Plum Pudding (Steamed)

"... he stuck in his thumb, pulled out a plum and said, "what a good boy, am I."" Traditional steamed Christmas pudding from my Grandma Anna Cotrill Tatum's recipe. Including directions for "hard sauce." Lemon sauce is a separate recipe. A "saltspoon" measure is approximately 1/3 teaspoon. I have the small covered glass bowl my Grandma used for the hard sauce. It is cut in design on the inside, so when she turned it out to be used, it had pretty patterns on it.

• Ready In: 2160 hrs 30 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 2 1⁄2 cups flour
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄3 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1⁄3 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1  cup suet, cleaned and ground fine
• 1  cup raisins or 1  cup currants
• 1  cup molasses
• 1⁄2 cup milk
•  brandy (optional)

• Hard Sauce

• 1⁄4 cup butter
• 1⁄2 cup powdered sugar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon lemon
• 1  dash nutmeg

Directions

1. Sift soda, salt and spice into the flour, rub in the suet and add raisins.
2. Mix the milk and molasses, stir into the dry mixture.
3. Butter a pudding mold.
4. Turn mixture into mold.
5. Steam for 3 hours.
6. Remove from mold to serving plate.
7. Cover with a clean tea towel.
8. Keep pudding in insect-free, cool place for 3 months. (I just kept it covered in the 'fridge.).
9. Pour brandy over pudding periodically, if desired.
10. Hard Sauce.
11. Rub the butter to a cream in a warm bowl, add sugar gradually then the flavoring.
12. Pack smoothly in a small dish.
13. Keep on ice until very hard.