Tricky Dicky’s Plum Duff.

 

I have just finished making my Festive puds for this year, I don’t know if they will be all eaten but I put enough rum in to fill all of the tot glasses on the old HMS Ark Royal.

I started last Thursday soaking the currents and cranberries in rum. At the same time I soaked the prunes in Brandy (Weinbrandt). But let me say this is a recipe straight out of my head, I have made Christmas puds and over the years have used a mixture of “Wor Mams, Nigel, Marks and Sparks, Marguite Patten, Keith Floyd and the Diabetic UK one. This time I thought I would go for it on my own, so here are the ingredients to My Plum Duff  

150g big juicy sultanas

200g raisins
100g dried cranberries
200ml dark rum

Soak the above fruits in the rum for at least 24 hours (mine was 3 days)

100g dried Apricots (diced)

 

100g dried figs (diced)

100g dried dates (diced)

50g candied ginger
100g Glazed Cherries (diced)

100g dried soft prunes (diced)

100ml brandy
25g diced candied lemon peel
25g diced candied orange peel
200g suet (mine was real pukka gen, but the squeamish can use vegetable)
250g dark soft brown sugar
2 table spoons of black treacle
350g flour
100g soft bread crumbs
100g chopped walnuts
50g nibbed almonds
1 large carrot grated
3 large eggs beaten
Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Zest and juice of 1 orange
1 tsp of mixed spices
½  tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 nutmeg grated

1 bottle of dark stout like beer (I used German Köstring black beer)

I put the soaked fruits and the chopped dried fruits, peel, grated the carrot and gave it a good mixing (to distribute the alcohol evenly, we don’t want some being more intoxicated than the rest).

Added the rest of the dry ingredients and gave it another stir (I done this on Stir-up-Sunday so had to give it a real good stir as it wouldn’t be a proper Christmas duff if you don’t. (P.S. I forgot to make a wish, anyone one want to make a one on my behalf?)

Next added the liquids (eggs, and fruit juices) and finaly adding the beer a little at a time until it reaches a good dropping consistency (at this point you can cover the bowl put in a cool place and allow to macerate for a few hours (some of mine didn’t get cooking until Monday and Tuesday)

Grease a pudding bowl and fill tamping down. Cut out a round of grease proof paper and place on the top, cover with a piece of pleated aluminium foil, tie this with kitchen string around the lip. (the pleat is to allow for expansion). I used my slow cooker for the dariol moulds and the pressure cooker for the large pudding basin.

Put a grid in the bottom of the SC and PC put the basins and moulds into them, poured boiling water into the base so that it came half way up the sides of the moulds and basin, lids on.

Timings.

I put the SC on high and put the timer on for 6 hours,

When the PC came up to blood (I have an automatic that has a little red pop-up marker) turn the heat down so that the PC just merrily blubbers along. 2 ½ hours later, turn the heat off and allow to cool down, you can run it under cold water, but I think the extra bit of cooking won’t do it any harm.