Page:Australian enquiry book of household and general information.djvu/90

 , with the fingers, keeping the fingers moist with the brine and pack closely. This recipe was given by a man who had been in the business for years and it can be depended on.

Ingredients: Peach kernels, brandy.

Mode: Put the kernels into bottles and cover them with good brandy. It should be kept a few months before using, and as you take from it fill up with fresh spirit. A teaspoonful will flavour a pudding; if very strong, a few drops will be enough. Three or four peach leaves tied together and bruised will flavour blanc mange or custard if boiled in the milk.

Ingredients: A tablespoonful of butter, ½lb. white sugar, three eggs, two lemons.

Mode: Melt the butter in an enamel or tin saucepan, stir into it the juice and grated rinds of the lemons and the sugar. Beat up the eggs and stir them into the rest; keep stirring till it is the thickness of honey. This is very nice on bread instead of butter.

Ingredients: One tin molasses or golden syrup, two tablespoonsful brown sugar, one tablespoonful of butter.

Mode: Put two tablespoonsful of water in the bottom of a small enamel saucepan, and pour in the molasses. Let it boil a few minutes and stir in the sugar and butter. Boil till done. It is best to test it in cold water before removing from the fire. Pour on to buttered plates or pans, and mark in squares. This can be worked when cool, in the hands, into a very nice soft rock. Time, about ten minutes.

Ingredients: 1lb. loaf or powdered sugar, milk, vanilla essence, ½lb. pure unsweetened chocolate.

Mode: Put the sugar into a saucepan. Wet it with as much milk as it will just absorb. Put it over a gentle fire, and boil very slowly until it will candy when dropped into cold water. Avoid stirring if possible, but do not let it stick to the pan. When you find it will candy take it from the fire and stir with a spoon till it creams. Add the vanilla or a few drops of any essence preferred, and go on beating it till nearly cold or till it can be handled. Then take small pieces and roll them into little balls; lay these on buttered paper. Prepare the chocolate by pounding and then dissolving it over some boiling water. A shallow tin basin is the best to use for this purpose. When quite dissolved dip the little sugar balls into it one by one, and lay them again on buttered paper to cool. The great art is in boiling the sugar and knowing exactly when it is done or ready to take off. It should cream when done, not shew in grains or be sandy. If it does grain it is a sign it has been boiled too long and you will have to begin again with fresh sugar. There is another way of making the centres of these sweets and that is with arrowroot and beat in powdered sugar till stiff enough to handle. But the proper way is with the pure sugar, and with a little practice chocolate creams are very easily made.

ANY a woman who has a small garden, or a bit of ground she could convert into a garden, could easily make a few pounds every season by growing small vegetables for pickling. If near a big city she may be able to sell to a pickling company, but if not she can pickle the vegetables herself