THE HOME OFFICE

Southland Times, Issue 20667, 24 April 1929, Page 13

THE HOME OFFICE

STEAMED QUINCE SPONGE.

1 “L.G., Invercargill, sends this recipe :— e Two tablespoonsful butter or dripping, < 3 tablespoonsful soft sugar, 1 egg, 1 cup e milk, 1 teaspoonful soda, 2 teaspoonsful cream of tartar, 2 tablespoonsful quince jam, few drops essence vanilla, about 9 tea--5 spoonsful flour. Beat butter and sugar s together, break in egg, and beat again; add j soda dissolved in milk, then flour, cream of 4 tartar and essence. Half fill a buttered 1 mould, put jam on top, cover with buttered paper, and steam 2 hours. Turn out, aud serve with a sweet sauce. , CHEESE AND CELERY HORNS, j "Jeanine,” Gore, sends this recipe:— ‘ Four oz. puff pastry, 2 tablespoonsful • whipped cream, 3 tablespoonsful grated ' cheese, 2 tablespoonslql chopped celery, * salt, cayenne. Roll pastry out thinly, cut into strips, and twist round small tin horns, or a quarter way up the ordinary cream t horn tins. Bake in a quick oven about 10 i to 15 minutes. Remove the horns, and let r the pastry get cold. Mix the cream, cheese, i celery, salt and cayenne together. Fill the i cold pastry with this. J QUINCE JAM. ; Sent in by “L.G.,” Invercargill: ’ Rub the quinces clean. Just cover with j water and boil till tender. Take out and remove the cores, put the cores back in the ; water and boil for half-an-hour. Strain and measure. Allow 11b. of sugar to every quart of liquid, and also lib. of sugar to : every lb. of the pulp. Boil all together till of a good colour, MUSHROOM CATSUP. “Alice R.," Gore, sends this recipe:— Wipe mushrooms with a piece of flannel dipped in salt. Place them in layers with i a sprinkling of salt between each layer in i an earthenware dish, and cover with a I damp cloth of several thicknesses. Let I them stand in a warm place for 36 hours; then mash and strain. To each quart of | juice add loz. of pepper-corns, and boil i this for .30 minutes; add loz each of allspice, and whole cloves, loz. ginger root, 1 blade of mace. Simmer for 15 minutes. When cold strain and bottle. TOMATO DUMPLING. Sent in by "Ruth,” Wyndham. Take ont tomato for each dumpling required. For six dumplings there are wanted, in addition to the tomatoes, ioz butter, 4 teaspoon mustard, a pinch of sugar and of thyme, pepper, and salt. I'or the necessary pastry the ingredients are lib flour, 3oz butter or suet, J teaspoon baking powder, pinch of salt, water to mix. Cut off stem ends of tomatoes. Mix the seasoning with the sugar and butter, and put some into each of the six. Sieve the flour, salt, and baking powder into a basin, and rub in the butter, or add the suet finely chopped. Form this into a dough with cold water; roll it out to quarter inch in thickness; cut into 6 pieces, and lay a tomato on each. Damp the edges of the pastry, and then gather then together over the tops of the .tomatoes, which should be well covered. Place in a greased tin, and bake in a moderate oven for half an hour. They mav be served with a brown or tomato sauce,

AN UNUSUAL STEW. “R. 5. Invercargill, sends this recipe:— Cut lib of stewing steak into 1-inch pieces, dip theses in seasoned flour, and fry brown all over in a little dripping. Put the meat into a casserole with 4 minced onions, lib of sliced tomatoes and three chopped carrots. Add 1 pint of water, and simmer gently over low heat for about 2 hours, or until the meat is tender, season and add jib of cooked haricot beans. Reheat and serve in the casserole. MACARONI AND CHEESE CUTLETS. Sent, in by "R. 5. Invercargill:— Drain and chop 2oz. of cooked macaroni. Make a sauce with loz. each of butter and flour and a gill of milk, add the macaroni, 3oz. of grated cheese, the beaten yolk of an egg, and half a teaspoonful of made mustard, pepper’and salt if necessary. Make on to a plate to cool. Shape into cutlets, brush over with beaten egg or milk, until the beat is tender, season and add 41b dip in breadcrumbs and fry in hot fat. Drain well, insert a small piece of uncooked macaroni in the pointed end of each and dish on a d’oyley on a hot dish. Garnish with fried parsley. BAKED MEAT ROLL. Sent in by "Julia” Winton:— Half a pound cooked veal, jib tongue or sausage, Mb of mashed potatoes, about a teaspoonful of grated onion, 1 egg, and 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley. Mince the meat, and tongue finely, and mix with the onion, parsley and beaten egg. Season with salt and pepper, and mix thoroughly. If too dry, add a little gravy. Form into a thick roll, put on a greased tin, sprinkle with bread crumbs, and bake in a moderate over for about three-quarters of an hour. Serve with thick brown gravy. SCALLOPED SALMON. A different and economical method of combining salmon and potatoes. Select six medium sized potatoes, and bake, when cooked, carefully scoop out the centres with a teaspoon, mash and season. Add half a teaspoon of melted butter, one-sixth of a cupful of milk or cream, and beat until fluffy. Fold in 1 cup of salmon, and heap lightly into the shells. Sprinkle with a little paprika, and put into the oven to get brown. Serve hot.—lSditor Home Office.

SPONGE CAKES. To begin with, prepare the sponge tins by greasing and putting a thin layer of white paper on the bottoms. Next measure the flour and add cream of tartar and soda, then beat the eggs and sugar; beat for at least 15 minutes and never use preserved eggs. “I generally beat mine for 20 minutes, and I always use an egg beater, not a whisk or fork, the latter takes longer,” says an expert on cookery. “One must, of course, see that the stove, is properly heated. I prefer it not too hot, and cook my sponges rather slowly. 1 find if they cook in 17 minutes they are finer and more spony than if they only take 10 or 12: they rise hotter, too. This is all about the method.

i "No. 1. —Take 3 eggs, J cup sugar, 1 - cup of plain Hour, a level teaspoonful of i soda and a heaped one of cream of tartar i (i.e., a level spoonful is J a teaspoon I, 1 1 cup boiling milk. Beat the eggs and sugar and add flour and rising; when thoroughly mixed, stir in the boiling milk and put in tins quickly and bake at once; have the milk ready. "No. 2.—Cream Sandwich: Break 2 eggs (large ones) into a cup, fill the cup with cream (don’t use scalded cream), empty into a basin and beat well with } of a cup of sugar; sift in 1 cup of flour with J a teaspoonful of soda and 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar. Use a filling of whipped cream if the cake is to be eaten the same day. This cake will keen moist longer than any other sponge, and it is never a failure. “No. 3. —Sponge Sandwich with Butter. —3 or 4 eggs, J cup sugar, 1 cup of flour, i teaspoonful of soda, 1 of cream of tartar. Beat as for other sponges and mix, then at the last stir in 1 desertspoonful of butter dissolved in one-third of a cup of boiling water. Always use the same cup for all measurements, and fold flour in gently, do not beat it in. Have the butter melted and ready to put in as soon as sponge is mixed.

“No. 4.—Mix lib butter with 1 cup of sugar till creamy, then add 3 eggs, beating in 1 at a time, add 1 large cup of flour, 2 level teaspoons of cream of tartar, and 1 level teaspoon of soda and 6 tablespoons of milk. Pour into sandwich tins and bake 20 minutes in a moderate oven. You could add 1 teaspoonful of cinnamon to 1 half if liked.”