Cookery for every household

Cork the walnuts very tightly, tie a piece of moistened bladder over the top, and store a month at least before using ; they will be better if kept for several months. 3063. Essence of Hawthorn Hawthorn or may blossom. Brandy. Take some petals of hawthorn when they are at their best and freshest, and put them into a scrupulously clean and dry bottle, filling it about three parts full. Fill up with good brandy, and cork tightly. Keep this in a cool place for three or four weeks, and then strain off into another bottle. This makes a delicious flavouring for creams and custards, or it may be used as a liqueur. 3064. Lemon or Orange Sugar Grate the yellow rind of 1 or 2 lemons or oranges on to £ lb. castor sugar. Rub together with the tips of the fingers or the blade of a knife, until a uniform yellow colour, dry and keep in an air-tight box for use. 3065. Vanilla Sugar Take £ oz. vanilla pod, cut it in pieces, and put it in a mortar with £ lb. castor sugar. Pound to a powder, and pass through a fine sieve. Keep in an air-tight tin box or bottle. This is useful for flavouring purposes. MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES 3066. How to Render Down or Clarify Fat Take any scraps of fat, remove from them every particle of meat and any discoloured parts, and cut them up in small pieces. Put them into a stewpan with cold water to cover them, and boil with the lid on for one hour. The steam will help to whiten the fat. Then remove the lid, and continue boiling slowly until all the water has evaporated, removing all scum as it rises. Now stir frequently to prevent the pieces of fat sticking to the pan, and cook until the membranous pieces of fat become shrivelled and brown, but not burnt, and the liquid which has oozed out of them looks like clear oil. At this stage remove the saucepan to the side of the fire, and allow the contents to cool. Then strain through a piece of muslin stretched over a tin basin, pressing the scraps of fat until as dry as possible. Avoid using small strainers for this purpose, as the heat of the fat is liable to melt any soldering ; the muslin may be rinsed out after use, and will serve the same purpose many times. When cold, this fat will form a hard white cake, and will be found useful for many purposes. Perhaps its chief use is as a frying medium, but in good plain cookery it can also be employed in the making of cakes and pastry, and is infinitely to be preferred to cheap butter. Either beef or mutton fat may be clarified, and it may be either cooked or uncooked, although it is better to keep the cooked fat separate from the uncooked if there is sufficient quantity. Beef fat is the best for most purposes. Any fat trimmings from meat should be saved, and if these are not sufficient to supply the needs of the household, scraps of fat (they need not be suet) should be bought from the butcher and rendered down. When cooked scraps are being rendered down, a more liberal supply of water should be allowed, as they generally require more boiling to throw up the scum. The sole use of the water is to wash the fat, and every drop must pass off by evaporation before the fat is ready for straining. 3067. To Clarify Frying Fat and Dripping