Christmas pudding recipe

Well it's that time of year again where it's time to make my Christmas pudding. I usually make it a few weeks earlier than this but time has gotten away from me this year as it feels like every year Christmas comes around quicker and quicker. But that's okay I am sure it will still taste just as good.

So let me share my recipe with you.

Ingredients:

6oo grams of mixed dried fruit
150 ml's of brandy
175 grams butter (plus extra for greasing)
175 grams brown sugar
4 eggs, beaten
150 grams self raising flour
100 grams fresh white breadcrumbs
50 grams of blanched almonds, chopped
juice of 1 orange
1/2 teaspoon of mixed spice.


Method:

1. put mixed dried fruit into a glass bowl and pour over the brandy. Leave to soak for at least 2 hours but I prefer to soak overnight. Even up to a couple of days is just fine.

2. Mix butter and sugar in a bowl. beat in eggs, then fold in the flour. Stir in the soaked fruit and brandy with the breadcrumbs, almonds, orange juice and mixed spice. Grease a pudding tin and press mixture into it. place lid on top and make sure it is secured into place. place pudding tin into a pot of boiling water. I like to place a trivet on the bottom so that my pudding tin isn't touching the bottom of the saucepan. You want your boiling water to come up to about 1 inch from the top of your pudding tin. reduce the heat and simmer for approx. 6 hours, topping up with boiling water when necessary.

3. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. refrigerate for 2-8 weeks.

4. To reheat, steam for 2 hours as before. Decorate with holly and serve with warm custard or ice- cream.