The Christmas Pudding Challenge!

The Christmas Pudding Challenge

I came across this fab. competition on the UKFBA site: its a chance to use up any left-overs at Christmas, or indeed, convert a delicious Christmas pudding into something more!

"To spice up Christmas, Matthew Walker is urging all UKFBA food bloggers to use ‘The Pudding’ and create some cracking alternative Christmas fare to get their, and your readers’, taste buds tingling! "

So, I emailed immediately, and the Matthew Walker puddings were sent very promptly! I was excited to find one large one and one little one! Now the challenge began - what could I make?

Love Food, Hate Waste has two recipes for making good use of leftover pudd! I have three: A Bread and Christmas Pudding, Squiffy Trifle and Christmas Truffles.

The first recipe is incredibly rich as a pudding, but as delicious as it is sticky!

Bread and Christmas Pudding

1 large Matthew Walker (454g) pudding
2 eggs
200ml milk
30g caster sugar
butter
orange marmalade

Heat the oven to 180 degrees celcius.
First, slice the puddings into 1cm slices and dribble over a little of your favourite tipple: there is Port and Sherry in the pudding, but my first choice would be brandy, although I actually used a very smoky whisky this time!
Butter one side of each slice lightly, then spread mum's marmalade on top - if your mum doesn't make marmalade (!), I'm sure your preferred recipe / jar will do the trick!

Whisk the eggs and sugar together, then add in the milk, whisking thoroughly to get as much air in as you can!
Arrange the pudding slices in a shallow, ovenproof dish and pour over the egg and milk mixture.
As the pudding is so moist already, not much will soak in, but leave for a time for as much as possible to do so.

Pop into the oven for about 20 minutes, until most of the egg and milk mixture is absorbed and thickened, and the top is crispy and brown.

Serve with either ice-cream or cream - I feel it needs something cooling!

Christmas Truffles

As the pudding is already cooked, you don't need to do anything with the pudds first.

Matthew Walker mini Christmas Pudding
double cream
dark chocolate (>70% cocoa solids)
butter
rum
toasted, crushed almonds
cocoa
caster sugar

Heat the cream gently; meanwhile, melt the chocolate and butter over a pan of hot water.
Once the cream is getting hot, gradually stir in the chocolate mix.
Once combined, stir in the chopped Christmas pudding.
Chill in the fridge.
Once cool, form the ganache into little balls and coat in either sugar, cocoa or the crushed almonds.

Squiffy Trifle

1 Matthew Walker Christmas Pudding
splash of brandy, or cherry flavour liquor
tin of cherries
custard
double cream
zest and juice of a clementine
toasted almond flakes

Begin by crumbling the pudding into the bottom of suitable glasses.

Pour over a splash of brandy and splodge a few cherries on top.

Coat all in custard and chill until set.

Whip the cream, adding the zest and juice of a clementine and spoon on top of the custard.

Top with the toasted almonds.

Since I can only enter one dish in this competition, I now have to make a choice! So, what will it be? The squidgy, rich pudding; the sweet and soft truffles or the tipsy trifle?

Well, with votes from myself and the husband, we've decided to go with...SquiffyTrifle! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did! What a Sunday!