It took some research to find an American equivalent; surprising since this treat is easily found both in English old-century homes, and also in early-American tradition.
The dessert speaks of family gathering as romantic images from Dicken's "A Christmas Carol" wander in our skulls.
This is the near-perfect Christmas dinner dessert, richly flavored with a dense but light texture. This pudding is successful made just one week out or even a few days before serving, and it's easy, in spite of its length.
- 12 oz pitted prunes, chopped
- 10 oz dried currants
- 8 oz dark raisins
- 4 oz glace fruit (candied fruit-peel)
- 1 large orange, zest only
- 1/3 c orange juice
- 1 large lemon, zest only
- 1/4 c lemon juice
- 1 tbsp apricot puree
- 1 tbsp molasses
- 1/3 c Guinness stout
- 1/2 c or more cognac or brandy
- 1/4 c tawny port
- 1/4 c or more Frangelico liqueur
- 1/2 tsp (rounded) cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp (rounded) ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp (scant) ground cloves
- 1 c + 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 8 c fresh white bread crumbs from homemade-style sliced white bread
- 6 oz butter, melted, + additional-as needed
- Holly sprigs and glace-cherries, for garnish
- Vanilla-flavored whipped -cream, lightly sweetened
Combine the prunes, currants, raisins, glace fruit, citrus rinds and juice, apricot puree and molasses in a large nonreactive bowl. Add the stout, 1/2 cup Cognac, the port and 1/4 cup Frangelico. Mix well.
Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper and cloves. Add the sugar and mix very well. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; refrigerate for 24 hours, stirring occasionally. The following day, let mixture stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Fold in the bread crumbs with a rubber spatula, in batches if necessary, until crumbs are thoroughly combined and no white specks are visible. Mixture will be stiff. Let stand for 30 minutes. Thoroughly fold in the melted butter. There should be about 9 cups of batter. Lightly butter two 4-cup and one 2 1/2-cup steamed pudding molds, heat-proof ceramic bowls or stainless-steel bowls. Lightly pack 3 1/2 cups of batter into the 4 cup molds and 2 cups of batter into the 2 1/2-cup mold. Smooth tops with a rubber spatula. Press a lightly buttered round of baking parchment directly onto the surface of each pudding. Cover each mold with its lid or each bowl with aluminum foil. Place molds in pots with boiling water that comes 3/4 of the way up the sides of the molds; cover pots. Steam puddings for 4 hours over low or medium-low heat, so water boils gently. Replenish boiling water as necessary to maintain level. Transfer puddings to wire racks; cool to room temperature. Refrigerate puddings, covered with baking parchment and plastic wrap, for up to 6 days. Brush them lightly once or twice with Cognac or Frangelico, if desired. To serve, let pudding stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Steam, covered with parchment paper and aluminum foil, for 2 1/2 hours. Let cool on a rack for 1 1/2 hours. Pudding should still be warm. Run a knife around the edge of the pudding. Invert pudding onto cake stand or platter. Decorate with holly sprigs and glace cherries. To flambé pudding: Pour about 2 tablespoons hot Cognac over the top. Carefully and immediately ignite it with a match. Blue flames will subside when alcohol has burned off. Slice the pudding and serve with whipped cream.
- Yields: 2 large puddings, serving 8 to 10 each, and 1 small pudding that serves 6 to 8