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The Whitehouse Cookbook (1887) written by Mrs. F.L. Gillette

M >> Mrs. F.L. Gillette >> The Whitehouse Cookbook (1887)





CREAMED PARSNIPS.

Boil tender, scrape and slice lengthwise. Put over the fire with two
tablespoonfuls of butter, pepper and salt and a little minced parsley.
Shake until the mixture boils. Dish the parsnips, add to the sauce
three tablespoonfuls of cream or milk in which has been stirred a
quarter of a spoonful of flour. Boil once and pour over the parsnips.


STEWED TOMATOES.

Pour boiling water over a dozen sound ripe tomatoes; let them remain
for a few moments; then peel off the skins, slice them and put them
over the fire in a well-lined tin or granite-ware saucepan. Stew them
about twenty minutes, then add a tablespoonful of butter, salt and
pepper to taste; let them stew fifteen minutes longer and serve hot.
Some prefer to thicken tomatoes with a little grated bread, adding a
teaspoonful of sugar; and others who like the flavor of onion chop up
one and add while stewing; then again, some add as much green corn as
there are tomatoes.


TO PEEL TOMATOES.

Put the tomatoes into a frying basket and plunge them into hot water
for three or four minutes. Drain and peel. Another way is to place
them in a flat baking-tin and set them in a hot oven about five
minutes; this loosens the skins so that they readily slip off.


SCALLOPED TOMATOES.

Butter the sides and bottom of a pudding-dish. Put a layer of bread
crumbs in the bottom; on them put a layer of sliced tomatoes; sprinkle
with salt, pepper and some bits of butter, and a very _little_ white
sugar. Then repeat with another layer of crumbs, another of tomato and
seasoning until full, having the top layer of slices of tomato, with
bits of butter on each. Bake covered until well cooked through; remove
the cover and brown quickly.


STUFFED BAKED TOMATOES.

From the blossom end of a dozen tomatoes--smooth, ripe and solid--cut
a thin slice and with a small spoon scoop out the pulp without
breaking the rind surrounding it; chop a small head of cabbage and a
good-sized onion fine and mix with them fine bread crumbs and the
pulp; season with pepper, salt and sugar and add a cup of sweet cream;
when all is well mixed, fill the tomato shells, replace the slices and
place the tomatoes in a buttered baking-dish, cut ends up and put in
the pan just enough water to keep from burning; drop a small lump of
butter on each tomato and bake half an hour or so, till well done;
place another bit of butter on each and serve in same dish. Very fine.

Another stuffing which is considered quite fine. Cut a slice from the
stem of each and scoop out the soft pulp. Mince one small onion and
fry it slightly; add a gill of hot water, the tomato pulp and two
ounces of cold veal or chicken chopped fine, simmer slowly and season
with salt and pepper. Stir into the pan cracker dust or bread crumbs
enough to absorb the moisture; take off from the fire and let it cool;
stuff the tomatoes with this mass, sprinkle dry crumbs over the top;
add a small piece of butter to the top of each and bake until slightly
browned on top.


BAKED TOMATOES. (Plain.)

Peel and slice quarter of an inch thick; place in layers in a
pudding-dish, seasoning each layer with salt, pepper, butter and a
very little white sugar. Cover with a lid or large plate and bake half
an hour. Remove the lid and brown for fifteen minutes. Just before
taking from the oven pour over the top three or four tablespoonfuls of
whipped cream with melted butter.


TO PREPARE TOMATOES. (Raw.)

Carefully remove the peelings. Only perfectly ripe tomatoes should
ever be eaten raw and if ripe the skins easily peel off. Scalding
injures the flavor. Slice them and sprinkle generously with salt, more
sparingly with black pepper, and to a dish holding one quart, add a
light tablespoonful of sugar to give a piquant zest to the whole.
Lastly, add a gill of best cider vinegar; although, if you would have
a dish yet better suited to please an epicurean palate, you may add a
teaspoonful of made mustard and two tablespoonfuls of rich sweet
cream.


FRIED AND BROILED TOMATOES.

Cut firm, large, ripe tomatoes into thick slices, rather more than a
quarter of an inch thick. Season with salt and pepper, dredge well
with flour, or roll in egg and crumbs, and fry them brown on both
sides evenly, in hot butter and lard mixed. Or, prepare them the same
as for frying, broiling on a well-greased gridiron, seasoning
afterward the same as beefsteak. A good accompaniment to steak. Or,
having prepared the following sauce, a pint of milk, a tablespoonful
of flour and one beaten egg, salt, pepper and a very little mace;
cream an ounce of butter, whisk into it the milk and let it simmer
until it thickens; pour the sauce on a hot side-dish and arrange the
tomatoes in the centre.


SCRAMBLED TOMATOES.

Remove the skins from a dozen tomatoes; cut them up in a saucepan; add
a little butter, pepper and salt; when sufficiently boiled, beat up
five or six eggs and just before you serve turn them into the saucepan
with the tomatoes, and stir one way for two minutes, allowing them
time to be done thoroughly.


CUCUMBER A LA CREME.

Peel and cut into slices (lengthwise) some fine cucumbers. Boil them
until soft; salt to taste, and serve with delicate cream sauce. For
Tomato Salad, see SALADS, also for Raw Cucumbers.


FRIED CUCUMBERS.

Pare them and cut lengthwise in very thick slices; wipe them dry with
a cloth; sprinkle with salt and pepper, dredge with flour, and fry in
lard and butter, a tablespoonful of each mixed. Brown both sides and
serve warm.


GREEN CORN, BOILED.

This should be cooked on the same day it is gathered; it loses its
sweetness in a few hours and must be artificially supplied. Strip off
the husks, pick out all the silk and put it in boiling water; if not
entirely fresh, add a tablespoonful of sugar to the water, but _no
salt_; boil twenty minutes, fast, and serve; or you may cut it from
the cob, put in plenty of butter and a little salt, and serve in a
covered vegetable dish. The corn is much sweeter when cooked with the
husks on, but requires longer time to boil. Will generally boil in
twenty minutes.

Green corn left over from dinner makes a nice breakfast dish,
prepared as follows: Cut the corn from the cob, and put into a bowl
with a cup of milk to every cup of corn, a half cup of flour, one egg,
a pinch of salt, and a little butter. Mix well into a thick batter,
and fry in small cakes in very hot butter. Serve with plenty of butter
and powdered sugar.

[Illustration: THE FAMOUS EAST ROOM.]

[Illustration: THE RED ROOM.]

[Illustration: THE BLUE ROOM.]


CORN PUDDING.

This is a Virginia dish. Scrape the substance out of twelve ears of
tender, green, uncooked corn (it is better scraped than grated, as you
do not get those husky particles which you cannot avoid with a
grater); add yolks and whites, beaten separately, of four eggs, a
teaspoonful of sugar, the same of flour mixed in a tablespoonful of
butter, a small quantity of salt and pepper, and one pint of milk.
Bake about half or three-quarters of an hour.


STEWED CORN.

Take a dozen ears of green sweet corn, very tender and juicy; cut off
the kernels, cutting with a large sharp knife from the top of the cob
down; then scrape the cob. Put the corn in a saucepan over the fire
with just enough water to make it cook without burning; boil about
twenty minutes, then add a teacupful of milk or cream, a tablespoonful
of cold butter, and season with pepper and salt. Boil ten minutes
longer and dish up hot in a vegetable dish. The corn would be much
sweeter if the scraped cobs were boiled first in the water that the
corn is cooked in.

Many like corn cooked in this manner, putting half corn and half
tomatoes; either way is very good.


FRIED CORN.

Cut the corn off the cob, taking care not to bring off any of the husk
with it and to have the grains as separate as possible. Fry in a
little butter--just enough to keep it from sticking to the pan; stir
very often. When nicely browned, add salt and pepper and a little rich
cream. Do not set it near the stove after the cream is added, as it
will be apt to turn. This makes a nice dinner or breakfast dish.


ROASTED GREEN CORN.

Strip off all the husk from green corn and roast it on a gridiron over
a bright fire of coals, turning it as one side is done. Or, if a wood
fire is used, make a place clean in front of the fire, lay the corn
down, turn it when one side is done; serve with salt and butter.


SUCCOTASH.

Take a pint of fresh shelled Lima beans, or any large fresh beans, put
them in a pot with cold water, rather more than will cover them.
Scrape the kernels from twelve ears of young sweet corn; put the cobs
in with the beans, boiling from half to three-quarters of an hour. Now
take out the cobs and put in the scraped corn; boil again fifteen
minutes, then season with salt and pepper to taste, a piece of butter
the size of an egg and half a cup of cream. Serve hot.


FRIED EGG-PLANT.

Take fresh, purple egg-plants of a middling size; cut them in slices a
quarter of an inch thick, and soak them for half an hour in cold
water, with a teaspoonful of salt in it. Have ready some cracker or
bread crumbs and one beaten egg; drain off the water from the slices,
lay them on a napkin, dip them in the crumbs and then in the egg, put
another coat of crumbs on them and fry them in butter to a light
brown. The frying pan must be hot before the slices are put in--they
will fry in ten minutes.

You may pare them before you put them into the frying pan, or you may
pull off the skins when you take them up. You must not remove them
from the water until you are ready to cook them, as the air will turn
them black.


STUFFED EGG-PLANT.

Cut the egg-plant in two; scrape out all the inside and put it in a
saucepan with a little minced ham; cover with water and boil until
soft; drain off the water; add two tablespoonfuls of grated crumbs, a
tablespoonful of butter, half a minced onion, salt and pepper; stuff
each half of the hull with the mixture; add a small lump of butter to
each and bake fifteen minutes. Minced veal or chicken in the place of
ham, is equally as good and many prefer it.


STRING BEANS.

Break off the end that grew to the vine, drawing off at the same time
the string upon the edge; repeat the same process from the other end;
cut them with a sharp knife into pieces half an inch long, and boil
them in _just enough_ water to _cover_ them. They usually require one
hour's boiling; but this depends upon their age and freshness. After
they have boiled until tender and the water _boiled nearly out_, add
pepper and salt, a tablespoonful of butter and a half a cup of cream;
if you have not the cream add more butter.

Many prefer to drain them before adding the seasoning; in that case
they lose the real goodness of the vegetable.


LIMA AND KIDNEY BEANS.

These beans should be put into boiling water, a little more than
enough to cover them, and boiled till tender--from half an hour to two
hours; serve with butter and salt upon them.

These beans are in season from the last of July to the last of
September. There are several other varieties of beans used as summer
vegetables, which are cooked as above.

For Baked Beans, see PORK AND BEANS.


CELERY.

This is stewed the same as green corn, by boiling, adding cream,
butter, salt and pepper.


STEWED SALSIFY OR OYSTER-PLANT.

Wash the roots and scrape off their skins, throwing them, as you do
so, into cold water, for exposure to the air causes them to
immediately turn dark. Then cut crosswise into little thin slices;
throw into fresh water, enough to cover; add a little salt and stew in
a covered vessel until tender, or about one hour. Pour off a little of
the water, add a small lump of butter, a little pepper, and a gill of
sweet cream and a teaspoonful of flour stirred to a paste. Boil up and
serve hot.

Salsify may be simply boiled and melted butter turned over them.


FRIED SALSIFY.

Stew the salsify as usual till very tender; then with the back of a
spoon or a potato jammer mash it very fine. Beat up an egg, add a
teacupful of milk, a little flour, butter and seasoning of pepper and
salt. Make into little cakes, and fry a light brown in boiling lard.


BEETS BOILED.

Select small-sized, smooth roots. They should be carefully washed, but
not cut before boiling, as the juice will escape and the sweetness of
the vegetable be impaired, leaving it white and hard. Put them into
boiling water, and boil them until tender, which requires often from
one to two hours. Do not probe them, but press them with the finger to
ascertain if they are sufficiently done. When satisfied of this, take
them up, and put them into a pan of cold water, and slip off the
outside. Cut them into thin slices, and while hot season with butter,
salt, a little pepper and very sharp vinegar.


BAKED BEETS.

Beets retain their sugary, delicate flavor to perfection if they are
baked instead of boiled. Turn them frequently while in the oven, using
a knife, as the fork allows the juice to run out. When done remove the
skin, and serve with butter, salt and pepper on the slices.


STEWED BEETS.

Boil them first and then scrape and slice them. Put them into a
stewpan with a piece of butter rolled in flour, some boiled onion and
parsley chopped fine, and a little vinegar, salt and pepper. Set the
pan on the fire, and let the beets stew for a quarter of an hour.


OKRA.

This grows in the shape of pods, and is of a gelatinous character,
much used for soup, and is also pickled; it may be boiled as follows:
Put the young and tender pods of long white okra in salted boiling
water in granite, porcelain or a tin-lined saucepan--as contact with
Iron will discolor it; boil fifteen minutes; remove the stems, and
serve with butter, pepper, salt and vinegar if preferred.


ASPARAGUS.

Scrape the stems of the asparagus lightly, but very clean; throw them
into cold water and when they are all scraped and very clean, tie them
in bunches of equal size; cut the large ends evenly, that the stems
may be all of the same length, and put the asparagus into plenty of
boiling water, well salted. While it is boiling, cut several slices of
bread half an inch thick, pare off the crust and toast it a delicate
brown on both sides. When the stalks of the asparagus are tender (it
will usually cook in twenty to forty minutes) lift it out directly, or
it will lose both its color and flavor and will also be liable to
break; dip the toast quickly into the liquor in which it was boiled
and dish the vegetable upon it, the heads all lying one way. Pour over
white sauce, or melted butter.


ASPARAGUS WITH EGGS.

Boil a bunch of asparagus twenty minutes; cut off the tender tops and
lay them in a deep-pie plate, buttering, salting and peppering well.
Beat up four eggs, the yolks and whites separately to a stiff froth;
add two tablespoonfuls of milk or cream, a tablespoonful of warm
butter, pepper and salt to taste. Pour evenly over the asparagus
mixture. Bake eight minutes or until the eggs are set. Very good.


GREEN PEAS.

Shell the peas and wash in cold water. Put in boiling water just
enough to cover them well and keep them from burning; boil from twenty
minutes to half an hour, when the liquor should be nearly boiled out;
season with pepper and salt and a good allowance of butter; serve very
hot.

This is a very much better way than cooking in a larger quantity of
water and draining off the liquor, as that diminishes the sweetness,
and much of the fine flavor of the peas is lost. The salt should never
be put in the peas before they are tender, unless very young, as it
tends to harden them.


STEWED GREEN PEAS.

Into a saucepan of boiling water put two or three pints of young green
peas and when nearly done and tender drain in a colander dry; then
melt two ounces of butter in two of flour; stir well and boil five
minutes longer; should the pods be quite clean and fresh boil them
first in the water, remove and put in the peas. The Germans prepare a
very palatable dish of sweet young pods alone by simply stirring in a
little butter with some savory herbs.


SQUASHES, OR CYMBLINGS.

The green or summer squash is best when the outside is beginning to
turn yellow, as it is then less watery and insipid than when younger.
Wash them, cut them into pieces and take out the seeds. Boil them
about three-quarters of an hour, or till quite tender. When done,
drain and squeeze them well till you have pressed out all the water;
mash them with a little butter, pepper and salt. Then put the squash
thus prepared into a stewpan, set it on hot coals and stir it very
frequently till it becomes dry. Take care not to let it burn.

Summer squash is very nice steamed, then prepared the same as boiled.


BOILED WINTER SQUASH.

This is much finer than the summer squash. It is fit to eat in August,
and, in a dry warm place, can be kept well all winter. The color is a
very bright yellow. Pare it, take out the seeds, cut it in pieces, and
stew it slowly till quite soft in a very little water. Afterwards
drain, squeeze and press it well; then mash it with a very little
butter, pepper and salt. They will boil in from twenty to forty
minutes.


BAKED WINTER SQUASH.

Cut open the squash, take out the seeds and without paring cut it up
into large pieces; put the pieces on tins or in a dripping-pan, place
in a moderately hot oven and bake about an hour. When done, peel and
mash like mashed potatoes, or serve the pieces hot on a dish, to be
eaten warm with butter like sweet potatoes. It retains its sweetness
much better baked this way than when boiled.


VEGETABLE HASH.

Chop rather coarsely the remains of vegetables left from a boiled
dinner, such as cabbage, parsnips, potatoes, etc.; sprinkle over them
a little pepper, place in a saucepan or frying pan over the fire; put
in a piece of butter the size of a hickory nut; when it begins to
melt, tip the dish so as to oil the bottom and around the sides; then
put in the chopped vegetables, pour in a spoonful or two of hot water
from the tea-kettle, cover quickly so as to keep in the steam. When
heated thoroughly take off the cover and stir occasionally until well
cooked. Serve hot. Persons fond of vegetables will relish this dish
very much.


SPINACH.

It should be cooked so as to retain its bright green color and not
sent to table, as it so often is, of a dull brown or olive color; to
retain its fresh appearance, do not cover the vessel while it is
cooking.

Spinach requires dose examination and picking, as insects are
frequently found among it and it is often gritty. Wash it through
three or four waters. Then drain it and put it in boiling water.
Fifteen to twenty minutes is generally sufficient time to boil
spinach. Be careful to remove the scum. When it is quite tender, take
it up, and drain and squeeze it well. Chop it fine, and put it into a
saucepan with a piece of butter and a little pepper and salt. Set it
on the fire and let it stew five minutes, stirring it all the time,
until quite dry. Turn it into a vegetable dish, shape it into a mound,
slice some hard-boiled eggs and lay around the top.


GREENS.

About a peck of greens are enough for a mess for a family of six, such
as dandelions, cowslips, burdock, chicory and other greens. All greens
should be carefully examined, the tough ones thrown out, then be
thoroughly washed through several waters until they are entirely free
from sand. The addition of a handful of salt to each pan of water used
in washing the greens will free them from insects and worms,
especially if after the last watering they are allowed to stand in
salted water for a half hour or longer. When ready to boil the greens,
put them into a large pot half full of boiling water, with a handful
of salt, and boil them steadily until the stalks are tender; this will
be in from five to twenty minutes, according to the maturity of the
greens; but remember that long-continued boiling wastes the tender
substances of the leaves, and so diminishes both the bulk and the
nourishment of the dish; for this reason it is best to cut away any
tough stalks before beginning to cook the greens. As soon as they are
tender drain them in a colander, chop them a little and return them to
the fire long enough to season them with salt, pepper and butter;
vinegar may be added if it is liked; the greens should be served as
soon as they are hot.

All kinds of greens can be cooked in this manner.


STEWED CARROTS.

Wash and scrape the carrots and divide them into strips; put them into
a stewpan with water enough to cover them; add a spoonful of salt and
let them boil slowly until tender; then drain and replace them in the
pan, with two tablespoons of butter rolled in flour, shake over a
little pepper and salt, then add enough cream or milk to moisten the
whole; let it come to a boil and serve hot.


CARROTS MASHED.

Scrape and wash them; cook them tender in boiling water salted
slightly. Drain well and mash them. Work in a good piece of butter and
season with pepper and salt. Heap up on a vegetable dish and serve
hot.

Carrots are also good simply boiled in salted water and dished up hot
with melted butter over them.


TURNIPS.

Turnips are boiled plain with or without meat, also mashed like
potatoes and stewed like parsnips. They should always be served hot.
They require from forty minutes to an hour to cook.


STEWED PUMPKINS.

See stewed pumpkin for pie. Cook the same, then after stewing season
the same as mashed potatoes. Pumpkin is good baked in the same manner
as baked winter squash.


STEWED ENDIVE.

_Ingredients._--Six heads of endive, salt and water, one pint of
broth, thickening of butter and flour, one tablespoonful of lemon
juice, a small lump of sugar.

_Mode._--Wash and free the endive thoroughly from insects, remove the
green part of the leaves, and put it into boiling water, slightly
salted. Let it remain for ten minutes; then take it out, drain it till
there is no water remaining and chop it very fine. Put it into a
stewpan with the broth, add a little salt and a lump of sugar, and
boil until the endive is perfectly tender. When done, which may be
ascertained by squeezing a piece between the thumb and finger, add a
thickening of butter and flour and the lemon juice; let the sauce boil
up and serve.

_Time._--Ten minutes to boil, five minutes to simmer in the broth.


BAKED MUSHROOMS.

Prepare them the same as for stewing. Place them in a baking-pan in a
moderate oven. Season with salt, pepper, lemon juice and chopped
parsley. Cook in the oven fifteen minutes, baste with butter. Arrange
on a dish and pour the gravy over them. Serve with sauce made by
heating a cup of cream, two ounces of butter, a tablespoonful of
chopped parsley, a little cayenne pepper, salt, a tablespoonful of
white sauce and two tablespoonfuls of lemon juice. Put in a saucepan
and set on the fire. Stir until thick, but do not let boil. Mushrooms
are very nice placed on slices of well-buttered toast when set into
the oven to bake. They cook in about fifteen minutes.


STEWED MUSHROOMS.

Time, twenty-one minutes. Button mushrooms, salt to taste, a little
butter rolled in flour, two tablespoonfuls of cream or the yolk of one
egg. Choose buttons of uniform size. Wipe them clean and white with a
wet flannel; put them in a stewpan with a little water and let them
stew very gently for a quarter of an hour. Add salt to taste, work in
a little flour and butter, to make the liquor about as thick as cream,
and let it boil for five minutes. When you are ready to dish it up,
stir in two tablespoonfuls of cream or the yolk of an egg; stir it
over the fire for a minute, but do not let it boil, and serve. Stewed
button mushrooms are very nice, either in fish stews or ragouts, or
served apart to eat with fish. Another way of doing them is to stew
them in milk and water (after they are rubbed white), add to them a
little veal gravy, mace and salt and thicken the gravy with cream or
the yolks of eggs.

Mushrooms can be cooked in the same manner as the recipes for oysters,
either stewed, fried, broiled, or as a soup. They are also used to
flavor sauces, catsups, meat gravies, game and soups.


CANNED MUSHROOMS.

Canned mushrooms may be served with good effect with game and even
with beefsteak if prepared in this way: Open the can and pour off
every drop of the liquid found there; let the mushrooms drain, then
put them in a saucepan with a little cream and butter, pepper and
salt; let them simmer gently for from five to ten minutes, and when
the meat is on the platter pour the mushrooms over it. If served with
steak, that should be very tender and be broiled, never in any case
fried.


MUSHROOMS FOR WINTER USE.

Wash and wipe free from grit the small fresh button mushrooms. Put
into a frying pan a quarter of a pound of the very best butter. Add to
it two whole cloves, a saltspoonful of salt and a tablespoonful of
lemon juice. When hot add a quart of the small mushrooms, toss them
about in the butter for a moment only, then put them in jars; fill the
top of each jar with an inch or two of the butter and let it cool.
Keep the jars in a cool place, and when the butter is quite firm add a
top layer of salt. Cover to keep out dust.