HOME INTERESTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2250, 15 April 1897, Page 45

HOME INTERESTS.

Quince Jam (By request).— Pare, core, and slice the fruit, cover with water, and put on tbe fire. Bojl till the fruibis tender, strain" through a sieve and put it on the fire agaiD, with Jib sugar to each pound of pulp. Stir contiaually to prevent Jbnrm'u;j, and boil for 20 minute?, when skim. Apple Ginger (By request). — Time, about 45mm Two pounds of apples, a pint and ahalf of water, 21b cane sugar, and a little concentrated ginger constifutathe ingredients.. Pat; into a preserving pan 21b sugar and about a pint and a-balf of water ; boil and ekim it well and then add the concentrated ginger. Pare, core, and divide some apples, and put them into a preserving pan with the syrup. Boil them quickly until they are very clear, then lay them carefully on a dish. Pat the syrup into -a jar, and when cold put in the slices of apples, and tie it closely over to exclude the air. SEASONABLE RF.CIPES. Easter Cakes — Cre.am together £lb butter and £lb sapar, then work in two' large whole I eggs : next lib flour mixed previously with half a (easpoonful of baking powder, and, lastly, £Ib each sultanas and currants, 4-oz candied peel finely chopped, half a teaspoonful ground ginger, and half as much of nutmeg and cinnamon, and roll the dough out in round cakes 6in or 7in across and liii thick. Bake in a moderate oven for about 30 minutes. Hot Cross Buns. — Add ro 21b flour a teaspooijful of spice and half tpaspoonful of salt, j Make a hole in the flour, and po. r in loz yeast j dissolved in half pint of warm milk ; mix with the surrounding flour till it is & thin batter ; set to rise before the fire. When risen work in £!b butter, £lb currants. 2- z sugar, and a wellbeaten egg, with sufficient warm milk to make j a light dough ; cover over and set to rise for half an hour ; make into buns ; mark with a cross ; bake for 20 minutes Apples Stewed Whole. — Peel and core six or eight apples ; make a syrup by boiling one pint of water with £lb sugar ; flavour it with lemon juice ; put in the apples and cook them till tender. When they are done lift them out; reduce the syrup one-half by boiling ifc quickly in an uncovered saucepan ; pour it over the apDlep, and serve cold. Claret Cup. — To one bntfcle claret add one bottle sodawater, a glass of sherry, the peel of a lemon cut very thin, powdered sugar according to taste. Lot the whole remain one or two hours before serving, and then add some lumps of clean ice. When in season add a few slicps of cucumber, or some sprigi of borage, or, instead of the lemon peel, a pint of ripe raspberries, or four or five peaches or nectarines cub in slices. Scones. — To a saucerful of flour put one teagpooniul of cream of tartar and half a teaspoonful ot\ baking soda and a little rait. Mix weU together, and then mix with milk to a very sofo dough. Do not roll too thin, and bake in a hot oven at once. Good Plum Pudding — One cup of flour, one and a-half of suet, one of breadcrumbs, one of sugar, one each of raisins and currants, two pieces of peel, one nu<m?g, dessertspoonful of powder, four eggs, and a little milk to mix with. It is very nice wi^h less e£gs, or, in fact, without any at all. Boil four hours. Sauce made ■with maizena inebead of flour, with an egg well beaten in it, is «n improvement. To Stew a Duck With Claket — Make a gravy of the giblets, rub ths duck inside and out with pepper and a little salt, peel and 'mince two or three cnions, and, having half roasted tho duck, put it into a stewpan with the gravy and onions. Stew it gently for two hours, adding toward the end a glass of claret or port wine. Squetza the juice of a lemon over the duck, and serve it with toasted bread. Wbat remains of a roasted wild duck may be warmed the next day in heaters with a little currant jelly, when it is excellent. Ducks may be hs-shed and stewed with a glass of port wine thrown into the pravy. Light Plain Plum Pudding — Ingredients : lib iiour. lib breadcrumb 1 !, ftb stoned raisins, £lb currants, Jib >eef suet, -^Ib sugar, three or four eggs, 2oz candied peel, one teaspoonf ul all-spice. Mode : Let the suet be finely chopped, the raisins stoned, and the currants well washed, picked, and dried. Mix these with the other dry ingredients and stir all well together ; beat the egge, add these to the pudding, and add just enough milk to make the whole mix properly. When thoroughly stirred, take a pudding cloth, flour it well, put the pudding in, tie ud securely, put; into boiling water, and boil for at leasb five hours. Sprinkle sugar weli over the pudding when serving and, if liked, make a brandy *aue« fo serve with ifc. Bcaised Boxed Fowl.— Slit the skin ot a jowl ud liie back ; remove all tho meat from the

bones without making holes in the skin. Spread the meat on a board, tbe akin aide downwards, and spread with sausage meat . on this put Equara wedges of hard-boiled egg and tongue alternately. Sew up the skin and press the meat into the shape of the fowl, or if liked into a neat roll, having drawn the legs inside it. Be careful that the skin is properly sewn, then tie into a clean cloth. Put the bones of the fowl into a stewpan with herb?, celery, and an onion, and on this bed set the fowl. Add enough water to cover the fowl, and cook slowly till quite tender ; the time will depend on the siza and age of the fowl. Strain the stock, and make some good brown sauce ; take the meat out of the clo»h, set it on a hot dish, aid pour the sauce over ifc. Garnish with watercress or tomatoes. This ditto will be equally good served cold, when it should be covered with glaze and garnished. Gidlet Soup. — Scrape and wash the giblets quite clean, then cut elf the heads and throw them away ; skin tho necks and remove a'l the blood ; scald the legs and clavrs and Take off the outer skin ; djvide the heart and liver into two, and cut the gizzard round and remove the inner bag. Now put them all into coH water and bring it to the bail, then strain and dry tbe pieces. Fry the giblets till brown in dripping, then place them in a stewpan with some bacon bonep, a Urge carrot, a good-sized onion, a turnip, three sticks of celery, a bunch of parssley and sweet herb;, and two quarts of stock, unfavoured. Bring slowly to the_ boil, aDd skim well. After simmering for two hours take out the giblets, and save any pieces good enough to go into the soup and lay aside ; put the rest back again and simmer another hour. If wanted clear, strain at the end of this time and clarify it with two white« and crnshed shells of eggs. Pour intrv* tureen, and put the best pieces of giblet in ; add .Bait and cayenne. If wanted thick the soup should ba strained, not clarified, and be thickened w'th flour that has been browned in some bnt v er. Mock Turtle Soup. — Scrape and thoroughly cleanse a calf's head, remove the brain, and wash tbe head very cleau. Allow to soak in warm water (in which dissolve a large handful of salt) for live or six hours. Remove and wash again. Tie the head in a clean white cloth, and boil in about four quarto of wa'-cr for two hours ; remove, uutie and cub off all the nice meat; return tbe bones and trimmings to tbe liquor, and boil for two hours longer. In the meantime take half of tbe meat and cut it into small square pieces and set aside until wanted. Melt loz of butter in a clean saucepau, add jr'b lean bam cut fmall, two sliced onions, and two sballois; brown these nicely and add to the stock (in which the head was boiled), and boil with the stick for an hour and a-half ; add also a sprig each of thyme, sweet marjoram, and basil. When the whole has boiltd for the requisite length of time, strain through a Bieve. This is prepared the day before using. When cold remove all the f tvt. Brown a tablespoonful of flour in a frying pun, taking care not to scorch it ; gradually add Rome of the stock, and when well blended, pour into the stock pot tho balance of stock. Now add the calf's head that was cut into dice (the other half of meat is to be used for moulded calf's head), season with cayenne and salt and a tablespoon of finely- minced parsley, give one boil, and serve.