Nothing beats the flavour of homemade Christmas pudding, but it’s important to get good-quality fruit and it’s best made at least 1 month in advance.
I love plum pudding, hot or cold, with lashings of cream, but the spiked almond custard is even more special. I always look forward to it. A big thank you to Auntie Maureen for this recipe.
Ingredients
50g (2oz) plain flour
1/2 tsp ground mixed spice
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
225g (8oz) sultanas
175g (6oz) butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
175g (6oz) fresh white breadcrumbs
175g (6oz) light brown sugar
175g (6oz) raisins
50g (2oz) currants
50g (2oz) candied mixed peel
50g (2oz) blanched almonds, hopped
1/2 eating apple, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 small carrot, grated finely grated rind and juice of
1 lemon
2 eggs, lightly beaten
300ml (1/2 pint) stout
fresh redcurrant sprigs, to decorate (optional)
icing sugar, to decorate (optional)
spiked almond custard, to serve
Method
Sift together the flour, mixed spice, cloves and nutmeg. Add the sultanas, melted butter, breadcrumbs, sugar, raisins, currants, mixed peel, almonds, apple, carrot and the lemon rind and juice and mix until well combined. Gradually add the beaten eggs, stirring constantly, followed by the stout. Mix everything together thoroughly and cover with a clean tea towel, then leave in a cool place overnight.
Use the fruit mixture to fill 2 x 1.2 litre (2 pint) greased pudding bowls. Cover with a double thickness of greaseproof paper and tin foil, then tie tightly under the rim with string. Store in a cool, dry place overnight.
To cook, preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F/gas mark 2).
Stand each pudding basin in a large cake tin three-quarters full of boiling water, then cook in the oven for 6–8 hours (or you can steam them for 6 hours in the usual way). Cool and re-cover with clean greaseproof paper. Again, store in a cool, dry place.
On Christmas Day, re-cover with greaseproof paper and foil. Steam for 2–3 hours, until completely cooked through and tender. Decorate with the redcurrant sprigs and a light dusting of icing sugar, if liked.
To serve, cut the plum pudding into slices and arrange on serving plates. Have a separate jug of the spiked almond custard so that everyone can help themselves.
Next add the fruit mix, grated apple and ground almonds. Mix well.
Finally, add the breadcrumbs and bottle of stout.
Stir well, cover and leave to stand overnight. Transfer to a 3 pint greased pudding bowl. Steam for 5 hours.
To steam pudding in oven:
Put two long strips of tin foil crosswise on work top or table. Place roasting tin on foil. Sit pudding bowl into the tin and fill with boiling water to within 1″ of top of tin. Then bring tin foil around to form a parcel, which should be airtight to prevent any steam escaping.
Place in preheated oven at 150°C/300°F/Gas 2 for the same length of time as above. There is no need to top up with water during cooking.
Recipe Notes:
The quantities may be doubled if more than one pudding is required.
It’s our Polish Christmas Eve meal, a very special occasion, with 12 dishes to represent the 12 apostles. The ingredients, traditionally, are from the field, orchard, sea and forest. #VigilMeal#Wigilia Wishing everyone all the best. #ChristmasAroundtheWorld
I love absolutely love making Christmas cake, it’s one of those traditions that takes me right back to childhood, bringing the recipe to life with my mother making a wish as we stirred.
The whiskey gives it flavour and helps really preserves it, but the real magic comes from time. Time to rest, time to deepen, time to become something truly memorable.
Keep an eye out for an upcoming post where I’ll show you the dish this is for, it’s one I think you’ll love☺️
#ad | Looking for the perfect mince pie recipe? Try these Frangipane Topped Mince Pies from our brand ambassador @nevenmaguire using our Simply Better handmade mincemeat from @foodsofathenry and our shortcrust pastry from @rollit.pastry
Frangipane Topped Mince Pies Ingredients (Makes 24) 1 Packet Simply Better All Butter Shortcrust Pastry, thawed Plain Flour, for dusting 1 Jar Simply Better Mincemeat Flaked almonds, to garnish
For the Frangipane 150g Butter 150g Caster Sugar 3 Simply Better Free Range Corn Fed Large Eggs 150g Ground Almonds 1 Tbsp. Plain Flour 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract Zest of 1 Lemon
Method 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (375°F/Gas Mark 5). Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface to make a large rectangle, then stamp out 24 x 6cm discs (with a cutter or use a glass) and place in greased muffins tins (of course you can do this in batches).
2. To make the frangipane, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk with an electric whisk for about one minute until you achieve a soft paste.
3. To assemble, add a large teaspoon of mincemeat into each pastry case then top with a tablespoon of the frangipane mixture. Sprinkle over some flaked almonds and transfer to the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm or cold with brandy butter or custard.
#ad | Looking for the perfect mince pie recipe? Try these Frangipane Topped Mince Pies from our brand ambassador @nevenmaguire using our Simply Better handmade mincemeat from @foodsofathenry and our shortcrust pastry from @rollit.pastry
Frangipane Topped Mince Pies Ingredients (Makes 24) 1 Packet Simply Better All Butter Shortcrust Pastry, thawed Plain Flour, for dusting 1 Jar Simply Better Mincemeat Flaked almonds, to garnish
For the Frangipane 150g Butter 150g Caster Sugar 3 Simply Better Free Range Corn Fed Large Eggs 150g Ground Almonds 1 Tbsp. Plain Flour 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract Zest of 1 Lemon
Method 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (375°F/Gas Mark 5). Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface to make a large rectangle, then stamp out 24 x 6cm discs (with a cutter or use a glass) and place in greased muffins tins (of course you can do this in batches).
2. To make the frangipane, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk with an electric whisk for about one minute until you achieve a soft paste.
3. To assemble, add a large teaspoon of mincemeat into each pastry case then top with a tablespoon of the frangipane mixture. Sprinkle over some flaked almonds and transfer to the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm or cold with brandy butter or custard.
I love absolutely love making Christmas cake, it’s one of those traditions that takes me right back to childhood, bringing the recipe to life with my mother making a wish as we stirred.
The whiskey gives it flavour and helps really preserves it, but the real magic comes from time. Time to rest, time to deepen, time to become something truly memorable.
Keep an eye out for an upcoming post where I’ll show you the dish this is for, it’s one I think you’ll love☺️
Next add the fruit mix, grated apple and ground almonds. Mix well.
Finally, add the breadcrumbs and bottle of stout.
Stir well, cover and leave to stand overnight. Transfer to a 3 pint greased pudding bowl. Steam for 5 hours.
To steam pudding in oven:
Put two long strips of tin foil crosswise on work top or table. Place roasting tin on foil. Sit pudding bowl into the tin and fill with boiling water to within 1″ of top of tin. Then bring tin foil around to form a parcel, which should be airtight to prevent any steam escaping.
Place in preheated oven at 150°C/300°F/Gas 2 for the same length of time as above. There is no need to top up with water during cooking.
Recipe Notes:
The quantities may be doubled if more than one pudding is required.
flahavans Take a break from the pre-Christmas prep and bake up a batch of these moreish White Chocolate Drizzled Berry Oat Bars – the perfect snack to enjoy in front of your favourite family movie this afternoon 🙂 #FlahavansOats
Drizzle: 50g Butlers White Chocolate with Coconut & Almond Bar 1 tsp coconut oil
Method:
Preheat oven to 160°C (140°C Fan/325°F/Gas Mark 3) and line a 20cm (8 inch) square baking tin with parchment paper.
Melt the coconut oil, maple syrup and nut butter together in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is smooth and well combined. Remove from the heat, then add the oats and stir to coat thoroughly. Gently fold in the berries.
Spread the mixture into the prepared baking tin, then press firmly with the back of a large spoon so the mixture is even and well packed. Bake until the sides start to turn golden brown, about 18–22 minutes.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely in the baking tin. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
Prepare the drizzle by melting the white chocolate with coconut and almond in the microwave in 10–15 second bursts, stirring in between, until the chocolate has mostly melted.
Remove from the microwave and stir until the residual heat has melted the remaining chocolate. Add the coconut oil and stir until the drizzle is smooth. Drizzle over the top of the bars with a spoon.
Remove from the tin, then use a large sharp knife to cut into bars. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
