Cook: 11.12.13 Plum Pudding Without Eggs from 1852; Gluten Free!

I wonder if Mrs Frome was making her Christmas pudding this late in the day! 11th December! This had better be my last Christmas Pudding for the year…unless I’m planning to save it for 25.12.14. That date doesn’t quite have the same numeric ring to it as today’s date, does it?

I had to write a post on this once in a lifetime date. I love numbers.

The ingredients ratios in Mrs Frome’s pudding from Somersetshire are 1:1:1:1:1 – as easy to remember as today’s date.

Plain Flour; suet; currants; potatoes; carrots all in the same proportion. She proposes ½ lb of each. Plus 1 tbsp moist sugar; and spice.

On the weekend, my children took me to the Geffrye Museum around the corner from where we live, to delve into the details of Britain’s relationship with Christmas over history. The Geffrye Museum is the Museum of the Home, tracing history through reproductions of middle class living rooms over the last 500 years.

1700s “I look like a crown, but I am made with fruit and iced with gold. I am placed in the centre of the table on the last night of Christmas. What am I?” From the Geffrye Museum Kids Corner

I loved the Twelfth Night Cake, which is a variation of the French Galette Des Rois, a puff pastry and frangipane tart eaten on 6th January. The Twelfth Night Cake is culinarily different – with a spice and fruit inside, covered in an exquisitely decorated Royal Icing (an almond paste fondant), shaped into a crown.

We also adored the hard boiled eggs and streaky bacon sugar treats. More of the deceptive food that appears to be one thing and surprises the palette when it turns out to be something entirely different.

“On New Year’s Eve, I am filled with warm punch and passed around the table. Everyone has a sip to bring them good luck for the year ahead. What am I?”

If you think you know the answer – post it in a comment!

Well into the 1700s and 1800s, Roast Beef was the traditional Christmas meal. It was served with Plum Pudding – as a savoury accompaniment. This is in the days, I suppose, when Orange Jelly was served up as dessert.

 

Today’s recipe is reminiscent of this savoury pudding – it’s packed with vegetables!

I declare this egg free pudding to be in honour of Noa, our little neighbour, who sweetly comes knocking at our door sometimes to play with my little Miss Elodie:

Dishy Plum Pudding

Gluten and Dairy Free Without Eggs (Vegan)

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cooking Time: 3 hours

Serves 8 (easily)

• 130g teff flour
• 120g chestnut flour
• 1 tsp xanthum gum
• 250g potato
• 250g carrots, peeled
• 250g currants or raisins (organic to avoid sulfites)
• 300g coconut oil
• 1 tbsp treacle
• 2 tsp ginger ground
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• zest of a lemon

1. Peel and finely grate the vegetables.
   

   serving up the plum pudding after 3 hours of boiling.

2. Mix with all the other ingredients, adding the chopped coconut oil last.
3. It makes quite a thick mix but don’t be deterred.
4. Mrs Frome says simply to boil three hours, but I have left mine over night in the fridge for the flavours to develop.
5. The next day, I continue to follow Mrs Frome’s instructions – putting the mix into a buttered pudding bowl, covering with buttered paper then wrapping in a pudding cloth.
6. I am currently boiling it for three hours.

TIP: Don’t forget, you can store in your fridge for at least a month – boil it for an hour before serving. (I split this mix into a larger one for christmas day and a smaller one to eat now.)

Enjoy and a very merry Christmas to you and your family.

Let me know below how the recipe works out for you. And sign up here if you want more dishy and healthy recipes alternatives!