Christmas Pudding

Thank you

Gourmet Food Revolution from Gary Rhodes book New British Classics

Makes

3 x 900g puddings

Ingredients

• 225 g (8 oz) plain flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 225 g (8 oz) fresh white breadcrumbs

• 225 g (8 oz) shredded suet

• 100 g (4 oz) ground almonds

• 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) soft dark brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon ground mixed spice

• ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg

• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

• 175 g (6 oz) stoned prunes

• 175 g (6 oz) carrots, peeled

• 750 g (1¾ lb) mixed currants, sultanas and raisins

• 50 g (2 oz) chopped mixed peel

• 2 apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped

• Juice and grated zest of 1 orange

• Juice and grated zest of 1 lemon

• 5 eggs

• 100–150 ml (4–5 fl oz) rum

• 4 tablespoons black treacle

• 4 tablespoons golden syrup

• 300 ml (½ pint) stout

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour & baking powder. Add the breadcrumbs, suet, ground almonds, soft dark brown sugar and spices. Mix the dry ingredients together.

2. Add the chopped prunes, grated carrots, dried fruit, mixed peel, apples and lemon & orange zest. Mix well.

3. Beat the eggs together and stir into the dry ingredients along with the lemon & orange juices, rum, treacle, golden syrup and stout. Stir really well to mix all the ingredients together.

4. The mixture should now have a fairly sloppy consistency. If it needs more liquid, add a little more stout or rum. Then taste it and if necessary, add more spices to liven it up.

5. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and refrigerate for up to one week to allow the mix to mature.

This Christmas Pudding recipe will yield 3 puddings. To cook them, you will need 3, 2lb/900g pudding basins, buttered and lightly dusted with flour.

1. Divide the mix between the 3 pudding basins. Lay a ring of greaseproof paper over the top of each and cover with baking parchment or foil making a fold which leaves room for the pudding to rise. Tie each basin around the top with string. (See: How to Steam a Pudding)

2. Steam over boiling water for 6 hours being careful to check that the water doesn't boil dry - top up with boiling water from a kettle as required.

3. Leave to cool completely. Then remove the old baking parchment or foil and rewrap with fresh as before, using string to tie it off.

4. Store in a cool and dry place until Christmas Day.

To serve on Christmas Day, the puddings will require a further 1 ½ to 2 hours of steaming.