This being the month of Christmas, a holiday celebrated among 160 of the 195 countries that make up this planet, I’ve decided to do a monthly installment of how various countries around the world celebrate this special holiday in their kitchens and feature their signature holiday meals. Some may be sides, some may be mains, maybe a dessert or two, some may be a festive drink, or even a complete dinner. Only time will tell by which country my girls have randomly pulled out of Santa’s hat. Click here to see all of my “Christmas In…” series from years’ past.
If, like me, you’ve been hearing the much-caroled line “now bring us some figgy pudding” your entire life, but no one has yet brought you any figgy pudding, I got news for you. First, there are no figs in figgy pudding. Second, there is no bacon involved either, like Gonzo indicated to Miss Piggy on the classic “A Christmas Together” album with John Denver, but there is hardened beef fat (suet)! Finally, figgy pudding is quite similar to fruitcake, although fruitcake employs rum, and figgy pudding uses brandy. If you’ve had neither, I’d say figgy pudding is a cross between a fig newton and raisin bread. Oh…and as you’ve surmised by now, figgy pudding is cake, not pudding pudding. So with all these misnomers aside, here’s the recipe!
Mini Figgy Puddings
adapted from The Daring Gourmet, Kimberly Killebrew
This is a bit of a shortcut recipe. Although it is still a multi-day process (especially if you candy your own fruit), the cooking is a mere 40 minutes, as opposed to an 8 hour steaming.
Fruit Preparation
2 tbsp each, finely chopped candied orange and lemon peel (recipe below)
1 cup currants
¾ cup each raisins and golden raisins
2 tbsp each of orange and lemon rind, finely chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped walnuts
½ cup brandy
Cake
4 slices of white bread, pulsed to crumbs in a food processor
1 cup, packed, dark brown sugar
½ cup AP flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 apple, cored and grated
4 oz beef suet, shredded
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbsp molasses
Zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
Crème Anglaise
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1 whole vanilla bean, split
4 egg yolks
⅓ cup sugar
2 stp cornstarch
If you’d like to candy your own orange and lemon peel, slice the rind away from 1 orange and 1 lemon. Slice the rind into ¼” wide strips. Boil in water for 10 minutes, drain, rinse, and repeat. Then stir together 1 cup sugar in one cup of water over high heat, stirring once it begins to boil to dissolve all of the sugar. Stir in the drained rind strips and return to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add some superfine sugar to a large ziplock bag. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove the rinds from the syrup, allowing it to fall back into the pot. Then transfer the rinds into the bag of sugar and give a good shake. Transfer the sugared rinds to a rack-lined tray and allow to cool and dry for 2-3 days.
The night before making the cake mix, place all of the fruit preparation ingredients in a bowl and pour over the brandy. Stir to combine, cover and allow it to sit at least 8 hours to absorb, stirring every few hours or so.
When ready to prepare the cakes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place all of the dry ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
Add the remaining ingredients (apple to zests) to the bowl of brandied fruit and stir to combine. Then add these ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix until fully combined.
Grease a mini bundt pan (6 moulds) with cooking spray or butter and pour in the batter. Tap the mould tray on the counter to remove any air bubbles. Set on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the bake.
Remove the tray and allow the cakes to cool for about 15 minutes. Invert onto a cooling rack and allow them to cool a bit longer before serving. You can fully cool these and wrap in cling film, followed by aluminum foil, and let them sit for a few days in the basement as well.
While the cakes cool, or just prior to serving, prepare the creme anglaise by pouring the milk and cream into a pot. Swirl in the split vanilla bean and heat over medium-low until bubble form around the edge.
Meanwhile, whisk together the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Once the cream has warmed, pour in a ½ cup of it to the bowl of eggs, whisking constantly. Then transfer this mix into the pot and continue cooking, whisking constantly for 1-2 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and allow to cool for a few minutes.
Place the mini figgy pudding cakes on a serving platter and spoon over a little of the crème anglaise.
______________________________ Copyright 2024, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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