New festive recipe from Estate Chef, Tom Parry
Christmas is coming and to celebrate we caught up with Estate Chef, Tom to find out how to cook the perfect Christmas Pudding.
Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 4-6 hours
Serves: 6-8
Equipment & preparation:You will need 1.5ltr pudding basin, mixing bowl, spoon
Allergies: This recipe is vegetarian
Ingredients
- 100g Self Raising Flour
- 75g Butter, Softened (additional 20g to butter cooking container)
- 100g Muscovado Sugar
- 2 Medium Free-Range Egg
- 1 Apple (peeled, cored and small dice)
- 175g Raisins
- 175g Currants
- 100g Mixed Peel
- 40g Fresh Breadcrumbs
- 40g Mixed Nuts
- 45ml Brandy
- 1 Orange (Rind and juice)
- 1tsp (3g) Mixed Spice
Instructions
- Measure the raisins, currants, and apple into a bowl with the orange juice. Add the measured brandy, stir, and leave to marinate for about one hour.
- Put the measured butter, sugar and grated orange rind into a large bowl and cream together with a wooden spoon or a hand-held whisk until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs.
- Sift together the flour and mixed spice, then fold into the creamed mixture with the breadcrumbs and the nuts. Add the soaked dried fruits with their soaking liquid and stir well.
- Generously butter a 1.4 litre/2½ pint pudding basin. Cut a small disc of foil or baking parchment and press into the base of the basin.
- Spoon into the prepared pudding basin and press the mixture down with the back of a spoon. Cover the pudding with a layer of baking parchment paper and foil, both pleated across the middle to allow for expansion.
- To boil the pudding, put a metal jam jar lid, or metal pan lid, into the base of a large pan to act as a trivet. Place a long, doubled strip of foil in the pan, between the trivet and the pudding basin, ensuring the ends of the strip reach up and hang over the edges of the pan. This will help you to lift the heavy pudding basin out of the pan of hot water when it has finished cooking.
- Lower the pudding onto the trivet and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the side of the bowl. Cover with a lid, bring the water back to the boil, then simmer for about seven hours, until the pudding is a glorious deep brown colour, topping up the water as necessary.
- When cooked through, remove the pudding from the pan and cool completely. Discard the paper and foil and replace with fresh. Store in a cool, dry place.
- To serve, on Christmas Day, reheat in microwave, turn the pudding onto a serving plate. To flame, warm some brandy or rum in a small pan, pour it over the hot pudding and set light to it.
We will be selling our delicious Raby Christmas Puddings in the Stables Shop along with Raby Sloe Gin and Ginger Wine this year. The Shop is open Monday – Sunday from 11am to 4pm.
