Last Minute Christmas Recipes.

Time is running out for Christmas food preparation, but if you are behind schedule the following ideas might help:

The American woman's cook book (1939) from the Delineator Home Institute suggests this rather good-sounding relish:

Quick Christmas Relish

2 cups chopped, pickled beets

Salt and pepper

5 tablespoons horseradish Mustard

1 cup chopped red cabbage

Vinegar from pickled beets

Mix beets, horseradish and cabbage. Moisten with the vinegar left from the pickled beets and season with salt and pepper, and a little dry mustard. Toss together and serve lightly piled in a mound.

Specially for Children.

Some mothers consider the usual mincemeat slightly unsuitable for young children, nor do they always enjoy it as much as the grown-ups do. Here is a very good alternative which the little people are sure to like. All you have to do is mix together six ounces of apricot jam, two ounces of currants, two ounces of sultanas, a pinch of spice, and a few blanched and chopped almonds.

Use this to make individual mince pies or a large mince tart just as you would use ordinary mincemeat.

Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld.)  21 December 1937. 

Cold Christmas Pudding.

One cup water, 1 cup red wine, ½ cup glace cherries, ½ cup chopped nuts, ½ cup sliced green fig preserve, 1 dessertspoonful cocoa, 1 tablespoonful gelatine, sugar to taste, pinch salt, ½ cup chopped raisins, 1 teaspoonful ground cinnamon, ½ cup cut up glace ginger.

Soak gelatine in the water, stirring over a low heat all the time until the gelatine is dissolved. Stir in sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and add wine. Chill until on the point of setting, then stir in cut up fruit. Mould. Serve with cream or custard.

Maryborough Chronicle (Qld., Australia)  24 December 1952

A most efficient idea is a wassail-bowl, as per the recipe below. It is a variation on the endless themes of egg nog and trifle, and a fine way to eat your seasonal beverage of choice.

Wassail-Bowl, a centre Supper Dish for Christmastide.

Crumble down as for Trifle a nice fresh cake (or use macaroons or other small biscuit) into a china punchbowl or deep glass dish. Over this pour some sweet rich wine, as Malmsey Madeira, if wanted very rich, but raisin-wine will do. Sweeten this, and pour a well-seasoned rich custard over it. Strew nutmeg and grated sugar over it, and stick it over with sliced blanched almonds.—Obs. This is, in fact, just a rich eating posset, or the more modern Tipsy Cake. A very good wassail bowl may be made, with mild ale, well spiced and sweetened, and a plain custard made with few eggs. The wassail-bowl was anciently crowned with garlands and ribbons, and ushered in with carols and songs.

The Cook and Houswife’s Manual (8^th edn. Edinburgh, 1847) by

Christian Isobel Johnstone (aka Mistress Margaret Dods)