Raspberry Recipes

Here are some recipes for raspberries that might prove to be helpful in some of your stories or your kitchen.

Raspberry Vinegar.—In a china bowl or jar, free from metallic glaze, steep three full pints of fine fresh gathered raspberries in one quart of best vinegar. Let them remain steeping three days, then strain through a flannel jelly bag, damped with plain vinegar, to prevent waste of the flavoured vinegar. The bag should be suspended over a stone jar, and left at least twelve hours to drain; but it should not be pressed, as this would injure the brightness of the liquor. To each pint of vinegar and juice allow one pound of good loaf sugar, powdered; stir it with a silver spoon, set the jar in ft copper or kettle of water, which is to be kept boiling. Stir frequently till the sugar is perfectly dissolved and taken up by the liquor, by which time it will have nearly or quite arrived at boiling heat. The jar may then be covered, and the water round it kept boiling for an hour, then remove the skum. When cold, put the liquor in bottles most carefully cleaned and dried. Cork very close, cut down the cork, and entirely cover with sealing wax or bottle cement. It has been usual to put in each bottle a ^lass of the best brandy, by way of preserving the liquor; but if due attention be paid to the foregoing particulars, that addition is by no means necessary.
The following method is rather more simple, and answers nearly as well. Through a fine hair sieve, or linen strainer, too fine to suffer the seeds to pass through, press any quantity of ripe, freshgathered raspberries. To every pint of the juice allow one pound of loaf sugar, powdered. Boil them together, as for jelly, from three-quarters of an hour to an hour, after actual boilmg. Pour into a bowl, either foreign china or stone ware, and immediately mix with the liquid jelly an equal quantity of distilled vinegar. When cold bottle as above, and keep m a cool place.

A very good substitute for raspberry vinegar is often prepared by dissolving raspberry jam, straining the juice, and mixing withthe latter an equal quantity of distilled vinegar. The fruit from which the juice is strained serves very well for present use in tarts.

The fruit pulp that remains m the jelly bag or the strainer may be made into raspberry cakes, by beating with an equal weight of fine loaf sugar, powdered. The longer it is beaten the better. Spread out on flat dishes or Dutch tiles. The thickness should not exceed a quarter of an inch. Dry in the sun; for this purpose a large flagstone in a sunny aspect, with a garden glass over the sweetmeats, answers exceedmgly well. When the top becomes dry, cut out with the lid of a canister or a small wine glass. Turn them on dry dishes, and again put in the influence of the sun. When quite dry, keep them shut m glass jars, or in tin boxes, with layers of white paper between. Keep in a dry cool place.

If raspberry cakes are not wanted, the fruit pulp, mixed with a little sugar, either loaf or fine moist, serves very well for use in tarts.
Source: Four Hundred Household Recipes ©1868

Raspberry Sauce
Raspberry.—1. Raspberry juice 1 pint, simple syrup 2 pints, solution of citric acid 2 drams. 2. First make a syrup with 36 pounds of white sugar and 10 gallons of water, and put it into a plain barrel; dissolve 34 pound of tartaric acid in 1 quart of cold water and add to the syrup; take 3% pound of orris root and pour over it 34 gallon of boiling water; let it infuse until cold, then filter and put it into the barrel, stirring it well.

Raspberry Shrub.—Place red £ in a stone jar, cover them with good cider vinegar and let stand over night. In the morning strain, and to each pint of juice, add 1 pint of Sugar; boil for 5 minutes, skim and let cool; then bottle and cork tightly.
Source: Lee's Priceless Recipes ©1895

RASPBERRY WATER ICE.
One pottle of raspberries, the juice of two lemons, half a pint of water, one pint of clarified sugar. Colour; freeze. One quart.
Source: The Ice Book ©1844
Note: Pottle is equal to 1/2 gallon

BAKED RASPBERRY PUDDING.
Butter a dish, and lay in a thick layer of raspberry jam, beat two ounces of sweet, and ten bitter almonds, take a cup of bread crumbs, a cup of sugar, and a cup of milk, which mix with the almonds and four beaten eggs; lastly add a £lb. of butter, slightly melted ; pour all over the jam, and bake with this dish, placed inside a larger baking dish, half full of water.
Source: Bonnes Bouches A Collection of Recipes ©1882