stand to get cold, and then mix six eggs with it; sweeten it with loaf
sugar, and fill the custard cups--put on the covers, and set them in a
Dutch oven with water, but not enough to risk its boiling into the cups;
do not put on the top of the oven. When the water has boiled ten or
fifteen minutes, take out a cup, and if the custard be the consistence
of jelly; it is sufficiently done; serve them in the cups with the
covers on, and a tea-spoon on the dish between each cup--grate nutmeg on
the tops when cold.
* * * * *
TO MAKE A TRIFLE.
Put slices of Savoy cake or Naples biscuit at the bottom of a deep dish;
wet it with white wine, and fill the dish nearly to the top with rich
boiled custard; season half a pint of cream with white wine and sugar;
whip it to a froth--as it rises, take it lightly off, and lay it on the
custard; pile it up high and tastily--decorate it with preserves of any
kind, cut so thin as not to bear the froth down by its weight.
* * * * *
RICE BLANC MANGE.
Boil a tea-cup full of rice in a very small of water, till it is near
bursting--then add half a pint of milk, boil it to a mush, stirring all
the time; season it with sugar, wine, and nutmeg; dip the mould in
water, and fill it; when cold, turn it in a dish, and surround it with
boiled custard seasoned, or syllabub--garnish it with marmalade.
* * * * *
FLOATING ISLAND.
Have the bowl nearly full of syllabub, made with milk, white wine, and
sugar; beat the whites of six new laid eggs to a strong froth--then mix
with it raspberry or strawberry marmalade enough to flavour and colour
it; lay the froth lightly on the syllabub, first putting in some slices
of cake; raise it in little mounds, and garnish with something light.
* * * * *
SYLLABUB.
Season the milk with sugar and white wine, but not enough to curdle it;
fill the glasses nearly full, and crown them with whipt cream seasoned.
* * * * *
COLD CREAMS.
LEMON CREAM.
Pare the rind very thin from four fresh lemons, squeeze the juice, and
strain it--put them both into a quart of water, sweeten it to your
taste, add the whites of six eggs, beat to a froth; set it over the
fire, and keep stirring until it thickens, but do not let it boil--then
pour it in a bowl; when cold, strain it through a sieve, put it on the
fire, and add the yelks of the eggs--stir it till quite thick, and serve
it in glasses.
* * * * *
ORANGE CREAM.
Is made in the same manner, but requires more juice to give a flavour.
* * * * *
RASPBERRY CREAM.
Stir as much raspberry marmalade into a quart of cream, as will be
sufficient to give a rich flavour of the fruit--strain it, and fill your
glasses, leaving out a part to whip into froth for the top.
* * * * *
TEA CREAM.
Put one ounce of the best tea in a pitcher, pour on it a table spoonful
of water, and let it stand an hour to soften the leaves; then put to it
a quart of boiling cream, cover it close, and in half an hour strain it;
add four tea-spoonsful of a strong infusion of rennet in water, stir it,
and set it on some hot ashes, and cover it; when you find by cooling a
little of it, that it will jelly, pour it into glasses, and garnish with
thin bits of preserved fruit.
* * * * *
SAGO CREAM.
Wash the sago clean, and put it on the fire with a stick of cinnamon,
and as much water as will boil it thick and soft; take out the cinnamon,
and add rich boiled custard till it is of a proper thickness; sweeten
it, and serve in glasses or cups, with grated nutmeg on the top.
* * * * *
BARLEY CREAM.
Is made the same way--you may add a little white wine to both; it will
give an agreeable flavour.
* * * * *
GOOSEBERRY FOOL.
Pick the stems and blossoms from two quarts of green gooseberries; put
them in a stew pan, with their weight in loaf sugar, and a very little
water--when sufficiently stewed, pass the pulp through a sieve; and when
cold, add rich boiled custard till it is like thick cream; put it in a
glass bowl, and lay frothed cream on the top.
* * * * *
TO MAKE SLIP.
Make a quart of rich milk moderately warm: then stir into it one large
spoonful of the preparation of rennet, (see receipt to prepare rennet,)
set it by, and when cold, it will be as stiff as jelly. It should be
made only a few hours before it is used, or it will be tough and watery;
in summer, set the dish in ice after it has jellied--it must be eaten
with powdered sugar, cream, and nutmeg.
* * * * *
CURDS AND CREAM.
Turn one quart of milk as for the slip--let it stand until just before
it is to be served: then take it up with a skimming dish, and lay it on
a sieve--when the whey has drained off, put the curds in a dish, and
surround them with cream--use sugar and nutmeg. These are Arcadian
dishes; very delicious, cheap, and easily prepared.
* * * * *
BLANC MANGE.
Break one ounce of isinglass into very small pieces; wash it well, and
pour on a pint of boiling water; next morning, add a quart of milk, boil
it till the isinglass is dissolved, strain it, put in two ounces sweet
almonds, blanched and pounded; sweeten it, and put it in the mould--when
stiff, turn them into a deep dish, and put raspberry cream around them.
For a change, stick thin slips of blanched almonds all over the blanc
mange, and dress round with syllabub, nicely frothed. Some moulds
require colouring--for an ear of corn, mix the yelk of an egg with a
little of the blanc mange; fill the grains of the corn with it--and when
quite set, pour in the white, but take care it is not warm enough to
melt the yellow: for a bunch of asparagus, colour a little with spinach
juice, to fill the green tops of the heads. Fruit must be made the
natural colour of what it represents. Cochineal and alkanet root pounded
and dissolved in brandy, make good colouring; but blanc mange should
never be served, without raspberry cream or syllabub to eat with it.
* * * * *
TO MAKE A HEN'S NEST.
Get five small eggs, make a hole at one end, and empty the shells--fill
them with blanc mange: when stiff and cold, take off the shells, pare
the yellow rind very thin from six lemons, boil them in water till
tender, then cut them in thin strips to resemble straw, and preserve
them with sugar; fill a small deep dish half full of nice jelly--when it
is set, put the straw on in form of a nest, and lay the eggs in it. It
is a beautiful dish for a dessert or supper.
* * * * *
Little Dishes for a Second Course, or Supper.
PHEASANTS A-LA-DAUB.
Roast two pheasants in the nicest manner--get a deep dish, the size and
form of the one you intend to serve the pheasants in--it must be as deep
as a tureen; put in savoury jelly about an inch and a half at the
bottom; when that is set, and the pheasants cold, lay them on the jelly
with their breasts down; fill the dish with jelly up to their backs;
take care it is not warm enough to melt the other, and that the birds
are not displaced--just before it is to be served, set it a moment in
hot water to loosen it; put the dish on the top, and turn it out
carefully.
* * * * *
PARTRIDGES A-LA-DAUB.
Truss six partridges neatly, cover them with thin slices of fat bacon
taken from the top of a middling; this keeps them white, and gives a
good flavour; they must be wrapped entirely in it--roast them, and when
done, take off the bacon; let them get cold, and use jelly as for the
pheasants.
* * * * *
CHICKENS A-LA-DAUB.
Roast two half grown chickens, cut off the legs and wings, pull the
breast from each side entire, take the skin from all the pieces, lay it
in the dish, and cover it with jelly.
* * * * *
TO MAKE SAVOURY JELLY.
Put eight or ten pounds of coarse lean beef, or the same quantity of the
inferior parts of the fore quarter of veal, into a pot with two gallons
of water, a pound of lean salt pork, three large onions chopped, three
carrots, a large handful of parsley, and any sweet herb that you choose,
with pepper and salt; boil it very gently till reduced to two quarts;
strain it through a sieve--next day, take off the fat, turn out the
jelly, and separate it from the dregs at the bottom; put it on the fire
with half a pint of white wine, a large spoonful of lemon pickle, and
the whites and shells of four eggs beaten: when it boils clear on one
side, run it through the jelly bag.
* * * * *
TURKEY A-LA-DAUB.
Bone a small turkey, put pepper and salt on the inside, and cover it
with slices of boiled ham or tongue; fill it with well seasoned
forcemeat, sew it up and boil it--cover it with jelly.
* * * * *
SALMAGUNDI.
Turn a bowl on the dish, and put on it in regular rings, beginning at
the bottom, the following ingredients, all minced:--anchovies with the
bones taken out, the white meat of fowls without the skin, hard boiled
eggs, the yelks and whites chopped separately, parsley, the lean of old
ham scraped, the inner stalks of celery; put a row of capers round the
bottom of the bowl, and dispose the others in a fanciful manner; put a
little pyramid of butter on the top, and have a small glass with egg
mixed as for sallad, to eat with the salmagundi.
* * * * *
AN EXCELLENT RELISH AFTER DINNER.
Put some soup or gravy from any of the dishes on the table, into the
stew dish; add a good portion of pepper, vinegar, wine, catsup and salt;
let it be very highly seasoned; broil the legs, liver, and gizzard of a
turkey, the kidney of veal, or any thing you fancy; cut it up in small
pieces: when broiled, put it in the gravy, and stew it at table.
* * * * *
TO STEW PERCH.
Lay the perch in a deep pan with the heads on; sprinkle salt, pepper,
and a little chopped onion over each layer; when they are all in, take
as much water as will be sufficient to fill the pan less than half full;
add a gill of wine, one of catsup, a little lemon pickle and spice;
cover the pan, and let it stew gently till done; take out the fish
without breaking, put them in a deep dish, pour the gravy on, and neatly
turn them out.
* * * * *
PRESERVES.
DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING PRESERVES.
The preserving pan should be made of bell metal, flat at the bottom,
very large in diameter, but not deep. It should have a cover to fit
closely, and handles at the sides of the pan, for taking it off with
ease when the syrup boils too fast. There should also be a large
chafing-dish with long legs, for the convenience of moving it to any
part of the room. The process is a tedious one; and if the
superintendent be not comfortably situated, the preserves cannot be
properly managed. A ladle the size of a saucer, pierced and having a
long handle, will be necessary for taking up the fruit without syrup.
When a chafing-dish cannot be procured, the best substitute is a brick
stove, with a grating, to burn charcoal. The sugar should be the best
double refined; but if the pure amber coloured sugar house syrup from
the West Indies can be got, it is greatly superior; it never ferments,
and the trouble is very much lessened by having ready made syrup, in
which it is only necessary to boil the fruit till clear. All delicate
fruit should be done gently, and not allowed to remain more than half an
hour after it begins to stew, before it is laid on dishes to cool; it
must be put into the syrup again for the same time; continue this until
it is sufficiently transparent. The advantage of this method is that the
preserves are less liable to boil to pieces, than when done all at one
time. It is injudicious to put more in the pan at once, than can lie on
the bottom without crowding. The pan must be made bright, and nothing
permitted to cool in it, lest it should canker. Delicate preserves
should be kept in small glasses or pots, that will not hold more than
one or two pounds, for the admission of air injures them; put letter
paper wet with brandy on the preserves, and cover the tops with many
folds of soft paper, that will tie round closely; keep them in a dry
place, and expose them constantly to the sun to check fermentation.
Fruit for preserving should be in full perfection, but not too ripe.
* * * * *
TO PRESERVE CLING-STONE PEACHES.
Get the finest yellow cling-stones, pare them, and lay them in a bowl;
have their weight of sugar pounded, and sprinkle it over them as they
are put in; let them stand two or three hours, put them together with
the sugar into the pan, add a little water, and let the peaches remain
till thoroughly scalded; take them out with the ladle, draining off the
syrup; should there not be enough to cover the peaches, add more Water,
boil it and skim it, return the fruit, and do them gently till quite
clear. Have some stones cracked, blanch the kernels, and preserve them
with the peaches.
* * * * *
CLING-STONES SLICED.
Pare the peaches, and cut them in as large slices as possible; have
their weight in sugar, and preserve them as the others.
* * * * *
SOFT PEACHES.
Get yellow soft peaches that are not quite ripe, pare and divide them,
scrape the places where the stones lay with a tea-spoon, and follow the
former directions.
* * * * *
PEACH MARMALADE.
Take the ripest soft peaches, (the yellow ones make the prettiest
marmalade,) pare them, and take out the stones; put them in the pan with
one pound of dry light coloured brown sugar to, two of peaches: when
they are juicy, they do not require water: with a silver or wooden
spoon, chop them with the sugar; continue to do this, and let them boil
gently till they are a transparent pulp, that will be a jelly when cold.
Puffs made of this marmalade are very delicious.
* * * * *
PEACH CHIPS.
Slice them thin, and boil them till clear in a syrup made with half
their weight of sugar; lay them on dishes in the sun, and turn them till
dry; pack them in pots with powdered sugar sifted over each layer;
should there be syrup left, continue the process with other peaches.
They are very nice when done pure honey instead of sugar.
* * * * *
PEARS.
The small pears are better for preserving than large ones. Pare them,
and make a syrup, with their weight of sugar, and a little water--leave
the stem on, and stick a clove in the blossom end of each; stew them
till perfectly transparent.
* * * * *
PEAR MARMALADE.
Boil the pears till soft--when cold, rub the pulp through a sieve, and
boil it to a jelly, allowing one pound of sugar to two of pears.
* * * * *
QUINCES.
Select the finest and most perfect quinces, lay them on shelves, but do
not let them touch each other; keep them till they look yellow and have
a fragrant smell; put as many in the preserving pan as can lie
conveniently, cover them with water, and scald them well: then take out
the cores, and put them in water; cover the pan and boil them some time;
strain the water, add to it the weight of the quinces in pounded loaf
sugar, dissolve and skim it, pare the quinces, put them in the pan, and
should there not be syrup enough to cover them, add more water--stew
them till quite transparent. They will be light coloured if kept covered
during the process, and red if the cover be taken off. Fill the space
the cores occupied with quince jelly, before they are put into the
pots--and cover them with syrup.
* * * * *
CURRANT JELLY.
Pick full ripe currants from the stem, and put them in a stone pot; then
set it in an iron pot of water--take care that no water gets in: when
the currants have yielded their juice, pour them into a jelly bag--let
it run as long as it will without pressing, which must be reserved for
the best jelly; you may then squeeze the bag to make inferior kind. To
each pint of this juice, put one pound of loaf sugar powdered--boil it
fifteen or twenty minutes--skim it clean, and put it in glasses; expose
them daily to the sun to prevent fermentation.
* * * * *
QUINCE JELLY.
Prepare the quinces as before directed, take off the stems and blossoms,
wash them clean, and cut them in slices without paring; fill the pan,
and pour in water to cover them--stew them gently, putting in a little
water occasionally till they are soft; then pour them into a jelly bag;
let all the liquor run through without pressing it, which must be set
aside for the best jelly; to each pint of this, put a pound of loaf
sugar pounded, and boil it to a jelly. The bag may be squeezed for an
inferior, but a very nice jelly.
* * * * *
QUINCE MARMALADE.
Boil the quinces in water until soft, let them cool, and rub all the
pulp through a sieve: put two pounds of it to one of sugar, pound a
little cochineal, sift in through fine muslin, and mix it with the
quince to give a colour; pick out the seeds, tie them in a muslin bag,
and boil them with the marmalade: when it is a thick jelly, take out the
seeds, and put it in pots.
* * * * *
CHERRIES.
The most beautiful cherries to preserve, are the carnation and common
light red, with short stems; select the finest that are not too ripe;
take an equal weight with the cherries of double refined sugar, make it
into a syrup, and preserve them without stoning, and with the stems on;
if they be done carefully, and the "Directions for preserving" closely
attended to, the stems will not come off, and they will be so
transparent that the stones may be seen.
* * * * *
MORELLO CHERRIES.
Take out the stones with a quill over a deep dish, to save the juice
that runs from them; put to the juice a pound of sugar for each pound of
cherries, weighed after they are stoned; boil and skim the syrup, then
put in the fruit, and stew till quite clear.
* * * * *
TO DRY CHERRIES.
Stone them, and save the juice: weigh the cherries, and allow one pound
of good brown sugar to three of the fruit; boil it with the juice, put
the cherries in, stew them fifteen or twenty minutes, take them out,
drain off the syrup, and lay the cherries in dishes to dry in the sun;
keep the syrup to pour over a little at a time, as it dries on the
cherries, which must be frequently turned over; when all the syrup is
used, put the cherries away in pots, sprinkling a little powdered loaf
sugar between the layers. They make excellent pies, puddings, and
charlottes.
* * * * *
RASPBERRY JAM.
To each pound of ripe red or English raspberries, put one pound of loaf
sugar--stir it frequently, and stew till it is a thick jelly.
* * * * *
TO PRESERVE STRAWBERRIES.
Get the largest strawberries before they are too ripe; have the best
loaf sugar, one pound to each of strawberries--stew them very gently,
taking them out to cool frequently, that they may not be mashed; when
they look clear, they are done enough.
* * * * *
STRAWBERRY JAM.
Is made in the same manner as the raspberry, and is very fine to mix
with cream for blanc mange, puffs, sweet-meat puddings, &c. &c.
* * * * *
GOOSEBERRIES.
Select young gooseberries, make a syrup with one pound of loaf sugar to
each of fruit; stew them till quite clear and the syrup becomes thick,
but do not let them be mashed. They are excellent made into tarts--do
not cover the pan while they are stewing.
* * * * *
APRICOTS IN BRANDY.
Take freshly gathered apricots not too ripe; to half their weight of
loaf sugar, add as much water as will cover the fruit; boil and skim it:
then put in the apricots, and let them remain five or six minutes: take
them up without syrup, and lay them on dishes to cool; boil the syrup
till reduced one half; when the apricots are cold, put them in bottles,
and cover them with equal quantities of syrup and French brandy. If the
apricots be cling-stones, they will require more scalding.
* * * * *
PEACHES IN BRANDY.
Get yellow soft peaches, perfectly free from defect and newly gathered,
but not too ripe; place them in a pot, and cover them with cold weak
lye; turn over those that float frequently, that the lye may act equally
on them; at the end of an hour take them out, wipe them carefully with a
soft cloth to get off the down and skin, and lay them in cold water;
make a syrup as for the apricots, and proceed in the same manner, only
scald the peaches more.
* * * * *
CHERRIES IN BRANDY.
Get the short stemmed bright red cherries in bunches--make a syrup, with
equal quantities of sugar and cherries; scald the cherries, but do not
let the skins crack, which they will do if the fruit be too ripe.
* * * * *
MAGNUM BONUM PLUMS IN BRANDY.
Select those that are free from blemish--make a syrup with half their
weight of sugar, and preserve them in the same manner directed for
apricots--green gages. The large amber, and the blue plums, are also
excellent, done in the same way.
* * * * *
PICKLING.
LEMON PICKLE.
Grate the yellow rind from two dozen fine fresh lemons, quarter them but
leave them whole at the bottom; sprinkle salt on them, and put them in
the sun every day until dry; then brush off the salt, put them in a pot
with one ounce of nutmegs, and one of mace pounded; a large handful of
horse radish scraped and dried two dozen cloves of garlic, and a pint of
mustard seed; pour on one gallon of strong vinegar, tie the pot close,
put a board on, and let it stand three months--strain it, and when
perfectly clear, bottle it.
* * * * *
TOMATO CATSUP.
Gather a peck of tomatos, pick out the stems, and wash them; put them on
the fire without water, sprinkle on a few spoonsful of salt, let them
boil steadily an hour, stirring them frequently; strain them through a
colander, and then through a sieve; put the liquid on the fire with half
a pint of chopped onions, half a quarter of an ounce of mace broke into
small pieces; and if not sufficiently salt, add a little more--one
table-spoonful of whole black pepper; boil all together until just
enough to fill two bottles; cork it tight. Make it in August, in dry
weather.
* * * * *
TOMATO MARMALADE.
Gather full grown tomatos while quite green; take out the stems, and
stew them till soft; rub them through a sieve, put the pulp on the fire
seasoned highly with pepper, salt, and pounded cloves; add some garlic,
and stew all together till thick: it keeps well, and is excellent for
seasoning gravies, &c. &c.
* * * * *
TOMATO SWEET MARMALADE.
Prepare it in the same manner, mix some loaf sugar with the pulp, and
stew until it is a stiff jelly.
* * * * *
TOMATO SOY.
Take a bushel of full ripe tomatos, cut them in slices without
skinning--sprinkle the bottom of a large tub with salt, strew in the
tomatos, and over each layer of about two inches thick, sprinkle half a
pint of salt, and three onions sliced without taking off the skins.
When the bushel of tomatos is thus prepared, let them remain for _three_
days, then put them into a large iron pot, in which they must boil from
early in the morning till night, constantly stirring to prevent their
sticking and mashing them.
The next morning, pass the mixture through a sieve, pressing it to
obtain all the liquor you can; and add to it one ounce of cloves,
quarter of a pound of allspice, quarter of a pound of whole black
pepper, and a small wine glass of Cayenne; let it boil slowly and
constantly during the whole of the day--in the evening, put it into a
suitable vessel to cool; and the day after, bottle and cork it well:
place it in a cool situation during warm weather, and it will keep for
many years, provided it has been boiled very slowly and sufficiently in
the preparation. Should it ferment it must be boiled a second time.
* * * * *
PEPPER VINEGAR.
Get one dozen pods of pepper when ripe, take out the stems, and cut them
in two; put them in a kettle with three pints of vinegar, boil it away
to one quart, and strain it through a sieve. A little of this is
excellent in gravy of every kind, and gives a flavour greatly superior
to black pepper; it is also very fine when added to each of the various
catsups for fish sauce.
* * * * *
MUSHROOM CATSUP.
Take the flaps of the proper mushrooms from the stems--wash them, add
some salt, and crush them; then boil them some time, strain them through
a cloth, put them on the fire again with salt to your taste, a few
cloves of garlic, and a quarter of an ounce of cloves pounded, to a peck
of mushrooms; boil it till reduced to less than half the original
quantity--bottle and cork it well.
* * * * *
TARRAGON OR ASTRAGON VINEGAR.
Pick the tarragon nicely from the stem, let it lie in a dry place
forty-eight hours; put it in a pitcher, and to one quart of the leaves
put three pints of strong vinegar; cover it close, and let it stand a
week--then strain it, and after standing in the pitcher till quite
clear, bottle it, and cork it closely.
* * * * *
CURRY POWDER.
One ounce turmeric, one do. coriander seed, one do. cummin seed, one do.
white ginger, one of nutmeg, one of mace, and one of Cayenne pepper;
pound all together, and pass them through a line sieve; bottle and cork
it well--one tea-spoonful is sufficient to season any made dish.
* * * * *
TO PICKLE CUCUMBERS.
Gather them full grown, but quite young--take off the green rind, and
slice them tolerably thick; put a layer in a deep dish, strew over it
some chopped onion and salt; do this until they are all in; sprinkle
salt on the top, let them stand six hours, put them in a colander--when
all the liquor has run off, put them in a pot; strew a little cayenne
pepper over each layer, and cover them with strong cold vinegar; when
the pot is full, pour on some sweet oil, and tie it, up close; at the
end of a fortnight, pour off the first vinegar, and put on fresh.
* * * * *
OIL MANGOS.