[Pastes, Conserves, and Brandy Fruits Contents]
Red and White Currant Paste.
Pick the berries from the stalks, scald and rub them through a sieve, pass it through a jelly bag; for every pint (mutchkin) of juice, have ready twenty four ounces refined sugar, pounded and sifted; boil the juice about fifteen minutes, then stir in the sugar, and when melted, pour it on sheets of tin; dry it, cut it in squares, place them in a stove to dry.
Rasp and Strawberry Paste.
Take a quart (choppin) of the berries, mash and strain one half of them, and add the juice to the other half, which set on the fire, adding a pint (mutchkin) of red currant juice; boil them twenty minutes, then put a pound and a half refined sugar into a pan, with as much water as dissolve it; boil it till it blows very strong, or to the crackled height, then add the raspberries and juice; let it boil again a little, pour it on plates, or in small pans.
Gooseberry Paste.
Take the red kind when full ripe, cut them in two, take out the seeds, put them into a pan with a pint (mutchkin) of red currant juice; boil them tender, take a pound and a half refined sugar and proceed as above directed. It may be made red or green by colouring.
Almond Paste.
Pound half a pound sweet, and one ounce bitter almonds, with as much water as keep them from oiling; then put it into a flat pan with eight ounces pounded sugar; mix them well together on a slow fire, with a wooden spoon; stir it well from the bottom. When it comes out whole from the bottom of the pan and does not adhere to it, it is done; pour it out on a table, or on tins; when dry cut them in squares and set them in a warm stove to harden.
Almond Figures.
Blanch and pound half a pound of Jordan almonds with orange flower water; make a pound of refined sugar into a syrup, boil it till near candy height; add the almonds and keep stirring till it is pretty thick, then add the grate of two large lemons and the juice of one; stir it well together upon a slow fire, but do not let it boil after the juice is put in; then form it into cakes, or figures. They may be gilt with brass or silver leaf, according to fancy.
Conserve of Roses.
Take scarlet rose buds, pick them and cut off the white ends, and with a sieve take out all the seeds; to every pound of flowers, take two and a half pounds pounded lump sugar; beat the flowers very fine in a mortar, then add the sugar by degrees, beating it all the time until it is one solid mass. A wooden mill is made use of in bruising the flowers, and makes it much sooner.
Note. – Conserves of any other flowers may be made in the same way.
Conserve of Quinces.
Pare, core, and cut them in pieces; take out all the seeds, boil them till soft, and weigh to every eight pounds quinces about six pounds sugar, which clarify and boil smooth; then add the quinces, press them well together and boil them till thick. Cherries are done the same way.
Conserve of Lemons, or Oranges.
Grate and squeeze the fruit, put the juice through a lawn sieve, mix in the grate, boil up a proper quantity of syrup to carmil height, mix in the juice and grate; when well mixed boil it to a proper consistence.
Compotes.
Compotes of various fruits are made in the same way as ordered in preserving fruits; only they are made with more care and a syrup made of finer sugar. They are always kept wet, and served up in top glasses with the syrup around them. They are much used in deserts.
Brandy Fruits.
Peaches in Brandy.
Take six pounds of sugar, make it into a thin syrup, and put the one half into a glazed earthen vessel, on the fire; when it boils put in the peaches, one by one, turn them with a spoon that they may be done all alike. When they begin to soften, take them out with the spoon, one at a time, and lay them to soak in the other half of the syrup; when well soaked take them out with a spoon, or small skimmer, drain and put them in long wide mouthed bottles, and pour on as much brandy as will cover them. Then put all the syrup into a pan on the fire, make it into a pretty thin syrup with water, and when it begins to boil, go on to do more peaches. The syrup thus prepared will do above a hundred. When they are all done and put into bottles, brandy is poured upon them; boil up the syrup till it blows. Take the brandy from the peaches, and when the syrup is almost cold, take equal parts of the syrup and brandy, mix them together, fill up the bottles, and tie them close over with a bladder above the corks.
Wine Grapes.
Take the close bunches before they are too ripe; lay them into a jar, put in some sugar candy broken in small pieces, and fill up the jar with brandy; tie them close up with a bladder.
Apricots.
Take the palest ones, sound, free from spots, before they are too ripe; scald them a few minutes on the fire, in a pan of water till soft; then have a large table-cloth, in five or six folds, ready, which lay them on; cover them close up, that all the water may be absorbed. Take of the best brandy, if possible pale coloured; to every quart (choppin) add ten ounces pounded sugar; when the sugar is dissolved, put your apricots into glass jars, or wide mouthed bottles, fill them up with the brandy and sugar, tie them close up. They require to be filled up two or three times, as the fruit takes in the spirits; when well soaked, cork them and dip the necks of the bottles in wax, or tie over leather.
Peaches, Morella Cherries, Mogul Plumbs, Green Gage Plumbs, and Grapes, may be done in the same manner.
Nectarines.
Proceed as directed in preserving peaches, with their weight of sugar; only, instead of scalding them in water, boil them in the syrup three times, lay them in glass jars, or long bottles; mix equal parts of syrup and brandy, which pour over them, and tie them up. Peaches may be done this way.
One thought on “Chap. VI. – Pastes, Conserves, and Brandy Fruits, pp.75-79.”