FoodNetArchive

Cassell's dictionary of cookery

1892

Page 2212 · 2 recipe records on this page

Presented as published in 1892. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
Verder, or Milk Punch.— Pub the rind of half a dozen lemons and as many oranges with lumps of sugar tiU the yellow part is taken off. Pare off very thialy what cannot be rubbed into the sugar, and soak this in a bottle of rum or brandy for two days. Be careful not to take any of the white part of the lemon, as this would make the punch bitter. Strain the spirit, put with it the juice of the lemons, which has been squeezed upon two pounds of sugar (in- cluding the Imnps upon which the lemons were rubbed), four quarts of water, and a pint of boihng-hot milk. Run the preparation through a jelly-bag, and keep it in a stone jar, closely ^ corked, for six weeks. This beverage is not much used nowadays. Verder, or Milk Punch, quickly- made.— Sweeten a small tea-cupful of hot milk, and add it, with a glassful of brandy, to a quart of lemonadeVerder, or Milk Punch. Strain through a jeUy- bag, and it wiU be fit for use. Verjuice. — Verjuice, or the juice of green fruits, is an acid liquor expressed from crabs, sour grapes, and unripe gooseberries, and used in sauces or ragouts as a substitute for lemon- juice; indeed, for some dishes experienced cooks prefer verjuice to lemon-acid. To pre- pare, it from unripe grapes, gather the grapes while they are transparent, and extract the juice from them by a wine or cider press, or by pressing them in a cloth. Filter it re- 1 i VEB, ( 1087 ) VER peatedly till it is clear. Bottle it, and expose it to the sun, uncorked, for six or seven days. The liquor will ferment, and the bottles must be filled up every morning. To preserve it, an ounce of salt should be added to each pint of juice, and it should be kept in well-closed bottles. Gooseberry verjuice is much used in Trance. It is sweetened and coloured, and sold as " Syrup do Groseilles." It is made just like grape verjuice. When crab-apples are made use of for tliis purpose, they must be gathered fully ripe, then piled in a heap, and left for a few days to sweat before the juice is expressed from them. All decayed apples must of course be discarded. As verjuice is very liable to undergo decomposition, the vessels in which it is to be preserved should be sulphured before it is put into them. To do this, introduce into the jars a burning match that has been dipped in melted sulphur, fill the bottles while they are full of the smoke, and cork instantly and very securely. Vermicelli. — Vermicelli is a preparation of wheaten flour, of a substance similar to macaroni, the difference between them being that the latter is made in larger tubes. It is in the form of long threads, and derives its name from its worm-like appearance, as vermi- celli means little worms. It is of Italian origin, and with macaroni forms the principal food of the people in Italy. It is used amongst us in soups and broths, and fer making puddings, &c. Vermicelli (a la Reine). — Blanch the ver- micelli in boiling water, drain it, and throw it into some rich consomme well seasoned. When done, a short time before serving thicken it with the yolks of eight eggs mixed with creamVermicelli (a la Reine), and pour the vermicelli into the tureen for fear the thickening should get too much done, which would be the case if it remained on the comer of the stove.