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Some Kitchen Kinks: Cream
Buttermilk Cream.
By controlling the temperature in heating the buttermilk and not allowing it to go above 100° F., a compound is made which after draining has the consistency of a very thick cream It is claimed that this "cream" is suitable for eating on bread in place of butter.
The recipes given on other pages suggest ways of making a salad dressing out of buttermilk cream.
Devonshire Cream.
Devonshire cream somewhat resembles sweet cream in flavor and consistency. It is very much liked in England, where it is commonly eaten with fresh or preserved fruit, but it is not so well known in America.
To make Devonshire cream, allow a pan of whole milk to stand for 24 hours in a cool place or for 12 hours in a warmer place. Place the pan on the cooler part of the stove and heat until the milk is very hot, but not to the boiling point. If heated too much a thick skin will form on the surface. The more slowly the milk is heated the better. Having been heated, the milk should be kept in a cool place for 24 hours and then skimmed. The thick cream obtained has a characteristic flavor and texture.
CHEESE DISHES AND THEIR PREPARATION.
The list of cheese dishes in the culinary literature of this and other countries is a long one, but most of them are variations of a comparatively small number of general types. Those which have been selected and studied experimentally represent the principal types and in many cases have been adapted to American methods of preparations and tastes.
In some instances, this has resulted in new and perhaps more rational combinations than those which served For convenience, the cheese dishes included in this bulletin have been grouped under the following heads: (1) Cheese dishes which may serve as meat substitutes. (2) Cheese soups and vegetables cooked with cheese. (3) Cheese salads, sandwiches, and similar dishes. (4) Cheese pastry, cheese sweets, and similar dishes.
Variety may be obtained in the recipes by varying the flavorings.
Among the best flavorings for cheese dishes are onion, chives, and the ordinary green sweet pepper. Since the cheese needs very little cooking, however, and onion or the pepper needs a great deal, they should always be previously cooked, either by stewing in a very little water, or by cooking in butter. The seeds of the pepper, of course, should be removed before cooking. Where chopped celery is used, as it may be in most of these dishes, it, too, should be cooked beforehand until tender. Other good flavors are mustard, curry powder, onion juice, chopped olives, pimiento, and, according to European recipes, nutmeg or mace.
In preparing the cheese it often has been found convenient to use a very coarse grater, having slits instead of the usual rounded holes. Such a grater, in spite of its name, shaves the cheese instead of grating it.
When the cheese is soft this is an advantage, since the grater does not become clogged.
CHEESE DISHES WHICH MAY BE USED IN THE SAME WAY AS MEAT Meat is wholesome and relished by most persons, yet it is not essential to a well-balanced meal and there are many housekeepers who for one reason or another are interested in lessening the amount of meat which they provide or to substitute some other foods for it. The problem with the average family is undoubtedly more often the occasional substitution of other palatable dishes for the sake of variety, for reasons of economy, or for some other reason than the general replacement of meat dishes by other things.
Foods which are to be served in place of meat should be rich in protein and fat and should also be savory. Cheese naturally suggests itself as a substitute for meat, since it is rich in the same kinds of nutrients which meat supplies, is a staple food with which everyone is familiar, and is one which can be used in a great variety of ways. In substituting cheese for meat, especial pains should be taken to serve dishes which are relished by the members of the family. A number of recipes for dishes which contain cheese are given below. They are preceded by several recipes for cheese sauces which, as will appear, are called for in the preparation of some of the more substantial dishes.
Cheese Sauce No. I. 1 cupful of milk. 2 tablespoonsful of flour. 1 ounce of cheese (1/4 cupful of grated cheese).
Salt and pepper.
Thicken the milk with the flour and just before serving add the cheese, stirring until it is melted.
This sauce is suitable for use in preparing creamed eggs, or to pour over toast, making a dish corresponding to ordinary milk toast, except for the presence of cheese. It may be seasoned with a little curry powder and poured over hard boiled eggs. Cheese Sauce No. II.
Same as cheese sauce No. I, except that the cheese is increased from 1 to 2 ounces.
This sauce is suitable for using with macaroni or rice, or for baking with crackers soaked in milk.
Cheese Sauce No. III.
Same as cheese sauce No. I, except that two cupsful of grated cheese or 1 APPENDIX 8 ounces are used. This may be used upon toast as a substitute for Welsh rarebit.
Cheese Sauce No. IV.
Same as cheese sauce No. II, save that 2 tablespoonsful of melted butter are mixed with the flour before the latter is put into the milk. This sauce is therefore very rich in fat and has only a mild flavor of cheese.
Among the recipes for dishes which may be used like meat, the first 30 are such that, eaten in usual quantities, they will provide much the same kind and amount of nutritive material as the ordinary servings of meat dishes used at dinner. In several cases there is a resemblance in appearance and flavor to common meat dishes, which would doubtless be a point in their favor with many families.
While, chiefly owing to custom, it may not accord with the taste of the family to serve cheese dishes at dinner in place of meat, it is much more in accord with usual dietary habits in American homes to serve such dishes at least occasionally for lunch, for supper, or for breakfast; that is, for a less formal meal than dinner. The last group of recipes in this section, beginning with "breakfast cereals with cheese,” supply rather smaller proportions of nutritive materials than those in the first group and so may be more suitable for use at the less hearty meals.
There is no hard and fast line to be drawn between the two groups, however, and many of the recipes may be used interchangeably.
In the recipes calling for large amounts of cheese the food value is given, not in figures, but in comparison with beef of average composition and average percentage of waste.
This comparison is necessarily rough owing to the varying composition of the foods and the varying weights of such ingredients as a cupful of grated cheese or bread crumbs. In making the comparisons, beef of average composition has been considered to have 15.2 per cent of protein, and a fuel value of 935 calories per pound; ordinary American cheese has been considered to have 26 per cent of protein and a fuel value of 1,965 calories per pound. After many weighings, 4 ounces was decided to be the average weight of a cupful of cheese and 212 ounces the average weight of a cupful of bread crumbs. These weights have been taken, therefore, in calculating the food value of dishes. When cheese is very soft, however, it may be pressed into a cup and measured like butter. Under these circumstances, the weight of a cupful of cheese may be considered one-half a pound. The price of cheese is taken as 22 cents a pound, of butter 25 cents a pound, of eggs 25 cents a dozen, in this and all similar calculations in this bulletin. Prices vary with time, place, and season. Those mentioned above are such as were paid for materials at the time the experiments here summarized were made and are not extreme values in either direction. Like all such estimates, the calculations are only relative, and the housekeeper who wishes to estimate the comparative cost of the cheese dishes and other foods can readily do so by taking into account the amount of materials used and the prices paid for ingredients at any particular time.
Cheese Fondue No. I. 1½ cupsful of soft, stale bread crumbs. 6 ounces of cheese (11½ cupsful of grated cheese or 1½ cupsful of cheese grated fine or cut into small pieces). 4 eggs. 1 cupful of hot water. 1/2 teaspoonful of salt.
Mix the water, bread crumbs, salt and cheese; add the yolks thoroughly beaten; in this mixture cut and fold the whites of eggs beaten until stiff.
Pour into a buttered baking dish and cook 30 minutes in a moderate oven.
Serve at once.
The food value of this dish, made with the above quantities, is almost exactly the same as that of a pound of beef of average composition and a pound of potatoes combined. It contains about 80 grams of proteids and has a fuel value of about 1,300 calories. Estimated cost, 18 cents, calculated as explained elsewhere.