Stir Up Sunday

Stir it up!

Yes, today was the day to make your Christmas puddings. I trust you all remembered?

In a rare moment of forethought, I put the dried fruit in a bowl with rather more than the recommended amount of brandy to soak overnight so I was ready to go today. As usual, I used Nigella's recipe for a "non conformist Christmas pudding" from Feast. The recipe serves 12 adults and, usually, I faff about and make roughly half the quantity. This year I made two.

I have learnt a few things in the years I have been making this as my contribution to family Christmas dinner. Firstly is that the full quantity serves 12 adults. I did not twig this the first year and it was almost bigger than the turkey. However, to give my family credit, the whole lot got eaten.

Eventually.

To flame the pudding, Nigella recommends vodka. You have to heat it up in the microwave in order for it to produce the fumes which are what catch light when you put a match to the pudding. Last year I learnt that even if it doesn't look like there are may fumes coming off it after 30 seconds, you shouldn't put it back in for more. When I put match to put, the resulting fireball went up with an impressive WHOOMPH! Still,  I kept my hair and eyebrows so all was not lost.