mass resembling a large roll, or small loaf of
bread. Work it as little as possible, and when
brought into this shape, cut it with a sharp knife,
dipped in flour, into slices half an inch thick.
Place these in a bread-pan and bake in a hot oven
for half an hour, or until brown. There, Cousin
Kate, haven't I said my lesson well?"
" Perfectly. And having induced you, Alice, to
make and taste these kinds of Graham bread, I am
content, well knowing that you will push your
investigations, and find by experiment that the
varieties of delicious bread which can be made of
Graham flour and water are almost numberless."
After a moment's pause Emeline renewed the
conversation by saying, "Kate, I hope you will
devote some space in your book to mushes ; for,
although not a lover of them myself, I discover a
great difference in the appearance of oatmeal pre-
pared by your method, and that usually served.
And I notice that Alice eats your oatmeal with a
relish, whereas heretofore she has seemed to eat
all kinds of mushes from a sense of duty because
they were recommended by her physician."
"What a close observer you are, mamma ! " laugh-
ingly rejoined Alice. " But I own to liking Cousin
Kate's hygienic mushes rather better than those
which taste so decidedly of water. Hominy grits,
as often served, in a half-raw state, taste as I
imagine chicken-feed does. Crushed wheat when
54 COOKING AND CASTLE-BUILDING.
half cooked seems all bran. And underdone oat-
meal is as disagreeable a mixture as I care to par-
take of."
"The misnomers of the past," I said, in reply
to these observations, "cause us a great deal of
suffering. For instance, some careless, slovenly
cook, years ago, may have qnickly boiled corn
meal in water and named it "hasty pudding," and
unthinking people, judging it is so called because
little time is required to prepare it, go on from
generation to generation eating half-boiled mush,
or hasty pudding, without discovering that it is
best when made in a manner the very reverse of
hasty. Indeed, I know of no mush that is not
better for much cooking ; and slow cooking is also
preferable, after all the meal has been stirred in.
Many persons object to mushes because of the
trouble of preparing, as the general opinion is that
they require a special boiler, or must l)e constantly
stirred. This, however, is a mistake. The double
or jacketed boiler is no doubt most convenient for
cooking mushes in ; but a smooth, bowl-shaped,
iron kettle, and a wooden stick or spatula Avill
answer every purpose, and the process of making
need not be at all laborious.
For oatmeal, and crushed or cracked wheat, I
use the same proportions, — one measure of meal to
four of water, — sprinkling the meal slowly into the
water, Avhich must be boiling, and stirring con-
FOOD AND FANCY. * 55
Page 21
Presented as published in 1880. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
mass resembling a large roll, or small loaf of bread. Work it as little as possible, and when brought into this shape, cut it with a sharp knife, dipped in flour, into slices half an inch thick. Place these in a bread-pan and bake in a hot oven for half an hour, or until brown. There, Cousin Kate, haven't I said my lesson well?"
" Perfectly. And having induced you, Alice, to make and taste these kinds of Graham bread, I am content, well knowing that you will push your investigations, and find by experiment that the varieties of delicious bread which can be made of Graham flour and water are almost numberless."
After a moment's pause Emeline renewed the conversation by saying, "Kate, I hope you will devote some space in your book to mushes ; for, although not a lover of them myself, I discover a great difference in the appearance of oatmeal prepared by your method, and that usually served. And I notice that Alice eats your oatmeal with a relish, whereas heretofore she has seemed to eat all kinds of mushes from a sense of duty because they were recommended by her physician."
"What a close observer you are, mamma ! " laughingly rejoined Alice. " But I own to liking Cousin Kate's hygienic mushes rather better than those which taste so decidedly of water. Hominy grits, as often served, in a half-raw state, taste as I imagine chicken-feed does. Crushed wheat when
half cooked seems all bran. And underdone oatmeal is as disagreeable a mixture as I care to partake of."
"The misnomers of the past," I said, in reply to these observations, "cause us a great deal of suffering. For instance, some careless, slovenly cook, years ago, may have quickly boiled corn meal in water and named it "hasty pudding," and unthinking people, judging it is so called because little time is required to prepare it, go on from generation to generation eating half-boiled mush, or hasty pudding, without discovering that it is best when made in a manner the very reverse of hasty. Indeed, I know of no mush that is not better for much cooking ; and slow cooking is also preferable, after all the meal has been stirred in. Many persons object to mushes because of the trouble of preparing, as the general opinion is that they require a special boiler, or must be constantly stirred. This, however, is a mistake. The double or jacketed boiler is no doubt most convenient for cooking mushes in ; but a smooth, bowl-shaped, iron kettle, and a wooden stick or spatula will answer every purpose, and the process of making need not be at all laborious.
For oatmeal, and crushed or cracked wheat, I use the same proportions, — one measure of meal to four of water, — sprinkling the meal slowly into the water, Avhich must be boiling, and stirring con-