Quick and Easy Christmas Pudding

Preparation 20 Minutes

Cook 30 Minutes

Serves 8-10

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Method

  1. Place fruit and brandy in microwaveable bowl and heat for 1 minute or until warmed through. Set aside to cool, stirring occasionally.

  2. Beat butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Sift flour and mixed spice over butter mixture, then stir in breadcrumbs and fruit mixture. Mix well.

  3. Grease and flour a 1.5L microwaveable bowl. Spoon mixture into bowl and smooth top. Cover with a pleated, double-layer of baking paper secured with kitchen string.

  4. Cook in microwave on defrost setting (300W) for 30 minutes, rotating the bowl after 20 minutes. Test with a skewer inserted into pudding. If it doesn’t come out clean, microwave at 5 minute intervals until done. Leave pudding to stand for 10 minutes before turning onto a plate. Serve with custard.

Ingredients

375g Sunbeam Mixed Fruit

100g Sunbeam Australian Raisins

100g Angas Park Dates

1/2 cup brandy

150g butter, softened

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

2 free-range eggs

1/2 cup plain flour

2 tsp mixed spice

1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs

custard, to serve

Recipe Collection

Beef Crostini Sunmuscat Relish

This appetiser is nice way to begin a Christmas meal.

For the relish. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a pan over medium-low heat. Add shallots, and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add Sunmuscats, port, vinegar, chilly, and thyme sprig. Raise heat to medium-high, and simmer until thickened, about 8 minutes. Let cool slightly. stir in chopped thyme, celery, salt, and pepper.

To serve, combine mayonnaise and mustard, and spread about 2 teaspoons on each slice of baguette. Top with a slice of beef, season with salt, and top with 1 teaspoon sunmuscat-port relish. Garnish with micro herbs.

Sunshine Pudding

Prepare a 2 litre pudding basin – grease well and double line base with baking paper circles.

  1. Combine raisins, sultanas, cherries and Cointreau in a bowl and leave to soak for 30 minutes.
  2. Place apricots, apricot nectar, orange juice and rind in a small saucepan and simmer covered for ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool and puree.
  3. Cream butter and brown sugar in a small bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition.
  4. Sift flours into a large bowl, add butter cake crumbs, macadamias, soaked fruit, pureed apricots and butter mixture and mix well to combine. Spoon mixture into the basin and smooth the top. Top with baking paper round.
  5. Take a 60cm long piece of baking paper and foil, layer and make a 3cm pleat in the middle of the sheets. Place onto pudding basin and secure with kitchen string.
  6. Place a wire rack onto the base of a large saucepan, a third filled with water and bring to the boil. Carefully place pudding onto rack, making sure the water comes about halfway up basin. Cover and simmer for 6 hours, topping up water when needed. Remove from saucepan and stand for 10 minutes before turning out.
  7. Serve with cream, custard or ice-cream if desired.

Candied nuts decoration:

  1. Place sugar and water in a medium, heavy-based saucepan and stir over low heat until sugar has completely dissolved. Stop stirring, increase heat and bring to boil. Reduce to medium heat and gently boil until the toffee begins to change colour. Do not stir toffee once it has boiled.
  2. Working quickly, drop macadamias one at a time into the toffee and toss with a fork to coat, remove and place on a tray lined with baking paper. Repeat with remaining macadamias.
  3. Decorate the top of the pudding and serve.

Lamb Mince, Sultana & Pistachio Sweet Potato Boats

Preheat oven to 200°C. Prick sweet potatoes with a fork, arrange on a rimmed oven tray, and cover pan tightly with foil. Bake 1 hour. Remove foil, brush potatoes with 2 tsp oil, and bake a further 15 – 20 minutes – or until potatoes are very soft when pierced with a sharp knife.

While the sweet potatoes roast, place a heavy-based skillet over medium heat. Add remaining 1 1/2 Tbsp oil, diced onion, and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook 5 – 7 minutes, until onions have started to soften.

Add garlic, cumin, paprika, and harissa or tomato paste, to the onion. Stir for 1 minute, then add lamb mince and break up with a spatula.

Cook a further 3 – 5 minutes, until lamb mince is golden and cooked through. Remove from heat and stir through sultanas.

Remove sweet potatoes from the oven and cool slightly. Slice in half lengthwise, and scoop out flesh, leaving a 1 cm border of potato in the skins. Return potato halves to the tray, and add sweet potato flesh to the lamb mince. Roughly mash larger pieces of potato and stir to combine with mince. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer lamb mixture to the hollowed sweet potato halves, and bake a further 10 – 15 mins, until crisp on top and warmed through.

Top stuffed sweet potatoes with a dollop of yoghurt, toasted pistachios and fresh herbs. Serve with a simple rocket salad or steamed green veg.

Tips

• Sweet potatoes can be microwaved until tender, then brushed with oil, transferred to a baking tray and roasted in a 200°C oven for a further 5 – 7 minutes to crisp skin. Continue from Step 5 above.

Broccolini and Beans

  1. Place broccolini and beans in a medium saucepan of boiling water and cook for 3 – 5 minutes. Remove and drain well.
  2. In a small saucepan cook butter, lemon, garlic and chilli for 1 minute. Add parsley and almonds. Pour over broccolini and beans and toss to combine. Serve.

Decadent Christmas Cake

  1. Pre-heat oven to 150°C (130°C fan-forced). Lightly grease and line a deep 20cm cake pan with three layers of baking paper. Combine mixed fruit, raisins, and sultanas in a large saucepan. Add water and port, mix through. Place over a low heat for 5 minutes until liquid is absorbed and fruit softened. Set aside to cool.

  2. Using electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Add eggs one at a time until all incorporated. Fold in flours and spices.

  3. Remove from mixing stand and fold in the fruit mixture with a large spoon. Mixing until well combined. Spoon batter into prepared cake tin and smooth the top. Decorate with almonds bake for 2 hours 30 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely. Brush the top with jam whilst the cake is still warm.

Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge

  1. Line a 20cm x 20cm slice tin. Combine condensed milk and butter in a saucepan until heated through and butter has melted. Remove from heat and add chopped chocolate. Stirring until smooth.
  2. Add cherries to chocolate mixture and mix well. Pour into prepared pan and tap on the bench gently so the surface is smooth. Sprinkle with hazelnuts and refrigerate for 1 hour until firm.
  3. For serving, remove from pan and trim the edges. Cut into squares and package up to give as gifts.
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