The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1898-06-03
HOUSEHOLD TALKS.
Making Real Strawberry
y ShOrtcake.


The baskets of crimson berries that
we see piled on the hucksters' stalls
now suggest the enticing shortcake
This is characteristic American del
icacy, and is found at its 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 knack of turning
out delicate, fakey shortcake such as
our best home cooks prepare. Their
shortcake is q sort of mongrel bread.
between sweet layer cake and gateau
a ST. Honore, decorated with straw.
berries. Some of the English restaur.
ants serve scenes 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 trifle to make them com
pact, and served at once with sugar
and whipped cream. No dish is more
likely to be a failure in the hands of g
careless cook.
The shortcake may be raised with
baking powder or with sour cream
and soda. The simplest way of making
a shortcake is with baking powder; the
veriest tyro in her trade can prepare {
fairly good shortcake in this man
| ner:
Measure out a quart of flour, anc
| add four even spoonfuls of gooC
| three times, and then rub through tn,
mass two large tablespoonful of but
| ter. Add two half-pint cupfuls of swee
milk and stir the mass rapidly. Turn i
out on pastry board, dredged will
| flour. Dredge the dough and roll it GU
with roller well sprinkled with flour
Do not rub the hand over the boarC
or rolling-pin; this is the mistake of thu
green" pastry cook is likely to make
The bread or the pastry is much NOR
| likely to stick when this is done. D,
not attempt to make bread or pastr,
of any kind without flour dredge
use this when it is needed, and you
bread and pastry will never stick t,
the board.
| For shortcake roll out the dough il
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 a Russian
iron dripping pan, in order that it ma,
rise before it begins to brown. If tn
oven is not defective it will not b
necessary to put the cake on the uppe
slide. The top crust should be deli
cate brown, but not hard. Invent
minutes ought to cook any shortcake O
the thickness given. AS soon as tn
cake is taken from the oven, split i
apart and pile each piece with straw
berries which have been cut in two
sprinkle them with sugar and put tn
two cakes together. Heap whippe
cream over the top and cut it into tr
angles quickly with a heated knife
which will prevent the hot bread bein,
heavy, as it would be ii cut with col
knife.
The shortcake must be served as 500
as possible after the strawberries hav
been sprinkled on it.
A delicious shortcake is made wit
sour cream which has reached tina
state of acidity when it has turned t
a jelly-like curd. This will require tn
use of baking powder as well as soda
as the chemical effervescence set up be
tween the soda and the sour cream will
not be sufficient to raise the flour.
i For this shortcake sift a quart O
flour with two teaspoonfuls of bak
ing powder. Rub two liberal table
spoonfuls of butter through the flour
and melt scant half teaspoonful O
soda in tablespoonful of water; adj
it to cup of sour cream, and Instant,
put it into the other ingredients with
out stopping to stir it. Add also
cup of sweet milk.
i Stir rapidly. Success depends upol
the rapidity of your movements afte
adding the melted soda to the sou
cream and stirring the sweet milk int
the flour. All effervescence must tax
place after the mixing as far as pos
sible. Bake and serve it in the name
as before given. This makes tender
er shortcake than the other rule.-N
Y. Tribune.