Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 249, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 October 1913 — APRICOT POSSIBILITIES [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

APRICOT POSSIBILITIES

iHli POSSIBILITIES OF plea, tartlets and preserves of most excellent flavor become realities when the apricot comes into season. Apricots ripen early in the summer, July bringing many to perfection, and August seeing the rest of them rounding themselves into perfect ripeness and delicious fullnees on the fruiting twigs. * The fruit flesh is far lees acid than any of the plume to which the apricot is, of course, akin, since it ie one of the drupeaceous branches of the great rose tribe to which all plume, peaches and apricots belong. Stewed Dried Apricots. Wash the apricots well in tepid water, pulling well into then just cover with clean water and soak over night. % This soaking softens the fruit and restores water lost by evaporation, but as some of the flavor and fruit Juices necessarily escaped Into this water, it must be used when oooklng apricots. The apricots may then be stewed very gently, jwith sugar added, till tender, then removed, and, If liked, a little more sugar can be added to the syrup, boiled till thick and poured over the fruit. Another and easier way is by steaming. Put the fruit in a jar; half a pound' of apricots will nearly fill a two-pound jelly jar; sprinkle with sugar and cover with water, or boll sugar and water to a syrup and with this cover the fruit; cover with a paper and steam until tender.

Apricot and Rice Pudding. Half fill a buttered pudding dish with stewed apricots, which may be hot or cold. Cook till very tender two tablespoonfuls of well-washed rice in one pint of .milk, then add one heaping tablespoonful of sugar. Remove from the fire, then add one well-beaten egg and a little almond extract; pour over the apricots and bake in a moderate oven till nicely browned on the top. Apricot Cream. Put sufficient apricots, either canned or fresih fruit, through a sieve to obtain half a pint of pulp. Beat up two yolks of eggs, add four heaping tablespoonfuls of sugar, pour over them one pint of boiling milk, return to the saucepan, stir till they thicken; do not boil; then strain In one tablespoon'ful of gelatin dissolved In four tablespoonfuls of boiling water; mix thoroughly, then add the apricot puree and a little almond extract Pour Into a wet mold; when Arm turn out and serve with whipped, sweetened cream. a. Apricot Pie. Break twenty apricots in halves, take out the stones and put them into a pie plate, sprinkle over with sugar, but add no water. Cover wlth/ihort crust made with half a pound of flour sifted Into a basin; rub into it three tablespoonfuls of butter very fine!"- add a pinch of salt, one tea f nful of sugar and one aspoonful of baking powder, then gradually add just enough cold water to form a stiff paste; roll out and cover apricots with this, brush over with beat® en egg and bake in a hot oven for thirty minutes.

A variation of this is to pour a custard over the apricots, then put on the cover of paste and bake. Apricot Glace. Either halve the fruit and remove the stones or remove the stones without halving the fruit. It may be done thus: Take a fine knife and put it in at the stalk and slip it round and round the stone to loosen it; then gently press the fruit and the stone will slip out. Boil one pound of sugar with one pint of water, removing any scum that may rise. Put the fruit in to boil for fifteen minutes very slowly; pour the whole into a basin and let it stand twentyfour hours. Then pour the syrup oil and boll it up and pour it boiling over the apricots, to stand twentyfour hours longer; repeat this for other four days; then at the last boil up the syrup; put the fruit in to boll ten minutes. Lift the aprioots out on a sieve to dry and dust fine sugar over. More sugar and water may require to be added at last if it is too much taken up by the fruit.