The spirit of cookery

Sugar syrup, even when made from white sugar, is frequently somewhat turbid, not so much from matters contained in the sugar as from impurities in the water. Syrups, unless made with distilled water, have, therefore, to be clarified at a boiling heat, either by mere skimming or by means of white of egg ; the boiling heat also sterilizes the syrup by destroying bacteria. Preparation of Fruit Juices for Jellies. Fruit juices have to be boiled and skimmed, and ultimately filtered. Filtration may be made through paper or cloth ; it may be preceded by agitation with paper-pulp or sand. These substances collect the gelatinous pectinous particles, which, if not thus fixed, quickly obstruct any filter, and allow no more juice to pass. For filtration through paper, the best material is the strong white Rhenish filtering-paper sold by chemical warehousemen. Sand should be white, and well boiled, washed, and levigated ; it must be shaken with the juice in a stoppered bottle. This process is effectual in treating larger volumes of lemon or orange juice, which contains much gelatinous pectose. Jellies flavoured with Wine. Such jellies can be made with high-flavoured wines, sherry, hock, and others, either by adding them to any of the standard sweet jellies, or by producing a dilution of the wine with water, adding prepared syrup, acidulating with lemon-juice, flavouring with tinctures of spices, heating the mixture, and dissolving in it a quantity of glassy gelatine amounting to one ounce for every quart of vinous liquid. Care should be taken not to make the jellies too strong. There is a kind of frothy jelly produced by adding effervescent wine to an otherwise fully finished jelly mixture which is on the point of setting. It is called Jelly with Champagne. When the wine is stirred in and incorporated, the jelly is packed into a mould and kept in ice. Such a jelly may be combined with one containing still wine, and having a different colour. Thus, we have seen white champagne jelly forming the top, and translucent hock jelly forming the basis, of jellies. Orange Jelly, when well made, idealizes the best features of the fruit. It embodies the zest, which is otherwise mainly wasted ; then it receives vigour and additional zest by some added lemon. Both the orange and lemon rind should be extracted with alcohol, and the tincture only should be added to the juice. Put the juice, say, of ten oranges and two lemons in a quart of water, and boil, while skimming, after having added 12 oz. of sugar {i.e., 1 oz. of sugar to each fruit). In case the boiled and skimmed solution were not to run clear through Rhenish filter-paper, it should be boiled with the beaten white of one egg, and then filtered. Dissolve 2 oz. of gelatine in a quart of water, and add the solution to the juicy clean syrup ; add a wineglassful of maraschino, or cognac, or mere alcohol to the product, and pour it into moulds. The product should be about 5 lb. of jelly. Clarification by albumin diminishes the flavour of the jelly ; the tinctures of the zests should therefore be added quite at last, with the pointing of liqueur. Lemon Jelly is similarly prepared, only ten lemons being required for five pints of jelly. Mackloine of Oranges is orange jelly mixed with prepared sections of oranges.