110g Self raising flour
110g shredded suet
220g dried fruit (currants or sultanas)
110g Bread crumbs
110g Dark brown sugar
1/2 Teaspoon mixed spice
1/2 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
Little freshly grated nutmeg
250g plums, stones removed and chopped.
1/2 large apple, peeled, cored and chopped.
Juice & zest of 1 orange
4 Tablespoons of dark rum
225ml Milk
2 Eggs
Distant and more complex relative to spotted dick, and apparent favourite of Rear Admiral Sir John (Jack) Aubrey, fictional character of the novels of Patrick O'Brian. Plums could be replaced with drained tinned prunes but it's worth the effort to use fresh if they are in season.
Butter the inside of a 1 litre pudding basin with butter and set aside. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the chopped plums and apple, orange juice and zest, rum and eggs and mix together well. Begin adding the milk gradually and stir well. Keep adding milk until the mixture drops easily from the spoon when lifted from the bowl. Spoon the mixture into the buttered pudding basin.
Take a double sheet of foil and form a pleat across the middle. Cover the top of the pudding and tie well in place with kitchen string. Form a handle with string to make it easy to lift the pudding out of the steamer when cooked.
Partly fill a large pan with boiling water and place a steamer on top. Bring the water back to the boil and place the pudding in the steamer, cover and steam for three hours. Check the water every thirty minutes to make sure it doesn't boil dry.
When serving, remove the foil from the pudding and loosen the pudding carefully from the edges of the basin. Turn out onto a warmed serving plate, serve with custard or double cream.
