PRE-CHRISTMAS COOKING

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 280, 26 November 1938, Page 5

PRE-CHRISTMAS COOKING

AFF.W more weeks and Christmas will be here with all its goodwill and merriment and all its Rood things to eat. Looking through an old exercise book in which a lady of 150 years ago I had written her pet recipes in the most exquisite penmanship, I found some for Christmas fare. Then' «<■!•<• Other rccijuw. too; ciirps f. "• '•"".I'll-. '■oiri|»lfxion». in,lis|»o->i- j I i<>n-. lit-, ci.iii»uiM|)t ions, '•}(!! l'l"\i-ri 1" h.iM' maili' compl,.t<• euros evrii I in til'" iim 1- 1 i' \I ir M 11» rusts, Ho\\«.\(. r . I »i'li 'I"' '' oll'i'i- of the Mmmior .uMium I nli'*ti t lie winter's ill*, thtve

By--A. L. Ruddock

urn <1 f lii Hi' intci'Pft tn u>, «n we turn iii-1 ft*ll 11) the ( ]iri** 1111it si c(u>k i dircoti»ii.». % !,>'( j liogin with tho Christina* phim I'H'lilinir u liii'li i can vouch for. liuvin;? Irii'il ill I lie |>nl:«• on which it i-i writ-lii-ii is with, a-* fur <jt»iu'r«tions it has LlictMi tiinii'il 111► ut. the f'csti\c Monson. Mill Icjililc. it itimls ns follows:—

Hull' pound breadcrumbs, ditto suet hopped \er \ tine, ditto currants. nicely vm-lu'd mid picked, ditto raisins, stoned ml chopped, ditto sugar, four eggs. a [ill of hrandy, half a tenspoonful of ! round nutmeg, half n pound candied minge iind citron, mid a little suit. Mix * ell. put in lia «in. tie over with cloth ml hoi I four ho'.r*. This pudding enn ie made and cooked .several week* beore needed. Tt keeps well put by in its infill »lill covered with its cloth, then >n Christmas Day just heat hy steamnir for n good hour.''

I lii * plum pudding to lie quite comilete lins (o contain, of course, the unlit iotin I Christinas charm**, the lucky sixpence, the thimble nnd the iii'j," to lie decorated with a sprig of uilly. nmi have a little hrandy burned ii top of it the moment it is set on the n lilp.

In the old davn a hog's lion «1 was I" nvs a feature of the feast. It bad a I'tnnn in its mouth, and wan wreathed

with a garland of rn«omarv. and as it «as brought in. tin- following old carol Used to he Ming: ' I'i heml In hnn<l I hear \V't " t,,,vs " I " 1 riweiinirv : .Arul I 11 my you, my musters, lie nierrv. <juot ostis in corivivio. Oiput iipri tlefern I(rdden« hunhv Oomitio." F oil cock pie whm also a great feature the dinner. the entire tail of the pea rock being used to decorate it. Nowana vs. of coins*'. we have to content ' >nr>el\ es with more humble poultry. 11 tl,p following very old ro.-ipi' for 1 stuffing of a turkey may lie of use: Make a stuffing of snunaye meat, or if «a usage* are served in the dish. make it ot bread. To either add a little shred "liavlut, aUo breadcrumbs and beaten egg."

Oldtime Recipes

lliis old sauce for serving with roast fhicken also sounds good: "I'ut into a stew pan two slices of ham. a close of garlic, a laurel leaf and sliced onions, add a little pood !»ia\ \. sprig ot knotted mar joram, and ■) spoonful ot tarragon \inej»ar; simmer <lowl\ an hour, then strain." No < bri-tmas feast is complete with nit mince pics, for each pie eaten means i happy month, mi I <piote a tilling for them troiii the book of hand-written re•ipei*. and this nnc was old when filtered in that honk you may put its ige ;i< ahout two centuries. One pound of line *uet. three pounds *ui rants. powdered -ui»ar one pound. ai>ins one pound. c]o\p.t quarter of an >unce. mare ditto, nutmeg ditto, salt t hrce-«|uarteiv ot an ounce. Apples

prated two ]>ottn«l<. carraway seeds quarter of an ounce, <|uarter of a ]»ound of lemon an<l orange peel. Chop all tine, add teaeii|if\il of brandy. mix all together and put in jars and keep close eovered with a Itrandy paper, until needed to put into the pies."' In the hook I can only find one rich Chri-tmas cake. It is headed "A Very Fine Cake." Indeed, it is perhaps, too tine to make these days, hut as it shows lis how they did things in the good old times we have copied it. "Wash two [Miunds and a half of fresh butter in water, then in rose water, heat the hutter to a cream, heat 20 ej;ir yolks and whites each lot separately. Have ready two ami a half pounds of finest (lour kept, likewise a pound and a half of <ugar pounded and sifted, one of spice in finest powder, three pounds of currants nicely cleaned and dry. half a pound of almonds blanched, and three quarters of a pound i>t sweetmeats cut not too thin. Mix all the dry ingredients; pour the eggs to the hutter. mix half a pint of sweet

wine with a large glass of brandy, pour it to the hutter and eggs, mix well, then have all the dry things put in by degrees: heat them very thoroughly. Having half a pound of stoned jar-raisins rhopped as line as possible, mix them carefully so that there be no lumps, and add a teacupful of orange flower water. Beat the ingredients for a full hour |a t least. Butter well your pan. al~o line j with white paper round its chides which must he buttered, too. Fill it three parts with the mixture. Bake in quick oven. It will require three hours. Tee with icing in which you have added orange flower water. l'erhaps the heating of so many eggs I helped to keep folk warm when the | snow lay s<, thick about! In the old-time Knglish homes, when i the Christmas dinner was nearly ready I to carry into the dining hall, the time- ' old custom was for the chief cook to I summons all the serving men and maids jto readiness by his heating loudly j thrice with Ihe rolling pin on the I dres»er. and Sir .lohn Suckling wrote ,-ome (plaint lines altout this Christmas ritual of the kitchen which we may like j to re-member as we do our Christmas | cooking: l.lust in lllis nick the conk knocked tlirice. And all the waiters in a trice ! His siinitmiiis iliil oln'.v: | Km li servltu: man. with dish in hand, I March'd boldly up. like our train-band | Presented and away. <3>