COOKING HINTS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 27 August 1927, Page 17

COOKING HINTS.

USE OF DEIED FRUITS. SOME AMERICAN WAYS. Fruit is some form in the daily menus is an asset to health and vigour, and in the same season of heavy roasts and rich sauces its “fresh” flavour is much appreciated. However, fresh fruits are often high priced and dried fruits must be substituted. Success or failure in the finished product depends on proper preparation. Soak any kind of fruit which has been dehydrated several hours or over night, in water to cover—about two cupfuls to each cupful of fruit —too much water dilutes the flavour. Cook in the water in which soaked, and simmer very slowly until tender. When pork chops are cooked have, ready some apricots which have not been allowed to cook to the soft stage. Drain them, cover with flour, and saute in the pan, turning earefulty. Arrange them around the chops.

Beef With Raisins. Roast beef flavoured with raisins is a dish of fine flavour. Make some cuts in the outer layer of fat on the roast and put some raisins in them. As the fat browns the flavour of the fruit penetrates all through the meat. Some very attractive and flavourful salads can be made with dried fruits; these may be served occasionally as dessert. To make dates and orange salad dissolve one. and one-half tablespoonsful of getlatine in two cups of grape fruit, and add a quarter of a .cupful of syrup. After removing the stones from two cups of dates fill the centres with chopped nut meats. Divide two peeled oranges into sections, and put these into a wet mould with the dates, cover with the gelatine mixture and chill. Serve with mayonnaise dressing made without mustard and whitened with whipped cream —on a bed of lettuce.

Prune and raisin salad is made with cooked prunes. Steam and remove the stones from two cupfuls of prunes and fill with a mixture of a quarter of a cupful of chopped nuts and raisins. Arrange the prunes on lettuce leaves -with cut up celery, cover with mayonnaise and garnish with finely grated cheese. Lemon-Date Pie. Lemon-date pie is unusual and delicious. 'Bake a rich piecrust in deep pans. In the bottom of each crust put a cupful of chopped dates. Then for each pie take one cupful of sugar and one tablespoonful of flour. Mix them well and add a cupful of boiling water, and boil ten minutes, stirring hard. Then add the juice of one large lemon and one tablespoonful of butter; boil one minute, and beat in one beaten egg. Pour over this the dates. Beat one eggwhite stiff, add to it a. tablespoonful of sugar; pile on the pie, and brown in ovpn.

Apricot Pudding. Apricot pudding is a good finish to a somewhat light meal. Add a cupful of soft bread crumbs to two cupsful of hot milk and blend with them two tablespoonsful of butter and threequarters of a cupful of sugar. Remove from the fire and cool. Add three-fourths of a cupful of cooked, drained and chopped apricots, two teaspoonsful of lemon juice, and a little of the grated rind, a speck of salt, and two beaten eggs. Bake in a buttered dish, in a moderate oven until firm, and serve with a sauce made with the apricot juice. Dried Fruit Tart. Two ounces of mixed dried fruit, loz raisins, loz sweet almonds, 1 oz glace cherries, 2oz granulated sugar, and seme short pastry. -Wash and soak fruit overnight, Stone raisins, blanch and chop almonds. Put fruit in a stewpan with just enough water to cover it. Stew until it is thick and soft life jam. Then mix with raisins, almonds and cherries cut in halves. Leave until cold. Line a pie-tin with short pastry, and fill with fruit mixture. Cover with pastry, and bake for about half an hour in a moderate oven. Before sending to table sift a little castor sugar over it. This may be served hot or cold, with cream or custard.

Steamed Apricot Pudding. Three ounces of butter, 3oz selfrising flour, 3oz castor sugar, 3 eggs, J gill milk, 2oz dried apricots. Wash and soak fruit as directed, and cut fruit into small pieces, removing any fragments of stone. Cream butter and sugar together; sift the flour, and stir lightly into creamed butter. Add eggs well beaten, fruit and milk, and mix well. Turn ingredients into a wellbuttered mould, cover with buttered paper, and steam carefully for two and a half hours. Turn pudding out on a hot dish, and serve with sauce. This can be made by thickening some of the water in which apricots have been soaking with a little cornflour. Add half a teaspoonful of grated rind of lemon and sugar to taste, and simmer ail together for ten minutes.