Christmas Pudding

So you ask how to make a Christmas Pudding? I will tell you. I got this lovely Christmas Pudding recipe from last years Woolworths Fresh magazine. It is a recipe by the doyen of Australian cooking Margaret Fulton.

It goes fast so make sure you get one of the first pieces. You don't want to go to all the trouble of making this Christmas Pudding and not end up getting any to eat!

Rich Christmas Pudding Recipe

250gm raisins
250gm sultanas
250gm currants
60gm mixed peel
125gm blanched almonds
¼ cup rum or brandy
250gm unsalted butter
1 ¼ cups brown sugar
4 free range eggs
1 cup plain flour
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground ginger
12gm soft white breadcrumbs
Grated rind of medium sized orange

Place all fruits and almonds in a large bowl. Sprinkle with rum or brandy and leave overnight.

Cream butter until soft add sugar and orange and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour and spices into a bowl and then fold into butter mixture. Stir in breadcrumbs and fruit mixture until well combined.

Grease 8 cup/2 litre pudding tin and line base with a circle of baking paper. Spoon in mixture. Cover top with another circle of baking paper.

Cover basin with a large sheet of baking paper with a pleat in the centre to allow for any rising. Tie firmly with string placing a plate on top of the bowl to hold the paper in place while doing this. Make a handle of string from side to side of the bowl latching onto the string around the whole and use to lower the pudding gently into a large saucepan of boiling water. If you have a pudding steamer with handles and a lid skip this step.

The water should come halfway up the side of the pudding basin. Cover and steam for 6 hours topping up each hour.

Put the pudding on a metal ring or old upturned saucer so pudding does not burn.

To flame warm a tablespoon of rum or brandy, light and pour over pudding at the table. Serve with custard.