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Mrs. Lincoln's Boston cook book

1884

Page 233 · 5 recipe records on this page

Presented as published in 1884. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
Crab-Jipple^ Wild-Apple^ or Porter- Apple Jelly. {Miss Harriott T. Ward.) — Wash the fruit; cut into pieces, but do not pare, nor remove the seeds ; barely cover with cold waterCurrant Jelly. Boil and mash them until soft. Then drain on a sieve. Use the juice only, and do not squeeze the fruit. Boil the juice with an equal quantity of sugar, until it jellies. Peach jelly is made in the same manner. Quince Jelly, — Wipe the fruit carefully, and remove all the stems, and parts not fair and sound. Use the best parts of the fruit for canning or preserving, and the skin, cores, and hard parts for jellj^ The seeds contain a large portion of gelatinous substance. Boil all together, in enough water to cover, till the pulp is soft. Mash, and drain. Use the juice only, and when boiling add an equal weight of hot sugar, and boil till it jellies in the spoon. Grape Jelly, — Select the grapes when not fully ripe. Wash and drain, then put them in a preserving-kettle, mash well, and heat till all the skins are broken and the juice flows freely. Strain, and use the juice only with an equal weight of sugarGrape Jelly, as for Currant Jelly. Marmalade. This is made of the pulp of fruits with the juice, unless that has been used for jelly. When fruit is not abundant, 39^ The Boston Cook Book. it is well to make marmalade at the same time with jellies, especially from peaches, quinces, and grapes. After drain- ing, rub the fruit pulp through a sieve, add an equal weight of sugarMarmalade, and boil very slowly half or three quarters of an hour. Stir often to prevent burning. Preserves. These are usually prepared with equal weights of sugar and fruit. Although too rich for daily use, there are many people who prefer them to the canned fruit, and there are some fruits which are better with the full weight of sugar. The fruit should be ripe, fresh, and perfectly sound. The following rules illustrate the best methods for the different varieties of fruit. Peaches. — Pare the peaches ; or remove the skins by plunging the peaches into boiling lye (two gallons of water and one pint of wood ashes) . When the skins will slip easily, take the peaches out with a skimmer and plunge them into cold water ; rinse in several waters, and there will be no taste of the lye. Weigh, and add three fourths of a pound of sugar to each pound of fruit. Halve them, and use some of the pits, or leave them whole as 3'ou please. The stones improve the flavor. Make a syrup by adding as little water as possible to the sugar, — about 07ie cupful to each pound of sugar. When it boils, skim till clear, then add the peaches, and cook until transparent. Brandy Peaches. — Prepare the peaches as above, and use half a cup of the best brandyBrandy Peaches to enery pound oi fruit. Add the brandy just as the syrup is taken from the fire. Some people prefer the yellow peaches, but white-fleshed freestone peaches have a delicious flavor. Damsons and Greengages should be pricked in man}^ places with a large needle, to prevent the skins from bursting. Or scald them and remove the skins, as some- times they harden in cooking. Prepare the syrup as for peaches. Cook only a few at a time, that they may not be broken. On three successive mornings pour off the The Boston Cook Boole. 399 syrup, and boil it gently for ten minutes. This will thoroughly cook the fruit, without destroying the shape.