INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

I made this pudding three or four years running as the main dessert at a
Christmas buffet for 40 to 60 people back in the days when my husband and I
were young, foolish, and doing a lot of entertaining.
To serve this pudding, someone would darken the room lights for me and then
I would bring in the flaming pudding. It never failed to add a bit of drama
to the party. I usually served two different sauces, always including the
traditional brandy butter.
I have included the recipe as it exists in Gastronomique, only indicating
the substitutions I made where absolutely necessary.
Source: Larousse Gastronomique (1961), the first English translation of
Propser Montagne's Encyclopedia of Food, Wine, and Cookery first published
in France in 1938.
A sweet which is served in England and the United States at Christmas time
and called Christmas Pudding.
Ingredients (for a pudding to serve 15 to 20 persons):
Method: Remove all skin and fiber from the suet and chop it finely. The
chopping is rendered much easier if the suet is sprinkled with a third of
the flour indicated.
Other preliminary operations are as follows: stone the raisins, and pick
over the currents and sultanas carefully. The sultanas and currents can
easily be cleaned by rubbing them in a cloth with a tablespoon or two of
flour - in addition to the flour allowed above - and then washing them.
The prunes, after being stoned, should be chopped with a knife or put
through a mincer. (This addition of prunes to the plum pudding is optional.
We advise it, nevertheless, as apart from their good flavor, the prunes
also give the pudding mixture a richer, darker color.) The apples should be
peeled and grated or chopped.
The candied citron and orange peel should be cut in minute dice. The
almonds are blanched and chopped.
The orange and lemon peel is grated as usual and the juice is pressed out
and strained through a muslin bag.
Mixing of Ingredients:
Put the suet and all the rest of the above ingredients, except the eggs,
into a big basin. (The eggs are added shortly before the pudding is put on
to cook. Stir until mixture is smooth, then add a quarter of the rum
indicated above.
Cover the basin with a cloth and leave it in a cool place.
Stir the mixture every day, adding a few tablespoons of rum each time. (The
mixture can be left to stand for a fortnight and longer before the plum
pudding is cooked. In England this preparation is done at least a month
before Christmas.) (See note 3).
Moistening the plum pudding:
On the last day, that is to say a little while before cooking the pudding,
add the eggs. Stir the pudding to ensure perfect blending. If the mixture
is too thick and difficult to stir, soften it a little by adding a few
tablespoons of milk or -more strictly in conformity with the English
tradition - with stout.
continued in part 2

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