For plain desserts. Compotes are fresh fruits stewed. They are good served with cake as a plain dessert. In combination with rice or other molded cereals they are a very wholesome sweet for children.
Serving. Make a syrup of 28° (see page 513). When it is boiling drop the fruit in, a few pieces at a time, so it will not get broken or crushed. Let it cook until tender, but still firm enough to hold its form. Remove it carefully with a skimmer. Arrange the pieces in regular order, overlapping, or piled like uncooked fruit in a glass or silver dish. After the fruit is cooked, let the syrup boil down until thick, or about 32°, and strain it over the fruit. Let it cool before serving.
APPLE COMPOTE
Pare and core the apples; leave them whole, or cut them into halves, quarters, or thick round slices. Boil them until tender, and finish as directed above. Have a few slices of lemon in the syrup and serve them with the fruit. Pieces of cinnamon and cloves boiled with the fruit give a good flavor.
For jellied apples boil down the syrup to the jelly point. When partly cooled pour it slowly with a spoon over the apples, so enough will adhere to give them a glaze. The center of the apples may be filled with a bright-colored jelly or jam.
COMPOTE OF PEARS
Use pears that are not quite ripe. Cut them in two lengthwise, splitting the stem. Remove the core carefully with a scoop. Boil and serve them as directed above.
COMPOTE OF PEACHES OR APRICOTS
Peel the fruit and cut it in halves. Prepare it as directed above. Mix with the syrup some meats taken from the pits.
COMPOTE OF ORANGES
Peel the oranges down to the pulp, using a sharp knife. Cut them in two crosswise. Remove with a pointed knife the core and seeds from the center. Boil them, one or two at a time, until tender, in a syrup with a little lemon-juice added, and be careful to keep them in good shape. Boil the syrup down until it threads, and pour it over the oranges piled in a glass dish. A candied cherry in the center of each one gives a pretty garnish. Orange compote is good served plain, or with whipped cream, with ice-creams, Bavarians, or corn-starch puddings. Mandarin oranges make a delicious compote.
See caption COMPOTE OF ORANGES GARNISHED WITH CANDIED CHERRIES. (SEE PAGE 536.) PRESERVING AND CANNING
Sterilizing the fruit. The success of preserving and canning depends upon heating the fruit until all germs are destroyed, then sealing it air-tight while still scalding hot. In this way no new germs of ferment or mold can reach the fruit. Patent jars are generally used, and must be put into scalding water before being filled to prevent their breaking, and also to sterilize them. The preserve must be put into them scalding hot, a spoon-handle run down the sides to liberate any bubbles of air, the jar filled to the very brim, and the top put on each one at once after it is filled. Use of paraffin. A simple and very effectual way of hermetically sealing fruit is to cover it with paraffin. This can be obtained at any pharmacy. Place the paraffin in a small saucepan on the side of the range; it melts at a low degree of heat. When the jar or glass is filled with hot preserves wipe the glass close to the fruit to free it of syrup. Cover the top with a tablespoonful of liquid paraffin, and do not move the jar until the paraffin has set; it will then adhere closely to the glass. This will be found a very easy and satisfactory way of sealing fruits. The paraffin when taken off the fruit can be washed and kept to use again. Proportions. In preserving, sugar is used in the proportion of three quarters of a pound or one pound of sugar to a pound of fruit, and the fruit is thoroughly cooked. In canning, one quarter of a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit is used, the fruit is only thoroughly scalded, and so retains its flavor better. Fruits should be under rather than overripe for preserving, and only the finest should be selected. Inferior fruit may be used for jams. It is most abundant when at its best, and at this time it is cheapest. Utensils. A porcelain-lined kettle and wooden spoons should be used in the cooking, and a wide-mouthed funnel is a convenience for filling the jars.
PRESERVED PEACHES
The skin can easily be removed from peaches, leaving a smooth surface, by placing them in a wire basket and plunging it for a moment into boiling lye. The lye is made by adding two cupfuls of wood ashes to four quarts of water. From the lye put the fruit into cold water and rinse it several times, then rub off the skin. Cut each peach in two and place again in cold water to preserve the color until ready to use. Place in a porcelain-lined kettle three quarters the weight of sugar you have of fruit. Add a very little water to dissolve the sugar. Let it boil a minute, and take off any scum that rises. Then add as much fruit as will float without crowding, and cook until it is transparent, but not until it loses shape. Remove each piece separately as soon as it is cooked. When ready to fill the jars place them carefully in a pan of boiling water; have the tops and rubbers also in hot water. Part of the fruit has become cooled while the rest was cooking, but, as it must go into the jars hot, place it again in the boiling syrup, a little at a time. Use a ladle or cup to dip out the fruit; run a spoon-handle around the inside of the jars after they are filled to liberate any air bubbles. Add enough syrup to fill them to overflowing, and adjust the rubber and top on each jar as it is filled. Any juice that is left over may be boiled down to a jelly, or it may be bottled to use as flavoring or for sauces.
PRESERVED PEARS
Peel the pears; cut them in two lengthwise, splitting the stem, or they may be left whole if preferred. Place them carefully in jars; fill the jars with a syrup of 30° (see page 513); cover the jars without fastening the tops. Place the jars in a boiler of warm water, half covering them. Stand the jars on muffin-rings, slats of wood, or something to raise them off the bottom of the boiler, or they will break while cooking. Cover the boiler and cook the fruit until it is tender and looks clear. Remove the jars carefully, fill them completely full, using more hot syrup, or the contents of one of the cooked jars. Adjust the tops and set them to cool where the air will not strike them. (See canning.) Pears may be cooked the same as peaches, but they are such a very tender fruit, it is better to use the method given, as the shape is kept better in this way.
PRESERVED PLUMS
Preserve plums in the same way as directed for peaches or for pears. Remove the skin from them or not. If left on it is likely to crack open and come off if boiled too long. To prevent this, in a measure, prick the plums in several places with a fork before cooking.
GRAPE PRESERVES
Press the pulp out of each grape. Boil the pulps until tender, then pass them through a colander to remove the seeds. Mix the skins with the pulp and juice, add as many cupfuls of sugar as there are of grapes, and boil all together until well thickened.
Seal while hot the same as other preserves.
Green grapes are preserved by cutting each grape in halves, taking out the seeds, then adding an equal quantity of sugar, and boiling all together until of the right consistency.
PRESERVED STRAWBERRIES No. 1
Select firm, large berries and remove the hulls. To each pound of fruit (one basketful of berries will weigh about a pound) add three quarters of a pound of granulated sugar. Mix it with the berries, and let them stand ten to fifteen minutes, or long enough to moisten the sugar but not soften the berries. Put them in a granite or porcelain-lined saucepan and let them boil slowly five to ten minutes, or until the berries are softened: do not stir them, as that will break the berries, and do not boil long enough for them to lose their shape. Cook one basketful of berries only at a time. A larger quantity crushes by its own weight. A good method is to have two saucepans and two bowls, and leave the berries, after being hulled, in the baskets until ready to use; then put a basketful at a time in a bowl with sugar sprinkled through them; while one bowlful is being cooked, the bowl refilled, and the glasses filled, the other one is ready to use. In this way no time is lost, and the cooking is accomplished in as short a time as though all were put into a preserving kettle together. It is well to put strawberries into glasses. One basketful of berries will fill two half-pint tumblers. Cover the tops with paraffin as directed above, page 537.
PRESERVED STRAWBERRIES No. 2
Fill pint jars with as many berries as they will hold; pour over them a hot syrup of 32° (see page 513). After standing a few minutes they will shrivel, and more berries should be added. Cover and cook them in a boiler as directed for preserved pears and canning.
Strawberries require more sugar than other fruits to preserve their color, therefore they do not can well.
Strawberries, if carefully prepared by either of the foregoing receipts, will resemble the Wiesbaden preserves.
RASPBERRY PRESERVE
Raspberries are preserved the same as strawberries.
CITRON PRESERVE
Pare and core the citron; cut it into strips and notch the edges; or cut it into fancy shapes. Allow a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit, and to six pounds of the fruit allow four lemons and a quarter of a pound of ginger root. Tie the ginger in a cloth, and boil it in a quart and a half of water until the flavor is extracted; then remove it, and add to the water the sugar and the juice of the lemons; stir until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup is clear; take off any scum; then add the citron, and cook until it is clear, but not soft enough to fall apart. Can and seal while hot.
CANNING
APPLES, PEACHES, PEARS, PLUMS, CHERRIES, BERRIES, ETC.
Proportions. Canning does not differ from preserving, except in the amount of sugar used. A quarter of a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit is the rule, but none at all need be used, as the fruit will keep just as well without it if it is thoroughly sterilized by heat and immediately sealed. Fruits that require sugar when eaten fresh need sugar in like proportion when canned. The fruit may be boiled in a syrup of 14°, which is made of one pound of sugar to a quart of water, and bottled the same as when preserved, but an easier and better way is to cook it in the jars. Red fruits. Pack the fruit tightly in the jars and cover it with a syrup of 14°; red fruits need more sugar to preserve their color, and should have a syrup of 24°, which is one pint of water to a pound of sugar. Place the jars in a boiler of water, half covering them; raise them off the bottom of the boiler by standing them on muffin-rings or slats of wood. Do not let them touch. Cooling. Cover the boiler, and let them cook until the fruit is tender; the fruit will fall a little, so the jars will have to be filled up again; use for this the contents of another jar, or plain boiling water; adjust and fasten the tops at once, and place them where the air will not strike them while cooling.
Another way is to pack the dry jars full of fruit, fasten down the tops at once, place them in a boiler of cold water nearly covering them, raise it to the boiling-point and cook for an hour, and leave them in the water until cold again. In this way they are cooked in their own juice, and are said to retain their flavor better than where water is used. Canned apples make a very good substitute for fresh ones for pies, compotes and apple-sauce.
JAMS OR MARMALADES
Testing. Use three quarters of a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit. Place the fruit, pared and cored, in layers with the sugar in the preserving kettle. Let it stand a few minutes to extract some of the juice from the fruit; then place it on the fire and cook until it becomes a thick, consistent mass. Stir it frequently to break the fruit. When it has become tender, use a potato-masher to crush it. When it looks clear, put a little on a plate, and if it thickens, it is done. Put it into tumblers and cover. This does not require to be hermetically sealed. In making preserves it is well to reserve all the fruit which is not perfect and make it into jam.
QUINCE MARMALADE
Pare, core, and cut into pieces the fruit. Put the skins and cores into a kettle; cover them with water, and boil thirty minutes, or until tender; strain off the water through a colander, and as much pulp as will pass without the skins. To this add the rest of the fruit and three quarters of a pound of sugar to each pound of fruit. Boil it until it becomes a jelly-like mass. Mash the fruit as much as possible. It may be colored red, if desired, with cochineal. Turn it into glasses, tin boxes, or wooden salt-boxes. It becomes solid, and is served cut into slices. The Russians cut it into inch squares, and serve it as a bonbon.
ORANGE MARMALADE
Allow the juice and grated rind of one lemon to every five oranges. Weigh the fruit before cutting it, and allow three quarters of a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit. Remove the peel in quarters, and boil it in plenty of water until it is tender enough to pierce easily with a broom-straw; then drain off the water and let it cool. Remove the seeds and as much of the skin as possible from the pulp. Boil the pulp with the sugar until the orange is well cooked. When the peel is cool take one piece at a time in the palm of the hand, and with a tablespoon cut out all the white pithy part, leaving the thin yellow rind. Place a number of these pieces together, and with a sharp knife cut them into thin shreds. By cutting many together in this way it is done quickly. Add the shredded rinds to the cooked oranges and let them cook until of the right consistency. It should be very thick, but not solid like jelly. This is a very good marmalade, and resembles the Dundee brand.
APPLE MARMALADE
Make the same as directed for jams.
BRANDY PEACHES
Cook the fruit the same as directed for preserving peaches; but for this purpose the peaches are left whole, the skin left on or not, as desired. If the skins are retained they should be carefully brushed to remove all the down; use only fine fruit. When the jars are filled, add to each quart a half cupful of brandy, and seal; or, after filling the jars with fruit, boil down the syrup until it is very thick, and to each cupful of syrup add a cupful of brandy; pour it over the fruit and seal. California brandy serves very well for this purpose.
JELLIES
CURRANT OR ANY BERRIES
To make clear jelly use only the perfect fruit. Pick it over carefully and remove the stems. Place it in a porcelain-lined kettle and crush it enough to give a little juice so it will not burn. Cook it slowly until the fruit is soft, then turn it into a heavy cloth and press out all the juice. Strain the juice several times if necessary, to make it clear. Passing it through filter paper is recommended. Measure the juice, and to each pint allow a pound of sugar. Put the sugar in the oven to heat, but do not let it burn. Put the strained juice into the kettle and let it boil twenty minutes; then add the hot sugar, and stir until the sugar is dissolved and the juice is clear again. Pour it into glasses and let it stand until set. Grapes and cherries do not jelly easily, and a little gelatine added will insure success. When fruit does not jelly it is usually because it is over ripe. The fruit should not be gathered after a rain, nor should it be washed.
APPLE JELLY
Wash the apples; cut them in pieces without peeling or coring, but remove any imperfect parts. Barely cover them with water and boil slowly until they are tender, then strain off the liquor through cheese-cloth without pressing. Measure the juice, and to each pint of juice allow a pound of sugar. Put the juice in the preserving kettle and let it boil five minutes; then add the sugar and stir until it dissolves. Continue to boil it until a little dropped on a cold plate will jelly. It will take twenty to thirty minutes. Turn it into tumblers and cover. This jelly spread on the apple used in tarts improves them very much.
CRAB-APPLE JELLY
Make the same as apple jelly.
QUINCE JELLY
Make the same as apple jelly.
SPICED GRAPES
Prepare the grapes as for preserving, by removing the skins, boiling the pulp, and straining out the seeds. To seven pounds of fruit (weighed before the seeds are removed), add a cupful of strong vinegar, a cupful of grape-juice taken from the grapes used for preserves, two ounces of cinnamon, one ounce of cloves (tie the spices in a cloth so they can be removed), three and one half pounds of sugar. Boil until it becomes thick like a marmalade, which will take about an hour and a half. When done turn it into glasses. This is good with roast meats.
PLUM SAUCE FOR MEATS
To each pound of Damson plums, add a half cupful of sugar, one half ounce each of cinnamon, mace, and cloves (tie the spices in a bag). Remove the stones from the plums and boil until it becomes thick like jam.
SWEET PICKLED PEACHES AND PLUMS
Allow three and three quarter pounds of sugar to seven pounds of fruit. Put the sugar into the preserving kettle with a quart of vinegar and two ounces each of cloves and a stick of cinnamon. Boil them for five minutes after the sugar is dissolved. Pare the peaches and stick a clove into each one. Place a few at a time in the boiling syrup and cook them until they look clear, but are not softened enough to fall apart. When all are cooked, continue to boil the syrup until it is reduced nearly one half and pour it over the peaches. Plums are pickled in the same way. The skins may be left on both peaches and plums if preferred; in which case the down must be brushed off the peaches, and the plums must be pricked with a fork in several places to prevent the skins cracking when placed in the hot syrup.
PICKLED WALNUTS
Gather the walnuts when well grown, but still soft enough to be pierced through with a needle. Run a heavy needle through them several times and place them in strong brine, using as much salt as the water will absorb. Let them remain in brine for a week or ten days, and change the brine every other day; then drain the nuts and expose them to the air until they have turned black. Pack them in jars and cover them with boiling hot vinegar prepared as follows: To a gallon of vinegar add an ounce each of ginger root, mace, allspice, and cloves, and two ounces of peppercorns; boil them together for ten minutes and strain over the nuts. Let them stand a month before using.
CUCUMBER OR GHERKIN PICKLES
Gather each day the cucumbers of the size desired; rub them smooth with a cloth and place them in brine strong enough to float an egg. They will keep in the brine until wanted to pickle. Soak the cucumbers in water for two days after taking them from the brine, changing the water once, and then scald them in vinegar, or pour the boiling vinegar over them and let them stand in it two days before using. Put into each two quarts of vinegar an ounce of peppercorns, a half ounce each of mustard seed and mace, a piece of horseradish, a piece of alum the size of a pea, and a half cupful of sugar; boil them together for ten minutes before straining it over the cucumbers. The very small cucumbers are called gherkins.
GREEN TOMATO PICKLE
- 1 peck of green tomatoes.
- 2 quarts of onions.
- Vinegar.
- ½ tablespoonful of cayenne.
- ¼ tablespoonful of ground mustard.
- 1 teaspoonful of turmeric.
- 2 pounds of brown sugar.
- ½ pound of white mustard seed.
- ½ ounce of ground mace.
- 1 tablespoonful of celery seed.
- 1 tablespoonful of ground cloves.
Slice the tomatoes and onions very thin; sprinkle a little salt through them and let them stand over night. Drain them through a colander and put them on to boil with enough vinegar to cover them and boil slowly until they are clear and tender, then drain them from the vinegar. Put into some fresh vinegar the sugar, mustard seed, mace, celery seed, and cloves, and let them boil for a few minutes; then pour it over the drained tomatoes, which have been mixed with the cayenne pepper, ground mustard, and turmeric. Mix them well together; add a half bottle of salad oil, and when cold put it in jars.
CHOW-CHOW
- Cut into pieces,
- ½ peck of green tomatoes.
- 2 large cabbages.
- 15 onions.
- 25 cucumbers.
Mix them together and pack them in layers with salt; let them stand for twelve hours, then drain off the brine and cover them with vinegar and water, and let them stand another twelve hours.Drain off the vinegar and cover them with one and one half gallons of scalding hot vinegar which has been boiled a few minutes with one pint of grated horseradish, one half pound of mustard seed, one ounce of celery seed, one half cupful of ground pepper, one half cupful of turmeric, one half cupful of cinnamon, and four pounds of sugar.
Let them stand until perfectly cold, then add one cupful of salad oil and one half pound of ground mustard. Mix them all thoroughly together and place in jars.
NASTURTIUM PICKLE
Pick the nasturtium seeds green; leave a short stem on them and place them in a weak brine for two days; then soak them in fresh water for a day. Pack them in jars and turn over them boiling vinegar; seal and let them stand a month before using.
