Part 182 (1/2)
_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 mas.h.i.+ng 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.