Rub the zest of the peel of two oranges on to a quarter of a pound of lump sugar, which boil with half-a-gill of water to a thick syrup. Beat the juice of three large oranges with two whole eggs, and having whisked them slightly, add the syrup and Nelson's Gelatine, dissolved, in the proportion of half-an-ounce to a pint of liquid. Whisk the mixture over a saucepan of hot water until it is warm, then place the basin in another with cold water and continue whisking until it is beginning to set, when put it into a fancy mould.
STRAWBERRY TRIFLE.
Put a layer of strawberry jam at the bottom of a trifle dish. Dissolve a half-pint tablet of Nelson's Raspberry Jelly, and when it is set break it up and strew it over the jam. Upon this lay sponge finger biscuits and ratafia cakes, and pour over just enough new milk to make them soft. Make a thick custard, flavoured with Nelson's Essence of Vanilla, and spread it over the cakes. Finally place on the top a handsome quantity of cream, whisked with a little powdered sugar and flavoured with vanilla.
WHIPPED CREAM.
To half-a-pint of cream put a tablespoonful of fine sifted sugar, add sufficient of any of Nelson's Essences to give it a delicate flavour. With a whisk or wire spoon, raise a froth on the cream, remove this as soon as it rises, put it on a fine hair, or, still better, lawn sieve; repeat this process until the cream is used up. Should the cream get thick in the whisking, add a very little cold water. Put the sieve containing the whisked cream in a basin and let it stand for some hours, which will allow it to become more solid and fit for such purposes as filling meringues.
CAKES.
The proper beating of the whites of the eggs is an important matter in cake-making. There are a number of machines for this purpose, which are in turn eagerly adopted by inexperienced persons; but for private use not one of them is comparable to hand-beating. When once the knack of beating eggs is acquired but little labour is needed to bring them to the right consistency; indeed, the most successful result is that which is the most rapidly attained. The whites of eggs for beating should be fresh, and should be carefully separated from the yolks by passing and repassing them in the two halves of the shell. It is best to beat the whites immediately they are broken, but if this is not possible, they must be kept in a cool place until wanted. If ice is at hand, it will be found advantageous to keep the eggs in it. In well-furnished kitchens a copper beating-bowl is provided; it should not be tinned, as contact with this metal will blacken the eggs; for this reason, the whisk, if of iron wire, should not be new. An earthenware bowl with circular bottom, and sufficiently large to admit of a good stroke in beating, answers the purpose perfectly well. A pinch of salt may be added to the whites, and if an inexperienced beater finds them assume a granulated appearance, a little lemon-juice will remedy it.
Begin by beating gently, increasing the pace as the egg thickens. As it is the air mixing with the albumen of the eggs which causes them to froth, it is necessary to beat them in a well-ventilated and cool place, so that they may absorb as much air as possible.