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Christmas/Yule Pudding with a Polish Twist

This one is a treat for me, as most of my family don't like currants and sultanas in food. However, I love the texture of dried fruit. It's one of those sensory things that I can't get enough of, while my husband hates the texture. Either way, the flavour is amazing! This differs from many recipes in one key way; the alcohol. Rather than brandy or rum, I use a mixture of sherry/fortified wine (left over from the Christmas/Yule cake) and wisniowka (Polish cherry vodka), which was my Polish-Ukrainian grandfather's tipple of choice and reminds me of him and our annual trip to Fenwicks Department Store to buy him a bottle for Christmas!

This recipe is based this recipe by James Martin, but in lower quantities and with modification.

Christmas/Yule Pudding with a Polish Twist

Ingredients:

175g sultanas

175g currants

70g dried figs

50g mixed peel

50g glace cherries

50g dried apricots

Sherry

Wisniowka

50g stem ginger

1.5 tbs honey (or syrup, treacle, etc)

1 apple, grated

Juice and zest of 1 orange

3 large eggs

125g shredded suet

125g white breadcrumbs 

175g light muscovado sugar

87g self raising flour

Butter for greasing

 1 tsp mixed spice

0.5 tsp cinnamon

0.25 tsp ground cloves

Greaseproof paper

Tinfoil


Method:

1. Put the currants, sultanas, figs, mixed peel, cherries, and apricots into a bowl and cover with your alcohol of choice. The original recipe asks for 150ml of brandy (halved to 75ml for these quantities) but I choose to cover the fruit instead, then use the excess we drain off to feed the pudding later, using about half and half sherry and wisniowka. The recipe says to soak the fruit for at least a few hours or overnight if possible, but ours soaked for a week alongside the fruit for the Yule cake.

2. In a larger bowl, mix the ginger and honey,  grated apple, orange juice and zest, eggs, suet, breadcrumbs, sugar, and flour. Drain the soaked fruit of excess alcohol, and mix into the other ingredients along with the mixed spice, using a wooden spoon or your fingers (though those with sensory issues may prefer the spoon).

3. Butter a 1.5 litre pudding bowl and fill almost to the rim with your Yule pudding mix. Level the top with a spoon or spatula, then cover with a circle of greeseproof paper. Cover the pudding with a sheet of pleated foil (a pleat down the middle allows the pudding to expand) and tie it tightly with some string. I always make a 'handle' with string too, which makes it easier to lift the pudding bowl out of the pan.

4. Stand the pudding in a large pan, on a trivet or upturned saucer, and pour boiling water into the pan, so it comes about a third of the way up the outside of the pudding bowl. Cover the pan and steam the pudding for 5 hours, topping up with more boiling water as necessary.

5. Let the puddings cool, then remove the foil and greaseproof paper. If you aren't eating the pudding immediately, store in a cool, dry place. During this time, feed the puddings with more of the leftover alcohol or further wisniowka in the run up to Christmas. 

6. To reheat, steam the pudding for 1 hour more before turning out and flaming with more vodka (if you want to do this).  Alternatively, heat in the microwave for two minutes, allow to stand for two minutes, then repeat one or two times until heated through.

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