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Wednesday 21 July 2010

English Puddings- A Right Old Bash

English puddings sneered a continental ex-girlfriend of an ex-boyfriend when we were introduced. Yep, she was right, English puddings constitute 90% of my hockey legs. And probably half of that is custard - not the dignified crème anglaise of the French nor the zuppa inglesa of the Italians, but the authentic, made from a  real tin of thixotropic powder, custard which unless it maintains a large metal spoon upright for five minutes and cools to a solid with an impenetrable vulcanized skin on top is unworthy of that name. Don't get me wrong, puddings are not always love at first sight for the English. Even a squad of starvelings from the hockey pitch can feel a certain sinking of spirits when presented with jam rolypolied in a grey, marbled suet paste, otherwise known as Dead Man's Leg. In fact, such is the love-hate relationship with puddings here that they evince deep-seated sadistic urges. Let me explain. The first party I remember was a birthday bash (keep reading) for our neighbour Mrs Jolly's twins. I was about 4, they were probably 5 or 6. We had a grand time - and then the puddings were brought in. Little plates bearing individual moulded blancmange and rasberry jelly. This was rare Christmas Fayre and a very special treat at any other time of year. The plates were set before each child. The parents beamed. The children looked, picked up their spoons, eyed each other and, as one, pounded each shivering sweet tower to a right old mess on their plates. To attribute this to youth and lack of schooling would be wrong. Members of prestigious public schools and universities continue so to chastise the sinful contents of their pudding bowls. Hence Eton Mess - a mess of broken meringue, strawberries and cream - which is totally delicious. However, at this time of year, I prefer mine made with chilled raspberries, and I like my guests to have that atavistic thrill of messing their own dessert.  Here is how you can quickly do it. Put fresh raspberries in a container straight into the freezer and leave until they clink when rattled. Just before you dish out your main course, place a shop bought meringue (it is too hot to have the oven on, right!) at the bottom of each dessert bowl (glass is nice), generously sprinkle over the hard raspberries and then pour some good double cream over the top - it will solidify immediately. (Aerosol creams don't work with this, I'm afraid.) The mixture will have thawed somewhat by the time you come to present it, but it will still be chilled. Give a spoon to each guest and at the appropriate signal, let the bash commence!

6 comments:

  1. Ah the memories. No-one does puds like the brits! Trying to explain the fight over who got the skin on a rice pudding to my friends overseas is hard work. Maybe it's a Yorkshire thing:)

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  2. Glory be, Jacqueline, were we at the same boarding school, lol? We used to have a real treat at my convent school - the fruit filling was left in the pie dish on the table UNDER the fly papers for quite some time before the pastry was put on top - yup, you guessed it! Then they put the pie in the oven and blasted it at high heat so the outside was burnt and the inner pastry still gooey - has to be tasted to believe it!

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  3. Oh, Gillie, I think your school was more upper crust than mine...we had nothing in the way of extra protein rations like what you describe - we couldn't even afford skin on rice-puddings either, Jayne. But, hey I am still here today to enjoy your friendship - thank you!

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  4. I LOVED this post - have had a ball looking up the different puddings which had been names I'd read about or seen in movies before this (Creme Anglaise led to Floating Island, which I saw in Desk Set with Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy and blancmange is something that Meg in Little Women was trying to make but it wouldn't turn out because it was too hot... I'd not heard of Eton Mess, but will be making it soon, I'm sure - it sounds wonderful, and I'm sure I can manage broken meringues, hahaha.

    Dead Man's Leg... now that one seemed familiar - I'm sure my mother must have made it when I was little, along with countless custard-based puddings. There is nothing like custard and here we can't get custard powder so have to resort to actually making custard from eggs and sugar! Now I'm terribly hungry! hmmmmmmmm

    Julie

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  5. Hi Julie - if you have a World Market in Seattle you can find custard powder though of course the real thing is very good too!

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  6. Oh, I never thought of looking there - we must have one somewhere. Thanks,

    Julie

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