The Welcome Guest’s Own Pudding (Light and Wholesome)

Instructions

1. Pour, quite boiling, on four ounces of fine bread-crumbs, an exact half-pint of new milk, or of thin cream; lay a plate over the basin and let them remain until cold.
2. Then stir to them four ounces of dry crumbs of bread, four of very finely minced beef-kidney suet, a small pinch of salt, three ounces of coarsely crushed ratifias, three ounces of candied citron and orange-rind sliced thin, and the grated rind of one large or of two small lemons.
3. Clear, and whisk four large eggs well, throw to them by degrees four ounces of pounded sugar, and continue to whisk them until it is dissolved, and they are very light.
4. Stir them to, and beat them well up with, the other ingredients.
5. Pour the mixture into a thickly buttered mould, or basin which will contain nearly a quart, and which it should fill to within half an inch of the brim.
6. Lay first a buttered paper, then a well floured pudding-cloth over the top, tie them tightly and very securely round, gather up and fasten the corners of the cloth, and boil the pudding for two hours at the utmost.
7. Let it stand for a minute or two before it is dished, and serve it with simple wine sauce, or with that which follows; or with pine-apple or any other clear fruit-sauce (for these last, see page 405).
8. For the sauce, boil very gently, for about ten minutes, a full quarter of a pint of water, with the very thin rind of half a fresh lemon, and an ounce and a half of lump sugar.
9. Then take out the lemon peel, and stir in a small teaspoonful of arrow-root, smoothly mixed with the strained juice of the lemon (with or without the addition of a little orange juice).
10. Take the sauce from the fire, throw in nearly half a glass of pale French brandy, or substitute for this a large wineglassful of sherry, or of any other white wine which may be preferred, but increase a little, in that case, the proportion of arrow-root.
11. Note: Maraschino, or any delicately flavoured liqueur, may be substituted for the brandy with much advantage.
12. Note: To convert the preceding into Sir Edwin Landseer's pudding, ornament the mould tastefully with small leaves of thin citron-rind and split muscatel raisins in a pattern, and strew the intermediate spaces with well cleaned and well dried currants mingled with plenty of candied orange or lemon-rind shred small. Pour gently in the above pudding mixture, when quite cold, after having added one egg-yolk to it, and steam or boil it the same length of time.