Almost any kind of stale cake will do for this pudding. To three cups of the cake crumbs allow a cup and a half of milk, three tablespoonfuls of melted butter and two eggs beaten light. Pour the milk over the crumbs and let them soak until soft, then stir in the melted butter and the eggs, beat well and pour into a mould that has been well buttered and sprinkled with fine bread crumbs. Set the mould in a pan of hot water in the oven, cover to prevent browning and bake three-quarters of an hour. Serve hot with fruit or wine sauce.
[BAKED TAPIOCA PUDDING.]
Soak a cup and a half of pearl tapioca two hours in a quart of rich milk, put it in a double boiler and cook until the tapioca looks clear, remove from the fire, stir into it two slightly heaping tablespoonfuls of butter and a scant half cup of sugar. When cold add four eggs beaten light and flavor with vanilla, or the rind of a lemon grated and added when the tapioca is cooking. Butter a mould, sprinkle with dried bread crumbs, turn the mixture into it and bake. Turn out on a platter and serve hot with a foaming sauce.
[TAPIOCA CREAM.]
A quarter of a cup of pearl tapioca, a cup of water, a pint of rich milk, three even tablespoonfuls of sugar, a teaspoonful of vanilla extract, two eggs and a little salt. Soak the tapioca in the water two hours, then turn it into a double boiler with the milk; when it boils, beat the yolks of eggs to a cream and the whites to a stiff froth, mix a little of the milk with the egg, then pour it into the boiler and stir a moment until thick, remove from the fire, add the vanilla extract and stir in lightly the beaten whites of eggs. The froth should show through the custard. Serve very cold in a glass bowl.
[STEAMED RICE.]
Half a cup of rice, half a teaspoonful of salt and one and one-third cups of boiling water. Put in small cups in a steamer, cover closely and steam three-quarters of an hour. Serve with stewed fruit and cream or sugar and cream.
[RICE CAKE.]
Four ounces of rice, a pint and a half of milk, six eggs, two ounces and a half of sugar, half a cup of almonds blanched and chopped, two ounces of stoned raisins, a little citron, three heaping tablespoonfuls of dried bread crumbs, and four ounces of butter. Wash the rice and scald with boiling water, drain and put it into the milk, which must be boiling on the stove, cook until it is stiff like mush; remove from the fire and stir into it the butter. When it is cool, add the eggs, one at a time, the sugar, the almonds chopped fine, the raisins, a little citron finely cut, and the bread crumbs dried and rolled fine. Butter a mould, turn the cake into it and bake one hour in a moderate oven. Serve cold.