No. 245. _Strawberry._ Pick and pass through a fine sieve a pottle of
very fresh strawberries, to which add the juice of a lemon, six ounces
of powdered sugar, and an ounce and a half of dissolved isinglass (or
sufficient calf’s foot jelly to set it), put the above ingredients into
a bowl, which set upon ice, keeping its contents stirred until upon the
point of setting, when stir in three parts of a pint of cream,
previously whipped; fill your mould, and proceed as before.
For cherries, raspberries, and currants, proceed as for strawberries,
but for apricots, peaches, apples, pears, quinces, &c., proceed as
follows:
No. 246. _Apricot Bohemian Cream._ Stone and cut into slices ten or
twelve rather small apricots, quite ripe, and throw them into a stewpan
containing half a pint of boiling water, and let boil until forming a
purée when pass them through a hair sieve, add six ounces of powdered
sugar, with the juice of two lemons, and an ounce and a half of
isinglass, previously dissolved; place the whole in a bowl, which set
upon ice, keep stirring until upon the point of setting, when add three
parts of a pint of whipped cream, pour into your mould, which place upon
ice, and turn out when ready to serve, as before.
Should your apricots be very ripe there would be no necessity to boil
them, but merely rub them through a sieve, mix the lemon-juice, sugar,
and isinglass, and finish as above.
Creams of peaches or of any of the before-mentioned fruits are made in
the same manner: but until you have confidence in yourself, it would be
better to taste for the sweetness, and try the stiffness by placing a
little upon ice, previously to finishing it.
No. 247. _French Custard Cream._ Have ready ten custard glasses, or
small coffee cups, measure one of them ten times full of milk, which
place in a stewpan, and set upon the fire until boiling, when add a
quarter of a pound of powdered sugar, and the rind of two lemons, free
from pith, place the lid upon the stewpan, take from the fire and let
infuse ten minutes, then in a basin have ready the yolks of eight eggs,
with which stir in the milk by degrees, pass through a tammie and fill
the cups; have ready upon the fire a large flat stewpan, containing
water sufficient to cover the bottom two inches in depth, and just
simmering, stand in the cups, and let remain still simmering until the
custards are quite firm, when take them out, let remain until cold, when
wash the cups outside, dress them upon a napkin and serve; any kind of
flavour may be introduced into the above; but for
No. 248, _Coffee Custard Cream_, proceed as follows: make half a pint of
strong coffee according to the usual method, add half a pint of thin
cream or milk previously boiled, sweeten to palate, mix with the yolks
of eggs, pass through a tammie, and proceed precisely as directed in the
last.
No. 249. _Coffee Custard Cream, White._ Put a quarter of a pound of
green Mocha coffee into a small stewpan, which place over a slow fire,
tossing the coffee over frequently until becoming lightly browned, but
not black, in another stewpan have boiling a pint of milk, take from the
fire, let infuse ten minutes, placing the lid upon the stewpan, then mix
with eight yolks of eggs, pass through a tammie, and finish as before.
No. 250. _Chocolate Custard Cream._ Scrape half a cake of good
chocolate, which put into a stewpan, and moisten by degrees with a pint
of warm milk and cream, when well dissolved mix with the yolks of eggs,
and finish as before.
Any of the above custards may be put into common tart dishes, and set in
a potato steamer, or slowly baked in the oven, should the above process
be too tedious or inconvenient.
Any description of English boiled custard may be made in the same
manner, but instead of pouring it first into the cups, when the infusion
is made, mix it with the yolks of eggs, and stir over the fire until
thickening (but must not boil, or it would curdle), pass through a
tammie, fill your cups or glasses, grate a little nutmeg over each, and
serve when quite cold.
No. 251. _Almond Custard Cream._ The flavour of almonds, which appears
to be so generally liked in England, and which were I to omit in custard
I should consider it to be a piece of neglect, is generally obtained by
the use of an essence which I cannot at all approve of, but consider the
following method to obtain that delicious flavour to be much more
commendable: blanch and skin two ounces of sweet with a few bitter
almonds, pound them well, with sufficient sugar to sweeten a pint of
milk, which you have in a stewpan, when boiling throw in the almonds and
sugar, cover the stewpan, let infuse ten minutes in another stewpan,
have the yolks of eight eggs, upon which pour the infusion, stirring it
well and mixing by degrees, stir over the fire until thickening, when
pass it through a tammie into a bowl, which place upon ice, or in cold
water, keeping it stirred until quite cold, when mix a gill of cream
whipped very stiff, fill your cups, sprinkle crushed ratafias over, and
they are ready to serve.
By adding a little dissolved isinglass to the above when cooling, any
description of spirits or liqueurs may be introduced.
The cream may be omitted, it will then make a good plain custard.
No. 252. _Cabinet Pudding._ Well butter a plain round mould or basin,
round the interior of which stick a quantity of dried cherries, or
Smyrna raisins, then about three parts fill the mould with sponge cake,
interspersing two ounces of ratafias, over which sprinkle a good glass
of brandy, then have ready the following custard: boil a pint of milk,
in which infuse the rind of two lemons, free from pith, in a basin, have
six whole eggs, which well whisk, with a quarter of a pound of powdered
sugar, and add the milk by degrees, pass through a tammie and fill up
the mould, round the edge of which place a band of buttered paper, have
a convenient-sized stewpan, with about two inches in depth of boiling
water, place in your pudding, cover a sheet of paper over, and let
simmer gently over the fire, keeping the stewpan covered down close
until the pudding becomes quite firm, by which time you should be ready
to serve it, take out, detach the paper, and turn from the mould over
upon a dish; have ready the following sauce: put half a pint of melted
butter into a stewpan, into which stir the yolks of two eggs, and add a
glassful of brandy, with the juice of a lemon, and sufficient sugar to
sweeten it, stir over the fire until becoming a little thick, when pass
it through a tammie, sauce over the pudding and serve.
No. 253. _Bread Pudding._ Procure four French rolls, the crumb of which
put into a basin, with a pint of boiling milk, let remain until half
cold, when add six whole eggs, with a quarter of a pound of currants,
and one ounce of candied citron, cut into very small dice, mix the whole
well together; have ready prepared as in the last a plain round mould,
in which pour the above mixture, steam it as in the last; when done and
ready to serve, turn from the mould, and serve with the same sauce
poured over as before directed.
No. 254. _Ground Rice Pudding._ Place a pint of milk in a stewpan over
the fire, and when boiling throw in the rind of a lemon, cut as thinly
as possible, and quite free from pith; take from the fire, cover the
stewpan, and leave ten minutes to infuse; then in a basin have six
ounces of ground rice, which mix smoothly with half a pint of cold milk,
take out the lemon-peel from the milk in the stewpan, pour in the
mixture, and stir the whole over the fire until thickening, when take
from the fire; add six whole eggs, six ounces of powdered sugar and a
little grated nutmeg, mix the whole well together, have ready, well
buttered, a pudding-dish, into which pour the mixture, and bake in a
moderate oven until set; serve hot.
No. 255. _Rice Pudding._ Well wash six ounces of Carolina rice in one or
two waters, drain and dry it upon a cloth, and put it into a stewpan
with a pint and a half of cold milk and a quarter of a pound of butter,
place the stewpan over a moderate fire, allowing its contents to simmer
very gently until the rice becomes quite tender, when add six whole eggs
well whipped, six ounces of sugar, and a little grated nutmeg; pour into
a buttered pudding-dish, and bake in a moderate oven until set and
nicely coloured; serve hot as before.
Sago, tapioca, semoulina, and vermicelli puddings are made very similar
to the last, and served the same; they may of course be flavoured with
lemon, any description of spice approved of, or a couple of glasses of
brandy, rum, noyeau, maresquino, or almost any description of wine,
spirits, or liqueurs.
No. 256. _Macaroni Pudding._ Have half a pound of macaroni, which boil
in half a gallon of water until becoming tender, when drain it upon a
sieve; have ready boiling in a stewpan half a pint of milk, in which put
the macaroni (having previously cut it into pieces an inch in length),
with a quarter of a pound of butter and the rind of a lemon, free from
pith, tied in a bunch; let simmer gently about twenty minutes, when take
out the lemon-peel and add six whole eggs, well whisked, with six ounces
of sugar; have ready a pudding-dish well buttered, into which pour the
above preparation; bake and serve as before.
No. 257. _Gateau of Rice._ Well wash half a pound of Carolina rice,
which well drain and put into a stewpan with a quart of milk, a quarter
of a pound of butter, and a few sticks of cinnamon; let simmer over a
slow fire until the rice is very tender, and the whole becoming
thickish, when take out the pieces of cinnamon; add six ounces of
powdered sugar and eight whole eggs, stir in quickly over the fire until
becoming again thickish, when have ready a plain oval mould, well butter
the interior, lay a sheet of buttered paper at the bottom, pour in the
above, filling the mould to within three quarters of an inch from the
rim, and place in a moderate oven, where let remain until set quite
firm, when take from the oven, turn out of your mould upon a dish, and
serve quite hot, with a sauce over, as directed for cabinet pudding.
Gateaux of macaroni, vermicelli, &c., may also be made by the above
directions, preparing them as for pudding, but making the mixture as
directed for the rice.
No. 258. _Fruit Puddings._ As almost every description of fruit pudding
is made in the same manner, I consider it would be entirely useless to
enter into their details, so shall here content myself with merely
giving a description of the apple pudding, which, although one of the
most common, is in my opinion one of the best.
Put a pound of flour upon your pastry slab, with which mix half a pound
of beef suet, well shred and finely chopped, make a hole in the centre,
in which pour nearly half a pint of water, mixing the flour and suet in
by degrees, and shaking the whole lightly together, then take two
thirds, which roll up into a ball, and with the rolling-pin form it
into a round sheet, nearly half an inch in thickness; have ready a
round-bottomed basin, well buttered and floured, which line with the
sheet of paste, keeping it about an inch above the rim of the basin;
have also ready sufficient apples peeled and cut in slices, with which
fill the interior, adding a piece of butter the size of a walnut, six
ounces of powdered or brown sugar, six or eight cloves, and a little
grated nutmeg; wet round the edge of the paste above the basin, roll out
the remainder to form a lid of about the same thickness, lay it over the
top, joining them well together, then tie the pudding with the basin in
a cloth; have ready a good-sized stewpan over the fire, three parts full
of boiling water, into which put the pudding, boiling it about an hour
and a half: when done and ready to serve take it from the cloth, pass
your knife carefully round the sides between the pudding and the basin,
turn over upon a dish, lift the basin from it gently, and serve as soon
as possible.
Some people prefer the paste for fruit puddings made of butter, which is
also very good; but in my opinion the suet paste is much lighter; the
trimmings of puff-paste, if any, would also make an excellent crust for
a fruit.
Puddings of gooseberries, cherries, currants, raspberries, plums,
damsons, &c., are made precisely the same, but omitting the cloves,
nutmeg, and piece of butter, and less boiling.
No. 259. _Pastry._ For the making of good puff-paste I could not give a
more simple receipt than that (page 479) in the other department, to
which I must refer my readers, as also for half-puff-paste (page 480),
which will be found very serviceable in the making of pies or fruit
tarts, the method of making which it is here my intention to describe,
but for all other dishes of small fancy pastry, a great variety will be
found in the Kitchen of the Wealthy, very simply explained, and
requiring no greater convenience to make than what my Kitchen at Home
will afford.
No. 260. _Short Paste for Fruit Tarts._ Although I have above stated
that the half-puff-paste is very excellent for the covering of fruit
tarts, I am also aware that very many persons prefer a short sweet
paste, as such I have given the following receipt, leaving my readers to
choose between the two, the process being the same for either.
Put a pound of flour upon your pastry slab, with six ounces of butter,
and rub them well together with your hands, then make a hole in the
centre, in which put two ounces of powdered sugar, two whole eggs, and
rather more than a wineglassful of water; mix the eggs, sugar, and water
well together, then draw in the flour and butter, shaking the whole
well, and when dry work it together lightly with the hands.
No. 261. _Apricot Tarts._ For tarts the apricots do not require to be
too ripe. Procure about two dozen, or according to the size of your
dish, split each one in halves, break their stones, and take out their
kernels, which blanch and skin, lay the apricots in your dish, building
them in the form of a dome above the level of your dish, and
interspersing the kernels here and there, cover them over with half a
pound of lump sugar broken very small; have ready sufficient
half-puff-paste (page 480), or the tart-paste just described, a band of
which, the eighth of an inch in thickness, lay round the rim of your
dish, previously wetting it, then roll out a sheet of the paste large
enough to cover the fruit, and a quarter of an inch in thickness, wet
the band of paste upon your dish, and lay the cover over, in which prick
a hole in each side between the fruit and the edge of the dish, forming
a well all round, and closing the paste well at the edges, trim round
with a knife, with which also decorate the edges, wet the top well with
white of egg beat to a light froth, over which sprinkle two ounces of
finely-powdered sugar, sprinkle with water until the sugar is well
dissolved (but not to run off), place in a moderate oven, and bake about
an hour, keeping it a very light brown colour, serve when cold.
No. 262. _Greengage Tart._ Procure a sufficient number of ripe
greengages, which put into your dish whole, giving them the form of a
dome at the top, and if about two dozen covering them with six ounces of
powdered sugar; cover with paste, and proceed exactly as described in
the last.
Any description of plum tart is made precisely in the same manner, as
also are gooseberry, cherry, currant and raspberry, cranberry, &c. and
all requiring about the same time and same description of oven.
No. 263. _Apple Tart._ Peel and cut about two dozen russet apples in
slices, which put into your dish, interspersing them with some lemon
peel, free from pith, cut into strips, about six cloves, and a little
grated nutmeg; build the apples up in a dome to the centre of your dish,
and cover over with half a pound of powdered sugar, then have ready half
a pound of puff-paste made as directed (page 479), with which make a
band a quarter of an inch in thickness, laying it round the rim of the
dish, roll out the remainder of the paste to the thickness of a quarter
of an inch, and large enough to cover the fruit, wet the band of paste
upon the dish with a little water, lay the cover gently over, pricking a
hole with your knife at the top to let out the air, closing it gently at
the edges, which trim neatly with a knife; egg the top over with a
paste-brush, and place in a moderate oven to bake, which will take about
an hour; just before taking from the oven sift a little sugar over, and
let remain until melted, forming a nice glaze over the tart, which may
be served either hot or cold. Brown sugar may be used for any of the
above tarts if approved of, but I have given directions for the white,
considering that the brown, although commonly used, frequently destroys
the delicious flavour of some descriptions of fruit. The salamander may
be used to brown it.
No. 264. _French Fruit Tart._ Make half a pound of paste as directed
(No. 1136, page 481), mould it into a round ball upon your marble slab,
and roll to a round sheet a quarter of an inch in thickness, wet round
the rims, turning the edge over to form a border half an inch in depth,
which press upon with your finger and thumb to about an inch in height,
have ready about twenty greengages, or any other description of plums,
split each into two, and place them in the interior of your tart, shake
some sugar over, and bake about half an hour in a hot oven; serve cold,
shaking more sugar over at the time of serving. They may also be made
with apricots, peaches, cherries, currants, raspberries, cranberries, or
gooseberries, in the same manner; but if made of apples, the fruit must
be previously boiled to a marmalade, or stewed in a stewpan, with sugar
and a small piece of butter, until tender, previous to putting them in
the crust; fruit baked in these tarts is also very excellent meringued
as directed (No. 267); plain whipped cream with a little sugar is very
good for a change.
No. 265. _Plain Souffle Puddings._ Put two ounces of butter in a
stewpan, with two spoonfuls of flour, mix well together, then add half a
pint of milk, with a little salt, and two ounces of sugar, upon which
you have rubbed the rind of a fresh lemon or orange, keep stirring over
the fire until it thickens, but if becoming too thick, which will depend
upon the flour, add more milk, but if the contrary, let reduce until
forming a fine softish paste; when stir in quickly the yolks of four
eggs, when well mixed set by until cold; you have reserved the whites of
the eggs, which, half an hour before serving, whip to a stiffish froth,
and mix well but lightly with the other part of the preparation, pour
the whole into a deep pie-dish, previously well buttered, and set it in
a warm oven, when about half done cut an incision in the top, and put
again in the oven, when done shake powdered sugar over the top, glaze
lightly with the salamander, if any, and serve immediately. Better the
guests wait a few minutes for the souffle than the souffle for the
guests.
No. 266. _Souffle Rice Pudding._ Well wash two ounces of Carolina rice,
which when dry put into a stewpan with nearly a pint of milk, an ounce
of butter, half the rind of a lemon, free from pith, a little salt, and
a spoonful of powdered sugar; set upon the fire until boiling, when draw
it to the corner, where let simmer very gently (or place the stewpan
upon a trivet at a good height from the fire) until the rice is very
tender, when take it from the fire, and beat well with a wooden spoon
until forming a smoothish paste, when add the yolks of four or five
eggs, mixing them well, pour the whites of the eggs into a bowl, whisk
them until very stiff, and mix lightly with the preparation; have ready,
buttered lightly, a deep pie-dish, pour in the mixture, and about a
quarter of an hour before ready to serve place it in a moderate oven,
serving when done, and the moment you take it from the oven. Half the
above quantity may of course be made.
Souffle of ground rice is made the same as the above, the rice, however,
not requiring so long to simmer as when whole. As also are souffles of
tapioca, semoulina, vermicelli, &c., changing their flavours according
to taste, using vanilla, lemon, orange, orange-flower-water, or a small
quantity of any description of liqueur. A few currants may also be mixed
with any of the preparations, or laid at the bottom of the dish, as also
may any description of light preserves.
No. 267. _Fruits Meringued._ Any description of fruits may be served to
table meringued, by following the above directions. For apples, peel and
cut six into slices, which put into a stewpan, with an ounce of butter,
half the rind of a lemon, free from pith, cut into thin strips, with the
juice of half a lemon, and a quarter of a pound of powdered sugar, or if
the apples are perfectly ripe not quite so much, place the stewpan over
a moderate fire, tossing the apple over occasionally until quite done,
half fill a pie-dish with them, then whip the whites of four eggs to a
very stiff froth, with, which mix very lightly a quarter of a pound of
powdered sugar, and lay over the apples in the dish, shake a little
sugar over, and set in a slow oven until forming quite a dry crust; it
had better remain in the oven a little too long than not long enough,
but be sure that the oven is not too hot when you put it in, or it would
catch and become quite black, instead of being what it should be, a very
light brown, or gold colour.
Apricots, pears, &c., may be done the same, but omitting the butter; for
either, cover whilst still warm.
The above fruits also thus prepared may be covered with a souffle of
rice, or ground-rice pudding, and baked; they may be then served either
hot or cold.
No. 268. _Snow Eggs_ are made with the whites of eggs, thus: whip the
whites of five eggs very stiff, to which add (mixing lightly) five
ounces of sugar; have boiling in a flat stewpan upon the fire a pint of
milk, form pieces of the mixture with a tablespoon in the shape of eggs,
and drop them into the boiling milk to poach; when set rather firm take
them out with a colander-spoon, and lay them upon a sieve with a plate
under to drain; when all are poached your milk will be reduced to about
half; then in another stewpan put the yolks of three eggs, with a little
sugar, and a few drops of orange-flower-water, beat well together, then
add the milk, and keep stirring over the fire until forming a thickish
custard (but not allowing it to boil), when pass it through a tammie,
dress the eggs tastefully in crown upon your dish, pour the custard over
and serve. You may also poach six or eight very fresh eggs in water,
with which you have added a little vinegar; when well set take out with
a colander-spoon, drain them upon a cloth until cold, dress them upon a
dish, or in a flat glass dish, pour a custard over, prepared as above,
but with which, if handy, you have mixed a little whipped cream.
For every description of omelettes I must refer my readers to the series
of omelettes in the other department of this work.
No. 269. _Plum Pudding._ Pick and stone one pound of the best Malaga
raisins, which put in a basin, with one pound of currants (well washed,
dried, and picked), a pound and a half of good beef suet (chopped, but
not too fine), three quarters of a pound of white or brown sugar, two
ounces of candied lemon and orange-peel, two ounces of candied citron,
six ounces of flour, and a quarter of a pound of bread-crumbs, with a
little grated nutmeg; mix the whole well together, with eight whole eggs
and a little milk; have ready a plain or ornamented pudding-mould, well
butter the interior, pour the above mixture into it, cover a sheet of
paper over, tie the mould in a cloth, put the pudding into a large
stewpan containing boiling water, and let boil quite fast for four hours
and a half (or it may be boiled by merely tying it in a pudding cloth
previously well floured, forming the shape by laying the cloth in a
round-bottomed basin and pouring the mixture in, it will make no
difference in the time required for boiling); when done take out of the
cloth, turn from the mould upon your dish, sprinkle a little powdered
sugar over, and serve with the following sauce in a boat: put the yolks
of three eggs in a stewpan, with a spoonful of powdered sugar, and a
gill of milk, mix well together, add a little lemon-peel, and stir over
the fire until becoming thickish (but do not let it boil), when add two
glasses of brandy, and serve.
The above sauce may be served poured over the pudding if approved of.
An excellent improvement to a plum pudding is to use half a pound of
beef marrow cut into small dice, omitting the same quantity of suet.
No. 270. _Currant Pudding._ Put a pound and a half of flour into a
basin, with a pound of beef suet, shred and chopped very fine, and a
pound of currants, well washed, picked, and dried, add a little powdered
cinnamon, or grated nutmeg, and mix well together, with four whole eggs,
a quarter of a pound of brown sugar, and half a pint of milk, boil it
as directed for plum pudding, either in a mould or tied in a cloth, but
two hours would be sufficient; when done turn out upon a dish and serve
quite plain, or with sauce as above.
The above mixture divided in small puddings or dumplings about the size
of apples, boiled about half an hour, and served hot to table with a
little powdered sugar over, are also excellent.
No. 271. _Sweet Maccaroons._ Blanch and skin half a pound of sweet
almonds, dry them well in your screen, then put them into a mortar, with
a pound and a half of lump sugar, pound well together, and pass the
whole through a wire sieve, put it again into the mortar, with the
whites of two eggs, mix well together with the pestle, then add the
white of another egg, proceeding thus until you have used the whites of
about eight eggs, and made a softish paste, when lay them out at equal
distances apart upon wafer paper, in pieces nearly the size of walnuts,
place some strips of almonds upon the top, sift sugar over, and bake in
a slow oven of a yellowish-brown colour; they are done when set quite
firm through.
No. 272. _Bitter Maccaroons_, or _Ratafias_, are made similar to the
above, but deducting two ounces of sweet, and adding two ounces of
bitter almonds; they are laid out in much smaller cakes upon common
paper, and baked in a much warmer oven; when cold they may be taken off
the paper with the greatest ease. These cakes are very serviceable in
making a great many second-course dishes.
No. 273. _Mince Meat._ Procure four pounds and a half of kidney beef
suet, which skin and chop very finely, have also three pounds of candied
lemon and orange peel, a quarter of a pound of citron, a pound and a
half of lean cooked beef, and three pounds and a half of apples, the
whole separately chopped very fine, and put into a large pan with four
pounds and a half of currants, well washed and picked, two ounces of
mixed spice, and two pounds of sugar; mix the whole well together with
the juice of eight lemons and a pint of brandy, place it in jars, and
tie down until ready for use; a pound and a half of Malaga raisins, well
stoned and chopped, may likewise be added to the above.
No. 274. _Mince Pies._ Have a piece of puff-paste made as directed (page
479), which roll out to the thickness of a penny-piece, have also a
dozen tartelette-pans, which lightly butter, cut out twelve pieces with
a round cutter from the paste, each the size of your tartelette-pans,
lay them upon the slab; roll the trimming of the paste again to the
former thickness, cut twelve other pieces, with which line the
tartelette-pans, put a piece of mince-meat in each, wet them round,
place on the lids, pricking a hole with a pin in the centre, and close
them well at the edges; egg over lightly, and bake about twenty minutes
in a moderate oven.