Sophie Grigson
Presented in 2004
Steamed apple, orange and ginger suet pudding
Serves 4–6
Steamed suet puddings are among Britain’s most important contributions to world harmony. I make them occasionally for French friends, who all laugh heartily at the concept until they come to the actual tasting. Only then do they begin to understand what an amazingly wonderful creation the steamed pud is. This particular steamed pudding would, I have no doubt, go down particularly well in France, but for the time being I’m keeping it firmly here.
I still haven’t decided whether this is better made with cooking apples or eating apples — I probably need to try it out both ways a few more times before I can be sure … Both have their merits, so try it with whichever you have to hand, or even a mixture of the two. Either way, it is the long, slow, moist cooking that melds the flavours together in an utterly heavenly manner, ready to ooze out as the suet crust is cut into.
Crust
225 g (8 oz/1½ cups) self-raising flour
pinch of salt
110 g (3¾ oz) suet, finely chopped or grated
equal quantities of milk and water mixed (about 25 ml/¾ fl oz of each)
a little butter, for greasing the bowl
Filling
about 675 g (1 lb 8 oz) eating or cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
finely grated zest of 1 orange
juice of 1 orange
1 chunk preserved (stem) ginger, finely chopped
170–225 g (6–8 oz) caster (superfine) sugar or demerara (raw) sugar
To make the crust mix flour with the salt, then stir in the suet until roughly combined. Add enough milk and water to make a soft, but not sticky dough. Grease the inside of a 1.5 litre (52 fl oz) capacity pudding basin.
Roll the pastry out on a floured work surface to give a circle large enough to line the basin. Cut out about a quarter of it and set it aside to make the lid. Lower the rest of the pastry into the basin, pinch the cut sides together and press the pastry gently into place so that the basin is completely lined.
To make the filling, mix the ingredients together, then pile into the lined basin. Roll out the remaining pastry to form a circle large enough to cover the basin. Lay over the top, and pinch the edges together all around to seal the filling right in cosily.
Take a sheet of foil, smear the centre with a little extra butter and make a pleat down the centre. Lay it over the basin and tie firmly into place. Loop the ends of the string over, catching one under the taut string on the other side of the basin, then tying the ends together to form a handle.
Stand the pudding in a close-fitting saucepan on a trivet and pour in enough boiling water to come about halfway up the sides. Place on the heat and adjust the temperature so that it simmers gently. Cover with the lid (or a dome of foil if necessary) and leave to bubble away happily for some 2–3 hours. Check regularly and top up the water level with more boiling water, as needed.