Foods and home making

Note to the Teacher: The experiments given in this text may be performed by the teacher or by each pupil. Directions for each experiment are divided into sections, lettered a, b, c, etc. Inserted in each section are one or more questions pertaining to the important points of the experiment. At the teacher’s discretion, pupils may record answers to these questions in a notebook or answer them verbally. If the pupils record the answers to the questions as they perform the experiment, it is pos- sible for a teacher to examine and check the answers while the pupils are working. The pupils may then have the benefit of the teacher’s help and criticism at a time when suggestions will do the pupils the most good. It seems wise to require the pupils only to answer the questions and not to de- scribe the process or manipulation of the experiment. Each question should be answered, however, in a complete sentence and not in a one-word answer. 25 Cooking Fresh Fruits APPLE COMPOTE 6 apples 1 cup water | cup sugar Pinch salt Wash, pare, and core the apples. In a granite or an aluminum saucepan, put the sugar, water, and salt. Place the saucepan over a flame and heat until the mixture boils. (A mixture of sugar and water is known as a sirup.) Put the apples into Figure 12. Apple Compote Cooked carefully in sirup, these apples became tender, but did not break into pieces. the hot sirup. When the cooler apples are placed in the sirup, the latter usually stops boiling. When the sirup again reaches the boiling point, turn down the flame so that the sirup boils gently. Then cover the pan. (By covering the pan, we can more easily cook the portion of the apples above the surface of the sirup. Can you explain why ?) In a few minutes lift the cover of the pan to see whether the sirup is boiling gently. If necessary, adjust the flame so the sirup boils gently. When the apples have cooked for about io minutes, stick with a fork the portion of the apples immersed in the sirup. If the lower part of the apples is tender, carefully turn the fruit, and let the cooking continue until the apples are entirely tender. Care should be taken not to cook 26 Breakfast the apples too long. They usually break into pieces if the cooking is continued after the fruit is tender. Carefully remove the apples from the sirup, placing them on a plate or other serving dish. Pour the sirup over the apples. Serve hot or cold. Yield : 6 servings. Variations : Rosy apple compote may be prepared by adding red cinna- mon candies or red sugar to the sirup before the apples are placed in it. The cinnamon candies will both tint the apples and flavor the fruit with cinnamon. The red sugar will merely tint the apples. Use 2 level tablespoons of cinnamon candies or 1 teaspoon of red sugar. Other Fruit Compotes. — Whole peaches or pears may be prepared in the same way as plain apple compote. Apples or other fruits may be halved or quartered and cooked to prevent breaking in the same way as whole fruits. Plums may be cooked without breaking. They should be washed and the skins pricked in a few places with a knitting or darn- ing needle. The pricking may prevent the skins from bursting. How are apples baked ? Baked apples are generally popular. The recipe follows : BAKED APPLES 6 apples 6 level tablespoons sugar (white or brown) 6 tablespoons water