It's Stir-up Sunday tomorrow, the traditional pud-making day, so we called in an expert.
The secret to a perfect pudding is all in the fruit, explains Paul Gray, who is master cake-maker at Bettys, the famous bakery and tea shop in Harrogate, Yorkshire.
'Don't use dried sultanas you've found at the back of the cupboard,' he says. 'Buy the freshest and best quality fruit you can afford.'
Proof is in the pudding: The secret to a vibrant Christmas pudding is adding the freshest, best-quality dried fruit
He should know - he's made millions of cakes during his 20 years at Bettys. Today, I'm at their equally famous cookery school making my own Christmas pudding, along with other festive treats.
We start the pudding at 10am - although the kitchen fairies have soaked the fruit in brandy overnight for us. Along the way we learn many tips, such as always juicing and zesting fruit that is at room temperature - this give you double the amount.
Likewise, eggs should always be room temperature to prevent curdling (it's the change in temperature that causes it).
The day is a revelation, accompanied by friendly banter, good company and delicious treats for snacking - plus, you get to take home all your Christmas cooking.
After five hours of steaming, the pudding is ready to cool and then be put away for at least four weeks (longer if possible) to mature before the big lunch.
Christmas pudding perfected in just one day - what could be easier? Well, cheating and buying a Bettys pudding (www.bettysbypost.com, tel: 0845 345636), if you really must ask.
Makes 1 pudding, serves 6-8 people
INGREDIENTS
230g (8oz) raisins
50g (1 1/4oz) currants
75g (2 1/2oz) sultanas
50g (1 3/4oz) glace cherries
15g (1/2oz) flaked almonds
100ml (3 1/2fl oz) brandy
Zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon
Freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 orange and 1/2 lemon
50g (1 3/4oz) vegetable suet
30g (1oz) wholemeal breadcrumbs
50g (1 3/4oz) plain white flour
90g (3oz) light brown sugar
2g (1/2tsp) mixed spice
1g (1/4tsp) each of ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon, ground cloves
5g (1tsp) salt
2 medium eggs, beaten
METHOD
The day before, place all the dried fruits and flaked almonds in a bowl. Pour over the brandy and add the lemon and orange zest and juice. Mix together lightly. Cover with clingfilm and leave overnight.
Put all the remaining ingredients and the pre-soaked fruit in a large mixing bowl. Mix lightly with a wooden spoon, so as not to break up the fruit. Place a small disc of baking parchment in the base of a 1 1/2pt pudding basin and then fill it with the mixture. Smooth the top down evenly. Place another, larger disc of parchment on top. Cover the basin with foil and seal tightly.
Stand the filled pudding basin on a strip of foil long enough to make a handle (to help you lift the pudding out of the pan once it is steamed). Place the basin on top of a trivet in a deep-sided pan. Pour hot water into the pan, so it comes halfway up the pudding basin. Place a lid on the pan and bring back to the boil. Lower the heat and keep the water at a steady simmer. Steam the pudding for 5 hours. Check the level of water in the saucepan during cooking and top up if necessary.
Remove the pudding from the pan and allow it to cool completely. Remove the foil. Wrap the pudding basin in a piece of greaseproof and a layer of foil. Store in a cool, dark place for at least 1 month to mature. The longer the better.
On Christmas Day, steam the pud for 2 hours in a pan of water, as before. Warm some brandy in a ladle until it ignites and pour over the pudding to flambe.
The one-day Christmas cakes and pudding course costs £160, www.bettyscookeryschool.co.uk.
Most watchedNews videos
Wills' heartwarming conversation about Kate with Holocaust survivor
'Die-hard' Aston Villa fan Wills to change allegiance to Wrexham?
Footage shows Shakira Spencer's frail figure days before her murder
George Galloway WINS Rochdale by-election
Firefighters battle to tackle huge blaze in south Kensington
Dramatic moment police crash into lorry and arrest five after heist
Police cordon off area after shooting near a pub in Clapham Common
French vessel allegedly brings migrants into English waters
Footage shows the moment NATO jets intercept Russians
Former PM Boris Johnson highlights obesity link to processed foods
Wills pulls a pint!: Prince of Wales tries his hand at bartending
We'll miss you, Dave: Looking back at Hairy Bikers star's life
{"status":"error","code":"499","payload":"Asset id not found: readcomments comments with assetId=1229274, assetTypeId=1"}
It goes without saying that you need to plan ahead for this traditional pudding recipe, which requires at least 4 to 5 weeks to mature and mellow. Make it yourself. If you can't find mixed spice, you can make your own.
On Christmas Day, take the pudding out of the fridge a couple of hours before you need it, if possible, so that it isn't fridge cold. Then microwave at full power for 6 minutes.
Generally you would place the pudding in a deep roasting tin or a casserole. Then add boiling water so that it is about half way up the side of the basin and then cover the whole thing with a tent of strong foil which needs to be pinched tightly around the edge.
Place the pudding into the steamer set over a saucepan of simmering water, or use a large saucepan with a saucer in the bottom. Steam for several hours, or as recipe indicates. Top up water when necessary. When the pudding is steamed, cut the string around the bowl.
Puddings, like rich fruitcakes, do improve and mature, over time. Keep them in a cool place in an airtight tin for anytime up to a year. No, but having made them, they improve with age. A good pud might have 6 months or a year to mature.
Any pudding using fresh fruit for moisture will go off more quickly, whereas a Christmas pudding soaked in booze with high sugar and dried fruit content will last much longer. Some Christmas puddings, made with dried fruit in the traditional way, are fine to be eaten as much as two years after they were made.
If you or someone in your family is a vegetarian and doesn't want to eat suet, look for a recipe that uses butter or margarine instead, such as this recipe for individual Christmas puddings.
According to experts, the secret to Christmas pudding perfection is to heat it to precisely 71 °C. If it gets hotter than 89 °C, the sugars within the fruits in the pudding start to caramelise. So no matter how luxurious its ingredients are, your precious pud will taste bitter.
The pudding should be stored in a cool, dark and dry place. If the pudding is in a warm and humid environment (such as a steamy kitchen) then there is a risk that some mould will develop on the pudding. If you live in a warm or humid climate then it may be better to store the pudding in the fridge or to freeze it.
Ideally we would suggest that when the pudding is made it is steamed for 8 hours (the combined time of the first and second steamings) as the steaming is important for the flavour of the pudding. The pudding can then be microwaved to reheat it on Christmas Day.
Boil or oven steam the puddings for 8 hrs, topping up with water as necessary. Remove from the pans and leave to cool overnight. When cold, discard the messy wrappings and re-wrap in new baking parchment, foil and string. Store in a cool, dry place until Christmas.
Steaming is the best way to re-heat a homemade pudding and the only way we recommend re-heating Delia's Christmas pudding. Microwaved puddings are frequently ruined. They tend to overheat and get tough & sticky.
The pudding basin itself should be tightly covered. The pan or steamer attachment should be covered with a lid as this creates the steamy enviroment in which the pudding cooks, as well as trying to limit the evaporation of water from the pan and the condensation that will build up in the kitchen.
Pull it through the other side and secure. Now you have your handle. - Place the bowl into the pan and reduce to simmer and cover with the lid. - Steam in line with your chosen recipe.
Follow your recipe for the steaming times of your pudding, but if you do need to check then you can insert a skewer through the foil and parchment to check that it comes out clean. Simply patch up the hole with more foil if your pudding needs more time to steam.
Set the bowl, uncovered, in the refrigerator. After 15 minutes, cover the pudding with a sheet of plastic wrap pressed against the surface and refrigerate until fully thickened, about 2 hours. To serve: Whip the thickened pudding with a hand or stand mixer for a full minute to restore its creamy texture.
If it tastes too heavy or overcooked then unfortunately it may be best to start again. However the pudding does not need a long maturing time so 1-2 days before Christmas would be fine.
Introduction: My name is Geoffrey Lueilwitz, I am a zealous, encouraging, sparkling, enchanting, graceful, faithful, nice person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
