Plum Pudding
There aren't even any plums in this recipe! From what I've read, it's called plum pudding because it used to be made with plums (and/or prunes) back in medieval times. Over the centuries, however, the plums were gradually replaced with raisins, which is how the puddings were made in the Victorian era. I found a number of plum pudding recipes, many of which called for ingredients I couldn't identify (like sultanas -- what are those?). I chose this recipe to put on the site because it was easier than most.
Most of the cooking sites I consulted all said the same thing Elizabeth says in her diary -- not the part about hanging it up in a bag, exactly, but that you should make your plum pudding well in advance of Christmas. What I wrote in the diary was true, that it's traditionally started on the fifth Sunday before Christmas (the start of Advent, in other words) and stirred once a week. Plum puddings, like all steamed puddings, are best when allowed to "mature." You can make the pudding the night before Christmas if you want, but it won't be "mature." Having not tried either mature or immature plum pudding, I can't speak to what the difference in taste is, but if any of my English friends can clue me in, I'd love to hear all about it -- especially as none of the sites explained exactly where you're supposed to keep the pudding while it matures. Maybe it does still get hung up in a bag...
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 4 slices day-old bread, cut into cubes
- 6 ounces ground suet*
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup brandy
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups raisins
- 1 cup currants
- � cup chopped walnuts**
- � cup chopped candied orange peel
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- � teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
Soak the bread cubes in the milk for a few minutes in a large bowl. Stir in the suet, sugar, eggs, brandy and vanilla and mix thoroughly. In a very large bowl, sift the flour, soda, salt and spices together. Work the raisins, currants, nuts and orange peel into the flour mixture. Pour the bread mixture into the flour mixture, and stir well until blended.
Pour the pudding into a greased two-quart mold. Cover the mold completely with aluminum foil and tie it firmly closed with string. Place the mold on a rack inside a deep pot or dutch oven. Add two inches of boiling water to the pot and cover tightly. Steam for 3� hours, adding more boiling water as needed. Remove the mold from the pot and cool for 20 minutes. Unmold the pudding onto a serving plate and garnish, if desired. Splash a healthy dollop of brandy over the finished pudding and set it alight before serving; the fire will go out naturally once all the alcohol has burned off.
* But Lady Norbert, I hear you asking, what in the world is suet? Isn't that something I put in my bird feeder? I know someone out there is asking this, because that was my own question exactly. Suet is the hard fat located around the kidneys and loins in beef and mutton -- and yes, it is frequently used in wild bird food. In the case of recipes intended for human consumption, your best bet is to call a butcher and specially request the suet.
Alternatively, if the people eating the pudding are vegetarians (or if the idea of using suet just plain grosses you out), there is a kind of vegetable suet available that will work just as well; from what I've read, the taste of the pudding doesn't change at all, and it makes the dessert a bit healthier for you. However, the vegetable suet may be a bit tricky to find in some areas. One place I've found where it can be ordered online is Alexander Essentials.
** If you or anyone on your guest list are allergic to nuts, you can omit the walnuts from the recipe. It really won't hurt the pudding at all.
Return to the main recipe page.