_Seasonable_ in July and August.
PINEAPPLE.--The pineapple has not been known in Europe above two hundred years, and has not been cultivated in England much above a century. It is stated that the first pineapples raised in Europe were by M. La Cour, of Leyden, about the middle of the 17th century; and it is said to have been first cultivated in England by Sir Matthew Decker, of Richmond. In Kensington Palace, there is a picture in which Charles II. is represented as receiving a pineapple from his gardener Rose, who is presenting it on his knees.
PLAIN FRITTERS.
1473. INGREDIENTS.--3 oz. of flour, 3 eggs, 1/3 pint of milk.
[Ill.u.s.tration: STAR FRITTER-MOULD.]
_Mode_.--Mix the flour to a smooth batter with a small quant.i.ty of the milk; stir in the eggs, which should be well whisked, and then the remainder of the milk; boat the whole to a perfectly smooth batter, and should it be found not quite thin enough, add two or three tablespoonfuls more milk. Have ready a frying-pan, with plenty of boiling lard in it; drop in rather more than a tablespoonful at a time of the batter, and fry the fritters a nice brown, turning them when sufficiently cooked on one side. Drain them well from the greasy moisture by placing them upon a piece of blotting-paper before the fire; dish them on a white d"oyley, sprinkle over them sifted sugar, and send to table with them a cut lemon and plenty of pounded sugar.
_Time_.--From 6 to 8 minutes.
_Average cost_, 4d.
_Sufficient_ for 3 or 4 persons.
_Seasonable_ at any time.
POTATO FRITTERS.
1474. INGREDIENTS.--2 large potatoes, 4 eggs, 2 tablespoonfuls of cream, 2 ditto of raisin or sweet wine, 1 dessertspoonful of lemon-juice, 4 teaspoonful of grated nutmeg, hot lard.
[Ill.u.s.tration: SCROLL FRITTER-MOULD.]
_Mode_.--Boil the potatoes, and beat them up lightly with a fork, but do not use a spoon, as that would make them heavy. Beat the eggs well, leaving out one of the whites; add the other ingredients, and beat all together for at least 20 minutes, or until the batter is extremely light. Put plenty of good lard into a frying-pan, and drop a tablespoonful of the batter at a time into it, and fry the fritters a nice brown. Serve them with the following sauce:--A gla.s.s of sherry mixed with the strained juice of a lemon, and sufficient white sugar to sweeten the whole nicely. Warm these ingredients, and serve the sauce separately in a tureen. The fritters should be neatly dished on a white d"oyley, and pounded sugar sprinkled over them; and they should be well drained on a piece of blotting-paper before the fire previously to being dished.
_Time_.--From 6 to 8 minutes.
_Average cost_, 9d.
_Sufficient_ for 3 or 4 persons.
_Seasonable_ at any time.
RASPBERRY CREAM.
1475. INGREDIENTS.--3/4 pint of milk, 3/4 pint of cream, 1-1/2 oz. of isingla.s.s, raspberry jelly, sugar to taste, 2 tablespoonfuls of brandy.
[Ill.u.s.tration: RASPBERRY CREAM MOULD.]
_Mode_.--Boil the milk, cream, and isingla.s.s together for 1/4 hour, or until the latter is melted, and strain it through a hair sieve into a basin. Let it cool a little; then add to it sufficient raspberry jelly, which, when melted, would make 1/3 pint, and stir well till the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. If not sufficiently sweet, add a little pounded sugar with the brandy; whisk the mixture well until nearly cold, put it into a well-oiled mould, and set it in a cool place till perfectly set. Raspberry jam may be subst.i.tuted for the jelly, but must be melted, and rubbed through a sieve, to free it from seeds: in summer, the juice of the fresh fruit may be used, by slightly mashing it with a wooden spoon, and sprinkling sugar over it; the juice that flows from the fruit should then be used for mixing with the cream. If the colour should not be very good, a few drops of prepared cochineal may be added to improve its appearance. (_See_ coloured plate T1.)
_Time_.--1/4 hour to boil the cream and isingla.s.s.
_Average cost_, with cream at 1s. per pint, and the best isingla.s.s, 3s.
_Sufficient_ to fill a quart mould.
_Seasonable_, with jelly, at any time.
_Note_.--Strawberry cream may be made in precisely the same manner, subst.i.tuting strawberry jam or jelly for the raspberry.
RICE BLANCMANGE.
1476. INGREDIENTS.--1/4 lb. of ground rice, 3 oz. of loaf sugar, 1 oz.
of fresh b.u.t.ter, 1 quart of milk, flavouring of lemon-peel, essence of almonds or vanilla, or laurel-leaves.
_Mode_.--Mix the rice to a smooth batter with about 1/2 pint of the milk, and the remainder put into a saucepan, with the sugar, b.u.t.ter, and whichever of the above flavourings may be preferred; bring the milk to the boiling-point, quickly stir in the rice, and let it boil for about 10 minutes, or until it comes easily away from the saucepan, keeping it well stirred the whole time. Grease a mould with pure salad-oil; pour in the rice, and let it get perfectly set, when it should turn out quite easily; garnish it with jam, or pour round a compote of any kind of fruit, just before it is sent to table. This blancmange is better for being made the day before it is wanted, as it then has time to become firm. If laurel-leaves are used for flavouring, steep 3 of them in the milk, and take them out before the rice is added: about 8 drops of essence of almonds, or from 12 to 16 drops of essence of vanilla, would be required to flavour the above proportion of milk.
_Time_.--From 10 to 15 minutes to boil the rice.
_Average cost_, 9d.
_Sufficient_ to fill a quart mould.
_Seasonable_ at any time.
RICE CROQUETTES.
1477. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 lb. of rice, 1 quart of milk, 6 oz. of pounded sugar, flavouring of vanilla, lemon-peel, or bitter almonds, egg and bread crumbs, hot lard.
_Mode_.--Put the rice, milk, and sugar into a saucepan, and let the former gradually swell over a gentle fire until all the milk is dried up; and just before the rice is done, stir in a few drops of essence of any of the above flavourings. Let the rice get cold; then form it into small round b.a.l.l.s, dip them into yolk of egg, sprinkle them with bread crumbs, and fry them in boiling lard for about 10 minutes, turning them about, that they may get equally browned. Drain the greasy moisture from them, by placing them on a cloth in front of the fire for a minute or two; pile them on a white d"oyley, and send them quickly to table. A small piece of jam is sometimes introduced into the middle of each croquette, which adds very much to the flavour of this favourite dish.
_Time_.--From 3/4 to 1 hour to swell the rice; about 10 minutes to fry the croquettes.
_Average cost_, 10d.
_Sufficient_ to make 7 or 8 croquettes.
_Seasonable_ at any time.
RICE FRITTERS.
1478. INGREDIENTS.--6 oz. of rice, 1 quart of milk, 3 oz. of sugar, 1 oz. of fresh b.u.t.ter 6 oz. of orange marmalade, 4 eggs.
_Mode_.--Swell the rice in the milk, with the sugar and b.u.t.ter, over a slow fire until it is perfectly tender, which will be in about 3/4 hour.
When the rice is done, strain away the milk, should there be any left, and mix with it the marmalade and well-beaten eggs; stir the whole over the fire until the eggs are set; then spread the mixture on a dish to the thickness of about 1/2 inch, or rather thicker. When it is perfectly cold, cut it into long strips, dip them in a batter the same as for apple fritters, and fry them a nice brown. Dish them on a white d"oyley, strew sifted sugar over, and serve quickly.
_Time_.--About 3/4 hour to swell the rice; from 7 to 10 minutes to fry the fritters.
_Average cost_, 1s. 6d.