7 DAYS FOOD & DRINK Perfect time to stir things up...
IT MAY only be the middle of November but now’s the time to get cracking with your Christmas pudding. Today is Stir-up Sunday, which tradition dictates falls on the last Sunday before Advent.
So get your suet, dried fruits and alcohol at the ready and get Christmas cracking...
INGREDIENTS (FOR A THREE-PINT PUDDING) METHOD
24/48 hours before cooking, place the fruit in a bowl and pour the rum, brandy or orange juice over it.
Cover with clingwrap and leave in a cool place, occasionally tossing to ensure all the fruit is nicely covered.
Cream together the eggs and sugar.
Mix the flour, breadcrumbs and suet with the spice and cocoa power.
Make a well in the centre and pour in the sugar/egg mix, stirring all the while. Continue stirring until all is well mixed.
Then add the fruit and any juice in the bowl and mix well.
Take a pudding basin, preferably with a snap-on lid. Make a disc of greaseproof paper to fit into the base (this will help the pudding release from the basin).
Pour all the mixture into the bowl and cover with another disc of greaseproof paper.
Put the bowl in a steamer or in a large pan on a small rack so the bowl is not directly in contact with the base.
Bring to the boil and steam for eight hours, occasionally checking to see that the water has not evaporated.
Leave to cool and store in a cool place until Christmas.
Around a fortnight before the big day add a tablespoon of rum (spearing the pudding in several places with a skewer will help the rum soak into the middle).
On Christmas Day, steam for a further two hours and serve with white rum sauce or rum butter.
If you have used brandy to soak your pudding use brandy butter/sauce.
Alternatively you can heat it on full power for three minutes in the microwave.
METHOD
Tradition... The Christmas pud PUT the cream and white chocolate in a saucepan and stir over a low heat until the chocolate has melted.
Grate in the zest of the orange and add the Cointreau.
Stir and serve.