What traditionaly goes in a Christmas Pudding?

Answer 1

This is a traditional recipe for Christmas Pudding:




Serves 8 - 10
1lb dried mixed fruit (use golden raisins, raisins, currants)
1 oz mixed candied peel, finely chopped
1 small cooking apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
Grated zest and juice ½ large orange and ½ lemon
4 tbsp brandy, plus a little extra for soaking at the end
2 oz self-raising flour, sifted
1 level tsp ground mixed spice
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 oz shredded suet, beef or vegetarian
4oz soft, dark brown sugar
4 oz white fresh bread crumbs
1 oz whole shelled almonds, roughly chopped
2 large free-range eggs

Preparation:

- Lightly butter a 2 ½ pint pudding bowl.

- Place the dried fruits, candied peel, apple, orange and lemon juice into a large mixing bowl. Add the brandy and stir well.
- Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave to marinate for a couple of hours; preferably overnight.
- Stir together the flour, mixed spice and cinnamon in a very large mixing bowl.
- Add the suet, sugar, lemon and orange zest, bread crumbs and nuts and stir again until all the ingredients are well mixed.
- Add the marinated dried fruits and stir again.
- Beat the eggs lightly in a small bowl then stir quickly into the dry ingredients. The mixture should have a fairly soft consistency.
- Gather the family to take turns in stirring, making a wish and adding a few coins.
- Spoon the mixture in to the greased pudding bowl, gently pressing the mixture down with the back of a spoon.
- Cover with a double layer of wax paper, then a layer of aluminum foil and tie securely with string.
- Place the pudding in a steamer set over a saucepan of simmering water and steam the pudding for 7 hours, checking the water level frequently so it never boils dry. The pudding should be a deep brown color when cooked.
- Remove the pudding from the steamer, cool completely. Remove the paper, prick the pudding with a skewer and pour in a little extra brandy. Cover with fresh wax paper and retie with string.
- Store in a cool dry place until Christmas Day.
- On Christmas day reheat the pudding by steaming again for about an hour. Serve with Brandy Sauce, Brandy Butter or custard. Left over Christmas pudding can be reheated by wrapping tightly in aluminum foil and heating thoroughly in a hot oven