ICED RICE PUDDING WITH A COMPOTE OF ORANGES
FOR THE PUDDING
1/2 cupful of rice
1 quart of cream
1 pint of milk
2 teaspoonfuls of vanilla extract or 1/2 vanilla bean
1/2 pound of sugar
Yolks of six eggs
Rub the rice in a dry towel, and put it over the fire in a pint of cold water. Bring to a boil and boil twenty minutes; drain, add the milk and cook it in a double boiler a half hour. While this is boiling, whip the cream to a stiff froth, and stand it in a cold place until wanted. Press the rice through a fine sieve and return it to the double boiler. Beat the yolks of the eggs and the sugar until light, stir them into the hot rice, and stir and cook about two minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken. Take from the fire, add the vanilla, and stand aside until very cold. When cold, freeze, turning the dasher rapidly toward the last. Remove the dasher and stir in the whipped cream. Scrape down the sides of the can, and smooth the pudding. Put on the lid, fasten the hole in the top with a cork, put over the top a piece of waxed paper, and pack with salt and ice. Stand aside for at least two or three hours. Be very careful that the hole in the tub is open, to prevent the salt water from overflowing the can.
FOR THE COMPOTE
1 dozen nice oranges
1 pound of sugar
1/2 cupful of water
1 teaspoonful of lemon juice
Put the sugar and water over the fire to boil, wipe down the sides of the pan, skim the syrup, add the lemon juice, and boil until it spins a thread. Peel the oranges, cut them into halves crosswise, and with a sharp knife remove the cores. Dip one piece at a time into the hot syrup and place them on a platter to cool. Pour over any syrup that may be left.
This syrup must be thick, but not sufficiently thick to harden on the oranges.
To dish the pudding, lift the can from the ice, wipe it carefully on the outside, wrap the bottom of the mold in a towel dipped in boiling water, or hold it half an instant under the cold water spigot. Then with a limber knife or spatula loosen the pudding from the side of the can and shake it out into the centre of a large round plate. Heap the oranges on top of the pudding, making them in a pyramid, put the remaining quantity around the base of the pudding, pour over the syrup and send to the table. This pudding sounds elaborate and troublesome, but it is exceedingly palatable and one of the handsomest of all frozen dishes.
This will serve twenty persons. In ice cream stem dishes it will serve twenty-four persons.