A pound of the best raisins picked and washed, and boiled with the other ingredients, is thought by many persons greatly to improve the richness and flavour of calves' feet jelly. They must be put in whole, and can be afterwards used for a pudding.
Similar jelly may be made of pigs' or sheep's feet: but it is not so nice and delicate as that of calves.
By boiling two sets, or eight calves' feet in five quarts of water, you may be sure of having the jelly very firm. In damp weather it is sometimes very difficult to get it to congeal if you use but one set of feet; there is the same risk if the weather is hot. In winter it may be made several days before it is to be eaten. In summer it will keep in ice for two days; perhaps longer.
TO PRESERVE CREAM.—
Take four quarts of new cream; it must be of the richest quality, and have no milk mixed with it. Put it into a preserving kettle, and simmer it gently over the fire; carefully taking off whatever scum may rise to the top, till nothing more appears. Then stir, gradually, into it four pounds of double-refined loaf-sugar that has been finely powdered and sifted. Let the cream and sugar boil briskly together half an hour; skimming it, if necessary, and afterwards stirring it as long as it continues on the fire. Put it into small bottles; and when it is cold, cork it, and secure the corks with melted rosin. This cream, if properly prepared, will keep perfectly good during a long sea voyage.
ITALIAN CREAM.—
Put two pints of cream into two bowls. With one bowl mix six ounces of powdered loaf-sugar, the juice of two large lemons, and two glasses of white wine. Then add the other pint of cream, and stir the whole very hard. Boil two ounces of isinglass with four small tea-cups full of water, till it is reduced to one half. Then stir the isinglass lukewarm into the other ingredients, and put them into a glass dish to congeal.
CHOCOLATE CREAM.—
Melt six ounces of scraped chocolate and four ounces of white sugar in one pint of boiling milk. Stir in an ounce of dissolved isinglass. When the whole has boiled, pour it into a mould.