The Royal English And Foreign Confectioner:: A Practical Treatise On The Art Of Confectionary In All Its Branches

By Charles Elme Francatelli

The author had a very illustrious career culminating with an appointment to the Royal Household of Queen Victoria.

Expert Cookery Book by the Maitre-D'Hotel to Her Majesty The Queen. "Herein will be found Minutely Detailed Instructions giving the most approved methods for the Preservation of Fruits in Sugar or Spirits; Preparation of all kinds of Syrups; English, Foreign and National Fancy Beverages; Ices, Graniti, Bonbons, Candies, Comfits, Compotes, Dessert Cakes, Plain and Fancy Bread-Making; Spiritous Essences; Liqueurs; Cordials; Ornamental Confectionery; the Dishing Up of Fruits, and the general economy and arrangement of Desserts."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Patavium Publishing
• Release date: Aug 23, 2023
• ISBN: 9781805232889

Charles Elme Francatelli

Charles Elmé Francatelli (1805-1876) was an Anglo-Italian chef who was chief cook to Queen Victoria. His other works include The Modern Cook and The Cook’s Guide.

Book preview

CHAPTER II. — HOW TO BOTTLE FRUITS.

Green Gooseberries.

Ripe Gooseberries.

Green Currants.

Red Currants.

White Currants.

Black Currants.

Green Apricots.

Strawberries.

Raspberries.

Cranberries.

Angelica.

Crab Apples.

Apricots.

Peaches.

Pine Apples.

Apples.

Pears, White.

Pears, Pink.

Pears, Whole.

Plums.

Greengages.

Damsons.

Barberries.

Cherries.

Bigarreaus.

No. 9.—To bottle Green Gooseberries.

THOSE called Warrenders are the best, and are most fit for preserving just before they begin to turn. Let them be picked into the bottles and packed close without bruising; fill up the bottles with syrup of twenty-two degrees just to the commencement of the necks; cork, and tie down. Time: ten minutes’ gentle ebullition after the water comes to the boil.

No. 10.—To bottle Ripe Gooseberries.

These must not be over ripe; in other respects, proceed as before. Time: eight minutes’ gentle ebullition.

No. 11.—To bottle Green Currants.

These must be gathered while quite green, and before they reach their full growth. Pick them off their stalks into the bottles, shake them down close, fill up with twenty-two degrees syrup—to be tried with the syrup-gauge [see Adams’ illustrations]—cork, and tie down. Time: ten minutes’ gentle ebullition.

No. 12.—To bottle Red Currants.

The fruit must be gathered in dry weather, picked carefully from the stalks into the bottles to avoid tearing the berries; pack close without bruising, fill up with twenty-six degrees syrup; cork, and tie down. Time: eight minutes’ gentle ebullition.

No. 13.—To bottle White Currants.

Proceed as for red currants. Time: ten minutes’ ebullition.

No. 14.—To bottle Black Currants.

Proceed as for red currants. Time: fifteen minutes’ ebullition.

No. 15.—To bottle Green Apricots.

Let these be gathered before the stone has become at all formed, and while yet a needle could be run through them without effort; they must be put in a pan with a handful of salt, and rubbed together with both hands to remove the down, washed and drained upon a sieve.

Next, parboil the apricots in water (without allowing it to come to the boil) for ten minutes, drain and throw them into cold water, drain them again, and put them with sufficient twenty-two degrees syrup to make them swim in a copper preserving pan, and set them on the fire till the syrup begins to simmer; they are then to be removed to a cool place—remaining in the pan,—the surface to be covered over with vine leaves, and left in this state till the day following.

The apricots must then be drained on a sieve, the vine leaves thrown away, half a pint of water added to the syrup, the pan scoured out, the syrup replaced in it, boiled up once and well skimmed, the apricots to be added, and covered afresh with vine leaves, and set aside till the next day. This process must be repeated twice more, in all, four different charges to be given four days running; at the end of this time, the apricots will have become perfectly green, and sufficiently tender.

The apricots are now to be filled into pint or half pint bottles—free from syrup; and, after the syrup has been filtered through a beaver jelly bag, fill up the bottles in the usual way; cork, and tie down. Time: twelve minutes’ ebullition.

No. 16.—To bottle Strawberries.

Those denominated seedlings are best suited for bottling. Pick the fruit carefully into the bottles without bruising, arrange them closely with a long trussing needle to avoid jamming; fill up with twenty-four degrees syrup, cork, and tie down. Time: eight minutes’ gentle ebullition.

No. 17.—To bottle Strawberries—a superior way.

Pick the strawberries into bottles, fill up with twenty-six degrees syrup, do not cork them down, but place the bottles securely upright in an open stock-pot with cold water half-way up the sides of the bottles; set the whole over the fire, and allow the water just barely to simmer for five minutes; then remove the fruit from the fire, and as soon as the bottles have partially cooled, gently pour off their syrup into a clean copper preserving pan, and, as you do so, add carefully the fruit of one bottle to that already contained in another,—in other words, make two bottles into one. Thus, the whole of the syrup from the strawberries having been placed in the preserving pan, add thereto one-fourth part of fresh filtered red currant juice, give this one boil up, skim it, and use it to fill up the strawberries waiting to receive it; cork and tie down. Time: eight minutes’ very gentle ebullition.

No. 18.—To bottle Raspberries.

Proceed as indicated for strawberries. Time: eight minutes’ gentle ebullition.

No. 19.—To bottle Cranberries.

There exists a species of cranberries of much finer growth than any imported into this country in barrels. I have occasionally purchased them of Mr. Pullen, in Co vent Garden Market; they are of the size of small cherries, and of a beautiful red colour. If you should ever be able to get any quantity of this pretty fruit, I advise you to preserve them for winter use: they are so useful for decoration.

The process for preserving these, or other cranberries, is precisely the same as indicated for red currants, No. 12.

No. 20.—To preserve Angelica Green.

Cut the tubes, or stalks of angelica into six-inch lengths; wash them clean, and then scald them in water in a copper preserving pan for three minutes, refresh them in cold water, drain upon a sieve, and afterwards proceed in all particulars as directed for green apricots, No. 15.

No. 21.—To bottle Apricots whole.

It sometimes happens that owing to a high wind, or some other cause, apricots fall before they are quite ripe; on such occasions only is it proper to bottle this fruit whole, and then they are fit for little else but being made into tarts; however, when you wish to preserve any of them, let them be placed in the bottles, filled up with twenty-two degrees syrup, corked and tied down. Time: twenty minutes’ ebullition.

No. 22.—To bottle Peeled Halves of Apricots.

The fruit for this purpose must be quite ripe,—but not over ripe; split the apricots, and remove the stones to be cracked, and the kernels extracted and scalded to free them from their skins, and put them to soak in cold water. Peel the halves of the apricots thinly without waste, place them closely packed in their bottles, add the kernels, fill up with twenty-six degrees syrup; cork, and tie down. Time: ten minutes’ gentle ebullition.

No. 23.—To bottle Peaches in Halves.

Take the peaches not over ripe, split them in halves, break the stones, extract the kernels and scald them; parboil the peaches in syrup for three minutes to enable you to pull off their skins, and then pack the halves closely in their bottles; fill up with twenty-six degrees syrup; cork, and tie down. Time: twenty minutes’ gentle ebullition.

No. 24.—To bottle Pine Apples.

Pluck off the heads and stalks, use a very sharp knife to pare away all the rind smoothly and without waste; with the point of a small knife pick or scoop out all the brown specks, cut the pine either in slices or in finger-like pieces, and place them as close as possible in their bottles, fill up with twenty-six degrees syrup; cork, and tie down. Time: twenty-five minutes’ ebullition.

No. 25.—To preserve Pine Apple another way.

Peel the pine-apple, and scoop out the centre right through to the extent of one inch in diameter; put the pine into a three-pound jar (supposing that the pine may weigh about one pound and a half), fill the inside and all round the fruit with pounded sugar, cover the jar with a lid or paper, and place it in the screen, moderate heat, and allow it to remain there until the sugar is dissolved into a syrup; then fill up the jar with more sugar, and as soon as this second lot has also become dissolved into a syrup, the jar may be covered down in the usual way, and set aside in the cool.

NOTE.—If, when peeling the pine-apples, you at first remove the roughest portion of the exterior only, you may then pare off the rind a little thicker without fear of waste, as the rind can be placed in bottles and preserved according to either of the foregoing methods, and will become, useful for making ices, creams, flavouring punch, &c.

No. 26.—To preserve Apples for India.

Newtown Pippins, Ribstons, Russets, Golden Pippins, Wellingtons, and all apples of firm texture and rich flavoured, are best suited for this purpose. Let the apples intended for preserving in this manner be cut in halves, or quarters, with the cores neatly removed, turned or peeled smooth, and placed immediately out of hand in their bottles; fill up each bottle with twenty-four degrees syrup, as soon as its quantity of fruit is complete, to preserve the apples from becoming discoloured; cork, and tie down. Time: twenty-five minutes’ ebullition.

No. 27.—To preserve Apples another way.

Peel smoothly, and neatly scoop out the cores from the halves or quarters of apples; and, as they are turned out of hand, drop them into a white pan containing cold water acidulated with the juice of a couple of lemons and a small quantity of alum; next, let the apples be scalded with this acidulated water in a copper preserving pan over the fire without allowing the water to boil,—it should barely simmer; and, as soon as you find that the apples are warmed through, let them be drained on a sieve, and run some cold water over them to refresh the apples: they are then to be closely placed in their bottles without jamming, filled up with twenty-four degrees syrup which has been slightly acidulated with citric acid and alum; cork, and tie down. Time: fifteen minutes’ gentle ebullition.

No. 28.—To bottle Pears White.

Those pears really worth preserving, are known as Crassane, Beurré, Duchess, Rousselet, Saint Germain, Blanquette, Gratioli di Roma, Muscatel, and others of rich and perfumed flavour.

When the pears are not large, they may be turned or peeled whole, you may leave the stalk on, merely scraping off its bark; but when large, they should be divided into halves or quarters; and, as they are turned out of hand, drop them into a pan containing cold water slightly acidulated with lemon juice and a pinch of bruised alum; parboil the pears in this water without allowing them to boil, and when about half-done, refresh the fruit in two separate cold waters, drain it on a sieve, and fill the bottles carefully and neatly without pressure; fill up with thirty-eight degrees syrup slightly acidulated with citric acid and alum; cork, and tie down. Time: fifteen minutes’ ebullition.

No. 29.—To bottle Pears Pink.

Proceed as indicated in the foregoing article,—with this difference only;—just enough prepared cochineal should be added when parboiling the pears, and also to the syrup in which they are preserved; care being taken to avoid charging the pears with any more colour than will suffice to give them a delicate pink tinge.

No. 30.—To bottle Pears for making Ices.

Peel, core, and cut up small, any fine-flavoured ripe pears, into bottles, and as each bottle is so filled, add twenty-two degrees syrup; cork, and tie down. Time: twenty minutes’ ebullition.

No. 31.—To bottle Pears whole.

A small pear called the Poplar forms a very pretty variety for compotes, as well as for being either dried, glacé, or crystallised. Let these, or any pears of somewhat similar size, be prepared and bottled as directed for white or pink pears; and when corked and tied down, they are to be steamed in the usual way. Time: fifteen minutes’