Cookery for every household

Make the puree by rubbing some fresh fruit through a hair sieve along with the sugar. Put the claret into a saucepan with the gelatine and lemon rind and juice. Heat slowly until the gelatine is dissolved, then add the fruit puree and simmer slowly for 10 minutes. Strain into a basin, add carmine to make the mixture a good colour, and when cool pour it into a wet border mould. Allow this to set, then turn out, fill the centre with whipped and sweetened cream, and decorate ■with chopped pistachio nuts. Note. — The claret may be diluted with half water if wished. Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons. Probable cost. Is. 6 d. 2055. Diplomatic Pudding (Pouding Diplomatique) To Garnish the Mould. Lemon jelly. Angelica. Pistachio nuts. Mixture. | pt. milk. 3 yolks of eggs. 3 oz. castor sugar. \ oz. gelatine. 2 table-sps. water. Vanilla. | pt. double cream. 2 sponge cakes. A few ratafias. Sherry or liqueur. Take a plain charlotte mould and line it thinly with lemon or wine jelly. Then decorate it with angelica and pistachio in imitation of sprays of maidenhair fern. The angelica should be softened first in hot water, then split and cut in very fine strips for the stalks. Gather up a bunch of these strips and arrange them like a fan on the side of the mould. Then at the ends of the stalks place thin pieces of pistachio nut to imitate the petals. Make four or five of those sprays round the sides of the mould, and set them with more jelly. To Make the Mixture. — First make a custard with the milk, yolks of eggs, and sugar, and flavour it with vanilla. Dissolve the gelatine in the water, add it to the oustard, and strain both into a basin and allow them to cool. Whip the cream and stir it lightly into the custard, and when this mixture is beginning to set, pour a little of it into the prepared mould. Then in the centre place two or three small pieces of sponge cake and a few ratafias that have been well soaked in sherry or liqueur. Then more of the cream mixture, more sponge cake and ratafias, until the mould is full. The sponge cake, &c., must be kept well to the centre, so that it does not show through the cream when the pudding is turned out. Set the pudding aside until cold and set. When wanted, turn out carefully, and decorate with chopped jelly or some sprays of real maidenhair. Note.—The decoration of the mould may be varied according to taste. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Probable cost, 2s. 2056. Fairy Baskets (Crèmes des Fées) Some sponge cake or Madeira cake. A little sherry or liqueur. Raspberry or apricot jam. Custard. Thick cream. Sugar and flavouring. Strips of angelica. Decorations. Crystallised rose leaves and orange flowers. For these creams some small fancy dishes or pretty paper cases will be required. Allow one for each person and one over. Cut some sponge cake or Madeira cake into neat little pieces, and a suitable shape for the dishes. Split these, spread them with jam, and soak with a few drops of liqueur or sherry. Then put them into the dishes or cases, and pour a spoonful of thick custard, nicely flavoured, over them. Pile whipped cream, which has been sweetened and flavoured, on the top, and bend a strip of well-soaked angelica over the top to form a handle. Decorate with crystallised rose leaves and orange flowers. Note. — This makes a pretty sweet for a children’s party.