching the peaches in boiling water or peeling them with a sharp knife. If they are then sliced or cut in any desirable way and served with cream and sugar, they make a delicious dessert.

66. STEWED PEACHES.--Fresh stewed peaches make a very desirable dessert to serve with simple cake or cookies. Children may very readily eat such dessert without danger of digestive disturbances. Adding a tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter to the hot stewed peaches and then serving them over freshly made toast makes a delightful breakfast dish. The cooked peaches may also be run through a sieve, reheated with a little flour or corn starch to thicken them slightly, and then served hot on b.u.t.tered toast.

STEWED PEACHES (Sufficient to Serve Eight)

1-1/2 qt. peaches 1 lb. sugar 1 c. water

Peel the peaches, cut into halves, and remove the seeds. Put the sugar and water over the fire to cook in a saucepan and bring to a rapid boil.

Add the peaches and cook until they may be easily pierced with a fork.

67. BAKED PEACHES.--When peaches are to be baked, select large firm ones. Wash them thoroughly and cut them into halves, removing the stones. Place the peaches in a shallow pan, fill the cavities with sugar, and dot the top of each half with b.u.t.ter. Set in the oven and bake until the peaches become soft. Serve hot or cold, either with or without cream, as desired.

PEARS

68. PEARS, like apples, come in summer and winter varieties. The summer varieties must be utilized during the summer and early fall or must be canned at this time to preserve them for future use. Winter pears, however, may be stored, for they keep like apples. A number of the small varieties of pears are much used for pickling. Pears are most valuable when they are canned and used for sauce. They cannot be used for jelly, because they do not contain sufficient acid nor pectin. The juice from canned pears, because of its mild flavor, is often found to be valuable in the feeding of invalids or persons who have gastric troubles. It is usually advisable to pick pears before they are entirely ripe, for then they may be kept for a considerable length of time and will ripen slowly.