Christmas Pudding with Hard Sauce

This is the perfect recipe to prepare ahead since the flavor improves as the pudding “ages.” Our luscious, creamy Hard Sauce, made with rum or brandy, is the ideal accompaniment.

Ingredients

Plum Pudding
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cups fresh bread crumbs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 cups pitted prunes, chopped
1 cups pitted dates, chopped
3/4 cups dark seedless raisins
1/2 cups walnuts, toasted and chopped
1 medium Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and coarsely shredded
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1 cups (2 sticks) margarine or butter, softened

1 cups light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
2/3 cups buttermilk
1/2 cups dark molasses

1/3 cups dark rum or brandy

Hard Sauce

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened (do not use margarine)
2 cups confectioners sugar
2 cups dark rum or brandy
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Heavily grease two 1-quart heat-safe bowls. Cut 2 pieces of foil, 1 to cover top of each bowl, allowing 1-inch overhang. Grease 1 side of each piece of foil; set aside.

Prepare Plum Pudding: In large bowl, combine first 7 ingredients. Add prunes, dates, raisins, walnuts, apple, and lemon peel to flour mixture. With hands, thoroughly toss mixture until fruits are well coated and separate. Set aside.

In another large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat margarine with brown sugar. Increase speed to high; beat until creamy, about 1 minute. At medium speed, add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in buttermilk, molasses, and rum (mixture will look curdled). With spoon, stir margarine mixture into flour mixture until blended.

Spoon batter into prepared bowls; cover with foil, greased side down. Tie foil tightly in place with string around outside of bowls so pudding surface does not get wet from steam.

Place a metal cookie cutter into each of two 5- or 6-quart saucepots. (The cookie cutters are used as trivets so bowls remain elevated during steaming.) Pour in water to measure 1 1/2 inches. Set bowls on top of cookie cutters. Cover saucepots and heat water to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer puddings about 2 hours or until toothpick inserted through foil into center comes out clean.

Meanwhile, prepare Hard Sauce: In small bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat butter until smooth. At low speed, gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar until creamy. Beat in rum or brandy with vanilla. Spoon into 1 or 2 decorative crocks or bowls; cover tightly and refrigerate up to 1 month. To serve, let stand at room temperature 30 minutes or until soft enough to spread.

When puddings are done, cool in bowls on wire racks 5 minutes. Remove foil; loosen puddings with small spatula or knife and invert onto serving dishes. Serve hot with Hard Sauce. If making ahead for gifts, cool puddings in bowls completely, then wrap well and refrigerate up to 1 month or freeze up to 3 months. To serve, re-steam pudding (thawed, if frozen), covered, as directed in step 5, for 1 hour.

Makes 8 servings
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 2 hours