THE FESTIVE BOARD

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 101, 15 December 1939, Page 7 (Supplement)

THE FESTIVE BOARD

CHRISTMAS FARE o SEASONAL DISHES FOR THE OCCASION The woman who is determined to forget no details in her family's ceie bration of Christmas will regard such time honoured delicacies as spiced prunes and mince tarts as essential to the menu as the great plum pudding. Ways of making these, and other seasonal dishes, are described here. Mincemeat I. Take lib raisons (stoned and chopped small), lib currants (washed and dried), sultanas, 21b sweet apples, l%lb moist sugar, lib beef suet (finely chopped), juice of one lemon, grated rind of half, loz mixed spice, 1 of brandy, loz citron, 2oz canilied peel (finely shredded). Mix all very thoroughly togethel and tie down closely in jars, and ke6p lit a cool dry place. When wanted for use a little more brandy or sherry or sugar can be added if necessary.

Mincemeat 11. Take lib tart apples, %lb citron peel, Vilb almonds, rind and juice 4 lemons, 21b brown sugar, %oz ground ginger, lib shredded suet, cur-» rants, %oz salt, 1 nutmeg, grated, lib muscatel raisins, lb orange peel, y 2 teaspoonful ground mace, % pint cooking sherry. Prepare the fruit. Peel and core apples, stone and chop raisins and apples. Mince peel, and mix with the currants. Stir shredded suet into the mixture, then add the minced blanch ed almonds and all the other ingredients. Stir well. Store in iai-s, pressing the mincemeat well down, then covering with jam covers. When required to make into pies, stir mixture well, and add two oithree tablespoonfuls of brandy oi sherry to what is required for filling the pies. * « « * Mince Pies. Take 1 cupful flour, one-third cupful butter, pinch salt, 2%tablespoonfuls of cold waterj mincemeat. Sift the flour and salt together and rub in butter. Add water to make a mealv-looking dough. Turn on to a lightly-floured board, roll out thinly, and cut into rounds. Line buttered pastry tins with rounds, fill up with mincemeat, and w r et the edges slightly with water. Cover with another round of pastry, make a cut in the centre of each, and bake in a quick oven for about 20 minutes. If wanted glazed, brush pies with beaten egg or water, and dredge with castor sugar when halt cooked. Another method is to cover the mincemeat with tiny strips of pastry and bake in the usual w T ay. » * * * To Vary Mince Pies. Make either a large pie or individual ones, using flaky pastry or short crust, as preferred. Cover them before baking with a criss-cross of marzipan paste instead of a pastry cover. Another way is to cut out rounds to cover pies, already halfprepnred in tartlet tins—pastry lined and filled. Take a smaller cutter and mark, but do not cut through the pastry rounds, leaving an edge about one-eighth of an inch wide. Cover, and finish off pics as usual. Bake, and when ready to serve gently remove the marked-off centres of pastry covers, put two heaped teaspoonfuls whipped cream, sweetened ami flavoured with vanilla, in centre of each. Serve at once. v v «s a; Christmas Cake. Take lib flour, lb butter, 6 eggs, *4 teaspoonful vanilla essence, 3oz mixed peel, lib currants, 2 teaspoons treacle, pinch salt, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoonfuls rose-wat-er, pinch salt, %\h brown sugar, % gill made coffee, lib raisins, 1 level teaspoonful mixed spice, tea spoonful ground mace.

Sift flour, salt, baking powder, mace, and spice into a basin, soften butter and sugar in a basin, not melting butter too much. Beat to a cream, add well-beaten eggs and flour, mixture alternately to butter and sngar till eggs are used up and flour nearly so. Add remainder of flour, coffee and treacle alternately till all are mixed in. Beat well after each addition. Lastly stir in* prepared fruit, finely-minced peel, rose water, and vanilla. Place in a greased tin lined with two folds of buttered paper. Make a slight hollow in the centre with the back of a wooden spoon. Bake in a moderate oven for about two and a half hours. Test with a skewer to ,see if cake is ready. * s « * To Ice Christmas Cake. ■ • jf Almond Paste.—Take %lb ground ajmonds, iglb castor sugar, y 2 \h sifted icing Sugar, 3 drops almond essence, 'Vi teaspoonful vanilla essence 3 tea Spoonfuls strained lemon juice, 4 egg yolks, melted jelly to, brush cake. Mix all ingredients together till smooth. Turn on to a pastry board dredged with castor sugar. Cut off one-third and flatten it into a round to fit the top of the cake,, and make the larger portion into a strip long enough to go round the sides of the cake. Brush the sides and top of the cake with melted jelly (or apricot jam), and place round on top and strip round the I sides moulding the edges together. Leave to harden before putting on sugar icing. • * « * Icing for Cake. Take 1341b icing sugar, 3 or 4 egg-' whites, ly 2 teaspoonfuls strained lemon juice. Sift icing sugar with whisked eggwhites (not frothed), add lemon juice, and beat till smooth. Coat the cake, leave to set, then give a second coat, smoothing with a palette knife dipped in boiling water. Leave to harden, then decorate to taste, using any colouring to contrast. * * m m Yule Coupe. Take 1 tin pineapple, 1 cupful chopped pecan nuts, V 2 lb marshmallows, y 2 teaspoonful vanilla essence, 1 cupful whipped cream, pinch salt, crystallised apricots. Cut the pineapple into dice, quarter, and add marshmallows. Stir In mits, using walnuts if not able lo procure pecans. Add vanila and salt. Mix lightly. Chill. Serve in sundae glasses. Top with cream. Garnish each glass with chopped crystallised apricots. « * * * Nut Cream. Take 1 packet vanilla jelly crystals, 2oz blanched almonds, 12 glace cherries, small tin unsweetened condensed milk, 2oz dessicated coconut. Dissolve the jelly crystals, making up to only three-quarters of a pint, and allow to cool. Chop the almonds and cherries finely. Whip jelly until stiff, then add condensed milk gradually, followed by chopped almonds, cherries and coconut. Set in a mould rinsed out with cold water. When ready, turn out and decorate to taste Spiced Prunes. Take lib large prunes, 1 cupful castor sugar, ~/ 2 teaspoonful all-spice, berries, % cupful vinegar, 3 inches cinnamon stick, 1 quart water, % tea spoonful whole cloves, 1 saltspoonful salt. Wash prunes. Place in a basin, add water. Soak for 12 hours. Drain ofT water. Place in a saucepan. Add sugar. When dissolved, bring to the boil. Add spices tied in a muslin bag, salt, and prunes. Simmer for twenty minutes. Add vinegar. Simmer till syrup is fairly thick. Remove bag, put in jars. Serve with cold roast :luck, goose, mutton or pork.