An excellent improvement to a plum pudding is to use half a pound of beef marrow cut into small dice, omitting the same quantity of suet.
No. 270. Currant Pudding. Put a pound and a half of flour into a basin, with a pound of beef suet, shred and chopped very fine, and a pound of currants, well washed, picked, and dried, add a little powdered cinnamon, or grated nutmeg, and mix well together, with four whole eggs, a quarter of a pound of brown sugar, and half a pint of milk, boil it as directed for plum pudding, either in a mould or tied in a cloth, but two hours would be sufficient; when done turn out upon a dish and serve quite plain, or with sauce as above.
The above mixture divided in small puddings or dumplings about the size of apples, boiled about half an hour, and served hot to table with a little powdered sugar over, are also excellent.
No. 271. Sweet Maccaroons. Blanch and skin half a pound of sweet almonds, dry them well in your screen, then put them into a mortar, with a pound and a half of lump sugar, pound well together, and pass the whole through a wire sieve, put it again into the mortar, with the whites of two eggs, mix well together with the pestle, then add the white of another egg, proceeding thus until you have used the whites of about eight eggs, and made a softish paste, when lay them out at equal distances apart upon wafer paper, in pieces nearly the size of walnuts, place some strips of almonds upon the top, sift sugar over, and bake in a slow oven of a yellowish-brown colour; they are done when set quite firm through.
No. 272. Bitter Maccaroons, or Ratafias, are made similar to the above, but deducting two ounces of sweet, and adding two ounces of bitter almonds; they are laid out in much smaller cakes upon common paper, and baked in a much warmer oven; when cold they may be taken off the paper with the greatest ease. These cakes are very serviceable in making a great many second-course dishes.
No. 273. Mince Meat. Procure four pounds and a half of kidney beef suet, which skin and chop very finely, have also three pounds of candied lemon and orange peel, a quarter of a pound of citron, a pound and a half of lean cooked beef, and three pounds and a half of apples, the whole separately chopped very fine, and put into a large pan with four pounds and a half of currants, well washed and picked, two ounces of mixed spice, and two pounds of sugar; mix the whole well together with the juice of eight lemons and a pint of brandy, place it in jars, and tie down until ready for use; a pound and a half of Malaga raisins, well stoned and chopped, may likewise be added to the above.
No. 274. Mince Pies. Have a piece of puff-paste made as directed (page 479), which roll out to the thickness of a penny-piece, have also a dozen tartelette-pans, which lightly butter, cut out twelve pieces with a round cutter from the paste, each the size of your tartelette-pans, lay them upon the slab; roll the trimming of the paste again to the former thickness, cut twelve other pieces, with which line the tartelette-pans, put a piece of mince-meat in each, wet them round, place on the lids, pricking a hole with a pin in the centre, and close them well at the edges; egg over lightly, and bake about twenty minutes in a moderate oven.
END OF RECEIPTS FOR KITCHEN AT HOME.