The Golden Age Cook Book

FRICASSEE OF SPAGHETTINA

Take a cupful of spaghettina, broken into small pieces, put in boiling salted water and cook for three-quarters of an hour. Drain well, have a cupful of cream sauce and stir the cooked spaghettina into it, let it come to a boil, season with salt and pepper, and add the well beaten yolk of an egg, stir well, remove at once, and turn into a hot vegetable dish and serve.

MUSHROOMS EN COQUILLE

Wash half a pound of nice, fresh mushrooms, peel them and cut off the stems, cut the flaps into dice, and put the skins and stems in a saucepan with a cup of water, and cook for ten minutes. While these are cooking put a heaping tablespoonful of butter in a spider, when hot add the mushroom dice and let them cook until tender, then add a dessertspoonful of flour, and when it is cooked add the water the stems were boiled in, and salt and pepper to taste. If the sauce is too thick add a little more water. Stir in at the last a teaspoonful of finely minced parsley, a few drops of lemon juice and the well-beaten yolk of one egg, stir well, remove from the fire, fill the shells, sprinkle bread crumbs over the tops and a little melted butter, put in the oven for an instant to brown.

RAGOUT OF EGG PLANT

Boil a small egg plant until tender. Peel it thinly and set aside to get cold. Cut in slices an inch thick and cover the bottom of a baking dish with them. Melt a generous tablespoonful of butter in a saucepan and stir into it two heaping tablespoonfuls of fresh mushrooms, a heaping teaspoonful of parsley, a heaping teaspoonful of onion, all chopped very fine, season with salt and pepper and pour over the egg plant. When it is time to put it in the oven sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and fine breadcrumbs and dot with small lumps of butter, and bake until brown in a quick oven. Serve in the dish in which it is baked with the following sauce in a sauce boat.

Sauce. – Boil the skins and stems of the mushrooms in a cup of water; while they are cooking, brown together in a spider a slightly heaping tablespoonful of butter, a slightly heaping tablespoonful of flour, and a small slice of onion cut very fine. Strain the mushroom skins and stems and add the water they were cooked in to the browned butter and flour, and when the sauce is thick and smooth turn it into a saucepan and add to it a heaping tablespoonful of mushrooms, one small cucumber pickle and two large olives, all chopped very fine. Let all simmer together for a few minutes, season to taste with salt and pepper. If the sauce is too thick add a little water. It should be like thick cream.

PATTIES OF PUFF PASTE

Roll out some puff paste an inch thick, cut with a patty-cutter as many rounds as are needed, then with a smaller cutter stamp each round about half an inch deep. Bake in a quick oven; when done lift the centers out carefully with a knife, remove a little of the inside. When wanted heat the patty shells and fill with spaghettina in tomato sauce, mushrooms or vegetables in a cream or savory sauce, or the filling as given for spinach border mould. A few truffles cut fine are a nice addition to tomato sauce. Lay the little tops on and serve.

SAVORY RICE (a Mexican Dish)

Wash half a cup of rice, drain from the water. Put a heaping tablespoonful of butter in a spider, when hot add a small leek or white onion and the rice, fry until the rice is a golden brown – do not let it get too dark. Have ready a vegetable stock, nearly fill the spider and cook twenty minutes until the rice is perfectly dry. Every grain should stand alone. Turn out on a platter and serve with tomato sauce.

RAGOUT OF ASPARAGUS WITH MOCK MEAT BALLS

Scrape and wash a bunch of asparagus, cut in pieces about an inch long as far as the stalks are very tender, put the remainder of the stalks with an onion into a saucepan, cover with boiling water and let it cook until tender – about half an hour. Then mash them in the water in which they were boiled through a colander. Put over the fire again, and when it comes to a boil throw in the points and cook until tender. While that is cooking make some mock meat, as given in a previous recipe, form into balls as large as a walnut. Cook them in salted boiling water for five minutes, drain them from the water, also the asparagus points from the stock, put them together in a saucepan to keep hot while making a gravy. Melt a generous heaping tablespoonful of butter in a spider, add to it when it bubbles a large heaping tablespoonful of flour, stir well until it becomes a dark, rich brown, taking care that it does not burn, add the asparagus stock, season with salt and pepper – this gravy should be like thick cream – turn it over the asparagus and meat balls, stir in a good half tablespoonful of butter, let it come to a boil and serve on a platter. Garnish with parsley.

CURRIED RICE CROQUETTES

Put three-quarters of a cup of milk in a saucepan with butter the size of an egg, let it come to a boil, and stir into it one large cup and a half of rice that has been boiled in salted water twenty minutes. Add a slightly heaping teaspoonful of curry powder, a few drops of onion juice and salt to taste. When it comes to a boil add a beaten egg to it, stir a minute and remove from the fire. Turn it out, let it cool, and then form into cylinders and fry as usual.

MOCK FISH CROQUETTES

Slice three medium sized potatoes, boil until tender, but not soft, chop very fine an even teaspoonful of onion with three zepherettes or small square crackers, then add the hot potatoes and chop all together, season with a dash of cayenne pepper, a saltspoonful of mace, a little salt and pepper. Make a sauce with a large heaping tablespoonful of butter, a heaping teaspoonful of flour rubbed well together in a saucepan over the fire; when smooth add three-quarters of a cup of rich hot milk, when it boils add the potato mixture, let it get thoroughly hot and stir into it a well-beaten egg, remove from the fire, turn it out to get cool. Form into cylinders, dip in egg, roll in bread crumbs, fry in boiling fat, and serve with either Hollandaise or tartar sauce.

WALNUT CROQUETTES

Put half a pint of bread crumbs and a gill of milk in a double boiler, place over the fire and stir until thick and smooth, add a pinch of salt, three-quarters of a cup of chopped nuts and a tablespoonful of sherry. When the mixture is hot stir into it the well-beaten yolks of two eggs and remove from the fire at once. Set the mixture away to get cold, then form in any shape preferred for croquettes; dip them in egg and then in dried bread or cracker crumbs, fry in boiling fat and serve with a sauce piquante.

RAGOUT OF MUSHROOMS

Wash half a pound of fine, fresh mushrooms, skin, stem and cut them into dice. Put the stems and skins in water to cover and stew them for twenty minutes; strain and put the mushrooms into this broth with a generous tablespoonful of butter, a teaspoonful of finely chopped onion, season with salt and pepper, cook until tender; when done add two well-beaten yolks of eggs, stir briskly and remove at once from the fire, turn out on a platter, sprinkle with a little very finely minced parsley and serve very hot.

MOCK CHICKEN CROQUETTES

Two cups of rye bread – home-made is the best – chopped fine, one cup of chopped English walnuts. Mix together and chop again with a tablespoonful of butter, an even tablespoonful of grated onion, a scant teaspoonful of ground mace. Melt a heaping tablespoonful of butter in a saucepan with half a tablespoonful of flour and add gradually to it a cupful of rich milk; when this comes to a boil add the other ingredients, salt and pepper to taste, then stir in two well-beaten eggs, remove from the fire and add a tablespoonful of lemon juice; turn out on a platter to cool, form into cylinders, dip in egg and bread crumbs, as usual, and fry in boiling fat.

Vegetables

Vegetables should be cooked in as little water as possible; the better way is to steam them. So much of the valuable salts are washed out by boiling in too much water.

All vegetables left over can be warmed again, either in a cream sauce, or put in a double boiler and steamed, adding a little more butter.

When pepper is used, it should always be white pepper, especially in white sauces and soups.

Never salt vegetables until they are nearly cooked; it hardens them.

The water vegetables are boiled in may be utilized in making sauces and soups; the best of the vegetables goes into it.

The water Jerusalem artichokes are boiled in becomes quite a thick jelly when cold, and makes an excellent foundation for sauces.

TO BOIL POTATOES

Select potatoes of uniform size, wash and pare thinly, cover with boiling water and cook half an hour; when nearly done add salt. As soon as done drain from the water and set the saucepan where the potatoes can steam for a few minutes. They should be served immediately, and never allowed to remain in the water a moment after they are cooked. Potatoes are much better steamed with their skins on than boiled, as they then retain all the potashes. When they are old they should be washed, pared and covered with cold water, and allowed to stand for several hours before either boiling or frying.

POTATOES BAKED

Select them of uniform size, wash and scrub well, cut a thin slice from each end to prevent their being soggy. They require nearly an hour to bake in a moderate oven.

TO MASH POTATOES

Boil the potatoes carefully, drain from the water, mash fine, and to four good-sized potatoes add a heaping tablespoonful of butter, a tablespoonful or two of cream or rich milk and salt and pepper to taste. Serve at once. They must be freshly mashed and very hot to be eatable. The mashed potatoes maybe squeezed through a vegetable ricer, when they are called Potatoes à la Neige.

NEW POTATOES WITH CREAM SAUCE

Select rather small potatoes of uniform size and boil. When done drain off the water, set them back on the stove to keep hot while making a cream sauce, then put them carefully in a vegetable dish, pour the sauce over them and sprinkle with a little finely minced parsley.

BROILED POTATOES

Take some cold boiled potatoes and cut them in rather thick slices lengthwise, dust with white pepper and salt, dip each slice in melted butter, broil over a clear fire until a nice brown. Serve with melted butter and finely minced parsley poured over them.

POTATOES À LA CRÊME AU GRATIN

Chop cold boiled potatoes, put them in a baking dish, pour over them a cupful of white sauce nicely seasoned, sprinkle with a tablespoonful of grated Parmesan cheese or Edam cheese grated, one tablespoonful of bread crumbs, and dot all over with tiny bits of butter. Put in a quick oven for a few minutes to brown. Do not leave it in too long, or it will become dry.

STUFFED POTATOES

Bake some medium-sized potatoes; when done cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the inside, taking care not to break the skin. Mash the potato smooth and fine with butter and a little milk, season with salt and pepper to taste, heat thoroughly, fill the skins, brush the tops over with melted butter, brown in the oven and serve.

POTATO FRICASSEE

Put in a spider a generous tablespoonful of butter and a cup of milk, when hot add some cold potatoes cut in dice, season with pepper, salt, a few drops of onion juice. Let them get thoroughly hot, then add the beaten yolks of two eggs, stir constantly until thick. Great care must be taken not to let it cook too long, or the sauce will curdle. Pour into a vegetable dish, sprinkle a little finely minced parsley over the top and serve.

POTATOES À LA DUCHESSE

Take cold mashed potatoes that are nicely seasoned with salt and pepper, form into little round cakes, put them on a tin, glaze over with beaten egg and brown in the oven. Arrange on a platter, garnish with parsley and serve.

SARATOGA CHIPS

Peel some medium-sized white potatoes, and slice them very thin. It is better to have a potato slicer for these, if possible, as it cuts them so quickly and perfectly. Wash the potatoes in one or two waters, then cover with fresh water and lay a lump of ice on the top of them. Let them stand an hour, if convenient, drain in a colander, wipe dry with a towel, and fry in boiling fat – not too many at a time in the basket or they will stick together, and will not brown. Have a quick fire, and fry until brown and crisp, drain on paper, sprinkle with salt and serve.

FRENCH FRIED POTATOES

Peel some potatoes and cut in finger lengths, not too thick, cover with ice water, and if they are old it is better to let them stand two hours. Drain, wipe dry, and fry in boiling fat as Saratoga chips– not too many at a time. When they are a nice brown lift the basket from the fat, sprinkle with salt, shake the grease from them and remove with a skimming spoon, drain on paper and serve at once.

POTATOES À LA MAÎTRE D'HÔTEL

Cut cold boiled potatoes in round slices, not too thick, put in a saucepan with some melted butter, pepper and salt. When they are hot add some lemon juice and a little minced parsley and serve.

POTATOES LYONNAISE

Fry a little onion cut in thin slices in plenty of butter; when a delicate brown add some cold boiled potatoes cut in slices of medium thickness, mixing them with the onion by tossing them together rather than stirring, as this breaks them. Cook until a nice color, drain them, put in a dish and sprinkle a little minced parsley over them.

POTATOES À LA PARISIENNE

Peel and wash some potatoes, scoop out into little balls with a potato scoop, which is made for the purpose. Boil for five minutes, put in melted butter in a saucepan until each potato is well covered with the butter, turn them into a pan, and brown in the oven. Turn out on a dish and sprinkle with minced parsley and a little salt.

POTATOES CREAMED AND BROWNED

Take a pint of cold boiled potatoes, cut into dice of uniform size. Have ready a pint of cream sauce, toss the potatoes in this, season with salt and white pepper to taste, put in a baking dish, sprinkle with dried bread crumbs and a tablespoonful of American Edam cheese. A few drops of onion juice, if liked, may be added before putting the potatoes into the dish. Set it in the oven a few minutes, until it becomes a golden brown and serve. Do not let it stand in the oven long or it will dry.

POTATO PUFF

Two cupfuls of smoothly mashed boiled or baked potatoes, two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, two well-beaten whites of eggs, a cupful of sweet cream or rich milk. Stir the melted butter into the potato, then add the eggs and cream, season with salt and pepper, turn into a buttered baking dish, bake in a quick oven and serve in the dish in which it is baked.

WHITE POTATO CROQUETTES

Boil and mash very fine four medium sized potatoes. Put half a cup of rich milk and a generous heaping tablespoonful of butter in a saucepan over the fire. When the milk comes to a boil, stir in the mashed potatoes, season with pepper and salt to taste, mix thoroughly and add the white of an egg beaten to a stiff froth, remove from the fire, turn out on a plate to cool, then make up in small cylinders, dip in beaten egg, roll in cracker crumbs and fry a delicate brown in boiling fat.

POTATO PAPA (a Mexican Dish)

Wash, pare and boil one dozen small white potatoes, mash while hot and add to them half a cup of raisins stoned and chopped very fine, twenty large Queen olives stoned and chopped fine, one tablespoonful of parsley finely minced, an even teaspoonful of sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix all well together, form into an oblong shape, leaving the top rough. Brown a little butter in a spider, put the papa into it, and after a few moments' frying scatter little lumps of butter over the top and set in the oven to brown. Garnish with parsley and hard-boiled eggs cut in quarters lengthwise.

SWEET POTATOES FRIED RAW

Peel two or three medium-sized potatoes and cut in slices about a quarter of an inch thick, fry in boiling fat – when they are a nice brown they are done – drain on paper for a moment before serving.

COOKED SWEET POTATOES FRIED

Take several sweet potatoes cut in slices lengthwise, not too thin. Dip each slice in melted butter and then in brown sugar, and fry in a little butter.

SWEET POTATOES MASHED AND BROWNED

Boil three sweet potatoes of medium size until done. Peel and squeeze through the patent vegetable strainer, add a heaping tablespoonful of butter, salt and pepper to taste, and enough milk to make very soft. Put in a baking dish, dot it over with tiny bits of butter and bake until brown. Serve in the dish in which it is baked. If any is left over remove the thin brown skin, make the potato into small, flat cakes and brown on both sides in a little butter in a spider.

SWEET POTATO CROQUETTES

Three medium-sized potatoes baked and mashed very fine and beaten to a cream with one generous tablespoonful of butter, three tablespoonfuls of cream, one teaspoonful of sugar, a little salt, one teaspoonful of lemon juice, a saltspoonful of cinnamon and one egg yolk beaten very light, and add at the last the white of egg whipped to a stiff froth. Form into cones or cylinders, dip in beaten egg and bread crumbs and fry in boiling fat. Drain on kitchen paper, sift a little sugar over them and serve at once.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Pick off any leaves that may be discolored and wash well a quart of Brussels sprouts, put into a saucepan with two quarts of boiling water and a saltspoonful of soda. Boil rapidly until tender – about half an hour – just before they are done add a tablespoonful of salt. Drain them in a colander, and if it is not time to serve them stand the colander over steam to keep them hot. Do not let them remain in the water. When ready to serve put the sprouts in a vegetable dish and pour over them a pint of rich cream sauce.

OKRA AND TOMATOES

A quart of fresh or canned tomatoes – if fresh, skin in the usual way – cut them in quarters and put over the fire, let them boil until a great deal of the water has evaporated, then add a pint of fresh okra, cut in slices, cook until tender, season with a generous heaping tablespoonful of butter, and pepper and salt to taste.

BEETS

Wash the beets carefully to avoid breaking the skin, and do not cut off the fine roots, as this will bleed and spoil them. Put on in boiling water and cook from an hour and a half to three hours. Test with a wooden skewer. Cut in slices or dice and serve with melted butter, pepper and salt. Winter beets should be soaked over night.

PURÉE OF PEAS

When peas are old this is a very nice way to use them. Put a quart of shelled peas over the fire in sufficient boiling water to cook them. Boil until tender, drain from the water, press through a purée sieve, season with salt and pepper to taste, and a good heaping tablespoonful of butter, and if too dry a little milk or cream may be used.

PURÉE OF LIMA BEANS

may be prepared in the same way.

PURÉE OF CUCUMBERS

Peel and slice the cucumbers and put them over the fire in as little boiling water as will cook them; when tender drain from the water, press through a purée sieve, season with salt and pepper and add a tablespoonful of butter.

STUFFED CUCUMBERS

Peel two large, fine cucumbers, cut in half lengthwise, take out the seeds. Scrape out carefully the soft part – with a small spoon – into a saucepan. Peel and core a tart apple, chop fine with a small pickled gherkin, take from this a good tablespoonful for the sauce and put one side, then add the rest to the soft part of the cucumbers in the saucepan. Let it simmer until tender, then add butter the size of an egg, pepper and salt to taste, a few drops of onion juice, or the spoon used for stirring the mixture may be rubbed with garlic, three tablespoonfuls of grated bread crumbs, one egg beaten, stir all together, and remove at once from the fire. Put the cucumbers in a saucepan, cover with boiling water and cook gently until tender – about ten or fifteen minutes; when nearly done add a tablespoonful of salt, drain from the water, when cool enough stuff them with the dressing already prepared and press into shape, brush with egg, sprinkle bread crumbs over the top and a few tiny lumps of butter, place carefully in a pan and bake a delicate brown.

For the Sauce, take the tablespoonful of apple and pickle reserved from the stuffing, and add a teaspoonful of capers, chop all together as fine as possible, make a cream sauce and add this mixture to it on the fire and heat thoroughly. Place the cucumbers carefully on a platter and pour the sauce around them.

CUCUMBERS STUFFED WITH MUSHROOMS

Peel two large, firm cucumbers, and cut in half lengthwise; take out the seeds. Take a quarter of a pound of fresh mushrooms, skin and stem them. Chop the mushroom flaps very fine, put them in a spider with four tablespoonfuls of melted butter and a very little water, cover and cook until tender. Remove from the fire, stir in four heaping tablespoonfuls of grated bread crumbs, salt and pepper to taste, a few drops of onion juice, and the yolk of one egg. Stuff the cucumbers with this dressing, put the halves together, fasten with wooden toothpicks or tie with string. Place in a small dish that will fit in the steamer, cover closely, and steam until tender – about three-quarters of an hour – and serve with a brown sauce made as follows:

The Sauce. – Put on the skins and stems of the mushrooms in boiling water. Fry a few slices each of carrot, celery top, green pepper, onion and turnip in butter, strain the water from the mushroom stems into this and stew until all are tender, strain, add a generous tablespoonful of butter and enough flour to thicken the sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Place the cucumbers in a shallow vegetable dish, remove the strings and pour the sauce around them.

ESCALLOPED EGG PLANT

Boil a small egg plant, cut it in half, take out the pulp, throwing away the seeds and skin, chop the pulp fine and mix with it half a teaspoonful of bread crumbs, one cup of cream or rich milk, butter the size of an egg, an even teaspoonful of finely minced parsley, pepper and salt to taste, and a few drops of onion juice. Beat all together, turn into a baking dish, cover the top with dried bread crumbs and tiny bits of butter and bake until brown. Serve in the dish in which it is baked. If any is left over, cut in slices half an inch thick and fry in butter for luncheon.

STUFFED EGG PLANT

Take half a large egg plant, boil gently until tender, remove from the fire, take out the pulp carefully so as not to break the shell, leaving it about a quarter of an inch thick. Peel and stem a quarter of a pound of fresh mushrooms, chop very fine, reserve a heaping tablespoonful of this for the sauce, then add the pulp of the egg plant to the mushrooms in the chopping bowl, and one heaping tablespoonful of currants, washed and picked over, one even teaspoonful of grated onion, one even teaspoonful of chopped green pepper, five heaping tablespoonfuls of grated bread crumbs, four tablespoonfuls of melted butter, two tablespoonfuls of rich cream. Mix all well together, fill the shell with this mixture, press it into shape and bind carefully with string. Bake twenty minutes, remove the string and serve on a platter with the sauce poured around it.

The Sauce. – Put on the skins and stems of the mushrooms in a saucepan, cover with boiling water, cook until tender, drain, and into this water put the tablespoonful of reserved mushrooms, add salt and pepper to taste, boil a few minutes, then add a heaping teaspoonful of flour stirred into a heaping tablespoonful of butter, let all cook together until thick, and pour around the egg plant.