Cottage Teas for Seashore and Mountain.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXII, Issue II, 9 January 1904, Page 59

Cottage Teas for Seashore and Mountain.

One does so long to put household cures away when in the country, but it can't be done. The cravings of the inner man must be satisfied, ami the woman who tries to put oil' on her long suffering relatives "any old thing.” because, as she complains, she "just can’t bother about cooking in the summer time,” deserves to be punished by being left entirely alone. It is so easy to devil some seallops ami run them in the oven before tea time, or make a scallop of the cold fish left from dinner, that the slight extra trouble is well repaid by the delight of the tired mountain climbers or the vaebting party that has been sailing the ocean blue all day and is now prosaically and ravenously hungry. Some wav it does make one feel better to hear the pleasure they express in having a "hot dish.” and to be thanked in the various ways that “one's own” indulges in. from "That was a jolly good supper" of pater familias to "You’re, a brick, mummy.” of your t welve-year-old youngster. A shrimp salad is more easily prepared than any other. (let the canned shrimps, chop into small pieces, and set aside. Beat two eggs light, add a teaspoonful mustard ami one of sugar. One tablespoonfid butter, half cup vinegar. Put these together on the stove and stir until it becomes as thick as rich cream. l ake off and let cool, then add a scant teaspoonful of salt and four tablespoonfuls of cream. When cold lav the shrimps in a salad dish and pour sauce over them. Chopped celery or lettuce improves this salad. It is much safer never to cut up lettuce in salad, as the dressing wilts it rapidly. Lay the lettuce leaves on the plate, and put the salad and dressing in the centre. The green leaves and pink shrimp make a dish that pleases the eye and adds to t lie appetite. Devilled Scallops. Take half an onion. chop line, and fry brown in butter, (’hop two dozen scallops fine, and mix with the browned onion, and try for ten minutes. Take from fire and add to it one cup of bread crumbs, a little pepper and salt, a little Worcestershiie sauce, and half a cup of sherry. Mix together thoroughly. then put in greased shells, sprinkle the tops with crumbs and bits of butter, and b l.e un Stewed Mutton Chops with Claret. Trim half a dozen mutton chops and put them in a pot with a thin slice of pork, two tablespoonfuls of butter, two onions chopped line and some chopped ir'islev. Let them cook over a slow I're two hours in a closely covered pot. Then put in half a tumbler of claret, a pinch of red pepper, some salt, and five cloves tied up in a thin piece of muslin stew half an hour longer. Take out the cloves, thicken with a teaspoon fid of dour, and stir well. Lay the chops on slices of buttered toast, and pour the gravy over. It these ale intended for tea remove from the tire at the end of two hours and put aside for the final ImlThour's stewing before tea time. Do not put the claret in until ready to finish the cooking of the chops. Scalloped l-'isli. Mince the cooked fish and mix with bread crumbs, halt as much bread crumbs as tish. Make a sauce of milk: let it come to a boil ami thicken it with n tablespoonfill of dour, a lump of butter the size of an egg. salt and pepper. Stir this into the tish Have it moist, put in a baking dish, spread bits of butter on -.op. and half an hour before tea time put in the oven. Heat through thoroughly and brown. \ Hood l-'i-li Sauce. The yolks ot three eggs, one t abb-spoonful of vme---ar. half a pound of butter, and salt t~o taste. Pu on the lire to thicken. It must only get warm or it will curdle. Boiled Cucumber--. Boiled encumbers are delicious, and are digested easily. Peel some large cucumbers and cut them in four slices lengthwise. 1 ake out the seeds. Boil in salted water for twentv minutes. Put them down in boiling water. Make a rather thin cream saiuct*. using half milk ami half water that the cucumbers were boiled in, thickening with a little flour, rolled

in butter, ami a pinch of salt. Gravy for Steak. -To have enough gravy for a number of persons put a little stock in a frying pan. or some of the gravy from the broiled steak. Roll a tablespoonful of butter in flour. Pour some boiling water into the stock, and when it boils up again add the butter, half a teaspoonful of black pepper, a little salt, a tablespoonful of boiled coffee, a tablespoonful of butter. Boil all together a few moments. Sliced Tomatoes.- Take good ripe tomatoes; pour boiling water on them. Leave in the water a few minutes, then rub the skins oil'. Put on ice to get thoroughly chilled. Just before serving slice the tomatoes, sprinkle powdered sugT over them and pour over all some gi od claret. This is a delightful change fr< ni French or mavonnaise sauce.

Lemon Sherbet. —Mjake one and ahalf gallons of aeid lemonade, using twelve lemons. Grate I he peel of four and add to the lemonade. Let stand 20 minutes. Pour a pint of eold water over a box of gelatine; when soft pour over it a pint of boiling water. Put this in the lemonade. Beat the whites of eight eggs with three pounds powdered sugar until as thick as icing Have lemonade thoroughly chilled in the freezer, add eggs, and. last, a pint of whipped cream. Freeze slowly. White Cake. —Whites of eight eggs, three-quarters of a cup of butter, two cups of sugar, three and a-half cups Hour (sifted five times), half a teaspoonful of bitter almond extract, two teaspoonfuls cream of tartar, one of soda, and one and a-half cups of milk. Cream the butter and sugar thoroughly.

stir in milk and flour alternately, reserving half a cup of milk to dissolve the soda and cream of tartar, which should be whipped until it foams up. Pour it into the mixture, add the flavouring, and, last, the whites of eggs. Bake in a quick oven. Use for a layer cake or as a loaf.