from such a rough and ready oven. The method is as follows : Put a small pastry rack (a “ rapid steamer ” rack would do admirably) into the pan which you intend using (which must he kept entirely for baking pastry), lay two or more sheets of buttered paper on this rack and set the cake or cakes on this, being careful that if several are baked at once they do not touch each other at any point. Set the pan on a trivet over, but not on, a strong, steady, clear fire, and place a row of hot coal all round the edge of the lid ; placed thus the hot coals diffuse a more even and less scorching heat than if piled on tliecenti’e of the lid. Watch the cake, and if the top shows signs of catching cover it with a buttered paper and remove enough of the top coals to moderate the heat. The baking must be watched to keep the heat, which should be moderate rather than fierce, even and steady, either taking off or adding to the live coal on the lid. The pan should be turned from time to time to insure the cake being evenly coloured and cooked. Have the pan and its lid well heated for about a quarter of an hour before putting in the cake. Do not try to cook too many pieces at once, for, although kept scrupulously separate, they interfere with their respective cooking, and the baking will not not then be quite successful. Experience and practice will soon teach the cook to overcome any little difficulties, and will enable her to tell both the heat and the time required very fairly accurately. For instance, for small cakes and biscuits a very gentle and even heat is required, and when the lid is lifted to watch the baking it must be replaced as quickly as possible, or the cakes will drop. It is easy to cook a fairly large cake in this way if baked in two parts, which are when ready fixed together with a little royal icing. Meat and fish pies can also be baked in this way, which is indeed the way the Russian fish pasties ( Coulibiacs ) are mostly baked. But in this case measures must be taken to keep up the fire, as naturally such things take longer to cook than small pastry and 192 BREAD, CAKES, AND BISCUITS. cakes. Foreign cooks bake in this way on their small char- coal hot plates, and indeed prefer these to the ordinary fire or range. The pan with its contents is placed on the trivet over the opening of the hot plate, a second opening being also kept up to the same heat to allow either the top or bottom heat being replenished as required. Foreign cooks also fix wires or strings to the small rack placed in the pan to allow of its being lowered down into the pan with the cake on it and lifted out again when the baking is con- cluded.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

from such a rough and ready oven. The method is as follows : Put a small pastry rack (a “ rapid steamer ” rack would do admirably) into the pan which you intend using (which must he kept entirely for baking pastry), lay two or more sheets of buttered paper on this rack and set the cake or cakes on this, being careful that if several are baked at once they do not touch each other at any point. Set the pan on a trivet over, but not on, a strong, steady, clear fire, and place a row of hot coal all round the edge of the lid ; placed thus the hot coals diffuse a more even and less scorching heat than if piled on the centre of the lid. Watch the cake, and if the top shows signs of catching cover it with a buttered paper and remove enough of the top coals to moderate the heat. The baking must be watched to keep the heat, which should be moderate rather than fierce, even and steady, either taking off or adding to the live coal on the lid. The pan should be turned from time to time to insure the cake being evenly coloured and cooked. Have the pan and its lid well heated for about a quarter of an hour before putting in the cake. Do not try to cook too many pieces at once, for, although kept scrupulously separate, they interfere with their respective cooking, and the baking will not then be quite successful. Experience and practice will soon teach the cook to overcome any little difficulties, and will enable her to tell both the heat and the time required very fairly accurately. For instance, for small cakes and biscuits a very gentle and even heat is required, and when the lid is lifted to watch the baking it must be replaced as quickly as possible, or the cakes will drop. It is easy to cook a fairly large cake in this way if baked in two parts, which are when ready fixed together with a little royal icing. Meat and fish pies can also be baked in this way, which is indeed the way the Russian fish pasties ( Coulibiacs ) are mostly baked. But in this case measures must be taken to keep up the fire, as naturally such things take longer to cook than small pastry and cakes. Foreign cooks bake in this way on their small charcoal hot plates, and indeed prefer these to the ordinary fire or range. The pan with its contents is placed on the trivet over the opening of the hot plate, a second opening being also kept up to the same heat to allow either the top or bottom heat being replenished as required. Foreign cooks also fix wires or strings to the small rack placed in the pan to allow of its being lowered down into the pan with the cake on it and lifted out again when the baking is concluded.

Bread, cakes, and biscuits