Pudding Croutons.

This is my final post from the beach - normal service will be resumed on Monday when I am back in the city. For today we stay in pudding-land. ‘Pudding’, as it applies to the final sweet course of a meal, always suggests to me the substantial end of the dessert spectrum.

A little book called Puddings and Dainty Desserts (Thomas Murrey, New York, 1886) sounded like it would have a good range of substantial and the elegant dishes. It did - but it also upset my assumption, drawn from the introductory words on desserts, that the ‘puddings and dainty dishes’ were going to be sweet.

The first recipe in the book is a backward glimpse to the very British idea of the final course of dinner being a small savoury.

After-dinner Croûtons.
The hard water crackers being expensive in comparison with other crackers, I have adopted the crispy croutons as a substitute, and find them very acceptable. Cut sandwich-bread into slices one-quarter of an inch thick; cut each slice into four small triangles; dry them in the oven slowly until they assume a delicate brownish tint, then serve, either hot or cold. A. nice way to serve them is to spread a paste of part butter and part rich, creamy cheese, to which may be added a very little minced parsley.