Ingredients: |
Ingredients: 1 1/2 c. currants
1 c. raisins
1/4 c. mixed, chopped, candied fruit peels
1/4 c. chopped almonds
3/4 c. chopped apple
1 c. chopped suet (Atora)
1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. each salt and cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
3/4 c. castor (baker’s sugar) sugar
1 oz. butter, diced
1 3/4 c. soft bread crumbs
2 egg yolks
1 egg white
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/8 c. Brandy or 2 T. brandy flavoring
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Directions: |
Directions:In a medium bowl, combine the currants, raisins, fruit peels, almonds, apples and suet. In a larger bowl, mix the flour, salt, nutmeg, sugar and bread crumbs. Then, in a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks and egg white until light. Add the egg mixture to the fruits in the large bowl, mixing gently. Add the fruit mixture in with the flour and sugar mixture, stirring well. Finally, mix in the flavorings and brandy. If using a Porcelain Pudding Basin, grease it well, add the pudding and cut a circular piece of waxed paper to cover the pudding top. Cover the basin top with cheesecloth and wrap the basin securely, placing flour sack towel under the bottom of the basin and tying the ends securely in a knot at the top. Or, you can avoid the hassle by buying a Mrs. Anderson’s Baking Non-Stick Steamed Pudding Mold with Lid, 1.6-Liters on Amazon. Grease the mold, tamp in the pudding 2/3 full and snap on the lid! Pace in a large pot (big enough for water half-way up the mold, and steam for 3-3 1/2 hours, adding hot water as necessary. Let cool. Christmas puddings can be made in advance and stored in the pudding bowls that they have been steamed in. This is because you will need to return them to their bowls for steaming another hour on Christmas Day. Simply replace the waxed paper on top of the pudding and make sure that if there is a lid it is snapped on tightly. It is also a good idea to wrap the entire pudding basin with 2 to 3 layers of cling wrap to keep it air tight. If you don't have lids then wrap the bowls tightly in a double layer of clingfilm followed by a double layer of foil (making sure there are no gaps) and this should not be removed before steaming. Store the pudding in a spare room or pantry away from direct light and heat. A garage will work, also, because it ripens better in a cooler climate. On Christmas Day set the pudding to steam again for an hour before turning out. Cover it with brandy, set it alight and serve with brandy butter.
Mrs. Anderson’s Baking Non-Stick Steamed Pudding Mold with Lid, 1.6-Liters |
Personal
Notes: |
Personal
Notes: I remember my first Christmas pudding in England. I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day of 1969 with my Abbotsford roommate, Diana Stokes. Diana was a beautiful, long-haired, hippie sort of gal, which is probably why they placed her with a Californian! She lived with her very conservative middle class mum and dad in a small house in Litchfield, England, 16 miles north of Birmingham. On Christmas Eve Day, Diana and I walked through snowy streets to the city downtown. We joined others in a queue and bought a ready-to-steam Christmas pudding in a white basin. I can still picture the scene in my mind’s eye! The next day, we sat down to roast vegetables and chicken with the steamed pudding for dessert. I have made this pudding each year since 2019.
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This recipe for British Christmas Pudding is from