cup caster sugar 3 eggs, separated
3 tablespoons cream or milk
1 tablespoon brandy (optional)
1½ cups ground almonds
DAMPER
The traditional Australian bush bread, damper was once made from flour, salt, water and perhaps some dripping. It was baked directly in the ashes of the fire or in a camp oven. Today, milk and butter may be used and the damper is baked in a hot oven or, if cooked in the fire, is usually wrapped in foil so that there is no need to knock the ashes off before eating it.
DAMPER
4 cups self-raising flour
1 teaspoon salt
30 g (1 oz) butter or dripping
1 cup milk
½ cup water
Sift flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Rub in fat. Make a well in flour and pour in milk and water. Mix with a knife until dough leaves sides of bowl; you may need a little more flour if dough is too slack. Place on a greased and well-floured baking tray and pat out to a round about 20 cm (8 in) across. Cut a cross in the top. Bake in a preheated hot oven (200°C/ 400°F) for 25 minutes, then reduce oven heat to moderate (180°C/350°F) and bake for a further 15–20 minutes or until damper sounds hollow when tapped. Serve sliced with butter, and golden syrup or jam if liked. Makes 1 × 20 cm (8 in) loaf.
DANISH OPEN SANDWICHES (SMØRREBRØD)
Smørrebrød means ‘buttered bread’, but Danish open sandwiches are very much more than that. They are special to the Danes and have been copied throughout the world as one of the great Danish inspirations. They are made with thin slices of any type of rye bread, crusty French bread, toasted or plain, or crisp-breads. These are spread with butter, or fat such as spiced pork dripping, right to the edge of the bread to prevent any moisture from the topping making the bread soggy. The fat helps to hold everything in place.
The generous toppings turn the sandwiches into a meal; they are eaten at lunch, and always with a knife and fork.
Toppings are generally made up from foods found in the household pantry or refrigerator. Cold roast meats or poultry, canned or spiced fish, potato salad, cheese, mayonnaise, cold scrambled or hard-boiled eggs. The delicatessen supplies salami, smoked pork and beef, ham, liver sausage, smoked salmon or mackerel, along with capers, horseradish, gherkins and pickles. Fresh vegetables play an important role – tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, onions – and herbs, such as chives, dill, parsley and cress, are all used.
Toppings for Danish open sandwiches:
Egg with Anchovy and Capers: Place flat anchovy fillets in parallel rows on a piece of buttered rye bread. Hard-boil and finely chop an egg before arranging it between the rows. Garnish with capers.
Sardine with Sliced Tomato: Place tomato on buttered rye or French bread in overlapping slices; on these put a whole sardine or several small ones. Garnish with a twist of lemon.
Danish Blue with Raw Egg Yolk: Cover buttered rye bread with very thin slices of Danish blue cheese. Place an onion ring in the centre and put the egg yolk in the centre of the onion ring, to stop the egg from running off.
Roast Beef with Potato Salad and Chives: Place thin, furled slices of roast beef on buttered bread and heap a generous mound of potato salad in the centre. Sprinkle salad with snipped chives.
Bacon and Kidney with Tomato: Fry rindless streaky bacon rashers until crisp; drain and cool. Place bacon on buttered rye bread and top with a slice of tomato. Place chopped grilled kidney over tomato and garnish with a parsley sprig.
Smoked Mussels: Place mussels on buttered French bread or crispbread; garnish with dill sprays and a sliver of lemon zest.
Smoked Salmon with Scrambled Egg: Place a slice of smoked salmon on buttered French or rye bread and across it spread a strip of scrambled egg. Garnish with sour cream.
Spiced Herring with Onion Rings: Place herrings on buttered dark rye bread, top with overlapping raw onion rings and garnish with capers or cress.
Roast Pork and Orange: Top buttered light rye bread with thinly sliced roast pork; garnish with an orange twist and a stoned prune or a spoonful of apple sauce.
Roast Pork and Beetroot: Place slices of roast pork on buttered light rye bread or crispbread; garnish with a slice of cooked beetroot and a strip of crisp crackling.
Ham with Vegetable Salad: Make vegetable salad with equal quantities of chopped cooked beetroot and apple, and a little chopped gherkin. Add some stiff Mayonnaise to bind. Place ham slice on buttered dark or light rye bread, French bread or crispbread. Mound salad neatly on top and garnish with watercress sprigs.
Salami with Potato and Chives: Spread rye, French bread or crispbread with Spiced Lard (below) and place slices of salami on it; arrange on top slightly overlapping slices of boiled new potato and sprinkle with snipped chives.
Spiced Lard: Melt some pure lard, or gently fry some fat pork or fat bacon dice until the fat runs. Add a little finely chopped onion and a few leaves of thyme and fry until onion is softened. Allow fat to solidify before using on bread for smørrebrød.
DANISH PASTRY
Light-as-air Danish pastries are made from a rich, buttery, yeast dough with a variety of toppings and fillings. The pastries may be filled with preserves, dried fruit, nuts or Crème Pâtissière ; glazed with icing, sprinkled with spices, coarse sugar or ground nuts and then shaped into knots, twists or little parcels.
They are served with steaming hot cups of coffee but are sometimes eaten after the main course at lunch. Most people buy their favourite Danish pastries from good pastry shops; even in Denmark, home cooks consider they require the special skills of a pastry cook.
DATE
Dates grow in huge, hanging bunches, often weighing up to 1.5 kg (33 lb), on the date palm, and are eaten either fresh or dried. The best dried dates are soft and juicy, packed whole in small boxes. These can be eaten as they are or used in recipes for stuffed dates. The hard, dry variety comes in blocks and is good for cooking.
Fresh dates can be bought from many greengrocers and should be purchased when their skins are a smooth, shiny brown and the fruit is plump and not sticky.
Ways to use dates:
Whole dried dates: Remove the stones and stuff with any of the following: marzipan; whole or ground nuts; flavoured fondant; cream cheese, sweetened with vanilla sugar; glacé fruits such as cherries or pineapple; or very thick Crème Pâtissière flavoured with Kirsch and sprinkled with sugar. Serve in frilly paper sweet cases as petits fours.
Dried dates sold in blocks: Use, finely chopped, in puddings, cakes, breads, scones or sandwiches.
Fresh dates: Serve with a bowl of thick, creamy plain yogurt; ricotta cheese, flavoured with grated lemon or orange rind; in a fruit salad; or simply enjoy them on their own. They also make a good additionto a cheese board.
DATE BARS
1 cup flour
1¾ cups rolled oats (plain or quick-cooking)
250 g (8 oz) butter or firm margarine
Filling
1 cup chopped, stoned dates
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons rum or water
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon or allspice
To make filling, place dates in a saucepan with remaining filling ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring often, or until dates are soft. Cool. Sift flour into a bowl. Add oats and rub in butter or margarine until well blended. Divide mixture in half and press one portion into a greased 18 cm (7 in) square cake tin. Spoon date mixture evenly on top, then sprinkle with remaining rolled oats mixture and press it into place to cover filling. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 25 minutes. Cut into bars and allow to cool in tin. Makes 12–14.
FROSTED DATE BARS
These nutty, economical fruit bars stay moist for weeks. Make them 2–3 weeks ahead if liked, but don’t roll in the icing sugar until you serve them.
¾ cup evaporated milk
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup self-raising flour
½ teaspoon salt
125 g (4 oz) butter
½ cup caster sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
½ cup chopped walnuts
sifted icing sugar
Place evaporated milk in a small saucepan and heat until small bubbles appear at edge of saucepan. Pour over dates in a bowl and allow to cool. Sift flour and salt together. Cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Fold in sifted flour alternately with milk and date mixture. Stir in nuts. Spoon mixture into a greased 23 cm (9 in) square cake tin. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 30–35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Turn out and cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars and toss in icing sugar. Makes 24.
DATE AND NUT ROLLS
These are easily made and are popular sliced and buttered for morning tea or in packed lunches. They can be baked in loaf tins, but the traditional roll tins seem just perfect.
1 cup chopped dates
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
60 g (2 oz) butter
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 cup boiling water
2 cups self-raising flour
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 egg, beaten
½ cup chopped walnuts
Put dates in a large mixing bowl with brown sugar, soda, butter and lemon rind. Pour boiling water over and stir until butter has melted. Leave to cool. Sift flour and spice together and add to cooled date mixture alternately with egg and walnuts. Stir well, spoon into 2 well-greased nut roll tins or 21 × 11 cm (8½ × 4½ in) loaf tins and bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 45 minutes. Leave to cool in tins for 5 minutes before turning out. Makes 2.
DATE AND NUT CAKE
250 g (8 oz) stoned dates
1 cup boiling water
90 g (3 oz) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 egg, beaten
1½ cups self-raising flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped walnuts
Place dates in a large bowl and pour boiling water over. Leave for 2–3 minutes or until they soften. Add butter and sugar and beat well until combined. Blend in vanilla and egg. Sift flour with bicarbonate of soda, and fold in with cinnamon and salt. Stir in the nuts. Turn into a greased and lined 21 × 11 cm (8½ × 4½ in) loaf tin or a 20 cm (8 in) round or square cake tin. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 25–30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave in the tin for 2 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool. Serve warm as a dessert accompanied by whipped cream, or store in an airtight container ready to eat on its own or sliced and buttered.
DESSERTS AND PUDDINGS
The name for the sweet course of a meal varies from country to country and even from family to family – ‘dessert’ and ‘pudding’ are both widely used to mean sweet dishes ranging from substantial hot pies and steamed puddings to such cold sweets as jellies, soufflés, moulds, sweet rice dishes and fruits. Here we have elected to call our ‘just desserts’ pudding (part of the author’s Scottish heritage).
Types of desserts and puddings:
Baked puddings: This large class includes baked fruit pies, flans and tarts, such as lemon meringue pie, and rhubarb pie; cake and yeast mixtures like cottage pudding, babas and savarins; and scone mixtures like fruit cobbler and fruit crumble.
Milk puddings: These are made with milk and cereals such as rice, sago or semolina, and either cooked on top of the stove or in the oven. They can be served hot or cold. Junkets are an example of cold milk puddings.
Steamed puddings: These may be made with a cake-like batter, sponge mixtures, custard or breadcrumb mixtures, and may be light or rich with fruit and nuts like sultana pudding, steamed pineapple pudding, chocolate pudding and rich christmas pudding.
Batter puddings: Those made with a thin mixture of eggs, flour and milk, which may be fried like fritters, cooked on a griddle like pancakes, or cooked in special irons like waffles.
Jellies, creams, mousses and moulds: Innumerable cold sweets come into this category. They are usually set with jelly, sago or cornflour, can be made in a mould and turned out or served in a glass bowl or sundae glasses, etc.; for example jellies, Bavarian creams, mousses and cold soufflés.
Iced sweet puddings: These include ice creams, water ices, sorbets, sherbets and sundaes.
Fruit sweet puddings: Fruits make lovely puddings, for example baked apples, poached pears, fruit fools, fruit trifle, strawberries romanoff, apricots in brandy and bananas flambé.
Egg puddings: These include puddings where eggs are the main ingredients, for example crème caramel, queen of puddings, sweet or soufflé omelettes, souf-flés, meringues and meringue-based sweets.
See individual entries for other puddings, also Custards;Baba au Rhum;Flummery;Fritters; Jelly; Soufflé, etc.
Baked puddings
Butter the dish, tin or mould well, so that the pudding is easily turned out or served. Wipe round edges of container before baking. The pudding is easier to handle if it is placed on a baking tray while cooking. Oven settings may vary with different cookers, so that average settings in recipes are given for general guidance.
SPICED APPLE CHARLOTTE
4 apples, peeled, cored and finely diced
¾ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon grated lemon rind
½ cup orange juice
3 tablespoons sherry
60 g (2 oz) butter, melted
3 cups fresh breadcrumbs
Mix apples with sugar, salt, cloves, lemon rind, orange juice and sherry. Set aside. Combine melted butter and breadcrumbs, mixing well. Fill a buttered 5-cup charlotte mould or casserole with alternate layers of breadcrumbs and the apple mixture, beginning and ending with breadcrumbs. Cover pudding and bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake for about 15 minutes longer or until crumbs are brown and apples are tender. Serve warm, with cream. Serves 6.
APPLE AND DATE CRISP
1 cup dates, stoned
½ cup water
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
juice ½ lemon
1½ cups self-raising flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
125 g (4 oz) butter
1 cup rolled oats
2 large cooking apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
Combine dates, water, lemon rind and 2 tablespoons sugar in a saucepan and cook for 2–3 minutes or until dates are soft. Remove from heat, add lemon juice and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Allow to cool. Sift flour and cinnamon into a bowl. Rub in butter and mix in remaining sugar and oats. Press about two-thirds of oat mixture into a greased and lined 19 cm (7½ in) square cake tin. Spread with date mixture. Arrange apple slices on top. Place remaining oat mixture on top of apples and press down. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 45 minutes. Serve with cream or ice cream. Serves 6.
WHOLEMEAL APPLE CRISP
3 cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 cup honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ cup wholemeal flour
60 g (2 oz) butter
¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Place apples in a well-greased pie dish. Heat honey, add lemon juice and pour over apples. Put flour in a bowl and rub in butter until mixture resembles dry breadcrumbs. Add sugar and lemon rind and spread over apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake in a preheated moderately hot oven (190°C/375°F) for 30–40 minutes, or until apples are tender and the topping crispy brown. Serves 4–6.
ALMOND CASTLES
90 g (3 oz) butter cup caster sugar
3 eggs, separated
3 tablespoons cream or milk
1 tablespoon brandy (optional)
1½ cups ground almonds
Cream together butter and sugar. Stir in egg yolks, cream or milk, brandy, if using, and almonds. Whisk egg whites to a stiff froth and fold lightly into almond mixture. Spoon into 8 greased dariole moulds, filling them three-quarters full. Bake in a preheated moderately slow oven (160°C/325°F) for 20–25 minutes or until the puddings are firm in the centre and golden-brown. Turn out and serve with custard. If liked, the puddings may be steamed – cover with greased greaseproof paper and steam for 40–50 minutes or until firm. Serves 8.
PINEAPPLE DELICIOUS PUDDING
¼ cup self-raising flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup sugar
2 eggs, separated
½ cup milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup crushed, drained pineapple
¼ cup pineapple juice
Sift flour, salt and sugar into a bowl. Beat egg yolks and add to the flour mixture with milk, lemon juice and crushed pineapple and juice, and mix well. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour into an ovenproof dish and stand the dish in a roasting tin of water. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for about 40–45 minutes or until set. Serve with cream or ice cream. Serves 4.
SULTANA BREAD PUDDING
3½ cups milk
1 piece vanilla bean, or 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
¼ cup butter, softened
8 slices French bread (centre portion, not the crusty end)
½ cup sultanas
3 eggs, or 5 egg yolks cup sugar 
teaspoon salt
nutmeg
Scald milk, then add vanilla bean, if using. Simmer for 15 minutes. Cool. Discard vanilla bean, if using, or add vanilla essence. Butter one side of each slice of bread. Arrange slices in a 6-cup casserole, buttered sides down, sprinkling the sultanas between the layers. Beat eggs or yolks with sugar and salt and add the scalded milk, stirring. Pour over the bread. Let stand for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Stand casserole in a roasting tin of hot water and bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for about 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean. Serve warm. Serves 6–8.
ORANGE BREAD PUDDING
3 slices bread, cubed
1 cup milk, scalded
¾ cup orange juice
grated rind 1 orange
4 egg yolks, beaten
½ cup sugar teaspoon salt
butter
whipped cream to serve
Soak bread cubes in milk for 10 minutes. Add orange juice and rind, egg yolks, sugar and salt. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Pour into 4 well-buttered individual moulds, dot with butter and place in a roasting tin of hot water. Bake in a preheated moderately hot oven (190°C/375°F) for 30 minutes or until the tip of a knife inserted 2.5 cm (1 in) from the outside edge comes away clean. Chill. Unmould and serve with whipped cream. Serves 4.
NEW ENGLAND BREAD PUDDING
3½ cups milk
¼ cup butter
3 cups stale bread cubes
½ cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup sherry
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup seedless raisins
½ cup chopped mixed candied peel
Heat milk, add butter and pour hot liquid over bread cubes. Soak for about 5 minutes, then stir in sugar, eggs, sherry and spices. Add raisins and peel. Pour mixture into a buttered baking dish. Stand dish in a roasting tin of hot water and bake in a preheated moderately hot oven (190°C/375°F) for about 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean. Serves 6.
FRUIT SPONGE
500 g (1 lb) fresh fruit (e.g. apricots, peaches, apples)
sugar
90 g (3 oz) butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup self-raising flour
Prepare fruit according to kind and arrange in a greased 4-cup pie dish. Sprinkle with sugar to taste and add a little water if required. Cream together butter and ½ cup sugar. Add eggs gradually, beating well between each addition – if there is a sign of curdling, add some flour. Sift flour and stir lightly into creamed mixture. Spread mixture over fruit. Bake in the middle of a preheated moderate oven (180°C/ 350°F) for 35–40 minutes. Serve hot or cold with cream or custard. Serves 6.
NOTE: This can be made with canned fruit if liked. Drain juice from the fruit before arranging in the pie dish.
VARIATION
Use 6 individual ovenproof dishes and bake as above for about 20 minutes.
WINTER FRUIT BROWN BETTY
1 cup dried apricots
2 cups dried apples
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
60 g (2 oz) butter, melted cup chopped blanched almonds
grated rind 1 orange
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
15 g (½ oz) butter
Soak apricots and apples overnight in plenty of water to cover. Drain and chop roughly. Toss breadcrumbs in melted butter. Spread a thin layer of crumbs in bottom of baking or soufflé dish. Cover with a little of the chopped fruit. Sprinkle over a little of the almonds, orange rind and sugar. Repeat layers until dish is full, finishing with a layer of crumbs. Dot with butter and sprinkle with any remaining sugar. Bake in a preheated hot oven (200°C/400°F) for 30 minutes or until golden and crisp. Serve very hot with cream. Serves 6.
BAKED APPLE ROLY-POLY
Pastry
1½ cups flour
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 tablespoon butter
about 4 tablespoons iced water
Filling
3 cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced
Syrup
¾ cup sugar
60 g (2 oz) butter
1 cup boiling water
To make pastry, sift dry ingredients together, rub in butter with fingertips and mix in enough water to make a soft dough. Roll out pastry to a rectangle. Spread apples over pastry and roll up like a Swiss roll. Lift roly-poly into a greased shallow ovenproof dish, seam side down. Mix sugar, butter and boiling water and pour over. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 1 hour, basting roly-poly every 10 minutes with syrup. Serve hot, cut into slices, with custard or cream. Serves 6.
VARIATIONS
JAM OR GOLDEN SYRUP ROLY-POLY: Follow recipe for Apple Roly-Poly, but substitute jam or golden syrup for apples. Roll out pastry fairly thinly.
FRUIT ROLY-POLY: Follow recipe for Apple Roly-Poly but substitute ¾ cup dried fruit for apples.
Batter puddings
Batters are made from a basic mixture of flour, milk and egg. The flour is worked to a very soft consistency with the eggs and some of the liquid, so that it can be beaten more easily until smooth. The rest of the liquid is then stirred in. The mixture is left to stand for 30 minutes before use.
The lightness of a batter depends on the quick formation of steam within the mixture and quick cooking. A baked batter therefore needs to be cooked in a preheated hot oven (220°C/425°F) and the temperature can be reduced when the flour is almost cooked. It is best to put the batter at the top of the oven to begin with, then to move it to a lower shelf at reduced heat to finish cooking.
BATTER PUDDING
2 cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2½ cups milk
1 tablespoon cooking fat or lard
Sift flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre of the flour and break eggs into this. Add about ½ cup of the milk. Stir, gradually working flour down from sides and adding more milk as required to make a stiff batter consistency. Beat well for about 5 minutes. Add rest of the milk. Cover and leave to stand for 30 minutes. Put fat into a Yorkshire pudding tin about 20 × 25 cm (8 × 10 in) and heat in a preheated hot oven (220°C/425°F).The fat should just be beginning to smoke. Quickly pour in the batter and return to the oven, placing the tin at the top of the oven. Bake for about 25 minutes or until nicely browned. Reduce heat to moderately hot (190°C/375°F) and continue baking for 10–15 minutes. Serve with wine, syrup or jam sauce. Serves 6.
VARIATION
BATTER PUDDING WITH APPLES: Prepare batter as for Batter Pudding. Cover and leave to stand for 30 minutes. Spread 500 g (1 lb) peeled, cored and sliced apples over bottom of well-greased tin and sprinkle with 6 teaspoons sugar and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon or grated lemon rind. Pour batter over and flake 15 g (½ oz) butter on top. Bake pudding in a preheated hot oven (220°C/425°F) for about 25 minutes or until nicely browned, then reduce heat to moderately hot (190°C/375°F) and continue baking for 10–15 minutes. Dredge with sugar before serving.
Milk puddings
These are basically made with a farinaceous ingredient, sugar and milk. Eggs may be added, if liked, or any other suitable flavouring such as grated lemon or orange rind, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla or other flavouring essences.
The addition of egg to a milk pudding increases the nutritive value, and the pudding is made much lighter if the whites are whisked before being added. The egg must not be added until the rice, macaroni or other grain is fully cooked; otherwise, the long cooking necessary to cook the grain will overcook the eggs and cause them to curdle. Baking for about 30 minutes in a preheated warm oven (160°C/325°F) is usually long enough to cook the eggs and brown the top of a 2–3 cup pudding. The correct consistency of a boiled or baked milk pudding is such that it will just flow over the plate when served. This is achieved by using the correct quantities of ingredients and slow cooking to prevent excessive evaporation. Extra milk can sometimes be added if the pudding becomes too thick.
General points: Silverstone-lined, heavy saucepans are ideal; avoid using thin saucepans. Rinse out the saucepan with cold water before using, or lightly grease it with butter to lessen the risk of burning. Puddings cooked in a saucepan must be stirred well from the bottom of the pan and only just allowed to simmer.
Grease the baking dish to facilitate cleaning afterwards.
In puddings where eggs are included, the mixture must be cooled slightly before egg yolks are added.
SAGO FLUFF
3 tablespoons sago
3 cups milk
2 eggs, separated
3 tablespoons sugar
pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
stewed dried apricots or prunes
Cook sago in 2 cups of the milk until all grains disappear, being careful it does not burn. Beat egg yolks with sugar, salt and remaining milk. Add to sago, stirring until thick. Remove from heat. When cool, fold in stiffly beaten egg whites and vanilla. Pile into a serving dish when cold. Arrange apricots or prunes around edge of dish. Syrup from fruit may be served with pudding. Serves 6.
COCONUT MERINGUE CUSTARD
3 cups milk
3 eggs, separated
3 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons desiccated coconut
2 tablespoons glacé cherries
2 tablespoons plum jam
2 tablespoons caster sugar
Scald milk in a heavy saucepan. Beat egg yolks and sugar together and add to milk, stirring all the time. Scatter 2 tablespoons coconut over bottom of a greased pie dish and strain custard over this. Leave for 30 minutes. Add glacé cherries (leaving a few for decoration) and stir through. Stand dish in a roasting tin of cold water and bake in the coolest part of a preheated moderately slow oven (160°C/325°F) for 1 hour, or until mixture is set. Remove from oven and spread jam over top of custard. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold in caster sugar. Pile this onto custard. Top with rest of coconut and cherries and return to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes longer. Serve hot with cream. Serves 6.
CLOUD CUSTARD
1½ cups milk
2 teaspoons cornflour
1 large egg, separated
pinch salt
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
4 teaspoons sugar
Place milk (reserving about 1 tablespoon) in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Meanwhile, mix cornflour to a smooth paste with reserved milk, and blend in egg yolk, salt, vanilla and 2 teaspoons sugar. When milk boils, pour a little onto cornflour mixture, stir well and return to saucepan. Stir over low heat for 3–4 minutes until custard is smooth and thick. Remove from heat and cool. Beat egg white until stiff, then beat in remaining sugar. Spoon custard into bowl with meringue, and lightly fold together for a pretty yellow and white effect. Chill until serving time. Serves 4.
CREAMY RICE PUDDING
4 tablespoons short-grain rice
1 tablespoon sugar
3½ cups milk
15 g (½ oz) butter
nutmeg
1 tablespoon cream
Place rice in buttered pie dish. Add sugar and milk and stir well. Add butter in small pieces and top with nutmeg. Bake in a preheated moderately slow oven (160°C/325°F) for 1½ hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Stir well, then add the cream and leave to cook for a further 30 minutes or until brown.
Serve with cream or jam. Serves 6.
GENEVA PUDDING
½ cup short-grain rice
4 cups milk
pinch salt
1 kg (2 lb) cooking apples, roughly chopped
30 g (1 oz) butter
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons water cup sugar
Simmer rice in milk, with salt, until tender. Meanwhile, put apples in a saucepan with butter, cinnamon and water. Simmer very gently until tender, then rub the mixture through a fine sieve. Stir 1 tablespoon sugar into rice and add rest to apple purée. Arrange rice and apple purée in alternate layers in a well-buttered pie dish, with rice forming bottom and top layers. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for about 1¼ hours or until brown. Serves 6.
SWEDISH RICE
2 cups short-grain rice
salt
750 g (1½ lb) cooking apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
2 cups milk
pared rind 1 lemon cup sugar
pinch cinnamon
½ cup sherry
¾ cup seedless raisins, roughly chopped
Add rice to a pan of salted boiling water. Boil for 3 minutes, then drain off the water. Add apples, milk and lemon rind to rice and cook until tender. Remove lemon rind. Add sugar, cinnamon, sherry and raisins and mix well. Cook for 3–4 minutes longer. Serve with cream. Serves 6.
TAPIOCA CREAM PUDDING
¼ cup tapioca
4 cups milk
pinch salt
15 g (½ oz) butter
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon almond essence
3 eggs, separated
6 coconut macaroons, crushed
Soak tapioca in milk, with salt, for 1–2 hours, then tip mixture into a saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer until tapioca is cooked. Add butter, sugar and almond essence and mix well. Cool slightly, then add egg yolks. Pour into a well-buttered pie dish and bake the pudding in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/ 350°F) until just set. Whisk egg whites stiffly and fold in crushed macaroons lightly. Pile on top of tapioca pudding. Reduce heat of oven to slow (150°C/300°F) and bake for a further 30 minutes or until a pale golden-brown on top. Serves 6.
Steamed puddings
The mould or basin in which a pudding is steamed should be well greased with fresh butter. Always prepare the steamer, the mould or basin, and the covering before the pudding is mixed.
There should be plenty of boiling water in the steamer. If a steamer is not available, the pudding can be partly steamed by standing it on an old plate, saucer or pastry cutter (to prevent direct contact with the source of heat) in a saucepan, with just enough water to reach halfway up the mould or basin. Put a tightly fitting lid on the saucepan and simmer gently. If the water boils down, add more boiling water to replace it. Do not let the pan boil dry.
Where gentle steaming is indicated, the water below the steamer should only simmer. The basin or mould should not be more than three-quarters full.
Always cover the pudding with greased paper before steaming; this acts as a waterproof cover against condensing steam. Use a piece of strong paper, such as greaseproof, grease it well, make a pleat down the centre and place it, greased side down, over the top of the basin. Turn the edges of the paper under and twist them securely below the rim of the basin. If liked, tie with string, looping it to make a handle for easy removal of the basin.
After taking the pudding out of the steamer, leave it to rest for a minute or two to allow it some time to shrink slightly from the sides of the mould or basin, before turning it out onto a warm serving plate.
MADEIRA PUDDING
4 slices bread, diced cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 cups milk
3 eggs, beaten
½ cup sherry or Madeira
Mix together bread, sugar and lemon rind. Heat milk to about blood heat and pour it onto eggs, stirring well. Add sherry or Madeira and pour over bread mixture. Leave to soak for 15–20 minutes. Pour into a well-buttered mould or pudding basin, cover with greased greaseproof paper and steam very gently for 2 hours. Serve with custard, wine or jam sauce. Serves 6.
WINDSOR PUDDING
2½ tablespoons short-grain rice
2 cups milk
1 kg (2 lb) cooking apples, cored and roughly chopped
¼ cup caster sugar
grated rind and juice ½ lemon
3–4 egg whites
Simmer rice in milk until tender and all the milk has been absorbed. Meanwhile, cook apples in as little water as possible, until soft. Sieve or purée in a blender, then stir in sugar, rice and lemon rind and juice. Whisk egg whites stiffly and fold lightly into the mixture. Put into a greased pudding basin, cover with greased greaseproof paper and steam very gently for about 40 minutes. Serve with Stirred Custard made from the egg yolks. Serves 6.
CHOCOLATE PUDDINGS
Cook these little puddings in your electric frying pan, or use any large flameproof dish with foil fitted over to make a good cover.
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
90 g (3 oz) butter
½ cup caster sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
1½ cups self-raising flour
pinch salt
6 teaspoons raspberry jam
Put cocoa into a measuring cup, fill to half-cup line with boiling water and mix together until blended. Cool. Cream butter with sugar, then add egg and vanilla and beat in thoroughly. Sift in flour and salt. Add cocoa mixture and combine thoroughly. Put 1 teaspoon jam in bottom of each of 6 greased individual moulds. Divide chocolate mixture between moulds. Have frying pan heated, with water to a depth of about 2 cm (¾ in). Place moulds in pan, cover with pan lid and simmer for 20 minutes. Turn out and serve hot with cream or Stirred Custard. Serves 6.
CHOCOLATE SAUCE PUDDING
A light chocolate sponge, floating on top of a rich chocolate sauce.
30 g (1 oz) butter
½ cup caster sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
1 egg
1 cup self-raising flour
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk
Sauce
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
1½ cups hot water
Cream butter with sugar and vanilla. Add egg and beat well until creamy. Fold in sifted flour, cocoa and salt alternately with milk. Pour into greased 4–5-cup pudding basin. To make sauce, mix sugar and cocoa and sprinkle over sponge mixture. Lastly pour over hot water. Cover basin with greased greaseproof paper and steam for 1–1½ hours. Serves 4.
LIGHT COTTAGE PUDDING
This is the basic steamed pudding that has been part of the winter scene for many generations. It may be varied by the sauce or custard served with it.
60 g (2 oz) butter
¼ cup sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup self-raising flour
3 tablespoons milk
Cream butter with sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Stir in sifted flour and milk. Turn into a greased pudding basin, cover with greased greaseproof paper and steam for 1¼ hours. Serve with jam, golden syrup or sweet sauce. Serves 4.
SULTANA PUDDING
A light steamed pudding is something we all enjoy, especially on a wintry evening.
1½ cups self-raising flour
pinch salt
125 g (4 oz) butter 
cup firmly packed soft brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
½ teaspoon vanilla essence cup sultanas
4 tablespoons milk
Sift flour with salt. Cream butter with sugar until light, then gradually beat in eggs and vanilla. (Add a little flour with the last few additions.) Fold in the remaining flour, sultanas and milk. Spoon into a well-buttered pudding basin, cover with double thickness of greased greaseproof paper and steam for 2 hours. Serve with Stirred Custard or cream. Serves 6.
STEAMED PINEAPPLE PUDDING
3–4 slices canned pineapple
6–8 glacé cherries
Butterscotch
75 g (2½ oz) butter
1½ cups firmly packed brown sugar
Pudding
1 cup self-raising flour
pinch salt
90 g (3 oz) butter
½ cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 eggs
4 tablespoons milk
Cut pineapple slices in half to make 6–8 circles. Make butterscotch by creaming butter and sugar together. Spread over bottom and sides of a greased 4-cup pudding basin or charlotte mould. Arrange pineapple circles on top and decorate with cherries. Sift flour and salt. Cream butter with sugar and vanilla until light. Beat in eggs one at a time, then fold in milk alternately with flour. Spoon into basin. Cover with 2 thicknesses of pleated greased paper and steam for 1½ hours. Serve with cream or Stirred Custard. Serves 6.
STEAMED GINGER PUDDING
2½ cups flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch mixed spice
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
155 g (5 oz) finely grated suet
1 egg
¾ cup golden syrup
¾ cup warmed milk
3 tablespoons finely chopped preserved ginger
Sift flour, spices and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl. Add suet. Make a well in the centre and pour in beaten egg mixed with syrup and milk. Stir well to a batter that will fall easily from spoon. Spoon preserved ginger over bottom of greased 5-cup pudding basin. Pour in mixture, cover basin with a pleated piece of greased greaseproof paper and steam for 2½ –3 hours. Serve with warmed golden syrup or custard. Serves 4–6.
STEAMED JAM PUDDINGS
60 g (2 oz) butter
¼ cup sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup self-raising flour
3 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons jam
Cream butter with sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla, then fold in sifted flour and milk. Place jam in 4 greased individual pudding or dariole moulds and pour in mixture. Cover with greased greaseproof paper and steam for 25 minutes. Serve with custard or cream. Serves 4.
SAGO PLUM PUDDING
2 tablespoons sago
1 cup milk
60 g (2 oz) butter
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
pinch salt
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 cup sultanas or mixed dried fruit
1 tablespoon chopped mixed candied peel
½ teaspoon mixed spice
Soak sago overnight in the milk. Beat butter and sugar together, then beat in soaked sago and milk, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Add breadcrumbs, fruit, peel and spice. Mix well and turn into a well-greased pudding basin or mould. Cover top with greased greaseproof paper and steam for 2 hours. Serve with custard or cream. Serves 6.
NOTE: The pudding mixture may be divided into 6 individual moulds and steamed for 1 hour instead.
QUICK STEAMED PUDDING
Easy, inexpensive and good.
1 egg
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup self-raising flour
½ cup milk
1 tablespoon melted butter 2 tablespoons jam or golden syrup
Place all ingredients except jam or golden syrup in a bowl and beat until smooth. Put jam or golden syrup into bottom of a greased 4-cup pudding basin, add pudding mixture and cover with greased greaseproof paper. Steam for 40 minutes. Serve with custard, Sweet White Sauce or cream. Serves 4–6.
VARIATION
FRUIT PUDDING: Make basic pudding mixture and stir in ¼ cup sultanas, chopped dates or mixed dried fruit. Omit jam or golden syrup. Turn into basin and steam as directed.
Iced sweet puddings
Ices may be broadly divided into 2 categories: water ices, sorbets, sherbets, etc., and ice creams. But there is also a large selection of iced sweet puddings. These include frozen soufflés, creamy cake-like concoctions and layered ice cream and fruit combinations.
See also Ice Cream; Ices, Sorbets, Granite and Sherbets; Cassata.
VANILLA SOUFFLÉ GLACÉ (FROZEN VANILLA SOUFFLÉ)
1 cup mil
1 cup cream
1 vanilla bean, or 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
4 egg yolks
½ cup sugar
2 cups cream, whipped
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
Heat milk, cream and vanilla bean in a heavy saucepan to boiling. Meanwhile, beat egg yolks with sugar until thick and light-coloured. Discard vanilla bean from liquid, if using, or stir in the vanilla essence. Beat some of the hot liquid into the egg mixture, then mix into the remainder in pan and heat, stirring, until mixture coats the back of the spoon. Strain through a fine sieve and cool to room temperature. Fold in the whipped cream. Pour into a 5-cup soufflé dish fitted with a lightly greased collar of greaseproof paper. Freeze until firm. Before serving, remove paper collar and sprinkle top with sifted cocoa. Serves 6.
VARIATIONS
There are many ways to vary the composition of a frozen soufflé. The basic mixture may be seasoned with very strong coffee, with numerous spirits and liqueurs, such as rum, Cognac or Grand Marnier, or with melted chocolate. Toasted almonds or pistachio nuts are delicious folded into the basic mixture.
FROZEN SOUFFLÉ WITH GLACÉ FRUIT
To make this dessert it is best to have both a portable electric beater and a standard electric beater with a good motor.
5 egg yolks
5 whole eggs
1½ cups sugar
¾ cup chopped candied fruit (cherries, apricots, angelica)
¼ cup Kirsch or Cognac
2 cups cream
Put egg yolks and whole eggs in the heatproof mixing bowl of an electric beater. Set bowl in a saucepan containing hot water and set over low heat. Start beating using a portable beater and gradually add sugar. The egg yolk mixture should become thick and like a soft meringue, several times the original volume (10–15 minutes).Remove mixing bowl from saucepan and set in place in the standard beater. Beat until the egg yolk mixture reaches room temperature. Meanwhile, soak fruit in Kirsch or Cognac. Fold fruit and liqueur into egg yolk mixture. Whip cream until stiff and fold into mixture. Pour into a 7-cup soufflé dish fitted with a greaseproof paper or foil collar. Place in the freezer and freeze until fairly solid. Remove collar before serving. Serves 8–10.
FROZEN LEMON CREAMS
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
1 cup sugar
grated rind and juice 2 lemons
6 large lemons
Combine milk, cream and sugar, stirring until sugar has thoroughly dissolved. Pour into an ice cream tray and freeze until mushy. Add lemon rind and juice and beat mixture well with a rotary beater. Freeze again for 2 hours. Beat mixture again thoroughly, return to the freezer, and freeze until solid. (Alternatively, use a sorbetière; see To Freeze Ice Cream) Slice off tops of lemons and remove all the pulp. (Discard the pulp or save it for another use.) Cut a thin slice from the bottom of each lemon shell so that it will stand upright. Fill shells with frozen mixture, piling it high. Serve decorated with a green lemon leaf or other green leaf. Serves 6.
PAVÉ AU CHOCOLAT
185 g (6 oz) unsweetened chocolate
125 g (4 oz) butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
4 egg yolks
¼ cup brandy
¾ cup water
2 packages sponge fingers
Melt chocolate over hot, not boiling, water. Cream butter with sugar until smooth. Add egg yolks, one at a time, and stir them in thoroughly. Add melted chocolate and mix well. Combine brandy with water in a shallow pan. Dip sponge fingers quickly into liquid to moisten, then arrange one-third side by side down an oblong platter. Cover with a coating of the chocolate mixture (allow one-third of the mixture for between the layers and use the remainder for the top and sides). Build up 2 more layers of sponge fingers with chocolate mixture between them. Ice the top and sides of loaf with chocolate mixture and refrigerate for 3 hours. Serves 8.
VELVET ICE CREAM
An economical ice cream that takes only minutes to prepare.
1 × 410 g can evaporated milk, chilled
2 teaspoons vinegar
1¼ cups cream
1 × 400 g can condensed milk
1 cup fresh milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Beat together evaporated milk and vinegar until frothy. Add cream slowly. Add condensed milk, fresh milk and vanilla. Pour into an ice cream tray and freeze for 1 hour or until mushy. Beat for 5 minutes, then return to freezer and freeze until firm. Makes about 2 litres (8 cups).
Jellies, creams, mousses and moulds
Jellies are usually fruit juices or wines jelled with dissolved gelatine but they can also be made from milk or custard. They may be set in bowls or in jelly moulds and turned out when set (see Gelatine; Jelly, Sweet and Savoury).
Creams are also set in gelatine; those known as Bavarian creams are compounds of custard, cream and flavouring. These may also be set in bowls or in moulds and turned out.
A mousse is a light creamy dish; it may be hot or cold, sweet or savoury. A cold mousse can be frozen, but when a gelatine mixture is used, it is merely chilled. Sweet mousses can be flavoured with puréed fruit, liqueur, coffee or chocolate, one of the world’s favourite mousses.
AMOR FRIO
1 tablespoon powdered gelatine
2 tablespoons water
¾ cup orange juice
¼ cup sherry
1 × 410 g can evaporated milk, well chilled
½ cup sugar
Soften gelatine in water, then place over simmering water until dissolved. Remove from heat, add orange juice and sherry and mix together. Beat milk with sugar for a few minutes, then add orange mixture and beat until thick and fluffy. Place in serving bowl and chill until set. Serves 6.
APRICOT MARSHMALLOW
¼ cup sugar
1 cup water
500 g (1 lb) apricots, halved and stoned
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 teaspoons powdered gelatine
whipped cream to decorate
Dissolve sugar in water and bring to the boil. Add apricots and poach gently until fruit is soft. Measure 2 cups of fruit and syrup, add lemon juice and set aside to cool. Dissolve gelatine in ¼ cup of remaining hot syrup. Add to cooled apricots and stir well. Leave until mixture is almost on setting point, then beat until very thick. Spoon into parfait glasses. Chill. Decorate with whipped cream. Serves 6.
VANILLA BAVARIAN CREAM
This is a basic recipe for Bavarian cream. Vary it by adding different flavourings and decorations.
1½ cups milk
4 egg yolks
¾ cup caster sugar
pinch salt
1 tablespoon powdered gelatine, softened in ¼ cup cold water
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
1½ cups cream
strawberries or other fruit, grated chocolate, toasted almonds, etc. to decorate
fruit, Creamy Caramel Sauce or Chocolate Sauce to serve
Scald milk and cool. Beat egg yolks with sugar and salt until thick and lemon-coloured. Place in a heavy saucepan with milk and stir over low heat until mixture coats back of a spoon. Add softened gelatine, stir until dissolved, then add vanilla. Cool, then chill until mixture is beginning to set. Whip cream until stiff and fold in. Pour into a 6-cup mould rinsed with cold water and chill for at least 5 hours. Unmould carefully onto a chilled serving plate. Decorate as desired and serve with a fruit, caramel or chocolate sauce. Serves 6.
VARIATIONS
CHOCOLATE BAVARIAN CREAM: Add 60 g (2 oz) chocolate, roughly chopped, to the hot milk and stir until melted, then proceed with recipe.
ORANGE BAVARIAN CREAM: Add grated rind 1 orange to the hot milk, then proceed with recipe.
GINGER BAVARIAN CREAM: Add 2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger in syrup to the hot milk, then proceed with recipe.
BERRY BAVARIAN CREAM
1½ cups berries, fresh or frozen and thawed
½ cup sugar
3 teaspoons powdered gelatine
6 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon lemon juice cup cream, whipped
Crush berries and add sugar. Leave to stand for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, soften gelatine in water, then place over simmering water until dissolved. Stir into berries. Add lemon juice and refrigerate until thickened slightly. Lightly fold in whipped cream and pour into a bowl. Chill until firm. Unmould and serve. Serves 4–6.
COFFEE BAVARIAN CREAM
3 teaspoons powdered gelatine
¼ cup cold water
2 eggs, separated
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
½ cup strong black coffee
1 cup cream
Sprinkle gelatine over the water and allow to soften. Beat egg yolks in top part of a double saucepan and add ¼ cup sugar and the salt. Gradually add milk. Cook over hot water, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened. Beat egg whites until stiff. Gradually add remaining sugar, beating constantly. Whip cream until slightly stiff. Fold into gelatine mixture with the egg whites. Pour mixture into a wetted 5-cup mould and chill until firm. Unmould and serve. Serves 4–6.
CHESTNUT MOUSSE
1½ tablespoons powdered gelatine
¼ cup water
1 × 500 g can unsweetened chestnut purée
2 cups milk
¾ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
6 egg yolks
2 tablespoons dark rum or Grand Marnier
1 cup cream
Soften gelatine in water. Blend chestnut purée with milk in a saucepan and stir in sugar. Beat with an electric beater until smooth. Add gelatine mixture, bring almost to the boil, stirring to dissolve gelatine. Stir in vanilla. Beat egg yolks in a mixing bowl. Beat in a little of the hot chestnut mixture, then stir into the remaining mixture in the pan. Cook, stirring, until mixture thickens slightly. Do not boil. Stir in rum or Grand Marnier. Sieve mixture into a mixing bowl. Allow to cool, but do not let it start to set. Whip cream and fold into the chestnut mixture. Pour into a lightly oiled 7-cup mould and chill until firm. Unmould and serve, with Stirred Custard. Serves 6–8.
CARAMEL CREAM
1 tablespoon powdered gelatine
¼ cup water
2½ cups milk
1 tablespoon sugar
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup cream, whipped
Caramel
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
Soften gelatine in water. Meanwhile, heat milk with sugar in a heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Add eggs and cook gently, stirring, until custard thickens enough to coat back of spoon. Add gelatine mixture and stir until dissolved. Cool. For caramel, put sugar and lemon juice into a saucepan and cook until brown, taking care it does not burn. Add water, then stir into custard mixture. When cold and beginning to set, fold in whipped cream. Pour into a mould and chill until set. Unmould and serve. Serves 6.
HAZELNUT CREAM
You can buy ground hazelnuts at good health food shops and delicatessens. Better still, for the best flavour, grind your own (nut mills are available at kitchen shops): toast hazelnuts, rub off the skins, then grind. Serve the cream with crisp biscuits.
250 g (8 oz) hazelnuts, ground
2½ cups milk
6 egg yolks
1 cup caster sugar
1 tablespoon powdered gelatine
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
2 cups cream
whipped cream and whole hazelnuts to decorate
Combine ground hazelnuts and milk in a heavy saucepan and bring to the boil. Cool. Beat egg yolks and sugar together until pale and thick. Pour on milk mixture, stirring constantly. Place in the top of a double saucepan and cook, stirring, until custard has thickened. Cool. Soften gelatine in water for 5 minutes, then dissolve over hot water. Stir into custard with vanilla. Cool until mixture has the consistency of unbeaten egg white. Whip cream and fold into mixture. Pour into 8 individual serving dishes and chill until firm. Decorate with whipped cream and hazelnuts. Serves 8.
RASPBERRY MOUSSE
This is a simple, yet light mousse recipe that can be made using any canned fruit.
1 × 425 g can raspberries
3 teaspoons powdered gelatine cup cream
1 egg white
Drain raspberries, reserving ½ cup syrup. Place syrup in a pan, sprinkle over gelatine and let soften; then heat, stirring, until gelatine has dissolved. Pour over berries and stir thoroughly. Chill until beginning to thicken. Whip cream and fold into berry mixture. Whisk egg white stiffly and fold in. Pour into a dish or 6 individual dishes and chill. Serves 6.
EGG NOG RUM CREAM
5 eggs, separated cup caster sugar
½ cup rum
1 tablespoon powdered gelatine
4 tablespoons water
2 cups cream
Clear Raspberry Sauce to serve
Decoration
¾ cup cream, whipped
6–8 glacé cherries
few strips angelica
nutmeg
Beat egg yolks with sugar until thick and foaming. Stir in rum. Soften gelatine in water, then dissolve over simmering water. Whip cream until it holds its shape. Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold cream and gelatine into egg yolk mixture, then fold in egg whites. Pour into a large glass bowl or other pretty dessert bowl and leave to set. Decorate with piped rosettes of whipped cream, or pile cream around the edge. Sprinkle with chopped cherries, angelica and nutmeg. Serve with raspberry sauce. Serves 6–8.
PURÉED FRUIT MOULD
½ cup sugar
1 cup water
750 g (1½ lb) apricots or red plums, halved and stoned
handful blanched almonds
3 teaspoons powdered gelatine
Dissolve sugar in water, then bring to the boil. Add fruit to syrup and poach gently for 10 minutes. Lift fruit out of syrup and pick out a few of the best halves. Place half a blanched almond in each of these reserved halves and arrange them rounded side up in a 20–23 cm (8–9 in) sandwich tin. Allow to cool, then place in refrigerator. Sieve remaining poached fruit and make resulting purée up to 1¾ cups with the cooking syrup. Heat an extra ½ cup syrup and stir in gelatine briskly until dissolved. Add to fruit purée, stir well and allow to cool. When purée is almost on the point of setting, pour carefully over fruit halves arranged in the tin. Chill until set. Turn out, and serve with whipped cream. Serves 4–6.
PINEAPPLE MIST
3½ teaspoons powdered gelatine
½ cup water
¼ cup sugar
¾ cup canned pineapple juice
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 egg whites
Soften gelatine in water, then place over simmering water until dissolved. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Stir in pineapple and lemon juices. Refrigerate until slightly thickened. Beat mixture until thick, adding the stiffly beaten egg whites. When quite thick, spoon into a serving bowl or 6 individual dishes. Serves 6.
MAPLE MOUSSE
1 tablespoon powdered gelatine
1 tablespoon cold water
½ cup maple syrup
3 egg yolks
30 g (1 oz) toasted slivered almonds
2½ cups cream
2 teaspoons rum
Soften gelatine in water, then dissolve over simmering water. Heat maple syrup in a heavy saucepan and stir in gelatine mixture. Beat egg yolks until very light. Add a little of the hot syrup mixture to them, then add remaining syrup mixture, stirring constantly. Cool maple mixture in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until the consistency of unbeaten egg white. Fold in almonds. Whip 2 cups cream and fold into maple mixture. Place in a large serving dish or individual serving dishes and chill until set. Whip remaining cream and flavour with rum. Serve with the maple mousse. Serves 4–6.
Fruit sweet puddings
Fruits make lovely desserts. There are single fruits to be enjoyed at their peak, fragrant and warm from the sun, which make the perfect ending to a meal. In the summer months set them in a bowl of ice cubes, and enjoy them lightly chilled. Or use them to make brilliant fruit sauces to be enjoyed with meringues, creams, ice cream and little pastries.
Discover light, airy fools and snows, fruit mousses and soufflés, fruits baked, poached in wine, flambéed with spirits or marinated into fruit juice or liqueurs.
For other fruit desserts, see entries under names of individual fruits.
APPLE SNOW
4–6 cooking apples, cored and thickly sliced
1 cup caster sugar
juice ½ lemon
2 egg whites
whipped cream and toasted slivered almonds to decorate
Put apples in a saucepan with very little water. Cover and cook until soft. Drain. Sieve or purée in a blender and measure 1 cup purée. Add sugar and lemon juice and cool. Whisk egg whites until stiff, fold in apple mixture and continue whisking until fluffy. Pile into tall glasses and decorate with a swirl of whipped cream and toasted almond slivers. Serves 6.
APPLES AND SAGO
2½ cups water
¼ cup fine sago
6 cooking apples, peeled and cored
½ cup sugar
pared rind and juice ½ lemon
few drops red food colouring
Bring water to the boil in a large saucepan. Sprinkle in sago and cook for about 15 minutes or until mixture is clear. Add the apples, sugar and lemon rind and juice to the sago. Cover and simmer very gently for 10–20 minutes or until apples are tender. Lift apples out onto a heated serving dish. Remove lemon rind from sago mixture and add a few drops of food colouring. Pour it over and around the apples. Serves 6.
BANANAS BRAZILIAN
6 bananas, cut in half lengthways
½ cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar teaspoon salt
60 g (2 oz) butter
1 cup grated fresh or desiccated coconut
Place bananas in a buttered casserole. Combine orange and lemon juices, sugar and salt and pour over bananas. Dot with butter. Bake in a preheated hot oven (200°C/400°F) for 10–15 minutes. Sprinkle bananas with coconut and serve immediately. Serves 6.
CHERRIES JUBILEE
1 cup sugar
2 cups water teaspoon salt
750 g (1½ lb) fresh cherries, stoned
1 tablespoon cornflour
½ cup Cognac, warmed
French Vanilla Ice Cream to serve
Place sugar, water and salt in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add cherries, reduce heat and simmer until tender. Drain cherries, reserving 1 cup of the syrup. Combine cornflour with reserved syrup in a saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add cherries. Pour Cognac into cherries and ignite. Spoon juices over cherries and serve, flaming, over French vanilla ice cream. Serves 6.
BAKED FIGS
Orange liqueur and cloves enhance the flavour of fresh figs in this recipe.
12–18 ripe figs
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
¾ cup water
½ teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons Cointreau or Grand Marnier
Prick figs with fork. Place in an ovenproof dish and sprinkle with brown sugar. Add water. Bake in a preheated slow oven (150°C/300°F) for about 30 minutes, basting occasionally with syrup in dish. Drain figs. Dust with cloves and sprinkle over liqueur. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream. Serves 6.
MELON WITH WHITE GRAPES AND GRAND MARNIER
Use seedless white sultana grapes or big white grapes, halved and seeded, or canned grapes for this recipe.
1 large rockmelon, peeled, seeded and cubed
1 large bunch grapes
½ cup Grand Marnier
Place melon cubes in a crystal bowl. Cover with a layer of grapes. Pour Grand Marnier over. Cover bowl with foil to keep in all the fragrance of the Grand Marnier. Chill thoroughly. Serve with crisp, dainty biscuits or small sponge fingers. Serves 6–8.
MELON COMPOTE
1 honeydew melon
1 rockmelon
2–3 pieces preserved ginger, chopped
2 teaspoons ginger syrup
1 cup water
½ cup white wine or dry sherry
¾ cup sugar
Halve melons, remove seeds and scoop out flesh in dessertspoon-size pieces. Put melon into earthenware basin with preserved ginger and ginger syrup. Make a syrup by simmering together water, wine or sherry and sugar. Pour boiling syrup over melon. Cool and chill well before serving. Serves 6.
PEARS IN PORT WINE
6 firm, ripe pears
juice ½ lemon
2 cups water
1 cup port wine
1¼ cups sugar
1 cinnamon stick
pared rind ½ orange
strip lemon rind
Peel pears and drop them into a bowl of cold water, with lemon juice added. This will keep them from darkening. Combine the 2 cups water with remaining ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Add drained pears and simmer until fruit is tender. Do not overcook. Let pears cool in the syrup, then chill before serving. Serves 6.
PINEAPPLE FLAMBÉ
¼ cup sugar
½ cup sherry
½ cup water
1 ripe pineapple, peeled, cored and sliced
1½ cups redcurrant jelly
½ cup Cognac or Kirsch
French Vanilla Ice Cream and 8–10 macaroons, crumbled, to serve
Combine sugar, sherry and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add pineapple slices and poach for about 5 minutes. Drain. Melt currant jelly in a frying pan over low heat. Add pineapple slices and simmer, spooning syrup over fruit, for about 5 minutes. Add Cognac or Kirsch directly into centre of fruit mixture and let it heat for several minutes without stirring. When well warmed, light Cognac or Kirsch and spoon over fruit while flaming. Serve fruit over ice cream and top with macaroon crumbs. Serves 6.
ITALIAN FRUITS IN MARSALA
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
juice 1 lemon
½ cup Marsala
4–6 small peaches, skinned
1 small pineapple, peeled, cored and thickly sliced
1 punnet (250 g/8 oz) strawberries, hulled
Dissolve sugar in water with lemon juice, and boil to form a heavy syrup. Allow to cool. Stir in Marsala and leave to become quite cold. Immerse peaches, pineapple and strawberries in the syrup. Chill thoroughly before serving. Serves 6.
ORANGES WITH GRAND MARNIER SYRUP
6 large navel oranges
½ cup water
1½ cups sugar
¼ cup orange juice
¼ cup Grand Marnier
Thinly pare rind from 3 oranges and cut into very thin julienne (matchstick) strips. Place rind strips in a small saucepan, barely cover with water, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and run cold water over rind. Place ½ cup water and the sugar in another saucepan. Heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and boil until syrup thickens and turns a pale straw colour. Immediately remove from the heat, add blanched orange rind strips and stir gently. Let the rind soak in the syrup for 30 minutes, then stir in orange juice and Grand Marnier. Remove peel and pith from all of the oranges. Slice each orange into 3 or more slices and place in a shallow serving dish. Top with the glazed rind and spoon syrup over oranges. Chill well before serving, spooning syrup over oranges occasionally. Serves 6.
MANGOES FLAMBÉ
1 punnet (250 g/8 oz) strawberries, hulled
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
30 g (1 oz) butter
2 tablespoons Cointreau
2 large mangoes, peeled, halved and stoned
2 tablespoons Kirsch, warmed
Sprinkle strawberries with 2 tablespoons sugar and let stand for 2 hours. Place remaining sugar and butter in a saucepan and heat gently, stirring to melt sugar. Increase heat and cook, stirring constantly, until just starting to brown, then add strawberries. Pour Cointreau over them. Lower heat to moderate and stir mixture to a thick syrup. When lightly bubbling, add mangoes and baste with the sauce. Flame with Kirsch and serve immediately with vanilla ice cream. Serves 4.
STRAWBERRIES IN LIQUEUR
2 punnets (500 g/1 lb) strawberries, hulled and sliced
½ cup icing sugar
1 tablespoon Cointreau
1 tablespoon Kirsch
2 tablespoons brandy or Cognac
6 sponge fingers
Sprinkle strawberries with icing sugar and mix gently. Pour liqueurs over berries and mix carefully. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour, then refrigerate for 3–4 hours. Serve with sponge fingers. Serves 6.
PINEAPPLE ROMANOFF
1 large pineapple, peeled, cored and diced
6 tablespoons icing sugar
4 tablespoons Cointreau
2 tablespoons rum
1 cup cream
2 tablespoons Kirsch
grated rind 1 orange
Toss pineapple in a bowl with 2 tablespoons icing sugar. Pour over Cointreau and rum. Cover and chill for several hours. Whip cream, add remaining icing sugar and flavour with Kirsch. Add whipped cream to marinated pineapple and toss until every piece is coated with creamy liqueur mixture. Spoon into a glass bowl or 6 individual dishes and sprinkle with grated orange rind. Keep cold until time to serve. Serves 6.
RHUBARB AND GINGER COMPOTE
An unusual combination, but rhubarb, spices and gin complement one another beautifully.
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
1 kg (2 lb) rhubarb, chopped
1 tablespoon finely grated orange rind
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ cup gin
1 tablespoon finely chopped preserved ginger
Dissolve sugar in water in a large saucepan over low heat. Increase the heat and bring to the boil, without stirring. Add rhubarb, orange rind, nutmeg and ground ginger and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 5 minutes or until rhubarb is tender. Using a slotted spoon, transfer rhubarb to a serving dish. Increase heat to high and bring cooking liquid to the boil. Boil for 10–12 minutes or until liquid has reduced by about one-third. Remove pan from heat, add gin and pour over rhubarb. Sprinkle chopped preserved ginger over the top, cover and chill for at leat 30 minutes. Serves 6.
PINEAPPLE AMBROSIA
2 bananas, sliced
juice ½ large lemon
1 ripe pineapple, peeled, cored and diced
2 oranges, peeled and sliced
1 punnet (250 g/8 oz) strawberries, hulled
½ cup icing sugar
90 g (3 oz) grated fresh or desiccated coconut
Toss banana slices in lemon juice to prevent discolouring. Layer fruit in a glass bowl, sifting a little icing sugar to taste between each layer. Sprinkle with coconut and chill. Serves 6.
CARDAMOM PEARS
6 pears, peeled, cored and sliced
2 tablespoons soft brown sugar
¾ cup water
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
½ cup Grand Marnier or Cointreau
1 cup cream, whipped, to serve
Arrange pear slices in a shallow ovenproof dish and sprinkle over sugar. Pour water over the top, then sprinkle over cardamom. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 40 minutes or until pear slices are tender. Transfer pear mixture into a serving bowl, add liqueur, cover and set aside to cool completely. Serve well chilled, with whipped cream. Serves 6.
DEVILS ON HORSEBACK
The name given to one of the classic savouries, now most often served as appetisers. Poach some prunes in red wine until they are plump. Drain, stone and stuff with an almond and anchovy fillet and wrap in bacon. Cook quickly under a preheated grill or in a hot oven (220°C/425°F) for 4–5 minutes. Serve on hot buttered toast. Allow 3 per person.
DHAL
Dhal is a lentil purée served with curry meals, boiled rice or Indian breads. Any type of lentils can be used, but red lentils or moong dhal are the quickest cooking types, and don’t need soaking.
See Pulses: Dried Beans, Peas and Lentils.
DILL
Dark green, feathery dill has a delicate flavour somewhere between parsley and fennel; it is one of the most beautiful herbs for garnishing. It is much used in Scandinavian, Russian and Balkan cooking, especially with cucumbers and fish, and in combination with yogurt and sour cream. Dill seeds are a favourite flavouring in sauerkraut and in pickled cucumbers (in the USA these are known as dill pickles). Fresh dill tends to lose its aroma during cooking so it is usually added towards the end of cooking time.
Sprinkle chopped fresh dill on potato salads or hot new potatoes; add a little to mayonnaise to be served with cold fish or shellfish, or stir it into a cream sauce to serve with hot fish; add stalks and seeds to cooking water for lobster or prawns; add chopped dill and a little vinegar to melted butter for a sauce to pour over freshly cooked beetroot.
DILL PICKLES
These fresh-tasting pickles are quick and easy to make and are ready to use after a week. As they do not keep well, it is a good idea to make just a jar or two at a time.
500 g (1 lb) small green cucumbers
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons dill seeds
6 peppercorns
Wash cucumbers thoroughly and cut in half lengthways unless very small. Pack into warm sterilised jars. Bring vinegar, water and salt to the boil and pour into jars. Add dill seeds and peppercorns, and seal immediately. Use after a week. Makes about 1½ litres (6 cups).
NOTE: For sterilising jars see Jams.
VARIATION
KOSHER PICKLES: Follow recipe for Dill Pickles but add 4 peeled, sliced cloves garlic to the jars with dill seeds and peppercorns.
DILLED HERRING PÂTÉ
This is one of those magically easy recipes that produces surprising results. Guests find it difficult to identify the exact flavours but are always appreciative.
1 × 200 g can herring in tomato sauce
125 g (4 oz) butter, softened
lemon juice
chopped fresh dill leaves or dill seeds
chopped fresh lemon balm, lemon thyme, or grated lemon rind
Purée herring with their sauce in a blender or food processor. With motor running, add butter, a little at a time, and lemon juice to taste, then just a little chopped dill or dill seeds – keep tasting. Transfer to a bowl and stir in a little chopped lemon balm, lemon thyme or grated lemon rind. Chill before using. Serve with fingers of hot wholemeal toast. Makes about ¾ cup.
DIPS
People of many lands enjoy scooping up a savoury mixture with pieces of food for relaxed nibbling. Some dips are famous – Mexico’s Guacamole, Middle Eastern Baba Ghannouj and Hummus, Italy’s Bagna Cauda, Provence’s Aïoli and Greek Tzatziki (see separate entries).
The dipping idea gains new interest with crisp, chilled pieces of vegetables or fruit, cold seafood, flat Lebanese (pita) bread, spears of ham or sausage, pumpernickel or fingers of home-made pastry as a change from biscuits or potato chips for the dipping food.
BRANDIED CHEESE DIP FOR FRUIT
125 g (4 oz) blue cheese
125 g (4 oz) cream cheese
1 tablespoon cream
2 tablespoons brandy
Mash blue cheese, add cream cheese and cream and beat until smooth. Stir in brandy. Serve at room temperature with chilled wedges of apple, pear or melon. Makes about 1 cup.
TUNA AND GREEN PEPPERCORN DIP
1 × 200 g can tuna in oil, drained
½ cup Mayonnaise
½ teaspoon green peppercorns, crushed
salt
Mash tuna and blend with remaining ingredients, adding salt to taste. Spoon into a bowl and chill. Serve with small rounds of pumpernickel. Makes about 1¼ cups.
HOT CLAM DIP
2 × 100 g cans minced clams
60 g (2 oz) butter
¾ cup cracker biscuit crumbs
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon lemon juice
dash Tabasco sauce
Drain juice from 1 can of clams. Melt butter, add drained clams and other can of clams with juice. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into an ovenproof serving dish and bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 30 minutes. Place in centre of a platter and surround with chilled celery or cucumber sticks, tiny crisp lettuce leaves, cauliflower florets or cooked shelled prawns for dipping. Makes about 2 cups.
REFRIED BEAN DIP
A dipping version of Mexican refried beans (frijoles refritos).
2 × 310 g cans red kidney beans
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 small red chilli, seeded and chopped, or 1 teaspoon Mexican chilli powder (or to taste)
4 tablespoons bacon dripping or oil
1 cup grated cheese
salt
Drain beans, reserving liquid. Gently fry onion, garlic and chilli or chilli powder in fat until onion is soft. Add beans a little at a time, mashing them into mixture. Add ½ cup bean liquid, mix well and stir in cheese. Remove from heat as soon as cheese melts. Taste and add a little salt if necessary. Serve hot with corn chips or crackers. If mixture gets too stiff for dipping, add a little more hot bean liquid or water. Makes about 3 cups.
DOLMA, DOLMADES
A dolma is any dish prepared by stuffing a vine, fig, cabbage or other edible leaf with a savoury mixture and braising the packages.
Dolmades – stuffed vine leaves – are a specialty throughout Greece and Turkey. They may be served hot with a sauce or cold as an appetiser. The stuffing is based on rice and herbs, often with minced lamb, or pine nuts and currants. Dolmades freeze well so it is worth making a good batch at a time.
If making dolmades to serve as an appetiser, use the following recipe but do not make the sauce. Arrange cooked dolmades in an oiled dish, sprinkle with a little olive oil and store, covered, in refrigerator until required. Serve with lemon wedges, and if liked, squares of feta cheese.
See also Cabbage: Cabbage Rolls.
DOLMADES WITH AVGOLEMONO
about 80 young fresh vine leaves, or 500 g (1 lb) preserved vine leaves (available in bulk from Continental delicatessens)
2 onions, finely chopped
¾ cup olive oil
¼ cup short-grain rice
500 g (1 lb) minced lamb
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons currants
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup lamb, beef or chicken stock
¼ cup dry white wine
Sauce
4 egg yolks
juice 1 lemon
Rinse fresh or preserved vine leaves and drop into boiling water, a few at a time. Blanch for 3 minutes. Remove to a bowl of cold water, then drain. Cook onions gently in 2 tablespoons oil until soft. Add rice and stir for 2 minutes. Put meat into a bowl, add mint, parsley, currants, onion mixture, salt and pepper and blend well.
Place a vine leaf, shiny side down, on a flat surface and put a heaped teaspoon of stuffing in centre. Fold stem end and sides over, then roll up tightly towards the point. Repeat with remaining stuffing and leaves, reserving about 10 leaves. Line a heavy saucepan with a few reserved leaves and pack rolls in, seam sides down, close together in layers, sprinkling each layer with remaining oil. Pour stock and wine over and cover top of rolls with remaining leaves. Weight with a heavy plate, cover saucepan tightly and simmer gently for 1 hour.
Remove dolmades to a heated platter and keep warm while making sauce. Add a little water if necessary to liquid in saucepan to make 1 cup and bring to the boil. Beat egg yolks and add lemon juice, then hot liquid, beating constantly. Pour over dolmades and serve immediately. Makes about 70.
STUFFED GRAPE VINE LEAVES (DOLMATHAKIA LATHERES)
about 80 young fresh vine leaves, or 500 g (1 lb) preserved vine leaves (available in bulk from Continental delicatessens)
2 large onions, finely chopped
¾ cup olive oil
1 cup short-grain rice
3 tablespoons pine nuts
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
3 tablespoons currants
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups water
juice 1 lemon
Rinse fresh or preserved vine leaves and blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes, a few at a time. Put in a bowl of cold water, drain and cut off stems. Gently fry onions in ½ cup olive oil until translucent. Add rice and pine nuts and stir over heat for 2 minutes. Stir in herbs, currants, salt, pepper and 1 cup water. Cover tightly and cook over low heat for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed.
Place a vine leaf, shiny side down, on flat surface and put a heaped teaspoon of stuffing in centre. Fold stem end and sides over stuffing and roll up tightly towards point. Repeat with remaining stuffing and leaves, reserving about 12 leaves. Line a heavy-based saucepan with half reserved vine leaves. Pack rolls close together, seam sides down, in layers in pan. Sprinkle each layer with oil and the lemon juice. Add remaining cup of water and cover top of rolls with rest of leaves. Invert a plate on top to keep rolls in shape during cooking. Cover saucepan tightly, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 1 hour. Remove from heat and leave for 1–2 hours until liquid is absorbed. Lift rolls out carefully into a dish and chill for several hours before serving. Garnish with lemon slices and serve with a bowl of chilled plain yogurt. Makes about 70.
DRIED FRUIT
DUCHESS POTATOES (POMMES DUCHESSE)
A rich potato and egg mixture that is piped into decorative borders or rosettes, then browned under a grill or in a hot oven. It is one of the few potato recipes that can be prepared ahead.
DUCHESS POTATOES
1 kg (2 lb) medium, old potatoes, peeled and quartered
30 g (1 oz) butter
1 teaspoon salt
pinch freshly ground white pepper
pinch nutmeg
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
Cook potatoes in lightly salted boiling water to cover until they are soft. Drain well, then return to pan and shake over low heat for a few minutes to dry them. Force through a sieve into a hot saucepan, or push through potato ricer. Beat with a wooden spoon until very smooth. Add butter, salt, pepper, nutmeg and lightly beaten eggs and egg yolks. Mix thoroughly. If made ahead of time, brush surface with a little butter to prevent a crust from forming. When ready to use, reheat over low heat, stirring constantly. Pipe mixture through a piping tube to make a border around heatproof platters, and brown under grill. Or pipe into rosettes on a greased baking tray and brown in a preheated very hot oven (220°C/425°F) to serve as a vegetable. Serves 6–8.
DUCK
A bird prized by gourmets for its rich flavour and succulence, duck can be prepared in a great variety of ways. A duck has more fat, a larger frame and less meat than a chicken of the same weight, so allow about 375–500 g (12 oz–1 lb) raw weight per person. For a dinner party, it is pleasant (and certainly very convenient for the carver) to serve half a small duckling to each person. A good young duck has creamy skin and a plump breast, with a pliable breastbone.
To truss a duck: Truss in the same way as chicken. Shape the bird neatly with your hands, tucking the neck flap underneath. Take a piece of string and place its centre below the breastbone at the neck end. Bring the ends of the string down over the wings to cross underneath, then up to tie the legs and tail together.
To roast duck: Pull out loose fat around neck and inside body. Press the 2 little oil glands near base of tail to empty them. Wipe bird inside and out with damp paper towels. If using stuffing, spoon it loosely into the body cavity. Or, instead of stuffing, a few lemon slices or a quartered green apple, with some sliced onion and a little sage or other herbs, may be placed inside duck to flavour it. Truss bird and place it, breast side up, on a rack set in a roasting tin.
Roast in the centre of a preheated moderately hot oven (190°C/375°F) for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to moderate (180°C/350°F) and continue roasting, allowing about 25 minutes per 500 g (1 lb).Very small birds will take a little less and very large ones a little more than this time. Baste with pan juices every 15 minutes and, 20 minutes before end of cooking time, prick breast all over to allow excess fat to escape and make skin crisp.
Test for doneness by inserting a fine skewer into thickest part of the thigh near the body; juices should run clear with no tinge of pink. Allow duck to rest in a warm place for 20 minutes before carving.
Make Clear Gravy or Thickened Gravy to accompany duck, if desired (see Gravy). A little orange or lemon juice may be added to gravy.
Roast duck may also be served with apple sauce or another tart sauce such as Sauce Bigarade. Young green peas, braised celery, glazed turnips and onions are classic accompaniments. A crisp green salad is a good alternative.
NOTE: If you have any doubt about the tenderness of a duck, it is advisable to braise it instead of roasting it. The slower, longer cooking ensures moist, tender flesh, and you can still achieve a crisp skin if you uncover the bird for the last 15 minutes of cooking.
Duck breasts are available at many good butchers, the marylands being used for duck confit. They are excellent for easy cooking and entertaining.
BRAISED DUCK WITH GLAZED TURNIPS
1 × 1.5 kg (3 lb) duckling
30 g (1 oz) butter
1 carrot, chopped
1 stick celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 cup dry white wine
1 bouquet garni
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons cornflour
Vegetables
1 kg (2 lb) small white turnips, peeled and quartered
1 kg (2 lb) small white onions, peeled
2 tablespoons sugar
60 g (2 oz) butter
1 cup water
Remove excess fat from duck, empty oil glands near tail and truss bird. Heat butter in a flameproof casserole to fit the duck, put bird in and brown all over. Lift duck out and discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from casserole. Add carrot, celery and onion and cook gently until golden. Replace duck on top of vegetables and add wine, bouquet garni, salt and pepper. Cover and cook in a preheated moderately hot oven (190°C/ 375°F) for 1½ hours. Meanwhile, trim turnips to pigeon’s egg shapes, if desired. Place turnips and onions in a heavy saucepan with sugar, butter and water. Cover and cook until just tender, then remove lid and cook until liquid is reduced to a glaze, rolling vegetables to glaze them. Remove duck to a heated serving dish, remove trussing string and keep warm. Strain liquid from casserole into a saucepan, spoon fat from top and bring to the boil. Stir in cornflour mixed with a little water and, when sauce is thickened, adjust seasoning and pour into a heated gravy-boat. Surround duck with glazed turnips and onions, and serve sauce separately. Serves 4.
DUCK BREASTS WITH BALSAMIC VINEGAR
1–2 tablespoons light olive oil or sunflower oil
4 duck breasts
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
good pinch sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons blueberries or raspberries
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Heat the oil in a frying pan. Fry the duck breasts, skin side down, gently until skin is golden. Turn and add the red wine vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, cinnamon and berries. Cover and cook gently for 10–15 minutes or until the duck breasts are tender and still juicy inside and the berries have melted into a delicious sauce. Lastly swirl in the balsamic vinegar, let it bubble a few seconds and check the sauce for seasoning. Serve the duck breasts cut into thick slices with the sauce poured over. Serves 4.
GRILLED DUCKLING WITH MANDARIN AND GREEN PEPPERCORN SAUCE
Duckling is marinated then grilled to produce crisp skin and succulent flesh. It is served with a lovely citrus sauce.
1 × 1.5 kg (3 lb) duckling, quartered
½ cup lemon juice
1 small onion, thinly sliced
salt
1 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns
½ cup oil
30 g (1 oz) butter, melted
2 small mandarins, thinly sliced
Sauce
1½ tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar cup duck stock or canned chicken stock cup orange juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste
1½ teaspoons arrowroot
1 tablespoon water
1½ tablespoons drained green peppercorns, crushed
salt
Remove backbone from duck, trim pieces neatly and cut off wing tips. Use trimmings, with giblets, if these were included with duck, to make duck stock for the sauce (see Stock).Remove visible fat from inside duck and wipe all over with damp paper towels. Mix lemon juice, onion, 1 teaspoon salt, cracked peppercorns and oil in a bowl. Add duck and turn pieces about so that they are coated with marinade. Cover and refrigerate overnight, turning pieces occasionally.
Drain duck, pat pieces dry with paper towels and prick skin all over with a skewer. Brush duck all over with melted butter and place, skin side down, on a grill rack. Cook under a preheated grill, about 13 cm (5 in) from heat, for 20 minutes, basting pieces with pan juices after 10 minutes. Turn duck skin side up, brush with melted butter again and sprinkle with salt. Grill, basting frequently with pan juices, for 15–20 minutes more or until the skin is crisp and juices run clear when fatty part of thigh is pricked with a skewer. If necessary, prop up legs with crumpled foil to achieve even browning; also reduce heat to prevent duck browning too quickly.
To make the sauce, in a small heavy saucepan mix sugar and vinegar and bring to the boil over moderate heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cook, watching carefully, until vinegar evaporates and sugar is slightly caramelised. Remove saucepan from heat, cool slightly, then pour stock into caramel and stir until caramel has dissolved. Place back on heat and boil until reduced to about ½ cup. Add orange and lemon juice and simmer, stirring, for 1 minute. Mix arrowroot with water and stir into the sauce. Simmer, stirring, until thickened. Add green peppercorns and salt, and simmer for 1 minute.
Arrange duck on heated platter with mandarin slices in an overlapping circle round it. Serve sauce separately in a heated sauceboat. Serves 4.
DUCKLING CASSEROLE
1 × 1.5 kg (3 lb) duckling, quartered
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 stick celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, sliced
6 tablespoons Cognac or brandy
1 strip lemon peel
1 cup red wine
1 rasher bacon, cut thick, rind removed, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup rich duck stock, made with trimmings and giblets
1 bouquet garni
2 cloves garlic
Garnish
12 small new potatoes, boiled
250 g (8 oz) mushrooms
butter
lemon juice
Remove backbone from duck pieces and place pieces in a porcelain or earthenware bowl. Add salt, pepper, celery, carrots, onion, Cognac, lemon peel and red wine, and marinate duck in this mixture overnight. Remove duck pieces from marinade and dry with paper towels. Reserve marinade. Sauté bacon in olive oil in flameproof casserole until golden. Remove bacon and brown duck pieces in bacon fat. Return bacon to casserole and cook, covered, over a moderate heat for 20 minutes. Add reserved marinade, stock, bouquet garni and garlic. Cook over a low heat for 1½ hours or until duck is tender. Remove bouquet garni, skim fat and adjust seasoning. Remove duck pieces and baconto a heated serving platter. Strain over sauce and garnish with boiled potatoes, and sliced mushrooms which have been cooked quickly in butter and lemon juice. Serve immediately. Serves 4.
SAUTÉ OF DUCK WITH BURGUNDY
This recipe is also good to use with wild duck.
1 × 1.5 kg (3 lb) duckling
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, finely sliced
15 g (½ oz) butter
175–250 g (6–8 oz) button mushrooms
¾ cup red Burgundy
½ cup duck stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 teaspoons Beurre Manié
Croûtes to garnish
Quickly brown duck all over in oil in a large pan. Remove from pan and leave to cool a little, then quarter: first cut down through breastbone with kitchen scissors and then on either side of backbone through rib cage. Cut each half into 2 just above the leg, and set aside. (The backbone can be used for stock for a stew.) Add onion to pan in which there should be about 1–2 tablespoons duck fat. Brown onion slightly, then add butter and mushrooms, whole or sliced according to size, and sauté briskly for 2–3 minutes. Heat wine in a small saucepan, then add to pan with stock. Stir until it boils. Season with salt and pepper. Put in pieces of duck, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, after which the duck should still be slightly pink. When ready to serve, trim duck pieces with scissors or poultry shears if necessary to remove any ugly bones, and arrange in a heated serving dish. Thicken sauce slightly with beurre manié, reboil and spoon over duck. This dish may be garnished with croûtes. Serves 4.
PEKING-STYLE DUCK PANCAKES
A great first course or cocktail party dish if you live near Chinatown, where it is convenient to buy a whole barbecued duck. Usually, you can also buy the pancakes to go with the duck, which saves time.
1 barbecued duck
Mandarin Pancakes (see below)
bean paste (hoisin sauce) to serve
shredded spring onions and Lebanese cucumber
Mandarin pancakes
2 cups plain flour
½ –¾ cup boiling water
1½ tablespoons Chinese sesame oil
Cut the duck into pieces from the bone, and using fingers, shred into small pieces. Spread each pancake with a little hoisin sauce and top with a few pieces of duck and strips of spring onions and cucumber. Serves 8 as a first course or part of a Chinese meal.
To make pancakes, sift flour into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour in boiling water a little at a time, gradually stirring in the flour (use just enough water to make a soft dough). Knead dough for 5–10 minutes or until it feels pliable and elastic, then wrap in plastic wrap and allow to rest for about 15 minutes. Roll out dough to 5 mm ( in) thickness on a lightly floured surface and cut into 7 cm (3 in) circles. Brush tops of circles with sesame oil and press oiled surfaces together in pairs. Roll out each ‘sandwich’ again into a bigger circle, about 10 cm (4 in) across. Lightly grease a heavy-based frying pan. Cook the pancakes over moderate heat for 1 minute on each side. As they are cooked, peel apart and stack on a warm plate until ready to serve. A dab of bean paste is spread on each pancake, then some spring onion and a spoonful of chicken. The pancake is rolled up and eaten in the hand. The pancakes can be made ahead and placed in a steamer over boiling water for a few minutes. Diners help themselves to the filling and pancakes. It is best to cover the stack of pancakes loosely to prevent them drying out through the meal.
CANETON À L’ORANGE (DUCKLING WITH ORANGE)
2 × 1.5 kg (3 lb) ducklings
salt
90 g (3 oz) butter
2 large oranges
1 tablespoon brandy
watercress to garnish
Orange sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup duck stock or water
½ cup dry white wine
juice 2 oranges
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons port wine (optional)
Season ducklings with salt, rub all over with butter and place a few strips of orange rind inside each bird. Put in baking dish. Roast in a preheated hot oven (200°C/400°F) for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to moderate (180°C/350°F) and continue roasting for 1½ –2 hours or until tender. Baste frequently with butter while cooking. Peel remaining rind from oranges very thinly, using a potato peeler, and cut rind into very fine shreds. Cover with hot water, simmer for 3 minutes, then drain. Cool and reserve for garnish. Remove pith from oranges and cut oranges into sections. Sprinkle with brandy and leave until required. Remove duck from pan and keep warm on heated serving dish. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons butter and drippings from baking dish. Add sugar and cook until caramelised, a pale golden colour. Stir in flour and cook for a few minutes until light brown. Stir in stock (this should be made with ducks’ feet, neck, etc.) or water and cook gently until thickened. Strain into saucepan. Add wine, orange juice, salt and pepper. Cook gently for 5–10 minutes. Add a few of the blanched shreds of orange rind and the port wine, if liked. Garnish duck with orange sections, remaining shreds of orange rind and watercress, and serve with sauce. Serves 6.
DUMPLING
Light, fluffy and flavoursome – that’s what good dumplings should be. They are a treasured part of home cooking in many countries from China to Central Europe and the British Isles.
Dumplings come in a great variety of shapes, textures and flavours: they may be made with flour, semolina, cornmeal, potato, soft cheese or even stiffly beaten egg whites, and contain ingredients such as salt, butter, yeast, spices, herbs or fruit. Some dumplings are steamed on top of a stew or casserole, some are simmered in stock or, for sweet dumplings, in a syrup, and others are baked.
When making dumplings, if they are too soft and fall apart, add a little more flour; if too heavy, add a little liquid. Dumplings made with a raising agent are always cooked with the lid on the pot.
Test dough by cooking one small dumpling ahead of the rest. The kind of stew and amount of liquid can make a difference.
Cook dumplings just before serving. The dough can be made ahead and refrigerated until needed.
FLUFFY DUMPLINGS
Superbly light and tender dumplings to cook on top of a stew.
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
pinch nutmeg
30 g (1 oz) butter
¼
– cup milk
Sift dry ingredients into a bowl and rub in butter. Add milk, blending with a fork until a fairly wet dough is formed. Shape with wet hands or between 2 wet tablespoons (or whatever size you like) and drop on top of a simmering stew for 15 minutes before the end of cooking time, making sure dumplings sit on meat and do not sink into gravy. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes without lifting lid. Serve dumplings with stew. Makes about 12.
VARIATIONS
BACON DUMPLINGS: Follow the recipe for Fluffy Dumplings, adding 2 tablespoons crisp-fried and crumbled bacon (about 1 large rasher) to flour-butter mixture.
CARAWAY DUMPLINGS: Follow the recipe for Fluffy Dumplings, adding 1 teaspoon caraway seeds to the dry ingredients.
CHEESE DUMPLINGS: Follow the recipe for Fluffy Dumplings, adding 2 tablespoons grated cheese, ½ teaspoon dry mustard and a pinch cayenne to the dry ingredients.
HERB DUMPLINGS: Follow the recipe for Fluffy Dumplings, omitting nutmeg and adding 1½ tablespoons chopped parsley or other fresh herbs to the flour-butter mixture.
GOLDEN SYRUP DUMPLINGS: See Golden Syrup.
DUNDEE CAKE
Many a Scottish housewife makes this traditional light fruit cake every week so that there is always some on hand for family and visitors.
DUNDEE CAKE
250 g (8 oz) butter
1 cup caster sugar
grated rind 2 oranges
5 eggs, beaten
2½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch salt
¼ cup chopped blanched almonds
1 cup sultanas
1 cup currants
½ cup chopped mixed candied peel
1 tablespoon orange juice
extra blanched almonds to decorate
Cream butter with sugar and orange rind until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in eggs. Sift flour, baking powder and salt. Mix in chopped almonds, fruit and peel. Stir into creamed mixture with strained orange juice. Turn into a greased 20 cm (8 in) round deep cake tin lined with greased brown and greaseproof papers. Smooth surface and arrange extra almonds in pattern on top. Bake cake in a preheated slow oven (150°C/300°F) for 2–2½ hours or until a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in tin.
DUXELLES
French name for mushrooms finely chopped and sautéed in butter, used for many kinds of stuffings and quick mushroom sauces.
See Mushroom.