The Golden Age Cook Book Part 22

Three-quarters of a pound of sugar to every pound of fruit. Put the fruit on by itself in a porcelain-lined or granite-ware saucepan, mash and stir well to keep from burning, and boil one hour. Then add the sugar and boil one hour more.

GRAPE JAM.

Press with the fingers the pulp from grapes--Muscat or Concord grapes make the best jam--seed and measure them, allowing a cup of sugar to each cup of fruit. Put the skins on and cook until tender, when almost done add the pulp, and when all is tender add the sugar and boil until thick.

PINEAPPLE JAM.

Pare the fruit and carefully take out the eyes, then grate it on a coa.r.s.e grater, rejecting the cores, weigh it, and to each pound of fruit take a pound of sugar. Sprinkle it over the grated pines, let it stand over night. In the morning, boil for ten or fifteen minutes over a quick fire. Put in tumblers and when cold cover.

RASPBERRY OR STRAWBERRY JAM.

Allow three-quarters of a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit. Put the fruit in a preserving kettle over the fire and boil fifteen minutes, mashing a little to prevent sticking to the kettle. Then add the sugar and boil ten minutes, skimming carefully; turn into gla.s.ses and seal when cold.

ORANGE MARMALADE.

Select smooth, thin-skinned, juicy oranges. Take twenty-one, and five lemons. Cut the rind very thin from a third of the fruit, and boil it in two quarts of water until it can be pierced easily with a broom straw.

Drain from the water and cut in fine strips with scissors, add this to the pulp of the oranges and lemons after removing all the white bitter skin and pips from the fruit. Weigh and allow a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit, put in a porcelain-lined or granite-ware kettle and cook until clear. Put in gla.s.ses and when cold cover with brandied paper and seal.

PUMPKIN CHIPS.

Slice very thin and chip about four pounds of pumpkin, put in an earthenware bowl, and cover it over night with four and a half pounds of granulated sugar and the juice of one dozen lemons. Boil the lemon peel until tender and cut in small thin chips and add to the juice, etc. In the morning, boil together until perfectly clear and crisp.

Pickles, Sauces, etc.

RIPE CUc.u.mBER PICKLE.

Pare and seed the cuc.u.mbers. Slice each cuc.u.mber lengthwise in four pieces or cut it in fancy shapes, cover with cold vinegar and let them stand for twenty-four hours. Drain and put them in fresh vinegar with two pounds of sugar, and one ounce of ca.s.sia buds to one quart of vinegar. Boil for twenty minutes and put in jars.

SWEET PICKLED PEACHES.

Select fine, fresh, ripe, but not soft peaches, peel and weigh them. To every seven pounds of fruit take five pounds of granulated sugar, a pint of vinegar, two tablespoonfuls of cinnamon and one tablespoonful of cloves, tie the spices up in a muslin bag, add a few pieces of stick cinnamon and a few allspice. Put the fruit in a stone jar, bring the sugar, vinegar and spice to a boil, pour over the peaches, cover and let them stand until the next day, scald the syrup again and pour over the fruit, and so on, until it has been done in all seven times. Take out the bag of spice and put the fruit with the syrup into jars and seal.

These are much more delicious than peaches that are cooked.

SWEET PICKLED PLUMS.

Follow the recipe for sweet pickled peaches.

SPICED CURRANTS.

Take seven pounds of fresh and perfectly ripe currants, pick them over, wash and stem them and put in a granite-ware or porcelain-lined kettle, with five pounds of granulated sugar, one even tablespoonful of cloves, one tablespoonful of cinnamon, one dessertspoonful of allspice, one pint of best cider vinegar. Boil an hour and a half, put in jars and when cold seal.

CHILI SAUCE.

Four dozen ripe tomatoes, eight green peppers, three cups of chopped onion, eight cups of cider or wine vinegar, two cups of brown sugar, two teaspoonfuls of ginger, three teaspoonfuls of cinnamon, two teaspoonfuls of allspice, two teaspoonfuls of cloves, eight tablespoonfuls of salt.

Skin the tomatoes and put them in the kettle over the fire; as soon as the water runs from them, take out half of it, then put in the onions and peppers chopped, boil together four hours, stir constantly the last hour to prevent burning, then add the other ingredients and simmer long enough thoroughly to mix them. Put the sauce in small bottles, cork tight and seal and keep in a dark place.

CHILI PEPPER SAUCE.

Twenty ripe tomatoes, six green peppers and four white onions chopped fine, two cups of best wine or cider vinegar, one cup of sugar, two tablespoonfuls of salt, two even teaspoonfuls of ground mace, two teaspoonfuls of nutmeg, two teaspoonfuls of cloves, one teaspoonful of celery seed. Boil an hour and bottle while hot. Very nice to serve with baked beans.

MUSTARD PICKLES.

One quart each of tiny whole cuc.u.mbers, large cuc.u.mbers sliced, green tomatoes sliced and small b.u.t.ton onions, one large cauliflower divided into flowerettes, and four green peppers cut fine. Make a brine of four quarts of water and one pint of salt, pour it over the mixed vegetables and let it stand covered twenty-four hours. Then scald it and turn into a colander to drain. Mix one cup of flour, six tablespoonfuls of mustard, and one tablespoonful of turmeric with enough vinegar to make a smooth paste, add one cup of granulated sugar and sufficient vinegar to make two quarts in all. Boil this mixture until it is thick and smooth, stirring constantly, then add the vegetables and heat them through.

RIPE TOMATO PICKLE.

A peck of perfectly ripe tomatoes, two quarts of fine cooking salt, half a pound of ground mustard, one ounce of cloves, two green peppers, two or three onions and one pound of brown sugar. Pierce the tomatoes with a silver fork or broom straw, put them in a stone jar with salt in alternate layers. Throw away all the liquor made by standing one week.

Return to jar and cover with cold water, cover and let it stand twenty-four hours. Drain again thoroughly, throw away the water, return the tomatoes to the jar and cover with cold vinegar, having added to the fruit, the onions and peppers sliced, with the mustard, cloves and sugar. After they have stood three weeks they are ready for use.

GREEN TOMATO PICKLES.

One peck of sliced tomatoes, eight onions, one pound of bell peppers, one pound of horse radish, one pound of white mustard seed, half a pound of black mustard seed, half an ounce of whole cloves, half an ounce of stick cinnamon, half an ounce of pepper corns, one or two nutmegs and four pounds of sugar. Select the tomatoes when they are beginning to turn white, slice and lay them in salt for twenty-four hours. Drain and put in the kettle, which should be of granite ware or porcelain lined, with the peppers, onions and horse radish chopped, and sprinkle the mustard seeds over all. Tie the spices in a thin muslin bag and cover the whole with best wine vinegar, boil until tender and clear in appearance. The peppers should have all the seeds removed. Half a cup of dry mustard is considered by some an improvement.

GOOSEBERRY CATSUP.

Boil ten pounds of large English gooseberries, seven pounds of coffee sugar, and three pints of vinegar together for an hour and a half. Then add two tablespoonfuls of cinnamon, one of allspice and one of cloves and boil half an hour longer. Put in jars and seal.

RASPBERRY VINEGAR.

Put a pound of fine fruit into a bowl and pour over it a quart of the best wine or cider vinegar. Next day strain the liquor on a pound of fresh raspberries. The following day do the same. Do not squeeze the fruit, but drain as dry as possible by lightly pressing it. The last time strain it through muslin previously wet with vinegar to prevent waste. Put into a preserving kettle with a pound of sugar to every pint of juice. Stir until the sugar is melted and let it cook gently for five minutes, skim it. When cold, bottle and cork well.

Sweet Sauces.

FRUIT SAUCE.

Put a cupful of granulated sugar in a saucepan, pour over it two and a half cupfuls of boiling water, let it boil a few minutes, then add two heaping tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter, two even teaspoonfuls of cornstarch rubbed to a paste with a little cold water, then add a cupful of canned fruit or a gla.s.s of any kind of fruit or jelly liked and the juice of a lemon. Press through a fine sieve and serve with fritters or puddings.