A plain suet crust made with half a pound of beef suet chopped, a pound
of flour and teaspoonful of salt, rubbed together and mixed rather dry
with cold water, then rolled out twice before lining the mould with
it, is the first step towards making this pudding. Grease the mould
well, line it with crust rolled to about half an inch thick, and cut
out a piece for the top to fit exactly. Then proceed to fill with steak
cut into small squares, each one rolled in flour mixed with salt and
pepper, and add a few pieces of ox kidney cut small, and mix with
the meat some peeled mushrooms if these are to be had, or oysters if
these are available, and failing either the pudding will be very good
without them. Fill level with the top, wet the edges of the crust and
pinch down the covering piece, after pouring in sufficient cold water
to nearly but not quite cover the meat. Then tie down with a cloth,
or screw on the cover of the mould, whichever kind of mould is used,
and plunge it into a deep pan of boiling water, and keep boiling very
fast for four hours—certainly not less than three. If making a larger
pudding give it still longer time to boil. The moulds with screw on
covers are much to be recommended, as when using a cloth, however
carefully this is tied over, some of the gravy and goodness of the
pudding is apt to ooze through into the water. Take off the cover, bind
a clean cloth round the mould, and serve, or turn it out into a deep
dish if preferred.
Where mutton is more plentiful than beef, lean parts, chops trimmed
from all fat, and kidneys cut in half, with mushrooms, or without them,
would make another delicious pudding.
Mushrooms alone, plenty of them, liberally sprinkled with pepper and
salt and floured, might be packed inside a mould lined with suet crust,
and a few strips of bacon or salt pork put with them, then boiled for
a couple of hours, and a very savoury pudding would result.
When boiling beef or mutton with vegetables, as before directed, small
balls of this plain suet crust dropped into the broth when it boils
and cooked for an hour or so, are, in the opinion of many people, a
great addition to the dish and certainly help to make it a little more
substantial.
The same crust lines the mould when sliced apples, plums, berries
and wild fruits are used for the filling, with sugar added, and when
boiled this turns out an excellent pudding. Boil always two hours. A
suet crust improves with long boiling, but is not at all good when too
little done.
For a JAM ROLL make the crust in the same way, rolling it out to about
a quarter of an inch thick, in a long strip of ten or twelve inches
wide. Spread with jam, or treacle, with chopped fruits, soaked dried
fruits and syrup, or anything that is available, and then begin at
one end and roll up, not too tightly, pinching down the edges to keep
it compact. Take a cloth, wring it out of hot water, sprinkle lightly
with flour, and place your roll pudding across one corner, fold over
the sides towards the middle, then roll up neatly and securely, but
again not too tightly, as the pudding wants room to swell, fasten
securely, and plunge into fast boiling water, and keep boiling without
intermission for two hours. Unroll from the cloth and serve on hot dish.
A plain boiled suet pudding may be boiled in a cloth, or in a greased
mould tied down, and served with hot treacle or cane syrup, or white
sauce in which some spoonfuls of jam have been boiled, sweet sauce with
wine, and so on, or with the gravy from meat.
The plain pudding may be made richer by adding currants or a liberal
quantity of stoned raisins to it, or mixing with it treacle, marmalade
or jam, and then boiling and serving with sauce.
Golden Pudding is of the same type, but may be called the Sunday
edition of the weekday variety. It is made by mixing the same plain
ingredients with eggs instead of milk or water, adding a little
baking-powder to the dry flour first, then a spoonful of orange
marmalade and two of clear sugar syrup, and after mixing and putting
into a buttered mould this is boiled for two hours and served with a
sweet sauce containing a suspicion of something spirituous—whatever
Sunday rations permit of!
While on the subject of boiled puddings, it will not do to leave out a
recipe for Christmas Pudding, as there may be occasion for the colonist
to make his own some day.
Equal quantities (whatever the weight, this depending upon the size
of pudding required), say, half a pound each of stale crumb of bread
grated finely, flour, suet minced, currants and stoned raisins and
sugar; mix these together first, then add two ounces of candied fruit
shred small, half a packet of mixed spice and teaspoonful of ginger, a
teaspoonful of salt, four eggs and quarter of a pint of brandy or rum.
Mix thoroughly and keep for two or three days before boiling, then put
into moulds and tie over closely, and boil five hours.
To simplify this, leave out the candied fruits and spices, using only
the plainer ingredients and all raisins can be used instead of currants
if preferred. A pound of figs cut very small might take the place of
any other fruit, and the spirituous liquor can be omitted altogether,
using milk in place of it.
Equal quantities, say half a pound, of stoned and chopped raisins, suet
and flour, mixed together with cold milk, and boiled for four or five
hours, make a very excellent substitute for a rich plum-pudding.