Camden New Journal - Recipe for Designer Christmas Pudding by Clare Latimer

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Published: 1st September 2008

Pudding on the style this Christmas

Christmas is coming so get the brandy out and try this pudding recipe, says Clare Latimer

Having just made hundreds of Christmas puddings to sell I feel I should let you have the recipe in case you feel like making your own. The smell of brandy, currants and spices certainly puts one in the Christmas mood. It even made me go out and start Christmas present shopping.
One of my favourite things on Boxing Day after a crisp walk over Hampstead Heath is to come back to cold turkey with home-made cranberry sauce and then a slice of Christmas pud fried in brandy butter and lashings of cream poured over the top.

Designer Christmas Pudding
You can use vegetarian suet if you wish. Some say it makes the pudding lighter but I think the beef suet has more flavour.
I sometimes add a handful of soft dried apricots or chopped prunes or some melted dark chocolate, but you can add anything that is a favourite in your household but you won’t find candied peel anywhere near mine!
Make sure that the mixed spice is fresh and not been sitting in your cupboard for many years! It does make a difference. It is one of the times that a microwave is extremely useful because so much is being cooked on Christmas day and space on the cooker is very tight.

Serves 18 Ingredients
50g of self-raising flour.
175g of plain flour.
One teaspoon of baking powder.
Half a teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg.
One teaspoon of mixed spice.
50g of ground almonds.
225g of shredded suet.
225g of dark muscovado sugar.
125g of white breadcrumbs.
1.5kg of mixed currants.
1 tablespoon of black treacle.
One lemon, grated rind and juice.
One orange, grated rind and juice.
Three carrots, peeled and finely grated.
Two medium cooking apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped.
Two tablespoons of brandy.
One tablespoons of rum.
1 tablespoon of sherry.
150ml of dark ale or stout.
Four eggs.
Flour and butter for preparing the basins.

Method
Preheat the oven 190C 375F or Gas mark 5. Put all the ingredients into a large bowl, stir well and then cover. Leave for up to one week stirring occasionally, in a cool place.
Grease and lightly flour either three one and-a-half pint or two two-pint pudding basins and put in the mixture. Top the surfaces with a circle of greaseproof paper then cover the baking parchment or foil.
Fold around the edges of the basin and tie with string or scrunch the foil under the lip of the basin. Place in a deep roasting tin or saucepan and pour in boiling water two-thirds up the sides of the basins.
Steam in the oven for four hours topping up with boiling water frequently. Leave to cool and then store in a cool dry place.
On Christmas Day the pudding can either have a further one-and-a-half hours steaming or can be reheated in a microwave for about four minutes on high, but remove the foil if heating this way. Check it is hot by piecing with a metal skewer and if the skewer comes out piping hot then it is ready.
Turn the pudding out onto a warm plate. Fill a ladle with brandy and carefully heat over a gas flame or lit candle.
When the brandy is hot enough it will ignite. Pour the flaming brandy over the pudding. Make sure the lights are out and then do the grand entrance to the dinner table.

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