Cookery.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 996, 3 April 1891, Page 6

Cookery.

SCONES. To ft new arrival from the Southern and Midland portion of England the word c scones * is a mystery. In England the word is unknown south of Manchester. lne Scotch were the first to introduce scones into 3few Zealand and now they are familiar to •almost every one ; yet I daresay there are frandreda of homes in this fair land where scones are seldom seen. The real home of the scone is north of the Tweed. Given a girdle—a most useful household utensil, in shape like an exaggerated frying pan. without the sides —and there is almost no variety of scone, and their name is legion, that may foa made and cooked on it. It is true there oven scones, like what fyou can get at the baker’s, but the girdle is the real thing, and I would say if you want to go in for scone snaking on a large scale, first secure a girdle. Having done so, the following methods will afford variety enough for most establishments : I‘LAIN SODA SCONE. . Weigh cut 1 Jib good flour, and put it m a baking dish ; lay on the baking-board si heaped teaspoooful of oarbonate of raoda, and the same of cream of Tartar ; with the blade of a knife brniso out sdl the lumps and mix thoroughly , strew this over the flour, adding "half a_ ceaspoonful of salt, and with the hand stir it up till nuxea then pour in as much buttermilk as will make it in into a light dough ; turn this on to the board, and work slightly till just smooth enough and firm enough to handle ; roll it out, in a circular shape, to about the thickness of half or three quarters of an inch, and then with a sharp knife, dipped in flour, out the whole into equal quarters ; lay on a ( hot girdle, and cook slowly till done on the under side, then turn and cook the upper side also ; when finished lay one above the other and roU them up in a clean towel to cool. DROPPED SCONE. The same proportions are used in these Neemes excepting that more milk is added, to make the batter thin enough to drop fiom a a. spoon. Butter the girdle, having first made it hot and try to drop the spoonful of batter in as round a shape as possible, which ■will easily be attained by a little practice. Dropped scones are best eaten hot, and the advantage of them is, that they can be got ready quiokly, and do not require the aid of the baking board ; they may be enriched by the addition of a little butter rubbed into the flour, an egg, or even a little sngar, if they are for the nursery, and not to be eaten with meat. MUFFIN SCONES. For these, muffin rings mast be provided ; if not procurable ready made, any tinsmith will soon construct them at about 2d a piece ; they should be of good strong tin, so that they may lie solid, about an inch deep, and of the usual size of muffins, though that is a matter of taste, and they are quite as useful a little larger. Take 11b of the best pastry floor, and add to zt a teaspoonfnl and a half J of Royal baking powder, half a teaspoonful of sugar, and the same of salt; stir m rather less than a pint of Bweet milk, and make it into a smooth batter; have the girdle ready heated, batter it and the rings, and pour in the batter till they are three-parts fn‘l 5 b y the time they are done on the under side they will be sufficiently shaped to admit of the rintr* being taken off; tarn the muffins, and when ready to come o'ff roll them up in a napkin; when to be used toast on both sides split open, and butter rather liberally , t ey oari be cut into four or eight, according to aize. RICH SCONES. Weigh oat a pound of flour and 6oz of butter. and mb well together ; mix a teaspoonfuil of carbonate of 3oda, and the same of cream of tartar, taking care to braise oat all the lumps ; mix this well in, and make up with buttermilk, as in the plain soda sconee ; when smooth roll out to rather less than half an inch thick, and cut out in rounds with a scone cutter of any size that may be liked ; lay on a hot girdle, and when of a beautiful golden brown turn and cook on the other ride ; these scones are eqnlly good cither hot or cold, and will keep for a week at this season When batter milk is not obtainable sweet milk will do as well, bat a double quantity of cream of tartar mast be used. It may be observed here that soda and cream of tartar are just the component parts of at baking powders, with the addition, generally of some corn, or other flour. But the trade use a cheaper acid than cream of tartar, and perhaps a less wholesome one ; baking powder should always be made at home as the manufacturers have great profit on it. CURRANT SCONE 3. _ . These scones are a great favourite with children, and, indeed, they are very nice for anyone. Wash a cupful of enrrants and put them in a slack oven, or before the fire, to dry • take the half quantity of dough made by the recipe for rich scones, stir in -the currants and proceed as for the above. WHOLE MEAL SCONES . ■ These are made in the same way as plain soda sconeß, only substituting the meal for the flour, adding a slight sprinkling of sugar, and cutting them out in rounds of a good size. Any of the above can be cooked in the oven excepting the muffin scones, which are always made on a hot plate. Scones of a kind, and at a price can be bad in most bakers shops, but as lib of flour will make three twopenny scones, it will be seen at a glance how much cheaper they can be made at home. STALE SCONES. The housewife is sometimes puzzled to know what to do with stale scones. They do not look inviting on the table, and unless the children are very hungry, they will fight shy of them. One way to use them np is to split them in two, spread some batter on them fairly thick, and pal them in the oven for a few moments. They will come out delicious. Bat if they are still more stale and dry, soak them in water for five minutes then put them in a quick oven and they will come out nearly as fresh as newly baked ones. A nice wav to utilise them after being treated m the above fashion is to sprinkle thickly upon them some grated cneese, not old dry cheese but Borne that is fat and mellow, put on a very little Cayenne pepper salt, and a tiny • dash of mustard. Then place them in the oven again for a couple of minutes and you have a delicious supper dish.