Princess Loaf

A compact vegetarian nut loaf of the sort that filled the meat course in reform-minded households around 1900. The original gives no oven setting or time, so those are the first gaps to fill.

• Oven and timeThe original specifies neither. A reasonable modern approach is 350F for about 45 minutes, until the loaf is set and the top is browned and firm to a light press. A loaf this small in a standard bread tin will be shallow; check at 35 minutes.
• "Cream"In books of this period cream was unhomogenised and its richness varied considerably; light cream or half-and-half is the closest general match. Whole milk works but gives a looser, plainer loaf.
• "Browned" riceThis most likely means rice toasted in a dry pan or the oven until nutty and tan before boiling, rather than brown rice as sold today. Either will bake up fine.
• The binding is thinOne egg for three cups of solids plus a cup of cream is barely enough. Pack the mixture firmly into the tin and let the loaf rest ten minutes out of the oven before turning out, or add a second egg if you want clean slices.
• Bread crumbsStale here means dry but not oven-toasted crumbs from a plain white loaf, coarser than commercial dried crumbs. If using packaged fine crumbs, reduce to about three-quarters of a cup, as they absorb more liquid.
• WalnutsChop by hand to a rough pea size rather than grinding; the loaf depends on the nuts for texture as well as fat. Taste them first, as walnuts turn rancid quickly and a stale batch will dominate the whole loaf.
• SeasoningA teaspoon of salt and nothing else is austere by current standards. Pepper, a little grated onion, or chopped parsley are all in keeping with the period if you want more from it.
• YieldMakes a small loaf serving four as a main course, six sliced thin as a side. It slices better cold the next day and is good pan-fried in a little butter.