Christmas pudding pudcast
Wasn’t that a lovely pudcast? If you’re reading this from the rss feed and you didn’t get the video you’ll want to go the blog site. In the meantime, here’s some background information. Please read this using your British accent dearie.
My daily trolling for news and information often includes The Daily Mail website. Today I found this article about Marguerite Patten and the traditional Christmas pudding. Ms. Patten’s career spans over 60 years as a food writer and celebrity chef. She began before WWII when only a quarter of British households had refrigerators. She was the BBC’s first television chef and she has written over 165 cookbooks. Now at the age of 91 Ms. Patten appears in this podcast about how to make a Christmas pudding in your microwave. Apparently the Brits have neglected making their own puddings and have resorted to (gasp!) store-bought.
Christmas pudding is a steamed pudding containing dried fruit, nuts, suet, and brandy, rum, or whiskey. Traditionally, Christmas puddings were wrapped in a cloth and hung from a hook for five weeks prior to the holiday. Today they are often made in bowls or purchased at the grocery or luxury shop. Christmas puddings were usually made the Sunday before the start of Advent and the day became known as “Stir-up Sunday.” Every member of the household would give the mixture a stir and make a wish. Small objects such as coins, wishbones, thimbles, and anchors were often included in the puddings to bring good luck. The pudding is served with a sprig of holly as decoration and then its doused in brandy and set aflame. Its served with hard sauce, brandy butter, or rum butter.
What’s not to love about that dearie? A pudding hung on a hook for 5 weeks, filled with small objects including coins and a bone, and more booze than you can imagine, garnished with a poisonous plant, then set on fire and served with a side of…more booze. Let’s face it, if you don’t set yourself on fire, choke, or die, you’ll merely be drunk enough to wish you had.
Is anyone out there making Christmas pudding? I’ve always wanted to make Laurie Colwin’s Black Cake but I can’t seem to remember to start it early enough in the season to actually have it. Besides which, the Genius Husband absolutely abhors alcohol based desserts served with a side of alcohol. I may make my favorite date-nut pudding if I can find the recipe. I think my mum may have it (yes I am still talking with a British accent).
How come we don’t have similar traditions in this country? What’s wrong with us? We have no Christmas pudding, no boxing day, no Queen’s message, and no Ms. Patten. At any rate Ms. Patten is a real gem and I wish her a Happy Christmas. But someone should tell her that she forgot to add the booze.
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