Christmas Plum Pudding Recipe
Ingredients
| Butter | 1/2 Cup (16 tbs) | |
| Butter | 1/2 Cup (16 tbs) | |
| 1 cup plus 2 tbsp firmly packed brown sugar | ||
| Suet | 1/2 Cup (16 tbs), grated | |
| Eggs | 3 | |
| All purpose flour | 1 Cup (16 tbs) | |
| Soda | 1 Teaspoon | |
| Salt | 1 Teaspoon | |
| Nutmeg | 1/2 Teaspoon, freshly grated | |
| Ground cloves | 1/2 Teaspoon | |
| Ground cinnamon | 1 Teaspoon | |
| Ground mace | 1/4 Teaspoon | |
| 1 1/2 cups seeded raisins | ||
| Seedless raisins | 1 Cup (16 tbs) | |
| Candied orange peel | 1/3 Cup (16 tbs), chopped | |
| Candied lemon peel | 1/3 Cup (16 tbs), chopped | |
| 1/3 cup chopped candied citron peel | ||
| Cherries | 1/2 Cup (16 tbs), halved | |
| 1/2 cup almond slivers | ||
| 1 cup fine, soft, but stale bread crumbs | ||
| 1/2 cup rum or brandy | ||
| 1/4 cup rum or brandy, for flaming | ||
Directions
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Mix in the suet.
Beat in the eggs one at a time.
Sift together the flour, soda, salt, and spices.
Combine the fruits and nuts.
Dredge with 1/2 cup of the sifted dry ingredients.
Add the bread crumbs to the remaining dry ingredients.
Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts alternately with the 1/2 cup of rum in 2 parts to the creamed mixture.
Begin and end with the dry ingredients.
Mix in the fruit and nuts.
Spoon into a greased, 2-quart mould.
Cover with a piece of aluminum foil that has a 1" pleat so the pudding can rise.
Tie firmly around the rim with string.
Place on a rack in a steamer.
Fill the steamer 2/3 of the way up the mould with boiling water.
Cover, bring to the boil, reduce heat, and boil moderately 2 1/2 hours.
Add more boiling water periodically to maintain the level.
Remove and cool.
Leave the original aluminum foil on the top, wrap in plastic wrap and keep refrigerated until it is to be eaten.
A pudding will keep well in the refrigerator 3-4 weeks, and 3 months in the freezer.
Remove the plastic wrap before resteaming and replace the aluminum foil on the top if it has any holes or rips.
To serve, steam again 1 hour.
Remove from the steamer, let stand 5 minutes, unmould.
Warm the 1/4 cup rum or brandy, ignite, and pour over the pudding.
Serve with hard sauce or rum or brandy sauce, depending on the liquor used in the pudding and flaming.
For instance, if you use rum in the pudding, flame the pudding in rum and use it to flavour the sauce.
Ditto with the brandy.
Mix in the suet.
Beat in the eggs one at a time.
Sift together the flour, soda, salt, and spices.
Combine the fruits and nuts.
Dredge with 1/2 cup of the sifted dry ingredients.
Add the bread crumbs to the remaining dry ingredients.
Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts alternately with the 1/2 cup of rum in 2 parts to the creamed mixture.
Begin and end with the dry ingredients.
Mix in the fruit and nuts.
Spoon into a greased, 2-quart mould.
Cover with a piece of aluminum foil that has a 1" pleat so the pudding can rise.
Tie firmly around the rim with string.
Place on a rack in a steamer.
Fill the steamer 2/3 of the way up the mould with boiling water.
Cover, bring to the boil, reduce heat, and boil moderately 2 1/2 hours.
Add more boiling water periodically to maintain the level.
Remove and cool.
Leave the original aluminum foil on the top, wrap in plastic wrap and keep refrigerated until it is to be eaten.
A pudding will keep well in the refrigerator 3-4 weeks, and 3 months in the freezer.
Remove the plastic wrap before resteaming and replace the aluminum foil on the top if it has any holes or rips.
To serve, steam again 1 hour.
Remove from the steamer, let stand 5 minutes, unmould.
Warm the 1/4 cup rum or brandy, ignite, and pour over the pudding.
Serve with hard sauce or rum or brandy sauce, depending on the liquor used in the pudding and flaming.
For instance, if you use rum in the pudding, flame the pudding in rum and use it to flavour the sauce.
Ditto with the brandy.
Chef
