Put two cupfuls of milk, a quarter cupful of water, and the salt, on the fire; when it boils stir in the meal, and let it cook five minutes, stirring all the time; then remove from the fire, and add the rest of the milk mixed with the mola.s.ses, the b.u.t.ter, the beaten egg, and the nutmeg (or ginger, if preferred), and turn it into a baking-dish. Bake it in a slow oven for three hours. This quant.i.ty makes a pint and a half of pudding.

NOTE.--Some small bits of candied orange-peel sprinkled on the bottom of the dish before the batter is put in give a delicious flavor to the pudding.

PUDDING SAUCES

Pudding sauces are quickly made. They call for but few materials, and, like other sauces, often give the whole character to the dish. Serving the same pudding with a different sauce, makes it a different dish; therefore it is well to vary as much as possible the combinations.

Farina pudding can be served with almost any of the sauces given below.

Cake, cornstarch, rice, apple, or bread puddings can also be served with almost any sauce, if the flavorings are the same, or such as go well together. Hot puddings can be served with cold sauces. Jellies, creams, and blanc-manges can be served with whipped cream, the fruit sauces, or the whipped egg sauces.

Stewed prunes or compote of orange are good to serve with plain boiled rice, or with sweetened hominy, farina, or cerealine molded in cups.

=PLAIN PUDDING SAUCE No. 1 (Hot)=

3/4 cupful of sugar.

2 cupfuls of boiling water.

1 teaspoonful of b.u.t.ter.

Zest of lemon.

1 tablespoonful of cornstarch.

Flavoring to taste of vanilla or any essence, or brandy, rum, or wine.

Dilute the corn-starch with a little cold water, and stir it into the boiling water; add the sugar and stir until the starch becomes clear; then add the b.u.t.ter and flavoring. If the sauce becomes too thick, dilute it with a little boiling water; the whipped white of one egg may be added, but is not essential.

=PLAIN PUDDING SAUCE No. 2 (Cold)=

Stir a heaping teaspoonful of corn-starch, which has been moistened with a little cold milk, into a pint of boiling milk, and stir for five minutes, or until it is well cooked; add three quarters of a cupful of sugar, and remove from the fire. When the mixture is cold flavor it, and just before serving beat in the whipped whites of two eggs and serve at once.

=RICH PUDDING SAUCE=

(FOR FRUIT PUDDINGS OR CROQUETTES)

3 tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter.

3 tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar.

2 tablespoonfuls of hot water.

1/2 cupful of sherry.

Juice of 1/2 lemon.

2 egg yolks.

Dash of nutmeg.

Cream the b.u.t.ter; add the sugar, and cream again thoroughly; then add the yolks and beat until light; add the hot water and the nutmeg. Place it in a saucepan of hot water, and beat, adding slowly the lemon-juice and the wine. The sauce should be foamy.

=FOAMY SAUCE=

(STEAMED AND BAKED PUDDINGS)

1/2 cupful of b.u.t.ter.

1 cupful of powdered sugar.

1 teaspoonful of vanilla.

1/4 cupful of boiling water.

2 tablespoonfuls of sherry.

1 egg white.

Cream the b.u.t.ter and sugar; add the vanilla and wine, and beat them well. Just before serving stir in the boiling water; add the whipped white of one egg, and beat until foamy.

=BRANDY, RUM, OR KIRSCH SAUCE=

(FRUIT OR PLUM PUDDINGS)

Put in a saucepan two cupfuls of water with one cupful of sugar. When the sugar is dissolved and the water boils, add slowly a heaping tablespoonful of corn-starch or arrowroot diluted with a little cold water; stir until the corn-starch is clear; then remove from the fire, and add two tablespoonfuls of the liquor. Serve it hot.

=SABAYON No. 1=

4 egg-yolks.

4 tablespoonfuls of wine.

4 tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar.

Beat in a small saucepan the eggs and sugar to a light cream; add the wine. When ready to serve, place the saucepan in another one containing hot water, and beat until the sugar is melted and the egg beginning to thicken.

=SABAYON No. 2=

Put one cup of sugar, one half cup of sherry, and one egg all together in a saucepan and whip over the fire until it is a little thickened.

=SYRUP SAUCE=

Put two cupfuls of sugar and three tablespoonfuls of water into a saucepan on the fire, and stir until the sugar is dissolved; then let it boil without touching until it is a light syrup, and remove from the fire; add a teaspoonful of b.u.t.ter and flavoring, which may be fruit juice, liqueur, brandy, or flavoring extract.

=FRUIT SAUCES=

Canned fruits, preserves, or jams make good sauces for blanc-mange, corn-starch, rice, or boiled puddings.

The juice of canned fruit, boiled and thickened a little with arrowroot, and flavored or not with liqueur or essence, makes a good hot sauce.

=APRICOT SAUCE=

Dilute one half cupful of apricot jam with one half cupful of hot water; sweeten if necessary; strain and flavor with vanilla or one teaspoonful of Madeira or maraschino.