Miss Parloa's kitchen companion

Break six of the peach stones, and, putting them in a stew-pan with the sugar and water, simmer for half an hour. Now take out the stones, and put the fruit in the syrup. Simmer for a quarter of an hour. Take up the rice, when the quarter-hour has passed, and spread half of it on a flat dish, having the layer about half an inch thick. Save fifteen of the best halves of the peaches, and spread four of the remaining pieces on the rice. Put another layer of rice on top of the fruit, having the mound taper. On top of this layer put four more pieces of peach, and then cover with the remaining rice, which should be heaped to a point at the top. Cap with half a peach. Arrange the fifteen reserved pieces around the base of the mound. Pour the syrup into a sauce-boat, and serve it with the pudding. The juice of an orange, two table-spoonfuls of wine, or one table-spoonful of maraschino may be added to the syrup. Another way of serving this dish is to pour the syrup over the peaches as they are arranged on the rice, and serve cream with the pudding. This may be served cold, if so preferred. & * Peach-and-Tapioca Pudding. For this pudding there will be required one can of peaches, a generous half-pint of tapioca, three-fourths of a cupful of sugar, half ateaspoonful of salt, and one quart of water. Soak the tapioca over night in the cold water. In the morning turn it, with the water, into a double-boiler, and cook for one hour. On removing from the stove, add the salt, sugar, and juice of the peaches, and stir thoroughly. Pour a layer of the mixture into a well-buttered pudding-dish; then lay in the peaches, and pour over the fruit the remainder of the tapioca. Bake in a moderately hot oven for one hour. Cool it a little, and serve with sugar and cream. • * Boiled Sago or Tapioca Pudding. Wash a cupful of sago or tapioca, and soak it over night in two cupfuls of cold water. In the morning pour off the water, and put the tapioca into the doubleboiler. Add a generous quart of milk and one teaspoonful of salt. Cook for an hour, and serve with sugar and cream. * Steamed Berry Pudding. To make enough pudding for six or eight persons one requires a pint of milk, a pint and a half of flour, a pint and a half of blueberries or blackberries, half a teaspoonful of salt, two level teaspoonfuls of baking-powder, and an egg. Mix the salt and baking-powder with the flour, and rub through a sieve. Add the milk, the egg, well beaten, and then the berries. Pour the batter into a buttered tin mould or basin, — one that will hold more than two quarts, — and steam for two hours. Serve with hard sauce or any rich liquid sauce. * Blueberry Pudding. For six persons use one quart of berries, one quart of milk, a pint and a half of stale bread, two eggs, one teaspoonful of salt, one-quarter of a nutmeg, grated, and four table-spoonfuls of sugar. Soak the bread and milk for two hours; then break up the bread with a spoon. Beat the eggs, salt, sugar, and nutmeg together. Add this mixture to the bread and milk. Stir well, and then add the berries. Turn into a pudding-dish, and bake in a slow oven for fifty minutes. Serve with a creamy or foaming sauce. * Baked Berry Pudding.