Original White House Cookbook

Halve the peaches and take out the stones ; pare. Have ready some powdered white sugar on a plate or dish. Roll the peaches in it several times, until they will not take up any more. Place them singly on a plate, with the cup or hollow side up, that the juices may not run out. Lay them in the sun. The next morning roll them again. As soon as the juice seems set in the peaches, turn the other side to the sun. When they are thoroughly dry, pack them in glass jars, or, what is still nicer, figdrums, They make an excellent sweetmeat just as they are ; or, if wanted for table use, put over the fire in porcelain, with a very little water, and stew a few minutes. PEACH LEATHER. Stew as many peaches as you choose, allowing a quarter of a pound of sugar to one of fruit ; mash it up smooth as it cooks, and when it is dry enough to spread in a thin sheet on a board greased with butter, set it out in the sun to dry ; when dry it can be rolled up like leather, wrapped up in a cloth, and will keep perfectly from season to season. Schoolchildren regard it as a delightful addition to their lunch of biscuit or cold bread. Apple and quince leather are made in the same fashion, only a little flavoring or spice is added to them. COCOANUT CARAMELS. Two cupfuls of grated cocoanut, one cupful of sugar, two tablespoonfuls of flour, the whites of three eggs, beaten stiff. Soak the cocoanut, if desiccated, in milk enough to cover it ; then beat the whites of the eggs, add gradually the sugar, cocoanut and flour ; with your fingers make, by rolling the mixture, into cone shapes. Place them on buttered sheets of tin covered with buttered letter paper and bake in a moderate heat about fifteen or twenty minutes. They should cool before removing from the tins. DRIED PRESERVES. Any of the fruits that have been preserved in syrup may be converted into dry preserves, by first draining them from the syrup and then drying them slowly on the stove, strewing them thickly with powdered sugar. They should be turned every few hours, sifting over them more sugar. CANDIES WITHOUT COOKING. Very many candies made by confectioners are made without boiling, which makes them very desirable, and they are equal to the best “French Creams.” The secret lies in the sugar used, which is the XXX powdered or confectioners’ sugar. Ordinary powdered sugar, when rubbed between the thumb and finger has a decided grain, but the confectioners ’ sugar is fine as flour. The candies made after this process are better the day after. FRENCH VANILLA CREAM. Break into a bowl the whites of one or more eggs, as the quantity you wish to make will require ; add to it an equal quantity of cold water, then stir in XXX powdered or confectioners ’ sugar until you have it stiff enough to mold into shape with the fingers. Flavor with vanilla to taste. After it is formed in balls, cubes or lozenge shapes, lay them upon plates or waxed paper and set them aside to dry. This cream can be worked in candies similar to the French cooked cream. CHOCOLATE CREAM DROPS.