Celebrate the holidays like the British by adding this plum pudding to your dessert table.
By Chrissy Barua
Plum pudding is the dessert of Charles Dickens, fairy tales and nursery rhymes, but have you ever had it? A traditional English pudding, it’s not something that we traditionally see here stateside, nor does it look like what we’d consider pudding. Steamed rather than baked, this sweet, fruitcake-like dessert would be a great addition to any holiday table, whatever side of the pond.
Plum Pudding
Chrissy Barua for SEEN Serves 8-10
INGREDIENTS
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ pound suet, grated
½ pound dried cherries
½ pound raisins
½ pound dried cranberries
2 tablespoon ground almonds
½ grated Granny Smith apple
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ lemon rind, grated
½ orange rind, grated
3 ounce mixed peel
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ grated whole nutmeg
1/4 cup brandy
SAUCE INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons brandy
2 tablespoons heavy cream
whipped cream, to serve
DIRECTIONS
Grease a 1-pound mold (Bundt pan, heat-proof bowl or, as our family does it, 1-pound coffee cans) with butter or shortening. Set aside.
To a large pot, add a cooling rack and add about 3 inches of water. Turn up and bring to a boil.
In a large bowl, add all the dried fruit, suet, spices, orange peel, lemon peel, apple, breadcrumbs, almonds, baking powder and 1/4 cup flour. Mix, add the brandy and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Gently fold in the remaining flour until well combined, making sure it is not over-mixed. Fold this mixture into the fruit mixture until the whole thing is well combined and thoroughly coated.
Chrissy Barua for SEEN Add the batter to the molds, cover with cheesecloth and again with a seal of aluminum foil. Place on the rack in the pot (do not put the molds directly on the bottom of the pot), and steam for approximately 4 hours, keeping the water at a gentle boil, until a tester comes out clean. Unmold onto a serving platter.
Just before serving, make the sauce. In a small saucepan, add the butter, and brown sugar and let cook until slightly melted. Add the cream and brandy and mix until well combined.
Serve the pudding warm with the sauce and whipped cream, as desired.
Chrissy Barua is the author of her food and travel blog “The Hungary Buddha Eats the World,” a global culinary journey she started over six years ago in an attempt to make everyday food as interesting as the food she eats on her travels. She collects recipes from anywhere she can find: in-flight magazines, newspapers, books or, if she’s lucky, a grandmother willing to share a family secret. In real life, she’s an attorney based in Ann Arbor and spends her days supporting the basic sciences at the University of Michigan. She moonlights as a recipe developer for various online sources and is always dreaming of where to take her next vacation. Follow her antics on Instagram @thehungarybuddha, and check out her website thehungarybuddha.com for recipes, tips, tricks and travel adventures.
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