TO PRESERVE GREEN GAGES.—Take gages that are perfectly ripe. Weigh them; and to each pound of fruit allow a pound of the best double-refined loaf-sugar, broken up. Put a layer of grape-leaves in the bottom and round the sides of your preserving-kettle. Then put in the gages, interspersing them thickly with vine-leaves, and covering them with a thick layer. Pour in just enough of water to keep them from burning. Set the kettle over the fire, cover it, and let it simmer slowly till the gages are well greened. Then take them out, and spread them on a large dish to cool. Afterwards prick them in several places with a needle. Having washed the kettle clean, put the sugar into it with a very little water,—about half a pint to each pound of sugar. Set it over the fire, and boil and skim it till no more scum rises. Then put in the gages, and boil them half an hour. When done, and cold, put them into glass jars, and pour the syrup over them. Paste paper closely down over the lids of the jars.
FINE BRANDY PEACHES.—Take large ripe free-stone peaches: the white ones are best for this purpose. Having rubbed off the wool with a clean flannel, put the peaches whole into boiling water, just to scald, but not to boil them. Having remained in about five minutes, take them out, and put them into cold water for an hour or more. After which, drain them in a sieve, and wipe them dry. While the peaches are cooling, prepare a syrup for them; allowing two pounds of the best double-refined loaf-sugar, and the white of two eggs, and a pint of water, to two dozen large peaches. Having broken up the sugar, put it into a preserving kettle. Beat the white of egg to a stiff froth, and stir it into the water. Then pour the water on the sugar, and let it dissolve before you set the kettle over the fire; stirring it several times. Boil and skim it well. When it is nearly up to the top, throw in a small tea-cup of cold water. When it rises again, take it off the fire, and let it stand close to it for a quarter of an hour; then skim it well, and pour it carefully into a pitcher, taking care not to disturb any sediment that may remain at the bottom of the preserving kettle. Put the peaches into wide-mouthed glass jars, and pour into every jar an equal portion of the syrup. Then fill up the jars with the best white brandy. Cork them tightly, and paste paper closely over the tops; or tie on each a piece of bladder, that has first been soaked to make it contract and fit the closer when dry.
EXCELLENT BRANDY PEACHES.—Take fine large free-stone peaches, quite ripe, but not too soft. Put them into a pan containing a weak solution of sal-eratus and water; and let them lie in it till you find, upon trial, that the wool can be easily rubbed off with a coarse clean towel. Weigh them; and to each pound of peaches allow a pound of broken-up loaf-sugar,—the best double-refined. Then crush the sugar by rolling it with a rolling-pin. Have ready some large glass jars, with lacquered tin covers. Put a layer of sugar into the bottom of each jar; then a layer of peaches; then sugar; then peaches; and so on till the jar is very nearly full,—the upper layer being of sugar. Then pour in some of the best white brandy till the jars are filled quite to the top. Cover them closely, and set them into a large flat-bottomed kettle of cold water. The water must be a little below the tops of the jars. Place the kettle over a moderate fire, and keep the peach-jars boiling in it half an hour after they have come to a boil. Then set them away in your sweetmeat closet.
As the lids of glass jars seldom fit tightly, put beneath each lid a round of thick, soft white paper, and cover the top of the outside with a piece of bladder tied down.
BRANDY PEARS may be done as above. It is customary to leave the stems on. Rub off, upon some lumps of the sugar before crushing it, the yellow rind of several fresh lemons, and squeeze the lemon-juice among the crushed sugar. Allow the rind and juice of one large lemon to a small jar of pears. In whatever way pears are cooked, they should always be flavoured with lemon; otherwise they will be insipidly sweet.
To colour them a fine red, tie up a little cochineal, or some well-picked alkanet, in a very thin muslin or bobbinet bag, and boil it with the pears. When done, take out the bag.