LAST-MINUTE CHRISTMAS HINTS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 14, Issue 339, 21 December 1945, Page 22

LAST-MINUTE CHRISTMAS HINTS

ERE are useful recipes for the housewife’s busy holiday time:Wee Wyn’s Christmas Pudding One and a-half pounds of flour, 1 cup breadcrumbs, 60z. each of raisins and currants, 80z. sugar, Yalb. butter (or other good shortening), %2 teaspoon spice, 1 tablespoon golden syrup, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 2 eggs, a little lemon peel, milk to mix. A little brandy is optional. Rub the butter into the flour, then add fruit, spice, etc. Lastly, add beaten eggs with golden syrup. Add milk as required. Boil 4 to 5 hours. Chef's Christmas Pudding Boil 2 tablespoons dripping in a teacup of milk. Use a large saucepan. While boiling add .1 teaspoon "baking soda (which will cause the mixture to "fluff up.") Havé ready mixed in a bowl 1 cup flour, 2 or 3 cups mixed fruit, 1 cup breadcrumbs, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon spice, and a pinch of salt. Stir the frothing mixture into this, and mix well. Steam or bvil in a basin for 3 to 4 hours. The mixture is a thin one. Mince Pies The pastry may be either flakey or short. This BISCUIT PASTRY is excellent. Soften together lb. of good shortening and a good tablespoon of sugar, creaming well, and adding one or- two teaspoons of: lemon juice. Add the yolk of one egg beaten with a tablespoon of water. Then mix in gradually Yalb. flour (or enough to make pastry of nice consistency) sifted with a good pinch of salt and 4% teaspoon baking powder. Roll out, line generous-sized patty tins, and fill with this MINCEMEAT which should have been made beforehand and tied down in small jars; it keeps fairly well for a few weeks if jars are not opened. To assure longer keeping, add 2 tablespoons brandy:Half pound each of raisins, currants, sultanas, brown sugar and peeled apples; Valb, shredded suet, 20z. mixed peel, 1 teaspoon mixed spice, 4 teaspoon salt, juice of an orange or lemon or both, and the grated rind. Put all the fruit, including apples, through the mincer; also the suet} if not bought already shredded. Mix very thoroughly in a bowl and seal down in jars. If using brandy, add it last. Baked Ham Baked ham has’ an excellent flavour. Make a paste of flour and water, roll out %-inch thick and wrap ham in it. Close edges carefully so that no juices can escape. Save out a little paste to patch with if the steam forces holes through. Easier and more up-to-date method is to wrap the ham in 2 thicknesses of greaséproof paper instead of paste. Put the wrapped ham in baking dish, and add a little boiling water to prevent burning. Bake in steady oven, allowing about half an hour to the pound, Then break off the dough, or remove the paper, skin it, and stick all

over with cloves. Pour over a thick syrup of spiced vinegar and brown sugar (boiled together) and put back in oven for half an hour or so to brown. Then remove the cloves and sprinkle thoroughly with crisp baked breadcrumbs. Some people omit the spicy second baking, and just sprinkle with browned breadcrumbs after skinning; but the other way adds flavour and piquancy. Swiss Jelly (no cooking) This is a nourishing sweet, and delicious, and is most useful because it needs no cooking and sets quickly. Dissolve 2 dessertspoons gelatine in %4 cup boiling water and let it get nearly cold. In a bowl beat 2 egg yolks with

a bare % cup sugar. To the eggs add 1 breakfast cup milk, the gelatine mixture, juice of 1 lemon and finely grated rind if very nice. Add the stiffly beaten egg whites, and fold them in. Put to set.in a wetted mould. This makes a large sweet. Easy Loaf of Bread ‘no kneading) This is our celebrated wholemeal loaf which can be mixed up in 10 minutes and is so useful when extra bread is needed during holiday times. If no compressed yeast is available, use the Dried Yeast, a jar of which most people have in the house, Mix a good tablespoonful with warm water to equal one ounce. A little more or less makes no difference, except that the loaf may rise a little faster or slower, according to the age of the yeast, which is generally marked on the jar. Use more yeast if it is not so fresh. Eight breakfast cups wholemeal, 1 cake compressed yeast, 154 pints medium hot water (or less), 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon raw sugar, 1 small _ tablespoon malt (if liked). Mix flour and salt; dissolve yeast in warm water with sugar, and malt if using. Pour the liquid into the flour; stir and knead for 5 minutes, If not the right consistency, add flour or water accordingly. Mould to loaves, put in greased tins, and put in a warm place (oven, slightly heated) till double the size-about 142 hours. Keep covered while rising. Then bake about % hour (continued on next page)