TO MAKE WHITE HARD SOAP
Save every sc.r.a.p of fat each day; try out all that has acc.u.mulated; however small the quant.i.ty. This is done by placing the sc.r.a.ps in a frying-pan on the back of the range. If the heat is low, and the grease is not allowed to get hot enough to smoke or burn, there will be no odor from it. Turn the melted grease into tin pails and keep them covered.
When six pounds of fat have been obtained, turn it into a dish-pan; add a generous amount of hot water, and stand it on the range until the grease is entirely melted. Stir it well together; then stand it aside to cool. This is clarifying the grease. The clean grease will rise to the top, and when it has cooled can be taken off in a cake, and such impurities as have not settled in the water can be sc.r.a.ped off the bottom of the cake of fat.
Put the clean grease into the dish-pan and melt it. Put a can of Babbitt"s lye in a tin pail; add to it a quart of cold water, and stir it with a stick or wooden spoon until it is dissolved. It will get hot when the water is added; let it stand until it cools. Remove the melted grease from the fire, and pour in the lye slowly, stirring all the time.
Add two tablespoons of ammonia. Stir the mixture constantly for twenty minutes or half an hour, or until the soap begins to set.
Let it stand until perfectly hard; then cut it into square cakes. This makes a very good, white hard soap which will float on water.
*ENTReES*
CROQUETTES
Combine ingredients as directed in the recipe, roll the mixture lightly between the hands into a ball. Have a plentiful supply of bread crumbs spread evenly on a board; roll the ball lightly on the crumbs into the shape of a cylinder, and flatten each end by dropping it lightly on the board; put it in the egg (to each egg add one tablespoon of water, and beat together), and with a spoon moisten the croquette completely with the egg; lift it out on a knife-blade, and again roll lightly in the crumbs. Have every part entirely covered, so there will be no opening through which the grease may be absorbed. Where a light yellow color is wanted, use fresh white crumbs grated from the loaf (or rubbed through a puree sieve) for the outside, and do not use the yolk of the egg. Coa.r.s.e fresh crumbs are used for fish croquettes, which are usually made in the form of chops, or half heart shape. A small hole is p.r.i.c.ked in the pointed end after frying, and a sprig of parsley inserted. Have all the croquettes of perfectly uniform size and shape, and lay them aside on a dish, not touching one another, for an hour or more before frying. This will make the crust more firm.
The white of an egg alone may be used for egging them, but not the yolk alone. Whip the egg with the water, just enough to break it, as air-bubbles in the egg will break in frying, and let the grease penetrate. Serve the croquettes on a platter, spread them on a napkin and garnish with sprigs of parsley.
CHICKEN CROQUETTES, No. 1
Cook one-half tablespoon of flour in one tablespoon chicken-fat, add one-half cup of soup stock gradually, and one-half teaspoon each of onion juice, lemon juice, salt, and one-quarter teaspoon of pepper, one and one-half cups of veal or chicken, chopped very fine, one pair of brains which have been boiled, mix these well, remove from the fire and add one well-beaten egg. Turn this mixture out on a flat dish and place in ice-box to cool. Then roll into small cones, dip in beaten egg, roll again in powdered bread or cracker crumbs and drop them into boiling fat, fry until a delicate brown.
CHICKEN CROQUETTES, No. 2
Chop the chicken very fine, using the white meat alone, or the dark meat alone, or both together. Season with salt, pepper, onion-juice, and lemon-juice. Chopped mushrooms, sweetbreads, calf"s brains, tongue, or truffles are used with chicken, and a combination of two or more of them much improves the quality of the croquettes.
CROQUETTES OF CALF"S BRAINS
Lay the brains in salt water an hour, or until they look perfectly white, then take out one at a time, pat with your hands to loosen the outer skin and pull it off. Beat or rub them to a smooth paste with a wooden spoon, season with salt and pepper and a very little mace; add a beaten egg and about one-half cup of bread crumbs. Heat fat in a spider and fry large spoonfuls of this mixture in it.
MEAT CROQUETTES
Veal, mutton, lamb, beef and turkey croquettes may be prepared in the same way as chicken croquettes.
MEAT AND BOILED HOMINY CROQUETTES
Equal proportions.
SWEETBREAD CROQUETTES
Cut the boiled sweetbreads into small dice with a silver knife. Mix with mushrooms, using half the quant.i.ty of mushrooms that you have of sweetbreads. Use two eggs in the sauce.
VEAL CROQUETTES
Veal is often mixed with chicken, or is used alone as a subst.i.tute for chicken. Season in same manner and make the same combinations.
CAULIFLOWER CROQUETTES
Finely chop cold cooked cauliflower, mix in one small, finely chopped onion, one small bunch of parsley finely chopped, one-half cup of bread crumbs and one well-beaten egg. Carefully mix and mold into croquette forms, dip in cracker dust and fry in deep, smoking fat until a light brown.
EGGPLANT CROQUETTES (ROUMANIAN)
Peel the eggplant, place in hot water and boil until tender, drain, add two eggs, salt, pepper, two tablespoons of matzoth or white flour or bread crumbs, beat together; fry in b.u.t.ter or oil by tablespoonfuls.
CROQUETTES OF FISH
Take any kind of boiled fish, separate it from the bones carefully, chop with a little parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Beat up one egg with one teaspoon of milk and flour. Roll the fish into b.a.l.l.s and turn them in the beaten egg and cracker crumbs or bread. Fry a light brown. Serve with any sauce or a mayonnaise.
POTATO CROQUETTES
Work into two cups of mashed potatoes, a tablespoon of melted b.u.t.ter, until smooth and soft; add one egg well-beaten and beat all together with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and nutmeg. Roll each in beaten egg then in bread crumbs, fry in hot oil or b.u.t.ter subst.i.tute. If desired chicken-fat may be subst.i.tuted for the b.u.t.ter and the croquettes fried in deep fat or oil.
SWEET POTATO CROQUETTES
Press through a ricer sufficient hot baked sweet potatoes to measure one pint. Place over the fire. Add one teaspoon of b.u.t.ter or drippings, the beaten yolks of two eggs, pepper and salt to taste, and beat well with a fork until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Cool slightly, form into cones, roll in fine bread crumbs; dip in beaten eggs, roll again in crumbs and fry in hot oil or fat.
PEANUT AND RICE CROQUETTES
To one cup of freshly cooked rice allow one cup of peanut b.u.t.ter, four tablespoons of minced celery, one teaspoon of grated onion, one tablespoon of canned tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well; add the white of one egg, reserving the yolk for coating the croquettes.
Shape into croquettes and let stand in a cold place for an hour, then coat with the egg yolk mixed with one tablespoon of water and roll in stale bread crumb dust until well covered. Fry in any hot oil or b.u.t.ter subst.i.tute.
RICE CROQUETTES, No. 1
Separate the white and yolk of one egg and reserve about half the yolk for coating the croquette. Beat the rest with the white. Mix with two cups of boiled or steamed rice and one-half teaspoon of salt, form into oblong croquettes or small b.a.l.l.s. Mix the reserved part of the egg yolk with a tablespoon of cold water. Dip croquettes in this and then roll in fine bread crumbs. Repeat until well-coated, then fry brown in deep oil.
RICE CROQUETTES, No. 2
Put on with cold water one cup of rice, and let boil until tender.
Drain, and mix with the rice, one tablespoon of b.u.t.ter, yolks of three eggs, and pinch of salt. About one tablespoon of flour may be added to hold the croquettes together. Beat the whites of the three eggs to a stiff froth, reserving some of the beaten white for egging croquettes, mix this in last, shape into croquettes and fry in hot oil or b.u.t.ter subst.i.tute. Place on platter and serve with a lump of jelly on each croquette.