Powell's Christmas Pudding

I cook mine as early in the year as i can as they, like a good wine, get better with age. For me the biggest turn off about shop bought Christmas Pud is the lottery you face if not bought a particular make before. I am not a fan of candied peel or am i fan of crunchy textures in a pud like nuts or the stones in the dried fruit. I also hate the light brown variations you can sometimes find in the bought puds. This recipe is my no candied peel; non nutty; seedless; very dark; very rich version of the great Chrimbo Pud. A must for me is a very sweet 'Rummy' Rum Sauce poured all over each yummy portion. mmm.

Glyn Powell @robocook35

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Ingredients

540 mins

12 servings

8 ozBreadcrumbs
2 ozPlain Flour
8 ozShredded Suet
8 ozDark Brown Sugar
8 ozRasins
8 ozSultanas
8 ozCurrants
4 ozGlace Cherries quartered
1Lemon juice and finely grated zest
4Eggs
3 tbsRum (much more later)
3 tbsBlack Treacle
1 tspMixed Spice
little extra butter for greasing
little extra Rum for fruit soaking and pudding lacing
Greaseproof paper

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Steps

540 mins

1

Pre soak all your fruit in as much Rum as they will hold minimum in 2 hours maximum 5 days.
2

Grease the 2 1/2 pint pudding basin with butter and make two greaseproof paper circles one for insidee the bottom of thwe basin and one larger one for the top.
3

In a large mixing bowl mix all the ingredients together and pour into the basin and flatten down removing all the air.
4

Add the larger paper circle to the top of the mixture and seal top of basin with two layer of foil and tie around string to the rim of the basin this will make it easier to remove the basin from the steamer.
5

The Pudding will need to be steamed on the stove for a total of 9 hours cooking time. After the first 3 hours I remove from the heat, remove all the wrapping and drain off any fat that risen to the top of the pudding. I lace it with a glug of Rum while very hot and watch the rum get thirstily drawn into the pud. I then replace the grease-proof paper disc and foil and string. At this point my despite the lid on the pan ans steamer the kitchen is damp an steamy so i stop cooking the pud and choose two other 3 hour cooking times over the next couple of months. At th end of each 3 cooking stint i rmemebr to give the pud while hot a good glug of rum before repacking the pud.
6

On Christmas Day I cook for a further hour while tucking into my Christmas dinner.