Meringues—And Hens

New Zealand Listener, Volume 6, Issue 146, 10 April 1942, Page 23

Meringues—And Hens

Dear Aunt Daisy, I first of all want to thank you for the enormous amount of assistance I have had from your page in The Listener. I have got from it no end of splendid recipes and useful hints. I want to know now two things, and perhaps some of your readers could help me. First, why is it that only sometimes my meringues or Pavlova cakes are successful? So often, instead of rising and being crisp inside, and out, they don’t rise at all, and the outside even is limp and sticky. I use an electric oven, and put them in at 200° with both elements off, and I never open the oven door until they have been in at least an hour and a half. It is a far cry to my next question (and yet really the two are related, aren’t they?) Although we live in a town, I have made up my mind to have a few hens of our own. Could any of your readers please tell me the proper quantities of foods for six hens? I can get plenty of vague information, but nothing really definite. Also, as the hens will have to be kept in an enclosed run (I mean a wire netting one attached to their house) will they need extra foods? I know lots of Wellington residents do keep a few hens in their very limited ground. So I thought they might be kind enough to give me some

advice,

Timaruvian

I think you should write to the N.Z. Poultry Board about the best way to keep hens in a closed-in space. It is just as well to do things properly when you are starting from the beginning. I once saw an "intensive" poultry-run, in a small and beautifully kept garden, which was very successful. Of course, the fowls need scratching pens for ex-ercise-the grain is scattered among deep straw, and so on, and has to be "worked for.’ Green food, too, must be provided. As to yotr meringues, it does seem strange that the results vary if you are sure that you make them exactly the same way every time. Do you always beat the mixture enough? Meringues need very thorough beating. A Pavlova Cake really needs a little more heat to

start with than the meringues-say 290 for the meringues, with the heat turned off, and leave them in until the oven is cold. A pinch of alum is a trade secret in the making of meringues. try this recipe:-Meringues.-1 cup ordinary sugar; 2 tablespoons boiling water; the white of 1 egg; a pinch of salt; and a pinch of powdered alum. Put all together in a basin. Stand the basin in a meatdish of boiling water, on the gas. Beat very well, while the water boils around the basin. The meringue comes up like’ snow. Put in teaspoon lots on greaseproof paper.