On Sunday, my daughter and I made plum puddings. This was the first time for her and she has a new appreciation for what goes into these. I am doing a cookie table for a friends wedding right after the holidays so I am not baking Xmas cookies this year. For this holiday season, my friends will be getting plum puddings, mincemeat tarts, stollen, kringles and nut rolls.
We spent the morning chopping and dicing and tossing and mixing.
We used cooking grade suet which we are lucky enough to get from a local butcher and local free range eggs. The suet is what makes these special. As they steam, the suet melts and coats everything in a satiny coating.
To say that these use a lot of spices is an understatement.
Finally the mixture is ready.
I wonder if anyone has as many pudding molds as I do? Martha?
This time, I was smart to remember not to fill them to the top. Actually, my daughter reminded me. They are covered in wax paper or parchment and then the lids are placed on them.
They are placed in a Bain Marie which I create by using my turkey roasters and covering it in tin foil. It took 2 days to steam them because they take about 8 hours and I made a dozen of them. I couldn't fit all of them in my oven at one time.
I made a couple small puddings which are about quart sized. These are very dense so a small one can serve about 8 people.
Most are about 2 quart size.
These could have been made after last years holidays and saved for this year but I never seem to be able to get in the mood that far in advance. I wrapped them in cheesecloth soaked in brandy and then wrapped them in plastic wrap. These will cure until Xmas. They are served with a holly sprig in the middle and a bit of brandy poured on them. You ignite them just before carrying them into the dining room. I will be making hard sauce to accompany them.
Oh, make sure to thoroughly grease every mold so you don't end up with one like this. If greased properly, they slip right out of the mold while still warm. When you forget to grease a mold, you end up with a real mess on your hands and a very happy husband who gets to eat the failure.
If you are crazy enough to attempt this recipe, you can find it by typing it into my search bar. Making one would be a breeze, making 12 is another story.
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