Christmas Pudding Recipes

I admit I don't know much about Christmas pudding. I was looking at my recipes and trying to come up with some kind of custard that would fit my version of what pudding is. I do know that the American way of doing things and British methods are entirely different. This was coming across as a distinctly British dish. When I figured that out my life became much easier. In order to find out more about Christmas Pudding I went online and "googled" it. The first website that popped up is www.englishteastore.com and ta da---the information I was seeking.

This is what they have to say about it: Christmas pudding, also known as plum pudding (because of the abundance of prunes), originated in England. It is traditionally made five weeks before Christmas, on or after the Sunday before Advent. That day was often deemed "Stir-up Sunday," and each family member or child in the household gave the pudding a stir and made a wish.

The rich and heavy pudding is boiled or steamed, made of a heavy mixture of fresh or dried fruit, nuts and sometimes suet, a raw beef or mutton fat. Vegetarian suet may also be used for a lighter taste. The pudding is very dark, almost black, and is saturated with brandy, dark beer, or other alcohols. The puddings used to be boiled in a "pudding cloth," but today they are usually made in basins.

Many households stirred silver coins (for wealth), tiny wishbones (for good luck), a silver thimble (for thrift), a ring (for marriage), or an anchor (for safe harbor) into the mixture, and when served, whoever got the lucky serving, would be able to keep the charm. When silver coins were not as readily available, the practice ended because people feared putting alloy coins in their pudding. Today small token coins and other objects are made just for this use.

After the pudding has been steamed, it is kept in a cool dry place for several weeks or longer. It will need steamed for a few more hours on the day it is served. There are different ways Christmas pudding is served. Some decorate it with a spray of holly, douse it in brandy or set it on fire. Many families present the pudding in the dark or bring it to the table ceremoniously, where it is met with a round of applause.

Christmas pudding is eaten with brandy butter, rum butter, hard sauce, cream, custard or with a caster sugar. Families sometimes save one pudding for another holiday, like Easter, or even the next Christmas. Many argue that this takes away from the flavor, but that a good pudding will keep that long.

While some still prefer home cooked puddings, ready-made and cooked puddings are now available. Higher quality shops do offer Christmas pudding comparable to homemade. Store bought puddings make great gifts for far-away family members and friends without the hours of work and preparation.

Now that you have the history involved with it---I present you with recipes for homemade Christmas pudding:

Christmas Pudding: Ingredients--1/2 cup chopped apple; 1/2 cup chopped suet; 1/2 cup molasses; 2 eggs, well beaten; 1/2 cup milk; 2 cups sifted flour; 1/4 cups chopped figs, 1/2 cup raisins; 1/2 cup currants; 1/4 cup chopped citron; 1/4 cup quartered candied cherries; 1 tbsp chopped candied orange peel; 1/4 cup chopped almonds; 2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp cinnamon; 1/4 tsp allspice; 1/2 tsp nutmeg. Directions: Combine apple, suet, molasses, eggs and milk. Sift flour once; measure. Mix 1/2 cup flour with fruit and nuts. Combine remaining flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices and sift again. Add to molasses mixture. Add fruit. Turn into well greased molds, filling them 2/3 full. Cover tightly. Steam 3 hours. Serve hot with hard sauce. Hard Sauce: 1 cup sugar; 2 tablespoons cornstarch; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 2 cups boiling water; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/4 cup butter. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Gradually stir in water until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 15 minutes until smooth, thickened and clear. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla and butter. Serve warm with pudding.

Holiday Plum Pudding: Ingredients--12 eggs, slightly beaten; 6 cups brown sugar; 12 cups fresh bread crumbs; 6 cups milk; 6 cups finely ground suet; 1 1/2 cups orange juice; 2 tbsp vanilla; 6 cups flour; 6 tsp baking soda; 3 tsp salt; 4 tbsp cinnamon; 3 lb raisins; 4 lbs chopped dates; 2 lbs candied fruit; 3 cups chopped nuts. Directions: Grease fifteen 1 pound coffee cans. Line the bottoms with waxed paper and grease again. Blend eggs and brown sugar. Add bread crumbs and beat well with mixer. Blend in milk, suet, orange juice and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients and spices together. Sift over fruits and nuts; mix well. Fold into bread crumb mixture. Divide evenly into coffee, filling each about 2/3 full. Cover with metal cans in large canner and steam for 1 hour. Unmold from cans evenly. Sauce: 1 tbsp flour; 1 cup sugar; 1 egg, well beaten; 2 tbsp margarine; 1 cup milk. Mix flour and sugar. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook in a double boiler until thickened. Serve with pudding.

Plum Pudding: Ingredients--1 cup suet; 1 cup raisins; 1/2 cup sugar; 2 cups milk; 2 eggs, slightly beaten; Molasses; 2 rounded tsp baking powder; 5 1/8 cups flour; spices to taste. Directions: Combine the first six ingredients, using 3/8 cup molasses. Mix well. Sift the baking powder with the flour; add spices. Add to the first mixture. Mixture should be very thick. Pour onto lightly floured cloth. Gather up edges and tie with string. Leave enough room for pudding to expand about 1/2 its size. Drop into rapidly boiling water; cover. Boil for 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes. Turn out on plate and serve with hard sauce or any favorite sauce.

Plum Pudding: Ingredients--4 cups flour; 4 tsp baking powder; 1/4 tsp each ginger and nutmeg; 1 tsp cinnamon; 1/2 tsp cloves; 2 tsp salt; 2 cups sugar; 1 cup walnuts; 2 cups grated or ground suet; 1/2 to 1 cup mixed or candied fruit peel; 2 cups raisins; 4 eggs, slightly beaten; 1/4 cup molasses; 1 1/3 cups milk. Directions: Sift flour, baking powder, spices and salt into a large bowl. Add sugar, nuts, suet, fruit and raisins; stir to combine. Stir in eggs, molasses and milk. Spoon into well greased 2 quart mold or casserole. Cover with tight lid or foil. Place on rack in large steamer or kettle. Add boiling water to height of 2 inches in steamer; cover. Steam for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until pudding springs back when lightly touched in the center. Serve hot, cut into slices, with lemon or hard caramel sauce.

What is suet? I found that at en.wikipedia.org--

Suet (/ˈsuː.ɪt/) is raw beef or muttonfat, especially the hard fat found around the loins and kidneys.
Suet has a melting point of between 45° and 50°C. (113° and 122°F.), and congeals between 37° and 40°C. (98.6° and 104°F). Its low melting point means that it is solid at room temperature but easily melts at moderate temperatures, such as in steaming.

The primary use of suet is to make tallow, although it is also used as an ingredient in cooking. Suet is made into tallow in a process called rendering, which involves melting and extended simmering, followed by straining, cooling and usually a repetition of the entire process.
Unlike tallow, suet that is not pre-packed requires refrigeration in order to be stored for extended periods.

Suet is essential in traditional English steamed puddings, and in the pastry for steak and kidney pudding, in which a pudding bowl is lined with the suet crust pastry, the meat added and a lid of suet crust tightly seals the meat. The pudding is then steamed for approximately four hours before serving in the bowl on the table. Suet pastry is soft in contrast to the crispness of shortcrust pastry.