And this is where I spend some time with you today, to tell you about the wonderful if unusually-named desserts served out with the after-dinner port and cognacs at the Commodore's table. These desserts are prepared by his faithful cabin servant Killick, a crusty old crank of a man, whose claim to fame is keeping the Aubrey's uniform to as perfect a condition as possible, and polishing the silver serving platters to an incredible gleam. 
Not an easy task given that he is responsible for all the Captain's meals, cooking and mending and cleaning all in a very tiny space, a closet really, just off the great cabin.The first dessert, he has often prepared (a favorite of Aubrey), is the famed, or infamous-named, Spotted Dick (or Dog). The recipe is as follows:
8 oz. flour, 1 pinch salt, 4 oz suet, 1 oz sugar, 8 oz currants or raisins, 150 ml cold water. Combine the flour, salt, sugar, suet and fruit. Mix into a dough with water. Form it into a ball, and put on a warm, damp cloth. Sprinkle with sugar. Roll up the dough and leave to expand in size a bit. Put into a pan of boiling water, cover and boil for 2 hours. Add more water if needed. Turn out onto a serving platter, and serve with custard sauce. Yumm!
The second: Plum Duff
This has a more cordial name, as it were. But, in looking at the definition, "duff" is also a slang word for buttocks. So, here goes the recipe: 2 large eggs, 1/2 c vegetable shortening, 1 c brown sugar, 2 c cooked prunes, 1 c flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 2 tbs cold milk. Beat eggs. dissolve sugar in hot, melted shortening. Add to eggs. Add cooked prunes after draining and mashing. Sift flour, and add. Dossolve soda in milk and add.Fill greased pudding mold 2/3 full, cover and steam one hour. Serve with rum sauce. Very tasty, but may add to the general size of one's buttocks!
The third: Suet Pudding
Suet, as you may not know, is fat from beef or mutton. So, don't be shy, and give it a try!
1 c brown sugar, 3/4 c ground suet, 1 egg beaten, 1/2 c milk, 2 c flour, 1 tsp sode, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 c chopped walnuts, 1 c raisins cooked, cooled, drained.Mix sugar and suet. Stir in eggs, milk. Sift dry ingredients together and add. Stir til blended. Fold in nuts and raisins. Spoon into steamer pan or pudding mold. Put wax paper loosely over mold to prevent steam collecting on pudding. Steam 3 hours, remove and serve. I can't decide which I like best, but if you were months at sea, probably eating alot of fish, or salted beef, I think any one of these desserts, or puddings as the English call most any dessert, would be a welcome ending to any meal, especially if served with the ports and cognacs, and some good music as well. Remember, Aubrey and Maturin are famous for their violin and cello offerings. Give a look below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL9ahJBgbwI
I have eaten all the puddings you mention (they were regular fare both at home and school when I was young) and when prepared and cooked properly, they have no equal.
ReplyDeleteOther staples from the period are pea and ham soup (the Royal Navy used dried peas and cured ham, both of which could be stored on long sea voyages) and meat puddings (steak and kidney and steak and ale being my favourites). The pudding would be made from the same suet mixture you mention (but without the nuts and raisins) and used to line the pudding basin and to make the top. The meat would be put into the lined basin before the top was added, and then the whole thing would be steamed until it was cooked.
Very tasty and filling on a cold day!
All the best,
Bob
hey, Bob. Thanks for your comment. I will be checking out the dried peas! Checked out your blogs - interesting! Funny how certain things we enjoy as a child can become a fascination later on. I have always enjoyed military history, from watching Combat! with my brother back in the day, to visiting HMS Victory or the USS Constitution in recent years, walking the decks, looking out the gun ports, preparing the foods. Stay tuned for more.
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