Stone a pound of bloom raisins; wash and clean a pound of Zante
currants; mince finely a pound of beef suet; mix with this, in a large
pan, a pound of stale bread crumbs and half a pound of sifted flour.
Beat together in another pan six eggs, and mix with them half a pint
of milk. Pour this over the suet and flour, and stir and beat the
whole well together; then add the raisins, currants, and a seasoning
of ground cinnamon, grated nutmeg, powdered ginger, and a little
ground cloves, a teaspoonful of salt, one pound of sugar, and a glass
of Jamaica rum. This pudding may now be boiled in a floured cloth or
in an ornamental mould tied up in a cloth. In either way it requires
long and constant boiling, six hours at least for one such as the
above. Every pudding in a cloth should be boiled briskly, till
finished, in plenty of water, in a large pot, so as to allow it to
move about freely.
To take the boiled pudding out of the cloth without breaking it, dip
it into cold water for a minute or two, then place it in a round
bottomed basin that will just hold it, untie the cloth and lay bare
the pudding down to the edge of the basin; then place upon it, upside
down, the dish on which it is to be served, and invert the whole so
that the pudding may rest on the dish; lastly, lift off the basin and
remove the cloth. The use of the cold water is to chill and solidify
the surface, so that it may part from the cloth smoothly.
Plum pudding may also be baked in a mould or pan, which must be well
buttered inside before pouring the pudding into it. Two hours' boiling
suffices.