Puddings in Haste!
Posted on August 10 2015
In the 18th century, puddings were once a culinary staple of much of the western world. Many types existed but most called for long cooking times. Hasty puddings (or as they were often called “puddings in haste”) became popular for their convenience. This was especially favorable for frontiersmen and frontierswomen who, armed with versatile and expedient cooking utensils like the Dutch oven, desired a hearty and delicious meal on-the-go. Jon discusses Dutch ovens and a lovely recipe for a hasty pudding in the video below:
This Hasty Pudding recipe is from Maria Eliza Rundell’s 1807 cookbook A New System of Domestic Cookery:
Puddings in Haste (makes 10-12 puddings)
Ingredients (Measurements by Jon Townsend)
- 1 Cup fine bread crumbs or crushed Ship’s Biscuits (Recipe here)
- 1/2 cup Zante currants or raisins
- 1/2 lemon zest
- 1 cup Grated Suet (Make sure to watch the episode “Rendering Suet” or read the blogposts, “Suet” parts one through four, to better understand the importance of and how to work with this product.)
- Flour for Dredging
- 2 Eggs
- 2 Egg yolks
- 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
Preparation
Bring water to a boil in a Dutch oven
In a bowl incorporate evenly the bread crumbs, raisins, lemon zest, and suet.
Whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, and ginger.
Mix all of ingredients together until the dough is even. (It should be quite thick.)
Roll the mixture into egg sized balls.
Dredge the pudding balls in flour.
Cook in boiling water for 15-20 minutes.
Remove them from the water and let them dry for about 3 minutes.
Serve them hot or cold.
Rundell recommends serving her recipe with a “pudding sauce”. Below is a pudding sauce recipe:
Pudding Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Butter (cubed and chilled)
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 1 Cup Sack (or Sherry Wine)
Preparation
Simmer the sugar and sack together in a small saucepan.
Remove the mixture from fire and immediately add cold butter (a few cubes at a time) while whisking vigorously.
Serve immediately atop the hasty pudding and enjoy!
