Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 July 1893 — RELIABLE RECIPES. [ARTICLE]

RELIABLE RECIPES.

Strawberry ShorTcake. Strawberry shortcake should not be made of cake dough or batter. Also plain biscuit dough with a little additional butter is better than the richer piecrust form. Sift one quart of flour and two teaspoons of baking powder together; rub into this four ounces of butter, add a small teaspoon of salt and sufficient milk to make a soft dough ; roll out as lightly as possible nearly an inch thick. Bake in a quick oven until done—about twenty minutes; then split through with a cord: never use a knife. Butter the open halves generously and lay the berries as thickly as possible on the lower one. Put the other Cn top and dust heavily with sugar. The berries should first be stemmed, very slightly mashed and well sugared. If they are too large slice them with a silver knife. Do not prepare them too long before serving, however, as they become pulpy. The shortcake should be set in the mouth of a cool oven a few moments. Serve with a pitcher of rich cream.

The Basis of Good Coffee. —An ideal cup of coffee can, it is said, be made only in one way. The coffee must be the best quality and must be roasted and ground immediately and used as quickly as possible. Conncissours in coffee assure us that it is out of the question to make this beverage absolutely perfect out of factory roasted coffee that has been allowed to stand in the open air any number of hours; and in addition, one might say such- a thing a 9 a good c;ip of coffee from that which is purchased ready ground is quite an impossibility. The tine aroma of the berry evaporates in a very short time. Given the freshly roasted and ground coffee, an earthen coffee-pot heated very hot by being tilled with boiling fresh water, which must he filled out again, and a coffee-hay strainer. Then put in the coffee, ground very fine, almost to a powder; pour upon it boiling water, not merely hot, cover tightly, aud allow the coffee to filter through. Have ready the cups, heated by pouring boiling water in them, put in the requii ed quantity of cream aud sugar, then fill up with the distilled nectar from the coffee pot. and one has a beverage that is a revelation. Never expect good results from poor coffee or lukewarm water and half-cold utensils.