Soyer's standard cookery

Pfeffernusse. Mix together the grated rind of a lemon, a teaspoonful of cinnamon, half a spoonful of ground cloves, one grated nutmeg, about three ounces of citron very finely minced, and a teaspoonful of baking-powder. Now blend thoroughly with one pound of sifted flour and work in four whipped eggs and one pound of castor sugar. Make this into small balls and place them in a buttered baking-dish not too close together, as they should swell considerably in the cooking. Bake them carefully in a slow oven. Picatostes. Cut some slices of stale bread into strips about the thickness of a finger. Soak in water, and after draining for a moment place in a cooking pot, cover, and heat until the slices swell up. Then fry them in oil or other 'fat. These are usually eaten with butter. Cossack Plum Pudding. One pound of flour, three-quarters of a pound of stoned raisins, three-quarters of a pound of fat of salt pork (well washed and cut into small dices or chopped), two tablespoonfuls of sugar or treacle, add one-half pint of water, mix all together, put into a cloth tied tightly. Boil for four hours and serve. If time will not admit, boil only for two hours. How to spoil the above. Add anything to it. Plum Pudding. INGREDIENTS. — Twelve ounces of flour, twelve ounces of breadcrumbs, twelve ounces of finely-chopped suet, twelve ounces of moist sugar, twelve ounces of raisins, halved and stoned, twelve ounces of currants, washed and dried, two heaped teaspoonfuls of baking-powder, two saltspoonfuls of salt, one saltspoonful of ground mace, one saltspoonful of grated nutmeg, about one pint of milk. METHOD. — Mix all the dry ingredients well together, add sufficient milk into a very stiff batter, and turn into a wellgreased bowl. Boil for six hours, or steam for at least seven hours. Pound Pudding. INGREDIENTS. — Two pounds of finely-chopped suet, two pounds of currants, cleaned, two pounds of raisins, stoned, one pound of breadcrumbs, one pound of flour, four ounces of shredded mixed peel, two teaspoonfuls of ground ginger, one grated nutmeg, one pint of milk, eight eggs. METHOD. — Mix all the ingredients well together, and add a little more milk if necessary. Turn into a well-buttered mold and boil for three and a half to four hours. Polish Tartlets. INGREDIENTS. — Puff paste trimmings, raspberry and apricot jam, chopped pistachios, grated cocoanut. METHOD. — Roll the paste out thinly, cut it into two and a half inch squares, moisten each corner, fold them over to meet in the center, and cover the joint with a small round of paste. Bake in a moderately hot oven for about fifteen minutes. When cold place a little jam at each corner, and sprinkle cocoanut on the raspberry jam, and a little finely-grated pistachio nut on the apricot jam. Prune Tarts. INGREDIENTS. — One and a half pounds of prunes, two tablespoonfuls of cranberry juice, sugar to taste, short paste. METHOD. — Scald the prunes, remove the stones, and take out the kernels; put the fruit and kernels into the cranberry juice, and add the sugar; simmer for ten minutes, when cold make the tarts. Any stone fruit can be cooked in the same way. Pumpkin Pie.