FoodNetArchive

Harper's cook book encyclopædia

1902

Page 325 · 5 recipe records on this page

Presented as published in 1902. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
in a double boiler, adding no water to them. Cover closely and steam until the fruit is soft and thoroughly broken. Squeeze the berries through a bag, and return the juice to the fire. Allow granulated sugar in the pro- portion of l/z lb. of sugarCranberry Jelly to a cupful of juice. As soon as the juice comes to a boil, add the sugar, stir until dis- solved, and allow to boil up once. Re- move the sweetened liquid from the fire, pour into a mould wet with cold water, and set in a cool place to form into a firm jelly. Currant Conserve. — Take 5 lbs. of washed and stemmed currants, 5 lbs. of sugar, and five oranges peeled, seeded, and cut into bits ; add 2.x/z lbs. of seedless raisins, mix the whole to- gether, and boil for thirty minutes. Seal while hot. Currant Jelly without Boiling. — Press the juice from the currants and make it quite hot, but it must not be allowed to boil. To each pint of juice add a full pound of loaf sugar, pounded very fine — granulated sugar will do as wellCurrant Jelly without Boiling — and made quite hot in the oven, and then stirred gradually into the hot juice until it is melted. Put this jelly into small glasses ; cover first with a round paper dipped in spirit, then put on a close-fitting cover, and expose the jelly daily to the sun for ten days. Jelly made thus is much brighter in color than when it is boil- ed. Be sure that the fruit from which the juice has been extracted is per- fectly fresh, and that there is no sus- picion of fermentation about the juice. Currant Jelly that Never Fails. — Select currants that are not fully ripe ; the ends of the bunches should be rather green. Pick them over and wash them, if necessary, but do not take them off the stems. Put them in the kettle without weighing, and stand it on the back of the stove where the fruit will heat but not cook, and crush with the pestle till all the juice is out. Then strain it through two bags, one of loose flannel, and measure it with a 19 2 pint cup. Take as many pints of sugar but leave out one half-pintCurrant Jelly that Never Fails; put the sugar in a hot oven, stirring often. Boil the juice till it clears, which will be in five to ten minutes, and skim it. When it becomes transparent, turn in the hot sugar and let the whole boil up hard once — only once — and it is done. Take it off and dip it into the heated glasses and it will jelly on the cup as you do so. Let it stand in the sunshine for a day or two, until it is as firm as you wish. The secret of making this jelly is in boiling it just the single moment. Another way : — The currants should be picked from the bushes dur- ing dry weather — an item which holds good for any other kind of fruit as well. They should be thoroughly ripe, but not over-ripe. Place the cur- rants over the fire in an agate or por- celain-lined kettle, having first crushed them very slightly to draw out enough juice to keep them from burning. As soon as they are cooked soft, strain through a fine crash bag until all the juice is extracted ; then strain it slowly through a fulled flannel jelly-bag to remove all impurities and pulp. Meas- ure the juice and put it in a clean ket- tle. For every pound of juice allow I lb. of granulated sugar. Put the sugar in a stone crock large enough to hold the juice. Let the juice boil hard for five minutes, then pour it over the sugar in the jar, stirring all the time, and until the sugar is dissolved.