Paper-bag Cookery

by Countess Vera Serkoff

This favourite nursery pudding is never so dainty as when cooked in a paper bag. In this way there is no risk of the jam “boiling out,” to the disappointment of the little people to whom the jam is the chief part of the pudding. Make a nice, but not too rich, crust from vegetable lard and self-raising flour. Roll it out to an oblong shape, spread over with any kind of jam preferred, leaving a good two inches clear all round. Roll up the pudding very carefully, securing the edges by wetting and sifting flour over. Put in a thoroughly greased bag and cook thirty minutes. If any jam should chance to ooze out, it will be retained in the bag, and should be poured over the pudding when in the dish.

RAISIN BLANKET.

This is another nursery favourite. Roll out a light paste crust, as directed in the foregoing recipe. Sprinkle it over with large raisins, stoned and cut in halves; cover with a thick layer of brown sugar; squeeze the juice of a lemon over; roll up, secure the ends, put into a well buttered bag, and cook thirty minutes.

RICE PUDDING.

For this pudding use flaked rice. Bring a pint of milk to the boil, add an ounce of loaf sugar, stir in one and a half or two ounces of flaked rice and boil a few minutes whilst stirring; take from the fire and allow to cook. When nearly cold, add two well beaten eggs, put into a thickly buttered bag, and cook thirty minutes, the heat of the oven being reduced after five minutes to less than half. Have ready a dish in which a layer of stewed fruit or jam has been placed, and turn the pudding out on the top of this.

TAPIOCA PUDDING.

Flaked tapioca should be used for this, and it should be made in exactly the same manner as rice pudding. Both these puddings, and also semolina and ground rice, can be poured first into a buttered dish, and the dish put into a “Papakuk” bag. This secures a good appearance for the pudding, without losing the advantages of paper-bag cookery.

FRUIT TARTS

can be made in the ordinary fashion, and the dish containing the tart can be put into a bag to get the full advantages of the method. Or they can be made without dishes. Either a short crust or puff paste may be used, as may be preferred. The paste is rolled out to a medium thickness and cut into two ovals or rounds. On one is laid the fruit—gooseberries, rhubarb, apples, black currants, red currants, and raspberries, or any suitable fruit in season—sweeten the layer of fruit with castor sugar. A little lemon juice, a pinch of ground ginger, or cinnamon, are considered by many people to improve the flavour of rhubarb and apples, and a very little sherry is thought to bring out the flavour of red currants and raspberries, but much less flavouring of any kind is required in paper-bag cookery, for the bag retains the flavour so perfectly that it is easy to overdo any strong flavour.

The fruit is then covered with the other piece of paste, pinch the edges of paste together, and ornament to taste; put into a well buttered bag, bake for about twenty to twenty-five minutes, and serve with castor sugar sifted over.