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4. RESERVE 2 tablespoons of the fig’s soaking brandy, then strain the figs and discard the rest (we repurposed it and add it to our coffee!). Mix in the figs, the reserved brandy, and the dates. Add the salt and stir in the flour until combined.
5. TRANSFER an equal amount of batter to each of the 6 muffin wells. Use a buttered spoon to smooth the top of each as much as possible. Bake for 26 to 28 minutes, until the puddings are firm in the center, but still soft. Be careful not to overbake. You want the batter to be baked through, but for the cake to remain soft.
6. REMOVE the tin from the oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. While the puddings cool…
7. MAKE the caramel sauce. Melt all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring often, until the sauce begins the thicken, about 45 seconds. Remove from the heat.
8. PLACE a plate over the muffin pan and invert it to de-pan the puddings. Arrange them on individual serving plates and spoon warm the sauce over the top. Garnish with whipped cream and mint leaves. We added pomegranate arils for some color. Serve warm or at room temperature.
MORE FIGGY PUDDING – CHRISTMAS PUDDING RECIPES
Christmas Pudding With Rum & Cinnamon Cream Sauce
Figgy Pudding Sauce Options
London Lennies English Christmas Rum Pudding
Mexican Christmas Pudding
THE HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS PUDDING
The first records of plum puddings date to the early 15th century England, when a savory version made with meat and root vegetables, “plum pottage,” was served at the start of a meal. Back then, “plum” was a generic term for any dried fruit—raisins, currants, prunes, and other dried, preserved, or candied fruits.
By the end of the 16th century, dried fruits were more plentiful in England, and plum pudding recipes moved from savory to sweet.
By the mid-1600s, plum pudding was sufficiently associated with Christmas that when the Puritan Oliver Cromwell came to power in 1647, he had it banned as associated with Druidic paganism and Roman Catholic idolatry (also banned: Yule logs, carols, and nativity scenes).
Across the pond, in 1659, the Puritan government of the Massachusetts Bay Colony actually banned Christmas! Here’s the story.
When the Puritans were deposed in 1660 and the English monarchy was restored, so were Christmas pudding and the rest.
By the 19th century, the pudding ingredients were standardized to include breadcrumbs, brown sugar, candied orange peel, currants and raisins, eggs, suet, sweet spices (allspice, cloves, nutmeg), and alcohol. The cake was soaked in brandy (or if preferred, rum or whisky) and set aside to mature for 30 days.
Maturation preserved the Christmas pudding so that it could remain tasty for more than a year—and thus, it could be sent to soldiers and colonizers overseas for a holiday taste of home.
The standard components of an English family Christmas were solidified during the Victorian era (1837-1901), including Christmas pudding. The pudding was considered so important that Christmas savings clubs helped poor housewives lay away pennies throughout the year, to purchase the costly pudding ingredients at Christmastime.
In the U.S., Christmas pudding is mostly known from English literature and song. But there’s no reason why that has to be!
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*Why is a steamed cake called a pudding? “Pudding” is a British term for steamed foods, both savory and sweet. The common thread that connects all British puddings is the cooking method: over steaming or boiling water. Originally, puddings were savory boiled sausages. The contents including beet suet (the hard fat from around cow kidneys†) were stuffed into animal intestines and then steamed or boiled. Sweet recipes began to appear in the 17th century (flour, nuts, sugar, suet), typically boiled in a special “pudding bag.” Suet was used in sweet puddings instead of butter. Christmas pudding, spotted dick, and jam roly-poly are examples. Beef suet creates structure and richness without adding flavor. When the pudding is cooked, the suet melts after the pastry has had a chance to set, leaving behind holes that provide a lighter, fluffier texture.
By the latter half of the 18th century, traditional English puddings no longer included meat and the first boiled sponge [cake] puddings appeared, boiled or steamed. When 19th century placed the batter in basins to give them a conventional cake, these puddings were still boiled but kept the name “pudding” because of how they were cooked. Yes, conventional cakes were baked in ovens.
But by the 19th century, “pudding” took on its modern sweet meaning. The Victorian era (1837-1901) expanded the recipes from suet puddings to include sponge puddings, dishes made with bread, flans, batters, and meringues. Today, many classic British steamed pudding recipes, particularly Christmas pudding, still call for beef suet as the traditional ingredient. Modern recipes may substitute butter or vegetable shortening for the suet, but purists stick to the original. There is even vegetarian suet!
†Lamb suet is also used in savory dishes, but its flavor is too “lamby” for sweet foods.
‡There are no plums in a plum pudding! Here’s what different recipes use:
> Dried fruits: raisins, currants, and golden raisins (sultanas) are the traditional trio. Prunes and dried apricots are also used.
> Candied/glacé fruits: candied peel (citron, lemon, orange), glacé cherries.
> Fresh fruit/vegetable: Fresh apple (usually Golden Delicious), peeled and grated; grated carrots.
> Nuts: chopped blanched almonds.
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