PIES, PUDDINGS AND SWEET DISHES.
1. Have everything particularly clean and dry.
2. Pass the flour through a wire sieve, and rub in the butter or fat with thetipsof the fingers only.
3. Keep everything cool. Always mix the paste withcoldwater. To prevent hot hands wash them inhotwater.
4. Roll out a short crustonceonly. If baking-powder be used, make and bake the pastry as quickly as possible.
5. Test the oven by placing a small piece of bread on the shelf. If it brown in half a minute the heat is correct.
6. Bake in the hottest part of the oven for the first five minutes, then remove to a cooler part.
7. Warm jam separately, and place it in the tart at the last minute. To keep the shape of the tart, place a piece of bread in the centre whilst baking.
1 lb. flour to ¾ lb. butter or fat,or1 lb. flour to ½ lb. butter or fat, and the yolk of one egg;or1 lb. flour to ½ lb. butter or fat, and 1 teaspoonful baking-powder;or1 lb. flour to ¼ lb. butter or fat, and 1 teaspoonful baking-powder.
½ lb. flour, ¼ lb. butter or fat.
Divide the fat into three equal portions, rub one part into the flour in the usual way, add a pinch of salt and mix to a stiff paste with cold water. Roll out into a long narrow strip, rolling backwards and forwardsonly. Spread the second portion of fat evenly over the paste, fold into three and turn with the rough edges towards you. Roll out again and proceed in the same way. Fold over and roll to required shape.
1 lb. flour to ¾ lb. butter or fat,or1 lb. flour to ½ lb. butter or fat.
Break the butter or fat into the flour in lumps, and mix to a paste with a little cold water. Roll out, fold in three, turn the rough edges towards you, and roll out again. Do this four or six times till the paste is no longer streaky.
All puddings containing starch, such as rice, sago, macaroni, etc., must be baked slowly in a moderate oven, so that the starch globules may have time to swell, burst, and absorb the milk. Custards must also bake very slowly. Puddings containing flour must bake longer than those made with bread, etc.
1. Always place these puddings in boiling water; keep them well covered, and on the boil, adding more boiling water as required.
2. All puddings containing flour must boil longer than those made with bread, etc.
3. Puddings boiled in basins must boil longer than those put only in cloths.
4. The basin must always be quite full, and must be tied up in a cloth which has been dredged with flour.
1. Puddings cooked in this way are lighter than those that are boiled, but take longer to cook.
2. The water in the saucepan must only reach half-way up the basin, and mustsimmerall the time. More boiling water must be added when required.
3. The basin need not be quite full.
8 eggs, 8 oz. castor sugar, 8 oz. ground almonds.
Beat the yolks and whites separately—the whites to a stiff froth—then whisk them together, and stir in gradually the sugar, and ground almonds. Beat well for 20 minutes, then pour the mixture into well-greased shallow dishes, and bake in a moderate oven. If a knife when inserted come out clean, the puddings are done.
Baked Apples. Time—½ hour.
1 lb. apples, 2 oz. brown sugar, ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoonful cold water, rind and juice of a lemon.
Wash the apples (if an apple corer be handy core them), notch them across the top, place them in a Yorkshire pudding tin, with the sugar, lemon-rind, lemon-juice, water, and cinnamon. Bake till tender; serve hot or cold. ForApple Snow, pass through a sieve and beat in lightly whites of 2 eggs and 3 oz. castor sugar, then pile roughly on a dish, and decorate to taste.
½ lb. flour, 4 oz. dripping, ½ teaspoonful baking-powder, 4 apples, cloves or lemon-rind, 2 oz. brown sugar.
Peel and core the apples, and fill the centre of each with moist sugar and 2 cloves or 2 pieces lemon-rind. Rub the dripping into the flour, add the baking-powder and enough cold water to form a stiff paste, divide it into four, and roll each piece out. Place an apple in the centre of each piece of paste, and work it well round the apple. Grease a tin, place the dumplings on it, and bake about ¼ hour.
3 large apples (½ wineglassful brandy, if liked), 2 oz. powdered loaf sugar.Batter—4 tablespoonfuls flour, 1 tablespoonful salad oil, a pinch of salt, tepid water, white of 1 egg.
Peel and core 3 large apples, cut them into slices half an inch thick, put them in a dish with the sugar and brandy, cover with another dish, and leave them 2 hours.
Batter.—In a separate basin mix the flour with the oil, salt, and sufficient tepid water to make a batter the thickness of cream, avoiding lumps. Cover the basin, and let the batter stand 2 hours. Then add the well-beaten white of egg to the batter, dry the slices of apple on a cloth, dip each piece in the batter, so that it is quite covered, and fry in hot fat or oil. Serve with powdered sugar.
Apples in Custard. Time—¾ hour.
1 lb. apples, 1 oz. brown sugar, 4 eggs, 1 gill water, 1 oz. ground almonds.
Beat the eggs well, add the water, sugar and almonds. Peel the apples, core them, place them in a pie-dish which has been thoroughly greased and sugared, pour the custard over them, and bake about ½ hour.
1 lb. apples, 1 lb. brown sugar, 1 gill water, juice and peel of 1 lemon.
Peel and core the apples, put them into a stew-pan with the sugar, water, juice of the lemon, and the peel chopped fine. Boil over a slow fire, stirring occasionally, until quite stiff and of a deep brown colour. Dip a small mould into cold water, put the jelly in, and let it set. Turn out when cold.
½ lb. scraps of bread, 2 oz. suet, 1 oz. candied peel, ¼ lb. currants, raisins, or sultanas, ¼ lb. brown sugar, 1 egg.
Soak the scraps of bread in cold water, then squeeze very dry, put into a basin and beat out the lumps; chop the suet fine, clean the fruit, shred the peel, and beat the egg. Mix all the dry ingredients, then add the egg and a little water, if required. Grease and sugar a pie-dish or tin, fill with the mixture, and bake about 1 hour.
If preferred, the fruit and peel can be replaced by chocolate, or ground ginger and golden syrup. Bread-crumbs can be used instead of soaked bread if liked.
1 lb. soaked bread, ¼ lb. grated or desiccated cocoanut, 2 oz. ground almonds, 4 tablespoonfuls brown sugar, 3 eggs.
When the bread has been thoroughly soaked, squeeze it very dry, and beat out all the lumps. Mix the dry ingredients well together, then add the eggs well beaten. Grease and sugar a pie-dish, fill with the mixture, and bake about three-quarters of an hour. Turn out on to a hot dish.
Ebony Jelly. Time—2 hours.
1 lb. French plums, ½ pint water, ½ lb. lump dust, ½ oz. vegetable isinglass, rind of ½ lemon.
Soak the plums over-night. Next morning stew them gently with the water and sugar for 1 hour or longer till quite tender; pour the juice off on to the isinglass to dissolve it. Stone the plums and pulp them through a wire sieve. Crack the stones, blanch and pound the kernels, add them with the strips of lemon peel and the isinglass to the plums, mix and pour into a wetted mould.
1 lb. suet, ¼ lb. currants, ¼ lb. brown sugar, ¼ lb. chopped apples, ¼ lb. bread-crumbs, 2 eggs.
Chop the suet fine, wash and dry the currants, mix with the sugar, chopped apples, bread-crumbs, and eggs well beaten. Grease a mould, pour in the mixture, and boil or steam two hours. The eggs may be left out.
½ lb. dried figs, ¼ lb. brown sugar, ¼ lb. suet or dripping, 5 oz. flour, 5 oz. bread-crumbs, a pinch of salt and mixed spice, 2 eggs, 1 tablespoonful golden syrup.
Cut the figs up small, chop the suet and mix all the dry ingredients together, add the golden syrup and beaten eggs, turn into a greased basin; dredge a pudding cloth with flour, tie it over the basin and boil for 3 to 4 hours.
ForDate Puddingproceed in the same manner, but omit the golden syrup.
6 oz. flour, 2 oz. clarified fat or dripping, 1 lb. fruit, ½ teaspoonful baking-powder, 2 oz. brown sugar.
Prepare the fruit, and half fill the pie-dish with it; add the sugar, then the remainder of the fruit, and a little water. Rub the fat into the flour, add the baking-powder, salt, and sufficient water to make a stiff paste. Roll this out to the shape of the dish, but larger; cut off a strip, wet the edge of the dish, put the strip round it, wet the strip, and press the rest of the pastry on to it. Trim neatly, ornament, and bake about ½ hour. When half done brush over with cold water.
Fruit Pudding. Time—2 hours.
½ lb. flour, 3 oz. suet, 1 lb. fruit, 2 oz. brown sugar, salt.
Chop the suet fine, add the salt; rub these well into the flour; mix with cold water to a stiff paste. Cut off one-third of the paste for the top; roll out the remainder into a round, twice the size of the top of the basin. Grease the basin very thoroughly, line it with the paste, cut up the fruit, and half fill the basin with it, add the sugar and a little water, then the remainder of the fruit. Roll out the top piece, wet the edges of the paste, put on the top, press the edges together. Dredge a pudding cloth and tie it over the basin. Boil in plenty of water about 1½ hour.
Baked Fruit Puddingmust be made the same way, but the basin must be sugared as well as greased. Bake about ¾ hour.
1 quart green gooseberries, 1 quart cold water, ½ lb. brown sugar, 1 oz. vegetable isinglass.
Stew the gooseberries in the water with ¼ lb. sugar, allow them to get cold, then heat them again, this process gives the juice a pink colour. Dissolve the isinglass in a little water, add to it ¼ lb. sugar and place it in thejuiceof the fruit, which should have been carefully strained and cleared; mix all gently together, pour into a wetted mould, and serve when cold.
1 lb. black currants, bread, ½ lb. brown sugar, ½ pint water.
Stew the currants with the sugar and water, when soft pour them boiling into a pudding basin, which has been lined with slices of bread, about half an inch thick. Cover the basin with a plate, on which place a heavy weight. Turn out when cold; the bread should then have become soaked with juice.
Cherries, currants, raspberries or plums, white sugar, water.
All these fruits require picking, and washing in cold water. Place the fruit in the stew-pan with the sugar and sufficient water to cover it, and simmer till tender. Cherries, red currants and raspberries stewed together and poured over a slice of bread or a penny sponge cake, make a delicious summer sweet.
1 pint water, 4 eggs, rind and juice of 2 lemons, 2 oz. loaf sugar.
Add the sugar and lemon-rinds to the water, and when this boils, strain away the rinds, add the lemon-juice and pour on to the eggs, which have been well beaten. Place this mixture in a jar, stand it in a saucepan of boiling water, and stir till it begins to thicken.
½ lb. bread-crumbs, ¼ lb. chopped suet, ¼ lb. brown sugar, 2 eggs, grated rind and juice of one large lemon.
Mix all the dry ingredients well together, then add the lemon-juice, and eggs well beaten. Grease small cups, fill them with the mixture, cover with greased paper, and steam 1 hour, or bake ½ hour. Serve with sweet sauce.
3 eggs, weight of the eggs in flour, dripping, and castor sugar; nutmeg, and lemon-rind.
Rub the dripping into the flour, add the sugar, well-beaten eggs, and flavouring, and beat all well together. Ornament the top of a greased mould with slices of candied peel, put in the mixture, and steam for 2 hours.
Serve with lemon sauce (seepage 39).
¼ lb. bread-crumbs, ¼ lb. suet or dripping, 2 oz. candied peel, 1 lemon, 1 egg, 3 tablespoonfuls marmalade.
Chop the suet very fine (or rub the dripping into the bread-crumbs), shred the candied peel, grate the rind of the lemon. Put all the dry ingredients into a basin, and mix with them the marmalade and egg. Grease a basin or mould well, fill with the mixture, cover with greased paper, and steam 2 hours. Serve with marmalade sauce (seepage 39).
Mince Meat.
½ lb. suet, ½ lb. sultanas, ½ lb. raisins, ½ lb. currants, ½ lb. brown sugar, ½ lb. apples, ½ lb. candied peel, grated rind of 1 lemon, 2 oz. ratafias soaked in brandy.
Stone and chop the raisins, wash and dry the currants, chop all the other ingredients, mix them well together, and cover close for a month.
4 oz. flour, 1 egg, ½ pint water, fat or oil, salt, sugar.
Put the flour into a basin, beat the egg, add it with a little of the water to the flour. Beat it well, then add the remainder of the water, and let the batter stand. Melt a small piece of fat, or heat the oil, in a frying-pan the size of the pancake required; pour in just enough batter to cover the bottom, and fry it a light brown on both sides, either tossing it, or turning it with a fork. Sprinkle each pancake with lemon-juice and castor sugar, and serve on a hot dish.
6 large pears, ½ lb. brown sugar, ½ pint water, rind of 1 lemon, a few cloves.
Peel the pears, cut them in halves, and core them. Lay them in a stew-pan with the sugar, water, lemon-rind, and cloves. Cover tightly, first with brown paper, then with lid of stew-pan. Stew gently 4 or 5 hours.
Pears can also be stewed in a stone jar in the oven, but must always be well covered up.
1 lb. raisins, ½ lb. currants, ½ lb. suet, ½ lb. flour, ¼ lb. bread-crumbs, 2 oz. brown sugar, ¼ lb. almonds, ¼ lb. candied peel, grated rind of 1 lemon, ¼ of a nutmeg grated, ½ teaspoonful mixed spice, golden syrup and beer from ¼ pint upwards.
Stone the raisins, wash and dry the currants, shred the suet fine, prepare the bread-crumbs, chop the candied peel, blanch and chop the almonds. Mix these all well together with the flour, sugar, grated lemon-rind and nutmeg, mixed spice, and enough golden syrup and beer to form a stiff mixture. Boil in basins or moulds for ten hours.
Scotch Plum Pudding. Time—4 hours.
½ lb. flour, ½ lb. carrots, ½ lb. potatoes, ½ lb. suet, ½ lb. currants, ½ lb. raisins or sultanas, 2 oz. candied peel, ¼ lb. golden syrup.
Peel the potatoes, scrape the carrots, boil both till tender, then mash them. Add to these the flour, currants, raisins or sultanas, suet and peel chopped fine, and lastly the golden syrup. Boil in a greased basin for 3 hours.
1 lb. red currants, ½ lb. raspberries, ¼ lb. tapioca, 1 teacupful water, ¼ lb. castor sugar.
Soak the tapioca in the water over-night, next morning stew all gently together for at least 4 to 5 hours. Turn into a wetted mould and serve cold.
Any other fresh fruit can be used.
1 lb. prunes, ½ lb. white sugar, ½ pint water, stick cinnamon or lemon-rind to taste.
Soak the prunes over-night in cold water. Next morning put them in a stew-pan with the sugar, water and flavouring, and stew slowly about 2 hours.
Rhubarb, lemon-rind, loaf sugar.
Wash the rhubarb, peel it, cut into pieces about three inches long, put it with the sugar, lemon-rind and enough water to cover it, either in a stew-pan, or in an earthenware jar in the oven, for about 1 hour. If liked, it may then be passed through a sieve, and well mixed with the beaten yolk of an egg, while the white should be beaten to a stiff froth, and used to ornament the dish.
Gooseberry Foolcan be made the same way.
¾ lb. flour, ¼ lb. suet, ½ lb. jam, ½ teaspoonful baking-powder, ¼ teaspoonful salt.
Chop the suet fine, rub it well into the flour, add the salt, baking-powder, and sufficient cold water to make a stiff paste. Turn on to a floured board, roll into a long thin piece, spread with jam, not too near the edge, roll up, pressing the edges together. Dredge a pudding cloth with flour, place the pudding on it with the join downwards, roll up in the cloth, and tie up the ends. Place in boiling water, and boil about 1½ hour.
Suet Puddingis made the same way, the jam being left out, or replaced by treacle, currants, or sultanas.
1 French roll, 1 egg, a little nutmeg, cinnamon and sugar.
Cut the crumb of the roll into square slices half an inch thick. Beat up the egg, mix the nutmeg, cinnamon and sugar with it and soak the slices of roll in the mixture. Fry in hot oil till they become a golden brown, drain on paper, serve with clarified sugar or jam.
3 eggs, ½ teacupful castor sugar, ½ teacupful flour, 1 teaspoonful baking-powder, jam.
Beat the sugar and yolks of the eggs well together, then add the flour gradually, then the whites of the eggs beaten to a stiff froth and lastly the baking-powder. Grease a baking-tinwell, pour the mixture into it and bake in rather a quick oven about 10 minutes. Sugar a pastry board, loosen the edges of the cake with a knife and turn it on to the board. Spread the cake with jam and roll it up.
¼ lb. flour, 2 oz. suet, 1 good teaspoonful ground ginger, 1 teaspoonful baking powder, 1 teacupful golden syrup, 1 egg, 1 oz. candied peel.
Chop the suet fine, put it into a basin with the flour, peel, ginger and baking-powder. Beat up the egg, mix the treacle with it, and stir into the mixture in the basin, adding more treacle if the pudding is not moist enough. Grease a basin or mould well, put the pudding into it, and cover with a greased paper. Steam for 2 hours. Serve with lemon sauce (seepage 39) to which some preserved ginger has been added.
Treacle Pie. Time—1½ hour.
¾ lb. flour, ¼ lb. dripping, ½ lb. golden syrup, 1 oz. ground ginger, 2 oz. bread-crumbs.
Rub the dripping into the flour and mix to a stiff paste with cold water, roll out very thin, and line a greased pie-dish with it. Cover with golden syrup as for a roly poly pudding, sprinkle with ginger and bread-crumbs, and continue alternate layers of paste and golden syrup, etc., till the dish is full, finishing with paste. Bake in a moderate oven, and turn out on to a hot dish.
½ lb. flour, 1 pint water, 3 eggs, salt.
Make a batter as for pancakes (seepage 48). Let it stand 2 hours, then pour into a greased tin and bake about ½ hour.
Batter Puddingis made the same way, but must be steamed for two hours in a greased basin or mould, instead of being baked, and must be served with a sweet sauce.