The home cook book

The making of fruit syrups entails no excess of time, labor, or expense, and the syrups are valuable in autumn and winter desserts, flavoring home-made ice creams, sherbets, jellies, Bavarian and other creams, sauces for puddings, and also flavorings for punches and other beverages. But especially they are in this division given as serving for wholesome and delicious flavoring in a glass of fresh water. In using the syrup for such simple beverages, use it precisely as our grandmothers did — have a tumbler of fresh water and stir in a tablespoon of the syrup, or "shrub," or "vinegar." as those dames of other days used to say in speaking of such sweets. CHERRY SYRUP Have ripe, juicy acid cherries. Stone them, and one-eighth of the stones pound and break. Cook all together till the cherry pulp is soft and the juice free. Then squeeze through a bag. To every pint of juice add a heaping cup of sugar and boil fifteen minutes. Put in bottles or jars and seal for use. Keep in a cool, dry place. CHOCOLATE SYRUP Add to three tablespoons of chocolate one pint of boiling water. Let boil up, then add one pint of sugar and boil three minutes. When cold add one tablespoon of vanilla. In using the syrup put two tablespoons in a tumbler, add two tablespoons of cracked ice. two tablespoons of whipped cream and fill up the glass with milk. Stir well together, and serve. CURRANT SHRUB Allow a pound of sugar to every pint of currant juice and boil slowly in a porcelain kettle. When it has boiled ten minutes set to cool, and when barely lukewarm add a wineglass of pure brandy to every pint of syrup. Bottle and seal and keep in a cool, dark, dry place. GRAPE SHRUB Crush ripe grapes in a stone jar, and cover with good cider vinegar. Cover the jar tight and leave overnight. Every day for three or four days stir and press the grapes and the vinegar together. Finally, strain through a cheesecloth folded three times, and to every three quarts of juice allow five pounds of sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Then boil, skim, and bottle while very hot. LEMON SYRUP Grate the yellow off eight fine lemons. Squeeze out the juice and put in a porcelain kettle with two cups of water, the grated yellow, and four pounds of sugar. Boil all together five minutes. Then strain through a bag to get out the yellow. Boil up once more, and then bottle and seal for use. PINEAPPLE SYRUP Make a syrup of three pounds of sugar to which has been added the white of an egg beaten up and gradually blended with a pint of cold water. Let boil and skim until the whole is very clear. Put aside to cool. Carefully pare and grate pineapples of the best quality, obtaining three pints of juice, and strain the same through a flannel jelly-bag. Put the syrup on to boil for about ten minutes, adding gradually at the end of this time the pineapple- juice. Let all [come to boil together, skim well, and place aside to cool. When thoroughly cold, bottle, cork, and seal. RASPBERRY SYRUP