Traditional British Christmas Pudding Dinner

20 hours 45 Minute Easy Tried and Tested Recipe for the Best Christmas Pudding

20 hours 45 mins Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 1 pound/450 grams dried fruit
• 1 ounce/25 grams candied fruit peel (mixed varieties, finely chopped)
• 1 small cooking apple (peeled, cored, and finely chopped)
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup brandy (plus a little extra for soaking at the end)
• 2 ounces/55 grams self rising flour
• 1 teaspoon ground mixed spice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 4 ounces/110 grams suet (beef or vegetarian, shredded)
• 4 ounces/110 grams dark brown sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 4 ounces/110 grams fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 ounce/25 grams whole almonds (roughly chopped)
• 2 large eggs

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Instructions

1. Lightly butter a 2 1/2 pint pudding basin.
2. Butter a pudding basin
3. Place the dried fruits, candied peel, apple, and orange and lemon juices into a large mixing bowl. Add the brandy and stir well. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave to marinate for a couple of hours, preferably overnight.
4. Add dried fruit and brandy. Cover and let sit
5. In a very large mixing bowl, stir the flour, mixed spice, and cinnamon together. Add the suet, sugar, lemon and orange zests, breadcrumbs, and nuts and stir again until all the ingredients are well mixed. Add the marinated dried fruits and stir again.
6. Add dry ingredients to another bowl and add dried fruit mixture
7. In a small bowl, beat the eggs lightly then stir quickly into the dry ingredients. The mixture should have a fairly soft consistency.
8. Now is the time to gather the family for the Christmas pudding traditions.
9. Spoon the mixture into the greased pudding basin, gently pressing the mixture down with the back of a spoon. Cover with a double layer of greaseproof paper or baking parchment, then a layer of aluminum foil. Tie securely with string, wrapping the string around the basin, then loop over the top and then around the bowl again. This will form a handle which will be useful when removing the pudding from the steamer. 
10. Add pudding mixture to pudding basin and cover with foil
11. Place the pudding in a steamer set over a saucepan of simmering water and steam the pudding for 7 hours. Make sure you check the water level frequently, so it never boils dry. The pudding should be a dark brown color when cooked.
12. Steam pudding in saucepan
13. Remove the pudding from the steamer and cool completely. Remove the paper, prick the pudding with a skewer, and pour in a little extra brandy.
14. Remove pudding and let cool
15. Cover with fresh greaseproof paper and re-tie with string.
16. Cover pudding with paper and string
17. Store in a cool, dry place until Christmas day.
18. Traditional Christmas pudding, ready to serve

Storage and Reheating Tips

• The pudding cannot be eaten immediately; it does need to be stored in a cool, dry place and rested, then reheated on Christmas day. Eating the pudding immediately after cooking will cause it to collapse, and the flavors will not have had time to mature.
• On Christmas day, reheat the pudding by steaming again for about an hour. Serve with brandy sauce, brandy butter, or custard.
• Leftover Christmas pudding can be refrigerated or frozen (well wrapped) and then reheated by wrapping tightly in aluminum foil and heating through in a hot oven.

source: https://www.thespruceeats.com/traditional-christmas-pudding-recipe-435070