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

  1. Put raisins, currants, almonds & mixed citrus peel into a large bowl
  2. Add suet, mixing to combine
  3. Sift  or whisk flour, mixed spice, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt into fruit mixture. Mix well
  4. Add breadcrumbs and mix

Mix Wet Ingredients

  1. In a separate bowl, beat brown sugar, baking powder, eggs, lemon zest, milk, and brandy together
  2. Add to fruit mixture, mixing thoroughly to combine

Cover & Steam

  1. Spoon mixture into a well-greased six-cup-capacity pudding basin
  2. 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.)
  3. Place a trivet or old saucer in the bottom of a large stock pot half filled with simmering water
  4. 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
  5. 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