Christmas Pudding

[Mary Jones]

Christmas Plum Pudding is a traditional English dessert for this time of year. There are really no two ways of making it, though most are done a month in advance and stored, with brandy periodically poured on it. Well, I'm too lazy and forgetful for that, so instead I make it the day before and then put a hard sauce on it before serving.

For this dish, you will need two steam pots with molds.

Dry Ingredients:
¾ C flour
1 tsp salt
¾ tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp mace

Fruits & Nuts:
½ lb. chopped raisins
½ lb. chopped dried apricots
¼ lb. chopped dried citron
⅛ lb. chopped dried lemon peel
⅛ lb. chopped dried orange peel
⅛ lb. chopped almonds

Other:
¾ C hot milk
½ C plain breadcrumbs

Wet Ingredients:
½ lb. brown sugar
½ lb. butter
½ C apricot jelly
¼ C apricot juice
4 eggs (separate the yolk from the white!)

Procedure:
1. sift dry ingredients together, stir in fruits and nuts, let the fruits be coated by the flour mixture

2. in a separate bowl, pour the hot milk over the breadcrumbs and let stand for 10 minutes

3. beat sugar and egg yolk until light and fluffy

4. add butter and breadcrumbs to egg-sugar mixture; stir in flour-fruit mixture.

5. add juice and jelly; mix thoroughly

6. stiffly beat egg whites until the consistency of merange; fold into the batter.

7. grease two steam molds 2/3 full, and coat with flour. Fill the pots with water up to where the molds begin. Allow the water to boil, then turn down to just below that level. Pour the mixture into the molds and steam for about 3 or 4 hours, until solid (using the toothpick test).

8. eject from the molds and get ready to eat!

[Kate]

Where did you buy your steamed pudding molds?

[Mary Jones]

Actually, they belonged to my parents, and I don't know how old they are. I think you could probably find some at Reading.