English Christmas Puddings Food

SIMPLE CHRISTMAS PUDDING

Steps:

• Heavily butter a pudding mold.
• Dust lightly with flour.
• In large bowl, mix together breadcrumbs, Craisins, molasses, and melted butter.
• Dissolve baking soda in boiling water and add to mixture.
• Add apple cider and mix well.
• Sift together dry ingredients and add to mixture.
• Stir to combine.
• Place pudding mixture into mold.
• Top mold with heavily buttered aluminum foil and cover tightly.
• Bear in mind that pudding will expand some as it steams.
• Place mold on rack in a steamer or large pot.
• Add boiling water until the mold is 3/4 of the way submerged.
• Cover and steam for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours.
• Pudding will be firm when done.
• Serve warm with a vanilla sauce or hard sauce.

ENGLISH PUDDING

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix fruits and dry ingredients first. Then mix with lightly beaten eggs and liquids. Grease the bottom of a bowl large enough to hold pudding and press mixture into it. Place waxed paper over the top and then foil over that, crimping it around the edges to keep firm. Either steam for 2 hours in pressure cooker with about 2 inches water or put in pan with water on the stove and steam for 4 hours. Keep checking water in pan to prevent burning. Store well wrapped for 3 to 4 months.
• To make the brandy cream, add butter, sugar and brandy in a stand mixer and mix on high speed for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Steam for 1 hour before serving, then release the pudding mold into the center of a plate. Sprinkle confectioners' sugar. Warm 1/4 cup of cognac in a small pot. Cup the cognac in a large basting spoon until it flames, then pour the cognac over the pudding. Top with a dollop of the brandy cream. Slice and serve.

CHRISTMAS PUDDING

Steps:

• The day before you want to steam the pudding: In a large bowl, thoroughly mix the suet, brown sugar, sifted flour, breadcrumbs, allspice, clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Gradually mix in the currants, sultanas, raisins, candied peel, and almonds, followed by the apple and citrus zests. In a small bowl, whisk together the rum, barley wine, and stout, and then beat in the eggs. Pour this mixture over the dried fruit and nut mixture. Mix thoroughly. It should be somewhat loose; if it needs a little more liquid, add some stout. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.
• The following day: Butter a 1-pint pudding mold and pack the pudding mixture into it. Cover with a double piece of parchment and a sheet of foil and tie securely with a string across the top to make a handle. Place the pudding mold in a covered steamer set over a saucepan of simmering water, and steam for 8 hours. Check the water level, adding boiling water as needed. When the pudding is finished, let it cool and then remove the papers and foil. Replace with fresh paper and make a new string for easier maneuvering. Set in a cool place away from light (under the bed works well).
• To reheat, set a saucepan with boiling water over medium heat and put a steamer on top. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, set the pudding in the steamer, cover, and let steam for 2 1/4 hours. Top up the water a bit if necessary.
• To serve, remove the pudding from the steamer and take off the wrapping. Slide a palette knife around the pudding, and then turn it out onto a warm plate. Garnish with a sprig of holly. To flambe the pudding, warm a ladleful of brandy over direct heat, and when it is hot, carefully light the brandy. Place the flaming ladle over the pudding, but do not pour until at the table. When you do slowly pour it over the pudding, sides and all, watch it flame! Serve with rum sauce if desired.
• This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

THE ULTIMATE ENGLISH CHRISTMAS PUDDING

Steps:

• Lightly butter a 1.4-litre (21/2-pint) pudding basin.
• Cut a small square of foil and press into the base of the basin.
• Measure the sultanas, raisins, apricots and apple into a bowl with the orange juice.
• Add the measured brandy or rum and leave to marinate for about one hour.
• Put the measured butter, sugar and grated orange rind into a large bowl and cream together with a wooden spoon or a hand-held electric whisk until light and fluffy, gradually beat in the eggs, adding a little flour if the mixture starts to curdle.
• Sift together the flour and mixed spice, then fold into the creamed mixture with the breadcrumbs and the nuts.
• Add the dried fruits, apple and liquid and stir well.
• Spoon into the prepared pudding basin, pressing the mixture down, and level the top with the back of a spoon.
• Cover the pudding with a layer of greaseproof paper and foil, both pleated across the middle to allow for expansion.
• Tie securely with string and trim off excess paper and foil with scissors***.
• TO STEAM, put the pudding in the top of a steamer filled with simmering water, cover with a lid and steam for about eight hours, topping up the water as necessary.
• TO BOIL, put a metal jam-jar lid into the base of a large pan to act as a trivet. Put the pudding on to this and pour in enough boiling water to come one-third of the way up the bowl. Cover with a lid, bring the water back to the boil, then simmer for about seven hours, until the pudding is a glorious deep brown colour, topping up the water as necessary.
• Remove the pudding from the steamer or pan and cool completely.
• Make holes in the pudding with a fine skewer and pour in a little more brandy or rum to feed.
• Discard the paper and foil and replace with fresh. Store in a cool, dry place.
• On Christmas Day, steam or boil the pudding for about an hour to reheat. Turn the pudding on to a serving plate.
• To flame, warm 3-4 tablespoons brandy or rum in a small pan, pour it over the hot pudding and set light to it.
• Serve with Rum Sauce or Brandy Butter.

ENGLISH CHRISTMAS PUDDING WITH CUSTARD

Steps:

• Blanch the golden raisins and currants in hot water, pour into a colander and drain. Chop the prunes finely, mix with the rum, and blanched golden raisins and currants. Peel the apple into quarters, remove the core and finely grate. Add the grated apple together with the finely chopped candied lemon and orange peel to the rum-fruit mixture. Add the softened butter, breadcrumbs, flour, hazelnuts, brown sugar, eggs, cloves and cinnamon to the fruit mixture and knead into a dough.
• Fill the dough into a buttered pudding mold and seal with a lid or aluminum foil. Place the mold in a baking tray and pour hot water into the tray. Bake in a preheated oven at 150°C (fan: 130°C, gas mark 1) (approximately 300°F) for about 3 hours (for the uniform cooking). Keep the pudding in the closed mold until ready to serve.
• For the custard, halve vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape out seeds with a sharp knife. Mix the milk with cream and vanilla seeds in a pot, and bring to a boil. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar in a bowl until creamy, stir the hot cream milk into the egg yolk mixture, pour back the mixture into the pot, and beat on low heat, stirring constantly to form the sauce (do not boil!). Pass the custard through a sieve, let cool, and sprinkle the surface thinly with sugar so that no skin forms.
• Release the pudding from the mold, cut into pieces and serve with custard.

ENGLISH CHRISTMAS PUDDING II

Steps:

• Mix all dry ingredients, fruit, raisins, nuts and suet. Add molasses and then milk to rinse all molasse s into the mixture. Mix well.
• Grease and flour a 3 pound empty Crisco can or similar size, smooth sided can.
• Put mixture into can.
• Cover with double thickness of aluminum foil.
• Tie foil on with string.
• Set can in large pot or kettle half full of water.
• Cover and steam 2 1/2 hours after water boils.
• Serve slices covered with hot vanilla sauce* and real whipped cream.
• Bring 3 1/2 cups milk and vanilla bean to a boil.
• Whip sugar and yolks over hot water to lukewarm.
• Stir in cornstarch to remaining cold milk.
• Add the cornstarch mixture to the boiling mixture and bring to a full boil.
• Pour the boiling starch-milk over the lukewarm egg-sugar mixture, whisking forcefully.
• Keep warm on steam table or double boiler.
• This sauce is good over puddings and souffles.

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!