A manual of gelatine cookery

Decorate the bottom of a fancy shaped mould with the cherries and French plums, cut up, making a star, or any other design. Put the cakes in in thin slices, with the ginger and the rest of the plums and cherries in layers. Pour the brandy over mixed with the ginger syrup, leave for an hour, then make the custard (with a pint of milk, a gill of cream, 3 ozs. of sugar, the yolks of six and the whites of two eggs), soak and dissolve the Gelatine in a little extra milk, strain it into the custard, and pour over the cakes, after adding the Frutus. Place in ice and salt, or in an ice cave until cold, turn out and decorate the base with the grapes, adding a few small ferns, or other greenery. The bon-bons look best dotted about on little heaps of chopped wine jelly, but they may be used on the top of the pudding as a border, and omitted at the base. This is a very delicious dish, and a good substitute for the more expensive iced puddings. It is improved by marinading the fruits in a spoonful or two of thin syrup flavoured strongly with Frutus. (113) TIPSY PINEAPPLE. I good-sized preserved Pineapple. I pint (about) Ginger Cream (Recipe 44.) i pint whipped Cream, coloured green with Cox’s Chlorophyll 2 tablespoonsful Brandy. Syrup as below. A few blanched Pistachios, in strips. Cox’s Essence of Pineapple. A little Jelly (Recipe i, 3, or 12). Place the pine on the dish it is to be served in ; cut out the centre, leaving a compact wall. Boil the syrup with a few ounces of sugar until thick, and flavour with the brandy, when cool. Then add the essence. Pour some of this over the pine until it is well coated ; repeat a few times. Any spare syrup must be poured from the dish. Now fill up the centre of the pine w'ith the ginger cream (Recipe 44) when on the point of setting. The whipped cream is to be used as a garnish for the base of the fruit, with small heaps of jelly between. Put a little of the jelly on the top, also chopped, and decorate it with the pistachio spikes. note. — This is most conveniently made when a rmviber of sweets are in request for a party . The surplus syrup and pine will make another dish. If preferred, more brandy and lets syrup may be used for the soaking of the fruit. Ihe whipped cream should be sweetened and flavoured with pineapple essence. The jelly may be lemon, wine, or gold-leaf. (114) DAMSON MERINGUE. I lb. ripe Damsons or ½ lb. Red i oz. Sweet Almonds. Plums. The whites of 2 Eggs. 6 ozs. Loaf Sugar. 2 oz. Castor Sugar. •i oz. Cox’s Gelatine. i pint Blancmange (Recipe 29). Rinse the fruit, cover with cold water, cook until half done, add the sugar and finish the cooking. Strain ; there should be a pint of juice; make it up, if necessary with water. Add the Gelatine, soaked in a little water, stir until dissolved, and add the fruit. The blancmange should be poured and left to set in a deep dish, and the stoned damsons put on the top. Make a meringue of the eggs and castor sugar. Blanch, chop, and bake the almonds a light brown ; sprinkle them over the fruit, then slide the meringue mixture rockily over it. Dredge with sugar, and brown slightly with a heated shovel or salamander. The fruit kernels may also be added to the fruit. The amount of sugar must be regarded as approximate. Serve cold. (115) GATEAU DE PRUNES. A Madeira Cake, about i lb. in i pint Claret Jelly (Recipe 4).