21.  JELLY, RASPBERRY & CURRANT.

1 lb. raspberries, 1/2 lb. currants, 6 ozs. sugar, 1/4 oz. prepared agar-agar, 3/4 pint water.

Soak agar-agar as for Orange Jelly.  Cook fruit with 1/2 pint water until well done.  Strain through muslin.  Warm the agar-agar until dissolved in 1 gill of water.  Put the fruit juice, sugar, and agar-agar into a saucepan.  If liquid measures less than 1-1/2 pints, add enough water to make up quantity.  Bring to the boil, pour through a hot strainer into wet mould.  Turn out when cold and serve.

22.  MINCEMEAT.

1/2 lb. raisins, 1/2 lb. sultanas, 1/2 lb. currants, 1/2 lb. castor sugar, 1/4 lb. nutter, 1/2 a nutmeg, grated rind of 2 lemons, 1-1/2 lb. apples.

Well wash all the dried fruit in warm water, and allow to dry thoroughly before using.  Stone the raisins, pick the sultanas, and rub the currants in a cloth to remove stalks.  Wash and core the apples, but do not peel them.  Put all the fruit and apple through a fine food-chopper.  Add the sugar, grated lemon rind, and nutmeg.  Lastly, melt the nutter and add.  Stir the mixture well, put it into clean jars, and tie down with parchment covers until needed for mince pies.

23.  NUT PASTRY.

Flake brazil nuts or pine-kernels in a nut mill, or chop very finely by hand.  Do not put them through the food-chopper, as this pulps them together, and the pudding will be heavy.  Allow 1 heaped cup of flaked nuts to 2 level cups of flour.  Mix to a paste with cold water.  Roll out very lightly.  Cover with chopped apple and sugar, or apples and sultanas, or jam.  Roll up.  Tie loosely in a floured pudding-cloth.  Put into fast-boiling water and boil for 1 hour.

24.  PLAIN PUDDING.

1 lb. flour, 3 ozs. nutter, a full 1/2 pint water.

Rub the nutter very lightly into the flour, or chop like suet and mix in.  Add the water gradually, and mix well.  Put into a pudding-basin, and boil or steam for 3 hours.  Turn out and serve with golden syrup, lemon sauce or jam.

25.  PLUM PUDDING, CHRISTMAS.

1/2 lb. raisins, 1/2 lb. sultanas, 1/2 lb. currants, 1/2 lb. cane sugar, 1/2 lb. flour, 1/4 lb. sweet almonds, 1/4 lb. grated carrot, 1/4 lb. grated apple, 1/4 lb. nutter, grated rind of 2 lemons, 1/2 a nutmeg.

Well wash the raisins, sultanas and currants in hot water.  Don’t imagine that this will deprive them of their goodness.  The latter is all inside the skin.  What comes off from the outside is dirt, and a mixture of syrup and water through which they have been passed to improve their appearance.  Rub the currants in a cloth to get off the stalks, pick the stalks from the sultanas, and stone the raisins.  Put the currants and sultanas in a basin, just barely cover them with water, cover them with a plate, and put into a warm oven—­until they have fully swollen, when the water should be all absorbed. (Currants treated in this way will not disagree with the most delicate child.  They are abominations if not so treated.) Rub the nutter into the flour, or chop it as you would suet.  Blanch the almonds by steeping them in boiling water for a few minutes:  the skins may then be easily removed; chop very finely, or put through a mincer.  Wash, core, and mince (but do not peel) the apples.  Grate off the yellow part of the lemon rind.  Mince or grate the carrots.