The "A1" cookery book

Short Pastry. — i lb. flour, 6 oz. butter, and 4 oz. of lard, the yolk of an egg, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 2 teaspoons of castor sugar, about 3 tablespoons of water, a pinch of salt. Mix the salt and sugar with the flour. Crumble the butter and lard into the flour with the tips of the fingers. Make a hole in the crumbs, and put in the yolk of an egg, a teaspoon of lemon juice, and the water. Mix lightly but thoroughly with a knife or the hands. Roll out about a quarter of an inch thick, and use for fruit pies or tartlets. The pastry will be richer if 10 oz. of butter is used and no lard. To Boil or Steam Puddings. — Grease the basin or mould. Scald the cloth that is used to tie over it and flour it inside. Plunge the pudding into boiling water, and add more boiling water as it boils away. For jam rolls and suet rolls use no basin, but roll the pudding in a scalded and floured cloth and tie loosely at the ends and in the middle with string. A plate should be put at the bottom of the saucepan. To steam puddings without a steamer let the water come half- I 16 way up the basin only, and keep it gently simmering all the time. No cloth need be used, but a piece of butter-paper should be tied over the top of the mould. Caramel puddings will curdle if the water boils. Plum Pudding without Eggs. —2 oz. each of raisins, currants, sugar, bread-crumbs, ground rice, flour, 3 oz. of finely chopped suet, a little candied peel and milk, l a teaspoon of mixed spice, and £ a teaspoon of carbonate of soda. Rub the bread-crumbs through a sieve, and stone the raisins. Stir all the dry ingredients together, and mix with a little milk in which the soda has been dissolved. Boil in a greased mould for three hours. Serve with brandy sauce (page 90). Plain Plum Pudding.— i lb. currants, i lb. suet, 3 oz. bread-crumbs, 2 oz. brown sugar, 2 oz. flour, £ pint milk, i lb. raisins, grated nutmeg, 2 eggs. Mix the dry ingredients, and bind together with the beaten eggs and a little milk. Butter a mould, and put in the pudding and boil for five hours. Serve with brandy sauce (page 90). Christmas Plum Puddings. — 1 lb. bread-crumbs, 1 lb. flour, 2 lbs. suet, 2 lbs. currants, 2 lbs. raisins, 1 lb. sugar, £ lb. candied peel, the rinds of 2 lemons, 1 nutmeg, \ oz. mixed spice, 16 eggs, 4 wineglasses of brandy, salt. Stone the raisins, mince the suet very fine, grate the lemons, and mix all the dry ingredients together. Beat the eggs, strain them, mix with the other ingredients, and add the brandy. Stir most thoroughly till everything is blended well together. Sufficient for four puddings. They must be boiled for at least six hours when made. These puddings should be made a few weeks before Christmas, and hung up in a dry place. They must be boiled again four hours before using. They should be served with sauce royale (p. 89) or brandy sauce (p. 90). Plum Pudding. — 6 oz. raisins, 6 oz. bread-crumbs, 2 oz. flour, 4 oz. sugar, 6 oz. currants, 6 oz. suet, 5 eggs, 3 oz. citron, lemon, and orange peel, | nutmeg, i grated lemon rind, i wineglass of brandy. Mix the dry ingredients together, taking care