Description: When the chill winds blow, the frost is on the pane and the holly on the walls, boil up this fine pudding and watch their faces glow.
Submitted by: Scothia on 2003-07-15 10:54:20
Serves: Depends on how many are escaping the cold for the warmth of your hospitality.
Prep Time: 20 minutes prep; 2 1/2 hrs. cooking
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
2 c. flour1 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
250 gr. mixed dried fruits (raisins, currants; apples, apricots, whatever you like)
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 1/2 c. milk
1 tbsp. butter or margarine
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Extra flour for cloth
Boiling water in large kettle
Sauce:
Confectioners' (powdered) sugar
Water
1 tbsp. lemon juice or 1 tsp. lemon extract
1 tsp. lemon zest (finely grated lemon peel)
Instructions
PUDDING:Mix dry ingredients together.
Bring milk and butter or margarine to boil over low-medium heat. Do not burn. Stir till butter or margarine is melted. Pour into dry ingredients and mix very well.
Cover a clean cloth or tea towel with extra flour. Spoon dough into middle of floured cloth and form into a ball. Cover and tie cloth around dough ball.
Boil in kettle for 2/12 hrs. Be very careful when you take the cloth out to untie--escaping steam can cause painful burns. Turn boiled pudding out on a platter.
SAUCE:
Add water to powdered sugar a bit at a time; mix well with fork until it reaches a thin but not watery consistency. Add lemon juice or extract and zest; mix again.
You might need a bit more or less water to make the right sauce consistency. If sauce is too thin, add a little more powdered sugar at a time until you get the right thickness. If too thick, add a little water until it seems right.
Spoon sauce over pudding right before serving. Put holly sprigs on the side of the platter for decoration.