For Tarts the fruit of all kinds must always be cooked first by itself. Bottled fruits should also be brought to a boil with sugar before being put into the pastry, except for baked apple dumplings.
For Puddings the fruit should not be cooked before. Suet crust should be mixed with water with just the chill off but not hot.
Milk puddings always require to be cooked in a very slow oven.
Never use brown sugar for sweetening except for Christmas pudding and apple pudding.
156. Pastry for Meat Pies
For meat pies, sausage rolls, etc., the following pastry is recommended. Put two and a half cupfuls of flour into a bowl and work into it a quarter of a pound of butter. Mix with a little tepid water. Roll out on the board and spread it thickly with a quarter of a pound of lard (half at a time). Turn over the ends of the pastry, roll out again and spread the rest of the lard. Turn in the ends again and roll finally for the crust of your pie.
157. Pastry for Puddings
Put into the pastry bowl two and a half to three breakfast-cupfuls of flour and half a teaspoonful of baking powder (unless self-raising flour is being used in which case no baking powder is necessary). Have a quarter of a pound of beef suet carefully separated from all skin and chopped very finely. Work the suet smoothly into the flour, add a pinch of salt, and mix to a good stiff paste with a little tepid water. Roll out on the board to the thickness required. Carefully butter the basin before putting the pastry into it, and moisten the edge of the paste at the top of the basin to make the top crust adhere and thus enclose the meat or fruit securely. Place over the basin a wet pudding cloth and tie firmly with a string. Use always a pudding basin that has a good groove round it to prevent the string from slipping off. The best material for a pudding cloth is a new piece of unbleached calico that has been well scalded to remove all the dressing from it, and the easiest way to keep it clean is to place it in a bowl of cold water to soak each time it has been used. Scrape off with a knife any particles of paste that may remain on it and rinse well through several warm waters. No soap must be used. Dry thoroughly and pass through a mangle.
158. Pastry for Pies and Tarts
Three breakfast-cupfuls of self-raising flour, a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, and two ounces of lard. Work the butter and lard into the flour with a good pinch of salt and mix to a smooth elastic paste with milk (sour milk may be used with advantage). Roll the paste on the board about half an inch thick. Rub a little butter lightly round the rim of the dish and put a border of paste round it. Brush a little milk on the top of that to allow the other crust to stick to it. Roll out an amount of paste sufficient to form a crust over the top, press the edges well together, allowing plenty of room in the paste so that it does not slip off at the edges. Pare with a floured knife round the rim the edges of the pastry and cook for three quarters of an hour in a brisk oven.