CHAPTER XIX.

COMPOTES.

569. Compotes d'abricots verts.

TAKE some large unripe apricots (those which fall from the trees may be used), and throw them into. boiling water for five minutes. Take them out and wipe them. Take a pound of sugar and put it in a preserving pan, with a tumbler of water. Let the syrup boil for five minutes, throw the apricots into it and let them boil until you can easily run a needle through them. Take them out. Squeeze the juice of an orange into the syrup and let it boil until it is of a proper thickness; pour it upon the apricots, and serve cold.

570. Compotes d'abricots, murs.

Choose twenty large ripe apricots and prick them all over with a needle. Prepare a syrup as follows: to twelve ounces of pounded sugar add half a tumbler of water; as soon as it begins to boil throw the apricots into it, and let them simmer (not boil) over a moderate fire for a quarter of an hour; take them

out of the syrup and lay them on a dish. Boil the syrup for ten minutes, and pour it upon the apricots. Serve cold.

571. Compote de reines-claude.

Choose twenty large greengages, not quite ripe. Have ready some boiling water, into which you throw some salt and vinegar. Put the water on the corner of the fire and throw the greengages into it. Let them remain for five minutes. Prepare a syrup of sugar au petit boulé (see Ist degree, page 251), and throw the greengages into it (having drained them previously); let them boil until they begin to soften; take them out; let the syrup boil to a proper thickness, and pour it upon the fruit.

572. Compote de reines-claude à froid.

Choose some large ripe greengages, prick them through with a needle, open them and take out the stones. Lay the fruit at the bottom of a deep dish, and pour upon it some syrup of sugar au grand boulé (see 2nd degree, page 251); add half a stick of vanilla. Serve cold, having previously removed the vanilla.

Instead of vanilla you may use a wine-glassful of maraschino.

573. Compote de fraises.

Choose some large strawberries, and pour upon them some syrup of sugar au grande boulé (see 2nd degree, page 251).

574. Compote de framboises.

Choose some fine raspberries, and proceed exactly as for No. 573, page 238.

575. Compote de groseilles.

Choose some fine red or white currants, pick them from their stalks, and proceed exactly as for No. 573, page 238.

576. Compote de cerises.

Choose some large cherries, cut the stalk to one half. Put the cherries into a syrup of sugar au petit boulé (see Ist degree, page 251); let them boil very slowly in it for ten minutes; remove them from the syrup, which you boil very fast for five minutes longer, and then pour upon the cherries. Serve cold.

577. Compotes de poires à blanc.

Choose some small pears, quite ripe. Have ready plenty of cold water, and squeeze into it the juice of two lemons. Peel the pears, scrape the stalks, and throw the fruit into the water. Put in a preserving pan sixteen ounces of pounded sugar, a gill of water, and the juice of a lemon. When the syrup is boiling, put into it twenty small pears, and let them boil slowly until they are soft through; then put them upon a dish, let the syrup boil to a proper thickness, and pour it upon the pears.

If you use large pears divide them into slices.

578. Compote de poires à la cardinale.

Choose the largest kinds of pears. Peel them, and divide them in slices; put them in an earthen pot, and cover them over with water and red Burgundy wine, in equal quantities. Add some pounded sugar, two cloves, and a small piece of cinnamon. Put the pears in a moderate oven, and let them remain for two hours. Then take them out of the juice with a skimming-spoon and lay them upon a dish. Put the juice over a sharp fire, and let it boil quickly to a proper thickness, then pour it upon the pears.

Serve either hot or cold, after removing the cloves and cinnamon.

579. Compote de pommes.

Peel a dozen of small rennets; take out the core without breaking them; cover them with cold water, to which you add the juice of two lemons. Put in a pan a pound and a half of pounded sugar, a gill of water and the juice of a lemon. Let the syrup boil for ten minutes; throw the apples into it and let them simmer (not boil, for they would turn to marmalade) for half an hour. Take them out with a skimming-spoon, and lay them upon a dish. Boil the syrup over a sharp fire until it sets to a jelly, then pour it upon the apples with a wine-glassful of kirschenwasser. When the apples are quite cold, put a cherry or a red strawberry in the middle of each.

You may omit the kirschenwasser, or add a little vanilla.

580. Compote de pêches.

Peel some fine peaches, not too ripe, prick them through with a needle in different places, and proceed as for compote de pommes, No. 579, page 240. Let them remain in the syrup for a quarter of an hour only, for they break easily.

581. Compote de coings.

Peel some quinces, cut them in slices, and proceed exactly as for poires à la cardinale, No. 578, page 240.

582. Compote de groseilles à maquereau.

Choose the largest gooseberries, and proceed exactly as for reines-claude, Nos. 571 and 572, page 238.

583. Compote de melon.

Choose a melon not quite ripe; peel it, remove the pips, and cut it in dice, which you throw into a syrup of sugar au grand boulé (see 2nd degree, page 251), with a table-spoonful of orange-flower water. Let the melon boil for five minutes, take it out of the syrup with a wooden skimming-spoon, and lay it upon a dish. Boil the syrup to a good thickness and pour it upon the melon. Serve cold.

584. Compote d'ananas.

Choose a fine, ripe pine-apple; peel it and cut it in thin slices; pour upon it a syrup of sugar au grand boulé (see 2nd degree, page 251), and serve cold.

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