Saturday, November 18, 2006

Stir-up Sunday

The dried fruit were soaked in Irish Whiskey for four days.
Everyone gets to stir up the pudding for good luck!

It's time for Christmas Pudding again, and many have started this process already. This Sunday, the weekend before Advent that is also known as 'stir-up Sunday', is the last chance to make this christmas pudding. I have started to 'plump' up the dried fruits three days ago, and am going to steam the pudding today. The family each gets to stir the pudding for good luck before it goes into the steamer for 7 hours. I am making my pudding with butter instead of suet or crisco, so I'm keeping my fingers' crossed that it will turn out okay! Will keep 'feeding' it till Christmas! Here's the recipe that I have adapted from Gourmet, with several changes of ingredients.

Christmas Pudding
Fruit Mixture (To be made 4 days ahead)
1 lb Thompson Seedless Raisins
1 lb Seedless Dried Cranberries from Wild Oats
1/2 lb Dried Apricots
1 orange grated and juiced
1 lemon grated and juiced
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 c Irish Whiskey

Pudding Mixture
1/14 lb fresh bread crumbs
1 c scalded milk
1 c Guiness
10 eggs, beaten
1 c sugar
1 tsp salt
Irish Wiskey
Prepare the fruit mixture and keep it refridgerated for four days, stirring it daily.
Soak the bread crumbs in milk and Guinness. Combine the well-beaten eggs and sugar. Blend with the fruit mixture. Add salt and mix thoroughly. Put the pudding in buttered bowls or tins, filling them about 2/3 full. Cover with foil and tie it firmly. Steam for 7 hours. Uncover and place in a 250°F. oven for 30 minutes. Add a dash of cognac to each pudding, cover with foil and keep in a cool place.
To use, steam again for 2-3 hours and unmold. Sprinkle with sugar; add heated cognac. Ignite and bring to the table. Serve with hard sauce or cognac sauce.

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