[Kitchen Witch]

APPLE TRIFLE.

Peel, core and quarter some good tart apples of nice flavor, and stew them with a strip of orange and a strip of quince peel, sufficient water to cover the bottom of the stew pan, and sugar in the proportion of half a pound to one pound of fruit; when cooked, press the pulp through a sieve, and, when cold, dish and cover with one pint of whipped cream flavored with lemon peel.


APPLE ROLL

4 medium sized apples
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 cups water

Peel, core and chop apples fine. Cook sugar and water in baking pan over slow fire. While cooking make rich biscuit dough (see strawberry shortcake page 21). Roll out about 1/2 inch thick, spread with apples and roll into a long roll; cut into pieces about 1/2 or 2 inches long; place with cut side down in hot syrup, put small piece of butter on top and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake in hot oven until apples are done and crust golden brown. Turn out on platter; add syrup and serve with plain or whipped cream. Peaches or other fruit may be used in place of apples.


BOILED APPLE PUFFETS.

Three eggs, one pint of milk, a little salt, sufficient flour to thicken as waffle batter, one and one-half teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Fill teacups alternately with a layer of batter and then of apples chopped fine. Steam one hour. Serve hot with flavored cream and sugar. You can substitute any fresh fruit or jams your taste prefers.


APPLE BUTTER (with cider).

This is a compound of apples and cider boiled together till of the consistence of soft butter. Fill a very large kettle (MUST NOT be boiled in a brass or bell-metal 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, 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 color 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 flavor. 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.


APPLE BUTTER (without cider).

To ten gallons of water add six gallons of the best molasses, mixing them well together. Put it into a large kettle (MUST NOT be boiled in a brass or bell-metal kettle) over a good fire; let it come to a hard boil, and skim it as long as any scum continues to rise. Then take out half the liquid, and put it into a tub. Have ready eight bushels of fine sound apples , pared, cored and quartered. Throw them gradually into the liquid that is still boiling on the fire. Let it continue to boil hard, and as it thickens, add by degrees the other half of the molasses and water, (that which has been put into the tub.) Stir it frequently to prevent its scorching, and to make it of equal consistence throughout. Boil it ten or twelve hours, continuing to stir it. At night take it out of the kettle, and set it in tubs to cool; covering it carefully. Wash out the kettle and wipe it very dry. Next morning boil the apple butter six or eight hours longer; it should boil eighteen hours altogether. Half an hour before you take it finally out, stir in a pound of mixed spice; cloves, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg, all finely powdered. When entirely done, put up the apple butter in stone or earthen jars. It will keep a year or more.