Alex Elman’s Plum Pudding
Plum Pudding Ingredients
- 3/4 cup almonds
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 2 1/3 cup fresh bread crumbs
- 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups seedless raisins
- 1 1/3 cup black currants
- 3/4 cup candied orange peel
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp rum
- milk, enough to mix
Simple Candied Orange Peel Ingredients
- 2 large oranges, 1/4 inch of top and bottom cut off
- 4 cups sugar, divided
- 3 cups water
Plum Pudding Directions
- Blanch almonds and chop.
- Mix all ingredients together adding enough milk to hold dough together.
- Place in buttered mold. Cover with buttered wax paper and fix with string or use a mold with a cover.
- Place in pan with water (the water should fill the pan); boil on low flame for four hours. Add HOT water whenever necessary
- On Christmas day boil again for two hours. If you want to serve the pudding lit, turn plum pudding onto a pan, and pour over a spirit that will catch fire.
- Serve hot and if possible with hot brandy butter on the side or simple candied orange peel (recipe below).
Simple Candied Orange Peel Directions
- Cut peel on each orange into 4 vertical segments. Remove each segment (including white pith) in 1 piece. Cut into ΒΌ inch-wide strips.
- Cook in large pot of boiling water 15 minutes; drain, rinse, and drain again.
- Bring 3 cups sugar and 3 cups water to boil in medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar.
- Add orange peel, return to boil.
- Reduce heat; simmer until peel is very soft, about 45 minutes. Drain.
- Toss peel and 1 cup sugar on rimmed baking sheet, separating strips.
- Lift peel from sugar and transfer to cookie sheet covered with foil. Let stand until coating is dry, 1 to 2 days. Make ahead, wrap and freeze up to 2 months.
- Prep time: 1 hour
- Cook time: 2 hours
- Total time: 3 hours
Yield: 8-12 servings