Cassell's dictionary of cookery

Peach Water Ice. — Pare, stone, and quarter half a dozen ripe peaches. Put them in a syrup, made by boiling a pound of loaf sugar, half a pint of water, the white of an egg, beaten to a firm froth, and one peach kernel, for five minutes. Let the peaches simmer until they are quite soft. Press them through a fine hair sieve, and add to the liquid the strained juice of two small fresh lemons and two or three drops of cochineal. Freeze in the usual way. Time to boil the peaches, about ten minutes. Probable cost. Is. 8d., with peaches at 2d. each. Sufficient for four or five persons. Peaches, Bottled. — Pare, halve, and stone the peaches. Place the halves in perfectly dry wide-mouthed bottles, and cover them entirely with a thick syrup, made by boiling a pound of loaf sugar in three-quarters of a pint of water until the sugar is dissolved. Cork the bottles, and tie them down. Wrap a wisp of hay round them to prevent their knocking against each other, and place them side by side in a deep stewpan, with cold water up to their necks. Let the peaches boil gently for a quarter of an hour after the water has reached the boiling point, then lift the saucepan from the fire, and do not remove the bottles until the water is almost cold. Seal the corks, and store in a cool dry place. Probable cost of peaches, 2d. to 6d. each. Peaches, Brandied. — Stew some very fine, ripe, well-flavoured peaches, in a syrup of seven ounces of sugar to half a pint of water, turning them often. When tender, put them, with the syrup, into new jars or widemouthed glass bottles, leaving space on the top for brandy, which should be poured in when the fruit is quite cold. A few peach or apricot kernels may be blanched and added before the bottles are corked. Average cost of peaches, 2s. per dozen. Peaches, Compote of.— Divide six or eight ripe peaches into halves. Make a syrup, by boiling six ounces of loaf sugar in half a pint of water for eight minutes. Put in the fruit, and let it simmer gently for five minutes. Drain the peaches from the syrup, take off their skins, and put them into a compote dish. Add to the syrup a dessert-spoonful of lemonjuice, or, if procurable, two table-spoonfuls of red currant- juice. When lemon- juice is used, two or three drops of cochineal should also be added, to colour the syrup slightly. Let it boil three or four minutes longer, then pour it over the peaches. Blanch three or four of the kernels, split them in four, and place a quarter here and there upon the fruit. Serve either hot or cold. Time, twenty minutes. Probable cost of peaches, 2d. to 6d. each. Sufficient for six or eight persons. Peaches, Compote of (another way).— Boil together for ten minutes half a pint of water and five ounces of sugar. Let the sugar PEA ( m<) PEA be of the best. Put half a dozen fine ripe peaches into the syrup. Take off the skins, and remove the stones if their absence is desired. Simmer very gently for about twenty minutes, but not so long if the fruit be divided to take out the stones. Put the fruit on a dish ; but reduce the syrup by fast boiling, and boil a few of the kernels, blanched, with it. Serve either hot or cold.