★ Nesselrode Confection--Peanut

½ lb. raw Virginia peanut butter 5⅓ tablespns. banana pulp 4 tablespns. water ½ teaspn. salt 3 tablespns. raisins cut fine with shears 1½ tablespn. well washed and dried currants 1½ tablespn. fine cut citron 2 tablespns. pieces hickory nut, black or English walnut meats

Mix. Bake 1½-2 hours in very slow, just warm, oven, on pad.

Many years ago when experimenting with gluten washed from wheat, the thought came to me that it would be a good thing if it could be combined with nuts, as the nuts would supply the oil lacking in the gluten. From former experiments I knew it would be a difficult problem, but it was finally solved and has resulted in giving to the world a valuable food product, which gives me great joy.

I give directions (the results of my own experimenting) for making this food as perfectly as it can be made in our homes without the aid of special machinery.

Whether it pays to make it or not depends on the value of our time or whether we can procure similar foods all ready prepared. (Similar manufactured foods on the market are called “protose,” “nutfoda” and “nut cero”, according to where they are made).

A part of the process will be entirely new to many but it is not at all difficult, and if directions are carefully followed the result will be success and soon the making of a quantity of “trumese,” as I have called it for convenience, will not be considered a greater task than baking a batch of bread.

The first thing of importance in making trumese is securing a good _fresh bread flour_ one that is called a heavy flour, not a blended or a light flour.

A good bread flour will yield about two pounds of gluten to each seven pounds of flour: but in trying a brand with which you are not familiar, take ½-1 lb. more if you wish to have two pounds of gluten.

I give the recipe for two pounds of gluten, but if you are making trumese for the first time it may be well to take half that quantity.

The following suggestions will enable you to substitute measures for weights if you have no scales, and to calculate the recipe for trumese:

1 scant qt. of bread flour, laid lightly in the measure, equals 1 lb.

1 scant qt. of washed gluten equals 2 lbs.

1 scant pt. of blanched, dried, Virginia peanuts, before grinding, equals ½ lb.

1 scant half pt. of Virginia butter equals ½ lb.

1 good ¾ pt. blanched, dried, Spanish peanuts, before grinding, equals ½ lb.

1 good ⅜ pt. of Spanish butter equals ½ lb.

1 large ¾ qt. of pine nuts equals 1 lb.

Spanish peanuts require 3 hours for cooking.

Virginia peanuts require 4-5 hours for cooking.

In mixing flour and water, calculate a little over 1 cup of water to each pound of flour, or 8½-9 cups for 7 lbs.

The starch from the first one or two washings of the gluten dough may be used wherever thickening is required; and for blanc mange, by adding it to boiling (sweetened or unsweetened) milk until of the right consistency to mold; or, for starching clothes. It is much better than whole flour for any of these purposes. It may also be used in place of the corn starch in Corn Starch Nutmese. No exact rule can be given for that, but a trial or two will enable one to calculate the quantity, and the nutmese is superior to that made with corn starch.

Make consommés double strength when using them for liquid in trumese. As a rule, it is better to make trumese plain and season as desired when preparing for the table.

If cans containing trumese do not leak, cook in a kettle of water with something beneath the cans, otherwise use a steamer. If _glass_ jars are used, start in _cold water_ and afterwards put into steamer, if preferring not to leave in kettle.

Trumese from peanuts is more satisfactory in flavor as well as cheaper, but to meet all cases I give recipes for making it of different kinds of nuts. The general directions will apply to all.

2 lbs. gluten ½ lb. raw Virginia peanut butter ½ lb. Virginia peanuts cooked 4 hrs. 3½ teaspns. salt 2-2½ cups very strong cereal coffee

If not sure of a pure cereal coffee use 4 teaspns. browned flour with 2 cups of water.

Steam 6-12 hrs., or steam 5 hrs. and bake 1 hr. in a very slow oven.

The cooked peanuts are boiled and drained and the liquid saved for soups.

TO PREPARE THE GLUTEN

When sifted flour is weighed or measured, spread about ⅓ of it on the molding board and put the remainder in a pan. To this add cold water, stirring, until you think the dough when kneaded with the flour on the board will be very stiff. Stir the soft dough well, turn it on to the board and knead in the remaining flour. If dough is too soft it will waste in washing, and if too stiff (of which there is not much danger) it will be more difficult to wash.

After kneading return the dough to the pan, cover with cold water (or with several thicknesses of towel wrung out of cold water) and let it stand ½ hr. only.

Now, set the pan in the sink with a large fine colander in the dish drainer beside it. Let water run from the faucet to nearly fill the pan (if the water from the faucet is very cold, have a teakettle of hot water at your right hand to take off the chill) and work the dough with the hands until the water is thick with starch. Pour that through a strainer into some vessel where it can settle, to be used for any of the purposes mentioned. Continue to wash the dough, draining the water through the colander (so as to catch any particles of gluten) into the sink, until no starch remains in the water. You now have the part of the wheat which gives strength, the proteid element. Put the mass of gluten into a bowl, cover and let stand in a cold place about an hour (no longer,) draining occasionally.

Weigh out the 2 lbs. of gluten, run it through the food cutter with the finest knife, add the cooked and raw nuts which have been ground into butter and mixed together with the salt, and put all through the machine five or six times. If desired very fine, use the nut butter cutter the last time. Now mix with the cereal coffee, put into oiled cans with close fitting covers and steam. Sealed glass jars may be used if it is necessary to keep the trumese for some time, but it cannot be taken out of them in as good shape.

_Another_ way to fill the cans is to divide the nut and gluten mixture into equal parts, put equal parts of the liquid into as many different cans, and run each part of the mixture through the mill again into the separate cans, or drop it into the cans in the shreds in which it comes from the mill. This may give a little better fibre.

_Another_ way of preparing the whole. Cut the gluten into pieces with the shears; mix the cooked and uncooked nuts without grinding; put a piece of gluten into the mill, then a few nuts, grinding, until all are through. Sprinkle salt over the mass and put it through the mill five or six times more, the last time with the nut butter cutter. This gives a coarser grained trumese, but is an easier way.

A still easier way is to use all cooked nuts, but the trumese is a little tasteless to eat as it comes from the can. In making it, use 4½ teaspns. of salt and 2 cups of liquid only.