Raisin Roly Poly

[donna]

This is a dessert to try. Have had raisin pie but not this one.

Two cups flour, two cups breadcrumbs, three fourths cup butter, one half cup of brown sugar, one fourth pound stoned raisins, one fourth tablespoon salt, and cold water. Rub butter well into flour, breadcrumbs, sugar, salt and add raisins, stoned and halved. Add enough water to mix whole into soft paste. Roll into neat shape. P|Roll up on floured and scalded pudding cloth, tying ends securely. Put in pan of fast boiling water, let boil steadily for three hours. Take off cloth, then serve pudding on a hot dish.

 

[donna]

Another raisin pie to try.

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

This sounds very similar to a concoction mentioned in a memoir whereby the soldiers took flour, when they could get it, and mixed it with pan drippings (bacon grease or beef tallow?) and unpeeled chopped up apples. The cooking instructions were the same except I don't think they were very picky about the cloth it was boiled in. If sugar was available they would add some of that too, but either way it was said to be quite a treat!

 

[Tennessee Union Gal]

This is essentially similar to the iconic English pudding, Spotted Dick. It calls for dried currants instead of raisins.

 

[John Hartwell]

St Louis Post-Dispatch, Sept. 27, 1899:

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

What pray tell is a "saltspoonful of cream of tartar?" And I've never heard of flavoring food with " extract of roses. "
Very interesting recipe @John Hartwell !

 

[Tennessee Union Gal]

What pray tell is a "saltspoonful of cream of tartar?" And I've never heard of flavoring food with " extract of roses. "
Very interesting recipe @John Hartwell !

A salt spoon is a little spoon maybe 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon. Rose flavoring is commonly used in English baking (Thank you British Baking Show!). I have eaten Turkish Delight that was rose flavored. It's quite nice in very small doses.

 

[donna]

Rose flavoring was used in several recipes of the time. I know there are some posted on this forum.

 

[Tennessee Union Gal]

St Louis Post-Dispatch, Sept. 27, 1899:
View attachment 435941

There's no flour in this. I cannot imagine how it would hold together. I do love an old recipe like this. It assumes a level of subject matter knowledge on the part of the cook/reader that most modern recipes do not.

 

[Gary Morgan]

So help me, all I can think of is the Beatrix Potter book, The Rollie Pollie Kitten.... (There are other titles, but that was what my daughter's book was titled)...

 

[donna]

John thanks for recipe from paper and other one you sent me. I will check into more raisin recipes of the period.