Part 197 (2/2)

_Seasonable_ from February to April.

RASPBERRY AND CURRANT, or any Fresh Fruit Salad.

(_A Dessert Dish_.)

1592. _Mode_.--Fruit salads are made by stripping the fruit from the stalks, piling it on a dish, and sprinkling over it finely-pounded sugar. They may be made of strawberries, raspberries, currants, or any of these fruits mixed; peaches also make a very good salad. After the sugar is sprinkled over, about 6 large tablespoonfuls of wine or brandy, or 3 tablespoonfuls of liqueur, should be poured in the middle of the fruit; and, when the flavour is liked, a little pounded cinnamon may be added. In helping the fruit, it should be lightly stirred, that the wine and sugar may be equally distributed.

_Sufficient._--1-1/2 pint of fruit, with 3 oz. of pounded sugar, for 4 or 5 persons.

_Seasonable_ in summer.

STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM.

1593. INGREDIENTS.--To every pint of picked strawberries allow 1/3 pint of cream, 2 oz. of finely-pounded sugar.

_Mode_.--Pick the stalks from the fruit, place it on a gla.s.s dish, sprinkle over it pounded sugar, and slightly stir the strawberries, that they may all be equally sweetened; pour the cream over the top, and serve. Devons.h.i.+re cream, when it can be obtained, is exceedingly delicious for this dish; and, if very thick indeed, may be diluted with a little thin cream or milk.

_Average cost_ for this quant.i.ty, with cream at 1s. per pint, 1s.

_Sufficient_ for 2 persons.

_Seasonable_ in June and July.

STRAWBERRY JAM.

1594. INGREDIENTS.--To every lb. of fruit allow 1/2 pint of red-currant juice, 1-1/4 lb. of loaf sugar.

_Mode_.--Strip the currants from the stalks, put them into a jar; place this jar in a saucepan of boiling water, and simmer until the juice is well drawn from the fruit; strain the currants, measure the juice, put it into a preserving-pan, and add the sugar. Select well-ripened but sound strawberries; pick them from the stalks, and when the sugar is dissolved in the currant juice, put in the fruit. Simmer the whole over a moderate fire, from 1/2 to 3/4 hour, carefully removing the sc.u.m as it rises. Stir the jam only enough to prevent it from burning at the bottom of the pan, as the fruit should be preserved as whole as possible. Put the jam into jars, and when cold, cover down.

_Time_.--1/2 to 3/4 hour, reckoning from the time the jam simmers all over.

_Average cost_, from 7d. to 8d. per lb. pot.

_Sufficient._--12 pints of strawberries will make 12 lb. pots of jam.

_Seasonable_ in June and July.

PRESERVED STRAWBERRIES IN WINE.

1595. INGREDIENTS.--To every quart bottle allow 1/4 lb. of finely-pounded loaf sugar; sherry or Madeira.

_Mode_.--Let the fruit be gathered in fine weather, and used as soon as picked. Have ready some perfectly dry gla.s.s bottles, and some nice soft corks or bungs. Pick the stalks from the strawberries, drop them into the bottles, sprinkling amongst them pounded sugar in the above proportion, and when the fruit reaches to the neck of the bottle, fill up with sherry or Madeira. Cork the bottles down with new corks, and dip them into melted resin.

_Seasonable_.--Make this in June or July.

<script>