Original White House Cookbook

Select perfect, fresh peaches, peel and core and cut in quarters ; they should be well sugared, arranged in a trifle dish with a few of their own blanched kernels among them, then heaped with whipped cream as above ; the cream should not be flavored ; this trifle should be set on the ice for at least an hour before serving ; home-made sponge cakes should be served with it. GOOSEBERRY TRIFLE. One quart of gooseberries, sugar to taste, one pint of custard, a plateful of whipped cream. Put the gooseberries into a jar, with sufficient moist sugar to sweeten them, and boil them until reduced to a pulp. Put this pulp at the bottom of a trifle dish ; pour over it a pint of custard, and, when cold, cover with whipped cream. The cream should be whipped the day before it is wanted for table, as it will then be so much firmer and more solid. This dish may be garnished as fancy dictates. LEMON HONEY. One coffeecupful of white sugar, the grated rind and juice of one large lemon, the yolks of three eggs and the white of one, a tablespoonful of butter. Put into a basin the sugar and butter, set it in a dish of boiling water over the fire ; while this is melting, beat up the eggs, and add to them the grated rind from the outside of the lemon ; then add this to the sugar and butter, cooking and stirring it until it is thick and clear like honey. This will keep for some days, put into a tight preserve jar, and is nice for flavoring pies, etc. FLOATING ISLANDS. Beat the yolks of five eggs and the whites of two very light, sweeten with five tablespoonfuls of sugar and flavor to taste ; stir them into a quart of scalded milk and cook it until it thickens. When cool pour it into a glass dish. Now whip the whites of the three remaining eggs to a froth, adding three tablespoonfuls of sugar and a little flavoring. Pour this froth over a shallow dish of boiling water ; the steam passing through it cooks it ; when sufficiently cooked, take a tablespoon and drop spoonfuls of this over the top of the custard, far enough apart so that the “ little white islands ” will not touch each other. By dropping a teaspoonful of bright jelly on the top or centre of each island, is produced a pleasing effect; also by filling wine-glasses and arranging them around a standard adds much to the appearance of the table. FLOATING ISLAND. One quart of milk, five eggs and five tablespoonfuls of sugar. Scald the milk, then add the beaten yolks and one of the whites together with the sugar. First stir into them a little of the scalded milk to prevent curdling, then all of the milk. Cook it the proper thickness ; remove from the fire, and, when cool, flavor ; then pour it into a glass dish and let it become very cold. Before it is served beat up the remaining four whites of the eggs to. a stiff froth and beat into them three tablespoonfuls of sugar and two tablespoonfuls of currant jelly. Dip this over the top of the custard. TAPIOCA BLANC MANGE. Half a pound of tapioca soaked an hour in one pint of milk and boiled till tender ; add a pinch of salt, sweeten to taste and put into a mold ; when cold turn it out and serve with strawberry or raspberry jam around it and a little cream. Flavor with lemon or vanilla. BLANC MANGE. No. 1.