The art of cookery

To Stew Pears. — Wash the pears and remove blemishes, or pare, if preferred. Leave the pears whole. To each quart add a cup of New Orleans molasses, a cup of Stewing. 97 hot water, and six cloves. Cover closely and cook gently until very tender. To Stew Peaches. — Prepare peaches the same as pears. To each quart of peaches add a cup of hot water and three quarters of a cup of sugar. Cover closely and stew gently until cooked. To Stew Plums. — Pick over and wash the plums, and to each quart of fruit add a cup of hot water. Cover closely and stew until cooked, then add sugar to taste, and let simmer five minutes, or until the sugar is perfectly dissolved and mixed with the fruit. Serve hot or cold. Very acid plums require a pint of sugar to each quart of plums, while sweet ones do not require more than a quarter that amount. If the sugar is added when the plums are put to cook it will toughen their skins and injure their flavor. To Make Cider Apple Sauce. — Boil sweet cider until it is reduced one half, then add sweet apples that have been pared, quartered, and cored, and cook slowly until the apples are dark and transparent. The apples should be covered by the cider while cooking. If canned while hot, cider apple sauce will keep almost indefinitely, but if put in jars in a cool place it will keep several weeks without being canned. TO COOK DRIED FRUITS. Apples, plums, peaches, and all kinds of dried fruits are usually cooked without being properly soaked, and are often sent to table with a wrinkled and uncomely appearance, and frequently with an accumulation of dust 98 The Art of Cookery. and grit about them that in no way adds to their attractiveness or flavors. Dried fruit of every kind, after being thoroughly cleansed by washing in warm water, should be soaked in cold water until it loses its dried and wrinkled appearance, should be put to cook in the same water, and be simmered or stewed slowly and continuously for several hours, or until it becomes soft, when it should be sweetened and removed from the fire. Many dried fruits have their respective flavors modified and improved when two or more varieties are stewed together, or cooked in conjunction with each other. Especially is this the case with such as are very sweet or very acid. To Stew Dried Prunes. — Wash the prunes and soak them over night, or for six or eight hours, in cold water, then put to cook in the water in which they were soaked, and let them simmer gently for two hours. Sweeten to taste and simmer five minutes. Serve hot or cold. Most prunes are improved by having an equal quantity of dried apricots stewed with them. In such case cook the prunes an hour, then add the soaked apricots and cook the two together another hour. The quantity of water necessary in stewing prunes, or other dried fruits, is just suflicient to cover the fruit thoroughly in the sauce-pan. To Stew Dried Apricots. — Wash the apricots, let them soak several hours in cold water, put them to cook in the water in which they soaked, let simmer gently an hour, then sweeten to taste, simmer five minutes more, and serve. Stewing. 99 To Stew Dried Plums. — Soak and stew the same as prunes. If the plums are very sour they will be improved by mixing with them an equal quantity of prunes or seedless raisins.