I decided that as I was off work today, it would be a good idea to make my Christmas puddings. Yes, I do make my own! And I thought I’d share the basic recipe with you all. Note: My puddings are actually a variation on this – you didn’t expect me to share my secrets do you?
Christmas Pudding
serves: 8
Prep Time: 40 mins
Cook Time: 3hrs
- 110g raisins
- 110g sultanas
- 300g currants
- 100ml stout
- 4tbsp brandy
- 110g whole candied fruit, finely diced
- 50g blanched almonds, finely chopped
- 50g undyed glace cherries, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 tspn ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tspn ground cinnamon
- 125g unsalted butter, softened
- 125g dark muscovado sugar
- 2 medium eggs
- 1 tbsp treacle
- 185g self raising flour
- 55ml milk
- 2 pt pudding basin
- Baking parchment
- String
- Place the dried fruits in a small saucepan with the stout and brandy, bring to the boil, then gently simmer for 10-15mins or until all the liquor has been absorbed, stirring occaisionally
- Transfer to mixing bowl and leave to cool for 20-30mins
- Stir in the peel, almonds, cherries and spices
- Blend the butter and sugar together for several minutes in a food mixer, add the eggs, one by one, then the treacle, flour and finally the milk
- Stir into the dried fruit mixture
- Generously butter the pudding basin, butter a square of baking parchment and line the bottom of the basin with it, buttered side up
- Spoon the mixture into the basin and smooth the surface
- Cut a double sheet of baking parchment measuring 30cm square, make a pleat in the centre. butter the underside and place over the top of the pudding
- Tie the paper in place with a string below the top of the pudding
- Put in a saucepan with boiling water that comes two thirds of the way up the sides, cover and simmer gently for 2hrs 45mins. Top up water level now and again, if necessary
- Remove basin from the saucepan and leave to stand for 15-20 minutes before running a knife around the outside of the pudding and then turning on to a plate
To freeze
The pudding can be frozen for up to 3 months. Leave the cooked pudding to cool, then remove the baking parchment on top and replace with fresh parchment. Place the pudding, still in the basin, in a freezer bag and freeze. Defrost at room temperature for 6-8 hours (or overnight in a fridge). Reheat as above, for 1 hour
So there’s the instructions. My puddings are made slightly different to that though. Mainly because I take after my mother in the kitchen! Her cooking exploits are legendary! She has on more than one occasion turn two pages in a recipe book and carried on, without even noticing! On another occasion she misread 1 tablespoon of water for one cup of water and wonder why the cake took ages to cook! This could explain why , when the recipe said “softened butter” I ended up with melted butter (or was it facebook distracting me?) or why when I was half way through he recipe I suddenly realised the blender was still buried at the back of the cupboard! In fact the 40mins prep time end up nearer 2 hours!
But I got there in the end. There all cooked – I made 4 small puddings and 2 medium sized puddings – and ready to be eaten.
And here’s the finished product
