Christmas Pudding
Photo: Matt Riggott from Edinburgh, Scotland, CC BY-SA 2.0
This Sussex Christmas pudding comes from a family recipe used every year for more than 50 years, and thought to be largely unchanged since the late nineteenth century. It packs three kinds of dried fruit, almonds, lemon and fresh nutmeg into a suet-based mixture that steams for seven hours. Because it keeps so well, you can make it ahead, and many households save one for a celebration later in the year.
Instructions
Put all the ingredients into a large bowl and stir them thoroughly until the fruit, suet, crumbs and spices are evenly distributed through the wet mixture.
Spoon the batter into two pudding basins. Cover each with a cloth or a piece of buttered greaseproof paper and tie it down tightly with string.
Steam the puddings for 7 hours. Let them cool completely, then store them somewhere cool until Christmas Day.
To serve, steam each pudding again for 2 hours until heated through. A pressure cooker will shorten both steaming times.
If you cannot find suet, melted butter works well in its place. Melt it in a saucepan or the microwave and pour it into the bowl with the other ingredients.
Turn the pudding out of its basin and top it with a sprig of holly. Douse it in brandy, set it alight and bring it to the table flaming. Serve with brandy butter, cream or custard.
Make it personal.
Custom engraved cutting boards, utensils, and kitchen accessories. Great gifts for anyone who cooks.
Shop Custom Chef →Affiliate link · PicksByRecipe may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
