Grandma's Best Plum Pudding

Despite the name, classic plum pudding contains no plums. The name is a Victorian-era holdover from when “plum” meant any dried fruit, and this pudding is loaded with them. Raisins, currants, candied orange and lemon peel get folded into a dense, spice-warm batter and steamed for hours into a deeply aromatic Christmas dessert.

The technique might look intimidating but it’s actually straightforward. The bread crumbs and flour create the structure, beef suet provides moisture and richness, and the long steam (rather than baking) keeps everything tender and prevents the pudding from drying out.

The spice trio of cinnamon, cloves, and mace is the soul of plum pudding. Mace especially is the spice that makes this taste like Grandma’s Christmas. It’s the lacy outer covering of nutmeg seeds with a more delicate, floral character.

Dredging the dried fruits in a half cup of the dry ingredients before mixing keeps them suspended evenly throughout the pudding. Otherwise they all sink to the bottom of the mold during steaming.

Serve warm with hard sauce, brandy butter, custard, or thick cream. Many families flame the pudding with brandy at the table for full Victorian theatrics.

Pro Tips

• If you can’t find suet, substitute frozen butter grated on a box grater.
• Cover the molds tightly with foil and a layer of greased parchment underneath. Steam will ruin the pudding if it gets in.
• Steam in a Dutch oven with a rack and water reaching halfway up the molds. Top up water as needed.
• Leftover pudding wrapped in cheesecloth and brandy keeps in a cool spot for weeks.

Variations

• Add ¼ cup of brandy or rum to the batter for a boozier pudding.
• Stir in ½ cup of chopped dried apricots or candied cherries.
• Use vegetable shortening instead of suet for a vegetarian version.