Nelson's Home Comforts Part 8

CHEESE AND MACARONI CREAM.

Boil two ounces of macaroni, in water slightly salted, until tender, when drain; cut it into tiny rings, and put it into a stewpan with half-a-pint of milk or cream, keeping it hot on the stove without boiling for half-an-hour. Soak and dissolve half-an-ounce of Nelson's Gelatine in half-a-pint of milk, and when this and the macaroni are cold, stir together, add two ounces of grated Parmesan cheese, with salt and cayenne pepper to taste. Stir occasionally until the cream is on the point of setting, when mould it. Should the cream be absorbed by the macaroni, more must be added to bring the whole quant.i.ty of liquid to one pint. If preferred, rice well boiled or baked in milk, or vermicelli paste, can be subst.i.tuted for the macaroni.

COFFEE CREAM.

Dissolve an ounce of Nelson's Gelatine, previously soaked in half-a-pint of cold milk, in a pint-and-a-half of boiling milk with two ounces of sugar; stir in sufficient strong Essence of Coffee to flavour it, and when on the point of setting put it into a mould.

CHOCOLATE CREAM.

Boil a quarter of a pound of loaf sugar in a pint of milk. Dissolve in it an ounce of Nelson's Gelatine, previously soaked in half-a-pint of cold milk, and stir into it three teaspoonfuls of Schweitzer's Cocoatina, dissolved in half-a-pint of boiling milk. Beat until on the point of setting, and put the cream into a mould. A few drops of Nelson's Essence of Vanilla can be added with advantage.

CHARTREUSE OF ORANGES.

Peel four or five oranges, carefully take out the divisions which put on a hair sieve in a cool place to drain all night. Melt a little Nelson's Bottled Orange Jelly, pour it into a saucer and dip in each piece of orange, which arrange in a close circle round the bottom of a small pudding-basin. Keep the thick part of the orange downwards in the first row, in the next put them the reverse way. Continue thus until the basin is covered. Pour in a little of the melted jelly, then of cream, made by mixing a quarter of an ounce of Nelson's Gelatine soaked and dissolved in a gill of milk, into a gill of rich cream, sweetened. Fill up the basin with alternate layers of jelly and cream, allowing each of these to set before the other is put in, making the jelly layers last. The Chartreuse will turn out easily if the jelly is gently pressed from the basin all round. Garnish with two colours of Nelson's Bottled Jelly lightly chopped.

FIG CREAM.

Preserved green figs are used for this cream--those of Fernando Rodrigues are excellent. Place the figs in a plain mould, and pour in gently, when on the point of setting, a cream made with a pint of cream and half-an-ounce of Nelson's Gelatine, and lightly sweetened. When the cream is turned out of the mould, pour round it the syrup in which the figs were preserved.

CHAMPAGNE CREAM.

Although this is properly a jelly, when well made it eats so rich that it is usually called cream. It is chiefly used in cases of illness, when it is desirable to administer champagne in the form of jelly. Soak half-an-ounce of Nelson's Gelatine in a gill of cold water, dissolve it in a stewpan with one or two ounces of sugar, according as the jelly is required sweet or otherwise. When cool, add three gills of champagne and two tablespoonfuls of lemon juice, whip until it is beginning to set and is light and frothy; put into a mould, and it will be ready for use in two hours, if put in a cold place.

ORANGE MOUSSE.

Rub the zest of the peel of two oranges on to a quarter of a pound of lump sugar, which boil with half-a-gill of water to a thick syrup. Beat the juice of three large oranges with two whole eggs, and having whisked them slightly, add the syrup and Nelson's Gelatine, dissolved, in the proportion of half-an-ounce to a pint of liquid. Whisk the mixture over a saucepan of hot water until it is warm, then place the basin in another with cold water and continue whisking until it is beginning to set, when put it into a fancy mould.

STRAWBERRY TRIFLE.

Put a layer of strawberry jam at the bottom of a trifle dish. Dissolve a half-pint tablet of Nelson's Raspberry Jelly, and when it is set break it up and strew it over the jam. Upon this lay sponge finger biscuits and ratafia cakes, and pour over just enough new milk to make them soft.

Make a thick custard, flavoured with Nelson's Essence of Vanilla, and spread it over the cakes. Finally place on the top a handsome quant.i.ty of cream, whisked with a little powdered sugar and flavoured with vanilla.

WHIPPED CREAM.

To half-a-pint of cream put a tablespoonful of fine sifted sugar, add sufficient of any of Nelson's Essences to give it a delicate flavour.

With a whisk or wire spoon, raise a froth on the cream, remove this as soon as it rises, put it on a fine hair, or, still better, lawn sieve; repeat this process until the cream is used up. Should the cream get thick in the whisking, add a very little cold water. Put the sieve containing the whisked cream in a basin and let it stand for some hours, which will allow it to become more solid and fit for such purposes as filling meringues.

CAKES.

The proper beating of the whites of the eggs is an important matter in cake-making. There are a number of machines for this purpose, which are in turn eagerly adopted by inexperienced persons; but for private use not one of them is comparable to hand-beating. When once the knack of beating eggs is acquired but little labour is needed to bring them to the right consistency; indeed, the most successful result is that which is the most rapidly attained. The whites of eggs for beating should be fresh, and should be carefully separated from the yolks by pa.s.sing and repa.s.sing them in the two halves of the sh.e.l.l. It is best to beat the whites immediately they are broken, but if this is not possible, they must be kept in a cool place until wanted. If ice is at hand, it will be found advantageous to keep the eggs in it. In well-furnished kitchens a copper beating-bowl is provided; it should not be tinned, as contact with this metal will blacken the eggs; for this reason, the whisk, if of iron wire, should not be new. An earthenware bowl with circular bottom, and sufficiently large to admit of a good stroke in beating, answers the purpose perfectly well. A pinch of salt may be added to the whites, and if an inexperienced beater finds them a.s.sume a granulated appearance, a little lemon-juice will remedy it.

Begin by beating gently, increasing the pace as the egg thickens. As it is the air mixing with the alb.u.men of the eggs which causes them to froth, it is necessary to beat them in a well-ventilated and cool place, so that they may absorb as much air as possible.

If these simple and important conditions are observed, the whites of a dozen eggs may be beaten to the strongest point, without fatigue to the operator, in five minutes. When the whites are properly beaten they should turn out of the bowl in one ma.s.s, and, after standing a little while, will not show signs of returning to their original state.

In order more easily to make cakes and biscuits into the composition of which almonds and cocoa-nut enter largely, manufacturers supply both of these pounded or desiccated. It is, however, preferable to prepare the former fresh, and much time and trouble may be saved in pa.s.sing almonds through Kent's Combination Mincer, 199, High Holborn, instead of laboriously pounding them in a mortar. The result is, besides, more satisfactory, the paste being smoother than it can otherwise be made in domestic practice.

Cakes of the description for which we now give recipes cannot be made well unless the materials are properly prepared and thoroughly beaten.

It is clear that if eggs are not beaten to such a consistency that they will bear the weight of the other ingredients, the result must be a heavy cake.

Currants for cakes, after they have been washed and picked, should be scalded, in order to swell them and make them more tender.

Put the currants into a basin, pour boiling water over them, cover the basin with a plate; after they have stood a minute, drain away the water and throw the fruit on a cloth to absorb the moisture. Put the currants on a dish or plate in a very cool oven, turning occasionally until thoroughly dry; dust a little flour over them, and they will be ready for use.

Castor sugar for cakes works more easily when it is fine. For superior cakes raw sugar will not answer.

POUND CAKE.

One pound fresh b.u.t.ter, one pound Vienna flour, six eggs (or seven, if small), one pound castor sugar, quarter of a pound almonds cut small, half-a-pound of currants or sultanas, three ounces of candied peel, a few drops of essence of ratafia.

The b.u.t.ter to be beaten to a cream. If it is hard warm the pan. Add the sugar gradually; next the eggs, which must previously be well beaten up; then sift in the flour; and, last of all, put in fruit, almonds, and flavouring.

This cake takes about half-an-hour to mix, as all the ingredients must be well beaten together with an iron spoon from left to right. Bake in small tins, for about forty minutes, in a moderate oven.

PLAIN POUND CAKE.

Half-a-pound of fresh b.u.t.ter, three eggs, one pound of Vienna flour, one pound of castor sugar, a quarter of a pound of almonds cut small, half-a-pound of currants, three ounces of candied peel, a few drops of essence of ratafia.

Beat the b.u.t.ter to a cream, from left to right, and mix in the sugar gradually. Beat the eggs up, and mix them with half-a-pint of new milk; stir into the b.u.t.ter; then add the flour; and, last of all, the fruit.

SAVOY SPONGE CAKE.

Beat half-a-pound of finely sifted sugar with the yolks of four eggs until you have a thick batter, stir in lightly six ounces of fine dry sifted flour, then the whites of the eggs beaten to a very strong froth.

Have ready a tin which has been lightly b.u.t.tered, and then covered with as much sifted sugar as will adhere to it. Pour in the cake mixture, taking care the tin is not more than half full, and bake for half-an-hour.

LEMON SAVOY SPONGE.

Half-a-pound of loaf sugar, rub some of the lumps on the peel of two lemons, so as to get all the flavour from them; dissolve the sugar in half a gill of boiling water; add the juice of the lemons, or one of them if a large size, and beat with the yolks of four eggs until very white and thick; stir in a quarter of a pound of fine flour, beat the whites of the eggs to a strong froth, and mix as thoroughly but as lightly as possible; b.u.t.ter and sift sugar over a mould, nearly fill it with cake mixture, and bake at dark yellow paper heat for thirty minutes.