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Hannah More's Pudding
Shred a quarter of a pound of beef suet very finely, mix with it half a pound of finely-grated bread-crumbs, a quarter of a pound of stoned raisins, a quarter of a pound of moist sugar, and a quarter of a pound of chopped apples, weighed after they are pared and cored. Add a pinch of salt, a quarter of a nutmeg, grated, two ounces of candied-lemon, chopped small. When these ingredients are thoroughly mixed, stir into them four well-beaten eggs and two table-spoonfuls of brandy. Pour into a well-buttered mould, plunge it into boiling water, and boil for three hours. Probable cost, 10d., exclusive of the brandy. Sufficient for four or five persons.
A modest boiled suet pudding of the everyday Victorian kind — no flour, the bread-crumbs doing all the binding. The mould must stay sealed and the water must stay at a boil for the full three hours, or the mixture turns heavy and waterlogged.
- Sealing the mould"Well-buttered mould" assumes a lidded pudding basin or a basin tied over with a floured cloth. Butter it, fill it no more than three-quarters full to allow for rise, then cover with pleated parchment and foil and tie firmly under the rim so no water gets in.
- Boiling versus steamingStanding the covered basin on a trivet or folded cloth in a pan of boiling water that comes halfway up the sides gives a very similar result with less risk of the seal failing, though a steamed pudding may come out a shade lighter than a fully immersed one. Top up with boiling — not cold — water as it evaporates, and keep it at a steady bubble for the whole three hours.
- Moist sugarThis is unrefined soft brown sugar, damp enough to clump. Light or dark muscovado is the closest modern equivalent; ordinary granulated will make a drier, less fragrant pudding.
- Beef suetFresh butcher's suet, shredded fine, was assumed. Packet shredded suet (beef or vegetarian) works directly; if using fresh, chill it hard and grate it, keeping the pieces small so they melt evenly. Quantities in metric: 115 g suet, 225 g bread-crumbs, 115 g each raisins, sugar and apple, 55 g candied peel.
- Bread-crumbs"Finely-grated" means dry crumbs from stale bread, not the soft fresh crumb of a food processor working on a new loaf. Fresh crumbs hold more moisture and will give a wetter, denser pudding — dry them in a low oven first if your bread is new.
- A quarter of a nutmegRoughly half a teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg. Grate it directly into the bowl; pre-ground nutmeg loses most of its point within weeks.
- Candied lemonWhole candied lemon peel in syrup, chopped by hand, is what the book means. The mixed chopped peel sold today is acceptable but usually drier and sweeter; a strip of good candied lemon peel, or the zest of a lemon plus a little extra sugar, is closer.
- ApplesThe book does not name a variety; a sharp cooking apple such as Bramley suits the mixture. The weight is taken after paring and coring, so allow roughly 5–6 oz whole fruit to get 4 oz prepared.
- Serving and yieldFour to five portions, as stated. Rest the basin five minutes before turning out, and serve with brandy butter, a sweet custard or plain cream. It reheats well by steaming for 30–40 minutes.