MINDING OUR P’s AND Q's

New Zealand Listener, Volume 2, Issue 44, 26 April 1940, Page 44

MINDING OUR P’s AND Q's

Pears, Passion Fruit, Quinces O many requests are coming in all at once for the methods of using and S preserving these three fruits, that I must make the Recipe Session a kind of mixed salad for the next two or three weeks. First of all, let me give you a queer sounding, but fine tasting, Quince Jam Recipe which was sent me last season, It has an onion in it!

Quince Jam Peel and core quinces. Cover with water, and boil till soft. Pour off and measure the water, and cut up the quinces small. Put the skins and cores, a whole lemon sliced, and a small onion whole with the skin on, on to boil with water to cover. Boil till soft then strain off through the colander. Measure all the liquid. Allow 1 cup of sugar to each cup of juice, and 34lb. of sugar to each pound of pulp.. Put all on to boil and boil till a little jells. Watch carefully that it gets quite thick and jelled, but not gone too far and syrupy. Pot and cover when cold. Quince Jelly This is a nice jelly recipe which was given to me by an Australian housewife -very easy to make, for it does not even need straining, and the quinces themselves are afterwards used as a delicious sweet. You will need 8 large quinces, 6lbs. of sugar, and 6 pints of water. Wash the quinces and leave them quite whole. Do not even cut them in halves. Boil all together for 3 hours. Lift out the quinces carefully and put them aside till next day. Bottle and seal the jelly at once. Next day use the quinces as dessert with cream. One needs to taste them to know how delicious they are with a coat~ ing of the red jelly around them. The jelly is perfectly clear and does not even need straining. This is an old Australian recipe. A saltspoon of cayenne may be added. . Quince and Tomato Jam Peel and core 2lbs. of quinces and put them through the mincer. Pour boiling water over 3lbs. of ripe tomatoes, and remove the skins. Put the tomatoes and quinces in the preserving pan with 5lbs. of sugar.and the juice of 1 lemon. Boil 2%2 to 3 hours. This has a delicious flavour and tastes like rich raspberry jam. Preserving Passion Fruit Passion fruit is so delicious in fruit salad or in cake fillings that it really is important to preserve some while they are plentiful and fairly cheap. Some people do not cook it at all-simply mix together equal quantities of the passion fruit pulp and sugar. Leave in the cupboard till next day, stirring often. See that all the sugar is dissolved, then bottle in not too large bottles. This is said to keep for a year, and being uncooked, the fresh flavour is preserved. Other people prefer to boil it, in the proportion of 34, of a cup of sugar to one cup of pulp. Boil for 20 minutes then bottle and seal carefully.

Passion Fruit Jam This recipe uses skins and all — very thrifty! \ Take any quantity of ripe passion fruit, wash well, cut in halves and scoop out the pulp, then put the skins on to boil in water for about half an hour, or until tender. Next scoop out the soft part, leaving the skins like thin paper, which is no good now and may be thrown away. The once white part comes off like a thick red jelly; add that to the seed pulp. To each cupful of this add threequarters of a cupful of sugar. It may then be added to melon jam, or boiled alone as passion fruit jam for one and a-half hours, or less if it sets. Very nice. Passion Fruit Cheese This really is much nicer than lemon cheese if you like passion fruit at all. about eight or ten passion fruit, one egg,

one cupful of sugar, one tablespoon of butter. Mash the’ pulp of the fruit through a wire strainer. Add. the beaten egg, sugar and butter, and cook until the mixture looks like honey. Do not let it boil. When it is cool put into jars and cover. If you like you may add a little colouring and make it rose-pink, Use it as you would lemon cheese, ~

Pear Marmalade | This was described as very "more-ish" by the lady who sent it to me. Use 4lbs, of nearly ripe pears, 3lbs. of preserving sugar, two lemons, a piece of whole ginger, and one pint of water. Peel, core and cut the pears in pieces. Put them in a stew-pan with the strained juice and grated rind of the lemons, and the water. and simmer until quite soft. Then add the sugar and the ginger (well bruised and tied in a muslin bag). Boil, stirring well, until it is a thick pulp; remove the ginger. Bottle while hot, and seal, Passion Fruit Skin Jam This is very economical, for you can use the skins. To make about a pint of jam allow the skins of 12 passion fruit. Put the skins in an enamel saucepan and cover with cold water. If you have a few grapes, not too ripe, add these. Boil until the inside of the skins is spongy enough to be removed with a spoon. Drain the water carefully from the fruit, add the lining pulp and sugar in equal quantities, and boil rapidly till the jam jells when tested. If no grapes are avail- able lemon juice makes a good flavouring and helps the jam to jell. Passion Fruit Shape | Boil together a pint of milk, 2 dessertspoons of sugar, and when at boiling point add 24% tablespoons of cornflour, previously mixed with a little of the milk. Boil for three minutes, then add the beaten yolk of an egg, and boil for another minute. Fold in the beaten egg white and then the pulp of about four passion fruit, Put to set in individual moulds. Pear Jam Peel and cut 6lbs. of ripe pears into about eight pieces each and cover with one and a-half pounds of sugar. Stand all night. Next day boil until the pears are really soft, add another 144lbs. of sugar and boil until it sets. Pear Ginger with Vinegar Six pounds of pears, 4lbs. of sugar, 2 cups of water, 1 cup of vinegar, and 1lb. of preserved ginger. Boil the sugar, water and vinegar together for twenty minutes then add the pears and ginger, and boil till it jells. Do not boil too hard, as this recipe is better if simmered once you have added the pears and ginger. Pear Sundae With the juice of a tin of pears make up a packet of lemon jelly crystals. You may need a little water to make up the required pint. When it is beginning to "jell" whip it until it is spongy. Put the pears in individual dishes, fill the cavities with jelly, and make them look pretty. Then serve with werres 3 cream or custard.