The Good Life - Christmas Pudding - Se lancait un défi!

 A hard end to November

The Winter weather has arrived in earnest this weekend, and in the allotment the early November muddy tracks that separated the raised beds were neatly filled with crisp snow this morning. Is there anything left in the beds to eat? Yes there is. The prolific giant woody stalks of the Jerusalem artichokes have finally wilted and their great crop lies perfectly preserved in the undisturbed soil. The spinach has also survived, and to our surprise so has the late crop of lettuce. The most prominent survivors in the allotment are the leeks, Brussels sprouts, and kale, which although battered by recent winds appear to be in reasonably healthy condition.

After only fifteen minutes my hands became bitterly cold and sore. Having quickly got back on the road, I recommenced my search for the final outstanding ingredients to use in my apple and dried fruit Christmas pudding. The shredded vegetarian suet was ultimately purchased in the last of four searches of nearby supermarkets. One would have thought this product would be a well stocked item at this time of year, but sadly the homemade traditional Christmas pudding may be a thing of the past!

My recipe is a little different. It was published in Sainsburys Magazine in November 2004 and it immediately caught my attention because of the rich variety of ingredients. In a similar manner to the first time I embarked on making this recipe, I have been examining my dry stores over the last few days and established a list of the  purchases required. My ceramic pudding bowls remain unbroken and unchiped, but there was no dried apple or shredded suet to be found in the cupboards. I also noticed my ground mixed spice had disappeared! I link some of these observations to Corinne of course, who recently informed me she had cleaned the cupboards, and in doing so questioned  the need for certain items (without querying me). Having recently converted her to chutney, I have decided it is time for another challenge: Christmas pudding. After a brief description of the ingredients there was some hope at hand, but this halted following my description of suet. The initial reaction brought a quizzical look, which quickly turned to one of horror, and incredulity, peppered with French resistance; a look which I am growing accustomed to. Se lancait un défi!

The chopped dried fruit

Amidst the overnight snowfall, it has been a good seasonal adventure gathering together all the ingredients in preparation for this pudding of puddings. The next decision centers around the question of the number to be made, and how much mixture should I make? Ultimately, I decided to add to the recipe and increase the quantities, in order to make a few mini puddings. My first attempt at cooking this pudding involved a different adventure which will not be repeated. I decided to cook them all over the course of a single night as I was working for most of the day. My alarm clock was set every two hours through the night, so that the pots could be refilled with water to the required level, because of the serious risk of the water evaporating entirely and the pot burning. Adopting my experience in offshore racing, and curious ability to deal with sleep deprivation, I struggled through the night with successive steamings of the puddings, finally going to work with the usual, and expected, side effects of unpredictability, crankiness and lack of concentration coming to the fore.

Orange and lemon zest

To make two 1.2 litre puddings you shall require the following: sultanas 250g; raisins 250g; roughly chopped dates 200g; roughly chopped dried figs 200g; roughly chopped dried apricots 150g; roughly chopped dried apple 150g; warmed brandy 200ml; mixture of almonds and hazelnuts 200g; zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon; breadcrumbs 200g; plain flour 75g; ground mixed spice 1 teaspoon; shredded suet 200g; light soft brown sugar 225g; treacle 95g; and 4 lightly beaten large eggs.

Warm the brandy and pour it over the sultanas, raisins, dates, figs, apricots and apple, leaving the ingredients to soak for about a day. Having an inbuilt mechanism for changing a plan at the last minute, I also added about 150g of irresistible prunneaux d'Agen into my mixture of dried fruit. Turning the different fruit over in the bowl a sweet scent begins to emerge from the bowl, but once the warmed brandy is poured over the fruit the room quickly fills with a rich sweet aroma. French brandy might be a little expensive for this recipe, however a Spanish brandy, aged in oak sherry casks, compliments the diverse complexity of flavours in the dried fruit.

 Light brown soft sugar, eggs and treacle

Toast the almonds and hazelnuts in an oven for about 6 minutes, and after allowing them to cool before chopping. Combine them with the orange and lemon zest, breadcrumbs, flour and mixed spice, and the dreaded shredded suet. In another bowl beat together the eggs, treacle and light brown soft sugar. Spoon the egg and sugar mixture into the brandy soaked dried fruit and mix well. Then add the breadcrumb, suet and nuts etc. and gently stir combining all the ingredients well. At this point I introduced Corinne to a mysterious Irish tradition whereby everybody who stirs the pudding mixture is allowed to make one secret wish. During the Celtic tiger era this tradition may have been artificially augmented and exaggerated by greedy individuals who made many wishes, and obviously the wish does not extend to the unrealistic and fantastic, such as ridiculous desires in relation to the Irish Banks, EU and IMF bail outs. She did not grasp the concept immediately. However after a little thought she began to stir, and gave the wooden spoon a decent work out for several minutes.

 
The dreaded shredded suet

I normally let the mixture stand for a while before spooning it into the pudding bowls. When filling the pudding bowls press down firmly before covering with baking parchment, or greaseproof paper. As the pudding expands while cooking it is advisable toput a 2 or 3 centimeter pleat across the center of the sheet and repeat the process with a sheet of aluminium foil. These two covers must be secured well with string around the rim. This is not as easy as it sounds, however it ensures the boiling or simmering water will not get into the pudding bowl.

toasted almonds and hazelnuts

The bowls must be placed in a pot of boiling water reaching two thirds the way up their sides. The steaming pot should be covered well and puddings left to cook for five or six hours. It is important to remember to check the water levels occasionally, and top up with boiling water when necessary, to prevent the pot burning due to evaporation. Once removed from the water allow the puddings to cool, and thereafter check whether or not they are sufficiently cooked. To test, you can insert a skewer into a pudding and if it is cooked the skewer should come out clean.

 The Mason ceramic pudding bowls covered and tied

Before storing the puddings secure a fresh piece of baking parchment and aluminium foil on top of each bowl. When you wish to serve the pudding, it should be steamed for at least two hours. Thereafter it can be turned out and served with whatever sauce, cream, butter or custard takes your fancy. Obviously the common ingredient to all of these embellishments is brandy, and I would also recommend flaming the pudding with warmed brandy. Of course, by the time you have tasted your apple and dried fruit Christmas pudding your secret wish should have come true!

 Six hours later

Fruit and nuts and other treats!

Pumpkins arranged along a wall in Chateau-Chalon

On the 18th September I went back to the Jura and Doubs regions of eastern France with Corinne. Our visit coincided with a a brief window in time where so much fruit, and indeed nuts, were in season; peaches, raspberries, blackberries and apples were all in abundance.

The apple trees were heavily laden with local varieties such as les Belles Filles de Salins and Rennete. The many bright red fruit coloured and enlivened the otherwise green pastures and trees that board many of the routes in the region. With many of the fruit ripening rapidly, and beginning to fall, we set about assisting with the collection of the apples in an orchard near La Chapelle sur Furieuse. The Furieuse is a small gentle country stream, but its name suggests a propensity and character that might be dramically different at certain times of year.

Les belles filles de Salins

The walnuts and hazelnuts were in season but in Besancon, the walnut trees had not shed their crop and many trees still exhibited their fleshy unbroken fruit. Further south, at a higher altitude, the situation was slightly different, and the walnuts had begun to fall, and the race had begun to collect as many as possible before the squirrels and other animals ran away with the lot.

Unless planted for commercial purposes, the walnut trees merely dot the landscape randomly. On a warm still afternoon, wandering about collecting the walnuts beneath a tree, you cannot but be overcome with the scent from the tree above. The air that collects and contained by the tree wafts through its branches and leaves is heavy with a rich creamy nutty odour, and can become an oasis of narcotic tranquility.

The fleshy outer coating of a walnut breaking to reveal the nut within

Fresh walnuts released

Fresh reports from our base in Besancon disclosed the squirrels had made off with most of the nuts from the trees in the garden, so we felt we should make an extra effort to offset this loss. Rather stoically, Rene stated that all that was left to do was to find the squirrels grand winter cache. He went on to say that, strangely enough, the clever little (thieving) squirrels only select the best nuts to store away, and these would always be placed in a location where they would dry very well.

Freshly fallen walnuts we collected at Buvilly

Having stayed the night in Arbois, we set out with a view to collecting a few kilos of walnuts at nearby villages such as Pupillin, Buvilly and also close to Chateau-Chalon, a little further south. It quickly became a road trip quest, and we became adept at sighting walnut trees along the side of the road, quickly establishing whether the walnuts were worth collecting, or not. Some walnuts produced are simply too small and not worth the effort, others can be empty and barren. Furthermore, depending on the variety or the tree itself, the walnuts may not dry well and the nut inside may simply shrivel away, simply disappearing during the drying process.

Views of Chateau-Chalon

Travelling through Pupillin, home of the poulsard grape crop, and where the vendage had just commenced, we came across a noisterie, or hazelnut grove, where over a few acres three varieties of hazelnut were planted some 17 years ago. Obviously the collection of the nuts there is a keen contest between the local squirrels and the owners, and clearly one can not underestimate the appetite of these little guys or their ability to collect a vast quantity of good quality nuts.

After meeting and chatting with the amicable owner the groves [Benoit Freres, Noisettes du Jura, 39600 Pupillin] we purchased a few kilos of hazelnuts, and she also gave us a bag of dried hazelnuts from last years crop to sample. The now mature groves produce hazelnuts of a very good size and with good flavour. Among many interesting facts, we discovered that last year's crop yielded ten tonnes of nuts.

A noisterie just outside Pupillin

The groves are well worth a visit at this time of year and to taste fresh hazelnuts was great to experience. To say that it is like a cross between eating a fresh young carrot drawn from the ground and the flesh of a coconut is a little simplistic, but not entirely misleading. While the former comment might betray some of the texture qualities the flesh of the nut is moist and tastes almost sweet. What surprised me was the size of the shells and they nuts produced. In particular the shells had a very fine sheen that appeared to be like dew, and after a closer inspection revealed a fine velvety hair like coating.

Freshly collected hazelnuts

Our little adventure, also took us up to Chateau-Chalon and along the valley of the river Dard to Baume-Les-Messieurs; both medieval villages with connections to the Benedictine monks. We had worked our way well off the beaten track and left little time to get a bottle of wine to have with our dinner that evening. We were not optimistic as we returned to Arbois, we again passed below the steep escarpments where Chateau-Chalon was situated and spotted a sign marked "Ouvert" for a local wine producer.

Baume-Les-Messieurs

After knocking at the door, and waiting for a minutes, a man obviously tired from work or entertaining (or both), appeared at the door and immediately ushered us into a tasting room. We doused his expectations apologetically, by saying that we only needed a bottle of wine for dinner. The notion did not limit his easy and courteous manner and he proceeded to offer us a glass of his Cotes du Jura Chardonnay [2006] to taste. This was a very nice wine; clean, very light and refreshing which are peculiar traits to have in a Cotes du Jura Chardonnay but I found it very satisfying. Quickly moving through the taste bud gears we were offered the Savagnin [2004], and this was full of flavour and a very good example of the Savagnin wines that I had tasted to date. To close the degustation, and going up a further notch on the flavour scale, we sampled his Macvin. This was also excellent. Our initial plan was to purchase a bottle, or possibly two, but everything we tasted was so good. Consequently, we bought two bottles of Savagnin and one bottle of Macvin and bid our farewells.

Chateau-Chalon and the many vines laid out below from Nevy

Turn a corner, or knock on a door in the Jura countryside and you discover all sorts of new experiences. The unassuming innocuous sign by the side of the road concealed the talents of a great independent wine producer in the region, namely the Domaine De Lahaye at Nevy sur Seille. If you happen to get lost and find this place I heartily recommend a visit.