Part 5 (1/2)

1 tablespoonful of sugar.

2 eggs.

2 cupfuls of flour.

1 teaspoonful of baking-powder.

Milk enough to make a smooth, rather thin batter.

Rub the b.u.t.ter and sugar to a cream, add the eggs, beaten together lightly, then the flour, in which you have mixed the baking-powder, and then the milk. It is easy to know when you have the batter just right, for you can put a tiny bit on the griddle and make a little cake; if it rises high and is thick, put more milk in the batter; if it is too thin, it will run about on the griddle, and you must add more flour; but it is better not to thin it too much, but to add more milk if the batter is too thick.

Sweet Corn Griddle-cakes

These ought to be made of fresh sweet corn, but you can make them in winter out of canned grated corn, or canned corn rubbed through a colander.

1 quart grated corn.

1 cup of flour.

1 cup of milk.

1 tablespoonful melted b.u.t.ter.

4 eggs.

1/2 teaspoonful of salt.

Beat the eggs separately, and put the yolks into the corn; then add the milk, then the flour, then the salt, and beat well.

Last of all, fold in the whites and bake on a hot griddle.

Waffles

2 cups of flour.

1 teaspoonful baking powder.

1 1/2 cups of milk.

1 tablespoonful b.u.t.ter.

1/2 teaspoonful of salt.

3 eggs, beaten separately.

Mix the flour, baking-powder, and salt; put the beaten egg yolks in the milk, and add the melted b.u.t.ter, the flour and last the beaten whites of the eggs. Make the waffle-iron very hot, and grease it very thoroughly on both sides by tying a little rag to a clean stick and dipping in melted b.u.t.ter. Put in some batter on one side, filling the iron about half-full, and close the iron, putting this side down over the fire; when it has cooked for about two minutes, turn the iron over without opening it, and cook the other side. When you think it is done, open it a little and look to see if it is brown; if not, keep it over the coals till it is. Take out the waffle, cut in four pieces, and pile on a plate in the oven, while you again grease the iron and cook another. Serve very hot and crisp, with maple syrup or powdered sugar and thick cream.

Some people like honey on their waffles. You might try all these things in turn.

Last of all the things Margaret learned to make for breakfast came coffee, and this she could make in two ways; sometimes she made it this first way, and sometimes the other, which is called French coffee.

Coffee

First be sure your coffee-pot is s.h.i.+ning clean; look in the spout and in all the cracks, and wipe them out carefully, for you cannot make good coffee except in a perfectly clean pot. Then get three heaping tablespoonfuls of ground coffee, and one tablespoonful of cold water, and one tablespoonful of white of egg. Mix the egg with the coffee and water thoroughly, and put in the pot. Pour in one quart of boiling water, and let it boil up once. Then stir down the grounds which come to the top, put in two tablespoonfuls of cold water, and let it stand for a minute on the back of the stove, and then strain it into the silver pot for the table. This pot must be made very hot, by filling it with boiling water and letting it stand on the kitchen table while the coffee is boiling. If this rule makes coffee stronger than the family like it, take less coffee, and if it is not strong enough, take more coffee.