We had spotted dick once before when I purchased a canned one on a whim from Freddie’s. It was so so.
But I figured homemade fresh dick with custard would be much better so made it this afternoon.
This recipe first was printed in the mid 1800’s. The dick is a dialect word for dough, and the spots are the currants.
For this you mix flour, shredded suet, dried currants, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. You add milk and then pat it into a rectangle. This is rolled into a log. Here is the log.
You roll this into a double layered cheesecloth and tie the ends. Here it is at this point.
It then is boiled in water for 2 hours. It was challenging keeping it submerged.
I made a custard with egg yolks, cornstarch, milk, sugar and vanilla. Then I made some British tea.
Here is what the dick looked like after the boiling.
Here it is sliced on my plate.
And here it is with the custard on top and the tea.
It was good. It reminded me of bread pudding which I love. The outer surface is kind of slimy but the inside was great. Per the cookbook the custard is obligatory and I would agree. Even Tom liked it.
This is a downstairs recipe by the way, so meant for the servants. So not meant to be fancy but yummy.
Oh my; 19th century language aside, it LOOKS like its name!
It does, doesn’t it?!?
So it was tasty, eh? I’m not sure it sounds good. But maybe I’m a bit strange?
I think most people would not want to try it, so you’re not the strange one.
As I reread your blog I saw two words that I had missed before – BREAD PUDDING!!! That one of the things I just can’t eat without gagging! I don’t think my sweet mother liked it either, because she never made it. But there are plenty of other things to eat.
I love bread pudding but Tom supposedly hates it (I have never seen him try it though). But we both liked the spotted dick.
Well, now, that’s interesting!! I know that my sweet husband loved bread pudding, but I was never able to bring myself to make it. He never complained! He’d probably have enjoyed the spotted dick.