Celtic Moment

since all grandmothers are gone now and i wasn’t old enough to lear cooking from them, i would love a great christmas pudding recipe that i can enjoy and pass on to my childre. please take pity on me. thanks to all who take the time to answer my questions and a recipe for a good rack of lamb would be very much appreciated to.

Originally posted 2010-10-15 13:37:35.

Product Description
Yorkshire’s national dish has become loved all over the world. This book reveals the history of how it became such an iconic cullinary delight, and gives clear instruction on perfecting the art of making it. To countless Yorkshire men and women, nothing is more symbolic of God’s Own County than Yorkshire Pudding. Yet just how the dish achieved this position of supremacy is shrouded in mystery. So too is the reason why it also has amazing fame not just in other parts… More >>

Great Book of Yorkshire Pudding. by Elaine Lemm

Many food stuffs are synonymous with iconic English Dishes. We in England may have strange names for our quality food but at least we don’t eat Pets like the french who eat Horses, Frogs and Pet Birds. I thought as Spotted Dick is an Iconic English Recipe and pudding I thought I would tell its history.

Spotted Dick is a steamed suet pudding containing dried fruit (usually currents) commonly served with custard. Spotted refers to the dried fruit (which resemble spots) and dick may be a contraction or corruption of the word pudding (from the last syllable) or possibly a corruption of the word dough or dog, as “spotted dog” is another name for the same dish with the use of plums rather than currants. Another explanation offered for the latter half of the name is that it comes from the German word for “thick”, in reference to the thickened suet mixture.

Food historians generally agree the first puddings made by ancient cooks produced foods similar to sausages. We English claim pudding as part of their culinary heritage. Medieval puddings black and white were still mostly meat-based. 17th century English puddings were either savory (meat-based) or sweet (flour, nuts & sugar) and were typically boiled in special pudding bags. The “The Pease Porridge“ most of us know from the old nursery rhyme was most likely a simple boiled pudding of pease meal. By the latter half 18th century traditional English puddings no longer included meat. 19th century puddings were still boiled but the finished product was more like cake. These puddings are still traditionally served at Christmas time. Plum Pudding (aka Christmas pudding) is a prime example. Modern steamed puddings descend from this tradition.

Ingredients

5 oz (75g) Self raising Flour

5 oz (75g) Chopped Suet

3 oz (50g) Fresh White Breadcrumbs

4 oz (75g) Raisins

4 oz (75g) Currents

3 oz (50g) Brown Sugar

Pinch of Salt

1/2 teaspoon Mixed Spices

1/2 pint (300ml) Milk

Pkt. Of Birds Custard

Method

Put all the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix them together well. Now add the Milk and mix to a fairly soft dough.

Put the mixture into a greased 2 pint (1.2 litre) pudding basin and cover with kitchen foil, making a pleat across the centre to allow the pudding to rise. Tie the foil firmly in place with string, forming a handle across the top so that you can lift the pudding easily.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil and place an inverted saucer in the bottom. Lower in the pudding basin and let it boil, covered, for 2 hours, filling the pan with more boiling water as the level falls.

Remove from the pan by the string handle, unwrap, turn out on to a heated dish.

Open pkt of Birds Custard and follow instructions on pkt.

Serves 4.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary the earliest documented reference is a recipe for “Plum Bolster or Spotted Dick”, in Alexis Soyer’s The Modern Housewife, or, Ménagère (1850).

My family tree has been traced back to the early Kings of England from the 7th Century AD. I am also a direct descendent of Sir Christopher Wren which has given me an interest in English History which is great fun to research.

I have recently decided to write articles on my favourite subjects: English Sports, English History, English Icons, English Discoveries and English Inventions. At present I have written over 100 articles which I call “An Englishman’s Favourite Bits Of England” in various Volumes. Please visit my Blogs page http://Bloggs.Resourcez.Com where I have listed all my articles to date.

Copyright © 2010 Paul Hussey. All Rights Reserved.

Product Description
Yorkshire’s national dish has become loved all over the world. This book reveals the history of how it became such an iconic cullinary delight, and gives clear instruction on perfecting the art of making it. To countless Yorkshire men and women, nothing is more symbolic of God’s Own County than Yorkshire Pudding. Yet just how the dish achieved this position of supremacy is shrouded in mystery. So too is the reason why it also has amazing fame not just in other parts… More >>

Great Book of Yorkshire Pudding

I thought it would be of interest to write this article about the English recipe and history – Black Pudding which is a sausage of interesting taste and is eaten as a breakfast or snack and can be traced back to the 16th Century.

Black pudding in the United Kingdom is generally made from pork blood and a relatively high proportion of oatmeal. In the past it was occasionally flavoured with pennyroyal. differing from continental European versions in its relatively limited range of ingredients and reliance on oatmeal instead of onions to absorb the blood. It can be eaten uncooked, but is often grilled, fried or boiled in its skin.

In the UK, black pudding is associated with Lancashire and particularly with the town of Bury where it is usually boiled and served with malt vinegar out of paper wrapping. In the remainder of the country, and especially in the south, it is usually served sliced and fried or grilled as part of a traditional full breakfast.

it is also served this way in Ireland, New Zealand and the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador.

The further addition of the similar white pudding is an important feature of the traditional Northumbria, Scottish, Irish and Newfoundland breakfast.

Towns other than Bury noted for their black pudding include Clonakilty, County Cork in Ireland’s south west and on Stornaway, Isle of Lewis off the west coast of Scotland.

Black and white pudding, as well as a third variant red pudding is served battered at chip shops in Scotland and England as an alternative to fish and chips.

Pig or Cattle blood is most often used;Sheep and Goat blood are used to a lesser extent.

Typical fillers include Meat, Fat, Suet, Bread, Sweet Potato, Onion, Chestnuts, Barley and Oatmeal.

Ingredients

1 litres Wild Boar

Oxtail

300g Wild Boar, cubed

1.5 Onions, diced

300g Oatmeal, soaked

1 tbsp Paprika

1 tbsp Butter

 

Method

1. Heat the butter in a pan and cook the onions until soft but not browned.

2. Mix the onions with the cubed fat and oatmeal. Mix well and season with salt, pepper and the paprika.

3. Add the blood and mix well with your hands to ensure a sloppy consistency. Leave to cool.

4. Pipe the mixture into the ox casings. At regular intervals tie the bag off to make individual sausage-shaped black puddings. Prick each pudding to ensure it doesn’t split whilst being cooked.

5. Heat a large pan of water to 80C and add the black puddings. Cook for about 10 minutes; it is vital that you continually move them around while cooking.

6. Remove from the pan and leave to cool.

I hope you enjoy this tasty bit of England which if you visit England can be found in the chill cabinet and brought from our local supermarkets.

 

Please visit my Funny Animal Art Prints Collection @ http://www.fabprints.com

My other website is called Directory of British Icons: http://fabprints.webs.com

Copyright © 2010 Paul Hussey. All Rights Reserved.

 

 

Okay, so it’s hardly Nouvelle Cuisine, it’s Scottish Cuisine – which is basically a contradiction in terms! Anyway, here it is – the ultimate snack – ta-dah! The Bacon, Egg and Black Pudding roll. You can almost feel those arteries clogging as you read….

Product Description
Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher’s book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Deep Frying, Scotch Whisky, Irn-Bru, Haggis, Porridge, Scotch Broth, Head Cheese, Black Pudding, Single Malt Scotch, Chocolate-Coated Marshmallow Treats, Scottish Pork Taboo, Scone, Bannock, Macaroon, Chicken Tikka Masala, Deep-Fried Mars Bar, A.g. Barr, Oatcake, Drambuie, Hr Bradf… More >>

Scottish Cuisine: Deep Frying, Scotch Whisky, Irn-Bru, Haggis, Porridge, Scotch Broth, Head Cheese, Black Pudding, Single Malt Scotch