Mini Christmas Steamed Pudding Food

STEAMED CHRISTMAS PUDDING

Steps:

• Grease one 2-quart lidded pudding mold. Sift together the flour, sugar and cinnamon; set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, butter, mincemeat, cranberry sauce and pumpkin. Add to flour mixture and mix until smooth; pour into pudding mold.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large pot, over medium heat, and fill 1/2 way up with boiling water. Place the pudding on the rack. Steam for 2 1/2 hours.
• Check the pan occasionally and add more water if needed. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center. When firm, place the pudding mold on a rack outside of the water for 10 minutes and unmold.
• Prepare a sauce by blending together the sour cream, cream cheese and confectioners sugar. Spoon dollops over warm pudding and serve.

MINI CHRISTMAS PUDDINGS

Steps:

• Put the dried fruit in a large bowl with the alcohol, orange zest and juice. Set aside.
• Grease 12 x 150ml (1⁄4 pint) ovenproof cups or individual pudding moulds and line each with a 25.5x25.5cm (10x10in) piece of muslin or baseline with baking parchment. (Don't worry if you only have six moulds - you can bake the puds in two batches, and the un-cooked mixture will happily sit overnight.)
• Put the butter and sugar into a large bowl and, using an electric hand mixer, whisk for 5min until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding a little flour if the mixture looks as if it might curdle. Using a large metal spoon, carefully fold in the remaining flour, mixed spice, carrot, breadcrumbs, nuts, soaked fruit and alcohol until just combined.
• Divide the mixture among the 12 cups or moulds. Smooth the surfaces, gather the muslin up and over each pudding, then twist and secure with string.
• Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Wrap each pudding in foil, put in a roasting tin and pour in boiling water, two-thirds of the way up the cups. Cover the whole tin with foil, and bake for 21⁄2hr. Cool, remove from cups and wrap puds in foil. Store in a cool dark place for up to one month. Like this? You'll love... How to make a Christmas pudding All-time favourite Christmas pudding The best Christmas puddings Easy gingerbread recipe Ultimate mince pies The best Christmas pudding recipes

FLAMING CHRISTMAS PUDDING

Steps:

• In large bowl, combine suet, fruits, bread crumbs, spices, salt, sugar, and preserves. Mix well.
• With rotary beater, beat eggs until foamy. Stir in milk, 6 tbsp cognac, and wine.
• With rubber scraper, fold egg mixture into fruit mixture until well combined.
• Turn batter into a well-greased 2-quart steam pudding mold with a tight-fitting cover.
• Place mold on a trivet in a large kettle. Pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the side of the mold. Cover the kettle.
• Steam pudding for four hours. The water in the kettle should boil gently; add more water as needed.
• Remove pudding to wire rack and cool 5 minutes. Invert on serving plate; lift off mold.
• In a small saucepan, warm rest of cognac slightly. Ignite and pour, blazing, over the pudding. Serve with Vanilla Hard Sauce.
• To make hard sauce, beat all ingredients together until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

7-CUP STEAMED CHRISTMAS PUDDING WITH BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE

Steps:

• For the pudding, empty the first six cups and the nuts, if using, into a mixing bowl with the spices, then stir in the milk and egg. Once well combined, tip into a buttered 1.5 litre pudding bowl.
• Cover with a double layer of buttered foil, making a pleat in the centre to allow the pudding to rise.
• Tie the foil securely with string, then place in a steamer or large pan containing enough gently simmering water to come halfway up the sides of the bowl. Steam, covered with a lid, for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
• Check the water level during cooking, topping up if necessary.
• If you are preparing this pudding ahead, remove the foil, let it cool slightly, then wrap in cling film and then fresh foil. It can be stored in a fridge for up to one week ahead of time. Or, freeze it for up to one month. Defrost overnight.
• If you are serving it immediately, unwrap and invert onto a deep plate.
• For the sauce, put everything in a pan and bring slowly to the boil, stirring. Allow to bubble away for 2-3 minutes, still stirring, until the sugar has dissolved and the sauce is pale caramel in colour and slightly thickened.
• Remove from the heat. Pour the sauce over the pudding and decorate with the whole mixed nuts.
• Serve with a jug of fresh cream or brandy custard.

MIX & MATCH MINI CHRISTMAS PUDDINGS

Steps:

• Mix together all the base ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Grease 8 individual pudding basins or darioles with a little butter, then line the bases with circles of baking parchment.
• Stir your choice of dried fruits, spices and liquid, plus nuts if you are using, into the base mixture. If you're tailoring your puddings for each guest, then weigh out 225g/8oz base mixture per pud, before adding the extras (see brackets after ingredients for individual pud quantities).
• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 4 and boil the kettle. Fill each basin or dariole with pud mixture. Grease a large sheet of foil, then stick a large sheet of baking parchment on top. Cut it into 8 squares, large enough to cover the puds with overhang, and make a small pleat in each. Cover the puddings by scrunching foil round the edges to completely seal. stick a name label, written in biro, on top of each pud to help identify them when serving. sit the puds in a big roasting tin, pour hot water from the kettle into the tin until nearly halfway up the puds, then cook for 1 hr. Cool, then store in an airtight container somewhere cool and dark, for up to 2 weeks.
• To serve, turn oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 5 after the Christmas dinner has come out, and put the puds back into a roasting tin with hot water, as above. Cook for 40 mins, then turn off oven and leave them there if you're still eating. Carefully turn out onto serving plates, running a knife round the edge to help release, then dust with a little icing sugar and top with holly, if you like.