HOME COOKERY

Waipa Post, Volume 49, Issue 3555, 8 December 1934, Page 3

HOME COOKERY

j£g CHRISTMAS DISHES. comes but - once a year, V'-And when it does, it brings good %%■ ; ..cheer,," ];*X ".'. ', j. Though-penned- so long ago, the sentiment expressed in. these words still holds'good to-day, in spite of the prevailing fashion of dieting, slimming and smaller, meals. Since Christmas , comes in ,our hottest season, summer, Our appetites are not so keen as they are in winter. Nevertheless, without the traditional puddings, cakes, mince pies, etc., which, help to make it the Chief festival,of the yean Christmas would losemuch of its interest for us. ..Here are two particularly good and economical- Christmas recipes from this month's Australian Journal: •&, < . • , CHRISTMAS PUDDING. I lb beef suet, i lb sultanas, \ lb currants, i lb breadcrumbs", i lb flour, J lb mixed peel, 6 lb brown sugar, grated rind 1 gill rum .or brandy, 6 eggs, I grated nutmeg, 1 grated carrot, 1 teaspoon' baking powder, 1 teaspoon mixed spice, i teaspoon salt. Clean and-prepare all the fruit.. Shred the Wet finely, break the eggs, sift the flodriSaiti baking powder and spices. Rub the suet into the flour, and add the breadcrumbs. Mix in the fruit and carrot., Add the beaten eggs and stir uprightly 'arid quickly with a wooden spoon. Add the rum or brandy. Pour 'quickly into a greased mould or basin and tie in a .floured cloth over the top. Boil for 6 hours. If preferred, this mixture may be cooked in a pudding cloth, but make sure that the water into which the pudding is plunged is hoiling, and keep it boiling briskly alt the' time. CHRISTMAS CAKE. 1J lbs flour, 1 heaped teaspoon baking powder, i teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon mixed spice, i J^casjjp^^nutmeg,.^lb : castor sugar, 10 eggsT lib butter, i lb currants, 1 lb lb •raisins, i lb dates, J lb 'figs, i lb crystallised cherries, ] lb Jordan almonds, f gill brandy. Clean the Shell ' and blanch the almonds. Stone dates. Cut up dates, figs, almonds, raisins and cherries. To expedite the work on the day on "which• I £he "cake is to be baked, this preparation of fruit should be 4c<he' : th'e "day before.' Break the eggs into a jug. Cream the butter and sugar.- Sift the floUr, baking powder and spices.. Add the eggs one at a

time and mix in thoroughly. Add the fruit, and flour alternately, a tablespoonful at a time. Lastly add the brandy and beat well \o ensure the ingredients being thoroughly combined. Should a dark cake be desired, dissolve I teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda in 1 tablespoon of boiling water and add to the mixture. The addition of 1 tablespoon of caramel to this recipe also darkens the cake considerably. Put into a tin lined with greased paper. Bake in a moderate oven for 4i to 5 hours —lowering the temperature* once the cake has set. MULBERRY OR LOGANBERRY JAM. Take 6 lbs, of mulberries or loganberries, and 5 lbs sugar and one small teaspoon of citric acid. Boil the fruit without the sugar for 15 minutes. While vit-is boiling heat the sugar, then add to the jam so that it will not go off the boil, cook quickly for about three-quarters of an hour, adding the acid a few minutes before taking off the lire. EGG JELLY. Dissolve I oz of gelatine in quarter pint of cold water. Then add 1 lb of lump sugar and melt gently. Beat the yolks of two eggs well, add the strained juice and the grated rind of half a lemon and half a pint of sherry. Beat well, then add the gelatine, stirring all the time. Lightly mix in the beaten whites and beat the whole till it begins to set. Two tablespoonfuls of brandy may be added if allowed. Pour into a wei mould till firm. FRUIT ROCK. Cream together I lb butter and 1 cup brown sugar, beat in 1 egg, then sift in 2 cups flour, l teaspoon cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Add -1-eup chopped dates, i cup crushed Avalnuts and i cup raisins, mix, then add 1 tablespoon boiling water in which I teaspoon bicarb, soda "has been dissolved. Blend thoroughly, then drop dessertspoonfuls of the mixture on to the oven slide or a tin and cook in a moderate oven. Do not grease the slide or tin.