Evening journal., 1898-05-18
HOUSEHOLD TALKS.
Rules OF IN Old nousekeeper for
Making Real strawberry
shortcnlSe.

The baskets OF crimson berries that
we see piled on the hucksters' stalls
now suggest the enticing shortcake.
This is q characteristic American del
icacy, and is found at it's best on the
home table. Somehow the French cooks,
who are the only ones employed by the
best hotels and restaurants, never seem
to have acquired the knaclS of turning
out a delicate, hakey shortcale such as
our best home cooks prepare. Their
thortcake is a sort of mongrel bread,
between n sweet layer cake and agateau
St. Honore, decorated with straw
berries. Some of the English restaur-
ants serve scones between layers of
Strawberries for the famous short
cake.
Shortcake proper is a simple, de-
licious light biscuit dough, baked in
layers, which are split open after they
are baked, spread with Strawberries,
chopped a trihe to make them COM
pact, and served at once with sugar
and whipped cream. No dish is more
| likely TO be failure in the hands of n
careless cook.
The shortcake may be raised with
baking powder or with sour cream
and soda. The simplest way Of making
a shortcoke is with baking powder; the
veriest tyro in her trade can prepare a
fairly good shortcake in this man
ner:
Measure out a quart of flour, and
add four even spoonfuls of good
baking powder Sift both together
three times, and then rub through the
mass two large tablespoonfuls of but
ter. Add two hOlf-pint cupfuls of sweet
milk and stir the mass rapidly. Turn IL
out on pastry board. dredgcd with
flour. Dredge the dough and roll il out
with a roller well sprinkled with flour.
Do not rub the hand over the board
or rolling-pin; this is the mistake of the
"green" pastry cook is likely TO make.
The bread or the pastry Is much more
I likely to stick when this Is done. Do
not attempt TO make bread or pastry
Of any kind without u flour dredge;
use this when IL is needed, and your
bread and pastry will never stick tc
the board.
For shortcake roll out the dough IN
two layers each threc-quarters of al
: inch thick; roll melted butter over one
] any lay the other above It. Put then
in a hot oven, and bake in q Russian
iron dripping pan, in order thot It ma.
rise before IL begins to brown. IL tn
! oven is not defective IL win not b
p | necessary TO put the cake on the uppe
d slide. The top crust should be a deli
e cate brown, but not hard. Twent
e minutes ought to cook any shortcake q
the thickness given. AS soon as IN
= cake is taken from the oven, split
< apart and pile each piece with straw
u berries which have been cut in two
Z sprinkle them with sugar and put th
two cakes together. Heap whippe
n cream over the top and cut it into tr
a angles quickly with a heated knit
u which will prevent the hot bread bein
E.. heavy, as il would be If cut with a col
knife.
The shortcake must be served as 500
as possible after the strawberries hay
been sprinkled on it.
r A delicious shortcake is made wit
Y sour cream which has reached th'
state of acidity when it has turned {
q ielly-iSe curd. This will require tI
L use of baking powder as well as sod
~ as the chemical effervescence set up bi
- tween the soda and the sour cream wi
not be sufficient to raise the flour.
At For this shortcake sift quart {
= -four with two teaspoonfuls of bal
l., ing powder. Rub two liberal tabl
Il spoonfuls of butter through the flou
o., and melt a scant half teaspoonful
= soda in n tablespoonful of water; ad
l. it TO cup of sour cream, and instnntl
~ put il into the other ingredients wit
= out stopping to stir it. Add also
cup of sweet milk.
10 Stir rapidly. Success depends upo
S, the rapidity of your movements aft
10 adding the melted soda to the sol
cream and stirring the sweet milk I'M
DE- the -four. All effervescence must tai
b. place after the mixing as far as po
r. sible. Bake and serve it in the mannl
'l- as before given. This makes a tende
~ er shortcake than the other rule
Y rTrfbuua