Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-12-20
CONCERNING THE APOTHEOsIs OF
D0UGHNUTS.

CONCERNING THE AP0THEOSIS OF
OOUGHNUTS.
Miss Corson Talks About ssSome Good
glo.kashi0nea COOkery''-TwO New
and q sal Sin1sr Sinnsr. Boiled Dinner
From the N. Y. Times.
VI late, while sojourning in the west with a
notable housewife Of New England extraction.
some discussion arose concerning the relative
merits OF the old and new methods of cookery.
One OF the house-mothers, newly come from the
east, was good enough to indulge us with some
"reminiscences Of the times when our grand
mothers gave Us at least once a week the two
staple dishes of the New England cuisine pure
and simple boiled dinner and the .'salt-fsh
dinner
Those good old days. Shall be blamed for
lingering regretfully over the picture which
stretches before my minds eye? A large low
ceiled kitchen. half grdled with well-scrubbed
tables and small. square paaed windows, where
luxuriant morning glOries disputed the ingress
OF summer sunshine. and through which brisk
spring winds drove showers of rosy snow from
the old apple trees overspreading them: and
opposite. the old chimney-place. where the iron
crane. Overhapging bed of glowing embers
and the brick oven, redOent with the conccn-
trated sweets OF generations of pies of spicy
pumpkin, luscious apple. and royal mince teal
INTO an ignominious corner. viii ever the
daintiest plat give half the enjoyment to my
satisfactory nerves that Of old agitated
them at sight of the crisp amber dough-
nuts which the dear old grandmother
lifted from the smoking frying-kettle to the
earthern crock upon the nearest table. That
was the one used to perch upon when could
Just Chamber up with the help of a chair. and
when a feast of said amber goodies was the one
object in life to be attalned-openy if such end
witt nd mn of boriS lint
to be attained at all hazards. All, then occurred
the apOtheOsis of doughnuts. Their glory is de-
parted. Did | not make summer pilgrimage
throughout the Land of the Pilgrims vairiy
yearnlng for the doughnuts of my childhood:
In all that time once, and only once. an odor
of them was waited across my yearnng senses
as l Whirled by a logging hut on mountain
road, wildly driving in the fore of a furious
thunder storm. my mountain pony tearing down
the sudden dips in the rocky steep. aud nv
blackboard swaying at his expeditions heels |
could not stop Just then: the pony did not want
me to. and, BESIDES while the blackboard would
go down hill very We'll on any one OF its four
wheels. it would not halt under such circum-
stances SO l fled and left the essence of my
thought behind.
Well. the days we had doughnuts we had
boiled dinners. too, but was not Interested in
them. and SO | was glad when the aforesaid dis
cusslOn began. and knew that ! could gather
scraps of the culinary wisdom of old DAYS for
the readers of the Household" Something
OF what follows the grave and reverend mother
told with CLINT Of the frosty sunshine OF her
nils lighting her reserve now and then. When
a boiled dinner is the order Of the day one must
heTin to get it as soon us breakfast is over for
there are so many things to do about it; first
the beef, five or six pounds from nicely corned
round, must be washed i'm cold water to freshen
IL a little and put over the fire in a large pot
with cold water enough to reach two or three
inches above it; it must boil slowly while the
vegetables are being prepared and at least four
hours must be allowed for cooking it, Four
beets must be washed without breaking the
skin. and set to boil in saited boiling water
directly after the meat is put over the fire.
Then four white turnips and one large yellow
one must be peeled and the yellow one cut i'm
quarters; four parsnips and four carrots must be
scraped: firm head of white cabbage must be
trimmed and well washed and the stalks cut out
without breaking the leaves apart: a dozen white
potatoes must be peeled. and all the vegetables
laid in cold water until wanted for boiling. One
OF the friends in council here suggested that
onions were nice with boiled dinner, and after
some discussion they were voted i'm. with the
proviso that they be boiled in pot by them
selves. Another said that squash and pumpkin
might enter into the composition of the dish,
and either or both We're admitted provided they
were mashed after boiling and dressed with but
ter. pepper. and salt. The question then arose as
TO the cooking OF the vegetables entire or in thick
Slices: that point was considered mmaterial the
fact being remembered that thev would cook
most quickly If sliced: the time allowed for boil
ing the various kinds was set as two hours for
carrots. parsnips and large turnips an hour for
cabbage and onions and half an hour for pota-
toes and squash. the vegetables to be added in
their proper succession to the pot Ontanny
the meat. after ali the scum had been removed
with a small dried red pepper and ali slowly
boiled until done. 1t was agreed that the beetS
when done were to be peeled and Sliced. and
dressed with little butter pepper salt and
vinegar. which would neceSsitatc serving them
in 4 dish by themselves. The point then came
up as To the serving of the other vegetables the
conservatives maintaining that the proper flavor
of the dinner would be spoiled unless all came
to table on the platter with the meat. and the
radicals standing out stoutlv in favor of separ-
ate dishes. The discussion waxing somewhat
hot. | meckiy yentured to remark that my
grandmother used to put all on one platter but
if people wanted TO show off their dishes. (and
here glanced rather obviously at certain bits of
MintOn and royal Worcester displayed over the
dining-room mantel, } and make more work in
the kitchen, (Which in this house was altogether
too nice for washing dishes in.) 1. personally
could not see any good reason why they should
not crafty their Whims.
The conservatives here yielded, but they with
stood al! assaults in tile matter of serving the
salt-iiSh dinner. There. the fish, which must
first be soaked over night in cold water. and
then put over very slow fire in fresh cold
water. and not allowed to boil. but only to sim
mer very gently for about an hour must be
placed on IA large patter and surrounded 10y
peeled potatoes boiled nicely and hard-boiled
eggs without their shells and over all must be
poured plenty Of drawn-butter sauce. begged
leave to say that very proper accompaniment
would be IA few bits of parseley in the sauce and
dish Of boiled parsnips mashed and dressed
with butter and salt. especially if the dinner
were to be eaten on Ash Wednesday. but nv re-
mark me: with the discouraging comment that
such a papistical innovation had no place in
New England dinner. The moral pressure was
so great that | did not think it prudent to say
that the New England. dinner originally came
from Old England, and that parsnips hadn't any
special religion. | held my peace and came
back to New York. where l can say it-Juiit
GOisOn.
Jewish Dietary Laws.
Two articles from the pen of DR.. Henry Behr-