Mary Litchfield Grimwood’s 1890 English Plum Puddings

Title: Mary Litchfield Grimwood's 1890 English Plum Puddings

Categories: Christmas, Desserts, Fruits, Harned 1994, Nuts

Yield: 6 puddings

4 1/2 c All-purpose flour*; sifted

4 ts Baking powder

1 ts Baking soda

1/2 ts Salt

2 ts Cinnamon

1 ts Allspice

1/2 ts Cloves

1/4 ts Nutmeg

1 Box muscat raisins; seeded

1 Box seedless nectar raisins

-- (golden raisins)

-or- 1 Box sultanas

1 Box currants

2 c Finely chopped apples

1 1/2 c Chopped black walnuts and -pecans; mixed

1 lb Good beef suet

-- ground by butcher

2 c Light brown sugar

6 Eggs; well beaten

1 1/2 c Buttermilk

1 c Soft fresh bread crumbs

-- from homemade-type bread

*Plus additional flour for dusting fruits and adding to batter if

needed.

Grease and flour six 1-pound coffee cans or pudding molds.

4 1/2 cups flour with next

7 dry ingredients into a large

bowl. In a separate bowl, dust the raisins, currants, apples and nuts

with 2 tablespoons additional flour.

Mix together the suet, brown sugar, eggs and buttermilk. Add the suet

mixture gradually to the sifted dry ingredients, mixing well. Add

fruits and bread crumbs; mix until well-blended. (If batter is not

stiff, stir in additional flour as needed.)

Divide mixture among prepared cans or molds, filling them half full.

Cover each with a double sheet of waxed paper and tie down securely.

Pressure cooker: Place hot water in the bottom of a large pressure

cooker/canner, using enough to reach a level just below the bottom of

a steaming rack. Place cans or molds on the rack. Cover the pressure

20 minutes with the vent tube

petcock) open. Then attach the automatic pressure control or close

50 minutes at

10 lbs. pressure. Remove the

pressure cooker from heat. When pressure is completely reduced, open

and remove the puddings from the cooker.

Regular steamer: In a large stockpot or boiling water bath canner, add

water to come up just below the bottom of the steaming rack. Add

puddings, cover and steam for 6 hours, adding water as necessary to

keep from boiling dry. It helps if the lid is tightfitting; if not,

try putting a weight on the lid to keep it down, or cover the pot rim

with a strip of aluminum foil to help the lid fit more tightly.

To serve, slice and resteam in the top of a double boiler over

simmering water until hot, about 1 hour. Serve with hard sauce and whipped cream flavored with brandy or the Wilson family's favorite

sauce (see recipe).

This pudding will keep for months in the refrigerator or may be

frozen up to one year.

Eulalie Jeter's grandmother's recipe in Special Writer Marilyn

Kluger's 11/25/92 "A Dickens of a Delight: Christmas Plum Pudding is

a Holiday Treat Straight from Merry Olde England" article in "The

(Louisville, KY) Courier-Journal." Pg. C7. Typed for you by Cathy

Harned.

MMMMM