" "We have,"' he adds, in an off-hand manner, '• a very similar thought in Anacreon, as apj^lied by him to an early Greek poet — I forget the number of the ode." But Gunter, after dallvino- in his preface, and telling his readers how he was in the habit of dining Avith that eccentric but amiable and intel- ligent man, the late Dr. Kitchiner, in Warren Street, Fitzroy Square, and how the doctor said to him, as the dessert made its appearance, " Gunter, my friend, for the benefit of mankind, you ought to write a book on confectionery as a companion to mine on the art of cookery," becomes solidl}- practical, and informs his readers how to clarify loaf-sugar, and how to classify the dift'erent degrees of sugar as the large and small "thread," the " jjearl," the "blow," the "feather," the " ball," the " crack," and tlio " caramel." Then he launches into pistachios and nut prawlings — " prawlings " is a con- fectionery technicality to describe articles preserved from humidity by being covered with dry sugar. Next he waxes eloquent on fruit pastes, harlequin candy, candied fruits, CHATS ABOUT COOKERY. 39 jellies, syrups, and marmalades, grains of cateclm, vanilla cream, and especially ices, among which he mentions green grape ice, gunpowder- tea ice, and Indian ice, Avliich last is made of the whipped yolks of twenty eggs, with two glasses of liquor boiled with syrup in a pan, which is placed in a freezing-pan lined with muslin. Gunter adds, in a footnote, that in 1830 the " beautiful Mrs. Palmer," in Calcutta, at a table of extraordinary magnificence, was remarkable for the quantity and tasteful variety of ices which she in- troduced. The confectionery recijDes which I have given* are not exclusively from Gunter ; I have drawn on several French and English works, ancient and modern, on the subject, and have tried to simplify the recipes ; and among the most lucid of the books which I have consulted, I find Jarrin's " Italian Confectioner," published in 1829, and "French Confectionery Adapted for English Families," by Miss Crawford, published in 1853. Pies, Fatties, and Tarts. There are only three nations in the world that know how to make proper puddings. If in turning over your cookery-books you chance to come across recipes for Dutch pudding, Spanish pudding, Russian pudding, and the like, put no trust in those formulas ; they are mainly frauds. The Briton, the Teuton, and the American alone possess the art of pudding making. AVhen, however, it comes to a question of ])ies, patties, and tarts, I am afraid that John Bull is equalled by some nations, and surpassed by others, in the secret of appetisingly combining meat, game, fish, or fruit with paste or crust. Possibly in days gone by the English venison pasty was * See "Sweet?," pp. 402-44i. 40 THE TnOROUGH GOOD COOK.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

"We have," he adds, in an off-hand manner, '• a very similar thought in Anacreon, as applied by him to an early Greek poet — I forget the number of the ode." But Gunter, after dallying in his preface, and telling his readers how he was in the habit of dining with that eccentric but amiable and intelligent man, the late Dr. Kitchiner, in Warren Street, Fitzroy Square, and how the doctor said to him, as the dessert made its appearance, " Gunter, my friend, for the benefit of mankind, you ought to write a book on confectionery as a companion to mine on the art of cookery," becomes solidly practical, and informs his readers how to clarify loaf-sugar, and how to classify different degrees of sugar as the large and small "thread," the "pearl," the "blow," the "feather," the "ball," the "crack," and the "caramel." Then he launches into pistachios and nut prawlings — "prawlings" is a confectionery technicality to describe articles preserved from humidity by being covered with dry sugar. Next he waxes eloquent on fruit pastes, harlequin candy, candied fruits, jellies, syrups, and marmalades, grains of catechu, vanilla cream, and especially ices, among which he mentions green grape ice, gunpowder-tea ice, and Indian ice, which last is made of the whipped yolks of twenty eggs, with two glasses of liquor boiled with syrup in a pan, which is placed in a freezing-pan lined with muslin. Gunter adds, in a footnote, that in 1830 the "beautiful Mrs. Palmer," in Calcutta, at a table of extraordinary magnificence, was remarkable for the quantity and tasteful variety of ices which she introduced. The confectionery recipes which I have given* are not exclusively from Gunter ; I have drawn on several French and English works, ancient and modern, on the subject, and have tried to simplify the recipes ; and among the most lucid of the books which I have consulted, I find Jarrin's "Italian Confectioner," published in 1829, and "French Confectionery Adapted for English Families," by Miss Crawford, published in 1853. Pies, Fatties, and Tarts. There are only three nations in the world that know how to make proper puddings. If in turning over your cookery-books you chance to come across recipes for Dutch pudding, Spanish pudding, Russian pudding, and the like, put no trust in those formulas; they are mainly frauds. The Briton, the Teuton, and the American alone possess the art of pudding making. When, however, it comes to a question of pies, patties, and tarts, I am afraid that John Bull is equalled by some nations, and surpassed by others, in the secret of appetisingly combining meat, game, fish, or fruit with paste or crust. Possibly in days gone by the English venison pasty was * See "Sweet?," pp. 402-44i.

The thorough good cook