The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1897-05-08
How to Serve Oranges.
From the New York sun.

Was iOuHu Ill LEE ulaIk6lS iOT OHiN d SlOit
season each year, and then was so high in
price that it was considered luxury to be
enjoyed exclusively by persons of wealth.
Today the orange is to be obtained in good
condition nearly the whole year, and is re-
garded as a standard article of food, rank
ing next to the world-renowned American
apple and being almost as reasonable in
price.
In southern regions, where the orange
abounds, the fruit is used not only as food
but also for cleaning purposes. Oranges
are cut into halves, and wooden tables,
benches, and floors are cleaned with them,
as Northern women would use a scrubbing
brush and soap The boards are white
and stainless after this application, the acid
of the fruit seeming to remove all stains
and dirt, and doing even better work than
soap.
Fresh fruits are always heaithfpl and in
viting, often tempting wayering appetite,
and the orange is especially refreshing. It
is a fruit that is awkward to eat, being SO
full of juice. The general way Of serving
an orange at breakfast since the advent OF
the pointed orange spoon is to cut 1t into
halves horizontally with the skin on, and
with this spoon extract the juice with the
pulp and leave the fibre. The orange may
be prepared prettily for serving by break
ing the sections apart and leaving them
upon strip of peel. This is readily done
by cutting through the peel in two lines
around the fruit, leaving half inch band
of peel around the middle of the orange
and removing all the rest of the skin. Cut
the strip in one place and carefully open
the fruit at its natural sections, spreading
the strip of peel out fiat. Lay oranges
prepared in this manner upon fat glass
dish and scatter finely cracked ice over
them. A napkin should be wrung out of
fresh water and laid over the prepared fruit
until serving time to prevent the delicate
skin covering each section from becoming
hard and dry With few blossoms or
green foliage around the edge of the dish
this makes an attractive and refreshing
picture upon the breakfast table on an op-
pressive spring morning.
In southern countries fork is stuck into
the stem end of the orange and the fruit is
then peeled, leaving only circle Of skin
around the fork tines. The oranges are
heaped upon dish and garnished with
orange leaves. To each guest is served a
laden fork, and he partakes of the fruit
holding the fork in the hand and eating the
pulp, leaving the pith upon the fork. This
is an exceedingly pretty mode of serving
the fruit but not graceful way of eating
it, particularly if one happens to receive an
unusually juicy orange.
Some recipes reprinted from an old Eng
lish cookery book published more than a
century ago give curious ways OF using
oranges. One reads
''Buttered Oranges To make them,
take pint of creame, rasp the peel of TIVE
oranges into half pint of water of orange
joyce, six eggs, two whites and as much
loafe sugar as will sweeten it. So straine
and set over the fire in bason. When ii
is thick put in piece of butter as big as
an egg and keep it stirring till cold. y
1t is said this recipe has been tried and
found very good.
An old-fashioned and unusual dainty is
called whole-proserved oranges. These
were made before the days of fancy paper
cases by our grandmothers, who considered
nothing labor that gave good results. The
cases can be eaten as well as the filling.
Select well-shaped oranges uniform in size.
With a sharp knife cut round piece from
the top of each orange and remove the In
side, keeping the peel whole. Fill the
skins with water and stand them in par
of water; put them over the fire and boi
until the skins are tender but still retain
their shape; then let them drain. Make
a thick, rich syrup of granulated sugar ane
water and put the drained skins IN this
syrup, having sufficient liquid to Fill anc
cover them. Cook them slowly for forty
minutes. Take the skins out and let then
get perfectly cold. Reheat the sprup,
adding more if it is needed, put in tht
skins and again cook them; this time fol
twenty minutes. Repeat this operation
until the skins are clear, letting them gel
perfectly cool each time before reheating.
When the skins are done stand them upon
a fiat dish to drain. Make rich custard
or a cornstarch blanc mango, and stir thick
ly through it little particles of the orange
pulp and some of the juice. Fill the orange
skins with the mixture, and let this filling
become perfectly cold before serving.
4 jelly made of the juice of the orange
and bits of the orange pulp scattered
through it, also makes an exceedingly nice
filling. Another delicate filling is sweet
ened and well-drained whipped cream fiav-
ored with the juice of the fruit, and with
small pieces of the orange pulp stirred
through it. The preserved skins may be
made and kept for any length of time if
they are well covered and nothing is al
lowed to press against them and spoil their
shape.
A pretty manner of serving oranges for
a dessert is thus Peel the oranges down
to the stem end; leave tiny piece of skin
there. Remove the white part, which has
a bitter taste, from half the peels and with
sharp scissors cut it into shreds. For half
a dozen oranges take one and one-half tea
cupfuls of water and pour it over the
shredded rind. Add one and one-half
cups OF granulated sugar and boil until 1t
is iellied syrup Separate the oranges
into small sections, leaving them fastened
together at the stem end and starting from
the lower part of the orange to separate the
pieces. Arrange them upon fiat dish;
then, by spoonflls slowly pour the liquid
ielly over the fruit. Let them become
perfectly cold before serving.
The small, cheap oranges, that are tart
but quite juicy, and often have bitter
flavor, make excellent marmalade. 1t is
easily made as follows Wipe off with a
damp cloth nine oranges and four lemons,
and cut the fruit crosswise in the thinnest
slices possible, using fiat dish to retain
all the juices. Remove the seeds and put
the sliced fruit in porcelain-lined kettle,
and pour over it three quarts and one pint
of clear water. Cover the kettle and put
it in a cool place for thirtysix hours
Then place the kettle over moderate fire
and let it's contents boil for one hour. Add
EIGHT pounds of granulated sugar and boil