Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-28

leaving D crisp, brittle section Of celery
with no particle Of waste. Keep on In TINS
way up the stalk, breaking each mouthful
of instead of biting. This method win be
found not only much daintier way Of dis
posing of the wholesome vegetable. but
more satisfactory from gastronomic ana
healthful standpoint.
It Is at this season of between fruits
that the housekeeper finds great comfort in
the various dried and evaporated fruits
Of commerce. Properly prepared, many or
these will be found far superior in the real
fruit taste and richness to the cheap grade
Of canned goods. The secret In cooking
dried prunes, apricots. peaches, cherries
and the like lies in the long preliminary
soaking Wash each piece thoroughly, rub
bling between the thumb and forefnger;
then soak in plenty Of cold water over
night or for twenty-four hours until the
fruit is fully swollen. After this they may
be simmered on the back of the stove or
put In deep earthen dish. covered and
baked In the oven. until tender and delici-
GUS. With the long, slow cooking to bring
out the natural sweetness of the fruit, very
little additional sugar will be required, and
In some cases none at ALL
California or Arizona apricots prepared
In this way will find universal appreciation.
They are also excellent made into pies,
puddings, marmalades and whips.
While the prune in days past has suf-
Tered much from the iibes that associat ed
1t simply with boarding house fare, 1t is
gradually rising in the gastronomic scale,
as people realize that there are prunes and
prunes.
Although the French prune crop last wear
was almost total failure owing to cold
and hail. our own California yield has suf-
nced to keep the markets plentifuly sup
pHeo with the very best prune that grows
ana put up In a much more cleanly manner
than the most of the imported fruit
Of the healthfulness of cured prunes there
Is !, no question. while they are so easy Of
question that invalids and children are
allowed to use them when all other fruit is
tabooed. The food value of the prune is
also SO great that, served with a cereal, it
can frequently take the place of meat
lhere are any number of good recipes
Tor prune buildings and souffies and among
them these may be specially commended:
Prune Pudding.-Soak one quart of prunes
over night then stew until tender. When
cool, drain off the juice, remove the stones
and press the fruit through a sieve Beat
the whites of four eggs to stiff froth, add
ing gradually four tablespoonfuls of sugar
Add the fruit pulp, stir lightly, turn into
buttered pudding dish and bake fifteen
minutes In moderate oven.
Serve Immediately with whipped cream.
sweetened and favored.
A half cupful of chopped almonds smay
De ADDED just before putting in the oven,
II preferred; and a custard made of the
yolks Of the eggs served with the pudding
In place Of the whipped cream.
well Salted popcorn Is one of the most
popular appetizers. 1t is frequent addi-
ton to chatting dish suppers going especial
ly well with the Welsh rarebit
Another appetiZing relish not yet as we'll
known as it should be, is an Arabian nut
That comes already sailed. 1t is about
half the size of peanut and has a thin,
smooth shell. In roasting, this cracks open,
and salt being springfield in the roasting
pan, the meat of the nut takes its delicate
flavor during the roasting process.
The value Of the cranberry as a medicinal
agent was early recognized by the Ameri-
can aborigines who prepared poultices from
them to extract the venom from poisoned
arrows. On the same principle they are
used now as a remedy for erysipelas taken
internally or applied as poultice In ma
larial and typhoid conditions the acid of the
fruit Is specially commended while dys-
peptics who lack gastric Juice are also Of
fered cranberries. Eaten raw they are said
to be an excellent remedy for billiousness.
AS health food cranberries should not be
strained. as too much of their substance is
lost. One family who have thus far been
immune froln the prevailing epidemic-grip
cook the cranberres in plenty of water
and keep the strip on hand all the time as
drink. They declare the acid Of the berry
Is fully as agreeable as lemonade, and more
emcaclou5 IN preventing malarial and
bronchial troubles. They also cook the
fruit in this way, allowing the children to
eat all they want of 1t.
Wash in cold water one quart of the Der
rtes. Turn into an agate OF porcelain
saucepan, add one quart Of granulated
sugar and a quart of water Cover the
pan, stand over quick fire and let the
out stirring. Take the pan from the fire,
let the sauce cool, then pour in a glass dish