The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1900-05-09
NURSERY COOKERY
TIE HALF-GROWN CHILD AT
TABLE-HIS DIET.
BY Christine Terhune Herrlck.

Since there are plenty of simple and
wholesome sweets, why cannot sub
stitute be provided, if the parents do
not wish to refuse a dessert to child
altogether. Many of these sweets are Of
a character that will appeal to the pa
rents as we'll as the children. Any one
of the following may be counted in that
class.
CORNSTARCH MERINGUE PUD-
DING.
Heat a quart of milk in a double boiler,
and moisten two tablespoonful of corn
starch with a little cold milk, so that 1t
will just pour. stir this into the milk
as soon as it reaches the boil, and let 1t
cook together, stirring constantly for
four or five mlnXes or until it thickens
When it CON es 'fo this point add to it
slowly, and with care THAI it does not
curdle, the well beaten yolks of three
eggs, with which have been whipped
half cupful of graduated sugar. DO not
leave the custard on the fire for more
than two minutes after this, but turn at
once into a buttered pudding dish and
flavor with teaspoonful of vanilla or
a small amount of bitter almond. Bake
covered for fifteen minutes or until the
custard is firm. Have ready the whites
Of the eggs beaten to a stiff froth with
a tablespoonful of powdered sugar, heap
this on the top of the pudding, close the
oven door again, and let it brown light
ly. Eat very cold with rich cream.
JAM CORN STARCH PUDDING.
Heat three cupfuls of milk in double
boiler, and thicken with four teaspoon
fuls of cornstarch dissolved in little
cold milk, and pour this upon the yolks
of three eggs, beaten light with half
cup of sugar Bake In a buttered pud-
ding dish until the contents are firm,
draw to the oven door, and spread with
half-cup of strawberry or raspberry jam.
Over this heap a meringue made of the
whites of the three eggs, whipped light
with little sugar. Let this become a
delicate brown. This pudding, too
should be eaten cold with cream.
CORN MEAL PUDDINGS.
Scald one cup of fine cornmeal with boil
Ing water. Drain off the water and put the
meal in saucepan with a quart of boil
ing milk. Cook, stirring constantly for
fifteen minutes. Take from the fire. add
half a cup of graduated sugar and beat
In four eggs, that should first have been
whipped light. Season with little GIN
ger and cinnamon-about half a tea
spoonful of each-and pour the mixture
into small patty pans or timbale moulds.
Set these in a dripping pan, pour boiling
water around them, cover and bake
about half an hour or until the buildings
are firm like cake. Turn them out and
serve hot, with hard or cream sauce.
TAPIOCA AND APPLE PUDDING.
Soak over night cup of tapioca in
one pint of water In the morning put
1t over the fire in pint of hot water and
cook very slowly until the tapioca has
reached the transparent stage. Should
all the water be absorbed before this
stage is reached, add little more from
the teakettle. The tapioca should be soft
enough to pour easily. Peel and core
half a dozen tart apples of medium size
and arrange them in a pudding dish, fill
Ing the place left in each by removing
the core, with granulated sugar. Pour
a cupful of water over them, put them
In the oven and bake until tender. At
this point, pour the boiling tapioca upon
them, return the dish to the oven cover
and bake for fifteen or twenty minutes.
This pudding may be eaten with hard
or soft sauce, or ice-cold with cream.
Besides the above there is a noble ar
ray of blanc manages, jeIlies creams,
custards and the like that are whole
some and nutritious as well as platable
But 1t Is not in sweets alone thai ac-
ceptable substitutes may be found for
indigestible dalnties. The whole com
pany Of fried foods should be excluded
from the child's bill of fare until he has
turned twelve or thirteen, and should be
eaten in moderation even then. Still
with very little care 1t Is possible to give
him other dishes that will please him
no less. Let us take up for an instant
the matter of griddle cakes. In many
homes these form the principal item OF
the breakfast bill of fare. AS usually
cooked and eaten they cannot be re-
garded as wholesome. Fried on a greasy
griddle, not always thoroughly cooke
soaked with butter and drenched with
syrup, hurriedly devoured with insult
fcient mastication--is 1t any wonder
that they remain, an inert mass, In the
stomach OF the child who has bolted si>
or eight of them as his only breakfast
The grown person who eats such foot
and goes out to vigorous exercise or t
hard work may suffer less, but the white
mans burden lies heavy on the small
child. If. however, he had begun hi:
breakfast with a bowlful Of some goot
cereal and milk. If the cakes had beer
baked on a soapstone griddle and cooked
long enough to at least partially con.
vert the starch they contain into dex
trine, II the process had been continued
In the childs mouth by the thorough
mastication that accompanies slow eat
Ing, the demand upon his digestion
would have been greatly reduced.
Continued next week.)