Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/683

 froth them. Bring the milk to boihng point, let it cool slightly, then pour it gradually on to the eggs, stirring them all the time. If the inilk is boihng when it is poured on, the eggs will curdle and the custard be spoilt. Add the sugar and a few drops of vanilla, or any other flavouring preferred. Well butter some small moulds or cups. Strain in the custard. Twist a piece of buttered paper over the top of each mould. Put them in a saucepan, with boiling water to come 'barely half-way up them, put the lid on the pan, and steam the custards very slowly until they are firm. If they are cooked at all quickly, they will be full of holes, and watery. When cooked, let the custards stand for a minute or two ; they will then turn out more easily. Serve them either plain or, if allowed, with stewed fruit or jam. ORANGEADE Ingredients : Fovir oranges. Half a pint of boiling water. About a dozen lumps of sugar. Soda-water or seltzer water. Wash and wipe the oranges, then cut off the rinds very thinly, put them in a jug with the sugar and boiling water, and strain in the orange juice. Cover the jug and put it away until the contents are quite cold. Pour about a quarter of it into a glass, fill it up with soda or seltzer water, and, if permitted, add a small lump of ice and serve. BEEF-TEA WITH VERMICELLI Ingredients : One pound of lean beef (raw). One pint of cold water. Salt. Allow about a tablespoonful of vermicelli to half a pint of beef-tea. First wipe the meat thoroughly with a cloth dipped in hot water to make sure it is free from dust and dirt. Next cut it in thin shces, and, with a sharp knife, scrape it into fine shreds, putting them at once into the water, to which a quarter of a teaspoonful of salt should be added. Let it stand for half an hour. Next put the meat and water into a jar, tie a piece of thick paper over the top, place the jar in a saucepan of boiling water on the fire, and let it cook gently for from three to four hours, stirring it now and then. Next strain out the meat, but, unless specially ordered to do so by the doctor, do not use a very fine strainer. With small pieces of kitchen paper, carefully remove every vestige of grease from the beef-tea, and season it carefully to taste with salt and pepper, if allowed. Put the vermicelli into a pan with some fast-boiling water, with a little salt in it, and let it cook until it is about twice its original size. Then strain off the water. Put the vermicelli into a hot cup or basin, and •pour the beef-tea on to it. MINCED CHICKEN It is important that raw chicken should be used for this dish, since twice-cooked meat is kss nourishing than fresh. The breast of the fowl used in Menu I. might be used for this dish. 657 kiTCHIN AND COOKIRV Ingredients : About four rounded tablespoonfuls of dice of raw chicken. One yolk f)f egg. Half an ounce of butter, One teaspoonful of flour. Quarter of a teaspoonful of chopped onion. Half a gill of milk. Salt, pepper, lemon juice. Put the milk in a saucepan wilh the onion and any skin, Ixjnc, and rough pieces of chicken. Let them simmer until the milk is nicely flavoured. Melt the butter in a saucepan, put in the dice of chicken, and let it cook gently until it loses its pink tint, but do not fry it. Next stir in the flour smoothly, then strain in the milk. Put the hd on the pan, and let its contents simmer very gently until the meat is quite tender ; it will probably take about three-quarters of an hour. Beat up the yolk of egg, and stir it gradually in, season the mince carefully, arrange it on a hot dish, garnish it with a few neat sippets of toast. and serve. PORT WINE JELLY Ingredients : Three-quarters of a pint of port wine. Quarter of a pint of water. One lemon. Ten sheets of French gelatine. A dozen lumps of sugar. A few drops of cochineal. One clove. Put the water in a small pan with the gelatine, the thinly pared lemon rind, the strained juice, clove and sugar. Stir them over a gentle fire until the gelatine has dissolved, then let the pan stand at the side of the fire for ten or twelve minutes. Next strain all into the port wine, and add enough cochineal to make it a pretty colour. Rinse out some small moulds or cups in cold water, fill them with the jelly, and leave them until it is cold and set. Dip the moulds into tepid water for a few seconds, and the jelly will slip out quite easily. If preferred, use less wine and more water and lemon juice. Be sure and add some cochineal, as gelatine always spoils the colour of the port wine. LEMON BARLEY WATER This is both refreshing and nourishing. Ingredients : Two large tablespoonfuls c* pearl barley. One lemon. One pint of boiling water. Three or four lumps of sugar. Put the barley in a saucepan, with enough cold water to cover it. Bring it to boihng point, let it boil for five minutes, then strain off the water and throw it away. This " blanching," as it is called, removes the bitter flavour of the barley and improves the colour. Put the barley in a jug with the thinly pared rind and strained juice of the lemon, and the sugar, pour on the pint of boihng water. Cover the jug and leave it until cold, then strain off the liquid, and it is ready. N.B. — If at any time barley water is required to be given with milk, make it in exactly the same way, but leave out the lemon. I X