STRAWBERRY DAYS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22579, 18 November 1936, Page 6

STRAWBERRY DAYS

BRIGHT IDEAS FOR MENUS SOME INTERESTING RECIPES Strawberries inspire the cooks. Every member of the family likes this fruit, although somo unfortunate people have to forgo its joys. How to make the most of the luscious scarlet berries bv thinking out new ways of serving them as a change from tho time-honoured strawberries and cream is one of the aflairs of the cuisino that tlio modern hostess has made her concern. ■ Strawberries now como into tho salad, they fill tartlets and Hans, pancakes and sponge moulds. Strawberry drinks are summer's nectar and they decorate other fruit cups. Apart from all these delights of the moment, tbere are the preserves and the pickles that outlive the brief season of "morning gathered'' berries. Appended are some interesting and unusual recipes. Strawberry Butter.—A delicious filling for cakes or sandwiches for tea, or as a supper dish in pastry cases, is made as follows: Take 1007,. icing sugar, ilb. butter, Jib. strawberries. '207.. ground Brazil nuts. Rub sugar through a sieve, add butter and beat to a cream. Pick over the strawberries and mash to a, fine pulp. Add to tho creamed butter and sugar, also the nuts. Mix all well together and uso as required. Curd Tartlets. —Bub one breakfasteupful crushed ripe strawberries through coarse sieve. Add 2oz. each butter and castor sugar beaten to a cream, juice of one and a-half lemons and two beaten egg yolks. Cook gently in double saucepan till thick. Set aside to cool. With 4oz. flour, 2oz. ground rice, loz. castor sugar, JVi7,. butter, one egg yolk and little cochineal make some pink patty cases. Bake till crisp, hut not brown. When cool fill with the curd. Decorate each with «i strawberry and whipped cream flavoured with liqueur. Individual Teed Cakes.—Take two eggs, their weight in sugar, butter and self-raising flour. Cream butter and sugar, beat in eggs one at a time, and add the flour. Bake in small boatshaped tins. When cold • put three medium-sized strawberries along the top of each cake and pour over them icing sugar mixed with a very little warm water and flavoured with lemon juice, taking care that the fruit is quito covered with the icing. These cakes should be made not more than an hour or two before required. Long Summer Drink.—Put 121b. ripe strawberries in a pan and pour over them three quarts water in which Hoz. tartaric acid has feeen dissolved. Let it stand for two days. Stir frequently, but do not bruise or break fruit or liquid will not be clear. Strain through muslin; add lib. sugar to each pint; stir well till sugar is dissolved, then bottle, cork and tie down with wet bladder. Keep in cool place. Put two tablespoonfuls in tumblerful of iced water, a fresh strawberry and a thin shred of angelica on top. Serve with straws. Salad With Savoury Dressing.— Wash, stalk and cut in halves, lengthwise, one pint selected strawberries. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cover and let stand in refrigerator or very cool place till thoroughly chilled. Arrange in nests of white lettuce leaves and cover fruit with one-half pint whipped cream, seasoned with salt and paprika, to which has been added halfcupful ' mayonnaise dressing. Garnish with halves of strawberries and chopped pistachio nuts. Strawberry and Pineapple Salad.— You will want one curly lettuce, ilb. strawberries, one small tin pineapple slices, one gill mayonnaise dressing and a little lemon juice. Lay each pineapple slioe on two or three lettuce leaves and sprinkle with lemon juice. Arrange a small heap of strawberries on each pineapple slice; pour a spoojiful of dressing over and serve.

Preserved in Sherry.-—These strawberries are useful with whipped cream for decorating trifles, ices, and fanev sweets. Take fruit which is fresh and perfectly ripe. Pick off all preen carefully and put immediately into dry uide-necked bottles. Sprinkle over them '107,. fine sugar to each pound of fruit till bottles are full. Fill up with good sherry, or Madeira can be used if preferred. Cork bottles securely and wax them down, or use screw-topped jars. Store in cool, dry place. Dinner Party Sweet. —For a special dinner party make a thick custard with the yolks of 4 eggs, cup of sweetened newmilk, and two tnhlospoonfuls of kirsch. Add two or three drops of essence of roses to pint of thick cream. Beat it up and add to it the whites of five eggs, flavoured with vanilla and sweetened. Beat together till thick and frothy, then add to the custard a very little at a time. Have ready some strawberries that have been dipped in brandy to prevent them hardening on ice. Add them to the cream and pack in ice for two hours.

Apricot and Charlotte Husse. —Put a tart hoop upside down on a flat china or glass plate and arrange sponge finger biscuits closely around the tin. This is done by sticking the biscuits together with warm apricot jam.

The biscuits must bo of the same length, and one end cut straight so that they will stand. Boil two tablespoonfuls of apricot jam with-two tablespoonfuls of sugar one or two minutes. When set remove tin. Place sponge trimmings at the bottom of the tart, then layers of whipped cream and strawberries strewn with sugar. Top with whipped cream flavoured with vanilla and decorate with whole strawberries. Pancakes with fresh strawberries are delicious. Fold pancakes round tho fruit and secure with a little cocktail stick which supports a strawberry on its point. Sift with sugar, and serve.