_Ingredients._—Pineapples; sugar to taste. _Mode._—Pare and slice the
fruit thinly, put it on dishes, and strew over it plenty of pounded
sugar. Keep it in a hot closet, or very slow oven, 8 or 10 days, and
turn the fruit every day until dry; then put the pieces of pine on
tins, and place them in a quick oven for 10 minutes. Let them cool, and
store them away in dry boxes, with paper between each layer. _Time._—8
to 10 days. _Seasonable._—Foreign pines, in July and August.
PINEAPPLE FRITTERS (an elegant dish).
_Ingredients._—A small pineapple, a small wineglassful of brandy or
liqueur, 2 oz. of sifted sugar; batter as for apple fritters, which
see. _Mode._—This elegant dish, although it may appear extravagant, is
really not so if made when pineapples are plentiful. We receive them
now in such large quantities from the West Indies, that at times they
may be purchased at an exceedingly low rate; it would not, of course,
be economical to use the pines which are grown in our English pineries
for the purposes of fritters. Pare the pine with as little waste as
possible, cut it into rather thin slices, and soak these slices in the
above proportion of brandy or liqueur and pounded sugar for 4 hours;
then make a batter the same as for apple fritters, substituting cream
for the milk, and using a smaller quantity of flour; when this is
ready, dip in the pieces of pine, and fry them in boiling lard from 5
to 8 minutes; turn them when sufficiently brown on one side, and, when
done, drain them from the lard before the fire, dish them on a white
d’oyley, strew over them sifted sugar, and serve quickly. _Time._—5 to
8 minutes. _Average cost_, when cheap and plentiful, 1_s._ 6_d._ for
the pine. _Sufficient_ for 3 or 4 persons. _Seasonable_ in July and
August.
PINEAPPLE, Preserved.
_Ingredients._—To every lb. of fruit, weighed after being pared, allow
1 lb. of loaf sugar; ¼ pint of water. _Mode._—The pines for making
this preserve should be perfectly sound but ripe. Cut them into rather
thick slices, as the fruit shrinks very much in the boiling. Pare off
the rind carefully, that none of the pine be wasted; and, in doing
so, notch it in and out, as the edge cannot be smoothly cut without
great waste. Dissolve a portion of the sugar in a preserving-pan with
¼ pint of water; when this is melted, gradually add the remainder of
the sugar, and boil it until it forms a clear syrup, skimming well.
As soon as this is the case, put in the pieces of pine, and boil well
for at least ½ hour, or until it looks nearly transparent. Put it into
pots, cover down when cold, and store away in a dry place. _Time._—½
hour to boil the fruit. _Average cost_, 10_d._ to 1_s._ per lb. pot.
_Seasonable._—Foreign pines, in July and August.
PINEAPPLE, Preserved, for present use.
_Ingredients._—Pineapple, sugar, water. _Mode._—Cut the pine into
slices ¼ inch in thickness; peel them, and remove the hard part from
the middle. Put the parings and hard pieces into a stewpan, with
sufficient water to cover them, and boil for 1 hour. Strain the liquor,
and put in the slices of pine. Stew them for 10 minutes, add sufficient
sugar to sweeten the whole nicely, and boil again for another ¼ hour;
skim well, and the preserve will be ready for use. It must be eaten
soon, as it will keep but a very short time. _Time._—¼ hour to boil
the parings in water; 10 minutes to boil the pine without sugar, ¼
hour with sugar. _Average cost._—Foreign pines, 1_s._ to 3_s._ each;
English, from 2_s._ to 12_s._ per lb. _Seasonable._—Foreign, in July
and August; English, all the year.
PIPPINS, Normandy, Stewed.
_Ingredients._—1 lb. of Normandy pippins, 1 quart of water, ½
teaspoonful of powdered cinnamon, ½ teaspoonful of ground ginger, 1
lb. of moist sugar, 1 lemon. _Mode._—Well wash the pippins, and put
them into 1 quart of water with the above proportion of cinnamon and
ginger, and let them stand 12 hours; then put these all together into
a stewpan, with the lemon sliced thinly, and half the moist sugar.
Let them boil slowly until the pippins are half done; then add the
remainder of the sugar, and simmer until they are quite tender. Serve
on glass dishes for dessert. _Time._—2 to 3 hours. _Average cost_,
1_s._ 6_d._ _Seasonable._—Suitable for a winter dish.
PLAICE, Fried.
_Ingredients._—Hot lard, or clarified dripping; egg and bread-crumbs.
_Mode._—This fish is fried in the same manner as soles. Wash and wipe
them thoroughly dry, and let them remain in a cloth until it is time
to dress them. Brush them over with egg, and cover with bread-crumbs
mixed with a little flour. Fry of a nice brown in hot dripping or lard,
and garnish with fried parsley and cut lemon. Send them to table with
shrimp-sauce and plain melted butter. _Time._—About 5 minutes. _Average
cost_, 3_d._ each. _Seasonable_ from May to November. _Sufficient_, 4
plaice for 4 persons.
_Note._—Plaice may be boiled plain, and served with melted butter.
Garnish with parsley and cut lemon.
PLAICE, Stewed.
_Ingredients._—4 or 5 plaice, 2 onions, ½ oz. ground ginger, 1 pint of
lemon-juice, ¼ pint water, 6 eggs; cayenne to taste. _Mode._—Cut the
fish into pieces about 2 inches wide, salt them, and let them remain ¼
hour. Slice and fry the onions a light brown; put them in a stewpan,
on the top of which put the fish without washing, and add the ginger,
lemon-juice, and water. Cook slowly for ½ hour, and do not let the fish
boil, or it will break. Take it out, and when the liquor is cool, add 6
well-beaten eggs; simmer till it thickens, when pour over the fish, and
serve. _Time._—¾ hour. _Average cost_ for this quantity, 1_s._ 9_d._
_Seasonable_ from May to November. _Sufficient_ for 4 or 5 persons;
according to the size of the fish.
PLOVERS, to Carve.
Plovers may be carved like quails or woodcock, being trussed and served
in the same way as those birds.
PLOVERS, to Dress.
_Ingredients._—3 plovers, butter, flour, toasted bread. _Choosing and
Trussing._—Choose those that feel hard at the vent, as that shows their
fatness. There are three sorts,—the grey, green, and bastard plover, or
lapwing. They will keep good for some time, but if very stale, the feet
will be very dry. Plovers are scarcely fit for anything but roasting;
they are, however, sometimes stewed, or made into a ragoût, but this
mode of cooking is not to be recommended. _Mode._—Pluck off the
feathers, wipe the outside of the birds with a damp cloth, and do not
draw them; truss with the head under the wing, put them down to a clear
fire, and lay slices of moistened toast in the dripping-pan, to catch
the trail. Keep them _well basted_, dredge them lightly with flour a
few minutes before they are done, and let them be nicely frothed. Dish
them on the toasts, over which the _traill_ should be equally spread.
Pour round the toast a little good gravy, and send some to table in
a tureen. _Time._—10 minutes to ¼ hour. _Average cost_, 1_s._ 6_d._
the brace, if plentiful. _Sufficient_ for 2 persons. _Seasonable._—In
perfection from the beginning of September to the end of January.
PLUM CAKE, Common.
_Ingredients._—3 lbs. of flour, 6 oz. of butter or good dripping, 6
oz. of moist sugar, 6 oz. of currants, ½ oz. of pounded allspice, 2
tablespoonfuls of fresh yeast, 1 pint of new milk. _Mode._—Rub the
butter into the flour; add the sugar, currants, and allspice; warm the
milk, stir to it the yeast, and mix the whole into a dough; knead it
well, and put it into 6 buttered tins; place them near the fire for
nearly an hour for the dough to rise, then bake the cakes in a good
oven from 1 to 1¼ hour. To ascertain when they are done, plunge a
clean knife into the middle, and if on withdrawal it comes out clean,
the cakes are done. _Time._—1 to 1¼ hour. _Average cost_, 1_s._ 8_d._
_Sufficient_ to make 6 small cakes.
PLUM CAKE, a Nice.
_Ingredients._—1 lb. of flour, ¼ lb. of butter, ½ lb. of sugar, ½ lb.
of currants, 2 oz. of candied lemon-peel, ½ pint of milk, 1 teaspoonful
of ammonia or carbonate of soda. _Mode._—Put the flour into a basin
with the sugar, currants, and sliced candied peel; beat the butter to a
cream, and mix all these ingredients together with the milk. Stir the
ammonia into 2 tablespoonfuls of milk; add it to the dough, and beat
the whole well, until everything is thoroughly mixed. Put the dough
into a buttered tin, and bake the cake from 1½ to 2 hours. _Time._—1½
to 2 hours. _Average cost_, 1_s._ 3_d._ _Seasonable_ at any time.