SEMI-SOLID FOODS.
JELLIES. Meat Jellies are made in two ways:
(1) Cook soup meat (containing gristle and bone) slowly for a long time in just enough water to cover. Strain and set the liquid away in a mold to cool and set. If desired, bits of shredded meat may be added to the liquid before molding.
(2) Use meat broth and gelatin in the proportion of one tablespoon gelatin to three quarters of a cup of hot broth. Pour into mold and set on ice.
Starch Jellies.—Starch Jellies are made by cooking in a pint of fruit juice or water until clear, two tablespoons of tapioca, arrowroot, sago, cornstarch, or flour. Sweeten to taste.
If water is used, fresh fruit may be used either in the jelly or in a sauce poured over the jelly.
Fruit Jellies.—These are made:
(1) Of fruit juice and sugar in equal quantities, cooked until it will set when cooled;
(2) Of fruit juice and gelatin in the proportion of one tablespoon of gelatin to three fourths of a cup of fruit juice, or one half box gelatin to one and a half pints of juice. Sugar to taste. Made tea or coffee, or cocoa or lemonade may be used in the same proportion.
CUSTARDS.—These are made with (1) milk, (2) milk and eggs, (3) milk, egg and some farinaceous substances as rice, cornstarch, tapioca. In the first the coagulum is produced by the addition of rennet, in the other two by the application of heat.
Plain Junket.—Dissolve in a cup of lukewarm milk (never warmer), a tablespoon of sugar or caramel syrup. Add a quarter of a junket tablet, previously dissolved in a tablespoon of cold water. Stir a few times, add vanilla, nuts, or nutmeg if desired. Pour into a cup and set aside to cool and solidify. This may be served plain or with whipped cream, or boiled custard.
Egg-Milk Custard.—When eggs are used for thickening, not less than four eggs should be used to a quart of milk (more eggs make it richer).
Boiled Custard.—One pint of milk, two eggs, half cup of sugar, half saltspoon of salt. Scald the milk, add the salt and sugar, and stir until dissolved. Beat the eggs very thick and smooth. Pour the boiling milk on the eggs slowly, stirring all the time. Pour the mixture into a double boiler, set over the fire and stir for ten minutes. Add flavoring. As soon as a thickening of the mixture is noticed remove from the fire, pour into a dish and set away to cool. This custard makes cup custard, the sauce for such puddings as snow pudding, and when decorated with spoonfuls of beaten egg-white, makes floating island.
Baked Custard.—Proceed as in boiled custard, but instead of pouring into a double boiler pour into a baking dish. Set the dish in a pan of water, place in the oven and bake until the mixture is set in the middle.
Farinaceous Custards.—Make like boiled custard, using one less egg and adding one quarter cup of farina, tapioca, cornstarch, arrowroot, or cooked rice to the hot milk and egg.
Sago should be soaked over night before using.
Tapioca should be soaked one hour before using.
Coffee Custard.—Scald one tablespoon of ground coffee in milk and strain before proceeding as for boiled custard.
Chocolate Custard.—Add one square of grated chocolate to the milk.
Caramel Custard.—Melt the dry sugar until golden brown, add the hot milk, and when dissolved proceed as before. Bake.
GRUELS.—Gruels are a mixture of grain or flour with either milk or water. They require long cooking and may be flavored with sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, or almond.
Take the meal or flour (oatmeal, two tablespoons, or cornmeal, one tablespoon, or arrowroot, one and a half tablespoons). Sift it slowly into one and a half cups boiling water, simmer for an hour or two. Strain off the liquid; add to it one teaspoon of sugar, season with salt, and add one cup of warm milk.
Water Gruel.—If water gruel is desired, let the last cup of liquid added be water instead of milk.
Cream Gruel.—A cream gruel may be made by using rich cream instead of milk or water.
Barley Gruel.—Barley gruel (usually a water gruel) is prepared as follows: Moisten four tablespoons of barley flour in a little cold water and add it slowly to the boiling water. Stir and boil for twenty minutes.
TOASTS.—Cream Toast.—Toast the bread slowly until brown on both sides. Butter and pour over each slice enough warm cream to moisten (the cream may be thickened slightly and the butter may be omitted.)
Milk Toast.—One tablespoon of cornstarch or flour; one cup of milk, salt to taste, and boil. Butter the toast and pour over it the above white sauce.
Water Toast.—Pour over plain or buttered toast enough boiling water to thoroughly moisten it.
SOUFFLES OF FRUIT, ETC.—The distinguishing feature of a souffle is a pastry or pulpy foundation mixture, and the addition of stiffly beaten egg-white. A souffle may or may not be baked.
Plain Souffle.—Two tablespoons flour; one cup of liquid (water, milk, or fruit juice); three or four eggs; sugar to suit the fruit. If thick fruit pulp is used, omit the thickening. Beat the egg yolks until thick. Add sugar gradually and continue beating. Add the fruit (if lemon juice add some rind also). Fold in the well-beaten whites. Bake in a buttered dish (set in a pan of hot water) for thirty-five or forty minutes in a slow oven.
Fresh Fruit Souffle.—Reduce the fruit to a pulp. Strawberries, peaches, prunes, apples, bananas, etc., may be used. Sweeten the pulp. Beat the egg-white to a stiff froth, add the fruit pulp slowly. Chill and serve with whipped cream or soft custard.
Chocolate Souffle.—Two tablespoons flour; two tablespoons butter; three quarters cup of milk; one third cup of sugar: two tablespoons hot water. Melt the butter, add the flour and stir well. Pour the milk in gradually and cook until well boiled. Add the melted chocolate, to which the sugar and hot water have been added. Beat in the yolks and fold in the whites of the eggs. Bake twenty-five minutes.
Farina Souffle.—Cook the farina (four tablespoons) in a pint of boiling water. Stir this with the egg-yolks, add sugar or salt, and later fold in the egg-whites, flavor, and set away to cool.
The following tables are from “Food and Dietetics,” (Norton), published by the American School of Home Economics, Chicago. They are used in a number of schools of Domestic Science and in Dietetic kitchens in hospitals.
These tables are exceptionally valuable in compiling diets in various combinations. One readily determines the number of grams in various servings of different foods. For example—a small serving of beef (round), containing some fat, weighs 36 grams; forty per cent; 14.4 grams, is protein, and sixty per cent, 21.6 grams, is fat, (no carbohydrates). One ordinary thick slice of white, home made bread weighs 38 grams; thirteen per cent, 4.94 grams, is protein, six per cent 2.28 grams is fat and eighty-one per cent, 30.78 grams, is carbohydrate.
One can readily make up the proportions of proteins, carbohydrates and fats required by the average individual suggested on pages 217-218 from various combinations of foods. Each individual may make this study for himself to know whether his system is receiving too much in quantity, or too large a proportion of proteins or of carbohydrates or of fats.