FRUIT PUDDINGS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 September 1939, Page 8

FRUIT PUDDINGS

A GOOD VARIETY. While housewives are waiting for summer. fruits to come back on the market, there is no reason why the family should not enjoy a good variety of fruit puddings. Dried fruits retain the necessary health-giving juices even in the process of evaporation, and after soaking for several hours revert to their full flavour and size, the shrivels disappearing finally in the cooking. Fruit Beignets Take 2oz sultanas, grated nutmeg, or lemon rind, Jib flour, 2 gills water, 2oz castor sugar, 1 egg and 1 extra white, deep fat for frying. Wash, dry, and pick over the sultanas. Put the water and margarine into a saucepan, and when the margarine is melted and the water boiling stir in the flour and keep stirring quickly until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan, then draw aside. Add the grated nutmeg or lemon rind, sugar, and sultanas. Separate the white, beat the yolk and mix in thoroughly. Whisk the egg-whites to a very stiff froth and stir in lightly. Have a deep pan of hot fat ready. When it begins to smoke lightly drop in some of the prepared mixture (a teaspoonful at a time), being careful not to splash the fat. Fry until golden brown, then drain on paper. Dredge with castor sugar and serve at once on a lace paper. Note: When putting the mixture in to fry have two teaspoons, dip each in the hot fat, and use the second spoon to scoop the mixture out of the first. Mixed Fruit Pudding Take 31b flour, 1 teaspoonful bakingpowder, 6oz suet, 3oz sugar', 3oz currants, 3oz sultanas, 3oz raisins, 3oz candied peel, 1 lemon, water to mix. l Mix the baking-powder and flour together. Chop the suet finely and add. Add also the grated lemon-rind, sugar, and prepared fruit. Mix all the dry ingredients together, then add sufficient cold water to make the pudding about the consistency of fruit-cake. Turn into a greased basin, cover securely with a well-greased paper, and steam for about two and a half to three hours. Stuffed Prunes Take 6 large stewed prunes, 1 tablespoonful chutney, 3 .rashers bacon, juice -J lemon, 1 cupful cold potatoes, loz dripping. Remove the stones from the prunes carefully and fill cavities with chutney. Cut off the bacon rind and wrap half a rasher round each prune separately. Stick a skewer right through and place them in a tin or fireproof dish. Squeeze lemon juice over them and bake them for about ten minutes. Heat the dripping, slice and fry the potatoes slowly, stirring well. Serve the potatoes, surrounded with the stuffed prunes. Apricot Cream Whip Take Jib dried apricots, sugar to taste, cream, glace cherries, angelica. Wash apricots in several waters, then soak them overnight in a basin, just covering them with water. Put them to cook in a saucepan with sugar to taste. When sufficiently cooked rub through a wire sieve and leave until cold. The puree, which should be fairly thick, is served in individual glasses, filling each glass three-quar-ter way up. Take some cream and pour it very carefully on top of apricot puree, almost filling the.glass. Place half a glace cherry and a few leaves of angelica on top of each glass. Dried Peaches for Dessert Place Jib fruit in a roomy dish, sprinkle with salt and a teaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda, and cover with boiling water. Soak for one hour only. Pour the water off, cover with cold water, and soak overnight. Remove the skins, which will now readily come off, make a syrup, pour over the fruit when boiling, and serve cold with cream or custard.

Syrup: lib sugar to a pint of water. Boil for ten minutes. The juice of half a lemon added is an improvement. Soaking for a few hours in the syrup improves the fruit.