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Ninth Day: Pudding

No. 116-TIP-TOP PUDDING.

Five oz. coffee sugar, one of butter, one quart milk, one pint stale bread crumbs, one lemon, four eggs. Grate the lemon rind and crumb the bread; beat the yolks of the eggs in the pudding dish; add gradually the sugar, lemon rind and butter rubbed to a cream; then the milk and bread alternately. Bake in a slow oven until firm. Beat the whites to a stiff froth with four tablespoonfuls powdered sugar, and enough of the lemon juice to flavor; spread this over the top and brown in the upper part of the oven.

To be eaten hot or cold.

No. 117-QUEEN OF PUDDINGS.

One and a half cups sugar, two of fine bread crumbs, five eggs, one tablespoonful butter, one quart rich milk, one half cup jelly or jam, flavoring to taste. Rub the butter into one cup of the sugar; add the yolks beaten very light, and stir to a cream; next the bread crumbs, previously soaked in the milk, lastly the flavoring. Bake in a buttered pudding dish until "set," then draw to the front of the oven, cover first with jelly or jam, then with a meringue made of the whites whipped with the half cup of sugar.

Bake only to a very light brown.

No. 118-BREAD PUDDING.

One quart milk, two cups bread crumbs, four eggs, beaten separately, two tablespoonfuls softened butter, one of white sugar, a little nutmeg, a quarter of a teaspoonful soda. Soak the crumbs well in the milk, add the yolks, well beaten, then the butter, seasoning and soda, lastly the whites. Eat with sweet sauce. A cupful of currants or raisins makes a very nice fruit pudding of this.

No. 119-BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING.

Four eggs, three cups milk, three-quarters of a cup sugar, one teaspoonful lemon or vanilla, a little nutmeg, some stale bread and butter. To be eaten cold. "I should like to try that," said Grace. "Can we?" "If Rhoda has any bread stale enough. We must look and see. Oh, yes, here is some that will do perfectly. Cut this piece of a loaf into thin slices, Grace, and then spread them thickly with butter. Amy, you may make a custard of the rest of the materials, and Mabel can go to work on her farina blanc-mange."

When the pudding materials were prepared, a round baking dish was selected, into which the slices of bread and butter were neatly fitted, being cut to shape; each layer was sprinkled with sugar until the dish was half full. Then a small-sized, heavy plate was turned down over them to prevent them from floating, and the hot custard (for it had, of course, been made with scalded milk), was poured over them. After soaking for fifteen minutes the plate was taken off and the dish placed in the oven. "You see the bread stays down very nicely to-day," said Mrs. King. "If it had risen to the top so as to threaten to make a hard crust, then we should have had to lay a silver tablespoon on it to keep it down until the custard was 'set,' as it is said to be as soon as it loses its liquid quality. By the way, I ought to have told you in giving you the recipe, that you can vary this delightfully by spreading the slices of bread and butter with jam or jelly instead of sugar; and also, that any kind of bread pudding is at least as good boiled as baked-I think better. "How do you boil puddings, Aunt Jane?" "If they are liquid you must boil them in a tin form; but for any kind of dough or paste puddings a square of heavy unbleached shirting is the best thing that ever was contrived. It must first be wrung out of boiling water, then well floured on the inside, then the edges gathered together and tied with a strong string, leaving a little room for the pudding or dumplings to 'swell' in." "I wish we could make a dumpling," said Grace. "We haven't had one in a long time." "We will, the first time we come in to cook in the morning. Not to-morrow, because we shall have Mabel's blanc-mange for dessert. How are you getting on, Mabel?" "Pretty well, I think. Is'nt it thick enough now?" "Yes, I think it is. Don't forget to wet the inside of your moulds with cold water."

While the bread and butter was soaking in custard, the other girls had been preparing the materials for some light cakes, for which Mrs. King had given them the recipes.

No. 120-EMILY'S CAKE.

One cup sugar, one-half cup butter, three eggs, half a cup sweet milk, one teaspoonful cream tartar, one-half do. soda, two and a half cups flour. Bake in jelly-cake tins, and fill with jelly or chocolate.

No. 121-CORN STARCH CAKE.

One cup butter, rubbed to a cream, with two of sugar, three eggs beaten separately, one cup milk, one teaspoon soda, two cups of flour and half a cup corn starch, sifted together with two teaspoons cream tartar. "Now I think of it," said Aunt Jane, after giving them the last, "this will not do for to-day, as our dinner is late and we shan't need any cake for tea. It is very nice when it is fresh, but ought to be eaten the same day, or at least within twenty-four hours. Here are some nice little things that will keep a long time."

No. 122-SUGAR CAKES.

One heaping teacup sugar, three quarters of a cup butter, one quarter do. sweet milk, two well-beaten eggs, two teaspoons cream tartar and one of soda, one saltspoon salt, spice to taste, flour enough to roll out. Bake quickly in a hot oven. "I have seen mamma put eggs into one side of the scales and sugar into the other," said Grace. "What was that for?" "Oh, that's old-fashioned sponge-cake. Hardly any one makes it so now, but it can't be denied that it is the most elegant and exact way, and can not fail if your materials are good and your oven just right. You may as well write it down."

No. 123-NE PLUS ULTRA SPONGE CAKE.

Ten eggs, their weight in sugar, half their weight in flour, juice and rind of a lemon. "Why is that any better than weighing things by the pound, Aunt Jane?" "On account of the difference in the size of eggs. If they happen to be small, your cake may be rather plain; if they are uncommonly large it will be stiff and eggy. Using them as a measure of weight keeps every thing in its due proportion." "I should like to try it some time, just for fun," said Grace. "So you shall. Of course the eggs are beaten separately, and very light; the sugar goes with the yolks after they are thoroughly beaten, and is beaten again with them; then beat in the lemon juice and peel, next the sifted flour, and last of all the stiff whites. After they go in, beat just enough to mix them, and bake immediately." Rhoda did not get back until rather late, and was well pleased to find her dessert already prepared. "I was thinking I'd have to put you off with a minute pudding or some Jenny Linds," said she. "Oh, what are they? give us the receipts!" cried Grace, pulling out her note book and writing down No. 124-MINUTE PUDDING.

Boil a pint of milk with half a teaspoonful of salt. As soon as the milk begins to rise, stir in one pint of flour. When it is thoroughly mixed it is ready to serve. "But the best part of it is the sauce," said Rhoda.

No. 125-LEMON SAUCE.

One large cup sugar and small half cup butter creamed together, one well-beaten egg stirred in, all the juice and half the grated peel of a lemon, a small teaspoonful nutmeg; beat hard ten minutes, and add three tablespoonfuls boiling water, one at a time. Heat the sauce over steam, but don't boil it. "You have to make the sauce first, and then keep it hot over the steam of the tea-kettle," said Rhoda, "'cause the pudding must be served the minute it's done." "Now for the Jenny Linds," said Grace.

No. 126-JENNY LINDS.

One tumblerful milk and the same of flour, half a teaspoonful salt and one egg. When the egg is well beaten stir in half the milk, then salt and flour, and beat all together; then add the rest of the milk. Bake in pattypans and serve with No. 127-JELLY SAUCE.

Half a cup currant jelly, two tablespoonfuls melted butter, the juice and half the grated peel of a lemon, half a teaspoonful nutmeg, one tablespoonful powdered sugar, two glasses wine. Beat the jelly to a smooth batter, then add gradually the butter, lemon and nutmeg; beat hard, then add sugar, and lastly wine. Keep warm, and also well covered, to prevent the escape of the flavor. "That's very rich sauce," observed Amy. "Yes, too rich for frequent use. When we make dumplings I'll give you the receipts for some plainer ones."