A text-book of cooking

Medium White Sauce 2 tablespoonfuls, 1} tablespoonfuls, 1 cup (Vegetables (see page 63), gravy, tomato sauce, etc.) Thick White Sauce 3 tablespoonfuls, 2 tablespoonfuls, 1 cup (Gravy, tomato sauce, etc.) Very Thick White Sauce 4 tablespoonfuls, 3 tablespoonfuls, 1 cup (Croquettes, etc.) (If richer sauces are desired, equal quantities of fat and flour should be used.) lemon Sauce 1 cupful sugar 2 cupfuls boiling water 2 tablespoonfuls flour 1 lemon, — juice and rind 1 tablespoonful butter Mix sugar and flour thoroughly; then slowly add the boiling water. Cook 15 minutes. Add the lemon juice and rind, then the butter. Stir until the butter is melted, when the sauce will be ready to serve. What is the purpose of adding cold water to pearl tapioca before cooking ? Why is it necessary to cook it in a double boiler ? Give the reason for covering pearl tapioca while it is soaking. What is the use of flour in Lemon Sauce ? Why is the flour mixed with the sugar before adding the boiling water? (See Experiment r \ VEGETABLE CREAM SOUPS 69 21, p. 64.) How long does it take the flour to thicken ? How long a time does the recipe give for cooking the flour mixture? What is the purpose of cooking it for so long a time ? What precautions can be taken to prevent the sauce from scorching ? If, after cooking the required length of time, the sauce is not thick enough, what is the simplest method of thickening it ? For a sauce recipe in which very little fat and no sugar are given, devise a method of preparing smooth sauce. When considering the digestion of fats, which is the preferable method ? (See Digestion of Pastry, p. 264.) LESSON XVII Vegetable Cream Soups (I) Thick Soups. — Various vegetables, grains, and fish are used in making Cream Soups and Purees. The vegetables are cooked and mashed or forced through a strainer and then combined with milk and often with the vegetable stock. In order to have the vegetable pulp uniformly mixed through the liquid, it is necessary to thicken the liquid with a starchy material. Flour with butter, mixed and cooked as in White Sauce, is used for this purpose. It is said to " bind " the vegetables and the liquid. Thus, Cream Soups and Purees are simply white sauces to which vegetable pulp is added. General Proportions. — The usual proportion of vegetable pulp or pur4e to liquid is: One part of vegetable pulp or pur^e to 2 parts of liquid, i.e. milk, vegetable stock, or meat stock. The proportion of flour to liquid is: % tablespoonful flour to 1 cupful liquid, if a starchy vegetable is used or, 1 tablespoonful flour to 1 cupful liquid, if a vegetable having little thickening property, as celery, is used. Sometimes an egg or two is added to soup for thickening or flavor, and to increase the food value. Different kinds of vegetables are sometimes mixed for a soup, or vegetables and meat are combined as: Peas and beans, corn and beans, or corn and cauliflower, or any vegetable with chicken, veal, lamb, or beef stock. POTATO SOUP 3 potatoes 1 tablespoonf ul flour 1 pint milk or 1} teaspoonfuls salt 1 pint milk and water } teaspoonful white pepper 2 slices of onion Celery salt J tablespoonful butter 2 teaspoonfuls chopped parsley Cook and mash the potatoes, heat the milk and onion in a double boiler, then add them to the mashed potatoes. Press the potato mixture through a strainer and use it as the liquid for a white sauce, using all other ingredients except the parsley in the sauce. If necessary, add more liquid, or evaporate to the desired consistency. Add the chopped parsley just before serving. " Left over " mashed potatoes may be utilized in making this soup. CROUTONS Cut stale bread into half-inch cubes. Bake slowly in the oven until a golden brown. Stir often. Serve with soups.