[Sca-cooks] Re Do-it-yourself Plump Pudding

[devra at aol.com]

It is a little work, but not more than many of the recipes we've discussed here...

A joke - it makes you plump.  It's really good (she got the recipe from an old cookbook she had)
 
 
Lady Perdita’s Plum Pudding
 
Ingredients (for 1 quart pudding)
One third C butter (plus 2-3T for preparing pan, softened) 
Granulated sugar
Three-quarters C dark brown sugar (packed)
1 egg
1 Tbsp brandy
Half-cup dried currants
Half-cup EACH chopped raisins and diced dates
One-third C each, chopped: candied cherries, candied pineapple, candied citron or candied watermelon peel
One-third C chopped nuts
1 C flour
Half -tsp baking soda
Quarter- tsp salt
Quarter-tsp ground cinnamon
Eighth-tsp  EACH: ground allspice, ginger, nutmeg
Sauce
Half-cup butter
One and a half C confectioner’s sugar
3 Tbsp brandy
 
1)     Generously butter 4 - 5-Cup mold, and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Set aside.
2)     Cream butter and brown sugar; beat in egg and brandy.
3)     Stir in fruit and nuts.
4)     Sift in flour, soda, salt, and spices.
5)     Spoon mixture into prepared mold and press down with spoon; cover top with mold lid or foil. There should be expansion room between pudding and lid.
6)     Put mold on rack in large heavy kettle. Add boiling water to halfway up side of mold.
7)     Cover with kettle lid and steam about 3 hours. Add more boiling water as needed.
8)     Serve hot with sauce – about 8 servings. 
9)     To reheat, return to washed mold and kettle, steam 2 hours, until heated.
Sauce
1)     Soften butter.
2)     Gradually beat in sugar and brandy
3)     Chill and serve.

This also is good cold, and keeps very well. I have the proportions for 20 Qts, which I once made for a feast.  You can easily double this, and the spice measurements are easier that way too. Reheats nicely in microwave also.
Also nice to add: a small amount of chopped candied (wet or moist) ginger.
 Devra, salivating