There is inspiration in the art that enters into the production of a French dinner, in the perfect balance of every item from hors d’oeuvre to café noir, in the ways with seasoning that work miracles with left-overs and preserve the daily routine of three meals a day from the deadly monotony of the American régime, in the garnishings that glorify the most insignificant concoctions into objects of appetising beauty and in the sauces that elevate indifferent dishes into the realm of creations and enable a French cook to turn out a dinner fit for capricious young gods from what an American cook wastes in preparing one.
How to make pure food, better food and to economize on the cost of same is just now taxing the attention and ingenuity of domestic science teachers and food experts generally. The average housewife is intensely interested in the result of these findings, and must keep in touch with them to keep up with the times and run her home in an intelligent and economical as well as healthful routine.
To have a thorough understanding of their goodness one must not only read about them but taste them. They are the staple diet in many foreign countries and in the Armour brand the native flavoring has been done with remarkable faithfulness—so much so that large quantities are shipped from this country every week to the countries where they originated.
“Do all kitchen work in a certain order, using that routine which experience has proved best.”
The simple desserts are the best desserts, and none is more pleasing to the eye and the palate or so easily made or so frequently served in an imperfect manner, than custards.
With a supply of good eggs in the pantry the cook need never be at a loss for a tasty custard, and if she is wise enough to buy Armour’s Fancy Selects when she orders eggs from her market man their goodness will be reflected in her desserts. Aside from their goodness their extra large size will always recommend their use to the wise housewife. They come packed in an extra large carton.
Salted Caramel & Apricot Pots De Creme
For the topping, I simmered down some rhubarb with fresh strawberries, sugar, a dash of water, and the husk of the vanilla bean pod that was left after I scraped it out. This made the most refreshing & tangy syrup with a wonderfully sweet but not overly so flavor that only vanilla can bring.
Ingredients
- 1 quart of cream
- 1⁄2 pound of sugar
- 4 ounces of sweet almonds
- 1 tablespoonful of caramel
- 1 teaspoonful of vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoonfuls of sherry
- 3 half inch slices of Boston Brown Bread
- 1 teaspoonful of vanilla or
- 1⁄4 of a vanilla bean or
- a teaspoonful of vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Put half the cream and all the sugar over the fire and stir until the sugar is dissolved; take from the fire, and, when perfectly cold, add the remaining half of the cream. Freeze the mixture, and add the bananas mashed or pressed through a colander. Put on the lid, adjust the crank, and turn until the mixture is frozen rather hard.
- Grate and sift the biscuits. Scald half the cream and the sugar; when cold, add the remaining cream and the vanilla, and freeze. When frozen, remove the dasher, stir in the powdered biscuits, and repack to ripen.
- As soon as the custard begins to thicken the saucepan must be taken from the fire and the stirring continued for a second or two longer. If the cooking is done in a double boiler the risk of boiling is very much lessened.
- Blanch and pound or grate the nuts. Put half the cream and all the sugar in a double boiler; stir until the sugar is dissolved and stand aside to cool; when cold, add the nuts, the flavoring and the remaining cream, mix, add the coloring, and turn into the freezer to freeze. If green coloring matter is not at hand, a little spinach or parsley may be chopped and rubbed with a small quantity of alcohol.
- Before you send it to table, split the vanilla bean, scrape out the seeds and add them to the hot cream, and add the bean broken into pieces. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, and strain through a colander. When this is cold, add the remaining cream and freeze. This should be repacked and given two hours to ripen. Four would be better.
- Allow it to bake for 45–50 minutes. Make an infusion of coffee by pouring half a pint of boiling milk on a heaping tablespoonful of powdered coffee. Put it aside to settle, and when cold strain off the milk and use with the eggs as in previous recipe.
Tips: As soon as the custard begins to thicken the saucepan must be taken from the fire and the stirring continued for a second or two longer. If the cooking is done in a double boiler the risk of boiling is very much lessened.
It is a wise plan to keep a variety of Summer Sausage on hand, as in a very few minutes delicious sandwiches may be prepared with this, these sandwiches having the charm of novelty. It is impossible to deal in a short article with the many varieties of Summer Sausage, but there are three or four which can be touched upon. To have a thorough understanding of their goodness one must not only read about them but taste them. They are the staple diet in many foreign countries and in the Armour brand the native flavoring has been done with remarkable faithfulness—so much so that large quantities are shipped from this country every week to the countries where they originated.
With a supply of good eggs in the pantry the cook need never be at a loss for a tasty custard, and if she is wise enough to buy Armour’s Fancy Selects when she orders eggs from her market man their goodness will be reflected in her desserts. Aside from their goodness their extra large size will always recommend their use to the wise cook. They come packed in an extra large carton.
