Underdone christmas pudding

Hello Aggie

I  made all my Christmas puds and Christmas cakes a couple of weeks ago.  I ALWAYS steam the puds for 8 hours and then, when cool, put in a dark place, tightlty wrapped in an airtight container and 'feed' weekly with alcohol.  On Christmas day I re-steam for about 2-2.5 hours, although some in my family don't re-steam, but cook in a microwave (not sure how long).

Maybe Rachel Allen's recipe is a 'light' version of the traditional pud?  If so, then it might not need to be steamed for so long.  I've only ever used my family recipe, but I have eaten a Delia Smith recipe pudding a few times, as a friend makes them to her recipe.  She also steams it for 8 hours.

Until you find out whether it was a missed line, or a less rich, intense mixture, I'm not sure what to recommend.  Is the mixture still sloppy and uncooked?

When did you first cook it?

One thing that might help you find out if it is very undercooked is to use an apple corer to take out a plug of the mixture from the centre (do it from the wide part of the pud that would be hidden when you serve it!) - and taste....    My one reservation re re-steaming it for another few hours is that IF the Rachel Allen recipe is a lighter version of the traditional style puds (lots of her recipes are, to minimise stodge - I've got a couple of her books myself!) - then you might be really over-cooking the mix.  How long does she recommend steaming onChristmas day?

Posted by Aggiem999 

Could the problem lay with your calendar?

Some versions which are usually for eating after only a couple of days use less fruit and altogether less ingredients!

If you have a look at a couple of other recipes and, broadly, they are the same as Rachel Allen's...  then my gut feeling would be to think that no-one proof-read her stuff before putting it on the net!  I'd certainly do what I suggested - and then, if the mixture is still 'uncooked' looking, steam it for at least another 3 hours (total of 6 including the original 3 hour steam).  Check again and if it seems ok, just make sure you give it a good steam on Christmas morning!

Isn't it MADDENING when you spend hours and money doing a recipe and then find that it has been typed incorrectly?  I found that with a couple of recipes from early Nigella Lawson books!