Mince Meat, page 99

Take six pounds of scrappy beef. A neck piece will do, and boil in enough water to cover; take off scum that rises when it reaches boiling point, add hot water from time to time until tender, then remove lid from pot, salt, let boil till almost dry, turning the meat over occasionally in the liquor, take from the fire, and let stand over night in the liquor to get thoroughly cold; pick bones, gristle or stringy bits from the meat, chop very fine, mincing at the same time three pounds rice beef suet; seed and cut 4 pounds raisins, wash and dry three pounds currants, slice thin a pound of citron, chop fine four quarts good cooking tart apples; put all in large pan together, add 2 ounces cinnamon, 1 of cloves, 1 of ginger, 4 nutmegs, juice and grated rind of 3 lemons, table-spoonful salt, teaspoonful pepper, 2 pounds sugar. Put in a porcelain kettle quart boiled cider, or better still, quart currant or grape juice (canned when grapes are turning from green to purple), quart of nice molasses or syrup, and if any syrup at hand left from sweet pickles, add some of that, also a good lump of butter; let it come to boiling point, and pour over ingredients in pan after having first mixed them well, then mix again thoroughly. Taste, and if not properly flavored, add more boiled cider, fruit juice, or seasoning, as needed. It should have a smooth agreeable taste with no one flavor predominating. Pack in jars and put in a cool place, and when cold, pour molasses over the top 1/8 of an inch in thickness, and cover tightly. This will keep two months. For baking, take some out of jar, if not moist enough add a little hot water, and strew a few whole raisins over each pie. Instead of boiled beef, a beef’s tongue or heart, or roast meat may be used, the tongue making the choicest of all. For a very nice and rich holiday mince meat, use half and half boiled beef and tongue, with the same proportions of other ingredients and add juice and rind of three oranges, 1/4 pound each candied orange and lemon peel, sliced thin; 3/4 of pound sweet almonds, and an ounce bitter almonds (weighed after shelling), blanched and chopped, and 1/2 teaspoonful almond extract. Also omit two nutmegs and add teaspoonful mace, and if the syrup is objected to, use instead 2 pounds more sugar. In baking, a table-spoonful sweet cream for each pie, heated and stirred into the ince meat just before filling in crusts, is a great improvement.

Apple Custard Pie, page 115

Peel sour apples stew until soft, and rub through colander, add 9 eggs, cupful each butter and sugar; for 3 pies. Season with nutmeg and bake in under crust. Or with milk, beat yolks of 6 eggs with cupful sugar; add 3 cupfuls cold stewed and pulped apples with a quart of milk, or pint each cream and milk, season with grated orange peel, or as liked; beat in whipped whites of eggs last, and bake in one crust. Makes two or three pies. Or in either recipe reserve some of the whites of eggs for meringue. Baked in pudding dish, this makes a delicious apple custard pudding, and the dish may be lined with pastry, bread crumbs, or slices of bread dipped in sweet milk or a custard; or put the crumbs and apple mixture in dish in alternate layers. For an apple-butter pie, beat well together 4 eggs, cupful each apple-butter and sugar, an {sic} level table-spoonful allspice; add quart sweet milk, and pinch of salt and bake in one crust. Makes 3 pies.

Cocoanut Pie, page 119

Pint of milk, a cocoanut, 1 cupful sugar, 3 eggs; grate cocoanut, mix with yolks of eggs and sugar, stir in milk, filling the pan even full, and bake in one crust. Make a meringue of whites of eggs and sugar. If prepared cocoanut is used, 1 heaping teacupful is required, soaked over night; a table-spoonful of butter may be added. Or reserve the milk of the cocoanut and mix it with a cup of cream instead of using milk as above. A slight flavoring of orange or lemon extract may be added if liked.

Fruit Loaf Cake, page 147

One cup butter, 2 cups brown sugar, 1 cup New Orleans molasses, 1 cup sweet milk, 3 eggs, 5 cups of sifted flour, 2 teaspoonfuls cream tartar in the flour, teaspoonful soda in the milk, table-spoonful cinnamon, 1 nutmeg, 1 pound each raisins and currants, 1/4 pound citron, (citron may be omitted, and half the quantity of raisins and currants will do). Put flour in a large crock, mix well with cream tartar, make a well in the center, put in other ingredients, having warmed the butter and molasses a little; mix well together, with the hands, putting in the fruit last after it has been floured: bake 2 hours in a moderate oven. This will make two common sized loaves.

White Cake, page 154

One cup butter, 2 cups of sugar, 1 cup of sweet mile, 3 of flour, whites of 5 eggs, 2 teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Easily made, and very good. A very handsome cake may be made from this recipe by coloring one-fourth of the dough with a small teaspoonful of cochineal dissolved in a little hot water and strained through a piece of muslin. When the batter is put into the tin, marble with this red dough. Ice it when baked.

French Cream Cake, page 172

Three eggs, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 1/2 cups flour, 2 table-spoonfuls cold water, 1 teaspoonful baking powder. This is enough for two cakes baked in pie pans, to be split while warm, and spread hot custard between them, or for four cakes baked in jelly pans, with the hot custard spread between them. the latter being the preferrable {sic} plan. For custard, boil nearly 1 pint sweet milk, mix 2 table-spoonfuls cornstarch with half a cup of sweet milk, add 2 well-beaten eggs; when milk has boiled add nearly a cup of sugar, and add gradually the corn starch and eggs; stirring briskly; add a half cup butter, stirring until dissolved; flavor with 1 teaspoonful of vanilla, and spread between cakes while hot. This cake can be used as a pudding by pouring over each piece a spoonful of the custard that is left.

Hickory Nut Cake, 181

Two cups of sugar, 1 cup of milk, 2/3 cup of butter, 3 cups of flour, 3 eggs, 2 teaspoonfuls baking powder, 1 cup of nut kernels, cut fine. Tried, and not found wanting. Without nuts makes a good layer cake for any filling.

Mt. Vernon Cook Book, Second Edition, 1908, Thompson Company Printers, Carthage, Mo.