Domestic French Cookery, 4th ed Part 12

Beat together till very light, a pound of b.u.t.ter and a pound of powdered sugar. Sift a pound of flour into a pan. Take the yolks only, of twelve eggs, and beat them till very thick and smooth. Pour them into the flour, and add the beaten b.u.t.ter and sugar. Stir in a grated nutmeg, and a wine-gla.s.s of rose-water. Mix the whole together, till it becomes a lump of dough.

Flour your paste-board, and lay the dough upon it; sprinkle it with flour. Roll it out about half an inch thick, and cut it into round cakes with the edge of a cup. Flour a shallow pan, put in the cakes (so as not to touch), and bake them about five minutes in a quick oven. If the oven is too cool, they will run.

When the cakes are cool, lay on each a large lump of currant jelly. Take the whites of the eggs, and beat them till they stand alone. Then add to them, by degrees, sufficient powdered sugar to make the consistence of icing, and ten drops of strong essence of lemon. Heap on each cake, with a spoon, a pile of the icing over the currant-jelly. Set them in a cool oven till the icing becomes firm and of a pale brownish tint.

These cakes are very fine.

WAFERS.

Sift half a pound of flour into a pan. Make a hole in the middle, and put in three beaten eggs, a table-spoonful of brandy, a table-spoonful of powdered sugar, a table-spoonful of sweet-oil, and a very little salt, not more than will lie on a sixpence. Mix all together, adding gradually a little milk, till you have a batter about the thickness of good cream. Then stir in a table-spoonful of rose-water. Let there be no lumps in the batter. Heat your wafer-iron on both sides, in a clear fire, but do not allow it to get red-hot. Then grease the inside with a brush dipped in sweet-oil, or a clean rag with some b.u.t.ter tied up in it. Then put in the batter, allowing about two table-spoonfuls to each wafer. Close the iron, and in baking turn it first on one side and then on the other. When done, sprinkle the wafers with powdered sugar, and roll each one up, pressing the edges together while warm, so as to make them unite.

A little practice will soon show you the proper degree of heat, and the time necessary for baking the wafers. They should be but slightly colored, and of an even tint all over.

GINGERBREAD.

Mix together two pounds of flour, one pound of sugar, five beaten eggs, three quarters of a pound of b.u.t.ter, and a tea-cupful of ginger. Put the flour to the other ingredients, a little at a time, and stir the whole very hard. Melt a tea-spoonful of sal aratus or fine pearl-ash in a little sour milk, and stir it in at the last. Roll the dough into sheets, and cut it out with square tins. If not stiff enough for rolling, add a little more flour. Lay it in b.u.t.tered pans, and bake it in a moderate oven.

PART THE SEVENTH.

PREPARATIONS OF FRUIT, SUGAR, &c.

AN APPLE CHARLOTTE.

Pare and core some fine pippins, and cut them into small pieces. Melt some b.u.t.ter in the bottom of a pan. Then lay your apples in it with a sufficient proportion of sugar, beaten cinnamon or nutmeg, and some rose-water or grated lemon-peel. Set the pan in an oven, and let the apples bake till they are quite soft. Then take them out of the pan, and mash them to a marmalade with the back of a spoon.

Cut some thin slices of bread into a triangular or three-cornered shape, and dip them in melted b.u.t.ter. Then b.u.t.ter a broad deep dish, and lay the pieces of bread in the bottom of it, making the points meet in the centre. Spread a thick layer of apple all over the bread; then more bread, covered with another layer of apple, and so on till the dish is full; having a cover of bread on the top. Set it in the oven, and bake it slowly about a quarter of an hour.

A very fine Charlotte may be made by subst.i.tuting slices of spunge-cake for the bread, or having square spunge-cakes laid round, leaving a hole in the centre to be filled up with gooseberry jelly. If you use spunge-cake, you need not put it in the oven.

APPLE COMPOTE.

Pare and core some large pippins, but leave them whole. Make a syrup by boiling and skimming a pound of loaf-sugar melted in a gill of water, into which the half of the white of an egg has been beaten. When the syrup is quite clear, boil the apples in it till soft and tender. Then take them out, lay them in a deep dish, and fill up with small sweet-meats or marmalade the holes from whence you took the cores.

Boil the syrup again till it becomes a jelly. Pour it hot over your apples, and set it in a cool place to congeal.

The syrup will be much improved by adding to it the juice of one or two lemons, or a dozen drops of essence of lemon.

COMPOTE OF PEARS.

Pare them, but leave on the stems. Lay them in a preserving-pan; and to a dozen moderate-sized pears, put half a pound of white sugar, a gill of water, and a few sticks of cinnamon, with some slips of lemon-peel.

Simmer them till tender; and when half done, pour in a gla.s.s of port-wine. When quite done, take out the pears and lay them in a deep dish. Strain the syrup; give it another boil, and pour it over them.

COMPOTE OF CHESTNUTS.

Take some of the largest and finest chestnuts. Cut a slit in the sh.e.l.l of each, and roast them in a charcoal furnace, taking care not to burn them. When done, peel them and put them into a pan with some powdered sugar, and a very little water. Let them simmer over a slow fire for about a quarter of an hour. When done, take them out, put them into a dish, squeeze over them some lemon-juice, and sprinkle them with powdered sugar.

FRIED APPLES.

Pare and core some of the largest and finest pippins, and cut them into thin round slices. Mix together in a deep dish some brandy, lemon-juice, and powdered sugar. Lay the slices of apple in it, and let them soak for several hours. Then drain them, and dip each slice in flour. Put some b.u.t.ter into a pan, and fry the apples of a fine brown. Dish them, and grate loaf-sugar over them.

Quinces may be done in the same manner. So also may peaches, but they must be cut in half.

PEACH MARMALADE.

Take ripe peaches; pare them and cut them in half, taking out the stones. Weigh them, and to each pound of fruit allow half a pound of loaf-sugar. Mash them with the sugar, and put them in a preserving-kettle. Boil them slowly till they become a shapeless ma.s.s, which will generally be in about three quarters of an hour. Stir the marmalade frequently, to prevent its sticking to the kettle. Blanch half the kernels, and cut them in two; and when the marmalade is about half done, put them into it to give it a fine flavor. Take out the kernels when the marmalade is cold, and then tie it up in pots or gla.s.ses, laying over it paper dipped in brandy.

Marmalade of plums or green-gages may be made in the same manner.

BRANDY PEACHES.

Take large yellow free-stone peaches; they must not be too ripe. Wipe off the down with a flannel, and then p.r.i.c.k each peach to the stone with a large pin. Put them into a pan, and scald them with boiling water.

Cover them, and let them rest for a few minutes. This is to make them white. You may repeat the scalding two or three times. Then take them out to drain and dry.

Allow a pound of the best loaf-sugar to a dozen large peaches. Put the sugar into a preserving-kettle (lined with enamel or porcelain), and melt it, allowing to each pound a gill of water, and half the white of an egg. Boil the sugar, and skim it till perfectly clear. Then put in the peaches, and give them a boil. Take them off the fire, and let them set in the syrup till next day.

The following morning take out the peaches, set the syrup over the fire, and when it has boiled a few minutes put in the peaches, and give them a short boil. Then take them out, and let them get cold. Boil down the syrup to half its original quant.i.ty, but take care that it does not boil long enough to congeal or become thick. Put the peaches into a gla.s.s jar, and pour the syrup over them. Fill up the jar with brandy, and cover it closely.

Apricots may be done in the same manner. Also pears. The stems must be left on the pears.

GOOSEBERRY POTTAGE.

Stew two quarts of fine large gooseberries in just sufficient water to cover them. When quite soft and broken, mash them with the back of a spoon, make them very sweet with sugar, and set them away to get cold.

Take three pints of rich milk; stir into it a pounded nutmeg and the yolks of four eggs. Then set it over a bed of hot coals, and let it simmer, stirring it gently all the time. Before it comes to a boil, take it off the fire and gradually stir in the gooseberries. It must be quite cold before you serve it up. Send it to table in a bowl, and eat spunge-cake with it.

It will be still nicer, if you use the pulp only of the gooseberries, pressed through a sieve or cullender.

FRUIT JELLIES.

Previous to making your jelly, clarify the sugar, which must be the best loaf. Break it up, and to each pound allow a gill of water and an ounce of isingla.s.s. Mix the water with the sugar. Dissolve the isingla.s.s in as much hot water as will cover it. Set the sugar over the fire in a preserving-kettle; and when it is beginning to boil, throw in the melted isingla.s.s. Skim the syrup well, and when it is quite clear and no more sc.u.m rises, take it from the fire, cover it, and leave it to settle.

Prepare the fruit of which you intend to make the jelly. If small fruit, such as gooseberries, currants, grapes, raspberries, or strawberries; pick them from the stems, and put them into a jar; set the jar in a vessel of warm water, and let them come to a boil. Then take them out, put them into a fine sieve, set a pan under it, and with the back of a large spoon press out all the juice from the fruit. Mix the juice, while warm, with the clarified sugar, and boil them together for about a quarter of an hour. Then put it into your jars or gla.s.ses, and tie it up with brandy-paper.