Ingredients: One box of gelatine soaked in one pint of clear cold water,
one pint of wine, the juice and the thin cuts of rinds of three lemons,
one and three-quarter pounds of loaf-sugar, one quart of clear boiling
water, the whites of two eggs (well beaten) and the shells, with a small
stick of cinnamon.
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Soak the gelatine in the pint of cold water an hour, then pour over it
the quart of boiling water, stirring it well; now add the wine, sugar,
eggs, lemon-juice (strained in a fine strainer), and the thinnest
possible cuts from the peels of the lemons. These cuts take only the
little globules of oil in the peel, which are exceedingly delicate in
flavor, the white part being bitter. Add also the small stick of
cinnamon, as it adds much to the flavor of the jelly. Put this into a
porcelain kettle, let it boil rapidly about a quarter of a minute
without stirring it; now, setting the kettle on the hearth, let it
remain another half-minute to settle, then skim off carefully the scum
which is at the top; pour it through the jelly-bag. It should be
entirely clear: if, however, the first should not be so, return it to
the bag.
Cold water should be poured into the molds, then emptied just before
using. Jelly hardens much quicker on ice, or in the coolest place to be
found.
Dip the molds into warm water a moment, before taking out the jelly. If
allowed to remain a moment too long, the jelly might dissolve a little,
injuring the form.
Many kinds of wines and liquors may be used. The above receipt is well
proportioned for sherry, Madeira, or port; a smaller proportion of
brandy, maraschino, noyau, or of punch would make sufficient flavoring;
a larger portion of Champagne might be used, as it is not so strong.
ORANGE JELLY (_molded with Quarters of Oranges_).
Ingredients: Eight oranges, two lemons, three-quarters of a box of
gelatine soaked in half a pint of cold water, three-quarters of a pound
of loaf-sugar, one pint of boiling water, beaten whites and shells of
two eggs.
Rub the loaf-sugar on the peels of two oranges and one lemon; squeeze
the juice from six or seven oranges and two lemons, and strain it. Take
off the peel carefully from two oranges, leaving only the transparent
skin surrounding the quarters, and separate all the sections without
breaking them. Soak the gelatine half an hour in half a pint of water;
boil the other pint of water and the sugar together, skimming all the
time until no more scum rises; then put in the sections of oranges, and
when they have boiled about a minute take them out, and put them one
side. Pour this sirup over the soaked gelatine, adding the orange and
lemon juice, the beaten whites and the shells of two eggs. Put it on the
fire, and let it boil about a quarter of a minute without stirring;
then, placing it at the side of the fire, skim off carefully all the
scum at the top, and pass it through the jelly-bag. When half of the
jelly is in the mold, put it on the ice, and let it set hard enough to
hold the orange sections, which place in a circular row around the edge
of the mold; then add enough more jelly to cover the sections; when this
has hardened, pour over the remainder of the jelly, which should have
been kept in a warm place to prevent it from hardening. All the sections
of orange may be put in with the first half of the jelly, as they will
rise to the top, although they will not hold their places evenly. Or, if
time is valuable, mold the jelly without the sections, and save them to
garnish the jelly on the dish.