Page:The dainty sweet book, from the International cooking library (1903).djvu/30

WORLD FAMOUS CHEFS cloth. Heat it to boiling point again. Pour it into pint or quart bottles and seal instantly. Have the bottles hot and use only new corks. Dip the necks with corks in, into the hot sealing wax.

PRESERVED VIOLETS

One pound of large full bloom violets. Cut off stems. Boil one and a half pounds of granulated sugar until a little dropped in cold water makes a soft ball. Throw in the violets, remove the pan from fire for a moment, stir gently, return pan to the fire and boil up once, change immediately to another vessel. Let stand over night, next day drain them through a sieve, pour syrup back into a copper pan, add a cupful more of sugar, and cook again until it hardens in water. Put in the violets and change once more to the vessel and leave again over night. After this, drain off again, pour this syrup back into the pan, boil it for a few minutes and add the violets, removing the pan at once from the fire. Stir lightly until it begins to crystallize, then pour the whole on sheets of paper, shake and separate the flowers carefully with the hands, and when dry, pick them from the sugar; arrange on a grating and leave to get cold.

CANNED MINCE MEAT

Three pounds of boiled beef, one pound of beef suet, three pounds of brown sugar, one-half peck apples, two pounds raisins, one pound currants, one pound citron, one nutmeg, grated, one tablespoonful mace, powdered, allspice and cinnamon to suit the taste. Chop the meat, suet and apples fine, then put them together with the seasoning. Slice the citron fine. Pour on enough boiled cider to make a thick batter of it. Heat it thoroughly and put into one quart glass jars. Seal while hot, and put away in a cool, dark place.

TO CAN PUMPKIN OR SQUASH

Cut squash or pumpkin in little squares, peel and put on to cook until soft. No seasoning. Mash through a fruit press, have ready one quart glass jars, hot. Fill them with the squash or pumpkin, seal tight, and keep in a cool dark place.

TO PRESERVE LIMES

Remove the cores from the limes (a small tin tube comes for this purpose), cover with salted water, a large handful of salt to a gallon of water. Let soak for four or five hours. Drain off the salt water, 24