Baked Custards

Scald one pint milk. Beat two eggs till smooth, add one-fourth cup sugar, a bit of salt, and blend with the hot milk. Strain into buttered molds, set in a pan of hot water and bake until firm. Put a thin knife blade in center of custard and if done no milk will adhere to the blade as it is removed.

The same proportions may be used for custard pies, or may be combined with cooked rice for a pudding.

Soft Custard

Use the same proportions as for baked custards, or three egg yolks in place of two whole eggs. Pour hot milk over the beaten eggs, stirring constantly. Sugar may be added before or after cooking the custard.

Return milk and egg to the double boiler and cook, stirring all the time until the custard thickens and coats the spoon, three minutes or longer. If cooked too long the custard will curdle. Cool quickly. Flavor before serving.

Egg Timbals

Use only one-fourth to one-half cup liquid, milk or stock, for each egg. Flavor with salt, pepper, etc. Cook like custards, turn from mold and serve hot with tomato sauce.

Thickened Custards

Filling for Cream Puffs, Layer Cake, Sauces, Ices, etc.

Make a smooth paste with one-fourth cup flour and a little milk and scald the remainder of one pint of milk. When it is hot, blend carefullv with the flour and cook in a double boiler twenty minutes or more. Then combine with the beaten yolks of two or three eggs and stir steadily while cooking three to five minutes longer. Take from the fire and sweeten and flavor according to its use. For filling for a layer cake one-fourth cup sugar may serve, while for cream puffs one-half cup or more will be needed.

The same foundation may be combined with an equal quantity of cream or of fruit juice, or of each, made very sweet and frozen as ice cream.

Frozen Desserts - General Directions

All mixtures must be sweeter and more highly flavored than if served without freezing. Cool thoroughly before packing in ice and salt. Use three measures fine cracked ice to one measure of salt.

Lemon Ice

Mix in proportion of the juice of one lemon, one-fourth cup of sugar and one cup of water. Or, make a quantity of syrup, 4 measures of sugar to 2 of water, and use 4 measures of syrup to 1 of fruit juice. Strain into a tin can or straight glass jar with a close cover. Pack this in a pail or pan with ice (or snow) and salt. Turn the can around and occasionally scrape down the ice which forms inside. Use other fruit juices in the same way - orange, pineapple, raspberry - to which lemon juice is usually added, grape juice or acid jelly.

Pineapple Sherbet

One can of grated pineapple, one cup of sugar, juice of two lemons, one tablespoon of powdered gelatine, one quart of water or milk.

Ice Cream

Scald thin cream in double boiler, dissolve sugar in the proportion of one cup to a quart, add flavoring when cool - extract, one tablespoon to a quart. This is "Philadelphia" ice cream. Thickened custard made very sweet and highly flavored is often called "New York" ice cream.

Mousse or Parfait

Mix together one cup thick cream, two tablespoons powdered sugar and flavoring. Whip cream with egg beater, skimming off froth as it rises and draining on a sieve. Return liquid to bowl and whip until no more froth will rise. Turn drained froth into a mould; cover, and bind the lid with a strip of muslin dipped into melted fat. Bury in ice and salt for three to four hours before serving.

Junket

The active principle in junket is rennin or "rennet," which is extracted from the lining of calf's stomach. This will coagulate or thicken warm milk but nothing else. Its properties are destroyed at the boiling temperature and it has no action in the cold. Heat two cups of milk to body temperature, 99 degrees, powder junket tablet and dissolve in a little water, add one-third cup of sugar dissolved in onethird cup of warm water and flavoring extract. Pour into serving dishes and keep warm until set. Cool.

Caramel syrup or maple syrup may be used in place of sugar. Chocolate may be added or beaten egg yolks with beaten whites on top.

Jellies

Pectin is the gelatinizing agent in jellies and jams. It is a substance similar to starch and is found in most fruits and some vegetables. It is most abundant when fruit is just ripe or nearly so. The making of good jelly depends on having the correct proportion of fruit juice, sugar, and acid and on boiling:. The density of the mixture should be between 24 degrees and 30 degrees as measured by the syrup gage at the boiling temperature, and the boiling point 217 degrees F. or 103 degrees C. Long boiling alters the gelatinizing properties of pectin. Too great a proportion of sugar and violent boiling cause the sugar to crystallize in the jelly.

Pick over and clean, or pare, core and cut up large fruits, heat with or without water and cook until very soft. Juicy fruits like currants and grapes need no added water, while fruits like apples should be barely covered with water. Strain the juice from the pulp through cheese-cloth or. flannel. To the strained juice granulated sugar is added usually in the proportion of pint to pint, but good jelly may be made with half the volume of sugar to juice. The proportion depends on the acid and sugar in the fruit. Heat slowly to dissolve sugar, and boil gently until proper density is obtained, skimming froth that rises. If no syrup gauge is used, test by dropping a little on a cold plate to see if the jellying point is reached. Pour into sterilized glasses and when set cover with melted paraffine.

The pulp may be squeezed in the straining bag to get a marmalade or even a second quality jelly: or, better, heat pulp again with a small amount of water and strain without pressure. This process may be repeated. Boil down somewhat and add sugar and finish as before. Jelly may be made from parings and cores.

As the presence of acid is essential to make the materials jelly,lemon or currant juice is usually added to sweet flavored fruits. (Summary of the result of experiments made by Dr. Goldthwaite at University of Illinois and Miss Snow at University of Chicago).

Soft Cooked Eggs

Place eggs in one cup of boiling water to each egg in a saucepan, cover and remove from the fire.

From five to ten minutes will be required according to the firmness desired.

Or, put one egg in one cup of cold water and bring slowly to the boiling point. Then remove the egg.

Hard Cooked Eggs

Keep eggs in water just below the boiling point for thirty minutes. The yolks should be dry enough to mash easily. Such eggs are suitable for salads - may be warmed in any well flavored sauce, may be stuffed by blending the yolks with chopped meat or nuts or seasoning of any kind.