The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-08-30

|
| ina! GOO rs ever present. or any equally unde-
niable assertion. For themselves, THESE richly
scrolled texts could never be meant.
'Lor', ma'am,n laid one OF my helDs-an old
woman--to me- one day, 'ff the young ladies
| would but spend little time In teaching Door
girls hoWt to cook, and to get their bread, 'twould
oe much better for 'em, than in max ing the rig
maroles which nobody cares for cept 1t be the
| young gentlemen as comes to see 'em, pr'aps;
an they thinks em clever, and thinks they can
| surely make puddin's and pies, as can't be half
the trouble; but ladies don't know much nova
days.
Days flew on swiftly, and had yet to find my
new help; atlast she came as one who could
cook and was hiehlv recommended as clean
ana economical Maccaroni cheese, in her first
| days dinner, was the first rock she split upon.
Had ''neyer seen maccaroni, didn't know what
| IL meantn
| Now did not altogether care about teaching
| one TO whom was 10 give cooks wages so /
said, "If you do not know, l must make it nv.
self, and you must bring me the cheese from the
l9rder;o so fine piece weighing four pounds
| was BROUGHT to me.
| Not that, cook, but q crust or rind of the
cheese which you will find there"
| IL was brought and look of incredulity
| beamed on the woman's face / weighed six
! ounces OF maccaroni and broke it in short
| pieces; then washed 1t in hot water and then
| scraped well the outer part OF the cheese, SO
that 1t was perfectly free from spot speck; six
ounces OF this was then grated with a coarse
crater. The maccaroni was put on to boil in
6oatn9 oodteT, IN which was piece OF butter the
size OF hazel nut, and about an ounce OF salt.
In about twenty minutes boiling the maccaroni
was soft. Some melted butter sauce was placed
ior use, which bad been lett from the previous
DAYS dinner or otherwise some must have been
maze OF one ounce of butter and little milk,
water, and -four. layer of cheese was placed
IN the bottom of well-buttered shallow pie-dsh,
then layer of maccaroni, over this was poured
a little butter sauce, then layer of cheese, and
again OF macCaroni and butter, till the dish was
full; lastly was thick layer of the grated
cheese, and then the butter sauce, and some
tiny bits OF butter we're placed on the top.
The whole was then baked in a hot oven for
tmee-quarters of an hour, until the cheese was
OF light golden brown. Care was taken not to
serve it at table too hot. Thus, for the cost of
slXpenCe-h no more than eightpence a pound
was paid for maccaroni-a baLdsome and
always welcome dish was obtainable. The
crust OF cheese cannot be made use of in any
other way. Grated cheese in glass dish,
slice OF fresh butter in another, some pulled
crumb OF roll Drowned in the oven and placed
on white napkin, aud some crisp celery or
fresh water-cresses, will often be acceptable for
luncheon or supper, or as adjuncts alter meat
instead OF sweets.
NV new COOK informed me she had aIways had
a pint of milk to boil maccaroni in-notwith-
standing she did not know what maccaroni was
and cream instead Of butter sa c. and the
cheese was always Parmesan; and so with
covert sneer she unWilngly proceeded TO
bake the, to her, Objectionable: dish, but which,
however, took good care she should taste
The next thing we differed in was custards
desired TO have sufficient to fill twelve custard-
glasses OF the ordinary size.
There are only four eggs in the house.
ma'am, and must have eight"
-Four, Will be just the number you will
require"
"Never, ma'am; can never make custards
with four eggs and it's no use to try"
AS they must be made Cook, if you do not
IKE to make them, there is no alternative bat
to make them myself. Twelve custards can be
made with three eggs, if they are very large
ones. You can watch me make them, if YOU
please to do so; ii not, you can employ yourself
with something etse."
But ladies'" with strong emphasis on tba
word, don't hire cooks, and do the work them.
selves"
And if cooks won't make custards, or any,
tnlng else they are asked to cook without waste,
then ladies must, you know Formerly il was
the pleasure OF ladies OF rank and position to
make all the sweets pastry, plcEleS, and pre-
serving used IN the house; TO distil herbs for
essences and other matters and for this purpose !
they had room to themselves called the still |
room; and then there were tolerable cooks to be |
had who understood their busness for servants |
soon learned the right quantities OF ingredients
ana materials TO use, as these were always |
weighed or measured by the lady herself.n
While this talk went on, cook was standing !
by. was busy measuring exactly a pint and a |
hall OF milk, aid weighing three ounces of |
moist sugar; then | turned il into large basin.
added little nutmeg, and broke an egg into a |
small cup; then, il it was good, | threw it into
the milk and so on with the remaining eggs
Thus II an egg was bad, it could al once be
thrown away. Then with wire whisk beat
the whole together tor five minutes, then poured
the mixture into clean saucepan and out it |
over clear fire, STIRRING it till it began to
thicken sufficiently, then quickly poured it
nom the saucepan through tin strainer into
the basin. In a jug / dropped six drops of
essence OF almonds (Which is now manufac.
tured OF perfectly harmless kind), and placed |
the. tin straiDer on the top, through which |
again turned the custard, and kept pouring il
backwards ano forwards till it was nearly cold.
The glasses were then filled with thick, rich |
custard alike diges tlble and nourishing. |
Celery sauce was another trouble to our we'll {
paid cook; we weIe fond oflt-had it often, and /
TO us celery was of little expense as it grew in I
our garden. The hrst time it came to table it
was black and hard, and certainly a quarter of !
pound OF butter had been used in the vain
hope OF making the sauce presentable at table,
The next time, went into rhe kitchen an hour
before dinner, and had the celery pulled to
pieces and washed, first in warm water then in
cold, then cut into small pieces halt an inch
long, and put into pan of cold water (or it |
would turn black at the edge where the knife
had cut lt), II was then drained and thrown into
saucepan OF fast boiling water, in which was
a little salt and bit OF bacon fat or butter the
size oil ahutmeg: IL was made to boil up quickly,
and IN ten minutes IRON this time the celery
was ready for straining and mashing with a
wooden spoon in q basin; 1t was then slightly
nonreo Whlle hot, and mixed with sufficient hot
nllk to set 1t. Toe sauce was tnen ready No |
butter was required. 1t had only to be kent
warm IN covered basin in the hot oven till |
wanted. After celery is placed in milk it will !
not turn black ~ ~
Ihese tuInips are useless, maam," was my |
greeting as | came iatO the kitchen enc morn
lngi ''they seem to be very old"
I'VE must make them do, cook; they won't
be STICKY when they are lrpsSa6 YOu will nora