SNOW CREAM.—Take a large pint of very rich cream, and half a pound of the best loaf-sugar, powdered. Rub off, on a lump of sugar, the yellow rind of three large lemons or oranges, (or, four or five, if small;) scraping it off the sugar with a teaspoon as you proceed, and transferring it to a saucer. Then powder this lump of sugar, and add it to the rest. Mix with the sugar the juice of the fruit, and the grated rind; and then mix the whole with two quarts of clean snow, in a broad pan. Set the pan into a tub, and pack it closely all round with coarse salt and snow; taking care that they do not quite reach to the edge of the pan, lest some of the salt should get in, and spoil the whole. While packed in the snow and salt, beat the mixture very hard till it is smooth and stiff. Then set it on ice; or in a very cold place, till wanted for use. Turn it out into a glass bowl.
This is a good and easy way of imitating ice-cream in families that are not provided with the regular apparatus of a freezer and moulds. The pint of cream must be very rich, and the flavouring very high. All flavouring loses much strength in freezing.
You may flavour it with vanilla, by boiling a vanilla bean in half a pint of milk, till the vanilla taste is well infused. Then strain the milk, and mix it with the cream. Or, instead of vanilla, you may boil in the milk a handful of shelled bitter almonds, or peach-kernels, to be afterwards strained out.
LEMON HONEY.—Take three large ripe lemons, (or four or five small ones,) and (having rolled them under your hand on a table, to increase the juice,) rub off on a piece of loaf-sugar the yellow rind or zest, scraping it up with a teaspoon as you proceed, and putting it aside on a saucer. Then squeeze the juice of the lemons through a strainer, upon a pound of loaf-sugar, (broken small or powdered,) and add the zest or grated rind. Cut up, among the sugar, a large quarter of a pound of the best fresh butter. Break six eggs into a shallow earthen pan, and beat them till as light as possible. Then mix in, gradually, the sugar and lemon, stirring all very hard. Put the whole into a porcelain-lined kettle; set it over a moderate fire that has no blaze, and (stirring it all the time) let it boil till it becomes of the consistence of very thick honey. If the weather is warm, you may add to its thickness by stirring in a table-spoonful of ground arrow-root, or of sifted flour. When done, put it warm into glass jars; cover them, closely, and seal the covers. It will keep in a cool dry place a month or more. If made in winter, it will continue good for two months.
ORANGE HONEY is made as above, except that you must have five or six oranges, all of the largest size, using the juice only and none of the rind. Orange peel will give it an unpleasant taste after it has been kept a few days.
RAISIN CURRANTS.—Strip as many ripe currants from the stems as will fill a quart measure when done. Put them into a porcelain-lined kettle; mash them, and add three quarters of a pound of sugar—brown will do. Prepare three quarters of a pound of the largest and best raisins, washed, drained, seeded, and cut in half. Or, use the small sultana or seedless raisins. When the currants and sugar have come to a boil, and been skimmed, mix in the raisins, gradually, and let them boil till quite soft; skimming the surface well; and after each skimming stir the whole down to the bottom of the kettle. When done, take it up in a deep dish, and set it to cool. This is a nice, plain dessert.