Evening star., 1928-12-23
rgna Recipes Reveal Lavish Yuletde Feass of Long Ago

O1lSTSO
not to take more than the quart provided.
Have ready stout cotton cloth or bag
scald 1t in boiling water and dust flour
over the inside until a thin coating Is
| formed; put the pudding in and tie
I up tightly, after leaving ample room
| for 1t to swell; put it in pot OF boil
ing water to boil steadily for three
hours. The dangers to be avoided are
letting the pudding stick to the bot
| tom of the pot, which may be prevent
| ed by reversing plate and laying 1t
| beneath, and, worse still. letting the
string or bag give way so that water
| is admitted See that both bag and
| string are strong
Following an English custom as old
as the days of King Arthur, it has al
| ways been usual in Virginia at Christ
mas to send in the plum pudding to
the table aglow in alcoholic flames
This is done by pouring over it half
gill of pure alcohol or brandy and
| putting lighted match to it Just as
the waiter bears it into the dining room.
Sauce for this pudding is made of one
| cup OF butter, two cups cf sugar, half
a cup of cream (well beasnpJ, half q
glass CO brandy or whisky and two tea
Spoonfuls of vanilla and little nu:-
meg. Cream butter and add sugar
gradually. Add cream, then vanilla,
then the wine slowly. When all is
beaten smooth, place the bowl in a
basin of hot water. Stir until the sauce
is smooth and no longer
| Fruit cakes were made usually one
year for the next, and put away to
mellow. No one ever thought of serving
| a freshly made fruit cake, SO that the
fruit cake making was an annual rite.
attended with much ceremony, and the
results were truly worthy of the effort
and care which was attendant to their
making The pound cakes were made
just before they were to be used. "Aunt
Americas" were made as follows:
! X x x x
"EOR elegant black fruit cake, take
| two pounds of raisins, two pounds
or currants, one pound of citron, one
pound OF almonds, one pound of sugar,
one pound of butter, one pound of -four,
one dozen eggs, tablespoonful of mace,
a tablespoonful of cinnamon, two nut
megs, one teacupful of wine and brandy
mixed; cut up the raisinS and citron,
roll them in flour to separate, beat the
1rult into the eggs, after they have been
WhiSked perfectly light; also the butter
| ~NAA oNS0A1 1ACCA OAACJ 11dFC UcCll CIGdIuGQ
together; let the flour be lightly stirred
In just before putting the cake into
the oven. Put embers under the oven.
and let 1t rise three hours; bake slowly
then for three hours or more, or until.
by trying it with straw, you find that
| none OF the batter adhereS to it: then
draw the oven away from the fire, and
let the cake soak at least two hours.
Ii IL is very large 1t will be better to
leave 1t in the chimney corner all night.
Do not cut the almonds more than
three times at most, and reserve a por-
tlon OF the citron to be sliced and stuck
In the cake after it is put in the oven.
In sticking it in let the pieces go down
OUT OF sight in the dough or they win
De thrown out in the rising of the cake.
For white fruit cake, take one pound
OF butter, one pound of -four, one pound
and quarter of sugar, one dozen eggs
three pounds of citron chopped fine
two small coconuts, peeled and grated:
Two pounds of almonds (weighed before
Snellng), blanched and pounded; one
Wmeglass OF brandy, one of wine, three
teaspoonfuls of cinnamon, two table
| Spoon1ulS OF mace measured before they
are ground), and one nutmeg"
| FOR pound cake beat the yolks and
whites OF IL eggs separately: have
ready weighed and sifted l pound of
nneSt nour and l pound Of sugar;
cream l pound of butter after you
nave washed from it all the salt; now
put this creamed butter into a large
DoWI or tray and beat into it alter
uate!y hour; sugar and eggs until all
the materials are used up. Use only
the roth of the whites of eggs: If any
clear settles in the bottom of the dish
eltner whip 1t up again or leave it out
II there is but little of it. Flavor with
grated lemon peel and some nutmeg
or teaspoonful of mace ground fine
Line the bottom Of your mold with thin
brown paper, creased
The years roll by the kitchen In the
yard with its roaring fireplace, AUNT
America and her dusky assistants have
gone; the Civil War came with its nm.
set, and today there is little left but
tradition and the cookbook. Yet, as
one turns the leaves of the old book
In which are recorded these culinary
masterpieces, one, cannot help but ap-
preciate the sentiments which are so
aptly recorded in little anonymous
verse sent me by friend as frontis-
piece for my old and greatly valued
cookbook:
Just an old-fashioned cookbook,
but how it can thrill me with recipes.
some OF them starting like this
rake one dozen eggs and a pound
of fresh butter,
| Add one pint of cream and some
| sugar and spice"
Oh, 1t quickens my pulse and It
| makes my heart flutter-
| Today no romance has sequel so
nice.
| have shuddered with Poe, have
| chuckled with Dickens,
have wept with De Morgan and
laughed with Bill Nye;
But this tale of baked hams and Of
smothered spring chickens
Brings lump to my throat and
tear to my eye,
When l turn the thumbed leaves Of
the old-faShioned cookbook
With its reckless romance Of DAYS
long gone hvl