The complete cook book

Allow a cupful of cold water to a teaspoonful of tea. Place the tea in an earthenware or granite dish (never use tin), cover with the cold water, allow it to stand, well covered, three or four hours, and then strain through a cheese cloth. Place cracked ice in the glasses, fill with the tea and let each person add sugar to taste. Many persons find a slice of lemon or a teaspoonful of lemon juice a very agreeable addition, and the occasional use of a shaker gives pleasing variety and excellence. The advantage of tea made by this method is that it possesses none of the bitterness so often apparent when made with the boiling water infusion. The cold water extracts the flavor of the leaves, but none of their astringent qualities, no matter how long they are allowed to stand together without straining. TO MAKE CHOCOLATE. Scrape the best chocolate ; allow for each square, or large spoonful of ground chocolate, half a pint of milk 268 The Complete Cook Book. or milk and water; let it boil a few moments, then put it on the back part of the stove, and it is ready when wanted. TO MAKE CHOCOLATE ANOTHER WAY. Scrape or grate the chocolate, take a heaping tablespoonful for each cup to be served; allow half a pint of milk or milk and water to each heaping spoonful of chocolate. Make the milk hot, rub the chocolate to a smooth paste with the cold milk, then stir it in the boiling milk. Let it boil up once; cover it and set it back in a place where it will keep warm. It is now ready to serve. Toasted biscuit or rolls should be served with it. Sweeten the chocolate unless you use the prepared chocolate. CHOCOLATE. Put one square of Baker's chocolate, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, two tablespoonfuls of hot water, and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan, and boil until smooth ; stir constantly ; add gradually one pint of boiling water, and when ready to serve add one pint of hot milk. Use all milk and two squares of chocolate, if liked richer; or thicken with one teaspoonful of cornstarch wet in a little cold water, and boil five minutes before adding the milk. The Complete Cook Book. 269 PRESERVING, CANNING, ETC. HINTS ON PRESERVING. Preserving kettles should be broad and shallow, -with a handle on each side. If you wish to preserve in small quantities, use a small kettle. A charcoal furnace is most desirable in warm weather, as you can put it where you like, and thus avoid the heat of the kitchen. Slow, gentle boiling is absolutely necessary in preserving and pickling. FORMULA FOR PRESERVING. Formula 1. — To make the French preservative elixir and medicated paper, for preserving fruits, vegetables, fish and eggs for months by simply wrapping or coating them. — Melt five ounces of stearine at a gentle heat (don't get it hot or boiling), then stir in thoroughly two ounces of carbolic acid, after which add five ounces of melted paraffine (don't throw in the wax, but melt it first) ; stir the whole well together until it cools (taking vessel with mixture off from stove when stirring the last time), and seal tight in jars or crocks until ready for use. If you wish to make the medicated paper, melt this mixture again at a gentle heat, and take quires of white or manilla wrapping paper and apply with a brush cover paper. If you wish simply to use the elixir to coat vegetables and eggs with, melt the mixture as described and apply with brush to the outside; never apply while hot, but when it is just cool enough to use without being waxy or too gummy. Formula 2. — To make preservative paper by the use of the French preservative elixir described in Formula 1. — Take a quire of paper, opening it flat upon a table, going over it quickly with a hot smoothing iron against 270 The Complete Cook Book.