Hilda's diary of a Cape housekeeper

Anyway, here is the recipe. Put I lb. butter into i lb. flour, add ^ lb. coarse sugar, ^ oz. baking-powder, i oz. caraway seeds, 2 ozs. ground ginger, 2 ozs. candied peel, cut small, I lb. raisins, chopped, 2 eggs, a wineglassful of sherry, i lb. treacle (which generally requires warming). Mix all well together and bake three hours in a slow oven. Allow plenty of room in the tin for rising, and if the cake begins to brown too soon, cover it with paper. It strikes me that this must be of the nature of “ fruit gingerbread,” on which I have been casting doubts ! But the result of this recipe is, I am told, delicious. Feb. CHARTREUSE OP CABBAGE. TRACKERS Tomato and Chicken Cream. — Mrs. Parker describes this pretty (cold) luncheon-dish of tomatoes passed through a sieve, with stock added, and allowed to jelly in a shallow dish, then cut in rounds and placed in a circle alternately with similar sized rounds of chicken or rabbit cream, the latter seasoned with a little red pepper, and with truffles sprinkled on them. Chartreuse of Cabbage. — Another dish recommended by the same lady may be described as follows — a cabbage broken in shreds and boiled or steamed in a plain basin mould with 2 eggs and some stock seasoned to taste, and when cold turned out as a shape. I think both these would be worth trying, as well as the following way of using an old hen — Hen Jelly. — Stew an old hen very slowly and until the meat will come off the bones with a fork. Cut up a hardboiled egg and arrange with the meat in a round basin brawn fashion, pour in the liquid stock and turn out when cold. Hashed Hare. — Hashed hare is best with the bones taken out. February 21. — I see that in my description of Groote Poste I have omitted to mention how very clever the old Hottentots were about tracking out any lost cattle or sheep — on soft ground they could easily trace the footmarks, but it is marvellous how clever they are to “ spoor ” out the missing sheep or animal on the hard hill-side as welk Their powers of observation are wonderful, and their eyesight is keener than that of the European, and they have so much patience ; they notice where the animal has nibbled a bush, or broken a twig, and follow on till the missing sheep is found ! [illustration: I remember a man stealing] Feb. ROAST HARE AND ITS GRAVY grapes out of our vineyard on the hard hill-side, and no one ever dreamt the culprit could be traced, as the ground outside the fence was as hard as could be, but “Old Moos” managed to trace him, and he was caught. Hottentots make splendid herdsmen, and are devoted to their sheep and lambs, but I am sorry to say the genuine Hottentot will soon be a thing of the past. ^ February 23. Roast Hare, German fashion. — I remember some years ago seeing a recipe in a newspaper cutting which ^ was said to be German. I made some notes from it to show in what it differed from ordinarv “Roast Hare.” First all the under-skins were taken off (there are several, very tender and fine, as well as the thick outer one), the head and front-legs were cut off, and the back well larded with fat bacon. The hare was then placed in a deep tin pan with i pint cream (or half milk, half cream), some lumps of butter on the back, and a few bay leaves, and baked at least hours, well basted with the cream and gravy from the meat.