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PREFACE.
PREFACE.
The following Receipts for Pastry, Cakes, and Sweetmeats, are original, and have been used by the author and many of her friends with uniform success. They are drawn up in a style so plain and minute, as to be perfectly intelligible to servants, and persons of the most moderate capacity. All the ingredients, with their proper quantities, are enumerated in a list at the head of each receipt, a plan which will greatly facilitate the business of procuring and preparing the requisite articles. There
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PART THE FIRST.
PART THE FIRST.
The eggs should not be beaten till after all the other ingredients are ready, as they will fail very soon. If the whites and yolks are to be beaten separately, do the whites first, as they will stand longer. Eggs should be beaten in a broad shallow pan, spreading wide at the top. Butter and sugar should be stirred in a deep pan with straight sides. Break every egg by itself, in a saucer, before you put it into the pan, that in case there should be any bad ones, they may not spoil the others. Egg
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PART THE SECOND.
PART THE SECOND.
In making cakes it is particularly necessary that the eggs should be well beaten. They are not sufficiently light till the surface looks smooth and level, and till they get so thick as to be of the consistence of boiled custard. White of egg should always be beaten till it becomes a heap of stiff froth, without any liquid at the bottom; and till it hangs from the rods or fork without dropping. Eggs, become light soonest when new-laid, and when beaten near the fire or in warm dry weather. Butter
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GENERAL DIRECTIONS.
GENERAL DIRECTIONS.
In preparing sugar for sweetmeats, let it be entirely dissolved, before you put it on the fire. If you dissolve it in water, allow about half a pint of water to a pound of sugar. If you boil the sugar before you add the fruit to it, it will be improved in clearness by passing it through a flannel bag. Skim off the brown scum, all the time it is boiling. If sweetmeats are boiled too long, they lose their flavour and become of a dark colour. If boiled too short a time, they will not keep well. You
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APPLE JELLY.
APPLE JELLY.
Take the best pippin, or bell-flower apples. No others will make good jelly. Pare, core, and quarter them. Lay them in a preserving kettle, and put to them as much water only, as will cover them, and as much lemon-peel as you choose. Boil them till they are soft, but not till they break. Drain off the water through a colander, and mash the apples with the hack of a spoon. Put them into a jelly bag, set a deep dish or pan under it, and squeeze out the juice. To every pint of juice, allow a pound
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RED CURRANT JELLY.
RED CURRANT JELLY.
Wash your currants, drain them, and pick them from the stalks. Mash them with the back of a spoon. Put them in a jelly-bag, and squeeze it till all the juice is pressed out. To every pint of juice, allow a pound of the best loaf-sugar. Put the juice and the sugar into your kettle, and boil them twenty minutes, skimming all the while. Pour it warm into your glasses, and when cold, tie it up with brandy paper. Jellies should never be allowed to get cold in the kettle. If boiled too long, they will
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BLACK CURRANT JELLY.
BLACK CURRANT JELLY.
Pick the currants from the stalks, wash and drain them. Mash them soft with a spoon, put them in a bag, and squeeze out the juice. To each pint of juice, allow three quarters of a pound of loaf-sugar, Put the juice and sugar into a preserving kettle, and boil them about ten minutes, skimming them well. Take it immediately out of the kettle. Put it warm into your glasses. Tie it up with brandy paper. The juice of black currants is so very thick, that it requires less sugar and less boiling than a
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GOOSEBERRY JELLY
GOOSEBERRY JELLY
Cut the gooseberries in half, (they must be green) and put them in a jar closely covered. Set the jar in an oven, or pot filled with boiling water. Keep the water boiling round the jar till the gooseberries are soft, take them out, mash them with a spoon, and put them into a jelly bag to drain. When all the juice is squeezed out, measure it, and to a pint of juice, allow a pound of loaf-sugar. Put the juice and sugar into the preserving kettle, and boil them twenty minutes, skimming carefully. P
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GRAPE JELLY.
GRAPE JELLY.
Pick the grapes from the stems, wash and drain them. Mash them with a spoon. Put them in the preserving kettle, and cover them closely with a large plate. Boil them ten minutes. Then pour them into your jelly bag, and squeeze out the juice. Allow a pint of juice to a pound of sugar. Put the sugar and juice into your kettle, and boil them twenty minutes, skimming them well. Fill your glasses while the jelly is warm, and tie them up with brandy papers....
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PEACH JELLY
PEACH JELLY
Wipe the wool off your peaches, (which should be free-stones and not too ripe) and cut them in quarters, Crack the stones, and break the kernels small. Put the peaches and the kernels into a covered jar, set them in boiling water, and let them boil till they are soft. Strain them through a jelly-bag, till all the juice is squeezed out. Allow a pound of loaf-sugar to a pint of juice. Put the sugar and juice into a preserving kettle, and boil them twenty minutes, skimming carefully. Put the jelly
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PRESERVED QUINCES
PRESERVED QUINCES
Pare and core your quinces, carefully taking out the parts that are knotty and defective. Cut them into quarters, or into round slices. Put them into a preserving kettle and cover them with the parings and a very little water. Lay a large plate over them to keep in the steam, and boil them till they are tender. Take out the quinces, and strain the liquor through a bag. To every pint of liquor, allow a pound of loaf-sugar. Boil the juice and sugar together, about ten minutes, skimming it well. Th
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PRESERVED PIPPINS.
PRESERVED PIPPINS.
Pare and core some of the largest and finest pippins. Put them in your preserving kettle, [Footnote: The use of brass or bell-metal kettles is now most entirely superseded by the enamelled kettles of iron lined with china, called preserving kettles; brass and bell-metal having always been objectionable on account of the verdigris which collects in them.] with some lemon-peel, and all the apple-parings. Add a very little water, and cover them closely. Boil them till they are tender, taking care t
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PRESERVED PEACHES.
PRESERVED PEACHES.
Take the largest and finest free-stone peaches, before they are too ripe. Pare them, and cut them in halves or in quarters. Crack the stones, and take out the kernels, and break them in pieces. Put the peaches, with the parings and kernels, into your preserving kettle, with a very little water. Boil them till they are tender. Take out the peaches and spread them on a large dish to cool. Strain the liquor through a bag or sieve. Next day, measure the juice, and to each pint allow a pound of loaf-
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PRESERVED CRAB APPLES
PRESERVED CRAB APPLES
Wash your fruit. Cover the bottom of your preserving kettle with grape leaves. Put in the apples. Hang them over the fire, with a very little water, and cover them closely. Do not allow them to boil, but let them simmer gently till they are yellow. Take them out, and spread them on a large dish to cool. Pare and core them. Put them again into the kettle, with fresh vine-leaves under and over them, and a very little water. Hang them over the fire till they are green. Do not let them boil. Take th
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PRESERVED PLUMS.
PRESERVED PLUMS.
Cut your plums in half, (they must not be quite ripe,) and take am the stones. Weigh the plums and allow a pound of loaf-sugar to a pound of fruit. Crack the stones, take out the kernels and break them in pieces. Boil the plums and kernels very slowly for about fifteen minutes, in as little water as possible. Then spread them on a large dish to cool, and strain the liquor. Next day make your syrup. Melt the sugar in as little water as will suffice to dissolve it, (about half a pint of water to a
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PRESERVED STRAWBERRIES.
PRESERVED STRAWBERRIES.
Weigh the strawberries after you have picked off the stems. To each pound of fruit allow a pound of loaf-sugar, which must be powdered. Strew half of the sugar over the strawberries, and let them stand in a cold place two or three hours. Then put them in a preserving kettle over a slow fire, and by degrees strew on the rest of the sugar. Boil them fifteen or twenty minutes, and skim them well. Put them in wide-mouthed bottles, and when cold, seal the corks. If you wish to do them whole, take the
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PRESERVED CRANBERRIES
PRESERVED CRANBERRIES
Wash your cranberries, weigh them, and to each pound allow a pound of loaf-sugar. Dissolve the sugar in a very little water, (about half a pint of water to a pound of sugar) and set it on the fire in a preserving kettle. Boil it nearly ten minutes, skimming it well. Then put in your cranberries, and boil them slowly, till they are quite soft, and of a fine colour. Put them warm into your jars or glasses, and tie them up with brandy paper, when cold. All sorts of sweetmeats keep better in glasses
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PRESERVED PUMPKIN.
PRESERVED PUMPKIN.
Cut slices from a fine high-coloured pumpkin, and cut the slices into chips about the thickness of a dollar. The chips should be of an equal size, six inches in length and an inch broad. Weigh them and allow to each pound of pumpkin chips, a pound of loaf-sugar. Have ready a sufficient number of fine lemons, pare off the yellow rind, and lay it aside. Cut the lemons in half, and squeeze the juice into a bowl. Allow a gill of juice to each pound of pumpkin. Put the pumpkin into a broad pan laying
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PRESERVED PINE-APPLE,
PRESERVED PINE-APPLE,
Pare your pine-apples, and cut them in thick slices. Weigh the slices and to each pound allow a pound of loaf-sugar. Dissolve the sugar in a very small quantity of water, stir it, and set it over the fire in a preserving-kettle. Boil it ten minutes, skimming it well. Then put in it the pine-apple slices, and boil them till they are clear and soft, but not till they break. About half an hour (or perhaps less time) will suffice. Let them cool in a large dish or pan, before you put them into your j
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RASPBERRY JAM.
RASPBERRY JAM.
Allow a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit. Mash the raspberries and put them with the sugar into your preserving kettle. Boll it slowly for an hour skimming it well. Tie it up with brandy paper. All jams are made in the same manner....
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A-LA-MODE BEEF
A-LA-MODE BEEF
A pound of fresh beef weighing from eighteen to twenty pounds. A pound of the fat of bacon or corned pork. The marrow from the bone of the beef, \ chopped together A quarter of a pound of beef-suet, / Two bundles of pot herbs, parsley, thyme, small onions, &c. chopped fine. Two large bunches of sweet marjoram,\sufficient when powdered to make Two bunches of sweet basil, /make four table-spoonfuls of each. Two large nutmegs, \ Half an ounce of cloves } beaten to a po
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CHICKEN PUDDING
CHICKEN PUDDING
Cut up a pair of young chickens, and season them with pepper and salt and a little mace and nutmeg. Put them into a pot with two large spoonfuls of butter, and water enough to cover them. Stew them gently; and when about half cooked, take them out and set them away to cool. Pour off the gravy, and reserve it to be served up separately. In the mean time, make a batter as if for a pudding, of eight table-spoonfuls of sifted flour stirred gradually into a quart of milk, six eggs well beaten and add
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A BONED TURKEY.
A BONED TURKEY.
A large turkey. Three sixpenny loaves of stale bread. One pound of fresh butter. Four eggs. One bunch of pot-herbs, parsley, thyme, and little onions. Two bunches of sweet marjoram. Two bunches of sweet basil. Two nutmegs. \ Half an ounce of cloves. } pounded fine. A quarter of an ounce of mace. / A table-spoonful of salt. A table-spoonful of pepper. Skewers, tape, needle, and coarse thread will be wanted. Grate the bread, and put the crusts in water to soften. Then break
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COLLARED PORK.
COLLARED PORK.
A leg of fresh pork, not large. Two table-spoonfuls of powdered sage. Two table-spoonfuls of sweet marjoram, \ powdered. One table-spoonful of sweet basil, / A quarter of an ounce of mace, \ Half an ounce of cloves, } powdered. Two nutmegs, / A bunch of pot-herbs, chopped small. A sixpenny loaf of stale bread, grated. Half a pound of butter, cut into the bread. Two eggs. A table-spoonful of salt. A table-spoonful of black pepper. Grate the bread, and having softened the
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SPICED OYSTERS.
SPICED OYSTERS.
Two hundred large fresh oysters. Four table-spoonfuls of strong vinegar. A nutmeg, grated. Three dozen of cloves, whole. Eight blades of mace, whole. Two tea-spoonfuls of salt if the oysters are fresh. Two tea-spoonfuls of whole allspice. As much cayenne pepper as will lie on the point of a knife. Put the oysters, with their liquor, into a large earthen pitcher. Add to them the vinegar and all the other ingredients. Stir all well together. Set them in the stove, or over a slow fi
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STEWED OYSTERS.
STEWED OYSTERS.
Open the oysters and strain the liquor. Put to the liquor some grated stale bread, and a little pepper and nutmeg, adding a glass of white wine. Boil the liquor with these ingredients, and then pour it scalding hot over the dish of raw oysters. This will cook them sufficiently. Have ready some slices of buttered toast with the crust cut off. When the oysters are done, dip the toast in the liquor, and lay the pieces round the sides and in the bottom of a deep dish. Pour the oysters and liquor upo
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OYSTER SOUP
OYSTER SOUP
Three pints of large fresh oysters. Two table-spoonfuls of butter, rolled in flour. A bunch of sweet herbs. A saucer full of chopped celery. A quart of rich milk. Pepper to your taste. Take the liquor of three pints of oysters. Strain it, and set it on the fire. Put into it, pepper to your taste, two table-spoonfuls of butter rolled in flour, and a bunch of sweet marjoram and other pot-herbs, with a saucer full of chopped celery. When it boils, add a quart of rich milk-and as soon as
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FRIED OYSTERS
FRIED OYSTERS
For frying, choose the largest and finest oysters. Beat some yolks of eggs and mix with them grated bread, and a small quantity of beaten nutmeg and mace and a little salt. Having stirred this batter well, dip your oysters into it, and fry them in lard, till they are of a light brown colour. Take care not to do them too much. Serve them up hot. For grated bread, some substitute crackers pounded to a powder, and mixed with yolk of egg and spice....
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BAKED OR SCOLLOPED OYSTERS.
BAKED OR SCOLLOPED OYSTERS.
Grate a small loaf of stale-bread. Butter a deep dish well, and cover the sides and bottom with bread crumbs. Put in half the oysters with a little mace and pepper. Cover them with crumbs and small bits of butter strewed over them. Then put in the remainder of the oysters. Season them. Cover them as before with crumbs and butter. If the oysters are fresh, pour in a little of the liquor. If they are salt, substitute a little water. Bake them a very short time. You may cook them in the small scoll
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OYSTER PATTIES.
OYSTER PATTIES.
Make some rich puff-paste, and bake it in very small tin patty pans. When cool, turn them out upon a large dish. Stew some large fresh oysters with a few cloves, a little mace and nutmeg, some yolk of egg boiled hard and grated, a little butter, and as much of the oyster liquor as will cover them. When they have stewed a little while, take them out of the pan, and set them away to cool. When quite cold, lay two or three oysters in each shell of puff-paste....
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OYSTER-SAUCE.
OYSTER-SAUCE.
When your oysters are opened, take care of all the liquor, and give them one boil in it. Then take the oysters out, and put to the liquor three or four blades of mace. Add to it some melted butter, and some thick cream or rich milk. Put in your oysters and give them a boil. As soon as they come to a boil, take them of the fire....
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PICKLED OYSTERS.
PICKLED OYSTERS.
Four hundred large fresh oysters. A pint of vinegar. Eight spoonfuls of salt. A pint of white wine. Six table-spoonfuls of whole black pepper. Eight blades of mace. Strain the liquor of the oysters and boil it. Then pour it hot over the oysters, and let them lie in it about ten minutes. Then take them out, and cover them. Boil the liquor with the salt, pepper, mace, vinegar and wine. When cold, put the oysters in a close jar, and pour the liquor over them. Cover the jar very tight, a
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CHICKEN SALAD.
CHICKEN SALAD.
Two large cold fowls, either boiled or roasted. The yolks of nine hard-boiled eggs. Half a pint of sweet oil. Half a pint of vinegar. A gill of mixed mustard. A small tea-spoonful of cayenne pepper. A small tea-spoonful of salt. Two large heads, or four small ones, of fine celery. Cut the meat of the fowls from the bones, in pieces not exceeding an inch in size. Cut the white part of the celery into pieces about an inch long. Mix the chicken and celery well together. Cover them a
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LOBSTER SALAD.
LOBSTER SALAD.
Take two large boiled lobsters. Extract all the meat from the shell, and cut it up into very small pieces. For lobster salad, you must have lettuce instead of celery. Cut up the lettuce as small as possible. Make a dressing as for a chicken-salad, with the yolks of nine hard-boiled eggs, half a pint of sweet oil, half a pint of vinegar, a gill of mustard, a tea-spoonful of cayenne, and a tea-spoonful of salt. Mix all well together with a wooden spoon. A few minutes before it is to be eaten, pour
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STEWED MUSHROOMS.
STEWED MUSHROOMS.
Take a quart of fresh mushrooms. Peel them and cut off the stems. Season them with pepper and salt. Put them in a sauce-pan or skillet, with a lump of fresh butter the size of an egg, and sufficient cream or rich milk to cover them. Put on the lid of the pan, and stew the mushrooms about a quarter of an hour, keeping them well covered or the flavour will evaporate. When you take them off the fire, have ready one or two beaten eggs. Stir the eggs gradually into the stew, and send it to table in a
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PEACH CORDIAL.
PEACH CORDIAL.
Take a peck of cling-stone peaches; such as come late in the season, and are very juicy. Pare them, and cut them from the stones. Crack about half the stones and save the kernels. Leave the remainder of the stones whole, and mix them with the cut peaches; add also the kernels. Put the whole into a wide-mouthed demi-john, and pour on them two gallons of double-rectified whiskey. Add three pounds of rock-sugar candy. Cork it tightly, and set It away for three months: then bottle it, and it will be
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CHERRY BOUNCE.
CHERRY BOUNCE.
Take a peck of morella cherries, and a peck of black hearts. Stone the morellas and crack the stones. Put all the cherries and the cracked stones into a demi-john, with three pounds of loaf-sugar slightly pounded or beaten. Pour in two gallons of double-rectified whiskey. Cork the demi-john, and in six months the cherry-bounce will be fit to pour off and bottle for use; but the older it is, the better....
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RASPBERRY CORDIAL.
RASPBERRY CORDIAL.
To each quart of raspberries allow a pound of loaf-sugar. Mash the raspberries and strew the sugar over them, having first pounded it slightly, or cracked it with the rolling-pin. Let the raspberries and sugar set till next day, keeping them well covered, then put them in a thin linen bag and squeeze out the juice with your hands. To every pint of juice allow a quart of double-rectified whiskey. Cork it well, and set it away for use. It will be ready in a few days. Raspberry Vinegar (which, mixe
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BLACKBERRY CORDIAL.
BLACKBERRY CORDIAL.
Take the ripest blackberries. Mash them, put them in a linen bag and squeeze out the juice. To every quart of juice allow a pound of beaten loaf-sugar. Put the sugar into a large preserving kettle, and pour the juice on it. When it is all melted, set it on the fire, and boil it to a thin jelly. When cold, to every quart of juice allow a quart of brandy. Stir them well together, and bottle it for use. It will be ready at once....
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GINGER BEER.
GINGER BEER.
Put into a kettle, two ounces of powdered ginger,(or more if it is not very strong,) half an ounce of cream of tartar, two large lemons cut in slices, two pounds of broken loaf-sugar, and one gallon of soft water. Simmer them over a slow fire for half an hour. When the liquor is nearly cold, stir into it a large table-spoonful of the best yeast. After it has fermented, bottle for use....
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JELLY CAKE.
JELLY CAKE.
Stir together till very light, half a pound of fresh butter and half a pound of powdered white sugar. Beat twelve eggs very light, and stir them into the butter and sugar, alternately with a pound of sifted flour. Add a beaten nutmeg, and half a wine-glass of rose-water. Have ready a flat circular plate of tin, which must be laid on your griddle, or in the oven of your stove, and well greased with butter. Pour on it a large ladle-full of the batter, and bake it as you would a buck-wheat cake, ta
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RICE CAKES FOR BREAKFAST.
RICE CAKES FOR BREAKFAST.
Put half a pound of rice in soak over night. Early in the morning boil it very soft, drain it from the water, mix with it a quarter of a pound of butter, and set it away to cool. When it is cold, stir it into a quart of milk, and add a very little salt. Beat six eggs, and sift half a pint of flour. Stir the egg and flour alternately into the rice and milk. Having beaten the whole very well, bake it on the griddle in cakes about the size of a small dessert-plate. Butter them, and send them to tab
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GROUND RICE PUODIJVG.
GROUND RICE PUODIJVG.
Take five table-spoonfuls of ground rice and boil it in a quart of new milk, with a grated nutmeg or a tea-spoonful of powdered cinnamon, stirring it all the time. When it has boiled, pour it into a pan and stir in a quarter of a pound of butter, and a quarter of a pound of powdered sugar, a nutmeg and half a pint of cream. Set it away to get cold. Then heat eight eggs, omitting the whites of four. Have ready a pound of dried currants well cleaned, and sprinkled with flour; stir them into the mi
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TOMATA KETCHUP.
TOMATA KETCHUP.
Slice the tomatas. Put them in layers into a deep earthen pan, and sprinkle every layer with salt. Let them stand in this state for twelve hours. Then put them over the fire in a preserving kettle, and simmer them till they are quite soft. Pour them into a linen bag, and squeeze the juice from them. Season the liquor to your taste, with grated horse-radish, a little garlic, some mace, and a few cloves. Boil it well with these ingredients—and, when cold, bottle it for use....
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YEAST
YEAST
Have ready two quarts of boiling water; put into it a large handful of hops, and let them boil twenty minutes. Sift into a pan a pound and a half of flour. Strain the liquor from the hops, and pour half of it over the flour. Let the other half of the liquid stand till it is cool, and then pour it gradually into the pan of flour, mixing it well. Stir into it a large tea-cup full of good yeast,(brewer's yeast if you can get it.) Put it immediately into bottles, and cork it tightly. It will be fit
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