Housekeeper.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 368, 28 May 1903, Page 2

Housekeeper.

PLUMS. are not considered as wholeaMr some as the earlier summer fruits, JBJa? but if care is taken to use only - wel\ ripened fruit, they may be eaten safely in the nursery. , When served raw for children plums should be peeled. The skin of this fruit is often thick and tough and difficult to digest, but without. its skin a ripe plum, eaten with bread-and-batter, is a wholesome accompaniment to breakfast or tea, and is sure to be popular. | Over-ripe, fruit must; of course, be avoided. - V:; ; When plums are cooked the skins" should be left on, as they, add to the flavour of pie, stew, or jam, and improve the colour. Plums do not require a large quantity of sugar in cooking—threequarters of a pound to every pound of fruit is an ample allowance for jam. Plum jam, as a rule, keeps very well, as it always setß .firmly if promperly cooked ' Plums are very nice served in this way, sponge cake 'being Substituted for the 'bread if a specially good pudding is required. .., . Rinse a clean basin with cold water, line it with slices of bread cut from a tin loaf. Trim off crusts. Da not leave any gap. Fill up with any kind of stewed fruit, cover the top with bread. Then place a plate that will fit inside, put weights or flat-irons in the plate to press it. Let it stand all night. Turn out next day and serve with cream. It should turn out whole with plenty of juice.

PIEPLANT CUSTARD PIE. Out the pieplant in thin slices, scatter soda over it in the proportion of a teaspoonful to a quart of the" cut pieplant, then-cover with boiling -water and let stand ten minutes, tben drain well. Then cook till perfectly done, using very little water. To two cupslof the cooked pieplant (after it is cold) allow twelve heaped tablespoonfuls of sugar, and three level (ablespoonfnls of flour or cornstarch. Stir the flour and sugar togetfcer and heat thern into the . pieplant. Add three beaten e(7gs and half a cup of new milk, fjake without an upper crust. This quantity should make three pies. SOUR CREAM SPICE CAKE. :•...■ , One half cup each of sugar and molasses; three-fourths cup aour cream, one teaspoonful of soda, half teaspoonful of salt, two cups flour and mixed spices to suit taßte. Bake in a shallow, pan. , , . ITEMS. A seasonable and appetising sandwich is made this way: -Chop English walnuts flue and mix with cream cheese and a little chopped celery or watercress, finishing with a little mayonnaise. Spread on thin slices of not very fresh bread and 6erve for tea. , One cup each of sugar and some cream, one egg, half teaspoonful salt, and an equal quantity of soda dissolved in hot water, with flour enough to make a soda dough, gives a particularly excellent recipe for crullers.