 Section one of the Complete Confectioner. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. The Complete Confectioner by Hannah Glass. Front Matter The title page. The Complete Confectioner, or Housekeepers Guide, to a simple and speedy method of understanding the whole art of confectionery. The various ways of preserving and candying, dry and liquid, all kinds of fruit, nuts, flowers, herbs, etc. and the method of keeping them fresh and fine all the year round. The different ways of clarifying sugar, with directions for making, fruit paste, bomboons, pastels, compots, fruitisers, creamisers, marmalades, jellies, jams, cakes, puffs, biscuits, tarts, custards, cheesecakes, sweetmeats, fritters, creams, cilobubs, blamange, flummeries, ornaments for grand entertainments, tragedies, syrups of all kinds, knickknacks and trifles for desserts, strong cordials, oils, simple waters, milk punch that will keep 20 years, and all sorts of English wines. Also, the art of making artificial fruit, with the stalks in it, so as to resemble the natural fruit, to which are added some bills of fare for desserts or private families. By Mrs. H. Glass, author of The Art of Cookery, with considerable additions and corrections, by Maria Wilson. London, 1800 Dedication To the ladies of Great Britain. It has often been observed that dedications are appendages calculated for works of a voluminous and important nature. Yet, as there are many ladies in England, whose distinguished worth is at once an ornament to their country, and whose example, both in private and public life, render them the most amiable patterns of domestic economy, and who consider it no degradation to their character in descending to recommend to their domestics, whatever may be either useful or ornamental at their tables. To them, the following simple and practical receipts are, with the highest efference, dedicated, and, it is hoped, will obtain their approbation and patronage, which will be the highest gratification to. Ladies, your obedient humble servant, Maria Wilson Preface The value and importance of a work like the present must be sufficiently obvious to all heads of families, and persons entrusted with the care of housekeeping, to require but little to be said in its recommendation. There is, perhaps, no book more wanted than a complete confectioner, there being scarcely any extent upon that subject. Some little tracks are indeed to be met with, but none on a plan extensive enough for general use. Ladies residing in different parts of the country, where they have no opportunity of procuring their confectioneries, will feel the want of such a work, and those who have been accustomed to purchase them will find a considerable reduction in their domestic expenses by attention to the valuable receipts contained in this treaties. To render it at once the most complete and valuable work of the kind extent, neither expense nor pains has been spared. For, added to the experience of thirty years, a compilation has been made from Mrs. Glass and every other work on the subject, and though the editor may not have to boast of an entire original work, she flatters herself, she now presents to the public the most complete, extensive and familiar work of the kind ever published. Seasons for Fruit January Golden Pippins Non-Pareils Pair-Main Apples Meddlers Dried Apples Chestnuts Royal Pears San Germain And Winter Chomontale Colmar Rennerts And Russet Apples Winter Boncretion Pistachio Nuts Almonds and Raisins June All sorts of strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, juke cherries, currants, melons, and masculine apricots. October Peaches Nectarenes Sweetwater Grapes Figs Green Gauge Plums Pella Cherries Walnuts Filberts Arline Plums Bergamot Pairs Burst Pairs Golden Pippins Meddlers and Mulberries Four months in the year are only mentioned, because fruit continues three months the same. End of Section 1 2 Of the Complete Confectioner by Hannah Glass This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Sugars It must be observed that the first thing necessary to be known is to be perfectly acquainted with the different degrees or heights of clarifying or refining sugar, and agreeably to the fruit you have to preserve in order to have them done in a high position. In order to have a higher degree of perfection, you must be attentive to make use of such degrees of sugar so refined, as is adapted to their different degrees of brightness as well as to their different sorts. To Clarify Sugar In proportion to three pounds of fine, lump or powder sugar, which you are to put in a skillet or boiler, break into an earthen pan, the white of an egg, with near a pint of fresh water, and beat them up altogether with a whisk to a white froth. Then put the hole into a copper kettle or pan, and set them on a clear and slow fire. When it begins to boil, do not fail to put a little more water in, and begin to skim it, till you see the scum appears thick on the top, and the sugar becomes pretty clear. That done, to clear it properly, sift it in a wet napkin or silk sieve, and pass it thus into what vessel you please, till you want to make use of it. Note, if the sugar does not appear very fine, you must boil it again before you strain it, otherwise in boiling it to a height, it will rise over the pan. To boil sugar, to the degree called smooth. When your sugar is thus clarified, put what quantity you have occasion for, over the fire, to boil smooth, which you may prove by dipping your scummer into the sugar, and then touching it with your forefinger and thumb. In opening them, you will see a small thread drawn betwixt, which immediately breaks, and remains in a drop on your thumb. Thus it is a little smooth, then boiling more, it will draw into a larger string, and become very smooth. The blown sugar. Boil your sugar longer than the former, and try it thus. Dip in your scummer, and take it out, shaking off what sugar you can into the pan, and then blow with your mouth strongly through the holes. And if certain bubbles or bladders blow through, it is boiled to the degree called blown. The feathered sugar. It is a higher degree of boiling sugar, which is to be proved by dipping the scummer when it has boiled a little longer. Shake it first over the pan, then give it a sudden flirt behind you. If it be enough, the sugar will fly off like feathers. The crackled sugar. Is proved by letting it boil rather longer, and then dipping a stick into the sugar, which immediately remove into a pot of cold water standing by for that purpose, drawing off the sugar that cleaves to the stick. If it becomes hard, and snaps in the water, it is enough. If not, you must boil it till it comes to that degree. Note, your water must be always very cold, or it will deceive you. The caramel sugar. Is known by boiling yet longer, and is proved by dipping a stick, as aforesaid, first in the sugar, and then in the water. But you must observe, when it comes to the caramel height, it will snap like glass the moment it touches the cold water, which is the highest and last degree of boiling sugar. Note, observe that your fire be not very fierce when you boil this, lest flaming up the sides of your pan, it should cause the sugar to burn, and so discolor it. End of Section 2. Section 3 of the Complete Confectioner by Hannah Glass. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Preserves Part 1. To preserve Seville Orange's liquid, as also lemons. Take the best Seville Orange's and pair them very neatly. Put them into salt and water for about two hours. Boil them very tender, till a pin will go into them easily. Then drain them well from the water, and put them into your preserving pan, putting as much clarified sugar to them as will cover them, laying a trencher or plate on them to keep them down. Set them over a fire, and by degrees heat them till they boil. Let them have a quick boil, till the sugar comes all over them in a froth. Then set them by till next day, when you must drain the syrup from them, and boil it till it becomes very smooth, adding some more clarified sugar. Put it upon the oranges, and give them a boil, and set them by till next day, when you must do as the day before. The fourth day, drain them, and strain your syrup through a bag, and boil it till it becomes very smooth. Then take some other clarified sugar, boil it till it blows very strong, and take some jelly of pippins, as will hereafter be expressed with the juice of some other oranges. After they are preserved as above directed, take two pounds of clarified sugar, boil it to blow very strong. Next one pint and a half of pippin jelly, and the juice of four or five oranges. Boil them all together, then put in the syrup that has been strained and boiled to be very smooth, and give all a boil. Put your oranges into your pots or glasses, and fill them up with the above made jelly. When cold, cover them and set them by for use. Note, be careful in all your boilings to clear away the scum, otherwise you will endanger their working, and if you find they will swim above your jelly, you must bind them down with the sprig of a clean whisk. Sugar, pears. Take any quantity of pears, which are but half ripe, make a split on their head crossways with a knife, no deeper than the heart. After this is done, put a pan of water on the fire, and when it boils, put your pears in it, and boil them in with a slow fire, till they become a little soft. Then take them off the fire, and throw them immediately into another pan of fresh water. Have again another pan of fresh water, in which you squeeze three lemons. Pair your pears, and put them in that lemon water. They will turn as white as snow. Then take a preserving pan, put in it some of the first degree of your clarified sugar, put your pears in it, and let them boil about 12 minutes. Taking care to take off all the scum they will throw. Then take them out from the fire, and put them in an earthen vessel. You will repeat this operation during the four days following, and strain the sugar off every time, and boil it before you put the pears in. Because, as you will perceive, the sugar always throws off a white scum, which must be taken off, and it is after that you must put your pears in and boil them. When you see the syrup is very thick, and that your pears have well taken the sugar, put them in pots, and take care that they be well covered with syrup, or else they will soon turn mouldy. Cover them with paper, or parchment. To preserve moist bananas, or pineapples. Take any quantity of ananus, cut them into four quarters, or in round slices, and pair off the skin. Then take clarified sugar, and water in equal quantities. Put in the ananus, and proceed as before, taking care to skim them well during the time you are doing them. For it is very essential to remark, that when you are making any sort of preserves whatever, if you do not skim them well, they are apt to grow sour, which occasions a great deal of trouble to repair them again. You must not boil the ananus in water first, as directed for the other fruits, because it would deprive it of its best substance and flavour. To preserve oranges with marmalade in them, and lemons. Pair your oranges, make a round hole in the bottom, where the stalk grew the bigness of a shilling. Take out the meat, and put them into salt and water for two or three hours. Then boil them very tender, and put them into clarified sugar. Give them a boil the next day. Drain the syrup, and boil it till it becomes smooth. Put in your oranges, and give them a good boil. When a little cool, drain them, and fill them with a marmalade made as directed, putting in the round piece you cut out. With the syrup, some other sugar and pipping juice, make a jelly, and fill up your pots and glasses. For variety, take three of your preserved oranges, take off the tops, cut them so as to look like little cups, and fill them with this marmalade. They both eat pleasant, and make a variety. To preserve green oranges, take the green oranges, slit them on one side, and put them into a brine of salt water, as strong as will bear an egg, in which they must be soaked at least 15 days. Then strain them, and put them into fresh water, and boil them tender. Put them into fresh water again, shifting them every day for five days together. Then give them another scald, and put them into clarified sugar. Give them a boil, and set them by till next day. Then boil them again. The next day, add some more sugar, and give them another boil. The day after, boil the syrup very smooth, pour it on them, and keep them. Note, that if at any time you perceive the syrup begin to work, you must drain them, and boil the syrup very smooth, and pour it on them. But if the first proves sour, boil it likewise. Green lemons are done after the same manner. If the oranges are anything large, you must take out the meat from the inside. The duchess of Cleveland's receipt, for preserving lemons, oranges, and citrons. Take good lemons, fair and well coloured, and scrape a little of the uppermost rind. Take out the seeds and the juice. Lay them in spring water, shifting them twice a day, for a day or two. Then boil them to be tender, with a pound and a quarter of double refined sugar, and a pint and three quarters of spring water. Take the scum off, and put it in your lemons, have ready a pint of pippin water. Boil it first, with half a pound of sugar, and put it to them. Boil it to a jelly, and put in the juice of your lemons. Then let them boil, but a little after, and put them into your glasses, but be sure to cover them with syrup. How to take out the seeds Cut a small hole in the top, and take them out with a scoop. Dry them before you put them into your syrup, with a clean cloth. To preserve green gauges Take any quantity of green gauges, prick them with a pin, put them in a pan with water, and set them on the fire. When you see the water beginning to boil, take them off, and leave them in the same water to cool till the next day. When you are to set them again on a very gentle fire, that they may turn green. When you see they are green enough, put them in a sieve to drain. Then take clarified sugar, in which add three parts water, then the plums, and set the hole on a slow fire to make them throw off their water. After which put them in a pan for two days, and then add clarified sugar, and proceed as for other preserves. To preserve cucumbers Take little gherkins, put them in a large deep jug, cover them close down with fine leaves. Fill the jug with water, cover it with a plate, set it in your chimney corner, a little distance from the fire, yet so as to keep warm. Let them stand so a fortnight, then throw them into a sieve to drain. They will look very yellow, and will smell disagreeable. Throw them into spring water once or twice, to clear them. Put them into a large deep stew pan, or preserving pan. Cover them all over with vine leaves, put in as much clear spring water as will cover them. Set them over a charcoal fire, look often at them, and when they are turned a fine green. Drain off that water, and put them into fresh cold water. Have your syrup made ready, thus. To every pound of sugar add one pint of water. The clear peel of a lemon cut in long shreds, an ounce of ginger boiled in water for a quarter of an hour. Put the ginger and lemon peel to the sugar and water. Boil it to a syrup. Throw in your cucumbers, and give them a boil. Pour them into the pan you intend to keep them in. Let them stand till next day, and boil them again three times. When cold cover them up, and they make as fine a sweet as is tasted. At the same time, take large green cucumbers full ripe, and cut them in four long ways. Put them into cold water, cover them with green vine leaves, and set them over a charcoal fire till they boil. Take them off, throw them into cold water, and repeat it several times, till they are a fine green and tender. Then preserve them as before, or dry them as your other candied sweetmeats. Either way they answer in tarts, mince pies, or cakes, as well as citron. To preserve green almonds. Take the almonds when they are well grown, and make a lie with wood, charcoal, and water. Boil the lie till it feels very smooth, strain it through a sieve, and let it settle till clear. Then pour off the clear into another pan, and set it on the fire in order to blanch off the down that is on the almonds, which you must do in this manner. Namely, when the lie is scalding hot, throw in two or three almonds, and try when they have been in some time, if they will blanch. If they will, put in the rest, and the moment you find their skins will come off, remove them from the fire, put them into cold water, and blanch them one by one, rubbing them with salt. Then wash them in several waters, in order to clean them, in short, till you see no soil in the water. When this is done, throw them into boiling water, and let them boil till so tender as a pin may easily pass through them. Drain and put them into clarified sugar without water. They being green enough, do not require a thin sugar to bring them to a colour, but on the contrary, if too much heated, they will become too darker green. The next day, boil the syrup, and put it on them. The day after, boil it till it be very smooth. The day following, give all a boil together. Scum them, and let them lie for or five days. Then, if you will dry them, or put them in jellies, you must follow the directions as for green apricots. Note, if you will have compote of either, it is but serving them to table when they are first entered, by boiling the sugar a little more. To preserve, white citrons. Cut your white citrons into what size pieces you please. Put them into water and salt for four or five hours. Then wash them in fair water, and boil them till tender. Drain them, and put them into as much clarified sugar as will cover them, and set them by till next day. Then drain the syrup, and boil it a little smooth. When cool, put in your citrons. The next day, boil your syrup quite smooth, and pour on your citrons. The day after, boil all together, and put it into a pot to be candied, or put it into jellies, and compose it as you may think proper. To preserve, orange flowers. Take the orange flowers just as they begin to open. Put them into boiling water, and let them boil very quick till they are tender. Putting in a little juice of lemon, as they boil, to keep them white. Then drain them, and dry them carefully between two napkins. Put them into as much clarified sugar as will cover them. The next day drain the syrup, and boil it a little smooth. When almost cold, pour it on the flowers, and the following day you may drain them, and lay them out to dry, dusting them a very little. To preserve, cochineal. Take one ounce of cochineal, and beat it to a fine powder. Boil it in three quarters of a pint of water, to the consumption of half. Then beat half an ounce of roach alum, and half an ounce of cream of tartar, very fine, and put them to the cochineal. Boil them all together a little while, and strain it through a fine bag, which put into a file, and keep for use. Note, if an ounce of loaf sugar be boiled in with it, it will keep what you do not use immediately from moulding. To preserve, golden pippins in jelly. Pair your pippins from all spots, and, with a narrow pointed knife, make a hole quite through them. Then boil them in fair water about a quarter of an hour. Drain them, and take as much sugar as will cover them. Boil it till it blows very strong. Then put in your pippins, and give them a good boil. Let them cool a little, and give them another. Then, if you have, for example, a dozen of pippins, take a pound of sugar, and boil it till it blows very strong. Put in half a pint of pippin jelly, and the juice of three or four lemons. Boil all together, and put to the golden pippins. Give them all a boil, scum them, and put them into glasses or pots. To preserve pippins for present eating. Pair them very thin, and put them into a clean stew pan, saucepan, or preserving pan, according to the quantity you want. But scoop out the cores, and into every pippin, put two or three long narrow bits of lemon peel. Take the pairings, boil them in water enough to cover the pippins. Strain it, and make it as sweet as syrup. Pour it on your pippins, and stew them till they are quite tender. They make a pretty plate. To preserve barberries. Take a pound of barberries picked from the stalks. Put them into two quart pans. Set them in a brass pot, full of hot water, to stew them. After this, strain them. Add a pound of sugar, and a pint of rose water. Boil them together a little. Take half a pound of the best clusters of barberries you can get. Dip them into the syrup while it is boiling. Take out the barberries, and let the syrup boil till it is thick. When they are cold, put them into glasses or galley pots with the syrup. To preserve barberries in bunches. Take any quantity of barberries without stripping them of their stalks. Split them with a knife, take out all the seed which is in them, then tie them in little bunches. Have clarified sugar, which set on the fire. When your sugar is at a high degree, put your little bunches in, and boil them about ten minutes. After which, put them in a pan, and place them in the stove with a slow fire for three days running. At the end of which time, take them from that sugar which you set again on the fire to heighten it again to the above degree. For the barberries will have weakened it by throwing their juice in it. When that is done, put the bunches again in it, and place it as before in the stove for three whole days. After which, draw out your bunches from the sugar, and put them to drain on a wire grate, made on purpose for these sorts of things. Then range them on a horsehair sieve, and replace them in the stove to dry, and they are ready for use. To preserve Angelica in knots. Take young and thick stalks of Angelica. Cut them into lengths of about a quarter of a yard, and scald them. Then put them into water, strip off the skins, and cut them into narrow slips. Lay them on your preserving pan, and put to them a thin sugar. That is, to one part sugar, as clarified, and one part water. Set it over the fire, let it boil, and set it by till next day. Then turn it in the pan, give it another boil, and the day after, drain it, and boil the sugar till it is a little smooth. Pour it on your Angelica, and if it be a good green, boil it no more. If not, heat it again, and the day following, boil the sugar till it is very smooth, and pour it upon your Angelica. The next day, boil your syrup till it rises to the top of your pan, and put your Angelica into the pan. Pour your syrup upon it, and keep it for use. To preserve Angelica in sticks. Angelica, not altogether so young as the other, cut into short pieces, about half a quarter of a yard or less. Scald it a little, then drain it, and put it into thin sugar as before. Boil it a little the next day. Turn it in the pan, the bottom upwards, and boil it, and then finish it as the other for knots. Note, when you will candy it, you must drain it from the syrup, wash it, and candy it as the orange and lemon. To preserve Ringo Root. Take your Ringo Roots, and parboil them recently tender, then pick and peel them. Wash them very clean, dry them with a cloth, and put in as much clarified sugar as will cover them. Boil them leisurely on a chafing dish of coals, till you see the rolls look clear, and your syrup something thick. Betwixt hot and cold, and put them up. To preserve Sweet Marjoram. Take the white of an egg, beat it very well, and take double refined sugar, beaten very fine and sifted. Then take the marjoram, and rub it on a glass that is clean, and lay it in form of the glass. So do it with your egg, then sear it with your sugar on it, and lay it on papers to dry. To preserve Quince's White. Pair and core the quince's. To every pound of sugar and quince's, put in a pint of water. Boil them together as fast as you can, uncovered. The same way, you may preserve Pippin's White. To preserve Quince's White or Red. Core and pair your quince's. Those which you would have white, put into a pile of water for two or three hours. Then take as much sugar as they weigh, and add as much water as will make a syrup to cover them. Boil the syrup a little, then put in the quince's, and let them boil as fast as you can, till they are very tender and clear. Afterwards, take them out, and boil the syrup a little higher alone, and when it is cold, put the quince's up in pots. If you would have them red, put them raw into sugar, and let them boil gently, being close covered till they are red. You must not put them into cold water. To preserve Apricot's Green. Take the Apricot's when about to stone, before it becomes too hard for a pin easily to pass through. Pair them in ribs very neatly, because every stroke with the knife will be seen. Then put them into fair water as you pair them, and boil them till tender enough to slip easily from your pin. Drain them, and put them into a thin sugar, that is to say, one part sugar clarified, and one part water. Boil them a little, and set them by till next day. Then give them another boil, and the day after drain them. Boil your syrup a little smooth, and put it upon them without boiling your fruit. Let them remain in the syrup for or five days. Then boil some more sugar till it blows hard, and add it to them. Give all a boil, and let them lie till the day following. Then drain them from the syrup, and lay them out to dry, dusting them with a little fine sugar, before you put them into the stove. To preserve Apricot's Whole. Take the Apricot's when full grown. Pair them, and take out their stones. Then have ready a pan of boiling water, throw them into it, and scold them till they rise to the top of the water. Take them out carefully with your scummer, and lay them on a sieve to drain. Then lay them in your preserving pan, and lay over them as much sugar, boiled to blow, as will cover them. Give them a boil round, by setting the pan half on the fire, and turning it about as it boils. Then set it full on the fire, and let it have a covered boiling. Then let them set a look water of an hour, and pick those that look clean to one side, and those that do not, to the other. Boil that side that is not clear, till they become clear. And, as they do so, pick them away, lest they boil to a paste. When you see they look all alike, give them a covered boiling, scum them, and set them by. The next day, boil a little more sugar to blow very strong. Put it to the Apricot's, and give them a very good boil. Scum and cover them with paper, and put them in a stove for two days. Then drain them, and lay them out to dry. First dusting the plates you lay them on, and then the Apricot's extra-ordinarily well, blowing off what sugar lies white upon them. Put them into a very warm stove to dry, and when dry on one side, turn and dust them again. When quite dry, pack them up. Note, in the turning them, you must take care there be no little bladders in them. If there be, you must prick them with the point of a penknife, and squeeze them out, otherwise they will blow and sour. To preserve Apricot chips, split the Apricot's, and then take out the stones. Pair them, and turn them round with your knife. Put them into your pan without scalding, and put as much sugar, boiled very smooth, as will cover them. Then manage them on the fire as the whole Apricot's. Scum them, and set them in the stove. The next day, boil some more sugar very strong. Drain the syrup from the Apricot's, boil it very smooth. Put it to the fresh sugar, and give it a boil. Then put in the Apricot's, boil them first round, and then let them have a covered boil. Scum them, and cover them with paper. Then put them into the stove for two or three days. Drain them, and lay them out to dry, first dusting them. To preserve Apricot's in jelly. Pair and stone your Apricot's, then scold them a little. Then lay them in your pan, and put as much clarified sugar to them, as will cover them. The next day, drain the syrup, and boil it smooth. Then slip in your Apricot's, and boil as before. The next day, make a jelly with codlings, boiling some Apricot's among them, to give a better taste. When you have boiled the jelly to its proper height, put in the Apricot's with their syrup, and boil all together. When enough, scum them well, and put them into your glasses. End of section three. Section four of The Complete Confectioner by Hannah Glass. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Preserves part two. To preserve green codlings, to keep all the year. Gather your codlings when they are about the size of a walnut, and let the stalk, and a leaf or two, remain on each. Put some vine leaves in a brass pan of spring water, and cover them with a layer of codlings. Then another layer of vine leaves, and proceed in the same manner till the pan is full. Cover it close to keep the steam in, and set it on a slow fire. When they become soft, take off the skins with a pen knife. Then put them in the same water with the vine leaves. It must be quite cold, or it perhaps may crack them. Put a little roach alum, and set them over a very slow fire till they are green. Which will be in about three or four hours. Then take them out, and lay them on a sieve to drain. Make a good syrup, and give them a gentle boil once a day for three days. After which, put them into small jars. Cover them with brandy paper, and keep them for use. To preserve green peas. Shell fine young peas, and put them into boiling water with some salt. After boiling five minutes, drain them in a colander, and put them on a cloth, doubled five or six times on a table. Let them lie free in order to dry. Your bottle should be prepared beforehand, and be quite clean and dry. Fill them with the peas, and put on the top some mutton fat tried. Tie a bladder with a thin board or lath over them, and let them be put in a cool dry closet or cellar. Boil your water when you use them, and put in a little butter, salt and sugar. And as soon as they are enough, drain them, and put them into a saucepan with some butter, and shake it while it is melting. Peas done this way will keep good till Christmas. To preserve nectarines. Split the nectarines, and take out the stones. Then put them into clarified sugar, and boil them round till they have well taken the sugar. Take off the scum, cover them with a paper, and set them by. The next day boil a little more sugar till it blows very strong. Put it to the nectarines, and give them a good boil. Take off the scum, cover them, and put them into the stove. The following day drain them, and lay them out to dry. First dusting them a little, then put them into the stove. To preserve peaches whole. Take the newington peach, when full ripe. Split it, and take out the stone. Then have ready a pan of boiling water. Drop in the peaches, and let them have a few moments scalding. Take them out, and put them into as much sugar, only clarified, as will cover them. Give them a boil round, then scum them, and set them by till the next day. Then boil some more sugar to blow very strong. With sugar put to the peaches, and give them a good boil. Scum them, and set them by till the day following. Then give them another good boil. Scum them, and put them into a warm stove for the space of two days. Then drain them, and lay them out, one half over the other. Dust them, and put them into the stove. The next day turn and dust them, and when thoroughly dry, pack them up for use. How to preserve peach chips. Peel your peaches, and take out the stones. Then cut them into very thin slices, not thicker than the blade of a knife. Then, to every pound of chips, take one pound and a half of sugar, boiled to blow very strong. Throw in the chips, give them a good boil, and let them settle a little. Take off the scum, let them stand a quarter of an hour, and then give them another good boil. And let them settle as before. Then take off the scum, cover them, and set them by. And the next day drain them, and lay them out, bit by bit. Dust them, and dry them in a warm stove. When dry on one side, take them from the plate with a knife, and turn them on a sieve, and again afterwards, if they are not pretty dry, but which they generally are. How to preserve peaches in brandy. First, preserve your peaches whole, with their weight of sugar. Do not scold them in water, but boil them in the syrup three times. Lay your peaches in a large deep glass for the purpose. Take the syrup, and pour it over them, with an equal quantity of brandy. Cover them close, and keep them for use. Nectarenes may be done in the same way. To preserve violet plums. Violet plums are a long time yellow, and are ripe in the month of June. They are preserved in the following manner. Put them into clarified sugar, just enough to cover them, and boil them pretty quick. The next day boil them again as before. The day after, drain them, and take away their skins. Which you will find all flown off. Then put them into sugar, boil till it blows a little, and give them a boil. The day following, boil some more sugar till it blows a little, and give them another boil. The next day, boil some more sugar to blow very strong. Put it to the plums in the syrup, boil them a little, then scum them. The day following, drain them, and lay them out to dry, observing to dust them before you put them into the stove. How to preserve green amber plums. Take the green amber plums when full grown. Prick them in two or three places, and put them into cold water. Set them over the fire to scald, in which you must be very careful not to let the water be too hot, lest you hurt them. When they are very tender, put them into a very thin sugar. That is to say, one part sugar, and two parts water. Give them a little warm in this sugar, cover them, and the next day give them another warm. The third day, drain them, and boil the syrup, adding a little more sugar. Then put the syrup to the plums, and give them a boil, and the day after, boil the syrup till very smooth. Then put it to the plums, cover them, and put them into the stove. The day following, boil some more sugar to blow very strong. Put it to the fruit, give all a boil, and put them into the stove for two days. Then drain them, and lay them out to dry. First dusting them very well. Manage them in the drying as other fruit. To preserve fruit green. Take pippins, apricots, pear plums, or peaches while they are green, and put them in a preserving pan or stew pan. Cover them with vine leaves, and then with fine clear spring water. Put on the cover of the pan, set them over a clear fire. When they begin to simmer, take them off, and carefully with your slice, take them out, peel, and preserve them as you do other fruit. To preserve green orange plums. Take the green orange plums, full grown, before they turn. Prick them with a fine bodkin, as thick all over as you possibly can. Put them into cold water as you prick them, and when all are done, set them over a very slow fire, and scold them with the utmost care you can. They are being so subject to break, and if the skin flies, they are worth nothing. When they are tender, take them off the fire, and set them by in the same water for two or three days. When they become sour, and begin to fret on the top of the water, be careful to drain them very well, and put them in single rows in your preserving pan. Put to them as much thin sugar as will cover them, that is, one part sugar, and two parts water. Set them over the fire, and by degrees warm them, till you perceive the sourness to be gone, and the plums are sunk to the bottom. Then set them by, and the day after, throw away that syrup, and put to them a fresh sugar, of one part sugar, and one part water. In this sugar give them several heats, but not to boil, lest you hurt them. Cover them, and set them in a warm stove, that they may suck in what sugar they can. The next day drain the sugar, and boil it till it becomes smooth, adding some more fresh sugar. Pour this sugar on them, return them into the stove, and the day after boil the sugar to become very smooth. Pour it upon the plums, and give all a gentle boil. Scum it, and put them into the stove. The day following drain them out of the syrup, and boil some fresh sugar, as much as you judge will cover them very smooth. Put it to your plums, and give all a very good covered boiling. Then take off the scum, cover them, and let them stand in the stove two days. Then drain, and lay them out to dry, dusting them very well. To preserve the green mogul plum. Take this plum, when just upon turning ripe. Prick with a pen knife, to the very stone on that side where the cleft is, and put them into cold water as you do them. Then set them over a very slow fire to scald, and when they are become very tender, take them carefully out of the water, and put them into a thin sugar. That is, half sugar, and half water. Warm them gently, cover them, and set them by. The next day give them another warm, and set them by. The day following drain the syrup, and boil it smooth, adding to it a little fresh sugar, and give them a gentle boil. The day after boil the sugar very smooth, pour it upon them, and set them in the stove for two days. Drain them, and boil a fresh sugar to be very smooth, or just to blow a little, and put it to your plums. Give them a good covered boiling, scum them, and put them into a stove for two days. Drain them, and lay them out to dry, dusting them well. To preserve the green admirable plum. This is a little round plum, about the size of a damson. It leaves the stone when ripe, and is somewhat inclining to a yellow in colour, and very well deserves its name, being the finest green when done, and with a tenth part of the trouble and charge, as you will find by the receipt. Take these plums when full grown, and just upon the turn. Prick them with a pen knife in two or three places, and scold them by degrees, till the water becomes very hot, for they will even bear boiling. Continue them in the water till they become green, then drain them, and put them into clarified sugar. Boil them very well, and let them settle a little. Then give them another boil, if you perceive they shrink, and take not the sugar in very well. Prick them with a fork all over, as they lie in the pan, and give them another boil. Scum them, and set them by. The next day boil some other sugar till it blows, and put it to them. Give them another boil. Set them in the stove for one night, and the next day drain them, and lay them out, first dusting them. To preserve yellow amber plums. Take these plums when full ripe. Put them into your preserving pan, and put to them as much sugar as will cover them. Give them a very good boil, let them settle a little, and boil them again three or four times. Scum them, and the next day drain them from the syrup. Return them into the pan, boil as much fresh sugar to blow as will cover them, and give them a thorough boiling. Scum them, set them in the stove for 24 hours, and drain them. Then lay them out to dry, after having dusted them very well. Note, in the scolding of green plums, you must always have a sieve in the bottom of your pan to put your plums in, that they may not touch the bottom. For those that do, will burst before the others are scarcely warm. To preserve green figs. Take the small green figs, slit them on the top, put them in water for ten days, and proceed thus. Put as much salt into the water as will make it bear an egg. Then let it settle, take the scum off, and put the clear brine to the figs. Keep them in water for ten days. Then put them into fresh water, boil them till a pin will easily pass into them, drain, and put them into other fresh water, shifting them every day for four days. Again drain them, put them into clarified sugar, give them a little warm, and let them stand till the next day. Warm them again, and when they are become green, give them a good boil. Then boil some other sugar to blow, put it to them, and give them another boil. The next day drain and dry them. To preserve ripe figs. Take the white figs when ripe, slit them in the tops, put them into clarified sugar, and give them a good boil. Scum them, and set them by. The next day boil some more sugar till it blows, pour it upon them, and boil them again very well. Scum and set them in the stove. The day after drain and lay them out to dry, first dusting them very well. To preserve raspberries. Choose raspberries that are not too ripe. And take the weight of them in sugar. Wet your sugar with a little water. Put in your raspberries, and let them boil softly. Be careful not to break them. When they are clear, take them up, and boil the syrup till it be thick enough. Then put them in again, and when they are boiled, put them up in glasses. Another way to preserve raspberries. If you intend to preserve the red sort of raspberries, gather them on a dry day when they are just turning red, with the stalks on, about an inch long. Lay them singly on a dish, beat and sift their weight of double refined sugar, and throw it over them. To every quart of raspberries, take a quart of red currant jelly juice, and to it its weight of double refined sugar. Boil and thin it well, then put in your raspberries, and give them a scald. Take them off, and let them stand for two hours. Then set them on again, and make them a little hotter. Proceed in this manner two or three times, till they look clear. But take care to prevent their boiling, as that will occasion the stalks to come off. When they are tolerably cool, put them into jelly glasses with the stalks downwards. White raspberries may be preserved in the same manner, only using white currant jelly instead of red. To preserve green grapes, take the largest and best grapes before they are thorough ripe. Stone and scald them, and let them lie two days in the water they are scalded in. Then drain them, and put them into a thin syrup, and give them a heat over a slow fire. The next day, turn the grapes in the pan, and heat them again the day after. Then drain them, put them into clarified sugar, give them a good boil, scum them, and set them by. The following day, boil more sugar to blow, put it to the grapes, give all a good boil, scum them, and set them in a warm stove all night. The day after, drain the grapes, and lay them out to dry, first dusting them very well. To preserve grapes in clusters with one leaf, when you gather them. Take the grape gas-going grapes when they are green, before they are too ripe, and prick every one of them. To every pound of grapes, add a pound and a quarter of sugar. Make a syrup with the verjuice of the grapes stained. When your sugar is made clear and perfect, put in your grapes strained into juice. Put them in a deep basin, cover them close, and set them on a pot of scalding water to boil. When your grapes are tender, take them up, boil the syrup a little more, and, betwixt hot and cold, put them in brood glasses or galley pots, which is better than glasses, as you must lay one cluster above another. Then put a paper over them, and tie them up. Another way to preserve grapes in clusters with one leaf. Take some close bunches of red or white grapes, before they are too ripe, and put them into a pan with a quarter of a pound of sugar candy, and fill the jar with brandy. Tie it close, and set them in a dry place. To preserve mulberries whole. Set some mulberries over the fire in a skillet or preserving pan. Draw from them a pint of juice when it is strained. Then take three pounds of sugar, beat and very fine, wet the sugar with the pint of juice. Boil up the sugar and skim it. Put in two pounds of ripe mulberries, and let them stand in the syrup till they are thoroughly warm. Then set them on the fire, and let them boil very gently. Do them but half enough, and put them by in the syrup till next day. Then boil them gently again when the syrup is pretty thick, and will stand in round drops. When it is cold, they are enough, and may be put into a galley pot for use. To preserve mulberries dry. Let the mulberries not be too ripe, but rather a reddish green and tart. Having prepared a quantity of sugar equal to the mulberries, and brought it to its blown quality, throw in the mulberries and give them a covered boiling. The sugar may also be melted with the juice of mulberries to clarify it. When they have boiled, take the pan from the fire, skim it, and set it in the stove till next day. Then take them out, drain them from the syrup, and put them up in boxes for use. To preserve walnuts white. Pair your walnuts till only the white appears, and be careful in doing them that they do not turn black. And as fast as you do them, throw them into salt and water, and let them lie till your sugar is ready. Take three pounds of good loaf sugar. Put it into your preserving pan, set it over a charcoal fire, and put as much water as will just wet the sugar. Let it boil. Then have ready ten or twelve bites of eggs strained, and beat up to a froth. Cover your sugar with a froth as it boils, and skim it. Then boil it and skim it till it is as clear as crystal. Just give them a boil till they are tender. Then take them out, and lay them in a dish to cool. When cool, put them in your preserving pan, and when the sugar is as warm as milk, pour it over them. When quite cold, paper them down. To preserve walnuts black. Take walnuts of the smaller kind. Put them in salt and water, and change the water every day for nine days. Then put them in a sieve, and let them stand in the air till they begin to turn black. Then put them into a jug, pour boiling water over them, and let them stand till the next day. Put them into a sieve to drain. Stick a clove in each end of your walnut, and put them into a pan of boiling water, and let them boil five minutes. Then take them up, make a thin syrup, and scold them in it three or four times a day, till your walnuts are black and bright. Make a thick syrup with a few cloves, and a little ginger cut in slices. Skim it well, pour in your walnuts, boil them five or six minutes, and put them into your jars. Lay brandy paper over them, and tie them down close with a bladder. They will eat better the second year after they're keeping than in the first, as their bitterness goes off with time. Another way to preserve walnuts black. Take the smaller sort of walnuts when full grown, and not shelled. Boil them in water till very tender, but not to break, so they will become black. Drain them, and stick a clove in every one. Put them into your preserving pan, and if you have any peach syrup, or that of the white walnuts, it will be as well or better than sugar. Put as much syrup as will cover the walnuts. Boil them very well, scum them, and set them by. The next day, boil the syrup till it becomes smooth. Put in the walnuts, and give them another boil. The day after, drain them, and boil the syrup till it becomes smooth, adding more syrup if occasion. Give all a boil, scum them, and put them into the pot for use. To preserve walnuts green. Gather your walnuts when they are not much larger than a good nutmeg. Wipe them very clean, and lay them in strong salt and water 24 hours. Then take them out, and wipe them very clean. Have ready a stew pan of boiling water, throw them in, let them boil a minute, and take them out. Lay them on a coarse cloth, and boil your sugar as directed for the white walnuts. Then just give your walnuts a scold in the sugar, take them up, and lay them to cool. Put them in your preserving pot, and pour on your syrup. Note, they aren't so much better boiled up, with the coarsest Lisbon sugar. To preserve garlic. Take a head of garlic, peel the cloves, throw them into spring water. Give them just a boil, and preserve them as you do your apricots. To preserve green almonds. Take the almonds when they are well grown, and make a lie with wood, charcoal, and water. Boil the lie till it feels very smooth. Strain it through a sieve, and let it settle till clear. Then pour off the clear into another pan, and set it on the fire in order to blanch off the down that is on the almonds, which may be done thus. When the lie is scalding hot, throw in two or three almonds, and try, when they have been in some time, if they will blanch. If they will, put in the rest, and the moment you find their skins will come off, remove them from the fire, put them into cold water, and blanch them one by one, rubbing them with salt. Then wash them in several waters in order to clean them, in short till you see no soil in the water. When this is done, throw them into boiling water, and let them boil till so tender, as a pin may easily pass through them. Drain and put them into clarified sugar without water. They being green enough, do not require a thin sugar to bring them to a colour. But, on the contrary, if too much heated, they will become too darker green. The next day, boil the syrup, and put it on them. The day after, boil it till it is very smooth. The day following, give all a boil together, scum them, and let them lie for or five days. Then, if you will dry them, or put them in jelly, you must follow the directions, as for green apricots. To preserve, almonds dry. To a pound of Jordan almonds, take half a pound of double refined sugar. Blanch one half of the almonds, and leave the other half unblanched. Beat the white of an egg very well, pour it on your almonds, and wet them well with it. Then boil your sugar again. Dip in your almonds, stir them all together, that your sugar may hang well on them. Then put them on plates, place them in the oven after the bread is drawn. Let them stay in all night, and they will keep the year round. End of section 4 Section 5 of the Complete Confectioner by Hannah Glass This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Preserves, Part 3 To preserve, cherries liquid. Take the best Morello cherries when ripe. Either stone them, or clip their stalks off. To every pound, take a pound of sugar. Boil it till it blows very strong. Then put in the cherries, and by degrees bring them to boil as fast as you can. That the sugar may come all over them. Scum them, and set them by. And the next day boil some more sugar to the same degree. Put some jelly of currants drawn as directed. For example, if you boil one pound of sugar, take one pint of jelly of currants. Put in the cherries and the syrup to the sugar. Then add the jelly, and give all a boil together. Scum them, and fill your glasses or pots. Taking care, as they cool, to disperse them equally. Or otherwise they will all swim to the top. To preserve, cherries dry. Stone your cherries, and weigh them to eight pounds. Put two pounds of sugar. Boil it till it blows very strong. Put the cherries to the sugar, and heat them by degrees till the sugar is melted. For when the cherries come in, it will so cool the sugar that it will seem like glue. And should you put it on a quick fire at first, it will endanger the burning. When you find the sugar is all melted, then boil it as quick as possible till the sugar flies over them. Scum and set them by in an earthen pan. For where the sugar is so thin, it will be apt to canker in copper, brass or silver. The next day drain them, and boil the sugar till it rises. Pour in your cherries, give them a good boil. Scum them, and set them by till the next day. Then drain and lay them out on sieves, and dry them in a very hot stove. To preserve cherries with the leaves and stalks green. Dip the stalks and the leaves in the best vinegar when it is boiling hot. Stick the sprigs upright in a sieve till they are dry. In the meantime, boil some double refined sugar to syrup, and dip the cherries, stalks and leaves in the syrup, and just let them scald. Lay them on a sieve, and boil the sugar to a candy height. Then dip the cherries, stalks, leaves, and all. Then stick the branches and leaves, and dry them as you do other sweet meats. They look very beautiful with candlelight in a dessert. Mrs. Smith's way of preserving cherries in jelly. Take green gooseberries, slice them on the side, that's part of the liquor may run out. Put them into pots, and put into the pots two or three spoonfuls of water. Stop the pots very close, and put them in a skillet of water over the fire, till the gooseberries have made a liquor as clear as water. Half a pound of gooseberries will make this liquor. Take a pound of cherries stoned, one pound of double refined sugar, beaten small. Strew some at the bottom of your silver basin, and then a layer of cherries, and cover them over with sugar. Keep some to throw over them as they boil. Put to the cherries five or six spoonfuls of gooseberry liquor. Set them over the fire, and boil them very moderately at first, till your sugar is melted. And afterwards, as fast as you can. Scum it very well and carefully. When your liquor is brought to a jelly, it will stick upon your spoon, and then put it up. They do best half a pound at a time. To preserve cherries, the French way. Take morello cherries, hang them by their stalks one by one, where the sun may come to dry them, and no dust can get to them. This must be an autumn. Cut the stalks as for preserving. Place them one by one in your glasses. Scrape as much sugar as will cover them. Then fill them up with white wine. Set them in a stone to swell, and then use them. To preserve cherries a cheap way. Take six pounds of cherries and stone them. Put half a pound of the best powdered sugar. Boil them in a little copper or other vessel as most convenient. When you think they are enough, lay them one by one on the backside of a sieve. Set them to dry in an oven that has been heated, and when dry, put them in a stove to keep them so. If any liquor be left, do more cherries as above. They will keep well-coloured all the year. To preserve gooseberries green. Take the longer sort of gooseberries, the latter end of May or beginning of June, before the green colour has left them. Set some water over the fire, and, when it is ready to boil, throw in the gooseberries. Let them have a scold, then take them out, and carefully remove them into cold water. Set them over a very slow fire to green. Cover them close that none of the steam can get out, and when they have obtained their green colour, which will perhaps be four or five hours, drain them gently into clarified sugar, and give them a heat. Set them by till next day, and give them another heat. This you must repeat four or five times in order to bring them to a very good green colour. Thus you may serve them to table by way of compote. If you wish to preserve them to keep either dry or in jelly, you must proceed as directed for green apricots. To preserve gooseberries white. Take the large Dutch gooseberries when full grown, but before they are quite ripe. Pair them into fair water, stone them, put them into boiling water, and let them boil very tender. Then put them into clarified sugar in an earthen pan, and put as many in one pan as will cover the bottom, and set them by till next day. Then boil the syrup a little, and pour it on them. The day after, boil it smooth, and pour it on them. The third day, give them a gentle boil round, by setting the side of the pan over the fire, and turning it about as it boils, till they have had a boil all over. The day following make a jelly with codlings, and finish them as you do the others. To preserve gooseberries whole without stoning. Get the largest preserving gooseberries, pick off the black eye, but not the stalk. Scold them, but take great care they do not break. Then take them up, and throw them into cold water, and to every pound of gooseberries put a pound and a half of double refined sugar, which must be first clarified. To every pound of sugar a pint of water, and when the syrup is cold, lay your gooseberries single into your preserving pan, and put the syrup to them. Set them on a slow fire, and let them boil, but not too fast, lest they break. When you perceive the sugar has entered them, take them off, cover them with white paper, and set them by till next day. Then take them out of the syrup, boil the syrup till it begins to be ropey, scum it, put it to them again, and set them on a gentle fire. Let them preserve gently till you perceive the syrup will rope, then take them off, set them by till they are cold, and cover them with paper. Boil some gooseberries in fair water, when the liquor is strong strain it off, let it stand to settle, and to every pint of that liquor put a pound of double refined sugar, and make a jelly of it. Put the gooseberries in glasses, when cold pour the jelly over them, and the next day paper them. Wet and half dry the inside paper to lie down the closer, put on your upper paper, and set them in the stove. If you have a mind to make a little tree of them according to art, they will be pretty in a dessert. To preserve gooseberries dry. To every pound of gooseberries, when stoned, put two pounds of sugar, but boil the sugar till it blows very strong, then screw in the gooseberries and give them a gentle boil till the sugar comes all over them. Let them settle a quarter of an hour, give them another good boil, scum them, and set them by till the next day. Then drain and lay them out on sieves to dry, dusting them well. Put them before a brisk fire in the stove, and when dry on one side, turn and dust them on the other. When quite dry, put them into your box. To preserve gooseberries, damsons, or plums. Gather them when dry, full grown, and not ripe. Pick them one by one, put them into glass bottles that are very clean and dry, and cork them close with new corks. Then put a kettle of water on the fire, and put in the bottles with care. Wet not the corks, but let the water come up to the necks. Make a gentle fire till they are a little coddled and turn white. Do not take them up till cold. Then pitch the corks all over, or wax them close, and set them in a cool, dry cellar. To preserve currants for tarts, put a pound of sugar into a preserving pan for every pound and a quarter of currants, with a sufficient quantity of juice of currants to dissolve the sugar. When it boils, skim it and put in your currants, and boil them till they are very clear. Put them into a jar, cover them with brandy paper, and keep them in a dry place. To preserve currants in jelly. Stone your currants, clip off the black tops, and clip them from the stalks. To every pound, boil two pounds of sugar till it blows very strong. Slip in the currants, give them a quick boil. Take them from the fire, and let them settle a little. Then give them another boil, and put in a pint of current jelly, drawn as directed, till you see the jelly will flake from the scummer. Then remove it from the fire, let it settle a little, scum them, and put them into your glasses, and as they cool, take care to disperse them equally. To preserve red currants in bunches. Having stoned your currants, tie six or seven bunches together with a thread to a piece of split deal about the length of your finger. Put double refined sugar equal in weight to your currants, into your preserving pan with a little water, and boil it till your sugar flies. Then put the currants in, and give them a boil up, and cover them till next day. When take them out, and either dry, or put them in glasses, with the syrup boiled up with a little of the juice of red currants. Put brandy paper over them, and tie them close down with another paper, and set them in a dry place. To preserve currants in bunches, dry. Stone your currants, and tie them up in bunches. To every pound of currants, boil two pounds of sugar, till it blows very strong. Dip in the currants, let them boil very fast, till the sugar flies all over them. When settled a quarter of an hour, boil them again till the sugar rises almost to the top of the pan. Let them settle, scum them, and set them by till next day. Then drain them, and lay them out, taking care to spread the sprigs that they may not dry clog together. Dust them very much, and dry them in a hot stove. To preserve, or dry, samfire. Take it in bunches as it grows, put on the fire a large deep stew pan filled with water. When it boils, throw in a little salt, put in your samfire, and when you see it look of a fine beautiful green, take off the pan directly, and with a fork, take up the samfire, lay it on sieves to drain, and when cold, either preserve it, or dry it. If you cross them, they will be very pretty. To preserve hops with gooseberries. Take the largest Dutch gooseberries, cut them across the head, and half way down. Pick out the seeds clean, but do not break the gooseberries. Take fine long thorns, scrape them, and stick on your gooseberries. Put in the leaf of the one to the cut part of the other, and so till your thorn is full. Then put them in a new pipkin with a close cover. Cover them with water, and let them stand scalding till they are green, before your water boils. While they are gently greening, make a syrup for them, and take whole green gooseberries, and boil them in water till they all break. Then strain the water through a sieve. To every pound of hops, put a pound and a half of double refined sugar. Put the sugar and hops into the liquor, and boil them uncovered till they are clear and green. Then take them up, and lay them on pie plates, and boil your syrup longer. Lay your hops in a very deep galley pot, and when the syrup is cold, pour it on them. Cover them with paper, and keep them in a stove for some time, afterwards in a very dry place. To preserve damsons or bullers. Put your damsons in a pot. To two quarts, put a pound of fine sugar, and bake them in a slow oven two hours. Then set them in a cool place a week, and pour over them as much rendered beef suet as will be an inch thick. It must be put on hot every time you take any out, and they will keep all the year. To preserve, beat roots. Boil your beetroot for four hours, till you see it quite soft. Then make a syrup of a pint of spring water, and half a pound of sugar, and boil the beetroot in it for a quarter of an hour. Then put it in galley pots for use. When you want to use them for sauce, soak them in warm water for ten minutes or more, and slice them into oil and vinegar. To preserve, apples red all the year. Get a dozen of pippins or pair mains, pair them, put a quarter of water to them, one penny worth of cinnamon stick, great part of a lemon rind, and some cochineal, steeped in water, and half a pound of loaf sugar. Then send them to the oven, tie over them a paper, and after that, coarse paste. Do not forget to scoop a hole in the middle of the apples to let the liquor through them. Let them stand in a slow oven. When you think they are enough, take them out of the oven, take off the paper, and let them stand in the syrup. In the morning drain it from them, and put to it a little water, a pound, or a pound and a half of sugar, as you would have a quantity of syrup for them. And when you have scummed them well, clear it with the white of an egg. When that is done, put in your apples again, and let them boil in the syrup till it be clear. Then put in as much cochineal as will make them of a good colour. Sometimes take the apples out, least they should break, and let the syrup be boiling and scum it often. When your apples are half enough, let them stand in the syrup all night, and in the morning set it over the fire, which must be of charcoal. Let it boil up, then take the apples out, and put them in again. When your syrup is boiled to a thickness for keeping, and your apples a good colour, shred your lemon peel, and put in it half an ounce of candied orange cut in thin slices. Put your apples into the pot you designed to keep them in, and when your syrup is half cold, put it on your apples, and put them up for use. To dry, golden pippins. Pair your pippins, and make a hole in them, as directed for preserving them. Then weigh them, and boil them till tender. Take them out of the water, and to every pound of pippins, take a pound and a half of loaf sugar, and boil it till it blows very strong. Then put in the fruit, and boil it very quick till the sugar flows all over the pan. Let them settle, cool them, scum them, and set them by till the next day. Then drain them, and lay them out to dry, dusting them with a fine sugar before you put them into the stove. The next day, turn them and dust them again. When dry, pack them up. You may dry them in slices or quarters after the same manner. To dry, apples or pears. First boil them in new ale wart on a slow fire for a quarter of an hour. Then take them out, and press them flat, and dry them in your oven or stove. Put them up in papers in a box, and they will keep all the year. To dry, green codlings. Take your codlings, and coddle them gently, close covered. Then peel your codlings, and put them into cold water, setting them over a slow fire till they are green, close covered. They will be two to three hours doing. To dry, angelica in knots. Drain what quantity you will from the syrup, and boil as much sugar as will cover it till it blows. Put in your angelica, and give it a boil till it blows again. When cold, drain it, tie it in knots, and put it into a warm stove to dry, first dusting it a little. When dry on one side, turn it to dry on the other, and then pack it up. To parched almonds. Take a pound of sugar, make it into a syrup. Boil it candy high, and put in three quarters of a pound of Jordan almonds blanched. Keep them stirring all the while till they are dry. Then crisp them, put them in a box, and keep them dry. To dry, barberries. Stone the barberries, and use them in bunches. Weigh them, and to every pound of berries, clarify two pounds of sugar. Make the syrup with half a point of water to a pound of sugar. Put your barberries into the syrup when it is scalding hot. Let them boil a little, and set them by with a paper close to them. The next day, make them scalding hot. Repeat this two days, but do not boil it after the first time. And when they are cold, lay them on earthen plates. Strew sugar well over them, the next day turn them on a sieve, and sift them again with sugar. Turn them daily till they are dry, taking care your stove is not too hot. How to keep fruit for tarts, all the year. Take your fruit when it is fit to pot, and strew some sugar at the bottom of the pot. Then fruit, and then sugar. So on till the pot is full. Cover them with sugar, tie a bladder over the pot, then leather, and keep it in a dry place. To keep grapes, gooseberries, apricots, peaches, nectarines, cherries, currants and plums the whole year. Take fine dry sand, that has little or no saltiness in it, and make it as dry as possible, with often turning it in the sun. Gather your fruits when they are just ripening, or coming near ripe, and dip the ends of the stalks in melted pitch or beeswax. And having a large box with a close lid, dry your fruit a little in the sun to take away the superfluous moisture, and lightly spread a layer of sand at the bottom of the box, and a layer of fruit on it, but not too near each other. Then scatter sand very even, about an inch thick over them, and so another layer till the box is full. Then shut the box lid down close, that the air may not penetrate. And whenever you take out anything, be sure to mind the placing them even again, so you will have them fit for tarts or other uses till the next season. If they are a little wrinkled, wash them in warm water, and they will plump up again. You may use millet instead of sand, if you think it more convenient. To keep figs and stone fruit sound and fit, for use all the year. Take a large earthen pot, put the fruit into it, a layer of their own leaves being between them. Then boil water and honey, scumming it till no more will rise. Make it not too thick of the honey, and pour it warm on them. Stop up the vessel close, and when you take them out for use, put them two hours in warm water, and they will have in a great measure their natural taste. To keep grapes on the tree, or when pulled off the tree. When they are come to their full growth, before they are quite ripe. Make, for every bunch of grapes, a bag of white paper well oiled. Close the top, that no rain can get into the bag, and they will keep good till after Christmas. Or if you pull them when just ripe, and dip their stalks in melted pitch or wax, and hang them in strings across a room, so that they do not touch one another. Pairs will keep the same way all the year. To keep walnuts or filberts all the year. Gather them when they are ripe, with the green husks on. Bury them in dry sand, and mix the filberts with them. How to keep all sorts of flowers. Gather them on a very fine, clear day, at twelve o'clock. Have ready a box, and a little writing sand. Place a layer of sand, then a layer of flowers, and so on, alternately, till the box is full. Close the box, that no air can get in. To dry, artichokes red. Boil your artichokes in water, till you see they are soft. Then take them out, and pound some cochineal very fine, and mix in fresh water, and boil them again a quarter of an hour. Then dry them in bags for a quarter of an hour. To keep walnuts all the year. Take your walnuts full ripe, and peel them. Then dry them well in the sun for a week or more. Rub them off them with a cloth, till you see no mould on them. Then keep them in a bag, in a dry place, and when you want any for a dessert, crack and peel them quite clean, but take care that you keep the nut whole, or in quarters. Then put them in some spring water, as warm as you may bear your finger in. Let them stand three or four hours. Then put them in cold spring water, and let them stand all night. The next day, when you go to set your dessert, put them in glasses, and they will be crisp and fine as when fresh gathered. To keep kidney beans. Gather them on a dry day. Dry them in the sun, and keep them in papers, in a dry place, and before you use them, lay them in warm water. End of Section 5. Section 6 of the Complete Confectioner by Hannah Glass. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Fruit, Pace, etc. To make Angelica Paste. Take the youngest and most pithy Angelica you can get. Boil it very tender, and drain and press out all the water you possibly can. Then beat it in a mortar, to as fine a paste as may be, and rub it through a sieve. Next day, dry it over a fire, and, to every pound of this paste, take one pound of fine sugar in fine powder. When your paste is hot, put in the sugar, stirring it over a gentle fire, till it is well incorporated. When so done, drop it on plates, long or round, as you think proper. Dust it a little, and put it into the stove to dry. To make Apricot Paste. Take any quantity of apricots very ripe. Peel, stone, and cut them small. Put them in a deep earthen pan. Then take a large and deep kettle, fill it with water, and place in it the earthen pan in which the apricots are. Boil them thus, what is called Balneo Maria. When they have well boiled thus, and thrown off their juice, take them off, and pour them in a sieve to drain. When they are well drained, take a horsehair sieve very open, strain them well, after which put them in a preserving pan on the fire to dry them a little. When you see they begin to make a thick paste, take them off, have a pair of scales, and weigh a pound and a half of very fine sifted sugar, pounded in powder to every pound of fruit. Put the whole again into a preserving pan, set it on the fire, keeping continually stirring it with a spoon, till you see the sugar is well mixed with the apricots. Take notice they must not boil, for then the sugar would melt too much. When that is done, put this paste in your tin moulds, and place them upon tin plates in the stove. When they have got a good crust on the top, turn them to make them take one also at bottom. Then after your paste is very firm, take a little knife and pass it all round the moulds, to make them quit the paste, which then put on a sieve in the stove to make it crust by the sides. When the crust is well formed, take them off, and put them in boxes or anything you may think proper to keep them in for use. Another way to make apricot paste. Boil some apricots that are full ripe to a pulp, and rub the fine of it through a sieve. To every pound of pulp take one pound two ounces of fine sugar, beaten to a very fine powder. Heat well your paste, and by degrees put in your sugar. When all is in, give it a thorough heat over the fire, taking care not to let it boil. Then take it off, and scrape it all to one side of the pan. Let it cool a little, then lay it out on plates in what form you please. Then dust them, and put them into the stove to dry. To make paste of green apricots. Take the down off, which is done by making a lie, with five or six handfuls of green wood ashes, sifted and boiled till the water is quite sleek and smooth to the fingers. Put in the apricots. Let them soak till the down comes off easily. Stir the ashes pretty often to keep it from settling at bottom. Take the pot off the fire to clean the fruit, and throw in fresh water as they are doing. Then boil them in the fresh water till they are tender enough to sift, and boil the juice till it comes to a good consistency, stirring it continually for fear it should burn. Weigh an equal quantity of fruit and sugar, and mix them well together off the fire. Put them in molds directly, and dry them as before. To make cherry paste. Take two pounds of morello cherries, stone them, press out the juice, dry them in a pan, and mash them over a fire. Then weigh them, and take their weight in sugar beaten very fine. Heat them over a fire till the sugar is well mixed, then dress them on plates or glasses. Dust them when cold, and put them into a stove to dry. To make gooseberry paste. Take the gooseberries when full grown. Wash and put them into your preserving pan, with as much spring water as will cover them. Boil them all to a mummy, and screw them on a hair sieve over an earthen pot or pan. Then press out all the juice. To every pound of paste, take one pound two ounces of sugar. Boil it till it cracks. Take it from the fire. Put in the paste, and mix it well over a slow fire till the sugar is incorporated with the paste. Then scum it, and fill your paste pots. Give them another scum, and when cold put them into the stove. When crusted on the top, turn them and set them in the stove again. When a little dry, cut them in long pieces. Set them to be quite dry, and when so crusted that they will bear touching, turn them on sieves. Dry the other side, and then put them into your box. Note, you may make them red or green by putting in the color when the sugar and paste is well mixed, giving it a warm altogether. To make current paste. Wash your currents well, put them into your preserving pan, bruise them, and with a little water, boil them to a pulp. Then press out the juice, and to every pound, take 20 ounces of loaf sugar. Boil it to crack. Take it from the fire, and put in the paste. Then heat it over the fire. Take off the scum, put it into your paste pots or glasses, then dry and manage them as other pastes. To make orange flower paste. Boil one pound of the leaves of orange flowers very tender. Then take two pounds and two ounces of double refined sugar in fine powder. And when you have bruised the flowers to a pulp, stir in the sugar by degrees over a slow fire, till all is in and well melted. Then make little drops and dry them. To make quince paste. Let your quincers be full ripe. Boil them till they are quite tender. Drain and sift them as usual. Reduce the marmalade on the fire to a paste consistency, stirring it continually. According to the quantity of quince marmalade, refine a pound of sugar to three quarters of quincers. Mix them together on a very slow fire without any boiling. Put it into what form you please directly and dry as usual. To make red quince paste. To make the paste of a fine red, bake the quincers in the oven no long while, then peel and sift them in a strong hair sieve. Dry the marmalade over a slow fire in a little while, to about half the consistency of a paste. Then to redden it the more, keep it a good while on a slow ashes fire, stirring it some time. And to add further to its redness, put a little steeped cochineal and reduce it on a slow fire to a thick paste. That is, when it loosens from the pan. Put as much sugar as marmalade or paste, soak it a little while on the fire and let it cool, just enough to work it well with the hands. To make plum paste. Take any sort of plums you please, put a pan of water on the fire. When it boils, put your plums in. Let them soak till you see they loosen their skin. Then take them off, strain them through a sieve and put them into a pan over the fire to make them throw off their water. Keeping stirring them till you see your paste is a little thick. Take them off and proceed as directed for apricots. To make peach paste. Take any quantity of peaches, cut them small in an earthen pot and do precisely as before. To make lemon and citron paste. Cut off the hard knobs at both ends, core them through and through. Boil them in water till they are tender. Take them out and put them into cold water a moment. Drain them by pressing them in a linen cloth to get the water out. Then pound and sift them. Upon a quarter of a pound of marmalade, put half a pound of clarified sugar. Simmer it a while together to mix, stirring it continually and proceed as with the other. To make apple paste. Take what quantity of golden pippins you think proper, which boil whole in a pan of water without pairing them. When you see they are well done, take them off and put them in a draining sieve. Then take a horsehair sieve, very open and strain them through. When that is done, put them in the preserving pan and proceed as directed for apricots. To make fine puff paste. To every pound of flour put one pound of butter and a yolk of an egg. First take a quarter of a pound of the butter and rub it in finely with the flour. Then make a hollow in the middle of your flour and beat the yolk of an egg very fine or it will spot the crust. And put in as much cold water as will make it into a light paste. Work it up light and roll it out. Then divide the rest of the butter into five parts. Take one and stick it into little bits all over. Then shake a little flour all over. Roll it up round and cut off a piece at the end and lay on the middle of the roll and roll it out again. Do this four or five times and it will make very fine puff paste. To make fine paste for tarts. Take a pound of flour, a pound of loaf sugar. Beat fine and a pound of butter. Work it up all together. Do not roll it but beat it well with the rolling pin for half an hour. Folding it up and beating it out again. Then roll out little pieces as you want for your tarts. To make paste for patty pans. Take a pound of fine flour, a spoonful of sugar, three quarters of a pound of good butter. Rub it all into your flour. Then take the yolks of two eggs, the white of one, as much water as will wet it. Beat them and pour it into the flour and work it all together. Then roll it out thin and it will rise in baking. To make paste for a pasty. Lay down a peck of flour. Work it up with six pound of butter and four eggs and make it into a stiff paste with cold water. To make spun paste. Take either apples, peaches, apricots or plums. Put them in a pound of water on the fire and do them as before directed. Then after you have strained them through a sieve take a high clarified sugar. When done take it off from the fire and put your fruit in which boil as it were for a jelly. When you see your paste thickens take it off and spread it upon tin plates with a knife as thin as you can. Put those tin plates in the stove for five or six days with a slow fire. After that time your paste will be firm. Then take a knife and cut your paste as thin as you please. Have little round sticks cover them with that paste which you have cut. Replace them again in the stove till the next day. Then your paste will have taken the form of the sticks. Take these off and keep them for use. To make royal paste. Boil half a pint of water a moment with a little sugar, a quarter of a pound of butter, a little fine rasped or grated lemon peel, a little salt. Put flour to it by little and little to mix it well and pretty thick. Turn and stir it continually on the fire until it quits the pan. Take it off and while it is warm put eggs to it one by one. Mix it well and put eggs until it has come to the consistency of a paste and sticks to the fingers. To make queen paste. Is made after the same manner as the last except you are to use cream instead of water. It will have a richer taste but will not be so light. To make paste Spanish fashion. Make a hole in the middle of the flour. Put salt to it and an equal quantity of butter and fresh hogs lard. Mix it with warm water. Make it pretty firm and let it rest. Cut it in several pieces and roll each as thin as possible. And rub each leaf with melted hogs lard. Put all the pieces one upon another. Roll them together. Let it cool. Cut it with a knife and put it to what you should please. To make rice paste. Work some flour with a couple of eggs and a little water. Let it rest. Have some rice boiled very tender in a good rich broth. When it is cold pound it in a mortar with the ready prepared paste and a little butter until it is properly mixed. It will serve for any sort of cakes as all other paste. To make paste for a standing crust. To a peck of flour put six pounds of butter. Lay your flour in a large dish. Make a hollow in the middle. Put your butter in a saucepan of water on the fire. And when the butter is all melted take it off and put it into the flour hot. And with a wooden spoon or stick work it all together. Then with your hands work your paste quick and pull it all into little pieces till it is quite cold. Then work it up into a stiff paste and form it into what shape you please. And build your walls for a standing pie. End of section six.