On the weekend Kate and I helped my Mother make Christmas pudding using my Grandmother's recipe. My Grandmother, Lucy Jones, was married in 1916 in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia. This was the Christmas pudding recipe that she always made and for all we know it could even have been passed down from her Mother. It feels like such an old-fashioned pioneer sort of recipe with the main ingredients being carrots, potatoes, currants, and beef fat - an odd combination for a dessert isn't it.
My Mom blends the carrots and potatoes in batches in the blender with about 2 cups of water - just like the pioneers did, I'm sure.
Then she seives the blended mixture to get the liquid out and re-uses the water for each batch. The dry ingredients and raisins and currants are mixed together. Then the blended carrot-potato mess is mixed in. I made Kate hold the spoon out for the photo, because I was feeling all sentimental about it. After all, the spoon was the one we had always used when I was a child to make cookies.
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It is rather pretty looking with all the orange and dark pieces. |
This is my Mother's collection of Christmas pudding bowls some of which belonged to my Grandmother.
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Once the pudding is smoothed down in the bowls you cover them with foil making sure the foil is folded down under the rims of the pudding bowls so they cook properly. Then you put the bowls on the rack in the steamer with water below and steam for four hours.
We always have our puddings for Christmas dinner. My Mom reheats them and then serves them with the hard sauce and hot sauce listed on the recipe. My favourite is the hard sauce, but others in the family have different opinions. Every year my Aunt pours brandy on the pudding and lights it on fire. It is very exciting to see her playing with fire at Christmas dinner - adds to the festive atmosphere - we all clap and cheer when she gets it alight. I'll try and get a photo of it at Christmas time.
Anyone else make Christmas pudding?
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What a process! How many weeks in advance do you usually make the pudding? Thanks for sharing this recipe, Grace. I have never made anything like it!
ReplyDeleteI adore pudding bowls. they bring back memories of my granny making steamed puddings too. She used to wrap them in cloth I think.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely tradition to make with your daughter.
I love traditions like this. And I have to say, I've never seen a christmas pudding recipe quite like it! Flambe even! (I know I spelled that wrong)
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've ever had Christmas pudding like this. It looks and sounds intriguing!
ReplyDeleteIt's so great that you have family traditions (including the spoon!) that have been carried along through the years :-)
We always had carrot pudding when I was young, too. My Mom made them in quart sealers.
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