Making Plum Pudding for the First Time in 40 Years

I've always wanted to try this again. In 1972 when I was 21 I tried making plum pudding. The result was, well, not so great. But my mother would make it sometimes at the holidays and I remembered the taste and the excitement of the flaming pudding being brought to the table. Mom also used to wrap silver coins in waxed paper and put them in the pudding so that was something we looked forward to, money being a scarce commodity for us children.

In the past few years I've bought not one but two pudding pans. Actually, three---one I put for sale in my booth. I kept the other two, thinking I would surely use them, but until today they just took up space in my cabinet. The time was right today, though, so I found a recipe that sounded something like what I remembered of my mother's puddings and set to work.

Of course, I didn't have all the right ingredients. And I forgot to add the chopped apples AND the silver coins! Ah me. Even with my substitutions and deletions, the puddings came out pretty well. As a matter of fact, I plan to make more next week, because I read that they are best if kept for a year before serving. Just like fruitcake that is properly soaked with brandy and packed up and put away, the flavors and texture keep developing.

Here's the recipe I used:

1 cup dark brown sugar
2/3 cup honey (recipe called for white sugar and molasses, but I didn't have molasses so I used brown sugar and honey as a sort of substitute
1 cup butter, at room temperature (butter, not margarine or shortening)
1 cup apple cider (recipe called for milk)
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 tsp salt (that's not very much, is it?)
1 tsp baking soda
3 teaspoons baking powder
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour plus 2 additional tablespoons
1 1/2 cups raisins, finely chopped (I used more than that, and mixed dark and golden raisins since I had them, and I did not chop them)
1 1/2 cups candied fruit mix (that fruitcake mix with citron, orange and lemon peel, cherries, etc)
1 1/2 cups chopped apples (which I forgot to put in)
1 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)
1 tsp ground cinnamon (I used more because I like cinnamon)
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Boiling water

1. Grease 2 2-pound coffee cans, 2 2-quart pudding molds, or 3 2-quart oven-proof deep baking dishes. The recipe I used didn't say to flour the pans, but mine stuck a bit so next time I'll flour them well too, and hope that helps.

2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, butter, cider or milk, eggs, and molasses.

3. Add salt, baking soda, baking powder and flour. When well mixed add fruit, nuts and spices and mix well.

4. MOST IMPORTANT PART: stir three times and make a wish. Invite anyone else in the house to do the same.

5. Fill each pan 1/2 full of batter. Cover the tops of your pans with their lids, or if you're using a coffee can or baking dish with 2 layers of aluminum foil and seal it well around the edges.

6. In a large pot with a rack or trivet in the bottom, place your pans and add enough boiling water to go 2/3 up the side of each pan. I used my pressure canner for one mold, and another tall pan with the rack from a small pressure cooker in the bottom. I put the pudding molds in, then added warm water to be sure of the right water level, then took my puddings out again and waited until the water boiled. Then I put them into the water, put the lids on the big pots, and reduced the heat to medium low so that the water was just boiling gently.

7. I cooked mine about 5 1/2 hours, until a fork came out clean when I stuck it in to test. There might be some sticky fruit that will cling to the fork a bit but you will be able to tell the difference between that an uncooked dough.

8. When they were done, I took them out of the boiling water, let them cool on a rack for about 20 minutes, then turned them over on the cookie rack to remove them from the mold. They didn't come out right away but when I tapped on the pan they plopped out, leaving a good bit of their tops in the pans. I got those bits out and patted them back in place (and tasted a little bit too---MMMM!).

Now they are still cooling on the counter, but later this evening I will wrap them each in a big white hanky, put them in a plastic bag and soak them with brandy. Then I will put them in the fridge and leave them alone until Christmas.

To serve, I'll make a hard sauce, I think, or perhaps some other sauce (lots of recipes and ideas online ofr these). I'll decorate the top with a few cherries, maybe, then pour brandy over and light it (I hope) with a match. Think that will work? I'll let you know, so stay tuned. (Or if you know something about this part that I don't know, do tell!)




Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Why Red and Green at Christmas? And the Holiday Table

 Have you ever wondered why red and green were the predominant colors of this holiday season, which occurs at the outset of winter when in many places the world is mostly gray and white?

There are several possible explanations, according to folklore. One is that in the ancient Celtic culture evergreens represented continuing life in a time of dark and cold. Much importance was attached to these plants by the Druids, who believed that holly, ivy and other evergreens had spiritual powers and could bring good luck if used correctly.

Early Christian missionaries sought to win over pagan culture by incorporating Christian teachings into existing traditions, so they taught that red berries were symbolic of the blood of Christ, and that the thorns of the holly represented the crown of thorns. Since the pagans already had established celebrations around the Winter Solstice, the Christians selected that time of year to celebrate the birth of Christ, eventually replacing the solstice celebrations with Christmas. While Chrisitianity became in time the dominant religion, certain vestiges of earlier traditions clung to the winter holidays as holly, evergreens and mistletoe all became standard parts of our decorations and continue to be important even today.

So  am right in keeping with ancient traditions with my love of red and green at the holidays. This year's holiday table uses my vintage red and green glass, along with crystal pieces and touches of white. 

I picked branches off my bridal wreath spirea bush and spray-painted them gold and silver for the center arrangement, and added a few pyracantha berries and some fake glittery berries for color. Simple and fast.

I bought the green berry bowls below to go with this Anchor Hocking boopie burple bowl one at a time (that really is what this pattern is called--don't you love it?). I have a crystal set that I assembled the same way, finding the bowls at thrift shops and yard sales. My sister Theresa gave me the diamond point goblets, and the footed ruby tumblers (also Anchor Hocking) came from that estate we bought in May.

I like having individual salts and peppers on the table; it simplifies things. My sister Liz gave me several sets and I found a dish to hold them until needed.

The tall red vase is also Anchor Hocking. That company made a lot of affordable, beautiful and functional glassware, and what I liked best is what they made in the 40's-60's. The red decanter may be Blenko, or perhaps Viking, it's difficult to tell. It had no stopper when I bought. I buy stoppers whenever I find them reasonably priced, so I have a container of various sizes now. When I buy a decanter or cruet that needs one, I just go through my collection! Of course, often it turns out that I don't have the right size, and the hunt begins again.

The little bowl with the red knob on top on the left in the above photo is a recent find. The knob is red bakelite, and the bowl is perfect for cinnamon sugar--and this is perfect cinnamon toast weather.

The Santa candle holder below is 60's vintage, by Howard Holt. These are surprisingly collectible these days. Who would have thought it? I found this pair last week at Goodwill. The mirrored board under the Santa is another Godwill find and makes a good "center" for my table.

I think I have a thing for candle holders because I certainly seem to have plenty of them. The deep ruby ones are by Fenton glass; I found them at the end of an auction at a bargain price. The red twist vase is one of a pair; I do not know the maker. The ruby is cased in clear glass and the base is quite heavy. I bought these on eBay recently and was pleased with how beautiful they are--much prettier than their photo. I would guess them to be Kanawha Glass or perhaps Italian Murano, but do not know for sure. The clear candle holder in the foreground is another mystery. I feel fairly sure this pair is by Heisey, but have not been able to verify that. They are heavy, beautiful crystal that sparkles in the light.

I am looking forward to seeing my table surrounded by smiling faces, loaded with good food, and filled with the cheer of the coming season.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Getting Ready to Sing

This coming weekend is carols time! Jeff Seager and I will be on the road to the eastern panhandle of West Virginia to present three programs of the stories and songs of the season. This is our third year for our carols program and each year we've added new songs to our repertoire as we explore the world of Christmas music--not the music only, but the stories and history behind the songs. We've found intriguing tales of rebellious teens, hard luck, desperation, inspiration, the Underground Railroad, war, and druidic influence.

One of my favorite things about the holidays is the music--not the current popular singers twisting the songs into some arrangement painful to listen to, but the music performed by choirs (some of these can be painful too, however!) and musicians who understand the heart of the songs. I've long been curious about the origins of some of the songs--who wrote them, where, why and when. So a few years ago I asked Jeff, who plays guitar and sings, if he'd be interested in working on a program with me, researching the history and lore behind songs both familiar and not so well known.

This year we'll add the standard Deck the Halls, with an interesting connection to Appalachian culture, Go Tell it on the Mountain, a spiritual collected in the earliest written collection of black music in the US, and Mary Had a Little Baby, another spiritual with a surprising place of origin, and I Saw Three Ships, a song I remember my mother singing at the holidays.

Our first performance is Friday night at the Berkeley Springs Presbyterian Church in Berkeley Springs, WV, at 7:00pm. We also have two house concerts scheduled, one in Maryland and one in Virginia, so I'm keeping a watchful eye on the weather, which could play some tricks this weekend. Keep your fingers crossed for us that all is merry and bright and not snowy and icy!


Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.