Plum Pudding

Lindsey

Ruthie always made the hard sauce for this pudding after she polished all the silver for our holiday feast.

ingredients

1 cup dark raisins
1 cup dry sherry
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
4large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups chopped dates
1 1/2 cups grated carrots
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup milk
1 cup currants
1/4 cup dark molasses
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. mace
1/2 cup brandy
Hard sauce

directions

1
Plump raisins in sherry for several hours or overnight.
2
Heavily grease 2-quart mold with tight-fitting lid. Cream butter and sugar in large bowl. Blend in flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in raisins with any remaining sherry and all other ingredients except brandy and hard sauce. Mix thoroughly, then spoon into prepared mold and cover tightly.
3
Place small round rack in bottom of large deep stock pot or kettle (about 8 to 10 quarts). Add boiling water to reach halfway up side of mold. Cover pot and steam pudding in gently simmering water on rangetop about 5 hours, checking water level occasionally and adding more hot water as needed to keep at same level.
4
Remove mold from water and uncover; allow to cool 30 minutes. Carefully loosen edges of pudding with sharp knife and invert onto serving platter. Allow to stand with mold over pudding until pudding releases and is completely cool. Wrap pudding in foil and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use. If frozen, defrost before resteaming.
5
Before serving, warm pudding by steaming for 1 hour in well-greased 2-quart mold with lid, as above. Heat brandy briefly, ignite and pour over pudding as it is brought to table. Accompany with hard sauce.
6
Hard sauce
7
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
8
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
9
3 tablespoons brandy
10
1 teaspoon vanilla
11
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
12
Combine all ingredients in medium bowl and beat with electric mixer until fluffy, or combine in work bowl of food processor fitted with steel knife and mix well. Chill several hours or overnight before serving.