Fruit Pastes.
Marmalades, Fruit Jams, and Pastes, are compositions of the pulpy matter
of recent Fruits, or other vegetable substances, so combined into a mass
with sugar, as will cause them to suffer as little alteration as
possible in their native qualities. These comfitures are therefore in
reality solid extracts of the pulpy matter of fruit conserved by means
of sugar.
The evaporation of the mass is most conveniently performed in broad
hollow vessels; the larger the surface of the vessel, the sooner will
the aqueous parts exhale. When the pulpy matter begins to grow thick,
great care is necessary to prevent its burning. This accident is almost
unavoidable if the quantity be large, and the fire applied, as usual,
under the pan; it may be effectually prevented, by pouring the mass,
when it has acquired the consistence of syrup, into shallow earthen
pans, and placing those in an oven with its door open, moderately
heated; which, acting uniformly on every part of the liquid, will soon
reduce it to any degree of consistence required. This may likewise be
done, and more securely, by setting the evaporating vessels in boiling
water; but the evaporation is in this way very tedious. The application
of steam by means of what is called a _preserving pan_, is the best
contrivance for preparing jams, fruit pastes, and all other culinary
preparations, which are liable to become injured by a degree of heat
exceeding that of boiling water.