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How to make the best Christmas pudding

Monday 27 November 2017

maze Grill Xmas Pudding

Can’t decide which Christmas pudding to buy this year? Making your own is easier than you think, says Owen Sullivan of maze Grills.

The best Christmas pudding recipes are very accommodating. You can add a bit more of this, a bit less of that; swap one dried fruit or spice for another; use the booze you have in the cupboard rather than buying a special bottle from the shop; mature them for 4 weeks instead of eight.

At the end of the (Christmas) day, people who love Christmas pudding will love it, and people who don’t like Christmas pudding will want to have something else! The main difference is in style – some pudding recipes are dense and dark, others have more batter in the mix, resulting in a texture slightly more like fruit cake.

 

Light Christmas pudding recipe

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‘We like a pudding that’s fairly light compared to some,’ says Owen Sullivan, Executive Chef of maze restaurant and maze Grills. ‘We use butter instead of traditional suet, and we include flour and breadcrumbs in the mix so the batter is approaching a sponge. Think of it more like a heavy spotted dick!’

To add a more complex boozy flavour to your Christmas pudding, the day before making, you could put the dried fruit in a bowl with the dark muscovado sugar and add just enough rum and brandy to cover. Leave to soak overnight then proceed with the recipe next day, adding the freshly grated or chopped Bramley apple, citrus zests and Guinness.

Owen likes to use Microplane graters for zesting citrus fruit – worth considering if you’re looking for a stocking filler for an amateur cook. ‘They’re a really good design, producing the finest zest,’ he says. ‘Remember you don’t want to go too deep when grating zest – you don’t want the white pith, just the fresh zest.’

For maze Grilll’s Christmas pud, the butter is also grated – make sure you have a very cold block for this, and a coarse grater.

‘Incorporate the butter gradually,’ says Owen. ‘Grate a bit then mix it in, grate a bit more and mix it in, and so on.’ This will distribute the butter evenly and help keep the pudding light.

When it’s time to stir in the spices, feel free to add more than the recipe states if you like a rich pudding. Owen prefers a teaspoon each of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.

 

How to fill a pudding basin like a pro

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It’s important to pack your pudding mixture tightly in the basin – this doesn’t mean squashing it down, however.

‘We want to ensure there are no air bubbles,’ Owen explains, ‘so we “build it” into the pudding basin.’

To do this, spoon in some of the mixture, then tap hard on the bottom of the basin to knock out the air bubbles. Give the mixture that’s still in the bowl a stir to keep the fruit evenly distributed, then spoon some more into the pudding basin and knock on the bottom again. Keep going like that till you’ve filled to the ridge that’s an inch from the top of the pudding basin.

If your pudding basin has a lid, use it. At maze Grill they also wrap the puddings in a layer of foil, plus a layer of cling film on top.

‘I’m not confident the lid is sufficient,’ says Owen. ‘We want to create an airtight seal so the steam doesn’t get into the pudding and water it down.’

At maze Grill the high pressure of the professional steam ovens mean it takes just 2½ to cook the puddings ready to mature – a typical home steamer will require 6 hours for a 1.25 litre/2 pint pudding.

 

How to mature a Christmas pudding

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All you need do then, says Owen, is leave your tightly sealed Christmas pudding in the fridge to mature until the big day. ‘I always recommend keeping it in a controlled environment so it will last longer,’ he says. ‘After all, the temperature of a kitchen cupboard is very different from August to January.’

Participants in Owen’s recent Christmas pudding masterclass were surprised how simple it was to turn out restaurant-calibre puds. Although maze Grill chefs weighed and prepped some of the ingredients in advance to help the morning run smoothly, the basic recipe is both easy and flexible. ‘You can add a whole can of Guinness if you want to – instead of measuring out 250ml,’ Owen says. ‘Or you can drink the rest!.’

Don't fancy cooking? Join us at maze Grill for a helping hand this Christmas. 

 

Book your table here.
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