Many of you have no doubt lain awake at night during many a Christmas past wondering just what the heck a figgy pudding is, and why it’s so urgent to bring one right here.
As with many foods of Ye Olde English origin, this started off as something that might taste icky to the modern palate — a mostly savory dish containing meats, fruits or vegetables, grains, nuts, spices and sometimes wine. It evolved into a sweeter concoction soaked with rum or brandy, stewed for weeks and boiled for hours before being served on Christmas Day. Besides being spectacularly flammable, liquor had the added benefit of preserving this calorically dense dessert for days or weeks.
Don’t be misled by “pudding.” For speakers of British English, that’s a term that encompasses all desserts. Because this dish has been eaten for centuries, however, there are more recipes for figgy pudding than pine needles on a Christmas tree. Some are very complicated, but I chose the simplest, most cakelike one and endeavored to make it more complicated in my own fashion. I won’t call it an authentic figgy pudding but I will call it a thing I’ll eat with pleasure.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Into a saucepan, put two generous cups of any combination of the following dried fruits, chopped into smallish bits: figs, prunes, raisins, dates, crystallized ginger, candied orange peel, cranberries or cherries. There’s no need to be a figgy purist, just use what you like, fruit-wise. Add 1 cup milk and 3/4 cup whiskey or other tipple, like brandy, bourbon, rum or Grand Marnier. If you like a less tipsy cake, use all milk. Heat on low for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the milk separates, don’t worry; once it’s in the cake, no one’s the wiser.
