Christmas Pudding for an inner warmth

Hi R

 

 While we'll most likely be sweltering  in Sydney, attempting to keep cool by eating outdoors, your guests in Milwaukee, will be enjoying the contrast of the indoor warmth and camaraderie with the snowy outdoors.  To many, Christmas is a time for honouring tradition, but in a culinary sense, many here are abandoning the traditional fare for cooler options such as cold turkey and seafood. 

 

One dish, however, remains popular and will often sit side by side with our iconic pavlova.  We enjoyed one such plum pud, a little early, cooked to perfection by my friend, Mary,  Queen of Desserts.  Much tradition and folklore is attached to the Christmas pudding. Traditionally each member of the family takes a turn stirring the mixture in a clockwise direction, making a secret wish as they go. Many people also bake lucky treats into their puddings. The pudding was usually made up to a year ahead, left to mature,  then heated up on Christmas Day and brought to the table flaming with warm brandy and decorated with holly. it can be accompanied by custard  ice-cream but it can also be served with cream, and brandy butter or hard sauce.

Forgive the straying from http://fitinyourjeanscuisine.blogspot.com  - just eat a small portion if you can!

Clara





Here it is, the real thing - moist and fruity,
with a brandy haze!
This recipe is based on Margaret Fulton's rich Christmas pudding in the Margaret Fulton Cookbook, which was my 'bible' as a new cook in the 60's.
The fruit needs to be soaked overnight in brandy or rum.
Serves 8
Prep time 40 mins, cook 6 hrs

• 250 gm each raisins, sultanas and currants
• 100 gm candied orange, finely chopped
• 200 ml rum or brandy
• 250 gm butter, plus extra for greasing
• 275 gm (1¼ cups) firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 orange and 1 lemon, finely grated rind only
• 4 eggs, lightly whisked
• 150 gm (1 cup) plain flour
• ½ tsp each salt, mixed spice, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon and bicarbonate of soda
• 60 gm (½ cup) almond meal
• 140 gm (2 cups) fresh breadcrumbs

Combine dried fruit and candied orange in a bowl, scatter with rum or brandy, cover and stand overnight.

Using an electric mixer, beat together butter, sugar and rinds until pale and fluffy, then slowly beat in egg. Sieve together flour, salt, spices and bi-carb soda. Add to mixture in batches, alternating with soaked fruit mixture and almond meal. Stir through breadcrumbs.

Brush a 1.8 litre-capacity pudding bowl with butter, line the base with a circle of baking paper and dust with flour. Pour pudding mixture into bowl and top with another circle of baking paper. Cover with two layers of foil and tie with string.

Place pudding into a large saucepan with a wire rack or tea towel lining the base. Fill with enough water to come halfway up the side of the bowl. Cover and simmer for 6 hours, topping up water when necessary. Pudding may be made ahead and cooled in bowl. Reheat in a large saucepan of simmering water for 2½ hours. Serve with custard, icecream or cream.

 

 



 




 

 

 



Re the very delicious, very wicked Pear and Almond cake. And real reasons french women don't get fat

Hi R and other skinny jean wearers
Re - the very delicious, very wicked Pear and Almond cake which was posted on http://fitinyourjeanscuisine.com and which you no doubt saw and wondered what was happening.

Clara's first attempt at
Pear and Almond Cake
tasted amazing but didn't look
quite the same as Belinda's

Veronica, http://stantoninteriorstyle.blogspot.com who passed this recipe on to me, commented,

"Clara, the cake is very good but don't eat too much or you won't fit into your jeans! "

And she is absolutely correct! It should have come with a warning so here is a retrospective one. 

What was I thinking? I promise it won't happen again, but here is a little justification via an article in the weekend Telegraph.

The secret - small portions.

"Oui! the secret's out: real reasons french women don't get fat." And the relevant point here follows exactly what Veronica wrote.

"They eat cake and chocolate - Why it works paradoxically: not having a list of forbidden foods can put an end to bingeing, Sainsbury-Salis says. French women only eat small amounts of treat foods- and those foods are available in small portions."

There were a few other hints which I will tell you about in the next blog

Clara

ps I only ate one and a half pieces with low fat, low sugar icecream .......it was a special occasion.......... hmmmmmmmm
pss I hope Roberto didn't see the blog. 

Click on 'comment' at bottom of page to have your say or email clara@babyboomerconnections.com.au www.babyboomerconnections.com.au



Fresh nectarines and dates in a cinnamon syrup
with roasted slivered almonds

Hi there
We had a lovely day playing host to a beautiful couple with a gorgeous new baby. 
An ordinary dessert , I thought, was appreciated and the recipe asked for. 
So here it is - of course it could be used for any fruit in season - adds a little glamour to an already fabulous fruit.

 February is my favourite time of the year for fruit - how exquisite are the peaches, plums, nectarines, and this year we also had apricots tasting almost like they did when we were fortunate enough to pick them from the tree............
Of course the best way to serve stone fruit is fresh.


But sometimes we want to serve a dessert that feels special and goes a bit beyond that. This is an in-between concept which fits that need.
Make a sugar syrup - equal quantities of sugar to water over low heat until sugar dissolves. Add a cinnamon stick, a few drops of vanilla, and a slurp of white wine if there is some available - add the stones for flavour.
Meanwhile, slice nectarines, add dates then combine with cooled syrup.
Sprinkle with roasted slivered almonds and serve with Greek yoghurt.
(roast almonds in oven for about 10 minutes at medium temperature - keep watching because they turn brown quickly)
Click on 'comment' at bottom of page to have your say or email clara@babyboomerconnections.com.au www.babyboomerconnections.com.au