Oriental Delight.

I plead a little residual jet-lag today, so today’s story is short!

I want to stray briefly back to the “Oriental” theme. I have been hoarding this recipe for some time. It is from Volume 5 of the Woman's Institute Library Of Cooking (undated, but around 1927). I like it because with the Christmas season coming up, it seems like a very versatile sweetmeat – it would be equally at home on a cheese platter, or with coffee. Maybe even dipped in chocolate?

Oriental Delight.
An excellent confection that can be prepared without cooking is known as oriental delight. It is composed of fruit, nuts, and coconut, which are held together with egg white and powdered sugar.
½ lb dates
½ lb raisins
½ lb pressed figs
½ c. shredded coconut
½ c. English walnuts
1 egg white
Powdered sugar.
Wash all the fruits, put them together, and steam for about 15 minutes. Then put these with the coconut and nuts through a food chopper or chop them all in a bowl with a chopping knife. When the whole is reduced to a pulpy mass, beat the egg white slightly, add sufficient sugar to make a very soft paste, and mix with the fruit mixure. If it is very sticky, continue to add powdered sugar and mix well until it is stiff enough to pack in a layer in a pan. Press down tight and when it is set mark in squares, remove from the pan, and serve as a confection.

Quotation for the Day …

"Our trouble is that we drink too much tea. I see in this the slow revenge of the Orient, which has diverted the Yellow River down our throats.

J.B. Priestley, in The Observer 1949