- 1 pint of milk.
- ½ cupful of sugar.
- ½ teaspoonful of butter.
- Yolks of 3 eggs.
- 2¼ tablespoonfuls of cornstarch.
- 1 tablespoonful of flour.
- ½ teaspoonful of vanilla.
- ½ saltspoonful of salt.
Put the milk into a double boiler with the salt and a piece of cinnamon or lemon-zest. When it is at the boiling-point add the sugar; then the cornstarch and flour, which have been moistened in cold milk. Stir until thickened; remove, and turn it over the beaten yolks of the eggs. Place it on the fire again for a few minutes to set the eggs. Add the butter and flavoring, and strain it onto a flat dish, or biscuit-tin, making a layer three quarters of an inch thick. Let it stand until perfectly cold and firm (it may be made the day before it is used); then cut it into pieces three inches long and two inches wide. Handle the pieces carefully, using a broad knife-blade. Cover each one with sifted cracker-crumbs, then with egg, and again with crumbs; be sure they are completely covered. Fry the pieces in hot fat to an amber color; lay them on a brown paper in the open oven to dry, sprinkle them with sugar, and serve on a folded napkin. The crust should be crisp, and the center creamy, the same as a croquette. If the pudding stands long enough before being fried, it will not be difficult to handle. Have the fat smoking hot, and do not fry too long. This dish is recommended, as it is particularly good, and very easy to make.
SHORT CAKES
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE
- 4 cupfuls of sifted flour.
- 3 heaping teaspoonfuls of baking-powder.
- 1 teaspoonful of salt.
- 1 teaspoonful of butter.
- 1 teaspoonful of lard.
- Milk.
- 2 quarts of strawberries.
Sift the baking-powder and salt with the flour, rub in the shortening; then with a fork stir in lightly and quickly sufficient milk to make a soft dough—too soft to roll. Turn it into a greased tin, and bake in a hot oven for thirty minutes. Watch to see that it rises evenly. Unmold, and leaving it inverted, cut a circle around the top, within one inch of the edge; lift off the circle of crust, and with a fork pick out the crumb from the center, leaving about three quarters of an inch of biscuit around the sides. Spread the inside of the cake with butter, and then fill it with crushed strawberries, which have been standing half an hour or more mixed with sugar enough to sweeten them. Turn off the juice from the berries before filling the cake. Replace the circle of crust, and cover the whole cake, top and sides, with meringue, heaping it irregularly on the top. Use a pastry-bag if convenient to give the meringue ornamental form. Place it in the oven a moment to slightly color the meringue. Arrange a few handsome berries on the top. Serve the strawberry-juice as a sauce. Whipped cream may be used instead of meringue, if convenient. Shortcake, to be good, should be freshly made, and served as soon as put together.
CURRANT SHORTCAKE
Make a biscuit dough as directed for strawberry shortcake above, using half the quantity. Turn it into a pie-tin to bake. While it is still hot cut the edges and pull it apart with forks (do not cut it). Turn the crumb sides up; butter them and cover each one with a thick layer of crushed currants, which have been standing at least two hours with enough sugar to sweeten them. Place one layer on the other, cover the top with meringue, and ornament it with a few currants in lines or arranged in any way to suit the fancy. This is a delicious shortcake, the acid of the currants giving it more character than strawberry shortcake.