Christmas Pudding
Christmas pudding takes a lot of time to cook, but the method couldn't be simpler. Just put everything into a bowl and give it a really good stir. Don’t forget to get everyone in the family to stir the mix three times and make a wish. Much like my Christmas cake, I like the addition of red wine and whiskey into this to create more character and depth. You can make this any time on the run up to Christmas, but I recommend around 3 months ahead to give the pudding chance to mature for the maximum amount of flavour. The pudding will serve about 8 people (it is very rich!)
Method
First, if you haven’t already you need to prepare your fruit. Put all the fruit ingredients into a large bowl, give it a good stir, cover with cling film and let it sit for a couple of days. Once it has finished soaking discard the cinnamon stick, star anise and slice orange and lemon. If you come across any cloves remove them too, but don’t worry too much. The long soaking and long cooking will soften them.
Find the biggest mixing bowl you have and put your prepared fruit, plus all the remaining cake ingredients into it and give it a really good stir until everything is combined.
Lightly grease your pudding basin and spoon as the mixture into it as possible.
I use a plastic pudding basin with a lid, but if yours doesn’t have a lid you should cover it with a layer of folded parchment paper, using an elastic band to create a secure seal. Finish off with a folded layer of tin foil, again secured with another elastic band. The folds will help create room as the pudding rises.
Place the basin into a steamer, or if you do not have one place a small saucer into the bottom of a large saucepan and place the pudding on top of that. Fill the saucepan halfway up the pudding basin with boiling water, put on a lid, and place onto the hob on a low simmer.
Steam the pudding for 8 hours, checking the water in the steamer or saucepan regularly to ensure it does not boil dry.
Once steamed, let it get stone cold. You should then either give the lid a quick wash and replace, or replace your parchment paper and tin foil with a fresh selection. The pudding can then be stored in a cool, dark place until Christmas Day.
On Christmas Day, steam the pudding in the same way for 2 1/2 hours, slide a knife around the pudding and turn out onto a plate to serve.
Ingredients
Fruit
110g sultanas
110g raisins
275g currants
50g prunes, roughly chopped
25g dried cranberries
25g candied mixed peel
1 glass red wine
1 shot amaretto
1 shot whiskey or bourbon
1/2 orange, sliced
1/2 lemon, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
3-4 cloves.
Pudding
110g shredded suet
25g whole almonds chopped (skin on is ok)
1 small cooking apple cored and grated (no need to peel)
1 small carrot, grated (no need to peel)
grated zest 1 large orange
grated zest 1 large lemon
100ml stout
2 large eggs
50g self-raising flour, sifted
110g fresh, white breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon ground mixed spice
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
225g soft dark brown sugar
You will also need one 1.2 litre pudding basin.
Top tips
Soaking the fruit in spices and alcohol is the key to a rich, dark pudding. But if you do not wish to use alcohol you can cover the fruit, orange and lemon, and spices with warm water and let it sit for 2-3 hours until the fruit is plump. Discard the spices, lemon, and orange just like in the recipe, and drain the fruit in a sieve to remove any leftover water.
It won’t have the sane flavour, but the fruit will be plump and juicy.
You can also replace the stout with a non-alcoholic version.
Puddings made without alcohol do not keep as well as the alcohol helps keep them moist and preserve them. If you are not using alcohol I recommend making this just 2 weeks in advance. Alternatively it will freeze really well, just defrost it overnight at room temperature.
