Cookery for every household

Wash the figs, allow them to soak a short time in the water, and then stew them until tender. Then drain off the syrup and cut the figs in pieces, removing the stalks and any discoloured parts. Make the jelly as directed on the packet, using rather less water to allow for the syrup from the figs. When cool, add to it the figs with their syrup, and pour all into a wet mould. Turn out when set, and serve with cream or custard. Or, the fig jelly may be set in a border mould and whipped and sweetened cream piled in the centre. Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons. Probable cost, Id. 1975. Fruit Set in Jelly (Macedoine de Fruit) Clear lemon or wine jelly is generally used for this, and almost any fresh fruit that is in season. Small fruits, such as red and white eurrants, small strawberries, raspberries, stoned cherries, and green and purple grapes, may be used whole. In fact currants look prettiest if left in small bunches with a little of the sstalk. Larger strawberries may be cut in halves or quarters, bananas in slices, and oranges divided in sections free from pith. Small pieces of tinned fruits, such as apricot, peach, pear, or pine-apple may also be used, but they must first be well drained from the syrup. No hard fruit should be used. The jelly, while being used, should be just liquid, but not too warm. If it begins to set during the process, stand the basin containing it over a saucepan of hot water for two or three minutes. Select a pretty mould, rinse it out with cold water, and fix it steadily in a bed of chopped ice. It is a very tedious business to set fruit in jelly without ice, unless the weather is cold and the different layers set quickly. Pour some liquid jelly into the mould, enough to well cover the bottom, and let it set. Then arrange some prepared fruit in a pretty design on the top, and pour in more jelly to keep it in position. When this is set, put in more fruit and more jelly, continuing in this manner until the mould is quite full. Do not overcrowd the mould with fruit, and a better effect can often be obtained by arranging one layer of fruit in the centre of the mould, and another round the sides alternately. A little chopped pistachio nut or cocoanut can often be effectively mixed with the fruits, but avoid over-decoration. The jelly may be set either in one large mould or in small moulds. If a large mould is used, the jelly must be slightly stiffer than for ordinary fruit, or the weight of the fruit will break it down. In summer, small moulds set with small bunches of red and white currants make a very pretty sweet. Fruit and jelly set in a border mould is also very pretty, as the centre can then be filled up with whipped cream and decorated with small pieces of the fruits. When a macedoine jelly is turned out it should be decorated round with chopped jelly and small pieces of the fruits. 1976. Golden Spark Jelly 1 pt. clear jelly. 2 sheets gold leaf. Any clear jelly will do for this, but it ought to be of good flavour. When it is almost setting, shake into it the gold leaf and break it up gently with a fork until it is in small pieces. Care must be taken not to cloud the jelly with over-mixing. When the particles of gold leaf no longer sink in the jelly, pour all into a wet mould and put aside to set. Turn out when wanted, and decorate round the base with chopped jelly.