Best English Christmas Puddings Recipes
AUTHENTIC CHRISTMAS PUDDING (FIGGY PUDDING)
Also known as Plum Pudding and Christmas Pudding, this Figgy Pudding is the perfect make-ahead dessert as the flavors only get better over time. A household favorite for centuries, no traditional Christmas is complete without a Christmas Pudding!
Provided by Kimberly Killebrew
Categories Dessert
Time 8h25m
Number Of Ingredients 22
Steps:
- Place the raisins, sultanas, currants, almonds, and candied citrus peel in a bowl. Pour the brandy over and stir to combine the mixture. Cover and let sit overnight to allow the brandy to fully penetrate the fruit.
- The next day, place the breadcrumbs, flour, baking powder, brown sugar, and spices in a bowl and stir to combine.In another bowl add the soaked dried fruit mixture, grated apple, black treacle, suet, lemon and orange zest, and egg. Stir to combine.Add the dry mixture to the fruit mixture and stir to thoroughly combine it. It will be thick and sticky.Generously butter your pudding mold (2 liter/3.5 pints mold) and scoop the batter into the mold, pressing down and smoothing the top.Cut a circle out of parchment paper the same diameter as the top of the pudding mold. Lightly butter the paper and place it, butter side down, on top of the batter. Next tear off two more pieces of parchment paper large enough to cover the to of the pudding mold and partially down the sides of the mold. If your pudding mold is small and the batter comes to the top of it, fold a pleat in the center of the parchment papers to allow room for expansion as the pudding cooks. Trim off excess paper.Secure the paper by folding down the sides and tying securely with a string (to make it easier you can secure it first with a rubber band while you're tying it and then remove the rubber band).Note: If your mold comes with a lid as mine does, I still like to adda layer of parchment paper before securing the lid.Bring a large pot of water to a very low simmer. Place a folded cloth or trivet on the bottom of the pot to prevent the pudding mold from coming in direct contact with the pot in order to prevent scorching.Lower the pudding mold down into the water on top of the folded cloth. The water level should come up to the halfway point of the pudding mold. Cover the pot with the lid.Steam the pudding over very low heat for approximately 8 hours. Check periodically to ensure the water level is still at the halfway point and add more water as needed.The longer the pudding steams the darker in color it will become.
- When the pudding is done steaming, carefully lift out the pudding mold and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then invert the pudding on a plate. Let it sit until the pudding slides out onto the plate. Let the pudding cool completely.To store, remove the parchment paper and wrap the pudding with clean parchment paper followed by aluminum foil. Wrap tightly. Store it in a cool, dark place, preferably a basement. If you do not have a cool, dark environment in your home you can keep it in the fridge but make sure it is tightly wrapped in two layers of plastic wrap and some aluminum foil to prevent it from drying out. Follow these same guidelines along with placing the pudding in a ziplock freezer bag to freeze the pudding. When you're ready to serve the pudding you will need to reheat it either by re-steaming it for 30-60 minutes or until heated through or you can also microwave it in a microwave safe container to keep the moisture in.You can light the pudding on fire just before serving (see blog post section on how to light a pudding) and then serve with Hard Sauce (i.e., brandy butter) or powdered sugar, whipped cream, vanilla custard, ice cream, or lemon sauce.
THE ULTIMATE ENGLISH CHRISTMAS PUDDING
This may seem a lot of work but BOY is it worth it! Christmas Pudding is pure tradition and worth doing from scratch if only once, for first-time pudding makers this is foolproof! Make and cook the pudding 6-8 weeks before Christmas. Also as it does take a fair time to steam, make things easier for yourself by preparing the pudding up to the end of *** stage the day before. Keep the pudding in a cool place overnight, and steam as directed the next day. Cover the cold pudding with fresh greaseproof paper and foil and store in a cool place until Christmas. It is quite useful to use a see-through bowl for the pudding as you can then check the colour as it is cooking, the longer and slower the simmering the darker and richer the pudding will be.
Provided by Ozzy5223
Categories Dessert
Time 9h30m
Yield 8-10 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Lightly butter a 1.4-litre (21/2-pint) pudding basin.
- Cut a small square of foil and press into the base of the basin.
- Measure the sultanas, raisins, apricots and apple into a bowl with the orange juice.
- Add the measured brandy or rum and leave to marinate for about one hour.
- Put the measured butter, sugar and grated orange rind into a large bowl and cream together with a wooden spoon or a hand-held electric whisk until light and fluffy, gradually beat in the eggs, adding a little flour if the mixture starts to curdle.
- Sift together the flour and mixed spice, then fold into the creamed mixture with the breadcrumbs and the nuts.
- Add the dried fruits, apple and liquid and stir well.
- Spoon into the prepared pudding basin, pressing the mixture down, and level the top with the back of a spoon.
- Cover the pudding with a layer of greaseproof paper and foil, both pleated across the middle to allow for expansion.
- Tie securely with string and trim off excess paper and foil with scissors***.
- TO STEAM, put the pudding in the top of a steamer filled with simmering water, cover with a lid and steam for about eight hours, topping up the water as necessary.
- TO BOIL, put a metal jam-jar lid into the base of a large pan to act as a trivet. Put the pudding on to this and pour in enough boiling water to come one-third of the way up the bowl. Cover with a lid, bring the water back to the boil, then simmer for about seven hours, until the pudding is a glorious deep brown colour, topping up the water as necessary.
- Remove the pudding from the steamer or pan and cool completely.
- Make holes in the pudding with a fine skewer and pour in a little more brandy or rum to feed.
- Discard the paper and foil and replace with fresh. Store in a cool, dry place.
- On Christmas Day, steam or boil the pudding for about an hour to reheat. Turn the pudding on to a serving plate.
- To flame, warm 3-4 tablespoons brandy or rum in a small pan, pour it over the hot pudding and set light to it.
- Serve with Rum Sauce or Brandy Butter.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 475.4, Fat 13.5, SaturatedFat 5.8, Cholesterol 72.9, Sodium 308.6, Carbohydrate 75.1, Fiber 9.4, Sugar 14, Protein 7
THE OLD MANOR HOUSE TRADITIONAL VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS PUDDING
I discovered this recipe in an old Victorian scrapbook that I bought in a second hand book shop; the original recipe dates back to 1880, and was the prized Christmas Pudding recipe of the Cook at a Manor House in the North of England. I have made it many times and given smaller versions away as gifts to friends - the lovely thing about this pudding is that it IS fruity and boozy, but it is NOT heavy and stodgy, it is very light for a steamed pudding; this is due to the fact that the recipe does not use flour, but uses bread or cake crumbs instead. The traditional day to make your puddings for Christmas is "Stir-Up Sunday" which is the 5th Sunday before Christmas Day and the Sunday before Advent. You would even be reminded of the fact at the Sunday morning church service, as it was believed that puddings made on this day carried God's blessings to all who partook of it! I always put a lucky silver "sixpence - sixpenny piece" in my pudding - lucky silver charms are also used, and these can still be bought in the UK. Halve the quantities for one large pudding. Merry Christmas!
Provided by French Tart
Categories Dessert
Time 10h15m
Yield 2 Large Christmas Puddings, 12-16 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 17
Steps:
- Mix all the dried fruit together, and then add the citrus peel, flaked almonds, spices, ground almonds and salt - blend thoroughly.
- Work in the breadcrumbs, sugar and softened butter, mixing well.
- Stir the beaten eggs into the mixture and then gradually add the brandy or rum and the stout. Mix thoroughly until a soft dropping consistency has been achieved.
- Butter two large (2 pint) pudding bowls and spoon half the mixture into each bowl - smoothing down the surface slightly.
- Cover with greaseproof paper and muslin pudding cloths or aluminum foil, and tie them down around the rims, making a loop for a handle to lift the pudding basins out of the steamer later!
- Boil the puddings in an open pan or in a steamer for 6 hours - making sure that the water is topped up when necessary.
- You can also steam these puddings in a pressure cooker - please follow your manufacturer's instructions.
- Remove the greaseproof paper, cloths/ aluminum foil and cover with fresh greaseproof paper and a clean pudding cloth or foil.
- Store in a cool place for up to 2 months, although I have kept these puddings for nearly a year!
- On Christmas day, boil or steam for a further 4 hours.
- To flame the puddings: Turn out the puddings onto a plate. Heat up a tablespoon or two of brandy in a small saucepan until it is warm but NOT boiling, and then pour the hot brandy into a ladle - take the pudding to the table with the ladle and light the ladle with a match - BE CAREFUL! Pour the burning brandy over the pudding and remember to turn the lights out for maximum ooohs and ahhhhs!
- Serve with Brandy Butter, Rum Sauce, Custard or Cream. Don't forget the sprig of holly too!
- Each pudding serves 6 to 8 people.
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