Carrot Christmas Pudding

Serves	makes 1 (2 lb/.9 kg) pudding, 12 servings
Inspiration	modified recipe from Chatelaine Dec 1993

Ingredients

1 1/4 Cups whole glace cherries, preferably a mixture of red and green
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup mixed cut peel
1 1/8 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cups dried or fresh white bread crumbs
5/8 Tsp baking soda
1/2 Tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 Tsp gound allspice or ground cloves
1/4 cup butter (room temperature (or soften in the microwave - 1 minute at low power should do)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp cooking molasses
1 Large egg
3/4 cups buttermilk
1 cup grated carrots
1 Recipe of Butter Sauce

Directions


Butter 1 (6- cup/1.5 L) pudding mould. An oven safe mixing bowl of that size will also do.

Combine cherries, raisins and peel in a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup flour. Stir until evenly coated.

In another large bowl, stir remaining 1 cup flour with bread crumbs, baking soda, cinnamon and allspice. Set both mixtures aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with sugar. Beat in molasses, then eggs.

Stir in buttermilk and carrots. Stir flour mixture into butter mixture just until combined. Fold in fruit mixture.

Spoon into pudding mould leaving at least a 1-inch (2.5-cm) space at top. Smooth the top.

Cover the pudding with waxed paper, then foil. Tie onto the side of the mould with string.

Place a rack or a heat proof saucer (upside down) on the bottom of a deep saucepan.

Set the mould into the pan so it sit on the saucer, not on the pan bottom. Add enough water to reach two-thirds up the side of then mould.

Cover the saucepan and bring water to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 3 hours. Add boiling water as needed to maintain level.

Pudding is done when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove the mould from the saucepan and uncover. Let sit 10 minutes, then turn out of the mould.

Serve warm with Butter Sauce.

If not serving right away, turn out of the mould and seal in plastic wrap. Pudding will keep for months in a cool place or in the refrigerator.

Reheat the pudding before serving. Cover the pudding tightly with 3 layers of tin foil; 2 layers from the bottom up and one layer from the top down. Tie the top layer on with string and steam, covered, for 45 minutes to 1 hour. This the the preferred method for reheating. However you can also place the pudding on a plate and loosely cover with waxed paper. Microwave on medium power for 10 minutes or until very warm.