Stir Up Sunday

Today is Stir Up Sunday, the last Sunday before Advent. This is the traditional day in Britain to make the Christmas pudding, and set it aside for Christmas Day so the flavors have a month to develop. 

At least, it used to be the traditional day; apparently most families buy a pudding in a tin now. What a shame! Being partly of Brittish descent (and also being fond of brandy) I think it's worth the effort. And the flaming pudding is an exciting end to Christmas dinner!

Agenda for today:
1- Prayer:
The name "Stir Up Sunday" comes from the Church of England “collect” for this day: A collect is a short prayer, which “collects” or sums up the thoughts of the day and season.

The collect for this Sunday is: “Stir up, we beseech thee, O God, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee be plenteously rewarded.” 

This prayer was parodied: "Stir up, we beseech thee, the pudding in the pot. And when we do get home tonight, we'll eat it up hot."

My prayer today is: Stir up my sluggish soul, and awaken me to the wonder and joy of the season of Thanksgiving.

2- Finish the Christmas Pudding:
I posted the first steps yesterday, but here's the whole recipe all together.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. (2-1/2 c.) dried mixed fruit (raisins, prunes, currants, etc.)
• 1 small tart apple
• 1/2 of a large orange and 1/2 of a lemon
• 1/2 c. brandy or sherry
• 1 c. vegetable shortening, frozen, then grated
• 1/2-c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2-tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4-tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2-c. dark brown sugar
• 2 c. fresh white bread crumbs
• 1/4-c. chopped almonds
• 2 large eggs 

Yield: Serves 8 - 10

Day one:
1- Peel, core and chop the apple finely. Chop the larger dried fruits. (I used 1-1/2 c. prunes and 1 c. raisins.)

2- Remove and finely chop the zest from 1/2 of a lemon and 1/2 of an orange, and squeeze the juice. (I poured it through a sieve to get out all the small seeds.)



3- Combine the apple, dried fruits, zest, and juice in a large mixing bowl. Add the brandy and stir well. Cover the bowl with a clean towel and marinate overnight.

4- Put the vegetable shortening in a plastic tub in the freezer overnight.




Day two:
1- Lightly butter a 2-1/2 pint pudding basin.

2- Combine flour and spices in a very large mixing bowl.

Grating the frozen shortening...

3- Grate the frozen shortening into the bowl...

Lumpy shortening.

4- Work the shortening into the flour gently, leaving large chunks of shortening.

I used challah for bread crumbs.

5- Add the sugar, breadcrumbs, and nuts and stir gently until well mixed. 

6- Beat the eggs lightly in a small bowl. Add the marinated dried fruits and the eggs and fold together until everything looks moist. 



Folklore dictates that all family members must take a hand in the stirring, and it must be stirred in a clockwise direction, with eyes shut, while making a secret wish.

Pudding in the basin, ready for the lid.

6- Spoon into the pudding basin, gently pressing and smoothing the mixture with the back of a spoon. 

Pudding is in the pot and ready to steam!

7- Cover with the lid, and place the basin in a pot of simmering water. Steam for 7 hours. Make sure you check the water level frequently so it never boils dry.

8- Remove the pudding from the steamer and cool completely. Remove the lid; the pudding should be a deep brown color. Don't try to eat it now- it will collapse. 

Poke the top of the pudding all over with a skewer and pour in a little extra brandy. Cover again with the lid and store in a cool dry place until Christmas day. (The kitchen might be too steamy-- I put ours in the bedroom closet.)

9- Top the pudding up with a splash of brandy every week to keep it moist.

10- Reheat on Christmas day by steaming again for about an hour. Half-fill a metal ladle with brandy and carefully heat over a candle flame- when the ladle is hot enough, the brandy will light on fire. Pour the flaming brandy over the pudding. Turn the lights out and carry it to the table to serve.