The Myrtle Reed Cook Book Part 90

RICE PUDDING--III

Boil a cupful of rice until tender in milk to cover, adding a pinch each of salt and sugar, and flavoring to taste. Take from the fire, add the yolks of three eggs well-beaten, turn into a b.u.t.tered baking-dish and cover with a meringue made of the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, and a little grated lemon-peel. Brown in the oven and serve cold.

RICE AND CHERRY PUDDING

Boil a cupful of well-washed rice with a pint of milk, a tablespoonful each of sugar and b.u.t.ter, and a pinch of salt. Put into a b.u.t.tered baking-dish with alternate layers of canned cherries, pour the juice over, sprinkle with sugar, and bake in a moderate oven. Peaches or other fruits may be used.

RICE AND FRUIT PUDDING

Cook a cupful of washed rice until soft in milk to cover, sweetening and flavoring to taste. Take from the fire, cool, and mix with a cold boiled custard made of a cupful of milk and the beaten yolks of four eggs. Add half a package of gelatine which has been soaked and dissolved and fold in half a cupful of cream whipped solid. Mould in a border mould and fill the centre with canned apricots, peaches, cherries, or any other fruit.

SAGO PUDDING

Cook slowly for an hour two-thirds cupful of sago in a quart of salted milk. Cool, add the yolks of four eggs well-beaten with the whites of two, a tablespoonful of melted b.u.t.ter, four tablespoonfuls of sugar, and a cupful of milk. Add a teaspoonful of vanilla and bake for half an hour in a moderate oven. Cool, cover with meringue, and return to the oven until puffed and brown. Serve cold.

SNOW PUDDING

Heat in a double boiler two cupfuls of water, the juice of a lemon and half a cupful of sugar. Thicken with three small spoonfuls of cornstarch rubbed smooth with half a cupful of water. Cook for ten minutes, take from the fire and fold in the stiffly beaten whites of four eggs. Mould, chill, and serve with a boiled custard made of the yolks of the eggs cooked until thick with a pint of milk, and sweetened and flavored to taste.

SPICE PUDDING

Mix half a cupful each of mola.s.ses and chopped suet with the juice and grated rind of half a lemon, a teaspoonful of powdered cinnamon, and a pinch of powdered clove. Dissolve half a teaspoonful of soda in half a cupful of milk, mix, and sift in flour to make a stiff batter. Add half a cupful of mixed raisins and currants, turn into a b.u.t.tered mould and steam for five hours. Serve with Wine Sauce or Hard Sauce.

SPONGE PUDDING

b.u.t.ter a baking-dish and put into it two sponge cakes soaked in sherry. Pour over a cupful of milk beaten with two eggs and sweetened to taste. Bake in a slow oven, turn out and serve.

STRAWBERRY BATTER PUDDING

Mash a quart of strawberries slightly with two cupfuls of sugar. Make a batter of two beaten eggs, two tablespoonfuls of melted b.u.t.ter, a pinch of salt, a cupful of milk, and one and one-half cupfuls of flour sifted with a teaspoonful of baking-powder. b.u.t.ter custard cups and fill two-thirds full with alternate layers of berries and batter, having batter on top. Steam for half an hour, and serve with Hard Sauce flavored with lemon or crushed and sweetened strawberries. Other fruits may be used in the same way.

TAPIOCA PUDDING

Soak a cupful of tapioca over night in water to cover. Drain and cook until transparent in a quart of milk with a pinch of salt. Add the yolks of five eggs well-beaten, sugar and flavoring to taste, take from the fire and fold in the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs. Pour into a b.u.t.tered baking-dish, set it into a pan of boiling water and bake until it thickens, then remove it from the pan of hot water and bake until brown. Serve either hot or cold.

TAPIOCA CREAM PUDDING

Soak a cupful of tapioca over night in two cupfuls of cold water. Cook in a double boiler with a pinch of salt, six cupfuls of milk, and the grated rind of an orange, until the tapioca is soft. Add the yolks of three eggs beaten with the juice of the orange and one cupful of sugar. Take from the fire, turn into a b.u.t.tered baking-dish, and cover with a meringue made of the beaten whites of the eggs and three tablespoonfuls of sugar. Add also a little grated orange peel. Spread over the pudding and bake for half an hour in a very slow oven. Serve cold.

_PUDDING SAUCES_

BROWN SUGAR SAUCE

Thicken a pint of boiling water with one tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter and one of flour cooked together. Add brown sugar, lemon-juice, and grated nutmeg or other flavor to taste, and serve.

FOAMING SAUCE

Cream half a cupful of b.u.t.ter with half a cupful of powdered sugar, add the juice and grated rind of a lemon, set the basin into a pan of boiling water, stir until it foams, and serve immediately.

FRUIT SAUCE

Mash fresh fruit with sugar to taste, let stand for three hours, and heat thoroughly before serving.

HARD SAUCE

Cream a tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter with two tablespoonfuls of sugar, flavor with wine and grated nutmeg, and chill on ice. Fruit juice may be used instead of wine.

_SHORTCAKES_

PEACH SHORTCAKE

Rub half a cupful of b.u.t.ter into one and one-half cupfuls of sifted flour. Add a pinch of salt and enough ice-water to make a smooth paste. Roll out, shape it into flat round cakes, and put together with b.u.t.ter between. Bake brown, tear apart while hot, and fill with fresh peaches crushed with sugar. Cover the peaches with the other cake, spread peaches on top and pile high with sweetened whipped cream.

Strawberry, banana, blackberry, cherry, fig, blueberry, gooseberry, orange, and raspberry shortcakes may be made in the same way.

PRUNE SHORTCAKE

Stew a pound of prunes until soft, in water to cover, with half a cupful of sugar. When the prunes are soft, remove the stones and simmer for ten minutes longer. Make a biscuit crust, adding a little more shortening, and bake in two cakes with b.u.t.ter between. Split, spread with b.u.t.ter, fill with the prunes, cover the top with prunes, and serve hot with whipped cream.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Sift a quart of flour with two teaspoonfuls of baking-powder and a pinch of salt. Work into it two tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter, add enough milk to make a soft dough, and bake in large pie-tins. Cool, split, spread with b.u.t.ter and crushed strawberries heavily sweetened. Pour crushed strawberries over the cake and serve.

FRUIT SOUFFLeS

Drain any kind of preserved fruit and rub through a sieve enough to make a cupful. Add more sugar if required and fold in the stiffly beaten whites of eight eggs. Turn into a b.u.t.tered baking-dish, bake for half an hour and serve immediately. Apples, apricots, bananas, prunes, cherries, chestnuts, cocoanut, figs, gooseberries, preserved ginger, peaches, pears, pineapples, quinces, raspberries, and strawberries may be used in the same way.