Figgy Pudding: Two Ways – Old and New?

Wednesday Julia was holding the Figgy Pudding – so, as promised….
a Figgy Pudding sing a-long fa la la  (and recipes)

…Oh, bring us a figgy pudding;Oh, bring us a figgy pudding;
Oh, bring us a figgy pudding and a cup of good cheer

We won’t go until we get some;We won’t go until we get some;
We won’t go until we get some, so bring some out here…

Since Figgy Pudding is traditional an English sustenance… I went to the source, the BCC!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/figgypudding_90647

Figgy pudding
Ingredients

  • 175g/6oz dried figs
  • 100ml/3½fl oz brandy
  • 50g/2oz self-raising flour
  • 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 175g/6oz breadcrumbs
  • 100g/3½oz shredded vegetarian suet
  • 225g/8oz chopped dates
  • 90g/3¼oz golden raisins
  • 1 orange, zest and juice only
  • 5cm/2in piece fresh root ginger, grated or juiced to retain only the juice
  • 2 free-range eggs
  • butter, for greasing
  • custard, to serve

Preparation method

  1. Place the figs into a bowl and pour over the brandy. Leave to soak overnight, then drain (reserving the brandy) and roughly chop the figs.
  2. In a bowl, mix together the flour, nutmeg, breadcrumbs, suet, dates and raisins.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the reserved brandy, orange zest and juice, ginger juice and eggs until well combined.
  4. Add the brandy mixture into the flour mixture and mix well to combine, until smooth and free of lumps. Stir in the figs, then spoon the mixture into a 1 litre/2 pint pudding dish and cover with buttered greaseproof paper followed by cloth or kitchen foil. Secure well with kitchen string.
  5. Steam in a large pan of water for four hours, topping up the water as necessary throughout, or until the pudding is cooked through and springy to the touch.
  6. Unwrap the pudding basin and serve the pudding in slices with custard.
Figgy Pudding #2__________________________________________________

The above seems a bit time consuming – so here is the faster easier, less demanding of you, Figgy Pudding (a simplified version) -It is from the December 2004 issue of Good Housekeeping, and author Laura Kalpakian. Read more: Figgy Pudding Recipe – Laura Kalpakian What Is Figgy Pudding – Good Housekeeping

One package of dried figs (10 to 12 ounces). Put them in a saucepan with enough hot water to cover, at least 2 cups. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Let sit until soft (a few hours).

Once soft, remove figs from the water and place in a bowl. Save the water, which will already be fragrant, and add a cup of sugar (optional). Bring to a boil and let reduce slightly. Remove from heat. Add a bit, perhaps 1 tablespoon, maybe more, of orange-flower water. Cool.

Chop up your figs. Chop them fine, but do not pulverize. Do this by hand.
Using a boxed cake mix for carrot cake, follow the directions, but instead of the water they request, use the fragrant sugary water from the figs. (Save the remainder of this water.) Then add oil and eggs as recommended on the carrot cake mix. Add some cinnamon (about 1/2 teaspoon) and a lot of fresh-grated nutmeg (about 1/4 teaspoon). Mix in a food processor. At the end, toss in the fig pieces and beat in a bit. Turn into a bowl and add a bunch of sliced almonds (about 1/2 cup) and some raisins (about 1/3 cup) that have been softened in brandy if you like. Add the grated peel of one orange and a big dollop (1 tablespoon) of marmalade.

Line a big metal bowl (about 4 quarts) with foil. Use enough foil that you will have a big collar around the top of the bowl. Spray the foil with nonstick spray. Pour your cake batter into the foil-lined bowl. Set into preheated 350° oven for 30 minutes, then bring the collar gently over top of cake. Continue for another hour and half. Use a skewer to test (it will come out clean when pudding is done). It will take a while because it is dense.
Remove from oven and cool overnight.  Uncover and overturn onto a big serving platter. Carefully remove foil. The cake will be a mound, its size depending on the depth of your bowl.

To serve, take the reserved fig-and-sugar syrup and add to this maybe 1/4 to 1/2 cup of brandy or rum. Heat. You can, if you wish, ignite as you would for plum pudding, but it tastes just fine with the sauce poured over it just before serving. Use whipped cream or crème fraîche with each serving. (If your cake is less than perfect to the eye, you can instead quickly frost the cold cake with whipped cream, covering any imperfections, and serve the warm sauce on the side.)

Read more: Figgy Pudding Recipe – Laura Kalpakian What Is Figgy Pudding – Good Housekeeping

Julia figgy pudding