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Almond Cheese Cake

A historical recipe from Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches, by Eliza Leslie (1840).

A historical recipe

Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches, by Eliza Leslie (1840). Project Gutenberg eBook #9624.

From an old book: a historical recipe, not current advice. Its methods, additives and storage may be unsafe by today's standards. Its words name: a substance or vessel no longer considered safe. Check current food-safety guidance before following this.

Source and licence

From Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches, by Eliza Leslie (1840). Digitised by Project Gutenberg, eBook #9624 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/9624). Public domain in the USA; its status may differ elsewhere.

Read the original Public domain in the USA

What was changed: As printed, from the book's text; Project Gutenberg's header and licence removed. Ingredient lines were read out of the text by a program. A historical recipe, not current advice.

  • Additives or old utensils. The text names something no longer considered safe in food or for cooking in, such as lead, alum, borax, bitter almonds or copper pans. Don't use it.

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Ingredients

Method

  1. This though usually called a cheese cake, is in fact a pudding.
  2. Cut a piece of rennet about two inches square, wash off the salt in cold water, and wipe it dry.
  3. Put it into a tea-cup, pour on it sufficient lukewarm water to cover it, and let it soak all night, or at least several hours.
  4. Take a quart of milk, which must be made warm, but not boiling.
  5. Stir the rennet-water into it.
  6. Cover it, and set it in a warm place.
  7. When the curd has become quite firm, and the whey looks greenish, drain off the whey, and set the curd in a cool place.
  8. While the milk is turning, prepare the other ingredients.
  9. Wash and dry half a pound of currants, and dredge them well with flour.
  10. Blanch three ounces of sweet and one ounce of bitter almonds, by scalding and peeling them.
  11. Then cool them in cold water, wiping them dry before you put them into the mortar.
  12. If you cannot procure bitter almonds, peach kernels may be substituted.
  13. Beat them, one at a time, in the mortar to a smooth paste, pouring in with every one a few drops of rose water to prevent their being oily, dull-coloured, and heavy.
  14. If you put a sufficiency of rose water, the pounded almond paste will be light, creamy, and perfectly white.
  15. Mix, as you do them, the sweet and bitter almonds together.
  16. Then beat the yolks of eight eggs, and when light, mix them gradually with the curd.
  17. Add five table-spoonfuls of cream, and a tea-spoonful of mixed spice.
  18. Lastly, stir in, by degrees, the pounded almonds, and the currants alternately.
  19. Stir the whole mixture very hard.
  20. Bake it in buttered dishes, laying puff paste round the edges.
  21. If accurately made, it will be found delicious.
  22. It must be put in the oven immediately.