Perfect Christmas recipe: Christmas pudding by Adam Handling from The Frog

We celebrate this year’s Christmas with a recipe from chef Adam Handling of the Frog. Handling’s inspiration came from his grandmother, who used to start preparing the pudding as early as February. On top of every step, the chef will show you how to plate it.

Christmas Pudding with Brandy Parfait, Crème Anglaise and Sugar Tuile

Christmas pudding

Ingredients

50g blanched almonds
2 large Bramley cooking apples
200g candied peel
1 whole nutmeg
1kg raisins
140g plain flour
100g soft fresh white breadcrumbs
100g light muscovado sugar
3 large eggs
2 tbsp brandy or cognac, plus extra to light the pudding
250g unsalted butter, taken straight from the fridge

Method

1. Get everything for the pudding prepared. Chop the almonds coarsely. Peel, core and chop the cooking apples. Sharpen your knife and chop the candied peel. (You can chop the almonds and apples in a food processor, but the peel must be done by hand.) Grate three-quarters of the nutmeg (sounds a lot but it’s correct).

2. Mix the almonds, apples, candied peel, nutmeg, raisins, flour, breadcrumbs, light muscovado sugar, eggs and 2 tbsp brandy or cognac in a large bowl.

3. Holding the butter in its wrapper, grate a quarter of it into the bowl, then stir everything together. Repeat until all the butter is grated, then stir for 3-4 mins – the mixture is ready when it subsides slightly after each stir. Ask the family to stir too, and get everyone to make a wish.

4. Generously butter two 1.2 litre bowls and put a circle of baking parchment in the bottom of each. Pack in the pudding mixture. Cover with a double layer of baking parchment, pleating it to allow for expansion, then tie with string (keep the paper in place with a rubber band while tying). Trim off any excess paper.

5. Now stand each bowl on a large sheet of foil and bring the edges up over the top, then put another sheet of foil over the top and bring it down underneath to make a double package (this makes the puddings watertight). Tie with more string, and make a handle for easy lifting in and out of the pan. Watch our video to see how to tie up a pudding correctly.
6. Boil or oven steam the puddings for 8 hours, topping up with water as necessary. Remove from the pans and leave to cool overnight. When cold, discard the messy wrappings and re-wrap in new baking parchment, foil and string. Store in a cool, dry place until Christmas.


Sugar tuile

Ingredients

1kg fondant
500g glucose
225g isomalt

Method

1. Cook to 150°C
2. Blitz in Thermomix bag
3. Dust on Silpats
4. Cook for 2-3 minutes at 160°C 0 humidity, medium fan flip onto parchment paper
5. Store in a box with silica gel

Brandy parfait

Ingredients

300g sugar
250g egg yolks
1,125g whipping cream
10g gelatine
120g cognac
4 vanilla pods

Method

1. Stiffly whip the cream with the vanilla.
2. Pate bombe the yolks and sugar.
3. Bloom the gelatine then dissolve in a little cream then pour slowly into the pate bombe whilst whisking.
4. Fold the pate bombe into the cream and mix until combined.
5. Pour into tubes and freeze

Crème anglaise

Ingredients

500ml double cream
500ml milk
12 egg yolks
200g sugar
2 vanilla pods

Method

1. Bring milk, cream and vanilla to boil.
2. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar.
3. Pour half the warm milk mixture into the eggs.
4. Mix all of it together and cook until anglaise coats the back of a spoon.

Once assembled, grate over a little bit of fresh nutmeg and 70% cocoa dark chocolate. Merry Christmas from Adam Handling and The Upcoming!

The editorial unit
Photos/video: Filippo L’Astorina