Holiday Recipe: Steamed Christmas Pudding

Serving plum pudding (as its called) is an English tradition and one that my mother made every Christmas.  The highlight of our Christmas dinner was having brandy poured on the pudding and lit to create flames that danced around the whole pudding.

My favourite quote from my nephew as he saw the pudding in flames was, “Mommy burnt the cake once and it was no laughing matter!” 

Steamed Christmas Pudding

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup molasses
• 1 cup ground suet
• 1 cup grated carrots (about 1 ½)
• 1 cup grated peeled apples (about 2 small)
• 1 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup currants
• ½ cup chopped dates
• ½ cup mixed peel
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ teaspoon each cinnamon and allspice
• ½ tsp salt

1. Beat eggs and blend in sugar, molasses, suet, carrots and apples. Combine remaining ingredients and stir into egg mixture.
2. Pour batter into a greased 6 cup pudding mould. 
3. Cover with buttered waxed paper and foil; tie tightly with string. 
4. Place in rack on large pot and pour in boiling water to halfway up sides of mould. 
5. Cover and steam for about 4 hours or until tester inserted in center comes out clean. (Keep the water boiling gently and add more as needed).
6. Remove mould from pot and let cool completely. 
7. Unmould when cooled and wrap in foil and store in refrigerator (will keep for about 3 weeks).
8. Reheat, wrapped in foil, in oven or steamer. Serve with Hot Rum Sauce (recipe below).

Makes about 8 servings.

Hot Rum Sauce

• ¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 cups water
• ¼ cup butter
• 1/3 cup (approx.) rum
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
  
  

1. In saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt and water. Boil gently, stirring for 3 minutes. Blend in butter, rum to taste, vanilla and nutmeg. Serve hot. Makes about 2 cups.
2. To serve the pudding following Christmas dinner, place pudding on a plate that has rounded edges. Heat up brandy and pour over pudding and light the pudding. This will provide you with a flambe that is the perfect end to Christmas dinner!