Pare the pineapples; pick out the thistle part: take half its weight of treble-refined sugar; part the apple in halves; slice it thin; put it in a basin, with sifted sugar between; in twelve hours the sugar will be melted. Set it over a fire, and simmer the chips till clear. The less they boil the better. Next day, heat them; scrape off the syrup; lay them in glasses, and dry them on a moderate stove or oven.
Plums, to dry green.
Take green amber plums; prick them with a pin all over; make some water boiling hot, and put in the plums; be sure to have so much water as not to be made cold when the plums are put in. Cover them very close, and, when they are almost cold, set them on the fire again, but do not let them boil. Do so three or four times. When you see the thin skin cracked, put in some alum finely beaten, and keep them in a scald till they begin to green; then give them a boil closely covered. When they are green, let them stand in fresh hot water all night; next day, have ready as much clarified sugar, made into syrup, as will cover them; drain the plums, put them into the syrup, and give them two or three boils. Repeat this twice or three times, till they are very green. Let them stand in the syrup a week; then lay them out to dry in a hot stove. You may put some of them in codling jelly, and use them as a wet sweetmeat.
Green Plum Jam.
Take the great white plums before they begin to turn, when they are at their full growth, and to every pound of plums allow three quarters of a pound of fine sugar. Pare and throw the plums into water, to keep their colour; let your sugar be very finely pounded; cut your plums into slices, and strew the sugar over them. You must first take them out of the water, and put them over a moderate fire, and boil them till they are clear and will jelly. You may put in a few of the stones, if you like them.
Great White Plum, to preserve.
To one pound of plums put three quarters of a pound of fine sugar; dip the lumps of sugar in water just sufficient to wet it through; boil and skim it, till you think it enough. Slit the plums down the seam; put them in the syrup with the slit downward, and let them stew over the fire for a quarter of an hour. Skim them; take them off; when cold, turn them; cover them up for four or five days, turning them two or three times a day in the syrup; then put them in pots, not too many together.
Posset.
Take a quart of white wine and a quart of water; boil whole spice in them; then take twelve eggs, and put away half the whites; beat them very well, and take the wine from the fire; then put your eggs, being thoroughly beaten, to the wine. Stir the whole together; then set it on a very slow fire, stirring it the whole time, till it is thick. Sweeten it with sugar, and sprinkle on it beaten spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg.