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Common Suet Crust for Pies or Puddings
738. Mix together while dry three-quarters of a pound of beef-suet chopped fine, and a pound of flour with a little salt, then make into a stiff paste with cold water or lukewarm milk; work it well, rolling it out two or three times, and in the intervals beat it with the rollingpin, if for pies; or omit this for puddings, as it will then be lighter.
A plain suet paste of the mid-Victorian kind, rich in fat and mixed by hand with no raising agent. The one instruction that matters is the last: beat and re-roll it for a pie, leave it alone for a pudding.
- The beating, and whyRepeated rolling and thumping with the pin works the gluten and presses the fat into sheets, which should give a firmer, crisper lid for a baked pie. For a pudding the recipe still has you work the paste and roll it out two or three times; what it omits is the beating, which it says makes the crust lighter. Overworked pudding crust turns tough and close.
- SuetBeef suet is the hard fat from around the kidneys. Buy it from a butcher and chop or coarsely grate it while very cold, or use packet shredded suet, in which case skip the chopping. Vegetable suet works in the same weight but gives a slightly drier crumb.
- The proportionThree-quarters of a pound of suet to a pound of flour is richer than modern practice, which is more often 8 oz of suet to 1 lb of flour. It makes a soft, well-lubricated crust; if you find it greasy, dropping to 8 oz suet to 1 lb flour gives a leaner result.
- FlourPlain flour is meant. Self-raising flour will lift the crust and change the texture, which is not wrong for a modern steamed pudding but is not this recipe.
- Water or milkCold water gives the firmer, more workable paste; lukewarm milk gives a softer, slightly richer one. Add the liquid a little at a time — 1 lb flour usually takes 8 to 10 fl oz — and stop while the dough is still stiff.
- Cooking, which the recipe leaves outA baked pie with this lid wants a hot oven, 400 to 425F, for 30 to 40 minutes. A pudding in a greased basin, covered with pleated paper and foil or a floured cloth, needs steady steaming: 2 hours for a small one, 3 or more for a large meat pudding.
- YieldAbout 2 lb 4 oz of paste once the liquid is in - enough to line and lid a 2-pint pudding basin, or to cover two ordinary family pies. It halves cleanly.
- KeepingThe dough can be made a day ahead and refrigerated wrapped, or frozen raw. Bring it back to cool-room temperature before rolling or it will crack at the edges.