CRYSTALLIZATION OF FRUIT IN FRANCE. 881 



steam, until they are softened, then remove them and put them in fresh, cold water. 

 Pare them as lightly and promptly as possible, prick them from the head to the core, 

 cut and scrape the end of the stem, and throw them into a quantity of fresh w ater, 

 alumed and acidulated. Put them again on the tire, cooking them until the hc:ul 

 of a pin enters easily, and the hole closes on withdrawing it ; then put them again 

 into fresh water, lightly alumned or sharpened with lemon juice. Preserve them 

 with the same precautions as quinces and apricots. As the pears are easily candied, 

 the sugar must be thickened with apple jelly or glucose. 



Peaches. Choose fine peaches, before their maturity, and quite firm ; whiten them 

 and preserve them whole, or in quarters, like apricots, being careful not to boil them, 

 for it is a very tender fruit and liable to fall into marmalade. 



Green gages. Take green gages of a good size without being ripe or colored, of a 

 fine green rind, firm, the stone being detached easily. Cut the end of the stems, and 

 prick them in divers places, notably near the stem, with a little bodkin. Put them in 

 a basin full of water on the fire, or with steam, so that they may have ample room. 

 As soon as they become yellow, remove them from the fire, and throw in a pinch of 

 salt, vinegar, and spinach, or verjuice. Blue vitriol is also employed, but in small 

 quantity ; to make them green again let them remain quiet for some hours, then put 

 them on a slow fire without boiling, stirring them from time to time until they again 

 become green ; then increase the heat, and as they rise to the top of the water, re- 

 move them and put them in fresh water, removing it several times until they become 

 thoroughly cool. They are preserved with sugar like other plums. 



Chestnuts. Which grow very large in this country and are much sought for as an 

 article of food. Take the fine chestnuts of Lyons or Lucques, rend off the outside 

 with a point of a knife, being careful not to touch the meats, and put them in a 

 proportional quantity of fresh water. When they are all prepared, put them on a 

 quick fire, or with steam, with a large quantity of water. Boil them until the skin 

 can be removed and they become tender, of which assure yourself with a pin, then 

 remove them from the fire, and change the warm water, diluting the second water 

 with a little flour to preserve the whiteness of the chestnuts. Peel them as promptly 

 as possible to prevent them becoming too tender, and also not to break them, for this 

 fruit is one of the most difficult to preserve, and all possible precautions must be 

 taken. Put them in a proportional quantity of hot sugar reduced to 20 ; keep them 

 warm over a slow fire, covering each dish with linen or white paper. The dishes must 

 be provided with faucets to drain them more easily. Proceed to preserve them with 

 the same care as with apricots; they may be iced with vanilla. Some confectioners 

 do not give them the shape or fashion for fear of spoiling them, for they separate easily 

 at the least contact with too strong heat. They keep them continually warm in a 

 drying stove or slow oven. With steam or a hot water bath, they decant them from 

 time to time ; or stir them, the sirup can be reduced to 32. This means ia very diffi- 

 cult and only a small quantity can be made at ft time. 



ICED FBUITS. 



The preserved frnits are iced to dry them. They are drained, then 

 passed through lukewarm water to wash them, then put an hour or 

 t'.vo iii a drying stove in an earthen dish. Sugar cooked to the grade 

 nu petit souffle is put with them, and they are made to take a covered 

 boiling, are skimmed, the basin taken from the fire, and placed on a 

 t;il>l. in an inclining position, where the sugar is massed on the border 

 of the basin with a spatula. When the sugar commences to whiten, 

 turn one or several of the fruits in the whitened portion, remove flu; in 

 with a fork, and spread them on a grate or strainer placed ovejr a disU 

 or mold to candy. 



