HOME INTERESTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2455, 3 April 1901, Page 61

HOME INTERESTS.

HOT-CROSS BUNS. One pound and three-quarters of flour, \\h butter, Jib sugar, Mb currants, l^oz German yeast, and spice. Rub sugar and currants into flour; dissolve yeast in one pint of warm water, stir it into flour, let it stand for six hours to rise then make up into small buns about ljoz each in weight. Put them on tins in a warm place to prove for half an hour before baking in a hot oven. This mixture will make 40 small buns. Put a cross over the top. EASTER CAKE. Three-quarters of a pound of flour, 2oz currants 6oz castor sugar, a pinch of cinnamon and mace, two eggs, k\h butter, tablespoonful brandy. Mix the flour, currants, and flavouring, beat butter to a cream, mix flour, currants, and ifpices by degrees , dissolve sugar in brandy .and beat yelks of eggs, mix them with sugar. Mix all together into a stiff paste, and add a little white of egg if required. Koll out thinly and bake in a moderate oven. BRAISED FOWLS. Truss a couple of fowls— not necessarily young birds, put a few -slices of salt pork, a Ba-rroin and a piece of celery in a stewpan , on these place the fowl with some slices of salt pork on its breast. Season with peppeicorns six cloves, a teaspoonful of salt, and add a quart of broth or water, cover the pan closely and let it simmer till tender. An old' fowl will require three hours' stewing. Remove the fowl when tender, place it on a baking dish, baste with butter, dredge with Hour and brown it in the o\en Strain the gravy, thicken it, and pom- lound the fowl. PARSLEY SAUCE. One ounce of flour, loz buttei, half a pint of cold water, a pinch of salt Put the butter into a small saucepan, melt it. then draw the (pan to the side of the fire, add the floui gradually, and mix well with the back of an ordinary spoon , add veiv gradually the water and salt, stirring continually to pi event lumps , stir over the fire till the sauce boils, then boil it for three niinute.3 , wash some fresh parsley, wring it dry in a cloth, pick it caiefully off the stalks, chop small, and stir into the melted butter. BOILED HAM. Soak the ham in water 24 horns; wash clean, than put it into a boiler filled with cold water, add carrots, celery, onions, gaihc, parsley, thyme, marj6ram, bay leaves, cloves, and mace — the proportions of these must be regulated by the size of the ham and the skill or taste of the cook. Bring it gradually to the boil, skim carefully, and sinirneT from four to six hours. When it is done, it should be allowed to remain in the liquor until nearly cold. Remove the skin, glaze the ham, and ornament the knuckle with a paper frill. IRISH CAKE. Take lib butter beaten \o a cream, 21b sugar, nine eggs (the yolks and whites beaten separately), Jib almonds blanched and sliced, ljlb currants, ljlb flour. When the butter ' has been worked to. a. cream sift in the /sugary

whea mixed pour in the yolks of eggs, then add the whites. Work it half aii houi, add the floui Ly degiees, when well mixed add a very small teacup of branch- The currants and a'nionils, with Jib of lemon peel, should bo added ju=t befoie th« cake is placed in the o\en, wh'cli should be hot. SOUP A LA JULTEKXE. Boil 31b of beef in fix quarts of water. Let the contents simmer slowly, skimming caicfully several times After four hours, strain before adding the vegetables Cut some turnips and cariots into strips, and cut onions and celery into long diamond-shaped pieces. Boil them separate, y, and place in the tuieen, pouring the soup over the vegetables. Cut small squares of loasted biead, without crust, and drop in the soup. EXCELSIOR PUDDING. One teacupful of chopped suet, one of chopped stoned laisms, one of currants, one of brcadciumbs, one of sugar, one tablespoonful of treacle, half a teaspoonful of mixed spice, caiboi.ate of soda, a few drops of essence of almonds, a pinch of salt, two eggs. Beat all well togethei, and boil three hours. VEAL AND HAM PIE. Take a cut of the fillet of veal and cut it up into neat pieces, ljlb of yea!, Jib cooked ham sliced thm, and three hard-boiled eggs are the proper proportions. Cut the ham into pieces of suitable size, not too laige, put a layer of veal into the dVh, then some ham, and then some of the hard-boiled eggs shred very thin. Continue "thus until you have filled the dish . then cover and bake. A little mixed daed herbs can be added if liked, and by some thfy are considered an improvement. ROAST GOOSE. Wash out the inside and wipe well , fill the body with a foicemeat of crumba, butter, a teaspoonful of pondered sage, twice as much onion, and a seasormg of pepper and gait. Lay the goose in a dripping pan, and roast, basting often. V> T nen done, transfer to a hot dish. Set a bowl containing the gravy in a pan of watei- to throw up the fatT Remove this as far as you can, pour the gravy into a saucepan, tnicken with browsed flour, add salt and pepper, boil up once, and serve in a gravy boat. Pass apple sauce with the goooe. CARROTS ALA CREME. Trim some carrots in the usual way, boil, and drain. Melt loz of butter in a saiicepan; add a dessertspoonful of flour, pepper, salt, and two or three spoonfuls of cream. Put the cariots in this, simmer gently for a few minutes, and seive FORCEMEAT FOR TURKEYS, HARES, ETC. Two ounces of ham or lean bacon, ilb suet, one teaspoonful of minced parsley, one teaspoonful of minced sw eet herbs, salt, cayenne, and pounded mace to taste, 6oz breadcrumbs, two eggs. Shred the ham or bacon, chop the suet and herbs, taking particular care that all are very finely minced , and blend all thcioughiy together with the bieadcrumbs before wetting. Now beat and strain the eggs, work these up with the other ingredients, and the forcemeat will be ready for use. When it 13 mad« mto balU fry a nice brown in boiling lard, or put them on a tin and bake for half an hour in a moderate oven. SHORTBREAD. Put Jib butter into Jib flour; add Jib ground rice, four tablespoonfuls of sugar, 2oz finely minced citron, and loz sweet almonds, blanched and chopped very fine Whea these ingredients arc thoroughly mixed, work the whole into a smooth paste with, the yolks of two small eggs, roll the pastry out to the thickness of }in, divide it into lour squares, pinch the edges neatly, prick the surface with a fork, sprinkle comfits and sliced citron oa the top, place the squares on a baking sheet that has been dusted with flour , bake in a moderate oven for three-quarters of an hour. TURKEY SOUP. Tuikey bones and scraps, forcemeat, etc. (if any), two quarts of stock (or water), salt, pepper, celery, onions, carrots, 2oz ground rice, anowroot. or macaroni. Take the turkey bones and any trimmings, break them up small, put into saucepan with any dry forcemeat or sauce jou may have. Pour m two quarts stock (or vffctexj, bring gradually to the boil, skim it, adding salt, pepper, celery, onion, and carrot, all to be simmered until the bones are clean. Strain and carefully free the soup from fat, thicken with 2oz ground rice or arrowloot made into paste with some stock (or water), and boil with the soup. Drop in some vegetables or macaroni , boil a few minutes, and seive.