Christmas Pudding - Our Tradition from the Making to the Flaming

As the evening sun dipped below the horizon, she carried it carefully into the dimly lit dining room. A sweet, dark, glistening dome of sticky goodness- dried fruits and nuts steeped in brandy and bourbon, fragranced with warm spices and steamed into the traditional Christmas pudding.

My Christmas Pudding- our family tradition from the making to the flaming.

He waited, spoon in one hand and bourbon in the other to flame the pudding as a nod to the pagan winter solstice celebration where fire and light and warmth were brought into the chilly winter darkness.

The children's eyes glowed like hot coals in eager anticipation of this ritual. The Christmas meal was coming to an end, culminating with the grand flambé.

When the alcohol caught fire and the blue flame was poured over the pudding, everyone's hearts leaped like the flames that danced lightly over the pudding. 

Two weeks earlier the whole family had been in the kitchen having a go at the making of this pudding. Each family member, from youngest to oldest gave the ingredients a good stir while making their wishes. Supposedly, one must stir from east to west to honor the the three kings, but with everyone being right handed, that procedure fell by the way side mighty quick.  

There were years when a handful of cleaned coins were buried into the pudding mixture, but the children had complained that it was no fun pulling coins out of their mouth while eating their pudding.  

In my mother's day, a variety of silver charms were often buried in the pudding signifying to the lucky or unlucky recipients what was on the horizon for them; a silver button charm indicated that you would remain a bachelor that year, a thimble and you would remain a spinster, a horse-shoe meant you would have good luck, a coin meant you would fall into money and a ring meant wedding bells.

The children asked for seconds but their pleas were dismissed. After all, the pudding had a generous portion of brandy and bourbon in it, not counting the bourbon hard sauce. This was one very special day when the children were allowed a small but very boozy portion of this very rich pudding. Any more and they'd fall asleep quietly by the fire. Hmmmm... maybe they should have a little more then.

The year was coming to an end. Everyone had made their wishes, and some had had their fortunes handed to them in the pudding charms. Whatever lay in store wouldn't matter. It would be incorporated into the grand scheme of life with all the other mixings. What would stick out though, would be the traditions that were forged at the kitchen table around the mixing bowl while wishes were made, batter was tasted and bowls were licked. The traditions would continue around the dining table as the children, now grown and with their own wide-eyed little ones, flambéed their own Christmas puddings bringing light and warmth and happiness into the chilly, winter darkness.

Traditional Christmas Pudding Recipe

Ingredients:

☐ 50g suet/ Crisco shortening
☐ 50g white day old crumbled breadcrumbs
☐ 1/2 tsp mixed spice
☐ 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
☐ 100g dark brown sugar
☐ 75ml burnt caramel
☐ 1 clementine, zested
☐ 1 lemon, zested
☐ 300g chopped dried fruits and nuts (raisins, candied ginger, candied orange peel, cranberries, almonds, cashews etc.)
☐ 1/2 green apple, diced
☐ 2 tbsp brandy/ bourbon while soaking the fruit and nut mixture.
☐ 1 tbsp brandy/ bourbon when mixing the pudding
☐ 1 eggs
☐ 25g self-raising flour, sifted

Step by Step Instructions:

Step 1: Prepare Fruit and Nuts in Advance

1. Chop fruits and nuts and soak in brandy or bourbon for a few days. 

Step 2: Stir in Ingredients and Make your Wishes

1. Place the breadcrumbs, spices, citrus zest, fruit and nut mixture in a large bowl and combine well.
2. Whisk together the Crisco shortening/ suet together with the brown sugar. Add brandy/ bourbon.
3. Add egg with a little bit of the fruit mixture to prevent the mixture from curdling.
4. Add the caramel and mix well.
5. Next, add the fruit mixture and combine well. Each family member should give it a good stir and make a wish!
6. Refrigerate overnight.

Step 3: Steam Pudding

1. Line a .6 litre pudding basin with strips of parchment paper. 
2. Sift the flour into the pudding mixture and mix thoroughly before spooning into the prepared pudding basin. 
3. Cover the top with a circle of foil and then cover with another larger piece that has a fold in the middle, which enables the pudding to expand. Tie round the rim of the basin with string. Repeat with a piece of foil, tying with string.
4. Put in a large pan. Use a trivet or, if you don’t have one, something small such as a saucer or large bottle cap to prevent the pudding from touching the base of the pan and getting too hot. Then pour in boiling water to at least halfway up the side of the basin. 
5. Cover tightly and steam for 3.5 hours, over a low heat, checking from time to time as you will need to top up the water.
6. After 3.5 hrs, remove from the pan and refrigerate until Christmas.

Step 4: Reheat and Serve

1. When you wish to eat the pudding, steam as above  or invert onto a plate and microwave. 
2. If steaming, carefully remove from the pan, then remove the foil and paper and invert onto a plate to serve.
3. Decorate with a sprig of holly.
4. Flambe and serve.

General proportions:

1:1:1- suet: breadcrumbs: eggs
3.5x- sugar
.5x- self-raising flour
6x- fruit & apple

For more of my Christmas recipes: click the "Christmas" label below.