Virginia Cookery-book

Take twelve lemons and pare off very thinly the rinds of six. Put these in one pint of boiling water, cover them, and let them steep while the other ingredients are being prepared. Rub the lemons and squeeze them dry. Pour one pint of cold water to the gelatine, let it soften for twenty minutes, and then, emptying it into a large bowl, pour over it one quart of boiling water, which should completely dissolve it. If this is not the case, put it over the fire until not a particle of unmelted gelatine is to be seen. Now strain the juice into it, and add the rinds and water in which they have been steeping, with two quarts of clear cold water. If all the water used in this recipe is clear there is no necessity for straining, as in other jellies. Set away in a cold place to stiffen. You can either let it jelly in a mass and break it up with a spoon, for encircling blanc-mange, or mould it in pretty shapes, and serve it with plain or whipped cream. This dish is new, simple, and greatly admired. To succeed in warm weather, either more gelatine must be added or the jelly set upon ice. All recipes in which gelatine is used are to be understood as referring to cool weather. Lemons 13 Sugar. . . , li lbs. Water 1 gallon. Gelatine 2 boxes. Orange Jelly. Melt the gelatine by softening it in a teacupful of cold water, and Then dissolve it by pouring on, after an interval of twenty minutes, three cupfuls of boiling water. Put the pound of sugar into the bottom of a bowl and strain upon it the juice from all the fruit, then add the melted gelatine, and stir all well together. Grate into it enough orange-peel to give a zest to the flavor; and if you still think the taste of orange has not been imparted with sufficient distinctness,, peel two more oranges, pick out the seeds, slice them thin, and drop them into the jelly so that they will be distributed throughout the whole ; if the jelly is moulded, let some pieces be in each mould. Oranges 8 I Lemons 2 Sugar 1 lb. | Gelatme 1 box. Water 2 qts. Fruit in Jelly. The most skilful caterer can furnish no prettier dish for a party. Make two quarts of sparkling, amber-colored jelly by adding a little browned sugar to either of the recipes furnished in this book for gelatine jelly. Wet two jelly-moulds holding a quart each, and invert them, seeing that they are supported so as not to be overturned, and fill each of them half full of jelly. Set them in a cold place to harden as soon as possible. In an hour, or as soon as they are firm enough to support the weight, lay lightly on the jelly a few grapes and cherries, or any other pretty fruit of that sort. Let the fruit be fresh, if it can be procured, else taken from cans and drained free of sirup. Meanwhile, having kept a portion of the jelly warm in a pitcher near the fire, fill the moulds with it, and set them away until the jelly is perfectly firm and ready to turn out. It is always better to allow jelly to stand at least twelve hours before it is sent to table, although it may harden earlier under very favorable circumstances. N.B. — If a. light-colored jelly is preferred, use white sugar, white wine and lemon only for seasoning, and the hue will be a delicate straw-color. Rock Cream. One teacupful of boiled rice mashed to a paste, the whites of six eggs beaten stiff and sweetened with three heaping table-spoonfuls of sugar ; add three table-spoonfuls of sweet rich cream, and flavor with ten drops of extract of rose or almond. Put into moulds as you would blanc-mange, and eat with cream or milk and preserves. Cbeam Jbllt.