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Cabinet Pudding, Cold
Put half an ounce of gelatine, which has been previously soaked in two table-spoonfuls of water, into a saucepan with a pint of new milk, the rind of a lemon, and two table-spoonfuls of sugar, and boil all together, stirring the liquid until the gelatine is dissolved. Well oil a plain round mould, and fill it with alternate layers of candied fruits, crumbled macaroons, and Savoy biscuits. Add a little brandy, fill the mould with the milk, and let it stand in a cool place until firm. Time to set, five or six hours. Probable cost, 1s. 3d. Sufficient for four or five persons.
A moulded gelatine pudding built cold from bought biscuits — the icebox version of the steamed cabinet pudding that appears elsewhere in the book. Most of the work is in the setting, so plan a day ahead.
- The pint is imperialAn English pint here is 20 fl oz, about 570 ml. Using a 16 oz US pint with the same gelatine gives a noticeably rubbery set.
- Gelatine quantityHalf an ounce is roughly 14 g, or about four teaspoons of modern powdered gelatine, or seven standard leaves. That is a firm, sliceable set intended to survive turning out of a mould; if you mean to serve it in glasses, less will do.
- New milk"New milk" is fresh whole milk, straight from the cow and not skimmed. Full-fat milk is the direct substitute. A few tablespoons of the milk can be replaced with cream if you want a richer set.
- Savoy biscuitsThese are sponge fingers — ladyfingers, boudoirs, the same biscuit used in trifle and tiramisu. The macaroons are the small crisp almond kind, not coconut; Italian amaretti are the closest thing on most shelves.
- Strain the milkThe lemon rind is there for flavour only and should be lifted or strained out before the milk goes into the mould. Pare it with a peeler so no white pith goes in, and give it five or ten minutes off the heat to infuse before straining.
- Pour warm, not hotLet the milk cool until it is barely warm before adding it to the mould, or it will dissolve the macaroons into sludge and float the lighter pieces to the top. "A little brandy" is left unmeasured; a tablespoon or so is a reasonable reading. The recipe adds it to the mould over the layers, though stirring it into the milk instead spreads it more evenly.
- Oiling the mouldUse a flavourless oil, wiped on thinly with kitchen paper — an oiled mould releases far more reliably than a buttered one, which sets solid when cold. To turn out, dip the mould in hot water for three or four seconds.
- Setting timeFive or six hours in a cold larder translates to four hours or, better, overnight in the refrigerator. It keeps a couple of days covered, though the biscuits soften further.
- YieldFour or five servings. The mould has to hold more than the pint of milk, since it is packed first with layers of candied fruit and biscuit — allow around a litre. The cost, 1s 3d, is a shilling and threepence — a modest dish assembled largely from storecupboard biscuits.
Cabinet pudding in its usual nineteenth-century form is a hot one: a mould lined with dried fruit, filled with bread or sponge and a custard, and steamed. It goes under several names in the period — chancellor's pudding, diplomat pudding, pouding à la diplomate — and the grand titles suggest a dish thought fit for an official table, though which cabinet or diplomat is meant has never been pinned down. This cold version swaps the egg custard for gelatine, and belongs to the wave of moulded jellies and creams that spread through English cookery as commercial gelatine, sold in sheets and later in granulated form, grew cheaper and more reliable through the century. Before that, a cook wanting a set pudding boiled down calves' feet or bought expensive isinglass. Cassell's, written for households with a servant or two rather than a French chef, is full of such shortcuts: bought macaroons, bought Savoy biscuits, a packet of gelatine, and an afternoon in the cold larder standing in for a steamer and a watchful eye.