Mrs. Roundell's Practical cookery book

Queen Charlotte’s Caudle. — Stir a pint of cold water into half a pint of oatmeal, and strain through a fine strainer into a saucepan. Add a quarter of a pint of Geneva, and the same quantity of sound mild ale, a few raisins, a nutmeg grated, a little ground ginger, and a little sugar. Boil for ten minutes, and serve hot to the company in cups. (This was the Caudle given to visitors calling on a lady just after her confinement. It was considered very ill-bred not to call to “ taste the caudle.” Geneva was the word for Gin, from genievre, the French name for the juniper berries with which Gin is flavoured. “ Caudle ” is a corruption of CdUdum, a hot drink.) Arrowroot. — Arrowroot is no longer considered to be nutritious in itself ; it simply forms a pleasant medium for milk or brandy. Put one dessertspoonful of Arrowroot into the basin it will be served in, and mix it to a smooth paste with a little cold water. Then add boiling water, stirring all the time, till the Arrowroot is quite clear. Add a glass of sherry, or a dessertspoonful of brandy, and serve at once, with strips of dry toast. (Aged patients generally enjoy this way of serving Arrowroot.) Another way is to mix half a pint of boiling milk with the Arrowroot instead of the boiling water. Allow a dessertspoonful of Arrowroot as before, and flavour with a thin strip of lemon-peel. When the Arrowroot is quite dissolved in the milk, take out the lemon-peel and serve. Thick Barley Water. — Thick Barley Water is much more nutritious than Clear Barley Water. Well wash two ounces of pearl barley, then put it into plenty of cold water and blanch it THICK BARLEY WATER by boiling it for ten minutes. Throw away the water, and wash the barley again. Boil the barley very gently in a quart of water for two hours. Put in one lump of sugar, strain the water from the barley, and serve cold in a jug. Barley Milk. — Wash four ounces of pearl barley. Boil it gently with the peel of half a lemon in two quarts of water, till it is reduced to one quart. Strain, and put the liquid back into the saucepan with three-quarters of a pint of milk. Warm it up as required, but never let it boil. Or, boil half a pound of washed pearl barley in a quart of milk mixed with half a pint of water. Reduce to a pint, then sweeten it a little, boil again, and serve to be taken when nearly cold. Rice Milk. — Simmer one ounce of well-washed rice in a pint of milk for one hour. Put in a small lump of sugar just before it is done. Sago Milk . — Soak the Sago in cold water for an hour, and then wash it in fresh water. Allow a teacupful of Sago to a quart of milk. Simmer slowly till it is diminished to a pint. It requires no seasoning. Luncheon for an Invalid. — Put alternate layers of sifted dried breadcrumbs and currant jelly into a large tumbler. When the tumbler is nearly half full fill it up with cold new milk. HOT DRINKS FOR A COLD. Treacle Posset. — Boil half a pint of milk, and as soon as it boils add a quarter of a pint of golden syrup. (This will posset, or curdle, the milk.) Let it boil up again, strain it, and serve it hot, to be taken in bed.