SEMOLINA PUDDING

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
To serve: 4

You will need
½ oz. almonds
1½ oz. butter
½ oz. currants
1½ pints (U.S. 3¾ cups) milk
4 oz. castor sugar
4 oz. very fine semolina
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
½ teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg (optional)

Blanch the almonds and slice into thin strips. Heat the butter and fry the almonds until lightly coloured. Remove. Fry the currants gently and set aside. Bring the milk and sugar to the boil, then simmer for a minute on a very low flame. Fry the semolina very gently in the butter. Stir all the time and do not let the semolina get creamy coloured. Now add the milk gradually and keep stirring all the time so that no lumps are formed. Add the vanilla essence and turn out onto a serving dish while still of a fairly soft consistency. When cold, sprinkle with the almonds, currants and spices.

PARSEE CUSTARD

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
To serve: 4

You will need
1½ pints (U.S. 3¾ cups) milk
2 oz. castor sugar
2-3 eggs, well beaten
1 tablespoon ground almonds
1 tablespoon rose water (optional)
pinch nutmeg and cardamom powders

Boil the milk and sugar together over a low heat till the quantity has been reduced to half. Allow to cool, and add the well beaten eggs. Add the almonds and rose water. Put the custard into a buttered pie dish and sprinkle with nutmeg and cardamom powders. Preheat the oven to very moderate (335°F. of Gas Mark 3). Place the dish in a pan containing 1 inch of cold water. Bake for 45 minutes or 1 hour till the custard is set.

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© Shufunotomo Co., Ltd., Japan 1968 English text © The Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd. 1968