This is for the British Dopers (and anyone else who might follow this tradition)
Do you make Christmas Pudding with each person making a wish on “Stir Up Sunday”?
I’d like to try it. Will you recommend a canned pudding that tastes like home?
Okay, I’ve got to ask. What’s a ‘canned pudding’?
We used to do this as my mother made her own Christmas pudding. But now, what with M&S, Sainsbury’s et al all making great pudding, it’s just all too much effort. Like making your own pasta.
For some reason, I remember a canned pudding and thought that’s how Christmas Pudding was sold. I’ll look at M&S and Sainsbury sites now.
Online is confusing. I don’t want to get stuck with the Dollar Store- type quality
Christmas Pudding. Have you had any of these?
this site: http://www.britishhomemarket.com/product_info.php?cPath=171_172&products_id=1617
Cole’s Rum and Double Cream Christmas Pudding - 400 g for $21.50
M. Walker offers Luxury Victorian Xmas Pudding, 454g for $15.95 or
M Walker Traditional Xmas Pudding, 750g for $19.95
I couldn’t find the M&S or Sainsbury Christmas Puiddings on the websites.
Aaah, gotcha. Okay. No, I haven’t had any of those particular brands, but they are not ‘canned’. They usually come in a foil (or plastic) bowl with a peel off lid. So you can microwave them or steam then in the more traditional manner.
But you can’t do the stirring thing you mentioned with these as they’re already ‘set’. You do the stirring and wishing thing as the mixture is being concocted - just like stirring a cake mix before you put it in the oven. If you want to do THAT, you have to do it the hard way - buy a jar of mincemeat, if you can get hold of such a thing, and look up a recipe! Good luck…
I make it, but there are no stirring traditions at my house. Too many degrees of separation I guess. My mom made it from a recipe published in the St. David’s Episcopal Church (Wilm. Del.) bulletin. The minister at the time, Rev. David, had done some of his seminary work in England. His wife, Kathy, had obtained the recipe during their time there. After serving it a few times, parishioners repeatedly requested how to make the Christmas pudding. At home, it was always served on Christmas after dinner. Now I make it, but usually in October. It is supposed to age for six weeks before consuming. Good stuff.
Exactly as it should be.
But I hope you set it on fire with brandy and hid a sixpence in the pudding.
And served it with a choice of brandy butter, double cream or custard
Oooh, roll on Christmas day
You can also make great Christmas pud ice cream with the leftovers, BTW
Yes, we do flame it. About a 1/4 cup of brandy warmed and then poured on. Mom always asked for the lights to be turned down. Makes a nice blue flame. Forgot that part! Also, we serve it with hard sauce. Basically just confectioners sugar, softened butter and a bit of brandy. I think that’s how I learned to like it. About 50/50 pudding and sauce. Never put anything in it though. I guess a US dime would be about right.
I’m actually going to be marking ‘Stir Up Sunday’ in the traditional fashion for the very first time in my life, this year. I have a jar of brandied prunes that I made in the summer (well, I say made… I picked the plums and dried them), so I’m intending to make a big plum pudding.
Oddly, not all plum pudding recipes contain any plums at all, but some do - and mine will.
Yorkshire pudding isn’t really pudding at all, is it?
Not by the American understanding of the term ‘pudding’, but then the same could be said of a great many puddings.
My Plum Pudding exploits have begun - laying in a disturbingly long list of ingredients. All set for Sunday.
Progress will appear here, as it unfolds:
http://www.atomicshrimp.com/st/content/plum_pudding