Sunbeam Christmas Pudding
Preparation 15 MINS + overnight cooling
Cook 6 hours
Serves 12
Method
In a large saucepan combine all dried fruits with 300ml water, butter and caster sugar. Stir well to combine, then bring to the boil, reduce heat to low and stir over a simmer for 8 mins. Turn off the heat and stir in bicarbonate of soda. Cover and allow mixture to cool completely overnight.
Soak breadcrumbs in milk until just absorbed. Add to the mixture with lemon zest, almonds, carrot, flour and spices. Mix well then stir in eggs, brandy and orange juice.
Grease the base and sides of a 2L lidded pudding basin. Spoon the mixture into the basin then smooth the surface and cover with a round of baking paper before closing the lid.
Place a trivet into the bottom of a large saucepan and rest the pudding basin on top. Fill the saucepan with enough boiling water to come half way up the basin. Cover the saucepan with lid, bring the water to a boil then reduce to very low simmer and leave the pudding to steam for 6 hours.
Check that the pudding is done by gently pressing gently the centre. If it springs back it’s ready (f not, re-cover and steam for a further 30 mins, repeating if necessary).
Allow pudding to cool in the tin for an hour then invert onto a baking rack to cool completely.
Ingredients
250g Sunbeam Raisins
250g Sunbeam Sultanas
165g Sunbeam Currants
125g Angas Park Prunes, roughly chopped
125g Angas Park Mixed Peel
165g butter
165g caster sugar
1 ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
165g fresh, white breadcrumbs
125ml milk
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
60g blanched almonds
1 medium carrot, grated
85g plain flour
¼ tsp sea salt
2 tsp mixed spice
2 eggs, lightly whisked
60ml brandy
165ml orange juice
Recipe Collection
Christmas Pudding
Greese 2 small or 1 large basin.
Mix all the dry ingredients together. Fill the mixture into the basins, or if preferred a well seasoned pudding cloth. Place 2 thicknesses of foil over the basins and tie securly.
Boil steadily for 6 hours for the lrge pudding and 4 hours for the small. On the day pudding is to be served, boil for 1 hour.
Roast Pork with Pistachio Stuffing
Pat the pork belly dry with a paper towel, then score the rind at 1cm intervals.
To make the Pistachio Stuffing, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low-medium heat. Add the shallot, lemongrass, garlic, ginger and chilli flakes. Cook, stirring for 3-4 minutes until softened. Then add the remaining ingredients. And cook, stirring, until pistachios are lightly golden. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Then stir in the lemon zest and parsley leaves.
Butterfly the pork belly, leaving one edge intact. Spoon the Pistachio Cranberry Stuffing inside the pork and then roll up. Secure the pork with kitchen twine. Place pork into the fridge overnight (or for 12 hours) to allow the skin to dry up and the pork meat to take on the stuffing flavour.
Preheat the oven to 180℃ fan force.
Place pork onto a wire rack and into a roasting tin. Rub the oil over the pork belly skin and sprinkle over salt. Place into the middle of the oven and roast for 30 minutes. Turn heat down to 160℃ and continue to cook for 2 hours to slowly cook the pork meat. Then, to finish, turn the oven up to the highest grill setting and continue cooking for 2-4 minutes until skin has turned to crackling – you may need to use tongs to rotate the pork a few times to brown all sides evenly.
Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes, before carving.
Macadamia Biscuits
Preheat oven to 170⁰C. Line baking tray with grease proof paper.
- Cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla essence and egg, beating until well combined.
- Stir in flour, macadamia nuts and choc chips.
- Roll tablespoons of mixture into balls and place on tray 5cm apart. Bake for 12mins or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.
Fruit & Nut Chocolate Nests
Mini Fruit Tarts
Preheat oven to 200°C.
Add fruit mince in an even layer into tart case.
Cut out star shapes from shortcrust sheet.
Brush each pastry shape with beaten egg and place pastry egg-side down on fruit mince.
Bake tart about 20 minutes or until browned lightly. Dust with a little sifted icing sugar before serving.
Layered Caramel Cake with Christmas Fruit Cream
Step 1: In a medium bowl soak Sunbeam fruit with orange rind, maple syrup & boiling water for 2 hours.
Step 2: Caramel Ganache. In a small saucepan on medium heat, melt the caramilk chocolate and 400ml of cream to form a ganache. Once melted and well combined, stir and set aside to cool. Once the caramilk ganache has cooled, whip with a hand blender till firm.
Step 3: Fruit Cream. Remove orange rind and drain fruit of any excess liquid. Set liquid aside as you will use this later. In a large bowl whip 400ml cream, corn flour and All Spice until firm. Add fruit mix to cream and stir through.
Step 4: Assemble. Cut your sponge cake into halves so you have 4 pieces to form 4 layers. On each layer of the cake spread 2-3 tablespoons of the caramilk ganache followed by 2-3 tablespoons of the fruit cream mix – spread evenly and layer your cake.
Garnish with any leftover ganache and cream and top with seasonal fresh fruits.