Homemade Christmas Pudding

Making a homemade Christmas pudding is very easy - just measure, mix and steam! And then a bit more steaming when you want to serve it. You can prepare several weeks in advance, just keep it moist with a drop of brandy every few days.




















Ingredients

• 500g dried fruit (eg blueberries, cranberries, cherries, sultanas, raisins)
• 150g dates, chopped
• 10-12 maraschino cherries, chopped
• 125g plain flour
• 125g brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 150g butter
• 100g breadcrumbs
• Zest of 1 Orange
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• Pinch of salt
  
• 1 large egg
• 150 ml milk
• Brandy! (Otherwise use cognac or whisky)

Instructions
1. Find a large heat-proof pudding basin or bowl and grease with butter. It'll need to be heat-proof as you'll be using it to steam the pudding for hours and hours...










2. Measure the dry ingredients and put into a large mixing bowl. Dice and add the butter, orange zest and ground ginger.
























3. Beat egg and milk together and add to the mixing bowl.












4. Roll-up your sleeves and get messy mixing everything together.










5. Add the pudding mixture to the greased heat-proof bowl.










6. Cover pudding with a layer of buttered grease-proof paper, then cover with a aluminium foil












7. Put the pudding basin in a large steamer, cover and steam for approx 5 hours. If you don't have a steam, use an enormous saucepan and add water half-way up the side of the pudding bowl, cover and simmer. In both cases, check regularly to make sure the pan doesn't boil dry, 'cause your pan, bowl and pudding will all get ruined :(














8. When cooled, remove the pudding basin from the steamer or saucepan and remove the foil and paper. Using a skewer make several holes in the pudding, then pour 2 tablespoons of brandy down the holes. This will keep the pudding moist. Cover the pudding with foil and store in a the fridge. Every few days take it out and add a drop more brandy - say a tablespoon - to keep it moist.











9. On day of serving, just put the pudding back into the steamer or saucepan and steam for 3 hours, then serve with freshly made egg custard. Superb.

Basil Herb Crust Pizza

"Herb-crusted Pizza"? Sounds complicated, but it ain't, provided you have a food processor...



















Ingredients:
For pizza base (yields about 2 large slices for 4 people):

• 250g bread (or allpurpose) flour
• 1 tbs yeast
• 1 tbs honey
• About 2/3 cup warm water
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• large handful of fresh basil

Tomato sauce: (enough for 2-3 pizzas)

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 800g good tinned tomatoes
• salt for seasoning

Topping:

• 4-5 large slices of pepperoni
• 2 thick slices of pancetta, finely diced
• Grated and/or sliced mozzeralla
• Finely grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese

Instructions

I. Make the dough

1. Add the yeast and honey to about 1/3 cup of the warm water and leave 5 minutes to get excited - it'll get a bit frothy.























2. Put flour in the food processor, then add the salt, olive oil , yeast mixture and fresh herbs.













3. Process for about 30 seconds, then check consistency. Add a little more of the warm water and process a bit more until a large clump of dough forms.











4. (carefully) remove the dough from the food processor, add a little flour if it is too sticky. Put in a lightly oiled (or floured) bowl and cover with cling-film - leave to rise - about 20 minutes.











II. Make the sauce.
Actually I normally get this going before making the dough, as the longer it simmers, the better it gets!
The quantity here is enough for about 2 pizzas - depends how saucy you like them. Goes equally well on pasta.

1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan and add peeled, crushed garlic. Reduce heat to low-med and cook for about 5 minutes. The aim is to get a nice golden colour (and aroma) to the garlic - but without burning it!










2. When the garlic is golden-brown, add the tinned tomatoes and stir well to break them up. Add a pinch of salt. Simmer for about 15 minutes (or longer), stirring occasionally.
































3. After the sauce has simmered and reduced slightly, use a portable hand blender to process. Alternatively leave as-is for a more rustic appearance.












III. Prepare the toppings
1. While sauce is simmering, prepare the toppings.




















III. Cook the pizza.
I used to pre-cook the base, then add toppings afterward - this does lead to a thicker, breadier base. But lately I've been cooking the whole thing in one go - the base is typically thinner and tastier (cooks with sauce, rather than without).

1. Pre-heat oven (and pizza stone if you have one) to 450 F


2. Roll-out dough on a floured surface to match the size of your pizza stone or baking tray. Roll-over the edges to make the crust.











3. Remove hot pizza stone (or tray) from the oven and carefully place the pizza base on top.









4. Take a ladleful of sauce and spread over the pizza. Put as much or as little as you want.












5. Sprinkle the cheeses on the pizza, then top with pepperoni and smoked sausage. Drizzle with a little olive oil.




















6. Put in the oven and cook for about 15 minutes.










7. Remove from oven, pour nice glass of wine and/or crack open a chilled beer, and ENJOY