Part 26

½ Box of gelatine. 1 Cup of port wine. 1 Tablespoon of powdered gum arabic. 2 Tablespoons of lemon-juice. 3 Tablespoons of sugar. 2 Cloves. ½ Square inch of cinnamon.

Put the gelatine, wine, and spice into a double boiler, or if one is not at hand, improvise one by placing a bowl in a pan of water. Set the boiler on the fire, and when the gelatine is dissolved, put in the gum arabic, lemon, and sugar. Stir thoroughly; strain it quickly through a fine napkin, and cool it in a shallow dish, so that the layer of jelly shall be an inch thick. It is to be cut into cubes, which may be served two or three at a time, to be held in the mouth until melted.

CHICKEN JELLY

Clean a small chicken, disjoint it, and cut the meat into small pieces; remove the fat, break or pound the bones, and put all into cold water, using the following proportion: A pint for every pound of chicken. Heat the water very slowly at first, and then simmer it until the meat is tender; it will require three or four hours. Boil down to one half the quantity. Strain it and remove the fat; then clear it with an egg, and season it with salt, pepper, and lemon. Strain it through a fine napkin, pour into small cups, and cool. Parsley, celery, and bay-leaves give a good flavor. A suspicion of red pepper is also an addition.

PUNCHEON JELLY

¼ Box of phosphated gelatine. 1 Cup of cold water. ½ Cup of hot tea. ½ Cup of sugar. ¼ Cup of Jamaica rum. 1 Tablespoon of brandy. 5 Drops of almond extract.

Put the gelatine to soak in the cold water, and at the end of thirty minutes pour on the hot tea; then add the sugar, rum, brandy, and almond; strain it through a fine napkin, and set it in a cool place to become firm.

Phosphated gelatine is a delicate acidulated preparation, very nice for wine, lemon, or puncheon jelly, but it cannot be used for creams on account of the acid, which curdles them. Some of the directions indicate that it may be neutralized with soda; that, however, should not be done, since there is no accurate means of ascertaining how much acid there is in a given amount, or how strong it is; consequently there is no guide to the amount of soda required.

TOAST

The principal constituent of ordinary wheaten bread is starch.

When starch is subjected to a high temperature, it is changed into the easily digested substance dextrine. In the ordinary cooking of a loaf of bread, the starch in the outer layers is changed into dextrine, which helps to give the crust of bread that peculiar, agreeable flavor which we call "sweet." Slices of bread undergo a similar change when toast is made.

To make toast successfully, one should endeavor to convert as much as possible of the starch into dextrine. To do this, cut the bread one third of an inch thick, place the slices in a toaster, or wire broiler, and dry them slowly, either in a moderate oven, or by holding the broiler some distance from the fire. The object is to give the heat time to penetrate to the center of the slice before the outside has begun to change color. If a sheath be formed over the outside at once, the moisture will be shut in, and the middle of the slice will be prevented from becoming sufficiently heated to change its starch, for the temperature will not rise much above 212° Fahr. until the water is dried out. (Starch is changed into dextrine at 401° Fahr.)

Toast that is clammy in the middle and blackened on the outside is less wholesome than untoasted bread. Great care should therefore be taken with the drying. When this has been accomplished, lower the broiler a little nearer the coals, when the toast will quickly turn a golden brown. An ideal piece of toast is crisp and golden throughout. But many will say that they prefer toast that is soft inside, and that they cannot eat hard, dry toast. The ideal piece of toast is not really so hard as it seems. It breaks and crumbles very easily, and is quickly moistened by the saliva. If one would persevere with a slice, he would soon learn to prefer it to any other kind; at all events, that which is soft inside should not be given to the sick. It is better to make the toast dry, and then moisten it, if need be, by dipping the slices into hot water for an instant, but do not soak them.

Dry toast should be served directly from the fire, if possible. When this is not practicable, pile it on a platter, cover it with a napkin, and put it on the hearth or in the oven.

Toast is given in all slight cases of illness, because it is so easily digested. The more thorough the conversion of the starch, the more easily and perfectly the system will manage it, for the change of starch into dextrine, by the action of heat, is simply doing outside of the body that which takes place in it in the ordinary course of digestion, by the action of the digestive fluids. Therefore, when this is accomplished by artificial means, nature is spared so much energy.

BUTTERED WATER TOAST

Toast four thin slices of bread. Put into a shallow pan a pint of water with half a teaspoon of salt. Dip each slice quickly into the water, place it in a covered dish, and spread it with butter, piling one slice above another.

Do not let the bread soak in the water. Endeavor to keep a suggestion of crispness in it, for sloppy, sodden toast is not nice. Serve it very hot, with apple sauce, sweet baked apples, or tart jelly. Water toast is really delicious if care is taken to have it hot. It will be eaten with relish much longer than that made with milk.

MILK TOAST

Put a cup of rich milk into a saucepan, and place it on the stove. While it is heating, toast three slices of bread a delicate brown. Put them one at a time into a covered dish, and when the milk is boiling hot season it with a saltspoon of salt and pour it over the bread. A little butter may be spread upon each slice before the milk is poured over, but it is a more delicate dish without it.

CREAM TOAST

1 Pint of milk. 1 Tablespoon of flour. 1 Tablespoon of butter. 1 Saltspoon of salt. 4 Large or 6 small slices of bread.

Make a white sauce with the milk, flour, and butter according to the following directions. Pour the milk into a saucepan, and set it on the fire to heat. Put the butter and flour together in another saucepan, place it on the fire, and stir gently until the butter melts; let them bubble together two or three minutes. The high temperature which the butter quickly attains will thoroughly cook the flour in a short time. Then pour in a little of the milk, and stir until the two are mixed; add a little more milk, and stir again until it bubbles; if at this point the mixture does not seem smooth, lift it from the fire, and beat it until it is waxy and perfectly free from lumps. Then add more milk, stir again, and so continue until all the milk is in. Let it simmer slowly until the toast is ready, which should be made according to the rule for dry toast. Then soak the slices in boiling salted milk (four if from a large, and six if from a small loaf of bread), arrange them in a covered dish, and pour the cream, salted, between and over them. Irregular pieces and odds and ends of bread may be used instead of whole slices, and are very nice toasted in a tin pan in the oven.

One precaution is necessary in making this dish; that is, to soak the bread thoroughly in the boiling milk, for the sauce or cream is too thick to soften it. On account of the high temperature to which the butter rises, the starch is more perfectly cooked in it than if the flour were mixed with cold water and poured into the boiling milk, as is sometimes done.

FRENCH OR EGG TOAST

1 Egg. 1 Cup of milk or cream. 1 Saltspoon of salt. 3 Slices of bread.

Break the egg on a plate, and beat it with a fork for a minute, or until the viscousness is destroyed. Then mix in the milk and salt. In this mixture soak the slices of bread until they are soft, lay them in a buttered omelet-pan, and fry them slowly until a golden brown. Then place a bit of butter on the upper side of each slice, turn and brown that side. Spread a little butter, powdered cinnamon, and sugar on each slice and arrange them one above another in a covered dish. Serve very hot.

CROUTONS