THE LUSCIOUS PEACH

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22350, 22 February 1936, Page 33 (Supplement)

THE LUSCIOUS PEACH

"STORED SUNSHINE" RECIPES The pink and yellow peaches, prettiest and most delicious of fruit, are ripe and plentiful now, with their furry skins tinted to just the right colour. Delightful as they are eaten raw, many people like them preserved or cooked in various ways almost as well, and in winter time, when tho orchard trees are -bare, housewives will find many uses for their jars of "stored sunshine." Probably you will like to make:—

Peach Jam.—To every lib. stoned fruit allow Jib. sugar. Peel peaches and cut into slices, cover with two or three pounds of sugar, and leave all night. Next day boil with a little water for half an hour or until the peaches are tender, and add tho remainder of tho sugar heated in the oven. The sugar should be quite hot, so that it does not stop boiling. Boil from one and a half to two hours briskly. The syrup should bo rather thick when done. Use yellow peaclis for making jam. Peach and Passionfruit Jam.—This is rather different from the usual jam, and will be found delicious. Take ljlb. peaches, £ dozen passionfruit, some lemon juice, lib. sugar. Peel peaches and cut into slices. Cover with half of .the sugar and leave till next day. Boil till tender, then add remainder of sugar, lemon juice, and the passionfruit with some of the seeds strained out. Boil one and a half to two hours or until it sets.

Peach Chutney.—Take 61b. of stoned peaches, 3 pints vinegar, 441b. sugar, 1 cup sultanas, lib. raisins, 2oz. garlic, 3 desertspoons salt, 2 dessertspoons ginger, dessertspoon cayenne. Peel the peaches, remove stones and cut up. Put into saucepan with vinegar and boil for five minutes, add the chopped sultanas, raisins, sugar, and spices. Boil for 1} hours, stirring well, bottle and seal down. Keep in a cool, dry place. * V Baked Peaches. —This is an unusual dish which would make a nice change for your family. Take 6 slipstone peaches, sugar, butter, lemon juice, nutmeg. Peel, cut in half, and remove the stones from the peaches. Place in a shallow fireproof dish, and fill each cavity with one teaspoon of sugar, one half teaspoon butter, a few drops of lemon juice, and a grating of nutmeg. Cook in a hot oven for twenty minutes and serve on circular pieces of buttered toast with cream. Peach Milk Mould.—Take 1 large jar sliced peaches, 2oz. castor sugar, juice i lemon, ioz. gelatine, f gill water, £ pint milk, cream. Turn tho peaches into a basin, keeping back a few slices for decorating them, add the castor sugar and strained lemon juice and stir till the sugar is dissolved. Melt the gelatine in a saucepan with the water and strain into the peaches. Stir in the milk, leave the mixture till it begins to set, then turn it into a mould that has been rinsed out with cold water. When set turn out and decorate with whipped cream, sweetened and flavoured to taste, and a few sliced peaches. Peach Shortcake. —Take 2 cups selfraising flour, 4 tablespoons butter, 1 egg, £ cup sugar, milk to mix, sliced peaches.and .cream. Cojmbine the sugar and flour, "and make a welt in the Centre. Break in the egg, and add the melted butter, and sufficient milk- to mix to an elastic dough, about the texture of scone dough. Pat out the dough into a large round and place in a greased sandwich-tin. Bake in a very hot oven about 25 minutes. When cooked, split while hot, and butter if liked or just set aside to cool, and when ready to serve finish as follows: — Slice either fresh or cooked peaches, draining off any syrup or juice, and arrange a layer of peaches in the centre of the shortcake, cover with whipped and sweetened cream, then place the other half of the shortcake on top and cover this with a layer of peaches and "top with cream. Excellent to serve for Sunday night supper. If fresh peaches are used they Bhould be sprinkled lightly with castor sugar.