Recipe for Mum Davison's Plumb Duff

As requested by Kitchenslut here is the recipe for Mum Davison's Plumb Duff.

Ingredients

• 3 Cups of Plain Flour


• 2 Teaspoons of Bicarb Soda


• 4 Teaspoons of Mixed Spice


• 2 Teaspoons of Powered Ginger


• 1 Cup of Sugar


• 1.5 Cups of Milk (Mungalli Creek if you can get it)


• 125g (1/4 lb) of Margarine


• Half a small packet of Raisins


• Half a small packet of Currants


• Half a small packet of Plumbs (preserved can be used)


• Half a small packet of Apricots (dried can be used)


• Half a small packet of Cherries (Either fresh or Crystalised)


• 1 sqr Meter of Unbleached Calico.


• 30cm String

Method

1. Place a large pot of water on the stove. Have your heat so it will be boiling in 15 minutes or so (when you finish mixing).


2. Soak your Calico Cloth in some warm/hot water in the sink.


3. Beat the sugar with the marge in a large mixing bowl


4. Sift the flour, bicarb, mixed spice and ginger into the bowl.


5. Add your fruits. Be sure to cut the Apricots up finely if they are dried.


6. Pour in your milk, wash your hands if you have not already (Dirty Bugger!). Remove any jewelery and mix the milk with the other ingredience using your hands.


7. Lick your fingers once you have finished mixing, this is important :-). Now wash your hands.


8. Lay the damp Calico cloth out on a bench, dust a circle about 30cm in diamater lightly with flour.


9. Using a Colander, place the cloth in the side it with the flour side facing inwards (this will produce a nice white "skin" on the pudding). Pour your mixture into the cloth inside the Colander. Lick bowl clean, share the spoon with a loved one


10. Leave about a third as much space as the mixture takes up in the cloth again for expansion, and tie it off. It should look like an upsidedown mushroom when you finish, only taller, and less mushroom-like looking.


11. Carefully place a small plate in the bottom of your pot of boiling water, this will stop the cloth from touching the bottom of the pot and burning


12. Place the pudding into the boiling water, allow to simmer for three hours, topping up the water each hour or so.


13. After three hours, remove from water, allow to drip for a few moments, and place into a bowl to cool, be sure to find a bowl with about the same curve as the bottom of the pudding already has, this is to stop it from cracking. You may place it into the fridge to cool if you like.


14. Enjoy with custard or cream, hot or cold!