The tradition to begin Christmas food preparation, inparticular the Christmas Pudding, begins on Stir up Sunday which is the last Sunday before advent. This year falls it falls on 21st November. The term Stir-up Sunday comes from the first verse of the collect for the day and has been adopted by the Anglican church.
Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Usually I follow this tradition, but this year due to a hectic diary I made my Christmas Pudding a week early. Of all the traditional festive foods the Christmas Pudding is my favourite, it easily wins over Christmas Cake. Even after being full of a traditional Christmas dinner I can always make way for pudding. I can still remember as child my dad walking in to the dining room with the pudding all alight.
Many people have traditions when making their puddings from stirring from east to west to represent the 3 kings, having a wish when stirring it and placing a silver coin in the pudding mix. In my case the traditions seem to be how much alcohol I can get in the pudding along with praying it will come out of the mould.
One of the main reasons I make my own pudding (and mincemeat for that matter) is that I’m quite a fussy being when it comes to festive fayre. I’m not a big fan of suet being used it in sweet dishes but use grated butter which works just as well. If it says there is alcohol in it I want to be able to taste it and it must be jam packed with fruit. I also like to experiment with flavours and making these foods heralds the beginning of the festive season for me.
Thanks to my lack of Whisky knowledge, sorry Hubs, this may be one of the most expensive Christmas puddings I’ve ever made. Previous years the fruit has been soaked in Guinness. This year I wanted to use whisky as I though Hubs had quite a collection and we could do with using some of it. I picked up the closest bottle to hand, sloshed a generous amount over the fruit then decided to read the bottle. I had only gone and picked up some of Hubs’ expensive whisky and used £15 of it in the pudding. I then had a sip of it and had used a peaty whisky. I will admit this does dominate the flavour of the pudding, but by the time it is served in December the intensity of the whisky should hopefully mellow a bit and the spices become more dominant. If you didn’t want to be so extravagant with the alcohol replace some or all with orange juice.
Since making my own Christmas pudding I’ve always wanted to try a spherical mould for curoisity and nostalgic reasons. Bizarrely it looks a bit like a cyberman. I now know from experience why these moulds have gone out of fashion. Eventhough I had buttered the mould I had a few tense moments getting the pudding out of the mould and did wonder if we were going to get two crumbled hemispheres. Due to the pudding being a sphere we also had a few hairy moments when the newly released pudding started to roll on the worktop, cue flashbacks of On Top of Spaghetti. This doesn’t mean I wouldn’t use the mould again. It would work really well for other steamed pudding along with desserts like icecream bombe. The cooking instruction below are for making it in a pudding basin rather than a mould.
“Mrs Cratchit left the room alone — too nervous to bear witnesses — to take the pudding up and bring it in… Hallo! A great deal of steam! The pudding was out of the copper. A smell like a washing-day. That was the cloth. A smell like an eating-house and a pastrycook’s next door to each other, with a laundress’s next door to that. That was the pudding. In half a minute Mrs Cratchit entered — flushed, but smiling proudly — with the pudding, like a speckled cannon-ball, so hard and firm, blazing in half of half-a-quartern of ignited brandy, and bedight with Christmas holly stuck into the top.” Charles Dickens – A Christmas Carol
Whisky Christmas Pudding
makes 1x 2lb pudding
500g luxury mixed fruit
100g dates, chopped
250ml whisky
zest of 1 lemon
zest of 1 orange
1 medium bramley apple, peeled and grated
100g cold butter, grated, plus extra for the basin
100g dark muscovado sugar, plus 2 tbsp
100g fresh white breadcrumbs
50g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp ground mace
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp mixed spice
2 eggs , beaten
1) In a large bowl soak the mixed fruit, dates, orange & lemon zest and apple in the whisky for 24-48 hours.
2) Butter a 2lb pudding bowl then lightly coat the butter in 2tbsp of muscovado sugar by slowly tipping and turning the bowl.
3) Add the remaining ingredients to the fruit that has been soaking. Stir until well combined. Spoon into the basin and level.
4) Take a sheet or foil and greaseproof and make a pleat in the middle (this allows for the expanding pudding). Place over the top of the pudding bowl, greasproof paper side down, and fix in place with string.
5) Sit the pudding bowl on top of an upturned heatproof saucer inside a saucepan. Pour boiling water half the way up the pudding. Cover and steam for 6 hours. Top water up as required.
6. Once the pudding is cooked cover with fresh greasproof paper and foil. Store in a cool dry place. To reheat either cook in the microwave (minus the foil), on medium, for 10 or steam for a further hour.
12 comments
10 pings
Skip to comment form ↓
thingswemake
November 18, 2010 at 12:59 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Do you know, I’ve never made a Christmas pudding. Not been interested, as I don’t really like Christmas pudding, cake or even mince pies. But having seen this I think I might make one…but on my terms. With only things I like in it. Will let you know…
Jules
November 18, 2010 at 1:16 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I think Christmas pud/cake/mincemeat are very much marmite. People either love or hate them. You could try making a chocolate one with just the fruits you like.
Chele
November 18, 2010 at 1:42 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Oh I like the sound of a Chocolate Christmas Pudding! Your Whisky Pudding looks the ‘bomb’ lol.
Petit Filoux
November 18, 2010 at 1:42 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
oops about the whisky!! hihi – I don’t imagine he’ll be too pleased! But I’m just it’ll give the pudding a rather unique flavour!
Jules
November 18, 2010 at 1:57 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I did confess to him. Luckily the whisky I had used was a gift so it didn’t see too bad that I had used so much of it. The gentlemen in the family are very much looking forward to Christmas Day and tasting it.
Doris Wolfe
November 19, 2010 at 5:25 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
6 hours cooking time? Oy vey.
Jules
November 19, 2010 at 5:40 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
6 hours, yep. Luckily I work from home so had it simmering away while I was working.
attheamericantable
November 29, 2010 at 8:00 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Good photos.
Anet
December 1, 2010 at 7:04 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Oh my, that looks so delicious. My favorite Christmas bread is the German stollen, and I’m making it right now, to take to relatives that I won’t see at Christmas time.
Some day, I’ll try this whiskey pudding!
thingswemake.co.uk
October 30, 2011 at 5:01 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I am making a second version of this right now! Last year I made 2 x 1lb ones with no citrus peel and with a spoonful of cocoa. This year I have altered it a bit more. The one we left for nearly 2 months before we ate it last year tasted amazing, hence my early steaming this year. Thank you for converting me.
Jules
October 30, 2011 at 6:42 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Glad I converted you. It’s amazing how the flavour changes as it matures. I’m thinking of making it with Burton Porter this year.
Tori @ eatori
November 19, 2011 at 11:11 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Just gorgeous- have always had my Granny’s voice, still whispering in my ear about the merits of suet- but then she also put carrot in her mincemeat. Care of your encouragement, am very keen to see what results butter brings. Thank you!
Tweets that mention Stirring up for Sunday – Whisky Pudding « Butcher, Baker -- Topsy.com
November 18, 2010 at 1:59 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Mary Grindley, Jules. Jules said: Stirring up for Sunday – Whisky Pudding: http://wp.me/pJrBR-ok [...]
Christmas Food Wishlist « Butcher, Baker
December 5, 2010 at 8:39 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
[...] toy with the idea of flogging it on eBay but have decided to share it with friends next week as our Whisky Pudding for Christmas Day is currently maturing. You can read a review of the Heston pudding on Fuss Free [...]
List for Christmas Future « Things we make
January 5, 2011 at 8:18 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
[...] make your own mince pies, pastry, Christmas pudding
(use Domestic Jules Recipe but leave out citrus peel and currants
and add a spoonful of cocoa), brandy butter, sausage rolls
[...]
The British One Hundred « Butcher, Baker
July 7, 2011 at 9:41 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
[...] Faggots 48. Eccles cake 49. Potted Cromer crab 50. Trifle 51. Stargazy pie 52. English mustard 53. Christmas pudding the best pudding in the world. 54. Cullen skink 55. Liver and bacon with onions 56. Wood pigeon 57. [...]
A Dapper Welsh Adventure « Butcher, Baker
September 4, 2011 at 4:25 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
[...] using some of Hubs’ fine whisky collection in baking which last year contributed on me making a Christmas pudding that rivalled Heston’s on price so it was a surprise that Hubs let me do the whisky tasting while he drove. After tasting [...]
Baked Bean Tin Christmas Cake – pt 1 « Butcher, Baker
October 28, 2011 at 8:32 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
[...] brandy or whisky. Given I’m banned from Hubs’ whisky collection after last year’s expensive whisky Christmas Pudding incident I decided to use sloe gin as we seem to have quite a few forgotten vintages hiding under the [...]
Let’s Make Christmas (Pudding) « Things we make
November 14, 2011 at 7:36 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
[...] recipe started off as Domestic Jules’ Whisky Pudding then was developed to take into account my hate of candied peel and pippy raisins or currants. I [...]
Baked Bean Tin Christmas Cake – pt 1 » Butcher, Baker
April 2, 2012 at 8:43 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
[...] brandy or whisky. Given I’m banned from Hubs’ whisky collection after last year’s expensive whisky Christmas Pudding incident I decided to use sloe gin as we seem to have quite a few forgotten vintages hiding under the [...]
Gingerbread Advent Calendar » Butcher, Baker
November 27, 2012 at 10:15 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
[...] be this year means shockingly I’ve not made of my traditional Christmas cakes or puddings as I may have nowhere to store them. However I wasn’t going to let Christmas go by without [...]
A Dapper Welsh Adventure » Butcher, Baker
February 10, 2013 at 8:37 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
[...] using some of Hubs’ fine whisky collection in baking which last year contributed on me making a Christmas pudding that rivalled Heston’s on price so it was a surprise that Hubs let me do the whisky tasting while he drove. After tasting [...]