A manual of home-making

Use the fat left from cooking bacon or smoked ham. Heat it, and strain it through fine cheesecloth, if there is much sediment. Use two parts of fat to one part of vinegar, thicken it slightly with flour and water well blended, and cook the mixture for a few minutes to remove the raw taste of the flour. This dressing is generally served hot on dandelion, cabbage, and other green salads. It is a good salad dressing for use on camping trips. CHAFfEU XXXIl DESSERTS By Wixifred Moses i In planning a well-balanced men! the dessert must }ye sideredf f)ecMiLse if it is lUHed at all it plays a part in the nutritr scheme of the mea!. It may be iis simple as fresh fruit or complex its phmi jHidding, and the correet choice determines siiecess of the meal l>oth in nutritive vakie and in palatability. If the main part of the meal is made up of less hearty foods, t dessert may well be a heavy one, sneh as steamed pudding wii hard saiieci or pie. If the other eoiirses are heavy, however, lif2:ht deBHert Hueli as fruit or fruit sherbet may he the best choii Battel's and doughs and e^gs mixtures arc discussed elsewhere. Other desserts will be briefly considered in this chapter. FRUITS FruitB may l>e serv^etl alone aa dessert, fresh or cooked » or cold. A combination of fntits may be used for variety flavor or color. GELATIN DESSERTS General directions for making gelatin desserts are as foUov (I) Soak the gelatin in about four limos its meafnire of c?ald liquid from 3 to 5 minutes*^ or until it l» softencid; (2) dissolve it hv pourinR the I ing liquid ovt-r it; or in hiis\(>n the pmccsa set tke geUitiu und cold liqu over boiling water to diss(^ive: (3) iwld t Ik* sugar to (be lint nuxture, stir it until it is dlsHokeii; (4) add the fniit jui{'e or other flnvormg; (5) turn] immediately into a wet niulil, .an<»w it to eiM*! und plm-e ii near iee to stiffs ((■)) if a foamy jelly Ia desirotl, before fHiurinj^ (he mixture into the mn allow it to rool anfl begin to stiiTen, then beat it well with a wire whieS before pniiring it inio tluMvct nmld; (7) if fruit Ls lo he u.s*mI, allow the jelly to begin to stiffen before addiiig it in order that tt may be misceii ever' thrtiughout the jelly, or it may be addeii in layt-^rs by uUowing one £70 DESSERTS 571 of jelly to Btiffen, adding a layer of fruit, pouring over tlib morn* of the jelly mixture that has \n^n kept wano^ and allowiaj? this layer to slifTen before addinR more fruity (S) 1 tablespoon of gelatin will sHfTi'U about I pint of liquid. Sponge<^ and Bamnan creams. To make sfKjnges antl Bavarian creiims, when the jelly has hegun to stiffen, beaten whites of eggs or whipped t-rc-am should be added, and the mixture beaten to a froth. For a slightly dif- ferent texture, the jelly should he I)eiite!i to a froth, and the beaten cgg-whrte.s or the wlvipped eream lightly folthxl in. The mixture should then be turned into a wet mold and chilled. Charlottes, Charlottes are combinations of cake with wiiipped cream or Bavarian creams or sponges. Tims the sugi^estions for making sponges and Bavarian creams apply to charlottes also. Bread dipped in melted butter may be siii>stituled for the cake. Fruit sauces may be used instead of the whipped cream or the gelatin filling; the dish may be garnished with jelly, jam, or nuts, and served with a hard sauce. W^HIPPED CREAM