First things first, so here we go with an SOS from Caroline Oberg of Camano Island, who writes, “Perhaps some of your readers would have a recipe for a steamed pudding. My mother always made it at Christmastime. She baked it in a round, 1-pound coffee tin and made a hard sauce to go with it.
“”I don’t know if she had a recipe for it or if she made it from memory. Anyway, it was delicious and I would very much like a recipe.’’
If you have some how-to for that very thing, shoot it along to Judyrae Kruse at the Forum, c/o The Herald, P.O. Box 930, Everett, WA 98206. We are always happy to receive your contributions and requests, but please remember that all letters and e-mail must include a name, complete address with ZIP code and telephone number with area code. No exceptions and sorry, no response to e-mail by return e-mail; send to kruse@heraldnet.com.
Now, since time is obviously of the essence here, and also because no matter how blazing fast your response to Caroline’s request may be, there simply will not, alas, be time to get any of your recipes into print before Christmas, I’ve taken the liberty of borrowing a recipe from my elderly, dog-eared “Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book.’’
Then, for the hard sauce, I got out my darling little mother’s 1940s “The Good Housekeeping Cook Book,’’ from which I also borrowed the directions for flaming the pudding, just in case anybody wants to make a real presentation out of taking this traditional Christmas eat treat to the table.
Plum pudding
2cups (1/2 pound) ground beef suet
2cups seedless raisins
1cup diced pared tart apple
1cup currants
1cup light molasses
1cup cold water
3cups sifted flour
1teaspoon baking soda
1/2teaspoon salt
2teaspoons cinnamon
1/2teaspoon cloves
1/2teaspoon allspice
Combine suet, fruits, molasses and water. Sift dry ingredients; add to fruit mixture. Mix well. Pour into two well-greased 1-quart molds; cover tightly with mold lid or aluminum foil. Place on rack in deep kettle or Dutch oven. Pour boiling water in kettle to 1-inch deep; cover kettle.
Steam 31/2 hours or until done, adding more boiling water if necessary. Remove molds from kettle; cool 10 minutes. Unmold pudding. Serve hot with hard sauce or lemon sauce. Makes eight to 10 servings.
For a flaming pudding: In saucepan, heat 1/2 cup brandy to lukewarm. Pour on and around hot pudding on serving dish. Touch lighted match to brandy and carry to table ablaze. Or, light at the table.
Hard sauce
1/3cup butter or margarine
1cup sifted powdered sugar
1teaspoon vanilla flavoring
Pinch salt
Work butter with spoon or beater until light and creamy. Then add sugar gradually, while continuing to work until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, a little at a time, and salt.
To serve, pile in serving dish; chill. Sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg, if desired. Makes six servings.
Fluffy hard sauce: Make the above recipe for hard sauce; fold in 1/4 cup heavy cream, whipped, then chill.
The next Forum will appear in Friday’s comics pages.
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