Luncheons: A Cook's Picture Book

Potato straws are very attractive and seem so light and harmless that those who ordinarily reject fried dishes are tempted by them. They are cut lengthwise of the tuber, first in slices about one eighth of an inch in thickness, and then into straws the length of the slices. They cook very quickly in smoking-hot fat, and must not be left in so long as to become brown and dry. They should be crisp and of a lemon color. The straws can be cut of a larger size if desired, and are especially pretty if cut with a fluted knife.

It seems desirable to suggest to housekeepers the feasibility of making a specialty of cooking potatoes, and with them to give variety, which is so acceptable to those who sit at their board. Perhaps no other one thing is susceptible to so many changes, and is so simple to prepare, is so satisfactory when properly served, and withal so nutritious. It answers both the substantial and the esthetic requirements of the perfect meal; it can be suitably served for breakfast, dinner, supper, and luncheon; it is within the reach of all.

CREAM

Whipped cream often makes the best sauce for a dessert dish, and can be used as a garnish. Its use need not be considered an extravagance. A half-pint of double cream is all that is usually called for, this costs but ten cents, and often the use of cream saves the use of butter, in the same way that water can sometimes be substituted for milk if a little butter is added to the receipt to give the richness which milk imparts.

CAKE

Decorating cakes takes a little time, but facility is soon acquired, and the time is not misspent, as the cakes, before being served, can be used to ornament the table.

The pastry-bag is a cornucopia-shaped pocket made of rubber cloth, of duck, or of any closely woven fabric like ticking. The point of the cornucopia is cut off and a tin tube pressed into the small opening. The bags made of rubber cloth are the best, as they do not allow moisture to come through, and are easily cleaned. They cost fifteen cents each, and can be bought at house-furnishing stores, but bags can be easily made at home.

The tubes cost ten cents each, are of graduated sizes, and have various-shaped openings.

The pastry-bag is easy to handle, and is of great utility where ornamental dishes are desired. It is used for mashed vegetables, meringues, whipped cream, drop cake mixtures, icing, etc.

A tube, with opening of suitable size, is fitted into the small end of the bag, the mixture is then put in, and the bag, gathered over close to the material, is held and pressed with one hand while the tube is guided with the other, leaving the material squeezed through it in the forms desired. It needs but very little practice to make ornamental designs. It is well to have at least two bags, one of them large, with a large tube, to hold mixtures used in quantity, and one small for decorating with icing.

FONTAGE CUPS

Add enough milk to a cup of flour to make a thin batter, then add the salt and the beaten yolks. The batter must be smooth and quite thin. Use a small bowl deep enough to immerse the fontage iron.

Have deep fat smoking hot. Place the iron in the fat to heat it. Dip the hot iron into the batter, covering it to within a quarter of an inch of the top; the batter will rise when put in the hot fat and cover the whole iron. Hold the iron in the batter for a minute, or until a little of the batter has hardened around it, then lift it carefully, holding the iron so the batter will not slip off. Immerse it in the hot fat and cook until light-colored.

After a few trials one will be able to make the cups even and thin. They are also called Swedish timbales, and are used for holding any kind of creamed mixtures, or for holding vegetables. They can be used as an entrée, or for garnishing other dishes. The cups will keep for some time, but in this case should be freshened by heating before being used; and, as they soften quickly, the mixture should not be replaced in them until the moment of serving. Illustration No. 10 shows fontage irons.

DIFFERENT WAYS OF PREPARING BUTTER

Numbers one, two, and three are made by pressing butter through a pastry-bag with star-tube. In No. 1 it is cut in three-inch lengths; in No. 2 it is pressed into long pencils and cut when cold into one-inch lengths; and in No. 3 it is made into rosettes by holding the tube still until the butter has piled up to the size desired. These are good forms for fresh butter, and they should be made as soon as the butter is churned and worked, as it is soft enough then to pass through the tube. If salted butter is used, it must be whipped with a fork until it is soft and light before being pressed through the bag. The forms must be dropped at once into ice-water to harden them. Serve the pieces in a dish with cracked ice and green leaves. Parsley will do if nothing better is at hand. Rose leaves are especially pretty, or a lettuce leaf may be used as a kind of basket.

No. 4 are shell-shaped pieces made with a bent, fluted utensil made for the purpose (see illustration No. 5, opposite page 256, “Century Cook Book”). The utensil is dipped in hot water, wiped dry, and then drawn lightly over the butter, making a thin shaving which curls over as the utensil is drawn along. The crook must be dipped in hot water and wiped clean each time.

Butter molded into fancy shapes and served in this way is very attractive.

MEASURES AND TERMS

1 cupful means half a pint.

1 teaspoonful of salt or spices means an even teaspoonful.

1 tablespoonful of flour, butter, etc., means a rounding spoonful.

Sauté means to cook in a pan with a little butter or drippings.

Frying means cooking by immersion in hot fat.

Blanching almonds means taking off the skins.

This is done by letting them lie in boiling water until the skins are loosened.

Blanching sweetbreads means whitening them by pouring cold water on them immediately after the hot water is poured off. A scale and a half-pint tin cup are indispensable cooking utensils, as the success of many dishes depends on exact weight and measurements.

Except in a few cases, receipts given in “Century Cook Book” are not repeated here.

ORDER OF COURSES