Mutton Pudding

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1½-quart (1.5 L) heatproof pudding basin with a defined rim
• •Deep, heavy lidded pot large enough to hold the basin
• •Small heatproof trivet or inverted saucer
• •Rolling pin
• •Pastry brush
• •Baking parchment, aluminum foil, and kitchen string

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare basin and mutton

   Butter the inside of a 1½-quart (1.5 L) heatproof pudding basin thoroughly, carrying the butter right to the rim. Season the mutton evenly with the salt and pepper, turning the pieces with your hands so no layer enters the basin bland. Keep the meat cool while you roll the paste.

   Trim away tough surface gristle, but don't pare the shoulder into sterile little cubes. Its fine seams of fat and connective tissue melt during the long cooking and give body to the enclosed gravy.
2. 2

   Line the basin

   Set aside about one-third of the stiff suet paste prepared according to Steak Pudding (No. 1170) for the lid. Roll the remainder into a round ¼ inch (6 mm) thick, broad enough to cover the basin with a little overhang. Lower it into the basin and ease it against the bottom and sides without stretching, which would make thin places split. If the paste cracks, don't begin again. Ça se rattrape: moisten the edges of the crack, press on a small scrap of paste, and smooth the join firmly with a fingertip.

3. 3

   Layer and moisten

   Arrange the seasoned mutton inside the lined basin in even layers, fitting the pieces closely without crushing them. Leave about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of space below the rim so the crust has room to expand. Pour in only enough cold water to come barely level with the upper pieces, using no more than the measured 1¼ cups (300 ml). This plain water is correct. Inside the sealed crust it mingles with the mutton juices and becomes the pudding's gravy.

4. 4

   Seal the pudding

   Roll the reserved paste ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. Brush the exposed rim of the lining lightly with the sealing water, lay the lid over it, and press the two layers together all the way around. Trim the excess, then pinch and fold the seam inward until no gap remains. If the fatty paste refuses to bond, scrape the two surfaces lightly, moisten them again, and press on a narrow cord of spare paste. Ça se rattrape. Butter a round of parchment, place it buttered-side down over the basin, cover with foil, and make a generous pleat through the centre so the covering can expand. Tie it firmly beneath the rim with kitchen string and make a string handle for lifting.

5. 5

   Cook four hours

   Set a small heatproof trivet or inverted saucer in a deep, heavy pot and place the covered basin on it. Pour boiling water around the basin until it reaches two-thirds of the way up the sides, then cover the pot and return the water to a steady, quiet simmer. Cook for 4 hours. Check the level every 30 to 45 minutes and replenish it only with boiling water. If the level slips below halfway, top it up at once and restore the simmer; the pudding is unharmed as long as the pot hasn't boiled dry. The long, uninterrupted moist cooking is what tenderizes the mutton and cooks the stiff crust through.

6. 6

   Turn out and serve

   Lift the basin out by its string handle and remove the foil and parchment carefully. Let the pouding settle for 10 minutes, then loosen only the upper edge with a thin knife. Place a warmed, rimmed serving platter over the basin and invert both together with confidence. If the pudding clings, wrap the basin for 1 minute in a cloth wrung out in very hot water, then try again. Cut a broad wedge at the table so the glossy mutton liquor pools onto the platter. Spoon that gravy over each serving. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask specifically for mutton, meat from a mature sheep, and choose shoulder. Lamb will make a sweeter, milder pudding and may soften sooner, but it won't have mutton's deep savour. Technique first, always, yet the name should still mean what it says.
• •The paste in Steak Pudding (No. 1170) uses real beef kidney suet. Ask a butcher to trim and finely chop it, or use plain shredded beef suet without herbs or seasoning. Vegetable shortening changes both the flavour and the tender, close texture of the crust.
• •Do not replace the water with stock, wine, onions, or herbs. The source is emphatically spare, and that restraint lets the mutton season its own liquor inside the sealed paste. Adding a ready-made sauce would turn it into a different pudding.
• •A warmed rimmed platter is the useful home equivalent of the original folded napkin presentation. The napkin was service scaffolding; the rim catches every spoonful of gravy and wastes nothing.
• •Serve with plainly boiled potatoes or buttered cabbage and a sturdy red with freshness, such as a young Cahors. The pudding already supplies meat, pastry, and gravy, so its companions should know when to be quiet.

Advance Preparation

• •The stiff suet paste from Steak Pudding (No. 1170) can be prepared a day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Let it stand only until it becomes pliable enough to roll; warm suet paste turns greasy and difficult to seal.
• •The mutton may be trimmed and cut a day ahead, then refrigerated in a covered container. Season it just before filling the basin so it doesn't shed its juices while waiting.
• •For a fully make-ahead pudding, cook it through, cool it for 30 minutes, then cover and refrigerate within 2 hours for up to 2 days. Reheat it in its covered basin over simmering water for 60 to 75 minutes, until the centre reaches 165°F (74°C), then rest and turn it out as directed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 410g)