Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982), Saturday 23 December 1950, page 38


. Cold buffet menus make light work of holiday meals. Salad ingredients and fruit give a gag and colorful ap-pearance to the table and the informal cold service fits in with a "no - cooking - on -Christmas-day" plan.

MORE than half the fun of Christmas

lies in sharing traditional Christmas foods with family and friends, in using every housewifely art you possess to make it a red-letter day for young and old, and in planning well ahead so that last

minute rush is eliminated.

Whether you plan a hot dinner or an informal cold buffet (like the one illustrated on this page) depends upon your own taste. But one thing is certain-if the day is to be happy and carefree much careful planning and organised preparation must be fitted into the days before

Christmas.

Traditional Christmas foods such as poultry and ham are costly items these days, and care-ful preparation and cooking are necessary to make the most of every morsel.

Cold buffet service helps to stretch these precious items, because salad ingredients and other savory bits and pieces may be used to make the meat go farther.

Two buffet menus are suggested here. Both include seasonal foods in keeping with the spirit of the day and have been planned to allow about 12 servings.

All spoon measurements are level.

BUFFET MENU 1

(See color photograph.)

Individual Savory Plates.

(Prawn Cocktail, Stuffed Eggs, Celery

Curls, Wafer Sandwiches.)

Chicken Salad.

Mock Ham and Pineapple Platter.

Salad Tray.

Fruity Bavarian Cream. Christmas Cake. Coffee. Muscatels, Almonds, Sweets.

INDIVIDUAL SAVORY PLATES

One dozen hard-boiled eggs, ¾ cup mashed potato, ½ teaspoon scraped onion, 1 tablespoon butter, salt and cayenne to taste, 2 dozen celery curls, 2 dozen tiny wafer sandwiches, 2lb. prawns, cocktail sauce.

Cut shelled eggs into halves lengthwise. Care-fully remove yolks, mix with potato, onion, softened butter, salt, and cayenne. Mix thoroughly, adding a little milk to soften if necessary. Pipe or spoon into egg-whites, dust with paprika. Arrange two stuffed eggs, 2 celery curls, and 2 wafer sandwiches on each of 12 plates. Stand a small glass (sherry glass size) on each place, fill with cocktail sauce, and arrange shelled prawns around edge of glass.

Cocktail Sauce: Combine 2 teaspoons horse-radish sauce, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 4 tablespoons tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, ½ teaspoon anchovy sauce, salt to taste. Mix well and chill before using.

MOCK HAM

One pumped leg of lamb or small leg of mut-ton, mustard,1lb. scone dough (made with 1lb. flour), browned breadcrumbs, melted butter,

cloves.

Wash meat well, or soak for one hour. Wipe dry. Smear lightly with mixed mustard. Mix a soft scone dough, roll to ½in. thickness on floured board. Mould over and around leg of lamb or mutton, moistening edges of any joins to make a completely airtight covering. Place in thickly greased baking-tin, cook in moderate oven 4 to 4½ hours, or until meat is quite ten-der. Test with a very fine skewer. Remove scone crust from the meat, brush with a little melted butter, and coat with browned bread-crumbs. Stick with cloves to form a pattern. Serve in slices with any salad ingredients or with minted pineapple pieces as illustrated.

By Our Food and Cookery experts

FRUITY BAVARIAN CREAM

Two tablespoons gelatine, ½ cup cold water, 6 cups milk, 6 eggs, 2-3rd. cup sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 1 cup shred-ded cooked pineapple, ¾ to 1 cup chopped strawberries (or chopped stewed cherries, stones removed), 1

dessertspoon lemon juice, 1 dessert-spoon rum, ½ cup macaroon crumbs, chopped red and green jelly, whipped cream, and a few extra strawberries

or cherries.

Soften gelatine in cold water, add milk. Combine egg-yolks and sugar, add gelatine mixture, and cook over hot water for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved. Cool, then chill until slightly thickened. Fold in vanilla, pineapple, strawberries, lemon juice, rum, and macaroon crumbs. Fold' in stiffly beaten egg-whites. Turn into 2 moulds, chill until firm. Unmould, pipe whipped cream around top edges, and fill centres with chopped jelly. Decorate

with strawberries.

CHICKEN SALAD

Two fowls, each 3½ to 4lb. in weight, salt, pepper, 2 small onions, 2 small bunches herbs (parsley, thyme, mar-joram, and a bay leaf tied together), 1½ cups diced cooked carrot, 2 cups cooked peas, lettuce leaves, mayon-naise, paprika, parsley.

Wash fowls thoroughly inside and out and season (after drying) with salt and pepper. Place a peeled onion and bunch of herbs in body cavity, truss and tie. If seasoning is desired it may be cooked separately. Steam, breast side up, in closely covered pan for 2 to 3 hours or until tender, or pressure cook 35 to 45 minutes. Brown in hot fat

in oven, basting frequently. When cold cut into joints and dice all flesh from body. Arrange joints in centre of serving-platter. Mix diced meat with carrot and peas. Moisten with mayon-naise and fill into lettuce cups. Ar-range lettuce cups around edge of platter, dust diced chicken with paprika, and garnish platter with parsley.

BUFFET MENU 2 Spiced Fruit Juice. Bacon Appetisers.

Crabmeat Mousse.

Chicken and Pineapple Salad.

Pears Parisienne. Apricot Chiffon Pie. Christmas Cake. Almond Parmesan

Fingers. Coffee.

Mustcatels, Candies, Nuts, Bon-bons.

SPICED FRUIT JUICE

One cup water, 2-3rd. cup sugar, 2 cups orange juice, 1 cup pineapple juice, 1 extra cup water, 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind, 1 dessertspoon grated orange rind, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, ½ tea-spoon cinnamon, 6 cloves, 3 pints cider, crushed ice, thin slices unpeeled cucum-ber to garnish.

Boil water and sugar for 10 minutes. Skim, allow to become cold. Mix with fruit juices, extra water, lemon and orange rind, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. Chill several hours. Just before serving strain and add chilled cider. Serve in glasses with crushed ice and a garnish of thin cucumber slices. Ap-proximately 12 servings.

BACON APPETISERS

Thin, lean bacon rashers, ½in. cubes cocktail frankfurts, small pieces cooker chickens' livers (if available), stoned prunes, - gherkins, ½in. cubes sharp cheese, pickled onions, parsley.

Cut rind from bacon, cut each rasher

into 2 or 3 pieces according to size. Wrap each bacon strip around a savor) filling; above ingredients make 6 vari-eties of appetisers. Before wrapping cocktail frankfurt or cheese cubes try spreading the bacon with sweet chut-ney. Secure each appetiser with a cock-tail stick. Grill, turning frequently, until bacon is crisp or cook on lightly greased tray in moderate oven. Serve piping hot, garnished with parsley.

PEARS PARISIENNE

One and a half cups sugar, 1 cup water, 6 pears, grated rind and juice of 1 orange and 1 lemon, whipped cream or ice-cream, grated chocolate.

Bring sugar and water to boiling point, add peeled, halved, and cored pears, also orange and lemon rind and juice. Simmer 15 minutes or until

pears are just tender. Allow to cool in syrup, then chill. Serve topped with whipped cream or ice-cream, and sprinkled with grated chocolate. Sufficient for 6 servings.

CRABMEAT MOUSSE

Four dessertspoons gelatine, ½ cup cold water, 1½ cups boiling water, 1 cup mayonnaise, 1½ cups medium-thickness white sauce, 3 cups flaked crabmeat, lobster (either of these may be fresh or tinned), or any cooked fish, thin strips of red pepper, salad ingredients to gar-nish, parsley, lemon wedges.

Soften gelatine in cold water, add boiling water and stir until dissolved.

Chill until beginning to thicken. Fold in white sauce, mayonnaise, fish, salt, and pepper. Rinse mould (or in-

dividual-size moulds) with cold water, decorate with strips of red pepper. Fill

with fish mixture, chill until set. Un-mould on to serving-plates or platter,

garnish with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, cooked peas, celery curls, parsley, and lemon wedges. Sufficient for 12.

CHICKEN AND PINEAPPLE SALAD

Diced flesh of 1 or 2 steamed or

roasted fowls, diced pineapple, coarsley chopped olives, lettuce cups, mayon-naise, paprika, rolls of ham (or chopped boiled bacon or mock ham), tomato roses, potato salad.

Measure diced chicken flesh and

for each 2 cups diced chicken allow 1 cup diced pineapple, 1 dozen chopped olives, 2 small tomato roses, 1 roll of ham (or ¼ cup chopped boiled bacon), and 2 tablespoons potato salad. Com-bine chicken, pineapple, and olives. Moisten slightly with mayonnaise, toss lightly to mix. Fill into lettuce cups, dust lightly with paprika. Arrange on salad-platter with tomato roses, potato salad, and rolls of ham. If bacon is used mix with the potato salad.

APRICOT CHIFFON PIE

One 8in. cooked pastry-case (biscuit, champagne, or shortcrust pastry), 2½ dessertspoons gelatine, ¼ cup water, ½ cup apricot syrup, 3 eggs, ½ cup sugar, pinch salt, 1 teaspoon lemon juice or ½ teaspoon grated lemon rind, ¾ cup cooked apricot pulp, few drops almond essence, whipped cream, and chopped

nuts to decorate.

Soak gelatine in water and apricot syrup. Cook egg-yolks, half the sugar, salt, lemon juice or rind with the apri-

cot pulp over boiling water for 10 minutes. Add soaked gelatine and stir while cooling over bowl of ice. Fold in almond essence and egg-whites beaten to meringue consistency with balance of sugar. When beginning to thicken fill into cold pastry-case, chill

until set. Decorate with whipped cream

and chopped nuts.

SAVORY ALMOND FINGERS

Three ounces chopped blanches almonds, 1 or 2 tablespoons butter,

to ¾ cup grated sharp cheese, 2 or 3 tablespoons cream, 1 or 2 tablespoon:

chopped parsley, salt, cayenne pepper,

buttered toast.

Chop almonds, saute in butter until golden brown. Combine cheese, cream parsley, salt, cayenne. Spread on but

tered toast, sprinkle with almonds. Cut

into finger lengths, place in hot oven to heat before serving.