Lemon Pudding

Four contributors' versions of the same thing: a lemon curd filling baked in a pastry shell, what a later generation would call a lemon chess or lemon meringue pie. Only Mrs. I.D. gives a method, so hers is the one to follow; the other three are ingredient lists that assume you already know it.

• The hinge: bake the shell before the filling goes inThe order to watch: Mrs. I.D. pours the yolk-butter-sugar mixture into an unbaked "rich crust of pastry" and only then partially bakes it, before the meringue goes on and is browned. No temperatures are given anywhere in the recipe. If you choose instead to blind-bake the shell and bake the filling gently, that is a modern departure — the argument for it being that a yolk-and-butter filling poured into raw pastry can soak it before the crust sets.
• Weights into cups1/2 lb sugar is about 1 1/8 cups granulated; 3/4 lb is about 1 2/3 cups. 1/4 lb butter is one stick (113g), 1/2 lb is two sticks. 1/2 pint milk is 1 cup, 1 pint buttermilk is 2 cups.
• "Brown it quickly""Brown it quickly" implies a hot oven and a short time, watched closely; the book gives no temperature or timing. A slower oven will set the meringue more thoroughly through its depth, at the cost of the sharply browned peaks the original seems to have wanted.
• Lemon juice in the meringueMrs. I.D. puts the juice of two lemons into the beaten whites rather than the filling. That much liquid will slacken a stiff meringue considerably. Beat the whites with the sugar to firm, glossy peaks first, then add the juice a little at a time, and expect a softer, more sauce-like topping than a modern meringue.
• Mrs. E.B.'s boiling butter"Pour on the butter boiling hot" most likely means melted butter poured over the beaten eggs and sugar while whisking. Add it in a thin stream or the yolks scramble; the heat will begin to thicken the mixture before it reaches the oven.
• The buttermilk versionMrs. A.C.'s 6 eggs, 1 tablespoon flour and 2 cups buttermilk make a custard rather than a curd. No temperature is given; bake it in a slow-to-moderate oven until just set at the center, since high heat will curdle a custard of this kind.
• Extract of lemonMrs. A.C. seasons with bottled extract rather than zest. A teaspoon is plenty for the buttermilk pudding, and grated zest gives a cleaner flavor.
• YieldNone of the four states a yield, and the quantities are not equivalent: Miss E.W.'s is considerably larger than Mrs. I.D.'s and will overfill a single shell. All four are very sweet and very rich; serve small wedges.