Pork and Beans.—1 qt. navy beans, ½ lb. pickled pork, 2 teaspoonfuls thickly mixed mustard, 1 large tablespoonful molasses. Soak the beans in tepid water all night. Next day change the water, place them on the fire, and boil them a few minutes, not long enough to crack them, drain them, place them in a “bean pot,” or deep earthenware pan, nearly bury the pork in the middle of the beans, add the mustard, molasses, pepper and salt, with enough water to cover the whole. If they become too dry, add a teacupful of water when they are half done. Serve with Boston brown bread.
Pumpkin Pie.—“Punkin” (pumpkin) pie is an invariable adjunct either to dinner or to “a high tea,” a species of repast much affected “down East.” It is prepared in this wise. The prime ripe parts of the pumpkin are carefully separated from the seeds and rind, and gently stewed till quite tender. The pumpkin is then strained through a fine sieve, and eggs and milk are added in sufficient proportion to form a thick custard-like substance; sugar and allspice are then added, and the mixture is put into a flat dish previously lined with good paste, and a little powdered nutmeg is strewed over the top. The pies are then baked in a moderate oven. The thickness of the layer of pumpkin should be 1½-2 in. When well prepared, “punkin pie” is a delicious dish, and is never eaten in America without the accompaniment of a small fragment of cheese.
Tomatoes.—(a) Baked.—Take large tomatoes, wash them, wipe and cut them in two. Put them in a baking tin with the skin downward, season well with pepper and salt, and place in a hot oven. When done put a piece of butter on each tomato, and serve on a hot dish with or without sharp sauce. (b) Cut a very large tomato in half and flour the cut side; heat the pan and lay the slices in, floured side down. When brown turn over, and when quite done dish up and pour over a teacupful of hot cream or milk. (c) Hashed.—Well butter a pie dish, put in a layer of sliced tomato, then a layer of any kind of cold meat (sliced very thin or minced), then a layer of thin bread and butter, and so on till the dish is full. Season the whole well and bake till quite brown. (d) Stewed.—Put ripe tomatoes into hot water, and when scalded take off the skins; throw them into an earthen pipkin, cut in slices, and stew gently till tender. Season with butter, pepper, and salt; and serve with sippets of buttered toast. In some parts of America breadcrumbs and sugar are added to the stew instead of other seasoning.
Veal Cake.—Take 3 lb. veal and chop it up very finely with ¼ lb. pork, 1 cupful breadcrumbs, 3 teaspoonfuls salt, 1 of black pepper, ½ teaspoonful cayenne, and a few cloves. Mix all well together with 2 raw eggs. Put it into a plain mould and steam for 2 hours; then put into a cool oven for a short time just to dry it. Turn it out, when cold, and cut it into thin slices. Garnished with aspic jelly, it makes a very nice luncheon dish.
White Cabbage Salad.—Set a firm white cabbage in cold water, and let it stand some hours, then dry well and shred very fine. For the dressing take a piece of butter the size of a walnut and a tablespoonful of flour, mix well, and add 2 tablespoonfuls vinegar; scald for a minute, then add the beaten yolk of 1 egg and 2 tablespoonfuls cream, with salt and pepper to taste. Pour over and serve.
Whortleberry Cakes.-¾ cupful sugar, ¼ cupful butter, 1 cupful milk, 3 cupfuls sifted flour, 1 heaping teaspoonful baking powder, 1 small teaspoonful salt, 2 eggs, 1 heaping pint whortleberries. Mix the baking powder with the flour, beat the butter and sugar to a cream, add the milk and beaten eggs, then the flour, stirring in lastly the berries over which you have previously dredged a little of the flour. Pour into 12 small tin cups buttered and heated, serve hot for breakfast or tea, with butter. They can be baked in muffin rings.
Belgian.—Asparagus.—(a) Boil in the usual way as much asparagus as required, and arrange it neatly on a folded napkin in a flat dish. Boil some eggs hard (allowing one egg to each person), and divide them in halves lengthwise. Border the asparagus with these halves, placing them with the yolks upwards. Serve this dish very hot, and send to table with it a sufficient quantity of butter, simply melted and made quite hot, but without any thickening.
(b) Having cut all the hard white part from some cold boiled asparagus, arrange it neatly on a dish, and cover it with a thick mayonnaise sauce. Place round this some slices of cold boiled ham, cut very thin and rolled. Alternate these with halves of hard-boiled eggs, as in (a), and garnish with small sprays of parsley. Forced eggs, flavoured with ham or tongue, may be used with this dish instead of the ham and eggs, if preferred.
(c) Cut the tender parts of some boiled asparagus into lengths of 2 in.; mince finely some parsley and young onions with a few leaves of lettuce; put them in a saucepan with butter, a little water, salt, pepper, a little nutmeg, and a pinch of flour; simmer, stirring occasionally, until the onions, &c., are done. Scald the asparagus in this, and serve very hot with croutons of fried bread. Small sprigs of cauliflower, broccoli, or peas which have been previously boiled are also good served in this way. If for peas, a little sugar may be added when liked.