Rich Christmas Fruit Pudding Recipes

CHRISTMAS PUDDING

Steps:

• Grease a 1.5 litre pudding bowl with butter.
• Destone your dates, then, by hand or in a food processor, finely chop the flesh with the apricots, pecans, ginger and rosemary leaves. Place it all in a mixing bowl with the cranberries, raisins, suet, flour, breadcrumbs and milk. Crack in the egg, finely grate in the clementine zest, squeeze in the juice and mix it all together really well.
• Tip the mixture into the greased bowl and cover with a single layer of greaseproof paper and a double layer of tin foil. Tie a piece of string around the bowl to secure them in place and make it watertight, then sit it in a large, deep saucepan and pour in enough water to come halfway up the sides of the bowl.
• Bring the water to the boil, cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid, and reduce to a simmer for 4 hours. Check the water regularly, and keep topping it up with boiling water, if needed.
• When the time's up, lift out the bowl, remove the foil and paper, then carefully turn the pudding out on to a plate ready to serve, or leave to cool and reheat just before you need it.
• You can either drizzle it with golden syrup and a swig of Bourbon - gorgeous - or be a bit more flamboyant and gently heat a good few swigs of Bourbon just to warm it, then strike a match to the pan (stand back!), let it flame, and carefully pour it over your pudding.
• Present it to your guests and sing some Christmassy songs, then when the flame subsides drizzle with golden syrup. Serve with cream, custard or even ice cream.

RICH CHRISTMAS FRUIT PUDDING

Steps:

• Chop fruit medley, raisins, figs and cherries. Combine in a large bowl with sultanas and currants, pour over brandy and mix well. Cover and stand overnight.
• Grease an 8 cup (2 litre) pudding basin and line the base with a small circle of baking paper.
• Beat butter and sugar until smooth and creamy (use electric mixer). Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in marmalade.
• Sift flour, spices and bicarb soda together. Fold into butter mixture with breadcrumbs, soaked fruit, nuts and choc bits.
• Spoon mixture into prepared pudding basin and smooth the top. Cover basin with baking paper and secure tightly with string. Cover with foil or basin lid. (If using foil, tie more string under the rim to secure, and then make a string handle over the top to make removal from pan easier).
• Place pudding basin on a trivet or upturned saucer in a large saucepan with enough boiling water to come halfway up the side of the basin. Cover pan and simmer for 4 hours - add more boiling water as necessary to maintain the water level.
• Remove basin from pan and cool. Cover and refrigerate pudding in the basin.
• Reheat (using same method as Step 6) for 2 hours. Turn onto a serving plate. Gently warm 1/4 cup brandy in a small saucepan. Using a long match, ignite brandy and CAREFULLY pour over the pudding.
• Alternatively, you can reheat individual slices in the microwave - a bonus if it's stinking hot or space on your stove-top is at a premium!

MUM'S CHRISTMAS PUDDING

Steps:

• Soak fruit in rum overnight.
• Add spices, tea and rinds to fruit mixture.
• Cream butter and sugar, beat eggs and add alternately with flours to butter, sugar mixture then add breadcrumbs.
• Grease a large pudding basin well, fill basin with pudding leaving a little room at top for expansion and cover with double sheet of greaseproof paper well greased then clip on lid, it should fit tightly.
• Steam pudding for 4-5 hrs in large boiler (very large saucepan), with a saucer placed underneath basin, fill with boiling water to come half way up basin - keep adding boiling water as it evaporates. If you put a lid on boiler, don't cover completely, leave space for steam to escape.
• Reheat on Christmas Eve in crockpot 12-14 hrs on low, place upturned saucer under basin, start about 11pm to midnight so it will be ready by lunchtime for Christmas Dinner.
• Take pudding out of basin and serve pudding on a platter with a sprig of holly (artificial) on top and a bowl of hot custard or brandy custard alongside.

AUNT CAROLINE'S CHRISTMAS PUDDING

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix together the suet and 1 cup brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the carrot, potato, egg, salt and vanilla. Mix in enough buttermilk to make a loose batter. Sift 1/2 cup of flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg into a separate bowl. Stir into the carrot mixture just until blended. Fold in the raisins, currants, cherries and mixed fruit.
• Grease the inside of two wide mouth pint jars. Divide the mixture evenly between the two jars filling about 3/4 full. Cover with lids, but only screw the rings on enough so they don't fall off. The cake will need to expand while cooking. Place a rack or trivet in the bottom of a large pot to keep the jars off of the bottom. Fill the pot with enough water to come halfway up the sides of the jars. Cover the pot with a lid and bring the water to a boil.
• Steam the pudding for 3 hours. Carefully remove the jars and adjust the lids and screw on the rings. Allow to cool to room temperature. The lids should snap down to seal as they cool. Allow the pudding to age for a few weeks before serving.
• Before serving, make the sauce: In a small saucepan, stir together 1/2 cup brown sugar, salt and 1 tablespoon of flour until there are no lumps. Stir in the water and bring to a boil. Simmer over medium heat until thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Serve the pudding warm, or slice and fry in butter before spooning the sauce over the top.