Take one tea-cup full of Carrageen, or Irish moss, after it has been carefully picked over. Wash it thoroughly in pearlash water, to take out the saline taste; then rinse it in several waters, put it in a tin pail, and pour to it a quart of milk. Set the pail, closely covered, into a kettle of boiling water. Let it stand until the moss thickens the milk, then strain through a fine sieve, sweeten with powdered loaf sugar, and flavor with rose or lemon. Wet the moulds in cold water, then pour in the blanc mange, and set it in a cool place. In two, or three hours, or when quite firm, it may be used. Loosen the edges from the moulds, and then turn it out upon china or glass plates. It may be served with powdered sugar and cream.
A Dish of Snow.
Grate the white part of cocoanut, put it in a glass dish and serve with currant or cranberry jellies.
To Clarify Sugar.
Take four pounds of sugar, and break it up.
Whisk the white of an egg, and put it with a tumblerful of water into a preserving pan, and add water gradually, till you have two quarts, stirring well. When there is a good frothing, throw in the sugar, boil moderately, and skim it. If the sugar rises to run over, throw in a little cold water, and then skim it, as it is then still. Repeat this, and when no more scum rises, strain the sugar for use.
To Prepare Sugar for Candies.
Put a coffee cup of water for each pound of sugar, into a brass, or copper kettle, over a slow fire. Put in, for each pound, say half a sheet of isinglass, and half a teaspoonful of gum-arabic, dissolved together. Skim off all impurities, and flavor to your taste.
All sugar for candy is prepared thus, and then boiled till, when drawn into strings and cooled, it snaps like glass.
A little hot rum, or vinegar, must be put to loaf sugar candy, to prevent its being too brittle.