Oh give us a figgy pudding....but which one?

December 18, 2007 6:11 AM

Looking for the definitive recipe for "figgy pudding".

You know, as in that Christmas carol, and Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."

I've done my own internet searching but the (dozens of) recipes are all over the map, in terms of the ingredients, preparation, etc. I'd like it to be palatable, but I also need it to be traditional.

(Question asked anonymously in order to not spoil the suprise.)

posted by anonymous to Food & Drink (5 answers total)

Things probably don't get more definitive than the classic Mrs Beeton (wiki). There's both Christmas Plum Pudding and a Fig Pudding here.

I've certainly heard of older, practically medieval variants of figgy pudding and its relatives, but I wouldn't know where to track one down.
posted by edd at 6:25 AM on December 18, 2007 [1 favorite]

I saw a fig pudding at the Tea and Sympathy store last week (even though it isn't on their website). The owner and all front of store employees are British expats so if I was mistaken, I'm sure they can help you locate a figgy pudding or a reliable recipe for one. I know they make it at their restaurant next door.
posted by spec80 at 7:44 AM on December 18, 2007

This one's not figgy, but there was a good discussion of traditional English Christmas pudding on the most recent KCRW Good Food podcast, recipe included in the programme notes.
posted by sagwalla at 7:46 AM on December 18, 2007

Figgy pudding was featured on NPR's All Things Considered today.
posted by Dreama at 2:46 PM on December 18, 2007

I've used Julia Child's recipe for the past two years, and it's very tasty. (I eat the leftovers for breakfast.) You can substitute rendered beef fat for a 1/4 of the butter for a more historically accurate pudding, which I did last year. The taste isn't noticeably beefy, so it won't freak people out who don't understand the history of beef fat in dessert, and it adds a nice richness.

I've never tried to microwave the pudding to cook it, but a minute or two of radar love works nicely to warm it up before serving it.

To steam the pudding, I use a regular pan lid that fits my "pudding basin" (a bundt pan) well enough to keep any dripping water out. I set the whole contraption on a tuna can open at both ends (to keep the pudding pan above the water) in a large stockpot with a cover.
posted by Lycaste at 1:31 PM on December 19, 2007