Metropolitan cook book

TO GARNISH GOOSE If potato or bread stuffing is used, arrange red steamed apples around the goose. To steam the apples, place with the skins on in a perforated dish over boiling water. Steam until cooked. Remove and chill. Carefully remove skins, being careful to leave the red pulp nearest the skin on the apple. Scrape skins so is to remove all pulp and return to apples. They should be a beautiful red. FAT Save every scrap of fat that comes with the meat and render it. TO RENDER FAT TO USE FOR COOKING Fat connected with tissue must be "tried out." The fat should be finely chopped and heated over water and strained. Done in this way there is no danger of burning and a white fat is obtained. If the fat has a strong odor, soaking it in salted water before rendering and adding a pinch of soda during rendering will remove it. CLARIFYING FAT To lessen characteristic flavors that are disliked by many, add to the rendered fat at least an equal amount of water and boil the mixture for an lour. Allow the fat to harden in a cake on top, pour off the water and heat the fat gently to drive off the water. This increases its keeping qualities. If the flavor is very strong, heating the fat with whole or skimmed milk (1 cup 0 2 pounds of fat) will prove a more effectual method than the addition of water. Strain through the cloth to remove all bits of foreign matter. CRACKLINGS The bits of tissue left after rendering the fat may be used for shortening !uch flour mixtures as corncake and gingerbread — | cup being equal to about 5 tablespoons of butter. If chopped sweet apple is added to corncake and 1 few raisins to gingerbread, the "chewy" bits of tissue are not noticed. SOFTENING HARD FATS To make hard fats softer for such uses as cake making, they may be nixed with softer fats — such as, 2 parts mutton or beef fat with 1 part lard )r 3 parts mutton or beef fat with 1 part cottonseed oil. Melt the fats ogether and stir while melting. Stir occasionally. SAVORY FAT Strongly flavored fats, such as bacon, ham, or mutton, should be used, iieat the fat over a slow fire for about an hour with the desired seasoning — he amount and kind depending upon individual taste. Some of the seasonings hat may be used are onion, sour apple, whole thyme, marjoram, savory and )ayleaf. Savory fat may be used for warming up potato, seasoning vegetables, >rowning fish, seasoning left-over meats, and in many other ways. USES OF CLARIFIED FATS In substituting other fats for butter as shortening, a slightly smaller imount may be used and salt must be added. If the somewhat pronounced lavors of such fats as mutton or beef are objectionable; a little more flavoring —especially chocolate and spices — may be added. Chicken or bacon fat is good for spreading sandwiches and in making lastry. A perfectly satisfactory fat for deep fat frying may consist of a mixture >f any clarified fats, such as beef, mutton, lard and bacon, provided there is lot an overabundance of the harder fats. MEAT SUBSTITUTES 39 MEAT SUBSTITUTES EGGS Eggs are cheaper than meat. A fresh egg has a thick, rough shell. Nine medium-sized eggs, as a rule, weigh a pound. Eggs and egg dishes should be cooked at a low temperature. GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR COOKING EGGS