Delia Smith on radio2 today

[Nicos]

Anyone hear her???
This is the link to her Christmas dinners...

BBC - Radio 2 - Don't Cancel Christmas - Delia Smith's Christmas Lunch Recipes

[smallblueplanet]

We always do a version (we change some of the dried fruit) of Delia's xmas pud, its great! We'll be 'stirring it up' this Sunday!!!

[Hilary B]

I sometimes cook an alternative Christmas pud that doesn't need making in advance. I got the basic idea from Glynn Christian (anyone remember him?) at least 30 years ago.
Suet pastry made with 12oz self-raising flour
1 large orange
8oz dried-fruit-salad (apricots, apples etc, rather than raisins and sultanas)
a glass of wine or fruit-juice
2 tablespoons brandy (if you want)
Pour the wine and brandy over the fruit, leave overnight
Make the suet pastry, use 3/4 of it to line a pudding basin (the one I use is about 5 inches wide at the top)
Put some of the fruit in the pastry shell, scrub the orange well, then pierce deeply in a few places with a knitting needle. Place in the centre of the pud. Pack around the orange with the rest of the fruit, use the remaining pastry to make a lid. Make small holes in the lid to let out steam.
Steam the pud for at least 2½ hours (I think 3 hours is better). To serve, turn out on a shallow dish, and cut in wedges that include a piece of the orange on every portion. Add custard, or whatever else you like with a Christmas pud.
You may be able to find a more precise version somewhere online. I made this one because I don't like dried 'vinefruits'.