Four seasons cookery books

These may be frozen in various ways, depending on the time you have available and how you intend to use the frozen fruit. For example, whole Seville oranges may be frozen for marmalade making. Orange and grapefruit segments may be frozen in a sugar syrup and used in a fruit cocktail or salad; for decorating cheesecakes and gateaux or for adding to fruit cups. The citrus fruit juice may be frozen in ice cube trays and the cubes packed in a polythene bag — ideal for use in drinks and for recipes which call for fresh orange, lemon or grapefruit juice. The grated zest may be mixed with castor sugar, stored in polythene containers and used in baking recipes. Syrup pack: For citrus fruits, a 40% syrup, i.e. 11 oz./300 g./generous 1; cups granulated sugar to 1 pint/6 dl/23 cups water is ideal as it helps to counteract any sharpness in the fruit without making it too sweet for future use. To make the syrup, place the sugar and water in a pan over low heat. Slowly bring to the boil and allow the sugar to dissolve completely, then boil for 2-3 minutes. Cool, then chill overnight in the refrigerator before using. Peel the fruit, divide into segments, removing the pips and membranes. Place the prepared fruit in poly- thene containers and pour over sufficient syrup just to cover the fruit. Leave a > inch/1 cm. headspace, and as fruit tends to rise in a syrup pack, place a piece of crumpled foil in the top of the container before sealing and labelling. The foil will freeze into the syrup, but can be easily removed on defrosting. Freezing citrus fruits whole: Wash, dry and pack the fruit in poly- thene bags. Label and seal with a twist tie. While the fruit is frozen it is easy to grate the zest from grapefruit, lemons and oranges for use in baking recipes. Concentrated soups Soups are great for entertaining Hungry guests, feeding a growing family and providing a quick and nourishing lunch. Storing the basis for different soups, in concentrated form, in the freezer will enable you to produce a good soup with the addition of milk, milk and water, or milk and cream. It is also economical on freezer storage space —a consideration, particularly at Christmas time. A liquidiser is an asset in making soups, preventing wastage of ingredients, but it is possible to make them by pressing the vege- tables through a sieve, or by using a Mouli soup mill. This removes traces of coarse fibres, tomato seeds, etc. To make the basis for a vegetable soup: Melt 2 0z./50 g./2 tablespoons of butter in a frying pan and sauté 1 1b./450 g. chopped vegetables (a mixture of onion, carrots, leeks and celery) until softened, but not browned. Add 3 pint/3 dl./13 cups stock and simmer over a moderate heat until the vegetables are cooked. Add seasoning and a pinch of herbs, if liked. Allow the mixture to cool slightly before liquidising or sieving. Cool, then pack the purée in polythene containers, leaving a headspace. Seal and label. To serve the soup, gently reheat the purée in a pan, stirring to avoid sticking. Add an equal amount of liquid—milk, or milk and water— bring just to the boil and check the seasoning. Cream and chopped parsley may be stirred in just before serving the soup.