The Complete Confectioner (1800)/Marmalades
Take six oranges, grate two of the rinds of them upon a grater, then wet them all, and pick out the flesh from the skin and seeds; put to it the grated rind, and about half a pint of pippin jelly; take the same weight of sugar as you have of the meat so mingled; boil you sugar till it blows very strong; then put in the meat, and boil all very quick till it becomes a jelly, which you will perceive by dipping the scummer and holding it up to drain; if it be a jelly, it will break from the scummer in flakes: and if not, it will run off in little streams; when it is a good jelly, put it into your glasses or pots.
Note.—If you find this composition too sweet, you may, in boiling, add more juice of oranges; the different quickness they have, makes it difficult to prescribe.
Take any quantity of apricots, peel them well, cut them very small into a pan; put to them the same weight of pounded and sifted sugar as you have of the apricots, and set them over the fire in a large pan, keep stirring them till they are done sufficient; which you may know by the same method as directed for the orange and lemon marmalade.
Take any quantity of apricots, cut them very small in a pan without peeling; weigh in proportions, three quarters of a pound of clarified sugar to every pound of apricots; put the sugar alone on the fire, and boil it breaking height, then take it off and put your apricots in; set your pan again on the fire, and boil them along with the sugar till they come to the point specified above, trying the same experiment.
Note.—You may do this marmalade again differently if you want to make it still finer; which is to take your apricots rather less ripe, stirring it continually to mix them both well together, then put it in pots for use, observing to let it be cold before you over it. Pears may be done in the same manner.
Take any quantity of peaches, cut them small, put them in a pan with a little water, boil them till they are well mashed, keep stirring continually; then take them off and pass them through a sieve; when sifted, weigh them, and put them in the pan, and boil them again, till the water they give is a little reduced; when so, weigh an equal quantity of sugar as you had of peaches, and put it by little and little into your pan, and continue as directed for the apricot marmalade: you may use either clarified or pounded loaf sugar; then proceed with your peaches as directed for the apricots.
Take any quantity of raspberries, pass them through a sieve, and continue precisely as with the peach marmalade. Strawberries may be done exactly in the same manner.
After your flowers are properly picked scald them near the space of a minute, them put them in water that has had a little alum dissolved in it; boil some other water, in which squeeze near half of the juice of a small lemon, and boil the flowers in it till they feel tender; then put them into fresh water again, with the same quantity of lemon juice, and drain them in a napkin to pound; mix two pounds of this marmalade with five pounds of sugar of the first degree, or any quantity in proportion; and finish as usual.
Take quinces that are full ripe, pare them, cut them in quarters, and core them; put them in a saucepan, cover them with the parings, fill the saucepan almost full of spring water, cover it close, and stew them gently till they are quite soft, and of a deep pink colour; then pick out the quinces from the parings, and beat them to a pulp in a mortar; take their weight in loaf sugar, put in as much of the water they were boiled in as will dissolve it, and boil and skim it well; put in your quinces, and boil them gently three quarters of an hour; keep stirring them all the time, or it will stick to the pan and burn; put it into flat pots, and when cold, tie it down close.
To a pound and an half of quinces take a pound of double refined sugar, make it into a syrup, boil it high; pare and slice the fruit, and boil it quick; when it begins to look clear, pour in half a pint of juice of quince, or, if quinces are scarce, pippins; boil it till thick, take off the scum with a paper. To make a juice, pare the quinces, or pippins, cut them from the core, beat them in a stone mortar, strain the juice through a thin cloth; to every half pint, put more than a pound of sugar; let it stand at least four hours before it is used.
Pick out some very pale Seville oranges, cut them in quarters, take out the pulp, and put it into a bason, pick the skins and seeds out, put the peels in a little salt and water, and let them stand all night; boil them in a good quantity of spring water till they are tend, then cut them in very thin slices, and put them to the pulp; to every pound of marmalade put a pound and a half of double refined sugar beat fine; boil them together gently for twenty minutes; if it is not clear and transparent, boil it five or six minutes longer; keep stirring it gently all the time, and take care you do not break the slices; when it is cold, put it into jelly or sweetmeat glasses; tie them down with brandy-papers. They are pretty for a dessert of any kind.
Scald some apples in water, and when tender, drain through a sieve; put three quarters of a pound of sugar to a pound of apples; put them into the preserving pan, and let them simmer over a gentle fire, keep skimming them all the time; when they are of a proper thickness, put them into pots or glasses.