Cookery book and general axioms for plain cookery

(4) Sometimes the peas will do without soaking, if they are not too old. SEED CAKE (VERY PLAIN). Ingredients : — 10 oz. flour. 2 oz. dripping (clarified). 2 oz. sugar. 1 egg- 2 teaspoonfuls caraway seeds. 1 teaspoonful baking powder. About 1 gill milk. A pinch of salt. Method : — Grease a cake-tin. Beat the egg and a little of the milk together. Beat the dripping in a basin to a cream with a wooden spoon and add the dry ingredients (except the baking powder) and the egg and milk by degrees, beating all the time. Make it a rather moist mixture, and add the bakingpowder just before putting it into the tin, beating it again. Bake in a hot oven about ½ hour. N.B. — (1) This receipt can be varied according to fancy; by putting \ lb. currants or sultanas and a little spice, or lb. treacle and ginger to taste, will make it a plain ginger cake. (2) If 2 ozs. more dripping can be afforded the cake will keep moist longer. (3) See that the flour is quite dry before using it for cakes, pastry or bread ; if it is damp they will be heavy. (4) When currants are used, and are cleansed by washing, they must be dried before adding them to the cake, or it will be heavy. MINCED MEAT AND MASHED POTATOES. Ingredients : — 15 lbs. cooked potatoes (hot). \ lb. cold meat (any scraps). 1 tablespoonful milk. 1 dessert-spoonful flour, oz. dripping. About 1 gill bone stock. Salt and pepper to taste. Method: — Chop the meat finely, melt the dripping in a small saucepan, add the flour, and stir until quite smooth and brown ; add the stock, stir until it boils, and season to taste. Put the meat in and let it just get hot through, but do not let it boil, or the meat will be hard. Mash the potatoes, add the milk, season to taste, and beat them quite light with a wooden spoon ; then make a wall round the dish, and pour the meat and gravy into the centre. TO MAKE COFFEE. Ingredients : — 1 oz. coffee, or to taste. 1 pint boiling water. Method: — Scald the coffee-pot, then put the coffee into the upper half, press it down and pour on it the boiling water. Let it stand in a warm place about 5 minutes or till the water has run through into the lower half of the pot. Serve with hot milk. See “ Axioms” 19, Pule VI. When hot milk is served for coffee, or as a basin of milk and bread, it should not be allowed to boil, because the great heat hardens the albumen, rendering it less digestible, and in some cases causing illness. It should also be stirred occasionally while heating, to prevent the albumen rising to the top, which is usually thrown away as scum. When, milk is heated in a saucepan, rinse it first with cold water to prevent burning. N.B. — Rules 2, 3 and 7 apply also to the making of tea, but it should not stand more than five minutes after infusion. Nor should tea be allowed to stand on the leaves, even when wanted to drink cold. TO BOIL MEAT. See “Axioms” (12), page 102, and special notes on Meat, page 108. PLAIN ONION OR CAPER SAUCE. Ingredients : — 4 large cooked f 1 tablespoonful capers. onions, or \ 1 teaspoonful caper vinegar. 1 oz. flour. \ pint stock. Salt to taste.