Allied Cookery: British, French, Italian, Belgian, Russian

1 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 of a teaspoon of soda. Steam 4 hours, the longer the better. Serve with the following sauce: 1/4 cup of butter, 1 cup of powdered sugar, 1/2 cup of cream, 2 tablespoons of sherry or 1 teaspoonful of vanilla. The butter must be worked soft before adding the sugar gradually, then the cream and flavouring, little by little, to prevent separating. OLD ENGLISH PLUM PUDDING Two lbs. raisins stoned, 2 lbs. currants, 1-1/2 lbs. Sultanas, 1 lb. mixed peel chopped fine, 2 lbs. brown sugar, 2 lbs. breadcrumbs, 2 lbs. chopped suet, 1-1/2 lemons grated with the juice, 4 ozs. chopped almonds blanched, 2 nutmegs grated, 1/2 teaspoon of mixed spice, 1/4 teaspoon crushed clove, pinch of salt, 6 eggs whisked, 1/4 pint (generous) brandy. Mix all together thoroughly, boil 12 hours, the longer the better on the first day and 2 hours just before serving. This is the secret for making it black and light. This makes about 1 two-quart and 5 one-quart puddings. This recipe makes excellent plum cake, black and rich, by substituting flour for the crumbs and lard for the suet. BANANA TRIFLE Put thin slices of bread and butter into a glass dish, then cut 3 or 4 bananas into round slices and place them on the top of bread and butter. Make a pint of sweet custard well flavoured with Madeira and pour over. Beat stiff 1/2 pint of cream and put on top of the trifle when cold. CREAM TART Make a puff paste and cut it into 3 round pieces; it must be very thin and a few holes pierced to keep it from rising too high. Make a cream filling and spread over each piece, placing one on top of the other. On the top layer sprinkle chopped pistachio nuts (or any chopped nuts) on the cream as a frosting. Filling: Mix 2/3 of a cup of fine sugar with 1/3 of a cup of flour, add the yolks of 3 eggs and 1 whole egg, 1 cup of scalded milk, 1/4 of a teaspoonful of