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RECIPES FOR MILK DISHES AND SAUCES

FOODS CONTAINING MILK

61. From the discussion given up to this point, it will be noted that
milk is used in a large variety of ways and in the making of numerous
dishes. However, most of the dishes in which this liquid occurs involve
other important materials, so that the recipes for them are usually
listed under some other ingredient or division of cookery. For instance,
milk is used in the making of ice cream, but as the ice creams are
included among cold desserts, recipes for them would naturally come in
the Section pertaining to this subject. Milk is also an important
ingredient in puddings, but the recipes for such dishes are given in the
Section in which puddings and their sauces are discussed.

Because of this fact, there are only a few recipes that have milk as
their basis, and this accounts for the small number of recipes here
given. Chief among the recipes that involve principally milk are those
for junket and white sauce, and while the number of these is small and
the use of the dishes not so general as some kinds of food, just as much
attention should be given to them as if they occurred in greater numbers
and were used more commonly. Junket is very easily made and should
therefore cause the housewife no concern; likewise, little difficulty
will be experienced if the directions here given for white sauces are
followed explicitly.


RECIPES FOR JUNKET

62. Plain Junket.--In the stomachs of all animals that use milk as food
is found a digestive ferment known as _rennin_. This is taken from the
stomachs of calves, made up commercially, and sold in the form of
tablets called _junket_. When these tablets are used properly with milk,
they coagulate the milk and make an excellent dessert that resembles
custard and that is very easy to digest. Because of its nature and
qualities, this kind of dessert is used largely for invalids and
children. The following recipe gives the proportion and directions for
making this dessert in its simplest form.

PLAIN JUNKET
(Sufficient to Serve Eight)

1 junket tablet
1 Tb. cold water
1 qt. milk
4 Tb. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla or other flavoring

Dissolve the junket tablet in the cold water. Warm the milk very slowly
to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, testing the temperature to make sure that it
is right. If a thermometer is not on hand, this can be done by dropping
a drop on the back of the hand. When neither heat nor cold can be felt
from this drop of milk, it may be known to be very near the body
temperature, the temperature at which rennin is active. If temperature
is found to be too high, the milk must be cooled before the tablet is
added. When the desired temperature has been reached, add the sugar, the
alt, the junket dissolved in the water, and the flavoring. Then pour all
into individual molds and keep it where it will remain warm for about 10
minutes, at the end of which it should be firm like a custard and may be
cooled. Keep the junket cool until it is to be served, when it may be
turned out of the mold or served in it. As junket will turn to whey if
it is broken with a spoon to any extent, serving it in the mold is the
better plan.

[Illustration: FIG. 8]

63. Junket With. Fruit.--The addition of fruit to junket, as in the dish
illustrated in Fig. 8, makes an attractive dessert for both sick and
well people. If the fruit used is permissible in the diet of an invalid,
its combination with junket adds variety to the diet. In the making of
this dessert, all juice should be carefully drained from the fruit
before the junket is poured over it. Canned or fresh fruits may be used
with equally good results.

JUNKET WITH FRUIT
(Sufficient to Serve Eight)

1 junket tablet
1 Tb. cold water
1 qt. milk
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
Flavoring
8 halves of canned peaches or
1 c. of berries or small fruit

Make a junket as directed in the preceding recipe. Drain all juice from
the fruit and place a half peach or a spoonful of fruit in the bottom of
each of the eight molds and pour the junket over it to fill the mold.
Let it solidify and serve cold.

64. CHOCOLATE JUNKET.--Chocolate added to plain junket not only varies
the junket dessert, but also adds food value, since chocolate contains a
large quantity of fat that is easily digested by most persons. Where the
flavor of chocolate is found agreeable, such junket may be served in
place of the plain junket.

CHOCOLATE JUNKET
(Sufficient to Serve Six)

3 c. milk
2 sq. chocolate
6 Tb. sugar
3/4 c. water
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 junket tablet

Heat the milk to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, testing in the manner explained
in Art. 62. Melt the chocolate in a saucepan, add to it the sugar and 1
cupful of water, and cook until smooth; then cool and add to the warm
milk, putting in the salt, vanilla, and junket tablet dissolved in
cupful of the water. Turn the junket into a dish or into molds and let
stand in a warm place until set; then chill and serve. In preparing this
recipe, it will be well to note that if sweet chocolate is used less
sugar than is specified may be employed.

65. CARAMEL JUNKET.--In the making of caramel junket, browned, or
caramelized, sugar and water take the place of part of the milk, and
while a certain amount of the sugar is reduced in the browning, the
caramel is still very high in food value and adds nutritive material to
the dessert. There is nothing about caramel junket to prevent its being
given to any one able to take plain junket, and if it is made correctly
it has a very delightful flavor.

CARAMEL JUNKET
(Sufficient to Serve Six)

3 c.     milk
1/2 c.   sugar
1/2 c.   boiling water
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp.   vanilla
1        junket tablet
         Whipped cream
1/4 c.   chopped nuts

Heat the milk to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Caramelize the sugar by melting
it in a saucepan directly over the flame until it is a light-brown
color; then stir in the boiling water and cook until the caramel and the
water become a sirup, after which cool and add to the milk Add the
salt, the vanilla, and the junket tablet dissolved in a tablespoonful of
cold water Pour the mixture into a dish, let it stand in a warm place
until it sets; then chill, cover with sweetened whipped cream, sprinkle
with chopped nuts, and serve.


RECIPES FOR WHITE SAUCE

66. Three white sauces are commonly used for different purposes, and in
each one of them milk is the basis. These sauces differ from one another
in thickness, and include _thin white sauce_, which is used for cream
toast and soups; _medium white sauce_, which is used for dressing
vegetables and is flavored in various ways to accompany meats, patties,
or croquettes; and _thick white sauce_, which is used to mix with the
materials used for croquettes in order to hold them together. To insure
the best results, the proportion of flour and liquid should be learned
for each kind, and to avoid the formation of lumps the proper method of
mixing should be carefully followed out. A white sauce properly made is
perfectly smooth, and since only little care is needed to produce such a
result it is inexcusable to serve a lumpy sauce. Also, nothing is more
disagreeable than thick, pasty sauce, but this can be avoided by
employing the right proportion of flour and milk. The ingredients and
their proportions for the various kinds of white sauce are as follows:

THIN WHITE SAUCE

1 c. milk
1 Tb. butter
1 Tb. flour
1/2 tsp. salt

MEDIUM WHITE SAUCE

1 c. milk
2 Tb. butter
2 Tb. flour
1/2 tsp. salt

THICK WHITE SAUCE

1 c. milk
2 Tb. butter
1/4 c. (4 Tb.) flour
1/2 tsp. salt

It will be easy to remember the proportions for these three sauces if it
is observed that each one doubles the previous one in the quantity of
flour used, the thin one having 1 tablespoonful to 1 cupful of milk, the
medium one 2 tablespoonfuls to 1 cupful of milk, and the thick one 4
tablespoonfuls to 1 cupful of milk. To produce these sauces the
ingredients may be combined in three different ways, each of which has
its advantages. These methods, which are here given, should be carefully
observed, for they apply not only to the making of this particular
sauce, but to the combining of fat, starch, and liquid in any sauce.

_Method 1_.--Heat the milk, being careful that it does not scorch. Brown
the butter slightly in a saucepan, add the flour and salt, and stir the
mixture until it is perfectly smooth and has a deep cream color. Then
add the hot milk gradually, stirring to prevent the formation of lumps.
Cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent the sauce from scorching.
Sauce made according to this method does not require long cooking
because the flour added to the hot fat cooks quickly. In fact, it is a
very desirable method, for the browned butter and the flour lend flavor
to the sauce. Many otherwise unattractive or rather tasteless foods can
be made much more appetizing by the addition of white sauce made in
this way.

_Method 2_.--Put the milk on to heat. While this is heating, stir the
butter, flour, and salt together until they are soft and well mixed;
then add the hot milk to them slowly, stirring constantly. Place over
the heat and finish cooking, or cook in a double boiler. Sauce made by
this method requires longer cooking than the preceding one and it has
less flavor.

_Method 3_.--Heat the milk, reserving a small portion. Stir the flour
smooth with the cold milk and add it to the hot milk, stirring rapidly.
Add the butter and the salt, and continue to stir if cooked over the
heat; if cooked in a double boiler, stir only until the mixture is
completely thickened and then continue to cook for 10 or 15 minutes.
When butter is added to the mixture in this way, it is likely to float
on top, especially if too much is used. A better sauce may be made
according to this method by using thin cream for the liquid and omitting
the butter.