Woman's Institute Library of Cookery Volume V Part 31

35. FILTERED COFFEE.--When it is desired to make coffee by the filtering process, the coffee must be ground into powder. Then it should be made in a drip, or French, coffee pot. If one of these is not available, cheesecloth of several thicknesses may be subst.i.tuted. The advantage of making coffee by this method is that the coffee grounds may sometimes be used a second time.

FILTERED COFFEE (Sufficient to Serve Six)

1/2 c. powdered coffee 1 qt. boiling water

Place the coffee in the top of the drip pot, pour the boiling water over it, and allow the water to drip through into the vessel below. When all has run through, remove the water and pour it over the coffee a second time. If cheesecloth is to be used, put the coffee in it, suspend it over the coffee pot or other convenient utensil, and proceed as with the drip pot.

36. PERCOLATED COFFEE.--The coffee used for percolated coffee should be ground finer than for boiled coffee, but not so fine as for filtered coffee. This is perhaps the easiest way in which to prepare coffee and at the same time the surest method of securing good coffee.

PERCOLATED COFFEE (Sufficient to Serve Six)

1/2 c. finely ground coffee 1 qt. cold water

Place the coffee in the perforated compartment in the top of the percolator and pour the cold water in the lower chamber. As the water heats, it is forced up through the vertical tube against the top. It then falls over the coffee and percolates through into the water below.

This process begins before the water boils, but the hotter the water becomes the more rapidly does it percolate through the coffee. The process continues as long as the heat is applied, and the liquid becomes stronger in flavor as it repeatedly pa.s.ses through the coffee. When the coffee has obtained the desired strength, serve at once.

37. AFTER-DINNER COFFEE.--After a rather elaborate meal, a small cup of very strong, black coffee is often served. To prepare after-dinner coffee, as this kind is called, follow any of the methods already explained, but make it twice as strong as coffee that is to accompany the usual meal. Sugar and cream may be added to after-dinner coffee, but usually this coffee is drunk black and unsweetened.

38. VIENNA COFFEE.--An especially nice way in which to serve coffee is to combine it with boiled milk and whipped cream. It is then known as Vienna coffee. The accompanying directions are for just 1 cup, as this is prepared a cupful at a time.

VIENNA COFFEE (Sufficient to Serve One)

1/4 c. boiled milk 3 Tb. whipped cream 1/2 c. hot filtered coffee, or coffee prepared by any method

Place the boiled milk in a cup, add the whipped cream, and fill the cup with the hot coffee.

39. ICED COFFEE.--Persons fond of coffee find iced coffee a most delicious hot-weather drink. Iced coffee is usually served in a gla.s.s, as shown in Fig. 5, rather than in a cup, and when whipped cream is added an attractive beverage results.

To prepare iced coffee, make coffee by any desired method, but if the boiling method is followed be careful to strain the liquid so that it is entirely free from grounds. Cool the liquid and then pour into gla.s.ses containing cracked ice. Serve with plain cream and sugar or with a tablespoonful or two of whipped cream. If desired, however, the cream may be omitted and the coffee served with an equal amount of milk, when it is known as _iced cafe au lait_.

40. LEFT-OVER COFFEE.--The aim of the person who prepares coffee should be to make the exact quant.i.ty needed, no more nor no less, and this can usually be done if directions are carefully followed. However, if any coffee remains after all are served, it should not be thrown away, as it can be utilized in several ways. Drain the liquid from the grounds as soon as possible so that the flavor will not be impaired.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 5]

If desired, left-over coffee may be added to fresh coffee when it is prepared for the next meal or, in hot weather, it may be used for iced coffee. It may also be used to flavor gelatine, which, when sweetened and served with whipped cream, makes an excellent dessert. Again, left-over coffee is very satisfactory as a flavoring for cake icing, for custards, or for whipped cream that is to be served with desserts. When coffee is desired for flavoring, it should be boiled in order to evaporate some of the water. Very good cake is made by using left-over coffee for the liquid and spices for the flavoring.

SERVING COFFEE

41. The serving of coffee may be done in several ways, but, with the exception of iced coffee, this beverage should always be served as hot as possible. As can well be imagined, nothing is more insipid than lukewarm coffee. Therefore, coffee is preferably made immediately before it is to be served. Sugar and cream usually accompany coffee, but they may be omitted if they are not desired.

Coffee may be served with the dinner course, with the dessert, or after the dessert. When it is served with the dinner course or the dessert, a coffee cup or a tea cup of ordinary size is used; but when it is served after the dessert, a demi-ta.s.se, or small cup that holds less than half the amount of the other size, is preferable. Usually, after-dinner coffee, or _cafe noir_, as such black coffee is called, rather than coffee with cream and sugar, is served after the dessert course of a heavy dinner because it is supposed to be stimulating to the digestion.

The pouring of coffee may be done at the table or in the kitchen. If it is done at the table, the person serving should ask those to be served whether or not they desire cream and sugar, and then serve accordingly.

If it is done before the coffee is brought to the table, the cream and sugar should be pa.s.sed, so that those served may help themselves to the desired amount. Care should always be taken in the serving of coffee not to fill the cup so full that it will run over or that it will be too full to handle easily when the cream and sugar are added.

TEA

HISTORY AND PRODUCTION

42. TEA consists of the prepared leaves or leaf buds of a plant known as the tea plant and is used as one of the three stimulating beverages.

This plant is grown in China, j.a.pan, India, Ceylon, and the East Indies, and to a small extent in South Carolina. There are two distinct varieties of tea, and each one may be used for the preparation of either green or black tea. The leaves of the tea plant, which are what is used for making the beverage, are gathered four times a year from the time the plants are 4 years old until they are 10 or 12 years old. Then the plants are pulled up and new ones planted. Upon being gathered, the leaves are put through a series of processes before they are ready for use. During this treatment, various modifications of flavor are developed and the leaves are changed in color to black or green, depending on the process used.

43. It is surprising to most persons to learn that tea was known in China for many years before people began to make a beverage of it. The first record of its use as a beverage was probably in the 6th century, when an infusion of tea leaves was given to a ruler of the Chinese Empire to cure a headache. A century later, tea had come into common use as a beverage in that country. As civilization advanced and new countries were formed, tea was introduced as a beverage, and today there is scarcely a locality in which it is not commonly used.

44. CLa.s.sIFICATION OF TEA AS TO QUALITY.--The position of the leaf on the tea plant determines the quality of the tea. The farther from the top, the coa.r.s.er are the leaves and the poorer is the quality. On the other hand, the smaller the leaves and the nearer the top, the better is the quality. In the very best qualities of tea, the buds of the plant are included with the tiny top leaves.

45. Tea that is raised in China is graded in a particular way, and it will be well to understand this grading. The top buds are used entirely for a variety known as _flowery pekoe_, but this is seldom found in our markets. The youngest leaves next to the buds are made into a tea called _orange pekoe_; the next older leaves are used for _pekoe_; the third, for _souchong first_; the fourth, for _souchong second_; the fifth, for _congou_; and if there is another leaf, it is made into a tea known as _bohea_. Sometimes the first three leaves are mixed, and when this is done the tea is called _pekoe_. If they are mixed with the next two, the tea is called _souchong pekoe_. The laws controlling the importation of tea require that each shipment be tested before it pa.s.ses the custom house, to determine whether or not it contains what the label claims for it.

46. VARIETIES OF TEA.--The teas that are put on the market are of two general varieties, _black tea_ and _green tea_. Any quality of tea or tea raised in any country may be made into these two kinds, for, as has been mentioned, it is the method of preparation that is accountable for the difference. A number of the common brands of tea are blends or mixtures of green and black tea. These, which are often called _mixed teas_, are preferred by many persons to the pure tea of either kind.

47. BLACK TEA is made by fermenting the tea leaves before they are dried. This fermentation turns them black and produces a marked change in their flavor. The process of preparation also renders some of the tannin insoluble; that is, not so much of it can be dissolved when the beverage is made. Some well-known brands of black tea are _China congou_, or _English breakfast_, _Formosa_, _oolong_, and the various _pekoes_. The English are especially fond of black tea, and the people of the United States have followed their custom to the extent that it has become a favorite in this country.

48. GREEN TEA is made by steaming the leaves and then drying them, a process that retains the green color. With tea of this kind, all fermentation of the leaves is carefully avoided. Some familiar kinds of green tea are _hyson_, _j.a.pan_, and _gunpowder_. The best of these are the ones that come from j.a.pan.

PREPARATION OF TEA

49. SELECTION OF TEA.--In the course of its preparation, tea is rolled either into long, slender pieces or into little b.a.l.l.s. Knowing this, the housewife should be able to detect readily the stems and other foreign material sometimes found in teas, especially the cheaper varieties. Such teas should be avoided, for they are lacking not only in flavor but also in strength. If economy must be practiced, the moderately expensive grades will prove to be the best ones to buy.

50. METHODS OF MAKING TEA.--Upon steeping tea in hot water, a very pleasant beverage results. If this is properly made, a gentle stimulant that can be indulged in occasionally by normal adults without harmful results can be expected. However, the value of tea as a beverage has at all times been much overestimated. When it is served as afternoon tea, as is frequently done, its chief value lies in the pleasant hospitality that is afforded by pouring it. Especially is this the case in England, where the inhabitants have adopted the pretty custom of serving afternoon tea and feel that guests have not received the hospitality of the home until tea has been served. Through their continued use of this beverage, the English have become expert in tea making.

51. The Russians are also adepts so far as the making of tea is concerned. They use a very good kind of tea, called _caravan tea_, which is packed in lead-covered packages and brought to them by caravans. This method of packing and delivery is supposed to have a ripening effect on the leaves and to give them an unusually good flavor. For making tea, the Russians use an equipment called a _samovar_. This is an urn that is constantly kept filled with boiling water, so that tea can be served to all visitors or callers that come, no matter what time of day they arrive.

52. Most persons, however, make tea into a beverage by steeping it in boiling water or by placing it in a tea ball or some similar utensil and then allowing it to stand in boiling water for a short time. Whichever method of preparation is followed, the water must be at the boiling point and it must be freshly boiled. Water that has been boiled for any length of time becomes very insipid and flat to the taste and affects the flavor of the tea. Tea leaves that have been used once should never be resteeped, for more tannin is extracted than is desirable and the good tea flavor is lost, producing a very unwholesome beverage. As a rule, 1 to 1-1/2 teaspoonfuls of tea to 1 cupful of water is the proportion followed in tea making.

53. STEEPED TEA.--When tea is to be steeped, a teapot is used. That the best results may be secured, the teapot should always be freshly scalded and the water freshly boiled.

STEEPED TEA (Sufficient to Serve Six)

2 Tb. tea 1 qt. boiling water

Scald the teapot. Put the tea into the teapot and pour the boiling water over it. Let stand on the back of the stove for 3 minutes, when a beverage of sufficient strength will be formed. Strain the beverage from the tea leaves and serve at once.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 6]

54. AFTERNOON TEA.--When tea is desired for afternoon serving or when it is to be prepared at the table, a _tea ball_ is the most satisfactory utensil to use. This is a perforated silver or aluminum ball, such as shown in Fig. 6, which opens by means of a hinge and into which the tea is placed. For convenience in use, a chain is attached to the ball and ends in a ring that is large enough to slip over the finger. Some teapots contain a ball attached to the inside of the lid and suspended inside the pot. Utensils of this kind are very convenient, for when the tea made in them becomes strong enough, the leaves may be removed without pouring off the tea.

To prepare afternoon tea with a tea ball, put 1 or 2 teaspoonfuls of tea in the ball, fasten it securely, and place it in a cup. Then pour enough freshly boiled water over the ball to fill the cup to the desired height. Allow the ball to remain in the water until the desired strength is attained and then remove it. If more than 2 or 3 persons are to be served, it will be necessary to refill the ball.

55. ICED TEA.--Perhaps one of the most refreshing drinks for warm weather is iced tea. A tea that is especially blended for this purpose and that is cheaper in price than other tea may be purchased. Slices of lemon or crushed mint leaves add much to the flavor of the tea and are often served with it.

Prepare tea by steeping it, but make it double strength. Strain it from the leaves and allow it to become cool. Then pour it into gla.s.ses containing cracked ice. Serve with sugar and slices of lemon or mint leaves.

56. LEFT-OVER TEA.--Tea that remains after all persons are served need not be wasted if it is poured off the leaves at once. Such tea is satisfactory for iced tea, or it may be combined with certain fruit juices in the preparation of various cold beverages. However, there are not many satisfactory uses for left-over tea; so it is best to take pains not to make more than will be required for one time.