Measuring.—Flour, sugar, salt, ground spices, should always be sifted before measuring.
A cup is a breakfast-cup holding half a pint. The spoons are the silver ones in general use.
A spoonful of dry material is one in which the convexity at the top corresponds to the concavity of the spoon. A scant spoonful should be made level with the edges of the spoon.
In measuring half a tea-spoon of dry material, fill it first, and then divide it with a knife the length of the spoon.
It is necessary to remember in measuring half or quarter cups that a cup is smaller at the bottom than the top. It is most satisfactory to have half-pint measures which are marked into quarters.
4 cups flour = 1 quart or 1 lb.
2 cups of butter (solid) = 1 lb.
2¹⁄₂ cups powdered sugar = 1 lb.
1 cup = ¹⁄₂ pint
1 glass = ¹⁄₂ pint
1 pint milk or water = 1 lb.
9 large eggs = 1 lb.
1 table-spoon butter = 1 oz.
1 heaping table-spoon butter = 2 ozs.
Butter the size of an egg = 2 ozs.
To clean currants.—Sprinkle the currants with flour, put them on a coarse sieve, and rub them until the stems and grit are separated and go through the sieve. Then wash thoroughly in water, changing it until clear. Drain on a towel and pick over. Dry, if the weather permits, in the sun, not in an oven.
To stone raisins.—Pour boiling water over the raisins, and let them stand in it for ten minutes. Drain and rub each raisin between finger and thumb till the seeds come out. Cut open or chop.
Sultanas.—Pick over sultanas carefully, removing the little stems.
To chop suet.—Sprinkle the suet with flour. Chop in a cold place, removing all membrane carefully.
To boil puddings.—Pour the pudding mixture into a well-buttered basin, leaving room for it to swell or rise. Take a perfectly clean cloth, dip it in boiling water, and flour plentifully inside where it covers the pudding. Tie it up tightly round the basin. Stand in boiling water. Do not let the water stop boiling for an instant until the pudding is done. If it boils away, renew with fresh boiling water.
To steam puddings.—Cover the basin (which should be buttered) with buttered paper. Set in a covered steamer over boiling water. Keep the water boiling hard.
Bain-marie.—Bain-maries can be bought, but a saucepan placed upon a trivet in a larger saucepan containing hot water does equally well.
Gelatine.—Gelatine should always be soaked in cold water for one or two hours before using. Then it should be dissolved in a very little hot water, unless otherwise specified, and strained.
The greatest care must be taken in adding liquid gelatine to a cold mixture, as it so quickly solidifies. Strain it first, and then very gradually add it to the mixture, beating hard all the time.
To whip cream.—Whip cream in as cold a place as possible. It will whip easiest if it has been kept on ice for two or three hours. While whipping, remove the froth as it comes on to a sieve to drain. The liquid cream which drains off can be returned to the basin and whipped again. Sugar can be added before or after whipping. The cream will be lighter if the sugar is whipped with it.
To melt chocolate.—Put the chocolate in a saucepan on the oven when the heat is very moderate. Watch that it does not burn.
Meringue for puddings.—To make a meringue to cover a pudding, beat several whites of egg until frothy but not stiff. Then add the sugar gradually in the proportion of one table-spoon of powdered sugar to each white. Beat till stiff. Spread over the pudding when it is cool. Put in a moderate oven, and take out as soon as the meringue has risen, and is delicately browned. Serve quickly.
To blanch almonds.—Put the almonds into boiling water and let them soak in it until the skins rub off easily between the finger and thumb. Drain and spread out to dry.
To pound almonds.—After blanching let them soak for an hour in cold water, then pound in a good sized mortar until reduced to a soft pulp. Whilst pounding add a few drops of orange-flower water or lemon juice.
Mixing.—There are three ways of mixing. Stirring, Beating, Cutting (or Folding).
To stir.—Let the spoon touch the bottom and sides of the basin, and move it round quickly in circles of various sizes. Do not lift it out of the mixture, and work well against the sides.
To beat.—Tip the bowl to one side. Bring the spoon or fork quickly down into the mixture and through it, take it out the other side and bring it over and down again, scraping the sides well each time it goes in.
It is important to keep the bowl of the spoon well scraped out during mixing.
To cut or fold.—Turn over the mixture with a spoon, lift it up, folding in the white of egg as lightly as possible. Do not stir or beat but mix very gently until quite blended.
To beat butter.—Butter which is to be beaten should not be melted; but it can be softened by being kept for a while in a warm place.
To all sweets, with a few exceptions such as jellies, creams and fruit dishes, salt should be added. It must be used carefully, since the quantity required will necessarily vary. Salt is of the highest importance in bringing out the full flavour of the ingredients used. It can be added to flour or milk, or when the whites of eggs are used it will serve a double purpose if added to them, as it makes them much easier to beat up.