Christmas Pudding by Rita

 

Christmas Pudding

Christmas Pudding by Rita

Rita Mock-Pike
Christmas pudding dates all the way back to Hogwarts’s founding, and perhaps even earlier! Many families have their own secret recipes for this traditional holiday dish, also known as plum pudding, so we can assume that the castle kitchen makes a very special one for the students and staff.
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 4 hrs
Total Time 4 hrs 15 mins
Course Desserts
Cuisine British
Servings 10 servings

Ingredients
  

Pudding

  • 1 cup raisins
  • 1 cup dried apricots chopped
  • 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1 cup butter finely grated
  • 1 cup bread crumbs fresh, brown
  • 1 cup brown sugar light
  • 1 cup mixed nuts
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon ground
  • 1/4 tsp. allspice ground
  • 1/4 tsp. nutmeg ground
  • 1/4 tsp. cloves ground
  • 1/4 tsp. ginger ground
  • 1/4 tsp. coriander ground
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 egg

Butterscotch Sauce

  • 5 Tbsp. butter
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions
 

Pudding

  • Fill a pot with a wider circumfrence than your pudding mold halfway with water. Heat pot over low heat to simmer.
  • Butter the inside of your pudding mold well and set aside.
  • Combine dried fruits, flour, baking soda, salt, butter, bread crumbs, sugar, nuts, and spices in a large bowl. Mix until combined and butter is smeared.
  • Add milk and eggs. Combine ingredients until they are well incoporated.
  • Pour mixture into prepared pudding mold.
  • Cover mold with two layers of aluminum foil. Do not cover tightly; leave some room for the pudding to grow.
  • Gently place pudding into the simmering pot. Water should rise about halfway up the mold. Add water as needed through cooking time.
  • Cover pot and steam pudding for 3½ to 4 hours.
  • Prepare butterscotch sauce while pudding steams (see below).
  • Once pudding is solid enough to flip out of mold, it can be either served immediately or cooled slightly, wrapped tightly, and refrigerated for later.
  • Pour butterscotch sauce over pudding to serve.

Butterscotch Sauce

  • Combine all ingredients in saucepan over medium heat and slowly bring to a boil. Let boil for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
  • Remove from heat when the sugar is fully dissolved and the sauce is a pale caramel color, slightly thickened.

Notes

  • Use a box grater to finely grate cold or even frozen butter.
  • A 1.75 liter Pyrex container just fits the pudding.
  • Placing the pudding in something that can be lifted out of the pot such as a canning rack or instant pot rack will be helpful.
  • If this pudding will be served immediately, make the sauce either right before the pudding is done or in advance.
  • This recipe is from Rita Mock-Pike's The Unofficial Hogwarts for the Holidays Cookbook.