Science of food & cookery

Bring the water to a boil. Mix the starch with the sugar, add to the boiling water, and stir smooth. Let boil gently for a few moments. Add the butter, the lemon, and a few grains of salt. Mix well and serve. CUSTARD SAUCE i egg yolk i teaspoon sugar 3/4 cup milk A few drops of vanilla Heat the milk in a double boiler. When hot, stir a little of it into the beaten yolk and the sugar, and mix well ; then pour the yolk mixture into the hot milk, and continue stirring until it lightly coats a silver spoon lifted out of the same. Set in a dish of cold water to cool. Add vanilla flavor. VANILLA SAUCE YZ cup sugar r slice of lemon i tablespoon cornstarch 2 tablespoons vegetable butter i cup boiling water i teaspoon vanilla flavor A sprinkle of salt Mix the sugar and the starch thoroughly. Add a little of the hot water, and stir smooth. Add the rest of the water, and the lemon, and let boil for 5 minutes. Remove from the fire, add the butter, salt, and flavor. Mix well and serve. XVII. VEGETABLES "Thou shalt eat the herb of the field." "Mark how spring our tended plants." VEGETABLES may be divided into two great classes : 1. Coarse or fibrous vegetables, comprising roots, tubers, stems, bulbs, and leaves. 2. The finer or fruity vegetables, as tomato, squash, pumpkin, green peas, corn, immature beans (shelled), cucumbers, melons, etc. Vegetables are characterized by their large amount of cellulose; and as water enters largely into their composition, they are by no means the most nutritious diet. Food, however, in order to supply perfectly the needs of the vital economy, must contain water, and indigestible as well as nutritive elements. Vegetables are therefore dietetically of great value, as they furnish large quantities of organic fluids, and are rich in those mineral elements which are necessary for maintaining the alkalinity of the blood, and for the repair of the bony structures. Perhaps no food is more generally used by rich and poor alike in making up their daily bill of fare; yet how often the vegetable is spoiled in cooking! In the first place, the portion of the vegetable next to the skin contains the greater quantity of mineral matter and flavoring substances. Hence all thin-skinned vegetables, such as carrots, oyster plant, etc., should be scraped. Others should, be pared as thinly as possible. Vegetables, like all starchy foods, should be put to cook in boiling water, as by the application of hot water, the starch grains are caused to swell and burst, and this gives the starch an opportunity to escape through the cellulose. Whenever possible, vegetables should be cooked the same day they are gathered. If necessary to keep green vegetables for any length of time, do not put them in water, as that will dissolve and destroy some of their juices. Lay them in a cool, dark place. A stone floor is best. Old vegetables should be immersed in cold water for an hour or more just before cooking, to make them more tender. Young, tender vegetables, as lettuce, tomatoes, water cress, etc., served in the uncooked state, are valuable for the water and the potash salts they contain, also for the stimulating effect they have on the appetite. NEW PEAS