CHAPTER IX.
CHEAP PUDDINGS, PIES, AND CAKES.
Good puddings are nutritious and wholesome, and an excellent variety can be made at a comparatively small expense. Pies, as they are usually made, with greasy and indigestible pastry, are positively unhealthy; if they are made with a plain bottom crust, and abundantly filled with ripe fresh or dried fruit, they are not so objectionable. Rich cake is always an extravagance, but some of the plainer kinds are pleasant additions to lunch and supper; we subjoin a few good receipts.
Swiss Pudding.—Sift together half a pound of flour, (cost two cents,) one heaping teaspoonful of baking powder, and one of salt; rub together four ounces of granulated sugar, (cost three cents,) and two ounces of butter, (cost four cents,) and when they are well mixed, so as to be granular but not creamy, add the flour gradually until all is used; make a hollow in the middle of the flour, put into it one egg, half a teaspoonful of lemon flavoring, and half a pint of milk, (cost of these ingredients four cents;) mix to a smooth paste, put into a well buttered and floured mould, and set this into a large pot with boiling water enough to come two-thirds up the side of the mould; steam the pudding three quarters of an hour, or until you can run a broom splint into it without finding the pudding stick to the splint. Turn the pudding out of the mould, and send it to the table with the following sauce:
Cream Sauce.—Stir together over the fire one ounce each of flour and butter, (cost two cents;) as soon as they are smooth pour into them half a pint of boiling milk, (cost two cents,) add two ounces of sugar and half a teaspoonful of lemon flavoring, (cost two cents,) and use with the pudding as soon as it boils up. The sauce and pudding will cost about twenty cents.
College Puddings.—Mix well together eight ounces of dried and sifted bread crumbs, (cost three cents,) two ounces of very finely chopped suet, (cost two cents,) two ounces of currants, two eggs, and two ounces of sugar, (cost together five cents,) a teaspoonful of salt, three grates of nutmeg, and sufficient milk to moisten, about one cents' worth; make the puddings up in little round balls, roll them first in sifted bread crumbs; next dip them in beaten egg, and then roll them again in bread crumbs; fry them in plenty of hot fat, and serve them with sugar dusted over them. Five cents will cover the cost of frying them; and a nice dishful will cost you about eighteen cents.
Cream Rice Pudding.—Wash four ounces of rice, (cost three cents,) through two waters, put it into a baking dish with three ounces of sugar, and a teaspoonful of flavoring, (cost three cents,) pour in one quart and a pint of milk, (cost twelve cents,) and put it into a moderate oven to bake an hour and a half, or until it is of a creamy consistency. This pudding is very delicate and wholesome, and costs fifteen cents.
Half-pay Pudding.—Carefully wash and dry a quarter of a quarter of a pound of Zante currants, (cost three cents,) stone the same quantity of raisins, (cost three cents,) and chop an equal amount of suet, (cost two cents;) mix them with eight ounces of stale bread, (cost three cents,) three tablespoonfuls of molasses, half a pint of milk, and a teaspoonful each of spice, salt, and baking powder, (cost four cents.) Put these ingredients into a mould which has been well buttered and floured, and steam them about three hours. If by any mischance the top of the pudding is watery, you can remedy it by putting it into a hot oven for ten or fifteen minutes to brown. When you are ready to use it, turn it from the mould and send it to the table with some CREAM SAUCE. This is an excellent plum pudding, and costs only about twenty cents, including sauce.
Bread Pudding.—Slice a five cent loaf of bread, spread it lightly with two cents' worth of butter, and lay it in a baking dish; break one egg, (cost one cent,) into a bowl, add to it two ounces each of flour and sugar, (cost two cents,) a teaspoonful of salt, and a pint of milk, (cost four cents;) mix, flavor to taste, pour over the bread, and bake the pudding about half an hour in a quick oven. It will be very nice, and cost about fifteen cents.