Plum Pudding

It’s always a good idea to make plum pudding a few weeks before Christmas so that it has time to age and mellow.

• ½ pound currants

• ½ pound seedless raisins

• ¼ pound almonds in the skin

• ½ cup brandy plus ¼ cup brandy or rum for flaming

• 4 ounces suet cut from veal kidney fat

• ½ cup fine bread crumbs (remove crusts from bread)

• 1½ cups dark brown sugar, packed and sifted together twice

• ¼ cup flour

• 1 scant teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• ⅓ of a nutmeg, grated

• ¼ teaspoon mace

• ⅔ cup scalded milk

• 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten

• 3 egg whites

• Holly sprig, for decorating

1. The day before making the pudding, place the currants, raisins, and almonds together in a bowl, first cutting the raisins in half and grating the nuts. Pour the brandy over this mixture, cover the bowl tightly, and set aside.

2. Remove any skin or veins from the suet. Chop the suet very fine on a cutting board. When finely chopped, suet becomes as smooth as any other shortening. Use only suet cut from the fat of the veal kidney; it has just the right firm consistency and is sweet. Put the chopped suet in a large mixing bowl.

3. Add the grated bread crumbs, brown sugar, and flour and spice mixture. Mix these ingredients well and stir in the scalded milk.

4. Continue to stir while adding the lightly beaten egg yolks and the brandied-fruit mixture.

5. Beat the whites until stiff, then thoroughly fold them into the pudding. Cover the bowl and set it in a cool place overnight.

6. The next day, grease a 1½-quart or 3 pint molds with a piece of suet. Fill two-thirds full with pudding and cover tightly.

7. Place a round cake rack in the bottom of a kettle. Fill the kettle with enough water to cover the mold and bring it to a boil. Put the mold in the water and watch carefully until the water returns to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 4 hours.

8. Remove the mold and place it on a rack to cool. If the mold is a metal one, remove the pudding when it is cold and wrap it carefully in heavy waxed paper with an outer wrapping of aluminum foil. Store in a cool place or in the bottom of the refrigerator.

9. Two hours before serving the plum pudding, unwrap it (if it has been stored in a porcelain container, remove the lid) and place it in the top of a double boiler over simmering water.

10. After 2 hours of steaming, carefully remove the pudding by tilting the pan and sliding it out onto a silver serving dish. Decorate the pudding with a sprig of holly. Just before presenting it at the table pour over ¼ cup of warm brandy or rum and flame. Serve with nutmeg sauce (page 51).