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The Seaforth News, 1961-07-06, Page 6Kitchens' Were .The Real Thing Then, The mansion, called Nen Wood, on the ridge between Hampstead and Highgate, is well known enough. But how many of those who go to enjoy those de- licately 'furnished apartments of a blander yesterday, the beauti- fully contrived landscaping of its grounds, remember that all this could not have lasted a week but for the kitchen? So this you must see toe * * Most of the old gear it must daily have used is gone; but whet is left suggests that this . place must have been as busy as the deck of a frigate in action. Look at that fireplace, five feet wide and three deep, big enough to put a pig in. It seems to have been designed to burn great billets of wood. You won der how any human being could have stood within yards of it when it was at full blast. Up above, near mantelpiece level, are the remains of the polished brass mechanism which turned the great spits on which meat was reacted. Andif you tuck in your head and peer up the chimney, you can dimly see the smoke jack. What a crew there must have been here of head -cook and un- der -cook, pastry -cook and sauce - cook, and their assistants of both sexes and aid ages from about seven to seventy. They worked long hours too, and exercised some delioate twists of the culin- ary art in the course of them, But one advantage they had. This was the one place in the whole house where it was always warm enough. The ovens, one horizontal and one vertical, are on either side of the chimney and so is the hot-water system, with one Lap. Think of the generations of pies — round ar square, shallow or deep, meat or sweet — which must have come sliding out trom those generous interiors of iron. All along the north side of this great white room runs what I take to have been an elabor- ate hot -plate, like an enormous altar. In the side it has five shelves for hot ashes and, on top, gridded depressions to take plat - OLD SOLDIER FADES — Th,e lost surviving dog veteran of World War II, Sorge, has died. He recently celebrated his 20th birthday with his mistress, Mrs. Jeanne Warner Platt, shown here, ters and bowls, There is a ape- elot oval one, for soup and broth, at the far end, • There must have been at least a score of people busy here, and for hours on end, to prepare the twelve -course dinners fortwenty which' were common then. And of course there were all the in- dom. and outdoor servants to cools for as well. See the two big pestles and mortars over there. In them the big sugar loaves were pounded to powder, the almonds to paste; and suc- culent meats, ounningly blend- ed, were bashed, by main force, Mho delicate pates, Think of the rich and generous odors of the place as beef and veal, goose and pheasant and partridge, each in its season — and all from the estate—rev- olved, spluttering, in iron of that masterpiece of a fire, Think of the salmon, from the rivers of the north and west, brought hundreds of miles by relays of galloping pack horses so that the fish might arrive fresh. Think of the color from great baskets of fruit and from the amazing sweets they confected, complicated in concept, and skill, ful in execution as the tiara of a Duchess. And one must remember the ice cut from the frozen lake in winter and stored subterraneous- ly in the icehouse in the grounds. For the start of their day, it seems, the cooks and their maids and boys were roused abruptly by the night watchman. He pa- troled the grounds, armed, dur- ing the dark hours, and his last act before going off duty at six o'clock was to fire cff his gun. At this signal somebody else blew three blasts of a horn. Aft- er that no one .could say they hadn't heard the alarm go off. Other old properties of this once dramatic scene are two big chopping blocks and a dresser that must be twenty-five feet wide. You might amuse yourself in trying to calculate how many score of dishes this vast piece of homely carpentry might have held—and the washing-up! ' Lays Flowers On His Own Grave Every day precisely at noon, a cheerful little man arrives at a cemetery in Parma, Italy, carrying a bunch of flowers, He goes straight to an unoc- cupied grave in a quiet, sun- ny corner of the cemetery and lays the flowers reverently against the headstone, This bears an inscription, beginning "Rest in Peace," which records the birth of a certain man in December 1891, gives his name, but does not state when he died. There is a good reason for the. omission of the death date. For the man destined one day to be buried in that grave is the lit- tle man who takes flowers to the grave so regularly, Every day he stands reverent- ly in front of the plot and, after gazing at the surrounding countryside, tidies the grass and flowers nearby. He visits his own grave be- cause, he says, now is the time for him to enjoy the beautiful surroundings and to decorate the grave so that it will look beau- tiful and constantly fresh. "No- body ' will do it later after I have been buried here," he says. A 'wife called up a friend and burst out: "Am I lucky! My hus- band just had a nervous break- down, so now we have to go to Florida," THE "INFORMATION EXPLOSION" GROWTH OF CHEMICAL LITERATURE, 1,10-60 Motto* of papers in thotasondf 140 120 100 01 6m 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 OUNTAIN OF KNOWLEDGE—Technical information pprt)" tlluced by the world's scientists amounted to 60 mllliog, pager at technical papers in 1980 alone. This Is equal to 85 man-years of round -the -cloak reading. Mirroringx t �Uti general information explosion, the growth In one Deld chemicalliterature—is traced in graph above. Data free DuPont Co.. 40 20 A MIGHTY INTERESTING TAIL =• There are no tall tales about this revolutionary swingtail air freighter. A product of Canada, the freighter is built to allow speedy loading of cargo. It's shown on first landing in New York. TA .L ndttew . bane A s 2 eggs thoroughly. Make a well in the flour and add the eggs gradually, until all the flour is folded into the egg with a wood- en spoon, Add a little milk gra- dually; untie the mixture is 'creamy, and just 'runs 'o£f the spoon. Beat thoroughly, One Cook told me to use the back of 'the spoon when beating, adding that when the mixture made a "gallup.-gallop" sound, I would know it was being beaten pro- perly! * a Put this batter into a cool place for at least an hour or two, longer if possible. Just before use, beat up again, adding a dessertspoon of icy cold water. The baking tin (10"x7") should already be warming in the oven with a spoonful of dripping. Pour the mixture through a strainer (this helps to keep the mixture light and airy) into the baking tin, and cook in a hot oven (400 degrees F,) for 20 to 30 minutes. It is safe to open the oven after 20 minutes, and turn the dish, around if the 'sides are' cooking too quickly. This batter may be used in a variety of ways. "Toad-in-the- hole" is a favourite. Just pop some sausages, one for each per- son, into the batter when you have poured it into the baking tin and cook in the usual way. Or lightly saute some finely chopped onions in the dripping, add some small pieces of bacon, and pour the batter over. Sliced apples and a handful of raisins tossed into the batter make a tasty dish.* * With the picnic and "eat -out- door" season at hand, here are a few sanddvioh-filling ideas that might come in handy. ' CHICKEN -NUT FILLING . Combine 1 cup oubedchicken with '/4 cup chopped nut meats and 4 stuffed olives sliced; add just enough mayonnaise' to hold ingredients together. Spread on buttered bread 'slices. ALMOND SANDWICH FILLING Ohop 1/4 cup roasted urtblanoh- ed -almonds;' blend together 1 3 -ounce package cream cheese and 2 tablespoons orange mer- tnalaale to spreading consistency end mix in almonds, DEVILED HAM -EGG SANDWICHES 1 cup diced ham 2 hard-cookedeggs, chopped' let cup mayonnaise 14 teaspoon dry mustard Va cup grated Canadian cheese '/s. teaspoon pepper Combine all ingredients ex- cept cheese. Spread open -face sandwiches (cracker s, bread rounds, or triangles). With 'mix- ture; sprinkle with cheese and broil for 2 minutes or until cheese melts; serve hot. (If using this miiebure between bread slices, mix cheese with other in- gredients.) PEANUT BUTTER FILLING Thin 1 cup peanut butter with cup fresh orange juice. Spread on bread and sprinkle with orisp bacon bits. So many Old Country people tell us that we Canadians have no idea what "real" Yorkshire pudding tastes like that I thought many of my readers might be interested in the . fed- lowing, written by Christine Mc- Micking in the Christian Science Monitor. * * A friend whose work is taking her lecturing. around the United States, `trote, to suggest that American readers would• enjoy hearing about some traditional English dishes, naming York- shire pudding in particular. I have to confess that my own Yorkshire puddings have been rather hit-and-miss affairs. However, I feel that my own lack of • consistent success is no excuse,for not giving our readers theopportunity to try their skill. The more people I. asked for helpful advice, the more variety of views came my way, so you may all have to try out ways and means, until you find the one that suits your taste, and type of cooker — for I am told that this can make quite a differ- ence. * * * The good old-fashioned coal range is said, by some, to make the only genuine Yorkshire pud- ding. An experienced profession- al coals told me that she found gas stoves better than electric for this type of dish. But many of us have no alternative to the electric stoves which serve us so well and so we must perse- vere until we find the method whish suits our stove. I wrote to friends in York- shire for tips. A well-known caterer in the city of Leeds was quite emphatic that this is a dish only the housewife can make in normal 'family quan- tities. He said that it is not pos- sible to make a . good Yorkshire pudding in large quantities. He is one of the "plain flour" bri- gade. For it is over the ,question of the 'type of flour to be used that there is so much .difference of opinion. One experienced cook advised me to try self -rising flour. She told me that she . was now using it in preference to plain flour, as it is so much lighter. Another bit • of • information which came my way as the re- sult of my inquiries, is that Yorkshire pudding, and other types of savoury. puddings eaten with a meat course, probably. originated in homes where fam- ilies were very large and money was . short. Meat was very . ex- pensive, so puddings were serv- ed first to take the edge off hearty 'appetites! This explains 'a remark made to me when we first came to the farm. Our herdsman was a lad from Yorkshire, and until he married he took his meals in the farmhouse. The first time I put before him a huge plateful of roast beef, itorkehire pudding, roast potatoes, and cabbage, he sat back, looked first at -the plate, then at me, and said re- spectfully, but 'Firmly, "The does'na ate puddin wi't' malt — (ha ates it wi' t gravy and then the' serves t' mart an' 'tabie an' such," (I have reproduced York- shire dialect from a fascinating old book on Yorkshire country tales that was lent to me.) So, to be correct, you eat your Yorkshire pudding first, with good rich brown gravy, I must mention yet another difference of opinion; Some folk like their pudding solid in the middle, with crisply rising edges; others like it thin, rather dry, and ris- ing high in the pan, It will be interesting to learn how gooks the world over arrive at a satis- factory solution. Here, then, is the basic recipe to serve 6 to 8 people, Sift two or three times 4 tablespoons of flour into •a basin with -pepper and salt to your own taste. Beak Population Keeps On Exploding The explosive rate of growth of the world's population was described last month by Marriner Eccles, former chairman of the board of the U.S. Federal Reserve System, as the "most vitally important problem facing the world today," which may well prove to be "snore explosive than the atomic or hydrogen bomb.", Other distinguished par- ticipants at an international symposium on the world pop- ulation crises agreed with him. As evidence they pointed to the . fact that . while it took the hu- man race from its first appear- ance on earth to today to reach three billion, at the present rate of 'growth the estifnated world population in the year 2000 will reach 6,280,000,000, or more than double in forty years, This increase, it is agreed, imposes a severe burden on ef- forts to raise the miserably low standards of living of two-thirds of the world's people, Calcula- tions show that Asia, merely to maintain her present low level of living standards (a per capita income of $50 per year) must increase her aggregate' product by 60 per cent between now and 1975, and an additional 75 ; per cent between 1975 and 2000. Figures for Latin America and Africa are equally startling, Increasing efficiency of agri- cultural and industrial produc- tion of course helps the situation; but the obvious solution, the ex- perts agree, is to' curb human fertility by birth control, Other- wise, they warn, the misery, starvation and hopelessness of many billions of the world's population will inevitably lead to chaos. The bottleneck in the way of acceptance of birth control methods cannot be attributed, as is generally believed, to the Catholic Church. In Asia and Africa, where the population in- crease is most explosive, Cath- olics constitute but 3 per cent of the population. One way to alleviate the pop- ulation problem would be for the United States to accept the rec- ommendations of the Draper Re- port, that we assist friendly na- tions in population planning at their request. In this way we could give needed help to our friends in Asia. Africa and Latin America to curb their explosive populations—help that now can be given only inadequately by private organizations. ' — New York Times. British Desserts Are Not Like Ours An American dessert and a British dessert are not the same —by dictionary definition. In the United States, it is a course of fruit, pastry, pudding, or ice cream served at the end of a meal. In England, dessert officially is a fruit or fruits serv- ed, after the pudding. These days, however, the Brit- ish seldom have six -course meals, and the dessert is coming to have the same meaning as in the Unit- ed States—the "sweet" at the end, not the fruit after the pud- ding, No matter what they call it, the British have some splendid sweet courses—of Which they are just as fond as weare of apple pie a la mode or chocolate cake, neither of which inciden- tally, is unknown here. Some of the continuing favor- ites are trifle, treacle tart, bread and butter pudding, rice pud- ding, spatted dog, semolina, gooseberry fool, and summer pudding. In addition, there are all manner of flans and jellies, cakes and 'whips, jam rolls, and sponges. Of them all, trifle is the one that most often surprises and pleases visitors. This is a sweet whose basis is spongeoake (or even stale leftover cake), soaked in jelly (which is the British equivalent of our jello and cus- tard, and sumrounted with mac- aroons, jam (the equivalent, of our jelly), and 'whipped cream. Trifle—the word , comes from. the old French meaning • mockery or trickery—has several enor- mous advantages. It need never be the same mixture, and it is a marvelous catchall for almost anything remaining in the pan- try. Spotted dog, said to resemble a Dalmatian, is suet pudding with currants, cooked in a 'cloth. It is filling and another school favorite. Our nearest counter' part of semolina pudding, ac' cording to my taste, is Cream o'i Wheat, •Treacle tart is basically molasses and pastry. Gooseberry fool is a sweet made of stewed gooseberries and whipped cream. .Che chief Ingredients of summer pudding are bread and fruit, Then there is crumble—apple, pineapple,' or rhubarb, to men- tion a few well-known flavors. The basic ingredients are bread (stale bread,,if you are a thrifty housewife) and brown sugar. (Note to Readers; As a mere man, no doubt I have made mis- takes about some of the ingre- dients of these sweets, To Brit- ish housewives, I do not mean to Imply these traditional favor- ites are the only desserts you can produce, And to non -British housewives, I don't . mean to im- ply you don't make these British favorites, too=under the same name or names of your own!) To the British, the chief attri- bute of a sweet is that it shall be indeed sweet. To ensure the desired degree of saccharinity, one is enjoined to add a thick coating of granulated sugar to the dessert, The sugar often comes in what seems to be a giant -size silver salt shaker,' and it is sprinkled on as we would. sprinkle salt on their food. (The British, of course, prefer to shake their sugar and spoon their salt.) They also 'favor unrestricted choice of sweets. On occasions when a British family is enter- taining guests, more than one dessert is usually offered—and you are urged to "have some of them all." That's why one really doesn't have a single favorite British sweet. My preference 'is trifle and several others, topped by a dab of fruit Wad. A vent - table sweet smorgasbord, all on the same plate! MAYBE THE DENTIST WAS Tit R.,LAME Howard has a ,, . rng distrust of doctors, When asked why, he answered; "Well, I once had a boil on my neck,. so I went to the doe to get it fixed. The doe, looks the boil an:d me over, then tells me it's a bad tooth that's causing the infection. "Are you sure, Doc?" I asked. 'Yap,' he says. So I take out both denture plates and lay them on the desk in front of him. 'OK doe,' I sez, 'you just point out which one it is, and I'll get rid of the little son -of -a -gun'," DEPOSIT HERE — Instead of a bite, mailman Jock Orchard gets a beg. When he comes to the Roe Myers home in De - Land, Fla., their dog Tootsie is waiting. She sits up and begs until Orchard puts the mail in her mouth. The Myers' need mail daily. If Orchard didn't stop, they're afraid Toots would follow all around the route, begging. ISSUE ee — 1961 PORT OF MUNICH — Has the skipper mode a wrong turn and landed his ocean liner in the middle of downtown Munich, Germany? The liner Rotterdam sitting in the !Peet, is just a model — to help the Inland city celebrate "Netherlands Week,"