Traditional English Christmas Pudding....With Rum Sauce....

 



No British Christmas is complete without a Christmas Pudding. Everyone needs a great recipe, and this is my favourite  recipe.

Despite reports that the traditional Christmas pudding has fallen out of favour for lighter desserts, it is as popular as ever. Christmas pudding is best made well in advance to allow it to mature  and traditionally, is made around the end of November.

Don't be put off by the number of ingredients in this recipe, although it may seem daunting, simply assemble all your ingredients in advance, and the rest is easy. All that is left then, is to make a wish.
 

Prep Time: 45 minutes.....Cook Time: 8 hours....Marinating Time: 12 hours....Total Time: 20 hours, 45 minutes

Yield: Serves 8

 

Ingredients:

• 1lb /450g dried mixed fruit (use golden raisins/sultanas , raisins, currants)
• 1 oz /25 g mixed candied peel, finely chopped
• 1 small cooking apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
• Grated zest and juice of:
• ½ large orange and
• ½ lemon
• 4 tbsp brandy, plus a little extra for soaking at the end
• 2 oz /55 g self-raising flour, sifted
• 1 level tsp ground mixed spice
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 4 oz /110 g shredded suet, beef or vegetarian....Your butcher should have it ( if you don't wish to use suet, you can also use shortening  [like Crisco]  that you have frozen and chopped very small)
• 4oz /110g soft, dark brown sugar
• 4 oz /110 g white fresh bread crumbs
• 1 oz /25 g whole shelled almonds, roughly chopped
• 2 large, fresh eggs

Preparation:

• Lightly butter a 2½ pint/1.4 litre pudding basin/17cm
   
• Place the dried fruits, candied peel, apple, orange and lemon juice into a large mixing bowl. Add the brandy and stir well. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave to marinate for a couple of hours, preferably overnight.
• Stir together the flour, mixed spice and cinnamon in a very large mixing bowl. Add the suet, sugar, lemon and orange zest, bread crumbs, nuts and stir again until all the ingredients are well mixed. Finally add the marinaded dried fruits and stir again.
• Beat the eggs lightly in a small bowl then stir quickly into the dry ingredients. The mixture should have a fairly soft consistency.
• Now is the time to gather the family for Christmas Pudding tradition of taking turns in stirring, making a wish and adding a few coins but we usually skip this bit in spite of our British heritage.
• Spoon the mixture in to the greased pudding basin, gently pressing the mixture down with the back of a spoon. Cover with a double layer of wax paper or baking parchment, then a layer of aluminum foil and tie securely with string.
• Place the pudding in a steamer over a saucepan of simmering water and steam the pudding for 7 hours. Make sure you check the water level frequently so it never boils dry. The pudding should be a deep brown color when cooked. The pudding is not a light cake but instead is a dark, sticky and dense sponge.
• Remove the pudding from the steamer, cool completely. Remove the paper, prick the pudding with a skewer and pour in a little extra brandy. Cover with fresh wax paper and retie with string. Store in a cool dry place until Christmas day. Note: The pudding cannot be eaten immediately, it really does need to be stored and rested then reheated on Christmas Day. Eating the pudding immediately after cooking will cause it to collapse and the flavours will not have had time to mature.

• On Christmas day reheat the pudding by steaming again for about an hour. Serve with anyone of these lovely accompaniments. Brandy or Rum Sauce, or  English custard

My father always poured some brandy over the pudding when it came to the table and set it aflame. We would lower the lights and watch it glow prettily for a few seconds until the brandy burned off . This is just a custom and optional, of course, but I thought it added some zest to the flavor.

 Left over Christmas pudding can be reheated by wrapping tightly in aluminum foil and heating through in a hot oven.

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Rum Sauce
 

 There are various sauces that work well with the pudding, including this delicious Rum Sauce . If you prefer, substitute brandy for the rum, also delicious.

This Rum sauce recipe is so easy to make and can also be made a day or two in advance and refrigerated then simply reheated when the pudding is ready.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

 

Ingredients:

• 2oz/55g butter
• 2oz/55g plain flour
• 1 pint/570ml milk
• 2oz/55g fine/caster sugar
• 5 tbsp dark Rum

Preparation:

• Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, add the flour and stir to create a thick paste. Cook for 1 minute taking care not to burn.
• Using a hand whisk, slowly add the milk, stirring vigorously. Continue whisking until thick smooth sauce is formed (about 5 minutes). Do not have the heat too high or the base of the sauce may burn.
• Add the sugar and whisk until dissolved. Lower the heat and cook for 5 minutes stirring from time to time.
• Finally add the Rum and serve with the Christmas pudding.

If you make the sauce in advance, prepare up until adding the Rum, then cool, store or freeze. Reheat the sauce and add the rum before serving.

It takes some effort to get to this point but if your family has British roots or just loves rich fruity things, you will get raves. Happy Holidays