Elizabeth Raffald (1733 – 1781) was born in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, but later moved to Manchester, where she became a successful businesswoman. She opened a confectionery shop, ran a cookery school and outside catering business, and in 1769 published her book, ‘The Experienced English Housekeeper’. This quickly became a popular guide to fine cooking, including basic cooking instructions, aimed at novice cooks. It ran to 13 editions.
She is credited with creating the Eccles cake as we know it today, using flaky pastry instead of a yeast-based mix. Elizabeth also presented a recipe for a wedding cake, which included almond paste and royal icing.
Here’s Elizabeth’s recipe for Apple ‘Pudding’, although we would know it as more of a flan today. The sweetness of the egg and sugar is complemented by the sharpness of the apple and lemon rind. Can be eaten hot or cold.
Ingredients
- Shortcrust pastry to line a 7 inch flan tin
- 4 oz (100g) stewed apples
- 4 oz (100g) butter
- 3 eggs
- 3 oz (85g) soft brown sugar
- Grated rind of 1 lemon.
Method
- Line the flan tin with pastry. Add a layer of foil to cover the bottom of the pastry and bake the shell ‘blind’ (empty of filling) in a medium-hot oven for 10 minutes. Remove the protective foil layer from the bottom of the pastry and bake for another 5 minutes.
- In the meantime, cream the butter, add this to the stewed apples and beat well.
- Beat the eggs with the sugar and add to the apples and butter. Add the grated lemon rind
- Transfer the mixture to the cooked pastry shell and bake in a moderate oven (gas mark 4/5; 350F; 190C) for 30 minutes.
Source: Mary Hanson Moore. A Yorkshire Cookbook (1980). Published by David & Charles.
