Marion Farrow Lord suspects her heritage recipe, for lemon pudding, originated with her grandmother, although Marion found it tucked inside her Mother’s copy of the Canadian Cook Book, by Nellie Lyle Pattinson. The book was published, in 1923, by Ryerson Press in Toronto. Marion’s mother, Adelaide, won the cook book in a Consumers Gas baking contest. It’s inscribed: “First Prize Tea Biscuit Competition for Girl Guides 1930.”
The pud recipe is printed on a card distributed by the Gurney Foundry Company, renowned for its cast iron Warrior wood furnaces, wood stoves and fancy radiators, Gurney, establish in 1868, was located on King St. West, in Toronto, and many of the company’s antique rads are still steaming away in neighbourhoods like Cabbagetown.
Marion’s grandmother, Margaret Marion Craig, emigrated from Scotland in the 1800s. In Toronto, the family did not seek out a Church of Scotland, but instead joined the Church of England. Margaret Craig was in the first Sunday School class at St. James Cathedral. (And yes, Marion is an Anglican.)
Marion grew up in Timmins where her mother and father, Leslie Farrow, settled in 1945, after he was demobbed from the RCAF. Marion has fond memories of enjoying this warm lemon dessert, with its hot oozing lemon sauce, during harsh Northern Ontario winters. This treat was also Adelaide Farrow’s party dish along with a baked date pudding.
Marion comments old cook books are full of puddings featuring raisins, dates, nuts and maraschino cherries – preserved items because Canadians had little access to imported fruits and berries until the 1960s. “Lemons were durable and also a bit of a luxury and I suppose that’s one thing that made this dessert so special,” she says.
Interestingly, Marion’s family pudding is not as simple as many heirloom recipes in ye olde tyme cookeries. It is more sophisticated than most, and results in a soufflé-like confection.
Baked Lemon Pudding
2 tbsp. butter Juice and grated rind of 1 lemon
½ cup sugar 1 cup milk
2 egg yolks 2 egg whites
2 tbsp. flour
½ tsp. salt
Cream together butter and sugar. Add beaten egg yolks. Then add flour, salt, lemon juice and rind. Add milk; fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour into buttered baking dish. Oven-poach at 350’ F. for 40 minutes. Serve hot or cold.
