it into dumplings, and throw them into boiling water in half an hour they will be ready to serve. A better kind of dumpling is made by adding sufficient milk to the flour to form a thick batter, and then tying the dumplings in small well-floured cloths. In Suffolk farm-houses, they are served with the dripping-pan gravy of roast meat; and they are sometimes made very small indeed, and boiled with stewed shin of beef.

NORFOLK DUMPLINGS.

Take a pound of dough from a baking of very light white bread, and divide it into six equal parts; mould these into dumplings, drop them into a pan of fast boiling water, and boil them quickly from twelve to fifteen minutes. Send them to table the instant they are dished, with wine sauce or raspberry vinegar. In some counties they are eaten with melted butter, well sweetened, and mixed with a little vinegar. They must never be cut, but should be torn apart with a couple of forks.

Mix into a very smooth paste, three ounces of finely-minced suet, with eight of flour, and a slight pinch of salt; divide it into fourteen balls of equal size, roll them out quite thin and round, moisten the edges, put a little preserve into each, close the patties very securely to prevent its escape, throw them into a pan of boiling water, and in from ten to twelve minutes lift them out, and serve them instantly. Butter-crust may be used for them instead of suet but it will not be so light.

Flour, 8 ozs.; suet, 3 ozs. ; little salt; divided into fourteen portions: boiled 10 to 12 minutes.

BOILED RICE TO BE SERVED WITH STEWED FRUITS, PRESERVES, OR RASPBERRY VINEGAR.

Take out the discoloured grains from half a pound of good rice; and wash it in several waters; tie it very loosely in a pudding cloth and boil it for three quarters of an hour; it will then be quite solid, and resemble a pudding in appearance. Sufficient room must be given to allow the grain to swell to its full size, or it will be hard; but too much space will render the whole watery. With a little experience the cook will easily ascertain the exact degree to be allowed for it. Four ounces of rice will require quite half an hour's boiling; a little more or less of time will sometimes be needed, from the difference of quality in the grain.

Carolina rice, lb., boiled hour; 4 ozs. rice, hour.

CHAPTER XVIII.

BAKED PUDDINGS.

Gâteau de Riz, or French Rice Pudding.

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.

WE have little to add here to the remarks which will be found at the commencement of the preceding Chapter, as they will apply equally to the preparation of these and of boiled puddings.

All of the custard kind, whether made of eggs and milk only, or of sago, arrow-root, rice, ground or in grain, vermicelli, &c., require a very gentle oven, and are spoiled by fast-baking. Those made of batter, on the contrary, should be put into one sufficiently brisk to raise them quickly, but without scorching them. Such as contain suet and raisins must have a wellheated, but not a fierce oven; for as they must remain long in it to be thoroughly done, unless carefully managed, they will either be much too highly coloured, or too dry.

By whisking to a solid froth the whites of the eggs used for any pudding, and stirring them softly into it at the instant of placing it in the oven, it will be rendered exceedingly light, and will rise very high in the dish; but as it will partake then of the nature of a soufflé, it must be despatched with great expedition to table from the oven, or it will become flat before it is served.

When a pudding is sufficiently browned on the surface (that is to say, of a fine equal amber-colour) before it is baked through, a sheet of writing paper should be laid over it, but not before it is set when quite firm in the centre, it will be done.

Potato, batter, plum, and every other kind of pudding indeed, which is sufficiently solid to allow of it, should be turned

reversed on to a clean hot dish from the one in which it is baked, and strewed with sifted sugar, before it is sent to table.

Minute directions for the preparation and management of each particular variety of pudding will be found in the receipt for it.

THE PRINTER'S PUDDING.

Grate very lightly six ounces of the crumb of a stale loaf, and put it into a deep dish. Dissolve in a quart of cold new milk four ounces of good Lisbon sugar; add it to five large, wellwhisked eggs; strain, and mix them with the bread-crumbs; stir in two ounces of a fresh finely-grated cocoa-nut; add a flavouring of nutmeg or of lemon-rind, and the slightest pinch of salt; let the pudding stand for a couple of hours to soak the bread; and bake it in a gentle oven for three quarters of an hour it is excellent if carefully made, and not too quickly baked. When the cocoa-nut is not at hand, an ounce of butter just dissolved, should be poured over the dish before the crumbs are put into it; and the rind of an entire lemon may be used to give it flavour; but the cocoa-nut imparts a peculiar richness when it is good and fresh.

Bread-crumbs, 6 ozs.; new milk, 1 quart; sugar, 4 ozs; eggs, 5; cocoa-nut, 2 ozs.; (or rind, 1 large lemon, and 1 oz. butter) slightest pinch of salt: to stand 2 hours. Baked in gentle oven full hour.

Obs. When a very sweet pudding is liked, the proportion of sugar may be increased.

ALMOND PUDDING.

On two ounces of fine white bread-crumbs pour a pint of boiling cream, and let them remain until nearly cold, then mix them very gradually with half a pound of sweet and six bitter almonds pounded to the smoothest paste, with a little orangeflower water, or, when this is not at hand, with a few drops of spring water, just to prevent their oiling; stir to them by degrees the well-beaten yolks of seven and the whites of three eggs, six ounces of sifted sugar, and four of clarified butter; turn the mixture into a very clean stewpan, and stir it without ceasing over a slow fire until it becomes thick, but on no account allow it to boil. When it is tolerably cool add a glass of brandy, or half a one of noyeau, pour the pudding into a dish lined with very thin puff paste, and bake it half an hour in a moderate oven.

Bread-crumbs, 2 ozs.; cream, 1 pint; pounded almonds, 1 lb.; bitter almonds, 6; yolks of 7, whites of 3 eggs; sugar, 6 ozs.;

butter, 4 ozs.; brandy, 1 wineglassful, or glass of noyeau: hour, moderate oven.

AN EXCELLENT LEMON PUDDING.

Beat well together four ounces of fresh butter, creamed, and eight of sifted sugar; to these add gradually the yolks of six and the whites of two eggs, with the grated rind and the strained juice of one large lemon :-this last must be added by slow degrees, and stirred briskly to the other ingredients. Bake the pudding in a dish lined with very thin puff-paste for three quarters of an hour, in a slow oven.

Butter, 4 ozs.; sugar, 1 lb.; yolks of 6, whites of 2 eggs; large lemon, 1: hour, slow oven.

ANOTHER LEMON PUDDING.

(Good.)

Stir over a slow fire until they boil, four ounces and a half of butter with seven ounces of pounded sugar, then pour them into a dish and let them remain until cold, or nearly so. Mix very smoothly a large dessertspoonful of flour with six eggs that have been whisked and strained; add these gradually to the sugar and butter, with the grated rinds and the juice of two moderate-sized lemons; put a border or a lining of puff-paste to the pudding, and bake it for an hour in a gentle

oven.

Butter, 4 ozs.; sugar, 7 ozs.; flour, 1 large dessertspoonful; eggs, 6; lemons, 2 : 1 hour, gentle oven.

Obs.-The proportion of butter in these puddings is less than is commonly used for them, but a larger quantity renders them so unwholesomely rich that they are usually preferred with less. When a very powerful flavour of the fruit is liked, an additional lemon may be used in either of these receipts. The rinds may be rasped on part of the sugar, instead of being grated. A couple of sponge-biscuits soaked in cream, then pressed dry, and very finely bruised, can be substituted for the flour.

LEMON SUET PUDDING.

To eight ounces of finely grated bread-crumbs, add six of fresh beef kidney-suet, free from skin, aud minced very small, three and a half of pounded sugar, six ounces of currants, the grated rind and the strained juice of a large lemon, and four full-sized or five small well-beaten eggs; pour these ingredients into a thickly-buttered pan, and bake the pudding for an hour in a

brisk oven, but draw it towards, the mouth when it is of a fine brown colour. Turn it from the dish before it is served, and strew sifted sugar over it or not, at pleasure: two ounces more of suet can be added when a larger proportion is liked. The pudding is very good without the currants.

Bread-crumbs, 8 ozs.; beef-suet, 6 ozs.; pounded sugar, 35 ozs.; lemon, 1 large; currants, 6 ozs.; eggs, 4 large, or 5 small: 1 hour, brisk oven.

BAKEWELL PUDDING.

This pudding is famous not only in Derbyshire, but in several of our northern counties, where it is usually served on all holiday-occasions. Line a shallow tart-dish with quite an inchdeep layer of several kinds of good preserve mixed together, and intermingle with them from two to three ounces of candied citron or orange-rind. Beat well the yolks of ten eggs, and add to them gradually half a pound of sifted sugar; when they are well mixed, pour in by degrees half a pound of good clarified butter, and a little ratifia or any other flavour that may be preferred; fill the dish two thirds full with this mixture, and bake the pudding for nearly an hour in a moderate oven. Half the quantity will be sufficient for a small dish.

Mixed preserves, 14 to 2 lbs. ; yolks of eggs, 10; sugar, lb.; butter, ĺb.; ratifia, lemon-brandy, or other flavouring to the taste: baked, moderate oven, to 1 hour.

Obs. This is a rich and expensive, but not a very refined pudding. A variation of it, known in the south as an Alderman's Pudding is, we think, superior to it. It is made without the candied peel, and with a layer of apricot-jam only, six ounces of butter, six of sugar, the yolks of six, and the whites of two

eggs.

RATIFIA PUDDING.

Flavour a pint and a half of new milk rather highly with bitter almonds, blanched and bruised, or, should their use be objected to, with three or four bay leaves and a little cinnamon; add a few grains of salt, and from four to six ounces of sugar in lumps, according to the taste. When the whole has simmered gently for some minutes, strain off the milk through a fine sieve or muslin, put it into a clean saucepan, and when it again boils stir it gradually and quickly to six well-beaten eggs which have been likewise strained; let the mixture cool, and then add to it a glass of brandy. Lay a half-paste round a well-buttered dish, and sprinkle into it an ounce of ratifias finely crumbled,