Friday 24 March 2017

Christmas Pudding

Christmas Pudding 

Pts per serving 3.5 - serves 8 (Original points)

350 g Mixed dried fruits
1 pot of strong tea
55 g soft dark brown sugar
100 ml brandy or rum
finely grated zest & juice of 1 orange
1 dessert apple, peeled & grated
1 carrot grated finely
100 g fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs
2 tbsp self-raising flour
1 tsp ground mixed spice
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 egg, beaten
½ tsp margarine

Place the dried fruits in a bowl & pour over the hot tea. Leave to stand for 15mins. Then drain the fruit & return to bowl. (This helps to plump up the fruit) 


Place the drained, dried fruits, soft dark brown sugar& brandy in the bowl. Cover & leave to stand for 6 hrs or, preferably overnight. (This produces a dark, rich basis for the pudding.) 

Add the remaining ingredients, except for the margarine, mixing thoroughly. 

Use the margarine to grease a 750 ml pudding basin. Spoon the mixture. lay a well fitting disc of grease-proof paper on top of the mixture. Cover the top of the basin with a double layer of grease-proof paper or foil & secure tightly. 

Place pudding in a steamer over a saucepan of simmering water & steam steadily for 5 hrs. Topping up the saucepan with extra boiling water, as required. Allow the pudding to cool. 

Replace the grease-proof paper or foil lid with a fresh piece. Store in a cool, dark place


To reheat, steam the pudding for 2 hrs.

Christmas Pudding

I got this super Christmas Pudding recipe from my meeting on Thursday night and thought I would share it with you. We all got a taste and it really is superb.

Serves 10
4 1/2 points per serving.

225g (8oz) Raisins
225g (8oz) Currants
170g (6oz) fresh breadcrumbs
55g (2oz) Blanched almonds or pecan nuts chopped
55g (2oz) Glace cherries quartered
55g (2oz) Dark muscavado sugar
2 Tablespoons finely grated orange zest
1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 Teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 Teaspoon ground cloves
3 Large eggs
150ml (1/4 pint) Port
6 Tablespoons Brandy.

Reserving 1 tablespoon of the brandy, cover the fruit in the remaining brandy and the port and soak over night.

Drain the fruit, reserving the brandy and port and put all the dry ingredients - raisins, currants, breadcrumbs, nuts, cherries, sugar, zest, and spices, into a large bowl and mix them thoroughly.

In another bowl whisk together the eggs, port and brandy pour over the dry ingredients and mix together thoroughly.

Spray a large pudding basin with spray oil and place a disc of sprayed greaseproof paper in the bottom.

Put pudding mixture into the basin and cover the top with greaseproof and foil, or whatever your grandmother taught you to use. and place the pudding into a large saucepan. Pour in boiling water to come about half way up the side of the basin. Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer. Steam the pudding for 5 hours checking the water level and topping up with boiling water as required.

Pour the reserved Tablespoon of brandy over the pudding when it has gone cold and recover it with a new lid.

This pudding will keep for months and the quantities can be adjusted for the size pudding you require though it will still need 5 hours cooking time. Treat as any other Christmas pudding when reheating on the day.


Christmas Pudding

Was POINTS® Value: 9
Now POINTS® Value: 3.5
Servings: 8
Preparation Time: 35 min
Cooking Time: 360 min
Level of Difficulty: Moderate
There's no need to shy away from dessert, with our spin on a traditional Christmas pud!


175 g raisins, seedless
100 g sultana(s)
100 g currants
125 ml brandy, or rum
50 g light brown sugar
1 zest of 1 orange(s), and juice
1 medium carrot(s), grated finely
100 g fresh breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon spices, ground mixed
1 large egg(s), beaten
1 spray low-fat cooking spray

Put raisins, sultanas and currants in a bowl. Cover with boiling water. Soak for 10 minutes, then drain well. Add rum or brandy. Cover and soak for 6-8 hours, or overnight.


After soaking, stir in all remaining ingredients, except spray cooking oil. Mix thoroughly.


Mist a 1.2 litre (2 pint) pudding basin with spray cooking oil. Spoon in the mixture, levelling the top. Cover with a circle of greaseproof paper. Secure a piece of foil or greaseproof paper over the basin.


Steam pudding for 4 hours, topping up steamer with extra boiling water as required. Never allow steamer to boil dry and always use boiling water for topping up.


Cool pudding when cooked. Store in a cool, dark place.


On Christmas Day, steam the pudding for 2 hours to reheat.


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