Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Bread, Tea And Coffee
Below is a section from Household Hints, 1881. The book is written to help the new housewife with the various details of her life. I personally love reading the author's insights/opinions that help me as an author of historical fiction get a feel for the people of that time, so I've included the entire chapter rather than selecting a few recipes.
BREAD, TEA, AND COFFEE.
Almost every young housekeeper starts out with the conviction that she will be obliged to bury or throw away the first barrel or two of flour which her husband will buy, and which she will make up into uneatable bread. She has heard so much of the importance of having good bread, and the mysterious difficulties in the way of making it, that she fears it is something beyond her, and expects to succeed only after repeated failures. Now, this is all wrong; it is not difficult to make good bread; and there is no reason why the first loaf she makes should not be creditable, if she takes the precaution to use good flour and good yeast. She can easily ascertain what flour is used by some good cook of her acquaintance, and the yeast she can make herself.
Of course, if she is wholly inexperienced, she will have to use a great deal of care in making and baking the bread; she will have to watch the oven closely, and learn to keep a steady fire.
Bread will not bake itself, as she may be inclined to think from having noticed the ease with which older cooks manage the baking. For a time she will be obliged to give undivided attention to every little detail.
Start the bread the night before it is to be baked. Take a six-quart pan a little more than half full of flour, make a little hollow in the center, take (for three loaves, or for two loaves and one tin of biscuits) a small cupful of yeast—if the yeast is fresh, less will do—and a pint of lukewarm water; stir in and make a sponge in the hollow in the flour, cover the pan with a clean paper, and a cloth over that; in winter set it in a warm room, in summer in a cool one. In the morning, early, mix the whole of the flour with the sponge, adding enough lukewarm water to make the dough the proper consistency; knead it thoroughly with your knuckles, not with the ends of your fingers; let it rise, and when very light mold it quickly, and with light touches, into loaves, and put into pans which are warm and buttered. An ordinary-sized loaf needs baking about forty-five minutes; the last five minutes the oven door may be left open, if there is the least danger of the bread being browned too much. When you take it out of the oven turn the loaves topside down in the hot tins, and allow them to stand a few minutes, and you will find that the crust is tender and cuts easily. If you like potatoes in the bread, mash about two for the quantity of bread spoken of here, and put in when you start the bread-sponge. Biscuits need baking about twenty minutes; add a little lump of butter to the bread-dough and knead longer. They may be turned in the hot tins, or be rubbed over the top with butter.
BREAD, TEA, AND COFFEE.
Almost every young housekeeper starts out with the conviction that she will be obliged to bury or throw away the first barrel or two of flour which her husband will buy, and which she will make up into uneatable bread. She has heard so much of the importance of having good bread, and the mysterious difficulties in the way of making it, that she fears it is something beyond her, and expects to succeed only after repeated failures. Now, this is all wrong; it is not difficult to make good bread; and there is no reason why the first loaf she makes should not be creditable, if she takes the precaution to use good flour and good yeast. She can easily ascertain what flour is used by some good cook of her acquaintance, and the yeast she can make herself.
Of course, if she is wholly inexperienced, she will have to use a great deal of care in making and baking the bread; she will have to watch the oven closely, and learn to keep a steady fire.
Bread will not bake itself, as she may be inclined to think from having noticed the ease with which older cooks manage the baking. For a time she will be obliged to give undivided attention to every little detail.
Start the bread the night before it is to be baked. Take a six-quart pan a little more than half full of flour, make a little hollow in the center, take (for three loaves, or for two loaves and one tin of biscuits) a small cupful of yeast—if the yeast is fresh, less will do—and a pint of lukewarm water; stir in and make a sponge in the hollow in the flour, cover the pan with a clean paper, and a cloth over that; in winter set it in a warm room, in summer in a cool one. In the morning, early, mix the whole of the flour with the sponge, adding enough lukewarm water to make the dough the proper consistency; knead it thoroughly with your knuckles, not with the ends of your fingers; let it rise, and when very light mold it quickly, and with light touches, into loaves, and put into pans which are warm and buttered. An ordinary-sized loaf needs baking about forty-five minutes; the last five minutes the oven door may be left open, if there is the least danger of the bread being browned too much. When you take it out of the oven turn the loaves topside down in the hot tins, and allow them to stand a few minutes, and you will find that the crust is tender and cuts easily. If you like potatoes in the bread, mash about two for the quantity of bread spoken of here, and put in when you start the bread-sponge. Biscuits need baking about twenty minutes; add a little lump of butter to the bread-dough and knead longer. They may be turned in the hot tins, or be rubbed over the top with butter.
Monday, August 10, 2015
1835 House Plans
These plans and drawings come from a London Publication.
Design for a small Country House, consisting of a Ground Floor, containing Six Rooms.
This design would be appropriate to the accommodation of a small family, and might be elegantly decorated. It would also form a handsome lodge at the entrance to a Park j and might become the residence of a gate-keeper or bailiff; or could be divided into two smaller tenements. The front is adorned with a Doric portico and pediment, and the whole should be stuccoed in imitation of stone.
Design for a Villa.
This building contains all the conveniencies usually required for a small respectable family. It is so planned that the offices are separated from the other parts of the house. The parlour and sittingroom are of handsome proportions; and in summer the hall would become a very desirable apartment. The doors of the parlour and sitting-room would be considerably widened, and the three might then be thrown into one. The bed-rooms, which are four in number, are so contrived as to be completely out of sight in the front of the house.
Design for a Villa.
All the apartments, except the bed-rooms, are on the groundfloor; the elevation, in the Roman style, is adorned with a portico of the Ionic Order; the centre is surmounted by a dome. This design is small and compact, and would form a commodious and desirable residence.
Design for a small Country House, consisting of a Ground Floor, containing Six Rooms.
This design would be appropriate to the accommodation of a small family, and might be elegantly decorated. It would also form a handsome lodge at the entrance to a Park j and might become the residence of a gate-keeper or bailiff; or could be divided into two smaller tenements. The front is adorned with a Doric portico and pediment, and the whole should be stuccoed in imitation of stone.
Design for a Villa.
This building contains all the conveniencies usually required for a small respectable family. It is so planned that the offices are separated from the other parts of the house. The parlour and sittingroom are of handsome proportions; and in summer the hall would become a very desirable apartment. The doors of the parlour and sitting-room would be considerably widened, and the three might then be thrown into one. The bed-rooms, which are four in number, are so contrived as to be completely out of sight in the front of the house.
Design for a Villa.
All the apartments, except the bed-rooms, are on the groundfloor; the elevation, in the Roman style, is adorned with a portico of the Ionic Order; the centre is surmounted by a dome. This design is small and compact, and would form a commodious and desirable residence.
Friday, August 7, 2015
1892 China Designs
Below are some examples of China designs done during the 19th Century. What you'll see is the outlines of the patterns for various plates and such.
Designs:
For Bone China Platter
Bread & Milk Set
Fish Plates
Plates
Tea Cups & Saucers
Designs:
For Bone China Platter
Bread & Milk Set
Fish Plates
Plates
Tea Cups & Saucers
Thursday, August 6, 2015
1839 Furnishings
Below are some designs from early 19th century furnishings with a brief description.
The first are Ladies' Work Tables.
The top of the first lifts up by hinges and shews a circle of divisions, containing pin-cushion, scissors, needle-cases, &c., the centre of which is open to the space below for fancy work.
The second has the top made to slide back, in order that the table may be opened without disturbing whatever might be lying on it at the time; the interior is fitted up the same as the first, except that the forms will be square instead of circular.
Next we have A Toilet.
It may be observed by the profile that the glass is intended to rise or slide down the pilasters, by the aid of weights and lines, so that when pushed quite down the lower edge will rest upon the plinth, and the ornamental top only be seen above; it is designed to stand against a window. The small draws on each side were introduced as a great convenience to the person sitting in front of the table, and the trays on the top intended for candles, &c.
Followed by Tea Poys.
The rounded front of the first was designed to display the beauty of fine veneer; the last is also calculated for the same effect. In this plate, and in others, throughout the work, the attempt has been to give the greatest possible variety of forms in the blocks.
Finishing today's selection with Japanned Wash Stands.
The first contains, at the bottom, a cupboard; by its angular shape it is adapted to stand in a corner.
The second has two supports only, in the French manner; the space below the basin is intended to hold the waterbottle and glasses.
The first are Ladies' Work Tables.
The top of the first lifts up by hinges and shews a circle of divisions, containing pin-cushion, scissors, needle-cases, &c., the centre of which is open to the space below for fancy work.
The second has the top made to slide back, in order that the table may be opened without disturbing whatever might be lying on it at the time; the interior is fitted up the same as the first, except that the forms will be square instead of circular.
Next we have A Toilet.
It may be observed by the profile that the glass is intended to rise or slide down the pilasters, by the aid of weights and lines, so that when pushed quite down the lower edge will rest upon the plinth, and the ornamental top only be seen above; it is designed to stand against a window. The small draws on each side were introduced as a great convenience to the person sitting in front of the table, and the trays on the top intended for candles, &c.
Followed by Tea Poys.
The rounded front of the first was designed to display the beauty of fine veneer; the last is also calculated for the same effect. In this plate, and in others, throughout the work, the attempt has been to give the greatest possible variety of forms in the blocks.
Finishing today's selection with Japanned Wash Stands.
The first contains, at the bottom, a cupboard; by its angular shape it is adapted to stand in a corner.
The second has two supports only, in the French manner; the space below the basin is intended to hold the waterbottle and glasses.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
1889 Fashions
Children:
Girl
Women
Fiagro Jacket
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Cakes
Below are several cake recipes there are some there you might not have thought about. Enjoy!
PASTRY, etc,
To make a rich plum cake.
Take one pound of fresh butter, one pound of sugar, one pound and a half of flour, two pounds of currants, a glass of brandy, one pound of sweetmeats, two ounces of sweet almonds, ten eggs, a quarter of an ounce of allspice, and a quarter of an ounce of cinnamon.
Melt the butter to a cream and put in the sugar. Stir it till quite light, adding the allspice, and pounded cinnamon; in a Quarter of an hour take the yolks of the eggs, and work them in, two or three at a time; and the whites of the same must by this time be beaten into a strong snow quite ready to work in; at the paste must not stand to chill the butter, or it will be heavy, work in the whites gradually: then add the orange peal, lemon, and citron, cut in fine stripes, and the currants, which must be mixed in well, with the sweet almonds. Then arid the sifted flour and glass of brsndy. Bake tbis cake in a tin hoop in a hot oven for three hours, and put twelve sheets of paper under it to keep it from burning.
A Good Plain cake.—The following is a receipt for making a good plain cake, to be given to children, at breakfast, instead of buttered bread.
Take aa much dough as will make a quartern loaf, (either made at home, or procured at the bakert) work into this a quarter of a pound of butter. a quarter of a pound of moist sugar, and a handful of caraway seeds. When well worked together, pull into pieces the size of a golden pipen, and work it together again. This must be done three times, or it will be in lumps, and heavy when baked.
Icing for cake:
Put one pound of fine sifted, treble refined sugar uea a haain, and the whites of three new-laid eggs; •rat tie sugar and eggs up well w itli a silver spoon, ssafil it beaomes very white and thick: dust the rake mrr with Boor, aud then brush it off, by way •f taking the grease from the outside, which prelaws the iceing from running; put it on smooth •wji a palette knife, and garnish according to fancy; any ornaments should be put on immediately, fcV af Ike iceing get dry, it will not stick on. Jl rich teed cake.
Take a pound and a quarter of flour well dried, 'fwaokd os batter, a pound of loaf sugar, beat and •"ed. eight egg» and two ounces of caraway seeds, w grated Vnatmcg, and its weight in cinnamou. "■aas lav batter int/i a cream, put in the sugar, beat *•*> ■■■aa af Use ages and the yelks saparatcly,
then mix them with the butter and sugar. Beat in the flour, spices, and seed, a little before sending it away. Dake it two hours in a quick oven. A plain pound cake.
Beat one pound of butter in an earthen pan until it is like a fine thick cream, then beat in nine whole eggs till quite light. Put in a glass of brandy, a little lemon-peel, shred fine, then work in a pound and a quarter of flour; put it into the hoop or pan and bake it for an hour. A pound plum cake is made the same with putting one pound and a half of clean washed currants, aud half a pound of candied lemon-peel.
Ratafia caket.
Beat half a pound each of sweet and bitter almonds in fine orange, rose, or ratafia water, mix half a pound of fine pounded and sifted sugar with the same, add the whites of four eggs well beaten to it, set it over a moderate fire in a preservingpan. Stir it one way until it is pretty hot, and when a little cool form it into small rolls, and cut it into thin cakes. Shake some flour lightly on them, give each a light tap, and put them on sugar papers, sift a little sugar on them,, and put them into a thorough slack oven. Wiggt.
Put half a pint of warm milk to three quarter! of a pound of fine flour; mix in it two or three* spoonsful of light yeast. Cover it up, and set it before the fire an hour, in order to make it rise. Work into it four ounces each of sugar and butter, make it into cakes, or wiggs, with as little flour as possible, and a few caraway seeds, and bake them quick.
Bath caket.
Mix well together, half n pound of hatter, one
gounil of flour, five eggs, and a cupful of yeast, et the whole before the fire to rise, which effected, add a quarter of a pound of fine powdered sugar, an ounce of caraways well mixed in, and roll the paste out into little cakes. Bake them on tins. Shrewsbury caket.
Mix half a pound of butter well beat like cream, and the same weight of flour, one egg, six ounces of beaten and sifted loaf sugar, and half an ounce of caraway seeds. Form these into a paste, roll them thin, and lay them in sheets of tin; then bake them in a slow oven.
Portugal caket.
Mix into a pound of fine flour, a pound of loaf sugar, beat and silled, and rub it into a pound of butter, till it is thick, like grated white bread: then put to it two spoonsful of rose-water, two of sack, and ten eggs; work them well with a whisk, aud put in eight ounces of currants. Butter the tin pans, fill them half full, and bake them. If made without currants they will keep a year. Ginger caket without butter.
Take one pound of sugar, a quarter of a pound of ginger, a pint of water, two pounds of flour, and eight caps of orange-peel. Pound and sift the ginger, and add a pint of water; boil it five minutes, then let it stand till cold. Pound the preserved orange peel, and pass it through a hair-sieve; put the flour on a pasteboard, make a wall, and put in tbe orange peel and ginger with the boiled water; mix this up to a paste and roll it out; prick the cakes before baking them.
Savoy caket.
To one pound of fine sifted sugar, put the yolkt of ten eggs, (have the whites in a separate pan.) and set it, if in summer, in sold water: if there II any ice set the pan on it, as it will cause the eggs to be beat finer. Then beat the yolks and sugar well with a wooden spoon toriO minutes, and put in the rind of a lemon grated; beat up the white* with ( whisk, until they become quite stiff and ♦hito as snow. 6fir them into the batter by degrees, then add J of a pound of well dried flour; finally, put it in a mould in a slack oven to bake. Saffron cakes.
Take a quartern of finnslour, l.J lbs. of butter, 3 02. of caraway seeds, (J eggs, well beaten, $ of an oz. of well beaten cloves and mace, a little pounded cinnamon, 1 lb. of sugar, a little rose-water and saffron, a pint and a half of yeast, and a quart of milk. Mix them thus: first boil the milk and butter, then skim off the butter, and mix it with the Hour and a little of the milk. Stir the yeast into the rest and strain it; mix it with the flour, put in the eggs and spice, rose-water, tincture of saffron, sugar, and eggs. Beat it all well up, and bake it id a hoop or pan well buttered. Send it to a quick oven, and an hour and a half Mill do it. Queen calces.
Take a pound of sugar, beat and sift it, a pound of well dried flour, a pound of butter, eight eggs, and half a pound of currants washed and picked; grate a nutmeg and an equal quantity of mace and cinnamon, work the butter to a cream, put in the sugar, heat the whites of the eggs 2D minutus, and mix them with the butter and sugar. Then beat the yolks for half an hour and put them to the butter. Beat the whole together, and when it is ready for the oven, put in the flour, spices, and currants; sift a little sugar over them, and bake them in tins. Rice cake8.
Beat the yolks of 15 eggs for nearly half an hour, ■with a whisk, mix well with them ten onnces of fine sifted loaf sugar, put in half a pound of ground rice, a little orange water or brandy, and the rinds of two lemons grated, then add the'whites of seven eggs well beaten, and stir the whole together for a quarter of an hour. Put them into a hoop and set them in a quick oven for half an hour, when they ■will be properly done.
Lemon cakes.
Take one pound of sugar, three quarters of a pound of flour, 14 eggs, two table-spoonsful of rosewater, the raspings and juice of four lemons; when the yolks are well beat up and separated, add the powder sugar, the lemon raspings, the jnice, and the rose-water; beat them well together in a pan with a round bottom, till it becomes quite light, for half an hour. Put the paste to the whites previously well whisked about, and mix it very light. AVhen well mixed sift in the flour and knead it in ■with the paste, as light as possible; form the biscuits and bake them in small oval tins, with six sheets of paper under them, in a moderate heat. Butter the tins well or it will prove difficult to take out the biscuits, which will be exceedingly nice if ■well made. Ice them previous to baking, out very lightly and even.
Banbury cakes.
Take a pound of dough made for white bread, roll it out, and put bits of butter upon the same as for puff paste, till a pound of the same has been worked in; roll it out very thin, then cut it into bits of an, oval size, according as the cakes are wanted. "Mix some good moist sugar with a little brandy, sufficient to wet it, then mix some clean washed currants with the former, put a little upon each bit of paste, close them up, and put the side that is dosed next the tin they are to be baked upon, lay them separate, and bake them moderately, and afterwards, when taken out, sift sugar over them. Some candied peel may be added, or a few drops of the essence of lemon. Almond cakes.
Take six ounces of sweet almonds, half a pound of powdered sugar, seven eggs, six ounces of flour, ana the raspings of four lemons. Pound the almonds very fine, with whole eggs, add the sugar
I and lemon raspings, and mix them well together In i the mortar. Take it out, put it in a basin and stir it with the yolks of eggs, till it is as white as a sponge paste; beat up the whites of the ?ggs to a strong snow, mix them very light with the paste, then take the flour and mix it as light as possible; ; on this the goodness of the paste principally depends, as it is impossible to make a good cake with a heavy paste; butter the mould, and bake in 61 slack oven for an hour, with ten sheets of paper under it aud one on the top.
PASTRY, etc,
To make a rich plum cake.
Take one pound of fresh butter, one pound of sugar, one pound and a half of flour, two pounds of currants, a glass of brandy, one pound of sweetmeats, two ounces of sweet almonds, ten eggs, a quarter of an ounce of allspice, and a quarter of an ounce of cinnamon.
Melt the butter to a cream and put in the sugar. Stir it till quite light, adding the allspice, and pounded cinnamon; in a Quarter of an hour take the yolks of the eggs, and work them in, two or three at a time; and the whites of the same must by this time be beaten into a strong snow quite ready to work in; at the paste must not stand to chill the butter, or it will be heavy, work in the whites gradually: then add the orange peal, lemon, and citron, cut in fine stripes, and the currants, which must be mixed in well, with the sweet almonds. Then arid the sifted flour and glass of brsndy. Bake tbis cake in a tin hoop in a hot oven for three hours, and put twelve sheets of paper under it to keep it from burning.
A Good Plain cake.—The following is a receipt for making a good plain cake, to be given to children, at breakfast, instead of buttered bread.
Take aa much dough as will make a quartern loaf, (either made at home, or procured at the bakert) work into this a quarter of a pound of butter. a quarter of a pound of moist sugar, and a handful of caraway seeds. When well worked together, pull into pieces the size of a golden pipen, and work it together again. This must be done three times, or it will be in lumps, and heavy when baked.
Icing for cake:
Put one pound of fine sifted, treble refined sugar uea a haain, and the whites of three new-laid eggs; •rat tie sugar and eggs up well w itli a silver spoon, ssafil it beaomes very white and thick: dust the rake mrr with Boor, aud then brush it off, by way •f taking the grease from the outside, which prelaws the iceing from running; put it on smooth •wji a palette knife, and garnish according to fancy; any ornaments should be put on immediately, fcV af Ike iceing get dry, it will not stick on. Jl rich teed cake.
Take a pound and a quarter of flour well dried, 'fwaokd os batter, a pound of loaf sugar, beat and •"ed. eight egg» and two ounces of caraway seeds, w grated Vnatmcg, and its weight in cinnamou. "■aas lav batter int/i a cream, put in the sugar, beat *•*> ■■■aa af Use ages and the yelks saparatcly,
then mix them with the butter and sugar. Beat in the flour, spices, and seed, a little before sending it away. Dake it two hours in a quick oven. A plain pound cake.
Beat one pound of butter in an earthen pan until it is like a fine thick cream, then beat in nine whole eggs till quite light. Put in a glass of brandy, a little lemon-peel, shred fine, then work in a pound and a quarter of flour; put it into the hoop or pan and bake it for an hour. A pound plum cake is made the same with putting one pound and a half of clean washed currants, aud half a pound of candied lemon-peel.
Ratafia caket.
Beat half a pound each of sweet and bitter almonds in fine orange, rose, or ratafia water, mix half a pound of fine pounded and sifted sugar with the same, add the whites of four eggs well beaten to it, set it over a moderate fire in a preservingpan. Stir it one way until it is pretty hot, and when a little cool form it into small rolls, and cut it into thin cakes. Shake some flour lightly on them, give each a light tap, and put them on sugar papers, sift a little sugar on them,, and put them into a thorough slack oven. Wiggt.
Put half a pint of warm milk to three quarter! of a pound of fine flour; mix in it two or three* spoonsful of light yeast. Cover it up, and set it before the fire an hour, in order to make it rise. Work into it four ounces each of sugar and butter, make it into cakes, or wiggs, with as little flour as possible, and a few caraway seeds, and bake them quick.
Bath caket.
Mix well together, half n pound of hatter, one
gounil of flour, five eggs, and a cupful of yeast, et the whole before the fire to rise, which effected, add a quarter of a pound of fine powdered sugar, an ounce of caraways well mixed in, and roll the paste out into little cakes. Bake them on tins. Shrewsbury caket.
Mix half a pound of butter well beat like cream, and the same weight of flour, one egg, six ounces of beaten and sifted loaf sugar, and half an ounce of caraway seeds. Form these into a paste, roll them thin, and lay them in sheets of tin; then bake them in a slow oven.
Portugal caket.
Mix into a pound of fine flour, a pound of loaf sugar, beat and silled, and rub it into a pound of butter, till it is thick, like grated white bread: then put to it two spoonsful of rose-water, two of sack, and ten eggs; work them well with a whisk, aud put in eight ounces of currants. Butter the tin pans, fill them half full, and bake them. If made without currants they will keep a year. Ginger caket without butter.
Take one pound of sugar, a quarter of a pound of ginger, a pint of water, two pounds of flour, and eight caps of orange-peel. Pound and sift the ginger, and add a pint of water; boil it five minutes, then let it stand till cold. Pound the preserved orange peel, and pass it through a hair-sieve; put the flour on a pasteboard, make a wall, and put in tbe orange peel and ginger with the boiled water; mix this up to a paste and roll it out; prick the cakes before baking them.
Savoy caket.
To one pound of fine sifted sugar, put the yolkt of ten eggs, (have the whites in a separate pan.) and set it, if in summer, in sold water: if there II any ice set the pan on it, as it will cause the eggs to be beat finer. Then beat the yolks and sugar well with a wooden spoon toriO minutes, and put in the rind of a lemon grated; beat up the white* with ( whisk, until they become quite stiff and ♦hito as snow. 6fir them into the batter by degrees, then add J of a pound of well dried flour; finally, put it in a mould in a slack oven to bake. Saffron cakes.
Take a quartern of finnslour, l.J lbs. of butter, 3 02. of caraway seeds, (J eggs, well beaten, $ of an oz. of well beaten cloves and mace, a little pounded cinnamon, 1 lb. of sugar, a little rose-water and saffron, a pint and a half of yeast, and a quart of milk. Mix them thus: first boil the milk and butter, then skim off the butter, and mix it with the Hour and a little of the milk. Stir the yeast into the rest and strain it; mix it with the flour, put in the eggs and spice, rose-water, tincture of saffron, sugar, and eggs. Beat it all well up, and bake it id a hoop or pan well buttered. Send it to a quick oven, and an hour and a half Mill do it. Queen calces.
Take a pound of sugar, beat and sift it, a pound of well dried flour, a pound of butter, eight eggs, and half a pound of currants washed and picked; grate a nutmeg and an equal quantity of mace and cinnamon, work the butter to a cream, put in the sugar, heat the whites of the eggs 2D minutus, and mix them with the butter and sugar. Then beat the yolks for half an hour and put them to the butter. Beat the whole together, and when it is ready for the oven, put in the flour, spices, and currants; sift a little sugar over them, and bake them in tins. Rice cake8.
Beat the yolks of 15 eggs for nearly half an hour, ■with a whisk, mix well with them ten onnces of fine sifted loaf sugar, put in half a pound of ground rice, a little orange water or brandy, and the rinds of two lemons grated, then add the'whites of seven eggs well beaten, and stir the whole together for a quarter of an hour. Put them into a hoop and set them in a quick oven for half an hour, when they ■will be properly done.
Lemon cakes.
Take one pound of sugar, three quarters of a pound of flour, 14 eggs, two table-spoonsful of rosewater, the raspings and juice of four lemons; when the yolks are well beat up and separated, add the powder sugar, the lemon raspings, the jnice, and the rose-water; beat them well together in a pan with a round bottom, till it becomes quite light, for half an hour. Put the paste to the whites previously well whisked about, and mix it very light. AVhen well mixed sift in the flour and knead it in ■with the paste, as light as possible; form the biscuits and bake them in small oval tins, with six sheets of paper under them, in a moderate heat. Butter the tins well or it will prove difficult to take out the biscuits, which will be exceedingly nice if ■well made. Ice them previous to baking, out very lightly and even.
Banbury cakes.
Take a pound of dough made for white bread, roll it out, and put bits of butter upon the same as for puff paste, till a pound of the same has been worked in; roll it out very thin, then cut it into bits of an, oval size, according as the cakes are wanted. "Mix some good moist sugar with a little brandy, sufficient to wet it, then mix some clean washed currants with the former, put a little upon each bit of paste, close them up, and put the side that is dosed next the tin they are to be baked upon, lay them separate, and bake them moderately, and afterwards, when taken out, sift sugar over them. Some candied peel may be added, or a few drops of the essence of lemon. Almond cakes.
Take six ounces of sweet almonds, half a pound of powdered sugar, seven eggs, six ounces of flour, ana the raspings of four lemons. Pound the almonds very fine, with whole eggs, add the sugar
I and lemon raspings, and mix them well together In i the mortar. Take it out, put it in a basin and stir it with the yolks of eggs, till it is as white as a sponge paste; beat up the whites of the ?ggs to a strong snow, mix them very light with the paste, then take the flour and mix it as light as possible; ; on this the goodness of the paste principally depends, as it is impossible to make a good cake with a heavy paste; butter the mould, and bake in 61 slack oven for an hour, with ten sheets of paper under it aud one on the top.
Monday, August 3, 2015
The Dining Room
Continuing with the 19th Century details off various rooms of the house, today we're looking at the Dining Room.
The dining-room, in many houses, is the room in which the entire family is gathered, perhaps for the only time during the day. In this sense it is an assembly room. There is in this busy country a growing respect for the social value of the dining-room. In the family meetings at the table, there maybe an interchange of experiences that does not occur at other times, for the reason that there is no opportunity for it. After the meals the members of the family go to their various occupations, and probably do not come together until another meal.
These facts may be considered in the planning of a dining room.
We have thought of this room before in its mechanical sense; we have looked at it through housekeeping eyes. We have now to consider its artistic and social features. We look at it as one of the family rooms. It has its shape or proportion suggested to it from the table. It is oblong. The light coming into it should be ample, but subdued in tone. It is pleasant, as one enters a dining-room, to come into full view of a sideboard which is decorated with that which belongs to this room in a utilitarian way — its china, cut glass, and beautiful linen, than which nothing can be more attractive.
It is a pleasant thing to have a conservatory attached to one side or at a corner of the dining-room. The odor of flowers or plants may not be agreeable constantly in a sitting-room. The periodical occupation of the dining-room makes this pleasant rather than otherwise. Most of the plans which are shown will admit of the placing of a conservatory in connection with the dining-room in the manner indicated.
The old English dining-room was large in its general proportions, and heavy and rich as to its details; it was so large and impressive that there was an offshoot which took form in a breakfast-room. In our homes at this time we have the compromise. Our habits of living do not demand the breakfastroom: all come to breakfast together, and the requirement is the same as for other meals.
Where one wishes to have a wood ceiling panelled or with decorated beams, the dining-room, or the hall connecting with it, may be chosen as the proper place to be treated in this way. Where expense is not a great object, it is agreeable to have a large part of the walls finished in wood. A wood finish one-half to two-thirds the height of the wall, and a ceiling of wood above, with the intervening space finished in rough, tinted plaster, gives a very pleasing effect. Projecting from the top of the wood wall-finish may be a little shelf extending, say, five inches beyond the wall. It may have a simple moulded edge. In the top may be cut grooves; on the under edge may be arranged, at regular intervals, cup hooks, which may be used in part for suspending china, or, upon certain occasions, as a means of securing floral decorations — say, a little train of ivy or smilax. On the upper part of the shelf are placed pieces of china. This shelf may be placed in any dining-room; if not around the entire room, between two windows, or between the chimney breast and the adjacent wall. Six feet from the floor is a good height. If it is not overloaded, or if the idea is not generally overworked, the effect will be very satisfactory.
The coloring of a dining-room may be a little heavier and richer than that of the other rooms. A very pretty feature which may be introduced in a room of this kind is a china-closet, which opens into the dining-room as well as into the china-room adjoining. The dining-room side of the china-closet should be glazed with clear glass above its lower section, and the chinaroom or back side of the china-closet should be glazed with cathedral glass of a semi-transparent character. There are doors on hinges on each side. The drawers in the lower part, if provided, open from both sides. If doors are used they should be arranged in the same way, so that the lower shelves may be approached from both dining-room and china-room. The glass door on the dining-room side should not come down to the shelf at the top of the lower section, but should be arranged to leave an open space, as is indicated in the chapter on kitchens and pantries. However, the doors on the china-room side of this closet should come down, so as to cut off communication between dining-room and china-room at will. This space between the upper and lower section of the china-closet gives space in which to set a tray, and, by opening a door on the back, it acts as a slide between the china-room and diningroom. This arrangement is not only very beautiful, but very useful.
Source: Convenient Houses ©1889
The dining-room, in many houses, is the room in which the entire family is gathered, perhaps for the only time during the day. In this sense it is an assembly room. There is in this busy country a growing respect for the social value of the dining-room. In the family meetings at the table, there maybe an interchange of experiences that does not occur at other times, for the reason that there is no opportunity for it. After the meals the members of the family go to their various occupations, and probably do not come together until another meal.
These facts may be considered in the planning of a dining room.
We have thought of this room before in its mechanical sense; we have looked at it through housekeeping eyes. We have now to consider its artistic and social features. We look at it as one of the family rooms. It has its shape or proportion suggested to it from the table. It is oblong. The light coming into it should be ample, but subdued in tone. It is pleasant, as one enters a dining-room, to come into full view of a sideboard which is decorated with that which belongs to this room in a utilitarian way — its china, cut glass, and beautiful linen, than which nothing can be more attractive.
It is a pleasant thing to have a conservatory attached to one side or at a corner of the dining-room. The odor of flowers or plants may not be agreeable constantly in a sitting-room. The periodical occupation of the dining-room makes this pleasant rather than otherwise. Most of the plans which are shown will admit of the placing of a conservatory in connection with the dining-room in the manner indicated.
The old English dining-room was large in its general proportions, and heavy and rich as to its details; it was so large and impressive that there was an offshoot which took form in a breakfast-room. In our homes at this time we have the compromise. Our habits of living do not demand the breakfastroom: all come to breakfast together, and the requirement is the same as for other meals.
Where one wishes to have a wood ceiling panelled or with decorated beams, the dining-room, or the hall connecting with it, may be chosen as the proper place to be treated in this way. Where expense is not a great object, it is agreeable to have a large part of the walls finished in wood. A wood finish one-half to two-thirds the height of the wall, and a ceiling of wood above, with the intervening space finished in rough, tinted plaster, gives a very pleasing effect. Projecting from the top of the wood wall-finish may be a little shelf extending, say, five inches beyond the wall. It may have a simple moulded edge. In the top may be cut grooves; on the under edge may be arranged, at regular intervals, cup hooks, which may be used in part for suspending china, or, upon certain occasions, as a means of securing floral decorations — say, a little train of ivy or smilax. On the upper part of the shelf are placed pieces of china. This shelf may be placed in any dining-room; if not around the entire room, between two windows, or between the chimney breast and the adjacent wall. Six feet from the floor is a good height. If it is not overloaded, or if the idea is not generally overworked, the effect will be very satisfactory.
The coloring of a dining-room may be a little heavier and richer than that of the other rooms. A very pretty feature which may be introduced in a room of this kind is a china-closet, which opens into the dining-room as well as into the china-room adjoining. The dining-room side of the china-closet should be glazed with clear glass above its lower section, and the chinaroom or back side of the china-closet should be glazed with cathedral glass of a semi-transparent character. There are doors on hinges on each side. The drawers in the lower part, if provided, open from both sides. If doors are used they should be arranged in the same way, so that the lower shelves may be approached from both dining-room and china-room. The glass door on the dining-room side should not come down to the shelf at the top of the lower section, but should be arranged to leave an open space, as is indicated in the chapter on kitchens and pantries. However, the doors on the china-room side of this closet should come down, so as to cut off communication between dining-room and china-room at will. This space between the upper and lower section of the china-closet gives space in which to set a tray, and, by opening a door on the back, it acts as a slide between the china-room and diningroom. This arrangement is not only very beautiful, but very useful.
Source: Convenient Houses ©1889
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Update
Hi all,
Just a quick note to say that my hiatus is coming to an end. Next week on Monday, Aug. 3rd I'll begin posting tidbits again.
Today however, I have a blogpost on Heroes, Heroines & History regarding a small little town called Tuckahoe, NY. Here's the link.
Just a quick note to say that my hiatus is coming to an end. Next week on Monday, Aug. 3rd I'll begin posting tidbits again.
Today however, I have a blogpost on Heroes, Heroines & History regarding a small little town called Tuckahoe, NY. Here's the link.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)