Monday, July 04, 2011

Beyond Soup.

I am in London, still, and crave your indulgence as I stick to my local theme.

There is more to Windsor than Soup, the subject of Friday's post, for the Oxford English Dictionary tells us so. The dictionary first reminds us that Windsor is 'the name of a town in Berkshire, on the right bank of the Thames, at which is Windsor Castle, a royal residence. The word then became attributed in 'names of various things now or originally obtained, made, cultivated, etc. at or near Windsor, or of persons connected with Windsor Castle.' I guess that explains the Windsor Knot in m'Lord's tie then, doesnt it?

But this is a food blog not a fashion blog, so what do we have for today's story? We have the Windsor Bean, which is a posh name for the common broad bean, or the Windsor pear, which was mentioned in John Evelyn's Kalendarium Hortense (1664). Neither of these are featuring here today however. Instead I give you a plethora of puddings.

WINDSOR CASTLE PUDDING.
Boil two ounces of whole rice till quite soft, then rub through a hair sieve; stew six large baking apples till soft, pat into the sieve, and let the water run from them, then rub through and mix with the rice along with six ounces of soft sugar. Separate the yolks from whites of six eggs, beat the whites to a snow, and mix gently with the apples; pour it into a buttered dish, and steam for one hour, turn it out, and have a custard made of the yolks, and pour over it. This pudding may be baked with a paste border round about, with the custard put in the same way.
Practice of cookery and pastry, adapted to the business of everyday life, by Mrs I .Williamson (1854)

WINDSOR PUDDING.
A pint of bread-crumbs, five apples of middle size, prepared as for sauce, three eggs, the juice and peel of one lemon, and a little nutmeg, if approved; mix well, and put into a quart shape. It la equally good either boiled or baked, and requires the same time as a batter-pudding.
Peterson's Magazine, 1870.

TO MAKE A WINDSOR PUDDING.
Shred half a pound of suet very fine, grate into it half of French roll, a little nutmeg, and the nhd of a lemon. Add to these, half a pound of dropped apple, half a pound of currants, clean washed and dried, half a pound of jar raisins, stoned and chopped, a glass of rich sweet wine, and five eggs beaten with a little salt. Mix all thoroughly together, and boil it in a basin or mould, for three hours. Sift fine sugar over it when sent to table, and pour white wine sauce into the dish.
Mackenzie's five thousand receipts: in all the useful and domestic arts: (Philadelphia, 1831)

Quotation for the Day.
It's not improbable that a man may receive more solid satisfaction from pudding while he is alive than from praise after he is dead.
Anon.

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