If you do an online search, you'll find many recipes. Any 'plum pudding' is essentially the same thing; 'Christmas' pudding is just a bit more fancy, maybe. (I've never actually compared them one to one.) For the traditionalist, the go-to is Mrs. Beeton's historical recipes. A very ordinary family recipe that's interesting for the sake of novelty is
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If you do an online search, you'll find many recipes. Any 'plum pudding' is essentially the same thing; 'Christmas' pudding is just a bit more fancy, maybe. (I've never actually compared them one to one.) For the traditionalist, the go-to is Mrs. Beeton's historical recipes. A very ordinary family recipe that's interesting for the sake of novelty is <a href="http://pudding.denyer.net/george-orwells-pudding-recipe.html"George Orwell's</a>.
My own recipe, which I'm still developing, is a story of my family, with ingredients reflecting various influences from our history. Besides traditional English ingredients (and at least one secret ingredient reflecting our much older Bavarian history, as well as the pre-British Continental history of pudding), there are pecans (my mother was from the South and I was born in New Orleans), and several New England ingredients not found in most traditional English recipes (such as blueberry). Ingredients are sourced locally as much as possible. One must come from my father's garden. (Except this year, due to crop failure.)
Everyone must stir the pudding -- once clockwise, while making a wish for the coming year. Then it is cooked and cured. Pudding is very dense and can't withstand baking, so it is instead traditionally steamed for several hours. The modern innovation of slow cookers is an improvement, but most recipes still call for steaming.
Follow specific instructions in whatever recipe you use, but generally it is cured in a cool dark place for at least several weeks. During this time it darkens, almost to black. The traditional cycle is to steam it on Stir-up Sunday. (In the Anglican calendar, the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The Episcopalian calendar moved this, but for the pudding's sake, stick to the original.)
Some families follow a one-year instead of one-month cycle, which I've been told makes for a superior pudding. (Only the English would recommend storing cooked food for a year to make it better.) I expect to experiment with this this year, for the first time. I don't know for a fact, but I've read that pudding is good for up to two years.
It's traditionally served rewarmed and 'tipped out' on a heavy plate of suitable size. If served for Christmas, it was often served with a holly sprig in the middle. It may be set afire, if you like, but I think this might historically be more of a New Year's tradition. (Many families serve it for New Year's instead, which actually makes sense, as it's a full month after Stir-up Sunday while Christmas is not.) To do this, pour brandy about the base and light. In a heavy dish, it will go out on its own shortly.
The preferred dressing is 'hard sauce'. You can buy this in stores, or make it very easily from any of many very similar recipes. I usually make a basic 'brandy butter' sauce in sufficient quantity to last for several months, for other things. (As near as I can tell, it's shelf-stable forever, but I won't be responsible.)
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Date: 2010-12-08 06:21 pm (UTC)My own recipe, which I'm still developing, is a story of my family, with ingredients reflecting various influences from our history. Besides traditional English ingredients (and at least one secret ingredient reflecting our much older Bavarian history, as well as the pre-British Continental history of pudding), there are pecans (my mother was from the South and I was born in New Orleans), and several New England ingredients not found in most traditional English recipes (such as blueberry). Ingredients are sourced locally as much as possible. One must come from my father's garden. (Except this year, due to crop failure.)
Everyone must stir the pudding -- once clockwise, while making a wish for the coming year. Then it is cooked and cured. Pudding is very dense and can't withstand baking, so it is instead traditionally steamed for several hours. The modern innovation of slow cookers is an improvement, but most recipes still call for steaming.
Follow specific instructions in whatever recipe you use, but generally it is cured in a cool dark place for at least several weeks. During this time it darkens, almost to black. The traditional cycle is to steam it on Stir-up Sunday. (In the Anglican calendar, the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The Episcopalian calendar moved this, but for the pudding's sake, stick to the original.)
Some families follow a one-year instead of one-month cycle, which I've been told makes for a superior pudding. (Only the English would recommend storing cooked food for a year to make it better.) I expect to experiment with this this year, for the first time. I don't know for a fact, but I've read that pudding is good for up to two years.
It's traditionally served rewarmed and 'tipped out' on a heavy plate of suitable size. If served for Christmas, it was often served with a holly sprig in the middle. It may be set afire, if you like, but I think this might historically be more of a New Year's tradition. (Many families serve it for New Year's instead, which actually makes sense, as it's a full month after Stir-up Sunday while Christmas is not.) To do this, pour brandy about the base and light. In a heavy dish, it will go out on its own shortly.
The preferred dressing is 'hard sauce'. You can buy this in stores, or make it very easily from any of many very similar recipes. I usually make a basic 'brandy butter' sauce in sufficient quantity to last for several months, for other things. (As near as I can tell, it's shelf-stable forever, but I won't be responsible.)