Christmas Pudding
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
- 1½ cups dried currants
- 1½ cups golden raisins
- heaping 1 cup chopped candied citrus peel
- heaping ½ cup slivered, blanched almonds
- 1 cup shredded beef suet
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp freshly-grated nutmeg
- 1½ cups plain breadcrumbs
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 tbsp brandy
Special Equipment
- canning pot or stockpot w/ lid
- 6-8 cup glass bowl or pudding basin
- culinary torch or matches (optional)
How-to
Mix Dry Ingredients
- Put raisins, currants, almonds & mixed citrus peel into a large bowl
- Add suet, mixing to combine
- Sift or whisk flour, mixed spice, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt into fruit mixture. Mix well
- Add breadcrumbs and mix
Mix Wet Ingredients
- In a separate bowl, beat brown sugar, baking powder, eggs, lemon zest, milk, and brandy together
- Add to fruit mixture, mixing thoroughly to combine
Cover & Steam
- Spoon mixture into a well-greased six-cup-capacity pudding basin
- Cover with wax or parchment paper. Secure with string or rubber band, leaving a loop to lift out pudding when cooked. (If you have a canning pot with an insert that can lift out the pudding, you don't need to create the loops with the string.)
- Place a trivet or old saucer in the bottom of a large stock pot half filled with simmering water
- Carefully lower pudding into pot making sure the water comes two-thirds of the way up the sides of the basin but does not touch the pudding
- Cover and let steam for 5 hours, making sure water is constantly bubbling. Check water level from time to time. Remove from pot and let come to room temperature