About this recipe

For Christmas this year, forget buying or making a traditional plum pudding, why not make a Christmas Pudding using the unique fruits of Australia. This Christmas Pudding recipe features some of the most flavoursome fruits in the world including riberries, quandong, wild rosella and wild limes together with Australia’s own macadamia nut. I’ve also used Wattleseed to provide a richer flavour.

Ingredients

250g (1 cup) plain flour
250g (1 cup) butter
250g (1 cup) brown sugar
1 tablesppon bicarb soda
250g (1 cup) fresh breadcrumbs
4 fresh large eggs
300g (1 ½ cup) macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
150g (¾ cup) Riberry Confit
150g (¾ cup) Quandong Confit
150g (¾ cup) Wild Rosella Confit
150g (¾ cup) Wild Lime Confit
60ml (2 fl oz.) vodka
30 ml (1 fl oz.) Wattleseed extract
pinch of salt

50cm square of unbleached calico cloth
kitchen twine
100g (½ cup) plain flour

Cooking instruction

Firstly strain all the native fruit confits. Coarsely chop the rosellas and the limes and slice the quandong into strips. Place them in a bowl with the whole riberries. Add the vodka and Wattleseed extract to the fruit and mix well. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

In large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Start by adding the eggs to the creamed butter one at a time mixing well after each. Then stir in the fruit, macadamia nuts, breadcrumbs, sifted flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Mix through well.

Take a small saucepan and bring to the boil, then immerse the unbleached calico cloth in the boiling water for two minutes. Using a pair of tongs and wearing rubber gloves, take the calico from the boiling water and squeeze it to remove the excess water.

Use the hot, wet calico cloth to line a large bowl, this will help you form the pudding and evenly spread out the extra flour in the centre and up the sides of the cloth. Place the pudding mix into the bowl, then bring the edges of the cloth to the centre, whilst doing this try to mould the mixture into a round shape. Pull it tight and tie securely with kitchen twine.

Using a large pot, fill with water and bring to the boil. Place the pudding into the pot and cover. Simmer the pudding for at least 6 hours; you may need to top up the boiling water from time to time with hot water.

Remove the pudding from the boiling water and allow to sit for twenty minutes although overnight is better, before serving. If cooking in advance, store chilled in an air tight container.

Serve Christmas pudding with Lemon Myrtle Custard and Riberry Confit