The International Jewish Cook Book Part 80

Fruit syrups may be made like fruit juices, only using more sugar--at least half as much sugar as fruit juice.

RASPBERRY VINEGAR

Put two quarts of raspberries in a bowl and cover them with two quarts of vinegar; cover and stand in a cool place for two days. Mash the berries; strain the vinegar through cheesecloth; pour it over two quarts of fresh raspberries; let stand for another two days; strain and put in a preserving kettle with sugar, allowing a pound of sugar to a pint of juice. Heat slowly, skimming when the vinegar begins to boil. Boil twenty minutes and put in sterilized bottles. Serve as a drink, using two tablespoons to a gla.s.s of water.

BLACKBERRY WINE

Measure your berries and bruise them; to every gallon add one quart of boiling water; let the mixture stand twenty-four hours (stirring occasionally), then strain off all the liquor into a cask; to every gallon add two pounds of sugar; cork tightly and let stand till the following October.

BLACKBERRY CORDIAL

Simmer the berries until they break, then strain and to each quart of juice add one pound of sugar. Let this dissolve by heating slowly, then add one tablespoon each of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and if desired, allspice. Simmer altogether twenty minutes. Bottle and seal.

CHERRY SYRUP

Mash and pound the cherries until the stones are all broken, then press through a cloth. Use a pound of sugar to a quart of juice; boil, skim and bottle. When cold, seal.

CHERRY BRANDY

To one gallon of brandy allow two quarts of cherries. Mash and pound them until all the stones are broken, put in the brandy and add a pound of cut loaf sugar. Set in the sun for two or three weeks, shake daily, strain and bottle.

CHERRY BOUNCE

The little wild cherry is excellent for this purpose, as the stone kernels contain alcohol. Wash carefully, sugar plentifully, and add whole spice, cloves (with the heads removed) and stick cinnamon. Fewer cloves than the other spices. Get good whiskey and allow one-half as much cherries as whiskey. To a quart bottle allow scant half pint sugared cherries to one and one-half pints of whiskey. Bottle and seal.

Let stand at least two months. Open, shake bottle well and taste, and if necessary add more sugar. Seal again, and let stand another month. Is not good under three months and the older it gets the finer it becomes.

CIDER EGG NOG

Break six eggs, put the yolks in one dish, the whites in another. To each yolk add a tablespoon of granulated sugar, beat the yolks and sugar to a foam; then flavor with a little grated nutmeg, stirring it well through the mixture; then add a half pint of hot sweet cider to each egg, beat it well through and pour into a hot punch bowl. Beat the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth with a little sugar and cover the surface of the punch. Serve in cups.

TOM AND JERRY (Non-Alcoholic)

Beat six eggs and six tablespoons of sugar to a stiff froth, add four cups of unfermented grape juice and the same amount of sweet cider. Have two porcelain pitchers as hot as possible, pour the mixture into one of them. Then pour the mixture back and forth from one pitcher to the other five or six times, and pour the foaming beverage into hot cups and serve.

HOT MILK PUNCH

Beat one egg to a stiff froth with two tablespoons of sugar; add to it two tablespoons of home-made grape wine; stir all well together, put in a large drinking gla.s.s and fill with hot milk. Grate a little nutmeg on the top and serve.

*CANNED FRUITS*

GENERAL RULES

All fruits should, if possible, be freshly picked for preserving, canning, and jelly making. No imperfect fruit should be canned or preserved. Gnarly fruit may be used for jellies or marmalades by cutting out defective portions. Bruised spots should be cut out of peaches and pears. In selecting small-seeded fruits, like berries, for canning, those having a small proportion of seed to pulp should be chosen. In dry seasons berries have a larger proportion of seeds to pulp than in a wet or normal season, and it is not wise to can or preserve such fruit unless the seeds are removed. The fruit should be rubbed through a sieve that is fine enough to keep back the seeds. The strained pulp can be preserved as a puree or marmalade.

When fruit is brought into the house put it where it will keep cool and crisp until you are ready to use it.

Begin by having the kitchen swept and dusted thoroughly, that there need not be a large number of mold spores floating about. Dust with a damp cloth. Have plenty of hot water and pans in which jars and utensils may be sterilized. Have at hand all necessary utensils, towels, sugar, etc.

Prepare only as much fruit as can be cooked while it still retains its color and crispness. Before beginning to pare fruit have some syrup ready, if that is to be used, or if sugar is to be added to the fruit have it weighed or measured.

Decide upon the amount of fruit you will cook at one time, then have two bowls--one for the sugar and one for the fruit--that will hold just the quant.i.ty of each. As the fruit is pared or hulled, as the case may be, drop it into its measuring bowl. When the measure is full put the fruit and sugar in the preserving kettle. While this is cooking another measure may be prepared and put in the second preserving kettle. In this way the fruit is cooked quickly and put in the jars and sealed at once, leaving the pans ready to sterilize another set of jars.

The preserving kettle should be porcelain-lined, and no iron or tin utensils should be used, as the fruit acids attack these metals and so give a bad color and metallic taste to the food.

STERILIZING JARS, ETC.

The success of canning depends upon absolute sterilization and not upon the amount of sugar or cooking. Any proportion of sugar may be used, or fruit may be canned without the addition of any sugar.

It is most important that the jars, covers, and rubber rings be in perfect condition. Examine each jar and cover to see that there is no defect in it. Use only fresh rubber rings, for if the rubber is not soft and elastic the sealing will not be perfect. Each year numbers of jars of fruit are lost because of the false economy in using an old ring that has lost its softness and elasticity.

Have two pans partially filled with cold water. Put some jars in one, laying them on their sides, and some covers in the other. Place the pans on the stove where the water will heat to the boiling point. The water should boil at least ten or fifteen minutes. Have on the stove a shallow milk pan in which there is about two inches of boiling water. Sterilize the cups, spoons, and funnel, if you use one, by immersing in boiling water for a few minutes. When ready to put the prepared fruit in the jars slip a broad skimmer under a jar and lift it and drain free of water.

There are several methods of canning; the housekeeper can use that method which is most convenient.

The three easiest and best methods are: Cooking the fruit in jars in an oven; cooking the fruit in jars in boiling water; and stewing the fruit before it is put in the jars.

CANNING FRUIT BAKED IN OVEN

In this method the work is easily and quickly done and the fruit retains its shape, color and flavor. Particularly nice for berries.

Sterilize jars and utensils. Make the syrup; prepare the fruit the same as for cooking. Fill the hot jars with the fruit, drained, and pour in enough hot syrup to fill the jar solidly. Run the handle of a silver spoon around the inside of the jar. Place the hot jars, uncovered, and the covers, in a moderate oven.

Cover the bottom of the oven with a sheet of asbestos, the kind plumbers employ in covering pipes, or put into the oven shallow pans in which there are about two inches of boiling water. Cook berries to the boiling point or until the bubbles in the syrup just rise to the top; cook larger fruits, eight to ten minutes or according to the fruit. Remove from the oven, slip on rubber, first dipped in boiling water; then fill the jar with boiling syrup. Cover and seal. Place the jars on a board and out of a draft of air. If the screw covers are used tighten them after the gla.s.s has cooled.

Large fruits, such as peaches, pears, quince, crab-apples, etc., will require about a pint of syrup to each quart jar of fruit. The small fruit will require a little over half a pint of syrup.

BAKED CRANBERRIES OR CHERRY PRESERVES

Pick over, wash and drain four quarts of large, perfect cranberries; or stem and then stone four pounds of large cherries, use a cherry pitter so cherries remain whole. Place a tablespoon of hot water in a jar, then alternately in layers cherries or cranberries and sugar (with sugar on top), cover closely. This amount will require four pounds of sugar. Bake in a very slow oven two hours. Let stand. Then keep in a cool, dry place. The cranberries will look and taste like candied cherries, and may be used for garnishing.

BAKED CRAB-APPLE PRESERVES