Plum Pudding

Kim in North York Canada's Note:

As a child I remember my grandmother's plum pudding with great fondness. She was a total non-drinker and even though we are Canadian there is a Pennsylvania link to our family and the recipes that we are fond of. One of which is a plum pudding with a caramel like topping rather than the traditional custard. I have not tried this particular recipe but it does look like it might be similar to my grandmothers except for the brandy. This will have to suffice unit I can go through some family files that may contain some of my grandmothers recipes, I hope.

• Total Time: 531 hrs
• Prep Time: 528 hrs
• Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients:

Serves: 4-6

Yield: 1.0 pudding

• 1 cup suet or 1 cup butter
• 1 cup carrot, grated
• 1 cup potato, grated
• 1 cup raisins, golden
• 1 cup raisins, dark
• 1/2 cup prune, chopped and pitted
• 1/2 cup cups currant
• 1 orange, juice and zest of
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 3 cups breadcrumbs, fresh
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons cloves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup brandy (optional)

Brown Sugar Sauce

• 2 cups brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 teaspoons cold water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 2 tablespoons whipping cream

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients but eggs and brandy in a large bowl (avoid metal or plastic). Cover and allow to ripen for 3 weeks in the refrigerator. Stir every few days. When the pudding is to be steamed, add eggs and brandy, if using into the mixture.
2. Fill 2 buttered 2 - quart moulds or deep casseroles 2/3 full with mixture. Cover with a lid or seal with heavy duty foil.
3. Set moulds in a steamer. Note, if you don't have one, place some small custard dishes upside down in the centre of a large, deep pot with a lid. Balance moulds on top of dishes. Fill pan with boiling water to halfway up pudding, cover pot and steam on low heat for 2 1/2 - 3 hours. ( For individual puddings, steam about 1 1/2 hours.).
4. Serve 4, with sauce (see recipe below).
5. Note: To preserve puddings, let cool completely, remove from dish (if desired) and let sit for 30 minutes to ensure completely cooled. Wrap in brandy-soaked cheesecloth, wrap in foil and place in a plastic bag. Store in fridge or a cool place until ready to rewarm. Remove cheesecloth before reheating in oven, wrapped in foil or in the microwave, covered in plastic wrap until heated through on medium. Or if you have a pudding steamer, just steam for about 20 minutes.
6. Brown Sugar Sauce.
7. Carefully caramelize 2 cups brown sugar in a large skillet. To 3 tablespoons flour add 2 tsp cold water and add to caramelized sugar. Add 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 cup melted butter and 2 tablespoons whipping cream. Let mixture bubble, stirring constantly until mixture reaches consistency of rich cream. Flavour with vanilla extract, or brandy, to taste. Serve with Pudding.