The Cook's Oracle; and Housekeeper's Manual Part 86

Break eggs one by one into a basin, and not all into the bowl together; because then, if you meet with a bad one, that will spoil all the rest: strain them through a sieve to take out the treddles.

N.B. To preserve eggs for twelve months, see N.B. to No. 547. Snow, and small beer, have been recommended by some economists as admirable subst.i.tutes for eggs; they will no more answer this purpose than as subst.i.tutes for sugar or brandy.

Flour, according to that champion against adulteration, Mr. Acc.u.m, varies in quality as much as any thing.

b.u.t.ter also varies much in quality. Salt b.u.t.ter may be washed from the salt, and then it will make very good pastry.

Lard varies extremely from the time it is kept, &c. When you purchase it, have the bladder cut, and ascertain that it be sweet and good.

Suet. Beef is the best, then mutton and veal; when this is used in very hot weather, while you chop it, dredge it lightly with a little flour.

Beef-marrow is excellent for most of the purposes for which suet is employed.

Drippings, especially from beef, when very clean and nice, are frequently used for kitchen crusts and pies, and for such purposes are a satisfactory subst.i.tute for b.u.t.ter, lard, &c. To clean and preserve drippings, see No. 83.

Currants, previous to putting them into the pudding, should be plumped: this is done by pouring some boiling water upon them: wash them well, and then lay them on a sieve or cloth before the fire, pick them clean from the stones;--this not only makes them look better, but cleanses them from all dirt.

Raisins, figs, dried cherries, candied orange and lemon-peel, citron, and preserves of all kinds, fresh fruits, gooseberries, currants, plums, damsons, &c. are added to batter and suet puddings, or enclosed in the crust ordered for apple dumplings, and make all the various puddings called by those names.

Batter puddings must be quite smooth and free from lumps; to ensure this, first mix the flour with a little milk, add the remainder by degrees, and then the other ingredients.

If it is a plain pudding, put it through a hair-sieve; this will take out all lumps effectually.

Batter puddings should be tied up tight: if boiled in a mould, b.u.t.ter it first; if baked, also b.u.t.ter the pan.

Be sure the water boils before you put in the pudding; set your stew-pan on a trivet over the fire, and keep it steadily boiling all the time;--if set upon the fire, the pudding often burns.

Be scrupulously careful that your pudding-cloth is perfectly sweet and clean; wash it without any soap, unless very greasy; then rinse it thoroughly in clean water after. Immediately before you use it, dip it in boiling water; squeeze it dry, and dredge it with flour.

If your fire is very fierce, mind and stir the puddings every now and then to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the saucepan; if in a mould, this care is not so much required, but keep plenty of water in the saucepan.

When puddings are boiled in a cloth, it should be just dipped in a basin of cold water, before you untie the pudding-cloth, as that will prevent it from sticking; but when boiled in a mould, if it is well b.u.t.tered, they will turn out without. Custard or bread puddings require to stand five minutes before they are turned out. They should always be boiled in a mould or cups.

Keep your paste-board, rolling-pin, cutters, and tins very clean: the least dust on the tins and cutters, or the least hard paste on the rolling-pin, will spoil the whole of your labour.

Things used for pastry or cakes should not be used for any other purpose; be very careful that your flour is dried at the fire before you use it, for puff paste or cakes; if damp it will make them heavy.

In using b.u.t.ter for puff paste, you should take the greatest care to previously work it well on the paste-board or slab, to get out all the water and b.u.t.termilk, which very often remains in; when you have worked it well with a clean knife, dab it over with a soft cloth, and it is then ready to lay on your paste; do not make your paste over stiff before you put in your b.u.t.ter.

For those who do not understand making puff paste, it is by far the best way to work the b.u.t.ter in at two separate times, divide it in half, and break the half in little bits, and cover your paste all over: dredge it lightly with flour, then fold it over each side and ends, roll it out quite thin, and then put in the rest of the b.u.t.ter, fold it, and roll it again. Remember always to roll puff paste from you. The best made paste, if not properly baked, will not do the cook any credit.

Those who use iron ovens do not always succeed in baking puff paste, fruit pies, &c. Puff paste is often spoiled by baking it after fruit pies, in an iron oven. This may be easily avoided, by putting two or three bricks that are quite even into the oven before it is first set to get hot. This will not only prevent the syrup from boiling put of the pies, but also prevent a very disagreeable smell in the kitchen and house, and almost answers the same purpose as a brick oven.

_College Puddings._--(No. 105.)

Beat four eggs, yelks and whites together, in a quart basin, with two ounces of flour, half a nutmeg, a little ginger, and three ounces of sugar; pounded loaf sugar is best. Beat it into a smooth batter; then add six ounces of suet, chopped fine, six of currants, well washed and picked; mix it all well together; a gla.s.s of brandy or white wine will improve it. These puddings are generally fried in b.u.t.ter or lard; but they are much nicer baked in an oven in patty-pans; twenty minutes will bake them: if fried, fry them till they are of a nice light brown, and when fried, roll them in a little flour. You may add one ounce of orange or citron, minced very fine; when you bake them, add one more egg, or two spoonfuls of milk. Serve them up with white wine sauce.

_Rice Puddings baked, or boiled._--(No. 106.)

Wash in cold water and pick very clean six ounces of rice, put it in a quart stew-pan three parts filled with cold water, set it on the fire, and let it boil five minutes; pour away the water, and put in one quart of milk, a roll of lemon peel, and a bit of cinnamon; let it boil gently till the rice is quite tender; it will take at least one hour and a quarter; be careful to stir it every five minutes; take it off the fire, and stir in an ounce and a half of fresh b.u.t.ter, and beat up three eggs on a plate, a salt-spoonful of nutmeg, two ounces of sugar; put it into the pudding, and stir it till it is quite smooth; line a pie-dish big enough to hold it with puff paste, notch it round the edge, put in your pudding, and bake it three quarters of an hour: this will be a nice firm pudding.

If you like it to eat more like custard, add one more egg, and half a pint more milk; it will be better a little thinner when boiled; one hour will boil it. If you like it in little puddings, b.u.t.ter small tea-cups, and either bake or boil them, half an hour will do either: you may vary the pudding by putting in candied lemon or orange-peel, minced very fine, or dried cherries, or three ounces of currants, or raisins, or apples minced fine.

If the puddings are baked or boiled, serve them with white-wine sauce, or b.u.t.ter and sugar.

_Ground Rice Pudding._--(No. 107.)

Put four ounces of ground rice into a stew-pan, and by degrees stir in a pint and a half of milk; set it on the fire, with a roll of lemon and a bit of cinnamon; keep stirring it till it boils; beat it to a smooth batter; then set it on the trivet, where it will simmer gently for a quarter of an hour; then beat three eggs on a plate, stir them into the pudding with two ounces of sugar and two drachms of nutmeg, take out the lemon-peel and cinnamon, stir it all well together, line a pie-dish with thin puff paste (No. 1 of receipts for pastry), big enough to hold it, or b.u.t.ter the dish well, and bake it half an hour; if boiled, it will take one hour in a mould well b.u.t.tered; three ounces of currants may be added.

_Rice Snow b.a.l.l.s._--(No. 108.)

Wash and pick half a pound of rice very clean, put it on in a saucepan with plenty of water; when it boils let it boil ten minutes, drain it on a sieve till it is quite dry, and then pare six apples, weighing two ounces and a half each. Divide the rice into six parcels, in separate cloths, put one apple in each, tie it loose, and boil it one hour; serve it with sugar and b.u.t.ter, or wine sauce.

_Rice Blancmange._--(No. 109.)

Put a tea-cupful of whole rice into the least water possible, till it almost bursts; then add half a pint of good milk or thin cream, and boil it till it is quite a mash, stirring it the whole time it is on the fire, that it may not burn; dip a shape in cold water, and do not dry it; put in the rice, and let it stand until quite cold, when it will come easily out of the shape. This dish is much approved of; it is eaten with cream or custard, and preserved fruits; raspberries are best. It should be made the day before it is wanted, that it may get firm.

This blancmange will eat much nicer, flavoured with spices, lemon-peel, &c., and sweetened with a little loaf sugar, add it with the milk, and take out the lemon-peel before you put in the mould.

_Save-all Pudding._--(No. 110.)

Put any sc.r.a.ps of bread into a clean saucepan; to about a pound, put a pint of milk; set it on the trivet till it boils; beat it up quite smooth; then break in three eggs, three ounces of sugar, with a little nutmeg, ginger, or allspice, and stir it all well together. b.u.t.ter a dish big enough to hold it, put in the pudding, and have ready two ounces of suet chopped very fine, strew it over the top of the pudding, and bake it three quarters of an hour; four ounces of currants will make it much better.

_Batter Pudding, baked or boiled._--(No. 111.)

Break three eggs in a basin with as much salt as will lie on a sixpence; beat them well together, and then add four ounces of flour; beat it into a smooth batter, and by degrees add half a pint of milk: have your saucepan ready boiling, and b.u.t.ter an earthen mould well, put the pudding in, and tie it tight over with a pudding-cloth, and boil it one hour and a quarter. Or, put it in a dish that you have well b.u.t.tered, and bake it three quarters of an hour.

Currants washed and picked clean, or raisins stoned, are good in this pudding, and it is then called a black cap: or, add loaf sugar, and a little nutmeg and ginger without the fruit,--it is very good that way; serve it with wine sauce.

_Apple Pudding boiled._--(No. 112.)

Chop four ounces of beef suet very fine, or two ounces of b.u.t.ter, lard, or dripping; but the suet makes the best and lightest crust; put it on the paste-board, with eight ounces of flour, and a salt-spoonful of salt, mix it well together with your hands, and then put it all of a heap, and make a hole in the middle; break one egg in it, stir it well together with your finger, and by degrees infuse as much water as will make it of a stiff paste: roll it out two or three times, with the rolling-pin, and then roll it large enough to receive thirteen ounces of apples. It will look neater if boiled in a basin, well b.u.t.tered, than when boiled in a pudding-cloth, well floured; boil it an hour and three quarters: but the surest way is to stew the apples first in a stew-pan, with a wine-gla.s.sful of water, and then one hour will boil it. Some people like it flavoured with cloves and lemon-peel, and sweeten it with two ounces of sugar.

Gooseberries, currants, raspberries, and cherries, damsons, and various plums and fruits, are made into puddings with the same crust directed for apple puddings.

_Apple Dumplings._--(No. 113.)

Make paste the same as for apple pudding, divide it into as many pieces as you want dumplings, peel the apples and core them, then roll out your paste large enough, and put in the apples; close it all round, and tie them in pudding-cloths very tight; one hour will boil them: and when you take them up, just dip them in cold water, and put them in a cup the size of the dumpling while you untie them, and they will turn out without breaking.