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Orange Cream
1011. Shred candied orange peel (about an ounce and a half, or to taste) as fine as you can, and boil it well in a pint and a half of thick cream till dissolved. If it is to be solid, add an ounce of isinglass and put it into a mould.
Another. Boil the rind of a Seville orange till very tender; beat it fine in a mortar; put to it a spoonful of the best brandy, the juice of a Seville orange, four ounces of loaf-sugar, and the yolks of four eggs; beat all together for ten minutes; then, by gentle degrees, pour in a pint of boiling cream; beat till cold; put into custard-cups set in a deep dish of boiling water, and let them stand till cold again. Put at the top small strips of orange-peel cut thin, or preserved chips.
Two versions of the same dish: a simple flavoured cream that can be set with isinglass, and a richer boiled custard scented with bitter orange. Neither is difficult, but the setting agent and the sugar both need translating.
- The pint is imperialA pint here is 20 fl oz (about 570 ml), so "a pint and a half of thick cream" is roughly 850 ml. Thick cream means double cream (about 48% fat) or, in the US, heavy cream (about 36%).
- Isinglass is not gelatine ounce for ounceIsinglass, made from sturgeon swim bladders, was sold in leaves and shreds of varying strength, so an ounce to a pint and a half cannot be read across directly. Modern powdered gelatine is stronger: about 2 teaspoons (7 g) per imperial pint of cream gives a soft mould that will just stand when turned out. Bloom it in cold water, then dissolve it in the hot cream off the heat.
- Seville oranges are seasonalThe bitter Seville has a short midwinter season, roughly January and February in British shops, and is only patchily available in the US. Outside that window, use the zest of a regular orange with the juice of half a lemon added to the orange juice to restore some sharpness; the result is milder but workable.
- Loaf sugarRefined sugar was sold in hard cones and broken up as needed. Four ounces (about 115 g) of granulated or caster sugar is the equivalent.
- Beating the rindBoiling the rind until tender and pounding it in a mortar is exactly what a small food processor does in twenty seconds. Simmer the peel of one orange for 30-40 minutes until a knife goes through it without resistance, drain, and blitz with the brandy to a smooth paste.
- Temper, then finish over heatThe hinge of the second version is the pouring in of the boiling cream "by gentle degrees" while beating. Add it in a thin stream, or the yolks scramble. The recipe relies on the heat of the cream alone to thicken the custard; it is more reliable to return the mixture to a low heat and stir until it reaches 175F (80C) and coats the back of a spoon, then strain.
- The dish of boiling water is not bakingNothing goes into the oven; the recipe never mentions one. The cups stand in a deep dish of boiling water and are left until cold, which keeps the custard warm and continues to set it gently. Once cool, refrigerate them and serve cold.
- YieldThe custard version fills six small custard cups or ramekins. The first version, set with gelatine, makes a mould for six to eight.