Modern cookery, in all its branches

Shell and blanch (see page 342) twenty-four fine Spanish chestnuts, and put them with three-quarters of a pint of water into a small and delicately clean saucepan. When they have simmered from six to eight minutes, add to them two ounces of fine sugar, and let them stew very gently until they are perfectly tender ; then drain them from the water, pound them, while still warm, to a smooth paste, and press them through the back of a fine sieve. While this is being done, dissolve half an ounce of isinglass in two or three spoonsful of water, and put to it as much cream as will, with the small quantity of water used, make half a pint, two ounces of [chap. XXIIL sugar, about the third of a pod of vanilla, cut small, and well bruised, and a strip or two of fresh lemon-rind, pared extremely thin. Give these a minute’s boil, and then keep them quite hot by the side of the fire, until a strong flavour of the vanilla is obtained. Now, mix gradually with the chestnuts half a pint of rich, unboiled cream, strain the other half pint through a fine muslin, and work the whole well together until it becomes very thick ; then stir to it a couple of ounces of dried cherries, cut into quarters, and two of candied citron, divided into very small dice. Press the mixture into 1 mould which has been rubbed with a particle of the purest saladoil, and in a few hours it will be ready for table. The cream should be sufficiently stiff, when the fruit is added, to prevent its sinking to the bottom, and both kinds should be dry when they are used. Chestnuts, large, 24 ; water, | pint ; sugar, 2 oz. ; isinglass, \ oz. ; water, 3 to 4 tablespoonsful ; cream, nearly \ pint ; vanilla, £ of pod ; lemon-rind, £ of 1 large : infuse 20 minutes or more. Unboiled cream, \ pint ; dried cherries, 2 oz. ; candied citron, 2 oz Obs. — When vanilla cannot easily be obtained, a little noyau may be substituted for it, but a full weight of isinglass must then be used. cr£me a la comtesse, or the countess’s cream. Prepare as above, boil and pound, eighteen fine sound chestnuts ; mix with them gradually, after they have been pressed through a fine sieve, half a pint of rich sweet cream ; dissolve in half a pint of new milk a hall-ounce of isinglass, then add to them from six to eight bitter almonds, blanched and bruised, -with two- thirds of the rind of a small lemon, cut extremely thin, and two ounces and a half of sugar ; let these simmer gently for five minutes, and then remain by the side of the fire for awhile. When the milk is strongly flavoured, strain it through muslin, press the whole of it through, and stir it by degrees to the chestnuts and cream ; beat the mixture smooth, and when it begins to thicken, put it into a mould rubbed with oil, or into one which has been dipped in water and shaken nearly free of the moisture. If set into a cool place, it will be ready for table in six or eight hours. It has a pretty appearance when partially stuck with pistachio-nuts, blanched, dried, and cut in spikes, their bright green colour rendering them very ornamental to dishes of this kind : as they are, however, much more expensive than almonds, they can be used more sparingly, or intermingled with spikes of the firm outer rind of candied citron.