Cookery and housekeeping

Take half a pint of milk and half a pint of cream, and stir in the yolks of eight fresh eggs. Have ready a milk saucepan, and warm the mixture, stirring all the time. Do not let it boil, or it will form curds. When the mixture is of the usual consistency of custard, take it off the fire, add 1/4 lb. of powdered sugar, and a flavouring of vanilla, lemon, ratafia, noyau, or maraschino. Strain through a sieve, and use for ice puddings. To this mixture can be added glace cherries, or any dried fruits cut into fragments not larger than cherries, or bits of preserved ginger, or of pineapple. The pudding mixture is poured into the freezingpot, which is imbedded in the mixture of rough ice and salt, and the necessary movement of the pot in the ice and the pudding in the pot must be carried on, either by the movement of the hand, or with the help of a machine. The implement for stirring the pudding mixture is called a spaddle or a stirrer ; as the freezing inside the pot goes on, the mixture must be withdrawn from the sides, and moved towards the centre, so that no lumps or hard bits are formed. The mixture when frozen must be as smooth and homogeneous as if it had been passed through a tamis. When the mixture has attained this consistence, and is thoroughly frozen, put it in the pudding mould, which must first be chilled in rough ice. Close the mould, and imbed in ice till wanted. Fruit Ices. These can be mixed either with cream, or with syrup, in which case they are called ' water ices.' The fruit must be reduced to a pulp, strained through a sieve, and, if deficient in flavour, lemon juice must be added. Fleshy fruits must be boiled to a pulp, and passed through a tamis. Fruits which easily give up their juice can be bruised or squeezed, and passed through the tamis or sieve without boiling. Jam or preserved fruits can be used instead of fresh fruit ; the flavour is less good ; rather more lemon juice is required. Water ices should always be made with fresh fruit. Cream ices can be made with either kind. Whenever it is found that the mixture does not freeze quickly in working the freezer, it is because there is too much syrup in it, and therefore a proportionate quantity of liquid, according to the description of ice you are making, must be added. To make syrup, use i lb. loaf sugar to i pint of water. Boil it hard for twenty minutes, and then clarify with the white of an egg ; when cold, bottle it and keep it for use. Fruits used for Ices. Green Gooseberries ; Rhubarb ; Strawberries ; Raspberries and Currants ; Cherries ; Currants, red or black ; Cranberries ; Apricots ; Peaches ; Chestnuts ; Oranges and Lemons ; Grapes ; Pineapple. Chocolate Ice Cream. Dissolve 4 ozs. of the best chocolate in warm water. If the chocolate is not already sweetened, add sugar, and stir into a pint of cream, or cream and milk. Strain through a sieve, and when cold pour into the freezing-pot. Coffee ice cream is made by using coffee instead of chocolate. Tea can also be used as the flavouring material. 't3 Pineapple Ice Cream. To i lb. of preserved pineapple, or a raw pineapple pounded with sugar, add sugar and lemon juice to taste, one pint of cream, and a little new milk ; mix ; freeze. One quart. Custard for Ices.