With the change of plans for Christmas it meant 'proper Christmas' meals needed on two different days instead of just one day.
This half packet of vegetable suet (bought last winter for dumplings but still OK) had to be moved or fell out of the cupboard
every time I got anything else out and gave me an idea. .................................BiL is traditional and likes Christmas Pudding, I don't particularly, but could eat some but not the huge rather solid recipe I've used through umpteen years of Christmas Pudding making. I looked in several books for a pudding recipe that uses as little as possible, didn't need making weeks beforehand and could be made with just 2½oz of suet and then had a brainwave to look in the Wartime books - when rations limited the amount and range of things that could be used - and found something in this book.
The list of ingredients were simply breadcrumbs, flour, a little suet, minimal sugar, grated carrot and apple, sultanas and raisons and a few prunes plus just 1 egg and and optional alcohol. Most of these are in the house all the time and I separated the raisons from a packet of the value range Aldi peanuts and raisons (peanuts used for biscuits) I bought some prunes which I like but hadn't eaten for ages, so the remainder will be good.
Even with a small amount it was enough for 1 small basin and another even smaller, which I made and steamed yesterday.
Now the question is - do I leave until Boxing Day to re-steam and force BiL to try it or shall I reheat the very small one and try it myself today, just in case?
Back Tomorrow
Sue
Carrot seems to be a featured ingredient in many a war time recipes. Wasn't it used in mock apricot jam?
ReplyDeleteYes it was. Also, if people could get banana essence, they could mix it into mashed parsnips to make"mock banana" for use in sandwiches or puddings. I went to hear marguerite patten give a talk about wartime cooking once. I applaud Sue's resourcefulness (esp the nuts and raisins trick)
DeleteCarrot is probably for a bit of extra sweetness and bulk and for seeing in the dark if you were a pilot!! - that was what the propaganda of the time told the people!
DeleteI think a little taste-test wouldn't go amiss. What a clever idea to look up a Wartime recipe. When mum was alive and still able to eat it, I used to make Christmas Pud every year, and a Christmas cake (not iced though). Now I'd be the only one eating either . . . How did I manage to have grown children fussy about dried fruit?!
ReplyDeleteI hope it's OK. I'm glad to get the 2 and a half ounces of vegetable suet used up - it was 'only' a month after its BBE date!
DeleteNow I expect I'll have a fancy for stew and dumplings and need to buy more :-)
Dumplings.... oh yes! Now I'm hankering for some herby dumplings!
ReplyDeletelast winter I made lamb stew for the first time for about 10 years and it was lovely.
DeleteI'd be tempted to 'taste test' it. Kirsten has set me off wanting herby dumplings, too.
ReplyDeleteI didn't taste test but it was delicious on Boxing day
DeleteA brilliant idea to use a wartime rationing recipe. Do you have a microwave, because your puddings can be reheated in just a couple of minutes, to save on a steamy kitchen and lots of energy usage. That would be a modern wartime saving. :-)
ReplyDeleteIt's such an age since I made and ate Christmas pud that I'd forgotten about microwaving to reheat
DeleteYou should definitely have a little taste of the pudding just to check and as a reward for having the patience to steam to puddings. I’ve bought one from Lidl and DH will have it with some Greek yoghurt or maybe ice cream due to the fact that I forgot to put cream on the delivery order. Catriona
ReplyDeleteXmas pud always use to have custard and cream when Father in Law was alive!
DeleteClever idea to use a wartime recipe. I never have sultanas can't get them for some reason. But they feature in quite a few Brit baking recipes.
ReplyDeleteHow very strange - a staple of so many fruit cakes etc.
DeleteBoud, are you in the US? I think "golden raisins" are the same as sultanas.
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DeleteMerry Christmas, Sue!
ReplyDeleteThank you and to you too
DeleteIt sounds like you found the perfect recipe for a Christmas Pudding. I like having favorite dishes for guests. Everybody has at least one favorite dish.
ReplyDeleteI have absolutely never made a Christmas pudding - I always rather assumed it took weeks? Mark from Bikeshed
ReplyDeleteClever you!!!!
ReplyDeleteWow! Well done putting all that together with what was on hand. Hope it tastes delicious. I'm the only one that likes Christmas pudding. I actually managed to buy a couple of small ones while I was in England (they had just put them out in September!). Glad I did as a small one here costs a fortune.
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