HOME INTERESTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3278, 10 January 1917, Page 52

HOME INTERESTS.

SALMON KEDGEEEE AND SALAD. Cold fish Will never go begging if served as follows: Eoquired: Cold salmon, cucumber, cress, chopped pars'cy, chopped capers, mashed potatoes, salt and pepper. Flake the salmon with a fork until it is well broken up. Mix with it a few chopped capers, salt and pepper, and chopped parsley, and pile it in the centre of a round dish. Mash up some cold potato with salt, pepper, and a small piece of butter, and form a birder with this round the base of the salmon. Immediately above it arrange a row of very thin overlapping slices of cucumber. Garnish the salmon with a small sprig of parsley. and put tufts of fine cress _at cither end of the dish Readers can imagine how tempting and charming is this dish. It can be completed in a few minutes, and will be found a general favourite. The whole should be sprinkled lightly with vinegar just before sending to table. TO BOTTLE WITHOUT SUGAR..

Gather the fruit when it is quite dry, as it is then in the best condition for preserving; then bottle and fill up with cold water. If you use the metal-topped bottles and rubber rings, make sure that they are sound, as this will make all the difference. If you are not using these, bottles, mutton suet and bladder must be used. Have rcacly a pan of cold wafer, stand the bottles in this, and bring slowly to boiling point, and Ihen take off to cool. A clean fish-kettle will hold a good many bottles, and answers excellently lor this process. PRESERVING WITH SUGAR. To every pound of fruit allow ljlb of sugar and one gill of water. Choose ripe, firm fruit, and remove the stalks, sorting out any with blemishes. Boil the sugar and _ water together for five minutes, then put in tho fruit and boil for 10 minutes, removing the scum as it rises. Turn the fruit, etc., into a pan, and leave until the next day. Then boil for 10 minutes, and skim well. Turn the fruit into small pots, pour the syrup over, and when co'd cover with oiled paper; cover the tops with tissae paper brushed on both sides with white of egg. Store in a cool, dry place. For small stone fruits, such as cherries, this method is very good. BANANA TRIFLE. Required: Six bananas, one orange, half a lemon, jam (strawberry or gooseberry for choice), four penny sponge cakes (six if you like a rather substantial triflel. half a pint of custard, a quarter of a pint of cream, Pistachio nuts (if you like). Peel the bananas, .and cut them into quarters lengthways. Cut the cukes into slices, and spread e;ich with jam. Grate the rind of tin* lemon. Peel the orange, cut it into small dico, take off all pith, and take out all the pips. Put a layer of the cakes in a glass dish, then a lit lie custard: next a layer of banana and a little lemond-rind and orange dice; next more cake, and so on, piling it up nicely. Pour over tho rest of the custard. Whip the cream stiffly, flavour it with sugar and vanilla, and heap it over the top. Decorate with pistachio nuts thinlv sliced (if you arc using them), and, if you like, use two or three preserved cherries as well. The green and white of the nuts and tho red cherries on the cream make a delightful contrast. COLD WHITE FISH MIXTURE^ Required: Flaked white fish, fine cress, hard-boiled eggs, cold mashed potato, Cucumber. Flake up the cold fish and remove every bone. Add to it a (spoonful of cold' potato, mashed, with a little butter, pepper and 6alt. Spread ibis on thin slices of brown bread. Add a layer -of finely-cut cucumber and chopped hard-boiled egi?. Sprinkle a little fine, cross over all, and press on the top a slice of bread-and-butter. Cress and cucumber can be left out if preferred. VEGETABLE TOAD-IN-THE-HOLE, Six tomatoes, two tnblcspoonfuls of breadcrumbs, one tablespoonful of chopped parsley, three eggs, one pint of milk, a tnblcspoouful of oiled butter, half a tea-spoonful each of thyme, nutmeg, maoo, and grated lemon peel, salt, pepper, and Jib of flour. Make a. batter of the milk, flour, and two eges, with salt to taste. Remove the skin from the tomatoes, and make a hole in the middle of each. "}.]>: [he breadcrumbs, parsley, tlivmo, butter, s-iVp and s asonina in a bowl. Moisten

with beaten egg. Stuff the tomatoes with this, and place on a well-greased tin. Pour batter over, and bake in a moderate oven for one hour. When done, cut in neat squares, and serve very hot. A little, grated cheese may bo sprinkled over the batter before serving, if liked.