Champagne Oyster Puffs

36 oysters
4 puff pastry sheets
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup oyster liquor
2 egg yolks
1 tbspn cream
1 bottle champagne - (1/4 cup for recipe and the rest to drink)

Take a sip of champagne. Partly defrost pastry sheets and cut each into 6 rectangular pieces. Transfer to lightly buttered baking tray. If you do this successfully, take another sip of champagne.

Score pastry with diagonal knife lines. Glaze with beaten egg and bake in hot oven 15-18 mins. until golden. Transfer to cake rack. Place egg yolks and cream into saucepan with 1/4 cup oyster liquor. Put rest of oyster liquor and oysters into another saucepan and warm through. After another sip of champagne, add 1/4 cup of same to cream and yolks. Whisking briskly, heat this mixture until it begins to thicken, but do not allow it to get too hot. As soon as sauce is thickened, strain into a jug.

Add warmed oysters to sauce. Spoon mixture onto half of pastry sheets on individual plates. Top with other pieces of pastry. Reheat and serve immediately, remembering to drink the rest of the champagne with the meal.

Source: Contributed by Jane Jordan (Victor Harbor) in Sue Trewartha & Angie Bayly (compilers), The World's Your Oyster: A collection of oyster recipes and helpful hints (Ceduna: 1993), p.92.

A Nice Way of Using Cold Potatoes

Make a sauce of a tablespoon of gravy, a spoonful of grated cheese, an ounce of butter, the well-beaten yolk of an egg, pepper, salt, nutmeg, and the juice of a lemon to taste. Stir all these over a slow fire -- till nearly boiling -- not quite -- and the sauce is thick. Then put a layer of potatoes in a buttered pie dish, cover with the sauce, then another layer of potatoes, and so on till the dish is full. Cover with grated cheese and breadcrumbs mixed, bake for half an hour, and serve hot.

Source: The Liberals' Cookery Book being Good and Tried Recipes contributed by Ladies from all parts of South Australia, edited by Racey Schlank (Adelaide: Shipping Newspapers Limited [for the Adelaide Women's Branch of the Liberals' Union], 1912), p.47.

Quick Christmas Pudding

6 oz self-raising flour
1 jar Robertson's English mincemeat

Method: Mix together with one beaten egg and a little milk.

Place in greased basin and stand in boiling water. Steam 2-2&1/2 hours. Serve with custard.

Source: Royal Adelaide Hospital Research Fund Recipe Book (Kurralta Park: Colour Printing House Pty. Ltd., c.1985), p.63.

Christmas Jewels

3/4 cup glace fruit, 3/4 cup [glacé] cherries, 1/4 cup raisins, one third cup almonds, 1 tsp. lemon juice, 1 tbspn. golden syrup, 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup sugar. 1/2 cup plain flour. 

Method: Toss all fruit in flour, melt sugar, golden syrup and butter. Pour on to fruit, blend. Place teaspoon on greased slide in cool oven, press flat with the bottom of a glass.

Source: contributed by Mrs. A. T. Johns in Urania Methodist Guild Jubilee Cookery Book (Kadina/Moonta: The South Australian Farmer Print, 1963), p.70.

Candied Figs

6 lbs figs, 4 lb sugar, 4 cups water. Bring syrup to boil, drop figs in and boil gently for 4 hours. Remove and drain figs, put out in sun for several days, then roll in castor sugar, press flat and pack in airtight jar.

Source: Kelly's Cook Book. A New Collection of Favourite Recipes published by 'The Golden Girls' Port Lincoln Uniting Church 1997 (Adelaide: Queens Court Press, 1997), p.54.

Brussel Sprouts

• Add 1/2 cup of table grapes to 1 lb. cooked sprouts.

• Add 1 cup sauteed, sliced mushrooms to cooked brussel sprouts.

• Cook 1 cup diced celery for 2 minutes in 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in 2 tablespoons wholemeal flour. Add 1 cup milk slowly. Stir to blend and bring to boiling point and add the cooked sprouts and season to taste.

• Cook brussel sprouts and drain. Then add 1 tablespoon melted butter. Put in ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Bake at 175°C (350°F) until crumbs are brown.

Source: Better Health High Fibre Cookbook compiled by the Strathalbyn Kindergarten Committee (Hahndorf, S.A.: Fox Publishing, 1978), p.46-7.

Three Prawn/Seafood Cocktail Sauces

(1) Seafood Cocktail Sauce

(Note: T = Tablespoon; t = teaspoon.)

100 ml mayonnaise
100 ml tomato sauce (variation is to add a dash of Worcestershire sauce)
50 ml melted vanilla icecream or fresh cream
pinch salt
pinch lemon pepper
1 t lemon juice
1 T port wine

Method: Combine all ingredients & chill before serving.

Source: contributed by Dawn Ellis to The Northern Automotive Restoration Club S. A. Inc. 10th Anniversary Cookbook. Compiled & typed by Lynne Newbold (Clare: Northern Argus, 1984) [Number 0408] - "dedicated to N.A.R.C. from it's [sic] feminine members". (p.92)

(2) Cocktail Sauce for Seafood

1/2 pint vanilla icecream
1&1/2 cups mild tomato sauce
2 T worcestershire sauce
1/2 clove garlic
salt & cayenne pepper
1/2 cup light cream

Method: Allow icecream to soften in bowl. Add sauces etc. Just before serving add cream. I can recommend but I use 1/4 of the quantity.

Source: contributed by Flora Haskett to The Northern Automotive Restoration Club S. A. Inc. 10th Anniversary Cookbook. Compiled & typed by Lynne Newbold (Clare: Northern Argus, 1984) [Number 0408] - "dedicated to N.A.R.C. from it's [sic] feminine members". (p.90)

(3) Prawn Cocktail Sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup icecream
1/2 tin tomato paste
1 T Worcestershire sauce
little brandy or sherry

Method: Beat all ingredients together.

Source: contributed by Julie Davey to The Northern Automotive Restoration Club S. A. Inc. 10th Anniversary Cookbook. Compiled & typed by Lynne Newbold (Clare: Northern Argus, 1984) [Number 0408] - "dedicated to N.A.R.C. from it's [sic] feminine members". (p.91).

Australian Drink

Take 1 bottle ginger beer and 1 glass of port wine. Mix together, and drink while effervescing.

Source: The Liberals' Cookery Book being Good and Tried Recipes contributed by Ladies from all parts of South Australia, edited by Racey Schlank (Adelaide: Shipping Newspapers Limited [for the Adelaide Women's Branch of the Liberals' Union], 1912), p.118.