sometimes falls in large quantities before it is ripe, is excellent, if first baked until tolerably tender, and then stewed in a thin syrup.

BOILED CHESTNUTS.

Make a slight incision in the outer skin only of each chestnut, to prevent its bursting, and when all are done, throw them into plenty of boiling water, with about a dessertspoonful of salt to the half gallon. Some chestnuts will require to be boiled nearly or quite an hour, others little more than half the time; the cook should try them occasionally, and as soon as they are soft through, drain them, wipe them in a coarse cloth, and send them to table quickly in a hot napkin.

ROASTED CHESTNUTS.

The best mode of preparing these is to roast them, as in Spain, in a coffee-roaster, after having first boiled them from five to seven minutes, and wiped them dry. They should not be allowed to cool, and will require but from ten to fifteen minutes roasting. They may, when more convenient, be finished over the fire as usual, or in a Dutch or common oven, but in all cases the previous boiling will be found an improvement. Never omit to cut the rind of each nut slightly before it is cooked. Serve the chestnuts very hot in a napkin, and send salt to table with them.

CHAPTER XXVI.

SYRUPS, LIQUEURS, &c.

Lime.

STRAWBERRY VINEGAR, OF DELICIOUS FLAVOUR.

TAKE the stalks from the fruit, which should be of a highly flavoured sort, quite ripe, fresh from the beds, and gathered in dry weather; weigh and put it into large glass jars, or widenecked bottles, and to each pound pour about a pint and a half of fine pale white wine vinegar, which will answer the purpose better than the entirely colourless kind sold under the name of distilled vinegar, but which is, we believe, the pyroligneous acid greatly diluted. Tie a thick paper over them, and let the strawberries remain from three to four days; then pour off the vinegar and empty them into a jelly-bag, or suspend them in a cloth that all the liquid may drop from them without pressure; replace them with an equal weight of fresh fruit, pour the vinegar upon it, and three days afterwards repeat the same process, diminishing a little the proportion of strawberries, of which the flavour ought ultimately to overpower that of the vinegar. In from two to four days drain off the liquid very closely, and after having strained it through a linen or a flannel bag, weigh it, and mix with it an equal quantity of highly-refined sugar roughly powdered; when this is nearly dissolved, stir the syrup over a very clear fire until it has boiled five minutes, and skim

it thoroughly; pour it into a delicately clean stone pitcher, or into large china jugs, throw a folded cloth over and let it remain until the morrow; put it into pint or half-pint bottles, and cork them lightly with new velvet corks; for if these be pressed in tightly at first, the bottles would be liable to burst: in four or five days they may be closely corked, and stored in a dry and cool place. Damp destroys the colour and injures the flavour of these fine fruit-vinegars; of which a spoonful or two in a glass of water affords so agreeable a summer beverage, and one which, in many cases of illness, is so acceptable to invalids. They make also most admirable sauces for Her Majesty's pudding, common custard, batter, and various other simple and sweet light puddings.

Strawberries (stalked), 4 lbs.; vinegar, 3 quarts: 3 to 4 days. Vinegar drained and poured on fresh strawberries, 4 lbs.: 3 days. Drained again on to fresh fruit, 3 to 4 lbs. : 2 to 4 days. To each pound of the vinegar, 1 lb. of highly-refined sugar: boiled 5 minutes. Lightly corked, 4 or 5 days.

Obs.-Where there is a garden the fruit may be thrown into the vinegar as it ripens, within an interval of forty-eight hours, instead of being all put to infuse at once, and it must then remain in it a proportionate time: one or two days in addition to that specified will make no difference to the preparation. The enamelled German stewpans are the best possible vessels to boil it in; but it may be simmered in a stone jar set into a pan of boiling water when there is nothing more appropriate at hand; though the syrup does not usually keep so well when this last method is adopted.

Raspberries and strawberries mixed will make a vinegar of very pleasant flavour; black currants also will afford an exceedingly useful syrup of the same kind.

STRAWBERRY ACID ROYAL.

Dissolve in a quart of spring water two ounces of citric acid, and pour it on as many quite ripe and richly-flavoured strawberries, stripped from their stalks, as it will just cover; in twenty-four hours drain the liquid closely from the fruit, and pour on it as much more; keep it in a cool place, and the next day drain it again entirely from the fruit, and boil it gently for three or four minutes, with its weight of very fine sugar, which should be dissolved in it before it is placed over the fire. It should be boiled, if possible, in an enamelled stewpan. When perfectly cold put it into small dry bottles for use, and store it in a cool but not damp place. It is one of the most delicate and

deliciously flavoured preparations possible, and of beautiful colour. If allowed to remain longer than the eight-and-forty hours before it is boiled, a brisk fermentation will commence. It must be well secured from the air when stored.

Water, 1 quart; citric acid, 2 ozs.; strawberries, 2 to 3 lbs.: 24 hours. Same quantity of fruit: 24 hours. Equal weight of sugar and this liquid: 3 to 4 minutes at the utmost.

VERY FINE RASPBERRY VINEGÅR.

Fill glass jars, or large wide-necked bottles, with very ripe but perfectly sound, freshly gathered raspberries, freed from their stalks, and cover them with pale white wine vinegar: they may be left to infuse from a week to ten days without injury, or the vinegar may be poured from them in four and five, when more convenient. After it is drained off, turn the fruit into a sieve placed over a deep dish or bowl, as the juice will flow slowly from it for many hours; put fresh raspberries into the bottles, and pour the vinegar back upon them; two or three days later change the fruit again, and when it has stood the same space of time, drain the whole of the vinegar from it, pass it through a jelly-bag, or thick linen cloth, and boil it gently for four or five minutes with its weight of good sugar roughly powdered, or a pound and a quarter to the exact pint, and be very careful to remove the scum entirely, as it rises. On the following day bottle the syrup, observing the directions which we have given for the strawberry vinegar. When the fruit is scarce it may be changed twice only, and left a few days longer in the vinegar.

Raspberries, 6 lbs.; vinegar, 9 pints: 7 to 10 days. Vinegar drained on to fresh raspberries (6 lbs. of): 3 to 5 days. Poured again on fresh raspberries, 6 lbs.: 3 to 5 days. Boiled 5 minutes with its weight of sugar.

Obs. When the process of sugar-boiling is well understood, it will be found an improvement to boil that which is used for raspberry or strawberry vinegar to candy height before the liquid is mixed with it; all the scum may then be removed with a couple of minutes simmering, and the flavour of the fruit will be more perfectly preserved. For more particular directions as to the mode of proceeding, the chapter of confectionary may be consulted.

ORANGE-FLOWER RATAFIA.

(A delicious liqueur.)

Boil to a thick syrup a pound and a quarter of highly refined sugar, and three quarters of a pint of water; throw into it

three ounces of the petals only, plucked one by one from the stem, of some freshly gathered orange-blossoms, give them two minutes boil, take them from the fire, and when the whole is half cold stir in two bottles of white French brandy; turn the mixture into a new and well-scalded stone pitcher, or jar, make it air-tight as soon as the liqueur is quite cold, and in from three to four weeks it will be ready to bottle after the flowers have been strained from it: they give it a delicious flavour.

Water, pint; sugar, 1 lb.: 15 to 20 minutes, or more. Petals of the orange-blossom, ozs. ; 2 minutes. White French brandy, 2 quarts: infuse 3 to 4 weeks.

OXFORD PUNCH.

Extract the essence from the rinds of three lemons by rubbing them with sugar in lumps; put these into a large jug with the peel of two Seville oranges and of two lemons cut extremely thin, the juice of four Seville oranges and of ten lemons, and six glasses of calf's feet jelly in a liquid state. Stir these well together, pour to them two quarts of boiling water, cover the jug closely, and set it near the fire for a quarter of an hour, then strain the mixture through a sieve into a punch bowl or jug, sweeten it with a bottle of capillaire, add half a pint of white wine, a pint of French brandy, a pint of Jamaica rum, and a bottle of orange shrub; stir the punch as the spirits are

poured in. If not sufficiently sweet, add sugar in small quan

tities, or a spoonful or two of capillaire.

Rinds of lemons rubbed with sugar, 3; thin peel of lemons, 2; of Seville oranges, 2; juice of 4 Seville oranges, and 10 lemons; calf's feet jelly, 6 glasses; water, 2 quarts: hour. Capillaire, 1 bottle; white wine, pint; French brandy and Jamaica rum, each 1 pint; orange shrub, 1 bottle.

OXFORD RECEIPT FOR BISHOP.

"Make several incisions in the rind of a lemon,* stick cloves in these, and roast the lemon by a slow fire. Put small but equal quantities of cinnamon, cloves, mace, and allspice, with a race of ginger, into a saucepan with half a pint of water: let it boil until it is reduced one half. Boil one bottle of port wine, burn a portion of the spirit out of it by applying a lighted paper to the saucepan. Put the roasted lemons and spice into the wine; stir it up well, and let it stand near the fire ten mi

* A Seville orange stuck with cloves, to many tastes imparts a finer flavour than the lemon.