Christmas Pudding II
Christmas pudding is a dessert served typically around the Christmas festive period and on Christmas day in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries such as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Canada. Outside of this festive period, it is known as a plum pudding which can have further recipe variations as well.
- Prep
- 42 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 38 min
- Total
- 2 hr 20 min
- Servings
- As written in source
- Difficulty
- Medium
Timings are approximate — worked out from the method, not measured in a test kitchen.
Ingredients
Quantities are retained as written by the source and do not scale automatically. Tap an ingredient to check it off as you go.
Cooking instructions
Procedure
Mix all ingredients together, stirring well to combine.
Procedure
Divide batter between 2 pudding basins. Cover with cloths or buttered greaseproof paper, tied tightly in place with string.
Procedure
Steam for 7 hours, then cool and keep until Christmas Day.
Procedure
To prepare for serving, steam for 2 hours. Times can be reduced by using a pressure cooker.
Notes, tips, and variations
Suet can be difficult to find in some countries, like the USA. Butter is an excellent substitute. To incorporate the butter in the mixture, melt it in a microwave or saucepan, and pour into your mixing bowl.
Notes, tips, and variations
It was common practice to include small silver coins in the pudding mixture, which could be kept by the person whose serving included them. The usual choice was a silver 3d piece (the threepence), or a sixpence. However this practice fell away once real silver coins were not available, as it was believed that alloy coins would taint the pudding.
Notes, tips, and variations
Once turned out of its basin, the Christmas pudding is traditionally decorated with a spray of holly, then dowsed in brandy, flamed, and brought to the table ceremonially, where it should be greeted with a round of applause. It is best eaten with brandy butter, cream (lemon cream is excellent), or custard. Christmas puddings keep very well, and many families keep one back from Christmas to be eaten at another celebration later in the year.
Photo: Matt Riggott from Edinburgh, Scotland · CC BY-SA 2.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0 · Photo source and licence
Wikibooks contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · Adapted; quantities retained as written. · Original source
Read it through first
Skim all 7 steps before you start — it is the difference between cooking and firefighting.
Scale it
Use the quantities listed in the original recipe. Adjust them manually if making a different batch size.
Storage
Cool completely, then keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat gently with a splash of water in a covered pan, rather than blasting it, so nothing dries out.
Approximate values per serving. Worked out from the ingredient list — treat them as a guide, not a measurement.
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