_Ingredients._—½ pint of milk, 2 tablespoonfuls of flour, 4 eggs, 3
tablespoonfuls of boiled rice, 3 tablespoonfuls of currants, sugar to
taste, a very little grated nutmeg, hot lard or clarified dripping.
_Mode._—Put the milk into a basin with the flour, which should
previously be rubbed to a smooth batter with a little cold milk; stir
these ingredients together; add the well-whisked eggs, the rice,
currants, sugar, and nutmeg. Beat the mixture for a few minutes, and,
if not sufficiently thick, add a little more boiled rice; drop it, in
small quantities, into a pan of boiling lard or clarified dripping; fry
the fritters a nice brown, and, when done, drain them on a piece of
blotting-paper, before the fire. Pile them on a white d’oyley, strew
over sifted sugar, and serve them very hot. Send a cut lemon to table
with them. _Time._—From 8 to 10 minutes to fry the fritters. _Average
cost_, 9_d._ _Sufficient_ for 3 or 4 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.
CURRANT JAM, Black.
_Ingredients._—To every lb. of fruit, weighed before being stripped
from the stalks, allow; ¾ lb. of loaf sugar, 1 gill of water.
_Mode._—Let the fruit be very ripe, and gathered on a dry day. Strip
it from the stalks, and put it into a preserving-pan, with a gill of
water to each lb. of fruit; boil these together for 10 minutes; then
add the sugar, and boil the jam again for 30 minutes, reckoning from
the time when the jam simmers equally all over, or longer, should
it not appear to set nicely when a little is poured on to a plate.
Keep stirring it to prevent it from burning, carefully remove all the
scum, and when done, pour it into pots. Let it cool, cover the top
of the jam with oiled paper, and the top of the jars with a piece of
tissue-paper brushed over on both sides with the white of an egg:
this, when cold, forms a hard stiff cover, and perfectly excludes the
air. Great attention must be paid to the stirring of this jam, as it
is very liable to burn, on account of the thickness of the juice.
_Time._—10 minutes to boil the fruit and water; 30 minutes with the
sugar, or longer. _Average cost_, from 6_d._ to 8_d._ for a pot capable
of holding 1 lb. _Sufficient._—Allow from 6 to 7 quarts of currants to
make 1 dozen pots of jam, each pot to hold 1 lb. _Seasonable._—Make
this in July.
CURRANT JAM, Red.
_Ingredients._—To every lb. of fruit allow ¾ lb. of loaf sugar.
_Mode._—Let the fruit be gathered on a fine day; weigh it, and then
strip the currants from the stalks; put them into a preserving-pan
with sugar in the above proportion; stir them, and boil them for about
¾ hour. Carefully remove the scum as it rises. Put the jam into pots,
and, when cold, cover with oiled papers; over these put a piece of
tissue-paper brushed over on both sides with the white of an egg; press
the paper round the top of the pot, and, when dry, the covering will
be quite hard and air-tight. _Time._—½ to ¾ hour, reckoning from the
time the jam boils all over. _Average cost_, for a lb. pot, from 6_d._
to 8_d._ _Sufficient._—Allow from 6 to 7 quarts of currants to make 12
1-lb. pots of jam. _Seasonable._—Make this in July.
[Illustration: JAM-POT.]
CURRANT JELLY, Black.
_Ingredients._—Black currants; to every pint of juice allow ¼ pint of
water, 1 lb of loaf sugar. _Mode._—Strip the currants from the stalks,
which may be done in an expeditious manner, by holding the bunch in
one hand, and passing a small silver fork down the currants: they will
then readily fall from the stalks. Put them into a jar, place this jar
in a saucepan of boiling water, and simmer them until their juice is
extracted; then strain them, and to every pint of juice allow the above
proportion of sugar and water; stir these ingredients together cold
until the sugar is dissolved; place the preserving-pan on the fire, and
boil the jelly for about ½ hour, reckoning from the time it commences
to boil all over, and carefully remove the scum as it rises. If the
jelly becomes firm when a little is put on a plate, it is done; it
should then be put into _small_ pots, and covered the same as the jam
in the preceding recipe. If the jelly is wanted very clear, the fruit
should not be squeezed dry; but, of course, so much juice will not be
obtained. If the fruit is not much squeezed, it may be converted into
a jam for immediate eating, by boiling it with a little common sugar:
this answers very well for a nursery preserve. _Time._—About ¾ hour to
extract the juice; ½ hour to boil the jelly. _Average cost_, from 8_d._
to 10_d._ per ½-lb. pot. _Sufficient._—From 3 pints to 2 quarts of
fruit should yield a pint of juice. _Seasonable._—Make this in July.
CURRANT JELLY, Red.
_Ingredients._—Red currants; to every pint of juice allow ¾ lb. of
loaf sugar. _Mode._—Have the fruit gathered in fine weather; pick it
from the stalks, put it into a jar, and place this jar in a saucepan
of boiling water over the fire, and let it simmer gently until the
juice is well drawn from the currants; then strain them through a
jelly-bag or fine cloth, and if the jelly is wished very clear, do not
squeeze them _too much_, as the skin and pulp from the fruit will be
pressed through with the juice, and so make the jelly muddy. Measure
the juice, and to each pint allow ¾ lb of loaf sugar; put these into
a preserving-pan, set it over the fire, and keep stirring the jelly
until it is done, carefully removing every particle of scum as it
rises, using a wooden or silver spoon for the purpose, as metal or
iron ones would spoil the colour of the jelly. When it has boiled from
20 minutes to ½ hour, put a little of the jelly on a plate, and if
firm when cool, it is done. Take it off the fire, pour it into small
gallipots, cover each of the pots with an oiled paper, and then with
a piece of tissue-paper brushed over on both sides with the white of
an egg. Label the pots, adding the year when the jelly was made, and
store it away in a dry place. A jam may be made with the currants, if
they are not squeezed too dry, by adding a few fresh raspberries, and
boiling all together, with sufficient sugar to sweeten it nicely. As
this jam is not worth storing away, but is only for immediate eating,
a smaller proportion of sugar than usual will be found enough: it
answers very well for children’s puddings, or for a nursery preserve.
_Time._—From ¾ to 1 hour to extract the juice; 20 minutes to ½ hour to
boil the jelly. _Average cost_, from 8_d._ to 10_d._ per ½-lb. pot.
_Sufficient._—8 quarts of currants will make from 10 to 12 pots of
jelly. _Seasonable._—Make this in July.
_Note._—Should the above proportion of sugar not be found sufficient
for some tastes, add an extra ¼ lb. to every pint of juice, making
altogether 1 lb.
CURRANT JELLY, White.
_Ingredients._—White currants; to every pint of juice allow ¾ lb. of
good loaf sugar. _Mode._—Pick the currants from the stalks, and put
them into a jar; place this jar in a saucepan of boiling water, and
simmer until the juice is well drawn from the fruit, which will be
in from ¾ to 1 hour. Then strain the currants through a fine cloth
or jelly-bag; do not squeeze them too much, or the jelly will not be
clear, and put the juice into a very clean preserving-pan, with the
sugar. Let this simmer gently over a clear fire until it is firm, and
keep stirring and skimming until it is done; then pour it into small
pots, cover them, and store away in a dry place. _Time._—¾ hour to draw
the juice; ½ hour to boil the jelly. _Average cost_, from 8_d._ to
10_d._ per ½-lb. pot. _Sufficient._—From 3 pints to 2 quarts of fruit
should yield 1 pint of juice. _Seasonable_ in July and August.
CURRANT PUDDING, Boiled (Plain and Economical).
_Ingredients._—1 lb. of flour, ½ lb. of suet, ½ lb. of currants, milk.
_Mode._—Wash the currants, dry them thoroughly, and pick away any
stalks or grit; chop the suet finely; mix all the ingredients together,
and moisten with sufficient milk to make the pudding into a stiff
batter; tie it up in a floured cloth, put it into boiling water, and
boil for 3½ hours; serve with a cut lemon, cold butter, and sifted
sugar. _Time._—3½ hours. _Average cost_, 10_d._ _Sufficient_ for 7 or 8
persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.
CURRANT PUDDING, Black or Red.
_Ingredients._—1 quart of red or black currants, measured with the
stalks, ¼ lb. of moist sugar, suet crust or butter crust (_see_ recipes
for CRUSTS). _Mode._—Make, with ¾ lb. of flour, either a suet crust or
butter crust (the former is usually made); butter a basin, and line
it with part of the crust; add the currants, which should be stripped
from the stalks, and sprinkle the sugar over them; put the cover of the
pudding on; make the edges very secure, that the juice does not escape;
tie it down with a floured cloth, put it into boiling water, and boil
from 2½ to 3 hours. Boiled without a basin, allow ½ hour less. We have
given rather a large proportion of sugar; but we find fruit puddings
are so much more juicy and palatable when _well sweetened_ before they
are boiled, besides being more economical. A few raspberries added
to red-currant pudding are a very nice addition; about ½ pint would
be sufficient for the above quantity of fruit. Fruit puddings are
very delicious if, when they are turned out of the basin, the crust
is browned with a salamander, or put into a very hot oven for a few
minutes to colour it: this makes it crisp on the surface. _Time._—2½
to 3 hours; without a basin, 2 to 2½ hours. _Average cost_, in full
season, 8_d._ _Sufficient_ for 6 or 7 persons. _Seasonable_ in June,
July, and August.
CURRANT AND RASPBERRY TART, Red.
_Ingredients._—1½ pint of picked currants, ½ pint of raspberries,
3 heaped tablespoonfuls of moist sugar, ½ lb of short crust.
_Mode._—Strip the currants from the stalks, and put them into a deep
pie-dish, with a small cup placed in the midst, bottom upwards; add the
raspberries and sugar; place a border of paste round the edge of the
dish, cover with crust, ornament the edges, and bake from ½ to ¾ hour;
strew some sifted sugar over before being sent to table. This tart is
more generally served cold than hot. _Time._—½ to ¾ hour, _Average
cost_, 1_s._ _Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons. _Seasonable_ in June,
July, and August.
_Note._—In tarts of this description carefully avoid washing the fruit.
CURRANTS, Iced, for Dessert.
_Ingredients._—¼ pint of water, the whites of 2 eggs, currants, pounded
sugar. _Mode._—Select very fine bunches of red or white currants, and
well beat the whites of the eggs. Mix these with the water; then take
the currants, a bunch at a time, and dip them in; let them drain for
a minute or two, and roll them in very fine-pounded sugar. Lay them
to dry on paper, when the sugar will crystallize round each currant,
and have a very pretty effect. All fresh fruit may be prepared in the
same manner; and a mixture of various fruits iced in this manner, and
arranged on one dish, looks very well for a summer dessert. _Time._—¼
day to dry the fruit. _Average cost_, 8_d._ for a pint of iced
currants. _Seasonable_ in summer.