HOME INTERESTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3168, 2 December 1914, Page 67

HOME INTERESTS.

COFFEE' TRIFLE-. Split six sponge-cakes open, spread them with just a little lemon curd, and then join them together again. Place them in a glass dish, and then soak them in strong coffee. Whip half a pint of cream till it is stiff; sweeten it and flavour it with vanilla, and then heap it on cake. Lastly sprinkle over the top with shreds of almonds or pistachio nuts. If preferred, a boiled custard may first be poured over the cakes and then a smaller quantity of cream should be placed on top. GOOSEBERRY CHEESE. This makes a splendid preserve for the children. Top and tail, then wash the gooseberries. and put them into the preserving pan with sufficient water to keep them from burning. Cook slowly until the gooseberries are soft, and then rub through a sieve, using a wooden spoon for the purpose. Measure the pulp, and to each pound of it allow 11b of loaf sugar. After mixing the pulp and sugar together, return to the pan and boil for half an hour, stirring frequently. To test if the cheese will set, pour a little on to a cool plate. Put the mixture into small jars and cover when hot. BICE MUFF IBS. How would you like to make a few rice muffins for your tea table ? This recipe is very easily worked out. You must have ready about two teacupfuls of cold boiled rice, mashed very smooth. Mix with it two breakfastcupfuls of flour, one teaspconlul each of salt and -sugar, one teaspoonful and a-half of baking powder, half a pint of milk, and two well-beaten eggs. Bake in small greased tins for a quarter of an hour. WHEATEN MEAL BISCUITS. Into Jib of wheaten meal crumble finely 2oz of butter (two dessertspoonfuls). When this mixture is thoroughly fine add a pinch of salt, a dessertspoonful of fine sugar, and a small teaspoonful of baking powder. Next thoroughly beat an egg and moisten the dry ingredients with it, forming a very stiff paste —a drop or two of milk may be necessary. Knead the biscuit dough and sprinkle some wheaten meal on the bake-board. Roll out the dough about an eighth of an inch in thickness, and cut into- rounds the size of a teacup. Prick the tops with a fork, place the biscuits on a greased tin, and bake them in -a moderate oven until they are of a pale yellow colour. The biscuits should be allowed to cool on the tin. FRUIT TRIFLE. Required;—Six penny sponge cakes, four bananas, Jib (or more) of raspberries or strawberries, Jib of ratafias, strawberry jam, half a pint of custard, one gill of cream, the whites of two eggs, castor sugar, one lemon, fresh fruit or glace cherries for decoration. Cut the cakes into quarters, and spread each with jam. Peel and quarter the bananas lengthways, and stalk the fresh fruit. Put a layer of cake, banana, ratafia, and strawberries in a large glass dish, grate over a little lemonrind ; continue these layers until cake and fruit are used up; they should be nicely raised in the centre. Pour over some cold, well-flavoured custard, and let all soak for half an hour or longer. Whip the whites of eggs stiffly and the cream lightly, stir them together, and heap them up roughly all over the trifle. Decorate it prettily with the fresh fruit, and, if liked, pieces of banana. This quantity would be sufficient for eight to ten helpings. HARD GREEK PEA SOUP. Soak overnight in cold water, but in separate dishes. Jib of hard green peas and a ham bone. Put the bone and the peas into a soup pot with seven breakfastonpfuls of water, and allow the contents to boil for two hours. When the soup has boiled for this period add two -sliced onions, a grated carrot, and a piece of chopped celery, and, if desired, half a tea-spoonfnl of curry powder. Boil the soup for another hour, and then strain it, rubbing the vegetables through the sieve. Return the soup to the pot, and add pepper and salt if necessary. The amount of salt added will, of course, depend on the saltness of the ham bone. When -the soup again comes to the boil it is ready for use. It should be served with fingers of crisp toast. A GOOD MEAT PUDDING. Required;—For the crust: Threequarters of a pound of flour, soz of suet, one heaped teaepoonful of baking-powder, half a teaspoonful

of salt, water. For the filling; Three-quarters of a pound of beef skirt and kidney mixed, J!b of potatoes, Jib of onions, one level tablespoonful of flour, salt and pepper. Wipe the meat, remove any skin or cores from the kidney, cut the latter and the boef into large .squares, and roll them in the flour. The quickest plan is to shake it with a little i ? a R and pepper over the meat, and then, mix it well in. Next well grease a ptrading-basin and so© that a big saucepan of hot water is coming to the boil on the fire. For the crust, mix tho flour, salt, and baking-powder , skin, finely shred and chop tho ] suet and mix it with the flour. Make a well ;* n the middle of the flour, pour in a little j cold water and mix the flour, etc., to a stiff j paste, adding more water as it becomes neces--1 sary. Cut off a third of the pastry with which to form the lid. Roll the rest out a quarter of an inch thick, and line tho basin smoothly with it. Then put layers of thinly sliced onion .and fairly thick slices of potato, with others of meat, in the basin, until it 1 is quite full, and add enough cold water to about half fill It. Wet the edge of the pastry, roll out the piece for the lid, lay it over th© meat and press together, and trim the edges. Tie a clean pudding-cloth securely over tho top, and boil the pudding steadily for two and a-half hours. Serve it in the basin, . pinning a clean table-napkin round it.