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Puddings

Without pretending to make a skilful cook by book, we believe that any intelligent beginner may compound a good pudding by attending to the following simple rules and plain directions. Attention is all that is required, and a little manual dexterity in turning the pudding out of the mould or cloth. Let all the several ingredients be fresh and good, as one bad article, particularly an egg, will taint the whole composition. Have the moulds and pudding-cloths carefully washed when used, the cloths with wood ashes, and dried in the open air. Lay them aside sweet and thoroughly dry. Puddings ought to be put into plenty of boiling water, which must be kept upon a quick boil; or baked, in general in a sharp but not scorching oven. A pudding in which there is much bread must be tied loosely, to allow room for swelling. A batter pudding ought to be tied up firmly. Moulds should be quite full, well buttered, and covered with a fold or two of paper floured and buttered. When eggs are of small size a greater number must be used. The yolks and whites, if the pudding is wanted particularly light and nice, should be strained after being separately well beaten. A little salt is necessary for all potato, bean, or peas puddings, and all puddings in which there is suet or meat, as it improves the flavour. The several ingredients, after being well stirred together, should in general have a little time to stand, that the flavours may blend. A frequent fault of boiled puddings, which are often solid bodies, is being underdone. Baked puddings are as often scorched. Puddings may be steamed with advantage, placing the mould or basin in the steamer, or three-parts dipped in a pot of boiling water, which must be kept boiling, and filled up as the water wastes. When the pudding-cloths are to be used, dip them in hot water, and dredge them with flour; the moulds must be buttered. Plain moulds or basins are easily managed. When a pudding begins to set, stir it up in the dish, if it is desired that the fruit, etc., should not settle to the bottom; and, if boiled, turn over the cloth in the pot for the same reason, and also to prevent it from sticking to the bottom, on which a plate may be laid as a preventative. The time of boiling must be according to size and solidity. Large puddings are sometimes tethered to the ring of a twelve-or fifteen-pound weight, to keep them below water in the pot. When the pudding is taken out, dip it quickly into cold water. Set it in a basin of its size. It will then more readily separate from the cloth without breaking. Have the oven very clean for all uses, cleaning it regularly before lighting the fire. Take care that the juice of pies does not boil over, or the liquid contents of puddings; and remember that sugar, butter, and suet become liquids in boiling. It is from their excess that puddings often break. Be, therefore, rather sparing of sugar; for if you have much syrup you must have more eggs and flour, which make puddings heavy. It is often the quantity of sugar which makes tapioca and arrowroot, boiled plain, troublesome to keep in shape when moulded. Rice or other grain puddings must not be allowed to boil in the oven before setting, or the ingredients will separate and never set so never put them into a very hot oven. As a rule, we may assume that such flavouring ingredients as lemon-grate and juice, vanilla, and cocoa-nut, are more admired in modern puddings than cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Care must be taken to mix batter puddings smoothly. Let the dried flour be gradually mixed with a little of the milk, as in making mustard or starch, and afterwards, in nice cookery, strain the batter through a coarse sieve. Puddings are lighter boiled than baked. Raisins, prunes, and damsons for puddings must be carefully stoned; or sultanas may be used in place of other raisins. Currants must be picked and plunged in hot water, rubbed in a floured cloth, and plumped and dried before the fire; almonds must be blanched and sliced; and in mixing grated bread, pounded biscuit, etc., with milk, pour the milk on them hot, and cover the vessel for an hour, which is both better and easier than boiling. Suet must be quite fresh and free of fibre. Mutton suet for puddings is lighter than that of beef; but marrow, when it can be obtained, is richer than either. A baked pudding for company has often a paste border or a garnishing of blanched and sliced almonds about it, but these borders are merely matters of ornament; if moulded, puddings may also be garnished in various ways, as with bits of currant jelly. The best seasonings for plain batter puddings are conserve of Seville orange, lemon-rind, lemon brandy, or orange-flower water. The sweetness and flavour of puddings must, in most cases, be determined by individual taste. Sugar can be added at table. Very good puddings can be made without eggs; but these must have as little milk as will mix, and must boil three or four hours. A few spoonfuls of fresh small beer, or one of yeast, will answer instead of eggs. There are also various egg powders and custard powders widely advertised, which give fairly satisfactory results. For a list of puddings see the Classified Index at end of Dictionary.