To make a Desert Island

The Experienced English Housekeeper · Elizabeth Raffald · 1784
Source
The Experienced English Housekeeper
Status
success · extracted 12 days ago
Not a recipe
No
Ingredients (11)
For the island and structure
For decoration and paths
Optional for variation
Instructions (7)
  1. Take a lump of paste, and form it into a rock three inches broad at the top, colour it, and set it in the middle of a deep China dish.
  2. Set a cast figure on it, with a crow on its head, and a knot of rock candy at the feet.
  3. Make a roll of paste an inch thick, and stick it on the inner edge of the dish, two parts round.
  4. Cut eight pieces of eringo roots, about three inches long, and fix them upright to the roll of paste on the edge.
  5. Make gravel walks of shot comfits, from the middle of the end of the dish, and set small figures in them.
  6. Roll out some paste, and cut it open like Chinese rails; bake it, and fix it on either side of one of the gravel walks with gum.
  7. Have ready a web of spun sugar, and set it on the pillars of eringo root, and cut part of the web off, to form an entrance where the Chinese rails are.
Original Text
To make a Desert Island. TAKE a lump of paste, and form it into a rock three inches broad at the top, colour it, and set it in the middle of a deep China dish, and set a cast figure on it, with a crow on its head, and a knot of rock candy at the feet; then make a roll of paste an inch thick, and stick it on the inner edge of the dish, two parts round, and cut eight pieces of eringo roots, about three inches long, and fix them upright to the roll of paste on the edge; make gravel walks of shot comfits, from the middle of the end of the dish, and set small figures in them, roll out some paste, and cut it open like Chinese rails; bake it, and fix it on either side of one of the gravel walks with gum, have ready a web of spun sugar, and set it on the pillars of eringo root, and cut part of the web off, to form an entrance where the Chinese rails are.—It is a pretty middle dish for a second course at a grand table, or a wedding supper, only set two crowned figures on the mount instead of one.
Notes
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