Treats to tempt us at festivals and on feast days

Press, 27 June 1983, Page 14

Treats to tempt us at festivals and on feast days

COOKING with

Celia Timms

Today’s choice of recipes is not recommended for strict weight-watchers, but for those of us who are easily tempted. Cherry cookies These really are scrumptious mouthfuls; the combination of chocolate chips and cherries is irresistible. I make them very small, which produces about seven dozen, but they can be made to a size to -suit individual needs and taste. You need: 1 cup brown sugar % cup margarine 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 2*/« cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ’A teaspoon salt 1 cup chocolate chips % cup chopped nuts % cup coconut Vz cup chopped cherries (glace) Method: Cream sugar with margarine until very light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat very well. Sift flour with baking powder and salt and add this gradually, mixing thoroughly. Add chocolate chips, nuts, coconut and carefully fold in cherries, mixing lightly but well. Take a spoonful of dough and roll into small ball. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 180 C until lightly coloured and cooked, about 8 to 10 minutes. Date cake For those who like Date cake, this recipe can be recommended. It makes an 8-inch square cake which can be iced or left plain. Recipe for a fudgy icing is included because it does improve the cake. You need: 1 cup boiling water 1 cup chopped dates */< cup butter or margarine Ms cup sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla IVz cups sifted flour 1 teaspoon baking powder */4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon bi-carbonate of soda ‘A cup chopped walnuts ICING: 5 tablespoons brown sugar 3 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons evaporated milk or cream % cup dessicated coconut Method: Pour the boiling water over dates, leave to stand until cool. Cream butter with sugar until light, add well-beaten egg Land

vanilla and beat well. Sift flour again with salt, baking powder and soda and add to the creamed mixture alternately with the cooled dates. Stir in walnuts. Turn into well-greased pan and bake at 180 C for 40 minutes or until done when tested. To make the icing, combine brown sugar with butter and evaporated milk or cream in small pan and bring to the boil. Add the coconut and boil for three minutes. Spread on the cake and return to the oven to brown lightly. Orange doughnuts Many people enjoy doughnuts but because they are generally made using yeast, they don’t bother to make them. These doughnuts are made using baking pow’der and have a delicious flavour of orange and cinnamon. To make about 18 you need: .2 eggs 1 cup sugar Vz cup milk ‘A cup salad oil Grated peel of one orange ■A cup fresh orange juice 4 cups flour 4 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons bi-carbonate of soda ‘A teaspoon salt % teaspoon cinnamon Oil for deep-frying Castor sugar Method; Combine eggs with sugar and beat well. Stir in milk, oil, orange peel and juice. Sift flour with baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon on to paper or plate and add all at once to the egg mixture. Mix well. Form into a dough: wrap in greased paper and refrigerate for an hour or longer. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to halfinch thickness and cut with floured doughnut cutter. Leave to stand for 10 minutes. Using a large heavy-based pan heat enough oil to give a depth of at last two inches to ISOF. Fry doughnuts three or four at'a time for about one minute each side, turning each one. Drain on paper towels and while still warm

sprinkle with castor sugar. They can be iced with an orange icing using 1 cup sifted icing sugar and 1 to 2 tablespoons orange juice. Orange / banana tartlets These small tarts can be eaten as dessert with whipped cream, or as a special afternoon tea, either way they are very good. The tartlet cases are made separately and when cold filled with the gelatine filling. To make about 24 (according to the size of patty tins) you need: FOR PASTRY: 250 g flour 50g cornflour Salt 2 egg-yolks 60g sifted icing sugar 175 g butter FILLING: 1 dessertspoon gelatine *A cup cold water Vz cup sugar Vz cup orange juice 3 egg-yolks 1 dessertspoon orange rind Salt 1 dessertspoon lemon juice 1 cup mashed ripe banana Additional ’4 cup sugar 3 egg-whites Whipped cream (optional)

Method: Soften butter and gradually beat in the eggyolks and sieved icing ■sugar, beat until very creamy. Sift flour with cortiflour and salt and work gradually into mixture with wooden spoon. The consistency should be softer than normal shortcrust so a few drops of milk may be needed. Blend well to a firm but soft dough, chill, wrapped, for about an hour. Line well-greased patty pans with thinly-rolled pastry, prick well with fork and bake at 180 C for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 150 C and bake until crisp — another 8 to 10 minutes. For Filling: Soften gelatine in water. Combine Vz cup sugar with orange juice, egg-yolks and a pinch of salt in the top of a double saucepan. Cook over boiling water until thickened. Add softened gelatine, and the orange rind. Remove from heat and leave to cool, stirring occasionally. Mix lemon juice with mashed banana and fold into gelatine mixture. Beat eggwhites with Vz cup sugar until of meringue consistency. Fold into gelatine mixture. Fill into the cooled tartlet cases and leave to set. Can be topped with a swirl of whipped cream.