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Eleventh Day: Dumplings

No. 146-CRUST FOR DUMPLINGS.

Two cups milk, one heaping tablespoonful lard and the same of butter, one teaspoonful soda and two of cream tartar, one salt-spoon salt, flour enough to make a soft dough. Some people prefer it made with two well-beaten eggs to a pound of flour, mixed with water enough to make a dough; the other ingredients the same.

No. 147-SUET PASTE.

Rub well with half a pound finely chopped beef suet, three-quarters of a pound flour, and one saltspoon salt; make into a paste with cold water, work it well, beat it with the rolling-pin, and roll it out two or three times. This paste answers for any kind of boiled fruit pudding. No. 148-POTATO PASTE.

Mash one pound boiled potatoes, while still warm, and rub into them with the hands three-quarters of a pound flour and half a teaspoonful salt; make it into a stiff paste with cold water; beat and roll as above. Especially nice for roller dumplings. "What are they, Aunt Jane?" "You may as well write down the recipe."

No. 149-ROLLER DUMPLINGS.

Take any of the above kinds of paste and roll out very thin. Then spread it evenly to within half an inch of the edge with any kind of jam or similar preserve (not liquid), then begin with the side next you and roll up carefully to the shape of a bolster. The farther edge should be left uncovered for an inch, and the edges wet all round that they may adhere to each other. Then take a piece of stout cloth of the same shape as the roll, but larger, roll the dumpling in it, and tie up the ends, first dipping the cloth in hot water, wringing it out and flouring the inside. "Then you boil it, I suppose," said Edith. "Oh, yes, that is always understood of a dumpling, though I have seen a recipe for a baked one. I never tried it, but I have it here, and you may copy it if you choose."

No. 150-BAKED APPLE DUMPLINGS.

Prepare a regular "dumpling-crust"; roll it out, cut into squares and in the center of each lay a juicy, tart apple, pared and cored; bring the corners of the square neatly together and pinch them slightly. Lay in a buttered baking pan, the joined edges downward, and bake to a fine brown. When done, brush over with beaten egg and set back into the oven to glaze for a few minutes. Sift powdered sugar over them and eat with sauce.

No. 151-TO GLAZE PASTRY.

The appropriate glazing for meat pies is made with beaten yolk of egg alone, laid on with a feather or pastebrush; for a lighter color (like that for the baked dumplings), the whole of the egg may be beaten together. The best method of glazing fruit tarts before they are sent to the oven is to moisten the paste with ice-water, sift sugar thickly upon it, and press it lightly with the hand; but when a whiter icing is preferred, the pastry must be drawn from the oven when nearly baked and brushed with white of egg whisked to a froth, then well covered with the sifted sugar and sprinkled with a few drops of water before it is put in again. No. 152-FLAKY PASTE.

After mixing together as for puff paste (No. 64), and giving the first application of butter, brush over with whipped white of egg before you fold it to roll out again. Repeat this process each time, or four times in all. "That has nothing to do with dumplings, has it, Aunt Jane?" "No, but I was reminded of it by the directions for glazing. It does not make the paste taste any better; if anything, it will not be quite as tender, but it will flake very elegantly, and is handsome when you are preparing for company."

No. 153- BAKING POWDER BISCUIT.

One lb. flour, one tablespoonful butter and two of lard, three-quarters of a pint sweet milk, one even teaspoonful salt and five of baking powder, sifted with the flour; rub the shortening through with the hand until quite fine, pour in the milk, mix lightly, and roll out on a floured board without any kneading, cut with a round cutter, and bake in a quick oven. "What do you give us biscuit now for, Aunt Jane?" "Because the very same recipe makes capital dumplingpaste, and I want to give you your choice. Now we come to what we shall have to-day-peach dumpling." "Oh, good! I didn't know we had any peaches.” "I think the fact has been carefully concealed from you because the peaches are not ripe enough to eat raw; they are rather hard and green, but they will do very well for a pie or pudding."

No. 154-PEACH DUMPLING.

Make a paste by any of the above recipes; roll it out to half an inch thickness, pile as many cut-up peaches on it as you think the paste will cover, mixing through them a tablespoonful of coffee sugar; gather the edges of the paste carefully together, so as to make the dumpling as nearly as possible a round ball; tie it in a well-floured cloth wrung out of hot water; turn a plate upside down in the kettle to prevent the cloth from sticking to it; plunge the dumpling into boiling water and boil two hours. "Now we will go down to the kitchen," said Aunt Jane, "and while Grace is making the paste, Rose and Edith, between them, can make some cake for tea." "Shall I go into the cellar to make it, Aunt Jane?" asked Grace. "Oh no, that is not necessary for boiled paste, or dough, as some people call it, though dough is properly only what is raised with yeast. It will be just as nice made here, and it is more sociable for us to be all together. Make your paste from the first recipe-simple 'dumpling crust.' Now, Rose, as we have had nothing here for a long time but fine cake, you may make some ginger cupcakes, after one of these old recipes." No. 155-MOLASSES CUP-CAKES.

Two cups molasses, two of brown sugar rolled fine, one of rich milk, one of butter, five of sifted flour, five eggs, one heaping tablespoonful ginger, one teaspoonful allspice and one of cloves. Bake in small tins in a moderate oven. If not spiced enough for the taste, add more ginger. "Why do they so often speak of 'rich milk,' Aunty?" " I suppose because some people use skimmed milk for cooking, after taking off the cream for coffee, and the person who writes the recipe doesn't want to have the article spoiled. Never use skim-milk in cooking, if you can get any other. Oh, I forgot that the peaches were not prepared yet; you two girls may pare and cut them up while Gracie is making the paste, and afterwards she will help you to prepare your materials." "Does this paste look about right, Aunt Jane?" asked Grace when she had rolled it out. "Yes, just right; now we must have a two-quart tin pan or a round vegetable-dish to lay it in to keep the peaches in place. If Rhoda will wring the cloth out of hot water for you, you can rub it inside with flour, then lay it in the dish, put in your paste and afterward the peaches and sugar which the girls have been getting ready for you, and then all you have to do is to gather the edges together and press them tightly so that no water can get inside. Now we will tie up the cloth, not too close to the ball, because there must be a little room left for it to swell in, nor too loosely, because that would let it fall out of shape; but just-so!" "I quite long for dinner-time to come," said Grace. "Not so much because I want to taste it myself as to see how the rest like it, especially mamma and papa." "You may make your mind perfectly easy about that, Grace; I know it will be good." "Are apple dumplings made in the same way?" "Yes; and so are cherry and blackberry and huckleberry, and any thing else you like to use. Many people make all these things into what they call 'bolsters,' or rollers, but I dont think they are nearly as nice as when the fruit is all kept together in the middle." "What a queer name for anything to eat - bolsters!" "I don't think it's an agreeable one, so I never call them so. Sometimes they are called 'valise puddings,' which isn't so bad, but that there isn't anything in the valises used now-a-days (which are shaped like little trunks,) to remind you of them." "What kind of sauce must we have for this?" "At home we always had them served in this way: a plate of butter was set by the one who served the dumplings, and a piece of it was placed directly in the middle of each helping; this was covered with a great spoonful of white sugar and the eater distributed them for himself, so we'll have it done in that way to-day, to remind your mother of old times." "But I suppose some people eat sauce with it, don't they?" inquired Rose. "Yes; generally hard sauce, though liquid sauce is equally admissible." "How do you make hard sauce, Aunt Jane?" "Why, did I never tell you? Then you must have the recipe for it straightway."