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27 Dec 2012

THE BEST EVER CHRISTMAS PUDDING so far...

 
 

 It is tradition in our home that our son helps make the Christmas pudding, this year we had such fun, we decided to add all the flavours that we all liked and wanted in a Christmas pudding, like cardamon for daddy, brazil nuts for mummy and black treacle for Oscar, that we did not make a note of the recipe and typically this is the best pudding we have ever made, is a little frustrating, but then that makes next years pudding making so much more exciting!  So I will list the ingredients from our memories and hope for the best next year!  Not that this really matters as my son and I had a great time making this recipe up ourselves and it is the memory that is more precious than any recipe (!)  and we can have the same fun next year trying again!
 
Ingredients
 
HERE IT GOES!
250g currents
250g raisins
200g sultanas
200g glacier cherries halved
200g chopped brazil nuts
100g chopped walnuts
10 cardamon pods
4 tbsp black treacle
3 tbsp golden syrup
3 eggs beaten
150g breadcrumbs
1 zest orange
1 juice of orange
300g dark brown sugar
300ml brandy
100g mixed peel
2 tbsp mixed spice
175g butter melted
1 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
150g plain flour

Start the pudding the night before by placing the currents, raisins, sultanas, mixed peel, cherries, chopped nuts in a large bowl with the brandy to soak over night, if you can. 

Mix well and then add the rest of the ingredients in no specific order.  For this year we purchased a round pudding steamer for the classic looking pudding.

Fill each half of the steamer circles, I over filled which was ok, but it shows a seam on the finsihed pudding as I squished out excess filling, so next year I will very slightly under fill to try to stop that showing, you can still use a traditional pudding basin or Dario moulds, just cover the tops with pleated tin foil and adjust the cooking time.

Place the pudding mould into a large deep roomy saucepan, if the mould has doesn't have a trivet, place a jam jar lid in the bottom for the basin to rest on, last time I used a tea plate and it shattered.  Fill the saucepan with water half way up the mould or basin and place the lid on, bring to a simmer and cook for 3-4 hrs for a large pudding, 1 hour for individual small puddings.  A good guide to a cooked pudding is insert a skewer and if it comes out clean your cooked.  Or if you use a digital probe you will be looking for a temperature guide of 72+ degrees.

MY MISTAKE...  Remove the pudding while still warm from the mould!  I left the pudding to cool over night as it was late and I found it really hard to remove in one piece!  Once removed wrap in parchment paper and place in a air tight container once cooled.  Over the next 5 weeks I love to topped up with a generous glug of brandy and turn my puddings each time.


I don't re-steam for 2hrs on the big day, but feel free to do so, instead I spend the time relaxing with my family and I place the whole pudding in the OPS!!! (microwave) for 10 minutes and then serve with lashings of individual choice, brandy butter, brandy cream, double cream or custard.

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