FANCY JELLIES

_Description of Belgrave Mould._

Figure No. 1, represents the mould in its entireness. No. 2, shows the interior of it (inverted). _A_ is a thin metal plate which when turned downwards forms the bottom of the mould, and which is perforated in six places to permit the fluted columns _B_ to pass through it. There is also a larger aperture in the middle to admit the centre cylinder. The plate is fixed, and the whole is held in its place by the part which folds over the larger scallop _D_ at either end. There is also a cover which fits to the mould, and which is pressed on it before it is dipped into water, to prevent its getting into the cylinders.

Transparent jelly is shown to much advantage, and is particularly brilliant in appearance, when moulded in shapes resembling that of the engraving here, which are now very commonly used for the purpose.

The centre spaces can be filled, after the jelly is dished, with very light whipped cream, coloured and flavoured so as to eat agreeably with it, and to please the eye as well: this may be tastefully garnished with preserved, or with fresh fruit; but one of more recent invention, called the _Belgrave mould_ (which is to be had of the originators, Messrs. Temple and Reynolds, Princes Street, Cavendish Square, and also at 80, Motcomb Street, Belgrave Square), is of superior construction for the purpose, as it contains a large central cylinder and six smaller ones, which when withdrawn, after the jelly—which should be poured round, but not _into_ them—is set, leave vacancies which can be filled either with jelly of another colour, or with fruit of different kinds (which must be secured in its place with _just liquid_ jelly poured carefully in after it is arranged), or with blanc-mange, or any other isinglass-cream. The space occupied by the larger cylinder may be left empty, or filled, before the jelly is served, with white or with pale-tinted whipped cream. Water, only sufficiently warm to detach the jelly from them without heating or melting it, must be poured into the cylinders to _unfix_ them; and to loosen the whole so as to unmould it easily, a cloth wrung out of very hot water must be wound round it, or the mould must be dipped _quickly_ into some which is nearly or quite boiling. A dish should then be laid on it, it should be carefully reversed, and the mould lifted from it gently. It will sometimes require a slight sharp blow to detach it quite.

Italian jelly is made by half filling a mould of convenient form, and laying round upon it in a chain, as soon as it is set, some blanc-mange made rather firm, and cut of equal thickness and size, with a small round cutter; the mould is then filled with the remainder of the jelly, which must be nearly cold, but not beginning to set. Branched morella cherries, drained very dry, are sometimes dropped into moulds of pale jelly; and fruits, either fresh or preserved, are arranged in them with exceedingly good effect when skilfully managed; but this is best accomplished by having a mould for the purpose, with another of smaller size fixed in it by means of slight wires, which hook on to the edge of the outer one. By pouring water into this it may easily be detached from the jelly; the fruit is then to be placed in the space left by it, and the whole filled up with more jelly: to give the proper effect, it must be recollected that the dish will be _reversed_ when sent to table.

QUEEN MAB’S PUDDING.

(_An Elegant Summer Dish._)

Throw into a pint of new milk the thin rind of a small lemon, and six or eight bitter almonds, blanched and bruised; or substitute for these half a pod of vanilla cut small, heat it slowly by the side of the fire, and keep it at the point of boiling until it is strongly flavoured, then add a small pinch of salt, and three-quarters of an ounce of the finest isinglass, or a full ounce should the weather be extremely warm; when this is dissolved, strain the milk through a muslin, and put it into a clean saucepan, with from four to five ounces and a half of sugar in lumps, and half a pint of rich cream; give the whole one boil, and then stir it, briskly and by degrees, to the well-beaten yolks of six fresh eggs; next, thicken the mixture as a custard, over a gentle fire, but do not hazard its curdling; when it is of tolerable consistence, pour it out, and continue the stirring until it is half cold, then mix with it an ounce and a half of candied citron, cut in small spikes, and a couple of ounces of dried cherries, and pour it into a mould rubbed with a drop of oil: when turned out it will have the appearance of a pudding. From two to three ounces of preserved ginger, well drained and sliced, may be substituted for the cherries, and an ounce of pistachio-nuts, blanched and split, for the citron; these will make an elegant variety of the dish, and the syrup of the ginger, poured round as sauce, will be a further improvement. Currants steamed until tender, and candied orange or lemon-rind, are often used instead of the cherries, and the well-sweetened juice of strawberries, raspberries (white or red), apricots, peaches, or syrup of pine-apple, will make an agreeable sauce; a small quantity of this last will also give a delicious flavour to the pudding itself, when mixed with the other ingredients. Cream may be substituted entirely for the milk, when its richness is considered desirable.

New milk, 1 pint; rind 1 small lemon; bitter almonds, 6 to 8 (or, vanilla, 1/2 pod); salt, few grains; isinglass, 3/4 oz. (1 oz. in sultry weather); sugar, 4-1/2 oz.; cream, 1/2 pint; yolks, 6 eggs; dried cherries, 2 oz.; candied citron, 1-1/2 oz.; (or, preserved ginger, 2 to 3 oz., and the syrup as sauce, and 1 oz. of blanched pistachio-nuts; or 4 oz. currants, steamed 20 minutes, and 2 oz. candied orange-rind). For sauce, sweetened juice of strawberries, raspberries, or plums, or pine apple syrup.

_Obs._—The currants should be steamed in an earthen cullender, placed over a saucepan of boiling water, and covered with the lid. It will be a _great_ improvement to place the pudding over ice for an hour before it is served.

NESSELRÔDE CREAM.

Shell and blanch (see page 342) twenty-four fine Spanish chestnuts, and put them with three-quarters of a pint of water into a small and delicately clean saucepan. When they have simmered from six to eight minutes, add to them two ounces of fine sugar, and let them stew very gently until they are perfectly tender; then drain them from the water, pound them, while still warm, to a smooth paste, and press them through the back of a fine sieve. While this is being done, dissolve half an ounce of isinglass in two or three spoonsful of water, and put to it as much cream as will, with the small quantity of water used, make half a pint, two ounces of sugar, about the third of a pod of vanilla, cut small, and well bruised, and a strip or two of fresh lemon-rind, pared extremely thin. Give these a minute’s boil, and then keep them quite hot by the side of the fire, until a strong flavour of the vanilla is obtained. Now, mix gradually with the chestnuts half a pint of rich, unboiled cream, strain the other half pint through a fine muslin, and work the whole well together until it becomes _very_ thick; then stir to it a couple of ounces of dried cherries, cut into quarters, and two of candied citron, divided into very small dice. Press the mixture into a mould which has been rubbed with a particle of the purest salad-oil, and in a few hours it will be ready for table. The cream should be sufficiently stiff, when the fruit is added, to prevent its sinking to the bottom, and both kinds should be _dry_ when they are used.

Chestnuts, large, 24; water, 3/4 pint; sugar, 2 oz.; isinglass, 1/2 oz.; water, 3 to 4 tablespoonsful; cream, nearly 1/2 pint; vanilla, 1/3 of pod; lemon-rind, 1/4 of 1 large: infuse 20 minutes or more. Unboiled cream, 1/2 pint; dried cherries, 2 oz.; candied citron, 2 oz.

_Obs._—When vanilla cannot easily be obtained, a little noyau may be substituted for it, but a _full_ weight of isinglass must then be used.

CRÊME À LA COMTESSE, OR THE COUNTESS’S CREAM.

Prepare as above, boil and pound, eighteen fine sound chestnuts; mix with them gradually, after they have been pressed through a fine sieve, half a pint of rich sweet cream; dissolve in half a pint of new milk a half-ounce of isinglass, then add to them from six to eight bitter almonds, blanched and bruised, with two-thirds of the rind of a small lemon, cut extremely thin, and two ounces and a half of sugar; let these simmer gently for five minutes, and then remain by the side of the fire for awhile. When the milk is strongly flavoured, strain it through muslin, press the whole of it through, and stir it by degrees to the chestnuts and cream; beat the mixture smooth, and when it begins to thicken, put it into a mould rubbed with oil, or into one which has been dipped in water and shaken nearly free of the moisture. If set into a cool place, it will be ready for table in six or eight hours. It has a pretty appearance when partially stuck with pistachio-nuts, blanched, dried, and cut in spikes, their bright green colour rendering them very ornamental to dishes of this kind: as they are, however, much more expensive than almonds, they can be used more sparingly, or intermingled with spikes of the firm outer rind of candied citron.

Chestnuts, 18; water, full 1/2 pint; sugar, 1 oz.: 15 to 25 minutes, or more. Cream, 1/2 pint; new milk, 1/2 pint; isinglass, 1/2 oz.; bitter almonds, 6 to 8; lemon-rind, two-thirds of 1; sugar, 2-1/2 oz.[161]

Footnote 161:

The proportions both of this and of the preceding cream must be increased for a _large_ mould.

_Obs._—This is a very delicate kind of sweet dish, which we can particularly recommend to our readers; it may be rendered more _recherché_ by a flavouring of maraschino, but must then have a little addition of isinglass. The preparation, without this last ingredient, will be found excellent iced.