A Christmas Classic: Plum Pudding

In half a minute Mrs. Cratchit entered--flushed, but smiling proudly--with the pudding, like a speckled cannon-ball, so hard and firm, blazing in half of half-a-quartern of ignited brandy, and bedight with Christmas holly stuck into the top.

--Charles Dickens, “A Christmas Carol”

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To the British, all sweets, whether pies, tarts, creams, trifles, fools and jellies, are known as pudding (as in the question “What’s for pudding?”).

The earliest English puddings were not even sweet. They were a sort of sausage (like the French boudin ) prepared with offal or game and cooked in a bag made from an animal’s stomach. Later, a piece of cloth or a bowl with a suet crust became the cooking vessels for the savory puddings.

Gradually the meat was “extended” with fat and grain products. Sugar began to be used as an ingredient in the mid-1600s, when it became more readily available and less expensive. By the beginning of the 18th Century, pudding typically meant a dish based on sugar, flour and suet, often with fruit, spices and eggs added--Christmas (or plum) pudding being a good example.

There are many variations of this traditional holiday dessert, which often are passed down from generation to generation. The English make their puddings anywhere from three months to a year in advance, but we found the following recipe enjoyable even the day it was prepared.

Though not a must, a pudding mold is handy for making the dessert. This time of year they’re available at many cookware stores.

If you don’t already own a mold or don’t want to go to the expense of buying one, a large, heavy bowl may be substituted. Use a sheet of heavy-duty foil, greased well on the side placed toward the pudding, as a lid. Tie it tightly around the edge of the bowl with a string.

Whatever cooking vessel is used, generously grease the interior with shortening, then add a sprinkling of sugar (Step 1).

Combine the suet and fruit in a large bowl and use part of the flour to coat these ingredients (Step 2). After the liquid--beaten egg yolks, cream and brandy--is stirred in, bread crumbs, which help to make the pudding light, are added (Step 3).

Stiffly beaten egg whites are then folded in lightly (Step 4) before the mixture is spooned into the prepared mold (Step 5). Remember to fill no more than 2/3 full so the ingredients have room to expand during steaming. Press the mixture down gently, then place the lid on the mold (Step 6) and fasten the clamps.

The mold should be positioned on a trivet in a large kettle (Step 7) so the water can completely circulate during the steaming. Long, slow cooking is needed to melt the suet before the flour particles burst. If it cooks too fast, the finished pudding will be hard.

Once the steaming period ends, remove the mold, lift the lid and allow the pudding to rest long enough for the excess steam to escape. This step reduces the chance of the pudding cracking when it’s unmolded onto a serving platter.

For a finishing touch, heat brandy, carefully ignite and pour over the pudding (Step 8). Serve the dessert as soon as the flames die down.

STEAMED PLUM PUDDING

Butter

Granulated sugar

1 cup chopped suet

1/2 pound raisins

1/2 pound currants

1/4 pound chopped citron

1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground mace

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

3 eggs, separated

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons whipping cream

Brandy

1 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

Generously butter 2-quart mold. Sprinkle with sugar. Set aside.

Combine suet, raisins, currants and citron in large bowl. Stir in about 1/4 cup flour.

Combine remaining flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, mace, salt and brown sugar. Stir into suet mixture.

Beat egg yolks in small bowl. Add cream and 1/4 cup brandy. Stir into suet mixture along with bread crumbs.

Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold lightly into suet mixture. Spoon mixture into prepared mold, pressing down lightly.

Place lid on mold and clamp down tightly. Place mold on trivet in kettle. Add boiling water to within 1 inch of top of mold. Cover kettle and place over high heat until steam begins to escape. Reduce heat to low and steam 6 hours, adding boiling water as needed.

Lift mold from kettle. Remove lid and allow pudding to stand long enough for excess steam to vent. Unmold onto serving platter.

Heat 1/4 cup brandy in small saucepan. Ignite and pour over pudding just before serving. Makes 12 servings.

Ingredient Note : Suet is getting more difficult to find in large chain supermarkets, but can usually be purchased at butcher shops and smaller markets that trim their own meat.

Serving Note : If pudding is not served immediately, cool, sprinkle with brandy, wrap well and store in cool place. Before serving, return pudding to mold and steam 2 hours as already directed.

Each serving contains about:

280 calories; 239 mg sodium; 85 mg cholesterol; 10 grams fat; 43 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 1.07 grams fiber.