Pick over and wash the tapioca. Put it in the double
boiler with the boiling water, and cook one hour, or till
soft and transparent, stirring often. Add the salt, sugar,
and currant jelly. Stir till the jelly is all dissolved. Pour
into a glass dish, and keep on ice. Serve very cold with
sugar and cream. Half a cup of lemon juice, or any acid
fruit syrup, or one cup of canned apricot, peach, or quince,
may be used instead of the jelly. Or, in summer, use one
pint of ripe berries^ or any small fruits^ adding more sugar
as required.
Fruit Pudding, — Cook one quart of ripe berries or
canned peaches or apricots with one pint of vmter^ and
sugar to taste, till the fruit is well scalded. Skim out the
fruit into a dish for serving. Wet one scant cupful of
fine granulated wheat flour✪ Fruit Pudding in a little cold water, stir it
into the boiling S3'rup ; cook ten minutes, and pour it over
the fruit. Serve very cold with cream.
Boiled Custard.
1 pint milk.
Yolks of 3 eggs.
3 tablespoonfuls sugar.
% saltspoonful salt.
% teaspoonful vanilla✪ Boiled Custard.
Scald the milk. Beat the yolks, add the sugar and
salt, and beat well. Pour the hot milk slowly into the
eggs, and when well mixed pour all back into the double
boiler, and stir constantly till smooth and thick like cream.
Strain, and when cool add the flavoring. Do not stir the
egg into the hot milk, as there is danger of curdling, and
a part of the egg will be left in the bowl. Scalding the
milk hastens the process, so that less stirring is required.
When nearly thick enough, the foam on the top disappears,
and the custard coats the spoon ; but the surest test is
The Boston Cook Book.
343
given by the sense of feeling. You are conscious that the
custard is thicker by the way the spoon goes through it.
Do not leave the custard an instant ; take it off as soon as
it is smooth, as it will thicken in cooling, and curdles
quickl}^ if cooked a moment too long or if left in the boiler.
Have a fine strainer placed in a bowl or pitcher before you
begin to cook the custard, that you may strain it quickly.
Boiled custard, when to be used as a sauce, should be
thin enough to pour ; when to be served as a custard, it
should be cooked a moment longer, to make it thicker.
Four or even Jive eggs to a pint of milk may be used
when a rich custard is desired. But three are sufficient
for nearl}^ all purposes.
Boiled custard is much smoother when only the yolks of
the eggs are used. Many combinations may be made by
adding the whites of the eggs after the custard is cold.
Beat the whites stiff, put them on a sieve, and cook over
steam, or pour boiling water through them. The water
will cook and stiffen the egg, and when well drained it may
be piled in rock}^ form on the custard. Or the white may
be poached by dipping it by the spoonful into boiling milk.
Serve the custard in a large glass dish, and pile the white
in a mass, or put spoonfuls of it here and there on the cus-
tard, with bright-colored jelly on the white ; or serve in
small glass custard cups with the white and jelly on the
top. Or pour the custard over slices of sponge cake
(soaked in wine, if you prefer), and cover with a meringue
of the whites sweetened and flavored.
Page 202 · 2 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1884. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Pick over and wash the tapioca. Put it in the double boiler with the boiling water, and cook one hour, or till soft and transparent, stirring often. Add the salt, sugar, and currant jelly. Stir till the jelly is all dissolved. Pour into a glass dish, and keep on ice. Serve very cold with sugar and cream. Half a cup of lemon juice, or any acid fruit syrup, or one cup of canned apricot, peach, or quince, may be used instead of the jelly. Or, in summer, use one pint of ripe berries, or any small fruits, adding more sugar as required.
Fruit Pudding.— Cook one quart of ripe berries or canned peaches or apricots with one pint of water, and sugar to taste, till the fruit is well scalded. Skim out the fruit into a dish for serving. Wet one scant cupful of fine granulated wheat flour in a little cold water, stir it into the boiling syrup; cook ten minutes, and pour it over the fruit. Serve very cold with cream.
Boiled Custard.
1 pint milk.
Yolks of 3 eggs.
3 tablespoonfuls sugar.
¼ saltspoonful salt. ½ teaspoonful vanilla.
Scald the milk. Beat the yolks, add the sugar and salt, and beat well. Pour the hot milk slowly into the eggs, and when well mixed pour all back into the double boiler, and stir constantly till smooth and thick like cream. Strain, and when cool add the flavoring. Do not stir the egg into the hot milk, as there is danger of curdling, and a part of the egg will be left in the bowl. Scalding the milk hastens the process, so that less stirring is required. When nearly thick enough, the foam on the top disappears, and the custard coats the spoon ; but the surest test is
The Boston Cook Book.
given by the sense of feeling. You are conscious that the custard is thicker by the way the spoon goes through it. Do not leave the custard an instant ; take it off as soon as it is smooth, as it will thicken in cooling, and curdles quickly if cooked a moment too long or if left in the boiler. Have a fine strainer placed in a bowl or pitcher before you begin to cook the custard, that you may strain it quickly.
Boiled custard, when to be used as a sauce, should be thin enough to pour ; when to be served as a custard, it should be cooked a moment longer, to make it thicker.
Four or even five eggs to a pint of milk may be used when a rich custard is desired. But three are sufficient for nearl}^ all purposes.
Boiled custard is much smoother when only the yolks of the eggs are used. Many combinations may be made by adding the whites of the eggs after the custard is cold. Beat the whites stiff, put them on a sieve, and cook over steam, or pour boiling water through them. The water will cook and stiffen the egg, and when well drained it may be piled in rock}^ form on the custard. Or the white may be poached by dipping it by the spoonful into boiling milk. Serve the custard in a large glass dish, and pile the white in a mass, or put spoonfuls of it here and there on the custard, with bright-colored jelly on the white ; or serve in small glass custard cups with the white and jelly on the top. Or pour the custard over slices of sponge cake (soaked in wine, if you prefer), and cover with a meringue of the whites sweetened and flavored.
Records on this page
Fruit PuddingBoiled Custard