Evening star., 1938-02-09

AASAC 40 AAOo1iAAi6 AAOlC CAlCCl III
dessert, when brought to the table
enveloped in flames. Plum pudding is
another food item that seems to be
scratched from the list as soon as
the holidays are over. Why this Is I
don't know, for as long as the weather
is cold and snappy, this old favorite
is delicious.
There are many hot and cold pud-
dings that are light, making them
ideal to finish of a heavy meal A
number of desserts included under the
heading of pudding desserts" seem
to have left off the family name, such
as up-side-down cake and apple betty,
better known as brown betty How
ever the family resemblance shows up
clearly in one feature, and that Is,
that they are all bound together by
some kind of cereal product.
The Bureau of Home Economics of
the United States Department of
Agriculture says that the binding
material in some puddings is bat
ter, and that plum pudding Is in
cluded in this class as we'll as any
other batters that have fruit incor-
porated.
"0THER puddings are mixtures Of
soft consistency held together by
q starchy substance such as rice, tap
ioca. oatmeal. -four or cornstarch.
These are cooked on top of the stove
or in an oven.
Both q cereal and a custard base
hold other puddings together. Some
rice and tapioca puddings and the
bread puddings are in this class. And
the fruit and bread crumb combina-
tions such as the apple betty seem to
have a branch of the pudding family
tree to themselves.
"One of the best known of all pud-
ings is the plum pudding This blend
of spices, nuts and fruit can trace its
ancestry back to the days of early
England. It is especially associated
with the Christmas season. But after
holidays are over and the menu has
settled back to budget meals we often
appreciate plum puddings more.
Similar to plum puddings, but cas-
ier and quicker to make are the
steamed puddings with butter cake
foundation. Chopped dried apricots,
cranberries, or other fruit are mixed
with two tablespoons or so of flour
and added right at the last.
Put this mixture into creased
mold with room for the pudding to
expand as it steams. Cover the mold
lightly so the moisture that condenses
on the steamer lid will not fall into
the pudding.
"Such puddings take about two
hours to steam. They are served
hot with sauce and cannot be kept
over the way plum pudding is.
"Up-side-down cakes are special
favorites with men. They are baked
in a skillet or a thick pan with a
| sirup and fruit mixture on the bot
tom, q cake batter over all Then
when this is turned out the cake on
| the bottom is topped with the sirupy
sauce.
Ito get this out of the pan with the
sirup and cake in their respective
| places, loosen the sides of the cake
with knife. Then invert plate over
the skillet. Holding skillet and plate
together. turn them upside down.
Putting in plenty of butter and
fruit juice to make the sirup will
also make the cake come out easier
The oven temperature is very mod
crate (about 300 to 1926 degrees F.
''Puddings made on top Of the stove
and held together with some kind Of
starch should be cooked in a double
boiler. A thick starch and milk mix
ture cooked directly over the flame
may stick to the pan and scorch.
When adding the starch to the pud-
ding. combine it with the sugar to
separate the starch grains. Then add
the milk, preferably hot, to speed up
| cooking.
Stir the pudding constantly until