Stir up the Pudding...
The Book of Common Prayer provides a Collect (weekly prayer) for the Sunday prior to Advent commencing "Stir up, we beseech thee O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people...". English and other people influenced by Anglican culture viewed this as a whimsical exhortation to get various Christmas-related batters on the go.
My grandmother would have made the Christmas pudding and cake before now, given the value a previous generation placed on the maturing of flavours that took place in those concoctions over the weeks before Christmas. I've never felt quite comfortable about the effects of that level of preparedness in the warmth of a southern December, I must admit, but in any case the pace of life tends to mean the pudding is made only somewhat closer to the feast.
For nearly 25 years or so I have used a recipe found in Best Ever Recipes, one of a series of supermarket check-out recipe books published by the Australian Women's Weekly. My well-thumbed copy has no publication date, but it goes back to the early 80s at least. What follows is adapted from that version. The preparation itself is not too onerous - the only real challenges lie in cooking the thing. Make sure you have a large (2 litre+) pudding basin, or heat-proof bowl and a saucepan or stock pot big enough for it to sit in, and plenty of time. Even if you've missed the week before Advent, you need to do this a day before.
Ingredients
625g (1 1/4lbs) dried fruit (primarily sultanas [raisins to US readers], with some currants etc. as available)
125g (4oz) dates, seeded and chopped roughly
1 cup water
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
125g butter or margarine
1 tsp bicarb (baking) soda
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsps baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon or mixed spice
2 Tbps whisky
Method
Prepare a large pot, placing an upturned saucer or small plate in the bottom (to prevent the pudding being heated directly) and partly filling with hot water (test the level by placing your pudding bowl or basin into the water; the water should come more than half way up the sides). Grease the inside of the bowl/basin well.
Combine fruits, sugar, water, salt and butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, for five minutes. Turn off heat and immediately add baking soda; the mixture will froth considerably. Leave to cool. Meanwhile sift flour, baking powder and spices. Beat eggs lightly with whisky. When fruit mixture is lukewarm, add eggs, stir to combine, then add the flour and mix well.
Two other traditions are worth mentioning here. First, it's desirable to have everyone in the household stir the pudding, at least a bit (clockwise, strictly speaking). Second, if you want to include a coin or charm at this point for someone to find later, it's traditional if no longer recommended by health professionals. Make it an old real silver item though, none of this modern cupro-nickel currency or you'll be poisoned before you can break a tooth or choke.
Spoon into the basin, and cover the top with a double-thickness of alumin(i)um foil, the layer facing the batter well-buttered. crimp foil tightly around the edge of the bowl. To steam, lower into the pot that has been partially filled with water, bring to a low boil then maintain it at a simmer for 3-4 hours. Store in the fridge, and on the day of serving steam an additional hour.
Serving
Peel back the foil, cover the pudding with a large plate and carefully invert. The pudding may appear on the plate when the bowl is lifted without further ado. A gentle shake or at worst the intervention of a knife or spatula will effect the rest if needed. Stick a sprig of holly on top if you have one.
To serve, it is traditional to flame the pudding; have a few Tablespoons of whisky or an equivalent warmed in a jug, pour over the pudding and immediately light it. The blue flames flickering around the pudding are enhanced if you turn down the lights.
Cut wedges and serve with one or more of custard, ice-cream, hard sauce or cream.
For nearly 25 years or so I have used a recipe found in Best Ever Recipes, one of a series of supermarket check-out recipe books published by the Australian Women's Weekly. My well-thumbed copy has no publication date, but it goes back to the early 80s at least. What follows is adapted from that version. The preparation itself is not too onerous - the only real challenges lie in cooking the thing. Make sure you have a large (2 litre+) pudding basin, or heat-proof bowl and a saucepan or stock pot big enough for it to sit in, and plenty of time. Even if you've missed the week before Advent, you need to do this a day before.
Ingredients
625g (1 1/4lbs) dried fruit (primarily sultanas [raisins to US readers], with some currants etc. as available)
125g (4oz) dates, seeded and chopped roughly
1 cup water
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
125g butter or margarine
1 tsp bicarb (baking) soda
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsps baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon or mixed spice
2 Tbps whisky
Method
Prepare a large pot, placing an upturned saucer or small plate in the bottom (to prevent the pudding being heated directly) and partly filling with hot water (test the level by placing your pudding bowl or basin into the water; the water should come more than half way up the sides). Grease the inside of the bowl/basin well.
Combine fruits, sugar, water, salt and butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, for five minutes. Turn off heat and immediately add baking soda; the mixture will froth considerably. Leave to cool. Meanwhile sift flour, baking powder and spices. Beat eggs lightly with whisky. When fruit mixture is lukewarm, add eggs, stir to combine, then add the flour and mix well.
Two other traditions are worth mentioning here. First, it's desirable to have everyone in the household stir the pudding, at least a bit (clockwise, strictly speaking). Second, if you want to include a coin or charm at this point for someone to find later, it's traditional if no longer recommended by health professionals. Make it an old real silver item though, none of this modern cupro-nickel currency or you'll be poisoned before you can break a tooth or choke.
Spoon into the basin, and cover the top with a double-thickness of alumin(i)um foil, the layer facing the batter well-buttered. crimp foil tightly around the edge of the bowl. To steam, lower into the pot that has been partially filled with water, bring to a low boil then maintain it at a simmer for 3-4 hours. Store in the fridge, and on the day of serving steam an additional hour.
Serving
Peel back the foil, cover the pudding with a large plate and carefully invert. The pudding may appear on the plate when the bowl is lifted without further ado. A gentle shake or at worst the intervention of a knife or spatula will effect the rest if needed. Stick a sprig of holly on top if you have one.
To serve, it is traditional to flame the pudding; have a few Tablespoons of whisky or an equivalent warmed in a jug, pour over the pudding and immediately light it. The blue flames flickering around the pudding are enhanced if you turn down the lights.
Cut wedges and serve with one or more of custard, ice-cream, hard sauce or cream.
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