Part 12 (1/2)

Take large bunches of ripe currants, wash and drain them dry, then dip them into the whites of eggs, previously beaten to a stiff froth. Lay them on a sieve, at such a distance from each other as not to touch--sift double refined sugar over them thick, and set them in a warm place to dry.

227. _Apple Snow._

Put a dozen good tart apples into cold water, set them over a slow fire.

When soft, drain off the water, pull the skins from the apples, take out the cores, and lay the apples in a deep dish. Beat the whites of twelve eggs to a strong froth--put half a pound of powdered white sugar on the apples, beat them to a strong froth, then add the beaten eggs. Beat the whole to a stiff snow, then turn it into a dessert dish, and ornament it with myrtle or box.

228. _Comfits._

Mix a pound of white sugar with just sufficient water to make a thick syrup. When the sugar has dissolved, drop in a pound of coriander seed, then drain off the syrup, and put the seeds in a sieve, with two or three ounces of flour--shake them well in it, then set them where they will dry. When dry, put them in the syrup again, repeat the above process till they are of the size you wish.

229. _Isingla.s.s Blanc Mange._

Pull an ounce of mild white isingla.s.s into small pieces--rinse them, and put to them a quart of milk if the weather is hot, and three pints if it is cold weather. Set it on a few coals, stir it constantly till the isingla.s.s dissolves, then sweeten it to the taste with double refined loaf sugar, put in a small stick of cinnamon, a vanilla bean, or blade of mace. Set it where it will boil five or six minutes, stirring it constantly. Strain it, and fill the moulds with it--let it remain in them till cold. The same bean will do to use several times.

230. _Calf's Feet Blanc Mange._

Boil four feet in five quarts of water, without any salt. When the liquor is reduced to one quart, strain and mix it with one quart of milk, several sticks of cinnamon, or a vanilla bean. Boil the whole ten minutes, sweeten it to the taste with white sugar, strain it, and fill your moulds with it.

231. _Rice Flour Blanc Mange._

Mix four table-spoonsful of ground rice, smoothly, with half a pint of cold milk, then stir it into a quart of boiling milk. Put in the grated rind of a lemon, and half the juice, a blade of mace--sweeten to the taste with white sugar. Boil the whole seven or eight minutes, stirring it frequently. Take it from the fire--when cool, put in the beaten whites of three eggs, put it back on the fire, stir it constantly till nearly boiling hot, then turn it into moulds, or deep cups, and let it remain till cold. This is nice food for invalids.

232. _Rice Blanc Mange._

Boil a tea-cup of rice in a pint of water, with a blade of mace, and a tea-spoonful of salt. When it swells out and becomes dry, add sufficient milk to prevent its burning. Let it boil till quite soft, stirring it constantly to keep it from burning--sweeten it with white sugar. Dip your moulds in cold water, then turn in the rice, without drying the moulds. Let the rice remain in the moulds till it becomes quite cold.

Turn it into dessert dishes, ornament it with marmalade cut in slices, and box and serve it up with cream or preserved strawberries. It should be made the day before it is to be eaten, in order to have it become firm.

233. _Snow Cream._

Beat the whites of four eggs to a stiff froth--then stir in two table-spoonsful of powdered white sugar, a table-spoonful of sweet wine, a tea-spoonful of rosewater. Beat the whole together, then add a pint of thick cream. This is a nice accompaniment to a dessert of sweetmeats.

234. _Orange Cream._

Beat the yelks of eight eggs, and the whites of two, to a froth, then stir in half a pound of powdered white sugar--add half a pint of wine, and the juice of six fresh oranges, and the juice of one lemon. Flavor it with orange-flower water--strain it, and set it on a few coals--stir it till it thickens, then add a piece of b.u.t.ter, of the size of a nutmeg. When the b.u.t.ter has melted, take it from the fire, continue to stir it till cool, then fill your gla.s.ses with it. Beat up the whites of the eggs to a froth, and lay the froth on top of the gla.s.ses of cream.

235. _Lemon Cream._

Pare four fresh lemons very thin, so as to get none of the white part.

Soak the rinds twelve hours in half a pint of cold water, then add the juice of the lemons, and half a pint more of cold water. Beat to a froth the whites of eight eggs, and the yelks of three--strain the lemon-juice and water, mix it with the eggs--set the whole on a few coals, sweeten it with double refined sugar, stir it till it grows thick, then take it from the fire, stir it till cold--serve it up in gla.s.ses.

236. _Ice Creams._

Sweeten thick rich cream with powdered white sugar--it should be made very sweet, as the process of freezing extracts a great deal of the saccharine matter. Essence of lemon, the juice of strawberries or pine-apples, are nice to flavor the cream with--the juice should be sweetened before being mixed with the cream. Where cream cannot be procured, a custard, made in the following manner, may be subst.i.tuted: To a quart of milk put the beaten yelks of four eggs, the rind of a lemon, or a vanilla bean--set it on a few coals, make it extremely sweet, with white sugar--stir it constantly till scalding hot--care must be taken that it does not boil. Take it from the fire, take out the bean, or lemon peel--when perfectly cold, put it in an ice cream form--if one cannot be procured, a milk kettle, with a tight cover, may be subst.i.tuted. Set the form into the centre of a tub that is large enough to leave a s.p.a.ce of five inches from the form to the outside of the tub. Fill the s.p.a.ce round the form with alternate layers of finely cracked ice and rock salt, having a layer of ice last, and the whole should be just as high as the form. Care should be taken to keep the salt from the cream. The tub should be covered with a woollen cloth while the cream is freezing, and the form should be constantly shaken.