Recipe: Christmas Pudding

Christmas Pudding should be made a few weeks in advance. The pudding should be well wrapped to help the flavours to develop. The pudding should be stored in the refrigerator. A matured pudding will have a better texture. This recipe uses Orgran rice crumbs and flour.

You'll Need

500g chopped raisins
500g sultanas
125g chopped dates
125g chopped glace cherries
125g mixed peel
125ml rum
500 butter or salt reduced monounsaturated margarine
500g brown sugar
10 eggs
6 small-medium carrots, peeled and finely grated
2 cooking apples, peeled and grated
2 Tbsp treacle
125g chopped blanched almonds
500g fine Orgran All Purpose Rice Crumbs
125g Orgran All Purpose Plain Flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp mixed spice
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp Orgran Custard Mix
Extra rum to pour over cooked pudding

Place fruits and peel into a large container. Pour in rum. Seal container and leave overnight.
Prepare one large or two smaller pudding steamer with tight fitting lid by spraying with cooking spray.
Next day, cream butter and sugar.
Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
Place creamed mixture into a large mixing bowl. Stir in soaked fruits and peel, carrot, apple, treacle, almonds and All Purpose Rice Crumbs.
Sift Orgran All Purpose Plain Flour, bicarbonate of soda, spices (mixed spice, cinnamon & nutmeg) and custard mix into fruit mixture. Mixture should be a very moist consistency.
Place mixture into prepared steamer. Secure lid. Place into saucepan.
Half-fill one or two large saucepans with cold water and bring to the boil.
Steam one pudding for approximately five hours or two smaller puddings for three and a half hours each, with lid on saucepan. Water must boil gently during cooking. It may be necessary to add a little more boiling water during cooking.