afforded of collecting a variety of mixed fruits for a centre dish. It only requires taste, with proper regard to colour and contrast, to eft'ect a delicious and most attractive coi(p d'ceil. One ornament for the centre of a dinner-table is a large gilt basket of some graceful shape, filled with every kind of fruit, interspersed with moss and fern-leaves. Apples, pears, peaches. pine-apples, and grapes would form a lovely combination for autumn fruits, the crevices filled up with scarlet geraniimis and maiden- hair fern ; this for a centre-piece, surrounded by specimen glasses, with a rose or camelia in each, would form a most attractive coup d'ce'd. There are so many ways, however, of displaj-ing taste in dressing the centre of a table and of aiTanging fruit desserts, that it is best left to each individual fancy. Suffice it to say, that the dish should never be too full, and always garnished in some way, either with leaves or tiny sprays of flowers, or even em- broidered paper, which can be bought for the purpose, and that all fruit intended for table should ise carefully wiped with a cloth before an-anging on the (£sh. Fruit Fritters.— Fritters may be much unproved by adding fruit to the batter, but it -svill require to be made thicker than for ordinary fritters. The following recipe will serve for many kinds of fruits, and also for vegetables : — Warm half a pint of milk, in which stir two ounces of butter ; make it into a batter, with about ten oimces of flour. Sweeten to taste, and flavour with nutmeg, cinnamon, &c., and a glass of any liquor or brandy. Stir in the whites of two eggs✪ Fruit Fritters well whisked, and fry at once, in boiling butter or lard Fruits, such as pine-apple, apple, orange, peach, kc, should be cut in sUces, dipped in the batter, fried nicely, and when dried before the fire, strewed ■Nvith sifted sugar. Such fruits as strawberries, cherries, apricots, and raspberries, should be thrown into the batter, and a spoon- ful poured into the boiling fat ; all stones must be previously removed. For frying vegetables, mix into the batter, in the place of sugar, &c., savoury herbs and salt. Time, about ten minutes to fry. Sufficient for four or five persons. Fruit Fritters (another and richer way). — Beat the yoUcs and whites of two eggs separately, add half a pint of cream, a httle salt, and enough flour to form a thick batter ; beat until smooth, and put in fruit as above✪ Fruit Fritters (another and richer way) ; fry in boiling fat, and dry before the fire on a sieve. Serve on a napkin, with white sugar sifted over the fritters. Time, about ten minutes to fry. Probable cost, Is. Sufficient for four or five persons.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

afforded of collecting a variety of mixed fruits for a centre dish. It only requires taste, with proper regard to colour and contrast, to effect a delicious and most attractive coup d'œil. One ornament for the centre of a dinner-table is a large gilt basket of some graceful shape, filled with every kind of fruit, interspersed with moss and fern-leaves. Apples, pears, peaches. pine-apples, and grapes would form a lovely combination for autumn fruits, the crevices filled up with scarlet geraniums and maidenhair fern ; this for a centre-piece, surrounded by specimen glasses, with a rose or camelia in each, would form a most attractive coup d'œil. There are so many ways, however, of displaying taste in dressing the centre of a table and of arranging fruit desserts, that it is best left to each individual fancy. Suffice it to say, that the dish should never be too full, and always garnished in some way, either with leaves or tiny sprays of flowers, or even embroidered paper, which can be bought for the purpose, and that all fruit intended for table should be carefully wiped with a cloth before arranging on the dish. Fruit Fritters.— Fritters may be much improved by adding fruit to the batter, but it will require to be made thicker than for ordinary fritters. The following recipe will serve for many kinds of fruits, and also for vegetables : — Warm half a pint of milk, in which stir two ounces of butter ; make it into a batter, with about ten ounces of flour. Sweeten to taste, and flavour with nutmeg, cinnamon, &c., and a glass of any liquor or brandy. Stir in the whites of two eggs well whisked, and fry at once, in boiling butter or lard Fruits, such as pine-apple, apple, orange, peach, kc, should be cut in slices, dipped in the batter, fried nicely, and when dried before the fire, strewed with sifted sugar. Such fruits as strawberries, cherries, apricots, and raspberries, should be thrown into the batter, and a spoonful poured into the boiling fat ; all stones must be previously removed. For frying vegetables, mix into the batter, in the place of sugar, &c., savoury herbs and salt. Time, about ten minutes to fry. Sufficient for four or five persons. Fruit Fritters (another and richer way). — Beat the yolks and whites of two eggs separately, add half a pint of cream, a little salt, and enough flour to form a thick batter ; beat until smooth, and put in fruit as above ; fry in boiling fat, and dry before the fire on a sieve. Serve on a napkin, with white sugar sifted over the fritters. Time, about ten minutes to fry. Probable cost, Is. Sufficient for four or five persons.

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Fruit FrittersFruit FrittersFruit Fritters (another and richer way)

Cassell's dictionary of cookery