AMERICAN BANANA RECIPES.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1775, 14 March 1906, Page 26

AMERICAN BANANA RECIPES.

Pried Bananas. —Peel and remove the coarse threads from rather green bananas, cut the pulp in half-inch slices on the bias, thus making longer slices than If cut directly across. Roil the slices in flour, and cook in hot fat, boiling lard, or bacon fat, first on one side, and then on the other, to a delicate brown colour. Serve with bacon, sausages, lamb, or pork chops, in the place of potatoes, it makes a pretty garnish for a mound of mashed potatoes, against which the sausages are laid. Of course, the artistic cook will vary each recipe according to her taste and desires. Baked Bananas. —This makes a very palatable dish, especially if a lemon be squeezed over it. Select. four or live rather green bananas, put them without removing the skins, into a very hot oven, and bake until the skins are open, tiend them to table in a folded napkin. The skins keep in the heat, and are not to he removed until the moment of eating. Serve plenty of butter with them. Baked Bananas (No. 2).—Select four or five rather green bananas, remove the skins and coarse threads, cut in halves lengthwise, and lay side by side on tiie bottom of a pie-dish; squeeze over them the juice of a lemon or an orange, sprinkle Avith six level tablespoonsiul or sugar, add trvo level tablespoonsiul oi butter in tiny pieces, six Avhole cloves, and a ferv pieces of stick cinnamon, and bake in a quick oven. Serve hot rvith roast meat. Half a cup of claret and Avater, or Avater alone, may replace the orange or lemon juice. Baste Avith the liquid Avhile cooking. Banana and Prune Jelly.—This is rather a rich dish, but is very popular on the other side; Half a box oi gelatine four bananas cut in cubes, halt a cup of cold Avater, three-quarters oi a cup of sugar, half a pound of prunes .threequarters of a cup of lemon-juice; boiling water. Soak' the prunes over-night, then cook in water to coi T er until tender. Drain, remove the stones, and cut in pieces. Soak the gelatine in the cold Avater; add enough boiling Avater to the hot prune liquid to make _ one pint, and pour over the soaked gelatine, and strain the Avhole over the banana slices. Heat to tlie scalding point; add the sugar, lemon-juice, pieces of prunes, and a little Avine. if appro\*ed; stir, but withoiit crushing the banana until the sugar is dissolved Turn into a mould, and set aside to get firm. When cold, serve, turned from the mould, with Avhipped cream. ...... Banana Pie.—One cup of sifted banana pulp, half a cup of sugar, one cracker (powdered fine), half a cup of milk, half a teaspoonful of salt, one-third of a teaspoonful of cinnamon, one egg one-third of a cup of cream; grated rind and juice, of half a lemon, or two tablespoonsiul of molasses. Mix the ingredients together, and bake until firm in a pie-pan lined Avith pastry, as for a squash pie. The cracker may be omitted, unless a rathei firm pie be preferred. Banana Jeliy.—One pint of banana pulp, juice of one lemon, one-quarter of a cup of sherry, half a cup of sugar, onethird of a packet of gelatine, one-third of a cup of cold Avater. Soak the gelatine in the cold Avater, add the banana pulp (pass the peeled bananas through a sieve), and let scald over hot water; remove from the fire, and add the sugar, tfie wine, and the lemon-juice. Mix thoroughly, and turn into a mould. Let it stand in a cool place to become firm, then serve with whipped cream, SAveetened and flavoured before Avhipping, or serve Avith boiled custard, sliced oranges, or strawberries. Banana Sponge—One-third of a packet of gelatine, one-third of a cup of Avater (cold), one-third of a cup of boiling water, one cup of sugar, the juice of one lemon, one cup of banana pulp, whites of three eggs, slices of banana. Soften the gelatine in cold jvater, and add the boiling Avater and sugar; when the sugar is dissolved, strain over the banana pulp, heat to a scalding point, let cool a little, add the lemon-juice, and beat over icewater until light and cold; then beat in, gradually, the Avhites of the eggs, first beaten dry. Turn the mixture into a monld lined Avith slices of banana. SterA-e cold, ornamented with double cream, sweetened and flavoured, then beaten solid. This banana sponge is a most agreeable and tasty delicacy.

“We are pleased to be able to state,” says the WickleAVOod (Norfolk) “Parish Magazine,” "that the mouse that appeared to interest so many on a certain Sunday evening during the preaching ot Vhe sermon has been caught, together with three of his relatives-”