Taganrok (Russian)

A moulded, chilled pudding built on cooked hominy rather than flour, steamed briefly and then set on ice. The lemon and dried fruit do the flavouring; the mould lining does the decoration.

• HominyThis means hominy already boiled soft — hulled corn or coarse grits cooked to a thick porridge, not dry grits or canned whole hominy straight from the tin. Two cupfuls of the hot cooked cereal is what is wanted, and it must still be hot so the sugar and butter melt into it.
• Fold, don't stirThe stiffly beaten whites go in last and only just before the mixture goes into the mould. Let the hominy cool to warm rather than hot, or the whites will collapse and the pudding will steam dense instead of light.
• Angelica liningCandied angelica stem, sold in long green strips, cut into bands and pressed against a buttered mould so the pattern shows when turned out. It is a specialty-shop item now; candied citron peel or thin strips of glacé fruit give the same effect.
• Steaming, not bakingSet the covered mould on a rack in a pan of simmering water reaching halfway up, and keep the water at a bare simmer for thirty minutes. The direction is to steam the pudding, not to bake it.
• Tokay wineTokay may mean Hungarian Tokaji, a sweet dessert wine, though American books of this period often used the name for the sweet California wine. A tablespoonful is flavouring rather than structure, so any sweet wine — Sauternes, cream sherry, Madeira — stands in without harm.
• Currants and raisinsThe text reads "1 cupful currants, and raisins", which may mean a cupful of currants with an unstated quantity of raisins, or a cupful of the two together. Either way the fruit should not overwhelm the hominy, which is a mild base.
• Setting on iceChill the pudding in its mould, thoroughly, before unmoulding — at least three hours in the refrigerator. Warm, it will slump; cold, it slices.
• YieldThe listed quantities come to something over a quart of mixture, serving six or so. Garnish with candied or maraschino cherries at the table rather than before chilling, so they do not bleed into the surface.