The handy dictionary of cookery

Take two pounds of flour ; put it into a large bowl ; rub finely into it six ounces of sugar and five ounces of butter ; cream an ounce and a half of German yeast with half a teaspoonful of salt ; make one pint of milk just new milk warm ; strain the yeast into the centre of the flour, add the milk, knead well, set to rise in a warm place two hours ; divide it into six pieces; clean and pick six ounces of currants ; roll out each piece of dough, sprinkle some currants over it, roll up like a roly-poly pudding ; cut slices off the end ; place them on a greased baking-tin ; set them to prove near the fire half an hour ; bake in a hot oven for ten minutes. Beverage, An Excellent. Put into a clean pan one gallon of water, one pound of sugar, half an ounce of hops, and one ounce of ginger roots ; boil these together two hours ; strain into a large pan, add about a pint of cold water to make up the gallon, as it will have reduced a little in boiling ; when it is about new-milk warm put into it two tablespoonfuls of fresh brewer’s yeast ; allow it to ferment twelve hours ; remove the yeast from the top, and put it into strong bottles ; tie in the corks tightly. It will then be effervescing and ready for use in twenty-four hours. Birds’ Nests. Take two fresh eggs; boil them ten minutes; put them into cold water ; remove the shells. Put into a basin three tablespoonfuls of bread crumbs, a very little salt and pepper, half an ounce of butter, a tablespoonful of parsley, picked, washed, dried, and finely chopped, the rind of half a lemon grated ; bind these all together with the yolk of an egg ; cover the eggs well with this ; press well with the hand until it is quite firm all round, then brush them over with a beaten egg ; toss well in bread crumbs. Have ready a pan of clarified fat on the fire ; when it is quite hot and a blue steam is seen to be rising from it, put in the eggs and fry them a golden colour. These may then be cut in half and placed end to end in the centre of a dish of English salad. Blackberry Jelly. Take four quarts of blackberries, freshly picked and dry. Put them into a preserving-pan with one quart of water ; boil gently for one hour. Pour the whole into a coarse calico jelly bag, fixed between two chairs ; let the juice run through. Do not squeeze it, or its clearness will be spoiled. Towards the last, a little pressure may be used, but the juice so expressed must not be mixed with the rest, but may be made into a jelly for immediate consumption. To each pint of the juice allow three-quarters of a pound of the- best and purest sugar. Boil the juice and sugar together, stirring gently with a wooden spoon. As the scum rises remove it, and when it has ceased to rise, increase the heat, and boil as fast as possible, still stirring, to prevent catching on the bottom of the pan. It is impossible to say exactly how long the jelly must be boiled. A certain amount of water must be evaporated, or it will not stiffen or keep. This depends upon the kind of pan that is used ; a broad, shallow pan is decidedly the best. Take a little up on a cold plate and cool it ; if it shows a moderate degree of stiffness, it is done, and should be poured into small pots and tied up at once. Boiled Fish.