Soyer's standard cookery

INGREDIENTS. — To every quart of pumpkin, strained, allow six eggs, one-quarter pound of butter, one-half pint of sweet milk, one-half pound of white sugar, one tablespoonful of French brandy, one gill of Madeira or sherry, paste. METHOD. — Cut the pumpkin into large pieces; peel these, and put them into cold water over a very slow fire; simmer, without boiling, until every piece is tender, then strain through a colander, and afterwards through coarse muslin. To every quart of the pumpkin add the ingredients given above, the eggs previously beaten till thick and light, and the butter and sugar stirred to a cream. When well mixed, bake in a pie-dish lined and covered with paste. Puff Paste Rings with Jam. INGREDIENTS. — Puff paste trimmings, jam, white of egg, castor sugar. METHOD. — Roll the paste out to about a quarter of an inch in thickness, and stamp out an equal number of rounds two and a half and one and three-quarter inches in diameter. Brush the larger rounds over with white of egg; stamp out the center of the smaller rounds, thus forming them into rings, one of which must be pressed lightly on the top of each round of paste. Bake in a moderately hot oven, and when cold fill with jam. Queen's Pudding. INGREDIENTS. — Eight ounces of finely-chopped suet, four ounces of castor sugar, twelve bananas sliced, six eggs, two breakfast-cupfuls of wholemeal, two breakfast-cupfuls of boiling milk. METHOD. — Mix the suet, sugar, bananas and meal together, add the milk, and cover closely. Let the preparation stand for at least one hour, then add the eggs and a little more milk if at all stiff, and beat well. Turn into a buttered bowl, steam gently for about one hour, and serve with wine sauce. Raspberry Tartlets. INGREDIENTS. — Short paste, two pints of raspberries, one pound of loaf sugar, one-half pint of water, one glass of brandy (optional), desiccated cocoanut. METHOD. — Boil the sugar and water together until reduced to a syrup, add the raspberries, and cook gently for a few minutes. Drain, replace the syrup in the stewpan, boil rapidly until considerably reduced, then let it cool, and add the brandy. Line ten or twelve patty-pans with paste, fill them with rice, placed in buttered papers, and bake in a moderately hot oven until crisp. When cool, fill them with the prepared fruit, add an equal portion of syrup to each tartlet with cocoanut, and serve cold. Red Currant and Raspberry Tart. INGREDIENTS. — Three pints of red currants, one pint of raspberries, four or six tablespoonfuls of moist sugar, short crust. METHOD. — Strip the currants from the stalks, put half of them into a pie-dish with an inverted cup in the midst, add the sugar and raspberries, then the remainder of the currants, piling them rather high in the center. Cover with paste, brush lightly over with water, dredge well with castor sugar and bake for three-quarters of an hour in moderate oven. Rice Fritters. Take a pint of milk, five ounces of rice flour, an ounce of crushed macaroons, a quarter of a pound of sugar, and the grated rind of a lemon, and make into a batter. Stir well over the fire, add three beaten eggs, and let the whole cool. When nearly cold form the, batter into balls, roll them in breadcrumbs, and fry till a golden brown. Sprinkle thickly with powdered sugar before serving. Roly-Poly Pudding.