Apple Delight

A layered baked fruit pudding written in the telegraphic style of the 1930s, assuming a cook who already knows her oven. The two things the original leaves out are the temperature and the dish size.

• Oven temperatureNo heat is specified. A moderate oven, around 350F, for the full hour is a reasonable modern reading; the top should be lightly browned and the fruit bubbling at the edges. Much hotter and the exposed almonds are likely to darken before the centre is properly heated.
• The fruit is cannedThe fruit is likely canned -- The instruction to pour over "the peach and apricot juice" points to canned or home-bottled fruit in syrup. Drain the syrup as you chop, then pour it back at the end as directed. Fresh fruit gives up much less liquid, so the dish may bake dry unless you add about half a cup of fruit juice or light syrup.
• How much juiceUse enough to come partway up the layers, roughly half to three-quarters of a cup for a two-quart dish. Emptying two full cans of syrup in will give you soup.
• Apple sauceUnsweetened or lightly sweetened sauce is better here, since the canned fruit and its syrup bring plenty of sugar. Thick sauce holds the layers apart; thin sauce merges everything into one.
• Blanched almondsBlanched means skinned: pour boiling water over them, stand a minute, and the skins slip off. Sliced or slivered blanched almonds sold today do the same job. Keep the top layer of nuts light, or cover the dish for the first 40 minutes and uncover to finish, so they toast rather than burn.
• Dish and yieldA 2-quart baking dish, well buttered, will hold this comfortably and serve about six, though the recipe only says to repeat the layers till the dish is filled. The butter dotted between the layers enriches the apple sauce and helps keep the layers from compacting.
• ServingIt comes out of the oven very hot and loose, and firms considerably as it stands. Give it fifteen minutes before serving, with cream or a spoonful of custard.