Plum pudding (plum duff)
Simon Rimmer's old English plum suet pudding is like a meal in itself.
Ingredients
- 110g/4oz self-raising flour
- 110g/4oz currants
- 110g/4oz golden raisins
- 110g/4oz breadcrumbs
- 110g/4oz dark brown sugar
- 110g/4oz shredded suet
- Β½ tsp mixed spice powder
- Β½ tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch freshly grated nutmeg
- 250g/9oz plums, stones removed, chopped
- Β½ large apple, core removed, peeled and chopped
- 1 orange, juice and zest only
- 4 tbsp dark rum
- 2 free-range eggs
- 225ml/8fl oz milk
For the sauce
- 1 free-range egg
- 300²µ/10Β½΄Η³ϊ icing sugar
- 150g/5oz butter, melted
- 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out
- 200ml/7fl oz double cream, whipped until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed
Method
Butter a 1 litre/2 pint pudding basin.
Mix the flour, currants, raisins, breadcrumbs, sugar, suet, mixed spice, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a large bowl.
Add the plums and apple pieces.
Add the orange zest and juice, the rum and the eggs and mix well.
Gradually add milk, stirring constantly, until the mixture will drop from the spoon when pulled from the bowl (dropping consistency).
Place the plum mixture into the pudding basin and cover with greaseproof paper or a pudding cloth. Secure the paper or cloth with kitchen string.
Using a pan with a lid large enough to comfortably contain the pudding basin, half-fill the pan with boiling water. Add the pudding basin and cover with the lid. Steam the pudding for three hours. Replenish the water level if necessary.
Remove the basin from the pan and allow to cool slightly.
For the sauce, whisk the egg for five minutes until light and foaming.
Add the sugar, butter and vanilla seeds and whisk well.
Carefully fold in the whipped cream until well combined.
To serve, spoon out the plum pudding onto plates and spoon the sauce alongside.
Related Recipes
