article for fevers may be made in the following manner. Squeeze from the
finest fruit, a pint of juice strained through fine muslin. Simmer it
gently with three quarters of a pound of double-refined sugar twenty
minutes, and when cold put it into small bottles.
ORANGE MARMALADE. Rasp the oranges, cut out the pulp, then boil the
rinds very tender, and beat them fine in a marble mortar. Boil three
pounds of loaf sugar in a pint of water, skim it, and add a pound of the
rind; boil it fast till the syrup is very thick, but stir it carefully.
Then add a pint of the pulp and juice, the seeds having been removed,
and a pint of apple liquor; boil it all gently about half an hour, until
it is well jellied, and put it into small pots. Lemon marmalade may be
made in the same way, and both of them are very good and elegant
sweetmeats.
ORANGE PEEL. Scrape out all the pulp, soak the peels in water, and stir
them every day. In a week's time put them in fresh water, and repeat it
till all the bitterness is extracted. Boil the peels in fresh water over
a slow fire till they are quite tender, and reduce the liquor to a
quantity sufficient to boil it to a thick syrup. Put the peels into the
syrup, simmer them gently, take them out of the syrup, and let them
cool. Lay them to dry in the sun, and the peel will be nicely candied.
ORANGE PUDDING. Grate the rind of a Seville orange, put to it six ounces
of fresh butter, and six or eight ounces of lump sugar pounded. Beat
them all in a marble mortar, and add at the same time the whole of eight
eggs well beaten and strained. Scrape a raw apple, and mix it with the
rest. Put a paste round the bottom and sides of the dish, and over the
orange mixture lay cross bars of paste. Half an hour will bake
it.--Another. Mix two full spoonfuls of orange paste with six eggs, four
ounces of fine sugar, and four ounces of warm butter. Put the whole into
a shallow dish, with a paste lining, and bake it twenty
minutes.--Another. Rather more than two table-spoonfuls of the orange
paste, mixed with six eggs, four ounces of sugar, and four ounces of
butter melted, will make a good pudding, with a paste at the bottom of
the dish. Twenty minutes will bake it.--Or, boil the rind of a Seville
orange very soft, and beat it up with the juice. Then add half a pound
of butter, a quarter of a pound of sugar, two grated biscuits, and the
yolks of six eggs. Mix all together, lay a puff paste round the edge of
the dish, and bake it half an hour.
ORANGE TART. Squeeze, pulp, and boil two Seville oranges quite tender.
Weigh them, add double the quantity of sugar, and beat them together to
a paste. Add the juice and pulp of the fruit, and a little bit of fresh
butter the size of a walnut, and beat all together. Choose a very
shallow dish, line it with a light puff-crust, lay the orange paste in
it, and ice it over. Or line a tart pan with a thin puff-paste, and put
into it orange marmalade made with apple jelly. Lay bars of paste, or a
croquant cover over, and bake it in a moderate oven.--Another. Squeeze
some Seville oranges into a dish, grate off the outside rind, throw the
peel into water, and change it often for two days. Boil a saucepan of
water, put in the oranges, and change the water three or four times to
take out the bitterness: when they are quite tender, dry and beat them
fine in a mortar. Take their weight in double refined sugar, boil it to
a syrup, and skim it clean: then put in the pulp, and boil it till it is
quite clear. Put it cold into the tarts, and the juice which was
squeezed out, and bake them in a quick oven. Lemon tarts are made in the
same way.
ORANGE WINE. To six gallons of water put fifteen pounds of soft sugar:
before it boils, add the whites of six eggs well beaten, and take off
the scum as it rises. When cold, add the juice of fifty oranges, and two
thirds of the peels cut very thin; and immerse a toast covered with
yeast. In a month after it has been in the cask, add a pint of brandy,
and two quarts of Rhenish wine. It will be fit to bottle in three or
four months, but it should remain in bottles for twelve months before it
is drunk.
ORANGES. If intended to be kept for future use, the best way is to dry
and bake some clean sand; and when it is cold, put it into a vessel.
Place on it a layer of oranges or lemons with the stalk end downwards,
so that they do not touch each other, and cover them with the sand two
inches deep. This will keep them in a good state of preservation for
several months. Another way is to freeze the fruit, and keep them in an
ice-house. When used they are to be thawed in cold water, and will be
good at any time of the year. If oranges or lemons are designed to be
used for juice, they should first be pared to preserve the peel dry.
Some should be halved, and when squeezed, the pulp cut out, and the
outsides dried for grating. If for boiling in any liquid, the first way
is the best.
ORANGES CARVED. With a penknife cut on the rinds any shape you please,
then cut off a piece near and round the stalk, and take all the pulp out
carefully with an apple scoop. Put the rinds into salt and water two
days, and change the water daily. Boil them an hour or more in fresh
salt and water, and drain them quite dry. Let them stand a night in
plain water, and then another night in a thin syrup, in which boil them
the next day a few minutes. This must be repeated four days
successively. Then let them stand six or seven weeks, observing often
whether they keep well; otherwise the syrup must be boiled again. Then
make a rich syrup for the oranges.
ORANGES IN JELLY. Cut a hole in the stalk part, the size of a shilling,
and with a blunt knife scrape out the pulp quite clear without cutting
the rind. Tie each part separately in muslin, and lay them in spring
water two days, changing the water twice a day. In the last water boil
them over a slow fire till they are quite tender. Observe that there is
enough at first to allow for wasting, as they must be kept covered till
the last. To every pound of fruit, allow two pounds of double-refined
sugar, and one pint of water. Boil the two latter, with the juice of the
orange, till reduced to a syrup. Clarify it, skim it well, and let it
stand to be cold. Then boil the fruit in the syrup half an hour; and if
not clear, repeat it daily till they are done.--Lemons are preserved in
a similar way. Pare and core some green pippins, and boil them in water
till it is strongly flavoured with them. The fruit should not be broken,
only gently pressed with the back of a spoon, and the water strained
through a jelly bag till it is quite clear. To every pint of liquor put
a pound of double-refined sugar, the peel and juice of a lemon, and boil
the whole to a strong syrup. Drain off the syrup from the fruit, and
turning each lemon with the hole upwards in the jar, pour the apple
jelly over it. The bits cut out must undergo the same process with the
fruit, and the whole covered down with brandy paper.
ORANGES PRESERVED. To fill preserved oranges for a corner dish, take a
pound of Naples biscuits, some blanched almonds, the yolks of four eggs
beaten, four ounces of butter warmed, and sugar to taste. Grate the
biscuits, mix them with the above, and some orange-flower water. Fill
the preserved oranges, and bake them in a very slow oven. If to be
frosted, sift some fine sugar over them, as soon as they are filled;
otherwise they should be wiped. Or they may be filled with custard, and
then the fruit need not be baked, but the custard should be put in cold.
ORANGEADE. Squeeze out the juice of an orange, pour boiling water on a
little of the peel, and cover it close. Boil water and sugar to a thin
syrup, and skim it. When all are cold, mix the juice, the infusion, and
the syrup, with as much more water as will make a rich sherbet. Strain
the whole through a jelly bag; or squeeze the juice and strain it, and
water and capillaire.
ORCHARD. Fruit trees, whether in orchards, or espaliers, or against
walls, require attention, in planting, pruning, or other management,
almost every month in the year, to render them productive, and to
preserve the fruit in a good state.--JANUARY. Cut out dead wood and
irregular branches, clean the stumps and boughs from the moss with a
hollow iron. Repair espaliers by fastening the stakes and poles with
nails and wire, and tying the shoots down with twigs of osier. Put down
some stakes by all the new-planted trees. Cut grafts to be ready, and
lay them in the earth under a warm wall.--FEBRUARY. Most kinds of trees
may be pruned this month, though it is generally better to do it in
autumn; but whatever was omitted at that season, should be done now. The
hardiest kinds are to be pruned first; and such as are more tender, at
the latter end of the month, when there will be less danger of their
suffering in the wounded part from the frost. Transplant fruit trees to
places where they are wanted. Open a large hole, set the earth carefully
about the roots, and nail them at once to the wall, or fasten them to
strong stakes. Sow the kernels of apples and pears, and the stones of
plums for stocks. Endeavour to keep off the birds that eat the buds of
fruit trees at this season of the year.--MARCH. The grafts which were
cut off early and laid in the ground, are now to be brought into use;
the earliest kinds first, and the apples last of all. When this is done,
take off the heads of the stocks that were inoculated the preceding
year. A hand's breadth of the head should be left, for tying the bud
securely to it, and that the sap may rise more freely for its
nourishment. The fruit trees that were planted in October should also be
headed, and cut down to about four eyes, that the sap may flow more
freely.--APRIL. Examine the fruit trees against the walls and espaliers,
take off all the shoots that project in front, and train such as rise
kindly. Thin apricots upon the trees, for there are usually more than
can ripen; and the sooner this is done, the better will the rest
succeed. Water new-planted trees, plant the vine cuttings, and inspect
the grown ones. Nip off improper shoots; and when two rise from the same
eye, take off the weakest of them. Weed strawberry beds, cut off the
strings, stir the earth between them, and water them once in two or
three days. Dig up the borders near the fruit trees, and never plant any
large kind of flowers or vegetables upon them. Any thing planted or sown
near the trees, has a tendency to impoverish the fruit.--MAY. If any
fresh shoots have sprouted upon the fruit trees, in espaliers, or
against walls, take them off. Train the proper ones to the walls or
poles, at due distances, and in a regular manner. Look over vines, and
stop every shoot that has fruit upon it, to three eyes beyond the fruit.
Then train the branches regularly to the wall, and let such as are
designed for the next year's fruiting grow some time longer, as their
leaves will afford a suitable shade to the fruit. Water the trees newly
planted, keep the borders about the old ones clear, and pick off the
snails and other vermin.--JUNE. Renew the operation of removing from
wall trees and espaliers, all the shoots that project in front. Train
proper branches to their situations, where they are wanted. Once more
thin the wall fruit: leave the nectarines four inches apart, and the
peaches five, but none nearer: the fruit will be finer, and the next
year the tree will be stronger, if this precaution be adopted. Inoculate
the apricots, and choose for this purpose a cloudy evening. Water trees
lately planted, and pick up snails and vermin.--JULY. Inoculate peaches
and nectarines, and take off all projecting shoots in espaliers and wall
fruit-trees. Hang phials of honey and water upon fruit-trees, to protect
them from the depredations of insects, and look carefully for snails,
which also will destroy the fruit. Keep the borders clear from weeds,
and stir the earth about the roots of the trees; this will hasten the
ripening of the fruit. Examine the fruit trees that were grafted and
budded the last season, to see that there are no shoots from the stocks.
Whenever they rise, take them off, or they will deprive the intended
growth of its nourishment. Attend to the trees lately planted, and water
them often; and whatever good shoots they make, fasten them to the wall
or espalier. Repeat the care of the vines, take off improper or
irregular shoots, and nail up the loose branches. Let no weeds rise in
the ground about them, for they will exhaust the nourishment, and
impoverish the fruit.--AUGUST. Watch the fruit on the wall trees, and
keep off the devourers, of which there will be numberless kinds swarming
about them during this month. Send away the birds, pick up snails, and
hang bottles of sweet water for flies and wasps. Fasten loose branches,
and gather the fruit carefully as it ripens. Examine the vines all
round, and remove those trailing branches which are produced so
luxuriantly at this season of the year. Suffer not the fruit to be
shaded by loose and unprofitable branches, and keep the ground clear of
weeds, which otherwise will impoverish the fruit.--SEPTEMBER. The fruit
must now be gathered carefully every day, and the best time for this
purpose is an hour after sun-rise: such as is gathered in the middle of
the day is always flabby and inferior. The fruit should afterwards be
laid in a cool place till wanted. Grapes as they begin to ripen will be
in continual danger from the birds, if not properly watched and guarded.
Transplant gooseberries and currants, and plant strawberries and
raspberries: they will then be rooted before winter, and flourish the
succeeding season.--OCTOBER. It is a useful practice to prime the peach
and nectarine trees, and also the vines, as it invigorates the buds in
the spring of the year. Cut grapes for preserving, with a joint of the
vine to each bunch. For winter keeping, gather fruits as they ripen.
Transplant all garden trees for flowering, prune currant bushes, and
preserve the stones of the fruit for sowing.--NOVEMBER. Stake up all
trees planted for standards, or the winds will rock them at the bottom,
and the frost will be let in and destroy them. Throw a good quantity of
peas straw about them, and lay on it some brick bats or pebbles to keep
it fast: this will mellow the ground, and keep the frost from the roots.
Continue to prune wall fruit-trees, and prune also at this time the
apple and pear kinds. Pull off the late fruit of figs, or it will decay
the branches.--DECEMBER. Prepare for planting trees where they will be
wanted in the spring, by digging the ground deep and turning it well, in
the place intended for planting. Scatter over the borders some fresh
mould and rotted dung, and in a mild day dig it in with a three-pronged
fork. Look over the orchard trees, and cut away superfluous wood and
dead branches. Let the boughs and shoots stand clear of each other, that
the air may pass between, and the fruit will be better flavoured. This
management is required for old trees: those that are newly planted are
to be preserved by covering the ground about their roots.
ORGEAT. Boil a quart of new milk with a stick of cinnamon, sweeten it to
taste, and let it cool. Then pour it gradually over three ounces of
almonds, and twenty bitter almonds that have been blanched and beaten to
a paste, with a little water to prevent oiling. Boil all together, and
stir it till cold, then add half a glass of brandy.--Another way. Blanch
and pound three quarters of a pound of almonds, and thirty bitter ones,
with a spoonful of water. Stir in by degrees two pints of water, and
three pints of milk, and strain the whole through a cloth. Dissolve half
a pound of fine sugar in a pint of water, boil and skim it well; mix it
with the other, adding two spoonfuls of orange-flower water, and a
teacupful of the best brandy.
ORGEAT FOR THE SICK. Beat two ounces of almonds with a tea-spoonful of
orange-flower water, and a bitter almond or two; then pour a quart of
milk and water to the paste. Sweeten with sugar, or capillaire. This is
a fine drink for those who feel a weakness in the chest. In the gout
also it is highly useful, and with the addition of half an ounce of gum
arabic, it has been found to allay the painfulness of the attendant
heat. Half a glass of brandy may be added, if thought too cooling in the
latter complaint, and the glass of orgeat may be put into a basin of
warm water.
ORTOLANS. Pick and singe, but do not draw them. Tie them on a bird spit,
and roast them. Some persons like slices of bacon tied between them, but
the taste of it spoils the flavour of the ortolan. Cover them with
crumbs of bread.
OX CHEEK. Soak half a head three hours, and clean it in plenty of water.
Take off all the meat, and put it into a stewpan with an onion, a sprig
of sweet herbs, pepper, salt, and allspice. Lay the bones on the top,
pour on two or three quarts of water, and close it down. Let it stand
eight or ten hours in a slow oven, or simmer it on a hot hearth. When
tender skim off the fat, and put in celery, or any other vegetable.
Slices of fried onion may be put into it a little before it is taken
from the fire.
OX CHEEK SOUP. Break the bones of the cheek, wash it clean, put it into
a stewpan, with a piece of butter at the bottom. Add half a pound of
lean ham sliced, one parsnip, two carrots, three onions, four heads of
celery, cut small, and three blades of mace. Set it over a slow fire for
a quarter of an hour, then add a gallon of water, and simmer it gently
till reduced to half the quantity. If intended as soup only, strain it
off, and put in a head of sliced celery, with a little browning, to give
it a fine colour. Warm two ounces of vermicelli and put into it; boil it
ten minutes, and pour it into a tureen, with the crust of a French roll.
If to be used as stew, take up the cheek as whole as possible; put in a
boiled carrot cut in small pieces, a slice of toasted bread, and some
cayenne pepper. Strain the soup through a hair sieve upon the meat, and
serve it up.
OX FEET. These are very nutricious, in whatever way they are dressed. If
to be eaten warm, boil them, and serve them up in a napkin. Melted
butter for sauce, with mustard, and a large spoonful of vinegar. Or
broil them very tender, and serve them as a brown fricassee. The liquor
will do to make jelly sweet or relishing, and likewise to give richness
to soups or gravies. They may also be fried, after being cut into four
parts, dipped in egg, and properly floured. Fried onions may be served
round the dish, with sauce as above. Or they may be baked for mock
turtle. If to be eaten cold, they only require mustard, pepper, and
vinegar.--Another way. Extract the bones from the feet, and boil the
meat quite tender; then put it into a fryingpan with a little butter.
After a few minutes, add some chopped mint and parsley, the yolks of two
eggs beat up fine, half a pint of gravy, the juice of a lemon, and a
little salt and nutmeg. Put the meat into a dish, and pour the sauce
over it.
OX FEET JELLY. Take a heel that has been only scalded, not boiled, slit
it in two, and remove the fat from between the claws. Simmer it gently
for eight hours in a quart of water, till reduced to a pint and half,
and skim it clean while it is doing. This strong jelly is useful in
making calves' feet jelly, or may be added to mock turtle, and other
soups.
OX PALATES. Boil them tender, blanch and scrape them. Rub them with
pepper, salt, and bread, and fry them brown on both sides. Pour off the
fat, put beef or mutton gravy into the stewpan for sauce, with an
anchovy, a little lemon juice, grated nutmeg and salt. Thicken it with
butter rolled in flour: when these have simmered a quarter of an hour,
dish them up, and garnish with slices of lemon.
OXFORD DUMPLINS. Mix together two ounces of grated bread, four ounces of
currants, the same of shred suet, a bit of lump sugar, a little powdered
pimento, and plenty of grated lemon peel. Add two eggs and a little
milk; then divide the whole into five dumplins, and fry them of a fine
yellow brown. Made with half the quantity of flour, instead of bread,
they are very excellent. Serve them up with sweet sauce.
OXFORD SAUSAGES. Chop a pound and a half of pork, and the same of veal,
cleared of skin and sinews. Add three quarters of a pound of beef suet,
mince and mix them together. Steep the crumb of a penny loaf in water,
and mix it with the meat; add also a little dried sage, pepper and salt.
OYSTER LOAVES. Open a quart of fresh oysters, wash and stew them in
their own liquor, with two anchovies, a bunch of sweet herbs, a blade of
mace, and a bit of lemon peel. Drain off the liquor, boil up a quarter
of a pound of butter till it turns brown; add half a spoonful of flour,
and boil it up again. Put in some of the oyster liquor, with a little
gravy, white wine, mace, nutmeg, a few cloves, and a small piece of
shalot. Stew all together till it becomes as thick as cream; then put in
the oysters, and stew them a few minutes. Fry some bread crumbs in
butter or sweet dripping till they are crisp and brown, drain them well,
put in the oysters, and dish them up.--Another. Open the oysters, and
save the liquor; wash them in it, and strain it through a sieve. Put a
little of the liquor into a tosser, with a bit of butter and flour,
white pepper, a scrape of nutmeg, and a little cream. Stew the oysters
in the liquor, cut them into dice, and then put them into rolls sold for
the purpose.
OYSTER PATTIES. Put a fine puff-crust into small pattipans, and cover
with paste, with a bit of bread in each. While they are baking, take off
the beard of the oysters, cut the oysters small, put them in a small
tosser, with a dust of grated nutmeg, white pepper and salt, a taste of
lemon peel, shred as fine as possible, a spoonful of cream, and a little
of the oyster liquor. Simmer them together a few minutes, and fill the
pattipans as soon as they are baked, first taking out the bread. A bread
crust should be put into all patties, to keep them hollow while baking.
OYSTER PIE. Open the oysters, take off the beards, parboil the oysters,
and strain off the liquor. Parboil some sweetbreads, cut them in slices,
place them in layers with the oysters, and season very lightly with
salt, pepper and mace. Then add half a teacup of liquor, and the same of
gravy. Bake in a slow oven; and before the pie is sent to table, put in
a teacup of cream, a little more oyster liquor, and a cup of white
gravy, all warmed together, but not boiled.
OYSTER SAUCE. Save the liquor in opening the oysters, boil it with the
beards, a bit of mace and lemon peel. In the mean time, throw the
oysters into cold water, and drain it off. Strain the liquor, put it
into a saucepan with the oysters, and as much butter, mixed with a
little milk, as will make sauce enough; but first rub a little flour
with it. Set them over the fire, and keep stirring all the time. When
the butter has boiled once or twice, take them off, and keep the
saucepan near the fire, but not on it; for if done too much, the oysters
will be hard. Squeeze in a little lemon juice, and serve it up. If for
company, a little cream is a great improvement. Observe, the oysters
will thin the sauce, and therefore allow butter accordingly.
OYSTER SOUP. Beat the yolks of ten hard eggs, and the hard part of two
quarts of oysters, in a mortar, and put them to two quarts of fish
stock. Simmer all together for half an hour, and strain it off. Having
cleared the oysters of the beards, and washed them well, put them into
the soup, and let it simmer five minutes. Beat up the yolks of six raw
eggs, and add them to the soup. Stir it all well together one way, by
the side of the fire, till it is thick and smooth, but do not let it
boil. Serve up all together.
OYSTER MOUTH SOUP. Make a rich mutton broth, with two large onions,
three blades of mace, and a little black pepper. When strained, pour it
on a hundred and fifty oysters, without the beards, and a bit of butter
rolled in flour. Simmer it gently a quarter of an hour, and serve up the
soup.