Christmas Pudding

                                          My sincere and hearty wishes on Merry Christmas to all the bloggers and non bloggers.The great Christmas is around.We are already up to celebrate it.Let us add some thing special and sweet as well as home made, up to occasion.So here is Christmas Pudding.  

Merry Christmas

        And why not try Fruit Cake too!

        

    Ingredients:

Peeled Orange

•  Maida [fine wheat flour]  1/2 cup
• White butter  6 tbsp
• Butter  6 tbsp
• Brown sugar  3/4 cup
• Eggs  2
• Orange and lemon-peeled [coarsely chopped]  1/4 cup
• Seedless dates  1/4 cup
• Walnut [chopped]  1/2 cup

  

  Brown Sugar

• Currants  1/4 cup
• Raisins  1/4 cup
• Brandy  2 tbsp
• Cinnamon powder  1/4 tsp
• Cloves powder  1/4 tsp
• Nutmeg powder  1/4 tsp



Dry Fruits

• Fresh white bread crumbs  1-1/2 cup
• Water  3 cups

For Hard Sauce

• White butter  1/2 cup
• Icing sugar  1/2 cup
• Brandy  2 tbsp
• Nutmeg powder  1 pinch

[ Note: in case ingredients are reduced,never reduce quantity of water.]

Serves: 6

Preparation:

• For Hard Sauce: Beat  butter in a bowl till it becomes light and fluffy. Add gradually sugar in small quantities at a time,keep on beating until whole sugar is added & mixture becomes creamy.Add brandy.Continue beating until  well blended.Add nutmeg powder.Chill until hard. 
• Beat the eggs.

Method:

•  Mix together orange and lemon peels,dates,walnut,currants,raisins,brandy and lemon juice and keep aside.
• Now,mix the maida,cinnamon,cloves and nutmeg powder,then sift.Add bread crumbs and stir well.
• Take remaining butter in a bowl,beat till light & fluffy.Add brown sugar in small quantities at a time and keep on beating till all sugar is used and mixture becomes light and fluffy.
• Add beaten eggs in small quantities at a time,keep on beating well.Fold in flour mixture and fruit & nut mixture.Add lemon juice,mix well.
• Spoon the mixture into a greased 1 liter mold.Cover mold lightly with aluminum foil, tie securely.
• Pour water into cooker,put grid [jaali] in cooker and place mold on grid.
• Close cooker  without pressure regulator.Cook on high heat.When steam passes through steam vent,reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes,ensuring a steady steam vent.
• Place pressure regulator in position.Bring to full pressure on high heat.Reduce heat and cook for 50 minutes.
• Close the flame.Let it cool.
• Open cooker.Take out mold and remove foil.Take out pudding with help of a knife and keep on a serving dish.
• Pudding is ready.Spread hard sugar around the pudding.Decorate with dry fruits,cherry etc.

Serve hot or cool.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Fruit Cake

       Let us have a change of taste.Let us have a break from meals,breakfast or even purchased bakery edibles...So prepare a home made fruit cake and surprise the family members & friends!

Ingredients:

• Refined flour [maida]  150 gm
• Egg 2
• Caster sugar  125 gm
• White butter or ghee  75 ml/gm
• Baking powder  1/4 tsp
• Vanilla essence  1 tsp  

    Preparation 

1.For caramel colour [brown sugar]:

Cashew nut

• Sugar  30 gm
• Lemonjuice  1 tsp

   Preparation:

 Sprinkle a few drops of water over sugar.Heat till it becomes brown,then add lemon juice and  water [ 1/2 cup] to form liquid consistency.Close the flame.
2. Cut the cashew nut & almonds into fine pieces and keep aside.

   Dry fruits:

Cherry

• Cashew nut  10 pieces
• Almond  10 pieces
• Cherry  10-15 pieces
• Currant  50 gm

Raisins

• Tutti fruity 2 tbsp
  Other items:
• Milk  1cup
• Honey 1tbs
• Curants

Almond

   Method:

• At first mix maida [refined flour] & baking powder and filter 2-3 times.

 

• Take white butter & sugar in a clean bowl.Cream them till the mixture gets light and fluffy.

 

• Wash all the dry fruits except cashew nut and cut them in equal 
• sizes.Spread them on a napkin to dry.Then mix them into maida mixture.
• Separately,prepare enamel colour with help of water,lemon juice and sugar.

• Beat both the eggs in a clean bowl.Then mix vanilla essence and caramel colour.
• Now add gradually the beaten egg mixture to mixture of white butter & sugar.

 

• Now,mix dry fruit to mixture of maida & baking powder.Now add this mixture gradually one spoon at a time to mixture of beaten egg and keep on beating regularly [make sure] till all the mixture is used.If this batter is getting thick enough to obstruct beating,then add 1 tbsp of milk. 

• Now the cake batter is ready.

• Either apply butter or ghee on the bottom of mould or spread a butter paper over the bottom of mould.Mould may be of any shape or size.

 

 

• Next  folding process is done with the batter.Add honey and pour the batter into cake mould.Over it spread pieces of almond,cashew nut and cherry.

Cake batter

Preheat the oven,put the mould in it and bake at 120 degree centigrade for about 20 minutes.

•  After baking is over,take the mould out,put it on the wire rack and cool it.

Fruit Cake is ready.
Slice and Serve!