You may leave out the currants for change, nor need you put in the perfumed plumbs, if you dislike them; and for variety, when you make them of mackeroons, put in as much tincture of saffron as will give then a high colour, but no currants. This we call saffron cheesecakes; the other without currants, almond cheesecakes; with currants, fine cheesecakes; with mackeroons, mackeroon cheesecakes.
To make lemon cheesecakes.
TAKE the peel of two large lemons, boil it very tender, then pound it well in a mortar, with a quarter of a pound or more of loaf sugar, the yolks of six eggs, and half a pound of fresh butter; pound and mix all well together, lay a puff-paste in your patty-pans, fill them half full, and bake them. Orange cheesecakes are done the same way, only you boil the peel in two or three waters, to take out the bitterness.
A second sort of lemon cheesecakes.
TAKE two large lemons, grate off the peel of both, and squeeze out the juice of one, and add to it half a pound of double-refined sugar, twelve yolks of eggs, eight whites well beaten, then melt half a pound of butter, in four or five spoonfuls of cream, then stir it all together, and set over the fire, stirring it till it begins to be pretty thick; then take it off, and when it is cold, fill your patty-pans little more than half full. Put a paste very thin at the bottom of your patty-pans. Half an hour, with a quick oven, will bake them.
To make almond cheesecakes.
TAKE half a pound of Jordan almonds, and lay them in cold water all night, the next morning blanch then into cold water, then take them out, and dry them in a clean cloth, beat them very fine in a little orange-flower water, then take six eggs, leave out four whites, beat them and strain them, then half a pound of white sugar, with a little beaten mace; beat them well together in a marble mortar, take ten ounces of good fresh butter, melt it, a little grated lemon-peel, and put them in the mortar with the other ingredients; mix all well together, and fill your patty-pans.
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