I simply adore making the Chrissie pudding. It is a romantic and incredibly satisfying afternoon for me. Yes I am the first to admit it involves quite a lot of preparation, but oh is so worth it! And to my delight this is the second blog I have written over the years on how to create the perfect pud!
The old traditions are being revived and cherished by a complete new group of cooks – 3 cheers I say!
So, below are some step by step pics as well as some quick tips to help you along the way. I have adapted a couple of the tips written previously, mainly involving the use of suet.
Once learnt future generations will cherish the secrets to producing a great pud. I adapted this recipe, testing and adapting it to ensure it produces a succulent, rich, moist and lightly spiced result. I always prefer to make my pudding in a basin (see tips below), but some prefer to boil in a cloth… now that will have to wait for another blog…. maybe next year?
Step By Step Pud Production…
1. Chop the fruit with kitchen scissors, cover with warm liquor & brandy and soak for at least 2 hours.
2. Combine all the ingredients using a the flat beater.
3. Spread the mixture into the pudding basin or tin, smoothing the top.
4. Cover pudding with baking paper and foil and tie securely to make sure the water doesn’t seep into the pudding.
5. Half fill your saucepan with hot water and simmer away for around four hours, topping up regularly along the way.
Jo’s Quick Tips for Prep & Cooking a Fabulously Festive Christmas Pudding:
*Make 2 – because one is just not enough – matter how many are for Christmas lunch or dinner – you will need more!
*Have a lovely pudding bowl – old or new it will be something you will treasure and I am sure if you love the bowl, the pudding tastes better! Mine by the way is bright red – which will not surprise many of you. All good cook shops sell pudding basins and my choice is always ceramic over metal.
*Use a good brand of dried fruit, pump and moist. I prefer to create my own mix, rather than but fruit mix. I am not a cherry fan or I must confess a dried peel fan…but adapt away if you are.
*Soak the fruit well – I love orange liquor and brandy – but you can vary this. The minimum soaking time is 2 hours – but if time allows over night is even better and up to 2 days is excellent. Just keep turning the mixture over and keep it moist.
*Suet mix : Yes I truly believe suet is a must! You can either order fresh from the butcher (I would recommend around 100g) and coarsely grate it into the mixture or use a premade suet mix. The premade adds extra flour, so if you choose to use fresh suet, you will need to add an additional 300g (2 cups plain flour to the cake mixture)
*Gluten free options: Replace the prepared suet mixture with 150g brown rice flour, 150 g gluten free flour and 100g fresh grated suet (yes you will definitely need it) and of course use gluten free bread for the breadcrumbs.
*Guinness: a must! Now this really adds the colour needed and a delicious flavour however yes it does have Gluten so choose a Gluten Free beer and a lager is best for this.
*Cover the pudding with a sheet of baking paper and foil and secure with string. It is very important water does not seep in and ruin the top of the pud.
*Two methods for the cooking – pop an upturned saucer into the pot, lower in the pudding, 
fill with boiling water and cover OR place a rack into a large baking dish, place on the puddings and fill with boiling water and cover with a huge sheet of foil – securing it well. However I do prefer the boil in the saucepan method.
*The TINKER: this is the best part. The little saucer in the bottom of the pan will gently ‘tinker’. The water must not boil , just bubble away. Use a timer to help you keep track. 
*Reheating – yes it does take time take to reheat the pudding and use the same method you choose for the cooking.
PS if you have added some special pre decimal coins to the pudding – please remember not to 
reheat in the microwave!
The full recipe can be found in official KitchenAid recipes at www.kitchenaid.com.au
