COOKING HINTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 307, 27 December 1924, Page 22

COOKING HINTS.

Milk Loaves. Ingredients: lib of flour, 1 level dessertspoonful of baking powder, loa butter, about J-pint of milk or sour milk, i level teaspoonful of salt? * Rub the flour, baking powder and salt through a sieve into a basin. Kuo in the butler, make a mil in the centre of the flour, and stir in the milk gradu ally, working in the flour from the sides until it is all mixed n, and a soft, but »ot sticky, dough is formed. Klour a board and the hands, and knead the dough lightly on the boarl un.u ' t i< free from crack*. Divide it into. •« pieces, then divide each piece.into t»o, one larger than the other. Hake both pieces into bails, put the f" 1 * the top of the larger, dip the first linger into flour, and press it through the die of both balls. Hake two or three slashes With the back of akm c Tound the balls, put on a greased an 1 floured tin. and bake in a quick oven from ten to fifteen minutes. Potato Salaa. Boil in their skins about two pounds.of potatoes, skin and cut them while lot nto rather thin slices. Place them in a bowl with a little salt and a small omon finely chopped, r-ur over them a large tablespoonful of the best olive oil, and stir carefully will a wooden spoon. Dissolve a dessertspoonful of white sugar in a cupful of boiling milk, stir it with the potatoes, and, when all is well mixed, add one or two taMespoonfnls ofvinepar. according to taste. The salad should bo made an hour before it is served, tni-n covered nnd set in n warm place. It must Ik; stirred again before serving, and if too dry, a little more warm milk added. The salad is eaten just warm, hut not hot.

Vanilla Ice Cream. lpt milk, int cream (or condensed milk), 31b white sugar, whites of two eggs well beaten, 1 teaspoon vanilla essence. , Warm the milk slightly and add tne SU»or, stir until dissolved. Lastly, add the white of eggs and the vanilla. I'reeze iri the usual way. Coffee Cream Ice. There are two very {rood recipes. Firstly, proceed in precisely the same way as for the vanilla ice, only omitting the vanilla and adding 2 cups of very strong black col Tee in its place. Secondly, ipt very strong clear cofTee, ipt boiling milk, Ipt cream, 2oz sugar. It is well to remember that ices require considerably more sugar than ordinary sweets and puddings, SO do not be afraid that the given amounts of sugar arc too much. iSwpeten the coffee with the sugar, ndd the milk, allow to cool, and partially freeze it. Whip the cream slightly and stir in, then continue the freezing. The addition of one or two small pieces of plain chocolate is a delightful surprise, and aa added delicacy. Cool Drinks. The following recipe is .'or making a plain syrup, which is the basis of most •'long" drinks. Take :!H> white sufrar, lpt -water, dissolve and gently boil for 1 mm, taking rare to remove every particle of scum as it rises to the surface. Then add enough cold water to make of liquid. About IJpt will be sufficient. To this syrup may bo added any flavouring or colouring, but this should be done while it is still lukewarm. In making a drink from this syrup, about 1 to 2 fluid oz is needed for each glass, then add a dessertspoon cream : mix well, and fill up with fioda water. This does not take as long to mix as it does to tell, and the result is delicious. A Fruit Drink. The following instance is one of the few times when lemon may be used with cream. But the success of the whole thing depends on the quickness and lightntss with which it is made, and the care with which it is stirred, that prevents curdling. Tour 1 tablespoon lemon syrup and the same amount of pineapple syrup into a jufr. Add 1 tablespoons thick whipped cream, (ill up two-thirds with iced soda water, stir rapidly with a long spoon, and pour from one jug to another until it is very frothy. Serve immediately in tall glasses with a slice of orange or lemon on the top. Strawberry, Raspberry, or any Fresh Fruit. lpt milk, Ipt cream, ilb fine white sugar, ilb berries, the white of one egg, weil-beaten, cochineal. Mash the fruit finely, and mix the pulp with the milk and cream and sugar, stir and thoroughly mix. Strain, if liked, but the pulp of fresh fruit is always acceptable Colour with a few drops of cochineal, and add the white of egg. Stir well, and freeze in the usual way. The addition of a few whole berries is a decided improvement. "When tinned fruit is used, such as peaches, pears, or pineapple, drain off the jiilco and keep for water ices. Proceed in the same way as above. Water Ices. Pour the fru : t juice into a jug, and add sufficient warm water to make lpt or more as the case may be. Add juice of one lemon, lib white sugar, loz gelatine dissolved in water. Put on the tire and bring to the boil. Skim, and strain through a fine cloth. Set aside to cool, and freeze carefully. HINTS. Rice water, or a little borax dissolved in boiling water, is better than starch for stiffening voiles, cotton georgettes, and fine laces. Sprinkle whole cloves round the parts infested with ants, and you will find that they will quickly disappear. When pouring fat into a basin, clarify by adding a tablespoonful of boiling water, which will send all foreign matter to the bottom, and the dripping will set quite clear. Soften hard water with oatmeal. Little bags of meal should be placed in the water a few moments before it is needed. Oatmeal is very beneficial to the akin. If, on account of hot weather, meat is obliged to be cooked when freshly killed, and therefore likely to be tough, place the joint in a cloth near the lire for a few hours. This will g-ive it a greater chance of being tender. The outside sills of windows should have the dust swept off them daily, and washed with some disinfectant when the rooms have their weekly cleaning. This will help to keep away flics and other insects. In the warm season butter becomes soft and extremely disagreeable; in order to obviate this, place the dish in which it is kep' iv a vessel containing cold spring water, with a little saltpetre dissolved in it. Mmy persons stand butter in cold water, but this is not so good a plan, as the former is apt to lose its colour after coming in contact with the water.