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Vinaigre Framboise

The various fruit vinegars used extensively for sauces and beverages in Europe are but little enquired for in the United States, but probably need only to be better known to be appreciated. The native wild raspberry of the Rocky Mountains, with its peculiar aromatic flavor and bright scarlet color and juice doubtless contains new possibilities in relishes and confections, and could be cultivated to an unlimited extent among its native barrens. During is short season in the towns about which it grows it has no rival among fruits and brings a higher price than any other.

To make raspberry vinegar, half fill a stone jar with ripe raspberries of any kind, and pour in pure cider vinegar enough to a little more than cover them. Let stand in a warm place twenty-four hours. Mash the berries in the jar; strain and press through a cloth and then run the liquor through the flannel jelly bag. To each pint allow a pound of sugar if for present use or two pounds if to be bottled. Boil and skim and it is ready for use when made cold. It can be kept in preserving jars or cans a long time, put up in the usual manner, or in stone jugs, sealed while hot and painted outside to exclude air. "Mio amico, why do you, residing in the Boulevard des Italiens, Pays Culinaire, yet writing French, call that sambaoine which the French call sabayon, even when writing French?" "Only because the French themselves call the same thing by two different names. The sauce or hot spirituous beverage is of Italian origin, and has come down from the time when Italian cookery was in the ascendent, but the Italian spelling is sambaojne, the j being pronounced like i." Then I asked my meal-colored German elf what in his country they know about sabayon. He answered: "Why that is dreifutz;--only"--he adds, "when made slightly different with wine it is schatto."

Then I asked the great Columbian oracie and he, smilingly answered, 'why that is scarcely different from Thomas and Jeremiah,--only we do not cook our tom-and-jerry quite so much as you cooks do."

Then I went to an expert Englishman and asked him--"Say, Johnny! what is that sauce you make for plum pudding when you don't have the common brandy sauce?" "That," says he, "is German Custard Sauce," "What is its French name?" "Sabayon."

Enough said. They are distinctions without much difference. The confusion comes from the same compound being mentioned in a Babel of many tongues. If an intelligent person but learn the base he can build up as many variations as he please, himself.

The base may be learned by boiling a quart of Rhine wine, throwing in sugar enough to pleasantly sweeten, and a little spice; then stirring in enough beaten yolks to thicken it to a custard-like consistency--about 10 yolks to a quart--and taking of before it quite boils. Mulled wine, a hot beverage, is an elaboration of this, having the whites of the eggs beaten to a froth and stirred into the nearly boiling mixture the minute before serving.