My mother in law used to make a steamed suet pudding that was served with a caramel type sauce on it. It was so good. She only made in for Christmas. She had a kettle steamer that had a unit that hooked on the lip of the kettle and had three divided compartments in it.

My Grandma used to make it...with rum. LOL My Mom used to giggle about

her using the rum because she was so violently against alcohol. She didn't

consider the rum as alcohol unless someone was drinking it. :) Don't remember

where or how she got the rum, or how long she had it. I remember

liking the pudding, but didn't like the smell.

It was never a tradition in our family, but my brothers MIL makes it every year and not just at Christmas. Steamed a very long time in the oven in a brioche pan, but I don't have the recipe and only know it includes at least some fresh not dried fruit. She did tell me this year when we shared Thanksgiving with her and she served the pudding, she used persimmons for her plum pudding not plums....could have fooled me, I couldn't have guessed the difference. The couple of times I've had a holiday with her, the pudding has been presented with a lemon sauce, not a hard sauce.

I remember my mom making Indian Pudding served with Hard Sauce made with whiskey or bourbon. My dad loved that pudding. I could take it or leave it and prefer it served with vanilla ice cream.

My Mom always made the suet pudding called Johnny Bull. The kitchen stove had a deep well element in which it was steamed. The bag Mom placed it in was cared for lovingly for probably 40 years. Her sauce was just lightly sweet and flavored with nutmeg. Oh how I would I love to have a piece of it now!

I have never had or seen any. I think I would like them.

Sue

My mother always made a fruitcake, but for the past several years, we've had plum pudding for dessert for Christmas Eve dinner. I order mine from <http://mothersperrysplumpudding.com>; Mother makes a glorious true plum pudding that one steams and serves with hard sauce. You won't regret this purchase!

Steamed pudding dates from the time when most people did not have ovens. I Know that sounds strange but ovens were not normal parts of peoples kitchen equipment. early puddings were wrapped in a cloth and boiled in a pot of water. Soggy and heavy. In fact a sort of giant dumpling. Later there were bowls with a wide edge where you tied a cloth to cover the pudding. Safer and the pudding was lighter. I have a pudding mold which is tinned with a lid that would sit down in a pot of water that you boiled with the water below the top of the mold. Similar to the bowl but not breakable. It has a stem up the middle that helps with the cooking through. Recipes may vary. Before baking powder the chopped suet melted and coated the flour granules creating a crumb. It makes a very dense cake. All the rest is flavoring. Nor my preferred cake but to those who love it a Christmassy experience. Hard sauce is not a reference to the liquor but the solidity of the sugar once poured over the cake.

I have successfully made a plum pudding in the microwave, which is much easier than steaming it for hours.

Never had Christmas pudding! Bet it is delicious!

Rhonda, this is the recipe I use, from my Mom's old Five Roses Cookbook. Plum Pudding doesn't contain plums, it is called that because of the plump raisins.

Steamed Suet Pudding

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp cloves

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup molasses

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

2 tbsps grape juice - can be replaced with 1 tbsp brandy

1 cup (1/4 pound) ground suet

1 cup fine dry bread crumbs

1 1/2 cups sultana raisins

2 tbsps chopped orange peel

2 tbsps chopped lemon peel

1/2 cup slivered blanched almonds

2 tsps brandy flavouring (can be replaced with 1 tbsp brandy)

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Stir dry ingredients together. Combine eggs, molasses, buttermilk, grape juice. Add to dry ingredients and blend well. Stir in ground suet and bread crumbs. Combine fruits and almonds, fold into batter. Add flavouring. Turn into a well greased 1 1/2 quart mould. Cover mould and steam in a covered steamer or pot 3 to 3 1/2 hours or until done. Serve warm with warmed sauce or hard sauce. 8 to 10 servings

Hard Sauce

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup icing sugar

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsps brandy or whiskey (optional)

Cream butter, gradually add sugars, beating thoroughly. Slowly add cream and vanilla, beating constantly. Pile into sauce dish. Make a well in centre, add brandy or whiskey and let sit until brandy is soaked up. Chill before serving.

You can make individual steamed puddings by using custard cups or small moulds. If you don't have lid, cover with buttered parchment paper and foil. My Mom would put the pudding mix in cheesecloth, form into a ball and put in a pan then into the pot to steam

Thank you so much, Cherryfizz!!

My mother, who was born in England, would make a Christmas pudding. It was steamed on top of the stove in a metal fluted mold. She also made the hard sauce. It was a cream colored thick sauce that was served on top of the pudding. The sauce was not very sweet. Do not buy a hard sauce in a jar; it will be too sweet.