Every Christmas when I was a kid, my Grandma Shirley would make a plum pudding for us to eat after Christmas Dinner. First off, it’s not a pudding. This is pudding in the English sense, so it’s really just a dessert. It’s like a dense cake. Second, there’s no plums in it. Apparently plum used to be a semi-generic reference to any sort of fruits. Plum pudding has raisins, dates, and a dash of other fruit. It’s really delicious. When I made my first one, several people commented that they had never tried one because it was too hard, or too involved. There are a few ingredients to be sure, but it’s not difficult to make if you have the right tools. And I promise: If you make one, it will become part of your holiday traditions too. Finally, when you finish making the pudding, you pour booze on it and set it on fire! It’s kind of an “Everybody gather ’round, we’re about to light the pudding on fire,” kind of thing.
Also: It’s not too late to make one this year! A plum pudding would be a great way to finish off a New Year’s Eve dinner.
So let’s get started!
The total time commitment to make this pudding is about 4 hours, but most of that time you just need to be home while it’s steaming.
It serves about 12 people.