Four Ingredient Classic Desserts from 1958, By Tracey Vale

The following classic desserts have remained family favourites through the decades. The recipes have been adapted to suit today's measurements, ingredients and modern appliances from Good Housekeeping's Cookery Compendium, 1958 edition, as described in the previous post.

Blackberry Fool

450g blackberries

75g sugar

300ml thick custard

150ml cream, whipped

Gently stew fruit and sugar. This can be done in a saucepan over low heat or in the microwave, until fruit is tender. Puree until smooth. Beat in custard and fold in cream. Pour into wine glasses and top with nuts and whole berries, to decorate.

Strawberry Blancmange

40g cornflour

600ml milk

25g sugar

Strawberry flavouring and pink food colour, if desired

In a saucepan, blend cornflour with a little milk. Heat remaining milk in a microwave-safe jug in the microwave on HIGH, until hot but not boiling. Pour over the cornflour paste and bring to the boil on the stove, stirring continuously. Cook 4-5 minutes, sweeten, flavour and colour. Pour into a wet mould and leave to set. To turn out, loosen the edges carefully with your fingers. Serve with stewed fruit.

Vanilla Ice Cream

300ml cream or evaporated milk

300ml store-bought vanilla custard

Whisk ingredients together and pour into an ice cream maker to churn until ready. Alternatively, pour into a lamington tray and freeze until just firm. Remove and churn with a spoon or fork and return to the freezer. Continue until satisfied with the consistency.

Rice Pudding

40g, or 4 level d/sp, uncooked rice

2 Tbsp sugar

600ml milk

butter

Sprinkle rice and sugar onto the base of a pie dish. Pour milk over and dot with small dobs of butter. Bake in a slow oven, 150'C, for 2 hours.

Chocolate Rice Pudding

As above, but dissolve 50g grated chocolate into the milk before pouring over rice. Omit butter and add a few drops of vanilla essence (optional).

Baked Egg Custard

1 egg, lightly beaten

300ml milk

1 d/sp sugar

Nutmeg

Heat milk without boiling. Add sugar to the beaten egg and pour heated milk over. Stir and pour into a pie dish. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Stand the dish in a deep baking tin and pour cold water into the tin to prevent the custard from over-heating during cooking. Bake in a slow oven, 150'C, for 40 minutes, or until set and lightly coloured.

Fruit Mince Pies

Frozen, ready-made puff pastry, or shortcrust

Jar fruit mince

Egg, to glaze

Icing sugar

Cut pastry into rounds to fit small muffin tins. Oil-spray tins and place rounds, gently pushing down. Spoon a heaped teaspoonful of mince meat into each case and brush pastry edges with water. Cut smaller rounds of pastry and place on top of each case, crimping edges gently with a fork. Snip a 'v' into the top of each pie and glaze with beaten egg. Bake in a preheated, hot oven at 450'F for 25 minutes. Sift a little icing sugar over the tops, to serve. Serve hot.

Syrup Tart

150g shortcrust pastry

3-4 Tbsp golden syrup

50g breadcrumbs

Juice from 1/2 lemon

Oil-spray a shallow pie dish and line with pastry,  trim and set remainder of pastry aside for lattice top. Crimp pastry edges. Mix remaining ingredients together (lightly warm syrup to enable easier mixing if required). Spread mixture onto pastry, keeping edges free. Lattice the top with  thin, criss-crossing strips of pastry. Bake in a hot oven at 230'C for 20-30 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked and the filling is golden-brown.