CHRISMAS PLUM PUDDING

By: Tamasin Day-Lewis From: Tamasin's Great British Classics 

Ingredients

 

200 g plain flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp mace

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground allspice

200 g sultanas

200 g raisins

200 g currants

225 g pitted ready-to-eat Agen prunes

225 g dried apricots

225 g stoned dates

450 g molasses sugar

110 g shelled Brazil nuts, chopped

110 g almonds

200 g brown breadcrumbs

2 crisp eating apples

1 large carrot, peeled and grated

170 g beef or vegetarian suet, or substitute melted butter

6 eggs, beaten

3-4 tbsp milk

1 orange, juice and grated zest

60 ml Somerset cider brandy, or cognac

300 ml Guinness

Method

1. Lightly butter 3 x 600ml pudding basins.

2. Sift the flour into a very large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and beat, until everything is thoroughly combined. The mixture should have a dropping consistency.

3. Fill the pudding basins to just over three-quarters full. Cover with a pleated layer of greaseproof paper and put a pleated layer of foil on top; this will allow the pudding to rise. Tie securely with kitchen string.

4. Place the puddings in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan or casserole dish on a trivet or layer of foil. You may need to use more than one saucepan. Fill the pan with boiling water, to reach halfway up the sides of the puddings. Cover with a lid and bring to the boil. Cook at a gentle simmer for 6 - 7 hours, topping up with water every couple of hours if you need to.

5. Take the puddings out of the water, remove the foil and greaseproof and leave to cool. Cover the puddings with fresh greaseproof and foil and store until ready to use. If you have made the puddings in advance, they may be fed with extra brandy through skewer holes.

6. Before serving on Christmas Day, the puddings should be steamed for a further 2-3 hours