RECIPES FOR PEACHES

New Zealand Listener, Volume 20, Issue 501, 28 January 1949, Page 22

RECIPES FOR PEACHES

peaches this year. The easiest way-and the quickest for the busiest of housewives-is to make a panful of syrup, in the proportion of 2 cups water to one cup sugar, stirring while bringing to the boil, and boiling for 5 minutes. Into this put the halved peaches, simmer slowly till tender, and then ladle into very hot jars, fill to the top with syrup, and tie: down immediately with the English "skin." Do one jar at a time and finish it off properly, and don’t stand them in a draught. A few cloves may be put into some of the jars, to make a chenge of flavouring. Peeling Peaches Dip peaches into boiling water for about a minute, then plunge into: cold water. Slip the skins off quickly. Peach Salad Arrange individual salad tates with 2 or 3 crisp lettuce leaves, cup-shaped. Into each leaf put a half peach, either fresh or cooked; and pile into the stonecavity a generous spoonful of cottagecheese or cream cheese. Put walnut halves, or stoned prunes on top, and a dab of thickish mayonnaise each side. Slices of cucumber may be arranged around the edge of the plate. Eat with brown bread and butter, Breakfast Peaches Into individual deep plates put alternate layers of crisp wheat-flakes and cornflakes. Top with slices of peaches (raw, stewed or preserved); pour rich top milk over all, Glorified Shepherd’s Pie Chop up any cold meat, mi# with diced, cold, boiled potatoes and some left-over gravy, put into pie-dish and bake in fairly hot overmfor about half hour. Then take from oven and cover with peach-halves, the cavity upwards, filled with tomato-sauce. Return to oven and bake about 15 minutes longer. The peach-halves may be raw or cooked, but should not be sweetened. Peach Junket Peel and halve sufficient ripe peaches for your family, allowing one or two halves each. Arrange them in a shallow dish or bowl. Warm the milk, sweet‘ened a little, and add rennet in the ordinary way for junket, then pour it over the peaches and leave to set as usual. Sprinkle with a little nutmeg. If ripe peaches are not available, use cold stewed ones, drained, or preserved peach-halves may be used, and the syrup served as a sauce, Spiced Peaches . These are excellent served with cold meat or poultry or ham, all the year round. Boil together for 10 minutes one pint vinegar, 114% cups sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and a few cloves. Add the halved and stoned peaches and boil till tender (but unbroken). Lift carefully into hot jars and cover with the boiling syrup. Seal immediately. Peach Jam Cut up 10lb of peaches and sprinkle thoroughly with ‘9lb sugar. Mix well together and leave for about 24 hours, ine sure to preserve plenty of

covered over. Then boil up, without water, keeping well stirred, Slow heat until boiling, then a rolling boil. Add the juice of a large lemon. Peach Shortcake Two level breakfast cups of flour; 2 large tablespoons sugar; pinch salt; 2 level teaspoons baking powder; 3 full tablespoons butter; 1 egg; and milk to mix, Rub the butter into the sifted dry ingredients, mix with the egg and milk. Roll out, and put half in a tin. Brush over with softened butter, and lay on the other half of the dough. Bake iff a hot. oven. Split it while hot-it will split easily where the butter was spread between. Spread with cut up peaches, and whipped cream; put the top half on, and spread that, too, with cut up fresh peaches and whipped cream, Peach and Plum Chutney Slice and stone 2lb peaches and 2lb plums. Have ripe but firm fruit. Put in layers in dish, sprinkle each layer with a little pepper and salt, leave 24 hours. Drain, put fruit in pan with 4 cups vinegar, %2lb brown sugar, 30z preserved ginger, 20z cloves, and Y2lb onions cut finely. Beil slowly till the peaches are tender. Strain through sieve, fill small jars and make airtight. (The straining is optional.)