Whisky and orange Christmas pudding
TIP TO REHEAT, STEAM AS BEFORE FOR 1HR. ALTERNATIVELY, REMOVE THE FOIL AND MICROWAVE ON HIGH FOR AROUND 3 MINS OR UNTIL PIPING HOT.
PREP TIME: 25 MINS, PLUS SOAKING OVERNIGHT COOK TIME: 4HRS CALS: 551 FAT: 23g SAT FAT: 9g CARBS: 66g
SERVES 8 Brilliantly boozy yet surprisingly light, this Christmas pud is infused with flavours inspired by the Old Fashioned cocktail.
YOU WILL NEED
320g mixed dried fruit 2 apples, peeled and coarsely grated Juice and zest 1 large orange, plus 1 whole orange 120ml whisky 70g self-raising flour 2tbsp mixed spice 70g breadcrumbs 125g vegetable suet 100g soft brown sugar, plus extra for lining 100g toasted flaked almonds 2 medium eggs, lightly beaten For the old fashioned glaze: 60g caster sugar 30ml orange juice 30ml whisky Dash Angostura bitters You will also need: A 1.2ltr pudding basin, plus butter for greasing Baking paper, foil and string
HOW TO DO IT
1
Put the dried fruit, apples, orange juice and zest, and whisky in a large bowl; cover and soak overnight. 2 Combine the soaked fruit mixture with the remaining pudding ingredients (minus the whole orange) and mix together well.
3 Generously grease the basin with butter and sprinkle a little soft brown sugar inside, then line the base with a circle of baking paper. 4 Cut the orange into 7 slices. Put the largest slice in the bottom of the basin. Halve the remainder and arrange around the edge of the basin. 5 Spoon in the pudding mixture and ensure it’s nice and tightly packed. Top with a round of baking paper. Cover the entire top with two sheets of foil, scrunching under the lip of the basin and secure with string. 6 Balance the pudding on a trivet inside a large saucepan. Fill with enough water to come halfway up the basin. Bring to the boil, then gently simmer, with the lid on, for 4hrs. Top up the water as needed. The pudding is cooked when a skewer comes out clean. 7 Serve now or save the pudding for Christmas: cool completely before re-covering with baking paper and foil. Store in a cool dark place. See tip (above) for reheating instructions. 8 Before serving, warm the glaze ingredients in a pan until the sugar is dissolved. Turn the pudding onto a rimmed serving plate and pour over the glaze.