CHAPTER III. 



RECIPES FOR THE KITCHEN. 



An Ideal Cup of Coffee. " Grind moderately fine a large cup or small bowl of 

 coffee. Break into it one egg with shell. Mix well, adding enough cold water to 

 thoroughly wet the grounds. Upon this pour one pint of boiling water. Let it boil 

 slowly for ten or fifteen minutes, according to the variety of coffee used and the fine- 

 ness to which it is ground. Let it stand three minutes to settle, then pour through 

 a fine wire sieve into a warm coffee-pot. This will make enough for four persons. 

 At table first put the sugar into the cup, then fill half full of boiling water, add your 

 coffee, and you have a delicious beverage that will be a revelation to many poor mor- 

 tals that have an indistinct remembrance of, and an intense longing for, an ideal cup 

 of coffee," says an importer of the coffee berry, who has tested the recipes of many 

 lands. If cream can be procured, so much the better; and in that case boiling water 

 can be added, either in the pot or cup, to make up for the space occupied by the 

 milk, as above. 



Cocoa. The cracked is best. Put two tablespoonfuls of it into three pints of 

 cold water. Boil an hour for first use. Save the remnants and boil it again, as it is 

 very strong. Do this several times. For ground cocoa use two tablespoonfuls to a 

 quart, and boil half an hour. Boil the milk by itself, and add it liberally when taken 

 up. For the shells of cocoa, use a heaping teacupful for a quart of water. Put them 

 in over night and boil a long time. 



Chocolate. Scrape two sticks of chocolate and boil it in half a cup of water. 

 Stir to a smooth paste. Sweeten a pint of milk with loaf-sugar, and, when boiling, 

 pour onto the chocolate, and let it boil together a few seconds, stirring it well. 

 Serve immediately. Some persons prefer a little water instead of all milk. Sweeten 

 a little cream and whip to a froth, and place on the top of each cup. 



Tea. When the water in the tea-kettle begins to boil, have ready a tin tea- 

 steeper. Pour into the tea-steeper just a very little of the boiling water, and then 

 put in tea, allowing one teaspoonful of tea to each person. Pour boiling water over 

 this, until the steeper is a little more than half full. Cover tightly and let it stand 

 where it will keep hot, but not boil. Let the tea infuse for ten or fifteen minutes 

 and then pour into the tea-urn, adding more boiling water, in the proportion of 

 one cup of water for every teaspoonful of dry tea which has been infused. Have 

 boiling water in a water-pot, and weaken each cup of tea as desired. Do not use 

 water that has boiled long. Spring water is best for tea, and filtered water next 

 best. 



Cream for Coffee and Tea. Heat new milk, and let it stand till cool and all 

 the cream rises. This is the best way for common use. To every pint of this add a 

 pound and a quarter of loaf-sugar, and it will keep good a month or more, if corked 

 tight in glass. 



Egg with Tea, Coffee, Cocoa, or Milk. Break the egg into a teacup. Beat 

 with a fork till well mixed. Pour in the tea, coffee, cocoa, or milk, gradually stirring 

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