1. White Icing. — Sixteen units ground white sugar sifted through
fine muslin, 4 units white of egg, and | unit of lemon-juice. Put
the whites and sugar in a bowl, and beat with a wooden spoon till
white ; add the lemon-juice by degrees. For ornamentation 1 unit
of arrowroot may be added, and the sugar may be slightly in-
creased. If icing is put' on when the cake comes out of the oven,
it will be firm when it is cold.
2. Almond Icing. — Eight units almonds, 8 units white sugar,
2 units white of egg, orange-flower water. Pound, hut be careful
not to oil. Put on with a knife dipped in water.
3. Blitter Icing. — Take 8 units of very good fresh butter, beat
to a cream, and dredge in enough finely-powdered white sugar to
make it quite a stiff paste. Add any flavouring liked, and colour
if desired✪ Blitter Icing. Allow it to set a little, then with- a biscuit-forcer cover
your cake with it in fancy designs. It will never get quite hard,
and must be kept in a cool place.
4. Butter-Scotch. — Twenty-four units sugar, 2 of butter, ^ cream
of tartai', and 3 of watei'. Put in a degchi, and let it boil ten
minutes. To see if it is done, dip a spoon in cold water, put it
in the degchi, and then back into the cold water ; if done, it will
harden in a minute. Rutter a dish, and pour the mixture on it,
and, when nearly cold, mark into squares with a sharp knife.
5. Burnt Almonds. — Eight units of No. 3 Shahjehanpur sugar
or cli.ini, 4 of milk. Melt over a slow fire, and add 4 units baked
almonds, well browned in the oven, stirring with a bamboo twig
whisk. Tlie sugar should adhere to the almonds, and get quite dry.
(). Caramel. — Place any quantity of sugar in a cojiper degchi,
and put over a slow fire, stirring rapidly and evenly. It will first
granulate, then get lumpy, then sticky, and finally melt a greyish,
muddy colour ; then get clear, and of a light brown, like syrup.
Thin is caramel. Half a minute later it will I)e burnt sugar, only
334
The Indian Housekeeper and Cook 335
fit for browning sauces. Place the pan of caramel in another of
boiling water to prevent its cooling too rapidly, as it is impossible
to heat it again once it hardens. Use it to mask bonbons of all
sorts ; or when partially cooled, to make network baskets by stretch-
ing it in strings over oiled moulds. The moulds for caramel should
always be hot.
7. Candied Orange Flowers.— Two units of the white petals
only. Make a syrup of 16 units of sugar and 10 of water. Pour it
boiling hot over the flowers, strain ; after half-an-hour boil down till
little pearl bubbles begin to rise, pour over again, and strain after
five minutes ; add finely-sifted sugar to the flowers until they separate
and the syrup dries. Put in the sun for a few hours. ✪ Butter-Scotch
Page 233 · 3 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1898. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
1. White Icing. — Sixteen units ground white sugar sifted through fine muslin, 4 units white of egg, and | unit of lemon-juice. Put the whites and sugar in a bowl, and beat with a wooden spoon till white ; add the lemon-juice by degrees. For ornamentation 1 unit of arrowroot may be added, and the sugar may be slightly increased. If icing is put' on when the cake comes out of the oven, it will be firm when it is cold.
2. Almond Icing. — Eight units almonds, 8 units white sugar, 2 units white of egg, orange-flower water. Pound, hut be careful not to oil. Put on with a knife dipped in water.
3. Butter Icing. — Take 8 units of very good fresh butter, beat to a cream, and dredge in enough finely-powdered white sugar to make it quite a stiff paste. Add any flavouring liked, and colour if desired. Allow it to set a little, then with- a biscuit-forcer cover your cake with it in fancy designs. It will never get quite hard, and must be kept in a cool place.
4. Butter-Scotch. — Twenty-four units sugar, 2 of butter, ^ cream of tartar, and 3 of watei'. Put in a degchi, and let it boil ten minutes. To see if it is done, dip a spoon in cold water, put it in the degchi, and then back into the cold water ; if done, it will harden in a minute. Butter a dish, and pour the mixture on it, and, when nearly cold, mark into squares with a sharp knife.
5. Burnt Almonds. — Eight units of No. 3 Shahjehanpur sugar or chini, 4 of milk. Melt over a slow fire, and add 4 units baked almonds, well browned in the oven, stirring with a bamboo twig whisk. The sugar should adhere to the almonds, and get quite dry.
(). Caramel. — Place any quantity of sugar in a copper degchi, and put over a slow fire, stirring rapidly and evenly. It will first granulate, then get lumpy, then sticky, and finally melt a greyish, muddy colour ; then get clear, and of a light brown, like syrup. This is caramel. Half a minute later it will be burnt sugar, only
The Indian Housekeeper and Cook 335
fit for browning sauces. Place the pan of caramel in another of boiling water to prevent its cooling too rapidly, as it is impossible to heat it again once it hardens. Use it to mask bonbons of all sorts ; or when partially cooled, to make network baskets by stretching it in strings over oiled moulds. The moulds for caramel should always be hot.
7. Candied Orange Flowers.— Two units of the white petals only. Make a syrup of 16 units of sugar and 10 of water. Pour it boiling hot over the flowers, strain ; after half-an-hour boil down till little pearl bubbles begin to rise, pour over again, and strain after five minutes ; add finely-sifted sugar to the flowers until they separate and the syrup dries. Put in the sun for a few hours.
Records on this page
Blitter IcingButter-ScotchBurnt Almonds