ESSENTIALS OF COOKING Volume 4-2

ESSENTIALS OF COOKING Volume 4-2

15. MISCELLANEOUS FRUITS.--Fruits other than currants and raisins are

often used in the preparation of cakes and puddings. These, which may be

dried, canned, or preserved, include dates, figs, citron, apricots,

prunes, cherries, plums, pears, peaches, and pineapple. Candied orange

and lemon peel are generally used in the preparation of fruit cake. All

of these fruits add food value and flavor.

A certain amount of preparation must be given to fruits before they can

be used in cakes. All of them except the canned fruits must be

thoroughly washed, and some of them, such as dates, must have the stones

removed. Those which are very hard, as, for instance, figs and citron,

may be steamed to make them soft. The steaming may be done by placing

the fruit in a colander over a vessel of boiling water and covering the

colander to retain the steam. When treated in this manner, these fruits

will cut more easily and will be softer and more moist in the

finished cake.

16. NUTS.--In the making of cakes, nuts of almost any variety may be

utilized. Not only do they add a large amount of food value in the form

of fat, but they increase the richness of the cake and provide a very

delightful flavor. The nut meats are generally too large in size to be

used whole, and so they must be made smaller before they are added to

the mixture. They may be put through a chopper, but usually it is

preferable to chop them with a chopping knife in a bowl or cut them into

pieces with a paring knife.

It should be remembered, however, that the use of nuts in a cake adds

greatly to the cost, for, with the exception of peanuts, they are rather

expensive, particularly when they are bought shelled. As can readily be

understood, both the nuts themselves and the labor involved in removing

the shells must be paid for. The cost, of course, may be reduced by

buying the nuts in the shells and shelling them at home.

17. COCONUT.--The flesh of the coconut when shredded is much used in the

preparation of cakes, being put in the cake mixture or used in

connection with icing between the layers and over the top layer. Coconut

may be purchased already shredded in boxes or cans, or it may be

obtained in the shells and then shredded at home. That which is prepared

commercially either is dried, when it will be found to be somewhat hard,

or is mixed with the milk of the coconut or with glycerine, which keeps

it soft. Much more satisfactory coconut can be secured by procuring a

coconut, cracking open the shell, removing the flesh, and then grating

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or grinding it. Coconut of this kind will be found to be very delicious

and will make excellent cake. In case coconut becomes dry and hard

before it is used, it can be softened by steaming it in the manner in

which dried fruits are steamed.

18. CHOCOLATE AND COCOA.--Materials that are much used for flavoring

cake mixtures and icings are chocolate and cocoa. Chocolate is sold in

pound and half-pound cakes in both the bitter and the sweetened form,

while cocoa is sold in packages or bottles in powder form. The bitter

chocolate gives the greatest amount of food value and flavor and is

therefore used the most. Cocoa is neither so strong in flavor nor so

high in food value as chocolate, but it can be substituted for chocolate

when this is not in supply.

19. SPICES.--In many kinds of cake, spices are needed to give the

desired flavor. When they are to be used for this purpose, they should

be obtained in the ground form and then mixed with the dry ingredients.

The principal varieties used in cakes are cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and

allspice. Sometimes a combination of all these is added to the mixture,

but very often just a little cinnamon or a mild flavoring of nutmeg is

all that is required. When spices are purchased, the best possible

brands should be selected, because these things are very easily

adulterated with other materials and adulterated spices have not so much

strength as the better kinds.

20. FLAVORING EXTRACTS.--In cake preparation, almost more than in any

other part of cookery, flavoring extracts have a place. They are used in

plain cakes that do not contain any of the other miscellaneous

ingredients, and some of them are also added to many cake mixtures and

icings that contain fruits, nuts, spices, chocolate, etc. Vanilla, which

is an alcoholic extract of the vanilla bean, is probably used more

frequently than any other flavoring. The alcoholic extracts of orange,

lemon, almond, pistachio, and various other flavors are also valuable in

cake making. When any of these flavorings are used in cakes, it should

be remembered that much of their strength is lost through the baking.

Therefore, in order that the cake may be well flavored after it is

baked, a comparatively large quantity of flavoring must be used.

GENERAL CLASSES OF CAKES

21. Although many varieties of cake can be made, they may all be put

into two general classes: sponge cake and butter cake. These classes

may also be regarded as cake made without butter and cake made with

butter, for it is the presence or absence of fat in a cake mixture that

makes the difference in the method of mixing the ingredients and

determines the texture after baking. While there are many true examples

of each of these classes, it must be remembered that there are also

numerous variations of the two which must be placed in either one or the

other of these classes. For instance, a true sponge cake does not

contain baking powder, but some recipes for sponge cake are given in

which baking powder is included. Such recipes must be regarded as

variations of sponge cake, for they are more similar to that than to

butter cake.

The ingredients are not, however, the only source of difference between

these two general classes of cakes. They also differ as to the method

used to combine the ingredients, the correct oven temperature for

baking, and the length of time required for the baking. All these

differences must be thoroughly understood if successful cake making is

to be the result.

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GENERAL EQUIPMENT FOR CAKE MAKING

22. The different forms of cake require, of course, different utensils,

and these are taken up in connection with the preparation of each class.

However, it is well for the housewife to be familiar at the outset with

the general equipment used in the making of cakes and similar foods.

23. The utensils required for the mixing of the ingredients are somewhat

similar to those used in the preparation of hot breads. An earthen bowl

is preferable for the mixing of the batter. If this kind is not

available, an enamel one rather than an aluminum one should be used.

When cake dough is stirred in an aluminum dish, the sides usually become

darkened and are liable to discolor the mixture.

Spoons for the mixing of the ingredients are also important. Enameled

spoons are not very satisfactory, because the enamel is likely to chip

off the edges. Aluminum spoons may be used. In fact, they have lightness

in weight which recommends their use, but if much stirring is done, a

slight discoloration is apt to occur from the spoon. Wooden spoons or

spatulas are found to be the most satisfactory for this purpose. They

are light in weight, cause no discoloration, and do not chip nor

wear off.

24. Two measuring cups, one for the dry ingredients and one for the wet

materials, should be provided, as they will prove a convenience. A

tablespoon, a teaspoon, and a case knife are also necessary for

measuring. To remove any foreign material from the flour and at the same

time make it light, a flour sifter is required.

25. Certain utensils are required for the beating of the eggs used in

cakes. If they are to be beaten separately before being put into the

mixture, a bowl and a rotary egg beater should be provided. In case the

eggs are to be separated and the whites beaten alone, a flat dish, such

as a platter or a soup plate, and an egg whip are the most satisfactory.

26. The kind of pan required for the baking of cakes depends entirely

on the kind of cake that is to be prepared. Fig. 1 shows the types of

pans for which the housewife will have the most use. The square pan at

the left is suitable for any kind of cake that is to be baked in the

form of a loaf. In front of this is a layer-cake pan with a removable

bottom. This type of layer-cake pan is the most satisfactory, for the

cake may be lifted right out of the pan rim on the cake-pan bottom and

the bottom then easily removed from the cake after it has been placed on

the cooler. Of course, pans without false bottoms may also be used

successfully with a little care. The large flat pan at the right is a

pan for the baking of all kinds of cookies. On this is shown a round pan

having a removable bottom, to the center of which is attached a tube.

Sponge cakes, although they may be baked in loaf-cake pans, are

generally baked in a pan of this kind. Pans for individual cakes range

in size from large muffin pans, to pans that produce cakes very small

in size.

* * * * *

PROCEDURE IN CAKE MAKING

PREPARATION OF INGREDIENTS

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27. In cake making, as in the preparation of other dishes, a systematic

plan must be followed if good results are desired. A housewife cannot

expect to have a successful cake if she has to stop during the mixing to

get some of the ingredients or some of the utensils ready. Before the

mixing is begun, all the utensils and ingredients should be collected

and any of the ingredients that require special preparation should be

prepared. Then, if the recipe is correct, if the ingredients are

measured accurately and combined correctly, and if the baking is done

properly, success in cake making is assured.

28. The first thing to be done, when a cake is to be made, is to read

the recipe to determine just what is required and to find out whether

all the ingredients called for are in supply. With this done, all the

utensils should be placed conveniently on the table and the ingredients

collected and measured. Some authorities advise the weighing of the

ingredients in cake because weight is always regarded as more accurate

than measure. If a recipe calls for weights, it will be found easier to

use them than to try to change them to measure; but when a recipe

requires measures, and does not state weights, it would be unwise to

attempt to use scales for measuring.

29. The measuring of the fat often requires a little attention. For

instance, if only 1/4 cupful of butter or some other fat is required, it

may perhaps be more convenient to measure it with a tablespoon than with

a cup. Otherwise, unless the recipe calls for melted fat, the fat should

be measured by pressing it down tight into the cup until it reaches the

mark indicating the required amount. If the fat is hard and cold, as is

usually the case when it is first taken from the refrigerator or other

cold place, it will be difficult to cream. A good plan is to let the fat

stand until it is 70 degrees Fahrenheit, or ordinary room temperature,

before the mixing is begun.

30. The dry ingredients used in cakes include the sugar, flour, baking

powder, spices, etc. Granulated sugar seldom requires any preparation

except measuring. However, sugar other than granulated, particularly

brown sugar and pulverized sugar, should be rolled with a rolling pin

and then sifted in order to free it from any lumps it might contain.

Flour should be sifted once before measuring and again with the baking

powder, or soda and cream of tartar, and salt in order to mix them.

Other dry ingredients, such as spices and occasionally pulverized sugar,

may also be sifted with the flour and other dry ingredients. If the dry

leavening agent appears to be lumpy when the cover is removed from the

can, it should be worked smooth with a spoon and sifted before it is

measured. A very small mesh wire sieve may be used for this purpose.

31. The liquid should be measured by pouring it into the measuring cup

with the cup stationary and level. The eggs, which are, of course, one

of the liquid ingredients, should be neither broken until just before

they are to be used, nor beaten until the mixture is brought to the

point where the eggs are to be added. If the whites are to be used for

the preparation of icing after the cake is baked, they should be kept in

a cool place until they are beaten.

32. Fruits, nuts, and other miscellaneous ingredients should be prepared

before the mixing of the cake is begun; that is, they should be

cleansed, cut, ground, or chopped, as the case may be, so that it will

not be necessary to stop the mixing of the cake to do any of this work.

If they are to be dredged with flour, this may be done at the time they

are prepared.

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PREPARATION OF PANS

33. The pan or pans in which the cake is to be baked should also be

prepared before the mixing is begun. The treatment to be given to the

pans depends to a large extent on the cake that is to be put into them.

Butter cake or any of its variations requires greased pans, whereas

sponge cake should be put in pans that are not greased.

34. BUTTER-CAKE PANS.--The fat used to grease pans of any kind should be

a clean, tasteless fat. Less will be required to cover the surface of

the pan if an oil rather than a solid fat is used. In case butter is

selected for this purpose, it should first be melted and then allowed to

stand until the clear fat that rises to the top can be gathered.

However, fats that are less expensive than butter are perfectly

satisfactory for greasing pans, and so butter should not be used unless

other fats are not available.

35. Muffin pans or individual pans of any kind should first be greased

with a brush or a small piece of clean paper dipped into the fat that is

to be used, and then dusted with flour. The flour should cover the

surface of the pan, but should be shaken out so that no more than just a

film remains over the grease. A brush may also be used for the greasing

of other pans, but it is not recommended, as the fat is apt to become

rancid in the brush, and if it is cleansed as often as is necessary to

keep it in good condition, a great deal of fat, which clings to the

brush, will be wasted. A small piece of paper dipped in fat will be

found much more economical and quite as satisfactory for this work.

36. Loaf-cake pans, that is, pans that make cake in the form of a loaf,

should first be greased and then, have the bottom covered with a piece

of oiled paper or light wrapping paper that may be oiled after being

put into the pan. This paper should be the exact width of the bottom of

the pan and should be long enough to cover the bottom and extend up to

the top of each end. The sides of the pan need not be covered, as it is

a simple matter to loosen the cake from them with a knife. When the

cake is turned out of the pan, the paper will stick to the cake, but it

may be easily removed by merely pulling it off.

37. Layer-cake pans, whether they have false bottoms or not, should be

greased and then covered with a light layer of flour, just as is done

with individual pans. If such a pan does not have a false bottom and the

cake seems to stick to it, the best plan is to turn the pan upside down

and place a cold damp towel on it for a few minutes. This will moisten

the surface of the bottom sufficiently to permit the pan to be removed

without difficulty.

38. SPONGE-CAKE PANS.--The preparation of sponge-cake pans differs from

that for butter-cake pans because of the nature of the cake. No grease

of any sort should be applied to the surface of sponge-cake pans. If

desired, they may be dusted with flour, but even this is not necessary,

as very satisfactory results are obtained by putting the cake mixture

into the bare pan.

* * * * *

SPONGE CAKES AND THEIR PREPARATION

METHOD OF PROCEDURE

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39. With the ingredients and utensils gathered and prepared, the mixing

of the cake may be begun at once. The method of mixing depends entirely

on the kind of cake that is being made, sponge cake involving a

different procedure from butter cake. These methods should be thoroughly

mastered, so that there will be no danger of confusing them and so that

the recipe will not need to be referred to constantly during the mixing

of the cake. When an ingredient that is not usually included in the

ordinary butter or sponge cake is found in the recipe, the way in which

this ingredient is added to the mixture should be carefully noted, so

that no mistake will be made.

40. NATURE OF SPONGE CAKE.--A true sponge cake contains nothing besides

eggs, sugar, flour, and flavoring material. The eggs, sugar, and flour

are used in equal amounts, the eggs and sugar being about the same by

weight or measure and the flour half as much by weight. For instance, a

successful sponge cake can be made with a cupful each of eggs, sugar,

and flour. To these ingredients the juice of 1/2 lemon is usually added,

and sometimes the grated rind of the lemon is used also. The simple

variation in sponge-cake mixtures is the addition of liquid, which is

usually water, sometimes cold and sometimes hot. In the true sponge

cake, eggs supply all the leavening, but it is possible to economize in

the number of eggs by using leavening of some other kind, such as soda

and cream of tartar or baking powder. The texture of a sponge cake in

which leavening other than eggs is used is not so good as that of the

true sponge cake, but if this leavening is used discreetly, it is

possible to decrease the number of eggs somewhat without sacrificing too

much in texture. However, it is useless to try to make a good sponge

cake with fewer than three eggs, for the other ingredients--flour,

sugar, leavening, and liquid--are not sufficient to produce a

delicious cake.

41. If the whole eggs are to be used, break them into the mixing bowl

and beat them with a rotary egg beater, as shown in Fig. 4, until they

are thick and lemon-colored. In case only the whites are to be used,

beat them with an egg whip on a flat dish or in a large bowl until they

are stiff. To the beaten egg, add the sugar a little at a time, beating

it into the egg with the rotary beater.

Either granulated or pulverized sugar may be used, but pulverized is the

better of the two, because it is lighter. When the sugar is added at

this time, sift the flour several times, and add it last, folding it

into the mixture with a wire egg whip. However, if it is desired to do

so, the sugar and flour may be sifted together and added at the same

time, or both the sugar and flour may be sifted separately and then

added to the eggs alternately. Then add the flavoring and, if liquid is

to be used, put it in at this time. In case leavening is supplied, sift

it in with the flour. The mixture is then ready for the pan. Place the

ungreased pan conveniently on the table and then pour the mixture from

the bowl into it. Scrape the sides of the bowl well, so that there will

be no more waste than is necessary.

42. BAKING SPONGE CAKE.--As soon as the mixture has been poured into the

pan, set it in a moderate oven to bake. The temperature should be about

300 degrees Fahrenheit when the cake is put into the oven, but it may be

gradually increased to 350 or 400 degrees. If the temperature cannot be

determined, the paper test may be applied. This consists in placing a

piece of white paper in the oven. To be right for sponge cake, the heat

should turn this paper a moderate brown in 4 minutes. The time for

baking depends, of course, on the size of the cake, but usually more

time is required than for butter cake.

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In putting the cake into the oven, set it on the lower rack, as here the

mixture will be in a position to come up with the heat of the oven,

which, as is known, has a general tendency to rise. If it is placed on

the top rack where the heated air is necessarily passing down toward the

outside walls because of the circulation that is established, there will

be a certain amount of pressure on top of the cake which will prevent it

from rising. Allow the cake to remain on the lower rack until it has

risen to its fullest extent, and then, if necessary, remove it to the

top rack for browning.

43. Several tests to determine whether sponge cake is ready to remove

from the oven can be applied. One of these consists in observing the

cake in the pan. After it has risen as much as it will rise, a small

amount of shrinkage will loosen the cake from the sides of the pan.

Another test, which is known as the finger test, consists in making a

depression in the center of the cake. If the cake is baked

sufficiently, it will spring back to fill the depression, but if it is

not done, the depression will remain.

44. REMOVING SPONGE CAKE FROM PAN.--When sponge cake is taken from the

oven, it requires different treatment from that of butter cake. Instead

of removing it from the pan immediately, turn it upside down on a cooler

to sweat. Allow it to remain in this way until it has shrunken

sufficiently from the pan, and then lift off the pan. If necessary, the

cake may become completely cold before the pan is taken from it. Close

adherence to these directions will prevent any trouble that may arise

in removing sponge cake from the pan.

RECIPES FOR SPONGE CAKE AND ITS VARIATIONS

45. PLAIN SPONGE CAKE.--The ideal proportions for a sponge cake are

given in the accompanying recipe and upon these proportions the other

recipes are based.

PLAIN SPONGE CAKE

4 eggs

1 c. sugar

1 c. flour

Juice and rind of 1/2 lemon

Beat the eggs until they are thick and lemon-colored. Add the sugar

gradually and continue to beat. Sift the flour several times and fold

into the mixture. When the ingredients are thoroughly mixed, add the

grated rind and the juice of the lemon, pour into a sponge-cake pan,

and bake.

46. COLD-WATER SPONGE CAKE.--The accompanying recipe is a slight

variation from the true sponge cake, for it contains leavening other

than eggs and a small amount of cold water. No difficulty will be

experienced in making a cake according to this recipe if the directions

are carefully followed.

COLD-WATER SPONGE CAKE

3 eggs

1-1/2 c. sugar

Rind and juice of 1 lemon

1/2 c. cold water

2 tsp. baking powder

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1-1/2 c. flour

Beat the eggs until they are thick and lemon-colored. Add the sugar

gradually and continue beating. Grate the yellow part from the lemon

rind and add it with the juice. Pour in the cold water, continuing to

beat. Sift in the baking powder with the flour and add to the egg

mixture. Pour into a sponge-cake pan and bake.

47. HOT-WATER SPONGE CAKE.--Hot water and leavening in the form of soda

and cream of tartar are used in the accompanying recipe for sponge

cake. The texture is not just the same as that of a plain sponge cake,

but if the recipe is carefully followed an excellent cake will be

the result.

HOT-WATER SPONGE CAKE

4 eggs

2 c. flour

1-1/2 c. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. soda

1-1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

1/4 c. hot water

1 tsp. vanilla

Beat the eggs with a rotary beater until they are thick and

lemon-colored. Sift the flour, powdered sugar, soda, and cream of tartar

together several times. Sift these into the eggs and continue beating.

When all of the dry ingredients have been added, pour in the boiling

water, flavor with the vanilla, and pour into a sponge-cake pan

and bake.

48. ORANGE SPONGE CAKE.--Sponge cake is delicious when it is flavored

with orange. No leavening except the eggs is used in the recipe for cake

of this kind. Lemon may be used in place of orange and 1/2 cupful of

finely chopped nuts may be added.

ORANGE SPONGE CAKE

4 eggs

1 c. granulated sugar

3/4 c. flour

2 Tb. orange juice

1/2 tsp. orange extract

Beat the eggs with a rotary beater until they are light and

lemon-colored. Add the granulated sugar gradually. Sift into this the

flour, and continue the beating until all are mixed. Add the orange

juice and extract, pour into a sponge-cake pan, and bake.

49. SUNSHINE CAKE.--Nothing more delicious in the way of cake can be

made than sunshine cake. It is especially nice to serve with a frozen

dessert of some kind, for it is not too rich and it is attractive

in color.

SUNSHINE CAKE

6 eggs

1/3 tsp. cream of tartar

1 c. sugar

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3/4 c. flour

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla

Separate the eggs. Beat the yolks with a rotary beater until they are

thick and lemon-colored. Beat the egg whites until they are foamy, add

the cream of tartar, and continue beating until they are dry. Fold the

sugar into the egg whites and then fold the yolks into this mixture.

Sift the flour several times and add it. Add the lemon juice and

vanilla, pour into a sponge-cake pan, and bake.

50. ANGEL CAKE NO. 1.--A variety of sponge cake in which only the egg

whites are used is known as angel cake. Some persons hesitate to make

cake of this kind because of the number of eggs it takes, but usually

the yolks that remain can be put to very good use and so the cake is no

more expensive than most others.

ANGEL CAKE No. 1

1 c. flour

1 c. powdered sugar

10 egg whites

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. vanilla

Sift the flour and powdered sugar together four or five times in order

to make them very light. Beat the egg whites with a whip until they are

foamy. Add the cream of tartar, and continue beating until they are

stiff enough to heap up in a mound and stay this way. Sift the mixture

of flour and sugar a little at a time into the egg whites and continue

beating until all is added. Flavor with the vanilla, place in a

sponge-cake pan with a tube in the center, and bake in a very

moderate oven.

51. ANGEL CAKE NO. 2.--If a slightly larger cake than the first

angel-cake recipe will make is desired, the accompanying recipe should

be followed. Its texture is practically the same as that of the

other cake.

ANGEL CAKE No. 2

1-1/4 c. flour

1-3/4 c. powdered sugar

12 egg whites

1 tsp. cream of tartar

Sift the flour and sugar separately four or five times. Beat the egg

whites until they are foamy and add the cream of tartar, continuing to

beat until they are stiff. Add the powdered sugar gradually, continuing

the beating. When all this has been added, sift in the flour, and fold

it in with as light a motion as possible. Pour into a sponge-cake pan

with a tube in the center, and bake in a very moderate oven, raising the

temperature slightly at the end.

52. POTATO-FLOUR SPONGE CAKE.--When a substitute for wheat flour must be

used and the supply of eggs is not large, the family need not be

deprived of excellent cake, for potato sponge cake can be made. This

resembles angel food to a certain extent, as it is white in color and

tender in texture. It is a splendid cake to serve with rich

frozen desserts.

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POTATO-FLOUR SPONGE CAKE

5 egg whites

1-1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. water

2/3 c. potato flour

1/3 c. wheat flour

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. lemon extract

Beat the egg whites until stiff. Cook the sugar and water until the

sirup threads. Add this sirup to the egg whites and beat well. Sift the

potato flour, wheat flour, and cream of tartar three times, and then

fold into the mixture. Add the flavoring, turn into a pan, and bake for

about 40 minutes.

53. SPONGE CAKE WITH POTATO FLOUR.--The accompanying recipe for sponge

cake contains honey for part of the sweetening, both the yolks and the

whites of the eggs, and potato flour. When sugar and wheat flour are

scarce, this is a very good cake to make.

SPONGE CAKE WITH POTATO FLOUR

1/2 c. honey

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. water

5 eggs

Grated rind and juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 c. potato flour

Boil the honey, sugar, and water to the soft-ball stage. Separate the

eggs, beat the yolks until thick and lemon-colored, and then beat the

sirup into them. Add the grated lemon rind and juice, stir in the potato

flour, and finally fold in the whites of the eggs, beaten very light.

Bake in a tube pan for about 50 minutes.

BUTTER CAKES AND THEIR PREPARATION

METHOD OF PROCEDURE

54. NATURE OF BUTTER CAKE.--The ingredients for a simple butter cake

consist of butter or other fat, sugar, flour, eggs, leavening, and

liquid. The proportion of flour and liquid in cake of this kind is

similar to that of a thick, or muffin, batter, that is, 2 measures of

flour and 1 measure of liquid; but it should be remembered that the

addition of other ingredients, such as butter, sugar, and eggs, alter

this proportion to a certain extent. However, it is possible to make up

a cake recipe from a muffin recipe by using 1/2 as much sugar as flour

and 1/2 as much butter as sugar. With a knowledge of these proportions,

the housewife will be able to judge how near a new recipe comes to

being a reasonable one and what the possibilities of its success are.

55. COMBINING THE INGREDIENTS.--The method of mixing all cakes that

include butter as an ingredient is similar. It is explained and

illustrated in detail, so that the housewife may become thoroughly

familiar with it and thus be prepared to apply it in the preparation of

any variety of butter cake. In case a recipe contains additional

ingredients, the way in which these are combined should be noted

carefully and then carried out.

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[Illustration: FIG. 11]

56. In the making of any kind of butter cake, the ingredients and

utensils should be collected and conveniently placed if the best results

are desired. Layer-cake pans are included in the equipment, but

these may be replaced by pans of other kinds if it is not desired to

make a layer cake. Before the mixing begins, grease whatever pans are to

be used and then dust them lightly with flour so that they will be

ready when the mixture is prepared.

57. As the first step in the making of butter cake, cream the butter in

the mixing bowl, that is, work it with a wooden spoon until it is soft

and creamy. Then add the sugar from the measuring cup very slowly

stirring continually so that the mixture will remain creamy. The eggs

are the next ingredient to be added. These are put in whole and

unbeaten, whole and beaten, or they are separated and the yolks and

whites beaten separately. If the whole eggs or the yolks are to be

beaten, break them into a bowl and beat them with a rotary egg beater

as Fig. 13 shows. As has already been learned, the whites, when added

alone, should be beaten with an egg whip. When the eggs have been added

to the mixture, beat it well so as to make it as light as possible and

then stir in the liquid. Next add all the dry ingredients to the flour,

and carefully sift all into the mixture. If desired, the liquid and

flour may be added alternately, a little at a time. With all the

ingredients combined, beat the mixture vigorously for a short time to

make sure that everything is thoroughly mixed, and then pour it into

the pans that have been greased and floured. If a two-layer or a threelayer

cake is to be made, it may be divided evenly to fill two pans or

three pans, but if a loaf cake is desired, all of it should be poured

into one pan.

58. BAKING THE MIXTURE.--Place the pans containing the cake mixture on

the bottom rack of the oven in order that it may have an opportunity to

rise properly. The form in which the cake is made determines the correct

temperature for the oven. Loaf cake requires more time for baking than

small cakes or layer cake; consequently, the oven should not be so hot

for cake of this kind as for the other types. A temperature of 350 to

400 degrees Fahrenheit is suitable for loaf cake, while small cakes or

layer cake should have a temperature of at least 400 to 450 degrees. Be

careful not to move the cake in the oven until it has risen sufficiently

and has set; otherwise, it may fall when it is moved. If this precaution

is observed and the cake falls, it may be known that the falling is due

to a wrong proportion of ingredients and not to a draft nor the slamming

of the oven door, as many housewives think. A cake that rises in the

center and cracks open contains either an insufficient quantity of

liquid or too much flour. If, upon being baked, a layer is higher on one

side than on the other, it was probably spread unevenly in the pan

before it was put in the oven or the oven rack itself was not level.

This condition may be caused by uneven heat in the oven.

59. To determine whether a butter cake is baked sufficiently or not,

several tests may be made. Cake of this kind does not shrink from the

sides of the pan as does sponge cake, but the finger test mentioned may

be applied, just as in the case of sponge cake. If, upon making a

depression in the center of the butter cake, the surface springs back to

fill the depression, it may be known that the cake is done. Another test

consists in inserting a toothpick in the center of the cake. If it comes

out clean, the cake has finished baking, but if some of the mixture

sticks to the toothpick, more baking is required.

60. CARE OF BUTTER CAKE AFTER BAKING.--As soon as a butter cake is

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sufficiently baked, take it from the oven and remove it from the pan at

once. See that the cake is loosened from the bottom and sides of the pan

before attempting to turn it out. It can be loosened around the sides by

means of a knife, and usually a slight shaking of the pan up and down or

the inserting of the knife a little under the cake will be sufficient to

loosen it from the bottom. Here the advantage of pans having removable

bottoms is evident. When such pans are used, lift the cake out of the

pan on the removable bottom and run a long thin knife under the cake

until it is entirely loosened from the pan. Then slip the bottom out

from under the cake and allow the cake to cool. A cake cooler, such as

the one here shown, is the most convenient thing to use for the cooling

of cakes. If one of these is not available, clean towels spread on a

flat surface make a very good substitute. Allow the cake to become

entirely cool before attempting to ice it.

RECIPES FOR BUTTER CAKES

61. ONE-EGG CAKE.--One of the most economical cakes that can be made is

the one-egg cake given in the accompanying recipe. However, when only

one egg is used, a comparatively small quantity of cake mixture is the

result. If it is desired to make a layer cake of this mixture, it will

be necessary to double the quantities of the ingredients.

ONE-EGG CAKE

1/4 c. butter

1/2 c. sugar

1 egg

1-1/2 c. flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1/2 c. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Cream the butter, add the sugar gradually, beat the egg, and add it. Mix

and sift the flour and baking powder. Add the milk and the flour

alternately until all the flour and liquid are added. Add the vanilla.

Bake in a shallow loaf pan, making a single layer. Ice with any

desirable icing.

62. PLAIN LAYER CAKE.--As a layer cake is usually iced over the top and

contains an icing or a filling of some kind between the layers, a

plain-cake mixture, such as that given in the accompanying recipe, is

the most suitable kind.

PLAIN LAYER CAKE

1/2 c. butter

1-1/4 c. sugar

3 eggs

3 c. flour

5 tsp. baking powder

1 c. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Cream the butter, add the sugar gradually, beat the eggs well, and add

to the mixture. Sift the flour and baking powder together and add

alternately with the milk, adding milk first. Add the vanilla, pour into

layer-cake pans and bake. Ice with any kind of icing.

63. NUT LAYER CAKE.--A delicious cake can be made by adding nuts to the

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cake mixture given in the following recipe. This is baked in layers and

then iced in any desired way.

NUT LAYER CAKE

1/2 c. butter

1-1/2 c. sugar

3 eggs

3 c. flour

5 tsp. baking powder

1-1/4 c. milk

3/4 c. chopped nuts

1 tsp. vanilla

Cream the butter and add the sugar gradually. Beat the eggs and add

them. Sift the flour and baking powder together, and add the milk and

the dry ingredients alternately. Fold in the chopped nuts, add the

vanilla, pour into layer-cake pans, and bake.

64. CHOCOLATE NUT CAKE.--Another delightful layer cake is the chocolate

nut layer cake given in the accompanying recipe. The layers are put

together with a thick layer of white boiled icing, and the top one is

covered with a covering of the same.

CHOCOLATE NUT CAKE

1/4 c. butter

1 c. sugar

1 egg

1 c. milk

2 c. flour

4 tsp. baking powder

2 sq. chocolate

1/2 c. chopped nuts

1 tsp. vanilla

Cream the butter, add the sugar gradually, beat the egg, and add it to

the mixture. Stir in alternately the milk and the flour and baking

powder. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler and stir this into the

dough. Fold in the chopped nuts, add the vanilla, and bake in a loaf or

two rather thin layers. If baked in layers, remove them from the pans

and cool. Ice the first layer with a very thick covering of white boiled

icing almost as thick as the layer itself. Place the second layer of

cake on top of this and cover with another thick layer of icing.

65. SOUR-MILK CHOCOLATE CAKE.--A very good chocolate cake can be made

by using sour milk instead of sweet milk. In such cake, soda takes the

place of baking powder, for, as has already been learned, the leavening

is produced by the action of the soda on the acid in the milk.

SOUR-MILK CHOCOLATE CAKE

1/2 c. butter

1-1/4 c. sugar

1 egg

2 sq. chocolate

2-1/4 c. flour

3/4 tsp. soda

1 c. sour milk

1 tsp. vanilla

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Cream the butter, add the sugar, and cream well together. Beat the egg

and add to the butter and sugar. Melt the chocolate. Sift the flour and

soda together, and add to the mixture alternately with the sour milk.

Beat well together and add the vanilla and melted chocolate. Pour into a

loaf-cake pan and bake.

66. DEVIL'S FOOD.--Sometimes an entirely dark cake is desired. In such

an event, devil's food, in which both chocolate and spices are used for

flavoring, should be prepared. Such a cake is baked in a thick layer and

is covered with chocolate icing.

DEVIL'S FOOD

1/4 c. butter

1-1/4 c. sugar

2 eggs

2 c. flour

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

3/4 c. milk

2 sq. bitter chocolate

1 tsp. vanilla

Cream the butter, add the sugar gradually, and beat the eggs and add

them. Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and

nutmeg together, and add the milk alternately with these dry

ingredients. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler and stir into the

cake mixture. Add the vanilla. Bake in a flat pan in a thick layer. Ice

with chocolate icing and cut into 2-inch squares.

67. RAISIN SPICE CAKE.--Most persons are very fond of cake containing

raisins and spices. A good combination of spices used for such cake is

cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg, cloves being used in the smallest

quantity.

RAISIN SPICE CAKE

1/2 c. butter

3/4 c. sugar

2 eggs

2-1/4 c. flour

4 tsp. baking powder

2-1/2 tsp. spices

1 c. milk

1/2 c. raisins

Cream the butter, add the sugar gradually, and beat the eggs and add

them. Sift the flour, baking powder, and spices together, and add these

alternately with the milk, adding milk first. Fold in the raisins, pour

the mixture into a loaf-cake pan, and bake in a moderate oven. This cake

may be served with or without icing.

68. NUT SPICE CAKE.--Nuts and spices combine very well in cake, as shown

in the accompanying recipe. This cake is usually baked in a loaf pan,

and may be served with or without icing.

NUT SPICE CAKE

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1/4 c. butter

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

2 c. flour

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. ginger

3/4 c. milk

1/2 c. chopped nuts

Cream the butter, add the sugar gradually, and beat the eggs and add

them. Sift the flour, baking powder, and spices together. Add the milk

and dry ingredients alternately, fold in the nuts, pour into a loaf-cake

pan, and bake in a moderate oven.

69. WAR CAKE.--Cakes of almost every description contain eggs, but very

good cake can be made without eggs, as in the accompanying recipe. This

cake, which is known as war cake, contains only a small quantity of

butter. Raisins increase its food value and spices are used for

flavoring.

WAR CAKE

2 c. sugar

2 Tb. butter

2 c. water

1 lb. raisins

3-1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. allspice

1 tsp. mace

1 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. soda

Boil the sugar, butter, water, and raisins together, and cool. Then to

the flour add the salt, spices, and soda, and sift these into the boiled

mixture. Pour into a loaf-cake pan and bake.

70. WHITE CAKE.--An ideal white cake can be made by using the whites of

five eggs with the proper proportions of butter, sugar, flour, liquid,

and leavening. Such a cake is usually baked in a large flat pan and then

cut into squares.

WHITE CAKE

1/2 c. butter

1-1/2 c. sugar

5 egg whites

2-1/2 c. flour

4 tsp. baking powder

3/4 c. milk

Powdered sugar

Shredded coconut

Cream the butter and add gradually the sugar and the beaten whites of

eggs. Sift the flour and baking powder together and add alternately with

the milk. Beat this mixture well. Pour into a sheet-cake pan, 9 inches

by 12 inches, and cover with powdered sugar and a rather thin layer of

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shredded coconut. Bake for about 40 minutes in a moderate oven. Remove

from the pan, cool, and serve without icing.

71. FEATHER CAKE.--A cake that is easily made and that is a general

favorite is known as feather cake. As may be inferred from the name,

such cake is very light in weight and tender in texture.

FEATHER CAKE

1/2 c. butter

1 c. sugar

3 eggs

2 c. flour

1-1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/3 c. milk

1 tsp. flavoring

Cream the butter, add the sugar gradually, and beat the eggs and add

them. Sift the flour and baking powder together, and add alternately

with the milk to the mixture. Add the flavoring. Beat rapidly for a few

minutes, pour into a loaf-cake pan, and bake. Ice with simple

white icing.

72. GOLD CAKE.--The cake given in the accompanying recipe and known as

gold cake is very attractive in color, as well as appetizing in taste.

To produce the gold color, only the yolks of the eggs are used. Orange

extract is used for the flavoring.

GOLD CAKE

1/3 c. butter

2/3 c. sugar

4 egg yolks

1-1/4 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 c. milk

1 tsp. orange extract

Cream the butter, add the sugar gradually, beat the yolks of the eggs

until they are thick and lemon-colored, and add them. Sift the flour and

baking powder together, and add alternately with the milk. Add the

orange extract and bake in a loaf-cake pan. Cover with white icing

and serve.

73. ICE-CREAM CAKE.--Because of the nature of the cake here given, it

is called ice-cream cake. Only the whites of the eggs are used, and so

the cake is white in color. It is baked in layers and is frosted with

white icing.

ICE-CREAM CAKE

1/2 c. butter

2 c. sugar

1 c. milk

3 c. flour

4 tsp. baking powder

4 egg whites

1 tsp. vanilla

Cream the butter, add the sugar gradually, and pour in the milk. Sift

the flour and baking powder together and add them. Beat the egg whites

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until they are stiff, fold these in, and add the vanilla. Bake in

layers, and put marshmallow filling between the layers and on top.

Chopped hickory nuts may also be put between the layers and spread on

top if a more delicious ice-cream cake is desired.

74. CORN-STARCH CAKE.--An excellent cake will result when the following

recipe is carefully worked out. It gets its name from the fact that corn

starch is used for a part of the thickening. This cake is usually baked

in a loaf-cake pan and then covered with icing.

CORN-STARCH CAKE

1/2 c. butter

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. corn starch

2 tsp. baking powder

1-1/4 c. wheat flour

1/2 c. milk

3 egg whites

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. lemon extract

Cream the butter and add the sugar gradually. Sift the corn starch,

baking powder, and flour together. Add the milk and then the dry

ingredients. Beat the egg whites until they are stiff and fold them in.

Add the vanilla and lemon extract. Bake in a loaf-cake pan. Ice with

chocolate or caramel icing.

75. CINNAMON CAKE.--A cake that is inexpensive and not very rich but at

the same time favored by many persons is the cinnamon cake here given.

It is slightly dark in color, due to the cinnamon that is used in it.

Caramel icing seems to be the most suitable for cake of this kind, but

if desired white icing may be used.

CINNAMON CAKE

1/2 c. butter

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

1/2 c. milk

1-3/4 c. flour

3 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. cinnamon

Cream the butter and add the sugar gradually. Separate the eggs, beat

the yolks, and add them to the mixture. Stir in the milk. Sift the

flour, baking powder, and cinnamon together and add these. Beat the egg

whites until they are stiff, and fold them into the cake dough. Bake in

layers or in a loaf and ice with white or caramel icing.

76. POUND CAKE.--Often a cake that will keep for some time is desired.

In such an event, pound cake should be made, for it will remain fresh

for a long period of time if it is stored in a closely covered

receptacle. It is usually served without any icing and is cut into

small, thin slices. The recipe here given makes enough cake for two

loaf-cake pans.

POUND CAKE

1/2 c. finely cut citron

5 eggs

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2/3 c. butter

2 c. flour

1-1/2 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. mace

Steam the citron until it is soft, cut into thin strips, and then into

small pieces. Cream the butter until it is white, sift the sugar in

slowly, and beat the two until the sugar is dissolved. Add the eggs one

at a time without previously beating them, and beat each egg in

thoroughly before the other is added. Stir in the flour and mace and

bake in a very slow oven, in one large or two small loaf-cake pans.

77. CARAMEL CAKE.--Cake flavored with caramel affords a change from the

usual varieties of cake. The caramel used for this cake should be

prepared in the manner explained in Cold and Frozen Desserts.

CARAMEL CAKE

1/2 c. butter

2-1/2 c. flour

1-1/2 c. sugar

4 tsp. baking powder

3 Tb. caramel

1 tsp. vanilla

2/3 c. water

3 egg whites

2 egg yolks

Cream the butter and add the sugar gradually. Add the caramel, water,

and beaten egg yolks. Stir in the flour and baking powder sifted

together. Add the vanilla and fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites.

Bake in layers. Ice with any kind of white icing.

78. JELLY ROLL.--Many housewives do not attempt to make jelly roll,

because they consider it a difficult matter. However, no trouble will

be experienced in making excellent jelly roll if the following recipe is

carried out explicitly.

JELLY ROLL

3 eggs

1 tsp. baking powder

1 c. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 Tb. milk

1 Tb. butter

1 c. flour

Beat the eggs until light, add the sugar gradually, and continue

beating. Stir in the milk, and then add the flour, which has been sifted

with the baking powder and salt. Melt the butter and beat into the cake

mixture. Line the bottom of a flat pan with paper, and grease the paper

and the sides of the pan. Cover the bottom of the pan with a thin layer

of the mixture spread evenly. Bake until done in a moderate oven. Remove

from the pan at once, and turn out on paper sprinkled thickly with

powdered sugar. Remove the paper from the bottom of the cake, and cut

off a thin strip as far as the crust extends in on the sides and ends of

the cake. Spread with a thick layer of jelly and roll. After the cake

has been rolled, place a piece of paper around it, wrap in a slightly

dampened napkin or towel, and allow it to stand until it cools. Unless

the rolling is done as soon as the paper has been removed from it, the

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cake is likely to crack.

79. LADY BALTIMORE CAKE.--If an excellent cake for a special occasion is

desired, Lady Baltimore cake should be served. It is made in layers,

between which a filling containing fruit and nuts is spread. A white

icing of any desirable kind is used to cover the cake.

LADY BALTIMORE CAKE

1/2 c. butter

4 tsp. baking powder

1 c. sugar

3 egg whites

3/4 c. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

2 c. flour

Cream the butter, add the sugar gradually, and continue creaming. Stir

in the milk. Sift the flour and baking powder together and add them.

Fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites and add the vanilla. Bake in

square layer pans or in two thick layers in loaf-cake pans. When cold,

fill with the following filling and ice with any desirable white icing.

FILLING FOR LADY BALTIMORE CAKE

2 c. sugar

1/2 c. figs or dates, chopped

1/2 c. milk

1 c. chopped nuts

1 c. raisins, chopped

Cook the sugar and milk until it forms a soft ball when dropped in cold

water. Remove from the fire and cool. Beat until it begins to look

creamy, and then add the raisins, figs or dates, and nuts. When stiff

enough, spread a thick layer on one layer of the cake, place the other

layer of cake on top, and cover with a thin layer of white icing.

80. BRIDES CAKE.--When a bride's cake is mentioned, one naturally thinks

of a large, round cake entirely covered with thick, white icing. The

cake here given is one of this kind, and in addition may be ornamented

in any desired way. Besides being very attractive in appearance, this

cake is delicious in taste.

BRIDE'S CAKE

1/2 c. butter

3 tsp. baking powder

1-1/2 c. sugar

6 egg whites

1/2 c. milk

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

2 and 1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. vanilla

Cream the butter, add the sugar gradually, and stir in the milk. Sift

the flour and baking powder together and add to the mixture. Beat the

egg whites until they are foamy. Add the cream of tartar to them and

beat until stiff. Fold in the egg whites, add the vanilla, and bake in a

deep, round pan. Cover with plain white frosting and ornament with icing

in any desired way.

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81. FRUIT CAKE.--In the preparations for Christmas festivities, fruit

cake usually has an important place. But besides being very appropriate

cake for the holiday season, fruit cake is a splendid cake to make

because of its keeping qualities. It may be kept for a long time if it

is properly cared for. The best plan is to wrap it in oiled paper and

then put it away in a closely covered receptacle, such as a tin box. In

fact, fruit cake is much better if it is baked a month before it is to

be eaten and is moistened several times during that time by pouring over

it and allowing to soak in a few teaspoonfuls of orange juice or diluted

grape juice.

FRUIT CAKE

3/4 c. raisins

1/2 c. milk

3/4 c. currants

2 c. flour

1/2 c. finely cut citron

1/2 tsp. soda

1/2 c. butter

1 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. allspice

2 eggs

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 c. molasses

1/4 tsp. cloves

First prepare the fruits for the cake. Cream the butter, stir in the

sugar gradually, add the eggs unbeaten, and continue beating. Add the

molasses, milk, and flour with which the soda and spices have been

sifted, and then fold the fruits, which have been prepared, into this

mixture. Another way of adding the fruit is to pour a layer of the cake

mixture into the cake pan, sprinkle this generously with the fruit, then

another layer of dough and another layer of fruit, and finally a layer

of dough with just a little fruit sprinkled on top. Whichever plan is

followed, prepare the pan by covering the bottom with 1/2 inch of flour

and then placing a piece of greased paper over this. This heavy layer of

flour prevents the cake from burning. Put the cake in a very moderate

oven and bake for about 2 hours. If a fruit cake without a heavy crust

is desired, the mixture may be steamed for 3 hours in an ordinary

steamer and then placed in the oven just long enough to dry the surface.

82. WHITE FRUIT CAKE.--While dark fruit cake is popular with the

majority of persons, white fruit cake has been coming into favor for

some time and is now made extensively. It contains a larger variety of

fruit than the dark cake and nuts are also used. Cake of this kind may

be baked in the oven or steamed.

WHITE FRUIT CAKE

1/4 lb. citron, cut into thin slices

1/2 lb. apricots, dried, steamed, and chopped

1/2 lb. raisins, chopped

1/2 lb. candied cherries, cut into pieces

1/2 lb. dates, chopped

1/2 lb. almonds, blanched and cut into thin strips

1 c. butter

1 c. brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 c. milk

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1 Tb. baking powder

1/2 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

2 c. flour

Steam the citron and apricots until they are soft, and then cut them in

the required manner. Prepare the other fruits and the almonds. Cream the

butter, add the sugar, egg, and milk, and beat thoroughly. Sift the

baking powder and spices with the flour and add these. Dredge the fruits

and nuts with flour and fold them into the mixture. Bake for 2 hours in

a slow oven in small loaf pans lined with paper and containing about a

1/2 inch layer of flour in the bottom, or steam for 3 hours and then

bake for a short time in a moderate oven.

83. WEDDING CAKE.--Fruit cake has been used so much for wedding cake

that it has come to be the established cake for this purpose. However,

when fruit cake is to be used for weddings, a richer variety is

generally made, as will be observed from the ingredients listed in the

accompanying recipe. Wedding cake is usually cut into small pieces and

presented to the guests in dainty white boxes.

WEDDING CAKE

2 lb. sultana raisins

1 lb. dates, chopped

1 lb. citron, cut into thin strips

1 lb. figs, chopped

1 lb. butter

1 lb. sugar

8 eggs

1 lb. flour

1/2 tsp. soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. allspice

1/2 tsp. cloves

1/2 c. grape juice

Prepare the fruits and dredge with one-third cupful of the flour. Cream

the butter, add the sugar gradually, and beat together thoroughly.

Separate the eggs, beat the yolks until they are thick and

lemon-colored, and add to the sugar and butter. Sift the flour, soda,

and spices together, and add to the mixture. Fold in the egg whites

beaten stiff, add the grape juice, and fold in the fruits. Bake in the

same way as fruit cake.

* * * * *

CAKE ICINGS AND FILLINGS

NATURE, PURPOSE, AND APPLICATION

84. Certain varieties of cakes are served plain, but the majority of

cakes are usually covered with a sugar mixture of some description known

as icing. In addition, if a cake is baked in layers, a filling,

which may be either the same as the icing used for the covering or a

mixture resembling a custard, is put between the layers to hold them

together. These icings and fillings are used for the purpose of

improving both the taste and the appearance of the cake, as well as for

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the purpose of retaining the moisture in it. Some of them are very

simple, consisting merely of powdered sugar mixed with a liquid, while

others are more elaborate and involve a number of ingredients. They may

be spread over the cake, put on thick in a level manner, or arranged in

fancy designs on a plain background of simple icing with the use of a

pastry tube or a paper cornucopia. These decorations may be made in

white or in various colors to suit the design selected for decoration.

85. It is well to understand just what cakes may be served without

icings and fillings and what ones are improved by these accompaniments.

Sponge cakes, as a rule, are not iced elaborately, for a heavy icing

does not harmonize with the light texture of this kind of cake. If

anything is desired, a simple sugar icing is used or the surface of the

cake is moistened with the white of egg and then sprinkled with sugar.

Butter cakes, especially when baked in layers, although they are often

much richer than sponge cakes, are usually iced. When they are baked in

the form of loaf cakes, they may or may not be iced, as desired. Very

rich cakes made in loaf-cake form are usually served without icing,

unless they are served whole and it is desired to make them attractive

for a special occasion.

86. For the most part, icings are put on plain, but there are some

occasions for which an attractively decorated cake is desired. For

instance, birthday cakes, wedding cakes, or cakes for parties and

dinners are often served whole from the table, and when this is done,

the cake should be made as attractive as possible. The work of

decorating such cakes may prove somewhat difficult at first, but just a

little practice in this direction will produce surprising results.

These cakes are first covered with a plain white icing and then

decorated in any colors desired. The candle holders on the birthday

cake, which may be purchased in various colors, correspond in color with

the decoration on the cake. Original ideas and designs may thus be

worked out in an attractive way to match a color scheme or carry out a

decorative idea. A pastry tube is the most satisfactory utensil for this

purpose, but a tiny paper cornucopia made of stiff white paper may be

used to advantage for the decoration of small cakes and even for certain

designs on large ones.

87. The cake that comes out of the pan with a smooth surface is the one

to which an icing or a filling may be applied most satisfactorily.

Unless absolutely necessary, the cake should not be cut nor broken in

any way before it is iced, as a cut surface is apt to crumble and

produce a rough appearance. If the cake must be cut, as is the case when

small fancy shapes are made out of baked cake, the pieces should be

glazed with a coating of egg white mixed with a very small quantity of

sugar and beaten just enough to incorporate the sugar. Then, if they are

allowed to dry for 4 or 5 hours before being iced, no crumbs will mix

with the icing.

CAKE ICINGS AND THEIR PREPARATION

88. VARIETIES OF ICINGS.--Icings are of two varieties: those which

require cooking and those whose ingredients are not cooked. In uncooked

icings, which are easily made, sugar, such as confectioner's, is

moistened with a liquid of some kind and then flavored in various ways.

The more common of the cooked varieties are made by beating a hot sugar

sirup into well-beaten egg whites. After being flavored, icings of this

kind may be used without the addition of other ingredients or they may

be combined with fruits, nuts, coconut, etc.

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89. UNCOOKED ICINGS.--Confectioner's sugar is the most satisfactory for

uncooked icings, and it is the kind most commonly used for this purpose.

The finer this sugar can be secured, the better will the icing be, XXXX

being the most desirable. As such sugar forms very hard lumps when it is

allowed to stand, it should be rolled and sifted before it is mixed with

the other ingredients. The material used to moisten the sugar may be

lemon juice or some other fruit juice, water, milk, cream, egg white,

butter, or a combination of these. Enough liquid should be used to make

the icing thin enough to spread easily.

90. The ingredients used in uncooked icings determine to a certain

extent the utensils required to make the icings. A fine-mesh wire sifter

should be used to sift the sugar. A bowl of the proper size to mix the

materials should be selected, and a wooden spoon should also be secured

for this purpose, although a silver spoon will answer if a wooden one is

not in supply. To spread the mixture on the cake, a silver knife

produces the best results. If the icing is to be put on in ornamental

way, the equipment already mentioned, that is, a pastry bag or a paper

cornucopia, should be provided.

COLD-WATER ICING

1 c. confectioner's sugar

2 Tb. cold water

1 tsp. lemon juice

Add the sugar to the water and lemon juice, beat together thoroughly,

and spread on any desired cake.

PLAIN ICING

1 egg white

1-1/4 c. confectioner's sugar

2 tsp. cold water

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Beat the white of the egg until it is stiff. Sift in the sugar and add

a little of the water occasionally until all the water and sugar are

added. Beat together thoroughly, add the flavoring, and spread on

the cake.

ORANGE ICING

1-1/2 c. confectioner's sugar

4 Tb. orange juice

Few drops orange extract

Orange coloring for tinting

Sift the sugar into the orange juice and beat thoroughly. Add the orange

extract and just a little of the orange coloring for an even tint.

Spread on the cake.

CHOCOLATE WATER ICING

1 sq. chocolate

3 Tb. boiling water

1-1/2 c. pulverized sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, add the boiling water and the

sugar, and stir together until smooth. Add the vanilla. Spread on

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the cake.

WHITE ICING

2 egg whites

1-1/4 c. confectioner's sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Beat the egg whites until they are stiff, sift in the powdered sugar,

add the vanilla, and beat together until the icing is of a consistency

to spread.

BUTTER ICING

1 Tb. butter

1-1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 Tb. cream

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 egg white

Cream the butter, add the sugar, diluting it with the cream, and add the

vanilla. Beat the egg white and add to the mixture, continuing the

beating until the mixture is dry and ready to spread.

CHOCOLATE BUTTER ICING

1 Tb. butter

1-1/2 c. powdered sugar

3 Tb. milk

1/2 egg

1 oz. chocolate

Vanilla

Cream the butter and add the sugar gradually, moistening with the milk

and egg to make the mixture thin enough to spread. Melt the chocolate in

a saucepan over hot water and pour into the icing mixture. Add the

vanilla. Beat thoroughly and if more sugar or liquid is needed to make

the icing thicker or thinner, add until it is of the right consistency

to spread.

ORNAMENTAL ICING

3 egg whites

3 c. confectioner's sugar

3 tsp. lemon juice

Put the egg whites into a bowl, add a little of the sugar, and beat.

Continue adding sugar until the mixture becomes too thick to beat well,

and then add the lemon juice. Add the remainder of the sugar, and

continue beating until the icing is thick enough to spread. Spread a

thin layer over the cake and allow it to harden. When this is dry, cover

it with another layer to make a smooth surface, and add more sugar to

the remaining icing until it is of a very stiff consistency. Color and

flavor as desired, place in a pastry bag, and force through pastry tubes

to make any desired designs.

91. COOKED ICINGS.--A few cooked icings are made without egg whites, but

for the most part icings of this kind consist of a sugar sirup beaten

into egg whites that have been whipped until they are stiff. Success in

making icing of this kind depends largely on boiling the sirup to just

the right degree, for when this is done the icing will remain for a

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short time in a condition to be handled. If the sirup is not cooked long

enough, the icing will not stiffen and it will have to be mixed with

powdered sugar to make it dry. In the event of its being boiled too

long, the icing will have to be applied quickly, for it is likely to

become sugary. A thermometer is a convenient utensil to use in making

icings of this kind, for with it the housewife can determine just when

the sirup is boiled to the right point. However, after the housewife has

had a little experience, excellent results can be achieved in the way of

icings without a thermometer if the mixture is tested carefully. The

beating of cooked icings also has much to do with the nature of the

finished product. They should be beaten until they are of just the

proper consistency to spread and still will not run off the surface

of the cake.

92. Because of the nature of cooked icings, it is necessary that the

work of applying them to cakes be completed as quickly as possible. A

case knife or a spatula is the best utensil for this purpose.

To ice a layer cake, pour some of the icing on the layer that is desired

for the bottom and then spread it over the layer quickly until it is

smooth and as thick as desired. If coconut or any other ingredient,

such as chopped nuts or fruit, is to be used, sprinkle it on the icing.

Then take up the second layer carefully, as shown, and place it on the

iced first layer. Pour the remainder of the icing on this layer and

spread it evenly over the top and down the sides. The cake will then be

covered with a plain white icing that will be sufficient in itself or

that may serve as a basis for any desired ornament. If coconut, fruit,

or nuts have been used between the layers, sprinkle the same over the

top while the icing is still soft.

Sometimes, after the icing has been spread, it may be found that the

surface is not so smooth as it should be. Any roughness that may occur,

however, may be removed as soon as the icing has become entirely cold by

dipping a clean silver knife into hot water and running it gently over

the entire surface. This treatment takes only a little time and greatly

improves the appearance of the cake.

CARAMEL ICING

1 1/2 c. brown sugar

3/4 c. milk

1/2 Tb. butter

Boil the ingredients together until a soft ball is formed when the

mixture is tried in cold water. Cool and beat until of the right

consistency to spread. Spread this icing rather thin. If desired chopped

nuts may be added to it while it is being beaten.

MAPLE ICING

Maple icing may be made by following the recipe given for caramel icing,

with the exception of using maple sugar in place of the brown sugar.

[Illustration: FIG. 23, Sprinkling iced cake with garnish.]

BOILED ICING

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. water

1 egg white

Pinch of cream of tartar

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Put the sugar and water to cook in a saucepan. Boil until a fairly hard

ball is formed when the sirup is tried in cold water or until it threads

when dropped from a spoon, as shown in Fig. 25. If a thermometer is used

to test the sirup, it should register 240 to 242 degrees Fahrenheit when

the sirup is taken from the stove. Beat the egg white, add the cream of

tartar, and continue beating until the egg white is stiff. Then pour

the hot sirup over the beaten egg white very slowly, so as not to cook

the egg, beating rapidly until all the sirup has been added.

Continue to beat with a spoon or egg whip until the icing is light and

almost stiff enough to spread on the cake. Then place the bowl over a

vessel containing boiling water and beat for 3 or 4 minutes while the

water boils rapidly underneath. With this treatment, the icing will not

change in consistency, but will become easier to handle and will permit

of being used for a longer period of time without becoming hard. In

fact, it may be kept until the next day if desired by placing a moist

cloth over the top of the bowl so as to prevent a crust from forming.

CHOCOLATE ICING

If chocolate icing is desired, a square of melted chocolate may be added

to the icing given in the preceding recipe after the sirup has been

added to the egg white.

BROWN-SUGAR BOILED ICING

1-1/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. white sugar

1/3 c. water

2 egg whites

Pinch of cream of tartar

Boil the sugar and the water until it threads or forms a fairly hard

ball when tried in cold water.

Beat the egg whites until stiff, adding a pinch of cream of tartar while

beating. Pour the hot sirup over the egg whites and continue beating.

Flavor with vanilla if desired. Beat until stiff enough to spread and,

if desired, cook over boiling water as described for boiled white icing.

TIME-SAVING ICING

7/8 c. granulated sugar

3 Tb. water

1 egg white

Put the sugar, water, and egg white into the upper part of a small

double boiler. Have the water in the lower part boiling rapidly. Set

the part containing the ingredients in place and beat constantly for 7

minutes with a rotary egg beater, when a cooked frosting that will

remain in place will be ready for use. The water in the lower receptacle

must be boiling rapidly throughout the 7 minutes.

CAKE FILLINGS

93. As already explained, any icing used for the top of the cake may

also be used for the filling that is put between the layers, but often,

to obtain variety, an entirely different mixture is used for this

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purpose. A number of recipes for cake fillings are here given, and from

these the housewife can select the one that seems best suited to the

cake with which it is to be used. As will be noted, many of them are

similar to custard mixtures, and these, in addition to being used for

cakes, may be used for filling cream puffs and eclairs. Others contain

fruit, or nuts, or both, while still others resemble icing, with the

exception of being softer. No difficulty will be experienced in making

any of these fillings if the directions are carefully followed. They

should be applied to the cake in the same way as icings.

FRENCH FILLING

2 c. milk

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. flour

1/8 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. lemon extract

Heat the milk to scalding in a double boiler. Mix the sugar, flour, and

salt. Pour the hot milk over this, and stir rapidly to prevent the

formation of lumps. Return to the double boiler and cook for 15 to 20

minutes. Beat the eggs slightly and add them to the mixture. Cook for 5

minutes longer. Add the flavoring, cool, and place between layers of

cake or use for filling cream puffs or eclairs. Half of the recipe will

be sufficient for cake filling.

CHOCOLATE FILLING

If chocolate filling is desired, melt 1-1/2 squares of chocolate and add

to the French filling while it is hot.

COFFEE FILLING

A very good coffee filling may be made by scalding 2 tablespoonfuls of

coffee with the milk, straining to remove the grounds, and then adding

to French filling for flavoring.

FRUIT CREAM FILLING

2/3 c. heavy cream

1/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. crushed raspberries, strawberries, peaches,

or any desirable fresh fruit

Whip the cream until stiff, add the sugar, and fold in the crushed

fruit. Place between layers of cake.

RAISIN-AND-NUT FILLING

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. water

1/2 c. raisins

1/4 c. chopped nuts

Boil the sugar and water until they form a firm ball when tried in cold

water. Chop the raisins and nuts and add them to the sirup. Cook until

stiff enough not to run, and place between layers of cake.

COCONUT FILLING

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1 c. milk

1/2 c. shredded coconut

1/3 c. sugar

2 Tb. corn starch

1 egg

Heat the milk to scalding with the coconut. Mix the sugar and corn

starch, pour the hot milk into it, and stir rapidly so as to prevent

lumps from forming. Cook for 15 or 20 minutes. Beat the egg slightly,

add to the mixture, and cook for 5 minutes more. Cool and spread between

layers of cake.

LEMON FILLING

2 Tb. corn starch

1/3 c. sugar

1/2 c. boiling water

1 Tb. butter

1 lemon

1 egg

Mix the corn starch and sugar, and add to this the boiling water. Put to

cook in a double boiler, add the butter, the grated rind of the lemon,

and cook for 15 or 20 minutes. Beat the egg slowly, add to the mixture,

and cook for 5 minutes more. Remove from the heat and add the juice of

the lemon. Cool and spread between layers of cake.

ORANGE FILLING

Orange filling may be made by using grated orange rind in place of the

lemon in the recipe for lemon filling and 1 tablespoonful of lemon juice

and 2 tablespoonfuls of orange juice.

MARSHMALLOW FILLING

2-1/2 c. sugar

3/4 c. hot water

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

1 egg white

Boil the sugar, water, and cream of tartar until the sirup threads. Beat

the egg white until stiff, add the sirup slowly so as not to cook the

egg, and beat constantly until thick enough to spread on the cake

without running. This may be used for icing, as well as filling.

* * * * *

CAKES, COOKIES, AND PUDDINGS (PART 1)

EXAMINATION QUESTIONS

(1) Discuss briefly the use of cake in the diet.

(2) What leavening materials are used in cake making?

(3) (a) What are the two general classes of cakes? (b) In what way

do they differ?

(4) Of what value in cake making are pans with removable bottoms?

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(5) Give the various steps up to mixing in making a cake.

(6) How should pans be prepared for: (a) butter cakes? (b) sponge

cakes?

(7) Give the general proportion of ingredients for sponge cake.

(8) Give the order necessary for combining the ingredients in sponge

cake.

(9) (a) Describe the baking of sponge cake. (b) How can you tell

when sponge cake is ready to be taken out of the oven?

(10) When and how is sponge cake taken from the pan in which it is

baked?

(11) (a) Give the general proportion of liquid and flour used for

butter cake. (b) What makes this proportion vary?

(12) Give the steps necessary for mixing the ingredients of butter cake.

(13) Describe the baking of butter cake.

(14) (a) How can you tell when butter cake is sufficiently baked?

(b) How is it removed from the pan and cooled?

(15) What is the value of cake icing?

(16) (a) What ingredients are used to make the simplest icings? (b)

What kind of sugar is best for uncooked icings?

(17) What kind of icing should be used for sponge cake? Tell why.

(18) How is the surface of a cake that is to be decorated with an

ornamental design prepared?

(19) (a) Describe the icing of a layer cake. (b) How may a rough

surface of icing be made smooth?

(20) (a) Tell how boiled icing is made. (b) What is the test for

determining when the sirup is boiled sufficiently?

CAKES, COOKIES, AND PUDDINGS (PART 2)

* * * * *

SMALL CAKES

VARIETIES OF SMALL CAKES

1. Under the heading Small Cakes are included numerous varieties of

cakes made of many different kinds of materials and baked in various

shapes and sizes. Some of them, such as meringues and kisses, contain

nothing except eggs and sugar and consequently are almost confections.

On the other hand, many of them, including cookies of all kinds, drop

cakes, ladyfingers, etc., are merely the usual sponge and butter-cake

mixtures altered in such ways as may be desired. In addition, there are

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cream puffs and eclairs, the various kinds of cakes made with yeast, and

doughnuts and crullers, all of which, while not exactly cake mixtures,

are similar enough to small cakes in preparation and use to be discussed

in connection with them.

2. NATURE OF MIXTURES FOR SMALL CAKES.--The mixtures used for small

cakes are made into batters and doughs of various thicknesses. For

instance, the batter used for cup cakes is as thin as that for layer

cake; that for drop cakes must be stiff enough to hold its shape when it

is dropped on a flat sheet; while cookies require a dough that is stiff

enough to be rolled out in a thin layer and then cut into various shapes

with cutters. The mixing of cakes of this kind differs in no way from

that of large cakes, the greater thickness being obtained merely by the

addition of flour.

3. BAKING SMALL CAKES.--Small cakes bake more quickly than large ones;

consequently, a hotter oven is required for them. Cookies will bake in

10 to 15 minutes. They should rise and start to brown in 1/2 of this

time, and should finish browning and shrink slightly in the remaining

half. Drop cakes require a little more time than cookies. They should

rise during the first third of the time, brown slightly during the

second, and finish browning and shrink during the last third. Cup cakes

being larger require from 15 to 25 minutes to bake, depending on their

size. They should rise and brown in the same way as drop cakes. The

baking of most of the other varieties demands special attention and is

discussed in connection with the cakes themselves.

When the majority of small cakes, including cookies, are put into the

oven to bake, they should be set on the lower rack. Then, when the

browning has started, they should be changed to the upper rack, where

they will brown more quickly. This transfer may also be necessary in the

case of the larger sized cup cakes.

Small cakes baked in muffin pans should be allowed to stand for several

minutes after being removed from the oven in order to cool. Then a knife

or a spatula should be run around the edge to loosen each cake from the

pan. If the pan is then turned upside down and tapped lightly once or

twice, the cakes will, as a rule, come out in good condition. Cookies

and drop cakes should be taken from their pans or sheets while warm and

then allowed to cool on a cake cooler or on clean towels spread on

a table.

* * * * *

PREPARATION OF SMALL CAKES

CUP AND DROP CAKES

4. NATURE OF CUP AND DROP CAKES.--CUP CAKES are a variety of small cakes

baked in muffin pans. Many of the mixtures used for large cakes may be

made into cup cakes by baking them in pans of this kind. Instead of

pouring the mixture into the pans from the bowl, as is done in the case

of large cakes, it is put into them by means of a spoon. The pans

should be filled only about half full in order to give the mixture an

opportunity to rise. When the cakes are baked, they usually reach the

top of the pans.

5. Cup cakes may be served plain or they may be iced in any desired way.

The materials used here for the decorating are chiefly citron and

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maraschino cherries, both of which may be cut into a variety of shapes.

The cakes are first covered with a white icing for a foundation, and

the decorative materials are applied before it becomes dry. Other

materials may, of course, be used for decorating cup cakes, and

original designs may be worked out in a number of attractive ways.

6. DROP CAKES differ from cup cakes in that a stiffer batter is used and

the mixture is then dropped from a spoon on a greased and floured cooky

sheet. Cakes of this kind are not generally iced. However, the mixture

used for them often contains fruits and nuts.

7. RECIPES FOR CUP AND DROP CAKES.--Several recipes for cup cakes and

drop cakes are here given. No difficulty will be experienced in carrying

out any of them if the suggestions already given are applied. With each

recipe is mentioned the approximate number of cakes the recipe will

make. The exact number it will produce will depend, of course, on the

size of the cakes; the smaller they are the greater will be their

number.

CUP CAKES

(Sufficient for 1-1/2 Dozen Cakes)

2/3 c. butter

2 c. sugar

4 eggs

3-1/4 c. flour

4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. mace

1 c. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Cream the butter and add the sugar. Beat the eggs and add them. Sift the

flour, baking powder, and mace together, and add alternately with the

milk. Flavor with the vanilla, put into greased and floured muffin pans,

and bake. Cover with chocolate icing and serve.

BROWNIES

(Sufficient for 1 Dozen Cakes)

1/3 c. butter

1/3 c. sugar

1/3 c. molasses

1 egg

1-1/4 c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/3 tsp. soda

1/2 c. chopped nut meats

Cream the butter, add the sugar and molasses, beat the egg and add it.

Mix the flour, baking powder, and soda together, and sift into the

mixture. Fold in the chopped nut meats, put in thin layers into muffin

pans, and bake in a hot oven until done. Remove from the pans, cool,

and serve.

CINNAMON CUP CAKES

(Sufficient for 1 Dozen Cakes)

1/2 c. butter

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

4 tsp. baking powder

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2 c. flour

1 Tb. cinnamon

1/2 c. milk

Cream the butter and add the sugar. Beat the eggs and add them. Sift the

baking powder, flour, and cinnamon together, and add alternately with

the milk. Put into greased and floured muffin pans and bake.

COCOA CUP CAKES

(Sufficient for 1-1/2 Dozen Cakes)

1/3 c. shortening

1-1/4 c. sugar

2 eggs

2 c. flour

1/2 c. cocoa

1/8 tsp. soda

3 tsp. baking powder

3/4 c. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Cream the shortening and add the sugar. Beat the eggs and add them. Sift

the flour, cocoa, soda, and baking powder together and add alternately

with the milk. Flavor with the vanilla, put into greased and floured

muffin pans, and bake in a hot oven. Remove from the pans, cool, and

serve. If desired, these cakes may be iced with white icing and

sprinkled with coconut.

ROXBURY CAKES

(Sufficient for 1 Dozen Cakes)

1/4 c. butter

1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

1/2 c. molasses

1/2 c. milk

1-3/4 c. flour

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1-1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. soda

3/4 c. raisins

1/2 c. English walnut meats

Cream the butter and add the sugar gradually. Beat the eggs and add

them. Add the molasses and milk. Mix and sift the dry ingredients and

stir these into the first mixture. Fold in the finely chopped raisins

and nuts. Bake in a moderate oven and ice with white icing.

APPLE-SAUCE CAKES

(Sufficient for 1-1/2 Dozen Cakes)

1/4 c. butter

1 c. sugar

2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. nutmeg

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1 c. apple sauce

1 c. raisins

Cream the butter and add the sugar gradually. Sift the dry ingredients

together and add alternately with the apple sauce made according to the

following directions. Stir in the raisins dredged with a little of the

flour. Bake in muffin pans in a moderate oven for about 15 minutes.

APPLE SAUCE

1 qt. apples

1/2 c. sugar

1 c. water

Peel and quarter the apples. Put them to cook in the water. When soft,

force through a sieve, add the sugar, and return to the fire until the

sugar is dissolved. Cool and use for the cakes.

SOUR-MILK DROP CAKES

(Sufficient for 3 Dozen Cakes)

1/3 c. butter

1 c. sugar

1 egg

1/2 c. sour milk

2-1/2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 c. nut meats

1/2 c. raisins

Cream the butter and add the sugar, the beaten egg, and the milk. Sift

the flour, soda, and baking powder together and add them. Fold in the

nuts and raisins. Drop by spoonfuls on a greased and floured cake sheet.

Bake rather slowly, remove from the sheet, cool, and serve.

FRUIT DROP CAKES

(Sufficient for 2 Dozen Cakes)

1/3 c. shortening

2/3 c. sugar

1 egg

1/4 c. milk

1-3/4 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 c. raisins

Cream the shortening and add the sugar, egg, and milk. Sift the flour,

baking powder, and spices together. Sift these dry ingredients into the

mixture and add the raisins. Drop by spoonfuls on a greased and floured

cake sheet and bake in a hot oven until light brown.

OAT-FLAKE DROP CAKES

(Sufficient for 2 Dozen Cakes)

1/2 c. shortening

1 c. sugar

1 egg

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2 c. oat flakes

1 tsp. vanilla

2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 c. milk

Cream the shortening and add the sugar. Beat the egg and add to the

mixture. Add the oat flakes and vanilla. Sift the flour, salt, baking

powder, and cinnamon together and add alternately with the milk. Drop on

greased pans to bake.

GINGER DROP CAKES

(Sufficient for 2 Dozen Cakes)

1/2 c. shortening

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 egg

2-1/2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 Tb. ginger

1/2 c. sour milk

1/2 c. molasses

Cream the shortening, add the sugar, and mix well. Beat the egg and add

it. Sift the dry ingredients and add alternately with the milk and

molasses. Drop on greased sheets and bake in a moderate oven for about

15 or 20 minutes.

8. APPLYING ORNAMENTAL ICING TO CUP CAKES.--Sometimes it is desired to

put icing on cup cakes in an ornamental way. In such an event, an

uncooked icing is used and it is usually applied by means of a pastry

tube, although certain simple designs can be made with a small paper

cornucopia. When icing is to be used for this purpose it should be so

heavy that a large quantity of it will cling to the spoon, and when it

drops it will fall in a mass rather than run off.

Have the pastry bag clean and dry, and make it ready for use by slipping

the pastry tube inside of the bag. The point of the tube should

protrude from the narrow end of the bag, which is too small to allow

the top of the tube to be pushed through. The cakes to be decorated

with the aid of a pastry tube are usually prepared, as the cake in the

illustration shows, by covering it with a perfectly smooth coating of

uncooked icing of some kind.

With the tube inserted and the cake coated, the work of decorating may

be taken up. Roll the top of the bag down and into it put as much of

the icing as is desired. See that the icing is pushed as far down into

the end of the bag as possible. Then hold the top of the bag shut with

one hand and with the other grasp it at the place where the contents

end. When the hands have been so placed, press down on the bag so that

the icing will be forced from the point of the tube. To make the

decorations most satisfactorily, have the point of the tube pressed

tightly against the surface of the cake and raise it very slowly as the

icing comes out. Otherwise the shape of the design will not be good, as

a little experimenting will prove. The rosette tube is used to make the

decorations here shown, but if a different form of decoration is

desired, one of the other tubes may be selected.

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9. With cakes of this kind, it is often desired to have a simple

decoration without first applying the foundation icing. This can be

done by pressing icing through a pastry bag containing the rosette tube

and placing the decoration merely on the center of each cake. This is

suggested as an economical use of icing and a decoration a little out

of the ordinary. The points of the pastry tube should be bent toward

the center in order to produce the rosettes in the manner here shown.

In fact, the shape of a rosette can often be changed to some extent by

opening or closing these points a trifle.

COOKIES

10. CLASSES OF COOKIES.--Cookies are of two general classes: those which

are made thick and are expected to be soft when they are served and

those which are made thin and are intended to be crisp and brittle when

eaten. Thin, crisp cookies are usually known as wafers or snaps.

Soft cookies are made from a dough that contains a little more liquid

than that used for brittle cookies. The dough of which both varieties

are made should be thick enough to remove from the mixing bowl in a lump

and roll out on a board. After being rolled until it is the desired

thickness, it is cut into pieces of any desired size and shape and baked

in the oven on large flat pans.

11. INGREDIENTS IN COOKIES.--The ingredients used in the making of

cookies are similar to those used for drop cakes, with the exception of

the amount of flour. In fact, any cooky mixture that is made a little

more moist by omitting some of the flour may be used for drop cakes.

More flour is needed in cooky mixtures because they must be of a certain

thickness in order to be rolled out successfully. The amount of flour

needed varies with the kind that is used, more of some varieties of this

ingredient being required than of others. It is usually advisable to add

the last cup of flour with caution. If the mixture seems to be getting

stiff before all the flour is added, what is not needed should be

omitted; but if it does not become stiff enough to handle, more

should be added.

12. Considerable variety exists in the shortening that may be used in

cooky mixtures. If desired, butter may be used, but for most cookies it

is not at all necessary that the shortening consist entirely of butter,

and for some no butter at all is required. Other fats and oils, such as

lard, Crisco, lard compound, Mazola, cottoline, butterine, and any other

tasteless shortening, may be substituted for all or part of the butter.

Any of the following cooky recipes that contain butter do so because

that particular cooky or cake is better when made with butter, but, if

desired, some other fat may be used for a part or all of it. In case

merely shortening is mentioned, any fat or mixture of fats preferred

may be used.

13. PROCEDURE IN MAKING COOKIES.--The combining of the ingredients in

cooky mixtures need give the housewife very little concern, for it is

accomplished in much the same way as for cup and drop cakes. When all of

them have been combined, a dough that is stiff enough to handle and

still not so stiff that it is tough should be formed. The chief

precaution to be taken in the making of all kinds of cookies is to avoid

getting too much flour into the mixture. To produce the best results,

the mixture should be so soft that it is difficult to handle. A good

plan is to allow it to become very cold, for then it will be much

stiffer and may be handled more easily. Therefore, after the dough has

been mixed, it is well to set it in a refrigerator or some other cool

place and let it stand for several hours before attempting to roll it.

In fact, a cooky mixture may be made in the evening and allowed to stand

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until the next morning before being rolled out and baked. As can readily

be understood, such procedure is possible with a stiff mixture like that

for cookies, while it would not be practicable with a thin mixture,

such as cake batter, because the gas that is formed by the leavening

agent would escape from a mixture that is not thick and the cake, after

being baked, would have no lightness.

14. With the dough ready to be rolled, divide it into amounts of a size

that can be handled conveniently at one time. Take one of these from the

mixing bowl and place it on a well-floured board. Work it with the

fingers into a flat, round piece, using a little flour on the fingers

during this process. Dust the top lightly with flour and, by means of a

rolling pin, roll the dough into a flat piece that is as nearly round as

possible. Continue rolling with a short, light stroke until the dough is

as thin as desired. Remember that light, careful handling is always

necessary when any kind of dough mixture is rolled on the board, and

that as little handling as possible is advisable. Skill in this respect

will come with practice, so the housewife need not be discouraged if she

has difficulty at first. For cookies, 1/4 inch is the usual thickness of

the dough after it is rolled; but for snaps or wafers the dough should

be rolled as thin as possible. If the dough is as moist as it should be,

it may be necessary, from time to time, to dust the top with flour as

the rolling continues. However, no more flour should be used than is

needed to keep the rolling pin from sticking; otherwise, the dough will

become too thick and the cookies will be tough and dry.

15. When the dough has been rolled until it is of the right thickness,

cut it using cooky cutters of any desired size and shape. They are

merely strips of tin bent into a particular shape and attached to a

handle for convenience in using. In cutting the dough, try to cut it to

the best possible advantage, leaving as little space between the cookies

as possible. Very often, as, for instance, when diamond-shaped cookies

are being cut, the line of one may be the exact line of the one next to

it and thus no dough need be left between the cookies.

16. However a certain amount of dough necessarily remains after all the

cookies that can be made out of a piece of rolled dough have been cut.

Put these scraps together and set them aside until all the fresh dough

has been rolled. Then put them together carefully, roll them out again,

and cut the piece thus formed into cookies just as the others were cut.

Some persons are in the habit of working these scraps in with the next

piece of dough that is rolled out, but this is not good practice, for

by the time they are rolled on the board a second time, more flour will

be worked into them than into the dough with which they were put and

the texture will not be the same.

17. BAKING COOKIES.--Have a cooky sheet or other large shallow pan

greased and floured, and as soon as all the cookies are cut from a piece

of dough, pick them up with the aid of a spatula and arrange them on

the pan. Do not place them too close together, or upon baking they will

stick to one another and lose their shape. As soon as a pan is filled,

set it in the oven, either directly on the bottom or on a low rack. If

the temperature of the oven is correct, the cookies should begin to

rise within 2 or 3 minutes after they are put into the oven. After they

have baked on the bottom and have risen as much as they will, at this

point, set them on a higher rack to brown on top. In this browning,

they will shrink to some extent, so that the finished cookies will not

have so smooth an appearance as when they are placed on the top rack.

When done, they should be slightly brown, and if it is found that they

are too brown on top, it may be known that the oven temperature was a

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little too high or perhaps that they should have had a little less time

on this rack. Molasses cookies require special care to prevent them

from burning, for, as is explained in Hot Breads, any food containing

molasses burns readily. A comparatively short time is necessary for the

baking of cookies, but they should be left in the oven long enough to be

thoroughly baked when removed.

18. RECIPES FOR COOKIES.--With the principles of cooky making well

understood, the housewife is fully qualified to try any of the recipes

that follow. As will be noted, a number of recipes are here given and so

a pleasing variety may be had. Some of them are suitable for certain

occasions and some for others. For instance, barley-molasses cookies are

very good with coffee for breakfast, while filled cookies make an

excellent cake for picnic lunches. Cream cookies or vanilla wafers could

be served at an afternoon tea, while sand tarts make a very good

accompaniment for ice cream or some other dainty dessert. The nature of

the cooky will enable the housewife to determine when it should

be served.

GINGER SNAPS

(Sufficient for 4 Dozen Snaps)

1 c. molasses

1/3 c. lard or other shortening

1/4 c. butter

3-1/4 c. flour

1/2 tsp. soda

1 Tb. ginger

1 tsp. salt

Heat the molasses to boiling and pour over the shortening. Sift the dry

ingredients together and add these. Cool the mixture until it is stiff

and cold, roll as thin as possible, cut with a small round cutter, and

bake in a quick oven, being careful not to burn.

CREAM COOKIES

(Sufficient for 3 Dozen Cookies)

1/3 c. butter

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

1/2 c. thin cream

1 tsp. vanilla

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. mace

3 c. flour

Cream the butter, add the sugar, eggs, the cream, and vanilla. Sift the

baking powder, salt, mace, and flour together and add these to the

mixture. Roll about 1/4 inch thick and cut. Bake in a hot oven.

VANILLA WAFERS

(Sufficient for 6 Dozen Wafers)

1/3 c. shortening

1 c. sugar

1 egg

1/4 c. milk

2 tsp. vanilla

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2 c. flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

Cream the shortening, add the sugar and egg, and continue beating. Pour

in the milk and add the vanilla. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt

into the mixture. Roll out as thin as possible, cut with a small round

cutter, and bake in a hot oven. These wafers should be crisp and thin

when finished.

BARLEY-MOLASSES COOKIES

(Sufficient for 3 Dozen Cookies)

1 c. molasses

1/2 c. shortening

1/4 c. milk

2 c. wheat flour

1 c. barley flour

2 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Heat the molasses, pour it over the shortening, and add the milk. Sift

the dry ingredients together, and add to the mixture. Cool, roll about

1/4 inch thick, cut, and bake in a quick oven, being careful not

to burn.

OATMEAL COOKIES

(Sufficient for 3-1/2 Dozen Cookies)

1 egg

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. thin cream

1/4 c. milk

1/2 c. oatmeal

2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

4 Tb. melted butter

Beat the egg and add the sugar, cream, and milk. Run the oatmeal through

a food chopper, and mix with the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir

all into the mixture, add the melted butter, and mix thoroughly. Roll

thin, cut, and bake in a quick oven.

SAND TARTS

(Sufficient for 6 Dozen Tarts)

1/2 c. shortening

1 c. sugar

1 egg

1-3/4 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1 egg white

Blanched almonds

Cream the shortening and add the sugar and the egg. Sift together the

flour, baking powder, and cinnamon, and add these to the mixture. Fold

in the beaten egg white. Roll as thin as possible and cut. Split

blanched almonds, and after putting the cookies on the cooky sheet,

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place several halves of almonds in any desirable position on the

cookies. Bake in a quick oven until light brown.

HIGHLAND DAINTIES

(Sufficient for 3 Dozen Cookies)

2 c. flour

1/2 c. brown sugar

3/4 c. butter

1 egg yolk

Mix and sift the flour and sugar and work in the butter with the

fingers. Roll out about 1/3 inch thick and cut into any desirable shape

with small cutters. Brush with the egg yolk to which has been added 1

teaspoonful of water. Bake in a slow oven until light brown.

FILLED COOKIES

(Sufficient for 1-1/2 Dozen Cookies)

1 c. shortening

1 c. sugar

1 egg

1/2 c. milk

3 c. flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla

Cream the shortening and add the sugar gradually. Next add the beaten

egg and the milk. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together and

add to the mixture. Add the vanilla. Roll very thin and cut into small

round, square, or diamond shapes. Spread one cooky with the following

filling, cover with a second, press the edges together, and bake in a

quick oven.

FILLING FOR COOKIES

1 c. sugar

1 Tb. flour

1/2 c. boiling water

1-1/4 c. chopped raisins

3/4 c. nut meats

Mix the sugar and flour and stir them into the boiling water. Add the

raisins and let cook until thick enough to spread on the cookies. Remove

from the fire and add the nut meats. Cool slightly and spread. Figs or

dates may be used in place of the raisins.

If it is not desired to prepare a filling for the cookies, jam makes a

very good substitute.

SOUR-CREAM COOKIES

(Sufficient for 3 Dozen Cookies)

1/2 c. butter

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

1/2 pt. thick sour cream

1/2 tsp. soda

1 tsp. baking powder

3-1/2 c. flour

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1/2 tsp. lemon extract

Cream the butter and sugar, add the eggs, and beat thoroughly. Add the

cream. Sift the soda, baking powder, and flour and add to the first

mixture. Add the lemon extract, roll out thick, and sprinkle with sugar.

Cut with a round cutter, place on greased and floured tins, and bake.

KISSES AND MACAROONS

19. NATURE OF KISSES AND MACAROONS.--The varieties of small cakes known

as kisses and macaroons are undoubtedly the daintiest ones that are

made. Composed almost entirely of sugar, egg whites, and flavoring, they

are very delicate in texture and are practically confections. Kisses do

not contain any flour, but macaroons need a small amount of this

ingredient and some varieties of them contain the yolks, as well as the

whites, of eggs. Chopped or ground nuts, coconut, and various kinds of

dried or candied fruits are added to these cakes to give them variety.

20. The mixtures of which these cakes are made are either dropped by

spoonfuls or forced through a pastry bag into little mounds or rosettes

on an inverted pan or a cooky sheet and then baked in a very slow oven.

An oven of this kind is necessary, for the mixtures must be practically

dried out in the baking. Meringues, although made of a mixture similar

to that used for kisses, are usually made in rather large, round, flat

shapes, whereas kisses are smaller and are for the most part made in the

shape of rosettes.

21. Marguerites, while not exactly the same as either kisses or

macaroons, are given in this connection because the mixture used for

them is similar to that for kisses. After the sugar covering has been

applied, the saltines are set in the oven and baked until slightly

brown on top. This variety of small cakes, as well as kisses and

meringues, is excellent for serving with afternoon tea, or with ice

cream at a party that is to be very dainty.

22. RECIPES FOR KISSES AND MACAROONS.--One recipe for kisses, several

recipes for macaroons, and directions for the preparation of marguerites

follow. If meringues are desired, the recipe for kisses may be followed

and the mixture then dropped by spoonfuls, instead of being forced

through a pastry tube.

KISSES OR MERINGUES

(Sufficient for 1 to 2 Dozen Cakes)

1/2 c. fine granulated sugar, or 1/2 c. and 2 Tb. powdered sugar

2 egg whites

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Fine granulated or powdered sugar may be used for these cakes. If

powdered sugar is selected, a little more will be required than of

granulated. Only fresh eggs should be employed. Separate them and beat

the whites with an egg whip, beating slowly at first and more rapidly as

the eggs grow stiff. When they have become very stiff, add a

tablespoonful of the sugar and continue the beating. When this has been

beaten thoroughly, add another tablespoonful, and continue to add sugar

in small amounts and to beat until all has been worked in. Add the

vanilla. Moisten with cold water a board that is about 1 inch thick,

place over it some heavy white paper, and force the mixture through a

pastry bag or drop by spoonfuls on the paper. Place the board containing

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the kisses in a very slow oven, one so slow that instead of baking the

kisses it will really dry them. If the oven is too warm, open the oven

door slightly to prevent the temperature from rising too high. Bake

until the kisses are dry and then remove them from the oven.

If desired, the inside of the meringues, which is soft, may be removed

and the shell filled with a filling of some kind. Plain whipped cream or

whipped cream to which fresh strawberries and sugar are added makes an

excellent filling for this purpose. In fact, meringues filled and

garnished with whipped cream make a very delightful dessert.

PECAN MACAROONS

(Sufficient for 1-1/2 Dozen Cakes)

1 egg white

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. pecan meats

1/4 tsp. salt

Beat the egg white until stiff and add the sugar gradually, beating

constantly. Fold in the nut meats, add the salt, and then drop from the

tip of a spoon 1 or 2 inches apart on a cooky sheet covered with

buttered paper. Bake in a moderate oven until delicately browned.

ALMOND MACAROONS

(Sufficient for 1-1/2 Dozen Cakes)

1/2 lb. almonds

1 c. powdered sugar

2 egg whites

Blanch the almonds and force them through a food chopper. Mix the ground

almonds and powdered sugar, and gradually add the beaten egg whites

until a mixture of the consistency of a stiff dough is formed. Force

through a pastry bag or drop with a spoon on a cooky sheet covered with

buttered paper. The macaroon mixture spreads during the baking, so space

will have to be left between the cakes. Bake in a very slow oven. After

removing from the oven, cover for a few minutes with a moist cloth in

order to loosen the macaroons.

COCONUT MACAROONS

(Sufficient for 1-1/2 Dozen Cakes)

1 c. powdered sugar

1 c. shredded coconut

2 egg whites

Mix the sugar and coconut. Beat the egg whites and fold into the coconut

and sugar. Drop by spoonfuls on a cooky sheet covered with waxed paper

and bake in a slow oven.

OATMEAL-FRUIT MACAROONS

(Sufficient for 3 Dozen Cakes)

2 eggs

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. corn sirup

1 Tb. melted shortening

1/2 c. raisins, cut in small pieces

2-1/2 c. rolled oats

1/2 tsp. salt

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Beat the eggs, add the sugar, sirup, and shortening. Fold in the fruit,

rolled oats, and salt. Drop by spoonfuls on a greased cooky sheet and

bake in a moderate oven.

MARGUERITES

(Sufficient for 3 Dozen Cakes)

3/4 c. sugar

1/3 c. water

1 egg white

1/4 c. shredded coconut

1/4 c. chopped nuts

Cook the sugar and water until it forms a hard ball when tested in cold

water or threads from a spoon. Beat the egg white until stiff, pour the

hot sirup into it, and continue beating until the mixture is stiff

enough not to run. Add the coconut and chopped nuts and spread a thick

layer on saltines. Place in a moderate oven and bake until

slightly browned.

LADYFINGERS AND SPONGE DROPS

23. The mixture used for ladyfingers is in reality a sponge-cake

mixture, but it is baked in a certain oblong shape known as a ladyfinger

shape. Shallow pans that will bake the mixture in the required shape can

be purchased, but these need not be secured, for much more satisfactory

results can be obtained with a pastry bag and tube after a little

practice. The same mixture may be dropped by spoonfuls and baked in

small round cakes known as sponge drops. Both ladyfingers and sponge

drops, after being baked, are put together in twos by means of a simple

sugar icing. Care should be exercised in their baking to prevent them

from burning.

Small cakes of these varieties are very satisfactory to serve with a

rich gelatine or cream dessert. Then, again, such cakes, especially

ladyfingers, are sometimes molded into a frozen dessert or placed in a

mold in which a gelatine dessert is solidified. Often they are served

with sweetened and flavored whipped cream; in fact, no matter how stale

or fresh they may be, they help to make very delicious desserts.

LADYFINGERS No. 1

(Sufficient for 1-1/2 Dozen Cakes)

3 egg whites

1/3 c. powdered sugar

2 egg yolks

1/4 tsp. vanilla

1/3 c. flour

1/8 tsp. salt

Beat the egg whites until they are stiff and dry. Add the sugar

gradually and continue beating. Beat the two egg yolks until they are

thick and lemon-colored and add them. Add the flavoring and fold in the

flour mixed and sifted with the salt. Cover a cooky sheet with light

wrapping paper that is perfectly smooth and marked into spaces 4-1/2 in.

long by 1-1/2 in. wide. With the aid of a spoon, fill the ladyfinger

mixture into a pastry bag containing a plain pastry tube. Then, from

the pastry tube, squeeze the cake mixture onto the marked spaces,

making the mass slightly narrower in the center than at the ends. When

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all the spaces have been filled, set the pan containing the sheet in a

slow oven and bake until dry. Remove from the oven and take from the

paper by slipping a sharp knife under each ladyfinger. If the

ladyfingers are to be used for cake, they must be put together in pairs

with the following simple filling.

FILLING FOR LADYFINGERS

Juice of 1 orange

Sufficient sugar to spread

Beat the orange juice and sugar together until smooth. Place a layer of

the mixture between each two ladyfingers.

LADYFINGERS No. 2

(Sufficient for 3 Dozen Cakes)

6 eggs

1-1/4 c. powdered sugar

1 c. flour

Juice of half a lemon

Separate the eggs and beat the whites with an egg whip until stiff. Sift

the sugar and flour together several times, add a little to the eggs,

and continue beating. Continue to add the sugar and flour, a little at a

time, until all has been added. Beat the egg yolks until they are light

and lemon-colored and then beat them into the mixture. Add the lemon

juice and force the mixture through a pastry tube in the same way as

described in the preceding recipe. Bake in a slow oven. When cool, put

together with the orange filling.

CAKES MADE WITH YEAST

24. A few varieties of cake are made light by means of yeast instead of

being leavened with eggs or chemical leavening agents. These cakes are,

of course, similar to bread in many respects, but they are sweeter and

richer than bread and contain eggs. For this reason they are not

economical mixtures and should not be made if economy must be practiced.

Because of the sugar, butter, and eggs used in them, the action of the

yeast is slow; consequently, the processes involved in making these

mixtures are neither short nor simple. Often, after they have been baked

in a mold, the center is removed and the shells are then filled with

different mixtures to make a variety of desserts.

BRIOCHE

1 c. milk

1-1/2 yeast cakes

1/2 c. sugar

2/3 c. butter

4-1/2 c. flour

3 egg yolks

3 whole eggs

1/2 tsp. lemon extract

Scald the milk, cool until lukewarm, and then add the yeast cakes. When

they are thoroughly dissolved, add the sugar, the butter, which has been

softened but not melted, and half of the flour. Add the egg yolks and

beat with the hands. Add the eggs one at a time and when all have been

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beaten in thoroughly, continue to add more flour. After all of the flour

and also the lemon extract have been added and the mixture is of a

consistency to knead, allow it to rise for 6 hours. Punch down and place

in the ice box or some other cool place overnight. In the morning, the

mixture will be ready to bake in whatever shape is desirable.

The four recipes that follow show various ways in which the brioche may

be used to make attractive as well as appetizing desserts.

COFFEE CAKES

Roll the brioche mixture into a long rectangular piece about 1/4 inch

thick. Spread with softened butter, fold one-third of the side over the

center and the opposite side on top of that, making three layers. Cut

this into strips about 3/4 inch wide, cover, and let rise. When light,

twist the ends of each piece in the opposite direction, coil, and bring

the ends together on the top of the cake. Let rise in pans for 20

minutes, and bake in a moderate oven for about 20 minutes. Upon removing

from the oven, brush with confectioner's sugar moistened with enough

water to allow it to spread.

BRIOCHE BUNS

Work 1/2 cupful of raisins and 1/2 cupful of chopped nut meats into half

of the brioche mixture. Shape into balls about the size of a walnut, and

then place close together in a buttered pan. Brush over the top with 1

tablespoonful of sugar dissolved in 2 tablespoonfuls of milk. Bake in a

moderate oven for about 25 minutes. Brush a second time with the

sugar-and-milk mixture and allow the buns to remain in the oven until

they are well browned.

BRIOCHE DESSERT

Fill muffin pans about 1/2 full with the brioche mixture. Allow it to

rise nearly to the top, bake in a slow oven, remove when sufficiently

baked, and cool. Remove the center from each mold, leaving a shell. The

centers may be toasted and served separately. Put a teaspoonful or two

of any desirable preserves or marmalade into the shells, fill with

sweetened and flavored whipped cream, and over the top sprinkle chopped

nuts. This dessert should be prepared just before serving.

BRIOCHE PUDDING

Take enough of the brioche sponge to fill a good-sized mold two-thirds

full. Work into this 1/2 cupful of raisins cut into small pieces, 1/4

cupful of candied cherries, 1/2 cupful of chopped nuts, and 1/4 cupful

of coconut. Place in a mold and allow it to rise until the mold is

nearly full. Bake from 45 minutes to 1 hour, turn out of the mold, and

allow to become cold. Cut into thick slices with a knife that has been

heated in the flame, and serve with apricot or pineapple sauce.

APPLE CAKE

(Sufficient for Three Good-Sized Cakes)

2 c. milk

1 yeast cake

1 tsp. salt

1/2 c. sugar

3/4 c. butter

8-1/2 c. flour

3 eggs

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Apples

Scald the milk and cool it to lukewarm. Add the yeast, salt, sugar, and

butter, which has been softened but not melted. Add half of the flour

and beat in the eggs. When all has been mixed thoroughly, add sufficient

flour to make a stiff dough. Knead for a short time and place in a bowl

to rise. When risen until double in bulk, roll a piece of the dough 1/2

inch thick to fit a rectangular pan. Allow this to rise until it is

light. Peel apples, cut into halves and then into thick slices, and rub

them with lemon so they will not discolor. When the bread mixture is

light, place the apples on the top in rows. Sprinkle with sugar and

cinnamon and bake in a quick oven. Serve with butter or sugar and cream.

SWEDISH TEA RING

Roll a large piece of the mixture used for apple cake into a rectangular

shape from 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick, brush with butter, sprinkle with sugar

and cinnamon and, if desired, with raisins or chopped nuts. Roll like a

jelly roll, and place the two ends together on a cooky sheet so as to

form a ring. Try, if possible, to conceal the joining by fastening the

ends together carefully. The best way to do this is to cut a slice from

each end before joining. Then, with a scissors, cut through the edge of

the ring nearly to the center and slightly at a slant. Make the cuts

about 1 inch apart and turn the cut slices over so as to show the

layers of dough. Brush with milk, dredge with sugar, and bake for about

1/2 hour.

CREAM PUFFS AND ECLAIRS

25. A delicious form of dessert that is usually classed with small cakes

includes cream puffs and eclairs. They are made of a special kind of

paste that, when baked, becomes hollow in the center, very much as

popovers do. The inside is then filled with a mixture similar to a

custard mixture or with sweetened and flavored whipped cream. Many

persons have an idea that these mixtures are very difficult to make, but

the fact is that they may be easily made if the directions for preparing

them are carefully followed.

26. After the paste has been mixed, the way it is to be treated will

depend on whether cream puffs or eclairs are to be made. For cream

puffs, it is dropped by spoonfuls on a cooky sheet or a large pan,

while in the case of eclairs, it is forced through a large round pastry

tube so as to form long strips. The shapes are then baked in a hot

oven, and during this process they puff up and become hollow in the

center. If, upon attempting to fill the shells thus made, the centers

are found to contain a little moist, doughy material, this may be

removed. The filling may then be introduced either by cutting a slit in

the side and putting it in with a spoon or by inserting the end of a

pastry tube into the shell and forcing it in with a pastry bag and

tube. In addition to being filled with a filling of some kind, eclairs

are covered, as here shown, with an icing that usually corresponds in

flavor with the filling. For instance, chocolate eclairs are filled

with a chocolate filling and covered with a chocolate icing, while

coffee eclairs have a coffee filling and a coffee icing.

Very small cream puffs are attractive and are often served with small

cakes for an afternoon tea or a buffet luncheon. These may be made by

dropping the paste with a teaspoon on a cooky sheet, baking it until

done, and then filling the shells with any desired paste.

CREAM PUFFS

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(Sufficient for 1 Dozen Cream Puffs)

1/2 c. butter

1 C. boiling water

1 c. flour

4 eggs

Boil the butter and water together until the butter is melted. Add the

flour by pouring it all in at one time. Stir rapidly and cook until the

mass does not stick to the sides of the pan. Continue the stirring so

that it does not burn. Remove from the fire and cool, so as not to cook

the eggs when they are added. Add one egg at a time and mix thoroughly

with the mixture before adding another. Drop by spoonfuls on a greased

cooky sheet, place close to the floor of the oven, and bake in a hot

oven for about 30 minutes or until the puffs are dry and can be lifted

from the sheet. Allow them to cool and then fill with whipped cream or a

custard filling. Before serving, sprinkle powdered sugar over the top

of each.

ECLAIRS

When eclairs are desired, make the paste as for cream puffs. Then

through a large, round pastry tube, one having a diameter of at least

1/2 inch, force this paste in strips 3-1/2 or 4 inches long, putting the

paste on a cooky sheet or some other large pan. Bake in a hot oven in

the same way as cream puffs. When cool, fill with a custard mixture of

any desired flavoring and cover with an icing of the same flavor.

ROYAL ECLAIRS

Royal eclairs are especially delicious and make a very agreeable change

from the usual variety. To make these, bake eclairs in the usual shape

and set aside to cool. Cut canned peaches into pieces, add sugar to

them, and cook down until the sirup becomes thick. Fill each eclair with

several spoonfuls of this mixture and, if desired, serve with whipped

cream over the top.

CREAM FILLING FOR CREAM PUFFS

1/3 c. flour

2 c. milk

1 egg

3/4 c. sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

2 tsp. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

Moisten the flour with a little cold milk. Heat the remainder of the

milk and add the moistened flour. Cook in a double boiler for 10 or 15

minutes. Beat the egg, add the sugar and salt, and pour this into the

hot mixture, stirring rapidly. Cook until the egg is thickened, and then

add the butter and vanilla. Remove from the fire, cool, and fill into

the cream puffs.

CHOCOLATE FILLING FOR ECLAIRS

1 sq. chocolate

3/4 c. sugar

1 c. water

1/3 c. flour

1 c. milk

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1 Tb. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

Cook the chocolate, sugar, and water over the flame until they are well

blended. Mix the flour and milk and add to the hot mixture. Cook until

the flour has thickened. Add the butter and vanilla. Cool and fill into

the eclairs. Cover the tops with a plain chocolate icing.

COFFEE FILLING FOR ECLAIRS

1/3 c. ground coffee

2 c. milk

1/3 c. flour

3/4 c. sugar

1 Tb. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

Steep the coffee in the milk for 15 minutes. Strain and add the flour

and sugar, which have been thoroughly mixed. Cook until the mixture is

thickened, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Add the

butter and vanilla, cool, and fill into the eclairs. Cover the top of

the eclairs with icing made by thickening a little strong coffee with

pulverized sugar.

CARAMEL FILLING FOR ECLAIRS

1 c. sugar

1-1/4 c. boiling water

1/3 c. flour

1 c. milk

1 Tb. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

Caramelize 1/2 cupful of the sugar, add the water, and cook until the

caramel has dissolved. Mix the remainder of the sugar with the flour and

moisten with the milk. Add this to the caramel and cook until the flour

thickens completely, stirring constantly to prevent the formation of

lumps. Add the butter and vanilla. Cool and fill into the eclairs. Cover

the tops with a plain caramel icing.

DOUGHNUTS AND CRULLERS

27. NATURE OF DOUGHNUTS AND CRULLERS.--Some kinds of doughnuts and

crullers are made of bread dough, and for this reason really belong to

breakfast breads instead of to cakes. However, most of the recipes for

these two foods include sugar, shortening, milk, eggs, and leavening,

making doughnuts and crullers so similar to cake in their composition

that they are usually regarded as cake mixtures. The shortening, which

is in smaller amounts than is required for most cakes, is supplied

largely by the method of preparation peculiar to these cakes; that is,

by their being fried in deep fat. Consequently, some of the same

conditions apply in their preparation as in the making of other foods

that are cooked in this way. As has already been learned, such foods

must either contain a sufficient amount of protein material, such as

egg, for instance, or be coated with enough material of this kind to

prevent the absorption of fat. In the case of doughnuts, this material

is supplied as an ingredient.

28. SHAPING DOUGHNUTS AND CRULLERS.--The ingredients used in the making

of doughnuts are combined in much the same way as those used in other

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cake mixtures. A point to remember is that the mixture, like that for

cookies, must be stiff enough to handle and roll out, but care should be

taken not to use too much flour, for then the doughnuts are likely to be

tough. Divide the dough into amounts of a convenient size, place one of

these on a well-floured board, and roll out with a rolling pin until

about 1/4 inch thick. Then, with a doughnut cutter, cut as many

doughnuts as possible from the rolled dough. If a regular doughnut

cutter is not in supply, a round cookie cutter may be used and then a

thimble or some other small round cutter applied to remove the center

of the pieces thus cut. As here shown, a plate or some other small dish

containing flour should be kept handy and the cutter dipped into this

occasionally during the cutting to prevent it from sticking to the

dough and marring the appearance of the doughnuts. Collect the centers

and scraps that remain after the doughnuts have been cut from a piece

and set these aside until all the fresh dough has been used. These may

then be rolled out again and cut into doughnuts. If desired, however,

the centers may be fried.

29. While doughnuts are usually round and have a hole in the center,

they may, for variety, be made in other shapes. For instance, after the

dough is rolled out, it is sometimes cut with a sharp knife Into

rectangular pieces about 4 inches long and 2-1/2 inches wide and each

one of these pieces then cut lengthwise into three strips attached at

one end. When cut in this way, the strips are braided and then pinched

together at the loose end. Or, the pieces may be made 4 inches long and

2 inches wide, cut into two strips attached at one end, and the strips

then twisted around each other and pinched together at the loose end.

30. FRYING DOUGHNUTS AND CRULLERS.--After the doughnuts have been cut in

the desired shape, the next step is to fry them. The equipment required

for this process consists of a pan or a kettle into which the fat is

put, a long-handled frying basket into which the doughnuts are placed,

and a receptacle containing hot water into which the doughnuts can be

dipped after being fried. Put into the kettle a sufficient amount of

fat, which may be any vegetable fat or oil, to cover the doughnuts well,

allow it to become hot enough to brown an inch cube of bread in 40

seconds, place several doughnuts in the bottom of the basket and then

lower the basket into the hot fat, when it will be found that the

doughnuts will rise quickly to the top of the fat. Allow them to brown

on one side and then turn them over with a fork and let them brown on

the other side. Be careful not to let the fat become too hot during the

frying, or the doughnuts will become darker than is desirable before

the inside is cooked. If it is found that the fat is getting too hot,

turn off some of the heat or remove the deep-fat kettle from the

excessive heat.

31. As soon as the doughnuts have become an even brown on both sides and

have fried through thoroughly, lift the basket out of the fat and rest

it on the edge of the frying kettle. Then remove the doughnuts one at a

time from the basket with a fork and dip quickly into the pan of

boiling water and remove again at once. Dipping the doughnuts into

boiling water removes any excessive fat that may remain on the surface.

Upon taking them from the water, place them on a piece of paper that

will absorb as much of the remaining fat as possible. When these

precautions are taken, the doughnuts will be found to be less greasy

and not so likely to disagree with the persons who eat them. After the

surface has become dried, the doughnuts may be improved by sprinkling

them with pulverized or granulated sugar.

32. If a large number of doughnuts are made and the hot-water method of

drying them is adopted, it will be found that considerable fat will

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remain in the water. It will therefore pay to allow the fat to become

cool and remove it from the surface of the water. Fat in which doughnuts

and crullers are fried, after being poured from the dregs that collect

in the bottom and reheated, may be clarified by adding several slices of

raw potato to it and allowing these to become brown in it. This

treatment will remove any foreign taste that the fat may have and make

it possible to use the fat again for frying purposes. Fat in which

croquettes have been fried may be treated in the same way and used the

second time.

33. RECIPES FOR DOUGHNUTS.--A variety of doughnuts that are made light

by means of chemical leavening can be prepared, as the following recipes

indicate. Sometimes yeast doughnuts are preferred, so a recipe for

doughnuts of this kind is also given. If the directions previously given

are carefully applied in carrying out any of these recipes, excellent

results may be expected. Some persons are prejudiced against the use of

doughnuts, claiming that they are indigestible. While this may be true

of doughnuts improperly made, those made of good materials and by

correct methods are always a favorite and justly so.

DOUGHNUTS

(Sufficient for 2 Dozen Doughnuts)

3 Tb. butter

1 c. sugar

3 eggs

1 c. milk

4-1/2 c. flour

6 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Cream the butter, add the sugar and then the eggs, and beat thoroughly.

Pour in the milk and sift the dry ingredients into this mixture. Divide

into amounts that can be handled conveniently, roll out, cut, and fry

in deep fat.

POTATO-AND-BARLEY DOUGHNUTS

(Sufficient for 2 Dozen Doughnuts)

2 eggs

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. mashed potatoes

1 Tb. fat

1/3 c. sour milk

1/2 c. barley flour

1-1/2 c. wheat flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. mace

1/4 tsp. soda

2 tsp. baking powder

Beat the eggs and add the sugar and mashed potatoes. If solid shortening

is used, melt it and add to the other ingredients. Pour in the sour

milk, mix and sift the barley and wheat flour, salt, mace, soda, and

baking powder, and add these to the mixture. Turn the dough out on a

board in a quantity that can be handled at one time and knead for a

little before rolling it for cutting. Cut and fry in deep fat.

SOUR-MILK DOUGHNUTS

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(Sufficient for 3 Dozen Doughnuts)

4 c. flour

1-1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. soda

4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg

1 c. sugar

1 Tb. butter

1 egg

1-1/4 c. sour milk

Mix and sift the dry ingredients and chop in the butter. Beat the egg,

add the milk, and stir these into the dry ingredients. After mixing

thoroughly, roll about 1/4 inch thick on a board, cut in the desired

shape, and fry in deep fat.

DROP DOUGHNUTS

(Sufficient for 2 Dozen Doughnuts)

2 c. flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 c. sugar

1 egg

1/2 c. milk

1 Tb. melted fat

Mix and sift the dry ingredients. Beat the egg, add the milk to it, and

pour the liquid into the dry ingredients. Add the melted fat. Drop by

teaspoonfuls into hot fat and fry the same as for doughnuts.

YEAST DOUGHNUTS

(Sufficient for 3 Dozen Doughnuts)

1 c. milk

1 yeast cake

5 c. flour

2 eggs

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. melted butter

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. mace

Scald the milk and cool to lukewarm. Dissolve the yeast cake and add it

to the milk and a sufficient amount of the flour to make a sponge. Allow

this to rise until double in bulk. Then add the eggs, sugar, melted

butter, salt, and mace. Beat thoroughly and add enough flour to make a

dough. Knead this until it is smooth and elastic and let it rise until

double in bulk. Roll out on a board into a sheet about 3/4 inch thick.

Cut into long strips about 3/4 inch wide, twist, stretch, and shape like

a figure 8. Let these stand on the board or in a pan until they are

light and then fry in deep fat.

* * * * *

PUDDINGS AND PUDDING SAUCES

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NATURE OF PUDDINGS

34. Many kinds of puddings are used for desserts. Some of them closely

resemble cake mixtures, while others are similar to custards, but are

thickened with a cooked or a raw starchy material. Formerly, puddings

were always boiled in a bag, but now desserts of this kind are prepared

by boiling, steaming, or baking. To improve the flavor of puddings,

sauces of a contrasting flavor are usually served with them.

35. Puddings are often considered to be rather indigestible foods and in

many cases this is true. For this reason, it is not wise to include them

to any great extent in the diet of children. Because of the ingredients

used in them, they are a heavy food and are usually high in food value.

Consequently, some thought should be given to their selection so that

they may be suitable for the rest of the meal in which they are served.

It seems to be the custom to serve a rich dessert with a heavy meal,

but, as is well known, it is less proper with such a meal than with a

light meal. A little attention given to this matter will enable the

housewife to prepare menus that will provide the family with a properly

balanced meal.

36. The time of day and the season of the year for the serving of

puddings are also matters that should receive consideration. It is much

better to serve desserts of this kind with a noon meal than with an

evening meal. Then, too, warm puddings with sauce will be found much

more appetizing in the cool season of the year than in warm weather. On

the other hand, cool desserts or fruits served as desserts are very much

more acceptable in warm weather than during the cold seasons.

PUDDING SAUCES

37. The sauces served with puddings deserve just as much attention as to

selection and preparation as the puddings themselves. For instance, a

sour sauce that is not rich, such as lemon sauce, should be served with

a rich, sweet pudding, while a rich, hard sauce or perhaps a chocolate

sauce is the proper kind to serve with a bland, flavorless pudding.

So that the housewife may be perfectly familiar with a variety of sauces

and thus know the nature of the sauces mentioned in connection with the

puddings themselves, a number of recipes for pudding sauces are given.

Some of these are intended to be served hot and others cold, while a few

may be served either hot or cold, as preferred. Selection may be made

from these for any pudding that is accompanied by a sauce when served.

Care should be taken to have the sauce appropriate for the pudding and

to follow explicitly the directions given for making it.

LEMON SAUCE NO. 1

1/2 c. sugar

1 Tb. corn starch

Few grains of salt

1 c. boiling water

2 Tb. butter

2 Tb. lemon juice

Mix the sugar, corn starch, and salt, and add the water gradually,

stirring constantly. Boil 5 minutes, remove from the fire, add the

butter and lemon juice, and serve.

LEMON SAUCE NO. 2

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1/3 c.

1 c. sugar

3 egg yolks

1/3 c. boiling water

3 Tb. lemon juice

Few gratings of lemon rind

Cream the butter, add the sugar gradually, and stir in the yolks of the

eggs slightly beaten. Then add the water and cook over boiling water

until the mixture thickens. Add the lemon juice and rind and serve

at once.

VANILLA SAUCE

1/3 c. butter

1 c. sugar

3 egg yolks

1/3 c. boiling water

Few gratings of nutmeg

1 tsp. vanilla

Cream the butter, add the sugar gradually, and stir in the egg yolks

beaten slightly. Add the water and cook over boiling water until the

mixture thickens. Add the nutmeg and vanilla and serve at once.

HARD SAUCE

1/3 c. butter

1 c. powdered sugar

1/3 tsp. lemon extract

2/3 tsp. vanilla

Cream the butter, add the sugar gradually, and then add the flavoring.

Beat until the sauce is light and creamy.

STERLING SAUCE

1/4 c. butter

1 c. brown sugar

4 Tb. cream or milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Cream the butter and add the sugar gradually. Add the milk and

flavoring, drop by drop, to prevent separation. Beat until fluffy and

smooth. Chill and serve.

CHOCOLATE SAUCE

1 c. milk

1/2 sq. chocolate

1/2 c. sugar

2 Tb. flour

1 Tb. butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Heat the milk and in it melt the chocolate. Mix the sugar and flour and

stir into the mixture rapidly to prevent the formation of lumps. Cook

until the sauce thickens, add the butter, and cook for a few minutes

longer. Add the vanilla and serve either hot or cold, as desired.

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FRUIT SAUCE

1 c. fruit juice

1/4 c. sugar

1-1/2 Tb. corn starch

2 Tb. lemon juice

Heat the fruit juice, which may be any left-over fruit juice. Mix the

sugar and corn starch, add to the hot fruit juice, and cook until the

corn starch thickens, stirring constantly to prevent the formation of

lumps. Add the lemon juice. Remove from the heat and, if the sauce is

desired to be more acid, add lemon juice to suit the taste.

APRICOT SAUCE

3/4 c. apricot pulp

3/4 c. whipping cream

Pulverized sugar

Prepare apricot pulp by forcing cooked apricots through a sieve. Whip

the cream and fold the apricot pulp into it. Add pulverized sugar to

suit the taste.

PINEAPPLE SAUCE

Half c. sugar

1-1/2 c. water

1 c. grated pineapple

1 Tb. corn starch

Add the sugar to the water and bring to the boiling point. Add the

pineapple and cook until it is tender. If canned pineapple is used, omit

1/2 cupful of the water. Moisten the corn starch with a little water and

add it. Cook until it thickens, stirring to prevent lumps.

ORANGE SAUCE

1/4 c. orange juice

1 Tb. lemon juice

Powdered sugar

Into the fruit juices, beat the powdered sugar until the sauce is as

sweet as desired.

MARASCHINO SAUCE

1/4 c. maraschino juice

1 Tb. lemon juice

6 cherries, chopped

Powdered sugar

Mix the fruit juices and chopped cherries, add the sugar, beat well, and

serve.

CUSTARD SAUCE

2 c. milk

1 Tb. corn starch

1/3 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. lemon extract

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Pinch of salt

Heat the milk in a double boiler. Mix the corn starch and sugar and add

to the milk, stirring so as to prevent the formation of lumps. Continue

stirring until the corn starch has thickened and then cook for about 15

minutes longer. Beat the egg, add it to the mixture, and cook for a few

minutes longer. Add the vanilla, lemon, and salt. Serve hot or cold.

COCONUT SAUCE

2 c. milk

1/2 c. shredded coconut

1/3 c. sugar

1-1/2 Tb. corn starch

Pinch of salt

1 egg white

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Heat the milk in a double boiler with the coconut. Mix the sugar and

corn starch and add to the hot milk and coconut. Stir until the corn

starch has thickened and cook for 15 minutes. Add the salt to the egg

white and beat until it is stiff. Pour the hot mixture over the egg

white and continue beating until thoroughly blended. Add the vanilla and

serve either hot or cold.

JELLY SAUCE

2 tsp. corn starch or arrowroot

1 c. boiling water

1/2 c. jelly or jam

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Cook the corn starch or arrowroot diluted with cold water, in the

boiling water for 5 minutes. Add the jelly or jam, beaten smooth, and

let simmer for 3 or 4 minutes. Add sugar, if needed, and the lemon

juice. Strain and serve.

* * * * *

PUDDINGS

PREPARATION OF PUDDINGS

38. As has already been learned, puddings are cooked by being boiled,

steamed, or baked. No different utensils from those used in the making

of custards and cakes need be provided for the making of puddings

except, perhaps, a steamer. A utensil of this kind, which is required

for steamed puddings, consists of a large pan, which sets directly over

the flame and into which the water is poured; a second pan, which fits

closely into the first one and into which the pudding is put; and a

spout, into which the water may be poured. The steamer must be very

closely covered in order that all the steam, which does the cooking, may

be retained. An apparatus that will answer the purpose of a steamer may

be improvised, however, if there are in the supply of household utensils

a pan, a colander, and a cover that will fit tight enough to retain the

steam; or, instead of putting the pudding directly in the second pan of

the steamer, it may be put into individual molds or a pan that will hold

a sufficient quantity to serve just the desired number of persons and

these then set in the second pan to cook.

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39. Steamed puddings--When puddings are cooked by steaming, it should

be remembered that the steaming process must be continuous. Therefore,

if water must be added during the cooking, boiling water should be used

so as not to lower the temperature and stop the formation of steam.

After being steamed sufficiently, puddings of this kind are often

placed in the oven for a short time in order to dry the surface.

40. The baking of puddings is so similar to the baking of cakes and

custards that the same directions apply. A few points, however, should

be kept well in mind if good puddings would be the result. The utensil

in which a pudding that is to be baked is put may be of any desired

shape, but it should always be greased. This also holds true in the case

of puddings that are to be steamed. Puddings that contain an

egg-and-milk mixture, as, for instance, bread pudding, must necessarily,

as with custards, be baked at a temperature low enough to prevent them

from curding.

RECIPES FOR PUDDINGS

41. In the preparation of many puddings here considered, left-over

materials, such as bread, rolls, stale cake, cookies, etc., may be

utilized to advantage. Consequently, when the housewife is making

desserts, she should endeavor to make good use of all such things in

case they cannot be used by themselves.

42. INDIAN PUDDING.--As corn meal is the chief ingredient in the pudding

given in the accompanying recipe, it is called Indian pudding, corn meal

being a product of Indian corn. For persons who like food containing

corn meal, this pudding will prove satisfactory. It has the advantage

over other puddings in that it is inexpensive.

INDIAN PUDDING

(Sufficient to Serve Eight)

1/3 c. corn meal

5 c. milk

1/2 c. molasses

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

Mix the corn meal with some of the milk, scald the remainder in a double

boiler, and add the moistened corn meal to it. Pour in the molasses,

salt, and cinnamon, cook for 15 or 20 minutes in a double boiler, and

then pour into a buttered baking dish. Bake in a very slow oven for

about 2 hours. Serve with cream or custard sauce.

43. BROWN BETTY.--A baked pudding that always meets with favor among

both old and young is Brown Betty. The flavor imparted by the apples and

other ingredients to the bread crumbs is delightful, especially when the

pudding is prepared according to the accompanying directions.

BROWN BETTY

(Sufficient to Serve Eight)

1 qt. stale bread crumbs

1 qt. sliced apples

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. cinnamon

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1/4 c. butter

1/2 to 1 c. water

Juice and rind of 1/2 lemon

Butter a baking dish. Make coarse crumbs of the stale bread and place a

layer on the bottom of the baking dish. Place on top of this a layer of

half the sliced apples and sprinkle with 1/2 of the sugar, to which have

been added the nutmeg and cinnamon. Dot with butter, sprinkle with

another layer of crumbs, add the remaining apples, sugar, and spices,

and dot again with butter. Cover with the remaining crumbs and dot this

with the remaining butter. Pour over this the water, lemon juice, and

the grated lemon rind. Bake in a moderate oven for about 45 minutes,

covering the dish for the first half of the time and removing the cover

for the latter part of the baking. Serve with cream, lemon sauce, or

hard sauce. The quantity of water necessary depends on the dryness of

the crumbs and the juiciness of the apples.

44. BREAD PUDDING.--For utilizing bits of bread that might otherwise be

wasted, there is no better plan than to make a bread pudding. This

dessert may be used with any dinner or luncheon, as jams, jellies, and

practically all kinds of sauce may be served with it to impart a

suitable flavor.

BREAD PUDDING

(Sufficient to Serve Eight)

1 qt. milk

2 c. stale bread crumbs

2 eggs

1/2 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Heat the milk and pour it over the bread crumbs. Allow them to soak

until they are soft. Beat the eggs, add the sugar and vanilla to them,

and stir this into the mixture of crumbs and milk. Mix thoroughly, pour

into a buttered baking dish, and bake in a moderate oven for about 45

minutes. If desired, jelly or jam may be served with the bread pudding

or any desirable sauce, such as lemon, vanilla, or custard, may be used

and the pudding may be served either hot or cold.

45. MAIZE PUDDING.--A pudding that has both corn starch and corn meal as

its basis provides variety. This pudding, called maize pudding, is

prepared in a double boiler and then turned into a mold to cool. Either

raisins or dates may be added to it to increase its palatability.

MAIZE PUDDING

(Sufficient to Serve Eight)

3-1/2 c. milk

2 Tb. corn starch

1/2 c. white corn meal

1/2 tsp. salt

1/3 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 c. raisins or dates

Scald the milk in a double boiler, mix the corn starch, corn meal, salt,

sugar, and cinnamon, and add this to the hot milk, stirring rapidly to

prevent the formation of lumps. Continue to stir and cook directly over

the fire until the mixture thickens. Then return to the double boiler

and cook for about 2 hours. Fifteen minutes before removing from the

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fire, add the raisins or chopped dates, turn into a mold, and serve

either hot or cold with custard sauce.

46. PIERROT PUDDING.--A steamed pudding made of simple ingredients is

often desired for serving with an elaborate meal. In such a case,

Pierrot pudding will answer very well.

PIERROT PUDDING

(Sufficient to Serve Six)

1/2 c. butter

1 c. sugar

3/4 c. milk

2-1/2 c. flour

5 tsp. baking powder

2 egg whites

1 tsp. vanilla

Cream the butter and add the sugar gradually. Then add the milk

alternately with the flour, to which has been added the baking powder.

Beat the whites of the eggs until they are stiff and fold them into the

mixture. Add the vanilla. Butter baking-powder cans or other molds, fill

them half full with the mixture, adjust the covers, which should also be

buttered, and place in a kettle of boiling water. Raise them from the

bottom of the kettle by means of a rack, have the water come half way up

around the molds, and cover closely. If small molds are used, steam them

only 1 hour. If a large mold is used, steam from 1-1/2 to 2 hours, never

allowing the water to get below the boiling point. Remove from the molds

and serve with hot chocolate sauce.

47. STEAMED GINGER PUDDING.--A steamed pudding in which the flavor of

ginger predominates is given in the accompanying recipe. This kind of

pudding is very popular among persons who like such flavor.

STEAMED GINGER PUDDING

(Sufficient to Serve Eight)

1/2 c. shortening

1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

2-1/2 c. flour

4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ginger

1 c. milk

Cream the shortening and add the sugar and the beaten eggs. Sift the dry

ingredients with the flour and add alternately with the milk. Turn into

a buttered mold and steam for about 2 hours. Remove from the mold and

serve with sweetened whipped cream or any desired sauce.

48. RAISIN PUFF.--Raisins always increase the food value of a meal, and

they are especially good when combined with the ingredients required

for the dessert known as raisin puff. This steamed pudding is rather

rich and should not, of course, be served with a meal in which the other

foods are rich.

RAISIN PUFF

(Sufficient to Serve Eight)

1/2 c. shortening

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1/2 c. sugar

1 egg

2-1/4 c. flour

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. milk

1 c. raisins

Cream the shortening and add the sugar gradually and the beaten egg.

Sift the dry ingredients with the flour and add alternately with the

milk. Chop the raisins and fold them into the mixture. Turn into a

buttered mold, cover, and steam for 1-1/2 or 2 hours. Remove from the

mold and serve hot with whipped cream or any desired sauce.

49. SUET-FRUIT PUDDING.--Steamed puddings in which suet and fruit form

two of the ingredients are excellent cold-weather desserts. Such

puddings are usually made around the holidays, and under proper

conditions will keep for a long time. The accompanying recipe gives

directions for making an excellent pudding of this kind.

SUET-FRUIT PUDDING

(Sufficient to Serve Eight)

3/4 c. suet

2-1/2 stale bread crumbs

2 egg yolks

1/4 c. milk

1 c. brown sugar

Grated rind of 1 lemon

1 Tb. lemon juice

1-1/2 c. raisins

1/2 c. molasses

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. soda

1/2 c. flour

2 egg whites

Force the suet through a food chopper or chop very fine. Then work it

with the hands until it is creamy and to it add the bread crumbs. Beat

the egg yolks until they are light and add them to the suet and bread

crumbs. Add the milk. Add the sugar, grated lemon rind, lemon juice, the

raisins, cut into pieces, the molasses, and milk. Sift together the

salt, spices, soda, and flour, and sift these into the mixture. Mix

thoroughly, fold in the whites of the eggs beaten until they are stiff,

turn into a buttered mold, adjust the cover, and steam for about 3

hours. Serve with any desired sauce.

50. CHRISTMAS PUDDING.--A pudding much used during the holiday season

is Christmas pudding. The ingredients for this dessert are similar to

those for suet-fruit pudding. In fact, both may be used for the same

purpose. Christmas pudding is especially good when served with hard

sauce, although other sauce may be used with it.

CHRISTMAS PUDDING

(Sufficient to Serve Twelve)

2-1/2 c. stale bread crumbs

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1/2 c. milk

1 c. beef suet

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. molasses

2 eggs

1 c. chopped raisins

1/2 c. chopped citron

1/2 c. chopped nuts

1 c. flour

1/2 tsp. soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/3 c. fruit juice

Soak the bread crumbs in the milk. Work the suet with the hands until it

is creamy, and to it add the sugar, molasses, and well-beaten eggs. Mix

with the milk and bread crumbs, and add the fruit and nuts. Mix the dry

ingredients and sift them into the mixture. Add the fruit juice, turn

into a buttered mold, and steam for 3 hours. Serve hot with hard sauce

or any other desired sauce.

51. POCONO PUDDING.--Directions for still another steamed pudding in

which suet is used are given in the accompanying recipe for Pocono

pudding. This dessert does not require so many ingredients as suet-fruit

or Christmas pudding, and in many cases will answer the same purpose.

POCONO PUDDING

(Sufficient to Serve Eight)

3/4 c. suet

2 c. apples

2 c. stale bread crumbs

3 eggs

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. milk

1 tsp. salt

Rind and juice of 1 lemon

1/2 c. raisins

Put the suet, apples, peeled and cored, and the bread crumbs through the

food chopper. Beat the yolks of the eggs and add these with the sugar,

milk, salt, and grated rind and juice of the lemon. Chop the raisins and

add to the mixture. Beat the egg whites and fold these into the mixture.

Pour the mixture into buttered molds and steam for 3 to 4 hours. Serve

with any desired sauce.

52. STEAMED FIG PUDDING.--A steamed pudding made according to the recipe

here given never fails to please. As the name, steamed fig pudding,

indicates, it is supposed to have chopped figs added to it, although

raisins will answer if figs cannot be obtained.

STEAMED FIG PUDDING

(Sufficient to Serve Twelve)

1/2 c. butter

1/4 c. sugar

1 c. molasses

1 c. milk

2-1/2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

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1/2 tsp. soda

3 tsp. baking powder

1/2 c. chopped figs or raisins

Cream the butter and add the sugar, molasses, and milk. Mix and sift the

dry ingredients and stir these into the mixture. Fold in the chopped

figs or raisins and steam in buttered molds for 2 to 3 hours, depending

on the size of the molds. Serve hot with any desired sauce.

53. FRESH FRUIT PUDDING.--During berry or cherry season fresh-fruit

pudding is an excellent one to make. This pudding is prepared in much

the same way as a cake mixture, is combined with the fruit selected, and

is then either steamed or baked.

FRESH-FRUIT PUDDING

(Sufficient to Serve Six)

1/4 c. butter

1/4 c. sugar

2 c. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

3 tsp. baking powder

1-1/4 c. milk

2 egg whites

1 c. berries or stoned cherries

Cream the butter and add the sugar. Sift together the dry ingredients

and add these alternately with the milk. Beat the egg whites and fold

these in. Place a layer of dough in the bottom of a buttered baking

dish, put a layer of fruit on top of this, add dough next and then

fruit, and have a final layer of dough on top. Cover tight and steam for

1-1/2 or 2 hours or bake without the cover in a moderate oven for about

45 minutes. Serve with a fruit or a hard sauce.

54. COCONUT PUFF.--A light pudding to which shredded coconut is added to

give flavor is a satisfactory dessert for a heavy meal. As it is baked

in muffin pans, it may be served in a dainty manner.

COCONUT PUFF

(Sufficient to Serve Eight)

1/2 c. butter

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1 c. sour milk

1/2 c. shredded coconut

Cream the butter and add the sugar. Beat the yolks of the eggs and add

them. Sift the dry ingredients with the flour and add alternately with

the milk. Fold in the coconut. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold

them in. Bake in buttered muffin pans in a quick oven for 20 minutes.

Serve with coconut or any desired sauce.

55. COTTAGE PUDDING.--When a simple baked pudding is desired, the

housewife almost instinctively turns to cottage pudding. This pudding

has been a favorite in the household for years and may be eaten by young

or old. It is not very rich, and so should be served with an

appetizing sauce.

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COTTAGE PUDDING

(Sufficient to Serve Eight)

1/4 c. butter

1/2 c. sugar

1 egg, well beaten

1 1/2 c. flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1/2 c. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Cream the butter, add the sugar, and beat the egg and add it. Sift the

flour and baking powder together and add alternately with the milk. Add

the vanilla. Bake in a loaf-cake pan and serve hot with lemon, fruit, or

chocolate sauce.

56. CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING.--To the majority of persons the flavor of

chocolate is always pleasing. In chocolate bread pudding, this flavor is

well blended with the ingredients. This pudding, when baked, may be cut

into slices and then daintily served with either hard or custard sauce.

CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING

(Sufficient to Serve Eight)

2 c. stale bread crumbs

4 c. milk

1 sq. unsweetened chocolate

1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

Soak the bread crumbs in 3 cupfuls of the milk. Melt the chocolate in a

saucepan and add the sugar and the remaining cup of milk. Cook until the

mixture is smooth and add this to the bread and milk. Beat the eggs and

add them. Add the salt and vanilla. Pour into a buttered baking dish and

bake for about 45 minutes in a moderate oven. Cut into slices and serve

with hard or custard sauce.

57. CHOCOLATE PUDDING.--Baked chocolate pudding provides another way in

which to serve a dessert in which chocolate flavor predominates. This

pudding, because of its food value and the pleasing way in which it may

be served, is sure to answer for any meal in which a pudding dessert

is desired.

CHOCOLATE PUDDING

(Sufficient to Serve Eight)

1/4 c. butter

3/4 c. sugar

2 eggs

1-1/2 c. milk

1-1/2 c. flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. soda

1-1/4 sq. unsweetened chocolate

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla

Cream the butter, add the sugar, and beat the yolks of the eggs and add

them. Add the milk alternately with the flour, which has been mixed and

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sifted with the baking powder and soda. Melt the chocolate in a saucepan

and add. Beat the whites of the eggs until stiff and fold them into the

mixture. Flavor with the vanilla. Bake in a pan that will leave a space

in the center. It will require about 45 minutes to 1 hour for the

baking. Remove from the pan, fill the center with whipped cream, and

serve with chocolate sauce.

58. BOSTON CREAM PIE.--Boston cream pie is a dessert that can be made up

with some of the recipes already given. It is a favorite dessert with

many people and is very high in food value.

To make Boston cream pie, first bake two layers, each about 1 inch

thick, in round pans, using the plain-cake or cottage-pudding recipe.

Then, between these layers, put a filling about 1/2 inch thick. This

filling should preferably be the one used for cream puffs, although any

similar filling stiff enough to stand up well may be used instead. Cover

the top layer with 1/2 to 1 inch of slightly sweetened and flavored

whipped cream. The cake should not be put together until both the layers

and the filling have cooled.

EXAMINATION QUESTIONS

(1) In what general way does the thickness of the dough mixture for

large cakes differ from that for small cakes other than cup cakes?

(2) (a) In baking small cakes, how does the oven temperature required

compare with that required for large cakes? (b) How does the length of

time required for baking large and small cakes differ?

(3) If the time for baking small cakes is divided into halves, what

should occur in the second half?

(4) Where should the pans for the baking of small cakes be placed in the

oven?

(5) Describe an original way of decorating cup cakes.

(6) Describe two classes of cookies.

(7) What precaution must be taken with regard to the flour used in the

mixing of cakes?

(8) How thick should the dough be rolled for: (a) cookies? (b) ginger

snaps?

(9) Describe the baking of cookies.

(10) Describe the frying of doughnuts and crullers.

(11) Describe a method of removing the excess fat from the surface of

doughnuts after they are fried.

(12) By what methods may puddings be cooked?

(13) With what kind of meal and during what kind of weather should

heavy, rich pudding be served?

(J4) Of what value are pudding sauces?

(15) (a) Describe the method of steaming pudding. (b) How may the

surface of steamed puddings be made dry?

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PASTRIES AND PIES

* * * * *

REQUIREMENTS FOR PASTRY AND PIE MAKING

NATURE OF PASTRIES AND PIES

1. Pastry is a shortened dough that is made of flour, water, salt, and

fat and used in the preparation of desserts. Chief among these deserts

are pies. These are made by baking foods between two crusts of pastry or

with a single crust, which may be an upper or a lower one. Originally

pies were not intended for desserts. Rather, they were used as the main

dish of the meal, as they contained a filling of meat or fish and

vegetables. Such pies are still made, but they are not usually the ones

intended when pastry for pies is mentioned. It should therefore be

understood that the pastry considered in this Section is that which is

used with sweet fillings and employed particularly in the making of pies

and similar foods that are used for desserts.

Some cooks, especially the French ones, regard as pastry such foods as

certain small cakes, the paste used for cream puffs and eclairs, and the

sweetened breads made with yeast, such as brioche. In reality, such

desserts resemble cakes in use more than they do pastry, and for this

reason are discussed in connection with them.

2. Pastry desserts may be made in various fancy shapes for individual

servings or in pies that will serve five or six persons. Pies having one

crust usually contain a filling that consists of a custard mixture, a

mixture thickened with corn starch or flour, or occasionally a fruit

mixture. Some pies also have a top crust covering the filling, and when

this is the case a fruit filling, either fresh or cooked, is the kind

that is generally used.

3. Because of the nature of the materials used in the preparation of

pastry desserts, the finished product is necessarily high in food

value. For instance, starchy material is provided by the flour, fat by

the shortening, and sugar in comparatively large amounts by the filling,

whether it be fruit of some kind or a material resembling custard. This

fact, rather than the taste or the appetite, should aid in determining

whether or not pastry desserts should be included in a meal. While the

popularity of such desserts causes them to be used somewhat

indiscriminately, their use should always be governed by the nature of

the rest of the meal. Thus, if the other dishes served provide enough

food value, then a dessert lighter than pie should be chosen; but if the

rest of the meal is not sufficiently high in this respect, a wholesome

pastry dessert will generally prove to be a wise selection.

4. It is true, of course, that every person must determine for himself

whether or not pastry desserts are wholesome enough to be eaten by him.

Indigestion is almost sure to result from heavy, soggy, imperfectly

baked pastry, because the quantities of fat it contains may be slow to

digest and much of the starchy material may be imperfectly cooked.

Consequently, it is often not the pie itself but the way in which it is

made that is responsible for the bad reputation that this very

attractive dessert has acquired. If the correct method of making pastry

and pies is followed and the ingredients are handled properly in the

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making, the digestibility of the finished product need give the

housewife very little concern. As a rule, a little experience is needed

in order that good results in the making of pastry dishes may be

attained, but one who becomes efficient in the other phases of cookery

should have no difficulty with foods of this kind.

5. Detailed instructions regarding the making of pastry desserts are

given throughout this Section, but if the greatest degree of success is

to be attained, it will be well from the very beginning to understand a

few general rules that apply to this work. In the first place, the

ingredients must be of the right sort and as cold as possible; then they

must be handled and combined with dexterity; and, finally, a hot oven

must be provided in order that these foods may be properly baked.

INGREDIENTS USED FOR PASTRY

6. The ingredients used in pastry making are neither numerous nor

complicated, usually including only flour, salt, shortening, and liquid.

If these are correctly combined, they will be all that is required to

make a pastry that is light, flaky, and crisp. Occasionally a recipe

requiring baking powder will be found and sometimes eggs are called for

in mixtures of this kind, but neither of these ingredients is required

for successful pastry making. Baking powder may be an advantage when it

is used by one who is not experienced in the handling of pastry

mixtures, for it helps to make pastry lighter. However, only a small

quantity of this ingredient should be used, as a very little will bring

about the desired result.

7. FLOUR FOR PASTRY.--Pastry flour is the most desirable for pastry

making. It is made from winter wheat, which, as has already been

explained, contains less gluten and therefore lacks the gummy

consistency of bread flour. For puff paste, which is prepared so as to

hold air between thin layers of pastry, bread flour is often used

because it retains air better. Flours made of other cereals may also be

used. Pastry made of such flours is more difficult to handle, but good

results may be obtained if patience and care are exercised. When corn

flour, rice flour, and barley flour are used as part of the flour for

pastry, it will be found that less shortening is needed than when wheat

flour alone is used. The dark flours, such as barley, produce a pastry

that is dark in color, but this is no particular disadvantage so long as

the quality is not impaired.

No matter what kind of flour is used for the pastry, it should be as dry

as possible. At times, putting the flour in a warm oven and allowing it

to dry will prove to be advantageous. However, flour so treated should

be cooled before it is used, since the cooler the ingredients are the

better will be the pastry.

Cereal products of different kinds, such as corn meal, for instance, may

be moistened, spread into pans in thin layers, and then baked. The

shells thus produced may be filled with various kinds of filling and

used very successfully. Such shells, however, can scarcely be considered

as real pastry.

8. SHORTENING FOR PASTRY.--A solid fat, that is, one that will remain

solid at ordinary room temperature, is the best shortening for pastry

making. Oils of various kinds may be used, but in most cases the results

are not so successful. If pastry is to have the desired flakiness, the

shortening must not be broken into such minute particles and the flour

must not be saturated with fat, as is more likely to be the case if oil

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is used in place of solid fat. In addition to being solid, the fat

should be just as cold as possible.

Butter is the fat that is used for puff paste, but for other varieties

of pastry almost any desirable fat may be utilized. Lard has always been

a particular favorite for pastry making; still, for ordinary pastry

making, there are various combinations of fat of both animal and

vegetable origin which serve the purpose.

Certain fats left over from various cooking processes in the home can be

utilized to advantage in the making of pastry. Chicken fat is a very

satisfactory one. A mixture of lard and tried-out beef suet also makes

an ideal fat for pastry, the hard flakiness of the suet being

particularly desirable. In fact, almost any fat without a disagreeable

odor or flavor may be used as all or part of the fat required. As has

already been learned, fats may be clarified and freed of their odor by

first heating them and then allowing a few slices of raw potato to

become hot in them.

9. LIQUID FOR PASTRY.--Water is the only liquid used in pastry making.

Water in which small pieces of ice are allowed to melt is especially

desirable for this purpose, but if ice cannot be obtained, the water

used should be as cold as possible.

10. PROPORTION OF INGREDIENTS.--The proportion of ingredients for the

making of pastry varies with the kinds of flour used and the kinds of

pastry desired. Some varieties can be made with a comparatively small

amount of fat, while others require a large amount. The use to which the

paste is to be put will determine the proportion of fat to be used. It

varies from the minimum amount of one-sixth as much fat as flour, by

measure, or one-third, by weight, which is the proportion for economy

paste, to one-half, by measure, or an equal amount by weight, which is

the proportion used in the making of puff paste. For the ordinary

preparation of pies, an amount midway between the two extremes is

usually sufficient, while oftentimes less may be used to advantage. It

should be remembered that fat is the most expensive ingredient in pastry

making and should be used with discretion.

11. The amount of liquid in proportion to the amount of flour is about

one-fourth, by measure, for, as is explained in Hot Breads, pie crust

is an example of a stiff dough, and such dough requires four times as

much flour as liquid. However, liquid should be added to the other

ingredients until the correct consistency is obtained, regardless of the

quantity used. The consistency is not right until the flour and the fat

cling together in such a way that the mixture may be rolled out to form

the crust for a pie. The less liquid used to accomplish this condition,

the flakier will be the crust when it is baked. More skill is required

in the handling of pastry when the smallest amount of water that can

possibly be used is added, but the results achieved usually justify the

care that is taken.

UTENSILS FOR PASTRY MAKING

12. The utensils needed for pastry making are few in number and simple

in use. They consist of a mixing bowl, two case knives, a spatula, a

rolling pin, a flour sieve, two measuring cups, two measuring spoons,

and pie tins.

13. A bowl of any description may be used for the mixing, the usual

cake-making bowl being very satisfactory. As the illustration shows,

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this utensil should have a round bottom, as the ingredients may be kept

together better in such a bowl than in a pan of another kind. The two

case knives are needed for mixing the ingredients in the bowl, and the

spatula is used in handling the paste. The rolling pin, which is used

for rolling out the dough to the required thickness, may be made of any

material, but it should be one that will revolve while the handles

remain stationary. With such a utensil it is possible to procure a

lighter touch than with one that has fixed handles. The flour sieve is

an absolute necessity, because the flour for pastry must be made as

light as possible by sifting. One of the measuring cups is needed for

the flour, or dry ingredient, and the other for the water, or wet

ingredient. The two measuring spoons, which should be of different

sizes, are used for measuring the salt and the shortening.

The kind of pans to use for pies depends largely on the opinion of the

person making the pies. Ordinary tin pans will answer the purpose, but

aluminum, baking-glass, or earthenware pans will prove to be more

satisfactory because they retain the heat longer than do pans made of

other materials. If desired, enamelware pans may be used, but this

material chips easily and consequently is not very satisfactory.

The enamel top of a pastry table or the zinc-covered or vitrolite top of

a kitchen cabinet will be satisfactory for the rolling out of the

pastry, as will also a hardwood molding board. Whichever one of these is

used should, of course, be perfectly clean and dry.

* * * * *

PASTRY AND PIE MAKING

METHODS OF MIXING PASTRY

14. Several methods of mixing the ingredients used in pastry are

followed, each one producing a different effect in the finished product.

The method employed in the making of plain pastry, such as is commonly

used for pies, consists in first mixing the shortening and the flour and

then adding the liquid.

Another method is adopted for pastries that are intended to be somewhat

flakier and of a little better quality than plain pastry. In this

method, half of the fat is mixed with the flour and the water is then

added to the mixture. With this done, the dough that is formed is rolled

out, the remaining fat placed on it, and the pastry then folded and

rolled repeatedly in such a way as to incorporate all the fat.

Still another method is followed when puff paste or fancy pastry dishes

are desired. Only a very small quantity of fat is mixed with the flour

or flour alone is prepared. Water is then added and the mixture is

kneaded until it becomes smooth and elastic. When the kneading is done,

the dough is rolled out in a certain shape, the fat is placed on it,

and, after it is folded over the fat, it is put through a series of

foldings and rollings until all the fat is incorporated.

The first and the third of these methods are explained and illustrated

here in detail, so that the housewife ought not have any difficulty in

producing splendid results. As the second method is practically a

combination of the other two, familiarity with them will insure

success with it.

Pastry ingredients may be mixed by methods that differ from the three

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just mentioned. One of these is illustrated in the method given later

for the making of easy pastry. This seems to be a complete reversal of

the rules observed in making pastry in the usual ways. The water is hot

and the fat is melted in it. The flour is added to the liquid and the

fat instead of the liquid being added to the flour and the fat. In spite

of the fact that all this appears to be contrary, the results obtained

by this method are satisfactory.

* * * * *

PASTRY FOR PIES

MAKING AND BAKING

15. PROCEDURE IN MAKING PLAIN PASTRY.--The first step in the making of

plain pastry consists in sifting the flour with the salt into the mixing

bowl. After this has been done, the fat should be worked into the flour,

an operation that may be accomplished in three ways.

The method most commonly adopted is to work in the fat with the fingers;

but this plan has its disadvantages in that it is not a very agreeable

way and the fat becomes so warmed by the higher temperature of the

fingers that it is liable to impair the finished product.

Again, some persons mix the fat with the flour by means of a fork, using

this utensil to crush the lumps of fat against the sides of the bowl.

By far the most satisfactory method and the one that produces the best

is to put the required amount of fat into the bowl containing the flour

and the salt, and then, with two knives, as shown, cut the fat into the

flour until the particles of fat are about the size of a small pea. As

can readily be seen, this method, which is perhaps as speedy as any

method that may be adopted, has the advantage of being entirely

sanitary.

16. The next step is that of adding the liquid to the mixture of flour

and fat. Heap the particles up in the center of the bowl, make a

depression in the mixture, and pour the water into this in a thin

stream, stirring the mixture all the time with a knife or a spatula. Be

careful to add just enough water to make the mass of fat and flour

barely cling together. As soon as the water has been added, gather the

mixture into a mass preparatory to rolling it out on the board.

17. At this point, flour the molding board or other surface slightly,

shape enough of the dough mixture to cover a pie pan into a rounded

mass, and place it on the floured space. Then roll it out with the

rolling pin until it is about 1/8 inch in thickness, using a light,

careful motion and keeping the piece of dough as nearly round as

possible, so that it will fit the pan it is intended to cover.

When the rolling has been completed, roll the edge of the pastry over

the rolling pin, hold it carefully over the pie pan, and unroll it

gradually so that it will fall in the right place and cover the pan

properly. With the paste in the pan, press it lightly with the fingers

in order to make it cling closely to the bottom and the sides. Then

trim the paste evenly by running a knife around the edge of the pan.

When this is done, the pan is properly covered with paste for a onecrust

pie or with the bottom crust for a pie that is to have two crusts.

18. In case a one-crust pie is to be made, the kind of filling to be

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used determines whether the crust should be baked first or not. For pies

that require comparatively long baking, such as pumpkin pie, for

instance, the raw crust is filled with the mixture and the two, crust

and mixture, are then baked in the oven together. However, if the

filling is one that does not require baking for any length of time, that

is, time sufficient to bake the pastry, or if the filling requires a

temperature that would be too low to bake the pastry, the crust should

be baked first. In such an event, it is necessary to prick very

thoroughly the bottom and the sides of the crust with a fork, so that

the air that is confined in the pastry will not make bubbles by pushing

the pastry up as it expands in baking. A perforated pie tin is an

advantage in the baking of shells or single-crust pies, for it prevents

the air from becoming confined between the pan and the crust and

producing air spaces that would cause blisters to form as the pie is

baked. If desired, the crust may be placed over the back of the pan and

baked, thus forming a shell that may be filled with a cooked filling

and served.

19. When a double-crust pie is to be made, place the filling, which is

usually fruit, on the bottom crust, but do not prick the crust in the

manner just described. With this done, roll out the top crust and, as

shown in Fig. 8, mark it with a knife in any design. The design serves

as an outlet for the steam that generally forms inside of the pie as the

filling cooks; if no provision is made for the steam to pass out, it

will push up the crust and thus spoil the appearance of the pie. Next

moisten the edge of the lower crust with a little water, putting it on

with the finger. Then carefully pick up the marked crust, place it over

the filling, and press it down so that the edges of the bottom and the

top crust cling together well. In applying the top crust, be careful

not to stretch it. If it is put on loosely and pressed down on the edge

of the lower crust without being pulled, the contents will not be so

apt to cook out of the pie. Trim off the uneven edge with a knife and

finish the edges of the top and bottom crusts in any desired way. This

may be done by fluting the edge with the fingers or making marks with

the tines of a fork. When this has been completed, the pie is ready to

bake.

20. BAKING THE PLAIN-PASTRY MIXTURE.--As soon as the pie or other pastry

dessert has been prepared, the next step is to bake it. To produce the

best results, the pastry should be baked as quickly as possible;

consequently, a hot oven is necessary. The baking can be accomplished

most successfully in the case of a single crust baked without the

filling or a pie containing a mixture that does not require long

cooking. Otherwise, the temperature must be sufficiently low to cook the

filling so that it will be palatable, and for this reason the pastry is

not baked under entirely ideal conditions. The correct temperature for

most pastry is from 500 to 600 degrees; that is, the oven should be just

about as hot as it can be made. The length of time required for the

baking depends entirely on the heat of the oven and the contents of the

pie. It should be remembered, however, that to be properly baked, the

crust should be neither burned nor pale looking when taken from the

oven, but should be a golden brown.

21. When the filling of the pie does not require so much baking as the

crust, it is well to bake the crust partly before putting the filling

in. This is particularly advisable in the case of custard pie, for the

custard is put in as an uncooked mixture and requires the low

temperature necessary for solidifying eggs without causing them to curd.

On the other hand, pies containing certain kinds of filling must be

baked slowly. When this condition exists, it is advisable to start the

baking in a very hot oven, so that the crusts will have the benefit of

152 / 173

the high temperature. Then the heat should be gradually reduced until

the filling will cook and the crust will not burn.

22. Often, especially in the baking of fresh berry or cherry pie, the

juice that forms inside the pie cooks out. This is a condition that must

be overcome if satisfactory pies are to be the result. Various means of

preventing it have been suggested, but one of the successful ones

consists in rolling a small piece of paper into a funnel shape, leaving

both ends open, and inserting the small end in one of the openings in

the top crust. This arrangement provides a vent for the steam, and so

the juice is less likely to cook out of the crust while the pie

is baking.

UTILIZING LEFT-OVER PASTRY

23. In making pies, it is well to mix only the quantity of paste that is

desired for the number of pies to be made. Usually, 1-1/2 cupfuls of

flour will make sufficient paste for one double-crust pie, provided the

pan in which it is made is not too large. In case it is necessary to

make fresh pie on two consecutive days, a good plan is to make at one

time enough paste for both days, for what remains after the first pie is

made may be allowed to stand in the refrigerator or some other cool

place. Then it may be rolled out on the second day and used in exactly

the same way as on the first. However, it is a rather difficult matter

to make the exact amount of paste for the pies needed. If nothing more

remains, there are usually small scraps left over from the trimming of

the edge. These should by all means be put to some good use, for the

material is equally as good as that which has been used in the pie and

there is no reason why it should be wasted.

24. TARTS.-A very good way in which to utilize these scraps is to make

tarts of various kinds and shapes out of them. There are a number of

attractive ways in which jam, jelly, marmalade, fruit butter, fresh

fruits, apple sauce, stewed prunes, or other cooked or canned fruit may

be utilized for the making of tarts. These little pastry desserts are

the delight of children, most of whom may be permitted occasionally to

eat such a satisfactory delicacy.

25. Before attempting to use the pastry scraps, work them together with

the hands. Then roll the piece out with the rolling pin until it is the

required thickness and cut it out in the shape desired. To make a simple

variety of tart, cut two rounds of the paste with a cooky cutter. In one

of these, whichever is to be used for the top, make three or four small

holes, using a thimble or some other small cutter. Bake these shapes in

the oven separately, and after baking spread the whole one with jelly or

jam and over this place the one containing the holes.

26. Another attractive way in which to make tarts is to cut rounds of

the paste, cover small pans with these rounds, and then bake them. Upon

taking them from the oven, remove them from the pans and fill them with

any desired filling in the form of stewed fruit, jam, custards, etc. If

canned or stewed fruit is used, cook it down until it is somewhat

thick. These little tarts are delicious when they have had a spoonful

of meringue baked on the fruit or are served with a spoonful of whipped

cream.

27. Still another variety of tart may be made with very little trouble.

Cut the rolled paste into pieces about 4 inches square, and, on a

triangular half of the square, place several spoonfuls of fruit with

additional sugar, if necessary, and add a little flour to thicken the

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juice that forms. Fold the other triangular half over the fruit to cover

it, turn the edges of the bottom half over the edges of the top, and

press them down to keep the fruit from running out. Set in the oven and

bake until the paste is brown and the filling of the tart is cooked.

28. SMALL PIES.--Sometimes there may be enough paste remaining to make

one crust for a small pie. In such an event, cover the pan with the

paste, add a fruit filling of some kind, such as cranberries, apple

sauce, marmalade, or fruit butter, and then, out of the scraps that

remain, cut several narrow strips and place them over the filling. Such

an arrangement makes an agreeable change in the appearance of

this dessert.

29. CHEESE STRAWS.--Small pieces of pastry that are left over may also

be used to make cheese straws, which are one of the accompaniments often

served with salads. To make them, roll grated cheese into the mixture

until it is well blended. Then roll out the paste until it is about 1/4

inch thick, cut into narrow strips of the desired length, and bake in

a hot oven.

* * * * *

RECIPES FOR PASTRY AND PIES

PASTRY

30. Several recipes for pastry that may be used in pie making are here

given. These recipes differ as regards the ingredients used and will

serve to offer variety in the making of pie crust. With the exception of

the recipe for easy pastry, the principles of pastry making already set

forth apply to all these recipes alike.

31. PLAIN PASTRY.--Pastry made according to the accompanying directions

is the kind that is most frequently used. It requires only a medium

amount of shortening, and wheat flour is used in its preparation. It is

very satisfactory for any kind of pie desired.

PLAIN PASTRY

1-1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

1/3 c. shortening

1/4 to 3/8 c. water

Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Chop the shortening into the

flour with knives. When the fat has been chopped into pieces the size

of a small pea, add sufficient cold water to make all the particles

adhere, mixing them together with a case knife. There should not be

enough water added to make the paste stick to either the bowl or the

knife. Divide the mass into halves and press each into a round piece

with the fingers. Flour the board slightly and roll out about 1/8 inch

thick for the pie crust.

32. ECONOMY PASTE.--When both wheat flour and fat must be saved, economy

paste should be tried. Barley flour is substituted for part of the wheat

flour, and this with the wheat makes an excellent combination.

ECONOMY PASTE

1 c. wheat flour

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1/2 c. barley flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 c. shortening

1/4 to 3/8 c. water

Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Chop in the shortening until

it is in particles about the size of a small pea. Add water until the

mass will cling together. Roll into sheets about 1/8 inch thick for

pie crust.

33. QUALITY PASTE.--The accompanying recipe gives directions for a very

good quality of paste. As will be noted, the lard, which is used for

part of the shortening, is added to the flour, and the butter, which

forms the other part, is worked into the dough. If the directions here

given are carefully followed, excellent results can be expected.

QUALITY PASTE

2 c. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 c. lard

1/3 to 1/2 c. water

1/2 c. butter

Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Add the lard and chop very

fine. Add enough water to make a stiff dough. This will require just a

little more water than the pastes previously given. Roll the paste in a

rectangular form, spread the butter evenly over the paste, and fold so

as to make three layers. Turn half way round and roll out so as to make

a rectangle in the opposite direction. Fold, turn, and roll in this way

four times, handling the rolling pin and paste as lightly as possible.

Use to cover the pan and bake in a quick oven.

34. SOUR-CREAM PASTRY.--A slightly different kind of pastry can be made

by using sour cream for the liquid and adding a small quantity of soda

to neutralize the acid in the cream. Besides providing a means of using

up cream that has become sour, this recipe makes a pastry that appeals

to most persons.

SOUR-CREAM PASTRY

1 1/4 c. flour

1/3 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. soda

3 Tb. shortening

1/4 to 3/4 c. thick sour cream

Sift the flour, salt, and soda together in a mixing bowl. Chop in the

shortening and add the cream. Knead the paste slightly and after taking

it out on the board, divide it into halves. Proceed in the usual manner

for making pastry.

35. EASY PASTRY.--A departure from the usual kind of pastry is easy

pastry, directions for which are given in the accompanying recipe. It is

more moist and a little more difficult to handle than pastry made in the

usual way; consequently, it is more ideal for single-crust pies than for

double-crust ones. Besides being easy to make, pastry of this kind will

stand a great deal more handling without injury than any other kind. It

may be placed on the pan and patted out where it seems too thick or

patched where it pulls apart. The amounts given here will make one

double-crust pie or two single-crust pies of medium size.

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EASY PASTRY

1/2 c. fat

1/4 c. boiling water

1 3/4 c. flour

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

Measure the fat into a mixing bowl, pour the boiling water over it, and

stir until all the fat is softened and melted. Sift together the flour,

baking powder, and salt, and stir into the water and fat. Divide into

two portions and roll for crusts. If the crusts are to be baked before

they are filled, prick them well with a fork to prevent the formation

of bubbles.

DOUBLE-CRUST PIES

36. As has already been learned, double-crust pies are pies that have

both a bottom and a top crust and contain a filling of some kind. The

amounts given in the recipes for pastry are sufficient to make the two

crusts required for pies of this kind. Any of these recipes may be

followed, depending on the variety of pastry desired.

37. APPLE PIE NO. 1.--To make the best possible apple pie, tart apples

should be used, for besides giving a good flavor they cook soft inside

the pie much more readily than do apples that are more nearly sweet. If

sour apples cannot be obtained, lemon juice sprinkled over the apples

after they are placed in the crust will help to make them tender. The

amount of lemon juice depends, of course, on the sourness of the apples.

Any desirable spices may be used for flavoring, cinnamon and nutmeg

being the most popular ones. If the apples are very juicy, a little

flour mixed with the sugar and sprinkled over them will help to thicken

the juice, but usually this is not necessary. A little butter dotted

over the apples before the top crust is put on also helps to improve

the flavor.

For pie, the apples may be cut in as large or as small pieces as

desired. However, it is best to cut them into thick slices or about

sixteenths, that is, to cut each quarter into four pieces.

APPLE PIE No. 1

1 qt. apples

1/2 to 3/4 c. sugar

Salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon or 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Lemon juice

After the pan has been covered with the paste, peel the apples, cut them

into pieces of the desired size, and place them into the paste in

sufficient quantity to heap the pan. In the process of cooking, there

will be a certain amount of shrinkage caused by the apple juice filling

in the spaces as the apples cook and soften; therefore, in order to have

a pie thick enough when it is baked, the apples must be heaped in the

pan before baking. Sprinkle the apples with the sugar, to which has been

added the nutmeg or the cinnamon. Sprinkle lightly with salt, add 1

teaspoonful of lemon juice, and, if the apples seem dry, a few

tablespoonfuls of water. Dot with butter, wet the edges of the under

crust, and place the top crust in position. Bake for about 45 minutes in

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a moderate oven.

38. APPLE PIE NO. 2.--Another variety of apple pie is made by cooking

the apples, putting them between crusts, and then baking the whole. This

pie does not require so much time in the oven, but it needs a hot oven.

It has a somewhat richer flavor than the preceding pie, due to the brown

sugar used in making it.

APPLE PIE No. 2

Apples

1/3 c. water

2/3 c. brown sugar

Cinnamon

Prepare the required number of apples for one pie, place in a baking

dish with the water and brown sugar, and bake in the oven until the

apples are tender and the water has sufficiently evaporated. This should

be done in a slow oven, so as not to burn the apples and to give them

rather long cooking. Remove from the oven, place on the lower crust,

sprinkle with cinnamon, and cover with the upper crust. Bake in a hot

oven until the crusts are sufficiently baked and brown.

39. BERRY PIE.--Blackberries, blueberries or huckleberries, and red and

black raspberries may be used for pie in the same way by merely varying

the amount of sugar with the sourness of the berries. For instance,

blackberries will probably require a little more sugar than raspberries,

while blueberries will require the least.

BERRY PIE

3 to 4 c. berries

1/2 to 3/4 c. sugar

3 Tb. flour

Pinch of salt

Look the berries over carefully and remove any spoiled ones, leaves, and

stems. Wash thoroughly and fill the lower crust. Add the sugar mixed

with the flour and salt. Cover with the top crust and bake for about 30

minutes in a moderately hot oven.

40. CHERRY PIE.--Both sweet and sour cherries may be used for making

pie, but sour cherries are by far the more desirable. Their only

disadvantage is that they require a rather large amount of sugar.

Cherries used for pies should always be seeded. Canned cherries may be

used for this purpose as well as fresh ones, but they are not so

delicious. The proportion of sugar used for making cherry pie will, of

course, need to be varied according to the sourness of the

cherries used.

CHERRY PIE

4 c. seeded cherries

1 1/4 c. sugar

4 Tb. flour

Pinch of salt

Fill the lower crust of the pie with the cherries. Mix the sugar, flour,

and salt and sprinkle over the top. Moisten the edge of the lower crust,

place the top crust in position, and bake in a moderately hot oven for

about 30 or 35 minutes.

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41. PEACH PIE.--Fresh peaches make a very delicious pie. Canned peaches

may be used as well, but they do not make so good a pie. Less sugar will

be needed if canned peaches are used instead of fresh ones because they

are usually canned with sugar. Clingstone peaches may be used rather

advantageously for making pie because the fact that they cannot be cut

from the stones in uniform pieces makes less difference for pie than

for serving in almost any other way.

PEACH PIE

1 qt. sliced peaches

3/4 c. sugar

Pinch of salt

3 Tb. flour

Fill the lower crust with the sliced peaches and sprinkle with the

sugar, salt, and flour, which have been previously mixed. Moisten the

edge of the lower crust, cover with the top crust, and bake in a

moderately hot oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Peach pie served hot with

whipped cream makes a very delicious dessert.

42. THICKENING JUICY FRUITS FOR PIES.--When particularly juicy fruit,

such as berries, cherries, peaches, etc., is used for pie, flour or

other starchy material must necessarily be used to thicken the juice and

thus prevent it from running out when the pie is served. If the fruit is

very sour, a proportionately larger quantity of flour will be necessary.

This is due to the fact that the acid of the fruit reduces the starch in

the flour to dextrine, and this form of carbohydrate does not have so

much thickening power as the starch in its original form had.

The same thing takes place when browned flour is used in making sauce or

gravy. As experience will prove, browned flour must be used in greater

quantity than white flour or a thinner sauce will be the result. The

browned flour and the flour cooked with the acid of fruits are similar

so far as their thickening power is concerned, for the one is reduced to

dextrine by the application of dry heat or hot fat and the other by

moist heat and the presence of acid.

43. RHUBARB PIE.--Rhubarb is practically the first fresh material for

pie that can be purchased in the spring and is therefore very much

appreciated. The most popular form in which it is served is probably in

pie. It requires considerable sugar in order to make it palatable and

should be thickened with starchy material so that it will not be too

juicy when it is served.

RHUBARB PIE

1 qt. rhubarb

1-1/2 c. sugar

2 Tb. corn starch

Pinch of salt

Cut the rhubarb into inch lengths without removing the skin and place in

the lower crust. Mix the sugar, corn starch, and salt, and sprinkle over

the top. Cover with a top crust and bake in a moderately hot oven for

about 35 minutes. If desired, some lemon rind may be grated into the pie

to give additional flavor.

44. MINCE PIE.--Mince meat, which is much used for pies during the fall

and winter season, is a concoction that finds favor with most people. It

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may be comparatively simple or it may contain a large variety of

ingredients, and in accordance with this variation it may be cheap or

expensive. However, the ingredients generally used in this mixture are

apples, dried fruits, sugar, molasses, cider, and chopped beef and suet.

Other fruits, such as quinces, oranges, and citron, and various spices

are also often used for flavoring. The cheaper cuts of meat, such as the

neck, shoulder, brisket, etc., are suitable for this purpose, because

the meat is ground so fine in making the mince meat that the fact that

it was at all tough can be very readily concealed. Such expensive

material as citron can be omitted altogether if desired and greater

quantities of apples, which are the cheapest ingredient, used. A slight

variation in the ingredients does not make any material difference in

this mixture and the recipes given are submitted merely as a basis from

which to work. If used just as they are given, they will be found to be

excellent; but if it is necessary to practice greater economy or if it

is not possible to secure all the ingredients called for, they may be

varied to suit conditions. The juice from pickled fruits, jelly, or the

juice from preserves or canned cherries may be used in any desired

proportion in the making of mince meat to replace some of the cider.

45. Mince pie is most palatable when served warm, but it is entirely

permissible to make several pies at a time and then warm them in the

oven before serving. In this way they may be kept over for several days.

Pie of this kind made with the usual ingredients is a heavy dessert, for

it contains a certain amount of protein material and is high in fat and

carbohydrate. This fact should be taken into consideration in meal

planning, so that the dessert may balance properly with the other food.

MINCE PIE

4 lb. beef

15 medium-size apples

4 quinces, chopped

1/2 lb. citron

3 lb. raisins, seeded

6 oranges

2 c. suet

1 lb. sugar

1 c. vinegar

3 c. cider

1-1/2 c. molasses

2 Tb. cinnamon

2 tsp. cloves

2 tsp. nutmeg

Let the beef simmer in sufficient water to cover it well until it is

tender, and then allow it to cool in the water in which it was cooked.

This broth may be used as part of the liquid in the mince meat if

desired. Chop the meat very fine with a chopping knife and bowl or put

it through a food chopper. Chop the apples and quinces, cut the citron,

and wash the raisins. Squeeze the juice from the oranges and grate the

rinds. Force the suet through a food chopper or chop it with a chopping

knife. Mix all these ingredients, add the sugar, liquids, and spices,

and place in a large vessel. Simmer slowly for 1 hour. Stir frequently

to prevent scorching. If the mince meat is cooked in the oven, it is

less likely to scorch. Seal in fruit jars the same as for canned fruit

and store for future use.

To bake mince pie, fill the lower crust with the mince-meat mixture,

place the upper crust in position, and put the pie into a hot oven.

Gradually reduce the heat, baking the pie for about 45 minutes.

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46. MOCK MINCE PIE.--If a slightly more economical mince pie than the

preceding one is desired, the recipe here given for mock mince pie may

be followed. The various ingredients in the quantities mentioned will

make enough for four or five pies of regular size. To make up more than

this is not advisable because the material will not keep so well, nor is

it intended to be stored for future use.

MOCK MINCE PIE

2 c. suet

8 apples

8 crackers

1 c. sugar

1 c. molasses

1-1/2 c. corn sirup

2 c. cider

1/2 c. vinegar

1 lb. raisins

1 Tb. cinnamon

1 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. salt

Force the suet and apples through a food chopper or chop them in a

chopping bowl. Crush the crackers with a rolling pin and add them. Add

the sugar, molasses, corn sirup, cider, vinegar, raisins, spices, and

salt. Cook together very slowly for about 1 hour, stirring to prevent

burning. If more liquid is required, add cider or some other fruit

juice, or, if these are not available, add plain water. Fill the lower

crust of the pie with this mixture, cover with the top crust, and start

baking in a hot oven, gradually lowering the temperature and continuing

to bake for 40 to 50 minutes.

47. MOCK CHERRY PIE.--A pie that closely resembles cherry pie in both

flavor and appearance may be had by combining cranberries and raisins.

This is an excellent substitute for cherry pie and may be made at times

when fresh cherries cannot be obtained and canned cherries are not

in supply.

MOCK CHERRY PIE

2 c. cranberries

3/4 c. sultana raisins

3/4 c. water

1 c. sugar

2 Tb. flour

1 Tb. butter

Wash the cranberries and cut them in half. Wash the raisins and mix them

with the cranberries. Add the water and cook until the fruit is soft.

Mix the sugar, flour, and butter and add to the mixture. Cook until the

flour thickens, place the mixture in the lower crust, cover with a top

crust, and bake in a hot oven until nicely browned.

48. DRIED-FRUIT PIES.--Dried fruits may be used very successfully for

pies if they are properly prepared. At any time that it is impossible to

obtain fresh fruits and no fruits have been canned for pie making, dried

fruits will prove to be very satisfactory. Dried apples, apricots,

peaches, prunes, and raisins make delicious pies. With the exception of

raisins, for which a special recipe is given, the same directions may be

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used for any of the pies made with dried fruits.

Look the fruit over carefully, wash, and put in sufficient warm water to

cover. Soak overnight. Put to cook in the water in which the fruit has

been soaked and simmer slowly until tender. Sweeten to taste. The

filling is then ready for a pie. Fill the lower crust with the stewed

fruit, add about 2 tablespoonfuls of flour, unless a large quantity of

juice is used, when more flour will be necessary, cover with a top

crust, and bake in a hot oven.

49. RAISIN PIE.--Pie in which raisins are used for the filling is one

that may be made at any season of the year and that finds favor with

most persons. In pie of this kind, spices are used to add flavor.

RAISIN PIE

1-1/2 c. raisins

2 c. water

1/2 c. sugar

4 Tb. flour

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cloves

1/4 tsp. salt

Clean the raisins and soak them overnight in the water. Put to cook in

the same water and simmer gently until tender. Mix the sugar, flour,

spices, and salt and add to the raisins. Cook until the mixture is

thick, fill the lower crust of a pie, cover with the top crust, and bake

in a hot oven.

ONE-CRUST PIES

50. Many varieties of pies are made with only one crust, and these

usually prove more attractive than those having two crusts. As a rule,

the filling is a custard or a corn-starch mixture, but often fruits of

various kinds, as well as pumpkin and squash, are used in the making of

pies of this kind. Frequently, meringue is used as a covering for

one-crust pies; or, if an especially delicious dessert is desired, a

thick layer of stiffly beaten and sweetened whipped cream is often added

to the pie just before serving. Again, a partly open pie is sometimes

made, this being done by putting strips or pieces of paste over the

filling before the pie is baked. Individual pies of this kind are

attractive for special occasions and may be made to advantage if small

pie pans are in supply.

The crust for one-crust pies is often placed over the back of the pan

and baked. It is then removed, filled with the desired filling, and

returned to the oven to complete the baking. Whether the lower crust

should not be baked or should be partly or entirely baked before the

filling is put into it depends on the character of the filling and the

degree of temperature required to cook it.

51. MERINGUE FOR ONE-CRUST PIES.--Since meringue is often used as a

garnish for one-crust pies, the housewife should understand its nature

and the proper procedure in its making. When it is correctly made and

properly baked, it is very attractive and improves the appearance of the

dessert, but failure in these respects is likely to result in a tough,

shrunken meringue, which had better be omitted, as it detracts from the

appearance of the pie and is not agreeable to the taste.

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If an attractive, appetizing meringue is to be the result, the eggs that

are used must be in good condition and very cold; also, they must be

properly beaten so that there will be no loss of air in manipulating the

whites when they are placed on top of the pie mixture. The baking is

important, too, both the length of time the meringue remains in the oven

and the temperature to which it is subjected having a direct bearing on

the finished meringue.

52. To make meringue, first separate the whites from the yolks and

chill them thoroughly. Beat them with a fork or an egg whip until they

are almost stiff, that is, until they will hold their shape fairly well

but will drop from the fork or whip when it is raised. At this point,

begin to add the sugar, which, if possible, should be either

confectioner's or pulverized, although granulated sugar may be used if

the others cannot be obtained. Add the sugar slowly and continue the

beating until all of it has been incorporated. The meringue is then

ready to place on the filling. It should be remembered that the filling

must be partly or entirely cooked before the meringue is applied, so

that when the pie is returned to the oven nothing but the meringue will

require cooking.

53. The manner in which meringue is placed on pie has much to do with

the appearance of the pie. If it is spread on the filling in an even

layer, the pie will invariably look stiff and unattractive. By far the

better way is to drop it by spoonfuls roughly over the top of the

filling, or first to spread a thin layer over the top in order to cover

the entire surface and then to drop the remainder of the meringue over

this by spoonfuls. Or, it may be forced through a pastry tube into

rosettes or frills of any preferred design. The advantage of applying it

unevenly rather than in a thin layer is that the rough surface will

brown where the spots are high and the depressions will be a lighter

brown or white. When the pie has been covered with meringue, set it in a

moderate oven and let it bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until it is

properly browned. By no means allow the meringue to remain in the oven

longer than this, for as soon as the baking is completed, it will

immediately begin to shrink and toughen.

MERINGUE FOR PIES

2 egg whites

2 Tb. pulverized or granulated sugar

Vanilla or lemon juice

Beat the egg whites according to the directions given, add the sugar

slowly, and continue the beating. Then add the flavoring. Cover the

filling, place in a moderate oven, and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

54. BUTTERSCOTCH PIE.--A sweet dessert that is usually a favorite may be

had by making butterscotch pie. The necessary ingredients for this kind

of pie are few and simple. When served with whipped cream in place of

meringue, it makes a very rich and delicious dessert.

BUTTERSCOTCH PIE

1 c. brown sugar

1/3 c. corn starch

1/8 tsp. salt

1 c. water, boiling

1-1/2 c. milk

2 Tb. butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla

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Mix the sugar, corn starch, and salt, and add the boiling water to them.

Cook until the mixture has thickened and in the meantime heat the milk.

Stir in the butter, add the milk, and cook the entire mixture in a

double boiler for 15 minutes. Add the vanilla. Pour into the baked pie

crust, cover with meringue, and bake in a moderate oven, or cook without

the meringue, then cool and cover with whipped cream before serving.

55. CHOCOLATE PIE.--Chocolate corn-starch pudding or chocolate blanc

mange thickened with any starchy material and poured into a baked crust

makes chocolate pie. This may be made as strong with chocolate as

desired, but care should be taken not to make it too stiff or it will

be pasty.

CHOCOLATE PIE

2-1/2 c. milk

1 c. sugar

2/3 c. flour

1/8 tsp. salt

1-1/2 sq. bitter chocolate

1 egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Heat the milk to scalding in a double boiler. Mix the sugar, flour, and

salt and add to the milk. Cook over the flame until the flour has

thickened. Return to the double boiler and cook for 10 or 15 minutes

longer. Melt the chocolate over hot water and add to the mixture. Beat

the egg and add slowly to the mixture, remove from the fire, and add the

vanilla. Pour into a baked pie crust, cover with meringue, if desired,

and bake in a moderate oven for 10 to 15 minutes. If the meringue is

omitted, cool and cover with whipped cream just before serving.

56. COCONUT PIE.--The flavor of coconut added to an already delicious

corn-starch custard makes a pie that never fails to tempt the appetite

of every one. The crust for a pie of this kind should always be baked in

a deep pan.

COCONUT PIE

2 c. milk

1 c. coconut

2/3 c. sugar

1/3 c. corn starch

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Put the milk in a double boiler and steep the coconut in it until the

milk is hot. Mix the sugar, corn starch, and salt, add to the milk, and

cook directly over the flame until the mixture has thickened. Return to

the double boiler and cook for 10 or 15 minutes longer. Remove from the

heat, add the vanilla, and pour into a baked pie crust. Cover with

meringue, if desired.

57. CRANBERRY PIE.--Persons who are fond of cranberries are always

pleased when cranberry pie is served. As these berries are somewhat tart

in flavor, more sugar than is generally used for pie is needed. Before

the berries are put on to cook, they should be cleaned according to the

directions given in Fruit and Fruit Desserts.

CRANBERRY PIE

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1 qt. cranberries

1-1/2 c. water

2 c. sugar

Cook the cranberries and water in a closed vessel until the skins have

cracked and then add the sugar. Cook for a few minutes longer to allow

the sugar to dissolve. Pour into an unbaked pie crust and cover with

half-inch strips of paste placed over the top to form a lattice effect.

Place in a moderate oven and bake until the crust is nicely browned.

58. CREAM PIE.--The plain corn-starch custard mixture used for cream pie

may be flavored as desired. The combination of lemon and vanilla is

suggested here to give something a little unusual. If the pie is to be

eaten at once upon being made, a layer of sliced bananas or other fresh

fruit may be placed on the crust and the custard poured over it after

being cooked sufficiently not to affect the fruit. In such an event,

the meringue must be baked very quickly, or whipped cream may be used in

place of it. This pie may be made with one egg if desired.

CREAM PIE

2-1/2 c. milk

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. flour

1/8 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. lemon extract

Scald the milk in a double boiler. Mix the sugar, flour, and salt and

stir into the hot milk. Cook over the fire until the flour has

thickened. Place in a double boiler and cook for 10 or 15 minutes

longer. Beat the yolks of the eggs and add them to the mixture. Remove

from the heat, add the flavoring, and pour into the baked crust of a

pie. Make meringue of the whites of the eggs, cover the mixture, place

in a moderate oven, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

59. CUSTARD PIE.--Custard pie is made with the usual proportion of milk

and eggs necessary for thickening. A dash of nutmeg is considered to

improve the flavor and it also makes the surface of the pie a little

more attractive.

CUSTARD PIE

3 eggs

3 c. milk

3/4 c. sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

Beat the eggs slightly and add the milk, sugar, salt, and vanilla.

Partly bake the crust for the custard, but remove it from the oven

before it has begun to get crisp. Pour in the custard, place in a

moderate oven, and bake until a knife will come out clean when inserted.

The custard should by no means be overbaked, as the result will be the

same curding that occurs in an ordinary baked custard.

60. DATE CREAM PIE.--Using dates for pie is a rather unusual means of

adding them to the diet, but it is a very good one and produces an

excellent dessert. If desired, more of the date puree may be added to

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the mixture that is given in the recipe. The result will be a filling

that has more of the date flavor.

DATE CREAM PIE

1-1/2 c. stoned dates

1/2 c. water

2 eggs

2 c. milk

1/4 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

Steam the dates in the water in a double boiler until they are soft.

Rub through a sieve. Beat the eggs slightly and add them with the milk

to the dates. Add the sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Pour into a partly

baked pie crust, place in a moderate oven, and continue the baking as

for custard pie.

61. LEMON PIE NO. 1.--A plain lemon pie that is comparatively

inexpensive may be made by following the directions given here. More

eggs, of course, will make a better pie and they may be added if

desired. Grating the rind of the lemon adds flavor to the filling, but

too much will give a bitter taste. Lemon juice should never be cooked

with the corn starch, as the filling will gradually become thinner and

the starch will lose its value as a thickening agent.

LEMON PIE NO. 1

2 c. water

1 c. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/3 c. corn starch

2 eggs

1/4 c. lemon juice

Grated rind of 1 lemon

Bring the water to the boiling point. Mix the sugar, salt, and corn

starch and add to the water. Cook directly over the flame until the

mixture is thickened and then place in a double boiler. Separate the

eggs, beat the yolks, and to them add the lemon juice and the grated

rind of the lemon. Beat all well and add to the corn-starch mixture.

Remove from the fire and pour into the baked crust of a pie. Make

meringue of the egg whites and place on top of the filling. Brown in the

oven, cool, and serve.

62. LEMON PIE NO. 2.--The accompanying recipe is similar to lemon pie

No. 1, except that it contains some butter and in quantity is a larger

recipe. If more than one pie is desired at a time, it is easy to

multiply the quantities given.

LEMON PIE NO. 2

1-1/2 c. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

2/3 c. corn starch

3 c. water

2 eggs

Grated rind of 1 lemon

1/2 c. lemon juice

2 Tb. butter

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Mix the sugar, salt, and corn starch and add to the boiling water. Cook

directly over the flame until the mixture becomes thick. Then place in a

double boiler. Separate the eggs, beat the yolks, and add to them the

grated rind of lemon and the lemon juice. Stir all into the corn-starch

mixture. Add the butter, and when it has melted remove from the heat.

Pour the mixture into the baked crust of a pie. Make meringue of the egg

whites, cover the filling with the meringue, and bake in a moderate oven

until a delicate brown.

63. ORANGE PIE.--An orange pie is similar to a lemon pie, except that

orange juice, together with grated orange rind, is used to give flavor

and a little lemon juice is added for acidity. Pie of this kind makes a

pleasing change from the desserts usually served.

ORANGE PIE

2 c. water

1/2 c. corn starch

1 c. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

2 eggs

Grated rind of 1 orange

1/2 c. orange juice

2 Tb. lemon juice

Bring the water to the boiling point. Mix the corn starch, sugar, and

salt and add to the water. Cook directly over the flame until the corn

starch has thickened. Place in a double boiler. Separate the eggs, beat

the yolks, and to them add the grated rind of the orange and the orange

and lemon juice. Beat well and add to the corn-starch mixture. Remove

from the heat and pour into a baked crust of a pie. Make meringue of the

egg whites, cover the filling, and bake until a delicate brown in a

moderate oven.

64. PINEAPPLE PIE.--Nothing more delicious in the way of a one-crust pie

can be made than pineapple pie. It is similar to lemon pie, but differs

in that a certain amount of the fruit is used in the filling. Therefore,

unless the fruit is cut very fine, the pie will be difficult to cut.

PINEAPPLE PIE

1-1/2 c. water

1/2 c. corn starch

1 c. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 egg

1/2 c. pineapple juice

2 Tb. lemon juice

1 c. shredded or finely chopped pineapple

Bring the water to the boiling point. Mix the corn starch, sugar, and

salt and add to the boiling water. Cook directly over the flame until

the mixture has thickened. Separate the egg, beat the yolk, and add to

the pineapple and lemon juice. Stir this into the corn-starch mixture,

remove from the heat, and add the pineapple. Fill a baked crust of a

pie, make meringue of the egg white, cover the filling, and bake in a

moderate oven until delicately browned.

65. PUMPKIN PIE NO. 1.--There are very few persons with whom pumpkin pie

is not a favorite. While it is especially popular in the autumn, it may

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be made at any time of the year. Sometimes pumpkin is dried or canned in

the household or commercially for this purpose. Then, too, pumpkins may

be kept all winter if they are stored in a cool, dry place and are not

bruised when put away.

PUMPKIN PIE NO. 1

1-1/2 c. pumpkin

1 c. milk

1 egg

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cloves

1 Tb. corn starch

The preparation of the pumpkin is the first step in the making of

pumpkin pie. First chop the pumpkin into 3- or 4-inch pieces, remove the

seeds, and peel off the skin. Cut the peeled pulp into cubes about 1

inch square and cook with just enough water to start the cooking or

steam until the pumpkin is soft. When it has become soft, mash

thoroughly or force through a sieve, and then cook again, stirring

frequently to prevent the pumpkin from burning. Cook until as much water

as possible has been evaporated and the mass of pumpkin seems quite dry.

With the pumpkin prepared, mix the milk with it and add the beaten egg.

Stir in the sugar, salt, spices, and corn starch. Fill partly baked pie

crust with this mixture and bake in a moderate oven until the filling is

cooked thoroughly and the crust is baked.

66. PUMPKIN PIE NO. 2.--Pumpkin pie is in reality a form of custard to

which spice is added, but much of the original flavor of the pumpkin is

lost if too much spice is used. The finished product should not be dark

in color, but a golden brown. This dessert becomes much more delicious

by adding a layer of whipped cream to it just before serving.

PUMPKIN PIE NO. 2

2 c. pumpkin

1-1/2 c. milk

3 eggs

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Prepare the pumpkin as directed in Art. 65 and add the milk to it. Beat

the eggs and add to them the sugar, salt, and spices. Stir this into the

mixture. Fill partly baked pie crust and bake in a moderate oven until

the mixture is set and the crust is baked. Serve plain or spread a layer

of whipped cream over the pie when it has cooled.

67. SQUASH PIE.--Pie that is similar to pumpkin pie may be made by

using winter squash instead of pumpkin. It is somewhat finer in texture

than pumpkin, and most persons consider it to be superior in flavor.

When squash is desired for pies, it should be prepared in the same way

as pumpkin.

SQUASH PIE

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2 c. squash

1 c. milk

1 egg

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Mix the squash and milk and add the beaten egg, sugar, salt, and spices.

Fill an unbaked pie crust, place in a moderate oven, and bake until the

mixture is set and the crust is brown.

68. STRAWBERRY PIE.--The season for strawberries being short, it is

usually desired to use them in as many ways as possible. Strawberry pie

is offered as one of the more unusual ways. Made into individual pies or

tarts and served with whipped cream, this furnishes a very

attractive dessert.

STRAWBERRY PIE

1 qt. strawberries

1-1/2 c. sugar

3 Tb. flour

Spread the strawberries on a single unbaked crust of a pie. Mix the

sugar and flour and sprinkle over the berries. Put half-inch strips of

paste across the top in the form of a lattice. Place in the oven and

bake until the crust is brown, the strawberries are well cooked, and the

juice is thick.

69. SWEET-POTATO PIE.--The amount of milk needed for making sweet-potato

pie varies according to the dryness of the potatoes. Before they can be

used for pie, the sweet potatoes must be cooked until they are tender

and then mashed. The quantities given in the accompanying recipe will

make enough filling for two pies.

SWEET-POTATO PIE

3 c. sweet potato

3/4 c. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ginger

2 eggs

2 c. milk

To the sweet potatoes add the dry ingredients and the unbeaten eggs, and

then beat the mixture thoroughly. Pour in the milk and stir well. Turn

into a partly baked pie crust, place in a moderate oven, and bake until

the filling is set.

70. OPEN PEACH PIE.--Pare sufficient peaches to cover a single-crust

pie. Cut them into halves, remove the seeds, and place in a single layer

over an unbaked pie crust. Cover with 1 cupful of sugar to which have

been added 3 tablespoonfuls of flour. Dot well with butter, add 1/4

cupful of water, and place in the oven. Bake until the crust is brown

and the peaches are well cooked. Apples used in the same way make a

delicious dessert.

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PUFF PASTE

71. PROCEDURE IN MAKING PUFF PASTE.--The making of puff paste differs

somewhat from the making of plain pastry. If puff paste is to be

successful, it must be made carefully and with close attention to every

detail. Even then the first attempt may not prove to be entirely

successful, for often considerable experience is required before one

becomes expert in the making of this delicate pastry.

The best time to make puff paste is in the cold weather, as the butter,

which is the fat used, can be handled more easily and rolled into the

paste with greater success if it, as well as the other ingredients, are

cold. If puff paste is desired in weather that is not cold, the mixture

will have to be placed on ice at various intervals, for it positively

must be kept as cold as possible. However, it is always preferable to

make puff paste without the assistance of ice. Further essentials in the

making of successful puff paste are a light touch and as little handling

as possible. Heavy pressure with the rolling pin and rolling in the

wrong direction are mistakes that result in an inferior product. The

desirable light, tender qualities of puff paste can be obtained only by

giving attention to these details.

72. Before beginning the mixing of puff paste, wash the bowl, spoon,

and hands first in hot water to insure perfect cleanliness and then in

cold water to make them as cold as possible. Measure the ingredients

very carefully, or, better, weigh them if possible.

Put the butter in a mass in the bowl and wash out the salt by running

cold water over the piece and working it with a wooden spoon or a

butter paddle. When it becomes hard and waxy and may be handled with

the hands, take it from the bowl and remove the water by patting it

vigorously, first on one side and then on the other. Finally, form it

into a flat, oblong piece and set it into the refrigerator to harden.

73. With the butter ready, break off a tablespoonful or two and mix it

with all of the flour except 2 tablespoonfuls, which must be retained

for flouring the board, in the same way as for plain pastry. Then add

the water, and, when a mass is formed, remove it to a well-floured board

and knead it. When the mixture has become somewhat elastic, cover it

with a towel and allow it to remain covered for 3 to 5 minutes.

Then roll it into an oblong piece, and place the butter on one end of

it. Bring the opposite end down over the butter and press the edges

together with the tips of the fingers. Then, with the rolling pin, make

several dents in the dough mixture and the butter, and begin to roll,

being careful to roll in one direction and not to allow the butter to

come through the paste. If it should come through, it will have to be

treated until it becomes perfectly cold and hard again before the

making can go on.

The quickest and most satisfactory way in which to accomplish this is to

wrap it in a piece of linen, set it on a plate in a pan of crushed ice,

and place another pan of crushed ice over the top of it. In case this is

done once, it will have to be done each time the paste is rolled.

Continue to roll until a rectangular piece is formed, always being

careful to move the rolling pin in the same direction and never to roll

backwards and forwards. With a long, narrow piece of dough formed, fold

about one-third under and one-third over and turn the open end toward

you, and roll lightly and carefully in one direction until another

long, narrow piece of dough is formed. Fold this in the same way, turn

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it half way around, and roll again. Continue in this manner until the

piece has been rolled about six times and, during the entire process,

try, if possible, to keep the butter from coming through. As may be

readily understood, this can be accomplished only with light, careful

handling.

As soon as the rolling has been completed in the manner described, cut

the puff paste into the desired shapes and place them on the ice for

about 1/2 hour or until they are thoroughly chilled. They are then ready

to be baked. If time is too limited to keep the paste on ice for 1/2

hour, chill it as long as possible before baking.

74. BAKING PUFF PASTE.--A very hot oven is required for successful puff

paste. In fact, the colder the pastry and the hotter the oven, the

better will be the chances for light pastry. The air incorporated

between the layers of the paste by the folding and rolling expands in

the heat of the oven, causing the paste to rise and producing the

characteristic lightness.

For instance, if the pieces of paste are about 1/4 inch thick before

baking, they should be 2 inches thick when baked. Set the pan containing

the pieces on the floor of the oven in order to give the paste every

opportunity to rise. If it seems to rise unevenly, turn it around so

that it will get the same heat on all sides. Should there be any danger

of the paste burning on the bottom, put pieces of heavy paper or

asbestos under the pan and should it appear to burn on top, put pieces

of paper directly over the paste on the rack above. Bake until light and

nicely browned and then remove from the oven.

75. RECIPE FOR PUFF PASTE.--Either bread or pastry flour may be used in

the preparation of puff paste, but if pastry flour is used a

tablespoonful or two more will be required.

The amount of cold water needed varies with the absorbing power of the

flour. However, only enough should be used to make it possible to knead

the mass of dough that forms so that it may become elastic. Kneading

develops the gluten in the flour and helps to hold in the fat thus

making the paste easier to handle.

PUFF PASTE

2 c. flour

1 c. butter

Cold water

Put the flour into a mixing bowl and chop a tablespoonful of the butter

into it. Add cold water until a mass that may be removed to a baking

board is formed. Then proceed in the manner explained for the making of

puff paste.

76. USES OF PUFF PASTE.--Puff paste is seldom used in the making of

single- or double-crust pies; instead, it is usually employed for

daintier desserts commonly known as French pastry. However, there are

really innumerable uses to which it may be put in addition to those for

which ordinary pastry can be used. In fact, after the art of making this

kind of pastry is mastered, it will prove to be invaluable for serving

on special occasions.

77. With puff paste may be made tarts of any kind or shape. Particularly

attractive tarts can be made by covering small tins and then, after the

shapes have been baked, filling each one with half of a peach or half

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of an apricot and juice that has boiled thick and piling sweetened

whipped cream over it.

Puff paste made into the same shapes as those just mentioned for tarts

may have placed in it a layer of cake, on top of which may be spread a

layer of jam; and, to add a dainty touch, either whipped cream or

chopped nuts may be put over the jam. The cake used for such a dessert

should preferably be simple butter cake or sponge cake, such as might be

baked in a loaf.

Puff paste in the form of tubes and shells may be used for serving foods

daintily. Thus, a hollow tube may be made by rolling the paste very

thin, cutting it into rectangular pieces, placing each piece over a

round stick about 1-1/2 inches in diameter, and then baking. After the

baked tube is slipped off the stick, it may be filled with sweetened and

flavored whipped cream, to which may be added chopped nuts, chopped

fruit, or jam. Small baked shells of puff paste answer very well as

timbale cases, which may be filled with creamed mushrooms, creamed

sweetbreads, or other delicate creamed food. If shells are not desired,

small triangular or round pieces may be cut and baked and creamed food

served over them as it would be served over toast.

An attractive dessert may be prepared by baking several rectangular

pieces of puff paste in the oven and then arranging them in two or three

layers with custard between. Simple sugar icings into which some butter

is beaten may also be utilized to advantage in making French pastry of

this kind.

Puff paste may also be used as the covering for small individual pies.

SERVING PASTRY

78. To be most palatable, pastry should be served as soon as possible

after it is baked. When it is allowed to stand for any length of time,

the lower crust becomes soaked with moisture from the filling used, and

in this state the pie is not only unpalatable, but to a certain extent

indigestible. Consequently, whenever it is possible, only enough for one

meal should be baked at a time.

After a pie is taken from the oven, it should not be removed from the

pan in which it is baked until it is served. In fact, pie with a tender

crust cannot be handled easily and so should be cut while it is still in

the pan. Often it is best to serve a pie warm. When this is to be done,

it can be served immediately upon being taken from the oven, or if it

has been baked for some time and is cold, it may be set in the oven and

reheated before serving. Such treatment will freshen any pie that has

become more or less stale and, as is well known, pie is much more

palatable when it is warm and fresh than when it is cold or stale. In

case pies must be kept before being served, they should be stored in a

place that is both cold and dry. A refrigerator is too damp and for this

reason should not be used; but any other cool place that is sufficiently

dry will be satisfactory.

79. Several ways of serving pie are in practice. This dessert may be

baked in attractive dishes especially designed for this purpose and then

served from them at the table, or it may be baked in an ordinary pie pan

and then placed on a plate larger than the pan for serving. Pie of the

usual size is generally divided into five or six pieces, a sharp knife

being used to cut it. If possible, a pie knife, which is narrow at the

end of the blade and gradually grows broader until the handle is

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reached, where it is very broad, should be provided for the serving of

this dessert, for it helps very much in handling the triangular pieces

that are cut from a large pie. The plates on which pie is served should

be at least as large as salad plates. Very often, instead of serving it

from the pan at the table, it is put on plates in the kitchen and passed

at the table. Pie is always eaten with a fork, one that is smaller than

a dinner fork being used.

80. With most pies containing fruit filling, a small piece of cheese,

preferably highly flavored cheese, may be served. This makes a very good

accompaniment so far as flavor is concerned, but is omitted in some

meals because it may supply too much food value or too much protein.

However, if the fact that a high-protein food is to be served at the end

of the meal is taken into account when the remainder of the meal is

planned, there need be no hesitancy in serving cheese with pie. Of

course, when cheese is to be included in the meal in this way, the

portions of the protein foods served with the main course should

be smaller.

81. A very attractive as well as appetizing way in which to serve pie is

known as pie a la mode. This method of serving, which is often

resorted to when something extra is desired, consists in placing a

spoonful or two of ice cream of any flavor on each serving of apple or

other fruit pie. Pie served in this way is high in food value and is a

general favorite with persons who are fond of both ice cream and pie.

* * * * *

PASTRIES AND PIES

EXAMINATION QUESTIONS

(1) (a) What is pastry? (b) What is the principal use of pastry?

(2) How should the use of pastry with meals be governed?

(3) What may be said of the flour used for pastry?

(4) Discuss the shortenings that may be used for pastry.

(5) Give the proportions of fat and flour that may be used for pastry.

(6) What may be said of the handling of pastry in its preparation for

baking?

(7) Describe a method of mixing fat and flour for pastry.

(8) How is the liquid added to the fat and flour for pastry?

(9) Describe the rolling of pie crust.

(10) How is a pan covered with paste for pies?

(11) How may a single crust that is to be baked before it is filled be

kept from blistering?

(12) Describe the making of a top crust and the covering of a pie with

it.

(13) What oven temperature is best for baking pastry? Tell why.

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(14) On what does the length of time for baking pastry depend?

(15) Describe briefly the making of puff paste.

(16) What may be done with bits of paste not utilized in making pies?

(17) If more than sufficient paste for use at one time is mixed, what

may be done with that which remains?

(18) How should pastry be cared for after baking?

(19) Describe the serving of pastry.

(20) Why should starchy material used for thickening not be cooked with

acid fruit juice for any length of time if this can be avoided?

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