Fresh milk, skim milk, or condensed milk may be
used for making these puddings. If skim milk
is employed, a little extra butter or some finely-
shred suet should be added to replace the fat which
has been removed in the cream. Swiss milk and
other forms of condensed milk are also very good
for making milk puddings. They should be well
diluted with tepid water, and if a sweetened brand
is used the sugar given in the recipe should either
be omitted, or regulated accordingly.
Milk puddings may be made either with or with-
out eggs. Eggs should not be added until the grain
itself is well cooked, otherwise a heat which is
sufficient to cook the latter would curdle the eggs.
From one to two eggs to a pint of milk are the
usual proportions.
The pudding is always lighter when the white
of egg is separated from the yolk, and beaten up
to a stiff froth. This introduces air into the
pudding and causes it to rise.
A strong enamelled, aluminium, or earthenware
saucepan is to be preferred for making a milk
pudding. Thin enamelled saucepans should be
avoided, as it is almost impossible to keep the
contents from burning. A double saucepan is
invaluable when the mixture requires long cooking
and little attention can be given to it, or, if an
ordinary saucepan is being used, it is a good plan
390
to place an asbestos mat underneath it, or to raise
it slightly above the hot plate on a small trivet.
Before putting milk into a saucepan, always rinse
it out with cold water or grease the bottom of it,
as this will help to prevent the milky substance
sticking to it and burning.
The flavouring of milk puddings is very much
a matter of taste ; the simplest flavourings are
always the best, such as grated lemon or orange
rind, grated nutmeg, ground cinnamon or other
spice. When lemon or orange rind is used, it
should be grated off very thinly, and none of the
white taken. It is a good plan to rub it into the
sugar used in the pudding, as this helps to draw
out the flavour. Stick cinnamon, vanilla pod,
and bay -leaves may also be used if they are infused
first in the warm milk and then lifted out before
the farinaceous substance is added. Over flavour-
ing must be avoided, and variety must be studied
as much as possible. Some cooks continually use
nutmeg, and their milk puddings never appear
without a good sprinkling of this spice over the
surface, while others seem to have no ideas beyond
thick strips of lemon peel. The various essences,
such as vanilla, raspberry, strawberry, ratafia, &c.,
are also useful for flavouring, but they must be
used with caution and the quantity must not be
overdone.
The amount of sugar used in the puddings is
entirely a matter of taste, and must be regulated
accordingly. A pinch of salt is an improvement
to all puddings ; this is frequently used in the beat-
ing up of the white of egg.
Page 626
Presented as published in 1914. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Fresh milk, skim milk, or condensed milk may be used for making these puddings. If skim milk is employed, a little extra butter or some finely shred suet should be added to replace the fat which has been removed in the cream. Swiss milk and other forms of condensed milk are also very good for making milk puddings. They should be well diluted with tepid water, and if a sweetened brand is used the sugar given in the recipe should either be omitted, or regulated accordingly.
Milk puddings may be made either with or without eggs. Eggs should not be added until the grain itself is well cooked, otherwise a heat which is sufficient to cook the latter would curdle the eggs. From one to two eggs to a pint of milk are the usual proportions.
The pudding is always lighter when the white of egg is separated from the yolk, and beaten up to a stiff froth. This introduces air into the pudding and causes it to rise.
A strong enamelled, aluminium, or earthenware saucepan is to be preferred for making a milk pudding. Thin enamelled saucepans should be avoided, as it is almost impossible to keep the contents from burning. A double saucepan is invaluable when the mixture requires long cooking and little attention can be given to it, or, if an ordinary saucepan is being used, it is a good plan
to place an asbestos mat underneath it, or to raise it slightly above the hot plate on a small trivet. Before putting milk into a saucepan, always rinse it out with cold water or grease the bottom of it, as this will help to prevent the milky substance sticking to it and burning.
The flavouring of milk puddings is very much a matter of taste ; the simplest flavourings are always the best, such as grated lemon or orange rind, grated nutmeg, ground cinnamon or other spice. When lemon or orange rind is used, it should be grated off very thinly, and none of the white taken. It is a good plan to rub it into the sugar used in the pudding, as this helps to draw out the flavour. Stick cinnamon, vanilla pod, and bay -leaves may also be used if they are infused first in the warm milk and then lifted out before the farinaceous substance is added. Over flavouring must be avoided, and variety must be studied as much as possible. Some cooks continually use nutmeg, and their milk puddings never appear without a good sprinkling of this spice over the surface, while others seem to have no ideas beyond thick strips of lemon peel. The various essences, such as vanilla, raspberry, strawberry, ratafia, &c., are also useful for flavouring, but they must be used with caution and the quantity must not be overdone.
The amount of sugar used in the puddings is entirely a matter of taste, and must be regulated accordingly. A pinch of salt is an improvement to all puddings ; this is frequently used in the beating up of the white of egg.