No Suet Christmas Pudding Recipe

I was asked by Survive France Network to come up with a no suet Pudding recipe that was adaptable to be used without alcohol and could be done gluten free; It was delicious.

Heres the recipe, click on the link next to my name at the bottom to watch the video of it being made;

“Mrs Cratchit left the room alone — too nervous to bear witnesses — to take the pudding up and bring it in… Hallo! A great deal of steam! The pudding was out of the copper which smells like a washing-day. That was the cloth. A smell like an eating-house and a pastrycook’s next door to each other, with a laundress’s next door to that. That was the pudding. In half a minute Mrs. Cratchit entered — flushed, but smiling proudly — with the pudding, like a speckled cannon-ball, so hard and firm, blazing in half of half-a-quarter of ignited brandy, and bedight with Christmas holly stuck into the top.” Charles Dickens 1843 A Christmas Carol

Last minute Christmas pudding

I know if I searched hard enough I could find suet, but I didn’t try. I already had a couple of items in stock (purchased in France, so apart from these, I decided I would go into one shop, buy what I could and make a Christmas pudding.

As well as adding to the flavour, the main reason for adding alcohol to a Christmas Pudding is to help preserve it. In theory, the pudding I have made here will last for ever! At one time, the pudding was traditionally made at Christmas to serve the following year; however, the theory behind adding suet is to keep it moist, so although it could be stored safely, it would probably not taste as good as it should.

I’ve seen people saying you can buy suet called Saindoux; this is not suet, suet is beef fat and Saindoux is pork. Now this may well work in a Christmas pud, but the thought of eating pork in my pud doesn’t appeal to me. If you do decide to use it, I would suggest you freeze it, it’s to soft to shred.

So there’s no suet in my pud and although there is an egg, I think most vegetarians could eat it.

The rum I used could be replaced with fruit juice. I also have an idea for a pudding made with Grand Marnier and orange juice and a chocolate sauce instead of custard. Equally, if you leave out the alcohol and use a juice or even tea, non-drinkers could also enjoy this pudding.

The flour can also be changed for gluten free so it can also be enjoyed by those with celiac or other gluten problems.

I do hope you enjoy this pudding recipe. The slow cooker is the best option for cooking it; as I said it can be cooked on the stove, but being on bottled gas, this isn’t something I would want to do. You could use a pressure cooker but I’ve never cooked a pud in one so can’t comment.

A Merry Christmas to you all from www.rosieshomekitchen.com

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Ingredients;

350 g mixed dried fruit

Glass dark rum or brandy

4 tbsp almond powder

2 tbsp flaked almonds

75 g butter

Walnut oil (optional)

75 ml water

Cinnamon stick

2 tsp mixed spice

2 tbsp Golden Syrup (any sugar syrup or even sugar)

1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda

75 g flour

1 egg

Vanilla extract

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Soak the fruit in the rum for at least 3 hours but it is even better over night. Cook the rum and the fruit together in the butter and oil for a few minutes, then add the water and spices including the cinnamon, syrup and bicarb. Take off the heat, remove the cinnamon stick and add the egg, almonds and flour and mix well. Put in a greased and floured bowl, cover with greaseproof paper, then cover again with foil and secure with string.

Steam in a slow cooker for around 6 hrs

To reheat, remove the foil and microwave on full for 4 minutes.