TEMPTING DISHES FOR HOT DAYS

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19268, 3 January 1931, Page 14

TEMPTING DISHES FOR HOT DAYS

NEW RECIPES FOR SOUFFLES AND JELLIES. The lot of the cook is a hard one in the summer time. She must spend a good deal of her time in the hottest quarter of the house, and she must be most alert mentally, when other people are most jaded, because the appetites of over-hot and over-tired people need to be tempted, and the food prepared for them must be less stimulating than at other times. It is easier to cook for people on a high diet than for those who are on a low diet. And most diets should be low in the very hot weather. ) It is advisable, therefore, for every cook to make a collection of recipes for dishes which can be prepared overnight or in the early morning, so that she can serve appetising cold dishes when it seems desirable* and at the same time save herself as much work as possible in the. hotter part of the day. The following recipes for cold sweets will probably be welcomed:— Lemon Souffle. This is the most familiar of the cold souffles. It is always appetising in the summer, especially if it can be kept on ice untir it is served. And the same recipe may be used with other fruit flavourings. Variations. Either raspberries or loganberries, which are in season at present, make a delicious souffle. Apricots also give a delightful flavour, and black currants may be used by those who like their flavour. For the mixture allow one good dessertspoonful of powdered gelatine to one cupful of sweetened fruit juice and the white of one egg. This quantity would serve for two or three people. Put the fruit into a saucepan with enough water to keep it from burning—half a cupful is usually enough for a pound of raspberries or loganberries. Black currants will require a little more. Let the fruit heat slowly until the juice can be readily pressed out, but do not let it boil. Then rub through a sieve. Return to the saucepan, sweeten to taste, heat nearly to boiling point, add the gelatine, and stir until it is dissolved. Then pour the fruit juice into a shallow dish, and leave it until it is beginning to set. Whip the white of egg stiff, and gradually beat in the fruit juice, beating steadily. Continue beating until the mixture is very light and spongy, then pour into a wet mould and leave until set. If cream is available the souffle may be served with whipped cream, or a little whipped cream may be added to the sponge while beating it, but in very hot weather this sweet is better without cream. If the flavouring is to be lemon or orange enough hot water may be added to the juice to make up the required quantity, and orange juice requires the addition of a little lemon juice to bring out the flavour. Apricots should be stewed with water and sugar in the usual way, and then be rubbed through a sieve. Return the puree to the saucepan, reheat, add the gelatine, and dissolve it, and pour out the puree to cool. Proceed then as with the fruit juice. ' Attractive Jellies. A very attractive way of serving jellies, creams, or sponges is to prepare a case of biscuits or sponge cake, and to use that instead of a mould. Crisp wafer biscuits, sponge fingers, or any other thin, crisp, straight-sided biscuit may be used. Arrange the biscuits upright round the sides of a cake tin, touching each other. Then pour the fruit sponge mixture in, and arrange biscuits to cover the top completely, so that when the sponge is turned out for serving the biscuits will have formed a case to hold it. Fruit Sponge. Another way of using the biscuits is to make a square case by joining them with royal icing, and letting it set, before pouring in the fruit sponge. For the sponge cake case make a round sponge cake, and leave it for a couple of days. Then carefully remove the inside, leaving the wall and bottom thin, but firm enough not to break. Pour the fruit sponge in, and leave it to set. When the sponge cake is used it may be decorated with whipped cream, because otherwise the sweet will be a little dry. The sponge cake which has been removed from the case may be used for a trifle. For a special occasion macaroon biscuits may be used to form a case, joining them together with a little icing. To make the icing for this purpose reserve a very little of the white of egg used in the fruit mixture and mix it with icing sugar and a few drops of lemon juice. Rice with Gelatine. Rice and tapioca may both be used to make delicious cold puddings. For the rice sweet allow a level tablespoonful of rice to a breakfast cupful of milk, a level dessertspoonful of gelatine, a tablespoonful of sugar, and the white of an egg. Cook the rice with the milk and sugar until it is soft and creamy. If the cooking can be done in a double saucepan so much the better. If not, cook it slowly in the oven, but stir it very often, and do not let it brown. When it is cooked shake the gelatine into it, and stir until dissolved. Whip the white of egg stiff, and add it, mixing it well in. Flavour with rose water or vanilla. Pour into a mould and leave until set. Serve with a thin custard made with the egg yolk, or with stewed fruit, or with some chopped preserved ginger and a little of its syrup. Tapioca Cream. For the tapioca cream allow a tablespoonful of tapioca to half a pint of milk, two eggs, two or three tablespoonfuls of cream, and a tablespoonful of castor sugar. Soak the tapioca in the milk all night. Add the sugar, and cook gently until creamy, adding a little more milk if necessary. Beat up the white of one egg and the yolks of two, and add them. Cook for a minute or two, flavour the mixture with a little vanilla, if liked, cook it a little, and turn it into a glass dish. When it is quite cold, whip the second white of egg very stiff; whip the cream also, and mix them lightly, adding a little castor sugar. Heap this mixture roughly on the tapioca cream. Ratafia biscuits, crushed to fine crumbs, may be dusted over either the rice or tapioca puddings, and will improve the flavour. Finely chopped almonds or walnuts, crushed caramel, crystallised cherries, and shredded angelica can be used as garnishings on any of these cold sweets when they are served on special occasions.