Festive Gifts from Your Kitchen
Australian Women's Weekly
Saturday 16 December 1933
Here's a most delightful way of coping with a lengthy gift list at Christmas! Suggestions and Tested Recipes....
By MARGARET SHEPHERD who is instructor in cookery at leading hospitals.
EVERYONE knows that our friends like best the gifts we make for them. And what variety your kitchen offers — from the tiny remembrance, to take the place of the customary gift card, to a large and sustaining present for those near and dear who cannot take part in the home festivities.
Party wrappings, gaily coloured paper to cover boxes, tiny sprigs of holly, cellophane, filmy pastel tulles and bright ribbons can, and will, make your kitchen presents look enchantingly festive.
Amusing biscuits and cookies cut into bird, animal and golliwog shapes; dressed in coloured icing sugar, covered with coconut and raisins, are sent to spend Christmas with some little girl or boy you know.
A box of luscious tarts gaily presented, with the smartest bows and holly, will be much appreciated in another quarter.
For the bachelor girl friend who "isn't much of a cook," a small chicken pie for her Christmas dinner, showing a rich pastry cover, with a tender chicken reposing in savoury gravy beneath — necessitating only a few minutes heating on Christmas day — will earn you many kindly thoughts.
The maker of jam, jellies, pickles and sauces, finds it easy to evolve gifts of many flavors. These to be presented in odd glass or pottery jars, or plain jam jars with decorated tops in coloured sealing wax, and pretty labels to help create the festive air. For instance, a small glass jar filled with golden jam, covered with contrasting ribbons, would be the gift ideal to grace a friend's breakfast table.
Consider the merits of home-made sweets, in china or pottery bowls, covered with tulle, and each tied with a saucy bow!
TO CRYSTALLISE FRUITS
two cups castor sugar
1 cup boiling water
1-8th teaspoon cream of tartar
fruits as cherries
apricots
plums
oranges
mandarins
nuts
Put the water, sugar, and cream of tartar into an enamel-lined saucepan. Stir, and bring slowly to boiling point, removing sugar from sides of saucepan with a brush. When the syrup comes to boiling point stop stirring, and continue to boil until it begins to discolour. Remove from fire for two seconds to stop boiling, then stand the saucepan of syrup in hot water while dipping fruits, which have been prepared as follows:—
Wash and dry fruits. Cut plums and apricots in halves, remove the stone; stone cherries. Stand in a dry spot overnight. When well dried dip each piece separately in the syrup and stand on a rack covered with waxed paper in a sunny spot. Do not allow the pieces of fruit to touch each other. Next day dip again, and when dry—if at all sticky—dust lightly with powdered sugar.
These candied fruits do not keep for any length of time.
CREAM FONDANT
two cups sugar
1 tablespoon glucose
1 cup cream
pinch salt
Put above ingredients into a straight-sided saucepan. Cook on a low fire until sugar is dissolved. When the sugar begins to boil cook quickly without stirring until it forms a soft ball when a small piece is dropped into cold water. Pour on to a cold wet plate or marble slab. Brush over lightly with cold water to hurry the cooling; on no account touch the plate or slab; the quicker this clear syrup is cooled the smoother the fondant will be.
When the syrup is cool enough to hold your hand under it commence to work it with a spatula or wooden spoon. Work towards the centre, backward and forward motion. When thick, take the mixture in your hands and knead until soft and smooth. Place in a jar or basin covered with a damp cloth for two days to ripen. At the end of that time your fondant is ready to be made into candies or chocolates.
Turn the fondant on to a board or slab and divide into five or six portions. Take each piece and knead well. Flavor and colour as you desire.
TO FLAVOR. — Make a hole in the ball of fondant, put a few drops of the flavouring into the hole, and cover with a piece of the fondant and knead in the hands until the flavouring is thoroughly blended. Vanilla, almond, lemon, maple, and peppermint are nice flavourings.
TO COLOUR. — Make a well in the fondant as above and cover with the mixture. Knead until the colour is well blended. If liquid colourings are used, add very sparingly — adding more colour if not deep enough.
TO DIP IN CHOCOLATE. — Take a cake of plain chocolate and break up into a mug or cup. Stand it in a vessel of water on the stove, stirring occasionally until it melts. Then put a piece of fondant on a two-pronged fork and dip in chocolate. Lift out, and stand on a tin tray covered with waxed paper, resting on a block of ice.
There are more complex ways of preparing chocolate, but this is the best and quickest way for the amateur.
Fruits such as prunes, figs, dates, raisins, and cherries make delightful Christmas sweets when stuffed with fondant. Remove the seed and refill with a small piece of fondant, decorating the top with pieces of cherry or nuts.
MARSHMALLOWS
one pound sugar
6 tablespoons water
1oz. gelatin
white of 1 duck egg (preferred)
flavouring and colouring
1 tablespoon glucose
Boil water, sugar, and glucose until it cracks when put in cold water. Soak gelatin in 1 tablespoon cold water; add flavouring. When syrup reaches the hard-ball test (when a small piece put into cold water forms a hard ball) add gelatin, and when dissolved pour into a basin to cool a little. Beat the egg-white to a still froth. Whip the syrup a little, add egg white, and continue beating until stiff but not set. Sprinkle a plate with icing sugar and pour the marshmallow over it. Sprinkle sugar on top; allow to stand until cold. Cut into blocks and roll with icing sugar or cornflour. Colouring can be added just before whipping the syrup.
WALNUT BISCUITS
five ounces flour
2oz. butter
1 egg, salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons finely-chopped nuts
1 tablespoon milk
Cream butter and sugar; add well-beaten egg and 1 tablespoon milk. Sift in flour, baking powder, salt; add walnuts. Cook in small spoonfuls on a greased tray in a hot oven.
SPICE COOKIES
Half pound flour
¼lb. butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
a little grated lemon rind
¼ teaspoon mixed spice
"speck" of ground ginger
pinch salt
1 egg
Sift flour, spices, and salt together in a basin. Rub the butter in with the fingertips. Make into a dough with the egg. Turn on to a lightly-floured board. Roll out to ¼-inch thickness and cut into rounds. Bake in a slow oven, and join together with creamed butter, flavoured with spices and essence or a little strong coffee.
Ice with coffee-icing and sprinkle tops with ground cinnamon or chopped nuts.
Source: Festive Gifts from Your Kitchen (1933, December 16). The Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982), p. 47.
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