DELICIOUS COLD DESSERTS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 26, Issue 666, 10 April 1952, Page 22

DELICIOUS COLD DESSERTS

ALF the problem of serving summer dinners may be solved by having luxurylooking desserts prepared beforehand. These are especially useful for week-end meals. They are mostly quite inexpensive, and the appearance of luxury (which is a cheering and comforting attribute for the housewife with an inelastic purse) is attained by using a little imagination in touches of colour, the shape of moulds, or the use of ring-moulds for example. These last are now obtainable and you can make either desserts or savoury salads in them. A jellied salad, containing meat and green peas, hardboiled egg-rings, and so on, turned out of a ring-méuld, and the centre filled with fresh lettuce and tomato wedges and cream cheese, or whatever you ‘have, is very easy and attractive-looking. And as for desserts which you can dream up and set in a ring-mould-jellies and blancmanges with fruit filled into the centre when turned out-they are almost unlimited. Sunripe Surprise Make your favourite sponge cake recipe, either with or without butter, and bake it in a ring-mould. Turn it out on a pretty dish. Pour a little Maraschino cherry syrup over it with a spoon, sufficient to flavour without softening too much. Spread with whipped cream_ (or mock cream), and dot all round with Maraschino cherries. At the last moment fill the centre with ice cream, pour more syrup over it, and arrange cherries prettily on top. Instead of Maraschino cherries, you could use passion fruit pulp, straight out of the bottle, spreading it thinly over the whipped cream on the cake-ring, and plentifully over the ice cream in the centre. Or better still, use fresh strawberries, or raspberries instgad of bottled fruit. Crusia a few to make the necessary syrup, and arrange the berries around and on the ice cream. Baked Alaska Don’t be afraid to try this. The idea is to place a mound of ice cream on a base of sponge-cake, arrange strawberries or raspberries or any fresh fruit slices, or pieces of tinned pineapple, over the icecream, and then ‘cover..thickly with meringue (egg whites beaten very stiff with a little less sugar than is usual for meringues). Put into a hot oven for about 4 minutes to lightly brown the meringue. Serve at once. The egg-whites don’t conduct heat, and the resultant pudding is delicious. The meringue may be delicately flavoured with any essence. Banana Honey Mould Two tablespoons gelatine, % cup cold water, 144 cups milk, ¥2 cup honey, 3 ripe bananas mashed and sieved, 1 lemon, 1 cup whipped cream. Soak gelatine soft in cold water. Heat milk and stir in the dissolved gelatine. Add honey, mashed bananas and lemon juice. Set in cool place, and when it begins to thicken fold in whipped cream. Chill. Peppermint Marshmallow Boil 2 tablespoons sugar with 1% cup cold water 2-3 minutes. Dissolve 1 teaspoon gelatine in 42 cup boiling water, and add to sugar and water. When cool add 2 unbeaten egg-whites and gently stir. Set aside and when just beginning

to set, whip until thick and foamy, add peppermint flavouring and mix well. Set in wet greaseproof paper. Make a

custard with the 2 egg yolks, top with coconut and bake. Join together. Strawberry Sponge One tablespoon gelatine, 4% cup cold water, ¥2 cup hot water, 1% teaspoon salt, 1 cup strawberry juice and pulp, 1 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 egg whites, 4% cup whipped cream (may be omitted). Crush berries, add sugar and leave % hour. Soften gelatine in cold water, add salt and hot water, and stir until dissolved. Add berry mixture and lemon juice. Cool, and when thickening fold in stiffly-beaten egg whites, and if possible whipped cream. Serve either in one bowl or individual glasses. About 6 servings. Sets in fairly quick time. Any fresh fruit or canned fruit may be used, but use less sugar with canned fruit.