A Forest Ranger's Cookbook - Puddings

from The Lookout Cookbook, 1938. U.S. Forest Service, Region One

PUDDINGS

Custard Pudding
2 eggs, well beaten
2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla, lemon, or nutmeg as preferred

Mix all together. Bake in a moderate oven until set.

Upside-Down Pudding
Same recipe as upside-down cake (see cake) only cover with pudding sauce.

Prune Pudding
Mash cooked and sweetened prunes to make 2 cups of mashed prunes. Add about 1/2 cup bread crumbs. Beat the yolks and whites separately. Add yolks to prunes and then fold in whites. Cool and serve with a pudding sauce or milk or cream.

Rice Pudding
1/2 cup rice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cover well with water, set on back of stove and cook slowly until done. Add:

1 cup milk
2 tablespoons dry eggs
1 cup water (or 2 eggs)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all together and bake until firm when pan is shaken. Raisins may be added and improve the flavor.

Chocolate Pudding
1 cup milk
1 cup water
Let come to a boil
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
2 tablespoons corn starch

Mix with little hot or cold milk and add to hot milk. Let cook until thick, then add:

1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat well.

Bread Pudding
2 cups of dry bread
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 quart of milk or enough to cover bread
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs

Soak the bread in the milk and a little water until it is very soft, then mash it fine. Heat together until nearly boiling. Beat the eggs until light and add them to the sugar, salt and vanilla. When well mixed, stir this into the bread and milk, pour the whole into an earthenware baking dish, set in a pan of water, and bake 45 minutes in a rather slow oven.
For chocolate bread pudding, melt 2 tablespoons of chocolate over hot water and add this to the soaked bread and milk, or just put cocoa right in the soaked-up bread.
For bread pudding with raisins, add 1/2 cup of raisins. Serve this with either the caramel sauce or a chocolate sauce.

Tapioca Pudding
Cook 1/4 cup tapioca and 1/2 teaspoon salt 15 minutes in a pint of boiling water, stirring constantly; then add 1/2 cup sugar and 1 beaten egg and cook until it thickens like custard, stirring steadily. Add fruit, as cooked dried prunes, apricots, canned peaches, pears, pineapple, or cooked raisins. A couple of teaspoons of left over jam will mix in well.

Cornstarch Pudding
Mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch with a little milk. Add flavoring desired and pinch salt, 1 tablespoon butter. Bring 1 quart milk barely to boiling point (part has been mixed with cornstarch), add the cornstarch, 2 well beaten eggs, 4 tablespoons sugar, boil two or three minutes, stirring briskly. The above is the foundation.
If chocolate pudding wanted, mix 2 tablespoons cocoa with a little of the milk and add. If maple flavor is liked, add 1/2 cup maple syrup instead of part of the sugar. Cooked dried fruit, canned pineapple, etc., give a variety. Above serves four people. Vary recipe to suit…