Oh! Merry Christmas I'm about to make the plum pudding. This is one of my favourite
recipes from Eliza Acton's 'Modern Cookery'. I have quite a few of her
recipes in my cookbook because, well, she's very, very good. I understand she was the
first person to call plum pudding Christmas pudding. For this recipe
you will need:
Flour
Breadcrumbs
Suet
Raisins
Currants
Apple
Sugar
Candied peel
Mixed spice
Salt
Brandy
And eggs.
To my bowl of flour I shall add all the dry ingredients: suet, raisins, currants
the sugar, apple, a little spice, and some candied peel.
Plum pudding is eaten in country houses like this throughout the autumn and winter months
but as it's Christmas Day, this plum pudding will be 'Christmas pudding' and Mr. Lincoln the
butler will pour over hot brandy and set light to it when it's served.
Oh, I better add the wet ingredients: the eggs and the brandy.
Now to choose the mould.
I've lined my mould with butter and I'm now going to put in the mix making sure
it gets right down to the bottom.
Now using a wet cloth that has been well floured, I'm going to lay it on top leaving a fold so it has room to rise.
And now I'm going to steam it, putting the water just about half way up the mould.
You can of course boil your plum pudding in a cloth for that traditional
cannonball shape, or steam it in a plain mould but that's not very imaginative.
You can then steam it for about four hours, but it is quite forgiving so if
it's a little longer don't worry. Just don't let it boil dry.
Now the pudding is ready it's time to turn it out.
As this is Christmas Day, I'm going to decorate it with some holly.
There we are. Christmas pudding.