Historical Recipe Christmas Pudding

HISTORICAL RECIPE: CHRISTMAS PUDDING

Steps:

• Cream butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add in raisins, carrot, potato and egg. Stir in flour and baking soda.
• Grease 2 small glass bowls or one large bowl. Fill with pudding. Leave about an inch between the top of the pudding and the top of the bowl to give it room to rise.
• Cover the bowl with a piece of parchment, followed by a piece of tin foil, secured with string. My grandmother used a clean piece of muslin instead of the parchment.
• The pudding can be steamed in a double boiler, or you can place the pudding in a large pot, placing the pudding bowl on a small ramekin or mason jar ring to keep it off the bottom of the pot. Pour water in the bottom to no more than 1/3 of the way up the sides of the bowl.
• Steam the pudding for 2 - 3 hours, or until a toothpick comes out clean. My small puddings are usually done at 2 hours, with a large pudding taking the full three. Add additional hot water to your pot as necessary to keep your pot from boiling dry.
• Turn the pudding out onto a plate and serve hot with brown sugar sauce.
• Brown Sugar Sauce Instructions
• Melt butter in a saucepan. Whisk in brown sugar and continue to stir constantly until boiling. Boil for two minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in milk and vanilla. Return to the heat and stir constantly until the mixture once again comes to the boil. Thin with more milk or cream if necessary. Serve warm.

BRITISH CHRISTMAS PUDDING

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Place the dried fruit, candied peel, apple, and orange and lemon zests and juices 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.
• Lightly butter a 2 1/2 pint pudding basin.
• In a very large mixing bowl, stir the flour, mixed spice, and cinnamon together. Add the suet, sugar, breadcrumbs, and almonds, and stir again until all the ingredients are well mixed. Add the marinated dried fruits and stir again.
• In a small bowl, beat the eggs lightly, then stir quickly into the dry ingredients. The mixture should have a fairly soft consistency.
• Spoon the mixture into the greased pudding basin, gently pressing the mixture down with the back of a spoon. Cover with a double layer of greaseproof paper or baking parchment, then a layer of aluminum foil. Tie securely with string, wrapping the string around the basin, then loop over the top and then around the bowl again. This will form a handle, which will be useful when removing the pudding from the steamer.
• Set a steamer over a saucepan of simmering water, place the pudding in the steamer, 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 dark brown color when cooked.
• Remove the pudding from the steamer and cool completely. Remove the paper, prick the pudding with a skewer in a few places, and pour in a little extra brandy.
• Cover with fresh greaseproof paper and retie with string.
• Store for at least 4 to 5 weeks in a cool, dry place until Christmas Day. On Christmas Day, reheat the pudding by steaming again for about an hour. Enjoy!

THE OLD MANOR HOUSE TRADITIONAL VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS PUDDING

Steps:

• Mix all the dried fruit together, and then add the citrus peel, flaked almonds, spices, ground almonds and salt - blend thoroughly.
• Work in the breadcrumbs, sugar and softened butter, mixing well.
• Stir the beaten eggs into the mixture and then gradually add the brandy or rum and the stout. Mix thoroughly until a soft dropping consistency has been achieved.
• Butter two large (2 pint) pudding bowls and spoon half the mixture into each bowl - smoothing down the surface slightly.
• Cover with greaseproof paper and muslin pudding cloths or aluminum foil, and tie them down around the rims, making a loop for a handle to lift the pudding basins out of the steamer later!
• Boil the puddings in an open pan or in a steamer for 6 hours - making sure that the water is topped up when necessary.
• You can also steam these puddings in a pressure cooker - please follow your manufacturer's instructions.
• Remove the greaseproof paper, cloths/ aluminum foil and cover with fresh greaseproof paper and a clean pudding cloth or foil.
• Store in a cool place for up to 2 months, although I have kept these puddings for nearly a year!
• On Christmas day, boil or steam for a further 4 hours.
• To flame the puddings: Turn out the puddings onto a plate. Heat up a tablespoon or two of brandy in a small saucepan until it is warm but NOT boiling, and then pour the hot brandy into a ladle - take the pudding to the table with the ladle and light the ladle with a match - BE CAREFUL! Pour the burning brandy over the pudding and remember to turn the lights out for maximum ooohs and ahhhhs!
• Serve with Brandy Butter, Rum Sauce, Custard or Cream. Don't forget the sprig of holly too!
• Each pudding serves 6 to 8 people.