Manual for army cooks

On baking day, take two pounds of very light bread dough that has been make in the usual manner. Put it into a broad pan. Rub into it half a pound of fresh butter and half a pound of powdered sugar, and a tablespoonful of mixed nutmeg and cinnamon. Wet it with half a pint of milk, and mix in three well-beaten eggs. Cover it and set by the fire to rise again. When quite light, flour your bread board, and make the dough into oval balls ; or, it may be cut into diamond shapes (handling it as little as possible). Have ready, over the fire, a pot of boiling lard. Drop the doughnuts into it and boil them ; or, fry them brown in a frying pan. Take them out one by one in a perforated skimmer, draining back the lard into the pan. Spread them on a large dish, and sift sugar over them. Eat them fresh ; when heavy and stale they are not fit. This is a German cake. COMMON CRULLERS. The above mixture for doughnuts will make good crullers. Flour your bread board, lay the dough upon it, roll it very thick, and cut it into strips with a" jagging iron. Take off short pieces and twist them into various forms. Throw them into a pot of boiling lard. When done, drain the lard from them, spread them on a large dish, and dredge them with powdered white sugar. The alpistera is a Spanish cruller, shaped like the five fingers united at the wrist. SAUCES. Apple Sauce. Pare, core, and slice six tart apples, and put them in a kettle, with one-half cup of water. Cook and stir until soft (about ten minutes). Then mash them through a sieve. Add sugar and nutmeg to taste, mix well, and it is ready for use. Rock Butter. Butter ; powdered or granulated sugar, and nutmeg, lemon, or vanilla. To the butter used, take twice the weight of sugar ; beat together until the whole is brought to a smooth mass. This is called creaming. Flavor with nutmeg, lemon, or vanilla. In cold weather soften the butter before beating, but do not melt it. Hot Sauce, No. 1. Butter the size of an egg. Pinch of salt. 1 cup sugar. 1 pint boiling water. 2 tablespoonfuls of sifted flour or cornstarch, mixed in enough cold water to make a smooth, consistent paste. Nutmeg and cinnamon to taste. Put butter and sugar into a saucepan; pour in the boiling water ; stir in the mixed flour or cornstarch, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon ; boil two minutes. Hot Sauce, No. 2. i cup butter. 1 quart boiling Avater. 2 tablespoonfuls sifted flour or cornstarch, mixed in enough cold water to make a smooth paste. 2 cups sugar. Flavor with nutmeg or cinnamon. Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl ; pour in it the mixed flour or cornstarch ; beat thoroughly ; then pour in the boiling water. Hot Sauce, No. 3. 4 tablespoonfuls sugar. 2 eggs (the yolks only). 1 tablespoonful sifted flour or cornstarch, mixed in enough cold water to make a smooth paste. 1 pint sweet milk. Plavor with lemon or vanilla extract. Mix ingredients well together ; put in saucepan, boil, stir constantly until it begins to thicken, when it is cooked. Flavor with lemon or vanilla. Hot Sauce, No. 4.