comes but once a year

Manawatu Times, Volume 60, Issue 300, 20 December 1935, Page 5

comes but once a year

APART from the orgy of gift-making, tfte greater joy oj Christmas is the bill of fare, and a right royal good tim< with drinks and unusual edibles is had by most of us. Jor this reason our cookery expert has been, spending quite a busy tim< during the past week or two preparing recipes acceptable to th< average householder who, in addition to the Christmas regu lars ” will want to provide her family with a few little different dishes. She has, therefore, thought out two menus, one for i hot meal and one for a cold. Recipes for some of the dishes an given here. The cake and puddings shown on this page wen made from the recipes given here, and, as they have since beei cut and tasted, every confidence is felt in recommending then to our readers.

By DOROTHY PERCIVAL

Christmas Cake Ingredients:—Vilb. butter, Vblb. sugar, %Ib. flour, 1 level teaspoon baking powder, pinch of salt. Vi teaspoon mixed spice, 3 tablespoons brandy, rum, or sherry, 5 eggs, 2oz. crystallised cherries, Vilb. seeded raisins, 2oz. almonds, Vilb. sultanas, 2oz. candied peel, Vilb. currants. Method.—Measure or weigh all ingredients accurately. Wash fruit, dry in sunshine (as damp fruit spoils tiakes), remove seeds and stalks. Remove sugar, and shred peel finely. Blanch, dry, and slice almonds. Mix prepared fruits. Line an 8-inch square or a round cake pan 9 inches in diameter with two layers of brown and one layer of white paper. Sift flour, salt, baking powder (and spice if used). Heat the oven. Cream butter and sugar together; beat eggs, add gradually, beating thoroughly. Stir in liquor, prepared • fruit, sifted flour, and mix thoroughly. Put into prepared cake pan, spreading mixture evenly. , Bake in a hot oven for first 10 minutes; then decrease heat, and bake slowly for 3 to 35 hours. Pierce through centre with a fine skewer or straw, and if clean and free from stickiness when withdrawn the cake is sufficiently cooked. When cool, wrap the cake in greaseproof paper, and store, in an airtight tin until required for icing. Almond icing {For Christmas Cake") Ingredients:—'/alb. ground almonds, lVklb. Icing sugar, 2 egg yolks, 3 tablespoons sherry, 1 dessertspoon lemon juice. Method.—Beat the egg yolks, sherry, and strained lemon juice together. Sift icing sugar into basin, and mix with almonds. Add liquid, mixing to firm paste. Put on board or marble slab, sprinkled with icing sugar. Cut into 3 portions for a round, or 5 portions for a square cake. Roll one portion to fit the top, and remaining pieces for the sides. Brush lightly WWMihfc. w with egg

white before applying evenly to the level cake. Almond icing should be set before it is coated with warm or royal icing. Soft Icing (For Coating) Ingredients:—l'Alb. icing sugar, 1 teaspoon melted butter, (about) 4 tablespoons hot water. 1 tablespoon sherry, few drops coloring If required. Method.—Sift icing sugar, add liquid, butter, and coloring; stir over hot water till slightly warm. Pour over the top and sides of the cake. When firmly set, decorate with royal icing. Royal Icing (For Piping) Ingredients:—7 or Boz. Icing sugar, 1 egg white, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, few drops coloring if required. Method.—Sift icing sugar; add gradually to the egg white; beat well, and add strained lemon juice. If coloring is used, add it carefully, drop by drop. Beat icing well till perfectly smooth. The exact amount of icing sugar required varies with the size of the egg white; the icing for piping must he of a stiffer consistency than coating icing. Christmas Pudding (Steamed or Boiled) Ingredients:—!&lb. beef suet, 7oz. breadcrumbs, 6oz. flour, Valb. brown sugar. %!b. seeded raisins. ’/alb. sultanas. ’/ 2 lb. currants, 2oz. candled peel. 2oz. almonds. 6 eggs, 4 tablespoons brandy, little spice and grated nutmeg. Method. —Wash and dry fruit thoroughly. Blanch, dry, and shred the .almonds. Remove sugar from and chop candied peel. Skin and flake suet finely. Sift flour, salt, spice, and nutmeg into a basin. Mix with breadcrumbs, suet, sugar, fruit, almonds, and peel. Beat eggs lightly; add to dry ingredients. Stir in the brandy,'and mix thoroughly. (If silver coins are added, they should be washed, boiled, and perS cleaned before putting into ngs.) The mixture may be placed in one large buttered basin, covered with a scalded floured cloth, tied securely, and boiled for six hours; or put into one large, scalded, floured cloth, tied securely (allowing sufficient room for expansion), and boiled for six hours; or put into one large buttered basin, covered with buttered paper or a clip-on lid, and steamed for six hours; or, if preferred, half the mixture may be boiled in a cloth or basin, and the remaining half steamed in a basin. Keep the boiled pudding well covered with boiling water, replenishing the supply with boiling water (not cold). For a steamed pudding, the supply of boiling water must be sufficient to maintain steam, but not enough to boil into the pudding. When required for use, boll or steam two hours longer. Serve with custard, sweet sauce, hard sauce, brandy or wine sauce. Brandy Sauce

Ingredients:—l dessertspoon butter, 1 dcsdertspoon flour, % cup water, V* cup brandy, 1 tablespoon sugar. Method.—Melt butter in small saucepan, add flour, stir with wooden spoon until free from lumps, and cook for a minute. Add water, and stir over gentle heat till mixture boils and thickens. Stir in brandy and sugar, simmer for a few minutes. Serve hot with Christmas pudding. Hard Sauce Ingredients:—2oz. butter, 4oz. castor or Icing sugar, Ya teaspoon vanilla essence. 1 tablespoon brandy. 1 egg white (optional). Method.—Cream the butter, add sugar gradually, and beat till thoroughly dissolved. Success depends on beating. Stir in vanilla essence and brandy, and beat again. If egg white is added, it must be beaten to a stiff froth, added gradually, and mixed in lightly. Put sauce in refrigerator or on ice to harden. Serve cold in a separate dish, with Christmas pudding.

Wine Sauce Ingredients.—Vi pint sherry, 1 dessertspoon castor sugar, 2 egg yolks. Method. —Put egg yolks and sugar into a jug on the upper part of a

double saucepan. Beat Sightly; add sherry gradually. Whisk or beat over gently boiling water (it must be whisked lightly, not just stirred), to a frothy, creamy consistency. Remove immediately from heat. It must not be allowed to boil or curdle by over-cooking. Serve hot with Christmas pudding.

Roast Duck Put seasoning into the body (not the breast) of the trussed duck, and sew the opening with white cotton. Wrap in buttered paper, and bake in dish with heated fat; basting frequently. Reduce heat after first V* hour, and bake slowly from 1 to 2 hours (according to size and age) ttU tender. Remove paper when duck Is almost cooked to allow even browning. Serve with gravy and apple sauce. Sage Seasoning (For Roast Duck) Ingredients:—2 onions, 1 cup breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon butter, salt, pepper, pinch of sugar and grated nutmeg, 1 teaspoon powdered sage. Method: Put peeled onions In saucepan with cold water; boil; drain; cover with fresh boiling U’ater, and simmer til! tender. Drain and:press as dry as possible. Chop finely and mix with crumbs and seasonings. Mix with melted butter, and use for stuffing duck, goose, pork, etc. Apple Sauce (For Roast Duck) Ingredients:—4 tart apples, 2 tablespoons water. 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 dessertspoon butter, Ya teaspoon lemon rind, little grated nutmeg. Slethod: Peel, core and thinly slice apples with a silver ■or stainless steel knife. Put Into saucepan with water cover with lid, and simmer till tender. Beat to pulp with a fork, or rub through n sieve. Return to saucepan, and add sugar, butter, nutmeg, and lemon Juice. Stir while rB-heating, and simmer for a few minutes before serving with roast duck, goose, or pork.