CAPE GOOSEBERRIES

New Zealand Listener, Volume 14, Issue 357, 26 April 1946, Page 26

CAPE GOOSEBERRIES

tive-flavoured fruit, delightful to blend with less assertive fruits, such as pie-melon and apple, which are cheaper to buy, and so make the cape gooseberries go further. I've never heard of anybody liking to eat cape gooseberries raw. In Pies Cape gooseberries make delightful pies. Shell them and cook them in a very little water, with sugar to taste, and the juice of a lemon. This may be done in a saucepan, or in. a covered dish in the oven, which is even better. When nearly cooked, add about half as much sliced apple, and cook a little longer. Cool before covering with good pastry -puff or short-bake a nice brown and serve hot or cold. During the present "non-cream period" these pies are not quite so luscious, although quite a good cream is made thus:Mock Cream: To two heaped tablespoons of dry-milk powder add two teaspoons of sugar and stir in a half cup of fresh milk (or more if the "cream" is required thinner) and then a few drops of flavouring and beat with the eggbeater for a minute or two. This can be used as a trifle-topping, or, made thinner, as a good pudding sauce. In any case, you can always use a thin custard. Cape Gooseberry Conserves No. 1: Cut up 4lb. of cooking apples, skins and cores included, cover with water, and boil to a pulp, as for jelly. Strain through jelly-bag all night. Next day, cook 2lb. of shelled cape gooseberries in that juice until very soft, but not mushy; then add cup for cup of sugar (warmed), stir till dissolved, then boil fast till it will set when tested. No. 2 (with Tomatoes) This one is a kind of fruit-salad conserve, and quite good: 3lb. shelled cape gooseberries, 1441b. sliced apples, 142Ib. sliced skinned tomatoes, 6 large bananas sliced, juice of 6 lemons, 6b. sugar. Put gooseberries, apples and tomatoes in pan with sugar. Leave to stand an hour. Add lemon juice and boil hard 15 minutes. Add bananas, boil 5 minutes longer. Remove from fire, stir well for 5 minutes, Bottle and seal while hot. Cape Gooseberry Jam Any quantity of shelled berries; an equal weight of sugar; sufficient lemon juice to cover the bottom of the pan nicely. Cook the berries in the juice, stirring and crushing till pulpy and soft -no water. Then add the warmed sugar and boil until it will set when tested. It will be a pale amber colour, and quite delicious. Cape Gooseberry Marmalade Cut up finely 2 good-sized lemons, as for any marmalade; cover with 4 large cups of cold water and leave for 24 hours, or even just overnight. Next day PUNGENT and very distinc:

boil up until the skins are tender, then add 3lb. of shelled berries, and 5lb. of warmed sugar. Cook slowly at first, stirring until the sugar is thogpughly dissolved and the berries soft; then a rolling boil until it will set when testedapproximately an hour. Cape Gooseberry Chutney Take 2%lb. of berries and prick with a fork; 60z. seedless raisins; 341b. onions, I level teaspoon ground ginger, % pint vinegar, 2 level teaspoons salt, 10o0z. brown sugar, 4% teaspoon cayenne. Put all prepared ingredients into a pan with sugar, ginger, vinegar, salt and cayenne. Cook gently, keeping well stivied until sugar is dissolved. Then boil gently for % hour. Cape Gooseberry Sponge (a dessert) Stew gently till soft 1lb. of shelled berries in water, with a little sugar. Strain off the syrup, make it up to a pint with hot water, and use it to dissolve a packet of jelly crystals, lemon or orange flavour. When cold but not set, whip up with egg whisk; then stir in the cooked ' berries, and leave to set. Cape Gooseberry Passion Fruit and Melon Jam Six pounds melon, 1%4lb. cape gooseberries, 16 passion fruit, 6lb. sugar. Cut melon into blocks, and shell gc oseberries. Cover with sugar, stand 24 hours. Boil 2 to 3 hours, Put passion cae in when jam boils.