Dried Fruit Pudding Food

BRITISH CHRISTMAS PUDDING

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Place the dried fruit, candied peel, apple, and orange and lemon zests and juices into a large mixing bowl. Add the brandy and stir well. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave to marinate for a couple of hours, preferably overnight.
• Lightly butter a 2 1/2 pint pudding basin.
• In a very large mixing bowl, stir the flour, mixed spice, and cinnamon together. Add the suet, sugar, breadcrumbs, and almonds, and stir again until all the ingredients are well mixed. Add the marinated dried fruits and stir again.
• In a small bowl, beat the eggs lightly, then stir quickly into the dry ingredients. The mixture should have a fairly soft consistency.
• Spoon the mixture into the greased pudding basin, gently pressing the mixture down with the back of a spoon. Cover with a double layer of greaseproof paper or baking parchment, then a layer of aluminum foil. Tie securely with string, wrapping the string around the basin, then loop over the top and then around the bowl again. This will form a handle, which will be useful when removing the pudding from the steamer.
• Set a steamer over a saucepan of simmering water, place the pudding in the steamer, and steam the pudding for 7 hours. Make sure you check the water level frequently, so it never boils dry. The pudding should be a dark brown color when cooked.
• Remove the pudding from the steamer and cool completely. Remove the paper, prick the pudding with a skewer in a few places, and pour in a little extra brandy.
• Cover with fresh greaseproof paper and retie with string.
• Store for at least 4 to 5 weeks in a cool, dry place until Christmas Day. On Christmas Day, reheat the pudding by steaming again for about an hour. Enjoy!

PECAN AND DRIED FRUIT NOODLE PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a pot of boiling salted water cook the egg noodles until they are al dente. Drain, refresh under cold water and drain again. Transfer to a large bowl.
• In a bowl whisk together the egg yolks, butter, all but 2 tablespoons of the sugar, the sour cream and the vanilla.
• In a bowl with an electric mixer beat the whites until they form soft peaks. Add the remaining sugar and beat to firm peaks. Fold the whites into the yolk mixture and fold into the noodles In a buttered shallow baking dish layer the noodles, walnuts, jam and raisins and apricots. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly golden.

30-MINUTE RICE PUDDING WITH DRIED FRUIT

Steps:

• Place rice in strainer and rinse under cold running water until water runs clear. Place rice, milk, raisins, and orange peel in large saucepan. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into pan; add bean. Bring rice mixture to simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to lowest possible temperature, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender, about 23 minutes. Remove from heat. Add egg yolks; stir until thickened, about 1 minute. Stir in sugar.
• Divide pudding among eight 3/4-cup ramekins or custard cups. Chill until cold, about 3 hours. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep chilled.

STICKY DATE & RAISIN PUDDING

Steps:

• Put the dates, raisins, milk and brandy or rum in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 mins until the fruit is soft and the liquid has been absorbed - don't worry if it looks a little curdled. Leave to cool. Meanwhile, generously butter a 1.2-litre pudding basin.
• To prepare your steamer, place a snugly fitting upturned bowl or saucer in the base of a large, deep saucepan, big enough to hold your pudding basin. Cut out a large circle of baking parchment and one of foil, both 5cm wider than the rim of your pudding basin. Make a sharp pleat down the centre of both, then butter one side of the parchment - this will be your lid. Set aside. Boil the kettle for the steamer.
• In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, beating again until well combined. Finally, add the flour, mixed spice, orange zest, date mixture and a pinch of salt, and stir everything well with a spatula until there are no visible lumps of flour. Tip the cake mixture into your pudding basin. Cover the bowl with the parchment, butter-side down and pleat on top, then the foil. Push the sides of the lid down, then tie a piece of string securely under the lip of the basin. Use any overhanging string to create a handle to help you lift the pudding.
• Stand the pudding basin on top of the upturned bowl or saucer in the saucepan and fill the pan with enough boiling water to come halfway up the side of the basin. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover the pan with a lid and leave to steam for 2½ hrs, topping up with boiling water if the level gets low. Check the pudding is cooked by inserting a skewer into the centre. If the skewer has any uncooked mixture on it, return it to the pan to steam for another 15 mins, then check again. Once cooked, you can cover the pudding with clean baking parchment and foil and keep for up to a week. Re-steam the pudding for 1 hr before serving.

SALADOOHA (RUSSIAN DRIED FRUIT PUDDING)

Steps:

• In a medium size saucepan, add 1 cup of water and cranberries and cook until tender; mash and set aside.
• In a large cooking pot, add 12 cups of water, apricots, prunes, raisins, apples, pears, peaches, dates; bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 1 hour or until all fruit is soft; stirring occasionally.
• Add sugar and mashed cranberries and cook for 5 minutes.
• Remove 1 cup of liquid from cooked fruit and stir in all-purpose and whole wheat flour to form a smooth, thin paste.
• Add flour paste to cooking pot and stir until well blended.
• Reduce heat to low and continue cooking for another 10 minutes, stirring frequently so the fruit does not settle to the bottom of the pot.
• Remove from heat and let cool before serving.
• Serve fruit pudding as is.
• If desired, you can serve with ice-cream or whipping cream.

WILD RICE PUDDING WITH DRIED FRUIT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a shallow 1-quart baking dish.
• In a large bowl, combine the light cream, heavy cream, maple syrup, whole eggs, egg yolks, vanilla, nutmeg, dried fruit, raisins, wild rice, and brown rice.
• Turn the mixture into the prepared dish and bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes.
• Stir the mixture in the baking dish and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until the custard is set. Serve warm or chilled.

RICE PUDDING WITH CINNAMON AND DRIED FRUIT

Steps:

• Bring 2 cups water to boil in large, heavy-bottomed pot (at least 3 quarts) or small soup kettle (4 to 5 quarts). Stir in salt and rice; cover and simmer over low heat, stirring once or twice until water is almost fully absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Add milk, half-and-half and sugar. Increase heat to medium-high to bring to simmer, then reduce heat to maintain simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently, until mixture starts to thicken, about 30 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, stirring every couple of minutes to prevent 10sticking and scorching, until a spoon is just able to stand up in the pudding, about 15 minutes longer.
• Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract, dried fruit, and cinnamon. Cool and serve at room temperature or chilled. (Can be covered with plastic wrap on surface of pudding and then refrigerated up to 2 days.).

STICKY SULTANA PUDDING

Steps:

• Butter a small microwave-proof pudding basin. In a separate bowl, rub the butter into the flour and baking powder, then stir in the sugar and sultanas. Gradually add the eggs and milk to make a wet cake mixture.
• Spoon into the basin and make a deep hollow in the centre with the back of the spoon. Cover the basin with cling film, pierce with the tip of a knife and microwave on High for 4½-5 mins until well risen and firm to the touch.
• Carefully turn the pud out onto a plate and spoon over a generous amount of syrup. Slice and serve with custard.

DRIED FRUIT PUDDING

Steps:

• Core and chop the pears and apples, if needed. Chop the apricots and prunes roughly.
• Stew the fruit in the juice with the spices on low heat for 30 minutes. Drain and reserve the liquid. Set aside 1/3 cup fruit.
• Measure the liquid and add more juice if needed to make 2 cups.
• Stir the tapioca into the juice in a saucepan. Let sit for 5 minutes. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes while stirring constantly. Take off heat and let sit for 20 minutes. Combine with fruit, except the 1/3 cup, and chill.
• Whip the cream with the vanilla and whatever you are using for sweetening until stiff but not dry.
• In a large clear glass bowl, or in individual glasses, layer the chilled fruit pudding and the whipped cream, ending with the whipped cream. Decorate with reserved fruit.