A lighter Christmas Pudding

A lighter Christmas Pudding

This lighter Christmas pudding is an alternative to the traditional Christmas Pudding, which the Meat Smoke Fire Team concluded can feel a bit heavy to eat after Christmas dinner and all the trimmings.

We set about looking for an alternative.  We agreed that we liked the fruit in the pudding, but we didn’t need so much of it.  MeatSmokeFireCameraGirl is rather partial to a steamed sponge pudding, and any apple dessert is always a hit, so that’s how we settled on a steamed apple sponge to which we planned to add Rumtopf, a flavour of Christmas.

Rumtopf translates to rum top and was a means to preserve fruits in rum and sugar.  A way to extend produce life and use up gluts of fruit. We started our Rumtopf a couple of years ago with traditional Christmas fruits, i.e., raisins, sultanas, and currants, and then we added some dried apricots and cranberries.  We used a mix of leftover alcohol, rum, whiskey, and brandy to cover the fruit.  We don’t tend to add much sugar.  We give it a good stir.  The fruit then steeps in the alcohol, and the tiny beads of fruit swell as they absorb the liquid.

We started this pot of gold to create a new Christmas tradition and more family memories.  Everyone gives the pot a good zhuzh and makes a wish.  It then goes back into the cupboard until we use it again.

If you don’t have any rumptopf, you could just use dried fruit, which you can soak in alcohol or fruit juice.

Method

1. Setup your Big Green Egg for a direct cook with the stainless steel grid. Set the temp to 150°C.
2. Place the cooking apples, rumtopf or substitute, if using, brown sugar and water in a pan.  You need to simmer the apples for about 5 to 10 minutes until the apples have broken down into a purée. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
3. I used a stand mixer with paddle. attachment on medium speed. Beat the butter and sugar in a mixer until pale and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time together with 1 tbsp of flour and mix together.  Then add in the remaining flour, vanilla and dried spices.
4. Finish by mixing through the cooled apple puree. Add the milk bit by bit, you may not need to add it all.  You want the batter to easily drop off the spoon. 
5. Grease a 1.2 litre heatproof pudding bowl with plenty of softened butter.  We did this a bit early and would recommend doing this just before you’re ready to cook.
6. Pour the syrup into the bottom of the bowl, add the eating apples pieces on top.  We also sprinkled in a bit more rumtopf before we added the apples, again this is optional.
7. Spoon the sponge mixture into the bowl.
8. You need to top with a piece of baking parchment followed by foil.  The pieces need to be large enough to come down the side of the powl as you need to then secure with string.
9. The pudding will need to sit in a pan on an upturned saucer or trivet.  We used a pasta cooking pan.  The pudding needs to be raised on the bottom of the pan.
10. Add some just-boiled water to the pan, it needs to come halfway up the bowl.  Put the lid on the pan and then place the pan directly on the stainless steel grid to simmer for about 2 hours and 30 minutes.  We had a look at about 2 hours to see if the water needed topping up.
11. To check the sponge is cooked, insert with a skewer or the probe of your thermometer through the foil and parchment paper.  It should come out clean.  If it doesn’t, steam for another 10 minutes.
12. Once cooked, remove the pan from the grill.  Lift the pudding out of the water.  Cut the string and peel off the foil and the parchment paper.  Beware the bowl will be hot and there will be steam as you remove the foil and paper.
13. Place a plate over the top of the bowl, using oven gloves, flip the bowl and plate at the same time so the pudding can be served on the plate.
14. Serve with cream, custard or ice cream.