The Myrtle Reed Cook Book

SOUR MILK PANCAKES – II

To four cupfuls of sour milk add enough flour to make a batter that will pour, sifted in gradually and thoroughly mixed. Add two eggs, well beaten, one tablespoonful of melted butter, one teaspoonful of salt, and a teaspoonful of soda dissolved in a little warm water. Bake on a very hot griddle, well greased.

WHEAT PANCAKES

Three cupfuls of flour, two cupfuls of milk, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, one tablespoonful of melted butter, three eggs, and one teaspoonful of salt. Sift the dry ingredients together. Beat the yolks of the eggs till light-colored and creamy and stir into the milk. Mix with the flour, then add the melted butter and beat to a smooth batter. Add a little more milk if the batter seems too thick. Add the whites of the eggs, beaten to a stiff froth, fold in carefully, and bake as usual.

WHEAT PANCAKES – II

Three cupfuls of milk, two cupfuls of sifted flour, three eggs, one pinch of salt, and two heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Beat the yolks of the eggs till light-colored and creamy, and mix thoroughly with the milk. Put the flour in a bowl and pour on a part of the milk, making a thick batter. Beat this thick batter hard until very smooth, dissolve the baking powder in the rest of the milk and add it, beating thoroughly, and add the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs last. This batter may be used for waffles. The thinner it is the more delicate the cakes will be.

COFFEE CAKES, DOUGHNUTS, AND WAFFLES

BABA À LA PARISIENNE

Prepare the yeast as for French Coffee Cake. Beat four tablespoonfuls of sugar to a cream with one cupful of butter and the grated yellow rind of a lemon. Add seven unbeaten eggs, one at a time, incorporating each egg thoroughly into the mixture before the next is added. Make a sponge of the yeast, one cupful of milk, scalded and cooled, and one cupful of sifted flour. Let it rise until very light – about half an hour – and mix with the hand into the egg mixture, adding two more cupfuls of sifted flour. Butter a tube-pan, put in the dough, sprinkle with chopped almonds, sugar, and spice, let it rise two hours, and bake very slowly.

GERMAN COFFEE BREAD

Scald and cool to lukewarm one cupful of milk. Add one heaping tablespoonful of butter and two heaping tablespoonfuls of sugar, one quarter of a yeast cake dissolved in one tablespoonful of warm water, a pinch of salt, and enough sifted flour to make a soft dough. Let it rise over night. In the morning, roll out and spread in a flat buttered tin. Rub with softened butter, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, and bake about half an hour in a moderate oven. Cut into squares and serve hot.

GERMAN COFFEE CAKE

One tablespoonful of butter, one cupful of sugar, one egg, one cupful of milk, one and one half cupfuls of flour, one heaping teaspoonful of baking powder, the juice and grated rind of half a lemon. Mix thoroughly, spread the dough in a shallow buttered baking-pan, sprinkle with chopped nuts, sugar, cinnamon, and dots of butter. Bake until brown and crisp, cut in squares, and serve piping hot.

AUSTRIAN COFFEE CAKE

Four cupfuls of flour, one teaspoonful of salt, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, five eggs, well beaten, with two tablespoonfuls of sugar, two cupfuls of milk, and one tablespoonful of softened butter. Mix thoroughly, spread in a buttered baking-pan, dot with butter, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, and bake in a quick oven. Serve hot.

HUNGARIAN ROYAL COFFEE CAKE

Six cupfuls of flour, two cupfuls of butter, four cupfuls of milk, three eggs, three quarters of a pound of cleaned and seeded raisins, one half cupful of sugar, three cakes of compressed yeast, half a cupful of shredded citron, and eight pulverized cardamon seeds. Mix the sugar, butter, flour, and milk thoroughly, the yeast having been dissolved in the milk, previously scalded and cooled. Dredge the fruit with flour and add last. Let rise four hours, or more, if necessary. When ready for baking, rub with softened butter, sprinkle with cinnamon, granulated sugar, and chopped almonds. Bake in a tube-pan or in a ring on a large baking-sheet.

FRENCH COFFEE CAKE

Dissolve a cake of compressed yeast in two tablespoonfuls of tepid water. Add a pinch of salt and a tablespoonful of sugar. Cream a cupful of butter with three fourths of a cupful of powdered sugar, and add, gradually, the unbeaten yolks of six eggs, one at a time, and the grated yellow rind of a lemon. Sift two cupfuls of flour into a bowl and make into a thin batter with the dissolved yeast and one cupful of scalded and cooled milk. Add the egg mixture, and beat with the hand till the dough leaves the sides of the bowl. Add a handful of sultanas, half a cupful each of blanched and shredded almonds and shredded citron, and, lastly, the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs. Put into a tube-pan which has been well buttered, and set in a warm place to rise. Bake very slowly. When fully risen and beginning to brown, rub with softened butter, and sprinkle with sugar and spice.

VIENNA COFFEE CAKE

Dissolve a cake of compressed yeast in one cupful of scalded and cooled milk, add a pinch of salt and one tablespoonful of brown sugar. Sift one cupful of flour into a bowl, add the milk and yeast, beat to a smooth, light batter, free from lumps, and set away in a warm place till very light. Cream three quarters of a cupful each of butter and powdered sugar, add four whole eggs, unbeaten, three unbeaten yolks, and two cupfuls of sifted flour, working with the hand, and adding egg and flour alternately. Incorporate gradually into the risen batter, working thoroughly with the hand. Dredge half a cupful of blanched and shredded almonds, a tablespoonful of shredded citron, and half a cupful of cleaned and seeded raisins thoroughly with flour, and work into the dough with the hand. Put into a buttered tube-pan or mould and let rise in a warm place for three or four hours, then bake an hour in a moderate oven. When beginning to brown, rub with softened butter, sprinkle with granulated sugar and spice, and set back into the oven until done. All risen coffee cakes will keep well if wrapped closely in a cloth, and may be served cold, or reheated in a brisk oven for a few minutes just before serving.

BERLIN COFFEE CAKE

Make a sponge with two cupfuls of milk, scalded and cooled, a cake of compressed yeast dissolved in the milk, a pinch of salt, and one cupful of sifted flour. Let rise two hours in a warm place, then add one half cupful of melted butter, one cupful of cleaned and seeded raisins, one fourth cupful of finely shredded citron, one cupful of sugar, and three eggs, well beaten. Add enough sifted flour to make a stiff dough, knead thoroughly, roll into a long thin strip, cut in three strips, lengthwise, braid, and twist into a ring. Arrange in a circle on a well-buttered baking-sheet and let rise till very light, then bake half an hour. It will be more delicate if the strips are rubbed with softened butter before braiding and will come apart more easily. Before taking from the oven glaze with sugar and milk, or rub with butter and sprinkle with sugar and spice.

QUICK COFFEE CAKE

Cream one fourth of a cupful of butter with one cupful of sugar, add one egg, well beaten, one half cupful of milk, a pinch of salt, and one and one half cupfuls of flour sifted, with a heaping teaspoonful of baking powder. Spread in a pan, sprinkle with seeded and cleaned raisins or currants, a little shredded citron, dot with butter, and sift over sugar and spice, cinnamon preferred. Serve hot, cut in small squares.

CRULLERS

Three eggs, a pinch of salt, two cupfuls of flour, three tablespoonfuls of milk, six tablespoonfuls of melted butter, and six tablespoonfuls of sugar. Roll out half an inch thick, cut out with a small cake cutter which has a hole in the centre, and fry in very hot lard. Drain on brown paper and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

PLAIN DOUGHNUTS

Sift two teaspoonfuls of baking powder with four cupfuls of flour. Dissolve half a cupful of sugar in one cupful of milk. Add to the milk one teaspoonful of salt, half a nutmeg, grated, and two well-beaten eggs. Combine with the dry mixture, roll out, cut in rings, and fry in deep fat. Drain on brown paper.

DOUGHNUTS – II

Half a cupful of butter, one cupful of sugar, three cupfuls of flour, one egg, and one and one half cupfuls of milk, and a slight grating of nutmeg. Make into a soft dough, roll out, cut into shapes, and fry in hot fat. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

RAISED DOUGHNUTS

One cupful of butter, one cupful of sugar, one teaspoonful of powdered cinnamon, and two eggs, well beaten. Work this mixture into two cupfuls of bread dough or roll mixture made ready for its second rising, and let rise an hour or more. When light, roll out, cut into circles or squares, let rise until very light, and fry in smoking-hot fat. Let drain on brown paper and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

LIGHT DOUGHNUTS

Three quarters of a cupful of granulated sugar, two eggs, beaten separately, one cupful of milk, three tablespoonfuls of melted butter, three cupfuls of flour, three heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder, and half a teaspoonful of grated nutmeg. Fold in the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs last, then work in enough more sifted flour to make a soft dough, probably about two cupfuls. Roll very thin, cut out, fry in smoking-hot fat, and drain on brown paper. This recipe makes about five dozen doughnuts, and half of it will be sufficient for an ordinary family unless they are especially fond of doughnuts.

RAISED FRUIT DOUGHNUTS

Cream together one heaping tablespoonful of butter and one fourth cupful of sugar. Dissolve one half a cake of compressed yeast in one cupful of milk that has been scalded and cooled. Add half a teaspoonful of salt to the milk and yeast, combine mixtures, and work in two cupfuls of flour. Let rise until double in bulk. Mix together one half cupful of sugar, a pinch of cinnamon, a grating of nutmeg, and a pinch of allspice, one half cupful of cleaned currants, cleaned and seeded raisins, and shredded citron, mixed, and a scant two cupfuls of sifted flour. Lastly, add one egg, well beaten, knead thoroughly, and let rise until very light. Cut or tear off pieces of dough the size of an egg, drop into smoking-hot fat, and fry like other doughnuts. Drain on brown paper and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

BLUE GRASS WAFFLES

Two cupfuls of thick sour cream, two cupfuls of flour, three eggs, well beaten, and half a teaspoonful of soda sifted with the flour. Mix quickly, folding in the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs last, and bake until golden brown and crisp on hissing-hot, well-greased waffle-irons.

CREAM WAFFLES

Sift together one cupful of flour, three tablespoonfuls of corn starch, and a pinch of salt. Mix one egg, well beaten, one scant teaspoonful of soda, and two cupfuls of sour milk together and gradually combine mixtures, beating hard meanwhile. Bake in hot, well-greased waffle-irons and butter the waffles before serving.

FEATHER WAFFLES

Four cupfuls of milk, three eggs, beaten separately. Add the milk to the yolks and a pinch of salt, then add one and one half tablespoonfuls of rich cream or melted butter and sifted flour enough to make the batter a little stiffer than pancake batter. Add the whites of the eggs last, beaten to a stiff froth, and stir in quickly two teaspoonfuls of baking powder.

GEORGIA WAFFLES

Two cupfuls of flour, a pinch of salt, two cupfuls of buttermilk, one cupful of melted lard, one scant teaspoonful of soda, and one egg. Sift the flour and salt together and beat into a smooth batter with the buttermilk. Add the well-beaten egg, then the hot lard, beat thoroughly, add the dry soda, beat hard for a minute or two, and bake in hissing-hot waffle-irons.

HOMINY WAFFLES

One cupful of cold cooked hominy, one egg, well beaten, one tablespoonful of melted butter, one pinch of salt, two cupfuls of milk, and two cupfuls of flour sifted with one teaspoonful of baking powder. Mix thoroughly and bake in very hot waffle-irons, well buttered.

RAISED HOMINY WAFFLES

To one cupful of cold cooked hominy add two cupfuls of scalded milk in which one half a yeast cake has been dissolved, one tablespoonful of butter, melted, a pinch of salt, one tablespoonful of sugar, and two cupfuls of flour. Mix thoroughly and set to rise over night. In the morning add two eggs, beaten separately, folding in the stiffly beaten whites last. Bake in very hot, well-greased irons.

INDIAN WAFFLES

One cupful each of flour and corn-meal, two cupfuls of thick sour milk, one cupful of sour cream, half a teaspoonful of salt, one teaspoonful of soda, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, and two eggs, beaten separately, the stiffly beaten whites being folded in last. Bake in a very hot, well-greased waffle-iron and serve very hot.

KENTUCKY WAFFLES

Make a smooth paste of two cupfuls of sifted flour and two cupfuls of milk, add one half cupful of softened butter, not melted, then the well-beaten yolks of three eggs, then the stiffly beaten whites, and, just before baking, one heaping teaspoonful of baking powder. Beat very hard for five minutes and bake in a hissing-hot iron.

MARYLAND WAFFLES

Beat four eggs separately, the whites to a stiff froth. To the beaten yolks add a pinch of salt, two cupfuls of milk, and enough sifted flour to make a stiff batter. Beat hard until perfectly smooth and free from lumps. Thin the batter by adding gradually the beaten whites of the eggs, and a little more milk in which a level teaspoonful of baking powder has been dissolved. Add lastly one tablespoonful of melted butter or lard. Have the waffle-irons very hot and well greased, and butter each waffle as soon as done. Crisp light waffles are delicious when served with cream and sifted maple-sugar.

PLAIN WAFFLES

Two cupfuls of sifted flour, two cupfuls of milk, one tablespoonful of melted butter, one tablespoonful of melted lard, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder sifted with the flour, two eggs well beaten, and half a teaspoonful of salt. Beat thoroughly and have the irons hot before mixing.

RICE WAFFLES

One cupful of cold boiled rice beaten light with one cupful of milk. Add one tablespoonful of melted butter, half a teaspoonful of soda dissolved in a little of the milk, two eggs well beaten, and enough flour, sifted in with one teaspoonful of cream tartar, to make a thin batter. Beat thoroughly and bake in well-greased waffle-irons. Cream tartar and spices are practically certain to be pure when bought of a druggist instead of a grocer. (Not knocking the groceryman.)

RICE AND CORN-MEAL WAFFLES

One cupful of cold boiled rice, one half cupful each of wheat flour and corn-meal, one tablespoonful of melted butter, one half teaspoonful of soda dissolved in hot water, one teaspoonful of salt, two eggs, beaten separately, and enough milk to make a thin batter. The waffle-irons must be very thoroughly greased and the baking must be done with great care, as these waffles are likely to burn.

SWEDISH WAFFLES

Two cupfuls of cream, whipped stiff, one half cupful of sugar, one egg beaten with one fourth cupful of cold water, one half cupful of melted butter, and enough flour, sifted, to make a thin batter. Fold the whipped cream in carefully just before baking, and sprinkle with sugar when done.

TENNESSEE WAFFLES

Two cupfuls of sifted flour, half a teaspoonful of salt, one tablespoonful of melted butter or lard, one egg, beaten separately, and milk enough to make a thin batter. Bake until brown in a well-greased waffle-iron.

VIRGINIA WAFFLES

Three eggs, well beaten, two cupfuls of milk, one half cupful of melted butter, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, a pinch of salt, and enough flour to make a thin batter. Bake in hissing-hot waffle-irons.

BREAKFAST BEVERAGES

The breakfast beverage par excellence is coffee, at least in American households, but, rather than have coffee poorly made, it is better to have no coffee at all. The French method of coffee making has practically superseded the old-fashioned boiled coffee. Cheap coffee, carefully made in the proper kind of a pot, has a better flavor than the more expensive brands can possibly have when improperly made.

The best coffee-pot on the market, which publishing ethics forbid us to mention by name, is made of nickel, comes in five or six different sizes, has a close fitting cover, a wooden handle, and has inside a finely woven wire strainer, which does away entirely with the questionable, and often unclean, cloth strainer. A cloth, no matter how carefully kept, will eventually become saturated with the grounds, and add the flavor of reheated coffee to the fresh brew in the pot.

The nickel coffee-pots having the wire strainer inside are easily kept clean with boiling water alone, and about once a month may be boiled out with a weak solution of baking soda.

Various blends of coffee have their champions, and the blended package coffees are, in the main, very good. It is better to buy in small quantities, a pound or two at a time, have the coffee pulverized very finely at the grocery, and keep a watchful eye on the man while he does it, lest he add alien elements to the coffee. Pulverized coffee keeps perfectly in ordinary Mason jars, tightly sealed, if bought in small quantities, as suggested.

The ideal coffee blend is two thirds Mandeheling Java and one third Arabian Mocha, but very little genuine Mocha ever reaches this country, though trusting consumers often pay high prices for what the man says is sure-enough Mocha. Pure Java is easier to get, and South American, Mexican, Cuban, and Porto Rican coffees are beginning to deserve consideration.

Presuming that we have the pot and a good quality of coffee, finely pulverized, we will proceed to brew the nectar of the gods. The water must be fresh and captured while on its first boil. Scald the coffee-pot, and put into it one heaping tablespoonful of pulverized coffee for each person and another for the poor, neglected pot. If the coffee is desired extra strong, put in another tablespoonful, or even two. Pour in one cupful of boiling water for each tablespoonful of coffee, keeping the pot over steam, but never over the fire itself. Occasionally the grounds may be lifted from the bottom of the strainer with a spoon in order to hasten the process a bit. The strength of Samson may be given the brew by pouring out a cupful or two of the coffee after it is made, and compelling it to go over the ground(s) again.

Put the desired amount of sugar in each cup, and add a liberal quantity of cream. Fill three fourths full with coffee and weaken slightly with freshly boiling water. Coffee poured into cream and afterward weakened with boiling water is an entirely different beverage from that which results when the process is reversed. Anybody knowing why, please write.

Never, never, never under any circumstances use the same coffee twice, or add fresh coffee to the remnant in the pot, if by chance there should ever be any left. Trim over last year’s hat, if you must, and buy no books for a year except this one, but do have the daily coffee right.

Our deep feeling on this subject is caused by our own cherished reputation for coffee making, which extends as much as three blocks in every direction of the compass.

BOILED COFFEE

One cupful of ground coffee, mixed with a raw, unbeaten egg, and part of the shell. Add half a cupful of cold water, and put it into the coffee-pot. Pour over four cupfuls of boiling water, and as it rises and begins to boil, stir it with a silver spoon. Let boil hard for ten or fifteen minutes, then take from the fire. Pour out one cupful of the coffee, then put it back, and set the pot on the back of the stove for five minutes to settle.

CAFÉ GLACÉ

A welcome variant in summer, even for people who do not like cold coffee. Fill iced-tea glasses three fourths full of inch cubes of ice, add a lump or two of sugar, and pour in the coffee, boiling hot. Do not stir, but add the cream immediately. For some strange reason, it is better than if the hot coffee is poured over the ice, sugar, and cream. Anybody knowing why, please write.

CHOCOLATE

Make exactly like cocoa, using milk instead of water. A few drops of vanilla added to chocolate pleasantly accentuates its flavor.

COCOA

Directions are given on the package the cocoa comes in. If not, buy another kind.

TEA

Cheap tea contains sawdust, dried and powdered hay, grass-seed, and departed but unlamented insects. Moral – buy good tea, or go without. Have the kettle boiling, and take the water at the first boil. Scald out the tea-pot, which must never be of metal, and put into it one teaspoonful of tea for each person, and one for the pot, or more, if curly hair for the drinker is desired. Pour one cupful of boiling water for each person and another for the pot upon the tea, and pour off the tea inside of three minutes. After that the boiling water busies itself in taking tannic acid out of the tea grounds. Tannic acid hardens albumen into a leathery substance of which the most courageous stomach is rightfully suspicious, and also puckers the mucous membrane of the stomach into smocking. Persistent drinking of boiled tea is quite likely to relieve the stomach altogether of its valued and hard-worked mucous membrane.

SIMPLE SALADS

A salad with mayonnaise dressing is an ideal pièce de résistance for luncheon. It furnishes the necessary carbon in a light and easily assimilated form, and, if well made, is always palatable.

Strictly speaking, there are but two salad dressings, French and mayonnaise. The boiled dressing, with all its variations, is, technically, a sauce. A true salad dressing is made almost entirely of oil.

To make French dressing, put into a bowl or soup plate a pinch of salt, a dash of red pepper, and three tablespoonfuls of olive-oil. Stir with a silver spoon until thoroughly mixed, then add one tablespoonful of tarragon vinegar, and stir until thick. French dressing must not be made until it is to be used, as it very quickly wilts a vegetable salad. Four or five tablespoonfuls of oil may be used to one of vinegar or lemon-juice if desired, and French dressing may also be seasoned with tabasco sauce, Worcestershire, dry mustard, celery salt, or any preferred condiment.

To make mayonnaise, put into an earthen bowl the yolk of a fresh egg and a pinch of salt, a dash of red pepper and half a teaspoonful of dry mustard. Place the bowl on ice or in ice water. Pour one cupful of olive-oil into a small pitcher from which it will drop easily. When the egg and seasoning are thoroughly mixed, begin to add the oil, using a silver teaspoon, and rubbing rather than stirring. Add the oil until a clear spot is formed upon the egg, then mix until smooth. Only a few drops can be added at first, but the quantity may be gradually increased. The clear spot upon the egg is an infallible test of the right quantity of oil. If too much oil is added, the dressing will curdle. A few drops of lemon-juice and long beating will usually make it right again. If this fails, set the bowl directly on the ice in the refrigerator, and let stand half an hour. If it is still curdled, begin again with the yolk of another egg and add the curdled mayonnaise by degrees to the new dressing.

When the mayonnaise is so thick that it is difficult to stir it, add the juice of half a lemon, or more if desired. If wanted still thinner, add a little cream at serving-time, but a stiff, creamy-yellow mayonnaise is a culinary triumph.

With a little experience, mayonnaise is very quickly made. It need not take more than ten or fifteen minutes to make enough abundantly to serve six people. Packed in jelly glasses, and covered with wax paper, or the cover of a jelly glass, mayonnaise will keep a week or more in a cool place.

A quick mayonnaise can be made by putting into a bowl half a teaspoonful of salt, a dash of red pepper, half a teaspoonful of dry mustard, the yolk of an egg, four tablespoonfuls of olive-oil, one tablespoonful of lemon-juice or tarragon vinegar, and beating all together with the egg beater. If it fails to thicken, it is because the egg is not strictly fresh, but even if it does not thicken, it is palatable. A small jar of mayonnaise dressing, kept upon the ice, is an ever present help in time of trouble.

All vegetables used for salads must be in prime condition. Lettuce must be crisp, and only the perfect leaves used. Ragged edges may be trimmed off with the scissors. The head lettuce is best for all salads, but the leaf lettuce may be used if the other is not obtainable. It is sometimes shredded into ribbons with a sharp knife or scissors, but lettuce should be torn rather than cut, as cutting breaks and bruises the fibres.