Ultimate Christmas Pudding
Yields: 8-10 servings
Ingredients:
1¼ cups Zante currants
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup roughly chopped pitted prunes
¾ cup Pedro Ximenez sherry
⅔ cup all-purpose flour
2⅓ cups fresh breadcrumbs
14 tablespoons coarsely grated vegetable shortening (freeze overnight to make it easier to grate)
¾ cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking powder
grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
3 large eggs
1 medium apple (peeled and grated)
2 tablespoons honey
½ cup vodka (to flame the pudding)
Directions:
You will need a 1.7 litre/3 pint/1½ quart heatproof plastic pudding basin with a lid, and also a sprig of holly to decorate.
Put the currants, sultanas, and scissored prunes into a bowl with the Pedro Ximénez, swill the bowl a bit, then cover with clingfilm and leave to steep overnight or for up to 1 week.
When the fruits have had their steeping time, put a large pan of water on to boil, or heat some water in a conventional steamer, and butter your heatproof plastic pudding basin (or basins), remembering to grease the lid, too. For instructions on using a pressure cooker, see the additional information section below.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all the remaining pudding ingredients (except the vodka), either in the traditional manner or just any old how; your chosen method of stirring, and who does it, probably won’t affect the outcome of your wishes or your Christmas.
Add the steeped fruits, scraping in every last drop of liquor with a rubber spatula, and mix to combine thoroughly, then fold in cola-cleaned coins or heirloom charms. If you are at all frightened about choking-induced fatalities at the table, do leave out the hardware.
Scrape and press the mixture into the prepared pudding basin, squish it down, and put on the lid. Then wrap with a layer of foil (probably not necessary, but I do it as I once had a lid-popping and water-entering experience when steaming a pudding) so that the basin is watertight, then either put the basin in the pan of boiling water (to come halfway up the basin) or in the top of a lidded steamer (this size of basin happens to fit perfectly in the top of my all-purpose pot) and steam for 5 hours, checking now and again that the water hasn’t bubbled away.
When it’s had its 5 hours, remove gingerly (you don’t want to burn yourself) and, when manageable, unwrap the foil, and put the pudding in its basin somewhere out of the way in the kitchen or, if you’re lucky enough, a larder, until Christmas Day.
On the big day, rewrap the pudding (still in its basin) in foil and steam again, this time for 3 hours. Eight hours combined cooking time might seem a faff, but it’s not as if you need to do anything to it in that time.
To serve, remove from the pan or steamer, take off the lid, put a plate on top, turn it upside down, and give the plastic basin a little squeeze to help unmould the pudding. Then remove the basin — and voilà, the Massively Matriarchal Mono Mammary is revealed. (Did I forget to mention the Freudian lure of the pudding beyond its pagan and Christian heritage?)
Put the sprig of holly on top of the dark, mutely gleaming pudding, then heat the vodka in a small pan (I use my diddy copper butter-melting pan) and the minute it’s hot, but before it boils — you don’t want the alcohol to burn off before you attempt to flambé it — turn off the heat, strike a match, stand back and light the pan of vodka, then pour the flaming vodka over the pudding and take it as fast as you safely can to your guests. If it feels less dangerous to you (I am a liability and you might well be wiser not to follow my devil-may-care instructions), pour the hot vodka over the pudding and then light the pudding. In either case, don’t worry if the holly catches alight; I have never known it to be anything but singed.
Serve with the Eggnog Cream, which you can easily make — it’s the work of undemanding moments — while the pudding’s steaming.
Additional Information:
If you do want to use an Instant Pot or a pressure cooker then you should put the pudding batter into the prepared pudding basin, put a circle of baking parchment (parchment paper) on top, and then wrap the basin tightly in a double layer of clingfilm (plastic wrap) and a layer of foil, sealing each layer tightly. Don’t use a clip-on lid as this will pop off when cooking under pressure. It is best to steam the pudding in a conventional way for 20 minutes first, as this activates the baking powder and gives a slightly lighter pudding.
Once the pudding has had its initial steaming, put it on a trivet in the pressure cooker and add water to come 2cm/1 inch up the sides of the basin. Close the valve and cook under high pressure for 2 hours. Use natural release to reduce the pressure to a safe level before opening the cooker and removing the pudding. Let the pudding cool and once cold remove the wrapping and baking parchment, replace with fresh baking parchment, and wrap again with a double layer of fresh clingfilm and a layer of foil, sealing each layer tightly.
Store in a cool, dry place. To reheat the pudding, put it back on a trivet in the pressure cooker, add enough water to come 2cm/1 inch up the sides of the basin, and cook under full pressure for 40 minutes. If you have an Instant Pot then you can use the “keep warm” function afterward to keep the pudding warm until you are ready to serve it.
Although I stipulate a capacious 1.7 litre/3 pint/1½ quart basin, and cannot extol the utter gloriousness of this pud too much, I know that you’re unlikely to get through most of it, even half of it, at one sitting. But I like the grand, pride-instilling size of this, plus it’s wonderful on following days, microwaved in portions after or between meals, with leftover Eggnog Cream, or fried in butter and eaten with vanilla ice cream for completely off-the-chart, midnight-munchy feasts.
But it wouldn’t be out of the question — and it would certainly be in the spirit of the season — to make up the entire quantity of mixture, and share between smaller basins — a 2 pint/1 quart one for you, a 1 pint/½ quart one to give away. Three hours’ steaming both first and second time around should do it; just keep the one pudding for yourself, and give the other to a friend, after it’s had its first steaming, and is cool, with the steaming instructions for Christmas Day.
MAKE AHEAD:
Make the Christmas pudding up to 6 weeks ahead. Keep in a cool, dark place, then proceed as recipe on Christmas Day.
FREEZE AHEAD:
Make and freeze the Christmas pudding for up to 1 year ahead. Thaw overnight at room temperature and proceed as recipe on Christmas Day.
If you prefer to reheat your pudding in a microwave on Christmas Day then make sure that you don’t put any coins or metal charms in the pudding. Steam the pudding for 8 hours then cool and store it. To reheat in a microwave (for an 800W oven), loosen the lid of the basin slightly or wrap the basin in clingfilm/plastic wrap and poke a couple of holes in the top (do not put any foil in the microwave). Microwave on full power for 4 minutes, stand for 3 minutes, microwave on low for 7 minutes, and stand for 5 minutes. This should be enough to warm the pudding through but check by inserting a metal skewer into the centre of the pudding and then very carefully touch the end of the skewer on your wrist. The tip should feel hot. If it is not hot then microwave on full power for 1 minute, stand for 1 minute, and check again. Repeat until the pudding is piping hot all the way to the center. Foods should only be reheated once, so we do not advise reheating leftovers
Recipe courtesy of Nigella.com