‘This year I’m baking grandma’s Christmas pudding … with a twist!’

It’s time to make the Christmas pudding. Out comes Grannie’s recipe, the only one I ever use.

As I will be house sitting in Queensland over Christmas I will not have my pudding bowl. That is why I am going to change the cooking format.

This year, I am going to try something different. Instead of a big pudding, I am going to make mini puddings and I will cook them in the pie maker. I think the mini puds will be a hit with the family. I’ll do a test run before the big day, just to be sure.

After checking I had all the ingredients required, I set about making the pudding mixture. It is well worth soaking the fruit in brandy or whisky for a few days. This gives a richer flavour to the pudding.

After the preliminaries, I made the mixture and set out to test if it would work in a pie maker. I used the Kogan pie maker as it is about the right size for individual Christmas puddings.

Placing a nice amount in the pie well, I closed the lid, turned it on and waited around 12 minutes. Beautiful. Perfect little puddings. Very easy, no mess and ideal for doing on a hot day as the pie maker does not make the kitchen steamy. Granted, the puds look a little different to a steamed pud, but, they are so delicious and moist.

Serve with brandy butter, cream or custard or all three.

I can now give all of my friends, who live alone, a nice little Christmas pudding. And I’m sharing my grandmother’s recipe with you as an added bonus!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup shortening or lard
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 cups soft breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp sale
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp mace
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup scalded milk
• 2 Tbsp chopped orange peel
• 2 Tbsp chopped lemon peel
• 1 1/2 cups raisins
• 1/4 cup currants
• 1/4 cup figs, chopped
• 1/2 cup nuts, chopped

Method

1. Cream shortening and sugar together. Add bread crumbs, baking powder, salt, and spices.
2. Add eggs and mix thoroughly. Add milk. Add orange and lemon peel and remaining ingredients and beat thoroughly.
3. Fill greased pudding mould 3/4 full. Cover tightly with foil and steam 4 hours. A large dutch oven with a rack in the bottom works well for this. Boiling water should come halfway up sides. Make sure lid fits tightly to hold in steam. Replenish water as needed.

This is the original recipe. For the pie maker, just fill the wells and cook 12 minutes from a cold start.

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