American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1879-05-17
Strawberry Sh0rtcake.

That is one of the texts that Is apt to
he better than the sermon. 1t furnishes
its own poetry. imagination, illustra-
tons, and, for too hearty eaters, its own
"warnings." What visions it calls up
of the great, generous platters upon
which the mothers end grandmothers OF
our childish years used to heap up LOAF
that was like the glory of a June day
transformed into cake! Have the
ness since then? Has the knack OF
crust-making gone to the limbo Of lost
artsp Does the palate miss the favors,
and the stomach the satisfaction, that
they kngw In YOUTH Something has
happened to the strawberry shortc axe,
or else it belongs to the other retfiinis-
cences of life's halcyon days, magn1fled
through the lenses of memory-like the
singers, the actors, tie otators, we once
heard; the peerless friends; the match
less. never-recurring "good old times -
Yet it is not all q delusion this degen-
eracy. Step into shop and try piece
of the bakers 4" strawberry shortcake. :"
There Is about three cakes to one berry
decidedly the wrong sort of " short
ness'' it is dry and favorless the crust
is kind of porous sPonge-cake. 1t is
simply cake and strawberries mixed.
We prefer ours separate. Or try the
hotel article-the chances are that the
crust is a fluffy mixture, apparently
made of lard and flour rolled together
cold. The berries bear the appearance
of having been stewed-and cook who
will thus maltreat strawberry can't be
trusted with your poodle in sau sage sea-
son. He has no conscience, no heart;
worse than that, for cook. he is desti-
tute of taste! Baked strawberries! We
would as soon have boiled bouquet
Yet another kiLd of sacriicge is perpe-
trated by cooks who cut into two thick
slices a cold shortc AXE, and fatten a
few unfortunate berries between them
just enough to color the edges-and
serve it any time within three days after
baking; only the fruit being fresh.
Now a true strawberry shortcake has
an ephemeral existence-without regard
to whom it is set before! 1t dies within
40 minu.es after completion. Some
people like it cold, just as some pretend
to bs fond of aged pancakes; but a
strawb berry shortcake with the life gone
out of it las no charms for us. 1t is fit
only for the restaurant-away with it |!
We should seorn to convert this arti-
Gle into clipping for cook book
at least, without little more technical
knowledge on the subject than we pos
sess. 1t is hard for us to say we ''don't
know" in response to any inquiry; but
we really "dunno as we know" just
how to make strawberry shortcake-
which is said to be as near as Yankee
ever comes to using the two foregoing
hard words But we know one when
we see it. The tender, light, unsweet-
ened cake, three or four inches thick,
which rises in baking, and is made fit
for its rare service with butter milk,
skill, cream, experience, baking pow
der, and other ingredients; which is
dexterously split mot cut) in two with
out being made "heavy," and receives,
to complete the sandwich, coating of
June butter and couple of quarts or
80 of strawberries and sugar--at least
four berries to every mouthful-and is
served warm with more berries and no
end of cream-this Is the article we
speak of. 1t is an insult to the noble
dish to serve it as dessert, or with any
thing else unless 1t be green peas. Make
a meal of it, if you get a chance, and
know that even the gods never dined
better Golden Rule.