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Homemakers on their own with Fannie’s puddings

This week's recipes include poor man's pudding, apple tapioca, bread and butter pudding, and ginger pudding
FromTheKitchen_withJoyceWalter
From the Kitchen by Joyce Walter

Fannie Farmer had a great deal to say in her instructions on how to prepare nearly every form of edible offerings from the home kitchen.

However, she had no special insights in the pudding section of her 1896 Boston School Cook Book. Perhaps she thought the careful directions she provided would be sufficient for homemakers to prepare the perfect dessert pudding. 

• • •

Poor Man’s Pudding

4 cups milk
1/2 cup rice
1/3 cup molasses
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. butter

Wash rice, mix in milk, molasses, salt and cinnamon. Then add butter and stir. Pour into a buttered pudding dish and bake for about three hours in a slow oven. Stir occasionally during first hour to prevent rice from settling.

• • •

Apple Tapioca

3/4 cup pearl tapioca
cold water
2 1/2 cups boiling water
1/2 tsp. salt
7 sour apples
1/2 cup sugar

Soak tapioca one hour in cold water to cover. Drain and add boiling water and salt. Cook in double boiler until transparent.

Core and pare apples. Arrange slices in a buttered pudding dish. Fill cavities with sugar. Pour in tapioca. Bake in a moderate oven until apples are soft. Serve with whipped cream and cinnamon sugar.

• • •

Bread and Butter Pudding

1 small stale baker’s loaf
butter
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 quart milk
3/4 cup raisins

Remove end crusts from bread. Cut loaf in one-half inch slices. Spread each slice generously with butter. Arrange slices in a buttered pudding dish, buttered side down. Par-boil raisins in boiling water. Drain and dry. Place on top of bread.

Beat eggs slightly, add sugar, salt and milk. Pour over bread. Let stand 30 minutes.

Bake one hour in a slow oven, covering the first half-hour of baking. The top of the pudding should be well browned. Serve with a hard sauce.

• • •

Ginger Pudding

1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2 1/4 cups flour
3 1/2 tsps. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsps. ginger
1 cup milk

Cream the butter. Add sugar gradually and well-beaten egg. Mix and sift dry ingredients. Add alternately with milk to first mixture. Turn into a buttered mould. Cover and steam for two hours. Serve with a cream sauce.

Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net

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