[529]. English Plum-Pudding. Remove the skin and the sinews from half a pound of beef suet; chop it very fine, adding half a pound of flour, and continue to chop until the flour is thoroughly mixed with the suet; then add eight ounces of raisins from which you have removed the seeds, and the same of currants, two ounces of citron cut in small pieces, a little nutmeg, two apples which you have pared and chopped fine, a wineglass of rum, and six eggs. Mix all well together, and then put into a buttered mold, which place in a saucepan which you have filled with water the height of your mold, and simmer gently six hours, then turn your pudding out of the mold, and serve. Instead of boiling your pudding in a mold, you may tie it securely in a buttered cloth, place it in a saucepan with some boiling water, and boil it six hours; remove the cloth, and serve with a sauce, with rum, of the preceding articles, or sprinkle powdered sugar on top; pour some rum over the pudding, light it, and serve burning.
[530]. Pudding au Marasquin. Take an ounce of raisins, from which you have removed the seeds, and two ounces of currants; soak them in a wineglass of sherry; then beat up slightly the yolks of six eggs, with half a pound of powdered sugar; add your raisins and currants, a pint of milk, half an ounce of gelatine, a teaspoonful of vanilla extract, and put all together in a saucepan on the fire; stir until the gelatine is dissolved, but do not allow your milk to boil; then strain. Put a mold on ice, pour into it, about the depth of two inches, a part of your mixture; when it has stiffened, cover entirely with Savoy cake an inch thick and soaked in maraschino; then pour on top some more of your mixture, about the depth of an inch high, and continue with alternate layers of cake and your mixture until the mold is filled. Put it on the ice until needed, then turn it out of the mold, and serve.
[531]. Rice Pudding. Wash well, rubbing it between the hands, half a pound of rice; change the water several times. Boil it ten minutes in boiling water; then put it in cold water for a moment, drain it, and put it in a saucepan on the fire with three pints of milk, half a pound of sugar, and the peel of a lemon cut extremely thin and grated; simmer gently for an hour, take it off the fire, add four eggs, stirring until well mixed, two ounces of raisins from which you have removed the seeds, two ounces of currants, and half an ounce of citron cut in small pieces. Butter a tin mold, sprinkle a few bread-crumbs on the bottom and the sides, pour in your rice, and send it to a gentle oven for an hour and a half; turn it out of your mold, and serve with the following sauce: Put in a saucepan on the fire a tablespoonful of corn starch, four yolks of eggs, half a pint of milk, four ounces of sugar, the grated rind of an orange (or a teaspoonful of extract of vanilla); stir until beginning to boil, strain, and serve.
[532]. Rice Pudding (another way). Wash six ounces of rice, changing the water several times; boil it in boiling water for ten minutes, then put it in cold water for a moment, drain it, and put it in a saucepan on the fire with three pints of milk, six ounces of sugar, a little grated lemon-peel, a pinch of allspice, and very little nutmeg. Simmer gently for an hour, add, one by one, four eggs, and stir until well mixed; pour your rice into a deep dish which you have buttered, send it to the oven until well colored, then remove it from the oven, put it on ice, and serve it extremely cold.
[533]. Apple Charlotte. Pare three dozen apples, put them in a saucepan on the fire with half a glass of water and half of the peel of a lemon; when your apples are soft, remove the lemon-peel, add six ounces of sugar, four ounces of peach marmalade, and reduce one half, stirring constantly, so that the apples do not stick to the saucepan. Butter a tin mold, cut a piece of bread a quarter of an inch thick, the size and shape of the bottom of your mold, dip it in melted butter, and place it in your mold; then cut some pieces of bread, the same thickness as above, the height of your mold and about two and a half inches wide. Place them around the sides (having dipped them in melted butter), one piece slightly overlapping the other. Pour the apples in the center, cover with a piece of bread dipped in melted butter, and send to the oven for about an hour; drain off the butter, turn your charlotte out of the mold, and serve with the following sauce: Put in a saucepan half a pound of peach marmalade with half a glass of water, two ounces of sugar, and stir all well together until boiling, press through a sieve, heat again on the fire, adding two liqueur-glasses of rum.
[534]. Apples à la Condé. Pare eight apples, in which cut a hole in the center; put them in a saucepan on the fire with four ounces of sugar, enough water to cover them, and half of the peel of a lemon. When the apples are soft, remove the lemon-peel, drain them, and strain the juice, which reduce on the fire two thirds. Boil half a pound of rice (which you have previously washed) in boiling water ten minutes; then put it in cold water for a moment, drain, and put it in a saucepan on the fire with a pint and a half of milk, six ounces of sugar, and a teaspoonful of extract of vanilla; boil gently three quarters of an hour; put your rice, about an inch in depth, on a dish, arrange your apples on top, fill the center with currant jelly, or any jam you wish; pour over them the juice which you have reduced, decorate them with blanched almonds cut in small pieces, citron, or angelica cut in small pieces, and then put them on the ice, and, when very cold, serve.
[535]. Compote of Apples. Pare ten apples, in which cut a hole in the center, put them in a saucepan with enough water to cover them, six ounces of sugar, and the rind of a lemon; simmer very gently until quite soft, without breaking; drain them, and reduce the juice three quarters on the fire, strain, pour it over your apples, which you have placed on a dish, and serve.
[536]. Pommes Meringues. Pare and cut in quarters two dozen apples, removing the core and pips. Put them in a saucepan on the fire with half a glass of water, six ounces of sugar, and the peel of an orange, grated. Reduce one half, stirring constantly; then put them on the ice; beat six whites of eggs very stiff, add to them four ounces of sugar, stir them lightly together, cover your apples with the meringue, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and send to a gentle oven until lightly colored, then remove them, put them again on ice, and serve very cold.