Plum Pudding from Renaissance Scotland

This recipe came with the Salmon and Roberts families when they emigrated from Scotland to eastern Kentucky in 1750. It's been the the Roberts family ever since then, and this is the original recipe.

PREPARE PUDDING MIXTURE

Equipment

Small mixing bowl

Medium mixing bowl, about 3 quarts
Large mixing bowl, about 5-6 quarts
Two-quart pitcher

Ingredients

In the small bowl, mix:

1 cup flour
1 t. ground cloves
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. allspice
1/2 t. salt
1 t. baking soda

In the medium bowl, mix:

2 cups raisins
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup currants
1 cup nuts, either walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup fruit peel

In the large mixing bowl, mix:

1 cup shortening
2 cups soft bread crumbs, about 3-4 slices of bread
4 eggs
1 cup brown sugar

In pitcher, have ready:

2 cups grape juice

Directions

Sift dry ingredients (flour, spices) in small bowl

Combine fruits and nuts in medium bowl

Dust the fruit and nuts mixture with half the flour mixture.

Cream together the shortening and bread crumbs in the large bowl. Add the brown sugar and eggs.

Beat until fluffy.

Add the non-dusted half of the flour/spice mixture to the shortening mixture and stir.

Add the dusted fruit/nut mixture into the shortening/flour-spice mixture.

Stir in the grape juice until the mixture is a cake-batter consistency, adding more juice if necessary.

The batter is now ready to be cooked/steamed.

TO COOK or STEAM THE PLUM PUDDING

Equipment

Metal container that holds about 2 quarts -- a metal mixing bowl, a pudding mold, a 2 lb. coffee can, etc.
Pan in which to do the steaming, a low, wide container that's big enough to hold the pudding container, such as a roasting pan or a large frying pan.
Metal trivet
Piece of aluminum foil to cover the pudding.

Directions

Grease the inside of the metal container. Pour the pudding mixture into the greased container. The pudding should not fill more than 2/3 of the greased container.

Place the pudding container on the trivet in the low wide container. Pour water into the low, wide container.

Place a piece of aluminum foil loosely over the pudding batter. If you're using a pudding mold, put the lid on.

Place the low, wide pan on a stove burner and turn the burner to medium.

Keep the water simmering, adding more when necessary, for 2-3 hours until the pudding is cooked through. I slightly stir my pudding several times during the cooking process because it cooks more evenly. (But if you're cooking it in a shaped pudding mold, it will lose its shape if stirred.)

This finishes the cooking. Place the pudding some place to cool. Keep the pan with the hot water on the stove for use in making hard/rum sauce.

MAKE HARD SAUCE OR HOT FLUFFY SAUCE TO POUR OVER PUDDING

Rum Sauce or Hard Sauce or Hot Fluffy Sauce

Equipment

2 quart bowl for creaming
1-2 quart bowl to beat 2 egg whites (egg whites are optional, so you may not need this bowl.)

Ingredients

1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup rum or brandy
1/4 cup boiling water
2 egg whites, beaten stiff -- optional

Directions

Cream butter until soft
Cream powdered sugar into butter
Set the bowl with butter and sugar briefly on the trivet in the pan of hot water for the pudding. This will soften the hard sauce, making it easier for the rum and water to blend in. (Or you could use a double-boiler.)
Add rum/brandy and boiling water, and stir or whisk.

This is a basic rum sauce.

To make a Hot Fluffy Sauce, the original that came with this recipe, see the next steps. This final step of adding beaten egg whites is what makes a rum sauce into a Hot Fluffy Sauce.

Beat the egg whites in the other bowl.
Cool the rum sauce slightly, and gently fold the beaten egg whites into the rum sauce.

This completes the rum sauce and hot fluffy sauce.

SERVE

The pudding into bowls or plates and top with the rum sauce or hot fluffy sauce.

Enjoy! And pass the recipe on!