Boston Baked Plum Pudding

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cupfuls Butter or Vegetable Shortening (Originally beef suet. Substituted with butter or vegetable shortening for modern preference.)
• 1 1/2 cupfuls Raisins
• 1 1/2 cupfuls Currants
• 1 cupful Brown Sugar
• 2 cupfuls All-Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoonful Baking Powder
• 4 Eggs
• 1 cupful Milk
• 1/2 cupful Chopped Citron
• 1 pinch Salt
• 1 tablespoonful Ground Nutmeg
• 1 glass Brandy
• 1/2 pint Milk
• 3 Egg Yolks
• 1 tablespoonful Vanilla Extract
• 3 Egg Whites

Instructions

1. 1Chop the beef suet (or substitute with butter/shortening) very fine. Stone the raisins. Wash and pick over the currants. Chop the citron.
2. 2In a large bowl, combine the chopped suet (or butter/shortening), raisins, currants, brown sugar, flour sifted with baking powder, eggs, milk, chopped citron, salt, nutmeg, and brandy. Mix until a rather short batter forms.
3. 3Pour the batter into a well-buttered and clean cake tin. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 2 hours, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
4. 4In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the milk until scalding hot. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Gradually whisk the hot milk into the egg yolks until the mixture thickens like custard. Remove from heat and let cool. Stir in the vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the vanilla custard.
5. 5Serve the Boston Baked Plum Pudding warm with the Vanilla Sauce.