Good Housekeeping summer cookery book

2 dessert apples 2 stalks of celery i grapefruit Castor, sugar Lettuce or watercress Salad cream Peel the grapefruit and cut into slices. Peel and core the apples, cut into thin rings. Arrange the grapefruit and apple in layers on a bed of lettuce or watercress, and sprinkle liberally with castor sugar. Cut the celery into neat pieces, sprinkle over with fruit and mask lightly with salad cream. INDIVIDUAL EGG SALAD Lettuce 4 teaspoonful of lemon — t hard-boiled egg juice 4 oz. butter 2 firm potatoes 4 teaspoonful made mus- Salt tard Mash the yolks well with a fork, add a little salt, the butter, mustard, and lemon juice, beating until smooth. Chop the white of egg roughly and arrange in a hollow circle on the lettuce. Pile the yolk mixture in the © centre. Garnish with sliced tomato. 24 ee SSTRAWBERRIES TRAWBERRIES need no recommendation, the only point which really troubles the housewife is their scarcity or profusion. Where choice can be exercised, medium-sized dark red fruit is to be preferred to large pale fruit, which is lacking in flavour. Small strawberries make excellent jam and the flavour is often superior to the larger specimens. For jam making the fruit may, with advantage, be be under-ripe. Probably the majority of people agree that such a luscious and delicate fruit should be eaten only in its ‘ natural condition, as cooking or preparing it in any way is inclined to detract from rather than add to its delicacy of flavour. There is, however, one exception— that. of jam making. This is undoubtedly the most satisfactory way of preserving the fruit for use during the eleven months of the year when fresh strawberries are not available. Of all jams, strawberry is the one where housewives encounter the most difficulties. This is because the _ fruit is naturally deficient in pectin and acid, whilst the water content is very high, and therefore the jelling _ qualities are poor. To overcome this difficulty acid - must be added, and either lemon juice, citric acid or ' tartaric acid, or, if preferred, gooseberry or red currant _ juice can be utilised. _ The following recipes give excellent results. All _ have been tested in Good Housekeeping Institute. ' The fresh strawberry recipes are delicious and unusual. STRAWBERRY JAM, First METHOD 4 lb. strawberries (not The juice | of 4 lemons __over-ripe) or 402. citric or tartaric _ 38 Ib. sugar acid Pick the strawberries. If the weather has been wet and the fruit appears to be gritty it should be washed and put into the preserving pan with the lemon juice, citric or tartaric acid. Boil the fruit slowly until it is tender. This extracts the pectin and also drives off surplus moisture. When the contents of the pan are thick and reduced, add the sugar, previously warmed | in the oven, stir and bring to the boil. Continue stirring and test for jelling after boiling has continued over 10 to 15 minutes. When it sets firmly when tested on a cold plate or saucer turn out the gas, allow the contents of the pan to cool partly by stirring gently, and when half cold pot and tie down. Note.—In order to preserve the bright colour and the flavour of the natural fruit it is important not to add the sugar until the pectin has been extracted from the fruit and the surplus moisture driven off in the form of steam. Many housewives write to the Institute complaining that their strawberry jam, whilst wholesome, does not taste of fresh fruit and is brownish in colour. The reason is easy to explain—if the sugar is added with the fruit and the boiling occupies from 45 minutes to 1 hour, or even longer, the temperature of the contents of the pan rises above 212° F., and may even become as high as 220° F., with the result that changes take place in the sugar and both the flavour and colour of the preserve are impaired. STRAWBERRY JAM, SECOND METHOD