Home Office.

Southland Times, Issue 21717, 1 June 1932, Page 3

Home Office.

For Afternoon Tea

“Entertaining is all very well—but —,” most hostesses and would-be hostesses have been guilty of this or a very similar remark at some time or qther. Yet preparations need not prove such a bugbear. Once the date is arranged, the day before, or if necessary, only the morning or part of it, should stiffice. Some provisions, biscuits, patty cases or savory cases can quite easily be made a day or so before actually required. The same thing applies to cakes, but store them until needed, in an airtight tin. Here are some suggestions:— Nutties. Ingredients: Two cups cornflakes, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon melted butter, 2 tablespoons coconut, 2 tablespoons walnuts (choppod), pinch salt, 1 white of egg. Method: Beat white and sugar. Mix dry ingredients and pour the melted butter over then; then mix all together. Drop in spoonfuls on buttered tin and cook in a moderately hot oven about 20 minutes. * * * » Devilled Caviare Savoury. Ingredients: Croutes of fried bread, caviare, Joz butter, J lemon. Method: Cut the croutes of bread with a round cutter, making them Jinch thick and about 1| inches in diameter. Scoon out a little of the centre and fry them a golden brown. Mix the caviare (it’s been procurable, in jars, here for some time now) with a squeeze of lemon-juice, fill the hollow in the croutes with caviare, put a tiny dot of butter in each, sprinkle with cayenne. Place on a baking dish and put in the oven for five minutes. Serve hot, garnished with parsley and lemon. , » » Anchovy Toast Ingredients: Fingers of toast, butter, 2 tablespoons cream, 2 yolks of eggs, 1 teaspoon grated cheese, salt and cayenne, anchovy paste. Method: Make the toast, butter, spread with anchovy paste, and keep hot. Beat the yolks of eggs, add the cream, cayenne, and cheese. Stir over a low gas till it thickens. Do not allow it to boil. Pour over the toast, cut into fingers, and serve hot. * * * » Gem Scones. Ingredients: Two small cups selfraising flour, i teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 egg, J cup milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter. Method: Sift flour and salt, add sugar. Beat the egg and add with the milk, then the melted butter. Put about one dessertspoonful of the mixture into very hot, well-greased gem irons and bake about eight to ten minutes in a fairly hot oven. Cherry Cakes. Ingredients: Three ounces butter, 3oz sugar, 6oz flour, 1 rounded teaspoon baking powder, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons milk, any flavouring essence, 2 or 3 crystallized cherries. Method: Cream the butter, add the sugar, and beat well. Next the wellbeaten eggs gradually and the milk, also a few drops of essence. Have flour and baking powder sifted together and stir in lightly. Put a spoonful of the mixture into greased patty tins or patty cases, cut cherries into rings, place a few rings on each, and bake in a moderate oven 12 to 15 minutes. Orange Cake. Ingredients: Three and a-half ounces butter, 1 cup sugar, 2 cups flour, 1J teaspoons baking powder, 3 eggs, scant i cup milk, rind of orange.

Method: Cream butter and sugar together till white, add beaten eggs and milk. Lightly grate the orange-rind. Sift flour and baking powder and add to the mixture, also the grated rind. Cook in a moderate oven about threequarters to one hour. When cold, ice with orange icing made with icing sugar and the juice of the orange. For Various Occasions. From “Gretta” (Invercargill): Baked Apple Custard. A nice change from the apple pie. Peel and core apples. Place in a piedish. Pour over two tablespoons of melted butter and sugar mixed. Make a batter, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon flour, IJ cups milk, pour over the apples and bake slowly 1 hour. Also from “Gretta”: Breakfast Rolls. J cup sugar, IJ cups flour, 3 teasnoons baking powder, J teaspoon salt, 3 tablespoons of dripping or butter, IJ cups of milk. Rub the dripping into flour, and mix all with milk and drop in tablespoonfuls on a hot oven tray (greased).

From “Prue” (Thombury): Egg and Ham Tartlets. This dish is a welcome change, and any number of tartlets can be made according to the size of the family. Chop four ounces of cooked ham very finely and mix with two ounces of white breadcrumbs. Add salt and pepper and moisten with half a gill of milk, until a smooth stiff paste is obtained. Butter well four small patty tins or odd saucers, and coat with a few white breadcrumbs. Then add to each some of the prepared ham. Break an egg carefully on to each tin or saucer, sprinkle with further breadcrumbs, add tiny bits of butter on the top. Cook in a moderate oven until the eggs are set. Serve very hot. From “L” (Edendale): Beetroot Toast. If you are tired of beetroot in the ordinary way, try beetroot toast. It makes an appetising repast for tea. Cut up a cooked beetroot in fairly thin slices and fry in hot dripping until well heated through. After removal from pan, drain the slices for a second, then season with pepper and salt to taste, add a little grated lemon rind to a teaspoonful f vinegar, and pour over. Arrange the slices of beetroot over rounds of hot buttered toast, and serve immediately. If vinegar is disliked, add lemon juice instead. If pepper is disliked, use a trace of nutmeg instead. Almonds and vanilla flavouring—the merest trace, of course —also give quite a distinctive touch to beetroot toast. • • • • Also from “L”: Bacon Savoury. Place four or five rashers of bacon in a baking tin. Cover with sliced tomatoes, sprinkle with grated cheese, pepper and salt. Bake in a hot oven 15 to 20 minutes.