Part 188 (1/2)

_Seasonable_.--Make this in August or September.

BARBERRIES IN BUNCHES.

1523. INGREDIENTS.--1 pint of syrup No. 1513, barberries.

_Mode_.--Prepare some small pieces of clean white wood, 3 inches long and 1/4 inch wide, and tie the fruit on to these in nice bunches. Have ready some clear syrup, made by recipe No. 1513; put in the barberries, and simmer them in it for 2 successive days, boiling them for nearly 1/2 hour each day, and covering them each time with the syrup when cold.

When the fruit looks perfectly clear, it is sufficiently done, and should be stored away in pots, with the syrup poured over, or the fruit may be candied.

_Time_.--1/2 hour to simmer each day.

_Seasonable_ in autumn.

_Note_.--The berries in their natural state make a very pretty garnis.h.i.+ng for dishes, and may even be used for the same purpose, preserved as above, and look exceedingly nice on sweet dishes.

TO MAKE BARLEY-SUGAR.

1524. INGREDIENTS.--To every lb. of sugar allow 1/2 pint of water, 1/2 the white of an egg.

_Mode_.--Put the sugar into a well-tinned saucepan, with the water, and, when the former is dissolved, set it over a moderate fire, adding the well-beaten egg before the mixture gets warm, and stir it well together.

When it boils, remove the sc.u.m as it rises, and keep it boiling until no more appears, and the syrup looks perfectly clear; then strain it through a fine sieve or muslin bag, and put it back into the saucepan.

Boil it again like caramel, until it is brittle, when a little is dropped in a basin of cold water: it is then sufficiently boiled. Add a little lemon-juice and a few drops of essence of lemon, and let it stand for a minute or two. Have ready a marble slab or large dish, rubbed over with salad-oil; pour on it the sugar, and cut it into strips with a pair of scissors: these strips should then be twisted, and the barley-sugar stored away in a very dry place. It may be formed into lozenges or drops, by dropping the sugar in a very small quant.i.ty at a time on to the oiled slab or dish.

_Time_.--1/4 hour.

_Average cost_, 7d.

_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 sticks.

CARROT JAM TO IMITATE APRICOT PRESERVE.

1525. INGREDIENTS.--Carrots; to every lb. of carrot pulp allow 1 lb. of pounded sugar, the grated rind of 1 lemon, the strained juice of 2, 6 chopped bitter almonds, 2 tablespoonfuls of brandy.

_Mode_.--Select young carrots; wash and sc.r.a.pe them clean, cut them into round pieces, put them into a saucepan with sufficient water to cover them, and let them simmer until perfectly soft; then beat them through a sieve. Weigh the pulp, and to every lb. allow the above ingredients. Put the pulp into a preserving-pan with the sugar, and let this boil for 5 minutes, stirring and skimming all the time. When cold, add the lemon-rind and juice, almonds and brandy; mix these well with the jam; then put it into pots, which must be well covered and kept in a dry place. The brandy may be omitted, but the preserve will then not keep: with the brandy it will remain good for months.

_Time_.--About 3/4 hour to boil the carrots; 5 minutes to simmer the pulp.

_Average cost_, 1s. 2d. for 1 lb. of pulp, with the other ingredients in proportion.

_Sufficient_ to fill 3 pots.

_Seasonable_ from July to December.

TO MAKE CHERRY BRANDY.

1536. INGREDIENTS.--Morella cherries, good brandy; to every lb. of cherries allow 3 oz. of pounded sugar.