Cassell's dictionary of cookery

Limpet {Patella vulgaris). It is very abundant on aU our coasts wherever there are rocks, and it can be easily procured by the aid of a strong knife. It is a tough morsel, but nutritious withal. The people of Ireland think it a delicacy, and a considerable consumption of limpets as articles of food occurs throughout the country. Next come Periwinkles {Littorina littoria), " pinpatches," as they are called on the coast of Suffolk. On the banks of some of our estuaries they occur in myriads. They are looked upon as a poor man's luxurj', but may be recommended to the notice of everybody. They should be bought alive, boiled, and whilst hot the creatures should be picked out of the shell with a pin, and eaten with vinegar and pepper. They are digestible and nutritious, and by no means to be despised. The Clam is a great favourite in the United States. The business of digging clams is engaged in by a large number of persons on the North-American coasts. There are two varieties — the hard-sheUed and the soft-shelled. They are eaten largely in spring, when they are in the best condition. Clams are much prized by persons residing at a distance from the sea-coast, and they are frequently sent into the interior, where they meet with a ready sale, as they can be sold at a very low price. Sherbet is a favourite beverage in the East, universally used among wealthy Mohammedans, to whom the use of wine is forbidden by the Koran. It consists of water, the juice of lemon, orange, or other fruits, with sugar, flavoured further with honey, spices, and even perfumes. Its pleasant acidity blended with sweetness renders it well calculated to assuage thirst in a warm chmate. The poorer classes, who cannot afford to have it so rich, drink water prepared with a little sugar and fruit juice. In India this is carried about in goats' skins for sale. Sherbet Cream. — Beat the yolks of three fresh eggs, and mix them vdth two pints of cream. Add a tea-spoonful of orange-flower water, or rose water, and stir the cream without ceasing over a gentle fire until it begins to thicken. Pour it out at once, sweeten, and stir it till cold. Freeze in the usual way. Time, about a quarter of an hour to boU the cream. Sufficient for two pints and a quarter. Sherbet for Punch.— The quality of punch depends in a great measure upon the way in which the sherbet is mixed. The different flavouring ingredients ought to be blended thoroughly before the spirit or wine is put in, and unless this is done the punch will lose in delicacy of flavour. The quantity of wine and spirit used wiU, of course, vary according to taste. Generally two lemons and half a pound of sugar will be sufficient for four quarts of punch. To make the sherbet, rub half a pound of fine sugar in lumjjs upon two large fresh lemons until all the yellow part is taken off. Remove the white bitter skin of the lemons, throw away the pips, and cut the pulp into slices with a silver knife. Put these upon the sugar, and bruise all well together with a wooden spoon. If the lemons are very acid, a SHE ( 865 ) SHE