GINGER & FRUIT PUDDING
It looks daunting, but really is quite easy. If you have not made a pudding before it is a good investment and very convenient to buy a pudding basin with its own lid. Then you can literally relax!
Prep Time
12 hours to soak fruit, plus 30 to 40 mins
Cook Time
4 hrs
Makes
950g pudding – serves 10
Ingredients
100g Buderim Ginger Glacè Ginger, finely chopped
150g raisins
150g sultanas
150g currants
1/4 cup brandy
2/3 cup unbleached or regular plain flour
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
pinch ground cinnamon
good pinch salt
1/2 small-sized lemon, finely grated
125g butter
1/3 cup [85g] firmly packed dark brown sugar or muscovado dark or molasses sugar
2 x 59g eggs
Method
1) You need to begin pudding the night before boiling. In a bowl or plastic bag place ginger, dried fruits and brandy. Stir or massage to combine thoroughly. Cover bowl or secure plastic bag and set aside for 12 hours for brandy to absorb into fruits.
2) Carefully butter a 5 cup heatproof pudding basin and lid.
3) Sift together flour, spices and salt, stir in lemon rind.
4) Cream butter and sugar until light, creamy and fluffy.
5) Add egg about 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. If mixture starts to curdle, add about 1 tablespoon of flour mixture.
6) Fold in flour mixture. Finally stir in soaked fruit mixture.
7) Spoon into prepared pudding basin.
8) Cover top of pudding bowl with a double thickness of buttered greaseproof paper, then pudding basin lid.
9) Place in a large saucepan with enough fast boiling water to come up 3/4 of pudding basin. Boil steadily, keeping a vigilant eye on it, replenishing with boiling water from time to time over 4 hours.
10) Serve with Original Ginger Marmalade Ice Cream and/or custard sauce.
Note: To re-heat, place in boiling water and boil pudding in basin for 1 hour.
Helpful Notes
If your pudding basin does not have a lid, here is an alternative. Cover top of pudding basin with a piece of double thickness greaseproof paper, with a folded pleat in centre, this allows for expansion when pudding is cooking. Butter one side of greaseproof paper and place buttered side down on pudding to prevent sticking. Then top with double thickness foil. Carefully push paper and foil down side of pudding bowl and tightly secure with cooking string below lip of bowl. Make a string handle over bowl to make it easier to lift basin out at end of boiling time.
A standard Australian Metric 250mL cup & 20mL teaspoon measuring set are used.
New Zealand Metric tablespoon measure = 15mL or 3 teaspoons.
Products in this recipe
Confectionery
