Harper's cook book encyclopædia

Tea. — If the tea is a good quality of English breakfast tea — that is, a pure Souchong (which is generally to be had at a first-class grocer's at ninety cents a pound), allow one heaping teaspoonful of tea for each cup required. Its color when poured out, after steeping eight or ten minutes, ought to be a bright brown, almost as deep as that of ordinary breakfast coffee — not black coffee. Many people have the idea that English breakfast tea should be of the color of Oolong or Japan teas, which are of a deep straw color; but if English breakfast tea is of this pale color when poured from the teapot it insures a weak, watery stuff most disappointing to the true tea connoisseur. If one really likes weak tea, it is easy to add water to the teacup as it is filled. Oolong tea, on the contrary, should never be of a color deeper than a full yellow. Tea served in Russian style may be weaker than when cream is used. For Russian tea place one or two lumps of sugar in the cup, according to individual taste ; add a thin slice of lemon. Fill the cup with not overstrong tea. Cream is essential to perfect tea that is, not Russian, even more than to coffee. Tea. — Put the table teapot near the fire until it is quite hot. Put in the dry tea -leaves, and replace the Tea, Iced BLANC-MANGE Almond Blanc-mange pot, closely covered, near the fire for five minutes. Have the tea-urn full of boiling water. Fill the teapot from the urn, and stand on the table three minutes before pouring out. Tea, Iced. — In the hot days of summer, strong, cold, black tea, to which lemon-juice and sugar have been added, will be found very refreshing. The tea may be prepared in the morning and placed on ice about an hour before using, adding the lemon-juice and sugar at table; if the ice is put in the tea it weakens it too much. Tea Punch, Cold.— Have the following orangeade prepared early in the morning : Pour one quart of cold water in a small saucepan ; add the juice of two lemons and three oranges, quarter of a pound of sugar, quarter of the rind of a lemon and orange. Let it come to the boiling-point. Strain it into a pitcher. Mix with strong tea, let it cool, and serve very cold in a punch-bowl with a few small pieces of orange and pineapple. Tomato Wine. — To one gallon of the juice of ripe tomatoes, strained, put 3 lbs. of white sugar. Set aside m a demijohn to ferment. Tie over the mouth only a piece of muslin until fermentation ceases, when it should be bottled and corked tightlv. Put a few raisins in each bottle, and, with the color of champagne, it will have some of its sparkling quality. Bird’s-nest Blanc-mange. See Blanc-mange. Bird’s-nest Pudding. See Puddings. Biscuits. See Bread. Biscuits, Fruit. See Fruits. Biscuit Ice-cream. See Ices. Tortoni. Bismarck Sandwiches. See Sandwiches. Black Bean Soup. See Soups. Blackberries.— The following recipes for cooking blackberries will be found under their respective headings as indicated : Blackberry Froth. See Fruits. .. Cordial. See Beverages. .. Vinegar. .. Wine. .. Preserved. See Preserves. Pudding. See Puddings. Black Cake. See Cakes. Blanch, To. — Put the meat or vegetable in boiling water for a few min- utes, take it out and plunge it into cold water, and let it so remain until cold. This gives plumpness and whiteness.