Dragon’s breath pudding

Press, 21 December 1978, Page 14

Dragon’s breath pudding

ALISON HOLST KITCHEN DIARY

Here’s a traditional Danish Christmas recipe that I am planning to serve over the holiday period this year.

You can serve this pudding an hour after you start to make it if you use

iceblocks and cold water for cooling it down at different stages.

My sauce is made from frozen raspberries but you could make all sorts of variations with fresh ber» ries. Raspberry jam thinned with lemon juice or dry wine would make a good and very quick variation.

The children refer to this as “Dragon’s Breath Pudding” since I told them not to breathe near the candles in case they caught alight. In. fact the alcohol in the rum evaporates in the cooking and you can replace the rum with extra water then add rum essence to taste —- but it’s not quite the same. Ingredients: 4 teaspoons gelatine

1 cup cold water | cup rum 3 eggs, separated 1 cup sugar 1 cup cream, whipped 200-250 g raspberries, fresh or thawed | cup sugar 2 tablespoons corntlour or custard powder 1 cup water red food colouring Sprinkle the gelatine (remember to use level teaspoons) over the cold water in a fairly small saucepan. Leave to stand for 2-3 minutes until it swells and softens, then add the rum and stir over a very low heat until the gelatine dissolves. Remove from heat. Separate the eggs, putting the whites in a bowl for beating and adding the yolks to the warm gelatine.

Stir the mix, then heat very gently until the yolks thicken the mixture. This happens before the mixture boils. As soon as it thickens, lift the pot from the heat and stand it in a bowl of iceblocks standing in cold water, remove saucepan from bowl before the mixture sets hard.

Beat egg whites until foamy, then add the sugar and beat until peaks turn over at the tops when beater is lifted up. Fold egg whites into cool but unset .gelatine.

Beat cream until thick (using same unwashed bowl and beater), then fold it gently but thoroughly into gelatine mixture.

Spoon mixture into an

oiled mould or bowl that holds about 5 cups. A patterned ring mould looks best and sets fastest but an ordinary bowl will do.

Stand it in ice and water mixture until it sets, then dip in warm water and invert onto a flat plate. Pour a small amount of sauce over unmoulded pudding and pass the remaining sauce separately.

To make the sauce mix the fruit, sugar and custard powder together with water. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly, then remove from heat, add colouring if desired, and leave to cool.

Replace water in sauce with syrup from stewed fruit, if desired, and use less sugar in the sauce.