Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-17
TURKEY AND PUDDING
Always These, Whatever Else
is Ready for the Feast.
TO MAKE A MINCE PIE
CORRECT INGREDIENTS AND THE
WAY TO ASSEMBLE.
Used to Be Considered Bad Luck to Cut
Up More Tran
One.
TO MAKE A MINCE PIE

down in our hearts We would consent to
the abolishng of this merry time-we at
least congratulate ourselves on the modest
attempts now made 20 mark the season as
compared with those Of the good old
days of yore.'
Just think for a moment of the English
celebrations of a few centuries ago, when
the country gentleman was expected to
keep open house for his tenants from cock
crow on Christmas morning. The "hask!n,'
or great sausage, had to be boiled by day
break. and if it was not ready two young
men took the cook by the arm and ran
her around the market place until she was
ashamed of her lazness.
No matter in what way the Christmas
merrymaking is curtained the Yuletide din
ner. like Miss Pecksniff. cannot be shook
off, The turkey and plum pudding VIII
find themselves presiding the pieces de
resistance at most boards at this festive
feast. 1t is like carrying Goals to New
castle to offer the American housewife sug-
gestions for the cooking of the national
bird or a recipe for real John Bull plum
pudding. This latter dainty is both expen-
sive and troublesome to concoct, but there
is a plum pudding substitute both economic
and delicious which even a fine chef could
not distinguish from the real thing 1t is
called carrot plum pudding in the old Vir-
ginia family recipe book from which 1t was
taken and is made in the following way:
Take one pound of sifted -four one pound
Of carrots (Which should be weighed before
grating), half a pound of suet, one and
half pounds Of raisins. one and a half
pounds of currants and two teaspoonfuls
each of cinnamon. cloves and mace. Mix
and boil four hours in a mold or tied up
in a cotton bag. The pudding is eaten with
hard white sauce and is served hot.
A Family Festival.
Christmas is eminently family festival
and the children's ong-looked-for and spe-
oial time. Therefore in catering for thu
dinner it is necessary to bear in mind that
in addition to the grownups and the
stranger within the gates there are the
school boys and girls at table and the tiny
tots from the nursery so for the little ones
sake the menu should not be too elaborate.
Another thing too often forgotten is that
the servants want their merrymaking and
that good will to men, does not mean that
those who serve US should be so busy and
tired that Christmas day is anything but
a festival to them.
There are, however, certain dishes con-
nected with the dinner which few house
wives dare omit. Indeed, more than one
unconventional and dyspeptic person has
for that reason been heard to declare that
this season should be spent away from
home in hotel But even there these pre-
scribed dishes have a disconcerting way of
turning up.
Building a Pie.
One of them is the rnince pie. The follow
ing recipe for this toothsome morsel is that
OF celebrated New York chef: Put into
vessel two ounces of currants, two ounces
of sultana and three ounces of Malaga
ratsins, one ounce OF finely chop
ped citron, two ounces of well-chopped cold
boiled beef and two ounces of beef suet,
also chopped very fine. Mix the whole to-
gether for five minutes. Then add one
n nOw1ara1 coli Fol oP
salt, dram of ground allspice half a
dram of ground cinnamon and mix all to-
gether for a minute Peel, core and chop
up very fine three large, sound apples and
add them to the preparation, then pour in
half gill each of brandy and sherry wine,
mixing again for three minutes. Take half
a pound of pie paste, cut out a piece of
three ounces, roll in a circular shape ten
inches in diameter and lightly butter a pie
plate nine and half inches in diameter.
Arrange the paste over the plate and pour
the preparation in the center, fiattening it
evenly and leaving an inch space around
the edge of the plate Take the remaining
five ounces of the paste, roll it out as be-
fore, fold it in two and with knife make
several small incisions in the center
Moisten lightly the edge of the plate with
little beaten egg, then cover with the
paste, pressing down with the hand all
around the edge to inclose the prepa-
ration entirely, then moisten the surface
slightly with the beaten egg Place in a
moderate oven and bake for fifty minutes.
Remove the pie to the oven door and
sprinkle plentifully with powdered sugar.
Return 1t to the oven, closing the door for
two minutes, so that the sugar may melt.
Slide it to dish and serve hot or cold,
with or without brandy around it.
The Luck of It.
The Christmas mnce pie of lone ago was
a potent mascot. 1t was lucky to cut one
pie on Christmas day, but unlucky to cut
two. The one accepted and partaken of
would insure to the eater a portion of good
luck on one day of the ensuing year. If
three pies were eaten In one house then a
portion of ill-luck was assured. BY taking
a mince pie in each friends house at
Christmas time one insured oneself of many
pieces of good fortune through the coming
twelve months. In olden times a mince pie
had double effect If the crust was shaped
right. This prescribed form was in the
shape of a manager. The contents of the
cradle crust of the ancient mince pie was
typical of the gifts brought by the magi
to the Holy Child. The gold was symbolic
ed by saffron used in making the crust, the
spice by aromatic mixtures placed within,
and the bitter myrrh by almonds.
Now word about carving the Christmas
turkey. 1t may be the tenderest of its kind
and cooked to perfection, yet half of its
delicious qualities will be lost If ii is not
properly carved.
In the first place, the fork should be cor
rectiy inserted in the turkey, one prong be-
ing on each side of the breastbone in order
to hold the bird firm. The legs are then
removed by passing the knife between the
thigh and body until the bone is reached
and forcing the thigh back until the joint
is laid bare. 1t Is then an easy matter to
sever the leg with the point of the knife
In removing the wing a part of the breast
should be sliced away with it, carving close
to the ribs. When the joint is reached bend
the limb outward in order to expose the
joint and then sever with the knife
Ignorant carvers usually try to cut
through the joints without first exposing
them, the result being that they only sue
coed in mangling the bird.
With the instructions given 1t will be an
easy matter for even inexperienced persons
to acquit themselves in thoroughly salts
factory manner when carving the Christ
mas bird
Duchess of Roxburghe's Turquoises.
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