Miss Parloa's kitchen companion

Orange Zest. — This is another form of orange sugar. Only the oily particles of the orange peel are added to the sugar. Rub lumps of loaf sugar on the outside of an orange until they are coated with the oil from the peel; a good deal of pressure must be used to break the oil vessels. Pound this sugar in the mortar, and bottle for use. Lemon zest is made in the same manner. Lemon Sugar. — Make the lemon sugar the same as the orange. Orange Flower Sugar. — Put one cupful of orange petals in a mortar with one cupful of granulated sugar. Pound to a powder, and rub through a sieve. Dry in a warm oven, and bottle for use. Or the orange flowers may be dried before being pounded, and then the sugar may be bottled at once. Rose Sugar. — Spread rose leaves on a flat dish, and dry them in a warm oven. Put one pint of the dried leaves in the mortar, with half a pint of granulated sugar. Pound to a powder; rub through a sieve, and bottle. Vanilla Sugar. — Cut one ounce of the vanilla bean into small pieces. Mix these with half a pint of granulated sugar, and pound to a powder in a mortar. Rub through a fine sieve ; return the coarse particles to the mortar, and pound again. Some of the vanilla bean will be too coarse to go through the sieve after the second pounding. Bottle this separately, and use it to flavor boiled custards. How to Make Caramel. Put any amount of sugar desired in a frying-pan or a granite-ware saucepan. Stir over the fire until the sugar dissolves and turns brown. Now add hot water equal in quantity to the sugar, and let the mixture simmer until all the sugar is dissolved. The sugar becomes perfectly liquid when stirred over a hot fire; but as soon as the water, or any other liquid, is added, it hardens. If it be allowed to simmer for about fifteen minutes, the sugar dissolves again, and a clear syrup is formed. If the syrup be desired thick, in order that the caramel may be used for seasoning a mousse, or for coloring soups or sauces, the syrup may be allowed to simmer for half an hour or more. When the caramel is intended for a flavor for desserts or pudding sauces, the sugar should be stirred until it begins to show bubbles and to smoke. It must then be taken from the fire instantly, if a delicate flavor be desired; but if a strong flavor be liked, stir for about one-quarter of a minute longer. When the,, caramel is to be used to color soups or sauces, however, the cooking should continue for about a minute after the sugar begins to boil. When the water is added to the sugar, it should be poured from a long-handled dipper, or there will be danger of the hot sugar and water spattering on to the hands.