Sweets/Treats Plum Pudding

plum pudding

(from Housekeeping in Old Virginia, by Marion Cabell Tyree, 1878)

Ingredients:

10 eggs​

1 pound chopped suet​

1 pound seeded raisins​

1 pound currants​

1 pound stale bread crumbs​

1 pound citron​

1 nutmeg​

1 wine-glassful wine​

1 wine-glassful brandy​

1 pound brown sugar​

Instructions:

Beat the eggs light, add the sugar and spices, stir in the suet and bread crumbs, add the fruit by degrees, then the wine and brandy. Pour into a well-floured bag, leaving a third as much room as the mixture occupies, for swelling. Put into a pot of boiling water and boil four hours. Dip the bag into cold water when ready to turn out the pudding, to prevent it from sticking. - Mrs. E. B.​

Photo by Lachlan Hardy CC-2.0​

Here's another Christmas Favorite!
Merry Christmas to All!!

 

[donna]

Plum Pudding is a must for many at Christmas. Thanks for post.

 

[Anna Elizabeth Henry]

I've actually never had plum pudding! I must give this recipe a try. I will have to plead ignorance - what's citron? It sounds citrus related? Dried citrus fruit mix?

 

[JOHN42768]

Plum pudding with a little hard sauce. Yum!

 

[Albert Sailhorst]

C

I've actually never had plum pudding! I must give this recipe a try. I will have to plead ignorance - what's citron? It sounds citrus related? Dried citrus fruit mix?

Citron, as best as I can find, is Lemon. However, similar recipes call for (what we would consider) Lemon Zest.....As such, I would think a whole pound of Lemon Zest would be an awful lot, so I would suggest using enough "to taste"! ....Let me know how you like it!

 

[Anna Elizabeth Henry]

C

Citron, as best as I can find, is Lemon. However, similar recipes call for (what we would consider) Lemon Zest.....As such, I would think a whole pound of Lemon Zest would be an awful lot, so I would suggest using enough "to taste"! ....Let me know how you like it!

Whew! A pound of lemon zest! That's a lot of grating! Will definitely let you know how it turns out.

 

[nitrofd]

I've actually never had plum pudding! I must give this recipe a try. I will have to plead ignorance - what's citron? It sounds citrus related? Dried citrus fruit mix?

Citron today is accepted as those candied cubes of fruit that are used in rum cake,sometime you can find just the candied lemon that way by its self.

Any good bakery supply store should have it.

 

[donna]

The picture is so nice. makes it look yummy.

 

[Anna Elizabeth Henry]

Citron today is accepted as those candied cubes of fruit that are used in rum cake,sometime you can find just the candied lemon that way by its self.

Any good bakery supply store should have it.

Ah, yes I have seen those! I have seen the lemon by itself in the baking supply shop I frequent. Thanks!

 

[GELongstreet]

I think Plum Pudding is really a nice thing ... in very small portions.

 

[diane]

That pudding looks really delicious!

Citron, as I understand it, is sort of like a big, warty lemon! It's not a very pretty fruit and I haven't seen it since I left SF - the Italians seemed to like it and I'd find it in markets in North Beach or Little Italy. The fruit itself isn't worth much but the thick rind is - that's what gets candied and put in the fruitcake. I suspect it might be why many Americans don't like fruitcake - it's a very distinctive flavor.

 

[MaryDee]

For a spectacular Christmas dessert: Heat up the whole pudding, gently warm some brandy. To serve, pour the brandy over the pudding and set it alight. (I always preferred to do this in the middle of the table rather than carry the pudding in flaming, for safety reasons.) Serve with hard sauce (don't forget the brandy in the hard sauce).

A tip--you can steam fruitcake, set it afire, and serve it with hard sauce, too! With or without the flaming, this treatment definitely improves the fruitcake. Wrapping the fruitcake for a week in brandy-soaked cheesecloth helps, too.

I always used candied citron (available in any supermarket this time of year) and reduced the amount a bit.

 

[Albert Sailhorst]

Citron today is accepted as those candied cubes of fruit that are used in rum cake,sometime you can find just the candied lemon that way by its self.

Any good bakery supply store should have it.

That is good to know!!.....Thanks for sharing!

 

[Suzanne A]

You will recognize citron when you see it:

https://nuts.com/driedfruit/glazedf...dIRsTrbPUmsJZ9RVa7uPq7TZt2kOqf5_sAaAuKT8P8HAQ

What are you using for suet? All I can think of is that block of grease sold fir bird feeders.

 

[Albert Sailhorst]

I've seen suet sold in the meat case of my local grocery store....Not sure exactly what it is, though....

 

[realevergreen]

Absolutely can't go wrong with a good plum pudding! Another good reason for celebrating Christmas more than just one day.

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

Does anyone know why this historic dish is called "Plum Pudding" . . . as I've never seen plums included in the ingredients ?

Please excuse my ignorance, but I'm curious.

I'm assuming "plum" is one of those old/middle English words that may have survived but lost it's original meaning in modern English ?

 

[7th Texas Mounted Rifles]

Does anyone know why this historic dish is called "Plum Pudding" . . . as I've never seen plums included in the ingredients ?

Please excuse my ignorance, but I'm curious.

I'm assuming "plum" is one of those old/middle English words that may have survived but lost it's original meaning in modern English ?

So 'plum pudding' has just as much plum in it as 'blood pudding' does...?

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

So 'plum pudding' has just as much plum in it as 'blood pudding' does...?

Well . . . I'm not sure.

I also wonder about the definition of a "Figgy Pudding" .

However, I do think that recipe calls for the actual use of figs.

 

[donna]

Several articles on Christmas Pudding or also known as Plum Pudding or Figgy Pudding.


http://www.whychristmas.com/customs/pudding.shtml

http://www.history.com/news/hungry-history/the-holiday-history-of-christmas-pudding