Evening star., 1928-11-09

To serve dried fruits to the best ad-
vantage, they must be properly cooked.
The more slowly they are cooked the
richer and the better looking will be the
finished product. Soak the fruit for sew
eral hours or over night if the soaking
is started late in the evening, IN water
to cover, usually about two cupfulS TO
each cupful of dried fruits. Too mucn
water will dilute the flavor, but there
should be sufficient for full absorbtlon
and a little more. Leave the fruit IN
the Juice in which it was soaked, orlng
It gradually to the boiling point and
then boil very gently until tenoer,
usually for about an hour.
Dried fruit tastes just as good ana
some like it better, when stewed in the
oven. and this method has its advan-
tagcs. The fruit will not dry and burn,
Will remain whole and may be cooked
while roasting or baking other things,
Wash the fruit, pour the boiling water
over it and let it stand in covered dlsh
until ready to put it in the oven. Then
add the sugar, cover tightly and let the
heat of the oven do the cooking. Prunes
are always delicious when cooked IN
this way.
We all know the value Of raisins IN
the diet. In addition to other ways OF
using, they are good to use with cereals
at breakfast. If served with bran, corn
flakes or any cold cereal, they SnouIo
first be thoroughly washed, hot water
poured over them and then allowed to
Stand for a few minutes. The water
should then be poured of and the
raisins served either hot or cold. TINS
method of washing softens the ralslns
and makes them much easier to mastl-
cate.
It is a good plan to clean currants as
socn as thye come into the house
and store them in jar and 1t is
better not to attempt more than pound
at a time. After washing them, turn
onto sieve to drain and dry them In
cool place, sprinkling little flour over
them and rubbing them in clotn;
stems which will probably still adhere
to them after washing. Now take few
currants at time and sprinkle them on
a plate to discover if any small stones
remain. They should never be used
while wet or hot and they should have
a little -four sprinkled over them before
being mixed with other ingredients. If
liked, they may be scalded with boiling
water to make them plump and tender,
but even in this case they must be
thoroughly dried and Toured before
being used.
Cooking Dried Fruits.
Prune Cobbler with Meringue.-Line a
square. shallow pan with plain pastry.
Fill the center with half pound OF
large prunes which have been washed
and soaked over night in two cupfuls
of cold water, then stoned. Sprinkle
with half q cupful of sugar and one
tablespoonful of lemon juice, dot with
one tablespoonful of butter and add
one-fourth cupful Of the prune Juice.
Bake in hot oven until the prunes are
cooked and the crust is nicely Drowned.
Cover with meringue made from the
whites of two eggs, six tablespoonfulS OF
sugar and one-fourth teaspoonful of
vanilla. Return to a medium oven and
brown. Cool before serving.
Oatmeal Date Pudding. Heat two-cup-
fuls of milk in double boiler and sift
in half cupful of corn meal gradually.
Cook for about half an hour. Stone
and quarter one cupful of dates before
measuring. Add two cupfuls of cold
cooked oatmeal and the dates to the
corn meal mixture after removing the
latter from the fire. Stir in three egg
yolks, beaten slightly, with one-third
cupful of brown sugar and fold in the
stifny beaten egg whites. Pour into
Udh4u6 Q4SA4 oAAO boAAC Al q
medium oven for half an hour. Serve
with cream.
Apricot Brown Betty.-Dried apricots
make delicious brown Betty. For this
the fruit should be steamed after wash |
ing and soaking. Blend rolled dry bread
crumbs with sugar, brown or white as
preferred, using one cupful OF sugar to
two cupfuls of crumbs and tablespoon |
full of melted butter added to each cup |
full of crumbs, the whole to be thorough |
ly blended before adding the fruit The
proportion of fruit and crumbs may
be varied, but one cupful Of steamed
fruit to each cupful of seasoned crumbs
should be arranged in alternate layers,
topping with crumbs. Bake in slow
oven for about 40 minutes, covered,
then uncover and brown.
Steamed Dried Peach, Prune, Apricot
or Fig Pudding Cream together one
tablespoonful of butter with two table,
spoonfuls of sugar, add two eggs well
beaten. one cupful of milk, half tea
spoonful of salt and two and one-half
cupfuls of -four sifted with one and
one-half teaspoonfuls of baking powder.
Beat well, then stir in heaping cupful
Of stewed dried peaches or other fruit.
thoroughly drained and cut In small
pieces Turn into well creased mold
and steam for two hours. Serve piping
hot with hard sauce or with sauce