Christmas Dinner in the Sun

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 81, Issue 5, 15 November 1950, Page 482

Christmas Dinner in the Sun

PICNIC FARE FOR OUTDOORS OR INDOORS

IF the weather is kind, a Christmas picnic party is a memorable occasion for members of the family of all ages. On the other hand, should a sudden rainy spell start on Christmas Day, plans must be abandoned and the family is faced with what appear to be never-ending piles of sandwiches, small cakes, and other typically picnic fare which never tastes so good when eaten at home. In this article Eva Topping, Rural Sociologist, Department of Agriculture, Auckland, suggests a menu which, though easy to pack and carry, could be served equally well on the dining table if the weather proved unsuitable for an outdoor meal. COMBINING forces with a neighbouring family for a Christmas picnic enables more people to enjoy the fun, and the food preparation can be simplified by dividing the work between the two kitchens. One family might be responsible for the meat course and the other for the sweets, as • making a large amount of one kind of food is much less bother than making smaller quantities of several varieties. Packing Equipment Greaseproof and waxed paper are needed for packing. Waxed paper printed in Christmas designs gives a decorative appearance to the picnic spread if used for lining tins and wrapping damp foodstuffs such as lettuce and tomatoes. Plenty of paper serviettes with an appropriate design are both decorative and useful. Plastic cups and beakers. are almost a necessity, and a pair of salt and pepper shakers should not be overlooked; teaspoons in the same ware are a useful addition to the picnic outfit. Jars in several sizes with screw-on lids and plenty of tins are needed for packing the items for the meal, and, of course, spoons, forks, knives, and plates must be included.

If one basket or case is packed with all the cutlery and crockery needed, the paper napkins, table cloth, and salt and pepper shakers, and the contents are covered with a clean tea towel, everything for “setting the table” will be together and the towel will keep out dust or sand. The tea towel is also sure to be useful for wiping plates or fingers when the meal is being served. Preparing the Meat The meat chosen for a New Zealand Christmas dinner is usually lamb or poultry. Whichever is preferred, it can be cooked on Christmas Eve and put away to cool. The next day poultry can be cut into convenient portions, or the lamb carved, and packed in greaseproof paper in a tin. If poultry is chosen, cold baked sausages and sliced ham are the perfect accompaniments,, and they should -be wrapped separately and packed into the tin. Poultry stuffing should be cut into slices and also wrapped separately, but put into, the tin with the meat to simplify serving. Lamb calls for mint sauce, but as it is difficult to carry, gelatine is added and the liquid poured into a jelly jar to set. Covered with a . circle of waxed paper and the metal lid, the mint sauce becomes easily transportable. Recipes

Recipes are given for making the dishes in the menu for the picnic meal above and in the pictures on this and the following pages; the quantities are sufficient for 9 or 10 servings.

Jellied Christmas Salad Frath eooked ereen 2 dessertspoons of Fresn eooked green & dessertspoon. or peas gelatine i spring onion 3 hard-boiled eFss s pint of liquid Tomatoes * e<3 (water, clear stock, Mint or diluted tomato Sait and pepper Juice) Soak the gelatine in J pint of cold water; heat the t pint of other liquid to boiling point and pour it over the gelatine, stirring until it is dissolved, Stock made from chicken giblets or mutton bones and flavoured with carrot and parsley is a very suitable liquid. Season the jelly with salt and pepper and leave it to cool a little.

Slice the eggs and tomatoes, dip the slices in the cooled jelly, and arrange on the sides and bottom of a them on the sides and bottom of a auart basin or mould which has been quart basm or mould whlch has oeen well rinsed in cold water. Arrange the bottom slices first, then carefully put n a layer of cooked peas and pour in a little jelly very gently, Arrange more slices of egg and tomato on the sides, and fill the mould with alternate layers of peas and sliced tomato. Pour the rest of the jelly in gently so as not to disturb the decorative arrangement of the egg and tomato. Set the salad aside in a cool place until next day.

Leave the salad in the vessel vhen it is taken to the picnic. Cover the top with a circle of waxed paper and a cap of greaseproof paper to keep out dust. The salad may be unmoulded on to a plate just before the meal or served from the basin; if the latter method is favoured, choose ' a glass basin or mould in which to set the salad. Take plenty of ready-prepared lettuce, wrapped in waxed paper, and some sprigs of parsley for garnishing the salad. Mint-sauce Jelly i 1 dessertspoon of 3 tablespoons ot sugar (more if a chopped mint sweet . «auce is ’ i teaspoon of gelatine preferred} Vinegar

Chop enough mint to yield 3 table* spoonfuls. Soak the gelatine in 2 tablespoons of cold water, add 2 tablespoons of boiling water and the sugar, and stir until they are dissolved. Add the mint and sufficient vinegar to make the sauce up to J pint, pour it into a jelly jar which has been rinsed out with cold water, and put it in a cool place overnight to set. Lay a circle of waxed paper on top of the jelly and cover it with the metal lid of the jar before packing it.

New-potato Salad

/ Cook a sufficient quantity of new potatoes in fast-boiling, salted water to which a large sprig of mint has been added. When the potatoes are cold slice or cube them fairly thickly so that they do not break up when carried. Chop a generous amount of parsley and sprinkle it thickly over the cut potatoes. Add salad dressing and, using two forks, move the potato pieces until they are well coated with dressing and parsley. Put the potatoes into preserving jars and screw on the lids before packing for the picnic. Salad Dressing 2 flat tablespoons of 1 flat tablespoon of sugar flour 1 flat teaspoon of J cup of vinegar mustard 2 eggs 1 flat teaspoon of 3 cup of milk salt 1 tablespoon of butter Mix the sugar, mustard, salt, and flour together, thoroughly in a small basin, then add the vinegar gradually to make a smooth paste. Beat the eggs well and add them to the mixture. Add the milk gradually, stirring constantly. Place the basin in a saucepan of hot water to cook the dressing. Add the piece of butter when the mixture begins to heat and stir continually until the dressing is thick and smooth. Cool it and use half for the potato salad; pour the remainder into a glass jar (which has a lid), as it will be needed for serving with the salad shape. This salad dressing may be diluted with a little milk before being used, but it is better stored at full strength. Plum-pudding Shape Though plum pudding is a traditional part of Christmas fare, it is not very suitable for a hot day or for a picnic, but a plum-pudding shape is fruity and makes a delicious alternative. 3 dessertspoons of J teaspoon of vanilla gelatine ' lib. of chopped peel 3 cups of milk i cup of sugar 3 tablespoons of . 2 cups of prepared cocoa fruit (a mixture of Jib. of nuts (walnuts, currants, raisins, cashew nuts, sultanas, figs, and almonds, or a mix- dates) ture of all three) Pinch of salt Mix the cocoa with a little cold milk; bring the rest of the milk to boiling point, add the cocoa mixture, the fruit, sugar, and salt, and boil them for 15 minutes. Soak the gelatine in 2 tablespoons of cold water and add | cup of boiling water less 2 tablespoons; that is, use only | cup of water in all. Add the dissolved gelatine to the fruit mixture and stir thoroughly, Reserve some of the nuts for decoration; chop the remainder, add them, with the vanilla, to the mixture, and stir it again. Rinse a basin or mould with cold water, pour in the mixture, and decorate it with nuts.

on this and opposite pages by Sparrow Industrial Pictures Ltd.

The pudding will carry well in its basin and need not be turned out, so the top can be decorated. However, if it is to be unmoulded, dip the nuts into the gelatine mixture, arrange them on the bottom of the basin, and pour a little liquid pudding round them very carefully so that they are not displaced. Let the small amount of mixture set, then gently pour in the rest of the pudding. Threepenny pieces or silver lucky charms can be stirred into the mixture, making it even more like a real Christmas plum pudding. Cream can be whipped, sweetened, flavoured with rum, vanilla, or almondessence, and served with, the shape. It carries quite well in a preserving jar wrapped in a damp , tea towel to keep the cream fresh and cool. • ■ Strawberry Shortcake Strawberries are usually well in season at Christmas time, so a strawberry shortcake can be a second sweet for the party. . Take the two halves of the shortcake in . a tin, one jar of mashed strawberries, and another of whipped cream. Assembling the sweet just before it is needed is a matter of moments, and it looks better than if it were completed before being packed. 2 cups of flour 4 tablespoons of 3 flat teaspoons of . butter baking powder 1 egg 1 tablespoon of sugar J cup of milk Pinch of salt Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt, rub in the butter, and mix them to a soft dough with the beaten egg and . milk. Turn the dough out on a floured board, divide it into two portions, and pat them into twQ round,

flat cakes. Put the cakes into two Bin. sandwich tins, previously greased and floured, and bake them for 20 minutes in a hot oven (425 degrees). Stand them on a wire tray to cool, covered with a cloth. Crush ripe strawberries, sweeten them to taste, and put the fruit between and on top of the . two layers. Cover the top with sweetened whipped cream and garnish it with whole strawberries. The garnishing can be omitted to simplify the packing of the berries if the sweet is to be served outdoors. Drinks Mince pies, huts, raisins, and fruit are all easy to pack and carry and add the true Christmas touch to a meal. Tea for older members of the party can be either made on the spot or carried in vacuum flasks. Milk in quantity will be needed for the children to drink and for the tea. Fruit-syrup drinks are especially welcome on a hot day and can be taken in concentrated form if fresh water is obtainable at the picnic place. If something different is desired, try this recipe for a mixed fruit drink: — Summer-day Quencher 1 tin of pineapple 2 sprigs of mint juice 1 cup of sugar 1 tin of orange juice 4 bottles of gingel 1 cup of lemon juice ale Rind of 1 lemon Pare the rind of a lemon very thinly, put it in 2 pints of water with the mint and sugar, and boil them for 5 minutes. Cool the liquid, strain it, add the fruit juices, and pour it into a large bottle. Use half fruit juice and half ginger ale in each glass when serving the drink,

Something for afternoon tea before leaving for home will be needed, and all the items for this meal are better packed in one or two separate containers so that they can be kept, in reserve. Something savoury and something sweet will fill the bill, and here are recipes for both kinds of food: Ham-cheese Rolls Cut small strips of cheese and roll a piece of cooked ham round each. Wrap very thin slices of processed cheese round the . ham and place the rolls on a • dish with the cut .ends down; if they are left undisturbed for a while, they will keep their shape. Serve the rolls with water crackers. Sausage rolls and ham patties are appetising. They can be made the previous day and save the time which would be spent making sandwiches before leaving for the outing.

Coffee-chocolate Cake g cup of butter Pinch of salt 11 cups of sugar , 4 flat teaspoons of 2 eggs baking powder About 1 teacup of 1 flat teaspoon of milk- ' grated nutmeg 1 tablespoon of cocoa 1 flat teaspoon of 21 cups of flour x ground cinnamon Cream the butter’ ■ add the sugar gradually, then beat in the eggs. Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, and spices together and add them gradually to the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beating all the time. The mixture should drop easily without being , too moist, so use only sufficient milk to obtain the right consistency. Divide two-thirds of the mixture between two Bin. sandwich tins which have been greased and floured. Mix the cocoa to a smooth paste with 1J tablespoons of cold water and add it to the remaining

third of the cake batter. Bake the

three layers in a moderate oven (375 degrees) for 15 to 20 minutes, cool them, and put them together with coffee - chocolate icing, made as follows: 3 flat tablespoons of . 5 tablespoons of butter strong coffee 3 cups of icing sugar 1 teaspoon of vanilla 5 flat tablespoons of cocoa Cream the butter and add the cocoa and sugar gradually, beating them well until the icing is fluffy. Add the coffee and vanilla a little at a time while continuing to beat. Spread the icing between the layers with a broadbladed knife or spatula, putting the dark layer in the centre. Spread icing over the top and sides of the cake, leaving broad knife marks for a decorative appearance. ( Pack the cake in a round tin. Take a paper doily and use the lid of the tin as a plate when the cake is to be cut.

A Kitchen Mixer which Saves Minutes

A QUICK mixer is a helpful addition to the stock of 'kitchen gadgets. It is useful for mixing thickenings of flour and cornflour with milk, water, or stock. It beats one or two eggs, with little trouble and is much easier to wash up than an egg beater. ' . ■ One type available in New Zealand is shaped like a tumbler and has a series of ridges round it. At the base is a. groove shaped to act as a propeller, and the tightly fitting lid has another groove which, running in the opposite direction to the base groove, acts as a repeller. When the mixer is shaken

these grooves and ridges agitate the liquid and the beating is speedily effected. , The mixer is a favourite with children, for their mothers can make frothy milk shakes with it. The housewife likes- it, as thickenings for sauces, gravies, soups, and custards are mixed to .a smooth consistency quickly and easily. The mixer illustrated has another use—-as a measurer, because it is marked on the outside in small quantities up to 5 pint.

—EVA TOPPING,

Rural Sociologist, .

Department of Agriculture, Auckland.