The encyclopædia of practical cookery

Cornflour Fritters. — Beat eight eggs till very light, and mix them with lqt. of milk ; stir in gradually 12 piled tablespoonfuls of yellow corn-meal and 1 saltspoonful of salt, and continue stirring till well mixed. Put lib. of fresh lard in a large deep frying-pan, or a flat stewpan, and when boiling, quickly drop the batter into it, a ladleful at a time. If the batter is too thin, more meal can be added ; as the lard is reduced, put in some more, take out the fritters with a skimmer, drain them well, and put on a hot dish. Serve the fritters while very hot with wine and sugar, or molasses. Cornflour Gnocchi. — Put some Cornflour into a saucepan, mix it until smooth with hot water, and stir over the fire for about twenty minutes. Turn the Cornflour on to a paste-board, leave it until cold, then cut into diamond-shaped pieces about Jin. in thickness ; spread half of these with butter, strew [illustration: Fig. 525. Cornflour Gnocchi.] grated cheese over, and place the other half on the top. Put them on a dish, and place in a brisk oven until the cheese has melted. Serve while very hot. If preferred sweet, treacle or sugar may be spread between them in place of the cheese. The tops are then spread with icing of different colours. See Fig. 525. Cornflour Griddle Cakes. — (1) Pour over t> table-spoonfuls of Cornflour 1J pints or rather more of boiling water, and let it steep all night. Next day beat into it by degrees 3 pints of milk, beating the Cornflour quite smooth as the milk is added ; when the milk is mixed in add salt to taste, l|oz. of butter warmed till quite soft, three well-beaten eggs, and then beat in lightly and quickly enough self-raising flour to make a moderately thick batter. Bake the batter in cakes at once on a griddle over the fire. (2) Sift together lqt. of Cornflour, 2 table-spoonfuls of wheatflour, and 1 teaspoonful of salt. Melt 2 table-spoonfuls of butter in 1^ pints of milk over the fire, and as soon as it is melted stir in the flour gradually ; when all the flour has been stirred in, let the mixture cool. When cold, whisk four eggs to a froth, and beat them into the mixture, which should then be about the consistency of batter. Have ready on the fire a hot griddle, slightly buttered or greased with fat salted pork to prevent burning, and fry the cakes quickly. Serve hot, with butter and honey, or molasses. For details respecting Culinary Processes, Utensils, Sauces, &c., referred to, see under their special heads. Cornflour — continued. (3) To 3 pints of warm water add | gill of yeast, \ teaspoon- [ ful of dissolved ammonia, and 1 teaspoonful of salt ; stir in sufficient Cornflour to make a batter, add 1 pint of flour, and beat the whole smooth ; cover it, and set it in a warm j place to rise. In ten or twelve hours’ time, add two wellbeaten eggs, form it into cakes, and bake on a griddle to a light brown. Serve on a hot dish with butter and syrup. Cornflour Gruel. — (1) Blend 2 table-spoonfuls of sifted Corn- | flour with 3 table-spoonfuls of cold water till perfectly smooth, [ and then pour in gradually 1 pint of boiling water, stirring it well in ; add a small quantity of salt, put it over the fire, and let it boil half-an-hour, stirring all the time, and | removing any scum that rises. This gruel may be sweetened with sugar and flavoured with white wine and grated nutmeg.