The Aunts' Cook Book

of cold water — about half a cup. If cooking on gas stove use cold water throughout whole process, if on a coal stove where it takes longer to bring to a boil, use boiling water after the first mixing of egg, coffee and cold water. When using cold water, merely bring to a boil — ^that is, when it is once boiling violently, remove from flame and pour into it a dash of cold water or put in a piece of ice to settle. Put on back of range where it will not boil, for 10 minutes. When using boiling water, bring to boil and boil 3 minutes. Then set back for 10 minutes. Serve in same pot in which it was made. Aunt Robbie's Coffee (without boiling) Use fresh-ground and only high-grade coflFee. If wanted strong use one pint of coffee to six cups of water. Mix coflFee with beaten egg and a little cold water. Then add the six cups of boiling water, put on fire and bring to a boil. Lower flame but keep at boiling point but not boiling. It should steep 15 or 20 minutes. Remove from flame but keep on stove, add lump of ice or half-cup cold water to settle. Let stand 10 minutes and serve. Aunt Robbie's Mulled Claret 1 y^ cups claret juice of 1 lemon 2 tablespoonsful sugar cinnamon and cloves Serve hot. Home-made red wine can be used instead of claret. Drinkables and Delicatessen 145 Aunt Robbie's Cup 1 quart claret, hock or J^ tumbler powdered sugar cider (hard) 3^ sherry glass Kummel, juice of 4 lemons Maraschino or Curacao juice of 2 limes A few strawberries, raspberries, cherries or slices of oranges with inner skin removed. After sugar is dissolved with other ingredients, put in refrigerator. Shake occasionally. Half an hour before wanted, put in it a large block of ice. Just before serving add 1 pint Appolinaris. Raspberry shrub can be substituted for cordial HORS D'OUVRES Aunt Robbie's Ham and Cheese Hors d'Ouvres 1 cupful of finely chopped ham }4 cup of finely cut York State cheese Moisten with catsup. Cut small rounds of bread slices and spread with mixture. Put together to make sandwiches. Toast both sides of sandwiches and serve at once. Aunt Robbie's Hors d'Ouvres Anchovy Paste Canape Spread buttered rounds of toast with thin layer of anchovy paste. Cover with layer of cream cheese twice as thick as the anchovy paste. Sprinkle the top with green pepper chopped fine. Serve on small lettuce leaves. 146 Drinkables and Delicatessen Tomato Canapes Fry rounds of bread. Spread with Parmesan cheese mixed with salad dressing. Place on each piece a slice of tomato. Boil eggs hard and chop the whites fine. Put the yolks through a sieve. Cover tomato slices with chopped whites and heap up the yolks in small piles in middle of each piece. Sprinkle with salty pepper and paprika. Tuna Fish Canape Pound a cup of tuna fish till a paste is formed. Add teaspoon of olive oiU ^ teaspoon lemon juice, a drop of onion extract. Spread smoothly on buttered rounds of toast. Cut strips of Pimento into shapes of petals and arrange on each piece to look like a daisy. Put piece of hard-boiled yolk of egg in center. Serve on lettuce leaves or on a plate covered with a tea-napkin and surround with sprays of parsley. Caviar Canape Spread strips or rounds of buttered toast with Russian caviar. Serve with cock-tails or at the table as first course. We drank many bottles of wine and eat a neat's tongue, then home and so, very merry, to bed." Samuel Pepys. 'We shall unloose the fragrant seas Of scathing, sparkling wine, Which now the cobwebbed glass and wires And devious coils confine. And midst the pleasing revelry The praises shall be heard Of the large, cold bottle — Not the little hot bird." Eugene Field. ^ Drinkables and Delicatessen 147 It is said that when Columbus first sighted America he was doubtful of its really being dry land. Present-day Americans have reason to believe Columbus was right. Punch.