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ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS PUDDING

ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS PUDDING

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Serves: 8-10

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  • Nigella Recipe

I don’t deny it: there is something unattractively boastful about calling one’s own recipe “ultimate”. But having soaked my dried fruit for this pudding in Pedro Ximénez – the sweet, dark, sticky sherry that has a hint of liquorice, fig and treacle about it – I know there is no turning back. It’s not even as if it’s an extravagance: the rum or brandy I’ve used up till now are more expensive and do the trick less well. This is sensational. I love the same fruits, too, steeped in the magic liqueur, but this here is the Queen of Christmas puddings. It has to be tried, and clamours to be savoured.

I know that many of you, tradition be damned, are resistant to Christmas pudding, and I do understand why. But you must try this. For until you do, you probably think all that dried fruit is, well, dry, and the pudding heavy. Yet this is far from the case: the fruit is moist and sticky, and the pudding mystifyingly, meltingly light.

Have a look at some other simple puddings for Christmas or browse our collection of easy Christmas recipes. 

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Ingredients

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  • 150 grams currants
  • 150 grams sultanas
  • 150 grams roughly chopped prunes
  • 175 ml Pedro Ximenez sherry
  • 100 grams plain flour
  • 125 grams breadcrumbs
  • 150 grams suet
  • 150 grams dark brown muscovado sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 medium cooking apple (peeled and grated)
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 125 ml vodka
NIGELLA CHRISTMAS

As featured in

NIGELLA CHRISTMAS

Method

You will need a 1.7 litre/3 pint/1½ quart heatproof plastic pudding basin with a lid, and also a sprig of holly to decorate.

  1. Although I stipulate a capacious 1.7 litre/3 pint/1½ quart basin, and cannot extol the utter gloriousness of this pud too much, I know that you’re unlikely to get through most of it, even half of it, at one sitting. But I like the grand, pride instilling size of this, plus it’s wonderful on following days, microwaved in portionsafter or between meals, with leftover Eggnog Cream, or fried in butter and eaten with vanilla ice cream for completely off-the-chart, midnight-munchy feasts. But it wouldn’t be out of the question – and it would certainly be in the spirit of the season – to make up the entire quantity of mixture, and share between smaller basins – a 2 pint/1 quart one for you, a 1 pint/½ quart one to give away. Three hours’ steaming both first and second time around should do it; just keep the one pudding for yourself, and give the other to a friend, after it’s had its first steaming, and is cool, with the steaming instructions for Christmas Day.
  2. Put the currants, sultanas and scissored prunes into a bowl with the Pedro Ximénez, swill the bowl a bit, then cover with clingfilm and leave to steep overnight or for up to 1 week.
  3. When the fruits have had their steeping time, put a large pan of water on to boil, or heat some water in a conventional steamer, and butter your heatproof plastic pudding basin (or basins), remembering to grease the lid, too.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the remaining pudding ingredients, either in the traditional manner or just any old how; your chosen method of stirring, and who does it, probably won’t affect the outcome of your wishes or your Christmas.
  5. Add the steeped fruits, scraping in every last drop of liquor with a rubber spatula, and mix to combine thoroughly, then fold in cola-cleaned coins or heirloom charms. If you are at all frightened about choking-induced fatalities at the table, do leave out the hardware.
  6. Scrape and press the mixture into the prepared pudding basin, squish it down and put on the lid. Then wrap with a layer of foil (probably not necessary, but I do it as I once had a lid-popping and water-entering experience when steaming a pudding) so that the basin is watertight, then either put the basin in the pan of boiling water (to come halfway up the basin) or in the top of a lidded steamer (this size of basin happens to fit perfectly in the top of my all-purpose pot) and steam for 5 hours, checking every now and again that the water hasn’t bubbled away.
  7. When it’s had its 5 hours, remove gingerly (you don’t want to burn yourself) and, when manageable, unwrap the foil, and put the pudding in its basin somewhere out of the way in the kitchen or, if you’re lucky enough, a larder, until Christmas Day.
  8. On the big day, rewrap the pudding (still in its basin) in foil and steam again, this time for 3 hours. Eight hours combined cooking time might seem a faff, but it’s not as if you need to do anything to it in that time.
  9. To serve, remove from the pan or steamer, take off the lid, put a plate on top, turn it upside down and give the plastic basin a little squeeze to help unmould the pudding. Then remove the basin – and voilà, the Massively Matriarchal Mono Mammary is revealed. (Did I forget to mention the Freudian lure of the pudding beyond its pagan and Christian heritage?)
  10. Put the sprig of holly on top of the dark, mutely gleaming pudding, then heat the vodka in a small pan (I use my diddy copper butter-melting pan) and the minute it’s hot, but before it boils – you don’t want the alcohol to burn off before you attempt to flambé it – turn off the heat, strike a match, stand back and light the pan of vodka, then pour the flaming vodka over the pudding and take it as fast as you safely can to your guests. If it feels less dangerous to you (I am a liability and you might well be wiser not to follow my devil-may-care instructions), pour the hot vodka over the pudding and then light the pudding. In either case, don’t worry if the holly catches alight; I have never known it to be anything but singed.
  11. Serve with the Eggnog Cream, which you can easily make - it's the work of undemanding moments - while the pudding's steaming.

MAKE AHEAD TIP:

Make the Christmas pudding up to 6 weeks ahead. Keep in a cool, dark place, then proceed as recipe on Christmas Day.

FREEZE AHEAD TIP:

Make and freeze the Christmas pudding for up to 1 year ahead. Thaw overnight at room temperature and proceed as recipe on Christmas Day.

 

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    • I made this for the first time last Christmas and it was absolutely delicious. I'm planning on making it today as it is Stir Up Sunday but I'm wondering how it will work if I use shortening instead of suet. We've drastically cut down our meat consumption and are only buying meat from ethical sources (no factory farms). That said I can't find suet so I'll be using Earth Balancing shortening. If anyone has tried it I'd love to hear the results ~ I'm a bit nervous to mess with perfection.

      Posted by Sunflowerrae on 27th Nov 2011 at 19.30

    • A tip for no-hassle cooking for this, which I have done for the last three years. Stick the mixture in the pudding bowl, covered up, into the slow cooker on Christmas Eve morning, fill with water to just under the top of the pudding bowl and turn on low. Perfect result. I also up the sugar by 50g as I found it wasn't sweet enough for my liking, oh and lobbed a bit more fruit to be seeped including a few chopped up figs. I will never buy a shop Christmas pudding again!

      Posted by Rammy Stuey on 1st Jan 2012 at 10.48

    • I will make this every year until my dying day. Never used Pedro Ximenez sherry, just soaked the fruits in water and a bit of rum essence, whatevs. Don't use any substitute for real suet, or I will come find you.

      Posted by manonlescaut on 2nd Apr 2012 at 12.52

    • This will be the first time I make a Christmas pudding and had a question... Could you top up the pudding every 2 weeks with more alcohol? would you use more of the same Sherry or something different? Thanks x

      Posted by rachelmur on 7th Oct 2012 at 14.40

    • Does the sherry used have to be Triana Pedro Ximenez sherry or can one use La Concha Pedro Ximenez sherry.

      Posted by chateau de maravau on 14th Nov 2012 at 15.02

    • This Christmas pudding can be topped up with alcohol, I have previously used normal sherry with Brandy. Only ever cooked it in a plastic bowl with lid so I do not know how it would be if it were to be done in a metal tin. I have also only ever cooked it as per the recipe however my mother in law informs me that you could do it in a slow cooker.

      Posted by Leggie on 14th Nov 2012 at 16.25

    • Just started my Christmas pudding recipe and I added some glacé cherries, cut in half for a bit more fruit plus I had some leftover from making Christmas cakes. My local Waitrose and Sainsburys had run out of the Pedro Ximenez sherry so I'm using Harvey's Bristol cream instead. Guess everyone's doing this recipe.

      Posted by Dreamworks on 24th Nov 2012 at 11.47

    • This was my first Christmas pudding, but it looks good! I tied string around the pudding basin to lower it into the water in the saucepan - after causing a flood the first time. I wonder about the quality of breadcrumbs that I used - should I have got a special loaf from a bakers? Would a brioche work? Also about which wine to serve with the pud.

      Posted by Filbert on 9th Dec 2012 at 14.45

    • I've just finished the first steaming stage of this (my first ever Christmas pud!)- have had to do it in a stoneware dish as I couldn't find a plastic one and after 2 hours of looking in different shops gave up! It looks pretty squishy on top and when I put a knife down the side it was VERY squishy in the midde - is this right or ought I cook it for longer due to the dish I'm using? I'll let you know how it turns out on Christmas day! Now for a nice glass of mulled wine to celebrate my (sort of) success :)

      Posted by HelenEarles on 9th Dec 2012 at 19.02

    • I'm making this pudding for the fourth year running - it's every bit as good as Nigella claims! I follow the recipe almost to the letter every time. The only change I make is that I whizz the dried fruit through the food processor before soaking it. I don't process it to a pulp, but I do like it to be a bit broken up as I think what often puts people off Christmas pudding is all the big chunks of dried fruit. I'm making six this year, a few for various Christmas meals that I'm hosting or attending, and a few as gifts. While I don't wish for manonlescaut to hunt me down, I'm going to be attempting a veggie version for the first time this year (using frozen and grated Trex instead of suet) so I will report back on how that goes. While steaming the pudding is definitely much better, I've also got away with microwaving it (after previously giving it its full steaming time) when bringing it into work to share with colleagues. An absolute winner - thanks, Nigella!

      Posted by magentalady on 12th Dec 2012 at 16.19

    • See above for my comments after the first lot of steaming. Thought I would return to update. I did the second lot of steaming (3hrs) on Christmas eve and like before it looked very squishy and not properly cooked to me. I decided to leave it against my instincts- Nigella is alwAys right! Soo glad I did! On Christmas Day I removed it from the pot and heated it in the microwave (not enough room on the hob) and cooked for 7 mins altogether (kept checking it after 3 mins, then 2 mins then 2 mins again). It was delicious! I got compliments from all the family and have been made to promise to do it every year from now on! So yes, you can microwave on the day it's still lush. And don't worry if it doesn't look cooked to you like it did me, follow the instructions and you will not be disappointed!

      Posted by HelenEarles on 29th Dec 2012 at 10.49