It's Stir-up Sunday tomorrow, the traditional pud-making day, so we called in an expert.
The secret to a perfect pudding is all in the fruit, explains Paul Gray, who is master cake-maker at Bettys, the famous bakery and tea shop in Harrogate, Yorkshire.
'Don't use dried sultanas you've found at the back of the cupboard,' he says. 'Buy the freshest and best quality fruit you can afford.'
Proof is in the pudding: The secret to a vibrant Christmas pudding is adding the freshest, best-quality dried fruit
He should know - he's made millions of cakes during his 20 years at Bettys. Today, I'm at their equally famous cookery school making my own Christmas pudding, along with other festive treats.
We start the pudding at 10am - although the kitchen fairies have soaked the fruit in brandy overnight for us. Along the way we learn many tips, such as always juicing and zesting fruit that is at room temperature - this give you double the amount.
Likewise, eggs should always be room temperature to prevent curdling (it's the change in temperature that causes it).
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Recipes: Keep the kids sweet at Christmas with these festive cakes and cookies Christmas recipes: White chocolate, orange and cranberry cookies
The day is a revelation, accompanied by friendly banter, good company and delicious treats for snacking - plus, you get to take home all your Christmas cooking.
After five hours of steaming, the pudding is ready to cool and then be put away for at least four weeks (longer if possible) to mature before the big lunch.
Christmas pudding perfected in just one day - what could be easier? Well, cheating and buying a Bettys pudding (www.bettysbypost.com, tel: 0845 345636), if you really must ask.
Makes 1 pudding, serves 6-8 people
INGREDIENTS
230g (8oz) raisins
50g (1 1/4oz) currants
75g (2 1/2oz) sultanas
50g (1 3/4oz) glace cherries
15g (1/2oz) flaked almonds
100ml (3 1/2fl oz) brandy
Zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon
Freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 orange and 1/2 lemon
50g (1 3/4oz) vegetable suet
30g (1oz) wholemeal breadcrumbs
50g (1 3/4oz) plain white flour
90g (3oz) light brown sugar
2g (1/2tsp) mixed spice
1g (1/4tsp) each of ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon, ground cloves
5g (1tsp) salt
2 medium eggs, beaten
METHOD
The day before, place all the dried fruits and flaked almonds in a bowl. Pour over the brandy and add the lemon and orange zest and juice. Mix together lightly. Cover with clingfilm and leave overnight.
Put all the remaining ingredients and the pre-soaked fruit in a large mixing bowl. Mix lightly with a wooden spoon, so as not to break up the fruit. Place a small disc of baking parchment in the base of a 1 1/2pt pudding basin and then fill it with the mixture. Smooth the top down evenly. Place another, larger disc of parchment on top. Cover the basin with foil and seal tightly.
Stand the filled pudding basin on a strip of foil long enough to make a handle (to help you lift the pudding out of the pan once it is steamed). Place the basin on top of a trivet in a deep-sided pan. Pour hot water into the pan, so it comes halfway up the pudding basin. Place a lid on the pan and bring back to the boil. Lower the heat and keep the water at a steady simmer. Steam the pudding for 5 hours. Check the level of water in the saucepan during cooking and top up if necessary.
Remove the pudding from the pan and allow it to cool completely. Remove the foil. Wrap the pudding basin in a piece of greaseproof and a layer of foil. Store in a cool, dark place for at least 1 month to mature. The longer the better.
On Christmas Day, steam the pud for 2 hours in a pan of water, as before. Warm some brandy in a ladle until it ignites and pour over the pudding to flambe.
The one-day Christmas cakes and pudding course costs £160, www.bettyscookeryschool.co.uk.
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It was common practice to include small silver coins in the pudding mixture, which could be kept by the person whose serving included them. The usual choice was a silver threepence or a sixpence.
Though in older times the choice was more to do with economy, breadcrumbs give the pudding a much lighter texture. And again, use just enough flour to hold the mixture gently together. Not too many eggs, and more egg yolk that white if you can.
If water has entered the wrapped pudding basin then it is likely that the pan was boiling a little too hard, and may also have been too full of water, meaning the water came up and over the top of the pudding basin which makes it easier for water to enter.
Conclusion: Christmas puddings contain ethanol that does not all evaporate during the cooking process. However, the rise in BAC after ingestion of a typical slice of Christmas pudding was negligible and unlikely to affect work performance or safety or impair a health care worker's ability to make complex decisions.
We would tend to err on the side of using a spirit with a higher alcohol content (such as rum or whisky) but a fortified wine with a long shelf life, such as a sweet Marsala or Madiera could also be used.
Christmas Pudding (also known as plum pudding or figgy pudding) is a dish as famous as it is misunderstood. In America, Christmas Pudding (also known as plum pudding or figgy pudding) is a dish as famous as it is misunderstood.
The primary use of suet is to make tallow, although it is also used as an ingredient in cooking, especially in traditional baked puddings, such as British Christmas pudding. Suet is made into tallow in a process called rendering, which involves melting fats and extended simmering, followed by straining, then cooling.
It is meant to be made on the last Sunday before Advent, or five weeks before Christmas. The pudding should be stored in a cool, dry place until Christmas day. All you need to do is reheat it before serving. Not only does this save you time on Christmas day, but it also gives the flavors time to mature.
If you or someone in your family is a vegetarian and doesn't want to eat suet, look for a recipe that uses butter or margarine instead, such as this recipe for individual Christmas puddings.
The pudding should be stirred from east to west, in honour of the Magi (Wise Men) who came from the east to visit the baby Jesus. It's also a good excuse to enjoy a wee dram or a cup of festive mulled wine! On Christmas Day the pudding has its own ritual.
Since traditional Christmas pudding is made with a variety of dried fruits and nuts along with eggs and suet (animal fat)- the high content of the liquor helps it taste better and better over time, with no risk of spoiling even two years after they are made!
Ideally we would suggest that when the pudding is made it is steamed for 8 hours (the combined time of the first and second steamings) as the steaming is important for the flavour of the pudding. The pudding can then be microwaved to reheat it on Christmas Day.
Boil or oven steam the puddings for 8 hrs, topping up with water as necessary. Remove from the pans and leave to cool overnight. When cold, discard the messy wrappings and re-wrap in new baking parchment, foil and string. Store in a cool, dry place until Christmas.
'In terms of the taste of Three Barrels, you're going to find hints of almonds and walnuts, and a long finish with candied fruits and ginger – flavours that are clearly prevalent during Christmas. And, obviously, the traditional Christmas pudding has been synonymous with brandy for many years.
Method. Put the dried fruit, dates, candied peel and whiskey in a pan and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover and leave to soak for at least 1 hour.
You can use whiskey, rum, brandy, amaretto etc but you can honestly just pick your favourite, the cheapest, the nicest, etc… it's entirely up to you. You mix the alcohol into the fruit at the start of making the Christmas cake, and then you use it to feed the cake until you eat it.
Final answer: Brandy is the spirit traditionally added to butter and served with Christmas pudding. Known as brandy butter, this customary British accompaniment to Christmas pudding involves creaming butter and sugar together before adding brandy, chilling, and serving atop the dessert.
Introduction: My name is Stevie Stamm, I am a colorful, sparkling, splendid, vast, open, hilarious, tender person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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