Introduction:
A wonderful Christmas is over, one in which I had plenty of time to be let loose in the kitchen, to fervently eat all day and to participate in a tipple of the old jumping grape for breakfast without the worry of having to drive somewhere. It was just me, wifey and the two ankle biters. But of course I could wax lyrical for an eternity without answering the most poignant question you are just dying to spit out: how was the 168 year old Christmas pudding? Well, I am most glad you asked. In short, it was cracking (in English vernacular that means great).
Although one tends to over-consume during Christmas lunch, there is always room left for a slice of rich, boozy pudding and accoutrement, and of course Christmas 2013 was no different to past years. Before I get to the pudding though I am going to run through the menu – if not for your pleasure, which I am sure it will be your pleasure, then for mine, if only to reminisce.
Starter: A resolute request from my wife, a classic prawn cocktail, but with Queensland tiger prawns instead of the usual shrimp sized prawns, homemade cocktail sauce (with a little help from Heinz and Lea & Perrins), cubed Hass avocado and iceberg lettuce chiffonade.
Main: The plan was goose, but bad news was broken to me by my butcher two days prior to Christmas day – one could not be procured. In a state of frenzy, in an even more frenzied butchers shop, I had to make a plan B. With help from my great butcher I bought a 4.5 kilogram organic turkey and a 5 kilo leg of ham. The final dish was:
Slow cooked (and pre-brined) turkey; ham cooked in Coca-Cola and glazed with Dijon mustard, clove and treacle; homemade sausage meat and chestnut stuffing; vegetable timbale (layered set purees) consisting of fennel puree, roasted red pepper puree and carrot puree; roast potatoes; and a sauce of ham and Coca-Cola reduction with cranberry jelly and aged red wine vinegar.
Pudding: Of course, 168 year old Christmas pudding with simplicity itself, single cream.
So the pudding: in the end I deviated only slightly from Eliza Acton’s recipe primarily to add a couple of ‘secret ingredients’ and to increase the richness by reducing the flour and breadcrumb content. The secret ingredients were homemade thick-cut marmalade and Calvados. The final pudding was beautifully rich, and created a nuance of haziness in one’s head due to the booziness of the Calvados. It was moist and although sturdy broke away at the deftest of prods from the dessert spoon. In essence it was spot on, and I can only conclude by thanking the 168 year old recipe from one of the most influential cooks of the 19th century; Eliza Acton I bow to thee.
2 comments
Informative, interesting, intriguing as always ! …what a fabulous menu and the pudding looks to die for !
Hi Maria,
Thank your for your feedback. It was great just to have the time and freedom to cook this menu over the Christmas break. Most of the preparation was done the day before so I didn’t have to spend too much time in the kitchen on the day itself.
The pudding was a revelation, especially considering how long the recipe has been in the archives. I am eager to try out other ‘ancient’ recipes now – saying that, the chestnut stuffing I made was from the 19th century I believe.
Nick