[F] Your pudding and dumpling cloths should be squares of coarse thick
linen, hemmed, and with tape strings sewed to them. After using, they
should be washed, dried, and ironed; and kept in one of the kitchen
drawers, that they may be always ready when wanted.
PIGEON DUMPLINGS OR PUDDINGS.--Take six pigeons and stuff them with
chopped oysters, seasoned with pepper, salt, mace, and nutmeg. Score
the breasts, and loosen all the joints with a sharp knife, as if you
were going to carve them for eating; but do not cut them quite apart.
Make a sufficient quantity of nice suet paste, allowing a pound of suet
to two pounds of flour; roll it out thick, and divide it into six. Lay
one pigeon on each sheet of the paste with the back downwards, and put
in the lower part of the breast a piece of butter rolled in flour.
Close the paste over the pigeon in the form of a dumpling or small
pudding; pouring in at the last a very little cold water to add to the
gravy. Tie each dumpling in a cloth, put them into a pot of hot water,
and boil them two hours. Send them to table with made gravy in a boat.
Partridges or quails may be cooked in this manner; also chickens, which
must be accompanied by egg sauce.
These dumplings or puddings will be found very good.
FINE SUET DUMPLINGS.--Grate the crumb of a stale six cent loaf, and
mix it with half as much beef suet, chopped as fine as possible. Add
a grated nutmeg, and two large table-spoonfuls of sugar. Beat four
eggs with four table-spoonfuls of white wine or brandy. Mix all well
together to a stiff paste. Flour your hands, and make up the mixture
into balls or dumplings about the size of turkey eggs. Have ready a
pot of boiling water. Put the dumplings into cloths, and let them boil
about half an hour. Serve them hot, and eat them with wine sauce.
PLAIN SUET DUMPLINGS.--Sift two pounds of flour into a pan, and add a
salt-spoon of salt. Mince very fine one pound of beef suet, and rub it
into the flour. Make it into a stiff dough with a little cold water.
Then roll it out an inch thick or rather more. Cut it into dumplings
with the edge of a tumbler. Put them into a pot of boiling water, and
let them boil an hour and a half. Send them to table hot, to eat with
boiled loin of mutton, or with molasses after the meat is removed.
INDIAN DUMPLINGS.--Take a pint of milk, and four eggs well beaten. Stir
them together, and add a salt-spoon of salt. Then mix in as much sifted
Indian meal as will make a stiff dough. Flour your hands; divide the
dough into equal portions, and make it into balls about the size of a
goose egg. Flatten each with the rolling-pin, tie them in cloths, and
put them into a pot of boiling water. They will boil in a short time.
Take care not to let them go to pieces by keeping them too long in the
pot.
Serve them up hot, and eat them with corned pork, or with bacon. Or you
may eat them with molasses and butter after the meat is removed.
If to be eaten without meat, you may mix in the dough a quarter of a
pound of finely chopped suet.
LIVER DUMPLINGS.--Take a calf's liver, and chop it very fine. Mix
with it half a pound of beef suet chopped fine also; half a pound of
flour; one minced onion; a handful of bread crumbs; a table-spoonful of
chopped parsley and sweet marjoram mixed; a few blades of mace and some
grated nutmeg; and a little pepper and salt. Mix all well together. Wet
the mixture with six eggs well beaten, and make it up into dumplings,
with your hands well floured. Have ready a large pot of boiling water.
Drop the dumplings into it with a ladle, and let them boil an hour.
Have ready bread-crumbs browned in butter to pour over them before they
go to table.
HAM DUMPLINGS.--Chop some cold ham, the fat and lean in equal
proportions. Season it with pepper and minced sage. Make a crust,
allowing half a pound of chopped suet, or half a pound of butter to a
pound of flour. Roll it out thick, and divide it into equal portions.
Put some minced ham into each, and close up the crust. Have ready a
pot of boiling water, and put in the dumplings. Boil them about three
quarters of an hour. You may use potatoe paste.
LIGHT DUMPLINGS.--Mix together as much grated bread, butter and
beaten egg (seasoned with powdered cinnamon) as will make a stiff
paste. Stir it well. Make the mixture into round dumplings, with your
hands well floured. Tie up each in a separate cloth, and boil them a
short time,--about fifteen minutes. Eat them with wine sauce, or with
molasses and butter.