Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20

| very spawn OF nightmare are Its overdress
ing with suet and butter, only fit for pola
consumption, and its drugging with spices
Spice is the very food of the nerves, right
used, growing more essential ns circulation
and sense dull with age, but it should b
delicately, dfscerningly used not to use it
potency. The overdressing with fat is
remnant of the old English barbarism whic
stewed its food in tallow, and as the oil
play has it, 'took two tat wethers to bast
one capon." Housekeepers of note hay
WED in the richness of their recipes fo
mince pie; let mine be the plsinest formul
which yet meets the demands of taste.
Beefs Heart Is the Best.
Economical cooks make mincemeat o
beefs heart, by itselfa dry. tallowy morseI
but with the thick fat pared away befor
cooking and the juicy flank strips cooket
with it and both boiled down in the broth
you have an inexpensive foundation which
minced, is as rich as tongue or the high
priced pieces, tenderloin, filet or round
which extravagant cooks like to use Th,
fat is taken of, the rich liquor of the mea
boiled down to gravy and added to the
mince. One quart bowl of chopped meat II
three of apple is the rule, and with thi.
neither suet, butter, brandy nor wine j!
used. The fat is left out because it is moi
good for food, the wine end brandy fol
economy's sake.
Baldwin apples are used, with one ounce
| to the four bowls of mince, one lemon and
! peel, two Havana oranges, chopped, the
peel boiled tender and very finely cut, half
q cup of cider jelly, two cups of raisins, one
! OF currants, tablespoonful of cinnamon, two
nutmegs, a teaspoonful of cloves, and one cof-
fee cup of sugar. The juice of the meat gives
richness, instead of suet.
In place of the wine and brandy, what?
One -haltcup OF the best Puerto Rico molasses,
not syrup, one large cup of strong tea and
one-thrd teaspooniul of cayenne pepper.
This dose, the invention of clever cook
who mixed her dishes with brains, sir, ="
gives a zest that is a fair imitation of
brandy and aids digestion. When the pies
are made one tcaspoonful of butter, in small
bits, is spread over the mince before putting
on the upper crust. This mince has not an
indigestible ingredient in it, while the
davoring is very rich.
The Pastry for the Pie.
Now for pastry: Fine -four mingled with
oil has been IA regale ever since patriarchal
times, when Sarah set cakes before the angel
at the door of Abraham's tent We were
meant to like it and to eat it. If instead of
the pale brown -four mingled with olive oil
and baked on the hearth, which Sarah used.
we prefer past of starchy -four and animal
fat which no juices of the stomach can dis
solve any more than they could pieces of
glue, it is our own mistake. My own fam
lily have gone back to the primitive pastry
of Mamre, not from any superstitions about
the iniuriousness of pastry in itself, but
because we like pie, and like the best kind
of it.
For economy's sake we use the ordinary
salad oil, which you eat in the salad dress
ings sold By the bottle, and find in the
cruets Of the best restaurants, which is pure
peanut or refined cottonseed oil, clear, odor-
less and tasteless almost This takes the
place OF lard or shortening in our cookery,
from frying fish and fritter5 to making
pastry. With Arlington whole wheat flour
or any fine grades OF graham, it gives the
sweetest, fakiest pastry ever eaten. Try it,
with brown flour or white, using one part
oil to three parts -four. with ice water, salt
and pinch of baking powder Never roll
out crust tor more than one pie at a time, as
handling toughens any paste, but brush the
top with milk on putting it in the oven,
which should be hot enough to bake it
thoroughly in little over ten minutes.
There is not the slightest trace of oil in the
pastry, which is more delicate than if made
with sweet butter.
Plum Pudding That VIII Digest
Plum pudding is another wholesome food
that no careful family should be without in
winter, combining as it does the heat-mak-
ing and strengthening elements of fat, -four
and raisins, which are the most sustaining
fruit in the world. One might 90 marches
on as light rations as Caesars army in Gaul
III he three handfuls day were nuts and
dried grapes instead of raw wheat. doubt !
the famed legions hadn't more cereal food
in a country OF olives and VINEYARDS Blend |
the three, the cereal, the oil, the rsisin and !
you have strong food for building bone that |
will not shatter with falling over chair,
and teeth whose brilliant enamel will show |
no flaw at GO, for supplying the unceasing |
activity Of brain which modern life COM |
pels, with double strength sent by the cur |
rents from untaxed stomach and liver, sup |
pie, free working skin and veins that beat |
even music.
There is spice which feeds the nerves and |
sxcites the glands before mouthful of SOUP |
could be absorbed. and whose effects deserve |
closer study and more Justice than they |
have vet obtained
The basis of our plum pudding, is the
inest oatmeal, almost like flour, with lit
lie oil, baking powder and the usual fruits,
1avoring much with the aromatic Havana
orange peel.
Oatmeal for Iss Own Merits.
i don't recommend oatmeal because II Is
healthy. but because it is nice. The fact is
t blends most delicately with fine fiavors,
md instead of being a nursery diet, or
oolted before breakfast, it deserves the at
5ention of the gourmets
The coarser kind is richer than chestnuts
,s filling for turkey. Use cold boiled oat-
neal and bread crumbs, with chopped oys-
ers, sweet marioram, sausage or any usual
lavoring, especially celery, which gives a
Inc flavor to the bird, or put a pinch of
ground carawav and dash of nutmeg with
he sage and marjoram if you want new
md foreign flavor of which the ingredients
'annot be recognized By the way, dress
your turkey and fill it over night TO let the
seasoning strike through it. The plum
pudding to follow will be acceptable to the
most exacting tastes whether cold wheat or
,atmeal is used instead of bread crumbs,
With finely ground suet or oil, and the
pice, sugar, molasses and fruit as for mince-
neat. Plum pudding like this should be
made the week before use and grows better
With age. But the aim of all this cookery
ak is not to persuade you of the benefits
# unbolted -four. SD.