↗ View this article in the original PDF newsletter
by Bridget Wranich Like the Fish Pie recipe that appeared in The Fife and Drum, v.8, No. 3 (January 2005), the instructions that follow on how to make a George Pudding also come from A New System of Domestic Cookery, Formed upon the Principles of Economy, by “A Lady” (London: J. Murray, Fleet Street and J. Harding, St. James’s Street, 1806). The author, Mrs. Eliza Maria Rundell, was the widow of a London silversmith. She wrote the book for her daughters’ use and allowed John Murray, a family friend, to publish it. By 1865, there were 245,000 copies in print in Britain alone and tens of thousands more had come off presses in the United States and elsewhere.
The British are credited with the invention of the pudding. A pudding can be sweet or savoury, boiled, baked or steamed. This pudding perhaps derives its name from the puddingloving King George 1st. He is credited with popularizing puddings after he enjoyed a boiled plum pudding during his first Christmas dinner in England in 1714. This recipe is an example of a baked pudding which became popular later in the 18th century. Pudding:
75 ml uncooked white rice 1/3 cup 250 ml milk, whole 1 cup 1/3 piece peel from a fresh lemon 1/3 piece 12 baking apples, peeled, cored 12 125 ml white wine 1/2 cup 5 eggs, separated 5 250 ml orange and lemon peel, candied 1 cup 125 ml white sugar 1/2 cup Puff paste: Made from any recipe. Enough for two pie crusts Sauce:
250 ml white wine 1 cup 15 ml white sugar 1 tbsp 2 egg yolks 2 15 ml butter, sweet 1 tbsp
Slice peel from lemon being careful not to remove much pith. Combine the rice, milk and lemon peel in a saucepan and cooked covered over very low heat for 45 minutes. Rice should be soft and the milk absorbed. Remove peel and drain in a sieve to remove any moisture. Peel apples, core and cut them small. Place in saucepan with just a bit of water and cook until they have the consistency of a dry applesauce. Place puff paste which has been rolled rather thickly into two 1250 ml/ 5 cup pudding basins; you can also use two deep 9-inch pie plates. Mix the cooked apples with the rice, sugar, candied orange and lemon peel. (Note: This peel should be dried in an oven at a low temperature until most of the moisture/syrup has been removed.) Beat
the egg yolks until foamy and add to rice mixture. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form and gently fold into mixture. Spoon pudding into pastry lined dishes. Crimp edges of pastry to finish. Bake at 175 ° C (375 ° F) for 1 hour. Just before serving, put the wine, sugar, beaten egg yolks and butter in a saucepan over low heat. Simmer until smooth and slightly thickened. Pour the sauce back and forth from the saucepan to a bowl until cooled. Invert cooled pudding onto the serving plate and pour sauce around it.
Original printed pages
