Principles of food preparation

Ill (1, 2, 3, and 4). The amount of baking powder to be used in any flour mixture depends on the constituents of the powder. For instance, tartaric acid, whose molecular weight equals 150, when combined with sodium bicarbonate will release a weight of carbon dioxide equal to 88. Cream of tartar, molecular weight 188, releases an amount of gas to equal 44. Calcium acid phosphate, molecular weight 234, will release gas equal to 88. Alum, 237, releases gas equal to 132. Assuming that a teaspoonful of any of the baking powders of commerce approximates in weight a teaspoonful of any other, the amount of gas evolved by a cream of tartar powder may be represented by 1, a tartaric acid by 2, a phosphate by 2, and an alum by 3. This is somewhat offset by the greater stability of the cream of tartar powder, owing to its slowness to dissolve, so that the evolution of gas is not complete until heat is applied to the batter. FLOUR MIXTURES AND LEAVENS: DOUGHS 165 PROBLEMS IN PRACTICAL WORK Boston Brown Bread Make a thick batter, using equal parts of corn meal, rye meal, and Graham flour. The wetting is to be equal parts of molasses and sour milk. Use soda for the leaven, helping it out by adding an equal volume of baking powder. Steam one hour for every cup or fraction of a cup of dry ingredients used. Problem. To estimate the amount of soda. " Vinegar Cake To one cup of water add three tablespoonfuls of cider vinegar. Use this mixture, or part of it, as the wetting for a rich muffin batter, using half as much sugar as flour and half as much butter as sugar. Problem. To estimate the amount of soda needed for the leaven. Commercial vinegar contains about 6 per cent of acetic acid. Soft Molasses Gingerbread Make a thick batter, the wetting to be three parts of molasses to one part of water. Use one-fourth as much butter as flour, and one-fourth as much ground ginger as butter. Problem. To determine the kind and quantity of leavening. Cream Puffs Add one-half cup of butter to one cup of boiling water, and cook the two together until the butter is melted. Add one cup of flour, sifted with the right amount of salt, Q < FLOUR MIXTURES AND LEAVENS! DOUGHS 165 and stir the whole quickly until a smooth ball is formed which will not stick to the sides of the saucepan. The flour must be added all at once, so that the temperature of the boiling mixture may be sufficiently lowered to prevent lumping. Remove the saucepan from the fire just as soon as a ball is formed which will not cling to the sides else the mixture may ''oil" and the puffs be a failure. While still hot, break into the saucepan, one at a time, as many eggs as are needed to complement the volume of butter used, beating each one into the mixture until it is thoroughly incorporated before adding the next. When the eggs have all been added, continue to beat the mixture until it will not " string " when the fork is drawn through it. Drop by spoonfuls on a baking sheet, or on the inverted bottom of a dripping pan, and bake the same as popovers. Problem. To determine the number of eggs needed. (See Chapter XA^ page 148.) Filling for Cream Puffs. ]\Iake a medium white sauce. Add one-half as much beaten egg as milk, and twice as much sugar as flour. Flavor with vanilla, lemon extract, fruit juice, or chocolate.