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The Great 'cheap and easy Christmas pudding recipes' Hunt

Former_MSE_Debs
Former_MSE_Debs Posts: 890 Forumite
edited 30 October 2012 at 6:31PM in Old style MoneySaving
The Great 'cheap and easy Christmas pudding recipes' Hunt

We know it's early, but making the pudding in advance buys you time for all the other festive exploits and allows the spirit (Christmas and brandy) to soak in. So we're tapping MoneySavers' collective knowledge on Christmas pudding recipes.



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  • i dont have a recipe myself but would really appreciate one which would work out cost effective, I dont like xmas pudding myself so in the past have just bought a ready made one however i would really prefer to make one myself if it would work out at a similar price. I already have suet and brandy in the cupboard (from feeding the mary berry xmas cakes from last year!).
    anyone got any tips?
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  • This is a recipe that I have used many times from my Grandmother's Mrs Beetons recipe book. It is delicious & has the added bonus of being vegetarian!
    "Mrs Beetons fruitarian plum pudding"
    This amount makes just over a pint, multiply up for larger quantities.
    2oz dried figs minced or chopped, 2oz raisins, 1oz currants, 1oz sultanas, 1oz candied peel. Soak all these in brandy for a few days.
    Then add to
    half an apple (peeled cored & minced or chopped), 1oz honey, 2oz moist breadcrumbs (I use wholemeal) a pinch of salt, 1oz softened butter, 1oz chopped pine kernels, 1oz chopped brazil nuts, 2oz chopped almonds (replace nuts with any you prefer or leave out if nut allergy sufferers present, I don't like brazils so always use almonds instead), grated rind of a quarter & juice of half a lemon, 1oz moist brown sugar, quarter of a tsp of mixed spice, eg. ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, an egg beaten with a drop of vanilla extract.
    Mix thoroughly, make a wish and add an old sixpence if you like, but do remember it & warn the eaters!
    Put into a buttered mould (I use the plastic pudding basins with lids from bought puddings, if you haven't got 1 you will have to cover the top of the pudding with greaseproof paper or a buttered cloth.)
    Put in a large pan with water in the bottom & steam for probably about a couple of hours, sorry I can't remember how long I do it for! then steam again when you want to eat it. I hope you enjoy it!
  • I was in Aldi yesterday and they had specially selected puds at £6.99. I can not make it as cheap as that and I got one last year and it was delicious.
  • I've made Dan Lepards's 2006 recipe on the Guardian site three years running now - it's delicious and so easy. I'm a veggie, so I go with the butter option, not the suet. (Sorry, I'm new so I can't post the link!)

    My sister used to hate Christmas pudding but she's now a convert :). I think it's because it's lovely and light, rather than dark and spiced. Guess it depends what you like.
  • Yum, this is a good recipe tried and tested many times. It makes one big one or two smaller ones -the smaller ones should still feed 4-6 depending on how much room you normally have left for pud on
    Christmas day!!

    120g white breadcrumbs
    120g soft brown sugar
    100g suet (veggie is fine)
    1level tsp mixed spice
    Pinch of salt
    500g dried mixed fruits & peel
    3 eggs
    275ml Guinness

    Put breadcrumbs, sugar, suet, mixed spice & salt into large mixing bowl. Add dried fruits & mix well. Lightly beat eggs then stir into mixture with Guinness. Mix thoroughly for 3-4 mins. Cover with cloth & leave overnight.

    Next day stir, make a wish & spoon into buttered basin(s). Cover with double thickness of greased greaseproof & single layer foil & tie with string. Steam gently for 5 hours.

    When cooked & cool, remove foil & paper & cover with fresh greased greaseproof paper. Store in cool, dry place.

    On Christmas Day, re-cover with greased greaseproof & steam briskly for 2 hours. Ok in microwave too!

    Enjoy!
  • how far in advance can you make this Sopranino?
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  • I heard Marguerite Patten being interviewed on Woman's Hour, Radio 4, some time ago. This war-time Min of Ag cookery adviser is now in her nineties and still going strong, happily embracing new technology and she's produced this wonderful quick and easy microwave xmas pud recipe. I make it every year now and wouldn't dream of ever buying one readymade instead. I serve it with custard, pouring cream, and icecream - well, it is xmas!

    You can mix up the batter that morning or the day before, takes about 5-10 minutes to prepare, then pop it into the microwave for 8-10 minutes when you clear the plates from the main course, we find the 10-minute break before the pudding is ready, to be quite helpful in managing the over-indulgence.

    Downloaded from the Radio 4 website:

    Marguerite Patten's Magic Microwave Xmas Pudding Recipe

    This is a very special, traditional pudding but it can be cooked in 10 minutes in the microwave, the quick, modern and simple way – it's beautifully easy!
    The Ingredients
    65g butter,
    50g plain flour
    1 teaspoon mixed spice,
    75g soft breadcrumbs,
    100g soft brown sugar,

    150g sultanas,
    75g raisins,
    50g currents,
    25g chopped peel,
    50g soft dates, chopped up into small pieces
    50g glace cherries,
    (400g total mixed fruit & peel)
    2 tablespoons black treacle or golden syrup,
    2 eggs,
    Juice of half a lemon,
    Two tablespoons orange juice,
    75ml apple juice.

    Method
    Put 50g of butter into a mixing bowl, beat until fluffy.

    Put all the remaining ingredients into the mixing bowl and mix all together thoroughly ensuring all the butter is incorporated.
    Place remaining 15g butter into a basin in which the pudding is going to be cooked, put it into the microwave for 30 seconds to soften the butter.
    Grease the pudding basin with the melted butter. At the bottom of the basin put a small round piece of greaseproof paper to prevent the basin from sticking.
    Now, spoon the mixture into the pudding basin. Put a greaseproof paper lid on top of the basin. (Make sure it is double or treble the thickness of the one used at the bottom.)
    Make a few holes in the paper lid with a fork or scissors so that the steam can escape.
    Place into the microwave. Set the microwave timer, for 9 minutes at medium or medium to high rather than high to get a better steamed pudding.
    Take the pudding out after nine minutes, insert a skewer or a cocktail stick into the centre of the pudding, take it out and have a look at it. If the mixture is still sticky, place the pudding back into the microwave for another half a minute or minute longer.
    Re-test - When there is no sticky mixture on the skewer, the pudding is ready.

    Hold a plate over the top of the basin and carefully invert pudding onto the plate. Remove paper circle.
    If desired, pour brandy over the pudding. Decorate the top with a sprig of holly, ignite brandy and serve immediately with brandy butter, whipped cream or ice cream.

    To see Marguerite's 'pud-cast' , try google as I can't post links. Enjoy!
  • Forgot to say, to secure the greaseproof paper "hat" around the top of the pudding basin, in the spirit of MSE, I use one of the free red rubber bands from the postman!
  • how far in advance can you make this Sopranino?

    I made mine last weekend!
  • RAS
    RAS Posts: 32,538
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
    Forumite
    sopranino wrote: »
    I made mine last weekend!

    And it would probably still be fine to eat for Christmas 2013.
    The person who has not made a mistake, has made nothing
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