LADIES’ COLUMN.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 648, 8 July 1921, Page 8

LADIES’ COLUMN.

(By “ Ru-ru”)

“Muriel” wishes to give a small dinner party to her young friends and has asked “Ru-ru” to give the menu of a nice little repast. So she suggests the fdllowing:—

Oyster Soup. Steamed Schnapper, Parsley Sauce Roast Chicken, Bread Sauce.

Stuffed Leg of Lamb, Mint Sauce Vegetables in Season.!

Sweets—Queen Pudding, Devonshire v Cream Charlotte Russe, Fruit Salad. Dessert—Fruits in Season.

Cheese Straws.

Oysters are now in season and are delicious cooked in any way* The following .is a particularly nice recipe for soup:—Dice and cook 1 mediumsized onion in barely sufficient water to cover. Add 3 pints of cold white stock and 3 dozen oysters finely minced. Bring to a boil and simmer slowly for V 2 hour. Strain through sieve and return to fire, add pepper and salt to taste and thicken slightly with coYnflour, remove from fire and stir into it 2 tablespoonfuls of cream. (DO not re-boil after adding cream.) Serve with few whole oysters in which have been previously cooked in a little- oif the stock.

Steamed Schnapper,

After fish has been prepared in the usual way, allow sufficient hot water to cover, add salt and 1 tablespoonful of vinegar to each quart of water. Place a clean piece of thin cloth under the fish and let the ends come just beyond the saucepan lid, in order to lift it without breaking. Average time to cook, 6 minutes to every .pound and 6 minutes over, unless a very thick fish and then a little longer.

Best Method of Making Parsley Sauce This is the French way, and after making it by this recipe cooks would use no other. Mix a heaped tablespoonful butter, ditto flour, until smooth, add gradually 1 pint of cold milk, bring to boil, stirring all the time, add pinch salt. When simmered 5 minutes add finely chopped parsley and serve. ; ■-

Roast Chicken.

Singe, draw arid truss and stuff with following seasoning: 3 teacupfuls grated breadcrumbs, very small onion very finely chopped, tablespoonful chopped parsley, egg-spoon-x'ul chopped thyme, 2 tablespoonfuls finely chopped suet, piece of butter size of egg, and- salt .(no moisture is required)! Press this well together and stuff. The chief rifle is to baste well to keep from getting dry. To good sized chicken give an hour’s cooking.

Bread Sauce.

One small onion, l%oz bread crumbs, 34 pint milk, 6 peppercorns, salt and butter to taste j few cloves, a small piece of butter, Simmer all gently for % hour, Take out the onion and add butter just beforeserving.

Stuffed Leg of Lamb.

; 'Remove the bone with very sharp butcher’s knife and fill the cavity with seasoning (same as given for

chicken). Sew it up and roast in the usual way basting well. Cook about three hours. It ought to be cooked

rather slowly

Mint Sauce.

Make in usual way, and if tc- ne served with hot joint, is much nicer heated. Queen Pudding. Four eggs, 3a pint bread .crumbs, 1 pint boiling milk, -4oz butter, grated rind of lemon sugar to taste, apricot or strawberry jam'. Sweeten, mdk and pour it boiling on the bread crumbs, adci lemon * rind and butter. Let it cool, then add beaten yolks of the eggs. ' Butter pie dish and put in mixture. Bake in siow* oven till set. but not brown # Then spread over it a layer of jam. Beat eggs to firm froth, mix 1 teaspoonful sugar and few drops of essence of lemon with them. Pile on to pudding, sift over a little sugar and put in a'very moderate oven till set or slightly coloured. Serve either hot or cold. I sometimes put a thin layer, oi jam at the bottom of dish as well as on top. in which case the pie dish must be set in a dish of hot water to cook or otherwise the jam will burn.

Fruit Salad

Most people make a mistake in putting. too many fruits in fruit salad. The following is a very nice salad:— 3 oranges, 1 small tin of pineapple shredded, 34 doz, bananas,, few slices of yerv ripe near. 134 doz. passion fruit: A very nice addition to this is ,'lnz quite ripe tree tomatoes, r»eeand cut into small pieces. Oh aglet re R'sisse- (Excellent). Required: Clear wipe jelly. Savoy biscuits. 34 pint of cream, r 4 oz of leaf gelatine, 1 tablespoonful castor surer, T oz >' about) oi glace 1 nIK water, essence vanilla. Method:

Pour into it enough wine jelly to cover the bottom, about one-eighth

of an inch thick. Let this set, next round the ed'ge of the tin on the jelly pace a ring of glace jellies. Pour in enough jelly to just cover them and let it set. Split the biscuits through and cut them to the right height to fit the tin. Line it carefully with them, trimming the edges 'so as to make them fit in. (Place the darker side against the tin. Next whip the cream lightly and flavour with vanilla. Heat the water in a pan. put in gelatine and sugar and stir until dissolved. Let them cool slightly, then strain into the cream, and whip altogether. When this mixture is just beginning to set, pour it carefully into the middle of the biscuits" and leave until firm and cold. Dip top of mould into warm water and turn out on to a pretty dish. Garnish with chopped wine jelly.

Cheese Straws.

2 oz butter, 4 oz flour, 3 oz grated cheese, pinch of salt, dash of cayenne pepper.'’ Mix into stiff paste with 1 egg. Roll out thinly and cut into fingers* Bake and arrange in‘ sheaves for table.

“Muriel” wants to know what she can do to entertain her guests for the evening, as she has no piano and no dancing room. “Ru-ru” would suggest competition games, giving a first prize ior the one who guesses most questions in a given time and a “booby” prize for the lowest on the list. gives an example of one in this issue. Another will be given in next issue as space is limited; *

Transpositons.

The answer to the first is given as example —Lemon-Melon. 1. A sour fruit which changes to a one?

2. A canonised being which changes to a texture?

3 A Christmas song which changes to a reef?

4. A famous highwayman which changes to a vegetable?

5. Where butter and cheese are made which changes -to ty book| 6. The way of a stream which changes to its origin? 7. An animal \yhich changes to health? .

8. The 60th part, of an hour 'which changes to a dance?

• 9. Part of the arm which changes to underneath? 10. A carriage road which changes tS cne who goes under the sea? 11. A fruit which changes to the opposite of expensive? 12. Flowing water which changes to a pedagogue? 13 An agricultural labourer who does not change for the better? 14. Brilliance, .which changes to a low' continuous sound?

vis. (She reverse ■of tender which changes to a duty? 16. Respiration which changes to one who goes into the sea? - 17. A piece of cotton which changes to want?

. 18, A heavenly spirit which changes* to fishing? . „ 19. The terrestrial globe which changes to the seat of emotion?, 20. A receptacle which changes 'to a compensation? 21. A clergyman y.vhiqh changes to a Sine-? 23. A supernatural visitor which changes to esteem? Anyone wishing to have the answers to, these questions can do so by sending an 'addressed and stamped envelope to ‘Ru-ru,” care Times, SriE LIKED THE STOVE. ' i r A gentleman engaged a servant fresh from .the country who was a splendid servant but didn’t know anything about a gas v stove. So he went to the kitchen to explain about -.the range. ‘As so that he could see bow it -was operated he ’lit each of the- many burners. While still explaining. a message called him from the kitchen and he left her, saying: ‘T think you will find that it will work alright now. Martha.” He ..didn’t see the cook again for four ‘or five days, then upon entering the kitchen,

he said. “Well, Martha, how’s the stove doing.” To his utter consternation she replied: “ ’Deed, sir, that’s the best stove I ever did see. That f.re you' kindled for me four days ago is still a Murnin’ and it ain’t even lowered once.”

A teacher was giving a spelling lesson to a class of small girls and asked them to spell “that,” and then said “ and what is left when you take the ‘T’ away?” Little girl (eagerly holding up her hand): “Please,, miss, the dirty cups and

saucers.”