PRESERVES.

From the nature of vegetable substances, and chiefly from their not

passing so rapidly into the putrescent state as animal bodies, the

mode of preserving them is somewhat different, although the general

principles are the same. All the means of preservation are put in

practice occasionally for fruits and the various parts of vegetables,

according to the nature of the species, the climate, the uses to which

they are applied, &c. Some are dried, as nuts, raisins, sweet herbs,

&c.; others are preserved by means of sugar, such as many fruits whose

delicate juices would be lost by drying; some are preserved by means

of vinegar, and chiefly used as condiments or pickles; a few also by

salting, as French beans; while others are preserved in spirits. We

have, however, in this place to treat of the best methods of preserving

fruits. Fruit is a most important item in the economy of health;

the epicurean can scarcely be said to have any luxuries without it;

therefore, as it is so invaluable, when we cannot have it fresh, we

must have it preserved. It has long been a desideratum to preserve

fruits by some cheap method, yet by such as would keep them fit for the

various culinary purposes, as making tarts and other similar dishes.

The expense of preserving them with sugar is a serious objection; for,

except the sugar be used in considerable quantities, the success is

very uncertain. Sugar also overpowers and destroys the sub-acid taste

so desirable in many fruits: those which are preserved in this manner

are chiefly intended for the dessert. Fruits intended for preservation

should be gathered in the morning, in dry weather, with, the morning

sun upon them, if possible; they will then have their fullest flavour,

and keep in good condition longer than when gathered at any other

time. Until fruit can be used, it should be placed in the dairy, an

ice-house, or a refrigerator. In an ice-house it will remain fresh and

plump for several days. Fruit gathered in wet or foggy weather will

soon be mildewed, and be of no service for preserves.

Having secured the first and most important contribution to the

manufacture of preserves—the fruit, the next consideration is the

preparation of the syrup in which the fruit is to be suspended; and

this requires much care. In the confectioner’s art there is a great

nicety in proportioning the degree of concentration of the syrup very

exactly to each particular case; and he knows this by signs, and

expresses it by certain technical terms. But to distinguish these

properly requires very great attention and considerable experience. The

principal thing to be acquainted with is the fact, that, in proportion

as the syrup is longer boiled, its water will become evaporated, and

its consistency will be thicker. Great care must be taken in the

management of the fire, that the syrup does not boil over, and that the

boiling is not carried to such an extent as to burn the sugar.

The first degree or consistency is called _the thread_, which is

subdivided into the little and great thread. If you dip the finger

into the syrup and apply it to the thumb, the tenacity of the syrup

will, on separating the finger and thumb, afford a thread, which

shortly breaks: this is the little thread. If the thread, from the

greater tenacity, and, consequently, greater strength of the syrup,

admits of a greater extension of the finger and thumb, it is called

the great thread. There are half-a-dozen other terms and experiments

for testing the various thickness of the boiling sugar towards the

consistency called _caramel_; but that degree of sugar-boiling belongs

to the confectioner. A solution of sugar prepared by dissolving two

parts of double-refined sugar (the best sugar is the most economical

for preserves) in one of water, and boiling this a little, affords a

syrup of the right degree of strength, and which neither ferments nor

crystallizes. This appears to be the degree called _smooth_ by the

confectioners, and is proper to be used for the purposes of preserves.

The syrup employed should sometimes be clarified, which is done in the

following manner:—Dissolve 2 lbs. of loaf sugar in a pint of water;

add to this solution the white of an egg, and beat it well. Put the

preserving-pan upon the fire with the solution; stir it with a wooden

spatula, and when it begins to swell and boil up, throw in some cold

water or a little oil to damp the boiling; for, as it rises suddenly,

if it should boil over, it would take fire, being of a very inflammable

nature. Let it boil up again; then take it off, and remove carefully

the scum that has risen. Boil the solution again, throw in a little

more cold water, remove the scum, and so on for three or four times

successively; then strain it. It is considered to be sufficiently

boiled when some taken up in a spoon pours out like oil.

Although sugar passes so easily into the state of fermentation, and

is, in fact, the only substance capable of undergoing the vinous stage

of that process, yet it will not ferment at all if the quantity be

sufficient to constitute a very strong syrup: hence, syrups are used to

preserve fruits and other vegetable substances from the changes they

would undergo if left to themselves. Before sugar was in use, honey was

employed to preserve many vegetable productions, though this substance

has now given way to the juice of the sugar-cane.

The fruits that are the most fit for preservation in syrup are

apricots, peaches, nectarines, apples, greengages, plums of all kinds,

and pears. As an example, take some apricots not too ripe, make a small

slit at the stem end, and push out the stone; simmer them in water

till they are softened and about half done, and afterwards throw them

into cold water. When they have cooled, take them out and drain them.

Put the apricots into the preserving-pan with sufficient syrup to

cover them; let them boil up three or four times, and then skim them;

remove them from the fire, pour them into an earthen pan, and let them

cool till next day. Boil them up three days successively, skimming

each time, and they will then be finished and in a fit state to be

put into pots for use. After each boiling, it is proper to examine

into the state of the syrup when cold; if too thin, it will bear

additional boiling; if too thick, it may be lowered with more syrup of

the visual standard. The reason why the fruit is emptied out of the

preserving-pan into an earthen pan is, that the acid of the fruit acts

upon the copper, of which the preserving-pans are usually made. From

this example the process of preserving fruits by syrup will be easily

comprehended. The first object is to soften the fruit by blanching or

boiling it in water, in order that the syrup by which it is preserved

may penetrate through its substance.

Many fruits, when preserved by boiling, lose much of their peculiar and

delicate flavour, as, for instance, pineapples; and this inconvenience

may, in some instances, be remedied by preserving them without heat.

Cut the fruit in slices about one-fifth of an inch thick, strew

powdered loaf sugar an eighth of an inch thick on the bottom of a jar,

and put the slices on it. Put more sugar on this, and then another

layer of the slices, and so on till the jar is full. Place the jar with

the fruit up to the neck in boiling water, and keep it there till the

sugar is completely dissolved, which may take half-an-hour, removing

the scum as it rises. Lastly, tie a wet bladder over the mouth of the

jar, or cork and wax it.

Any of the fruits that have been preserved in syrup may be converted

into dry preserves, by first draining them from the syrup, and then

drying them in a stove or very moderate oven, adding to them a

quantity of powdered loaf-sugar, which will gradually penetrate the

fruit, while the fluid parts of the fruit gently evaporate. They should

be dried in the stove or oven on a sieve, and turned every six or eight

hours, fresh powdered sugar being sifted over them every time they are

turned. Afterwards, they are to be kept in a dry situation, in drawers

or boxes. Currants and cherries preserved whole in this manner, in

bunches, are extremely elegant, and have a fine flavour. In this way it

is, also, that orange and lemon chips are preserved.

Marmalades, jams, and fruit pastes are of the same nature, and are

now in very general request. They are prepared without difficulty, by

attending to a very few directions; they are somewhat expensive, but

may be kept without spoiling for a considerable time. Marmalades and

jams differ little from each other: they are preserves of a half-liquid

consistency, made by boiling the pulp of fruits, and sometimes part of

the rinds, with sugar. The appellation of marmalade is applied to those

confitures which are composed of the firmer fruits, as pineapples or

the rinds of oranges; whereas jams are made of the more juicy berries,

such as strawberries, raspberries, currants, mulberries, &c. Fruit

pastes are a kind of marmalades, consisting of the pulp of fruits,

first evaporated to a proper consistency, and afterwards boiled with

sugar. The mixture is then poured into a mould, or spread on sheets of

tin, and subsequently dried in the oven or stove till it has acquired

the state of a paste. From a sheet of this paste, strips may be cut and

formed into any shape that may be desired, as knots, rings, &c. Jams

require the same care and attention in the boiling as marmalade; the

slightest degree of burning communicates a disagreeable empyreumatic

taste, and if they are not boiled sufficiently, they will not keep.

That they may keep, it is necessary not to be sparing of sugar.

In all the operations for preserve-making, when the preserving-pan is

used, it should not be placed on the fire, but on a trivet, unless the

jam be made on a hot plate, when this is not necessary. If the pan be

placed close on to the fire, the preserve is very liable to burn, and

the colour and flavour be consequently spoiled.

Fruit jellies are compounds of the juices of fruits combined with

sugar, concentrated, by boiling, to such a consistency that the liquid,

upon cooling, assumes the form of a tremulous jelly.

Before fruits are candied, they must first be boiled in syrup, after

which they are taken out and dried on a stove, or before the fire; the

syrup is then to be concentrated, or boiled to a candy height, and the

fruit dipped in it, and again laid on the stove to dry and candy; they

are then to be put into boxes, and kept dry.

Conserves consist of fresh vegetable matters beat into a uniform mass

with refined sugar, and they are intended to preserve the virtues

and properties of recent flowers, leaves, roots, peels, or fruits,

unaltered, and as near as possible to what they were when fresh

gathered, and to give them an agreeable taste.

The last to be mentioned, but not the least important preparation

of fruit, is the compôte, which can be made at the moment of need,

and with much less sugar than would be ordinarily put to preserves.

Compôtes are very wholesome things, suitable to most stomachs which

cannot accommodate themselves to raw fruit or a large portion of sugar.

They are the happy medium—far better than ordinary stewed fruit.

PTARMIGAN, the, or White Grouse.

[Illustration: THE PTARMIGAN.]

This bird is nearly the same size as red grouse, and is fond of lofty

situations, where it braves the severest weather, and is found in most

parts of Europe, as well as in Greenland. At Hudson’s Bay they appear

in such multitudes that so many as sixty or seventy are frequently

taken at once in a net. As they are as tame as chickens, this is done

without difficulty. Buffon says that the ptarmigan avoids the solar

heat, and prefers the frosts of the summits of the mountains; for, as

the snow melts on the sides of the mountains, it ascends till it gains

the top, where it makes a hole, and burrows in the snow. In winter, it

flies in flocks, and feeds on the wild vegetation of the hills, which

imparts to its flesh a bitter, but not altogether an unpalatable taste.

It is dark-coloured, has something of the flavour of the hare, and is

greatly relished and much sought after by some sportsmen.

PTARMIGAN, to Dress the.

_Ingredients._—2 or 3 birds; butter, flour, fried bread-crumbs.

_Mode._—The ptarmigan, or white grouse, when young and tender, are

exceedingly fine eating, and should be kept as long as possible,

to be good. Pluck, draw, and truss them in the same manner as

grouse, and roast them before a brisk fire. Flour and froth them

nicely, and serve on buttered toast, with a tureen of brown gravy.

Bread sauce, when liked, may be sent to table with them, and fried

bread-crumbs substituted for the toasted bread. _Time._—About ½ hour.

_Sufficient._—2 for a dish. _Seasonable_ from the beginning of February

to the end of April.

PTARMIGAN, to Carve.

Ptarmigan, being much of the same size, and trussed in the same manner,

as the red bird, may be carved in the manner described, in Partridge

and Grouse carving.

PUDDING, Alma.

_Ingredients._—½ lb. of fresh butter, ½ lb. of powdered sugar, ½

lb. of flour, ¼ lb. of currants, 4 eggs. _Mode._—Beat the butter to

a thick cream, strew in, by degrees, the sugar, and mix both these

well together; then dredge the flour in gradually, add the currants,

and moisten with the eggs, which should be well beaten. When all the

ingredients are well stirred and mixed, butter a mould that will hold

the mixture exactly, tie it down with a cloth, put the pudding into

boiling water, and boil for 5 hours; when turned out, strew some

powdered sugar over it, and serve. _Time._—6 hours. _Average cost_,

1_s._ 6_d._ _Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.

PUDDING, Aunt Nelly’s.

_Ingredients._—½ lb. of flour, ½ lb. of treacle, ½ lb. of suet, the

rind and juice of 1 lemon, a few strips of candied lemon-peel, 3

tablespoonfuls of cream, 2 eggs. _Mode._—Chop the suet finely; mix it

with the flour, treacle, lemon-peel minced, and candied lemon-peel;

add the cream, lemon-juice, and 2 well-beaten eggs; beat the pudding

well, put it into a buttered basin, tie it down with a cloth, and boil

from 3½ to 4 hours. _Time._—3½ to 4 hours. _Average cost_, 1_s._ 2_d._

_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time, but more

suitable for a winter pudding.

PUDDING, a Bachelor’s.

_Ingredients._—4 oz. of grated bread, 4 oz. of currants, 4 oz. of

apples, 2 oz. of sugar, 3 eggs, a few drops of essence of lemon, a

little grated nutmeg. _Mode._—Pare, core, and mince the apples very

finely, sufficient, when minced, to make 4 oz.; add to these the

currants, which should be well washed, the grated bread, and sugar;

whisk the eggs, beat these up with the remaining ingredients, and, when

all is thoroughly mixed, put the pudding into a buttered basin, tie

it down with a cloth, and boil for 3 hours. _Time._—3 hours. _Average

cost_, 9_d._ _Sufficient_ for 4 or 5 persons. _Seasonable_ from August

to March.

PUDDING, Bakewell (very Rich).

_Ingredients._—¼ lb. of puff-paste, 5 eggs, 6 oz. of sugar, ¼ lb. of

butter, 1 oz. of almonds, jam. _Mode._—Cover a dish with thin paste,

and put over this a layer of any kind of jam, ½ inch thick; put the

yolks of 5 eggs into a basin with the white of 1, and beat these

well; add the sifted sugar, the butter, which should be melted, and

the almonds, which should be well pounded; beat all together until

well mixed, then pour it into the dish over the jam, and bake for an

hour in a moderate oven. _Time._—1 hour. _Average cost_, 1_s._ 6_d._

_Sufficient_ for 4 or 5 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.

PUDDING, Bakewell.

_Ingredients._—¾ pint of bread-crumbs, 1 pint of milk, 4 eggs, 2 oz. of

sugar, 3 oz. of butter, 1 oz. of pounded almonds, jam. _Mode._—Put the

bread-crumbs at the bottom of a pie-dish, then over them a layer of jam

of any kind that may be preferred; mix the milk and eggs together; add

the sugar, butter, and pounded almonds; beat all well together; pour

it into the dish, and bake in a moderate oven for 1 hour. _Time._—1

hour. _Average cost_, 1_s._ 3_d._ to 1_s._ 6_d._ _Sufficient_ for 4 or

5 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.

PUDDING, Baroness (Author’s Recipe).

_Ingredients._—¾ lb. of suet, ¾ lb. of raisins weighed after being

stoned, ¾ lb. of flour, ½ pint of milk, ¼ saltspoonful of salt.

_Mode._—Prepare the suet, by carefully freeing it from skin, and chop

it finely; stone the raisins, and cut them in halves, and mix both

these ingredients with the salt and flour; moisten the whole with the

above proportion of milk, stir the mixture well, and tie the pudding in

a floured cloth, which has been previously wrung out in boiling water.

Put the pudding into a saucepan of boiling water, and let it boil,

without ceasing, 4½ hours. Serve with plain sifted sugar only, a little

of which may be sprinkled over the pudding. _Time._—4½ hours. _Average

cost_, 1_s._ 4_d._ _Sufficient_ for 7 or 8 persons. _Seasonable_ in

winter, when fresh fruit is not obtainable.

_Note._—This pudding the editress cannot too highly recommend. The

recipe was kindly given to her family by a lady who bore the title here

prefixed to it; and with all who have partaken of it, it is an especial

favourite. Nothing is of greater consequence, in the above directions,

than attention to the time of boiling, which should never be _less_

than that mentioned.

PUDDING, Royal Coburg.

_Ingredients._—1 pint of new milk, 6 oz. of flour, 6 oz. of sugar, 6

oz. of butter, 6 oz. of currants, 6 eggs, brandy and grated nutmeg to

taste. _Mode._—Mix the flour to a smooth batter with the milk, add the

remaining ingredients _gradually_, and when well mixed, put it into

four basins or moulds half full; bake for ¾ hour, turn the puddings out

on a dish, and serve with wine sauce. _Time._—¾ hour. _Average cost_,

1_s._ 9_d._ _Sufficient_ for 7 or 8 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.

PUDDING, Cold.

_Ingredients._—4 eggs, 1 pint of milk, sugar to taste, a little grated

lemon-rind, 2 oz. of raisins, 4 tablespoonfuls of marmalade, a few

slices of sponge cake. _Mode._—Sweeten the milk with lump sugar, add a

little grated lemon-rind, and stir to this the eggs, which should be

well whisked; line a buttered mould with the raisins, stoned and cut in

half; spread the slices of cake with the marmalade, and place them in

the mould; then pour in the custard, tie the pudding down with paper

and a cloth, and boil gently for 1 hour: when cold, turn it out, and

serve. _Time._—1 hour. _Average cost_, 1_s._ 2_d._ _Sufficient_ for 5

or 6 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.

PUDDING, College.

_Ingredients._—1 pint of bread-crumbs, 6 oz. of finely-chopped

suet, ¼ lb. of currants, a few thin slices of candied peel, 3 oz.

of sugar, ¼ nutmeg, 3 eggs, 4 tablespoonfuls of brandy. _Mode._—Put

the bread-crumbs into a basin; add the suet, currants, candied peel,

sugar, and nutmeg, grated, and stir these ingredients until they are

thoroughly mixed. Beat up the eggs, moisten the pudding with these,

and put in the brandy; beat well for a few minutes, then form the

mixture into round balls or egg-shaped pieces; fry these in hot butter

or lard, letting them stew in it until thoroughly done, and turn them

two or three times, till of a fine light brown; drain them on a piece

of blotting-paper before the fire; dish, and serve with wine sauce.

_Time._—15 to 20 minutes. _Average cost_, 1_s._ _Sufficient_ for 7 or 8

puddings. _Seasonable_ at any time.

PUDDING, Comarques (Excellent).

_Ingredients._—5 eggs, 3 tablespoonfuls of flour, 2 tablespoonfuls of

powdered sugar, rind of 1 lemon, ½ pint of cream, different kinds of

preserve. _Mode._—Beat the whites and yolks of the eggs separately, and

put them into different basins; stir the flour, sugar, and lemon-peel

into the yolks; whip the cream very thick and put it on a sieve to

harden. Then add it, with the whites of the eggs, to the other

ingredients, and pour the mixture into little deep saucers just before

putting into the oven. Bake about ½ an hour. When they are taken out, a

very thin layer of different kinds of preserve should be put upon each,

and they should be piled one above another. A little whipped cream

placed here and there on the pudding as a garnish would be found to

improve the appearance of this dish. _Time._—About ½ an hour. _Average

cost_, 1_s._ 9_d._ _Sufficient_ for 4 or 5 persons. _Seasonable_ at any

time.

PUDDING, Delhi.

_Ingredients._—4 large apples, a little grated nutmeg, 1 teaspoonful

of minced lemon-peel, 2 large tablespoonfuls of sugar, 6 oz. of

currants, ¾ lb. of suet crust. _Mode._—Pare, core, and cut the apples

into slices; put them into a saucepan with the nutmeg, lemon-peel,

and sugar, stew them over the fire till soft; then have ready the

above quantity of crust, roll it out thin, spread the apples over

the paste, sprinkle over the currants, roll the pudding up, closing

the ends properly, tie it in a floured cloth, and boil for 2 hours.

_Time._—2 hours. _Average cost_, 1_s._ _Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.

_Seasonable._—August to March.

PUDDING, Empress.

_Ingredients._—¼ lb. of rice, 2 oz. of butter, 3 eggs, jam, sufficient

milk to soften the rice. _Mode._—Boil the rice in the milk until very

soft; then add the butter, boil it for a few minutes after the latter

ingredient is put in, and set it by to cool. Well beat the eggs, stir

these in, and line a dish with puff-paste; put over this a layer of

rice, then a thin layer of any kind of jam, then another layer of

rice, and proceed in this manner until the dish is full; and bake in

a moderate oven for ¾ hour. This pudding may be eaten hot or cold; if

the latter, it will be much improved by having a boiled custard poured

over it. _Time._—¾ hour. _Average cost_, 1_s._ _Sufficient_ for 6 or 7

persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.

PUDDING, Exeter (Very Rich).

_Ingredients._—10 oz. of bread-crumbs, 4 oz. of sago, 7 oz. of

finely-chopped suet, 6 oz. of moist sugar, the rind of ½ lemon, ¼ pint

of rum, 7 eggs, 4 tablespoonfuls of cream, 4 small sponge-cakes, 2 oz.

of ratafias, ½ lb. of jam. _Mode._—Put the bread-crumbs into a basin

with the sago, suet, sugar, minced lemon-peel, rum, and 4 eggs; stir

these ingredients well together, then add 3 more eggs and the cream,

and let the mixture be well beaten. Then butter a mould, strew in a few

bread-crumbs, and cover the bottom with a layer of ratafias; then put

in a layer of the mixture, then a layer of sliced sponge-cake spread

thickly with any kind of jam; then add some ratafias, then some of the

mixture and sponge-cake, and so on until the mould is full, taking

care that a layer of the mixture is on the top of the pudding. Bake in

a good oven from ¾ to 1 hour, and serve with the following sauce:—Put

3 tablespoonfuls of black-currant jelly into a stewpan, add 2 glasses

of sherry, and when warm, turn the pudding out of the mould, pour the

sauce over it, and serve hot. _Time._—From 1 to 1¼ hour. _Average

cost_, 1_s._ 6_d._ _Sufficient_ for 7 or 8 persons. _Seasonable_ at any

time.

PUDDING-PIES, Folkestone.

_Ingredients._—1 pint of milk, 3 oz. of ground rice, 3 oz. of butter, ¼

lb. of sugar, flavouring of lemon-peel or bay-leaf, 6 eggs, puff-paste,

currants. _Mode._—Infuse 2 laurel or bay leaves, or the rind of ½ lemon

in the milk, and when it is well flavoured, strain it, and add the

rice; boil these for ¼ hour, stirring all the time; then take them off

the fire, stir in the butter, sugar, and eggs, and let these latter be

well beaten before they are added to the other ingredients; when nearly

cold, line some patty-pans with puff-paste, fill with the custard,

strew over each a few currants, and bake from 20 to 25 minutes in a

moderate oven. _Time._—20 to 25 minutes. _Average cost_, 1_s._ 1_d._

_Sufficient_ to fill a dozen patty-pans. _Seasonable_ at any time.

PUDDING, German.

_Ingredients._—2 teaspoonfuls of flour, 1 teaspoonful of arrowroot, 1

pint of milk, 2 oz. of butter, sugar to taste, the rind of ½ lemon,

4 eggs, 3 tablespoonfuls of brandy. _Mode._—Boil the milk with the

lemon-rind until well flavoured; then strain it, and mix with it the

flour, arrowroot, butter, and sugar. Boil these ingredients for a few

minutes, keeping them well stirred; then take them off the fire and

mix with them the eggs, yolks and whites, beaten separately and added

separately. Boil some sugar to candy; line a mould with this, put in

the brandy, then the mixture; tie down with a cloth, and boil for

rather more than 1 hour. When turned out, the brandy and sugar make

a nice sauce. _Time._—Rather more than 1 hour. _Average cost_, 1_s._

_Sufficient_ for 4 or 5 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.

PUDDING, Half-Pay.

_Ingredients._—¼ lb. of suet, ¼ lb. of currants, ¼ lb. of raisins, ¼

lb. of flour, ¼ lb. of bread-crumbs, 2 tablespoonfuls of treacle, ½

pint of milk. _Mode._—Chop the suet finely; mix with it the currants,

which should be nicely washed and dried, the raisins, which should be

stoned, the flour, bread-crumbs, and treacle; moisten with the milk,

beat up the ingredients until all are thoroughly mixed, put them into

a buttered basin, and boil the pudding for 3½ hours. _Time._—3½ hours.

_Average cost_, 8_d._ _Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons. _Seasonable_ at

any time.

PUDDING, Herodotus.

_Ingredients._—½ lb. of bread-crumbs, ½ lb. of good figs, 6 oz. of

suet, 6 oz. of moist sugar, ½ saltspoonful of salt, 3 eggs, nutmeg to

taste. _Mode._—Mince the suet and figs very finely; add the remaining

ingredients, taking care that the eggs are well whisked; beat the

mixture for a few minutes, put it into a buttered mould, tie it down

with a floured cloth, and boil the pudding for 5 hours. Serve with wine

sauce. _Time._—5 hours. _Average cost_, 10_d._ _Sufficient_ for 5 or 6

persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.

PUDDING, Hunter’s.

_Ingredients._—1 lb. of raisins, 1 lb. of currants, 1 lb. of suet, 1

lb. of bread-crumbs, ½ lb. of moist sugar, 8 eggs, 1 tablespoonful of

flour, ¼ lb. of mixed candied peel, 1 glass of brandy, 10 drops of

essence of lemon, 10 drops of essence of almonds, ½ nutmeg, 2 blades of

mace, 6 cloves. _Mode._—Stone and shred the raisins rather small, chop

the suet finely, and rub the bread until all lumps are well broken;

pound the spice to powder, cut the candied peel into thin shreds,

and mix all these ingredients well together, adding the sugar. Beat

the eggs to a strong froth, and as they are beaten, drop into them

the essence of lemon and essence of almonds; stir these to the dry

ingredients, mix well, and add the brandy. Tie the pudding firmly in a

cloth, and boil it for 6 hours at the least 7 or 8 hours would be still

better for it. Serve with boiled custard, melted red-currant jelly,

or brandy sauce. _Time._—6 to 8 hours. _Average cost_, 3_s._ 6_d._

_Sufficient_ for 9 or 10 persons. _Seasonable_ in winter.

PUDDING, Manchester (to eat Cold).

_Ingredients._—3 oz. of grated bread, ½ pint of milk, a strip of

lemon-peel, 4 eggs, 2 oz. of butter, sugar to taste, puff-paste, jam,

3 tablespoonfuls of brandy. _Mode._—Flavour the milk with lemon-peel,

by infusing it in the milk for ½ hour; then strain it on to the

bread-crumbs, and boil it for 2 or 3 minutes; add the eggs, leaving

out the whites of 2, the butter, sugar, and brandy; stir all these

ingredients well together; cover a pie-dish with puff-paste, and at the

bottom put a thick layer of any kind of jam; pour the above mixture,

cold, on the jam, and bake the pudding for an hour. Serve cold, with

a little sifted sugar sprinkled over. _Time._—1 hour. _Average cost_,

1_s._ _Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.

PUDDING, Mansfield.

_Ingredients._—The crumb of 2 rolls, 1 pint of milk, sugar to

taste, 4 eggs, 2 tablespoonfuls of brandy, 6 oz. of chopped suet, 2

tablespoonfuls of flour, ½ lb. of currants, ½ teaspoonful of grated

nutmeg, 2 tablespoonfuls of cream. _Mode._—Slice the roll very thin,

and pour upon it a pint of boiling milk; let it remain closely covered

for ¼ hour, then beat it up with a fork, and sweeten with moist sugar;

stir in the chopped suet, flour, currants, and nutmeg. Mix these

ingredients well together, moisten with the eggs, brandy, and cream;

beat the mixture for 2 or 3 minutes, put it into a buttered dish or

mould, and bake in a moderate oven for 1¼ hour. Turn it out, strew

sifted sugar over, and serve. _Time._—1¼ hour. _Average cost_, 1_s._

3_d._ _Sufficient_ for 6 or 7 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.

PUDDING, Marlborough.

_Ingredients._—¼ lb. of butter, ¼ lb. of powdered lump sugar, 4 eggs,

puff-paste, a layer of any kind of jam. _Mode._—Beat the butter to

a cream, stir in the powdered sugar, whisk the eggs, and add these

to the other ingredients. When these are well mixed, line a dish

with puff-paste, spread over a layer of any kind of jam that may be

preferred, pour in the mixture, and bake the pudding for rather more

than ½ hour. _Time._—Rather more than ½ hour. _Average cost_, 1_s._

_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.

PUDDING, Military.

_Ingredients._—½ lb. of suet, ½ lb. of bread-crumbs, ½ lb. of

moist sugar, the rind and juice of 1 large lemon. _Mode._—Chop the

suet finely, mix it with the bread-crumbs and sugar, and mince the

lemon-rind and strain the juice; stir these into the other ingredients,

mix well, and put the mixture into small buttered cups, and bake for

rather more than ¼ hour; turn them out on the dish, and serve with

lemon-sauce. The above ingredients may be made into small balls, and

boiled for about ½ hour; they should then be served with the same sauce

as when baked. _Time._—Rather more than ½ hour. _Average cost_, 9_d._

_Sufficient_ to fill 6 or 7 moderate-sized cups. _Seasonable_ at any

time.

PUDDING, Monday’s.

_Ingredients._—The remains of cold plum-pudding, brandy, custard made

with 5 eggs to every pint of milk. _Mode._—Cut the remains of a _good_

cold plum-pudding into finger-pieces, soak them in a little brandy,

and lay them cross-barred in a mould until full. Make a custard with

the above proportion of milk and eggs, flavouring it with nutmeg or

lemon-rind; fill up the mould with it; tie it down with a cloth, and

boil or steam it for an hour. Serve with a little of the custard poured

over, to which has been added a tablespoonful of brandy. _Time._—1

hour. _Average cost_, exclusive of the pudding, 6_d._ _Sufficient_ for

5 or 6 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.

PUDDING, Nesselrode (a fashionable Iced Pudding—Carême’s Recipe).

_Ingredients._—40 chestnuts, 1 lb. of sugar, flavouring of vanilla,

1 pint of cream, the yolks of 12 eggs, 1 glass of Maraschino, 1 oz.

of candied citron, 2 oz. of currants, 2 oz. of stoned raisins, ½ pint

of whipped cream, 3 eggs. _Mode._—Blanch the chestnuts in the boiling

water, remove the husks, and pound them in a mortar until perfectly

smooth, adding a few spoonfuls of syrup. Then rub them through a fine

sieve, and mix them in a basin with a pint of syrup made from 1 lb.

of sugar, clarified, and flavoured with vanilla, 1 pint of cream, and

the yolks of 12 eggs. Set this mixture over a slow fire, stirring it

_without ceasing_, and just as it begins to boil, take it off and pass

it through a tammy. When it is cold, put it into a freezing-pot, adding

the Maraschino, and make the mixture set; then add the sliced citron,

the currants, and stoned raisins (these two latter should be soaked the

day previously in Maraschino and sugar pounded with vanilla); the whole

thus mingled, add a plateful of whipped cream mixed with the whites

of 3 eggs, beaten to a froth with a little syrup. When the pudding

is perfectly frozen, put it into a pineapple-shaped mould; close the

lid, place it again in the freezing-pan, covered over with pounded

ice and saltpetre, and let it remain until required for table; then

turn the pudding out, and serve. _Time._—½ hour to freeze the mixture,

_Seasonable_ from October to February.

PUDDING, Paradise.

_Ingredients._—3 eggs, 3 apples, ¼ lb. of bread-crumbs, 3 oz. of

sugar, 3 oz. of currants, salt and grated nutmeg to taste, the rind of

½ lemon, ½ wineglassful of brandy. _Mode._—Pare, core, and mince the

apples into small pieces, and mix them with the other dry ingredients;

beat up the eggs, moisten the mixture with these, and beat it well;

stir in the brandy, and put the pudding into a buttered mould; tie

it down with a cloth, boil for 1½ hour, and serve with sweet sauce.

_Time._—1½ hour. _Average cost_, 1_s._ _Sufficient_ for 4 or 5 persons.

PUDDING, Pease.

_Ingredients._—1½ pint of split peas, 2 oz. of butter, 2 eggs, pepper

and salt to taste. _Mode._—Put the peas to soak over night, in

rain-water, and float off any that are worm-eaten or discoloured. Tie

them loosely in a clean cloth, leaving a little room for them to swell,

and put them on to boil in cold rain-water, allowing 2½ hours after

the water has simmered up. When the peas are tender, take them up and

drain; rub them through a colander with a wooden spoon; add the butter,

eggs, pepper, and salt; beat all well together for a few minutes,

until the ingredients are well incorporated; then tie them tightly in

a floured cloth; boil the pudding for another hour, turn it on to the

dish, and serve very hot. This pudding should always be sent to table

with boiled leg of pork, and is an exceedingly nice accompaniment to

boiled beef. _Time._—2½ hours to boil the peas, tied loosely in the

cloth; 1 hour for the pudding. _Average cost_, 6_d._ _Sufficient_ for 7

or 8 persons. _Seasonable_ from September to March.

PUDDING, Quickly-Made.

_Ingredients._—¼ lb. of butter, ½ lb. of sifted sugar, ¼ lb. of flour,

1 pint of milk, 5 eggs, a little grated lemon-rind. _Mode._—Make

the milk hot; stir in the butter, and let it cool before the other

ingredients are added to it; then stir in the sugar, flour, and eggs,

which should be well whisked, and omit the whites of 2; flavour with a

little grated lemon-rind, and beat the mixture well. Butter some small

cups, rather more than half fill them; bake from 20 minutes to ½ hour,

according to the size of the puddings, and serve with fruit, custard

or wine-sauce, a little of which may be poured over them. _Time._—20

minutes to ½ hour. _Average cost_, 1_s._ 2_d._ _Sufficient_ for 6

puddings. _Seasonable_ at any time.

PUDDING, Somersetshire.

_Ingredients._—3 eggs, their weight in flour, pounded sugar and butter,

flavouring of grated lemon-rind, bitter almonds, or essence of vanilla.

_Mode._—Carefully weigh the various ingredients, by placing on one side

of the scales the eggs, and on the other the flour; then the sugar,

and then the butter. Warm the butter, and with the hands beat it to

a cream; gradually dredge in the flour and pounded sugar, and keep

stirring and beating the mixture without ceasing until it is perfectly

smooth. Then add the eggs, which should be well whisked, and either of

the above flavourings that may be preferred; butter some small cups,

rather more than half fill them, and bake in a brisk oven for about

½ hour. Turn them out, dish them on a napkin, and serve custard or

wine-sauce with them. A pretty little supper-dish may be made of these

puddings cold, by cutting out a portion of the inside with the point of

a knife, and putting into the cavity a little whipped cream or delicate

preserve, such as apricot, greengage, or very bright marmalade. The

paste for these puddings requires a great deal of mixing, as the more

it is beaten, the better will the puddings be. When served cold, they

are usually called _gâteaux à la Madeleine_. _Time._—½ hour. _Average

cost_, 10_d._ _Sufficient_ for 6 or 7 puddings. _Seasonable_ at any

time.

PUDDING, Vicarage.

_Ingredients._—¼ lb. of flour, ¼ lb. of chopped suet, ¼ lb. of

currants, ¼ lb. of raisins, 1 tablespoonful of moist sugar, ½

teaspoonful of ground ginger, ½ saltspoonful of salt. _Mode._—Put all

the ingredients into a basin, having previously stoned the raisins, and

washed, picked, and dried the currants; mix well with a clean knife;

dip the pudding-cloth into boiling water, wring it out, and put in the

mixture. Have ready a saucepan of boiling water, plunge in the pudding,

and boil for 3 hours. Turn it out on the dish, and serve with sifted

sugar. _Time._—3 hours. _Average cost_, 8_d._ _Sufficient_ for 5 or 6

persons. _Seasonable._—Suitable for a winter pudding.

PUDDING, West-Indian.

_Ingredients._—1 pint of cream, ¼ lb. of loaf-sugar, ½ lb. of Savoy or

sponge-cakes, 8 eggs, 3 oz. of preserved green ginger. _Mode._—Crumble

down the cakes, put them into a basin, and pour over them the cream,

which should be previously sweetened and brought to the boiling-point;

cover the basin, well beat the eggs, and when the cream is soaked up,

stir them in. Butter a mould, arrange the ginger round it, pour in

the pudding carefully, and tie it down with a cloth; steam or boil

it slowly for 1½ hour, and serve with the syrup from the ginger,

which should be warmed, and poured over the pudding. _Time._—1½ hour.

_Average cost_, with cream at 1_s._ per pint, 2_s._ 8_d._ _Sufficient_

for 5 or 6 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.

PUDDING, Yorkshire, to serve with hot Roast Beef.

_Ingredients._—1½ pint of milk, 6 _large_ tablespoonfuls of flour, 3

eggs, 1 saltspoonful of salt. _Mode._—Put the flour into a basin with

the salt, and stir gradually to this enough milk to make it into a

stiff batter. When this is perfectly smooth, and all the lumps are well

rubbed down, add the remainder of the milk and the eggs, which should

be well beaten. Beat the mixture for a few minutes, and pour it into a

shallow tin, which has been previously well rubbed with beef dripping.

Put the pudding into the oven, and bake it for an hour; then, for

another ½ hour, place it under the meat, to catch a little of the gravy

that flows from it. Cut the pudding into small square pieces, put them

on a hot dish, and serve. If the meat is baked, the pudding may at once

be placed under it, resting the meat on a small three-cornered stand.

_Time._—1½ hour. _Average cost_, 7_d._ _Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

[Illustration: YORKSHIRE PUDDING.]

PUFF-PASTE RINGS, or Puits d’Amour.

_Ingredients._—Puff-paste (_see_ Paste), the white of an egg, sifted

loaf sugar. _Mode._—Make some good puff-paste by recipe; roll it out to

the thickness of about ¼ inch, and, with a round fluted paste-cutter,

stamp out as many pieces as may be required; then work the paste up

again, and roll it out to the same thickness, and with a _smaller_

cutter, stamp out sufficient pieces to correspond with the larger ones.

Again stamp out the centre of these smaller rings; brush over the

others with the white of an egg, place a small ring on the top of every

large circular piece of paste, egg over the tops, and bake from 15 to

20 minutes. Sift over sugar, put them back in the oven to colour them;

then fill the rings with preserve of any bright colour. Dish them high

on a napkin, and serve. So many pretty dishes of pastry may be made by

stamping puff-paste out with fancy cutters, and filling the pieces,

when baked, with jelly or preserve, that our space will not allow us to

give a separate recipe for each of them; but as they are all made from

one paste, and only the shape and garnishing varied, perhaps it is not

necessary, and by exercising a little ingenuity, variety may always be

obtained. Half-moons, leaves, diamonds, stars, shamrocks, rings, &c.,

are the most appropriate shapes for fancy pastry. _Time._—15 to 25

minutes. _Average cost_, with ½ lb. of paste, 1_s._ _Sufficient_ for 2

dishes of pastry. _Seasonable_ at any time.

PUMPKIN, Preserved.

_Ingredients._—To each lb. of pumpkin allow 1 lb. of roughly pounded

loaf sugar, 1 gill of lemon-juice. _Mode._—Obtain a good sweet pumpkin;

halve it, take out the seeds, and pare off the rind; cut it into neat

slices, or into pieces about the size of a five-shilling piece. Weigh

the pumpkin, put the slices in a pan or deep dish in layers, with the

sugar sprinkled between them; pour the lemon-juice over the top, and

let the whole remain for 2 or 3 days. Boil altogether, adding ½ pint of

water to every 3 lbs. of sugar used, until the pumpkin becomes tender;

then turn the whole into a pan, where let it remain for a week; then

drain off the syrup, boil it until it is quite thick; skim, and pour

it, boiling, over the pumpkin. A little bruised ginger and lemon-rind,

thinly pared, may be boiled in the syrup to flavour the pumpkin.

_Time._—From ½ to ¾ hour to boil the pumpkin tender. _Average cost_,

5_d._ to 7_d._ per lb. pot. _Seasonable_ in September and October; but

better when made in the latter month, as the pumpkin is then quite ripe.

_Note._—-Vegetable marrows are very good prepared in the same manner,

but are not quite so rich.

PUNCH, to make Hot.

_Ingredients._—½ pint of rum, ½ pint of brandy, ¼ lb. of sugar, 1 large

lemon, ½ teaspoonful of nutmeg, 1 pint of boiling water. _Mode._—Rub

the sugar over the lemon until it has absorbed all the yellow part of

the skin, then put the sugar into a punchbowl; add the lemon-juice

(free from pips), and mix these two ingredients well together. Pour

over them the boiling water, stir well together, add the rum, brandy,

and nutmeg; mix thoroughly, and the punch will be ready to serve. It

is very important in making good punch that all the ingredients are

thoroughly incorporated; and to insure success, the processes of mixing

must be diligently attended to. _Sufficient._—Allow a quart for 4

persons; but this information must be taken _cum grano salis_; for the

capacities of persons for this kind of beverage are generally supposed

to vary considerably.

QUAILS, to Dress.

_Ingredients._—Quails, butter, toast. _Mode._—These birds keep good

several days, and should be roasted without drawing. Truss them in the

same manner as woodcocks; roast them before a clear fire, keep them

well basted, and serve on toast. _Time._—About 20 minutes. _Average

cost._—Seldom bought. _Sufficient_, 2 for a dish. _Seasonable_ from

October to December.