Old Fashioned Plum Pudding And Hard Sauce Recipes

SUPERB ENGLISH PLUM PUDDING

Steps:

• Blend the fruits, citron, peel, spices and suet and place in a bowl or jar. Add 1/4 cup cognac, cover tightly and refrigerate for 4 days, adding 1/4 cup cognac each day.
• Soak the bread crumbs in milk and sherry or port. Combine the well-beaten eggs and sugar. Blend with the fruit mixture. Add salt and mix thoroughly. Put the pudding in buttered bowls or tins, filling them about 2/3 full. Cover with foil and tie it firmly. Steam for 6-7 hours. Uncover and place in a 250°F. oven for 30 minutes. Add a dash of cognac to each pudding, cover with foil and keep in a cool place.
• To use, steam again for 2-3 hours and unmold. Sprinkle with sugar; add heated cognac. Ignite and bring to the table. Serve with hard sauce or cognac sauce.

PLUM PUDDING SAUCE

Steps:

• In a small saucepan over medium heat combine margarine, sugar and the egg. Pour in milk and cook until mixture begins to bubble; be careful not to scald. Stir in flour and vanilla; mix well and serve.

STEAMED PLUM PUDDING

Steps:

• Generously grease bottom and side of 4-cup heatproof mold. In large bowl, pour milk over bread crumbs. Stir in shortening and molasses until well mixed. Stir in remaining pudding ingredients until well blended. Pour into mold. Cover with foil.
• Place mold on rack in Dutch oven. Pour in boiling water up to level of rack. Cover and heat to boiling. Keep water boiling over low heat about 3 hours or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. (If adding water during steaming is necessary, uncover and quickly add boiling water.)
• In 1 1/2-quart saucepan, mix all sauce ingredients. Cook over low heat 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Unmold pudding; cut into slices. Serve warm with sauce.

NANA'S TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS STEAMED PLUM PUDDING WITH HARD SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine the molasses, butter, milk, and eggs in a mixing bowl. Next, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves in a large mixing bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 additions. Toss candied fruit and raisins lightly with flour to prevent sinking and add to batter. Stir in brandy.
• Pour into a greased and sugared steam pudding mold and place on a rack in a large covered pot with water that comes halfway up the sides of the mold. Cover and steam for 2 hours, checking occasionally to make sure water hasn't boiled out. Let cool for 5 minutes on a rack before turning out. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with a sprig of holly and Hard Sauce.
• Beat all ingredients together until very well combined. Serve with pudding.

HARD SAUCE

Steps:

• Put ingredients in a food processor and mix until smooth and creamy. Put sauce in tightly covered jar. Refrigerate.
• Remove from refrigerator at least 1 hour before serving.

HARD SAUCE FOR BREAD PUDDING AND OTHER DESSERTS

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• With a standing or hand-held mixer , beat the softened butter until creamy.
• Add the powdered sugar and mix while scraping the sides of the bowl, so the sugar and butter come together evenly.
• Add the vanilla extract, brandy, rum, or whiskey, and spices.
• Mix, scraping the sides again, to combine.
• Spoon the sauce into a bowl.
• Serve immediately and enjoy.