as sauces,
marmalades, and jellies, and is much esteemed as a dessert
fruit. When flattened in the form of round cakes, and baked in
ovens, they are called beefings; and large quantities are
annually dried in the sun in America, as well as in Normandy,
and stored for use during winter, when they may be stewed or
made into pies. In a roasted state they are remarkably
wholesome, and, it is said, strengthening to a weak stomach. In
putrid and malignant fevers, when used with the juice of lemons
and currants, they are considered highly efficacious.

APPLE CHEESECAKES.

1226. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 lb. of apple pulp, 1/4 lb. of sifted sugar, 1/4
lb. of butter, 4 eggs, the rind and juice of 1 lemon.

_Mode_.--Pare, core, and boil sufficient apples to make 1/2 lb. when
cooked; add to these the sugar, the butter, which should be melted; the
eggs, leaving out 2 of the whites, and take grated rind and juice of 1
lemon; stir the mixture well; line some patty-pans with puff-paste, put
in the mixture, and bake about 20 minutes.

_Time_.--About 20 minutes.

_Average cost_, for the above quantity, with the paste, 1s. 2d.

_Sufficient_ for about 18 or 20 cheesecakes.

_Seasonable_ from August to March.

[Illustration: APPLE AND BLOSSOM.]

THE APPLE.--The most useful of all the British fruits is the
apple, which is a native of Britain, and may be found in woods
and hedges, in the form of the common wild crab, of which all
our best apples are merely seminal varieties, produced by
culture or particular circumstances. In most temperate climates
it is very extensively cultivated, and in England, both as
regards variety and quantity, it is excellent and abundant.
Immense supplies are also imported from the United States and
from France. The apples grown in the vicinity of New York are
universally admitted to be the finest of any; but unless
selected and packed with great care, they are apt to spoil
before reaching England.

BOILED APPLE DUMPLINGS.

1227. INGREDIENTS.--6 apples, 3/4 lb. of suet-crust No. 1215, sugar to
taste.

_Mode_.--Pare and take out the cores of the apples without dividing
them; sweeten, and roll each apple in a piece of crust, made by recipe
No. 1211; be particular that the paste is nicely joined; put the
dumplings into floured cloths, tie them securely, and put them into
boiling water. Keep them boiling from 1/2 to 3/4 hour;