Middle class cookery book

sugar ; beat them up when the milk is hot, pour it over the eggs ; stir the custard over a slow fire till it thickens ; it must not boil ; a custard should be thick, but quite smooth. Strain through a strainer ; add a few drops of vanilla or almond flavouring if liked. If a richer custard is required, add another egg ; if well made, the above quantities are sufficient for an ordinary custard. Serve in a glass dish, or in custard cups. Condensed milk makes excellent custard ; when used, less sugar is required. Stewed Plums 1 lb. Plums I 3 oz. Loaf Sugar 1 Gill Water | 2 Cloves Put the sugar, cloves, and water into a copper or en- amelled pan ; let it boil ; pick the stalks from the fruit ; put it into the boiling syrup ; let it boil till the plums are soft, shaking the pan gently, occasionally. The fruit, if carefully done, will remain whole. When cooked, take it from the fire ; let it cool a little ; put the plums in a glass dish, taking care not to break them ; pour the syrup over. If the plums are sour, add more sugar to the syrup after they are taken from the pan ; boil the syrup ; cool, and pour it over. Any fruit can be done in this way, using more sugar if required. Rhubarb cut into pieces about inch long is very good prepared in this way, with the addition of the rind of half a lemon added to the water and sugar. Fruit Jam 1 lb. Fruit | 1 lb. Sugar Gather the fruit in dry weather, remove the stalks and any decayed pieces. Lay the fruit and sugar all night in a basin to draw out some of the juice. Place the fruit, juice, and sugar in a clean pan, which should CHAP. XV JELLIES, ETC. 183 not be more than three-quarters full, as jam boils up. Bring very slowly to the boil, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon ; skim carefully ; strawberries and raspberries should then be boiled for about twenty minutes ; rhubarb, gooseberries, plums, and black currants about half an hour. When ready, place in pots and cover tightly with paper immediately. If the jam is to be used within three months, less sugar (say three-quarters of a pound) may be used, especially with strawberries and raspberries, which are sweet. Fruit Jelly 1 Pint Juice 1 1 lb. Loaf Sugar Gather the fruit in dry weather, remove the stalks and any decayed pieces ; place it in a clean pan ; let it slowly warm (not boil) till the juice has come well out. Then squeeze the fruit gently in a piece of muslin or clean kitchen towel. Measure the juice ; return it to the pan with the sugar ; bring slowly to the boil ; skim carefully ; boil quickly for five to ten minutes. To know if the jelly is ready, put a spoonful in a saucer in a cool place ; if it stiffens immediately, it is ready ; if not, boil for a few minutes longer. Put into pots and cover tightly with paper immediately. Lemon Sponge 2 Lemons \ Pint Cold Water 2 Whites of Eggs ^ oz. French Gelatine 2 oz. Loaf Sugar Put the juice of the lemons with the rind (not the white) of one, in the cold water with the soaked gelatine and sugar. Stir and melt all together over the fire, but do not allow it to boil. While this is preparing, break the eggs and separate the yolks from the whites. Beat up the whites to a stilf froth ; draw the gelatine, 184 MIDDLE CLASS COOKERY BOOK PART n