Cookery for every household

Use good dessert French plums that do not require cooking. Stone them, and in place of the stone insert a small piece of almond paste, or a blanched almond. Have ready some frying batter made according to directions given in Recipe 1864. Dip the plums into this, one at a time, coat them well, and fry in boiling fat to a golden brown colour. Drain on kitchen paper, and sprinkle with castor sugar with which a small quantity of powdered cinnamon has been mixed. Serve piled up lightly with a dish paper under them. Note. — Greengages and other kinds of fresh plums may be made into fritters in the same way. They must be perfectly ripe, without being soft. 1887. Orange Fritters, 1 (Beignets d’Oranges) 2 or 3 oranges. Castor sugar. Frying batter. Remove the peel and white skin from the oranges. Divide them in six or eight pieces, but in a natural way, so that each piece retains its juice. Put them on a dish, and sprinkle with fine sugar ; leave them for quarter of an hour, then drain. Dip each piece of orange in frying batter, coating it well, and drop it into boiling fat. Leave them until they have taken a nice brown colour, drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle with sugar. Keep them warm in the oven until all are finished. Dish neatly on a dish paper, and sprinkle a little orange sugar over. Serve very hot. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Probable cost. Id. 1888. Orange Fritters, 2 (Beignets d’Oranges) 2 eggs. 2 oz. castor sugar. 2 table-sps. flour. 1 dessert-sp. lemon juice. 1 or 2 oranges. Put the yolks of the eggs into a basin with the sugar, and beat them together with a wooden spoon until they are of a creamy colour. Add the lemon juice, and sift in the flour gradually. The batter must be rather stiff and must be well beaten. Add the whites of eggs beaten to a stiff froth last of all. Peel the oranges, removing all the white pith, cut them in slices, and take out the pips. Dip them in the above batter, and fry in boiling fat to a nice brown colour. Drain, sprinkle with sugar, and serve very hot. Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons. Probable cost, Qd. J lb. flour. 1 pt. milk. 2 eggs. A pinch of salt. 1889. Pancakes (Crepes) A little lard for frying. Castor sugar. Lemon or orange juice. There are several kinds of batter for making pancakes. The above is one of the simplest. Sieve the flour and salt into a basin, and make a well in the centre. Drop in the two yolks of eggs, and with a wooden spoon mix a little of the flour gradually into them. Then add about half the milk very gradually, mixing in the flour by degrees from the sides of the basin. Keep the batter thick enough to allow of all lumps being rubbed smooth, then beat well until it is full of air-bubbles. Add the rest of the milk, and, if possible, allow the batter to stand for an hour at least before using it. Just at the last, stir in quickly and lightly the whites of the eggs beaten to a stiff froth. Melt some lard in a saucepan, and let it stand by the side of the fire to keep warm. Put a little into a small frying or omelet pan, and make it smoking hot. Then pour quickly into the centre of the pan half a gill or so oi batter. If the fat is hot enough the Pancakes