Paleo ‘Hidden Orange’ Christmas Pudding with Paleo Rum Sauce!

 

So for the Paleo Christmas Pudding this year I decided to pull a Heston. Yup… yeah you heard me right! I thought I would take on the culinary master himself and recreate his infamous ‘Hidden Orange Christmas Pudding‘ but uh Paleo stylee… Needless to say I didn’t win the fight… One day though, I’ll win the battle fo’ sure!

This recipe requires you to make your Paleo Candied Orange 2 days in advance of making your actual pudding so beware! The orange wasn’t anything like Heston’s it’s not firm and overtly sweet like his but it is juicy and syrupy. Everyone in the house said that they preferred the pudding with the orange so it’s a winner.

The Christmas pudding itself is very light, I didn’t want to make a really dense pud- that’s exactly what I don’t like about Christmas pudding. It’s always so heavy and I’ve usually eaten a tonne of veggies and who knows what else before I hit my festive desserty delights. It’s a bit like eating the sponge of a steamed sticky toffee pudding but it tastes exactly like Christmas pudding… That’s because it is um still a Christmas pudding! If however you want the traditional dense pudding then you can simply omit the tapioca flour and add an extra 50g of ground almonds to the batter!

This is loaded full of some wonderful booze too because hey ho Santa Baby it’s Christmas hadn’t you heard? about the bird? the bird bird bird is the word… ahem… but yes it’s got my fave rumbo in it – the infamous Kraken that went into my No Bake Raw Paleo Christmas Cheesecake!

So why Kraken? Why is it so special? Well it is gluten-free, vegan and is distilled from molasses made from sugar cane. It is then aged for a period of 12-24 months.  More importantly though it is heavily spiced with; cloves, ginger, cinnamon, and vanilla, among others. It has a distinctly dark, sweet and spiced flavour which is perfect for Christmas!

Typically you leave Christmas puddings to mature for a couple of months but I didn’t want to do this with the hidden orange inside. I don’t think that it’s well, um – candied enough. The last thing anyone wants is a mouldy Chrimbo pud on Christmas day! If you omit the orange however you can definitely leave it to mature for a couple of months no probs! If you are still doing the orange it will be fine for a couple of days don’t worry!

I’ve also included a recipe for my boozy rum sauce (with Kraken in yup you guessed it) because it wouldn’t be Christmas without it! Yes rum sauce not brandy because I don’t like that shizzle!

I hope that you enjoy this as much as I did! Gorgeous!

This pudding requires you to make your Paleo Candied Orange 2 days in advance of preparing your pudding. You can also make your own Paleo Candied Mixed Peel the day before here. You will need either a 1.7-2l pudding basin or if you prefer 2x1l basins (but you will need 2 candied oranges if you do so).

Serves: 6-8 people

Preparation Time: 30 minutes (and 1 day soaking time)

Cooking Time: 8 hours

Please note that all cup measurements used are British cups and equal to 250ml.

Ingredients:

For the fruit mix:

100g sultanas
100g raisins
100g currants
45g dried cherries
4 tbsp Paleo candied peel
75ml Crabbies spiced orange ginger beer (gluten-free)
75ml organic cider
50-75ml Kraken rum (depending upon how boozy you like your pud!)
2 tbsp kirsch (optional but tasty!)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp orange extract
Zest and juice of 1 orange
Zest of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp vanilla powder
1 tbsp mixed spice
1 medium cooking apple peeled and grated

For the pudding batter:

150g raw unsalted butter (or 100g coconut oil/butter)
200g coconut sugar
2 tbsp raw honey (or maple syrup)
2 free-range eggs
1 tbsp mixed spice
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Pinch Himalayan pink salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp baking powder
100g Sukrin almond flour
75g ground almonds
1/3 cup tapioca flour

1 large sized Paleo candied orange (or 2 medium ones of making 2 smaller puds)

For the rum sauce:

50g raw grass-fed unsalted butter
25g tapioca flour
25g Sukrin Almond Flour
400ml coconut milk
50-75g coconut sugar (sweeten to your taste!)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp vanilla powder (optional)
2 tbsp Kraken rum

Method:

1. Place all of the ingredients for the fruit mix into a mixing bowl, give a thorough stir and cover with cling film. Leave overnight but give it the odd stir if you can and re-cover. This mix can actually be left for upto a week in advance which will help all of the flavours seep in even more!
2. In a large mixing bowl beat together your butter, sugar and raw honey until light and smooth.
3. Now beat in your eggs until smooth.
4. Add your spices and salt and mix thoroughly.
5. Now beat in the remaining ingredients for your pudding batter.
6. Add your soaked fruit mix and mix together until evenly distributed.
7. Grease your pudding basin (or basins if making 2 smaller puds).
8. Fill a large pan with water and place on the hob bringing to the boil. You will want enough water to cover half of the depth of your pudding basin.
9. Grease your pudding basin well. Pack a little over 1/2 of your pudding batter into the pudding basin. Pop your candied orange in and add the remaining batter being sure to pack it in as tightly as you can.
10. Cover the basin with baking parchment and tie with cooking string. Repeat but with foil (shiny side down).
11. Place the basin in the pan of boiling water. Reduce from the boil to a simmer and steam for 5 hours being sure to check that the water level hasn’t dropped below half way. (If eating the same day steam for 8 hours!)
12. Remove from the pan and leave to cool for 10-15 minutes. Remove the foil and parchment and leave until completely cooled. Re-cover with parchment and foil as before and store in a cool dry place until needed!
13. On Christmas day re-cook again but for 3 hours.
14. Whilst your pudding is in it’s last 10-15 minutes of cooking prepare your Paleo Rum Sauce! In a medium sized pan add your butter and melt on a low heat.
15. Add your flours and whisk until a roux forms. Cook for 1 minute.
16. Gradually add your coconut milk whisking a small amount in at a time.
17. Whisk in your coconut sugar vanilla extract and vanilla powder. Cook until the sauce just begins to thicken.
18. Remove from the heat and whisk in your rum. Pour into a serving jug or mason jar if you wish to store and re-heat!
19. Remove your Christmas pud from the pan, leave to cool for a few minutes until it’s cool enough to handle and remove all of the foil and parchment. Place a large plate on top of the pudding basin and quickly turn it over.
20. Leave for a few minutes before giving it a few good old fashioned whacks and wiggle that bad boy free!
21. Pour over your rum sauce and feast like a King or Queen, or whatever you want to be! Yummy!

 

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