Cream cheese should be served on a d’oyley, and garnished either with
water-cresses or parsley; of the former, a plentiful supply should
be given, as they add greatly to the appearance of the dish, besides
improving the flavour of the cheese.
CREAM, Devonshire.
The milk should stand 24 hours in the winter, half that time when the
weather is very warm. The milkpan is then set on a stove, and should
there remain until the milk is quite hot; but it must not boil, or
there will be a thick skin on the surface. When it is sufficiently done
the undulations on the surface look thick, and small rings appear. The
time required for scalding cream depends on the size of the pan and
the heat of the fire, but the slower it is done the better. The pan
should be placed in the dairy when the cream is sufficiently scalded,
and skimmed the following day. This cream is so much esteemed that it
is sent to the London markets in small square tins, and is exceedingly
delicious eaten with fresh fruit. In Devonshire, butter is made from
this cream, and is usually very firm.
CREAM, Italian.
_Ingredients._—½ pint of milk, ½ pint of cream, sugar to taste, 1 oz.
of isinglass, 1 lemon, the yolks of 4 eggs. _Mode._—Put the cream and
milk into a saucepan, with sugar to sweeten, and the lemon-rind. Boil
until the milk is well flavoured, then strain it into a basin and add
the beaten yolks of eggs. Put this mixture into a jug, place the jug in
a saucepan of boiling water over the fire, and stir the contents until
they thicken, but do not allow them to boil. Take the cream off the
fire, stir in the lemon-juice and isinglass, which should be melted,
and whip well; fill a mould, place it in ice if at hand, and, when set,
turn it out on a dish, and garnish as taste may dictate. The mixture
may be whipped and drained, and then put into small glasses, when this
mode of serving is preferred. _Time._—From 5 to 8 minutes to stir the
mixture in the jug. _Average cost_, with the best isinglass, 2_s._
6_d._ _Sufficient_ to fill 1½ pint mould. _Seasonable_ at any time.
CREAM SAUCE, for Fish or White Dishes.
_Ingredients._—1/3 pint of cream, 2 oz. of butter, 1 teaspoonful of
flour, salt and cayenne to taste; when liked, a small quantity of
pounded mace or lemon-juice. _Mode._—Put the butter in a very clean
saucepan, dredge in the flour, and keep shaking round till the butter
is melted. Add the seasoning and cream, and stir the whole till it
boils; let it just simmer for 5 minutes, when add either pounded mace
or lemon-juice to taste to give it a flavour. _Time._—5 minutes to
simmer. _Average cost_ for this quantity, 7_d._
_Note._—This sauce may be flavoured with very finely-shredded shalot.
CREAM, Stone, of tous les Mois.
_Ingredients._—½ lb. of preserve, 1 pint of milk, 2 oz. of lump sugar,
1 heaped tablespoonful of tous les mois, 3 drops of essence of cloves,
3 drops of almond-flavouring. _Mode._—Place the preserve at the bottom
of a glass dish; put the milk into a lined saucepan, with the sugar,
and make it boil. Mix to a smooth batter the tous les mois with a
very little cold milk; stir it briskly into the boiling milk, add the
flavouring, and simmer for 2 minutes. When rather cool, but before
turning solid, pour the cream over the jam, and ornament it with strips
of red-currant jelly or preserved fruit. _Time._—2 minutes. _Average
cost_, 10_d._ _Sufficient_ for 4 or 5 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.
CREAM, Swiss.
_Ingredients._—¼ lb. of macaroons or 6 small sponge-cakes, sherry,
1 pint of cream, 5 oz. of lump sugar, 2 large tablespoonfuls of
arrowroot, the rind of 1 lemon, the juice of ½ lemon, 3 tablespoonfuls
of milk. _Mode._—Lay the macaroons or sponge-cakes in a glass dish,
and pour over them as much sherry as will cover them, or sufficient to
soak them well. Put the cream into a lined saucepan, with the sugar and
lemon-rind, and let it remain by the side of the fire until the cream
is well flavoured, when take out the lemon-rind. Mix the arrowroot
smoothly with the cold milk; add this to the cream, and let it boil
gently for about 3 minutes, keeping it well stirred. Take it off the
fire, stir till nearly cold, when add the lemon-juice, and pour the
whole over the cakes. Garnish the cream with strips of angelica, or
candied citron cut thin, or bright-coloured jelly or preserve. This
cream is exceedingly delicious, flavoured with vanilla instead of
lemon: when this flavouring is used the sherry may be omitted, and the
mixture poured over the _dry_ cakes. _Time._—About ½ hour to infuse the
lemon-rind; 5 minutes to boil the cream. _Average cost_, with cream at
1_s._ per pint, 3_s._ _Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons. _Seasonable_ at
any time.
CREAM, Vanilla.
_Ingredients._—1 pint of milk, the yolks of 8 eggs, 6 oz. of sugar,
1 oz. of isinglass, flavouring to taste of essence of vanilla.
_Mode._—Put the milk and sugar into a saucepan, and let it get hot over
a slow fire; beat up the yolks of the eggs, to which add gradually
the sweetened milk; flavour the whole with essence of vanilla, put
the mixture into a jug, and place this jug in a saucepan of boiling
water. Stir the contents with a wooden spoon one way until the mixture
thickens, but do not allow it to boil, or it will be full of lumps.
Take it off the fire; stir in the isinglass, which should be previously
dissolved in about ¼ pint of water, and boiled for 2 or 3 minutes;
pour the cream into an oiled mould, put it in a cool place to set,
and turn it out carefully on a dish. Instead of using the essence of
vanilla, a pod may be boiled in the milk until the flavour is well
extracted. A pod, or a pod and a half, will be found sufficient for
the above proportion of ingredients. _Time._—About 10 minutes to stir
the mixture. _Average cost_, with the best isinglass, 2_s._ 6_d._
_Sufficient_ to fill a quart mould. _Seasonable_ at any time.
[Illustration: VANILLA-CREAM MOULD.]
CREAM, Whipped, for putting on Trifles, serving in Glasses, &c.
_Ingredients._—To every pint of cream allow 3 oz. of pounded sugar, 1
glass of sherry or any kind of sweet white wine, the rind of ½ lemon,
the white of 1 egg. _Mode._—Rub the sugar on the lemon-rind, and pound
it in a mortar until quite fine, and beat up the white of the egg until
quite stiff; put the cream into a large bowl, with the sugar, wine, and
beaten egg, and whip it to a froth; as fast as the froth rises take it
off with a skimmer, and put it on a sieve to drain in a cool place.
This should be made the day before it is wanted, as the whip is then so
much firmer. The cream should be whipped in a cool place, and in summer
over ice, if it is obtainable. A plain whipped cream may be served on a
glass dish, and garnished with strips of angelica, or pastry-leaves, or
pieces of bright-coloured jelly: it makes a very pretty addition to the
supper-table. _Time._—About 1 hour to whip the cream. _Average cost_,
with cream at 1_s._ per pint, 1_s._ 9_d._ _Sufficient_ for 1 dish or 1
trifle. _Seasonable_ at any time.
[Illustration: PASTRY-LEAF.]