Christmas Pudding Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is traditionally in a Christmas pudding? ›

It has its origins in medieval England, with early recipes making use of dried fruit, suet, breadcrumbs, flour, eggs and spice, along with liquid such as milk or fortified wine.

“Figgy pudding is a specific type of Christmas or plum pudding that contains figs as a primary ingredient along with other dried fruits,” Heron says.

How do I flame the Christmas pudding? Turn out the steamed pudding onto a serving plate with a good-sized rim around the edge to catch any spirit. The important thing is to get the spirit really hot. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of brandy, rum or whisky into a long-handled metal ladle and heat it over a gas flame until hot.

The pudding will not be particularly dark in colour after the first steaming but darkens on the second steaming. If you cooked the pudding in a slow cooker then sometimes the temperature isn't high enough to fully melt the suet and you should do the second steaming in the regular way.

Religious significance

It is believed that a Christmas pudding must contain thirteen ingredients. These ingredients each represent Jesus and each of his twelve disciples. Traditionally, brandy is poured over the Christmas pudding and set aflame before serving. The flames are believed to represent Christ's passion.

What Is Figgy Pudding Made Of? Traditional figgy pudding is a holiday dish made with flour, suet (a type of hard animal fat), figs, and other dried fruits. Some more modern versions, like this one, are made without suet.

Conclusion: Christmas puddings contain ethanol that does not all evaporate during the cooking process.

Although the pud is undoubtedly the star, all that rich, fruity filling needs a dollop of something creamy and cool to serve alongside. Pour over double cream, spoon on thick clotted cream or serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a quick win, or whip up your own boozy brandy butter for ultimate indulgence.

If you or someone in your family is a vegetarian and doesn't want to eat suet, look for a recipe that uses butter or margarine instead, such as this recipe for individual Christmas puddings.

Why did my Christmas pudding go Mouldy? ›

For the pudding, the most likely cause of mould is moisture.

Any pudding using fresh fruit for moisture will go off more quickly, whereas a Christmas pudding soaked in booze with high sugar and dried fruit content will last much longer. Some Christmas puddings, made with dried fruit in the traditional way, are fine to be eaten as much as two years after they were made.

According to experts, the secret to Christmas pudding perfection is to heat it to precisely 71 °C. If it gets hotter than 89 °C, the sugars within the fruits in the pudding start to caramelise. So no matter how luxurious its ingredients are, your precious pud will taste bitter.

As for all puddings, it should be stored in a cool, dry place until Christmas Day. For the US our preference would be to use Pyrex mixing bowls for steaming Christmas puddings.

In America, Christmas Pudding (also known as plum pudding or figgy pudding) is a dish as famous as it is misunderstood.

Putting a silver coin in the pudding is another age-old custom that is said to bring luck to the person that finds it. In the UK the coin traditionally used now is a silver 'sixpence'. The closest coin to that now is a five pence piece!

Although the pud is undoubtedly the star, all that rich, fruity filling needs a dollop of something creamy and cool to serve alongside. Pour over double cream, spoon on thick clotted cream or serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a quick win, or whip up your own boozy brandy butter for ultimate indulgence.

Christmas cake is a rich fruit cake. Christmas pudding isnt. It's a steamed pudding with vaguely similar ingredients (dried fruit, ale etc) cooked with flour, sugar, eggs.