PERSIMMONS AND CAPE GOOSEBERRIES

New Zealand Listener, Volume 26, Issue 670, 9 May 1952, Page 16

PERSIMMONS AND CAPE GOOSEBERRIES

EITHER of these good fruits is universally popular, but both make good jam and jelly, and less often, are used in pies‘ and tarts. "Briar" writes from Auckland asking for a persimmon chutney. I haven’t a recipe, but you. could add some pulp to any fruit-chutney, especially rhubarb. Persimmons need to be ‘dead-ripe before eating, and the skin is never eaten. Cape gooseberries are delightful cooked slowly in syrup, with lemon juice to taste. Make the syrup first (2 parts water to 1 of sugar), drop in the shelled gooseberries and either bake in a covered casserole, or stew them. They are good this way as a shallow pie or tart. If apples are added they make a deep dish pie. Persimmons are so sweet that a little lemon juice is pleasant with them. Persimmon Goblet Fruit goblets, which use the blended juice and pulp of 2-3 fruits, are tempting as appetisers or as desserts. Serve ice-cold, and in small cups or glasses if you have no goblets. Put the pulp of a persimmon, a small orange, and a mellow pear through a sieve or a food chopper. Add % cup orange juice. Persimmons as Dessert They are delicious when ripe, the secret being to keep them till the flesh attains the semi-translucent appearance of a ripe plum. They can then be served for dessert, just as they are, to be eaten with a dessert knife and fork. Alternatively they may be skinned and beaten up with whipped cream and served in a glass, or on top of a fresh fruit salad, in which, with grapes and preserved ginger, they should form one of the ingredients. ‘ Persimmon Jam From 24 ripe persimmons scoop out pulp, and discard skins. Bring pulp to the boil and add the syrup from a tin of preserved pineapple or 1% Ib. preserved ginger chopped very fine, or both. Simmer 1 hour, then add % lb. sugar to each 1b. fruit and boil gently about ¥% hour or until it will jell. A small teaspoon of citric acid helps to set jam. Stir well. Bottle when cold and seal tightly. Persimmon Jelly Skin ripe fruit, cut up, put in pan, cover ,lightly with water. Boil fairly briskly about 2 hours, .then strain through muslin. Measure juice, and add strained juice of 1 lemon to each pint of fruit juice. Bring to the boil. Add 1 lb. warmed sugar to each pint of juice, stir well till sugar quite dissolved. Boil rapidly till it will set when tested. Cape Gooseberry Jam Weigh shelled gooseberries, and allow pound for pound of sugar. Squeeze juice of 2-3 lemons into preserving pan. Add berries and keep stirring until cooked to a pulp. Then add the sugar and boil until pale amber. No water required. Test before taking up. Cape Gooseberry and Apple Three pounds shelled cape gooseberries, 2 Ib. green apples, %4 lb. sugar to each pound of fruit. Peel and cut up

apples, boil to pulp. Add_ gooseberries, boil about 10 minutes over gentle heat.

Keep stirring. Add warmed sugar, boil till it will set. No water, or as little as possible to start apples cooking. Butter the bottom of saucepan to keep fruit from sticking. Cape Gooseberry, Passion Fruit and Melon * This is a real N.Z. jam; 11% lb. cape gooseberries, 16 passion fruit, 6 Ib, melon, 6 lb. sugar. Cut melon. into blocks and shell gooseberries, cover with sugar and stand 24 hours. Boil 2-3 hours, or till witl set. Put passion fruit in when jam is boiling, shortly before taking up. Cape Gooseberry and Lemon Five pounds gooseberries, 5 lb. sugar, 1 pint water, juice 5 lemons. Put sugar and water in pan, bring to the boil. Add lemon juice, and when syrup is quite clear add shelled gooseberries. They may be pricked with a needle. Boil about 114 hours, or until will set when tested. :