White currants and strawberries, cherries, red or white raspberries, or a mixture of any of these fruits, may be used for these custards with good effect: they are excellent.
Currant-juice, 1 pint; sugar, 10 oz.: 3 minutes. Eggs, 8; cream, 1/2 pint; lemon-juice, 2 tablespoonsful.
QUINCE OR APPLE CUSTARDS.
Add to a pint of apple-juice prepared as for jelly, a tablespoonful of strained lemon-juice, and from four to six ounces of sugar according to the acidity of the fruit; stir these boiling, quickly, and in small portions, to eight well-beaten eggs, and thicken the custard in a jug placed in a pan of boiling water, in the usual manner. A larger proportion of lemon-juice and a high flavouring of a rind can be given when approved. For quince custards, which if well made are excellent, observe the same directions as for the apple, but omit the lemon-juice. As we have before observed, all custards are much finer when made with the yolks only of the eggs, of which the number must be increased nearly half, when this is done.
Prepared apple-juice (see page [456]), 1 pint; lemon-juice, 1 tablespoonful; sugar, 4 to 6 oz.; eggs, 8. Quince custards, same proportions, but no lemon-juice.
Obs.—In making lemon-creams the apple-juice may be substituted very advantageously for water, without varying the receipt in other respects.
THE DUKE’S CUSTARD.
Drain well from their juice, and then roll in dry sifted sugar, as many fine brandied Morella cherries as will cover thickly the bottom of the dish in which this is to be sent to table; arrange them in it, and pour over them from a pint to a pint and a half of rich cold boiled custard; garnish the edge with macaroons or Naples biscuits, or pile upon the custard some solid rose-coloured whipped cream, highly flavoured with brandy.
Brandied Morella cherries, 1/2 to whole pint; boiled custard, from 1 to 1-1/2 pint; thick cream, 1/2 pint or more; brandy, 1 to 2 glassesful; sugar, 2 to 3 oz.; juice of 1/2 large lemon; prepared cochineal, or carmine, 20 to 40 drops.