Mode.—Pare, core, and mince the apples very finely, sufficient, when minced, to make 4 oz.; add to these the currants, which should be well washed, the grated bread, and sugar; whisk the eggs, beat these up with the remaining ingredients, and, when all is thoroughly mixed, put the pudding into a buttered basin, tie it down with a cloth, and boil for 3 hours.

Time.—3 hours. Average cost, 9d.

Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons. Seasonable from August to March.

BAKEWELL PUDDING.

(Very Rich.)

I.

1242. INGREDIENTS.—1/4 lb. of puff-paste, 5 eggs, 6 oz. of sugar, 1/4 lb. of butter, 1 oz. of almonds, jam.

Mode.—Cover a dish with thin paste, and put over this a layer of any kind of jam, 1/2 inch thick; put the yolks of 5 eggs into a basin with the white of 1, and beat these well; add the sifted sugar, the butter, which should be melted, and the almonds, which should be well pounded; beat all together until well mixed, then pour it into the dish over the jam, and bake for an hour in a moderate oven.

Time.—1 hour. Average cost, 1s. 6d.

Sufficient for 4 or 6 persons. Seasonable at any time.

II.

1243. INGREDIENTS.—3/4 pint of bread crumbs, 1 pint of milk, 4 eggs, 2 oz. of sugar, 3 oz. of butter, 1 oz. of pounded almonds, jam.

Mode.—Put the bread crumbs at the bottom of a pie-dish, then over them a layer of jam of any kind that may be preferred; mix the milk and eggs together; add the sugar, butter, and pounded almonds; beat fill well together; pour it into the dish, and bake in a moderate oven for 1 hour.

Time.—1 hour. Average cost. 1s. 3d. to 1s. 6d.

Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons. Seasonable at any time.

BARONESS PUDDING.

(Author's Recipe.)

1244. INGREDIENTS.—3/4 lb. of suet, 3/4 lb. of raisins weighed after being stoned, 3/4 lb. of flour, 1/2 pint of milk, 1/4 saltspoonful of salt.

Mode.—Prepare the suet, by carefully freeing it from skin, and chop it finely; stone the raisins, and cut them in halves, and mix both these ingredients with the salt and flour; moisten the whole with the above proportion of milk, stir the mixture well, and tie the pudding in a floured cloth, which has been previously wrung out in boiling water. Put the pudding into a saucepan of boiling water, and let it boil, without ceasing, 4-1/2 hours. Serve merely with plain sifted sugar, a little of which may be sprinkled over the pudding.

Time.—4-1/2 hours. Average cost, 1s. 4d.

Sufficient for 7 or 8 persons.

Seasonable in winter, when fresh fruit is not obtainable.

Note.—This pudding the editress cannot too highly recommend. The recipe was kindly given to her family by a lady who bore the title here prefixed to it; and with all who have partaken of it, it is an especial favourite. Nothing is of greater consequence, in the above directions, than attention to the time of boiling, which should never be less than that mentioned.

BARBERRY TART.

1245. INGREDIENTS.—To every lb. of barberries allow 3/4 lb. of lump sugar; paste.



Mode.—Pick the barberries from the stalks, and put the fruit into a stone jar; place this jar in boiling water, and let it simmer very slowly until the fruit is soft; then put it into a preserving-pan with the sugar, and boil gently for 15 minutes; line a tartlet-pan with paste, bake it, and, when the paste is cold, fill with the barberries, and ornament the tart with a few baked leaves of paste, cut out, as shown in the engraving.

Time.—1/4 hour to bake the tart.

Average cost, 4d. per pint.

Seasonable in autumn.



BARBERRIES (Berberris vulgaris.)—A fruit of such great acidity, that even birds refuse to eat it. In this respect, it nearly approaches the tamarind. When boiled with sugar, it makes a very agreeable preserve or jelly, according to the different modes of preparing it. Barberries are also used as a dry sweetmeat, and in sugarplums or comfits; are pickled with vinegar, and are used for various culinary purposes. They are well calculated to allay heat and thirst in persons afflicted with fevers. The berries, arranged on bunches of nice curled parsley, make an exceedingly pretty garnish for supper-dishes, particularly for white meats, like boiled fowl a la Bechamel, the three colours, scarlet, green, and white, contrasting so well, and producing a very good effect.

BAKED BATTER PUDDING.

1246. INGREDIENTS.—1-1/4 pint of milk, 4 tablespoonfuls of flour, 2 oz. of butter, 4 eggs, a little salt.

Mode.—Mix the flour with a small quantity of cold milk; make the remainder hot, and pour it on to the flour, keeping the mixture well stirred; add the butter, eggs, and salt; beat the whole well, and put the pudding into a buttered pie-dish; bake for 3/4 hour, and serve with sweet sauce, wine sauce, or stewed fruit. Baked in small cups, this makes very pretty little puddings, and should be eaten with the same accompaniments as above.

Time.—3/4 hour. Average cost, 9d.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Seasonable at any time.

BAKED BATTER PUDDING, with Dried or Fresh Fruit.

1247. INGREDIENTS.—1-1/4 pint of milk, 4 tablespoonfuls of flour, 3 eggs, 2 oz. of finely-shredded suet, 1/4 lb. of currants, a pinch of salt.

Mode.—Mix the milk, flour, and eggs to a smooth batter; add a little salt, the suet, and the currants, which should be well washed, picked, and dried; put the mixture into a buttered pie-dish, and bake in a moderate oven for 1-1/4 hour. When fresh fruits are in season, this pudding is exceedingly nice, with damsons, plums, red currants, gooseberries, or apples; when made with these, the pudding must be thickly sprinkled over with sifted sugar. Boiled batter pudding, with fruit, is made in the same manner, by putting the fruit into a buttered basin, and filling it up with batter made in the above proportion, but omitting the suet. It must be sent quickly to table, and covered plentifully with sifted sugar.

Time.—Baked batter pudding, with fruit, 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hour; boiled ditto, 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 hour, allowing that both are made with the above proportion of batter. Smaller puddings will be done enough in 3/4 or 1 hour.

Average cost, 10d.

Sufficient for 7 or 8 persons.

Seasonable at any time, with dried fruits.

BOILED BATTER PUDDING.

1248. INGREDIENTS.—3 eggs, 1 oz. of butter, 1 pint of milk, 3 tablespoonfuls of flour, a little salt.

Mode.—Put the flour into a basin, and add sufficient milk to moisten it; carefully rub down all the lumps with a spoon, then pour in the remainder of the milk, and stir in the butter, which should be previously melted; keep beating the mixture, add the eggs and a pinch of salt, and when the batter is quite smooth, put it into a well-buttered basin, tie it down very tightly, and put it into boiling water; move the basin about for a few minutes after it is put into the water, to prevent the flour settling in any part, and boil for 1-1/4 hour. This pudding may also be boiled in a floured cloth that has been wetted in hot water; it will then take a few minutes less than when boiled in a basin. Send these puddings very quickly to table, and serve with sweet sauce, wine sauce, stewed fruit, or jam of any kind: when the latter is used, a little of it may be placed round the dish in small quantities, as a garnish.

Time.—1-1/4 hour in a basin, 1 hour in a cloth. Average cost, 7d.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Seasonable at any time.

ORANGE BATTER PUDDING.

1249. INGREDIENTS.—4 eggs, 1 pint of milk, 1-1/4 oz. of loaf sugar, 3 tablespoonfuls of flour.

Mode.—Make the batter with the above ingredients, put it into a well-buttered basin, tie it down with a cloth, and boil for 1 hour. As soon as it is turned out of the basin, put a small jar of orange marmalade all over the top, and send the pudding very quickly to table.

Time.—1 hour. Average cost, with the marmalade, 1s. 3d.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.

Seasonable at any time; but more suitable for a winter pudding.

BAKED BREAD PUDDING.

1250. INGREDIENTS.—1/2 lb. of grated bread, 1 pint of milk, 4 eggs, 4 oz. of butter, 4 oz. of moist sugar, 2 oz. of candied peel, 6 bitter almonds, 1 tablespoonful of brandy.

Mode.—Put the milk into a stewpan, with the bitter almonds; let it infuse for 1/4 hour; bring it to the boiling point; strain it on to the bread crumbs, and let these remain till cold; then add the eggs, which should be well whisked, the butter, sugar, and brandy, and beat the pudding well until all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed; line the bottom of a pie-dish with the candied peel sliced thin, put in the mixture, and bake for nearly 3/4 hour.

Time.—Nearly 3/4 hour. Average cost, 1s. 4d.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.

Seasonable at any time.

Note.—A few currants may be substituted for the candied peel, and will be found an excellent addition to this pudding: they should be beaten in with the mixture, and not laid at the bottom of the pie-dish.

VERY PLAIN BREAD PUDDING.

1251. INGREDIENTS.—Odd pieces of crust or crumb of bread; to every quart allow 1/2 teaspoonful of salt, 1 teaspoonful of grated nutmeg, 3 oz. of moist sugar, 1/2 lb. of currants, 1-1/4 oz. of butter.

Mode.—Break the bread into small pieces, and pour on them as much boiling water as will soak them well. Let these stand till the water is cool; then press it out, and mash the bread with a fork until it is quite free from lumps. Measure this pulp, and to every quart stir in salt, nutmeg, sugar, and currants in the above proportion; mix all well together, and put it into a well-buttered pie-dish. Smooth the surface with the back of a spoon, and place the butter in small pieces over the top; bake in a moderate oven for 1-1/2 hour, and serve very hot. Boiling milk substituted for the boiling water would very much improve this pudding.

Time.—1-1/2 hour. Average cost, 6d., exclusive of the bread.

Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons. Seasonable at any time.

BOILED BREAD PUDDING.

1252. INGREDIENTS.—1-1/2 pint of milk, 3/4 pint of bread crumbs, sugar to taste, 4 eggs, 1 oz. of butter, 3 oz. of currants, 1/4 teaspoonful of grated nutmeg.

Mode.—Make the milk boiling, and pour it on the bread crumbs; let these remain till cold; then add the other ingredients, taking care that the eggs are well beaten and the currants well washed, picked, and dried. Beat the pudding well, and put it into a buttered basin; tie it down tightly with a cloth, plunge it into boiling water, and boil for 1-1/4 hour; turn it out of the basin, and serve with sifted sugar. Any odd pieces or scraps of bread answer for this pudding; but they should be soaked overnight, and, when wanted for use, should have the water well squeezed from them.

Time.—1-1/4 hour. Average cost, 1s.

Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons. Seasonable at any time.

BREAD.—Bread contains, in its composition, in the form of vegetable albumen and vegetable fibrine, two of the chief constituents of flesh, and, in its incombustible constituents, the salts which are indispensable for sanguification, of the same quality and in the same proportion as flesh. But flesh contains, besides these, a number of substances which are entirely wanting in vegetable food; and on these peculiar constituents of flesh depend certain effects, by which it is essentially distinguished from other articles of food.

BROWN-BREAD PUDDING.

1253. INGREDIENTS.—3/4 lb. of brown-bread crumbs, 1/2 lb. of currants, 1/2 lb. of suet, 1/4 lb. of moist sugar, 4 eggs, 2 tablespoonfuls of brandy, 2 tablespoonfuls of cream, grated nutmeg to taste.

Mode.—Grate 3/4 lb. of crumbs from a stale brown loaf; add to these the currants and suet, and be particular that the latter is finely chopped. Put in the remaining ingredients; beat the pudding well for a few minutes; put it into a buttered basin or mould; tie it down tightly, and boil for nearly 4 hours. Send sweet sauce to table with it.

Time.—Nearly 4 hours. Average cost, 1s. 6d.

Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons.

Seasonable at any time; but more suitable for a winter pudding.

MINIATURE BREAD PUDDINGS.

1254. INGREDIENTS.—1 pint of milk, 1/2 lb. of bread crumbs, 4 eggs, 2 oz. of butter, sugar to taste, 2 tablespoonfuls of brandy, 1 teaspoonful of finely-minced lemon-peel.

Mode.—Make the milk boiling, pour it on to the bread crumbs, and let them soak for about 1/2 hour. Beat the eggs, mix these with the bread crumbs, add the remaining ingredients, and stir well until all is thoroughly mixed. Butter some small cups; rather more than half fill them with the mixture, and bake in a moderate oven from 20 minutes to 1/2 hour, and serve with sweet sauce. A few currants may be added to these puddings: about 3 oz. will be found sufficient for the above quantity.

Time.—20 minutes to 1/2 hour. Average cost, 10d.

Sufficient for 7 or 8 small puddings.

Seasonable at any time.

BAKED BREAD-AND-BUTTER PUDDING.

1255. INGREDIENTS.—9 thin slices of bread and butter, 1-1/2 pint of milk, 4 eggs, sugar to taste, 1/4 lb. of currants, flavouring of vanilla, grated lemon-peel or nutmeg.

Mode.—Cut 9 slices of bread and butter not very thick, and put them into a pie-dish, with currants between each layer and on the top. Sweeten and flavour the milk, either by infusing a little lemon-peel in it, or by adding a few drops of essence of vanilla; well whisk the eggs, and stir these to the milk. Strain this over the bread and butter, and bake in a moderate oven for 1 hour, or rather longer. This pudding may be very much enriched by adding cream, candied peel, or more eggs than stated above. It should not be turned out, but sent to table in the pie-dish, and is better for being made about 2 hours before it is baked.

Time.—1 hour, or rather longer. Average cost, 9d.

Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons.

Seasonable at any time.

BUTTER.—Butter is indispensable in almost all culinary preparations. Good fresh butter, used in moderation, is easily digested; it is softening, nutritious, and fattening, and is far more easily digested than any other of the oleaginous substances sometimes used in its place.

CABINET or CHANCELLOR'S PUDDING.

1256. INGREDIENTS.—1-1/2 oz. of candied peel, 4 oz. of currants, 4 dozen sultanas, a few slices of Savoy cake, sponge cake, a French roll, 4 eggs, 1 pint of milk, grated lemon-rind, 1/4 nutmeg, 3 table-spoonfuls of sugar.



Mode.—Melt some butter to a paste, and with it, well grease the mould or basin in which the pudding is to be boiled, taking care that it is buttered in every part. Cut the peel into thin slices, and place these in a fanciful device at the bottom of the mould, and fill in the spaces between with currants and sultanas; then add a few slices of sponge cake or French roll; drop a few drops of melted butter on these, and between each layer sprinkle a few currants. Proceed in this manner until the mould is nearly full; then flavour the milk with nutmeg and grated lemon-rind; add the sugar, and stir to this the eggs, which should be well beaten. Beat this mixture for a few minutes; then strain it into the mould, which should be quite full; tie a piece of buttered paper over it, and let it stand for 2 hours; then tie it down with a cloth, put it into boiling water, and let it boil slowly for 1 hour. In taking it up, let it stand for a minute or two before the cloth is removed; then quickly turn it out of the mould or basin, and serve with sweet sauce separately. The flavouring of this pudding may be varied by substituting for the lemon-rind essence of vanilla or bitter almonds; and it may be made much richer by using cream; but this is not at all necessary.

Time.—1 hour. Average cost, 1s. 3d.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Seasonable at any time.

A PLAIN CABINET or BOILED BREAD-AND-BUTTER PUDDING.

1257. INGREDIENTS.—2 oz. of raisins, a few thin slices of bread and butter, 3 eggs, 1 pint of milk, sugar to taste, 1/4 nutmeg.

Mode.—Butter a pudding-basin, and line the inside with a layer of raisins that have been previously stoned; then nearly fill the basin with slices of bread and butter with the crust cut off, and, in another basin, beat the eggs; add to them the milk, sugar, and grated nutmeg; mix all well together, and pour the whole on to the bread and butter; let it stand 1/2 hour, then tie a floured cloth over it; boil for 1 hour, and serve with sweet sauce. Care must be taken that the basin is quite full before the cloth is tied over.

Time.—1 hour. Average cost, 9d.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Seasonable at any time.

CANARY PUDDING.

1258. INGREDIENTS.—The weight of 3 eggs in sugar and butter, the weight of 2 eggs in flour, the rind of 1 small lemon, 3 eggs.

Mode.—Melt the butter to a liquid state, but do not allow it to oil; stir to this the sugar and finely-minced lemon-peel, and gradually dredge in the flour, keeping the mixture well stirred; whisk the eggs; add these to the pudding; beat all the ingredients until thoroughly blended, and put them into a buttered mould or basin; boil for 2 hours, and serve with sweet sauce.

Time.—2 hours. Average cost, 9d.

Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons. Seasonable at any time.

BAKED OR BOILED CARROT PUDDING.

1259. INGREDIENTS.—1/2 lb. of bread crumbs, 4 oz. of suet, 1/4 lb. of stoned raisins, 3/4 lb. of carrot, 1/4 lb. of currants, 3 oz. of sugar, 3 eggs, milk, 1/4 nutmeg.

Mode.—Boil the carrots until tender enough to mash to a pulp; add the remaining ingredients, and moisten with sufficient milk to make the pudding of the consistency of thick batter. If to be boiled, put the mixture into a buttered basin, tie it down with a cloth, and boil for 2-1/2 hours: if to be baked, put it into a pie-dish, and bake for nearly an hour; turn it out of the dish, strew sifted sugar over it, and serve.

Time.—2-1/2 hours to boil; 1 hour to bake. Average cost, 1s. 2d.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.

Seasonable from September to March.

CARROTS, says Liebig, contain the same kind of sugar as the juice of the sugar-cane.

ROYAL COBURG PUDDING.

1260. INGREDIENTS.—1 pint of new milk, 6 oz. of flour, 6 oz. of sugar, 6 oz. of butter, 6 oz. of currants, 6 eggs, brandy and grated nutmeg to taste.

Mode.—Mix the flour to a smooth batter with the milk, add the remaining ingredients gradually, and when well mixed, put it into four basins or moulds half full; bake for 3/4 hour, turn the puddings out on a dish, and serve with wine sauce.

Time.—3/4 hour. Average cost, 1s. 9d.

Sufficient for 7 or 8 persons. Seasonable at any time.

CHERRY TART.

1261. INGREDIENTS.—1-1/2 lb. of cherries, 2 small tablespoonfuls of moist sugar, 1/2 lb. of short crust, No. 1210 or 1211.

Mode.—Pick the stalks from the cherries, put them, with the sugar, into a deep pie-dish just capable of holding them, with a small cup placed upside down in the midst of them. Make a short crust with 1/2 lb. of flour, by either of the recipes 1210 or 1211; lay a border round the edge of the dish; put on the cover, and ornament the edges; bake in a brisk oven from 1/2 hour to 40 minutes; strew finely-sifted sugar over, and serve hot or cold, although the latter is the more usual mode. It is more economical to make two or three tarts at one time, as the trimmings from one tart answer for lining the edges of the dish for another, and so much paste is not required as when they are made singly. Unless for family use, never make fruit pies in very large dishes; select them, however, as deep as possible.

Time.—1/2 hour to 40 minutes.

Average cost, in full season, 8d.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.

Seasonable in June, July, and August.

Note.—A few currants added to the cherries will be found to impart a nice piquant taste to them.



CHERRIES.—According to Lucullus, the cherry-tree was known in Asia in the year of Rome 680. Seventy different species of cherries, wild and cultivated, exist, which are distinguishable from each other by the difference of their form, size, and colour. The French distil from cherries a liqueur Darned kirsch-waser (eau de cerises); the Italians prepare, from a cherry called marusca, the liqueur named marasquin, sweeter and more agreeable than the former. The most wholesome cherries have a tender and delicate skin; those with a hard skin should be very carefully masticated. Sweetmeats, syrups, tarts, entremets, &c., of cherries, are universally approved.

COLD PUDDING.

1262. INGREDIENTS.—4 eggs, 1 pint of milk, sugar to taste, a little grated lemon-rind, 2 oz. of raisins, 4 tablespoonfuls of marmalade, a few slices of sponge cake.

Mode.—Sweeten the milk with lump sugar, add a little grated lemon-rind, and stir to this the eggs, which should be well whisked; line a buttered mould with the raisins, stoned and cut in half; spread the slices of cake with the marmalade, and place them in the mould; then pour in the custard, tie the pudding down with paper and a cloth, and boil gently for 1 hour: when cold, turn it out, and serve.

Time.—1 hour. Average cost, 1s. 1d.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.

Seasonable at any time.

COLLEGE PUDDINGS.

1263. INGREDIENTS.—1 pint of bread crumbs, 6 oz. of finely-chopped suet, 1/4 lb. of currants, a few thin slices of candied peel, 3 oz. of sugar, 1/4 nutmeg, 3 eggs, 4 tablespoonfuls of brandy.

Mode.—Put the bread crumbs into a basin; add the suet, currants, candied peel, sugar, and nutmeg, grated, and stir these ingredients until they are thoroughly mixed. Beat up the eggs, moisten the pudding with these, and put in the brandy; beat well for a few minutes, then form the mixture into round balls or egg-shaped pieces; fry these in hot butter or lard, letting them stew in it until thoroughly done, and turn them two or three times, till of a fine light brown; drain them on a piece of blotting-paper before the fire; dish, and serve with wine sauce.

Time.—15 to 20 minutes. Average cost, 1s.

Sufficient for 7 or 8 puddings. Seasonable at any time.

CURRANT DUMPLINGS.

1264. INGREDIENTS.—1 lb. of flour, 6 oz. of suet, 1/2 lb. of currants, rather more than 1/2 pint of water.

Mode.—Chop the suet finely, mix it with the flour, and add the currants, which should be nicely washed, picked, and dried; mix the whole to a limp paste with the water (if wanted very nice, use milk); divide it into 7 or 8 dumplings; tie them in cloths, and boil for 1-1/4 hour. They may be boiled without a cloth: they should then be made into round balls, and dropped into boiling water, and should be moved about at first, to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the saucepan. Serve with a cut lemon, cold butter, and sifted sugar.

Time.—In a cloth, 1-1/4 hour; without, 3/4 hour.

Average cost, 9 d.

Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons.

Seasonable at any time.



ZANTE CURRANTS.—The dried fruit which goes by the name of currants in grocers' shops is not a currant really, but a small kind of grape, chiefly cultivated in the Morea and the Ionian Islands, Corfu, Zante, &c. Those of Zante are cultivated in an immense plain, under the shelter of mountains, on the shore of the island, where the sun has great power, and brings them to maturity. When gathered and dried by the sun and air, on mats, they are conveyed to magazines, heaped together, and left to cake, until ready for shipping. They are then dug out by iron crowbars, trodden into casks, and exported. The fertile vale of "Zante the woody" produces about 9,000,000 lbs. of currants annually. In cakes and puddings this delicious little grape is most extensively used; in fact, we could not make a plum pudding without the currant.

BOILED CURRANT PUDDING.

(Plain and Economical.)

1265. INGREDIENTS.—1 lb. of flour, 1/2 lb. of suet, 1/2 lb. of currants, milk.

Mode.—Wash the currants, dry them thoroughly, and pick away any stalks or grit; chop the suet finely; mix all the ingredients together, and moisten with sufficient milk to make the pudding into a stiff batter; tie it up in a floured cloth, put it into boiling water, and boil for 3-1/2 hours; serve with a cut lemon, cold butter, and sifted sugar.

Time.—3-1/2 hours. Average cost, 10d.

Sufficient for 7 or 8 persons. Seasonable at any time.

BLACK or RED CURRANT PUDDING.

1266. INGREDIENTS.—1 quart of red or black currants, measured with the stalks, 1/4 lb. of moist sugar, suet crust No. 1215, or butter crust No. 1213.

Mode.—Make, with 3/4 lb. of flour, either a suet crust or butter crust (the former is usually made); butter a basin, and line it with part of the crust; put in the currants, which should be stripped from the stalks, and sprinkle the sugar over them; put the cover of the pudding on; make the edges very secure, that the juice does not escape; tie it down with a floured cloth, put it into boiling water, and boil from 2-1/2 to 3 hours. Boiled without a basin, allow 1/2 hour less. We have allowed rather a large proportion of sugar; but we find fruit puddings are so much more juicy and palatable when well sweetened before they are boiled, besides being more economical. A few raspberries added to red-currant pudding are a very nice addition: about 1/2 pint would be sufficient for the above quantity of fruit. Fruit puddings are very delicious if, when they are turned out of the basin, the crust is browned with a salamander, or put into a very hot oven for a few minutes to colour it: this makes it crisp on the surface.

Time.—2-1/2 to 3 hours; without a basin, 2 to 2-1/2 hours.

Average cost, in full season, 8d.

Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons.

Seasonable in June, July, and August.



CURRANTS.—The utility of currants, red, black, or white, has long been established in domestic economy. The juice of the red species, if boiled with an equal weight of loaf sugar, forms an agreeable substance called currant jelly, much employed in sauces, and very valuable in the cure of sore throats and colds. The French mix it with sugar and water, and thus form an agreeable beverage. The juice of currants is a valuable remedy in obstructions of the bowels; and, in febrile complaints, it is useful on account of its readily quenching thirst, and for its cooling effect on the stomach. White and flesh-coloured currants have, with the exception of the fullness of flavour, in every respect, the same qualities as the red species. Both white and red currants are pleasant additions to the dessert, but the black variety is mostly used for culinary and medicinal purposes, especially in the form of jelly for quinsies. The leaves of the black currant make a pleasant tea.

RED-CURRANT AND RASPBERRY TART.

1267. INGREDIENTS.—1-1/2 pint of picked currants, 1/2 pint of raspberries, 3 heaped tablespoonfuls of moist sugar, 1/2 lb. of short crust.

Mode.—Strip the currants from the stalks, and put them into a deep pie-dish, with a small cup placed in the midst, bottom upwards; add the raspberries and sugar; place a border of paste round the edge of the dish, cover with crust, ornament the edges, and bake from 1/2 to 3/4 hour: strew some sifted sugar over before being sent to table. This tart is more generally served cold than hot.

Time.—1/2 to 3/4 hour.

Average cost.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.

Seasonable in June, July, and August.



RASPBERRIES.—There are two sorts of raspberries, the red and the white. Both the scent and flavour of this fruit are very refreshing, and the berry itself is exceedingly wholesome, and invaluable to people of a nervous or bilious temperament. We are not aware, however, of its being cultivated with the same amount of care which is bestowed upon some other of the berry tribe, although it is far from improbable that a more careful cultivation would not be repaid by a considerable improvement in the size and flavour of the berry; neither, as an eating fruit, is it so universally esteemed as the strawberry, with whose lusciousness and peculiarly agreeable flavour it can bear no comparison. In Scotland, it is found in large quantities, growing wild, and is eagerly sought after, in the woods, by children. Its juice is rich and abundant, and to many, extremely agreeable.

BAKED CUSTARD PUDDING.

1268. INGREDIENTS.—1-1/2 pint of milk, the rind of 1/4 lemon, 1/4 lb. of moist sugar, 4 eggs.

Mode.—Put the milk into a saucepan with the sugar and lemon-rind, and let this infuse for about 4 hour, or until the milk is well flavoured; whisk the eggs, yolks and whites; pour the milk to them, stirring all the while; then have ready a pie-dish, lined at the edge with paste ready baked; strain the custard into the dish, grate a little nutmeg over the top, and bake in a very slow oven for about 1/2 hour, or rather longer. The flavour of this pudding may be varied by substituting bitter almonds for the lemon-rind; and it may be very much enriched by using half cream and half milk, and doubling the quantity of eggs.

Time.—1/2 to 3/4 hour.

Average cost, 9d.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.

Seasonable at any time.

Note.—This pudding is usually served cold with fruit tarts.

BOILED CUSTARD PUDDING.

1269. INGREDIENTS.—1 pint of milk, 1 tablespoonful of flour, 4 eggs, flavouring to taste.

Mode.—Flavour the milk by infusing in it a little lemon-rind or cinnamon; whisk the eggs, stir the flour gradually to these, and pour over them the milk, and stir the mixture well. Butter a basin that will exactly hold it; put in the custard, and tie a floured cloth over; plunge it into boiling water, and turn it about for a few minutes, to prevent the flour from settling in one part. Boil it slowly for 1/2 hour; turn it out of the basin, and serve. The pudding may be garnished with red-currant jelly, and sweet sauce may be sent to table with it.

Time.—1/2 hour. Average cost, 7d.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Seasonable at any time.

DAMSON TART.

1270. INGREDIENTS.—1-1/4 pint of damsons, 1/4 lb. of moist sugar, 1/2 lb. of short or puff crust.

Mode.—Put the damsons, with the sugar between them, into a deep pie-dish, in the midst of which, place a small cup or jar turned upside down; pile the fruit high in the middle, line the edges of the dish with short or puff crust, whichever may be preferred; put on the cover, ornament the edges, and bake from 1/2 to 3/4 hour in a good oven. If puff-crust is used, about 10 minutes before the pie is done, take it out of the oven, brush it over with the white of an egg beaten to a froth with the blade of a knife; strew some sifted sugar over, and a few drops of water, and put the tart back to finish baking: with short crust, a little plain sifted sugar, sprinkled over, is all that will be required.

Time.—1/2 to 3/4 hour.

Average cost, 10d.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.

Seasonable in September and October.



DAMSONS.—Whether for jam, jelly, pie, pudding, water, ice, wine, dried fruit or preserved, the damson, or damascene (for it was originally brought from Damascus, whence its name), is invaluable. It combines sugary and acid qualities in happy proportions, when full ripe. It is a fruit easily cultivated; and, if budded nine inches from the ground on vigorous stocks, it will grow several feet high in the first year, and make fine standards the year following. Amongst the list of the best sorts of baking plums, the damson stands first, not only on account of the abundance of its juice, but also on account of its soon softening. Because of the roughness of its flavour, it requires a large quantity of sugar.

DAMSON PUDDING.

1271. INGREDIENTS.—1-1/2 pint of damsons, 1/4 lb. of moist sugar, 3/4 lb. of suet or butter crust.

Mode.—Make a suet crust with 3/4 lb. of flour by recipe No. 1215; line a buttered pudding-basin with a portion of it; fill the basin with the damsons, sweeten them, and put on the lid; pinch the edges of the crust together, that the juice does not escape; tie over a floured cloth, put the pudding into boiling water, and boil from 2-1/2 to 3 hours.

Time.—2-1/2 to 3 hours.

Average cost, 8d.

Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons.

Seasonable in September and October.

DELHI PUDDING.

1272. INGREDIENTS.—4 large apples, a little grated nutmeg, 1 teaspoonful of minced lemon-peel, 2 large tablespoonfuls of sugar, 6 oz. of currants, 3/4 lb. of suet crust No. 1215.

Mode.—Pare, core, and cut the apples into slices; put them into a saucepan, with the nutmeg, lemon-peel, and sugar; stir them over the fire until soft; then have ready the above proportion of crust, roll it out thin, spread the apples over the paste, sprinkle over the currants, roll the pudding up, closing the ends properly, tie it in a floured cloth, and boil for 2 hours.

Time.—2 hours.

Average cost, 1s.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.

Seasonable from August to March.

EMPRESS PUDDING.

1273. INGREDIENTS.—1/2 lb. of rice, 2 oz. of butter, 3 eggs, jam, sufficient milk to soften the rice.

Mode.—Boil the rice in the milk until very soft; then add the butter boil it for a few minutes after the latter ingredient is put in, and set it by to cool. Well beat the eggs, stir these in, and line a dish with puff-paste; put over this a layer of rice, then a thin layer of any kind of jam, then another layer of rice, and proceed in this manner until the dish is full; and bake in a moderate oven for 3/4 hour. This pudding may be eaten hot or cold; if the latter, it will be much improved by having a boiled custard poured over it.

Time.—3/4 hour.

Average cost, 1s.

Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons.

Seasonable at any time.

EXETER PUDDING.

(Very rich.)

1274. INGREDIENTS.—10 oz. of bread crumbs, 4 oz. of sago, 7 oz. of finely-chopped suet, 6 oz. of moist sugar, the rind of 1/2 lemon, 1/4 pint of rum, 7 eggs, 4 tablespoonfuls of cream, 4 small sponge cakes, 2 oz. of ratafias, 1/2 lb. of jam.

Mode.—Put the bread crumbs into a basin with the sago, suet, sugar, minced lemon-peel, rum, and 4 eggs; stir these ingredients well together, then add 3 more eggs and the cream, and let the mixture be well beaten. Then butter a mould, strew in a few bread crumbs, and cover the bottom with a layer of ratafias; then put in a layer of the mixture, then a layer of sliced sponge cake spread thickly with any kind of jam; then add some ratafias, then some of the mixture and sponge cake, and so on until the mould is full, taking care that a layer of the mixture is on the top of the pudding. Bake in a good oven from 3/4 to 1 hour, and serve with the following sauce:—Put 3 tablespoonfuls of black-currant jelly into a stewpan, add 2 glasses of sherry, and, when warm, turn the pudding out of the mould, pour the sauce over it, and serve hot.

Time.—From 1 to 1-1/4 hour. Average cost, 2s. 6d.

Sufficient for 7 or 8 persons. Seasonable at any time.

FIG PUDDING.

I.

1275. INGREDIENTS.—2 lbs. of figs, 1 lb. of suet, 1/2 lb. of flour, 1/2 lb. of bread crumbs, 2 eggs, milk.

Mode.—Cut the figs into small pieces, grate the bread finely, and chop the suet very small; mix these well together, add the flour, the eggs, which should be well beaten, and sufficient milk to form the whole into a stiff paste; butter a mould or basin, press the pudding into it very closely, tie it down with a cloth, and boil for 3 hours, or rather longer; turn it out of the mould, and serve with melted butter, wine-sauce, or cream.

Time.—3 hours, or longer. Average cost, 2s.

Sufficient for 7 or 8 persons.

Seasonable.—Suitable for a winter pudding.

II.

(Staffordshire Recipe.)

1276. INGREDIENTS.—1 lb. of figs, 6 oz. of suet, 3/4 lb. of flour, milk.

Mode.—Chop the suet finely, mix with it the flour, and make these into a smooth paste with milk; roll it out to the thickness of about 1/2 inch, cut the figs in small pieces, and strew them over the paste; roll it up, make the ends secure, tie the pudding in a cloth, and boil it from 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

Time.—1-1/2 to 2 hours. Average cost, 1s. 1d.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Seasonable at any time.

FOLKESTONE PUDDING-PIES.

1277. INGREDIENTS.—1 pint of milk, 3 oz. of ground rice, 3 oz. of butter, 1/4 lb. of sugar, flavouring of lemon-peel or bay-leaf, 6 eggs, puff-paste, currants.

Mode.—Infuse 2 laurel or bay leaves, or the rind of 1/2 lemon, in the milk, and when it is well flavoured, strain it, and add the rice; boil these for 1/4 hour, stirring all the time; then take them off the fire, stir in the butter, sugar, and eggs, and let these latter be well beaten before they are added to the other ingredients; when nearly cold, line some patty-pans with puff-paste, fill with the custard, strew over each a few currants, and bake from 20 to 25 minutes in a moderate oven.

Time.—20 to 25 minutes. Average cost, 1s. 1d.

Sufficient to fill a dozen patty-pans.

Seasonable at any time.

FRUIT TURNOVERS (suitable for Pic-Nics).

1278. INGREDIENTS.—Puff-paste No. 1206, any kind of fruit, sugar to taste.

Mode.—Make some puff-paste by recipe No. 1206; roll it out to the thickness of about 1/4 inch, and cut it out in pieces of a circular form; pile the fruit on half of the paste, sprinkle over some sugar, wet the edges and turn the paste over. Press the edges together, ornament them, and brush the turnovers over with the white of an egg; sprinkle over sifted sugar, and bake on tins, in a brisk oven, for about 20 minutes. Instead of putting the fruit in raw, it may be boiled down with a little sugar first, and then inclosed in the crust; or jam, of any kind, may be substituted for fresh fruit.

Time.—20 minutes.

Sufficient—1/2 lb. of puff-paste will make a dozen turnovers.

Seasonable at any time.

GERMAN PUDDING.

1279. INGREDIENTS.—2 teaspoonfuls of flour, 1 teaspoonful of arrowroot, 1 pint of milk, 2 oz. of butter, sugar to taste, the rind of 1/2 lemon, 4 eggs, 3 tablespoonfuls of brandy.

Mode.—Boil the milk with the lemon-rind until well flavoured; then strain it, and mix with it the flour, arrowroot, butter, and sugar. Boil these ingredients for a few minutes, keeping them well stirred; then take them off the fire and mix with them the eggs, yolks and whites, beaten separately and added separately. Boil some sugar to candy; line a mould with this, put in the brandy, then the mixture; tie down with a cloth, and boil for rather more than 1 hour. When turned out, the brandy and sugar make a nice sauce.

Time.—Rather more than 1 hour. Average cost, 1s.

Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons. Seasonable at any time.

DAMPFNUDELN, or GERMAN PUDDINGS.

1280. INGREDIENTS.—1 lb. of flour, 1/4 lb. of butter, 5 eggs, 2 small tablespoonfuls of yeast, 2 tablespoonfuls of finely-pounded sugar, milk, a very little salt.

Mode.—Put the flour into a basin, make a hole in the centre, into which put the yeast, and rather more than 1/4 pint of warm milk; make this into a batter with the middle of the flour, and let the sponge rise in a warm temperature. When sufficiently risen, mix the eggs, butter, sugar, and salt with a little more warm milk, and knead the whole well together with the hands, beating the dough until it is perfectly smooth, and it drops from the fingers. Then cover the basin with a cloth, put it in a warm place, and when the dough has nicely risen, knead it into small balls; butter the bottom of a deep saute-pan, strew over some pounded sugar, and let the dampfnudeln be laid in, but do not let them touch one another; then pour over sufficient milk to cover them, put on the lid, and let them rise to twice their original size by the side of the fire. Now place them in the oven for a few minutes, to acquire a nice brown colour, and serve them on a napkin, with custard sauce flavoured with vanilla, or a compote of any fruit that may be preferred.

Time.—1/2 to 3/4 hour for the sponge to rise; 10 to 15 minutes for the puddings to rise; 10 minutes to bake them in a brisk oven.

Sufficient for 10 or 12 dampfnudeln.

Seasonable at any time.

GINGER PUDDING.

1281. INGREDIENTS.—1/2 lb. of flour, 1/4 lb. of suet, 1/4 lb. of moist sugar, 2 large teaspoonfuls of grated ginger.

Mode.—Shred the suet very fine, mix it with the flour, sugar, and ginger; stir all well together; butter a basin, and put the mixture in dry; tie a cloth over, and boil for 3 hours.

Time.—3 hours. Average cost, 6d.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Seasonable at any time.

GOLDEN PUDDING.

1282. INGREDIENTS.—1/4 lb. of bread crumbs, 1/4 lb. of suet, 1/4 lb. of marmalade, 1/4 lb. of sugar, 4 eggs.

Mode.—Put the bread crumbs into a basin; mix with them the suet, which should be finely minced, the marmalade, and the sugar; stir all these ingredients well together, beat the eggs to a froth, moisten the pudding with these, and when well mixed, put it into a mould or buttered basin; tie down with a floured cloth, and boil for 2 hours. When turned out, strew a little fine-sifted sugar over the top, and serve.

Time.—2 hours. Average cost, 11d.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Seasonable at any time.

Note.—The mould may be ornamented with stoned raisins, arranged in any fanciful pattern, before the mixture is poured in, which would add very much to the appearance of the pudding. For a plainer pudding, double the quantities of the bread crumbs, and if the eggs do not moisten it sufficiently, use a little milk.

BAKED GOOSEBERRY PUDDING.

1283. INGREDIENTS.—Gooseberries, 3 eggs, 1-1/2 oz. of butter, 1/2 pint of bread crumbs, sugar to taste.

Mode.—Put the gooseberries into a jar, previously cutting off the tops and tails; place this jar in boiling water, and let it boil until the gooseberries are soft enough to pulp; then beat them through a coarse sieve, and to every pint of pulp add 3 well-whisked eggs, 1-1/2 oz. of butter, 1/2 pint of bread crumbs, and sugar to taste; beat the mixture well, put a border of puff-paste round the edge of a pie-dish, put in the pudding, bake for about 40 minutes, strew sifted sugar over, and serve.

Time.—About 40 minutes. Average cost, 10d.

Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons. Seasonable from May to July.

BOILED GOOSEBERRY PUDDING.

1284. INGREDIENTS.—3/4 lb. of suet crust No. 1215, 1-1/2 pint of green gooseberries, 1/4 lb. of moist sugar.

Mode.—Line a pudding-basin with suet crust no. 1215, rolled out to about 1/2 inch in thickness, and, with a pair of scissors, cut off the tops and tails of the gooseberries; fill the basin with the fruit, put in the sugar, and cover with crust. Pinch the edges of the pudding together, tie over it a floured cloth, put it into boiling water, and boil from 2-1/2 to 3 hours; turn it out of the basin, and serve with a jug of cream.

Time.—2-1/2 to 3 hours. Average cost, 10d.

Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons. Seasonable from May to July.

GOOSEBERRY TART.

1285. INGREDIENTS.—1-1/2 pint of gooseberries, 1/2 lb. of short crust No. 1211, 1/4 lb. of moist sugar.

Mode.—With a pair of scissors cut off the tops and tails of the gooseberries; put them into a deep pie-dish, pile the fruit high in the centre, and put in the sugar; line the edge of the dish with short crust, put on the cover, and ornament the edges of the tart; bake in a good oven for about 3/4 hour, and before being sent to table, strew over it some fine-sifted sugar. A jug of cream, or a dish of boiled or baked custards, should always accompany this dish.

Time.—3/4 hour.

Average cost, 9d.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.

Seasonable from May to July.



GOOSEBERRIES.—The red and the white are the two principal varieties of gooseberries. The red are rather the more acid; but, when covered with white sugar, are most wholesome, because the sugar neutralizes their acidity. Red gooseberries make an excellent jelly, which is light and refreshing, but not very nourishing. It is good for bilious and plethoric persons, and to invalids generally who need light and digestible food. It is a fruit from which many dishes might be made. All sorts of gooseberries are agreeable when stewed, and, in this country especially, there is no fruit so universally in favour. In Scotland, there is scarcely a cottage-garden without its gooseberry-bush. Several of the species are cultivated with the nicest care.

HALF-PAY PUDDING.

1286. INGREDIENTS.—1/4 lb. of suet, 1/4 lb. of currants, 1/4 lb. of raisins, 1/4 lb. of flour, 1/4 lb. of bread crumbs, 2 tablespoonfuls of treacle, 1/2 pint of milk.

Mode.—Chop the suet finely; mix with it the currants, which should be nicely washed and dried, the raisins, which should be stoned, the flour, bread crumbs, and treacle; moisten with the milk, beat up the ingredients until all are thoroughly mixed, put them into a buttered basin, and boil the pudding for 3-1/2 hours.

Time.—3-1/2 hours.

Average cost, 8d.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.

Seasonable at any time.

HERODOTUS PUDDING.

1287. INGREDIENTS.—1/2 lb. of bread crumbs, 1/2 lb. of good figs, 6 oz. of suet, 6 oz. of moist sugar, 1/2 saltspoonful of salt, 3 eggs, nutmeg to taste.

Mode.—Mince the suet and figs very finely; add the remaining ingredients, taking care that the eggs are well whisked; beat the mixture for a few minutes, put it into a buttered mould, tie it down with a floured cloth, and boil the pudding for 5 hours. Serve with wine sauce.

Time.—5 hours.

Average cost, 10d.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.

Seasonable at any time.

HUNTER'S PUDDING.

1288. INGREDIENTS.—1 lb. of raisins, 1 lb. of currants, 1 lb. of suet, 1 lb. of bread crumbs, 3 lb. of moist sugar, 8 eggs, 1 tablespoonful of flour, 3 lb. of mixed candied peel, 1 glass of brandy, 10 drops of essence of lemon, 10 drops of essence of almonds, 1/2 nutmeg, 2 blades of mace, 6 cloves.

Mode.—Stone and shred the raisins rather small, chop the suet finely, and rub the bread until all lumps are well broken; pound the spice to powder, cut the candied peel into thin shreds, and mix all these ingredients well together, adding the sugar. Beat the eggs to a strong froth, and as they are beaten, drop into them the essence of lemon and essence of almonds; stir these to the dry ingredients, mix well, and add the brandy. Tie the pudding firmly in a cloth, and boil it for 6 hours at the least: 7 or 8 hours would be still better for it. Serve with boiled custard, or red-currant jelly, or brandy sauce.

Time.—6 to 8 hours.

Average cost, 3s. 6d.

Sufficient for 9 or 10 persons.

Seasonable in winter.

ICED PUDDING.

(Parisian Recipe.)



1289. INGREDIENTS.—1/2 lb. of sweet almonds, 2 oz. of bitter ones, 3/4 lb. of sugar, 8 eggs, 1-1/2 pint of milk.

Mode.—Blanch and dry the almonds thoroughly in a cloth, then pound them in a mortar until reduced to a smooth paste; add to these the well-beaten eggs, the sugar, and milk; stir these ingredients over the fire until they thicken, but do not allow them to boil; then strain and put the mixture into the freezing-pot; surround it with ice, and freeze it as directed in recipe 1290. When quite frozen, fill an iced-pudding mould, put on the lid, and keep the pudding in ice until required for table; then turn it out on the dish, and garnish it with a compote of any fruit that may be preferred, pouring a little over the top of the pudding. This pudding may be flavoured with vanilla, Curacoa, or Maraschino.

Time.—1/2 hour to freeze the mixture.

Seasonable.—Served all the year round.

ICED APPLE PUDDING. (French Recipe, after Careme.)

1290. INGREDIENTS.—2 dozen apples, a small pot of apricot-jam, 1/2 lb. of sugar, 1 Seville orange, 1/4 pint of preserved cherries, 1/4 lb. of raisins, 1 oz. of citron, 2 oz. of almonds, 1 gill of Curacoa, 1 gill of Maraschino, 1 pint of cream.

Mode.—Peel, core, and cut the apples into quarters, and simmer them over the fire until soft; then mix with them the apricot-jam and the sugar, on which the rind of the orange should be previously rubbed; work all these ingredients through a sieve, and put them into the freezing-pot. Stone the raisins, and simmer them in a little syrup for a few minutes; add these, with the sliced citron, the almonds cut in dice, and the cherries drained from their syrup, to the ingredients in the freezing-pot; put in the Curacoa and Maraschino, and freeze again; add as much whipped cream as will be required, freeze again, and fill the mould. Put the lid on, and plunge the mould into the ice-pot; cover it with a wet cloth and pounded ice and saltpetre, where it should remain until wanted for table. Turn the pudding out of the mould on to a clean and neatly-folded napkin, and serve, as sauce, a little iced whipped cream, in a sauce-tureen or glass dish.



Time.—1/2 hour to freeze the mixture.

Seasonable from August to March.

Method of working the freezing Apparatus.—Put into the outer pail some pounded ice, upon which strew some saltpetre; then fix the pewter freezing-pot upon this, and surround it entirely with ice and saltpetre. Wipe the cover and edges of the pot, pour in the preparation, and close the lid; a quarter of an hour after, begin turning the freezing-pan from right to left, and when the mixture begins to be firm round the sides of the pot, stir it about with the slice or spattle, that the preparation may be equally congealed. Close the lid again, keep working from right to left, and, from time to time, remove the mixture from the sides, that it may be smooth; and when perfectly frozen, it is ready to put in the mould; the mould should then be placed in the ice again, where it should remain until wanted for table.

ROLY-POLY JAM PUDDING.

1291. INGREDIENTS.—3/4 lb of suet-crust No. 1215, 3/4 lb. of any kind of jam.

Mode.—Make a nice light suet-crust by recipe No. 1215, and roll it out to the thickness of about 1/2 inch. Spread the jam equally over it, leaving a small margin of paste without any, where the pudding joins. Roll it up, fasten the ends securely, and tie it in a floured cloth; put the pudding into boiling water, and boil for 2 hours. Mincemeat or marmalade may be substituted for the jam, and makes excellent puddings.

Time.—2 hours.

Average cost, 9d.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.

Seasonable.—Suitable for winter puddings, when fresh fruit is not obtainable.

LEMON CHEESECAKES.

1292. INGREDIENTS.—1/4 lb. of butter, 1 lb. of loaf sugar, 6 eggs, the rind of 2 lemons and the juice of 3.

Mode.—Put all the ingredients into a stewpan, carefully grating the lemon-rind and straining the juice. Keep stirring the mixture over the fire until the sugar is dissolved, and it begins to thicken: when of the consistency of honey, it is done; then put it into small jars, and keep in a dry place. This mixture will remain good 3 or 4 months. When made into cheesecakes, add a few pounded almonds, or candied peel, or grated sweet biscuit; line some patty-pans with good puff-paste, rather more than half fill them with the mixture, and bake for about 1/4 hour in a good brisk oven.

Time.—1/4 hour.

Average cost, 1s. 4d.

Sufficient for 24 cheesecakes.

Seasonable at any time.

LEMON MINCEMEAT.

1293. INGREDIENTS.—2 large lemons, 6 large apples, 1/2 lb. of suet, 1 lb. of currants, 1/2 lb. of sugar, 2 oz. of candied lemon-peel, 1 oz. of citron, mixed spice to taste.

Mode.—Pare the lemons, squeeze them, and boil the peel until tender enough to mash. Add to the mashed lemon-peel the apples, which should be pared, cored, and minced; the chopped suet, currants, sugar, sliced peel, and spice. Strain the lemon-juice to these ingredients, stir the mixture well, and put it in a jar with a closely-fitting lid. Stir occasionally, and in a week or 10 days the mincemeat will be ready for use.

Average cost, 2s.

Sufficient for 18 large or 24 small pies.

Seasonable.—Make this about the beginning of December.

LEMON DUMPLINGS.

1294. INGREDIENTS.—1/2 lb. of grated bread, 1/4 lb. of chopped suet, 1/4 lb. of moist sugar, 2 eggs, 1 large lemon.



Mode.—Mix the bread, suet, and moist sugar well together, adding the lemon-peel, which should be very finely minced. Moisten with the eggs and strained lemon-juice; stir well, and put the mixture into small buttered cups. Tie them down and boil for 3/4 hour. Turn them out on a dish, strew sifted sugar over them, and serve with wine sauce.

Time.—3/4 hour.

Average cost, 7d.

Sufficient for 6 dumplings.

Seasonable at any time.

BAKED LEMON PUDDING.

I.

1295. INGREDIENTS.—The yolks of 4 eggs, 4 oz. of pounded sugar, 1 lemon, 1/4 lb. of butter, puff-crust.

Mode.—Beat the eggs to a froth; mix with them the sugar and warmed butter; stir these ingredients well together, putting in the grated rind and strained juice of the lemon-peel. Line a shallow dish with puff-paste; put in the mixture, and bake in a moderate oven for 40 minutes; turn the pudding out of the dish, strew over it sifted sugar, and serve.

Time.—40 minutes.

Average cost, 10d.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.

Seasonable at any time.

II.

1296. INGREDIENTS.—10 oz. of bread crumbs, 2 pints of milk, 2 oz. of butter, 1 lemon, 1/4 lb. of pounded sugar, 4 eggs, 1 tablespoonful of brandy.

Mode.—Bring the milk to the boiling point, stir in the butter, and pour these hot over the bread crumbs; add the sugar and very finely-minced lemon-peel; beat the eggs, and stir these in with the brandy to the other ingredients; put a paste round the dish, and bake for 3/4 hour.

Time.—3/4 hour. Average cost, 1s. 2d.

Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons.

Seasonable at any time.



LEMON.—The lemon is a variety of the citron. The juice of this fruit makes one of our most popular and refreshing beverages—lemonade, which is gently stimulating and cooling, and soon quenches the thirst. It may he freely partaken by bilious and sanguine temperaments; but persons with irritable stomachs should avoid it, on account of its acid qualities. The fresh rind of the lemon is a gentle tonic, and, when dried and grated, is used in flavouring a variety of culinary preparations. Lemons appear in company with the orange in most orange-growing countries. They were only known to the Romans at a very late period, and, at first, were used only to keep the moths from their garments: their acidity was unpleasant to them. In the time of Pliny, the lemon was hardly known otherwise than as an excellent counter-poison.

III.

(Very rich.)

1297. INGREDIENTS.—The rind and juice of 2 large lemons, 1/2 lb. of loaf sugar, 1/4 pint of cream, the yolks of 8 eggs, 2 oz. of almonds, 1/2 lb. of butter, melted.

Mode.—Mix the pounded sugar with the cream, and add the yolks of eggs and the butter, which should be previously warmed. Blanch and pound the almonds, and put these, with the grated rind and strained juice of the lemons, to the other ingredients. Stir all well together; line a dish with puff-paste, put in the mixture, and bake for 1 hour.

Time.—1 hour.

Average cost, 2s.

Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons.

Seasonable at any time.

BOILED LEMON PUDDING.

1298. INGREDIENTS.—1/2 lb. of chopped suet, 3/4 lb. of bread crumbs, 2 small lemons, 6 oz. of moist sugar, 1/4 lb. of flour, 2 eggs, milk.

Mode.—Mix the suet, bread crumbs, sugar, and flour well together, adding the lemon-peel, which should be very finely minced, and the juice, which should be strained. When these ingredients are well mixed, moisten with the eggs and sufficient milk to make the pudding of the consistency of thick batter; put it into a well-buttered mould, and boil for 3-1/2 hours; turn it out, strew sifted sugar over, and serve with wine sauce, or not, at pleasure.

Time.—3-1/2 hours.

Average cost, 1s.

Sufficient for 7 or 8 persons. Seasonable at any time.

Note.—This pudding may also be baked, and will be found very good. It will take about 2 hours.

PLAIN LEMON PUDDING.

1299. INGREDIENTS.—3/4 lb. of flour, 6 oz. of lard or dripping, the juice of 1 large lemon, 1 teaspoonful of flour, sugar.

Mode.—Make the above proportions of flour and lard into a smooth paste, and roll it out to the thickness of about 1/2 inch. Squeeze the lemon-juice, strain it into a cup, stir the flour into it, and as much moist sugar as will make it into a stiff and thick paste; spread this mixture over the paste, roll it up, secure the ends, and tie the pudding in a floured cloth. Boil for 2 hours.

Time.—2 hours.

Average cost, 7d.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.

Seasonable at any time.

MANCHESTER PUDDING (to eat Cold).

1300. INGREDIENTS.—3 oz. of grated bread, 1/2 pint of milk, a strip of lemon-peel, 4 eggs, 2 oz. of butter, sugar to taste, puff-paste, jam, 3 tablespoonfuls of brandy.

Mode.—Flavour the milk with lemon-peel, by infusing it in the milk for 1/2 hour; then strain it on to the bread crumbs, and boil it for 2 or 3 minutes; add the eggs, leaving out the whites of 2, the butter, sugar, and brandy; stir all these ingredients well together; cover a pie-dish with puff-paste, and at the bottom put a thick layer of any kind of jam; pour the above mixture, cold, on the jam, and bake the pudding for an hour. Serve cold, with a little sifted sugar sprinkled over.

Time.—1 hour.

Average cost, 1s.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.

Seasonable at any time.

SWEET MACARONI PUDDING.

1301. INGREDIENTS.—2-1/2 oz. of macaroni, 2 pints of milk, the rind of 1/2 lemon, 3 eggs, sugar and grated nutmeg to taste, 2 tablespoonfuls of brandy.

Mode.—Put the macaroni, with a pint of the milk, into a saucepan with the lemon-peel, and let it simmer gently until the macaroni is tender; then put it into a pie-dish without the peel; mix the other pint of milk with the eggs; stir these well together, adding the sugar and brandy, and pour the mixture over the macaroni. Grate a little nutmeg over the top, and bake in a moderate oven for 1/2 hour. To make this pudding look nice, a paste should be laid round the edges of the dish, and, for variety, a layer of preserve or marmalade may be placed on the macaroni: in this case omit the brandy.

Time.—3/4 hour to simmer the macaroni; 1/2 hour to bake the pudding.

Average cost, 11d.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.

Seasonable at any time.

MACARONI is composed of wheaten flour, flavoured with other articles, and worked up with water into a paste, to which, by a peculiar process, a tubular or pipe form is given, in order that it may cook more readily in hot water. That of smaller diameter than macaroni (which is about the thickness of a goose-quill) is called vermicelli; and when smaller still, fidelini. The finest is made from the flour of the hard-grained Black-Sea wheat. Macaroni is the principal article of food in many parts of Italy, particularly Naples, where the best is manufactured, and from whence, also, it is exported in considerable quantities. In this country, macaroni and vermicelli are frequently used in soups.



MANNA KROUP PUDDING.

1302. INGREDIENTS.—3 tablespoonfuls of manna kroup, 12 bitter almonds, 1 pint of milk, sugar to taste, 3 eggs.

Mode.—Blanch and pound the almonds in a mortar; mix them with the manna kroup; pour over these a pint of boiling milk, and let them steep for about 1/4 hour. When nearly cold, add sugar and the well-beaten eggs; mix all well together; put the pudding into a buttered dish, and bake for 1/2 hour.

Time.—1/2 hour.

Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons. Seasonable at any time.

MANNA KROUP, SEMORA, or SEMOLINA, are three names given to a flour made from ground wheat and rice. The preparation is white when it is made only of these materials; the yellow colour which it usually has, is produced by a portion of saffron and yolks of eggs. Next to vermicelli, this preparation is the most useful for thickening either meat or vegetable soups. As a food, it is light, nutritious, wholesome, and easily digested. The best preparation is brought from Arabia, and, next to that, from Italy.

MANSFIELD PUDDING.

1303. INGREDIENTS.—The crumb of 2 rolls, 1 pint of milk, sugar to taste, 4 eggs, 2 tablespoonfuls of brandy, 6 oz. of chopped suet, 2 tablespoonfuls of flour, 1/2 lb. of currants, 1/2 teaspoonful of grated nutmeg, 2 tablespoonfuls of cream.

Mode.—Slice the roll very thin, and pour upon it a pint of boiling milk; let it remain covered close for 1/4 hour, then beat it up with a fork, and sweeten with moist sugar; stir in the chopped suet, flour, currants, and nutmeg. Mix these ingredients well together, moisten with the eggs, brandy, and cream; beat the mixture for 2 or 3 minutes, put it into a buttered dish or mould, and bake in a moderate oven for 1-1/4 hour. Turn it out, strew sifted sugar over, and serve.

Time.—1-1/4 hour. Average cost, 1s. 3d.

Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons. Seasonable at any time.

MARLBOROUGH PUDDING.

1304. INGREDIENTS.—1/4 lb. of butter, 1/4 lb. of powdered lump sugar, 4 eggs, puff-paste, a layer of any kind of jam.

Mode.—Beat the butter to a cream, stir in the powdered sugar, whisk the eggs, and add these to the other ingredients. When these are well mixed, line a dish with puff-paste, spread over a layer of any kind of jam that may be preferred, pour in the mixture, and bake the pudding for rather more than 1/2 hour.

Time.—Rather more than 1/2 hour. Average cost, 1s.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Seasonable at any time.

MARMALADE AND VERMICELLI PUDDING.

1305. INGREDIENTS.—1 breakfastcupful of vermicelli, 2 tablespoonfuls of marmalade, 1/4 lb. of raisins, sugar to taste, 3 eggs, milk.

Mode.—Pour some boiling milk on the vermicelli, and let it remain covered for 10 minutes; then mix with it the marmalade, stoned raisins, sugar, and beaten eggs. Stir all well together, put the mixture into a buttered mould, boil for 1-1/2 hour, and serve with custard sauce.

Time.—1-1/2 hour. Average cost. 1s.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Seasonable at any time.

MARROW DUMPLINGS, to serve with Roast Meat, in Soup, with Salad, &c.

(German Recipe.)

1306. INGREDIENTS.—1 oz. of beef marrow, 1 oz. of butter, 2 eggs, 2 penny rolls, 1 teaspoonful of minced onion, 1 teaspoonful of minced parsley, salt and grated nutmeg to taste.

Mode.—Beat the marrow and butter together to a cream; well whisk the eggs, and add these to the other ingredients. When they are well stirred, put in the rolls, which should previously be well soaked in boiling milk, strained, and beaten up with a fork. Add the remaining ingredients, omitting the minced onion where the flavour is very much disliked, and form the mixture into small round dumplings. Drop these into boiling broth, and let them simmer for about 20 minutes or 1/2 hour. They may be served in soup, with roast meat, or with salad, as in Germany, where they are more frequently sent to table than in this country. They are very good.

Time.—20 minutes to 1/2 hour. Average cost, 6d.

Sufficient for 7 or 8 dumplings. Seasonable at any time.

BAKED OB BOILED MARROW PUDDING.

1307. INGREDIENTS.—1/2 pint of bread crumbs, 1-1/2 pint of milk, 6 oz. of marrow, 4 eggs, 1/4 lb. of raisins or currants, or 2 oz. of each; sugar and grated nutmeg to taste.

Mode.—Make the milk boiling, pour it hot on to the bread crumbs, and let these remain covered for about 1/2 hour; shred the marrow, beat up the eggs, and mix these with the bread crumbs; add the remaining ingredients, beat the mixture well, and either put it into a buttered mould and boil it for 2-1/2 hours, or put it into a pie-dish edged with puff-paste, and bake for rather more than 3/4 hour. Before sending it to table, sift a little pounded sugar over, after being turned out of the mould or basin.

Time.—2-1/2 hours to boil, 3/4 hour to bake. Average cost, 1s. 2d.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Seasonable at any time.

MILITARY PUDDINGS.

1308. INGREDIENTS.—1/2 lb. of suet, 1/2 lb. of bread crumbs, 1/2 lb. of moist sugar, the rind and juice of 1 large lemon.

Mode.—Chop the suet finely, mix it with the bread crumbs and sugar, and mince the lemon-rind and strain the juice; stir these into the other ingredients, mix well, and put the mixture into small buttered cups, and bake for rather more than 1/2 hour; turn them out on the dish, and serve with lemon-sauce. The above ingredients may be made into small balls, and boiled for about 1/2 hour; they should then be served with the same sauce as when baked.

Time.—Rather more than 1/2 hour. Average cost, 9d.

Sufficient to fill 6 or 7 moderate-sized cups. Seasonable at any time.

MINCEMEAT.

1309. INGREDIENTS.—2 lbs. of raisins, 3 lbs. of currants, 1-1/2 lb. of lean beef, 3 lbs. of beef suet, 2 lbs. of moist sugar, 2 oz. of citron, 2 oz. of candied lemon-peel, 2 oz. of candied orange-peel, 1 small nutmeg, 1 pottle of apples, the rind of 2 lemons, the juice of 1, 1/2 pint of brandy.

Mode.—Stone and cut the raisins once or twice across, but do not chop them; wash, dry, and pick the currants free from stalks and grit, and mince the beef and suet, taking care that the latter is chopped very fine; slice the citron and candied peel, grate the nutmeg, and pare, core, and mince the apples; mince the lemon-peel, strain the juice, and when all the ingredients are thus prepared, mix them well together, adding the brandy when the other things are well blended; press the whole into a jar, carefully exclude the air, and the mincemeat will be ready for use in a fortnight.

Average cost for this quantity, 8s.

Seasonable.—Make this about the beginning of December.

EXCELLENT MINCEMEAT.

1310. INGREDIENTS.—3 large lemons, 3 large apples, 1 lb. of stoned raisins, 1 lb. of currants, 1 lb. of suet, 2 lbs. of moist sugar, 1 oz. of sliced candied citron, 1 oz. of sliced candied orange-peel, and the same quantity of lemon-peel, 1 teacupful of brandy, 2 tablespoonfuls of orange marmalade.

Mode.—Grate the rinds of the lemons; squeeze out the juice, strain it, and boil the remainder of the lemons until tender enough to pulp or chop very finely. Then add to this pulp the apples, which should be baked, and their skins and cores removed; put in the remaining ingredients one by one, and, as they are added, mix everything very thoroughly together. Put the mincemeat into a stone jar with a closely-fitting lid, and in a fortnight it will be ready for use.

Seasonable.—This should be made the first or second week in December.

MINCE PIES.

1311. INGREDIENTS.—Good puff-paste No. 1205, mincemeat No. 1309.



Mode.—Make some good puff-paste by recipe No. 1205; roll it out to the thickness of about 1/4 inch, and line some good-sized pattypans with it; fill them with mincemeat, cover with the paste, and cut it off all round close to the edge of the tin. Put the pies into a brisk oven, to draw the paste up, and bake for 25 minutes, or longer, should the pies be very large; brush them over with the white of an egg, beaten with the blade of a knife to a stiff froth; sprinkle over pounded sugar, and put them into the oven for a minute or two, to dry the egg; dish the pies on a white d'oyley, and serve hot. They may be merely sprinkled with pounded sugar instead of being glazed, when that mode is preferred. To re-warm them, put the pies on the pattypans, and let them remain in the oven for 10 minutes or 1/4 hour, and they will be almost as good as if freshly made.

Time.—25 to 30 minutes; 10 minutes to re-warm them.

Average cost, 4d. each.

Sufficient—1/2 lb. of paste for 4 pies. Seasonable at Christmas time.

MONDAY'S PUDDING.

1312. INGREDIENTS.—The remains of cold plum-pudding, brandy, custard made with 5 eggs to every pint of milk.

Mode.—Cut the remains of a good cold plum-pudding into finger-pieces, soak them in a little brandy, and lay them cross-barred in a mould until full. Make a custard with the above proportion of milk and eggs, flavouring it with nutmeg or lemon-rind; fill up the mould with it; tie it down with a cloth, and boil or steam it for an hour. Serve with a little of the custard poured over, to which has been added a tablespoonful of brandy.

Time.—1 hour.

Average cost, exclusive of the pudding, 6d.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.

Seasonable at any time.

NESSELRODE PUDDING. (A fashionable iced pudding—Careme's Recipe.)

1313. INGREDIENTS.—40 chestnuts, 1 lb. of sugar, flavouring of vanilla, 1 pint of cream, the yolks of 12 eggs, 1 glass of Maraschino, 1 oz. of candied citron, 2 oz. of currants, 2 oz. of stoned raisins, 1/2 pint of whipped cream, 3 eggs.

Mode.—Blanch the chestnuts in boiling water, remove the husks, and pound them in a mortar until perfectly smooth, adding a few spoonfuls of syrup. Then rub them through a fine sieve, and mix them in a basin with a pint of syrup made from 1 lb. of sugar, clarified, and flavoured with vanilla, 1 pint of cream, and the yolks of 12 eggs. Set this mixture over a slow fire, stirring it without ceasing, and just as it begins to boil, take it off and pass it through a tammy. When it is cold, put it into a freezing-pot, adding the Maraschino, and make the mixture set; then add the sliced citron, the currants, and stoned raisins (these two latter should be soaked the day previously in Maraschino and sugar pounded with vanilla); the whole thus mingled, add a plateful of whipped cream mixed with the whites of 3 eggs, beaten to a froth with a little syrup. When the pudding is perfectly frozen, put it into a pineapple-shaped mould; close the lid, place it again in the freezing-pan, covered over with pounded ice and saltpetre, and let it remain until required for table; then turn the pudding out, and serve.

Time.—1/2 hour to freeze the mixture.

Seasonable from October to February.

BAKED ORANGE PUDDING.

1314. INGREDIENTS.—6 oz. of stale sponge cake or bruised ratafias, 6 oranges, 1 pint of milk, 6 eggs, 1/2 lb. of sugar.

Mode.—Bruise the sponge cake or ratafias into fine crumbs, and pour upon them the milk, which should be boiling. Rub the rinds of 2 of the oranges on sugar, and add this, with the juice of the remainder, to the other ingredients. Beat up the eggs, stir them in, sweeten to taste, and put the mixture into a pie-dish previously lined with puff-paste. Bake for rather more than 1/2 hour; turn it out of the dish, strew sifted sugar over, and serve.

Time.—Rather more than 1 hour. Average cost, 1s, 6d.

Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. Seasonable from November to May.



ORANGE (Citrus Aurantium).—The principal varieties are the sweet, or China orange, and the bitter, or Seville orange; the Maltese is also worthy of notice, from its red blood-like pulp. The orange is extensively cultivated in the south of Europe, and in Devonshire, on walls with a south aspect, it bears an abundance of fruit. So great is the increase in the demand for the orange, and so ample the supply, that it promises to rival the apple in its popularity. The orange-tree is considered young at the age of a hundred years. The pulp of the orange consists of a collection of oblong vesicles filled with a sugary and refreshing juice. The orange blossom is proverbially chosen for the bridal wreath, and, from the same flower, an essential oil is extracted hardly less esteemed than the celebrated ottar of roses. Of all marmalades, that made from the Seville orange is the best. The peel and juice of the orange are much used in culinary preparations. From oranges are made preserves, comfitures, jellies, glaces, sherbet, liqueurs, and syrups. The juice of the orange in a glass d'eau sucree makes a refreshing and wholesome drink. From the clarified pulp of the orange the French make a delicious jelly, which they serve in small pots, and call creme. The rasped peel of the orange is used in several sweet entremets, to which it communicates its perfume. The confectioner manufactures a variety of dainties from all parts of the orange. Confections of orange-peel are excellent tonics and stomachics. Persons with delicate stomachs should abstain from oranges at dessert, because their acidity is likely to derange the digestive organs.

SMALL DISHES OF PASTRY FOE ENTREMETS, SUPPER-DISHES, &c.

FANCHONNETTES, or CUSTARD TARTLETS.

1315. INGREDIENTS.—For the custard, 4 eggs, 3/4 pint of milk, 2 oz. of butter, 2 oz. of pounded sugar, 3 dessertspoonfuls of flour, flavouring to taste; the whites of 2 eggs, 2 oz. of pounded sugar.

Mode.—Well beat the eggs; stir to them the milk, the butter, which should be beaten to a cream, the sugar, and flour; mix these ingredients well together, put them into a very clean saucepan, and bring them to the simmering point, but do not allow them to boil. Flavour with essence of vanilla, bitter almonds, lemon, grated chocolate, or any flavouring ingredient that may be preferred. Line some round tartlet-pans with good puff-paste; fill them with the custard, and bake in a moderate oven for about 20 minutes; then take them out of the pans; let them cool, and in the mean time whisk the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth; stir into this the pounded sugar, and spread smoothly over the tartlets a little of this mixture. Put them in the oven again to set the icing, but be particular that they do not scorch: when the icing looks crisp, they are done. Arrange them, piled high in the centre, on a white napkin, and garnish the dish, and in between the tartlets, with strips of bright jelly, or very firmly-made preserve.

Time.—20 minutes to bake the tartlets; 5 minutes after being iced.

Average cost, exclusive of the paste, 1s.

Sufficient to fill 10 or 12 tartlets.

Seasonable at any time.

Note.—The icing may be omitted on the top of the tartlets, and a spoonful of any kind of preserve put at the bottom of the custard instead: this varies both the flavour and appearance of this dish.

ALMOND FLOWERS.

1316. INGREDIENTS.—Puff-paste No. 1205; to every 1/2 lb. of paste allow 3 oz. of almonds, sifted sugar, the white of an egg.

Mode.—Roll the paste out to the thickness of 1/4 inch, and, with a round fluted cutter, stamp out as many pieces as may be required. Work the paste up again, roll it out, and, with a smaller cutter, stamp out some pieces the size of a shilling. Brush the larger pieces over with the white of an egg, and place one of the smaller pieces on each. Blanch and cut the almonds into strips lengthwise; press them slanting into the paste closely round the rings; and when they are all completed, sift over some pounded sugar, and bake for about 1/4 hour or 20 minutes. Garnish between the almonds with strips of apple jelly, and place in the centre of the ring a small quantity of strawberry jam; pile them high on the dish, and serve.

Time.—1/4 hour or 20 minutes.

Sufficient.—18 or 20 for a dish.

Seasonable at any time.

FLUTED ROLLS.

1317. INGREDIENTS.—Puff-paste, the white of an egg, sifted sugar, jelly or preserve.

Mode.—Make some good puff-paste by recipe No. 1205 (trimmings answer very well for little dishes of this sort); roll it out to the thickness of 1/4 inch, and, with a round fluted paste-cutter, stamp out as many round pieces as may be required; brush over the upper side with the white of an egg; roll up the pieces, pressing the paste lightly together where it joins; place the rolls on a baking-sheet, and bake for about 1/4 hour. A few minutes before they are done, brush them over with the white of an egg; strew over sifted sugar, put them back in the oven; and when the icing is firm and of a pale brown colour, they are done. Place a strip of jelly or preserve across each roll, dish them high on a napkin, and serve cold.

Time.—1/4 hour before being iced; 5 to 10 minutes after.

Average cost, 1s. 3d.

Sufficient.—1/2 lb. of puff-paste for 2 dishes.

Seasonable at any time.

PASTRY SANDWICHES.

1318. INGREDIENTS.—Puff-paste, jam of any kind, the white of an egg, sifted sugar.

Mode.—Roll the paste out thin; put half of it on a baking-sheet or tin, and spread equally over it apricot, greengage, or any preserve that may be preferred. Lay over this preserve another thin paste; press the edges together all round; and mark the paste in lines with a knife on the surface, to show where to cut it when baked. Bake from 20 minutes to 1/2 hour; and, a short time before being done, take the pastry out of the oven, brush it over with the white of an egg, sift over pounded sugar, and put it back in the oven to colour. When cold, cut it into strips; pile these on a dish pyramidically, and serve. These strips, cut about 2 inches long, piled in circular rows, and a plateful of flavoured whipped cream poured in the middle, make a very pretty dish.

Time.—20 minutes to 1 hour. Average cost, with 1/2 lb. of paste, 1s.

Sufficient.—1/2 lb. of paste will make 2 dishes of sandwiches.

Seasonable at any time.

PETITES BOUCHEES.

1319. INGREDIENTS.—6 oz. of sweet almonds, 1/4 lb. of sifted sugar, the rind of 1/2 lemon, the white of 1 egg, puff-paste.

Mode.—Blanch the almonds, and chop them fine; rub the sugar on the lemon-rind, and pound it in a mortar; mix this with the almonds and the white of the egg. Roll some puff-paste out; cut it in any shape that may be preferred, such as diamonds, rings, ovals, &c., and spread the above mixture over the paste. Bake the bouchees in an oven, not too hot, and serve cold.

Time.—1/4 hour, or rather more. Average cost, 1s.

Sufficient for 1/2 lb. of puff-paste. Seasonable at any time.

POLISH TARTLETS.

1320. INGREDIENTS.—Puff-paste, the white of an egg, pounded sugar.

Mode.—Roll some good puff-paste out thin, and cut it into 2-1/2-inch squares; brush each square over with the white of an egg, then fold down the corners, so that they all meet in the middle of each piece of paste; slightly press the two pieces together, brush them over with the egg, sift over sugar, and bake in a nice quick oven for about 1/4 hour. When they are done, make a little hole in the middle of the paste, and fill it up with apricot jam, marmalade, or red-currant jelly. Pile them high in the centre of a dish, on a napkin, and garnish with the same preserve the tartlets are filled with.

Time.—1/4 hour or 20 minutes.

Average cost, with 1/2 lb. of puff-paste, 1s.

Sufficient for 2 dishes of pastry.

Seasonable at any time.

Note.—It should be borne in mind, that, for all dishes of small pastry, such as the preceding, trimmings of puff-pasty, left from larger tarts, answer as well as making the paste expressly.

PUITS d'AMOUR, or PUFF-PASTE RINGS.

1321. INGREDIENTS.—Puff-paste No. 1205, the white of an egg, sifted loaf sugar.

Mode.—Make some good puff-paste by recipe No. 1205; roll it out to the thickness of about 1/4 inch, and, with a round fluted paste-cutter, stamp out as many pieces as may be required; then work the paste up again, and roll it out to the same thickness, and with a smaller cutter, stamp out sufficient pieces to correspond with the larger ones. Again stamp out the centre of these smaller rings; brush over the others with the white of an egg, place a small ring on the top of every large circular piece of paste, egg over the tops, and bake from 15 to 20 minutes. Sift over sugar, put them back in the oven to colour them; then fill the rings with preserve of any bright colour. Dish them high on a napkin, and serve. So many pretty dishes of pastry may be made by stamping puff-paste out with fancy cutters, and filling the pieces, when baked, with jelly or preserve, that our space will not allow us to give a separate recipe for each of them; but, as they are all made from one paste, and only the shape and garnishing varied, perhaps it is not necessary, and by exercising a little ingenuity, variety may always be obtained. Half-moons, leaves, diamonds, stars, shamrocks, rings, etc., are the most appropriate shapes for fancy pastry.

Time.—15 to 25 minutes.

Average cost, with 1/2 lb. of paste, 1s.

Sufficient for 2 dishes of pastry.

Seasonable at any time.

PARADISE PUDDING.

1322. INGREDIENTS.—3 eggs, 3 apples, 1/4 lb. of bread crumbs, 3 oz. of sugar, 3 oz. of currants, salt and grated nutmeg to taste, the rind of 1/2 lemon, 1/2 wineglassful of brandy.

Mode.—Pare, core, and mince the apples into small pieces, and mix them with the other dry ingredients; beat up the eggs, moisten the mixture with these, and beat it well; stir in the brandy, and put the pudding into a buttered mould; tie it down with a cloth, boil for 1-1/2 hour, and serve with sweet sauce.

Time.—1-1/2 hour. Average cost, 1s.

Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons.

PEASE PUDDING.

1323. INGREDIENTS.—1-1/2 pint of split peas, 2 oz. of butter, 2 eggs, pepper and salt to taste.

Mode.—Put the peas to soak over-night, in rain-water, and float off any that are wormeaten or discoloured. Tie them loosely in a clean cloth, leaving a little room for them to swell, and put them on to boil in cold rain-water, allowing 2-1/2 hours after the water has simmered up. When the peas are tender, take them up and drain; rub them through a colander with a wooden spoon; add the butter, eggs, pepper, and salt; beat all well together for a few minutes, until the ingredients are well incorporated; then tie them tightly in a floured cloth; boil the pudding for another hour, turn it on to the dish, and serve very hot. This pudding should always be sent to table with boiled leg of pork, and is an exceedingly nice accompaniment to boiled beef.

Time.—2-1/2 hours to boil the peas, tied loosely in the cloth; 1 hour for the pudding.

Average cost, 6d.

Sufficient for 7 or 8 persons.

Seasonable from September to March.

BAKED PLUM-PUDDING.

1324. INGREDIENTS.—2 lbs. of flour, 1 lb. of currants, 1 lb. of raisins, 1 lb. of suet, 2 eggs, 1 pint of milk, a few slices of candied peel.

Mode.—Chop the suet finely; mix with it the flour, currants, stoned raisins, and candied peel; moisten with the well-beaten eggs, and add sufficient milk to make the pudding of the consistency of very thick batter. Put it into a buttered dish, and bake in a good oven from 2-1/4 to 2-1/2 hours; turn it out, strew sifted sugar over, and serve. For a very plain pudding, use only half the quantity of fruit, omit the eggs, and substitute milk or water for them. The above ingredients make a large family pudding; for a small one, half the quantity would be found ample; but it must be baked quite 1-1/2 hour.

Time.—Large pudding, 2-1/4 to 2-1/2 hours; half the size, 1-1/2 hour.

Average cost, 2s. 6d.

Sufficient for 9 or 10 persons.

Seasonable in winter.



RAISIN GRAPE.—All the kinds of raisins have much the same virtues; they are nutritive and balsamic, but they are very subject to fermentation with juices of any kind; and hence, when eaten immoderately, they often bring on colics. There are many varieties of grape used for raisins; the fruit of Valencia is that mostly dried for culinary purposes, whilst most of the table kinds are grown in Malaga, and called Muscatels. The finest of all table raisins come from Provence or Italy; the most esteemed of all are those of Roquevaire; they are very large and very sweet. This sort is rarely eaten by any but the most wealthy. The dried Malaga, or Muscatel raisins, which come to this country packed in small boxes, and nicely preserved in bunches, are variable in their quality, but mostly of a rich flavour, when new, juicy, and of a deep purple hue.

AN EXCELLENT PLUM-PUDDING, made without Eggs.

1325. INGREDIENTS.—1/2 lb. of flour, 6 oz. of raisins, 6 oz. of currants, 1/4 lb. of chopped suet, 1/4 lb. of brown sugar, 1/4 lb. of mashed carrot, 1/4 lb. of mashed potatoes, 1 tablespoonful of treacle, 1 oz. of candied lemon-peel, 1 oz. of candied citron.

Mode.—Mix the flour, currants, suet, and sugar well together; have ready the above proportions of mashed carrot and potato, which stir into the other ingredients; add the treacle and lemon-peel; but put no liquid in the mixture, or it will be spoiled. Tie it loosely in a cloth, or, if put in a basin, do not quite fill it, as the pudding should have room to swell, and boil it for 4 hours. Serve with brandy-sauce. This pudding is better for being mixed over-night.

Time.—4 hours.

Average cost, 1s. 6d.

Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons.

Seasonable in winter.

AN UNRIVALLED PLUM-PUDDING.

1326. INGREDIENTS.—1-1/2 lb. of muscatel raisins, 1-3/4 lb. of currants, 1 lb. of sultana raisins, 2 lbs. of the finest moist sugar, 2 lbs. of bread crumbs, 16 eggs, 2 lbs. of finely-chopped suet, 6 oz. of mixed candied peel, the rind of 2 lemons, 1 oz. of ground nutmeg, 1 oz. of ground cinnamon, 1/2 oz. of pounded bitter almonds, 1/4 pint of brandy.

Mode.—Stone and cut up the raisins, but do not chop them; wash and dry the currants, and cut the candied peel into thin slices. Mix all the dry ingredients well together, and moisten with the eggs, which should be well beaten and strained, to the pudding; stir in the brandy, and, when all is thoroughly mixed, well butter and flour a stout new pudding-cloth; put in the pudding, tie it down very tightly and closely, boil from 6 to 8 hours, and serve with brandy-sauce. A few sweet almonds, blanched and cut in strips, and stuck on the pudding, ornament it prettily. This quantity may be divided and boiled in buttered moulds. For small families this is the most desirable way, as the above will be found to make a pudding of rather large dimensions.

Time.—6 to 8 hours. Average cost, 7s. 6d.

Seasonable in winter. Sufficient for 12 or 14 persons.

Note.—The muscatel raisins can be purchased at a cheap rate loose (not in bunches): they are then scarcely higher in price than the ordinary raisins, and impart a much richer flavour to the pudding.



SULTANA GRAPE.—We have elsewhere stated that the small black grape grown in Corinth and the Ionian Isles is, when dried, the common currant of the grocers' shops; the white or yellow grape, grown in the same places, is somewhat larger than the black variety, and is that which produces the Sultana raisin. It has been called Sultana from its delicate qualities and unique growth: the finest are those of Smyrna. They have not sufficient flavour and sugary properties to serve alone for puddings and cakes, but they are peculiarly valuable for mixing, that is to say, for introducing in company with the richer sorts of Valencias or Muscatels. In white puddings, or cakes, too, where the whiteness must be preserved, the Sultana raisin should be used. But the greatest value of this fruit in the cuisine is that of its saving labour; for it has no stones. Half Muscatels and half Sultanas are an admirable mixture for general purposes.

A PLAIN CHRISTMAS PUDDING FOR CHILDREN.

1327. INGREDIENTS.—1 lb. of flour, 1 lb. of bread crumbs, 3/4 lb. of stoned raisins, 3/4 lb. of currants, 3/4 lb. of suet, 3 or 4 eggs, milk, 2 oz. of candied peel, 1 teaspoonful of powdered allspice, 1/2 saltspoonful of salt.

Mode.—Let the suet be finely chopped, the raisins stoned, and the currants well washed, picked, and dried. Mix these with the other dry ingredients, and stir all well together; beat and strain the eggs to the pudding, stir these in, and add just sufficient milk to make it mix properly. Tie it up in a well-floured cloth, put it into boiling water, and boil for at least 5 hours. Serve with a sprig of holly placed in the middle of the pudding, and a little pounded sugar sprinkled over it.

Time.—5 hours. Average cost, 1s. 9d.

Sufficient for 9 or 10 children. Seasonable at Christmas.

RAISINS.—Raisins are grapes, prepared by suffering them to remain on the vine until they are perfectly ripe, and then drying them in the sun or by the heat of an oven. The sun-dried grapes are sweet, the oven-dried of an acid flavour. The common way of drying grapes for raisins is to tie two or three bunches of them together, whilst yet on the vine, and dip them into a hot lixivium of wood-ashes mixed with a little of the oil of olives: this disposes them to shrink and wrinkle, after which they are left on the vine three or four days, separated, on sticks in a horizontal situation, and then dried in the sun at leisure, after being cut from the tree.

CHRISTMAS PLUM-PUDDING.

(Very Good.)

1328. INGREDIENTS.—1-1/2 lb. of raisins, 1/2 lb. of currants, 1/2 lb. of mixed peel, 3/4 lb. of bread crumbs, 3/4 lb. of suet, 8 eggs, 1 wineglassful of brandy.



Mode.—Stone and cut the raisins in halves, but do not chop them; wash, pick, and dry the currants, and mince the suet finely; cut the candied peel into thin slices, and grate down the bread into fine crumbs. When all these dry ingredients are prepared, mix them well together; then moisten the mixture with the eggs, which should be well beaten, and the brandy; stir well, that everything may be very thoroughly blended, and press the pudding into a buttered mould; tie it down tightly with a floured cloth, and boil for 5 or 6 hours. It may be boiled in a cloth without a mould, and will require the same time allowed for cooking. As Christmas puddings are usually made a few days before they are required for table, when the pudding is taken out of the pot, hang it up immediately, and put a plate or saucer underneath to catch the water that may drain from it. The day it is to be eaten, plunge it into boiling water, and keep it boiling for at least 2 hours; then turn it out of the mould, and serve with brandy-sauce. On Christmas-day a sprig of holly is usually placed in the middle of the pudding, and about a wineglassful of brandy poured round it, which, at the moment of serving, is lighted, and the pudding thus brought to table encircled in flame.

Time.—5 or 6 hours the first time of boiling; 2 hours the day it is to be served.

Average cost, 4s.

Sufficient for a quart mould for 7 or 8 persons.

Seasonable on the 25th of December, and on various festive occasions till March.

Note.—Five or six of these puddings should be made at one time, as they will keep good for many weeks, and in cases where unexpected guests arrive, will be found an acceptable, and, as it only requires warming through, a quickly-prepared dish. Moulds of every shape and size are manufactured for these puddings, and may be purchased of Messrs. R. & J. Slack, 336, Strand.