Ingredients: One box of gelatine soaked in one pint of clear cold water, one pint of wine, the juice and the thin cuts of rinds of three lemons, one and three-quarter pounds of loaf-sugar, one quart of clear boiling water, the whites of two eggs (well beaten) and the shells, with a small stick of cinnamon.

Soak the gelatine in the pint of cold water an hour, then pour over it the quart of boiling water, stirring it well; now add the wine, sugar, eggs, lemon-juice (strained in a fine strainer), and the thinnest possible cuts from the peels of the lemons. These cuts take only the little globules of oil in the peel, which are exceedingly delicate in flavor, the white part being bitter. Add also the small stick of cinnamon, as it adds much to the flavor of the jelly. Put this into a porcelain kettle, let it boil rapidly about a quarter of a minute without stirring it; now, setting the kettle on the hearth, let it remain another half-minute to settle, then skim off carefully the scum which is at the top; pour it through the jelly-bag. It should be entirely clear: if, however, the first should not be so, return it to the bag.

Cold water should be poured into the molds, then emptied just before using. Jelly hardens much quicker on ice, or in the coolest place to be found.

Dip the molds into warm water a moment, before taking out the jelly. If allowed to remain a moment too long, the jelly might dissolve a little, injuring the form.

Many kinds of wines and liquors may be used. The above receipt is well proportioned for sherry, Madeira, or port; a smaller proportion of brandy, maraschino, noyau, or of punch would make sufficient flavoring; a larger portion of Champagne might be used, as it is not so strong.

Orange Jelly (molded with Quarters of Oranges).

Ingredients: Eight oranges, two lemons, three-quarters of a box of gelatine soaked in half a pint of cold water, three-quarters of a pound of loaf-sugar, one pint of boiling water, beaten whites and shells of two eggs.

Rub the loaf-sugar on the peels of two oranges and one lemon; squeeze the juice from six or seven oranges and two lemons, and strain it. Take off the peel carefully from two oranges, leaving only the transparent skin surrounding the quarters, and separate all the sections without breaking them. Soak the gelatine half an hour in half a pint of water; boil the other pint of water and the sugar together, skimming all the time until no more scum rises; then put in the sections of oranges, and when they have boiled about a minute take them out, and put them one side. Pour this sirup over the soaked gelatine, adding the orange and lemon juice, the beaten whites and the shells of two eggs. Put it on the fire, and let it boil about a quarter of a minute without stirring; then, placing it at the side of the fire, skim off carefully all the scum at the top, and pass it through the jelly-bag. When half of the jelly is in the mold, put it on the ice, and let it set hard enough to hold the orange sections, which place in a circular row around the edge of the mold; then add enough more jelly to cover the sections; when this has hardened, pour over the remainder of the jelly, which should have been kept in a warm place to prevent it from hardening. All the sections of orange may be put in with the first half of the jelly, as they will rise to the top, although they will not hold their places evenly. Or, if time is valuable, mold the jelly without the sections, and save them to garnish the jelly on the dish.

Lemon Jelly.

Ingredients: Half a box of gelatine soaked in half a pint of water, juice of five large lemons, two cupfuls of loaf-sugar, or sugar to taste, beaten white and shell of an egg, one and a half pints of boiling water.

Soak the gelatine in the half-pint of water half an hour. Rub several of the pieces of the sugar on the peel of the lemon, to soak the oil on the surface. Pour a pint and a half of boiling water on the soaked gelatine, and add lemon-juice, sugar, and egg; let it come to a boil, then set it at the side of the range a few moments; skim carefully, and pass through the jelly-bag into molds.

Macedoine of Fruits.

This is made with any kind of jelly; however, jelly made with Champagne or sherry is preferable. Any of the delicate fruits of the season, such as grapes, cherries, peaches, strawberries, raspberries, mulberries, currants (on their stems), plums, and orange sections, or preserved fruits, such as brandied cherries, peaches, etc., are tastefully imbedded in the jelly, so as to show their forms and colors to best advantage. A fine bunch of Hamburg or of Malaga grapes is exceedingly pretty, incorporated whole into a clear Champagne jelly; it should be suspended with a small thread in the centre of the jelly-mold, and the jelly poured in when quite cold, although not set. The bunches of grapes are in this way much more easily imbedded than other fruits. In the latter case, the mold is placed on ice; a little jelly is poured in, and, when set, some fruits are arranged in a circle, or according to taste; more jelly poured in, and left to harden again; more fruit added, and thus continued until the mold is full.

Do not heat the jelly a second time; merely keep it in a warm place, awaiting that on the ice to harden.

Fancy Jellies.

Jelly is sometimes formed in a mold with a cylindrical tube in the centre; the open space in the centre is then filled with whipped cream. Then, to be still more fanciful, the whipped cream may be dotted with strawberries, or any kind of preserved fruits, such as cherries, grapes, cuts of peaches, etc., etc.

Then there is ribbon jelly, or jelly made in two colors, in this way: Half of a Champagne or sherry jelly is colored quite red with a few drops of prepared cochineal; a little pale jelly is poured into the mold, and, when set, a layer of the red jelly is poured carefully over it, and so continued until the mold is filled with alternate layers of the two colors.

Italian jelly is pretty also. The mold is half filled with jelly, and, when set, a chain of cakes of blanc-mange (made rather firm, hardened in a thin layer, and cut of equal sizes with a pepper-box cover or a small tin cutter) is arranged; then the remainder of the jelly is added to the mold.

Whipped jelly makes a pretty change. When it is set a little, put it into a bowl; whip it with an egg-whisk until it is full of air-bubbles. Fill the mold, and put on ice.

What To Do With Parts of Jelly Left Over in Winter.

Add lemon-juice; beat the jelly until it becomes entirely white, which will take some time, and put it into a mold again.

Calf’s-foot Jelly.

I have made calf’s-foot jelly twice, and never intend to make it again. I would not have made it the second time, except for the purpose of succeeding, and getting a reliable receipt for this book. At the first attempt, I happened to have company who had heard that I pretended to be a cook. The jelly was opaque, tasteless, and split in two. Here is a successful receipt. It requires almost every thing known in the cooking calender; but do not attempt it with less, and after a trial use gelatine only for jellies.

Ingredients: Four calf’s feet boiled in a gallon of water, seven eggs, one and a half pounds of sugar, one pint of sherry wine, a stick of cinnamon, three cloves, and half a box of gelatine.

Split the calf’s feet, break the bones, and place them on the fire at the back of the range, with a gallon of cold water, to boil gently for five hours. Skim the water often, which should be reduced to rather less than two quarts; then strain the jelly into a pan, and, when perfectly firm, remove the fat and sediment.

Add to the jelly the beaten whites and crushed shells of seven eggs, one and a half pounds of sugar, a pint of sherry wine, a stick of cinnamon, three cloves, and half a box of gelatine soaked in a little water, and whip this well together; set it over the fire, and when it has just begun to boil throw in the juice of six lemons, and one or two table-spoonfuls of clear, cold water; take the kettle off the fire, let it remain at the side in rather a hot place about ten minutes, then skim off carefully all the scum from the top. Put into the jelly-bag the thin cuts from the peels of four lemons, not cutting the white or under skin, as that is bitter; then pour in the jelly, having the apparatus near the fire to prevent the jelly hardening before it has all passed through.

Whipped Jelly, with Fruits.

Prepare about two cupfuls of preserved fruits—for instance, pine-apples, peaches, greengages, and cherries; keep the cherries whole, but cut the others into dice; moisten them all with sherry.

Prepare about a quart of Champagne, sherry, or brandy jelly, and when strained pour it into a basin, which place on the ice, or on ice and salt; whip it now gently with the egg-whisk, adding the juice of two lemons; when it begins to set, and is quite frothy (not too much so, however), stir in the fruits; place all into a mold, and surround it with ice.