Preparations for Christmas

Ladies' Mirror, Volume 5, Issue 5, 1 November 1926, Page 58

Preparations for Christmas

A Ithough it is two months yet d~\ until Christmas, it is not too early to consider the preparation of cakes, puddings, and mincemeat. Those who are looking forward to icing and decorating cakes for their own family, or for seasonable gifts, should not delay with the preparation and baking, for the final work cannot be hurried if hopes are entertained of good results. Most of us have family “receipts” for Christmas fare which have been used successfully by two or three generations, but those who' do not own such time-honoured recipes, or who are anxious to try new ones, may find the following tested recipes useful. A thorough blending and mixing of ingredients is essential, and it is for this reason that the housewife asks each member of the family to stir the pudding “for luck,” as it is a heavy task for one to perform.

When money and charms are added, these should he sterilised by boiling. and only silver or gold used. Special attention must be paid to the greasing of the basin. Lard or oil is excellent for this purpose, but on no account should margarine or salt butter be used, as they are apt to make the pudding stick when it is turned out. The basin must be filled, a piece of greased paper screwed over the top, and a pudding-cloth tied firmly on. The method of tying on a cloth with string and knotting it on top is not altogether desirable, as the knot becomes sodden with water and, consequently, docs not improve the pudding. Christmas puddings may be either boiled or steamed. A large pudding will require from B—lo8 —10 hours’ boiling; for steaming, an additional two hours should be allowed. When several puddings are to be cooked, it is a good plan to utilise the copper. The water must be kept boiling the whole time, and more boiling water added when necessary. When cooked, re-cover the pudding with fresh paper dipped in spirit; tie on a fresh clean cloth and store in a cool place.

Q hristmas ‘Pudding

T ngredients : 41b. flour; 21b. bread- * crumbs; lib. suet; lib. sugar; 41b. currants; 41b. sultanas; lib. raisins (seeded); 6oz. candied peel; 1 teacupful marmalade; 2 large apples ;

1 lemon; 1 teaspoonful salt; 1 dessertspoonful mixed spices; 6 eggs; 1 or 2 glasses rum; milk. Prepare the fruit. Chop the suet, raisins, peel, and apples. Grate the lemon-rind and make the breadcrumbs by passing through the mincer or rubbing through a coarse wire sieve (rather stale bread is best for this purpose). Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large basin or crock. Beat the eggs and mix them with the marmalade, lemonjuice, and rum. Add to the dry ingredients, stirring well, and, if more moisture is necessary, add a little milk. Leave the ingredients to blend for 24 hours, then mix thoroughly again before putting into the greased basins. his mixture is sufficient to make two good-sized puddings. /- |T'he following is another recipe A _ for a rich Christmas pudding which has been in use in one family

for over thirty years. The pudding k prepared in the same way as above, but .the following quantities arc required: 2ilb. raisins; 1 lib. sultanas; 1 ilb. currants; 311). peel; 2oz. sweet almonds; 2oz. bitter almonds; lib. dark brown sugar; rib. breadcrumbs; 11b. flour; lib. suet: 6 eggs; rind and juice of 2 lemons ; 4 teaspoonful grated nutmeg; 4 teaspoonful ground cinnamon. The following is a plainer pudding, which many mothers may consider more suitable for young children: Boz. flour; 8 oz. breadcrumbs; 16oz. suet; Boz. currants; Boz. raisins; 2oz. almonds ; 4oz. lemon peel; Boz. brown sugar; 2oz. cherries ; 2 lemons (rind and juice) ; 4 teaspoonful grated nutmeg; 4 teaspoonful ground cinnamon; 4 eggs; brandy or milk to mix. Again the method of preparation is the same. A/Taking mincemeat is a tedious task, especially picking stalks from currants and sultanas, and removing pips from raisins. The quickest method of removing the stalks from fruit is to rub them (after they have been washed and dried) on a coarse wire sieve with a little flour. The stalks then quickly separate and fall through with the flour on to the paper below. To save time when stoning raisins, it is a good plan to dip the thumb and forefinger into flour or

to smear them with a little butter ; the pips may then be removed quickly and cleanly. A large pointed cooks’ knife is excellent for chopping the ingredients, but a much quicker method is to pass everything through a mincing machine. Some mincers, however, pulp and crush the ingredients instead of cutting them into definite pieces and care is therefore necessary when buying these machines. Mincemeat improves in flavour with keeping, and for this reason it is advisable to choose the best quality fruit and beef suet. The recipes given below offer a choice to the cook. A delicious mincemeat is made with the following : 4oz. suet ; 4oz. apples (peeled and cored) ; Boz. sugar ; 4oz. currants ; 4oz. raisins ; 4oz. sultanas ; 2oz. peel; 2oz. cherries (if liked); 2oz. walnuts; brandy, rum, or raisin wine to mix. A slight variation can be obtained by using; 3Tb. beef suet (chopped fine) ; 2Tb. raisins; lib. currants; 11b. apples; 2oz. mixed powdered spice (mace and cinnamon) ; 12oz. castor sugar; 4oz. mixed peel; 2 lemons (rind and juice) ; 1 gill brandy; 1 gill port. A third recipe for mincemeat: Boz. suet; 11b. apples; lib. currants ; lib. peel; lib. sultanas; lib. raisins; 11b. dark brown sugar; 4oz. sweet almonds; 2oz. bitter almonds ; i teaspoonful powdered cinnamon; i teaspoonful grated nutmeg; grated rind and juice of 2 lemons.

oz. flour; Boz. fresh butter; Boz. castor sugar; 4oz. peel; one lemon ; alb. sultanas; 5 eggs; 1 teaspoonful baking powder. Beat the butter and sugar to a cream; add the eggs, one at a time, beating each one in thoroughly with your hand, then stir in lightly the sifted,flour. Now add the sultanas, the candied peel chopped up, and the grated rind of the lemon ; mix all well together with a spoon. Line a cake-tin with buttered paper, putting two rounds of buttered paper at the bottom of the tin ; pour in the cake, and bake for two hours in a moderate oven (340 deg. F.). When baked, turn it out on to a sieve to cool. A T'he lining of the tin is not diffi- ■*- cult if the directions given below are followed. First grease the tin. Then cut a strip of paper 4in. wider than the height of the tin and lin. longer than the circumference. Fold over and crease 2in. along the bottom and snip slanting cuts 2in. apart along the entire length of the fold. Grease and fit this into the tin; the slanting cuts enable the paper to fit neatly. Stand the tin on a double piece of paper and mark the exact size of the bottom with a pencil or the pointed end of a pair of scissors. Cut this out, grease and lay into the tin over the 2in. folded piece. This will prevent the cake sticking or burning, and it can easily be removed. It is also a wise precaution to tie a piece of brown paper round the outside of cake tins containing rich mixtures requiring many hours' cooking. Also, if the bottom heat of the oven is very great, it is advisable to stand the tin in a bed of silver sand.