Better Meals for Less Money Part 49

Stone prunes, cut in small pieces, add other ingredients, and simmer twenty minutes. Serve with cold meats.

677.--QUINCE HONEY

6 quinces 1 quart water 3-1/2 pounds sugar

Pare, quarter, and core quinces; to the cores and parings add one pint of water, simmer half an hour, and press through a sieve. Chop quinces, using the finest cutter, add a pint of water, and simmer while cores are cooking; add pulp and juice from cores and boil ten minutes; add sugar and boil about five minutes, or until it jellies.

678.--BAKED RHUBARB AND BANANAS

2 cups rhubarb 3/4 cup sugar 3 bananas 1 tablespoon b.u.t.ter

Wash rhubarb and cut, unpeeled, into one-inch pieces; peel and slice bananas, and arrange in a baking dish in alternate layers with the rhubarb; add sugar and b.u.t.ter, cover, and bake in a slow oven two hours.

Serve hot or cold.

679.--RHUBARB AND ORANGE MARMALADE

4 cups rhubarb Juice 1/2 lemon 4 oranges 6 cups sugar 1 tablespoon orange rind grated

Cut rhubarb in half-inch pieces; add pulp and juice of oranges, rind, lemon juice, and sugar. Cook slowly until juice will "jell" when tried on a cold plate.

680.--RHUBARB AND FIG MARMALADE

3 pounds rhubarb 1 teaspoon ginger 1 pound figs 1/4 teaspoon clove 3 pounds sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 lemon

Cut rhubarb unpeeled into inch pieces; wash figs and put through food chopper; put in preserving kettle with half of sugar and let stand over night; in the morning boil until clear, then add remaining sugar, juice and grated rind of lemon, and seasonings. Cook slowly until thickened.

681.--THREE-IN-ONE MARMALADE

Cut in halves one grape fruit, one orange, and one lemon; remove pulp with a teaspoon, saving juice and discarding seeds; remove the membrane from peels, and put peel through the food chopper, using medium cutter; mix peel, pulp, and juice; measure, and to each cup add three cups of cold water; let stand over night; heat slowly to the boiling point, and cook one hour, or until peel is tender; measure, add an equal amount of sugar; boil about forty minutes, or until a little will "jell" when tried on a cold plate.

682.--RED TOMATO JAM

3 pounds ripe tomatoes 1 teaspoon ginger 3 pounds sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 lemons

Scald and peel tomatoes; cut in halves crosswise and discard seeds; put in preserving kettle with sugar, lemon juice, and ginger; cook slowly about two hours, stirring often with a wooden spoon. Skim when necessary. This may be kept in a stone crock or sealed in gla.s.ses.

683.--SWEET PICKLED WATERMELON RIND

Rind of 1/2 watermelon 1-1/2 tablespoons cinnamon 3 pounds brown sugar 1 tablespoon cloves 1 quart vinegar 1 tablespoon allspice

Pare melon rind, cut in inch squares, wash, and drain; put sugar and vinegar in a preserving kettle, add spices tied in a bag, and boil one hour; add melon rind, and cook about one hour, or until tender; put melon rind into a stone crock, boil sirup hard for fifteen minutes, and pour over melon.

FOOTNOTES:

[13] For standard recipes for jellies and preserves, see Farmers'

Bulletin No. 203.

CHAPTER x.x.x

CANDIES

684.--PLAIN FONDANT

4 cups granulated sugar 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar 1 cup boiling water

Put sugar in a smooth, clean saucepan, add boiling water, and stir until dissolved; heat slowly to boiling point, add cream of tartar, and boil without stirring to 240 F., or until sirup will form a soft ball when tested in cold water. As sirup granulates around the sides of saucepan, wash down with a clean brush which has been dipped quickly into cold water; pour out upon a slightly oiled slab or large platter; as the edges begin to harden, turn them toward the center, and when the mixture is partly cooled work with a wooden spatula or b.u.t.ter paddle until creamy; when it begins to lump, knead with the hands until smooth. Let stand a few hours before using, or keep in a covered jar until needed.

685.--COFFEE FONDANT

Follow recipe for Plain Fondant (see No. 684), using strong, clear coffee in place of water. Or, if only a small quant.i.ty is needed, melt plain fondant over hot water and add one teaspoon of instantaneous coffee to each cup. This may be used melted for mints, or for dipping, or, when cooled, for centers.

686.--BONBON CENTERS

Cut candied fruits or nuts into small pieces, and work with a bit of fondant into small b.a.l.l.s; let stand a few hours before dipping. Keep centers small so that bonbons will not be too large when finished.

687.--FONDANT BONBONS

Melt fondant over hot water; flavor and color as desired; dip bonbon centers one at a time, and remove with a fork or confectioners' dipper; place on an oiled slab or platter until cold.

688.--CHOCOLATE BONBONS

Melt bitter chocolate in a cup over hot water, and dip centers the same as for Fondant Bonbons (see No. 687). Dot chocolate (sweetened) may be used if preferred. Confectioners' chocolate is best for dipping, but cooking chocolate is satisfactory if half a teaspoon of b.u.t.ter is melted with each four squares.

689.--FONDANT MINTS

Put Plain Fondant (see No. 684) in cups, melt over hot water, and flavor with a few drops of oil of spearmint, wintergreen, orange, lime, or any desired flavor; color lightly if desired, and drop from a teaspoon upon an oiled slab or platter.

690.--QUICK FONDANT

Break the white of an egg into a bowl, add a tablespoon of water and about two cups of confectioners' sugar, or enough to knead. Flavor with oil, extracts, or grated orange or lemon rind, and color as desired.

Use for mints (rolled and cut), stuffing dates, prunes, cherries or nuts, or for bonbon centers.