Page:Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.djvu/1097

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Ingredients.—4 apples, 2 tablespoonfuls of flour, 2 tablespoonfuls of warm water, 1 dessertspoonful of salad-oil, or oiled butter, 1 white of salt, sugar, frying-fat.

Method.—Pare, and core the apples, cut them into slices of even thickness, sprinkle them well with sugar, and let them remain thus for ½ hour. Sift the flour and salt in a basin, add the oil and the water gradually, stir until smoothly mixed, then beat well. Let the mixture stand for at least 1 hour, and then stir in the stiffly-whisked white of egg. Dip each apple ring into the batter, take it up on the point of a skewer, and drop at once into hot fat. Fry rather slowly until crisp and lightly-browned, then drain well, dredge with castor sugar, and serve as quickly as possible.

Time.—Altogether, about 1 hour. Average Cost, 6d. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.

Ingredients.—10 to 12 apricots (preserved fruit will do), castor sugar, ground cinnamon, frying-fat. For the yeast batter: 8 ozs. of flour, ¼ of an oz. of yeast, 1½ ozs. of oiled butter, milk, ½ a teaspoonful of castor sugar, a pinch of salt.

Method.—Cream the yeast smoothly with a little tepid milk, add 2 ozs. of flour, mix into a light dough, and let it rise in a warm place. When it has risen to nearly twice its original size add the salt, sugar, warm butter, flour, and as much tepid milk as is needed to form a light dough. Let it rise again, and meanwhile drain the apricots from the syrup. Cover the halves of the apricots completely with a thin coating of dough, place them on a well-buttered paper, let them remain near the fire for about ½ an hour, then fry in hot fat until nicely browned. Drain will, sprinkle with castor sugar and cinnamon, then serve.

Time.—About 2 hours. Average Cost, 11d. Sufficient for 8 or 9 persons.

Ingredients. —6 firm bananas, frying-batter (see No. 1645, or 1647), castor sugar, frying-fat.

Method.—Cut each banana lengthwise and across, thus forming 4 portions. Coat them completely with the prepared batter, fry them in hot fat until nicely browned, and drain well. Sprinkle with castor sugar, and serve.

Time.—Altogether, about ¾ hour. Average Cost, 8d. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.