Christmas Pudding

Download a printable copy of this recipe here.

The Martha pudding recipe is a heritage recipe – it was given to us by the great-great-granddaughter (possibly one more great!) of one of the first pioneers who still makes it for Christmas and other special occasions. The Martha Pudding recipe is the original. As with all very old recipes, it assumes you know how to cook! We have kept the recipe the same but put it into modern cookbook format and style. Enjoy!

PUDDING

Ingredients

  • 1 cup grated carrot

  • 1 cup grated potato

  • 1 cup raisins

  • 1 cup brown sugar

  • 1 ¼ cups flour

  • 1/2 cup butter

  • 1 t cinnamon

  • Mix and steam 3 hours

  • ½ t cloves

  • ½ t nutmeg

  • 1 tablespoonful baking soda stirred into potato

Method

  1. Butter a 5 cup pudding steamer and lid

  2. Half fill a large pan with water and set to boil over medium heat.

  3. Cream the butter and brown sugar until pale

  4. In another bowl, add the grated potato, add the baking soda and mix well

  5. Add all the other ingredients except the flour to the potato and mix well.

  6. Add I cup of flour to the carrot/potato mix, and mix well so everything is well-coated with flour, to avoid lumps.

  7. Combine the dry ingredients and the creamed butter mix

  8. Add the pudding mix to the pudding steamer and close the lid firmly.

  9. Put the pudding steamer in the pot of boiling water, make sure the water comes up at least halfway, cover it with the lid, and steam for 3 hours.

  10. .Turn out onto a serving dish and pour over sauce, or serve the sauce on the side in a sauceboat.

SAUCE

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Brown sugar

  • 2 T cornstarch

  • 4 T butter

  • 2 cups boiling water

  • Flavor with vanilla

Method

  1. Add 2 spoons of water to the cornstarch and mix well.

  2. Melt the butter and sugar in a pot and when boiling, add the cornstarch mix and stir well until it thickens and turns almost clear.

  3. Add vanilla to taste.

NOTES

  • A pudding steamer is basically a metal bowl with a tight-fitting lid. You can substitute any Pyrex or similar bowl, cover the pudding with a buttered circle of foil, and tie a cloth over the top tightly.

  • A grate to support the steamer helps avoid burning the bottom; you can substitute a large cookie cutter

  • A handy kettle of boiling water helps to fill up your pot of boiling water if the water level goes below the halfway mark too fast.