Simple well-made preserves — especially those of our early summer fruits — are most valuable domestic stores, as they will retain through the entire year or longer,* their peculiarly grateful and agreeable flavour, and supply many wholesome and refreshing varieties of diet through the winter months and spring. They are, indeed, as con- ducive to health — when not cloyingly sweet or taken in excess— as good vegetables are ; and they are inexpensive luxuries (if as luxuries they must be regarded), now sugar is so very reasonable in price. By many families they are considered too much as mere superfluities of the table, and when served only — as they so often are — combined with rich pastry-crust or cream, or converted into ices and other costly preparations, may justly be viewed solely in that light. To * We have had them excellent at the end of three or four years, but they were made from the produce of a home garden , as freshly gathered, and carefully selected as it could be. Some clear apricot-marmalade, some strawberry-jelly, and some raspberry -jelly, were amongst those which retained their full flavour and transparency to the last. They were merely covered with two layers of thin writing paper pressed closely on them, after being saturated with spirits of wir,e. 494 MODERN COOKERY. [chap, xxiv, be eaten in perfection they should be sufficiently boiled down to remain free from mould or fermentation, and yet not so much reduced as to be dry or hard ; they should not afterwards be sub- jected to the heat of the oven,* but served with some plain pudding, or light dish of bread, rice, ribbon-macaroni, soujee, semoulina, &c. When intended for tartlets or creams, or fruit-sauces, for which see Chapter XX., they should be somewhat less boiled, and be made with a larger proportion of sugar. Fruit steamed in bottles is now vended and consumed in very large quantities in this country, but it is not wholesome, as it pro- duces often — probably from the amount of fixed air which it contains — violent derangement of the system. When the bottles are filled with water it is less apt to disagree with the eaters, but it is never so really wholesome as preserves which are made with sugar. That which is baked keeps remarkably well, and appears to be somewhat less objectionable than that which is steamed. The rich confectionary preparations called wet preserves (fruits preserved in syrup), which are principally adapted to formal desserts, scarcely repay the cost and trouble of making them in private families, unless they be often required for table. They are in general lusciously sweet, as they will only remain good with a large proportion of sugar ; and if there be no favourable place of storage for them they soon spoil. When drained and well dried, they may much more easily be kept uninjured. The general directions for them, which we append, and the receipts for dried gooseberries, iherries, and apricots which we have inserted here will be sufficient $or the guidance of the reader who may wish to attempt them. Foumsau EcoKomique, or Portable French Furnace, with Stewpau and Tnvet. No. 1. Portable French Furnace. — 2. Depth at wliich the grating is placed. — 3. Stew-pan.— 4. Trivet. * For the manner of serving them in pastry without this, see “ small vol-or# vziis and tartlets,” Chap. XVIII. CHAP. XXI Y.] PRESERVES. 495 Closed Furnace and Cover.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Simple well-made preserves — especially those of our early summer fruits — are most valuable domestic stores, as they will retain through the entire year or longer,* their peculiarly grateful and agreeable flavour, and supply many wholesome and refreshing varieties of diet through the winter months and spring. They are, indeed, as conducive to health — when not cloyingly sweet or taken in excess— as good vegetables are ; and they are inexpensive luxuries (if as luxuries they must be regarded), now sugar is so very reasonable in price. By many families they are considered too much as mere superfluities of the table, and when served only — as they so often are — combined with rich pastry-crust or cream, or converted into ices and other costly preparations, may justly be viewed solely in that light. To * We have had them excellent at the end of three or four years, but they were made from the produce of a home garden , as freshly gathered, and carefully selected as it could be. Some clear apricot-marmalade, some strawberry-jelly, and some raspberry -jelly, were amongst those which retained their full flavour and transparency to the last. They were merely covered with two layers of thin writing paper pressed closely on them, after being saturated with spirits of wine. [chap, xxiv, be eaten in perfection they should be sufficiently boiled down to remain free from mould or fermentation, and yet not so much reduced as to be dry or hard ; they should not afterwards be subjected to the heat of the oven,* but served with some plain pudding, or light dish of bread, rice, ribbon-macaroni, soujee, semoulina, &c. When intended for tartlets or creams, or fruit-sauces, for which see Chapter XX., they should be somewhat less boiled, and be made with a larger proportion of sugar. Fruit steamed in bottles is now vended and consumed in very large quantities in this country, but it is not wholesome, as it produces often — probably from the amount of fixed air which it contains — violent derangement of the system. When the bottles are filled with water it is less apt to disagree with the eaters, but it is never so really wholesome as preserves which are made with sugar. That which is baked keeps remarkably well, and appears to be somewhat less objectionable than that which is steamed. The rich confectionary preparations called wet preserves (fruits preserved in syrup), which are principally adapted to formal desserts, scarcely repay the cost and trouble of making them in private families, unless they be often required for table. They are in general lusciously sweet, as they will only remain good with a large proportion of sugar ; and if there be no favourable place of storage for them they soon spoil. When drained and well dried, they may much more easily be kept uninjured. The general directions for them, which we append, and the receipts for dried gooseberries, cherries, and apricots which we have inserted here will be sufficient $or the guidance of the reader who may wish to attempt them. Foumsau EcoKomique, or Portable French Furnace, with Stewpau and Tnvet. No. 1. Portable French Furnace. — 2. Depth at wliich the grating is placed. — 3. Stew-pan.— 4. Trivet. * For the manner of serving them in pastry without this, see “ small vol-or# vziis and tartlets,” Chap. XVIII. Closed Furnace and Cover.

[Modern cookery, in all its branches