American Pudding

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1-quart (950 ml) heatproof pudding basin or charlotte mould
• •Heavy lidded pot or deep roasting pan large enough to hold the basin
• •Small round rack or folded kitchen towel
• •Heatproof mixing bowl and balloon whisk
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Instant-read thermometer, optional

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the bain-marie

   Heat the oven to 325°F (160°C) and bring a kettle of water to the boil. Butter a 1-quart (950 ml) heatproof pudding basin generously, dust it with the measured tablespoon of flour, and tap out the excess. Set a small rack or folded kitchen towel in the bottom of a heavy pot deep enough to hold the basin. This bain-marie gives the pudding slow, even heat; direct oven heat would set the outside before the marrow has melted through the crumb.

2. 2

   Chop the fats cold

   Keep the marrow and suet cold enough to cut cleanly, then chop each into pieces no larger than coarse bread crumbs. Remove every papery membrane from the suet. If either fat softens and begins smearing across the board, stop and chill it for ten minutes before continuing. Tiny separate pieces melt throughout the pudding; a greasy paste gathers in pockets.

   A chilled knife and board make this easier. Do not replace either fat with rendered tallow, which has already lost the structure the pudding needs.
3. 3

   Build the pudding batter

   Combine the bread crumbs, powdered sugar, flour, candied fruit, zest, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Zest means only the colored, glossy outer peel, with none of the bitter white pith. Toss in the chopped marrow and suet until every piece is coated and evenly dispersed. Whisk the whole egg, three yolks, and brandy or rum together, pour them over the dry mixture, and fold until no flour remains. The preparation will be thick and heavy rather than fluid. Do not loosen it with milk; the melting marrow and suet provide the tenderness.

4. 4

   Fill and cover

   Pour and scrape the preparation into the basin, pressing lightly into the curve so no large air pockets remain, then level the top. Cover with a pleated sheet of baking parchment and foil, securing it beneath the basin’s rim with kitchen string. The pleat leaves room for the pudding to swell, while the cover keeps water from dripping into the crumb.

5. 5

   Poach it gently

   Set the basin on the rack in the pot and pour in enough boiling water to reach halfway up its sides. Cover the pot and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, keeping the water at a quiet tremble and adding more boiling water if its level drops. Test through the center with a fine skewer: it should emerge with moist crumbs and a light sheen of melted fat, but no wet flour. The center should reach about 200°F (93°C). If wet batter clings to the skewer, reseal the basin and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes. More time at gentle heat will mend it; a hotter oven will only toughen the outside.

6. 6

   Whisk the rum sabayon

   While the pudding rests in its basin, reuse the bain-marie water on the stove at the barest simmer. In a heatproof bowl, whisk the three sauce yolks with the caster sugar and all but 1 teaspoon of the cold water. Set the bowl over the water without letting its base touch, then whisk continuously until the mixture becomes pale, triples in volume, and falls from the whisk in a ribbon. Drizzle in the dark rum while whisking and continue until the sabayon reaches about 158°F (70°C) and holds a soft ribbon. If it turns grainy, lift the bowl from the heat at once and whisk in the reserved cold water. Ça se rattrape. Strain out any stubborn flecks and serve immediately.

7. 7

   Unmould and serve

   Let the pudding rest for 10 to 12 minutes before removing its cover. Run a thin knife around the rim, invert a warm platter over the basin, and turn both together. If the pudding clings, wrap the basin in a hot, damp towel for 30 seconds and try again. Bring it to the table whole, cut it into generous wedges, and pass the warm sabayon au rhum separately in a small jug, exactly as the source directs. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask a butcher for clean marrow from split beef bones and fresh kidney suet with its membranes removed. Marrow and suet are not interchangeable here, and rendered tallow cannot replace either one. Their equal weight is the recipe’s foundation.
• •Use fine fresh crumbs from plain white bread, not dry packaged crumbs. The formula contains no milk, so bone-dry crumbs absorb too much of the egg and leave the center heavy. Weighing the crumbs protects the original proportion.
• •Choose mixed candied fruit with citrus peel among it and cut everything into small, even dice. If the fruit is syrupy, blot it first; wet clumps sink, while lightly coated dice remain suspended through the crumb.
• •The pudding can wait warmly for fifteen minutes. The sabayon cannot. Whisk the sauce during the pudding’s rest and bring both to the table together, one whole pudding and one jug passed from hand to hand.

Advance Preparation

• •The marrow, suet, candied fruit, and zest can be chopped one day ahead and refrigerated in separate covered containers. Keep the fats thoroughly cold until mixing.
• •The pudding can be cooked up to two days ahead. Cool it promptly in its basin, cover, and refrigerate, then reheat it in a covered bain-marie for 30 to 40 minutes, until warm at the center.
• •Make the sabayon au rhum only after the pudding has been reheated. It loses its light texture when held or chilled, though the pudding itself keeps well for three days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 115g)