RECIPES FOR PUDDINGS

41. In the preparation of many puddings here considered, left-over materials, such as bread, rolls, stale cake, cookies, etc., may be utilized to advantage. Consequently, when the housewife is making desserts, she should endeavor to make good use of all such things in case they cannot be used by themselves.

42. INDIAN PUDDING.--As corn meal is the chief ingredient in the pudding given in the accompanying recipe, it is called Indian pudding, corn meal being a product of Indian corn. For persons who like food containing corn meal, this pudding will prove satisfactory. It has the advantage over other puddings in that it is inexpensive.

INDIAN PUDDING

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Sufficient to Serve Eight

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Mix the corn meal with some of the milk, scald the remainder in a double boiler, and add the moistened corn meal to it. Pour in the molasses, salt, and cinnamon, cook for 15 or 20 minutes in a double boiler, and then pour into a buttered baking dish. Bake in a very slow oven for about 2 hours. Serve with cream or custard sauce.

43. BROWN BETTY.--A baked pudding that always meets with favor among both old and young is Brown Betty. The flavor imparted by the apples and other ingredients to the bread crumbs is delightful, especially when the pudding is prepared according to the accompanying directions.

BROWN BETTY

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Butter a baking dish. Make coarse crumbs of the stale bread and place a layer on the bottom of the baking dish. Place on top of this a layer of half the sliced apples and sprinkle with 1/2 of the sugar, to which have been added the nutmeg and cinnamon. Dot with butter, sprinkle with another layer of crumbs, add the remaining apples, sugar, and spices, and dot again with butter. Cover with the remaining crumbs and dot this with the remaining butter. Pour over this the water, lemon juice, and the grated lemon rind. Bake in a moderate oven for about 45 minutes, covering the dish for the first half of the time and removing the cover for the latter part of the baking. Serve with cream, lemon sauce, or hard sauce. The quantity of water necessary depends on the dryness of the crumbs and the juiciness of the apples.

44. BREAD PUDDING.--For utilizing bits of bread that might otherwise be wasted, there is no better plan than to make a bread pudding. This dessert may be used with any dinner or luncheon, as jams, jellies, and practically all kinds of sauce may be served with it to impart a suitable flavor.

BREAD PUDDING

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Sufficient to Serve Eight

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Heat the milk and pour it over the bread crumbs. Allow them to soak until they are soft. Beat the eggs, add the sugar and vanilla to them, and stir this into the mixture of crumbs and milk. Mix thoroughly, pour into a buttered baking dish, and bake in a moderate oven for about 45 minutes. If desired, jelly or jam may be served with the bread pudding or any desirable sauce, such as lemon, vanilla, or custard, may be used and the pudding may be served either hot or cold.

45. MAIZE PUDDING.--A pudding that has both corn starch and corn meal as its basis provides variety. This pudding, called maize pudding, is prepared in a double boiler and then turned into a mold to cool. Either raisins or dates may be added to it to increase its palatability.

MAIZE PUDDING

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Sufficient to Serve Eight

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Scald the milk in a double boiler, mix the corn starch, corn meal, salt, sugar, and cinnamon, and add this to the hot milk, stirring rapidly to prevent the formation of lumps. Continue to stir and cook directly over the fire until the mixture thickens. Then return to the double boiler and cook for about 2 hours. Fifteen minutes before removing from the fire, add the raisins or chopped dates, turn into a mold, and serve either hot or cold with custard sauce.

46. PIERROT PUDDING.--A steamed pudding made of simple ingredients is often desired for serving with an elaborate meal. In such a case, Pierrot pudding will answer very well.

PIERROT PUDDING

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Sufficient to Serve Six

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Cream the butter and add the sugar gradually. Then add the milk alternately with the flour, to which has been added the baking powder. Beat the whites of the eggs until they are stiff and fold them into the mixture. Add the vanilla. Butter baking-powder cans or other molds, fill them half full with the mixture, adjust the covers, which should also be buttered, and place in a kettle of boiling water. Raise them from the bottom of the kettle by means of a rack, have the water come half way up around the molds, and cover closely. If small molds are used, steam them only 1 hour. If a large mold is used, steam from 1-1/2 to 2 hours, never allowing the water to get below the boiling point. Remove from the molds and serve with hot chocolate sauce.

47. STEAMED GINGER PUDDING.--A steamed pudding in which the flavor of ginger predominates is given in the accompanying recipe. This kind of pudding is very popular among persons who like such flavor.

STEAMED GINGER PUDDING

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Sufficient to Serve Eight

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Cream the shortening and add the sugar and the beaten eggs. Sift the dry ingredients with the flour and add alternately with the milk. Turn into a buttered mold and steam for about 2 hours. Remove from the mold and serve with sweetened whipped cream or any desired sauce.

48. RAISIN PUFF.--Raisins always increase the food value of a meal, and they are especially good when combined with the ingredients required for the dessert known as raisin puff. This steamed pudding is rather rich and should not, of course, be served with a meal in which the other foods are rich.

RAISIN PUFF

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Sufficient to Serve Eight

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Cream the shortening and add the sugar gradually and the beaten egg. Sift the dry ingredients with the flour and add alternately with the milk. Chop the raisins and fold them into the mixture. Turn into a buttered mold, cover, and steam for 1-1/2 or 2 hours. Remove from the mold and serve hot with whipped cream or any desired sauce.

49. SUET-FRUIT PUDDING.--Steamed puddings in which suet and fruit form two of the ingredients are excellent cold-weather desserts. Such puddings are usually made around the holidays, and under proper conditions will keep for a long time. The accompanying recipe gives directions for making an excellent pudding of this kind.

SUET-FRUIT PUDDING

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Force the suet through a food chopper or chop very fine. Then work it with the hands until it is creamy and to it add the bread crumbs. Beat the egg yolks until they are light and add them to the suet and bread crumbs. Add the milk. Add the sugar, grated lemon rind, lemon juice, the raisins, cut into pieces, the molasses, and milk. Sift together the salt, spices, soda, and flour, and sift these into the mixture. Mix thoroughly, fold in the whites of the eggs beaten until they are stiff, turn into a buttered mold, adjust the cover, and steam for about 3 hours. Serve with any desired sauce.

50. CHRISTMAS PUDDING.--A pudding much used during the holiday season is Christmas pudding. The ingredients for this dessert are similar to those for suet-fruit pudding. In fact, both may be used for the same purpose. Christmas pudding is especially good when served with hard sauce, although other sauce may be used with it.

CHRISTMAS PUDDING

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Soak the bread crumbs in the milk. Work the suet with the hands until it is creamy, and to it add the sugar, molasses, and well-beaten eggs. Mix with the milk and bread crumbs, and add the fruit and nuts. Mix the dry ingredients and sift them into the mixture. Add the fruit juice, turn into a buttered mold, and steam for 3 hours. Serve hot with hard sauce or any other desired sauce.

51. POCONO PUDDING.--Directions for still another steamed pudding in which suet is used are given in the accompanying recipe for Pocono pudding. This dessert does not require so many ingredients as suet-fruit or Christmas pudding, and in many cases will answer the same purpose.

POCONO PUDDING

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Put the suet, apples, peeled and cored, and the bread crumbs through the food chopper. Beat the yolks of the eggs and add these with the sugar, milk, salt, and grated rind and juice of the lemon. Chop the raisins and add to the mixture. Beat the egg whites and fold these into the mixture. Pour the mixture into buttered molds and steam for 3 to 4 hours. Serve with any desired sauce.

52. STEAMED FIG PUDDING.--A steamed pudding made according to the recipe here given never fails to please. As the name, steamed fig pudding, indicates, it is supposed to have chopped figs added to it, although raisins will answer if figs cannot be obtained.

STEAMED FIG PUDDING

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Cream the butter and add the sugar, molasses, and milk. Mix and sift the dry ingredients and stir these into the mixture. Fold in the chopped figs or raisins and steam in buttered molds for 2 to 3 hours, depending on the size of the molds. Serve hot with any desired sauce.

53. FRESH FRUIT PUDDING.--During berry or cherry season fresh-fruit pudding is an excellent one to make. This pudding is prepared in much the same way as a cake mixture, is combined with the fruit selected, and is then either steamed or baked.

FRESH-FRUIT PUDDING

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Cream the butter and add the sugar. Sift together the dry ingredients and add these alternately with the milk. Beat the egg whites and fold these in. Place a layer of dough in the bottom of a buttered baking dish, put a layer of fruit on top of this, add dough next and then fruit, and have a final layer of dough on top. Cover tight and steam for 1-1/2 or 2 hours or bake without the cover in a moderate oven for about 45 minutes. Serve with a fruit or a hard sauce.

54. COCONUT PUFF.--A light pudding to which shredded coconut is added to give flavor is a satisfactory dessert for a heavy meal. As it is baked in muffin pans, it may be served in a dainty manner.

COCONUT PUFF

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Cream the butter and add the sugar. Beat the yolks of the eggs and add them. Sift the dry ingredients with the flour and add alternately with the milk. Fold in the coconut. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them in. Bake in buttered muffin pans in a quick oven for 20 minutes. Serve with coconut or any desired sauce.

55. COTTAGE PUDDING.--When a simple baked pudding is desired, the housewife almost instinctively turns to cottage pudding. This pudding has been a favorite in the household for years and may be eaten by young or old. It is not very rich, and so should be served with an appetizing sauce.

COTTAGE PUDDING

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Sufficient to Serve Eight

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Cream the butter, add the sugar, and beat the egg and add it. Sift the flour and baking powder together and add alternately with the milk. Add the vanilla. Bake in a loaf-cake pan and serve hot with lemon, fruit, or chocolate sauce.

56. CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING.--To the majority of persons the flavor of chocolate is always pleasing. In chocolate bread pudding, this flavor is well blended with the ingredients. This pudding, when baked, may be cut into slices, as shown in Fig. 27, and then daintily served with either hard or custard sauce.

CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING

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Soak the bread crumbs in 3 cupfuls of the milk. Melt the chocolate in a saucepan and add the sugar and the remaining cup of milk. Cook until the mixture is smooth and add this to the bread and milk. Beat the eggs and add them. Add the salt and vanilla. Pour into a buttered baking dish and bake for about 45 minutes in a moderate oven. Cut into slices and serve with hard or custard sauce.

57. CHOCOLATE PUDDING.--Baked chocolate pudding provides another way in which to serve a dessert in which chocolate flavor predominates. This pudding, because of its food value and the pleasing way in which it may be served, is sure to answer for any meal in which a pudding dessert is desired.

CHOCOLATE PUDDING

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Sufficient to Serve Eight

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Cream the butter, add the sugar, and beat the yolks of the eggs and add them. Add the milk alternately with the flour, which has been mixed and sifted with the baking powder and soda. Melt the chocolate in a saucepan and add. Beat the whites of the eggs until stiff and fold them into the mixture. Flavor with the vanilla. Bake in a pan that will leave a space in the center. It will require about 45 minutes to 1 hour for the baking. Remove from the pan, fill the center with whipped cream, and serve with chocolate sauce.

58. BOSTON CREAM PIE.--Boston cream pie is a dessert that can be made up with some of the recipes already given. It is a favorite dessert with many people and is very high in food value.

To make Boston cream pie, first bake two layers, each about 1 inch thick, in round pans, using the plain-cake or cottage-pudding recipe. Then, between these layers, put a filling about 1/2 inch thick. This filling should preferably be the one used for cream puffs, although any similar filling stiff enough to stand up well may be used instead. Cover the top layer with 1/2 to 1 inch of slightly sweetened and flavored whipped cream. The cake should not be put together until both the layers and the filling have cooled.

EXAMINATION QUESTIONS

(1) In what general way does the thickness of the dough mixture for large cakes differ from that for small cakes other than cup cakes?

(2) (a) In baking small cakes, how does the oven temperature required compare with that required for large cakes? (b) How does the length of time required for baking large and small cakes differ?

(3) If the time for baking small cakes is divided into halves, what should occur in the second half?

(4) Where should the pans for the baking of small cakes be placed in the oven?

(5) Describe an original way of decorating cup cakes.

(6) Describe two classes of cookies.

(7) What precaution must be taken with regard to the flour used in the mixing of cakes?

(8) How thick should the dough be rolled for: (a) cookies? (b) ginger snaps?

(9) Describe the baking of cookies.

(10) Describe the frying of doughnuts and crullers.

(11) Describe a method of removing the excess fat from the surface of doughnuts after they are fried.

(12) By what methods may puddings be cooked?

(13) With what kind of meal and during what kind of weather should heavy, rich pudding be served?

(J4) Of what value are pudding sauces?

(15) (a) Describe the method of steaming pudding. (b) How may the surface of steamed puddings be made dry?