The confectioner's and pastry-cook's guide, or, Confectionery made easy ...

Rub through a cane or mat sieve, with holes just small enough to prevent any of them going through whole, the same quantity of each, of red and white currants, as you intend to make into jelly; they must be as large and fine as you can get them, and quite ripe. Put them into a preserving pan over a brisk clear fire, and stir them from the bottom frequently with a wooden spoon. Let them get nearly boiling hot, and then strain the juice from them through a flannel bag. Measure the juice into the preserving pan, and to every pint put a pound of good loaf sugar; set it again on the fire, and as the scum rises, take it off. When it boils, it is apt to rise over, to prevent this, keep continually stirring it, and lifting some up with the spoon. Let it boil for a quarter of an hour, then try if it be done, by dropping a little in a cold plate; if it sets in a minute or two, it is done. Should it not set, it must be boiled longer; try again every minute or so, till it sets; then take it off the fire, and if any scum should remain on the top, skim it carefully off. Put it into pots or glasses, and let it stand till next day to cool; fill your glasses last, and just hold them in the steam for a minute, before you pour the jelly into them, which will prevent them from cracking. Next day, cut pieces of paper to the size of the insides of the pots and glasses, dip them in brandy, and put a piece on the jelly in each, so as to cover it all over; put another dry piece upon each; tie paper over the top, and keep them in a cool dry place. BLACK CURRANT JELLY. Your black currants must be quite ripe, and as large as you can get them. You need not pick them ofl the stalks, but put them as they are into a glazed earthenware pan; put them into the oven, with a cloth tied over the top, and let them remain there till they get soft, then rub them through a cane sieve, that will not let them pass through whole, and strain the juice fioni them with a fine hair or lawn sieve. Make some red currants nearly boiling hot, and strain the juice from them, as directed in making of Red Currant Jelly. Mix equal quantities of both sorts of juice, and to each pint of the mixture put a pound of good loaf-sugar. Then boil it in a preserving-pan that will hold at least double the quantity, for a quarter of an hour; try it a drop on a cold plate will set in about a minute, and when it will, put it in pots and glasses, and cover it over, when cold, as directed for Red Currant Jelly. BARBERRY JELLY. Get your barberries large and quite ripe, pick them from the stalks into a preserving pan, and to every pound of fruit put a pound of good loaf sugar, powdered. Put them over a clear fire to simmer, so as to get out the juice: stir them frequently, but do not let them boil, as that only wastes them. When reduced to a soft pulp, strain the juice from them through a fine hair or lawn sieve. Put the juice into the preserving pan, over a brisk fire, and as the scum rises, take it off; let it boil for about a quarter of an hour, then drop a little on a cold plate, and see in a minute or two if it has set; if it has, your jelly is done; if not, boil it a little more, and then try it again, till a drop on a cold plate will set in a minute or two.