Taking the bowl of sour cream in her hand, she would stir and taste it with a critical air ; and giving a w^iso little nod, as if she had solved the riddle, proceed to measure a teaspoon, half full, even full, or heap- ing full, of soda, which she placed in a cup, and poured on it a spoonful of boiling water. Let- ting this stand, she made room in the middle of the flour for the cream; and, with., her fingers, mixed the flour nearest the cream lightly in, add- ing a pinch of salt. While it was still a soft batter, she drained into it the soda, leaving any sediment there might be in the cup. Then her hands danced here and there through the dough, mixing it rapidly until stifi* enough to roll out on the bread-board, cut into round cakes, and place 40 COOKING AND CASTLE-BUn^DING. immediately Iq a quick oven. In twenty minutes these cakes came out of the oven four times as thick as they went in, the most delicate, puJSy things imaginable ; but i/oicr cream biscuit, Alice, must be made with sweet milk and a little butter, instead of cream. " To a quart of flour, add a measure of baking- powder, sifting the whole three or four times, and two ounces of butter, so carefully rubbed through the flour that you cannot find a particle the size of a pin-head. Add cold sweet milk, to make a soft dough✪ Cream Biscuit; roll out, cut into cakes, and bake in a quick oven." At lunch. Cousin Emeline praised the biscuits as she ate them with strawberries, which had been sprinkled with sugar, and set in the refrigerator for half an hour. The sugar, with its sweet art, had coaxed enough juice from the berries to dis- solve itself; and, wrapped in this delicious syrup, the berries were far more palatable than when eaten sharpl}^ acid, with a portion of dry sugar. Alice was pleased with the praise her mother bestowed upon the biscuit, until it occurred to her that even a higher achievement had been possible. Then she asked, half reproachfully, — " Cousin Kate, why did you not have me make a strawberry shortcake, — or don't you know how?" " Oh, yes. You would make the shortcake just STILL DABBLING IN DOUGH. 41 like these biscuits ; roll the dough quite thin, not much thicker than pie-crust, and baking on pie- pans, the size of the pan. When baked, with a fork and your fingers separate the upper and under crust of the cake, spread the inside with butter, and laying one-half of the cake on a plate, cover it thickly with berries, well sprinkled with susrar. Then add another half cake and another layer of berries, till the pie is thick enough, fin- ishing with fruit. If you desire to disguise, and, in a measure, destroy the flavor of the berry, serve strawberry shortcake Avith sweet cream poured over it✪ Strawberry Shortcake. The cream also renders it more indigestible. My opinion is, that any one, after eating sweet, crisp loaf-bread, a day old, with strawberries served lilvc these, will never volun- tarily run the risk of dyspepsia, for the sake of hot biscuit or strawberry shortcake.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Taking the bowl of sour cream in her hand, she would stir and taste it with a critical air ; and giving a wise little nod, as if she had solved the riddle, proceed to measure a teaspoon, half full, even full, or heaping full, of soda, which she placed in a cup, and poured on it a spoonful of boiling water. Letting this stand, she made room in the middle of the flour for the cream; and, with., her fingers, mixed the flour nearest the cream lightly in, adding a pinch of salt. While it was still a soft batter, she drained into it the soda, leaving any sediment there might be in the cup. Then her hands danced here and there through the dough, mixing it rapidly until stiff enough to roll out on the bread-board, cut into round cakes, and place immediately Iq a quick oven. In twenty minutes these cakes came out of the oven four times as thick as they went in, the most delicate, puffy things imaginable ; but i/oicr cream biscuit, Alice, must be made with sweet milk and a little butter, instead of cream. " To a quart of flour, add a measure of bakingpowder, sifting the whole three or four times, and two ounces of butter, so carefully rubbed through the flour that you cannot find a particle the size of a pin-head. Add cold sweet milk, to make a soft dough; roll out, cut into cakes, and bake in a quick oven." At lunch. Cousin Emeline praised the biscuits as she ate them with strawberries, which had been sprinkled with sugar, and set in the refrigerator for half an hour. The sugar, with its sweet art, had coaxed enough juice from the berries to dissolve itself; and, wrapped in this delicious syrup, the berries were far more palatable than when eaten sharply acid, with a portion of dry sugar. Alice was pleased with the praise her mother bestowed upon the biscuit, until it occurred to her that even a higher achievement had been possible. Then she asked, half reproachfully, — " Cousin Kate, why did you not have me make a strawberry shortcake, — or don't you know how?" " Oh, yes. You would make the shortcake just like these biscuits ; roll the dough quite thin, not much thicker than pie-crust, and baking on piepans, the size of the pan. When baked, with a fork and your fingers separate the upper and under crust of the cake, spread the inside with butter, and laying one-half of the cake on a plate, cover it thickly with berries, well sprinkled with susrar. Then add another half cake and another layer of berries, till the pie is thick enough, finishing with fruit. If you desire to disguise, and, in a measure, destroy the flavor of the berry, serve strawberry shortcake with sweet cream poured over it. The cream also renders it more indigestible. My opinion is, that any one, after eating sweet, crisp loaf-bread, a day old, with strawberries served lilvc these, will never voluntarily run the risk of dyspepsia, for the sake of hot biscuit or strawberry shortcake.

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Cooking and castle-building