My Christmas pudding in all its flaming glory on Christmas Day
This is the Christmas pudding I make every year, and the only one I can remember my mother making. It's lighter than the traditional variety, but the flavours are still rich and complex. It will convert a Christmas pudding-hater, and win over even the most ardent traditionalist. I couldn't imagine Christmas without it. This slightly adapted recipe comes from the seminal Christmas cookbook of the 90's - The Canadian Living Christmas Book. It's a wonderfully festive and practical manual for the holidays, and is still in print - a testament to its undiminished seasonal utility.
As a bonus, this pudding doesn't need to be made weeks in advance - though I usually do, as it will improve on sitting and offers ample festive reassurance sitting proudly in the pantry in the run-up to the big day. But if you find yourself reading this, with Stir-Up Sunday having long been and gone, never fear. You can still make it on Christmas Eve and it will taste fantastic.
A pudding this size will easily feed 8 people, or a couple more if you've got a few Christmas pudding sceptics among your number. To feed up to 12 people, you could make 1.5X the recipe, but just make sure you've got a bowl big enough, and a pot large enough to steam it in. If you're feeding more than 12 for Christmas Day - no mean feat - you'll probably need two Christmas puddings rather than doubling up for some monstrous one. Just bear in mind you'll need double the kit: pot, steaming rack and flame-suitable serving plate.
Ingredients
For the Christmas Pudding:
115g softened butter
¾ cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
Zest of 1 large orange
1 cup plain flour
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp each salt, cinnamon and ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves and ground ginger
1 cup mixed candied peel, chopped finely
1 cup raisins
½ cup golden raisins
¾ cup candied cherries, snipped in half
½ cup flaked almonds
⅓ cup brandy
For the Crème Anglaise:
500ml double cream
½ tsp finely grated clementine zest
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
3 large egg yolks
¼ cup sugar
Method:
For the Christmas pudding, start by preparing your pudding basin. Grease a 2L pudding bowl (I use a Pyrex bowl) with butter, then line the bottom with a circle of buttered parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the butter with the sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down between each addition. Stir in the orange zest.
In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, breadcrumbs, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir in the candied peel, raisins, cherries and almonds.
Add half the dry mixture to the creamed butter and sugar and stir together with a wooden spoon. Add the brandy, then add the remaining dry ingredients and stir until combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pudding basin, then carefully press down and pack in the batter so there aren't any air pockets.
Cover the top of the pudding with a buttered circle of parchment paper. Tear off a large sheet of tin foil, then fold in half and fold a strip across the middle to create a pleat. Tie the foil tightly around the top of the pudding bowl with string.
Place the pudding in a large pot fitted with a small rack inside. Pour enough boiling water in to come up about 2/3 up the pudding bowl. Place a lid on top and steam over medium heat for approximately 3 hours. Remove the pudding and let cool.
Once cold, replace the top circle of parchment and the foil lid with fresh coverings, tied as above. Keep somewhere cool and dry until the big day.
To reheat the pudding, set up a large pot with a rack and lid, just as when you cooked the pudding in the first place. Pour in boiling water to come up about halfway up the pudding bowl, then steam for 2 hours. Turn out onto a serving platter.
To flame, pick the most sober adult you can find to heat 1/4 cup of brandy in a saucepan until warm. Bring the saucepan to the table and pour over the waiting pudding. Immediately light the warmed brandy with a lit match and sit back to enjoy the magic and drama. When it's finished flaming, use a large spoon to scoop servings into bowls, then pour over a little of the cold spiced crème anglaise (method follows).
Tip: Warmed brandy flames better than cold. Use some common sense and caution when lighting anything on fire.
To make the crème anglaise, start by preparing an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and water. Set aside.
Combine the cream, clementine zest and spices in a medium saucepan. Turn the heat on to medium and heat until just below simmering, stirring often. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Add the egg yolks and sugar to a bowl and whisk until pale and thick. Slowly add the hot cream, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the pan and cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly, until the crème anglaise is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Dunk the pot straight into the ice bath and stir until the crème anglaise has cooled. Transfer this festive custard to a bowl and cover with cling film, taking care to press the cling right on to the surface to prevent a skin forming. Keep refrigerated until needed.
Make ahead: Crème anglaise should be made a day ahead. I make mine first thing on Christmas Eve.
Merry Christmas!
