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Little Citron Puddings
919. Take half a pint of cream, one spoonful of fine flour, two ounces of sugar, a little nutmeg; mix it well together with the yolks of three eggs, put it in teacups (five are enough), and stick in it two ounces of citron cut very thin. Bake in a pretty quick oven.
A baked cream custard set in cups and studded with slivers of candied citron. The whole thing hangs on gentle heat: the batter is thin and egg-rich, and it will curdle before it browns if the oven is left as hot as the original suggests.
- The hinge: use a water bathSet the filled cups in a roasting tin and pour in hot water to come halfway up their sides. Without it the custard scrambles at the edges while the centre is still liquid.
- Oven temperatureA "quick oven" in this period is usually reckoned at somewhere around 400-425F, though the terms were never standardised. For a custard this small, 325-350F is the practical setting; expect 25-35 minutes, until the centres barely wobble.
- Half a pint of creamTaken as a 20 fl oz pint, that is 10 fl oz, or about 1¼ US cups. Single cream or a light pouring cream (around 18-20% fat) suits this better than double.
- "One spoonful of fine flour"Unspecified in the original, but a tablespoon is the sensible reading for this quantity of cream. It is there only to stabilise the custard, so whisk it into a little of the cream first to avoid lumps.
- CitronCandied citron peel, the thick-rinded citrus sold in blocks or diced for fruitcake, not lemon and not the modern French cordial. Slice it as thinly as you can; thick pieces sink and stay tough.
- TeacupsCups of the period were small, a few fluid ounces each, so five will take the mixture as the original says. Ramekins or small ovenproof custard cups do the same job. Whatever you use must be ovenproof and untempered china may crack.
- NutmegGrate it fresh. Pre-ground nutmeg has lost most of what the recipe is asking for.
- Yield and servingFive small puddings, one per person as a light dessert. They are good warm or thoroughly chilled, and will keep covered in the refrigerator for two days.