The royal baker and pastry cook

Receipts for making dumplings for a stew or fricassee frequently call for shortening. This is a mistake, and usually results in heavy, soggy dumplings. Heaviness may also be caused by a removal of the lid of pot or steamer before the dumplings are done. Flour, salt. Royal Baking Powder, and sweet milk are all that are needed to make tender, fluffy dumplings of this kind. The dry ingredients should be sifted carefully together, then quickly mixed with the milk. During the cooking the liquid in pot or steamer should be kept at a steady boil. No more batter or dough should be dropped in at one time than will cover the surface of the liquid or rest on top of the meat, for, if too many dumplings are dropped in at once, those underneath are sure to be soggy. The cover should not be lifted until the dumplings are done. Dumplings for Soup. — 1 cup flour, >4 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon Royal Baking Powder, sifted together. Add 1/3 cup finely chopped suet, and enough milk to make stiff dough. Bake into dumplings size of marbles, drop into soup, cover, and boil 10 minutes. Egg Dumplings for Soup.— Beat 2 eggs, add 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons milk. Sift 1 cup flour with 1 scant teaspoon Royal Baking Powder, add egg mixture, and more flour if necessary to make thick batter. Drop by half teaspoonluls in boiling soup ; cover, cook 10 minutes. Dumplings for Stews.— Mix and sift 1 pint flour, 2 teaspoons Royal Baking Powder, teaspoon salt. Mix to soft dough with milk. Turn on board, roll out 1 inch thick, cut in small circles. Roll each in flour, drop on top simmering stew. Cover, cook 20 minutes without opening pot. Dumplings for Stews, 2. — Mix 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon Royal Baking Powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add milk to mix to thick batter. Drop by small spoonfuls over boiling stew, and cook as in preceding receipt. Suet Dumplings. — 1 cup bread crumbs, 2 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped beef suet, whites and yolks 2 eggs beaten separately, Vi teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon Royal Baking Powder sifted with 1 cup flour, sufficient milk to mix to stiff paste. Flour hands and make into baUs. Wring small cloths in hot water, dip with flour, lay ball in each and tie, leaving room to swell. Cook in rapidly boiling water 45 minutes, and serve with liquid sauce (see Sauces). Potato Dumplings. — 1 dozen large potatoes, 6 tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons Royal Baking Powder, 1 tablespoon butter, 3 eggs, salt, and nutmeg. Grate potatoes, which have been boiled and skinned the day before ; mix with the flour, previously sifted together with baking powder, add the melted butter, and eggs one by one, and salt and nutmeg to taste ; form into balls about size of a .small apple, put into boiling water, which has been well salted, boil 15 minutes ; take out with skimmer, and serve with any kind of fricassee or pot-roast. Suet Dumplings (Danish). — 1 cup suet, chopped fine, 1 cup grated English muffins or bread, 1 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon Royal Baking Powder, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1 pint milk, large pinch salt. Sift together powder and flour, add beaten eggs, grated muffins, sugar, suet, and milk; form into smooth batter, which drop by tablespoons into pint boiling milk, three or four at a time ; when done, dish and pour over them milk they were boiled in. « Puddings Apple pudding (Boston).— Paste, 3;