The Complete Confectioner (1800)/Conserves

CONSERVES.

To make Violet Conserve.

Take any quantity of violets, which pick carefully leaf by leaf from their stalk, put them in a little mortar and pound them well, take them out with a card and put them in a saucer; then take a little clarified sugar, boil it to a high degree, take it off from the fire, add your violets to it, and stir it well with a spoon, but not to dissolve it; grating of it very fine will answer the same purpose.

To make Lemon and Orange Conserve.

Take a lemon or an orange, grate the rind with a tin grater, put the powder in a saucer, squeeze the juice of the fruit over it, mix it well together with a spoon, then boil some sugar very high, because what you put in it is a liquor, since it is the juice and the grating of the fruit mixt together lowers the sugar, which requires the sugar to be boiled a little higher for this sort of conserve than for the others: when your sugar is boiled to the proper height mix it in your composition, and proceed on just the same as directed for the other conserves.

To make White Lemon Conserve.

Boil a pound of the finest sugar, but no so high as before; take it off the fire, and squeeze the juice of a lemon in it, at different times, stirring continually; it will make the sugar as white as milk, if properly done; take care not to drop any of the seeds in it; work it well together, and pour it in the moulds, when it is mixed of an equal substance, which prove by pouring some with a spoon, as any other jelly.

To make Pomegranate Conserve.

Take a good large ripe pomegranate of a fine colour, seed it one after another; then squeeze it in a linen cloth, to get the juice, which boil, and reduce a half; put it to a pound of sugar, refined as for violet conserve; when it is half cold, work it well together and dress it in the moulds as usual.

To make Conserve of Hips.

Gather your hips before they grow soft, cut off the heads and stalks, split them in half, and take out all the seeds and white; put them in an earthen pan, stir them every day lest grow mouldy, and let them stand till they are soft enough to rub through a coarse hair sieve; they are a dry berry and rub through with some difficulty; add to them their weight in sugar, and mix them well together without boiling, keeping it in gallypots for use.

To make Conserve of Red Roses.

Take red rose buds, bruise them in a marble mortar, adding by degrees fine powder sugar sifted, to the quantity of three pounds; beat them till no particles arise, and till the whole becomes a firm and solid mixture.

To make Conserve of Oranges Peel.

Take the clear rind of oranges, steep them in water of a moderate heat till they are tender; then strain the water from them, pound them in a marble-mortar, and strain them through sieve; then bring the pulp to a proper consistence over a gentle fire, and add to it thrice its quantity of sugar, and let it be reduced into a conserve by beating it in a mortar.

To make Conserve of Quinces.

Pare the quinces, take out the cores and seeds, then cut them into small pieces, boil them till they are soft; to eight pounds of quinces put in six pounds of sugar, boil them to a consistence.

To make Conserve of Red Roses, or any other Flowers.

Take rose buds, or any other flowers, and pick them; cut off the white part from the red, and take the red flowers and sift them through a sieve, to get out the seeds; then weigh them, and to every pound of flowers take two pounds and a half of loaf sugar; beat the flowers pretty fine in a stone mortar, then by degrees put the sugar to them, and beat it till it is well incorporated together; then put it into gallipots, tie it over with paper, an over that a leather, and it will keep seven years.

To make Conserve of Cherries.

Stone your cherries, and boil them a moment, sift them, and reduce the juice on a slow fire till it comes to a pretty thick marmalade; add the proportion of a pound to a pound of sugar.