Domestic

New Zealand Tablet, 17 December 1908, Page 33

Domestic

By MAUREEN

M.TS. — Thanks for appreciative remarks regarding this column. The following recipe for mincemeat is probably the one you reciuire. 1 also give tAvo others which might bo found useful.

Mincemeat,

Chop 21b suet very finely. Stone and chop 2£lb raisins, clean Xilb currants., peel and finely chop 21b apples and Jib lomon peel. Put all these ingredients into a basin, add four cloves, -£oz mace or mixed spice, the rind and juice of three lemons, and l\oz chopped almonds. Mix all well together, pour over quarter of a pint brandy and quarter of a pint port or home-made wine, and tie closely down in jars till required.

For mincemeat, lib of suet chopped fine, 21b apples chopped, lib currants, lib raisins, stoned and chopped, lib sultanas, lib granulated sugar, £lb mixed candied peel, cut small, loz mixed spice, 1 nutmeg grated. Moisten with brandy, well mix, and then put in jam jars and cover until required.

Aii excellent and useful mincemeat can be made by the following recipe, especially in the country, where apx>les are cheap ; hut if they are too expensive half the given quantity can be used and bread crumbs substituted for the other half. Shred half a pound of suet, roll it, a little at a time, on a board with one pound of raw sugar, mix with it one pound and a half of apples, half a pound of raisins, half a pound of currants, two ounces of candied peel, all minced, one tcaspoonful of ground ginger, one of mixed spices, and the peel and juice of a lemon. Take care that the ingredients are w ell mixed together, and if possible let the mincemoat be prepared a few days before it is wanted for use. The crust for the pies can be made as follows: Rub half a pound of lard into one pound of flour, make it into a paste with a gill of cold water. As this is a short crust as little water as possible should be used, and if well worked up the given quantity will be sufficient. Put paste on the board, roll it out to the required thickness, line greased saucers and patty pans with it, put in a liberal allowance of mincemeat, put on a cover, and bake in a slow oven iorly minutes. Rich Plum Cake. Well line a cake tin with buttered naper. Cream together Jib butter and ilb castor sugar. " Well whisk 5 eg^s and add them gradually to the sugar and butter. .Sieve together Jib flour, 1 teaspoonful baking-powder, and I tcaspoonful salt. Add to the butter and eggs. Now stir in ilb sultanas, ilb glace cherries, Jib finely chopped almonds, the grated rind of two lemons, £oz powdered cloves, spice and cinnamon mixed, and either 1 gill of brandy or a gill of milk. Put into the tin. Place the tin on a baking-sheet on a layer of sand, and bake for two and a half hours in a moderate oven. Christmas Pudding. Chop lib suet very finely, mixing with it $lb flour. Make ilb breadcrumbs. Clean lib currants and lib sultanas, stone and chop lib raisins, chop Jib lemon pool, and 3oz sweet almonds and loz bitter." Skin them first! Put all these ingredients into a basin with lib browii sugar, add the grated rind of a lemon, one grated nutmeg, and a pinch of salt, and mix well. Well beat 8 eggs, add to ihem > quarter of a pint milk and quarter of a pint brandy or home-made wine; pour this into the flour, etc, and stir thoroughly. Put into well-greased basins or moulds, tie well-floured cloths "securely over, place in fast boiling water, and boil for not less than eight hours. After they are cold remove the cloths andtio down again with clean ones, and Jiang in a dry place till needed. To Keep Cut Flowers. In keeping cut flowers fresh an important rule is novor cram the vase with blossoms. Many blossoms last a considerable time in water, if only they have a lar^e quantity of water in the vase, and not too many stalks to feed on it. Some people like to arrange flowers in moss, but, though pretty, this is to be avoided, for it soon smells nasty, and absorbs a certain amount of the scent of the flowers.

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