The flavor of the dish may be changed by varying the spice, and by occasionally using a little wine or brandy with the sugar. The cost of a dish large enough for half a dozen persons will be covered by ten cents, unless it is made when apples are scarce and dear.
Apple Snow.—Make this dish when eggs are cheap. Pare and core a quart of apples, (cost five cents,) stew them to a pulp with just water enough to moisten them, rub them through a seive, and sweeten them to taste. Beat the whites of six eggs, (cost six cents,) with two tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar, to a stiff froth; beat the apple-pulp to a froth; mix the egg and apple together very lightly, turning the bowl of the spoon over and over instead of stirring it around; then beat them with an egg whisk until they look like snow. Pile the snow high in the centre of a dish, putting it in by the tablespoonful, and taking care not to break it down; in the top of the heap of snow put a fresh flower or a green sprig; and if you have any currant jelly, lay a few bits around the base. The effect of the dish is very pretty, and it can be made for about fifteen cents.
Apple Cakes.—Pare, core, and slice a quart of apples, (price five cents,) stew them with half their weight in sugar, (about one pound, cost about twelve cents,) the grated rind and juice of a lemon, (cost two cents,) one ounce of batter, (cost two cents,) and a very little grated nutmeg. When they are tender beat them with an egg whisk until they are light, drop them by the dessert-spoonful on buttered paper laid on a baking sheet, and bake them in a cool oven until they are firm, which will be in about fifteen minutes. When they are cool put them in a tin box until wanted for use. The cost will be about twenty cents.
Cherry Cheese.—Put into a stone jar a pound of sound, ripe cherries, with the stones removed, (cost about ten cents;) cover the jar closely, set it in a saucepan half full of boiling water, and simmer it gently until the cherries are tender; then take up the fruit, weigh it, put it into a preserving kettle with half a pound of finely sifted sugar, (cost about eight cents), to every pound of fruit; add a dozen cherry kernels with the skins removed by scalding, and rubbing in a clean cloth, put the kettle over a slow fire, and boil, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is quite dry and clear. Meantime rinse out some shallow jars with brandy, and when the fruit is done put it into them, pressing it down tightly; pour a very little brandy over the top, lay a little paper on each, then fit on the covers of the jars closely, and keep in a dry, cool place. The above quantity will cost about twenty-five cents.
Candied Cherries.—Choose a pound of perfectly sound, ripe cherries, (cost ten cents,) with the stalks and an occasional leaf attached, wipe them with a clean, dry, soft cloth; dip the leaves and stems, but not the fruit, into boiling vinegar, and set them with the cherries upward, in a card-board perforated with holes to admit the stems, until the vinegar dries. Meantime boil a pound of loaf sugar, (cost about fifteen cents), with a teaspoonful of cold water, using a thick porcelain-lined saucepan or copper sugar boiler; skim until perfectly clear, and test in the following way: Dip the thumb and forefinger into cold water and then quickly into the boiling sugar, withdrawing it instantly; press the fingers together, and then draw them apart; if the sugar forms a little thread between them it is ready to use, if it does not, boil a few minutes longer and test again. When it is ready dip the leaves and branches into it, and dry them in the card board frame as directed above. Keep the sugar at the boiling point, and as soon as it forms a clear brittle thread between the fingers, when tested as above, dip the entire fruit into it, moving the cherries around so that the sugar completely covers them, and dry them, placed as above in the card board frame, in the mouth of a cool oven.
Currant Salad.—Remove the stems from half a pound each of red and white currants, (cost ten cents,) and pile them in regular layers high in the centre of a shallow glass dish, sifting a little powdered sugar between each layer; the sugar will cost two or three cents. A gill of cream, (cost five cents,) may be poured over the top, if desired. The dish should be tastefully ornamented with green leaves, and the salad kept very cool until wanted for use. The cost of a nice dishful will be about eighteen cents.
Iced Currants.—Beat the white of one egg, (cost one cent,) to a stiff froth, mix it with three dessertspoonfuls of cold water, dip into it carefully some perfect bunches of ripe red and white currants, which can be bought in season for ten cents a pound; drain each bunch a moment and then dust it well with powdered sugar, lay each bunch carefully upon a large sheet of white paper, so that there is plenty of room between the bunches, and set them in a cool, airy place for five hours. The sugar will partly crystalize upon the fruit, and the effect will be very pretty. The cost of a good sized dish will be about fifteen cents.
Compôte of Damsons.—Wipe one quart of sound, ripe damsons, (cost ten cents,) with a clean, dry cloth, drop them, one by one into the following syrup: make a syrup by melting one pound of loaf sugar (cost fifteen cents,) with one pint of water, stir in the white of an egg, (cost one cent,) and boil the syrup fifteen minutes, skimming it clear. Simmer the plums in this syrup until they are tender, about five minutes, but do not let them break; take the plums up carefully and arrange them in a heap on a shallow dish, letting the syrup boil about ten minutes, until it is quite thick; then remove it from the fire, cool it a little, and pour it over the plums. The dish will cost about twenty-five cents.
Stuffed Dates.—Remove the stones from a pound of fine dates, (cost ten cents,) by cutting them open at one side; remove the shells and skins from half a pound of almonds, (cost ten cents;) the skins can easily be rubbed off by first pouring boiling water on the almond kernels; replace the date-stones with the almonds, and arrange the dates neatly on a shallow dish; dust a little powdered sugar over them, and keep them in a cool, dry place till ready to use. The dish will cost twenty-three cents.
Stewed Figs.—Dissolve four ounces of powdered sugar, (cost three cents,) in one pint of cold water, and flavor with a few drops of any essence preferred; put into it a pound of nice figs, (cost ten cents,) heat slowly, and stew gently for about two hours, or until the figs are tender. Eat hot with a dish of boiled rice, or serve cold. The cost will be less than fifteen cents.