Hist icKitchen Hidays Recipes

Plum Pudding Receipts An 1860s Plum Pudding with or without eggs, Godey’s Lady’s Book December 1864 p.542. Altered by Andrea Wilhelm.

Ingredients: 15oz breadcrumbs 3 tbs flour ½ tsp allspice 1 tsp mace 1 tsp ground ginger ½ tsp ground clove 2 tsp 1 1/3 cup brown sugar 1 lb suet, chopped fine 10 oz Raisins 8 oz Currants, soaked in hot water or brandy ¼ cup chopped candy lemon rind (optional) ¼ cup chopped candy orange rind (optional) ¼ cup chopped mock citron or citron (optional) Milk as needed Brandy (optional)

Directions: 1. Soak currants in hot water or brandy.

2. Chop suet very finely. Chop raisins, lemon rind (optional), orange rind (optional), and citron (optional) into pleasing pieces.

3. Mix breadcrumbs, flour, brown sugar, and spices until well combined. Add suet, chopped raisins, lemon rind, orange rind, and citron. At this time also add the currants with the liquor. If you soaked them in water do not add the water. Mix well. If adding the liquor, the batter will start to stick together. Next, add just enough milk until the batter has soaked up the milk and sticks together.

4. Butter a glass or ceramic mixing bowl and tightly pack the batter into the bowl allowing at lease 1 inch of head space at the top for expansion. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.

5. Put the bowl with the batter in a 9”x11”casserole dish. Pour boiling water in the casserole dish so it reaches ½ to ¾ up the side of the bowl, and set the oven to 300 degrees. Place the casserole dish in the oven. Bake for 3-4 hours; replenishing the water as needed.

6. Pudding is done when a toothpick inserted into it comes out clean. Let it sit 5 minutes before removing from bowl.

7. Let pudding sit overnight. If desired pour brandy over pudding and wrap tightly. Let sit for 4-6 weeks before adding more brandy. You can preserve your pudding for a year this way or serve it when you would like. Serve with brandy sauce. Original recipe from Godey’s Lady’s Book December 1864 p.542: Brandy Sauce

Ingredients ½ cup Butter 2 cups Brown sugar 1 cup Brandy

Directions: 1. Mix ingredients together

2. Heat until sugar is melted into butter and brandy no longer has an alcohol flavor.

Original recipe from The Housekeeper's Encyclopedia of Useful Informa- tion for the Housekeeper in All Branches of Cooking and Domestic Econo- my by Mrs. E. F. Haskell 1861 p. 73:

An 1890s recipe: Note from Cory Van Zytveld, Historic Site Interpreter at Littleton Museum: The journey to find a plum pudding recipe was a complex one. When Andrea Wilhelm and I decided to do this project, we wanted to show some of the variations to plum pudding recipes and how they evolved and com- bined with Christmas to become the modern day fruit cake. As a result, I was looking for a recipe that was not the traditional plum pudding that Andrea was making, but could be molded in a Victorian pudding mold. I started with this recipe by Mrs. Jessie McClellan. Plum Pudding Receipts An 1860s Christmas Plum Pudding with or without eggs, Godey’s Lady’s Book December 1864 p.542. Altered by Andrea Wilhelm.

Ingredients: 15oz breadcrumbs 3 tbs flour ½ tsp allspice 1 tsp mace 1 tsp ground ginger ½ tsp ground clove 2 tsp cinnamon 1 1/3 cup brown sugar 1 lb suet, chopped fine 10 oz Raisins 8 oz Currants, soaked in hot water or brandy

First attempted pudding from The Daily News Cookbook 1896 P. 568. Recipe sent in by Mrs. Jessie McClellan of Holyoke, Colorado: When I tried this recipe however, I found that molding a bread like pudding like this one in a Victorian pudding mold is very difficult to do, due to how “wet” the eggs made the pudding. In my trials with this recipe, my pudding fell apart, every time. This is a tasty pudding, but I would recommend using a well greased bowl like the one Andrea used, and not a traditional pudding mold. Because of my disastrous pudding molding attempts, I then went in search of another less-wet recipe I could use. As a result, I tried a recipe similar to in order to balance the wet ingredients with the dry to make a cake that would slip out of the mold easily without falling apart. Through our research, Andrea and I came across many recipes that had a more pound cake like base but still utilized raisins or other dried fruit to make a plum pudding or Christmas cake. The recipe I came up with is very much like a cookie dough which facilitated removal from the Victorian Pudding tin. It was a bit on the dry side, so further experimentation may be necessary to reach the ideal balance between a moist cake/pudding and easy removal from the pudding mold. Had I decided to make a more traditional pudding like Andrea’s, I suspect removal from the tin would have been easier as that type of pudding inherently sticks to itself, and is less “wet.” All in all, my experimentation with Plum Pudding and Christmas cake is far from over, and my recipe could use some tweaking. For your own experimentations, here is the recipe I developed:

Ingredients: 1 cup sugar 1 cup butter 2 eggs 1 cup flour 1 tsp salt 1 tsp cinnamon ½ tsp 1 tsp baking soda 1 cup raisins

Directions: 1. Cream sugar into room temperature butter until light and fluffy.

2. Add two eggs well beaten. Stir until all incorporated.

3. In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients (flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking soda).

Directions: 1. Soak currants in hot water or brandy.

2. Chop suet very finely. Chop raisins, lemon rind (optional), orange rind (optional), and citron (optional) into pleasing pieces.

3. Mix breadcrumbs, flour, brown sugar, and spices until well combined. Add suet, chopped raisins, lemon rind, orange rind, and citron. At this time also add the currants with the liquor. If you soaked them in water do not add the water. Mix well. If adding the liquor, the batter will start to stick together. Next, add just enough milk until the batter has soaked up the milk and sticks together.

4. Butter a glass or ceramic mixing bowl and tightly pack the batter into the bowl allowing at lease 1 inch of head space at the top for expansion. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.

5. Put the bowl with the batter in a 9”x11”casserole dish. Pour boiling water in the casserole dish so it reaches ½ to ¾ up the side of the bowl, and set the oven to 300 degrees. Place the casserole dish in the oven. Bake for 3-4 hours; replenishing the water as needed.

6. Pudding is done when a toothpick inserted into it comes out clean. Let it sit 5 minutes before removing from bowl.

7. Let pudding sit overnight. If desired pour brandy over pudding and wrap tightly. Let sit for 4-6 weeks before adding more brandy. You can preserve your pudding for a year this way or serve it when you would like. Serve with brandy sauce.

4. Slowly stir the dry ingredients into the wet. Once all incorporated, add the raisins. Stir well.

5. Put into well greased mold or bowl.

6. Put into a preheated 350 degree oven for two hours or until baked through.

7. Remove from pan immediately once it is out of the oven in order to avoid stick- ing.

8. Allow to cool before serving. Serve with a simple pudding sauce.

Original 1890s recipes used as inspiration for my plum pudding: The Queen Cook Book: a careful compilation of recipes and practical information for cooking and other household requirements by Mrs. William Hart Boyd. 1895 Pg 149:

Mrs. Owens' New Cook Book and Complete Household Manual, by F.E. Owens. 1897 pg 459: The White House cook book: cooking, toilet and household recipes, menus, dinner-giving, table etiquette, care of the sick, health suggestions, facts worth knowing, etc., etc. : the whole comprising a comprehensive cyclope- dia of information for the home by Mrs. F. L. Gillette and Hugo Ziemann. 1890 P. 259-260

The new practical housekeeping. A compilation of new, choice and carefully tested recipes. 1890 p. 69:

The new practical housekeeping. A compilation of new, choice and carefully tested recipes. 1890 p. 65: The A.A. cook book: containing three hundred tested recipes. Contributed by many good cooks. 1895 Pg 33

1890s Pudding Sauces without Alcohol for the Temperance-abiding Family

Ingredients: ½ cup butter 1 cup powdered sugar 3 tablespoonfuls of cream or milk

Directions: 1. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

2. Slowly stir in cream or milk.

3. Place in double boiler over boiling water. Stir until smooth.

4. Serve hot by pouring over the plum pudding.

The A.A. cook book: containing three hundred tested recipes. Contributed by many good cooks. 1895 P. 39