In the past the word "pudding" applied to all boiled dishes: it has the same origin as the French boudin (black pudding, blood sausage). However, the sweet pudding we know today did not assume in its modern form until the 17th century.
Certain english puddings have now become traditional on the continent, with their own variations. among these are diplomat and Nesselrode puddings, bread pudding, apple or pear pudding (in a suet crust) and semolina, tapioca and rice puddings. Soufflé pudding is made with a coux pastry enriched with sugar, butter, egg yolks and whisked egg whites and flavoured with vanilla, chocolate, orange, etc.
Iced puddings are made by lining the mould with sponge cake or finger biscuits and filling it with ice creams, sometimes combining several colours.
In France, the name "pudding" is also given to a cake made from dry bread or stale brioche, sweetened and mixed with milk, raisins, rum, eggs and candied orange peel, cooked in a small brioche mould, then lightly covered with fondant icing (frosting). It is similar to the english bread pudding, though much more elaborate.
Mousseline are any of various mousse like preparations, most of which have a large or small quantity of whipped cream added to them. The term is used particularly for moulds made od various pastes enriched with cream (poultry, game, fish, shellfish, foie gras, etc.)
Mousselines are served hot or cold. If cold, they are also known as small aspics.
Mousseline is used as an adjective to denote a sauce enriched with whipped cream (mayonnaise mousseline, hollandaise mousseline). It is also used of the paste or forcemeat used to make fish balls and mousses.
The term mousseline is much used in confectionery to describe certain cakes and pastries made of delicate mixtires (e.g. brioche mousseline).
Don't expect torte batter to rise much when cooked with very little or no raising agent other than eggs, it simply sets in a low oven to be firm and delectably moist. A springform pan is helpful, so the dense yet fragile cake can be slid easily onto a platter.
Tortes tend to be more of a dessert than a traditional cake, so plan on serving them that way, with a topping of ice cream, whipped cream, or crhme franche and an appropriate sauce. They'll make a grand end to dinner, and you can make them well ahead of time. Being so rich, they all keep well for at least a week, often improving in flavor all the while.
Dessert jellies are made with a clarified base of gelatine or with calf's foot jelly. These jelly bases are flavoured with a liqueur, a dessert wine, or a fruit juice.
Fruit jelly bases are often flavoured with Kirsch, Maraschino, or some other liqueur.
Only fruits rich in pectin are suitable for making jellies (redcurrants, whitecurrants, mulberries, quinces, bilberries, apple, etc.). Alternatively, one of these fruits can be combined with a stronger flavoured fruit that is low in pectin (such as raspberries or blackcurrants). The acidity of the fruit and the sugar concentration are also important. To extract the juice, first the berries are bursted by cooking them with a little water until the skins break. In the case of citrus fruits, apples and quinces, the prepared fruit is presoaked with the cores and seeds collected in a knotted piece of muslin (cheesecloth) and then cooked in a little water. The resultant liquid is then put through a very fine strainer. Sugar, equal to the weight of the juice obtained, is added to the juice. The boiling time varies according to the fruit (3 to 4 minutes for red or whitecurrants, 20 to 30 minutes for apples and quinces). To test whether or not the jelly has begun to set, a few drops are poured onto a cold plate. If it solidifies in a few minutes, the jelly is ready for potting.