Christmas Pudding

[Gravy Queen]

Oooooooh I love a good home made fruitcake , what could be nicer with a cup of tea ?

 

[bakechef]

I've seen episodes of The Great British Bake off, and it's neat to see how much more dried and candied fruits are used in baking. Some day when I I make it to the UK I'm going to eat a lot of sweets!

 

[GotGarlic]

We should have a virtual Christmas cookie recipe swap. I have a recipe for Christmas biscotti with candied fruit. The slices look very festive

 

[Gravy Queen]

That's a lovely idea GG how about starting a Chrimbo thread with your recipe ?

 

[Dawgluver]

I understand people consider fruitcake a joke. That's probably because there are some crappy fruitcakes out there. I happen to like fruitcake and have had some good store bought versions. I haven't yet made a fruitcake. I don't even have a recipe.

My mother adored fruitcake. It was her Christmas present from me for years, ordered from Trappist monks.

I used to make fruitcake when I was in high school, eons ago. I put tons of dried fruit and nuts in, and actually had to double or triple the baking time, it was so dense. I'll have to see if I can find the recipe, as I recall, it was from a church cookbook.

 

[Addie]

Oooooooh I love a good home made fruitcake , what could be nicer with a cup of tea ?

Sitting and sharing it with the Queen.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I love a good fruitcake with dried fruit soaked in brandy...none of that candied stuff that is sickly sweet.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I am also a big fan of fruitcake, with a slice of sharp cheddar cheese and a cup of tea.

It costs so much to make one these days that I think it is a better value to buy one.

The folks at Collins Street Bakery in Texas do a great job.

If you order once you will get junk mail for the rest of your life, but it's worth it, lol!

https://www.collinstreet.com/pages/online_bakery/all_deluxe_fruitcakes

 

[Addie]

I don't think you can walk into the supermarket here and buy suet. When my mother needed it, I worked for a company that owned a chain of supermarkets. I knew most of the store owners, so I went in and asked him for the suet.

You can. You just have to ask for it. I get mine for free only because I went to school with my butcher. But when I can't get to his store, I have gotten it at my supermarket. They charged me like $.10 a pound. I spent less than $1.00 total. I asked the meat manager if they get any other requests for the suet. Only around the holidays. And it is only the Latino folks who ask for it. I was the first non-Latino who had asked for it. In my supermarket, they do have pig skin for sale. I have no idea what you would do with that. It is not salt pork, just the pig skin.

 

[Aunt Bea]

You can. You just have to ask for it. I get mine for free only because I went to school with my butcher. But when I can't get to his store, I have gotten it at my supermarket. They charged me like $.10 a pound. I spent less than $1.00 total. I asked the meat manager if they get any other requests for the suet. Only around the holidays. And it is only the Latino folks who ask for it. I was the first non-Latino who had asked for it. In my supermarket, they do have pig skin for sale. I have no idea what you would do with that. It is not salt pork, just the pig skin.

I can get loads of pigskin, no suet.

Since the meat started coming to the butcher in large cryovaced packages suet and even a nice fat cap are a thing of the past in my area.

I miss those nice beef cracklings on a roast or a good steak.

 

[bakechef]

Yeah most places here get the "primals" which is just the large pieces that just need to be cut into roasts and steaks. That's if a store even cuts their own meat at all. Butcher shops are few and far between here, and if you find one they are more of a gourmet store and everything is $$$

 

[taxlady]

Yeah most places here get the "primals" which is just the large pieces that just need to be cut into roasts and steaks. That's if a store even cuts their own meat at all. Butcher shops are few and far between here, and if you find one they are more of a gourmet store and everything is $$$

Same here.

I can get some stuff at the local ethnic supermarket. They have a real butcher section. Whole goat kids in the meat display in spring.

 

[Mad Cook]

I don't know about in the US, but we can buy it at the store in Canada. I once served a store bought one and it was wonderful, to those of us who like that kind of thing. One of my guests was having a real problem getting her piece down, until a friend said, "Not everyone likes it. You don't have to eat it." The look of relief on that guest's face was precious.

Perhaps it's something that you have to grow up on. I loved it when I was little - mind you, the sixpences may have had a lot to do with it

Bought ones - even Marks and Spencer's vintage ones which are good -aren't a patch on homemade.

Some people have brandy or rum butter which is what I think someone meant by hard sauce but in our family it was always custard with rum in it. I have to admit to gluttony - I like cream with my Christmas pudding and rum custard. I like brandy butter with mince pies though.

 

[Mad Cook]

I would love for you to share your Christmas pudding recipe, how kind of you. . I would never think you were pushy!

I'll look it out for you. I'm going to bed now as it's just gone midnight but I'll look for it tomorrow and post it here

 

[taxlady]

Perhaps it's something that you have to grow up on. I loved it when I was little - mind you, the sixpences may have had a lot to do with it

Bought ones - even Marks and Spencer's vintage ones which are good -aren't a patch on homemade.

Some people have brandy or rum butter which is what I think someone meant by hard sauce but in our family it was always custard with rum in it. I have to admit to gluttony - I like cream with my Christmas pudding and rum custard. I like brandy butter with mince pies though.

I do believe it was from Marks and Spencers. Unfortunately no Marks & Sparks in Canada anymore. We served it with brandy butter, which we call hard sauce.

 

[Mad Cook]

I would love for you to share your Christmas pudding recipe, how kind of you. . I would never think you were pushy!

Sorry, Somebunny. I was out of the house early this (yesterday) morning and didn't get home until after midnight. I promise I'll post the recipe tomorrow morning (our time).

 

[Mad Cook]

What did you use instead of suet?

A friend in New Zealand can't get suet so uses butter. She freezers it and then grates it into the flour. She's English and her Russian* husband of 5 years is obsessed with Christmas pudding - would like it all through the year if she'd make it!

(*Her first husband was Japanese. Gets around a bit does Ethel - not her real name,we just call her that)

 

[taxlady]

A friend in New Zealand can't get suet so uses butter. She freezers it and then grates it into the flour. She's English and her Russian* husband of 5 years is obsessed with Christmas pudding - would like it all through the year if she'd make it!

(*Her first husband was Japanese. Gets around a bit does Ethel - not her real name,we just call her that)

So, if you can be bothered to make a vegetarian (ovo-lacto vegetarian) version of Xmas pud, use butter. If the person is vegan, I think that's their problem.

 

[Mad Cook]

The corresponding tradition in this country is fruit cake. Usually it's made with dried fruit, nuts, and a good dose of brandy. Some of the homemade versions are very good and not entirely different from your traditional Christmas pudding. Unfortunately, most people these days buy store-bought fruit cakes, which are just awful and can be used for doorstops long after the holiday has passed.

By the way, a few years ago I brought a Tesco Christmas pud back with me from a trip to London. We let it mature in the cupboard and on Christmas day did the whole flaming table presentation. Quite fun!

Oh, we're thoroughly greedy over here. We have Christmas cake as well, just as you describe it. Mind you, by tea time on Christmas day most people are so stuffed with food the cake doesn't get cut. Mum used to make a Christmas cake every year in November despite the fact we always went away to Mum's family at Christmas. My birthday is in February and we frequently cut the Christmas cake for my birthday tea

Hmm, Tesco pudds don't usually do very well in taste tests in magazines. Oddly enough Lidl (a cheap end German supermarket, similar to Aldi) won a magazine test a couple of years back. It cost £2.99 (about $5, I think) and was "competing" against pudds from, among other shops,Tesco and Harrods (and that one was many times the price!)

 

[Mad Cook]

You should be able to get suet from a butcher shop.





I understand people consider fruitcake a joke. That's probably because there are some crappy fruitcakes out there. I happen to like fruitcake and have had some good store bought versions. I haven't yet made a fruitcake. I don't even have a recipe.

-16 ounces mixed dried fruit (candied peel, zante currants, raisins, sultanas (golden raisins, I think)
-about 3-4 ounces of other dried, glace or crystallised fruit eg cherries (halved), and /or crystallised pineapple, mango, paw paw or chopped prnes or dried apricots or anything you have to hand. add a handful of nuts if you like.
-4 ounces butter
-4 ounces brown sugar eg Demerara or muscovado or any soft brown sugar
-5 fluid ounces of mixed water and whisky or rum or sherry or you can just use 5 ounces of the alcohol if you prefer.

Put these in a saucepan and heat gently to melt the butter and dissolve the sugar. When the butter and sugar are liquefied turn up the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes (don't turn your back on it as it might over-heat and turn to toffee).

Allow to cool for 1/2 an hour.

-Beat two large eggs in a small bowl or a cup and add to the fruit mixture and sift 8 ounces of self raising flour (sorry can't help you there!) with a scant half teaspoon of mixed spice (or combine a little each of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice) and stir into the rest of the cake mixture. Stir well (no need for a food mixer)
-turn into a 7inch diameter deep round cake ti/cake pan.
-Bake in the oven at 325F/170C for 30 minutes then at 300F/150C for a further hour and a half. Stand for 1/2 an hour then turn out onto a cooling rack until until completely cold.

This cake keeps and improves with keeping. Store in a plastic food box at room temp until ready to eat.

How does that grab you? (All my own work so no probs with copyright but the inspiration came from a not very exciting (in fact very, very dull)cake in an old cookery book which is now out of print.) It's a very forgiving cake as you can see from the list of ingredients. The fruit never sinks and you can make it a week or more before you need it. No need to refridgerate under normal circumstances. If you want to keep it for a long time (why?) you can wrap it well and put it in the freezer.

The only thing I'd say as a word of warning is - don't use crystallised ginger even if you love it. I did and it didn't work!

Hope I haven't missed anything out. I've made it so often that it's imprinted on my memory!