From Yesteryear

from:

SEVENTY-FIVE RECEIPTS FOR
PASTRY, CAKES, AND SWEETMEATS - Part I - Pastry

BY MISS LESLIE, OF PHILADELPHIA.

1832
PREFACE.

The following Receipts for Pastry, Cakes, and Sweetmeats, are
original, and have been used by the author and many of her friends
with uniform success. They are drawn up in a style so plain and
minute, as to be perfectly intelligible to servants, and persons
of the most moderate capacity. All the ingredients, with their
proper quantities, are enumerated in a list at the head of each
receipt, a plan which will greatly facilitate the business of
procuring and preparing the requisite articles.

There is frequently much difficulty in following directions in
English and French Cookery Books, not only from their want of
explicitness, but from the difference in the fuel, fire-places,
and cooking utensils, generally used in Europe and America; and
many of the European receipts are, so complicated and laborious,
that our female cooks are afraid to undertake the arduous task of
making any thing from them.

The receipts in this little book are, in every sense of the word,
American; but the writer flatters herself that (if exactly
followed) the articles produced from them will not be found
inferior to any of a similar description made in the European
manner. Experience has proved, that pastry, cakes, &c. prepared
_precisely_ according to these directions will not fail to be
excellent: but where economy is expedient, a portion of the
seasoning, that is, the spice, wine, brandy, rosewater, essence of
lemon, &c. may be omitted without any essential deviation of
flavour, or difference of appearance; retaining, however, the
given proportions of eggs, butter, sugar, and flour.

But if done at home, and by a person that can be trusted, it will
be proved, on trial, that any of these articles may be made in the
best and most liberal manner at _one half_ of the cost of the
same articles supplied by a confectioner. And they will be found
particularly useful to families that live in the country or in
small towns, where nothing of the kind is to be purchased.

CONTENTS.

PART THE FIRST.

Preliminary Remarks
Puff Paste
Common Paste
Mince Pies
Plum Pudding
Lemon Pudding
Orange Pudding
Cocoa Nut Pudding
Almond Pudding
A Cheesecake
Sweet Potato Pudding
Pumpkin Pudding
Gooseberry Pudding
Baked Apple Pudding
Fruit Pies
Oyster Pie
Beef Steak Pie
Indian Pudding
Batter Pudding
Bread Pudding
Rice Pudding
Boston Pudding
Fritters
Fine Custards
Plain Custards
Rice Custard
Cold Custards
Curds and Whey
A Trifle
Whipt Cream
Floating Island
Ice Cream
Calf’s Feet Jelly
Blanc-mange
PART THE FIRST.

PASTRY

The eggs should not be beaten till after all the other ingredients
are ready, as they will fail very soon. If the whites and yolks
are to be beaten separately, do the whites first, as they will
stand longer.

Eggs should be beaten in a broad shallow pan, spreading wide at
the top. Butter and sugar should be stirred in a deep pan with
straight sides.

Break every egg by itself, in a saucer, before you put it into the
pan, that in case there should be any bad ones, they may not spoil
the others.

Eggs are beaten most expeditiously with rods. A small quantity of
white of egg may be beaten with a knife, or a three-pronged fork.

There can be no positive rules as to the exact time of baking each
article. Skill in baking is the result of practice, attention, and
experience. Much, of course, depends on the state of the fire, and
on the size of the things to be baked, and something on the
thickness of the pans or dishes.

If you bake in a stove, put some bricks in the oven part to set
the pans or plates on, and to temper the heat at the bottom. Large
sheets of iron, without sides, will be found very useful for small
cakes, and to put under the pans or plates.

PUFF PASTE.

Half a pound and two ounces of sifted flour.
Half a pound of the best fresh butter–washed.
A little cold water.

_This will make puff-paste for two Puddings, or for one
soup-plate Pie, or for four small Shells_.

Weigh half a pound and two ounces of flour, and sift it through a
hair-sieve into a large deep dish. Take out about one fourth of
the flour, and lay it aside on one corner of your pasteboard, to
roll and sprinkle with.

Wash, in cold water, half a pound of the best fresh butter.
Squeeze it hard with your hands and make it up into a round lump.
Divide it in four equal parts; lay them on one side of your
paste-board, and have ready a glass of cold water.

Cut one of the four pieces of butter into the pan of flour. Cut it
as small as possible. Wet it gradually with a very little water
(too much water will make it tough) and mix it well with the point
of a large case-knife. Do not touch it with your hands. When the
dough gets into a lump, sprinkle on the middle of the board some
of the flour that you laid aside, and lay the dough upon it,
turning it out of the pan with the knife.

Rub the rolling-pin with flour, and sprinkle a little on the lump
of paste. Roll it out thin, quickly, and evenly, pressing on the
rolling-pin very lightly. Then take the second of the four pieces
of butter, and, with the point of your knife, stick it in little
bits at equal distances all over the sheet of paste. Sprinkle on
some flour, and fold up the dough. Flour the paste-board and
rolling-pin again; throw a little flour on the paste and roll it
out a second time. Stick the third piece of butter all over it in
little bits. Throw on some flour, fold up the paste, sprinkle a
little more flour on the dough, and on the rolling-pin, and roll
it out a third time, always pressing on it lightly. Stick it over
with the fourth and last piece of butter. Throw on a little more
flour, fold up the paste and then roll it out in a large round
sheet. Cut off the sides, so as to make the sheet of a square
form, and lay the slips of dough upon the square sheet. Fold it up
with the small pieces of trimmings, in the inside. Score or notch
it a little with the knife; lay it on a plate and set it away in a
cool place, but not where it can freeze, as that will make it
heavy.

Having made the paste, prepare and mix your pudding or pie. When
the mixture is finished, bring out your paste, flour the board and
rolling-pin, and roll it out with a short quick stroke, and
pressing the rolling-pin rather harder than while you were putting
the butter in. If the paste rises in blisters, it will be light,
unless spoiled in baking.

Then cut the sheet in half, fold up each piece and roll them out
once more, separately, in round sheets the size of your plate.
Press on rather harder, but not too hard. Roll the sheets thinnest
in the middle and thickest at the edges. If intended for puddings,
lay them in buttered soup-plates, and trim them evenly round the
edges. If the edges do not appear thick enough, you may take the
trimmings, put them all together, roll them out, and having cut
them in slips the breadth of the rim of the plate, lay them all
round to make the paste thicker at the edges, joining them nicely
and evenly, as every patch or crack will appear distinctly when
baked. Notch the rim handsomely with a very sharp knife. Fill the
dish with the mixture of the pudding, and bake it in a moderate
oven. The paste should be of a light brown colour. If the oven is
too slow, it will be soft and clammy; if too quick, it will not
have time to rise as high as it ought to do.

In making the best puff-paste, try to avoid using more flour to
sprinkle and roll with, than the small portion which you have laid
aside for that purpose at the beginning. If you make the dough too
soft at first, by using too much water, it will be sticky, and
require more flour, and will eventually be tough when baked. Do
not put your hands to it, as their warmth will injure it. Use the
knife instead. Always roll from you rather than to you, and press
lightly on the rolling-pin, except at the last.

It is difficult to make puff-paste in the summer, unless in a
cellar, or very cool room, and on a marble table. The butter
should, if possible, be washed the night before, and kept covered
with ice till you use it next day. The water should have ice in
it, and the butter should be iced as it sets on the paste-board.
After the paste is mixed, it should be put in a covered dish, and
set in cold water till you are ready to give it the last rolling.

With all these precautions to prevent its being heavy, it will not
rise as well, or be in any respect as good as in cold weather.

The handsomest way of ornamenting the edge of a pie or pudding is
to cut the rim in large square notches, and then fold over
triangularly one corner of every notch.

COMMON PASTE FOR PIES.

A pound and a half of sifted flour.
Three quarters of a pound of butter–washed.

_This will make one large pie or two small ones_.

Sift the flour into a pan. Cut the butter into two equal parts.
Cut one half of the butter into the flour, and cut it up as small
as possible. Mix it well with the flour, wetting it gradually with
a little cold water.

Spread some flour on your paste-board, take the lump of paste out
of the pan, flour your rolling-pin, and roll out the paste into a
large sheet. Then stick it over with the remaining half of the
butter in small pieces, and laid at equal distances. Throw on a
little flour, fold up the sheet of paste, flour it slightly, and
roll it out again. Then fold it up, and cut it in half or in four,
according to the size of your pies. Roll it out into round sheets
the size of your pie-plates, pressing rather harder on the
rolling-pin.

Butter your pie-plates, lay on your under crust, and trim the
edge. Fill the dish with the ingredients of which the pie is
composed, and lay on the lid, in which you must prick some holes,
or cut a small slit in the top. Crimp the edges with a sharp
knife.

Heap up the ingredients so that the pie will be highest in the
middle.

Some think it makes common paste more crisp and light, to beat it
hard on both sides with the rolling-pin, after you give it the
first rolling, when all the butter is in.

If the butter is very fresh, you may mix with the flour a
salt-spoonful of salt.

MINCE PIES

One pound and a half of boiled beef’s heart, or fresh
tongue–chopped when cold.
Two pounds of beef suet, chopped fine.
Four pounds of pippin apples, chopped.
Two pounds of raisins, stoned and chopped.
Two pounds of currants, picked, washed, and dried.
Two pounds of powdered sugar.
One quart of white wine.
One quart of brandy.
One wine-glass of rose-water.
Two grated nutmegs.
Half an ounce of powdered cinnamon
A quarter of an ounce of powdered cloves
A quarter of an ounce of powdered mace
A teaspoon of salt.
Two large oranges.
Half a pound of citron, cut in slips.

Parboil a beef’s heart, or a fresh tongue. After you have taken
off the skin and fat, weigh a pound and a half. When it is cold,
chop it very fine. Take the inside of the suet; weigh two pounds,
and chop it as fine as possible. Mix the meat and suet together,
adding the salt. Pare, core, and chop the apples, and then stone
and chop the raisins. Having prepared the currants, add them to
the other fruit, and mix the fruit with the meat and suet. Put in
the sugar and spice, and the grated peel and juice of the oranges.
Wet the whole with the rose water and liquor, and mix all well
together.

Make the paste, allowing for each pie, half a pound of butter and
three quarters of a pound of sifted flour. Make it in the same
manner as puff-paste, but it will not be quite so rich. Lay a
sheet of paste all over a soup-plate. Fill it with mince-meat,
laying slips of citron on the top. Roll out a sheet of paste, for
the lid of the pie. Put it on, and crimp the edges with a knife.
Prick holes in the lid.

Bake the pies half an hour in a brisk oven.

Keep your mince meat in a jar tightly covered. Set it in a dry,
cool place, and occasionally add more brandy to it.

Instead of the heart or tongue, you may, if you choose, use part
of a round of fresh beef.
PLUM PUDDING

One pound of raisins, stoned and cut in half.
One pound of currants, picked, washed and dried.
One pound of beef suet chopped fine.
One pound of grated stale bread, or, half a pound of flour and
half a pound of bread.
Eight eggs.
A quarter of a pound of sugar.
A glass of brandy.
A pint of milk.
A glass of wine.
Two nutmegs, grated.
A table-spoonful of mixed cinnamon and mace.
A salt-spoonful of salt.

You must prepare all your ingredients the day before (except
beating the eggs) that in the morning you may have nothing to do
but to mix them, as the pudding will require six hours to boil.

Beat the eggs very light, then put to them half the milk and beat
both together. Stir in gradually the flour and grated bread. Next
add the sugar by degrees. Then the suet and fruit alternately. The
fruit must be well sprinkled with flour, lest it sink to the
bottom. Stir very hard. Then add the spice and liquor, and lastly
the remainder of the milk. Stir the whole mixture very well
together. If it is not thick enough, add a little more grated
bread or flour. If there is too much bread or flour, the pudding
will be hard and heavy.

Dip your pudding-cloth, in boiling water, shake it out and
sprinkle it slightly with flour. Lay it in a pan and pour the
mixture into the cloth. Tie it up carefully, allowing room for the
pudding to swell.

Boil it six hours, and turn it carefully out of the cloth.

Before you send it to table, have ready some blanched sweet
almonds cut in slips, or some slips of citron, or both. Stick them
all over the outside of the pudding.

Eat it with wine, or with a sauce made of drawn butter, wine and
nutmeg.

The pudding will be improved if you add to the other ingredients,
the grated rind of a large lemon or orange.

LEMON PUDDING

One small lemon, with a smooth thin rind.
Three eggs.
A quarter of a pound of powdered white sugar.
A quarter of a pound of fresh butter–washed.
A table-spoonful of white wine and brandy, mixed.
A tea-spoonful of rose-water.

Five ounces of sifted flour, and a quarter of a pound of
fresh butter for the paste.

Grate the yellow part of the rind of a small lemon. Then cut the
lemon in half, and squeeze the juice into the plate that contains
the grated rind, carefully taking out all the seeds. Mix the juice
and rind together.

Put a quarter of a pound of powdered white sugar into a deep
earthen pan, and cut up in it a quarter of a pound of the best
fresh butter. If the weather is very cold, set the pan near the
fire, for a few minutes, to soften the butter, but do not allow it
to melt or it will be heavy. Stir the butter and sugar together,
with a stick or wooden spoon, till it is perfectly light and of
the consistence of cream.

Put the eggs in a shallow broad pan, and beat them with an
egg-beater or rods, till they are quite smooth, and as thick as a
boiled custard. Then stir the eggs, gradually, into the pan of
butter and sugar. Add the liquor and rose water by degrees, and
then stir in, gradually, the juice and grated rind of the lemon.
Stir the whole very hard, after all the ingredients are in.

Have ready a puff-paste made of five ounces of sifted flour, and a
quarter of a pound of fresh butter. The paste must be made with as
little water as possible. Roll it out in a circular sheet, thin in
the centre, and thicker towards the edges, and just large enough
to cover the bottom, sides, and edges of a soup-plate. Butter the
soup-plate very well, and lay the paste in it, making it neat and
even round the broad edge of the plate. With a sharp knife, trim
off the superfluous dough, and notch the edges. Put in the mixture
with a spoon, and bake the pudding about half an hour, in a
moderate oven. It should be baked of a very light brown. If the
oven is too hot, the paste will not have time to rise well. If too
cold, it will be clammy. When the pudding is cool, grate
loaf-sugar over it.

Before using lemons for any purpose, always roll them awhile with
your hand on a table. This will cause them to yield a larger
quantity of juice.

ORANGE PUDDING.

One large orange, of a deep colour, and smooth thin rind.
One lime.
A quarter of a pound of powdered white sugar.
A quarter of a pound of fresh butter.
Three eggs.
A table-spoonful of mixed wine and brandy.
A tea-spoonful of rose-water.

Grate the yellow rind of the orange and lime, and squeeze the
juice into a saucer or soup-plate, taking out all the seeds.

Stir the butter and sugar to a cream.

Beat the eggs as light as possible, and then stir them by degrees
into the pan of butter and sugar. Add, gradually, the liquor and
rose-water, and then by degrees, the orange and lime. Stir all
well together.

Have ready a sheet of puff-paste made of five ounces of sifted
flour, and a quarter of a pound of fresh butter. Lay the paste in
a buttered soup-plate. Trim and notch the edges, and then put in
the mixture. Bake it about half an hour, in a moderate oven. Grate
loaf-sugar over it, before you send it to table.

COCOA-NUT PUDDING

A quarter of a pound of cocoa-nut, grated.
A quarter of a pound of powdered white sugar.
Three ounces and a half of fresh butter.
The whites only of six eggs.
A table-spoonful of wine and brandy mixed.
Half a tea-spoonful of rose-water.

Break up a cocoa-nut, and take the thin brown skin carefully off,
with a knife. Wash all the pieces in cold water, and then wipe
them dry, with a clean towel. Weigh a quarter of a pound of
cocoa-nut, and grate it very fine, into a soup-plate.

Stir the butter and sugar to a cream, and add the liquor and
rose-water gradually to them.

Beat the whites only, of six eggs, till they stand alone on the
rods; and then stir the beaten white of egg, gradually, into the
butter and sugar. Afterwards, sprinkle in, by degrees, the grated
cocoa-nut, stirring hard all the time. Then stir all very well at
the last.

Have ready a puff-paste, sufficient to cover the bottom, sides,
and edges of a soup-plate. Put in the mixture, and bake it in a
moderate oven, about half an hour.

Grate loaf-sugar over it, when cool.
ALMOND PUDDING.

Half a pound of sweet almonds, which will be reduced to a quarter
of a pound, when shelled and blanched.
An ounce of blanched bitter almonds or peach-kernels.
The whites only, of six eggs.
A quarter of a pound of butter.
A quarter of a pound of powdered white sugar.
A table-spoonful of mixed brandy, wine, and rose-water.

Shell half a pound of sweet almonds, and pour scalding water over
them, which will make the skins peal off. As they get cool, pour
more boiling water, till the almonds are all blanched. Blanch also
the bitter almonds. As you blanch the almonds, throw them into a
bowl of cold water. Then take them out, one by one, wipe them dry
in a clean towel, and lay them on a plate. Pound them one at a
time to a fine paste, in a marble mortar, adding, as you pound
them, a few drops of rose-water to prevent their oiling. Pound the
bitter and sweet almonds alternately, that they may be well mixed.
They must be made perfectly fine and smooth, and are the better
for being prepared the day before they are wanted for the pudding.

Stir the butter and sugar to a cream, and add to it, gradually,
the liquor.

Beat the whites of six eggs till they stand alone. Stir the
almonds and white of eggs, alternately, into the butter and sugar;
and then stir the whole well together.

Have ready a puff-paste sufficient for a soup-plate. Butter the
plate, lay on the paste, trim and notch it. Then put in the
mixture.

Bake it about half an hour in a moderate oven.

Grate loaf-sugar over it.
A CHEESECAKE.

Four eggs.
A gill of milk.
A quarter of a pound of butter.
A quarter of a pound of powdered sugar.
Two ounces of grated bread.
A table-spoonful of mixed brandy and wine.
A tea-spoonful of rose-water.
A tea-spoonful of mace, cinnamon, and nutmeg, mixed.
A quarter of a pound of currants.

Pick the currants very clean. Wash them through a colander, wipe
them in a towel, and then dry them on a dish before the fire.

When dry take out a few to scatter over the top of the cheesecake,
lay them aside, and sprinkle the remainder of the currants with
the flour.

Stir the butter and sugar to a cream. Grate the bread, and prepare
the spice. Beat the eggs very light.

Boil the milk. When it comes to a boil, add to it half the beaten
egg, and boil both together till it becomes a curd, stirring it
frequently with a knife. Then throw the grated bread on the curd,
and stir all together. Then take the milk, egg, and bread off the
fire and stir it, gradually, into the butter and sugar. Next, stir
in the remaining half of the egg.

Add, by degrees, the liquor and spice.

Lastly, stir in, gradually, the currants.

Have ready a puff-paste, which should be made before you prepare
the cheesecake, as the mixture will become heavy by standing.
Before you put it into the oven, scatter the remainder of the
currants over the top.

Bake it half an hour in rather a quick oven.

Do not sugar the top.

You may bake it either in a soup-plate, or in two small tin
patty-pans, which, for cheesecakes, should be of a square shape.
If baked in square patty-pans, leave at each side a flap of paste
in the shape of a half-circle. Cut long slits in these flaps and
turn them over, so that they will rest on the top of the mixture.

You can, if you choose, add to the currants a few raisins stoned,
and cut in half.
SWEET POTATO PUDDING.

A quarter of a pound of boiled sweet potato.
Three eggs.
A quarter of a pound of powdered white sugar.
A quarter of a pound of fresh butter.
A glass of mixed wine and brandy.
A half-glass of rose-water.
A tea-spoonful of mixed spice, nutmeg, mace and cinnamon.

Pound the spice, allowing a smaller proportion of mace than of
nutmeg and cinnamon.

Boil and peal some sweet potatoes, and when they are cold, weigh a
quarter of a pound. Mash the sweet potato very smooth, and rub it
through a sieve. Stir the sugar and butter to a cream.

Beat the eggs very light, and stir them into the butter and sugar,
alternately with the sweet potato. Add by degrees the liquor,
rose-water and spice. Stir all very hard together.

Spread puff-paste on a soup-plate. Put in the mixture, and bake it
about half an hour in a moderate oven.

Grate sugar over it.

PUMPKIN PUDDING.

Half a pound of stewed pumpkin.
Three eggs.
A quarter of a pound of fresh butter, or a pint of cream.
A quarter of a pound of powdered white sugar.
Half a glass of wine and brandy mixed.
Half a glass of rose-water.
A tea-spoonful of mixed spice, nutmeg, mace and cinnamon.

Stew some pumpkin with as little water as possible. Drain it in a
colander, and press it till dry. When cold, weigh half a pound,
and pass it through a sieve. Prepare the spice. Stir together the
sugar, and butter, to cream, till they are perfectly light. Add to
them, gradually, the spice and liquor.

Beat three eggs very light, and stir them into the butter and
sugar alternately with the pumpkin.

Cover a soup-plate with puff-paste, and put in the mixture. Bake
it in a moderate oven about half an hour.

Grate sugar over it when cool.

Instead of the butter, you may boil a pint of milk or cream, and
when cold, stir into it in turn the sugar, eggs, and pumpkin.

GOOSEBERRY PUDDING.

A pint of stewed gooseberries, with all their juice.
A quarter of a pound of powdered sugar.
Two ounces of fresh butter.
Two ounces of grated bread.
Three eggs.

Stew the gooseberries till quite soft. When they are cold, mash
them fine with the back of a spoon, and stir into them two ounces
of sugar. Take two ounces more of sugar, and stir it to a cream
with two ounces of butter.

Grate very fine as much stale bread as will weigh two ounces.

Beat three eggs, and stir them into the butter and sugar, in turn
with the gooseberries and bread.

Lay puff-paste in a soup plate. Put in the mixture, and bake it
half an hour.

Do not grate sugar over it.

BAKED APPLE PUDDING.

A pint of stewed apples.
Half a pint of cream, or two ounces of butter.
A quarter of a pound of powdered sugar.
A nutmeg grated.
A table-spoonful of rose-water.
A tea-spoonful of grated lemon-peel.

Stew your apple in as little water as possible, and not long
enough for the pieces to break and lose their shape. Put them in a
colander to drain, and mash them with the back of a spoon. If
stewed too long, and in too much water, they will lose their
flavour. When cold, mix with them the nutmeg, rose-water, and
lemon-peel, and two ounces of sugar. Stir the other two ounces of
sugar, with the butter or cream, and then mix it gradually with
the apple.

Bake, it in puff-paste, in a soup-dish, about half an hour in a
moderate oven.

Do not sugar the top.

FRUIT PIES.

Fruit pies for family use, are generally made with common paste,
allowing three quarters of a pound of butter to a pound and a half
of flour.

Peaches and plums for pies, should be cut in half, and the stones
taken out. Cherries also should be stoned, and red cherries only
should be used for pies.

Apples should be cut into very thin slices, and are much improved
by a little lemon peel. Sweet apples are not good for pies, as
they are very insipid when baked, and seldom get thoroughly done.
If green apples are used, they should first be stewed in as little
water as possible; and made very sweet.

Apples, stewed previous to baking, should not be done till they
break, but only till they are tender. They should then be drained
in a colander, and chopped fine with a knife or the edge of a
spoon.

In making pies of juicy fruit, it is a good way to set a small
tea-cup on the bottom crust, and lay the fruit all round it. The
juice will collect under the cup, and not run out at the edges or
top of the pie. The fruit should be mixed with a sufficient
quantity of sugar, and piled up in the middle, so as to make the
pie highest in the centre. The upper crust should be pricked with
a fork, or have a slit cut in the middle. The edges should be
nicely crimped with a knife.

Dried peaches, dried apples, and cranberries should be stewed with
a very little water, and allowed to get quite cold before they are
put into the pie. If stewed fruit is put in warm, it will make the
paste heavy.

If your pies are made in the form of shells, or without lids, the
fruit should always be stewed first, or it will not be sufficiently
done, as the shells (which should be of puff paste) must not
bake so long as covered pies.

Shells intended for sweetmeats, must be baked empty, and the fruit
put into them before they go to table.

Fruit pies with lids, should have loaf-sugar grated over them. If
they have been baked the day before, they should be warmed in the
stove, or near the fire, before they are sent to table, to soften
the crust, and make them taste fresh.

Raspberry and apple-pies are much improved by taking off the lid,
and pouring in a little cream just before they go to table.
Replace the lid very carefully.

OYSTER PIE.

A hundred large fresh oysters, or more if small.
The yolks of six eggs boiled hard.
A large slice of stale-bread, grated.
A tea-spoonful of salt.
A table-spoonful of pepper.
A table-spoonful of mixed spice, nutmeg, mace and cinnamon.

Take a large round dish, butter it and spread a rich paste over
the sides, and round the edge, but not at the bottom.

Salt oysters will not do for pies. They should be fresh, and as
large and fine as possible.

Drain off part of the liquor from the oysters. Put them into a
pan, and season them with pepper, salt and spice. Stir them well
with the seasoning. Have ready the yolks of eggs, chopped fine,
and the grated bread. Pour the oysters (with as much of their
liquor as you please) into the dish that has the paste in it.
Strew over them the chopped egg and grated bread.

Roll out the lid of the pie, and put it on, crimping the edges
handsomely.

Take a small sheet of paste, cut it into a square and roll it up.
Cut it with a sharp knife into the form of a double tulip.

Make a slit in the centre of the upper crust, and stick the tulip
in it.

Cut out eight large leaves of paste, and lay them on the lid.

Bake the pie in a quick oven.

If you think the oysters will be too much done by baking them in
the crust, you can substitute for them pieces of bread, to keep up
the lid of the pie.

Put the oysters with their liquor and the seasoning, chopped egg,
grated bread, &c. into a pan. Cover them closely, and let them
just come to a boil, taking them off the fire, and stirring them
frequently.

When the crust is baked, take the lid neatly off (loosening it
round the edge with a knife) take out the pieces of bread, and put
in the oysters. Lay the lid on again very carefully.

For oyster patties, the oysters are prepared in the same manner.

They may be chopped if you choose. They must be put in small
shells of puff-paste.
BEEF-STEAK PIE.

Butter a deep dish, and spread a sheet of paste all over the
bottom, sides, and edge.

Cut away from your beef-steak all the bone, fat, gristle, and
skin. Cut the lean in small thin pieces, about as large,
generally, as the palm of your hand. Beat the meat well with the
rolling-pin, to make it juicy and tender. If you put in the fat,
it will make the gravy too greasy and strong, as it cannot be
skimmed.

Put a layer of meat over the bottom-crust of your dish, and season
it to your taste, with pepper, salt, and, if you choose, a little
nutmeg. A small quantity of mushroom ketchup is an improvement;
so, also, is a little minced onion.

Have ready some cold boiled potatoes sliced thin. Spread over the
meat, a layer of potatoes, and a small piece of butter; then
another layer of meat, seasoned, and then a layer of potatoes, and
so on till the dish is full and heaped up in the middle, having a
layer of meat on the top. Pour in a little water.

Cover the pie with a sheet of paste, and trim the edges. Notch it
handsomely with a knife; and, if you choose, make a tulip of
paste, and stick it in the middle of the lid, and lay leaves of
paste round it.

Fresh oysters will greatly improve a beef-steak pie. So also will
mushrooms.

Any meat pie may be made in a similar manner.
INDIAN PUDDING.

A pound of beef-suet, chopped very fine.
A pint of molasses.
A pint of rich milk.
Four eggs.
A large tea-spoonful of powdered nutmeg and cinnamon.
A little grated or chipped lemon-peel.
Indian meal sufficient to make a thick batter.

Warm the milk and molasses, and stir them together. Beat the eggs,
and stir them gradually into the milk and molasses, in turn with
the suet and indian meal. Add the spice and lemon-peel and stir
all very hard together. Take care not to put too much indian meal,
or the pudding will be heavy and solid.

Dip the cloth in boiling water. Shake it out, and flour it
slightly. Pour the mixture into it, and tie it up, leaving room
for the pudding to swell.

Boil it three hours. Serve it up hot, and eat it with sauce made
of drawn butter, wine and nutmeg.

When cold, it is good cut in slices and fried.

BATTER PUDDING.

Six eggs.
Eight table-spoonfuls of sifted flour.
One quart of milk.
A salt-spoonful of salt.

Stir the flour, gradually, into the milk, carefully dissolving all
the lumps. Beat the eggs very light, and add them by degrees to
the milk and flour. Put in the salt, and stir the whole well
together.

Take a very thick pudding-cloth. Dip it in boiling water, and
flour it. Pour into it the mixture and tie it up, leaving room for
it to swell. Boil it hard, one hour, and keep it in the pot, till
it is time to send it to table. Serve it up with wine-sauce.

A square cloth, which when tied up will make the pudding of a
round form, is better than a bag.

Apple Batter Pudding is made by pouring the batter over a dish of
pippins, pared, cored, and sweetened, either whole or cut in
pieces. Bake it, and eat it with butter and sugar.

BREAD PUDDING.

A quarter of a pound of grated stale bread.
A quart of milk, boiled with two or three sticks of cinnamon,
slightly broken.
Eight eggs.
A quarter of a pound of sugar.
A little grated lemon-peel.

Boil the milk with the cinnamon, strain it, and set it away till
quite cold.

Grate as much crumb of stale bread as will weigh a quarter of a
pound. Beat the eggs, and when the milk is cold, stir them into it
in turn with the bread and sugar. Add the lemon-peel, and if you
choose, a table spoonful of rosewater.

Bake it in a buttered dish, and grate nutmeg over it when done. Do
not send it to table hot. Baked puddings should never be eaten
till they have become cold, or at least cool.

RICE PUDDING.

A quarter of a pound of rice.
A quarter of a pound of butter.
A quarter of a pound of sugar.
A pint and a half of milk, or cream and milk.
Six eggs.
A tea-spoonful of mixed spice, mace, nutmeg and cinnamon.
A half wine-glass of rose-water.

Wash the rice. Boil it till very soft. Drain it and set it away
to get cold. Put the butter and sugar together in a pan, and stir
them till very light. Add to them the spice and rose-water. Beat
the eggs very light, and stir them, gradually, into the milk. Then
stir the eggs and the milk into the butter and sugar, alternately
with the rice.

Bake it and grate nutmeg over the top.

Currants or raisins, floured, and stirred in at the last, will
greatly improve it.

It should be eaten cold, or quite cool.

BOSTON PUDDING.

Make a good common paste with a pound and a half of flour, and
three quarters of a pound of butter. [Footnote: Or three quarters
of a pound of beef suet, chopped very fine. Mix the suet at once
with the flour, knead it with cold water into a stiff dough, and
then roll it out into a large thin sheet. Fold it up and roll it
again.] When you roll it out the last time, cut off the edges,
till you get the sheet of paste of an even square shape.

Have ready some fruit sweetened to your taste. If cranberries,
gooseberries, dried peaches, or damsons, they should be stewed,
and made very sweet. If apples, they should be stewed in a very
little water, drained, and seasoned with nutmeg, rosewater and
lemon. If currants, raspberries, or blackberries, they should be
mashed with sugar, and put into the pudding raw.

Spread the fruit very thick, all over the sheet of paste, (which
must not be rolled out too thin.) When it is covered all over with
the fruit, roll it up, and close the dough at both ends, and down
the last side. Tie the pudding in a cloth and boil it.

Eat it with sugar. It must not be taken out of the pot till just
before it is brought to table.

FRITTERS.

Seven eggs.
Half a pint of milk.
A salt-spoonful of salt.
Sufficient flour to make a thick batter.

Beat the eggs well and stir them gradually into the milk. Add the
salt, and stir in flour enough to make a thick batter.

Fry them in lard, and serve them up hot.

Eat them with wine and sugar.

They are improved by stirring in a table-spoonful of yeast.

These are excellent with the addition of cold stewed apple,
stirred into the mixtures in which case use less flour.

FINE CUSTARDS.

A quart of milk or cream.
The yoke only, of sixteen eggs.
Six ounces of powdered white sugar.
A large handful of peach-leaves or half an ounce of peach kernels
or bitter almonds, broken in pieces.
A table-spoonful of rose-water.
A nutmeg.

Boil in the milk the cinnamon, and the peach-leaves, or
peach-kernels. When it has boiled, set it away to get cold. As
soon as it is cold, strain it through a sieve, to clear it from
the cinnamon, peach-leaves, &c. and stir into it gradually, the
sugar, spice, and rose-water.

Beat the yolks of sixteen eggs very light, and stir them by
degrees into the milk, which must be quite cold or the eggs will
make it curdle. Put the custards into cups, and set them in a
baking pan, half filled with water. When baked, grate some nutmeg
over each and ice them. Make the icing of the whites of eight
eggs, a large tea-spoonful of powdered loaf sugar, and six drops
of essence of lemon, beaten all together till it stands alone.
Pile up some of the icing on the top of each custard, heaping it
high. Put a spot of red nonpareils on the middle of the pile of
icing.

If the weather be damp, or the eggs not new-laid, more than eight
whites will be required for the icing.

PLAIN CUSTARDS.

A quart of rich milk.
Eight eggs.
A quarter of a pound of powdered sugar.
A handful of peach-leaves, or half an ounce of peach-kernels,
broken in pieces.
A nutmeg.

Boil the peach-leaves or kernels in the milk, and set it away to
cool. When cold, strain out the leaves or kernels, and stir in the
sugar. Beat the eggs very light, and stir them gradually into the
milk when it is quite cold. Bake it in cups, or in a large white
dish.

When cool, grate nutmeg over the top.

RICE CUSTARDS.

Half a pound of rice.
Half a pound of raisins or currants.
Eight yolks of eggs or six whole eggs.
Six ounces of powdered sugar.
A quart of rich milk.
A handful of peach-leaves, or half an ounce of peach-kernels,
broken in pieces.
Half an ounce of cinnamon, broken in pieces.

Boil the rice with the raisins or currants, which must first be
floured. Butter some cups or a mould, and when the rice is quite
soft, drain it, and put it into them. Set it away to get cold.

Beat the eggs well. Boil the milk with the cinnamon and
peach-leaves, or kernels. As soon as it has come to a boil, take
it off and strain it through a sieve. Then set it again on the
fire, stir into it alternately, the egg and sugar, taking it off
frequently and stirring it hard, lest it become a curd. Take care
not to boil it too long, or it will be lumpy and lose its flavour.
When done, set it away to cool. Turn out the rice from the cups or
mould, into a deep dish. Pour some of the boiled custard over it,
and send up the remainder of the custard in a sauce-boat.

You may, if you choose, ornament the lumps of rice, (after the
custard is poured round them) by making a stiff froth of white of
egg (beaten till it stands alone) and a few drops of essence of
lemon, with a very little powdered loaf-sugar. Heap the froth on
the top of each lump of rice.
COLD CUSTARDS.

A quart of new milk, and a half a pint of cream, mixed.
A quarter of a pound of powdered white sugar.
A large glass of white wine, in which an inch of washed rennet has
been soaked.
A nutmeg.

Mix together the milk, cream, and sugar. Stir the wine into it,
and pour the mixture into your custard-cups. Set them in a warm
place near the fire, till they become a firm curd. Then set them
on ice, or in a very cold place. Grate nutmeg over them.
CURDS AND WHEY.

Take a small piece of rennet about two inches square. Wash it very
clean in cold water, to get all the salt off, and wipe it dry. Put
it in a tea-cup, and pour on it just enough of lukewarm water to
cover it. Let it set all night, or, for several hours. Then take
out the rennet, and stir the water in which it was soaked, into a
quart of milk, which should be in a broad dish.

Set the milk in a warm place, till it becomes a firm curd. As soon
as the curd is completely made, set it in a cool place, or on ice
(if in summer) for two or three hours before you want to use it.

Eat it with wine, sugar, and nutmeg.

The whey, drained from the curd, is an excellent drink for
invalids.
A TRIFLE.

A quart of cream.
A quarter of a pound of loaf sugar, powdered.
Half a pint of white wine and Half a gill of brandy mixed.
Eight maccaroons, or more if you choose.
Four small sponge-cakes or Naples biscuit.
Two ounces of blanched sweet almonds, pounded in a mortar.
One ounce of blanched bitter almonds or peach-kernels.
The juice and grated peel of two lemons.
A nutmeg, grated.
A glass of noyau.
A pint of rich baked custard, made of the yolks of eggs.

Pound the sweet and bitter almonds to a smooth paste, adding a
little rose-water as you pound them.

Grate the yellow peels of the lemons, and squeeze the juice into a
saucer.

Break the sponge cake and maccaroons into small pieces, mix them
with the almonds, and lay them in the bottom of a large glass
bowl. Grate a nutmeg over them, and the juice and peel of the
lemons. Add the wine and brandy, and let the mixture remain
untouched, till the cakes are dissolved in the liquor. Then stir
it a little.

Mix the cream and sugar with a glass of noyau, and beat it with a
whisk or rods, till it stands alone.

As the froth rises, take it off with a spoon, and lay it on a
sieve (with a large dish under it) to drain. The cream, that
drains into the dish, must be poured back into the pan with the
rest, and beaten over again. When the cream is finished, set it in
a cool place.

When the custard is cold, poor it into the glass bowl upon the
dissolved cakes, &c. and when the cream is ready, fill up the bowl
with it, heaping it high in the middle. You may ornament it with
nonpareils.

If you choose, you can put in, between the custard and the frothed
cream, a layer of fruit jelly, or small fruit preserved.
WHIPT CREAM.

A quart of cream.
The whites of four eggs.
Half a pint of white wine.
A quarter of a pound of powdered loaf-sugar.
Tea drops of strong essence of lemon, or two lemons cut in thin
slices, or the juice of a large lemon.

Mix together, in a broad pan, all the ingredients, unless you use
slices of lemon, and then they must be laid at intervals among the
froth, as you heap it in the bowl.

With a whisk or rods, beat the cream to a strong froth. Have
beside your pan a sieve (bottom upwards) with a large dish under
it. As the froth rises, take it lightly off with a spoon, and lay
it on the sieve to drain. When the top of the sieve is full,
transfer the froth to a large glass or china bowl. Continue to do
this till the bowl is full.

The cream which has dropped through the sieve into the dish, must
be poured into the pan, and beaten over again. When all the cream
is converted into froth, pile it up in the bowl, making it highest
in the middle.

If you choose, you may ornament it with red and green nonpareils.

If you put it in glasses, lay a little jelly in the bottom of each
glass, and pile the cream on it.

Keep it in a cool place till you want to use it.
FLOATING ISLAND.

Six whites of eggs.
Six large table-spoonfuls of jelly.
A pint of cream.

Put the jelly and white of egg into a pan, and beat it together
with a whisk, till it becomes a stiff froth and stands alone.

Have ready the cream, in a broad shallow dish. Just before you
send it to table, pile up the froth in the centre of the cream.
ICE CREAM.

A quart of rich cream.
Half a pound of powdered loaf sugar.
The juice of two large lemons, or a pint of strawberries or
raspberries.

Put the cream into a broad pan. Then stir in the sugar by degrees,
and when all is well mixed, strain it through a sieve.

Put it into a tin that has a close cover, and set it in a tub.
Fill the tub with ice broken into very small pieces, and strew
among the ice a large quantity of salt, taking care that none of
the salt gets into the cream. Scrape the cream down with a spoon
as it freezes round the edges of the tin. While the cream is
freezing, stir in gradually the lemon-juice, or the juice of a
pint of mashed strawberries or raspberries. When it is all frozen,
dip the tin in lukewarm water; take out the cream, and fill your
glasses; but not till a few minutes before you want to use it, as
it will very soon melt.

You may heighten the colour of the red fruit, by a little
cochineal.

If you wish to have it in moulds, put the cream into them as soon
as it has frozen in the tin. Set the moulds in a tub of ice and
salt. Just before you want to use the cream, take the moulds out
of the tub, wipe or wash the salt carefully from the outside, dip
the moulds in lukewarm water, and turn out the cream.

You may flavour a quart of ice-cream with two ounces of sweet
almonds and one ounce of bitter almonds, blanched and beaten in a
mortar with a little rose-water to a smooth paste. Stir in the
almonds gradually while the cream is freezing.
ANOTHER KIND OF ICE-CREAM.

A pint and a half of rich cream.
A quart and a half-pint of morning’s milk.
One pound of loaf sugar.
Two eggs.
One table-spoonful of flour.
Two lemons.
Or half a Vanilla bean, split into small pieces.
Or two ounces of sweet almonds and once ounce of bitter almonds,
blanched and split into pieces.

Take half of the milk and put in the ingredient that is to flavour
it, either the vanilla, the almonds, or the grated rind of the
lemons. Boil it, stirring in gradually the sugar.

Having beaten the eggs well, add to them two table-spoonfuls of
cold milk, and pour them into the boiling milk. Let them simmer
two or three minutes, stirring them all the time. Then take the
mixture off the fire and strain it through book-muslin into a pan.
Add the cream and the remainder of the milk, and put the whole
into the tin freezer, which must be set in a tub filled with ice,
among which must be scattered a great deal of salt.

Squeeze the juice from the two lemons and stir it into the cream,
by degrees, while it is freezing.

When it is all frozen, turn it out, first dipping the tin for a
moment in warm water.

If you wish to flavour it with strawberry or raspberry juice,
that, like the lemon-juice, must be stirred gradually in while the
cream is freezing.

In places where cream is not abundant, this receipt (though
inferior in richness) will be found more economical than the
preceding one. It is, however, less easy and expeditious.
CALF’S-FEET JELLY.

Eight calf’s feet.
Three quarts of water.
A pint of white wine.
Three lemons.
The whites of six eggs.
Half an ounce of cinnamon.
Half a pound of loaf-sugar, broken into lumps.

Endeavour to procure calf’s-feet, that have been nicely singed,
but not skinned, as the skin being left on, makes the jelly much
firmer.

The day before you want to use the jelly, boil the eight
calf’s-feet in three quarts of water, till the meat drops from the
bone. When sufficiently done, put it into a collender or sieve,
and let the liquid drain from the meat, into a broad pan or dish.
Skim off the fat. Let the jelly stand till next day, and then
carefully scrape off the sediment from the bottom. It will be a
firm jelly, if too much water has not been used, and if it has
bolted long enough. If it is not firm at first, it will not become
so afterwards when boiled with the other ingredients. There should
on no account be more than three quarts of water.

Early next morning, put the jelly into a tin kettle, or covered
tin pan; set it on the fire, and melt it a little. Take it off,
and season it with the cinnamon slightly broken, a pint of madeira
wine, three lemons cut in thin slices, and half a pound of
loaf-sugar, broken up.

If you wish it high-coloured, add two table-spoonfuls of French
brandy. Mix all well together. Beat, slightly, the whites of six
eggs (saving the egg-shell) and stir the whites into the jelly.
Break up the egg-shells into very small pieces, and throw them in
also. Stir the whole very well together.

Set it on the fire, and boil it hard five minutes, but do not stir
it, as that will prevent its clearing. Have ready a large white
flannel bag, the top wide, and the bottom tapering to a point.

Tie the bag to the backs of two chairs, or to the legs of a table,
and set a while dish or a mould under it.

After the jelly has boiled five minutes, pour it hot into the bag,
and let it drip through into the dish. Do not squeeze the bag, as
that will make the jelly dull and cloudy.

If it is not clear the first time it passes through the bag, empty
out all the ingredients, wash the bag, suspend it again, put
another white dish under-it, pour the jelly back into the bag, and
let it drip through again. Repeat this six or eight times, or till
it is clear, putting a clean dish under it every time. If it does
not drip freely, move the bag into a warmer place.

When the jelly has all dripped through the bag, and is clear, set
it in a cool place to congeal. It will sometimes congeal
immediately, and sometimes not for several hours, particularly if
the weather is warm and damp. If the weather is very cold you must
take care not to let it freeze. When it is quite firm, which
perhaps it will not be till evening, fill your glasses with it,
piling it up very high. If you make it in a mould, you must either
set the mould under the bag while it is dripping, or pour it from
the dish into the mould while it is liquid. When it is perfectly
congealed, dip the mould for an instant in boiling water to loosen
the jelly. Turn it out on a glass dish.

This quantity of ingredients will make a quart of jelly when
finished. In cool weather it may be made a day or two before it is
wanted.

You may increase the seasoning, (that is, the wine, lemon, and
cinnamon,) according to your taste, but less than the above
proportion will not be sufficient to flavour the jelly.

Ice jelly is made in the same manner, only not so stiff. Four
calves-feet will be sufficient. Freeze it as you would ice-cream,
and serve it up in glasses.
BLANCMANGE.

Four calf’s-feet
A pint and a half of thick cream.
Half a pound of loaf-sugar, broken up.
A glass of wine.
Half a glass of rose-water.
A tea-spoonful of mace, beaten and sifted.

Get four calf’s-feet; if possible some that have been singed, and
not skinned. Scrape, and clean them well, and boil them in three
quarts of water till all the meat drops off the bone. Drain the
liquid through a colander or sieve, and skim it well. Let it stand
till next morning to congeal. Then clean it well from the
sediment, and put it into a tin or bell-metal kettle. Stir into
it, the cream, sugar, and mace. Boil it hard for five minutes,
stirring it several times. Then strain it through a linen cloth or
napkin into a large bowl, and add the wine and rose-water.

Set it in a cool place for three or four hours, stirring it very
frequently with a spoon, to, prevent the cream from separating
from the jelly. The more it is stirred the better. Stir it till it
is cool.

Wash your moulds, wipe them dry, and then wet them with cold
water. When the blancmange becomes very thick, (that is, in three
or four hours, if the weather is not too damp) put it into your
moulds.

When it has set in them till it is quite firm, loosen it carefully
all round with a knife, and turn it out on glass or china plates.

If you wish to make it with almonds, take an ounce of blanched
bitter almonds, and two ounces of sweet. Beat them in a mortar to
a fine paste, pouring in occasionally a little rose-water. When
the mixture is ready to boil, add the almonds to it gradually,
stirring them well in. Or you may stir them in, while it is
cooling in the bowl.

If it inclines to stick to the moulds, set them an instant in hot
water. It will then turn out easily.

If you choose to make it without calf’s feet, you can substitute
an ounce of the best and dearest isinglass (or, if in summer, an
ounce and a quarter) boiled with the other ingredients. If made
with isinglass, you must use two ounces of sweet, and an ounce of
bitter almonds, with the addition of the grated rind of a large
lemon, and a large stick of cinnamon, broken up, a glass of wine,
and half a glass of rose-water. Those ingredients must be all
mixed together, with a quart of cream, and boiled hard for five
minutes. The mixture must then be strained through a napkin, into
a large bowl. Set it in a cool place, and stir it frequently till
nearly cold. It must then be put into the moulds.

You may substitute for the almonds, half a gill of noyau, in which
case, omit the wine.