CHRISTMAS DINNER

Radio Record, Volume XII, Issue 28, 23 December 1938, Page 18

CHRISTMAS DINNER

by

CHEF

HRISTMAS DINNER is the’ most important meal of the year, important because it’s. traditional, and here’s Christmas fare with garnishings galore. Ices, moulds, forcemeats, sauces and little imporfant dainties, and -the #mplest methods for making them. The illustrated pudding is combined with ice cream. I have a request for the recipe for the latter, and I trust my Raetihi sister home-cook, who wrote under the nom de plume of "Ice," will have great success with this recipe. As a change from the usual siuffing for your bird, try soaking two dozen prunes in -hot water until swollen, then. remove the stones and chop the prunes into Bieces. Add half-pound sausage meat, % pound breadcrumbs, seasoning and sufficient egg to bind. The prize this week has gone to Mrs. J. S. Patterson, Burns Street, Milton, Otago, for her -decorative and seasonal. recipe for orange ereams. These should just give the final touch to your Christmas dinner or high tea. . The recipes this week are fight; of course I’m concluding that the "Christmassy" cakes and puddings are all through, hut for those on a light diet, there are many recipes. to choose from. For the jelfied gooseberry trifle and banana cream recipes, lots of the other small fruits now plentiful can ke substituted.

In all my Christmas recipes I have not published a shortbread, for the one appearing on page $3 of our "Radio Record" Cookery Book is the "best ever." And as a last-minute suggestion, filling the pavlova cake (recipe on page 69) with strawberries, cherries or raspberries and. whipped c#eam, would make an ideal sweet. I look back with much pleasure on’ four years’ acquaintance with my sister home-cooks, through these pages) and nothing gives me greater pleasure than to wish you alt a very happy Christmas, and I hope that the work of. preparing the Christmas feast for your. loved ones will be well rewarded.

Bread Sauce Two tablespoons soft white breadcrumbs, 2 shallots or a small piece of onion, 1 dessertspoon butter, 1 cup milk, 1 blade of mace, 2 cloves, salt and cayenne. Peel shattlots or onion, place in saucepan with mace, milk, and cloves, and heat very slowly to boiling point. Strain and return milk to clean saucepan with breadcrumbs and butter. Season with salt and cayenne, mix with wooden spoon until crumbs soften. and: thicken the mixture, then heat thoroughly before serving with roast fowl. Seasoning ONE cup soft white breadcrumbs, 4 tablespoon chopped parsley, 1 dessertspoon butter or grated beef suet, grated rind of 1 lemon, salt and pepper, powdered thyme and marjoram. ‘ Rub the butter or suet into breadcrumbs, season with salt, pepper, parsley, lemon rind, and herbs. Use dry or moisten with milk or beaten egg as preferred. Place seasoning in dressed fowl, whence the crop was removed, and proceed as previously described. Almond Stuffing — RESS a turkey in the usual way after having the sinews removed from the legs and the neck taken out. To make the stuffing, mix together 4 cups stale breaderumbs, 2 tablespoons butter (melted), 23 eggs (beaten), 4b. blanched and shredded almonds, 2 teaspoons sugar and the grated rind of 1 lemon. When mixed, add 2 cups breadcrumbs, with a little water to moisten.: Truss and

roast in the usual way-

Mrs

R.

J.

(Motueka),

Ice-Cream Pudding PHALF-POUND drained cherries, 1b. stoned chopped dates or prunes, 41b, chopped preserved figs 3lb. seeded muscatels, 4lb. chopped: preserved pineapple, 20z. citron

peel, 2b. blanched chopped almonds or shelled walnuts, 2 cup brandy, ice cream mixture as chosen. Mix the sliced or chopped cherries, dates, figs, muscatels, pineapple, peel and nuts in basin. Add brandy, cover with plate and. leave overnight. Prepare a rich ies cream mixture and freeze it to a mushy thickness, then combine with the chilled brandied fruits, and continue freezing until mixture is firm and smooth, Pack in ice and salt, or ‘leave. in refrigerator tray to mature for an hour or more before serving with wafer biscuits.

[Ice-Cream FOUNDATION: Two eggs, 1 pint fresh milk, 1 ounce sugar. Warm the but do not allow it to: boil; beat the eggs well and stir the hot milk slowly with them. Add .the sugar. Pour the mixture into a double saucepan and stir it over the fire until it thickens, but

do not allow it to boil or it will curdle. The addition of a tablespoon of cream to this custard before itis frozen is an improvement. To make banana flavour: Three bananas to 3 pint custard and 4% pint cream, After peeling bananas, mash to a cream, add to the prepared custard; whip cream and to mixture and freeze. Half-pound strawberry jam and coloured with cochineal makes a delicious ice-cream (added to the custard the same'as the banana) and for a raspberry icecream, take 2lb. fresh raspberries and ib. sugar, covering the berries with the sugar and leaving all night. Place the fruit just as it is in a slow oven and cook gently for about half an hour. When cool press through a sieve and to each pint of puree, add % pint of milk and # pint whiped cream. Whisk all tozether and freeze.

Fruit Cup IX passionfruit; 4 oranges, 3 peaches, 1 pear, 3 dozen muscatel grapes, 1 pineapple, 8 bottles dry ginger ale. Mince fruit, sprinkle with castor sugar, stand several hours in a basin, pour one bottle ginger ale at a time over the fruit, strain through @ sieve, serve very cold. If these fruits are .out of season, use others instead. Gooseberry Trifle OVER 2 cups of gooseberries _ with water, add 1 small cup of sugar, simmer gently until cooked. Soak one heaped tablespoon of gelatine in 3 cup of cold water,.and add to gooseberries when cooked. Put aside until beginning to set. Spread fingers of sponge cake with gooseberry jam. Take a bowl, and put a IJayer of cake, then a layer of gooseberries, and so on until full. Leave until set. Cover top with whipped cream. and garnish with almonds and

cherries.-

-Miss

I.

L.

(Hawera).

Ice-Cream Pudding ‘JERE is another way of making a delicious ice-cream pudding: Take 1 tablespoon butter, 2 of sugar, 1 heaped of flour. Mix butter and sugar, beat well. Then flour, vanilla. Beat in 1 egg. Pour over all 1 pint boiling milk. Bake in moderate oven 4 hour. Nice hot or cold. with fruit or as dessert.

-Mrs.

A.

S.

(Inglewood).

Surprise Pie INE a ring mould with puff pastry, fill up with mincemeat and cover top with puff pastry, damp edges to join. Cook in brisk oven till done. Allow to cool and turn out earefully. ice top and sides with white icing, also the centre of the ring. Sirew thicily with desiccated coconut. Decorate with erystallised cherries and little ieaves cut from angelica. For a party, a kewpie can be placed in centre and silver cachous can be placed all round the outer edge. The surprise is when it is cut-findine mincemeat instead- of

cake.-

Mrs.

P.

M.

(Adair).

Mincemeat QNE pound suet, 602. raisins, 40z. mixed peel, 4 doz. small apples, 12lb. currants, 13Ib. brown sugar, 4 large lemons. Mixed in the usual way, it makes a novel and dealicione mincemesat which ean be

put to a variety of uses.-

~Mrs_

A.

G.

(Nelson).

Duchess Loaves UT #-pint of milk into a sauce: pan with 5oz. flour, 40z. butter, 2oz. sugar, 20z: chopped almonds and a little lemon-juice. Stir this mixture over the fire, and boil for three minutes, then mix in 3 eggs, one ata time. Divide the mixture into balls the size of a pigeon 3 egg. Place them on a buttered baking-sheet and bake a light brown. Open the sides and fill with jam, cream or Christmas mincemeat. Sprinkle with coconut and serve. These are really

delicious.-

~Miss

A.

W.

(Parnell).

Cherry Jane THREE cups stoned cherries, grated rind and strained juice of 1 lemon, 1 cup sugar, 2% cups stale sponge cakecrumbs, 2 tablespoons melted butter. Mix half crumbs with the melted butter. Mix lemon rind and juice with cherries and put: a layer of this at the bottom of greased piedish; sprinkle generously with sugar and put a layer of crumbs. Repeat layers till dish is full, and finally a layer of the buttered crumbs. Bake three-quarters of an hour in moderate oven with the dish covered. then uncover and brown

quickly. Serve with cream.-

-Mrs:

E.

J.

(Motueka).

CHRISTMAS DINNER MENUS ‘HOF CHRISTMAS DINNER Oyster Cocktail Mushroom Soup Roast Fowl Bacon Rolls Bread Sauce Green Peas Potato Straws Brandy or Hard Sauce Minee Pies and Whipped Cream Cheese Straws Muscatels Figs Bon Bons Sweets Assorted Nuts _ Dessert Tea Coffee Fruit Cup €0LD CHRISTMAS DINNER Grape Cocktail _ Oysters on Shell Cold Roast Turkey with Ham Fruit Celery Salad or Potato Salad Iced Asparagus Tee Cream Pium Pudding : Passionfruit Meringue Cream Cheese Creams. oF Celery Cheese ces Devilled Almonds or Assorted Nuts Crystallised Fruits Figs Muscatels on Bons Iced Fea lced Coffee Fruit Punch OUT-DOOR_ CHRISTMAS | DINNE. Tomato Cocktait Golé Roast Turkey or Chieken or Galantine of Fowl Jellied Vegetable or Potato Salads Asparagus Tips. Gherkins Olives Australian: Christmas Pudding Hard Sauce Mince Meat Boats with Cream Fruit Salad Ice Cream Salted Almonds Assorted Nuts Candied Fruits Muscatels Figs Bon Bons Fruit Cup’ Tea Coffee

Banana Cream YOUR medium bananas, 1 cup milk or cream, 1 packet of raspberry jelly, 1 cup boiling water, Mash the bananas and beat with a fork. Stir in the milk. Dissolve the jelly in the boiling watey and add. Turn ee. a wetted Maéuld and allow to se Serve

with ¢ream.-

~Mrs;

M.

W.

maru).

Honey Icing yNE cup sugar, 4 cup honey, 4 cup water, 1 egg white. Boil sugar and water and add honey, and cook until a little dropped into cold water will keep its shape. Peur the syrup into the stifflybeaten egg white, beating well

until firm-

~Mrs.

V.

A.

Brooklyn).

Sausage Rolls QAUSAGE meat, cooked, is well ~ provided ‘with mustard and Worcestershire sauce. to taste, moistened with a beaten egg yolk and allowed to stand for half-hour or so. Prepared puif pastry is rolled and cut into squares about 2 inches square. Smali portions of the sausagé meat are put into the centre of this pastry, and little rolis made. Brush over with egg yolk and bake in a hot oven-

Mrs,

A.

W.

(Parnell)

Spaghetti Cutlets SIX oz. spaghetti, 1 small teaspoonful curry powder, 2 eggs, 3 eup white sauce, pepper and salt, breadcrumbs, Break spaghetti into very small pieces and put into boiling salted water. Boil for 12 minutes, then drain. Return to ban with the white sauce, the. lightly beaten egg yolks and curry

powder mixed smoothly with a little milk, Season with salt and pepper, Stir over slow heat until very hot, but do not allow it to boil. Turn on to dish, smooth evenly and mark into equal sized divisions. Shape each into neat cutlets, brush over with white of egg, coat with bread crumbs, and fry golden brown. Pile green peas in centre of dish and place cutlets

around;

~Mrs:

E.A.

B.

(Dargaville).

Macaroni Ham VP INE a heavily greased basin with cold cooked macaroni or vermicelli (this adheres readily). Mince Ub. ham, 1 onion, 1 tablespoon pars‘ey, add 2 cups breadcrumbs, salt and pepper, and bind with beaten egg and milk until very moist. Turn carefully into the basin, tie down and steam two hours. When cold remove on to dish and garnish with parsley. Serve vith tomatoes or salad, and Tread and butter rolis. Is also "ery nice hot with greens, and he steaming makes it very light

md digestible.-

C.

P.

(Wanganul).

Baked Bananas HIS is served with raisin sauce. : Peel 6 bananas, and split lengthwise, Spread with raspberry jam and put together again. Mix 2o0z. ground almonds with 30%, eake crumbs. Beat 1 egg white very stiff and coat the bavanas with it. Roll lightly in erumh mixture, Place in wellbuttered deep plate or dish and

bake tiil soft and nicely browned -about 20 minutes. Serve hot or cold with raisin sauce around them. Sauce: 3 enp raisins soaked in 14 cups water fcr 1 hour or more if possible, Boil with little lemon rind, juice 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon honey 2nd little cinnamon for 10 minutes, Thicken with 14 teaspoons ccérnilour or arrowroot.-

M.

C.

(Mt: Eden) .

Almond Sponge PFOouR eggs, teacup sugar, breakfast cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, one tablespoon each

of butter and boiling water. Grated rind small orange, Beat eggs and sugar until figure 8 can be formed on mixture, sift in flour and baking powder mixed together, grated rind and lastly butter melted in the boiling water, fairly hot oven. Ice this cake while warm with sufficient icing sugar mixed with the juice of the orange, adding 38 good tablespoons ground almonds.

This cake is delicious.-

Janet

(Te Aroha).

Cream Cakes BAT to a cream 140z, butter and 8oz. castor sugar, then add loz coconut, and add alternately 4oz. flour, 1 small teaspoon baking powder and 2. tablespoons milk and lastly the stiffly-whipped white of 1 egg and 4% teaspoon vanilla essence. Bake 15 minutes in patty cases, in a moderate oven. When cold split and fill with the following filling. Rub through a sieve 4oz, icing sugar, add _ loz. coconut and whipped cream to form a soft paste, fill, replace the lids, dust fine sugar over, place a bail of whipped cream on the top,

and garnish with cherriss

Lmiss

W.

. (Kamo).

. , J OR Sunday teas or 5 o’clock parties, this French recipe is delicious. . Butter slices of bread about quarter of an inch thick. On a slice place a slice of cheese and a slice of ham and top with a: slice of bread. Cut into shapes and fry in hot fat. For a tea dish, serve with celery, tomato or cheese

sauce. perve ot or coid.-

M.

S.

(Kopuku).

Christmas Cake JT{ALF pound of butter (creamed) with 4lb, of brown sugar; add 8 well-beaten eggs, the pulp and juice of 1 orange and i = small lemon, 1 tablespoon of glycerine, 1 wineglass of coffee essence in a little water, 1b. Goz. currants, Hb.

raisins, 4Ib. chopped mixed peel, 20%. grated nutmeg, 20z. ground almonds, i0oz. of flour. Mix in the order given and put into a round cake tin lined with several thicknesses of brown, greased paper. Put into oven at 400 degrees and turn the top element off and the bottom to low. Cook two

hours 10 minutes.-

-M rs.

R.A.

C.

(Maungaturoto).

Trifle Cakes NE Ib. flour, 53 ozs. sugar, 34 1». butter, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 4 teaspoon baking soda, a little lemon essence. Rub butter into flour and ci:hamon. Add sugar and mix with egg to a stiff dough. Roll out and line patty tins, using a crust of bre-d + keep the shapes hollow. When cold, fill with sponge soaked in wine or fruit juice, a teaspoon of custard. Over custard, cover with

cream and decorate.

-WMrs.

L.

S.

(Papakura).

Fairy Cakes ELICIOUS mincemeat cakes which add considerably to the festive fare. Ingrecients: 802. of | self-raising flour, 40zs. of butter, 4 ozs. of sugar, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons of milk, 3 tablespoons of mincemeat (Christmas). Cream butter, add sugar, and cream again, drop in one egg with some of the flour, beat well; add the second egg, and more of the flour, beating well again, and then the mincemeat, milk and rest of the flour. Put into small greased tifS snd bake for ten to fifteen

minutes in * moierate Gven _

J.H.

M.

(Hamilton East).

F ruit Cake ONE ib. butter, 1lb. sugar, 100z8. flour, 8 eggs, ilb. each preserved ginger, ground almonds, cherries, green, 3 red, 1 teaspoon

baking powder (small). Flour fruit well. Cook 32 hours. Nice and.

moist.-

Mrsa

G.

G.

(Rotorua).

French Pudding REE ounces of butter, oz. honey, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon soda in half a cup of milk, 13 cups wholemeal, 1 cup grated carrot, 1 cup mixed fruit, lemon peel. Steam

one hour and a halt.

Mrs

G.

G.

(Rotorua).

Beef Galantine | \HE following is a delicious dish for any meal, served with let-. tuce salad and garnished with tomatoes. Especially now the Picnic season is coming on, it will be found a great boon. Two bs. beefsteak, Lih. sausagemeat, 2 tbh. breadcrumbs, 14 tea-! cups stock or gravy, 3 mushrooms Gif liked), 8 large eggs, sait, cayenne pepper, a little grated nutmeg, ° Have ready a large pan of boiling water. Mince the meat and peeled mushrooms, then imix all the ingredients together very thoronghly, adding beaten ergs and stock last. Form into a roll (using a little flour), turn into a greased pudding cloth and tie firmly at each end. Boil for 12 hours, then untie the cloth, roll it round again more tightly, and retie, Place the galantine betv.een two flat dishes and press with weights. When quite cold remove the cloth and brrsh with melted meat glaze. It is better to leave the roll-in a cold place for 12 to 24 hours hefore

glazing.-

Miss

E.

D.

(Wellington), |