HOME INTERESTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3806, 22 February 1927, Page 66

HOME INTERESTS.

STRAWBERRY JAM. Choose the strawberries during a dry spell. Wipe and husk say seven pounds of the fruit. Put into a jelly pan along with seven pounds of good,, preserving sugar, and stir constantly until the sugar melts. Allow to boil rapidly for twenty minutes. Just before dishing take a teaspoonful of alum, and mix it with a few drops of water. Add this to the jam, boil for a second, then dish in small pots. Strawberry jam is better when dished in small pots. APPLE JAM. Russets make a delightful jam, having a pronounced flavour of their own. Pare, quarter, and cut the apples into little irregular pieces. Weigh the apples, and allow the same weight in crystallised sugar. Put these in layers in a large dish, cover and set aside for a couple of days. Pour off the syrup at the end of this time, and put it into the preserving pan. Bring to the boil, then add the fruit. Boil until the apples become transparent. Pot and coverwhen cold. BLACK CURRANT AND SAGO CREAM. Three-quarters of a pound of black currants, three-quarters of a gill of ounces of sugar, one pint of milk, two tablespoonfuls of sago, one egg, vanilla. Prepare and stew the currants as in previous recipe, using two ounces of the sugar. When cocked, leave until cold. Put the milk into a saucepan to heat. Wash the sago, and-stir into it. Simmer gently until the sago is cooked and the mixture is creamy; it will probably take about twenty minutes, and should be stirred frequently. Add the sugar, and mix together. Draw to the side and cool slightly. Add the egg (beaten),’ and when well mixed in stir over a very low gas for a few minutes to cook it. Do not let it boil, or the egg will curdle. Flavour with vanilla, and leave until cold. Put the stewed fruit into a bowl, st-ir up the sago, and servo-on top of -the fruit. BAKED LIVER. One pound of ox liver, seasoning, flour, four thick rashers of streaky bacon, and water. Hash the liver, put into a pie dish, season it, and well flour. Cut the rind off the rashers, and place the bacon over the liver, then pour in boiling water to reacli about two-thirds up the side of it. Bako steadily in the oven for about an hour. This is excellent served cold for breakfast. SMOKED SALMON. r l his can be made into delicious sandwiches. It is also most appetising if served wth a salad. VEGETABLE FRICASSEE. Two pounds of peas, one pound of new potatoes, .three eggs, and thick brown gravy. Boil the potatoes and peas separately in the usual way, then strain and drain well. Boil the eggs for 15 minutes until hard, remove the shells and add the eggs (whole) to the prepared vegetables. Mix all together with thick brown gravy, add seasoning to taste and serve hot. Note. — When fresh peas are not in season, tinned or bottled ones can be ussd. CAULIFLOWER MAYONNAISE. • One cauliflower, mayonnaise, few prawns or shrimps, one sound lettuce, one or two eggs, one or two tomatoes, few capers, and a few slices of cooked beetroot. Choose a cauliflower with a large firm flower. Remove most of the stump and green leaves, leaving only one layer of leaves round it to keep it together. Wash, and boil in the usual way until tender. Drain it well, and leave until cold. Serve with a border of lettuce leaves and slices of tomato, beetroot, and hard-boiled egg. Coat the cauliflower with mayonnaise and decorate with prawns or shrimps. Add also a few capers. Note. — If the flower is inclined to separate when cooked, affer draining, just squeeze it together lightly in a clean pudding cloth. GOOSEBERRY SURPRISE CUPS. One pound o£ gooseberries, sugar and waf» r . half a pint of custard, one ounce of almonds, half a packet of lemon jelly, half a pint <f hot water. Dissolve the jelly in the hot water. Prepare the gooseberries and stow, adding sugar to taste and just sufficient water to keep them from burning, then rub through a sieve. Make a good thick custard, sweeten and flavour it to taste, and mix with, the gooseberry pulp. Blanch and chon un the almonds and add half of them. Turn into custard cups and, when thoroughly cold, cover with a layer of jelly, pouring it over gently—the latter should be almost beginning to set. When firm, garnish with chopped jelly and the remainder of the almonds. Note.—Jelly can be quite easily chopped on a piece or wet paper. Do not chop it too much, or it will have a cloudy appearance. RED GOOSEBERRY JAM. Wash and pick six pounds of red gooseberries. Wipe and pick two pounds of red currants. Put the fruit in a basin in layers ■with eight pounds of preserving sugar, and allow to remain over-night. Put all into the jelly pan, and boil rapidly for about half an hour. Pot and cover when cold. COCONUT MOULD. One and a-half pints of milk, two ounces of cornflour, three'tablespoonfuls of dessiccated coconut,' sugar to sweeten, vaniMa flavouring, cochineal. Mix the cornflour to a smooth pasts with a small quantity of the. milk. Heat -the remainder and stir on to it.. Return to. ths pan and bring to the boil, keeping it well stirred at the time. Add. sugar to sweeten, and let it boil gently for about six to ten minutes. Stir in ths coconut, and vanilla flavouring to taste. Add a few drops of cochineal, and colour to a -pale pink shade. When evenly coloured pour into a wet mould, and leave until set, then turn out carefully, and sprinkle a little coconut over it.