My Pudding.—(No. 554.)
Beat up the yelks and whites of three eggs; strain them[342] through a sieve (to keep out the treddles), and gradually add to them about a quarter of a pint of milk,—stir these well together; rub together in a mortar two ounces of moist sugar, and as much grated nutmeg as will lie on a sixpence,—stir these into the eggs and milk; then put in four ounces of flour, and beat it into a smooth batter; by degrees stir into it seven ounces of suet (minced as fine as possible), and three ounces of bread-crumbs; mix all thoroughly together at least half an hour before you put the pudding into the pot; put it into an earthenware pudding-mould that you have well buttered; tie a pudding-cloth over it very tight; put it into boiling water, and boil it three hours.
Put one good plum into it, and Moost-Aye says, you may then tell the economist that you have made a good plum pudding—without plums: this would be what schoolboys call “mile-stone pudding,” i. e. “a mile between one plum and another.”
N.B. Half a pound of Muscatel raisins cut in half, and added to the above, will make a most admirable plum pudding: a little grated lemon-peel may be added.
Obs.—If the water ceases to boil, the pudding will become heavy, and be spoiled; if properly managed, this and the following will be as fine puddings of the kind as art can produce.
Puddings are best when mixed an hour or two before they are boiled; the ingredients by that means amalgamate, and the whole becomes richer and fuller of flavour, especially if the various articles be thoroughly well stirred together.
A table-spoonful of treacle will give it a rich brown colour. See pudding sauce, No. 269, and pudding catchup, No. 446.
N.B. This pudding may be baked in an oven, or under meat, the same as Yorkshire pudding (No. 552); make it the same, only add half a pint of milk more: should it be above an inch and a quarter in thickness, it will take full two hours: it requires careful watching, for if the top gets burned, an empyreumatic flavour will pervade the whole of the pudding. Or, butter some tin mince-pie patty-pans, or saucers, and fill them with pudding, and set them in a Dutch oven; they will take about an hour.
Maigre Plum Pudding.
Simmer half a pint of milk with two blades of mace, and a roll of lemon-peel, for ten minutes; then strain it into a basin; set it away to get cold: in the mean time beat three eggs in a basin with three ounces of loaf-sugar, and the third[343] of a nutmeg: then add three ounces of flour; beat it well together, and add the milk by degrees: then put in three ounces of fresh butter broken into small pieces, and three ounces of bread-crumbs; three ounces of currants washed and picked clean, three ounces of raisins stoned and chopped: stir it all well together. Butter a mould; put it in, and tie a cloth tight over it. Boil it two hours and a half. Serve it up with melted butter, two table-spoonfuls of brandy, and a little loaf-sugar.
A Fat Pudding.
Break five eggs in a basin; beat them up with a tea-spoonful of sugar and a table-spoonful of flour; beat it quite smooth; then put to it a pound of raisins, and a pound of suet; it must not be chopped very fine; butter a mould well; put in the pudding; tie a cloth over it tight, and boil it five hours.
N.B. This is very rich, and is commonly called a marrow pudding.