Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-12-03
HOLIDAY PASTRIES FOR GIFTS.
Charming Old-worid Customs to Copy
Rich Bowl Puddings Sent to Friends.
written for the .Dispatch)

Charming Old World Customs to Copy
Rich Bowl Puddings Sent to Friends.
CWritten for the .Dispatch)
The English housewife makes her pud-
dings-which, by the way, are always
boiled In buttered bowls covered with a
pudding-cloth tied down tightly-in Octo-
Der. or not later than the second week in
November The first is eaten on Christ
! mas-day. the last at Easter, and the last
is better than the first. A great many of
these rich bowl puddngs are sent by
English people TO friends at a distance.
Many are dispatched to America and Aus
tralia, though in the latter place IT is a
mere holiday formality, reminder Of
| home cheer, for Christmas-day is usually
| so hot that the rich delicacy is unpalata-
| bic.
The flavor Of plum pudding depends
altogether upon the quality of the
| ingredients composing It. Cooking raj
| sins will not answer, nor will cheap
wines or spirits. To have good pudding
| you must have the best OF everything.
! and the English housewife never stints In
! this particular Bread crumbs should also
| NC hoFh III fHudl HDi WIN NIN hphhs
with the substitution of beef suet for
| butter Any good recipe for rich fruit cake
| will answer for plum pudding.
ENGLISH AuNCE PIES.
English mlncemeat is altogether differ
ent from our own. II is made without
meat This statement may not be true OF
! some OF the country districts, but it APP
plies invariably to the large cities, where
the practice Of butchers Of hanging meat
for a least two weeks after killing, added
10 the dampness Of the climate, renders IL
impossible to keep mincemeat made I'm
the manner common in this country. l
have tried 1t 70 my sorrow The English
substitute proved so good, however, that
! have adopted II altogether in preference
TO the American mincemeat. 1t is pre-
pared as follows:
one pound OF currants, one pound or
Sultana raisins. one han pound OF mixed
peel Orange lemon, and citron), also peel
OF a lemon grated, one nutmeg two tea
spoonfus Of mixed spice about one half
teaspOonful Of salt, a quart bottle OF
Muscatel wine and a tumberful Of brandy,
one pound Of beef suet and one quarter
peck OF sharp apples The quantity Of
sugar should be one pound and the kind
dark brown-"raw sugar it is called in
England.
The easiest and best way To prepare
spices for Christmas cookery is to buy
one ounce each Of ground cloves, cinna-
mon, ginger. and alspice, and one half
ounce Of mace. Mix them thoroughly and
use them by the teaspOOnful.
Muscatel wine is 30 cents quart, and It
Is the only wine which will give just the
right flavor to mince pies. 1t is sold in
England as "Rch Raisin Wine" so If you
meet with that ingredient I'm any Eng
llsh recipe you will know that you are to
get Muscatel Our dealers do not know
it by the English name.
Alince-pies in England are always baked
I'm little tins, such as we would use for
tarts, about an inch deep and three and
half inches across, and with a top and bot
tom crust. There IS a tradition that
many mince-pies as you eat at holiday
time, the period between Christmas and
Twelft Night, 80 many happy days will
you have during the new year. The le-
gend would be gruesome were not the pies
so diminutve As it is the small boy has
an excuse for stuffing, and probably the
most pampered little fellow going would
consider a well-packed box Of them a
very jolly kind Of present to come upon
among the Christmas gifts.
Mince-pies for Christmas from this re-
cipe should be made not later than De-
ccmber 10th
BAVARIAN CHRISTMAS CAKE.
Bavarian Christmas cakes are held in
such high esteem by those who regard
them as a national delicacy (as we look on
OR pumpkin pie), that some Bavarians
here send to their own country every year
for flour and wine. so that they may be
sure to secure the true flavor.
The following Is the recipe, and from 1t
American -four and American wine will
produce satisfactory results. The cakes
are difficult to mix properly, but are well
worth the trouble; and when packed in
fancy boxes or baskets they make pretty
little trihe for a Christmas present to AN
acquaintance. They require three quar-
ters of a pound of -four one half pound
OF butter. one quarter pound OF granulated
sugar. and the yolk Of one egg, and three
tablespoonfuls OF white wine. The butter
and sugar are worked thoroughly together
and the -four added until they are of a
consistency to roll out.
They should be about three quarters Of
an inch thick. and cut in different shapes,
the daintiest not being larger than silver
quarter.
Spread the cakes with the yok Of the
egg, sprinkle with powdered sugar and
with cinnamon, place on buttered tins
and bake in slow oven. When light
brown on the bottom they are done. Let
them stand on the tin until quite cold.
SCOTCH SHORT-BREAD.
\ frequent form OF compliment in Scot
land Is sending large short-cake TO
friend for the New-kears feast. All
Scotch bakers take orders for them at
holiday time. and the best firms put them
up in fine paper and IN fancy boxes. pack
ing them az carefully as china or jewels.
Scotch short-bread or cake. 1t Is called
By both names like the Bavarian cakes
Just described, is exceedingly difficult to
make properly.
The Scotch housewife remembers the
PROPORTIONS as follows: "a quarter. half,
a pound" by which she means. one quar-
ter OF a pound o{ granulated sugar. one
half pound OF butter. and one pound OF
sifted flour, but as a matter OF fact
little more sugar Is required-at least five
ounces. These ingredients must be thor
oughly mixed and kneaded on a board
IKE bread, then rolled out about an inch
thick, the edges crinkled or ornamented
An the same manner as pie-crust, and
baked in a slow oven. Sometimes seed
candies, white and red, or strips OF citrou
are used for making an ornamental pat
tern on the cake
MARGARET COMPTON.
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