Christmas Plum Pudding
A dense, dark pudding long steamed, packed with raisins, candied fruit, citrus zest and spices, bound with beef suet and perfumed with brandy. It is prepared in advance and improves with age.
A dense, dark pudding long steamed, packed with raisins, candied fruit, citrus zest and spices, bound with beef suet and perfumed with brandy. It is prepared in advance and improves with age.
Here is a dish that defies time itself — and time, believe me, is my favorite subject. Weeks before Christmas, we mix in a large bowl the raisins, candied peels, breadcrumbs and suet, bind it all with eggs and a generous splash of brandy. Everyone in the house gives a stir and makes a wish. Then it is wrapped in a cloth and boiled for hours. The longer it waits, the better it becomes: a well-made pudding is a small edible eternity.
- •Grated beef suet — a good measure (fat, softness)
- •Raisins and currants — abundantly (fruit)
- •Candied orange and lemon peel — a handful (citrus flavor)
- •Breadcrumbs and flour — equal parts (structure)
- •Eggs — several (binder)
- •Brown sugar (muscovado) — a good measure (sweetness)
- •Nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, mace — to taste (signature spices)
- •Brandy — a glass (flavor and preservation)
Christmas Plum Pudding
A dense, dark pudding long steamed, packed with raisins, candied fruit, citrus zest and spices, bound with beef suet and perfumed with brandy. It is prepared in advance and improves with age.
Why this dish? Puddings and pastries are explicitly listed among Babbage's tastes. The plum pudding, glory of Victorian festivities, was made weeks before Christmas and kept, packed with dried fruit and alcohol: it was the dessert that crowned the grand tables of his time.
Here is a dish that defies time itself — and time, believe me, is my favorite subject. Weeks before Christmas, we mix in a large bowl the raisins, candied peels, breadcrumbs and suet, bind it all with eggs and a generous splash of brandy. Everyone in the house gives a stir and makes a wish. Then it is wrapped in a cloth and boiled for hours. The longer it waits, the better it becomes: a well-made pudding is a small edible eternity.
Ingredients (period version)
- Grated beef suet — a good measure (fat, softness)
- Raisins and currants — abundantly (fruit)
- Candied orange and lemon peel — a handful (citrus flavor)
- Breadcrumbs and flour — equal parts (structure)
- Eggs — several (binder)
- Brown sugar (muscovado) — a good measure (sweetness)
- Nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, mace — to taste (signature spices)
- Brandy — a glass (flavor and preservation)
Ingredients
- Grated beef suet (or frozen grated butter / vegetable suet) — 150 g (softness)
- Raisins + currants — 300 g (fruit)
- Candied citrus peel — 75 g (flavor)
- Fresh breadcrumbs — 100 g (structure)
- Flour — 75 g (structure)
- Muscovado sugar — 120 g (sweetness)
- Eggs — 3 (binder)
- Ground nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, mace — 1 tsp total (spices)
- Zest of 1 orange + 1 lemon — 1 each (freshness)
- Brandy — 60 ml (flavor, preservation)
Method
- Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl: fruits, breadcrumbs, flour, sugar, spices, zest and suet.
- Beat eggs with brandy, pour over mixture and mix well (make a wish while stirring!). Let rest overnight.
- Butter a pudding basin, pack in the mixture, cover with a disc of baking paper then a tied cloth with a pleat (pudding expands).
- Place basin on a trivet in a large pot, pour boiling water halfway up, cover and steam 5 to 6 hours, adding water as needed.
- Let cool, replace cloth with a clean one, and store in a cool, dry place for several weeks.
- On serving day, steam again for 1 hour 30. Unmold, pour a little warm brandy over and flambé at table. Serve with cream or brandy butter.
How it was made : The plum pudding gets its name from 'plums,' an old term for raisins (not plums). Prepared on 'Stir-up Sunday' (the last Sunday before Advent), each family member stirred the batter from east to west, in memory of the Magi. Sometimes a silver coin was hidden inside for luck — a detail made famous by Dickens' *A Christmas Carol* (1843).
The contemporary twist : Hide a small chocolate cog (wrapped) in the batter as a nod to Babbage's Analytical Engine gears — whoever finds it 'programs' the next Christmas.
Sources : Isabella Beeton, Book of Household Management, 1861 · Eliza Acton, Modern Cookery for Private Families, 1845
Charles Babbage · Charactorium