1246. INGREDIENTS.--1-1/4 pint of milk, 4 tablespoonfuls of flour, 2 oz.
of b.u.t.ter, 4 eggs, a little salt.
_Mode_.--Mix the flour with a small quant.i.ty of cold milk; make the remainder hot, and pour it on to the flour, keeping the mixture well stirred; add the b.u.t.ter, eggs, and salt; beat the whole well, and put the pudding into a b.u.t.tered pie-dish; bake for 3/4 hour, and serve with sweet sauce, wine sauce, or stewed fruit. Baked in small cups, this makes very pretty little puddings, and should be eaten with the same accompaniments as above.
_Time_.--3/4 hour. _Average cost_, 9d.
_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.
BAKED BATTER PUDDING, with Dried or Fresh Fruit.
1247. INGREDIENTS.--1-1/4 pint of milk, 4 tablespoonfuls of flour, 3 eggs, 2 oz. of finely-shredded suet, 1/4 lb. of currants, a pinch of salt.
_Mode_.--Mix the milk, flour, and eggs to a smooth batter; add a little salt, the suet, and the currants, which should be well washed, picked, and dried; put the mixture into a b.u.t.tered pie-dish, and bake in a moderate oven for 1-1/4 hour. When fresh fruits are in season, this pudding is exceedingly nice, with damsons, plums, red currants, gooseberries, or apples; when made with these, the pudding must be thickly sprinkled over with sifted sugar. Boiled batter pudding, with fruit, is made in the same manner, by putting the fruit into a b.u.t.tered basin, and filling it up with batter made in the above proportion, but omitting the suet. It must be sent quickly to table, and covered plentifully with sifted sugar.
_Time_.--Baked batter pudding, with fruit, 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hour; boiled ditto, 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 hour, allowing that both are made with the above proportion of batter. Smaller puddings will be done enough in 3/4 or 1 hour.
_Average cost_, 10d.
_Sufficient_ for 7 or 8 persons.
_Seasonable_ at any time, with dried fruits.
BOILED BATTER PUDDING.
1248. INGREDIENTS.--3 eggs, 1 oz. of b.u.t.ter, 1 pint of milk, 3 tablespoonfuls of flour, a little salt.
_Mode_.--Put the flour into a basin, and add sufficient milk to moisten it; carefully rub down all the lumps with a spoon, then pour in the remainder of the milk, and stir in the b.u.t.ter, which should be previously melted; keep beating the mixture, add the eggs and a pinch of salt, and when the batter is quite smooth, put it into a well-b.u.t.tered basin, tie it down very tightly, and put it into boiling water; move the basin about for a few minutes after it is put into the water, to prevent the flour settling in any part, and boil for 1-1/4 hour. This pudding may also be boiled in a floured cloth that has been wetted in hot water; it will then take a few minutes less than when boiled in a basin. Send these puddings very quickly to table, and serve with sweet sauce, wine sauce, stewed fruit, or jam of any kind: when the latter is used, a little of it may be placed round the dish in small quant.i.ties, as a garnish.
_Time_.--1-1/4 hour in a basin, 1 hour in a cloth. _Average cost_, 7d.
_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.
ORANGE BATTER PUDDING.
1249. INGREDIENTS.--4 eggs, 1 pint of milk, 1-1/4 oz. of loaf sugar, 3 tablespoonfuls of flour.
_Mode_.--Make the batter with the above ingredients, put it into a well-b.u.t.tered basin, tie it down with a cloth, and boil for 1 hour. As soon as it is turned out of the basin, put a small jar of orange marmalade all over the top, and send the pudding very quickly to table.
_Time_.--1 hour. _Average cost_, with the marmalade, 1s. 3d.
_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.
_Seasonable_ at any time; but more suitable for a winter pudding.
BAKED BREAD PUDDING.
1250. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 lb. of grated bread, 1 pint of milk, 4 eggs, 4 oz. of b.u.t.ter, 4 oz. of moist sugar, 2 oz. of candied peel, 6 bitter almonds, 1 tablespoonful of brandy.
_Mode_.--Put the milk into a stewpan, with the bitter almonds; let it infuse for 1/4 hour; bring it to the boiling point; strain it on to the bread crumbs, and let these remain till cold; then add the eggs, which should be well whisked, the b.u.t.ter, sugar, and brandy, and beat the pudding well until all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed; line the bottom of a pie-dish with the candied peel sliced thin, put in the mixture, and bake for nearly 3/4 hour.
_Time_.--Nearly 3/4 hour. _Average cost_, 1s. 4d.
_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.
_Seasonable_ at any time.
_Note_.--A few currants may be subst.i.tuted for the candied peel, and will be found an excellent addition to this pudding: they should be beaten in with the mixture, and not laid at the bottom of the pie-dish.
VERY PLAIN BREAD PUDDING.
1251. INGREDIENTS.--Odd pieces of crust or crumb of bread; to every quart allow 1/2 teaspoonful of salt, 1 teaspoonful of grated nutmeg, 3 oz. of moist sugar, 1/2 lb. of currants, 1-1/4 oz. of b.u.t.ter.
_Mode_.--Break the bread into small pieces, and pour on them as much boiling water as will soak them well. Let these stand till the water is cool; then press it out, and mash the bread with a fork until it is quite free from lumps. Measure this pulp, and to every quart stir in salt, nutmeg, sugar, and currants in the above proportion; mix all well together, and put it into a well-b.u.t.tered pie-dish. Smooth the surface with the back of a spoon, and place the b.u.t.ter in small pieces over the top; bake in a moderate oven for 1-1/2 hour, and serve very hot. Boiling milk subst.i.tuted for the boiling water would very much improve this pudding.
_Time_.--1-1/2 hour. _Average cost_, 6d., exclusive of the bread.
_Sufficient_ for 6 or 7 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.
BOILED BREAD PUDDING.
1252. INGREDIENTS.--1-1/2 pint of milk, 3/4 pint of bread crumbs, sugar to taste, 4 eggs, 1 oz. of b.u.t.ter, 3 oz. of currants, 1/4 teaspoonful of grated nutmeg.
_Mode_.--Make the milk boiling, and pour it on the bread crumbs; let these remain till cold; then add the other ingredients, taking care that the eggs are well beaten and the currants well washed, picked, and dried. Beat the pudding well, and put it into a b.u.t.tered basin; tie it down tightly with a cloth, plunge it into boiling water, and boil for 1-1/4 hour; turn it out of the basin, and serve with sifted sugar. Any odd pieces or sc.r.a.ps of bread answer for this pudding; but they should be soaked overnight, and, when wanted for use, should have the water well squeezed from them.
_Time_.--1-1/4 hour. _Average cost_, 1s.
_Sufficient_ for 6 or 7 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.
BREAD.--Bread contains, in its composition, in the form of vegetable alb.u.men and vegetable fibrine, two of the chief const.i.tuents of flesh, and, in its incombustible const.i.tuents, the salts which are indispensable for sanguification, of the same quality and in the same proportion as flesh. But flesh contains, besides these, a number of substances which are entirely wanting in vegetable food; and on these peculiar const.i.tuents of flesh depend certain effects, by which it is essentially distinguished from other articles of food.
BROWN-BREAD PUDDING.
1253. INGREDIENTS.--3/4 lb. of brown-bread crumbs, 1/2 lb. of currants, 1/2 lb. of suet, 1/4 lb. of moist sugar, 4 eggs, 2 tablespoonfuls of brandy, 2 tablespoonfuls of cream, grated nutmeg to taste.
_Mode_.--Grate 3/4 lb. of crumbs from a stale brown loaf; add to these the currants and suet, and be particular that the latter is finely chopped. Put in the remaining ingredients; beat the pudding well for a few minutes; put it into a b.u.t.tered basin or mould; tie it down tightly, and boil for nearly 4 hours. Send sweet sauce to table with it.
_Time_.--Nearly 4 hours. _Average cost_, 1s. 6d.
_Sufficient_ for 6 or 7 persons.
_Seasonable_ at any time; but more suitable for a winter pudding.