A Handbook of Cookery for a Small House

by Jessie Conrad

PASTRIES, SWEETS, AND CAKES

General Remarks

For Tarts the fruit of all kinds must always be cooked first by itself. Bottled fruits should also be brought to a boil with sugar before being put into the pastry, except for baked apple dumplings.

For Puddings the fruit should not be cooked before. Suet crust should be mixed with water with just the chill off but not hot.

Milk puddings always require to be cooked in a very slow oven.

Never use brown sugar for sweetening except for Christmas pudding and apple pudding.

156. Pastry for Meat Pies

For meat pies, sausage rolls, etc., the following pastry is recommended. Put two and a half cupfuls of flour into a bowl and work into it a quarter of a pound of butter. Mix with a little tepid water. Roll out on the board and spread it thickly with a quarter of a pound of lard (half at a time). Turn over the ends of the pastry, roll out again and spread the rest of the lard. Turn in the ends again and roll finally for the crust of your pie.

157. Pastry for Puddings

Put into the pastry bowl two and a half to three breakfast-cupfuls of flour and half a teaspoonful of baking powder (unless self-raising flour is being used in which case no baking powder is necessary). Have a quarter of a pound of beef suet carefully separated from all skin and chopped very finely. Work the suet smoothly into the flour, add a pinch of salt, and mix to a good stiff paste with a little tepid water. Roll out on the board to the thickness required. Carefully butter the basin before putting the pastry into it, and moisten the edge of the paste at the top of the basin to make the top crust adhere and thus enclose the meat or fruit securely. Place over the basin a wet pudding cloth and tie firmly with a string. Use always a pudding basin that has a good groove round it to prevent the string from slipping off. The best material for a pudding cloth is a new piece of unbleached calico that has been well scalded to remove all the dressing from it, and the easiest way to keep it clean is to place it in a bowl of cold water to soak each time it has been used. Scrape off with a knife any particles of paste that may remain on it and rinse well through several warm waters. No soap must be used. Dry thoroughly and pass through a mangle.

158. Pastry for Pies and Tarts

Three breakfast-cupfuls of self-raising flour, a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, and two ounces of lard. Work the butter and lard into the flour with a good pinch of salt and mix to a smooth elastic paste with milk (sour milk may be used with advantage). Roll the paste on the board about half an inch thick. Rub a little butter lightly round the rim of the dish and put a border of paste round it. Brush a little milk on the top of that to allow the other crust to stick to it. Roll out an amount of paste sufficient to form a crust over the top, press the edges well together, allowing plenty of room in the paste so that it does not slip off at the edges. Pare with a floured knife round the rim the edges of the pastry and cook for three quarters of an hour in a brisk oven.

159. Chocolate Pudding

A nice, fresh moulded sponge cake, half a pound of chocolate, in blocks, the whites of four eggs, and half a small teacupful of powdered sugar. Put half the chocolate into a stone or enamelled saucepan, just cover it with cold water and let it cook for ten minutes. Then add two tablespoonfuls of water, place on the stove and work it with a dessert spoon to a stiff paste. Turn this into a small bowl to get cold. Cut the sponge cake into slices and spread between the pieces all of the chocolate paste. Beat then the whites of the four eggs in a plate with a knife to a stiff froth and, after having added the sugar to the remaining chocolate which has been grated into powder, work it smooth, pour it with the whites into the bowl, stir for fifteen minutes and then pour over the moulded cake.

Note. The four yokes can be used either for custard or mayonnaise on the same day. They would keep till next day if covered closely in a cup.

160. Apples in Syrup

Take a half pound tin of golden syrup, put it in an enamelled saucepan, rinse the tin with half a tin of boiling water. Bring to a boil, add two teaspoonfuls of raspberry essence. Carefully peel and core six or seven sound apples. Drop them, cut in halves, into the boiling syrup and stew gently without the lid for a good half hour or longer if not quite soft. The pieces should remain whole and be almost transparent.

161. Pears in Syrup

Make your syrup of one and a half breakfast-cupfuls of powdered sugar and the same quantity of hot water, to which must be added eight good cloves. When boiling add your peeled pears which should retain their stalks and should not be cored. A small glass of claret or any red wine will greatly improve both taste and appearance. Cook for an hour and a half or till tender.

162. Plum Dumplings

Take one and a half pounds of sound big plums and make paste for dumpling as follows: One large breakfast-cup of flour mixed with a little butter, make into a stiff paste with a little water. Wrap each plum in its case using a little milk to cause the edges to stick close. Boil in a large saucepan of boiling water fifteen or twenty minutes. If care is taken the dumplings should remain whole. Dish carefully into a flat dish and serve very hot with a large bowl of well-beaten cream and sifted sugar.

163. Boiled Apple Dumplings

Make a good pudding crust of a large breakfast-cupful of flour and a quarter of a pound of beef suet rubbed into it. Mix to a stiff paste and roll out on a board in thin pieces. Put into each a small peeled apple, moisten the edges with a little milk, taking care that the apple is completely encased in the paste. Drop into a saucepan of boiling water and boil gently for two to three minutes. Serve very hot with a bowl of beaten cream and another of finely sifted sugar.

164. Baked Apple Dumplings

Make a nice piecrust as for tarts. Have ready the apples required and put one into each piece of crust. Bake in a steady oven from three to four minutes. Serve with cream and sugar.

165. Pancakes

Beat together two eggs, add a teacupful of milk. Mix into it one and a half ounces of flour and work it with a spoon to a smooth paste with a pinch of salt. Have your fire nice and hot and perfectly clear. Keep the top of the stove on all the time. Take a piece of best tub lard and melt it in a frying pan (kept for pancakes only), run it well over the surface of the pan when it is quite hot. Turn the fat out and pour about a third of a teacupful of the batter into the pan taking care that it runs all over the pan, which should be only about the size of a pudding plate. Loosen the edges with the blade of a knife and shake it from time to time to prevent it from sticking to the pan. Turn with a slice if unable to toss. Tossing is perfectly easy but requires some practice. It is done by a turn of the wrist, and if these directions are carefully followed the pancake should leave the pan perfectly clean. Turn on to a flat dish and serve either with jam or sugar, or if savoury pancakes are desired the following hint is a good one: Melt in a cup on the stove about an ounce of fresh butter with a little finely shredded onion in it; put it into a hot sauce boat and serve with the pancakes.

Each pancake takes from five to seven minutes to cook.

166. Apple Pudding

Take about a quarter of a pound of finely chopped beef suet, two and a half breakfast-cupfuls of self-raising flour, a little pinch of salt. Mix with chilled water to a stiff paste. Roll three parts of this into a large piece on the pastry board. Have ready a pudding basin buttered by putting a piece of butter the size of a walnut into it and standing it on the stove to melt. Then let it run over every part of the inside of the basin. This will prevent the paste sticking. Line the basin with the paste. Peel, say eight apples, and cut them all round the core. Fill the basin with them. Add three cloves or, if preferred, a little rind of lemon, sweeten with brown sugar (about four or five good tablespoonfuls), cover with another layer of the paste, working the ends together well so as to prevent the apples coming through. Tie a wet cloth over and stand the basin in a saucepan of boiling water to boil for three hours.

167. Treacle or Jam Pudding in a Basin

Have the paste ready as for apple pudding and the basin buttered as above. Roll the pastry in thin layers and line the basin with one layer, then add a layer of golden syrup or jam and repeat until the basin is full. Cover with paste, tie up in cloth and boil in a saucepan of boiling water for three and a half hours.

168. Apple Soufflé

Pare and cut up say eight nice-sized apples. Put them in a stone casserole with a breakfast-cupful of sugar and a piece of fresh butter the size of a nutmeg. Stir gently now and then and, when cooked, beat with a fork to break up the lumps and make all quite smooth. Take the whites of four fresh eggs and place them on a large dinner plate; beat these with a freshly cleaned knife to a stiff froth which should stand up. Put the whites into the apples in the saucepan (from which the moisture should have been drained as much as possible) and stir well with a large spoon. Turn the soufflé into a rather deep dish, sprinkle about a teaspoonful of powdered sugar over the top, and place in a moderate oven. Care must be taken not to slam the oven door or place anything heavily on the top of the stove for fear the soufflé will go down. It must not remain in the oven for more than ten to fifteen minutes. Serve in the dish in which it was cooked.

169. Apple Charlotte

Prepare the apples as for the soufflé. Take about four rather thin slices of nice bread and cut them into diamond shapes. Put about one ounce of fresh butter in an enamelled frying pan and lightly fry the bread to a golden brown. Dust with a little powdered sugar and place the bread on the dish to form a pyramid with the apples in the centre. Put into the oven for about half an hour (slow oven) and serve on a flat dish.

170. Apple Tart

Take about six apples and pare finely. Do not core them but cut them in slices round the core. Put a teacupful of powdered sugar in a stone saucepan. Add a very little cold water. Stew gently for half an hour to three-quarters and turn into a pie-dish. Pastry as recipe No. [177]. Fresh fruit is always better cooked first before putting into the pastry.

171. Apple Fritters

Pare, core, and cut into thin rings two good-sized apples. This should not be done before they are wanted as they would quickly turn brown if left standing. Have ready in a pastry bowl about a teacupful of flour mixed with milk, smooth but very slack. Put about a quarter of a pound of fresh tub lard in a frying pan and melt it over the fire till hot, but guard against burning. Dip each slice of apple into the mixed flour and then drop it into the hot lard. The fire should be hot enough to allow these to cook with the top of the stove on. Turn over each fritter once, and after three minutes dish them with a slice into a dish with a strainer underneath. Dust over with a little powdered sugar and serve. If they have to be kept hot till wanted, take care that the dish is not covered or the oven door shut, as in that case they will lose their crispness.

172. Boiled Custard

Mix with milk two tablespoonfuls of flour till perfectly smooth. Add three beaten eggs, whites and yolks together, and about a pint of milk with sugar to taste. Turn into a stone jar, and place the jar in a saucepan three parts full of boiling water. Stir the mixture always one way, till it thickens. Serve in custard cups.

173. Tapioca or Sago Pudding

Put the tapioca or sago about an inch thick at the bottom of the pie-dish. Pour boiling milk on to it to about half a dishful and leave it to soak for about half an hour. When cold add a beaten egg, sugar to taste, and fill up the dish with cold milk. Put a little grated nutmeg over the top and bake for two hours in a slow oven.

174. Compote of Fresh Fruit

Put six large pears, cut into quarters, into boiling syrup made of half a pint of water and two breakfast-cupfuls of white sugar. Let the pears stew for about twenty minutes and then put in six apples, cut in eight pieces each, taking care not to core them before cutting but after. Stew gently for another twenty minutes. Add three bananas cut in rings just before dishing the compote. Serve cold in a glass dish.

175. Rice Pudding

Cover the bottom of a pie-dish with rice about an inch thick, and add sugar to taste. Beat an egg in a cup and add it to the rice, mixing it all together. Fill the dish with cold milk and add a little grated nutmeg or several small pieces of lemon peel if preferred. Cook in a slow oven for not less than two and a half hours.

176. Stewed Prunes

Put half a pound of prunes into a large pudding basin with cold water and rub them gently with the fingers till thoroughly cleansed. Leave them in the water for about ten minutes. Then turn the prunes with half a teacup of powdered sugar into a saucepan and just cover them with hot water. Cook from thirty to forty minutes. The juice should be perfectly clear when cooked and the prunes whole.

177. Christmas Pudding

Take one and a half pounds of finely chopped beef suet, one quartern of best pastry white (not self-raising) flour, three pounds of stoned raisins, two pounds of sultanas and two pounds of currants carefully washed and picked, one and a half pounds of the best mixed peel, ten well-beaten eggs, and four pounds of brown sugar. Stir all these ingredients together with a pint of ale and half a bottle of brandy. Stir fairly slack. This should make six very large puddings. Fill as many buttered pudding basins as required, taking care that each basin is full. Tie a wet cloth over each, and boil for twelve hours. Pour a little neat brandy over the top of each and these puddings will then keep for six months. Always boil again for four hours to make hot.

178. Coffee Cream

Let a half pint of freshly made coffee cool thoroughly. Mix three tablespoonfuls of flour in milk till quite smooth. Turn three eggs well beaten together into the milk and flour. Add the cold coffee and half a pint of milk, sugar to taste. Cook as for custard.

179. Plums or Damsons for a Tart or as Stewed Fruit

Carefully look over one pound of plums or damsons, removing any unsound ones. Put them into an earthenware saucepan with a teacupful of cold water and two teacupfuls of sugar to the plums or three teacupfuls to the damsons. Stew for one hour the damsons, or forty minutes the plums.

180. Jam Tarts

A breakfast-cupful and a half of self-raising flour, three ounces of fresh butter, a well-beaten egg, and a little salt. Mix these ingredients with milk into a stiff paste. Roll it very thin and have ready a plate greased with hot butter and when cool lay a thin layer of pastry on the plate, rub a little milk round the rim and spread the jam over it not too thick. Cut some pastry in thin strips and lay across like the spokes of a wheel. Bake in a quick oven for twenty minutes. Be careful the jam is not too juicy.

181. Stewed Rhubarb

Remove the leaves and cut the other end of the rhubarb crosswise and skin it. Cut it into pieces of about two inches long. Put it into a saucepan (either earthenware or enamelled) and allow a small teacupful of sugar to each three or four sticks of rhubarb. Add half a teacupful of water, put over a brisk fire for forty minutes, when the rhubarb should attain a rich red colour. This can be used either as stewed rhubarb or put into a pie.

182. Stewed Gooseberries

Carefully pick a quart of gooseberries, discarding the unsound ones. Put them into an earthenware saucepan with a teacupful of cold water and three teacupfuls of sugar. Boil for about an hour, stirring now and then to prevent them from burning. Serve either as stewed fruit or for a pie.

183. Macaroons

Take half a pound of almonds peeled and dried in the oven, half a pound of powdered sugar, three or four whites of eggs, one grated lemon. Pound the almonds, moistening them from time to time with the beaten whites of eggs. When they are reduced to a fine paste add the lemon and sugar; work all perfectly together. Form the macaroons by putting small pieces the size of a walnut upon a buttered baking tin. Cook in a moderate oven till they have taken a beautiful brown tint. Let them cool before taking them off the tin. Pass a thin-bladed knife under them to remove them from the tin.

184. Swiss Roll

A good sponge powder is the very best and most reliable of all cake mixtures. Directions for use will be found on every packet and the only thing that to my mind improves it is the addition of a tablespoonful of cream after the beaten eggs are mixed to the cake-powder. Nothing could be easier than the following, and I have never had a failure: Break two eggs into a large pudding basin, beat well with a fork, then stir the cake-powder into the eggs quite smoothly. Add the cream. Have ready the buttered tin, pour the mixture into it. Place in a quick oven and bake for about ten minutes. Turn on to a sheet of clean white paper which has been lightly dusted with a little powdered sugar. One packet of cake mixture and two eggs will make either one nice-sized Swiss Roll or a complete sponge sandwich.

It will often be much easier to make a successful cake or light pastry if the butter and lard are reduced to a cream before being added to the other ingredients. Put your proportion of butter and lard (half of each) into your pastry basin. Stir with the hand, one way only, till it has become the consistency of a thick cream. Mix the rest of the ingredients for your cake into it and moisten either with milk or water. Cakes mixed by hand are much more satisfactory than those mixed with a spoon. One is also much more sure of success if the mixture is kept very stiff.

185. Simple Recipe for a Chocolate Cake

Take a quarter of a pound best white flour, a quarter of a pound butter, the same of sifted fine white sugar, two ounces of grated chocolate, and two eggs. Stir the butter in a pastry bowl with the hand, one way as directed, till the butter is reduced to a smooth cream. When this is done add the sugar (still stirring the one way). Have the two eggs well beaten in a cup, stir them into the sugar and flour, lastly the chocolate powder. Pour the mixture into a well-buttered cake tin and bake in a moderate oven for an hour.

186. Plain Christmas Cake

Take one pound flour (household, not self-raising), half a pound of currants which have been carefully washed and dried (this is best done in a cullender under the tap and rubbed dry on a clean white cloth), half a pound of butter, half a pound of sugar, two ounces of candied lemon peel cut into thin strips, two teaspoonfuls of baking-powder, three eggs well beaten, whites and yolks together, and half a pint of milk, sour will do.

Place the flour in the pastry bowl, thoroughly mix the baking-powder into it, rub in the butter, add the sugar and currants and peel, stir in the eggs, and mix all together with the milk. Butter your cake tin and line it with a buttered sheet of white cooking paper, bake in a steady but gentle oven for one and a half hours.

187. Madeira Cake

Take a quarter of a pound of household flour, one teaspoonful of baking-powder, three ounces of butter, three ounces of fine white sugar, and two eggs. Cream the butter, add first the sugar, then the flour with the baking-powder, lastly the well-beaten eggs and half a teacupful of milk. Care should be taken that the mixture is not mixed too slack. Pour the mixture into a buttered cake tin and bake in a gentle oven from thirty to forty minutes.

188. Glengarry Cake

Half a pound of best household white flour, two teaspoonfuls of baking-powder, five ounces of butter, five ounces of powdered sugar, a quarter of a pound of sultanas carefully washed and stalked. Reduce the butter to cream in the bowl, add the sugar, flour, and baking-powder, then the sultanas, mix well with the two beaten eggs, adding a little milk if required. Place in a well-buttered cake tin, and bake in a steady oven one and a half hours.

Note. Carraway seeds can be used instead of sultanas if a seed cake is required and a little sliced candied peel always put on the top of the cake if desired.

189. Surrey Cake

Take three eggs, their weight in flour, powdered sugar, and butter, half a teaspoonful of essence of vanilla or almonds.

Reduce the butter to cream in the bowl, add the flour and sugar, keep stirring and beating the mixture without ceasing till it is quite smooth, add the eggs well beaten. Butter and paper a cake tin, which should never be more than half full of the cake. Bake in a steady oven from three-quarters of an hour to an hour.

190. Gâteau de Milan

Take half a pound of flour, a quarter of a pound of butter, quarter of a pound of sugar, one whole egg, one yolk, a little salt, a grated rind of lemon, and a teaspoonful of rum. Place the flour on a pastry board; form it into a hillock with a hole in the centre; put into this the butter, sugar, and eggs, lemon rind, beaten egg, and rum. Mix with the hand with butter and sugar, then the flour and eggs and make all into a ball. Roll it out to the thickness of little more than a quarter of an inch, form into little cakes with a cake cutter; arrange them on a baking-sheet of paper lightly buttered, brush them over lightly with the yolk of the egg; bake in a steady oven for about fifteen to twenty minutes. These cakes will keep well for some days if kept in a closed tin.

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Note. It is a golden rule worth remembering that all biscuits or rusks (also cakes) will keep perfectly crisp if kept in a closed tin. Cakes, of course, should not be placed under any cover till quite cold.

The same cake mixture as for Gâteau de Milan may be treated in the following manner to make quite a different cake.

Instead of cutting the mixture into small cakes, make two rounds only of the same size and thickness. Place them on a buttered baking tin, but do not allow them to touch. From one of these pieces cut a round out of the centre with a small cake cutter. Bake them in a steady oven till they are a beautiful light brown colour; let them get cold. Upon the piece that is not cut in the centre spread a layer of smooth jam, place the other piece over it, trim the edges to have both exactly the same size; on this border spread some more jam, then sprinkle with a little sugar, not finely powdered but in grains. Arrange on a dish and fill the hole in the centre with a little fruit jelly.

191. Tea Cakes

Take half a pound of flour, six ounces of butter, two yolks of eggs, one whole egg, one and a half ounces of sugar, a quarter of a pint of cream, and a little salt. Make the paste the same as for the Gâteau de Milan, let it rest from ten to fifteen minutes. Roll out the paste about an inch thick. Form into little cakes with a pastry cutter about two inches round, brush lightly with the yolk of an egg and bake in a good oven from twenty-five to thirty minutes.

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