Mrs. Beeton's All About Cookery

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Fruit, to Bottle Fresh

INGRE- DIENTS. Any kind of fresh fruit, such as currants, cherries, gooseberries, all kinds of plums &c.; wide-mouthed glass bottles, new corks to fit them tightly.

The fruit must be full-grown, not too ripe, and gathered on a very fine day. Let it be carefully picked and put into the bottles, which must be clean and perfectly dry. Tie over the tops of the bottles pieces of bladder; stand the bottles in a large pot, copper or boiler, with cold water to reach to their necks: kindle a fire under, let the water boil, and as the bladders begin to rise and puff, prick them. As soon as the water boils, extinguish the fire, and let the bottles remain where they are, to become cold. The next day remove the bladders, and strew over the fruit a thick layer of pounded sugar; fit the bottles with cork, and let the cork lie close at hand to its own bottle. Hold for a few moments, in the neck of the bottle, two or three lighted matches, and when they have filled the bottle neck with gas, and before they go out, remove them very quickly; instantly cork the bottles closely, and dip it in bottlecement. TIME. Altogether about 8 hours.

FRYING.

Fruit, to Bottle Fresh, with Sugar. (Very Useful in Winter.) -INGRE- DIENTS.-Any kind of fresh fruit; to each quart bottle allow lb. of pounded sugar.

Let the fruit be gathered in dry weather.

Pick it carefully, and drop it into clean and very dry quart glass bottles, sprinkling over it the above proportion of pounded sugar to each quart. Put the corks in the bottles, and place them in a copper of cold water up to their necks, with small hay whisps round them, to prevent the bottles from knocking together. Light the fire under, bring the water gradually to boil, and let it simmer gently until the fruit in the bottles is reduced nearly one third. Extinguish the fire, and let the bottles remain in the water until it is perfectly cold; then take them out, make the corks secure, and cover them with melted resin or wax.

TIME. About hour from the time the water commences to boil.

Note. Unless for those possessing very large gardens and a quantity of fruit, it is cheaper and safer to buy it ready bottled. George Whybrow's is one of the best brands.

Fruit Turnovers (suitable for Picnics).

INGREDIENTS. - Puff-paste, any kind of fruit, sugar to taste.

Make some puff-paste by recipe; roll it out to the thickness of about 1/4 inch, and cut it out in pieces of a circular form; pile the fruit on half of the paste, sprinkle over some sugar, wet the edges and turn the paste over. Press the edges together, ornament them, and brush the turnovers over with the white of an egg; sprinkle over sifted sugar, and bake on tins, in a brisk oven for about 20 minutes. Instead of putting the fruit in raw, it may be boiled down with a little sugar first, and then inclosed in the crust; or jam of any kind, may be substituted for fresh fruit.

TIME.-20 minutes.

SEASONABLE at any time.

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