Carrot Plum Pudding With Hard Sauce Food

CARROT PUDDING

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine carrots, potatoes, sugar, raisins, flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, all spice, and ground cloves. Transfer mixture to a clean 1 pound coffee can. Secure wax paper over the top and place the filled can in a large pot with 2 to 3 inches of water. Cover the pot and bring the water to a simmer.
• Steam the cake for 2 hours. Serve warm.
• Buttery sauce: In a medium-size pot, combine butter or margarine, cream, sugar, and vanilla. Heat until the mixture is liquid. Spoon mixture over the warm carrot pudding to serve.

STEAMED CARROT PUDDING

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the dry ingredients; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in the carrots, potatoes, raisins, dates and nuts. , Pour into a well-greased 6-cup pudding mold or metal gelatin mold. Cover with foil. Place on a rack in a stockpot. Add 1 in. of boiling water to stockpot; cover and boil gently for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, replacing water as needed. Let stand for 5 minutes before unmolding., Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stir in water until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in the butter, vanilla and nutmeg. Serve with warm pudding.

OLD-FASHIONED PLUM PUDDING AND HARD SAUCE

Steps:

• Generously grease 1-quart mold or ovenproof glass bowl; line with double thickness of cheesecloth.
• Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. In large bowl, combine flour, ginger, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice; mix well.
• With pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in 1/2 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add raisins, prunes, almonds and fruit peel; toss until fruit is well coated with flour mixture. Add bread crumbs and brown sugar; mix well. Stir in brandy and eggs; mix well. (Mixture will be very thick and almost crumbly.)
• Spoon mixture into greased and lined mold, packing firmly with back of spoon as mold is filled. Cover tightly with lid or heavy-duty foil; tie foil in place, if necessary.
• Place rack in bottom of Dutch oven or 6-quart saucepan. Add water until it reaches top of rack. Bring to a boil. Set mold on rack; carefully pour hot water around mold until about half way up mold. Return to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover Dutch oven. Simmer 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 hours or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Add boiling water as needed.
• Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine all hard sauce ingredients; beat until smooth. Line 10-oz. custard cup or decorative mold with plastic wrap. Spoon hard sauce mixture into lined cup. Cover; refrigerate until serving time.
• Remove pudding from Dutch oven; cool in mold for 1 1/2 hours. Turn out of mold; carefully remove cheesecloth. Place on serving plate. Unmold hard sauce onto small plate; remove plastic wrap. Top each slice of pudding with small slice of hard sauce.

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.

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.

CARROT PLUM PUDDING WITH HARD SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine all dry ingredients in bowl.
• Toss raisins and walnuts into flour mixture.
• Break eggs into a large bowl.
• Beat well.
• Gradually add melted butter, continueing to beat.
• Stir in flour mixture, grated carrots, and grated potatoes.
• Pour into well greased 6 cup pudding mold or large heat-proof bowl.
• Cover tightly with a double layer of foil, securing with a string.
• Place on wire rack in the bottom of a deep pot or canning kettle.
• Add boiling water to the pot until it reaches half way up the side of the mold.
• Steam over low heat for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until tester inserted into pudding comes out clean and top of pudding is firm to the touch.
• Check water level in pot occasionally, adding more boiling water if needed.
• Remove foil from mold.
• Let pudding rest in pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
• When completely cool, wrap in foil and store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or in freezer.
• If frozen, let thaw before heating.
• To reheat, return pudding to mold, cover and steam for about 1 hour or until heated through.
• Serve warm with hard sauce.
• For hard sauce:.
• Thoroughly Cream butter and sifted confectioners sugar together.
• Add 1-2 teaspoons vanilla (or rum or brandy) and beat well.
• Spread in 8x8" pan and place in refrigerator to harden.
• Cut into small squares to serve on warm slices of the pudding.
• The hard sauce could also be chilled in individual butter molds; or a bowl to be spooned onto the pudding in lumps.
• Note: For a dramatic entrance, just before serving, I soak a few sugar cubes in almond extract. Then I place them together on top the pudding, light them with a match, turn out all the lights, and deliver the flaming pudding to the table (usually accompanied by a Happy Birthday song to Jesus).

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.

ENGLISH PLUM PUDDING

Steps:

• Sift first five ingredients together; stir in fruit.
• Soak crumbs in milk for ten minutes.
• Beat eggs and sugar together until lemon-colored; add suet and soaked crumbs and stir into flour-fruit mixture.
• Add brandy and mix well.
• Pour into greased molds, cover tightly and steam 3 to 4 hours (depending on the size of molds used) OR tie in a large piece of heavy muslin, heavily buttered and floured, allowing plenty of space for expansion.
• Place in a large kettle of boiling water with rack in bottom to hold pudding off the bottom.
• Boil 3 to 4 hours, replacing water as necessary.

HARD SAUCE

Steps:

• Cream butter and icing sugar until light and almost white.
• Slowly drizzle in brandy continuing to beat.
• Serve with hot Christmas pudding.

DIANA'S PLUM PUDDING (PLUM PUDDING OF INFAMY)

Steps:

• Butter and flour inside of Bundt pan.
• Remove crusts and ends of the loaf; reserve for another use, if desired.
• Divide slices of bread into three even, separate piles.
• Cut the first third of bread slices diagonally into fourths (to make 4 triangles).
• Arrange these triangles in bottom of Bundt pan, fitting together like a jigsaw puzzle to completely cover the bottom and sides of pan.
• Arrange 1/2 of the drained plum halves cut-side down on top of bread triangles in the bottom of the pan.
• Top the plums with one cup of raisins sprinkled evenly around the layer.
• Sprinkle with ½ cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
• Pour ½ cup melted butter over all.
• Cut another third of the bread into triangles, and layer it over the plums and raisins.
• Top that layer of bread with the remaining plum halves, raisins, ½ cup sugar, cinnamon, and butter.
• Use the last third of bread,cut into triangles, to cover the ingredients int he bundt pan.
• Use clean hands to GENTLY press down on bread to compress the ingredients and pack them into the pan, and sprinkle with remaining sugar.
• Place Bundt pan on baking sheet with sides.
• In a separate large bowl, beat eggs thoroughly, then add cream and mix inches.
• Slowly pour egg mixture over top of pan, allowing it to soak into bread layers, being careful not to overfill pan (I used a bamboo skewer to open channels along edges of pan to let more egg mixture seep down. As it soaks in you can add more mixture.).
• Sprinkle nutmeg over top and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in middle position.
• Place Bundt pan with baking pan in oven for 70 minutes.
• Let cool for 20 minutes.
• Turn out onto serving platter or cool completely, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
• Bring to room temperature before serving (or warm individual slices in microwave).
• Dust with powdered sugar.
• For sauce:.
• Beat butter until fluffy.
• Beat in 1 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon liquor OR milk.
• Repeat with remaining sugar and liquor OR milk.
• Beat until smooth and thick, but pourable.
• Store covered in refrigerator.
• Let stand at room temperature for ½ hour before serving.
• Drizzle pudding with hard sauce, soft sauce, or top with ice cream before serving.

OLD FASHIONED CARROT PUDDING

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and 1 cup of sugar until light and fluffy. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves; stir into the creamed mixture until well blended. The mixture will be dry. Stir in the carrots, raisins and chopped walnuts. Pour into a well-greased pudding mold or coffee can. Cover the top with aluminum foil.
• Place the pudding mold into a large kettle or Dutch oven filled with 2 inches of water. Cover the pan, and bring to a simmer. Allow the pudding to steam for 4 to 4 1/2 hours over low heat. Remove from the mold. Serve with warm lemon sauce.
• To make the lemon sauce, mix together 3/4 cup of sugar, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan. Stir in hot water, butter, lemon juice and vanilla. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Serve warm over the pudding.