Mandarin-in-the-middle Christmas pud #Christmas #pud

Impress your visitors with this traditional, steamed pudding with a distinction - reduce to expose a soft fruit centre and oozing citrus syrup.

INGREDIENTS

• cream or brandy butter, to serve

For the fruit

• 140g raisins
• 140g sultanas
• 140g currants
• 140g glacé cherries, halved
• 50g blanched almonds, chopped
• 1 medium Bramley apple, peeled, cored and grated to give 175g/6oz flesh
• 50ml orange liqueur (I used Cointreau)
• 150ml medium or sweet sherry
• zest and juice 1 orange

For the pudding

• 140g cold butter, plus extra, softened, for greasing
• 175g dark muscovado sugar, plus 2 tbsp for coating the bowl
• 175g fresh white breadcrumbs
• 140g self-raising flou
• 1 heaped tsp ground mixed spice
• 2 large eggs, beaten

For the mandarin middle

• 1 firm mandarin or large seedless clementine, weighing about 140g/5oz
• 400g white granulated sugar (it must be white for colour)
• 2 tbsp orange liqueur

INSTRUCTUIONS

1. First, put together the fruit. In a large blending bowl, integrate the dried fruit, cherries, almonds and apple with the alcohol and the orange juice and zest. cowl with cling movie and depart for at the least some hours, or in a single day if you could.
2. next, prepare the mandarin. put it in a pan, cowl with bloodless water, then cowl the floor with a scrunched-up piece of baking parchment. carry to the boil and cook for 30 minutes or till absolutely soft while poked with a cocktail stick. remove the mandarin from the water, maintaining 300ml of the cooking liquid inside the pan. Set aside the mandarin.
3. add the sugar to the cooking liquid in the pan and heat gently to dissolve. Poke several holes within the mandarin, then add to the syrup in conjunction with the liqueur. cowl with the parchment once more and simmer for 45 mins, turning the mandarin midway through. via the stop of cooking it'll be a little translucent and feature a darkish orange shade. leave to chill inside the syrup (in a single day is high-quality).
4. To make the pudding, grease a 1.5-litre pudding basin, then scatter over the 2 tbsp sugar. In a large bowl, combine the dry substances and a pinch of salt. Coarsely grate the butter, and fold into the fruit with the dry elements, followed through the eggs.
5. Fill the basin one-third full with the fruit mix, then nestle the mandarin into it. percent the rest of the combination around and on pinnacle of the mandarin and easy over. (in case you’re not the usage of the mandarin, just press all of it in as you’ll have more room).
6. Tear off a sheet of foil and a sheet of baking parchment, each approximately 30cm lengthy. Butter the baking parchment and use to cowl the foil. Fold a 3cm pleat in the center of the sheets, then placed over the pudding, buttered baking parchment-side down. Tie with string below the lip of the basin, making a cope with as you go. Trim the parchment and foil to about 5cm, then tuck the foil around the parchment to seal.
7. To prepare dinner the pudding, take a seat it on a heatproof saucer in a totally large saucepan, and pour in only-boiled water to come midway up the facet of the basin. cover and steam for six hrs, topping up the water occasionally. rather, area in a sluggish cooker, pour warm water midway up the side of the basin and prepare dinner on high for eight half hrs. depart the pudding to cool, and leave in a fab, darkish region to mature. To reheat, steam in a pan for 1 hr or take away the foil and parchment, cowl with grasp film and microwave on Medium for 10 mins. reduce the pudding with a pointy serrated knife, in order that the mandarin stays in area and all and sundry receives a piece. Serve with cream or brandy butter.