I'm not afraid of heights but I'm afraid of widths.
Steven Wright.
Christmas Is Coming
Christmas is coming the geese are getting fat
Please put a penny in the old mans hat
If you haven’t got a penny a half penny will do
If you haven’t got a half penny then God bless you
We might not have half pennies anymore and the preference nowadays is for turkey rather than goose, but one thing in the old rhyme is certainly true, Christmas is coming and it will be here before you know it. So why not get the Christmas pudding made now, it will keep, and all you need to do steam it on Christmas morning.
Christmas Pudding
Ingredients
8oz 0f golden caster sugar
4oz of suet
16 oz of mixed fruit including candied peel
4oz of plain flour
4oz of white breadcrumbs (fresh)
2oz of flaked almonds
The zest of 1 lemon
3 beaten eggs
1 level teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 level teaspoon of mixed spice
1 level teaspoon of grated nutmeg
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons of brandy
Method
Lightly grease a 2 pint pudding basin
Mix together the dry ingredients in a bowl
Stir in the eggs and the brandy and mix well
Spoon the mixture into the basin
Cover top of basin with baking parchment, then foil and tie into place
(If you tie a string across the top as well, it will help you lift the basin out of the pan)
Place basin in a steamer of boiling water and cover with a lid, boil for 6 hours, remember to top up water with more boiling water from time to time. Water must be boiling all the time.
(If you haven’t got a steamer, place a saucer upside down in the bottom of a large pan and stand the basin on top of the saucer. pour boiling water into the pan until it comes a third of the way up the side of the pudding basin. Cover with lid and steam as above for 6 hours.) Water must be boiling all the time.
Leave to cool, remove parchment and foil, replace with new, tie up again and store in a cool place.
On Christmas day steam for 2 hours and serve with custard or brandy sauce.
