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!!

 

[nitrofd]

This may help you out some .

 

[donna]

Also like this description of Plum Pudding from "The Great American Christmas Almanac" by Irena Chalmers, Viking Studio Books, 1988, page 258:

"The plum pudding of Victorian England is heavily laden with symbolism, in addition to the visions of sugarplum fairies and Dickensian nostalgia. This rich, dark pudding is customarily round to represent the good, fertile earth. The sprig of holly with its red berries symbolizes the blood of Christ, and the brandy flames stand for the fires of the underworld that, happily, are extinguished as goodness triumphs over evil. The silver charms traditionally baked into the pudding are the talismans that promise good fortune and prosperity in the year to come."

 

[donna]

A recipe for Hard Sauce for your Plum Pudding:

1/2 pound unsalted butter
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup brandy or rum

Beat the butter in a mixer until softened. Beat in the sugar and add the brandy or rum a little at a time. Mound the sauce in an attractive bowl and cover with transparent wrap to prevent the alcohol from evaporating until ready to serve. Serve the sauce at room temperature.

 

[nitrofd]

A recipe for Hard Sauce for your Plum Pudding:

1/2 pound unsalted butter
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup brandy or rum

Beat the butter in a mixer until softened. Beat in the sugar and add the brandy or rum a little at a time. Mound the sauce in an attractive bowl and cover with transparent wrap to prevent the alcohol from evaporating until ready to serve. Serve the sauce at room temperature.

Back about 30 years ago many grocery stores used to sell hard sauce but I haven't seen it in years.

 

[Anna Elizabeth Henry]

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 ?

According to Wikipedia the answer is as follows - Despite the name "plum pudding," the pudding contains no actual plums due to the pre-Victorian use of the word "plums" as a term for raisins.

 

[Tennessee_Mountainman]

Looks like what comes out my butt in the morning.

 

[Waterloo50]

Just wondering if Americans hide money in the Christmas pudding, its tradition in Britain to put a silver six pence in the Christmas pud. You just have to be careful that you don't choke on it.

 

[Waterloo50]

Looks like what comes out my butt in the morning.

That is So wrong on So many levels,
PS........ you should probably go see a doctor.

 

[E_just_E]

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

suet is to beef what lard is to pork...

 

[Waterloo50]

You cant have a decent beef stew without dumplings. Suet makes great dumplings.

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

Mom still makes this. Her hard sauce will leave you a little light headed. She still uses her grandmother's mold- I think that pudding was boiled all day. Nana grew up on PEI speaking Gaelic around the house- there were other boiled puddings I didn't bump into until living in the UK, so a few must have made the trip across the pond.

It's funny, if suet balls had not become popular for bird feeders I'm not sure Mom could have gotten it some years. Someone better versed in those things will have to explain bird balls ( sorry ) but the suet ( fat ) is what boils away so beautifully, cooking the flour like any oven baked cake.

 

[Waterloo50]

Mom still makes this. Her hard sauce will leave you a little light headed. She still uses her grandmother's mold- I think that pudding was boiled all day. Nana grew up on PEI speaking Gaelic around the house- there were other boiled puddings I didn't bump into until living in the UK, so a few must have made the trip across the pond.

It's funny, if suet balls had not become popular for bird feeders I'm not sure Mom could have gotten it some years. Someone better versed in those things will have to explain bird balls ( sorry ) but the suet ( fat ) is what boils away so beautifully, cooking the flour like any oven baked cake.

We make suet balls and place them inside the beef stew, they are light and fluffy nothing like the fat balls for birds, if we make them for ourselves we use a suet mix 'just add water', if we make them for the birds (fat balls) we use lard or dripping, although I begrudge using dripping for the birds, they are just as happy with the lard.

 

[nitrofd]

In honor of plum pudding day we bump this thread.