The Modern Housewife or, Menagere Part 33

734. _Apple Bread, Russian fas.h.i.+on._--Put one pound and a half of lump sugar and a pint and a half of water into a round-bottomed copper preserving-pan, place it over a sharp fire and reduce it to a crack, have ready twenty-four good brown pippin apples peeled and cut into slices, which put into the sugar, keeping stirred until it becomes quite a thick marmalade, take off the fire and put it into a cylinder mould, previously slightly oiled, shake it well down, and let it remain until quite cold; then turn it out of the mould upon your dish; have a few spoonfuls of currant jelly in a stewpan, which melt over the fire, add two gla.s.ses of good old rum, and when partly cold, pour over and serve with whipped cream in the centre, in which you have introduced a quarter of an ounce of candied orange-flowers; if any remain, it will be excellent to make croquettes.

735. _Apples saute in b.u.t.ter._--Procure a dozen russet apples, which cut into slices a quarter of an inch in thickness, peel and take out the cores with a round cutter, then put two ounces of b.u.t.ter in a saute-pan, spread it over the bottom and lay in your apples, with half a pound of powdered sugar and the juice of two lemons, stew gently over a moderate fire; when done, dress them rather high in crown upon your dish, melt three spoonfuls of red currant jelly in a stewpan, with which mix a gla.s.s of Madeira wine, which pour over when ready to serve.

736. _Croquettes of Rice._--Well wash half a pound of the best Carolina rice, which put into a stewpan, with a pint and a half of milk, and a quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter, place it upon the fire, stir until boiling, then place it upon a slow fire, cover the stewpan, and let simmer very slowly until quite tender; rub the rind of a lemon upon a lump of sugar, weighing a quarter of a pound, pound it in a mortar quite fine, add it to the rice, with the yolks of five eggs (mix well), stir them a few minutes longer over the fire until the eggs thicken, but do not let it boil, lay out upon a dish, when cold form it into a number of small b.a.l.l.s, or pears, or into long square pieces, according to fancy; have three or four eggs in a basin well whisked, dip each piece in singly, and then into a dish of bread-crumbs, smooth them gently with a knife, dip them again into the eggs and bread-crumbs, put them into a wire basket, which put in a stewpan of very hot lard, fry a nice light yellow color, drain on a cloth, dress them pyramidically upon a napkin, and serve with powdered sugar sifted over them.

737. _Croquettes of Macaroni._--Blanch six ounces of macaroni in two quarts of water until tender, then strain and put it in a basin of cold water; when cold cut it into pieces half an inch in length, and put it into a stewpan containing a pint and a half of boiling milk, in which you have infused a stick of vanilla, boil until it becomes thickish, add a quarter of a pound of powdered sugar, two ounces of b.u.t.ter, and the yolks of eight eggs, stir them well in over the fire until the eggs thicken, then pour out upon a dish, and proceed precisely as for the croquettes of rice.

738. _Pastry Cream sauted._--Put the yolks of six eggs in a stewpan, with two good tablespoonfuls of sifted flour, mix quite smooth with a wooden spoon; then add a pint of boiling milk or cream, stir in by degrees, and place it over the fire, keeping stirred until it thickens, add an ounce of b.u.t.ter, six ounces of sugar, two ounces of crushed ratafias, a little orange-flower water, and three whole eggs, mix the whole well together, and stir it a few minutes longer over the fire until the eggs set; then pour it out upon a saute-pan, previously oiled, and when quite cold cut it into pieces one inch wide and two and a half long, dip them in eggs and bread-crumbs twice over, the same as for croquettes, saute them in the same manner, dress upon a napkin as high as you can, with sifted sugar over, they may be flavored also with vanilla or lemon. They may be varied in shape according to fancy.

JELLIES.

Nothing, I am confident, will give you more pleasure than trying the receipts which I am now about giving you; they are for jellies, that is, those made from gelatinous substances of animal production. They are the most wholesome productions of cookery, and are slightly nouris.h.i.+ng and fortifying without being exciting. You will find the receipts as simple as possible; and you will perceive that, when you have made the foundation stock to perfection, they may be varied in twenty or more different ways, by changing the flavor, fruits, or colors.

739. _Jelly Stock_, made from calf's feet, requires to be made the day previous to being used. Take two calf's feet, cut them up, and boil in three quarts of water; as soon as it boils remove it to the corner of the fire, and simmer for five hours, keeping it skimmed, pa.s.s through a hair sieve into a basin, and let it remain until quite hard, then remove the oil and fat, and wipe the top dry. Place in a stewpan one gill of water, one of sherry, half a pound of lump sugar, the juice of four lemons, the rinds of two, and the whites and sh.e.l.ls of five eggs, whisk until the sugar is melted, then add the jelly, place it on the fire, and whisk until boiling, pa.s.s it through a jelly-bag, pouring that back again which comes through first until quite clear; it is then ready for use, by putting it in moulds or gla.s.ses.

740. _Gelatine and Isingla.s.s Jelly_ is made as above, using one ounce and a half of either, and boil in one quart of water, reduce to half; if not required very clear, as for lemon jelly, it need not be run through a bag, but merely through a fine sieve.

741. _Hartshorn Jelly._--Use half a pound of hartshorn shavings, boil in three quarts of water, and reduce to one; proceed as before. Also Arney's jelly powder can be used instead of any of the above, by dissolving in boiling water.

742. _Gold or Silver Jelly_, or both mixed, is made with eau de vie de Dantzic, mixing the gold or silver leaves with a little jelly, ornamenting the bottom of the mould with it, which place in ice till set, fill with very clear calf's foot jelly. It can also be made by cutting up a quarter of a sheet of gold leaf in a gla.s.s of pale brandy, and use as the former.

743. _Maresquino Jelly_ is made by mixing six liqueur-gla.s.ses of maresquino with a quart of clarified calf's foot jelly; peaches or other fruits cut in quarters may be added.

744. _Rum-Punch, Curacoa, Noyeau_, are made with the same quant.i.ty, and as the former.

745. _French Jellies_ may be made with all kinds of fresh fruits, filling the mould by degrees, the jelly first, let it set, then the fruit, and so on till full, the mould being buried in ice; when ready to serve dip in hot water, mix it well, and turn out carefully on your dish. In the winter, preserved fruits in syrup may be used, decorating the mould with them, pouring in a little jelly at a time until it is cold, and fill up by degrees; proceed as above.

746. _Orange Jelly._--Procure five oranges and one lemon, take the rind off two of the oranges, and half of the lemon, and remove the pith, put them into a basin, and squeeze the juice of the fruit into it; then put a quarter of a pound of sugar into a stewpan, with half a pint of water, and set it to boil until it becomes a thick syrup, when take it off, and add the juice and rind of the fruits, cover the stewpan, and place it again on the fire; as soon as boiling commences skim well, and add one gla.s.s of water by degrees, which will a.s.sist its clarification, let it boil another minute, when add half an ounce of good isingla.s.s, dissolved as directed (No. 740), pa.s.s it through a jelly-bag, add a few drops of prepared cochineal to give an orange tint, and then fill a mould and place it on ice; turn out as before.

747. _Lemon Jelly_ is made the same way, only using six lemons and the rind of one; serve quite white, and add a gill of Bucellas, or any very pale wine.

Calf's foot stock, reduced and clarified, may be used instead of the isingla.s.s.

748. _Whipped Jellies_ are made from any of the above by placing some warm jelly in a large bowl or basin on ice, and when nearly cold whisking it; pour quickly in a mould set on ice and salt, where let remain till ready for serving; dip it in lukewarm water, strike gently, taking it in the right hand, place the left on it, turn it over, if it shakes in the mould, let it gradually slip off your hand on the dish, and remove the mould. All jellies are removed the same way.

749. _Bohemian Jelly Creams_ may be made of any flavor as jellies, and either ripe fruit or with marmalade or jam, to which add the juice of two lemons, a pint of water, in which one ounce and a half of isingla.s.s has been dissolved, or a pint of reduced clarified calf's foot jelly, stir together in a bowl placed on ice; when nearly cold, stir quickly in three parts of a pint of whipped cream, fill the mould, which should be kept on ice, and turn out as before. A small bottle of Crosse and Blackwell's jelly may be used instead of the isingla.s.s or jelly, by uncorking and placing the bottle in a stewpan of hot water till dissolved, or pour it in a clean stewpan, and reduce it one third.

Cherries, raspberries, strawberries, currants, and gooseberries must be pa.s.sed through a sieve; but apricots, peaches, apples, pears, quinces, pineapples, and marmalade may be used as they are. Creams may be made of any flavor, and of either ripe fruits, jams, or marmalade; they are made plain, thus: put the yolks of five eggs in a stewpan, with six ounces of sugar, beat it up with a spoon until white; in another stewpan have a pint of milk and one ounce of isingla.s.s, boil ten minutes, stir continually to prevent burning, flavor with vanilla or anything to your taste, pour the milk on the eggs and sugar, put on the fire, stir well together, do not let it boil, pa.s.s through a tammy into a round bowl; when cold, set on ice, add two or three gla.s.ses of liqueur, keep stirring its contents, and when setting, add three parts of a pint of cream well whipped, mix well together, and pour into your mould in the ice, and keep there till required; turn out as before.

750. _Charlotte Russe._--Line the inside of a plain round mould with Savoy biscuits, cutting and placing them at the bottom to form a rosette, standing them upright and close together, fill with any of the above creams, omitting the fruits, place the mould in ice, let it remain till ready to serve, turn over on a dish, and remove the mould.

751. _Strawberry Charlotte._--Line a plain round mould with ripe strawberries by burying the mould in ice to the rim, and dipping the strawberries in calf's foot jelly, first covering the bottom with them cut in halves, the cut side downwards, afterwards building them up the sides, the jelly (which must be cold, but not set) causing them to adhere; when finished, fill it with the cream as directed for the charlotte russe, and when ready to serve dip the mould in warm water, and turn it out upon your dish. The cream must be very nearly set when you pour it in, or it would run between the strawberries and produce a bad effect.

752. _Chartreuse Cake of variegated Fruits._--Line a charlotte mould very tastefully with various kinds of fruits (such as stoned cherries, strawberries, pieces of peaches, apricots, &c.) by dipping them into jelly, forming some design at the bottom of the mould, and building them in reverse rows up the sides, having the mould previously placed in ice, when well set, terminate as in the last.

753. _Blancmange._--To one quart of milk add one ounce of isingla.s.s, a quarter of a pound of sugar, a quarter of an ounce of cinnamon, a little grated nutmeg, half of the peel of a lemon, and a bay-leaf, simmer over a slow fire, stirring till the isingla.s.s is dissolved, pa.s.s it through a napkin into a basin, and pour into a mould. This can be made any color or flavor that will not curdle the milk; the milk of bitter almonds may be added to flavor it.

754. _Another._--Put into a bowl about a pint of clear calf's-foot jelly warm, break six eggs, beat the yolks and pour them gradually into the jelly, beating all the time; put on the fire and whisk till nearly boiling, set it on ice or in cold water, keep stirring till nearly cold, and fill your mould. You may add whatever flavor you like.

755. _Trifles_ should be made early in the day on which they are wanted; take a stale Savoy cake, cut it in slices of one inch thick, and lay it on the bottom of the dish; lay on that a thin layer of any kind of marmalade, jam, or jelly, have some macaroons and ratafia cakes and lay on, and cover the whole with some sponge cakes. For a dish nine inches in diameter, mix two gla.s.ses of sherry, one of brandy, half a one of rum, and the same of noyeau, and pour over, and let it remain until it is well soaked, then pour over about one inch thick of rich custard; put a pint of cream into a bowl, with some sifted sugar, a squeeze of a lemon, and about a tablespoonful of the wine, &c., you have put on the cake, whisk it well up. I use a trifle-blower, which saves some trouble; I also use it for all whipped cream; and as the froth rises remove it with a spoon on to a clean sieve, where let it drain, then place it on the custard until it is high and handsome.

I have occasionally, when being in a hurry, and having no cream by me, proceeded as above, and made the whip with the whites of eggs, and some very white peach or egg-plum marmalade together, until it makes firm froth or whip, which put on the custard; this may also be colored a nice pink.

Trifles are generally considered unwholesome; I think it is because they are often made too long before they are wanted, and no spirit is used in the cake, the consequence is, the cream turns sour.

The remains of this make an excellent pudding.

PUDDINGS IN MOULDS.

We have already, in the Comforts for Invalids, given several of the most simple receipts. I prefer using, in these kinds of puddings, as the princ.i.p.al ingredient, stale Savoy cake, or sponge cakes, or ladies' fingers, and, if I cannot get them, crumbs of stale bread; they may be made in a hundred different ways, according to the fancy and taste of the cook; the mould should be b.u.t.tered and papered; they may be either baked or steamed.

There is hardly any of our s.e.x, from childhood to old age, but loves this truly English mixture, which appears upon our tables in a hundred different shapes, but always under the same name; and I should not fancy my labors complete if I did not produce a new one of my own invention; I therefore beg you to accept of the dedication, as I intend to call it--

756. _Pudding a la Eloise._--It is made as follows: take half a pound of bread-crumbs, which put in a basin, with two ounces of sago, six ounces of chopped suet, six eggs, five ounces of moist sugar, and a tablespoonful of either orange, lemon, or apricot marmalade; mix all well together, and ornament the bottom of the mould with green angelica in syrup, and Smyrna raisins, and fill up with the mixture. Place the mould in a stewpan containing water to half the height of the mould, and boil gently for two hours; remove it from the mould, and serve with a sauce made of a tablespoonful of either of the marmalades, or of currant or apple jelly and two gla.s.ses of sherry poured over. This, I a.s.sure you, received great praise from the little party of juveniles that I had the other day.

757. _Pudding a la Reine._--b.u.t.ter and paper the mould, fill up with cake or bread-crumbs, when full pour some custard in until it will hold no more; this may be flavored with any white liquor or essence you please, for instance, citron (then it is called Pudding a la Reine au Citron), or orange; use peel thinly sliced, and so on for any flavor you may give it.