Cookery book and general axioms for plain cookery

(2) Baking powder should be added last whenever possible, as it loses power as soon as it comes in contact with any moisture. When the mixture is very stiff, the baking powder should be added to the last portion of milk. (3) Salt is not needed when butter or lard is used instead of dripping. (4) The exact quantity of milk cannot be given, because the flour varies in the amount it absorbs, according to its quality. Good flour absorbs more moisture than poor flour. MEAT PIE. Ingredients-. — About 10 oz. beef skirt or steak. 2 oz. bullock’s kidney. 1 tablespoonful flour \ ■i teaspoonful salt > Seasoning. I „ pepper ) Boiling water. Short or flaky paste. Method : — Cut the meat into nice pieces, mix the seasoning on a plate, dip the meat in it, place it in a pie-dish, and half fill the dish with boiling water to close the pores. When the steam has escaped wet the edges of the dish, line with narrow strips of paste, wet them also, cover it with paste, press it lightly down, trim the edges neatly, and draw them up with the back of a knife. Make a hole in the centre for the steam and gas to escape, ornament as liked, and bake in a hot oven at first (about 20 min.) to make the pastry rise, then cook it more slowly, (about 1 hour) to make the meat tender. N.B. — (1) If cold water is poured over the meat, the juices will be drawn out, and the meat is then apt to be hard and stringy. (2) If the meat appears hard or tough, or very fresh (as it must be in hot weather), dipping it into vinegar will help to make it tender. (3) If the meat can be cut in slices and rolled, and put upright in the pie dish, it retains its own gravy, rendering it much more digestible. MEAT PATTIES. Ingredients : — b lb. beef steak. 1 teaspoonful flour j teaspoonful salt A little pepper Short or flaky paste. Hot gravy or water. Method : — Mix the flour, salt and pepper, chop the meat finely, and dip it into this seasoning. Line patty pans with paste, put a little of the meat into each pan, and a very little hot water or gravy; cover with paste, press the edges well, and finish according to fancy. Make a hole in the centre, brush them over with milk to glaze them, and bake in a hot oven about 20 minutes, then cook very slowly another 20 minutes, to thoroughly cook the meat. Serve hot or cold. N.B. — (1) Any cold scraps of meat can be used, instead of fresh meat, but they would then only require the first 20 minutes’ cooking, in harmony with the “ Rules for Cooking Cold Meat,” page 102. j- Mixed. (2) If the pies or patties are not moist enough, pour a little gravy in through the hole in the centre j a small funnel is useful for this. SHORT PASTRY. Ingredients : —1 lb flour. 6 oz. dripping (clarified). 1 teaspoonful baking powder. A pinch of salt. Sufficient cold water to make a stiff paste. Method: — Put the flour in a basin, and mix the salt and baking-powder with it. Beat the dripping on a flat dish or plate with a knife until it is quite creamy, then rub it as quickly and lightly as possible into the flour. Add the water very carefidly, and let the. paste be quite dry and crumbling, turn it on to a floured board, roll it once only before using it, and bake it in a hot oven at once. N.B. — (1) Pastry, or cakes containing baking powder, should be baked at once, or it will lose its power.