SWEETS FOR NEW YEAR

New Zealand Listener, Volume 6, Issue 131, 26 December 1941, Page 45

SWEETS FOR NEW YEAR

Cairo Cuties Soften 3 tablespoons of powdered gelatine in % cup of water for ten minutes. Then put it in a saucepan with 3 bare cups of water, and 1 cup of sugar. Bring to the boil and keep simmering for about 25 minutes, stirring all the time. Add the juice and grated rind of one orange and one lemon (average sized), and continue stirring for another minute or so. Then remove from the fire and add half a cup of chopped walnuts, and 42 cup chopped figs, raisins, and dates. Pour into a wetted sandwich tin or mould, or shallow meat tin, and leave to set. Then cut it up into cubes or any fancy shapes, and roll in icing sugar. Marzipan Dainties Although you may not be able to buy ground almonds this year, with which to make your almond paste, or marzipan, there is a very good readymade Almond Paste on the market, sold by grocers in pound packets like butter. If, however, you are able to buy the ground almonds (or even whole almonds and mince them finely yourself), here is the recipe for making the paste. Almond Paste Half a pound of ground hichiccitas 1 Ib. of icing sugar; 1 whole egg and sufficient white of another egg to make a stiff paste. Mix the almonds and sugar well together. Add the beaten egg, and about half the white of the other, and mix over a slow heat until a stiff paste-it must be only warm, however. Dredge a board with icing sugar and roll the paste to the required thickness; then press on to the cake, which has been brushed over with white of egg, to make the paste stick. Mock Almond Paste Here is quite a good Mock Almond Paste. Half a pound of round wine biscuits (leave 2 *out), % Ib. icing sugar; 2 eggs; 2 teaspoons almond essence, Crush the biscuits finely with the rolling pin. Add the icing sugar and beaten eggs, and the almond flavouring, and work all well together. Marzipan Dates : Remove the stones from the dates, and insert ‘a piece of marzipan. These are delicious, Marzipan Mushrooms Roll pieces of marzipan into balls, in the hand, and then press out a hollow with your thumb, thus making into the shape of a small mushroom. Score the underside with a fork lightly, and dust with cocoa mixed with a little icing sugar, or with grated chocolate. Then roll pieces of marzipan into the stalks, and stick them into the mushroom top. The "growing end’ should also be

dipped in chocolate, to represent @ little earth sticking to it. Can be made quite realistic. Carrots, pears, cherries, apples, and any fruits can be made in the same way, by the judicious use and mixture of various food colourings,