PASTRY, PUDDINGS, SWEETMEATS, ETC.

199.—Pastry for Pies and Tarts

To every three ounces of flour take one ounce of soojee, two ounces of beef suet, and a little salt; pick and clean the suet, pound it in a mortar, and make a flat circular cake of it; make a dough of the flour and soojee, knead it well, divide it into two equal parts, and make them into two flat circular cakes quite as large as the suet cake; roll the three together, placing the suet cake between the two flour cakes; double the whole up twice, and roll it out again, when it will be ready for use.

200.—Pastry for Friar Tuck’s Mock Venison Pastry Pie

Take of veal one pound, and of udder one pound; pick, clean, and wash them; chop, mince, and pound them in a mortar; season with salt and white pepper; fix the mixture with the yolk and white of an egg well beaten up; pass it through a sieve, rejecting all that will not pass; and form it into a flat circular cake.

Make a dough of two pounds and a half of flour and half a pound of soojee; add a little salt, and knead it well; then form two cakes of the dough; place the veal and udder cake between, and roll out the three very carefully; double up the whole and roll it out again, when it will be ready.

The pie-dish should be lined thickly with the pastry, and, although a single layer should cover the top of the pie, the sides and edges of the dish should be built up high with it; a double layer of the crust is not interdicted to cover the top of the pie if it will not interfere with raising it up.

201.—Custard

Take a seer of milk and a stick of cinnamon, and boil down to half the quantity; add sugar to taste; beat up quickly the yolks of four eggs, and add them gradually to the milk, stirring it continually; after a while thicken with a tablespoonful of rice flour; take it off the fire, and flavour with rose water, orange-flower water, or vanilla.

202.—Orange Custard

Boil very tender the rind of half an orange, and beat it in a mortar until it is very fine; put it to a spoonful of the best brandy, the juice of an orange, four ounces of loaf sugar, and the yolk of four eggs; beat them altogether for ten minutes, and then pour in by degrees a pint of boiling milk; beat them until cold; then put them in custard-cups into a dish of hot water; let them stand till they are set; then take them out, and stick preserved orange-peel on the top. This forms a fine-flavoured dish, and may be served up hot or cold.

203.—Chocolate Custard

Rasp three ounces of fine Spanish chocolate, which has the vanilla flavour; make a paste of it with the smallest possible quantity of water; put two pints of pure milk over the fire, and let it boil; then add powdered loaf sugar to your taste, and a little salt; meanwhile, beat up the chocolate with some of the milk as it boils, and mix it well; pour it into the boiling milk, which you must keep in motion; add the yolks of eight eggs well beaten up; keep stirring in, or rather milling the mixture, until of sufficient consistency; when cool enough put the custards into glasses.

204.—Almond Custard

Blanch and pound, with two tablespoonfuls of orange-flower water, a quarter of a pound of almonds; add rather more than a pint of milk, thickened with a teaspoonful of corn-flour, and the well-beaten-up yolks of six eggs; sweeten to taste with pounded loaf sugar, and stir it over a slow fire till it thickens, but do not allow it to boil. Serve up in glass custard-cups.

205.—Princess Royal Custard

Beat up in a large deep bowl the yolks of eight fresh eggs; dredge into it while beating up a dessertspoonful of corn-flour; sweeten to taste with the best pounded loaf sugar; add to it a quarter of a pound of Jordan almonds well bruised in a marble mortar; pour the mixture into a clean newly-tinned copper pan; stir into it a seer of good cold milk; have a brisk flaming fire ready. Put the pan on the fire; never cease stirring it, keeping the spoon as much as possible in the centre of the pan; reduce the flame after it has boiled for fifteen minutes, and continue to boil for a few minutes longer, until the custard is of the consistency required.

206.—Rose-bloom Custard

This is made in every respect like the foregoing, adding some bruised almonds, and a little rose-bloom to tint the custard. The froth of the white of the eggs is also tinted with a few drops of the rose-bloom.

207.—Blanc Mange

Boil, till dissolved, three-fourths of an ounce of isinglass in as much water as will cover it; when lukewarm, add to it gradually a quart of good rich milk, with a stick of cinnamon, some lemon-peel, and a few bitter almonds well pounded; sweeten to taste; boil for five or six minutes, stirring it all the while; strain through muslin into moulds, and place in a pan of cold water to congeal.

208.—Another Way

Blanch and pound with a little rose-water two ounces of sweet and six bitter almonds; dissolve three-fourths of an ounce of isinglass in a little water; when nearly cool, mix it into a quart of good rich milk; mix in the almonds the peel of a small lemon and a stick of cinnamon; sweeten to taste with good clean sugar; let it stand for two or three hours; then put it into a pan, and let it boil for six or eight minutes, stirring it constantly; strain through muslin, and keep stirring it until nearly cold; then pour it into moulds.

209.—Rice Blanc Mange

Mix to a stiff smooth paste four tablespoonfuls of finely-sifted ground rice-flour, with a little cold milk; then stir it into a quart of boiling milk, in which had been dissolved one-eighth of an ounce of isinglass, a stick of cinnamon, and the peel of half a small lemon; sweeten to taste; boil it from ten to fifteen minutes, stirring it carefully all the while; remove it from the fire, and mix into it briskly a tablespoonful of pounded almonds, and pour it while scalding hot into moulds previously dipped in cold water.

N.B.—If it be desired to tint it in streaks like marble, drop into the mould every here and there, at the time of pouring the blanc mange, some of the cochineal, recipe No. 268.

210.—Corn-flour Blanc Mange

The above recipe will answer, except that the quantity of corn-flour must be in the proportion of two tablespoonfuls to every quart of milk.

211.—Christmas Plum Pudding (Indian Way)

This pudding may be made a few days before it is required for the table.

Take of cleaned and picked raisins one pound and a half, currants half a pound, finely-grated bread-crumbs three-quarters of a pound, finely-sliced mixed peel half a pound, finely-minced suet three-quarters of a pound, and sugar three-quarters of a pound. Mix all these well together with half a teaspoonful of finely-powdered mixed spices, say cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace; then moisten the mixture with half a pound of butter free of water, twelve eggs well beaten, and a wineglassful of brandy, stirring it well the whole time, that the ingredients may be thoroughly mixed.

Butter a large piece of cloth or napkin; dredge it well with flour; put the mixture into it, and tie it down tightly; after boiling it steadily for seven hours take it out of the boiler and hang it up immediately, until the day it is intended to be eaten, when it should be boiled again for fully two hours, care being taken that the water is boiling before the pudding is put into it. Then turn it out of the towel, and serve up with brandy sauce.

212.—Bombay Pudding

Take two pounds or one seer of soojee, half roast it, then boil it in water until it becomes very thick; butter a soup-plate or any other dish of about the same depth; pour the boiled soojee into it; when it has cooled and congealed, cut it into eight or more cakes; rub the cakes over with the yolk of an egg, dredge with finely-sifted flour, and fry in ghee until they acquire a rich brown colour. Arrange them in a dish, and pour over them a thick syrup flavoured with lemon-juice.

213.—Another Way

Make a good sweet custard and set it aside; rasp fine a cocoanut, and fry it in a little butter with grated nutmeg; pour into it gradually a wineglassful of brandy, stirring it all the time; have a pudding-dish lined with a good puff paste; pour the fried cocoanut gradually into the custard, stirring it well all the while; fill the pudding-dish with the mixture, and bake it in a gentle oven for fifteen to twenty minutes, or until the pudding is cooked.

214.—Cocoanut Rice Pudding

Soak a breakfastcupful of fine rice in water until quite soft; scoop out the contents of a hard cocoanut; extract all the milk with a little boiling-hot water, then boil the rice in it, sweeten it to taste with some date jagree or treacle, and put in a few grains of aniseed. Pour the mixture into a buttered pudding-dish and bake it slightly.

215.—Indian Lemon Pudding

Take four chittacks or eight ounces of butter free of water, six chittacks or twelve ounces of white sugar, twelve fresh eggs, four wineglassfuls of lemon or lime juice, and four tablespoonfuls of finely-grated bread-crumbs. Mix the butter and the sugar, add the yolks of the eggs, then the lime-juice and bread-crumbs, and when the oven is ready add the whites of the eggs well beaten up, put the whole into a buttered pudding-dish, and bake it immediately.

216.—Marmalade Pudding

This pudding requires care in mixing the ingredients thoroughly together, but it proves so excellent when eaten, either cold or hot, that it fully repays the trouble of preparation. Shred six ounces of fresh beef suet, and chop it up fine; mix it with two ounces of moist sugar, a quarter of a pound of well-grated bread-crumbs, and then stir in half a pint of new milk; when these are all mixed, add the well-beaten yolks of three eggs, whisk all together for a quarter of an hour, and set it to stand on a cold stone for an hour. Butter a pudding-dish or mould thickly, place a layer of the above mixture in it, then a layer of marmalade, another layer of mixture, and so on alternately until the mixture is exhausted. For the above quantity about one pound of marmalade will be required. Whisk the whites of the eggs with a little loaf sugar and orange-flower water, place the froth at the top of the pudding, and bake for an hour and a half in a moderate oven.

217.—Custard Pudding

Mix with a pint of cream or milk six well-beaten eggs, two tablespoonfuls of finely-sifted flour, half a small nutmeg grated, or an equal quantity of pounded cinnamon, a tablespoonful of pounded loaf sugar, and a little salt; put it into a cloth or buttered basin, that will exactly hold it, and boil it for half an hour. Serve with wine sauce.

218.—Macaroni

Take the yolks and white of two fresh eggs, and as much finely-sifted flour (English or American preferable to country) as will make a good dough of the consistency of dough for pie-crusts without the addition of any water; roll it out to its full extent on a large board to about the thickness of an eight-anna piece; then cut it up into small squares, diamonds, or circles, or into any shape or design you please, which must be done quickly, as within an hour of its being rolled out the pastry will harden. It may be used immediately, or in the winter it may be kept good for a few days.

N.B.—If pipe macaroni be required, cut the macaroni in ribbons of the required width, dredge some flour over it, and put it lengthways over glass pipes, joining the two cut ends with the aid of a little raw egg, and draw the pipes out as the pastry hardens round them. For pipe macaroni, the pastry should be rolled finer.

219.—Tart and Pie Crusts of Soojee

To one seer and a quarter of soojee add half a seer of suet and a teaspoonful of salt. Thoroughly clean the suet, remove all the skin and other objectionable particles, chop, mince, and pound fine in a mortar. Damp the soojee for half an hour before kneading it, then knead it with the suet and a little of the yeast, recipe No. 283; divide it into parts, dredge it with flour, and roll in layers; repeat the operation two or three times, and the pastry when baked will be light and flaky. Half a seer of flour will be required for dredging and rolling.

220.—Chappatee or Hand-Bread

The native hand-bread is made simply of wheat-flour and water; the addition of a little salt would be an improvement. Make a good dough of flour and water, take a piece about the size of an egg, roll it out to the circumference of a half-plate, and bake it over an iron or earthen plate.

221.—Dalpooree

Prepare a dal chur churree, recipe No. 93; put it into a marble mortar, and reduce it to a fine paste. Prepare an ordinary pie pastry; take two pieces of the prepared dough, each of the size of a walnut; shape them into two small bowls; take as much of the dal paste as will make a ball the size of a walnut; put it into one of the bowls of dough, and cover it over with the other bowl, and then roll out the whole very carefully to the size of a dinner-plate, and fry in ghee of a very light yellow colour. The lighter and thinner dalpoorees can be made the better. They should be eaten hot.

222.—Dal Pittas

Prepare an ordinary pie-crust, and the dal chur churree, recipe No. 93; roll out the pastry, cut into circles of the size of saucers, put into them a tablespoonful of the dal, and close them; fry in ghee of a light brown colour. They should be eaten hot.

223.—Prawn Doopiaja Pittas

The same as the above, enclosing in the pastry a tablespoonful of the prawn doopiaja, recipe No. 69; fry in ghee.

224.—Prawn Doopiaja Loaf

Pare away very finely all the outer brown crust of the bread, without injuring the inner crust; cut out of the top of the loaf a small square sufficiently large to extract from within all the crumb, leaving the shell complete; then fill the loaf up to the top either with some prawn doopiaja minced, or with the prawn cofta curry, No. 37, and as much gravy as it will take; replace the square bit at the top, bake it to a light brown, and serve up hot.

225.—Fowl Doopiaja Loaf

Is made in the same way as the prawn loaf, the difference being that the shell of the bread is stuffed with either a fowl doopiaja, recipe No. 23, or with the chicken cofta curry, recipe No. 34; all the bones of the fowl will require to be removed before the bread is stuffed with the curry.

226.—Falooree

Take of the finely-sifted flour of the chunna ka dal, which has been previously parched, one seer; six large Patna onions finely sliced and chopped; eight fresh green chilies sliced very fine; a tablespoonful each of finely-chopped soa mattee, saug, and parsley; a dessertspoonful of salt and a teaspoonful of finely-ground green ginger. Put the seer of dal-flour into a large deep pan, and mix into it all the above condiments; then keep adding to it water, very gradually and in small quantities at a time, mixing it briskly the whole while, until it is of a consistency that if poured on a plate from a spoon it will incline to a pyramid, or if dropped into a glass of water will not readily dissolve, but drop to the bottom en masse. In this state the mixture will be ready to fry.

Take half a seer of the best mustard oil; put it into a deep frying-pan with some fine slices of lemon-peel, and fry it or cook it thoroughly; remove three-fourths of the cooked oil from the frying-pan, and into the remainder, while boiling and bubbling, with a tablespoon pour in the preparation in the shape of rocks, and allow to brown, turning them over so that top and bottom may be of the same colour. As the oil is being expended clear the pan of all particles which may accumulate, pour in some more of the ready-cooked oil, and continue to fry until all the mixture is fried. They should be eaten hot.

227.—Cocoanut Pittas

Scrape finely a cocoanut, brown it with some jagree and a few grains of the black cardamom seed, and set it aside; then prepare a pastry of finely-sifted rice-flour (it must be kneaded with boiling-hot water, and will not roll out); take as much as the size of a duck’s egg, and press it out flat in the palm of your hand to the size of a large saucer; put a tablespoonful of the fried cocoanut into it, and close it up in a half-moon shape, with the help of a little water. Have a wide-mouthed large earthen pot of boiling water; stretch and tie over its mouth a napkin, and steam the pittas or cakes over them; they will be ready in half an hour, and may be eaten hot or cold.

228.—Plantain Fritters

Prepare a batter of twelve ripe plantains, four tablespoonfuls of finely-sifted flour, half a cupful of milk, sugar to taste, and cardamom and caraway seeds, with a couple of eggs beaten up; mix the whole well together, and make into small cakes by pouring a tablespoonful at a time of the mixture into melted ghee; fry them on both sides to a good brown colour, and serve up hot.

229.—Fried Plantains

Slice or divide very ripe plantains lengthways into two; brush them slightly with the yolk of an egg; dredge with flour, and fry in melted ghee. Serve up hot, sprinkled with crushed crystallized sugar.

230.—Bibinca Dosee, or Portuguese Cocoanut Pudding

Extract a cupful of milk from two cocoanuts, and set it aside. Make a syrup of three-quarters of a pound of sugar; mix into the syrup half a pound of rice-flour finely sifted, and the cocoanut milk, which boil over a good fire, stirring the whole while until it thickens; pour it into a buttered pudding-dish, and bake it of a rich light-brown colour.

231.—Bole Comadree, or Portuguese Cocoanut Pudding with Jagree

Extract a cupful of milk from two cocoanuts, and set it aside. Make a syrup of half a pound of sugar; mix into it half a pound of finely-sifted rice-flour, and set aside; fry with the yolk of an egg all the scrapings of the two cocoanuts, half a pound of jagree, and some grains of aniseed; then mix the whole thoroughly together, and after the oven is well heated, and ready to receive the pudding, pour the mixture into a well-buttered pudding dish, and bake over a slow fire until it is perfectly set.

232.—Goolgoola, or Fritters

Take half a seer or one pound each of flour, sugar, and milk, half a dozen small sticks of cinnamon, a little yeast, and half a seer of ghee; mix the flour with the yeast and a little milk; add water sufficient to bring it to a thick consistency; then put into it gradually the sugar and the remainder of the milk, and place it on the fire, adding the cinnamon; keep stirring it with a large spoon until it is again reduced to a thick consistency; remove it from the fire, and when it has cooled make it up into small balls, and fry them in ghee.

233.—Another Way (as usually served on the tea-table)

Take two chittacks or four ounces of soojee, four eggs well beaten up and four chittacks or eight ounces of milk; mix the soojee and eggs, beating them well together, and gradually add the milk. Melt down three chittacks or six ounces of ghee in a small but deep pan; pour into the boiling ghee in one spot the mixture, a dessertspoonful at a time, and fry until of a rich brown colour. Serve up hot, sprinkled with crushed crystallized sugar.

234.—Cajure

Mix one seer of soojee with four tablespoonfuls of ghee; add half a seer of sugar; mix well together; then pour in gradually a quarter of a seer of milk, and last of all as much flour as will make a good dough; let it be well kneaded, and then allowed to stand for two or three hours.

Have some ghee melted; take the dough of the size of walnuts, shape them like shells and fry them in the melted ghee until they acquire a rich brown colour.

235.—Hulluah

Steep half a seer of soojee in one seer of water for twelve hours, or, if the hulluah be made in the winter, let it soak for eighteen hours; it will then be the “milk of soojee,” which strain through a coarse duster, rejecting only such impurities as remain unstrained; add to the milk half a seer of sugar, and boil it, stirring it all the time, and as it thickens add three chittacks or six ounces of ghee, warmed with a few white cardamoms and a few small sticks of cinnamon; continue stirring it from first to last until the whole is well mixed together, and the hulluah finally taken out of the pan; while warm put it into shapes or moulds.

236.—Another Way

Take half a seer of soojee, ghee, sugar, almonds, and raisins, and a few white cardamoms and sticks of cinnamon. Make a syrup of the sugar, and set it aside. Roast the soojee, or brown it, and set it aside. Melt the ghee, and fry the soojee with the spices in it, after which put in the almonds and raisins, stirring it well all the time; last of all add the syrup, and continue to cook and stir it until it thickens; then remove into moulds or shapes while hot.

237.—A Two-pound or One-seer Plum Cake

This is the favourite cake for Christmas, weddings, birthdays, and christenings in India, and consists of the following ingredients:—

Butter, perfectly free of water 4 lb or 2 seers

Good clean sugar 2 or 1

Raisins, cleaned, stoned, and dried 2 or 1

Currants, cleaned, stoned, picked, and dried 2 or 1

Jordon almonds, blanched and sliced very fine 2 or 1

Preserved ginger

citron

All cut into small pieces and well dried, mixed

orange-peel 2 or 1

lemon-peel

pumpkin

Cinnamon, finely pounded and sifted 1 Tablespoonful

Nutmegs, finely grated1 /2

Dried orange-peel, finely pounded and sifted 1/2

English caraway-seeds, cleaned and picked 2

Mace, finely pounded and sifted 1/2

Finely-sifted flour 1 1/2 lb or 3/4 seer

Soojee1/2 lb or 1/4 seer

Eggs, new or fresh laid 40

Brandy of the best quality 1 claret-glass

An experienced man ought to be engaged to mix the ingredients, which, if properly done, will take fully one hour.

Have two large glazed earthen preserving-pans; put the sugar into one, and bruise it well down, breaking all the lumps; add to it three pounds and three-quarters of butter; then throw in one by one all the yolks of the forty eggs, and throw the whites into the other preserving-pan, mixing the sugar, butter, and the yolks the whole while briskly and without ceasing. While one man is mixing these ingredients another ought to be actively employed in beating up the whites of the eggs unceasingly for nearly an hour.

After the butter has been well mixed with the sugar and eggs, dredge in all the finely-pounded spices and the caraway-seeds; after a while dredge in the flour and soojee in small quantities at a time (this must be well mixed); the currants, raisins, and preserves, with the almonds, are next to be added. By this time the man will have been engaged in mixing the ingredients fully three-quarters of an hour.

After the raisins, &c., have been thoroughly mixed, pour in the brandy very gradually, and in small quantities at a time, and last of all add the well-beaten whites of the forty eggs: the stirring now must be very brisk to effect a perfect mixture of the whites of the eggs right through; fill quickly into the moulds, and bake without a moment’s delay in a brisk baker’s oven.

N.B.—The moulds ought to be lined with paper and well buttered.

238.—Swiss Cakes

Take butter, flour, and sugar, of each the weight of four eggs; beat the yolks with the sugar and some grated lemon-peel, or ten drops of essence of lemon, and one large teaspoonful of rose-water, or orange-flower water if preferred; add the butter just melted, and slowly shake in the flour, beating it until well mixed; beat the whites of the eggs to a froth, mix the whole together, and beat on for a few minutes after the whites are added. Butter a tin, and bake the cake half an hour.

239.—Queen Cakes

Prepare eight ounces of fresh butter beaten to a cream, six ounces of pounded and sifted loaf sugar, half a pound of dried and sifted flour, the same quantity of cleaned and dried currants, four well-beaten eggs, a little grated nutmeg and pounded cinnamon, and a few pounded bitter almonds; then add the sugar to the butter, put in the eggs by degrees, after that the flour and the other ingredients; beat all well together for half an hour, and put it into small buttered tins, nearly filling them, and strew over the top finely-powdered loaf sugar. Bake them in a pretty brisk oven.

240.—Shrewsbury Cakes

Mix with half a pound of fresh butter, washed in rose-water and beaten to a cream, the same quantity of dried and sifted flour, seven ounces of pounded and sifted loaf sugar, half an ounce of caraway-seeds, and two well-beaten eggs; make them into a paste, roll it thin, cut it into round cakes, prick them, and bake them upon floured tins.

241.—Another Way

Rub into a pound of dried and sifted flour half a pound of fresh butter, seven ounces of sifted loaf sugar, the same quantity of cleaned and dried currants, and a little grated nutmeg; make it into a paste with a little water and two tablespoonfuls of rose or orange-flower water; roll it out, and cut it into round cakes; prick them, and bake them upon tins dusted with flour.

242.—Shortbread

For two pounds of sifted flour, allow one pound of butter, a quarter of a pound of candied orange and lemon-peel, a quarter of a pound each of pounded loaf sugar, blanched sweet almonds, and caraway comfits; cut the lemon, the orange-peel, and almonds into small thin bits, and mix them with a pound and a half of the flour, a few of the caraway comfits, and the sugar; melt the butter, and when cool, pour it into the flour, at the same time mixing it quickly with the hands; form it into a large round nearly an inch thick, using the remainder of the flour to make it up with; cut it into four, and with the finger and thumb pinch each bit nearly all round the edge; prick them with a fork, and strew the rest of the caraway comfits over the top. Put the pieces upon white paper dusted with flour, and then upon tins. Bake them in a moderate oven.

243.—Scotch Shortbread

Warm before the fire two pounds of flour and one pound of butter free of water; rub the butter, with twelve ounces of sugar, into the flour with the hand and make it into a stiff paste with four eggs, well beaten; the rolling-out to the required thickness must be done with as little use of the rolling-pin as possible; either take small pieces, and roll them into oblong cakes, or roll out a large piece and cut it into squares or rounds; prick a pattern round the edge of each cake with the back of a knife, and arrange slices of candied peel, caraway-seeds, and caraway comfits in a pattern. They will take about twenty minutes to bake, and the oven itself should not be too quick. The mixing of flour, sugar, and butter, and afterwards of the eggs, must be done very thoroughly and smoothly.

244.—Another Way

Take two pounds of flour, one pound of butter, four eggs, and twelve ounces of loaf sugar powdered very finely; rub the butter and sugar into the flour with the hand, and by means of the eggs convert it into a stiff paste; roll it out half an inch thick, and cut into square or round cakes; pinch up the edges to the height of about an inch, and on the top of each cake place some slices of candied peel and some large caraway comfits, pressed down so as to imbed about half of each in the cake. Bake in a warm oven upon iron plates.

245.—Gingerbread Nuts

Take three pounds of flour, a pound of sugar, three pounds and a half of treacle, half an ounce of caraway-seeds, half an ounce of allspice, two ounces of butter, half an ounce of candied lemon-peel, three ounces of ground ginger, half an ounce of coriander, the yolks of three eggs, and a wineglassful of brandy; work the butter to a cream, then the eggs, spice, and brandy, then flour, sugar, and then hot treacle; if not stiff enough, a little more flour must be added in rolling out, but the less the better.

246.—Another Way

Take two pounds of flour, one pound and a quarter of treacle, half a pound of sugar, two ounces of ginger, three-quarters of a pound of butter (melted), and a small quantity of cayenne pepper; mix all together and roll out to about the thickness of half an inch, or not quite so much; cut into cakes, and bake in a moderate oven.

247.—Ginger Cakes

In two pounds of flour well mix three-quarters of a pound of good moist sugar and one ounce of the best Jamaica ginger; have ready three-quarters of a pound of lard melted, and four eggs well beaten; mix the lard and eggs together and stir into the flour, which will form a paste; roll out into thin cakes and bake in a moderately heated oven.

Lemon biscuits may be made the same way, substituting essence of lemon instead of ginger.

248.—Gingerbread Spiced

Take three-quarters of a pound of treacle, one egg, four ounces of moist sugar, an ounce of powdered ginger, a quarter of an ounce each of mace, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg powdered, a pound of oiled butter, and sufficient flour to make a stiff paste; mix well, and make into thick pieces, which should be brushed over the top with white of egg and baked for an hour in a moderate oven.

249.—American Gingerbread

Take half a pound of fresh butter melted, a pound and a half of dried and sifted flour, the same quantity of brown sugar, a quarter of a pound of pounded ginger, nine eggs, the yolks and whites separately beaten, one glass of rose-water, and one of white wine; mix all well together, and beat for an hour; then with a spoon spread it over flat tin pans, about the thickness of a penny-piece; bake it of a light brown, and while warm cut it into oblong pieces, and place them on end till cool, when they will be very crisp.

250.—Rich Gingerbread Cakes

To one pound of dried and sifted flour allow half a pound of pounded loaf sugar, three-quarters of a pound of fresh butter washed in rose-water, one pound of treacle, one nutmeg grated, the weight of a nutmeg of pounded mace, and as much of pounded cinnamon, one ounce of pounded ginger, one and a half of candied orange and lemon-peel cut small, half an ounce of blanched sweet almonds cut into long thin bits, and two well-beaten eggs. Melt the butter with the treacle, and when nearly cold stir in the eggs and the rest of the ingredients; mix all well together, make it into round cakes, and bake them upon tins.

251.—Indian Gingerbread

Take twelve ounces of pounded loaf sugar, a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, one pound of dried flour, two ounces of pounded ginger, and a quarter of an ounce each of cloves and cinnamon. Mix the ginger and the spice with the flour; put the sugar and a small teacupful of water into a saucepan; when it is dissolved add the butter, and as soon as it is melted mix it with the flour and other things; work it up, form the paste into cakes or nuts, and bake them upon tins.

252.—Oatmeal Gingerbread

Gingerbread made with oatmeal instead of flour, besides being nice, is a very useful aperient for children.

253.—Excellent Cheesecakes, known at Richmond as “Maids of Honour”

Take half a pound of curd free from the whey; add to it six ounces of butter, four yolks of eggs, and sugar and nutmeg to the taste; mix all the ingredients well; line patty-pans with a puff paste, fill them with the mixture, and bake in a quick oven. The cheesecakes may be flavoured with lemon for a variety, and, as a further variety, currants and raisins may be introduced.

254.—Cocoanut Cheesecakes

Grate a good-sized nut very fine, and add to it four or five spoonfuls of rich syrup and one spoonful of rose-water; set it over a few coals, and keep stirring till it is mixed; then take it off the fire and let it cool; next mix the yolks of two eggs well with it, and bake in small paps in the shape of cheesecakes. The pastry for the pans must be made with flour and yokes of eggs, rolled as thin as possible; wet the tops of the cakes with rose-water; sift some refined sugar over them, and bake them in an oven at a gentle heat.

255.—Buns

Mix together one pound of flour, six ounces of butter, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, a quarter of a pound of sugar, one egg, nearly a quarter of a pint of milk, and a few drops of essence of lemon. Bake immediately. The above quantities will make twenty-four buns; for variety, currants or raisins may be added.

256.—Rout Cakes

To one pound of ground almonds add one pound of powdered sugar; mix them together with yolks of eggs to a stiff, yet flexible paste; then form it into small biscuits in the shape of coronets, shells, filberts, birds’ nest, rings, or any other fancy shapes; let them remain five or six hours, or all night, upon the baking-tin in a warm oven.

257.—French Pancakes

Beat separately the yolks and whites of seven eggs; beat with the yolks four tablespoonfuls of pounded loaf sugar, the same quantity of flour, one pint of cream or milk, the grated peel and juice of one lemon, and two tablespoonfuls of rose-water; add the beaten whites the last thing. Allow three tablespoonfuls to each pancake.

258.—Common Pancakes

With nearly half a pound of flour mix five well-beaten eggs, and then add, by degrees, a quart of good milk; fry them in fresh lard, and serve them with pounded loaf sugar strewed between each.

259.—Indian Pancakes

Add to three well-beaten eggs a pint of new milk, three tablespoonfuls of flour, some sugar, and a little pounded cinnamon; mix all well together, and fry in butter; brown the upper side for a minute before the fire; serve it, cut into four, with pounded sugar strewed over it.

260.—Pink Pancakes

These are rarely seen at an English table, although they form a very pleasing variety. Boil a large red beetroot until it is very tender; then peel it, cut it into thin slices, pound it to a pulp in a marble mortar, and strain through muslin; add the yolks of five eggs, two tablespoonfuls of flour, four of cream, plenty of pounded loaf sugar, half a nutmeg grated, and a wineglassful of brandy; rub the whole into a batter, and fry the pancakes with melted butter, ghee, or lard; serve them up hot, garnished with green candied sweetmeats.

261.—Mango Fool

Take six green mangoes; remove every particle of the green peel, cut them into four, and steep them in clean water; throw the stones away; boil the fruit perfectly tender, pulp and pass it through a sieve, sweeten to your taste, and add to it very gradually, stirring all the while, as much good pure milk as will reduce it to the consistency of custard. It should be eaten on the day it is made.

262.—Another Way

Boil to a pulp some green mangoes without peel or stones; pass through a sieve, and sweeten to taste; then mix into it very gradually some cold milk, which has been previously boiled; keep stirring until it has acquired the thickness of an ordinary cream custard; fill into glass cups, and grate a little cinnamon or nutmeg over them.

263.—Pink Mango Fool

The pink mango fool is produced by the introduction of beetroot boiled very tender, bruised down, strained through muslin, and added to the pulp of the mango, and forms an agreeable variety.

264.—Vanilla Drops

Take the whites of four eggs, beat them up well, and add three-quarters of a pound of finely-powdered white sugar; flavour with vanilla, beat up well, and drop it on buttered paper. Bake in a cool oven.

265.—Mincemeat

Ingredients:—Three large lemons, three large apples, one pound of stoned raisins, one pound of currants, one pound of suet, two pounds of moist sugar, one pound of sliced candied orange-peel, one ounce of sliced candied citron, the same quantity of lemon-peel, one teacupful of brandy, and two tablespoonfuls of orange marmalade.

Grate the rinds of the lemons, squeeze out the juice, strain it, and boil the remainder of the lemons until tender enough to pulp or chop very finely; then add to this pulp the apples, which should be baked, and their skins and cores removed; put in the remaining ingredients one by one, and as they are added mix everything thoroughly together. Put the mincemeat into a stone jar with a closely-fitting lid, and in a fortnight it will be ready for use. This should be made the first or second week in December.

266.—Another Way

Take seven pounds of currants well picked and cleaned; of finely shopped suet beef, the lean of sirloin of beef minced raw, and citron, lemon, and orange peel cut small, each half a pound; two pounds of fine moist sugar, an ounce of mixed spice, and the rinds of four lemons and four oranges; mix well, and put in a deep pan. Mix a bottle of brandy and white wine and the juice of the four lemons and oranges; pour half over, and press down tight with the hand; then add the other half and cover closely. It may be made one year, to use the next.

267.—Ornaments for Custards or Creams

Whisk for an hour the whites of two eggs, together with two tablespoonfuls of some syrup or thin jelly; lay it in any form upon a custard or cream, piled up to imitate rock, or it may be served in a dish with cream round it. The ornament may be coloured, if desired, with cochineal, saffron, spinach, &c., as directed in the following recipe.

268.—Colouring for Jellies, Creams, Ices, and Cakes

Boil very slowly in a gill of water, till reduced to one half, twenty grains of cochineal, and the same quantity of alum and cream of tartar finely pounded; strain, and keep it in a small phial.

For yellow, use an infusion of saffron.

For green, wash well, and pull into small bits, a handful of spinach-leaves; put them into a closely-covered saucepan, let them boil for a few minutes, and then press the juice.

269.—Colouring Mixtures

Yellow.—Into a four-ounce phial put half a drachm of saffron and two ounces of spirits of wine of the strength of sixty-two degrees over proof. Let it stand until the spirit is tinted of a deep yellow; then strain it for use.

Red.—This is produced by infusing during a fortnight two ounces of red sandal-wood in a pint of spirits of wine. It at the expiration of that time the colour should not be dark enough, a pinch of subcarbonate of soda will give it the required tint.

Pink.—Dissolve half an ounce of cochineal in a sufficient quantity of spirits of wine.

Green.—Put a handful of well-cleansed vine-leaves or spinach into a decanter, fill with spirits of wine, and let it stand in the sun for ten or twelve days; strain when the wine has become of a bright green.

N.B.—The above colouring matters are only adapted for tinting liqueurs, wines, lemonades, and essences.

270.—Frost or Icing for Cakes

Beat till very light the whites of four eggs, and add gradually three quarters of a pound of double-refined sugar, pounded and sifted through a lawn sieve; mix in the juice of half a lemon; beat it till very light and white; place the cake before the fire, pour over it the icing, and smooth over the top and sides with the back of a spoon.

271.—Another Way

Beat to a stiff froth the whites of three new-laid eggs, and add to them one pound of sifted white sugar; flour the cake, and then wipe it off; apply the icing by means of a knife smoothly; then bake in a slow oven.

272.—Coloured Icings

Pink icing should be made by adding cochineal syrup; blue, with indigo; yellow, with saffron or gamboge; green, with spinach syrup or sap green; brown, with chocolate.

273.—Fine Icing for Tarts and Puffs

Pound and sift four ounces of refined loaf sugar; beat up the white of an egg, and by degrees add it to the sugar till it looks white and is thick. When the tarts are baked, lay the icing over the top with a brush or feather, and then return them to the oven to harden, but take care that they do not become brown.

274.—Raspberry Iced Cream

Mix a tablespoonful of pounded loaf sugar, two tablespoonfuls of raspberry jelly or jam, and a little cochineal to heighten the colour, with the juice of a large lemon; strain, and put into the freezing-pot; cover it closely and place it in a bucket which has a small hole near the bottom, and a spigot to let the water run off, with plenty of ice broken small, and mixed with three or four handfuls of coarse salt; press the ice closely round the freezing-pot, turn it round and round for about ten minutes, take off the cover, and remove with a spoon the frozen cream to the centre; cover it again, and turn it till all be equally iced. Serve it in china ice-pails in block, or put it into moulds, cover them securely, and replace them in the bucket, with ice and salt as before, for an hour or more; dip the moulds into cold water before turning out, and serve immediately. Water ices are made in this way, substituting water for cream.

275.—Apricot Iced Cream

Mix a tablespoonful of pounded loaf sugar with two of apricot jam, the juice of a lemon, and half an ounce of blanched bitter almonds pounded with a little rose-water; add a pint of cream, stir all well together before putting it into the freezing-pot, and freeze it as directed above.

276.—Mille Fruit Iced Cream

Strain the juice of three lemons, and grate the peel of one; mince finely a dessertspoonful each of orange marmalade, dried cherries, and preserved angelica; add to these half a pint of syrup, and mix the whole with a pint and a half of cream, or a pint of water, and then drop in here and there a few drops of the prepared cochineal. Put it into a mould, and freeze as above directed.

277.—Orange-water Iced

Mix with a pint of water the strained juice of three oranges and one lemon, also the grated peel of one orange; sweeten it well with syrup, and freeze it.

278.—Juice of Fruit Iced

Press through a sieve the juice of a pint of currants or raspberries, or other fruit preserved for tarts; add to it four or five ounces of pounded loaf sugar, a little lemon-juice, and a pint of cream. It may be whisked previous to freezing, and a mixture of the juice in which the fruit was preserved may be used.

279.—Orange Iced Cream

Boil down a seer and a half of milk to half the quantity with some isinglass and a quarter of a seer or half a pound of sugar; strain through a sieve, and when perfectly cool add the juice of twelve oranges. Mix well, put into freezing-pots with two seers or four pounds of raw rice and some salt, and freeze as above.

280.—Bael Sherbet

Take a perfectly ripe sweet bael, and scoop out the whole contents into a bowl; make a paste of it with a little water; then add sugar to taste, and as much water as will bring it to the consistency of good honey; then pass it through a fine sieve, leaving all the fibres and seeds behind; it is a most delicious drink, and if taken early in the morning in rather a liquid state—say of the consistency of porter—serves as a most effective aperient in a natural and healthy form; but if taken of the consistency of thick pea or potato soup, it has a directly contrary effect, and as such is invaluable in all cases of relaxed bowels.

281.—Mallie, or Cream as prepared by the Natives

Boil down over a slow fire milk to less than half its original quantity, and when cold it will be of the strength and consistency of a well-made blanc mange.

N.B.—The best Indian sweetmeats are made of mallie.

282.—Tyre or Dhye

Warm some milk without boiling it; stir into it a little stale butter about the size of a large pea; put the vessel in a warm place well covered over, and in the course of eight or ten hours the tyre will be ready.

283.—Yeast

Boil one pound of good flour, a quarter of a pound of brown sugar, and a little salt in two gallons of water for one hour; when milk-warm, bottle it close; it will be fit to use in twenty-four hours. One pint of this will make eighteen pounds of bread.

284.—Another Way

Take two pounds of soojee or flour, a quarter of a pound of brown sugar or suckur, and half a drachm of hops. Dry the hops in the sun, and then reduce them to fine powder, by pounding in a mortar. Mix the soojee or flour and powdered hops with a little water, just sufficient to make a stiff dough; then add the sugar and knead all well together. Roll the leaven into a ball, wrap it lightly in a clean cloth, then in a blanket, and put it away for three days, when it will be ready for use.

N.B.—If worked up or kneaded once daily during the three days, the fermentation will be more perfect.

The above quantity will be sufficient for twenty-five pounds weight of bread.