Grandmother's Household Secrets

Before Mrs. Beeton there was your grandmother... well that is not entirely true, Mrs. Beeton was before your grandmother. However as much as an influential woman she was in household management before your mother and you, there was another influential woman, your grandmother. This book is not about household management. It is more about home remedies and baking with particular ingredients. Like vinegar, honey, lemon, bicarbonate of soda, and salt. Classic household remedies to beautify your skin, clean your home, and culinary ideas to delight. This 5 book set comes in a handy durable cardboard case to keep them all together so you will know exactly where they are at all times. I adore the fanciful illustrations. Those two adorn both the front and back case. This set will become apart of my kitchen "go to" books. Yes, I do tend to designate my cookbooks into categories. 

There are many helpful hints and tips some you have probably heard before or seen floating around the internet on all avenues of social media. Each book contains over 300, they state this, traditional hints, tips and recipes. The honey book only contains 250. The recipes in the salt book I find more what I would call technical recipes... bread making, cheese making, cured meats, sauces and seasonings. The "What is" and "Throughout History" in each book gives you a better understanding of the ingredients being featured.

One recipe I found interesting came from the bicarbonate of soda, baking soda, book. It's a recipe for rice cake. Which is great if you can not eat wheat. And lately I meet more and more people who have to avoid wheat. Most of my baking and cooking isn't gluten/wheat-free so I thought I would add this one into the recipe file and share with you.  

Butter Rice Cake

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175 g (6 oz) rice cake flour

125 g (4 1/2 oz) soften butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

175 g (6 oz) caster (superfine) sugar

3 eggs, lightly whisked

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) 

1 teaspoon mixed spiced

110 ml (4 fl oz) milk

Preheat the oven to 150º C (300ºF, gas mark 2)

Sift together the rice cake flour, baking powder. baking soda and mixed spice.

Place the butter, sugar, eggs and milk into a bowl and beat well.

Fold in the dry ingredients and beat until well combined.

Grease a 20 cm (8 in) round cake tin and line with baking paper. 

Spoon in the mixture and bake for 55 minutes or until cooked. Allow to cool slightly, then turn on to a wire rack. 

Seeing how I just bought this set yesterday, I have not tried a recipe from any of the five books. As always when I try them I will post them. The soda bread and lime pickle recipes caught my eye. As did some of the beverages from the lemon and honey books. If any of the household remedies work I will also let you know. - JW