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Oxford Puddings
924. Take half a pound of suet chopped fine, grate two penny loaves and half a pound of currants, the yolks of six eggs, a quarter of a pound of lump sugar, a little nutmeg, one ounce of candied lemon-peel, and a glass of sherry or brandy; mix this all together till it is stiff, divide into seven or eight parts and fry, or in balls, a light brown; serve with wine sauce.
A fried suet-and-breadcrumb pudding shaped into balls rather than boiled in a cloth. The quantities are generous by modern standards and the bread measure needs translating.
- Two penny loavesA penny loaf was a small loaf whose weight was fixed by the price of wheat, so its size varied a good deal and no single figure holds. Taking the pair as roughly 8 oz of fresh crumbs, about 4 lightly packed cups, is a working approximation; add crumbs until the mixture holds its shape.
- SuetBeef suet, chopped fine or grated from the hard fat around the kidneys. Packaged shredded suet works directly; frozen suet grates more easily than fresh. Vegetable suet gives the same texture with a blander flavour.
- Lump sugarLoaf sugar broken from a cone or block. Crush it fine or substitute an equal weight of granulated sugar, about half a cup for the quarter pound.
- A glass of sherryA wine glass in this period is around 2 fl oz, roughly a quarter cup. Brandy at the same volume gives a stronger result.
- FryingThe recipe does not say how deep the fat should be; balls of this size are easiest handled in deep fat. Around 350-360F suits them: hotter and the outside browns before the suet has melted through, cooler and the balls absorb grease and fall apart.
- BindingThe mixture must be genuinely stiff before it goes near the fat. If it slumps when squeezed in the hand, work in more crumbs and chill it for half an hour so the suet firms up.
- Wine sauceThe period sauce is butter, sugar and sherry or Madeira warmed together, sometimes thickened with a little flour or an egg yolk and never boiled. It goes on hot at the table.
- YieldSeven or eight puddings, which is one apiece for a small table. They are rich enough that half a pudding is a fair serving after a full dinner.