One of the foods that I remember watching on Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre Foods is Christmas pudding from the UK. No British Christmas is complete without a Christmas pudding. Unlike American puddings, a Christmas pudding is a dark, sticky, and dense sponge, more like a fruitcake, made of mixed dried fruit, candied fruit peel, apple, and citrus zests. Brandy and spices provide a deep, complex flavor and signature dark color.
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Ingredients
- 1 pound/450 grams (3 to 3 1/2 cups) mixed dried fruit
- 25 grams (scant 1/2 cup) mixed candied fruit peel, finely chopped
- 1 small cooking apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup brandy, more as needed
- 55 grams (1/2 cup) self-rising flour, sifted
- 1 teaspoon ground mixed spice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 110 grams (about 1 cup) beef or vegetarian suet, shredded
- 110 grams (scant 2/3 cup) dark brown sugar, packed
- 110 grams (1 cup) fresh breadcrumbs
- 25 grams (1/4 cup) whole almonds, coarsely chopped
- 2 large eggs
Steps To Prepare:
- 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.
- Add dried fruit and brandy; cover and let sit
- Lightly butter a 2 1/2 pint pudding basin.
- Butter a 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.
- Add dry ingredients to a bowl and add dried fruit mixture
- 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.
- Add pudding mixture to pudding basin and cover with foil
- 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.
- Steam pudding in saucepan
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. - Remove pudding and let cool
Cover with fresh greaseproof paper and retie with string. - Cover pudding with paper and 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!