Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management 29 – Beeton · Verses Across
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Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management 29Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management (part 29)
18
Literature · Technology
Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management 29
Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management (part 29)
BeetonEnglish
HALF-PAY PUDDING.
1286. INGREDIENTS.--1/4 lb. of suet, 1/4 lb. of currants, 1/4 lb. of raisins, 1/4 lb. of flour, 1/4 lb. of bread crumbs, 2 tablespoonfuls of treacle, 1/2 pint of milk.
Mode.--Chop the suet finely; mix with it the currants, which should be nicely washed and dried, the raisins, which should be stoned, the flour, bread crumbs, and treacle; moisten with the milk, beat up the ingredients until all are thoroughly mixed, put them into a buttered basin, and boil the pudding for 3-1/2 hours.
Time.--3-1/2 hours.
Average cost, 8d.
Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.
Seasonable at any time.
HERODOTUS PUDDING.
1287. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 lb. of bread crumbs, 1/2 lb. of good figs, 6 oz. of suet, 6 oz. of moist sugar, 1/2 saltspoonful of salt, 3 eggs, nutmeg to taste.
Mode.--Mince the suet and figs very finely; add the remaining ingredients, taking care that the eggs are well whisked; beat the mixture for a few minutes, put it into a buttered mould, tie it down with a floured cloth, and boil the pudding for 5 hours. Serve with wine sauce.
Time.--5 hours.
Average cost, 10d.
Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.
Seasonable at any time.
HUNTER'S PUDDING.
1288. INGREDIENTS.--1 lb. of raisins, 1 lb. of currants, 1 lb. of suet, 1 lb. of bread crumbs, 3 lb. of moist sugar, 8 eggs, 1 tablespoonful of flour, 3 lb. of mixed candied peel, 1 glass of brandy, 10 drops of essence of lemon, 10 drops of essence of almonds, 1/2 nutmeg, 2 blades of mace, 6 cloves.
Mode.--Stone and shred the raisins rather small, chop the suet finely, and rub the bread until all lumps are well broken; pound the spice to powder, cut the candied peel into thin shreds, and mix all these ingredients well together, adding the sugar. Beat the eggs to a strong froth, and as they are beaten, drop into them the essence of lemon and essence of almonds; stir these to the dry ingredients, mix well, and add the brandy. Tie the pudding firmly in a cloth, and boil it for 6 hours at the least: 7 or 8 hours would be still better for it. Serve with boiled custard, or red-currant jelly, or brandy sauce.
Time.--6 to 8 hours.
Average cost, 3s. 6d.
Sufficient for 9 or 10 persons.
Seasonable in winter.
ICED PUDDING.
(Parisian Recipe.)
1289. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 lb. of sweet almonds, 2 oz. of bitter ones, 3/4 lb. of sugar, 8 eggs, 1-1/2 pint of milk.
Mode.--Blanch and dry the almonds thoroughly in a cloth, then pound them in a mortar until reduced to a smooth paste; add to these the well-beaten eggs, the sugar, and milk; stir these ingredients over the fire until they thicken, but do not allow them to boil; then strain and put the mixture into the freezing-pot; surround it with ice, and freeze it as directed in recipe 1290. When quite frozen, fill an iced-pudding mould, put on the lid, and keep the pudding in ice until required for table; then turn it out on the dish, and garnish it with a compôte of any fruit that may be preferred, pouring a little over the top of the pudding. This pudding may be flavoured with vanilla, Curaçoa, or Maraschino.
Time.--1/2 hour to freeze the mixture.
Seasonable.--Served all the year round.
ICED APPLE PUDDING. (French Recipe, after Carême.)
1290. INGREDIENTS.--2 dozen apples, a small pot of apricot-jam, 1/2 lb. of sugar, 1 Seville orange, 1/4 pint of preserved cherries, 1/4 lb. of raisins, 1 oz. of citron, 2 oz. of almonds, 1 gill of Curaçoa, 1 gill of Maraschino, 1 pint of cream.
Mode.--Peel, core, and cut the apples into quarters, and simmer them over the fire until soft; then mix with them the apricot-jam and the sugar, on which the rind of the orange should be previously rubbed; work all these ingredients through a sieve, and put them into the freezing-pot. Stone the raisins, and simmer them in a little syrup for a few minutes; add these, with the sliced citron, the almonds cut in dice, and the cherries drained from their syrup, to the ingredients in the freezing-pot; put in the Curaçoa and Maraschino, and freeze again; add as much whipped cream as will be required, freeze again, and fill the mould. Put the lid on, and plunge the mould into the ice-pot; cover it with a wet cloth and pounded ice and saltpetre, where it should remain until wanted for table. Turn the pudding out of the mould on to a clean and neatly-folded napkin, and serve, as sauce, a little iced whipped cream, in a sauce-tureen or glass dish.
Time.--1/2 hour to freeze the mixture.
Seasonable from August to March.
Method of working the freezing Apparatus.--Put into the outer pail some pounded ice, upon which strew some saltpetre; then fix the pewter freezing-pot upon this, and surround it entirely with ice and saltpetre. Wipe the cover and edges of the pot, pour in the preparation, and close the lid; a quarter of an hour after, begin turning the freezing-pan from right to left, and when the mixture begins to be firm round the sides of the pot, stir it about with the slice or spattle, that the preparation may be equally congealed. Close the lid again, keep working from right to left, and, from time to time, remove the mixture from the sides, that it may be smooth; and when perfectly frozen, it is ready to put in the mould; the mould should then be placed in the ice again, where it should remain until wanted for table.
ROLY-POLY JAM PUDDING.
1291. INGREDIENTS.--3/4 lb of suet-crust No. 1215, 3/4 lb. of any kind of jam.
Mode.--Make a nice light suet-crust by recipe No. 1215, and roll it out to the thickness of about 1/2 inch. Spread the jam equally over it, leaving a small margin of paste without any, where the pudding joins. Roll it up, fasten the ends securely, and tie it in a floured cloth; put the pudding into boiling water, and boil for 2 hours. Mincemeat or marmalade may be substituted for the jam, and makes excellent puddings.
Time.--2 hours.
Average cost, 9d.
Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.
Seasonable.--Suitable for winter puddings, when fresh fruit is not obtainable.
LEMON CHEESECAKES.
1292. INGREDIENTS.--1/4 lb. of butter, 1 lb. of loaf sugar, 6 eggs, the rind of 2 lemons and the juice of 3.
Mode.--Put all the ingredients into a stewpan, carefully grating the lemon-rind and straining the juice. Keep stirring the mixture over the fire until the sugar is dissolved, and it begins to thicken: when of the consistency of honey, it is done; then put it into small jars, and keep in a dry place. This mixture will remain good 3 or 4 months. When made into cheesecakes, add a few pounded almonds, or candied peel, or grated sweet biscuit; line some patty-pans with good puff-paste, rather more than half fill them with the mixture, and bake for about 1/4 hour in a good brisk oven.
Time.--1/4 hour.
Average cost, 1s. 4d.
Sufficient for 24 cheesecakes.
Seasonable at any time.
LEMON MINCEMEAT.
1293. INGREDIENTS.--2 large lemons, 6 large apples, 1/2 lb. of suet, 1 lb. of currants, 1/2 lb. of sugar, 2 oz. of candied lemon-peel, 1 oz. of citron, mixed spice to taste.
Mode.--Pare the lemons, squeeze them, and boil the peel until tender enough to mash. Add to the mashed lemon-peel the apples, which should be pared, cored, and minced; the chopped suet, currants, sugar, sliced peel, and spice. Strain the lemon-juice to these ingredients, stir the mixture well, and put it in a jar with a closely-fitting lid. Stir occasionally, and in a week or 10 days the mincemeat will be ready for use.
Average cost, 2s.
Sufficient for 18 large or 24 small pies.
Seasonable.--Make this about the beginning of December.
LEMON DUMPLINGS.
1294. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 lb. of grated bread, 1/4 lb. of chopped suet, 1/4 lb. of moist sugar, 2 eggs, 1 large lemon.
Mode.--Mix the bread, suet, and moist sugar well together, adding the lemon-peel, which should be very finely minced. Moisten with the eggs and strained lemon-juice; stir well, and put the mixture into small buttered cups. Tie them down and boil for 3/4 hour. Turn them out on a dish, strew sifted sugar over them, and serve with wine sauce.
Time.--3/4 hour.
Average cost, 7d.
Sufficient for 6 dumplings.
Seasonable at any time.
BAKED LEMON PUDDING.
I.
1295. INGREDIENTS.--The yolks of 4 eggs, 4 oz. of pounded sugar, 1 lemon, 1/4 lb. of butter, puff-crust.
Mode.--Beat the eggs to a froth; mix with them the sugar and warmed butter; stir these ingredients well together, putting in the grated rind and strained juice of the lemon-peel. Line a shallow dish with puff-paste; put in the mixture, and bake in a moderate oven for 40 minutes; turn the pudding out of the dish, strew over it sifted sugar, and serve.
Time.--40 minutes.
Average cost, 10d.
Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.
Seasonable at any time.
II.
1296. INGREDIENTS.--10 oz. of bread crumbs, 2 pints of milk, 2 oz. of butter, 1 lemon, 1/4 lb. of pounded sugar, 4 eggs, 1 tablespoonful of brandy.
Mode.--Bring the milk to the boiling point, stir in the butter, and pour these hot over the bread crumbs; add the sugar and very finely-minced lemon-peel; beat the eggs, and stir these in with the brandy to the other ingredients; put a paste round the dish, and bake for 3/4 hour.
Time.--3/4 hour. Average cost, 1s. 2d.
Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons.
Seasonable at any time.
LEMON.--The lemon is a variety of the citron. The juice of this fruit makes one of our most popular and refreshing beverages--lemonade, which is gently stimulating and cooling, and soon quenches the thirst. It may he freely partaken by bilious and sanguine temperaments; but persons with irritable stomachs should avoid it, on account of its acid qualities. The fresh rind of the lemon is a gentle tonic, and, when dried and grated, is used in flavouring a variety of culinary preparations. Lemons appear in company with the orange in most orange-growing countries. They were only known to the Romans at a very late period, and, at first, were used only to keep the moths from their garments: their acidity was unpleasant to them. In the time of Pliny, the lemon was hardly known otherwise than as an excellent counter-poison.
III.
(Very rich.)
1297. INGREDIENTS.--The rind and juice of 2 large lemons, 1/2 lb. of loaf sugar, 1/4 pint of cream, the yolks of 8 eggs, 2 oz. of almonds, 1/2 lb. of butter, melted.
Mode.--Mix the pounded sugar with the cream, and add the yolks of eggs and the butter, which should be previously warmed. Blanch and pound the almonds, and put these, with the grated rind and strained juice of the lemons, to the other ingredients. Stir all well together; line a dish with puff-paste, put in the mixture, and bake for 1 hour.
Time.--1 hour.
Average cost, 2s.
Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons.
Seasonable at any time.
BOILED LEMON PUDDING.
1298. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 lb. of chopped suet, 3/4 lb. of bread crumbs, 2 small lemons, 6 oz. of moist sugar, 1/4 lb. of flour, 2 eggs, milk.
Mode.--Mix the suet, bread crumbs, sugar, and flour well together, adding the lemon-peel, which should be very finely minced, and the juice, which should be strained. When these ingredients are well mixed, moisten with the eggs and sufficient milk to make the pudding of the consistency of thick batter; put it into a well-buttered mould, and boil for 3-1/2 hours; turn it out, strew sifted sugar over, and serve with wine sauce, or not, at pleasure.
Time.--3-1/2 hours.
Average cost, 1s.
Sufficient for 7 or 8 persons. Seasonable at any time.
Note.--This pudding may also be baked, and will be found very good. It will take about 2 hours.
PLAIN LEMON PUDDING.
1299. INGREDIENTS.--3/4 lb. of flour, 6 oz. of lard or dripping, the juice of 1 large lemon, 1 teaspoonful of flour, sugar.
Mode.--Make the above proportions of flour and lard into a smooth paste, and roll it out to the thickness of about 1/2 inch. Squeeze the lemon-juice, strain it into a cup, stir the flour into it, and as much moist sugar as will make it into a stiff and thick paste; spread this mixture over the paste, roll it up, secure the ends, and tie the pudding in a floured cloth. Boil for 2 hours.
Time.--2 hours.
Average cost, 7d.
Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.
Seasonable at any time.
MANCHESTER PUDDING (to eat Cold).
1300. INGREDIENTS.--3 oz. of grated bread, 1/2 pint of milk, a strip of lemon-peel, 4 eggs, 2 oz. of butter, sugar to taste, puff-paste, jam, 3 tablespoonfuls of brandy.
Mode.--Flavour the milk with lemon-peel, by infusing it in the milk for 1/2 hour; then strain it on to the bread crumbs, and boil it for 2 or 3 minutes; add the eggs, leaving out the whites of 2, the butter, sugar, and brandy; stir all these ingredients well together; cover a pie-dish with puff-paste, and at the bottom put a thick layer of any kind of jam; pour the above mixture, cold, on the jam, and bake the pudding for an hour. Serve cold, with a little sifted sugar sprinkled over.
Time.--1 hour.
Average cost, 1s.
Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.
Seasonable at any time.
SWEET MACARONI PUDDING.
1301. INGREDIENTS.--2-1/2 oz. of macaroni, 2 pints of milk, the rind of 1/2 lemon, 3 eggs, sugar and grated nutmeg to taste, 2 tablespoonfuls of brandy.
Mode.--Put the macaroni, with a pint of the milk, into a saucepan with the lemon-peel, and let it simmer gently until the macaroni is tender; then put it into a pie-dish without the peel; mix the other pint of milk with the eggs; stir these well together, adding the sugar and brandy, and pour the mixture over the macaroni. Grate a little nutmeg over the top, and bake in a moderate oven for 1/2 hour. To make this pudding look nice, a paste should be laid round the edges of the dish, and, for variety, a layer of preserve or marmalade may be placed on the macaroni: in this case omit the brandy.
Time.--3/4 hour to simmer the macaroni; 1/2 hour to bake the pudding.
Average cost, 11d.
Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.
Seasonable at any time.
MACARONI is composed of wheaten flour, flavoured with other articles, and worked up with water into a paste, to which, by a peculiar process, a tubular or pipe form is given, in order that it may cook more readily in hot water. That of smaller diameter than macaroni (which is about the thickness of a goose-quill) is called vermicelli; and when smaller still, fidelini. The finest is made from the flour of the hard-grained Black-Sea wheat. Macaroni is the principal article of food in many parts of Italy, particularly Naples, where the best is manufactured, and from whence, also, it is exported in considerable quantities. In this country, macaroni and vermicelli are frequently used in soups.
MANNA KROUP PUDDING.
1302. INGREDIENTS.--3 tablespoonfuls of manna kroup, 12 bitter almonds, 1 pint of milk, sugar to taste, 3 eggs.
Mode.--Blanch and pound the almonds in a mortar; mix them with the manna kroup; pour over these a pint of boiling milk, and let them steep for about 1/4 hour. When nearly cold, add sugar and the well-beaten eggs; mix all well together; put the pudding into a buttered dish, and bake for 1/2 hour.
Time.--1/2 hour.
Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons. Seasonable at any time.
MANNA KROUP, SEMORA, or SEMOLINA, are three names given to a flour made from ground wheat and rice. The preparation is white when it is made only of these materials; the yellow colour which it usually has, is produced by a portion of saffron and yolks of eggs. Next to vermicelli, this preparation is the most useful for thickening either meat or vegetable soups. As a food, it is light, nutritious, wholesome, and easily digested. The best preparation is brought from Arabia, and, next to that, from Italy.
MANSFIELD PUDDING.
1303. INGREDIENTS.--The crumb of 2 rolls, 1 pint of milk, sugar to taste, 4 eggs, 2 tablespoonfuls of brandy, 6 oz. of chopped suet, 2 tablespoonfuls of flour, 1/2 lb. of currants, 1/2 teaspoonful of grated nutmeg, 2 tablespoonfuls of cream.
Mode.--Slice the roll very thin, and pour upon it a pint of boiling milk; let it remain covered close for 1/4 hour, then beat it up with a fork, and sweeten with moist sugar; stir in the chopped suet, flour, currants, and nutmeg. Mix these ingredients well together, moisten with the eggs, brandy, and cream; beat the mixture for 2 or 3 minutes, put it into a buttered dish or mould, and bake in a moderate oven for 1-1/4 hour. Turn it out, strew sifted sugar over, and serve.
Time.--1-1/4 hour. Average cost, 1s. 3d.
Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons. Seasonable at any time.
MARLBOROUGH PUDDING.
1304. INGREDIENTS.--1/4 lb. of butter, 1/4 lb. of powdered lump sugar, 4 eggs, puff-paste, a layer of any kind of jam.
Mode.--Beat the butter to a cream, stir in the powdered sugar, whisk the eggs, and add these to the other ingredients. When these are well mixed, line a dish with puff-paste, spread over a layer of any kind of jam that may be preferred, pour in the mixture, and bake the pudding for rather more than 1/2 hour.
Time.--Rather more than 1/2 hour. Average cost, 1s.
Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Seasonable at any time.
MARMALADE AND VERMICELLI PUDDING.
1305. INGREDIENTS.--1 breakfastcupful of vermicelli, 2 tablespoonfuls of marmalade, 1/4 lb. of raisins, sugar to taste, 3 eggs, milk.
Mode.--Pour some boiling milk on the vermicelli, and let it remain covered for 10 minutes; then mix with it the marmalade, stoned raisins, sugar, and beaten eggs. Stir all well together, put the mixture into a buttered mould, boil for 1-1/2 hour, and serve with custard sauce.
Time.--1-1/2 hour. Average cost. 1s.
Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Seasonable at any time.
MARROW DUMPLINGS, to serve with Roast Meat, in Soup, with Salad, &c.
(German Recipe.)
1306. INGREDIENTS.--1 oz. of beef marrow, 1 oz. of butter, 2 eggs, 2 penny rolls, 1 teaspoonful of minced onion, 1 teaspoonful of minced parsley, salt and grated nutmeg to taste.
Mode.--Beat the marrow and butter together to a cream; well whisk the eggs, and add these to the other ingredients. When they are well stirred, put in the rolls, which should previously be well soaked in boiling milk, strained, and beaten up with a fork. Add the remaining ingredients, omitting the minced onion where the flavour is very much disliked, and form the mixture into small round dumplings. Drop these into boiling broth, and let them simmer for about 20 minutes or 1/2 hour. They may be served in soup, with roast meat, or with salad, as in Germany, where they are more frequently sent to table than in this country. They are very good.
Time.--20 minutes to 1/2 hour. Average cost, 6d.
Sufficient for 7 or 8 dumplings. Seasonable at any time.
BAKED OB BOILED MARROW PUDDING.
1307. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 pint of bread crumbs, 1-1/2 pint of milk, 6 oz. of marrow, 4 eggs, 1/4 lb. of raisins or currants, or 2 oz. of each; sugar and grated nutmeg to taste.
Mode.--Make the milk boiling, pour it hot on to the bread crumbs, and let these remain covered for about 1/2 hour; shred the marrow, beat up the eggs, and mix these with the bread crumbs; add the remaining ingredients, beat the mixture well, and either put it into a buttered mould and boil it for 2-1/2 hours, or put it into a pie-dish edged with puff-paste, and bake for rather more than 3/4 hour. Before sending it to table, sift a little pounded sugar over, after being turned out of the mould or basin.
Time.--2-1/2 hours to boil, 3/4 hour to bake. Average cost, 1s. 2d.
Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Seasonable at any time.
MILITARY PUDDINGS.
1308. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 lb. of suet, 1/2 lb. of bread crumbs, 1/2 lb. of moist sugar, the rind and juice of 1 large lemon.
Mode.--Chop the suet finely, mix it with the bread crumbs and sugar, and mince the lemon-rind and strain the juice; stir these into the other ingredients, mix well, and put the mixture into small buttered cups, and bake for rather more than 1/2 hour; turn them out on the dish, and serve with lemon-sauce. The above ingredients may be made into small balls, and boiled for about 1/2 hour; they should then be served with the same sauce as when baked.
Time.--Rather more than 1/2 hour. Average cost, 9d.
Sufficient to fill 6 or 7 moderate-sized cups. Seasonable at any time.
MINCEMEAT.
1309. INGREDIENTS.--2 lbs. of raisins, 3 lbs. of currants, 1-1/2 lb. of lean beef, 3 lbs. of beef suet, 2 lbs. of moist sugar, 2 oz. of citron, 2 oz. of candied lemon-peel, 2 oz. of candied orange-peel, 1 small nutmeg, 1 pottle of apples, the rind of 2 lemons, the juice of 1, 1/2 pint of brandy.
Mode.--Stone and cut the raisins once or twice across, but do not chop them; wash, dry, and pick the currants free from stalks and grit, and mince the beef and suet, taking care that the latter is chopped very fine; slice the citron and candied peel, grate the nutmeg, and pare, core, and mince the apples; mince the lemon-peel, strain the juice, and when all the ingredients are thus prepared, mix them well together, adding the brandy when the other things are well blended; press the whole into a jar, carefully exclude the air, and the mincemeat will be ready for use in a fortnight.
Average cost for this quantity, 8s.
Seasonable.--Make this about the beginning of December.
EXCELLENT MINCEMEAT.
1310. INGREDIENTS.--3 large lemons, 3 large apples, 1 lb. of stoned raisins, 1 lb. of currants, 1 lb. of suet, 2 lbs. of moist sugar, 1 oz. of sliced candied citron, 1 oz. of sliced candied orange-peel, and the same quantity of lemon-peel, 1 teacupful of brandy, 2 tablespoonfuls of orange marmalade.
Mode.--Grate the rinds of the lemons; squeeze out the juice, strain it, and boil the remainder of the lemons until tender enough to pulp or chop very finely. Then add to this pulp the apples, which should be baked, and their skins and cores removed; put in the remaining ingredients one by one, and, as they are added, mix everything very thoroughly together. Put the mincemeat into a stone jar with a closely-fitting lid, and in a fortnight it will be ready for use.
Seasonable.--This should be made the first or second week in December.
Mode.--Make some good puff-paste by recipe No. 1205; roll it out to the thickness of about 1/4 inch, and line some good-sized pattypans with it; fill them with mincemeat, cover with the paste, and cut it off all round close to the edge of the tin. Put the pies into a brisk oven, to draw the paste up, and bake for 25 minutes, or longer, should the pies be very large; brush them over with the white of an egg, beaten with the blade of a knife to a stiff froth; sprinkle over pounded sugar, and put them into the oven for a minute or two, to dry the egg; dish the pies on a white d'oyley, and serve hot. They may be merely sprinkled with pounded sugar instead of being glazed, when that mode is preferred. To re-warm them, put the pies on the pattypans, and let them remain in the oven for 10 minutes or 1/4 hour, and they will be almost as good as if freshly made.
Time.--25 to 30 minutes; 10 minutes to re-warm them.
Average cost, 4d. each.
Sufficient--1/2 lb. of paste for 4 pies. Seasonable at Christmas time.
MONDAY'S PUDDING.
1312. INGREDIENTS.--The remains of cold plum-pudding, brandy, custard made with 5 eggs to every pint of milk.
Mode.--Cut the remains of a good cold plum-pudding into finger-pieces, soak them in a little brandy, and lay them cross-barred in a mould until full. Make a custard with the above proportion of milk and eggs, flavouring it with nutmeg or lemon-rind; fill up the mould with it; tie it down with a cloth, and boil or steam it for an hour. Serve with a little of the custard poured over, to which has been added a tablespoonful of brandy.
Time.--1 hour.
Average cost, exclusive of the pudding, 6d.
Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.
Seasonable at any time.
NESSELRODE PUDDING. (A fashionable iced pudding--Carême's Recipe.)
1313. INGREDIENTS.--40 chestnuts, 1 lb. of sugar, flavouring of vanilla, 1 pint of cream, the yolks of 12 eggs, 1 glass of Maraschino, 1 oz. of candied citron, 2 oz. of currants, 2 oz. of stoned raisins, 1/2 pint of whipped cream, 3 eggs.
Mode.--Blanch the chestnuts in boiling water, remove the husks, and pound them in a mortar until perfectly smooth, adding a few spoonfuls of syrup. Then rub them through a fine sieve, and mix them in a basin with a pint of syrup made from 1 lb. of sugar, clarified, and flavoured with vanilla, 1 pint of cream, and the yolks of 12 eggs. Set this mixture over a slow fire, stirring it without ceasing, and just as it begins to boil, take it off and pass it through a tammy. When it is cold, put it into a freezing-pot, adding the Maraschino, and make the mixture set; then add the sliced citron, the currants, and stoned raisins (these two latter should be soaked the day previously in Maraschino and sugar pounded with vanilla); the whole thus mingled, add a plateful of whipped cream mixed with the whites of 3 eggs, beaten to a froth with a little syrup. When the pudding is perfectly frozen, put it into a pineapple-shaped mould; close the lid, place it again in the freezing-pan, covered over with pounded ice and saltpetre, and let it remain until required for table; then turn the pudding out, and serve.
Time.--1/2 hour to freeze the mixture.
Seasonable from October to February.
BAKED ORANGE PUDDING.
1314. INGREDIENTS.--6 oz. of stale sponge cake or bruised ratafias, 6 oranges, 1 pint of milk, 6 eggs, 1/2 lb. of sugar.
Mode.--Bruise the sponge cake or ratafias into fine crumbs, and pour upon them the milk, which should be boiling. Rub the rinds of 2 of the oranges on sugar, and add this, with the juice of the remainder, to the other ingredients. Beat up the eggs, stir them in, sweeten to taste, and put the mixture into a pie-dish previously lined with puff-paste. Bake for rather more than 1/2 hour; turn it out of the dish, strew sifted sugar over, and serve.
Time.--Rather more than 1 hour. Average cost, 1s, 6d.
Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. Seasonable from November to May.
ORANGE (Citrus Aurantium).--The principal varieties are the sweet, or China orange, and the bitter, or Seville orange; the Maltese is also worthy of notice, from its red blood-like pulp. The orange is extensively cultivated in the south of Europe, and in Devonshire, on walls with a south aspect, it bears an abundance of fruit. So great is the increase in the demand for the orange, and so ample the supply, that it promises to rival the apple in its popularity. The orange-tree is considered young at the age of a hundred years. The pulp of the orange consists of a collection of oblong vesicles filled with a sugary and refreshing juice. The orange blossom is proverbially chosen for the bridal wreath, and, from the same flower, an essential oil is extracted hardly less esteemed than the celebrated ottar of roses. Of all marmalades, that made from the Seville orange is the best. The peel and juice of the orange are much used in culinary preparations. From oranges are made preserves, comfitures, jellies, glacés, sherbet, liqueurs, and syrups. The juice of the orange in a glass d'eau sucrée makes a refreshing and wholesome drink. From the clarified pulp of the orange the French make a delicious jelly, which they serve in small pots, and call crême. The rasped peel of the orange is used in several sweet entremets, to which it communicates its perfume. The confectioner manufactures a variety of dainties from all parts of the orange. Confections of orange-peel are excellent tonics and stomachics. Persons with delicate stomachs should abstain from oranges at dessert, because their acidity is likely to derange the digestive organs.
SMALL DISHES OF PASTRY FOR ENTREMETS, SUPPER-DISHES, &c.
FANCHONNETTES, or CUSTARD TARTLETS.
1315. INGREDIENTS.--For the custard, 4 eggs, 3/4 pint of milk, 2 oz. of butter, 2 oz. of pounded sugar, 3 dessertspoonfuls of flour, flavouring to taste; the whites of 2 eggs, 2 oz. of pounded sugar.
Mode.--Well beat the eggs; stir to them the milk, the butter, which should be beaten to a cream, the sugar, and flour; mix these ingredients well together, put them into a very clean saucepan, and bring them to the simmering point, but do not allow them to boil. Flavour with essence of vanilla, bitter almonds, lemon, grated chocolate, or any flavouring ingredient that may be preferred. Line some round tartlet-pans with good puff-paste; fill them with the custard, and bake in a moderate oven for about 20 minutes; then take them out of the pans; let them cool, and in the mean time whisk the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth; stir into this the pounded sugar, and spread smoothly over the tartlets a little of this mixture. Put them in the oven again to set the icing, but be particular that they do not scorch: when the icing looks crisp, they are done. Arrange them, piled high in the centre, on a white napkin, and garnish the dish, and in between the tartlets, with strips of bright jelly, or very firmly-made preserve.
Time.--20 minutes to bake the tartlets; 5 minutes after being iced.
Average cost, exclusive of the paste, 1s.
Sufficient to fill 10 or 12 tartlets.
Seasonable at any time.
Note.--The icing may be omitted on the top of the tartlets, and a spoonful of any kind of preserve put at the bottom of the custard instead: this varies both the flavour and appearance of this dish.
ALMOND FLOWERS.
1316. INGREDIENTS.--Puff-paste No. 1205; to every 1/2 lb. of paste allow 3 oz. of almonds, sifted sugar, the white of an egg.
Mode.--Roll the paste out to the thickness of 1/4 inch, and, with a round fluted cutter, stamp out as many pieces as may be required. Work the paste up again, roll it out, and, with a smaller cutter, stamp out some pieces the size of a shilling. Brush the larger pieces over with the white of an egg, and place one of the smaller pieces on each. Blanch and cut the almonds into strips lengthwise; press them slanting into the paste closely round the rings; and when they are all completed, sift over some pounded sugar, and bake for about 1/4 hour or 20 minutes. Garnish between the almonds with strips of apple jelly, and place in the centre of the ring a small quantity of strawberry jam; pile them high on the dish, and serve.
Time.--1/4 hour or 20 minutes.
Sufficient.--18 or 20 for a dish.
Seasonable at any time.
FLUTED ROLLS.
1317. INGREDIENTS.--Puff-paste, the white of an egg, sifted sugar, jelly or preserve.
Mode.--Make some good puff-paste by recipe No. 1205 (trimmings answer very well for little dishes of this sort); roll it out to the thickness of 1/4 inch, and, with a round fluted paste-cutter, stamp out as many round pieces as may be required; brush over the upper side with the white of an egg; roll up the pieces, pressing the paste lightly together where it joins; place the rolls on a baking-sheet, and bake for about 1/4 hour. A few minutes before they are done, brush them over with the white of an egg; strew over sifted sugar, put them back in the oven; and when the icing is firm and of a pale brown colour, they are done. Place a strip of jelly or preserve across each roll, dish them high on a napkin, and serve cold.
Time.--1/4 hour before being iced; 5 to 10 minutes after.
Average cost, 1s. 3d.
Sufficient.--1/2 lb. of puff-paste for 2 dishes.
Seasonable at any time.
PASTRY SANDWICHES.
1318. INGREDIENTS.--Puff-paste, jam of any kind, the white of an egg, sifted sugar.
Mode.--Roll the paste out thin; put half of it on a baking-sheet or tin, and spread equally over it apricot, greengage, or any preserve that may be preferred. Lay over this preserve another thin paste; press the edges together all round; and mark the paste in lines with a knife on the surface, to show where to cut it when baked. Bake from 20 minutes to 1/2 hour; and, a short time before being done, take the pastry out of the oven, brush it over with the white of an egg, sift over pounded sugar, and put it back in the oven to colour. When cold, cut it into strips; pile these on a dish pyramidically, and serve. These strips, cut about 2 inches long, piled in circular rows, and a plateful of flavoured whipped cream poured in the middle, make a very pretty dish.
Time.--20 minutes to 1 hour. Average cost, with 1/2 lb. of paste, 1s.
Sufficient.--1/2 lb. of paste will make 2 dishes of sandwiches.
Seasonable at any time.
PETITES BOUCHEES.
1319. INGREDIENTS.--6 oz. of sweet almonds, 1/4 lb. of sifted sugar, the rind of 1/2 lemon, the white of 1 egg, puff-paste.
Mode.--Blanch the almonds, and chop them fine; rub the sugar on the lemon-rind, and pound it in a mortar; mix this with the almonds and the white of the egg. Roll some puff-paste out; cut it in any shape that may be preferred, such as diamonds, rings, ovals, &c., and spread the above mixture over the paste. Bake the bouchées in an oven, not too hot, and serve cold.
Time.--1/4 hour, or rather more. Average cost, 1s.
Sufficient for 1/2 lb. of puff-paste. Seasonable at any time.
POLISH TARTLETS.
1320. INGREDIENTS.--Puff-paste, the white of an egg, pounded sugar.
Mode.--Roll some good puff-paste out thin, and cut it into 2-1/2-inch squares; brush each square over with the white of an egg, then fold down the corners, so that they all meet in the middle of each piece of paste; slightly press the two pieces together, brush them over with the egg, sift over sugar, and bake in a nice quick oven for about 1/4 hour. When they are done, make a little hole in the middle of the paste, and fill it up with apricot jam, marmalade, or red-currant jelly. Pile them high in the centre of a dish, on a napkin, and garnish with the same preserve the tartlets are filled with.
Time.--1/4 hour or 20 minutes.
Average cost, with 1/2 lb. of puff-paste, 1s.
Sufficient for 2 dishes of pastry.
Seasonable at any time.
Note.--It should be borne in mind, that, for all dishes of small pastry, such as the preceding, trimmings of puff-pasty, left from larger tarts, answer as well as making the paste expressly.
PUITS d'AMOUR, or PUFF-PASTE RINGS.
1321. INGREDIENTS.--Puff-paste No. 1205, the white of an egg, sifted loaf sugar.
Mode.--Make some good puff-paste by recipe No. 1205; roll it out to the thickness of about 1/4 inch, and, with a round fluted paste-cutter, stamp out as many pieces as may be required; then work the paste up again, and roll it out to the same thickness, and with a smaller cutter, stamp out sufficient pieces to correspond with the larger ones. Again stamp out the centre of these smaller rings; brush over the others with the white of an egg, place a small ring on the top of every large circular piece of paste, egg over the tops, and bake from 15 to 20 minutes. Sift over sugar, put them back in the oven to colour them; then fill the rings with preserve of any bright colour. Dish them high on a napkin, and serve. So many pretty dishes of pastry may be made by stamping puff-paste out with fancy cutters, and filling the pieces, when baked, with jelly or preserve, that our space will not allow us to give a separate recipe for each of them; but, as they are all made from one paste, and only the shape and garnishing varied, perhaps it is not necessary, and by exercising a little ingenuity, variety may always be obtained. Half-moons, leaves, diamonds, stars, shamrocks, rings, etc., are the most appropriate shapes for fancy pastry.
Time.--15 to 25 minutes.
Average cost, with 1/2 lb. of paste, 1s.
Sufficient for 2 dishes of pastry.
Seasonable at any time.
PARADISE PUDDING.
1322. INGREDIENTS.--3 eggs, 3 apples, 1/4 lb. of bread crumbs, 3 oz. of sugar, 3 oz. of currants, salt and grated nutmeg to taste, the rind of 1/2 lemon, 1/2 wineglassful of brandy.
Mode.--Pare, core, and mince the apples into small pieces, and mix them with the other dry ingredients; beat up the eggs, moisten the mixture with these, and beat it well; stir in the brandy, and put the pudding into a buttered mould; tie it down with a cloth, boil for 1-1/2 hour, and serve with sweet sauce.
Time.--1-1/2 hour. Average cost, 1s.
Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons.
PEASE PUDDING.
1323. INGREDIENTS.--1-1/2 pint of split peas, 2 oz. of butter, 2 eggs, pepper and salt to taste.
Mode.--Put the peas to soak over-night, in rain-water, and float off any that are wormeaten or discoloured. Tie them loosely in a clean cloth, leaving a little room for them to swell, and put them on to boil in cold rain-water, allowing 2-1/2 hours after the water has simmered up. When the peas are tender, take them up and drain; rub them through a colander with a wooden spoon; add the butter, eggs, pepper, and salt; beat all well together for a few minutes, until the ingredients are well incorporated; then tie them tightly in a floured cloth; boil the pudding for another hour, turn it on to the dish, and serve very hot. This pudding should always be sent to table with boiled leg of pork, and is an exceedingly nice accompaniment to boiled beef.
Time.--2-1/2 hours to boil the peas, tied loosely in the cloth; 1 hour for the pudding.
Average cost, 6d.
Sufficient for 7 or 8 persons.
Seasonable from September to March.
BAKED PLUM-PUDDING.
1324. INGREDIENTS.--2 lbs. of flour, 1 lb. of currants, 1 lb. of raisins, 1 lb. of suet, 2 eggs, 1 pint of milk, a few slices of candied peel.
Mode.--Chop the suet finely; mix with it the flour, currants, stoned raisins, and candied peel; moisten with the well-beaten eggs, and add sufficient milk to make the pudding of the consistency of very thick batter. Put it into a buttered dish, and bake in a good oven from 2-1/4 to 2-1/2 hours; turn it out, strew sifted sugar over, and serve. For a very plain pudding, use only half the quantity of fruit, omit the eggs, and substitute milk or water for them. The above ingredients make a large family pudding; for a small one, half the quantity would be found ample; but it must be baked quite 1-1/2 hour.
Time.--Large pudding, 2-1/4 to 2-1/2 hours; half the size, 1-1/2 hour.
Average cost, 2s. 6d.
Sufficient for 9 or 10 persons.
Seasonable in winter.
RAISIN GRAPE.--All the kinds of raisins have much the same virtues; they are nutritive and balsamic, but they are very subject to fermentation with juices of any kind; and hence, when eaten immoderately, they often bring on colics. There are many varieties of grape used for raisins; the fruit of Valencia is that mostly dried for culinary purposes, whilst most of the table kinds are grown in Malaga, and called Muscatels. The finest of all table raisins come from Provence or Italy; the most esteemed of all are those of Roquevaire; they are very large and very sweet. This sort is rarely eaten by any but the most wealthy. The dried Malaga, or Muscatel raisins, which come to this country packed in small boxes, and nicely preserved in bunches, are variable in their quality, but mostly of a rich flavour, when new, juicy, and of a deep purple hue.
AN EXCELLENT PLUM-PUDDING, made without Eggs.
1325. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 lb. of flour, 6 oz. of raisins, 6 oz. of currants, 1/4 lb. of chopped suet, 1/4 lb. of brown sugar, 1/4 lb. of mashed carrot, 1/4 lb. of mashed potatoes, 1 tablespoonful of treacle, 1 oz. of candied lemon-peel, 1 oz. of candied citron.
Mode.--Mix the flour, currants, suet, and sugar well together; have ready the above proportions of mashed carrot and potato, which stir into the other ingredients; add the treacle and lemon-peel; but put no liquid in the mixture, or it will be spoiled. Tie it loosely in a cloth, or, if put in a basin, do not quite fill it, as the pudding should have room to swell, and boil it for 4 hours. Serve with brandy-sauce. This pudding is better for being mixed over-night.
Time.--4 hours.
Average cost, 1s. 6d.
Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons.
Seasonable in winter.
AN UNRIVALLED PLUM-PUDDING.
1326. INGREDIENTS.--1-1/2 lb. of muscatel raisins, 1-3/4 lb. of currants, 1 lb. of sultana raisins, 2 lbs. of the finest moist sugar, 2 lbs. of bread crumbs, 16 eggs, 2 lbs. of finely-chopped suet, 6 oz. of mixed candied peel, the rind of 2 lemons, 1 oz. of ground nutmeg, 1 oz. of ground cinnamon, 1/2 oz. of pounded bitter almonds, 1/4 pint of brandy.
Mode.--Stone and cut up the raisins, but do not chop them; wash and dry the currants, and cut the candied peel into thin slices. Mix all the dry ingredients well together, and moisten with the eggs, which should be well beaten and strained, to the pudding; stir in the brandy, and, when all is thoroughly mixed, well butter and flour a stout new pudding-cloth; put in the pudding, tie it down very tightly and closely, boil from 6 to 8 hours, and serve with brandy-sauce. A few sweet almonds, blanched and cut in strips, and stuck on the pudding, ornament it prettily. This quantity may be divided and boiled in buttered moulds. For small families this is the most desirable way, as the above will be found to make a pudding of rather large dimensions.
Time.--6 to 8 hours. Average cost, 7s. 6d.
Seasonable in winter. Sufficient for 12 or 14 persons.
Note.--The muscatel raisins can be purchased at a cheap rate loose (not in bunches): they are then scarcely higher in price than the ordinary raisins, and impart a much richer flavour to the pudding.
SULTANA GRAPE.--We have elsewhere stated that the small black grape grown in Corinth and the Ionian Isles is, when dried, the common currant of the grocers' shops; the white or yellow grape, grown in the same places, is somewhat larger than the black variety, and is that which produces the Sultana raisin. It has been called Sultana from its delicate qualities and unique growth: the finest are those of Smyrna. They have not sufficient flavour and sugary properties to serve alone for puddings and cakes, but they are peculiarly valuable for mixing, that is to say, for introducing in company with the richer sorts of Valencias or Muscatels. In white puddings, or cakes, too, where the whiteness must be preserved, the Sultana raisin should be used. But the greatest value of this fruit in the cuisine is that of its saving labour; for it has no stones. Half Muscatels and half Sultanas are an admirable mixture for general purposes.
A PLAIN CHRISTMAS PUDDING FOR CHILDREN.
1327. INGREDIENTS.--1 lb. of flour, 1 lb. of bread crumbs, 3/4 lb. of stoned raisins, 3/4 lb. of currants, 3/4 lb. of suet, 3 or 4 eggs, milk, 2 oz. of candied peel, 1 teaspoonful of powdered allspice, 1/2 saltspoonful of salt.
Mode.--Let the suet be finely chopped, the raisins stoned, and the currants well washed, picked, and dried. Mix these with the other dry ingredients, and stir all well together; beat and strain the eggs to the pudding, stir these in, and add just sufficient milk to make it mix properly. Tie it up in a well-floured cloth, put it into boiling water, and boil for at least 5 hours. Serve with a sprig of holly placed in the middle of the pudding, and a little pounded sugar sprinkled over it.
Time.--5 hours. Average cost, 1s. 9d.
Sufficient for 9 or 10 children. Seasonable at Christmas.
RAISINS.--Raisins are grapes, prepared by suffering them to remain on the vine until they are perfectly ripe, and then drying them in the sun or by the heat of an oven. The sun-dried grapes are sweet, the oven-dried of an acid flavour. The common way of drying grapes for raisins is to tie two or three bunches of them together, whilst yet on the vine, and dip them into a hot lixivium of wood-ashes mixed with a little of the oil of olives: this disposes them to shrink and wrinkle, after which they are left on the vine three or four days, separated, on sticks in a horizontal situation, and then dried in the sun at leisure, after being cut from the tree.
CHRISTMAS PLUM-PUDDING.
(Very Good.)
1328. INGREDIENTS.--1-1/2 lb. of raisins, 1/2 lb. of currants, 1/2 lb. of mixed peel, 3/4 lb. of bread crumbs, 3/4 lb. of suet, 8 eggs, 1 wineglassful of brandy.
Mode.--Stone and cut the raisins in halves, but do not chop them; wash, pick, and dry the currants, and mince the suet finely; cut the candied peel into thin slices, and grate down the bread into fine crumbs. When all these dry ingredients are prepared, mix them well together; then moisten the mixture with the eggs, which should be well beaten, and the brandy; stir well, that everything may be very thoroughly blended, and press the pudding into a buttered mould; tie it down tightly with a floured cloth, and boil for 5 or 6 hours. It may be boiled in a cloth without a mould, and will require the same time allowed for cooking. As Christmas puddings are usually made a few days before they are required for table, when the pudding is taken out of the pot, hang it up immediately, and put a plate or saucer underneath to catch the water that may drain from it. The day it is to be eaten, plunge it into boiling water, and keep it boiling for at least 2 hours; then turn it out of the mould, and serve with brandy-sauce. On Christmas-day a sprig of holly is usually placed in the middle of the pudding, and about a wineglassful of brandy poured round it, which, at the moment of serving, is lighted, and the pudding thus brought to table encircled in flame.
Time.--5 or 6 hours the first time of boiling; 2 hours the day it is to be served.
Average cost, 4s.
Sufficient for a quart mould for 7 or 8 persons.
Seasonable on the 25th of December, and on various festive occasions till March.
Note.--Five or six of these puddings should be made at one time, as they will keep good for many weeks, and in cases where unexpected guests arrive, will be found an acceptable, and, as it only requires warming through, a quickly-prepared dish. Moulds of every shape and size are manufactured for these puddings, and may be purchased of Messrs. R. & J. Slack, 336, Strand.
BRANDY is the alcoholic or spirituous portion of wine, separated from the aqueous part, the colouring matter, &c., by distillation. The word is of German origin, and in its German form, brantuein, signifies burnt wine, or wine that has undergone the action of fire; brandies, so called, however, have been made from potatoes, carrots, beetroot, pears, and other vegetable substances; but they are all inferior to true brandy. Brandy is prepared in most wine countries, but that of France is the most esteemed. It is procured not only by distilling the wine itself, but also by fermenting and distilling the marc, or residue of the pressings of the grape. It is procured indifferently from red or white wine, and different wines yield very different proportions of it, the strongest, of course, giving the largest quantity. Brandy obtained from marc has a more acrid taste than that from wine. The celebrated brandy of Cognac, a town in the department of Charente, and that brought from Andraye, seem to owe their excellence from being made from white wine. Like other spirit, brandy is colourless when recently distilled; by mere keeping, however, owing, probably, to some change in the soluble matter contained in it, it acquires a slight colour, which is much increased by keeping in casks, and is made of the required intensity by the addition of burnt sugar or other colouring matter. What is called British brandy is not, in fact, brandy, which is the name, as we have said, of a spirit distilled from wine; but is a spirit made chiefly from malt spirit, with the addition of mineral acids and various flavouring ingredients, the exact composition being kept secret. It is distilled somewhat extensively in this country; real brandy scarcely at all. The brandies imported into England are chiefly from Bordeaux, Rochelle, and Cognac.
A POUND PLUM-PUDDING.
1329. INGREDIENTS.--1 lb. of suet, 1 lb. of currants, 1 lb. of stoned raisins, 8 eggs, 1/2 grated nutmeg, 2 oz. of sliced candied peel, 1 teaspoonful of ground ginger, 1/2 lb. of bread crumbs, 1/2 lb. of flour, 1/2 pint of milk.
Mode.--Chop the suet finely; mix with it the dry ingredients; stir these well together, and add the well-beaten eggs and milk to moisten with. Beat up the mixture well, and should the above proportion of milk not be found sufficient to make it of the proper consistency, a little more should be added. Press the pudding into a mould, tie it in a floured cloth, and boil for 5 hours, or rather longer, and serve with brandy-sauce.
Time.--5 hours, or longer. Average cost, 3s.
Sufficient for 7 or 8 persons. Seasonable in winter.
Note.--The above pudding may be baked instead of boiled; it should be put into a buttered mould or tin, and baked for about 2 hours; a smaller one would take about 1-1/4 hour.
CITRON.--The fruit of the citron-tree (Citrus medica) is acidulous, antiseptic, and antiscorbutic: it excites the appetite, and stops vomiting, and, like lemon-juice, has been greatly extolled in chronic rheumatism, gout, and scurvy. Mixed with cordials, it is used as an antidote to the machineel poison. The candied peel is prepared in the same manner as orange or lemon-peel; that is to say, the peel is boiled in water until quite soft, and then suspended in concentrated syrup (in the cold), after which it is either dried in a current of warm air, or in a stove, at a heat not exceeding 120° Fahrenheit. The syrup must be kept fully saturated with sugar by reboiling it once or twice during the process. It may be dusted with powdered lump sugar, if necessary. The citron is supposed to be the Median, Assyrian, or Persian apple of the Greeks. It is described by Risso as having a majestic appearance, its shining leaves and rosy flowers being succeeded by fruit whose beauty and size astonish the observer, whilst their odour gratifies his senses. In China there is an enormous variety, but the citron is cultivated in all orange-growing countries.
PLUM-PUDDING OF FRESH FRUIT.
1330. INGREDIENTS.--3/4 lb. of suet crust No. 1-1/2 pint of Orleans or any other kind of plum, 1/4 lb. of moist sugar.
Mode.--Line a pudding-basin with suet crust rolled out to the thickness of about 1/2 inch; fill the basin with the fruit, put in the sugar, and cover with crust. Fold the edges over, and pinch them together, to prevent the juice escaping. Tie over a floured cloth, put the pudding into boiling water, and boil from 2 to 2-1/2 hours. Turn it out of the basin, and serve quickly.
Time.--2 to 2-1/2 hours.
Average cost, 10d.
Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons.
Seasonable, with various kinds of plums, from the beginning of August to the beginning of October.
PLUMS.--Almost all the varieties of the cultivated plum are agreeable and refreshing: it is not a nourishing fruit, and if indulged in to excess, when unripe, is almost certain to cause diarrhoea and cholera. Weak and delicate persons had better abstain from plums altogether. The modes of preparing plums are as numerous as the varieties of the fruit. The objections raised against raw plums do not apply to the cooked fruit, which even the invalid may eat in moderation.
PLUM TART.
1331. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 lb. of good short crust No. 1211, 1-1/2 pint of plums, 1/4 lb. of moist sugar.
Mode.--Line the edges of a deep tart-dish with crust made by recipe No. 1211; fill the dish with plums, and place a small cup or jar, upside down, in the midst of them. Put in the sugar, cover the pie with crust, ornament the edges, and bake in a good oven from 1/2 to 3/4 hour. When puff-crust is preferred to short crust, use that made by recipe No. 1206, and glaze the top by brushing it over with the white of an egg beaten to a stiff froth with a knife; sprinkle over a little sifted sugar, and put the pie in the oven to set the glaze.
Time.--1/2 to 3/4 hour. Average cost, 1s.
Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.
Seasonable, with various kinds of plums, from the beginning of August to the beginning of October.
POTATO PASTY.
1332. INGREDIENTS.--1-1/2 lb. of rump-steak or mutton cutlets, pepper and salt to taste, 1/3 pint of weak broth or gravy, 1 oz. of butter, mashed potatoes.
Mode.--Place the meat, cut in small pieces, at the bottom of the pan; season it with pepper and salt, and add the gravy and butter broken, into small pieces. Put on the perforated plate, with its valve-pipe screwed on, and fill up the whole space to the top of the tube with nicely-mashed potatoes mixed with a little milk, and finish the surface of them in any ornamental manner. If carefully baked, the potatoes will be covered with a delicate brown crust, retaining all the savoury steam rising from the meat. Send it to table as it comes from the oven, with a napkin folded round it.
Time.--40 to 60 minutes. Average cost, 2s.
Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons. Seasonable at any time.
POTATO PUDDING.
1333. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 lb. of mashed potatoes, 2 oz. of butter, 2 eggs, 1/4 pint of milk, 3 tablespoonfuls of sherry, 1/4 saltspoonful of salt, the juice and rind of 1 small lemon, 2 oz. of sugar.
Mode.--Boil sufficient potatoes to make 1/2 lb. when mashed; add to these the butter, eggs, milk, sherry, lemon-juice, and sugar; mince the lemon-peel very finely, and beat all the ingredients well together. Put the pudding into a buttered pie-dish, and bake for rather more than 1/2 hour. To enrich it, add a few pounded almonds, and increase the quantity of eggs and butter.
Time.--1/2 hour, or rather longer. Average cost, 8d.
Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Seasonable at any time.
TO ICE OR GLAZE PASTRY.
1334. To glaze pastry, which is the usual method adopted for meat or raised pies, break an egg, separate the yolk from the white, and beat the former for a short time. Then, when the pastry is nearly baked, take it out of the oven, brush it over with this beaten yolk of egg, and put it back in the oven to set the glaze.
1335. To ice pastry, which is the usual method adopted for fruit tarts and sweet dishes of pastry, put the white of an egg on a plate, and with the blade of a knife beat it to a stiff froth. When the pastry is nearly baked, brush it over with this, and sift over some pounded sugar; put it back into the oven to set the glaze, and, in a few minutes, it will be done. Great care should be taken that the paste does not catch or burn in the oven, which it is very liable to do after the icing is laid on.
Sufficient--Allow 1 egg and 1-1/8 oz. of sugar to glaze 3 tarts.
SUGAR has been happily called "the honey of reeds." The sugar-cane appears to be originally a native of the East Indies. The Chinese have cultivated it for 2,000 years. The Egyptians, Phoenicians, and Jews knew nothing about it. The Greek physicians are the first who speak of it. It was not till the year 1471 that a Venetian discovered the method of purifying brown sugar and making loaf sugar. He gained an immense fortune by this discovery. Our supplies are now obtained from Barbadoes, Jamaica, Mauritius, Ceylon, the East and West Indies generally, and the United States; but the largest supplies come from Cuba. Sugar is divided into the following classes:--Refined sugar, white clayed, brown clayed, brown raw, and molasses. The sugarcane grows to the height of six, twelve, or even sometimes twenty feet. It is propagated from cuttings, requires much hoeing and weeding, giving employment to thousands upon thousands of slaves in the slave countries, and attains maturity in twelve or thirteen months. When ripe, it is cut down close to the stole, the stems are divided into lengths of about three feet, which are made up into bundles, and carried to the mill, to be crushed between rollers. In the process of crushing, the juice runs down into a reservoir, from which, after a while, it is drawn through a siphon; that is to say, the clear fluid is taken from the scum. This fluid undergoes several processes of drying and refining; the methods varying in different manufactories. There are some large establishments engaged in sugar-refining in the neighbourhoods of Blackwall and Bethnal Green, London. The process is mostly in the hands of German workmen. Sugar is adulterated with fine sand and sawdust. Pure sugar is highly nutritious, adding to the fatty tissue of the body; but it is not easy of digestion.
BAKED RAISIN PUDDING.
(Plain and Economical.)
1336. INGREDIENTS.--1 lb. of flour, 3/4 lb. of stoned raisins, 1/2 lb. of suet, a pinch of salt, 1 oz. of sugar, a little grated nutmeg, milk.
Mode.--Chop the suet finely; stone the raisins and cut them in halves; mix these with the suet, add the salt, sugar, and grated nutmeg, and moisten the whole with sufficient milk to make it of the consistency of thick batter. Put the pudding into a buttered pie-dish, and bake for 1-1/2 hour, or rather longer. Turn it out of the dish, strew sifted sugar over, and serve. This is a very plain recipe, and suitable where there is a family of children. It, of course, can be much improved by the addition of candied peel, currants, and rather a larger proportion of suet: a few eggs would also make the pudding richer.
Time.--1-1/2 hour. Average cost, 9d.
Sufficient for 7 or 8 persons. Seasonable in winter.
INTRODUCTION OF SUGAR.--Sugar was first known as a drug, and used by the apothecaries, and with them was a most important article. At its first appearance, some said it was heating; others, that it injured the chest; others, that it disposed persons to apoplexy; the truth, however, soon conquered these fancies, and the use of sugar has increased every day, and there is no household in the civilized world which can do without it.
BOILED RAISIN PUDDING.
(Plain and Economical.)
1337. INGREDIENTS.--1 lb. of flour, 1/2 lb. of stoned raisins, 1/2 lb. of chopped suet, 1/2 saltspoonful of salt, milk.
Mode.--After having stoned the raisins and chopped the suet finely, mix them with the flour, add the salt, and when these dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed, moisten the pudding with sufficient milk to make it into rather a stiff paste. Tie it up in a floured cloth, put it into boiling water, and boil for 4 hours: serve with sifted sugar. This pudding may, also, be made in a long shape, the same as a rolled jam-pudding, and will then not require so long boiling;--2-1/2 hours would then be quite sufficient.
Time.--Made round, 4 hours; in a long shape, 2-1/2 hours.
Average cost, 9d.
Sufficient for 8 or 9 persons. Seasonable in winter.
BOILED RHUBARB PUDDING.
1338. INGREDIENTS.--4 or 5 sticks of fine rhubarb, 1/4 lb. of moist sugar, 3/4 lb. of suet-crust No. 1215.
Mode.--Make a suet-crust with 3/4 lb. of flour, by recipe No. 1215, and line a buttered basin with it. Wash and wipe the rhubarb, and, if old, string it--that is to say, pare off the outside skin. Cut it into inch lengths, fill the basin with it, put in the sugar, and cover with crust. Pinch the edges of the pudding together, tie over it a floured cloth, put it into boiling water, and boil from 2 to 2-1/2 hours. Turn it out of the basin, and serve with a jug of cream and sifted sugar.
Time.--2 to 2-1/2 hours. Average cost, 7d.
Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons. Seasonable in spring.
RHUBARB TART.
1339. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 lb. of puff-paste No. 1206, about 5 sticks of large rhubarb, 1/4 lb. of moist sugar.
Mode.--Make a puff-crust by recipe No. 1206; line the edges of a deep pie-dish with it, and wash, wipe, and cut the rhubarb into pieces about 1 inch long. Should it be old and tough, string it, that is to say, pare off the outside skin. Pile the fruit high in the dish, as it shrinks very much in the cooking; put in the sugar, cover with crust, ornament the edges, and bake the tart in a well-heated oven from 1/2 to 3/4 hour. If wanted very nice, brush it over with the white of an egg beaten to a stiff froth, then sprinkle on it some sifted sugar, and put it in the oven just to set the glaze: this should be done when the tart is nearly baked. A small quantity of lemon-juice, and a little of the peel minced, are by many persons considered an improvement to the flavour of rhubarb tart.
Time.--1/2 to 3/4 hour. Average cost, 9d.
Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons.
Seasonable in spring.
RHUBARB.--This is one of the most useful of all garden productions that are put into pies and puddings. It was comparatively little known till within the last twenty or thirty years, but it is now cultivated in almost every British garden. The part used is the footstalks of the leaves, which, peeled and cut into small pieces, are put into tarts, either mixed with apples or alone. When quite young, they are much better not peeled. Rhubarb comes in season when apples are going out. The common rhubarb is a native of Asia; the scarlet variety has the finest flavour. Turkey rhubarb, the well-known medicinal drug, is the root of a very elegant plant (Rheum palmatum), coming to greatest perfection in Tartary. For culinary purposes, all kinds of rhubarb are the better for being blanched.
