WOMEN IN THE HOME

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22004, 30 January 1937, Page 2

WOMEN IN THE HOME

CURDS AND WHEY

During the hot weather, the general practice of treating milk as soon as it comes in, by bringing to boiling point and then cooling rapidly is always a wise procedure. Some people do not care lor the change in the flavour of the milk particularly when used for tea. It is always possible to keep a portion quite separate for tea, and if it does turn by the end of the day, there are many uses for small quantities of sour milk. The chemical change which takes place in the souring separates the milk into the familiar curds and whey. Curds can be used in several ways, and a few recipes are given. Curd Cheese Cakes —For these, sometimes the milk is curdled artificially by the addition of lemon juice or vinegar, or by a junket tablet, or by heating milk which is just beginning to turn. The curd is strained from the whey through absolutely clean muslin, and allowed to drain until dry. By pounding it with a portion of sugar, butter and egg, it makes a delicious filling for tartlets for afternoon tea or a bakewell tart for luncheon. For a seven-inch enamel plate, two tablespoons of curds, pounded with about one ounce of sugar, one yolk of egg, a quarter of an ounce of butter, a pinch of sajt and nutmeg, makes a nice filling, especially if spread over a thin layer of raspberry jam on puff or plain pastry. Another recipe for filling patty pans is as follows:—Curds one teacup, sugar one ounce, one egg, one tablespoon of currants, a few drops of essence of almonds. Cream the* butter and sugar, and mix with the curds and add the other ingredients. Line. the_ patty pans with pastry and fill with the mixture and decorate with strips of pastry. If fresh milk is being used, take half a pint and put in a saucepan with a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar and bring to the boil. Add two beaten eggs, and leave over gentle heat until it is curdled. Strain off the whey and when the curd is dry mix it with one ounce of sugar, one ounce of melted butter, two ounces of currants, and one ounce of candied peel sliced. Use for filling the pastry cases as before. If a junket tablet- was being used, the proportions would be one quart of milk, one tablet, two tablespoons of sugar, the yokes of two eggs, two tablespoons of currants, and a dash of nutmeg. After warming the milk and adding the tablet, allow to stand, and when the curd has senarated proceed as before. _ , , . ~ . , Cottage Cheese—Set a dish of thick sour milk in a pan of lukewarm water. When the curd is well set, strain off the whey through a clean cheese cloth. Work the curd with a fork until quite fine, season with salt and moisten with cream; chopped parsley or olives may be added to give flavour. Shape into small cakes, and it is ready for serving, Philadelphia Cream Cheese. —This is a nice way of using sour cream and a cup would make quite a nice-sized cake of cheese. The cream must have stood long enough to have become solid but not musty. An absolutely clean cotton bag might be used. Put the cream in the bag without heating it. Let it hang in a cool place for a day or two to drain off any whey and the cheese is firm. If the weather is hot and close, rub salt over the surface of the bag; this prevents mildew. When quite firm ’remove from the bag and season it with a little salt. Then break it up with a fork and work the salt all through it. Form into a cake, and it is ready to serve. It can be moulded for turning out by pressing into a small wet mould. Sour cream helps to make a piquant salad dressing to serve with fresh vegetables. It must be thick and sour. Mix a teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of white pepper with three tablespoons of thick sour cream. Beat well, and add a tablespoon of vinegar. Sometimes a little leaf sugar rubbed over lemon rind is dissolved in the vinegar before adding to the cream. When using sour milk in flour mixtures some adjustment of the raising agent is needed. Because of the presence of acid in the milk cream of tartar is omitted, bi-carbonate of soda being used alone. Sometimes a small portion of baking powder is also added, depending on the type of mixture. For instance, girdle scones made with fresh milk require half a teaspoon of baking soda and one teaspoon of cream of tartar to half a pound of flour. For sour milk, the soda alone is used. In cakes, mixed spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves are often added to give a nice flavour. , Sour milk pancakes.—These are delicious and very light. Add enough flour to one quart of milk, sour as well as fresh, to make a rather stiff batter. Beat thoroughly as the lightness depends on this; add one heaped teaspoon of soda, two eggs well beaten and a little salt. Proceed as usual for pancakes, and when cooked dredge sugar over and lemon juice; roll and keep hot for immediate serving. Plain gingerbread without eggs.—One cup of sugar, half a cup of butter, one cup of treacle, one cup of sour milk, one tablespoon ground ginger, one teaspoon of cinnamon, one teaspoon of soda, and four cups of flour. The soda is dissolved in hot water and added last.

Spice Cake. —This is liked when iced with coffee icing and decorated with chopped nuts or coconut. Sift one and a half cups of flour, half a teaspoon of soda, one teaspoon of baking powder, half a teaspoon of cinnamon, quarter of a teaspoon of ground cloves and nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. Repeat the sifting three times. Cream threequarters of a cup of light brown .or white sugar and one-third of a cup of butter. Add one well-beaten egg, and then part of three-quarters of a cup of sour milk. Stir in the flour alternating with the rest of the milk and beat well. Add last half a cup of chopped and floured seeded raisins or nuts. This may be baked in sandwich tins for 20 minutes, or as one cake for longer time, 35 or 40 minutes. It tends to rise in the centre, so spread the mixture towards the sides of the pan. It is baked at the usual temperature for cakes, 375. top off, bottom low in the electric oven.

PARTY AT OPAWA

Miss Joy Trickett, Spreydon, who will be married shortly, was the guest of honour at a “novelty” evening party. The hostess was Miss Gwen Drayton, “Wendouree,” Opawa, who received her guests wearing a frock of white lace with white velvet flowers at the neckline. Tall crystal vases of blue hydrangeas and Iceland poppies decorated the reception rooms, and the supper table in the sun room was gay with large orange and lemon marigolds in blue bowls. Miss Trickett, who wore a frock of soft blue patterned georgette, received many useful gifts. The competitions were won by Mrs W. Manning, Mrs W. Mclntosh, and Miss Muir. Those present included Miss Joy Trickett, Mesdames F. Trickett, F. M. Orchard, W. Manning. H. M. Hunter, M. Fletcher, G. Aston, W. Mclntosh, C. Angus, L., Watt, J. Foster, Hoare, Turton, Lorking, Peckham, Anderson, Misses L. Muir, J. Purcell, M. Turton, Wansborough.