What to drink

Giving recipes for ice creams and the like in a book given to telling of beverages would seem a queer conceit, were it not for the fact that ice creams, sherbets and water ices are often used to quench the thirst; this is my reason and my only excuse, should an excuse be needed.

VANILLA ICE CREAM

Heat the milk, add the honey, and stir until melted and thoroughly mixed. Allow to cool somewhat; add the cream, vanilla and a pinch of salt (a very small pinch), and freeze.

VANILLA ICE CREAM (French)

Make a custard of the first four ingredients. Strain and cool the custard and add to it the cream and vanilla. Freeze until firm, then pack in ice and salt.

INEXPENSIVE ICE CREAM

Heat the milk, add the syrup and the cornstarch, which should have been moistened with a little cold milk; cook until it begins to thicken, add a pinch of salt and the beaten eggs. Boil, strain, cool and freeze.

With this as a foundation one may add any flavoring desired, or any crushed fruit. Coffee or chocolate may also be used. Very strong coffee is needed, but the amount of milk should be reduced in proportion.

PISTACHIO ICE CREAM

Mix flour, sugar and milk, add egg, slightly beaten, and milk gradually. Cook until it has the consistency of a soft custard. Let this custard cool and add cream and flavoring, color with leaf green; strain and freeze.

ORANGE ICE CREAM

Boil the water and sugar eight minutes. Add the orange juice. Make a custard of the cream and egg yolks. Cool and add to the first mixture with the heavy cream beaten stiff. Freeze. When nearly frozen add the orange peel. The dish is given a “different” look if it is served with candied orange peel.

MARSHMALLOW ICE CREAM

Put milk, cream and sugar into the can of freezer. Set in hot water until luke warm, add junket tablet dissolved in cold water, and allow to stand until firm. Add vanilla and marshmallow cream, mix thoroughly and freeze, using three parts ice to one part salt.

FROZEN PUDDING

Beat the yolks of the eggs until very light, add sugar, cornstarch and salt. Beat into this the scalded milk, place in a double boiler and cook until it will coat the spoon. Remove from the fire and when cold add the cream, vanilla and stiffly beaten whites of the eggs. Pour into a freezer, add the marshmallows and fruit and freeze until firm, then pack and allow to stand for several hours.

COCOANUT ICE CREAM

Heat the milk in a double boiler. Blend the cornstarch with a little milk or water and add to the hot milk and stir until it begins to thicken. Add the beaten eggs and honey, cook for a minute or two; add vanilla and cocoanut. Freeze, serve in attractive tall stemmed goblets; top with cocoanut and cherries.

ROSE ICE CREAM (with condensed milk)

Mix one can of condensed milk with two cupfuls of water; add the rose extract and enough red vegetable coloring to make the color desired. Strain and freeze.

Boil the remaining water (1½ cupfuls) and stir in the other can of condensed milk. Moisten the cornstarch with a little milk or water, blend with the milk and water, stirring constantly for five or six minutes. Allow to cool, add flavoring, strain and freeze. Place these creams in separate layers in a wet mold, place the cover on securely, pack and freeze. This should stand at least two hours.

PINEAPPLE ICE CREAM

Beat the eggs, mix with the milk and honey; cook until smooth, stirring constantly. Allow to cool, add cream and freeze. When serving this cream, a generous spoonful of sweetened whipped cream is a delightful addition.

STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM

This is not difficult to make and approaches the flavor of the fresh fruit more nearly than most creams in which fresh strawberries are used.

Make a boiled custard of the milk, cornstarch, salt and the beaten eggs. Add the vanilla, cool and fold in a half pint of cream which has been whipped until stiff. Put in freezer and freeze slowly for five or six minutes; open the freezer and stir in a full cupful of strawberry jam. Re-cover and continue to freeze until firm.

GREEN TEA ICE CREAM

Pour one pint of boiling milk over one tablespoonful of green tea, and allow to stand on the back of the range or on an asbestos mat over a low gas flame for five minutes; strain through a double thickness of fine cheesecloth. To this add the cream, beaten eggs, sugar and vanilla, and stir until it thickens. Add a little green vegetable color. Place in a cold dish and allow to cool. Freeze, repack, and allow to stand until ready for use.

EASY PEACH ICE CREAM

Crush the peaches, using enough to make a pint of pulp. Save all the juice. Add the sugar to the juice and pulp; then add the cream, whipped as stiff as possible. Blend and freeze.

SOME UNUSUAL FROZEN DAINTIES

COFFEE PARFAIT

Dissolve the gelatine in two tablespoonfuls of milk, and pour the hot coffee over, stirring well; add sugar and vanilla. Fold in the cream, whipped stiff, pour into the freezer, pack in ice and salt and allow to stand for at least four hours.

Serve in attractive tall glasses, topped with a generous spoonful of sweetened whipped cream.

APRICOT PARFAIT

Mash the fruit and press through a fine sieve, add the lemon juice and sugar and heat until it reaches the boiling point, stirring constantly; beat the yolks of the eggs until very light and add slowly to the fruit mixture while hot; return to the fire and cook until a custard-like consistency. Dissolve the gelatine in a very little water and add to the fruit and eggs; allow to cool; chill; beat the whites of the eggs until stiff, and the cream until firm, and add both to the fruit mixture.

Pour into a mold, pack in ice and salt and allow to stand for several hours; serve in tall narrow glasses.

CHERRY PARFAIT

Cut the marshmallows into very small pieces, and cut the cherries in halves; combine these with the cherry juice and allow to stand for two hours.

Boil the sugar and water until it will “spin a thread” and pour slowly over the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs, beating constantly. Allow it to become chilled, and stir in the stiffly whipped cream. Soak the gelatine in a little water and melt over hot water. Strain into the fruit mixture, beating briskly, until well blended; allow this to cool and when it begins to thicken, beat in the whipped cream. Pour into a wet mold, pack in ice, and salt, and allow to stand for three hours or more. Serve in parfait glasses, topped with whipped cream and a cherry.

GRAPE AND PINEAPPLE PARFAIT

The foundation of this delightful parfait is made in the following manner: Scald the two cupfuls of milk and add the beaten egg whites; stir in the sugar and chopped nuts. Cook until thick, add the nutmeg; cool and add the pineapple juice and freeze.

Put a spoonful of frozen mixture in the bottom of a tall glass, then a spoonful of preserved grapes, and fill the glass with the cream. Top with whipped cream which has been sweetened and flavored with rose. A crystallized mint adds to the attractiveness of this unusual parfait.

RASPBERRY PARFAIT

Whip a pint of cream until very stiff, and sweeten with powdered sugar slightly. Cook the raspberries until broken, which should not take more than five or six minutes; press out all the juice and pulp possible, and reboil with three-fourths as much sugar as juice. Allow this to cool. Spread whipped cream in a mold, and pour some of the raspberry syrup over, and add more cream, and so fill the mold. Unless one prefers, then the syrup and whipped cream may be lightly mixed before packing in the mold. Pack in ice and salt and allow to stand for several hours.

MAPLE BISQUE

Beat the yolks of the eggs until very light, add the maple syrup slowly, and heat over a slow fire, stirring constantly until it reaches the boiling point. Boil for one minute only; remove from the fire, strain and cool.

Beat the cream until firm and add to the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs. Pour the syrup mixture over this slowly, beating constantly; add the vanilla. Pour into a mold, pack and freeze.

PEACH MELBA

Heat the milk and sugar, until the sugar is thoroughly dissolved; dissolve gelatine in a little cold milk and add to the heated milk and sugar.

Allow this to cool, add the cream whipped stiffly, flavor and pour into the freezer. Freeze until the crank turns very hard; remove the dasher, repack and allow to stand for two hours.

When ready to serve, place a half peach on the bottom of a long stemmed glass, fill with the cream, put the other half of the peach on top and top with raspberry syrup, then the whipped cream.

PEACH DELIGHT

Bring the water and honey to the boiling point and continue to cook for twenty minutes. Add the gelatine which should have been soaked and dissolved in a little cold water; strain and allow to cool.

When cold add the peach pulp, orange pulp, orange juice and the juice of half a lemon. Turn into a freezer and freeze slowly. Serve in attractive glasses, topped with whipped cream.

FROZEN PEACHES

Wipe the peaches with a damp cloth; pare and put the skins and one peach pit in two cupfuls of cold water and allow to boil for twenty minutes; strain through a sieve, pressing out all the juice; add the sugar, boil until the sugar is thoroughly dissolved and set aside to cool.

When cold add the mashed peaches and the lemon juice and freeze.

If one wishes, a spoonful of whipped cream added to each serving adds perceptibly to this dainty.

CRUSHED PEACHES

The housekeeper often finds that peaches are too ripe to slice and use with cream; in which case it is wise and economical to skin them, remove the stones and mash through a coarse sieve, adding sugar, honey or syrup to taste. If the peaches are the kind which have little flavor, a little lemon juice is desirable. Serve in low stemmed sherbet glasses, topped with whipped cream, on which a candied cherry may be placed.

FROSTED BANANA CREAM

Select only very ripe bananas; mash to a paste, sweeten with powdered sugar and flavor with a few drops of lemon juice. Press through a sieve and to each cupful of banana add a half cupful of whipped cream. Mix and serve in attractive glasses, and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

SORBETS, SHERBETS, ICES, GRANITS

The difference in sorbets, sherbets, ices and granits is slight, still each fills its own particular purpose and place. Sorbets are supposed to be served after the meat course, and while the same ingredients are used they are not frozen as long or as smooth as sherbets. Sherbets are smoother and firmer, and may well take the place of ice cream as a dessert. Water ices are made the same as sherbets, leaving out the egg whites. Granits are water ices frozen slightly; in fact so they will pour, and may be used as a drink.

BLACKBERRY SORBET

Press the berries through a sieve fine enough to keep the seeds from passing through, but pass the pulp through. Add the syrup and lemon juice. Dissolve the gelatine in a little water, and add to the berry juice and milk. Pour this mixture into the freezer and turn until it begins to thicken. Add the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs and continue to freeze until fluffy, but not so smooth as for sherbet. This is a fine distinction, but still it is considered worth differentiation.

When this “fluffy” stage is reached remove the dasher, repack and allow to stand for about two hours.

PLUM SHERBET

While any of these recipes may be made into either sherbet or sorbet, I will give from now on only the sherbet recipes.

Select only very ripe plums; wash, remove pits, and press through a sieve. There should be a pint of this pulp and juice. Add syrup, freeze until well thickened, add the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs, and continue to turn until frozen smooth and as hard as this sort of thing can well be frozen.

CRANBERRY SHERBET

Cook the cranberries in water for ten minutes. Press through a fine sieve, return to the saucepan and add the syrup, cook for five minutes, turn into the freezer, and when partly frozen, stir in the stiffly beaten white of an egg (use two egg whites if eggs are plentiful), and finish freezing.

GRAPEFRUIT SHERBET

Boil the water and sugar together for ten minutes; soften the gelatine with a little water and stir into this syrup. Cool, add the juice of grapefruit and the grape juice. Turn into a cold freezer and when the mixture begins to thicken well, add the stiffly beaten white of an egg and the cherries (two egg whites are better if eggs are not too expensive). Cover and freeze until firm and smooth.

GRAPE SHERBET

Soak the gelatine in a little cold water; boil the syrup, honey and half cupful of water, and add the dissolved gelatine. Allow this to cool, add grape juice and the lemon juice and freeze. Open the freezer when slightly hard and add the stiffly beaten egg white. Re-cover and freeze until smooth and hard. (Two egg whites are better if plentiful.)

CRÉOLE LEMON SHERBET

Boil the water and sugar, and add the grated rind of one lemon. Cool, add the juice of three lemons, strain through a fine cloth, and freeze until partly frozen, remove the cover, add the egg white stiffly beaten. Cover again and freeze until smooth.

MILK SHERBET

Mix the juice of the lemons and the syrup, add the milk very slowly, stirring constantly, as it will curdle if poured too fast. That will not spoil the sherbet, but it does not look so well and one’s appetite is helped by the appearance of one’s food.

Freeze the mixture, serve in attractive glasses, with a few chopped candied cherries.

ORANGE SHERBET

Put the sugar in a saucepan with the water, bring to the boiling point, then cool. Add the orange and lemon juice, a pinch of salt and freeze.

Before the freezing is complete, add the egg white beaten stiffly; repack and continue to freeze until smooth.

STRAWBERRY SHERBET

Wash and hull the strawberries, mash well and press through a cheesecloth. Add the syrup, lemon juice and water. Mix well, freeze partially, add the stiffly beaten egg white, and finish freezing.

RASPBERRY SHERBET

Mash the berries and press through a cheesecloth; pour boiling water over the syrup; add the berry juice and lemon juice and freeze. When partially frozen, add the stiffly beaten egg white, stir in well, and continue to freeze until smooth.

EMERGENCY PEACH SHERBET

This might also be called an economical sherbet, for one may use just as many peaches as one has. For in this recipe one is supposed to use peaches too ripe for slicing.

Mash the peaches, and press through a coarse sieve and sweeten to taste. Half fill sherbet glasses with finely shaved ice and pour the sweetened peach pulp over. Top each serving with a preserved or candied cherry.

PINEAPPLE SHERBET

To the grated pineapple (canned may be used if fresh pineapple is not in season) add the syrup and the gelatine which has been dissolved in a small amount of water. Stir, pour into the chilled freezer, and freeze until about half frozen; open the freezer and add the milk; again turning the freezer until it turns with difficulty. Uncover, add the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs, turn until well mixed, and thoroughly hard.

If the dasher is removed and the sherbet repacked and allowed to stand to “ripen” for two hours, there will be a decided improvement in flavor and texture.

TEA SHERBET

Melt the sugar in the water and allow to begin to boil; take from the fire and add the juice of the lemon and orange; stir well, add the tea and freeze.

APPLE ICE

Wash, quarter and remove the core, but do not pare the apples. Put them into a saucepan with the water; boil rapidly until soft. Mash and add the maple sugar. When cold press through a fine sieve, add the lemon juice and freeze.

LEMON ICE

Add a cupful of sugar to the zest of one lemon and the juice of three; add enough water to make a quart. Allow this to come to the boiling point, cool, strain and freeze.

LOGANBERRY ICE

Boil the water; add the sugar and when cold add the lemon and loganberry juices. Freeze until smooth and hard. Repack and allow to stand for two hours.

STRAWBERRY ICE

Boil the sugar and water until it bubbles. Wash and hull the strawberries; mash and press through a cheesecloth. When the syrup is cold, add the strawberry juice and pulp; mix well and freeze.

WATERMELON ICE

Remove the pulp from a ripe melon; press it through a fine sieve and add the sugar, lemon juice, orange juice and the zest of one orange and the grape juice. Color with enough vegetable color to make it a real watermelon pink; pack and freeze.

FRUIT GRANITS

Granits are really “snow waters,” frozen only enough to admit being poured. The granits are frozen in a freezer, although the Créoles usually freeze them in the “old fashioned water jugs.”

ORANGE GRANIT

Peel six oranges very carefully, removing all the inner white part of the skin, and slice very thin. Place this in a deep bowl and sprinkle granulated sugar, allowing it to stand for five hours. Squeeze the juice from six oranges, and press the juice from the sliced ones, straining it and mixing the plain juice with this syrup. Add the water, strain and pour into a freezer; and freeze until like mush. Serve in small punch glasses.

LEMON GRANIT

Extract the juice from the lemons, add the sugar and stir until dissolved; add the water and freeze until mush-like and serve in attractive punch glasses.

STRAWBERRY GRANIT

Crush the berries and cover with the sugar, allowing this to stand for five hours. Strain and press through a sieve, pressing out all the juice possible. Add the lemon juice, water and the extract. Turn this into a freezer and freeze until like mush. Serve in punch glasses.

RASPBERRY GRANIT

Crush the currants and raspberries and cover with the sugar, allowing this to stand for five hours. Press through a sieve, being sure to leave no juice which can possibly be pressed out. Add the extract and water and freeze until like mush. Serve in punch glasses.

THE END.