The secret to a good Christmas pudding lies as much in the time it is allowed to mature as the mixture.
Enjoy with our signature brandy butter, a dollop of whipped cream or Cointreau & orange butter.
Makes 4 x 450g puddings
Ingredients
450g sultanas
450g currants
450g raisins
110g glacé cherries (halved )
450g brown sugar
275g breadcrumbs
275g self-raising flour
2 teaspoons mixed spice
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
225g nibbed almonds
110g mixed peel (whole peel chopped )
350g butter, melted
6 eggs
Grated zest and juice of 2 oranges
1 small can of Guinness
A little milk (optional )
2 tablespoons of whiskey
Make
Wash the sultanas, currants, raisins and cherries. Place the sugar, breadcrumbs, flour, spices, almonds and mixed peel in a large bowl and mix well. Melt the butter and beat the eggs lightly. Add the butter, eggs, orange juice and zest and the Guinness to the dry mix and stir thoroughly. If the mixture seems a little dry, moisten with milk.
Spoon into four 450g pudding bowls and cover with a lid. If using Delph bowls, place a double piece of parchment paper over the bowl, followed by a double piece of tin foil and tie down with a string. Steam for 4-5 hours, and then leave the pudding to go cold. Remove the lid and wash it. Spray the pudding with whiskey and cover with the clean lid.
On Christmas Day, place the pudding in a pot on a raised metal tray (like a large cutter ) and pour in enough boiling water to reach 2/3 up the side of the pudding basin. Simmer over a gentle heat for 1.5 hours making sure it does not boil dry.
To Serve
Serve with softly whipped cream or Cointreau and orange butter
Cointreau and Orange Recipe
Ingredients:
225g unsalted butter
400g icing sugar
Juice of ½ orange
Zest of 3 oranges
2 tbsp Grand Marnier or Cointreau
To make
Beat the butter and icing sugar together until they are soft and fluffy. Add the orange juice, orange zest and the Grand Marnier or Cointreau and beat again until they are well blended.
