Kitchen— recipes

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bread

home-made bread

Two methods are given, with personal preference for the second, the “Compressed Yeast Bread,” as already stated, because it is the quickest, and best preserves the nutriment of the flour. To make yeast, boil two ounces of hops in two quarts of water for half an hour, strain the liquid, and cool it until it is only lukewarm, then add half a pound of brown sugar, two teaspoonfuls of salt, and one pound of flour; let the leaven ferment four days in a warm place, stirring it whenever it foams over the top of the jar in which it is placed; on the third day add to it three pounds of potatoes boiled and mashed; on the fourth day strain and bottle it, and keep it in a cool place.

To make bread put seven pounds of flour in a deep wooden bowl; in the center of it put a tablespoonful of salt, a teaspoonful of sugar, a gill of yeast, and sufficient lukewarm water to make a soft dough, about three pints; mix these ingredients with the hands, until they form a smooth shining dough; if necessary use a little extra flour, but only enough to facilitate the working of the dough; flour the bowl on the bottom and sides, after the dough is mixed, so that the bread will not stick to it; cover it with a thick towel folded several times, set it in a warm place protected from draughts, and let it rise overnight. In the morning knead the dough fifteen minutes; divide it into four loaves, put them into floured baking-pans, cover them with a folded towel, and set them in a warm place to rise twice their height; when they are so risen prick them at the sides with a fork, and bake them in a moderate oven until a knitting or trussing needle can be run into them without being made sticky. Be sure they are well done, but do not let them burn.

compressed yeast bread

When it is possible to obtain fresh compressed yeast, also called German yeast, an excellent bread can be made in about two hours and a half; the rapidity of the leavening or “raising” the dough is advantageous, because less of the nutritive elements of the flour are lost than by following the long process; for two loaves of bread use three pounds of flour, about 3 quart of water, two teaspoonfuls of salt, and an ounce of fresh compressed yeast; dissolve the yeast in a pint of lukewarm water; stir into it sufficient flour to make a thick batter; cover the bowl containing the batter or sponge with a folded towel, and set it in a warm place to rise; if properly covered and heated it will rise to a light foam in about half an hour; then stir into it the salt, dissolved in a little warm water; add the rest of the flour and sufficient lukewarm water to make a dough stiff enough to knead; knead it five minutes; divide it into two loaves, put them into buttered baking-pans, cover them with a folded towel; and set them in a warm place to rise twice their height; then bake them as directed in the preceding recipe for raised bread. In raising the sponge be sure that the heat is not sufficient to “scald” or harden it, as that will prevent fermentation; therefore do not place it where the hand cannot be held with comfort; keep it covered from draughts. If, when it is light, it has become at all soured, as it sometimes will in summer, stir into it before adding the balance of the flour a.saltspoonful of baking-soda, dissolved in a very little lukewarm water. The dough made for home-made bread can be baked as raised biscuit; and it can be made a little nicer by kneading in with it a tablespoonful each of sugar and melted butter; or it can be boiled in soups and stews as raised dumplings.

To test the heat of the oven follow the method of Jules Gouffe, the celebrated chef of the Paris Jockey Club: the “moderate oven” temperature is that degree of heat which will turn ordinary writing-paper dark yellow or buff, that is, the color of kindling-wood; put a sheet of paper in the oven and close the door; if the paper blazes the oven is too hot; arrange the dampers to lower the heat for ten minutes; then again test it with more paper; it may be necessary to try the temperature several times, but the time thus used is well spent. Another simple way of testing the heat of the oven is to hold the hand in it after it has been closed for some time; if the hand can be held there without burning for quarter of a minute the heat is good.

salt rising bread

This bread is very white, moist, and sweet, somewhat resembling aerated bread, and is useful in those emergencies when yeast cannot be obtained, but it is less nutritious than quick home-made or compressed yeast bread, because the process of fermentation is prolonged. To make it put a pint of boiling water into a two-quart pitcher, with a teaspoonful each of salt and sugar, and a saltspoonful of baking-soda, and let the pitcher stand on the table until its contents are cool enough to permit the hand to be placed in them without burning it. Then beat in with the hand sufficient flour to form a batter thick enough to hold a drop from the mixing-spoon; set the pitcher in the sun, or in a kettle of water just warm enough to bear the hand without burning, cover the pitcher with a folded towel, and keep the water at this temperature until the batter is foaming and has risen to twine its original height. This may be there or four hours. When the batter is properly risen mix with it flour enough to make a soft dough, and knead it for five minutes, then form it into loaves., put them into buttered pans, let them rise until their volume is doubled, and then bake them like other loaves.

bean bread

The use of potatoes in bread is well known, but not so the fact that beans, parsnips, carrots, turnips, beets and sweet potatoes may be employed either for purposes of variety or economy; any of these vegetables may be used after being boiled and reduced to a purée, or pulp, according to the directions given below, care being taken to extract their moisture by rolling the purée lengthwise in a strong towel, and then squeezing it as dry as possible by having the ends of the towel twisted tight by two persons. Apples, pears, and other fruits may also be used, the fact being remembered that the juice of fruit must not be extracted, but must be allowed to replace water or milk in making the bread.

To make bean bread, boil white beans until tender, in plenty of water, with a little salt; then rub them through a sieve with a potato-masher to remove the skins; next squeeze the purée, or pulp thus made, dry in a long towel, as directed in the preceding paragraph, and use it as follows: To one pound of the bean pulp use two pounds of flour and a gill of liquid yeast, or half an ounce of compressed yeast dissolved in a cupful of lukewarm milk or water; put all these ingredients into an earthen bowl, with a tablespoonful of salt, and enough lukewarm milk or water to make a soft dough; set the dough in a temperature of 98 degrees Fahr., until it is light and foaming, and then knead it for twenty minutes, adding enough flour to prevent the dough sticking to the board or the hands. —After it is sufficiently kneaded, finish and bake it as directed in the preceding recipe for “Home-made Bread.”

cakes

fine honey cakes

Mix a quart of strained honey with half a pound of powdered white sugar, and half a pound of fresh butter, and the juice of two oranges or lemons. Warm these ingredients slightly, just enough to soften the butter. Then stir the mixture very hard, adding a grated nutmeg. Mix in, gradually, two pounds or less of sifted flour. Make it into a dough, just stiff enough to roll out easily. Beat It well all over with a rolling-pin. Then roll it out into a large sheet, half an inch thick: cut it into round cakes with the top of a tumbler, dipped frequently in flour, lay them in shallow tin pans, slightly buttered, and bake them well.

wonders

Cut up half a pound of fresh butter into a pound of sifted flour, and rub them well together with your hands. Mix in three-quarters of a pound of white sugar, and a large teaspoonful of cinnamon. Add a glass of good white wine, and a glass of rose-water. Beat six eggs very light, and mix them gradually with the above ingredients, so as to form a dough. If you find the dough too soft, add by degrees a little more flour. Roll out the dough into a thick sheet, and cut it into long slips with a jagging-iron. Then form each strip into the figure 8. Have ready over the fire a pot of boiling lard. Throw the cakes into it, a few at a time, and let them cook till they are well browned all over. Then take them out, with a perforated skimmer, draining back into the pot the lard that is about them. As you take them out lay them on a flat dish, the bottom of which is strewed with powdered sugar. They will keep a week, but like most other cakes are best the day they are baked.

jams and jellies

common peach jam

Take good ripe free-stone peaches, pare them, and cut them into small pieces, seeing that none are blemished in the least. Cover the bottom of a stone Jar with a thick layer of powdered sugar (very good brown sugar will do when strict economy is expedient), then put in a layer of the cut peaches (without any cooking); then another of sugar; then one of peaches, and so on till the jar is tilled; packing the contents down as closely as possible. The top layer must be of sugar, spread on thickly. Cover the jar immediately, and paste paper down closely over the cover. This Jam will be found very good for children; and for family use when fresh peaches are not to be had. It may be put into plain pies, or spread over the paste of a rolled-up pudding. If the peaches are free from decay-spots, and the sugar in sufficient abundance, the jam will keep many months; always excluding the air from the jar.

pies

dried-apple-pie

Soak a quart of dried apples overnight in cold water enough to entirely cover them; in the morning wash them in more cold water, cut off all bits of core or paring which may appear on them, and put them over the fire in sufficient cold water to cover them; stew them gently to a pulp, stirring them often enough to prevent burning, and adding more water if it is required; when the apple sauce is quite smooth add powdered cinnamon and sugar enough to make it palatable. The sauce will then be ready for the table, or for making pies. Boiled cider may be substituted for the cold water in making the sauce.

Prepare a good pastry: line the pie-plates with the pastry, fill them with the dried-apple sauce, cover them with pastry, wetting the edges to make the upper and under crusts adhere, and bake the pies in a rather hot oven. When they are nicely browned dust them with powdered sugar, and use them either hot or cold.

mince— meat for christmas-mince- pies

To make very nice mince-meat for pies, use equal parts of boiled beef and tongue. If the tongue is hard and dry soak it overnight in plenty of cold water; in the morning put it over the fire in a large pot nearly full of cold water, and let the water gradually reach the boiling point; when the water begins to boil, pour off and replace it with fresh cold water; again heat the water, with the tongue in it, to the boiling point, and boil it steadily and slowly for one hour. At the end of an hour put in with the tongue three pounds of lean beef cut from the neck or round, add a tablespoonful of salt to the pot-liquor, and continue the boiling by a very gentle heat for three hours longer; then uncover the pot, set it off the fire, take out the tongue and skin it, and then return it to the pot, and let both tongue and beef cool in the pot-liquor.

When the tongue and beef are cold, free the beef from all skin and gristle, and chop it fine. Cut off from the tongue the fleshy parts about the roots, rejecting the gristle, and add to them enough of the trimmings from the tongue to make two pounds; chop this fine and put it with the beef. Remove all membrane from three pounds of fresh beef suet, chop it fine and add it to the chopped beef and tongue. Next add to the meat and suet the following named ingredients: Four pounds of chopped tart apples, weighing them after they are pared and cored; four pounds of raisins stoned and chopped, not too fine; two pounds of currants, picked over, well washed and then rubbed dry in a clean towel, and sifted to free them from stems; one pound of citron cut in small thin slices: quarter of a pound each of candied orange and lemon peel, sliced thin; one pound of sweet almonds and two ounces of bitter almonds, weighed after the shells are removed; blanch the almonds by pouring boiling water over they) after they are shelled, and then rubbing the skin off with a clean towel, and chop them, not too fine; add the grated yellow rind and juice of four lemons and four oranges. Sweeten the mince-meat with four pounds of coffee sugar; season it with two level tablespoonfuls of salt, one level teaspoonful each of pepper, ground cloves, allspice, cinnamon and mace, and two medium-size. nutmegs grated. Next add to the mince-meat one quart of Madeira wine, half a pint of good brandy and sufficient sweet cider to moisten it. Mix the Mince-meat thoroughly, taste it and add, if required, more sugar, salt, and spice; remember that in good mince-meat no one flavor should predominate; it should have a rich, even taste. Mix it thoroughly, and let it stand at least one day before using it. Mince-meat carefully made after this recipe will keep all winter, if covered and placed where it is cool.

puddings

macaroni pudding

Boil a quarter of a pound of macaroni in a pint of rick unskimmed milk, with a handful of blanched bitter almonds or peach-kernels, and two sticks of cinnamon broken into pieces. It must boll till the macaroni is soft, and dissolving. Then remove the bitter almonds and the cinnamon; stir in, while it is hot, a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, a quarter of a pound of powdered sugar, and half a pint of rich cream. Mix all well, and beat It hard. Then beat four eggs till very thick and light, and stir them gradually into the mixture after it has cooled. Add a grated nutmeg, and a tablespoonful of brandy. Butter a deep dish; put in the mixture; set it directly into the oven, and bake it. Vermicelli pudding may be made as above. Also a ground rice pudding.

soups

mock turtle soup

One soup-bone, one quart of turtle beans, one large spoonful of powdered cloves, salt and pepper. Soak the beans overnight, put them on with the soup-bone in nearly six quarts of water and cook five or six hours. When half done, add the cloves, salt and pepper; when done, strain through a colander, pressing the pulp of the beans through to make the soup the desired thickness, and serve with a few slices of hard-boiled egg and lemon sliced .very thin. The turtle beans are black and can only be obtained from large grocers.

mock-turtle soup

Choose a fresh calf's head, which may be known by the clear white skin; as the head gets stale the skin becomes discolored and muddy in appearance and the odor betrays its age. Carefully remove all hairs, and wipe it with a clean damp cloth. Lay the head upon its face, make a cut from the throat to the edge of the lower jaw; then cut the skin carefully from the head, keeping it as whole as possible, and lay it in cold water; remove the tongue whole, and lay it in cold water. With a sharp meat-saw cut out that portion of the head between the ears and above the eyes, and lift the piece up carefully, so as to take out the brain without breaking it. Lay the brain in cold water well salted in a bowl by itself.

Cut the head through the center, remove the lining of the nasal passage, scrape and scald it thoroughly; then put it in the bottom of the soup kettle. Roll the tongue in the skin, tie the roll loosely with twine, and lay it on the bones. Cover them with eight quarts of cold water. Set the kettle over the fire and bring the contents slowly to a boil, skimming off all the scum that rises. When the broth is quite clear, remove the kettle to the side of the fire, where it will boil slowly from one side. Pare and add to it one medium-size carrot, one turnip, and one onion stuck with ten whole cloves. Tie up in a fine cloth three blades of mace, eight allspice, one large bay leaf, and half a nutmeg broken up, and put them into the soup. Make a bouquet by tying tightly together one ounce each of celery and parsley, one sprig each of thyme, savory, and tarragon, and the yellow rind of one lemon pared off in a thin strip, and add to it the broth, together with one ounce of salt, and as much cayenne pepper as can be taken up on the point of a small penknife blade. Boil the head slowly and steadily. When the skin and tongue are tender enough to pierce easily with a fork, which will be in about one hour, take them up, dip them for an instant into scalding-hot water; remove the skin from the tongue, lay them on a dish and cover them with a wet cloth to keep them moist until wanted for use.

Boil the soup six hours in all. Then strain it and let it cool. If you do not wish to use the head and brains until the broth is cool, put them in the bottom of the earthen jar or bowl into which the soup is strained through a towel laid in a colander. They will be perfectly preserved by this method.

When the soup is quite cold, the fat which has collected upon the surface must be removed, and then the soup will be ready to finish as follows:

Put one ounce of butter, and one and a half ounces of flour in a thick saucepan over the fire, and stir until light brown. Meantime heat one quart of the broth, and when the flour and butter are brown, gradually add it to them, stirring the mixture until it is smooth; then add to it a small bay leaf, a small onion stuck with three cloves, two ounces of carrot, and the following seasonings: two celery leaves, one small blade of mace, one sprig of thyme and three sprigs each of parsley and marjorum. Boil all these ingredients slowly for half an hour; then strain and add to enough of the stock to make the soup of the proper consistency, the stock being heated, and set by the side of the fire, to boil very gently. If any scum rises, remove it instantly, for the soup should be clear and bright. Cut the inferior parts of the head into small dice (see recipe for “Calf's Head a la poulette”) and heat them in the soup. Boil two eggs hard, cool them, remove the shells and whites, chop the yolks in small dice, and put them into a soup tureen, .with one gill of sherry or Madeira wine and the juice of one lemon, and pour the soup over them when it is ready to serve. Thin slices of lemon may be passed with the soup.

tomato soup

Boil chicken or beef four hours; then strain; add to the soup one can of tomatoes and boil one hour. This will make four quarts of soup.

tomato soup without meat

One quart of tomatoes, one quart of water, one quart of milk. Butter, salt and pepper to taste. Cook the tomatoes thoroughly in the water, have the milk scalding, (over water to prevent scorching.) When the tomatoes are done add a large teaspoonful of salaratus, which will cause a violent effervescence. It is best to set the vessel in a pan before adding it to prevent waste. When the commotion has ceased add the milk and seasoning. When it is possible it is best to use more milk than water, and cream instead of butter. The soup is eaten with crackers and is by some preferred to oyster soup. This recipe is very valuable for those who keep abstinence days.

caramel, or burned sugar

Put two ounces of brown or white sugar in an old tin cup over a brisk fire, stir this until it is quite dark and gives forth a burned smell, then add a half a cup of cold water; let it boil gently a few minutes, stirring well and all the while. Take off, and when cold bottle for use. This keeps well, and may be used for flavoring gravies and soups.

croutons

These are simply pieces of bread fried brown and crisp to be used in soups.

meats

baked sucking pig

Wash the pig, dry it with a clean cloth, stuff it with the force-meat given below, sew it up, skewer the fore legs under the head, and the hind legs under the hams; tie up the ears and tail in buttered paper to prevent burning, and lay the pig in a dripping-pan on these vegetables, peeled and cut in small bits: one carrot, one turnip, one onion, two large sprigs of parsley, and a bay leaf; brush the pig all over with melted butter or good salad oil, and put it into a hot oven; every fifteen minutes baste the pig with incited butter or oil. A medium-size nig will take two and a half or three hours. When the pig is cooked keep it hot while the gravy is made as follows:

Gravy For Baked Sucking Pig

While the pig is being baked, boil the heart, lights and spleen tender in enough water to cover them, then chop them fine, and keep them hot in the same water. When the pig is cooked, take it up, skim the vegetables out of the dripping-pan, rub them through a sieve with a potato-masher, and put them again into the dripping-pan without washing it, with the chopped haslet, and enough more water to make a thick gravy; season it highly with salt, pepper, and powdered sage; boil it for two more minutes, add a glass of good wine to it, if it is desired, and serve it with the pig.

Force-Meat For Sucking Pig

Slice part of the liver of the pig and fry it brown in a frying-pan containing two tablespoonfuls of hot butter, then chop it fine and return it to the frying-pan, leaving the butter in which it was fried. While the liver is being fried, soak, in cold water until soft, enough tread to fill the pig, and squeeze out all the excess of water; peel and chop an onion, and wash and chop a tablespoonful of parsley; add them to the chopped liver when it is returned to the frying-pan, together with another tablespoonful of butter, and fry until the onion is brown; then put in the soaked bread, a level tablespoonful each of powdered sage, thyme, marjoram and salt, and a level teaspoonful of pepper; stir all these ingredients over the fire until they are scalding hot, then mix with them a cupful of boiling milk, and the yolks of two raw eggs, and use the force-meat for stuffing the pig.

In place of part of the soaked bread, boiled white potatoes, mashed, with salt, pepper and butter, may be used; or quarter of a pound of grated American cheese may be mixed with the force-meat after it is taken from the fire; the cheese gives the force-meat an intense flavor after the pig is cooked, but it is not easy to detect its individual taste.

Apple Sauce For Roast Pig

Wash eight sound apples of even size, cut them across the middle, not down from the stem to the blossom end, and scoop out the cores; set them in a pan just large enough to contain them, and bake them until they are tender, but not broken; they will cook in about twenty minutes, and should be done at the same time with the pig. Peel and slice eight more apples, stew them with two tablespoonfuls of sugar and the yellow rind of a lemon, until they break to a pulp; fill the baked half apples with some of this sauce, set them around the roast pig as a garnish, and serve the rest of the apple sauce in a separate dish.

Calf's Head A La Poulette

Heat one pint of the stock produced by boiling the calf#39;s head, as directed for “Mock Turtle Soup;” cut the head remaining from the soup in even pieces about two inches square, reserving the ears to form the center of the dish, and heat it in the stock. Make a sauce as follows: Stir together in a saucepan over the fire two ounces or tablespoonfuls each of butter and flour until they are smoothly blended and lightly browned; then gradually add the pint of hot stock, stirring until the mixture is smooth; season it with quarter of a saltspoonful of grated nutmeg, a saltspoonful of salt, or more if required by taste, and as much cayenne as can be taken up on the point of a small penknife blade. Let the sauce begin to bubble after it is seasoned, put in the calf’s head and heat it; then move it to the side of the fire, and stir in the yolks of three eggs, one at a time, and then serve the dish at once.

Do not let the sauce boil after the egg-yolks are added, because they may curdle, and spoil its appearance. A few sprigs of parsley may be used to garnish the dish, or a little chopped parsley may be sprinkled over it; sliced lemon may be used as a garnish.

Lard, How To Try Out

Choose fresh fat from pork lately killed; see that it looks clean and white, and is free from kernels; cut the fat in pieces about an inch square, carefully removing every particle of lean; put a quart of water into an iron kettle, then put in the fat, place the kettle over a gentle fire, and boil the fat for about three hours, or until it no longer bubbles, and the scraps begin to cake together, and become crisp and brown; then strain it through a cloth, and put it into stone-ware jars; when the lard is cold tie waxed paper or cloth over the jars, and keep them in a .cool, dry place. The scraps are to be drained, seasoned with salt, pepper and powdered sage, and served with hot, baked or boiled potatoes.

Tongue And Brains

The method of preparing the tongue has already been described in the recipe for “Mock Turtle Soup.” The brains, in the same recipe, were directed to be laid in salted water. After it has been in the water one hour, the thin skin or membrane covering its soft inner substance must be removed carefully so as to avoid breaking it. It should then be put in a saucepan over the fire, with one quart of cold water, one teaspoonful of salt, and one table spoonful of vinegar, and allowed to parboil fifteen minutes. It will then be ready for use.

The tongue and brains are generally served cold—the tongue being laid in the center of a dish, the brains cut in two pieces and placed at the sides of the tongue, and some “Tartar Sauce” put around them on the base of the dish. Some bits of parsley may be used for garnishing the dish, or small pickles, or slices of lemon.

Tartar Sauce

Put the yolk of a raw egg into a bowl with one level teaspoonful of dry mustard, one level saltspoonful of salt, and as much cayenne pepper as can be taken upon the point of a small penknife blade; stir these ingredients with a wooden salad spoon or spatula until they are smooth; then add, a few drops at a time, one gill of salad oil, and three tablespoonfuls of lemon juice or vinegar, stirring quickly all the time. When the sauce is thick and smooth, add the following ingredients to it, and keep it cool until wanted for use: One tablespoonful each of chopped parsley, capers and gherkins, and one teaspoonful of chopped onion; the onion must be very finely chopped.

Poultry And Game

Bear Meat, Pickled

Use five or six pounds of bear meat, and half a pound of salt pork; trim away the bruised or torn portions of the meat, make holes through it with the knife-steel following the grain of the meat, and insert strips of pork about half an inch square and long enough to project an inch on either side of the meat; lay the meat in an earthen bowl, cover it with hard cider, or with equal parts of cider vinegar and cold water; add a teaspoonful each of whole cloves, pepper-corns, and allspice; turn the meat twice, and let it remain in the pickle for three days or longer. When the meat is to be cooked take it out of the pickle, wipe it with a clean, dry towel, rub a little butter all over it, dredge it with flour seasoned with salt and pepper, put it in a dripping-pan, place it in a hot oven, and brown it quickly. When the meat is brown, moderate the heat of the oven so that the meat may bake twenty minutes to the pound without burning; baste it in a half hour with the drippings in the pan, or with some butter, if the drippings are deficient; dredge it with flour and let the flour brown; when the flour is brown nearly fill the dripping-pan with the pickle in which the meat was cured, and finish baking the meat, turning it several times, while it is baking; when the meat is done serve it hot, with plain boiled potatoes and plenty of the gravy in which it is baked; if the flour used in dredging the meat does not make the gravy thick enough, add a little more, and boil the gravy thoroughly before serving it.

The flesh of young bear nearly resembles a good quality of beef, and may be fried, broiled, roasted, or cooked like beef in any way preferred.

Deer, Saddle Of, Roasted.

Carefully remove all hairs and bruised or ragged parts, and if the flank or thin part of the cut is attached to the saddle cut it off and reserve it for a broil or stew; cover the saddle with a thin layer of fat such as is often attached to a leg of lamb, fastening it with skewers or strings, or use very thin slices of fat salt pork; outside the fat wrap thick paper buttered to prevent burning, tying it on compactly; and then place the saddle before the fire, not near enough to scorch, and roast it fifteen minutes to the pound, turning and basting it often enough to keep the paper from burning; when the joint is nearly done, remove the paper and brown the meat quickly; then take off the strings and serve the saddle with currant jelly, or with sauce made by carefully mixing half a glass of jelly with a level tablespoonful of dry mustard.

Currant Sauce For Venison

Half an hour before the venison is done pick over an ounce of dried currants, wash them well, put them over the fire in half pint of hot water, and boil them for fifteen minutes; then add to them two heaping tablespoonfuls of bread crumbs, one of butter, a palatable seasoning of salt and pepper, and six whole cloves, and boil the sauce gently; just before serving it add a glass of port-wine.

Prairie Chicken, Stewed

After the birds are plucked and drawn, cut them in joints, put them over the fire in a saucepan, with enough butter to prevent burning, and brown them quickly; then for each bird add half a glassful of currant jelly, a level teaspoonful of salt, quarter of a saltspoonful of pepper, and sufficient boiling water to cover them; cook them slowly until they are tender, adding a little more water if necessary, and then serve them on toast.

snipe, roasted

Carefully pluck the birds and wipe them with a wet towel. Epicures prefer to have the birds cooked without being drawn; they are trussed with the head under one wing, and the feet twisted back close to the thighs, after the claws have been cut off, a string being passed several times around the birds to preserve their shape. No forcemeat is used whether the birds are drawn or cooked intact; sometimes the gizzard is removed. A slice of toast should be laid under each bird to catch the “trail” or drippings from the snipe, which is often more highly esteemed than the bird. Very thin slices of bacon are sometimes tied over the breasts of the birds before they are roasted; a little butter may be rubbed over the birds; but in no case should any water be put in the dripping-pan. To roast snipe allow a slice of toast for each bird, and cook them for fifteen minutes before a very hot fire, on a spit with a pan of toast under them, or in a hot oven; if they are liked well done, twenty minutes will cook them to a medium state; season them highly with salt and pepper, rub a little butter over them, and send them at once to the table on the toast with which they are cooked. Snipe should always be served very hot, as soon as they are roasted or baked.

Venison, Roasted

Either the saddle, which is the double loin, or the haunch of venison, is roasted or baked. Carefully wipe it with a wet cloth, season it with salt and pepper, and wrap it in several sheets of buttered paper, or in a thin sheet of paste made of flour and water; then either put it before the fire on a spit, or place it in a dripping-pan in a very hot oven, and cook it about fifteen minutes to the pound if it is desired medium rare. About half an hour before it is done remove the buttered paper or paste, and let the venison brown. If a frothed appearance is required dredge it with flour, and baste it with the drippings in the pan, after removing the paper or paste. Serve roast venison very hot with currant jelly, or jelly and mustard sauce.

Boiled Fowl

Take a young fowl and fill the inside with oysters; place in a jar and plunge into a kettle of water; boil for one and one-half hours; there will be a quantity of gravy in the jar from the juice of the fowl and the oysters; make this into a white sauce with the addition of egg, cream, or a little flour and butter; add oysters, or serve up plain with the fowl. This is very nice with the addition of a little parsley to the sauce.

Vegetables And Cereals

macaroni with cheese

The importance of this article of food is beginning to be realized in this country, and now it remain only to learn how to cook it palatably. Carefully follow the directions given, and you cannot fail to produce a delicious dish of macaroni, fit for the most finished epicure's taste.

First of all, remember that good macaroni is always of a yellowish color. That which has a white, blanched appearance is decidedly inferior. You can buy the genuine Italian macaroni at the Italian stores generally to be found in our large cities, or from regular grocers or dealers in general stores. It costs in New York fifteen cents a pound. One pound after being properly boiled is increased in quantity about fourfold. To boil it properly have a large pot or saucepan two-thirds full of water on the fire, put a level tablespoonful of salt into it to every quart of water, and when it is boiling fast throw into it the macaroni, wiped with a clean dry cloth, but not washed; let it boil until it yields easily to pressure between the ,fingers; then drain it in a colander, and rinse it thoroughly with cold water; let it stand in cold water until you are ready to finish it according to any given recipe. The following is an excellent one:

Put into a saucepan one ounce each of butter and flour, and stir them together over the fire until they form a smooth thick paste. Meantime put a little milk and water (about a gill of each) to boil, and when they are at the boiling point pour them gradually into the butter and flour, and stir all together with an egg-whip. If thicker than pudding sauce add a little boiling water; when the sauce has boiled up once, season it to taste with pepper, salt, and just a grating of nutmeg. It is then ready for the macaroni, which must be put in it to be heated; while this is heating grate two ounces of hard, dry cheese, and mix it with the macaroni, which can be served as soon as it is hot. Or you can make it a little nicer by putting it on a shallow metal dish, sprinkling it well with bread or cracker crumbs, putting a few bits of butter on top of it, and browning it in the oven. Macaroni prepared in this way is one of the most palatable of dishes, as well as one of the most wholesome and economical of foods.

Artichokes

Boiled Artichokes

Cut the stalk even, trim off a few of the outside leaves and the points of the others. If young, half an hour will boil them. Serve them with melted butter in as many small cups as there are artichokes, to help with each.

Or: Cut the artichokes in quarters, remove the choke, trim the pieces neatly, boil them quickly in salt water, dish them, laying the leaves outwards, and pour melted butter or white sauce over the bottoms.

Stewed Artichokes

Strip off the leaves, remove the choke, and soak them In warm water for two or three hours, changing the water every hour; then put them into a stew-pan with a piece of butter rolled in Cayenne pepper and flour; a teacupful of gravy, and a spoonful or two of ketchup or other sauce; add a spoonful of vinegar, or one of lemon-Juice, before serving let all stew till the artichokes are quite tender, and if necessary thicken the sauce with a little more butter.

Egg-Plant

Take as many egg-plants as the size of your family requires; pare, quarter, and boll them, till soft enough to mash like turnips. Mash them, add a little bread crum soaked in milk, butter, chopped parsley, an onion boiled and mashed, some butter, pepper, and salt. Mix these well together, and pour it into a baking-dish; cover the top with grated bread, and bake it for half an hour.

Another Way— Split the egg-plant in half; parboil it until soft enough to scrape out the inside, leaving the shell whole. Take an onion cut up, pepper, salt, parsley, and one egg. Sprinkle in a little flour; stew all together with a lump of butter in a saucepan until thoroughly cooked. Then put them in the shells, sprinkle them with crums of bread, and bake them till brown.