Title: Plum Pudding
Categories: Desserts
Yield: 6 servings
12 oz Pitted prunes, chopped
10 oz Dried currants
8 oz Dark raisins
4 oz Glace fruit (candied fruit
-peel)
1 lg Orange, zest only
1/3 c Orange juice
1 lg Lemon, zest only
1/4 c Lemon juice
1 tb Apricot puree
1 tb Molasses
1/3 c Guinness stout
1/2 c Or more Cognac or brandy
1/4 c Tawny port
1/4 c Or more Frangelico liqueur
1/2 ts (rounded) cinnamon
1/2 ts (rounded) ground nutmeg
1/2 ts Ground black pepper
1/2 ts (scant) ground cloves
1 c + 1 tb dark brown sugar
8 c Fresh white bread crumbs *
6 oz Butter, melted, + additional
-as needed
Holly sprigs and glace
-cherries, for garnish
Vanilla-flavored whipped
-cream, lightly sweetened
* from homemade-style sliced white bread
This is the near-perfect Christmas dinner dessert, richly flavored
with a dense but light texture. This pudding is successful made just
one week out or even a few days before serving, and it's easy, in
spite of its length.
Combine the prunes, currants, raisins, glace fruit, citrus rinds and
juice, apricot puree and molasses in a large nonreactive bowl. Add
the stout, 1/2 cup Cognac, the port and 1/4 cup Frangelico. Mix well.
Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper and cloves. Add the sugar and
mix very well. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; refrigerate for 24
hours, stirring occasionally.
The following day, let mixture stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
Fold in the bread crumbs with a rubber spatula, in batches if
necessary, until crumbs are thoroughly combined and no white specks
are visible. Mixture will be stiff. Let stand for 30 minutes.
Thoroughly fold in the melted butter. There should be about 9 cups of
batter.
Lightly butter two 4-cup and one 2 1/2-cup steamed pudding molds,
heat-proof ceramic bowls or stainless-steel bowls. Lightly pack 3 1/2
cups of batter into the 4 cup molds and 2 cups of batter into the 2
1/2-cup mold. Smooth tops with a rubber spatula.
Press a lightly buttered round of baking parchment directly onto the
surface of each pudding. Cover each mold with its lid or each bowl
with aluminum foil.
Place molds in pots with boiling water that comes 3/4 of the way up
the sides of the molds; cover pots. Steam puddings for 4 hours over
low or medium-low heat, so water boils gently. Replenish boiling
water as necessary to maintain level.
Transfer puddings to wire racks; cool to room temperature. Refrigerate
puddings, covered with baking parchment and plastic wrap, for up to 6
days. Brush them lightly once or twice with Cognac or Frangelico, if
desired.
To serve, let pudding stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Steam,
covered with parchment paper and aluminum foil, for 2 1/2 hours. Let
cool on a rack for 1 1/2 hours. Pudding should still be warm. Run a
knife around the edge of the pudding. Invert pudding onto cake stand
or platter. Decorate with holly sprigs and glace cherries.
To flambe pudding: Pour about 2 tablespoons hot Cognac over the top.
Carefully and immediately ignite it with a match. Blue flames will
subside when alcohol has burned off.
Slice the pudding and serve with whipped cream.
Yields 2 large puddings, serving 8 to 10 each, and 1 small pudding
that serves 6 to 8.
PER SERVING: 230 calories, 3 g protein, 44 g carbohydrate, 6 g fat (3
g saturated), 13 mg cholesterol, 153 mg sodium, 3 g fiber.
Maria Cianci writing in the San Francisco Chronicle, 12/16/92.
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