Pirates Plum Pudding Food

PLUM PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a 2 quart baking dish, stir together plums, 1 cup sugar, water, tapioca and cinnamon. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. (You can also cook the plum mixture in the microwave for 15 minutes.)
• Raise oven temperature to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl, stir together baking mix, 3 tablespoons sugar, milk and melted margarine to form a biscuit dough. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto plum mixture. Bake in preheated oven 10 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving.

PIRATE'S PLUM PUDDING

Steps:

• The night before stirring up the pudding, combine the candied fruit, nuts, raisins, currants, dates, dates/dried fruits, lemon peel and orange peel.
• Pour 1/2 cup rum over the top of the mixture. Cover and let it soak overnight.
• Add apple, carrot, beef suet, flour, bread crumbs, brown sugar, soda, cinnamon, mace, cardamom, and allspice.
• Mix the ingredients thoroughly.
• Whisk together the eggs, fruit juice and 1/4 cup rum in a small bowl. Pour over the fruit/flour mixture, and mix lightly until all ingredients are moistened.
• Spoon into two buttered pudding molds. Cover top of each pudding with buttered foil.
• Cover top of each pudding mold with a cloth dish towel. Tie the cloth tightly to the top using a loop of kitchen twine.
• Place puddings in steamers and steam for 6 hours.
• Remove from steamers and store in a cool place until Christmas Day or New Years' Day.
• Return the pudding to the steamer and steam for 2 hours more.
• To make hard sauce, combined butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons rum to make a thick paste. Chill 1 hour.
• Form the hard sauce into a two balls (one for each pudding) and wrap in waxed paper and store in refrigerator until ready to serve the pudding.
• To serve the pudding, place the hard sauce ball on the pudding, and stick the holly sprig through it to anchor it to the top of the pudding.
• Pour warm 2 tbsp rum over the pudding, and touch the surface with a lighted match to flame the pudding. Carry it flaming to the table while everyone cheers.

PLUM PUDDING

Steps:

• In a deep mixing bowl combine the raisins, currants, candied fruit peel, beef suet, flour, brown sugar, spices, salt and lemon rind.
• Blend the ingredients thoroughly.
• In another bowl beat the eggs with the cream and brandy.
• Pout over the dried fruit mixture and blend well.
• Cover the bowl and let stand i n a cool place for 12 hours.
• Transfer to a large pudding mould.
• Cover tightly with waxed paper and foil.
• Place in a deep pan.
• Add enough boiling water to reach 1/3 the way up the side of the mould.
• Cover the pan and steam for 4-1/2 hours, adding more water as necessary.
• When cooked, remove from the water and let stand until cooled.
• Cover with fresh waxed paper and foil.
• Refrigerate for 2 weeks for best flavour.
• To serve the pudding, steam a second time for 2 hours.
• Turn the pudding onto a heated serving plate. Pour on the hot brandy and light. Serve with whipped cream.
• Flaming Christmas Pudding To achieve the flaming pudding effect: Take a large heavy metal spoon and pour full of brandy.
• Warm the spoon over a flame (candle or low gas flame) or stove element, until hot. Promptly pour brandy over pudding, strike a match and touch the surface of the pudding with it. Bring the pudding to the table. Let the flame burn out on its own.
• (Have someone dim the lights before the "en trance" of the pudding.) The flame will not last long, unless you have one whacking great spoonful of hot brandy.
• For Safety: Ensure that you do not have any paper decorations hanging enroute to the dining room.

PLUM PUDDING

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients but eggs and brandy in a large bowl (avoid metal or plastic). Cover and allow to ripen for 3 weeks in the refrigerator. Stir every few days. When the pudding is to be steamed, add eggs and brandy, if using into the mixture.
• Fill 2 buttered 2 - quart moulds or deep casseroles 2/3 full with mixture. Cover with a lid or seal with heavy duty foil.
• Set moulds in a steamer. Note, if you don't have one, place some small custard dishes upside down in the centre of a large, deep pot with a lid. Balance moulds on top of dishes. Fill pan with boiling water to halfway up pudding, cover pot and steam on low heat for 2 1/2 - 3 hours. ( For individual puddings, steam about 1 1/2 hours.).
• Serve 4, with sauce (see recipe below).
• Note: To preserve puddings, let cool completely, remove from dish (if desired) and let sit for 30 minutes to ensure completely cooled. Wrap in brandy-soaked cheesecloth, wrap in foil and place in a plastic bag. Store in fridge or a cool place until ready to rewarm. Remove cheesecloth before reheating in oven, wrapped in foil or in the microwave, covered in plastic wrap until heated through on medium. Or if you have a pudding steamer, just steam for about 20 minutes.
• Brown Sugar Sauce.
• Carefully caramelize 2 cups brown sugar in a large skillet. To 3 tablespoons flour add 2 tsp cold water and add to caramelized sugar. Add 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 cup melted butter and 2 tablespoons whipping cream. Let mixture bubble, stirring constantly until mixture reaches consistency of rich cream. Flavour with vanilla extract, or brandy, to taste. 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.

GRANNY'S PLUM PUDDING

Steps:

• Soak the Candied orange and lemon rinds, sultanas, raisins, currants and apples in the rum and the Guiness overnight.Do not drain.
• In a large bowl, mix the breadcrumbs,suet,.
• flour, ginger, apple pie spice,sugar, slivered almonds and the rinds of the lemon and orange.
• Add the orange and lemon juice, the beaten eggs and the soaked fruit with the soaking liquor. Mix well with a wooden spoon.
• Pour into white earthenware pudding basins and press down into the bowls.
• Cover with greaseproof paper and cover tightly with foil, wrapping cooking string tightly around the rim of the bowls.
• To cook, immerse the bowl into a large saucepan of simmering water for 4 hours. Make sure the water only comes 3/4 up the side of the bowl and cover the saucepan tightly.
• IMPORTANT: Do not let the saucepan boil dry; keep topping with water when needed. And keep the water at a low simmer, you dont want the water to cover the top of the pudding.
• To serve remove bowls from the water, let cool slightly and remove foil and greaseproof paper . run a thin knife around the edge of the pudding and invert onto a serving platter.