My aunts and Nanna always made their Christmas puddings with suet and tied them in a cloth.
The first time my mother tried to make a traditional pudding she ended up with a soggy mess, with more fruit in the saucepan than in the cloth.
I know now the secret is to boil the cloth first to close up the weave but Mum solved the problem by making her next pudding in a basin.
The Davis pudding has been made in a basin ever since and I have continued the tradition.
But being more time poor than my Mum I have simplified her recipe to make a Christmas pudding that tastes good and is a whiz to make.
The quantities below are enough for one very large pudding or two smaller ones.
I follow Mum's tradition and make two smaller puddings, one for Christmas dinner (it serves 10-12); the other for New Year's Day. Leftovers van be eaten cold for breakfast at any time during the Christmas holiday break.
I cook my puddings in stainless steel pudding basins with clip-on lids but Mum always made hers in two crockery basins (the white or cream ones that most kitchenware shops or discount department stores usually have).
If using a crockery basin you will need to put two layers of foil over the top of the pudding, after covering it with two layers of baking paper and tie tightly with string to stop any water getting into the pudding while it cooks.
Here is my simple recipe for a Christmas pudding in a basin:
1 x 1kg pack of mixed fruit (choose one with lots of raisins and sultanas and not too much mixed peel)
1 x 750gm pack of fruit medley mix (Coles and Safeway usually have it at this time of year)
250g plain flour
1 level teaspoon nutmeg
1 level teaspoon mixed spice
pinch of salt
250gm white sugar
250gm soft breadcrumbs (turn slices of bread into crumbs in a whiz or using a fine grater - the bread is easier to grate if it is a few days old but whatever you have available will be fine)
300gm butter or margarine
6 eggs
6 tablespoons brandy or whisky
300ml milk
Grease a large pudding basin (or two small ones).
Sift flour with spices and salt.
Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add fruit, breadcrumbs and sugar.
Beat the eggs, add the milk and brandy (or whisky) and pour the mixture into the dry ingredients.
Mix well (the mixture looks a bit like sloppy porridge).
Place in the prepared basin (or basins). The mixture should be a couple of centimetres below the top of the basin to allow it to rise a bit while cooking.
Cover with two layers of baking paper (gently push it down to the surface of the pudding).
Then add the lid (or a couple of layers of foil tied down with string).
Place each basin in a saucepan with enough boiling water to reach halfway up the side of the basin.
Cover the saucepan with a lid and boil gently for 6 hours (if one large pudding) or 5 hours (if two smaller ones), checking the water level regularly and topping up with more boiling water when necessary to keep the level about halfway up the basin.
The pudding will keep in its basin in the fridge for at least a year but can be used as soon as you want.
I usually make mine about a month before Christmas but this year I am totally disorganised and will start making it later tonight, just in time for Christmas.
On the day you want to eat the pudding, place the basin in a saucepan as before and boil gently for another two hours.
Serve with brandy custard, brandy cream, brandy sauce or all three, with a dollop of vanilla icecream to make it truly decadent.
Any leftover pudding can be sliced and heated in a microwave, or in a colander over simmering water, or served cold with cream or icecream.
Happy Christmas!
(I will put my recipes for brandy cream, brandy sauce and brandy custard on my blog later in the week, time permitting).
