Christmas Pudding

Christmas Pudding

The Christmas Pudding has to be the most essential part of the festive meal. It heralds the end of the christmas dinner, but also provides ingredients to help with digestion, via the prunes and dried fruit. That's my theory anyway...

It contains bourbon, which you can leave out, but I'm sure the small amount of alcohol won't get anyone into trouble. As kids, our parents used to let us have two fingers high of champagne. We felt quite grown up and loved that moment of feeling accepted as equal. My grandmother also thought that letting us sniff the cork of a wine bottle would put us to sleep. So maybe this christmas pudding not only helps with digestion, but it will also put the kids to sleep at the end of a crazy and stressful day.

Christmas Pudding

Serves 8-10

200 g (1 cup) dried dates

200 g (1 cup) dried figs

200 g (1 cup) dried prunes

120 ml (1⁄2 cup) boiling water

100 g (1 cup) pecans

100 g (1 cup) blanched almonds

250 ml (1 cup) grape juice

60 ml (1⁄4 cup) fresh orange juice

120 ml (1⁄2 cup) bourbon

2 egg yolks

200 g (1 cup) sultanas

1 Tbs grated orange rind

200 g (2 cups) almond flour

1⁄2 tsp ground cinnamon

1⁄4 tsp ground cloves

1⁄4 tsp ground nutmeg

Place the dried dates, figs, prunes, hot water, pecans, almonds, grape juice, orange juice, bourbon and egg yolk into a food processor and process the mixture until chopped and well combined.

Remove from the processor into a large bowl and add the sultanas, orange rind, almond flour, and spices.

Mix well and then pour the dough into a 1 – 1 1⁄2 liter/2 1⁄2 pint pudding dish.

Cover the dish well with baking paper and foil.

Place into a large pot with water so the level reaches 2⁄3 of the way up the pudding dish. Cover and steam for 6 hours.

Add more water as required, to maintain level.

Remove from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes.

Then remove the pudding and either serve immediately with custard, or freeze for up to six weeks. Can also be reheated the next day in microwave or oven.