Christmas Pudding

Ingredients

• one pound and a half of muscatel raisins
• half a pound of currants
• quarter of a pound of sultana raisins
• half a pound of mixed candied peel
• three-quarters of a pound of bread-crumbs
• three-quarters of a pound of suet chopped fine
• nine eggs
• quarter of an ounce of pounded bitter almonds
• a table-spoonful of flour
• a table-spoonful of moist sugar
• a quarter of a pint of brandy

Method

1. 1

   Stone the raisins and cut them into two pieces.

2. 2

   Wash and dry the currants.

3. 3

   Slice the candied peel into thin slices.

4. 4

   Mix the dry ingredients in a basin, adding the pounded almonds gradually.

5. 5

   Beat the eggs and mix them with the rest, adding the brandy.

6. 6

   Prepare a pudding cloth, butter and flour it, then pour in the mixture and tie securely.

7. 7

   Boil for at least six hours.

8. 8

   Allow to cool and hang up in the cloth.

9. 9

   To serve, warm in boiling water for two hours, then turn out carefully.

Nutrition per serving

As published

This recipe was extracted from Common-sense papers on cookery (1880) by A. G. Payne, page 78. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

one pound and a half of muscatel raisins, half a pound of currants, quarter of a pound of sultana raisins, half a pound of mixed candied peel, three- quarters of a pound of bread-crumbs, three-quarters of a pound of suet chopped fine, nine eggs, quarter of an ounce of pounded bitter almonds, a table-spoonful of flour, a table-spoonful of moist sugar, and a quarter of a pint of brandy. The first thing to do is to stone the raisins. Cut the raisins into two pieces, and in taking out the pips or stones be careful not to take out the pulp. For this reason it is undesirable to leave the stoning of the raisins to young persons. It is more than human nature can bear, and the strongest-minded child is apt M 194 Common-sense Cookery. to suck his or her fingers during the process, which, in addition to being far from nice, is apt to detract from the rich muscatel flavour of the pudding. The cur- rants should be bought some days before they are wanted, in order that they may be first washed and then dried. Spread them out on a large sheet of coarse paper before the kitchen fire, and occasionally stir them about. They will also require picking, and this wants both care and patience ; those little tiny stalks of the currants are very disagreeable to get into the mouth, and still more into a hollow tooth, for which they seem to have a natural affinity. The candied peel should be sliced into little, very thin slices, and not chopped up. The bread-crumbs should be made as fine as possible, and the suet chopped up very fine. Care should be taken to get the very best beef suet, that will chop properly, as some suet has a tendency to get into a creamy mass ; when this is the case it is impossible to make a proper pudding of it. The dry ingredients should now be placed in a large basin, and thoroughly mixed together, care being taken to put in the pounded bitter almonds little by little. The eggs should be broken one by one into a cup, in order to see that each one is perfectly fresh. One stale egg will quite spoil a pudding. Beat up the eggs all together till they froth, and mix them in with the rest, and add the brandy. If the bread- Christmas Dinners. 195 crumbs were properly dried, it would not be found to be too moist. Next take a new pudding-cloth, that has been well boiled in plain water, and butter it thoroughly, and then flour it. Turn the pudding into it and tie it, leaving room for the pudding to swell. The cloth must be fastened very securely, and it is as well to tie it in two places, in case of accidents. This pudding must now be boiled for at least six hours. It will always be found best to make the pudding some days before it is required ; hang it up in the cloth, putting something underneath it to catch the drops ; and a pudding made as we have directed will keep good for months and months. It only requires warming up for a couple of hours in a large saucepan of boiling water, and then turning out. Now that awfully critical moment — turning out. Care should be taken to peel off the cloth, and not pull it ; the reason of this is self-evident. On Christ- mas Day a piece of bright holly, with some red berries on it, should be stuck on the top of the pudding, and some lighted brandy poured over and round it. If you take my advice, you will light the brandy in the room. To carry a large flat dish with ignited brandy is extremely dangerous, and I have not forgotten that dreadful story which appeared in the papers one or 196 Common-sense Cookery. two years ago, about the poor girl who was burnt to death by the lighted brandy from the Christmas pud- din

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.