Part 29

BAKED APPLE PUDDING.--Pour boiling water over bread crumbs; when soft, squeeze out all the water, and line the bottom and sides of an oiled earthen pudding dish with the crumbs. Fill the interior with sliced apples, and cover with a layer of bread crumbs. Bake in a covered dish set in a pan of hot water, until the apples are tender; then remove the cover and brown. Loosen the pudding with a knife, invert on a plate, and it will turn out whole. Serve with sugar and cream.

BARLEY FRUIT PUDDING.--Mix together a pint of cold, well steamed pearl barley, a cup of finely minced tart apples, three fourths of a cup of chopped and seeded raisins, a third of a cup of sugar, and a cup of boiling water and turn into a pudding dish; cover, and place the dish in the oven in a pan of hot water, and bake slowly an hour and a half, or until the water has become quite absorbed and the fruit tender. Serve warm with a water, adding sugar to taste, and thickening with a half teaspoonful of cornstarch. Any tart fruit jelly may be used, or the pudding may be served with cream and sugar flavored with a little grated lemon rind.

BARLEY FIG PUDDING.--One pint of well-steamed pearl barley, two cups of finely chopped best figs, one half cup of sugar, one half cup of thin sweet cream, and one and one half cups of fresh milk. Mix all thoroughly, turn into an earthen pudding dish; place it in the oven in a pan half full of hot water, and bake slowly till the milk is nearly absorbed. The pudding should be stirred once or twice during the baking, so that the figs will be distributed evenly, instead of rising to the top.

BLACKBERRY CORNSTARCH PUDDING.--Take two quarts of well-ripened blackberries which have been carefully looked over, put them into a granite-ware boiler with half a cup of water, and stew for twenty minutes. Add sugar to sweeten, and three heaping tablespoonfuls of cornstarch rubbed to a cream with a little cold water. Cook until thickened, pour into molds, and cool. Serve cold with milk or cream. Other fresh or canned berries may be used in the same way.

COCOANUT AND CORNSTARCH BLANCMANGE.--Simmer two tablespoonfuls of desiccated cocoanut in a pint of milk for twenty minutes, and strain through a fine sieve. If necessary, add more cold milk to make a full pint. Add a tablespoonful of sugar, heat to boiling, and stir in gradually two tablespoonfuls of cornstarch rubbed smooth in a very little cold milk. Cook five minutes, turn into cups, and serve cold with fruit sauce or cream.

CORNSTARCH BLANCMANGE.--Stir together two tablespoonfuls of cornstarch, half a cup of sugar, the juice and a little of the grated rind of one lemon; braid the whole with cold water enough to dissolve well. Then pour boiling water over the mixture, stirring meanwhile, until it becomes transparent. Allow it to bubble a few minutes longer, pour into molds, and serve cold with cream and sugar.

CORNSTARCH WITH RAISINS.--Measure out one pint of rich milk. Rub two tablespoonfuls of cornstarch perfectly smooth with a little of the milk, and heat the remainder to boiling, adding to it a tablespoonful of sugar. Add the braided cornstarch, and let it cook until it thickens, stirring constantly. Then add a half cup of raisins which have been previously steamed. This may be served hot with sugar and cream, or turned into cups and molded, and served cold with lemon, orange, or other fruit sauce for dressing.

CORNSTARCH WITH APPLES.--Prepare the cornstarch as in the preceding recipe, omitting the raisins. Place in a pudding dish some lemon apple sauce, without juice, about two inches deep. Pour the cornstarch over it, and serve hot or cold with cream.

CORNSTARCH FRUIT MOLD.--Heat a quart of strawberry, raspberry, or currant juice, sweetened to taste, to boiling. If the pure juice of berries is used, it may be diluted with one cup of water to each pint and a half of juice. Stir in four tablespoonfuls of cornstarch well braided with a little of the juice reserved for this purpose. Boil until the starch is well cooked, stirring constantly. Pour into molds previously wet with cold water, and cool. Serve with cream and sugar. A circle of fresh berries around the mold when served adds to its appearance.

CORNSTARCH FRUIT MOLD NO. 2.--Wash, stone, and stew some nice French prunes, add sugar to sweeten, and if there is not an abundance of juice, a little boiling water. For every one fourth pound of prunes there should be enough juice to make a pint in all, for which add two tablespoonfuls of cornstarch, rubbed smooth in a little cold water, and boil three or four minutes. Pour into cups previously wet in cold water, and mold. Serve cold with whipped cream. Other dried or canned fruits, as apricots, peaches, cherries, etc., may be used in place of prunes, if preferred.

CRACKED-WHEAT PUDDING.--A very simple pudding may be made with two cups of cold, well-cooked cracked wheat, two and a half cups of milk, and one half cup of sugar. Let the wheat soak in the milk till thoroughly mixed and free from lumps, then add the sugar and a little grated lemon peel, and bake about three fourths of an hour in a moderate oven. It should be of a creamy consistency when cold, but will appear quite thin when taken from the oven. By flavoring the milk with cocoanut, a different pudding may be produced. Rolled or pearl wheat may be used for this pudding. A cupful of raisins may be added if desired.

CRACKED-WHEAT PUDDING NO. 2.--Four and one half cups of milk, a very scant half cup of cracked wheat, one half cup of sugar; put together in a pudding dish, and bake slowly with the dish covered and set in a pan of hot water for three or four hours, or until the wheat is perfectly tender, as may be ascertained by dipping a few grains with a spoon out from the side of the dish.

FARINA BLANCMANGE.--Heat a quart of milk, reserving one half cup, to boiling. Then add two tablespoonfuls of sugar, and four heaping tablespoonfuls of farina, previously moistened with the reserved half cup of milk. Let all boil rapidly for a few minutes till the farina has well set, then place in a double boiler, or a dish set in a pan of boiling water, to cook an hour longer. Mold in cups previously wet with cold water. Serve with sugar and cream flavored with vanilla or a little grated lemon rind, mock cream, or cocoanut sauce.

Much variety may be given this simple dessert by serving it with a dressing of fruit juices; red raspberry, strawberry, grape, current, cranberry, cherry, and plum are all very good. If desired, the milk with which the blancmange is prepared may be first flavored with cocoanut, thus making a different blancmange. Fresh fruit, as sliced banana, blueberries, or strawberries, lightly stirred in just before molding, make other excellent varieties.

FARINA FRUIT MOLD.--Put a quart of well-sweetened red raspberry juice into the inner cup of a double boiler. Heat to boiling, and stir in four heaping tablespoonfuls of farina first moistened with a little of the juice. Boil up until thickened, then set into the outer boiler, the water in which should be boiling, and cook for one hour. Pour into molds previously wet in cold water, and cool. Serve with whipped cream or mock cream. Currant, strawberry, cherry, or blackberry juice may be used instead of raspberry. If water be added to dilute the juice, a little more farina will be needed.

FRUIT PUDDING.--Measure out one quart of rich new milk, reserving half a pint to wet five large rounded tablespoonfuls of sifted flour. Add to the milk one even cup of sugar, turn in the flour mixture and heat to boiling in a farina kettle, stirring all the while to prevent lumps, and cook till it thickens, which will be about ten minutes after it begins to boil. Remove from the stove, and beat while it is cooling. When cool, add sliced bananas or whole strawberries, whortleberries, raspberries, blackberries, sliced apricots, or peaches. Serve cold.

JAM PUDDING.--Make a jam by mashing well some fresh raspberries or blueberries and sweetening to taste. Spread over slices of fresh, light bread or buns, and pile in layers one above another in a pudding dish. Pour over the layers enough rich milk or thin cream heated to scalding, to moisten the whole. Turn a plate over the pudding, place a weight upon it, and press lightly till cold. Cut in slices, and serve with or without a cream dressing.

PLAIN FRUIT PUDDING OR BROWN BETTY.--Chop together one part seeded raisins and two parts good tart apples. Fill a pudding dish with alternate layers of the fruit and bread crumbs, finishing with the bread crumbs on top. Unless the apples are very juicy, moisten the whole with a tablespoonful of lemon juice in a cup of cold water, for a pudding filling a three-pint dish. Cover the dish and place it in a moderate oven in a pan of hot water, and bake nearly an hour; then remove from the pan, uncover, and brown nicely. Serve warm with cream and sugar, or with an orange or lemon sauce. Seeded cherries may be used in place of the apples and raisins. In that case, each layer of fruit should be sprinkled lightly with sugar, and the water omitted.

PRUNE PUDDING.--Moisten rather thin slices of stale bread in hot milk and place in a pudding dish with alternate layers of stewed prunes from which the stones have been removed, finishing with bread on top. Pour over the whole a little more hot milk or pure juice or both, and bake in a moderate over three fourths of an hour. Serve hot or cold with orange or lemon sauce.

RICE MERINGUE.--Steam a cupful of rice as directed on page 99 until tender and dry. Heap it loosely on a glass dish, and dot with squares of cranberry or currant jelly. Beat with the whites of two eggs to a stiff froth with one third cup of sugar, and pile it roughly over the rice. Serve with cream.

RICE SNOWBALL.--Wash a cupful of good rice and steam until half done. Have pared and cored without dividing, six large, easy cooking tart apples. Put a clean square of cheese cloth over a plate, place the apples on it, and fill them and all the interstices between with rice. Put the remainder of the rice over and around the apples; tie up the cloth, and cook in a kettle of boiling water until the apples are tender. When done, lift from the water and drain well, untie the cloth, invert the pudding upon a plate and remove the cloth. Serve hot with cream and sugar or cocoanut sauce.

RICE FRUIT DESSERT.--Cold boiled rice, molded so that it can be sliced, may be utilized in making a variety of delicious desserts. A nice pudding may be prepared by filling a dish with alternate layers of half-inch slices of molded rice and grated tart raw apples the same thickness. Grate a little lemon rind over each layer. Cover, and place in the oven in a pan of boiling water, and bake for an hour. Serve with sugar and cream. Stoned cherries or peaches may be used instead of the apple.

RICE DUMPLING.--Steam a teacup of rice until tender, and line an oiled earthen pudding dish, pressing it up around the sides and over the bottom. Fill the crust thus made with rather tart apples cut in small slices; cover with rice, and steam until the apples are tender, which may be determined by running a broom-straw through them. Let stand until cold, then turn from the dish, and serve with sugar and cream. Any easy cooking tart fruit, as stoned cherries, gooseberries, etc., may be used in place of the apples when preferred.

RICE CREAM PUDDING.--Take one cup of good well-washed rice, one scant cup of sugar, and eight cups of new milk, with a little grated lemon rind for flavoring. Put all into an earthen pudding dish, and place on the top of the range. Heat very slowly until the milk is boiling, stirring frequently, so that the rice shall not adhere to the bottom of the dish. Then put into a moderately hot oven, and bake without stirring, till the rice is perfectly tender, which can be ascertained by dipping a spoon in one side and taking out a few grains. It should be, when cold, of a rich, creamy consistency, with each grain of rice whole. Serve cold. It is best if made the day before it is needed. If preferred, the milk may be first flavored with cocoanut, according to the directions given on page 298.

RICE PUDDING WITH RAISINS.--Wash thoroughly one half cup of rice, and soak for two hours in warm water. Drain off the water, add two tablespoonfuls of sugar, one half cup of raisins, and four cups of milk. Put in an earthen pudding dish and cook for two hours in a moderate oven, stirring once or twice before the rice begins to swell, then add a cup of hot milk, and cook for an hour longer.

RED RICE MOLD.--Take one and one half pints of red currants and one half pint of red raspberries, and follow directions on page 209 for extracting their juice. The juice may be diluted with one part water to two of juice if desired. Sweeten to taste, and for each pint when boiling stir in two tablespoonfuls of ground rice or rice flour rubbed smooth in a little of the juice which may be retained for the purpose. Pour into molds, cool, and serve with whipped cream.

RICE AND FRUIT DESSERT.--Steam a cup of good well-washed rice in milk till tender. Prepare some tart apples by paring, dividing midway between the stem and blow ends, and removing the cores. Fill the cavities with quince or pineapple jelly; put the apples in a shallow stewpan with a half cup of water, cover, and steam till nearly tender. Put the rice, which should be very moist, around the bottom and sides of a pudding dish; place the apples inside, cover, and bake ten minutes. Serve with cream flavored with quince or lemon.

RICE AND TAPIOCA PUDDING.--Soak one half cup of tapioca over night in a cup of water; in the morning drain off the water if any remains. Add to the tapioca half a cup of rice, one cup of sugar, one cup of raisins, and eight cups of new milk, with a little grated lemon rind for flavoring. Put all in an earthen pudding dish on the top of the range, where it will heat very gradually to the boiling point, stirring frequently. When the milk boils, put the pudding in the oven, and bake till the rice grains are perfectly tender but not broken and mushy. From twenty minutes to half an hour is usually sufficient. When taken from the oven, it will appear quite thin, but after cooling will be of a delicious, creamy consistency. Serve cold.

RICE-FLOUR MOLD.--Braid two tablespoonfuls of rice flour with a little milk and stir the mixture into a pint of boiling milk to which has been added three tablespoonfuls of sugar, and a little salt if desired. Let this boil until it thickens, then mold, and serve with cream and sugar or with lemon, orange, or other fruit sauce.

RICE AND STEWED APPLE DESSERT.--Steam or bake some rice in milk until tender, sweeten slightly and spread a layer of the rice half an inch thick on the bottom of a pudding dish, then a layer of lemon-flavored apple sauce, which has been rubbed through a colander and afterward simmered on the range until stiff. If preferred, the sauce may be prepared by first baking the apples, and then rubbing the pulp through a colander. Add another layer of rice, then one of sauce, and so on until the dish is full. Bake in a moderate oven and serve hot. If the apples are not very tart, part stewed and sifted cranberries may be used with them.

RICE AND STRAWBERRY DESSERT.--Soak a cup of rice in one and a half cups of new milk; place all in an earthen dish, and steam an hour, or until dry and tender, stirring occasionally for the first fifteen minutes. When the rice is done, place in the bottom of cups previously moistened with cold water, five nice hulled strawberries in the shape of a star. Carefully fill the interstices between the berries with the cooked rice, and put in a layer of rice. Add next a layer of strawberries, then another of rice. Press firmly into the cups, and set away to cool. When well molded, turn into saucers, and pile whipped cream around each mold; sprinkle with sugar and serve.

A little care in forming the stars and filling the molds makes this a delicious and pretty dessert. If preferred, the dessert may be prepared in one large mold, and a larger number of berries arranged in the form of a cross in the bottom of the dish, covering with rice, and adding as many alternate layers of berries and rice as desired.

STEWED FRUIT PUDDING.--Take a deep, square or oblong granite-ware or earthen dish; cut strips of stale bread uniformly an inch in width and three fourths of an inch in thickness, and place them in the mold with spaces between them equal to their width. Or, fit the strips around the bottom of a round, earthen pudding dish, like the spokes of a wheel, with stewed or canned fruit, sweetened to taste; whortleberries are best, but apricots, cherries, currants, strawberries, and gooseberries may all be used. Separate the juice from the berries by turning them into a colander. Fill the interstices between the bread with hot fruit, using just as little juice as possible. Cover with another layer, this time placing the strips of bread over the fruit in the first layer, and leaving the spaces for fruit over the bread in the first layer. Fill the dish with these layers of fruit and bread, and when full, pour over all the hot fruit juice. Put a plate with a weight on it on the top to press it firmly. Dip off any juice that may be pressed out, and set the pudding in the refrigerator to cool and press. When cold, it will turn out whole, and can be cut in slices and served with whipped cream or cocoanut sauce.

STRAWBERRY MINUTE PUDDING.--Cook a quart of ripe strawberries in a pint of water till well scalded. Add sugar to taste. Skim out the fruit, and into the boiling juice stir a scant cup of granulated wheat flour previously rubbed to a paste with a little cold water; cook fifteen or twenty minutes, pour over the fruit, and serve cold with cream sauce.

SWEET APPLE PUDDING.--Pare, core, and slice enough ripe, juicy sweet apples to fill a pint bowl. Heat a quart of new milk to scalding in a double boiler. Pour it hot over one cup of good granulated cornmeal, and beat very thoroughly to remove all lumps. Return to the double boiler, and cook until the meal is set. The batter then should be about the consistency of corn mush. Remove from the fire, add a pint of cold milk, stir in the sliced apples, one third of a cup of sugar or molasses, and a teaspoonful of flour rubbed smooth in a very little milk. Turn all into a deep earthen crock or pudding dish, and bake slowly from three to four hours, stirring frequently the first hour. It should be moderately browned on top when done. Serve warm or cold.

WHORTLEBERRY PUDDING.--One quart of new milk, one quart of fine bread crumbs, two quarts of fresh whortleberries, one or two tablespoonfuls of sugar. Heat the milk to boiling; fill a pudding dish with alternate layers of bread crumbs and berries, beginning and ending with crumbs. Add the sugar to the milk, let it dissolve, and pour the whole over the pudding. Cover closely, and bake in a slow oven within a pan of hot water nearly an hour. Serve warm with cream or cocoanut sauce.

DESSERTS WITH TAPIOCA, SAGO, MONICA, AND SEA MOSS.

Both pearl and flake tapioca are suitable for these desserts. They should be soaked for some hours before using, and it is always best to soak over night if convenient. The flake tapioca requires longer soaking and cooking than the pearl tapioca. For soaking, use one and a half cups of water for each cup of flake tapioca, and one pint of water for a cup of pearl tapioca. For cooking, three or four additional cups of water will be required for each cup of tapioca, depending upon, the articles used with it. A double boiler should be used for the cooking.

_RECIPES._

APPLE TAPIOCA.--Soak a cupful of pearl tapioca over night. In the morning simmer in a quart of boiling water until transparent and thickened. Arrange in the bottom of a pudding dish four or five good-sized tart apples, which have been pared, cored, and the cavities filled with sugar. Squeeze the juice of a lemon and grate a very little of the rind over the apples. Pour the tapioca over the fruit. Set the dish inside a pan filled with hot water, cover, and bake one hour, or until the apples are done. Serve with sugar and cream. It is best nearly cold. Fresh peaches, pared and stewed, may be used in place of apples, if preferred.

APPLE TAPIOCA NO. 2.--Soak a half cup of tapioca in a cap of tepid water, for at least three hours. Pare, core, and quarter nice tart apples to fill a two-quart pudding dish nearly half full. Add four cups of water and one of sugar to the soaked tapioca, pour it over the apples, and bake two or three hours in a slow oven. Serve with whipped cream.

BANANA DESSERT.--Soak a cup of tapioca over night. In the morning cook in a double boiler in a quart of water until transparent. When done, add a cup of sugar and three or four sliced bananas. Serve cold with cream.

BLACKBERRY TAPIOCA.--Soak a cup of tapioca over night. When ready to cook, add three cups of boiling water and cook in a double boiler until transparent and smooth. Sprinkle a quart of fresh blackberries with sugar, and stir lightly into the tapioca. Pour into molds and serve cold with cream and sugar. Other fresh berries may be used in the same way.

CHERRY PUDDING.--Soak and cook a half cup of tapioca in a pint of water until transparent. Have a pint of fresh pitted cherries in an earthen pudding dish. Sprinkle them well with sugar, pour over them the cooked tapioca, and bake for an hour in a moderate oven. Serve hot with or without cream.

FRUIT TAPIOCA.--Cook three fourths of a cup of tapioca in four cups of water until smooth and transparent Stir into it lightly a pint of fresh strawberries, raspberries, currants, or any small fruit, adding sugar as required. For variety a cup of canned quinces or apricots may be substituted for fresh fruit. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream or mock cream.

MOLDED TAPIOCA WITH FRUIT.--Simmer one half cup of desiccated cocoanut in a pint of milk for twenty minutes. Strain out the cocoanut, and add milk to make a full pint. Add one half cup of sugar and one half cup of tapioca previously soaked over night. Let the whole simmer until the tapioca is transparent. Dip some cups in cold water, drain, and lay fresh strawberries, currants, or cherries in the bottom of each in the form of a star or cross. Pour the tapioca into the molds gently, so as not to displace the fruit. When cold, turn out and serve with whipped cream or fruit sauce. Raisins may be substituted for fresh fruit, or bits of jelly may be placed around the mold after it has cooled, if preferred.

PINEAPPLE TAPIOCA.--Soak one cup of tapioca over night in one and one half cups of water. Add two and one half cups of water and cook in a double boiler until transparent, then add one cup of sugar and one juicy pineapple minced fine with a sharp knife. Mold, and serve cold with or without cream.

PRUNE AND TAPIOCA PUDDING.--Soak one half cup of tapioca over night. In the morning cook until transparent in two cups of water. Stew two cups of well-washed and stoned prunes in a quart of water till perfectly tender; then add the juice of a good lemon and two tablespoonfuls of sugar, and boil till the syrup becomes thick and rich. Turn the prunes into a pudding dish, cover with the cooked tapioca, and add a little grated lemon rind. Bake lightly. Serve without dressing or with sugar and cream or almond sauce. If preferred, the prunes and tapioca may be placed in the dish in alternate layers, having the top one of tapioca.