The complete cook book

The Complete Cook Book 215 GRANDMOTHER'S MINCE MEAT. Boil a nice piece of sirloin beef or tongue. (Wver the meat with hot water and simmer until tender. Let it become cold in the water in which it is boiled. Chop it fine, and if you use tongue peel off the skin. To two cups of meat chopped fine add two cups of raisins seeded, one and one-half cups of picked currants mashed and dried, three cups of brown sugar, one scant cup of best New Orleans molasses, five cups of tart chopped apples, one scant tablespoonful of salt, one tablespoonful of cinnamon, one teaspoonful of powdered cloves, nutmeg and mace to taste, grated rind of two lemons and juice of three lemons, one ounce of citron, one-half pint of brandy, one tablespoonful of rum, onehalf cup of cider or sherry, a pinch of cayenne, two cups or enough meat stock to make moist. Mix and boil in a porcelain kettle ten minutes, and when cold add stock, brandy and rum. Pack in a crock and set away in a cool place. When ready to use line a deep pie plate with puff paste, put in the mince meat, add a spoonful of butter, put the top on a little large, as it will shrink, and make three incisions on each side of the middle. Pinch it lightly with the bottom crust, and bake it in a quick oven until done, or about threequarters of an hour. Remove it to the open door, sprinkle it generously with powdered sugar, and return it to the oven until the sugar is entirely melted, and serve either hot or cold, CAKE MAKING. First of all, look over your recipe and see that everything it calls for is in the house. Use only the best flour, and sift it before either weighing or measuring it. Allow it to sun at least an hour before you are ready for it. The butter must be only the very best, and all the salt washed out of it. Use a wooden spoon for mixing, and line your cake pan with greased paper. Everything depends upon the baking. The fire should be moderate, but sufficient to last through the entire baking. If it browns before rising, the oven is too hot. You do not require as hot an oven as for bread. 2i6 The Complete Cook Book. An authority says thin cakes bake in about eighteen minutes; thicker ones in about half an hour; thick loaves in an hour, and fruit cake requires nearly three hours, according to size. POUND CAKE. One pound of flour, one pound of granulated sugar, three-fourths pound of butter (salt washed out), eight eggs beaten separately, one-quarter teaspoonful of baking powder; flavor to taste. Bake three-quarters of an hour. JELLY CAKE. One cup of sugar, one-half cup of butter, one and onehalf cups of flour, one-half cup of milk, one teaspoonful of baking powder, one teaspoonful of vanilla and three eggs. I use the same recipe for strawberry shortcake; when done have the berries lightly crushed and sugared; put them between the layers of cake; lay some of the finest berries on top, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and cover with whipped cream just before serving. SPONGE CAKE. Six eggs, two cups of fine granulated sugar, two and one-quarter cups of flour sifted three times, one cup of boiling water, one level teaspoonful of baking powder; flavor to taste. Boat yolks of eggs and sugar to a cream; then pour into the boiling water; add flour with baking powder in it, then whites of eggs beaten stiff. Bake in a moderate oven one hour. A cup of cold water in the pan over it keeps the oven moist. FEENCH CKEAM CAKE. Four eggs, one cup of white sugar, one cup and two tablespoonfuls of flour, one tablespoonful of baking powder in flour, and two tablespoonfuls of cold water. This cake is better a day or two old. Bake in two deep pans and split with a sharp knife. When cold fill with the following custard : Filling: Boil nearly one pint of milk; mix two The Complete Cook Book. 217