Quick alternative Christmas Pudding with Dates, Pecan Nuts and Rum Fudge Sauce
If you don’t like traditional Christmas pudding because you’re not keen on vine fruits, then this may fit the bill. Similar to sticky toffee pudding but given a festive touch with nuts, warm spices and rum fudge.
A quick alternative that can be made several days in advance and reheated in a microwave in under 5 minutes (or reheated by steaming for an hour).
Ingredients: Salted Rum Fudge Sauce
100g unsalted butter
50g caster sugar
100g soft dark brown sugar
200ml double cream
75ml dark rum (add more or less to taste)
1 level teaspoon vanilla bean paste (Available from Waitrose) or a few drops vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon sea salt to taste
Ingredients: Serves 4-6 depending how big a portion you can eat after a big Christmas lunch.
125g chopped stoneless dates
125ml hot weak, black tea
¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
50g softened unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the pudding basin
50g soft dark brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
85g self raising flour plus extra for dredging
1.5 teaspoon ground ginger (taste the mixture,
you may need more or less depending how
fresh the ginger is)
1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
50g pecan nuts cut in half lengthways
1 level teaspoon salt
200-300ml Full fat French Crème fraîche to serve
Sprig of holly to garnish (optional)
Method: Pudding - You will need a lidded steamer or a lidded saucepan of boiling water with a heatproof plate or saucer in the bottom.
Generously butter a 600ml/1pt pudding basin. Dredge with flour and shake out the excess.
Put the dates into a basin and cover with the tea. Mix in the bicarbonate of soda, stir and allow to stand for 10 minutes.
Cream the softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg a little at a time, (if the mixture starts to curdle, add a spoonful of the flour).
Sieve the flour, cinnamon and ginger onto the butter mixture, then add the salt, pecans and date mixture and mix to fully combine. The mixture will be quite runny, this is perfectly normal.
Tip the mixture in to the prepared pudding basin and smooth the top.
Cover the basin with a layer of baking parchment/greaseproof paper and a sheet of aluminium foil large enough to cover 2.5cm down the side of the basin. Fold a pleat in the middle, to allow it to stretch during cooking if required. Tie securely with string. It’s also a good idea to tie a piece of string across the top to make a handle.
The pudding is now ready to cook. Place into a lidded steamer and steam for 1 to 1:1/4 hours. - If you don’t have a steamer use a saucepan of boiling water with an upturned heatproof plate or saucer in the bottom. The water needs to come halfway up the basin. Turn down the heat allowing the water to simmer for 1 to 1:1/4 hours checking every now and again that the water hasn’t bubbled away.
To check if the pudding is cooked, insert a skewer into the centre. If it comes out clean then it’s cooked. If not put back into the steamer until cooked. If you have a food probe you can check the internal core temperature is above 75 deg C when cooked.
Allow the pudding to cool slightly before removing from the basin and serving. If are cooking in advance; cool fully and store in the fridge for up to 7 days, or freeze until required.
Method: Sauce
To make the sauce; Put the butter, sugar and cream into a heavy based saucepan and gently bring to the boil. Boil for several minutes stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens to a thickness that coats the back of a spoon. Add the rum to taste and reboil again until it coats the back of a spoon again. This will burn off the alcohol. Cool for a few minutes then stir in the vanilla paste to combine, then add salt to taste.
Set to one side and keep warm or if making in advance allow to fully cool and refrigerate for up to one week.
Reheating the sauce from cold - Heat gently in a heavy based saucepan and allow it to come to the boil before serving. If the sauce becomes too thick or becomes greasy, add a little water as you boil it.
To Reheat and Serve:
If you’ve made your pudding in advance, the best way to reheat is in a microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot (check manufacturers instructions).
If you don’t have a microwave, steam for 1 hour until hot.
When ready, place the hot pudding into the centre of a warm plate and spoon over the hot sauce. Garnish with a sprig of holly (optional)
Present to your guests, then cut the pudding into slices. To soften the richness of the pudding. serve with tangy Crème fraîche, nice and cold straight from the fridge.