The Virginia Housewife Part 21

Rub four ounces of b.u.t.ter into a quart of flour, make it into paste with milk, knead it well, roll it as thin as paper, and bake it to look white.

CORN MEAL BREAD.

Rub a piece of b.u.t.ter the size of an egg, into a pint of corn meal--make it a batter with two eggs, and some new milk--add a spoonful of yeast, set it by the fire an hour to rise, b.u.t.ter little pans, and bake it.

SWEET POTATO BUNS.

Boil and mash a potato, rub into it as much flour as will make it like bread--add spice and sugar to your taste, with a spoonful of yeast; when it has risen well, work in a piece of b.u.t.ter, bake it in small rolls, to be eaten hot with b.u.t.ter, either for breakfast or tea.

RICE WOFFLES.

Boil two gills of rice quite soft, mix with it three gills of flour, a little salt, two ounces melted b.u.t.ter, two eggs beaten well, and as much milk as will make it a thick batter--beat it till very light, and bake it in woffle irons.

VELVET CAKES.

Make a batter of one quart of flour, three eggs, a quart of milk, and a gill of yeast; when well risen, stir in a large spoonful of melted b.u.t.ter, and bake them in m.u.f.fin hoops.

CHOCOLATE CAKES.

Put half a pound of nice brown sugar into a quart of flour, sift it, and make it into a paste, with four ounces of b.u.t.ter melted in as much milk as will wet it; knead it till light, roll it tolerably thin, cut it in strips an inch wide, and just long enough to lay in a plate; bake them on a griddle, put them in the plate in rows to checker each other, and serve them to eat with chocolate.

WAFERS.

Beat six eggs, add a pint of flour, two ounces of melted b.u.t.ter, with as much milk as will make a thin batter--put in pounded loaf sugar to your taste, pour it in the wafer irons, bake them quickly without browning, and roll them while hot.

BUCKWHEAT CAKES.

Put a large spoonful of yeast and a little salt, into a quart of buckwheat meal; make it into a batter with cold water; let it rise well, and bake it on a griddle--it turns sour very quickly, if it be allowed to stand any time after it has risen.

OBSERVATIONS ON ICE CREAMS.

It is the practice with some indolent cooks, to set the freezer containing the cream, in a tub with ice and salt, and put it in the ice house; it will certainly freeze there; but not until the watery particles have subsided, and by the separation destroyed the cream. A freezer should be twelve or fourteen inches deep, and eight or ten wide.

This facilitates the operation very much, by giving a larger surface for the ice to form, which it always does on the sides of the vessel; a silver spoon with a long handle should be provided for sc.r.a.ping the ice from the sides as soon as formed: and when the whole is congealed, pack it in moulds (which must be placed with care, lest they should not be upright,) in ice and salt, till sufficiently hard to retain the shape--they should not be turned out till the moment they are to be served. The freezing tub must be wide enough to leave a margin of four or five inches all around the freezer, when placed in the middle--which must be filled up with small lumps of ice mixed with salt--a larger tub would waste the ice. The freezer must be kept constantly in motion during the process, and ought to be made of pewter, which is less liable than tin to be worn in holes, and spoil the cream by admitting the salt water.

ICE CREAMS.

When ice creams are not put into shapes, they should always be served in gla.s.ses with handles.

VANILLA CREAM.

Boil a Vanilla bean in a quart of rich milk, until it has imparted the flavour sufficiently--then take it out, and mix with the milk, eight eggs, yelks and whites beaten well; let it boil a little longer; make it very sweet, for much of the sugar is lost in the operation of freezing.

RASPBERRY CREAM.

Make a quart of rich boiled custard--when cold, pour it on a quart of ripe red raspberries; mash them in it, pa.s.s it through a sieve, sweeten, and freeze it.

STRAWBERRY CREAM

Is made in the same manner--the strawberries must be very ripe, and the stems picked out. If rich cream can be procured, it will be infinitely better--the custard is intended as a subst.i.tute, when cream cannot be had.

COCOA NUT CREAM.

Take the nut from its sh.e.l.l, pare it, and grate it very fine; mix it with a quart of cream, sweeten, and freeze it. If the nut be a small one, it will require one and a half to flavour a quart of cream.

CHOCOLATE CREAM.

Sc.r.a.pe a quarter of a pound of chocolate very fine, put it in a quart of milk, boil it till the chocolate is dissolved, stirring it continually--thicken with six eggs. A Vanilla bean boiled with the milk, will improve the flavour greatly.

OYSTER CREAM.

Make a rich soup, (see directions for oyster soup,) strain it from the oysters, and freeze it.

ICED JELLY.

Make calf's foot jelly not very stiff, freeze it, and serve it in gla.s.ses.