LADIES' COLUMN.

Waikato Argus, Volume II, Issue 94, 13 February 1897, Page 2 (Supplement)

LADIES' COLUMN.

COOKERY. Thick Gingerbread.—As gingerbread burns very quickly, it is advisable to grease the tin well first, and then line it with one or two layers of buttered paper. The paper should come about two inches higher than the tin. Ingredients : 'lb flour, :Joz. ground ginger, -Sox. carbonate of soila, 2oz. candied peel, Jib. butter or clarified fat, Jib. sugar, Jib. golden syrup, '2 eggs and a Jittlc milk. Preparation : Sift together the flour, ginger and soda, put them into a basin, shred the peel finely and add it to the other ingredients. Put the batter into a saucepan to melt, when melted dissolve in it the sugar and syrup, taking care the mixture does not boil. Beat up the two eggs well, make a hole in the middle of the flour and pour in the sugar, etc. ; when partly mixed and a littFc cool add the beaten eggs and a little milk if necessary. The mixture should just run off the spoon. Mix all well together and put into the prepared tin ; bake in rather*, slow oven till ready. Place on a sieve to cool. Cut up iuto ringers or small square pieces t t 'I" ~ American Fish Sauce.—lngredients : loz. butter, foz. flour, f-pint fish stock, 1 yolk of an egg, juice of half a lemon, a few grains of cayenne, 1 large teaspoonful of red pickled chillies cut in very thin strips, or the same quantity of red and green pickled capsicums. Preparation : Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour stirring well, then the fish stock (made by simmering the bones aad trimmings of the fish in half a pint of milk and thj> same of water for halt an hour). Stir over the fire till it boils and thickens ; now add to it the yolk of the egg and the lemon juice, cayenne and chillies. Make very hot and serve in a hot tureen. t + t Fried Crumbs..—This is an important accompaniment of game. Prepare about £lb. of bread crumbs, melt loz. of butter in the frying pan, when hot shake in the crumbs, turn them geutly till they are a bright golden colour, drain off the butter, spread the crumbs on a piece of kitchen paper before the fire till they are dry and crisp, arrange them in little heaps round the birds. t t t Bigarade Sauce.—For game. Ingredients : The rinds of two oranges, ijoz. butter, -Joz. flour, -}-pint good stock, -ioz. glaze, 1 tablespoonful of red wine or red currant jelly, a pinch of castor sugar, salt and pepper. Preparation : Pare the oranges very thinly and cut the rinds into thin shreds, throw them into boiling water for five minutes, then drain oft the water. Dissolve the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and stir till smooth, fry the flour carefully in the butter till a pale brown, add half a pint of strong stock made from the trimmings of the birds with which the sauce is to be served, stir over the fire till it boils, then add the juice of the two' oranges, the glaze, wine, sugar, salt and pepper, then the shredded rind and allow to boil for two or three minutes ; serve in a hot tureen. This is excellent with wild duck. t t + Ayrshire Short Cake.—lngredients : £lb. flour, Jib. ground rice, 2oz. sugar (finely crushed is best), a pinch of salt, Jib. butter without salt, 1 egg, 1 tablespoonfu! milk, a few thin strips of candid peel. Preparation : Mix together the flour, ground rice, sugar and salt, add the butter, rubbing it in well; beat up the egg, mix the milk with it, add these to the other ingredients ; the paste must be rather soft. Turn it out on to a flonred baking board, roll out half-an-inch thick, cut into fancy shapes, decorate the top with very thin strips of candid peel, place on a greased paper on a baking tin, bake a pale brown in a slow oven. t t + Imitation Goose.—lngredients : 41b loin of pork, 1 dessertspoonful powdered sage. 2 tablespoonfuls breadcrumbs, 2 large onions, pepper and salt. Preparation : Peel and chop the onions finely, put them into boiling water with a very small piece of soda dissolved in it, allow them to stand for a few minutes, drain away the water and wash them in a little fresh water. Bone the pork and spread it flat on the meat board, beat it a little with a wet chopper, mix the breadcrumbs, sage, onions and seasoning together, add a little allspice if liked, spread this forcemeat over the pork, roll up tightly and tie with broad tape, put it in a roasting tin and bake in a good oven two hours. Remove the tape and serve with apple sauce. t t + Apple Sauce.—Pare and core carefully two large apples, put them into a jar, add a very little water and sugar, put the jar into a saucepan with about two inches of water iu it, place the lid on and cook slowly until the apples arc quite a pulp, beat them well and add a little vinegar. A small piece of butter may be added, but is scarcely necessary, as the sauce is used with roast goose and pork. t t . t Hot Pot.—This is a useful dish for children's dinner. Ingredients : lib of neck of mutton, 1 sheep's kidney, 3 onions, 2|lb potatoes, pepper and salt. Preparation : Wash and peel the pota toes, peel and slice the onions thinly, cut the mutton into chops, wash the kidneys, take off the skin and cat them into thin slices. Grease a pie dish, put a layer of chops at the bottom, then a layer of sliced kidney, then one of potatoes and sliced onions, sprinkling a little seasoning between each layer. Repeat the layers until the meat is all used, cut the remaining potatoes in halves, put them on the top with the round side up, fill the pie-dish half full of water. A few oysters may be added if liked. Bake in a moderate oven two hours. Send to table in the same dish. t + Date Pudding. dates, J ,lb breadcrumbs, Jib flour, suet, 2oz moist sugar, | teaspoonful grated nutmeg, 1 teaspoonful baking powder, 1 egg, J pint milk. Preparation : Chop the suet finely, remove the stones from the dates, cut the latter into small pieces, mix all the dry ingredients together, beat up the egg with the milk and add it, mix all thoroughly, pour into a well buttered mould, cover with a piece of buttered paper and steam an hour and a-half. Serve with French sauce. t ' + t French Sauce.—lngredients : 1 tablespoonful of sugar, yolk of two eggs, 1 glass of white wine, if the latter is objected to, use milk instead. Preparation : Beat the iwo yolks well, put them and the sugar and the wine into a small jar, set them in a saucepan of boiling water, stir them constantly one way till thick, it must not boil. t t t Pastry Custard.—lngredients : loz flour, 1 yolk of egg, 2oz butter, loz sugar, lA gills of milk. Preparation: Put all the ingredients in a saucepan, stir the mixture over the fire till it thickens, it must be cooked. Use cold. A tablespoonful of whipped cream added when cold is a great improvement. Fill small fancy shapes of pastry with it, decorate each with a teaspoonful of some bright-coloured jelly in the centre. f t t Liciik Crejie, flour, loz sugar, 1 pint milk. 3 eggs, rind of 1 lemon, and 1 bay leaf. Preparation : Make the flour into a smooth batter with part of the milk, put the remainder of the milk on the fire with the lemon rind and bay leaf, bring it slowly to the boil, then take out the bay leaf and lemon rind, add the sugar and flour- and stir well, boil five minutes, take from the fire, add the yolks of eggs well beaten, return to the fire just to cook the eggs. Have ready iu a glass dish some slices of stale sponge cake, a

few ratafias, spread over a little jam, add a littlo lemon juice and water, or soak the pieces of cake iu this before putting them in the "lass dish, when tho mixture is cold, pour it over the top of the cake, sprinkle a little cinnamon over and serve. This is an excellent cold sweet. t t t Lemon Tea Cakks.—lngredients : fib flour, 3oz butter, 3oz lard, 6oz sugar, the grated rind of 1 lemon, a little of the juice, 1 large teaspoonful baking powder, 2 egg?. Preparation : Rub the butter and lard amongst the flour, add the sugar and mix well, then the grated rind and the raking powder, mix the lemon juice with the eggs well beaten, add to the other ingredients and make a stiff dough. Place on a buttered tin, in small rough heaps, using two forks, bake in a brisk oven twenty minutes.