CHAPTER XXII.

PROVISIONS DE MÉNAGE-PROVISIONS.

CONFITURES-PRESERVES.

THERE are a great many different kinds of preserves, and they afford a great resource in winter-time; they are generally easy to make and easy to keep, provided the necessary quantity of sugar be not spared. Some persons think they are economical because they put very little sugar, or sugar of an inferior quality, in their preserves; however, it is a great mistake: if you use sugar of an inferior quality, your preserves will have a taste of treacle, and you will lose a great deal with the jam; besides, it is impossible to use brown sugar for jellies-it would be difficult to get them stiff, and they would never be transparent. If you use a smaller quantity of sugar than that indicated in the receipts, you will have to boil the fruit for a longer time, which will make it of a dark colour and take away the delicacy of taste.

I shall only indicate preserves that I am accustomed to make.

614. Gelée de groseilles (Red-currant Felly).

Have ready six pounds of ripe red currants; pick them from the stalks, and put them in a preserving pan (not tinned inside), over a moderate fire; let them burst, and stir them frequently. When they begin to boil, put them over a brisk fire and let them boil for ten minutes. Remove the pan from the fire, pour the fruit upon a large tammie, and let the juice run through for three hours. Weigh the juice, add to it an equal quantity of sugar, coarsely pounded, and set the whole over a brisk fire. Stir, until the juice begins to boil, then leave it alone and allow it to boil briskly for a quarter of an hour. Skim the jelly, and put it in pots containing about half a pound, or a pound at the most (jelly does not set in large pots), and leave them for ten days, in a dry place, before covering them over. I generally add a pound of raspberries to six pounds of currants, to perfume them. 615. Gelée de groseilles blanches (White-currant Felly).

Jelly made with white currants is very pretty. Proceed exactly as for red-currant jelly, No. 614, only when you add the sugar to the juice, add, at the same time, the rinds of two lemons previously boiled in water and cut in slices; they give a very nice taste and are agreeable to eat.

616. Gelée à froid.

This is a delicious kind of jelly, preserving the taste and freshness of the fruit; but it is rather difficult to succeed.

S

Take four pounds of perfectly ripe white or red currants, pound them in a mortar and put them upon a tammie; let the juice run through it. Weigh the juice, and add to it gradually two pounds of pounded sugar for a pound of juice. Stir until the sugar is all dissolved, which process will require about an hour. Then put the juice in a cellar and let it remain there for twelve hours; bring it up again, stir it, and put it in pots containing half a pound; put them in the cellar. After the usual time, cover them and keep them in the cellar.

617. Groseilles rouges entières.

With four ounces of sugar prepare a syrup au petit boulé (see No. 601, 1st degree), throw into it four ounces of red currants picked from the stalks; let them boil for five minutes, skim and put in small pots.

618. Groseilles de Bar.

This is a tedious kind of preserve to make, but when done, it looks very pretty.

Choose a pound of large red currants. Cut the end of a quill very sharp and fine, and with it remove the seeds out of the currants, making the hole as small as possible; do not pick the fruit from the stalks. With two pounds of sugar prepare a syrup au petit boulé (see No. 601, 1st degree), and put the currants into it; as soon as it begins to boil, cover the fire, and let the currants simmer very slowly for ten minutes; skim, and put in small pots.

619. Marmelade d'abricots (Apricot Marmalade).

Choose some very ripe apricots; open them through the middle and take out the stones. Put the fruit in a preserving pan over a moderate fire, and stir it frequently. When it is quite soft, rub it through a tammie and throw away the peel. Weigh the fruit, add to it an equal quantity of sugar, coarsely pounded, and let the whole stand for an hour, stirring it frequently to melt the sugar. Put the marmalade over the fire and let it boil for ten minutes.

Apricot marmalade may be kept in large jars.

620. Marmelade d'abricots (Another way).

Open the apricots through the middle; weigh oneeighth of the stones, take the kernels out, blanch and peel them, cut them in slices, and add them to the fruit. Weigh the apricots, add to them an equal quantity of pounded sugar, and put them over the fire. Stir frequently, and let the marmalade boil for half an hour.

This marmalade is not as pretty as the other, but, in my opinion, it is much better, the peel and kernels giving it a delicious flavour.

621. Abricots entiers.

Choose some small apricots, already yellow but not quite ripe; prick them all over with a knitting needle to let the sugar get through. Prepare a syrup au petit boulé (see No. 601, 1st degree), and put the apricots into it; let them boil for ten minutes, very slowly, so as not to alter their shape; pour them and

the

syrup into

the morrow.

a porcelain tureen and let them stand till The day after, pour the syrup through

a sieve into a preserving pan, so as to let the fruit drain upon the sieve. Boil the sugar au petit boulé (see No. 601, 1st degree), put the apricots into it; let them boil for ten minutes, and pour them into a tureen. On the third day, proceed exactly as you did the day before, only when the apricots have boiled for ten minutes take them out of the syrup with a skimming-spoon, and put five of them into each pot of a pound; when they are all in pots, put the syrup over a brisk fire and boil it au grand boulé (see No. 601, 2nd degree). Remove the syrup from the fire, skim it, and fill up the pots with it.

622. Cerises (Cherries).

Open the cherries through the middle, remove the stones and the stalks: put the fruit upon a tammie to let the juice run out; throw the juice away, for if you did not, you would be obliged to let the cherries boil much longer, and their colour would be spoiled. Weigh the cherries, add to them an equal weight of pounded sugar, and put the whole over a brisk fire. Stir, until there is juice enough to prevent the fruit from burning. Let the preserve boil for threequarters of an hour, and put it in pots; when it is cold, lay upon each pot a little red-currant jelly to prevent the cherries from crystallising.

I generally add a pound of red currant juice to five pounds of cherries; their colour is much prettier, they