INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Put the mixture into special basins, greased with butter and sprinkled with
flour. If no such pudding basins are available, wrap the mixture in
buttered, floured cloths (previously scalded). (See note 4)
Cooking the plum pudding:
Put the pudding into a big saucepan of boiling water. Boil for at least 6
hours.
To serve:
Remove the pudding from the saucepan and leave to stand for a few minutes
before turning out. Remove the cloth and turn out the pudding on to a round
dish.
Sprinkle the pudding with tiny pieces of sugar. Heat some rum; pour the rum
over the pudding and set it alight when ready to serve.
There are other variants of serving plum pudding. It can be set alight with
kirsch, brandy or whisky; it can be served with rum-flavored Zabaglione or
with hot custard.
In England it is often served with Brandy Butter, which is prepared as
follows:
Heat a bowl and put into it 3/4 cup (200 grams) of butter. Beat the butter
to turn it into a paste, adding to it a tablespoon of castor (fine) sugar
and 1/4 cup (half a deciliter) of brandy. Whisk vigorously to make the
mixture frothy. This butter is served cold.
Note:
The making of plum pudding is simple and easy. This sweet (dessert), which
is one of the most nourishing dishes, has the advantage that it can be made
well in advance and keeps for a long time. Thus one can have an excellent
sweet course ready in reserve.
My Notes: :)
1. Malaga raisins are made from a grape grown in Spain and previously used
to make a sweet wine. I did not search high and low for malaga raisins. I
simply used golden raisins in place of the malagas and regular dark raisins
in place of the sultanas. Did it change the taste of the pudding? That I
cannot tell you as I have never had it any other way! Perhaps some of our
English list members would know.
2. For "best currents", I presume that regular dried currents work just as
well. At least that is what I used.
3. I started the pudding 6 weeks before party day. I left it on an unheated
enclosed porch where the temperature did not get much above 50 during the
day. I also made sure the cloth covering the pudding was well secured.
Obviously, this is not a dish one decides to serve at the last minute!
:)
4. Not having "special pudding basins", I wrapped the pudding mixture in
dish towels (scalded, buttered and floured), and then placed the bundle in
enameled pans with sloping sides. The pans were then placed inside a much
larger container of boiling water. I think I used to use the dark blue
enamel turkey roasters (remember those?) for the water baths.
5. It is very rich and a little goes a long way and so I did not find it
necessary to double or triple the recipe.
I realize it is much much too late to prepare this version of Traditional
Plum Pudding for this Christmas. However, if the thought of making a
dramatic entrance at your next year's Christmas party appeals to you, hang
on to this recipe and give it a try!
Posted to Bakery-Shoppe Digest V1 #448 by S J F Brocaar <acesjfb@shore.net>
on Dec 11, 1997

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