CATSUPS AND SAUCES

Always select perfect fruit; cook in porcelain, never in metal. In making catsup, instead of boiling, some sprinkle the tomatoes with salt and let them stand over night, then strain and add spioee, etc., and a little sugar. Bottle in glass or stone, and never use tin cans ; keep in a cool, dry, dark place. If, on opening, there is a leathery mold on top, carefully remove every particle of it, and the catsup will not be injured. To prevent this molding, some do not fill the bottles quite to the top with catsup, but fill up with hot vinegar. If there are white specks of mold all through the catsup it is spoiled. If, on opening and using a part, there is danger that the rest may sour, scald, and, if too thick, add vinegar. Sauces should always be made with great care in a pan set in hot water, having the sauce pan dean if a delicate flavor is desired, especially if the sauce is drawn butter. Butter and those sauces containing eggs should never boil. Wooden spoons must be used for stirring. An excellent thickening for soups, sauces and gravies is prepared as follows : Bring butter just to the boiling point in a small stew- pan, dredge in flour, stirring together until well cooked. This, when not cooked brown, is ** White Eoux," and when browned, *' Brown Roux." Thin this with a part of the soup, sauce or gravy, and add it to the whole, stirring thoroughly. The flour may be browned before using if intended for brown gravies or sauces. Melted butter may be used in place of oil in all recipes where the latter is named.

Mint, when used in recipes, usually means "spearmint" of *^ green mint,** though pennyroyal and peppermint are of the same

CATSUPS AND SAUCES 129

fisonily. The young leaves of from one to six inches in length are the parts used. It grows on any good garden soil, but comes for- ward earlier in a warm, sunny spot. It is propagated by cuttings or dividing the roots of old plants in the spring, is very prolific, and ought to find a place in eVery garden. Those who have con- aervatories should keep a root in pots, to use with spring lamb be^ fore the leaves would appear in the open air. Mint leaves for drying should be cut irom the stalks just before the plant blossoms, and spread out thinly in some dry, shady place, where they can dry slowly. When dry, put up in paper bags and keep in a dry place until wanted.

Cucumber Catsup.

Three dozen cucumbers and eighteen onions peeled and chopped very fine ; sprinkle over them three-fourths pint table-salt, put the whole in a sieve, and let drain well over night; add a tea-cup mus- tard seed, half tea-cup ground black pepper ; mix well, and cover with good cider vinegar. — Mrs. Hattie CleinjnoiiSy AsheviUe, N. C

Currant Catsup. Four pounds nice fully-ripe currants, one and a half pounds sngar, table-spoon ground cinnamon, a tea-spoon each of salt, ground cloves and pepper, pint vinegar ; stew currants and sugar antil quite thick, add other ingredients, and bottle for use.

Gooseberry Catsup. Nine pounds gooseberries, h\e pounds sugar, one quart vinegar, three table-spoons cinnamon, one and a half each allspice and cloves. The gooseberries should he nearly or quite rii)e. Take ofi^blossomsy wash and put them into a porcelain kettle, mash thoroughly, scald and put through the colander, add sugar and spices, boil fifteen mmutes, and add the vinegar cold ; bottle immediately before it cools. Ripe grapes prepared by same rule, make an excellent cat- sup.— Mrs. Col. W. P. Reid, Delaware^ Ohio.

Tomato Catsup.

Half bushel tomatoes, four ounces salt, three ounces ground black

pepper, one ounce cinnamon, half ounce ground cloves, one drachm 9

180 CAT8X7F8 AND SAUCES.

cayenne pepper, one gallon vinegar; slioe the tomatoes and stew In iheir own liquor untQ soft, and rub through a sieve fine enough to retain the seeds ; IkhI the pulp and juice down to the oonsistencj of apple-butter (very thick), stirring steadily all the time to prevent burning; then add the vin^ar with which a small tea-cup sugar and Che spices have been mixed, boil up twice, remove from fire, let cool and bottle. Those who like the flavor of onions may add about half a dozen medium-sized ones, peeled and sliced, fifteen minutes before the vinegar and spices are put in. —Mrs. M. M. Mtm8eU» DdoMJcaret

ToBiATO Catsup.

Take one bushel of firm ripe tomatoes — ^the Feejee Island, known by their pink or purple color, and the ''Trophy," are the best and richest varieties for catsup and canning. Wipe them ofi* nicely with a damp cloth, cut out the cores, and put them in a porcelain-lined iron kettle or a genuine bell-metal one. Place over the fire, and pour over them about three pints of water, throw in two large handfiils of peach leaves, with ten or twelve onions or shallots cut fine. Boil until the tomatoes are done, which will take about two hours: then strain through a coarse-mesh sieve, pour the liquid back again into the boiling kettle and add half a gallon of good strong cider vinegar; have ready two ounces ground spice, two ounces ground black pepper, two ounces mustard (either ground or in the seed, as you prefer), one ounce ground cloves, two grated nutm^, two pounds light brown sugar, and one pint of salt ; mix these ingre- dients well together before putting in the boiler ; then boil two hours, stirring continually to prevent buniing. If you like the jcatsup "hot," add cayenne pepper to your taste. When cool, fill bottles (reeded bottles are the nicest, they can be procured at the house furnisher's, and a set will last some time ; they look better than ones of all sizes and styles). Cork and seal with bottle-wax so as to exclude the air. Keep in a cool, dry place for future use. This recipe is preferred to all others — it has been used for years. It keeps well, and has been pronounced by competent judges supe* lior to all others. — G. D., BaHimore, Mi.

CATSUPS AND SA UCES. 131

Bread Sauce. Place a diced onion and six pepper-corns in half a pint of milk over l)oiling water, until onion is perfectly soft ; pour it on half a pint of bread crumbs without cinist, and leave it covered for an hour ; beat it smooth, add pinch of salt, and two table-spoons butter rubbed in a little flour; add enough sweet cream or milk to make it the proper consistency, and boil a few minutes. It, must be thin enough to pour. — Mrs. J. L. T., Denver, CoL

Bread Sauce.

Half pint grated bread crumbs, one pint sweet milk, and one onion; boil until the sauce is smooth, take out onion and stir in two spoons butter with salt and pepper; boil once and serve with roast duck or any kind of game. — Mrs. H. C. E.

Cranberry Sauce.

After removing all soft berries, wash thoroughly, place for about two minutes in scalding water, remove, and to every pound fruit add three-quarters of a pound granulated sugar and a half pint water; stew together over a moderate but steady fire. Be careful to cover and not to gtir the fruit, but occasionally shake the vessel, or apply a gentler heat if in danger of sticking or burning. If atten- tion to these particulars be given, th^ berries will retain their shape to a considerable extent, which adds greatly to their appearance on the table. Boil from five to seven minutes, remove from fire, turn into a deep dish, and set aside to cool. If to be kept, they can be put up at once in air-tight j^rs. Or, for strained sauce, one and a half pounds of fruit should be stewed in one pint of water for ten or twelve minutes, or until quite soft, then strained through a colander or fine wire sieve, and three-quarters of a pound of sugar thoroughly stiired into the pulp thus obtained; after cooling it is ready for use. Serve with roast turkey or game. When to be kept for a long time, without sealing, more sugar may be added, but its too free use impaurs the peculiar cranberry flavor. For dinner-sauce half a pound is more economical, and really preferable to three-quarters, as given above. It is better, though not necessary, to use a por- celain kettle. Some prefer not to add the sugar till the fruit is almost done, thinking this plan makes it more tender, and preserves the color better.— 0. O. & E. W. Orane, CMweU, N. J.

132 CATSUPS AND SA UOES.

Celery Sauce. Scrape the outside stalka of celery and cut in pieces an inch long, let stand in cold water half hour, then put in boiling water enough to cover, and cook until tender ; drain off water and dress with butter, salt, and milk or cream, thickened with a little flour : Or» make a dressing by adding to half pint milk or cream, the weU- beaten yolks of two eggs, a bit of butter, and a little salt and pepper or grated nutmeg; bring just to boiling point, pour over 6tewed celery, and serve with roast duck. — Mrs. A. WiUon.

Cream Sauce.

Heat one table-spoon butter in a skillet, add a tea-spoon flour,

and stir until perfectly smooth, then add gradually one cup of cold

milk, let boil up once, season to taste with salt and pepper, and

serve. This is very nice for v^etables, omelets, fish, or sweet

Curry Powder.

An ounce of ginger, one of mustard, one of pepper, three of cori- ander seed, three of turmeric, one-half ounce cardamom, quarter ounce cayenne pepper, quarter ounce cumin seed ; pound all fine, sift and cork tight. One tea-spoon of powder is sufficient to season any thing. This is nice for boiled meats and stews. — Mrs. C. FvUington.

Cmu Sauce.

Twelve large ripe tomatoes, four ripe or three green peppers, two

onions, two table-spoons salt, two of sugar,, one of cinnamon, three

cups vinegar ; peel tomatoes and onions, chop (separately) very fine,

add the peppers (chopped) with the other ingredients, and boil one

and a half hours. Bottle and it will keep a long time. Stone juga

are better than glass cans. One quart of canned tomatoes may be

used instead of the ripe ones. This Chili sauce is excellent and

much better and more healthful than catsups. — Mrs. E. W. Het'

Caper Sauce.

To a pint of drawn butter, add three table-spoons of capers* Serve with boiled or roast mutton. Another method is the follow- ing: Fifteen minutes before the mutton is done, melt two table- spoons butter in a sauce-pan, stir into'it one table-spoon flour ; whes thoroughly mixed add half a pint of the liquor in which the mui

CATSUPS AND 8A UCES. 188

ton is boiling, and half a pint of milk, season with pepper and salt, cook a few minutes (to swell the grains of the flour), and just be- fore serving (in order that their color may not be lost by standing) add two heaped table-spoons capers.

Caper Butter. Chop one table-spoon of capers very fine, rub through a sieve with a wooden spoon, and mix them with a salt-spoon of salt, quarter of a salt-spoon of peppor, and one ounce of cold butter. Put a layer of this butter on a dish, and serve fish on it.

Drawn Butter. Rub a small cup of butter into half a table-spoon flour, beating it to a cream, adding, if needed, a little salt; pour on it half a pint boiling water, stirring it fast, and taking care not to let it quite boil, as boiling makes it oUy and unfit for use. The boiling may be pre- vented by placing the sauce-pan containing it in a larger one of boil- ing water, covering and shaking frequently until it reaches the boiling point. A great variety of sauces which are excellent to eat with fish, poultry, or boiled meats, can be made by adding different herbs, such as parsley, mint, or sweet marjoram, to drawn butter. First throw them into boiling water, cut fine, and they are ready to be added, when serve immediately, with two hard-boiled eggs, chopped fine. This makes a nice sauce to serve with baked fish. The chopped inside of a lemon with the seeds out, to which the chicken liver has been added, makes a good sauce for boiled chicken. For anchovy sauce, add two tea-spoons of anchovy extract or paste (kept by all grocers) to a half pint of drawn butter sauce, and 8tir well. For lobster sauce, chop the meat of the tail and claws of a good-sized lobster into pieces (not too small). Half an hour before dinner, make half a pint of drawn-butter, add the chopped lobster, a pinch of coral, another of cayenne, and a little salt. When done it should not be a solid mass, but the pieces of lobster should appear distinctly in the thin cream.

Greek Tomato Sauce. Cut up two gallons of green tomatoes; take three gills black mustard seed, three table-spoons dry mustard, two and a half of Uack pepper, one and a half allspice, four of salt, two of celery

134 CATSUPS AND SA UCES.

seed, one quart each of chopped onions and sugar, and two and a half quarts good vinegar, a little red pepper to taste. Beat the »pices and boil all together until well done.

HOLLANDAISE SaUCE.

Beat half a tea-cup butter in a bowl to a cream, add yolkp of two eggs, one bj one, then juice of half a lemon, a pinch of cayenne pepper, half a tea-spoon salt; place this in a sauce-pan of boiling water, beat with an egg l>eater, fbr a minute or two, until it begins to thicken, then add one-half cup of boiling water, beating all the time. When like soft custard it is done. It will take five minutes to cook if the bowl is thin and the water boils all the time.

Lemon Sauce.

Cut three slices of lemon into very small dice, and put them into drawn butter, let it come just to boiling point, and pour over boiled fowls.

Mayonnaise Sauce.

Mix in a two-quart bowl one even tea-spoon ground mustard, one of salt, and one and a half of vinegar ; beat in the yolk of a raw egg, then add very gi'adually half a pint pure olive-oil (or melted butter), beating briskly all the time. The mixture will become a very thick batter. Flavor with vinegar or fresh lemon-juice. Closely covered it will keep for weeks in a cold place, and is delicious.

Mint Sauce.

Take fresh, young mint, strip leaves from stems, wash, drain on a sieve, or dry them on a cloth ; chop very fine, put in a sauce- tureen, and to three heaped table-spoons mint add two of pounded sugar; let remain a few minutes well mixed together, and pour over it gradually six table-spoons of good vinegar. If members of the family like the flavor, but not the substance of the mint, the sauce may be strained after it has stood for two or three hours, pressing it well to extract all the flavor. It is better to make the sauce an hour or two before dinner, so that the vinegar may be impregnated with the mint. The addition of three or four table-spoons of the liquor from the boiling lamb is an improvement.

CA T8UP8, AND 8A UCES. 136

Oyster Sauce. Set a basin on the fire with half pint oysters, from which all bits of shell have been picked, and one pint boiling water ; let boil three minutes, skim well, and then stir in half a cup butter beaten to a cream, with two table-spoons flour ; let this come to a boil, and serve with boiled turkey. Or, make drawn butter, add a few drops lemon- juice, a tablespoon of capers, or a few drops vinegar, add oysters* drained of the liquor, and let come to boiling point. The sauce is richer if cream instead of water is used in making the drawn butter, but in this case do not add the lemon-juice or vinegar. —

Onioh Sauce. Boil three or four white onions till tender, mince fine ; boil half pint milk, add butter half size of an eggy salt and pepper to taste, and stir in minced onion and a table-spoon of flour which has been moistened with milk. — E, H. W.

Roman Sauce. Put one tea-cup water and one tea-cup milk on fire to scald, and when hot stir in a table-spoon flour, previously mixed smooth with a very little cold water, add three eggs well beaten and stramed, season with salt and pepper, two table-spoons butter and a little vinegar ; boil four eggs hard, slice and lay over the dish ; pour over sauce, and serve with boiled fish. — Mrs. E. T. E.

Tartare Sauce.

Yolks of two eggs, gill of salad-oil (or melted butter), salt-spoon

salt, half a salt-spoon pepper, a table-spoon good cider vinegar, half

tea-spoon mustard, a table-spoon of gherkins. Beat together in a

amall bowl lightly the vinegar and yolks, add to these, drop by drop,

the salad-oil or melted butter, taking care to stir the same way all -

the time; when this is done, season the mixture with pepper, salt

and mustard ; add also the gherkins finely chopped (or capers may

be substituted), and serve in a gravy boat with boiled salmon or

cold meats.

Tomato Sauce.

Stew ten tomatoes with three cloves, and pepper and salt, for fif- teen minutes (some add a sliced onion and sprig of parsley), strain through a sieve, put on the stove in a saucepan in which a lump of

136 OA TSUFS AND SA UCES.

butter the size of an egg and level table-spoon flour Have been well mixed and cooked ; stir all until smooth and serve. Canned toma- toes may be used as a substitute.

Prepared Mustard.

Take three tea-ppoons ground mustard, one of flour (two if the mustard seems very strong), half tea-spoon of sugar; pour boiling water on these and mix into a smooth, thick paste ; when cold add vinegar enough to make ready for use, and serve with salt This resembles the French mustard. —ifrs. Mary Herbert Huntington.

To Prepare Horse-radish for Winter.

In the fall, mix the quantity wanted in the following proportions: A coffee-cup of grated horse-radish, two table-spoons white sugar, half tea-spoon salt, and a pint and a half cold vinegar ; bottle and seal. To make horse-radish sauce, take two table-spoons of the above, add one dessert-spoon olive oil (or melted butter or cream), and one of prepared mustard. — From a Sovihem hotLsekeeper.

Shrimp Sauce.

Skin a (umbler of shrimps, boil skins in a tumbler of water ; strain this water in two-thirds tumbler butter previously rubbed into a heaped table-spoon flour, simmer a few minutes, add shrimps finely chopped, let stew until done. Little cooking is need- ed ; salt, pepper and catsup to taste. A good fish sauce.

Walnut Catsup.

Take forty black walnuts that you can stick a pin through, mash and put them in a gallon of vinegar, boil it down to three quarts and strain ; add a few cloves of garlic or onions, with any spice liked, and salt. When cool, bottle. Have good corks. — Mrs. A. C.

Pepper Vinegar.

Fill a quart bottle with small peppers, green or ripe, put in two table-spoons of sugar, and fill with good cider vinegar. Good to eat with fish or meat, and invaluable in seasoning sauces. — Mr», 8, T.

To avoid adulteration, buy coffee in the grain, either raw or in nnall quantities freshly roasted. The best kinds are the Mocha and Java, and some prefer to mix the two, having roasted them separ rately in the proportion of one-third of the former to two-thirds of the latter. West India coffee, though of a different flavor, is often very good.

Roast coffee with the greatest care — for here lies the secret of success in coffee-making— and in small quantities, for there is a peculiar freshness of flavor when newly roasted. Pick over care- fully, wash and <lry in :i niodenite oven, increase the heat and roast quickly, either in the oven, or on top of the stove or range; in the latter case, stir constantly , and i n t he oven stir ofteny with a wooden spoon or ladle kept for that pu r pose. The coffee must be thoroughly and evenly roasted to a dark rich brown (not black) throughout, and must be free from any burnt grains, a few of which will ruin the flavor of a large quantity. It must be tender and brittle, to test which take a grain, place it on the table, press with the thumb, and if it can be crushed, it is done. Stir in a lump of butter while the ix>ffee is hot, or wait until about half cold and then stir in a well- beaten egg. The latter plan is very economical, as cof!^ so pre- pared needs no further clarifying. Keep in a closely-covered tin or earthen vessel. Never attempt other work while roasting coffee, but give it the entire attention. Do not grind too fine, and only in quantities as needed, for the flavor is dissipated if it is long unused after grinding, even when under cover. If properly roasted, coffee will grind into distinct, hard, and gritty particles, and not into a powder.

188 DRINKS.

Physicians say that cofBde without cream is more wholesome, paiv ticularly for persons of weak digestion. There seems to be some element in the cofiee which, combining with the milk, forms a leathery coating on the stomach, and impairs digestion.

If soft water is used for making tea, tea should be added as soon as it boils, as boiling expels all the gases from the water, but if soft water can not be had, and hard water is used, boil it from twenty to thirty minutes before using. The boiling drives off the gases in this case, but it also causes the lime and mineral matters, which render the water hard, to settle, thus softening it.

Making Coffee.

''One for the pot" and a heaping table-spoon of ground cofiee for each person, is the usual allowance. Mix well, either with a part or the whole of an egg (or codfish skin, washed, dried, and cut in inch pieces, may be used instead of egg)y and enough cold water to thoroughly moisten it, place in a well-scalded coffee-boiler^ pour in half the quantity of boiling water needed, allowing one pint less of water than there are table-spoons of cofiee. Boll a cloth tightly and stop up the nose or spout, thus keeping in all the coffee flavor. Boil rather fast five minutes, stirrbg down from the top and sides as it boils up, and place on back part of stove or range where it will only simmer for ten or fifteen minutes longer. When ready to serve add the remainder of the boiling water. Or, another method of making coffee without clearing, is to stir the cofiee directly into the boiling water, boil and simmer as above, then pour out a large cupftil, and, holding it high over the pot, pour it in again ; repeat this, and set it on stove where it will keep hot, without simmering. The coffee will be clear, if instructions are carefully followed. Coffee boiled a long time is strong, but not so well flavored or agreeable as when prepared as above.

To keep the coffee-pot or tea-pot thoroughly pure, boil a little borax in them, in water enough to touch the whole inside surface, once or twice a week, for about fifteen minutes. No dish-water should ever touch the inside of either. It is sufiicient to rinse them in two or three waters; this should be done as soon after they are used as possible ; drun dry, and when ready to use scald out in

DRINKS. 139

two waters. These precautions will aid in preserving the flavor of the tea and coffee. In selecting coffee, choose that which is dry and light ; if it feels dense and heavy it is green.

Filtered Coffee.

The French coffee biggin furnishes the easiest means for filtering coffee. It consists of two cylindrical tin vessels, one fitting into the other ; the bottom of the upper one is a fine strainer, another coarser strainer is placed on this with a rod running upwards from its center; the finely ground coffee is put in, and then another strainer is slipped on the rod, over the coffee, the boiling water is poured on the upper sieve and falls in a shower upon the coffee, filtering through it to the coarse strainer at the bottom, which prevents the coffee from filling up the holes of the finer strainer below it The coffee thus made is clear and pure.

The National Cofl^pot is so widely known as not to need des- cription here, but the " gude wife " can improvise one equally as desirable and much simpler. Make a sack of fine flannel, or, canton flannel, as long as the coffee-pot is deep, and a little larger than the top ; stich up the side seam to within an inch and a half of the top, bend a piece of small but rather stiff wire in a circle and dip it through a. hem made around the top of the sack, bringing the ends together at the opening left at the top of the side seam. Having put the coffee in the sack, lower it mto tne conee-poi witn the ends of the wire next the handle, spread the ends of the wire apart slightly, and push it down over the top of the pot. The top of the sack will then he turned down a little over the outside of the pot, a part of it covering the " nose," and keeping in all the aroma, the elasticity of the wire causing it to close tight around the pot, holding the sack close to its sides. Instead of a wire (which must be removed to wash the sack after using), a tape may be used by tying the ends after turning the top of sack down. When the sack, with the coffee in it is in its place, pour the boiling water over the coffee, close the lid tightly, and let simmer (not boil) fifteen min- utes to half an hour. In pouring for the table raise the sack off the nose but not out of the pot. This makes good coffee without eggg or any thing else to settle it

140 DRINKS.

MAKiya Tea.

" Polly, put the kettle on, and we II all Uke Tea."

Of all ''cups that cheer/' there is nothing like the smoking-hot cup of tea, made with boUing water, in a tkoroiighiy scalded tea-pot. Put into the pot the required amount of tea, pour over it boiling water, cover the tea-pot so that no steam may escape, and allow the tea to stand and in^se for seven minutes, when it should be poured at once into the cups. If allowed to infuse longer than this time, which is sufficient to draw out the strength of the leaf, the tannin is developed, which gives an acrid, bitter taste, and being a power- ful astringent, is destructive to the coating of the stomach. To insure "keeping hot" while serving, in a different tea-pot from that in which the tea is made, the simple contrivance known as the '' bonnet '* is warranted a sure preventive against that most in- sipid of all drinks — a warmish cup of tea. It is merely a sack, with a loose gathering-tape in the bottom, large enough to cover « and encircle the tea-pot, with a small opening to fit the spout, and a slit through which the handle will be exposed. IVfake it with odd pieces of silk, satin or cashmere, lined, quilted or embroidered ; draw this over the tea-pot as soon as the tea is poured into it ; draw up the gathering-string tightly at the bottom, and the tea will remain piping hot for half an hour. One tea-spoon of tea and one tea-cup of hot water is the usual allowance for each person. FteMy boiled soft water is the best for either tea or coffee. Always have a water-pot of hot water on the waiter with which to weaken each cup if desired. Tea should never boil. The most elegant mode of serving tea is from the tea-urn, various forms and designs of which are made in silver -and plated ware. The be

DRINKS. 141

of both cream and milk, the white of an egg beaten to a froth, with a small bit of butter well mixed with it, may be used. In pouring oofiee, it must be turned on gradually so as not to curdle it.

Army Coffee.

Cofiee or tea may be made quickly by placing the required quan- tity of cold water in the pot, and adding the coffee, tied up in a^ Back of fine gauze, or piece of muslin ; bring to boiling point, boil' five minutes and serve. Make tea in the same way, except that the tea is put loose in the water, and simply allowed to boil up once.

Coffee with Whipped Cream.

For six cups of coffee of fair size, take one cup sweet cream whipped light with a little sugar ; put into each cup the desired amount of sugar and about a table-spoon boiling milk ; pour the coffee over these and lay upon the surface of the hot liquid a large spoonful of the frothed cream, giving a gentle stir to each cup be- fore serving. This is known to some as meringued coffee, and is an elegant IVench preparation of the popular drink. Chocolate served m this wav is delicious. — Marion Harland,

Coffee for One Hundred. Take five pounds roasted coffee, grind and mix with six eggs ;

make small muslin sacks, and in each place a pint of coffee, leaving

room for it to swell ; put five gallons boiling water in a large cofiee

urn or boiler having a faucet at the bottom ; put in part of the sacks

and boil two hours ; five or ten minutes before serving raise the lid

and add one or two more sacks, and if you continue serving several

times add fresh sacks at regular intervals, taking out from time to

time those first put in and filling up with boiling water as needed.

In this way the full strength of the coffee is secured and the fresh

supplies impart that delicious flavor consequent on a few momenta

To make coffee for twenty persons, us6 one and a half pints ground cofiee and one gallon of water. — Mrs. C. 8. Ogden.

Steamed Coffee. ,

Put coffee into the pot, pour the boiling water on it ; place tliis pot (which is made to fit) into the top of the tea-kettle, and let cook from ten to twenty minutes, while water in kettle is kept

142 DRINKSL

boiling all the time. This makes a clear, delicious coffee. Some persons hold that by first wetting the coffee with cold water, bring- ing it to boiling point, and then pouring in water, more of the strength is extracted.

Vienna Coffee.

Filter instead of boibng the cofilee, allowing one table-spoon ground coffee to each person and '' one for the pot;'* put a quart of cream into a custard-kettle or pail set in boiling water, and put it where it will keep boiling ; beat the white of an egg to a froth, and mix well with three table-spoons cold milk. As soon as the cream is hot, remove from fire, add the mixed egg and milk, stir together briskly for a minute, and then serve.

Another method is U) pour boiling water over the coffee, cover closely, boil one minute, remove tc the side of the stove a few min* utes to settle, and serve. Allow two heaping table-spoons coflee to a pint of water. The less time the coffee is cooked the more coffee 18 required, but the finer the flavor. The late Professor Blot pro- tested against boiling the coffee at all, as in his opinion the aroma was evaporated, and only the bitter flavor left.

Chocolate.

Take six table-spoons scraped chocolate, or three of chocolate and three of cocoa, dissolve in a quart of boiling water, boil hard fifteen minutes, add one quart of rich milk, let scald and serve hot ; this IS enough for six persons. Cocoa can also be made after this recipe. Some boil either cocoa or chocolate only one minute and then serve, while others make it the day before using, boiling it for one hour, and when cool skimming off the oil, and when wanted for use, heat it to the boiling point and add the milk. In this way it is equally good and much more wholesome. Cocoa is firom the seed of the fruit of a small tropical tree. There are several forms in which it is sold, the most nutritious and convenient being chocolate, the next cocoa, then cocoa nibs, and last cocoa shells. The ground bean is simply cocoa; ground fine and mixed with sugar it is choco- ]ate ; the beans broken into bits are " nibs." The shells are the shells of the bean, usually removed before grinding. The beans are roasted like coffee, and ground between hot rollers.

DEINKS. 143

Vienna Chocolate.

Put into a co£fee-pot set in boiling water, one quart of new milk

{or a pint each of cream and milk), stir into it three heaping table-

Bpoons grated chocolate mixed to a paste with cold milk, let it boil

two or three minutes, and serve at once. To make good chocolate,

good materials are required.

Cider should be made from ripe apples only, and for this reason, and to prevent fermentation, it is better to make it late in the season. Use only the be^t-flavored grafted fruit, rejecting all that are decayed or wormy. The best mills crush, not grind, the apples. The utmost neatness is necessary throughout the process. Press and strain juice as it comes from the press through a woollen cloth into a perfectly clean barrel; let stand two or three days if cool, if warm not more than a day; rack once a week for four weeks, put in bottles and cork tightly. This will make perfect unfermented cider. Do not put any thing in it to preserve it, as all so-called preservatives are humbugs. Lay the bottles away on their sides in sawdust. — C. T. Canon, Ml, Pleasant Farm,

Bottled Cider.

Take good sweet cider (if a tart flavor is wished, let it just be- g^ to ferment), put on stove, sldm tfumyughly (as the great secret is to remove all pumice from the cider), heat to boiling point, but do not allow it to boil, and then pour in bottles or jugs and seal while hot Some put two or three raisins in each bottle or jug. This keeps all winter. It certainly makes a richer drink than when fresh, and as cider is pronounced a great remedy for colds, aU should know this simple way of keeping it. ^

Orandmotheb^s Harvest Drink.

One quart of water, table-spoon sifted gingCTi three heaping table-spoons sugar, half pint vinegar.

Stir half a cup of sugar (white), yolks of six eggs well beaten, bto one quart of rich cream; add half a pint of brandy, flavor with nutmeg, and lastly add whites of the eggs well whipped. — M, H.

144 DRINKS,

Raspberry Shrub. Place red raspberries in a stone jar, cover them with good elder vinegar, let stand over night ; next morning strain, and to one pint of juice add one pint of sugar, boil ten minutes, and bottle while

hot. — Mrs. Judge Wed.

Place half a pint of port and six heaping table-spoons of white

sugar in a bowl ; in another vessel put one quart of sweet milk or

cream, lukewarm ; when sugar dissolves, pour in milk, holding it

high, grate nutmeg over it.— Mrs. M. E.' Porter, Prince Oeorge

Court House, Va.

Soda Beer. Two pounds white sugar, whites of two eggs, two ounces tartaric

acid, two table-spoons flour, two quarts water and juice of one

lemon; boil two or three minutes, and flavor to taste. When

wanted for use, take a half tea-spoon soda, dissolve in half a glass

of water, pour into it about two table-spoons of the acid, and it will

foam to the top of the glass. — Mrs. Geo. W. Sampson.

Lemon Syrup. Take the juice of twelve lemons, grate the rind of six in it, let it

stand over night, then take six pounds of white sugar, and make a

thick syrup. When it is quite cool, strain the juice into it, and

SQueeze as much oil from the grated rind as will suit the taste. A

table-spoonful in a goblet of water will make a delicious drink on a

hot day, fiir superior to that prepared from the stuff commonly

sold as lemon syrup. — Miss Abbie O. Backus.

Iced Tea. Prepare tea in the morning, making it stronger and sweeter than

usual; strain and pour into a clean stone jug or glass bottle, and set aside in the ice-chest until ready to use. Drink from goblets without cream. Serve ice broken in small pieces on a platter nicely garnished with well-washed grape-leaves. Iced tea may be pre- pared from either green or black alone, but it is considered an im- provement to mix the two. Tea made like that for iced tea (or that left in the tea-pot after a meal), with sugar to taste, a slice or two of lemon, a little of the juice, and some pieces of cracked ice, makes a delightful drink. Serve in {i^lasses.

The fresher they are the better and more wholesome, though new-laid eggs require to be cooked longer thaa others. Eggs over" a week old will do to fry, but not to boil. In boiling, they are less likely to crack if dropped in water not quite to the boiling point. Eggs will cook soil in three minutes, hard in five, very hard (to serve with salads, or to slice thin — seasoned well with pepper and salt— and put between thin slices of bread and butter) in ten to fifteen minutes. There is an objection to the ordinary way of boil- ing eggs not generally understood. The white, under three min- utes rapid cooking, is toughened and becomes indigestible, and yet the yolk is left uncooked. To be wholesome, eggs should be cooked evenly to the center, and this result is best reached by putting the eggs into a dish having a tight cover (a tin pail will do), and pouring boiling water over them in the proportion of two quarts to a dozen eggs ; cover, and set away from the stove ; after cooking about seven minutes remove cover, turn the eggs, replace cover, and in six or seven minutes they will be done if only two or three eggs ; if more, in about ten minutes. The heat of the water cooks the eggs slowly to a jelly-like consistency, and leaves the yolk harder than the white. The egg thus cooked is very nice and rich. To fiy eggs, after fiying ham, drop one by one in the hot fat and dip it over them, until the white is set ; dust with pepper and salt, and serve hot ; cook from three to five minutes, according to taste.

Put eggs in water in a vessel with a smooth level bottom, to tell good from bad ; those which lie on the side are good, but reject

those which stand on end as bad ; or, look through each egg separ ^ ratelj toward the son, or toward a lamp in a darkened room ; if the * white looks dear, and the yolk can be easily distinguished, the egg b good ; if a dark spot appears in either white or yolk, it is stale ; if they appear heavy and dark, or if they gurgle when shaken gently, they are '* totally depraved." The best and safest plan is to break each egg in a saucer before using. For preserving eggs for winter use, always secure fresh ones ; after packing, cover closely and keep in a cool place.