A text-book of cooking

Comparison of Fruit Sauce and Stewed Fruit. — Use the same kind of fruit and the same quantity of sugar, and make a Fruit Sauce and a dish of Stewed Fruit. Compare the fruit cooked by the two methods as to taste and appearance. Do you notice any difference in the sweetness of the fruit? At what time during its preparation should sugar be added to cooked fruit? Explain your answer clearly. Give two exceptions to this rule. Should sugar be added to cooked fruit while the fruit is hot or after it is cool? Why ? (See Experiments 7 and 8, pp. 28 and 29.) What is gained by not paring or peeling fruit that is to be strained after cooking? When fruit is cooking, what indicates a loss of flavor? What two precautions can be taken to preserve the flavor of fruits ? What means, other than cooking in syrup, can be employed to retain the shape of cooked fruit ? RHUBARB SAUCE Cut rhubarb (without peeling) into one-inch pieces. Place these in the top of a double boiler. Cook in a double boiler until soft, stirring occasionally. When cooked, add £ to \ cupful of sugar for each cupful of cooked rhubarb. The casserole may be used for cooking rhubarb. Place the rhubarb in a casserole. Add one tablespoonful of water for each cupful of rhubarb. Cover and simmer on top of a range, or bake in a slow oven until soft. Add sugar as directed above. General Rules for Cooking Dried Fruits. — Wash the fruit carefully. Place it in the saucepan in which it is to be cooked and pour enough cold water over the fruit to cover it. Cover the saucepan and allow the fruit to soak for several hours or overnight. Then cook the fruit at simmering temperature in the water in which it was soaked. When the fruit is tender, remove the saucepan from the fire, add sugar if desired, and stir carefully until the sugar is dissolved. Serve cold. STEWED PRUNES Prepare according to the general rule. For each 2 cupfuls of prunes add about \ cupful of sugar and one tablespoonful of lemon juice. The sugar may be omitted and only the lemon juice added. STEWED APRICOTS Prepare according to the general rule. For \ pound of apricots add £ cupful of sugar. Weigh 1 cupful of dried fruit and record weight. Weigh and measure soaked fruit (1 cupful before soaking) and record weight and measure. To what is the increase in measure of the soaked fruit due ? What use should be made of the water in which dried fruit is soaked ? What does this water contain ? (See Experiment 7, p. 28.) What is the purpose of soaking dried fruit before cooking ? What is the purpose of covering the fruit while soaking ? What is the present price per peck of apples ? How many pounds in one peck ? What is the price per pound of fresh peaches ? Of dried peaches ? Using the data obtained by weighing dried fruit before and after soaking, estimate the difference in the cost of one pound of fresh and of soaked dried fruit. ' . SUGAR WITH FRUITS LESSON VII Sugar with Fruits (II) SCALLOPED APPLES 2 cupfuls soft bread crumbs \ teaspoonful cinnamon 2 tablespoonfuls butter \ teaspoonful nutmeg 3 cupfuls apples \ lemon, — juice and rind \ cupful sugar J cupful water Butter the bread crumbs. Chop or cut the apples in small pieces, and add the remaining ingredients to the apples. Put \ of the crumbs in the bottom of a buttered baking dish, add % of the apple mixture, then \ of the crumbs, the remainder of the apple mixture, and then cover with the remainder of the crumbs. Bake 40 to 60 minutes (until the apples are tender and the crumbs brown), in a moderate oven. Cover during first 20 minutes of baking. Serve hot with sugar and cream or Hard Sauce. Care should be taken in grating lemon rind. Only the thin yellow portion should be used as flavoring. HARD SAUCE \ cupful butter 1 teaspoonful vanilla 1 cupful powdered sugar