Jelly (food)

“ Cook the fruit till tender in a little water; throw off the water, bruise and strain the fruit, and to each pint of the juice add one pound of white sugar. Put it now in a preserving-pan, and boil it rapidly, but do not stir it while boiling, as that breaks the jelly; skim it carefully, and when it jellies, pour it into tumblers or small jars. I have made two pecks of berries into jelly in two hours. This is said for the benefit of young housekeepers who often boil their jelly too slowly and too long, which makes it ropy. ”

“ Cold chickens, pigeons, and game, look very handsome in jelly. To make this jelly, take four calves-feet (with the skin on) and boil them to a strong jelly with an ounce of isinglass and three quarts of water, carefully skimming off the fat. The calves-feet must be boiled the day before the jelly is wanted, and when it is cold scrape off all the sediment that adheres to it. Then boil the jelly with the addition of the whites and shells of six eggs, the juice of three lemons, three or four sticks of cinnamon, half a pound of loaf-sugar, and a pint of Malaga or other sweet wine. ”

“ Sometimes ladies complain that, for some inexplicable reason, they cannot make their currant jelly harden. The true reason was doubtless this,—that while making it, it was suffered to stop boiling for a few minutes. Let it boil gently but steadily, until by taking a little of it into a cold silver spoon, you perceive that it quickly hardens around the edges. A practised eye will readily judge by the movement of the liquid as it boils. Put jelly in little jars, cups, or tumblers; when it is cold, paste paper over the top and brush it over with white of egg. ”

“ The juice, like red currant juice, can be boiled with a large quantity of white sugar till the jelly sets of its own accord; in this case we should require one pound of sugar to every pint of juice, and the result would be a blackberry jelly like red currant jelly, more like a preserve than the jelly we are accustomed to eat at dinner alone. For instance, no one would care to eat a quantity of red currant jelly like we should ordinary orange or lemon jelly—it would be too sickly ”

“ The fruit used in the making of jelly determines to a great extent the color of the finished product, but it is possible to have a very wide difference in the colors of jelly made from the same fruit. To be right, jelly should be clear, bright, and not too dark. If the juice is boiled too long, the jelly will be darker than it should be. If pulp has been allowed to pass through the jelly bag in straining out the juice, either through squeezing the bag or using a bag that is too thin, the jelly will be found to have a cloudy appearance. ”

“ It may assist in making soup.
(2) Any liquid may be used to dissolve this substance to make a plain jelly. Examples: coffee jelly, tomato jelly, wine jelly.
(3) Plain jelly may be varied as follows:
Allow the plain jelly mixture to cool until it is as thick as cream, and then beat in whipped egg-white, or fruit, or chopped vegetables, and set away until firm. Examples: snow pudding, orange charlotte, vegetable salad.
(4) Strain off the juice from a can of fruit, heat it, and use it for dissolving the gelatine. When almost set, add the fruit, and set away to become firm. ”

“ Too much boiling, or too slow boiling, injures jelly and makes it ropy. Too much sugar will cause jelly to grain; the quantity used must be in accordance with the requirements of the fruit, acid fruit requiring more sugar and dead ripe fruit less. Red currants take more sugar than black currants; they also take more time to boil to a jelly. A little practice and a few mistakes will make anyone who takes pleasure in cooking a good jelly-maker and preserver. ”

“ When it is perfectly congealed, dip the mould for an instant in boiling water to loosen the jelly. Turn it out on a glass dish.
This quantity of ingredients will make a quart of jelly when finished. In cool weather it may be made a day or two before it is wanted.
You may increase the seasoning, (that is, the wine, lemon, and cinnamon,) according to your taste, but less than the above proportion will not be sufficient to flavour the jelly.
BLANCMANGE
Four calf's-feet. ”

“ Aspic.—Make a savoury jelly with 2-3 lb. knuckle of veal, an oxfoot, some lean bacon, carrots, onions, shallots, a faggot of herbs, spices, pepper, and salt, and 2 qt. water; stew till quite strong, strain, when cold remove all fat, and clear with the whites of 2 or 3 eggs, and a glass of sherry; strain through a jelly bag, and when nearly set pour a little into a jelly mould, put a layer of cooked prawns, another layer of jelly and so on, filling up the mould with alternate layers of jelly and prawns ”

“ Strawberry jelly should have a little lemon-juice added [461] to that of the fruit. Both it and blackberry, and very ripe raspberry jelly, are apt to be less firm than that made from more tart fruits; still, do not boil it. Set it in the sun, as I have directed at the beginning of the section upon preserves and fruit jellies, filling one cup from another as the contents shrink. The sun will boil it down with less waste, and less injury to color and taste, than the fire will. Cooking jelly always darkens it. ”

“ If convenient, put it in ice until required for table, then wring a cloth in boiling water, wrap it round the mould for a minute, and turn the jelly carefully out. Peaches, apricots, plums, apples, &c., are better for being boiled in a little clear syrup before they are laid in the jelly; strawberries, raspberries, grapes, cherries, and currants are put in raw. In winter, when fresh fruits are not obtainable, a very pretty jelly may be made with preserved fruits or brandy cherries: these, in a bright and clear jelly, have a very pretty effect ”

“ For [182] the inexperienced jelly maker the safe rule is to confine jelly making to the fruits which are ideal for the purpose. These include currants, sour apples, crab-apples, under-ripe grapes, quinces, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, wild cherries, and green gooseberries. These contain pectin and acid in sufficient quantities.
In making jelly without the alcohol test, with the juice of currants and under-ripe grapes use 1 cup of sugar to 1 cup of juice. ”

“ Observe, feet for all jellies are boiled so long by the people who sell them, that the nutritious juices are lessened; they should be only scalded to take off the hair. The liquor will require greater care in removing the fat; but the jelly will be far stronger, and, of course, allow more water. ”

“ The quart should make two moulds of jelly. A good jelly will keep for some time, and is often most useful for an invalid.
An aspic of game or poultry makes an excellent luncheon dish, and will prove an easy and dainty way of serving up the remains of cold poultry, etc.
Pour some ready-made aspic jelly into the bottom of a plain round mould which has been wetted with cold water. Next make a layer of stars and diamonds from the white and yellow of a hard-boiled egg, a few fine sprigs of parsley, and the red part of a cold tongue here and there. ”

“ Cook the fruit only until the skin is broken and pulp softened. Strain without squeezing for jelly, and use the last juice you squeeze out for jam. Measure the juice and boil uncovered, skimming off. For sweet fruits 3/4 of a pound of sugar is enough to a pint of juice. Heat the sugar in the oven, add to the boiling juice; stir till dissolved. When it boils up, draw to the back of the stove. Scald the jelly glasses, fill and let stand in a clean, cool place till next day; then cover. Blackberries make jelly of a delicious flavor and jelly easily when a little underripe. ”

“ Mash and drain through cheese-cloth or coarse sieve. It makes the jelly cloudy to squeeze the apples. Now allow juice to drip through a jelly bag or through two thicknesses of cheese-cloth, boil twenty minutes and add equal quantity of sugar, boil five minutes, skim and turn in glasses. Let the glasses stand in a sunny window twenty-four hours. A sprig of rose geranium dropped in syrup while it is boiling the last time will give the jelly a delicious and unusual flavor. ”

“ A wholesome jelly may be obtained by boiling a large portion of blanched oats, with some harts-horn shavings and currants, together with a leg of veal cut to pieces, and the bones of which are broken. These ingredients are to be boiled or stewed over the fire, in a sufficient quantity of water, till the whole be reduced to a kind of jelly, which, when strained, and suffered to grow cold, will become firm and elastic. ”

“ The present product of this manufactory is from 1,500 to 1,800 pounds of jelly each day of ten hours. It is calculated that improvements now in progress will increase this to something more than a ton per day. Each bushel of fruit will produce from four to five pounds of jelly, fruit ripening late in the season being more productive than earlier varieties. Crab apples produce the finest jelly; sour, crabbed, natural fruit makes the best looking article, and a mixture of all varieties gives most satisfactory results as to flavor and general quality. ”

“ Every sort of dish requires good sauce, and for every sauce it is absolutely necessary to have a good meat jelly. The following may be depended upon as being excellent: a shin of beef, about eight pounds, rather more than less; a knuckle of veal, about nine pounds; a neck of mutton, about nine pounds; two fowls; four calves’ feet: carefully cut off all fat whatever, and stew over a stove as slowly as possible, till the juice is entirely extracted. This will produce about seven quarts of jelly. No pepper, salt, or herbs of any kind. ”

“ Heap neatly about the base of the moulded custard, like snow-drifts. If you like, you may dot this with minute bits of currant jelly.
This is a pleasing dish to the eye and taste, [417]
Floating Island. ✠ 1 quart of milk. 5 eggs—whites and yolks beaten separately. 4 tablespoonfuls (heaping) white sugar. 2 teaspoonfuls extract bitter almond or vanilla. 1⁄2 cup currant jelly.
Beat the yolks well, stir in the sugar, and add the hot, not boiling milk, a little at a time. Boil until it begins to thicken. When cool, flavor and pour into a glass dish, first stirring it up well. ”

“ To be satisfactory, jelly must be made from fruit juice containing pectin and acid. Pectin is a substance in the fruit which is soluble in hot water and which, when cooked with sugar and acid, gives, after cooling, the right consistency to jelly.
Fruits to be used should be sound, just ripe or slightly under-ripe, and gathered but a short time. Wash them, remove stems and cut large fruits into pieces. With juicy fruits add just enough water to prevent burning while cooking. In using fruits which are not juicy cover them with water. Cook slowly until the fruits are soft. ”

“ Make some aspic jelly with gelatine, tarragon vinegar, and a little sherry. Color one portion with paprika or coralline, pepper; a second part with the sieved yolks of two hard-boiled eggs, and the remainder with rinsed pickled walnuts, also passed through a wire sieve. Pour the red jelly into a small mold with straight sides; when it is almost set pour in the yellow aspic, and when that is cold pour in the black. When the jelly is quite cold, turn it out, slice it, and cut it into pieces of suitable size. If you make too much aspic it can decorate any cold dish or salad. ”

“ Cut the foot into 3 pieces, put them in a saucepan and add the cold water, simmer gently 8 hours then strain into a basin. When the jelly is cold, carefully skim off the fat, dip a clean cloth into boiling water, and wipe any remaining fat off the surface with the cloth. Melt the jelly in a saucepan, then add the sugar, lemon-juice, and rind, whites of eggs well beaten, the shells and spice. ”

“ A little sherry and sugar may be added. For infants, a drop or two of the essence of caraway seed or cinnamon is preferable.
2131. An Excellent Jelly
(
For the Sick room.
) —Take rice, sago, pearl-barley, hartshorn shavings, each one ounce; simmer with three pints of water to one, and strain it. When cold, it will be a jelly, which give, dissolved in wine, milk, or broth, in change with the other nourishment.
2132. Calves' Feet Jelly
It is better to buy the feet of the butcher, than at the tripe-shop ready boiled, because the best portion of the jelly has been extracted. ”

“ In the recipes which I give hereafter I have made a point of showing how melting jellies may be obtained, i.e., served in a sauce-boat simultaneously with the cold comestible, or actually poured over it when the latter lies in a deep dish—a common custom nowadays.
This method of serving cold entrées, which I inaugurated at the Savoy Hotel with the “Suprême de Volaille Jeannette,” is the only one which allows of serving a jelly in a state of absolute perfection. ”

“ If wanted sweet, 1 lb. sugar must be allowed for each boiling. (Bessie Tremaine.)
Danish Jelly.—Take 3⁄4 pint claret, 1⁄2 pint sherry (Marsala is best) , 1⁄2 pint brandy, 6 oz. loaf sugar, 1⁄2 pint cherry juice, the juice and peel of 1 lemon, 11⁄2 oz. gelatine. Mix all these ingredients together; boil, and strain them into a mould. The gelatine should be put to soak the night before in a very little cold water. This jelly must not boil quickly, else it will spoil the colour. Let it cool before putting it into the mould. Serve with a rich custard flavoured with vanilla round it. ”

“ As jelly is considered more wholesome when not colored by any foreign substance, no directions will be given in the subsequent pages for coloring it. The palest amber jelly, clear and sparkling, flavored only by the grated rind and juice of a lemon 418 and pale Madeira or sherry wine, is not only the most beautiful, but the most palatable jelly that can be made. ”