_Ingredients._—To every lb. of fruit weighed before being stoned, allow
¼ lb. of finely-pounded loaf sugar; brandy. _Mode._—Let the fruit be
gathered in dry weather; wipe and weigh it, and remove the stones as
carefully as possible, without injuring the peaches much. Put them
into a jar, sprinkle amongst them pounded loaf sugar in the above
proportion, and pour brandy over the fruit. Cover the jar down closely,
place it in a saucepan of boiling water over the fire, and bring the
brandy to the simmering-point, but do not allow it to boil. Take the
fruit out carefully, without breaking it; put it into small jars, pour
over it the brandy, and, when cold, exclude the air by covering the
jars with bladders, or tissue-paper brushed over on both sides with
the white of an egg. Apricots may be done in the same manner, and,
if properly prepared, will be found delicious. _Time._—From 10 to 20
minutes to bring the brandy to the simmering-point. _Seasonable_ in
August and September.
PEARS, Baked.
_Ingredients._—12 pears, the rind of 1 lemon, 6 cloves, 10 whole
allspice; to every pint of water allow ½ lb. of loaf sugar.
_Mode._—Pare and cut the pears into halves, and, should they be very
large, into quarters; leave the stalks on, and carefully remove the
cores. Place them in a clean baking-jar, with a closely-fitting lid;
add to them the lemon-rind cut in strips, the juice of ½ lemon, the
cloves, pounded allspice, and sufficient water just to cover the whole,
with sugar in the above proportion. Cover the jar down closely, put
it into a very cool oven, and bake the pears from 5 to 6 hours, but
be very careful that the oven is not too hot. To improve the colour
of the fruit, a few drops of prepared cochineal may be added; but
this will not be found necessary, if the pears are very gently baked.
_Time._—Large pears, 5 to 6 hours, in a very slow oven. _Average cost_,
1_d._ to 2_d._ each. _Sufficient_ for 7 or 8 persons. _Seasonable_ from
September to January.
PEARS à L’ALLEMANDE.
_Ingredients._—6 to 8 pears, water, sugar, 2 oz. of butter, the yolk of
an egg, ½ oz. of gelatine. _Mode._—Peel and cut the pears into any form
that may be preferred, and steep them in cold water to prevent them
turning black; put them into a saucepan with sufficient cold water to
cover them, and boil them with the butter and enough sugar to sweeten
them nicely, until tender; then brush the pears over with the yolk of
an egg, sprinkle them with sifted sugar, and arrange them on a dish.
Add the gelatine to the syrup, boil it up quickly for about 5 minutes,
strain it over the pears, and let it remain until set. The syrup may
be coloured with a little prepared cochineal, which would very much
improve the appearance of the dish. _Time._—From 20 minutes to ½ hour
to stew the pears; 5 minutes to boil the syrup. _Average cost_, 1_s._
3_d._ _Sufficient_ for a large dish. _Seasonable_ from August to
February.
PEARS, Moulded.
_Ingredients._—4 large pears or 6 small ones, 8 cloves, sugar to taste,
water, a small piece of cinnamon, ¼ pint of raisin wine, a strip of
lemon-peel, the juice of ½ lemon, ½ oz. of gelatine. _Mode._—Peel and
cut the pears into quarters; put them into a jar with ¾ pint of water,
cloves, cinnamon, and sufficient sugar to sweeten the whole nicely;
cover down the top of the jar, and bake the pears in a gentle oven
until perfectly tender, but do not allow them to break. When done, lay
the pears in a plain mould, which should be well wetted, and boil ½
pint of the liquor the pears were baked in with the wine, lemon-peel,
strained juice, and gelatine. Let these ingredients boil quickly for
5 minutes, then strain the liquid warm over the pears; put the mould
in a cool place, and when the jelly is firm, turn it out on a glass
dish. _Time._—2 hours to bake the pears in a cool oven. _Average cost_,
1_s._ 3_d._ _Sufficient_ for a quart mould. _Seasonable_ from August to
February.
PEARS, Preserved.
_Ingredients._—Jargonelle pears; to every lb. of sugar allow ½ pint
of water. _Mode._—Procure some Jargonelle pears, not too ripe; put
them into a stewpan with sufficient water to cover them, and simmer
them till rather tender, but do not allow them to break; then put them
into cold water. Boil the sugar and water together for 5 minutes,
skim well, put in the pears, and simmer them gently for 5 minutes.
Repeat the simmering for 3 successive days, taking care not to let
the fruit break. The last time of boiling, the syrup should be made
rather richer, and the fruit boiled for 10 minutes. When the pears are
done, drain them from the syrup, and dry them in the sun, or in a cool
oven; or they may be kept in the syrup, and dried as they are wanted.
_Time._—½ hour to simmer the pears in water, 20 minutes in the syrup.
_Average cost_, 1_d._ to 2_d._ each. _Seasonable._—Most plentiful in
September and October.
PEARS, Stewed.
_Ingredients._—8 large pears, 5 oz. of loaf sugar, 6 cloves, 6 whole
allspice, ½ pint of water, ¼ pint of port wine, a few drops of prepared
cochineal. _Mode._—Pare the pears, halve them, remove the cores, and
leave the stalks on; put them into a _lined_ saucepan with the above
ingredients, and let them simmer very gently until tender, which
will be in from 3 to 4 hours, according to the quality of the pears.
They should be watched, and, when done, carefully lifted out on to
a glass dish without breaking them. Boil up the syrup quickly for 2
or 3 minutes; allow it to cool a little, pour it over the pears, and
let them get perfectly cold. To improve the colour of the fruit, a
few drops of prepared cochineal may be added, which rather enhances
the beauty of this dish. The fruit must not be boiled fast, but only
simmered, and watched that it be not too much done. _Time._—3 to 4
hours. _Average cost_, 1_s._ 6_d._ _Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.
_Seasonable_ from September to January.
[Illustration: STEWED PEARS.]
PEAS, Boiled Green.
_Ingredients._—Green peas; to each ½ gallon of water allow 1
_small_ teaspoonful of moist sugar, 1 heaped tablespoonful of salt.
_Mode._—This delicious vegetable, to be eaten in perfection, should be
young, and not _gathered_ or _shelled_ long before it is dressed. Shell
the peas, wash them well in cold water, and drain them; then put them
into a saucepan with plenty of _fast-boiling_ water, to which salt and
_moist sugar_ have been added in the above proportion; let them boil
quickly over a brisk fire, with the lid of the saucepan uncovered, and
be careful that the smoke does not draw in. When tender, pour them into
a colander; put them into a hot vegetable-dish, and quite in the centre
of the peas place a piece of butter, the size of a walnut. Many cooks
boil a small bunch of mint _with_ the _peas_, or garnish them with it,
by boiling a few sprigs in a saucepan by themselves. Should the peas
be very old, and difficult to boil a good colour, a very tiny piece of
soda may be thrown in the water previous to putting them in; but this
must be very sparingly used, as it causes the peas, when boiled, to
have a smashed and broken appearance. With young peas, there is not the
slightest occasion to use it. _Time._—Young peas, 10 to 15 minutes;
the large sorts, such as marrowfats, &c., 18 to 24 minutes; old peas,
½ hour. _Average cost_, when cheapest, 6_d._ per peck; when first in
season, 1_s._ to 1_s._ 6_d._ per peck. _Sufficient._—Allow 1 peck of
unshelled peas for 4 or 5 persons. _Seasonable_ from June to the end of
August.
PEAS, Green, à la Française.
_Ingredients._—2 quarts of green peas, 3 oz. of fresh butter, a
bunch of parsley, 6 green onions, flour, a small lump of sugar, ½
teaspoonful of salt, a teaspoonful of flour. _Mode._—Shell sufficient
fresh-gathered peas to fill 2 quarts; put them into cold water, with
the above proportion of butter, and stir them about until they are
well covered with the butter; drain them in a colander, and put them
in a stewpan, with the parsley and onions; dredge over them a little
flour, stir the peas well, and moisten them with boiling water; boil
them quickly over a large fire for 20 minutes, or until there is no
liquor remaining. Dip a small lump of sugar into some water, that it
may soon melt; put it with the peas, to which add ½ teaspoonful of
salt. Take a piece of butter the size of a walnut, work it together
with a teaspoonful of flour, and add this to the peas, which should
be boiling when it is put in. Keep shaking the stewpan, and, when
the peas are nicely thickened, dress them high in the dish, and
serve. _Time._—Altogether, ¾ hour. _Average cost_, 6_d._ per peck.
_Sufficient_ for 4 or 5 persons. _Seasonable_ from June to the end of
August.
PEAS, Stewed Green.
_Ingredients._—1 quart of peas, 1 lettuce, 1 onion, 2 oz. of butter,
pepper and salt to taste, 1 egg, ½ teaspoonful of powdered sugar.
_Mode._—Shell the peas, and cut the onion and lettuce into slices;
put these into a stewpan, with the butter, pepper, and salt, but with
no more water than that which hangs around the lettuce from washing.
Stew the whole very gently for rather more than 1 hour; then stir in a
well-beaten egg, and about ½ teaspoonful of powdered sugar. When the
peas, &c., are nicely thickened, serve; but, after the egg is added,
do not allow them to boil. _Time._—1¼ hour. _Average cost_, 6_d._ per
peck. _Sufficient_ for 3 or 4 persons. _Seasonable_ from June to the
end of August.
PERCH, Boiled.
_Ingredients._—¼ lb. of salt to each gallon of water. _Mode._—Scale the
fish, take out the gills and clean it thoroughly; lay it in boiling
water, salted as above, and simmer gently for 10 minutes. If the fish
is very large, longer time must be allowed. Garnish with parsley, and
serve with plain melted butter, or Dutch sauce. Perch do not preserve
so good a flavour when stewed as when dressed in any other way.
_Time._—Middling-sized perch, ¼ hour. _Seasonable_ from September to
November.
_Note._—Tench may be boiled the same way, and served with the same
sauces.
PERCH, Fried.
_Ingredients._—Egg and bread-crumbs, hot lard. _Mode._—Scale and
clean the fish, brush it over with egg, and cover with bread-crumbs.
Have ready some boiling lard; put the fish in, and fry a nice brown.
Serve with plain melted butter or anchovy sauce. _Time._—10 minutes.
_Seasonable_ from September to November.
_Note._—Fry tench in the same way.
PERCH, Stewed with Wine.
_Ingredients._—Equal quantities of stock and sherry, 1 bay-leaf, 1
clove of garlic, a small bunch of parsley, 2 cloves, salt to taste;
thickening of butter and flour, pepper, grated nutmeg, ½ teaspoonful
of anchovy sauce. _Mode._—Scale the fish and take out the gills, and
clean them thoroughly; lay them in a stewpan with sufficient stock
and sherry just to cover them. Put in the bay-leaf, garlic, parsley,
cloves, and salt, and simmer till tender. When done, take out the fish,
strain the liquor, add a thickening of butter and flour, the pepper,
nutmeg, and the anchovy sauce, and stir it over the fire until somewhat
reduced, when pour over the fish, and serve. _Time._—About 20 minutes.
_Seasonable_ from September to November.