Cherries and Gooseberries

New Zealand Listener, Volume 32, Issue 805, 24 December 1954, Page 20

Cherries and Gooseberries

than gooseberries, are more of a luxury. Both make good pies-cherries by themselves, with a squeeze of lemon, and gooseberries, either by themselves or with apples to soften the flavour. The gooseberry recipes for jams, marmalade, sauces, pickles and chutney will stretch over into next issue, and here we will concentrate on cherries. Cherry Pie Half fill piedish with cherries, put layer sugar, sprinkling lemon juice, then fill dish with cherries. Add a little water and put pie-funnel or tiny cup in middle to hold up crust as fruit softens. Damp edge of dish, line with pastry strips, dampen these and fit top crust (flaky or short), decorate and bake in pre-heated oven-not too fast-about the middle, so that cherries and pastry both cook. Another Cherry Pie Make a syrup by boiling together sugar and water (2 cups water to 1 cup sugar) for 5 mins. Add squeeze lemon, pinch salt, and cherries. Gently simmer for minute or two, to soften. Take out with perforated spoon, and fill piedish. Thicken syrup slightly with cornflour, and pour enough over cherries to halffill dish. There should be more fruit than juice. When cool, cover with short or flaky pastry and bake as usual. Red currants mixed with cherries make a lovely pie. Cherry Liqueur Allow 3 lb. sugar to every 3 Ib. cherries. Remove stalks, wash, drain well. Place layer cherries, layer sugar, and so on, in earthenware jar. Cover and stand in sunny place 3 or 4 weeks. Strain off juice, add about 1% pint rum or brandy. Pour into bottles. Should be fairly good liqueur. Cherry Rolls Use 14% cups flour, 114 teaspoons baking powder, 2 cups cooked red cherries, seeded and drained, 1% teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons butter, about % cup milk. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into basin. Cut in butter. Add milk gradually till soft dough formed. Roll 4% in. thick on floured board. Cover with cherries, sprinkle with sugar and dot with small pieces butter. Moisten edges, roll into long roll, and. ( gk more expensive

press edges together. Cut into 11% in. slices. Place in greased baking pan and pour cherry sauce over. Bake in hot oven about 30 min., basting often. Serve with sauce poured round, and whipped cream, Cherry Sauce: 1 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, 1 cup cherry juice (in which cherries were cooked), 1 cup water, 1 tablespoon butter. Combine sugar and flour, add fruit juice and water. Cook and stir until smooth and thick. Add butter. Cherry Roll (Different) Two cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 12 teaspoon salt, 4 tablespoons butter, 42 cup milk, sugar to taste, ripe sugared stoned cherries, Cut butter into flour, baking powder and salt. Mix slowly with milk, roll out about 1 in. thick. Put cherries over dough, and roll up. Cook about 20 minutes in hot oven. Serve with cream. Gooseberry Marmalade (Requested) Green gooseberries (3 1b.), 2 lemons, 5 small breakfast cups water, 6 Ib, sugar. Shred lemons as for marmalade. Cover

with 2 cups. boiling water, leave all night. Next day, boil up with gooseberries and the other 3 cups cold water for an hour. Add warmed sugar, stir

till dissolved. Bring to boil, -and boil hard for not more than 10 minutes. Delicious. Green in colour. Test for setting. Cherry Jam Stone 4 lb. cherries carefully, saving juice. Bring to boil 4 lb. sugar and 3 teacups water. Boil 10 minutes, add cherries and juice 1 lemon, boi] 30 minutes, or until it will set when tested. Bottle. Cherry and Red Currant Jam To every 4 lb. cherries, allow 1 pint red currant juice (to make, boil red currants with little water till soft and

mushy, then strain as for jelly). Simmer unti] cherries soft, then add pound for pound of sugar. Stir till sugar dissolves, then boil till sets when tested. Bottle when it cools a little. Baked Spiced Cherries Three parts fill casserole with cherries, sprinkle sugar to taste, put in 3 or 4 slices lemon and cinnamon flavouring. Stick cinnamon is best, if available. Cover with water, bake moderate oven, covered, till cherries tender. Uncover last 5 minutes. Cherry Sauce Looks (and tastes) good on:ice cream, creamy rice pudding or steamed pudding. Cook cherries in syrup (one part sugar, 2 parts water). Drain syrup, put in saucepan with thin slices lemon, and simmer, uncovered, about 5 mins. Combine 1 tablespoon cornflour with 1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon, mix to paste with cold water; stir into syrup and boil ‘ill thickened. Remove lemon slices and add cherries. Take from heat and add 14 cup sherry if desired,