The handy dictionary of cookery

Gather the fruit in dry weather ; pick it carefully. Put three-quarters of a pound of sugar in a basin to one pound of fruit ; leave it all night to draw out the juice. Place all in a clean preserving pan, which should not be more than three-quarters full. Bring slowly to the boil, stirring it very frequently with a wooden spoon; skim carefully. Strawberries and raspberries should then be boiled from twenty minutes to half an hour, according to the quantity and size of the pan ; rhubarb, gooseberries, plums, and black currants take about ten or fifteen minutes longer. When ready pour it into pots, and cover at once with tissue-paper, brushed over with white of egg. N'ote. — If the jam is to be used at once, less sugar may be used in preserving it. Jam Puffs. Make some flaky crust ; spread a thin layer over a baking tin, cover it with a layer of jam, wet it round the edges, and cover the jam with pastry. Mark round the edges, and across in squares. Bake in a quick oven ; cut it up and pile them high on a dish and serve. Jelly. Put into a saucepan one ounce of gelatine, three ounces of loaf sugar, the rind and juice of two lemons, one pint and a quarter of cold water, the whites and shells of two eggs. Whisk all over the fire till a stiff froth is formed on the top ; remove the whisk; boil it up twice, put on the lid, let it stand quite still twenty minutes, then strain it. Note. — It is the filter on the top which clears the jelly. Care must be taken not to break this or the jelly will not be clear. Jelly, Calves’ Foot. One foot makes one pint. Cut the foot down the hoof, then across to make three pieces. Put on in cold water, boil up well, theij throw away all the liquid. Wash the foot well, put it in a quart of cold .water; bring that to the boil ; boil slowly for five hours. Take a clean hair sieve, strain, put away the stock till next day. Remove the fat from the cold stock with a spoon ; take a clean cloth, damp with hot water, wash the top of stock to remove every bit of fat. Put the stock in a stewpan ; peel the rind of three lemons very thinly, squeeze them, and strain the juice of three lemons in three-quarters of a pound of loaf sugar ; about eight cloves, small piece of mace, a very little cinnamon. Put all these into the stock, also the whites of three eggs and shells (if clean) whisked a little together, with a teacupful of cold water. Whip all this lOO on the fire till it boils ; remove the whisk ; leave it to stand quite still twenty minutes. Prepare jelly bag. Run some clean hot water through it. Then strain all the jelly compound through till clear. The wine should be added- after straining, if it is needed. Note. — A clean kitchen towel is the best jelly bag to use. Jelly, Apple. Pare and core some fresh apples, slice them into a preserving pan, with enough water to cover them, boil till quite tender ; then strain off the juice through muslin ; to each pint of juice add three-quarters of a pound of loaf sugar, and boil again till it jellies. Test it by dropping a little on a cold plate. Jelly, Gooselberry.