“Phil's capacity and mine was exhausted comparatively early in the feast, but everybody else was eating steadily on, so we dared not refuse a course, lest it should be considered rude in Holland. We did our best, straight through to a wonderful iced pudding, and managed a crumb of spiced cheese; but when raw currants appeared, we had to draw the line. The others called them "bessen," pulling the red beads off their stems with a fork, and sprinkling them with sugar, but my blood curdled at the sight of this dreadful fruit, and my mouth crinkled up inside.”
A cook of roughly the same moment, setting down the same dish.
(_Plain and Economical_.) 1265. INGREDIENTS.--1 lb. of flour, 1/2 lb. of suet, 1/2 lb. of currants, milk. _Mode_.--Wash the currants, dry them thoroughly, and pick away any stalks or grit; chop the suet finely; mix all the ingredients together, and moisten with sufficient milk to make the pudding into a stiff batter; tie it up in a floured cloth, put it into boiling water, and boil for 3-1/2 hours; serve with a cut lemon, cold butter, and sifted sugar. _Time_.--3-1/2 hours. _Average cost_, 10d. _Sufficient_ for 7 or 8 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.
Sources: The passage is from C. N. (Charles Norris) Williamson, The Chauffeur and the Chaperon, free to read in full at Project Gutenberg. The recipe is from Beeton, The Book of Household Management of 1861, also free in full. Both are in the public domain in the United States. The binding above is ours — plum cloth, pudding stamp.