| 1 | Chop raisins. Chop pitted dates and prunes and apricots. Halve red glace cherries. Lightly beat eggs. |
| 2 | Combine butter, sugar, water, brandy and fruit in large saucepan. Stir over heat, without boiling, until sugar is dissolved and butter melted. Bring to boil, simmer, uncovered for 10 mins. Transfer mixture to large heatproof bowl, cool to room temperature. |
| 3 | Line a deep 19cm square pan with 3 layers of baking paper. Grease a pudding steamer (8cup capacity), line base with baking paper. |
| 4 | Stir rinds, eggs and sifted dry ingredients into fruit mixture. divide mixture evenly into 2 portions. |
| To make the cake: |
| 1 | Place 1 portion of mixture into prepared cake pan, level surface. Bake in slow oven about 2 ¾ hours. Remove cake from oven, cover tightly with foil, cool in pan. |
| To make a steamed pudding: |
| 1 | Spoon 1 portion of mixture into prepared steamer, cover with large piece of foil. Secure lid firmly on steamer, then crush surplus foil firmly around rim of lid to help form a good seal. Place pudding in large boiler with enough boiling water to come halfway up side of steamer. Cover pan with tight-fitting lid, boil 4 hrs. Replenish boiling water in pan as necessary during cooking time. |
| 2 | Remove pudding from boiler, cool to room temperature. The pudding can be kept in the steamer for up to 6 weeks in the refrigerator or removed from the steamer, wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated or frozen. |
| To reheat steamed pudding: |
| 1 | Remove plastic wrap from pudding, replace pudding in steamer, cover with foil and lid as before. Boil the pudding, following the cooking instructions, for 2 hrs; stand 10 mins before turning out of steamer and cutting into wedges. |
| To make a boiled pudding: |
| 1 | First prepare a pudding cloth. Buy 50cm of 122cm wide unbleached calico; cut in half, trim to give 2 square cloths. Soak calico in cold water overnight. Next day, boil calico for 20 mins then rinse. |
| 2 | Dip prepared pudding cloth into boiling water; use rubber gloves to protect hands, wring excess water from cloth. Have 1/3 c plain flour ready close to cloth. Spread hot cloth on bench, quickly rub flour into cloth to cover an area about 38cm in diameter, leaving flour thicker in the centre of cloth where the "skin" on the pudding will need to be thickest. |
| 3 | Place cloth over medium-sized bowl, place mixture in centre, using bowl to stop mixture from spreading. Gather ends of cloth, lift pudding out of bowl, pat into shape with hand. |
| 4 | Tie pudding cloth securely with string, as close to pudding mixture as possible. Tie loop in string to make pudding easier to lift from the water. Pull ends of cloth tightly to make sure pudding is as round as possible. have ready a large boiler 3/4 full of rapidly boiling water. Gently and quickly lower pudding into water, quickly replace lid, boil rapidly for 6 hrs. Replenish boiling water as required; a tight-fitting lid will minimise evaporation. It is also a good idea to weight the lid with a brick or something similar. There must be enough water in the boiler for the pudding to move freely, and the water should be deep enough for the pudding to float at all times. The pudding will begin to float after the first 20 to 30 mins of boiling. |
| 5 | After 6 hrs, use handle of wooden spoon to lift pudding from the water; place handle through looped string. Lift carefully but quickly from water; do not put pudding down, but suspend from a drawer or cupboard handle, while it cools, to keep the shape. It is important that the pudding can swing freely without touching anything. Twist wet ends of cloth around supporting string to keep away from pudding. If pudding has been cooked correctly, the cloth will begin to dry out in patches within a few mins. Leave pudding for 10 mins, carefully peel cloth back, then invert pudding to cool to room temperature. |
| 6 | Wash and dry cloth. Replace pudding in cloth, tie with string, place pudding in airtight plastic bag, refrigerate or freeze until required. |
| 7 | It is best to re-cloth the pudding and store as mentioned, as this helps prevent mould developing on the pudding. Also, having a clean cloth on the pudding, it can be given as a gift for Christmas. (with reheating instructions.) |
| To serve pudding hot: |
| 1 | Remove pudding from refrigerator about 12 hrs before it is to be reheated. Prepare the pudding for reheating about 3 hrs before it is to be served. Following the cooking instructions, boil pudding for 2 hrs, hang for 10 mins before cutting string and gently easing cloth from side, invert pudding onto serving plate, slowly and gently pull cloth away from pudding. Stand about 20 mins before cutting to allow the skin to darken. |
| 2 | Pudding serves 8-10. Suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave. |
Two -in- One Christmas Mix