Compote Of Pears, Princess

Use nine large pears as near one size as possible. Scrape the stalks, turn the pears spirally from head to stalk, put them in a preserving-pan with a little syrup and let them simmer till tender, but not too soft. A little lemon juice squeezed in the water will keep the pears white. When done, remove the pan from the fire and leave them till cold in the syrup. Cut off the ends of the pears so as to leave about one-half inch in diameter surface at the stalk end. Cut some rings of angelica the same diameter as the cut part of the pears and put one on each. Pass some strawberries or cherries through hot syrup, then place one in each of the rings. Cut some strips of angelica and run them through the cherry and angelica rings to imitate the stalks of the pears. Arrange them in a compote dish, pour some syrup over them, and serve.

Compote Of Pineapple

Peel a pineapple and cut it in slices about one-fourth inch the thickness. Cut all the slices in halves with the exception of the middle one which should be left whole. Put them in a sugar-boiler with some syrup at 20 degrees, and let them simmer gently at the side of the fire for an hour. Put the pineapple into a basin, pour the syrup over and let it steep for twenty hours. At the end of that time, put the slices on a wire-drainer, strain the syrup through a silk-sieve into a sugar-boiler and boil till reduced to 32 degrees. Arrange the half slices of pineapple in the center of a compote-dish, put the round slice on the top, pour the syrup over, and serve.

Compote Of Plums

Cut the stalks off short from the desired number of plums, prick them all over and drop them into a sugar-boiler of syrup simmering gently for five or six minutes, then pour into a basin the plums and syrup; place the plums in a compote-dish or case with their stalks upward arranged in good order, and pour over them a little of the syrup flavored with noyau, and serve.

Compote Of Prunes

Wash well in a basin of water one pound of French plums, then remove and put them into a stewpan with one quart of water, an ounce of loaf sugar and a small piece of cinnamon, placing the pan over the fire. When the water boils, remove the pan to one side of the fire, and simmer gently for forty-five minutes; then take out the prunes, place them on a sieve to drain, and afterwards put them into a compote-dish. Add a couple of ounces of sugar to the liquor, and after straining it put it back into the saucepan and reduce it to a syrup at 32 degrees, and when it is cold pour it over the prunes, and serve.

Raspberry Compote

Put one pound of raspberries and a small quantity of lemon juice into a saucepan, pour over sufficient weak syrup to moisten, simmer the whole gently at the side of the fire for three or four minutes, remove the raspberries, drain, place them on a dish, boil up the syrup to the thread degree, pour it over, and serve.

Compote Of Strawberries

Select some fine ripe strawberries, carefully pick off the stems, drop them one by one into some syrup boiled to 22 degrees, and allow them to just simmer; then pour them carefully into a basin, and leave until cold. Arrange the strawberries in the form of an elevated cone in a compote-dish, pour the syrup round, and serve them.

Compote Of Walnuts

Split the walnuts through their natural division with the point of a knife, then pass the knife through the inner part of the shell and extract the interior. Free the nuts from the white pith, and place them in cold water that has been slightly acidulated with lemon-juice. Drain the walnuts, pile them in a heap on a compote-dish, pour over some syrup that has been well flavored with noyau, and serve.