Columbian Pudding

This is an assembly recipe: it depends on two other formulas from the same book, a wine jelly and a Spanish cream, and its success is almost entirely a matter of setting the layers in the right order.

• The hinge: build in stagesPour a shallow layer of wine jelly into the mould and let it set firm in the refrigerator before doing anything else. If the fig-lined walls or the cream go in while that base is still soft, the layers bleed together and the pattern is lost.
• Sticking the figsDip each fig half in liquid jelly and press it cut side out against the chilled mould, then chill again to fix it. Add the Spanish cream only when the figs no longer shift under a fingertip.
• The figsDried figs are almost certainly what is intended, though the recipe does not say so. If they are stiff, soften them until pliable before use, trim the hard stems, and halve them across so the seeded face shows its pattern through the jelly (the recipe itself has them soaked in jelly).
• Gelatine strengthTurn-of-the-century boxed gelatine was less consistent than the modern product, and old jelly recipes can call for more than you need. Modern powdered gelatine sets roughly a pint of liquid per envelope (about 2 1/4 tsp); a moulded dessert wants a firm set, so aim slightly stiffer than a spoonable jelly.
• Raw egg whiteSpanish cream in this book folds beaten raw whites into a cooked custard base and is never heated again. If you are serving anyone pregnant, elderly, very young or immune-compromised, use pasteurised whites.
• Chilling time"Chill" means at least four hours, and overnight is better for a fancy mould with detail.
• UnmouldingDip the mould in warm — not hot — water for five to ten seconds, loosen the top edge, then invert onto a wetted serving dish so the pudding can be slid into place if it lands off-centre.
• YieldA quart mould serves six to eight. The garnish jelly is simply extra wine jelly set in a shallow pan and cut in cubes with a knife dipped in hot water.