The Art of Cookery Part 24

_Rusks, or Tops and Bottoms._

TAKE two eggs beat up, add them to a pint of good mild yest and a little milk. Sift four pounds of best white flour, and set a sponge with the above ingredients; then make boiling half a pound of fresh b.u.t.ter and some milk, a sufficient quant.i.ty to make the sponge the stiffness of common dough. Let it lay in the kneading trough till well risen; then mould and make it into the form of loaves of the bigness of small teacups; after which batch them flat, bake them in a moderate oven, and when nearly done take them out, cut the top from the bottom, and dry them till of a nice colour on tin plates in the oven.

_Wafers._

TAKE a table spoonful of orange flower water, a table spoonful of flour, the same of good cream, sifted sugar to the palate, and a dessert spoonful of syrup of cinnamon; beat all the ingredients together for twenty minutes; then make the wafer tongs hot, and pour a little batter just sufficient to cover the irons; bake them over a slow fire, and when taken from the tongs roll them round, and preserve them in a dry place.

_Cracknels._

TO half a pound of best white flour sifted add half a pound of sifted loaf sugar, a quarter of a pound of fresh b.u.t.ter, two table spoonfuls of rose water, a little salt, the yolks and whites of three eggs beat up, and mix all well together for twenty minutes. Then roll it out, cut it into what shapes you please with a pastry cutter, put them on baking plates rubbed with b.u.t.ter, wash the tops of the paste with whites of eggs well beaten, and bake them in a brisk oven.

_To bake Pears._

TO a pint of water add the juice of three seville oranges, cinnamon, cloves, and mace, a small quant.i.ty of each, a bit of lemon peel, and boil them together a quarter of an hour; then strain and add to the liquor a pint of red port, plenty of loaf sugar, and a little cochineal; after which pare, cut into halves, and core, twelve large baking pears, put them into a pan, add the liquor, cover the pan with writing paper, and bake them in a moderate oven.

N. B. They may be done in the same manner in a stewpan over a fire.

_To clarify Sugar._

TO four pounds of loaf sugar put two quarts of water into a preserving pan, set it over a fire, and add (when it is warm) the whites of three eggs beat up with half a pint of water; when the syrup boils skim it clean, and let it simmer till perfectly clear.

N. B. To clarify sugar for carmel requires but a small quant.i.ty of water; and the different degrees of strength, when wanted, must be attended to with practice. They are generally thrown over a mould rubbed with sweet oil; for cakes, with a fork dipped in the sugar, &c.

_Syrup of Cloves, &c._

PUT a quart of boiling water into a stewpan, add a quarter of a pound of cloves, cover the pan close, set it over a fire, and let the cloves boil gently for half an hour; then drain them dry, and add to a pint of the liquor two pounds of loaf sugar. Clear it with the whites of two eggs beat up with a little cold water, and let it simmer till it becomes a strong syrup. Preserve it in vials close corked.

N. B. In the same manner may be done cinnamon or mace.

_Syrup of Golden Pippins._

TAKE the pippins when nearly ripe, pare, core, and cut them into very thin slices, or bruise them a little in a marble mortar. Then put them into an earthen vessel, add a small quant.i.ty of water, the rind of a lemon, plenty of sifted sugar, and a little lemon juice. Let the ingredients remain in the pan close covered for two days, then strain the juice through a piece of lawn, add more sugar if requisite, clear it with white of egg if necessary, and boil it to a syrup.

N. B. Nonpareils, quinces, pine-apples, or the rind of lemons peeled very thin, may be done in the same manner.

_Syrup of Capillaire._

CLARIFY with three whites of egg four pounds of loaf sugar mixed with three quarts of spring water and a quarter of an ounce of isingla.s.s; when it is cold add to the syrup a sufficient quant.i.ty of orange flower water as will make it palatable, and likewise a little syrup of cloves.

Put it into bottles close corked for use.

_Flowers in Sugar._

CLARIFY sugar to a carmel height, which may be known by dipping in a fork, and if it throws the sugar as fine as threads put in the flowers.

Have ready teacups with the insides rubbed with sweet oil; put into each cup four silver table spoonfuls of the sugar and flowers, and when cold turn them out of the cups, and serve them up piled on each other.

_Syrup of Roses._

GATHER one pound of damask rose leaves when in high season, put them into an earthen vessel, add a quart of boiling spring water, cover the pan close, and let it remain six hours; then run the liquor through a piece of lawn, and add to a pint of the juice a pound and a half of loaf sugar; boil it over a brisk fire till of a good syrup, being careful in the skimming, and preserve it in bottles close corked.

N. B. The syrup may be cleared with two eggs.

_To preserve Cuc.u.mbers._

TAKE fresh gathered gerkins of a large size, and lay them in salt and water for two days; then drain and wipe them dry, put them into gla.s.ses, make boiling-hot a mixture of sugar, vinegar, and water, a small quant.i.ty of each; pour it over the cuc.u.mbers, cover and set them in a warm place, likewise boil the liquor and pour over them for three successive days. Then take a quart of the liquor, add to it plenty of cloves, mace, ginger, and lemon peel. Boil these ingredients for half an hour, strain and put to it plenty of sifted sugar, clear it with whites of eggs if requisite, boil to a strong syrup, and put it to the gerkins.

When wiped dry and in the gla.s.ses, cover them down very close.

_To preserve Currants._

TAKE large bunches of ripe currants, make a thin syrup with sugar and water, set it over a fire, when it boils put in the fruit, and let them remain in a cold place till the next day; then take them out carefully, lay them on a dish, make the liquor boil again, and put in the currants, taking care not to let them break. Take them out a second time, add more sugar to the syrup, with a quart of currant juice; clarify it, boil it to a strong syrup, and when it is cold put the currants into gla.s.ses, pour the syrup over, and tie them down close.

_To preserve Barberries._

BRUISE a quart of ripe barberries, add a quart of spring water, put them over a fire, when boiling run the liquor through a fine sieve, and put with it three pounds of clarified sugar. Then add a sufficient quant.i.ty of large bunches of ripe barberries, put them over a fire, when boiling-hot set them away till the next day, take the barberries out of the syrup and put them into gla.s.ses; boil the liquor to a good consistence, pour it over, and cover them close.

_Gooseberry Fool._

PUT a quart of green gooseberries and a gill of water in a stewpan over a fire close covered; when the fruit is tender rub it through a fine hair sieve, add to the pulp sifted loaf sugar, and let it stand till cold. In the mean time put a pint of cream or new milk into a stewpan, with a stick of cinnamon, a small piece of lemon peel, sugar, a few cloves and coriander seeds, and boil the ingredients ten minutes. Have ready the yolks of six eggs and a little flour and water well beaten; strain the milk to them, whisk it over a fire to prevent it from curdling, when it nearly boils set the pan in cold water, stir the cream for five minutes, and let it stand till cold. Then mix the pulp of the gooseberries and the cream together, add a little grated nutmeg, and sweeten it more if agreeable to the palate.

N. B. Strawberries, raspberries, apricots, and other ripe fruits, may be rubbed through a sieve and the pulp added to the cream.

_Sago._

TO half an ounce of sago washed clean add a pint of water and a bit of lemon peel; cover the pan close, set it over a fire, let it simmer till the sago is nearly done, and the liquor absorbed. Then put to it half a pint of red port, a tea spoonful of pounded cinnamon and cloves or mace, sweeten to the palate with loaf sugar, and let it boil gently for ten minutes.

_Oatmeal Pottage, or Gruel._

MIX together three table spoonfuls of oatmeal, a very little salt, and a quart of water; put them over a fire, and let it boil gently for half an hour. Then skim and strain it, add to it an ounce of fresh b.u.t.ter, some loaf sugar, a little brandy, and grated nutmeg; or instead of these ingredients put pepper, salt, and fresh b.u.t.ter, to the palate; then boil it again five minutes, mix it till very smooth, and let it be of a moderate consistence.

_To bottle Gooseberries, &c. for Tarts._

GATHER gooseberries on a dry day when about half grown, and pick off the stalks and blossoms; then put the fruit into wide-mouthed bottles and shake them down; cork them very close, bake them in a moderate oven till thoroughly heated through, and set them in a dry cool place.