FoodNetArchive

Cassell's dictionary of cookery

1892

Page 345 · 2 recipe records on this page

Presented as published in 1892. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
Cherries, Compote of.— Choose large, ripe, hght-coloured cherries, wipe them, and leave on them about an inch of stalk, making aU uniform. Put half a pound of sugar into a saucepan with a breakfast-cupful of water, and let it boil for ten minutes, then put into it a pound and a half of the cherries, and sim- mer them for three minutes. Dish them with the stalks uppermost. A table-spoonful of brandy may be added to the syrup. Probable cost of.cheiTies, 3d. to 6d. per pound. Suffi- cient for a large dish. Cherries, Compote of (another way). — Take off the stems from Kentish or Morella i cherries, ilako a syrup with hve ounces of ! sugar and half a pint of water for the former, \ but allow another ounce of sugar for the extra acidity of the Morellas. Stew one pound of the fruit in the syi'up for twenty minutes ; they may be stoned or not. When the ilorellas are very ripe, they may be stewed only ten minutes, and will then be excellent. Time : ten minutes to boil sugar ; eight to ten minutes Morellas. Probable cost of cherries, 3d. to 6d. per pound. Morella cherries are generally rather more expensive. Cherries, Dried. — Stone the chen-ies carefully without spoiling the fruit. This may be done by pusliing the stones through the end with a bodlrin or silver skewer. Put them into j a preserving-pan, and strew amongst them j finely-sifted sugar, allowing eight ounces of j sugar to everj' pound of fruit. Simmer for } ten minutes, then pour them into a bowl, and j leave them imtil next day, when they must j be again simmered for ten minutes ; and this j process must be repeated for three days. Drain : well, put them on a sieve or wire tray, so that j they do not touch each other, and place this in j an oven sufficiently cool to dry ^vithout baking them. They must be turned about every now and then that they may be equally dried. _ If the oven is too hot, their coleur will be spoilt. 'When dried, keep them in tin boxes with writing-paper between each layer. Kentish chcrricii are best for this purpose. They will be found useful for garnislaing dishes, or for dessert. Probable cost of the cherries, 3d. to 6d. i>er pound. Cherries, Dried, without Sugar.— The Kentish cherries are the best for this pui-- pose. They should be wiped carefully with a soft dry cloth, to free them from dust, &c., and the stalks cut into even lengths, then put into a cool oven or in the sun until thoroughly dried. If the latter plan is adopted, the dishes on which they are placed should be changed every day. The stalks should be put upwards, and the bruised or decayed fruit removed. When di-y, they should be "tied in bunches, and kept in a dry place ; and many per.^ons consider them more refreshing and agreeable than when dried with sugar, the acidity of the fruit remaining to a greater degree. In the winter time they may bo prepared for dessert in the same way as Normandj' pippins. Probable cost, 3d. to 6d. per pound. Cheesecakes