COOKERY MATTERS.

Matamata Record, Volume VII, Issue 586, 1 December 1924, Page 2

COOKERY MATTERS.

CHRISTMAS CAKES—HINTS ABOUT ICING.

With November well advanced, Christmas-tittle seems near at hand—with all the atondant worries of cookcry for the hard-driven housewife. This year, again, moat of us, though we do know better, will be busy preparing the Christmas fare ordained by our British aneestor.s for frozen "Morrie England," and never intended for scorching sunny New Zealand. Still, traditions dies hard with us, and it is well, perhaps, generally speaking, that it does, so we maintain our national characteristics and incidentally the solidity of the British Empire.

Though, wo may not bo quito ready to begin the baking, we should be assembling the materials for our Christmas cookery. ludced, many women m town have already done so, and next week will begin with the cakes.

I should like to advise country reactors especially that in many shops |mo.st appropriate decorations may be bought quite inexpensively, which greatly enhance the appearance of tlic cake and save the busy housewife the toil and trouble of evolving seasonable decorations from efficient culinery tools —for icing is an art in itself, and has tools of trade just like any other art or trade.

Few kitchens, even in town, arc provided with these helps; few, indeed, with nearly enough helps for the intelligent handling of one of our most important labours —cookery. localising that this Christmas may be but the whirligig of time effects the first for the handling of the cakes by many brides, and remembering previous requests, T. am suggesting the following directions for the final icing of the fruit cakes. Smaller quantities may be used proportionately. For the almond icing take eight cup-

i fuhs of ahnonds, blanch and dry them. ;) I'ul them through a fine mincing 1 machine. To the ground almonds add four cupfuls of icing sugar, two well beaten eggs, a tablespoonfut of lemon juice, and a tablespoonful of rose water. Mix all well together, turn out on a baking board dusted with icing § sugar, and knead and pound with the

rolling pin until it is nice and even all through. Roll it out and cut a round to fit the top of the cake. Make the Test, of the paste into a flat strip and roll it out into a band just big enough to go round the cake. Press the paste into place with the finger.s. For the royal icing of the cake, take 21b icing sugar, two whites of eggs, and two tablespoonfuta of lemon juice. Roll and sift the sugar, beat the whites of eggs lightly, and stir in the sugar. Add the lemon juice and beat or stir until the icing will stand up in sharp points if a fork is drawn upwards briskly through it. Tt should be smooth, shiny, and very white, more lemon juice may be added if it seems too stiff. Coat the cake thinly with the icing, and let it dry hard. Then put on » thicker coal, smoothing it with a knife which has been dipped in'boiling water. Orna-mentation may be arranged as 1

have suggested, by the addition of seasonable emblems on sole at many suvros. Ground almonds can be bought ready, too, but in my opinion the flavour is not quite so fresh and sweet as when they are freshly ground. CHRISTMAS CAKE, lib butter, lib sugar, fi eggs, currants, 21b seeded raisins, lib lemon peed, \ nut meg, 1 eggspoon essence lemon, 1 tablespoon mixed .spice. 1 teaspoon carb. of soda, \ teaspoon cream of tartar. 21b flour, ]lb almonds, 'Jib sultanas, 2 tablespoons brandy. Beat bailer ami sugar thoroughly to cream. add eggs well beaten, add nutmeg, spice, almonds, lemon peel, currants, and raisins, and sultanas, work all well together to bring out the juice of the fruit, add brandy, and lastly, flour, cream of tartar, and carl), of soda. Bake :V! to 4 hours in a moderate oven. ft will keep well and is very dark.

(Continued in .Next Coiv.uin.'>