Clayton's Quaker Cook-Book Part 4

Beat well three eggs, with two tablespoonfuls of cream or milk; add salt and pepper; put in the pan a lump of fresh b.u.t.ter, and, as soon as melted, put in the eggs, stirring rapidly from the time they begin to set; as in order to be tender they must be cooked quickly.

To Fry Eggs.

Put b.u.t.ter or lard in a hot pan, and then as many small, deep m.u.f.fin rings as eggs required. Drop the eggs in the rings. Cooked in this manner the eggs are less liable to burn, look far nicer, and preserve their fine flavor.

Oyster Omelette.

Stew a few oysters in a little b.u.t.ter, adding pepper for seasoning, and when the omelette is cooked on the under side, put on the oysters, roll over, and turn carefully. A good omelette may be made of canned oysters treated in this way.

Ham Omelette.

Take a thin slice of the best ham--fat and lean--fry well done, and chop fine. When the omelette is prepared, stir in the ham, and cook to a light brown.

Cream Omelette.

Beat three eggs with two tablespoonfuls of cream, adding a little salt and pepper. Put a lump of b.u.t.ter in the pan, but do not let it get too hot before putting in the mixture. The pan should be about the temperature for baking batter cakes. Fold and turn over quite soon. The omelette should be a light brown, and be sent to the table hot. Should you have sausage for breakfast, the bright gravy from the sausage is preferable to b.u.t.ter in preparing the omelette.

Spanish Omelette.

Make in the same manner as the cream omelette, but before putting in the pan have ready one-half an onion, chopped fine and fried brown, with a little pepper and salt. When the omelette is cooked on one side, put the mixture on, and turn the sides over until closed tight.

Omelette for Dessert.

Beat eight eggs thoroughly, with a teacup of rich milk or cream, a tablespoonful of fine white sugar, and a very little salt. Stir well, and make in two omelettes; lay side by side, and sift over a thin coating of fine white sugar. In serving, pour over and around the omelette a wine-gla.s.s of good California brandy, and set on fire.

VEGETABLES.

Baked Tomatoes.

Pick out large, fair tomatoes; cut a slice from the stem end, and, placing them in a pan with the cut side up, put into each one-half teaspoonful of melted b.u.t.ter, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake until they shrivel slightly.

Raw Tomatoes.

Cut the skin from both ends; slice moderately thin, and, if you like, add a small piece of onion chopped fine. Season with salt and pepper, and pour over Durkee's or Clayton's salad dressing.

Cuc.u.mbers.

Take off a thick rind, as that portion between the seed and outer skin is the unwholesome part. Slice, rather thin, into cold, salt water, and, after half-an-hour, drain off, and dress with salt, pepper, wine vinegar, and a little Chile pepper-sauce, covering slightly with Durkee's or Clayton's salad dressing.

Boiled Cabbage.

Cut large cabbage in four; small in two pieces, and tie up in a bag or cloth. Put in boiling water, with some salt, and boil briskly for half-an-hour. A piece of charcoal in the pot will neutralize the odor given out by the cabbage, boiled in the ordinary way. Cabbage should never be cooked with corned-beef, as the fine flavor of the latter is changed to the strong odor of the cabbage.

To Cook Cauliflower.

If the cauliflower is large, divide in three, if small, in two pieces; tie up in a cloth, and put in boiling water with a little salt, and cook not more than twenty minutes. Eat with melted b.u.t.ter, pepper and salt, or nice drawn b.u.t.ter.

(Asparagus may be cooked in the same way, and eaten with similar dressing. Both cauliflower and asparagus may be spoiled with too much cooking. Care should be taken to drain the water from both as soon as they are done.)

To Cook Young Green Peas.

The best mode of cooking this most delicate and finely-flavored vegetable--put the peas in a porcelain-lined kettle, with just water sufficient to cover, and let them boil slowly until tender. Add a lump of b.u.t.ter, worked in a teaspoonful of flour, to the rich liquid, with half a teacupful of rich milk or cream; season with salt and pepper.

A Good Way to Cook Beets.

Take beets of a uniform size; boil until tender; slip off the skin, and slice into a dish or pan; season with salt and pepper, adding a little b.u.t.ter, made hot, and the juice of one lemon. Pour this over the beets, set in a hot oven for a few minutes, and send to the table hot.

Mashed Potatoes and Turnips.

Take equal quant.i.ties of boiled potatoes and turnips; mash together, adding b.u.t.ter, salt and pepper, and mix thoroughly with a little good milk, working all together until quite smooth.

Boiled Onions.

Take small white onions, if you have them; if large, cut and boil until tender, in salted water. Pour off nearly all the water, and add a small lump of b.u.t.ter, worked in a little flour, and a small cup of milk; add pepper, and simmer for a few minutes.

[All the foregoing are desirable additions to roast turkey and chicken.]

Stewed Corn.

If canned corn is used, put a sufficient quant.i.ty in a stewpan, with two or three spoonfuls of hot water, and, after adding pepper and salt to taste, put in a good-sized lump of b.u.t.ter, into which a teaspoonful of flour has been well worked, adding, at the same time, a cup of good, sweet milk or rich cream, and let it cook three minutes. Corn cut fresh from the cob should be boiled at least twenty minutes before adding the milk and b.u.t.ter.

Stewed Corn and Tomatoes.

Take equal quant.i.ties of corn and tomatoes, and stew together half-an-hour, with b.u.t.ter, pepper and salt; and when taken up place slices of b.u.t.tered toast in the dish in which it is served.

Succotash.