Daring Bakers: Suet Pudding

"Georgie Porgie pudding and pie, kiss the girls and made them cry. When the boys came out to play, Georgie Porgie ran away." Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme

The April 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Esther of The Lilac Kitchen. She challenged everyone to make a traditional British pudding using, if possible, a very traditional British ingredient: suet

I did a little research and came up with a couple that I wanted to try.

First things first; I had to go to the store and find suet. To my amazement the butcher walked right up to the case and pulled out a package of suet. It said on there "suet, can be used for pudding." Who knew? I do know people feed it to birds in the winter but I never expected to find it so easily and for it to say "can be used for puddings".

Honestly, I was a little put off by the looks of it but pressed onward despite that.  In thinking about it though, how different is it really than any other fat around.  And unlike vegetable shortening, it is all natural.

I first made a jam pudding recipe because it was small and I could see if my four year old and I would like it before springing a recipe on the rest of the family.  Blimey!  We loved it!

Jam Suet Pudding
recipe source Cook It Simply

1 cup (4 oz) 110 g self-raising flour, sifted
pinch salt
1/4 cup (2 oz) sugar
2 oz (50 g) shredded suet
2 tbsp milk
4 tbsp jam of choice
1 1/3 cup (5 1/2 oz) 150 g self raising (self rising) flour
3 oz (75 g) shredded suet
milk

Mix the flour and salt together in a bowl.
Add the sugar and shredded suet and blend well.
Gradually stir in the milk, blending until the mixture is firm.
Grease a 1 pint (600 ml) pudding basin.
Line the base with two thirds of the pastry and put the jam in the bottom.
Cover the pudding with the remaining pastry, then cover with greased greaseproof paper making a pleat across the top for the pudding to rise.
Secure the paper around the basin with string.
Place the basin over a saucepan of water and boil for 1 1/2 hours.
Turn out onto a warm serving dish and heat some extra jam or make custard to pour over the top.

Then I made this more elaborate one for my family and parents to try.


Apricot Pudding

2/3 cup (75 g) 3 oz dried apricots, soaked overnight
4 oz (100 g) golden syrup (substitute light corn syrup)
1 1/4 cup (75 g) fresh white breadcrumbs (maybe it is me but I found that 1 1/4 cups and 75 grams of bread crumbs were not the same thing.  I went with the weight measurement)
finely grated rind and juice of 1 medium orange
3 ounces shredded suet
1 1/3 cup flour
enough milk to bind the dough

Drain and roughly chop the apricots. Combine with the syrup, 25 g (1 oz) of the breadcrumbs and the orange rind.
Mix the remaining breadcrumbs with the flour and suet.
Bind to a soft dough with the strained orange juice and a little milk.
Grease an 18-cm (7-inch) heatproof jelly mould or a 1-litre (1 1/2-pint) pudding basin and spoon a good covering of apricot mixture into the base.
Divide the pastry into three pieces.
Roll out each piece to a round, graduating in size.
Place the smallest round over the apricot mixture in the base.
Repeat the layering and finish with the largest round of pastry. Cover with greased greaseproof paper and encase loosely in foil.
Tie string around and steam for about 2 1/2 hours.
Turn out on to a warmed plate and serve with heated golden syrup and pouring cream.

We loved this jam one.  I would do this one again.  There are a number of them from other Daring Bakers that I would love to try as well.  A chocolate one, Spotted Dick, lamington...