HEATING YOUR PUDDING
Your Christmas Pudding has been cooked already and only requires gentle reheating. It’s great eaten at room temperature as a cake too. Try it with a slice of cheese and cup of tea or glass of port - yum!
Steaming
Pierce foil seal with a knife several times to allow steam to escape. Place the pudding into a saucepan. Pour enough water into the saucepan to cover half the height of the pudding bowl. Simmer for 1 hour or until the pudding is heated through. Refill water as it evaporates.
Do not allow to boil dry.
Microwave
Remove seal, ensuring all foil is removed. Heat the pudding for 3 minutes on high (based on 1000W oven). Adjust time to suit your own oven. Invert the bowl onto serving plate, squeeze gently and lift off slowly.
Caution: Pudding will be hot
More delicious serving ideas
• Christmas Pudding Ice Cream: Cut pudding in half (freeze remainder). Roughly fork-mix with equal parts of vanilla ice cream. Press ice cream mix back into original container, cover with cling wrap and freeze. Serve frozen with berries, fruit or yoghurt.
• Summer Cake or simple dessert ... cut in small pieces, fruit, yoghurt, cream or ice cream on the side.
YUMMY EXTRAS
The flaming of the pudding needs a steady hand for safety reasons.
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Half-fill a metal ladle, or similar, with brandy and carefully heat over a gas flame or candle.
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When the flame is hot enough, the brandy will light.
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Pour the flaming brandy over the pudding. Make sure the lights are out when taking to the table for a grand entrance.
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Once the flames have extinguished, serve with a brandy butter, brandy sauce, caramel brandy sauce, cream, ice cream or home-made custard.
BRANDY BUTTER
100g soft, unsalted butter
225g icing sugar
3 tbsp brandy, cognac or rum
PREPARATION
Place the room-temperature butter into a mixing bowl. Cream with a wooden spoon or use an electric hand whisk until light and creamy. Add sieved icing sugar and beat until all the sugar is smoothly incorporated. Add the brandy, cognac or rum to taste and stir well. If you add too much brandy the mixture may curdle. If it does, add more icing sugar until the mixture binds back together.
The butter can be made up to five days in advance and refrigerated.
BRANDY OR RUM SAUCE
175ml milk
80ml brandy or rum
2 egg yolks
1 tsp cornflour
1 tsp light brown sugar
PREPARATION
Blend cornflour with a little of the cold milk. Heat the remaining milk without boiling. Stir into the blended cornflour. Return mixture to pan and bring back to boiling point. Mix together egg yolks, brandy or rum and sugar. Allow the cornflour liquid to cool a little and whisk into the egg mixture. Cook without boiling, whilst whisking until the sauce is thick and smooth. If it becomes too thick, add a little milk or cream.
Serve hot over your Rotary Traditional Christmas Pudding.
CARAMEL BRANDY SAUCE
2 cups brown or dark cane sugar
50g butter
300ml cream
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp brandy
PREPARATION
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Stir over a low heat until all have melted to a smooth sauce.
Serve hot or cold with your Christmas pudding. It’s fantastic with
ice cream too.
CUSTARD
2 cups milk
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
PREPARATION
In a saucepan, heat the milk without boiling and then remove from heat.
In a separate bowl, mix together the egg yolks and sugar followed by the flour until smooth. Then whisk in the hot milk. In a saucepan, cook over medium heat, stirring until thickened and simmering. Add vanilla extract, stir and serve.
