Granny Bertioli’s Christmas Pudding
Granny made the Christmas pudding every year, although she used vegetarian suet and I like to use proper beef suet. It was always accompanied by Brandy Butter, lovingly made by Grandma. It isn’t Christmas in our household without this pudding and brandy butter.
First published in House and Garden. Photography by Helen Cathcart.
Serves 6
Prep time: 1hour
simmer TIME: 3hours
INGREDIENTS
Dry ingredients
225g fresh white breadcrumbs
225g suet
225g soft brown sugar
50g ground almonds
1 heaped tsp mixed spice
¼tsp ginger
50g plain flour
¼tsp bicarbonate of soda
Wet ingredients
3 eggs
200ml ale
50g candied peel
Fruit
225g raisins
225g currants
225g sultanas
1 lemon, zest and juice
20g caster sugar – for caramel
50ml brandy
25g butter greasing
Mix the dry ingredients together and make a well in the centre. Mix the wet ingredients in a separate vessel and add into the well.
Stir everything together. Place the sugar in a pan over high heat and allow it to caramelize. When the caramel has turned a rich brown colour, take it off the heat. Pour the brandy into the caramel and stir as the caramel dissolves.
Stir the caramel and brandy into the pudding followed by the fruit. Prepare your pudding bowl by lightly buttering it and then placing a small round of greaseproof paper in the base, it should come halfway up the sides of the bowl.
Fill the bowl with the pudding mixture and place a second round of paper atop the mix. Seal the basin tight with two layers of tinfoil tied with string, folding the tinfoil back up over the string, ensuring the pudding is encased snugly within.
Get a pan large enough to contain the whole pudding basin and fill with water so it comes a third of the way up the bowl. Foil and lid the pan, then cook the pudding at a simmer for 5 hours, checking periodically that the water has not evaporated.
The pudding will keep for up to 3 months. To reheat, seal the pudding in a fresh pan with water and simmer for 3 hours before turning out.
