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diff --git a/28491-8.txt b/28491-8.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..eefb6b0 --- /dev/null +++ b/28491-8.txt @@ -0,0 +1,5715 @@ +The Project Gutenberg eBook of Dishes & Beverages of the Old South, by +Martha McCulloch Williams, Illustrated by Russel Crofoot + + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + + + + +Title: Dishes & Beverages of the Old South + + +Author: Martha McCulloch Williams + + + +Release Date: April 4, 2009 [eBook #28491] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + + +***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DISHES & BEVERAGES OF THE OLD +SOUTH*** + + +E-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland and the Project Gutenberg Online +Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net) + + + +Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this + file which includes the original illustrations. + See 28491-h.htm or 28491-h.zip: + (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/8/4/9/28491/28491-h/28491-h.htm) + or + (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/8/4/9/28491/28491-h.zip) + + + + + +DISHES & BEVERAGES OF THE OLD SOUTH + +by + +Martha McCulloch-Williams + +Author of "Field Farings," "Two of a Trade," "Milre," "Next to the +Ground," etc. + +Decorations by Russel Crofoot + + + + + + + +[Illustration] + + +New York +McBride Nast & Company +1913 + +Copyright, 1913, by +Mcbride, Nast & Co. + +Published, October, 1913 + + + + +CONTENTS + + PAGE + + GRACE BEFORE MEAT 9 + + THE STAFF OF LIFE 26 + + SAVING YOUR BACON 39 + + HAMS AND OTHER HAMS 59 + + FOR THIRSTY SOULS 72 + + PASTE, PIES, PUDDINGS 90 + + CREOLE COOKERY 118 + + CAKES, GREAT AND SMALL 136 + + MEAT, POULTRY, GAME, EGGS 158 + + SOUPS, SALADS, RELISHES 185 + + VEGETABLES, FRUIT DESSERTS, SANDWICHES 202 + + PICKLES, PRESERVES, COFFEE, TEA, CHOCOLATE 220 + + WHEN THE ORCHARDS "HIT" 239 + + UPON OCCASIONS 257 + + SOAP AND CANDLES 292 + + + + +Dishes & Beverages + +of the + +Old South + + + + +[Illustration: _Grace before Meat_] + + +"Let me cook the dinners of a nation, and I shall not care who makes its +laws." Women, if they did but know it, might well thus paraphrase a +famous saying. Proper dinners mean so much--good blood, good health, +good judgment, good conduct. The fact makes tragic a truth too little +regarded; namely, that while bad cooking can ruin the very best of raw +foodstuffs, all the arts of all the cooks in the world can do no more +than palliate things stale, flat and unprofitable. To buy such things is +waste, instead of economy. Food must satisfy the palate else it will +never truly satisfy the stomach. An unsatisfied stomach, or one +overworked by having to wrestle with food which has bulk out of all +proportion to flavor, too often makes its vengeful protest in dyspepsia. +It is said underdone mutton cost Napoleon the battle of Leipsic, and +eventually his crown. I wonder, now and then, if the prevalence of +divorce has any connection with the decline of home cooking? + +A far cry, and heretical, do you say, gentle reader? Not so far after +all--these be sociologic days. I am but leading up to the theory with +facts behind it, that it was through being the best fed people in the +world, we of the South Country were able to put up the best fight in +history, and after the ravages and ruin of civil war, come again to our +own. We might have been utterly crushed but for our proud and pampered +stomachs, which in turn gave the bone, brain and brawn for the conquests +of peace. So here's to our Mammys--God bless them! God rest them! This +imperfect chronicle of the nurture wherewith they fed us is inscribed +with love to their memory. + +Almost my earliest memory is of Mammy's kitchen. Permission to loiter +there was a Reward of Merit--a sort of domestic Victoria Cross. If, when +company came to spend the day, I made my manners prettily, I might see +all the delightful hurley-burley of dinner-cooking. My seat was the +biscuit block, a section of tree-trunk at least three feet across, and +waist-high. Mammy set me upon it, but first covered it with her clean +apron--it was almost the only use she ever made of the apron. The block +stood well out of the way--next the meal barrel in the corner behind the +door, and hard by the Short Shelf, sacred to cake and piemaking, as the +Long Shelf beneath the window was given over to the three water +buckets--cedar with brass hoops always shining like gold--the piggin, +also of cedar, the corn-bread tray, and the cup-noggin. Above, the log +wall bristled with knives of varying edge, stuck in the cracks; with +nails whereon hung flesh-forks, spoons, ladles, skimmers. These were for +the most part hand-wrought, by the local blacksmith. The forks in +particular were of a classic grace--so much so that when, in looking +through my big sister's mythology I came upon a picture of Neptune with +his trident, I called it his flesh-fork, and asked if he were about to +take up meat with it, from the waves boiling about his feet. + +The kitchen proper would give Domestic Science heart failure, yet it +must have been altogether sanitary. Nothing about it was tight enough to +harbor a self-respecting germ. It was the rise of twenty feet square, +built stoutly of hewn logs, with a sharply pitched board roof, a movable +loft, a plank floor boasting inch-wide cracks, a door, two windows and a +fireplace that took up a full half of one end. In front of the fireplace +stretched a rough stone hearth, a yard in depth. Sundry and several +cranes swung against the chimney-breast. When fully in commission they +held pots enough to cook for a regiment. The pots themselves, of cast +iron, with close-fitting tops, ran from two to ten gallons in capacity, +had rounded bottoms with three pertly outstanding legs, and ears either +side for the iron pot-hooks, which varied in size even as did the pots +themselves. + +Additionally there were ovens, deep and shallow, spiders, skillets, a +couple of tea-kettles, a stew kettle, a broiler with a long +spider-legged trivet to rest on, a hoe-baker, a biscuit-baker, and +waffle-irons with legs like tongs. Each piece of hollow ware had its +lid, with eye on top for lifting off with the hooks. Live coals, spread +on hearth and lids, did the cooking. To furnish them there was a wrought +iron shovel, so big and heavy nobody but Mammy herself could wield it +properly. Emptied vessels were turned upside down on the floor under the +Long Shelf--grease kept away rust. But before one was used it had to be +scoured with soap and sand rock, rinsed and scalded. Periodically every +piece was burned out--turned upside down over a roaring fire and left +there until red hot, then slowly cooled. This burning out left a fine +smooth surface after scouring. Cast iron, being in a degree porous, +necessarily took up traces of food when it had been used for cooking a +month or so. + +Ah me! What savors, what flavors came out of the pots! Years on years I +was laughed at for maintaining that no range ever turned out things to +equal open-hearth cookery. But it took paper bags to prove beyond cavil +the truth of my contention. Even paper-bagging does not quite match the +open-hearth process, though there is the same secret of superiority, +namely, cooking things in their own essence by the agency of hot air. +The sealed and loaded bag needs must be laid on a grate-shelf in a hot +oven--touch of solid hot iron is fatal to it. + +Iron vessels set above smoothly spread coals got hot, but not +red-hot--red heat belonged to the lids. They were swung over the fire +and heated before setting them in place--then the blanket of coals and +embers held in heat which, radiating downward, made the cooking even. +Scorching of course was possible unless the cook knew her business, and +minded it well. Our Mammys not only knew their business but loved +it--often with a devotion that raised it to the rank of Art. Add the +palate of a _gourmet_ born, a free hand at the fat, the sweet, strong +waters and high flavors--what wonder it is to envy those of us they fed! + +My individual Mammy was in figure an oblate spheroid--she stood five +feet, one inch high, weighed two hundred and fifty pounds, had a head so +flat buckets sat on it as of right, was as light on her feet, in number +twelve shoes, as the slimmest of her children and foster children, could +shame the best man on the place at lifting with the hand-stick, or chop +him to a standstill--if her axe exactly suited her. She loved her work, +her mistress, her children black and white--even me, though I was +something of a trial--her garden and her God. All these she served +fondly, faithfully, with rare good humor and the nicest judgment. Fall +soft upon her, rain and snow! Sunshine and green grass, make happy +always the slope where she rests! + +She put on a clean white frock every morning--by breakfast time it was +a sickly gray along the front--the thick of the dinner-battle was writ +large on it in black smudges. She herself explained: "I ain't sech er +dirty 'ooman--hit's dest I'se so big, dirt ketches me comin' and gwine." +Air and more air she would have, regardless of weather. The big +board-window had its shutter up all day long--the glass window was a +vexation, since it opened only halfway. By way of evening things, +daubing and chinking got knocked out of at least half the cracks between +the wall logs as sure as Easter came--not to be replaced until the week +before Christmas. I doubt if they would have been put back even then, +but that Mammy dreaded criticism, from maids and carriage drivers +visiting kinfolk brought with them. Big yawning cracks in cold weather +were in a way the hall-mark of poor-white cabins. It would have half +broken Mammy's heart to give anybody room to say she belonged to less +than real quality. + +She was autocratic; a benevolent despot; withal severe. If I displeased +her by meddling, putting small grimy fingers into pies they should not +touch, she set me to shelling black-eyed peas--a task my soul loathed, +likewise the meddlesome fingers--still I knew better than to sulk or +whine over it. For that I would have been sent back into the house. The +kitchen stood thirty yards away from the back door, with a branchy oak +in front of it, and another, even branchier, shading the log foot-way +between. The house offered only grown-up talk, which rarely interested +me. In the kitchen I caught scraps of Brer Rabbit's history, pithily +applied, other scraps of song--Mammy always "gave out" the words to +herself before singing them--proverbs and sayings such as "Cow want her +tail agin in fly-time" applied to an ingrate, or: "Dat's er high kick +fer er low horse," by way of setting properly in place a pretender. + +Best of all, I got the latest news of the countryside for ten miles +around. Wireless has little on the way things ran about among the +plantations. It was a point of honor among the black men to have wives +or sweethearts away from home. This meant running about +nightly--consequently cross-currents of gossip lively enough to make the +yellowest journal turn green with envy. Mammy was a trifle apologetic +over having a husband no further off than the next neighbor's. To make +up for it, however, the husbands who came to his house lived from three +to five miles away--and one of them worked at the mill, hence was a +veritable human chronicle. Thus Mammy was able to hold her head up with +Susan, her sister, who milked and washed. + +Susan might have been called a widow of degrees--she had had three +husbands, but only two were living. The last parting was always +threatening to end in meeting over again--still that did not hinder her +cabin from being the rendezvous of all the likeliest fellows within easy +walking range. Naturally she had things to tell--worth hearing whether +or no they were true. So also had Phoebe, who was a sort of scullion, +fetching in wood and water, gathering vegetables, picking chickens, +scouring all things from the big pot to the floor. Shelves were scoured +daily, the floor three times a week. This had to be a matter of faith +after an hour or so--it certainly did not look it. Sweeping, done three +times a day, was largely a matter of form. Phoebe went conscientiously +over the uncluttered spaces, and even reached the nose of her broom +between pots and ovens, but only coarse trash gathered before the +broom--all the rest went through the cracks. + +Mammy said Phoebe's news could be believed. "De gal don't know no mo'n +ter tell dest whut she done heard." She truly was slow-witted and +slow-spoken, but Isham, her step-father, was cook to the Gresham +brothers, the beaux of the neighborhood, who kept bachelor's hall. His +mother had been their Mammy--hence his inherited privilege of knowing +rather more about his young masters than they knew themselves. + +Little pitchers have big ears. Set it to the credit of the black folk, +they always had regard for the innocence of childhood. Scandal was +merely breathed--not even so hinted as to arouse curiosity. Foul speech +I never heard from them nor a trace of profanity. What I did hear was a +liberal education in the humanities--as time passes I rate more and more +highly the sense of values it fixed in a plastic mind. I think it must +have been because our Mammys saw all things from the elemental angle, +they were critics so illuminating of manners and morals. + +Here ends reminiscence, set down in hope it may breed understanding. All +I actually learned from Mammy and her cooking was--how things ought to +taste. The which is essential. It has been the pole-star of my career as +a cook. Followed faithfully along the Way of Many Failures, through a +Country of Tribulations, it has brought me into the haven of knowledge +absolute. If the testimony of empty plates and smiling guests can +establish a fact, then I am a good cook--though limited. I profess only +to cook the things I care to cook well. Hence I have set my hand to +this, a real cook's book. Most cook books are written by folk who cook +by hearsay--it is the fewest number of real cooks who can write so as +not to bewilder the common or garden variety of mind. The bulk of what +follows has an old-time Southern foundation, with such frillings as +experience approves. To it there will be added somewhat of Creole +cookery, learned and proved here in New York town by grace of Milly, the +very queen of New Orleans cooks, temporarily transplanted. Also sundry +and several delectable dishes of alien origins--some as made in France +or Germany, some from the far Philippines, but all proved before record. +In each case the source is indicated in the title. Things my very own, +evolved from my inner consciousness, my outer opportunity and +environment, I shall likewise mark personal. + +Lastly, but far from leastly, let me make protest against +over-elaboration, alike in food and the serving thereof. The very best +decoration for a table is something good in the plates. This is not +saying one should not plan to please the eye no less than the palate. +But ribbon on sandwiches is an anachronism--so is all the flummery of +silk and laces, doilies and doo-dads that so often bewilder us. They are +unfair to the food--as hard to live up to as anybody's blue china. I +smile even yet, remembering my husband's chuckles, after we had come +home from eating delicatessen chicken off ten-dollar plates, by help of +antique silver. Somehow the viands and the service seemed "out of +drawing." + +Quoth Heine the cynic: "Woman, woman! Much must be forgiven thee! Thou +hast loved much--and many." Edibly I love much rather than many. Enough +of one thoroughly good thing, with proper accessories, is more +satisfying than seven courses--each worse than the last. Also cheaper, +also much less trouble. If time has any value, the economy of it in +dishwashing alone is worth considering. In these piping days of rising +prices, economy sounds good, even in the abstract. Add the concrete fact +that you save money as well as trouble, and the world of cooks may well +sit up and take notice. + +The one-piece dinner is as convenient and comfortable as the one-piece +frock. There are, of course, occasions to which it is unsuited. +One-piece must be understood to mean the _pièce de resistance_--the +backbone of subsistence as it were. A bowl of rich soup or chowder, with +crackers on the side, a generous helping of well-cooked meat, with bread +or potatoes, and the simplest relishes, or a royally fat pudding overrun +with brandy sauce; each or either can put it all over a splash of this, +a dab of that, a slab of something else, set lonesomely on a separate +plate and reckoned a meal--in courses. Courses are all well enough--they +have my warm heart when they come "in the picture." But when they are +mostly "The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not +seen," then I would trade them, and gladly, for as much good bread and +butter as appetite called for. + +By way of postscript: being a strict and ardent advocate of temperance, +I refused to consider writing this book unless I had full liberty to +advise the use of wine, brandy, cordials, liquors, where good cooking +demands them. Any earthly thing can be abused--to teach right use is the +best preventive of abuse. Liquors, like everything else, must be good. +"Cooking sherry" is as much an abomination as "cooking butter," or +"cooking apples." You will never get out of pot or pan anything +fundamentally better than what went into it. Cooking is not alchemy; +there is no magic in the pot. The whole art and mystery of it is to +apply heat and seasoning in such fashion as to make the best, and the +most, of such food supplies as your purse permits. Tough meat cannot be +cooked tender; tainted meat cannot be cooked sound. It is the same with +stale fish, specked or soured fruit, withered vegetables. It pays to +educate tradesfolk into understanding that you want the best and only +the best of what you buy. If the thing you want, in perfect condition, +is beyond your means, take, instead of a lower grade of it, the highest +grade of something cheaper. So shall you escape waste of time, effort +and substance. Never mind sneers at your simple fare. Remember it was +Solomon the Wise who wrote: "Better a dinner of herbs and contentment +than a stalled ox, and contention therewith." Paraphrase the last clause +into "spoiled ox and ptomaines therewith," and you may keep not only +self-respect, but that of the neighbors. + + + + +[Illustration: _The Staff of Life_] + + +Bread, more than almost any other foodstuff, can not be better than what +it is made of. Here as elsewhere a bungler can ruin the very best of +flour or meal. But the queen of cooks can not make good a fundamental +deficiency. + +Hence in buying flour look for these things: a slightly creamy +cast--dazzling whiteness shows bleaching, as a gray-white, or black +specks mean grinding from spoiled grain. The feel should be velvety, +with no trace of roughness--roughness means, commonly, mixture with +corn. A handful tightly gripped should keep the shape of the hand, and +show to a degree the markings of the palm. A pinch wet rather stiff, +and stretched between thumb and finger, will show by the length of the +thread it spins richness or poverty in gluten--one of the most valuable +food elements. + +The cornmeal of commerce will not be satisfactory in any receipt here +given. It has been bolted and kiln-dried out of all natural flavor. Take +the trouble to get meal water-ground, from white flint corn, and fresh +from the mill. Then you will have something worth spending time and +effort upon--spending them hopefully. Why, the wisest man can not +tell--but steam-ground meal is of a flavor wholly unlike that +water-ground. The grinding should be neither too fine nor too coarse. +Bran left in, and sifted out as needed, helps to save from musting, and +to preserve the delicate natural flavor. Fresh meal, in clean bright tin +or glass, or in a stout paper sack, where it is dry, cool and airy will +keep two months. Hence buy it judiciously, in proportion to your +family's corn-cake appetite. + +It is impossible to give exactly the amount of liquid for any sort of +bread-making because the condition of flour and meal varies with weather +and keeping. This applies also to sugar--hence the need for intelligence +in the use of receipts. In damp muggy weather moisture is absorbed from +the atmosphere. Upon a dry day especially if there is much wind, drying +out is inevitable. Anything that feels clammy, or that clots, should be +dried in a warm, not hot, oven. Heating flour before mixing it, taking +care not to scorch it in the least, is one small secret of light bread, +biscuit and cake. Flour in a bag may be laid in the sun with advantage. +Use judgment in mixing. Note the appearance of what you are making +closely--when it turns out extra good, set up that first condition as a +standard. + + * * * * * + +_Beaten Biscuit_: (Old Style.) Sift a quart of flour into a bowl or +tray, add half a teaspoon salt, then cut small into it a teacup of very +cold lard. Wet with cold water--ice water is best--into a very stiff +dough. Lay on a floured block, or marble slab, and give one hundred +strokes with a mallet or rolling pin. Fold afresh as the dough beats +thin, dredging in flour if it begins to stick. The end of beating is to +distribute air well through the mass, which, expanding by the heat of +baking, makes the biscuit light. The dough should be firm, but smooth +and very elastic. Roll to half-inch thickness, cut out with a small +round cutter, prick lightly all over the top, and bake in steady heat to +a delicate brown. Too hot an oven will scorch and blister, too cold an +one make the biscuit hard and clammy. Aim for the Irishman's "middle +exthrame." + +There are sundry machines which do away with beating. It is possible +also to avoid it by running the dough, after mixing, several times +through a food-chopper. Also beaten biscuit can be closely imitated by +making good puff paste, rolling, cutting out, pricking and baking--but +rather more quickly than the real thing. All these are expedients for +those who live in apartments, where the noise of beating might be held +against good neighborhood. Householders, and especially suburban ones, +should indulge in the luxury of a block or stone or marble slab--and +live happy ever after, if they can but get cooks able and willing to +make proper use of it. + +_Soda Biscuit_: (Old Style.) Sift a quart of flour with a heaping +teaspoonful of baking soda. Add a good pinch of salt, rub well through +lard or butter the size of the fist, then wet with sour milk to a +moderately soft dough, roll out, working quickly, cut with small round +cutter, set in hot pans, leaving room to swell, and bake in a quick oven +just below scorching heat. Handle as lightly as possible all +through--this makes flaky biscuit. + +By way of variety, roll out thin--less than a half-inch, cut with +three-inch cutter, grease lightly on top, and fold along the middle. Let +rise on top a hot stove several minutes before putting to bake. By +adding an egg, beaten light, with a heaping tablespoonful of sugar to +the dough in mixing, these doubled biscuit will be quite unlike the +usual sort. + +_Salt Rising Bread_: (As Mammy Made It.) Scald a tablespoonful of sifted +cornmeal, and a teaspoonful--heaped--of salt with a pint of boiling +water, let stand ten minutes, then stir in, taking care to mix smooth, +enough dried and sifted flour to make a thick batter. Damp flour will +not rise. The batter should be almost thick enough to hold the mixing +spoon upright--but not quite thick enough. Set the mixture in warm +water--just as hot as you can bear your hand in. Keep up the heat +steadily, but never make too hot--scalding ruins everything. Keep +lightly covered, and away from draughts. Look in after an hour--if water +has risen on top, stir in more flour. Watch close--in six hours the +yeast should be foamy-light. Have ready three quarts of dry sifted +flour, make a hole in the center of it, pour in the yeast, add a trifle +more salt, a tablespoonful sugar, and half a cup of lard. Work all +together to a smooth dough, rinsing out the vessel that has held the +yeast, with warm not hot water to finish the mixing. Divide into loaves, +put in greased pans, grease lightly over the top, and set to rise, in +gentle heat. When risen bake with steady quick heat. Take from pans hot, +and cool between folds of clean cloth, spread upon a rack, or else turn +the loaves edgewise upon a clean board, and cover with cheese cloth. + +To make supper-rolls, shape some of the dough into balls, brush over +with melted butter, set in a deep pan, just so they do not touch, raise +and bake the same as bread. Dough can be saved over for breakfast rolls, +by keeping it very cold, and working in at morning, a tiny pinch of soda +before shaping the balls. + +_Sweet Potato Biscuit_: (Old Style.) Boil soft two large or four small +sweet potatoes, mash smooth while very hot, free of strings and eyes, +add a pinch of salt, then rub well through three cups of sifted flour. +Rub in also a generous handful of shortening, then wet up soft with two +eggs beaten very light, and sweet milk. A little sugar also if you have +a sweet tooth--but only a little. Roll to half-inch thickness, cut out +with small cutter, lay in warm pan, and bake brown in a quick oven. +Soda and buttermilk can take the place of eggs and sweet milk--in which +case the sugar is advisable. Mix the soda with the milk--enough to make +it foamy, but no more. + +_Waffles_: (Mammy's.) Separate three eggs. Beat yolks and whites very +light. Add to the yolks alternately a pint of very rich sweet milk, and +handfuls of sifted flour. Enough to make a batter rather thicker than +cream. Put in also half a teaspoon--scant--of salt, and half a cup of +lard, or lard and butter, melted so it will barely run. Mix well, then +add the beaten whites of egg. Have the waffle irons hot but not +scorching--grease well with melted lard--the salt in butter will make +the batter stick. Cook quickly but take care not to burn. Lay on hot +plate--have a pitcher of melted butter to pour on. Lay the second waffle +upon the first, butter, and keep hot. It is not safe to begin serving +without at least six waffles in plate. This, of course, provided you +have several eaters with genuine appetites. Syrup can be passed with the +waffles--but it is profanation to drench them with it--strong clear +coffee, and broiled chicken are the proper accompaniments at breakfast. + +_Plain Corn Bread_: (The Best.) Sift sound fresh white cornmeal, wet +with cold water to a fairly soft dough, shape it by tossing from hand to +hand into small pones, and lay them as made into a hot pan well +sprinkled with dry meal. The pan should be hot enough to brown the meal +without burning it. Make the pones about an inch thick, four inches +long, and two and a half broad. Bake quickly, taking care not to scorch, +until there is a brown crust top and bottom. For hoe-cakes make the +dough a trifle softer, lay it by handfuls upon a hot-meal-sprinkled +griddle, taking care the handfuls do not touch. Flatten to half an inch, +let brown underneath, then turn, press down and brown the upper side. Do +not let yourself be seduced into adding salt--the delight of plain +corn-bread is its affinity for fresh butter. It should be eaten drenched +with butter of its own melting--the butter laid in the heart of it after +splitting pone or hoe-cake. Salt destroys this fine affinity. It +however savors somewhat bread to be eaten butterless. Therefore Mammy +always said: "Salt in corn-bread hit does taste so po' white-folks'y." +She had little patience with those neighbors of ours who perforce had no +butter to their bread. + +_Egg Bread_: (Mammy's.) Beat two eggs very light with a pinch of salt, +add two cups sifted cornmeal, then wet with a pint of buttermilk in +which a teaspoonful of soda has been dissolved. Stir in a spoonful of +shortening, barely melted, mix well, and pour into well greased pans or +skillets, cook quickly, till the crust is a good brown, and serve +immediately. Or bake in muffin moulds. For delicate stomachs the +shortening can be left out, but pans or moulds must be greased extra +well. If milk is very sour, make it one-third water--this is better than +putting in more soda. + +_Batter Cakes_: (Old Style.) Sift together half-cup flour, cup and a +half meal, add pinch of salt, scald with boiling water, stir smooth, +then add two eggs well beaten, and thin with sweet milk--it will take +about half a pint. Bake by spoonfuls on a hot, well-greased griddle--the +batter must run very freely. Serve very hot with fresh sausage, or fried +pigs' feet if you would know just how good batter cakes can be. + +_Ash Cake_: (Pioneer.) This is possible only with wood fires--to campers +or millionaires. Make dough as for plain bread, but add the least trifle +of salt, sweep the hot hearth very clean, pile the dough on it in a +flattish mound, cover with big leaves--cabbage leaves will do at a +pinch, or even thick clean paper, then pile on embers with coals over +them and leave for an hour or more, according to size. Take up, brush +off ashes, and break away any cindery bits. Serve with new butter and +fresh buttermilk. This was sometimes the sole summer supper of very +great families in the old time. Beyond a doubt, ash cake properly cooked +has a savory sweetness possible to no other sort of corn bread. + +_Mush Bread_: (Overton Receipt.) To a quart of very thick mush, well +salted, add three fresh eggs, breaking them in one after the other, and +beating hard between. When smooth add half a cup of rich milk, and half +a cup melted butter. Stir hard, then add one teaspoonful baking powder, +and bake quickly. Bake in the serving dish as it is too soft for turning +out, requiring to be dipped on the plates with a spoon. Hence the name +in some mouths: "Spoon bread." + +_Cracklin' Bread_: (Pioneer.) Sift a pint of meal, add a pinch of salt, +then mix well through a teacup of cracklings--left from rendering lard. +Wet up with boiling water, make into small pones, and bake brown in a +quick but not scorching oven. + +_Pumpkin Bread_: (Pioneer.) Sift a pint of meal, add salt to season +fully, then rub through a large cupful of stewed pumpkin, made very +smooth. Add half a cup melted lard, then mix with sweet milk to a fairly +stiff dough, make pones, and bake crisp. Mashed sweet potato can be used +instead of pumpkin, and cracklings, rubbed very fine in place of lard. +Folks curious as to older cookery, can even make persimmon bread, using +the pulp of ripe persimmons to mix with the meal--but they will need +the patience of Job to free the pulp properly from skin and seed. + +_Mush Batter Cakes_: (For Invalids.) Bring half a pint of water to a +bubbling boil in something open, add to it a pinch of salt, then by +littles, strew in a cup of sifted meal, stirring it well to avoid lumps. +Let cool partly, then cook by small spoonfuls on a hot griddle very +lightly greased. Make the spoonfuls brown on both sides, and serve very +hot. + +_Wafers_: (For Invalids or Parties.) Rub a cup of lard or butter, +through a quart of sifted flour. Butter will give enough salt--with lard +add a pinch. Mix with sweet milk, the richer the better, to a smooth +dough, not stiff nor soft. Shape into balls the size of a small egg, +roll out very thin, prick lightly all over, and bake brown--it will take +about five minutes in a quick oven. Cool on cloth and keep dry. Handle +delicately--if the wafers are what they should be; they break and +crumble at any rough touch. + + + + +[Illustration: _Saving Your Bacon_] + + +Plenty in the smokehouse was the cornerstone of the old time southern +cookery. Hence hog-killing was a festival as joyous as Christmas--and +little less sacred. There was keen rivalry amongst plantations as to +which should show the finest pen of fattening hogs. Though the +plantation force was commonly amply sufficient for the work of +slaughter, owners indulged their slaves by asking help of each other--of +course returning the favor at need. + +A far cry from a cook book, common or garden variety. Here, it is worth +its space, as explaining in a measure what follows. Namely full +direction for choosing your fatted pig, cutting him up, and making the +most of the ultimate results. Choose carcasses between a hundred and +seventy-five and a hundred and fifty pounds in weight, of a fresh pinky +white hue, free of cuts, scratches, or bruises, the skin scraped clean, +and firm, not slimy, to touch, the fat firm and white, the lean a lively +purplish pink. Two inches of clear fat over the backbone, and the thick +of the ribs should be the limit. Anything more is wasteful--unless there +is a great need of lard in the kitchen. The pig should be chilled +throughout, but not frozen--freezing injures flavor and texture +somewhat, besides preventing the proper quick striking in of salt. + +Curing space permitting, it is wise to cut up several pigs at once. The +trouble is hardly increased, and the results, especially in saving, very +much greater. The head will have been at least half severed in +slaughtering. With a very sharp butcher knife, after the pig is laid on +the chopping block, cut deeply through the skin, all round, then with a +blow or two of the axe sever the head. Next cut through the skin deeply, +either side of the back bone. The cuts should be evenly parallel, and +about two inches apart. Now turn the pig on his back, part the legs and +with the meat axe chop through the ribs, and joints. After chopping, cut +the backbone free with the knife, trim off the strip of fat for the lard +pile, chop the backbone itself into pieces three to four inches long, +until the chine is reached--the part betwixt the shoulder blades with +the high spinal processes. Leave the chine intact for smoking, along +with the jowls and sausage. + +Pull out the leaf-fat--it grows around and over the kidneys. Also pull +out the spare ribs, leaving only one or two in the shoulders. This done, +chop off feet, then with the knife cut hams and shoulders free from the +sides. Trim after cutting out, saving all trimmings for sausage. Save +every bit of pure fat for lard. Also cut away the clear fat at the top +of the sides, devoting it to the same use. Make clean cuts on the +joints--this means a knife often whetted. Trim the hams rather flat, +and shape the hip bone neatly. The commercial fashion of cutting away +all the upper half of hams is fatal to perfect flavor. Trim shoulders +close, unless they are destined to be made into sausage--in that case +put them with the other scraps. Sides can either be cut into strips four +to five inches wide the long way, after the manner of commercial +"breakfast bacon," or left whole throughout their streaky part, cutting +away solid fat along the top for lard. Separate the heads at the jaw, +leaving the tongue attached to the jowl, and taking care not to cut it. +Cut off the snout two inches above the tip, then lay the upper part of +the head, skin down, crack the inner bone with the axe, press the broken +bones apart, and take out the brains. Jowls are to be salted and +smoked--heads are best either simply corned for boiling with cabbage, +peas, beans, etc., or made in conjunction with the feet into headcheese, +whose south country name is souse. + +Use regular pickling salt--coarse-grained and lively. Spread it an inch +thick upon clean wood--a broad shelf, box bottom, or something similar. +Rub the meat well over with salt, and then lay it neatly, skin-side +down, upon the salt layer, spread more salt on top, and put on another +layer of meat. Put sides together, likewise hams and shoulders. Pack as +close as possible and fill all crevices with salt. Salt alone will save +your bacon, but a teacup of moist sugar well mixed through a +water-bucket of salt improves the flavor. Use this on sides, jowls and +chines. The joints, hams and shoulders, especially if the shoulders are +close-cut, need a trifle more sugar in the salt, also a trifle of +saltpeter--say an ounce in fine powder to three gallons of salt. Rub the +skin-sides over with plain salt, and lay upon the salt-covered shelf the +same as sides. Then take a handful of the mixture and rub it in hard +around the bone, then cover the whole cut surface half an inch thick, +spread on dry salt for another layer of hams or shoulders, and repeat. +Salt the chines lightly--their surface, cut all over, takes up too much +salt if permitted. There should be holes or cracks in the bottom to let +the dissolved salt drip away; it is best also to have it a foot at least +above the floor. + +Cover the meat thus in bulk, but not too close, and leave standing a +fortnight. The cooler and airier the place it stands in the +better--freezing even is not objectionable when the salt begins striking +in. But with freezing weather the meat must lie longer in salt. Overhaul +it after the first fortnight--that is to say break up the bulk, shake +away bloody salt, sweep the bottom clean, and put on fresh salt. But use +very little saltpeter on the joints this time--on pain of making them +too hard as to their lean. Its use is to give firmness and a handsome +clear red color--an overdose of it produces a faintly undesirable +flavor. Some famous ham makers, at this second salting, rub the cut +sides over lightly with very good molasses, and sprinkle on ground black +pepper, before adding new salt. Others rub in a teaspoonful of sugar +mixed with pounded red pepper around the bone. But very excellent hams +can be made without such excess of painstaking. + +Let the meat lie two to four weeks after overhauling, according to the +weather. Take up, wipe all over with coarse clean cloth, furnish each +piece with a loop of stout twine at least four inches long, and so run +through the flesh, tearing out is impossible. Run through the hock of +hams, the upper tip of shoulders, the thickest part of sides, the +pointed tip of jowls. Jowls may not need to lie so long as bigger +pieces, especially if part of their fat has gone to lard. Chines can be +hung up in three weeks, and cured with a very light smoking, along with +the bags of sausage. + +Hang hams highest, shoulders next, then sides, jowls, etc. Leave to drip +forty-eight hours unless the weather turns suddenly warm, damp and +muggy--in that case start the smoking after a few hours. Smoke from +green hickory, sound and bright, is needed for the finest flavor. Lay +small logs so they will hug together as they burn, kindle fire along the +whole length of them, then smother it with damp, small chips, trash, +bark and so on, but take care to have everything sound. Rotten wood, or +that which is water-logged or mildewed, makes rank, ill-smelling smoke. +Take greater care that the logs never blaze up, also that the meat is +high enough to escape fire-heating. Once it gets hot from the fire all +your trouble will have been for naught--though it will not be tainted it +will have the same taste and smell--the degree marking the extent of the +heating. + +Old southern smokehouses had for the most part earthen floors, trenched +to make the smoke fires safe. Some had puncheon floors, with an earthen +hearth in the middle, whereupon was placed a furnace of loose +brick--that could be kicked over at need, smothering an outbreaking +fire. Still others had big cast iron kettles sunk in a sort of well in +the floor--with a handy water bucket for quenching fires. Whatever the +floor, eternal vigilance was the price of safe bacon--you looked at the +smokehouse fires first thing in the morning and last at night. They were +put out at sundown, but had a knack of burning again from some hidden +seed of live coal. Morning smoke could not well be too thick, provided +it smelled right--keen and clean, reminiscent of sylvan fragrance--a +thick, acrid smoke that set you sneezing and coughing, was "most +tolerable and not to be endured." It was not well to leave the smoke too +thick at night--somehow the chill then condensed it. A thin, blue, +hot-scented but cool, vapor was the thing to strive for then. There were +folk who suggested furnaces--with smoke pipes leading in--ever so much +safer they said, withal much less trouble. Why! even the smoke from a +cooking stove might be made to answer. But these progressives were heard +coldly--the old timers knew in right of tradition and experience, the +need of well ventilated smoke. + +It gave this present chronicler a feeling of getting home again, to walk +through the curing rooms of perhaps the most famous bacon makers in the +world, and find them practicing the wisdom of her childhood. Namely +using hickory smoke not delivered from furnace pipes but welling up, up, +in beautiful wreathy spirals, to reach row on row of hams and +flitches--and to be told, by a kind person who did not know she already +knew, that their curing was patterned on the old English model--curing +in the smoke of great-throated stone hall chimneys. Yes--they had tried +pipes--furnaces likewise--but they gave too much heat, did not +distribute smoke evenly, besides being almost impossible of regulation. +Hence the smoldering hickory that was like a breath from a far past. + +Notwithstanding, the chronicler is of opinion that folk who would like +to try their hands at bacon making may do it with a fair hope without +building regular smoke houses. To such she would say, get a stout +hogshead--a sugar hogshead preferable--nail on a board roof to shed +water, then set it upon a stout frame at least seven feet above ground. +Nail inside it stout cleats, to hold the cross bars for the meat. Hang +the meat upon them--but not until the hogshead is in place. Cut a hole +in the bottom as big as the top of a large barrel. Working through this +hole, arrange the meat, then put below a headless barrel, the top +resting against the hogshead-heading, the bottom upon supports of gas +pipe, iron, or even piled bricks. Between the supports set an iron +vessel--build your hickory smoke-fires in it, smothering them carefully, +and letting the smoke, with a sufficiency of air, well up, through +barrel, hogshead, etc. Or one might even rig up a smoking hogshead in an +attic, providing the chimney were tall enough to cool smoke +properly--and lead smoke out to it through a length of drain pipe. + +These are but suggestions--the contriving mind will doubtless invent +other and better ones. Smoking must go on for five weeks at least. Six +will be better, slacking toward the end. But two may be made to answer +by the use of what is called "liquid smoke" whose other name is crude +pyroligneous acid. A product of wood distillation, it has been proved +harmless in use, but use is nevertheless forbidden to commercial makers. +The meat, after breaking bulk, is dipped in it three times at fairly +brief intervals, hung up, drained, and smoked. From the liquid smoke it +will have acquired as much acid saving-grace, as from four weeks of old +fashioned smoking. + +A smokehouse needs to be kept dark, dry, and cool, also well ventilated. +Use fine screen wire over all openings, and make windows very small, +with coarse, sleazy crash in the sash rather than glass inside the +screens. Darkness prevents or discourages the maggot-fly. To discourage +him still further cover the cut sides of hams and shoulders before +hanging up with molasses made very thick with ground black pepper. They +will not absolutely require canvassing and dipping in whitewash after if +the peppering is thorough. But to be on the safe side--canvas and dip. +Make the whitewash with a foundation of thick paste--and be sure it +covers every thread of the canvas. Hams perfectly cured and canvassed +keep indefinitely in the right sort of smokehouse--but there is not much +gain in flavor after they are three years old. + +In rendering lard try out leaf fat to itself--it yields the very finest. +Cut out the kidneys carefully, and remove any bit of lean, then pull +off the thin inner skin, and cut up the leaves--into bits about two +inches wide and four long. Wash these quickly in tepid water, drain on a +sieve, and put over a slow fire in an iron vessel rather thick bottomed. +Add a little cold water--a cupful to a gallon of cut up fat, and let +cook gently until the lumps of fat color faintly. Increase heat till +there is a mild bubbling--keep the bubbling steady, stirring often to +make sure no lump of fat sticks to the pot and scorches, until all the +lumps are crisp brown cracklings. Bright brown, not dark--if dark the +lard will be slightly colored. Scorching taints and ruins the whole +mass. Strain through a sieve into a clean tin vessel, newly scalded and +wiped dry. Put the cracklings into a bag of stout crash, and press hard +between two clean boards, till no more fat runs from them. A jelly press +comes in handy, but is not essential. If weak, clear lye, made of green +wood ashes, is put in with the fat instead of water at the beginning, +the fat-yield will be greater, and the bulk of cracklings less, also +more nearly disintegrated. + +Other fat is tried out in the same way, taking care to remove all skin +and cut away streaks of lean. Bits with much lean in them had better go +to the sausage mill--the right proportion there is two pounds of fat to +three and a half of lean. Mix well in grinding, and remove all strings, +gristle, etc. Seasoning is so much a matter of taste, do it very lightly +at first--then fry a tiny cake, test it, and add whatever it seems to +lack or need. Be rather sparing of salt--eaters can put it in but can +not take it out, and excess of it makes even new sausage taste old. A +good combination of flavors, one approved by experience, is a cupful of +powdered and sifted sage, an ounce of black pepper newly ground, and +very fine, a tablespoonful of powdered red pepper, a teaspoonful of +cayenne, a pinch of thyme in fine powder, a dozen cloves, as many grains +of alspice, beaten fine, a teaspoonful of moist sugar, and a blade of +mace in fine powder. Omit the mace, cloves, etc. if the flavor repels. +Mix all well together, then work evenly through the meat. This seasoning +should suffice for five pounds of ground meat lightly salted. More can +be used by those who like high and pronounced flavors. + +Scrape feet very clean, and take off hoofs by either dipping in scalding +hot lye, or hot wet wood ashes. Wash very clean after scraping, throw in +cold water, soak an hour, then put in a clean pot with plenty of cold +water, and boil gently until very tender. If boiling for souse cook till +the meat and gristle fall from the bones. If for frying, take up the +feet as soon as they are tender, keeping them in shape. Boil heads the +same way, taking out eyes, cutting off ears and cleaning them carefully +inside. Pick the meat from the bones, mix it with the feet also picked +up, work seasoning well through it--salt, black and red pepper, herbs if +approved, likewise a trifle of onion juice, then pack in deep molds, +pour over a little of the boiling liquor--barely enough to moisten--and +set to cool uncovered. + +Let the boiling liquor stand until cold, covered only with a cloth. Skim +off the oil--hog's foot oil is a fine dressing for any sort of +leather--then dip off carefully the jelly underneath. Do not disturb the +sediment--take only the clear jelly. Melted, clarified with white of +egg, seasoned with wine, lemon juice, or grape juice, and sufficiently +sugared, the result puts all gelatines of commerce clean out of court. +Indeed any receipt for gelatine desserts can be used with the hog's foot +jelly. A small salvage perhaps--but worth while. + +Everybody knows brains can be fried--just as all know they can be +addled. We of the old south pickled ours. Go and do likewise if you want +an experience. Begin by scalding the brains--putting them on in cold +water very slightly salted, then letting them barely strike a boil. Skim +out, drop in cold water, take off the skin, keeping the lobes as whole +as possible, lay in a porcelain kettle, spice liberally with black and +red pepper, cloves, nutmeg and allspice, cover with strong vinegar, +bring to a boil, cook five minutes, then put in a jar, cool uncovered, +tie down and let stand a week before using. Thus treated brains will +keep for six weeks, provided they are kept cool. + +We also pickled our souse--cutting it in thin slices, and laying them in +strong vinegar an hour before serving. Another way was to melt the souse +into a sort of rich hash--beaten eggs were occasionally added, and the +result served on hot toast. At a pinch it answered for the foundation of +a meat pie, putting in with it in layers, sliced hard boiled eggs, +sliced cucumber pickle, plenty of seasoning, a good lump of butter, and +a little water. The pie was baked quickly--and made a very good supper +dish if unexpected company overran the supply of sausage or chicken for +frying. + +But fried hog's feet were nearly the best of hog killing. After boiling +tender, the feet were split lengthwise in half, rolled in sifted +cornmeal, salted and peppered, and fried crisp in plenty of boiling hot +fat. Served with hot biscuit, and stewed sun-dried peaches, along with +strong coffee, brown and fragrant, they made a supper or breakfast one +could rejoice in. + +Backbone stewed, and served with sweet potatoes, hot corn bread, and +sparkling cider, was certainly not to be despised. The stewing was +gentle, the seasoning well blended--enough salt but not too much, red +and black pepper, and the merest dash of pepper vinegar. Many cooks left +the vinegar to be added in the plates. There was little water at the +beginning, and next to none at the end--the kettle was kept well +covered, and not allowed to boil over. Backbone pie held its own with +chicken pie--indeed there were those who preferred it. It was made the +same way--in a skillet or deep pan lined with rich crust, then filled +with cooked meat, adding strips of bacon, and bits of butter rolled in +flour, as well as strips of crust. Then the stewing liquor went into the +crevices--there might also be a few very tiny crisp brown +sausages--cakes no bigger than a lady's watch. Over all came a thick, +rich crust, with a cross-cut in the middle, and corners turned deftly +back. When the crust was brown the pie was done. + +No doubt we were foolish--but somehow the regular "cases" made our +sausages unappetizing if we put it into them for keeping. Further the +"Tom Thumbs" were in great request for chitterlings--I never saw them +served to white folks but have smelled their savoriness in the cabins. +That is, however, beside the mark. We saved our sausage against the +spring scarcity in several ways. One was to fry it in quantity, pack the +cakes as fried in crocks, pour over them the gravy, and when the jar was +almost full, cover the top an inch deep with melted lard. Kept cool and +dark the cakes came out as good as they went in. Still there were +palates that craved smoked sausage. To satisfy them, some folk tied up +the meat in links of clean corn husks, and hung them at the side where +the smoke barely touched them. Another way was to make small bags of +stout unbleached muslin, fill, tie close, dip the bag in melted grease, +cool and smoke. The dipping was not really essential--still it kept the +sausage a little fresher. Latterly I have been wondering if paraffin had +been known then whether or not it would have served better than grease. + + + + +[Illustration: _Hams and Other Hams_] + + +The proper boiling of a proper ham reaches the level of high art. Proper +boiling makes any sound ham tolerable eating; conversely a crass and +hasty cook can spoil utterly this crowning mercy of the smokehouse. Yet +proper cooking is not a recondite process, nor one beyond the simplest +intelligence. It means first and most, pains and patience, with somewhat +of foresight, and something more of judgment. + +Cut off the hock, but not too high--barely the slender shankbone. Then +go all over the ham with a dull knife, scraping off every bit of +removable grease or soilure. Wipe afterward with a coarse, damp cloth, +then lay in a dishpan and cover an inch deep with cold water. If the +water is very hard soften by adding a tiny pinch of baking soda. Leave +in soak all night. In the morning wash well all over, using your coarse +cloth, and a little scouring soap, then rinse well in tepid water, +followed by a second rinsing in cold water, drain, and wipe dry. A +flat-bottomed boiler is best--with one rounding, there is greater risk +of scorching. Set a rack on the bottom else an old dish or earthen +pieplate, pour in an inch of water, set over the fire, lay the ham upon +the rack, skin side down, and fill up with cold water till it stands two +inches above the meat. Take care in adding the water not to dislodge the +ham from the rack. Bring the water to a boil, throw in a pint of cold +water and skim the boiler very clean, going over it twice or three +times. After the last skimming add half a dozen whole cloves, a dozen +whole alspice, a pod of red pepper, a few whole grains of black pepper, +and if you like, a young onion or a stalk of celery. Personally I do +not like either onion or celery--moreover they taint the fat one may +save from the pot. Let the water boil hard for half a minute, no longer, +then slack heat till it barely simmers. Keep it simmering, filling up +the pot as the water in it boils away, until the ham is tender +throughout. The time depends on several things--the hardness and age of +the ham, weight, curing. Fifteen minutes to the pound, reckoned from the +beginning of simmering, is the standard allowance. I have no hard and +fast rule--my hams boil always until the fork pierces them readily, and +the hip-bone stands clear of flesh. + +A big ham, fifteen to twenty pounds weight, had better be left in the +water overnight. A smaller one, say of ten pounds weight, should remain +only until thoroughly cold. Take up carefully when cold, let drain +twenty minutes, lying flesh side up in a flat dish, then trim off the +under side and edges neatly, removing rusty fat, strings, etc., and +cutting through the skin at the hock end. Turn over and remove the +skin--taking care not to tear away too much fat with it. Remove the ham +to a clean, deep dish, or bowl--the closer fitting the better, then pour +around it either sound claret, or sweet cider, till it stands half way +up the sides. Add a little tabasco or Worcester to the liquor, if high +flavors are approved. Then stick whole cloves in a lozenge pattern all +over the fat, sprinkle on thickly red and black pepper, and last of all, +sugar--brown sugar if to be had, but white will do. + +Leave standing several hours, basting once or twice with the liquor in +the bowl. Take out, set on a rack in an agate pan, pour the liquor +underneath, and bake slowly one to two hours, according to size. Baste +every fifteen minutes, adding water as the liquor cooks away. Beware +scorching--the ham should be a beautiful speckly dark brown all over. +Let cool uncovered, and keep cool, but not on ice until eaten. + +Drop a lump of ice in the boiling liquor unless the weather is +cold--then set it outside. As soon as the fat on top hardens take it +off, boil it fifteen minutes in clear water, chill, skim off, and +clarify by frying slices of raw potato in it. The spices will have sunk +to the bottom, and there will be no trace of their flavor in the fat. +Any boiling vegetable--cabbage, string beans, navy beans, greens in +general--may be cooked to advantage in the liquor. It also serves as an +excellent foundation for pea soup. Drain it off from the sediment, +reduce a trifle by quick boiling, then add the other things. Dumplings +of sound cornmeal, wet up stiff, shaped the size of an egg, and dropped +in the boiling liquor, furnish a luncheon dish cheap and appetizing. + +Fried ham as Mammy made it is mostly a fragrant memory--only plutocrats +dare indulge in it these days. She cut thin slices from the juicy, thick +part of the ham, using a very sharp, clean knife. Then she trimmed away +the skin, and laid the slices in a clean, hot skillet--but not too hot. +In about a minute she flipped them over delicately, so as to sear the +other side. When enough fat had been tried out to bubble a bit, she +turned them again, then set the skillet off, deadened the coals beneath +it a little--put it back, and let the ham cook until tender through and +through. She never washed the slices nor even wiped them with damp +cloths. There was no need--her hands and knife were as clean as could +be. Washing and wiping spoiled the flavor, she said. I agree with her. +After the ham was taken up, she poured in milk, half cream, shook it +well about in the hissing hot fat until it had taken up all the +delicious brown essence caked on the skillet bottom. This milk gravy was +poured over the slices in the platter. A practice I have never +followed--my gravy is made with water rather than milk, and served +separately. + +Invalids and gourmets may be indulged with boiled ham, broiled over live +coals. Slice very thin, lay for half a minute upon a shovel of glowing +fresh coals, take up in a very hot dish, butter liberally, dust with +pepper and serve very hot. To frizzle ham slice as thin as possible in +tiny bits, and toss the bits till curly-crisp in blazing hot butter. +Excellent as an appetizer or to raise a thirst. + +For ham and eggs slice and fry as directed, take up, break fresh eggs +separately each in a saucer, and slip them into the fat when it is +bubbling hot. Dip hot fat over them to cook the upper side--take up with +a cake turner, and arrange prettily as a border around the ham. Sprigs +of watercress outside add to the appetizing effect. Serve with hot +biscuit, or waffles or muffins, and strong, clear coffee. + +Tart apples cored but not peeled sliced in rings and fried in hot fat, +drained out and sprinkled lightly with sugar, add to the charm of even +the finest ham. So does hominy, the full-grained sort, boiled tender +beforehand, and fried till there is a thick, brown crust all over the +skillet bottom. The secret of these as of all other fryings, is to have +grease enough, make it hot enough to crisp whatever goes into it +instantly, then to watch so there shall be no scorching, and take out +what is fried as soon as done, draining well. Among the paradoxes of +cookery is this--frying with scant grease makes greasy eating, whereas +frying in deep fat, sufficiently hot, makes the reverse. + +Sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced, deserve frying in ham fat. Well +drained, dusted with salt, pepper, and sugar, they are delicious, also +most digestible. Frying is indeed the method of cookery most misprised +through its abuse. In capable hands it achieves results no-otherwise +attainable. + +A perfect mutton ham is a matter of grace no less premeditation. It must +be cut from a wether at least four years old, grass fed, grain finished, +neither too fat, nor too lean, scientifically butchered in clear, +frosty, but not freezing weather, and hung unsalted in clean, cold air +for a matter of three days. Saw off shank and hip bones neatly, and cut +the meat smooth, removing any tags and jags, then pack down in an agate +or clean wooden vessel that has been scalded, then chilled. Half cover +with a marinade thus proportioned. One pint pickling salt to one gallon +cold water, boil and skim clean, then add one pint vinegar, a dozen each +of whole cloves, allspice and pepper corns, a pod of red pepper, a +teaspoon of powdered saltpeter, and a small cup of oil. Simmer for half +an hour, and cool before pouring on the meat. Let it lie in the liquor a +week, turning it twice daily. Take from marinade, wipe, and lay in air, +return the marinade to the fire, boil up, skim well, then add enough +plain brine to fully cover the hams, skim again, cool and pour over, +first scalding out the containing vessel. Let stand a week longer, then +drain well, wipe with a damp cloth, rub over outside with a mixture of +salt, moist sugar, and ground black pepper, and hang in a cool, airy +place where the hams can be lightly smoked for a fortnight. +Winter-curing, or late fall, alone is possible to the average +householder. After smoking, wrap in waxed paper, and canvas the same as +other hams. + +Cook the same as venison, which mutton thus cured much resembles. Slice +and broil, serving with butter and very sour jelly, else boil whole in +very little water until tender, glazing with tart jelly, and crisping in +the oven after draining and cooling. Or soak two hours in cold water, +then cover completely with an inch-thick crust of flour and water mixed +stiff, and bake in a slow oven four to five hours. Serve always with +very piquant sauce, and sharp pickle, or highly spiced catsups. Make +jelly from wild grapes, wild plums, green grapes, green gooseberries or +crab apples, using half the usual amount of sugar, especially for such +meat. + +Melt half a glass of such jelly with a tablespoon of boiling water. Add +black pepper, paprika, a dash of tabasco, and the strained juice of a +lemon, add gradually a teaspoon of dry mustard. Cook over hot water +until well mixed and smooth, and keep hot until served. + +Beef hams are troublesome--but worth the trouble. Take them from small +but well fatted animals, cut off the shank, also part of the top round. +Rub over very scantly with powdered saltpeter, mixed well through moist +sugar, then lay down in salt for a fortnight, else cover with brine made +thus. Pint pickling salt to the gallon of cold water, teaspoon sugar, +and pinch of whole cloves. Boil and skim. Pour cold over the hams in a +clean barrel. Let stand a fortnight, take out, drain and wipe, rub over +with dry salt, and hang high in cold air. Smoke lightly after three +days. Keep smoking, but not too much, for a month. Cover all over with +ground black pepper, mixed to a paste with molasses, canvas and leave +hanging. + +Slice and broil, else chip and serve raw. Frizzling is possible but a +waste of God's good mercies. Properly cured meat is salt but not too +salt, of a deep blackish-red, and when sliced thin, partly translucent, +also of an indescribable savoriness. Cut as nearly as possible, across +the grain. Do not undertake to make beef hams save in the late fall, so +there may be cold weather for the curing. The meat must be chilled +through before salt touches it, but freezing is very detrimental. Frozen +meat does not absorb the salt, sugar, etc., essential to proper curing. +By time it thaws so absorption becomes possible, there may have been +changes such as take place in cold storage, unfitting it for food. If +the beef ham is thick it may need to lie a month in salt or in brine. +Here as elsewhere, the element of judgment comes into play. + +If rabbits are very plenty and very fat, put down a jar of hindquarters +in marinade for three days, then wipe, and hang in a cold, dry place. A +rabbit ought to be dressed before it is cold--thus it escapes the strong +flavor which makes market rabbits often unendurable. Chill but do not +freeze after dressing. A light smoking does not hurt the quarters, which +should be left double, with the thick loin between. Soak two hours +before cooking, and smother with plenty of butter, black and red pepper +and a dash of pepper vinegar. An excellent breakfast or luncheon relish. + +To cook a fresh ham properly, choose one weighing ten pounds or less, +scrape and wash clean, score the skin, all over, then season well with +salt, sugar, black and red pepper, and dot with tabasco on top. Set on a +rack in a deep pan, pour boiling water underneath to barely touch the +meat, cover close, and bake in a hot oven for two hours, filling up the +water in the pan as it bakes away. Uncover, and cook for half an hour +longer, slacking heat one half, and basting the meat with the liquor in +the pan. If approved add a cup of cider or sound claret to the basting +liquor. Leave unbasted for ten minutes before taking up, so the skin may +be properly crisp. + + + + +[Illustration: _For Thirsty Souls_] + + +_Grandmother's Cherry Bounce_: Rinse a clean, empty whiskey barrel well +with cold water, drain, and fill with very ripe Morello cherries, mixed +with black wild cherries. One gallon wild cherries to five of Morellos +is about the proper proportion. Strew scantly through the cherries, +blade mace, whole cloves, allspice, a very little bruised ginger, and +grated nutmeg. Add to a full barrel of fruit twenty pounds of sugar--or +in the proportion of half a pound to the gallon of fruit. Cover the +fruit an inch deep with good corn whiskey, the older and milder the +better. Leave out the bung but cover the opening with lawn. Let stand +six months undisturbed in a dry, airy place, rather warm. Rack off into +a clean barrel, let stand six months longer, then bottle or put in +demijohns. This improves greatly with age up to the fifth year--after +that the change is unappreciable. + +_Grape Cider_: Fill a clean, tight, well-scalded barrel with ripe wild +grapes picked from their stems. Add spices if you like, but they can be +left out. Fill the vessel with new cider, the sweeter the better. There +should be room left to ferment. Cover the bung-hole with thin cloth and +let stand in dry air four to six months. Rack off and bottle. This also +improves with age. It is a drink to be used with caution--mild as May in +the mouth, but heady, and overcoming, especially to those unused to its +seductions. + +_Persimmon Beer_: The poor relation of champagne--with the advantage +that nobody is ever the worse for drinking it. To make it, take +full-ripe persimmons, the juicier the better, free them of stalks and +calyxes, then mash thoroughly, and add enough wheat bran or middlings +to make a stiffish dough. Form the dough into thin, flat cakes, which +bake crisp in a slow oven. When cold break them up in a clean barrel, +and fill it with filtered rainwater. A bushel of persimmons before +mashing will make a barrel of beer. Set the barrel upright, covered with +a thin cloth, in a warm, dry place, free of taints. Let stand until the +beer works--the persimmon cakes will rise and stand in a foamy mass on +top. After three to four weeks, either move the barrel to a cold place, +or rack off the beer into bottles or demijohns, tieing down the corks, +and keeping the bottled stuff very cool. The more meaty and flavorous +the persimmons, the richer will be the beer. Beware of putting in fruit +that has not felt the touch of frost, so retains a rough tang. A very +little of it will spoil a whole brewing of beer. If the beer is left +standing in the barrel a wooden cover should be laid over the cloth, +after it is done working. Fermentation can be hastened by putting in +with the persimmon cakes a slice of toast dipped in quick yeast. But if +the temperature is right, the beer will ferment itself. + +_Egg Nogg_: Have all ingredients, eggs, sugar, brandy, and whiskey, +thoroughly chilled before beginning, and work very, very quickly. Beat +the yolks of eighteen eggs very light with six cups of granulated sugar, +added a cup at a time. When frothy and pale yellow, beat in gradually +and alternately a glassful at a time, a quart of mellow old whiskey, and +a quart of real French brandy. Whip hard, then add the whites of the +eggs beaten till they stick to the dish. Grate nutmeg over the top, and +rub the rims of the serving glasses with lemon or orange rind cut into +the fruit. The glasses should be ice-cold, also the spoons. Fill +carefully so as not to slop the sides, and serve at once. + +If wanted for an early morning Christmas celebration, beat up yolks and +sugar the night before, stand on ice along with the liquor, and keep the +unbeaten whites likewise very cold. At morning freshen the yolks a +little, then add the liquor, and at last the whites newly frothed. This +is the only simon-pure Christmas egg nogg. Those who put into it milk, +cream, what not, especially rum, defile one of the finest among +Christmas delights. + +_White Egg Nogg_: For invalids, especially fever patients. Whip the +white of a new laid egg as stiff as possible with the least suspicion of +salt. Add to it three heaping spoonfuls of sterilized cream whipped +light, beat in two tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar, then add a gill of +the best French brandy. A variant is to omit the sugar and mix with the +frothed egg and cream more than a gill of vermouth, using French or +Italian, according to taste. + +_Apple Toddy_: Wash and core, but do not peel, six large, fair apples, +bake, covered, until tender through and through, put into an earthen +bowl and strew with cloves, mace, and bruised ginger, also six lumps of +Domino sugar for each apple. Pour over a quart of full-boiling water, +let stand covered fifteen minutes in a warm place. Then add a quart of +mellow whiskey, leave standing ten minutes longer, and keep warm. Serve +in big deep goblets, putting an apple or half of one in the bottom of +each, and filling with the liquor. Grate nutmeg on top just at the +minute of serving. + +_Hail Storm_: Mix equal quantities of clear ice, broken small, and the +best lump sugar. Cover the mixture fully with good brandy, put in a +shaker, shake hard five minutes, then pour into glasses, and serve with +a fresh mint leaf floating on top. + +_Mint Julep_: This requires the best of everything if you would have it +in perfection. Especially the mint and the whiskey or brandy. Choose +tender, quick-grown mint, leafy, not long-stalked and coarse, wash it +very clean, taking care not to bruise it in the least, and lay in a +clean cloth upon ice. Chill the spirits likewise. Put the sugar and +water in a clean fruit jar, and set on ice. Do this at least six hours +before serving so the sugar shall be fully dissolved. Four lumps to the +large goblet is about right--with half a gobletful of fresh cold water. +At serving time, rub a zest of lemon around the rim of each goblet--the +goblets must be well chilled--then half fill with the dissolved sugar, +add a tablespoonful of cracked ice, and stand sprigs of mint thickly all +around the rim. Set the goblets in the tray, then fill up with whiskey +or brandy or both, mixed--the mixture is best with brands that blend +smoothly. Drop in the middle a fresh ripe strawberry, or cherry, or +slice of red peach, and serve at once. Fruit can be left out without +harm to flavor--it is mainly for the satisfaction of the eye. But never +by any chance bruise the mint--it will give an acrid flavor "most +tolerable and not to be endured." To get the real old-time effect, serve +with spoons in the goblets rather than straws. In dipping and sipping +more of the mint-essence comes out--beside the clinking of the spoons is +nearly as refreshing as the tinkle of the ice. + +_Lemon Punch_: Bring a gallon of fresh water to a bubbling boil in a +wide kettle, and as it strikes full boil throw into it a tablespoonful +of tea--whatever brand you like best. Let boil one minute--no more, no +less, then strain, boiling hot, upon the juice and thin yellow peel of +twelve large or eighteen small lemons, along with two pounds of lump +sugar. Stir hard until the sugar is dissolved, then add a pint of rum. +Stand on ice twelve to twenty-four hours to blend and ripen. Put a small +block of clear ice in the punch bowl, pour in the punch, then add to it +either Maraschino cherries, or hulled small ripe strawberries, or +pineapple or bananas, peeled and cut in tiny dice--or a mixture of all +these. Serve in chilled punch cups, with after-dinner coffee spoons for +the fruit. The fruit can be left out, and the punch served with +sandwiches the same as iced tea. A wineglass of yellow chartreuse, added +just after the rum, is to many palates an improvement. So is a very +little peach or apricot brandy. + +_Punch à la Ruffle Shirts_: This recipe comes down from the epoch of +knee buckles and ruffled shirts, and is warranted to more than hold its +own with any other--even the so-famous "Artillery punch," beloved of +army and navy. To make it, scrub clean and pare thinly the yellow peel +of two dozen oranges and one dozen lemons. Put the pared peel in a deep +glass pitcher and cover it with one quart of brandy, one quart of old +whiskey, one generous pint of Jamaica rum, one tumbler of cherry bounce, +one tumbler of peach liqueur, or else a tumbler of "peach and honey," +Cover with cloth and let stand three days off ice to blend and ripen. +Meantime squeeze and strain the juice of the oranges and lemons upon +four pounds of best lump sugar, shred a large, very ripe pineapple fine +and put it with another pound of sugar in a separate vessel. Hull half a +gallon of ripe strawberries, cover them liberally with sugar and let +stand to extract the juice. Lacking strawberries, use ripe peaches, or +blackberries or even seeded cherries. Keep the fruit and sugar cool, but +not too cold--just so it will not sour. Upon the third morning strain +the juice of all fruits together, and mix thoroughly. Next make a gallon +of weak green tea, strain it boiling hot upon the liquor and the yellow +peel, stir well, then mix in the fruit juices and sugar, and let stand +uncovered until cool. Chill thoroughly, also chill the wine. Use +whatever sort you prefer--claret, sound and fruity, is good, so is +almost any homemade wine of the first class. American champagne pleases +some palates. But I advise rather claret, or good homemade grape wine. +Put into the punch bowl a block of clear ice, add equal measures of the +mixture and the wine. Let stand half an hour before serving. Put in at +the very last vichy, ice-cold. Thin strips of fresh cucumber peel add a +trifle to flavor and more to looks. + +The wine and mixture can be poured together into demijohns and kept for +months, provided they are kept cool. Since the making is rather +troublesome it is worth while to make the full quantity at once and keep +it on hand for emergencies. Commercial liqueurs can take the place of +the homemade ones here set forth. The result may not be quite so +distinctive, but will not be disappointing. Dry sherry is a good +substitute for cherry bounce, likewise apricot brandy, while vermouth or +chartreuse will answer for peach liqueur, which is unlikely to be in +hand unless you are a very old-fashioned housekeeper. + +_Peach Liqueur_: Peel a peck of very ripe, very juicy peaches, cut from +the seed, weigh, and pack down in earthen or agate ware with their own +weight in granulated sugar. Crack the seeds, take out the kernels, +blanche the same as almonds, and put to soak in a quart of brandy. Let +stand in sunshine to extract the flavor, a full day. Let the fruit and +sugar stand twenty-four hours, then put over fire in a preserving kettle +and simmer very slowly until the fruit is in rags, adding now and then +enough boiling water to make up for what cooks out. If spices are +approved, simmer with the fruit, a pinch of blade mace, some whole +cloves and half a dozen black pepper corns. This is optional. Strain +without pressing to avoid cloudiness, and mix the juice while still very +hot with the brandy and soaked kernels. Add brandy and kernels, also a +quart of whiskey--there should be a gallon of the fruit juice. Stir hard +so as to blend well. Let cool, and bottle or put in demijohns, taking +care to apportion the kernels equally. They will sink to the bottom, +but the liqueur will fatten on them, getting thereby a delicate almond +fragrance and flavor. + +_Strawberry Liqueur_: Wash, hull and mash two gallons of very ripe +strawberries, put over the fire, bring to a quick boil, skim clean, and +simmer for five minutes. Throw in a pint of boiling water, and strain as +for jelly. Measure the juice--for each pint take a pound of sugar, +return to the kettle, simmer fifteen minutes, skimming clean the while, +then take from the fire, measure, and to each quart add a pint of good +whiskey, or whiskey and brandy mixed. Bottle while still hot, and seal. +Small bottles are best. By adding spices to taste while the juice is +simmering you turn the liqueur into strawberry cordial. + +_Blackberry Cordial_: Pick over, wash and drain well half a bushel of +very ripe, but sound berries. Mash, add a very little cold water, and +simmer for half an hour, then strain and measure the juice. Put a pound +of sugar to each pint, and to each gallon, a teaspoon of cloves, the +same of allspice, a race of ginger well bruised, a tiny pod of Cayenne +pepper, and a half dozen black pepper corns. Tie the spices loosely in +very thin muslin so they may not be skimmed off. Skim away all froth, +and cook for an hour, keeping the kettle barely boiling. It should +reduce about one-half. Take from the fire and add spirits, either +whiskey or brandy, in the proportion of one to two--two pints cordial to +one of liquor. Let cool uncovered, bottle and cork tight--sealing is +unnecessary. Excellent for convalescents, especially children. To make +it almost a specific for bowel troubles, dig up, and wash clean, +dewberry roots, cut short, and boil in clear water, making a very strong +decoction. Add this to the cordial while still boiling, in proportion of +one to four. Then mix in the spirits. A quart of cordial can be thus +treated medicinally, and the rest kept for ordinary uses. + +_Blackberry Wine_: Pick, wash, and mash thoroughly, sound ripe berries, +pour upon each gallon a gallon of freshly-boiling water, and let stand +twenty-four hours. Strain, measure juice, allow three and one-half +pounds sugar to each gallon of it. Put into clean cask or jugs, do not +fill, but leave room for fermentation. Cover mouth or bung-hole with +thin cloth, and let stand in clean warm air for two months. Rack off +into clean vessels, throwing away the lees, and cork or cover close. Fit +for use in another month. Improves with age up to a year. + +_Strawberry Wine_: Mash thoroughly clean, hulled, very ripe berries, add +equal bulk of boiling water, let stand six hours, then strain. Put the +strained juice in a preserving kettle with two and a half pounds of +sugar to each gallon. Bring to a boil, skim clean, then pour into clean +vessels, close mouths with thin cloth, and let stand until fermentation +ceases. In a wet season the berries are likely to be so juicy, less +water is required--or more sugar necessary. + +_Gooseberry Wine_: Wash and drain dead-ripe gooseberries, mash them +thoroughly with a wooden pestle, and add their own bulk of boiling +water. Let stand thirty-six hours unless the weather is very warm--then +twenty-four will be long enough. Press out all the juice, even though it +runs muddy. Measure, and to each gallon add three pounds down-weight, of +the best lump sugar. Stir well, repeating every day for a week, then +cover with lawn and let stand till fermentation ceases. Cover tight then +and leave standing six weeks longer, so the wine may fatten on the lees. +Back off carefully, filtering the muddy part at the bottom through +several thicknesses of cheese cloth. Put in a clean vessel for two +months longer, then bottle and seal. If the bottles are laid on the +side, and the wine carefully decanted it will show a bright golden +yellow with much the translucence of topaz. It reaches perfection at a +year. Being rather heavy it is improved to many palates by adding +ice-cold vichy after it is in the glasses. + +_Grape Wine_: Pick from stems, wash, drain, and mash thoroughly, ripe +sound grapes. Add measure for measure of full-boiling water, and let +stand twelve hours. If very deep color is desired, and the grapes are +black, let stand twenty-four. Strain, measure juice, add to each gallon +three pounds of sugar, stir till dissolved, then put in a clean vessel, +filling it only three-parts, cover the mouth with lawn, and let stand in +clean warm air until fermentation ceases. Close tight then, and let +stand a month longer, then rack off, filter last runnings through triple +cheese cloth, bottle and cork tight. Keep where it is dark and warm, +rather than cool, but away from any sort of taints. + +_Muscadine Wine_: Troublesome, but worth the trouble. Wash dead-ripe +muscadines, and pop them one by one, out of the skins. Throw away the +skins, after squeezing all juice from them--if the pulp stood with them +their burning, musky taste would ruin it. Cover it with half its bulk of +boiling water. Let stand a day and night, then strain, and add to each +gallon of juice three pounds of white rock-candy. Stir every day until +the candy dissolves. Cover with cloth until it is through fermenting. +Back off, bottle immediately, and seal, or tie down the corks. The wine +in perfection is a pale pink, very clear, and of a peculiar but +indescribably delicious flavor. + +_Fruit Vinegars_: Any sort of acid fruit--as strawberries, raspberries, +gooseberries, currants, black or red, affords a refreshing drink. Pick, +wash, put over the fire to scald--when it has boiled a minute or two add +half as much cold water as fruit, and bring again to a boil. Skim clean, +take from fire and let stand till next day. Strain, then measure juice, +add two to three pounds sugar to the gallon, according to tartness +desired, put over the fire, and simmer for twenty minutes, skimming +clean. Boil in it spices most liked, tied up in thin muslin. If it seems +watery, boil another twenty minutes till the syrup shows rather rich, +then add, after taking from the fire, a quart of cider vinegar for each +gallon of syrup, mix well, bottle while still hot in small bottles, cork +and seal. Mixed half and half with ice water, or poured over finely +broken ice, or as a flavoring to tea, hot or cold, this is refreshing, +particularly in hot weather. Use in tea a spoonful to the cup or glass. + +_Boiled Cider_: Reduce new sweet cider one-half by gentle boiling, +skimming it clean as it boils, then bottle, putting a clove or two, a +grain of alspice and a blade of mace in each bottle. Cork, seal and keep +in a cool place. This is especially valuable for use in mincemeat, or +for flavoring sauces for nursery puddings. A variant is to add sugar +towards the last, enough to make a thinnish syrup, which is of itself a +good sauce for simple desserts. + + + + +[Illustration: _Paste, Pies, Puddings_] + + +_The Philosophy of Pie-Crust_: Pie-crust perfection depends on several +things--good flour, good fat, good handling, most especially good +baking. A hot oven, quick but not scorching, expands the air betwixt +layers of paste, and pops open the flour-grains, making them absorb the +fat as it melts, thereby growing crisp and relishful instead of hard and +tough. The lighter and drier the flour the better--in very damp weather +it is best oven-dried, then cooled before mixing. Shortening, whether +lard, butter, or clarified drippings, should be very cold--unless your +recipe demands that it be softened or melted. Milk or water used in +mixing ought to be likewise well chilled, unless the shortening is +soft--in that case match its temperature. The regular rule is half-pint +ice water to the pound of flour, using chilled shortening. If the fat is +semi-fluid the paste must be mixed softer, using say, three parts of a +pint to the pound. + +Baking powder or soda and cream tartar, or soda alone with sour cream or +buttermilk for wetting, makes crust light and short with less butter, +therefore is an economy. Genuine puff paste is requisite for the finest +tarts, pies, etc., etc., but light short crust answers admirably for +most things. Sift flour twice or even thrice for any sort of paste. Sift +soda or baking powder well through it, but not salt. Make the salt fine, +drop in the bottom of the mixing bowl, before the last sifting, and mix +lightly through the flour before adding the shortening. Rub in +shortening very lightly, using only the finger-tips--the palms melt or +soften it. Add milk or water, a little at a time, mixing it in with a +broad-bladed knife rather than the hands. Mix lightly--so the paste +barely sticks together. Put in first one-third of the shortening--this, +of course, for puff paste. Half a pound of butter or lard to the pound +of flour makes a very good paste, but to have it in full richness, use +three-quarters of a pound. Wash butter well to remove the salt, and +squeeze out water by wringing it in a well-floured cloth. If there is a +strong taste, or any trace of rancidity, wash well, kneading through and +through, in sweet milk, then rinse out the milk with cold water to which +a little borax has been added. Rinse again in clear cold water--this +should remove ill-flavor without injury to anybody's stomach. But be +very sure the last rinsing is thorough--borax, though wholly harmless, +adds nothing to digestibility. + +The end of the repeated rollings out and foldings demanded by real puff +paste is to enclose between the layers of paste as much air as possible. +Hence the chillings between rollings. Hence also the need of pinching +edges well together after foldings, and rolling always _from_ you, +never back and forth. Roll out paste into a long narrow strip after the +first mixing, divide the remaining shortening into three equal portions, +keep very cold, and as needed cut into small bits, which spread evenly +on top of the rolled paste, which must be lightly dredged with flour. +Fold in three evenly, one thickness on another, turn so the folded edges +may be to right and left while rolling, pinch the other edges well +together and roll again into a long strip, moving the rolling-pin always +from you. Repeat until all the butter is used, then set on ice for an +hour to harden. In baking beware opening the oven door until the paste +has risen fully and becomes slightly crusted over. + +Baking powder crust must not stand--the gas which aerates it begins +forming and escaping the minute it is wet up. It also requires a hot +oven and delicate handling. Half a pound of shortening and a teaspoon of +baking powder, to the pound of flour, mixed stiff or soft, according to +the consistency of the fat, properly handled and baked, make crust good +enough for anybody. + +_French Puff Paste_: This is like the famous little girl--either very +good indeed or horrid. Therefore beware undertaking it until you have +experience or the confidence of absolute ignorance for your help. Either +may take you on to success--when half-knowledge or half-confidence will +spell disaster. You need for it, two pounds, thrice sifted flour, two +pounds well-washed and very cold butter, four egg-yolks well chilled, +and half a pint, more or less, of ice water, also a saltspoon of fine +salt. Rub four ounces of butter lightly into the flour, shape the rest +into a flattish oblong and set on ice. Wet the flour with the egg-yolks +and water, adding them alternately, work smooth, handling as lightly as +possible, then roll out half an inch thick, dredge lightly with flour, +lay on the ball of cold butter, fold paste over it smoothly, flatten +lightly with strokes of the rolling-pin, then roll out as thin as +possible without making the butter break through. Fold again in three, +roll again, as thin as you can. Repeat folding and rolling, then set on +ice half an hour, folding in three. Roll and fold twice again, chill +again for twenty minutes, then give two more rolls and foldings. Chill +if possible before using. If all things have worked well you will have +crust that is an experience. + +_Every Day Pie Crust_: One pound flour, six ounces shortening--lard or +clarified dripping, pinch salt, half-pint ice water. Mix flour, salt and +water to a smooth dough, using a broad knife, roll out thin, spread with +a third of the fat, fold in three, roll out again, add another third of +fat, roll, add the last fat, roll again, fold and chill for ten minutes +before using. + +_Cobblers_: Make from any sort of fruit in season--peaches, apples, +cherries, plums or berries. Green gooseberries are inadvisable, through +being too tart and too tedious. Stone cherries, pare peaches or apples +and slice thin, halve plums if big enough, and remove stones--if not, +wash, drain well, and use whole. Line a skillet or deep pie pan--it must +be three inches deep at least, liberally with short crust, rolled +rather more than a quarter-inch thick. Fit well, then prick all over +with a blunt fork. Fill with the prepared fruit, put on an upper crust a +quarter-inch thick and plenty big enough, barely press the crust edges +together, prick well with a fork all over the top, and cook in a hot +oven half to three-quarters of an hour, according to size. Take up, +remove top crust, lay it inverted upon another plate, sweeten the hot +fruit liberally, adding if you like, a spoonful of brandy, adding also a +good lump of the best butter. Mix well through the fruit, then dip out +enough of it to make a thick layer over the top crust. Grate nutmeg over +apple pies, or strew on a little powdered cinnamon. A few blades of mace +baked with the fruit accent the apple flavor beautifully. Cherries take +kindly to brandy, but require less butter than either peaches or apples. +Give plums plenty of sugar with something over for the stones. Cook a +few stones with them for flavor, even if you take away the bulk. Do the +same with cherries, using, say, a dozen pits to the pie. + +Serve cobbler hot or cold. If hot, serve with it hard brandy sauce, made +by creaming together a cup of sugar, a tablespoonful of butter, then +working in two tablespoonfuls of brandy or good whiskey. Right here is +perhaps the place to say once for all, good whiskey is far and away +better in anything than poor brandy. Thick sweet cream whipped or plain, +sets off cold cobbler wonderfully to the average palate. + +_Fried Pies_: To be perfect these must be made of sun-dried peaches, +very bright and sweet, but any sort of sound dried fruit will serve at a +pinch. Soak overnight after washing in three waters, simmer five hours +in the soaking water, with a plate to hold the fruit under, mash and +sweeten while hot, adding spices to taste--cinnamon, nutmeg and grated +lemon peel for apples, cloves and ginger--a bare zest--for peaches or +apricots. Roll out short paste into rounds the size of a small plate, +cover one-half with the fruit, fold over the empty half, pinch well +together around the edges, and fry in deep fat, blazing hot, to a rich +quick brown on both sides. Drain on paper napkins, sprinkling lightly +with sugar. Serve hot or cold. Most excellent for impromptu luncheons or +very late suppers--withal wholesome. A famous doctor said often of them, +"You would be only the better for eating an acre of them." + +_Green Apple Pie_: Take apples a little bigger than the thumb's end, cut +off stalks and nibs, and slice crosswise in three, dropping them in +water as sliced to save discoloration. Make a rich syrup--three cups +sugar, one cup water, to four cups sliced fruit. Boil and skim, throw in +the apples, with a blade or so of mace, and cook quickly until preserved +through. Either bake between crust in the common way, or bake crust +crisp after pricking well, and spread with the preserved fruit. Else +make into small turnovers, but bake instead of frying them--and be sure +the oven is hot enough to brown, but not to burn. Or you may make the +green apples into shortcake, putting fruit only between the layers of +crust, and serving with rich sauce or sweetened cream. + +_Lemon Custard_: (M. L. Williams.) Separate and beat very light, the +yolks and whites of six eggs. Beat into the yolks very smoothly one +pound of sugar, then half a pound of creamed butter. Mix well, then add +the beaten whites, followed by the strained juice and grated yellow peel +of two large or three small lemons. Beat five minutes longer, pour into +pans lined with puff paste, pop into a hot oven and bake to a bright +brown. Meringue can be added but is not necessary save for ornament. + +_Cream Pie_: (M. L. Williams.) Beat three eggs very light with a heaping +cup of sugar, add two cups sifted flour, mix smooth, then put in half a +cup of rich sour cream with half-teaspoon soda dissolved in it. Mix, put +instantly into shallow pans, bake in a quick oven and serve hot with or +without sauce. + +_Damson and Banana Tart_: (M. W. Watkins.) An heirloom in the relator's +family, coming down from English forebears. Line an agate or earthen +pie dish two to three inches deep, with very good crust, rolled thin, +but not stretched nor dragged. Cover it with bananas, sliced thin, +lengthwise, strew over three tablespoonfuls of sugar, and a pinch of +grated lemon peel. Sprinkle with a liqueur glass of rum or brandy or +whiskey, then put in a layer of preserved plums--damsons are best--along +with their juice. If there is room repeat the layers--bananas and plums +and seasoning. Cover with a crust rolled fairly thin, prick and bake +three-quarters of an hour in a moderately quick oven. Serve either hot +or cold, preferably hot, with this sauce. One egg beaten very light, +with a cupful of cream, a wineglass of rum, brandy or sherry, and a +larger glass of preserve syrup. Mix over hot water, stirring hard all +the time till it begins to thicken. It must not get too thick. + +_Amber Pie_: (Mrs. J. R. Oldham.) Beat yolks of four eggs very light, +with two heaping cups sugar, large spoonful melted butter, rounding +teaspoon sifted flour, cup buttermilk, cup seeded raisins, teaspoon +cinnamon, pinch each of cloves, alspice and nutmeg, two whites of egg +beaten very stiff. Half bake crust, then pour in batter and cook slowly +until done. Cover with meringue made by beating two egg-whites with two +teaspoons cold water, a few grains of salt, and one cup sugar. Add sugar +gradually after eggs are very light. Use at once--it will fall by +standing. Let the meringue barely color in the oven. Serve hot or cold. + +_Jelly Pie_: (Louise Williams.) Beat the yolks of four eggs very light, +with a cup of sugar, three-quarters cup creamed butter, and a glass of +jelly, the tarter the better. Add a tablespoonful vanilla and a +dessert-spoonful of sifted cornmeal, then the whites of eggs beaten very +stiff. Bake in crusts--this makes two fat pies. Meringue is +optional--and unnecessary. + +_Cheese Cakes_: Beat until very light the yolks of twelve eggs with a +pound of sugar, add to them a tablespoonful cornstarch, then +three-quarters of a pound of butter, washed and creamed. Add also the +strained juice of two lemons, a teaspoonful lemon essence and a +teaspoonful vanilla. Set over boiling water and stir until all +ingredients blend--only thus can you dissolve granulated sugar, which is +best to use, lacking the old-fashioned live open-kettle brown. Keep over +the hot water, stirring well together as you fill the tart shells. They +must be lined with real puff paste, rolled very thin, and nicely fitted. +Set in broad shallow pans, after filling with the batter and bake in a +quick, but not scorching oven. A blanched almond, or bit of citron, or +half a pecan or walnut meat, may be put in each shell before filling. I +prefer though to add such frills by help of the frosting. To make it, +beat six egg-whites with a pinch of salt until they stick to the dish, +add to them a little at a time, three cups granulated sugar boiled with +a cup and a half of water, till it spins a thread. Keep the syrup +boiling while adding it. When it is all in, set the pan of frosting over +boiling water, add six drops lemon juice and beat until stiff enough to +hold shape. It must not touch the water, but have plenty of steam +rising underneath. Frost the tarts rather thickly, and stick either a +shred of citron, a quarter of Maraschino cherry, or half a nut in the +middle. If you like cocoanut flavor, strew freshly grated cocoanut over +while the frosting is soft--it ought to harden inside half an hour. Tiny +pink or green comfits stuck in the middle, or set in threes +triangularly, are very decorative. Indeed, there is no limit but taste +and invention to the manners of making beautiful these tarts. I rather +pride myself upon them, since they have been enthusiastically praised by +folk who have eaten all around the world, and set above the best of +French confections by a man ten years resident in Paris, whose wife is +held to be the most skilled amateur cook in New York. + +Grated cocoanut or raw grated apple stirred into the batter before +baking, varies the cheese cakes--and to some palates improves it. I +myself find nothing quite to equal the cheese cake of my +childhood--which had a full pound of butter to the pound of sugar, and +no frills of frosting, though strips of citron were often latticed over +the pans after the crust was in. Prick crust always very well before +filling--thus the tarts will be shapely instead of caricatures. + +_Sweet Potato Custard_: Boil tender two large or four medium sweet +potatoes, peel, free of strings, and mash fine. Add to the pulp half a +pound of creamed butter, mix well, then add gradually five cups sugar, +alternately with five whole eggs. Beat smooth, add the juice of three +lemons, a tablespoonful lemon essence, and a scant pint of very rich +milk. Use less milk if the potatoes are very soft. Beat smooth and pour +into pie pans lined with good crust. Bake brown in a quick oven, but do +not over-bake. Lest the proportion of sugar may seem excessive, let it +be said here that sweet potatoes require more sugar for sweetening than +anything save crabapples or green gooseberries. + +_Sweet Potato Pie_: Line a deep pie pan with short crust rolled a +quarter-inch thick, fill it with raw sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced +thin. Add to them, for a pan of medium size, three cups sugar, a cup of +butter, cut in bits, mace, cloves and nutmeg to taste, half a cup cold +water and half a cup good whiskey or sherry. Cover with a crust an +eighth-inch thick, prick well, also cut a tiny cross in middle, and bake +in a hot, but not scorching oven, three-quarters of an hour--a full hour +if the pan is large. Turning another pan, fitting the rim over, helps to +make the baking sure and even. Remove the cover pan ten minutes before +taking up. Serve hot. This requires no sauce. + +_Apple Custard_: Beat four eggs very light with three cups sugar, one +cup butter, cup and a half rich milk--the richer the better. Stir in at +the very last, one quart grated apple, flavor with nutmeg or vanilla, +and bake in crusts. If wanted richer, dot raisins seeded and soaked in +whiskey, or shred citron over the top before baking. + +_Molasses Pie_: (M. W. Watkins.) Cream well together one large cup +granulated sugar, and one heaping tablespoonful of butter, add when very +light the well-beaten yolks of three eggs, and a large cup of rich +molasses. Flavor with one teaspoonful grated nutmeg, then beat in, at +the very last, the whites of the eggs frothed as stiff as possible. Bake +in pans lined with rich crust until firm. Meringue can be added, but the +pies do not need it. + +_Mystery Pie_: (Louise Williams.) Beat separately very light, the yolks +and whites of four eggs. Beat with the yolks a cup and a half of sugar, +three heaping tablespoonfuls of butter, two teaspoonfuls mixed spices, +either beaten or powdered fine, one cup of tart dark jelly, one cup +blackberry jam, and one cup sweet milk. Add last of all the egg-whites, +mix in well, then pour in pans lined with rich paste, and bake until +firm. + +_Butter Scotch Pie_: (Leslie Fox.) Beat light two egg-yolks with one +scant cup dark brown sugar, one tablespoonful creamed butter, and two +tablespoonfuls flour. Mix smooth, then add gradually one cup rich milk, +put in double boiler, and cook until thick. Let cool, flavor with +vanilla, then pour into rich crusts, previously well-baked, cover with +meringue made from the egg-whites, set in oven to harden, and serve hot +or cold. + +_Raspberry Cream Pie_: (Leslie Fox.) Line a deepish pie pan with very +rich crust, spread the crust thickly with red raspberry jam, then pour +upon it raw, a custard made from two eggs beaten well with one cup of +milk, and one tablespoonful sugar. Bake until custard is well set, let +cool, and spread with whipped cream. Serve cold as possible. + +_Rhubarb Pie_: To a generous quart of rhubarb, peeled and cut up, put +three cups sugar, the pulp scooped from three sweet oranges, thin bits +of the yellow peel, two blades of mace broken small, and a scant +half-cup of cold water. Cover the pan and set for thirty minutes in a +hot oven--uncover then and cook for five minutes longer. The result is a +sweet excellent for many uses--as a sauce, as a substitute for +marmalade, as the foundation of pies, tarts, shortcakes, even as a +filling for layer cake. + +Make pies from it with two crusts, or with lattice crusts as usual. Make +it into tarts, into turnovers or put between hot buttered layers for a +hurry-up shortcake. But if you wish to know how excellent such rhubarb +can be, make it thus into meringue pies or tarts. Bake the crusts after +pricking them well, cover thinly with either good meringue or the +frosting directed for cheesecakes, let it harden, then at the minute of +serving cover with a thin layer of the prepared rhubarb--the meringue or +frosting will stay crisp until eaten if you work quickly enough. Young +unpeeled tender rhubarb gives a pink sauce--older stalks peeled furnish +a translucent green. Either is sufficiently decorative. They can be made +more so, if the tarts they appear on, have a cherry or preserved +strawberry dropped in the middle of them. + +_Banana Pie_: Line a deepish earthen pie dish with thin, very good +crust, fill it three parts with bananas, sliced crosswise very thin. +Cover them thickly with sugar, add the strained juice of a large lemon, +dot with bits of butter, put on a lattice crust, and bake in a quick +oven twenty-five minutes. + +_Banana Pudding_: Slice very thin, crosswise, three medium size bananas, +sprinkle thickly with sugar, then add to a batter made by beating up +four egg-yolks and two whites, with one cup crumbled rich stale cake, +half-cup sugar, cup very rich milk, and the juice of a large lemon. Mix +smooth, pour into a deep pudding dish, and bake in a quick oven, then +cover with meringue made from the egg-whites left out, beaten up with a +small pinch of salt, two teaspoons cold water, and six tablespoonfuls of +sugar. Return to the oven and let barely color. Serve hot or cold. + +_Sweet Potato Pudding_: Beat four eggs very light with four cups sugar +and one cup creamed butter. Add a cupful of very rich milk, mix smooth, +then add one pint of raw grated sweet potato. Mix well, pour into a deep +earthen dish and set in hot oven. As soon as a brown crust forms on top, +stir it down. Repeat this three times at least. Serve hot, with either +wine sauce or a rich sugar and butter sauce, flavored with lemon. It is +best not to flavor the pudding proper, so one may get undiminished the +zest of the brown crust stirred through it. + +_Poor Man's Pudding_: Take for each person to be served, a fresh egg, a +tablespoonful sifted flour, and half a cup very rich milk. Add a pinch +of salt for each six eggs. Separate the eggs, beating yolks and whites +very light. Mix yolks gradually with the flour and milk, taking care to +have no lumps. Fold in the stiffly beaten whites at the very last--if +the batter is too thick add a little more milk. Pour into a deep pan, +and bake in a quick oven. It must be taken up the moment it is done or +it will fall, and be ruined. Serve immediately, with a sauce made by +working together over hot water three cups sugar, one cup butter, half a +cup boiling water, cup fruit juice, wine or whiskey, with any flavoring +approved. The sauce cannot be made too rich, the pudding should be a +pale clear yellow, as light as a puff, and cutting easily with a spoon. +It is not "true to name" in these days of costly eggs, but deserved it +in the pioneer epoch which originated it. + +_Boiled Batter Pudding_: Make the same batter as above, only putting in +a teaspoonful baking powder. Stir well through it three cups seeded +raisins, wet in whiskey and very well floured. Tie up in a newly-scalded +floured pudding bag, pop in a kettle of boiling water, keep it full, +with more boiling water, and cook from an hour to an hour and a half, +according to size. Serve very hot with plenty of very rich sweet sauce +highly flavored, and be sure to warm your knife or spoon before cutting +into the pudding. + +_Apple Pudding_: (M. W. Watkins.) Core and peel half a dozen tart +apples, slice crosswise, put the slices in layers in a deep dish with +plenty of sugar, butter in reason, cinnamon and a very little water. +Pour over a batter made thus: one egg beaten light with half a cup +sugar, butter the size of a walnut, half a cup milk, pinch of salt, +flour enough to make thick enough for layer cake, with a teaspoonful +baking powder sifted through. Spread batter smooth, dot with bits of +butter on top, and bake in a brisk, but not scorching oven, half an +hour or longer if needed--the apples must be thoroughly cooked. Serve +hot or cold--preferably hot, with hard sauce or wine sauce. + +_Apple Dumplings_: Pare and core half a dozen tart apples, stick three +cloves in each, fill the core-spaces full of very sweet hard sauce, +stick a sliver of mace in the sauce, then set each apple on a round of +good short paste, and work the paste up over it, joining the edges neat +and trig. Set close in a pan just big enough, pour around a half cup of +sugar melted in a cup of water with a little butter and lemon juice. +Cover the pan and cook quickly until done--then uncover, brown, take up +and serve piping hot with a very rich hard sauce. + +_Crumb Pudding_: (Anne McVay.) Soak a cup of dry grated bread crumbs in +half a pint of milk until soft, add then the well-beaten yolks of two +eggs, half a cup sugar, tablespoonful butter, and another half-pint +milk. Flavor with lemon, vanilla or brandy, as preferred. Bake until +firm in a quick, but not scorching hot oven, cover with meringue made +from the egg-whites and half a cup of sugar. Barely color the meringue. +Let cool, and serve with either whipped or sweetened cream, or a fruit +sauce. Good without any sauce. + +_Blackberry Mush_: (Leslie Fox.) Wash after picking a quart of fresh, +very ripe blackberries, put them on with barely enough water to save +from burning, bring to a good boil, and skim clean, then add gradually +almost two pounds of flour, or cornstarch well wet with cold water, also +sugar to taste. Cook, stirring often till the mass looks thick and +glossy, pour into your pudding dish, let cool, chill thoroughly, and +serve with cream either plain, or whipped, or sweetened. + +_Peach Pudding_: Beat light one egg, with half a cup sugar, two +tablespoonfuls melted butter, three-quarters cup flour, one cup sour +cream, one teaspoon soda dissolved in one teaspoonful cold water, and +two cups very ripe peaches, peeled and sliced thin. Bake quickly and +serve when very hot with a rich hard or a wine sauce. + +_Ginger Pudding_: Beat three eggs very light with two cups sugar, a +large cup rich black molasses, three-quarters cup butter, creamed, +tablespoon ginger beaten fine. Half a cup rich sour cream, half a cup +boiling water with teaspoon soda dissolved in it, add flour enough to +make a thickish batter, pour into deep greased pan, and bake quickly. +Serve hot with rich sauce that is flavored with some orange juice and +peel. + +_Nesselrode Pudding_: (Mrs. H. Barker.) Boil together three cups sugar, +one cup water until the syrup ropes. Beat it boiling hot into the yolks +of six eggs previously beaten very light. Fold in the stiffly beaten +whites, then add box Cox's gelatine dissolved in warm water, one cup +raisins, seeded, steamed and soaked in sherry or whiskey, one cup of +nuts rolled small, else one cup of crumbled macaroons, or a cup of both +mixed. Finish with enough thick cream to make a full gallon, pack in +salt and ice, freeze and let stand long enough to ripen. + +_Thanksgiving Pudding_: (Mrs. J. O. Cook.) Beat light the yolks of four +eggs with one cup sugar, two tablespoonfuls creamed butter, and one cup +of stale cake crumbs, soaked in eight tablespoonfuls whiskey. Mix well, +then add one cup raisins, seeded and floured, one cup nut meats, cut +small. Beat smooth and bake until set, then cover with meringue. Serve +with whipped cream or any sauce preferred. Milk can take the place of +whiskey, and preserves replace raisins. + +_Real Christmas Pudding_: Toast a pint of fine breadcrumbs to a good +brown without burning, pour on them half a cup of strong, clear black +coffee, and let stand till soft. + +Beat six egg-yolks very light with two cups of yellow sugar and one of +creamed butter, add the soaked crumbs and mix very smooth. Meantime, +soak a cup of raisins, seeded and halved, a cup of clean currants, a cup +of shredded citron, a cup of nut meats broken small, in a tumbler of +sherry, a tumbler of rum, and wineglass of apricot brandy. Add the fruit +when well soaked to the eggs and sugar, putting in any surplus liquors. +Mix in gradually a teaspoonful of cinnamon, the same of cloves and +allspice, half a cup of preserved ginger sliced very thin, and a very +tiny dusting of black pepper and paprika. Beat smooth, then fold in the +stiffly beaten egg-whites alternately with a cup of browned flour. If +too thick to stir handily thin with a little milk or boiling water. Pour +into a clean pudding bag, freshly scalded, leaving room for the pudding +to swell, put in a deep kettle of boiling water, and boil for five +hours, filling up the kettle as needed with boiling water so as not to +check the cooking. Make several days beforehand, and boil an extra hour +upon Christmas day. Serve in a blaze of brandy, with a very rich sauce, +either fruit or wine flavored. + +_Pudding Sauce_: (Mrs. Barbara Clayton.) Beat together until very light, +one cup white sugar, one cup creamed butter, and the yolks of three +eggs. Beat the egg whites very stiff with another cup of sugar, add to +the yolks and butter, beat hard together, then put in double boiler and +cook until thick. Put two wineglasses of good whiskey in a bowl, pour +the hot sauce upon it, and whip hard until light. + + + + +[Illustration: _Creole Cookery_] + + +Exotics rarely flower in native splendor after transplanting. Milly was +the exception, proving the rule. Bred in New Orleans, steeped in its +atmosphere, its traditions, a cook of degree, and daughter of a cook to +whom, though past middle age, she paid the most reverent homage, she yet +kept her magic touch amid the crush and hurly-burly of New York town, +albeit she never grew acclimated nor even content. This in spite of a +mistress she adored--in virtue of having served her ten years down in +the home city. When at last Milly went back to her own, there was +wailing amongst all of us, who had eaten her cooking, but the mistress +smiled, rather sadly, to be sure, saying: "I could not beg her to +stay--she was so unhappy here." + +Milly never had quite a free hand--New York markets know not many things +familiar to those of the Crescent City. Notwithstanding, she was a +liberal education in blended flavors, in the delights, the surprises of +the Creole kitchen. Tall and slim, of a golden-brown complexion, neat to +the point of austerity, trim and self-contained, sight of her somehow +gave an added piquancy to her dishes. She did not make friends readily, +but the comradery of cooking induced her to more than tolerate me. "I +don't say I kin cook--but my mother can," she often told me--smiling +proudly the while, with the buzzing praises of _gourmets_ sounding in +her ears. She could never tell you how she made her ambrosial +dishes--but if you had my luck to be _persona gratis_ she could and did +show you, to the queen's taste. + +I shall write only whereof I know--not by any means a compend of Creole +cookery. Indeed, a lifetime is hardly enough to eat of all its +specially excellent dishes. It seems to me from this scant experience, +one general principle runs through all. It is the blending of +proportioned flavors, achieved through long and gentle cooking. Milly +said she let things "sob," a mistake I dare say, for the old-time "sod," +past participle of "seethe." But I by no means speak with authority--my +deduction is from the premise of fifty dinners, each it seemed to me +uniquely excellent. After this prelude come we to specific recipes. + +_Court Bouillon_: (Pronounced "Coubare.") Milly sighed for Redfish or +Red Snapper but made shift with halibut or any other firm fine-grained +fish perfectly fresh. Take three pounds of it, wash very clean, and cut +in six equal slices with a very sharp knife. There must be no rags and +tatters. Melt a heaping tablespoonful of lard in a deep kettle, add to +it gradually two tablespoonfuls flour, stirring hard so it shall not +burn. Throw into it a dozen pounded alspice, three sprigs each of thyme, +parsley, bay leaf and sweet marjoram chopped fine, one small clove of +garlic, one large onion also chopped fine, and either six large fresh +tomatoes, chopped small, or half a can--those from glass are best. Pour +in a large glass of claret, add a quart of boiling water, and bring all +to a very brisk boil. Cook for five minutes, then add salt and Cayenne +pepper to taste. Boil five minutes longer, then lay in the fish slices +one at a time, following them with the strained juice of a lemon. Boil +hard twenty minutes longer. Serve hot. + +To make _Court Bouillon a la Espagnole_, stir together as above, lard +and flour, taking care to have them smooth, add a large onion, six +tomatoes, clove of garlic, sprigs of sweet basil and thyme, all chopped +fine, along with two whole bay leaves. Brown all nicely, taking care not +to burn, then add a quart of boiling water, bring to a boil and cook two +or three minutes. Have six thick slices of fine, firm fresh fish, rub +them well over with salt and pepper, lay in a dish and pour over a large +cup of white wine boiling hot. Vinegar answers, but wine is better. Lay +the fish slices in the pot, handling carefully, add the wine, and +simmer until tender--about half an hour commonly. Take up carefully so +as not to break, lay in a deepish dish, remove bay leaves from the gravy +and pour over the fish. Finish with a garnish of sliced lemon, and serve +with either boiled rice or whole boiled potatoes. + +_Bouillabaisse_: While time endures New Orleans will plume itself upon +this dish which drew from Thackeray a world-famous tribute. "In New +Orleans you can eat a Bouillabaisse, the like of which was never eaten +in Marseilles or Paris." Which is much, very much, from the laureate of +Bouillabaisse, as native to Marseilles. The reason of superiority is not +far to seek--it lies in the excellence and flavor of the fish native to +the Gulf of Mexico. Lacking Pompano, Red Snapper, and Redfish, even +Milly could not quite do her knowledge justice. But she made shift with +what the market offered, choosing generally halibut, with fresh cod, or +bluefish, or sea trout. Two kinds of fish in equal quantity are +imperative. The better, finer and firmer the fish, the better the +Bouillabaisse. Cut each sort in six equal slices, saving trimmings, +heads, etc. Boil them in three pints of water, with a sliced onion, and +a bouquet of herbs, until reduced to one pint. Remove fish-heads and +herbs, then strain the stock, and set aside until needed. Meantime rub +the fish over very well with salt and pepper, then with a mixture made +by mincing very fine three bay leaves, three sprigs each of thyme and +parsley, three cloves of garlic, and six allspice pounded to powder. Rub +the mixture in well and thoroughly--here is the key to success. The +seasoning must go through and through the fish. Put into a very wide +pan, two tablespoonfuls of olive oil, heat it gently, add two mild +onions, chopped and let them cook a little without browning. Now lay in +the fish, slice by slice, so one slice does not touch another, cover the +pan, and let the slices smother for about ten minutes, turning them +once, so as to cook each side partly. Take up, lay separately in a large +dish, pour half a bottle of white wine into the pan, and stir hard. Add +six large, fresh tomatoes, sliced very thin, let boil a few minutes, +then half a lemon, also in very thin slices, and a pint of the fish +stock strained. Season well, with salt, pepper, and Cayenne--here the +palate is guide. Boil all together until reduced almost one half, then +lay in the fish slices, taking care they do not touch, and boil briskly +for five minutes. While the boiling goes on, chop fine a pinch of +saffron, put it in a small, deep dish, and mix smooth with a spoonful of +the boiling liquor. Dissolve the saffron very well, and when the fish +has cooked its allotted five minutes, spread the saffron on top of the +fish. Fry in butter as many slices of toast as you have slices of +fish--lay the fish on the toast, pour the sauce over it, and serve +immediately, very hot. + +_Shrimps_: The secret of cooking shrimps is to boil them properly--that +is to say in very salt water, almost brine. They take up salt only in +the boiling, and not so much then. To five quarts of very salt water add +a large bunch of celery, chopped, roots, leaves and all, two dozen +allspice, one dozen cloves, two blades of mace, a bouquet of herbs +chopped small, a pod of red pepper, and a seasoning of Cayenne. Boil +until the strength of herbs and seasoning is extracted, then throw in a +hundred shrimps--river shrimps are best--let boil hard ten minutes, take +from fire and allow the shrimps to cool in the brine. Serve as a relish +before dinner, on a bed of cracked ice, with a garnish of parsley. + +_Baked Shrimp_: Cut the eyes from a dozen large, meaty tomatoes, scoop +out the pulp, leaving the shells whole, then mix it with one hundred +shrimps boiled as directed and picked from their shells, one cup grated +bread crumbs or fine cracker crumbs, and one heaping tablespoon of +butter. Stew all together, seasoning with pepper and salt, fill the +tomato shells with the mixture, sift fine crumbs on top, dot with +butter, put in a pan, with a very little hot water in the bottom, and +bake until done in a quick but not scorching oven. + +_Shrimp Pie_: Boil and pick from shells one hundred shrimps, mix well +with two large slices stale bread free of crust, moistened with two +glasses white wine, and highly seasoned with salt, pepper, Cayenne, +nutmeg, mace, chopped thyme and parsley. Crisp the bread crusts, and +grate over the mixture after it is packed in a deep dish. Dot well with +butter, and bake in a hot oven. Serve with a sauce made by cooking +together a pint of boiled shrimps, a tablespoonful of butter, five +chopped tomatoes, a little celery, thyme, parsley and bay leaf, also +chopped. Cook three to four minutes, then add half a pint of oyster +liquor, boil up, and serve very hot. + +_Shrimp Salad_: Boil, and pick from shells--if large cut in half, +otherwise leave whole. Season well with salt and pepper, then mix well +with crisp celery, chopped fine with a very little onion. Heap in salad +dish, cover with a good mayonnaise, and garnish with sliced hard-boiled +eggs, sliced lemon, sliced beets, and celery tips. + +_Fried Soft-Shell Crabs_: Wash always in cold water--hot water spoils +the flavor. Remove all sand, also the sand-bag between the eyes, the +apron, and the spongy growths under the side points. Rinse well again in +cold water, and dry thoroughly with a clean towel. Season a pint of rich +milk well with pepper and salt. Season the crabs also, lay them in the +milk, rubbing them so that it may impregnate them throughout. Take out, +roll in sifted flour, patting lightly as you roll, then shaking free of +loose flour. Have deep fat, very hot--it must be deep enough to swim the +crabs. Drop them in gently, fry to a delicate brown, skim out, drain on +hot spongy paper, and serve garnished with fried parsley, and sliced +lemon. Serve with Tartare sauce. + +_Daube: Otherwise Beef a la Mode_: Take five pounds good lean beef, rump +or top round, and lard it with a quarter pound salt pork or fat bacon, +cut in thin strips and season highly with salt, pepper, onion, garlic, +thyme, parsley, and bay leaves, all minced fine. Crowd in the seasoning +as well as the larding strips. Make the cuts for larding three to four +inches long. Cut two large, mild onions in quarters, and put into a +deep saucepan with a tablespoonful of lard, let them brown well, then +lay upon them the larded beef, cover, and let simmer very slowly till +well browned. When browned add five carrots and two turnips cut into +inch-squares, and two more onions chopped fine. Keep covered tight, and +simmer for ten minutes, then turn over the meat, and brown the other +side--it will take about ten minutes more. Then cover the meat with +boiling water, or weak stock, add a glass of sherry or Madeira, or even +claret, season with salt, black pepper, and Cayenne to taste, then cover +the pot tight, set it where it will barely simmer and let smother for +three hours. The meat should be very tender. Serve hot or cold. + +_Cold Daube a la Creole_: Lard, season, and cook, three pounds of rump +or round as above directed, but keep it simmering four hours instead of +three. Put into a deep dish rather large and pour over it a sauce made +thus: Put a two-pound veal steak and two well-cleaned pigsfeet, in a +pot with, four quarts of water, after seasoning them well with salt, +pepper and Cayenne. Add half a clove garlic, bay leaf, sprig thyme, one +onion, all minced fine, also two cloves pounded, and a glass of sherry +or Madeira. Keep boiling till the meat falls from the bones--take up +then, remove bones, mince the meat fine, season it highly and return to +the liquor, stirring it well through. Pour over the beef, let stand +uncovered in a very cool place to harden. Serve in very thin slices--it +will be like jelly. This is a cold-weather dish, as even an ice-box will +not harden the sauce properly in summer. + +_Grillades with Gravy_: Flatten by beating a good round steak, and cut +into four-inch-squares. Season the squares highly with salt, pepper, and +Cayenne. Put a heaping tablespoon of lard in a frying pan--as it melts, +add a chopped onion, a clove of garlic also chopped, and as these brown, +one tablespoonful of flour, stirring all smooth. Next add two sliced +tomatoes with their juice--when they brown, lay the grillades upon them. +Cover close, let them brown on one side, then turn and brown the other. +Then add half a tablespoonful of vinegar, and a cup of water. Stir well, +then set where it will simmer for half an hour. Fine for breakfast with +hominy or rice. + +Another way is to cook the grillades without garlic, and add to them +along with the tomatoes half a pint of tender okra well washed and +sliced. Or they can be fried brown, in clear fat, then put in a hot dish +over boiling water while a gravy is made of fresh fat, heated very hot, +and stirred about the pan to take up the brown meat essence, a chopped +onion, two sliced tomatoes, a tablespoonful flour, as much vinegar and +water. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and Cayenne, boil ten to +twelve minutes and pour over the grillades. + +_Chicken Saute a la Creole_: Clean, singe and cut in joints two spring +chickens, dividing the breasts lengthwise, and cutting drumsticks from +thighs. Season well with salt and pepper. Melt in a frying pan two large +tablespoonfuls butter, add the chicken, and let it brown slowly for +five minutes. Have three large onions sliced thin--add them and let +brown but take care not to scorch in the least. Dredge in two +tablespoonfuls flour, and let it brown. Then put in half a dozen large +tomatoes peeled and sliced, let them brown but cook slowly, letting the +pan barely simmer. Add chopped parsley, thyme and bay leaf, also two +cloves of garlic finely minced, and if you have them, half a dozen sweet +green peppers, freed of seed and cut in shreds. Stir well, cover and let +smother for twenty minutes, stirring now and then, but keeping the pan +covered. Add a cup of consommé if in hand, otherwise a cup of boiling +water, cook very slowly a full half hour, seasoning to taste. After +seasoning, cook ten minutes longer. Serve very hot. + +_Roasted Quail_: Take six quail, fat, fresh and tender, pick, draw, +singe, and wipe with a damp cloth inside and out. Butter inside, and +sprinkle with salt and pepper lightly. Butter all over the outside, +truss, and bind around with a thin slice of fat bacon. Put a +tablespoonful of butter in the roasting pan, fit in the quail, and +roast in a hot oven twenty to thirty minutes, according to size. Put six +slices of hot buttered toast in a hot dish, and lay a quail on each. Add +half a spoonful of butter, a little boiling water, and the juice of a +lemon to the gravy in the pan, cook three to four minutes, stirring +well, strain, set back on stove to cook two minutes longer, then pour +evenly upon the breasts of the birds so it will soak in the toast. +Garnish with sliced lemon and watercress, and serve with green grape +jelly. If grape leaves are to be had, wrap the birds in them instead of +bacon, after preparing as directed, roast, take up on toast, garnish +with fresh young grape leaves, and serve with either spiced grapes or +grape jelly. + +_Creole French Dressing_: Put three tablespoonfuls of olive oil in a +deep, small bowl, add to it a saltspoon salt and half one of +pepper--more if taste approves. Add alternately drop by drop, a +teaspoonful of made mustard, and a tablespoonful vinegar. When well +mixed, add the yolk of a hard-boiled egg, mashed very smooth, and stir +until blended. Serve with lettuce, celery or potato salad. + +_Mayonnaise Dressing_: Chill a small bowl, also a fresh egg, and your +salad oil. Put the yolk of the egg in the bowl--which if it is summer, +should sit in cracked ice. Add drop by drop chilled oil, working it in +as you drop it. When you have added a spoonful begin dropping in lemon +juice, working it likewise into the yolk. It will harden the egg--stir +till very hard, then add more oil, drop by drop, working it in with a +fork. Repeat, until you have used the juice of half a lemon, and two +gills of oil. When the egg begins to curdle add salt and pepper to +taste--but do not put them in until the last. Keep and serve very cold. + +_Remoulade Dressing_: Put three hard boiled egg-yolks into a bowl, mash +smooth, add to them half a teaspoonful made mustard, one tablespoonful +Tarragon vinegar, with salt and Cayenne to taste. Next add, drop by +drop, three tablespoonfuls olive oil, after which put in the yolk of a +raw egg, and stir until light. Finish with the juice of half a lemon, +added very gradually. Much depends on the mixing--if hurried or +carelessly done, the sauce will curdle. This is standard for cold meat +of every sort, also heavy salads, and fish. + +_Drip Coffee_: Two things are essential--an absolutely clean urn, and +sound coffee, freshly parched, and ground neither too fine nor too +coarse. The water must be freshly boiled. Put a cup of ground coffee in +the strainer, pour upon it about two tablespoonfuls of boiling water, +let it stand until the water drips through and there is no more +bubbling, then pour on more water, but not too much, let it drip, +keeping both the strainer and the spout covered to prevent the loss of +aroma. Repeat until you have used almost five cups of water--this for +four cups of strained coffee, as the grounds hold part of the water. +Keep the pot hot while the dripping goes on, but never where the coffee +will boil. If it dyes the cups it is too strong, but beware of making +too weak. + +_Bruleau_: Put into the special bruleau bowl, which has its own brandy +ladle, three ladlefuls of brandy, along with the yellow peel of half an +orange, a dozen cloves, a stick of cinnamon, a few grains of alspice and +six lumps of sugar. Let stand several hours to extract the essential +oils. At serving time put in an extra ladleful of brandy for every +person to be served, and two lumps of domino sugar. Pour alcohol in the +tray underneath the bowl, light it, and stir the brandy back and forth +until it also catches from the flame below. Let burn two or three +minutes--if the lights have been extinguished as they should be, the +effect is beautifully spectral. After the three minutes pour in strong, +hot, clear, black coffee, a small cupful for each person, keep stirring +until the flame dies out, then serve literally blazing hot. This "burnt +water" known in more sophisticated regions as _Café Diabolique_, +originated in New Orleans, and is the consummate flowering of Creole +cookery. + + + + +[Illustration: _Cakes, Great and Small_] + + +The very queen among cake makers sums her secret of success in a +sentence: "The best of everything." Cake will never be better than the +things whereof it is made, no matter how skilled the maker. But it can +be, and too often is, dismally worse, thus involving a waste of heaven's +good gifts of sugar, butter, eggs, flour and flavors. Having the best at +hand, use it well. Isaac Walton's direction for the bait, "Use them as +though you loved them," applies here as many otherwheres. Unless you +love cake-making, not perhaps the work, but the results, you will never +excell greatly in the fine art. Better buy your cake, or hire the making +thereof, else swap work with some other person better gifted in this +special branch. + +Here are a few cardinal helps. Have the eggs very cold, butter soft but +not oily, flour dry and light--sun or oven-dry it in muggy weather. Sift +it three times for ordinary cakes, twice for tea cakes, and so on, four +to five times for very light things, sponge cake, angel's food, and +measure it before sifting, and don't forget the needed amount--then you +will be in no danger of putting in too much or too little. Always put a +pinch of fine salt in the bottom of the mixing bowl, which ought to be +freshly scalded and wiped very dry. A damp bowl clogs with either sugar +or flour, making the stirring much harder. Unless specifically directed +otherwise, separate the eggs, set the whites on ice till time to whip +them, beat the yolks very, very light--to a pale, frothy yellow, add the +sugar, free of lumps, a cupful at a time, then the butter washed and +beaten to a creamy froth, beat hard together for five minutes, then add +alternately the flour and the egg-whites beaten to the stiffest possible +froth. Add a pinch of salt as beating begins, and if the egg supply is +scant, a teaspoonful of cold water to each white. This will increase the +quantity, and help to make the cake lighter, as it is the air-bubbles +imprisoned in the froth which give it its raising virtue. Add fruit and +flavoring last thing. Fruit should be well floured but never clotted. If +batter appears to be too stiff a little whiskey thins it excellently, +and helps to make it lighter. Put in two tablespoonfuls to six eggs, +using more in proportion. Rose water or a liqueur have the same effect +but give their own flavor--which whiskey does not. + +If strong butter needs must be used, it can be mitigated to a degree, by +washing and kneading well in cold water barely dashed with chloride of +lime solution, then rinsing well in cold water, and afterward in sweet +milk. The milk may be half water. Rinse it out clean. Let the butter +soften well before undertaking to cream it. A stout, blunt wooden spoon +is the best for creaming, along with a deep bowl very narrow at the +bottom. Grease deep cake tins plentifully, with either lard or +butter--using only the best. For heavy cakes such as fruit, spice and +marble cake, line them with double thicknesses of buttered paper and +either set shallow pans of water in the oven while baking or stand the +pans themselves in other pans with a quarter inch of water in the +bottoms. If cakes brown too fast, open the oven door, a trifle, and lay +over the pan a thick, well buttered paper until the oven cools. Never +jar the oven while cake is baking in it--neither by banging the doors, +nor dumping heavy vessels on top of it. Beware likewise slamming kitchen +doors, or bumping things about in the room. Fine cake demands as many +virtues of omission as of commission. Indeed the don'ts are as essential +as the doings. + +Layer cakes need to be mixed thinner than deep ones. The batter must run +freely. Half fill the tins and set in a hot oven, taking care not to +scorch before rising is finished. Butter tins very freely--it is +economy in the end. Be sure the tins sit level in the oven--thus you +escape an ungainly final loaf. Get filling ready as baking goes forward +so as to put your layers together while still warm and pliable. Let cool +before frosting, so as to trim sides smooth. Take care fillings are not +too watery, also that they are mixed smooth. Spread evenly, and press +down a layer firmly all over, before putting filling on top. Layers +simplify greatly the problem of baking, but to my mind, no layer cake, +not even the famous Lady Baltimore, is equal to a fine deep loaf, well +frosted, and meltingly rich throughout. + +_Pound Cake_: (Aunt Polly Rives) Take ten fresh eggs, their weight in +fresh butter, white sugar, and thrice sifted flour. Separate the eggs, +beat yolks to a cream-yellow, add the sugar, cupful at a time, beat +hard, then the butter creamed to a froth, then half the flour, then two +wineglasses of whiskey or brandy or good sherry or rose water, beat hard +five minutes, then add the rest of the flour, taking care not to pack +it in the handling. Beat fifteen minutes longer, then fold in with long +strokes, the egg-whites beaten with a good pinch of salt until they +stick to the dish. Barely mix them through the batter, then pour it into +deep pans, or ovens, lined with double greased papers. The vessels also +must be well buttered. Bake with quick heat, letting the cake rise well +before browning. Slack heat when it is a very light brown, and cook +until a straw thrust to the bottom comes out clean. Turn out upon a +thick, folded cloth, cover with another thinner cloth, and let cool. +Frost when cool, either with the boiled frosting directed for +cheesecakes (See Chapter on Paste, Pies and Puddings) or with plain +frosting made thus. Beat three egg-whites well chilled to the stiffest +possible froth with a pinch of salt, and a very little cold water. Add +to them gradually when thus beaten a pound of sugar sifted with a +teaspoonful of cream of tartar. Mix very smooth, and apply with a +broad-bladed knife, dipping it now and then in cold water to keep the +frosting smooth. It should dry a quarter-inch thick and be delicious +eating. Frosted cake keeps fresh three times as long as that left naked. + +_Spice Cake_: Cream a coffee cup of well washed butter, with two cups +yellow sugar and one cup black molasses. Add to it one after the other, +seven egg-yolks, beating hard between. When all are in, add one +tablespoonful whiskey, or brandy, one teaspoonful grated chocolate, +teaspoonful each of powdered cloves, allspice, ginger, mace, and +cinnamon, a grated nutmeg, and half a saltspoonful of powdered black +pepper. Add also a pinch of salt, and the barest dusting of paprika. If +whiskey is for any reason disapproved, use strong, clear coffee instead, +putting in two spoonfuls, and leaving out the chocolate. Beat all +together hard for ten minutes, then add four scant cups flour browned in +the oven but not burned. Sift after browning, adding to it two +teaspoonfuls baking powder. Beat hard five minutes after the flour is +all in, then pour in a deep, well greased pan, lined with buttered +paper, let rise ten minutes with the oven door open, then bake in quick +heat until done through. + +_Marble Cake_: Make up egg-yolks into spice cake, beat the whites very +light, and add them to three cups of sifted sugar, beaten smooth in a +large cup of creamed butter. Put in a wineglass of whiskey or brandy, +then add three cups and a half flour sifted three times with a heaping +teaspoonful baking powder. Put the light and dark batter by alternate +spoonfuls in pans well buttered and papered, let rise and bake the same +as spice cake. Else bake the light and dark batter in layers, put +together with any good filling, and frost with caramel frosting. + +_Real Gold Cake_: Beat very light the yolks of sixteen eggs, with a full +pound of yellow sugar, and a scant pound of creamed butter. Add a cup of +rich sour cream with a teaspoonful soda dissolved in it. Or if you like +better put in the cream _solus_, and add the soda dissolved in a +teaspoonful of boiling water at the very last. This makes lighter cake +so is worth the extra trouble. Flavor to taste--grated lemon rind is +good. Add gradually four cups flour sifted three times at least. Beat +hard for ten minutes, then bake in well-greased pans, lined with +buttered paper, until well done, let cool partly in the pans, then turn +out, dust lightly with flour or corn starch and frost. + +_Real Silver Cake_: Wash and cream to a froth a pound of fresh butter, +work into it a pound of sifted sugar, and a pound of flour, sifted +thrice with a teaspoonful of baking powder. Add flavoring--vanilla, +lemon or rose water, following it with a wineglass of whiskey. Then fold +in the whites of sixteen eggs beaten with a pinch of salt to the +stiffest possible froth. If the batter looks too thick add half a cup +sweet cream--this will depend on the size of the eggs and the dryness of +the flour. Bake in deep pans, else in layers. By baking gold and silver +batter in layers, and alternating them you can have a fine marble cake. +Or by coloring half the white batter pink with vegetable color to be had +from any confectioner, you can have rose-marble cake. This should be +iced with pink frosting else with plain white, then dotted over with +pink. Very decorative for birthday parties or afternoon teas. + +_Christmas Cake_: Prepare fruit first. Cut small half a pound of +homemade citron drained from syrup, wash and seed one pound raisins, +pick, wash and dry one pound currants, mince a teacup of any firm +preserve--quince, peach or pear, or use a cupful of preserved cherries +whole. Shred fine four ounces of homemade candied peel, also four ounces +of preserved ginger, add a cupful of nutmeats--pecans or English +walnuts, or even scalybarks, cutting them in bits, mix all well +together, then pour upon them the strained juice of three oranges, and +three lemons, also add the grated yellow peel. Next pour on half a pint +of whiskey, a gill of rum, and a tumbler of cordial--peach or +blackberry, and homemade if possible. Let stand overnight, in a warm +place--the fruit should take up the most part of the liquor. A glass of +tart jelly is held an improvement by some. I do not put it in--the +preserves suit my palate better. Cream a full pound of butter with four +cups sifted sugar, beat into it one at a time, ten large fresh eggs. +After them put in four cups dried and sifted flour, mix smooth, then put +in the fruit, drained from the liquor and lightly dredged with hot, +sifted flour. Mix well, then add the liquor drained from the fruit, +along with a tablespoonful of lemon essence, and as much vanilla or rose +water. If the batter is too stiff to stir well, thin with either a +little sweet cream or boiling water, or cordial. Pour into pans buttered +and lined with five thicknesses of buttered paper, set the pans in other +pans of hot water inside a warm but not brisk oven, shield the tops with +double paper, and let rise half an hour. Increase heat then, but the +baking must be slow. Four to five hours is required, according to the +size of pans. Keep covered until the last half hour--then the heat may +be sensibly increased. Test with straws--when they come out clean, take +up, set pans on racks, cover with thick cloth and let cool thoroughly. +Frost next day, with either plain or boiled frosting. By baking the +cake in rather small square molds, set close in a larger pan, the +squares can be cut without waste and frosted to make individual cakes. + +_White Layer Cake_: (Mrs. George H. Patch.) Sift two teaspoonfuls baking +powder through three and a half cups flour, measured before sifting. +Cream a cup of butter with two and one half cups sugar, add a cup of +rich milk, beat hard, then add gradually the flour, following it with +the whites of seven eggs beaten very stiff with a small pinch of salt. +Fold in lightly, and bake in three layers. Put together with orange +filling, or frosting made thick with nuts and minced figs. + +_German Coffee Cake_: (Mrs. T. G. Petre.) Beat six fresh eggs very light +with one pound of sugar, and one pound flour. Add the peel of a lemon +grated, and one yeast cake dissolved in a little hot milk or water. Let +stand till very light, then roll into sheets one inch thick, spread them +thickly with melted butter--half a pound will be required, sprinkle with +two ounces bitter almonds blanched and shredded fine, mixed with four +ounces sugar, and a teaspoonful powdered cinnamon. Let rise again, and +bake in a moderate oven. Good hot or cold. + +_Cream Cake_: (Betsy Vaughn.) Cream together very light two cups butter, +three cups sugar, one cup sweet cream. Add gradually four cups flour +sifted with one teaspoonful baking powder, then fold in the whites of +fourteen eggs beaten very stiff with a pinch of salt. Flavor with bitter +almonds, bake in loaves or layers, and frost with pink icing, flavored +with rose water. + +_Sponge Cake_: Beat very light the yolks of seven eggs with three cups +sifted sugar, and a pinch of salt. Add to them gradually a cup of hot +water, then three scant cups flour sifted thrice with two teaspoonfuls +baking powder. Fold in last the stiffly beaten white of the eggs, pour +into greased pans, and bake in a quick oven. The batter must not be too +thin. If the eggs are large only half a cup of water may be requisite. +Flavor with vanilla, putting orange or lemon in the frosting. + +_White Sponge Cake_: Beat very stiff six egg-whites, add to them +gradually a cup of sugar, and a cup of flour sifted twice with a +teaspoonful of baking powder. Do not forget a tiny pinch of salt in the +eggs. + +_Angel's Food_: Beat to a stiff froth with a pinch of salt, the whites +of eleven eggs. Mix in gradually a cup and a half of powdered sugar, +then add a cup of flour sifted twice with a teaspoonful cream of tartar. +Mix smooth, add the strained juice of half a lemon, pour into a smooth, +ungreased pan, bake in a moderate oven half an hour, take up, turn pan +upside down on a cloth and let stand till the cake falls out. + +_Chocolate Cake_: Sift together two cups flour, one cup corn starch, and +two teaspoonfuls baking powder, add to a cup of butter, creamed light +with two cups sugar and one cup sweet cream. Add the stiffly beaten +whites of seven eggs, flavor with vanilla, and bake in layers. For the +filling boil together to a thick syrup, three cups sugar, one cup water, +and half a cake of grated chocolate. Pour upon three egg-whites beaten +very stiff, flavor with vanilla or bitter almond, and spread between +layers. + +_Orange Cake_: Cream a cup of butter with two cups sugar, beat into it a +cup of cold water, then add four cups flour thrice sifted with two +teaspoonfuls baking powder, alternate the flour with three well-beaten +eggs. Flavor to taste, bake in layers, and put together with orange +frosting made thus. Cook together till it threads the strained juice, +and grated yellow peel of a large sweet orange with one cup sugar, then +beat the hot syrup into two egg-whites whipped as stiff as possible. +Beat smooth and spread while hot. + +_Dream Cakes_: Cream well half a cup butter, add a cup and a half of +sugar, half a cup cold water, two cups flour sifted twice with two +teaspoonfuls baking powder, a teaspoonful lemon extract, and the stiffly +beaten whites of six eggs. Bake in small shapes, frost, with boiled +frosting, and ornament with tiny pink candies. + +_Shrewsbury Cakes_: This receipt with two that follow, comes down from: +"The spacious days of great Elizabeth." They are given verbatim, from +the original version, as it seems to me the flavor of the language must +add to the flavor of the cakes. "Mix half a pound of butter, well beat +like cream, with the same weight of flour, one egg, six ounces of beaten +and sifted loaf sugar, and half an ounce of caraway seed. Form these +into a paste, roll them thin, and lay them in sheets of tin, then bake +them in a slow oven." + +_Queen Cakes_: "Take a pound of sugar, beat and sift it, a pound of well +dried flour, a pound of butter, eight eggs, and half a pound of +currants, washed and picked; grate a nutmeg and an equal quantity of +mace and cinnamon, work the butter to a cream, put in the sugar, beat +the whites of the eggs twenty minutes and mix them with the butter and +sugar. Then beat the yolks for half an hour, and put them to the butter. +Beat the whole together and when it is ready for the oven, put in the +flour, spices and currants, sift a little sugar over them, and bake them +in tins." + +_Banbury Cakes_: "Take a pound of dough, made for white bread, roll it +out and put bits of butter upon the same as for puff paste, till a pound +of the same has been worked in; roll it out very thin, then cut it into +bits of an oval size, according as the cakes are wanted. Mix some good +moist sugar with a little brandy, sufficient to wet it, then mix some +clean-washed currants with the former, put a little upon each bit of +paste, close them up, and put the side that is closed next the tin they +are to be baked upon. Lay them separate, and bake them moderately, and +afterward, when taken out, sift sugar over them. Some candied peel may +be added, or a few drops essence of lemon." + +_Oatmeal Cookies_: (Mrs. T. G. Petre.) Beat together until creamy, one +egg, half cup sugar, third cup butter, third teaspoonful soda mixed with +one cup sifted pastry flour, half teaspoonful each of salt and cinnamon, +then add one cup rolled oatmeal, half cup each of shredded nuts and +raisins. Mix well, drop on greased tin, and bake in a slow oven. Do not +let the stiffness of the dough induce you to add milk or water. + +_Tea Cakes_: (Betsy Vaughn.) Cream together a cup and a half of butter, +and two cups and a half of sugar, add to five eggs beaten very light, +mix well, then add a cup and a half of buttermilk with a small +teaspoonful of soda dissolved in it. Pour upon flour enough to make a +soft dough, flavor with nutmeg, roll out a quarter-inch thick, cut with +a small, round cutter, and bake in a quick but not scorching oven. + +_Tea Cakes_: (M. L. Williams.) Beat five eggs very light, with five cups +of sugar, a heaping cup of lard, well creamed, and two cupfuls of sour +milk, with a teaspoonful of soda dissolved in it. Mix through enough +flour to make a soft dough, roll half an inch thick, cut out and bake in +a quick oven. + +_Plain Soft Gingerbread_: Dissolve a desert spoonful of soda in a cup of +boiling water, add to it a cup of rich molasses, along with three +tablespoonfuls of melted butter. Mix well through two and and one half +cups sifted flour, add ground ginger and alspice to taste, and bake in a +moderate oven. + +_Mammy's Ginger Cakes_: Beat four eggs very light with a good pinch of +salt and a cup of coffee sugar. Add three cups of rich molasses, and a +cup of boiling water with two teaspoonfuls soda dissolved in it. Mix +well in two tablespoonfuls pounded ginger. Sift five pints of flour with +a teaspoonful of salt, rub into it lightly two cups sweet lard, then add +the molasses mixture and knead to a firm dough, adding more flour if +needed or, if too stiff, a little sweet milk. Roll out half an inch +thick, cut into big squares, bake in a quick oven, and brush over the +tops while blazing hot a little butter, molasses and boiling water. Let +stand in a warm place until dry. These might properly be called First +Monday Ginger Cakes, since our Mammy made them to sell upon that day to +the crowds which came to court, thereby turning many an honest fip or +picayune. + +_Family Gingerbread_: Cup and a half dark molasses, half cup sugar, +small cup melted lard, cup boiling water with teaspoonful soda dissolved +in it, pinch of salt, sifted flour enough to make rather stiffer than +pound cake batter. Spices to taste--ginger, allspice, nutmeg, all in +powder, is a good mixture. Bake rather quickly. + +_Solid Chocolate Cake_: (Mrs. R. Heim.) Cream together one cup butter, +two of sugar, add six egg-yolks beaten light, then add alternately one +cup sour milk with teaspoon soda dissolved in it, and three cups sifted +flour. Fold in egg-whites stiffly beaten then add half cake Baker's +chocolate melted, and three teaspoonfuls vanilla. Stir hard a minute, +pour in deep, well greased pan, and bake in moderate oven. + +_Coffee Cake_: (Mrs. R. Heim.) Beat together until light, one egg, one +cup sugar, butter the size of a large egg. Add alternately one cup milk, +and two cups flour with two teaspoonfuls baking powder sifted in it. +Put in pan, and sprinkle thickly all over top with sugar and powdered +cinnamon. Bake rather quickly but do not scorch. + +_Fig Pudding_: (Mrs. R. Heim.) One pound figs, half pound suet, six +eggs, two cups sugar, three cups biscuit crumbs. Run figs, suet and +crumbs through grinder, beat eggs very light, add other ingredients, +beat again, and steam or boil in buttered mold, tied in well scalded +bag, four hours. Serve hot with this sauce. Beat to a light cream, one +cup butter with two cups sugar. Add two eggs very well beaten, then +gradually two tablespoons vinegar and one of vanilla. Cook a long time +in double boiler, stirring constantly, or it will not be smooth. Keep +hot until served. + +_Thin Ginger Snaps_: (Mrs. R. Heim.) Mix a cup of melted lard well +through two of molasses, add a pinch of salt, spices to taste, and +enough flour to make a soft batter. Drop by small spoonfuls on a +well-greased baking sheet, and cook in quick oven. + +_Measure Pound Cake_: (Leslie Fox.) Cream well together, one cup butter, +one and three-quarter cups sugar, when very light, drop in an egg-yolk +unbeaten, beat hard, put in another yolk, beat again hard, then another, +and repeat the hard beating. When very light add alternately two and +one-half cups flour, and one cup milk, mix well, then add half a cup +flour sifted three times with three even teaspoonfuls baking powder. +Follow this with the egg-whites beaten stiff. Flavor with brandy--a +tablespoonful and a half. Bake in a moderate oven about an hour. Serve +with any approved pudding sauce, or use as other cake. Nearly as good as +the pound cake of our grandmothers. + +_Kisses_: (Mrs. R. Heim.) Add to four fresh egg-whites unbeaten, a tiny +pinch of salt, two teaspoonfuls water, and three cups fine sugar. Beat +hard for at least half an hour--until the mixture is smooth and stiff. +Drop from point of spoon upon buttered paper, and harden in an oven cool +enough not to color. + + + + +[Illustration: _Meat, Poultry, Game, Eggs_] + + +_Barbecued Lamb_: The middle piece, known to butchers as "the bracelet," +is best for barbecuing. Have it split down the backbone, and the +rib-ends neatly trimmed, also the ribs proper, broken about midway, but +not quite through. Wash clean, wipe dry, rub over well with salt, then +prick in tiny gashes with a sharp-pointed knife, and rub in well black +pepper, paprika, a very little dry mustard, then dash lightly with +tabasco. Put a low rack in the bottom of a deep narrowish pan, set the +meat upon it, letting only the backbone and rib-ends touch the rack. +This puts it in a sort of Gothic arch. Keep it so throughout the +cooking. Put a cupful of water underneath--it must not touch the meat. +Have the oven very hot, but not scorching--should it scorch in the least +turn another pan over the meat for the first hour of cooking. Add more +water as the first boils away, but do not baste the meat--the water is +merely to keep it from getting too hard. Roast till the fat is crisped +and brown throughout, the lean very tender. Take up on a broad, hot +dish, and in serving cut along the ribs, so as to let each portion +include the whole length of them, as well as part of the backbone. Serve +with a sauce, of melted butter, mixed with equal quantity of strong +vinegar, boiling hot, made thick with red and black pepper, minced +cucumber pickle, and a bare dash of onion juice. This is as near an +approach to a real barbecue, which is cooked over live coals in the +bottom of a trench, as a civilized kitchen can supply. + +The middling of a pig weighing less than a hundred pounds, well +scraped, washed clean, and likewise roasted on a rack after seasoning it +well, makes a fine dish. The sauce for it should include minced green +peppers, instead of cucumbers. If you happen to have a pepper mango, cut +it fine, and let it stand in the hot sauce ten minutes before serving. + +_Beefsteak with Bacon and Onions_: Fry crisp a pound of streaky bacon, +take up and keep warm. Make the fat bubble all over, lay in it a steak, +wiped clean, seasoned with salt and pepper, and dredged lightly with +flour. Sear it well on both sides--take from the fat, lay on broiler, +and cook for ten minutes, turning once. Serve thus if you like it +rare--if contrariwise you want it well done, set the steak on a rack or +broiler in a hot oven, and let it cook there for fifteen to twenty +minutes, according to thickness. Meantime dredge more flour into the +fat, let it brown a minute, then lay in large, mild onions thinly +sliced. Fry to a light brown, and serve around the steak. Serve the +gravy separately, adding to it just before taking up, a little hot +water, and shaking the pan well. This may be varied by frying with the +onions or instead of them, sliced tomatoes, and green peppers finely +shredded. Or cut large, very meaty tomatoes, unpeeled, into thick +slices, pour off the gravy, lay them in the hot, greasy pan, season well +with pepper and salt, and cook five minutes, turning them and seasoning +the other side. Lay the bacon on the tomatoes--otherwise put it around +the steak outside the onions. + +_Boned Fresh Ham_: It had better not be too big--ten pounds is about the +limit. Have the bone removed, but do not throw it away. Instead break it +in pieces and boil them three hours in water to barely cover. Wipe the +ham well inside and out, rub the inside over lightly with butter, season +with salt and pepper, and pour in a little vinegar. Rub salt well over +the outside and let stand on ice several hours. Make a stuffing of +grated breadcrumbs, with minced pork fat, a sprig of celery chopped +fine, half an apple, also chopped fine, salt, pepper, paprika, a pinch +of sage in powder, and the least shred of thyme and lemon peel. A +chestnut stuffing can be used, or one whose foundation is grated sweet +potato. Fill the bone cavity, firmly but not too full, skewer or sew +together the cut edges, and tie around twice with narrow tape. Turn +over, score the skin well, rub it with soft butter or bacon fat, dredge +lightly with flour, then with black and red pepper, also lightly with +sugar, and lay on a low rack in a pan. Fill in sweet cider, or sound +claret till it stands halfway up to the ham, cover with a close-fitting +upper pan, and put into a hot oven. Cook for two hours, lifting the pan +now and then, and basting the meat. Uncover, and make very, very crisp. +Serve on a hot dish, with candied sweet potatoes laid around. Add +boiling water to the liquor in the pan, shake it well about, and pour +into a gravy boat. Or pour off the grease, add a sprinkle of flour, let +it brown on top the stove, and put to it the strained liquor the bone +was boiled in. Cook three minutes, and serve in the gravy boat. If the +bone liquor is not used this way, make it the foundation of pea or +cabbage soup. In carving cut through and through so as to serve the +stuffing with each portion. + +_Roast Beef_: Scrape and wash clean, wipe dry, sear cut sides well, +either in bubbling fat, or under gas flame, set on a small rack in a +deep pan, sprinkle well with salt and pepper, dredge on flour scantly, +pour water underneath till it stands half an inch deep, cover close, set +in a hot oven and cook until tender. Basting will not be needed until +the pan is uncovered--then add a little more water, boiling hot, baste +thoroughly, return to oven, and brown. If you like, add sliced tomatoes, +minced onions, shredded green peppers, carrots cut small, and very +tender green peas after uncovering--they will cook while the meat is +browning, and can be served all together in a separate dish. + +_Pot Roast_: Wash and dry, then brown lightly all over in hot bacon fat, +and lay upon a small rack in the bottom of a deep pot, seasoning well +with salt, pepper, and paprika. Pour on a little Cayenne, vinegar, add a +spoonful of hot fat, then pour in enough boiling water to come half way +up the meat, cover tight, and simmer until tender. An hour before +serving time, put any sort of vegetables approved, or at hand, carrots, +sliced, peas, string beans, lima beans, potatoes in thick slices, into +the browning fat, let them cook five to ten minutes, sprinkling them +well with salt and pepper, then skim out of the fat, and add to the pot, +along with a cupful more boiling water. Simmer until the water is all +gone, and the meat is brown. Take up, lay vegetables around the meat, or +make a bed of them for it, add a little more hot water to the pot, stir +well over the fire till it takes up the meat essence, then pour it over +meat and vegetables, else serve in a gravy boat. + +_Leg of Mutton in Blanket_: Make deep, narrow gashes in the thick end of +a clean leg of mutton, crowd into them a mixed seasoning, salt, red and +black pepper, minced onion, a little dry mustard, and powdered herbs. +Brush all over with melted butter, or soft bacon fat, then sprinkle +lightly with salt, set on a rack in a roasting pan, and pop into a very +hot oven. Let it brown--then rub over it any tart jelly melted in a +little hot water, and envelop it in a crust of flour and water, made +very stiff, and rolled half an inch thick. Pinch the edges tight +together, lay back in the pan, cover it, and bake in a hot oven. Take +up, break the blanket carefully on top, lift out the meat, and pour the +gravy from the envelop into a small sauce pan, add to it either hot +claret, or a spoonful of tart jelly, along with tabasco or Worcester +sauce, boil up, and serve in a boat. Tomato or walnut catsup may be used +for flavoring. Indeed one sometimes finds opportunity a close second to +inspiration. + +_The Preparation of Poultry and Game_: Pick carefully, draw and singe +every manner of poultry and feathered game, wash clean, quickly, in cold +water, never hot, drain, then wipe as dry as possible with a soft, +thick, damp cloth--it takes up moisture cleaner than a dry one. Keep +very cold and away from smells until ready to cook. Tilt roasting fowls, +so they may drain, if liquid gathers. Before stuffing rub over the +whole inside lightly with soft butter or bacon fat, pepper it scantly, +and rub on a very little salt. Grease and season the outside after +stuffing is done,--never before it. If game is shot-torn, soak for ten +minutes in weak salt water after plucking, rinse in cold salt water, +wipe dry and drain. + +Furred game, as rabbits, squirrels, possums, ought to be drawn before it +is cold, if you would have the finest flavor. This is especially +necessary with possums--which should be bought alive, and fattened for +several weeks in a clean cage, feeding them on bread, milk, apples, +potatoes, cabbage leaves, and grass. This makes them tender and much +more delicate in flavor. Kill by dislocating the neck with a quick, +upward jerk, then cut the throat and hang to bleed. Roll after dampening +fur well in very hot embers--then scrape the same as a pig, draw, and +hang to cool. Divide the skin of rabbits and squirrels around the +middle, and pull off each half, the same as a kid glove. Thus no hairs +stick on the clean flesh. Draw very quickly, wipe lightly with a damp +cloth, and hang where it is cool and airy for at least an hour. + +_Roast Turkey_: Make a stuffing of stale bread. Cut the crusts from a +small loaf, grate the crumb, brown crusts crisp, crush, sift and mix +well with the gratings. Shred finely through it four ounces fresh suet, +and a lump of butter the size of an egg. Add a tiny heart of celery cut +small, half a tart apple also cut fine, two dozen fat raisins, seeded, +halved, and soaked for twelve hours in whiskey to cover, salt, pepper, +and paprika to taste. Mix well, stuff the turkey but not too tight. Put +a handful in the crop space, and fasten the skin neatly over. Truss your +turkey firmly, rub all over with soft fat, then sprinkle with salt and +pepper, and set upon a rack in a deep roasting pan, pour half an inch of +water in the bottom, cover tight, put in a hot oven, and roast for an +hour, then slack heat and finish. The turkey will brown thus covered, +and be tenderer and sweeter than if crisped uncovered. The pan will +hold gravy better than can be made otherwise. + +Roast chickens or capons in exactly the same way. Geese need to be +roasted more slowly and to have a seasoning of sage, onion, and tart +apple in the stuffing, instead of raisins. The dry stuffing takes up the +juices of the fowl, and is much more flavorous, and less pasty than that +which is wet before use. + +_Guinea Hen in Casserole_: Stick six cloves in a cored and pared apple, +thrust a heart of celery in the core space, then fit it inside a guinea +hen, buttered, salted and peppered inside. Pack in grated bread +crumbs--all there is space for. Truss, grease, season, set in a hot +oven, and brown lightly all over, then lay in a casserole on a bed of +sliced carrots, young green peas, shredded green peppers, sliced +tomatoes and tiny onions, parboiled for five minutes. Add a large lump +of butter, rolled in flour, a cup of hot water or weak broth, cover +close, and cook an hour in a hot oven. Serve on the vegetables, bedded +firmly, with tart jelly melted to barely run, splashed over the breast. + +_Chickens in Blankets_: Take young fat chickens about three pounds +weight, dress as for roasting, put inside each a peeled sweet potato, +and a small lump of butter, after greasing and seasoning inside and out. +Lay on low rack in deep pan, brown lightly in oven, then fit close over +each a round of good short crust, rolled a quarter-inch thick. Return to +oven--when crust is a rich brown the chickens will be done. Serve crust +with each portion--thereby recalling a glorified chicken pie. + +_Fried Chicken_: Cut into joints two tender young chickens, wipe the +pieces dry, season with salt and pepper, red and black, then set on ice. +Fry a pound of streaky bacon in a deep skillet, take out when crisp, +roll chicken in flour, dip in beaten egg, then roll again, and lay in +the fat, which must be bubbling hot, but not scorching. Cook, turning +often, to a rich brown, take out, then pile in a pan, set the pan over +another with boiling water in the bottom, and put all in a very hot +oven for fifteen minutes. This cooks the chicken through and through +without making it hard. The pieces must not touch in frying so there +will be two skilletfuls. When all the chicken is fried, and in the oven, +dredge in more flour, stir it well through the fat, then add a cup of +cream, stirring hard all the time, and letting it barely simmer--boiling +curdles it. Or if you want a full-cream gravy, pour off the fat, stir +the cream in double quantity in the skillet to take up the flavors, then +pour it in a double boiler, add pepper, salt, minced celery, a little +onion juice, and one at a time, lumps of butter, rolled well in flour. +Cook until thick and rich, and serve in a gravy boat. + +_Smothered Chicken_: Get two pound broilers fat and tender, have them +split down the back, make clean, season by buttering inside and out, +sprinkling with salt, pepper and paprika, and dredging with flour. Lay +breasts down, upon a low rack in a deep pan, cover with slices of +streaky bacon, shingling the slices well. Dredge with pepper and flour, +lay in sliced tomatoes, shredded green peppers, and a few small +parboiled onions. Add lumps of butter rolled in flour, dotting them all +about the bacon. Pour in enough water to barely reach the top of the +rack, cover the pan close, and cook in a hot oven, about an hour. +Uncover after three-quarters of an hour, add a half-cup more water--this +is for the gravy. Cover again, and finish cooking. The chickens should +be brown all over but meltingly tender. Take up on a hot dish, breaking +the bacon slices as little as possible. Serve the vegetables separate, +also the gravy from the pan. The vegetables can be omitted, and +smothered chicken still be a dish to rejoice an epicure. + +_Glorified Chicken Croquets_: (Mrs. G. H. Patch.) Boil a large-size +tender young chicken till the meat almost drops from the bones. Boil +likewise tender, in salt water, one pound either sweetbreads or calf +brains. Pick up the chicken and grind the meat fine, then mash it well +together with the brains or sweetbreads, and season to taste. Put into a +double boiler half-pint cream, tablespoonful butter, two tablespoonfuls +flour, one tablespoonful parsley chopped fine, one teaspoonful onion +juice, one teaspoonful salt, black and Cayenne pepper to taste. Cook +smooth, stirring hard, let thicken, then add the meat, and mix +thoroughly. Let cool, shape into croquets, dip in egg, roll in cracker +crumbs, and fry quickly in deep hot fat. + +_Chicken-Turkey Hash_: Cut the meat small, freeing of skin and gristle. +If there is rich gravy left, put it into a skillet, and cook tender in +it, half a dozen sliced tomatoes, three shredded green peppers, a small +sliced onion, and a cupful of raw potato cubes. Lacking gravy, cook in +butter or bacon fat, and season to taste--gravy requires less seasoning +than plain fat. Add the meat, pour in a cup of boiling water, stir all +well together, and cook for five minutes. Serve in a hot dish lined with +thin toast. Fine for breakfast, or a very late supper. + +_Rabbit or Squirrel Smothered_: Leave whole, rub over with fat, season +highly, lay in a pan or skillet, with slices of bacon, add a cup of hot +water, cover close, set over the fire, and simmer until tender. +Uncover, and brown in the gravy, adding a little Cayenne vinegar at the +very last. + +_Rabbit or Squirrel Barbecued_: Leave whole, skewer flat, grease all +over, lay on rack in pan, and roast in hot oven, basting every five +minutes with hot salt water. When crisp, take up and serve with the +sauce directed for barbecued lamb. + +_Quail_: Smother quail the same as rabbits. I like them better halved, +and fried crisp and quickly, in deep hot bacon fat. But to make the most +of them, a pie's the thing. The crust must be rich and rolled a +quarter-inch thick. Put in the birds whole, seasoning them well inside +and out, with salt and black pepper. Put in also generous lumps of +butter rolled in flour, slices of fat bacon, strips of crust an inch +wide and three inches long, a little minced onion, celery or shredded +green pepper if the flavors are approved, and a tiny pod of Cayenne +pepper. Pour in cold water till it stands half way up the birds. Be sure +the cover-crust is plenty big--pinch it down tight, prick and make a +cross-cut at the center into which a tubelet of paper must be thrust to +prevent the gravy's boiling over. Bake three-quarters of an hour, in a +hot oven. Take up, and serve very hot. A gill of hot cream poured in +through a funnel after taking up suits some palates--mine is not among +them. Other folks like a wineglass of sherry made very hot. + +_Wild Duck_: If likely to be fishy, soak an hour in vinegar and water +made very salt, and roast with an onion inside stuck very full of +cloves. Season inside and out, rub over with fat or butter, and roast in +quick heat, to the degree required. Ducks or geese mild in flavor should +be roasted with a tart apple stuck with cloves inside, also a mild +onion. Rub over with fat, season with salt and pepper inside and out, +and strew inside lightly a small pinch of powdered sage. A good sauce +for them is made by browning half a cup of grated bread crumbs in a +tablespoonful of butter, adding to it a spoonful of tart jelly, a +wineglass of claret, a tablespoonful of tomato catsup, with seasoning +to taste of salt and pepper. + +_Possum Roasted_: Chill thoroughly after scraping and drawing. Save all +the inside fat, let it soak in weak salt water until cooking time, then +rinse it well, and partly try it out in the pan before putting in the +possum. Unless he is huge, leave him whole, skewering him flat, and +laying him skin side up in the pan. Set in a hot oven and cook until +crisply tender, taking care there is no scorching. Roast a dozen good +sized sweet potatoes--in ashes if possible, if not, bake them covered in +a deep pan. Peel when done, and lay while hot around the possum, turning +them over and over in the abundant gravy. He should have been lightly +salted when hung up, and fully seasoned, with salt, pepper, and a trifle +of mustard, when put down to cook. Dish him in a big platter, lay the +potatoes, which should be partly browned, around him, add a little +boiling water to the pan, shake well around, and pour the gravy over +everything. Hot corn bread, strong black coffee, or else sharp cider, +and very hot sharp pickles are the things to serve with him. + +_Eggs_: Eggs demand an introductory paragraph. As everybody knows, there +are eggs and eggs. An egg new-laid has a tiny air-space at each end, +betwixt the shell and the silken lining membrane. If left lying, this +confined air changes its locality--leaves the ends for the upmost side +of the shell. Shells are porous--through them the white evaporates--thus +the air bubble on top gets bigger and bigger. By the size of it you can +judge fairly the egg's age--unless it has been kept in cold storage or +in water-glass. By boiling hard, throwing in cold water and peeling +intact, you can see for yourself if a fresh egg so-called is truly +fresh. If fresh there will be no perceptible marring of its oval--but if +it shows a shrinkage, and especially if the yolk is so near the shell it +shows through the cooked white, there is proof positive that the egg is +not new-laid--though it may be perfectly wholesome. + +Eggs kept in clean cool space do not deteriorate under a month. Even +after that, thus well kept, they answer for cake making, puddings and so +on. But they have an ungodly affinity for taints of almost every kind. +Hence keep them away from such things as onions, salt fish, things in +brine generally, or any strong ill odors. + +Duck eggs are bigger than hen eggs--eight of them being the equivalent +to ten. Goose eggs run almost two for one. Turkey eggs, rarely used in +cookery, are still excellent eating, much better flavored than duck +eggs, which are often rather rank. Here as otherwheres, food is the +determining factor. Guinea eggs, in spite of being so much smaller, are +equal in raising power and in richness to hen eggs. Indeed, they are the +best of all eggs for eating--rich, yet delicate. The only approach to +them is the quail egg--we called it always a partridge egg--but only +special favorites of the gods have any chance of ever tasting them. +Quail nest frequently in wheat fields--at harvest, the uncovered nests +yielded choice spoil. Daddy claimed the lion's share of it for "my white +chilluns." Often he came with his big hat-crown running over full of +the delicate white ovals. Mormonism must prevail in quail +circles--sometimes there were forty eggs in a nest. It would have been +vandalism of the worst to eat them, only it was no use leaving them bare +to the sun, as the birds abandoned them unless they had begun brooding. +In that case the mother sat so tight, occasionally the reaper, passing +over, took off her head. More commonly she flew away just in time, +whirring up between the mules, with a great pretense of lameness. If the +nest by good luck was discovered in time, grain was left standing about +it. Nobody grudged the yard or so of wheat lost for the sake of sport. + +Partridge eggs were boiled hard, and eaten out of hand--they were much +too thin-shelled for roasting, in spite of having a very tough lining +membrane. With guinea eggs there was quite another story. They have +shells extra thick and hard--hence were laid plentifully in hot ashes, +heaped over with live coals and left as long as our patience held out. +When Mammy pulled them out, it was maddening to see her test them. She +laid a short broom straw delicately on each egg. If it whirled round, +the egg was done--if contrariwise it fell off, it had to go back in the +embers. She had no thought of letting us eat eggs not cooked till the +yolk was mealy. To this day I am firmly of opinion she was wise--and +right. Eggs roasted as she roasted them have a flavor wholly beyond and +apart from those cooked in any other way. + +_Baked Eggs_: These most nearly approximate the flavor of roasted ones. +Break fresh eggs at the small ends, drain away the whites, break down +the shells to deepish cups, each with a yolk at bottom, sprinkle yolks +lightly with salt and pepper, add a bit of butter to each, then set +shells upright, close over the bottom of a pan, pop the pan into a hot +oven, bake twenty minutes, and serve piping hot. This Mammy gave us to +keep from wasting yolks when wedding or Christmas cake demanded many +whites for frosting. + +_Potato Egg Puffs_: Into a quart of rich and highly seasoned mashed +potatoes, beat two eggs, then divide into equal portions--six or eight. +With lightly floured hands make each portion into a ball, set the balls +in a baking dish, then press into each a hard-boiled egg. Lay a bit of +butter on each egg, and dredge lightly with salt and pepper. Bake in a +quick oven until the potato is brown and light--it ought to rise up like +a fat apple. + +_Egg Dumplings_: Cousins-germane to the puffs but richer--will serve +indeed for the meat course of a plain dinner. Mix the potato well with +half its bulk of finely chopped cold meat, the leaner the better, bind +with beaten eggs, then divide and roll each portion around a hard-boiled +egg, lay the dumplings in a greased and floured pan, giving them plenty +of room, pour around them a good gravy, or else a rich tomato sauce, +then bake ten to twenty minutes in a hot oven. + +_Egg Spread_: Spread a flat pan an inch deep with rich mashed potato, +sprinkle with pepper and salt, then cover the top with eggs hard boiled, +and cut in half. Set them yolk up. Put salt, pepper and butter on each +yolk, and bake ten minutes in a warm oven. Or if soft eggs are +preferred, make depressions in the potato with the back of a spoon, +break an egg in each, dust with pepper and salt, add a dot of butter and +bake five minutes. If the potatoes are wanted brown, bake them ten +minutes after making the depressions, then put in the eggs and bake soft +or hard at will. + +_Poached Eggs_: These require a deep skillet, three parts full of water +on the bubbling boil, which is slightly salted and well dashed with +vinegar. Break all the eggs separately before putting one in. Slip them +in, one after the other, quickly, taking care not to break yolks, keep +the boiling hard, and use a knife or spoon to prevent the whites from +cooking together. Take out in six to seven minutes, using a skimmer and +draining well, trim rags off white, lay in a deep hot dish, and pour +over real melted butter, made with butter, hot water, salt, pepper, +lemon juice or vinegar, and a dash of tabasco. Send to table covered--a +poached egg chilled has lost its charm. Or you may serve the eggs on +squares of hot, well-buttered toast, which have been sprinkled thickly +with grated cheese, then set for a minute inside a hot oven. Served +thus, pass the melted butter with them, as if poured over, they might be +too rich for some palates. + +_Egg Fours_: Cut hard-boiled eggs in four lengthwise, mix yolks with an +equal bulk of sardines, drained, freed of skin and bone, and minced +fine. Season with salt, pepper, lemon juice, or vinegar, and olive oil. +Add minced olives if you like. The mixture must be soft, but not too +soft to shape well. Shape it into small ovals, using two spoons, and lay +an oval in each quarter of the whites. Put very narrow strips of pimento +on the ovals, then sprinkle them thickly with grated cheese--Edam is +good for such use. Set in a baking dish and cook two to four minutes in +a hot oven. If wanted extra tasty, as for a relish before dinner, set +the fours on narrow strips of toast, spread with made mustard, +well-mixed with finely minced very sour cucumber pickle. + +Bacon sliced thin, fried crisp without scorching, and finely minced can +take the place of sardines. Indeed, in making fours the widest latitude +prevails--you can vary flavors and proportions almost infinitely. Onion, +even a suspicion of garlic, tabasco, Cayenne vinegar, walnut catsup, or +Worcester can be added. Capers mixed through the mass make it +wonderfully piquant. But things which need to be crisply fresh, such as +celery and lettuce, must be let severely alone. + +_Stuffed Eggs_: Staple for picnics, and barbecues. Boil twenty minutes, +throw instantly in cold water, and shell immediately. Halve, mash yolks +while hot with a plentiful seasoning of butter, pepper, salt, a little +onion juice, capers or bigger pickle finely minced, and pimentos cut +small. Work the seasoning well through, then shape into balls yolk-size, +put each between two half-whites, and fasten together with a couple of +tooth picks. Wrap each as finished in wax paper, and keep cool until +needed. Here may be a good place to say that the quicker a hard-boiled +egg is got out of its shell after chilling, the better and more delicate +will be its flavor. + +_Fried Eggs_: Anybody, almost, can fry an egg wrong. It takes some skill +to fry one exactly right. Have the frying pan covered with grease, hot, +but not scorching, slip in the eggs, previously broken separately, +taking pains not to break yolks, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, +keep edges from running together, then when they have hardened +underneath, dip hot grease over the tops, keeping on till the white +sets. If the heat is right the eggs will not stick to the pan. Cook as +hard as is desirable, take up with a cake-turner, and lay in a shallow +pan, lined with soft clean paper. Keep hot while they drain--it takes a +minute or so--then remove to a blazing hot dish, and serve. If ham goes +with them lay it in the middle, with eggs all around it. Triangles of +fried toast in between look and taste well at breakfast. + + + + +[Illustration: _Soups, Salads, Relishes_] + + +_Vegetable Soup_: Cut into joints two fat chickens three parts grown, +salt and pepper, and lay aside while you fry in a deep pot half a pound +streaky bacon. Take out when crisp, put in the chicken, turning it so as +to brown it all over. Put in a thick slice of ham, let it also brown a +bit, do the same with four sliced onions--mild ones--then add two +gallons cold water, half a teaspoonful salt, two pods red pepper, a +dozen whole pepper corns, and two sprigs of parsley. Keep at a gentle +boil for an hour, then put in two small heads of tender cabbage finely +shredded, and six white potatoes, peeled and sliced a quarter-inch +thick. Fifteen minutes later put in a quart of string beans, broken +short, a pint of shelled lima beans, a stalk of celery cut fine +lengthwise, and a dozen tomatoes, peeled and sliced. Follow them in ten +minutes with a pint of tender okra sliced--next add a little later the +pulp from a dozen ears of green corn, slit lengthwise and scraped. Stir +almost constantly with a long-handled skimmer, after the corn pulp is +in. If the skimmer brings up chicken bones, throw them aside. Just +before serving put in a large spoonful of butter, rolled in flour. +Taste, add salt if required. Serve very hot with corn hoe cake and cider +just beginning to sparkle. If there is soup enough for everybody, +nothing else will be wanted. + +_Black Turtle Bean Soup_: Pick and wash clean, one quart black turtle +beans, soak overnight in three quarts cold water, and put on to boil +next morning in the soaking water. When it boils add three onions +sliced, one carrot scraped and cut up, a stalk or so of celery, three +sprigs of parsley, and one tomato, fresh or canned. Boil slowly four to +five hours, until the beans are tender, filling up with cold water as +that in the kettle wastes. When the beans are very soft, strain all +through a fine collander, mashing through beans and vegetables, add a +quart of very good soup stock, also a bay leaf, and boil up hard half a +minute before serving. Put into each soup plate a slice of lemon, a +slice of hard-boiled egg, and a tablespoonful of sherry wine before +adding the soup. + +_Gumbo_: Cut a tender, fat chicken, nearly grown, into joints, season +well with salt and pepper, and fry for ten minutes in the fat from half +a pound of bacon, with two thick slices of ham. Then add two onions +chopped fine, six large ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped, adding with +them their juice, half a large pod of mild red pepper, cut small, a +teaspoonful of minced thyme and parsley mixed, a pint of tender sliced +okra, stemmed and cut lengthwise. Cook altogether, watching all the +time, and stirring constantly to prevent scorching until everything is +well-browned. Then add three quarts fresh-boiled water, on the full +boil, set the pot where it will barely simmer, and cook an hour longer, +taking the same pains against scorching. Rice to eat with the gumbo--it +must never be cooked in the pot--needs to be washed until the water runs +clear from it, drained, then tossed into a wide kettle of water on the +bubbling boil, and cooked for twenty minutes. The water must be salted +to taste. Drain the rice in a collander, set it after draining in the +oven for a minute. The grains should stand out separate, but be very +tender. Rice thus cooked, and served with plenty of butter, is excellent +as a vegetable. + +_Wedding Salad_: Roast unstuffed, three young tender turkeys, or six +full grown chickens. Take the white meat only, cut it fine with shears, +cutting across the grain, while hot. Let cool, then mix it with ten +hearts of crisp celery cut in bits, two heads of tender white cabbage, +finely chopped, rejecting hard stalks--use three heads if very +small--and set in a cool place. For the dressing boil thirty fresh eggs +twenty minutes, throw in cold water, shell, take out the yolks, saving +the white for garnishing, mash the yolks while hot very smooth with a +pound and a half of best butter, season them well with salt, pepper, a +little dry mustard, celery seed, and, if at hand, a dash of walnut +catsup, but not enough to discolor. Add also a teaspoonful of +sugar--this to blend flavors only. Add a little at a time enough warm +vinegar to make as thick as cream. Chill, and pour over the salad, mix +well through, then heap it in a big glass bowl, lined with partly white +lettuce leaves, make a wreath of leaves around the top, and in serving, +lay a larger lettuce leaf on each plate, filling it with the +yellow-white salad. + +_Fruit Salad_: Wash well a very ripe juicy pineapple, let dry, then +shred with a fork, holding the crown in the left hand firmly, while you +pull away sections with the fork in the right. Thus you avoid taking any +of the hard center. Peel the sections delicately after they are +separated, and cut them in long thin slivers, with the grain. Arrange +these slivers star-shape upon lettuce leaves in the plates, lay a very +narrow slip of pimento--sweet red pepper,--between each two of them, +then fill in the points of the stars with grape-fruit pulp, freed of +skin and seed, and broken into convenient sized bits. Lay more pimento +strips upon it. Set on ice till ready to serve, then drench with sweet +French dressing. + +_Sweet French Dressing_: Mix well a scant teaspoonful of granulated +sugar, the same of dry mustard, half a teaspoonful salt, as much black +pepper and paprika mixed, put in the bottom of a deep small bowl, and +stir for two minutes. Wet with claret vinegar, adding it gradually, and +stirring smooth. Make as thick as cream. Add twenty drops tabasco, +twenty drops onion juice, the strained juice of half a lemon, and half a +teaspoonful of brandy, rum or whiskey. Mix well, then add, tablespoonful +at a time, a gill of salad oil, stirring hard between spoonfuls. Put in +more vinegar, more oil--the seasoning suffices for half a pint of +dressing. Stir till it thickens--it should be like an emulsion when +poured upon the salad. Keep on ice. The oil and vinegar will separate, +but the dressing can be brought back by stirring hard. + +_Banana and Celery Salad_: Chill heart celery and very ripe bananas, +slice thin crosswise, mingling the rounds well. Pile on lettuce leaves, +and cover with French dressing, into which finely grated cheese has been +scantly stirred. This dressing with cheese is fine for tender Romaine, +also for almost any sort of cooked vegetable used as salad. + +_Red and White Salad_: Make cups from lettuce hearts, fasten them to the +plate, with a drop of melted butter, fill lightly with grape-fruit pulp, +and set a tiny red beet, boiled tender, in the middle. Have a very sharp +French dressing made with oil lemon juice and Tarragon vinegar. Pass +with this cheese straws, or toasted cracker sprinkled lightly with +Parmesan cheese. + +_Pineapple Salad_: Pare and core a very ripe, sweet pineapple, cut in +slices crosswise, lay the slices in a bowl, with a sprinkle of sugar, +half a cup rum or sherry, all the juice shed in cutting up, and a grate +of nutmeg. Let stand till morning, cool, but not on ice. Make rosettes +of small lettuce leaves in the plates, lay a slice of pineapple on each, +fill the hole in the center with pink pimento cheese. Make the cheese +into a ball the size of a marble, and stick in it a tiny sprig of celery +top. Put a little of the syrup from the bowl in each plate, then finish +with very sharp French dressing. Make the pimento cheese by grinding +fine half a can of pimento, and mixing it through two cakes of cream +cheese, softening the cheese with French dressing, and seasoning it to +taste. + +_Cold Slaw_: (V. Moroso.) Shave very fine half a medium sized head of +tender cabbage, put in a bowl, and cover with this dressing. Melt over +hot water a heaping tablespoonful of butter, with two tablespoonfuls +sugar, a saltspoon of pepper, a teaspoonful of salt, dash of red pepper, +and scant teaspoonful dry mustard. Mix smooth, then add gradually four +tablespoonfuls vinegar, mix well, then put in the yolk of a raw egg, +beating it in hard. Cook till creamy, but not too thick. Take from +fire, and add if you like, two tablespoonfuls cream, but it is not +essential--the dressing is good without it. + +_Tomato Soy_: Take one gallon solid, ripe tomatoes, peeled and sliced, +or four canfuls put up in glass, put in a preserving kettle with a quart +of sliced onions, two tablespoonfuls salt, as much moist sugar, +teaspoonful black pepper, saltspoon paprika, four hearts of celery cut +fine, a tablespoonful of pounded cloves, alspice, mace, grated nutmeg, +and cinnamon mixed. Stir well together and cook slowly, taking care not +to burn, until reduced one-half. Dry mustard or mustard seed can be +added, but many palates do not relish them. After boiling down add a +quart of very sharp vinegar, stir well through, skim if froth rises, +bottle hot, and seal. This keeps a long time in a dark cool place. + +_Table Mustard_: Mix well together two tablespoonfuls dry mustard, scant +teaspoon sugar, half a teaspoon salt. Wet smooth, to a very stiff paste +with boiling water, then add either a teaspoon of onion juice, or a +clove of garlic mashed, stir well through, add little by little, a +tablespoonful olive oil, then thin, with very sharp vinegar, added +gradually so as not to lump nor curdle, to the consistency of thin +cream. Put in a glass jar, seal tight and let stand a week. A month is +better--indeed, the mustard improves with age if not permitted to dry +up. + +_Cabbage Pickle_: Shred enough tender cabbage to make four quarts, put +with it four large green tomatoes, sliced thin, six large onions, +chopped fine, three green peppers also chopped, rejecting the seed, two +ounces white mustard seed, half-ounce celery seed, quarter-ounce +turmeric, three tablespoonfuls salt, two pounds white sugar, two quarts +vinegar. Put all in a preserving kettle, set it upon an asbestos mat +over a slow fire, and cook gently for several hours, stirring so it +shall not scorch. It must be tender throughout but not mushy-soft. + +_Cauliflower Pickle_: Drop two heads cauliflower in salted boiling +water, cook fifteen minutes, take up, drop in cold water, separate into +neat florets, and pack down in a clean crock. Pour upon the florets, +hot, a quart of vinegar, seasoned with a mixture of two tablespoonfuls +salad oil, teaspoonful dry mustard, tablespoonful sugar, teaspoonful +salt, half-teaspoonful onion juice, half-teaspoonful black pepper, dash +of paprika, ten drops tabasco. Bring all to a boil, and pour over the +pickle, first strewing well through it blade mace, whole cloves, alspice +and cinnamon, broken small but not powdered. + +_Pear Relish_: Wash and stem a gallon of sound ripe, but not mellow +Seckel pears, remove the blossoms with a very sharp narrow pen-knife, +and stick a clove in each cut. Drain, and drop into a syrup, made of +three pounds of sugar and a quart of vinegar. Bring to a quick boil, +skim, and set back to simmer. Add after skimming, cloves, alspice, mace, +ginger, cinnamon, and black pepper, pounded small but not powdered. Cut +up a large sweet red pepper, and drop in the shreds. Let cook till the +pears are tender. If the syrup is thin, add more sugar--some pears yield +more juice than others. Sliced lemon gives a piquant tang, but is +optional. Put in glass or stone jars, and cover tight, laying a brandy +paper on top. + +_Cherries Piquant_: Wash well, and stem but do not pit, half a gallon +ripe Morello cherries. Drain well, strew spices well through them, lay +thin sliced lemon on top, add a dozen whole pepper corns, and a tiny pod +of Cayenne pepper, then pour over a pint of sharp vinegar, boiled with +four pounds of sugar, and skimmed clean. Let stand all night, drain off +syrup in the morning, boil up, skim, and pour again over the fruit. Next +day, put all in a kettle, and cook for fifteen minutes, then put in +glass jars, seal and keep dark. Especially good with game or any meat +highly seasoned. + +_Gooseberry Jam Spiced_: Wash, and nub half a gallon of green +gooseberries, picked just before they ripen. Put them in a kettle with +six large cups of sugar, a cup of water, half a teaspoonful each of +cloves, alspice, mace, grated nutmeg, and cinnamon, the grated yellow +peel of an orange and the strained juice. Cook slowly until thick--it +should jelly when dropped on a plate. Pack in small jars. One of the +very finest accompaniments to any sort of fowl. By leaving out the +spices, and merely cooking the berries thick enough to cut like cheese, +it is as fine as _bar le duc_ for serving with salad. + +_Frozen Cranberry Sauce_: (Mrs. R. Heim.) Gives a new tang to game, +roast turkey, capon or duck. Cook a quart of cranberries until very soft +in one pint water, strain through coarse sieve, getting all the pulp, +add to it one and a half pints sugar, the juice--strained--of four +lemons, one quart boiling water, bring to a boil, skim clean, let cool, +and freeze rather soft. + +"_Apple Sauce Gone To Heaven_": Thus a poet names it, though I, the +architect thereof, insist that it is wholly and beautifully mundane. To +make it, pare eight firm apples, the higher-flavored the better, core, +drop into cold water, as pared, let stand till you make the syrup. Take +a cup of sugar to each two apples and a cup of water to each two cups of +sugar. Bring to a boil, skim, clean twice, then throw in half a dozen +blades of mace, bits of thin yellow peel from two lemons, a few bits of +stick cinnamon, and one pepper corn--no more. Stick four cloves in each +apple, drop them in the syrup, which must be on the bubbling boil. After +the apples are in--they should just cover the pan, add the strained +juice of two lemons. Boil hard for five minutes, turn over the apples, +simmer till done--they will look clear all through. Skim out with a +perforated ladle, letting all syrup drain away from them, arrange in a +deepish glass dish, or pile on a glass platter. Boil the syrup until it +jellies when dropped on a plate, then dip it by spoonfuls over the +apples, letting it harden as it is dipped. + +Another way, and easier, is to wash and core the apples, without +peeling, stick in the cloves, put in an earthen or agate baking dish, +add the sugar, water, spices, cover close, and set in a hot oven. Cook +until the apples are soft through, then uncover, and crisp a little on +top. The peel will be edible, and the flavor richer than when boiled, +but the dish is not so decorative. + +_Spiced Grapes_: Wash and drain sound full-ripe grapes, pick from the +stems, then pop out the grapes singly from the hulls. Save the hulls and +juice. Put the pulp and seeds over the fire, cook until soft, strain +through a colander to remove the seed, then add the pulp to the hulls +and juice, put all over the fire, with equal weight of sugar, and spices +to taste. I like cloves, alspice, mace and cinnamon, all pounded small, +but not powdered. Cook until thick, take care not to burn, put into +glasses like jelly, and serve with any sort of meat, or as a sweet. + +Wild grapes washed, picked from stems, stewed and passed through a +colander, furnish a pulp that is worth sugar, spices and so on. Cook as +directed for vineyard grapes. By leaving out the most part of spices, +and putting in vinegar, a cupful to the quart of syrup, the result is a +very piquant jelly, or more properly, fruit cheese. + +_Sweet-Sour Pears_: The pears must be ripe, but very firm. If large, +pare and quarter, cutting out the core, stick a clove in each quarter, +and drop as pared in cold ginger tea. If small or medium, wash instead +of paring, take out cores, stick two cloves in each cavity, pack close +in the kettle and cover when all are in with strained ginger tea. Boil +in the tea fifteen minutes, until a fork will pierce without too much +exertion. Skim out then, pack in jars, strewing spices liberally +through, then cover with vinegar boiling hot, to which you had added a +cupful of sugar for each quart. Let stand twenty-four hours, drain off, +boil, and pour over again. Do this three times, then put all in the +kettle, bring to a boil, cook five minutes, and put while hot in clean +stone jars. + +_Spiced Plums_: All manner of plums, even the red wild fruit, make the +finest sort of relishes when cooked properly. Wash, pick, and weigh, +take four pounds of sugar to five of fruit, with what spices you choose, +never forgetting a tiny pod of Cayenne pepper, put all over the fire, +let boil slowly, skimming off froth. Stir with a perforated skimmer--it +will take out the most part of stones. A few stones left in give a fine +bitter almond flavor after the plums have stood a while. Take care not +to scorch, cook until very thick, then add strong vinegar, a cupful to +the half-gallon of fruit. Boil three minutes longer, put hot into +well-scalded jars, lay brandy paper over, or seal with paraffin. + +_Baked Peaches_: Especially fine with barbecued lamb or roast duck or +smothered chicken. Peel one dozen large, ripe, juicy peaches, stick two +cloves in each, set in an agate or earthen pan they will just fill, add +two cups sugar, a tablespoonful butter, a very little water, and a good +strewing of mace and lemon peel. Cover close, and bake until done. Serve +hot. Instead of butter, a gill of whiskey may be used, putting it in +just before the peaches are taken up, and letting them stand covered +until the spirit goes through them. So prepared, they are better cold +than warm. The pits flavor the fruit so delicately they should never be +removed. + + + + +[Illustration: _Vegetables, Fruit Desserts, Sandwiches_] + + +_Tomato Layer_: Peel and slice a dozen meaty tomatoes, slice thin six +mild onions, cut the corn from half a dozen large ears, saving the milk. +Cover an earthen baking dish with a layer of tomatoes, season well with +salt and pepper, also the least suspicion of sugar. Lay onion slices +over, sprinkle lightly with salt, then add a layer of corn, seasoning it +with salt and a little sugar. Repeat till the dish is full. Pour over +the corn milk, the tomato juice, and a heaping tablespoonful of melted +butter. Bake in a hot oven half an hour, covering it for twenty +minutes, then browning uncovered. When corn is not in season, very crisp +brown bread crumbs may take its place. But it should be against the law +to put soft crumbs or any sort of bread uncrisped, into cooked tomatoes. +A green pepper shredded and mixed through the layers adds to the +flavor--for the devotees of green peppers. + +_Corn Pudding_: Slit lengthwise the grains in eight large ears of corn, +scrape out the pulp carefully, saving all milk that runs. The corn +should be full, but not the least hard--if it has reached the dough +state, the grains will keep shape. Beat three eggs very light, with half +a teaspoonful salt, a tablespoonful sugar, plenty of black pepper, and +paprika, half a cup of very soft butter, and half a cup sweet cream. Add +the corn pulp and milk, stir well together--if too thick, thin with a +little milk. Pour into a pudding dish, cover and bake ten minutes, then +uncover, and bake until done. + +_Fried Corn_: Fry crisp, half-pound streaky bacon, take up, and put into +the fat, bubbling hot, eight large ears of corn cut from the cob, and +seasoned with salt and black pepper. Add also the corn-milk, stir well +together for five minutes, then put an asbestos mat under the skillet +and let stand till the corn forms a thick brown crust over the bottom. +Pour out, loosen this crust with a knife, lay on top the corn, lay on +also the crisp bacon, and serve very hot. A famous breakfast dish down +south all through "Roas'in' ear time." That is to say, from July to +October. + +_Hulled Corn_: Known otherwise as lye hominy, and samp. Put a pint of +clean strong wood ashes into half a gallon of water, boil twenty +minutes--or until the water feels slippery. Let settle, drain off the +clear lye, and pour it upon as much white flint corn, shelled and +picked, as it will cover. Let stand until the hulls on the grains slip +under pressure--commonly twelve to twenty-four hours. Drain off lye, +cover with cold water, rubbing and scrubbing the grains between the +hands, till all are free of husks. Soak them in clear water, changing +it every few hours till no taste of lye remains. Then boil slowly in +three times its bulk of water, adding a little salt, but not much, until +very tender. A grain should mash between finger and thumb. Fill up as +the water boils away, and take care not to scorch. Cool uncovered, and +keep cool. To cook, dip out a dishful, fry it in bubbling bacon fat as +directed for corn. Or warm in a double boiler, and serve with butter and +sugar or cream and sugar, as a cereal. Use also as a vegetable the same +as rice or green corn. Hominy pudding, baked brown, and highly seasoned, +helps out a scant dinner wonderfully, as corn is the most heating of +grains, as well as one of the most nutritious. + +_Steamed Potatoes_: Wash clean a dozen well-grown new potatoes, steam +until a fork will pierce, dry in heat five minutes, then peel, and throw +into a skillet, with a heaping tablespoonful of butter, well-rolled in +flour, half a pint of rich milk, ten drops onion juice, salt and pepper +to taste, and a teaspoonful of chopped parsley. The sauce must be +bubbling when the potatoes are put in. Toss them in it for five minutes, +put in deep dish and pour the gravy over. Serve very hot. + +_Candied Sweet Potatoes_: Boil medium potatoes of even size, till a fork +will pierce--steaming is better though a bit more trouble--throw in cold +water for a minute, peel, and brush over with soft butter, then lay +separately in a wide skillet, with an inch of very rich syrup over the +bottom and set over slow fire. Turn the potatoes often in the syrup, +letting it coat all sides. Keep turning them until candied and a little +brown. If wanted very rich put butter and lemon juice in the syrup when +making it. Blade mace also flavors it very well. + +_Tipsy Potatoes_: Choose rather large potatoes, peel, and cut across +into round slices about half an inch thick. Pack these in a baking dish +with plenty of sugar, and butter, mace, yellow lemon peel, pounded +cloves, and a single pepper corn. Add half a cup boiling water, cover +and bake till a fork pierces, then uncover, add a glass of rum, and +keep hot, but not too hot, until serving time. Or you can use half a +pint of claret, instead of the boiling water. Still another way, is to +mix a glass of sherry with a spoonful of cream, and add it to the dish +five minutes before it goes to table. Sweet cider can take the place of +wine. So can lemon or orange juice. But to my thinking, the Demon Rum, +or his elder brother whiskey, is best of all. + +_Left-over Sweet Potatoes_: Peel, slice thick, dip in melted butter, +roll in sugar well seasoned with grated lemon peel, and nutmeg, lay in a +pan so as not to touch and make very hot in the oven. This last estate +is always better than the first. + +_Potato Balls_: Mash boiled or baked sweet potatoes smooth, seasoning +them well with salt, pepper, cinnamon, a little nutmeg, and melted +butter. Bind with a well-beaten egg, flour the hands, and roll the +mashed potato into balls the size of large walnuts. Roll the balls in +fine crumbs or sifted cornmeal, drop in deep hot fat, fry crisp, drain, +and use as a garnish to roast pork, roast fowl, or broiled ham. + +_Bananas_: Bananas are far too unfamiliar in the kitchen. They can be +cooked fifty ways--and in each be found excellent. The very best way I +have yet found, is to peel, slice in half, lengthwise, lay in a dish +with a cover, shake sugar over, add a little mace, lemon juice, lemon +peel, and melted butter, then bake until soft--seven to fifteen minutes +in a hot oven, according to the quantity in the dish. Or peel and slice, +leave unseasoned, and lay in the pan bacon has been cooked in, first +pouring away most of the fat. Cook five minutes in a hot oven, and send +to table with hot bread, crisp bacon and coffee for breakfast. A thick +slice of banana, along with a thick slice of tart apple, both very +lightly seasoned, makes a fine stuffing for squabs. Half a banana +delicately baked, and laid on a well-browned chop adds to looks and +flavor. + +_Baking Vegetables_: Paper bags taught me the ease and value of cooking +vegetables in the oven rather than on top the stove. Less care is +required, less water, rather less heat. Peas and lima beans, for +example, after shelling, should be well washed, put in a pan with salt, +seasoning and a little water, covered close, and baked in a hot oven +half an hour to an hour. Green corn is never so well cooked, outside a +paper bag, as by laying it on a rack in a covered pan, putting a little +water underneath, covering close and setting the pan for nine minutes in +a hot oven. It is sweeter and richer than even when put in cold unsalted +water, brought to a boil, cooked one minute, then taken up. But however +heat is applied, long cooking ruins it. Cook till the milk is set--not a +second longer. Green peas should have several tender mint leaves put in +with them, also sugar in proportion of a teaspoonful to half a pint of +shelled peas. Lima beans are better flavored if the butter is put with +them along with the water. Use only enough to make steam--say two +tablespoonfuls to a fair-sized pan. Spinach and beet greens also bake +well, but require more water. Leave out salt, adding it after draining +and chopping them. They take twenty to thirty minutes, according to age. + +All manner of fruits, berries in especial, cook finely in the oven. Put +in earthen or agate ware, with sugar, spices and a little water, cover +close and cook half to three quarters of an hour, according to bulk. +Uncover then--if done take up, if not let cook uncovered as long as +needed. Set the baking dishes always on rack or a grid-shelf, never on +the oven bottom nor solid metal. Thus the danger of burning is +minimized, also the need of stirring. + +For _cauliflower au gratin_, cut the head into florets, lay them +compactly in the baking dish, add a little water, with salt, pepper and +butter. Bake covered until tender, then shake over the grated cheese, +and set back in the oven three to five minutes. Tomatoes, peeled and +whole except for cutting out the eyes, baked in a dish with a liberal +seasoning of salt, pepper, and butter, a strewing of sugar and a little +onion juice, look and taste wholly unlike stewed tomatoes, common or +garden variety. + +_Boiling with Bacon_: Get a pound of streaky bacon, cut square if +possible, scrape and wash clean, put on in plenty of water, with a young +onion, a little thyme and parsley, bring to a quick boil, throw in cold +water, skim the pot clean, then let stand simmering for two to three +hours. Add to it either greens--mustard, turnip, or dandelion or field +salad, well washed and picked, let cook till very tender, then skim out, +drain in a colander, lay in a hot dish with the square of bacon on top. +Here is the foundation of a hearty and wholesome meal. The bacon by long +boiling is in a measure emulsified, and calculated to nourish the most +delicate stomach rather than to upset it. Serve two thin slices of it +with each helping of greens. You should have plenty of Cayenne vinegar, +very hot and sharp, hot corn bread, and cider or beer, to go along with +it. + +String beans, known to the south country as snaps, never come fully to +their own, unless thus cooked with bacon. Even pork does not answer, +though that is far and away better than boiling and buttering or +flooding with milk sauces. It is the same with cabbage. Wash well, halve +or quarter, boil until very tender, drain and serve. Better cook as many +as the pot will hold and the bacon season, since fried cabbage, which is +chopped fine, and tossed in bacon fat with a seasoning of pepper, salt +and vinegar, helps out wonderfully for either breakfast, luncheon or +supper. Never throw away proper pot-liquor--it is a good and cheap +substitute for soup on cold days. Heat, and drop into it crisp +bread-crusts--if they are corn bread crusts made very brown, all the +better. Pioneer folk throve on pot-liquor to such an extent they had a +saying that it was sinful to have too much--pot-liquor and buttermilk at +the same meal. + +_Fruit Desserts_: Fruits have affinities the same as human beings. +Witness the excellent agreement of grape fruit and rum. Nothing else, +not the finest liqueur, so brings out the flavor. But there are other +fruits which, conjoined to the grape fruit, make it more than ever +delicious. Strawberries for example. They must be fine and ripe. Wash +well, pick, wash again, halve if very large, and mix well in a bowl with +grape fruit pulp, freed of skin and seed, and broken to berry size. Add +sugar in layers, then pour over a tumbler of rum, let stand six hours on +ice, and serve with or without cream. + +Strawberries mixed with ripe fresh pineapple, cut to berry size, and +well sweetened, are worthy of sherry, the best in the cellar, and rather +dry than sweet. Mixed with thin sliced oranges and bananas, use sound +claret--but do not put it on until just before serving--let the mixed +fruits stand only in sugar. Strawberries alone, go very well with claret +and sugar--adding cream if you like. Cream, lightly sweetened, flavored +with sherry or rum, or a liqueur, and whipped, gives the last touch of +perfection to a dessert of mixed fruit, or to wine jelly, or a cup of +after-dinner coffee, or afternoon chocolate. + +A peach's first choice is brandy--it must be real, therefore costly. +Good whiskey answers, so does rum fairly. A good liqueur is better. +Sherry blends well if the fruit is very ripe and juicy. Peel and slice +six hours before serving, pack down in sugar, add the liqueur, and let +stand on ice until needed. Peaches cut small, mixed with California +grapes, skinned and seeded, also with grape fruit pulp broken small, and +drowned in sherry syrup, are surprisingly good. Make the sherry syrup by +three parts filling a glass jar with the best lump sugar, pouring on it +rather more wine than will cover it, adding the strained juice of a +lemon, or orange, a few shreds of yellow peel, and a blade of mace, then +setting in sunshine until the sugar dissolves. It should be almost like +honey--no other sweetening is needed. A spoonful in after-dinner coffee +makes it another beverage--just as a syrup made in the same way from +rum, sugar and lemon juice, glorifies afternoon tea. + +White grapes halved and seeded mixed with bananas cut small, and orange +pulp, well sweetened and topped with whipped cream, either natural or +"laced" with sherry, make another easy dessert. Serve in tall footed +glasses, set on your finest doilies in your prettiest plates. Lay a +flower or a gay candy upon the plate--it adds enormously to the festive +effect and very little to the trouble. + +A spoonful of rich wine jelly, laid upon any sort of fresh fruit, to my +thinking, makes it much better. Cream can be added also--but I do not +care for it--indeed do not taste it, nor things creamed. Ripe, juicy +cherries, pitted and mixed equally with banana cubes, then sweetened, +make a dessert my soul loves to recall. Not caring to eat them I never +make ice cream, frozen puddings, _mousses_, sherbets, nor many of the +gelatine desserts. Hence I have experimented rather widely in the +kingdom of fruits. This book is throughout very largely a record of +experience--I hope it may have the more value through being special +rather than universal. + +_Sandwiches_: In sandwich making mind your _S's_. That is to say, have +your knife sharp, your bread stale, your butter soft. Moreover the +bread must be specially made--fine grained, firm, not crumbly, nor +ragged. Cut off crusts for ordinary sandwiches--but if shaping them with +cutters let it stay. Then you can cut to the paper-thinness +requisite--otherwise that is impossible. Work at a roomy table spread +with a clean old tablecloth over which put sheets of clean, thick paper. +Do your cutting on the papered surface--thus you save either turning +your knife edges against a platter or sorely gashing even an old cloth. +Keep fancy cutters all together and ready to your hand. Shape one kind +of sandwiches all the same--thus you distinguish them easily. Make as +many as your paper space will hold, before stamping out any--this saves +time and strength. Clear away the fragments from one making, before +beginning another sort, thus avoiding possible taints and confusion. Lay +your made sandwiches on a platter under a dry cloth with a double damp +one on top of it. They will not dry out, and it is much easier than +wrapping in oiled paper. + +The nearer fillings approach the consistency of soft butter, the +better. In making sardine sandwiches, boil the eggs hard, mash the yolks +smooth while hot, softening them with either butter or salad +dressing--French dressing of course. It is best made with lemon juice +and very sharp vinegar for such use. Work into the eggs, the sardines +freed of skin and bone after draining well, and mashed as fine as +possible. A little of their oil may be added if the flavor is liked. But +lemon juice is better. Rub the mixture smooth with the back of a stout +wooden spoon, and pack close in a bowl so it shall not harden. + +Pimento cheese needs to be softened with French dressing, until like +creamed butter. The finer the pimento is ground the better. Spread +evenly upon the buttered bread, lay other buttered bread upon it, and +pile square. When the pile gets high enough, cut through into triangles +or finger shapes, and lay under the damp cloth. Slice Swiss cheese very +thin with a sharp knife, season lightly with salt and paprika, and lay +between the buttered slices. Lettuce dressed with oil and lemon juice +and lightly sprinkled with Parmesan cheese makes a refreshing afternoon +sandwich. Ham needs to be ground fine--it must be boiled well of +course--seasoned lightly with made mustard, pepper, and lemon juice, +softened a bit with clear oil or butter, and spread thin. Tongue must be +treated the same way, else boiled very, very tender, skinned before +slicing, and sliced paper-thin. Rounds of it inside shaped sandwiches +are likely to surprise--and please--masculine palates. + +For the shaped sandwich--leaf or star, or heart, or crescent, is the +happy home, generally, of all the fifty-seven varieties of fancy +sandwich fillings, sweet and sour, mushy and squshy, which make an +honest mouthful of natural flavor, a thing of joy. Yet this is not +saying novelty in sandwiches is undesirable. Contrariwise it is welcome +as summer rain. In witness, here is a filling from the far Philippines, +which albeit I have not tried it out yet, sounds to me enticing, and has +further the vouching of a cook most excellent. Grate fine as much Edam +or pineapple cheese as requisite, season well with paprika, add a few +grains of black pepper, wet with sherry to the consistency of cream, and +spread between buttered bread. If it is nut bread so much the better. +Nut bread is made thus. + +_Nut Bread for Sandwiches_: (Mrs. Petre.) Beat two eggs very light, with +a scant teaspoonful salt, half cup sugar, and two cups milk. Sift four +cups flour twice with four teaspoonfuls baking powder. Mix with eggs and +milk, stir smooth, add one cup nuts finely chopped, let raise for twenty +minutes, in a double pan, and bake in a moderately quick oven. Do not +try to slice until perfectly cold--better wait till next day, keeping +the bread where it will not dry out. Slice very thin, after buttering. +Makes sandwiches of special excellence with any sort of good filling. + + + + +[Illustration: _Pickles, Preserves, Coffee, Tea, Chocolate_] + + +_Brine for Pickling_: Use rain water if possible and regular picking +salt--it is coarse and much stronger than cooking salt. Lacking rain +water, soften other water by dissolving in it the day beforehand, a +pinch of washing soda--this neutralizes largely the mineral contents. +Put over the fire in a deep, clean kettle, bring to a boil, put in +salt--a pint to the gallon of water is the usual proportion. Boil and +skim, add a pinch of saltpeter and tablespoonful of sugar for each pint +of salt--the pinches must not be large. Add also six whole cloves for +each gallon. Take from fire, let cool, drop in an egg--it should float +to show the size of a quarter of a dollar. Otherwise the brine needs +more salt. Dissolve a pint extra in as little water as suffices, and add +to the brine, then test again. Put the brine when cold into a clean, +roomy vessel, a keg or barrel, else a big stone crock. It should not +quite half fill it. Provide a heading that will float upon it, also a +light weight to keep the heading on the pickles when put in, and hold +them under the brine. Unless so held the uppermost rot, and spoil the +lot. Mold will gather around the head in spite of the cloves, but less +than without them. Whenever you put in fresh pickles, take out the head, +wash and scald, dry, and return to place. + +Anything edible will make pickle--still there are many things better +kept out of the brine. Cabbage and cauliflower for example do not need +it--green tomatoes, onions, and Jerusalem artichokes are likewise taboo. +The artichokes make good pickle, but it must be made all at once. Cut +anything intended for the brine with a bit of stalk, and without +bruising the stalk. Cucumbers should be small, and even in size, +gherkins about half grown, string beans, three parts grown, crook-neck +squash very small and tender, green peppers for mangoes, full grown but +not turning, muskmelons for other mangoes three parts grown. Wash clean +or wipe with a damp cloth. Cut pickles in early morning, so they may be +fresh and crisp. Never put in any wilted bit--thereby you invite decay. + +Watermelon rind makes fine pickle, sweet and sour--also citron, queen of +all home made preserves. It must be fairly thick, sound and unbruised. +The Rattle Snake melon has a good rind for such uses. The finer flavored +and thinner-rinded varieties that come to market, are rarely worth +cutting up. The cutting up is a bit tedious. The rind must be cut in +strips rather more than an inch wide and three to five inches long, then +trimmed on each side, free of green outer skin, and all trace of the +soft inside. There will remain less than half an inch thickness of firm +pale green tissue with potentialities of delight--if you know how to +bring them out. + +Firm clingstone peaches not fully ripe, can be put in the brine--they +had better, however, be pickled without it. For whatever is put in, and +saved by salt, must be freed of the salt by long soaking before it is +fit to eat. The soaking process is the same for everything--take from +brine, wash clean in tepid water, put to soak in cold water with +something on top to hold the pickles down. Change water twice the first +day, afterward every day, until it has not the least salt taste. + +You can make pickle by soaking in brine three days, then washing clean, +putting over the fire in clear water, bringing to scalding heat, then +pouring off the water, covering with vinegar, and bringing just to a +boil. Drain away this vinegar, which has served its turn, pack down the +pickles in a jar, seasoning them well with mixed spices, whole, not in +powder, covering with fresh, hot vinegar, letting cool uncovered, then +tieing down, and keep dark and cool. + +_Watermelon Rind Pickle_: Scald the soaked rind in strong ginger tea, +let stand two minutes barely simmering, then skim out, lay in another +kettle, putting in equal quantities of cloves, mace, alspice, and +cinnamon, half as much grated nutmeg, the same of whole pepper corns, +several pods of Cayenne pepper, white mustard and celery seed, covering +with cider vinegar, the only sort that will keep pickles well, bringing +just to the boil, then putting down hot in jars, tying down after +cooling, and setting in a dark, cool, airy place. + +For sweet pickle, prepare and season, then to each pint of vinegar put +one and a half pounds of sugar, boil together one minute, stirring well, +and skimming clean, then pour over rind and spices, keep hot for ten +minutes without boiling, then put into jars. If wanted only a little +sweet, use but half a pound of sugar. + +_Mangoes_: Either green peppers or young melons will serve as a +foundation--epicures rather preferring the peppers. After making +thoroughly fresh, cut out the stems from the peppers, removing and +throwing away the seed but saving the stems. Cut a section from the +side of each melon, and remove everything inside. Fit back stems, +sections, etc., then pack in a kettle in layers with fresh grape leaves +between, add a bit of alum as big as the thumb's end, cover all with +strong, cold vinegar, bring to a boil, and simmer gently for twenty +minutes. Let stand in vinegar two or three days, throwing away the +leaves. Take out, rinse and drain. To stuff four dozen, bruise, soak, +cut small and dry, half a pound of race ginger, add half a pint each +black and white mustard seed, mace, allspice, Turmeric, black pepper, +each half an ounce, beat all together to a rather fine powder, add a +dash of garlic, and mix smooth in half a cup of salad oil. Chop very +fine a small head of firm but tender cabbage, three fine hearts of +celery, half a dozen small pickled cucumbers, half a pint small onions, +a large, sweet red pepper, finely shredded, add a teaspoonful sugar, a +tablespoonful of brandy, or dry sherry, the mixed spices, work all well +together, stuff the mangoes neatly, sew up with soft thread or tie about +with very narrow tape, pack down in stone jars, cover with the best +cold vinegar, pour a film of salad oil on top, tie down and let stand +two months. If wanted sweetish, add moist sugar to the vinegar, a pound +to the gallon. Mangoes are for men in the general--and men like things +hot and sour. + +_Walnut Pickle_: Gather white walnuts in June--they must be tender +enough to cut with the finger nail. Wash, drain and pack down in jars +smothered in salt. Let stand a fortnight, drain off the resultant brine +then, scald the nuts in strong vinegar, let stand hot, but not boiling, +for twenty minutes, then drain, and pack in jars, putting between the +layers, a mixture of cloves, alspice, black and red pepper, in equal +quantity, with half as much mace, nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger. Strew in +a very little salt, and a little more sugar. Mix mustard and celery seed +in a cup of salad oil, and add to the jars, after the nuts are in. Scald +strong cider vinegar, skim clean, let cool, pour over the prepared nuts, +film with oil on top. Leave open for two days--if the vinegar sinks +through absorption, fill up the jars. Paste paper over mouths, tie down +securely, and set in a cool place until next year. It takes twelve +months for pickled walnuts fully to "find themselves." + +_Preserving Fruit_: Peaches, pears, plums, or cherries, the process is +much the same. Use the finest fruit, ripe but not over-ripe. There is no +greater waste of strength, time, and sugar, than in preserving +tasteless, inferior fruit. Pare peaches and drop instantly in water to +save discoloration. Do the same with pears, pit cherries, saving the +juice. Wash and prick plums if large--if small, merely wash and drain. +Halve clear stone peaches but put in a few seeds for the flavor. Leave +clingstones on the seed, unless very large, else saw them in three, +across the stones. They make less handsome preserves thus sawn but of +finer flavor. Weigh, take pound for pound of sugar, with a pound over +for the kettle. Very acid fruit, cherries or gooseberries, will require +six pounds of sugar to four of fruit. Pack pears and peaches after +paring in the sugar over night. Drain off the syrup at morning, put the +fruit in the kettle, cover with strained ginger tea, and simmer for ten +minutes. Meantime cook the sugar and fruit juice in another kettle. Drop +the fruit hot in the boiling syrup, set the kettle in a hot oven, and +let it cook there until the preserves are done--the fruit clear, and the +syrup thick. If it is not rich enough, skim out the fruit, and reduce +the syrup by rapid boiling, then pour over the hot fruit in jars. + +It is only by cooking thus in ginger tea, or plain water, pear and +quince preserves can be made soft. Quinces do not need to stand +overnight in sugar--rather heat the sugar, and put it in the liquid they +have been boiled in, after skimming out the fruit. It should be cooked +without sugar till a fork easily pierces it, but not until it begins to +rag. + +Put cherry juice and sugar over the fire, adding a little water if juice +is scant, boil up, stirring well and skimming clean, then put in the +fruit, and let it simmer ten minutes, and finish by setting the kettle +in the oven till the preserves are rich and thick. + +Fancy peach preserves require white, juicy fruit cut up, but not too +thin. Let it stand in sugar overnight--drain off syrup in morning, boil, +skim clean, then drop in fruit a handful at a time, and cook till clear. +Skim out, put in more, lay cooked fruit on platters, and set under glass +in sun. Sun all day. Next day boil syrup a little more, drop in fruit, +heat through, then put all in clear glass jars, and set for ten days in +hot sunshine, covered close. The fruit should be a rich translucent +pink, the syrup as rich as honey, and a little lighter pink. These are +much handsomer than the gingered peaches but not so good. Ginger tea in +syrup makes it always darker. + +Plums require nothing extra in the way of flavoring. Make a very thick +syrup of the sugar and a little water, skim clean, drop in the pricked +plums, and cook gently till clear. Skim out, reduce the syrup by further +boiling and pour it over the fruit, packed in jars. By oven-cooking +after a good boil up, there is so little occasion for stirring, the +plums are left almost entirely whole. + +_Ginger Pears_: (Leslie Fox.) Four pounds pears peeled and cut small, +four pounds granulated sugar, juice of four lemons, and the grated peel +of two, two ounces preserved ginger cut very fine. Cook all together +over a slow fire until thick and rich--it should make a firm jelly. Put +away in glass with brandy paper on top the same as other preserves. + +_Tutti Frutti_: (Mrs. J. R. Oldham.) Begin by getting a big wide-mouthed +jar, either thoroughly glazed earthenware, or thick, dark glass. Wash +well, fill with hot water, add a half-pound washing soda, and let stand +a day. Empty, rinse three times, and wipe dry. Thus you make end to +potential molds and microbes. Do this in early spring. Put into the jar, +a quart of good brandy and a tablespoonful of mixed spices--any your +taste approves, also a little finely shredded yellow peel of lemons and +oranges. Wash well and hull a quart of fine ripe strawberries, add them +with their own weight in sugar to the brandy, let stand till raspberries +and cherries are ripe, then put in a quart of each, along with their +weight in sugar. Do this with all fruit as it comes in season--forced +fruit, or that shipped long distances has not enough flavor. Add grapes, +halved and seeded, gooseberries, nibbed and washed, blackberries, +peaches pared and quartered. Currants are best left out, but by no means +slight plums. The big meaty sorts are best. Add as much sugar as fruit, +and from time to time more brandy--there must be always enough to stand +well above the fruit. Add spices also as the jar grows, and if almond +flavor is approved, kernels of all the stone fruit, well blanched. Lay +on a saucer or small plate, when the jar is full, to hold the fruit well +under the liquor. Tie down, and leave standing for three months. Fine +for almost any use--especially to sauce mild puddings. + +_Green Tomato Preserves_: Take medium size tomatoes, smooth, even, +meaty, just on the point of turning but still green. Pare very +carefully with a sharp knife. Cut out eyes, taking care not to cut into +a seed cavity. Weigh--to four pounds fruit take six of sugar. Lay the +peeled tomatoes in clear lime water for an hour, take out, rinse, and +simmer for ten minutes in strained ginger tea. Make a syrup in another +kettle, putting half a cup water to the pound of sugar. Skim clean, put +in the tomatoes, add the strained juice of lemons--three for a large +kettle full, and simmer for two hours, until the fruit is clear. Cut the +lemon rind in strips, boil tender in strong salt water, then boil fresh +in clear water, and add to the syrup. Simmer all together for another +hour, then skim out the fruit, boil the syrup to the thickness of honey, +and pour over the tomatoes after putting them in jars. It ought to be +very clear, and the tomatoes a pale, clear green. Among the handsomest +of all preserves, also the most delicious, once you get the hang of +making them. Ripe yellow tomatoes are preserved the same way, except +that they are scalded for peeling, and hardened by dropping in alum +water after their lime-water bath. The same process applied to +watermelon rind after it is freshened makes citron. + +_Brandy Peaches and Pears_: These can be made without cooking. Choose +ripe, perfect fruit, pare, stick three cloves in each, weigh, take pound +for pound of sugar with one over for the jar. Pack down in a large jar, +putting spices between, and filling sugar into every crevice. Crowd in +every bit possible, then pour on enough whiskey to stand an inch above +the fruit. Let stand--in twenty-four hours more whiskey will be needed. +Fill up, sprinkle a few more whole cloves on top, also two small pods of +Cayenne pepper, and half a dozen pepper corns. Tie down and keep cool. +Fit for use in a fortnight, and of fine keeping quality. The same +treatment with vinegar in place of whiskey makes very good sweet pickle. + +Another way, is to pack the fruit in sugar over night, drain off the +juice at morning, boil and skim it, and pour back upon the fruit. Repeat +twice--the third time put everything in the kettle, cook till a fork +will pierce the fruit, then pack in jars, adding spices to taste, and +one fourth as much whiskey as there is fruit and syrup. This likewise +can be turned into very rich sweet pickle, by using vinegar instead of +whiskey, putting it with the syrup at first boiling, sticking cloves in +the fruit, and adding spices to taste. + +Throw stemmed and washed cherries, unpitted, into thick syrup made of +their weight in sugar with half a cup water to the pound. Let boil, set +in oven for half an hour, take up, add spices, and either brandy or +vinegar, in the proportion of one to three. Let stand uncovered to cool, +put in jars, cover with brandy paper, tie down and keep dark and cool. + +_Tea: Coffee: Chocolate_: My tea-making is unorthodox, but people like +to drink the brew. Bring fresh water to a bubbling boil in a clean, wide +kettle, throw in the tea--a tablespoonful to the gallon of water, let +boil just one minute, then strain from the leaves into a pot that has +stood for five minutes full of freshly boiled water, and that is +instantly wrapped about with a thick napkin, so it shall not cool. Serve +in tall glasses with rum and lemon, or with sherry syrup, flavored with +lemon, add a Maraschino cherry or so, or a tiny bit of ginger-flavored +citron. This for the unorthodox. Those who are orthodox can have cream +either whipped or plain, with rock candy crystals instead of sugar. + +Coffee to be absolutely perfect should never get cold betwixt the +beginning of roasting and the end of drinking. Since that is out of the +question save to Grand Turks and faddists, mere mortals must make shift +with coffee freshly ground, put in a very clean pot, with the least +suspicion of salt--about six fine grains to the cupful, fresh cold +water, in the proportion of three cupfuls to two heaping spoonfuls of +ground coffee, then the pot set where it will take twenty minutes to +boil, and so carefully watched it can not possibly boil over. Boiling +over ruins it--makes it flat, bitter, aroma-less. So does long +boiling--one minute, no more, is the longest boiling time. Quick boiling +is as bad--the water has not time to extract the real goodness of the +coffee. Let stand five minutes to clear, keeping hot. Those who drink +coffee half milk may like it stronger--a cupful of water to the heaping +spoonful of coffee. I do not thus abuse one of the crowning mercies, so +make my coffee the strength I like to drink it. Reducing with boiling +water spoils the taste for me. So does pouring into another pot--my +silver pot is used only upon occasions when ceremony must outweigh +hospitality. In very cold weather hot water may well warm cups both for +tea and coffee. Standing on the grounds does not spoil the flavor of +coffee as it does tea. + +Coffee from the original pot is quite another affair from the same thing +shifted. I am firmly of opinion that many a patent coffee-maker has gone +on to success through the fact that cups were filled directly from the +urn. I always feel that I taste my coffee mostly with my nose--nothing +refreshes me like the clean, keen fragrance of it--especially after +broken rest. It is idle to talk as so many authorities do, of using +"Java and Mocha blended." All the real Java and Mocha in the world is +snapped up, long before it filters down to the average level. Back in +the Dark Ages of my childhood, I knew experimentally real Java--we got +it by the sack-full straight from New Orleans--and called the Rio coffee +used by many of our neighbors "Seed tick coffee," imagining its flavor +was like the smell of those pests. Nowadays, Rio coffee has pretty well +the whole world for its parish. Wherefore the best one can do, is to get +it sound, well roasted, and as fresh as may be. Much as I love and +practice home preparation, I am willing to let the Trust or who will, +roast my coffee. Roasting is parlous work, hot, tedious, and tiresome, +also mighty apt to result in scorching if not burning. One last +caution--never meddle with the salt unless sure your hand is light, your +memory so trustworthy you will not put it in twice. + +Chocolate spells milk, and cream, and trouble, hence I make it only on +occasions of high state. Yet--I am said to make it well. Perhaps the +secret lies in the brandy--a scant teaspoonful for each cake of +chocolate grated. Put in a bowl after grating, add the brandy, stir +about, then add enough hot water to dissolve smoothly, and stir into a +quart of rich milk, just brought to a boil. Add six lumps of sugar, stir +till dissolved, pour into your pot, which must have held boiling water +for five minutes previously, and serve in heated cups, with or without +whipped cream on top. There is no taste of the brandy--it appears merely +to give a smoothness to the blending. If the chocolate is too rich, +half-fill cups with boiling water, then pour in the chocolate. There are +brands of chocolate which can be made wholly of water--they will serve +at a pinch, but are not to be named with the real thing. Cocoa I have +never made, therefore say nothing about its making. Like Harry Percy's +wife, in cooking at least, I "never tell that which I do not know." + + + + +[Illustration: _When the Orchards "Hit"_] + + +When the peach orchard "hit" it meant joy to the plantation. Peaches had +so many charms--and there were so many ways of stretching the charms on +through winter scarcity. Peach drying was in a sort, a festival, +especially if there were a kiln, which made one independent of the +weather. It took many hands wielding many sharp knives in fair fruit to +keep a kiln of fair size running regularly. This though it were no more +than a thing of flat stones and clean clay mud, with paper laid over the +mud, and renewed periodically. There was a shed roof, over the kiln, +which sat commonly in the edge of the orchard. Black Daddy tended the +firing--with a couple of active lads to cut and fetch wood, what time +they were not fetching in great baskets of peaches. + +Yellow peaches, not too ripe but full flavored, made the lightest and +sweetest dried fruit. And clingstones were ever so much better for +drying than the clear-seed sorts. Some folk took off the peach fuzz with +lye--they did not, I think, save trouble thereby, and certainly lost +somewhat in the flavor of their fruit. Mammy was a past mistress of +cutting "cups." That is to say, half-peaches, with only the seed deftly +removed. She sat with the biggest bread tray upon her well cushioned +knees, in the midst of the peelers, who as they peeled, dropped their +peaches into the tray. + +When it over-ran with cups, somebody slimmer and suppler, took it away, +and spread the cut fruit, just touching, all over the hot kiln. It must +not be too hot--just so you couldn't bear the back of your hand to it +was about right. Daddy kept the temperature even, by thrusting into the +flues underneath it, long sticks of green wood, kindled well at the +flue-mouths. Cups shrank mightily in a little while--you could push of +an early trayful till it would no more than cover space the size of a +big dish, long before dinner time--in other words twelve o'clock--drying +was in full blast by seven. With fruit in gluts, and dropping fast, the +kiln was supplemented by scaffolds. Clean planks laid upon trestles, and +set in full sunshine, gave excellent accounts of themselves. This of +course if the sun shone steadily--in showery weather scaffold-drying was +no end of trouble. Weather permitting, it made--it still makes--the +finest and most flavorous dried fruit ever eaten. + +The black people chose clear-seed peaches for their individual drying. +They made merry over splitting the fruit, and placing it, sitting out in +front of their cabins in the moonshine, or by torch-light. Washing was +all they gave the peach outsides--a little thing like a fuzzy rind their +palates did not object to. It was just as well, since clear-seed fruit, +peeled, shrinks unconscionably--to small scrawny knots, inclined to be +sticky--though it is but just to add, that in cooking, it comes back to +almost its original succulence. When the peach-cutting was done, there +was commonly a watermelon feast. Especially at Mammy's house--Daddy's +watermelons were famed throughout the county. He gave seed of them +sparingly, and if the truth must be told, rather grudgingly--but nobody +ever brought melons to quite his pitch of perfection. Possibly because +he planted for the most part, beside rotting stumps in the new ground, +where the earth had to be kept light and clean for tobacco, and where +the vines got somewhat of shade, and the roots fed fat upon the richness +of virgin soil. + +It took eight bushels of ripe fruit, to make one of dry--this when the +peaches were big and fleshy. Small, seedy sorts demanded ten bushels for +one. Unpeeled, the ratio fell to seven for one. But there was seldom any +lack of fruit--beside the orchard, there were trees up and down all the +static fence rows--the corner of a worm fence furnishing an ideal seat. +Further, every field boasted trees, self-planted, sprung from chance +seed vagrantly cast. These volunteer trees often had the very best +fruit--perhaps because only peaches of superior excellence had been +worth carrying a-field. Tilth also helped--the field trees bent and +often broke under their fruity burdens. It was only when late frosts +made half or three parts of the young fruit drop, that we knew how fine +and beautiful these field peaches could be. Our trees, being all +seedlings, were in a degree, immortelles. Branches, even trunks might +bend and break, but the seminal roots sent up new shoots next season, +which in another year, bore fruit scantily. Still, these renewals never +gave quite such perfect fruit as grew upon vigorous young trees, just +come to full bearing. + +Here or there a plantation owner like my starch and stately grandfather, +turned surplus peaches into brandy. In that happy time excise was--only +a word in the dictionary, so the yield of certain trees, very +free-bearing, of small, deep, red, clear-seed fruit, was allowed to get +dead-ripe on the trees, then mashed to a pulp in the cider trough, and +put into stands to ferment, then duly distilled. Barrelled, after two +years in the lumber house, it was racked into clean barrels, and some +part of it converted into "peach and honey," the favorite gentleman's +tipple. Strained honey was mixed with the brandy in varying +proportions--the amount depending somewhat upon individual tastes. Some +used one measure of honey to three of brandy, others put one to two, +still others, half and half, qualifying the sweetness by adding neat +brandy at the time of drinking. Peach and honey was kept properly in +stone jugs or in demijohns, improved mightily with age, and was, at its +best, to the last degree insidious. Newly mixed it was heady, but after +a year or more, as smooth as oil, and as mellow. The honey had something +to do with final excellence. That which the bees gathered from wild +raspberries in flower, being very clear, light-colored and +fine-flavored, was in especial request. + +I think these peaches of the brandy orchards traced back to those the +Indians, Creeks, Choctaws, and Cherokees, planted in the mountain +valleys of Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. They got +the seed from early Spaniard voyagers to Florida. There was indeed a +special Indian peach, as dark-skinned as its namesake, blood-red inside +and out, very sweet and full of juice, if permitted to ripen fully--but +as ill-tasting almost as a green persimmon, if unripe. There were +clearstone and clingstone sorts, and one tree differed from another in +glory of flavor, even as one star. That was the charm of our +seedlings--which had further a distinction of flavor no commercial fruit +ever yet owned. + +August peaches were for drying--in September, early, came the Heaths, +for preserves, brandy fruit, and so on. October peaches, nearly all +clear-seed, made the finest peach butter. Understand, in those days, +canning, known as "hermetic sealing," was still a laboratory process. I +wonder if anybody else recalls, as I do, the first editions of fruit +cans? They were of tin, tall and straight, with a flaring upstanding +tin ruffle around the tops. The ruffle was for holding the sealing wax, +into which the edge of the tin top was thrust. They did not last +long--pretty soon, there were cans of the present shape--but sealing +them with wax was hard work, likewise uncertain. Women everywhere should +rise and call blessed he who invented the self-sealing jar. + +Return we to our peach butter. It began in cider--the cider from fall +apples, very rich and sweet. To boil it down properly required a battery +of brass kettles swung over a log fire in the yard, the same as at +drying up lard time. Naturally brass kettles were at a premium--but +luckily everybody did not make peach butter, so it was no strain upon +neighborly comity to borrow of such. It took more than half a day to +boil down the cider properly--kettles were filled up constantly as there +was room. By and by, when the contents became almost syrup, peaches went +in--preferably the late, soft, white ones, dead ripe, very juicy, and +nearly as sweet as sugar. After the kettles were full of them, peeled +and halved, of course, the boiling went on until the fruit was mushy. +Constant stirring helped to make it so. Fresh peaches were added twice, +and cooked down until the paddle stood upright in the middle of the +kettle. Then came the spicing--putting in cloves, mace, bruised ginger, +and alspice--sparingly, but enough to flavor delicately. If the white +peaches ran short, there might be a supplemental butter-making when the +Red Octobers came in, at the very last of the month. They were big and +handsome, oval, with the richest crimson cheeks, but nothing like so +sweet as the white ones. So sugar, or honey, was added scantly, at the +end of the boiling down. If it had been put in earlier, it would have +added to the danger of burning. + +A six-gallon crock of peach butter was no mean household asset--indeed +it ranked next to the crock of blackberry jam. It was good as a sauce, +or lightly sweetened, to spread on crust. As a filling for roly-polys it +had but one superior--namely dried peaches properly stewed. + +Proper stewing meant washing a quart of dry fruit in two waters, soaking +overnight, then putting over the fire in the soaking water, covering +with a plate to hold the fruit down, and simmering at the least five +hours, filling up the kettle from time to time, and adding after the +fruit was soft a pound of sugar. Then at the very last spices to taste +went in. If the fruit were to be eaten along with meat, as a relish, a +cupful of vinegar was added after the sugar. This made it a near +approach to the finest sweet pickle. But as Mammy said often: "Dried +peaches wus good ernough fer anybody--dest by dee sefs, dry so." + +Apple drying commonly came a little before peach. Horse apples, the best +and plentiest, ripened in the beginning of August. They were kiln-dried, +or scaffold-dried, and much less tedious than peaches since they were +sliced thin. When they got very mellow, drying ceased--commonly +everybody had plenty by that time--and the making of apple butter began. +It differed little from peach butter in the making, though mightily in +taste--being of a less piquant flavor. Cider, newly run was essential to +any sort of butter--hence the beating was done before breakfast. Cider +mills were not--but cider troughs abounded. They were dug from huge +poplar logs, squared outside with the broad axe, and adzed within to a +smooth finish. Apples well washed, were beaten in them with round headed +wooden pestles, and pressed in slat presses, the pomace laid on clean +straw, after the manner of cider pressing in English orchards. The first +runnings, somewhat muddy, were best for boiling down, but the clear last +runnings drank divinely--especially after keeping until there was just +the trace of sparkle to them. + +Winter cider was commonly allowed to get hard. So was that meant for +distilling--apple brandy was only second to peach. But a barrel or keg, +would be kept sweet for women, children, and ministers--either by +smoking the inside of a clean barrel well with sulphur before putting in +the cider, or by hanging inside a barrel nearly full, a thin muslin bag +full of white mustard seed. Cider from russets and pear apples had a +peculiar excellence, so was kept for Christmas and other high days. + +Pear cider--perry--we knew only in books. Not through lack of pears but +inclination to make it. Pears were dried the same as other fruit, but +commonly packed down after drying in sugar. Thus they were esteemed +nearly as good as peach chips, or even peach leather. + +Peach chips were sliced thin, packed down in their own weight of sugar +and let stand twenty-four hours to toughen. Then the syrup was drained +from them, boiled, skimmed clean, spiced with mace and lemon peel, and +the slices dropped into it a few at a time and cooked until sweet +through. Then they were skimmed out, spread on dishes well sprinkled +with sugar, dredged with more sugar, set under glass in sunshine and +turned daily until dry. They were delicious, and served as other +confections--passed around with nuts and wine, or eaten instead of +candy. + +So were cherries, dried in exactly the same manner, after pitting. When +dried without sugar they were used for cooking. So also were tomato +figs. Yellow tomatoes, smooth and even were best--but red ones +answered--the meatier the better. After scalding, peeling, soaking an +hour in clear lime-water to harden, they were rinsed clean, then dropped +in thick boiling syrup, a few at a time, simmered an hour, then skimmed +out, drained, sugared and dried under glass in the sun, or failing +sunshine, upon dishes in a very slow oven. Full-dry, they were packed +down in powdered sugar, in glass jars kept tightly closed. Unless thus +kept they had a knack of turning sticky--which defeated the purpose of +their creation. + +Peach leather may not appeal to this day of many sweets--but it was good +indeed back in the spare elder time. To make it the very ripest, softest +peaches were peeled, and mashed smooth, working quickly so the pulp +might not color too deeply, then spread an inch thick upon large dishes +or even clean boards, and dried slowly in sunshine or the oven. After +it was full-dry, came the cutting into inch-strips. This took a very +sharp knife and a steady hand. Then the strips were coiled edgewise into +flat rounds, with sugar between the rounds of the coils, which had to be +packed down in more sugar and kept close, to save them from dampness, +which meant ruin. + +If you had a fond and extravagant grandmother, you were almost sure to +have also a clove apple. That is to say, a fine firm winter apple, stuck +as full of cloves as it could hold, then allowed to dry very, very +slowly, in air neither hot nor cold. The cloves banished decay--their +fragrance joined to the fruity scent of the apple, certainly set off +things kept in the drawer with the apple. The applemakers justified +their extravagance--cloves cost money, then as now--by asserting a +belief in clove apples as sovereign against mildew or moths--which may +have had a color of reason. + +The quince tree is the clown of the orchard, growing twisted and +writhing, as though hating a straight line. Notwithstanding, its fruit, +and the uses thereof, set the hall mark of housewifery. Especially in +the matter of jelly-making and marmalade. Further a quince pudding is in +the nature of an experience--so few have ever heard of it, so much fewer +made or tasted it. The making requires very ripe quinces--begin by +scrubbing them clean of fuzz, then set them in a deep pan, cover, after +adding a tablespoonful of water, and bake slowly until very soft. Scrape +out the pulp, throw away cores and skin. To a pint of pulp take four +eggs, beat the yolks light with three cups of sugar and a cup of creamed +butter, add the quince pulp, a little mace broken small or grated +nutmeg, then half a cup of cream, and the egg-whites beaten stiff. Bake +in a deep pan, and serve hot with hard or wine sauce. + +Here are some fine points of jelly-making learned in that long ago. To +make the finest, clearest jelly, cook but little at a time. A large +kettleful will never have the color and brightness of two or three +glasses. Never undertake to make jelly of inferior fruit--that which is +unripe or over-ripe, or has begun to sour. Wash clean, and +drain--paring is not only waste work, but in a measure lessens flavor. +Put a little water with the fruit when you begin cooking it--cook rather +slowly so there shall be no scorching, and drain out rather than press +out the juice. Draining is much freer if the fruit is spread thin, +rather than dumped compactly in a bag. Double cheese cloth sewed fast +over stout wire, and laid on top of a wide bowl, makes a fine jelly +drainer--one cheap enough to be thrown away when discolored. A +discolored bag, by the way, makes jelly a bit darker. If there is no +pressure flannel is not required. + +Plenty as fruit was with us, Mammy made jelly and marmalade from the +same quinces. They were well washed, peeled, quartered and the cores +removed, then the quarters boiled until soft in water to half-cover +them, skimmed out, mashed smooth with their own weight of sugar, and +spices to taste, then cooked very slowly until the spoon stood upright +in the mass, after which it went into glass jars, and had a brandy +paper laid duly on top. + +Cores and paring were boiled to rags in water to fully cover them, then +strained out, the water strained again, and added to that in which the +fruit had boiled. Sugar was added--a pound to the pint of juice. But +first the juice was brought to a boil, and skimmed very clean. The +sugar, heated without scorching, went in, and cooking continued until +the drop on the tip of the spoon jellied as it fell. Mammy hated jelly +that ran--it must cut like butter to reach her standard. Occasionally +she flavored it with ginger--boiling the bruised root with the +cores--but only occasionally, as ginger would make the jelly darker. +Occasionally also she cooked apples, usually fall pippins, with the +quinces, thus increasing the bulk of both jelly and marmalade, with +hardly a sensible diminution of flavor. + +All here written applies equally to every sort of fruit jelly--apple, +peach, currant, the whole family of berries. Mammy never knew it, but I +myself have found the oven at half-heat a very present help in +jelly-making. Fruit well prepared, and put into a stone or agate vessel, +covered and baked gently for a time proportionate to its bulk, yields +all its juice, and it seems to me clearer juice, than when stewed in the +time-honored brass kettle. Hot sugar helps to jellying quickly--and the +more haste there, the lighter and brighter the result. Gelatin in fruit +jellies I never use--it increases the product sensibly, but that is more +than offset by the decrease in quality. + + + + +[Illustration: _Upon Occasions_] + + +It was no trouble at all to make occasions. Indeed, the greatest of +them, weddings, really made themselves. A wedding made imperative an +infare--that is to say, if the high contracting parties had parental +approval. Maybe I had better explain that infare meant the bride's going +home--to her new house, or at least her new family. This +etymologically--the root is the Saxon _faran_, to go, whence come +wayfaring, faring forth and so on. All this I am setting forth not in +pedantry, but because so many folk had stared blankly upon hearing the +word--which was to me as familiar as word could be. In application it +had a wide latitude. Commonly the groom or his family gave the infare, +but often enough some generous and well-to-do friend, or kinsman, +pre-empted the privilege. Wherever held, it was an occasion of keen and +jealous rivalry--those in charge being doubly bent on making the faring +in more splendid than the wedding feast. Naturally that put the wedding +folk on their mettle. Another factor inciting to extra effort was--the +bundles. All guests were expected to take home with them generous +bundles of wedding cake in all its varieties. I recall once hearing a +famous cake baker sigh relief as she frosted the hundredth snow ball, +and said: "Now we are sure to have enough left for the bundles--they are +such a help." + +But baking cakes, and cooking in general, though important, were not the +main things. Setting the table, so it should outshine all other wedding +tables gave most concern. To this end all the resources of the family, +and its friends for a radius of ten miles, were available--glass, +silver, china, linen, even cook pots and ovens at need. Also and +further it was a slight of the keenest, if you were known as a fine cake +maker, not to be asked to help. A past mistress of paper cutting was +likewise in request. Cut papers and evergreens were the great reliances +in decoration. They made a brave showing by candlelight. Oil lamps were +few, kerosene undiscovered, and either lard oil, or whale oil, all too +often smelled to heaven, to say nothing of smoking upon the least +provocation. So a lamp, if there were one, sat in state within the +parlor. The long table got its light from candelabra--which as often as +not were homemade. The base was three graduated blocks of wood, nailed +to form a sort of pyramid, with a hole bored in the middle to receive a +stout round upright, two inches across. It stood a foot high, and held +up cross-arms three feet across, with a tin candlesocket upon each end. +Another socket was set where the arms crossed--thus each candelabra was +of five-candle power. Set a-row down the middle of the table, with +single candles in tall brass sticks interspersed, they gave a fine soft +illumination. Often they were supplemented with candelabra of bronze or +brass, tricked out with tinkly pendant prisms. Such household gauds were +commonly concentrated at the spot where the bride and her maids would +stand. They were more elegant, of course, than the made +candle-holders--but not to my thinking a whit the handsomer--after the +paper-cutters had done their work. + +Their work was turning white paper into fringe and lace. Fringed strips +wound all over and about, hid the foundation wood. Paper tulips, deftly +fashioned, held the tin rings in ambush--with clusters of lacy leaves +pendant below. Sometimes a paper rose tipped each arm-end--sometimes +also, there were pendant sprays of pea-shaped blossoms. How they were +made, with nothing beyond scissors, pen-knives for crimping, and the +palm of the hand for mold, I confess I do not understand--but I know +they were marvels. The marvels required a special knack, of course--also +much time and patience. Wherefore those who had it, exercised it in +scraps of leisure as paper came to hand, laying away the results +against the next wedding even though none were imminent. Leaves and the +round lace-edged pieces to go under cakes, it was easy thus to keep. +Flowers, roses, tulips and so on, had a trick of losing shape--besides, +although so showy, they were really much easier to make. + +It took nice contrivance to make table-room--but double thicknesses of +damask falling to the floor either side hid all roughness in the +foundation. Shape depended much upon the size of the supper-room--if it +were but an inclosed piazza, straight length was imperative. But in a +big square or parallelogram, one could easily achieve a capital _H_--or +else a letter _Z_. _Z_ was rather a favorite in that it required less +heavy decoration, yet gave almost as much space. A heart-cake for either +tip, a stack at each acute angle, with the bride's cake midway the stem, +flanked either hand by bowls of syllabub and boiled custard, made a fine +showing. A letter _H_ demanded four heart-cakes--one for each end, also +four stacks, and crowded the bride and her party along the joining bar. + +Heart-cakes were imperative to any wedding of degree. Local tinsmiths +made the moulds for them--they were deeply cleft, and not strictly +classic of outline. But, well and truly baked, frosted a glistening +white, then latticed and fringed with more frosting, dribbled on +delicately from the point of a tube, they were surely good to look at. +If the bride's cake were white all through, the heart-pans were usually +filled with gold-cake batter--thus white and yolk of eggs had equal +honor. More commonly though, the most part of wedding cake was pound +cake in the beginning--the richer the better. Baked in deep +round-bottomed, handleless coffee cups, and iced, it made the helpful +snow balls. Baked in square pans, rather shallow, cut into bars, +crisped, frosted and piled cob-house fashion, it made pens. Sliced +crosswise and interlaid with jelly it became jelly cake. To supplement +it, there were marble cake, spice cake, plum cake, ever so many more +cakes--but they were--only supplements. + +Stacks were either round or square, baked in pans of graduated size, +set one on the other after cooling thoroughly, then frosted and +re-frosted till they had a polar suggestion. If round there was commonly +a hole running down the middle, into this was fitted a wide mouthed but +small glass bottle, to hold the stems of the evergreen plume topping the +stack. Here or there in the plume, shone a paper rose or starflower--in +the wreath of evergreen laid about the base, were tulips, lilies, and +bigger roses, all made of paper. Occasionally trailing myrtle, well +washed and dried, was put about the components of the stacks just before +they were set in place. If the heart-cakes had missed being latticed, +they likewise were myrtle-wreathed. The bride's cake was left +dead-white, but it always stood on something footed, and had a wreath of +evergreen and paper flowers, laid upon a lace-cut paper about the foot. + +Baking it was an art. So many things had to go in it--the darning +needle, thimble, picayune, ring, and button. The makers would have +scorned utterly the modern subterfuge of baking plain, and thrusting in +the portents of fate before frosting. They mixed the batter a trifle +stiff, washed and scoured everything, shut eyes, dropped them, and +stirred them well about. Thus nobody had the least idea where they +finally landed--so the cutting was bound to be strictly fair. It made +much fun--the bride herself cut the first slice--hoping it might hold +the picayune, and thus symbolize good fortune. The ring presaged the +next bride or groom, the darning needle single blessedness to the end, +the thimble, many to sew for, or feed, the button, fickleness or +disappointment. After the bridal party had done cutting, other young +folk tempted fate. Bride's cake was not for eating--instead, fragments +of it, duly wrapped and put under the pillow, were thought to make +whatever the sleeper dreamed come true. Especially if the dream included +a sweetheart, actual or potential. The dreams were supposed to be truly +related next day at the infare--but I question if they always were. +Perhaps the magic worked--and in this wise--the person dreamed of took +on so new a significance, the difference was quickly felt. But this is +a cook book--with reminiscent attachments, not a treatise on psychology. + +The table held only the kickshaws--cakes, candy, nuts, syllabub and +custard. Wide handsome plates piled high with tempting sliced cake sat +up and down the length of it, with glass dishes of gay candies in +between. In cold weather wine jelly often took the place of syllabub. +There were neither napkins nor service plates--all such things came from +the side table, the plates laden with turkey, ham, fried chicken, or +broiled, and some sort of jelly or relish. One ate standing, with her +escort doing yeoman service as waiter, until her appetite was fully +appeased. Hot biscuit, hot egg bread, and light bread--salt rising, +freshly sliced--were passed about by deft black servitors. The side +tables were under charge of family friends, each specially skilled in +helping and serving. Carving, of course, had been done before hand. +Occasionally, very occasionally, where a wedding throng ran well into +the hundreds, there was barbecue in addition to other meat. In that case +it was cut up outside, and sent in upon huge platters. But it was more a +feature of infares, held commonly by daylight, than of wedding suppers. + +Wedding salad is set forth in its proper chapter, but not the turkey +hash that was to some minds the best of all the good eating. It was +served for breakfast--there was always a crowd of kinfolk and faraway +friends to stay all night--sleeping on pallets all over the floors, even +those of parlor or ballroom, after they were deserted. The hash was made +from all the left-over turkey--where a dozen birds have been roasted the +leavings will be plenty. To it was added the whole array of giblets, +cooked the day before, and cut small while still warm. They made heaps +of rich gravy to add to that in the turkey pots--no real wedding ever +contented itself with cooking solely on a range. Pots, big ones, set +beside a log fire out of doors, with a little water in the bottom, and +coals underneath and on the lids, turned out turkeys beautifully +browned, tender and flavorous, to say nothing of the gravy. It set off +the hash as nothing else could--but such setting off was not badly +needed. Hash with hot biscuit, strong clear coffee, hot egg bread, and +thin-sliced ham, made a breakfast one could depend on, even with a long +drive cross-country in prospect. + +Harking back to the supper table--syllabub, as nearly as I recall, was +made of thick cream lightly reinforced with stiffly beaten white of +egg--one egg-white to each pint--sweetened, well flavored with sherry or +Madeira wine, then whipped very stiff, and piled in a big bowl, also in +goblets to set about the bowl, just as snow balls were set a-row about +the stacks and the bride's cake. Flecks of crimson jelly were dropped on +the white cream--occasionally, there were crumbled cake, and cut up +fruit underneath. Thus it approximated the trifle of the cook books. It +had just one drawback--you could not eat it slowly--it went almost to +nothing at the agitation of the spoon. + +Far otherwise boiled custard--which was much higher in favor, being +easier made, and quite as showy. For it you beat very light the yolks of +twelve eggs with four cups white sugar, added them to a gallon of milk, +and a quart of cream, in a brass kettle over the fire, stirred the +mixture steadily, watching it close to remove it just as it was on the +point of boiling, let it cool, then flavored it well, with either +whiskey, brandy, or sweet wine. Meantime the egg-whites beaten with a +little salt until they stuck to the dish, had been cooked by pouring +quickly over them full-boiling water from a tea kettle. They hardly lost +a bubble in the process--the water well drained away, the whites were +ready to go on top of the custard in either bowls or goblets, and get +themselves ornamented with crimson jelly, or flecks of cherry preserves. +Like syllabub, boiled custard necessitated spoons--hence the borrowing +of small silver was in most cases imperative. Plutocrats had not then +been invented--but tradition tells of one high gentleman, who was +self-sufficient. The fact stood him in good stead later--when he was +darkly accused, she who had baked cakes for all his merry-makings said +stoutly: "The Colonel do sech as that! Lord in heaven! Why, don't you +know, in all the years I've knowed him, _he never had to borrow a single +silver spoon_--and I've seen five hundred folks there for supper. I +wouldn't believe them tales ef Angel Gabriel come down and told 'em to +me." + +Is anybody left, I wonder, who can cut oranges into lilies? Thus cut +they surely looked pretty. The peel was divided evenly in six, the +sections loosened, but not pulled free at the base. Instead the ends +were curved backward after the manner of lily petals. The fruit, +separated into eighths, hardly showed the divisions. These lilies sat +flat upon the cloth, either in lines, as about square stacks, or around +bigger things, or straight up and down the table center. They were not +always in season--at their best around Christmas, but available until +the end of winter. + +Cheesecakes, baked in patty pans frosted with cocoanut frosting, also +helped out the wedding richness. Indeed, guests gathered to eat the fat +and the sweet, no less to drink it. Now, in a wider outlook, I wonder a +little if there was significance in the fact that these wedding tables +were so void of color--showing only green and white, with the tiniest +sparks of red? + +Party suppers had no such limitations--often the table was gay with +autumn leaves, the center piece a riot of small ragged red +chrysanthemums, or raggeder pink or yellow ones, with candles glaring +from gorgeous pumpkin jack-o'-lanterns down the middle, or from the +walls either side. There were frosted cakes--loaves trimmed gaily with +red and white candies, or maybe the frosting itself was tinted. In place +of syllabub or boiled custard, there were bowls of ambrosia--oranges in +sections, freed of skin and seed, and smothered in grated fresh cocoanut +and sugar. Often the bowl-tops were ornamented with leaves cut deftly +from the skin of deep red apples, and alternating, other leaves shaped +from orange peel. Christmas party suppers had touches of holly and +cedar, but there was no attempt to match the elaborate wedding tables. +Hog's foot jelly, red with the reddest wine, came in handily for +them--since almost every plantation had a special small hog-killing, +after the middle of December, so there might be fresh backbones, spare +ribs, sausage and souse to help make Christmas cheer. Ham, spiced and +sliced wafer thin, was staple for such suppers--chicken and turkey +appeared oftenest as salad, hot coffee, hot breads in variety, crisp +celery, and plenteous pickle, came before the sweets. Punch, not very +heady, hardly more than a fortified pink lemonade, came with the sweets +many times. Grandfather's punch was held sacred to very late suppers, +hot and hearty, set for gentlemen who had played whist or euchre until +cock-crow. + +These are but indications. Fare varied even as did households and +occasions. But everywhere there was kinship of the underlying +spirit--which was the concrete expression of hospitality in good cheer. +There was little luxury--rather we lived amid a spare abundance, eating +up what had no market--I recall clearly times when you could hardly give +away fresh eggs, or frying-size chickens, other times when eggs fetched +five cents for two dozen--provided the seller would "take it in trade." +Chickens then, broiling size, were forty to fifty cents the dozen--with +often an extra one thrown in for good measure. For then chicken cholera +had not been invented--at least not down in the Tennessee blue grass +country. Neither had hog cholera--nor railroads. All three fell upon us +a very little before the era of the Civil War. Steamboats ran almost +half the year, but the flat boat traffic had been taken away by the +peopling prairies, which could raise so much more corn, derivatively so +many more hogs, to the man's work. Money came through wheat and +tobacco--not lavishly, yet enough for our needs. All this is set forth +in hope of explaining in some measure, the cookery I have tried to write +down faithfully--with so much of everything in hand, stinting would have +been sinful. + +There was barbecue, and again there were barbecues. The viand is said to +get its name from the French phrase _a barbe d' ecu_, from tail to head, +signifying that the carcass was cooked whole. The derivation may be an +early example of making the punishment fit the crime. As to that I do +not know. What I do know is that lambs, pigs, and kids, when barbecued, +are split in half along the backbone. The animals, butchered at sundown, +and cooled of animal heat, after washing down well, are laid upon clean, +split sticks of green wood over a trench two feet deep, and a little +wider, and as long as need be, in which green wood has previously been +burned to coals. There the meat stays twelve hours--from midnight to +noon next day, usually. It is basted steadily with salt water, applied +with a clean mop, and turned over once only. Live coals are added as +needed from the log fire kept burning a little way off. All this sounds +simple, dead-easy. Try it--it is really an art. The plantation barbecuer +was a person of consequence--moreover, few plantations could show a +master of the art. Such an one could give himself lordly airs--the loan +of him was an act of special friendship--profitable always to the +personage lent. Then as now there were free barbecuers, mostly +white--but somehow their handiwork lacked a little of perfection. For +one thing, they never found out the exact secret of "dipney," the sauce +that savored the meat when it was crisply tender, brown all over, but +free from the least scorching. + +Daddy made it thus: Two pounds sweet lard, melted in a brass kettle, +with one pound beaten, not ground, black pepper, a pint of small fiery +red peppers, nubbed and stewed soft in water to barely cover, a spoonful +of herbs in powder--he would never tell what they were,--and a quart and +pint of the strongest apple vinegar, with a little salt. These were +simmered together for half an hour, as the barbecue was getting done. +Then a fresh, clean mop was dabbed lightly in the mixture, and as +lightly smeared over the upper sides of the carcasses. Not a drop was +permitted to fall on the coals--it would have sent up smoke, and films +of light ashes. Then, tables being set, the meat was laid, hissing hot, +within clean, tight wooden trays, deeply gashed upon the side that had +been next the fire, and deluged with the sauce, which the mop-man +smeared fully over it. + +Hot! After eating it one wanted to lie down at the spring-side and let +the water of it flow down the mouth. But of a flavor, a savor, a +tastiness, nothing else earthly approaches. Not food for the gods, +perhaps, but certainly meat for _men_. Women loved it no less--witness +the way they begged for a quarter of lamb or shoat or kid to take home. +The proper accompaniments to barbecue are sliced cucumbers in strong +vinegar, sliced tomatoes, a great plenty of salt-rising light bread--and +a greater plenty of cool ripe watermelons, by way of dessert. + +So much for barbecue edible. Barbecue, the occasion, has yet to be set +forth. Its First Cause was commonly political--the old south loved +oratory even better than the new. Newspapers were none so plenty--withal +of scant circulation. Besides, reading them was work--also tedious and +tasteless. So the great and the would-be great, rode up and down, and +roundabout, mixing with the sovereigns, and enlightening the world. Each +party felt honor bound to gather the sovereigns so they might listen in +comfort. Besides--they wanted amusement--a real big barbecue was a sort +of social exchange, drawing together half of three counties, and letting +you hear and tell, things new, strange, and startling. Furthermore, it +was no trouble to get carcasses--fifty to a hundred was not uncommon. +Men, women, children, everybody, indeed, came. The women brought bread +and tablecloths, and commonly much beside. There was a speaker's stand, +flag draped--my infant eyes first saw the Stars and Stripes floating +above portraits--alleged--of Filmore and Buchanan, in the campaign of +'56. That meant the barbecue was a joint affair--Whigs and Democrats +getting it up, and both eagerly ready to whoop it up for their own +speakers. Naturally in that latitude, Fremont was not even named. No +court costume with a tail three yards long, could to-day make me feel +one-half so fine as the white jaconet, and green sash then sported. + +It was said there were a thousand at the barbecue. The cheering, at its +loudest, was heard two miles away. To me it seemed as though all the +folk in the world had gathered in that shady grove--I remember wondering +if there could possibly be so many watermelons, some would be left for +the children. Four big wagon loads lay bobbing in the coolth of the +spring branch. It was a very cold spring with mint growing beside it, as +is common with springs thereabout. Early settlers planted it thus hard +by the water--they built their houses high, and water got warm in +carrying it up hill. Lacking ice houses, to have cool juleps, they had +to be mixed right at the well-head. Sugar, spoons, goblets, and the jug, +were easily carried down there. + +Juleps were not mixed openly that day--but the speakers had pitchers +full of something that seemed to refresh their eloquence, no less than +themselves. They hammered each other lustily, cheered to the echo by +uproarious partisans, from nine in the morning until six in the +afternoon. Luckily for them, there were four of them, thus they could +"spell" each other--and the audience. I did not mind them--not in the +least. How should I--when right in front of me sat a lady with the most +gorgeous flowers upon her white chip bonnet, and one beside me, who +insisted upon my wearing, until time to go home, her watch and chain? + +The watermelons held out--we took two big ones home to Mother, also a +lot of splendid Indian peaches, and a fore-quarter of lamb. Mother +rarely went out, being an invalid--so folk vied with each other in +sending her things. I mention it, only by way of showing there were +things to be sent, even after feeding the multitude. The black people +went away full fed, and full handed--nobody who carried a basket had +much relish for taking home again any part of its contents. + +Our countryside's cooking came to its full flower for the +bran-dances--which came into being, I think, because the pioneers liked +to shake limber heels, but had not floors big enough for the shaking. So +in green shade, at some springside they built an arbor of green boughs, +leveled the earth underneath, pounded it hard and smooth, then covered +it an inch deep with clean wheat bran, put up seats roundabout it, also +a fiddlers' stand, got the fiddlers, printed invitations which went far +and wide to women young and old, saw to a sufficiency of barbecue, +depended on the Lord and the ladies for other things--and prepared to +dance, dance from nine in the morning until two next morning. Men were +not specifically invited--anybody in good standing with a clean shirt, +dancing shoes, a good horse and a pedigree, was heartily welcome. The +solid men, whose names appeared as managers, paid scot for +everything--they left the actual arrangements to the lads. But they came +in shoals to the bran-dances, and were audacious enough often to take +away from some youth fathoms deep in love, his favorite partner. +Sometimes, too, a lot of them pre-empted all the prettiest girls, and +danced a special set with them. Thus were they delivered into the hands +of the oppressed--the lads made treaty with the fiddlers and prompter to +play fast and furious--to call figures that kept the oldsters wheeling +and whirling. It was an endurance contest--but victory did not always +perch with the youths. Plenty of pursy gentlemen were still light enough +on their feet, clear enough in their wind, to dance through Money Musk +double, Chicken in the Bread Tray, and the Arkansaw Traveller, no matter +what the time. + +All dances were square--quadrilles and cotillions. The Basket Cotillion +was indeed, looked upon as rather daring. You see, at the last, the ring +of men linked by hand-hold outside a ring of their partners, lifted +locked arms over their partners' heads, and thus interwoven, the circle +balanced before breaking up. Other times, other dances--ours is now the +day of the trot and the tango. But they lack the life, the verve of the +old dances, the old tunes. To this day when I hear them, my feet patter +in spite of me. You could not dance to them steadily, with soft airs +blowing all about, leaves flittering in sunshine, and water rippling +near, without getting an appetite commensurate to the feasts in wait for +you. + +One basket from a plantation sufficed for bran-dances ending at +sundown--those running on past midnight demanded two. It would never do +to offer snippets and fragments for supper. Barbecue, if there were +barbecue--was merely a concomitant of the feeding, not the whole thing. +Part of it was left untouched to help out with supper. So were part of +the melons, and much of the fruit. Apples, pears and peaches were plenty +in good years--the near plantations sent them by wagon loads--as they +also sent ice cream by freezerfuls, and boilers to make coffee. These +were dispensed more than generously--but nobody would have helped +himself to them uninvited, any more readily than he would have helped +himself to money in the pocket. All that was in the baskets was spread +on the general tables, but no man thought of eating thereof, until all +women and children had been served. Old men came next--the women +generally forcing upon them the best of everything. + +Such a best! Broiled chicken, fried chicken, in quantity, whole hams +simply entreating to be sliced, barbecue, pickle in great variety, +drained and sliced for eating, beaten biscuit, soda biscuit, egg bread, +salt-rising bread, or rolls raised with hop-yeast--only a few attempted +them--every manner of pie, tart, and tartlet that did not drip and mess +things, all the cakes in the calendar of good housewifery--with, now and +then, new ones specially invented. Even more than a wedding, a +bran-dance showed and proved your quality as a cake-maker. Cakes were +looked at in broad daylight, eaten not with cloyed finicky appetites, +but with true zest. Woe and double woe to you if a loaf of pride showed +at cutting a "sad" streak, not quite done. Joy untold if you were a raw +young housekeeper, to have your cake acclaimed by eaters and critics. + +Mammy, and other Mammies, moved proudly about, each a sort of oracle to +the friends of her household. They kept sharp eyes on things +returnable--plates, platters, knives, spoons, and tablecloths--in any +doubtful case, arising from the fact of similarity in pattern, they were +the court of last resort. Spoons and so on are unmistakable--but one +sprigged saucer is very like other saucers sprigged the same. It was the +Mammies rather than the masters and mistresses, who ordered carriage +drivers and horse boys imperiously about. But nobody minded the +imperiousness--it was no day for quarrelling or unwisdom. And it would +surely have been unwise to fret those who were the Keepers of the +Baskets, at the very last. + +After dinner one went to the dressing-room, a wide roofless space +enclosed with green boughs massed on end, and furnished plentifully with +water in buckets, towels, basins, pin cushions, combs and brushes, face +powder, even needles and thread. Thence one emerged after half an hour +quite fresh--to dance on and on, till the fiddlers played a fast finale, +and went to their supper. Then came an interval of talk and laughing, +of making new friends or stabbing delicately old enemies. Also and +further much primping in the dressing-room. Dancing steadily through a +temperature of 98 in the shade plays hob with some sorts of prettiness. +But as dew fell and lighted lanterns went up about the arbor and +throughout the grove, supper was very welcome. There was hot coffee for +everybody, likewise milk, likewise lemonade, with buttered biscuit, +chicken, ham, and barbecue. Chicken-loaf was particularly good for such +uses. To make it, several plump, tender, full-grown pullets were +simmered in water to barely cover them, with a few pepper corns, half a +dozen cloves, and a blade of mace, until very, very tender. Then the +meat was picked from the bones, cut up while still hot, packed down in +something deep, seasoning it to taste with salt, as it was packed, and +dusting in more pepper if needed, then the liquor which had been kept at +a brisk boil was poured over, and left to cool. No bother about skimming +off fat--we liked our loaf rich as well as high-flavored. It came out a +fine mottled solid that could be sliced thin, and eaten delicately +between the halves of a buttered biscuit. Sandwiches were known--but +only in books. Which was well--they would have dried out so badly, for +this was before the era of wax paper. Since everything was packed in the +baskets whole, there was much work for mothers and Mammies at the +unpacking and table-setting. + +Tarts, especially if filled with cheesecake or jelly custard, held high +place among the sweets. Especially with the men, young and old. One, a +manager, who had been here, there, everywhere, since eight o'clock in +the morning, asked Mammy at suppertime to: "Please save him one more +dozen of them little pies." In truth the little pies made no more than a +mouthful for noble appetites. Pies, full-grown, did not go begging--and +were seldom cut in less than quarters. Frosted cake--which the lads +denominated "white-washed," was commonly saved over for the supper +baskets. It kept moist, whereas without the frosting a long summer day +might make it hard. + +After the supper elderly men drove home--unless they had daughters among +the dancers without other chaperons. Generally, some aunt or cousin +stood ready with such good offices. The chaperons themselves danced now +and then--youths specially anxious for favor with their charges, all but +forced them upon the floor. Set it to their credit, they footed it +almost as lightly as the youngest. Occasionally you might see, mother +and daughter, even a granddaughter of tender years, wheeling and +balancing in the same set. And so the fiddles played, the stars shone, +the waters babbled, until the lanterns flared and sputtered out, and the +banjo-picker held up fingers raw and bleeding. Then with a last final +swing and flourish, everybody scattered for homeward ways, glad of the +day's pleasure--and tired enough to be glad also it was ended. + +The most special of occasions was a dining. Not upon any high day or +holiday, such as Christmas, New Year, Jackson's Day--the eighth of +January--Easter nor Whit-Monday, but as Mammy said: "A dinin' des, dry +so." Commonly pride of housewifery incited to it--therefore it must be a +triumph. The hour was two o'clock, but guests came around eleven or +twelve--and spent the day. They sat down to tables that well might have +groaned, even howled, such was the weight they carried. Twelve was a +favorite guest-number--few tables could be stretched to hold more than +twelve plates. There were but two courses--dinner and dessert--unless in +very cold weather, some person who would nowadays be said to be fond of +putting on frills, set before her guests, plates of steaming soup. It +had to smell very good, else it was no more than tasted--folk did not +care to dull the edge of appetite needlessly, with so much before them. +For the table was fully set--a stuffed ham at one end, a chicken or +partridge pie at the other, side dishes of smothered rabbit, or broiled +chicken, at least four kinds of sweet pickle, as many of jelly and sour +pickle, a castor full of catsups, tomato and walnut, plain vinegar, +pepper vinegar, red and black pepper, and made mustard, all the +vegetables in season--I have seen corn pudding, candied sweet potatoes, +Irish potatoes, mashed and baked, black-eyed peas, baked peaches, apples +baked in sugar and cloves, cabbage boiled with bacon, okra, stewed +tomatoes, sliced raw tomatoes, cucumbers cut up with young onions, beets +boiled and buttered, and string beans, otherwise snaps, all at one +spread. + +Only epicures dressed their lettuce at table. One cranky old family +friend had it served to him in a water bucket, set beside him on the +floor. He shook it free of water, cut it, without bruising, to wide +ribbons, covered them thickly with hard-boiled egg-yolk mashed fine, +then poured upon it clear ham gravy, and strong vinegar, added salt and +pepper, black and red--then ate his fill. But, of course, he did not do +that at dinings. For then, if lettuce appeared, it was cut up, dressed +with vinegar, salt, sugar, and pepper, but guiltless of oil, garnished +with rings of hard-boiled egg--and very generally, and justly, +neglected. Still the hostess had the satisfaction of feeling she had +offered it--that she had indeed offered more than could have been +reasonably expected. + +There was water to drink, also cider in season, also milk, sweet and +sour, and the very best of the homemade wine. Decanters of it sat up and +down the table--you could fill up and come again at pleasure. The one +drawback was--it was hard to eat properly, when you were so interrupted +by helpings to something else. If there was a fault in our old-time +cooking, it was its lack of selection. I think those who gave dinings +felt uneasy if there was unoccupied room for one more dish. + +Dessert was likewise an embarrassment of riches. Cakes in variety, two +sorts of pie, with ice cream or sherbet, or fresh fruit, did not seem +too much to those dear Ladies Bountiful. There was no after-dinner +coffee. In cold weather coffee in big cups, with cream and sugar, often +went with the main dinner. Hot apple toddies preceded it at such times. +In hot weather the precursor was mint julep, ice cold. Yet we were not +a company of dyspeptics nor drunkards--by the free and full use of +earth's abounding mercies we learned not to abuse them. + +_Birthday Barbecue_: (Dorothy Dix.) As refined gold can be gilded, +barbecue, common, or garden variety, can take on extra touches. As thus: +Kill and dress quickly a fine yearling wether, in prime condition but +not over-fat, sluice out with cool water, wipe dry inside and out with a +soft, damp cloth, then while still hot, fill the carcass cram-full of +fresh mint, the tenderer and more lush the better, close it, wrap tight +in a clean cloth wrung very dry from cold salt water, then pop all into +a clean, bright tin lard stand, with a tight-fitting top, put on top +securely, and sink the stand head over ears in cold water--a spring if +possible. Do this around dusk and leave in water until very early +morning. Build fire in trench of hard wood logs before two o'clock. Let +it burn to coals--have a log fire some little way off to supply fresh +coals at need. Lay a breadth of galvanized chicken-wire--large +mesh--over the trench. Take out carcass--split it half down back bone, +lay it flesh side down, on the wire grid, taking care coals are so +evenly spread there is no scorching. After an hour begin basting with +"the sop." It is made thus. Best butter melted, one pound, black pepper +ground, quarter pound, red pepper pods, freed of stalk and cut fine to +almost a paste, half a pint, strong vinegar, scant pint, brandy, peach +if possible though apple or grape will answer, half a pint. Cook all +together over very slow heat or in boiling water, for fifteen minutes. +The sop must not scorch, but the seasoning must be cooked through it. +Apply with a big soft swab made of clean old linen, but not old enough +to fray and string. Baste meat constantly. Put over around four in the +morning, the barbecue should be done, and well done, by a little after +noon. There should be enough sop left to serve as gravy on portions +after it is helped. The meat, turned once, has a fine crisped surface, +and is flavored all through with the mint, and seasoning. + + + + +[Illustration: _Soap and Candles_] + + +Dip-candles I never saw in common use--but Mammy showed me how they were +made back at Ole Marster's, in the days when candle-molds were not to be +had. Dipped or molded, the candles were of varying substance. Tallow was +the main reliance--mutton tallow as well as that from our beeves. It was +tried out fresh, and hardened with alum in the process. The alum was +dissolved in a little water, and put with the raw fat as it went over +the fire. By and by the water all cooked away, leaving the alum well +incorporated through the clear fat. Lacking it, a little clear lye went +in--Mammy thought and said, the lye ate up the oil in the tallow, making +it firmer and whiter. But lye and alum could not go in at the same time, +since being alkaline and acid, they would destroy each other. + +Great pains were taken not to scorch the tallow--that meant smelly and +ill-colored candles. After straining it clear of cracklings, it was +caked in something deep, then turned out and laid on the highest shelf +in the lumber house to await molding time. Cakes of beeswax were kept in +the Jackson press, so children, white and black, could not take bites +for chewing. It ranked next to native sweet gum for such uses--but Mammy +felt it had much better be saved to mix with the tallow at melting time. +It made the candles much firmer, also bettered their light, and moreover +changed the tallow hue to an agreeable very pale yellow. Bee hives, like +much else, were to a degree primitive--the wax came from comb crushed in +the straining of honey. It was boiled in water to take away the remnant +sweetness, then allowed to cool on top the water, taken off, and +remelted over clean water, so manipulated as to free it from foreign +substances, then molded into cakes. One cake was always set apart for +the neighborhood cobbler, who melted it with tallow and rosin to make +shoemaker's wax. Another moiety was turned into grafting wax--by help of +it one orchard tree bore twelve manners of fruit. And still another, a +small, pretty cake from a scalloped patty pan, found place in the family +work basket--in sewing by hand with flax thread, unless you waxed it, it +lost strength, and quickly pulled to pieces. + +We bought our flax thread in skeins, but Mammy loved to tell of spinning +it back in the days when she was young, and the best spinner on the old +plantation. She still spun shoe-thread for her friend the cobbler, who, +however, furnished her the raw flax, which he had grown, rotted and +hechtelled, in his bit of bottom land. There were still spinning and +weaving in plenty at our house--Mother had made, yearly, jeans, linsey, +carpets and so on--but the plantation was not wholly clothed with +homespun, as had been the case in her father's house. + +Return we to our candle-making. It was work for the very coldest +weather--even though we had two sets of molds, needs must the candles +harden quickly if the making was to speed well. Molds could be filled at +the kitchen hearth, then set outside to cool. For dipping the tallow-pot +had to be set over an outside fire, and neighbored by a ladder, laid +flat on trestles with smooth boards laid underneath. Mammy spun the +candle wicks--from long-staple cotton, drawing it out thick, and +twisting it barely enough to hold together. It must not be too coarse, +as it had to be doubled over reeds at top, either for molding or +dipping. + +The molds were of candle-shape, joined in batteries of six or twelve, +with a pert handle at one side, and tiny holes at the tips, through +which the wick-ends were thrust, by help of a long broom-straw. Well in +place they were drawn taut, the reeds so placed as to hold the wicks +centrally, then tallow melted with beeswax, in due proportion, was +poured around till the molds were brim full--after which they were +plunged instantly into a tub of cold water standing outside. This to +prevent oozings from the tip--hot grease is the most insidious of all +substances. Only in zero weather would the first oozings harden enough +to plug the orifice quickly. When the candles had hardened properly, the +mold was either held over the fire, or thrust in hot water half a +minute, then the candles withdrawn by help of the reeds. They were +cooled a bit, to save the softened outside, then nubbed of surplus wick, +and laid in a dish outside. Careless or witless molders, by laying +candles still soft upon the pile, often made themselves double work. + +Tallow for dipping, was kept barely fluid, by setting it over embers a +little way off the fire. The pot had to be deep, so the wicks could be +sunk in it to full length. They were thus sunk by stickfuls, lifted up +quickly, and hung between the ladder rungs to drip. Half the tallow on +them dripped away--indeed, after the first dipping they looked little +more than clotted ghosts of themselves in their last estate. In very +cold weather three drippings sufficed--otherwise there must be four or +five. Since the dip was the result of cooled accretions, it was always +top-heavy--much bigger at the nose than the base. A quick and skilled +worker, though, could dip a hundred candles in the time required to mold +two dozen. They burned out so quickly that was a crowning mercy--half a +dozen was the average of a long winter evening. Further they ran down, +in great masses--hence the importance of saving up drippings. Even +molded candles made them plentiful enough to be worth re-molding. This +unless discolored with the brass of candlesticks--in that case their +last end was soap grease. + +Rush lights were dips--this I state on information and belief, since I +never saw one. Also on information and belief, it is here set forth, +that folk in the back countries where wicking was not easily had, used +instead of wicks, splinters of fat pine, known as light wood. In proof, +take Candle Wood Mountain, whose name is said to have come from +furnishing such fat pine, and of a special excellence. The pine +splinters must, I think, have given a better light than real wicks--my +father, in Tennessee, never ceased sighing for the lightwood, which had +made such cheery illumination back in his boyhood, in a Carolina home. + +Every sort of waste fat became at the last, soap grease. Bones even were +thrown into kettles of lye, which ate out all their richness, leaving +them crumbly, and fit for burying about the grapevines. Hence the +appositeness of the darkey saying, to express special contempt of a +suitor: "My Lawd! I wouldn't hab dat nigger, not eben for soap grease." +Which has always seemed to me, in a way, a classic of condemnation. + +Soap making came twice a year--the main event in March, to get free of +things left over from hog killing, the supplement in September or +October, to use up summer savings. Each was preceded by dripping lye. +This necessitated wood ashes, of course--ashes from green wood. Oak or +hickory was best. They were kept dry until they went into hoppers, where +they were rotted by gentle wetting for a space of several days. Then +water was dripped through, coming out a dark brown caustic liquid, +clean-smelling, but ill to handle--it would eat a finger-tip carelessly +thrust in it to the raw. + +But even thus it was not strong enough for proper soapmaking, so it was +boiled, boiled, until it would eat a feather, merely drawn quickly +through it. Grease was added then, a little at a time, and stirred well +through, changing the black-brown lye into a light-brown, bubbly mass. +Whatever the lye would not eat of the grease's components, was skimmed +out with the big perforated ladle. Even beyond candle-molding, +soap-making was an art. Mammy never would touch it, until "the right +time of the moon." Also and further, she used a sassafras stick for +stirring, put it in the first time with her right hand, and always +stirred the kettle the same way. If a left-handed person came near the +kettle she was mightily vexed--being sure her soap would go wrong. She +kept on the fire beside it a smaller kettle of clear lye, to be added at +need, without checking the boiling. + +Boiling down lye took one day, boiling in grease another. The third +morning, after the fire was well alight, she tested the soap, by making +a bit into lather. If the lather were clean and clear, without a film of +grease on top, she knew it remained only to cook the soap down thick +enough for the barrel, or to make into balls by the addition of salt. +But if the film appeared--then indeed there was trouble. First aid to it +was more lye, of feather-eating strength--next a fresh sassafras +stirring stick, last and most important, walking backwards as she put +the stick in the kettle, though she would never admit she did this on +purpose. Like the most of her race she was invincibly shy about +acknowledging her beliefs in charms and conjuring. + +Soap which failed to thicken properly lacked grease. To put in enough, +yet not too much, was a matter of nice judgment. Tallow did not mix well +with hog fat. Therefore it had commonly its smaller special pot, whose +results were molded for hand-soap, being hard and rather light-colored. + +Since our washerwomen much preferred soft soap, most of the spring +making went straight into the barrel. The barrel had to be very +tight--soap has nearly as great a faculty of creeping through seams as +even hot lard. One kettleful, however, would have salt stirred through +it, then be allowed to cool, and be cut out in long bars, which were +laid high and dry to age. Old soap was much better for washing fine +prints, lawns, ginghams and so on--in fact whatever needed cleansing +without fading. + +Sundry other fine soap makers emptied their salted soap, just as it was +on the point of hardening, into shallow pans, cloth-lined, and shaped it +with bare hands into balls the size of two fists. This they did with the +whole batch, holding hard soap so much easier kept, and saying it was +no trouble whatever to soften a ball in a little hot water upon wash +days. But Mammy would have none of such practices--said give her good +soft soap and sand rock, she could scour anything. Sand rock was a +variety of limestone, which burning made crumbly, but did not turn to +lime. Mammy picked it up wherever she found it, beat it fine and used it +on everything--shelves, floors, hollow-ware, milk pans, piggins, cedar +water buckets--it made their brass hoops shine like gold. While she +scoured she told us tales of the pewter era--when she had gone, a +barefoot child, with her mother, to the Rush Branch, to come home with a +sheaf of rushes, whereby the pewter was made to shine. It hurts even +yet, recalling the last end of that pewter. As glass and crockery grew +plenty, the boys--my uncles, there were five of them--melted it down for +rifle bullets, when by chance they ran out of lead. Yet--who am I, to +reproach them--did not I myself, melt down for a purpose less legitimate +a fine Brittania ware teapot, whose only fault was a tiny leak? Now I +should prize it beyond silver and gold. + +Harking back to candle-making--we had no candle-berries in our wilds, +and only a few wax-berries as ornaments of our gardens. But from what I +know by observation and experience, the candle-berries or bayberries, +can be melted in hot water, the same as honey-comb, and the wax strained +away from the seedy residue, then allowed to cool, on top the water, and +clarified by a further melting and cooling over water. Mixed with +paraffine it can be molded into real bayberry candles, ever so much more +odorous than those of commerce. It is well to remember in buying +paraffine that there are three qualities of it, differing mainly in the +degree of heat at which they melt. Choose that which is hardest to melt +for candle-making. One might indeed, experiment with bayberry wax, and +the drippings of plain paraffine candles, before undertaking +candle-making to any considerable extent. + +A last word. If any incline to challenge things here set forth, will +they please remember that as one star differs from another in glory, so +does one family, one region, differ from all others in its manners of +eating, drinking, and cooking. I have written true things, but make no +claim that they apply all over. Indeed there may be those to whom they +will seem a transversing of wisdom and experience. To all such I say, +try them intelligently, with pains and patience, and of the results, +hold fast to that you find good. + +[Illustration] + + + + + +INDEX + + + BACON + Hogs to Choose, 40 + Chilling, 40 + Cutting up, 40 + Salting, 42 + Curing, 45 + Smoke, 45 + Smoke Houses, 46 + Smoke Hogshead, 48 + Time of Smoking, 49 + Keeping, 50 + Lard Rendering, 50 + Sausage, 52 + Souse, 53 + Hog's Foot Oil and Jelly, 54 + Brains, Pickled, 55 + Souse, Pickled, 55 + Hog's Feet Fried, 55 + Backbone, Stew and Pie, 56 + Keeping Sausage, 57 + + BREADS + Flour and Meal, 26 + Mixing, 28 + Beaten Biscuit, 28 + Soda Biscuit, 30 + Salt Rising Bread, 31 + Sweet Potato Biscuit, 32 + Waffles, 33 + Corn Bread, Plain, 34 + Egg Bread, 35 + Batter Cakes, 35 + Ash Cake, 36 + Mush Bread, 36 + Cracklin' Bread, 37 + Pumpkin Bread, 37 + Mush Batter Cakes, 38 + Wafers, 38 + Nut Bread, 219 + + CAKES + Secret of Success, 136 + Mixing, 137 + Sweetening Strong Butter, 138 + Baking, 139 + Frosting, 140 + Pound Cake, 140 + Spice Cake, 142 + Marble Cake, 143 + Real Gold Cake, 143 + Real Silver Cake, 144 + Christmas Cake, 145 + White Layer Cake, 147 + Cream Cake, 148 + Sponge Cake, 148 + White Sponge Cake, 149 + Angel's Food, 149 + Chocolate Cake, 149 + Orange Cake, 150 + Dream Cakes, 150 + Shrewsbury Cakes, 151 + Queen Cakes, 151 + Banbury Cakes, 152 + Oatmeal Cookies, 152 + Tea Cakes, 153 + Soft Gingerbread, 153 + Mammy's Ginger Cakes, 154 + Family Gingerbread, 155 + Solid Chocolate Cake, 155 + Coffee Cake, 155 + Ginger Snaps, 156 + Kisses, 157 + + CANDLES, 292 + + CREOLE COOKERY + Milly, 118 + Court Bouillon, 120 + Court Bouillon, Spanish, 121 + Bouillabaisse, 122 + Shrimps, Boiling, 124 + Baked Shrimp, 125 + Shrimp Pie, 125 + Shrimp Salad, 126 + Fried Soft-Shell Crabs, 126 + Daube _a la Mode_, 127 + Cold Daube _a la Creole_, 128 + Grillades with Gravy, 129 + Chicken Saute _a la Creole_, 130 + Quail, Roasted, 131 + Creole French Dressing, 132 + Mayonnaise Dressing, 133 + Remoulade Dressing, 133 + + DRINKS + Cherry Bounce, 72 + Grape Cider, 73 + Persimmon Beer, 74 + Egg Nogg, 75 + White Egg Nogg, 76 + Apple Toddy, 76 + Hail Storm, 77 + Mint Julep, 77 + Lemon Punch, 78 + Punch _a la_ Ruffle Shirt, 79 + Peach Liqueur, 82 + Strawberry Liqueur, 83 + Blackberry Cordial, 83 + Blackberry Wine, 84 + Strawberry Wine, 85 + Gooseberry Wine, 85 + Grape Wine, 86 + Muscadine Wine, 87 + Fruit Vinegars, 88 + Boiled Cider, 89 + Bruleau, 134 + Drip Coffee, 134 + Boiled Coffee, 235 + Chocolate, 237 + Tea, 234 + + EGGS + New Laid Eggs, 176 + Keeping, 176 + Varieties, 177 + Roasted Eggs, 178 + Baked Eggs, 179 + Potato Egg Puffs, 179 + Egg Dumplings, 180 + Egg Spread, 180 + Poached Eggs, 181 + Egg Fours, 182 + Stuffed Eggs, 183 + Fried Eggs, 184 + + FRUIT DESSERTS + Affinity for Liquors, 212 + Strawberries in Mixtures, 213 + Peach Mixtures with Brandy, 214 + Fruit Mixtures with Sherry Syrup, 214 + White Grape-Orange Mixture, 214 + Cherries with Bananas, 215 + Fruit with Wine Jelly, 215 + + GAME + Preparation, 165 + Rabbit or Squirrel Smothered, 172 + Rabbit or Squirrel Barbecued, 173 + Quail, 173 + Wild Duck, 174 + Possum, Roasted, 175 + + HAMS + Boiled Ham, 59 + Fried Ham, 63 + Broiled Ham, 64 + Mutton Ham, 66 + Beef Hams, 68 + Rabbit Hams, 70 + Fresh Ham, 70 + + MEATS + Barbecued Lamb, 158 + Roast Pork, 159 + Beefsteak with Bacon and Onions, 160 + Boned Fresh Ham, 161 + Roast Beef, 163 + Pot Roast, 163 + Leg of Mutton in Blanket, 164 + Roast Turkey or Capon, 167 + Guinea Hen in Casserole, 168 + Chickens in Blankets, 169 + Fried Chicken, 169 + Smothered Chicken or Ducklings, 170 + Chicken Croquets Glorified, 171 + Chicken-Turkey Hash, 172 + + PICKLES + Brine, 220 + Pickle Barrel, 221 + Potential Pickles, 221 + Pickling from Brine, 223 + Water Melon Pickle, 223 + Mangoes, 224 + Walnut Pickle, 226 + Peach Sweet Pickle, 233 + + PIES + Philosophy of Pie-Crust, 90 + Puff Paste, 91 + Raised Crust, 93 + French Puff Paste, 94 + Everyday Crust, 95 + Cobbler Pies, 95 + Fried Pies, 97 + Green Apple Pie, 98 + Lemon Custard, 99 + Cream Pie, 99 + Damson and Banana Tart, 99 + Amber Pie, 100 + Jelly Pie, 101 + Cheese Cakes, 101 + Sweet Potato Custard, 104 + Sweet Potato Pie, 104 + Apple Custard, 105 + Molasses Pie, 105 + Mystery Pie, 106 + Butter Scotch Pie, 106 + Raspberry Cream Pie, 107 + Rhubarb Pie and Sauce, 107 + Banana Pie, 108 + + PRESERVES + Preserving Fruit, 227 + Ginger Pears, 230 + Tutti Frutti, 230 + Green Tomato Preserves and Citron, 231 + Brandy or Pickled Cherries, 232 + Brandy Peaches and Pears, 233 + Dried Fruit, 239 + Peach and Apple Butter, 245 + Keeping Cider Sweet, 249 + Peach Chips, 250 + Dried Cherries, 250 + Peach Leather, 251 + Tomato Figs, 251 + Jelly-Making, 253 + Quince Jelly and Marmalade, 254 + + PUDDINGS + Banana Pudding, 109 + Sweet Potato Pudding, 109 + Poor Man's Pudding, 110 + Boiled Batter Pudding, 111 + Apple Pudding, 111 + Apple Dumplings, 112 + Crumb Pudding, 112 + Blackberry Mush, 113 + Peach Pudding, 114 + Ginger Pudding, 114 + Nesselrode Pudding, 115 + Thanksgiving Pudding, 115 + Christmas Pudding, 115 + Pudding Sauce, 117 + Fig Pudding, 156 + Quince Pudding, 253 + + RELISHES + Cold Slaw, 192 + Tomato Soy, 193 + Table Mustard, 193 + Cabbage Pickle, 194 + Cauliflower Pickle, 194 + Pear Relish, 195 + Cherries Piquant, 196 + Gooseberry Jam Spiced, 196 + Frozen Cranberry Sauce, 197 + Apple Sauce Gone to Heaven, 197 + Spiced Grapes, 199 + Spiced Plums, 200 + Sweet-Sour Pears, 200 + Baked Peaches, 201 + + + SALADS + Wedding Salad, 188 + Fruit Salad, 189 + Sweet French Dressing, 190 + Banana and Celery Salad, 191 + Red White Salad, 191 + Pineapple Salad, 191 + + SANDWICHES + Making Sandwiches, 216 + Sardine Sandwiches, 217 + Sundry Cheese Sandwiches, 217 + Lettuce and Cheese Sandwiches, 217 + Ham and Tongue Sandwiches, 218 + Cheese and Sherry Sandwiches, 218 + + SOUPS + Vegetable Soup, 185 + Black Turtle, Bean Soup, 186 + Gumbo, 187 + + SOAP, 298 + + UPON OCCASIONS + Infares, 257 + Weddings, 258 + Wedding Tables, 258 + Cut, Papers, 259 + Chandeliers: Home-made, 259 + Wedding Cakes, 261 + Bride's Cake, 263 + Wedding Suppers, 265 + Syllabub, 267 + Boiled Custard, 268 + Orange Lilies, 269 + Party Suppers, 270 + Ambrosia, 270 + Barbecues, 273 + Barbecue, 273 + Barn Dances, 278 + Birthday Barbecue, 290 + Baskets, 281 + Chicken, Loaf, 284 + Dinings, 286 + + VEGETABLES + Tomato, Layer, 202 + Corn Pudding, 203 + Fried Corn, 203 + Hulled Corn, 204 + Steamed Potatoes, 205 + Candied Sweet Potatoes, 206 + Tipsy Potatoes, 206 + Left-Over Sweet Potatoes, 207 + Potato Balls, 207 + Bananas, 208 + Baking Vegetables, 208 + Cauliflower, _au Gratin_, 210 + Boiling with Bacon, 211 + Pot Liquor, 212 + + + + + * * * * * + + + + +Transcriber's Notes: + +Obvious punctuation errors were corrected. + +Page 16, "evenning" changed to "evening" (by way of evening things) + +Page 109, "egg yolks" changed to "egg-yolks" (up four egg-yolks) + +Page 126, "hardboiled" changed to "hard-boiled" (sliced hard-boiled +eggs) + +Page 142, "egg yolks" changed to "egg-yolks" (other, seven egg-yolks) + +Page 154, repeated word "called" removed from text. Original read (be +called called First ) + +Page 197, "seive" changed to "sieve" (through coarse sieve) + +Page 233, "twenty four" changed to "twenty-four" (in twenty-four hours +more) + +Page 258, "famly" changed to "family" (his family gave the) + +Page 261, "heartcakes" changed to "heart-cakes" (demanded four +heart-cakes) + +Pge 316, "Red-White" changed to "Red and White" (Red and White Salad, +191) + +Page 317, "Bran" changed to "Barn" (Barn dances, 278) + +The text uses variant hyphenation and spelling. Where a majority could +not be ascertained, as in egg-yolks, the variations were retained. + + cheesecake cheese cake + corn-bread corn bread + allspice alspice + soapmaking soap-making + + + +***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DISHES & BEVERAGES OF THE OLD +SOUTH*** + + +******* This file should be named 28491-8.txt or 28491-8.zip ******* + + +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: +https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/8/4/9/28491 + + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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