PLAIN CRULLERS.
576. Three-quarters of a pound of pulverized white sugar,
Eight eggs,
As much flour as will make a soft dough,
One dessert spoonful of dissolved salæratus,
One tea spoonful of nutmeg,
One tea spoonful of cinnamon,
The grated rind of one lemon, or
Six drops of essence of lemon.
Whisk the eggs very light, stir in the sugar, and about half the flour, spices and lemon; then add the salæratus, and as much more flour as will make a soft dough. Do not knead it, but roll it with your hands in round strips, cut them about three inches long, double and twist them. Throw them into boiling lard to cook them. They require to be turned over whilst they are boiling in the lard, in order to have them brown on both sides. These cakes are very much liked and are very easily made. Sift sugar over before they are sent to the table.
TO MAKE BUTTER.
577. Strain your milk and stand it in a spring-house or cellar, which should be about 54° of Fahrenheit. The spring-house should be well ventilated. Let the milk stand about three days, then skim off the cream with a skimmer made for the purpose, and take care to get as little of the sour milk with it as possible. Then churn it; and after churning, wash your butter thoroughly in clear fresh water, which should be as cold as you can get it. Then salt it and work it well, to get out all the remaining buttermilk. It should be dry and solid when you have finished working it this time. After your butter has been salted and worked thoroughly, let it stand about five or six hours, or until every particle of salt is entirely dissolved; then work it again in order to mix the salt more completely through the whole mass, but do not touch it with your hands as it will make it greasy, and spoil both its appearance and taste. Make it into pounds or small prints, and it will be ready for use.
When more than one churning is done at a time, each churning should be worked separately, or it will be apt to be streaked; as, if the temperature of the cream is higher in one churning than in the other, the butter will not mix without appearing clouded.
The above receipt was obtained from one of the best butter-makers in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, and may be confidently relied on for its accuracy.
QUEEN CAKE.
578. One pound of butter,
One pound of sugar,
Fourteen ounces of flour,
Ten eggs,
One tea spoonful of cinnamon,
One tea spoonful of nutmeg,
One large table spoonful of brandy,
One table spoonful of rose water.
Beat the butter and sugar to a cream, whisk the eggs well, and stir the whole together, add gradually the liquor, spices and flour. Beat the mixture for several minutes, butter some small round tin pans, fill them about three parts full and bake them.