MAKE AHEAD
CHRISTMAS PUDDING For a glorious pud to round off the Christmas Day meal, ours is laden with orange and figs, plus cocoa for a hint of chocolate. If you prefer no booze, simply replace it with the same amount of orange juice
Figgy orange Christmas pud SERVES 10 PREP 15 mins plus overnight soaking COOK 6 hrs EASY V
100g sultanas 100g raisins 100g currants 80g dried figs, chopped 50g mixed peel, chopped 1 cooking apple, peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces (250g prepared weight) 2 large oranges, zested, 1 juiced 75ml triple sec, plus extra to serve 100ml stout 2 eggs, beaten 110g vegetarian shredded suet 75g self-raising flour 100g fresh breadcrumbs 40g cocoa powder 1 tsp mixed spice 225g dark brown soft sugar 50g hazelnuts, chopped butter, for the basin extra-thick cream or custard, to serve
1 Tip the sultanas, raisins, currants, figs, mixed peel, apple, orange zest and juice, triple sec and stout into a large bowl. Stir everything together, cover and leave to soak overnight. 2 The next day, tip the eggs, suet, flour, breadcrumbs, cocoa, mixed spice, brown sugar and hazelnuts into the bowl with the soaked fruit along with 1/2 tsp salt and stir well with a wooden spoon to combine.
32 BBC Good Food Middle East December 2021
3 Butter a 1.5-litre pudding basin and line the base with a circle of baking parchment. Spoon in the pudding mixture, pressing it down well with the spoon to pack it into the basin. Make a gap in the centre using the back of the spoon (this helps the pudding rise evenly, so it ends up with a flat base). Cover the surface with a circle of baking parchment. Layer a sheet of foil over a double-layer of parchment, then fold together to create a pleat and use this to cover the whole basin. Secure by tying a piece of kitchen string around the rim. Trim away the excess, then loop around another piece of string and tie it for a handle. Put an upturned saucer in the base of a large pan, then lower in the basin and fill the pan with just-boiled water from the kettle so it comes halfway up the sides of the basin. Or, use a steamer if you have one. Cover with a lid and keep the water simmering to steam the pudding for 6 hrs. Remove from the pan and leave to cool completely. To store, unwrap the pudding, then cover with fresh parchment, foil and string as before. Keep in a cool, dark place for up to six months. 4 To serve, steam for 2 hrs as above, then turn out onto a serving plate. Drizzle with a little triple sec, if you like, and carefully light the top. Serve with cream or custard. GOOD TO KNOW 1 of 5-a-day PER SERVING 441 kcals • fat 13g • saturates 5g • carbs 67g • sugars 53g • fibre 4g • protein 7g • salt 0.6g
Shoot director SARAH SNELLING | Food stylist ELLIE MULLIGAN | Stylist AGATHÉ GITS
recipe ESTHER CLARK photograph TOM REGESTER
