Christmas pudding is a delicious pudding to make on special occasions like birthdays ,Christmas or for special guests etc.It is made by the combination of ingredients like apple,raisins,flour,breadcrumbs,cherries,apricots nutmeg etc.
Recipe
Ingredients To Prepare Christmas Pudding
Cooking Time: 5-6 hours plus reheating each pudding serves 4-6 The most famous pudding of all is the traditional Christmas pudding rich and dark with fruits.A Christmas pudding is one of the recipes that is known and enjoyed in many parts of the world.
| Ingredients | Metric/Imperial or American |
| Plain (all purpose ) flour soft breadcrumbs ground cinnamon ground or grated nutmeg ground all spice dark moist brown sugar shredded suet glace (candied) cherries chopped uncooked dried apricots,chopped uncooked dried prunes,chopped currants sultanas (golden raisins) raisins,de-seeded almonds,blanched and finely chopped medium carrot, grated medium cooking (baking),apple, grated mixed crystallized (candied),peel, chopped grated lemon rind grated orange rind lemon juice orange juice black treacle (molasses) beer or stout brandy or sherry eggs | 50 g/2 oz or 1/2 cup in American 100 g/4 oz or 2 cups in American 1/2 teaspoon or 1/2 teaspoon in American 1/2 teaspoon or 1/2 teaspoon in Ameri can 1/2 teaspoon or 1/2 teaspoon in American 100 g/4 oz or 2/3 cup in American 100 g/4 oz or generous 3/4 cup in American 75 g/3 oz or 1/2 cup in American 75 g/3 oz or 1/2 1/2 cups in American 75 g/3 oz or 1/2 cups in American 175 g/6 oz or 1 cup in American 175 g/6 oz or 1 cup in American 350 g/12 oz or 2 cups in American 100 g/4 oz or 1 cup in American 1 or 1 in American 1 or 1 in American 100 g/4 oz or 2/3 cups in American 1 teaspoon or 1 teaspoon in American 1 teaspoon or 1 teaspoon in American 1 tbsp or 1 tbsp in American 1 tbsp or 1 tbsp in American 1 tbsp or 1 tbsp in American 150 ml/ ¼ pint or 2/3 cup in American 1 tbsp or 1 tbsp in American 2 or 2 in American |
Method To Prepare This Christmas Pudding
Mix all the ingredients together and allow to stand in the bowl overnight.Cover the bowl to keep the mixture moist.Standing for some hours improves the flavor of the pudding.Grease two 1.5 liter/2 ½ pint (6 ¼ cup) ovenproof basins (bowls) and spoon in the mixture.If you like a pudding that slices perfectly ,press the ingredients together very firmly.For a lighter crumbly pudding ,pack the ingredients less tightly.leave at least a 2.5 cm/1 inch space at the top of the basin because although a Christmas pudding does not rise like a light pudding,it swells in cooking.
Cover the pudding with well greased grease proof (waxed) paper and foil.Put a central pleat in both covers. So the pudding will not split the covering.
Steam each pudding over the boiling water for 5 to 6 hours and allow about 1 to 1 ½ hours in a pressure cooker.Follow the manufacturers instructions as to the settings to use.If you have no steamer stand the basin on an upturned saucer tin in a saucepan of water,so the water comes only half way up the basin .Keep the water boiling steadily and always top up the pan with boiling water. When the puddings are cooked remove the damp covers at once . When cold cover with fresh dry grease proof (waxed) paper and foil .Store in a cool dry place away from the stem from cooking in the kitchen.
On Christmas day steam the pudding for 2 hours.Serve with cream or custard sauce,or brandy butter or rum butter ( recipe is given below)
note: This pudding keeps for months or several years if stored carefully .It can be frozen but the flavor will not mature as well.
Rum Butter
This Splendid flavored butter is a rival to brandy butter to serve with Christmas pudding; it is so much part of the Cumberland scene that it is made or bought to serve with bread , on plain cakes or in sponges, in pancakes etc.The butter keeps almost indefinitely if sealed down well, so a good quantity can be prepared at one time
Recipe
Ingredients
No Cooking Serves 6
| Ingredients | Metric/Imperial or American |
| Butter preferably unsalted Demerara or moist light brown sugar Ground cinnamon Grated nutmeg Rum | 100 g/4 oz or ½ cup in American 175 g/6 oz or 1 cup in American pinch or pinch in American pinch or pinch in American 2 tbsp or to taste or 3 tbsp or to taste in American |
Method To Prepare Rum Butter
Cream the butter until very soft and light.Gradually beat in the sugar.The choice of sugar makes a great deal of difference to both flavor and texture- for Demerara gives a somewhat gritty taste, whereas a light moist brown sugar produces a much smoother texture.Do not choose the dark brown moist sugar for this is too strong in flavor. The amount of sugar depends upon whether a softer and less sweet butter is required.Add the spices and gradually beat in the rum; do this slowly so there is no fear for the mixture curdling.Put into attractive pots and cover well