Preparation: The pears are peeled, large pears cut into 4 parts, small ones into halves. The core is cut out and the pears cooked until tender in water, sugar, cloves, cinnamon and lemon slice. It is best to cook them very slowly in a granite or porcelain dish. When the pears are soft, take them out, add the corn starch to the syrup, boil it down and pour over the fruit. Serve cold or warm. No. 23—TOMATO SAUCE. Quantity for 6 Persons. 12 medium-sized tomatoes 2 cups of sugar 3 cloves ½ sliced lemon 1½ cups of water Preparation: The tomatoes are scalded and skinned. Water, sugar, cloves and lemon slices brought to boil and the tomatoes put in 2 or 3 at a time. When they are done, take them out and put in others until all are boiled. Boil down the syrup if there is too much of it and pour over the tomatoes after straining. CHAPTER 17. DESSERTS. Directions for preparing all kinds of desserts, cold and warm; puddings, puff pastes, souffles, sherbets, creams, ices and ice creams. Steamed Puddings. No. 1—RICE PUDDING. Quantity for 6 Persons. ½ lb. of rice 1 qt. of milk ¼ lb. of fresh butter ¼ lb. of sugar, scant ¼ lb. of raisins ¼ lb. of ground almonds 7 eggs 1 pinch of salt Preparation: The rice is washed and brought to boil in 1 cup of water. When the water is boiled down, add the milk gradually and 1 pinch of salt and boil to a thick mush. When done, cool it off. Cream the butter, add sugar, 7 yolks of eggs, raisins, almonds and the beaten whites of eggs. Butter a pudding mold, strew in some bread crumbs, put in the rice pudding, close the mold well and set in a steamer over a kettle of boiling water and boil for 1½ hours. When serving, turn the pudding out on a platter and serve cold with a vanilla or wine sauce or sweet cream. No. 2—APPLE RICE PUDDING. Quantity for 6 Persons. ½ lb. of rice ¾ qt. of milk ⅛ lb. of butter ¼ lb. of raisins 7 eggs 1 pinch of salt 6 sweet-sour apples 1 cup of sugar ¼ lb. of blanched, ground almonds Preparation: The rice is cooked slowly with one cup of water; when the water is boiled down, add the milk gradually and cook it to a thick mush. Cream the butter, add the sugar, then the yolks of eggs, raisins and almonds. Let rice cool, then mix all together. The apples are peeled, cored, cut into 16 parts and stewed until tender in a little water and sugar. Butter a pudding mold and strew with bread crumbs. Stir the well-beaten whites of the 7 eggs into the rice, put a layer of rice into the mold, then a layer of apples and repeat this twice; the last layer to be rice. Close the mold, set in a steamer over a kettle of boiling water and boil 1½ hours, then turn over on platter and serve with sweet cream. No. 3—CHERRY RICE PUDDING. Quantity for 6 Persons. ½ lb. of rice ¾ qts. of milk ⅛ lb. butter 7 eggs ¼ lb. of peeled and ground almonds ¼ lb. of raisins 1 lb. stoned sour cherries 1 cup of sugar