PINEAPPLE CHIPS

_Ingredients._—Pineapples; sugar to taste. _Mode._—Pare and slice the fruit thinly, put it on dishes, and strew over it plenty of pounded sugar. Keep it in a hot closet, or very slow oven, 8 or 10 days, and turn the fruit every day until dry; then put the pieces of pine on tins, and place them in a quick oven for 10 minutes. Let them cool, and store them away in dry boxes, with paper between each layer. _Time._—8 to 10 days. _Seasonable._—Foreign pines, in July and August.

PINEAPPLE FRITTERS (an elegant dish).

_Ingredients._—A small pineapple, a small wineglassful of brandy or liqueur, 2 oz. of sifted sugar; batter as for apple fritters, which see. _Mode._—This elegant dish, although it may appear extravagant, is really not so if made when pineapples are plentiful. We receive them now in such large quantities from the West Indies, that at times they may be purchased at an exceedingly low rate; it would not, of course, be economical to use the pines which are grown in our English pineries for the purposes of fritters. Pare the pine with as little waste as possible, cut it into rather thin slices, and soak these slices in the above proportion of brandy or liqueur and pounded sugar for 4 hours; then make a batter the same as for apple fritters, substituting cream for the milk, and using a smaller quantity of flour; when this is ready, dip in the pieces of pine, and fry them in boiling lard from 5 to 8 minutes; turn them when sufficiently brown on one side, and, when done, drain them from the lard before the fire, dish them on a white d’oyley, strew over them sifted sugar, and serve quickly. _Time._—5 to 8 minutes. _Average cost_, when cheap and plentiful, 1_s._ 6_d._ for the pine. _Sufficient_ for 3 or 4 persons. _Seasonable_ in July and August.

PINEAPPLE, Preserved.

_Ingredients._—To every lb. of fruit, weighed after being pared, allow 1 lb. of loaf sugar; ¼ pint of water. _Mode._—The pines for making this preserve should be perfectly sound but ripe. Cut them into rather thick slices, as the fruit shrinks very much in the boiling. Pare off the rind carefully, that none of the pine be wasted; and, in doing so, notch it in and out, as the edge cannot be smoothly cut without great waste. Dissolve a portion of the sugar in a preserving-pan with ¼ pint of water; when this is melted, gradually add the remainder of the sugar, and boil it until it forms a clear syrup, skimming well. As soon as this is the case, put in the pieces of pine, and boil well for at least ½ hour, or until it looks nearly transparent. Put it into pots, cover down when cold, and store away in a dry place. _Time._—½ hour to boil the fruit. _Average cost_, 10_d._ to 1_s._ per lb. pot. _Seasonable._—Foreign pines, in July and August.

PINEAPPLE, Preserved, for present use.

_Ingredients._—Pineapple, sugar, water. _Mode._—Cut the pine into slices ¼ inch in thickness; peel them, and remove the hard part from the middle. Put the parings and hard pieces into a stewpan, with sufficient water to cover them, and boil for 1 hour. Strain the liquor, and put in the slices of pine. Stew them for 10 minutes, add sufficient sugar to sweeten the whole nicely, and boil again for another ¼ hour; skim well, and the preserve will be ready for use. It must be eaten soon, as it will keep but a very short time. _Time._—¼ hour to boil the parings in water; 10 minutes to boil the pine without sugar, ¼ hour with sugar. _Average cost._—Foreign pines, 1_s._ to 3_s._ each; English, from 2_s._ to 12_s._ per lb. _Seasonable._—Foreign, in July and August; English, all the year.

PIPPINS, Normandy, Stewed.

_Ingredients._—1 lb. of Normandy pippins, 1 quart of water, ½ teaspoonful of powdered cinnamon, ½ teaspoonful of ground ginger, 1 lb. of moist sugar, 1 lemon. _Mode._—Well wash the pippins, and put them into 1 quart of water with the above proportion of cinnamon and ginger, and let them stand 12 hours; then put these all together into a stewpan, with the lemon sliced thinly, and half the moist sugar. Let them boil slowly until the pippins are half done; then add the remainder of the sugar, and simmer until they are quite tender. Serve on glass dishes for dessert. _Time._—2 to 3 hours. _Average cost_, 1_s._ 6_d._ _Seasonable._—Suitable for a winter dish.

PLAICE, Fried.

_Ingredients._—Hot lard, or clarified dripping; egg and bread-crumbs. _Mode._—This fish is fried in the same manner as soles. Wash and wipe them thoroughly dry, and let them remain in a cloth until it is time to dress them. Brush them over with egg, and cover with bread-crumbs mixed with a little flour. Fry of a nice brown in hot dripping or lard, and garnish with fried parsley and cut lemon. Send them to table with shrimp-sauce and plain melted butter. _Time._—About 5 minutes. _Average cost_, 3_d._ each. _Seasonable_ from May to November. _Sufficient_, 4 plaice for 4 persons.

_Note._—Plaice may be boiled plain, and served with melted butter. Garnish with parsley and cut lemon.

PLAICE, Stewed.

_Ingredients._—4 or 5 plaice, 2 onions, ½ oz. ground ginger, 1 pint of lemon-juice, ¼ pint water, 6 eggs; cayenne to taste. _Mode._—Cut the fish into pieces about 2 inches wide, salt them, and let them remain ¼ hour. Slice and fry the onions a light brown; put them in a stewpan, on the top of which put the fish without washing, and add the ginger, lemon-juice, and water. Cook slowly for ½ hour, and do not let the fish boil, or it will break. Take it out, and when the liquor is cool, add 6 well-beaten eggs; simmer till it thickens, when pour over the fish, and serve. _Time._—¾ hour. _Average cost_ for this quantity, 1_s._ 9_d._ _Seasonable_ from May to November. _Sufficient_ for 4 or 5 persons; according to the size of the fish.

PLOVERS, to Carve.

Plovers may be carved like quails or woodcock, being trussed and served in the same way as those birds.

PLOVERS, to Dress.

_Ingredients._—3 plovers, butter, flour, toasted bread. _Choosing and Trussing._—Choose those that feel hard at the vent, as that shows their fatness. There are three sorts,—the grey, green, and bastard plover, or lapwing. They will keep good for some time, but if very stale, the feet will be very dry. Plovers are scarcely fit for anything but roasting; they are, however, sometimes stewed, or made into a ragoût, but this mode of cooking is not to be recommended. _Mode._—Pluck off the feathers, wipe the outside of the birds with a damp cloth, and do not draw them; truss with the head under the wing, put them down to a clear fire, and lay slices of moistened toast in the dripping-pan, to catch the trail. Keep them _well basted_, dredge them lightly with flour a few minutes before they are done, and let them be nicely frothed. Dish them on the toasts, over which the _traill_ should be equally spread. Pour round the toast a little good gravy, and send some to table in a tureen. _Time._—10 minutes to ¼ hour. _Average cost_, 1_s._ 6_d._ the brace, if plentiful. _Sufficient_ for 2 persons. _Seasonable._—In perfection from the beginning of September to the end of January.

PLUM CAKE, Common.

_Ingredients._—3 lbs. of flour, 6 oz. of butter or good dripping, 6 oz. of moist sugar, 6 oz. of currants, ½ oz. of pounded allspice, 2 tablespoonfuls of fresh yeast, 1 pint of new milk. _Mode._—Rub the butter into the flour; add the sugar, currants, and allspice; warm the milk, stir to it the yeast, and mix the whole into a dough; knead it well, and put it into 6 buttered tins; place them near the fire for nearly an hour for the dough to rise, then bake the cakes in a good oven from 1 to 1¼ hour. To ascertain when they are done, plunge a clean knife into the middle, and if on withdrawal it comes out clean, the cakes are done. _Time._—1 to 1¼ hour. _Average cost_, 1_s._ 8_d._ _Sufficient_ to make 6 small cakes.

PLUM CAKE, a Nice.

_Ingredients._—1 lb. of flour, ¼ lb. of butter, ½ lb. of sugar, ½ lb. of currants, 2 oz. of candied lemon-peel, ½ pint of milk, 1 teaspoonful of ammonia or carbonate of soda. _Mode._—Put the flour into a basin with the sugar, currants, and sliced candied peel; beat the butter to a cream, and mix all these ingredients together with the milk. Stir the ammonia into 2 tablespoonfuls of milk; add it to the dough, and beat the whole well, until everything is thoroughly mixed. Put the dough into a buttered tin, and bake the cake from 1½ to 2 hours. _Time._—1½ to 2 hours. _Average cost_, 1_s._ 3_d._ _Seasonable_ at any time.