st skilled amateur cook in New York.

Grated cocoanut or raw grated apple stirred into the batter before
baking, varies the cheese cakes--and to some palates improves it. I
myself find nothing quite to equal the cheese cake of my
childhood--which had a full pound of butter to the pound of sugar, and
no frills of frosting, though strips of citron were often latticed over
the pans after the crust was in. Prick crust always very well before
filling--thus the tarts will be shapely instead of caricatures.

_Sweet Potato Custard_: Boil tender two large or four medium sweet
potatoes, peel, free of strings, and mash fine. Add to the pulp half a
pound of creamed butter, mix well, then add gradually five cups sugar,
alternately with five whole eggs. Beat smooth, add the juice of three
lemons, a tablespoonful lemon essence, and a scant pint of very rich
milk. Use less milk if the potatoes are very soft. Beat smooth and pour
into pie pans lined with good crust. Bake brown in a quick oven, but do
not over-bake. Lest the proportion of sugar may seem excessive, let it
be said here that sweet potatoes require more sugar for sweetening than
anything save crabapples or green gooseberries.

_Sweet Potato Pie_: Line a deep pie pan with short crust rolled a
quarter-inch thick, fill it with raw sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
thin. Add to them, for a pan of medium size, three cups sugar, a cup of
butter, cut in bits, mace, cloves and nutmeg to taste, half a cup cold
water and half a cup good whiskey or sherry. Cover with a crust an
eighth-inch thick, prick well, also cut a tiny cross in middle, and bake
in a hot, but not scorching oven, three-quarters of an hour--a full hour
if the pan is large. Turning another pan, fitting the rim over, helps to
make the baking sure and even. Remove the cover pan ten minutes before
taking up. Serve hot. This requires no sauce.

_Apple Custard_: Beat four eggs very light with three cups sugar, one
cup butter, cup and a half rich milk--the richer the better. Stir in at
the very last, one quart grated apple, flavor with nutmeg or vanilla,
and bake in crusts. If wanted richer, dot raisins seeded and soaked in
whiskey, or shred citron over the top before baking.

_Molasses Pie_: (M. W. Watkins.) Cream well together one large cup
granulated sugar, and one heaping tablespoonful of butter, add when very
light the well-beaten yolks of three eggs, and a large cup of rich
molasses. Flavor with one teaspoonful gr