Page:The White House Cook Book.djvu/484

 COLORING FOR FRUIT, ETC.

RED OR PINK COLORING.

��f""l~\AKE two cents' worth of cochineal. Lay it on a flat plate and

bruise it with the blade of a knife. Put it into half a tea-

JL cupful of alcohol. Let it stand a quarter of an hour, and

then filter it through fine muslin. Always ready for imme-

diate use. Cork the bottle tight.

Strawberry or cranberry juice makes a fine coloring for frosting, sweet puddings and confectionery.

DEEP RED COLORING.

TAKE twenty grains of cochineal and fifteen grains of cream of tar- tar finely powdered ; add to them a piece of alum the size of a cherry stone and boil them with a gill of soft water in an earthen vessel, slowly, for half an hour. Then strain it through muslin, and keep it tightly corked in a phial. If a little alcohol is added it will keep any

length of time.

YELLOW COLORING.

TAKE a little saffron, put it into an earthen vessel with a very small quantity of cold, soft water, and let it steep till the color of the infu- sion is a bright yellow. Then strain it, add half alcohol to it. To color fruit yellow, boil the fruit with fresh lemon skins in water to cover them until it is tender ; then take it up, spread it on dishes to cool and finish as may be directed.

To color icing, put the grated peel of a lemon or orange in a thin rnuslin bag, squeezing a little juice through it, then mixing with the sugar.

GREEN COLORING.

TAKE fresh spinach or beet leaves and pound them in a marble mortar. If you want it for immediate use, take off the green froth

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