Okay, so today I decided to tackle an Aussie Christmas Pudding. I’ve seen pictures of these things for years, all dark and mysterious, and always wanted to give it a go. It’s not Christmas, I know, I know, but hey, why not?
Getting Started
First up, I gathered all the ingredients. This was an adventure in itself! So many dried fruits, spices, and, of course, suet. Let me tell you, finding suet wasn’t the easiest thing. I ended up going to a couple of different butchers before I struck gold.
Mixing Madness
Next, I dumped everything into a HUGE bowl. Seriously, this thing was massive. Following a recipe I printed, it stated that it’s all about getting your hands dirty, so in I went. I mixed and squished everything together – the fruit, the suet, the breadcrumbs, the spices, the treacle… you name it, it was in there. It was a sticky, messy, but oddly satisfying process.
The Steaming Saga
After the mixture was ready, I packed it tightly into a pudding basin. Then came the steaming part. I set up my biggest pot with a trivet at the bottom, filled it with water, and carefully placed the pudding basin inside. I covered it with some baking paper and foil, tied string around it to create a handle, and put the lid on the pot.
- Steaming took hours! I’m not kidding. I had to keep topping up the water every now and then.
- My kitchen smelled amazing, though – all those Christmas spices.
- This long steaming process makes the pudding, look and taste incredible.
The Big Reveal (and a Flambe!)
Finally, after, hours the pudding was done. I carefully lifted it out of the pot.
I poured some brandy over the top, and lit it. It looked fantastic, the pudding sitting on my counter.
It was definitely an experience! Maybe it’s not something I’ll do every week, but it was certainly a fun culinary adventure. Now I need to figure out who to share this huge pudding with!
