PUDDING SAUCES

37. The sauces served with puddings deserve just as much attention as to selection and preparation as the puddings themselves. For instance, a sour sauce that is not rich, such as lemon sauce, should be served with a rich, sweet pudding, while a rich, hard sauce or perhaps a chocolate sauce is the proper kind to serve with a bland, flavorless pudding.

So that the housewife may be perfectly familiar with a variety of sauces and thus know the nature of the sauces mentioned in connection with the puddings themselves, a number of recipes for pudding sauces are given. Some of these are intended to be served hot and others cold, while a few may be served either hot or cold, as preferred. Selection may be made from these for any pudding that is accompanied by a sauce when served. Care should be taken to have the sauce appropriate for the pudding and to follow explicitly the directions given for making it.

LEMON SAUCE NO. 1

Mix the sugar, corn starch, and salt, and add the water gradually, stirring constantly. Boil 5 minutes, remove from the fire, add the butter and lemon juice, and serve.

LEMON SAUCE NO. 2

Cream the butter, add the sugar gradually, and stir in the yolks of the eggs slightly beaten. Then add the water and cook over boiling water until the mixture thickens. Add the lemon juice and rind and serve at once.

VANILLA SAUCE

Cream the butter, add the sugar gradually, and stir in the egg yolks beaten slightly. Add the water and cook over boiling water until the mixture thickens. Add the nutmeg and vanilla and serve at once.

HARD SAUCE

Cream the butter, add the sugar gradually, and then add the flavoring. Beat until the sauce is light and creamy.

STERLING SAUCE

Cream the butter and add the sugar gradually. Add the milk and flavoring, drop by drop, to prevent separation. Beat until fluffy and smooth. Chill and serve.

CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Heat the milk and in it melt the chocolate. Mix the sugar and flour and stir into the mixture rapidly to prevent the formation of lumps. Cook until the sauce thickens, add the butter, and cook for a few minutes longer. Add the vanilla and serve either hot or cold, as desired.

FRUIT SAUCE

Heat the fruit juice, which may be any left-over fruit juice. Mix the sugar and corn starch, add to the hot fruit juice, and cook until the corn starch thickens, stirring constantly to prevent the formation of lumps. Add the lemon juice. Remove from the heat and, if the sauce is desired to be more acid, add lemon juice to suit the taste.

APRICOT SAUCE

Prepare apricot pulp by forcing cooked apricots through a sieve. Whip the cream and fold the apricot pulp into it. Add pulverized sugar to suit the taste.

PINEAPPLE SAUCE

Add the sugar to the water and bring to the boiling point. Add the pineapple and cook until it is tender. If canned pineapple is used, omit 1/2 cupful of the water. Moisten the corn starch with a little water and add it. Cook until it thickens, stirring to prevent lumps.

ORANGE SAUCE

Into the fruit juices, beat the powdered sugar until the sauce is as sweet as desired.

MARASCHINO SAUCE

Mix the fruit juices and chopped cherries, add the sugar, beat well, and serve.

CUSTARD SAUCE

Heat the milk in a double boiler. Mix the corn starch and sugar and add to the milk, stirring so as to prevent the formation of lumps. Continue stirring until the corn starch has thickened and then cook for about 15 minutes longer. Beat the egg, add it to the mixture, and cook for a few minutes longer. Add the vanilla, lemon, and salt. Serve hot or cold.

COCONUT SAUCE

Heat the milk in a double boiler with the coconut. Mix the sugar and corn starch and add to the hot milk and coconut. Stir until the corn starch has thickened and cook for 15 minutes. Add the salt to the egg white and beat until it is stiff. Pour the hot mixture over the egg white and continue beating until thoroughly blended. Add the vanilla and serve either hot or cold.

JELLY SAUCE

Cook the corn starch or arrowroot diluted with cold water, in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Add the jelly or jam, beaten smooth, and let simmer for 3 or 4 minutes. Add sugar, if needed, and the lemon juice. Strain and serve.