19^th century

General Satisfaction

Ichose this pudding for its name, because I love these peculiar pudding names. The recipe was published by a woman named Mary Jewry and it appeared in both books she compiled for her publisher, Warne. She doesn’t note her source, but I haven’t been able to find this recipe in any other books of the same period, except in a handwritten recipe book I bought at an auction. The result looks a little like a queen of puddings, which does appear in a pudding book around this time, but this is more like a pie as it has a puff-pastry crust. Unlike the queen of puddings, which is topped with meringue, this pudding is finished off with a layer of egg whites beaten to a froth.

General Satisfaction

Some preserve; finger spongecakes; a gill of milk; an ounce of butter; a spoonful of flour; the peel of a lemon; yolk of an egg; a little nutmeg, and sugar to taste; whites of three eggs; puff paste

Line a pie-dish with rich puff paste. Put a layer of raspberry or strawberry preserve at the bottom, then a layer of the finger spongecakes, then a layer of the following mixture: Take a gill of milk, one ounce of butter, a spoonful of flour, and the peel of a lemon grated, and boil it until it thickens.

When cold, add the yolk of a beaten egg, a little nutmeg, and sugar to your taste. Cover the edge of the paste to prevent its burning, and bake it in a moderate oven. Whisk the whites of three eggs to a stiff froth, lay it on the pudding when baked, and put it again into the oven for a few minutes before serving.

Mary Jewry, Warne’s Model Cookery and Housekeeping Book, 1868

Makes a 20 cm (8 inch) pie

145 ml (4¾ fl oz) thin (pouring) cream

30 g (1 oz) unsalted butter

1 teaspoon sugar

grated zest of 1 lemon

a pinch of ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon rice flour

2 egg yolks

½ quantity sponge cake or lady fingers

½ quantity puff pastry

1 tablespoon raspberry preserve

3 egg whites, 1 teaspoon sugar added (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).

Bring the cream to a simmer in a saucepan with the butter, sugar, lemon zest and nutmeg, adding the rice flour when it boils. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens, remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Beat the egg yolks in a bowl and add a small amount of the warm cream mixture, whisk until incorporated, then gradually add the rest of the cream mixture, whisking constantly.

Cut the sponge cake into 1 cm (³/₈ inch) strips, or use whole lady fingers.

Line the pie pan with puff pastry as instructed and spread the raspberry preserve all over the base. Now add a layer of sponge strips, then pour the cream mixture over the top.

Bake in the bottom part of the oven for 15 minutes, then move to the middle of the oven and bake for a further 15 minutes. or until the pastry is puffed and golden brown.

When the pie is baked, whisk the egg whites to a froth and spread them over the pie, then return it to the oven until cooked: it will look a bit marshmallowy and wrinkled. I find a teaspoon of sugar added to the egg whites improves the topping.

Why not try it with fresh raspberries?