Christmas Pudding?

Congratulations you good American ladies for being adventurous enough to have a go at making Christmas pud!  It really is nice stuff, particularly when it comes to your festive table flaming with burning brandy or rum, and then eaten with white sauce, custard, or (my favourite!) brandy butter.

And thrice well done for making it so far in advance!  The pudding is traditionally made on the last Sunday before Advent, "Stir-up Sunday" - so called because of the Anglican Collect for that day "Stir up, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people."  And also of course because everyone in the family took a hand in stirring the mixture and making a wish at the same time.  It is also many families' custom to put silver thrupenny bits into the mixture (these coins ceased circulation in 1941, but people kept them for Christmas pud duty for long after) - whoever found a coin in their portion was considered to be especially blessed.  You can buy special little silvery tokens to do the same thing.

The pud really does repay the keeping and maturing.  One year Joss (my significant other) made a Christmas pudding full of molasses, port, brandy and Guinness on Stir-up Sunday, but then we found out that our neighbours who were coming to Christmas Dinner with us were going to bring their own pudding.  So we put ours in our under-the-stairs cupboard, and actually ate it the Christmas the next year, by which time it had developed flavours of majestic complexity, and was the best we've ever eaten!  Utterly gorgeous!

There's a nice article about Stir-up Sunday and a song that kids used to sing on that day at


www.guildfordrotary.co.uk/news/xmas1.html

which I hope you will enjoy.

 Bless you Howard for sharing the link.It was very intersesting and fun to take a peek at.I love to learn about ancient customs and celebrations.It takes you back to that time.

 The way you talk about Christmas pudding(Which I will mention again,that I   it)makes me think about Charles Dickens's "Christmas Carol"I can see you there for sure
                                Rhia

Howard, I just want to say that I think you are really cool.
I won't even attempt to make pudding, but read your post (and several others) and wanted to tell you that!!
 Melissa    

Goodness! - thank you dear Rhiannon and Melissa, and bless you both.  You're far kinder to me than I deserve.

I'm beginning to have qualms about coins and silver charm thingies in Christmas puds. It may be worth anyone following this custom issuing a health warning to the gluttonous hordes around her/his Christmas table, that the pudding actually contains things that shouldn't be swallowed, so a little archaeological probing with a fork (or sounding with a miniaturized metal detector, if such things exist^*) might be advisable! To have a friend or family member keel over and suffocate on account of swallowing a silver boot, or some such trinket, might put just a small downer on your Festive Season  !

Again, thanks, and best wishes to you both.

Howard

^* And if such things do exist I bet they were invented in America, and are available in Walmart!

Goodness! - thank you dear Rhiannon and Melissa, and bless you both.  You're far kinder to me than I deserve.

I'm beginning to have qualms about coins and silver charm thingies in Christmas puds. It may be worth anyone following this custom issuing a health warning to the gluttonous hordes around her/his Christmas table, that the pudding actually contains things that shouldn't be swallowed, so a little archaeological probing with a fork (or sounding with a miniaturized metal detector, if such things exist^*) might be advisable! To have a friend or family member keel over and suffocate on account of swallowing a silver boot, or some such trinket, might put just a small downer on your Festive Season  !

Again, thanks, and best wishes to you both.

Howard

^* And if such things do exist I bet they were invented in America, and are available in Walmart!

Hey Miss Hopster..glad to hear yours is made.  I actually found it rather easy to make except the steaming too.  What alcohol did you wind up using?

Checked on mine two days ago and it has hardened a bit but is smelling wonderful.  I have a feeling it will be very very good.

It's always nice to know you made something yourself.  I have enough peel and fruit so I think I will make another one for next year.  

Let me know how it came out when you try it....

I still have not figured out whether to do custard or brandy butter with it.  

By the way thanks for the link Howard!

I still have not figured out whether to do custard or brandy butter with it.

Play it safe (and gluttonously!), vnicepeeps, and go for *both*  !  Christmas comes but once a year!

We went for both and the flaming brandy....poof!  No singed eyebrows at all.  

Made my own Brandy butter using brown sugar, brandy and unsalted European butter.  Have about a cup left though I figure it will keep well.  Also had good old Devon Custard with it too.

Had so much success with the pud I am going to make two next week for next year.  One ala Delia and one called Caribbean Christmas Pudding.  

I was surprised at how moist the thing was and even worried that it was not cake like enough..Hubby assures me it came out perfect.  

 Aww wonderful to hear Now you will be an old pro at it next year ;)If you like me you like to try and cook/bake new things .

 Finally had the pudding last night that my step-daughter brought over for me.I told hubby that next year I wanted to make one homemade if I could

Howard,

Thanks for the info on "Stir-up Sunday"! I'll use that in a homily next sunday before Advent.

John

Dear John,

So glad the info about Stir Up Sunday was useful!  I know Advent is now a long way off now, but when you come to deliver your homily, would you consider giving the gist of it to us here in this forum who have Anglican backgrounds (or any of us who are ecumenical, or just plain goodwilled)?  Or perhaps if you know in what diocese your church will be by then, some of us might even be able to come and listen to you in person!

God bless,

Howard

well, i wanted to take something back home to the states for Xmas that was "very English", so my husband recommended i bring some Xmas puddings.

i gave one to each family as a gift, and we all had the one i gave to my mom on Xmas Day, after dinner.

i was all excited to share this with everyone, and prepared it.  it was a "Traditional" flavoured one.

only about 5 people out of 15 actually wanted to taste it, and only 1 actually ate it.  (and it wasn't me, either.  it was my stepdad.  he was in the war and stuff, so he happily eats about anything.)

everyone thought it was gross and "too boozy"...  even with whipped cream on top.  after a while, i collected the uneaten plates of it, and threw it away.  i figured that most of them were probably just too full from dinner to eat it.

then my mom busted out some some cheesecake, which everyone had a piece of, and finished.

yeah, i'd have to agree that it's definetly an "aquired taste".   yuck.  




"It tastes like burning...!" ~Ralph Wiggum, The Simpsons