THE PLUM DUFF

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 December 1939, Page 10

THE PLUM DUFF

RELIABLE RECIPES. i i 1 Though the temperature normally to ’ be expected in the Southern Hemisphere on Christmas Day does not lend . itself to the eating of Christmas plum ,- pudding, it is surprising how affection > clings to the old tradition, and the > boys especially will vote for "plurn ; duff”' every time. Separate puddings for them can be made in stone jam 1 jars (the two and three-pound sizes). They fit well into a boiler, and turn t out nicely. ’ Try This One. Half-pound butter, Jib. sugar. 4 eggs. ' t 3 tablespoons brandy or sherry, lib. I currants, Jib. seeded raisins, lib. sul- . tanas, 2oz. peel. 12oz. plain flour, 1 teaspoon carbonate soda. Cream butter and sugar. Add well- ■ beaten eggs gradually, then the sherry, : and. lastly the sifted flour and carbonate of soda, and prepared fruit. Place 1 in a well-floured pudding cloth. Gather the cloth up evenly and tie firmly, al- . lowing room to swell. Place a little i flour in the whole where tied. Place in ; a large saucepan of fast-boiling water. ‘ Allow to boil quickly for 10 minutes. ■ then lessen the heat and allow to boil ’ slowly for six hours. Remove from ’ the water and hang in a cool place. , On the day of using place in boiling wato’. - and boil for three hours. Re- . move from the cloth and serve on a ■ hot dish with custard, cream or hard ; sauce. ' Two Big Puddings. , Here is a recipe which will make , two good-sized Christmas puddings. Chop or grate lib. of suet, chop roughly 11b. of stoned raisins, and cut small ■ 2oz. of candied peel. Grate half a nutmeg and the rind of a lemon. Blanch and split almonds and cut in halves 2oz. of glace cherries. The two latter ingredients and the candied peel can be omitted; in this case, make up the Goz. weight with more sultanas or currants. Put all these ingredients into a bowl with half a pound of self-raising flour Sifted with a-quarter of a teaspoon of salt, half a teaspoon each of mixed spice and cinnamon, and half a pound of sugar. Add also haif a pound of breadcrumbs, half a pound each of cur- j rants and. sultanas. Now comes the 1 liquid. Mix first with the juice of the | lemon and four eggs. Measure out an-1 other half-pint of liquid, which may be I milk, brandy, sherry or rum, or some | milk and a little spirit, but keep them j separate. First add the spirit, then the milk slowly, as it may not all be required. Mix thoroughly and leave fur at least an hour until il is all well blended, then almost till the basin, tie with greased paper and a scalded and floured pudding ciotn, mid steam for six hours, or eight hours if put in . one large basin. Remove paper and cloth until the pudding cools, then retie witii clean dry cloth mid paper and keep in a cool place.