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

FRUITS, CRYSTALLISED.— Crystal- lised fruits are a very nice dish for dessert, and should always be arranged with due regard to colour. Green should as a rale be placed round the base, and the little chinks and crevices can be filled in with crystallised cherries. The fruit should always be arranged in a pyramid form. As in arranging flowers, it is impossible to give directions as to what colours go best together, as this is entirely a matter of taste. The colour green, however, should predominate, and crystallised almonds and green- gages are the best for this purpose. All kinds of crystallised fruits can be had — apricots, lemons, angelica, cherries, oranges, figs, greengages, ginger, pears, eaches, pineapples, raspberries, straw - erries, and a variety of other fruits not so well known. Crystallised fruits can also be used for making cabinet pudding of a very high-class character. Some stars made from sliced green almonds and cherries would be the best for the purpose. FRUITS IK SYRUP. — Fruits are pre- | served in syrup in tins. I think this is by far the nicest way of preserving fruits. Some of the best fruits preserved in J syrups are those known as Poncon’s I Lisbon Fruits, especially his apricots, peaches, and tomatoes. 'The following fruits preserved in syrup in bottles are supplied : — Apricots, peaches, pine- apples, currants, cherries, greengages, plums, pears, strawberries, raspberries, West Indian limes, and mixed fruits. Pineapples are also preserved whole in tins, and they are exceedingly delicious, and very far superior to any pineapples that can be obtained in this country, of course excepting those very expensive luxuries known as hot-house pines, which sometimes fetch as much as two or three guineas apiece. FRUITS, MIXED, IN NOYEAU OR BRANDY. — Mixed fruits are now sup- plied preserved in noyeau or brandy. These mixed fruits consist generally of greengages, apricots, cherries, almonds, green figs, pears, pineapples, and oranges. They form a most delicious dish for dessert. Housekeepers will invariably find that at any dinner-party this dish will as a rale require replen- ishing. It is a curious fact in connec- tion with these preserved fruits, that they vary considerably in their power of absorbing the spirit from the liquor. For instance, the cherries and pine- apple will be found to contain a far greater amount of spirit than the liquor j itself, or any of the other fruits. These fruits of course can be used for making I cabinet puddings, but they are so ex- j ceedingly delicious that I would strongly I recommend housekeepers to serve them as they are, and to let well alone. FRUITS, PONCON’S LISBON.— See Fruits in Syrup. FRUITS, COMPOTES OF, IN JELLY.— CompOtes of mixed fruits are also sup- plied in jelly. They are generally pre- served in round glasses tied over with a bladder. The jelly, when turned out, will form a very delicious sweet, or can be served in a glass dish for dessert. The compOte consists of fruits similar to those preserved in noyeau and brandy. (See Fruits, Mixed, in Noyeau or Brandy.) 57 HOUSEKEEPER'S GUIDE. FYZOOL'S CURRY PASTE. — See Curry.