Hurt Legacy

Bohemian Raised Tarts and Cakes

I found the following recipe for Bohemian Tarts and Cakes in an old 1949 Bohemian-American cookbook that Rose Rosicky had translated and published in 1949 of her mother (Marie's) Bohemian cookbook that was published in 1906.

Under each of the Recipe Titles it showed the Bohemian Title. For example, the "Bohemian Tarts No. 1" was also known as "Kolácky".

To quote from Rose and Marie's cookbook, this is what they had to say about making good pastry:

"In order to make good pastry, especially that composed of raised dough, the cook must observe several rules. The flour should be of good quality, dry and warm, the butter, eggs and yeast must be fresh. When setting the sponge, the milk or water must be tepid, never hot. Compressed yeast seems to give more satisfactory results than dry yeast. Half an ounce of fresh compressed yeast is about right to one pound of flour. However, the richer the dough, the more yeast it will require. In order to be sure that the yeast is fresh, mix it with several tablespoons of tepid milk, add a teaspoon of sugar and two or three teaspoons of flour, beat and set in a warm (not hot) place. If it begins to bubble and foam within a short time, the yeast is good. You may then mix the other ingredients together, add the sponge, beat very thoroughly with a wooden spoon until the dough glistens and does not stick, then set again in a warm place. The dough must be right, the oven must be right, and the baking must be done right. Success depends on all these things, not on any one of them. If the oven bakes too quickly on the under side, set the pan on a tin plate or iron stand; if too quickly on top, cover with a paper."

Bohemian Tarts No. 1 (Kolácky)

Cream one cup of butter, add four to six yolks, one at a time, one cake of compressed yeast dissolved in tepid milk, four whites beaten stiff, one quart of sweet cream, half a cup of sugar, the grated rind of a lemon, a dash of salt, one quart of sifted flour, and beat until the dough does not stick, then set in a warm place. When it has risen to double its bulk, take out by the tablespoon on a floured board, roll each into a ball, then roll out like a cookie, about half an inch thick, spread with fruit jam, cottage cheese or other filling.

When spreading tarts, first make two or three dents in each with your finger. The spreading will adhere better. Place them in the pan not to closely together, brush each with melted butter, then with beaten yolk mixed with a bit of milk. You may put blanched halved almonds or coconut on top of filling. Let them rise again in the pan and then bake in a hot oven. When baked and cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Soups

The amount of water used is governed by the amount of meat. A pound of meat requires a quart of water.

If you wish to have good soup, place the meat in cold water, and let it simmer gently. If you do not care for very strong soup and wish the meat to have a better flavor, you may place it in boiling water.

Some cooks prefer to skim soup, but this is not necessary, in fact, it will be stronger if the scum is left in it and the soup is strained before putting in the rice, noodles or whatever you are going to use.

Two quarts of soup is considered enough for six or eight people and the average recipe is figured out accordingly.

Soups are divided into two kinds: meat soups and Lenten soups. Both kinds may be clear or thick. Clear, thin soups are usually served with croutons, etc.

Hints in General, regarding the kitchen

Iron kettles, etc., which were used a great deal formerly and still are used to certain extent, when new should be filled with water, to which has been added some charcoal, and this should be kept boiling for a while. Then we may scour the kettle well and it is ready for use. iron skillets, griddles, etc., should be well greased and then the grease should be burned or smoked off once or twice before they are used. Where conditions permit, nothing but granite and aluminum ware should be used.

If we wish to use stone or earthen ware, it is best to fill new pieces with cold water and let it come slowly to the boiling point. In this way we may ward off the cracking thereof.

When washing greasy kitchenware, put a little soda into the water.

Vinegar cruets, water bottles and bottles in general may be cleaned with water and small shot, tacks or sand.

Put two or three oyster shells, thoroughly cleansed, into your water kettle and the sediment from the water will settle on them instead of on the inside of the kettle.

It goes without saying that the kitchen should be as thoroughly equipped as possible.

Table of Measures & Weights
( which may come in handy to the housewife)

Sixteen ounces are one pound.

Four quarts, or eight pints, are one gallon.

Four pecks are one bushel, and a peck is two gallons, or eight quarts.

Four cups are one quart.

An ordinary tumbler is half pint.

Two heaping teaspoons contain as much as one heaping tablespoon.

One heaping tablespoon of sugar weighs one ounce.

Two level teacups of granulated sugar weigh one pound.

Two heaping tablespoons of flour weigh one ounce.

One teacup contains five heaping tablespoons of flour.

Five teacups of sifted flour weigh one pound.

A liberal tablespoon of butter weighs one ounce.

A piece of butter, the size of an egg, weighs two ounces.

A teacup full of soft butter contains four tablespoons.

Two teacups of butter, well packed, weigh one pound.

Eight large or ten medium sized eggs weigh one pound.

The expert foreign cook depends entirely on her tongue in this respect, adding a little of this, tasting the food, then adding a a little of something else, and so on.

In the recipes for bread, raised tarts, etc., the exact amount of flour is seldom given. As every cook knows, flours vary, and she must be guided by her experience. After one or two failures she can tell just how much flour to use.

Many recipes call for flour and butter blended together, without giving the exact amounts of each. The housewife must be guided by the taste of her family. She can use from one tablespoon of butter to two of flour to half of each (a tablespoon of butter to a tablespoon of flour).

Hurt Family...

Hurt Legacy

Bohemian Raised Tarts and Cakes

Bohemian Tarts No. 1 (Kolácky)

Soups

Hints in General, regarding the kitchen

Table of Measures & Weights ( which may come in handy to the housewife)

Table of Measures & Weights
( which may come in handy to the housewife)