The Myrtle Reed Cook Book

CHOCOLATE CAKE

Beat the yolks of six eggs, add a cupful of sugar, and the grated rind and juice of half a lemon. Sift in half a cake of grated bitter chocolate, a teaspoonful of baking-powder, with a pinch each of cinnamon, and clove, and enough flour to make a thin batter. Fold in the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs and bake in layer-cake pans. Put together with currant jelly. Ice with frosting made of a beaten egg, a cupful of powdered sugar, and half a teaspoonful of vanilla.

CHOCOLATE CREAM CAKE

Cream half a cupful of butter with one cupful of sugar, add the stiffly beaten whites of four eggs, and sift in one and one-half cupfuls of flour with a teaspoonful of baking-powder. Flavor with vanilla. Bake in a square tin. Boil one and one-half cupfuls of sugar with half a cupful of milk until the syrup makes a soft ball when dropped in cold water. Flavor with vanilla, stir until thick, spread on the cake and pour melted chocolate on top.

COCOANUT CAKE

Cream half a cupful of butter with two cupfuls of sugar, add the beaten yolks of five eggs, a teaspoonful of vanilla, one cupful of milk and four cupfuls of flour sifted with a teaspoonful of soda and two teaspoonfuls of cream tartar. Fold in the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs, add a cupful of shredded cocoanut soaked soft in milk, and bake in a moderate oven. Spread with boiled frosting, sprinkling thickly with grated cocoanut.

CREAM CAKE

Beat three eggs with one and one-half cupfuls of powdered sugar, add a tablespoonful of lemon-juice and half a cupful of cold water. Sift in two cupfuls of flour and two teaspoonfuls of baking-powder. Bake in layer-cake tins. Heat one and one-half cupfuls of milk in a double boiler. Beat together one tablespoonful of flour, two-thirds cupful of sugar, two eggs, and a pinch of salt. Add gradually to the boiling milk, stir, and cook for fifteen minutes. Flavor to taste, cool, and put the cake together with the filling. Ice with any preferred frosting.

COFFEE CREAM CAKE

Cream together half a cupful of butter and a cupful of sugar. Add half a cupful of milk and sift in half a cupful of cornstarch, one and one-fourth cupfuls of flour, half a teaspoonful of cream tartar and a pinch of soda. Fold in the stiffly beaten whites of three eggs and bake in buttered layer-cake tins for half an hour. Cook in a double-boiler one cupful of milk, one cupful of strong coffee, and a cupful of sugar. Thicken with the yolks of three eggs and three tablespoonfuls of flour rubbed smooth with a little cold milk. Stir while cooking. Take from the fire, add two tablespoonfuls of butter, and cool. Spread between the layers and ice with confectioner’s sugar moistened with coffee.

CREAM PUFFS

Bring to the boil one cupful of water, half a cupful of lard or butter, and a pinch of salt. Add enough sifted flour to make a smooth thick paste, sifting it in gradually and stirring it constantly. Take from the fire and add one at a time five unbeaten eggs, beating thoroughly each time. Drop by spoonfuls on a buttered tin sheet and bake for twenty minutes in a moderate oven. Thicken a pint of milk and two beaten eggs in a double-boiler with half a cupful of sifted flour rubbed smooth with a little cold milk. Sweeten and flavor to taste. When the puffs are cold, split with a sharp knife and fill with the cream. Sprinkle the puffs with powdered sugar and serve.

DEVIL’S FOOD CAKE

Boil together until thick one-half cupful each of grated chocolate, milk, and sugar, then cool. Cream one-half cupful of butter with a cupful of brown sugar, add two eggs well-beaten, two-thirds cupful of milk, and a teaspoonful of vanilla. Add the cooked mixture and sift in two cupfuls of flour with a heaping teaspoonful of baking-powder. Bake in layers and put together with chocolate frosting or boiled frosting.

FIG LOAF CAKE

Cream a cupful of butter with two cupfuls of brown sugar, add four eggs well-beaten, one teaspoonful each of cinnamon and nutmeg, half a teaspoonful of powdered cloves, and a cupful of water. Sift in three cupfuls of flour with two teaspoonfuls of baking-powder and add half a pound of finely cut figs and two cupfuls of raisins, dredging the fruit with flour. Bake for two hours in a moderate oven.

FRUIT CAKE

Cream a cupful each of butter and sugar, add the yolks of four eggs well-beaten, a pinch of grated nutmeg, and a cupful of flour sifted with a teaspoonful of baking-powder. Fold in the stiffly beaten whites, add half a cupful each of currants and blanched and shredded almonds, and, gradually, half a cupful of sherry. Put into a buttered tin in layers, alternating with shredded candied orange-peel and citron. Bake in a moderate oven for three hours and ice with boiled frosting.

HONEY TEA-CAKE

Mix one cupful of honey, half a cupful of sour cream, two eggs well-beaten, half a cupful of butter, melted, and two cupfuls of flour sifted with half a teaspoonful of soda and a teaspoonful of cream tartar. Bake for half an hour in a moderate oven.

MARGUERITES

Blanch and chop a pound of almonds and mix to a stiff paste with the stiffly beaten whites of two eggs. Beat the white of another egg to a stiff froth and add enough powdered sugar to make a thick icing. Spread crackers with the icing, then with the chopped nuts, and bake golden brown in a cool oven.

NUT CAKE

Cream a cupful each of butter and sugar, add two eggs well-beaten, a cupful of milk, a teaspoonful of vanilla, and two cupfuls of flour sifted with two teaspoonfuls of baking-powder. Add a cupful each of blanched and chopped nuts and stoned raisins dredged with flour and bake in a deep buttered pan in a moderate oven.

RASPBERRY TEA-CAKE

Beat together one cupful of sugar and one tablespoonful of butter, melted, add two eggs well-beaten, a pinch of salt, a grating of nutmeg, one cupful of milk, and two cupfuls of flour sifted with three teaspoonfuls of baking-powder. Bake in two layers and put together with butter and raspberry jam. Serve hot.

SPICE CAKE

Beat an egg and add to it two-thirds cupful each of sugar, melted butter, and molasses. Add a cupful of milk in which a teaspoonful of soda has been dissolved, and sift in two and one-half cupfuls of flour with a teaspoonful of cream tartar. Add a tablespoonful each of lemon-juice and mixed spice, turn into a shallow pan, and bake for twenty minutes in a moderate oven.

SPONGE CAKE

Mix two beaten eggs with a cupful of sugar, add one-third cupful of water, a teaspoonful of lemon or vanilla, and fold in lightly one cupful of flour sifted with a teaspoonful of baking-powder. Bake in a square pan.

TEA-CAKE

Cream a tablespoonful of butter with a cupful of sugar, add one egg well-beaten and three-fourths cupful of milk. Add three-fourths cupful of currants or raisins which have been dredged with flour and sift in one and one-half cupfuls of flour and a teaspoonful of baking-powder. Bake in a buttered tin or in patty-pans.

CHARLOTTE RUSSE

Line charlotte-russe moulds or dessert glasses with lady-fingers, split and trimmed to fit. Fill with cream whipped solid and sweetened and flavored to taste.

ALMOND CHARLOTTE RUSSE

Arrange six small sponge cakes in a serving-dish and spread thinly with jelly or jam. Stick blanched and split almonds into the cake and pour over a custard made of a cupful of milk and two tablespoonfuls of sugar, thickened with one egg well-beaten. Flavor with almond.

APPLE CHARLOTTE

Steam a quart of sliced sour apples until soft. Put into a baking-dish with alternate layers of bread crumbs, sprinkling the apples with sugar and cinnamon. Have crumbs on top. Beat the yolk of an egg with two cupfuls of milk, add two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, a pinch of salt, and two eggs well-beaten. Pour over the apples, bake until the milk is absorbed, and serve with sugar and cream.

BLACKBERRY CHARLOTTE

Make a boiled custard with one quart of milk, the yolks of six eggs, three-fourths cupful of sugar, and grated lemon peel to flavor. Line a serving-dish with slices of sponge cake dipped in cream and fill with alternate layers of cakes and blackberries crushed and sweetened. Pour the cold custard over, cover with meringue, and decorate with blackberries.

CREAM CHARLOTTE

Line a mould with lady-fingers. Whip a pint of cream to a stiff froth, sweetening and flavoring to taste and adding one-half package of soaked and dissolved gelatine. Pour into the mould, chill, and serve.

COFFEE CHARLOTTE

Thicken a cupful of milk with the yolks of four eggs beaten with a cupful of sugar and add a cupful of very strong coffee. Add half a package of gelatine which has been soaked and dissolved, and when cool but not set, fold in two cupfuls of cream whipped solid. Turn into a mould lined with lady-fingers, chill, and serve.

ORANGE CHARLOTTE

Soak and dissolve half a package of gelatine, using as little water as possible. Add the juice of a lemon, one cupful each of sugar and orange-juice, and a little of the grated orange peel. When cool but not set, fold in a pint of cream whipped solid and turn into a mould lined with slices or sections of oranges.

PEACH CHARLOTTE

Rub through a sieve enough canned peaches to make a cupful. Add the juice of a lemon, a cupful of sugar and half a package of gelatine which has been soaked and dissolved in as little water as possible. When cool but not set, fold in the stiffly beaten whites of three eggs, mould, chill, and serve with whipped cream. Pears or other fruits may be used in the same way.

VICTORIA CHARLOTTE

Trim the frosting from a loaf of angel-food and cut it into squares. Arrange in a serving-dish, cover with split marshmallows, minced candied fruit, and chopped nuts, and pile high with whipped cream sweetened and flavored to taste.

APPLE COBBLER

Sift together four cupfuls of flour, two heaping teaspoonfuls of baking-powder, one teaspoonful of salt, and one tablespoonful of sugar. Work into it half a cupful of butter and add enough milk to make a dough that will roll. Line a deep buttered baking-dish with the dough rolled thin, fill with peeled, cored, and quartered apples sweetened and sprinkled with spice, cover the pan with the rest of the dough rolled into a crust, and steam for two hours and a half, or bake. Serve with a sauce made of syrup thickened with cornstarch, seasoned with lemon-juice, grated peel, butter, and grated nutmeg or other spice. Apricots, plums, and peaches or berries may be used in the same way.

FRUIT COBBLER

Fill a deep buttered baking-dish with fresh or stewed fruit – apples, peaches, apricots, rhubarb, plums, or gooseberries being commonly used – and cover with a crust made as follows: Sift together two cupfuls of flour and two teaspoonfuls of baking-powder. Rub into it half a cupful of butter and add one egg beaten with a cupful of milk. Spread over the fruit which has been previously sweetened to taste and bake until the crust is done. Serve either hot or cold with cream or any preferred sauce.

COMPOTE OF APPLES

Peel and core the apples and cook until soft in syrup to cover, flavoring with lemon or spice if desired. Drain, fill the cores with jelly, reduce the syrup by rapid boiling, pour around the apples and chill. At serving time cover with whipped cream and sprinkle with chopped nuts.

COMPOTE OF FIGS

Soak a pound of figs over night in cold water to cover, and simmer over a slow fire until tender. Add half a cupful of sugar and the juice of half a lemon. Turn into a serving-dish, cool, and cover with whipped cream slightly sweetened and flavored with vanilla.

ALMOND CREAM

Soak and dissolve a package of gelatine. Make a custard of six cupfuls of milk, four eggs well-beaten, a pinch of salt, and a few drops of almond extract. Add two-thirds cupful of sugar, and, when cool, the gelatine. Add a few blanched and shredded almonds, mould and chill.

APPLE CREAM

Peel, core, and quarter six or eight apples and cook until soft in a thin syrup to cover, flavoring the syrup with lemon-juice and spice. Drain, reduce the syrup by rapid boiling, pour over the apples, arrange in a serving-dish, and chill. Cover with whipped cream just before serving.

BANANA CREAM

Peel five bananas and rub through a sieve with five tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar and a tablespoonful of lemon-juice. Add half a package of gelatine which has been soaked and dissolved in a little milk, and when cool, but not set, fold in a cupful of cream whipped solid. Mould, chill, and serve with whipped cream.

BAVARIAN CREAM

Soak half a package of gelatine in a cupful of cream and dissolve by gentle heat. Rub through a sieve enough canned or fresh fruit to make a cupful. Sweeten heavily and mix with the dissolved gelatine. Whip a cupful of cream solid and when the fruit mixture is cool but not set, fold it gradually into the cream. When it begins to stiffen, mould, chill, and serve with whipped cream if desired. Observing the same proportions, Bavarian Creams may be made of apples, apricots, bananas, cherries, chestnuts, cocoanut, figs, preserved ginger, gooseberries, plums, huckleberries, oranges, pears, peaches, pineapple, quinces, raspberries, strawberries, chopped nuts, chocolate syrup, maple syrup, coffee, – indeed almost anything. When almonds are used, a little more cream should be added. There should be one cupful of cream and gelatine, two cupfuls of whipped cream, and one cupful of fruit pulp. Half a cupful of chocolate dissolved in a little cold water and cooked to a paste will be sufficient. In using coffee or maple syrup put in only enough to flavor. Pineapple Bavarian Cream should be served as soon as possible after making, as the pineapple contains a ferment which softens the gelatine.

CHESTNUT CREAM

Peel, boil, drain, and mash thirty large fresh chestnuts. Rub through a sieve and cook for ten minutes with half a cupful each of sugar and water. Arrange in a circle on a serving-dish and fill the centre with whipped cream sweetened and flavored to taste.

GINGER CREAM

Add a package of soaked gelatine to a cupful of hot milk and dissolve by gentle heat. Whip a cupful of cream solid, sweetening with powdered sugar, add a tablespoonful of ginger syrup, a few drops of essence of ginger, and a little preserved ginger chopped very fine. When the gelatine is cool but not set, fold in the cream carefully and beat until it begins to stiffen. Mould and chill. Serve with whipped cream flavored with ginger syrup.

ITALIAN CREAM

Mix two cupfuls of cream, two-thirds cupful of sugar, and two wineglassfuls of white wine. Add the juice of two lemons, a little of the grated peel, and a package of gelatine which has been soaked in cold water and dissolved in a pint of hot cream. Mould and chill. Nuts or candied or preserved fruit may be added if desired.

MACAROON CREAM

Thicken a pint of cream with one tablespoonful of cornstarch rubbed smooth with a little cold milk. Stir while cooking. Cool, flavor with vanilla, and pour over macaroons arranged in a serving-dish. Chill and garnish with bits of bright jelly or candied fruit.

MARSHMALLOW CREAM

Cut marshmallows into quarters and mix with whipped cream sweetened and flavored to taste. Serve in dessert glasses and sprinkle with chopped nuts or garnish with marshmallows or candied cherries.

ORANGE CREAM

Heat in a double boiler the juice of six oranges and the grated rind of two. Add to it one cupful of sugar and half a package of gelatine which has been soaked and dissolved. Take from the fire, add the well-beaten yolks of six eggs, and stir until cool. When cool but not set, fold in two cupfuls of cream whipped solid. Mould and chill.

PEACH CREAM

Mash through a sieve enough fresh peaches to make a cupful. Whip a cupful of cream solid, add two tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar and the peach pulp. Serve immediately in dessert glasses. Other fruits may be used in the same way.

PINEAPPLE CREAM

Drain the juice from a pint can of pineapple and add to it the juice of one orange. Season with grated lemon-peel and add half a package of soaked gelatine. Heat over boiling water until the gelatine is dissolved. Take from the fire and when cool, but not set, fold in gradually one cupful of cream whipped solid and the pineapple cut fine. Mould and chill.

RASPBERRY CREAM

Rub a pint of raspberries through a sieve, sweeten to taste, and add a package of gelatine which has been soaked and dissolved in a cupful or more of water. Mix in a few drops of vanilla and when cool, but not set, fold in a cupful of cream whipped solid. Mould, chill, and serve with whipped cream.

SPANISH CREAM

Soak half a package of gelatine in cold water to cover, and dissolve by gentle heat. Beat together the yolks of three eggs, three tablespoonfuls of sugar, and a pinch of salt. Pour into a double boiler, add a pint of hot milk and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Take from the fire, add the dissolved gelatine and fold in the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs. Mould, chill, and serve with any preferred sauce.

TAPIOCA CREAM

Soak half a cupful of tapioca over night in cold water and cook until soft in a double boiler with a quart of milk and a pinch of salt. Add the yolks of four eggs beaten with a cupful of sugar, cook for ten minutes, then fold in the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs, and flavor to taste. Turn into a serving-dish, cool, and drop a few teaspoonfuls of currant jelly upon the pudding when serving. Three eggs may be used instead of four.

APPLE CUSTARD

Sweeten four cupfuls of stewed and mashed apples with half a cupful of sugar, two tablespoonfuls of butter, and the juice and grated rind of a lemon. Add half a cupful of water, two eggs well beaten, and two cupfuls of bread crumbs mixed with one tablespoonful of flour. Add a cup of milk, heat well, turn into a buttered baking-dish, and bake for forty minutes in a moderate oven. Serve with Hard Sauce or with sugar and cream.

CARAMEL CUSTARD

Brown half a cupful of sugar, add half a cupful of hot water, and simmer for fifteen minutes. Add to a pint of milk beaten slightly with four eggs and a pinch of salt; turn into a baking-dish and bake in a slow oven for forty minutes. Serve cold.

CHOCOLATE CUSTARD

Dissolve four heaping tablespoonfuls of grated bitter chocolate in a quart of hot milk. Add the yolks of six eggs beaten with a cupful of sugar and a teaspoonful of vanilla, take from the fire, pour into custard cups, set into a baking-dish, with an inch of hot water and bake slowly until set. Cover with meringue, return to the oven until puffed and brown, and serve cold.

COFFEE CUSTARD

Thicken six cupfuls of boiling milk with the yolks of eight eggs beaten with eight tablespoonfuls of sugar, and add a cupful of strong black coffee. Strain into custard cups, put into a pan of water to reach to half their height, and simmer for twenty minutes. Serve cold.

CREAM CUSTARD

Heat a cupful of cream with two tablespoonfuls of sugar, boil for fifteen minutes, and flavor to taste. Take from the fire, fold in the stiffly beaten whites of four eggs and chill. Or, put into a baking-dish, sprinkle with sugar, bake until puffed and brown and serve hot.

FRENCH CUSTARDS

Add to a pint of rich boiled custard half a cupful of blanched chopped almonds and a little shredded citron. Serve cold.

MAPLE CUSTARD

Beat five eggs with a tablespoonful of flour, a cupful of maple sugar and a pinch each of salt and grated nutmeg. Mix with three pints of warm milk, turn into a baking-dish or custard cups, set the dish into a pan of hot water and bake in a moderate oven until the custard is set.

MARQUISE CUSTARD

Thicken four cupfuls of boiling milk with the beaten yolks of eight eggs and the whites of five, adding a pinch of salt, and sugar and flavoring to taste. Cool, turn into a serving-dish, and beat the whites of three eggs to a standing froth. Beat into the whites four tablespoonfuls of raspberry or strawberry jam and drop by tablespoonfuls upon the custard. Serve immediately.

NUT CUSTARD

Beat the yolks of four eggs with two cupfuls of milk, add half a package of soaked gelatine, dissolve by gentle heat, add sugar to taste, and strain. Add half a cupful of chopped nuts, stir until it begins to stiffen, then mould and chill.

RASPBERRY CUSTARD

Beat together the yolks of two eggs, two cupfuls of milk, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, and a tablespoonful of cornstarch, rubbed smooth with a little milk. Cook slowly in a double boiler until smooth and thick, stirring constantly. Put a pint of red raspberries into a serving-dish, mash lightly with a spoon, sprinkle with powdered sugar, pour over the custard and cool. Make a meringue of the beaten whites and a tablespoonful of powdered sugar and tint it pink with berry juice. Spread over the custard and serve. Other fruits may be used in the same way.

RICE CUSTARD

Mix a pint of milk with a cupful of cream, a heaping tablespoonful of ground rice, two tablespoonfuls of rose-water, and half a cupful of sugar. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly, take from the fire, add the beaten yolks of three eggs, turn into a serving-dish, sprinkle with powdered sugar and grated nutmeg, and chill.

DOUGHNUTS

Cream one cupful of butter with two cupfuls of brown sugar, add six eggs well-beaten, half a cupful of milk, and enough flour with baking-powder to make a moderately stiff dough. Roll thin, cut out, and fry in deep fat. Drain, and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

APPLE DUMPLINGS

Rub a tablespoonful of lard into a pint of flour sifted with a pinch each of salt and soda and a teaspoonful of cream tartar. Mix to a stiff dough with milk, roll thin, cut into squares, and put in the centre of each a peeled and cored sour apple. Fill the cavity with butter and sugar creamed together and season lightly with spice. Wrap the dough around the apple, pinching firmly, and steam or bake. Serve hot with sugar and cream or Hard Sauce.

PEACH DUMPLINGS

Peel and stone peaches, enclose in pastry, brush with beaten egg, and bake. Serve either hot or cold with sugar or sweet sauce. Pears or almost any other fruit may be used in the same way.

FRITTER BATTER

Beat one egg light, add a cupful of milk and one cupful of flour which has been sifted with a teaspoonful of baking-powder and a pinch of salt. Beat hard for three minutes, then dip prepared fruit into the batter and fry brown in deep fat.

APPLE FRITTERS

Peel, core, and quarter small apples, sprinkle with sugar and nutmeg, dip in fritter batter, fry in deep fat, drain, and serve with any preferred sauce. Other fruits may be used in the same way. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

VIENNA FRITTERS

Cut stale sponge cake into thin rounds and fry in butter. Drain, spread with jam or jelly, and serve with cream.

FROZEN DAINTIES

APRICOT ICE

Rub through a sieve enough peeled apricots to make a cupful, sweeten with syrup, add two cupfuls of water, and, if desired, the white of one or two unbeaten eggs. Freeze. Canned apricots may be used.

BANANA ICE-CREAM

Heat a pint of cream in a double boiler with a cupful of sugar and stir until dissolved. Cool, add eight bananas mashed through a sieve, add another pint of cream, and freeze.

CAFÉ PARFAIT

Thicken a cupful each of milk and strong coffee with the yolks of eight eggs beaten with ten tablespoonfuls of sugar. Cool, strain, and fold in a cupful of cream whipped solid. Turn into a mould and bury in ice and salt for four hours.

CARAMEL ICE-CREAM

Cook half a cupful of sugar until dark brown with a tablespoonful of water, stirring constantly. Heat a quart of milk with half a cupful of sugar and thicken, while stirring, with three small spoonfuls of cornstarch rubbed smooth with a little cold water. Add a pinch of salt, three eggs well-beaten, and the caramel. Bring to the boil, strain, cool, and freeze. Chopped nuts may be added if desired.

CEYLON ICE

Make a quart of strong Ceylon tea, sweeten heavily while hot, and add the juice of a lemon. Cool, strain, freeze, and serve in glasses.

CHERRY ICE

Stone a pound of black cherries and cut into bits. Sweeten the juice heavily with syrup, add the juice of half a lemon and three cupfuls of water, and freeze. If a pink ice is desired, add the unbeaten whites of one or two eggs.

CHOCOLATE ICE-CREAM

Scald six cupfuls of cream with sugar to sweeten heavily and add half a cake of chocolate grated. Add also a package of soaked and dissolved gelatine, and two teaspoonfuls of vanilla. Strain and freeze.

COFFEE ICE-CREAM

Mix two cupfuls of cream with one cupful of very strong coffee, sweeten heavily, add the unbeaten white of an egg, and freeze.

GRAPE ICE-CREAM

Cook a cupful of grape juice to a thick syrup with a cupful of sugar, mix with two cupfuls of cream, and freeze. The cream will be lavender in color. A little less sugar may be required for some tastes.