PART II RECIPES BEEF-JUICE, BEEF-TEA, AND BROTHS Beef-Juice. The clear juice of beef, slightly diluted with water, is always excellent, being especially useful for its strong flavors. It is like concentrated beef-tea and is often valuable in pleasantly exciting the action of the mouth and stomach after a long illness in which milk has been the chief article of diet. Beef-juice is best made by broiling the beef. Prepared in this way, the flavor is superior, and it is a quick and easy method; but when a proper broiling fire cannot be had, then it may be made in a glass jar like beef-tea, except without the water. Beef-Tea is valuable for its stimulating properties and for the warmth that it gives; it is also somewhat nutritious, containing as it does the nitrogenous juices of the meat, some salts, and the very important flavors. Beef-tea should be prepared in such a manner that the juices are held in solution in the water, not coagulated, to secure which the cooking temperature should never be allowed to exceed that of 160° Fahr.
Broths. Beef, mutton, and chicken broths are the most desirable forms of meat drinks for convalescents and those no longer dangerously ill. By slow cooking at a low temperature at first (the temperature should not exceed 150° Fahr. for the first hour), the extractives and albuminous juices are drawn out; then, by boiling, the gelatin of the bones, flesh, and other tissues is dissolved. The nutritive qualities of these broths may be much increased by the addition of bread, rice, tapioca, barley, and sago, cooked during the whole time so that they may be completely dissolved in the liquid.
BEEF-JUICE Bottled. Select a half pound of well-flavored beef, cut away everything except the lean fiber, divide it into small pieces, put them into a glass jar, cover, and place in a deep saucepan of cold water; heat gradually for one hour, but do not allow the temperature at any time to exceed 160° Fahr.; then strain out the juice and press the meat. The liquid should be clear red, not brown and flaky. Add a little salt, and it is ready to serve. A half pound will make three or four tablespoons of juice. If it is to be used constantly, a larger quantity may be made at once, as it will keep eighteen hours in a refrigerator. Beef-juice may be made into tea by diluting it with warm water. Broiled. Prepare a fire of clear glowing coals from which all blue flames have disappeared. Cut a piece of lean beef (one half pound from the round or any good lean portion) one and one half inches thick, and remove from it all membranous tissues and fat. Put it into a wire broiler, and broil from six to eight minutes according to the intensity of the fire (see rules for broiling). The piece when done should be pink and full of juice, not dry and hard, nor, on the other hand, bluish-red in the middle. More juice will be obtained, if the heat has penetrated to the center than if the meat is raw. When done, cut it into small pieces and squeeze out the juice with a meat-press or a lemon-squeezer. Add a little salt, and it is ready to serve. It should be given in spoonfuls, either warm or cold. If it is necessary to warm it, put a little into a cup and place it in a dish of warm water on the fire. Care should be taken that the water does not become hotter than 160° Pahr., for beyond that temperature the albuminous juices become coagulated and appear as brown flakes.
BEEF-TEA Bottled. Select and prepare the meat in the same manner as for bottled beef-juice, except that for every half pound a cup of water should be used, poured over after it has been put into the jar. The liquid thus obtained will resemble beef-juice in every respect except in strength. Serve as a drink in a red wine-glass or a china cup. With Hydrochloric Acid. Hydrochloric acid acts upon the fibers of meat in such a way that they become more easy of digestion. From a given portion of meat much more nutriment is extracted by the use of hydrochloric acid than without it; beef-tea made with it is recommended by physicians as the most easily absorbed form of beef drink, and for feeble children and patients much weakened by sickness it is especially useful. To Prepare. Select a half pound of good beef; remove from it everything that is not clear meat,—that is, bone, gristle, connective tissue, and fat; chop it fine on a meat-board or in a chopping-tray. Put into a bowl one cup of water and five drops of dilute hydrochloric acid; stir into this the chopped meat, and set it in a refrigerator or any cool place for two hours to digest. Then strain, flavor with salt, and serve cold in a red wine-glass. Should there be any objection to the taste or color, heat the tea until it steams and changes to a brownish hue; do not strain out the flakes of coagulated albumen and fibrin which appear, for they are the most nutritious portion of the tea. Chemically pure hydrochloric acid may be obtained of a druggist (it is usually marked C. P.); from it a dilute solution may be made by mixing it in the proportion of five and one half fluidounces to fourteen ounces of water.
BEEF BROTH Beef broth is the juice of beef extracted by the long application of heat in connection with some solvent, usually water. To make beef broth, allow one pound of meat, or meat and bone, to every quart of water. Wash the meat with a cloth in cold water until it is clean, or wipe it with a wet cloth if it is apparently fresh cut; divide it into small pieces (half-inch cubes) in order to expose as great an extent of surface as possible to the dissolving action of the water. Put it into a granite-ware kettle with cold water, and cook it at a low temperature for two hours, then boil it for two hours to dissolve the gelatin. Remove it from the fire, and strain it, using a strainer so coarse that the flakes of albumen may go through (an ordinary wire strainer will do). Skim as much fat as possible from the surface with a spoon, and then remove the remaining small particles with a sheet of clean paper (unsized is best) drawn over the surface. Season the broth with salt and pepper, and serve it very hot. If not needed at once, it may be set away to cool, when the fat will rise to the top, and form into a cake which may be lifted off. With Herbs. Make a broth according to the above rule, and flavor it with bay-leaves, mint, or with a bouquet of sweet herbs in the proportion of one teaspoon to a quart of liquid. With Grains. One tablespoon of any of the following grains—rice, barley, oatmeal, or wheat—to one quart of liquid, gives a pleasant consistency and flavor to beef broth. Tapioca, sago, cold dry toast, or cuttings of bread may also be used. They should be put in when the broth is first set on the fire to cook, that they may be completely dissolved in the liquid. With Vegetables. Celery, onion, carrot, turnip, or shredded cabbage may be used in broth in the proportion of one tablespoon to a quart. Cabbage is better in combination with onion than alone.
BROTH MADE FROM BEEFSTEAK (a quick method) Scrape the pulp from a pound of round or of sirloin steak, or mince the meat in a chopping-tray until it is fine; put it into a saucepan with just enough cold water to cover it, and let it come to the boiling-point slowly; then simmer it for fifteen minutes (better half an hour if there is time). Strain it, take off the fat with a sheet of paper, and season it with salt. This is a somewhat expensive but savory broth, and may easily be made on a gas or alcohol stove. A beef panada may be made by leaving the pulp in the broth and adding a little rolled cracker-crumbs or some bread softened and squeezed through a strainer.
SCOTCH BEEF BROTH Put into a granite stew-pan a pint of prepared beef broth,—that is, broth which has been strained, cleared of fat, and seasoned. Add to it one tablespoon of rolled oats, or of ordinary oatmeal, and simmer it gently until the oatmeal is soft and jelly-like. The time required will be about two hours. Then strain it, and serve very hot. This makes a good dish for an invalid for whom oatmeal has not been forbidden. If the broth is reduced by the boiling, add enough water to restore the pint.
CHICKEN BROTH Chicken broth should be made with fowl, not with young chicken; a good one weighing three pounds will make three pints of broth. To Prepare. Singe the chicken with a piece of blazing newspaper to burn off the long hairs; remove all refuse or that which is not clear flesh, viz., pin-feathers, oil-bag, crop, lungs, kidneys, and, of course, the entrails if the fowl is not already drawn. If the pipes in the neck are not all drawn out with the crop, they may be easily taken away when the fowl is cut up. Scrub it well in cold water, and then disjoint and cut it into small pieces; wash each piece thoroughly, retaining the skin if it is clear and free from pin-feathers, otherwise removing it. Put the chicken into cold water and simmer it for two hours, then boil it for two hours. Finally strain it and remove the fat. Season it with salt and a bit of white pepper, and serve very hot in pretty china cups, with or without a lunch-cracker or a bit of dry toast.
With Herbs. Parsley, bay-leaves, sage, thyme, or a bouquet of sweet herbs will give a pleasant flavor to chicken broth. A teaspoon to a pint is the right proportion. With Grains or Vegetables. Rice may be used to advantage in chicken broth, and also pearl-barley, sago, tapioca, and bread. These are among the best additions of the kind that can be made, for with them one is able to preserve the light color so desirable in chicken broth. Onion, celery, and parsley in the proportion of one teaspoon to a pint are suitable vegetables. Celery is especially nice.
MUTTON BROTH One pound of mutton from the neck, or, better, the loin, one quart of cold water, and one teaspoon of chopped onion will be needed for this broth. Remove from the mutton the tough skin, the fat, and all membranes, and cut the meat into small pieces; break the bone, and if it be a part of the spinal column, take out the spinal cord. Put the pieces of meat, the onion, and the water into a saucepan, and simmer them together for three hours: then strain out the meat, dip off the fat from the broth with a spoon, and remove the remaining small particles with paper; season it with salt and white pepper. Serve hot in a pretty cup, with a toasted cracker. A little bunch of mint, a bouquet of herbs, a few bay-leaves, or a sprinkle of Cayenne pepper or curry-powder will vary the broth agreeably. Pearl-barley is a particularly good addition to make, or rice may be used in the proportion of one teaspoon to a pint.
OYSTER-TEA. No. 1 Select eight fresh oysters, chop them fine in a chopping-tray, and turn them into a saucepan with a cup of cold water; set the saucepan on the fire, and let the water come slowly to the boiling-point, then simmer for five minutes; strain the liquid into a bowl, flavor it with half a saltspoon of salt, and serve hot with or without a small piece of dry toast, or a toasted cream-cracker. OYSTER-TEA. No. 2 Put a dozen large oysters with their liquor into a stew-pan; simmer for five minutes. Then strain the liquor, leaving out the oysters, and add to it one half cup of milk; set it back on the stove and heat it just to the boiling-point. Flavor with a sprinkle of white pepper and half a saltspoon of salt. Or make it according to rule No. 1, using milk instead of water.
CLAM BROTH Six large clams in their shells and a cup of water will be needed for this broth. Wash the clams thoroughly with a brush, and place them with the water in a kettle over the fire. The broth is simply the juice of the clams with the water boiled for a minute. It does not require seasoning, as clam-juice is usually salt enough. As soon as the shells open, the broth is done. This broth and oyster-tea No. 1 are good in cases of nausea, and will be retained on the stomach when almost everything else is rejected.
GRUELS Gruels are cooked mixtures of grain or flour, with water, or with water and milk. They are best made with milk as a part of the liquid, but care must be taken not to put it into the gruel until the grain has been thoroughly cooked in water, and after that the mixture should not be allowed to boil, as so high a temperature changes the flavor and composition of the milk, and renders it a less desirable food than if it were cooked at a lower temperature,—for instance, 190° or 200° Fahr. The largest constituent of grains is starch, which is not easily digested unless well cooked; therefore the time for boiling gruels should be conscientiously kept by the clock. Should the water evaporate, restore to the original quantity before putting in the milk, which should be hot, though not boiling. It may, however, come just to the boiling-point without any special injury. Gruels served with a cream- or a banquet-cracker or a square of toasted bread are excellent for a convalescent's lunch. They may be varied with flavorings of cinnamon, nutmeg, almond, or a little grated lemon-peel, and sugar. Sugar is mentioned with great hesitancy, for a sweet gruel is an abomination, and yet a gruel with a very little sugar has a pleasanter flavor than one without any. Lacking color, gruels may be made attractive by serving them in dainty-hued china. Gruels should be drunk slowly, that the starch, which is partially digested by the action of saliva, may be thoroughly mixed with it before it is swallowed.
BARLEY GRUEL 1 Tablespoon of Robinson's barley-flour. 1 Cup of boiling water. 1 Saltspoon of salt. 1/2 Teaspoon of sugar. 1 Cup of milk. Mix the flour, salt, and sugar together with a little cold water, pour on the boiling water, and boil ten minutes; then add the milk, bring just to the boiling-point, strain, and serve very hot. This gruel may be made without the milk, but with a pint instead of a cup of water. Barley is a nutritious grain, rich in phosphates and protein.
ARROWROOT GRUEL J Tablespoon of arrowroot. 1 Saltspoon of salt. 1/2 Teaspoon of sugar. 1 Cup of hot water. 1 Cup of milk. Wet the arrowroot with the sugar and salt in two tablespoons of cold water, then pour on the hot water, stirring constantly. Boil it for twenty minutes, then add the milk and bring just to the boiling-point. Strain it, and immediately serve. Arrowroot is almost pure starch. Its grains burst at 140° Fahr.; therefore, if boiling water be poured upon it, it will form into lumps which will have to be strained, out, and thus a part of the material will be lost; hence the necessity of wetting it in cold water to reduce the temperature so that it may be stirred smooth before the lumps form. Milk is changed by long boiling, and loses some of its agreeable taste; it is better, therefore, not to put the milk into the gruel until after the flour has been thoroughly cooked in the water, thus preserving its natural flavor. Arrowroot gruel may be flavored with cinnamon by boiling a half square inch of cinnamon bark in the water with which the gruel is made. Nutmeg, lemon juice or peek and sherry wine may also be used; but the sherry should be avoided unless the gruel is to be served cold.
OATMEAL GRUEL FROM POUNDED GRAIN Pound in a mortar or roll on a bread-board one cup of oatmeal until it is floury. Put it into a bowl, and fill the bowl with cold water; stir well and let it settle for a few seconds; then pour off the milky-looking water into a saucepan, fill again, mix and pour off the water, and so continue until the water no longer appears white, being careful at each pouring not to allow the brown cortex of the grain or any of the coarse portions to get out of the bowl; then boil the water for half an hour. For every pint put in a saltspoon of salt and half a cup of sweet cream, or, if that is not at hand, the same quantity of milk. Beef broth or wine may be used instead of cream. This is the best way to make oatmeal gruel, for by this method the coarse and irritating hulls are excluded, while the good flavor and nutritious properties largely are preserved.
OATMEAL GRUEL (Plain) 2 Tablespoons of oatmeal (rolled oats). 1 Saltspoon of salt. 1/2 Teaspoon of sugar. 1 Cupful of boiling water. 1 Cup of milk. Mix the oatmeal, salt, and sugar together, and pour on the boiling water. Cook it in a saucepan for thirty minutes, or in a double boiler two hours; then strain it through a fine wire strainer to remove the hulls, put it again on the stove, add the milk, and allow it to heat just to the boiling-point. Serve it hot. Good oatmeal gruel may be made from cold porridge, by adding water, milk, and a little sugar and straining it, or it may be served unstrained. Many like it so, and it makes an excellent lunch.
FLOUR GRUEL 1 Tablespoon of flour. 1 Saltspoon of salt. 1/2 Teaspoon of sugar. 1 Cup of boiling water. 1 Cup of milk. 1/2 Square inch of cinnamon. Mix the flour, salt, and sugar, as for other gruels, into a paste with a little cold water; add the piece of cinnamon and the hot water; boil it for twenty minutes, slowly, so that it may not stick to the bottom of the pan and burn; then put in the milk and bring to the boiling-point. Strain it, and serve it very hot. If the gruel is intended for a patient with fever, a little lemon-juice is good in place of the cinnamon. Other flavors may also be used, such as nutmeg, almond, and vanilla.
CRACKER GRUEL 2 Tablespoons of cracker-crumbs. 1/2 Saltspoon of salt. 1/2 Teaspoon of sugar. 1 Cup of boiling water. 1 Cup of milk. To make the cracker-crumbs, roll some crackers on a board until they are fine. Most water-crackers are good, cream-crackers better; mix the salt and sugar with the crumbs, pour on the boiling water, put in the milk, and simmer it for two minutes. The gruel does not need long cooking, for the cracker-crumbs are already thoroughly cooked. Do not strain it.
FARINA GRUEL Farina is a grain which is carefully prepared from the nitrogenous part of selected wheat, and is therefore a better nutrient than rice-flour or arrowroot. 1 Tablespoon of Hecker's farina. 1 Saltspoon of salt. 1 Teaspoon of sugar. 1 Cup of boiling water. 1 Cup of milk. Mix the grain, salt, and sugar together with two tablespoons of cold water, pour on the boiling water, and cook ten minutes; then put in the milk, boil for a minute, and it is ready to serve.
IMPERIAL GRANUM Imperial Granum is a dainty, highly nutritious preparation of wheat, very useful for invalids and children. 1 Tablespoon of Granum. 1 Saltspoon of salt. 1 Teaspoon of sugar. 1 Cup of boiling water. 1 Cup of milk. Mix the meal, salt, and sugar in a saucepan with a little cold water, pour on the boiling water, and cook ten minutes; then add the milk, and let it again reach the boiling-point, when it is ready to serve. Mush and porridge may also be made from this grain for the use of children, for whom it is an excellent food, being similar to farina, but more delicate and easier of digestion. Imperial Granum may be obtained at any pharmacy.
RACAHOUT DES ARABES 1 Tablespoon of Racahout. 1 Saltspoon of salt. 1 Cup of hot water. 1 Cup of milk. Put the Racahout and salt into a saucepan, mix it into a paste with a little cold water, and then pour on the hot water; simmer for ten minutes. Have the milk scalding hot in another pan, and when the gruel has cooked the full time pour it in. Strain and serve. Racahout is a compound consisting principally of sugar, arrowroot, rice-flour, and French chocolate. It makes a most appetizing gruel, and is quite nutritious. Racahout des Arabes is imported largely from France. It may be obtained at any first-class grocery store.
INDIAN-MEAL GRUEL 2 Tablespoons of corn-meal. 1 Tablespoon of flour. 1 Teaspoon of salt. 1 Teaspoon of sugar. 1 Quart of boiling water. 1 Cup of milk. Make the corn-meal, flour, salt, and sugar into a thin paste with cold water, and pour into it the boiling water. Cook it in a double boiler for three hours. No less time than that will cook the corn-meal thoroughly. Then add the milk, and it is ready to serve. Use the fine granulated meal which has been prepared for table use, and may be bought of almost any grocer.
MUSH AND PORRIDGE Mush is meal or grain cooked in water to the consistency of rather thin pudding. Porridge is like mush, only thinner. The most important point connected with the preparation of these is thoroughness in the cooking. Made as they generally are of coarsely ground or of rolled grains, they need long boiling to soften the cellulose and to cook the starch properly. Oatmeal. Oatmeal should be cooked for at least three hours in a double boiler. It is at its best prepared the day before it is needed, and then reheated as it is wanted. If it is done in this way, the flavor is fine, and there is no danger that the grains will be hard. When taken from the kettle, the oatmeal should be of the consistency to pour, and on cooling it ought to form into a tender, jelly-like pudding. Sometimes oatmeal is cooked so that the grains are whole and separate, but it is not easily digested so, and lacks the delicious flavor which long cooking gives. Oatmeal for those for whom there is no objection to its use is a valuable nutrient, furnishing more for the money than almost any other food.
i Composition of oatmeal: Nitrogenous matter 12.6% Carbohydrates, starch, etc 63.8% Fatty matter 5.6% Mineral matter 8.0% Water 16-0% Total 100.00% Letherbt. From Prof. Mott's Chart of the Composition, Digestibility, and Nutritive Value of Food.
Indian Meal. Indian meal also requires many hours' cooking. Even if it be in a single vessel and actually boiled, not less than an hour and a half of exposure to heat is safe. Farina. Farina having been already subjected to a high degree of heat in its preparation, is thereby partially cooked, and does not require as long a time as the raw grains. Mushes and porridges made from oatmeal, cracked wheat, or any grain on which the tough outside covering remains, are to be avoided in all cases of irritation or disease of the alimentary canal, particularly in diseases of the intestines, for the hard hulls are very irritating to the delicate lining membranes. Young children have exceedingly delicate digestive powers, and are often made ill by coarse, starchy food. For them it is always safest to use the prepared grains, such as farina, granula, and Imperial Granum. All of the grains given in these recipes may be made into porridges by following the rules given for mushes, except that a larger proportion of water should be used. Porridges are like mushes, only thinner.
OATMEAL MUSH 1/2 Cup of rolled oats, or 1/2 cup of granulated oatmeal. 1/2 Teaspoon of salt. 1 Pint of boiling water. Pick over the oatmeal, and put it into a double boiler with the salt. Pour on the boiling water, place the upper vessel of the boiler on the stove, and boil two minutes. This effectually starts the cooking. Then put the upper vessel into the lower, and cook for five hours. The water in the under boiler should boil during this time, and will occasionally need replenishing. Serve the mush steaming hot with sugar and cream, and baked apples, apple sauce, or tart jelly if one is fond of something acid. If rolled oats be used, three hours are sufficient to cook it, but both kinds are best cooked the day before they are needed, as long cooking improves rather than injures the grain.
FARINA Farina being a prepared grain and free from hulls and waste, so large a proportion will not be required to make a mush as of some grains. 3 Tablespoons of farina. 1/2 Teaspoon of salt. 1 Pint of boiling water. Cook the mixture in a saucepan for twenty minutes after it actually boils, or in a double boiler for one hour. This is a delicious food for children, served with cream, or milk, and sugar.
WHEAT GERM Wheat germ is a delicate and nutritious preparation of wheat. It is made so that by boiling for a short time it is ready for the table, and makes a delicious breakfast dish. 1/2 Cup of germ. | Teaspoonful of salt. 1| Cups of boiling water. Boil in a saucepan without a cover for half an hour, or cook in a double boiler twice as long. The directions on the packages give a shorter time, but it is extremely doubtful whether this grain can be wholesome with the few minutes' cooking usually advised.
IMPERIAL GRANUM Imperial Granum, cooked according to the above rule, is always a wholesome and safe dish for children; or it may be made into a very thin gruel, and used as a drink instead of water.
GRANULA Granula is a breakfast grain which has been partially prepared by dry heat, and is almost cooked enough to use. It is sometimes recommended that it be prepared by simply boiling a minute in milk. It is, however, both softened and improved in flavor by boiling from ten to fifteen minutes in one and one-half times its bulk of water, with salt in the proportion of a teaspoon to a cup of grain.
CRACKED OR ROLLED WHEAT 1 Cup of cracked wheat. 1 Teaspoon of salt. 3 Cups of water. Pick over the wheat, to remove any foreign substance that may be in it. Put it with the salt and the water (boiling) into a double boiler, and cook for two hours. Serve with cream and sugar, either hot or cold. If it is desirable to have it cold, it may be molded in cups or small round jelly-molds.
INDIAN-MEAL MUSH 1 Cup of corn-meal. 1 Teaspoon of salt. 1 Quart of boiling water. No. 1. Make the corn-meal and salt into a paste with a little cold water, then pour in the boiling water and cook it in a double boiler for five hours. No. 2. Put the salt into the water, and when the water reaches the boiling-point stir in the dry meal by taking a handful and sprinkling it slowly through the fingers. Use a wooden spoon for stirring. Boil an hour and a half. Or, wet the meal in a little cold water, and pour over it the boiling water. The most important point is thoroughness in the cooking, which should be done carefully so that the pudding may not burn on the bottom of the dish. If the temperature be regulated so that it just simmers, there will be little danger of this. Serve with maple syrup, or with cream.
RICE 1/2 Cup of rice. 1 Teaspoon of salt. 2 Cups of boiling water. Prepare the rice by removing from it all visible foreign substances,— bits of metal, chips, black kernels, etc.; then wash it four times in cold water to take out dust, possible hairs, and bits of lint. Put the rice and salt in the upper vessel of a double boiler, pour in the boiling water and cook it one hour without stirring. During this time the water in the under vessel should boil continuously, otherwise more than one hour will be necessary. Rice thus cooked is excellent.
DRINKS
EGG-NOG Break into a bowl one egg, add to it a saltspoon of salt and two teaspoons of sugar; beat it until it is light; then add one cup of cool milk—that is, milk which has not been excessively chilled (for it is not well to use that which is ice-cold)—and one or two tablespoons of French brandy; mix and strain it into a tall slender glass, and serve at once. Egg-nog ought to be used very soon after it is made, for both the egg and the milk lose some of their freshness by exposure to the air.
MILK-PUNCH 1 Cup of milk. 2 Tablespoons of brandy. 1 Teaspoon of sugar. A little grated nutmeg. Sweeten the milk with the sugar, stir into it the brandy, and mix thoroughly by pouring from one glass to another. Then grate a bit of nutmeg over the top. Milk-punch is conveniently made with two tin cups; the mouth of one should be smaller than the mouth of the other, so that the one will fit into the other.
In these the milk should be shaken back and forth until a froth is formed. This does not add materially to the taste, but rather to the appearance, and thoroughly mixes in the sugar and brandy.
WINE WHEY Warm one cup of milk to a little more than blood-heat, or 100° Fahr., then pour into it one half cup of sherry wine. The acid and alcohol of the wine will in a few minutes coagulate the albumen, which may be separated from the whey by straining. Do not squeeze the curd through the strainer, but let the liquid drip until it is all out. If it is necessary to make the whey quickly, heat the milk to the boiling-point before adding the wine.
WINE WHEY WITH RENNET (sweet whey) 1 Pint of milk. 1 Teaspoon of prepared rennet. 2 Tablespoons of wine. Stir the rennet and wine into the milk quickly, so that the wine may not curdle the milk in blotches. Let it stand in a warm place (on the stove-hearth, for instance) for half an hour, and then separate the curd from the whey by straining. This whey is excellent for children with delicate digestion who need a little stimulant. It is very good also as a drink for invalids at any time.
Whey is the water of milk with the sugar and various salts of the milk in solution in it. The sugar furnishes some nutriment, and the salts supply some of the mineral matter needed in the body. Whey may also be made with vinegar or lemon-juice. These acids will act more quickly when the milk is warmed before they are added.
LEMONADE 1 Lemon. 1½ Tablespoons of sugar. 1 Cup of boiling water. Wash and wipe a lemon, cut a very thin slice from the middle, and squeeze the rest into a bowl; then put in the sugar, pour on the boiling water, and strain it. When it has become cold, serve it in a tumbler with the slice of lemon floating on the top.
Lemonade has a better flavor when made with boiling water, though it may be made with cold water. A few strawberries or raspberries may be put in, instead of the slice of lemon; or it may be colored pink with a little grape-jelly or carmine, and served with a straw.
MILK LEMONADE 1 Tablespoon of sugar. 1 Cup of boiling water. ½ Cup of lemon-juice. ½ Cup of sherry. 1½ Cups of cold milk. Pour the boiling water over the sugar, and then put in the lemon-juice and sherry. Stir it until the sugar dissolves, add the cold milk, and stir again until the milk curdles, then strain through a jelly-bag or napkin. This is a cool and refreshing drink, especially for children.
BRANDY-MILK WITH EGG Heat some milk in a granite saucepan for half an hour to sterilize it, but do not let it boil; then pour it into a pitcher, and set it aside to cool. When the milk is cold, beat one egg with one tablespoon of sugar until the sugar is well mixed; add to it two tablespoons of brandy and a cup of the cold milk. Strain it into a tall slender glass, and serve at once. Heating the milk renders it perfectly wholesome and much safer for an invalid than raw milk, and also improves the flavor of the drink.
SHERRY AND EGG Break an egg into a bowl, and put in a teaspoon of sugar; beat the two together until the sugar is thoroughly mixed with the egg, but not enough to make the egg froth; to this add two tablespoons of sherry wine, and a fourth of a cup of cold water, mixing them thoroughly. Strain all into a tumbler, and serve immediately.
STERILIZED MILK The change which takes place in milk known as "souring" is caused by the growth of micro-organisms in it, which are killed by heat; therefore, to prevent souring, milk must be subjected to a temperature sufficiently high to ensure their destruction. Some micro-organisms are killed at 136° Fahr., but this temperature cannot be said to destroy, or to inhibit the growth of all bacteria commonly found in milk. We must endeavor then to use such a degree of heat as shall accomplish this without seriously injuring the natural properties and flavors of the liquid. Authorities vary on this point, some putting the temperature as high as 212° Fahr., and others as low as 167° Fahr. The author has found, in an experience of two years in sterilizing milk every day, that 190° Fahr. is, under ordinary circumstances, a safe and easily practicable temperature to employ. With this degree of heat, the flavor of the milk is excellent.
The process is as follows: The milk is put into clean glass flasks or bottles with small mouths which are stoppered with plugs of cotton batting, or, as it is sometimes called, "cotton-wool." These are placed in a wire basket, and the basket immersed in a kettle of warm water, the temperature of which is not allowed to exceed 190° Fahr. As soon as the heat is at or near that point, the time is marked, and the milk is kept at that temperature for one hour. Then the bottles are removed, cooled quickly, and placed in the refrigerator. If it is desirable to keep the milk an indefinite time, the process should be repeated the second day, and again the third day, a third sterilization being necessary to ensure success, since spores of organisms may escape the first and even the second heating. For all ordinary household purposes, however, and as a safe food for the sick, heating once is all that is necessary. Milk thus treated will keep in the temperature of an ordinary room, even in warm weather, from twenty to thirty hours. By using the small-mouthed flasks, very little scum is formed, and thus most of the nitrogenous portion is preserved in the milk.
To Sterilize for Family Use. Milk may also be preserved by open sterilization in a saucepan or kettle by the following simple process: Heat the milk until a scum forms over it; keep it at, or near, the temperature it then has for one hour, then pour it into a thoroughly washed and scalded pitcher, cool it, and put it into a refrigerator or some cool place. It will remain sweet for twenty-four hours, and, unless the weather be very warm, it will be good at the end of thirty-six hours. Should it sour before the end of twenty-four hours, it indicates that the temperature was too low, or the time of exposure to the heat too short. A chemist's thermometer costs but little, and will be found very useful for testing milk. It should be borne in mind, in this connection, that milk is not rendered absolutely sterile,—that is, free from all possible organisms and spores which may occur in it,—except at a temperature of at least 212° Fahr., or even higher.
Sterilized milk diluted with water is a nutritious and wholesome drink for the sick. Of course, the water with which it is diluted should be boiled. In hospital practice, nurses have told me that patients suffering from sleeplessness will often fall into quiet slumber after drinking hot milk, and that not infrequently the ordered hypodermic of morphine is not needed when hot milk is used.
MILK AND SELTZER Mix equal quantities of sterilized milk and seltzer-water. Drink immediately.
MILK AND SODA-WATER Into a glass half full of fresh milk, put an equal quantity of soda-water. Use at once. This is an agreeable way to take milk and is a nutritious and refreshing drink.
TOAST-WATER Cut three slices of bread each a third of an inch thick, and toast them slowly until very brown and dry throughout; break them into small pieces, put them into a bowl with a pint of cold water, and set aside to soak for an hour; at the end of that time, turn it into a strainer or napkin, and squeeze out the liquid with the back of a spoon. To the water thus obtained, add a little cream and sugar, and serve it cold in a tumbler. It may also be served without the cream.
BARLEY-WATER 1 Tablespoon of barley flour. 1 Teaspoon of sugar. 1 Saltspoon of salt. 1 Quart of water. Boil the flour, water, sugar, and salt together for fifteen minutes, and strain.
Barley-water may also be made by boiling two tablespoons of barley (the grain) in a quart of water for one hour. A teaspoonful of lemon-juice or tamarind-juice may be used as flavoring.
RICE-WATER Pick over and wash two tablespoons of rice; put it into a granite saucepan with a quart of boiling water; simmer it for two hours, when the rice should be softened and partially dissolved; then strain the liquid through a fine wire strainer into a bowl or pitcher, add to it a saltspoon of salt, and serve it either warm or cold. If a patient may take or needs stimulants, two tablespoons of sherry or port wine is an agreeable addition, especially if the drink be taken cold.
FRUIT JUICE FOR USE WITH SODA-WATER. No. 1 From Strawberries. Remove the stems from one quart of strawberries, and pick them over carefully. Wash them under a stream of water in a colander, gently, so that they may not be crushed; then put them into a double boiler with half their bulk of sugar, and heat for an hour or more until the berries are soft. When this is accomplished, turn them into a jelly-bag and drain until the juice has completely oozed out, which will require two or more hours. Do not squeeze them. Then put the juice into a saucepan and, returning to the fire, heat it to a temperature of 205° Fahr., and keep it at that temperature for one hour. If a thermometer is not at hand, heat the juice until it steams a little, but do not let it boil, for the flavor is not nearly so delicate with the high temperature. Then it may be canned or bottled for future use. If the bottle be scalded and carefully sealed as in preserving fruits, the juice will keep indefinitely. The length of time that it remains at 205° is important, as it is a process of sterilization that takes place, and the temperature must be maintained for a given time, or the desired result will not be accomplished. The condition of the bottle also must be carefully considered, as the thorough cleaning and scalding are for the purpose of rendering it sterile. This is most easily and thoroughly done by filling the bottle with hot water and placing it in a kettle of boiling water for half an hour. To Use. Dilute the juice with cool water (not iced water) or soda-water in the proportion of one half juice to one half water.
From Oranges. The oranges should be peeled and the seeds removed, and then treated in the same way as the strawberries in the preceding rule, except that to every quart of fruit, the juice of two lemons should be added.
From Raspberries. Employ the same method as for strawberries.
From Currants. The same as for strawberries, except that three-fourths of the bulk of the fruit of sugar should be used instead of one half.
With Other Fruits. Other fruits, such as apricots, peaches, cranberries, apples, etc., may be used for syrups, varying the water and sugar according to the kind of fruit used. Apples, apricots, and peaches will require half their bulk of water.
FRUIT JUICE FOR USE WITH SODA-WATER. No. 2 Sprinkle two cups of sugar over one box of ripe strawberries, which, of course, have been hulled and washed, and set them away for three hours, or until the juice has oozed out of the fruit and made a thick syrup with the sugar. Strain the juice, bottle it, and put it in a cool place. It will keep for three days. To Use. Pour one third of a cup into a tumbler, add two tablespoons of cream, and fill the tumbler with soda-water from a siphon. This makes a delicious and cooling drink. Oranges, raspberries, currants, or any other juicy fruit may be used for syrup, which is very palatable when made from fresh uncooked fruits. These syrups are useful not only for drinks but for flavoring ice-creams and pudding sauces.
COFFEE SYRUP Make some strong coffee with two tablespoons of the ground berry (Mocha and Java mixed), a little white of egg, and one cup of boiling water. Simmer together one cup of sugar and one third of a cup of water for five minutes, then add to it one half of a cup of the coffee. Strain and bottle it for use. This is delicious with soda-water and cream.
VANILLA SYRUP Make a sugar syrup by boiling together one cup of sugar and one half of a cup of water for five minutes. Add to it two or three tablespoons of vanilla extract. It is to be used, like coffee syrup, with soda-water and sweet cream.
OTHER SYRUPS A variety of syrups may be made, besides those mentioned, by using a sugar syrup like that in the above recipe, and flavoring it with cinnamon, lemon, almond, rose-water, chocolate, etc. All of the cooked syrups will keep indefinitely.
GRAPE JUICE Grape juice mixed with cold water or with soda-water makes a pleasant and invigorating drink for a sick person. The best grapes for the purpose are the blue varieties, such as Isabellas, Concords, or Black Hamburgs. To Make a Bottle of Juice. Pick over (and wash if they need it) one quart of grapes. Remove them from the stems, and put them into a double boiler with just enough cold water to cover them. Heat them slowly until the juice oozes out and the fruit becomes soft, which will take two or three hours. Then turn the fruit into a jelly-bag made like a long pointed pocket, draw the string at the top and hang it to drain. Do not squeeze or press the bag, and use only the juice which drips out, which will practically be all that the grapes contain. To this add one fourth of the quantity of sugar—that is, if there is a quart of juice, put in one cup of sugar—and heat it until it is quite hot, or to a temperature of 210° Fahr., and keep it at that temperature for one hour, but do not let it boil. Then pour it into thoroughly cleaned and scalded hot bottles—in other words, those which are sterile. Seal the bottles with wax, and set them away in a cool place. To Use. Mix equal quantities of juice and cold water, and serve at once.
FLAXSEED TEA WITH LEMON 1 Tablespoon of flaxseed. 1 Pint of water. 1 Tablespoon of sugar. 1 Tablespoon of lemon-juice. Boil the flaxseed one hour in the water; strain it, and add the lemon-juice and sugar. The flaxseed should be examined for little black grains which often occur in it, and which injure the delicate flavor of the drink. Serve this tea either cold or warm. The loss by evaporation should be made good from time to time, so that at the end of the cooking there shall be one pint of tea.
APPLE TEA Wash and wipe a good sour apple, cut it into small pieces, and boil it in a cup of water until it is soft. Then strain the water into a bowl, add a bit of sugar, and serve when cold. If the apple is of good flavor, this is a pleasant drink, and may be given to fever patients, children with measles, or whenever there is much thirst.
KUMISS 1 Quart of perfectly fresh milk. ¼ of a two-cent cake of Fleischmann's yeast. 1 Tablespoon of sugar. Dissolve the yeast in a little water and mix it with the sugar and milk. Put the mixture into strong bottles—beer-bottles are good—cork them with tightly fitting stoppers, and tie down securely with stout twine. Shake the bottles for a full minute to mix thoroughly the ingredients, then place them on end in a refrigerator, or some equally cool place, to ferment slowly. At the end of three days, lay the bottles on their sides; turn them occasionally. Five days will be required to perfect the fermentation, and then kumiss is at its best. It will keep indefinitely in a refrigerator.