SOME CHOICE RECIPES

[Welland Telegraph January 23, 1903]

Almond Pudding

Soak a quarter of a loaf of twist bread in milk enough to cover. Stir in one cupful of granulated sugar and the well beaten yolks of five eggs, a tablespoonful of butter and the juice and rind of one lemon, half a cupful of milk, a quarter of a pound of grated almonds and the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs. Boil the pudding three hours in a mould and serve with vanilla sauce.

Cheese Souffle

Melt one tablespoonful of butter in a spider, add to it a slightly heaping tablespoon of flour and one cup of hot milk, half a teaspoon of salt, a dash of cayenne pepper and one cup of grated Parmesan cheese; then add the yolks of three eggs beaten light, remove from fire and let it cool; then add the whites of eggs beaten stiff, turn into a pudding dish, bake twenty-five minutes and serve immediately.

Consomme

This is a specially fine recipe and is not given in any cook book. Put two pounds of perfectly lean round steak in a hot frying-pan, and let it cook; quickly to a deep brown on both sides; when so browned chop fine, cover with two quarts of cold strong highly flavored stock, add the half beaten whites and crushed shells of two eggs, beat well and proceed as in a clearing soup. When strained it is ready for reheating and serving.

Duck and Olive Sauce

Put two dozen olives into a china bowl and pour hot water over them; let them remain in this for twenty minutes to draw out the brine. Put two tablespoons of salad oil in a frying pan and add one slice of onion, and when this commences to color add one ounce of flour. Stir until smooth; after it has cooked for two minutes add one pint of stock and let simmer. Pare the olives around taking out the stones. Place the olives in the sauce; add the juice of one-half a lemon, salt and pepper. Have slices of cold duck ready and put them in the sauce. When hot turn out on a platter and serve.

Rice Flour Pudding

Take a quart of milk, leaving out enough to mix with three ounces of rice flour, put the rest in a saucepan over the fire. When it boils add one ounce and a half of sugar, one half ounce of sweet and a few bitter almonds, blanched and pounded, or chopped very fine, one ounce of butter and a small piece of vanilla bean, if convenient, if not, flavor at the last with vanilla extract. Mix the three ounces of rice flour with milk, reserved from the quart, and stir into the pudding. Beat one egg yolk with half a cup of cream and stir in just before removing from the fire. Turn into a mould that has been dipped in cold water and serve very cold with fruit sauce.

Baked Bananas and Rice

Place in a double kettle two cups of new milk, a teaspoon of butter and a half teaspoon of salt and let come to a boil. Then add gradually, stirring, a half cup of well warmed rice, cover closely and boil half an hour. Lay six ripe, large bananas in a pie pan, pour over them hot water until the bottom is well covered, place them in a good steady oven and bake until soft. About fifteen minutes will do this. Take from the oven, pour off water, if any, set back and dry off five minutes. Put a spoonful of the warm boiled rice on a plate, spread out a little and place on the top the baked banana, from which the skin has just been removed, bend the banana in a neat circle on the rice, drop a bit of good butter into the centre and carry to the table hot.

SOME CHOICE RECIPES

[Welland Telegraph January 30, 1903]

Dresden Patties

Make crustades from stale bread, dip in beaten egg, diluted with milk and season with salt, allowing two tablespoons milk to each egg. When the bread is thoroughly soaked, fry in hot fat; drain and fill with creamed oysters.

Creamed Potatoes

Make a white or cream sauce and stir into it cold boiled potatoes cut into dice. Season to taste, and when very hot beat in two teaspoonfuls of minced parsley. To make these delicious and produce the rich color of which you speak, pour in gradually, just before adding the parsley, a well beaten egg. Stir for half a minute, put in the parsley and serve.

Orange Pudding

Peel three large oranges, slice them in thin slices, and take out the seeds. Line a pudding dish with them and dust over them one cup of sugar. Now beat the yolks of two eggs with one tablespoon of cornstarch and two of sugar. Add a small pinch of salt and pour it into one pint of boiling milk, stirring constantly. As soon as it thickens, take it from the fire and when cool spread it over the oranges, Heat the whites of the two eggs, stiff and dry, with two large tablespoonfuls of sugar; spread this over the top and brown it slightly in a hot oven. Serve cold.

Celery Cheese

Melt half an ounce of butter in a small saucepan and add half an ounce of flour, then pour in by degrees half a pint of milk and stir quickly until the sauce is perfectly smooth and thick. Season it with cayenne, salt and a little grated nutmeg, and add two ounces of grated cheese. Have ready rather more than half a breakfast cup of cooked celery, cut into small pieces; stir it into the cheese sauce, and fill some little bread cases with it which have been fried quickly in boiling fat; scatter some grated Parmesan over the top of the celery and place the cases in a quick oven for a few moments.

VINTAGE RECIPES – The Household

[Welland Tribune September 15, 1905]

OLD FASHIONED HOE CAKE

This is the old-fashioned affair such as has been made by mountain guides and hunters these many, many years; Pour boiling water over one cup of cornmeal until it is well scalded and the batter thin enough to spread easily. Add half a teaspoon of salt, and spread the mixture by tablespoonfuls on a hot frying pan which has been well greased with a rind of fat pork. Cook until brown on one side, then turn and brown the other . But do not allow it to scorch. Failing a frying pan, a smooth flat stone heated and sprinkled with flour answers the same purpose.

Cream Puffs or Boston Cream Cakes

Bring a pint of water to a boil and melt in it a half pound of butter, then stir in three-quarters of a pound of flour. Stir steadily until the flour no longer sticks to the side of the saucepan; take from the fire set aside to cool. When cold, whip in one at a time, eight beaten eggs, Set in the ice for an hour, then drop by the spoonful upon buttered paper laid in the bottom of a baking pan. Bake in a quick oven, When light and brown, they are done. When cold, cut a slice in the side of each puff and fill with cream filling.

COOLING SALADS

Cabbage- Pour a little boiling water into a saucepan, add one and a half cups of vinegar, two teaspoonfuls of granulated sugar, three tablespoonfuls of cream, one teaspoonful of mustard. Mix well, adding salt and white pepper to taste. When the mixture comes to a boil stir in the well-beaten yolks of three eggs. Set away to cool. Shave one head of cabbage in small strips. Soak in cold water to make it crisp. Dry thoroughly and mix with the  dressing.

Cold Slaw- Shave a head of cabbage into small strips, soak in cold water to make it crisp, dry thoroughly and serve with this dressing: Mix one egg well beaten, one tablespoon of vinegar, two tablespoons of sour cream, butter the size of a walnut and half a teaspoon of mustard one tablespoon of sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir thoroughly and pour over the cabbage, mixing it well.

SOME DELICIOUS CAKE FILLINGS

Chocolate

Break the whites of two eggs into a bowl. Do not heat, but stir in gradually one pound of pulverized sugar; flavor with orange or vanilla extract, and add five squares of melted chocolate.

Almond

To white of one egg, stir in half a pound of confectioners’ sugar. Flavor with almond and spread over cake. This is suitable for fruit or any loaf cakes.

Ice Cream

Boil two cupfuls of sugar in cupful of water. When done, pour over beaten whites of three eggs. Beat till cool. Flavor with rose or orange.

Ice Cream Fruit

Make a filling as described above, add to it when cooked, two teacupfuls of chopped English walnuts, cocoanut, citron, dates and figs, Spread half inch thick between layers of cake.

Fig

Cook together a cupful of water and one of sugar; add a cupful of finely chopped figs, Cook to a paste, and when smooth spread on or between cake.

Caramel

Boil together two cupfuls of brown sugar, one of new milk, and lump of butter; when it breaks add two tablespoonfuls of thick cream. Remove from fire and beat well. Flavor with vanilla

Marshmallow

Boil two cupfuls of sugar and one of water; add one-fourth pound of marshmallow, stir till well melted. Remove from the fire and add the well beaten whites of two eggs. Beat hard till cool. Flavor with vanilla.

Lemon

Mix together two eggs, two cupfuls of sugar, the juice of two lemons and grated rind of one, one teacupful of cream or new milk, a limp of butter the size of an egg, and two  teaspoonfuls of corn starch. Boil in double boiler till thick. Spread when cool.

Pineapple

Boil two cupfuls of sugar and of water. When done beat in whites of two eggs, beat till cool and add two teacupfuls of grated pineapple.

Lemon and Walnut

Squeeze the juice of two large lemons over one pound of granulated sugar. When smooth spread over loaf cake, cut into squares, and place one or more English walnut kernels on each square, while soft.

VINTAGE RECIPES

[Welland Tribune September 22, 1905]

DAILY RECIPES

Charlotte Russe- Mix one pint of cream and add to remaining portion one-half cup of powdered sugar, three  tablespoonfuls of wine and one teaspoonful of vanilla. Lastly put in one-third of a box of gelatine soaked previously for half an hour in a little milk. Set the whole in a bowl of ice water, and when the mixture begins to thicken, add the whites of two eggs beaten stiff, then gradually the whipped cream.

Cream pudding-One coffee cupful of sugar, two of flour, one-half cupful of sweet milk, one teaspoonful of soda, two of cream of tartar. Beat the egg and sugar together, add  the milk, flour, soda and cream of tartar and bake in shallow “Washington pie” plates.

GOODIES

Sally Lunn- Three cups of flour, one cup of sugar, one cup cornmeal, half a cup of butter, one and a half cups of milk, four eggs and two teaspoonfuls of baking powder.

Here is another good recipe for Sally Lunn-Two tablespoonfuls of butter, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, one cup sweet milk, three cups of flour, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder and two eggs.

Pop Overs-Take one cup of flour and mix smooth with one cup of sweet milk and one well-beaten egg.

Add a piece of butter the size of a walnut and a pinch of salt. Bake in gem pans in a quick oven.

BREAKFAST BREADS

Brisk September air whets the appetite for a substantial breakfast, and the family have begun to clamor for hot breads. There is always a certain dread to the housekeeper about starting in on a round of griddle cakes, waffles and raised biscuit, and when the annual question is put to her, Isn’t it about time we had some hot bread? She longs for a  variation of light rolls and muffins to bridge the few months until really cold weather sets in. Here are some recipes which are easily prepared and can be cooked immediately:

Spice and fruit buns are particularly appetizing in the early fall.

Spanish Bun-One cup of sugar, four tablespoonfuls of melted butter, half a cup of New Orleans molasses, two eggs and one yolk of egg, one cup of sour milk, two cups of flour, one cup of seeded raisins. Add one teaspoonful of cinnamon and the same of allspice, soda, vanilla, and half a teaspoonful of cloves. Bake in a loaf.

Quick Cinnamon Bun-Rub one tablespoonful of lard into one quart of flour, and add one tablespoonful of salt and two teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Stir in quickly half a pint of milk. Roll out in a thin sheet , cover with a thick layer of sugar, an other of currants, and then sprinkling of cinnamon. Roll up and cut into buns about two inches long. Stand these on their ends in a greased pan and bake five minutes in a quick oven.

Fig Rolls- Sift together one quart of whole wheat flour, half a teaspoonful of salt and two teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Rub into this one tablespoonful of butter, and one egg whipped light. Make a soft dough by working one and a half cups of milk into the flour gradually, but do not allow it to become too wet. Roll out  quickly half an inch thick and cut into oval pieces. Brush with melted butter. Chop ten figs very fine and spread over half of each roll. Fold over the sides of the roll and seal together with beaten white of an egg. Bake for twenty minutes in a hot oven.

Sultana Biscuits- Sift one quart of flour with a teaspoonful each of salt and bicarbonate of soda, and then with the hands rub in two tablespoonfuls of lard. Next mix in a cupful of  Sultana raisins well sprinkled in flour. Stir in gradually enough sour milk to make a soft biscuit dough. About a pint of milk will be required. Form little cakes with the hands, dip into flour, and bake twenty minutes in a hot oven.

Often the milkman has not arrived when it is time to make the breakfast bread. Here is a recipe which does nor require milk:

Beaten Biscuit-Two quarts of sifted flour, a teaspoonful of salt, one tablespoonful of sweet lard and one egg. Make a dough with half a pint of water. Beat until the dough breaks open in air puffs, roll into a ball with the hand and bake in a quick oven.

TESTED RECIPES

Whole Wheat Bread- Three and one-half cups of lukewarm water, one cake of compressed yeast, one very large tablespoonful of shortening, one level tablespoonful of salt, one level tablespoonful of sugar, nine cups of whole-wheat flour. Mix together to a stiff dough at night, and set to rise in a warm place. Next morning knead and set to rise again until twice its original size, then make into two loaves and set to rise again, about two and a half inches. Rub the  tops of the loaves with melted butter and bake in a moderate oven for one hour and ten minutes. Turn the loaves on the sides to cool.

Coffee Cake-One cup of granulated sugar, one cup of molasses, one half cup of lard, one cup of coffee prepared as for the table, one tablespoonful of cinnamon, one teaspoonful of cloves, four even cups of flour sifted with a heaping teaspoonful of baking soda, one-quarter pound each of seeded raisins and minced citron.

English walnuts can be added, and then a little less flour is used. Bake slowly for three-quarters of an hour.

Welsh Rarebit-Melt into the blazer of a chafing-dish a tablespoonful of butter and turn into this two pounds of American cheese. Stir until this is melted to a soft mass, then add a pinch of baking soda and two beaten eggs, with a gill of ale. Beat hard and steadily until the mixture is thick and smooth, but not stringy, and pour upon slices of crustless toast.

Cream Pie- Stir to a cream a half cup of water, two well-beaten eggs, two tablespoonfuls of flour, one tablespoonful of melted butter and two cups of milk. Cook stirring until thick. Set aside to cool and pour into a baked open pie-crust. Cover with meringue and set in the oven until lightly browned. Serve cold.

Corn Bread- To one quart of sour milk add one rounding teaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda dissolved in two tablespoonfuls of warm water. Stir a few moments and add two eggs well beaten, one level tablespoonful of butter melted and one quart and a half-pint of cornmeal. Mix together thoroughly and bake forty minutes in a shallow baking tin.

Mush Bread- Heat one pint of milk in a double boiler and stir in slowly half a pint of white cornmeal. Boil until it becomes a mush that can be poured from the spoon. Remove from the fire and add one saltspoonful of salt. Drop in the yolks of four eggs, one at a time. Beat the white to a stiff froth and add to the other ingredients. Bake for half an hour. This should be served in bowls and eaten as a breakfast food with a fork.

Southern Biscuit-Work together one tablespoonful of butter and lard mixed with one quart of whole wheat flour, and season with one teaspoonful of salt. Make a rather dry dough by adding one-half pint of milk and water mixed, pouring it in gradually so that not all of the milk will be used if the ingredients hold together. Knead for fifteen minutes until it is soft and elastic. Then beat constantly for twenty minutes longer, folding every few minutes in a square half an inch thick. Cut in biscuits, prick the tops and bake in a moderate oven for thirty minutes or until thoroughly done to the centre, The top and bottom should be beautiful golden brown and the secret of their lightness lies in the long kneading.

VINTAGE RECIPES

[Welland Telegraph October 26, 1900]

HOUSEHOLD

Corn Bread

One pint of yellow Indian meal, one pint of flour, three ounces of sugar, two ounces of butter, two teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar, one of baking soda, one pint of milk, two eggs and one half teaspoonful of salt. Sift the flour with the cream of tartar and salt into a bowl, dissolve the baking soda in a little boiling water, and stir it into the milk. Stir butter and sugar to a cream, add gradually the eggs, next alternately the flour and milk, with the dissolved soda. Pour the mixture into a square, well-buttered tin pan and bake in a hot oven. The batter should be one inch thick in the pan. When done, cut the bread into squares. The preparation may be baked in gem pans; it will produce sixteen corn gems.

Mushroom Catsup

Do not wash or skin the mushrooms, but carefully remove and decayed, dirty or worm-eaten portions. Cut one half inch from the end of the  stalks, then break the rest into small pieces; put them into an earthen jar and strew three quarters of a pound of salt amongst two gallons of mushrooms, scattering the larger portions on top. Let them remain all night, and the next day stir them gently with a wooden spoon; repeat three times a day for two days. At the end of that time put jar into cool oven for one half hour; strain liquid which flows from them through coarse cloth; boil one quarter of an hour. Do not squeeze mushrooms. To every quart of liquid add one quarter ounce of Jamaica ginger and black pepper and one drachm of mace. Boil again till quantity is reduced one half. Pour it out, let stand till cool; put into perfectly dry bottles, being careful not to disturb the sediment which settled to the bottom. Seal corks and keep in a cool dry place. This recipe has been used most successfully for years by one of the most famous chefs in America. If the details are faithfully adhered to, the result will be highly satisfactory.

Preserving Cider

The cider from clean sound fruit should be strained through a fine strainer (haircloth is good) into clean barrels (preferably fresh liquor casks). If it is desired to retain the cider in sweet condition, add at once 11/2 ounces of salicylic acid to forty gallons of cider. Cork up tightly and no fermentation will take place.

If the cider is desired a little sharp, the adding of the acid may be delayed a few days, or until the desired flavor is reached. The salicylic acod may then be added, which will stop the fermentation in less than half an hour. The bung should then be tightly inserted. This is the recipe used by a good housekeeper, who is thoroughly satisfied with the results.

Home-Made Vinegar

To every 10 gallons of cider add one gallon of fresh-fallen soft water boiling hot. Also toast a large thick slice of bread; soak thoroughly in good fresh yeast and put into the barrel. Then add a liberal amount of “mother of vinegar”; the more the better. Set at the back of the kitchen stove or any place where the temperature is warm. Keep the bunghole  open, with a piece of cheese cloth tacked over to keep out flies, dust, etc. Don’t expect good vinegar in less than five to six months, and if not satisfactory in that time, I would advise putting in a few pounds of good brown sugar, or coarse molasses will do, to give more body.

Pan-Broiled Chickens

Brush cleaned spring chickens inside and out with melted butter; dust with salt and pepper; lay in dripping pan, adding a little hot water; bake in hot oven till crispy brown, basting often with melted butter; when done slip paper frills over the leg joints, garnish with lemon slices, fried parsley and julienne potatoes. Wash and shake dry a bunch of parsley; then plunge into deep, hot fat for a second; drain and garnish. Serve a little with each portion of chicken. Cooked in this manner the chicken does not have a fleshy flavor.

Marmalade Diamonds

Cream one cupful of butter and two and a half cupfuls granulated sugar;then add beaten yolks of five eggs and beat thoroughly; then add one cupful sweet milk, then work in four cupfuls flour, one teaspoonful lemon juice, one even teaspoonful soda sifted in flour; then fold in the stiffly beaten whites; bake in shallow pans; when cool cut into diamonds; spread half with lemon marmalade; put other halves on top; cover with boiled icing. Any fruit marmalade can be used instead of lemon. These are dainty for teas or any social function.

Baked Beans With Tomato Sauce

Pick over and wash one quart of pea beans; cover with cold water and soak over night. In the morning drain and put the beans in a large stew pan, cover with cold water and simmer until tender; drain them and put in a bean pot; mix two teaspoonfuls of salt, one-half teaspoonful of pepper, one half teaspoonful of dry mustard, and one-quarter of a cupful of molasses; add one cupful of hot water, ad pour over the beans; add hot-water sufficient to cover; score the rind on one-quarter of a pound of salt pork, which should be simmered until nearly tender; push it down in the beans; put in a slow oven and cook until the beans are a brown color all through.adding mor water from time to time as may be necessary; this will take five or six hours; put in a stew pan one can of tomatoes and one small sliced onion, and cook for half an hour; press through a sieve; when the beans are ready drain off most of the liquid and the strained tomatoes; cook two hours longer.

VINTAGE RECIPES

[Welland Tribune June 6, 1905]

THE HOUSEHOLD

Hint about Asparagus

Wash the asparagus and cut the tips and tender parts of the stalks into pieces less than an inch long. Boil them in water enough to cook them without burning until they are tender. Then season with salt, pepper, cream or milk, and butter, using the liquor in which the vegetable boiled for part of the sauce. Cooked in this way, it goes under the head of “spoon victuals”, and should be served in individual vegetable saucers.

Strawberry Short Bread

This is not the ordinary though justly famous and familiar strawberry shortcake, but a dainty bit for the gods, so delicate when properly made that it literally melts in the mouth. Mix together one pound of flour, four ounces of powdered sugar, and eight ounces of butter; sift the sugar and flour together four times, then work the flour in thoroughly, handling it in the same way that pastry is prepared, rubbing the mixture between the palms of the hands until it is thoroughly blended. Knead the whole together until it forms a solid mass, using no liquids whatever to moisten, the butter holding the ingredients together after it has been manipulated a sufficient length of time with the hands. Divide into two portions, then the mass adheres, and press one part into a hollow dish so that it will form a hollow shell. Bake in a slow oven until the cakes are a delicate brown, and then remove; fill the hollow cake with mashed and sweetened berries, mixing with them a gill of cream, or placing a layer of cream on top, fit the flat cake on top, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve the whole at once while still warm. This cake will keep indefinitely and become richer as time goes on, if any of it is left over in making the layers, mold into thick, small, round cakes and bake, then set away until used.

RHUBARB RECIPES

[Welland Tribune May 19, 1905]

Custard

Cut stale sponge cake in slices and arrange in a glass dish in alternate layers with rich stewed rhubarb. Just before serving, cover with a cold boiled custard made as follows: Beat the yolks of three eggs with a fourth of a cupful of sugar, pour over them a pint of hot milk and cook in a double boiler until it will coat the spoon, stirring constantly. Flavor with lemon. Spread the whites of the eggs, whipped to a stiff froth with three tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar, over the top.

Tart

Line a pie dish with good paste, brush it over with white of egg and bake in a quick oven. When done, fill the pie with rhubarb marmalade, and when cold heap over it whipped cream flavored with lemon. Do not add the cream until just before serving.

Tapioca

Soak two tablespoonfuls of pearl tapioca in two cupfuls of cold water for one hour; then cook in a double boiler until perfectly clear. Add four tablespoonfuls of sugar, and cook a few minutes longer. Then pour over a pint of rich stewed rhubarb in a shallow glass dish. Serve very cold with whipped cream flavored with lemon.

With Dates

Wash one pound of good dates, add boiling water to cover, and cook until the water is nearly absorbed. Then remove the seeds. Skin and cut a pound of rhubarb in one-inch pieces, put a layer in the bottom of a pudding dish, sprinkle with sugar, add a layer of dates, and repeat until dates and rhubarb are all used, having the last layer of dates. Put in one-fourth cupful of hot water, and bake until the rhubarb is soft.

Shortcake

Make a rich biscuit dough, spread it an inch thick on buttered pie tins, and bake in a quick oven. When done, split open, butter, and spread with thick stewed rhubarb. Serve with cream, plain or whipped, and powdered sugar.

Butter

Wash and chop the rhubarb fine. To each pound allow one pound of sugar. Add a very little water. Just enough to keep it from burning, and cook gently for an hour or longer, according to the age of the rhubarb. Keep an asbestos mat under the preserving kettle, and stir frequently to prevent it from burning. Half orange pulp, black currants or strawberries combine delightfully with rhubarb in making butter, jam or marmalade.

Fritters

Cut rhubarb into pieces two inches long. Cook until tender but not broken, in a rich syrup. Let lie in the syrup until cold; then drain each piece carefully, and dust with powdered sugar. Make a batter with one cupful of milk, one and one-half cupfuls of sifted flour, one teaspoonful of baking powder, and two beaten eggs, Add the milk and the sugar to the whipped eggs, and the flour in which the baking powder has been sifted. Mix thoroughly, then dip the pieces of rhubarb in the batter, and fry in deep hot fat. Drain on unglazed paper, roll in granulated sugar, and serve at once with the syrup drained from the rhubarb.

Blanc Mange in Rhubarb Nests

Make blanc mange after the usual rule, only using about half a cupful less of milk. When it is nearly done add half a cupful of hot strawberry juice. This will make it a pretty pink. Mold in small cupfuls, when firm turn each one out carefully on a pretty china saucer. Have ready cold rhubarb which has been cut in inch lengths and cooked until tender, but not broken, in a very rich syrup. Drain off he syrup carefully, and arrange the pieces of rhubarb around the blanc mange. Garnish with whipped cream.

VINTAGE RECIPES

Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard

or

Canadian Cook Book. 1881

DRINKS

Substitute for cream in coffee

Beat an egg to a froth, add to it a piece of butter the size of a walnut, and turn the coffee on it gradually from the boiling pot into the one for the table, in which it should be previously put. It is difficult to distinguish the taste from fresh cream.

Coffee for fifty cups

Two quarts of coffee, four eggs, shells and all; mix this with two quarts of cold water and pour on ten quarts of boiling water. Let this boil five minutes. Take off and pour in one cup of cold water to settle it.

Chocolate

Put four ounces of chocolate in a sauce-pan, with enough cold water to prevent burning. Let it simmer gently a few minutes. When it comes to a boil, add one quart of boiling milk and one gill of cream. Let it boil gently five minutes.

Ginger Beer

Two ounces of tartaric acid, two pounds of white sugar, three quarts of water and the juice of one lemon, Boil these together five minutes; when nearly cold, add the whites of three eggs, well beaten with half a cup of flour and a half ounce of essence pf wintergreen or of lemon. Bottle and keep in a cold place. Take two tablespoons of this syrup and a quarter of a teaspoon of soda for a tumbler of water’ stir violently and drink.Use any essence for flavoring instead of wintergreen that you may prefer.

BEVERAGES

Vienna Coffee

Equal parts Mocha and Java coffee; allow one heaping tablespoon of coffee to each person, and two extra to make good strength; mix one egg with the grounds, pour on the coffee half as much water as will be needed, let the coffee froth, then stir down the grounds and let it boil five minutes; then let the coffee stand where it will keep hot, but not boil, for five or ten minutes, and add the rest of the water. To one pint of cream add the white of an egg, well beaten; this is to put in the cups with the sugar and the hot coffee added.

Koaka Coffee

Put into an ordinary tea or coffee pot the same quantity of K.O.K. as would be used of coffee, pour on sufficient boiling water to extract the strength, letting boil fifteen minutes, after which add enough boiling water for the requirements of the family, remove from the stove and let settle few moments; milk or cream and sugar to taste. It will be found to improve by long simmering on the stove, but be sure to let it settle before using. Do not throw away any of the clear liquid, but heat it up again and add to the next brewing; it is even better than the first.

VINTAGE RECIPES-PICKLES

Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard

or

Canadian Cook Book,1881

In order to have good pickles you must use good vinegar-pure cider or white wine vinegar is considered the best. Vinegar should not be boiled in metalic vessels, as the salts produced by such contact are poisonous. Stone-ware jars (not glazed) should be used to keep pickles in. In making a large quantity at a time it is best to seal up a part-in  such cases use green glass jars.

Wash them in clear water, lay them in a jar, and sprinkle them well with salt; as you lay in fresh cucumbers, add more salt. They will make their own brine.

One pail of soft water. One quart of salt, one tablespoon of saltpetre and two tablespoons of alum; pour over the pickles boiling hot; after a few days pour off the brine, scald and skim.

Soak the Cucumbers two days in a weak solution of salt and water, then cover them with boiling water and let it remain two days, then put them in jars with whole spices among them and cover with a new vinegar, boiling hot, and sweetened in the proportion of a teacup of sugar to a gallon of vinegar. The vinegar in which the pickles are kept one year will do for the first vinegar the next. Use for spices black pepper, allspice, cloves and cinnamon; but the pickles are good and will keep without spices. If the pickles are to be kept through the following summer, it is safer to seal them up.

Take one peck of green tomatoes sliced, and six large onions sliced; throw over them a teacup of salt and let them stand twenty-four hours; drain and boil in two quarts of water and one quart of vinegar twenty minutes, then drain again and take four quarts of vinegar, two pounds of brown sugar, a half pound of white mustard seed, two tablespoons of ground allspice, the same of cloves, cinnamon, ginger and mustard, and a half teaspoon of cayenne pepper; put all together with the tomatoes and onions and boil fifteen or twenty minutes, or until the tomato looks clear. Very fine.

Chop fine equal quantities of green tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and a few green peppers, and then pour the water off and pour on boiling vinegar, with mustard and spices.

Take small, smooth tomatoes, not very ripe, scald them until the skin will slip off easily, and sprinkle salt over them. After they have stood twenty-four hours, drain off the juice and pour on a boiling hot pickle composed of one pound of sugar, two teaspoons of cinnamon and two teaspoons of cloves to every quart of vinegar. Drain off the liquid, scald it and pour on them again, every other day for a week. They will require no further care. This is excellent.

Slice white and red cabbage very fine, put into a jar alternately, sprinkle salt on each layer; also whole black pepper, black mustard seed, and cinnamon broken fine; then cover with cold vinegar. It will be ready for use in twenty-four hours.

Take the whitest full-grown cauliflower, cut off the thick stock and split the flower into eight or ten pieces, spread them on a  large dish and sprinkle with salt; let them stand twenty-four hours, then wash off the salt; drain them, put them into a flat jar, scald with salt and water (allowing a quarter of a pound of salt to a quart of water), cover closely and let it stand until next day; afterwards drain them in a hair sieve and spread in a warm place to dry for a day and night. Then put them in a glass jar and pour over them a pickle that has been prepared as follows: Mix together three ounces of coriander seed, three ounces of tumeric, one ounce of mustard seed and one ounce of ginger. Pound the whole to a fine powder; put it into three quarts of cider vinegar, set it by the fire in a stone jar and let it infuse three days. These are the proportions but the quantity of pickle must depend on the quantity of cauliflower, which must be well covered by the liquid; pour it over the flower and secure the jar closely

Take small nutmeg or musk melons, peel them, cut out a slice and remove the pulp and seed; take three heads of cauliflower, one peck of small cucumbers, one quart of small onions, one quart of nasturtiums, one quart of small green tomatoes, one quart of green beans, one pint of radish pods, six or eight carrots cut in rings and a half pint of mustard seed; cut the cauliflower into bunches, leaving a small head on each; put the vegetables into a  large jar, pour over them a brine made of two gallons of boiling water, and a half pints of salt and a lump of alum the size of a walnut; leave them in the brine two or three days, then wash clear in water, drain, and fill each melon, adding a teaspoon of mustard seed; adjust the piece taken out and tie a cord around; place them in a jar, and if any of the ingredients remain fill the space with them. Take six quarts of good cider vinegar, three-fourths of a pound of mustard seed, two ounces of allspice, a half ounce of mace, two or three roots of ginger, two or three red peppers and one tablespoon of pulverized alum. Boil all together and pour while boiling hot over the pickles.

One cauliflower cut in small pieces, one dozen small white onions, two dozen small cucumbers, one quart of string beans, one ounce of black mustard seed, one ounce of white mustard seed, one teaspoon of cayenne pepper, a quarter of an ounce of tumeric, pieces of horse radish cut fine and a gallon of vinegar, or more. Scald the spices and vinegar together and pour over the vegetables boiling hot; after it is cold mix one pound of mustard in vinegar and add to the pickles.

Two heads of cauliflower, two dozen small cucumbers, a half peck of string beans, six roots of celery, six green peppers, one quart of small white onions and a fourth of a peck of small green tomatoes, cut into small pieces; sprinkle with salt and let them stand twenty-four hours, then drain. Take one gallon or more of vinegar, one fourth pound of mustard seed, two pots of french mustard, one ounce of allspice, one ounce of cloves, one ounce of ground pepper, two ounces of tumeric and two ounces of cinnamon; pour the vinegar and spices into a kettle and let them come to a boil, then add the vegetables, and let them scald till yellow and a little tender.

Eight pounds of ripe tomatoes, four pounds of sugar a half ounce of cloves, a half ounce of allspice and a half ounce of cinnamon, Peel the fruit and boil one and a half hours; when partly cold add a half pint of vinegar. Put away in jars.

Five pounds of sweet apples, two pounds of sugar, one quart of vinegar, three nutmegs, cloves, cinnamon and a little salt Boil the fruit in the syrup until soft.

One peck of sorted plums, one quart of good vinegar, six pounds of brown sugar, two ounces of cinnamon, a half ounce of cloves and a half ounce of mace. Boil the sugar with the vinegar and spices, then add the plums and boil until they begin to be soft.

Eight and a half pounds of peaches, three pounds of sugar, one pint of vinegar, cloves, cinnamon stick and ginger root. Tie the spices in a bag and boil in the vinegar and sugar, and pour over the fruit. Repeat this six successive mornings.

Three-fourths of a pound of sugar, one pound of fruit and vinegar sufficient to dissolve the sugar. Boil the vinegar and sugar together; skim it and put in the cloves, mace and cinnamon; scald the plums till tender, then take them out and boil down the syrup and pour it over the fruit.

Pare and halve the pears, put four pounds of sugar to one gallon of vinegar and boil with cloves and cassia buds, pounded and tied in a rag. Scald the pears a little, if hard, as pouring the vinegar on does not soften them

Cut bunches of not over ripe grapes and lay in a jar with grape leaves between layers. Pour over the whole a cold syrup made as follows; One quart of vinegar, four pounds of sugar and cloves, cinnamon and mace tied in a bag ad boiled in the vinegar.

Boil two pounds of raisins till tender in vinegar enough to cover them. Skim the raisins out and add to the vinegar one pound of sugar. Cloves and cinnamon to taste. Pour the syrup boiling hot over the raisins.

Cut the melon rind into strips or whatever shape desired; make a weak solution of alum and pour over; let stand twenty-four hours; then scald in clear water and drain. To seven pounds of rind, take one quart of good cider vinegar, four pounds off sugar and a half pint of ginger root; put in the rind and boil till it looks clear; then remove the fruit to a jar and boil the liquid until it is a rich syrup.

VINTAGE RECIPES-PIES

Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard

or

Canadian Cook Book, 1881

One-half cup lard, one-half cup butter, one quart sifted flour, one cup cold water, a little salt. Rub the butter and lard slightly into the flour; wet it with the water, mixing it as little as possible. This quantity will make two large or three small pies.

To prevent juice from soaking under the crust, beat up the white of an egg, and before filling the pie, brush over the crust with the beaten egg. Brush over the top crust also, to give it a beautiful yellow brown.

One pint of milk, three eggs, a little salt, three tablespoons of sugar. Flavor with vanilla or nutmeg and essence of lemon. If the milk is scalded it will require but two eggs to a pint.

For two pies, take two tablespoons of rice; wash and put it into a farina boiler with a quart of milk; cook until perfectly soft. Let it cool; add three eggs, well beaten, with three tablespoons of sugar and one of butter; a little salt, cinnamon and a few stoned raisins. Bake with under crust

One pint of milk, scalded; two tablespoons of corn starch. Three tablespoons of sugar, yolks of two eggs. Wet the starch with a little cold milk; beat the eggs and sugar until light, and stir the whole into the scalding milk. Flavor with lemon or vanilla, and set aside to cool. Line a plate with pie crust and bake; fill it with cream and cover it with frosting made of the whites of eggs, beaten dry, with two tablespoons of sugar. Bake a delicate brown.

For one pie, beat together one cup sugar, one-half cup corn starch, two eggs. Stir into one pint hot milk; when well cooked and cool, flavor and put between crusts that have been baked and are cold

One pint flour, one-half teacup lard, one-quarter teacup ice-water, teaspoon salt. Bake upper and lower crusts in separate plates, and put the cream between

Line your plate with pastry; fill with sliced sour apples; cover the crust without pressing down the outer edge. Bake light brown and when done remove the upper crust and season with butter, sugar and spice to taste.

One pint stewed sour apples, sifted; butter size of an egg, two tablespoons flour; grated rind and juice of a lemon; yolks of three eggs beaten. Sweeten to taste. Bake with lower crust and when done spread a meringue of the whites of three eggs, beaten with three tablespoons sugar over the top, and brown in oven.

One cup stewed pumpkin, one coffeecup milk, three eggs, piece of butter size of walnut, two teaspoons cinnamon, one teaspoon ginger, a little salt and pepper. Sweeten with molasses.

One full cup stewed squash, one scant cup sugar, one pint milk, two eggs, two tablespoons melted butter, a little salt, ginger and cinnamon.

Cover the dish with crust; put a layer of apples, sliced thin, a layer of pork (salt and raw), sliced very thin and in small pieces. Black pepper and spice to taste. Sugar upper crust. Bake one hour and a half.

One cup powdered sugar, one half cup butter, four eggs, one cup grated cocoanut, one quart milk. Put the cocoanut with the butter and sugar; add the milk and eggs. Makes two pies.

One large lemon, one teaspoon of butter (heaping); one and one-half cups of sugar, three eggs, one heaping teaspoon of flour, one-half glass of brandy. Grate the yellow part of the rind and squeeze the juice of the lemon; beat the butter and sugar to a cream with the yolks of the eggs; then stir in the grated rind and juice, flour and brandy; lastly whip and stir in the whites. Bake with an under crust.

VINTAGE RECIPES-BREAD

Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard

or

Canadian Cook Book, 1881

Bread

Three potatoes; boil and mash them in the  morning; add one-quarter cup sugar, one-half cup flour, a little salt; after stirring well, pour over one-half pint boiling-hot water; stir and add one-half pint of cold water; stir that, and add one-half cup of yeast, and put it in a warm place. When it is risen well and rounds up to the top of the dish, stir it down. Do so several times during the day, and at night strain and put it in a jug. Keep in a cool place. It will be good a week.

Boil one-half pound of hops in eight quarts of water until the liquid is very strong; then pour in fifteen or twenty large potatoes; let them boil until they are thoroughly done; take them out; pare and mash them fine. Put in the mashed potatoes a pint of flour, strain your boiling hop liquid into the flour and potato, taking care that the flour is well scalded. Add one pint of molasses, one teaspoon of ginger and one handful of salt; when the mixture is cool enough to put the hand in, rub it through a colander to reduce it to a fine pulp. Add  a sufficient quantity of Pearl yeast to raise it, and let it stand in a large covered jar until morning; then add another bowl of flour, and mix the cakes with Indian meal. They must be hard enough to take up a quantity of dough in the hand; pat it together and cut it into slices. Lay the cakes as you cut them on plates or something that will not impart any taste to them. The cakes must be turned once the first day, and after that twice a day until they are thoroughly dry.

One handful hops, six large potatoes; boil together until well done, and strain through a colander; add sufficient water to make two quarts, and when boiling, stir quickly into one quart of flour and a little salt. When luke warm add one cake Pearl yeast.

Three and one-half quarts sifted flour, one boiled potato. Large; one quart warm water, one teacup yeast. One even tablespoon salt. Mix at night; put the flour in a large bowl; hollow a place in the centre for the potato mashed, water and salt. Stir in flour enough to make a smooth batter; add Pearl yeast; stir in the rest of the flour. Put the dough on the floured board; knead fifteen minutes, using bately enough flour to prevent sticking. Flour the bowl, lay the dough in it, cover and leave to rise. In the morning, divide in four parts; mould into loaves; when light, prick, and bake in moderate oven.

One pint corn meal, one pint bread sponge, two-thirds cup molasses, one teaspoon soda. Scald the meal; when cool add the sponge, molasses and soda. Mix with Graham flour stiff as cake; put in tins, and when light bake one hour.

Two eggs, three cups butter milk or sour milk, one half cup lard, one-half cup sugar, one cup flour, one teaspoon saleratus. One-half teaspoon salt. Three cups Indian meal.

One quart flour, four teaspoons Dunn&Co’s baking powder, a little salt-sifted together; add a full teaspoon of butter and sufficient water to make a soft dough. Roll out, and cut in cakes an inch thick. Bake in quick oven.

Two and one-quarter cups of flour, three cups milk, three eggs whites and yolks beaten separately; three teaspoons melted butter, a little salt. Bake in cups, in a hot oven.

Beat one egg thoroughly; put in coffee-cup; add one tablespoon brown sugar, one tablespoon thick cream or butter; fill with butter milk or sour milk, two handfuls of corn meal, one small handful wheat flour, one-half teaspoon soda-rubbed into the flour. Bake in muffin rings on a griddle.

One cup of home-made yeast or half of a compressed yeast cake, one pint of sweet milk, two eggs, two tablespoons of melted butter, two tablespoons of sugar. Beat the butter, sugar and eggs well together; then stir in the milk, slightly warmed, and thicken with flour to the consistency of griddle cakes. When light, bake in muffin rings or on a griddle.

Muffins should never be cut with a knife, but be pulled open with the fingers.

If wanted for tea, the batter must be mixed immediately after breakfast.

One pint warm water, one teaspoon salt, Graham flour enough to make stiff batter. Have your irons and oven both hot.

One quart of Graham flour. One pint if milk, one pint of water, two eggs, a little salt. Bake in cups or gem pans.

One cup of sugar, one cup of milk, two and one-half cups of flour, one egg, butter the size of an egg, two teaspoons of baking powder, one and one-half cups of huckleberries. To be eaten hot, with butter. This  makes a very delicate tea rush by leaving out the huckleberries, and using only half a cup of sugar.

Three teaspoons Dunn&Co’s baking powder, sifted with one and one-half pints flour; three tablespoons butter, rub into the flour; one-half cup sugar; teaspoon salt; one egg, beaten with one pint milk. Bake in jelly tins. Spread with butter, and put berries between layers.

One-half cup of sugar, one-quarter cup butter, one cup sweet milk, one pint flour, three eggs, two and one-half teaspoons baking powder. Bake in cups for tea.

For a small quantity, say one quart bowl full, take one egg, two-thirds of rice (cooked) to one-third flour; one teaspoon soda, two teaspoons cream tartar, or three teaspoons baking powder; sweet milk enough to make it right consistency.

One pint sour milk, teaspoon soda, a little salt, two eggs, flour to make a thin batter.

If you want your waffles for tea, take one quart warm milk after dinner; put in two eggs, beaten; a small piece of butter; a small cup of yeast. Mix with flour a little thicker than wheat pancakes. Set by warm stove and they will be light for tea. Bake in waffle irons, greased.

For six persons, take two eggs, one-half cup milk, flour enough to make a good stiff batter. Cut old bread in thin slices; dip into the batter, and fry brown in butter. Serve hot.