Choose a decadent chocolate cherry pud with glossy brandy ganache, or wow guests by hiding a tender mandarin at the centre of a traditional steamed pudding
Mandarin-in-the-middle Christmas pud
This isn’t as tricky to make as you might think. The mandarin is lightly candied, which creates a tender, syrupy centre that oozes as you cut into the pudding. If you just want a plain Christmas pud, leave out the mandarin.
SERVES 8-10 PREP 30 mins plus a few hours soaking COOK 6 hrs-8 hrs 30 mins EASY V
For the fruit
140g each raisins, sultanas
and currants
140g glacé cherries, halved
50g blanched almonds, chopped
1 medium Bramley apple, peeled,
cored and grated (you’ll need
175g grated apple)
50ml orange liqueur
150ml medium or sweet sherry
1 orange, zested and juiced
For the pudding
140g cold butter, plus extra softened
butter for the tin
175g dark muscovado sugar,
plus 2 tbsp for coating the bowl
175g fresh white breadcrumbs
140g self-raising flour
1 heaped tsp ground mixed spice
2 eggs, beaten
cream or brandy butter, to serve
For the mandarin middle
1 firm mandarin or large seedless
clementine (about 140g)
400g granulated sugar
2 tbsp orange liqueur
1 First, prepare the fruit. Combine the dried fruit, cherries, almonds, apple, orange liqueur, sherry and orange zest and juice in a large bowl. Cover and leave to soak for a few hours, or ideally overnight.
2 Next, prepare the mandarin middle. Put the mandarin in a pan, cover with cold water, then cover the surface with a scrunched-up sheet of baking parchment. Bring to the boil and cook for 30 mins, or until fully tender when a skewer is inserted. Remove the mandarin from the water, leaving 300ml of the cooking liquid in the pan. Set the mandarin aside.
3 Add the sugar to the cooking liquid in the pan and heat gently to dissolve. Poke several holes in the mandarin, then add it to the syrup along with the liqueur. Cover with the parchment again and simmer for 45 mins, turning halfway through. By the end of cooking, the mandarin will be a little translucent and be dark orange in colour. Leave to cool in the syrup.
4 To make the pudding, butter a 1.5-litre pudding basin, then scatter over the 2 tbsp sugar. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl with a pinch of salt. Coarsely grate the butter into the bowl of soaked fruit and fold in along with the dry ingredients. Mix in the eggs.
5 Fill the basin one-third full with the fruit mixture, then nestle the mandarin into it. Pack the rest of the fruit mixture around and on top of the mandarin. Smooth the surface You may have some mixture leftover, depending on the size of the basin. (If you’re not using the mandarin, just press it all in, as you’ll have more
