Quick Christmas Pudding - Microwave

[Groucho]

Microwave Christmas Pudding
300ml of water (½ pint)
450g mix of dried fruits – Sultanas (whole), chopped apricots, figs, dates and/or prunes
200g of which sultanas and rest made up of approximately equal parts the other fruits
225g margarine or butter or mix of both
250g of sugar (1 cup)
Simmer in large pan till fat and sugar is dissolved (don’t let it go beyond melted – you are not trying to cook it just melt it all).

Dry ingredients
250g plain flour (1 cup)
1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 tablespoons of mixed spice
Sieve dry ingredients Into a large bowl, mix…

Mix wet and dry ingredients, and then add 2 beaten eggs and mix well.
Put into suitably sized microwaveable dish lined with cling film, but do not cover ingredients with the cling film. I use a glass mixing bowl as the cooking dish
Place in microwave.
Cooking times.
900 watts for 8 minutes - Check cooked in centre with skewer – if not done keep adding 2 mins until the skewer comes out clean.
Once cooked tip your dumpling onto a plate to cool, Removing dish and cling film. Voila!

Tip: Add brandy instead of some of the water if you want it to taste like Christmas Pud
You can eat it hot or cold, with breakfast or after dinner as a pudding….

[jen]

Sounds delicious anytime of the year , thank you Groucho

[Bonnie]

Thankyou Groucho but a little too late for me. I made mine in the traditional way & steamed it for 8 flipping hours!! As Jen says a very handy recipe for a pud at any time of the year, so Thankyou will give it a go later in the New Year.

[Groucho]

Quick tip when using margarine here - there are loads of brands but the best one for rubbing-in is Sana Klasik...

[Owl Lady]

Sounds good Groucho,but took me half an hour to read the recipe. My idea of a quick microwave pud is the one I won in a hamper at the Lodge in Catalkoy, last Sunday. Remove film,invert pot onto microwave plate, cook on full power 1 minute and stand for 30 seconds and serve. It was delicious.

[Groucho]

Sounds good Groucho,but took me half an hour to read the recipe.

Owl Lady - how very brave of you to admit it on such a public forum....

While we're in confession mode...

My name is Groucho and I'm a wannabe 'foodaholic'

[Owl Lady]

Whilst we are in confession mode, I have just reheated the other half and am eating, as I type and it's great!!

[Groucho]

Whilst we are in confession mode, I have just reheated the other half and am eating, as I type and it's great!!

Eating your other half sounds like a euphemism for cannibalism!

[Deniz1]

Thank you Groucho the pudding was great!

[Groucho]

Thank you Groucho the pudding was great!

Glad to hear it! To be honest it's seems better than 'real' Christmas pud to me as it's lighter and the choice of fruits is more to my liking... Is it just me or have proprietary Christmas puds become denser and more indigestible since I was a child? It seems every maker is trying to outdo the other with just how much stuff they can cram in without regard to the fact that it should be enjoyed after a quite hefty meal...

If you haven't scoffed the whole pudding yet (unlikely) you can slice it up into portions and bag it up - it freezes perfectly, keeps for months and can be microwaved to reheat it and then dry-fried to give it a tasty crust - try it.... it's yummy with a cooked breakfast and that's how the Scots like their Clootie Dumpling... it's our variation on a recipe given to us by our sister-in-law... Tickety-Boo Kaye - we've just changed the fruit and spices to make it more like a Christmas Pudding without the tons of mixed peel normally in a Christmas pudding which we think makes it lighter. Given that it got dates, apricots and figs it's probably closer to the origins of puddings eaten at Christmas than the stuff you can buy...