VINTAGE RECIPES

[Welland Telegraph September 1900]

Quince Butter

Pare and core the fruit, cook it up rather fine, cover with water and cook until tender. At the same time in another kettle simmer the cores and skins in just enough water to keep them from burning. When cooked quite soft, strain off the liquor from the cores and skins and add it to the fruit. Allow 3-4 pound of sugar to each pound of the quince. Boil the whole stirring constantly, until it is smooth and firm. Then put in jars and seal. Keep in a cool dry place.

Rub the fruit with a cloth until perfectly smooth, cut in small pieces and pack tight in a kettle, cover with cold water, and boil until tender. Pour the fruit in a three-cornered jelly bag and hang up to drain.
To a pint of juice allow a pint of sugar and boil 15 minutes or until it will jelly. Pour into jelly tumblers, let stand for 24 hours, then cover. One-third apple juice may be added. If quinces are scarce an excellent jelly may be made from the parings and cores alone, proceeding exactly the same as if the entire fruit were used.

Peel, core and quarter the quinces, weigh them and put into a preserving kettle with only enough water to prevent their burning, cover and let them cook over the back of the fire about twenty minutes. Into another kettle put for eight pounds of fruit four pounds of sugar, one ounce of stick cinnamon,half an ounce of whole cloves and one quart of vinegar.When this liquid is boiling turn in the quinces and let them cook until tender, but retain their shape. Skim out the fruit and put into a jar;the boil the liquid down to a rich syrup and pour over them.

Mash very fine the cold yokes of three hard-boiled eggs and rub with them a coffee cupful of finely grated cheese, a teaspoonful of mustard, a saltspoonful of salt and one-half as much white pepper. When all are well mixed add two tablespoonfuls each of oil and vinegar, alternately. Heap this upon fresh lettuce and garnish with the whites of eggs cut into rings, and a few tips of celery. Serve with hot buttered crackers.

Scald and peel three large, smooth tomatoes. Cut them in halves, scoop out the seeds and juice without breaking the pulp. Scald the juice enough to strain out the seeds. To the juice add add sugar to taste and mix with it as much boiled rice as it will absorb; add salt and a little butter. Fill the tomatoes with the mixture. Place each half tomato on a round of buttered bread. Put them in a shallow pan and bake ten minutes or until bread is browned.

Make three pints of plain lemon gelatine jelly and place in mould with low centre and set away to harden.
Pare, quarter and cut into eights full ripe peaches to fill the centre mould. Slice half the kernels simmer them in a little water, strain the liquid, make a rich syrup with it, and when cold, pour it over the fruit. When ready to serve, turn the jelly out on a dish, fill the cavity with the prepared fruit, heap whipped cream over the top, sprinkle with sliced blanched almonds, and serve with any delicate white cake.

Eight pounds of grapes, mashed and cooked enough to strain out the seeds and skins. Rub all the pulp through. Then add 4 pounds sugar, 1 quart vinegar, 1 tablespoon each of cinnamon and allspice, and 2 teaspoons of cloves. Simmer three hours.

One quart of very rich cream, two or three days old, a pinch of fine powdered gum arabie. Put them into an earthen bowl which you have surrounded with broken ice and a handful of salt; whip the cream hard and long until it is smooth as velvet, then add a little powdered sugar, whipping it in gradually; then put it into a wicker basket. It should be heartshaped and lined with a coarse linen cloth. Place this in a deep earthenware dish, being careful to put little pieces of wood an inch thick under the painer de fromage so as to raise it a little, put the earthenware dish in the refrigerator; when ready to serve, turn out the fromage on a deep dish, smother with fresh cream and serve.