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Donald Finkel, a noted American poet whose work teemed with curious juxtapositions, which in their unorthodoxy helped illuminate the function of poetry itself, died on Nov. 15 at his home in St. Louis. He was 79. The cause was complications of Alzheimers

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

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





EGGS ON TOAST.

Various preparations of eggs can be served on toast, first dipping
slices of well-toasted bread quickly in hot salted water, then turning
over them scrambled, poached or creamed eggs, all found in the recipes
among EGGS.


BAKED EGGS ON TOAST.

Toast six slices of stale bread, dip them in hot salted water and
butter them lightly. After arranging them on a platter or deep plate,
break enough eggs to cover them, breaking one at a time and slip over
the toast so that they do not break; sprinkle over them salt and
pepper and turn over all some kind of thickened gravy--either chicken
or lamb, cream or a cream sauce made the same as "White Sauce;" turn
this over the toast and eggs and bake in a hot oven until the eggs are
set, or about five minutes. Serve at once.


HAM TOAST.

Take a quarter of a pound of either boiled or fried ham, chop it fine,
mix it with the yolks of two eggs, well beaten, a tablespoonful of
butter, and enough cream or rich milk to make it soft, a dash of
pepper. Stir it over the fire until it thickens. Dip the toast for an
instant in hot salted water; spread over some melted butter, then turn
over the ham mixture. Serve hot.


REED BIRDS ON TOAST.

Remove the feathers and legs of a dozen reed birds, split them down
the back, remove the entrails, and place them on a double broiler;
brush a little melted butter over them and broil the inner side
thoroughly first; then lightly broil the other side. Melt one quarter
of a pound of butter, season it nicely with salt and pepper, dip the
birds in it, and arrange them nicely on slices of toast.


MINCED FOWLS ON TOAST.

Remove from the bones all the meat of either cold roast or boiled
fowls. Clean it from the skin, and keep covered from the air until
ready for use. Boil the bones and skin with three-fourths of a pint of
water until reduced quite half. Strain the gravy and let it cool.
Next, having skimmed off the fat, put it into a clean saucepan with
half a cup of cream, three tablespoonfuls of butter, well mixed with a
tablespoonful of flour. Keep these stirred until they boil. Then put
in the fowl finely minced, with three hard-boiled eggs, chopped, and
sufficient salt and pepper to season. Shake the mince over the fire
until just ready to serve. Dish it over hot toast and serve.


HASHED BEEF ON TOAST.

Chop a quantity of cold roast beef rather fine and season it well with
pepper and salt. For each pint of meat add a level tablespoonful of
flour. Stir well and add a small teacupful of soup-stock or water. Put
the mixture into a small stewpan and, after covering it, simmer for
twenty minutes. Meanwhile, toast half a dozen slices of bread nicely
and at the end of the twenty minutes spread the meat upon them. Serve
at once on a hot dish. In case water be used instead of soup-stock,
add a tablespoonful of butter just before spreading the beef upon the
toast. Any kind of cold meat may be prepared in a similar manner.

_Maria Parloa_.


VEAL HASH ON TOAST.

Take a teacupful of boiling water in a saucepan, stir in an even
teaspoonful of flour, wet in a tablespoonful of cold water, and let it
boil five minutes; add one-half teaspoonful of black pepper, as much
salt and two tablespoonfuls of butter, and let it keep hot, but not
boil. Chop the veal fine and mix with it half as much stale bread
crumbs. Put it in a pan and pour the gravy over it, then let it simmer
ten minutes. Serve this on buttered toast.


CODFISH ON TOAST. (Cuban Style.)

Take a teacupful of freshened codfish picked up fine. Fry a sliced
onion in a tablespoonful of butter; when it has turned a light brown,
put in the fish with water enough to cover it; add half a can of
tomatoes, or half a dozen of fresh ones. Cook all nearly an hour,
seasoning with a little pepper. Serve on slices of dipped toast, hot.
Very fine.

Plain creamed codfish is very nice turned over dipped toast.


HALIBUT ON TOAST.

Put into boiling salted water one pound of fresh halibut; cook slowly
for fifteen minutes, or until done; remove from the water and chop it
fine; then add half a cup of melted butter and eight eggs well beaten.
Season with salt and pepper.

Place over the fire a thick-bottomed frying pan containing a
tablespoonful of cold butter; when it begins to melt, tip the pan so
as to grease the sides; then put in the fish and eggs and stir one way
until the eggs are cooked, but not _too_ hard. Turn over toast dipped
in hot salted water.


CHICKEN HASH WITH RICE TOAST.

Boil a cup of rice the night before; put it into a square, narrow
bread-pan, set it in the ice-box. Next morning cut it in half inch
slices, rub over each slice a little warm butter and toast them on a
broiler to a delicate brown. Arrange the toast on a warm platter and
turn over the whole a chicken hash made from the remains of cold fowl,
the meat picked from the bones, chopped fine, put into the frying pan
with butter and a little water to moisten it, adding pepper and salt.
Heat hot all through. Serve immediately.


APPLE TOAST.

Cut six apples into quarters, take the core out, peel and cut them in
slices; put in the saucepan an ounce of butter, then throw over the
apples about two ounces of white powdered sugar and two tablespoonfuls
of water; put the saucepan on the fire, let it stew quickly, toss them
up, or stir with a spoon; a few minutes will do them. When tender cut
two or three slices of bread half an inch thick; put in a frying pan
two ounces of butter, put on the fire; when the butter is melted put
in your bread, which fry of a nice yellowish color; when nice and
crisp take them out, place them on a dish, a little white sugar over,
the apples about an inch thick. Serve hot.




CAKES.


SUGGESTIONS IN REGARD TO CAKE-MAKING.

Use none but the best materials, and all the ingredients should be
properly prepared before commencing to mix any of them. Eggs beat up
much lighter and sooner by being placed in a cold place sometime
before using them; a small pinch of soda sometimes has the same
effect. Flour should always be sifted before using it. Cream of tartar
or baking powder should be thoroughly mixed with the flour; butter be
placed where it will become moderately soft, but _not_ melted in the
least, or the cake will be sodden and heavy. Sugar should be rolled
and sifted; spices ground or pounded; raisins or any ether fruit
looked over and prepared; currants, especially, should be nicely
washed, picked, dried in a cloth and then carefully examined, that no
pieces of grit or stone may be left amongst them. They should then be
laid on a dish before the fire to become thoroughly dry; as, if added
damp to the other ingredients, cakes will be liable to be heavy.

Eggs should be well beaten, the whites and yolks separately, the yolks
to a thick cream, the whites until they are a stiff froth. Always stir
the butter and sugar to a cream, then add the beaten yolks, then the
milk, the flavoring, then the beaten whites, and, lastly, the flour.
If fruit is to be used, measure and dredge with a little sifted flour,
stir in gradually and thoroughly.

Pour all in well-buttered cake-pans. While the cake is baking care
should be taken that no cold air enters the oven, only when necessary
to see that the cake is baking properly; the oven should be an even,
moderate heat, not too cold or too hot; much depends on this for
success. Cake is often spoiled by being looked at too often when first
put into the oven. The heat should be tested before the cake is put
in, which can be done by throwing on the floor of the oven a
tablespoonful of new flour. If the flour takes fire, or assumes a
dark brown color, the temperature is too high and the oven must be
allowed to cool; if the flour remains white after the lapse of a few
seconds, the temperature is too low. When the oven is of the proper
temperature the flour will slightly brown and look slightly scorched.

Another good way to test the heat, is to drop a few spoonfuls of the
cake batter on a small piece of buttered letter paper, and place it in
the oven during the finishing of the cake, so that the piece will be
baked before putting in the whole cake; if the little drop of cake
batter bakes evenly without burning around the edge, it will be safe
to put the whole cake in the oven. Then, again, if the oven seems too
hot, fold a thick brown paper double, and lay on the bottom of the
oven; then after the cake has risen, put a thick brown paper over the
top, or butter well a thick white paper and lay carefully over the
top.

If, after the cake is put in, it seems to bake too fast, put a brown
paper loosely over the top of the pan, care being taken that it does
not touch the cake, and do not open the door for five minutes at
least; the cake should then be quickly examined, and the door shut
carefully, or the rush of cold air will cause it to fall. Setting a
_small dish_ of hot water in the oven, will also prevent the cake from
scorching.

To ascertain when the cake is done, run a broom straw into the middle
of it; if it comes out clean and smooth, the cake will do to take out.

Where the recipe calls for baking powder, and you have none, you can
use cream of tartar and soda in proportion to one level teaspoonful of
soda, two heaping teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar.

When sour milk is called for in the recipe, use only soda. Cakes made
with molasses burn much more easily than those made with sugar. Never
stir cake after the butter and sugar is creamed, but beat it down from
the bottom, up and over; this laps air into the cake batter, and
produces little air cells, which cause the dough to puff and swell
when it comes in contact with the heat while cooking.

When making most cakes, especially sponge cake, the flour should be
added by degrees, stirred very slowly and lightly, for if stirred hard
and fast it will make it porous and tough.

Cakes should be kept in tight tin cake-cans, or earthen jars, in a
cool, dry place.

Cookies, jumbles, ginger-snaps, etc., require a quick oven; if they
become moist or soft by keeping, put again into the oven a few
minutes.

To remove a cake from a tin after it is baked, so that it will not
crack, break or fall, first butter the tin well all around the sides
and bottom; then cut a piece of letter paper to exactly fit the tin,
butter that on both sides, placing it smoothly on the bottom and sides
of the tin. When the cake is baked, let it remain in the tin until it
is _cold_; then set it in the oven a minute, or just long enough to
warm the tin through. Remove it from the oven; turn it upside down on
your hand, tap the edge of the tin on the table and it will slip out
with ease, leaving it whole.

If a cake-pan is too shallow for holding the quantity of cake to be
baked, for fear of its being so light as to rise above the pan, that
can be remedied by thoroughly greasing a piece of thick glazed letter
paper with soft butter. Place or fit it around the sides of the
buttered tin, allowing it to reach an inch or more above the top. If
the oven heat is moderate the butter will preserve the paper from
burning.




FROSTING OR ICING.

In the first place, the eggs should be cold, and the platter on which
they are to be beaten also cold. Allow, for the white of one egg, one
small teacupful of powdered sugar. Break the eggs and throw a small
handful of the sugar on them as soon as you begin beating; keep adding
it at intervals until it is all used up. The eggs must _not_ be beaten
until the sugar has been added in this way, which gives a smooth,
tender frosting, and one that will dry much sooner than the old way.

Spread with a broad knife evenly over the cake, and if it seems too
thin, beat in a little more sugar. Cover the cake with two coats, the
second after the first has become dry, or nearly so. If the icing gets
too dry or stiff before the last coat is needed, it can be thinned
sufficiently with a little water, enough to make it work smoothly.

A little lemon juice, or half a teaspoonful of tartaric acid, added to
the frosting while being beaten, makes it white and more frothy.

The flavors mostly used are lemon, vanilla, almond, rose, chocolate
and orange. If you wish to ornament with figures or flowers, make up
rather more icing, keep about one-third out until that on the cake is
dried; then, with a clean glass syringe, apply it in such forms as
you desire and dry as before; what you keep out to ornament with may
be tinted pink with cochineal, blue with indigo, yellow with saffron
or the grated rind of an orange strained through a cloth, green with
spinach juice and brown with chocolate, purple with cochineal and
indigo. Strawberry, or currant and cranberry juices color a delicate
pink.

Set the cake in a cool oven with the door open to dry, or in a draught
in an open window.


ALMOND FROSTING.

The whites of three eggs, beaten up with three cups of fine, white
sugar. Blanch a pound of sweet almonds, pound them in a mortar with a
little sugar, until a fine paste, then add the whites of eggs, sugar
and vanilla extract. Pound a few minutes to thoroughly mix. Cover the
cake with a very thick coating of this, set in a cool oven to dry,
afterwards cover with a plain icing.


CHOCOLATE FROSTING.

The whites of four eggs, three cups of powdered sugar and nearly a cup
of grated chocolate. Beat the whites a very little, they must not
become white, stir in the chocolate, then put in the sugar gradually,
beating to mix it well.


PLAIN CHOCOLATE ICING.

Put into a shallow pan four tablespoonfuls of scraped chocolate, and
place it where it will melt gradually, but not scorch; when melted,
stir in three tablespoonfuls of milk or cream and one of water; mix
all well together, and add one scant teacupful of sugar; boil about
five minutes, and while hot, and when the cakes are nearly cold,
spread some evenly over the surface of one of the cakes; put a second
one on top, alternating the mixture and cakes; then cover top and
sides, and set in a warm oven to harden. All who have tried recipe
after recipe, vainly hoping to find one where the chocolate sticks to
the cake and not to the fingers, will appreciate the above. In making
those most palatable of cakes, "Chocolate Eclairs," the recipe just
given will be found very satisfactory.


TUTTI FRUTTI ICING.

Mix with boiled icing one ounce each of chopped citron, candied
cherries, seedless raisins, candied pineapple and blanched almonds.


SUGAR ICING.

To one pound of extra refined sugar add one ounce of fine white
starch; pound finely together and then sift them through gauze; then
beat the whites of three eggs to a froth. The secret of success is to
beat the eggs long enough, and always one way; add the powdered sugar
by degrees, or it will spoil the froth of the eggs. When all the sugar
is stirred in continue the whipping for half an hour longer, adding
more sugar if the ice is too thin. Take a little of the icing and lay
it aside for ornamenting afterward. When the cake comes out of the
oven, spread the sugar icing smoothly over it with a knife and dry it
at once in a cool oven. For ornamenting the cake the icing may be
tinged any color preferred. For pink, use a few drops of cochineal;
for yellow, a pinch of saffron dissolved; for green, the juice of some
chopped spinach. Whichever is chosen, let the coloring be first mixed
with a little colorless spirit and then stirred into the white icing
until the tint is deep enough. To ornament the cake with it, make a
cone of stiff writing paper and squeeze the colored icing through it,
so as to form leaves, beading or letters, as the case may be. It
requires nicety and care to do it with success.


BOILED FROSTING.

To one pound of finest pulverized sugar add three wine-glassfuls of
clear water. Let it stand until it dissolves; then boil it until it is
perfectly clear and threads from the spoon. Beat well the whites of
four eggs. Pour the sugar into the dish with the eggs, but do not mix
them until the syrup is luke-warm; then beat all well together for
one-half hour.

Season to your taste with vanilla, rose-water, or lemon juice. The
first coating may be put on the cake as soon as it is well mixed. Rub
the cake with a little flour before you apply the icing. While the
first coat is drying continue to beat the remainder; you will not have
to wait long if the cake is set in a warm place near the fire. This is
said to be a most excellent recipe for icing.


FROSTING WITHOUT EGGS.

An excellent frosting may be made without eggs or gelatine, which will
keep longer and cut more easily, causing no breakage or crumbling and
withal is very economical.

Take one cup of granulated sugar; dampen it with one-fourth of a cup
of milk, or five tablespoonfuls; place it on the fire in a suitable
dish and stir it until it boils; then let it boil for five minutes
without stirring; remove it from the fire and set the dish in another
of cold water; add flavoring. While it is cooling, stir or beat it
constantly and it will become a thick, creamy frosting.


GELATINE FROSTING.

Soak one teaspoonful of gelatine in one tablespoonful of cold water
half an hour, dissolve in two tablespoonfuls of hot water; add one cup
of powdered sugar and stir until smooth.


GOLDEN FROSTING.

A very delicious and handsome frosting can be made by using the yolks
of eggs instead of the whites. Proceed exactly as for ordinary
frosting. It will harden just as nicely as that does. This is
particularly good for orange cake, harmonizing with the color of the
cake in a way to please those who love rich coloring.




FILLINGS FOR LAYER CAKES.


No. 1. CREAM FILLING.

Cream filling is made with one pint of new milk, two eggs, three
tablespoonfuls of sifted flour (or half cup of cornstarch), one cup of
sugar. Put two-thirds of the milk on the stove to boil, stir the
sugar, flour and eggs in what is left. When the milk boils, put into
it the whole and cook it until it is as thick as custard; when cool,
add vanilla extract. This custard is nice with a cup of hickory nuts,
kernels chopped fine and stirred into it. Spread between the layers of
cake. This custard can be made of the yolks of the eggs only, saving
the whites for the cake part.


No. 2. ANOTHER CREAM FILLING.

One cup powdered sugar, one-fourth cup hot water. Let them simmer.
Beat white of an egg and mix with the above; when cold, add one-half
cup chopped raisins, one-half cup chopped walnuts, one tablespoonful
of grated cocoanut.


No. 3. ICE-CREAM FILLING.

Make an icing as follows: Three cups of sugar, one of water; boil to a
thick, clear syrup, or until it begins to be brittle; pour this,
boiling hot, over the _well-beaten_ whites of three eggs; stir the
mixture very briskly, and pour the sugar in slowly; beat it, when all
in, until cool. Flavor with lemon or vanilla extract. This, spread
between any white cake layers, answers for "Ice-Cream Cake."


No. 4. APPLE FILLING.

Peel and slice green tart apples, put them on the fire with sugar to
suit; when tender, remove, rub them through a fine sieve and add a
small piece of butter. When cold, use to spread between the layers;
cover the cake with plenty of sugar.


No. 5. ANOTHER APPLE FILLING.

One coffeecup of sugar, one egg, three large apples grated, one lemon
grated, juice and outside of the rind; beat together and cook till
quite thick. To be cooled before putting on the cake. Spread between
layers of cake.


No. 6. CREAM FROSTING.

A cup of sweet thick cream whipped, sweetened and flavored with
vanilla; cut a loaf of cake in two, spread the frosting between and on
the top; this tastes like Charlotte Russe.


No. 7. PEACH-CREAM FILLING.

Cut peaches into thin slices, or chop them and prepare cream by
whipping and sweetening. Put a layer of peaches between the layers of
cake and pour cream over each layer and over the top. Bananas,
strawberries or other fruits may be used in the same way, mashing
strawberries and stewing thick with powdered sugar.


No. 8. CHOCOLATE CREAM FOR FILLING.

Five tablespoonfuls of grated chocolate, enough cream or milk to wet
it, one cupful of sugar, one egg, one teaspoonful vanilla flavoring.
Stir the ingredients over the fire until thoroughly mixed, having
beaten the egg well before adding it; then add the vanilla flavoring
after it is removed from the fire.


No. 9. ANOTHER CHOCOLATE FILLING.

The whites of three eggs beaten stiff, one cup of sugar and one cup of
grated chocolate, put between the layers and on top.


No. 10. BANANA FILLING.

Make an icing of the whites of two eggs and one cup and a half of
powdered sugar. Spread this on the layers, and then cover thickly and
entirely with bananas sliced thin or chopped fine. This cake may be
flavored with vanilla. The top should be simply frosted.

No. 11. LEMON JELLY FILLING.

Grate the yellow from the rind of two lemons and squeeze out the
juice; two cupfuls of sugar, the yolks and whites of two eggs beaten
separately. Mix the sugar and yolks, then add the whites and then the
lemons. Now pour on a cupful of boiling water; stir into this two
tablespoonfuls of sifted flour, rubbed smooth in half a cup of water;
then add a tablespoonful of melted butter; cook until it thickens.
When cold, spread between the layers of cake. Oranges can be used in
place of lemons.

Another filling of lemon (without cooking) is made of the grated rind
and juice of two lemons and the whites of two eggs beaten with one cup
of sugar.


No. 12. ORANGE CAKE FILLING.

Peel two large oranges, remove the seeds, chop them fine, add half a
peeled lemon, one cup of sugar and the well-beaten white of an egg.
Spread between the layers of "Silver Cake" recipe.


No. 13. FIG FILLING.

Take a pound of figs, chop fine, and put into a stewpan on the stove;
pour over them a teacupful of water and add a half cup of sugar. Cook
all together until soft and smooth. When cold spread between layers of
cake.


No. 14. FRUIT FILLING.

Four tablespoonfuls of _very finely_ chopped citron, four
tablespoonfuls of finely chopped seeded raisins, half a cupful of
blanched almonds chopped fine, also a quarter of a pound of finely
chopped figs. Beat the whites of three eggs to a stiff froth, adding
half of a cupful of sugar; then mix thoroughly into this the whole of
the chopped ingredients. Put it between the layers of cake when the
cake is _hot_, so that it will cook the egg a little. This will be
found delicious.




BREAD OR RAISED CAKE.

Two cupfuls of raised dough; beat into it two-thirds of a cup of
butter and two cups of sugar creamed together, three eggs, well
beaten, one even teaspoonful of soda dissolved in two tablespoonfuls
of milk, half a nutmeg grated, one tablespoonful of cinnamon, a
teaspoonful of cloves, one cup of raisins. Mix all well together, put
in the beaten whites of eggs and raisins last; beat all hard for
several minutes; put in buttered pans and let it stand half an hour to
rise again before baking. Bake in a _moderate_ oven. Half a glass of
brandy is an improvement, if you have it convenient.


FRUIT CAKE. (Superior.)

Three pounds dry flour, one pound sweet butter, one pound sugar, three
pounds stoned raisins, two pounds currants, three-quarters of a pound
sweet almonds blanched, one pound citron, twelve eggs, one
tablespoonful allspice, one teaspoonful cloves, two tablespoonfuls
cinnamon, two nutmegs, one wine-glass of wine, one wine-glass of
brandy, one coffeecupful molasses with the spices in it; steep this
gently twenty or thirty minutes, not boiling hot; beat the eggs very
lightly; put the fruit in last, stirring it gradually, also a
teaspoonful of soda dissolved in a tablespoonful of water; the fruit
should be well floured; if necessary add flour after the fruit is in;
butter a sheet of paper and lay it in the pan. Lay in some slices of
citron, then a layer of the mixture, then of citron again, etc., till
the pan is nearly full. Bake three or four hours, according to the
thickness of the loaves, in a tolerably hot oven, and with steady
heat. Let it cool in the oven gradually. Ice when cold. It improves
this cake very much to add three teaspoonfuls of baking powder to the
flour. A fine wedding cake recipe.


FRUIT CAKE BY MEASURE, (Excellent.)

Two scant teacupfuls of butter, three cupfuls of dark brown sugar, six
eggs, whites and yolks beaten separately, one pound of raisins,
seeded, one of currants, washed and dried, and half a pound of citron
cut in thin strips; also half a cupful of cooking molasses and half a
cupful of sour milk. Stir the butter and sugar to a cream, add to that
half a grated nutmeg, ope tablespoonful of ground cinnamon, one
teaspoonful of cloves, one teaspoonful of mace, add the molasses and
sour milk. Stir all well; then put in the beaten yolks of eggs, a
wine-glass of brandy; stir again all thoroughly, and then add four
cupfuls of sifted flour alternately with the beaten whites of eggs.
Now dissolve a level teaspoonful of soda and stir in thoroughly. Mix
the fruit together and stir into it two heaping tablespoonfuls of
flour; then stir it in the cake. Butter two common-sized baking tins
carefully, line them with letter paper well buttered, and bake in a
moderate oven two hours. After it is baked, let it cool in the pan.
Afterward put it into a tight can, or let it remain in the pans and
cover tightly. Best recipe of all.