Democratic Sentinel, Volume 7, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 March 1883 — OLD-FASHIONED DISHES. [ARTICLE]

OLD-FASHIONED DISHES.

A. Day’s Letton at th* Boston Cookinc School. 7 [From the Boston Journal.] At the usual ringing of the bell the large cooking class came t» order and displayed immediately commendable attention, which did not abate throughout the demonstration. As almost all the dishes on the programme required a “slow bake," ana, therefore, several hours, they had mostly been prepared before the class assembled, in, order that they might be tested when completed. Mrs. Lincoln read the recipes, however, with comments, giving the necessary explanations. For baked beans she advised small peabeans, as they were much better than the yellow-eyed, and not to be tired of so soon. The quality of beans is found to vary from year to year. This year it is not so good as usual. Soak the beans over night in cold water, and then simmer until they are tender, but don’t put them on to bake in the water in which they have been boiled. It is very poor economy, for it makes the beans hard and indigestible. Having suitably prepared the beans, the rind of the pork must be dipped in water, scraped with a knife and cut into pieces one-half an inch thick. The other ingredients—salt, mustard and molasses—being added, with water enough to cover the beans, they must bake slowly as long as possible. Some of the ladies being surprised at the addition of mustard, Mrs. Lincoln explained its use, and stated further that a small onion gave a delicious flavor. By stirring canned corn into the beans, a variety can be obtained in the standard dish. It is not necessary to cover the beans, unless the fire is very hot, but they must be looked at every half hour. Having read the reciept of brown bread, with the comment that graham flour should be used, as being more wholesome, and the recipe of buckwheat cakes, Mrs. Lincoln gave some very useful hints in making Indian pudding. The old-fashioned cornmeal is much better than the granulated; a cup of cold water makes the pudding wney; it must be baked eight hours in a slow oven. As in the case of baked beans, the dish is very important. For the beans a bean-pot must be used; a Boston bean-pot, for in New York the proper kind cannot be procured; for the pudding a deep dish is important, one that holds about two quarts and a half.

For apple dumplings, the next recipe demonstrated, the crust can be made in a variety of ways —one of the best being given in the recipe—and the apples can be pared and cut in eighths or used whole. The last reciept on the programme, apple pie—common apple pie, not puff paste —was deftly but quickly made. Flour, salt, lard anti butter were mixed into the flour lightly and thoroughly. A paste was made by the addition of cold water, then cut through and through until all came up clean from the bowl, and then rolled over and cut again and rolled again until the paste had become crust. The apples, greenings, were pared after they had been quartered, and placed in a crust in a tin plate. The last part of the apple-pie process was binding the pie around the edges with a piece of wet linen cloth, a new device for the perfecting of an old-fashioned pie. By this time the beans, brown bread and pudding were pronounced in a satisfaciory condition to be tasted, the doughinuts had been properly fried in another room, to the contentment of those who dislike the odor of burning lard, and these products of the afternoon’s lesson were passed around among the pupils for testing; The Wilmington, Del., ATewssays: J. E. Shaw, Esq., proprietor Grand Union Hotel, New York, indorses St. Jacobs Oil for rheumatism and neuraleia.