Hilda's diary of a Cape housekeeper

To do up Cold Ham. — Take pieces of both fat and lean and pound in a mortar (or pass through a mincing-machine), add to them i slice of white bread boiled in half-a-pint of milk and i egg well beaten, mix all and bake in a mould. Potted Ham. — The other recipe (Miss Gapper’s) will make some nice sandwiches for our picnic to-morrow. Take any remains of ham, trim off all the dry pieces and pass it through a mincing-machine, adding pepper and a dash of grated nutmeg, and pound all well in a mortar ; pack tightly into small pots and pour melted butter over the top. If you have any cold chicken at the same time it can be added to the ham. Corned beef or tongue may be potted in the same way. September lo. — Rice Balls of Cold Chicken. — Before I forget it I shall note down another way of doing up cold meat. The first (Miss Gapper’s) is for cold chicken, and though rather troublesome to make is very nice for a small dish for luncheon or for breakfast, so is worth the trouble. Besides the remains of chicken you will want | lb. rice, i quart of stock or white broth, and 2 ozs. butter. Wash the rice well, and set the stock to boil, add the rice and let it boil gently for half-an-hour. Now add the butter and let it simmer till the rice is dry and soft, then set the rice to get cold. Mince the cold chicken very fine, flavour with lemon-peel, pepper and salt, half a teaspoonful of sugar and a little butter. Shape the rice in balls, then hollow out the inside and fill with chicken, then cover the hole with the rice, dip the balls in egg, sprinkle with fine bread-crumbs, and fry a light-brown in boiling fat. It is possible that this would be quicker done by pressing 193 o Sept. THICK MILK PUDDINGS. MOCK TURTLE the rice into two large spoons, leaving the centre hollow and joining together after putting in the chicken. I have never tried it ; the shape would be more egg-shape than round. Sour Milk. — This is such a useful item in housekeeping I find it a very good plan to keep a jug into which I put any small quantity of milk over from tea, etc., and so there’s always some thick milk for puddings, scones, or fritters. Thick Milk Pudding. — 2- lb. fine flour. About a cupful of fine bread-crumbs. I oz. melted butter. I egg, whisked. \ teaspoonful of soda, I wineglass of brandy. A tablespoonful of any jam you fancy. Mix all, adding a breakfast-cupful of thick milk in as much as would make it the consistency of batter, and boil in a mould two hours. Serve with pudding sauce. (See Hilda! s Where is it, p. 216.) The following good recipe is rather different. Thick Milk Pudding, No. 2 (Miss Breda’s).— 4 eggs. 4 tablespoonfuls of flour. 5 lb. white sugar. I teacupful of “ thick milk.” ^ lb. butter. Mix by beating eggs separately, mix yolks with sugar and butter, then flour and sour milk, lastly the whites; boil in a mould for two hours, serve with cinnamon and sugar, or any pudding sauce. September 15. — Mock Turtle Ragout. — We have to-day been sent a calf’s head from J ’s farm, and as B has a PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS Sept. great dislike to its coming up to table in the shape in which the calf wore it, I decided we would cook it German fashion (Mrs. Carl Becker’s recipe), as “ mock turtle ragout.” This is a dish which may be served with mushrooms or truffles, and so done makes a very nice entree. The recipe says —