Rumford Complete Cook Book

CARVING

BENJAMIN THOMPSON

COUNT RUMFORD

The American ennobled by the courts of Europe because of his pioneer discoveries in cooking.

After a century and a half, he is honored today as the grand master of the great guild of chefs, the first and greatest scientist of the kitchen.

He was the first to study diet; to invent an effective oven, and roauter, and tea kettle, and boiler; to advocate drip coffee; to suggest holes in the handles of pots and pans so they can be hung up; to analyze fuels and the management of heat; to devise the modern air-tight stove; to lay out efficient kitchens; to reason about the construction of oven doors and thereby open up the great field of insulation.

My principal design he said, "is to fix the attention of my readers on a subject which is highly interesting and deserving of the most serious consideration. I wish to inspire cooks with a just idea of the importance of their art. In what other art could improvements be made that would more powerfully contribute to the enjoyments of mankind

PREFACE

THIS book is the newest link in perhaps the greatest of cooking traditions. One can start that tradition 85 years ago, when Rumford was the first to issue booklets and folders on better cooking. So useful did these prove that in 1908 Rumford brought out the first edition of its famous Complete Cook Book. With the unequalled testing of the years, friends of this book and sharers in its delights have increased, until today there are more than 5,000,000 copies of it in use.

This edition lives wholly up to the great Rumford tradition. Again, under the skilled direction of Mrs. Lily Haxworth Wallace, it includes the flavor of the old and true, seasoned with the methods of modern practice. The book, however, is well able to speak for itself.

One can, we said above, start the Rumford tradition of cook books 85 years ago; but one can carry twice as far back the unparalleled Rumford tradition of pioneering in the dietary and culinary world. Here are four historical facts:

1790 — Count Rumford made his epochal findings as to the vital importance of certain nutriment in the diet, particularly the diet of the very poor. He told how to make good any deficiency in that nutriment. Today we call that nutriment by the familiar word vitamins.

1857 — Professor Eben Horsford, holder of the Rumford Chair of Applied Science at Harvard and co-founder of the Rumford Company, found that calcium and phosphates in baking powder would largely replace the natural minerals lost from flour in the milling process.

1859 — Rumford Chemical Works gave the country its first baking powder, which remains today the only nationally distributed calcium phosphate baking powder.

1940— The United States Department of Agriculture in its 1939 Year Book stated:

"The minerals and inorganic materials that must be supplied by the diet include sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, manganese, sulfur, phosphorus, chlorine, iodine, and probably many others in small amounts. Of these, only four — calcium, phosphorus, iron, and iodine — are likely to be deficient in ordinary diets.

Calcium forms a large part of the bones and teeth, and it is necessary for normal blood clotting, the steady working of the heart, and normal muscular activity. Phosphorus is also liberally used in the bones and teeth, and it plays a vital part in some of the delicate chemical activities of the body, notably those that release energy from foods. Beginning at birth, children need a generous supply of these two minerals to meet the needs of growth. Evidence indicates, however, that many people of all ages do not get enough calcium. In children, a severe calcium deficiency stunts growth; among older people it sometimes causes ‘late rickets.’

Many things are passed down from generation to generation, things which people hold dear — family names, customs, old silver, precious heirlooms. None, surely, is more precious than a tradition of unfailing leadership. That is the Rumford tradition: leadership toward better cooking, better, more wholesome food.

Definitions of Terms Used in Cookery

A la Creole. Cooked with tomatoes, onions and peppers.

A la Printanière. A soup or stew served with young spring vegetables.

Aspic. A savory jelly for meats, fish, vegetables and salads. Frequently used as a garnish.

Au Gratin. Cooked with browned crumbs and usually with grated cheese.

Bechamel. A rich cream sauce made with stock, milk or cream.

Bisque. A thick cream sauce or soup generally made from shellfish.

Blanch. To dip briefly into boiling water to loosen skin, to reduce strong flavor, or to whiten.

Bouillon. A meat broth.

Bombe. Two frozen mixtures molded together, one used as the lining, the other as the center of the mold.

Bouquet of Herbs. A bunch of various flavoring herbs, used for soups or stews.

Braise. To brown meat or vegetables in a very little hot fat, then add a little liquid and complete cooking by gentle heat in a closely covered vessel.

Canapé. A finger strip of bread or toast spread with a savory compound, usually either fish or egg, daintily garnished and served as an appetizer before lunch or dinner.

Caramel. To melt sugar very slowly in heavy pan over low fire until it liquefies and colors.

Croûtons. Bread of various shapes and sizes, fried (or toasted) golden brown.

En Brochette. Small portions of meat, such as chicken livers, cooked with bacon on a skewer.

Entree. A savory made dish served as a course itself, or between heavier courses, at dinner.

Farci. Stuffed.

Fondue. A preparation of melted cheese, with or without added eggs.

Frappé. Half frozen.

Fry. To cook in hot fat.

Deep fat or French fry: To cook in sufficient fat to completely cover.

Shallow fry: To cook in a smaller amount of fat.

Sauté or panfry: To cook in a shallow pan with very little fat.

Glacé. Frozen or iced. Also glazed; i.e., with meats, brushing over with stock cooked down until almost solid; with sweets, brushing over with egg white or sugar sirup.

Hors d’oeuvre. Tiny savory morsels served as appetizers.

Jardinière. Mixed vegetables.

Lard. To insert strips of fat pork or bacon, with larding needfe, in meats deficient in fat.

Macédoine. A mixture of vegetables or fruits.

Marinate. To make savory in a mixture of seasonings: oil and vinegar, or oil and lemon juice.

Meringue. Stiffly beaten egg whites usually with sugar added

Mousse. A light frothy mixture enriched with cream and frequently thickened with gelatine, frozen without stirring. May be savory or sweet.

Pâté. Individual puff pastry shell with either sweet or savory filling.

Purée. Cooked food pressed through sieve; thick soup.

Roux. A cooked mixture of butter and flour for thickening soups, sauces and gravies.

Salmi. A rich stew of game, half roasted, then cut up and cooked in a sauce.

Souffle. Puffed up and made light by use of well-beaten eggs. May be savory or sweet.

Vol-au-vent. Large sized pâté shell usually filled with creamed chicken, sweetbreads or oysters.

Weights and Measures

All Measurements Are Level

Use only standard measuring spoons and cups. These last are clearly marked to indicate quarters, halves and thirds. Remember that some measuring cups hold exactly one-half pint when filled to the brim, others have the half-pint marking a little below the top. A lipped measuring cup is especially good for liquids.

Quart and pint measures (now available in heat-proof glass) and an accurate scale are also indispensable aids to good cooking.

SOUPS

SOUP STOCK

To each quart cold water allow one pound meat and bone in about equal proportions; one pint cleaned vegetables (carrot, onion, celery, etc. cut in pieces); such soup herbs as parsley, one or two bay leaves, thyme, savory and marjoram, together with a little celery seed or celery salt if fresh celery is not in season.

Wipe meat and cut into small pieces that it may more readily yield its juices; chop bones and put them with meat into a large heavy pan. Add cold water ( Cold water draws juices out of meat into liquid. Boiling water hardens outside of meat and prevents juices being given off ) and bring very slowly to boiling point, skim if necessary and cook slowly (covered) for four hours. Now add vegetables and soup herbs and continue cooking an hour longer. Strain, cool quickly and remove every particle of fat which, when stock is cold, will have hardened and collected in a solid cake on top. The bones, meat and vegetables are sometimes cooked a second time with more water to make what is known as second stock, not so strong as the first, but better than water for thick soups, sauces and gravies.

If a highly flavored and colored stock is wanted, vegetables and meat are sometimes browned in a little fat before water is added, but this is not advisable where a clear stock is desired. Beef is the meat most commonly used for brown stock, veal or chicken with a little ham for white stock. Cooked meats and trimmings from steaks and roasts may be added to other ingredients in stock-pot.

Stock should never be left to cool in stock-pot but always removed to a clean, cold vessel. When cold keep in refrigerator until needed.

In families where fair-sized joints are frequent, it should rarely be necessary to buy meat for soups, bones and trimmings with a judicious use of vegetables and flavorings furnishing enough for ordinary use. The same rules, given above, apply to making stock under these conditions if a little less water in proportion to meat is used.

OXTAIL SOUP

Melt fat and fry in it carrot, onion and oxtails which have been cut in pieces and rolled in flour. When brown add stock or water, also celery, parsley and bay leaf tied together. Bring to boiling point, shake in barley and simmer about three hours, seasoning when about half done and skimming occasionally. Remove large bones, celery, parsley and bay leaf but return meat from bones to soup. Add Worcestershire sauce and sherry, if used, and serve very hot. Serves 6.

LAMB BROTH

Wipe meat, cut into small pieces, place in saucepan with water, bring slowly to boiling point and simmer one hour, skimming occasionally. Add diced vegetables, barley and seasonings and continue cooking until vegetables are tender, about one and a half hours longer. Sprinkle with parsley just before serving.

For Chicken Broth follow above recipe substituting one old fowl (cut up) for lamb and rice for barley. Serves 6.

TURKEY SOUP (Left-Over)

Break up carcass, remove all stuffing, add water to just cover and simmer two hours with celery and onion. Strain, add bouillon cube and rice, bring to boiling point, season and serve with croutons of fried bread. Serves 4-6.

TOMATO BISQUE

Simmer for twenty minutes tomatoes, onion, bay leaf, cloves, parsley and celery, then press through sieve as much as possible of pulp. Blend butter and flour smoothly in saucepan, add tomato mixture gradually and bring to boiling point, stirring constantly. Season and just before serving combine with scalded milk, beating vigorously for a moment with rotary beater. Serves 4-6.

BASIC CREAM VEGETABLE SOUP

Blend butter and flour in saucepan until perfectly smooth. Gradually add milk and bring to boiling point, stirring constantly. Season and combine with vegetable purée, adding any flavoring desired according to vegetable used. For additional richness a beaten egg yolk or a cup of light cream may be added to the soup just before serving. Any cream soup may be sprinkled with minced parsley or paprika. Serves 4-6.

To prepare vegetable puree use 2 cups diced raw, cooked fresh, or canned vegetables, always including a little minced onion. Simmer until quite tender with 2 cups stock, or water to which a bouillon cube may be added. With cooked or canned vegetables this will take but a few minutes, with raw vegetables a little longer. Press through sieve — there should be 3 cups of puree.

Flavorings

With peas or carrots add a sprig of mint.

With asparagus and spinach a very slight grating of nutmeg. With corn or potato, celery salt.

With onion sprinkle soup with grated cheese just before serving.

OYSTER BISQUE

Chop oysters, drain off liquor, measure and add an equal amount of water. Heat slowly, skim, then put in chopped oysters and cook three minutes. Blend butter and flour smoothly, add milk gradually, bring again to boiling point and simmer five minutes. Combine two mixtures, adding pepper and salt if needed. Put a dot of whipped cream on top of each portion. Serves 4-6.

OYSTER STEW

Allow 8 to 10 shucked oysters to each portion with their liquor just as they come, ½ pint milk, 1 ½ teaspoons butter, ½ teaspoon celery salt and a generous shake of plain salt, black pepper and paprika, with a dash of Worcestershire sauce, if desired.

In making individual portions melt 1 teaspoon of butter in deep pan over hot fire, add oysters with their liquor, also seasonings and allow all to come to boil. Watch