BRANDY PEACHES.
Take large white or yellow free-stone peaches, the finest you can procure. They must not be too ripe. Rub off the down with a flannel, score them down the seam with a large needle, and p.r.i.c.k every peach to the stone in several places. Scald them with boiling water, and let them remain in the water till it becomes cold, keeping them well covered. Repeat the scalding three times: it is to make them white. Then wipe them, and spread them on a soft table-cloth, covering them over with several folds. Let them remain in the cloth to dry. Afterwards put them into a tureen, or a large jar, and pour on as much white French brandy as will cover them well. Carefully keep the air from them, and let them remain in the brandy for a week. Then make a syrup in the usual manner, allowing to each pound of peaches a pound of loaf-sugar and half a pint of water mixed with a very little beaten white of egg; one white to three or four pounds of sugar.
When the syrup has boiled, and been well skimmed, put in the peaches and boil them slowly till they look clear; but do not keep them boiling more than half an hour. Then take them out, drain them, and put them into large gla.s.s jars. Mix the syrup, when it is cold, with the brandy in which you had the peaches, and pour it over them. Instead of scalding the peaches to whiten them, you may lay them for an hour in sufficient cold weak lye to cover them well. Turn them frequently while in the lye, and wipe them dry afterwards.
Pears and apricots may be preserved in brandy, according to the above receipt. The skin of the pears should he taken off, but the stems left on.
Large egg plums may be preserved in the same manner.
Another way of preparing brandy peaches is, after rubbing off the down and p.r.i.c.king them, to put them into a preserving kettle with cold water, and simmer them slowly till they become hot all through; but they must not be allowed to boil. Then dry them in a cloth, and let them lie till they are cold, covering them closely from the air. Dissolve loaf-sugar in the best white brandy, (a pound of sugar to a quart of brandy,) and having put the peaches into large gla.s.s jars, pour the brandy and sugar over them (without boiling) and cover the jars well with leather.
Pears, apricots, and egg plums may also be done in this manner.
PEACH MARMALADE.
Take ripe yellow free-stone peaches; pare, stone, and quarter them. To each pound of peaches, allow three quarters of a pound of powdered loaf-sugar, and half an ounce of bitter almonds, or peach-kernels blanched in scalding water, and pounded smooth in a mortar. Scald the peaches in a very little water, mash them to a pulp, mix them with the sugar and pounded-almonds, and put the whole into a preserving kettle. Let it boil to a smooth thick jam, skimming and stirring it well, and keeping the pan covered as much as possible. Fifteen minutes will generally suffice for boiling it. When cold, put it up in gla.s.s jars.
Plum marmalade may be made in this manner, flavouring it with pounded plum-kernels.
PEACH JELLY.
Take fine juicy free-stone peaches and pare and quarter them.
Scald them in a very little water, drain and mash them, and squeeze the juice through a jelly-bag. To every pint of juice allow a pound of loaf-sugar, and a few of the peach-kernels.
Having broken up the kernels and boiled them by themselves for a quarter of an hour in just as much water as will cover them, strain off the kernel-water, and add it to the juice. Mix the juice with the sugar, and when it is melted, boil them together fifteen minutes, till it becomes a thick jelly. Skim it well when it boils. Try the jelly by taking a little in a spoon and holding it in the open air to see if it congeals. If you find, that after sufficient boiling, it still continues thin, you can make it congeal by stirring in an ounce or more of isingla.s.s, dissolved and strained. When the jelly is done, put it into tumblers, and lay on the top double tissue paper cut exactly to fit the inside of the gla.s.s; pressing it down with your fingers.
You may make plum jelly in the same manner, allowing a pound and a half of sugar to a pint of juice.
TO PRESERVE APRICOTS.
Take ripe apricots; scald them, peel them, cut them in half, and extract the stones. Then weigh the apricots, and to each pound allow a pound of loaf-sugar. Put them into a tureen or large pan, in alternate layers of apricots and sugar; cover them, and let them stand all night. Next morning put all together into a preserving kettle, and boil them moderately a quarter of an hour.
Then take them out, spread them on dishes, and let them stand till next day. Then boil them again in the same syrup another quarter of an hour. Afterwards, spread them out to cool, put them into gla.s.s jars, and pour the syrup over them. Peaches may be preserved in the same manner. Also large plums or green gages; but to the plums you must allow additional sugar.
TO DRY PEACHES.
The best peaches for drying are juicy free-stones. They must be quite ripe. Cut them in half, and take out the stones. It is best not to pare them; as dried peaches are much richer with the skin on, and it dissolves and becomes imperceptible when they are cooked. Spread them out in a sunny balcony or on a scaffold, and let them dry gradually till they become somewhat like leather; always bringing them in at sunset, and not putting them out if the weather is damp or cloudy. They may also be dried in kilns or large ovens.
Apples are dried in the same manner, except that they must be pared and quartered.
Cherries also may be dried in the sun, first taking out all the stones. None but the largest and best cherries should be used for drying.
TO PRESERVE QUINCES.
Take large, yellow, ripe quinces, and having washed and wiped them, pare them and extract the cores. Quarter the quinces, or cut them into round slices an inch thick, and lay them in scalding water (closely covered) for an hour, or till they are tender. This will prevent them from hardening, Put the parings, cores, and seeds into a preserving kettle, cover them with the water in which you coddled the quinces, and boil them an hour, keeping them closely covered all the time. To every pint of this liquor allow a pound of loaf-sugar; and having dissolved the sugar in it, put it over the fire in the preserving kettle. Boil it up and skim it, and when the sc.u.m has ceased rising, put in the quinces, and boil them till they are red, tender, and clear all through, but not till they break. Keep the kettle closely covered while the quinces are in it, if you wish to have them bright coloured. You may improve the colour by boiling with them a little cochineal sifted through a muslin rag.
When they are done, take them out, spread them on large dishes to cool, and then put them into gla.s.ses. Give the syrup another boil up, and it will be like a fine jelly. Pour it hot over the quinces, and when cold, tie up the jars with brandy paper.
TO PRESERVE QUINCES WHOLE.
Take those that are large, smooth, and yellow; pare them and extract the cores, carefully removing all the blemishes. Boil the quinces in a close kettle with the cores and parings, in sufficient water to cover them. In half an hour take, them out, spread them to cool, and add to the cores and parings some small inferior quinces cut in quarters, but not pared or cored; and pour in some more water, just enough to boil them. Cover the pan, and let them simmer for an hour. Then take it off, strain the liquid, measure it, and to each quart allow a pound of loaf-sugar. Put the sugar to melt in the liquid, and let it set all night. Next day boil the quinces in it for a quarter of an hour, and then take them out and cool them, saving the syrup. On the following day repeat the same; and the fourth day add a quarter of a pound more sugar to each pint of the syrup, and boil the quinces in it twelve minutes. If by this time they are not tender, bright, and transparent all through, repeat the boiling.
When they are quite done, put quince jelly or marmalade into the holes from whence you took the cores; put the quinces into gla.s.s jars and pour the syrup over them. If convenient, it is a very nice way to put up each quince in a separate tumbler.
QUINCE JELLY.
Take fine ripe yellow quinces, wash them and remove all the blemishes, cut them in pieces, but do not pare or core them. Put them into a preserving-pan with clear spring water. If you, are obliged to use river water, filter it first; allowing one pint to twelve large quinces. Boil them gently till they are all soft and broken. Then put them into a jelly-bag, and do not squeeze it till after the clear liquid has ceased running. Of this you must make the _best_ jelly, allowing to each pint a pound of loaf-sugar.
Having dissolved the sugar in the liquid, boil them together about twenty minutes, or till you have a thick jelly.
In the meantime, squeeze out all that is left in the bag. It will not be clear, but you can make of it a very good jelly for common purposes.
QUINCE MARMALADE.
Take six pounds of ripe yellow quinces; and having washed them clean, pare and core them, and cut them into small pieces. To each pound of the cut quinces allow half a pound of powdered loaf-sugar.
Put the parings and cores into a kettle with water enough to cover them, and boil them slowly till they are all to pieces, and quite soft. Then having put the quinces with the sugar into a porcelain preserving kettle, strain over them, through a cloth, the liquid from the parings and cores. Add a little cochineal powdered, and sifted through thin muslin. Boil the whole over a quick fire till it becomes a thick smooth ma.s.s, keeping it covered except when you are skimming it; and always after skimming, stir it up well from the bottom.
When cold, put it up in gla.s.s jars. If you wish to use it soon, put it warm into moulds, and when if is cold, set the moulds in lukewarm water, and the marmalade will turn out easily.
QUINCE CHEESE.
Have fine ripe quinces, and pare and core them. Cut them into pieces, and weigh them; and to each pound of the cut quinces, allow half a pound of the best brown sugar. Pat the cores and parings into a kettle, with water enough to cover them, keeping the lid of the kettle closed. When you find that they are all boiled to pieces and quite soft, strain off the water over the sugar, and when it is entirely dissolved, put it over the fire and boil it to a thick syrup, skimming it well. When no more sc.u.m rises, put in the quinces, cover them closely, and boil them all day over a slow fire, stirring them and mashing them down with a spoon till they are a thick smooth paste. Then take it out, and put it into b.u.t.tered tin pans or deep dishes. Let it set to get cold. It will then turn out so firm that you may cut it into slices like cheese. Keep it in a dry place in broad stone pots. It is intended for the tea-table.
PRESERVED APPLES.
Take fine ripe pippin or bell-flower apples. Pare and core them, and either leave them whole, or cut them into quarters. Weigh them, and to each pound of apples allow a pound of loaf-sugar. Put the apples into a stew-pan with just water enough to cover them, and let them boil slowly for about half an hour. They must be only parboiled. Then strain the apple water over the sugar into a preserving kettle, and when the sugar is melted put it on the fire with the yellow rind of some lemons pared thin, allowing four lemons lo a dozen apples. Boil the syrup till clear and thick, skimming; it carefully; then put in the apples, and after they have boiled slowly a quarter of an hour, add the juice of the lemons. Let it boil about fifteen minutes longer, or till the apples are tender and clear, but not till they break. When they are cold, put them into jars, and covering them closely, let them set a week. At the end of that time give them another boil in the same syrup; apples being more difficult to keep than any other fruit.
You may colour them red by adding, when you boil them in the syrup, a little cochineal.
BAKED APPLES.
Take a dozen fine large juicy apples, and pare and core them; but do not cut them in pieces. Put them side by side into a large baking-pan, and fill up with brown sugar the holes from whence you have extracted the cores. Pour into each a little lemon-juice, or a few drops of essence of lemon, and stick in every one a long piece of lemon-peel evenly cut. Into the bottom of the pan put a very little water, just enough to prevent the apples from burning.
Bake them about an hour, or till they are tender all through, but not till they break. When, done, set them away to get cold.
If closely covered they will keep, two days. They may be eaten at tea with cream. Or at dinner with a boiled custard poured over them. Or you may cover them with, sweetened cream flavored with a little essence of lemon, and whipped to a froth. Heap the froth over every apple so as to conceal them entirely.
APPLE JELLY.