Food History

I’m sneaking this post in before the thunderstorm hits. A recipe from The New Dr. Price Cook Book, 1921.

I’ve just rediscovered that glace ginger is really good to help prevent the summer thunderstorm aches. Doesn’t solve them all, but it makes me feel all kinds of warm inside. I’m trying to make you feel all kinds of warm inside, too.

A couple of you were fretted by the amount of suet in older recipes (Beth, for example). In some recipes, suet can’t be replaced by vegetable shortening without really changing the recipe. Mostly these are recipes where it balances other flavours or where there aren’t that many strong flavours and so the taste and mouth feel of suet is distinctive. This is why it’s not wise to change historical recipes to meet modern dietary preferences until you’ve made them at least once according to the original recipe.

If you know the taste and texture of a dish, you can replace ingredients without doing as much damage to the original.

The trouble is, though, that we’re coming very close to Christmas and it’s a bit late for trial versions. I went through a few recipes for Christmas pudding and came up with the one below. Of the ones I had near me, it’s the least likely to be substantially changed by substituting a vegetable shortening. It can also be turned vegetarian with the right vegetable shortening. The only drawback is that you need to have cooked it last week to have it ready for Christmas. Maybe have your plum pudding on New Year this time?

CHRISTMAS PLUM PUDDING

2 cups ground suet
2 cups bread crumbs
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons Dr. Price’s Baking Powder
2 cups sugar
2 cups seeded raisins
2 cups currants
1 cup finely cut citron
1 cup finely cut figs
1 tablespoon finely cut orange peel
1 tablespoon finely cut lemon peel
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup water or prune juice
1 cup grape or other fruit juice

Mix thoroughly all dry ingredients and add fruit; stir in water and fruit juice and mix thoroughly. Add more water if necessary to make stiff dough. Fill greased molds 2/3 full, and steam five or six hours. This pudding should be prepared and cooked a week or more before used. Before serving steam one hour and serve with hard, lemon or foamy sauce.