Scald the milk. Beat the yolks ; add the sugar and salt, and beat well. Pour the hot milk slowly into the eggs✪ Hard-cooked Eggs, and when well mixed pour all back into the double boiler, and stir constantly till smooth and thick like cream. Strain, and when cool add the flavoring. Do not stir the egg into the hot milk, as there is danger of curdling, and a part of the egg will be left in the bowl. Scalding the milk hastens the process, so that less stirring is required. When nearly thick enough, the foam on the top disappears, and the cus- tard coats the spoon ; but the surest test is the sensation that the custard is thicker as the spoon goes through the mass. Recipe, No. 52. Cup Custard Scald one pint of milk. Beat yolks of two eggs until smooth ; add four tablespoons of sugar, one quarter teaspoon of salt, and then the whites of the eggs✪ Cup Custard beaten until foamy, but not dry. Pour on the hot milk, mix well, and turn into small custard cups. Place the cups in a pan of hot water and bake in a moderate oven until the custard puffs up and is firm, or a knife inserted will come out clean. While it is not necessary to beat eggs much for a custard, as our purpose is to have a smooth texture merely, not one light and porous, as in cake, it is well to beat yolks and whites separately, as the frothy surface from the beaten whites helps the custard to brown better, and gives a more deli- cious crust. Cup custards should be made from fresh un- skimmed milk. Be careful not to over-bake them or they will be like whey. LESSON XIV STEAMING, AND OTHER FORMS OF COOKING IN BOILING WATER Some starchy foods need rapid cooking in boiling water, directly over the fire. The danger of burning them is avoided by using plenty of water. Sometimes it is desirable to cook more slowly than we can in boiling water, and some foods require only a limited amount of water ; or it may be they are sticky and glutinous, and it would be inconvenient to be constantly stirring them to prevent burning. It is then better to cook either over boiling water or by steam. This method is sometimes called Dry Steaming. Puddings, brown bread, mushes, custards, and other soft, sticky, glutinous mixtures are often cooked in a covered pail or mould, which is placed in a kettle of boiling water. There should be a trivet or muffin-ring under the pail to keep it from the bottom of the kettle and allow the water to be under as well as around it. The kettle should be covered closely to keep in the steam, and the water kept boiling stead- ily the required time. The heat is conveyed from the boiling water through the boiler to the food. The temperature in the inner pail is less than that of boiling water, but it is hot enough to cook the mixture. It takes a longer time than some other ways of cooking, but if the fire be prepared rightly, and the supply of water sufficient, it needs less atten- tion. It is an economical and satisfactory method, answer- ing well the first great purpose in cooking, — that of develop- ing flavor with little loss of substance. A double boiler is a utensil made for cooking on this principle. It has two boilers; the upper one, holding 136 STEAMING, AND OTHER FORMS OF COOKING 137

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Scald the milk. Beat the yolks ; add the sugar and salt, and beat well. Pour the hot milk slowly into the eggs, and when well mixed pour all back into the double boiler, and stir constantly till smooth and thick like cream. Strain, and when cool add the flavoring. Do not stir the egg into the hot milk, as there is danger of curdling, and a part of the egg will be left in the bowl. Scalding the milk hastens the process, so that less stirring is required. When nearly thick enough, the foam on the top disappears, and the custard coats the spoon ; but the surest test is the sensation that the custard is thicker as the spoon goes through the mass. Recipe, No. 52. Cup Custard Scald one pint of milk. Beat yolks of two eggs until smooth ; add four tablespoons of sugar, one quarter teaspoon of salt, and then the whites of the eggs beaten until foamy, but not dry. Pour on the hot milk, mix well, and turn into small custard cups. Place the cups in a pan of hot water and bake in a moderate oven until the custard puffs up and is firm, or a knife inserted will come out clean. While it is not necessary to beat eggs much for a custard, as our purpose is to have a smooth texture merely, not one light and porous, as in cake, it is well to beat yolks and whites separately, as the frothy surface from the beaten whites helps the custard to brown better, and gives a more delicious crust. Cup custards should be made from fresh unskimmed milk. Be careful not to over-bake them or they will be like whey. LESSON XIV STEAMING, AND OTHER FORMS OF COOKING IN BOILING WATER Some starchy foods need rapid cooking in boiling water, directly over the fire. The danger of burning them is avoided by using plenty of water. Sometimes it is desirable to cook more slowly than we can in boiling water, and some foods require only a limited amount of water ; or it may be they are sticky and glutinous, and it would be inconvenient to be constantly stirring them to prevent burning. It is then better to cook either over boiling water or by steam. This method is sometimes called Dry Steaming. Puddings, brown bread, mushes, custards, and other soft, sticky, glutinous mixtures are often cooked in a covered pail or mould, which is placed in a kettle of boiling water. There should be a trivet or muffin-ring under the pail to keep it from the bottom of the kettle and allow the water to be under as well as around it. The kettle should be covered closely to keep in the steam, and the water kept boiling steadily the required time. The heat is conveyed from the boiling water through the boiler to the food. The temperature in the inner pail is less than that of boiling water, but it is hot enough to cook the mixture. It takes a longer time than some other ways of cooking, but if the fire be prepared rightly, and the supply of water sufficient, it needs less attention. It is an economical and satisfactory method, answering well the first great purpose in cooking, — that of developing flavor with little loss of substance. A double boiler is a utensil made for cooking on this principle. It has two boilers; the upper one, holding STEAMING, AND OTHER FORMS OF COOKING 137

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