Harper's cook book encyclopædia

Pear Charlotte. — Peel and core a dozen pears, cut them into quarters, dip them into finely powdered sugar, and shake them over the fire in a little clarified butter until they are tender; then drain them well. Cut three or four slices of crumb of bread the third of an inch thick. Line a plain, round mould with these, first cutting out a small round for the bottom, and then cutting the rest into fingers, which must be placed round the mould overlapping each other. Dip the bread into clarified butter before putting it into the mould. Fill the mould with the cooked pears, cover the top with slices of bread dipped in butter, and place the dish in a brisk oven until the bread is lightly browned. If the oven be not sufficiently brisk the bread will not color properly, nor will the charlotte preserve its form. Turn the charlotte out of the mould, and brush it over with apricot jam, or sift powdered sugar thickly over it. Time to bake, from three-quarters of an hour to an hour. Pears, Compote of. — When ripe, juicy pears are used for making compotes they should be stewed whole, but when hard baking pears only are to be had it is best to cut them into halves or quarters, reserving only one large piece to put in the centre. Peel the pears, and put them into the syrup. The proportion of sugar used will depend upon the quality of the pears. Put with them a few drops of prepared Pears, Frosted or Iced Pears, Stewed cochineal, and either a strip of lemonrind, a quarter of a stick of vanilla, or a few cloves. Simmer very gently until they are quite tender without being broken, then drain them well, put them on a dish, boil the syrup quickly until it is thick ; when it is cold, and just before the compote is to be served, strain, and pour the syrup over the fruit. The pears are to be boiled until tender. Pears, Frosted or Iced. — Take half a dozen large pears, which have been stewed whole in syrup. Dry them well, then cover them smoothly and evenly with a white icing made as follows : Beat the white of an egg to a firm froth, add % lb. of powdered and sifted sugar, a table-spoonful of lemon-juice, and a few drops of cold water, and beat the mixture thoroughly until it forms a very thick, smooth liquid. When the pears are covered, set them in a warm place, or in a cool oven, to stiffen the icing. Pears in Jelly. — Peel six or eight large pears, cut them into halves, take out the cores, and throw them as they are done into cold water to keep them from becoming discolored. Put them into a saucepan with as much syrup as will cover them, and let them stew gently until they are tender but unbroken. The quantity of sugar put into the syrup will depend upon the quality of the pears, as some are naturally much sweeter than others. When sufficiently cooked, drain the pears from the syrup, brush them over with the beaten yolk of an egg, sprinkle powdered and sifted sugar thickly over them, and arrange them on a glass dish. Supposing there is a pint and a half of syrup, dissolve in it I oz. of gelatine which has been soaked in as much cold water as will cover it for one hour. Add half a pint of boiling water, color with two or three drops of cochineal, and strain it through a jelly- bag over the pears. Put the dish into a cool place, and