Fannie Farmer Cooking

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About Fannie Farmer
2007-08-06 14:56:00
Fannie Merritt Farmer (23 March 1857 - 15 January 1915) was an American culinary expert whose Boston Cooking-School Cook Book became a widely used culinary text.Fannie Farmer was born in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, to Mary Watson Merritt and John Franklin Farmer. Although she was the oldest of four daughters, born in a family that highly valued education and that expected young Fannie to go to college, she suffered a paralytic stroke at the age of sixteen while attending Medford High School. Fannie could not continue her formal academic education; for several years, she was unable to walk and remained in her parents' care at home.At the age of thirty, Farmer, now walking (but with a substantial limp that never left her), enrolled in the Boston Cooking School at the suggestion of Mrs. Charles Shaw. Farmer trained at the school until 1889 during the height of the domestic science movement, learning what were then considered the most critical elements of the science, including nutriti...

The American Breadmaker
2007-03-28 22:31:00
I've posted a new blog "The American Brea dmaker" to cover breadmaking in more detail. Some of the recipes will be from Fannie Farmer.

Simple Italian Cookery
2007-03-25 20:27:00
Although unrelated to Fannie Farmer, I have posted recipes from "Simple Italian Cookery " by Antonia Isola, 1912, at simpleitaliancookery.blogspot.com. This is the first Italian cookbook published in the United States.

Fannie Farmer Apple Pie
2007-02-21 15:22:00
4 or 5 sour apples1/3 cup sugar1/8 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg1 teaspoon butter1 teaspoon lemon juiceFew gratings lemon rindLine pie plate with paste. Pare, core, and cut the apples into eighths, put row around plate one-half inch from the edge, and work towards centre until plate is covered; then pile on remainder. Mix sugar, nutmeg, salt, lemon juice, and grated rind, and sprinkle over apples. Dot over with butter. Wet edges of under crust, cover with upper crust, and press edges together.Bake forty to forty-five minutes in moderate oven. A very good pie may be made without butter, lemon juice, and grated rind. Cinnamon may be substituted for nutmeg. Evaporated apples may be used in place of fresh fruit. If used, they should be soaked over night in cold water.
More About: Apple , Farmer

Chicken Soup with Wine
2007-02-20 15:06:00
3 lb. fowl1 onion, sliced2 quarts cold water2 stalks celery2 slices carrotBit of bay leaf1 tablespoon salt2 tablespoons Sauterne wine1/2 teaspoon peppercorns1 teaspoon beef extract1 cup creamSaltPepperWipe and cut up fowl. Cover with water, and add carrot, salt, peppercorns, celery, and bay leaf. Bring quickly to boiling-point, then let simmer until meat is tender. Remove meat and strain stock. Chill, remove fat, reheat, and add wine, beef extract, and cream. Season with salt and pepper.
More About: Wine , Soup , Chicken

Fannie Farmer Julienne Soup
2007-02-20 04:05:00
To one quart clear Brown Soup Stock, add one-fourth cup each carrot and turnip, cut in thin strips one and one-half inches long, previously cooked in boiling salted water, and two tablespoons, each, cooked peas and string beans. Heat to boiling point.
More About: Farmer , Julie

Tomato Soup with Stock
2007-02-20 03:59:00
1 quart Brown Soup Stock 1 can tomatoes1/3 cup flour1/2 teaspoon peppercorns1 small bay leaf3 cloves3 sprigs thyme4 tablespoons butterOnion, Carrot, Celery, Raw Ham -- 1/4 cup each, cut in diceSaltPepperCook onion, carrot, celery, and ham in butter five minutes, add flour, peppercorns, bay leaf, cloves, and thyme, and cook three minutes; then add tomatoes, cover, and cook slowly one hour. When cooked in oven it required less watching. Rub through a strainer, add hot stock, and season with salt and pepper.
More About: Tomato , Tomato Soup

Brown Soup Stock
2007-02-20 03:55:00
6 lbs. shin of beef1 sprig marjoram3 quarts cold water2 sprigs parsley1/2 teaspoon peppercorns6 cloves1/2 bay leaf3 sprigs thymeCarrot, Turnip, Onion, Celery -- 1/2 cup each, cut in diceWipe beef, and cut the lean meat in inch cubes. Brown one-third of meat in hot frying pan in marrow from a marrow-bone. Put remaining two-thirds with bone and far in soup kettle, add water, and let stand for thirty minutes. Place on back of range, add browned meat, and heat gradually to boiling point. As scum rises it should be removed. Cover, and cook slowly six hours, keeping below boiling-point during cooking. Add vegetable and seasonings, cook one and one-half hours, and cool as quickly as possible.
More About: Stock , Soup

Soup Making
2007-02-20 03:43:00
The art of soup making is more easily mastered than at first appears. The young housekeeper is startled at the amazingly large number of ingredients the recipe calls for and often is discouraged. One may, with but little expense, keep at hand what is essential for the making of a good soup. Winter vegetables -- turnips, carrots, celery, and onions -- may be bought in large or small quantities. The outer stalks of celery, often not suitable for serving, should be saved for soups. At seasons when celery is a luxury, the tips and roots should be saved and dried. Sweet herbs, including thyme, rosemary, and marjoram, are dried and put up in packages, retailing from five to ten cents. Bay leaves, which should be used sparingly, may be obtained at first class grocers' or druggists'; seeming never to lose strength they may be kept indefinitely. Spices, including whole cloves, allspice berries, peppercorns, and stick cinnamon should be kept on hand. These seasonings, with the addition of s...
More About: Soup , Makin

Rich Omelet
2007-02-20 03:21:00
2 1/2 tablespoons flour3/4 teaspoon salt1 cup milk 3 eggs 3 tablespoons butter Mix salt and flour, and add gradually milk. Beat eggs until thick and lemon-colored, then add to first mixture. Heat iron frying-pan and put in two-thirds of thc butter; when butter is melted, pour in mixture. As it cooks, lift with a griddle-cake turner so that uncooked part may run underneath; add remaining butter as needed, and continue lifting the cooked part until it is firm throughout. Place on hotter part of range to brown; roll, and turn on hot platter.
More About: Rich , Mele

Hollandaise Sauce I
2007-02-20 03:16:00
1/2 cup butter1/4 teaspoon saltYolks 2 eggsFew grains cayenne1 tablespoon lemon juice1/3 cup boiling waterPut butter in a bowl, cover with cold water, and wash, using a spoon. Divide into three pieces; put one piece in a saucepan with yolks of eggs and lemon juice, place saucepan in a larger one containing the boiling water, and stir constantly with a wire whisk until butter is melted; then add second piece of butter, and, as it thickens, third piece. Add water, cook one minute, and season with salt and cayenne. If mixture curdles, add two tablespoons heavy cream.
More About: Sauce , Hollanda

Sauce (for Poultry)
2007-02-20 03:11:00
1/4 cup butter 2 cups boiling water 1 tablespoon finely chopped 1/2 cup stewed and strained onion tomato 1 slice carrot, cut in cubes 1 teaspoon salt1/8 teaspoon pepper 1 slice turnip, cut in cubes1/4 cup flour Few grains cayenneCook butter five minutes with vegetables. Add flour, with salt, pepper, and cayenne, and cook until flour is well browned. Add gradually water and tomato; cook five minutes, then strain.
More About: Poultry , Sauce

Chicken Stew
2007-02-20 03:09:00
Dress, clean, and cut up a fowl. Put in a stewpan, cover with boiling water, and cook slowly until tender, adding one-half tablespoon salt and one-eighth teaspoon pepper when fowl is about half cooked. Thicken stock with one-third cup flour diluted with enongh cold water to pour easily.Serve with Dumplings. If desired richer, butter may be added.
More About: Chicken

Chicken Gumbo
2007-02-20 03:07:00
Dress, clean, and cut up a chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, dredge with flour, and saute in pork fat. Fry one-half finely chopped onion in fat remaining in frying-pan. Add four cups sliced okra, sprig of parsley, and one-fourth red pepper finely chopped, and cook slowly fifteen minutes. Add to chicken, with one and one-half cups tomato, three cups hailing water, and one and one-half teaspoons salt. Cook slowly until chicken is tender, then add one cup boiled rice.
More About: Chicken , Gumbo

Baked Chicken
2007-02-20 03:06:00
Dress, clean, and cut up two chickens. Place in a dripping-pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, dredge with flour, and dot over with one-fourth cup butter. Bake thirty minutes in a hot oven, basting every five minutes with one-fourth cup butter melted in one-fourth cup boiling water.Serve with gravy made by using fat in pan, one-fourth cup flour, one cup each Chicken Stock and cream, salt and pepper.
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Chicken a la Merango
2007-02-20 03:05:00
Dress, dean, and cut up a chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, dredge with flour, and saute in salt pork fat. Put in a stew-pan, cover with sauce, and cook slowly until chicken is tender. Add one-half can mushrooms cut in quarters, and cook five minutes. Arrange chicken on serving dish and pour around sauce; garnish with parsley.
More About: Chicken , Meran , La Mer

Batter III
2007-02-19 20:15:00
1 1/3 cups flour2 teaspoons baking powder1/4 teaspoon salt2/3 cup milkMix and sift ingredients, add milk gradually, and egg well beaten.

Apple Fritters
2007-02-19 20:14:00
2 medium-sized sour applesBatter IIIPowdered SugarPage, core, and cut apples in eights, the cut eights in slices, and stir in batter. Drop by spoonfuls and fry in deep fat. Drain on brown paper, and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve hot on a folded napkin.
More About: Apple

Squash Biscuits
2007-02-18 19:05:00
1/2 cup squash (steamed and sifted) 1/4 cup sugar1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup scalded milk1/4 yeast cake dissolved in 1/4 cup lukewarm water 1/4 cup butter2 1/2 cups flour Add squash, sugar, salt, and butter to milk; when lukewarm, add dissolved yeast cake and flour; cover, and let rise over night. In morning shape into biscuits, let rise, and bake.
More About: Biscuits , Squash

Boston Brown Bread
2007-02-18 18:59:00
1 cup rye meal 3/4 tablespoon soda1 cup granulated corn meal 1 teaspoon salt1 cup Graham Flour 3/4 cup molasses2 cups sour milk, or 1 3/4 cups sweet milk or water Mix and sift dry ingredients, add molasses and milk, stir until well mixed, turn into a well-buttered mould, and steam three and one-half hours. The cover should be buttered before being placed on mould, and then tied down with string; otherwise the bread in rising might force off cover.Mould should never be filled more than two-thirds full. A melon-mould or one-pound baking-powder boxes make the most attractive-shaped loaves, but a five-pound lard pail answers the purpose. For steaming, place mould on a trivet in kettle containing boiling water, allowing water to come half-way up around mould, cover closely, and steam, adding, as needed, more boiling water.
More About: Boston , Brown , Bread , Brea

Rye Bread
2007-02-18 18:55:00
1 cup scalded milk 1 1/2 teaspoons salt1 cup boiling water 1/4 yeast cake dissolved in 1/4 cup lukewarm water1 tablespoon lard 1 tablespoon butter3 cups flour 1/3 cup brown sugarRye meal To milk and water add lard, butter, sugar, and salt; when lukewarm, add dissolved yeast cake and flour, beat thoroughly, cover, and let rise until light. Add rye meal until dough is stiff enough to knead; knead thoroughly, let rise, shape in loaves, let rise again, and bake.
More About: Bread , Brea

Entire Wheat Bread
2007-02-18 18:54:00
2 cups scalded milk 2 teaspoons salt1/4 cup sugar or 1/3 cup molasses 1 yeast cake dissolved in 1/4 cup lukewarm water4 2/3 cups coarse entire wheat flour Add sweetening and salt to milk; cool, and when lukewarm add dissolved yeast cake and flour; beat well, cover, and let rise to double its bulk. Again beat, and turn into greased bread pans, having pans one-half full; let rise, and bake. Entire Wheat Brea d should not quite double its bulk during last rising. This mixture may be baked in gem pans.Entire Wheat and White Flour Bread. Use same ingredients as for Entire Wheat Bread, with exception of flour. For flour use three and one-fourth cups entire wheat and two and three-fourths cups white flour. The dough should be slightly kneaded, and if handled quickly will not stick to board. Loaves and biscuits should be shaped with hands instead of pouring into pans, as in Entire Wheat Bread.
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Milk and Water Bread
2007-02-18 18:51:00
1 cup scalded milk 1/4 cup lukewarm water1 tablespoon lard 1 tablespoon butter1 yeast cake dissolved in 1 cup boiling water 6 cups sifted flour, or one cup white flour and enough entire wheat flour to kneadPrepare and bake as Water Brea d . When entire wheat flour is used add three tablespoons molasses. Bread may be mixed, raised, and baked in five hours, by using one yeast cake. Bread made in this way has proved most satisfactory. It is usually mixed in the morning, and the cook is able to watch the dough while rising and keep it at uniform temperature. It is often desirable to place bowl containing dough in pan of water, keeping water at uniform temperature of from 95° to 100° F. Cooks who have not proved themselves satisfactory bread makers, are successful when employing this method.
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Water Bread
2007-02-18 18:47:00
2 cups boiling water 2 1/2 teaspoons salt1 tablespoon butter 1/4 yeast cake dissolved in 1/4 cup lukewarm water1 tablespoon lard 2 tablespoon sugar6 cups sifted flour Put butter, lard, sugar, and salt in bread raiser, or large bowl without a lip; pour on boiling water; when lukewarm, add dissolved yeast cake and five cups of flour; then stir until thoroughly mixed, using a knife or mixing-spoon. Add remaining flour, mix, and turn on a floured board, leaving a clean bowl; knead until mixture is smooth, elastic to touch, and bubbles may be seen under the surface. Some practice is required to kuead quickly, but the motion once acquired will never be forgotten. Return to bowl, cover with a clean cloth kept for the purpose, and board or tin cover; let rise over night in temperature of 65° F. In morning cut down: this is accomplished by cutting through and turning over dough several times with a case knife, and checks fermentation for a short time; dough may be again raised, and rec...
More About: Water , Bread , Brea

Baking of Bread
2007-02-18 18:43:00
Bread is baked: (1) To kill ferment, (2) to make soluble the starch, (3) to drive off alcohol and carbon dioxide, and (4) to form brown crust of pleasant flavor. Bread should be baked in a hot oven. If the oven be too hot the crust will brown quickly before the heat has reached the centre, and prevent further rising loaf should continue rising for first fifteen minutes of baking, when it should begin to brown, and continue browning for the next twenty minutes. The last fifteen minutes it should finish baking, when the heat may be reduced. When bread is done, it will not cling-to sides of pan, and may he easily removed. Biscuits require more heat than loaf bread, should continue rising the first five minutes, and begin to brown in eight minutes. Experience is the best guide for testing temperature of oven. Various oven thermometers have been made, but none have proved practical. Bread may be brushed over with melted butter, three minutes before removal from oven, if a more tender cru...
More About: Baking , Bread , Brea