The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-07-20
NURSERY COOKERY.
THU SMALL CHILD'S SUMMER
DIET.
BY Christine Terhune Herrick.
(Continued from last week.


Continued from last week.
The summer is a period Of peculiar
dietetic danger to the child who is old
enough to forage for himself. The little
baby may be protected by hisvery help
iessness from all imprudences of diet
except those which his seniors force upon
him. Even the two or three-year old
may be watched and guarded to a GER
tain extent and his baby feet directed
from the paths of temptation.
The Older child, however who is re-
leased from the constant ward of a
nurse finds temptations awaiting him on
every side. For him exist the unripe
cherry, the green apple, the immature
pear and the little peach of emerald hue.
Against their perils he has not even a
just taste to protect him. 1t is useless
to hazard cOnjectures as to the condition
of palate that moves a child to eat and
apparently enjoy the sour acrid berries
and green fruits that an older person
would reject from sheer disrelish. Moth
Ing comes amiss to the small child. He
is naturally of an inquiring turn of mind,
and there are few inanimate novelties
~AA~"t OC4AtN
later-generally sooner-to be sub
mitted to the test of the taste. And the
worst part of it is that he is not warned off
by countless unpleasant experiences, but
promptly picks flint and tries again
whenever a new thing attracts his atten-
ton.
Ripe fruit, if eaten in moderation, is
not likely to do any harm to the healthy
child. He usually survives even unripe
fruit, by a kind provision of the power
that watches over the helpless and the
needless. For generations past boys
have climbed cherry trees and gorged
themselves with half ripened fruit,
prudently swallowing the stones in order
to evade detection, and have survived to
become Sunday school superintendent
and clergymen, who in their public dis
courses dwell severely upon Ewes sin in
taking forbidden fruit. Still, the fact
that they have not ended worse need not
move parents to encourage their children
in the same path.
AS I have said, ripe fruit does not, az
a rule, hurt a healthy child. But it
should be fresh as well as ripe. This is
especially necessary in the case of
cherries. Stale or bruised cherries are
most unwholesome, and if one is not
perfectly sure they are fresh they should
be cooked before they are given to the
children.
CHERRY BLANCMANGE.
Stew ripe cherries until tender. Drain
off the juice and pat it to one side. Make
a blancmange by soaking half a box of
gelatine for a half hour in enough cold
water to cover 1t, heating three cups Of
milk to boiling and stirring the gelh tine
into it with three tablespoonfuls Of white
sugar. When all are dissolved take
from the fire, add to it half a cupful of
the juice OF the cherries, set the blanc
mango aside to get cool and when it be-
gins to form put it on the ice. The
stewed cherries may either be stirred
into the blancmange when it is about
half firm or they may be reserved until
this is entirely formed. After it is
turned out on dish, the cherries may be
heaped about the base Of the form or if
the blancmange has been put into a
mould with hole in the center the cher-
ries may be put in and piled on top of the
form. Should there be any Of the syrup
left it may be boiled down with the adj
dition of little more sugar. When en-
tirely cold it will make a syrup that may
be poured about the base of the mould.
CHERRY CUSTARDS.
For these a white custard may be
made by pouring pint of hot milk upon
the whites Of three eggs with which have
been stirred-not beaten-thrJae scant
tablespoonfuls Of white sugar. The
cherries should have been stewed with
a little sugar drained free of the juice
and stoned. Half dozen or more should
be put in the bottom of each custard cup
in which the custards are to be baked
and the white mixture poured in on them.
The cups should then be set in a pan Of
boiling water and baked until set. Eat
when cold. If firm enough to turn out
a syrup may be made of the cherry juice
and sugar as directed in the preceding
recipe and this poured about them.
Continued next week.)