Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa - "History of the Incas"

Mary Robinson - "Beaux and Belles of England"

James Huneker - "Old Fogy"

Pio Baroja - "Caesar or Nothing"

Annual Bibliography of Commonwealth Literature 2007
This paper argues that discourses of love in Ghanaian market literature for youth offer a view into complex negotiations of agency and empowerment. Drawing on Deborah Durham's notion of youth as "social `shifters'" and Francis Nyamnjoh's conception of the "interconnectedness" of agency, I take Ghanaian market literature as one specific case of how African literature for youth foregrounds questions of continuity and change as African societies enter into increasingly complex global relations. In this literature for youth, received notions of love, often constructed out of impressions from American pop and hip hop music, carry new notions of agency that compete with existing "domesticated" forms. Authors like Ike Tandoh and Evelyn Tay employ discourses of love to offer youth alternative avenues for empowerment in a context of socio-economic disenfranchizement. In a creative process of "straddling", this writing both reveals and reproduces the contradictions that obtain in youth configurations of agency.

Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches

E >> Eliza Leslie >> Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches




When the syrup has boiled, and been well skimmed, put in the
peaches and boil them slowly till they look clear; but do not keep
them boiling more than half an hour. Then take them out, drain
them, and put them into large glass jars. Mix the syrup, when it
is cold, with the brandy in which you had the peaches, and pour it
over them. Instead of scalding the peaches to whiten them, you may
lay them for an hour in sufficient cold weak lye to cover them
well. Turn them frequently while in the lye, and wipe them dry
afterwards.

Pears and apricots may be preserved in brandy, according to the
above receipt. The skin of the pears should he taken off, but the
stems left on.

Large egg plums may be preserved in the same manner.

Another way of preparing brandy peaches is, after rubbing off the
down and pricking them, to put them into a preserving kettle with
cold water, and simmer them slowly till they become hot all
through; but they must not be allowed to boil. Then dry them in a
cloth, and let them lie till they are cold, covering them closely
from the air. Dissolve loaf-sugar in the best white brandy, (a
pound of sugar to a quart of brandy,) and having put the peaches
into large glass jars, pour the brandy and sugar over them
(without boiling) and cover the jars well with leather.

Pears, apricots, and egg plums may also be done in this manner.


PEACH MARMALADE.

Take ripe yellow free-stone peaches; pare, stone, and quarter
them. To each pound of peaches, allow three quarters of a pound of
powdered loaf-sugar, and half an ounce of bitter almonds, or
peach-kernels blanched in scalding water, and pounded smooth in a
mortar. Scald the peaches in a very little water, mash them to a
pulp, mix them with the sugar and pounded-almonds, and put the
whole into a preserving kettle. Let it boil to a smooth thick jam,
skimming and stirring it well, and keeping the pan covered as much
as possible. Fifteen minutes will generally suffice for boiling
it. When cold, put it up in glass jars.

Plum marmalade may be made in this manner, flavouring it with
pounded plum-kernels.


PEACH JELLY.

Take fine juicy free-stone peaches and pare and quarter them.
Scald them in a very little water, drain and mash them, and
squeeze the juice through a jelly-bag. To every pint of juice
allow a pound of loaf-sugar, and a few of the peach-kernels.
Having broken up the kernels and boiled them by themselves for a
quarter of an hour in just as much water as will cover them,
strain off the kernel-water, and add it to the juice. Mix the
juice with the sugar, and when it is melted, boil them together
fifteen minutes, till it becomes a thick jelly. Skim it well when
it boils. Try the jelly by taking a little in a spoon and holding
it in the open air to see if it congeals. If you find, that after
sufficient boiling, it still continues thin, you can make it
congeal by stirring in an ounce or more of isinglass, dissolved
and strained. When the jelly is done, put it into tumblers, and
lay on the top double tissue paper cut exactly to fit the inside
of the glass; pressing it down with your fingers.

You may make plum jelly in the same manner, allowing a pound and a
half of sugar to a pint of juice.


TO PRESERVE APRICOTS.

Take ripe apricots; scald them, peel them, cut them in half, and
extract the stones. Then weigh the apricots, and to each pound
allow a pound of loaf-sugar. Put them into a tureen or large pan,
in alternate layers of apricots and sugar; cover them, and let
them stand all night. Next morning put all together into a
preserving kettle, and boil them moderately a quarter of an hour.
Then take them out, spread them on dishes, and let them stand till
next day. Then boil them again in the same syrup another quarter
of an hour. Afterwards, spread them out to cool, put them into
glass jars, and pour the syrup over them. Peaches may be preserved
in the same manner. Also large plums or green gages; but to the
plums you must allow additional sugar.


TO DRY PEACHES.

The best peaches for drying are juicy free-stones. They must be
quite ripe. Cut them in half, and take out the stones. It is best
not to pare them; as dried peaches are much richer with the skin
on, and it dissolves and becomes imperceptible when they are
cooked. Spread them out in a sunny balcony or on a scaffold, and
let them dry gradually till they become somewhat like leather;
always bringing them in at sunset, and not putting them out if the
weather is damp or cloudy. They may also be dried in kilns or
large ovens.

Apples are dried in the same manner, except that they must be
pared and quartered.

Cherries also may be dried in the sun, first taking out all the
stones. None but the largest and best cherries should be used for
drying.


TO PRESERVE QUINCES.

Take large, yellow, ripe quinces, and having washed and wiped
them, pare them and extract the cores. Quarter the quinces, or cut
them into round slices an inch thick, and lay them in scalding
water (closely covered) for an hour, or till they are tender. This
will prevent them from hardening, Put the parings, cores, and
seeds into a preserving kettle, cover them with the water in which
you coddled the quinces, and boil them an hour, keeping them
closely covered all the time. To every pint of this liquor allow a
pound of loaf-sugar; and having dissolved the sugar in it, put it
over the fire in the preserving kettle. Boil it up and skim it,
and when the scum has ceased rising, put in the quinces, and boil
them till they are red, tender, and clear all through, but not
till they break. Keep the kettle closely covered while the quinces
are in it, if you wish to have them bright coloured. You may
improve the colour by boiling with them a little cochineal sifted
through a muslin rag.

When they are done, take them out, spread them on large dishes to
cool, and then put them into glasses. Give the syrup another boil
up, and it will be like a fine jelly. Pour it hot over the
quinces, and when cold, tie up the jars with brandy paper.


TO PRESERVE QUINCES WHOLE.

Take those that are large, smooth, and yellow; pare them and
extract the cores, carefully removing all the blemishes. Boil the
quinces in a close kettle with the cores and parings, in
sufficient water to cover them. In half an hour take, them out,
spread them to cool, and add to the cores and parings some small
inferior quinces cut in quarters, but not pared or cored; and pour
in some more water, just enough to boil them. Cover the pan, and
let them simmer for an hour. Then take it off, strain the liquid,
measure it, and to each quart allow a pound of loaf-sugar. Put the
sugar to melt in the liquid, and let it set all night. Next day
boil the quinces in it for a quarter of an hour, and then take
them out and cool them, saving the syrup. On the following day
repeat the same; and the fourth day add a quarter of a pound more
sugar to each pint of the syrup, and boil the quinces in it twelve
minutes. If by this time they are not tender, bright, and
transparent all through, repeat the boiling.

When they are quite done, put quince jelly or marmalade into the
holes from whence you took the cores; put the quinces into glass
jars and pour the syrup over them. If convenient, it is a very
nice way to put up each quince in a separate tumbler.


QUINCE JELLY.

Take fine ripe yellow quinces, wash them and remove all the
blemishes, cut them in pieces, but do not pare or core them. Put
them into a preserving-pan with clear spring water. If you, are
obliged to use river water, filter it first; allowing one pint to
twelve large quinces. Boil them gently till they are all soft and
broken. Then put them into a jelly-bag, and do not squeeze it till
after the clear liquid has ceased running. Of this you must make
the _best_ jelly, allowing to each pint a pound of loaf-sugar.
Having dissolved the sugar in the liquid, boil them
together about twenty minutes, or till you have a thick jelly.

In the meantime, squeeze out all that is left in the bag. It will
not be clear, but you can make of it a very good jelly for common
purposes.


QUINCE MARMALADE.

Take six pounds of ripe yellow quinces; and having washed them
clean, pare and core them, and cut them into small pieces. To each
pound of the cut quinces allow half a pound of powdered loaf-sugar.
Put the parings and cores into a kettle with water enough
to cover them, and boil them slowly till they are all to pieces,
and quite soft. Then having put the quinces with the sugar into a
porcelain preserving kettle, strain over them, through a cloth,
the liquid from the parings and cores. Add a little cochineal
powdered, and sifted through thin muslin. Boil the whole over a
quick fire till it becomes a thick smooth mass, keeping it covered
except when you are skimming it; and always after skimming, stir
it up well from the bottom.

When cold, put it up in glass jars. If you wish to use it soon,
put it warm into moulds, and when if is cold, set the moulds in
lukewarm water, and the marmalade will turn out easily.


QUINCE CHEESE.

Have fine ripe quinces, and pare and core them. Cut them into
pieces, and weigh them; and to each pound of the cut quinces,
allow half a pound of the best brown sugar. Pat the cores and
parings into a kettle, with water enough to cover them, keeping
the lid of the kettle closed. When you find that they are all
boiled to pieces and quite soft, strain off the water over the
sugar, and when it is entirely dissolved, put it over the fire and
boil it to a thick syrup, skimming it well. When no more scum
rises, put in the quinces, cover them closely, and boil them all
day over a slow fire, stirring them and mashing them down with a
spoon till they are a thick smooth paste. Then take it out, and
put it into buttered tin pans or deep dishes. Let it set to get
cold. It will then turn out so firm that you may cut it into
slices like cheese. Keep it in a dry place in broad stone pots. It
is intended for the tea-table.


PRESERVED APPLES.

Take fine ripe pippin or bell-flower apples. Pare and core them,
and either leave them whole, or cut them into quarters. Weigh
them, and to each pound of apples allow a pound of loaf-sugar. Put
the apples into a stew-pan with just water enough to cover them,
and let them boil slowly for about half an hour. They must be only
parboiled. Then strain the apple water over the sugar into a
preserving kettle, and when the sugar is melted put it on the fire
with the yellow rind of some lemons pared thin, allowing four
lemons lo a dozen apples. Boil the syrup till clear and thick,
skimming; it carefully; then put in the apples, and after they
have boiled slowly a quarter of an hour, add the juice of the
lemons. Let it boil about fifteen minutes longer, or till the
apples are tender and clear, but not till they break. When they
are cold, put them into jars, and covering them closely, let them
set a week. At the end of that time give them another boil in the
same syrup; apples being more difficult to keep than any other
fruit.

You may colour them red by adding, when you boil them in the
syrup, a little cochineal.


BAKED APPLES.

Take a dozen fine large juicy apples, and pare and core them; but
do not cut them in pieces. Put them side by side into a large
baking-pan, and fill up with brown sugar the holes from whence you
have extracted the cores. Pour into each a little lemon-juice, or
a few drops of essence of lemon, and stick in every one a long
piece of lemon-peel evenly cut. Into the bottom of the pan put a
very little water, just enough to prevent the apples from burning.
Bake them about an hour, or till they are tender all through, but
not till they break. When, done, set them away to get cold.

If closely covered they will keep, two days. They may be eaten at
tea with cream. Or at dinner with a boiled custard poured over
them. Or you may cover them with, sweetened cream flavored with a
little essence of lemon, and whipped to a froth. Heap the froth
over every apple so as to conceal them entirely.


APPLE JELLY.

Take twenty large ripe juicy pippins. Pare, core, and chop them to
pieces. Put them into a jar with the yellow rind of four lemons,
pared thin and cut into little bits Cover the jar closely, and set
it into a pot of hot water Keep the water boiling hard all round
it till the apples are dissolved, Then strain them through a
jelly-bag, and mix with the liquid the juice of the lemons. To
each pint of the mixed juice allow a pound of loaf-sugar. Put
them into a porcelain kettle, and when the sugar is melted, set it
on the fire, and boil and skim it for about twenty minutes, or
till it becomes a thick jelly. Put it into tumblers, and cover it
with double tissue paper nicely fitted to the inside of the top.
The red or Siberian crab apple makes a delicious jelly, prepared
in the above manner.


APPLE BUTTER.

This is a compound of apples and cider boiled together till of the
consistence of soft butter. It is a very good article on the tea-table,
or at luncheon. It can only be made of sweet new cider
fresh from the press, and not yet fermented.

Fill a very large kettle with cider, and boil it till reduced to
one half the original quantity. Then have ready some fine juicy
apples, pared, cored, and quartered; and put as many into the
kettle as can be kept moist by the cider. Stir it frequently, and
when the apples are stewed quite soft, take them out with a
skimmer that has holes in it, and put them into a tub. Then add
more apples to the cider, and stew them soft in the same manner,
stirring them nearly all the time with a stick. Have at hand some
more cider ready boiled, to thin the apple butter in case you
should find it too thick in the kettle.

If you make a large quantity, (and it is not worth while to
prepare apple butter on a small scale,) it will take a day to stew
the apples. At night leave them to cool in the tubs, (which must
be covered with cloths,) and finish next day by boiling the apple
and cider again till the consistence is that of soft marmalade,
and the colour a very dark brown.

Twenty minutes or half an hour before you finally take it from the
fire, add powdered cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg to your taste. If
the spice is boiled too long, it will lose its flavour.

When it is cold, put it into stone jars, and cover it closely. If
it has been well made, and sufficiently boiled, it will keep a
year or more.

It must not he boiled in a brass or bell-metal kettle, on account
of the verdigris which the acid will collect in it, and which will
render the apple butter extremely unwholesome, not to say,
poisonous.


TO PRESERVE GREEN CRAB APPLES.

Having washed your crab apples, (which should be full grown,)
cover the bottom and sides of your preserving kettle with vine
leaves, and put them in; spreading a thick layer of vine leaves
over them. Fill up the kettle with cold, water, and hang it over a
slow fire early in the morning; simmer them slowly, but do not
allow them to boil. When they are quite yellow, take them out,
peel off the skin with a penknife, and extract the cores very
neatly.. Put them again into the kettle with fresh vine leaves and
fresh water, and hang them again over a slow fire to simmer, but
not to boil. When they have remained long enough in the second
vine leaves to become green, take them out, weigh them, and allow
a pound and a half of loaf-sugar to each pound of crab apples.
Then after the kettle has been well washed and wiped, put them
into it with a thick layer of sugar between each layer of apples,
and about half a pint of water, for each pound and a half of
sugar. You may add the juice and yellow peel of some lemons. Boil
them gently till they are quite clear and tender throughout. Skim
them well, and keep the kettle covered when you are not skimming.
When done, spread them on large dishes to cool, and then tie them
up in glass jars with brandy papers.


TO PRESERVE RED CRAB APPLES.

Take red or Siberian crab apples when they are quite ripe and the
seeds are black. Wash and wipe them, and put them into a kettle
with sufficient water to cover them. Simmer them very slowly till
you find that the skin will come off easily. Then take them out
and peel and core them; extract the cores carefully with a small
knife, so as not to break the apples. Then weigh them, and to
every pound of crab apples allow a pound and a half of loaf-sugar
and a half pint of water. Put the sugar and water into a
preserving kettle, and when they are melted together, set it over
the fire and let it boil. After skimming it once, put in the crab
apples, adding a little cochineal powder rubbed with a knife into
a very small quantity of white brandy till it has dissolved. This
will greatly improve the colour of the apples. Cover them and let
them boil till clear and tender, skimming the syrup when
necessary. Then spread them out on dishes, and when they are cold,
put them into glass jars and pour the syrup over them.

The flavour will be greatly improved by boiling with them in the
syrup, a due proportion of lemon-juice and the peel of the lemons
pared thin so as to have the yellow part only. If you use lemon-juice
put a smaller quantity of water to the sugar. Allow one
large lemon or two smaller ones to each pound of crab apples.

If you find that after they have been kept awhile, the syrup
inclines to become dry or candied, give it another boil with the
crab apples in it, adding a tea-cup full of water to about three
or four pounds of the sweetmeat.


TO PRESERVE GREEN GAGES.

Take large fine green gages that are not perfectly ripe. Weigh
them, and to each pound of fruit allow a pound and a half of loaf-sugar.
Put a layer of fresh vine leaves at the bottom of a
porcelain preserving kettle, place on it a layer of gages, then
cover them with a layer of vine leaves, and so on alternately,
finishing with a layer of leaves at the top. Fill up the kettle
with hard water, and set it over a slow fire. When the gages rise
to the top, take them out and peel them, putting them on a sieve
as you do so. Then replace them in the kettle with fresh vine
leaves and water; cover them very closely, so that no steam can
escape, and hang them up at some distance above the fire to green
slowly for six hours. They should be warm all the time, but must
not boil. When they are a fine green, take them carefully out,
spread them on a hair sieve to drain, and make a syrup of the
sugar, allowing a half pint of water to each pound and a half of
sugar. When it has boiled and been skimmed, put in the green gages
and boil them gently for a quarter of an hour. Then take them out
and spread them to cool. Next day boil them in the same syrup for
another quarter of an hour. When cold, put them into glass jars
with the syrup, and tie them up with brandy paper.

To preserve them whole without peeling, you must prick each at the
top and bottom, with a large needle.


TO PRESERVE PLUMS.

Take fine ripe plums; weigh them, and to each pound allow a pound
and a half of loaf-sugar. Put them into a pan, and scald them in
boiling water to make the skins come off easily. Peel them, and
throw them as you do so into a large china pitcher. Let them set
for an hour or two, and then take them out, saving all the juice
that has exuded from them while in the pitcher. Spread the plums
out on large dishes, and cover them with half the sugar you have
allotted to them, (it must be previously powdered,) and let them
lie in it all night. Next morning pour the juice out of the
pitcher into a porcelain preserving kettle, add the last half of
the sugar to it, and let it melt over the fire. When it has boiled
skim it, and then put in the plums. Boil them over a moderate
fire, for about half an hour. Then take them out one by one with a
spoon, and spread them on large dishes to cool. If the syrup is
not sufficiently thick and clear, boil and skim it a little longer
till it is. Put the plums into glass jars and pour the syrup warm
over them.

The flavour will be much improved by boiling in the syrup with the
fruit a handful or more of the kernels of plums, blanched in
scalding water and broken in half. Take the kernels out of the
syrup before you pour it into the jars.

You may preserve plums whole, without peeling, by pricking them
deeply at each end with a large needle.

Green gages and damsons maybe preserved according to this receipt.


PLUMS FOR COMMON USE.

Take fine ripe plums, and cut them in half. Extract all the
stones, and spread out the plums on large dishes. Set the dishes
on the sunny roof of a porch or shed, and let the plums have the
full benefit of the sun for three or four days, taking them in, as
soon as it is off, or if the sky becomes cloudy. This will half
dry them. Then pack them closely in stone jars with a thick layer
of the best brown sugar between every layer of plums; putting
plenty of sugar at the bottom and top of the jars. Cover them
closely, and set them away in a dry place.

If they have been properly managed, they will keep a year; and are
very good for pies and other purposes, in the winter and spring.

Peaches may be prepared for keeping in the same manner.


EGG PLUMS WHOLE.

Take large egg plums that are not quite ripe, and prick them all
over with a small silver fork. Leave on the stems. To three pounds
of plums allow three pounds and a half of loaf-sugar, broken small
or powdered. Put the plums and sugar into a preserving kettle, and
pour in one half pint of clear hard water. Hang the kettle over a
moderate fire, and boil and skim it, As soon as the skin begins to
crack or shrivel, take out the plums one at a time, (leaving the
syrup on the fire,) and spread them on large dishes to cool. Place
them in the open air, and as soon as they are cool enough to be
touched with your fingers, smooth the skin down where it is broken
or ruffled, When quite cold, return them to the syrup, (which in
the mean time must have been kept slowly simmering,) and boil the
plums again till they are quite clear, but not till they break.
Put them warm into large glass or queen's-ware jars, and pour the
syrup over them.


TO PRESERVE PEARS.

Take large fine juicy pears that are not perfectly ripe, and pare
them smoothly and thin; leaving on the stems, but cutting out the
black top at the blossom end of the fruit. As you pare them, lay
them in a pan of cold water. Make a thin syrup, allowing a quart
of water to a pound of loaf-sugar. Simmer the pears in it for
about half an hour. Then pat them into a tureen, and let them lie
in the syrup for two days, There must be syrup enough to cover
them well. After two days, drain the syrup front the pears, and
add to it more sugar, in the proportion of a pound to each pint of
the thin syrup. Stir in a very little beaten white of egg, (not
more than one white to three or four pounds of sugar,) add some
fresh lemon-peel pared thin, and set the syrup over a brisk fire.
Boil it for ten minutes and skim it well. Then add sufficient
lemon-juice to flavour it; and put in the pears. Simmer them in
the strong syrup till they are quite transparent. Then take them
out, spread them to cool, and stick a clove in the blossom end of
each. Put them into glass jars; and having kept the syrup warm
over the fire while the pears were tooling, pour it over them.

If you wish to have them red, add a little powdered cochineal to
the strong syrup when you put in your pears.


BAKED PEARS.

The best for baking are the large late ones,
commonly called pound pears. Pare them, cut them in half, and take
out the cores. Lay them in a deep white dish, with a thin slip of
fresh lemon-peel in the place from which each core was taken.
Sprinkle them with sugar, and strew some whole cloves or some
powdered cinnamon-among them. Pour into the dish some port wine.
To a dozen large pears you may allow half a pound of sugar, and a
pint of wine. Cover the dish, with a large sheet of brown paper
tied on; set it in a moderate oven, and let them bake till tender
all through which you may ascertain by sticking a broom twig
through them. They will he done in about an hour, or they may
probably require more time; but you must not let them remain long
enough in the oven, to break or fall to pieces. When cool, put
them up in a stone jar. In cold weather they will keep a week.

To bake smaller pears, pare them, but leave on the stems, and do
not core them. Put them into a deep dish with fresh lemon, or
orange-peel; throw on them some brown sugar or molasses; pour in
at the bottom a little water to keep them from burning; and bake
them till tender throughout.


TO PRESERVE GOOSEBERRIES.

The best way of preserving gooseberries is with jelly. They should
be full grown but green. Take six quarts of gooseberries, and
select three quarts of the largest and finest to preserve whole,
reserving the others for the jelly. Put the whole ones into a pan
with sufficient water to cover them, and simmer them slowly till
they begin to be tender; but do not keep them on the fire till
they are likely to burst. Take them out carefully with a
perforated skimmer to drain the warm water from them, and lay them
directly in a pan of cold water. Put those that you intend for the
jelly into a stew-pan, allowing to each quart of gooseberries half
a pint of water. Boil them fast till they go all to pieces, and
stir and mash them with a spoon. Then put them into a jelly-bag
that has been first dipped in hot water, and squeeze through it
all the juice. Measure the juice, and to each pint allow a pound
and a half of loaf-sugar. Break up the sugar, and put it into a
preserving kettle; pour the juice over it, and let it stand to
melt, stirring it frequently. When it has all dissolved, set it
over the fire, put the gooseberries into it, and let them boil
twenty minutes, or till they are quite clear, and till the jelly
is thick and congeals in the spoon when you hold it in the air. If
the gooseberries seem likely to break, take them out carefully,
and let the jelly boil by itself till it is finished. When all is
done, put up the gooseberries and the jelly together in glass
jars.

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