II.
1548. INGREDIENTS.--To every 8 lbs. of red, rough, ripe gooseberries allow 1 quart of red-currant juice, 5 lbs. of loaf sugar.
_Mode_.--Have the fruit gathered in dry weather, and cut off the tops and tails. Prepare 1 quart of red-currant juice, the same as for red-currant jelly No. 1533; put it into a preserving-pan with the sugar, and keep stirring until the latter is dissolved. Keep it boiling for about 5 minutes; skim well; then put in the gooseberries, and let them boil from 1/2 to 3/4 hour; then turn the whole into an earthen pan, and let it remain for 2 days. Boil the jam up again until it looks clear; put it into pots, and when cold, cover with oiled paper, and over the jars put tissue-paper brushed over on both sides with the white of an egg, and store away in a dry place. Care must be taken, in making this, to keep the jam well stirred and well skimmed, to prevent it burning at the bottom of the pan, and to have it very clear.
_Time_.--5 minutes to boil the currant-juice and sugar after the latter is dissolved; from 1/2 to 3/4 hour to simmer the gooseberries the first time, 1/4 hour the second time of boiling.
_Average cost_, from 8d. to 10d. per lb. pot.
_Sufficient_.--Allow 1-1/2 pint of fruit for a lb. pot.
_Seasonable_.--Make this in June or July.
WHITE OR GREEN GOOSEBERRY JAM.
1549. INGREDIENTS.--Equal weight of fruit and sugar.
_Mode_.--Select the gooseberries not very ripe, either white or green, and top and tail them. Boil the sugar with water (allowing 1/2 pint to every lb.) for about 1/4 hour, carefully removing the scum as it rises; then put in the gooseberries, and simmer gently till clear and firm: try a little of the jam on a plate; if it jellies when cold, it is done, and should then be poured into pots. When cold, cover with oiled paper, and tissue-paper brushed over on both sides with the unbeaten white of an egg, and store away in a dry place.
_Time_.--1/4 hour to boil the sugar and water, 3/4 hour the jam.
_Average cost_, from 6d. to 8d. per lb. pot.
_Sufficient_.--Allow 1-1/2 pint of fruit for a lb. pot.
_Seasonable_.--Make this in June.
GOOSEBERRY JELLY.
1550. INGREDIENTS.--Gooseberries; to every pint of juice allow 3/4 lb. of loaf sugar.
_Mode_.--Put the gooseberries, after cutting off the tops and tails, into a preserving-pan, and stir them over the fire until they are quite soft; then strain them through a sieve, and to every pint of juice allow 3/4 lb. of sugar. Boil the juice and sugar together for nearly 3/4 hour, stirring and skimming all the time; and if the jelly appears firm when a little of it is poured on to a plate, it is done, and should then be taken up and put into small pots. Cover the pots with oiled and egged papers, the same as for currant jelly No. 1533, and store away in a dry place.
_Time_.--3/4 hour to simmer the gooseberries without the sugar; 3/4 hour to boil the juice.
_Average cost_, from 8d. to 10d. per 1/2-lb. pot.
_Seasonable_ in July.
COMPOTE OF GREENGAGES.
1551. INGREDIENTS.--1 pint of syrup made by recipe No. 1512, 1 quart of greengages.
_Mode_.--Make a syrup by recipe No. 1512, skim it well, and put in the greengages when the syrup is boiling, having previously removed the stalks and stones from the fruit. Boil gently for 1/4 hour, or until the fruit is tender; but take care not to let it break, as the appearance of the dish would be spoiled were the fruit reduced to a pulp. Take the greengages carefully out, place them on a glass dish, boil the syrup for another 5 minutes, let it cool a little, pour over the fruit, and, when cold, it will be ready for use.
_Time_.--1/4 hour to simmer the fruit, 5 minutes the syrup.
_Average cost_, in full season, 10d.
_Sufficient_ for 4 or 5 persons.
_Seasonable_ in July, August, and September.
GREENGAGE JAM.
1552. INGREDIENTS.--To every lb. of fruit, weighed before being stoned, allow 3/4 lb. of lump sugar.
_Mode_.--Divide the greengages, take out the stones, and put them into a preserving-pan. Bring the fruit to a boil, then add the sugar, and keep stirring it over a gentle fire until it is melted. Remove all the scum as it rises, and, just before the jam is done, boil it rapidly for 5 minutes. To ascertain when it is sufficiently boiled, pour a little on a plate, and if the syrup thickens and appears firm, it is done. Have ready half the kernels blanched; put them into the jam, give them one boil, and pour the preserve into pots. When cold, cover down with oiled papers, and, over these, tissue-paper brushed over on both sides with the white of an egg.
_Time_.--3/4 hour after the sugar is added.
_Average cost_, from 6d. to 8d. per lb. pot.
_Sufficient._--Allow about 1-1/2 pint of fruit for every lb. pot of jam.
_Seasonable_.--Make this in August or September.
TO PRESERVE AND DRY GREENGAGES.
1553. INGREDIENTS.--To every lb. of sugar allow 1 lb. of fruit, 1/4 pint of water.
_Mode_.--For this purpose, the fruit must be used before it is quite ripe, and part of the stalk must be left on. Weigh the fruit, rejecting all that is in the least degree blemished, and put it into a lined saucepan with the sugar and water, which should have been previously boiled together to a rich syrup. Boil the fruit in this for 10 minutes, remove it from the fire, and drain the greengages. The next day, boil up the syrup and put in the fruit again, and let it simmer for 3 minutes, and drain the syrup away. Continue this process for 5 or 6 days, and the last time place the greengages, when drained, on a hair sieve, and put them in an oven or warm spot to dry; keep them in a box, with paper between each layer, in a place free from damp.
_Time_.--10 minutes the first time of boiling.
_Seasonable_.--Make this in August or September.
PRESERVED GREENGAGES IN SYRUP.
1554. INGREDIENTS.--To every lb. of fruit allow 1 lb. of loaf sugar 1/4 pint of water.
_Mode_.--Boil the sugar and water together for about 10 minutes; divide the greengages, take out the stones, put the fruit into the syrup, and let it simmer gently until nearly tender. Take it off the fire, put it into a large pan, and, the next day, boil it up again for about 10 minutes with the kernels from the stones, which should be blanched. Put the fruit carefully into jars, pour over it the syrup, and, when cold, cover down, so that the air is quite excluded. Let the syrup be well skimmed both the first and second day of boiling, otherwise it will not be clear.
_Time_.--10 minutes to boil the syrup; 1/4 hour to simmer the fruit the first day, 10 minutes the second day.
_Average cost_, from 6d. to 8d. per lb. pot.
_Sufficient._--Allow about 1 pint of fruit to fill a 1-lb. pot.
_Seasonable_.--Make this in August or September.
TO MAKE FRUIT ICE-CREAMS.
1555. INGREDIENTS.--To every pint of fruit-juice allow 1 pint of cream; sugar to taste.
_Mode_.--Let the fruit be well ripened; pick it off the stalks, and put it into a large earthen pan. Stir it about with a wooden spoon, breaking it until it is well mashed; then, with the back of the spoon, rub it through a hair sieve. Sweeten it nicely with pounded sugar; whip the cream for a few minutes, add it to the fruit, and whisk the whole again for another 5 minutes. Put the mixture into the freezing-pot, and freeze in the same manner as directed for Ice Pudding, No. 1290, taking care to stir the cream, &c., two or three times, and to remove it from the sides of the vessel, that the mixture may be equally frozen and smooth. Ices are usually served in glasses, but if moulded, as they sometimes are for dessert, must have a small quantity of melted isinglass added to them, to enable them to keep their shape. Raspberry, strawberry, currant, and all fruit ice-creams, are made in the same manner. A little pounded sugar sprinkled over the fruit before it is mashed assists to extract the juice. In winter, when fresh fruit is not obtainable, a little jam may be substituted for it: it should be melted and worked through a sieve before being added to the whipped cream; and if the colour should not be good, a little prepared cochineal or beetroot may be put in to improve its appearance.
_Time_.--1/2 hour to freeze the mixture.
_Average cost_, with cream at 1s. per pint, 4d. each ice.
_Seasonable_, with fresh fruit, in June, July, and August.
TO MAKE FRUIT-WATER ICES.
1556. INGREDIENTS.--To every pint of fruit-juice allow 1 pint of syrup made by recipe No. 1513.
[Illustration: DISH OF ICES.]
_Mode_.--Select nice ripe fruit; pick off the stalks, and put it into a large earthen pan, with a little pounded sugar strewed over; stir it about with a wooden spoon until it is well broken, then rub it through a hair sieve. Make the syrup by recipe No. 1513, omitting the white of the egg; let it cool, add the fruit-juice, mix well together, and put the mixture into the freezing-pot. Proceed as directed for Ice Puddings, No. 1290, and when the mixture is equally frozen, put it into small glasses. Raspberry, strawberry, currant, and other fresh-fruit-water ices, are made in the same manner.
_Time_.--1/2 hour to freeze the mixture.
_Average cost_, 3d. to 4d. each.
_Seasonable_, with fresh fruit, in June, July, and August.
LEMON-WATER ICE.
1557. INGREDIENTS.--To every pint of syrup, made by recipe No. 1513, allow 1/3 pint of lemon-juice; the rind of 4 lemons.
_Mode_.--Rub the sugar on the rinds of the lemons, and with it make the syrup by recipe No. 1513, omitting the white of egg. Strain the lemon-juice, add it to the other ingredients, stir well, and put the mixture into a freezing-pot. Freeze as directed for Ice Pudding, No. 1290, and, when the mixture is thoroughly and equally frozen, put it into ice-glasses.
_Time_.--1/2 hour to freeze the mixture. _Average cost_, 3d. to 4d. each.
_Seasonable_ at any time.
ICED CURRANTS, for Dessert.
1558. INGREDIENTS.--1/4 pint of water, the whites of 2 eggs, currants, pounded sugar.
_Mode_.--Select very fine bunches of red or white currants, and well beat the whites of the eggs. Mix these with the water; then take the currants, a bunch at a time, and dip them in; let them drain for a minute or two, and roll them in very fine pounded sugar. Lay them to dry on paper, when the sugar will crystallize round each currant, and have a very pretty effect. All fresh fruit may be prepared in the same manner; and a mixture of various fruits iced in this manner, and arranged on one dish, looks very well for a summer dessert.
_Time_.--1/4 day to dry the fruit.
_Average cost_, 8d. for a pint of iced currants. _Seasonable_ in summer.
MELONS.
1559.--This fruit is rarely preserved or cooked in any way, and should be sent to table on a dish garnished with leaves or flowers, as fancy dictates. A border of any other kind of small fruit, arranged round the melon, has a pretty effect, the colour the former contrasting nicely with the melon. Plenty of pounded sugar should be served with it; and the fruit should be cut lengthwise, in moderate-sized slices. In America, it is frequently eaten with pepper and salt.
_Average cost_,--English, in full season, 3s. 6d. to 5s. each; when scarce, 10s. to 15s.; _seasonable_, June to August. French, 2s. to 3s. 6d. each; _seasonable_, June and July. Dutch, 9d. to 2s. each; _seasonable_, July and August.
MELON.--The melon is a most delicious fruit, succulent, cool, and high-flavoured. With us, it is used only at the dessert, and is generally eaten with sugar, ginger, or pepper; but, in France, it is likewise served up at dinner as a sauce for boiled meats. It grows wild in Tartary, and has been lately found in abundance on the sandy plains of Jeypoor. It was brought originally from Asia by the Romans, and is said to have been common in England in the time of Edward III., though it is supposed that it was lost again, as well as the cucumber, during the wars of York and Lancaster. The best kind, called the _Cantaloupe_, from the name of a place near Rome where it was first cultivated in Europe, is a native of Armenia, where it grows so plentifully that a horse-load may be bought for a crown.
PRESERVED MULBERRIES.
1560. INGREDIENTS.--To 2 lbs. of fruit and 1 pint of juice allow 2-1/2 lbs. of loaf sugar.
_Mode_.--Put some of the fruit into a preserving-pan, and simmer it gently until the juice is well drawn. Strain it through a bag, measure it, and to every pint allow the above proportion of sugar and fruit. Put the sugar into the preserving-pan, moisten it with the juice, boil it up, skim well, and then add the mulberries, which should be ripe, but not soft enough to break to a pulp. Let them stand in the syrup till warm through, then set them on the fire to boil gently; when half done, turn them carefully into an earthen pan, and let them remain till the next day; then boil them as before, and when the syrup is thick, and becomes firm when cold, put the preserve into pots. In making this, care should be taken not to break the mulberries: this may be avoided by very gentle stirring, and by simmering the fruit very slowly.
_Time_.--3/4 hour to extract the juice;
1/4 hour to boil the mulberries the first time, 1/4 hour the second time.
_Seasonable_ in August and September.
[Illustration: MULBERRY.]
MULBERRY.--Mulberries are esteemed for their highly aromatic flavour, and their sub-acid nature. They are considered as cooling, laxative, and generally wholesome. This fruit was very highly esteemed by the Romans, who appear to have preferred it to every other. The mulberry-tree is stated to have been introduced into this country in 1548, being first planted at Sion House, where the original trees still thrive. The planting of them was much encouraged by King James I. about 1605; and considerable attempts were made at that time to rear silkworms on a large scale for the purpose of making silk; but these endeavours have always failed, the climate being scarcely warm enough.
TO PRESERVE MORELLO CHERRIES.
1561. INGREDIENTS.--To every lb. of cherries allow 1-1/4 lb. of sugar, 1 gill of water.
_Mode_.--Select ripe cherries; pick off the stalks, and reject all that have any blemishes. Boil the sugar and water together for 5 minutes; put in the cherries, and boil them for 10 minutes, removing the scum as it rises. Then turn the fruit, &c. into a pan, and let it remain until the next day, when boil it all again for another 10 minutes, and, if necessary, skim well. Put the cherries into small pots; pour over them the syrup, and, when cold, cover down with oiled papers, and the tops of the jars with tissue-paper brushed over on both sides with the white of an egg, and keep in a dry place.
_Time_.--Altogether, 25 minutes to boil.
_Average cost_, from 8d. to 10d. per lb. pot.
_Seasonable_.--Make this in July or August.
THE CHERRY-TREE IN ROME.--The Cherry-tree was introduced into Rome by Lucullus about seventy years before the Christian era; but the capital of the world knew not at first how to appreciate this present as it deserved; for the cherry-tree was propagated so slowly in Italy, that more than a century after its introduction it was far from being generally cultivated. The Romans distinguished three principal species of cherries--the _Apronian_, of a bright red, with a firm and delicate pulp; the _Lutatian_, very black and sweet; the _Caecilian_, round and stubby, and much esteemed. The cherry embellished the third course in Rome and the second at Athens.
PRESERVED NECTARINES.
1562. INGREDIENTS.--To every lb. of sugar allow 1/4 pint of water; nectarines.
_Mode_.--Divide the nectarines in two, take out the stones, and make a strong syrup with sugar and water in the above proportion. Put in the nectarines, and boil them until they have thoroughly imbibed the sugar. Keep the fruit as whole as possible, and turn it carefully into a pan. The next day boil it again for a few minutes, take out the nectarines, put them into jars, boil the syrup quickly for 5 minutes, pour it over the fruit, and, when cold, cover the preserve down. The syrup and preserve must be carefully skimmed, or it will not be clear.
_Time_.--10 minutes to boil the sugar and water; 20 minutes to boil the fruit the first time, 10 minutes the second time; 5 minutes to boil the syrup.
_Seasonable_ in August and September, but cheapest in September.
STEWED NORMANDY PIPPINS.
1563. INGREDIENTS.--1 lb. of Normandy pippins, 1 quart of water, 1/2 teaspoonful of powdered cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoonful of ground ginger, 1 lb. of moist sugar, 1 lemon.
_Mode_.--Well wash the pippins, and put them into 1 quart of water with the above proportion of cinnamon and ginger, and let them stand 12 hours; then put these all together into a stewpan, with the lemon sliced thinly, and half the moist sugar. Let them boil slowly until the pippins are half done; then add the remainder of the sugar, and simmer until they are quite tender. Serve on glass dishes for dessert.
_Time_.--2 to 3 hours. _Average cost_, 1s. 6d. _Seasonable_.--Suitable for a winter dish.
ICED ORANGES.
1564. INGREDIENTS.--Oranges; to every lb. of pounded loaf sugar allow the whites of 2 eggs.
_Mode_.--Whisk the whites of the eggs well, stir in the sugar, and beat this mixture for 1/4 hour. Skin the oranges, remove as much of the white pith as possible without injuring the pulp of the fruit; pass a thread through the centre of each orange, dip them into the sugar, and tie them to a stick. Place this stick across the oven, and let the oranges remain until dry, when they will have the appearance of balls of ice. They make a pretty dessert or supper dish. Care must be taken not to have the oven too fierce, or the oranges would scorch and acquire a brown colour, which would entirely spoil their appearance.
_Time_.--From 1/2 to 1 hour to dry in a moderate oven.
_Average cost_, 1-1/2d. each.
_Sufficient_.--1/2 lb. of sugar to ice 12 oranges.
_Seasonable_ from November to May.
THE FIRST ORANGE-TREE IN FRANCE.--The first Orange-tree cultivated in the centre of France was to be seen a few years ago at Fontainebleau. It was called _Le Connétable_ (the Constable), because it had belonged to the Connétable de Bourbon, and had been confiscated, together with all property belonging to that prince, after his revolt against his sovereign.
COMPOTE OF ORANGES.
1565. INGREDIENTS.--1 pint of syrup No. 1512, 6 oranges. _Mode_.--Peel the oranges, remove as much of the white pith as possible, and divide them into small pieces without breaking the thin skin with which they are surrounded. Make the syrup by recipe No. 1512, adding the rind of the orange cut into thin narrow strips. When the syrup has been well skimmed, and is quite clear, put in the pieces of orange, and simmer them for 5 minutes. Take them out carefully with a spoon without breaking them, and arrange them on a glass dish. Reduce the syrup by boiling it quickly until thick; let it cool a little, pour it over the oranges, and, when cold, they will be ready for table.
[Illustration: COMPÔTE OF ORANGES.]
_Time_.--10 minutes to boil the syrup; 5 minutes to simmer the oranges; 5 minutes to reduce the syrup.
_Average cost_, 9d.
_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.
_Seasonable_ from November to May.
THE ORANGE IN PORTUGAL.--The Orange known under the name of "Portugal Orange" comes originally from China. Not more than two centuries ago, the Portuguese brought thence the first scion, which has multiplied so prodigiously that we now see entire forests of orange-trees in Portugal.
ORANGE AND CLOVES.--It appears to have been the custom formerly, in England, to make new year's presents with oranges stuck full with cloves. We read in one of Ben Jonson's pieces,--the "Christmas Masque,"--"He has an orange and rosemary, but not a clove to stick in it."
ORANGE MARMALADE.