Puddings

Sweet puddings have been devoured and enjoyed by our families for many decades. A pudding could be steamed or boiled in a large saucepan or cooked in the oven and was served after the main meal. As a child I always asked, "What's for pudding?" I never asked, "What's for dessert?" I remember puddings were never refused by anyone at our family table.

Blessed Be He That Invented Pudding, Chapter IX 1970, p148. Bailey, A. et al, Editors. The Cooking of the British Isles. Time Inc.

My mother, Bridget Ascoli, (nee Gooley, 1906-1993), cooked the majority of those puddings and they were always varied, for example with jam, syrup, butterscotch, honey, fruit, dates, chocolate, and of course the classic plum pudding. Some everyday favourites were lemon self-saucing pudding, chocolate pudding, bread and butter pudding, and rice pudding. The puddings were always served with custards and sauces, and later in my own family with ice-cream.

Steamed Apple and Date Pudding. Similar to Bridget's recipe. Margaret Fulton's Book of Family Meals. 1983. Octopus Books Ltd. London. p 77

Bridget's Steamed Pudding recipe with variations. Barbara's handwriting.

Although Bridget was the main cook of puddings in our family, Albert always appeared in the kitchen around Christmas time, to help cook these plum puddings. Albert had had practice with cooking puddings in his cane cutters cooking days, so he was a good assistant. His main task in Bridget’s kitchen, was to tie the pudding up with string in the calico cloth, while Bridget shaped the pudding into the cloth. His tight expert knot ensured no water seeped into the pudding while it cooked, and that the knot had extra loops that allowed the pudding to be hung on a rod after the first cooking. The pudding was always made a few weeks (or sometimes days) ahead of Christmas and then reheated for about an hour or two on the day.

Bridget and Albert's Christmas Steamed Plum Pudding. Bridget's handwriting.

There was a lot of work to measure, cut and soak the dried fruit in brandy for the Christmas pudding. One of my jobs as a small child, was to peel off the almond skins after they had been soaked in hot water. No precut almonds were available in those days. The almonds were later finely cut and added to the fruit mixture. Whenever I repeat this simple task of peeling almonds, I think of my parents and how they demonstrated and encouraged a spirit of cooperation and love whenever they cooked. 

The last items to be added to the mixture were the coins. The silver coins were washed and scalded in hot water ready to be added just before the pudding was cooked. My mother always counted these coins and checked later that none had been inadvertently swallowed with the pudding. Oh, the joy of discovering a coin in your pud!

Bridget and Albert continued to cook these steamed plum puddings for family and friends their entire lives. 

Bridget and Albert preparing the Christmas plum pudding, 1988. 

I remember the joy and delight, when I was newly married and living in Darwin in 1970, when I picked up my Christmas plum pudding from the airport. A beautiful and delicious link between my family of origin in Canberra and my new married family.

One of my Christmas plum puddings following Bridget and Albert's recipe.

Albert lived five years longer than Bridget and he continued to cook plum puddings for family and friends. He was an enthusiastic follower of Christmas in July dinners and I think this was mainly because he could contribute his plum puddings to his friends’ dinner celebrations. 

Other family favourite puddings included:

Sago Plum Pudding similar to Bridget's recipe. The Epicurean's Kitchen Companion. 1994. Penny Smith. Published by Allen and Unwin Pty Ltd, St Leonards, NSW. p96. 

Note Aunty Virge's (Mary Virginia Lyndon, nee Gooley, 1904-1997) recipe recorded on this recipe. This varied recipe is for a smaller sago plum pudding that includes an egg and uses brown sugar instead of white sugar. Delicious. 

Sticky Date Pudding with butterscotch sauce.  2007. The Women's Weekly Family Treats. ACP Magazines, Sydney. p 39.