HOME INTERESTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1933, 7 December 1888, Page 34

HOME INTERESTS.

Maizena Cakes. — Half-pound maizena, two eggs, £lb sugar, £lb butter worked to a cream, one teaspoonful baking powder, a little milk. Bake in patty tins. Christmas Plum Pudding.— Half-pound suet, half dozen eggs, £lb sugar, lib raisins, lib currants, |lb mixed peel, £lb flour, breadcrumbs, half pint milk, £oz spice. Boil six hours.

Another. — One pound each of suet, sugar, eggs (8), mixed peel, raisins, and flour, £lb breadcrumbs, 21b currants, three quarters of a pint of milk, loz; mixed spice. Boil nine hours.

Mincemeat. — Two pound raisins, 31b currants, fib lean beef, 31b beef _ suet, 21b moist sugar, 2oz citron, 2oz candied lemon peel, 2oz candied orange peel, one small nutmeg, lib apples, the rind of two lemons, the juice of one, half pint brandy. Stone and cut the raisins once or twice across, but do not chop them ; wash dry and pick the currants free from stalks and grit, and mince the beef and suet, taking care that the latter is chopped very fine, slice the citron and oandied peel, grate the nutmeg," and pare, core, and mince the apples, mince the lemon peel, strain the juice, and when all the ingredients are thus prepared, mix them well together, adding the brandy when all are thoroughly blended ; press the whole into a jar, carefully exclude the Air and the mincemeat will be ready in a fortnight. Mince .Pies.-— Make .some, good puff paste, and roll it out to the thickness of about quarter of an inch, and line some patty pans with it ; fill them with mincemeat, cover with the paste and cut it off all round close to the edge of the tin. Put the pies into. a brisk oven to draw the paste up, and bake for 25 minutes or longer should the pies be. very large; brush them over with the white of an egg beaten with the blade of a knife to a stiff froth; sprinkle over pounded sugar and put them into the oven again for a minute or two to dry the egg; dish the pies on a white d'oyley and serve hot. They may be merely sprinkled with pounded sugar instead of being glazed. To re-warm them put the pies on the patty pans and let them remain in the oven for 10 minutes or a quarter of an hour, and they will be as good as if freshly made. How to Boil Ham.— lf the weight of the ham is about 101b it will require three hours and a-half gentle boiling. Soak the ham for a few hours, then scrape it clean, and saw of the knuckle, place it in a stewpan, with a pinch of moist sugar, a blade of mace, a few allspice, and a sprig of thyme, cover it with cold water and boil as- directed leave it in the liquor to get cold, then take off the rind, wipe with a clean cloth and cover it with rasped breadcrumbs. How to Boil Tongue.— Well wash a good pickled tongue and place it in a stewpan, cover with cold water, cut up one small onion and half a carrot, and a little celery, and a few allspice ; throw these in the water with the tongue, and boil until cooked (about three hours) which can easily be seen by running a fork in the centre ; if it seems tender it is done; when cooked, throw it in cold water and take, off the skim.

Pound Fbuit Cake.— One pound each of flour, sugar, butter, and raisins, 21b of currants, £lb sliced citron, loz eaoh mace, cinnamon, grated nutmeg, cloves, and eight eggs. Bake in a paper-lined pan. Butter the paper. Fowls, How to Boil.— Procure two good fowls trussed for boiling, prick them and place them in boiling water with a pinch of. sugar, a pinch of salt, a few allspice, and a blade of mace, and boil them for 40 minutes ; when done take them out, and wrap them up in white paper to keep them white in the flesh. . White Sauce for the Two Boiled Fowls. — How to make ; One pint of milk, a a blade of mace, a small piece of onion, and a little celery, pepper, and salt, 2oz fresh butter kneaded in flour ; boil altogether, and strain, and let get cold. Tipsy Cake. — How to make: Procure a sponge-cake and stick it all over with shreds of blanched Jordan almonds ; then soak it with a mixture of brandy, sherry, and a little

rum j' when soaked enough, place it on a glass dish,pour custard round ; a little jam dropped in with a spoon in the custard, and a little whippt cream on the top. CUSTABD, FOR ITALIAN PASTRY AND Tipsy Cake.— lngredients : One pint milk, 6oz loaf sugar, five eggs, a small piece of cinnamon. How to use them : Boil the milk, sugar and cinnamon together, whisk the eggs •well up, pour the boiling milk over them, well whisking all the time, stir them well together over a slow fire until boiling ; take off and stand the stewpan in cold water and stir until cold.

Italian Pastby.— Take some short paste,' roll out very thin, spread some custard over it, cover it with a layer of short paste, then mask the top over with meringue, made as follows : Four whites of eggs beaten to a stiff froth, stir in soz powdered white sugar, bake it' in a cool oven; when 1 baked, cut it up in fancy shapes, and ornament the tops with preserved fruits. Sandwich Pastry.— Cut out of a sheet of puff -paste strips about three inob.es long, an inch wide, and about half an inch thick ; lay them on their edge and bake in a hot oven ; when nearly copked sprinkle seme fine sugar over them ; when cooked spread some jam on ! one piece and cover it with another, the same as a sandwich.