Recipes by John Mills: Carrot Cake; Kedgeree

John Mills' Carrot Cake

For the cake:

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups raw sugar (or 1 cup white plus 1/2 cup light brown sugar)
4 eggs
2 cups unbleached flour (1 cup white flour, 1 cup whole wheat)
2 tsps. baking soda
2 tsps. baking powder
2 tsps. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
3 cups finely shredded carrots
1 cup chopped nuts

1. Combine vegetable oil and sugar, beating until well blended. Add 1 egg at a time, mix well after each addition.

2. Sift together all the dry ingredients. Add to cake batter, beating until smooth. Stir in carrots and nuts. Beat batter 30 seconds.

3. Pour mixture into 3 well-greased, lightly floured, round 9-inch layer tins. Bake in preheated 300 degrees F. oven for 45 minutes (or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean). Cool in pans 10 minutes. Turn out onto wire racks to finish cooling.

For the frosting:

One 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 stick margarine
1 box powdered sugar
4 tsps. vanilla extract

1. Cream together cream cheese and margarine until fluffy. Add vanilla extract. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until very smooth. Put layers together with frosting; frost outside of cake. Makes one 9-inch layer cake.

Thoughts: Whole wheat flour and raw sugar are available at health food shops. For a delicious variation, make a two-layer cake. Frost layers with date nut filling; frost outside with brown sugar icing flavored with ground mace.

John Mills' Kedgeree

1 cup cooked rice
3/4 lb.cooked finnan haddie (or haddock or salmon)
1/2 lb. cold boiled ham
2 hard-cooked eggs
1/2 stick of butter, melted
1 to 3 tbsps. chopped watercress or parsley
1/2 cup raisins (plumped in brandy)
1/2 cup salted pecans or cashews
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Cook rice until tender but not mushy. Remove skin and bones from fish and flake. Dice ham and finely chop egg whites. Sieve egg yolks.

2. Toss hot rice with melted butter. Add fish, ham, raisins, nuts, salt and pepper to taste. Toss lightly over heat until piping hot. Garnish with chopped watercress (or parsley), chopped egg whites and sieved egg yolks. Serve at once with fruit salad. Serves 4.

Thoughts: A more highly-flavored kedgeree can be made by using curry, Worcestershire sauce or a few drops of lemon juice. Serve with fried toast or split English muffins for luncheon or supper dish. Other delicious variations include finely grated lemon rind, crushed bay leaf or ground thyme. If rice seems tasteless, cook rice in fumet (white wine flavored with bouquet garni and a sprig of parsley and small piece of grated carrot) or a gently-flavored lemon infusion or clam juice. Cooked small fresh shrimp, fresh lobster meat make excellent choices for fish zipped up with a dash of Tabasco or cayenne.