Modern French Fruit Pudding

Ingredients

• 1 cup Beef suet, finely chopped (Vegetable shortening can be substituted for a vegetarian option.)
• 1 cup Molasses
• 1 cup Sour milk (see instructions) (To sour milk, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to 1 cup of milk. Let stand for 5-10 minutes.)
• 1.5 teaspoons Baking soda
• 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
• 0.5 teaspoon Ground clove
• 0.5 teaspoon Salt
• 1.25 cups Raisins, seeded and chopped
• 0.75 cup Currants
• 2.75 cups All-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon Butter, for greasing (For greasing the mold)
• 1 batch Sterling Sauce (see instructions) (Recipe follows)

Instructions

1. 1Finely chop the suet. Measure out the molasses and sour milk. Combine the raisins and currants in a separate bowl.
2. 2In a large bowl, add the molasses and sour milk to the chopped suet. In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 cups of flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and clove. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
3. 3Toss the raisins and currants with the remaining 3/4 cup of flour. Add the floured fruit to the batter and mix until evenly distributed.
4. 4Grease a pudding mold or heat-safe bowl with butter. Pour the batter into the prepared mold, cover tightly with a lid or aluminum foil, and steam for 4 hours. To steam, place the mold on a trivet in a large pot with enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the mold. Maintain the water level throughout the steaming process.
5. 5While the pudding is steaming, prepare the Sterling Sauce. **Sterling Sauce** * Butter (1/2 cup) * Powdered sugar (1 cup) * Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon) * Milk or cream (2-3 tablespoons) Cream the butter until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract. Add milk or cream, one tablespoon at a time, until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. Keep warm until ready to serve.
6. 6Once the pudding is done steaming, carefully remove it from the pot and let it cool slightly before inverting it onto a serving plate. Serve warm with Sterling Sauce.