Christmas puddings

[adaeze]

Duly stirred, steamed, and sozzled with yet more brandy. They are now sitting in the coldest part of the pantry next to the cake (which I've also fed with a lot little more brandy, gently maturing.

On the right, ready for feeding; on the left, re-wrapped and ready to hide in the pantry.

Speaking of which, why do we feed puddings? Seems an odd way to describe plying it with brandy.

Comments

[emperor]

I refer to watering the puddings, but that also doesn't make a great deal of sense; at least one person assumed I meant with water and looked thoroughly confused!

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

So when do you light it on fire? Inquiry teenage minds wish to know! And that is a very impressive pudding.

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Immediately before serving. You steam the pudding; turn it out onto a plate; warm some brandy, rum, whisky, whatever you like; pour onto top of pudding (possibly in something like a walnut shell); and light.

It needs to be 40% alcohol. If you have something cheap that is even a bit below this, lighting it is significantly harder. But if you have - and are prepared to sacrifice - some cask-strength single malt whisky, which can be anything up to 60%, you can get some spectacular flames.

[lady_songsmith]

I sang in Chamber Choir in college. We did a madrigal dinner at Christmas every year - full costumes, whole bit, great fundraiser. Dessert was always a flaming plum pudding, and they used Bacardi 151 to light it - that's about 75%. Made for a great show!

At least, it did at the guest tables. Ours never got lit; it was choir tradition that the newbies had to do the 151 as a shot. 151 tastes gross, by the way.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Looking very fine. I admit that making a Christmas pudding is a long way down mine or my family's to-do list and ours are therefore always provided by Matthew Walker, but I enjoy seeing other people's efforts.

[heliopausa.livejournal.com]

They look glorious!

[chainmailmaiden]

They do look good. I have to admit, I've never fed a pudding. The recipe I use contains quite a lot of stout & brandy already and they get doused in a mixture of rum and brandyfor lighting. Maybe I should feed one of the three this year to compare :-)