It's Stir-Up Sunday

Meanymoo

:xmastree: Today is Stir-Up Sunday, the traditional day for making your Christmas puds. My fruit has been soaking in Guinness and brandy all night, and OH and I will mix the puddings up later (making a wish of course;)) and put them on to steam. We're making two, one for us, one for a friend's Christmas present.

We use the recipe from the Porters English Cookery Bible, which makes a lovely old-fashioned dark pudding, and we use plastic pudding basins with lids. My preferred method for steaming is to use the slow cooker - works perfectly, no topping up of water required, the kitchen doesn't steam up and it's one less thing to think about on Christmas day!

So I was wondering which recipes you all use for your Christmas puddings, and how far in advance you make them?

safesound

Joy of joys I have the honour of steaming my husbands puddings tomorrow. Can you explain the slow cooker method? Do I just bang it in there with some water (how much?) and put the lid on and forget it? what setting should it be on? thanks.

thriftlady_2

I made mine last week. I too used the slow cooker -it's the only time I do use it these days. And, yes I just put it in about a third full of water on low for 8 hours. I stood the basin on a wodge of foil. I use Delia's recipe from her Christmas book replacing the barley wine with Guiness.

I think that stir up Sunday is traditionally the last opportunity to make your pud so as to give it the right time to mature.

This is the collect you will hear in church this morning.

The Collect.TIR up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

kethry

I use one from a book that's now out of print, but i got permission from the publishers to put it on my blog. I do a couple of these every year, have done for about 12 years - Rich and Boozy Christmas pudding, its called, and with no mixed peel or suet in it its a good recipe for many people. I love the smell of this while its cooking - all the alcohol evaporates into the kitchen and the smell just seems to herald the start of christmas and all the preparations.

This year we're not doing one for us, but i have done one for mom and one for my best friend.. both of those were done ages ago - Mom's back at the beginning of September and the friend in early October. That had more to do with when they were picking up the puds than anything else though! I usually do it before Stir Up Sunday for myself, but i have done them closer to christmas than this - i think the closest was about 2 weeks before christmas.

keth
xx

ClaireLR

Can someone look at my thread and tell me if it's ok to cook xmas pud in the microwave please??

I've used Kethry's recipe! Smells and looks pretty good so far!

thriftlady_2

ClaireLR wrote: »

Can someone look at my thread and tell me if it's ok to cook xmas pud in the microwave please??

I've used Kethry's recipe! Smells and looks pretty good so far!

you can certainly reheat your pud in the microwave on Christmas day, but I think it needs a proper long steaming first.

ClaireLR

Uh-oh, thats what I was worried about.

Do you think it would be alright to do it like this then, put the mixture into the tubs, leave them in the fridge and do three today, a couple tomorrow and a couple on Tuesday? Will the mixture be ok to keep in the fridge like that do you think?

Mmmmm they smell so nice I could eat them raw!

jcr16

i've never heard of stir up sunday before.

I'm not making my xmas pud , my neighbour is making one for me instead . which is really nice of her. she works as a cook in a local school. and she has to make them all for the school xmas dinners. and her boss said she is welcome to use the big steamers and put hers in at same time. can't wait. she is an amazing cook.

hoep everyone is havign great fun making there own pudding's.

kethry

ClaireLR wrote: »

Uh-oh, thats what I was worried about.

Do you think it would be alright to do it like this then, put the mixture into the tubs, leave them in the fridge and do three today, a couple tomorrow and a couple on Tuesday? Will the mixture be ok to keep in the fridge like that do you think?

Mmmmm they smell so nice I could eat them raw!

Thriftlady is absolutely right.. it needs to be steamed somehow, whether in a pressure cooker, pan or slowcooker. its that long cooking that makes it so good. The only time a microwave comes into it is reheating on the day.

Having said that, i think it would be perfectly fine to put them in the fridge before you cook them and cook them over the space of a couple of day. I would however bring them up to room temp (i.e. take them out the fridge an hour before you need them) as the coldness of the mix otherwise would affect your cooking time.

As for eating raw.. nope.. never done that.. nope.. *whistles and looks round all innocently before looking down to find her pants on fire*.. :rotfl: i spent 5 minutes today almost licking out the batter from a christmas cake so .. you can tell i eat cake raw a lot! besides. I'm a firm believer you can tell the quality of the cake from the quality of the raw mix.. yup.. thats it.. its checking the mix is okay.. (!)



good luck with yours anyway, Claire!

keth
xx

D&DD

Is it advisable for the cook to make sure the alcohol is ok before adding to the pud mix *hic* as I can't see straight now...??;)

My Father In Law is going to love this...*staggers off to kitchen*...

Meanymoo

Kethry - your recipe looks lovely. I like the citrus fruit element, it must smell fab. I might try that recipe next year, especially as you say it keeps so well. For some reason the Porters recipe says it keeps for up to 3 months, which doesn't seem long to me. Maybe the book's just being cautious?

Any ideas which ingredients would make a pudding not keep so well? It has the usual fruit, breadcrumbs, booze, sugar eggs and suet.