Evening star., 1934-12-07
Nuts and Popcorn in Menus

Marrons au Gratin-This is a sim
pie and pretty little savory. quite easily
made Boil one pound of chestnuts,
peel them and put them through a
sieve. Mix them with one cupful Of
medium white sauce. seasoned with
one teaSpoonful OF salt and fourth
teaspoonful Of pepper. The sauce
should be made with plenty of butter.
| Butter little ramekin dishes, fill them
with the mixture, sprinkle their tops
with crumbs and grated cheese. sifted
| together, and brown them we'll in a
hot oven. Serve very hot. decorating
each dish with sprigs of parsley.
Peanut butter is among plant foods
what cheese is among animal foods
a concentrated protein, rich in fat
and in flavor. 1t has gone through
many stages of quality since it first
came on the market. At one time
there we're almost as many grades
of peanut butter as there were of
coffee, and 1t was equally difficult
to find a really good one That
day has passed. 1t is now recognized
that the quality of the peanut and
the processes Of blending. roasting
and preparing have definite effect
on the texture and flavor of the
finished product. Peanut butter Of
good quality may now be easily found
AS a sandwich filling peanut but
ter won its first claim to place
in the food life of men, women and
children. 1t is easy to use. hearty
and nourishing, and has favor uni
versally liked. For school lunch
for the lunch away from home, or
for the bridge-party refreshments it
is a ready answer to the sandwich
question.
Peanut butter makes a delicious
thick cream soup. 1t gives both body
and flavor to a soup of plain stock.
1t is a perfect supplement to corn
and wheat products-mufins, scones,
cookies, waters, and the like. 1t has
made sandwiches, and even plain
bread and butter. more popular than
ever before. In vegetable hash,
loaves and a number of main-diSh
recipes it has a place. AS an ap-
petizer its salty. nutty flavor is well
| come in canapeS or salads. Added
to French dressing 1t makes quite
a new salad of the familiar vegetable
or fruit combination with which 1t
may be used. In homemade candy
it makes delicious fudge.
If oil rises to the top Of the con-
tainer in which the peanut butter
is kept, do not pour 1t of. Stir
or beat 1t back into the butter again.
Avoid using too large quantities of
the butter because 1t has greatly
concentrated flavor and food value.
1t is a rich food and so delicious
that one can quite easily eat too
much and be sickened of it forever
after. One must also choose foods
of not too strong flavor to combine
with it, so that the peanut flavor
may predominant.
When combining peanut butter with
other foods, as in batters or dough
mixtures, it is advisable to melt the
| fat and mix thoroughly with the pea
nut butter so as to be sure that they
are smoothly and evenly distributed.
When making sauces or soups, it is
better to mix the fat and the peanut
butter together and then add them
to the hot liquid, stirring unil smooth.
All soups and sauces containing pea
nut butter should be beaten with an
egg beater of the Dover type to give
a smooth, creamy mixture. AS a
spread for sandwiches, most peanut
buffers are much improved by thin
ming with cream or salad dressing.
Popcorn Recipes.
Popcorn is a particularly good,
wholesome substitute for the all-sugar
form of confection. 1t is SO bulky
that from a very little corn a large
quantity of sweets can be made. To
prepare the corn, put it into the
pepper and wet it thoroughly with
cold water before subjecting it to heat
Hold the pepper gradually nearer and
nearer to the fire, always shaking 1t
a little, so that the corn will grow
hot slowly and steadily. In that way
the kernels are evenly heated through
and through, and steam Is gener-
| ated that softens the outer shells. The