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Gooseberry Souffle
Pick the gooseberries, and boil them with a liberal allowance of sugar until tender. Press them through a coarse sieve, and put the pulp into a glass dish. Let it grow cold, then pour over it a good custard. This may be made with the yolks of eggs, and the whites may be beaten till firm and cooked, as described under the heading, "Eggs as Snow." The appearance is improved by coloring half the white of egg with a few drops of cochineal. Time, about three-quarters of an hour to boil a quart of gooseberries till they are tender. Sufficient, a quart of gooseberries and a pint and a half of custard for six or eight persons.
To Serve Oranges, etc.
Keep oranges in ice chest until ready to serve. For each person serve one orange, cut crosswise--the two halves served on paper napkin or on grape or other leaves. The orange spoon gotten up for this particular way of eating oranges should be used.
Grapefruit is also served in the same manner as the above, only a sharp knife is run along just inside the rind so as to separate it from the pulp. Powdered sugar is served and used according to the individual taste. Peaches, apples, pears, plums, bananas, and grapes should not be taken from the ice chest until time to be served. They should be wiped with a soft cloth and piled up in fruit-dish, to be selected from according to the individual taste; or, if the supply is limited, one is served on a plate, if large fruit, and two or three if small fruit. The grapes should be immersed in ice water and drained before serving.
Berries should all be thoroughly washed by quick immersion in ice water (under no condition allowed to stand, as they become soggy). Place on soft cloth and dry; serve in berry saucer. To be eaten with or without sugar and cream, according to the individual. It is much better not to sugar fruit when serving it en masse, as the individual taste is so varied, and the sugar, if allowed to stand on berries, makes them soggy and draws out the juices.
Despite the name, nothing here is baked or folded: this is a cold dish of sweetened gooseberry pulp under pouring custard, dressed with poached meringue. Treat it as a fool served in a glass bowl.
- The 45-minute boilThree-quarters of an hour suits hard, underripe green gooseberries with sugar drawing out their juice, which is probably what was assumed here. Modern fruit collapses in 10 to 15 minutes over low heat with a splash of water; keep going only until the skins burst and the flesh slumps.
- How much sugar"A liberal allowance" is not idle. Green gooseberries are aggressively sour and need roughly 8 to 12 oz sugar per quart of fruit. Add half, taste after sieving, and adjust while the pulp is still hot.
- QuantitiesA quart of gooseberries is about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lb. A pint and a half of custard is 3 cups, which takes 6 to 8 yolks to 3 cups milk or single cream.
- SievingA coarse sieve is right: it holds back skins and seeds but lets the fruit through. A fine chinois will clog and a blender will pulverise the seeds and make the purée gritty.
- The custardCook the yolk custard to 175-180F, stirring, until it coats a spoon, then strain and cool it before pouring over the fruit. If it goes above about 185F it will scramble; a bowl set over barely simmering water gives you more margin than a direct pan.
- "Eggs as snow"The cross-referenced method is not given here; such preparations were usually beaten whites poached in simmering milk or water for a minute or two a side, then lifted off with a slotted spoon and drained. It should be set enough to hold its shape and is best made just before serving, as it weeps on standing.
- CochinealCochineal is a red colouring made from scale insects (carmine is the pigment prepared from it), and it is still sold as a food colour. Any red food colouring gives the same effect; here a few drops in half the beaten white gives pink against white against green.
- Assembly and servingChill the fruit layer thoroughly before the custard goes on, or the two will bleed together. Serves six to eight in a shallow glass bowl.