REQUESTED RECIPES

New Zealand Listener, Volume 17, Issue 437, 7 November 1947, Page 22

REQUESTED RECIPES

O many requests for special recipes have accumulated that our Mail Bag space will not take them all, and I am therefore devoting our main article this week to these recipes. They will interest everybody, I think. Bottled Bananas Several requests came in for this | recipe. Bananas are specially needed for Christmas fruit salads, and are often unobtainable when wanted. Dried bananas are unsuitable; and one Link in our Chain bottled them and found them sickly and with an unwanted cooked flavour, From four other Links came these methods, and it seems that the secret lies in the very short time of sterilizing, only 3 to 5 minutes. Prepare the bottling syrup as usual, by boiling from 42 to 1 cup of sugar with 2 cups of water for about 5 minutes. Split the bananas into firm slices and drop into boiling syrup; leave them in from 3 to 5 minutes; then pack into hot sterilized jars; cover with syrup and seal airtight. Mrs. H.M.M. from Dunedin says hers remain beautifully white; and that she has also done a bottle of oranges in the same way (in slices or sections, I presume). Another Link also had complete success with her experiment. She filled a preserving jar with closely packed slices of banana. Then, adding about a dessertspoon of sugar, she simply filled up the jar with boiling water; put on the seal and lid, and then brought the contents of the jar to the boil in a hot oven, which did not take long, as the water was boiling when put into the jar. After six weeks they used these bananas, finding them as white as when freshly cut and quite lovely in taste, Bottling Pineapple and Bananas This recipe comes from Blenheim. Prepare enough of each fruit for salad. Make syrup by the usual method. When boiling, put in your pineapple, leave about 10 minutes, then put into warm jars while boiling and seal airtight. Bananas are done in the same way, but leave in boiling syrup only 2 or 3 minutes. Fresh Coconut for Cooking Fresh coconut can be used in cakes and desserts instead of desiccated. First puneture two deep holes in the indentations at end of coconut; set the coconut to drain over a jug, When drained put the nut in a moderate oven (350 deg.) for 15 minutes, This will crack the outside shell in one or two places and make it easy to break the shel! and remove the white meat. Then complete the cracking with a hammer, pry out the meat from the shell, pare off the brown skin, and grate into long shreds on a grater. Coconut Custard Pie Beat up 4 eggs, then gradually add Y% cup sugar, % teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 2 cups of milk. Mix all nicely and pour into a 9 inch buttered pie plate, sprinkle the top with 1% cup shredded coconut, and stand the plate iri an outer dish of hot water to bake in moderate oven (350 deg.). Takes about 35 minutes (or until a

silver knife inserted in the centre comes out clean). Cool the custard thoroughly, Have ready a pie-shell,»« cooked and tool, the same size as the custard. Loosen the custard carefully from the sides and bottom of the plate, tilt it carefully over the pie-shell; shake it gently and slip it nicely into the pieshell. With a little practice, it settles in quite neatly. Let it stand in a cold place for a minute or two, to settle nicely before serving. Lemon Meringue Pie I was told of three simple tricks to make this Boston pie a great succ First, use an egg and some lemon jx in the mixing of the pastry; sec cook the filling first and then add

freshly squeezed lemon-juice after taking from the fire; and third, add a little lemon-juice to the meringue, which makes it more tender and easier to cut. Three cups flour; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 cup shortening; 1 slightly beaten egg; 3 tablespoons lemon-juice; and sufficient ice-water (if possible) to mix. Sift flour, and salt, lightly mix in the shortening, add the egg mixed with the lemon-juice. Add gradually just enough water to bind the dough together. Roll pastry out thin and line pie-plates. Should be enough for 3 eight-inch pieshells. _Unbaked pastry will keep in refrigerator till needed. Bake each in hot oven (475 deg.) about 15 minutes, till cooked, FILLING ; . Put into saucepan 1 cup water or milk; % cup sugar; % teaspoon salt; and 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel. Bring to boil. Blend 5 tablespoons cornflour with % cup cold water, and add to first mixture. Cook over low heat until thickened (about 5 minutes) stirring constantly, Remove from heat and add separately, mixing each ingredient well in, 2 well-beaten egg-yolks, 1 tablespoon butter, and 6 tablespoons lemon-juice, Pour the filling into the baked pie-shell, and when filling is cool top with this meringue. MERINGUE TOP Beat 2 egg whites till frothy, add gradually 4 tablespoons sugar. Continue beating until the mixture holds its shape in peaks. Then fold in 1 teaspoon lemon-juice. Brown the pie now in a moderate oven (325 deg.) for 15 minutes. "The Egg and |" Julep Beat together 3 eggs, % cup sugar and a pinch of salt. Add 2 cups orange juice. and 1-3 cup _ lemon-juice (strained). Shake or beat all together well until. the sugar is dissolved. Pour over finely chipped ice to fill 10 tall glasses half full.’ Fill up ‘with soda water and serve at once. >