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Emily Eliza's |
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Christmas Pudding |
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to her marriage, Emily Eliza Banting worked in service and was noted for
her cooking and baking, both skills and recipes, which she passed on to at
least two generations.
In my family, Christmas puddings are traditionally made on 'stir - up' Sunday, which I was led to believe is the first Sunday in December. According to religious beliefs this is not so, stir - up Sunday is the 25th Sunday after Trinity. Maybe our family date for 'stir - up Sunday' was brought about simply for ease of remembering? However, the main point of the date in this case, is that it gives the pudding enough time to mature for Christmas. |
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Ingredients . |
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For two x 2lb. 8oz. puddings halve the quantities if you want smaller puddings |
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| 1 lb Stoned Raisins | 2oz. Blanched Almonds | ||
| 2oz. Mixed Peel | 8oz. Sultanas | ||
| 8oz. Currants | rind of 2 Lemons | ||
| ½ small Apple, unpeeled but grated | |||
| ½ level teasp. Ground Cinnamon | ½ level teasp. ground nutmeg | ||
| 4oz Plain Flour | 1 level teasp. Salt | ||
| 1lb. Shredded Suet | 8oz. Fresh White Breadcrumbs | ||
| 4oz. soft Brown Sugar | 6 large Eggs | ||
| 8 fl. oz. Milk | 4 tablespoons Brandy | ||
| 1oz. Unsalted Butter | Greaseproof paper, tin foil and string |
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Method . |
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| Chop
the raisins, mixed peel and blanched almonds.
(These days the peel and almonds can be bought chopped).
Sift together the flour and spices and place in a large bowl, add salt and mix well. Add fruits and ground almonds. Blend thoroughly until all fruit is well coated. Add the suet, breadcrumbs and sugar and mix in evenly. Beat the eggs lightly and stir into the pudding mixture. Add the brandy and milk, stirring until the pudding has a soft dropping consistency. (Sometimes a little more liquid is required if the flour is very dry). Butter well 2lb. 8oz. pudding basins (2), divide the mixture between them and cover each basin with a pleated double layer of greaseproof paper. (Take two large circles of greaseproof paper, approx. twice the size of the bowl, grease with butter on one side. Place one piece on the other, fold a 2-inch wide pleat across the middle then cover the basin with it.). Now add a cover of a similar sized piece of pleated tin foil. Tie string tightly around the basins and take string up and over the top of the basin to form a handle. Put each pudding basin in a large saucepan of boiling water which comes two - thirds up the side of the basins. Keep the water boiling steadily for 6 hours, topping up with boiled water when the water drops below this level. When cooked, remove the puddings and leaver them to cool. Then cover them with fresh pieces of greaseproof paper and tinfoil. Store in a cool place until Christmas day. On Christmas Day, boil the puddings for a further 4 hours, then turn out onto a serving plate. This stage can be done in a microwave, but you will need to check the timings for your particular model. Serve with Brandy Butter and / or Cream. Hint Add 2 small pebbles to each saucepan just in case you forget to top up the water – when the levels get dangerously low, the pebbles will rattle. |
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Kindly contributed by Moya |
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If you have any Recipes which are endemic to Hampshire, and you would like to share them on these pages please email me. |
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