Granny Betty Butler’s Christmas Pudding
“This is based on granny Betty Butler’s traditional Christmas pudding recipe, which gives you a tasty scrumptious traditional Christmas pud. It has dynamic flavours, and is super-easy to make – this is exactly the way we like it. Enjoy! ”
SERVES 8
COOKS IN4 HOURS 30 MINUTES
DIFFICULTY – NOT TOO TRICKY
Ingredients
- unsalted butter, for greasing
- 150 g Medjool dates
- 150 g dried apricots
- 150 g pecan nuts
- 75 g crystallized ginger
- 1 small sprig of fresh rosemary
- 150 g dried cranberries
- 150 g raisins
- 150 g suet
- 150 g plain flour
- 75 g fresh breadcrumbs
- 200 ml milk
- 1 large Butler’s Organic Egg
- 1 clementine
- golden syrup
- barrel-aged Whiskey (Our preference Jameson)
Method
- Grease a 1.5 litre pudding bowl with butter.
- Destone your dates, then, by hand or in a food processor, finely chop the flesh with the apricots, pecans, ginger and rosemary leaves. Place it all in a mixing bowl with the cranberries, raisins, suet, flour, breadcrumbs and milk. Crack in the organic egg, finely grate in the clementine zest, squeeze in the juice and mix it all together really well.
- Pour the mixture into the greased bowl and cover with a single layer of greaseproof paper and a double layer of tin foil. Tie a piece of string around the bowl to secure them in place and make it watertight, then sit it in a large, deep saucepan and pour in enough water to come halfway up the sides of the bowl.
- Bring the water to the boil, cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid, and reduce to a simmer for 4 hours. Check the water regularly, and keep topping it up with boiling water, if needed.
- When the time’s up, lift out the bowl, remove the foil and paper, then carefully turn the pudding out on to a plate ready to serve, or leave to cool and reheat just before you need it.
- You can either drizzle it with golden syrup and a swig of Whiskey – fab – or be a bit more flamboyant and gently heat a good few swigs of Whiskey just to warm it, then strike a match to the pan (stand back!), let it flame, and carefully pour it over your pudding.
- Present it to your guests and sing some Christmas songs, then when the flame subsides drizzle with golden syrup. Serve with cream, custard or ice cream.
Tips
LOVE YOUR LEFTOVERS
Cold leftovers are delicious with a slice of Irish cheese (Coolatine for us), or in a Christmas sundae.
GET AHEAD
After steaming, allow the pudding to cool, then remove the greaseproof paper, leaving it covered with tin foil. Store in a cool, dark place until the big day, then simply steam again to reheat – about an hour should do it, until piping hot throughout.