The Lady's Own Cookery Book, and New Dinner-Table Directory Part 79

Prepare some rice of a strong solid substance; dress it up all round a dish, the same height as a raised crust, that is, about three inches high. Have some marmalade of apple ready made; mix with it six yolks of eggs, and a small piece of b.u.t.ter; warm it on the stove in order to do the eggs; then have eight whites of eggs well whipped, as for biscuits; mix them lightly with the apples, and put the whole into the middle of the rice. Set it in a moderately hot oven, and, when the souffle is raised sufficiently, send it up quickly to table, as it would soon fall and spoil.

_Strawberries, to preserve for eating with Cream._

Take the largest scarlet strawberries you can get, full red, but not too ripe, and their weight in double-refined sugar. Take more strawberries of the same sort; put them in a pot, and set them in water over the fire to draw out the juice. To every pound of strawberries allow full half a pint of this juice, adding to it nearly a quarter of a pound more sugar.

Dip all the sugar in water; set it on the fire; and, when it is thoroughly melted, take it off, and stir it till it is almost cold. Then put in the strawberries, and boil them over a quick fire; skim them; and, when they look clear, they are done enough. If you think the syrup too thin, take out the fruit, and boil it more; but you must stir it till it is cold before you put the strawberries in again.

_Strawberries, to preserve in Currant Jelly._

Boil all the ordinary strawberries you can spare in the water in which you mean to put the sugar to make the syrup for the strawberries. Take three quarters of a pound of the finest scarlet or pine strawberries; add to them one pound and a quarter of sugar, which dip in the above-mentioned strawberry liquor; then boil the strawberries quick, and skim them clear once. When cold, remove them out of the pan into a China bowl. If you touch them while hot, you break or bruise them. Keep them closely covered with white paper till the currants are ripe, every now and then looking at them to see if they ferment or want heating up again. Do it if required, and put on fresh papers. When the currants are ripe, boil up the strawberries; skim them well; let them stand till almost cold, and then take them out of the syrup very carefully. Lay them on a lawn sieve, with a dish under them to catch the syrup; then strain the syrup through another lawn sieve, to clear it of all the bits and seeds; add to this syrup full half a pint of red and white currant juice, in equal quant.i.ties of each; then boil it quick about ten minutes, skimming it well. When it jellies, which you may know by trying it in a spoon, add the strawberries to it, and let them just simmer without boiling. Put them carefully into the pots, but, for fear of the strawberries settling at the bottom, put in a little of the jelly first and let it set; then put in the strawberries and jelly; watch them a little till they are cold, and, as the strawberries rise above the syrup, with a tea-spoon gently force them down again under it. In a few days put on brandy papers--they will turn out in a firm jelly.

_Strawberries, to preserve in Gooseberry Jelly._

Take a quart of the sharpest white gooseberries and a quart of water; let them come up to a boil, and then strain them through a lawn sieve.

To a pint of the liquor put one pound of double-refined sugar; let it boil till it jellies; skim it very well, and take it off; when cool, put in the strawberries whole and picked. Set them on the fire; let them come to a boil; take them off till cold; repeat this three or four times till they are clear; then take the strawberries out carefully, that they may not bruise or break, and boil the jelly till it is stiff. Put a little first in the bottom of your pots or gla.s.ses; when set, put in the rest, first mixed with the strawberries, but not till nearly cold.

_Strawberry Jam--very good._

To one pound of scarlet strawberries, which are by far the best for the purpose, put a pound of powdered sugar. Take another half pound of strawberries, and squeeze all their juice through a cloth, taking care that none of the seeds come through to the jam. Then boil the strawberries, juice, and sugar, over a quick fire; skim it very clean; set it by in a clean China bowl, covering it close with writing paper; when the currants are ripe, add to the strawberries full half a pint of red currant juice, and half a pound more of pounded sugar: boil it all together for about ten or twelve minutes over a quick fire, and skim it very well.

_Another way._

Gather the strawberries very ripe; bruise them fine; put to them a little juice of strawberries; beat and sift their weight in sugar, and strew it over them. Put the pulp into a preserving-pan; set it on a clear fire, and boil it three quarters of an hour, stirring it all the time. Put it into pots, and keep it in a dry place, with brandy paper over it.

_Sugar, to clarify._

Break into pieces two pounds of double-refined sugar; put it into a stewpan, with a pint of cold spring water; when dissolved, set it over a moderate fire; beat about half the white of an egg; put it to the sugar, before it gets warm, and stir it well together. When it boils, take off the sc.u.m; keep it boiling till no sc.u.m rises and it is perfectly clear.

Run it through a clean napkin; put it in a bottle well corked, and it will keep for months.

_Syllabub._

Take a quart of cream with a slice or two of lemon-peel, to be laid to soak in the cream. Take half a pint of sack and six spoonfuls of white wine, dividing it equally into your syllabub. Set your cream over the fire, and make it something more than lukewarm; sweeten both sack and cream, and put the cream into a spouted pot, pouring it rather high from the pot into the vessel in which you intend to put it. Let it be made about eight or nine hours before you want it for use.

_Another way._

Mix a quart of cream, not too thick, with a pint of white wine, and the juice of two lemons; sweeten it to your taste; put it in a broad earthen pan; then whisk it up. As the froth rises, take it off with a spoon, and put it in your gla.s.ses, but do not make it long before you want them.

_Everlasting Syllabub--very excellent._

Take a quart and half a pint of cream, one pint of Rhenish wine, half a pint of sack, the juice of three lemons, about a pound of double-refined sugar, beaten fine and sifted before you put it into the cream. Grate off the rinds of the three lemons used, put it with the juice into the wine, and that to the cream. Then beat all together with a whisk just half an hour; take it up with a spoon, and fill your gla.s.ses. It will keep good nine or ten days, and is best three or four days old.

_Solid Syllabub._

Half a pint of white wine, a wine-gla.s.s of brandy, the peel of a lemon grated and the juice, half a pound of powdered loaf-sugar, and a pint of cream. Stir these ingredients well together; then dissolve one ounce of isingla.s.s in half a pint of water; strain it; and when cool add it to the syllabub, stirring it well all the time; then put it in a mould. It is better made the day before you want it.

_Whipt Syllabub._

Boil a quart of cream with a bit of cinnamon; let it cool; take out the cinnamon, and sweeten to your taste. Put in half a pint of white wine, or sack, and a piece of lemon-peel. Whip it with a whisk to a froth; take it off with a spoon as it rises; lay it on the bottom of a sieve; put wine sweetened in the bottom of your gla.s.ses, and lay on the syllabub as high as you can.

_Taffy._

Two pounds of moist sugar, an ounce of candied orange-peel, the same of citron, the juice of three lemons, the rind of two grated, and two ounces and a half of b.u.t.ter. Keep stirring these on the fire until they attain the desired consistency. Pour it on paper oiled to prevent its sticking.

_Trifle._ No. 1.

Take as many macaroons as the bottom of your dish will hold; peel off the wafers, and dip the cakes in Madeira or mountain wine. Make a very thick custard, with pounded apricot or peach kernels boiled in it; but if you have none, you may put some bitter almonds; pour the custard hot upon the maccaroons. When the custard is cold, or just before the trifle is sent to table, lay on it as much whipped syllabub as the dish can hold. The syllabub must be done with very good cream and wine, and put on a sieve to drain before you lay it on the custard. If you like it, put here and there on the whipped cream bunches of preserved barberries, or pieces of raspberry jam.

_Trifle._ No. 2.

Take a quart of sweet cream; boil it with a blade of mace and a little lemon-peel; sweeten it with sugar; keep stirring it till it is almost cold to prevent it from creaming at top; then put it into the dish you intend to serve it in, with a spoonful or less of runnet. Let it stand till it becomes like cheese. You may perfume it, or add orange-flower water.

_Trifle._ No. 3.

Cover the bottom of your dish with maccaroons and ratafia cakes; just wet them all through with mountain wine or raisin wine; then make a boiled custard, not too thick, and when cold pour it over them. Lay a whipped syllabub over that. You may garnish with currant jelly.

_Trotter Jelly._

Boil four sheep's trotters in a quart of water till reduced to a pint, and strain it through a fine sieve.

_Veal and Ham Pates._

Chop six ounces of ready dressed lean veal and three ounces of ham very small; put it into a stewpan, with an ounce of b.u.t.ter rolled in flour, half a gill of cream, the same quant.i.ty of veal stock, a little lemon-peel, cayenne pepper and salt, to which add, if you like, a spoonful of essence of ham and some lemon-juice.

_Venison Pasty._

Bone a neck and breast of venison, and season them well with salt and pepper; put them into a pan, with part of a neck of mutton sliced and laid over them, and a gla.s.s of red wine. Cover the whole with a coa.r.s.e paste, and bake it an hour or two; but finish baking in a puff paste, adding a little more seasoning and the gravy from the meat. Let the crust be half an inch thick at the bottom, and the top crust thicker. If the pasty is to be eaten hot, pour a rich gravy into it when it comes from the oven; but, if cold, there is no occasion for that. The breast and shoulder make a very good pasty. It may be done in raised crust. A middle-sized pasty will take three hours' baking.

_Vol-au-Vent._

Take a sufficient quant.i.ty of puff-paste, cut it to the shape of the dish, and make it as for an apple pie, only without a top. When baked, put it on a sheet of writing paper, near the fire, to drain the b.u.t.ter, till dinner time. Then take two fowls, which have been previously boiled; cut them up as for a frica.s.see, but leave out the back. Prepare a sauce, the white sauce as directed for boiled fowls. Wash a table-spoonful of mushrooms in three or four cold waters; cut them in half, and add them also; then thoroughly heat up the sauce, and have the chicken also ready heated in a little boiling water, in which put a little soup jelly. Strain the liquor from the chicken; pour a little of the sauce in the bottom of the paste, then lay the wings, &c. in the paste; pour the rest of the sauce over them, and serve it up hot. The paste should be well filled to the top, and if there is not sauce enough more must be added.