Published December 7, 2006.
We wanted a simpler, more modern plum pudding recipe that would not require months of aging. We used a little less butter in place of the suet, which gave us a rich but much lighter-textured pudding. To skip the expense of a classic pudding mold, we patched together a makeshift mold from a mixing bowl and heavy-duty foil for our plum pudding recipe. And we cut the aging time by storing the pudding in the refrigerator (not the pantry) for at least three days to allow the flavors to blend and mellow.
Make sure the pot for steaming the pudding is tall enough to be tightly covered once the pudding is inside, and remember that there will be a rack underneath the pudding as well as a cover or plate over the mold. Remember, too, that the steamer must be roomy enough to allow you to reach in and extract the cooked pudding, your hands protected by oven mitts. Of course, a pudding mold with handles makes the job easier. A 2 1/2 or 3-quart heatproof glass or ceramic bowl can be used instead of a pudding mold.
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