Books and My Food: With Literary Quotations and Original Recipes for Every ..

two and pull the soft part away from the crust in long strips of as even shape and size as possible. Place these on a biscuit-pan in the oven and bake to a light brown. Eaten before they are more than two days old they are deliciously nutty and crisp, and much more digestible than any other form of bread. SEPTEMBER isth "In due time the tea was spread forth in handsome style; and neither ham, tarts nor marmalade were wanting among its accompaniments.'' — Charlotte Bronte ("Shirley"). PUT on to cook peeled and stoned peaches and allow them to simmer for three-quarters of an hour, stirring often. Then add sugar in the proportion of three-quarters of a pound to a pound of the fruit ; allow it to boil a few minutes, skimming constantly. Then add the juice of a lemon to every two pounds of fruit and the chopped kernels of four peach-stones. Cook ten or fifteen minutes and fill glasses or marmalade jars. SEPTEMBER i6th "He bid me taste of it; and 'twas the grape I" — Omar Khayyam ("Rubaiyat")* TO make grape- juice for the pleasant drink in vogue, wash, without stemming, Concord grapes. Put them over in a kettle with a cupful of cold water. When they have cooked till they are thoroughly soft, remove from the fire, and when cool enough strain and return to the fire with a cupful of sugar to each quart of juice. Let it boil while the scum rises and is removed. Have fruit cans standing in hot water, fill them till they overflow, cover tightly, and set in a cool place. The amount of sugar may be varied. SEPTEMBER 17TH ''Have some more sauce to your leek? there is not enough leek to swear by." — ^Shakespeare ("Henry V."). A SAUCE in which the leek, or its sister, the onion, is very delicately present, is prepared by heating in a frying pan good dripping or butter, then frying in it several slices of onion. When they are well cooked remove them. Put into the pan cold potatoes, cut in dice ; cold young turnips or carrots ; fry light brown, lift carefully from the fat. Serve very hot and dry in a hot dish. SEPTEMBER i8th "Hiere were eggs in napkins, and crispy bits of bacon under silver covers; and there were little fishes in a little box and devilled kidneys frizzling on a hot-water dish." — Anthony Trollope ("The Warden"). CHOOSE plump veal or lamb kidneys ; take out the hard centres and the fat; cut in slices half an inch thick. Heat together a tablespoonful of butter, a small teaspoonful of mustard, a good pinch of paprika, a little salt, and a good teaspoonful of lemon juice. In this dip each piece of kidney, roll in fine bread crumbs and broil ; turn often. They should be done in eight or ten minutes. Serve on toast with the sauce poured over them. i6s SEPTEMBER 19TH ''Tarrant ventured to intimate that the apple fritters were very fine." — Henry James ("The Bostonians"). ALTHOUGH Mr. James has lived so long in England, he obviously has not forgotten all the pleasures of life in America. The apple fritter of New England is too well known to justify description, but the fritter from old England is a different matter, and to the taste of many quite as palatable. Cut French bread into thick squares. Soak these in cream flavored with nutmeg, powdered cinnamon and sugar and mixed with an egg. When the squares are well soaked fry them golden brown in very hot fat, spread them with butter and hot apple sauce. SEPTEMBER 20th ''He would keep recommending her to try the coarsest viands on the table; and at last, he told her if she could not fancy the cold beef to try a little with pickled onions.'' — Mrs. Gaskell. FOR pickling, choose small white onions, peel them, put into a pan of boiling water, a few at a time ; when they look clear on the outside lift