A historical dessert from The White House cook book; a comprehensive cyclopedia of information for the home .. (1913). Flour your hands when making into balls. Serve with wine sauce.
Preserved exactly as written in the original source
Beat until quite light one tablespoonful of sugar and the yolks of three eggs
add half a cupful of finely chopped suet, half a cupful of English currants, one cupful of sifted flour, in which there has been sifted a heaping teaspoonful of baking powder, a little nutmeg, one teaspoonful of salt and, lastly, the beaten whites of the eggs
flour your hands and make it into balls the size of an egg
boil in separate cloth one hour or more
Serve with wine sauce
Modern guidance to help you succeed with this vintage recipe
The combination of suet and beaten egg whites creates a uniquely tender, steamed dumpling. Suet (beef or mutton fat) has a higher melting point than butter, so it holds its structure during the long steaming process, creating pockets that make the dumplings light rather than dense. Beating the egg whites separately and folding them in last incorporates air bubbles that expand during cooking, while the baking powder provides additional lift. Steaming in cloth allows even heat distribution and prevents waterlogging.
The dumpling mixture can be prepared through step 2 (before shaping) and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 hours. Bring to room temperature for 20 minutes before shaping and steaming. The shaped, uncooked dumplings can be frozen in their cloth wrappers for up to 1 month; steam directly from frozen, adding 15-20 minutes to cooking time.
Store cooked dumplings in their cloth wrappers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, steam for 15-20 minutes until warmed through, or microwave individual dumplings (removed from cloth) for 45-60 seconds. The texture will be slightly denser after refrigeration but still pleasant.
AI-generated tips from Chef Cecil's culinary database
The dumpling mixture can be prepared through step 2 (before shaping) and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 hours. Bring to room temperature for 20 minutes before shaping and steaming. The shaped, uncooked dumplings can be frozen in their cloth wrappers for up to 1 month; steam directly from frozen, adding 15-20 minutes to cooking time.
Store cooked dumplings in their cloth wrappers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, steam for 15-20 minutes until warmed through, or microwave individual dumplings (removed from cloth) for 45-60 seconds. The texture will be slightly denser after refrigeration but still pleasant.
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