A text-book of cooking

Since sugar is manufactured from beets, the latter must contain considerable sugar. From this fact and the results of Experiment 8 (p. 29), explain why beets must not be pared or cut in pieces before cooking. Explain why only one beet should be tested for sufficient cooking, and why it should be tested with a knitting needle or wire skewer rather than with a fork. From your grocer, find out in what quantities white potatoes and sweet potatoes are usually purchased. What is the price of each ? Calculate the difference in cost of 1 peck or 15 pounds of each. What is the purpose of serving corn on a folded napkin ? In cutting corn from the cob, why slice off the tops of the kernels and then scrape the pulp, rather than slice the entire kernel from the cob? What is the price per dozen ears of green corn ? LESSON XVI Root Vegetables (III) Tapioca is a food material prepared from the roots of the cassava plant grown in South America. Like many other foods prepared from the roots of plants, it consists almost entirely of starch. In its preparation, tapioca is heated so that some of the starch grains are swelled. The starch of tapioca is thus partially cooked. Tapioca is prepared for the market in two forms, — pearl tapioca, and minute or granulated tapioca. The latter requires a much shorter time to cook. If granulated tapioca is substituted for pearl tapioca only one half the quantity is required. APPLE TAPIOCA f cupful pearl tapioca or \ teaspoonful salt f cupful granulated tapioca 7 apples 2£ cupfuls boiling water \ cupful sugar If pearl tapioca is used, cover it generously with cold water and allow it to stand one hour or overnight. While soaking keep the tapioca covered. If any water is unabsorbed, use less than the given quantity of boiling water. If granulated tapioca is used, no cold water is needed. For either granulated or pearl tapioca, add the boiling water and salt to the tapioca and cook over the naked flame and then over hot water as in the case of breakfast cereal. (See General Rules for Cooking Cereals, p. 39.) Cook in the double boiler until transparent. Wash, core, and pare the apples ; place them in a buttered baking dish ; fill the cavities with sugar, pour tapioca over them, and bake in a moderate oven until the apples are soft. Serve with sugar and cream, or with Lemon Sauce. Other fruits may be substituted for apples. If canned fruit3 are used, substitute the fruit syrup for part of the water in which the tapioca is cooked. RHUBARB TAPIOCA Use the same ingredients for the rhubarb dessert as for Apple Tapioca, substituting for the apples 3 cupfuls of rhubarb, cut into pieces, and using twice the quantity of sugar. Bake until the rhubarb is soft. Sweet Sauces. — Sweet Sauces usually contain sugar and butter and are thickened with a powdered cereal. It is interesting to consider which of the two materials — sugar or butter — should be used to separate the grains of the flour or cornstarch. The quantity of fat used with the flour of white sauces (see p. 68) is less than the flour. But it is difficult to separate starch grains when the fat equals only one half the quantity of flour. On the other hand, when starch grains are separated by means of sugar, the quantity of the sugar should equal at least the quantity of the starchy material. (See Blanc Mange, p. 54.) In the recipe for Lemon Sauce on page 68, it will be noted that the quan- M I tity of fat is one half that of • the flour ; the quantity of sugar greatly exceeds that of the flour. Hence the sugar affords a more satisfactory means of separating the starch grains in Lemon Sauce. PROPORTIONS OF INGREDIENTS FOR SAUCES Floub Fat Liquid Thin White Sauce 1 tablespoonful, { tablespoonful, 1 cup (Toast, sweet sauce, certain cream soups, etc.)