The housekeeper's guide to preserved meats, fruits, vegetables, &c

If the bottle be made too hot it will cause it to become cloudy. The best method for melting jelly is to place the bottle in tepid water and to have patience to let it dissolve very gradually. By this means considerable time is saved in setting the jelly when it is wanted for that purpose, and all danger of rendering it cloudy is avoided. Calves’-feet jelly is often given to invalids to drink warm, but care should always be taken not to heat it beyond the point at which it is required to be drank. In summer time, when fruit is ripe and plentiful, a nice mould of jelly can be formed by placing fruits — such as strawberries, raspberries, currants, etc. — in some jelly, and then turning the mould out when set with the fruit in it. Moulds of jolly, when turned out on to glass dishes, should be ornamented with cut lemon. When turned out on to silver dishes a piece of paper with an ornamental edge should be placed at the bottom of the dish. CAMBRIAN ESSENCE.— Smith's Cambrian Essence is a sort of concentrated pickle, used for giving the true West- phalian or smoked-wood flavour to all kinds of meat, whether hams, tongues, bacon, beef, or fish. It is generally admitted that this wood-smoked flavour is the most essential part of the process of curing hams. Thousands and thousands of sides of bacon are salted in America, but are sent over to Belfast to have that peculiar flavour imparted to them which makes Irish bacon so popular. This essence must be used in addition to the salt. It contributes to preserve articles from decay, and it further has the advantage of preventing their liability to become rusty or to lose in weight, as they do when cured by the ordinary method. The essence may be applied in two ways. If the mode of curing be on the wet principle it should be cautiously added according to taste, or about two tablespoonfuls of pickle for a moderate-sized ham. Tongues require a little more, in proportion to the size. If the dry mode of curing is adopted the essence should be poured on or brushed over the surface of the meat after the salting is finished. Two or three Such applications will be found sufficient to impart the requisite flavour. Hams and tongues and fish, especially those which are intended to be kept some time, should be once or twice carefully brushed over the surface with this essence before hanging them to dry. This will preserve them from flies, and also preserve the flavour of well-smoked meat. In all cases meat intended to be kept should be hung up to dry for one or two months at least. When this is done it will be found to improve by keeping. CANDIED FRUITS. — See Fruits, Candied. CAPERS.— Capers are an extremely useful pickle, much used in cookery. They differ somewhat both in kind and price. The French nonpareil capers are usually considered to be the best. The most common form in which capers are used is that of caper sauce for boiled mutton, though many persons, with boiled mutton, prefer capers whole. This latter is the most economical form of serving them with meat, as a few can be turned into a small dish with a little of the vinegar, and those not eaten can be put back. Caper sauce is a mixture of chopped capers and melted butter. It will be too often found that