LANGUEDOC & PROVENCE SUN

Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 8 hours
Marinating Time: 12 hours
Total time: 20 hours, 45 minutes

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

Preparation:
Lightly butter a 1,4 litre pudding basin.

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, nuts
and stir again until all the ingredients are well mixed. Finally add the marinaded 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. Now is the time to gather the family for Christmas Pudding tradition of taking turns in stirring, making a wish and adding a few coins.

Spoon the mixture in to the greased pudding basin, gently pressing the mixture down with the back of a spoon.

Cover with a double layer of greaseproof paper or baking parchment, then a layer of aluminium 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. Make sure you check the water level frequently so it never boils dry. The pudding should be a deep brown color when cooked. The pudding is not a light cake but instead is a dark, sticky and dense sponge.

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 greaseproof paper and retie with string.

Traditionally, Christmas puddings are made on the last Sunday in November then store it in a cool dry place until Christmas day.

On Christmas day reheat the pudding by steaming again for about an hour. Serve with brandy or rum sauce, brandy butter or custard.

The pudding cannot be eaten immediately as this will cause it to collapse and the flavours will not have had time to mature.

All ingredients can be found at the English Corner Shop.

< Prev		Next >