A Puding For The Frying Pane
From the treasured pages of Cookbook
Unknown Author
A Puding For The Frying Pane
"Tak 6 eggs wel beat and a chopin of swet Creame then tak greated bread with a litle flour and mix in with it a spunfull of seck and as much rosewater with suger salt and all the rest of the spices half a pound of Curans mix al together and pour it in your pan with a litle butterr set it on a Choser befor a good faire for it most bak above as well as beneth stir it about till it be thick and put beneth it a litle buter for seting on when it is enough strew on suger and sinamon"
Note on the Original Text
The recipe is written in the terse, pragmatic style typical of early 18th-century manuscripts, omitting detailed measurements and expecting cooks to use experience and judgment. Spellings like 'tak' for 'take', 'wel beat' for 'well-beaten', and 'puding' for 'pudding' reflect both variable orthography and evolving language. Ingredients are listed as they are used, and actions like 'mix al together' assume a working knowledge of basic cooking methods.
Title
Cookbook (1706)
You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome
Writer
Unknown
Era
1706
Publisher
Unknown
Background
Step back to the early 18th century with this charming culinary collection, brimming with period recipes that tantalize the tastebuds and offer a delicious glimpse into historic kitchens.
Kindly made available by
Folger Shakespeare Library
This recipe, dating from around 1706, hails from early 18th-century England. Pudding at this time referred not only to sweet boiled or baked desserts, but also to rich, egg-based dishes cooked in a variety of ways. The inclusion of eggs, cream, dried fruit, and aromatic waters honours the developing taste for indulgence influenced by trade and new culinary fashions. The pan-cooked method shows adaptation for domestic hearth cooking, and ingredients like sherry (seck) and rosewater reflect both luxury and the influence of international trade.
In its day, this pudding would have been cooked over an open hearth using a frying pan, or possibly a shallow metal chafing dish. Cooks used a 'choser'—a pan set over embers or a portable metal stove. Baking from above and below was often achieved by placing hot coals on a heavy lid, or using a Dutch oven. Simple wooden spoons or spatulas mixed and stirred the pudding.
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Servings
8
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 1 3/4 cups heavy cream
- 2 oz white breadcrumbs
- 1/2 oz plain flour
- 1 tbsp (0.5 fl oz) sweet sherry (substitute for seck)
- 1 tbsp (0.5 fl oz) rosewater
- 2 oz caster sugar
- pinch of salt
- mixed ground spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves; about 1/2 tsp total)
- 8 oz currants
- 3/4 oz unsalted butter (plus more for finishing)
- additional sugar and ground cinnamon for sprinkling
Instructions
- Begin by beating 6 large eggs until well combined.
- Add 1 3/4 cups of fresh heavy cream and mix thoroughly.
- Incorporate 2 oz of breadcrumbs (made from white bread), 1/2 oz of plain flour, then stir in 1 tablespoon (0.5 fl oz) of sweet sherry (as a substitute for 'seck') and 1 tablespoon (0.5 fl oz) of rosewater.
- Add 2 oz of caster sugar, a pinch of salt, and an assortment of mixed ground spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves.
- Finally, fold in 8 oz of currants.
- Melt a knob of butter (about 3/4 oz) in a large frying pan over medium-low heat.
- Pour in the pudding mixture.
- Place the pan over gentle heat and, if possible, place a lid or a metal tray over the top to help bake from above as well as below, echoing the original instruction to cook "above as well as beneth." Stir gently as it cooks until the mixture thickens and sets, then remove from the heat.
- Sprinkle with additional caster sugar and a pinch of ground cinnamon to serve.
Estimated Calories
360 per serving
Cooking Estimates
Preparing and cooking this pudding takes about 15 minutes to get everything ready and about 30 minutes to cook on the stovetop. Each serving has about 360 calories, and this recipe makes 8 servings.
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