Christmas Pudding

I have just been reading the blog of an American currently living in France who has just sampled "Figgy" or Christmas Pudding for the first time and pronounced it to be a disaster. It would seem that Americans are not too familiar with the use of suet in the production of puddings, which for such an advanced nation is to be wondered at.

You really do have to be very careful though, about whom you allow to cook such a thing because there are some terrible pretenders around.

At its best it is a divine experience that will never be forgotten, for all the right reasons.
It is not absolutely necessary to use suet either, as butter and vegetable shortening are a better option, or you can use vegetable suet, which again is probably a more healthy version. Perhaps I'm fortunate in having a wife who is an expert in such things.
The mother-in-law of one of my daughters produced her version a year or two back which would probably come into the same category as the one sampled in France. She also confessed that it had been maturing for a year, but it was ok because she had cut off the mould. This confession after we had eaten it!
My grand mother use to make a version which relied heavily on stout or Guiness for its colour, and boiled it for 24 hours to within an inch of its life. Cannon balls spring to mind as a description. If you could move from the table after a couple of spoons-ful, then you did well.

I Have a picture here of an embryo Christmas Pudding. When it emerges from its chysalis in a few days time I will record the event.



Note that even traditional British fare can prepared in French cooking pots. We're not proud!