THE SURPRISE PACKET.

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 38, 7 May 1927, Page 7

THE SURPRISE PACKET.

FOUR O’CLOCK TEA. | Apple Cakes.—One pound of flour, six ounces of lard, three ounces moist sugar, two teaspoonfuls baking powder: six large sour apples peeled, cored, ana chcfpped very finely; one beaten egg, and enough milk to make a stiff dough. Rub the lard into the flour and other dry ingredients, then add the apples and the egg and milk. The paste must be very dry, as the apples moisten it in baking. Put the dough into a wellgreased flat tin and bake in a moderate oven. When it is done cut it into a square, split it open, butter, and dust over with caster sugar. Place together again and serve hot. Orange Cakes.—Two tablespoonfuls butter; three cupfuls flour; five tablespoonfuls sugar; two teaspoonfuls of baking powder; two well-beaten eggs; the rind of one orange. Put the orange rind into a pint of cold water, boil till soft, then chop finely. Beat the sugar and butter to a cream. Sift in the flour and baking powder, then add the orange rind and a little of the juice, if too dry. Bake in greased patty tins, half-filled, in a moderate, oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Ginger Cream Snippets.—GingerDread, candied ginger, whipped cream, caster sugar, and vanilla to taste. Make a plain gingerbread, using your favourite recipe, and bake in a shallow buttered pan to the thickness of an indu When firm, cool and then cut into three inch squares. Put two pieces together like a sandwich with a filling of whipped cream sweetened and flavoured w*ifh vanilla to taste, and mixed with minced candied ginger in the proportion of two tablespoonfuls ginger to a cup of whipped cream. Pineapple Scones.—Take one egg, iwo cups flour, two ounces butter, half teacup sugar, half teaspoon baking soda, one teaspoon of cream of tartar, some finely minced pine-apple. Mix together all dry ingredients except pineapple and half the sugar; rub in butter and form into a dough by adding a little milk to the beaten egg. Roll out and divide into two portions. Sprinkle rest of the sugar over the minced pineapple and place between the two layers of dough. Cut as usual and bake in a moderate oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Banana and Date Shortcake.—Take 10 ounces flour, six ounces butter, one teaspoon baking powder, two tablespoons sugar, one egg and a little milk. Sift dry ingredients, rub in the butter and mix with the egg to a stiff paste. Roll out and divide the pastry in half. Line a tin with one half pastry and spread over with filling. Put the other half of pastry over and cook in a moderate oven for half-an-hour. Filling: Wash one cup of dates in boiling water; stone and chop them and mix with three or four sliced bananas and a squeeze of lemon-juice.

A Delicious Orange Bread. —Take cake of yeast (one ounce), quarter cup of tepid water, one cup orange-juice, one grated orange-rind, one grated lemonrind, one teaspoon salt, one tablespoon melted butter, three tablespoons sugar, two egg yolks, four cups flour. Soften the yeast in the water and add to orange-juice with the orange and lemonrinds; then add the salt, melted butter, sugar and egg yolks (well beaten). Stir in the flour gradually in order not to get the dough too stiff. Knead well until the dough is smooth and elastic, then cover and set aside for two hours in a warm place. When light, work once more very lightly and make into two loaves. When double their bulk, bake in a moderate oven for 45 minutes Coco-nut Cheese Cakes.—Peel off the rind from a fresh coco-nut. Grate the nut into a perfectly clean saucepan with the same weight of fine white sugar and the milk of the nut. Allow to simmer until tender. When the mixture is cool add the yolks of two eggs, well beaten. Line some patty pans with a good paste, half fill with the mixture, and bake in a moderate oven for about 20 minutes.

Almond Cake.—Half a pound of but ter, half pound sugar, half pound currants, half pound peel, half pound flour, one nutmeg, a few chopped almonds, the juice and rind of one lemon, and four eggs. Beat the butter and sugar to a cream, add eggs one at a time, and beat all well together. Gradually add the other ingredients, and mix well. Pour into a cake tin lined with greased paper. Sprinkle almonds on the top, and bake in a moderate oven for one hour.

Varnish stains on the hands should be rubbed with a little methylated

spirits and wiped with a. soft rag. Afterwards wash thoroughly with soap and water.