SC - REC: Christmas pudding and hard sauce

[Elysant at aol.com]

- -Poster: <Elysant at aol.com> 
>  We, americans, are richer to have you. 

Thank you m'lady. You are very kind. :-)  

>( I think any day is a holiday when there is a turkey in the oven.)  I would 
love to >have you post or email me a good brit old fashioned christmas 
pudding recipe.  >Don't they need a month to age? (I have never had one only 
seen them on TV)

Here's my grandmother's recipe for Christmas pudding.  
(My family in Wales always has roast chicken for Christmas dinner BTW) :-)

CHRISTMAS PUDDING

8 oz breadcrumbs
8 oz flour
8 oz brown sugar
8 oz suet
8 oz currants
6 oz raisins
6 oz sultanas
3 oz mixed peel
2 teaspoons mixed spice
1 teaspoon salt
a little grated carrot
5 eggs
beer or brandy to mix
*silver sixpences (or other silver coloured coinage)

Everything is combined (including the sixpences years ago) in a large bowl.  
The pudding mixture is then placed into a large greased earthernware pudding 
basin, pressing the mixture down fairly firmly (do not fill all the way to 
the top).  A circle of greaseproof (wax) paper is put on top of the cake 
mixture, then a piece of cloth or foil is put over the top of the bowl, and 
is tied around firmly around under the outside lip of the bowl with some 
string.  The pudding is then steamed.  

I have no length of time for the steaming my grandmother's  pudding 
unfortunately, but according to another British recipe book I have here, 
here's how you would proceed to cook a pudding big enough to put into a 2 
litre pudding basin.  It looks to be approximately the same size as the 
pudding above (so far as I can tell) :-)

Place in a steamer two thirds full with boiling water or a saucepan of 
boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the basin.  Steam for 7 - 8 
hours, adding more boiling water to the pan when necessary.  Remove from the 
saucepan and cool.  When cold cover with fresh greased greaseproof paper and 
store in a cool place.  Steam again for 2 - 3 hours before serving.  Serve 
with hard sauce. 

The pudding is made well in advance (4 - 6 weeks) to allow time to mature.

*The sixpences used to put in the batter for luck.  Who ever got a sixpence 
in their pudding would receive good fortune.  Then sixpences stopped being 
made of silver, and were slid under the pudding on the children's plates 
before they were served rather than being put into the batter.  Nowerdays 
there are no sixpences.  I suspect other coins are substituted to keep the 
tradition going but they are not baked in in the pudding anymore AFAIK ;-)

HARD SAUCE 
3 oz margarine or butter
3 oz soft brown sugar
2 -3 tablespoons brandy
finely grated rind of 1/2 orange (optional)

Cream the mangarine and sugar together until well mixed.  Beat in the brandy 
a little at a time, together with the orange rind, if used.  Chill and allow 
to harden before serving.

Elysant 
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