Grape Timbale

A small steamed grape custard, spiced more like a mincemeat than a dessert. The original gives no mould size, no steaming time and no serving note, so the numbers below fill the gaps.

• The grapesThis assumes slip-skin grapes of the Concord type: squeeze the pulp from the skins, cook the pulp briefly until the seeds loosen, then press pulp and skins through a sieve to leave the seeds behind. Seedless table grapes give a thinner, blander purée and need no sieving at all, only a quick simmer and a blitz.
• Volume of grapes neededA cupful of sieved pulp and skins takes something in the region of a pound of fresh grapes, depending on how much is lost with the seeds. Bottled unsweetened Concord juice will stand in for the half cup of grape juice.
• The hinge: gentle heatThis is an egg custard, and steam that is boiling hard will curdle it and weep liquid. Keep the water at a bare shiver and cover the mould with buttered foil or a lid so condensation does not drip in.
• Mould and timingThe quantity fills one 3-cup mould or four to six individual timbale cups. Individual moulds set in about 30 to 40 minutes, a single large mould in 50 to 60. It is done when a knife inserted at the centre comes out clean, or at an internal temperature of about 175F.
• Oven-steaming insteadIf you have no steamer, set the buttered moulds in a roasting pan, pour boiling water halfway up their sides, cover the pan loosely with foil, and bake at 325F for the same times.
• It is a savouryProbably a savoury -- Cloves, cinnamon, salt and black pepper with no sugar at all suggest an accompaniment to roast pork, ham, duck or game rather than a dessert, though the recipe itself gives no serving note. Half a teaspoon each of cloves and cinnamon in one cup of puree is assertive by current taste; a quarter teaspoon of cloves suits most palates.
• CrumbsThe recipe says only 'fine bread crumbs'; dry crumbs are the likelier reading. Fresh soft crumbs absorb more liquid and will make the timbale dense.
• Unmoulding and yieldLet the moulds stand five minutes out of the steam before turning them out, or they slump. Serves four as an accompaniment.