HOME INTERESTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2818, 18 March 1908, Page 90

HOME INTERESTS.

MILK SOUP. Required: One large- onion, butter, one pint of milk, quarter of a pint of water, one dessertspoonful of cornflour, pepper and salt. Cut the onion into small pieces and fry in enough butter to just keep it from burning. It should be % light brown only; if fried too dark it will spoil the colour of the coup. Drain off the fat and put the onion with the milk and water into a clean saucepan, let boil, add pepper and salt -to taste, stir in the cornflour {which should have been mixed with a little of the cold milk); let simmer gently for half an hour, then strain and serve. It should look just like cream. If you happen to have stock on hand use that in place of the water. NEW POTATOES A LA CREME. Required : One pound of new potatoes, three teaspoonfuls of chopped parsley, four tablespoonfuls of cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg, wash and scrape the potatoes, and lay them in clean, cold water; then put them in enough boiling water to cover them, and add a sprig of fresh mint <and three teaapoonfuls of salt. Boil the potatoes for about 20 minutes, or until they are tender, but not broken ; then remove the mint, and drain off the water. Slice the potatoes thickly, put them in a slightly-greased saucepan with the cream and parsley. Turn all these about gently over a slow fire until very hot. Season the mixture carefully, and serve it in a hot vegetaWe dish. COD PUDDING AND OYSTER SAUCE. I Required: One pound of uncooked cod, 3oz of suet, 3oz of breadcrumbs, two teaspoonfuls of chopped parsley, one t«aapoonfxtl of chopped onion, two teaspoonfuls of salt, quarter of a teaspoonful of pepper, two eggs, half a pint of milk. Remove all skin and j bone from the fish, then pound it well in a mortar or chop it finely. Chop the suet very finely, and mix it with the crumbs. Put these in a basin with the fish, parsley, onion, I salt, and pepper. Beat up the eggs with the milk, then stir then* into the other ingredients. Mix all well together. Thickly butter a pudding basin, put in the mixture, and press it down well. Cover the top with a piece of greased paper, end stcami the pudding for one hour. Turn it on to a hot dish, and pour the oyster sauce over and round it. OYSTER SAUCE. Required: One dozen oysters, loz of butter, Job of flour, half a pint of milk and oyster liquor, half a gill of cream, salt, lemonjuice, cayenne. Put the oysters in their liquor on the fire, bring them almost to boiling point, then strain the liquor into a basin. Beard the oysters <and halve them. Me.t the buttei in a pan, stir the flour in smoothly, then add the liquor and milk ; stir until it boils Next add the cream; lastly, the oysters, with a little salt, lemon-juice, and cayenne. If a cheaper sauce is preferred, omit the cream. GERMAN TOAST. Cut into slices a piece of baker's bre«d, soak them soft in a pint of milk, two eggs, and a little salt. Fry in equal parts of butter and hard till they are a light brown on both sides. ROAST AND STUFFED SHOULDER OF LAMB. Required: A shoulder of lamb, 2oz of good dripping for basting, loz of flour, lob of butter, three-quarters of a pint of stock. For the stuffing: Half a pound of lean veal, Jib of bacon, two teaspoonfuls of chopped paisley, half a teaspoonful of powdered herbs, quarter of a teaspoonful of grated lemonrind, one egg, salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg, two fcableapoonfuls of breadcrumbs. Chop the veal and bam finely, mix all the dry ingredients together, beat up and add the egg and season the mdxiuie with salt, p«p- | per, and a du»t of grated nutmeg. With a very sharp knife remove all the bones from th» shoulder of lamb, flatten the meat out on the table with a. heavy knife, sprinkle it with salt and pepper, then spread the stuffing all over it. Roll it up neatly, tying jt Becurely in shape with string or tape. Melt the dripping in a baking-tin, put in the meat, and bake it in a moderate oven for on© and a-quarter to one and a-half hours, ba«tmg it frequently. Meanwhile, melt the butter in • pan, add the" flour, and fry it a good brown. Add the stock gradually ; this should be made from the bone* cut from the- meat. Stir over the fife until it boils, and eeason it carefully. Put the meat, when cooked, on a tot dish, pour off all fat from the tin, pour in the sauce, and stir it over the fire for a few minutes. Strain a little of thia sauce round the meat, and the sest iat» a hot tureen.

f YELLOW, OR GOLD CAKE. 1 One cupful of 6ugar, half a cupful of butter, yolks of two eggs and one whole egg, one half-oupful of sweet milk, one teaspoonlul of baking-powder, and one oupful - and a-half of flour, flavouring. CUSTAED CARAMEL PUDDING. Required: >Foui ounces of loaf sugar, «. gill of cold water, two eggs and two extra yolks, half a pint of milk, two teaspoonfuls of castor sugar. Put the loaf sugar and water in a saucepan. Boil quickly with the lid off and without stirring it. When it is a pale coffee-colour pour it quiokly round the inside of a plain mould ; it will set almost at once. ' Beat up the eggs, add the milk and | sugar, pour the custard into the tin, cover ! the top with a piece of gTeased paper, and! | steam it very gently until it feels firm. Turn ! it out on to a dish. The sugar will hay« | melted, and will form a sauce round th« pudding. This pudding is delicious hot or cold. BLACKBERRY SYRTJP. This will be found useful in winter to ward off colds, and it is- very soothing for sore throats. Required : Four pounds of fruit, 41b of loaf sugar, half a gill of cold water, brandy. Stalk and look over the fruit. Put it in a large jar with the water and sugar. Put on the lid — if it is not quite tight-fitting, tie a strong piece of brown [ paper over the lid — place the jar in a pan ; of boiling water at the side of the fire or in the oven, and let the contents stew gently for two hours. Next strain off th* juice through a fine sieve, jelly bag, or piece of muslin. Put it into a steel or enamel pan, and boil it gently for about 20 minutes'. Skim it; measure it, and to each pint add half a gill of brandy. When quite cold, bottle it, and cork tightly. PORK PUDDING. Take l&lb of lean pork. Season with a teaspoonful of salt, pepper, chopped onions, sage, and apple. Put into a suet crust with half a pint of water; tie up, and boil for two hours. CHEESE STRAWS. Two cupfuls of grated cheese, one cupful of flour, three tablespoonfuls of melted butter, one quarter of a teaspoonful of salt, and one quarter of a teaspoonful of c&yenn* pepper. Mix together, roll " thin, cut into narrow strips, and bake brown. SCALLOPS. Take Jib of raw beef steak and chop it very finely. Dissolve loz of butter, and fry the steak brown in it, and add a gill of stock, a little minced onion, and seasoning. Simmer all slowly for an hour, and serve with sippets of toast. PARSNIP BALLS. Add to very finely-mashed parsnips two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, one teaspoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful of pepper, two tablespoonfuls of milk. Mix smoothly together, add «. beaten egg. Form into balls, dip in egg and breadcrumbs. Fry in boiling fat. CABINET PUDDING. Grease a basin and line with Soz of raisins, then nearly fill with slices of bread-and-butter. Sprinkle grated lemon-peel over each layer. Add two eggs to one pint of milk sweetened; pour over. Tie in a wellfloured cloth, and boil for an hour and a-half. PRESERVED PEARS. Secure firm, sound, but not over-ripe, fruit for this purpose. Pare, halve, and core them. Weigh. Allow an equal weight of sugar, and 1 boil half of it, together with a quart of j water for each lb, to a thin syrup. When it ' is cold lay the pears in gently, and simmer very slowly until about half cooked. Turn, into a china bowl, cover with a cloth, and leave for 48 hours. Drain the syrup off, measure, replace in the preserving pan, add a tablespoonful of lemon-juice to each pint, | and boil gently for a quarter of an hour, skimming carefully meanwhile. Then lay in the fruit, simmer until tender. Place in wide-necked and very dry jars, cover with syrup, tie down closely, and store in a cool, <3ry cupboard.