HOME INTERESTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3105, 17 September 1913, Page 75

HOME INTERESTS.

PLAIN MADEIRA CAKE. Ingredients; Half a pound of flour, half a pound of castor sugar, a quarter of a pound of butter, two eggs, one teaspoonful of baking powder, and a littlo candied peel. Beat the butter and sugar to a cream, separate the whites and the yolks of the eggs, and whisk them. Add the beaten yolks of the eggs and the sifted flour alternately. Stir in lightly the baking powder, and the whites of eggs. Pour the mixture into a well-greased cake-tin; place a piece of candied peel on the top. and bake the cake in a moderate oven for one hour and a-quarter. BANANA CUSTARD PIE. Beat well together three "eggs with half a cupful of castor sugar. Add two teacupfuls of milk, the grated rind of one lemon, and the mashed pu'.p of six bananas. Stir well,

*ik: pour the mixture into patty-tins lined with puff pa-atry; sprinkle sugar and a little fmtruog over, and bak© till firm in a inoderate oven. CHICKEN AND EGG CUTLETS.' Ingredients: Two hard-toiled eggs, two tablespoon tula of minced chicken, two tablespoonfuls of thick white sauce, and one tea-spoonful of chopped parsley.. Chop the eg' and chicken, add it to the sauce, and allow the mixture to cool. Shape it into cutlets, dip them in flour and in beaten egg and breadcrumbs, and fry them in boiling fat until brown. CELERY TOAST. This is a suitable dish for tea. Clean one moderate-sized head of celery, using all the stalks, and such leaves as are blanched and tender. Cut in small pieces, put over tae flre and boil until tender, taking care to have too much water, so that it maj boil down and retain all the substance. Add a pint of milk, keep over the fire until boiled, then thicken very slightly with cornflour, lastly adding a piece of butter about the size of a walnut. Have ready .several slices of toast which should be brown and crisp Butter these and lay in a deep dish. Turn the celery, gravy it, and serve i mediately. Do not dip the toast m the milk. This is a delicious dish and one which convalescents usually enjoy.

RHUBARB CHEESECAKES. Stew a bunch of rhubarb till it is soft, beat it well with a fork, and then drain all the liquor away. Add the juice and the grated rind of two lemons. Sweeten ticmixture to suit taste, and put m a little nutmeg and three well-beaten eggs. Pour all into a dish lined with pastry, and bake the cheesecake for three-quarters of an hour in a moderate oven. Turn it out, and se when it is cold. SCOTCH PANCAKES. Required; Eight tablcspoonfuls of flour, ejoht tablespoonfuls of sugar, one teaspoonfui of carbonate of soda, qne teaspocnuil of cream of tartar, one egg, a little milk, and \ piece of lard the size of an,egg. Mix the bad in the flour; then add the other ingredients, and make «t into a stiff batter with the milk and eggs. These pancakes are delicious, and they can be eaten either hot or cold. SYRUP CAK2.The above is made by a different method from that adopted in the making of most cakes. It should be specially noted that good, steady beating is required. Put a piece of butter the size of an egg into a basin and add to it a pinch of salt, a teaspoonful of cinnamon, and a teaspoonful of ground ginger, Pour over these ingredients half a teacupful of boiling water, and then add a teacupful of eyrup and an egg well-beaten. To this mixture gradually add small quantities of flour — not more than a dessertspoonful at a timeadding flour in this manner and beating vigorously until a stiff batter is obtained. With the last dessertspoonful of flour mix in a teaspoonful of baking soda with the lumps pressed out. The quantity of flour is not given for this particular recipe. It is enough to say that a quantity should be odded sufficient to obtain a stiff cake mixture. Bake the cake in a greased and floured cake-tin for an hour and a-quarte.r, ♦ho oven being/kept at a moderate heat. If well made the cake should rise very high and bo light and spongy. It should be cut in thin slices and spread with butter. OATMEAL BISCUITS Required: Eight ounces of flour, four ounces ol oatmeal, four ounces of butter, three ounces of castor sugar, one egg, half a tcaspoonful of salt, and sufficient hot water to make a stiff dough. Mix together the flour, meal, suit, and sugar, and after melting the butter pour over the drv ingredients. Add the egg, welj-beateu, and the water, until a stiff dough is formed. Work well, roll out very thin, and cut into any shape desired Bake in a very slow oven until a light brown. FRENCH SOUP. Take one sheep's head, one tnblcspoonful of pearl barley, six onions, three turnips, one carrot, herbs, parsley, and salt and pepper. Have the head split in two. take out the brains, and wash the head well; put it into a deep pan with three quarts of water, the o-.ions, turnips, carrot, a bunch o? herbs, and the pearl barley, and simmer gently for five hours at the least.' Then remove the head, strain the soup, and rub the vegetables through a sieve. Let the soup stand till cold, remove all the fat, add the vegetables and some of the moat cut from the head in small, pieces; lot it boil up. season well, add a little finely-chopped parsley, boil for a few minutes,' then serve with sippets of toast. BARLEY SUGAR.

One pound of loaf sugar, half a pint of water, lemon juioe, a pinch of cream of tartar. Put the water, sugar, and cream of tartar into a pan, let the sugar dissolve gently, then let tho mixture boil quickly, removing any scum that rPcs. but do not stir it. Every now and then brush round the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in warm water; this is to prevent the sugar from settling in grains on the side of the par.. Boil it until some of it forms a little ball when rolled between your finger and thumb, but keep trying it frequently, 'or it may gel burnt. When done, add the lemon juice, and pour the mixture into a tin that hoc been brushed over with salad oil As soon at it begins to set, cut it into strips as thick as your little finger. When it is cool enough to handle, take each stick and 'ovist i( into the orthodox shape of barley sugar. It should be kept in very tiylitty oove.ed ibis.