Steamed Puddings

Image Gallery Plum (left) and cranberry (right) puddings can be served wit an array of garnishes and sauces GRANT PETERSON

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Winter holidays wouldn't be quite the same for some people without plum pudding. Many others, though, have never tried this traditional dish, and don't realize that it contains raisins, not plums, and that it's not a soft custard, but is closer to bread or cake, often topped with a sweet sauce. If this time-honored English holiday dessert has never graced your table, now's the time to try it. (After all, you don't need an oven to make these scrumptious steamed dishes, which means that they are ideal candidates for cooking on woodstoves or even over campfires.)

Molds for steamed puddings can be fancy or plain. There are, for example, circular and melon-shaped fluted molds made of tin or aluminum with fitted lids. These range from 3-cup to 2-quart capacities. (Beware of any sharp edges or very narrow flutes; they're no fun to clean!)

Among the simpler molds are tin cans, preferably those opened with a key, so the tin lids can be reused. Or use ordinary cans (lined ones, if possible), and fashion covers by bending aluminum foil tightly down over the rims. (Brown or waxed paper fitted over the top of a mold and tied down with a string was the solution in your grandmother's day.)

No matter what dish you're steaming (including the familiar Boston brown bread), the basic method is the same.

First, select a recipe and settle on a day when you don't mind steaming up your kitchen a bit. Then, mix up your ingredients, and grease your mold well (cooking spray works fine), including the underside of the lid. Pour the dough into the greased mold, generally filling it no more than two-thirds full. (Remember that leavened dough must have room to rise.)

Have ready a large pot with a tightly fitting cover. Set the covered mold in the pot on a rack or trivet, and fill the container with enough boiling water to reach halfway up the mold. Let the water boil continually for the time specified in your recipe. It usually takes about 2 hours, depending on the size of the mold and the moisture content of the ingredients. Check the water level occasionally, adding more boiling water to maintain the level at the halfway position.

The job can also be done in a pressure cooker. (The old Presto Cooker I used produced finished bread in 25 minutes, whereas regular steaming of the same recipe took 2 1/2 hours.) But study the directions of your particular cooker carefully for instructions concerning breads and puddings.

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