Foods, their selection and preparation

Muffins may be varied by the kind of flour, meal, or cereals used in them. Muffins made by using all corn meal or whole wheat have characteristic flavor and texture. For a light muffin approximately half the flour is white. Whole wheat, corn meal, rolled oats, bran, or other flours, cereals, or meals may be substituted for the remainder of the flour. Bran muffins are usually better if the bran is soaked in a part of the milk before the in¬ gredients are combined. The milk may be warmed first. For variety, raisins and other dried fruit and nuts may be added to muffin mixtures. These are stirred into the dry in¬ gredients before the liquids are added. Brown sugar or molasses may be used as sweetening, and for variety and additional sweetness a spoon of jelly, marmalade, or jam may be placed in the center of each muffin as the pans are filled. The amount of sugar may be increased if a sweeter muffin is wanted. Unless the egg also is increased, it is best not to use more than 2 tablespoons of sugar to each cup of flour. Quick loaf breads, such as those which have fruit and nuts added, are merely varia¬ tions of muffins. They are made of the richer muffin mixtures and baked in loaf pans. For a loaf, the oven temperature should be lower than for muffins, about 350° F. for a small or medium loaf. Drop Fritters and Dumplings. Fritters may be made by coating pieces or slices of fruit, vegetable, or meat with a cover batter (popover mixture) and frying them in deep fat. Another type of fritter has fruit, vege¬ table, or meat chopped or in small pieces, held together with a drop batter (muffin mix¬ ture) and fried. Corn and other vegetables, chopped fruit, and meat are made into fritters of this kind. Proportions for standard white muffins give good results in this type of frit¬ ter. To decrease absorption of fat, however, the amount of egg is usually doubled, and the fat usually is omitted or reduced. The chopped food is added to the batter with as little stirring as possible, and the mixture dropped by spoonfuls into deep fat at about 365° F. When browned on both sides (about two minutes), drain on a paper towel and serve hot. Fruit fritters may be dusted with powdered sugar. Drop dumplings may be made by drop¬ ping muffin batter by spoonfuls on top of stews and fricassees of meat or poultry, covering closely and steaming for 15 to 20 minutes. For dumplings to serve with meat, use no sugar. Steamed fruit dumplings are made in the same way as drop fritters, by binding pieces of fruit together with a slightly sweet muffin batter and then steaming over a fruit sauce or in a steamer. A good dumpling, like a good muffin, should be light. To obtain this result, not only are correct proportions essential, but the dumplings should remain above the liquid, and the lid left in place until the dumplings have risen and are done. This requires 15 to 20 minutes. Plain Cake. Cakes containing fat are mod¬ ifications of sweet, rich muffins. When the sugar is increased enough for the mixture to be called cake, the extra sugar increases its weight. This extra weight will cause the product to fall during baking unless the bat¬ ter is strengthened by more egg. The added egg toughens the product and to counteract this effect, more fat is needed to make the cake tender.