Chapter II: Part 2

The more fresh the egg is, the longer it withstands the heat of the water-bath. I consequently took eggs the day they had been laid, placed them in a jar, with raspings of bread, to fill up the vacuities, and secure them against breaking when removed to a distance. Having well corked, tied and luted the jars, &c. I placed them in a boiler of a proper size[K] to give them seventy-five degrees of heat.[L] Having taken the water-bath from the fire, I took out the eggs as soon as the water was so cool that I could put my finger in it. I then took out the eggs and kept them six months. At the end of that period I took the eggs out of the jar, put them into cold water which I set on the fire, and heated it to seventy-five degrees: I found them fit to dip a toast of bread into, and as fresh as when I prepared them. As to hard eggs, which are to be cut into slices and fricaseed, I heat the water-bath eighty degrees, and as soon as it begins to boil, I remove the water-bath from the fire.

[K] This operation performed on a great scale, that is in a larger boiler, would require too much exactness, as it would be more difficult to command just the due degree of heat in such a boiler than in a small water-bath which may be set on and taken off at pleasure.

[L] That is, of _Reamur_, or 200 of _Fahrenheit_, in like manner, the 80 of Reamur, or boiling point mentioned below, is 212 of Fahrenheit. T.

§ XII.

_Milk._

I took twelve _litres_ of milk fresh from the cow; I condensed it in the water-bath and reduced it to two-thirds of its volume, frequently skimming it. Then I strained it through a boulting cloth. When cold I took from it the skim which had risen while it was cooling, and bottled it, with the usual process, and afterwards put it in the water-bath which I let boil for two hours; and at the end of several months, I perceived that the cream had separated itself and was swimming in the bottle in the form of flakes. To obviate this inconvenience, I made a second experiment on a like quantity of milk which I condensed in the water-bath, reducing it to one half, instead of one third, as I had done the former. I then added to the milk, so reduced, the yolks of eight new laid eggs well beaten. Having left the whole thus well mingled half an hour on the fire, I completed the experiment as before. This expedient perfectly succeeded.

The yolk of egg had so completely combined all the particles, that at the end of a year, and even of eighteen months, the milk remained as fresh as when I put it in the bottles. The first also was preserved more than two years. The cream which was in flakes disappeared when put on the fire. Both sustained the boiling alike. From both, butter and whey were afterwards obtained. In the different experiments and chymical analyses to which they were exposed, it was found that the last, being much the better, was equal to the best cream sold at Paris to drink with coffee.

§ XIII.

_Cream._

I took five _litres_ of cream taken with care from milk of the preceding evening. I condensed it in the water-bath to four _litres_, without skimming it. I took off the skim which was formed above, in order to strain it through a boulting cloth afterwards, and let it cool. After having taken off the skim which had risen while cooling, I put it in half bottles, observing the usual process, and let the water-bath boil for one hour.

At the end of two years this cream was found as fresh as if prepared the same day. I made some good fresh butter with it; making from four to five ounces of butter from half a _litre_ of cream.

§ XIV.

_Whey._

I prepared some whey by the ordinary process. When clarified, and grown cold, I put it in bottles, &c. and let it remain in the water-bath which was boiling one hour. However well the whey may be clarified, when put into the water-bath, the application of the heat always detaches some particles of cheese which are deposited. I preserved some in this way two and three years, and before I made use of it, I strained it that it might be very clear. On an emergency you may content yourself with carefully decantering the whey for this purpose.

§ XV.

_Of Vegetables._

As the difference of climates renders the productions of different countries more or less early, and varies their qualities, kinds and denominations,[M] attention will be given by the operator to the circumstances of the spot in which he resides.

[M] For this reason the translator adds the original names of the vegetables spoken of. It may happen that some of the kinds of fruits and roots mentioned by the author, do not exactly correspond with those which are considered as the same in this country. Whatever peculiarities there may be in the articles themselves, these will hardly affect the treatment they have to undergo in the process of preserving them. T.

At Paris and its environs, June and July are the best months for preserving green peas (_petits pois verts_), small windsor beans (_petites fèves de marais_), and asparagus (_asperge_). At a later period, these vegetables suffer greatly from heat and dryness. In August and September I preserve artichokes (_artichauts_), French beans (_haricots verts et blancs_), and cauliflowers (_choux-fleurs_).

In general, all vegetables intended to be preserved should be used as recently gathered as possible, and prepared with the utmost rapidity, so that there should be as it were, but one step from the garden-bed to the water-bath.

§ XVI.

_Green Peas._

(_Petits pois verts._)

The _clamart_ and the _crochu_ are the two kinds of peas which I prefer, especially the latter, which is the most juicy and sweet of all, as well as the earliest, except the _michaux_ (hastings), which is the first pea, but this kind is not fit to be preserved. I gather the peas when they are not too young and tender, for they are apt to dissolve in water during the operation. I take them when they are of a middling size. They are then in a more perfect state, and have an infinitely finer taste and flavour. I shell them as soon as they are gathered. I separate the large ones, and they are then put in bottles, the bottles being for that purpose placed on the stool before mentioned, in order that as many peas as possible may, by shaking the bottle, be made to go into them; I then cork the bottles, &c. and put them in the water-bath, which is made to boil for an hour and half, if the season be cool and moist; and two hours in a dry and hot season; and I terminate the operation as before.

I also put in bottles the larger peas which I had separated from those which were more delicate. These, also, I put into the water-bath, which I let boil according to the season, two hours, or two hours and an half.

§ XVII.

_Asparagus._

(_Asperge._)

I clean the asparagus as if for ordinary use, either with the stalk, or the buds only. Before I put them in bottles or jars, I plunge them into boiling water, and afterwards into cold water, in order to take away the peculiar sharpness of this vegetable. The stalks are placed in the jars with great care, the heads being downwards: the buds are put in bottles. After both are well drained, I cork the bottles, &c. and I put them in the water-bath, where they remain only till the water thoroughly boils.

§ XVIII.

_Windsor Beans._

(_Petites fèves de marais._)

Neither the _feverole_ (the small dried bean) nor the _julienne_, which resembles it, are fit to be preserved. I make use of the genuine Windsor, or broad bean, which is of the thickness and breadth of the thumb, when ripe. I gather it very small, about the size of the end of the little finger, in order to preserve it with its skin. As the skin becomes brown when in contact with the air, I take the precaution of putting the beans in bottles as soon as shelled. When the bottles are full, the beans having been shaken down gently on the stool, and in that way the vacancies in the bottle having been filled up, I add to each bottle a little bunch of savory; I cork them quickly in order to give them one hour’s boiling in the water-bath. When this vegetable has been quickly gathered, prepared and preserved, it has a white, greenish colour; on the contrary, when the operation has been tardy, it becomes brown and hard.

§ XIX.

_Peeled Windsor Beans._

(_Fèves de marais dérobées._)

In order to preserve Windsor beans stripped of their skins, I gather them larger, about half an inch long at the utmost. I take off the skin, bottle them with a small bunch of savory, &c. and I put them in the water-bath, which is made to boil an hour and half.

§ XX.

_French Beans._

(_Haricots verts et blancs._)

The bean known by the name of _bayolet_, which resembles the Swiss bean, is the kind fittest to be preserved green, with the pod. It combines uniformity with the best taste. I cause the beans to be gathered as for ordinary use. I string them, and put them in bottles, taking care to shake them on the stool, to fill the vacancies in the bottles. I then cork the bottles and put them in the water-bath, which is to boil an hour and half. When the beans are rather large, I cut them lengthways into two or three pieces: and then they do not require being in the water bath longer than one hour.

Of the kinds of haricot, of which the seeds or beans themselves are to be preserved, the _Soissons_ haricot is justly entitled to the preference. For want of that, I take the best of any other species of the _haricot blanc_ that I can meet with. I gather it when the shell begins to turn yellow. I then shell it immediately, and bottle it, &c. I put it in the water-bath, to give it a two hours’ boiling.

§ XXI.

_Artichokes._

(_Artichauts._)

To preserve artichokes whole, I gather them of a middling size; after having taken off all the useless leaves and pared them, I plunge them into boiling water, and immediately afterwards into cold water. Having drained them, I put them into jars which are corked, &c. and they receive an hour’s boiling.

To preserve cut artichokes (_en quartiers_), I divide them (taking fine specimens) into eight pieces. I take out the choke and leave very few of the leaves. I plunge them into boiling water, and afterwards into fresh water. Having been drained, they are then placed over the fire in a saucepan, with a piece of fresh butter, seasoning, and fine herbs. When half dressed, they are taken from the fire and set by to cool. They then are put in jars, which are corked, tied, luted, &c. and placed in the water-bath, in which they receive half an hour’s boiling.

§ XXII.

_Cauliflowers._

(_Choux-fleurs._)

I plunge the cauliflower, like the artichoke, in boiling water, and then in cold water, after having first plucked it. When well drained, I put it in jars, which are corked, &c. I place it in the water-bath, in order to give it half an hour’s boiling, &c.

As the seasons vary, and are sometimes dry and sometimes moist, it will be soon obvious, that it is necessary to study and adapt the various degrees of heat required according to the season. Attention to this circumstance must never be disregarded. For instance, in a cool and damp year, vegetables are more tender and consequently more sensible to the action of fire. In this case, the water-bath should be made to boil seven or eight minutes less; and in dry seasons, when vegetables are firmer, and better support the action of fire, seven or eight minutes boiling should be added.

§ XXIII.

_Sorrel._

(_Oseille._)

I gather _oseille_ (sorrel), _belle-dame_[N] _noirée_ (beet), _laitue_ (lettice), _cerfeuil_ (chervil), _ciboule_ (green onion), &c. in fit proportions. When they have all been well plucked, washed, drained, and minced, I cause the whole to be stewed together in a copper vessel well tinned. These vegetables ought to be well stewed, as if for daily use, and not dried up and burned as is often done in families, when it is intended to preserve them. This quantity of stewing is the most fit. When my herbs are thus prepared, I set them to cool in earthen or stone vessels. Afterwards I put them in bottles with a wide mouth. I cork them, &c. and I put my sorrel in the water-bath, which is allowed a quarter of an hour’s boiling merely. This time is sufficient for preserving it ten years untouched, and as fresh as if it was just taken from the garden. This mode is, without dispute, the best and most economical for families and hospitals, civil and military. It is, above all, most advantageous to the Navy: for sorrel thus prepared may be brought from the Indies, as fresh and savoury as if dressed the same day.

[N] A species of the _Bella-donna_ very generally made use of as an ingredient in French soups. T.

§ XXIV.

_Spinage, Succory, and other Herbs._

(_Epinards et chicorées._)

Sorrel and succory are prepared as if for daily use. When fresh gathered, plucked, scalded, cooled, squeezed and minced, I put them in bottles, &c. to give them a quarter of an hour’s boiling in the water-bath, &c.

Carrots, cabbages, turnips, parsnips, onions, potatoes, celery, chardoons, (_cardons d’Espagne_), red beet, and, generally, all vegetables, may be preserved alike, either simply scalded, or prepared with soup, in order to be used when taken out of the vessel. In the first case, I cause the vegetables to be scalded and half boiled in water with a little salt. I then take them from the water in order to strain them and let them cool; and afterwards put them into bottles, and into the water-bath. I let the carrots, cabbages, turnips, parsnips, and red beet, remain in the water-bath while it boils one hour: and the onions, potatoes, and celery, &c. half an hour. In the other case I prepare my vegetables with soup, either with or without meat, as for ordinary use. When three-fourths boiled and well prepared and seasoned, I take them from the fire to let them cool. Then I put them in bottles, &c. and give them a good quarter of an hour’s boiling in the water-bath.

§ XXV.

_A Soup called Julienne._

I compose a _Julienne_ of carrots, leeks, turnips, sorrel, French beans, celery, green peas, &c. These I prepare in the ordinary way, which consists in cutting the carrots, turnips, leeks, French beans and celery into small pieces, either round or long. Having well plucked and washed them, I put these vegetables into a saucepan over the fire, with a largish piece of fresh butter. When these are half-done, I add the sorrel and green peas. After the whole has been stewed down, I moisten the vegetables with good gravy, prepared for the purpose, with good meat and poultry. I let the whole boil half an hour. Then I withdraw the fire to let it grow cool; and having put the Julienne into bottles, &c. I let it boil half an hour in the water-bath. Julienne prepared in this way, has been kept by me more than two years.

The Julienne _au maigre_ is prepared in the same manner, except that, instead of gravy, I moisten my vegetables, when well dressed, with a clear vegetable soup, either of French beans, lentils, or large green peas, which I have preserved; and I give it in like manner half an hour’s boiling in the water-bath.

§ XXVI.

_Vegetable Soup._

(_Coulis de Racines._)

I compose and prepare a vegetable soup in the usual way; I make the soup so rich, that a bottle of the size of a _litre_ can supply a dish for twelve persons, by adding two _litres_ of water to it, before it is made use of. When it has grown cool, I put it in bottles, to give it half an hour’s boiling in the water-bath.

§ XXVII.

_Love-Apples._

(_Tomates, ou Pommes d’Amour._)

I gather love-apples very ripe, when they have acquired their beautiful colour. Having washed and drained them, I cut them into pieces, and dissolve them over the fire in a copper vessel well tinned. When they are well dissolved and reduced one third in compass, I strain them through a sieve sufficiently fine to hold the kernels. When the whole has passed through, I replace the decoction on the fire, and I condense it till there remains only one third of the first quantity. Then I let them become cool in stone pans, and put them in bottles, &c., in order to give them one good boiling only, in the water-bath.

I have not yet tried any experiments with the flower of the love-apple, but there is no doubt that this new method will furnish means of deriving, at a slight expence, a great value from them also.

§ XXVIII.

_Herbs and Medicinal Plants._

(_Plantes Potagères et Médicinales._)

I filled a bottle with mint (_menthe poivrée_) in branches and full of flowers. I stirred it with a stick to make the bottle hold a greater quantity of it. I corked it well, &c. and gave it a slight boiling in the water-bath. It was perfectly preserved.

The same may be done with all plants to be preserved in bunches. The operator will calculate the degree of heat which it will be necessary to give to the several subjects of his experiment.[O]

[O] The mode of extracting the juice of plants by means of water has more or less inconvenience. All those juices which have a principle that is very volatile and easy to evaporate, lose infinitely, even in warm water; much more so therefore, when the heat of the water is raised to a higher degree, and when the plants have been left for a long time in digestion.

Aromatic vegetables are infused, when the object is to preserve the aroma, and not impart to the water the extractive principle which the plant contains. Therefore, tea and coffee are made by infusion. But all the theories ancient and modern, and all the new apparatus employed to seize and hold fast the aroma of the coffee are still very deficient.

Ebullition which is often times resorted to in order to extract the aroma of plants by means of distillation, in spite of all the apparatus made use of for keeping the same closed up, most frequently destroys the nature of the productions.

Not only are the principles extracted by the water injured by this first operation, but they scarcely retain any strength after the evaporation which it is usual to make them undergo, in order to form essences of them. The extract therefore, exhibits nothing but the appearance of the soluble and nutritive principles of vegetable and animal substances; since fire, which is necessary to form an essence by means of evaporation, destroys the aroma and almost all the properties of the substance which contains it.

§ XXIX.

_The Juices of Herbs._

I have succeeded in preserving very well the juices of such plants as lettuce, chervil, borage (_bourache_), wild succory (_chicorée sauvage_), water-cresses (_cresson de fontaine_), &c. I prepared and purified them by the usual process, I corked them, &c. in order to give them one boiling in the water-bath.

§ XXX.

_Fruits and their Juices._

Fruits and their juices require the utmost celerity in the preparatory process, and particularly in the application of heat to the water-bath.

The fruit which is to be preserved either whole or in quarters, ought not to be completely ripe, because it dissolves in the water-bath. In like manner it should not be gathered either at the commencement or the end of the season. The first and the last of the crop have neither the fine flavour, nor the perfume of those which are gathered in the heighth of the season, that is, when the greater part of the crop of each species is ripe at the same period.

§ XXXI.

_White and Red Currants in Bunches._

(_Groseilles rouges et blanches en Grappes._)

I gather the white and red currants apart, and not too ripe. I collect the finest, and in the finest bunches; and I bottle them, taking care to shake them down on the stool, in order to fill up the vacancies in the bottle. Then I cork them, &c. in order to put them in the water-bath which I am careful to watch closely; and as soon as I perceive it boils, I withdraw the fire rapidly, and a quarter of an hour afterwards draw off the water from the bath by means of the cock, &c.

§ XXXII.

_White and Red Currants, stripped._

(_Groseilles rouges et blanches égrenées._)

I strip the white and red currants apart. They are immediately put into bottles, and I conclude the operation with the same attention as in preserving the currants in bunches. I preserve a greater quantity of currants stripped, than in bunches; as the stalks always give a harshness to the currant juice.

§ XXXIII.

_Cherries, Raspberries, Mulberries._

(_Cerises, Framboises, Mures et Cassis._)

I gather these fruits before they are too ripe, that they may be less squeezed in the operation. I put them in separate bottles, and shake the bottles gently on the stool. I cork them, &c. and I complete them in the same manner, and with the same care as the currants.

§ XXXIV.

_Juice of Red Currants._

I gather red currants quite ripe, and squeeze them upon fine sieves. I put into a press the skins which remain upon the sieves, in order to extract all the juice which may be in them, and this I mix with the former juice. I perfume the whole with a little raspberry juice, and I strain this decoction through a sieve finer than those used before. I put the juice in bottles, &c. and expose them to the water-bath, with the same attention as the stripped currants, &c.

I proceed in the same manner with the juice of white currants and barberries (_épines-vinettes_), as well as with that of pomegranates, oranges, and lemons.

§ XXXV.

_Strawberries._

(_Fraises._)

I made a number of experiments on the strawberry, and in various ways, without being able to obtain its perfume. I was forced to have recourse to sugar: in consequence, I squeezed some strawberries, and strained them through a sieve, as if I were about to make ice. I added half a pound of powder sugar, with the juice of half a lemon, to a pound of strawberries. I mixed the whole together, and put the decoction in bottles which I corked, &c. I exposed it to a water-bath till it began to boil, &c. This mode succeeded very well, in every respect, except the colour, which was considerably faded; but that may be supplied.

§ XXXVI.

_Apricots._

(_Abricots._)

For the table, the wild and garden apricot (_l’abricot commun, et l’abricot péche_) both taken from trees standing free in the open air, are the best kinds for preservation: I commonly mingle these two kinds together, because the former supports the latter, which has more sugar in it, and which dissolves more from the action of heat. They may nevertheless be prepared apart, provided the precaution be taken, of letting the garden peach remain a few minutes less in the water-bath than the wild peach. That is, as soon as the water-bath begins to boil, the fire is to be taken away from the garden peach, while the fire may be allowed to remain under the wild peach until the water-bath completely boils.

I gather the apricots when they are ripe, but somewhat firm; when, on being squeezed gently between the fingers, the stone is perceived to detach itself from the fruit. As soon as gathered, I cut them in halves, take out the stone, and peel off the skin with a knife as delicately as possible. I put them into bottles, either in halves or quarters, according to the size of the mouth, and shake them on the stool to fill up the vacancies. I add to each bottle from twelve to fifteen almonds; I cork them and put them into the water-bath to receive one boiling only; and I instantly withdraw the fire with the same precaution as made use of in the preparation of the currants, &c.

§ XXXVII.

_Peaches and Nectarines._

(_Pêches, Brugnons._)

The _grosse mignonne_ and the _calande_ are the two kinds of peach which unite the most flavour and perfume. For want of these, I take the best I can meet with.

I gather the nectarine (_brugnon_) more ripe than the peach, because it supports the heat better: and on the other hand, I leave the skin on it in order to preserve it. Moreover, the same process is observed as in preserving the nectarine, the peach, and the apricot; in every instance watching the water-bath closely, as I do in preserving the bunches of currants.

§ XXXVIII.

_Prunes from Green Gages, and Plumbs._

(_Prunes de Reine-Claude et Mirabelles._)

I have made prunes of whole green-gages, including the stone and the stalk, as well as of other great plums; and even of _perdrigons_ and _alberges_, which succeeded very well. But there are these inconveniences in preserving the largest fruits whole, that few of these large plums can be put into even a large jar, since the vacancies cannot be filled up by shaking the fruit, without altogether crushing them; and that when the heat of the water-bath is applied to them, they shrink, and the jars are found half empty.

In consequence, I have abandoned this too expensive mode, and am accustomed to preserve all these large plums, cut in halves, after having taken out the stone. This is the easiest and most economical manner, corks of a sufficiently large size for large objects being very dear, and also rare, when the cork is very fine; the vessels too which have a narrow or middling neck are more easy to be well corked, and the operation is in consequence more certain. As to the _mirabelle_ [a small white plum] and all other small plums, I prepare them with the stone in them, after having taken off the stalk; for they are in this way easier to shake close, and they leave but few vacancies in the bottles. In general, I observe, in the preservation of all these prunes, either whole or cut in halves, the same process, care and attention, which I have pointed out under the head of apricots and peaches.

§ XXXIX.

_Pears of every kind._

When the pears are peeled, and cut into quarters, and the pips with their husks are taken out, I put them into bottles, &c. in order to place them in the water-bath. I carefully attend to the degree of heat they have to receive, which, if they are of a kind usually eaten raw, should not be more than sufficient to make the water-bath boil. When the preserve consists of pears usually stewed or boiled, then I let them remain boiling in the water-bath, five or six minutes. Pears which have fallen from the tree require a quarter of an hour’s boiling, &c.

§ XL.

_Chesnuts, Truffles, and Mushrooms._

(_Marrons, Truffes, et Champignons._)

I pierce _chesnuts_ at the point with the point of a knife, as if I meant to roast them. I put them in bottles, and give them one boiling in the water-bath.

Having well washed and brushed the _truffles_ in order to take away all the soil, I cut off the upper part gently with a knife. Then I put them into bottles either whole or in pieces, according to the diameter of the neck. The remainder I put in bottles apart. The whole being well corked, &c. I put them in the water-bath to receive an hour’s boiling, &c. It is not necessary to recommend that the truffles should be sound, and recently gathered.

I take _Mushrooms_ fresh from the bed, well formed and firm. Having peeled and washed them, I put them in a saucepan on the fire, with a piece of butter or some good olive oil, in order to make them eject their liquor. I leave them on the fire till this liquor is reduced one half. I withdraw them in order to let them grow cool in a pan; after which, I bottle them and give them one good boiling in the water-bath.

§ XLI.

_The Juice of the Grape or Must._

During the vintage of 1808, I took black grapes, carefully gathered from the vine; after having taken away the rotten and green grapes, and stripped the others from the stalks, I squeezed them upon a fine sieve, and afterwards put into a press the husks which remained on the sieve, in order to extract the remainder of the juice; and then put the produce both of the sieve and the press into one cask. Having let it stand in this state twenty-four hours, I put it in bottles, &c. to give it one good boiling in the water bath. When the operation was completed, I withdrew the bottles from the boiler. The action of the fire had precipitated the little colour which the grape-juice had assumed during the preparation, and it was become very white. I then placed it in my laboratory in a rack as if it had been wine.

I repeated all these experiments on the 10th of September 1809, in the presence of the special commission nominated by his Excellency the Minister of the Interior, composed of the most distinguished persons of the profession.

New experiments which I have begun, as well as others which I purpose to make on various objects, will be detailed in a memoir which I shall publish as soon as I shall be able to speak of their result.

OF THE MODE OF MAKING USE OF THE SUBSTANCES WHICH HAVE BEEN
PRESERVED.

§ XLII.

_Meat, Game, Poultry, Fish._

Meat which has in the preparatory dressing, as well as the boiling it received in the water-bath, received its due quantity of cooking, will, when it is taken to be used, require only to be properly warmed in order to produce both soup and meat (_potage et bouilli_).

For the sake of greater economy, and to lessen the number of bottles and jars wanted, it is better to make in the first instance a good gravy as already pointed out by me. For both the beef and the gravy need only to be warmed, and by adding one half or two-thirds of water to the gravy a good soup is provided.

In this manner, a bottle containing a _litre_ of gravy may, by adding two _litres_ of boiling water to it at the moment that it is to be used, and adding a little salt, furnish a dozen good messes. Thus it is easy at a very slight expence to keep a little stock of provisions against an emergency and hot weather, when it is so difficult to procure them, more especially in the country.

All meat, poultry, game, and fish, which have received three-fourths of their dressing in the preparatory process, and the remainder in the water-bath, as already pointed out, may, when taken out of the vessels, be heated to the proper degree in order to be instantly served at table. If, for instance, the substance taken from the bottle or jar, had not received either enough previous dressing, or enough heat from the water-bath; it is immediately put on the fire in order to supply what is deficient. Consequently, when the operator has taken due care in making his preparations, having properly seasoned and dressed them, the use to be made of them afterwards, will at all events be easy and convenient; for on the one hand they will need only to be warmed, and on the other hand, they may, if necessary, be eaten cold.

Substances thus prepared and preserved, do not, as might be imagined, require to be consumed as soon as they are opened. Provisions may be used from a vessel eight or ten days after it has been uncorked,[P] care being taken only to replace the cork as soon as the necessary part of the provision has been taken out. Besides, it is easy to regulate the size of the vessels from one to twenty-five _litres_ or more, according to the rapidity of the expected consumption.

[P] See the report made to the _Société d’Encouragement pour l’Industrie nationale_, by Mr. Bouriat, in the name of the Committee. Two half-bottles, one of milk, the other of whey, after remaining uncorked from twenty to thirty days, had been re-corked with little cork; nevertheless the two substances retained all their properties.

§ XLIII.

_Jellies made of Meat and Poultry._

A well prepared and preserved jelly, carefully taken in pieces out of the jar may be used to garnish cold dishes, or it may be even dissolved in the water-bath, the vessel containing it being first uncorked; afterwards it may be poured in a dish to congeal again before it is made use of.

Under an infinity of circumstances, a cook may be in want of the substances necessary to make a sauce with. But with the essences of meat, poultry, ham, &c. as well as with a provision of jelly well preserved and prepared, they may be furnished in an instant.

The broth or jelly prepared and preserved as pointed out in page 46 is eaten either cold as it is found in the bottles, or diluted with more or less boiling water, in the proportions which persons of experience may judge suitable in the several instances.

§ XLIV.

_Milk and Cream._

Cream, Milk and Whey, prepared and preserved in the manner already pointed out, are used in the same way, and for the same daily purposes, as the same articles when fresh.

Since cream and milk are perfectly preserved in this manner, there is no doubt that desert-creams might be preserved by a similar process, as well as those which are used for ices. These, having been well prepared and completed before they are put into bottles, will only require to be gently warmed in the water-bath, the bottles being uncorked, in order to facilitate its coming out of the vessel. In this manner creams and ices may be furnished instantly.

§ XLV.

_Vegetables._

Vegetables put into bottles without being dressed, and entirely submitted to the action of heat in the water-bath, as before described, require to be prepared for use on being taken out of the bottles. This preparation will be made according to the season, and every one’s taste and inclination. Attention must be given to the washing of the vegetables when taken from the bottle; and to facilitate the taking them out, I fill the bottle with luke-warm water, and after having drained it of the first water, I wash the vegetables in a second water somewhat hotter, and having drained them, I then prepare them for a meat or vegetable soup.

§ XLVI.

_French Beans._

(_Haricots._)

I scald French beans (_haricots verts_,) as if they were fresh in water, with a little salt when not sufficiently dressed by the preserving process. This often happens to them as well as to artichokes, asparagus and cauliflowers. If sufficiently boiled, on being taken out of the bottles, I have only to wash them in hot water in order to prepare them afterwards for vegetable or meat soup.

I scald in the same way the beans of the _haricot blanc_; when sufficiently dressed, I take them from the fire and leave them in the boiling water, half an hour, and even an hour, in order to render them more tender: I then prepare them for soup.

§ XLVII.

_Peas, Beans, &c._

Green peas are dressed in various ways. If they are ill cooked in the season, it is the cook who is blamed; but if they are not found good in winter, the fault is thrown on the person who has preserved them, though the fault most frequently arises from some of the substances employed; either from the bad butter, or the oil or rancid fat which is made use of through negligence or economy. At another time they are prepared two hours too soon. They are suffered to stick to the bottom of the saucepan when on the fire, and they are served smelling of the butter which is turned into oil with a burnt taste; or they are prepared without care and with too much precipitation. It is thus we see green peas brought to the table swimming in water; but every one has his way. The following is mine.

As soon as the peas have been washed and immediately afterwards drained (for neither this vegetable nor the windsor-bean must be suffered to remain in water, for that would take away their flavour), I put them on the fire in a saucepan with a morsel of good fresh butter. I add to them a bunch of parsley and chives. After having tossed them several times in butter, I dredge them with a little flour, and moisten them immediately afterwards with boiling water up to the level of the peas. I leave them thus to be boiled a good quarter of an hour, until very little sauce remains. Then I season them with salt and a little pepper, and leave them on the fire until they are stewed down; I then take them off the fire immediately, in order to add a piece of fresh butter as large as a nut, with a table spoonful of powder sugar for each bottle of peas. I toss them well without replacing them on the fire, until the butter is melted, and I serve them up in the shape of a pyramid upon a dish, which I take care to warm thoroughly. I have observed several times, that by adding sugar to the peas when upon the fire, and giving them only one boiling, the peas became hard and the sauce ran so that it could no longer bind the peas together. Thus great attention should be given to the not putting in the sugar and the last piece of butter until the moment of serving them up. This is the only way of dressing them well, for neither in summer nor winter ought any sauce to appear among the peas.

There is another mode of eating green peas and which may suit many persons; this consists in simply boiling the peas in water. When done, the water is drained off and the peas are tossed with a piece of good fresh butter, salt, pepper and sugar, all together over a very gentle fire, they are then served up directly upon a very hot dish. Care must be taken that the peas do not boil with the seasoning, otherwise the butter turns into oil, and the green peas are dissolved in the water.

I cook the small windsor-beans, as well with as without their skin, by the same process and with the same attentions which I observe in dressing green peas.

I make an excellent soup-maigre, with large preserved peas which are equally good for a meat soup. As to asparagus, artichokes, cauliflowers, &c. they are dressed in the usual way after having been washed, &c. Green peas, beans, French beans, and all kinds of vegetables may be three-fourths boiled, seasoned at the same time, as is done when intended for immediate use, put into bottles or other vessels when cool, corked, &c. and allowed one half hour’s boiling in the water-bath. By these means vegetables will be preserved and quite ready, which may be made use of in an instant, without any other care than to warm them; and there are also many instances in which these vegetables may be eaten cold. In this way all difficulties may be removed in travelling by land or water.

§ XLVIII.

_Spinage and Succory._

I dress spinage and succory as usual, in either vegetable or meat soup. Each bottle of a _litre_, contains two or three dishes, either of spinage, or succory according to their strength. When I want to make use of a part only I re-cork the bottle which I keep for another day.

§ XLIX.

_Vegetable Soups._

Having emptied a bottle containing a _litre_ of preserved _Julienne_, I add two _litres_ of boiling water with a little salt, and I have a dish for twelve or fifteen persons.

As well as a Julienne, a _coulis de racines_, a soup of lentils, carrots, onions, &c. being well prepared, furnishes with the greatest economy, excellent dishes in an instant.

All farinaceous substances, such as oatmeal, rice, spelt, semoulia, vermicelli, and in general every thing that may be formed into a paste, nutritive and easy of digestion, may be prepared and seasoned with either vegetable or meat soup, and even with milk, before they are made to undergo the preserving process, in order to facilitate the use of them at sea and in armies at a moment of necessity.

§ L.

_Tomates and Herbs._

I use preserved Tomates or _love-apples_ in the same manner as those taken fresh in the season. They need only to be properly warmed and seasoned when taken out of the bottle.

A _Sorrel_ preserved in the manner pointed out, does not, when taken out of the bottle, in the least differ from fresh sorrel in June. I make use of it in the same way.

As to mint (_menthe poivrée_) and all other plants which may be preserved in bunches; cooks will know how to make the proper use of them, as well as of the juices of herbs.

§ LI.

_Preserved Fruits, Marmelades, &c._

The manner of making use of fruits, preserved by the process I have pointed out, consists, 1st. in putting such fruit into a fruit jar, in the same state in which it is in the bottle, without adding any sugar, because many persons, more especially ladies, prefer fruits with their natural juice. At the same time I prepare another jar with a preserve of grape-syrup or powder sugar, for those who prefer it. I have from experience learnt that grape-syrup preserves the aroma and agreeable acidity of fruits, much better than sugar. This is a very simple and economical mode of preparing an excellent dish of preserved fruits, which is the more convenient, as every one can satisfy his own taste as to the mixture of sugar with his fruits.

2. In order to make preserves with sugar (_compotes sucrées_), I take a pound of preserved fruits, it matters not which; this, on being taken out of the bottle, I put, with its juice, over the fire in a skimming pan, mixing with it four ounces of grape syrup. As soon as it begins to boil, I withdraw it from the fire, and take off the froth by means of a piece of brown paper, which I apply to the surface. As soon as I have skimmed it, I take the fruit gently off the syrup, in order to put it into a fruit-jar. After having reduced the syrup one half over the fire, I put it upon the fruit in the jar. Fruits thus preserved are sufficiently sweet, and have as fine a flavour as a preserve made in the season with fresh fruits.

3d. In order to preserve in brandy either cherries, apricots, green-gages, pears, peaches, mirabelles, &c. (_compotes à l’eau de vie_), I take a pound of preserved fruit, together with its juice, which I put in a saucepan, on the fire, together with a quarter of a pound of grape syrup. When ready to boil, I skim it; after which, I gently take the fruit from off the syrup, and put it in a jar. I leave the syrup on the fire, till it is reduced to one-fourth of its bulk. Then I take it from the fire in order to add to it a glass of good brandy; and having mixed the whole, I pour the hot syrup upon the fruit in the jar, which I take care to close well that the fruit may be better penetrated by the syrup, &c.

The preserved pear and peach may be alike made use of to make a Burgundy wine conserve with cinnamon, as well as _compotes grillées_.

4th. I make a _marmelade_, either of apricots, peaches, green-gages, or mirabelles, by the following process. I take for one pound of preserved fruit, half a pound of grape syrup. I boil the whole together over a quick fire, taking care to stir it well with a spoon to prevent its boiling. When the marmelade is boiled to a slight consistency, I take it off, because the confectionary which is the least boiled is the best. As preserved fruits afford a facility of making confectionary just when it is wanted, they may, by a little boiling only, be had at any time, fresh and of excellent quality.

§ LII.

_Currant Jam._

The mode of making currant jam with the juice of this preserved fruit, is quite simple. I put half a pound of sugar to one pound of currant juice, which ought to be perfumed with a little raspberry. Having clarified and dissolved my sugar, I put the currant juice to it, and give it three or four boilings; and when it falls from the skimmer in small lumps not larger than a lentil, I take it from the fire to put it in jars, &c.

§ LIII.

_Syrup of Currants._

In order to make syrup of currants, I warm the juice of this fruit till it is ready to boil. I then strain it through a cloth. By these means I obtain the juice, limpid, and freed from its mucillage. When strained, I add half a pound of grape syrup to a pound of fruit, and put the whole on the fire together; when boiled to the consistence of a slight syrup, I take it from the fire to put it in bottles when it is cold.

There is a very simple and economical mode of making use, not only of currant juice, but that of all fruits which are employed to compose an acid beverage.

This mode consists merely in putting into a glass of water slightly sweetened with grape syrup, a table spoonful of the juice of preserved currant, or of any other fruit that may be at hand, which is poured into another glass and then drank off. This mode is the more convenient, because it will be always easy to have these preserved juices at hand, or to procure them at a small expence. In this way my family has been, for the space of fifteen years, in the habit of making use of currant juice; and most frequently we prepare this substitute for lemonade, without either sugar or syrup.

§ LIV.

_Ices._

I have prepared and made, in the mode usually employed in the fruit season, ices of currants, raspberries, apricots, and peaches, as well as strawberries, preserved in the manner pointed out by me.

I made these experiments before the late improvement in the art of making grape syrup, but now that this production has been brought nearly to perfection, the syrup of the acid grape manufactured by Mr. Privat of Meze, will soon advantageously supply the place of the juice of the sugar cane, in the preparation of the ices of fruit. As I have already observed, the grape syrup preserves the aroma of all fruits better than sugar. Sugar overpowers to so great a degree the taste of the fruits, that it is necessary to add some lemons to the ices of fruits, in order, as it were, to bring out the aroma. When therefore the juice of an acid grape shall be made use of, the lemons will become unnecessary, and the ices of fruit will be the richer. The sweet syrups of the grape will be successfully made use of with all ice-creams.

§ LV.

_Cordials._

(_Liqueurs._)

I have composed liqueurs and ratafies with the juice of preserved fruits and sweetened with grape syrup. These preparations yielded in nothing to the best home-made liqueurs.

The simple and easy modes which I have pointed out, of preparing every kind of preserved fruit for daily use, prove sufficiently that this method, as sure as it is useful, will introduce the greatest economy in the consumption of the produce of the sugar-cane. The consumer, and more especially the manufacturer, who is obliged to lay in during summer, a considerable stock of this foreign commodity for syrups, liqueurs and confectionary, as well as all the objects of pharmacy, may dispense with it; for it will be sufficient if they lay in an adequate stock of fruit in the season, and prepare it in the manner pointed out, to be exempt from the necessity of preparing it with sugar, except on an emergency, and in the quantities actually wanted. It will follow that the greater part of all these fruits will be preserved, altogether without, or at least with a small quantity of sugar; that many of them will be prepared with grape syrup, and that the sugar from the cane will be made use of only for indispensable objects, or to comply with the old habits, and gratify the luxury of a few.

It will follow, that in a plentiful year, sugar will not be necessary in order to provide against a scanty season; and that, with a slight expence, the same enjoyment will be derived from the preserved produce of two, three, and four years, as from a year of plenty.

§ LVI.

_Chesnuts, Truffles, Mushrooms._

On taking the chesnuts out of the vessel in which they have been preserved, I plunge them in cold water, sprinkle them with a little fine salt, and roast them in a pan over a quick fire. In this manner they are excellent. The moistening them and the putting salt upon them may be dispensed with, but they must always be roasted over a quick fire.

I make the same use of preserved truffles and mushrooms, as of those recently gathered.

§ LVII.

_Grape Juice, or Must._

When I made my first experiments of preserving grape juice in its fresh state, I was unacquainted with Mr. Parmentier’s “_Information concerning the means of furnishing a substitute for sugar, in the principal uses made of it in medicine and domestic economy_.”[Q] It is this valuable information which supplied me with the means of availing myself of fresh experiments, and making use of two hundred bottles of grape-juice preserved by me six months before.

[Q] “_L’instruction sur les moyens de suppléer le sucre dans les principaux usages qu’on en fait pour la médecine et l’économie domestique_; _par_ M. PARMENTIER.”

1st. I made very good grape syrup, following the process of Mr. Parmentier, which is literally as follows.

_Preparation of Grape Syrup._

“You take twenty-four [French] pints of grape juice and put one half of it in a boiler placed on the fire, with the precaution of not suffering it to boil with too much force. You add fresh juice as that in the boiler evaporates; you skim it and stir the surface, to add to the evaporation. When the whole of the juice has been put into the boiler, you skim it, you take the boiler off the fire, and add some lye-ashes tied up in a cloth, or whiting (_blanc d’Espagne_, Spanish, or Troy-white), or chalk reduced to a powder, and first diluted in a little grape juice, until it no longer effervesces, or, as it were, boils in the liquor which was shaken.

“By these means, the acid contained in the grape, is separated and neutralized. In order to try the liquor, put blue paper into it, and when it does not turn red, then you may be satisfied that the liquor is no longer acid. Replace the boiler on the fire, after having let it settle an instant, and put in two whites of beaten eggs. Strain the liquor through a woollen cloth, fixed on a wooden frame of twelve or fifteen square inches, so that it occupies little room; then boil again, and continue the evaporation.

“In order to know whether the syrup be sufficiently condensed, let some drop from a spoon upon a plate: if the drop falls without spirting or spreading, or if when divided, the halves run into each other again but slowly, then you may infer that it has acquired the proper consistency.

“Pour it into an earthen vessel which is not varnished; and when completely cold, transfer it to vessels of a moderate size, neat, dry, and well corked; and placed it in the cellar. A bottle once opened, should not remain long only half filled; and when you make use of it, take care to hold the neck downwards.