PUDDINGS

Puddings as a rule either are boiled, steamed or baked. For boiled puddings, care should be taken that the saucepan be kept boiling or the water will get into the pudding and spoil it. For pudding cloths, use materials such as linen or cheese cloth. After using, the cloth must be thoroughly washed in plenty of water with a little washing soda, but on no account use soap, and see that the cloth is perfectly dry before putting it away. Many puddings are lighter and better steamed, and then instead of the cloth only a piece of Criscoed paper is required, twisted over the top of the basin or mold. Very light puddings, such as custards, should be placed in a steamer. Most of the steamed puddings mixed a little softer, are excellent baked in a pudding dish.

In steaming puddings keep them at a uniform heat all the time, and be careful not to lift the lid off the pan for the first half hour. All farinaceous puddings should be cooked well, as then they are easier to digest. Cornstarch must be well cooked, from eight to ten minutes. Mold for jellies or blanc-manges should be well rinsed with cold water before using. Barters must be well beaten and allowed to stand for thirty minutes or longer before cooking, because the starch in the flour swells, and the batter will therefore be lighter. Batter puddings should be put into a quick oven. Puddings composed principally of milk and eggs should be very gently cooked, as strong heat will cause them to curdle.

In stewing fruit, prepare syrup first. Bring to boil, lay fruit in, and simmer gently. Souffles should be very light and spongy. Eggs form a large part of souffles, more whites than yolks are used and the former are beaten to a stiff froth. All souffles should be served quickly. Omelets are composed mainly of eggs. They can be savory or sweet. If overcooked an omelet will be tough. To prevent milk running over when it comes to boil, put spoon in saucepan. Never leave spoon in saucepan if you wish the contents to cook quickly, and in any case a metal spoon never should be allowed to stand in a boiling saucepan containing fruit or any acid.

Apple Dumplings

5 apples

4 tablespoonfuls Crisco

2 cupfuls flour

2 teaspoonfuls baking powder

½ teaspoonful salt

¾ cupful milk

Sugar

Cinnamon

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together. Work in Crisco with finger tips; add gradually milk, mixing with knife to a nice dough. Roll ½ inch thick, cut into squares and lay in center of each an apple, pared and cored. Fill up centers with sugar and cinnamon and take corners off the dough and pinch together. Place in Criscoed baking pan, dot over with sugar and Crisco and bake in moderate oven for twenty-five minutes or till nicely browned. Serve hot with milk.

Sufficient for five dumplings.

Apple Fritters

1½ cupfuls flour

2 teaspoonfuls baking powder

¼ teaspoonful salt

1 egg

1 tablespoonful melted Crisco

¾ cupful milk

3 apples cut in quarter inch slices

3 tablespoonfuls sugar

1 lemon

Peel, core and slice apples, then sprinkle 2 tablespoonfuls sugar and strained juice of the lemon over them. Sift flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt into bowl, add milk to well beaten egg and stir liquid gradually into dry materials, beating thoroughly, then add Crisco. Cover apple slices with batter and drop them into plenty of Crisco heated so that small breadcrumb browns in sixty seconds. Fry for four or five minutes. Drain and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Any other fruit may be substituted for apples or a combination of fruits makes a delicious fritter.

Sufficient for twelve fritters.

Baked Rhubarb Pudding

2 cupfuls flour

½ teaspoonful salt

2 bundles rhubarb

½ cupful Crisco

1 lemon

6 tablespoonfuls brown sugar

Water

½ cupful granulated sugar

Put granulated sugar into small saucepan over fire, and when brown, coat inside of plain pudding mold with it. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder together, rub Crisco finely into it, then mix whole to a smooth paste with cold water. Turn out on a floured board, cut off one-third of it, and put one side for the lid. Roll out remainder until twice the circumference of the top of the mold, then drop gently into mold, pressing evenly against sides. Fill center with rhubarb, cut in pieces an inch long. Add grated rind and strained juice of half of the lemon, brown sugar and 3 tablespoonfuls water. Roll out pastry that was put on one side, wet edges of it, lay it on top. Cover with a piece of greased paper, and bake in moderate oven one hour. Turn out and serve with hot milk.

Caramel Bread Pudding

3 cupfuls breadcrumbs

1 quart hot milk

2 eggs

1 teaspoonful lemon extract

Grated nutmeg to taste

½ teaspoonful salt

1 cupful sugar

4 tablespoonfuls Crisco

Whipped cream

Put Crisco, crumbs, and salt into a basin, add hot milk and soak ten minutes. Melt sugar and brown it lightly in a small pan over fire, then add it to the bread, with eggs well beaten, and flavorings. Pour into Criscoed pudding dish and bake in moderate oven till firm. Serve with whipped cream.

Caramel Rice Pudding

⅓ cupful rice

½ teaspoonful lemon extract

3 eggs

2 tablespoonfuls Crisco

¼ teaspoonful salt

2 cupfuls milk

¼ cupful sultana raisins

2 tablespoonfuls powdered sugar

¼ cupful granulated sugar

Melt granulated sugar in small saucepan and cook until brown, but do not burn; pour it while hot into pudding mold and spread it all over inside. Wash rice, parboil, drain, and cook slowly in milk thirty minutes; turn into basin, add powdered sugar, Crisco, salt, raisins, extract, and eggs well beaten and pour into prepared mold. Set mold in pan of boiling water and bake in oven till quite set. Turn out and serve hot or cold.

Carrot Pudding

For Pudding

1 cupful brown sugar

1 cupful grated carrots

1 cupful grated raw potatoes

¾ cupful Crisco

1 cupful seeded raisins

½ cupful breadcrumbs

½ cupful milk

1½ cupfuls flour

1 teaspoonful salt

1 teaspoonful baking powder

1 teaspoonful mixed spices

1 cupful currants

Prune sauce

For Sauce

½ lb. prunes

1 wineglassful sherry wine

1 lemon

½ teaspoonful powdered cinnamon

For pudding. Cream Crisco and sugar together, add carrots, potatoes, raisins, currants, crumbs, flour, baking powder, salt, and milk. Turn into Criscoed mold, cover, and steam steadily for three hours.

For sauce. Soak prunes in water over night, after first washing them. Next day put them in pan with water they were soaked in, just enough to cover them, simmer gently until quite soft. Do not allow to boil, or fruit will be spoiled. Take out stones, crack some, and save kernels. Rub prunes through sieve, add sherry, kernels blanched, grated rind and strained lemon juice, and cinnamon, and then, if thicker than rich cream, add more wine, or water, and use.

Chocolate Jelly

2 squares chocolate

1 tablespoonful Crisco

2 cupfuls boiling water

¾ cupful sugar

4 tablespoonfuls cornstarch

¼ teaspoonful salt

1 teaspoonful vanilla extract

½ cupful chopped walnut meats

Whipped cream

Break chocolate into small pieces, dissolve in boiling water, add Crisco, salt, cornstarch mixed with sugar, stir and boil for eight minutes. Remove from fire, add vanilla and nuts and pour at once into wet mold. Cool, turn out and serve with whipped cream.

Cottage Pudding

1 cupful sugar

1 egg

1 cupful milk or water

2¼ cupfuls flour

2 tablespoonfuls Crisco

2½ teaspoonfuls baking powder

½ teaspoonful salt

1 teaspoonful vanilla extract

1 cupful sultana raisins

Sauce

1 tablespoonful Crisco

1 cupful sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoonful flour

½ teaspoonful vanilla extract

1½ cupfuls boiling water

For pudding. Cream Crisco and sugar together, add egg well beaten, milk, vanilla, flour, baking powder, salt, and raisins. Mix well, turn into greased mold, and bake twenty-five minutes in moderate oven. Turn out and serve with sauce. This pudding may be steamed for one and a half hours.

For sauce. Mix flour, sugar, and Crisco in small saucepan, then stir in egg and boiling water and boil for three minutes. Flavor with the vanilla.

Molasses Sponge Pudding

2 cupfuls flour

2 teaspoonfuls powdered ginger

½ teaspoonful baking soda

½ cupful Crisco

½ cupful molasses

1 egg

1 tablespoonful breadcrumbs

¾ cupful milk

½ teaspoonful salt

For Sauce

1 teaspoonful Crisco

1 teaspoonful cornstarch

2 tablespoonfuls lemon juice

3 tablespoonfuls molasses

1 cupful hot water

For pudding. Mix flour, breadcrumbs, soda and ginger together, then rub in Crisco with finger tips. Beat egg, add milk, molasses, salt and stir into dry ingredients. Turn mixture into Criscoed mold, cover with greased paper and steam steadily for two hours. Turn out and serve with sauce.

For sauce. Blend Crisco and cornstarch together, add molasses, water, and lemon juice, and boil a few minutes.

Monica Pudding

3 tablespoonfuls melted Crisco

2 cupfuls milk

½ cupful flour

3 eggs

¼ cupful sugar

¼ teaspoonful salt

½ teaspoonful vanilla extract

For Sauce

¼ cupful Crisco

½ cupful powdered sugar

½ cupful cream

½ teaspoonful vanilla extract

For pudding. Heat 1 cupful milk. Add other cupful milk gradually to flour, then stir into boiling milk, stir and cook five minutes. The mixture should be quite smooth. Remove from fire, add Crisco, sugar, yolks of eggs well beaten, salt, vanilla, and whites of eggs stiffly beaten. Turn into Criscoed baking dish, set in pan half full of boiling water. Bake in moderate oven thirty-five minutes. Serve with sauce.

For sauce. Melt Crisco, add sugar, cream and vanilla extract and bring to boil.

Noodle Pudding

1 pint noodles

¾ cupful sugar

4 eggs

¼ cupful melted Crisco

1 lemon

¼ cupful blanched and chopped almonds

2 cupfuls milk

¼ teaspoonful salt

Throw noodles into boiling salted water, and cook five minutes. Drain in colander. Beat eggs until light and stir in the noodles. Grease pudding dish with Crisco, put in layer of noodles, sprinkle with sugar, almonds, grated lemon peel, and melted Crisco. Then add another layer of noodles and proceed as before, until all are used up. Add milk and salt, and bake one hour in moderate oven. Serve hot with milk or cream. This pudding is delicious with stewed fruits.

Peach Delights

1 quart flour

3 teaspoonfuls baking powder

2 tablespoonfuls sugar

½ cupful Crisco

½ teaspoonful salt

Milk

1 egg

1 teaspoonful lemon extract

Peaches, fresh or canned

Whipped cream

Sift flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder together, then rub Crisco lightly into them with finger tips; add lemon extract and enough milk to make soft dough. Drop mixture into Criscoed gem pans; place ½ peach on each one; fill cavities with sugar and bake in hot oven twenty-five minutes. Serve with whipped and sweetened cream.

Sufficient for twenty delights.

Pineapple Pudding

For Pudding

1 can pineapple

1 cupful sugar

4 tablespoonfuls melted Crisco

1 cupful breadcrumbs

¼ teaspoonful salt

6 eggs

Hard sauce

For Sauce

4 tablespoonfuls sugar

½ teaspoonful salt

½ cupful Crisco

2 tablespoonfuls sherry

4 tablespoonfuls blanched and chopped almonds

For pudding. Beat eggs, add crumbs, salt, Crisco, sugar, and pineapple cut into small dice. Turn into Criscoed pudding dish and bake in moderate oven until firm. Serve hot or cold with sauce.

For sauce. Beat Crisco with sugar to a cream, add salt, sherry, and almonds.

Mrs. Vaughn’s Plum Pudding

½ lb. brown sugar

3 eggs

¼ lb. breadcrumbs

½ lb. browned flour

½ lb. Crisco

2 teaspoonfuls baking powder

1 teaspoonful salt

½ teaspoonful powdered cloves

½ teaspoonful powdered cinnamon

1 teaspoonful powdered ginger

½ teaspoonful grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoonful powdered mace

½ cupful New Orleans molasses

½ cupful brandy (or grape juice)

¼ cupful lemon juice

½ lb. seeded raisins

½ lb. sultana raisins

1 lb. currants

1 lb. crystallized fruits, consisting of pineapple, cherries, figs, orange peel, and citron

Chop crystallized fruits, add raisins and currants, then pour brandy (or grape juice) over them and let stand several hours. Cream Crisco and sugar, add eggs well beaten together, and all other ingredients. Divide into greased mold (small Crisco cans will do) filling two-thirds full and steam steadily for three hours. Turn out while hot and serve with hard sauce.

Sufficient for two medium-sized puddings or one very large one.

Rice Pudding

½ cupful rice

3 cupfuls milk

¾ cupful sugar

¼ cupful Crisco

3 eggs

Powdered cinnamon to taste

¼ cupful seeded raisins

½ teaspoonful salt

Wash rice and steam it in milk until thick, then allow to cool. Cream Crisco and sugar, add well beaten eggs, raisins, salt, rice, and cinnamon. Grease pudding dish with Crisco, pour in mixture and bake one hour in moderate oven.

Walnut Pudding

½ cupful sugar

2 cupfuls flour

2 teaspoonfuls baking powder

4 tablespoonfuls melted Crisco

½ teaspoonful salt

2 eggs

1 cupful milk

1 teaspoonful vanilla extract

1 cupful chopped English walnut meats

For Sauce

1 cupful sugar

½ cupful water

3 yolks eggs

2 cupfuls whipped cream

½ teaspoonful lemon extract

Mix flour, sugar, salt and baking powder together, add eggs well beaten, vanilla extract, milk, Crisco, and nuts. Mix well and divide into 9 greased individual molds, cover with greased papers, and steam steadily for three-quarters of an hour. Turn out and serve.

For sauce. Boil sugar and water till syrup spins a thread, pour over beaten yolks of eggs, and stir quickly. Set aside to cool, stir occasionally, add lemon extract and just before serving mix in whipped cream.

Sufficient for nine individual puddings.

Woodford Pudding

(Kate B. Vaughn)

1 cupful sugar

3 eggs

½ cupful buttermilk

1 teaspoonful baking soda

1½ cupfuls flour

½ cupful Crisco

1 cupful blackberry jam

½ teaspoonful salt

½ teaspoonful grated nutmeg

For Sauce

2 tablespoonfuls Crisco

1 cupful whipped cream

Powdered sugar

¼ teaspoonful salt

For pudding. Cream Crisco and sugar together, add salt, eggs well beaten, nutmeg, flour, soda mixed with buttermilk, and jam. Mix well and turn into Criscoed pudding dish and bake in moderate oven thirty minutes or until firm.

For sauce. Cream Crisco and beat in as much powdered sugar as it will take up, add salt, and stir over boiling water until it becomes liquid, flavor with vanilla extract or sherry, and just before serving add cream. Serve hot with pudding.