The Golden Age Cook Book

CORN BREAD

Put half a pint of yellow corn meal in a mixing bowl, pour over it one pint of rich, sweet milk. When cold add two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, half a teaspoonful of salt, one teaspoonful of sugar and four eggs beaten separately, the whites beaten to a stiff froth and added at the last. Pour into a well-buttered shallow pan and bake about half an hour in a good oven.

CORN GRIDDLE CAKES

One cup of yellow corn meal in a mixing bowl, pour over it three cups of boiling milk. When cold add two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, two teaspoonfuls of sugar, one teaspoonful of salt. Sift one teaspoonful of cream of tartar and half a teaspoonful of soda with half a cup of white flour, add to the batter and at the last mix in two well-beaten eggs.

WHITE BREAD GRIDDLE CAKES

Chop as much stale bread as will measure two cupfuls, put it into a bowl and pour over it a cupful of sweet, rich milk, let it soak for an hour. When ready to bake the cakes, mash the bread in the milk with a wooden spoon, add a heaping teaspoonful of sugar, a teaspoonful of salt, two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, two well-beaten eggs, sift into the mixture a cupful of white flour and an even teaspoonful of soda, stir well together, then add a cupful of sour milk and bake on a griddle.

BOSTON BROWN BREAD GRIDDLE CAKES

Crumble enough Boston brown bread to make two cupfuls, pour over it a cup of sweet milk, soak an hour. Then mash fine in the milk, add two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, an even teaspoonful of salt, two well-beaten eggs, and sift into the mixture a cupful of white flour and a heaping teaspoonful of baking powder, beat well; then add a scant half cup of milk and bake as other griddle cakes.

WAFFLES

Put a quart of milk to warm, melt a quarter of a pound of butter in it and stir in a teaspoonful of salt. When cold add a pint of sifted flour, four eggs, the whites and yolks beaten separately, and just before baking stir in two teaspoonfuls of baking powder.

EPICUREAN ROLLS

Boil several potatoes and put them through a vegetable press or else grate them, measure one cupful, one tablespoonful of sugar, half a yeast cake dissolved in half a cup of tepid water, half a pint of milk, half a cup of butter, one egg beaten separately, half a teaspoonful of salt, and flour enough to make a soft dough. Set to rise at night. Pour a third of a cup of boiling water over the potato, salt and sugar. Beat smooth, and when tepid add the yeast, cover and set away to rise. In the morning bring the milk to a boil, and melt the butter in it; when cool enough add the beaten yolk and stir all into the potato sponge, beat the white of egg to a stiff froth and add to the other ingredients, with flour enough to make a soft dough; knead well and let it rise again; when very light roll out about half an inch thick, cut with a round biscuit-cutter, prick them with a fork, put in pans for a short time to rise and bake from fifteen to twenty minutes. The most delicate and delicious of rolls.

BREAD FROM RUMMER FLOUR

Two quarts of improved Graham flour, half a pint of boiling water, half a pint of lukewarm water, one-fourth of a yeast cake dissolved in half a pint of lukewarm water, one tablespoonful of granulated sugar added when kneading the dough, one teaspoonful of salt. Put the salt in the flour, make a hole, pour in the boiling water, then the lukewarm water, and last the yeast. Knead well at night at least fifteen minutes, set to rise. In the morning mould into loaves, let it rise until very light and bake until well done.

BISCUITS OF KERNEL OR GRAHAM FLOUR

Follow the recipe for baking powder biscuits, using kernel or Graham flour instead of white flour. If Graham is used sift twice before adding the baking powder. Roll thin, cut with a biscuit-cutter, prick with a fork and bake in a quick oven.

Eggs

TO SOFT BOIL EGGS

Cover the eggs with cold water in a saucepan, place over the fire, and when the water comes to the boiling point the eggs are perfectly cooked; remove at once and serve.

TO HARD BOIL EGGS

Put the eggs in boiling water and boil hard for ten minutes, set them where they will boil gently for ten minutes more, then remove from the fire. Eggs boiled in this way will be tender and digestible.

EGGS À LA CRÊME

Boil twelve eggs fifteen minutes. Line a dish with very thin slices of bread and fill with layer of eggs cut in slices, strewing them with a little grated bread, pepper and salt; rub a quarter of a pound of butter with two tablespoonfuls of flour, put it in a saucepan with a tablespoonful of chopped parsley, a little onion grated, salt, pepper and half a pint of milk or cream; when hot pour over the eggs; cover the top with grated bread crumbs and put it in the oven, let it heat thoroughly and brown.

EGGS AU GRATIN

Boil twelve eggs hard, shell and cut them in slices and lay them in a deep dish in close circular rows; make a sauce of a tablespoonful of butter, the yolks of four eggs, a little grated cheese, and half a pint of milk; stir this over the fire until it thickens, pour it over the eggs, strew some bread crumbs on top and bake for ten minutes.

NUN'S TOAST

Cut four or five hard boiled eggs into thin slices; put a piece of butter half the size of an egg in a saucepan, and when it begins to bubble add a teaspoonful of grated onion; let it cook a little without taking color, then stir in a teaspoonful of flour and a cupful of milk and stir until smooth; add pepper and salt to taste, then put in the slices of egg and let them get hot. Have ready some neatly trimmed slices of buttered toast, pour the mixture over them and serve at once.

EGGS À LA MAÎTRE D'HÔTEL

One-quarter of a pound of fresh butter, half a pint of milk, one tablespoonful of flour, one tablespoonful of minced parsley, half a teaspoonful of onion juice, one-fourth of a teaspoonful of white pepper, salt to taste, the juice of half a lemon, and eight hard boiled eggs. Stir the flour and half of the butter in a saucepan over the fire until the mixture thickens, stir in the milk; when hot add the pepper and let it simmer a minute; cream the rest of the butter and beat in the lemon, onion juice and parsley; cut the eggs in quarters lengthwise, add the creamed butter to that in the saucepan, allow it to heat thoroughly, pour over the eggs and serve.

EGG TIMBALES

For six persons use half a dozen eggs, three gills of milk, one teaspoonful of salt, one-eighth of a teaspoonful of pepper, one teaspoonful of chopped parsley, and one-fourth of a teaspoonful of onion juice, if liked. Break the eggs into a bowl and beat well with a fork, then add the seasoning and beat for a minute longer; now add the milk and stir well; butter well medium sized timbale moulds, one for each person, pour the mixture into them; put the moulds in a deep pan and pour in enough hot water to come almost to the top of the moulds. Place in a moderate oven and cook until firm in the center – for about twenty minutes – then turn out on a warm dish and pour cream or tomato sauce around them.

EGGS STUFFED WITH MUSHROOMS

Boil half a dozen eggs hard; when done pour cold water over them, shell and cut in half lengthwise; take out the yolks, mash them and add three ounces of fresh mushrooms that have been chopped very fine and cooked tender in a teaspoonful of butter; season with salt and pepper to taste and stir in a dessertspoonful of cream, mix thoroughly. Fill the whites with this mixture, rounding the top to the shape and size of a whole yolk; sift some fine bread crumbs over the top and tiny bits of butter, brown a moment in the oven. Arrange on a dish and pour a white sauce around them in which an ounce of chopped and cooked mushrooms has been stirred, garnish with parsley and serve.

EGGS WITH CREAM

Melt a small lump of butter in a shallow baking dish and break into it carefully six eggs, pour over them a third of a cup of boiling cream, place in a very quick oven long enough to set the whites of eggs and serve at once in the dish in which they are baked. Two or three minutes will cook them.

CURRIED EGGS

Boil six eggs hard, cut in half lengthwise, make a white sauce and stir into it a heaping teaspoonful of curry powder; put the eggs carefully into this sauce, heat thoroughly, lift them out and place in the center of a dish. Arrange boiled rice around them, pour the sauce over the eggs, garnish with parsley and serve.

STUFFED EGGS

Boil six eggs hard, cut in half lengthwise, take out the yolks and mash them very fine; put aside a heaping teaspoonful of it, add to the rest two teaspoonfuls of butter, three teaspoonfuls of rich cream, a few drops of onion juice, and salt and pepper to taste; mix well, fill the whites of eggs, rounding the top of each to the size of a whole egg. Make a white sauce as follows: Rub a heaping tablespoonful of butter into half a tablespoonful of flour, and stir into it a cup of boiling milk; when it is smooth and thick put the eggs into it carefully, when hot take them out, arrange daintily on a platter, pour the sauce around them, sprinkle the teaspoonful of the yolk reserved over them, garnish with parsley and serve.

FRIED STUFFED EGGS

Prepare the eggs as in the recipe for stuffed eggs, filling the cavity of the whites evenly, and pressing the two halves together so as to make it appear as a whole egg. Take what is left of the mixture, add to it one raw egg beaten light, roll each egg in this, covering thoroughly every part of it, and fry in boiling fat. Serve around a dish of green peas, or with a cream sauce into which has been stirred, just before removing from the fire, two slightly heaping tablespoonfuls of grated Parmesan cheese.

FRICASSEED EGGS

Put two tablespoonfuls of butter in a spider, when hot add a tablespoonful of flour, stir until smooth, then add a teaspoonful of finely minced parsley and a heaping tablespoonful of fresh mushrooms chopped very fine, and a cup of rich milk or cream. Cook until the mushrooms are tender, then add four or five hard-boiled eggs cut in quarters lengthwise; let it come to a boil and serve.

EGG CHOPS

Take five or six hard-boiled eggs, rub the yolks through a sieve and chop the whites rather fine; put a cupful of milk in a saucepan over the fire, when hot stir into it a tablespoonful of butter rubbed smooth in two tablespoonfuls of flour with one raw egg, first adding a little of the warm milk, then pepper and salt to taste, and if liked a few drops of onion juice. Stir constantly until thick and smooth, remove from the fire, add the prepared eggs, mix well, and when cold form into the shape of chops, dip in beaten egg and fine bread crumbs and fry in boiling fat until a delicate brown; stick a sprig of parsley in the small end of each chop, arrange in the middle of a platter and serve with a white sauce around them, or green peas.

PLAIN OMELET

Beat six eggs, the yolks to a cream, the whites to a stiff froth, add three tablespoonfuls of warm milk to the yolks and then beat into the whites of eggs. Put a small tablespoonful of butter in a spider, when it is hot turn the eggs into it, stirring gently all the time until the eggs are well set; let it brown, fold and turn out on a hot platter.

OMELET WITH CHEESE

Follow the recipe for plain omelet; while it is cooking stir in three tablespoonfuls of grated Parmesan cheese and finish as above.

OMELET WITH MUSHROOMS

Make an omelet as in preceding recipe. Have a quarter of a pound of fresh mushrooms chopped fine and cooked until tender in a little butter and their own juice, seasoned with salt and pepper, and add hot to the omelet just before folding it.

OMELET WITH TOMATOES

A cup of tomatoes, the water drained from them, cooked and seasoned with pepper and salt, a teaspoonful of onion juice, and one of green pepper chopped very fine; have it hot and add to the omelet just before folding it.

POACHED EGGS WITH TOMATO CATSUP

Poach some eggs in boiling water, trim nicely and place each egg on a round of toast buttered and moistened with a little hot milk. Have ready a white sauce, pour it over them and put on the top of each egg a teaspoonful of tomato catsup; garnish with parsley and serve.

EGGS POACHED IN CREAM

Half a pint of cream, six eggs, salt and white pepper, and a small teaspoonful of finely minced parsley. Bring the cream to a boil in a chafing dish, break the eggs carefully, to keep the yolks whole, into the cream and cook until the whites are set – about three minutes. Have a delicate slice of toast for each egg on hot plates, lay an egg on each, pour the cream over them, sprinkle with pepper and salt and the chopped parsley and serve.

EGGS POACHED IN TOMATOES

Put a quart can of tomatoes in a saucepan over the fire with half an onion, three cloves, a bay leaf, a sprig of parsley, a saltspoonful of sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the onion is tender – about ten minutes – remove from the fire, press through a sieve fine enough to retain the seeds. Put this in a spider; rub an even teaspoonful of potato flour with a tablespoonful of butter, add to the sauce, and when it boils break in as many eggs as required, keep them from sticking to the pan by running a tablespoon carefully around the edges; when the eggs are set remove from the sauce, place each one on a round of nice toast and pour the sauce around them; garnish with parsley and serve.

EGGS IN A BROWN SAUCE

Boil hard as many eggs as needed and cut either lengthwise in quarters or in round slices. Brown a tablespoonful of butter and one of flour together, add a small onion, cut fine; when thick and smooth add enough vegetable stock to make the sauce the proper consistency, season with salt and pepper and strain. Put the egg slices in the sauce, let it come to the boiling point and serve on a small platter; garnish with parsley. Half a dozen olives boiled in a little water and cut from the stones are a nice addition to the sauce.

Soups

Bran tea, made in the proportion of a pint of bran to three quarts of water, is used by many vegetarians as a foundation for soup. Butter should be used generously with it.

A broth made from white beans is also good where a white stock is required. Pick over the beans carefully, soak over night, drain and add fresh water in the morning – three pints of water to a pint of beans – cook gently until tender. If it is to be used as a stock, strain without mashing the beans. If the water they are boiled in is hard, a small pinch of soda will soften it.

CREAM OF JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES

Wash and peel enough artichokes to make a pint when cut in slices. Put them in a saucepan with a tablespoonful of butter, let them simmer in this for a few minutes without taking color, then cover with water and boil until tender. Rub through a sieve, put back on the stove with a quart of milk, and a tablespoonful of butter rubbed into a tablespoonful – slightly heaping – of flour, season to taste with salt and pepper, let it come to a boil. Remove from the fire and add two egg yolks, beaten with half a cup of cream, stir rapidly, and serve at once.

CREAM OF ASPARAGUS

Prepare a bunch of asparagus in the usual way for cooking, cut off the points about an inch in length and put aside. Cover the stalks and half an onion cut in slices, with boiling water, cook until tender and press through a purée sieve with the water they were boiled in. Melt a good tablespoonful of butter in a saucepan, and stir into it half a tablespoonful of flour, add the purée of asparagus and let it come to a boil, season with salt and pepper to taste. Have the asparagus points cooked tender in a little water. Have ready a pint of boiling milk, remove both from the fire and stir the milk into the soup, put the asparagus points into the tureen. Beat two egg yolks with four tablespoonfuls of cream, stir quickly into the soup and pour into the tureen.

CREAM OF LIMA BEANS

Put over the fire a quart of lima beans in boiling water to cover them; when nearly tender add a bay leaf, half a white onion, and salt and white pepper to taste. Let them cook until very tender, remove from the fire, and mash through a colander with the water in which they were boiled. Put back in the saucepan on the range, let it come to a boil, then add a heaping tablespoonful of butter and a pint of boiling milk, stir well, remove and press through a purée sieve that it may be smooth. Beat four tablespoonfuls of cream, add when the soup is in the tureen and serve immediately. This soup is very nice when made from the best canned lima beans, using two cans and following the recipe as above.

CREAM OF CAULIFLOWER

Cut one small cauliflower into flowerettes, reserve a tablespoonful, put the rest into a saucepan with three cups of boiling water, one small white onion, half a small celeriac cut in slices, and a bay leaf. Cook together ten minutes, drain and put the vegetables into a double boiler with two heaping tablespoonfuls of butter, a heaping tablespoonful of flour, salt and pepper to taste; steam for ten minutes. Put the flowerettes into the water the vegetables were boiled in and cook until tender, remove and put aside to keep warm, measure the water and add sufficient from the kettle to make two cupfuls, pour this over the vegetables, cook until tender and press through a fine sieve. Bring two cups of milk to the boiling point, turn the purée into this, let it boil up once, remove from the fire. Beat two egg yolks and four tablespoonfuls of rich cream together, add some of the soup to this, then mix all together, turn into the tureen, add the flowerettes and serve at once.

CREAM OF CELERY

Take of the coarser parts of celery as much as will make two heads, wash and cut in pieces, put in a saucepan with half an onion cut in slices and cover with boiling water. Cook until tender and press through a sieve with the water in which it was boiled. Make a roux of butter and flour as in other cream soups, add the purée to it and as much boiling milk as will make it the proper consistency. Season with salt and pepper, and finish with a beaten egg yolk and two tablespoonfuls of cream, adding this after the soup has been removed from the fire.

CREAM OF CHESTNUTS

Shell and blanch a pint of large French chestnuts. Put them in a saucepan and almost cover them with boiling water, cook until tender. Before they are quite done add a little salt. When done remove from the fire, rub through a purée sieve with the water they were boiled in. Melt a generous heaping tablespoonful of butter with an even tablespoonful of flour and add to it by degrees a pint of boiling milk, let it cook until thick, then stir in the chestnut purée and salt and pepper to taste. Let it come to a boil and serve.

CREAM OF CUCUMBERS

Peel and cut into slices four cucumbers and one small white onion, put in a saucepan with enough boiling water to cover them, cook until tender, press through a fine sieve and pour into a saucepan, stand where it will keep hot without cooking. Have a cream sauce ready, made by melting two heaping tablespoonfuls of butter in a saucepan with two tablespoonfuls of flour, let them cook together until the mixture no longer adheres to the pan, then add gradually a quart of milk, an even teaspoonful of white pepper, a heaping teaspoonful of salt, let it boil for a few minutes until thick and pour into the cucumber purée, add two tablespoonfuls of rich cream, let it come to the boiling point, and serve at once. This is a very delicate soup, and cooking or standing on the stove after it is done will spoil it. Groult's potato flour is nicer for thickening cream soups than the common flour, but, if used, only half the quantity called for in the recipes is needed.

CREAM OF SUMMER SQUASH

Peel the squash, slice thin, put in a saucepan and add boiling water to come nearly to the top of the squash. When nearly tender add an onion, a bay leaf and several sprigs of parsley. When tender mash through a fine sieve, return to the fire, let it come to a boil, stir in a heaping tablespoonful of butter, a heaping teaspoonful of flour, season with salt and pepper and a tiny pinch of mace. Have almost as much boiling milk as purée, remove from the fire and stir together, add two tablespoonfuls of cream, and serve at once.

CREAM OF LETTUCE

Take two heads of nice, fresh lettuce, wash and drain and chop fine with half a small white onion, put in a saucepan with two heaping tablespoonfuls of butter, cook for about ten minutes, stirring all the time, then add two heaping tablespoonfuls of rice and a quart of milk. Let it boil for twenty minutes until the rice is perfectly tender, remove from the fire and press through a purée sieve, using a small potato masher, then strain and press again through a fine hair sieve; this will make it smooth. Season with salt to taste and a dash of cayenne pepper, and a small half teaspoonful of sugar. Put in a fresh saucepan, rub together two heaping teaspoonfuls of butter and an even teaspoonful of cornstarch and stir into the soup. Let it come to the boiling point and remove from the fire, adding at the last moment a quarter of a cupful of whipped cream. Serve with or without fried croutons.

CREAM OF MUSHROOMS

Wash one pound of mushrooms, skin and stem them. Put the skins and stems in a saucepan with a cup of boiling water and boil ten minutes, strain and add to this water the mushroom flaps chopped very fine, and cook until tender, then press through a fine sieve. Melt two large heaping tablespoonfuls of butter in a saucepan, and stir into it two heaping tablespoonfuls of flour, and when smooth add a quart of rich milk, a whole clove of garlic, salt and pepper to taste. When it boils and thickens add the mushroom stock, let it boil up once, remove the clove of garlic, turn the soup into the tureen and serve.

CREAM OF GREEN PEAS

Put a quart of green peas into a saucepan with a slice of white onion, cover with boiling water and cook until tender. Remove from the fire and press through a purée sieve with the water in which they were boiled. Return to the saucepan, set it back on the stove, let it come to a boil, add a pint of rich milk, salt and white pepper to taste, a dash of cayenne, and a large, generous tablespoonful of butter rubbed into an even tablespoonful of flour, adding a little of the liquid before stirring into the soup. Let it come to a boil, and add two tablespoonfuls of whipped cream just as it is poured into the tureen.

CREAM OF RICE

Wash carefully a third of a cup of rice and put it on the fire in a pint of boiling water with a white onion and a stick of celery, let it cook slowly for an hour, then stir in a quart of milk and let it come to a boil, add a heaping tablespoonful of butter, and press through a purée sieve. Put the soup back on the fire while beating an egg yolk with two tablespoonfuls of cream and a teaspoonful of parsley minced very fine. Remove the soup from the fire, stir in the egg and cream, pour into the tureen and serve.

CREAM OF SPINACH

Take two large handfuls of spinach, after it is washed and picked over, a small head of lettuce, a few sprigs of parsley, and a small white onion peeled and sliced. Put in a saucepan over the fire with a tablespoonful of butter, a dozen peppercorns and two cloves, and a very little boiling water, cover and stand it where the vegetables will only simmer. When they are tender rub together a generous heaping tablespoonful of butter and a heaping tablespoonful of flour, and stir it into the vegetables. Add a little boiling water, mash the vegetables smooth and press them through a fine sieve. Have the purée as thick as possible, return to the saucepan. Have ready a pint of boiling milk, beat two egg yolks with four tablespoonfuls of cream, pour a little of the boiling milk into them, and the rest into the purée, remove from the fire at once, then add the eggs and cream, pour into the tureen and serve immediately.