Unfortunate hairstyle and Plum Pudding lighting
One word.
Suet.
You don’t know what it is, do you? It’s an ingredient you will never use unless you are feeding birds during winter or making Plum Pudding. How do I describe this family tradition?
This recipe I’m about to share with you has been handed down from MacGregor to MacGregor for centuries. I am not kidding. This recipe came over on some boat and I can’t believe I have been sanctioned; neigh, encouraged , to share its secrets with you. This recipe is about history and tradition, men in kilts and making dessert out of throw away parts because it’s been a hard winter. This dessert is very *Please, sir, may I have another?*
This is not dessert—its pudding.
Butter? For weenies. Cream? For the weak. Chocolate? Don’t make me hit you. Essentially, Plum Pudding is a dessert that has none of your favorite things in it.
If you look up plum pudding in the dictionary you’ll see a picture of my mother’s worried face, pudding steam creating a glow on her furrowed brow.
This is not pie—its pudding.
Why is it called Plum Pudding? Honestly, they call it Plum Pudding because it purports too have everything in it BUT plums. Oh, they made a funny.
What is Plum Pudding to me? Its *who gets to pour the brandy over the pudding?* and *who gets to light the pudding?* and *Mom seems a little tense.*
I have made the pudding with my mom, this medicine ball of fat, fruit and flour that is placed in a muslin bag, boiled, stored and aged and then boiled again before serving. This is fruitcake on steroids.
I have made the pudding because I am MacGregor and I am genetically predisposed.
By the way, that’s what we call it—the pudding. We dropped the whole *plum* formality decades ago.
Who wants to make one?!
I thought so! Well, were going to have to have a conversation about suet, then. Suet is the fat they trim off beef. And it’s going in your pudding. First you must go to your butcher and ask for the fat he is getting ready to dispose of. To save yourself some time, bat your eyes and coyly ask if he will grind it for you. Life will be easier if someone else does this. He will ask why oh why do you want my throw away parts? Steel yourself—be prepared to talk boldly and with authority about a dessert no American will understand. Take pride in the fact that you are using cast off bits of fat (recycle and think green!) not because there’s been a potato famine but because you choose to.
Yes.
Let’s talk about muslin. You must use unbleached muslin to wrap the pudding. Very important—it will get cranky otherwise. Just do what I say.
And let’s talk about challenge. Let’s talk about conquering the unknown. Let’s talk about fortitude. I think you owe it to yourself to tackle the pudding–because the pudding is a rough sea that bows to no one. The pudding is a steam snorting bull that could easily take you down with its oversized horns—if you are not agile. The pudding is a 10-15 inch, dense, solid round thing that you have to boil properly so that it cooked all the way through.
No one likes thier suet underdone…
So, push up your sleeves, enlist another pair of hands, steady your nerves because today, TODAY! you make the pudding.
Or die trying.
Plum Pudding
Prep & Cook time: 20 minutes prep, 5-6 hours of cooking Weight: approximately 5 lbs.
Serves: your entire clan and their friends for several months as you hide in the hillside caves because you are outlaws (ie: a MacGregor)
Special tools: very large stock pot, wire rack that will sit in bottom of pot
1 pound ground suet
1 cup white sugar
6-7 cups flour
4 cups seedless raisins
2 cups currants
1 pkg (4 oz) each of candied lemon, orange and citron peel
3 eggs
1 c milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
Find your largest mixing bowl. Begin by combining 1 cup of the flour and all of the sugar. Then add all of the candied fruit, raisins and currants so that all ingredients will distribute itself evenly throughout the pudding. Add this to the ground suet and combine.
Mix with your hands.
Add the spices, salt and baking powder and soda. Add flour to make very stiff dough…6 to 7 cups. Add the remaining flour 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly. When you have added 6 cups of flour, assess the dough. We want it stiff so, if needed, add the final (7th cup) of flour gradually.
Muslin Bag Time
Special tools: 25 x 25 unbleached muslin (can be purchased at the fabric store), twine
Soak the muslin in the sink in about 4 inches of water until thoroughly wet. Do not wring the muslin, but hold it up and let the excess water drip into the sink. The muslin will be very wet still. Lay flat on the counter. Sift all purpose white flour (approx 1 cup) all over the muslin, covering it entirely—this seals the bag. Flour only the side of the muslin that will be next to the pudding.
Dump the plum pudding dough in the center of the floured muslin and bring all the edges of the muslin up around the dough—which will allow you to form the pudding into a ball…a basketball…
Tie tightly with twine—wrap the twine around several times and tie it very tightly.
Let’s just take a moment—you may be feeling overwhelmed by this dish of my ancestors.
Cooking—Round 1
Get your very largest stock pot. Place a cooling rack on the bottom of your pot—you do not want your pudding to touch the bottom of the pot while it’s cooking because it will burn. Fill pot about half way with water and bring to a boil. When boiling add the pudding but do not allow the water to go above the neck of the muslin back where you have tightly tied it. If this happens, water will get into your bag and you will have soggy pudding.
Reduce heat to simmer for 5-6 hours. Boil in a wet muslin bag that has been heavily floured and tied tightly. The water level should be up to where the pudding has been tied. Watch the pot and keep the water level at this point.
Aging
After Round 1 of cooking, it’s customary to hang the pudding in it bag anywhere from 1 day to 1 month in a dark, dry place. If you live in a humid location—skip this aging process and just put it in the fridge overnight.
Cooking—Round 2
Before serving you will steam the pudding again. Repeat the process for “Cooking –Round 1” but only cook the pudding for 2 -3 hours. Leave it in the bag, in the hot water until you are ready to remove it from the bag and serve it.
Bet you have never done that before. This is not a pop tart.
Brandy Sauce (you will want to eat this with a spoon)
Note: Can be made in advance.
3/4 lb butter
3 cup sugar
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
3 shots of brandy
In a saucepan, melt the butter. Separately, whisk together the egg, sugar, vanilla and milk and slowly add to the butter, whisking constantly. Slowly bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until mixture thickens. Whisk, whisk, whisk.
Serving
BTW—congratulations for making it this far!
You will serve the pudding hot. Remove the pudding from the water, cut the twine and unwrap the muslin. Place the pudding on a large plate—THAT YOU CAN MAKE FIRE ON. Something made of pottery works best—avoid glass or your good china. Invert the pudding when you place it on your plate—so that the side that shows where the muslin was tied is on the bottom. Prettier.
Pour a jigger of brandy over the pudding, turn out the lights and flame the brandy.
Ooh. Ahh.
Slice the pudding and serve with warm brandy sauce.
Oh my!!!