Count Down to Christmas

Okay...so I have fallen behind YET again with these posts, so in an attempt to catch up I am going to share with you some of the recipes I promised to you back at the end of the Monster Buffet.

I never realized how much one can forget over the course of a year..silly me, thinking I could pull off my Grandmother's Christmas Pudding...really? Who was I kidding!


Needless to say, I was COMPLETELY wrong - no one could do this as good as Grandma, but I had to take a shot at it. What was once hers will become mine, and if I make it as many times as she did I will eventually refine my recipe too {in an attempt to make it a treasured family favorite} to be passed down through our generations to come.

Here it goes...

Once upon a time there was a potato and a carrot...

yes, a spud & a carrot -

I grated 1 c. of carrots and added 1 c. of grated potato to an already whipped 1 c. of unsalted butter & 1 c. of brown sugar.  Added 1 tsp. of salt, 1 tsp of baking soda & the juice of 1 lemon (~ 2 tbsp).

...and then I screwed up and added 3 times too much flour!  The recipe called for 1/2 a cup {I added 1 1/2 c.  What do I know? Last time I made it with Grandma...and was laughing my  head off at the wooden spoon in the blender incident earlier in our baking experience { I suppose it was a smart way of adding extra fibre?}

ANYWAYS, moving on...
After adding the flour, I added the candied citrus peel (1 tub ~ 1 c.), 1 tub of red & green candied cherries, diced  and 1/2 tub of deluxe candied assorted fruit.  This was followed by the spices: 1/2 tsp of each cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg and enough milk to make it runny enough to be a drop batter. 

{mine was soupy, perhaps that's why I added the extra flour}  The starch from the spuds when steamed helped to bind it all together I guess!

Now, for the advanced part...we steam it for 3 hours on the stove, in a greased metal coffee can covered with foil.  Fill the cans only 2/3 full, Grandma said you'd get a muffin top otherwise {apparently no one likes muffin tops!} 

My canner was really small, so I was only able to steam 2 cans at a time...a slow process.  I got 3 cans of pudding out of this recipe.  Now the real test will come when we eat it at Christmas dinner. 

I am not afraid,  what I messed up in the making can be pleasantly masked with some Rum Sauce!

 1 c. brown sugar

1 c. heavy whipping cream

a little butter

... and the rum!

All mixed together in a pot on the stove, brought to boil for a little while until it's smooth and not granular, then left to cool; the perfect way to top off your pudding!

Tried, but not tested! I'll let you know the results in the new year.

Happy baking!