Foods That Will Win The War And How To Cook Them (1918) Part 12

Our grandmothers knew how to prepare many dishes without sugar. In their day lack of transportation facilities, of refining methods and various economic factors made mola.s.ses, sorghum, honey, etc., the only common methods of sweetening. But the housekeeper of to-day knows little of sweetening mediums except sugar, and sugar shortage is to her a crucial problem. There are many ways, however, of getting around sugar shortage and many methods of supplying the necessary food value and sweetening.

By the use of marmalades, jams and jellies canned during the season when the sugar supply was less limited, necessity for the use of sugar can be vastly reduced. By the addition to desserts and cereals of dried fruits, raisins, dates, prunes and figs, which contain large amounts of natural sugar, the sugar consumption can be greatly lessened. By utilizing leftover syrup from canned or preserved fruits for sweetening other fruits, and by the use of honey, mola.s.ses, maple sugar, maple syrup and corn syrup, large quant.i.ties of sugar may be saved. The subst.i.tution of sweetened condensed milk for dairy milk in tea, coffee and cocoa--in fact, in all our cooking processes where milk is required--will also immeasurably aid in sugar conservation.

The subst.i.tutes mentioned are all available in large amounts. Honey is especially valuable for children, as it consists of the more simple sugars which are less irritating than cane sugar, and there is no danger of acid stomach from the amounts generally consumed.

As desserts are the chief factor in the use of quant.i.ties of sugar in our diet, the appended recipes will be of value, as they deal with varied forms of nutritious, attractive sugarless desserts. It is only by the one-ounce savings of each individual member of our great one hundred million population that the world sugar shortage may be met, and it is hoped every housekeeper will study her own time-tested recipes with the view of utilizing as far as possible other forms of sweetening. In most recipes the liquid should be slightly reduced in amount and about one-fifth more of the subst.i.tute should be used than the amount of sugar called for.

With a few tests along this line one will be surprised how readily the subst.i.tution may be made. If all sweetening agents become scarce, desserts can well be abandoned. Served at the end of a full meal, desserts are excess food except in the diet of children, where they should form a component part of the meal.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

SUGARLESS DESSERTS

CRUMB SPICE PUDDING

1 cup dry bread crumbs 1 pint hot milk

Let stand until milk is absorbed.

1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup mola.s.ses 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1 egg 1/2 teaspoon mixed spices, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, mace and ginger 2/3 cup raisins, dates and prunes (steamed 5 minutes)

Mix and bake 45 minutes.

TAPIOCA FRUIT PUDDING

1/2 cup pearl tapioca or sago 3 cups water 1/4 lb. dried apricots, prunes, dates or raisins 1/8 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons fat 1/2 cup corn syrup

Soak fruit in water 1 hour. Add other ingredients. Cook directly over fire 5 minutes, then over hot water until clear, about 45 minutes.

MARMALADE PUDDING

6 slices stale bread 1/4 cup fat 2 egg yolks 1 tablespoon corn syrup 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 cup milk 1 cup marmalade or preserves

Mix eggs, corn syrup, salt and milk. Dip bread and brown in frying pan. Spread with marmalade or preserves. Pile in baking dish. Cover with any of the custard mixture which is left. Cover with meringue.

Bake 15 minutes.

PRUNE ROLL

2 cups whole wheat flour 1/2 cup milk 1 tablespoon fat 2 tablespoons sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 egg 1/2 lb. washed and scalded prunes, dates, figs or raisins 2 teaspoons baking powder

To prunes, add 1/2 cup water and soak 10 minutes. Simmer in same water until tender (about 10 minutes). Drain prunes and mash to a pulp.

Mix flour, baking powder and salt. Add beaten egg and milk. Mix to a dough. Roll out thin, spread with prune pulp, sprinkle with two tablespoons sugar. Roll the mixture and place in greased baking dish.

Bake 30 to 40 minutes. Take half cup of juice from prunes, add 1 tablespoon corn syrup. Bring to boiling point. Serve as sauce for prune roll.

MARMALADE BLANC MANGE

1 pint milk 1/8 cup cornstarch 2 yolks of eggs 1/3 cup orange marmalade 1/2 teaspoon vanilla Few grains of salt

Mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup of cold milk. Scald rest of milk, add cornstarch, and stir until thick. Cook over hot water 20 minutes.

Add rest of ingredients. Cook, stirring 5 minutes. Chill and serve with two whites of eggs, beaten stiff, to which has been added 2 tablespoons orange marmalade. Two ounces grated chocolate and 1/3 cup corn syrup may be subst.i.tuted for marmalade.

COFFEE MARSHMALLOW CREAM

2 cups strong boiling coffee 2 tablespoons gelatine (granulated) 2 tablespoons cold water 1/4 cup corn syrup 1 cup condensed milk 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Soak gelatine in cold water until soft. Add coffee and stir until dissolved. Add other ingredients. Chill. One-quarter cup of marshmallows may be cut up and added just before chilling.

FRUIT PUDDING

2 cups of left-over canned fruit or cooked dried fruit 2 cups of the juice or water 1/4 cup corn syrup 2 tablespoons gelatine 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Soften the gelatine in 2 tablespoons of the juice or water. Add the rest of the fruit after it has been heated. When the gelatine is dissolved, add the fruit, lemon juice and corn syrup. Pour in mold.

CEREAL AND DATE PUDDING

1 cup cooked cereal 2 cups milk 1-1/2 tablespoons fat 1 cup dates 1/4 cup corn syrup 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1 egg

Cook over hot water until thick, and boil or bake 20 minutes. Serve with hot maple syrup.

BAKED APPLES WITHOUT SUGAR

Fill cored apples with 1 tablespoon honey, corn syrup, chopped dates, raisins, marmalade, or chopped popcorn mixed with corn syrup in the proportion of two tablespoons of syrup to a cup of corn. Put one-quarter inch of water in pan. Bake until tender and serve apples in pan with syrup as sauce.

APPLES AND POPCORN

Core apples. Cut just through the skin around the center of the apple.

Fill the center with popcorn and 1 teaspoon of corn syrup. Bake 30 minutes.

MAPLE RICE PUDDING

1/2 cup rice 1-1/2 cups milk 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup maple syrup 1/2 cup raisins 1 egg

Cook in top of double boiler or in steamer 35 minutes.

ECONOMY PUDDING