xmaspudding

Christmas Plum Pudding

This Christmas plum pudding can be made and served the same day; no "aging" is required! For purposes of convenience, we usually make it a day or two ahead and store in the refrigerator. Freeze for longer storage; perhaps cut into serving size pieces prior to freezing.

Plum pudding does not contain any plums, but it is based on mediæval receipts. Perhaps raisins were referred to as plums, or perhaps dried plums (prunes) were used.

Do not try to substitute the suet with shortening, lard, margarine, etc. or the product will turn out heavy and greasy. The suet melts later on in the cooking process and leaves little holes or cavities; thereby giving a lighter product.

**Ingredients**
(This is scaled down from an institutional receipt. Many thanks to Alyssa Sewell.)
1 cup Demerara brown sugar 1 oz butter (weigh on scale; or 2 Tbsp) ¹/₂ cup all purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda 4 oz dry bread crumbs (weigh; or 2 cups) 1 ¹/₄ tsp salt 1 ¹/₄ tsp cinnamon ¹/₂ tsp allspice		¹/₈ tsp ginger 9 oz raisins (weigh; or 1 ²/₃ cups) 4 oz currants (weigh; or ³/₄ cup) 8 oz cut mixed candied peel (weigh; 1 ¹/₂ cup) 4 oz very finely chopped suet (weigh) 8 oz minced carrot (weigh; or 2 cups) 8 oz minced potato (weigh; or 1 ¹/₂ cups) ³/₄ cup milk + ¹/₂ tsp vinegar

**Directions**
Cream together sugar and butter, then mix in the rest of the ingredients in order. Spread in a 9 X 13 inch pan, cover tightly with aluminium foil, and put on a rack in a second covered pan or big roaster. Add hot water and "steam" for 3 hours at 300ºF. Make sure the inner pan with the pudding actually remains in water. Water will likely have to be added. To re-heat, cut serving size pieces, and warm in a covered dish or pan at 300ºF to 350ºF for a half hour.	Utensils Used
Uncooked Pudding in 9 X 13 Pan	Ready for the Oven

**Christmas Pudding Sauce**
Many people prefer butter creamed with a little rum, and some prefer this butter-rum mixture fluffed up with beaten egg whites; but I prefer an old fashioned brown sugar sauce because that is the way my grandmother, Margueretta Lumley, served it. Unfortunately, I don’t have Nan's original receipt; but this is how Mrs. Mather made the sauce. Mrs. Mather was the best housekeeper we ever had.		1 cup dark brown sugar 1 ¹/₂ Tbsp corn starch 1 cup water 2 Tbsp butter 1 tsp vanilla extract Mix together sugar, starch and water. Bring to a boil stirring constantly and cook a minute or so until thickened. Add butter and vanilla and serve hot over Christmas Plum Pudding.

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