Rufus Estes

“ APPLE SPONGE PUDDING—One cup of sifted pastry flour and sift it with one level teaspoon of baking-powder. Beat the yolks of three eggs until light colored, add one cup of sugar and the juice of one lemon. Fold in the stiffly beaten whites of the three eggs and then the flour. Spread the batter thinly on a large shallow pan and bake about twenty minutes in a moderate oven. Turn out of the pan, trim off any hard edges, spread with stewed, sweetened, and flavored apples, and roll up at once like a jelly roll. ”

“ A PAN OF ROLLS—Scald one pint of milk and add one rounding tablespoon of lard. Mix in one quart of sifted bread flour, one-quarter cup of sugar, a saltspoon of salt and one-half yeast cake dissolved in one-half cup of lukewarm water. Cover and let rise over night. In the morning roll half an inch thick cut into rounds, spread a little soft butter on one-half of each, fold over and press together. Let rise until light and bake in a quick oven. Rolls may be raised lighter than a loaf of bread because the rising is checked as soon as they are put into the oven. ”

“ Place in a double boiler a cupful of milk or cream to each cupful of rice and add salt and pepper to taste. It requires a little longer to cook than the ordinary rice, but must not be stirred. If it becomes dry add a little milk from time to time.
Do not serve dishes at the same meal that conflict. For instance, if you have sliced tomatoes, do not serve tomato soup. If, however, you have potato soup, it would not be out of place to serve potatoes with your dinner.
Fish should never be served without a salad of some kind. ”

“ Mix a quart of rich chicken stock that has been boiled down and cleared with a teaspoonful each of lemon juice, chopped parsley, a dash of celery salt and a quarter teaspoonful each of salt and paprika. At the last stir in a teaspoonful of granulated gelatin that has been dissolved. When the jelly begins to thicken add the chicken and turn it into a mold. To have the chicken scattered evenly through the jelly, stand the dish containing the jelly in a pan of ice and turn in the jelly layer by layer, covering each with chicken as soon as it begins to thicken. ”

“ Soak one breakfast cup of bread crumbs in as much milk as they will absorb without becoming too soft. Pour four ounces of butter in a stewpan, place it over the fire, and when the butter is melted put in the onions, breadcrumbs and one tablespoon of chopped parsley, pepper and salt to taste. Add a small quantity of grated nutmeg. Add the beaten yolks of two eggs and stir the mixture over the fire until it is reduced to a paste, without allowing it to boil. The stuffing is then ready. It can be made in larger or smaller quantities according to the number of the birds to be stuffed. ”

“ GLAZED SWEET POTATOES—Put two rounding tablespoons of butter and one of sugar into a casserole and set on the back of the range to heat slowly. When hot lay in raw, pared sweet potatoes cut in halves, lengthwise. Dust with salt and pepper and put in another layer of seasoned potatoes and enough boiling water to stand one-half inch deep in the dish. Put on the close-fitting cover and set in the oven to cook slowly. When the potatoes are tender serve in the same dish with the sweet sauce that will not be entirely absorbed in the cooking. ”

“ Cook together in a graniteware saucepan one cupful granulated sugar and half a cup of water until it spins a thread. Do not stir while cooking. Whip two whites of eggs stiff and then pour the hot sirup over them and continue beating them until the mixture is cold. As it thickens add the crushed berries, a spoonful at a time. Have ready a pint of cream whipped to a solid froth, stir lightly into the egg and berry mixture, then pack into a covered mold and bury in ice and salt, equal proportions, leaving it for several hours. ”

“ LIGHT OMELET—Separate your eggs and beat the yolks until thick and light colored, adding a tablespoonful cold water for each yolk and a seasoning of salt and pepper. Beat the whites until they are dry and will not slip from the dish, then turn into them the beaten yolks, folding carefully until thoroughly blended. Have the pan hot and butter melted, turn in the mixture, smothering it over the top, cover and place on asbestos mat on top of stove until well risen, then uncover and set in the oven to dry. ”

“ TOMATO BASKETS—Tomato baskets are charming accessories for holding vegetable salad, chicken, shrimps, cold beans, asparagus tips, shredded celery, cucumbers cut in cubes and minced peppers. Choose firm, smooth tomatoes, not too large and as nearly one size as possible. Dip for half a minute in boiling water, skin and set in ice box to chill. Cut out pulp and seeds, dress the cavity with salt, pepper, oil and vinegar, then fill with the salad, seasoned with French dressing or mayonnaise. ”

“ POTATO MOLD—Mash some potato smoothly, add to it some butter and a little milk to make it smooth but not wet. Season with white pepper and salt and add enough chopped parsley to make it look pretty. Press into greased mold and bake for half an hour until lightly browned. Dust with crumbs and serve.
POTATO PARISIENNE—Potato marbles seasoned with minced parsley, butter and lemon juice are liked by many. Others find that they are not sufficiently seasoned, that is, the seasoning has not penetrated into the potatoes, especially if a large cutter has been used. ”

“ Chill and pack firmly in the freezer or round the mold. Turn out and ornament the top with fresh pineapple cut in crescent pieces or with quartered peaches and serve a fresh fruit sirup sauce with the cream.
FRUIT ICE—Three lemons, three oranges, three bananas, three cups sugar, three pints cold water, by pressing juice from orange and lemons, strain well, peel banana, rub through strainer into the fruit juice, add the sugar, then the water, stir until the sugar is dissolved, pour into freezer. The ice that is used should be pounded until fine, and the right kind of salt should be used. ”

“ Cook, covered, until tender, four or five hours, add one tablespoonful of salt the last hour, rub through a strainer, add the strained beans to the water in which they were boiled, return to the soup kettle. Melt one tablespoonful of flour, stir this into the hot soup, let boil, stirring constantly; add a little pepper, slice thinly one lemon, put all the slices into the tureen and pour the soup over. Serve very hot. ”

“ One of the pleasures in life to the normal man is good eating, and if it be true that real happiness consists in making others happy, the author can at least feel a sense of gratification in the thought that his attempts to satisfy the cravings of the inner man have not been wholly unappreciated by the many that he has had the pleasure of serving—some of whom are now his stanchest friends. ”

“ BREADED POTATO BALLS—Pare, boil and mash potatoes and whip into three cups of potato three level tablespoons of butter, two tablespoons of hot milk, salt and pepper to taste; also two teaspoons of onion juice and two level tablespoons of chopped parsley, one-quarter cup of grated mild cheese and two well-beaten eggs. Beat well and set aside to cool. Mold into small balls, roll each in beaten egg, in fine stale breadcrumbs, and then fry in deep hot fat. ”

“ Stem large ripe black currants and after washing put into the preserving kettle, allowing a cupful of water to each quart of fruit. This is necessary because the black currant is drier than the red or white. Mash with a wooden spoon or pestle, then cover and cook until the currants have reached the boiling point and are soft. Turn into a jelly bag and drain without squeezing. To each pint of the juice allow a half pound loaf sugar. Stir until well mixed, then cook just ten minutes from the time it commences to boil. Overcooking makes it tough and stringy. ”

“ Scald in a double boiler one pint rich milk or cream. Melt in a granite saucepan two even tablespoons butter, then add two heaping tablespoonfuls cornstarch or flour, and one tablespoon of flavor.
When blended add one-third of the hot cream and keep stirring as it cooks and thickens. When perfectly smooth put in [Pg 37] all the cream. The sauce should be very thick. Add the seasoning, a half teaspoonful of salt, a half teaspoonful celery salt, white peppers or paprika to taste, then the meat. ”

“ Add more sugar to make sweet, with sliced and boiled lemon or ginger root to flavor, and cook until tender and thick.
GREEN GRAPE MARMALADE—If, as often happens, there are many unripened grapes still on the vines and frost threatens, gather them all and try this green grape marmalade. Take one gallon stemmed green grapes, wash, drain and put on to cook in a porcelain kettle with one pint of water. Cook until soft, rub through a sieve, measure and add an equal amount of sugar to the pulp. Boil hard twenty-five minutes, watching closely that it does not burn, then pour into jars or glasses. ”