A Holiday Treat! In Irish homes, most of them, there’s a plum pudding recipe that has been passed down through generations. This is the traditional Christmas dessert with mouth-watering fruit and wonderful spices. It’s a cake-type pudding moistened with whipped cream or maybe a little butter. Great choice for Christmas Eve or any winter holiday. Make it your tradition. Good idea to start preparing two days ahead of serving when you have a little more time.
INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup currants
1/3 cup sultanas (white or golden seedless raisins)
¼ cup chopped dried cherries
½ cup mixed candied fruit
¾ cup Irish whiskey or brandy
1 cup light brown sugar
½ cup. Butter
2 eggs
1-1/2 cup white bread crumbs
½ cup white flour
½ tsp baking soda
Dash of salt
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp all spice
¼ tsp nutmeg1-1/4 cup milk
½ cup chopped almonds
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1 tsp grated orange peel
Juice of ½ lemon
Don’t forget the brandy for a flaming presentation.
DIRECTIONS
Prepare the day before serving. The night before you prepare, soak dried fruit in Irish whiskey and refrigerate overnight.
Mix sugar, butter and cream until soft. Add eggs and mix thoroughly. In a separate bowl, combine bread crumbs, flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Slowly add to eggs and butter, alternating with milk. Keep mixing as you go. Add peels, lemon juice, whiskey-soaked fruit and almonds. Stir thoroughly. Pour into a well greased mold or bowl. Cover with cheese cloth and tie around the rim of the mold. Now, steam your pudding. Place on a trivet or small wire rack in the middle of a large kettle. Pour boiling water into the kettle around the mold until the water is 2/3 up the side of the mold. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 4 to 5 hours. Add more water if needed. Cool and refrigerate,
To reheat: Steam for one hour. Unmold and place on a heat proof serving dish.
To serve: Heat three tablespoons of brandy in a small saucepan, ignite carefully, pour over pudding and serve immediately.
