Harper's cook book encyclopædia

when the jelly is quite stiff it is ready for serving. Time, about one hour to stew the pears. Pears, Meringue of. — Pare, core, and halve a dozen pears, and stew them in syrup until they are sufficiently tender to be pierced easily with a needle ; put them into a deep tart-dish which they will almost fill, and boil the syrup quickly until it is so much reduced that, when poured over the pears, it will only half cover them. Beat the whites of four eggs to a solid froth. Stir into them four table-spoonfuls of powdered and sifted sugar, and spread the mixture evenly and smoothly over the fruit; put it at once into a moderate oven and bake until the crust is lightly colored and crisp even in the middle. Time to bake, half an hour. Pears with Rice. — Wash 6 ozs. of rice in two or three waters, put it into a saucepan with a quart of milk, some white sugar, and let it simmer gently for an hour. Add essence of vanilla, turn it upon a hot dish, and lay upon it four or five good baking pears which have been cored, halved, and stewed until quite tender with three pints of water, 4 ozs. of sugar, and a quarter of a stick of vanilla. Boil the syrup in which the pears were stewed very quickly for a few minutes to thicken it, and pour it over the rice. Serve either hot or cold. Time, one hour and a half or more to stew the pears. Pears, Stewed. — Pare, core, and halve eight or ten good-sized pears, leaving on the stalks or not, according to taste ; put them in a saucepan, with 6 ozs. of loaf sugar, six cloves, six whole allspice, three-quarters of a pint of water, and a glassful of port, and let them boil as gently as possible until they are quite soft without being broken. Lift them out, put them on a glass dish, and when the syrup is cold strain it over them. A little cream, or, failing this, a little custard, is a great improve- Pears Stewed in Butter FRUITS Pineapple Glace ment to this dish. Time to stew the pears, from two and a half to three hours. Pears Stewed in Butter. — Take half a dozen large baking pears, pare and core without breaking them, and fill the cavity in each with a clove crushed to powder, a little moist sugar, and a small lump of butter. Put them into a stewpan with the stalk ends uppermost, and pour over them 3 ozs. of clarified butter ; cover the saucepan closely, and let them stew gently until they are quite soft without being broken ; then lift them out carefully, fill the hollows with red -currant jelly, and arrange the pears on a dish, with the narrow parts meeting in the centre. Pile half a dozen macaroons which have been soaked in sherry in the centre of the fruit, pour the syrup round it, and serve. Time to stew the pears, about one hour. Pineapple (to cut for serving). — Pare a pineapple so that the fruit shall be wasted as little as possible, and in order to do this notch it in and out, and carefully remove all the specks and eyes. Pick the fruit from the core with a silver fork in pieces as large as a bean, and place the dish which contains it on ice until it is wanted. Sugar may be strewed over the fruit or not. It draws out the juice, which is not always desired.